pawsitivelyunleashed.com Blog

© 2011 Renea L. Dahms DipCBST, RMT, CTDI

Door dashing can be the rush to say hello, or the mad dash for any open doorway, especially if escape to the outdoors is the goal.  With a little bit of preemptive strategy you can prevent your dog from ever developing a strong behavior history with this annoying and dangerous behavior.

This behavior encompasses more than simply rushing the front door and can become an issue with any threshold (car door, house doors, crate doors, etc) and in some cases may require a bit of training time at each threshold.  There are also different motivations for each dash, for instance going for a walk may be so highly exciting that your dog literally drags you out upon being leased, release from a crate is highly rewarding (especially if your dog is not a crate fanatic) and can cause craziness, and in multi-dog homes the release of one dog from a crate may send the other dog into a frenzy of crazy behavior.  At any rate these environmental changes happen and your dog must learn to act appropriately when they do.

Impulse control goes a long way in curbing the door dashing dog.  A great exercise for this is the automatic watch your handler.  The ideal picture here is using the Attention Exercise, where you teach the dog to look to you when things get crazy.  When using it with thresholds the idea is your dog goes out the door, then turns to look at you, preferably in a sit instead of racing out the door, dislocating your shoulder.  A waist leash is a great tool here as it gives you a good center of gravity and keeps your dog from really moving you much if at all, and sends a clear message that pulling works no more.

To begin working on the default threshold move, you need a threshold.  A door leading to somewhere your dog wants to be is a great place, but could be too great to start out.  Pick a door to a more boring place, like to the bathroom or some neutral area.  Simply open the door and allow the dog to walk through it, you stand at or just in the threshold without passing through the door way waiting there until the dog looks back at you and immediately reinforce.  When you first start this exercise, you can say the dog’s name, but nothing else until he looks to you.  In most cases he will look to you quickly, as you are not moving with him and this is probably not normal.  No matter why he looks back, reinforce it as it the behavior you want.

When you find your dog picking up the look back from the doorway, you can begin to ask for more.  This can be looking back at you from a closer spot (especially if he is at the end of his lead now), or a sit or down.  At this point your dog is used to being reinforced for looking back, but may offer another behavior if you do nothing when he does look back.  What begins to happen here is the dog knows some behavior interaction with the door equals a good thing, and to date that is looking.  If he is still away from you, he may move closer to you, or offer a sit (assuming he does a reliable sit now).  At any rate, wait him out and see what happens, if he offers you a behavior you like or is close to what you actually want reinforce, then work at getting more and more until you get the exact behavior you were hoping for (i.e. dog goes through door, turns toward you and sits).

Now that you are getting what you wanted in a boring area, move to a better door and start over.  You will note this goes much faster.  You can also look at using going out that door as reinforcement, instead of treats, after all reinforcement is reinforcement and does not have to be food.  With time you will have a dog that no longer makes a mad dash to and/or through the front door when leaving.

Appropriate meetings and greetings at the door are an absolute possible dream, but are handled in a different manner.  If your dog is currently rushing the door, a very quick band-aid fix is to have some treats at your door that you can ask your guests to toss on the floor away from them and the door.  The idea is to get the dog looking down and moving away.  This is just what you do while actually trying to work on a nice mannerly sit away from the door, so do not rely on it as your finished behavior, but more as your go to back up plan so your dog does not have the ability to keep practicing the inappropriate behavior.

A great way to get a mannerly sit (or down) is to teach your dog to “Go To” (a mat, bed, area rug etc) that is placed away from the door, yet in a place where he can actually see the door.  Being able to see what is happening is actually important in this exercise or it becomes too difficult for the dog to remain sitting out of the loop.  If done in a systematic manner which allows your dog to be successful at each step, you can actually have your dog cued to go sit (or down) in the designated spot upon the ringing of the doorbell, or knock on the door.

The very first step is to teach your dog to interact with the “go to” of your choosing.  Simply reinforce him for any interaction, a foot on the “go to”, sniffing etc., continue to do so until the dog understands the “go to” is the key to his reinforcement.  Continue to reinforce him for interacting with the “go to”, but pick on behavior (foot on for example).

Once your dog is reliably performing the initial interaction raise the criterion.  If your dog was putting one foot on the “go to”, now expect him to put all four feet on it for example and continue to reinforce only this behavior.  Again you will raise the criterion, normally dogs will sit when all else fails and reinforce this.  You can raise your criterion to a down (preferred).

Be sure you are standing near the “go to” so your dog is most likely to interact with it.

