Posts Tagged 'Dog Trainer'

Dog Licks Everything All the Time? Head for the Vet

Published November 30, 2011 Dog Trainer Leave a Comment
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerWhen we first adopted our dog Izzy, in 1998, she had a habit of licking the varnish off our floors. She’d just lie there, seemingly at ease, licking the space between her forepaws till the wood was bare. She was an active young dog, and the problem went away after I started taking her for a long off-leash walk in the park every morning, so I assumed she’d been working off energy and had also been bored.

An elderly Izzy, with her floor-licking days behind her.

Since then, working with dogs who have behavior problems, I’ve generally seen persistent licking of surfaces as either an attention-seeking behavior or a form of Canine Compulsive Disorder. But a recent study by Véronique Bécuwe of the University of Montreal’s veterinary school found that it ain’t necessarily so.

Continue reading ‘Dog Licks Everything All the Time? Head for the Vet’

Separation Anxiety P.S.

Published November 23, 2011 Dog Trainer 1 Comment
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerDogs with separation anxiety are miserable — they panic when they’re left alone. They may howl, urinate and defecate, and chew desperately at doors trying to escape. “Silent sufferers” are those dogs who just shut down; their guardians may never even notice that anything’s wrong, since the dog lies down quietly. To a non-expert eye, she probably looks relaxed.

In my episode on the subject, I didn’t distinguish between “separation anxiety” and “isolation distress.” They’re closely intertwined. For both, good treatment combines behavior modification with appropriate meds. And most trainers and behavior specialists use the umbrella term “separation anxiety.” But if your dog is anxious or frightened when you leave the house, you and your behavior consultant will want to figure out which of the two subcategories you’re looking at.

"Don't leave me!" (Screencap from Carnival of Souls; Wikimedia Commons)

A dog with “separation anxiety” panics when he’s apart from a particular person or persons. Every time you go away, he flips. The quickest progress in behavior modification comes if you can avoid all separations from him except for the controlled ones that are part of your training plan. That’s a tall order.

Continue reading ‘Separation Anxiety P.S.’

What to Do with Dogs Who Don’t Like Kids

Published November 12, 2011 Dog Trainer Leave a Comment
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By Dog Trainer

The Dog Trainer

This dog does not like you, child. (via Jixar/Flickr)

You’re going to feel like hell if your dog scares or bites a child, to say nothing of the potential lawsuit. So be observant, proactive, and honest.

If your dog hides behind your legs when she sees a kid coming, step between your dog and the child. The dog will not change her mind and suddenly enjoy meeting the toddler. If the dog sits with her mouth drawn tight and her head averted while kids pet her, this is not her party. Continue reading ‘What to Do with Dogs Who Don’t Like Kids’

Prime Your Dog to Come When Called

Published November 10, 2011 Dog Trainer 1 Comment
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerTeaching your Dogalini to come when you call her takes practice, practice, practice — you really can’t expect her to come to you when she’s barking at a squirrel, if she hasn’t already learned to come to you when nothing special’s going on.

But you can give yourself a huge edge if you make yourself fun to be with in the first place. Three easy ways to do that (and they’re fun for you, too):

Being with you should be this much fun! (Photo: mattbuck, Wikimedia Commons)

  • Treat and run away. Exactly what it says on the box! Throw a treat just behind your dog, so she turns to get it. As soon as she turns, run away from her. As she turns back from getting the treat, call her and keep on running. When she catches you, give her a treat, then throw another one behind her and … you guessed it, run away again. Works with fetch toys too.

Continue reading ‘Prime Your Dog to Come When Called’

How to Use Warning Cues

Published November 3, 2011 Dog Trainer Leave a Comment
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerIt’s not too hard to teach your dog to accept annoying human behaviors such as brushing his teeth (the dog’s, I mean), putting in ear drops, and even giving shots. The basic idea is to go slow and pair every aspect of the procedure with a tiny, deluxe treat.

On Day 1, you might just show your dog a toothbrush and then immediately give him a bit of roast chicken. A dozen reps later, he’ll be looking for that chicken every time he sees the toothbrush. On Day 2, you might bring the toothbrush close to his mouth a dozen times, and give him chicken each time. And so on, step by step, till you’re brushing away and your dog is perfectly happy about it.

What if you don't have time to throw chicken at the problem? Photo: Wikimedia Commons

But, uh-oh, suppose you haven’t taught your dog that ear drops = chicken, and now he’s got an ear infection and needs drops put in 5 times a day? Suppose he needs daily allergy shots? Suppose he needs a bandage changed? What do you do then? Continue reading ‘How to Use Warning Cues’

How to Correct Mistakes? (Hint: With Ice Cream, Not Cottage Cheese)

Published October 28, 2011 Dog Trainer 2 Comments
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerAn October 16 article in the New York Times explained how one smart CEO handles big mistakes by his employees. Dan Schneider doesn’t berate, he doesn’t scream, he doesn’t even reprimand. Instead, he has the mistake maker throw the staff an ice cream party. “I don’t really yell anymore because it accomplishes nothing,” he says.

