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Draw date January 1, 2009
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Every Sunday afternoon from 2:00 til 3pm is open practice time for all students attending classes. Come and practice your cues or get some extra help. Take advantage of new distractions from other dogs and people who are not in your class.
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Check out the questions below
Barking
Jumping
Cocoa Mulch Lethal to dogs and cats
Marking
Rules for shaving your dog
Dealing with digging dogs
Barking question:
My adopted golden retriever Frodo came to live with us in Aug/05. He is coming along but one thing he does is barks at nothing. Let me say more, only when he is outside and everyone is inside or if he can not see us outside he barks like crazy.
I know you might say bored and or wants us close, but sometimes he will be on step outside alone for hours, perfect boy others he barks and I bring him in...he loves to be outside, he lived in a apartment before coming to the dountry with a large fenced yard.
My question, how do I stop this now before he thinks it's ok. I tell him good boy when he is being good, he knows not to ask like this inside.
Frodo loves to be outside but I can't be with him all the time, how do I stop the barking at nothing, he has a loud bark big bark.
Thank For Any Advice. Lorie
DogsDen
I will start by saying that all dogs do bark for a reason. It is determining what that reason is so that you can correct it. If the barking is directed at you it is for attention and to stop attention getting behaviours you must ignore them. This may be very frustrating but if you give them any attention for this it will continue because they are getting what they want from you. Talking to them, looking and touching are all forms of attention. When a dog is barking outside it can be for a number of reasons. It could be that there are other dogs barking and yours is joining in for what we refer to as group barking. It could also be that something is near by which is alert barking. Even though you may not hear or see anything, this may be their reason for the bark. This can be corrected by using a loud sound such as a blow horn or ultrasonic. Each time they bark send out the noise but don't let them know that you are doing it. If they see you they may still learn not to bark but they will only be quiet when you are there. You want them to think that their bark causes the noise. Another method is to give a special verbal cue such as enough or quiet, and then set them up into a sit in front of you. Hold a treat up by your eyes and say watch me. Hold the watch me for 5-10 seconds and then treat. They are being rewarded for being quiet for 5-10 seconds.
There are other reasons why your dog may be barking but these are the most common. Once you determine why your dog is barking and you have decided on a method of correction you will need to be consistant.
Jumping question:
I have a 2 year old female boxer who is well trained in all areas except for jumping. We have been after her about this since she was 8 weeks old and it's not as bad now but she still jumps on my company when they arrive and she is easily excited and when she is excited she likes to jump. We have tried many ways of dealing with this but none have been sucessful. Help!!!
DogsDen
There are several ways to stop jumping. In classes we teach three different solutions to jumping as well as five different greetings. Jumping up: Dog jumping on strangers, on you and on objects like the counter or couch. Greetings: Greetings between dogs, between people(dogs don't greet), passing items( no face plants trying to see what it is), petting(dog must remain in a sit while a person pets them), pass by(dog avoids passing people and dogs). What we do in class is a little more difficult to explain in words without showing you but I do have some suggestions for you to try for your home greetings. Suggestion 1: Place a leash near the entrance and before you answer the door, leash your dog. When company comes in be sure to tell them not to greet the dog unless she is seated. While they are coming in, stand on the leash and give her only enough room to sit, down and stand. If she tries to jump up she will be stopped by the leash. She will only try so many times before she chooses to sit. Once she does, allow the greeting. Suggestion 2: Place a cookie jar outside the door with a sign that says, please make *** sit. She will get used to following this simple instruction to get the treat by guests. Before long she will begin to hold a sit anticipating the treat while people enter. She may need some help from you. Suggestion 3: Teach her not to greet at the front entrance. This can easily be taught to older dogs but is best taught to young puppies so that you never have trouble with front door greetings. Basic obedience skills are helpful with this one. Place a hook on the wall in your hall that can attach to her collar. The hook should give her enough moving space to keep a sit or down. Before you answer the door, hook her up and place her into a sit/ down stay or wait. When you are working on this one it is best to have someone available to correct her if she breaks her cue. Allow your guests to enter and when they have entered another room such as the kitchen or living room she will be released to greet in the new room. Instruct your guests not to touch or greet her unless she is seated. It is best if you set her up and correct her if needed. With practice this will change her acceptable greeting room. She will no longer be allowed to greet at the front door so the excitement of what the front door provides her will decrease.
