Separation anxiety manifests itself in varying degrees. The symptoms can be very subtle and escalate quickly if not addressed. I do believe that some dogs suffer from post-traumatic stress as well. Combine the two, and you may come home to something like this. These photos show the pure panic of a dog who was lost after the passing of the other dog in the family.
Emotional instability in dogs is as real as it is in humans. They don’t have words for what they are feeling – nor do we. It’s important to understand their behavior from a dog’s perspective and to treat them accordingly. There is a trigger, a memory, a perceived fear, that can be extremely challenging to pinpoint (if we ever can).
Here’s a great article from the Humane Society regarding Separation Anxiety. If you have any questions or are concerned your dog is demonstrating symptoms of either separation anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, please contact me for assistance.
Does your dog have dominant tendencies? Are you confused at what that actually means? Is dominant and being alpha one in the same?
A dominant dog isn’t necessarily the alpha dog. Some dogs are born as dominant beings. They are hard-wired from birth with the genetic makeup to be “bossy.” Puppies will exhibit the behaviors in subtle ways that will grow to be less subtle as they mature. Some of the characteristics are:
Marking their territory
Kicking up their hind legs after they “mark.”
Wrapping their front legs around you.
Talking back or getting in the last word when corrected.
Nudging another dog to get ahead of them or out of their way.
Holding their head over the head or body of another dog (and/or their human).
These are a few of the more obvious characteristics. You don’t train their personality out of them, you work with it. You need to be more dominant than they are.
Here’s a photo of a dominant little guy who is not quite annoying enough for the Dane to say “stop that!” I can guarantee if she did, it would only take once! He is definitely macho in his actions around the other dogs – unfortunately for him, no one sees him as alpha.
I was sitting outside tonight as it finally cooled down. I was snacking on some nuts and had one of my dogs with me. It’s good to spend time with your dogs individually as they each have different personalities. It’s easy to miss the differences if they are always viewed as a pack.
As I snacked on almonds, my curious dog was anxiously awaiting my either dropping one or voluntaringly giving her one. I gave her an almond. One, small, dry almond and she acted like it was the best treat she ever received. She took it and ran off with her tail-a-waggin’. She set it down, sniffed it, and then slowly picked it up and chewed.
An almond. She brought me to the moment. Watching her savor this treat reminded me of how simple a “treat” can be. I gave her a few more as I slowed down my eating so that I too could enjoy every bite. Want to live in the moment and enjoy every “treat” life gives you. . .learn from your dog.
If you have seen the recently released, delightful, fun-loving movie “Up,” then you know about the Cone of Shame. You will also know of it if you have had a dog spayed, neutered, or if for any reason you need to keep their head away from other parts of their body. When donning the cone, dogs do seem to be embarrassed or at a minimum very aware of their limitations.
Here’s Fletcher wearing the Cone of Shame. What makes it so funny is this is how I found him one morning. He didn’t need to wear it and must have been testing it out. He managed to put it on before realizing it won’t come off! You can imagine how the other dogs and I laughed. Perhaps it was his way of humbling himself or to make the real wearer of the cone feel better.
In a previous post, I wrote about dogs needing other dogs. In the following video, you will watch my two labradoodles play fight. A human can never play with a dog like another dog. Not only are they having fun, they are also communicating with one another (in more ways than depicted by the comic bubbles).
Some dogs instinctively have a high prey drive. In some cases, they can be trained to use this ability for search and rescue missions by taking their natural instinct and putting it to good use. Here’s a video of a dog who was used on a special research program.
If you have puppies and can’t keep your eye on them constantly, hire a dog nanny. This video is of Mac-Nanny. Mac is a labradoodle that does a great job at keeping two Maltese puppies corralled and in their crate.
It is common to hear dog trainers using the word of a command in the praise that follows the desired response. For example, when a dog first learns to sit, the command is reinforced with “good sit.” The same applies to all of the basics – down, stay, leave-it, etc. It gets a little cumbersome to continue this when they do something like “get out of the kitchen.” Saying good “get out of the kitchen” just doesn’t work the same!
Some days with kids, it is good to get away from constant correction and try to see what they are doing right (or what is pleasing to the ever-knowing adult). I used to try this when my nieces and nephew were small. It takes some practice.
I decided that dog parents should try this too. Create a day or half day or if you have a puppy, maybe just a few hours where you don’t constantly say things like stop, no, or don’t. I am doing it this morning and it brings an ease to living with dogs. I have said things like “good tissue eating,” “good nervous barking,” “thank you for finding the paper in the recycle basket,” and “good finding that a dog bed is nothing but a huge, overstuffed chew toy.”
See how easy it is. Take a moment and think of ways to use “good” and see if your dog smiles as they realize it’s going to be a GREAT day!
As I’ve mentioned previously, dogs bark. That’s what they do. Some more than others, and some for reasons known only to them. If you have a little dog, particularly if it’s a recent rescue with an unclear history, think of it this way.
They have been in an environment where they weren’t exposed to any stimulus that is now a part of their every day life. What the heck is a leaf blower to a dog? Can you imagine being a five-pound pup and being expected to remain calm and still as a stranger walks toward you in possession of a creature that makes an ear-piercing sound and blows strong winds in your direction (or any direction for that matter)?
What is any of it to them. . .vacuum cleaners, bicycles, skateboards, trucks, airplanes, etc. Not to mention people. There are strange people everywhere and the dog thinks, “you want me to do what?”
As I watch my little guy announce randomly that there is a huge object moving down the road, I realize he has no clue if that street sweeper is going to all of a sudden lose control and drive through the fence and into the living room. I mean, really! What if I didn’t hear it coming (like anyone in a two-mile radius didn’t) and Moby wasn’t here to warn all of us?
The other dogs – the ones of larger stature and a few more tools in their shed, don’t bother looking up as I say, “Moby, thanks for warning us, now quiet.”
So, if you find barking annoying (and it is) first ask yourself what your dog is experiencing. As long as they stop barking when acknowledged, good dog. If they don’t and you would like assistance with excessive barking, please contact me.