No yelling, just ice cream. Photo by LotusHead, Wikimedia Commons

Now, there’s some evidence that drawing attention to a mistake makes your learner more likely to repeat it. But usually when you make a big fat mistake on the job, you are well aware already! No attention need be drawn. Schneider’s response is brilliant. He imposes a cost (ice cream isn’t cheap), but that cost doesn’t involve fear. In a workplace with a collegial atmosphere, I’m willing to bet it’s not humiliating either. And the experience of sharing pleasure at the ice cream party could encourage staff to respond to errors not by trying to hide them but by trying to fix them.

It’s very similar with dogs…

Continue reading ‘How to Correct Mistakes? (Hint: With Ice Cream, Not Cottage Cheese)’

Chocolate = Doggie Doom on Halloween!

Published October 25, 2011 Dog Trainer 2 Comments
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerZombies looking for tasty brains, I scoff at you! Number One Scary Halloween Thing:

Chocolate. AAAAAGH!

Chocolate contains methylxanthines, mild stimulants that feel oh-so-good to us…but not to your dog! Chocolate can make your dog vomit and give her diarrhea, and that’s the least of it. High doses of chocolate can cause seizures and even death. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. If you have any artisanal single-plantation 85% cacao bars around, eat ‘em or stow ’em.

Living Dead, Shmiving Dead. Just don't give your dog chocolate. (Wikimedia Commons)

Raisins! Grapes! Macadamia Nuts! Xylitol!

Raisins and grapes, organic or not, seeded or seedless, can destroy your dog’s kidneys. Nobody knows what the toxic agent is or how high a dose will harm any individual dog. As for macadamias, symptoms of poisoning include wobbliness, fever, and good old fashioned vomiting. Mix macadamias and chocolate and you have Tasty Snack of Death. Continue reading ‘Chocolate = Doggie Doom on Halloween!’

Weird Smiley Things, People on Stilts, and Don’t Forget the Segway

Published October 20, 2011 Dog Trainer Leave a Comment
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerThis morning, my boy Juniper and I took our usual long, sniffy walk — well, he sniffs; I take less of an interest in urine and dead pigeons. We were nearly home when he stopped dead in his tracks, sat, and looked transfixed at something in the gutter. It was this:

OMG THOSE EYES !!!!!

I was just about to give Juni the cue “Leave it” and walk away when I realized that no, I want him to inspect this peculiar object that has caught his attention, because once he’s checked it out and discovered that it’s neither edible nor aggressive he’ll be done with it. And on the off chance that we ever come across another weird smiley item, he won’t worry about it. So I gave him permission to go sniff (he was in Patiently Request Things by Sitting mode), he sniffed for approximately .5 seconds, and that was that. Back to fire hydrant inspection.

THE EYES on that whatever-it-is are, I’m pretty sure, what drew Juni’s attention so sharply. They’re much more prominent in real life than in my crummy cellphone photo. They got me thinking about a non-episode from last weekend that I took for granted.

Continue reading ‘Weird Smiley Things, People on Stilts, and Don’t Forget the Segway’

Dog Expressions Explained

Published October 19, 2011 Dog Trainer 1 Comment
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By the Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerDogs make plenty of different facial expressions. If you can decode what they mean, you’ll be  able to better understand your dog.

It’s All in the Eyes

Who's excited? I am! (via tsuacctnt/Flickr)

Overcoming Your Dog’s Begging

Published September 25, 2011 Dog Trainer 1 Comment
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By Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerToday’s project is to teach your dog to beg for table scraps. “Wait, what?!” you’re thinking, “my dog totally knows how to do that already!” Yes, of course. Some dogs–okay, most dogs–seem to be born knowing how to put their nose in your lap while you eat. And how to paw your knee, and how to nudge your elbow at the exact moment you lift the soup spoon. There is a better way:

  1. When you sit down to eat, set aside 5 or 10 tiny pieces of whatever you’ve got that your dog likes. And then be patient and ignore her.
  2. Ignore her if she looks at you pleadingly. Ignore her if she barks. Ignore her if she rests her big sweet head on your thigh and whimpers because she’s about to drop dead, she’s so famished. Whatever you do, don’t hold out for 29 minutes and then cave on the 30th. You will have built a dog who has learned to pester for 30 minutes, and you will want to knock yourself upside the head.

    image via chefjancris/Flickr

  3. Sooner or later, if you resolutely ignore your dog’s begging, she will give up and go away.  The instant she lies down, toss her a piece of the food you’ve set aside. Lying down quietly is now the one and only behavior that will buy her table scraps.
  4. Odds are close to 100 percent that as soon as she’s eaten the treat you tossed her, she will get up and start begging again. Your mission: keep ignoring her. Eventually, she’ll give up and go lie down again. Then toss her a scrap and repeat, repeat, repeat.
  5. As your dog gets proficient, you can stretch the interval between treat tosses. With enough practice, your dog can learn to wait patiently through the whole meal for a single bite.

But I don’t bother to push that far. Our despairing dog settling onto the floor with a deep sigh makes us laugh, and I can’t resist tossing him a treat every few minutes in exchange. Remember, the house manners that keep you and your dog happy and comfortable are the house manners that are right for you.

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