Now that your dog is performing the target behavior on the “go to”, step one or two steps away and start over.  Most likely your dog will sit on it, or just near it.  You may have to walk over toward it so your dog is on the “go to” and back up before you click.  The idea is to reinforce being on the “go to” while you are not right next to it, but do not go too far.

Continue this until you can go to your door with the dog on the “go to” and send your dog to the “go to”.

Now begin to add the door.  Begin by rattling the door, wait ½ second for your dog to “go to” then cue the behavior-click/treat (toss it).  You will play with the door, then open the door, have someone outside open and peek in, door knock, doorbell and any other door behavior common in your home.  Each time give your dog ½ a second to “go to” before you use a verbal cue.  You ideally want your dog to simply be cued by the door to “go to”, but in a pinch you can send him.

With the amount of information available in our ever changing and evolving world, there is simply no reason to use (or justify its use) pain in training animals.  Pain in this case refers to both physical and emotional.

I note anytime anyone dares to question the “wisdom” of using physical domination in training they are verbal accosted by those who have been sold on the “theory”.

I have spent a considerable amount of time surfing the web reading training website and note the new fancy talk designed to hide the fact that the use of pain is the primary means of training for what appears to be a growing number of trainers.  This is done to confuse the general dog owning public, who do not really want to harm their dog; physically or emotionally.  The fact that these trainers feel the need to fancy it up or use “technical talk” tells me they know they cannot sell the training method on its own accord.

So let’s talk about it openly.

One site expounds upon the flaw of using positive reinforcement training as not using the entire quadrant of learning.  The quadrant consists of Punishment and Reinforcement-divided by Positive (something added) and Negative (something subtracted).  Reinforcement in and of itself conjures up happy, nice thoughts while punishment just the opposite. This particular site was very upfront about the fact that they used both positive and negative reinforcement, and used the analogy of me tapping your shoulder until you complied at which time I stopped tapping. Sounds nice enough.

Here is the reality. Negative reinforcement can also mean using a choke chain or shock collar.  I will apply choking pressure or the electric shock to my dog, when my dog heels I will remove the pressure or shock.  This is negative reinforcement because the dog  complied with the correct behavior (reinforcement) and I took something unpleasant away (negative).   Somehow the word reinforcement now sounds no better than punishment.

I admit that I used to own a barking collar (two to be exact) and that I actually managed to “stimulate” myself with it once.  First of all I will say it did not really cause me any major physical pain, in fact it felt no different than a really good zap after rubbing my feet across the rug.  It did make my heart speed up and gave me a startle, enough so I threw it out of my hand.  Now imagine the confusion and fear your dog feels when he is “stimulated” by his collar and more than likely is unaware of why it happened.  It causes stress, frustration and possibly fear-I do not see this as being kind in any sense of the word.

It is important to remember that the difference between reinforcement and punishment is essentially the end result; punishment decreases or ends behavior and reinforcement increases the likelihood of behavior, it just that simple.

Now back to my point.

Years ago (probably not even that many of them in the grand scheme) people felt animals (dogs, cats, horses, pigs, deer …you get the picture) had no emotions and felt no pain.  They were treated harshly and it was just fine; after all they felt nothing.  In today’s day and age we know this is not true.  One has to only live with any animal to see they have emotions, even if only fear and they most certainly do feel pain and discomfort.

The use of training based on “Alpha Position” is based on very outdated research that has been updated.  BUT I am always willing to have an open mind, so let us pretend it is all true and the dogs are really out to dominate the world and each other and the entire human race.  You can look at pack dominance, but you cannot replicate it-you are not a dog or a wolf, so even with your best tries you cannot do what they do.  You (meaning human) do not have the body or facial movements and your dog knows you are not a dog, not his “momma dog”, his litter-mate, just not the same species.  I can assure you they get that.  Using this thought process is basically like letting Chimps train children, they are after all closely related (as far as we can tell).

I will not discount that using force and pain can work (to some extent), but at what cost?  In my experience my dogs learn faster through the use of positive reinforcement than from the use of negative reinforcement that involves pain or harsh punishment.  A time out is about as harsh as it gets, and two usually does the trick.

Every time you use any type of force on your dog, you erode the relationship and bond you have (or could have).  You create a confrontational relationship lacking in trust.  Your dog views you as a scary human who is hurtful and probably unpredictable (since most people totally screw up the use of punishment anyway-and are not consistent), but not as a leader.

When you are training your dog (or porpoise or gerbil or turtle) concentrate on giving them useful information; reinforce what is correct.  Many times we, as a species, are quick to punish what is wrong but never actually communicate what is right, we instead opt to keep punishing the wrong, getting frustrated that our pets cannot seem to get it right and decide they are stupid or vengeful when in reality they have no idea.  How fair would it be if your boss kept docking your pay check every time you screwed up, but never told you what was right.  Would you enjoy working day to day in a hit or miss world?

