Setbacks and Successes

November 21st, 2010

Dog training, from a dog owner’s perspective, is a bit like dieting. If you work hard at it every single day, pay attention to the little details and set reasonable goals, when you reach a goal weight or pant size, you feel successful. The flipside is of course the cheesecake on a Friday night, the Belgian waffle on a Sunday morning, the day in front of the television set instead of at the gym, and the subsequent self loathing and guilt when your pants don’t quite zip up the next week. As any diet coach will tell you – we ALL have these setbacks and ultimately the true value of your success is measured in how you’ve overcome these setbacks. And even though it’s not measured in pounds or inches, the same is true for training your dog.

When Toby first came to me, I was staying with my Mum during a transitory period of my life. She had her Black Lab ‘Abby’ at the time, who, prior to Toby’s arrival, had been the only dog in the home. She was a tolerant dog but not terribly affectionate or playful, and so long as no one messed with her food, the biggest reaction you’d get out of her was a groan as she rolled over to go to sleep. Toby was the opposite; he was Mr. Reactive, and would lash out if Abby so much as looked at his toys, treats, me or even the stairs to the basement (where Toby and in were staying in the in-law suite). Obviously this was a problem, and we began working on it right away. However, we were only there for a few months, and once we moved it became rather difficult to work with a dog on indoor resource guarding when he was the only dog in the home and had no one to practice with. Between foster dogs coming and going over the following 18 months, my mother-in-law’s two Retrievers coming for sleep overs and the incredible amount of outdoor socialization we’ve done, Toby certainly improved. I didn’t realize how much until last week, when we had both of “the girls” (my mother in law’s dogs) staying here for 5 nights and Shawn was away working for 4 of those nights. To my surprise, delight and frankly relief, Toby was excellent. Not a single incident, growl, sideways look or tense moment for the first four and half days! I couldn’t believe it! I was so very proud of him, and a little proud of myself to see all of our hard work paying off. What a wonderful success!

And then, about five minutes past the four and a half day mark, Toby had a setback. It was minor (just a little noise and posturing, no bodily contact or retaliation), given the situation, but it did tarnish our so far perfect week. It was frustrating to say the least, but only for a moment. In light of the incredible success we’d had, this tiny slip up factored very small in the grand scheme of things. Following that, we went back to wagging tails and happy pups, and ended the week on a note of brotherly/sisterly love. I could have perceived that incident very differently, and built on that so much that it would have erased all of the progress that had been made. I reminded myself that Toby, like us, has varying emotions, good days and bad days, and that ultimately one slice of cheesecake inside a week of salads is not the thing to focus on.

It’s a common thing to hear dog trainers say that they train the owners, not the dogs. I admit this is partly true, but I think it’s such a popular saying because it’s equally as difficult to train an owner as it is a dog. Most behaviour issues arise out of habit, both the dog’s and the owner’s, and it’s just as difficult for a dog to break his reactive habit as it is for an owner to change the way they communicate with their dog. Dogs become so accustomed to responding to certain stimuli in a certain way, it can be extremely difficult for them to learn to respond an entirely different way, especially as that stimulus becomes increasingly more challenging. There is a huge amount of focus and willpower required on the part of the dog for he/she to utilize their new skills in every scenario that they should, and every once in a while, it won’t come naturally, and the old habits break through for a moment. That’s ok!!! So long as the majority of the time, dog and owner are working together to improve the way they communicate and react, and are successful in changing what they did wrong before, it doesn’t have to be perfect every single moment of every single day. The key is to roll with the punches, learn from what went wrong, and move on from your setbacks to get back on the track to success.

Share

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Can you love your dog too much?

September 20th, 2010

Yes, quite frankly! Now, this is not like that scene in Cats and Dogs (Uma Thurman, Jeannane Garafalo) where the radio announcer (J. Garafalo) answers her listener’s question about kissing his cat and says “You can love your pet, just don’t LOVE your pet.” But it is about affection, in it’s vastly different forms, and the impact that can have on your dog. Dogs by nature are affectionate with one another and with humans, but usually not in an over the top, constant hugs and cuddles, feeding you cupcakes for breakfast kind of way. Some owners will tell you just a paw on their knee is the closest they’ll ever get to affection from their dog. But they recognize and appreciate that paw, and we move on. But what happens if we force that affection, or even worse, give nothing but affection? As much as we all want flowers from our husbands and to make love to our wives, if as couples all we ever did was touch, kiss and shower each other compliments, in the end we probably wouldn’t have a very healthy relationship. The same goes for our dogs, though it seems to be a lot harder to communicate that point to a person who looks at their dog and sees nothing but a cute and fluffy cuddle toy (which even the owners of Great Danes seem to do sometimes).

