Dog Training Basics to Prevent Fido From Being Left Out of the Group
Feb 1st
Dear Poncho,
Help! We’ve had family staying with us all weekend, and our dog, Wiley, has had a hard time behaving. At the family’s request, when we go outside, we have to put him inside, in his crate. That’s because if we let him out when we go out to play, he jumps on and nips at us, the extended family, neighbors, the gardener and anyone else stopping by for a visit. When we are inside, Wiley must be sent outside in the yard.
Wiley is part of our family, and I want him to blend in and be able to play with us. When we try to ignore him by turning away, he jumps on our backs and also continues to nip. We just can’t have him doing that, especially to my 85-year-old dad or our 2-year-old granddaughter. We’ve tried lots of praise when he sits and we pet him, but then he jumps and nips. I hope you have some suggestions for us — we’re so frustrated, we’re happy to try anything you suggest!
Ellen (Wiley’s mom)
Dear Miss Ellen,
Sounds like Wiley is living up to his name — skilled and clever at getting what he wants. I’d be happy to offer some tips on how you can help your own inquisitive canine become part of the group, not left out in the cold.
Let’s talk about dogs and a few of the general behavior traits we possess: jumping to greet, having enormous amounts of energy (especially when we’re young or haven’t burned off the excess energy), using our mouths to explore the world, wanting attention (positive or negative), preferring to be around people than alone and always game for a good time.
Hmm, yep, sounds like Wiley is a full-blown canine extraordinaire! My first tip is to understand these characteristics and appreciate Wiley for who he is — a dog who loves people of all ages and wants to spend time with his family.
How to Make Halloween a Real Treat for Your Dog
Oct 7th
Dear Inquisitive Dog Guardians,
Fall is officially here! The air is a little crisper, white shoes are placed in the back of the 
closet, gourds are now decorations and football is topping the sports highlights. Being October, this also means Halloween! Well, here at Inquisitive Canine headquarters, Poncho and I thought it’d be a great idea to share our training tips for creating an evening of fun for you and your dog that’s anything but spooky. For this month’s installment, we’re covering both door greeting and dressing up, and hope you find the information a real treat!
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.
Big or Small This Dog Knows What He Wants When it Comes to Play
Mar 17th
Dear Joan:
Our dog Bill (named after the Humane Society officer who rescued him) is a year old, 24-pound beagle mix. We walked him on behalf of the Humane Society in a community parade, and now he’s a family member.
We take Bill to a local dog park that has a fenced area for small dogs (25 pounds or less) and a different fenced area for large dogs. We tried taking Bill to the small-dog area and he would walk in, sniff around, sit, walk around slowly, stare at us. We took him to the large-dog area, full of German shepherds, Bullmastiff’s, Alaskan malamutes, labs, etc., and he loves it. He can barely wait to get into the area. He runs all around, hardly pays attention to us and becomes the center of attention as he runs around with a pack of big dogs playfully chasing him all over.
Why does he prefer the big dogs? He could easily run and be chased by the small dogs, and I worry about his safety (getting trampled) with the big dogs.
We take him to doggy day care three days a week, and it’s the same — he runs and mingles with the larger dogs.
— Julie M.
Dear Julie,
Poncho and I adore the story of how you, your family and Bill all came together. It sounds like an outline for the perfect made-for-television movie. As a certified professional dog trainer who adopted from a shelter, I appreciate you volunteering your time with the Humane Society and rescuing.
Your question about why is a tough one to answer. Unless you’re the animal in question, it would all be speculation. Who knows the exact reasons Bill came to enjoy playing with these larger canines? Some reasons might include:
- He was born with a predisposition of liking the presence, actions or appearance of larger dogs.
- His first encounters with successful dog play were with larger dogs, so he has developed positive associations with these types of breeds.
- He discovered his play style has had better success with larger breeds vs. the smaller ones. In other words, the larger dogs have a better return on investment.
