Pet Therapy Services Just Part of the Package With Companion Animals
Sep 14th
I was serving my loving husband dinner the other night, and about to give Poncho his dinner too when hubby jumped up and said "I'll do it." I said sure, of course. We concluded that I like to nurture my husband, and this is an opportunity for him to nurture Poncho. He then asked me, "When does Poncho nurture us?" I said are you kidding? All of the time - he just has to "be".
For me, it's when he's in my lap - especially during cold weather or when I'm feeling overwhelmed and he's curled up keeping me calm while I'm working at the computer. Or while we're out walking, taking a break from work or just to enjoy some fresh air and he looks up at me, checking in to see how I'm doing.
Other times are when I'm stressed or upset - Poncho has learned to discriminate between my various "moods". He reads my body language, probably smells some sort of stress hormone I'm emitting, and tends to be a little more composed in his behavior.
Finally, the biggie is when I'm sick - he'll cling to me more, hang with me when resting. Could it be just because I'm around more at that time? Does he think "Cool, it's nappies with mom!"? Who knows - I can't read his mind. But regardless of what his internal motivation is, it still feels comforting to me, and as if he's the one nurturing me - so I'll take it!
My question to you: How does your pet nurture you? Looking forward to your comments!
Home Alone Needn’t Equal Lonely for Inquisitive Canines
Sep 9th
Dear Inquisitive Dog Guardians,
As we head into the fall season and get back to our usual routines with school and work, it’s not uncommon for dogs to develop behavioral issues. Why? Because they go from being around us humans all of the time to suddenly being home alone.
In fact, most people think of the “dog days” as being the hottest days of the year, but I like to define that phrase as the ideal time of year for dogs — when they get loads of added companionship from house guests, from getting to participate in family vacations and outings, and from having the kids and parents at home more throughout the day! I’m sure you can see why it’s a tough adjustment for canines to go from basking in all that extra attention to waiting all day for the sound of the keys in the front door.
Whether you’re a seasoned dog guardian who’s coming off lots of togetherness time with your canine family member, or you’ve taken advantage of the summer’s relaxed schedule to newly adopt a pup, the tips Poncho and I present below will help ensure a smooth transition for all this fall.
Canine Attention Deficit Disorder?
The pattern of going from the center of attention to complete independence can be rough on a dog (no pun intended). As a certified professional dog trainer, I all too often am contacted from dog guardians telling me their pup is destroying their home and property, or that they’ve received calls from neighbors reporting that their dog is barking and howling incessantly. These are responses to a sudden attention deficit: Some dogs end up bored, some become anxious and fearful, and others don’t really care. To help determine if your dog is bored or anxious, take this inquisitive canine quiz.
So before you place the cover back on the barbecue, Poncho and I would like to provide a few training tips to help your pooch make a smooth transition into your new routine.
Training Tips for Teaching Independence
Unless your dog is accustomed to being left alone for hours at a time, being apart from family — especially for long periods — can lead to behavioral issues like those mentioned above.
Whether you’re taking steps to prevent these problems from rearing their ugly head, or trying to fix an issue that has already started, the course of action is similar:
- Determine what you want: What’s your ideal situation? To come and go whenever you want while your dog is relaxed at home enjoying some alone time? If so, you’ll want to start with being out of the house for shorter increments of time. Even just leaving the room for awhile, along with ignoring and/or being “boring” as you come and go can help dogs adapt to being alone. Boring is good! Continuous interaction leads to continuous dependence — not healthy for either canines or their guardians.
- Determine what you expect from your dog: If your dog has never learned to be alone, you’ll definitely want to take steps to train him or her to do so. For those who work from home or are stay-at-home dog parents, think about teaching your dog to be independent through confidence-building activities and outings with others outside the immediate family. You’ll also want to consider crate or confinement training, conditioning your pup to feel comfortable in specific areas of your home.
- Create a fulfilling environment: Enrichment activities — to motivate your dog to spend time on his or her own — should be used for delivering meals and for mental stimulation. Interactive food toys, scavenger hunts and chew bones are just a few ideas to help provide recreation for dogs. These outlets should be made available when others are home, and even more so when he or she is left alone. Creating an engaging environment helps with building self-confidence, gaining independence, and prevention and handling of boredom-related issues like redecorating the house with their jaws or landscaping the yard through digging. For additional tips on providing enrichment for your dog, check out these blog posts on enrichment.