(As usual, I’ve changed the dog/owner name in the story to protect the privacy of my client). Ashley was a young lady who contacted me over the summer at her witt’s end with her dog, an American Bulldog named Mikey. Actually, it was her parents who were at their witt’s end, and she happened to believe that everything Mikey did was forgivable. Being in her early twenties, she was old enough to have sole custody of the dog, but shared a home with her parents and two other dogs. Upon arriving, I was quick to discover that the other two dogs were fairly well behaved, and that in fact the parents were firstly quite knowledgable about dogs and the boundaries we should set for them, and ultimately fed up not with Mikey’s shortcomings, but their daughter’s ignorance of them. They had given her an ultimatum – train the dog or give him up. Hence, I come into the picture. Within the first minute of entering the house, I could see their point. Mikey charged me at the front door, attacked me (well, attacked my handy canvas binder aka my secret protector against killer doggies), and once reigned in by Ashley, proceeded to lick her face for forgiveness. Shortly after we sat down, he walked into the kitchen and peed all over the floor. Can you say emotionally unstable? As the assessment went on, the dog spent the majority of his time with his upper body on top of Ashley as she cooed in his ear, petted him, and kissed his jowls. As nice as it is to see a dog in a loved home, it can be incredibly frustrating to see an anxiety disorder develop right before your eyes. If this were a podcast, I could more accurately describe how sweet and calm her voice was as she was asking Mikey to get off her lap. Shockingly, it took about 5 minutes to get him down only to have him jump right back up again, at which point she just giggled at him. My work begins! I gave her only two instructions that day – petting can only last for three seconds at a time, and he needs to sit for everything. No more long lavish rub downs, no more cuddles on the couch, no more ‘jumping up to kiss your face requests’ for food and attention. Polite, seated requests only, and minimal touch affection, at least for the foreseeable future.

This case reminds of a lot of fat dogs I see. Not overweight, not pudgy, downright fat. It irks me to no end to see a fat dog when these animals were built to be athletes, and when every single thing they eat is controlled by the owner. A dog gets fat (health conditions aside) because his owner feeds him too much of the wrong thing. Bottom line. But, in saying that, owners don’t feed chips and cake to their dogs to make them fat, they feed it to them because they love their dogs, and are showing them an aspect of what they consider to be love and affection. Ultimately, this is no different than what Ashley was doing to Mikey. Her constant touch, sweet words, total lack of structure or requirement for manners was creating generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, rude and invasive behaviour, and the total inability for her dog to recognize boundaries or consequences. Her love was destroying this dog. These owners are truly living up to the expression “killing them with kindness”.

Now, for those of your who are regular readers of my blog, you know I am no Boot Camp, Army leader, correction based trainer. In fact, I often see the over-use of correction causing equally as many problems, and let’s not forget the horrors I see in rescue as well. Toby gets the best veterinary care, nutrition, the latest toys and his own corner on the living room couch. He also gets lots of cuddles, kisses and compliments from my husband and I. But he is not so overwhelmed with affection that he has forgotten to be polite in asking for it, nor is he so pampered that he can’t rough it at the cottage by sleeping on the floor and eating just plain kibble. He has a balanced life of quality care, affection, clear communication, manners and respect. He’s told when he’s a good boy, and he’s told when he’s done wrong. Should I eliminate one or the other, problems would certainly develop. In fact, when I rescued Toby, his previous owners told me that they took him for training but didn’t want to make him do anything because they didn’t want him to hate them. Subsequently, he was surrendered for out of control behaviour.

Like everything in life, treat your dog with moderation. Acknowledge the good, correct the bad and stabilize the in between. As I say in the Three Keys, consistency is the key to a well trained dog, including when we do and don’t show them affection.

Share

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Beauty of Dogs

September 20th, 2010

Every once in a while, we all have to stop the world for a moment, assess our place in it, and answer the Big Why’s. It centers us, it makes us better at what we do, and if the answers are right, it steers us forward. I do this all the time. Dogs never do it. As much as I would like to humanize my dog and play out his thought processes about the meaning of life as he basks by the lake looking out into the sunset, he’s probably just wondering when dinner time is and what that sparkly thing over there smells like. But ultimately, he’s a happy pup, and he doesn’t need a BMW, a healthy bank account or even a good wife to make him feel that way. He just is. For all the teaching I do with humans and dogs alike, I’m quite sure that I learn more than I share each day. From well kept, happy dogs this list is easy; I learn the value of living in the moment, the importance of finding happiness in simple things, and the joy found in a good homemade meal (though my tastes differ drastically from Toby’s!).

Dog lovers who work in any kind of rescue capacity undoubtedly will tell you that they have learned a great deal about the human race, the judicial system, and the extent to which nature can be cruel. Whether we recognize it or not, I think what sticks with us most though are the lessons we learn about the heart of a dog. I recently was involved with an incredible group of people regarding the rescue and rehabilitation of a dog whose owners had ‘discarded her’ in a tin box in their back yard, after she had produced a litter of puppies that were sold and she was then deemed worthless. Sparing the gruesome details, the dog’s experience in the box left her with significant injuries that required surgery and extensive post-operative care. Was amazed me about this dog, Roxi, were the stories of her kindness, her gentle touch, and her pleasure when regaled with rubs and kisses from the veterinary staff. This dog had suffered at the hands of disgraceful people, the only humans it seemed she’d ever known, yet she could differentiate between them and those who were helping her, and despite excruciating pain, demonstrated more love, compassion and forgiveness than she had ever been shown. There will be little to no recourse for the owners (rather, keepers) of this dog, and should we dwell on that fact over and over again as we see dogs like Roxi suffer everyday, few people would gather the stamina and emotional stability to continue to rescue. Instead, we learn from her example; that each person, each being, is an individual; that despite the shortcomings of many, we should acknowledge and appreciate the beauty in others. She taught us that what happened in her past is not necessarily what will happen in her future, and that wallowing in our hardships will negate the benefits of love, kindness and acceptance in our present. For any given reason, Roxi passed away shortly after her recovery due to an aneurism. As heartbreaking as it was to see a dog persevere through so much only to pass away in what would have been the prime of her life, she left a legacy of strength among the numbers who worked to help her, and helped pave the way for the many dogs like her whose future can be changed.