Whatever method you choose should be consistant. Every time you answer the door you should follow the same technique chosen. Practice with family and friends as often as possible.
It takes a dog 3 wks or 21 days to learn anything and that is if you are consistant. Don't switch methods unless you have tried consistantly for the full three weeks. If you are not very consistant it may take longer to correct.
When we are correcting bad habits we tend to try things for too short of time and try too many methods. What happens is nothing works and we just get frustrated. As with everything, be consistant and practice, practice, practice.
Cocoa mulch lethal to dogs:
Verified by Snopes com & BY GOOGLE
Yesterday one of our dog agility friends experienced a tragedy and wanted me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving friends and family. Please tell the other dog owners you know.
Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso, decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way.
The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.
Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs.
Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that "It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it."
True information about the mulch can be found here - http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoa.htm This site gives the following information:
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called "Theobromine".
It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word o f caution, check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.
Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate, which is toxic to dogs.
Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.
Please email the manufacturer at michellemessick@hersheys.com and request that accurate information about this product be posted on the packaging to avoid further tragedy.
Marking question:
Hi there, I have a seven month old Westie who I cannot get to stop peeing all over the place. I take him on regular walks and take him out about half an hour after he has some water and whether or not he pees outside, he'll come inside and find something to mark...I've also noticed that if I'm preoccupied when he wants to play or wants my attention he'll bark for a while, then when I say "no bark" and settle him down he'll go and pee on something...i got him fixed just a short time ago and although the marking has decreased, it still hasn't stopped...he's a highly trainable puppy who can sit, stay, lie down and all that good stuff, but I have no idea how to stop his excessive barking and his peeing all over everything! any ideas?
DogsDen
Before I answer your question I have a couple for you to get more information. Do you notice a difference between having accidents and marking? How long has he been doing this? Do you have other pets in the home such as other dogs or cats? How old was he when he was fixed? What do you use to clean the messes? Have you noticed a change in his behaviour in the past couple of months, adolescence?
Barking When and what does he bark at? What does his bark sound like? They have different barks for different reasons, emotions. When did this start? Does he have any fears, how social is he with everything, other dogs, people, kids, strange smells, sounds, machines? What have you tried and for how long?
The answers to these questions will help me to give you an accurate answer to your questions
sarah
the biggest differences i've noticed between accidents and marking are location, scent and amount...it seems that when he's marking he'll pee on an object, whereas when he's peeing it's often in the middle of the floor...his marking has a really really strong scent and is much much smaller in amount than when he just pees...i noticed his marking around the end of april when i spent a few weeks at my mom's house where there are two cats and another dog...but in my own home he is the only animal. he does mark more when he is at a home that has other animals or when another animal visits our home. he was only fixed about two weeks ago. at first i was using household cleaner to tidy up after him, but i've recently swtiched to a product specifically for pet messes called heads or tails (or something close to that name) and that not only has gotten rid of the smell but seems to have confused him a little as there has been less marking in his "favourite places." over the past few months his energy levels have increased (he naps less) and has developed some destructive tendancies. the biggest issue was the uncontrollable humping which has stopped almost completely since the neuter. for awhile he had a favourite pillow that he used to relieve some of his frustrations (to put it nicely) and when i took it away, hid it and eventually threw it out he would bark in this horrid, high-pitched uncontrollable bark until he found either the pillow or something equally fitting...thankfully this has stopped, but it gives you an idea of some of the reasons he might bark.