- Set up play-dates with others: Scheduling activities for your dog with people other than primary family members is a great way to not only help with independence, but also assist with socialization and expending energy! Asking outside family members, friends and/or neighbors to look after or even walk your dog can be fun for everyone involved. Other options include hiring a pet-sitter or dog-walker, or doggy daycare.
- Plan and practice: Once you determine what it is you want for yourself and from your dog, you can arrange your dog’s environment to implement the new routine. Begin with integrating training steps into your dog’s daily agenda before your own schedule changes. This way, you’ll be able to concentrate on your dog’s needs, without being preoccupied with yours and that of other family members. Dress rehearsals are key in setting everyone up for success!
Home Alone Dos & Don’ts for Canines
- DO engage in planning, environmental management and training to prevent your dog from developing behavioral issues due to being alone.
- DON’T make a big fuss before leaving, nor for the first few minutes when coming home.
- DO teach your dog to look forward to being left home alone by providing enrichment activities.
- DON’T go from constant to zero interaction if your dog has never spent time on his or her own, especially for longer periods of time.
- DO seek assistance from a qualified professional if your dog appears anxious when left alone.
Canine Caveat
Be mindful as to whether your dog appears anxious while you’re getting ready to leave or exhibits any of the following behaviors:
- chewing and/or digging at doorways and windows within the first hour of being left;
- not eating when left alone;
- howling or barking throughout the day; or
- eliminating in the house when he or she is already house-trained.
If any of the above behaviors occur, we recommend you speak with a certified professional dog trainer or veterinary behaviorist to evaluate and help make the correct diagnosis and receive proper treatment.
Remember, dogs are social animals by nature. The transition period between current and post-summer vacations can be stressful on everyone. But you can still help your dog enjoy the last few dog days of summer, along with a new routine of self-sufficiency and enjoyment. All it takes is knowing what you want, realistic expectations, a little patience and some dress rehearsals.
Dog Behavior Quiz: Is Home Alone Stressful or Big Bore?
Aug 29th
Now that the dog days of summer are winding down and we’re heading into the busy fall season, it seems that back-to-school means our dogs are left at home on their own with the responsibility of entertaining themselves. This sudden shift in routine – family around all the time to suddenly being gone all day – can sometimes lead to behavioral issues related to isolation.
Poncho and I developed this little quiz for you to take to help determine if your dog might be bored, be on the brink of isolation distress (a.k.a: separation anxiety), or just hunky dory about being on their own.
Q: As you’re going through your ritual to leave for work and/or school, your dog:
- Lies on his or her bed, watching you get ready, relaxed.
- Begins pacing around back and forth, clinging to you.
Q: You head out the door, closing the door behind you. Your dog:
- Stays behind, relaxed as if they’re saying “Have a nice day!”
- Whimpers, whines, and scratches at the door to go with you.
Q: You come home from being away for only a half hour or so. It appears your dog:
- Didn’t appear to care one way or another. He or she was happy when you got home, plus the food you left for them has been eaten up!
- Eliminated on the rug, chewed up the door and window frame, and left the bowl of food alone.
Q: You come home from being gone all day. It appears your dog:
- Didn’t appear to care one way or another. He or she was happy when you get home, plus the food you left for them has been eaten up!
- Eliminated on the rug, chewed up the door and window frame, and left the bowl of food alone, chewed up paws, and according to your neighbors barked and howled all day.
- Is excited to see you, as if running to say “Welcome home!” However, you notice that not only is the food in the bowl gone, but your dog went counter-surfing and dumpster diving in your kitchen, redecorated the living room by chewing up the couch and pillows, helped with laundry by dragging it all over the house and chewing up your new socks, and topped it off by re-landscaping the yard by digging up the flowers you just planted.
RESULTS:
If you’ve answered mostly 1′s in each question, then bravo to you! You’ve done a great job at teaching your dog to be independent and comfortable on his or her own! If you’ve answered mostly 2′s for each question then we recommend you consult with a certified professional dog trainer and/or vet behaviorist to discuss signs and symptoms related to canine isolation distress. There are medications and behavior modification plans that can be implemented to help with these issues.