I could write volumes about the lessons I’ve chosen to take away from dogs like Roxi that I’ve worked with. About the tears I’ve shed the first time I see an adult dog learn the joys of playing with a squeaky toy, or the look of sheer joy when I see a dog who was confined to a closet all her life run alongside the lake with eyes bright , tail wagging and tongue lollygagging out her mouth. Ultimately, no matter who the dog is, no matter where they came from, they hold the key we as humans all search for. The key to finding love, forgiveness and happiness in life as it is in the moment. For this I thank all of you, dogs, for the joy, the tears, and most of all, the values you’ve instilled in me. You are, and always will be, the driving force behind my life’s work.

Share

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

It’s me, not the dog

August 6th, 2010

It’s me, not the dog

Often when I arrive to see a client for the first time, they have done a certain amount of research on dog training already, and have developed this idea that their dog’s problems are entirely the fault of the humans in the family. Although much of the behaviour techniques that I implement are really modifications for the owner, and simply need to be followed by the dog, as owners we cannot entirely blame ourselves (in most cases). Breed traits play a certain role, such as terriers who bark too much, hounds who make fools of themselves and their owners when they see another dog on the street, retrievers who won’t come when they’re called, etc. There is also the obvious fact that we are a different species altogether from our dogs, and a deep understanding of translating our communication to dog language, and vice versa, is ultimately left to professionals like myself, and if you love the work as I do, the art of that translation is perfected over a lifetime.

However, sometimes it is blatantly obvious that we are communicating the wrong things to our dogs, and that yes, our communication skills are resulting in inappropriate, embarrassing or even harmful behaviours. I, and many in my field, could probably write an entire university text on the subject, but after witnessing a miscommunication that resulted in my own dog being bitten at the dog park yesterday, I was spurred to write at least a tidbit on the subject. I often find myself parked on a bench outside of leash free areas watching dogs interact and communicate, and give myself a headache wondering about the lack of communication from the owners of these dogs. In this case, Toby and I were beginning a walk in what I consider a ‘safer’ leash free – a 55 acre section of a provincial park where we can walk in, unclip and walk through field and forest, stopping momentarily while Toby shares sniffs with another dog, I say hello to the owner, and we move along. No groupings of Starbucks hugging owners snickering about the newbie to the group that night, no gang ups of dogs in the corner unattended. Plus a great walk for me and some variety for Toby’s nose as he flies by.

We were about 5 minutes in, and I could see another owner approaching with 2 smaller dogs, terrier mixes of some sort (keep in mind as I tell this story the sound of a 25 pound terrier when he barks – short, sharp and repetitive) and given that it’s a leash free park, we make the assumption that these dogs are safe, socialized and ready to have a quick sniff and romp with Toby. One of the terriers wasn’t really interested and kept to himself, which Toby respectfully acknowledged and didn’t approach him. The second dog stood out in front of his owner with a curious but not threatening stance (even if I’m wrong about the dog’s posturing from a distance, Toby, being a dog, reads the language accurately), and Toby approaches playfully to say hello. At this moment, it becomes apparent that this dog may have been ‘stand-offish’ in the past (as we are about to find out why) and his owner immediately comes in from behind him and literally barks to her dog “no no no no no!!!”, followed by some firm, square shouldered steps forward to stand beside her dog. After this, of no surprise to me, the dog became aggressive and jumped up to bite Toby in the face. Luckily for all of us, Toby’s solid 80 pounds realized this would be an unfair fight and he just ran the other way.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED:

1. Do NOT take your dog to a leash free park if you think/know he is aggressive. It’s going to worsen the problem, it’s going to be harmful to other users of the park, and it is to the detriment of the park and the breed that dog represents. Leashing your aggressive dog in a leash free is not the answer either; often aggression is worsened when the dog is restrained, and it is extremely likely that an unleashed dog will still approach your leashed dog, and a fight ensues with you attached to it.
2. Watch your mouth! In this particular case, it was clear that the owner actually told her dog to respond aggressively. Her dog translated her words and actions into canine communication – “no no no no no” repeated in a short and sharp manner (as a terrier does when he barks) and the upright, stiff motion forward to align with her dog said unequivocally “Fight”! In the seconds that preceded this, it was impossible to know if this dog would have sniffed mine and moved on, or offered a growl or eye contact that would have told Toby to move along, but he was overridden by his owner and literally instructed to respond in the same way she did.

Your dog is always watching and listening to what you say, which is surprisingly the opposite of what most owners believe of their dogs. How often have you or a friend said “my dog never listens to me”? Either they are listening and you are sending the wrong message, or they stopped listening because the messages you’ve been giving have been misplaced or unclear. I frequently see owners, and even trainers, using force and correction when trying to get a dog to respond more appropriately to a situation, such as children or other dogs. The child or dog approaches, your dog responds with excitement or even an aggressive lunge, and we respond with “No!” and “Bad!” and a firm snap on the leash (which in these cases is often attached to a choke or pinch collar), and to everyone’s surprise, the dog seems to get worse, not better! That’s because in most cases, we haven’t addressed the initial issue, such as is the dog happy and just doesn’t know what to do in these cases? Is he afraid and trying to communicate to the oncoming two or four legged friend that he doesn’t want to interact? Or is he even responding inappropriately because he’s trying to protect you? These questions need to be answered before we begin to bark at and physically restrain our dogs, giving them no option but to increase the veracity with which they react. We are often telling them instead “Here comes another dog, you’re in trouble! Or “lets yell and carry on and get really physical about this!” instead of redirecting or rewarding our dog for behaviours we do want in these instances.

