Happy Mother’s Day (from your dog!)

I don’t know about you, but there has been a lot of whispering and discreet glances as my dogs prepare for our version of “Mother’s Day.”  I know they are planning something for me.  I just hope it doesn’t include my pretending to eat and like kibble!

My “kids” are the four-legged version.  Whether you have the two-legged or four-legged version, may you have a wonderful day honoring yourself as a Mom.

I have some advice in honor of this day. . .much like Mom’s do with their kids, we dog-moms can get caught in the what-if’s.   What if I’m not feeding them the right food?  What if I’m not spending enough time with them?   What if I could do more?  What if. . .

I don’t think our dogs have thoughts remotely related to our constant questioning.  My advice – stop!  Enjoy them without always being concerned about what you aren’t doing.  It’s not healthy for them or you.  Dogs are adaptable to the life we provide, and we need to let that be.

I believe we have added our pets to the list of things to worry about.  It’s what Mom’s (and Dad’s) do – worry  we aren’t doing enough for those we love.   Love them in the best way you can, and if you must worry about the unknown, worry about all of the dogs left in shelters without a home.

Honor yourself as a “Mom” by relaxing today.  If you must eat a little kibble served bed-side by your loving, grateful canine family, smile and know  you are giving them something wonderful. . .your best.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Can a Little Dog be Alpha?

Does breed or size matter in the realm of a dog’s position in the pack?  What if dog’s knew the stories that are perpetuated about their breed?  What if being big and muscular automatically made you alpha dog?

Observing dogs as they live in their world of thought and not mine, it can appear they are being courteous to another dog rather than acting out their role in the hierarchy of the pack.  For example:

The Great Dane is sometimes possessive of her food and toys.  I looked over to see her lying wait by her giant food bowl as she patiently “allowed” the tiny Yorkie to eat.  She circles away from her bowl as she eats, and I’m sure she was surprised to return to see she was unintentionally sharing her food.

While I know it’s not the case, what if she learned from me to pick her battles?  With me being present and observing, this is not one she’d win anyway.  It’s always a learning experience to sit back, relax, and watch as dogs show us who they are.  If I had jumped up startled that the Yorkie would dare eat from the Dane’s bowl, I could have contributed to a nervous response from either or both of them.

Patiently waiting, Melody moved away and the Dane went back to eating.  It could be that Melody is alpha, or that she is no threat so sharing is accepted, or maybe the Dane was just being courteous to a senior family member.

Introducing A Dog To A Cat

When introducing an existing cat to a new dog, take things slow.  As with any desensitization, plan for success.  This mean keeping the dog separate in a crate or in an area where the two can see and smell one another, but should the cat get startled and run, the dog will be restricted from chasing them.

It’s important to let them see and smell one another without contributing to a reaction based on their instincts.  Some dogs will never be good with cats.  Their prey drive is too strong.  Others may be curious and chase if the cat runs, but in a playful manner.

Supervise their interactions until you feel safe with leaving them together.  Consider putting up a baby gate or something that will physically block the dog should the cat decide it needs a quick get-away!   In some cases, the reverse may be true and the dog will need a hide-out away from the cat.

Another method, is to keep the dog on a leash as the cat roams, and correct the dog if they start to obsess over this moving toy made of real fur.  If the cat defends itself, this can quickly turn the toy into something to be feared and/or respected.  That’s not a bad thing.

In many cases, cats and dogs co-exist in peace.  If you need more guidance on cat and dog introductions, please send a note in the box to the right.

Do Dogs Need to Have a Schedule?

I have written previously about the importance of a schedule when housebreaking a dog.  Most of us have some flex-time in our day, and most dogs do to.   In nature, dogs would eat when they wanted and poop when they wanted.  They didn’t look at the location of the sun and react shocked because once again, they had forgotten to eat breakfast.   There was most likely a time to hunt, a time to eat, and a time to sleep.

We bring them into our homes and expect them to immediately understand how to live in our world.  Since a schedule is important for us, we need to give our dogs time to understand what that means to them.  Consistency, patience, and praise are invaluable to this process!

My dogs have learned a routine, and I didn’t realize that in order to keep it all straight, they had been keeping a schedule of their own.   This is what it said.   As read by the leader, Zoe . . .

“Mac, you go outside with Violet and Sammy.  Don’t forget why you are out there and get back in here so the rest of us can go.  I’ll go out with Melody and Moby.  Everyone meet back here in thirty minutes for breakfast.  Remember, if you don’t eat it now, you’ll be looking at it again tonight.  After breakfast, Mac and I will go outside for a few hours.”

“If you little guys (sorry Violet) need to go, go now, because you’ll be inside for the day.  Dinner will be served about 5:00 so everyone, be on time – as a side note, don’t jump on Gayle when she gets in from training.  Everyone back outside after dinner and back in for the night.  Try to sleep in past 5:00, but if you can’t hold it Mac, wake me up and I’ll get Gayle’s attention.”

Dogs have become great students of structure. Aren’t they amazing?  Now, if they could only help me with my schedule!

Dogs Know How to Cheer!

If you have ever attended a sporting event like baseball, you are familiar with “the wave.”  A section of people stand, lift their arms overhead as they yell.  The next section of people follow and the motion continues over the crowd.

It came to me that dogs do “the wave” only it is called “the bark!”  In the distance, a dog barks.  The dog next door hears the cheer, and also barks.  It progresses down the street and can continue for blocks.  It my not be evident what or whom started the cheer, but that doesn’t seem to be important to the dogs.