If you’ve answered 3 to the last question, then consider your dog might be bored – scenarios such as this means your inquisitive canine is designing his or her own scavenger hunt! Providing enrichment is key to help prevent boredom related issues. Being passionate about this topic ourselves, we’ve blogged about it a lot! So click here to find out more about enrichment for dogs.
Keep in mind that our canine companions are social animals – they enjoy the company of others and often do not do well when left alone – unless you condition them to do so. Taking the time to teach them independence and coping skills are key in raising a healthy and happy dog! For help with these matters and more, feel free to contact us directly.
Painless DogTraining Tips to Help With Puppy Biting and Nipping
Jul 13th
"Legal" Alternative for Chewing
I’ve been hearing a lot of this lately: “Ouch! My puppy’s teeth are like needles!” Yep – that’s what puppies do. Bite, chew, nip, shred and chomp some more. Their mouth is the perfect tool to explore the world and all that’s in it.
So what are new puppy owners supposed to do to help the situation? The following are a few simple steps those who may be experiencing this painful situation, in a pretty painless way.
- Know your animal: Remember, dogs use their mouths to explore the world! This means, if it appears interesting, and it’s within reach, it will be investigated. Dogs also use their mouths (and teeth) to play with things, destroy things, and just for lots of fun! (Especially when he or she is teething).
- Be aware of what you might be training: Attention, whether positive or negative, can cause a behavior to happen more often, so be careful of what you’re paying attention to – you may just be inadvertently rewarding a behavior you don’t want.
- Provide “legal” outlets for your puppy or adult dog: Providing outlets for your dog to chew and play with will help redirect that energy to a more appropriate place. This way, he or she can get all of his or her energy out, while making the humans happy. Chew bones, playing tug with an actual tug toy, soft squeaky toys, and interactive food toys are just a few options for your pooch to get the attention he or she wants, in a way he or she wants, doing what he or she loves to do.
- Provide play opportunities with other dogs: Most dogs enjoy playing with other dogs, but dog-play is a skill that needs to be practiced. Yes, dogs are born with instinctual play skills, but he or she still needs to practice. Set up doggy play-dates with age and play appropriate dogs so your dog can learn how to control his or her mouth with living objects, and not just toys and bones. For additional tips, check out this blog post on dog-play.
- Make it clear your dog is making the better choice: To really help drive the message home, reward your dog with an extra special little treat whenever he or she makes the better choice of playing with these legitimate items, as well as for leaving forbidden items alone. This way, he or she figure out what works to his or her own advantage, while making you happy and proud.
- Management Recommendations: Management means you’re arranging your puppy’s environment that prevents him or her from practicing behaviors you don’t want. If you haven’t taught your dog what you want, or if you don’t have the time or energy to monitor your dogs behavior, then you’ll want to keep him or her from making choices you don’t want them to make. This means, sequester your dog to an area with enrichment to keep his or her mind (and mouth) occupied. However, avoid giving a “Time Out!” by just sending him or her to a crate, yard or another room without anything to do. That would be too punishing. A bully stick or food enrichment toy in another area is certainly a fine option.
Remember, when developing your training and management plan for puppy nipping and chewing, determine what you want from your dog, teach him or her what you want, provide appropriate outlets and reward heavily for making the better choice. This will make everyone happy, including your dog and everyone else in the household.
Dog Training Tips for Chewing Mouthing & Nipping
Apr 1st
Dear Inquisitive Canine:
I recently purchased a Maltese/Pekingese mix. He is only 13 weeks old, but his biting habits are getting worse. No one can sit without him biting their feet or attacking their shoes. I have tried putting him in his crate after saying “no” to him. But nothing seems to deter him. Do you have any suggestions?
— Kathy
Dear Kathy:
Ah, yes, bees gotta sting, birds gotta fly and dogs gotta … mouth, chew and chomp! What a great question! Thank you for taking the essential steps in finding a solution for precluding those “Jaws” interactions with your puppy’s sharp, needle-like teeth. Isn’t it amazing how something that small can cause that much pain and discomfort?
I have a few suggestions to help you teach your dog how to use his mouth appropriately, including when, where and how. As a certified professional dog trainer, I like to first address why it’s important to provide dogs with appropriate outlets for chewing and mouthing. Then we will explore specific training exercises th
at are similar to the lessons I teach in my dog and puppy training classes.