So, while we are trying to improve and change our dog’s behaviour, it’s very important to scrutinize and correct our own behaviour when communicating and listening to our dogs. One of the simplest and most common mistakes I see is an owner whose dog won’t come when called; owner calls dog by name, no reaction. Owner reaches and bends forward in the dogs direction, calls dog by name. Owner gets frustrated and yells dog’s name. Owner turns around, walks inside the house and the dog inevitably comes in. In dog language, here is what we did wrong; we called the dog’s name, he looked at us, but we didn’t tell him to do anything, so he goes back to what he’s doing. We leaned forward in a play bow (watch your dog play with another dog, and note how many times he puts his front paws stretched out with his bum in the air – indicating play to the other dog) and call the dog’s name, but don’t follow with a play activity, so the dog again goes back to what he’s doing, wondering why we think going inside the boring old house would be a good game to play. We yell at the dog, and he wonders why he should come to someone who is clearly going to get even more angry once he arrives. We turn around and walk into the house, the dog sees this as a chance to play chase, his favourite game, and he follows us inside. Had we walked outside, called the dog by name followed by a command he already knows (‘come’ or ‘here’) and associates with positive results, turned our body sideways to him and walked back inside, he will likely follow you the first time. Particularly once he knows how easy this game will be and has repeated it successfully several times (to which you will be so happy with him the game gets even more fun because it ends with affection or a treat).

Get to know your dog, and try to see yourself and your words through his eyes. Try some new techniques, and repeat them a few times until he figures out what the results are for him, and that this time, he doesn’t need to psychoanalyze and second guess what you’re trying to say to him – that now it really does make sense. You’ll have a happier dog, and your relationship will be stronger, less frustrating, less embarrassing and most importantly, less harmful. And really, don’t we all have dogs because we love the relationships we have with them?

Share

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Canine Allergies – Tis the Season

May 2nd, 2010

Allergies in dogs can be one of the biggest frustrations for owners and dogs alike. Even the most seasoned veterinarian can have difficulty determining what a dog is allergic to. This can often be the time of year when your pup begins scratching, chewing at her paws, shaking his head or strangely jamming his face into the carpet for a full length run. Even behaviour changes can indicate an allergy. Most dogs present with simpler symptoms like rashes, bright red paws and ears, loose stool/diarrhea, and spotty hairloss. But what exactly is causing all of this is usually a mystery.

An avid reader of my blogs will be familiar with my Boxer (from Boxer Rescue Ontario) Toby, who is practically allergic to his own skin. We often refer to him as my second college education – relating to both the costs of maintaining him as well as the challenges he presents to me and his health care providers (yes, he has more than one!). Toby’s allergies include beef, lamb, wheat, soy, rice, asparagus, parsley, stainless steel, bees, grass, ragweed, most flowers and deciduous trees (those that shed their leaves). Thanks to Toby, flowers from my partner Shawn have to be either kept outside or made of plastic, which we discovered last November when a dozen roses that were lovely in the evening became a nightmare in the morning when Toby woke up with his face almost swollen shut. A quick visit to the vet soon fixed that, and a little creativity on Shawn’s part means I still get the pleasure of getting flowers without the panic of a balloon faced Toby.

As Toby is a rescue, it’s hard to say where his allergies truly began, but they were definitely apparent when he arrived at my home with what appeared to be chicken pox all over his body. The first thing I did was switch him to ceramic bowls, as stainless steel is a common allergen that is very easily resolved. His rash on his lips cleared up within days. The second thing I did was start an elimination diet. This was fairly easy as the family who surrendered him had only fed him one type of food in the 3 years that they had him, and he received limited treats and no table scraps. The fairly limited diet history was a bonus – meaning that I knew I had a lot of proteins and carbohydrates left to work with. When feeding a dog with food allergies, it’s extremely important to ‘save’ proteins so that as his life goes on, and allergies develop, there are still available proteins that he has not had before. The basis of this is in the fact that a dog is extremely unlikely to have an allergy to a protein he has never had before. Essentially, he was brought down to a diet that contained one protein and one carbohydrate, and we gauged his responses. We were quickly able to determine what foods he was tolerant of, and what he was in fact allergic to. He now receives only one protein (Salmon) and one carbohydrate, along with a healthy mix of fresh fruits and veggies.

The second component to determining his allergies was ensuring that he was otherwise healthy. Gut health is primary to resolving issues resulting from allergic reactions, and providing the dog the ability to better cope with allergies that don’t go away, such as environmental allergies. This can be done by way of a healthy diet, pro-biotics, and a regular source of fiber. Healthy blood flow and a stable immune function can also help, and can be remedied by the right mix of vegetables, herbal treatments and clean sources of food. Over vaccination is also known to contribute to an over active immune system, and the relevance of this to your dog should be reviewed with your veterinarian. Dr. Jean Dodds has done extensive research on the subject, and you may find the information found on her website very helpful. Remember that it is an over-active immune system that can be the real cause of an allergy, and the body’s intolerance of certain foods and plants causing an overreaction presenting in the form of an allergy.

