It is 2012! With the start of a new year and the puppy adoptions that have happened and will happen in the coming months of spring, it feels like it is time to do a few posts on life with a puppy. I have a few suggestions, but am starting off with a video that demonstrates one of my favorite suggestions for not only how to train but also how to exhaust a puppy - use an older, well-behaved dog!
Dogs may be as receptive to certain human communication signals as infants. Here’s a great article that brings insight into how we communicate with our dogs. As with humans, actions speak louder than words!
One thing I know for sure is that in order for me to be thankful for things I consider to be less worthy of gratitude, I have to start with those things I am truly thankful for - my home, my bed - you get the idea. Real gratitude somehow overflows and wraps itself around those things for which we are not quite thankful. For some, our dogs are on the top of the list. For others, perhaps with a puppy or with a dog that is difficult, gratitude is not an automatic. (Feel free to insert your kids, work, and/or mate!)
I have decreased my writing about training techniques because the market is flooded with information on how to have a well behaved dog. It’s always described as quick and easy! Yet, our dogs still pull on the leash, still bolt when they see a squirrel or cat running away from them, still bark at the mailman and still attempt to jump on people when greeting. I don’t know about your dog(s), but mine haven’t read one word from the books and are quite content being dogs and letting me figure out how to work with them.
So. . .what about (seemingly) misbehaving dogs brings me gratitude - they aren’t perfect and we don’t have to be either. They are forever two years old and need to be asked and reminded of those quick and easy dog training steps we just knew would fix them. I’m grateful that in the midst of our frustration with some of their behavior, they don’t just turn around and bite us for asking them to sit when their prey drive or zest for affection is declaring, “get rabbit - NOW” or “that human wants to pet me I just know it, I know it, I do, I do!
Isn’t it just the best feeling to arrive home after a long day at work, a few minutes taking the trash out, or a few seconds to get the mail, and our dogs are all over us with enthusiasm and greetings of, “welcome home, we’ve missed you!”
Does it mean they love us or is there an ulterior motive? It’s probably better to just appreciate and adore them because we may not want to know the truth. The other day when I came in the door, I distinctly heard them excitedly saying, “our food source is home, our food source is home!”
I love them regardless of what they feel or don’t feel. I think there are certain truths we understand about dogs and the rest we make up as we go along. Considering the joy they bring to our lives, does it really matter - I didn’t think so.
If you have a small dog and a much larger one, and particularly if they are the same sex, you have most likely witnessed some form of competition and posturing for the position of “Top Dog”. Sometimes, that positioning is demonstrated physically. In this image Moby shows Mac, “he who is higher wins”. I don’t think Mac knew he was playing that game, so we won’t tell Moby.
Think of Halloween from your dog’s perspective. Here’s what they hear and see: A knock on the door or a ringing of the doorbell. You open the door anxiously as high-energy children (most you don’t know) are camouflaged as something potentially scary or threatening, as they yell, “trick or treat.” You hand them goodies. . .door closes until the next time.
This may be fun and games for your dog; however, if you have a dog new to your home or a dog that is easily frightened or skittish, here’s a great article giving some sound advice on why it’s ok to leave the lights off this year.
If you aren’t willing to do that, I would put them in a room (crated perhaps) with enough white noise or music to block the sounds of the at-the-door festivities!
One of my dogs is definitely a guard dog and is always on duty to defend against…uh, lizards, snakes, birds, and one not so itsy bitsy spider.
One evening, I heard Zoe making her I-am-really-on-to-something high pitched yelp/bark. I went into the garage and it was dark so I could not see what the fuss was about. Knowing her like I do, she only makes that sound when she is very excited about her find. I turned on the light. I think the sound that came from me was a vocalization one would not expect to hear from a calm, assertive leader like myself. Here’s what I saw.
I need to add that tarantula’s can and do jump. Actually, it’s more of a leap. When they do, it is straight out. I had flashes of someone finding the video camera days later and the last image on the video is the belly of a tarantula! I did capture it and set it free outside.
So, when late at night, your dog is barking in a you-gotta-see-this manner, you might want to check it out. I was much happier knowing about it while it was in the garage rather than a surprise in the bedroom!
It is often said by dog lovers and advocates that our dogs just want to please us. All they want is for us to be happy and happy with them. There is a lot more to it than this.
I consider myself to be a practical trainer/behaviorist. I do what I do because of my love for animals with my focus being on the understanding and ever-growing knowledge of canine behavior. Personally, my dogs live a grand life. They have nice beds, they respond to commands, they are all now to a stage of wanting to please me. Why? Because they know me, and I know them. It can take years to create this type of relationship. It is worth it.
Pleasing humans is not inherent in a dog’s psyche. Being a member of a pack is. They don’t walk down the street and see a human and think, “oh, there’s a human being, I want them to be pleased with me.” In fact, the opposite may be true! They may have learned that humans are good and will give them food and affection, or they may have a negative association.
Much as it is with humans, respect of a dog is earned. I like to think the feelings are mutual - they respect me, and I respect them. Gaining a dog’s respect only happens when they know you and what to expect from you (this goes both ways).
Now, back to the question…do dogs really want to please us? Yes. Why? They want food, AND they do enjoy our attention and affection and all of the other experiences we share with them.
You may have a dog that has no interest in pleasing you. Some dogs act as though they just don’t care what we think and there is not an ounce of the need-to-please in their body. You can’t train that into them. You can accept their nature and look for ways to connect with them using their natural drive and instinct.
So, whether your dog appears to only want to please you or it never does; it is important to understand what makes them who they are and to be patient with the process.
Usually when we think of a dog and its instincts, we don’t think in the context of us (dog) versus them (instinct). A dog may never be truly separated from its instincts, however, it may have to grow into them.
While working with puppies, particularly male puppies, it is interesting to observe their response to their instincts particularly as it pertains to their developing hormones. Until the hormones align with maturity, it is as if their instincts work against them. Some males never lift their leg and others…well, could use a father figure saying something like, “son, never pee into the wind.” In the case of some male pups, it would be, “son, lift the other leg.”
I watched as a six-month-old ALL-MALE pup, sniffed a place where another dog had gone, and rather than lifting the leg next to the targeted rock, lifted the wrong leg. Too funny. I, of course, would never laugh at the dog.
I had him out for socialization, and as he focused on the scent where another dog had marked, he began to mark. What was so entertaining, is he doesn’t yet know to ration his urine so he went freely as he was walking away! Another time, he looked down as he was mid-stream and the urine hit his chin. He jumped with a startled expression as if to ask, “who just sprayed me and why?”
He will get his brain soon and his body will mature and the hormones will stabilize. Until then, I will enjoy the maturing process of this beautiful (when he is sleeping) boy.
The secret to keeping your dog safely in the yard is to build a fence! I wish it were easier than that. When we move into a home, it is very clear to us that this is our house and this is our yard. Dogs don’t. They learn where they live, but for the most part, a yard is a yard is a yard.
Some dog breeds have less of a prey drive and are more connected to the needs and wants of their human pack. They may never even consider wandering off unless it is to follow you. Others, appear to go deaf and experience a sudden loss of memory when instinct or wanderlust kicks in. Dogs can be taught the boundary of a yard, but even the best trained dog may run after a foot-loose rabbit. (Can’t you just hear their, “woo-hoo - got me a wabbit! Yard? Boundary? Give me a second!”)
It is very important to continually reinforce their recall (coming to you) because if, or should I say when they take off, they will respond to your call. At that moment, their response to “come” is more important than the fact they left the yard.
