See if you can pick out the body language or things that reveal stress? Add them to comment section. Dog experts please just list one thing to give others a chance. Pardon my atrocious video skills. I am learning how to do video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46TjGhoXKXY
Posts Tagged ‘dogs’
Pick Signs of Stress in Video
Monday, November 16th, 2009Halloween Alert!
Monday, October 19th, 2009Costumes and masks can be very frightening for dogs so I advise keeping your dog in a quiet area where the dog cannot see the costumes and other scary stuff to avoid any harm to the children, adults, and the dog. Remember dogs always do better getting used to new things in gradual steps, such as, putting one Halloween decoration on the floor for the dog to investigate on his own without coercion. Never force a dog or lure a dog towards something the dog is afraid of, this can make the dog more afraid in the long run. Reward right after your dog investigates a new thing. Deliver reward at comfortable distance from fearful object. Of course, keep candy especially chocolate, sweetener Xylitol found in many candies, raisins, or grapes out of the reach of your dog. Happy Halloween! Yes, that is my Steve behind the pumpkin. Find out more contact us –
Train Your Best Friend, LLC
Mix It Up!
Thursday, September 11th, 2008Okay, I am going to tell you the secret dog trainers know and many dog owners don’t usually grasp that creates huge obstacles in training your dog to be well mannered throughout her life. That is what we want, a well manner delightful dog at 1yr and at 18 yrs. old and every day in between. Oh, and of course to have fun with our dogs!!!
Okay, you took a few positive training classes and learned some basic skills. It worked in class but now you have to apply those skills to every day life. Always think Mix It Up! Mix up the Where, What, When, and How.
Where-Take your dog training to many different locations. I have heard many people say they forgot to bring their training tools when they go on walks, or to the vet, on trips, that is EXACTLY when you must have the head halters, reward toys, reward treats, and clickers, whatever you used in class for training and I would say that is when your rewards should be even better. Always keep in mind if anything NEW is happening the dog may not understand the training because it is out of context. If you always wore your sneakers during training sessions, your dog may not understand you because he was looking for the sneakers to say it is training time. Do some retraining in NEW situations and the more you do this the quicker your dog will learn in all situations.
What-Don’t ask your dog to do the same thing all the time. If she always sits at the door, ask her to lie down. Before doggy dinner have your dog to all his behaviors for the great reward the meal. Sometimes use only hand signals. Sometimes use only voice signals. Never do the same thing in the same order. I would do some heeling with my dog around to house and then tell him to go up to the landing and wait until I released him for his meal and then the next meal we would do other tricks. He loved it so much I had to tell my sitters to play this game with him when I was away so he would eat!!! Make it different and always a bit more challenging for your dog. Keep them guessing. It makes life interesting for you and your dog.
When-Avoid ruts. I have seen the control shift from person to dog with ruts. Some people will feed the dog at 5 pm everyday because this behavior rut has been so ingrained that the dog fusses and actually gets upset if she doesn’t eat at the same time! Yes, feed the dog but mix up the times, sometimes 5 pm, sometimes 6:30 pm or 7 pm and always at your decision not because your dog is prompting you for dinner. This type of behavior rut can create a dog that cannot adapt to little changes and that is bad for the dog and you because of course you in turn worry about the stress of the dog. Mix up when you do your training behaviors. It will make life more interesting for your dog. You want an adaptable dog because we live in an unpredictable world. This is why very short training sessions randomly throughout the day are better than a set training time. You want your dog to be trained all day long not just during training sessions so keep it as random as possible.