If you feed a kibble diet, keep in mind that an allergy can take about 6 weeks to leave the system. A properly rationed change to a new kibble should still be done, and you may go through a bag or two before you really know if the dog is allergic. Try to choose a kibble containing a protein that the dog has never had before, and as much as possible work with the fewest ingredients possible so that you can better identify the allergy. Treating should be kept to the same protein, and most kibble companies manufacture complimenting treats. If your dog seems to only exhibit allergy in the spring and fall, you may consider that this is an environmental allergy, and consult your vet for treatment. A chronically allergic dog can develop secondary issues as a result of being itchy, such as aural hematomas of the ear, which require surgery, or even irritable bowel syndrome or clogged anal glands due to chronic loose stool.

Allergies should not be ignored, and with time and dedication, they can be managed. The key factor is patience, and the right guidance is available from professionals such as The Dog’s Assistant.

Share

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Dogs who won’t play

February 18th, 2010

Recently I was presented with an interesting question from a fellow rescuer about dogs who won’t play with toys, and whether or not work to release toys would encourage play. Many dogs who are rescued come from backgrounds that we are not necessarily made aware of, and in some situations they won’t engage in any play. Play is an important part of a dog’s life, and particularly his rehabilitation in rescue. Work to release toys are helpful because they contain food, which can often help a dog to be interested in the toy. They are a common type of toy, and normally come in the form of Kongs™, Tricky Treats™ or Orbeez™.
There are a few variables that precipitate this type of refusal to play, and these sometimes need to be addressed before any toy, including work to release, will be appealing. The same dog who is feeling too uncomfortable to play may be equally uncomfortable taking food or treats. Before making the investment, see if the dog will take a treat while in the same environment in which he is refusing to play. Often, depending on the background, a rescue dog may feel too vulnerable in front of people or other dogs to relax enough to play or take food. This is usually a fear based behaviour, which would lead us into another realm of discussion. Essentially, you’d have to address the fearfullness before
introducing activities that require the dog to be happy and relaxed.

It is also important to consider when that dog is ‘working’. Dogs are serious about their jobs, and you will find this more prevalent with guarding breeds, terriers and herding breeds, but always try to consider what your breed’s ‘job’ is, and try to apply it to this theory. All dogs tend to be more apprehensive in newer environments (like a new foster home) or in a multi-dog household. Guarders (such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, Boxers) are trying to assess what needs to be protected (primarily themselves in a new situation) and where potential dangers may arise. Terriers and herders are trying to find out where the ‘prey’ or next movement may come from. In both cases, in newer environments, these dogs will be intensely focused on their job, and not so interested in play. This is where you would want to reduce the room size, or ‘area of interest’ for the dog, and try to keep yourself relaxed and ignore his working behaviour until he realizes that there is nothing to ‘work on’ and no reward for the work, and then try to initiate play. This would be once he is relaxed enough to lie down, or approach you for affection. Your own relaxed behaviour while carrying on simple activities without looking at the door, other dogs or interacting with other people will indicate to the dog that you are not concerned with any danger, prey or chase, and he has no reason to work during that time. Try to warn any other members of your household when you are working in a closed room with your dog, otherwise the demonstration of a person entering the room, his guarding or herding response (even raised ears and a stiffened body) followed by your asking the person to leave indicates to the dog that at any point he may need to be ‘working’, and also reinforces his behaviour because his body language followed by your instruction resulted in the ‘problem person’ going away – he believes that he has done his job. This will contradict your efforts to have the dog take some time off.
Once he is relaxed, offer him the toy in a calm manner and close to the ground (objects higher than his head may appear threatening) and allow him to approach the toy. If you are able to get the dog to sniff the toy, or even take it his mouth, praise praise praise!! Remember that even a simple action of pawing at the toy deserves a “Good boy” and an excited pat on the back! This way he knows that the behaviour you are looking for is interest in the toy, and the behaviour of guarding or herding is NOT what you want from him and therefore goes unrewarded.

The third thing to consider for a dog who won’t play is what drives him. Dogs are driven by one of three things – once they have completed a behaviour, they will deem success from their owner by either getting a treat, a toy or praise. Try to determine what makes that dog most excited, and that is what drives him. If toys seem to be last on the list, but food is first, then a Work to Release toy would be the best thing to entice him to play.