You mention that Bill also enjoys playing with the big dogs so much that his focus tends to stray away from you and over to his new friends. It’s wonderful to be able to give dogs an opportunity to spend time with friends free of leashes, but it’s important that your dog can perform behaviors such as “coming when called” for his safety and the safety of others. There are many ways to practice recall skills with your dog, and I recommend activities to hone this behavior in my Out of the Box Dog Training Game as well as on this dog training tips blog post, where I outline the five rules for when teaching your dog to come when called.
Similar to humans, dogs have preferences in the friends they choose, the activities they partake in and the intensity of his or her play style — some rough house while others prefer to chill out and relax. It could be that at one time, the only opportunity Bill had for playing was with larger dogs — and it was fun! Maybe this is what he is used to.
Your concern of him getting trampled is definitely a valid one. Bill has learned what appropriate dog play is, and it seems the dogs he chooses to play with have learned this, too. I would say you could continue to allow Bill to play with these larger dogs, but do so with a watchful eye — as you have been doing.
You’ll also want to make sure you’re monitoring the other dogs’ behaviors (especially ones you don’t know) and that the guardians of these other dogs are as diligent as you are. For more tips on what to look for in appropriate dog play, click here to check out this Dear Inquisitive Canine column.
A few key points to remember are:
- Dog play should be reciprocal. The dogs that are enjoying the activity of play will continue to play with one another. If one is running off and trying to escape by hiding or cowering, then it’s not reciprocal. The dog exhibiting this type of fearful body language would not be an ideal candidate for dog parks or doggy day care. He or she might enjoy other activities with his or her guardian, such as agility, Flyball, herding or dock diving, to name a few.
- Big bouncy inefficient movements. Dog play is rehearsal of behaviors a dog would need if he or she were out in the wild living on his or her own. This includes hunting, fighting and mating behaviors. You might see common behaviors such as running, chasing, stalking, mouthing, chest banging, rolling, pinning, vocalization including low growls and barking, and even mounting — again, to name a few. But think the Three Stooges vs. Muhammad Ali. It’s almost comedic.
- Self-interruptions and “Let’s take a break” signals. Dogs will signal to one another through his or her beautiful innate body language when he or she wants to play (or not), and when he or she needs a break. Play-bows are a commonly seen signal that play is on the agenda. A sudden stop to sniff the ground, shake off, drink water or check in with humans are often a signal of break time.
Similar to when children play together, and someone gets hurt, a dog can get hurt during play. But as long as Bill is having fun — and he is the best one to determine whether he is or isn’t — then it’s most likely fine to allow him to play with the friends that he has chosen. Just make sure you continue with your playground monitor skills to help avoid any unfortunate events.
— Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick, Poncho. Joan is a certified pet dog trainer and dog behavior counselor. Her 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.
Inquisitive Canine: Tips for Keeping ‘Ruff’ Housing From Getting Too Rough, Part I
Feb 4th
I recently adopted Tucker, my 4-month-old male border collie and lab mix, as a friend for my 3-year-old dog Polo, another male of the same mixed breed. Upon meeting Tucker I was taken over by his rambunctious behavior, but I figured he was a puppy and that this was something normal, and as time went on he’d begin to adapt to our family and his new brother Polo.
However, a few negative behaviors still remain. Tucker is constantly picking on Polo, which is at times a gesture to begin to play, which Polo accepts, but when he does not, Tucker does not understand that he needs to stop. I am afraid Tucker may injure Polo, as he bites his neck quite vi-iously, and sometimes, this playing will lead to a fight of barking, flying fur, and biting.
I feel as if they are two alphas under one roof, and while I want them to get along, I don’t want either of them getting hurt. Also, Tucker has a way of getting into anything and everything he can get his snout on, constantly jumping up on tables and eating things that are simply inedible by anyone.
I feel like I am at a loss, as me and my family have tried all sorts of ways to correct these repetitive and undesirable behaviors such as time-outs, pennies in a jar, a mechanism that makes click sounds, a low-deep “NO” command, and many other humane ways. He also gets very defensive and vicious when passing by other dogs during a walk.
I fear these things will never stop and he may no longer be able to be part of our family. This is very troubling as I’m sure you can imagine.
Are there any steps we could take to trying to correct this behavior? A friend whose dog is in-credibly well-behaved had mentioned doggy boot camp, can you recommend any that are in the Tri-state area as we live in Connecticut?
