Category: Questions From Dog Owners

Dog owner question: What do I do about my technology obsessed dog?

7/24/2017

Question from a pet dog owner and training client: 
Since you asked for questions, here is one that may not be common. Sally is obsessed with animals she sees on tv. She will charge the screen and bark. I'm afraid she will knock it over! She wears the ecollar and I stim her and say, "No" or "Get Away".
She sits in place and stares at the screen. I stim her again and she either scooches backward toward me or comes and sits on my feet. I want her to learn to ignore the tv and to do something like "place" on the couch. We used to enjoy Animal Planet, Westerns, hunting shows, lol! Now it is the Dreaded Toyota Dog Days commercial! She has memorized the music and comes running after two notes!
Thanks,

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Question from dog owner: is this play or aggression?

7/7/2017

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Question: " I have an 18 mo old dog that I simply cannot break of jumping. He is large and powerful and even when I turn my back to him he continues to jump, sometimes even biting my ponytail. Is this aggression or play? I feel like he is playing but it REALLY hurts."

Answer: Regarding is this aggression or play, it sounds like play. An 18 month old dog is usually still a puppy although an older and larger adolescent. As puppies grow up, they don't know the rules for appropriate human play without some training or guidance. Your dog is most likely excited, has a lot of pent up energy, and is visiting this unwanted play on you.

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Dog owner question: how to train a loose leash walk

5/26/2017

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Walking with Boone to the Marketfest in York Maine.

I am sorry to inform you, I can't even summarize this in a short article with a quick tip. That being said, if you are willing to do the work and practice it is not hard. Loose leash walking is one of the most common things asked for by dog owners. This is one of the fastest and easiest things to start in dog training, but you do actually have to train and teach your dog how to do it. It is not going to get better if you try and wait it out (or you will only get there when your dog becomes geriatric). When first training basic obedience, this is usually one of the first things we work on from day one. Then it is practiced and maintained going forward as the rest of obedience is built upon loose leash walking.

Boone is happy cooperating here. We have worked together a lot by this point, and we are on an adventure together.

What exactly is loose leash walking? When people talk about this, they are not usually talking about the more formal command "heel". However, it means that the dog can walk on the leash without going to the end of it and pulling or putting pressure on the leash. The dog has learned and knows how to walk on a leash in partnership with their owner.

Loose leash walking is a very important skill for a dog to have. It allows the dog to go to more places outside of the home, and makes the walks enjoyable to BOTH the owner and the dog. It builds confidence and impulse control, which you will appreciate even more so if you have a reactive dog.

Trust me, the dog is not comfortable pulling or lunging against their collar. That is one of the reasons that we teach a loose leash (the other is it is not too comfortable for their humans either). Dogs in general are much happier when the owner is not frustrated with them as well. By teaching this to your dog, you are only going to improve their life as well as your enjoyment of bringing them out with you.

As for methods (or parts of methods, as a method is the whole process of teaching obedience via a plan) there are many:

There is the old stand like a tree when your dog hits the end of the leash. Most dogs need a little more than this when they get older. I find it useful for very young puppies to get started on this (among other ways).
There is the Mike Ellis type method for which will rely on your building a relationship based on engagement for you and your dog. I have used this with my dogs, but not as the only method yet.
There is the long line method that I use for dogs six months and older that is based off the beginning of the Koehler method. Of course the use for this is to build whole obedience skills with this as simply the start. Generally, I find this a great way of laying a foundation not only for obedience but impulse control as well.
Personally, I like to train a formal heel and then loosen that up at a later date. I find (for me) that makes the process a lot less frustrating and ultimately faster. Plus, I use heel quite a bit anyway. I do start heel with the long line above.

,***There are even more of course, but these are the ones I primarily use and find most useful.