Take it slow – if you start out with a Kong and peanut butter, reward him even if all he does is lick at it without actually playing with it. Then slowly work up to games like retrieve, tug or hide and seek. After some practice, you can even begin to name this behaviour by saying ‘playtime!’ and taking out the toy, as this will help even more to peak interest and excitement. Try to keep your sessions short and minimize frustration – dogs are very sensitive to failure, and if they don’t understand at first, or sense your frustration with the lack of play, they’ll pick up on that and begin associating toys with bad feelings.
There are many considerations to make when a dog won’t play, but these are some good indicators as to what may be going on. A trainer or behaviourist can also be very helpful in determining the root causes of a dog who won’t play, but in most cases, patience, understanding and a little time to get used to new ideas is all that’s needed. Don’t forget about the “Mr. Serious” types – some dogs are just born to be thinkers and not players, and find their greatest happiness from just a rub on the bum!
Erica Garven
The Dog’s Assistant
www.thedogsassistant.ca

Share

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Front Seat Drivers

December 7th, 2009

Quite often I take Toby (my 4 year old Boxer) out in the car with me while I run errands – provided the weather is not too hot or too cold. 9 out of 10 times when I arrive back at my car, there he is, in the driver’s seat, paws on the wheel, ready to drive us home. It has to be one of my favourite images of him. But, once it’s time to drive to our next destination, Toby knows that it’s back seat time, and sits patiently on his blanket looking out the back window. On highway trips, he wears a seatbelt and he wears it well. This has taken some work, but with cozy blankets, a chew toy and a slightly open window, he’s quite content to go on long drives to the cottage etc.
On our journeys, we often see other dogs trying to drive – while the owner is also trying to drive! This happens with many breeds of dogs, but often it is the smaller breeds that best fit in their human’s lap. In all the dog training I’ve done, I have never trained a dog to drive. So why are they in the driver’s seat while the car is in motion? No one ever actually plans on being in a car accident, but when they are in one, it happens within seconds, and with no time to avoid it. Thankfully, car manufacturers do plan for accidents, and provide safety measures for us such as seatbelts and airbags. But these devices are to protect drivers and human passengers, not dogs. In the event that the person driving in front of you suddenly stops, and you rear-end them, it is likely that you, the driver, will lurch forward and go front first into your air bag, which expels with incredible pressure. Now, what do think is going to happen to your little four-legged friend when this happens? He will be crushed between your body and the exploding airbag or the steering wheel, and sadly, their little bodies just weren’t built to withstand this kind of impact. Not only that, with the force of the airbag being so strong, there is a good reason that newer vehicles come with a sensing device that shuts off the passenger side airbag when the passenger is under 75 lbs – because the force of the airbag would injure them considerably. Most dogs who sit on your lap while driving are well under this weight, and because they are on top of you (you likely being more than 75 lbs), the driver’s side airbag is still engaged and will deploy in an accident.
There are several stringent rules in place when carrying babies and small children in a vehicle. These rules are in place to protect their tiny bodies in an accident. We should all consider these rules for our dogs as well, small or large breed. We should protect them just as carefully as we do the humans that we love, and not put them in danger just because they are warm, cute and cuddly. Keep your dog in the back seat at all times, and if your dog is rambunctious in the car, use a crate or seatbelt and seek assistance from a trainer if you need it. We all love to cuddle with our dogs, but save it for when you are safe and sound at home. Dogs in the front seat are a major distraction to the driver, and at serious risk of death or injury when riding in the front. If you love your dog, show him by keeping him safe.

Share

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

What is Canine Nutrition Counselling?