Thank you
Lauren Pascoa
Dear Lauren,
Congratulations on the adoption of your new pup Tucker! He sounds quite lively, and one entertaining bundle of energy! To answer your question, yes, there most certainly are steps you can take to resolve the issues you are having in order to reach your chosen goals!
The behavior scenarios you’ve described sound like normal tendencies of a highly spirited puppy. I do understand your frustration, and reasons for wanting to correct these unwanted behaviors. As a reward-based, certified professional dog trainer I suggest the best approach to reach your goals would be to replace these objectionable actions with those that you and your family members want. This way Tucker and all others involved will get their perspective needs met.
I have broken down your concerns into four separate areas:
- Puppy play and tips on socialization
- Jumping and scavenging or counter-surfing
- On-leash dog reactivity when on walks
- Assistance on locating local dog training services.
My sidekick Poncho and I are breaking this advice column into two parts. For this installment we will address the rough-housing (or “ruff” housing!), followed by Tucker’s propensity to counter-surf and rummage through the home. In the next edition, we will provide training tips for leash-walking and resources on how to find local assistance.
- Tucker and Polo’s dog-play session: Your young spirited puppy, who also happens to be a mix of higher-energy breeds, wants to play with his older brother, who has most likely mellowed with age. And although Polo is still on the younger side, he’s probably had enough play experience to know how much he’s willing to tolerate from a puppy. Also, if Polo was an “only child” for most of his life, he might need some time to adapt to having another dog in the house, as well as a younger tireless one.
- A few tips to help both dogs enjoy life with each other during play would be:
- Reward both dogs for any and all nice play behavior! Be a cheerleader for both Tucker and Polo when they are playing nicely – ‘happy talk’ from you (and other humans) along with an occasional treat will send a message of “Nice play time boys!”, then you’ll get more of it. You can also reward Tucker when he is “listening” to Polo’s requests for backing off.
- Monitor play: Dog play can appear to be quite intense at times (and often is). You’ll know it’s consensual if both dogs remain together and interact. Watch for reciprocal behavior be-tween the dogs. For more about interpreting proper dog socialization and play, visit my dog training blog.
- Puppy classes and socialization: Reward-based puppy training classes are key for helping younger dogs develop into well-mannered, well-socialized adult dogs. You’ll also want to consider setting up play-dates for Tucker with other puppies to help him develop good play skills. In fact, proper socialization for dogs is important at any age. But don’t take my word for it, check out what my own inquisitive canine Poncho has to say about dog socialization.
- Scavenging throughout the house: Hunting and foraging are normal behaviors of dogs. If given the opportunity he or she is likely to take it, especially with a younger pup. Dogs are quite keen at finding their own forms of entertainment, which makes it even more important for you to manage your environment, along with arranging specific outlets for Tucker to target his energy. Here’s one other dog that enjoys the sport of counter-surfing. My sidekick Poncho has provided some nice dog training tips to help with scavenging.
- A couple of other handy tips would be to provide motivational interactive dog friendly toys that Tucker likes. (Not ones you think he should like but ones that he actually likes to play with). Reward Tucker for playing with his own toys. Yes, I mean give him a little treat and a “Good boy!” for all of those times Tucker chooses to pick up his own toy. As a double reward, please acknowledge with praise and a treat for those times when he ignores the forbidden items that were left out.
Which brings me to one of the simplest solutions: if you don’t want Tucker getting into something, put it away. Management may not teach Tucker exactly what you want, but it certainly sets him up for success by preventing him from practicing behaviors you don’t want.
Puppy behaviors can be exhausting, but remember, Tucker will soon outgrow many of them, becoming the well-adjusted good-mannered adult dog you all want. With guidance in his play sessions, and providing alternate outlets for Tucker to help relieve all of his energy, I’m sure you’ll be reaching your dog training goals before you know it.
Remember to tune back in for the next installment of Dear Inquisitive Canine where we revisit the art of loose leash walking, and provide a few resources on where inquisitive dog guardians can find local dog training services.
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