How-Mix up how you ask your dog to do behaviors. Try lying on the floor or sitting if you always stand, remember at first your dog may be confused because you always stood before when training. Stand out of sight and ask for behavior and then check if she did the behavior. Ask your friends or different family members to signal the dog to do the behaviors so she learns to listen to people besides you. Wear different clothes; ask for behaviors while you swim in the pool for a ball throw reward. Bringing me to next thing to mix up, your rewards, mix up different food rewards, different toy rewards, different game rewards. I was walking my friend’s adorable Cavalier and I was out his treats so I would stop each time a car went by and wouldn’t start walking again until he looked at me. Sometimes, I would run a few steps as a reward and he loved it! Avoid ruts here too, your dog should think you are a magical creature and he will never know whether he will get a piece of steak, a new toy, a game of tug, a regular treat.
Just think Mix It Up and you will be glad you did. I promise!
Make Your Neighbors Think Your Dog is Great
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008The truth is when it comes to the public your manners often matter more than your dog’s manners. In our society in every conceivable way including legally, the person that feeds and cares for a dog, is responsible for all of that dog’s actions. If your dog barks and annoys your neighbors, you will be held responsible.
One of the most common complaints about dogs is dog poo left on a neighbor’s yard or on public property to be stepped in by some innocent passerby. Obviously, it is not the dog’s fault, she has to go to the bathroom and she doesn’t have pooper scooping dexterity so it is up to the person to keep their dog off other people’s property by leash or fence and to pick up any doggy waste left on public property. Trust me there is no quicker way to make an enemy than have your dog poo or pee in their yard or along their favorite walking path in the park. So, it is simple pick it up or prevent it.
Barking is probably second on the annoying the neighbor list. Dogs are social beings that want to be with you so do not leave them in the yard alone, this almost always causes nuisance behaviors, if not more serious behavior problems and leaves them in possible danger from strangers, storms and other natural and man-made disasters. Find a comfortable place in the house for them preferably away from outside distractions like rooms that face the street and barking triggers like other dogs, joggers, and trucks. If you live in an apartment or other really close neighbor situations, you may need to invest some time training your dog and providing other busy work for your dog do when you are not home.
Onto common complaint number three, your dog should NEVER be allowed to approach, greet, or jump on a person or another pet animal without prior permission. If you have yet to train good leash manners, move your dog away or off the path so person or person with dog can pass. If the person gives permission and shows a real interest in meeting your dog, you can then let your dog greet the person or dog from a place of control. If you cannot physically hold your dog, such as you will literally be dragged where the dog wants to go, you need to invest in some equipment such as a gentle leader head harness and learn how to use it until you train your dog. Children are often unable to control a dog. An adult or an older child that has learned how to walk the dog should walk the dog. You will run into situations like another loose possibly unfriendly dog that will need the quick judgments of an adult. It is unfair and risky to put a young child in this situation. Involve young children in the dog walk in other ways. Maybe they could hold the dog toys or reward treats. If you cannot get your dog to come to you without hesitation in all situations, like when another dog is approaching, you cannot go off leash in the park until you have trained your dog. Remember your dog may be a lover but someone else’s may be a fighter and people with a fear of dogs can be quick to encounter a dog with violence unfortunately.
You may notice I have said little here about training and a lot about managing your dog’s actions. You don’t need to have a well trained dog to follow this advice just some good planning and preparation, bring the leash, head harness, dog poo bags and the use of fences, baby gates, and such can make your neighbors think kindly of your dog and you. While you are in the process of training your dog, use good management, which is about what you do to prevent your dog from annoying your neighbors. You may have noticed there are laws almost everywhere about all of the things I have mentioned but I urge you to keep your dog literally and figuratively out of your neighbor’s face, not because it is the law but because it is the right thing to do and for all the other dog people out there so they don’t suffer harsh restriction because of your actions.
Don’t wait until someone complains because at that point you and your dog have already left a probably permanent bad impression about your dog and all of us dog people. Stay on the side of being overly considerate when it comes to not allowing your dog’s actions to annoy others.
Dog Breed Stereotypes Truth or Fiction?