The things to think about when choosing a method are the following:

What are your specific goals? Different owners have different goals that could effect the method of training preferred (for example they may later want to work in agility, free style dancing, or maybe they just want a nice family pet).
What is the temperament of your dog and are you having any other problems that you need to address? Sometimes you can take your time training your dog, and other times other factors may make training an immediate safety need. You also may need to take current behavioral problems into consideration.
How old is your dog or puppy? Adult dogs and puppies younger than six months old are generally trained in a different way with different expectations. Young puppies are not mature enough yet to give the same performance or perform to expectations of a mature older adult.
What is your dog mellow, hyper, or fearful? This may also effect the method you wish to adopt going forward.
Who else regularly interacts with your dogs and do they have any special needs?
What is the dog owner's health and activity level like? There are some training methods that require more physically of the dog owner than others, especially in the first few weeks or months.

My newest dog, Shana, has been brought up on two methods or two modified parts of two tweaked methods. Here she is doing the more formal, fuss or focused heel. This really helps with the more informal loose leash walking. The video below is more the Mike Ellis type of engagement training.

There is a lot to think about when choosing the method for your dog. It is best to have a professional dog trainer walk you through it, if you are not already familiar with some of these methods and concepts.

In the video link above, Boy was taught to do a loose leash walk in about 7 to 8 days. Then his performance continued to improve as his training was continued and maintained. Boy had some serious behavioral problems and fear in general. So if a dog like Boy (who was fearful and moderately aggressive) can be taught and learn, then it is super easy to teach this to a dog without behavior problems.

The final outcome of loose leash walking should look something like this:)

You can also get your dog to walk with you on a loose leash. It just requires a little work, time, and consistency. It's really not that hard with most dogs. Even reactive dogs will catch on in three weeks time, and you will be on your way. Want to know how? Just e-mail us, call us, or fill out our client interview. We will discuss our programs with you, and what is the best fit for your team.

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Dog owner question: how do I get my dog to calm down around the cats?

5/26/2017

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Question: "I have just adopted a 3yr old fox terrier and my indoor/outdoor cats are terrified of him as he will chase and harass them. I have sectioned off my house so the dog cannot get into the two bedrooms so they have a place to come in but they still are hesitant to be around the dog. How do I get the dog to calm down around the cats???"

Spartacus (middle dog) was trained and able to then get along with Sweetpea. Sweetpea was no longer afraid, once Spartacus stopped chasing her around the house.

Advice: Short form of the answer, is that you need to have your dog understand they are an important part of the family and import to you. Or as many dog trainers say "don't let him do that".

Long form of the answer, training is a way to solve this dilemma. I don't know if there is a way for the cats to ever feel 100% around him, but there is a way for the dog to show he is 100% not a threat. If he is not acting in these ways around the cats, the cats will be able to relax a little to check him out.

I'm not talking about training where the command becomes more of a trick or something not to be relied on. This takes training to a standard so that commands are at least reliable four out of five times. Also a dog learning commands undergoes a behavioral change, as they begin to correlate what is and what is not desired in their domestic home. Dogs really don't want to make this harder or inharmonious, but they do need direction to know how to do that.

The basic obedience commands are trained to a standard are pretty much all you need. Be Aware though, that not training to a standard will not get you or the cats where you want to go.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT ADDRESS WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG ACTUALLY WANTS TO KILL THE CAT. THAT IS, OBVIOUSLY, A SERIOUS SCENARIO. IT WOULD REQUIRE HEAVY MANAGEMENT WITH SERIOUS TRAINING OR ONE OR THE OTHER TO BE REHOMED. THERE WOULD BE A SLIM CHANCE THIS MIGHT HAVE A GOOD OUTCOME. BEST NOT TO TRY IT IF THE INTENTION IS THAT ONE ANIMAL WANTS TO ACTUALLY KILL THE OTHER. THIS DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THE ABOVE PROBLEM IN THE QUESTION POSED FOR THIS ARTICLE.

We don't train cats, but we can train most dogs to be respectful around your other pets. Call us, e-mail us, or fill out our interview form. We will be in touch to come discuss the best training program and plan for you and your dog (and sometimes your other pets as well LOL).

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Dog owner question: What do I do about my technology obsessed dog?

Question from dog owner: is this play or aggression?

Dog owner question: how to train a loose leash walk

Dog owner question: how do I get my dog to calm down around the cats?

Author, Robin Rubin

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