Biting, chewing and mouthing are all normal behaviors for dogs, especially pu
ppies since they will be teething over the next few months. Dogs throughout their lives use their mouths for exploring their world and all that’s in it. (It’s similar to how us humans use our hands for everything.) Dogs also use their mouths for eating, play and passing the time away — chewing is just gosh-darn fun! In addition to play and activities, our beloved canines also use their mouths to indicate when he or she is stressed, or isn’t happy with something, someone or a specific situation.
Regarding training exercises and a management plan, I’ve divided the following information into sections that cover the above topics, including chewing, mouthing and biting:
- When it comes to chewing, it’s vital to set your dog up for success. You can teach and reward the behaviors you want by doing the following: Provide acceptable and rewarding chew items that your dog enjoys, especially when you have company and might not have enough time to interact with your dog. Chew bones, interactive food toys and other dog friendly (and safe) toys should be available for your dog at all times.
- Reward your dog for making the right choices. You’ll also want to place emphasis in teaching your dog that chewing on those allowable items is the right choice. This means that you’ll want to reward him with extra treats, petting and praise whenever he is chewing on those items — at least initially, until you observe him in action choosing his doggy items and ignoring forbidden articles. Once he’s doing that, you can acknowledge with good ol’ praise. However, I’d reward with a treat on occasion just to provide extra positive reinforcement. After all, it never hurts to say “Thank you!”
You’ll want to experiment with different chew items until you determine your dog’s favorites. Just because we think our dogs should like something doesn’t mean he or she will. Observe and go from there. Then you’ll know what to stock up on.
- Mouthing and allowable interaction through play activities: Tug and fetch are fun games as well as great outlets for extra energy. To help create rewarding times together, make sure toys are large enough for both your hands and his mouth to be on. If it’s too small, he might end up mouthing your hand. Reward your dog for playing nicely with both continued play and attention from you, along with a treat now and again. This extra bonus really boosts the message that he is making the right choice.
- A positive way to teach “bite inhibition”: As a trainer, I have one specific rule for tug should jaws misfire — teeth hit skin, game is over! Similar to “hitting below the belt” and being “timed out,” our dogs need to learn it’s uncool for his or her teeth to come into contact with our skin no matter how delicate hands are. If this should happen, you can certainly give a “time out” and stop playing. This type of penalty is one way for us to teach dogs “bite inhibition,” which is when he or she learns about controlling the intensity of his or her jaw pressure.
He will recognize, “Hmm, when my teeth hit her hand she just walked away. But as long as I kept my mouth away from her hand and on the toy, then we kept playing. I think I’ll do that from now on!” You’ll just want to make sure that these intermissions are only about 20 seconds. Afterward, you will want to resume play, ensuring you provide your dog the opportunity to make the right choice.
Another great way to provide your dog with activities in which he can use his mouth and learn about bite inhibition is through dog play. Puppy classes, puppy socials, puppy daycare and setting him up on “play dates” with other dogs of his size and temperament are ideal settings for him to learn how to use his mouth. Just make sure you are either there monitoring play, or that the instructors are maintaining a safe and friendly environment. For more on what to look for in dog play, click here to read a Dear Inquisitive Canine column on safe and friendly dog play behavior.
- Determine if it’s play or if he or she is uncomfortable and/or unhappy: A dog that snaps or bites during times when he or she is not in a playful mood can often be sending a message that he or she is uncomfortable about something. It could be a health issue or something or someone in the environment that is causing your dog to feel apprehensive and nervous. If this is the case, you’ll want to investigate further, and even consider consulting with your veterinarian (for health-related issues) and a professional trainer such as myself for behavioral concerns.
As fun as it is for your dog to want to play with your feet, you’re not a human squeaky toy, so it’s great planning on your part that you want to take the time to teach him to make better choices.
With a little patience and understanding, taking the time to train your puppy to understand what you want combined with managing his environment when you’re not training, you’re sure to end up with a canine companion with the mouth that’s as soft and gentle as the rest of him.
— Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick, Poncho. Joan is a certified professional dog trainer and human-canine relationship coach. Poncho is a 10-pound mutt that knows a lot about canine and human behavior. Their column is known for its simple common-sense approach to dog training and behavior, as well as its entertaining insight into implementing proven techniques that reward both owner and dog. Joan is also the founder of The Inquisitive Canine, where her love-of-dog training approach highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior. If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, e-mail them directly.
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