December 7th, 2009

How much do you really know about you dog’s food? Do you know what ingredients are good, and what are bad? Have you ever heard of someone actually cooking for their dog? Do you have a couple of hours every day to research and learn about all of the different things there are to know about canine nutrition? Probably not. I have made this learning process a part of my full time career, and a nutrition specialist such as myself can help you make the right decisions for your dog.
Kibbles come in many forms, from ‘economical’ (i.e. Purina Dog Chow) to premium (i.e. Science Diet) to human grade (i.e. Orijin). Are the premium and human grade kibbles worth the extra money, or are you just paying for a brand name? Certainly not. In fact, in the majority of dogs, those that are fed a more expensive human grade kibble are healthier, and require fewer veterinary visits that those who are fed economical kibbles, or even premium kibbles. Are you getting a balanced diet from every brand of dog food? Yes actually, even the economical brands are required to adhere to the American Association of Feed Control Officials standards for the minimum nutritional requirements for all stages of canines – puppies to seniors. However, these standards are ‘minimum standards’, which can equate to a person eating pizza every day of their life – it may contain the four food groups, and it may sustain you, but it does not make you healthy; and most dogs foods contain food that is NOT human-grade, and the standards for the grade of foods in dog food are shockingly low. Like people, every dog has a unique metabolism and there is not one preferred food for every dog, however there are a series of brands that promote good health and can be fed every day in good conscience. Finding the right brand and the right type of food can be a trial and error process, but once you’ve found what works for your dog, it is very easy to stick to.
Supplementing kibble with fresh food and home cooking for your dog is another excellent way of ensuring that they are receiving quality nutrition. Many owners find that the simplest way of providing an easy, nutritious diet while providing fresh food is to feed a human grade kibble combined with raw meaty bones and pureed fresh fruits and vegetables. Raw meaty bones, such as beef knuckle bones, are easily sourced at your grocer’s butcher counter, and fed at room temperature in the backyard (or on your living room carpet, if you really, really enjoy cleaning it!). Fruits and vegetables can also be sourced locally, and are best prepared by cooking them until soft and then popping the mixture into the food processor to puree it. Unfortunately, although dogs benefit greatly from the nourishment found in fruit and vegetable, they do not posess the amino acids and enzymes required by the body to break through plant wall, and therefore in order to absorb the nutrients, the fruit and vegetable wall needs to be broken for them, hence pureed. In most cases, the entire vegetable can be used, including stalks, peelings etc., and because dogs have a much higher capacity for ‘sterilizing’ the food in their stomachs, there is no problem with buying ‘near expiry’ vegetables at a lower cost. Everything can be thrown into one pot to soften up, and then the pureed mixture can be broken into containers, and kept in the freezer. You can simply take out one container per week to be fed with kibble, and this allows you to prepare many weeks of vegetables at the same time. This creates a quick and easy way to greatly increase the nutritional value of each meal, and just like us, make sure that vitamin-packed vegetables make it into every meal. The fruit and vegetable choices often depend on the breed of dog, lifestyle and health concerns, so consult a canine nutrition specialist before you proceed. In most cases, a specialist will recommend fruits high in anti-oxidants, fibre and vitamin content, such as raspberries or blueberries, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach, parsley and kale. All are inexpensive, readily available and easy to prepare. A nutrition specialist will assist you in ‘tweeking’ the recipe for your dog’s unique needs, for example, steering a dog with hypo-thryroidism away from broccoli, or a barrel-chested or IBD dog away from beans.
Lastly, there are the various forms of completely home-prepared meals, either raw fed or cooked. The only food that MUST be fed raw is meaty bones. Bones that are cooked lose nutritional value, and can easily dry out and splinter, causing serious damage to your dog’s mouth, throat, and intestinal tract. Dog’s digestive systems contain bacteria killing enzymes that essentially sterilize all of the food they eat once it enters their system (care must still be taken in preparing the food, so that your kitchen and family eating area remain free of bacteria, just like preparing your own meats) – this is the reason our dogs can eat things that to us appear to be totally disgusting, but to the dog is yummy, delicious and doesn’t make them sick. Therefore, there is no reason that meats cannot be fed totally raw. However, if you feel more comfortable preparing meats that are slightly cooked, this is fine too. The most important aspect of home-prepared feeding is ensuring that you provide enough nutritional content for the dog. For example, the average human requires approximately 725 mg of calcium each day, but a large-breed dog requires over 3,000 mg of calcium each day, with a more regulated ratio of phosphorus. Although a dog can eat the same foods we do, they do need a different ratio of these foods, which is where a nutrition specialist can come in handy. We can help you understand your dog’s nutritional needs, provide simple recipes for you and set you on a course to make your own educated choices for your dog’s meals. We can even provide you with meal preparations for every day of the year, if you feel more comfortable relying 100% on the nutritionist. We will also help you to understand how to make the change from kibble to home-prepared, what to do when you go on vacation with or without your dog, how to make the most of changing seasonal foods, and how to apply these theories to multi-dog families.
At the end of the day, good nutrition makes a healthy dog. Canine nutrition specialists, like myself, can provide you with all of the tools to create a balanced diet for your dog. Remember, veterinarians are incredible people with skills that go far beyond our family doctors. Vets are pharmacologists, diagnosticians, surgeons, behaviourists and much much more while dealing with multiple species (dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, cows etc.) and patients who cannot tell them what’s wrong – it’s a tough job and we love them for it. However, all of this training leaves little time for nutritional assessments, and very few vets are able to guide you in this category. Talking to your vet about the health of your dog and bringing that information to a canine nutrition specialist can result in your dog being at the top of his game, and armed with the nutritional health to fight off infection, virus and disease. Wouldn’t we all like a dog who is happier, healthier and with us for a few years longer?
The Dog’s Assistant provides nutritional counseling in your home for kibble choices, kibble and supplement mixes, raw food or cooked food. These counseling sessions will be geared to your budget, time allowances, personal preferences and your dog’s health, energy level and lifestyle. Contact us for a consult at 416-471-2737 or by email at erica@thedogsassistant.ca .

Share

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The inlaws are coming – with the dogs!

December 1st, 2009

At this time of year especially, many dog owners are opening their homes to friends and family – along with their canine counterparts. Welcoming their dogs can sometimes be stressful and complicated, and is often an area where considerable tact in the family relationship is required. The majority of dog owners consider their dogs to be members of the family, if not like children, and when family dogs don’t get along or misbehave, it can cause tension in an otherwise happy reunion.
The most important thing to remember is that you are responsible for your own dog. It’s usually not a good idea to get involved in the handling of or correcting of another person’s dog. Hopefully, your visitor’s will feel the same way and not interfere with your dog, but if not, try to keep your cool and remind yourself that you can only control your own mind and not someone else’s, and calmly step in to take over the issue with your dog. The canine mind is exceptionally sensitive to human emotion, and anger or frustration with another dog or human is quickly perceived by your dog, and may exacerbate an already difficult situation.
There are some key points to promoting a healthy ‘dog-in-law’ dynamic:
1. If the dogs have never met, try to do so in a nearby park before going to your home. A neutral territory makes a greeting much less intense for dogs, as they do not have ‘turf’ to defend. If possible, legal and safe, do so off leash to allow them space to greet and hopefully play together. If not, keep a slack leash so as not to communicate any danger or stress to your dog. Try not to physically handle your dog, such as holding one dog in position to allow the other to sniff it – let them do this in their own time. A withheld dog is often a defensive dog. Once they are over the initial greeting, proceed to your home as a group.

2. Once inside the home, don’t assume that they dogs are instant cousins and love each other as such! Keep an eye on them, particularly as the visiting dog checks out your dog’s ‘stuff’, like toys, sleeping areas and food bowls. Many dogs can get defensive about these areas, and your dog’s calm response to the visitor making his rounds should be praised. The owner of the visiting dog should also calmly discourage their dog from licking the house dog’s bowls or stealing it’s toys. They might not be ready to share yet, and keeping things fair will encourage a friendly relationship.