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008Years ago I took my semester animal control course with a wonderful teacher and on the topic of dog breeds she said, as I remember it many years later, that to talk about dog breeds is to talk about people and prejudice. I think this is true. People created the dog breeds and put all kinds of labels and beliefs about the different breeds onto these animals. Well, I guess I want to start this discussion by saying dogs are more alike than different as far as behavior. I trained shelter staff to evaluate a dog that was new to them by advising them to do almost nothing with the dog until they got a feel for the dog. Didn’t matter what breed the approach was always the same, hang back and let the dog show you who he is. If staff felt uncomfortable with a dog, someone who didn’t feel uncomfortable would care for that dog. Using this approach there were very few bites or even growls and this was a mix of stray dogs with unknown history, dogs from cruelty cases, and surrendered dogs. I would have to say most were nice gentle dogs (yes, they would probably jump on you looking for attention but they were good natured). It didn’t matter if the dog came from the streets or surrendered from a home. I would say the only real breed trait that would be obvious and somewhat predictable was energy level.
Yes, I do recommend considering what type of work traits have been selected for a breed. Definitely consider energy level. Most families should not get a breed with an energy level higher than medium, even medium energy level could require a couple hours of serious exercise with you. I don’t know anyone except dog trainers and working farmers that are able to devote the time for high-energy dogs. Many people just want to take the dog out for a long walk each day and be done for the day, that is a LOW energy dog and also appropriate for most families lifestyles. It is my opinion any dog that has been trained to guard or fight must be trained to advanced level and that level MUST be practiced daily. If you are a big mush ball, these are not the dogs for you. Most people are not willing to put in this much time to training and maintaining household structure so I usually do not recommend these breeds and I never recommend them as a first dog. I would include almost all terriers in this group. How independent is the work trait? Herding dogs and Alaskan dogs are bred to work livestock or with other dogs this is going to be a more independent dog and more complex. For most people you want to steer towards a breed that is known to be highly social with people and other animals by doing this you could avoid many difficulties with neighbors and at home. Cross check all the breed books in the bookstores and library as they all seem to be a bit biased and look for sneaky language. “Feisty or scrappy” may mean they will fight or bite. High drive could equal killing your neighbor’s cat. Be aware there are breed specific laws in some areas and many apartment and condo communities will prohibit specific breeds. Also, many insurance companies are dropping home insurance when you have a specific breed so do your homework to find if this will apply to you. I am completely and utterly against breed specific laws and prohibitions and I am completely for responsible dog ownership laws and the AKC Canine Good Citizen program.
Now that I have talked about breed tendencies let me say again NEVER prejudge a dog, any dog can bite you or love you. Keep your distance and keep an open mind when meeting any dog. It takes I would say sometimes over a year for a dog to reveal all of his personality and being social in one situation doesn’t necessarily translate to other situations. You could play a great game of ball and the same dog could be all growls and snaps by a food bowl or bone. I let dogs come to me, never force yourself on a dog, relaxed, quiet, and still, are all good ways to be around new dogs. I met two separate young goldens last weekend and boy they fit the super friendly stereotype to a tee but I still let them come to me all happy and wiggly trying to get as much contact with me, a complete stranger, as possible. A month ago I met another golden in the park that went against the stereotype of super social golden, this golden shrunk away in terror and I hadn’t even done anything except look in her direction. I don’t pet dogs that don’t approach me willingly. If you are looking for a new dog or pup, I highly recommend you bring an objective certified pet dog trainer to evaluate your needs and the dog whether it is an adoption or a purchase. You could be living with your choice for up to 19 years so make an advised choice on breed and individual temperament. Remember the shelter staff, rescue staff, and breeders are not objective they will be biased even if they try hard to be objective.
I will end by saying I have lived long enough to observe public perception of dangerous breeds change over time. Really this reveals more the ugly side of humanity to lazily blame a group by category in this case breed rather than the true source which is and always will be the people behind the dogs. In the shelter, people would ask for a specific color cat because they believed they were friendlier. Let me tell you friendly cats come in every color and people categorize too much!