Thankfully, he does not bark in his kennel during the day (according to my neighbours) he does, however, bark if i put him in his kennel at an unusual time (a time that is not a regular part of his schedule) for example if i were to go grocery shopping on as thursday evening after i'd already been home to walk and feed him he would bark because it's not apart of our monday-friday 9-5 schedule...this barking is usually high pitched and very persistant. he has a low pitched bark that he reserves for noises (ie. birds, sirens, the washing machine hitting the spin cycle) or people talking that he cannot see. he also barks when he wants attention or is very full of energy or when i have guests (human or otherwise) and again, this is a high pitched snappy sort of bark. He is an extremely social dog though, he loves animals, adults, kids everything...and he is extremely inquisitive and wants to know exactly what going on at all times his only fear is heights...he has short squat little legs and hates the stairs
i started house breaking Finnigan on those absorbant puppy training pads and was slowly working him outside, that was working well until he realized how much fun it was to grab the pad and run around the house tearing it to shreads...from then on he was peeing outside with the occasional accident...once he started going in the house more fequently (and with no warning that he has to go out) punishing him (ie rubbing his nose in it) and taking him out more often didn't make much difference, he only got more clever with where he went and when. about three weeks ago i added a third walk to his daily routine (two half hour walks, one hour long walk) and with the new cleaner his peeing and barking have decreased quite a bit, but have not stopped (i realize that i'll probably never get him to stop barking, but it would be nice to stopped the high pitched persistant stuff) with the barking i tried lots of things...i tried the sudden noise technique, the spray bottle technique, i tried just playing with him more and more (which is nice, but it's unrealistic to try to spend every waking moment playing with your puppy), i even caved in and tried one of those anti-bark spray collars for about a day (he liked it and tried to hunt the spray)... now i'm just trying to give him over-the-top praise when he's being quiet or when he settles down to the command "no bark" and give him lots of treats when he's well behaved, and i think has helped a bit.
DogsDen
There are a few things going on with Finnigan. Part of the problem is adolescence. They hit this stage usually between 5 and 8 months. The best way to describe this stage is they appear to know nothing and get into everything. All the things you thought to have dealt with in early puppy stage comes back, chewing, barking, accidents, etc. Even though this stage is completely normal you still need to correct the behaviours that have come back or they will stay. For the marking and accidents I would suggest you get a black light so you can find and remove all the scents in the home. Unfortunately when you give physical corrections they tend to try and hide it and will use these spots repeatedly. I would decrease his freedom in the home until the behaviour has been corrected. Only allow him out and about when you can watch him and only allow him in spaces where you can see him at all times. He shouldn't be able to get out of sight. Remember the times when he is needing to go out. As soon as he gets up from a sleep(naps included), between 5 and 20 minutes after a meal and during and after play. During play is the most difficult to catch. Watch to see what kind of signal he gives when he has to go out. Some dogs are not very clear when giving signals. If he is one of these dogs I would suggest training him to use a bell. Hang a large bird bell beside the door you use to take him out. Hang it low enough that he can hit it with his paw. Each time you take him out, leash him, take his paw, hit the bell and take him out to the area you want him to use. I don't suggest just letting them outside because you may not know if he actually went and you don't want to give him any opportunity to play during washroom breaks. If he doesn't go within a few minutes of being outside then bring him in and place him in his crate(not for punishment). You just want to control the accidents. Wait 20 minutes and try again. If he does go then praise heavily. If he doesn't repeat with the crate. A common thing that happens is we either miss their signal or we bring them in when they don't go and let them loose in the house, within 5 minutes there is an accident to clean up. With the barking, if it is intended to get your attention the best way to stop it is to ignore it. The same applies to any attention getting behaviour. It doesn't matter to them what kind of attention they get as long as it is attention. This can get frustrating but it is the best way to stop the behaviour. You may go through something called an extinction burst. The behaviour will get worse before it stops. Don't say anything, look at him or touch him when he is trying to get your attention. If you give him any attention he will know that all he has to do is bark and he gets the attention he was seeking. This may take a couple of weeks to stop and once you start the correction you need to follow through. Right now he may know that 10 minutes of barking gets the attention. If this doesn't work for him he may try 15 and then maybe 20. If this still doesn't work it will drop off. His behaviour no longer works to get what he wants and he will stop. This is the burst. Now if he is barking at something else you can correct the behaviour by giving him the correction cue you have chosen, no bark. Then make him do something like sit and watch me. Keep him quiet for 5-10 seconds and then reward for te quiet behaviour. You can also try other options like the loud noise each time he barks but timing of the correction is important and anything you try needs to be done consistantly for at least 3 weeks before you would give another method a try. During adolescence you need to make sure that he doesn't make any of the decisions. Keep up with your training so that you remain above him. He will also go through a second fear period so make sure you continue with your socializing.