3. If there are children present, and the dogs are allowed to be around them, SUPERVISE AT ALL TIMES! Every dog behaves differently with children, and also may behave differently if there is another dog in the home. Protection, jealousy and confusion can be predominant in this high-energy situation, and an adult should always be WITHIN ARMS LENGTH of the dogs at all times.

4. Be honest about your dog’s bad habits! If he is defensive around his ‘stuff’, tell the other owner! Embarassment on your part can lead to nasty arguments between the dogs, which could easily be avoided by assigning separate parts of your home to each dog. If you know they won’t get along – separate them! If you don’t want your dog to get table scraps, politely share this information with your guests. A lot of dogs are jumpers, which for Grandma or Grandpa could be a serious issue, so keep the crazy canine on a leash to prevent any accidents. Often, just a loose leash on a dog that she can drag around the house will come in very handy if they dart for a piece of food or an open door – it gives you an extra six feet of ‘catching’ distance!

5. Give your dog a quiet place to go to, like a crate or a bedroom that no one goes into. Dogs are smart, and often if they are overwhelmed by another dog, children or too many people in the house, they will seek out a space to get some peace, quiet and alone time. Let them have it, and their tempers will stay in check.

Most importantly, enjoy your guests and have fun with them! If that’s difficult, take lots of deep breaths! Keeping a calm, happy environment will likely keep the dogs calm and happy, and ultimately will lead to a great ‘doggy cousin’ relationship!

Share

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Bringing home…Daddy?

December 1st, 2009

One of the programs that I offer is called Family Integration, which normally focuses on bringing home baby – and how to make sure that the family dog is ready for and accepting of the new family member. I also counsel families about step-family integration, and have published an article in Animal Wellness Magazine about that very subject. In most of these counseling sessions, there are children involved, which become my primary focus in the training program, as they are most often the primary focus of and most complicated part of the integration from the dog’s perspective. However, this is not always the case, as I discovered recently in my own life.
Last summer, I adopted a 3 year old Boxer named Toby. I’m often thankful that he landed in my experienced hands, as he is certainly a challenging dog (putting it nicely, since he’s right here next to me!). During the time I have had him, Toby and I have lived alone in our little Oakville apartment, and have developed quite a bond. A Boxer’s natural tendency is to protect, and although I am top dog in this home, being a woman certainly increases his drive to protect me. Toby is by no means an aggressive dog, in fact he is quite the clown, but in the appropriate situations, he has proven himself to be my guard at my command, and in a controlled manner.
Imagine his surprise when Mom comes home one day with this strange guy beside her! And how confusing it is that this man, as opposed to all other men (except his grandpa – my Dad), is allowed to put his arms around her and hold her! In Toby’s canine mind, this must be a display of dominance, and a disturbing observation that may be challenging his Mom’s position of Alpha in the home! What the heck is happening to the balance we once had! And, how is Toby to respond to such a display with no guidance from the Alpha, no indication to attack this possible intruder! So, initially, Toby tried to jump between us, made a lot of confused noises (Boxer talk), and generally got pretty nervous around this new guy. Although, when no threat was being made towards me, he sure did try his hardest to make best friends with my boyfriend, hoping they could conspire together to overthrow the Queen I’m sure. This commradery was quickly swayed when he was no longer allowed to spend the whole night on the bed, which clearly knocked him down a peg in the chain of command. But, he quickly discovered that he had this really cozy thing called a ‘dog bed’ (imagine that!), and found that having this place to sleep with no human feet kicking him in the night wasn’t such a bad thing.
Then there is the issue of my boyfriend, and often me, smelling of this strange Chocolate Lab that Toby had never met before. We decided to let both of our dogs meet in an off leash park, and you could practically see the lightbulbs go off in their heads when they realized “you’re the ‘other’ dog I’ve been smelling on my human all this time!”, and off they went to consort about the weird intruder on their human’s bond with them. After the successful greeting, Toby and my boyfriend’s dog Misha were happy to share each other’s home with one another, and a sigh of relief was breathed on both of our parts. Our dogs are extremely important parts of our lives, and being able to blend a happy family was an important step in our relationship.
Amongst much hilarity, Toby has accepted my boyfriend in ‘our’ life together, and even misses him now if he’s away for an extended period on business. The key elements in developing his relationship with the new man in his life were consistency in his schedule, maintaining his cuddle time with me, and learning to rely equally on both of us for his needs. My boyfriend frequently takes Toby for walks ‘just the boys’, feeds him meals, and encourages play time and training time when they are together. Therefore, he was no longer a ‘strange man’, but quickly became ‘Daddy’, and as important to Toby as I am. As a couple, we also addressed the costs associated with Toby, and my dedication to his veterinary, behavioural and nutritional needs, and were able to move forward without any shocking financial costs or lifestyle decisions.
We often don’t consider how life changes can affect our dogs, but if we recognize their responses to the new human in their life, and make the interactions positive, they will quickly accept that there is a new dynamic at home, and it’s ok. Even small adjustments, like a new home or a new job, can impact your dog’s idea of daily life. If we can begin to assess how these changes affect us as humans, we can better understand how they affect our canine partners as well.

Share

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »