A Busy Day of Dog Training

Usually around the holidays and into January, my business slows down. It's understandable. No really wants to pay for dog training after spending money on Christmas gifts. But this season, there were a few people who perhaps felt that having a well behaved dog WAS a gift in itself.

So on Saturday, I started my day at 8:30 and finished up a little after 4. Then it was a trip to the park with hubby and kids and Maddie, dinner at CPK and then yes, embarrassing to admit, but I think I was passed out before 9. I think the kids lasted longer than I did.

Anyway, my first morning appointment was with 6 month old George, an absolutely huge and gorgeous German Shepherd. He is the type of dog you would need to pet, need to look at, need to ask the owner about. He just draws in your attention with his happy, puppy face but his big body that doesn't match his age. George is still very much a puppy, always wanting to mouth his owner's hand, nip at his legs, try to engage him in play even while he is supposed to be working. When it all comes together for this boy, he will be spectacular to watch work. He needs to work on his Heel, he is stubborn on his automatic Sit, but I was pleasantly surprised at his long distance Stay. Here he is below working on his Heel.

After George, I met with a new client and her little Terrier, Stanley. Stanley is 14 pounds of adorable. Lucky he's so cute because he's eaten into the walls, scratched up the front door and chases the cat mercilessly. He's sweet, lovable and playful and you may ask yourself, how much work could a 14 pound dog be? I actually think the smaller dogs are often more difficult to work with than the larger ones. When we took Stanley out on a walk, it was apparent right away that he doesn't realize his owner is walking HIM, he's on his own agenda and his owner is simply the one who holds the leash. People don't realize how important he walk is... that if you can get a dog to pay attention to you on a walk, around distractions with a loose leash, the dog's respect for you changes and everything else falls into place.  I was tempted to put a training collar on him right away, but for now, we are using the owner's harness, and we'll see how it goes. Now how cute is that face?

I met Lola next, a Boxer with anxiety and fear about all sorts of household noises - a tissue box, a paper bag crumpling up, the sound of a binder closing or the silverware drawer being shut. As expected, she was panting a lot after meeting me, showing signs of nervousness but she was also friendly and was kissing me and allowing me to pet her within the first few minutes. She had been through training before, but the owners said that despite using a prong collar, they had difficulty walking her. She often grabbed the leash with her front paws (gotta love Boxers), jumped up and scratched the owners and they had to use a harness handle to get her under control again. I expected Lola to be highly anxious outside, but she actually proved to be very sensitive to any pull on the leash, and then became very dominant. Sure enough, she would rear up on her back legs, grab the leash with her front paws and then bite the leash. Um yeah, try to get that away from her. But the second time she did it, I managed to hold the leash higher than she could reach and probably for the first time, she didn't win the battle. Lola will be a challenge, but I'm always up for a challenge.

My last client of the day was Bruce, and it was our third session. Bruce has been doing very well, but I knew we needed to work on some household issues. He's great on leash, but when the owner wants to put him outside or in his pen, he won't come. Sure enough, we tried and he ran off, over the couch, under the table, around the chairs. We couldn't catch him... at first. But persistence pays off. I finally got him and put a leash on him. I made him come to me several times. Then we dropped the leash and asked him to come. He did. Then we took off the leash and asked him to come. He did. We worked on a few other things - leaving front door open and making sure he stayed inside, heeling on a light line (the precursor to off-leash work), long distance downs. We finished up by testing his come again inside the house. Once he figured out that the owner was willing to get the leash if he didn't listen, he followed through with his commands. Bruce is actually a joy to work with - so handsome (it's how he gets away with things) and willing to please, but he is only 8 months old and is still prone to want to play and goof off instead of listen. I'm very pleased with his progress so far!

Looks like January will be a busy month. And my kids and husband will have to get used to me passing out early on Saturdays! 

The One Year Old Dog - Part 2

Well, the holidays came upon us and I didn't get the chance to write Part 2 of The One Year Old Dog as quickly as I hoped. Meanwhile, I got 3 calls from people who needed help with... yes, you guessed it... their one year old (or close to that age) dog.

Almost everyone wants to know what to do to end the chewing. Why is that one day the dog is left alone and everything is fine... and the next day the dog is left alone and you come home to your couch in pieces?

The first thing to understand is that your dog is not chewing your house apart to annoy you. To your dog, chewing is instinctive and fun. Your dog chews as part of his teething stage and to strengthen his teeth. Your dog chews to investigate, much the same way a human baby sticks everything in his or her mouth. It's interesting; it gives tactile stimulation. And to a dog that is left home without human stimulation and becomes bored, chewing is a very rewarding activity.

The most important piece of advice I can give about dogs going through the destructive chewing phase is this - I don't trust them. Simple as that. I don't trust a young dog to be left to roam the entire house while no one is there. Your dog may be housebroken, but if you want your plants to remain in their pots, your sofa cushions to remain on the sofa in one piece and your carpet to stay intact, you won't leave your dog alone for extended periods of time.

So what do you do? If you've crate trained your dog, yay for you! Your dog can remain in his crate for up to 4 hours or so while you are gone. If you are gone all day at work, find another secure area to contain your dog - a kitchen with a baby gate, a dog pen, an area that is not too large but not too small and is free of items you don't want your dog's mouth on.

So won't Fido still try to chew on things like kitchen cabinets? Yes, sometimes. It's best to try to leave your dog with one or two interesting items to focus on. Do not leave 500 toys for your dog to play with. Chances are he will get bored with them, and if he has that many toys, he just assumes everything is his. I like leaving a marrow bone filled with yummy stuff or wedging a piece of hot dog in the bone that the dog can try to get out. There are great interactive toys you can purchase - some of which contain hidden treats for the dog. Rotate your dogs toys as well. Take away a favorite toy for a few days and then leave it with him one day while you are gone. He will be so excited to see that squeaky duck again (or whatever it is)!

If you have found that your dog has already started chewing something he shouldn't, you may want to purchase a product called Bitter Apple (or something equivalent). Make sure you spray the product on your finger and place it on your dog's tongue. He will not like the bitter taste (usually!). Then spray the Bitter Apple on the area you want him to avoid. The taste will fade off the area, but the smell will remain, reminding your dog of that bad, bitter taste. Most people make the mistake of simply spraying the item on the couch or wherever and expecting the dog to avoid it. The dog doesn't care about the smell. He must relate the bad taste to the smell.

So when can you start to trust your pet? Does he have to be contained forever? The answer is no. Gradually, as your dog matures, you want to let your dog be alone in the house for short periods of time. Or you may want to extend the area in which he stays. Try going out for coffee or a quick lunch and see how he does. Praise him if you return to a home with no destruction. With time, you can start to trust your dog.

Remember, the destructive chew stage is from around 8 months old - 2 years old. Sometimes the time frame is less, sometimes more. If you exercise your dog before leaving the house and follow the advice I have mentioned, you will get through this stage with less damage!