DogsDen
There are a few things going on with Finnigan. Part of the problem is adolescence. They hit this stage usually between 5 and 8 months. The best way to describe this stage is they appear to know nothing and get into everything. All the things you thought to have dealt with in early puppy stage comes back, chewing, barking, accidents, etc. Even though this stage is completely normal you still need to correct the behaviours that have come back or they will stay. For the marking and accidents I would suggest you get a black light so you can find and remove all the scents in the home. Unfortunately when you give physical corrections they tend to try and hide it and will use these spots repeatedly. I would decrease his freedom in the home until the behaviour has been corrected. Only allow him out and about when you can watch him and only allow him in spaces where you can see him at all times. He shouldn't be able to get out of sight. Remember the times when he is needing to go out. As soon as he gets up from a sleep(naps included), between 5 and 20 minutes after a meal and during and after play. During play is the most difficult to catch. Watch to see what kind of signal he gives when he has to go out. Some dogs are not very clear when giving signals. If he is one of these dogs I would suggest training him to use a bell.
Hang a large bird bell beside the door you use to take him out. Hang it low enough that he can hit it with his paw. Each time you take him out, leash him, take his paw, hit the bell and take him out to the area you want him to use. This will take about a week and even if he rings the bell to play take him out. He will figure out that even if he didn't want to go out, he is going anyway. I don't suggest just letting them outside because you may not know if he actually went and you don't want to give him any opportunity to play during washroom breaks. If he doesn't go within a few minutes of being outside then bring him in and place him in his crate(not for punishment). You just want to control the accidents. Wait 20 minutes and try again. If he does go then praise heavily. If he doesn't repeat with the crate. A common thing that happens is we either miss their signal or we bring them in when they don't go and let them loose in the house, within 5 minutes there is an accident to clean up. With the barking, if it is intended to get your attention the best way to stop it is to ignore it. The same applies to any attention getting behaviour. It doesn't matter to them what kind of attention they get as long as it is attention. This can get frustrating but it is the best way to stop the behaviour. You may go through something called an extinction burst. The behaviour will get worse before it stops. Don't say anything, look at him or touch him when he is trying to get your attention. If you give him any attention he will know that all he has to do is bark and he gets the attention he was seeking. This may take a couple of weeks to stop and once you start the correction you need to follow through. Right now he may know that 10 minutes of barking gets the attention. If this doesn't work for him he may try 15 and then maybe 20. If this still doesn't work it will drop off. His behaviour no longer works to get what he wants and he will stop. This is the burst. Now if he is barking at something else you can correct the behaviour by giving him the correction cue you have chosen, no bark. Then make him do something like sit and watch me. Keep him quiet for 5-10 seconds and then reward for te quiet behaviour. You can also try other options like the loud noise each time he barks but timing of the correction is important and anything you try needs to be done consistantly for at least 3 weeks before you would give another method a try. During adolescence you need to make sure that he doesn't make any of the decisions. Keep up with your training so that you remain above him. He will also go through a second fear period so make sure you continue with your socializing.
