Archive for the ‘Puppy Training’ Category

Disobedience
An 18 month old Blue Heeler/Australian Shepherd is becoming more and more disobedient. It sounds as though she is reaching her ‘terrible twos’! This is common with many dogs around this age as they are approaching maturity and start testing the boundaries and their position in the pack. This period is often also associated with destructive and attention seeking behaviors such as digging and chewing. There are several things you can do to make this period easier for you and your dog.

Spayed/Neutered or not
De-sexing animals often leads to a dramatic decrease in behavioral problems. It also greatly reduces the chances of a dog developing mammary, prostate or testicular cancer. If your dog has not been de-sexed, consult with your Veterinarian to discuss the pros and cons of the matter. Most dogs go through adolescence between 8-18 months of age and behavior changes are typical of this period. De-sexing should help resolve these issues by reducing hormone levels.

Be the Top Dog
It’s easier to manage your dog if you understand the rules of dog social behavior. The key point however is that if you act like the pack leader your dog will see you as pack leader. However, if you don’t, your dog will feel it has to assume the role himself.

Remember that in a wild dog pack the dominant pack member controls :

Access to food

Access to favorite sleeping areas

Any interactions with lower pack members

Access to favorite items such as toys

In order to show your dog his position as bottom of the pack, you and your whole family can take advantage of these keys points.
For example:
1) Your dog must be the last to eat at every meal and should never get treats from the table, these can be saved for training treats later.

2) Your dog should never walk through doors before you. A good way to practice this is to walk around the house and make them sit at each doorway and wait.

3) If your dog is lying in the hallway or anywhere you have to pass, make them move. If you think they will snap, leave a lead on them so you can move them while maintaining a bit of distance.

4) When you arrive home, completely ignore the dog for 15 minutes. Don’t look at them, talk to them or pat them. After this, go to them and give them some quiet attention only as long as they are relaxed and calm.

5) Only interact with the dog on your terms. If you or someone else is petting the dog or playing with it and it becomes aggressive or badly behaved, immediately remove your attention from the dog by either removing yourself from the area or moving the dog to another area. You should do this without displaying any emotion such as anger, just be a calm but decisive pack leader and the dog will appreciate knowing where it stands.

6) Similarly you can assert your dominance by not allowing access to beds and couches or by only bringing out favourite toys when you want to play and removing them when you are finished.

Keep your dog challenged
Keeping your dog mentally and physically challenged will greatly reduce behavior problems in dogs of all ages but especially in the high energy teen months. There are a number of ways to keep your dog challenged.

Regular daily obedience training is a good routine – just five minutes a day spent rehashing familiar commands with your dog is an extremely effective way of reinforcing your authority and dominance while also keeping your dog mentally challenged. Be sure to use praise and/or treat immediately whenever your dog does something right.

Regular exercise is also very effective at improving your dog’s behavior and it can be both mentally and physically challenging. Quiet walks, while not particularly physically challenging keep your dog mentally stimulated, especially if you vary the walking environment to include new and interesting places. Free running your dog at the park or jogging with your healthy dog on lead can provide a great energy burning opportunity. Alternatively you can train many dogs to run on treadmills which is especially useful if you have reduced mobility or limited time and have a high energy dog.

Finally, toys are also an important source of mental stimulation for dogs and are very useful for keeping dogs entertained when owners are out. Try to build up a collection and rotate them so your dog does not get bored. Toys which can be stuffed with food and require the dog to work the food out slowly are especially valuable. These are called KONGS and can be bought at most pet stores.

Correcting general disobedience
For general disobedience, use the “Alarm-No!-Command” method

Three steps to take immediately when your dog disobeys:

Alarm your dog with a squirt from a water bottle or by shaking a pebble filled can.

At the same time say a loud “Bad” or utter a sharp growling sound like “Aaahhh.” Be stern and sincere every time so that the dog associates the harsh word with stopping the behavior

Redirect your dog with a command. ‘Sit and stay’ is a very good choice. Praise your dog as soon as it responds correctly.

Some dogs however can be difficult to alarm. In this case the time-out method is best. Set up a time out spot such as a quiet room. As soon as the dog disobeys, calmly and silently remove it to the time-out spot for a 3-minute time out. To make the situation positive again when the 3 minutes are up, let your dog come back out and ask it to sit. When it responds correctly praise. Teenage dogs in particular are constantly seeking your attention and therefore removing your attention by isolating them with a time out can be a simple and effective training tool.
If you are consistent and clear with your teenage dog and employ the methods above, you and your teen should be able to get through this period smoothly and you will enjoy your time together.