Some dogs have premature bark and seem to be barking to a beat of their own.  If, however, they are participating as they were trained in the when to bark school, they will listen, bark when it’s their turn, and be quiet as the next block begins.

If your dog flunked the class on how and when it’s appropriate to bark, please contact me using the box to the right!

Or. . .next time you hear a dog barking in the distance and it progresses to your home, beat your dog to the punch by standing up, arms overhead, and yelling.  It won’t stop the neighbor’s dogs, but it just might startle the bark right out of your pup!

Why Do Dogs Get So Excited at the Front Door?

A typical challenge clients want corrected is their dog getting overly excited at the front door.  Dogs learn very quickly that good things happen when their human opens the door.  Remember – any attention may be interpreted as good!

I observed something yesterday when my doorbell rang.  Not a creature was stirring – not one dog barked or understood what that tone meant.  Our last house didn’t have a doorbell so there was no exposure to that sound being a precursor to extreme excitement.

Dogs are amazing students.  They learn from us.  They learn very quickly.  We show them that when the doorbell rings, we hurry to see who is there and we greet our guests with enthusiasm and possibly hugs.  Or, there is someone there who is giving us a box.  Dogs love boxes (or so you’d think by the way they act)!

Dogs don’t come into the home knowing what the door means or what they should do when it is opened.  So, rather than having either your doorbell or dog removed from the home, start early teaching your dog that the front door isn’t so great after all.

For some tips on front door etiquette, send a note in the box to the right.

“Good Enough” Dog Training

After training your dog and working on behavior modification, do you find yourself saying, “well, that’s good enough for me.”  The question needs to be, is that good enough for the dog?

Too often, we spend our dollars on training and behavior modification because we had a negative experience that was fresh on our minds.  In a few days and sometimes in a few hours, we forget about the issue and even begin to justify what was once unacceptable.

Is it really such a big deal?  Maybe not.  Some issues may truly become less important.  However, I am suggesting that in time with consistent expectations, training, and follow-through, you will find that you only have a vague memory of when your dog didn’t listen and respond to you.

Before you give up or settle for something less than desired, ask yourself if “good enough” is for you or if it is also in the best interest of your dog.

Is Your Dog Quirky?

The dictionary describes a quirk as:

1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: “Every man had his own quirks and twists” (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
2. An unpredictable or unaccountable act or event; a vagary.
3. A sudden sharp turn or twist.

Does this sound like your dog?  When a dog’s behavior is unpredictable and with no apparent trigger, it can be described as quirky.  If your dog is so sweet and yet randomly is aggressive with either humans or other dogs, it is a tough behavior to correct.

I don’t like telling clients their dog may never be trustworthy.  However, it is true and I’d rather tell the truth than lead them along an unpredictable path.  Their dog can improve and may make great strides in shifting a less desirable behavior only to find that six months later, the dog reverts back to his old ways.

You haven’t done anything wrong.  Chances are, if this is a rescue dog, it has experienced something in it’s past that is contributing to a random response.  You may never be able to figure it out.  What you can do, is be responsible and don’t pretend the behavior doesn’t exist.  Keep them on a leash, consider the proper use of a muzzle, keep them out of the dog park, etc.  Whatever their quirk is, there’s a way to work with them.

Personally, I haven’t known a human without a quirk or two.  Why should dogs be any different?

Home Is Where the Human Is

The saying usually goes, “home is where the heart is.”  When it comes to our dogs, home is where their human is.

If you are having to relocate and you are moving to a smaller place with less yard and are worried about your dog –  don’t.  They won’t care as long as you are there.  We may only think it’s good for the dog when we’re moving to a large home or some place with a big yard. Moving can be stressful regardless.  Whether you are living in a studio or in a mansion, your dog will know they are home, because you are there.

It’s easy to attach human emotions to our dogs and be overly concerned about what they are feeling. They may have boundaries that are reduced as you down-size.  They will quickly adjust as they go through their list of must-have’s for happiness. . .human (complete with guidance, structure, and love), food, water.

Their needs are met in the life they live with a homeless person and/or with the life they share on an estate.

Most of the time, their needs are simply met – it’s their humans that add the drama.  For those of you who believe home is where the dog is, remember it goes both ways.

*ps – as I write surrounded by unpacked boxes and a lot to do today, the dogs are each on their beds without a care.  They haven’t once mentioned missing their previous home where they had 2.5 acres on which to roam.  Constant teachers. . .aren’t they?

Why Do You Ask Your Dog to Sit?

It’s a proud moment, when a dog learns to sit.  We look around at others who might be witnessing this momentous occasion and asking, “did you see that – he sat!”  So, we start asking the dog to sit and sit and sit and sit…

Soon, we are frustrated our dog isn’t as enamored with “sit” as we are.  It’s great to teach your dog to follow basic commands and equally as important to remember why. There is a reason beyond just them knowing how to sit.  There is also a reason beyond our being able to ask our dog to do something and they do it.

Why do you want them to sit?  If we continually ask our dogs to follow a command without purpose, they will soon catch on and look at us as if to say, “why?”

Have them sit before you open the door and go for a walk.  Have them sit before you give them affection. Have them sit before they are served dinner.  Have them sit prior to your opening the car door and giving them permission to get in.  I think you get the point.  You will have greater success with your dog doing as you ask them to if there is a “reward” or a purpose to the action.