Brooke
Hi, my dogs name is Charlie. He is a 4 month old fox terrier/blood hound. We have had him for 3 months and have tried many ways to potty train him....none of them worked. We have taken him out every hour or after he gets excited and he still does it. My dad thought that since we have an older dog he will just get the hang of it but he hasn't yet. Everyday I find 2 potty spots and at least 1 business pile. My parents gave me one week to have him totally potty trained, do you have advice or tips that I can use and will work in one week? Please, my parents are at their wits end!!!! I was also wondering if you know how to get the potty smell out of carpet?
Rules about shaving your dog:
Because it is that time of year again I thought I would mention this to all of you. I had a student say last night that she had intended on having her dog shaved because of her excessive shedding. Her breeder had told her that he does it to his dogs twice a year.
Rules to follow when shaving a dog.
Shaving your dog does not make them cooler. Dogs release their body heat through panting and the pads of their feet. They don't have sweat glands all over their body like we do. Their coat, no matter how thick is meant to insulate. It keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There are certain breeds that can't handle the heat like my dane but it has nothing to do with how much hair they have.
If your dog has a double coat(two types of hair) they should NEVER be shaved. If you shave a double coated breed you will ruin their coat for life and you will then have to continue shaving it for the rest of their life. What happens when you shave these dogs is their undercoat will grow faster and thicker than the top coat. It will cause the coat to mat much faster and it will make the top coat curl up and will never sit flat again. There are several tools that will help to keep their natural coat in good shape.
Shaving does not cut down the shedding. If you shave a dog who naturally sheds they will still loose the hair but it will come out in shorter more prickly pieces.
Many breeds of dogs will shed all year round but there will be more in the spring and fall called seasonal shedding. This is when they change coats. They lose all their winter coat and grow their summer coat. This is a natural process and nothing you do will change it. If your dog tends to shed more than normal at other times of the year there are products that you can use(supplements) to decrease the amount but nothing will change the seasonal shedding.
Myth- Short haired dogs shed less than long haired dogs. Short haired dogs actually shed more because the life cycle of each hair is shorter.
It is not the hair that people are allergic to, it is the dander that they produce.
The dogs that don't tend to shed are dogs that have hair similar to ours. It doesn't have a maximum length. These dogs can have their hair shaved without too many problems. The coat texture may change a little but it won't cause the problems that a double coated dog would have.
Hints to keep up with seasonal shedding.
Have the proper brushes and combs After a bath, blow dry and brush Use the vacuum on them Right in the middle of their seasonal shed take them to a groomer who has a high velocity dryer. They will be able to remove about 80% of the hair in one shot. The up keep will be easier.
Digging question:
Is your dog digging in your yard or garden?
New garden
Cover soil with rabbit or chicken wire. Cut areas where plants will be. Once everything is planted cover wire with mulch.
Repairing holes
Cut a piece of rabbit or chicken wire to fit into hole. Cover with dirt/soil. Sprinkle a deterent(granular or jelly) over the repaired area. You may need to re-apply after a rain.
Your dog may try to dig in this area again but will not get the same enjoyment out of it and will begin to think that it is this way everywhere and will stop digging.
Sand Box for Dogs
Set up a sand box the same way you would for a child. Sit with them and show them how to find objects under the sand. Hide some toys or chew objects under the sand. Don't use soil for the sandbox. Use only sand so that the experience is different from digging in soil like your garden area. Many dogs love their sandbox.
Cindy
Any ideas for curious puppies that want to dig their ways under the fence to play with the neighbour's dogs. I have lined the bottom of the fence with big pieces of concrete but she manages to find a way to get around it. I will try the above idea for putting chicken wire in the holes that she has already dug.
DogsDen
Cindy, You can try the same thing for your puppy digging under the fence.
You can also also set up to protect your puppy from going under anywhere along the fence line using the same tools.
Attach the rabbit or chicken wire to the bottom of the fence and bury it straight down under the fence about a foot. You can attach the wire to the fence with a staple gun. Dig a hole 1 ft deep under the fence. Place the wire into the hole and then bury. Then attach wire to fence. Sprinkle deterent along fence line.