All the best,

Larry Ontiveros, CPDT

There is a big difference between the way adults behave and move compared to young children. Children are much more unpredictable in their movements. They might be walking through the house and then suddenly start running. Young toddlers could be walking alone and, for no apparent reason, suddenly fall. Children’s arms tend to move differently as well. They are often more active and in motion than adults arms. They do not have a concept of personal space and will get very close to your face to tell you something. They are also noisy – they cry more often and let out shrieking screams of joy and excitement when playing. For many puppies, these little people can be quite disconcerting. It is hard enough for dogs to figure out adult human body language, but add children to the mix and it makes for a much more difficult time for the dog. It’s not hard to see why dogs get confused, angry, or afraid.

Approaching the Puppy – Remember how friendly dogs approach other dogs? They trot in a relaxed manner toward the other dog and stop to sniff briefly at the dog’s face. The casual, comfortable movement of the oncoming dog helps the dog being approached to relax. Now think about how children usually move. Not with calm, controlled, relaxed movements! When you approach a friendly dog, you should walk calmly (not overly slow or hesitant) at a normal pace toward the dog. Teach your children how to approach a dog. Stand upright and walk calmly toward the dog. Please teach your children that they should always ask for permission to approach a strange dog. Not all dogs like people, especially unfamiliar children. A common expression of friendliness by a child is to approach a dog in a bent over posture with an arm extended outward. For many dogs, the leaning-over action makes them very uncomfortable, even when done by familiar people such as close family members. When dogs lean over other dogs, as discussed earlier, it is seen as a threatening or controlling gesture. You are also invading their personal space. It is important to know that many dogs become frightened and will cower or back away when a person approaches in that manner. With puppies, it can help make the puppy more comfortable if the person squats straight down toward the ground in their own space (not bending over the puppy).

Discourage Running – Most children who like dogs will approach a dog in a manner that is quick and forceful looking. They often run toward them with open arms. For a puppy who is not used to children, this can be quite scary, especially if there is more than one child approaching. The puppy may be thinking, “Good grief, are they going to attack me?” Also, a sudden approach of a child running in from another room can scare or excite the puppy. The child’s intention may not even be to approach the puppy, but the puppy doesn’t know that. It’s even worse and more startling for the puppy if he was sleeping or resting. The puppy becomes scared and runs away with the child running after him, or the puppy gets so excited he chases the child, and tries to stop the child with his mouth. Try to discourage your children from running in the house, and make sure the puppy is getting adequate exercise to help keep him tired and content and less likely to join in the chase.

Touching and Petting – Why is it that when a child attempts to do something as simple as pet a puppy, they can often end up being mouthed (where the puppy puts his mouth and teeth on the child’s hand, arm, etc.)? Does this mean you have a bad, dangerous, or out-of-control puppy? Not likely.
When adults pet a puppy, they calmly put their hand out for the puppy to sniff, and then touch the puppy. When children attempt to pet puppies, typically their hands start off very high up in the air and move downward, cautiously and slowly, almost dangling over the top of the puppy’s head. There may even be a slight hesitation on the approach of the hand toward the puppy, as if they are thinking, “I want to pet the puppy, but I’m a bit unsure.” The slow, hesitant hand motion causes most puppies to reach their heads up to meet the hand. As soon as children see the puppy’s head and mouth coming toward their hand, they immediately pull their hand higher away, sometimes making a screeching sound. This now excites the puppy and turns the petting attempt into a fun game (in the puppy’s mind, anyway). It becomes an endless cycle of the hand going up and down and the puppy jumping up and down trying to grab the hand. The situation can quickly become out of control as the puppy becomes more and more aroused. It can turn a child’s simple efforts to pet the puppy into the puppy’s teeth on a hand or arm. This makes the child even more hesitant and worried about petting the puppy the next time. The slight hesitation of a child’s attempt to pet may also cause some puppies to react in a fearful manner, not trusting what the child’s next move will be. This is especially true if the puppy is not accustomed to being around children. The puppy is probably thinking, “Is the hand going to touch me or not? Why is the hand moving in that manner?” A timid/shy puppy may back away, crouch down low, or avoid the child. In turn, the child may take a more aggressive approach, since the puppy is moving away. This can increase fear in the puppy, as well as cause the child to become frustrated. Try to avoid putting the puppy and child in these situations.

Teaching Children How To Pet – Teach children to start off with their hands low and relaxed by their side, bringing their hand toward the puppy’s face at a normal pace, on a level plane with the puppy’s head so the pup can sniff their hand. They can then move their hand to touch the side of the puppy’s face, neck, under the chin, or along the back. Most children need to be shown how to do this. Take hold of their hand and actually do the hand motion for them several times. If the puppy lies down, help the child calmly rub the puppy’s belly area. If the hand approach is done properly, a well-mannered puppy will control himself and not put his mouth on the children’s hands.

For more information on my puppy program or if you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at 626-290-4370.