This year is the year to stop moving backwards in dog training, it is the year to toss out pain and domination and stop worrying about being alpha.  It is the year to learn what reinforcement really is, to understand it is not about clicking and tossing cookies every second while your dog blows you off with empty pockets.  It is about understanding your dog and how he communicates and to listen so you can better motivate him to work with you instead of against you.

It is the year to train without pain.

Every single day (yes including weekends) I receive a call, text, email or personal contact from a dog owner with issues.  These issues range from small easy to deal with stuff to dangerous behavior problems.  Most (if not all) of them could have been prevented if the owners had taken a proactive stance; this includes those who bring home an adopted dog.

Dogs need to be taught (not trained-actually educated) what is required of them to exist peacefully in a human world.  Dogs are pre-programmed for living with other dogs, as dogs, they are not born innately understanding that urinating on the carpet is wrong, or that biting an offender comes with a possible death penalty.

Before your dog even enters your home, you should have a game plan that minimally includes what the rules and expectations for living with you are and how you will achieve teaching these rules.

The day your dog gets home you need to work on making him understand these rules, and actually consistently follow them yourself.  This means the rule is the rule is rule, do not allow your dog do “cute stuff” you are not prepared to spend the next 12 plus years finding cute.

Certainly puppies are easier to start out with as they have no behavior history and are like little sponges; this does not mean that rescue (shelter) dogs are not able to learn new rules or that you should just let the puppy “know on his own”.

One very common rule breaking fail is feeling sorry for your rescue dog.  He may have had a hard life (but that is really subjective) before you saved him, but that does not excuse bad manners, dangerous behavior and permissive owners.  The day your new companion comes home is the day to explain the rules (in a way he understands-do not read him the list).  Allowing any number of unwanted behaviors then expecting your dog to magically just stop and do what you really wanted is not only ridiculous it is unfair. Trying to establish the rules mid-game is just not going to work well.

As a dog owner (you can dress it up with all the parent and guardian words you want-it is still ownership), it is your responsibility to ensure your dog is a valuable member of society and to protect him for from future mishaps.  This is accomplished through teaching him what is appropriate, getting him socialized to people of all sizes, ages and types, other dogs, passing cars, moving bikes, novel experiences life outside the box and more, and understanding your dog is not a human being.

The number one reason dogs are relinquished each year to shelters or rescue are behavioral in nature.

Do not make excuses, just teach your dog.  With my daily dose of calls for help come “Fido jumps up and nips at your face, BUT it does not really hurt, and he had it so bad before we got him, and well you know we want him to know he is save” “I could try that BUT he really only likes when I do this this way”…the big BUTs in the building are excuses, a means to escape responsibility and a way to try and minimize behavior problems. The BUT is also dangerous; not only for the dog but also for anyone he encounters later.

The point of this mini-soapbox lecture is that you, the dog owner, are responsible to teach your dog how to effectively live in a human world, you are also responsible to know who to communicate with your dog and to understand how he communicates with you.

The best thing you can do for your dog is to enroll your puppy in a puppy save and appropriate class that emphasizes; socialization, relationship, understanding your dog and allows for supervised and positive experiences with other dogs, novel experiences and more.  If your rescue dog is not a good candidate for group classes, find a good trainer who will work with you one on one to address behavior issues, help your dog become comfortable and be sure you are equipped to deal with any future issues should they arise.

Be your dog’s boss, don’t let him dominate you, today’s leader is yesterday’s dominatrix. The world of pet dog training (and behavior) is wrought with tag lines and fads, but in the end for a dog to make it in a human world, he needs consistent and respectful management, he needs a teacher (an effective teacher).

To most effectively guide your companion, you must do so, not from your understanding of the world, but from his. One of the best books relating to the dog-human relationship (of all times) is Jean Donaldson’s The Culture Clash. This epic beauty (written in the mid 1990′s) explains in real life terms the total foreign world dogs are forced to live in, and manage with grace and adaptation humans could only hope to show.

Dogs are no longer wolves and have not been for some time, they are also not people; they are dogs, pure and simple. Years (decades and more) of selective breeding and domestication have nearly eradicated the wolf within, but have not created fuzzy humans. It has created fuzzy beings that live among humans.

Dogs are social creatures and as such have rules and hierarchies; the unanswered (and mostly not researched) question is what exactly are their rules and hierarchies? How do the pack dynamics of domestic dogs mimic or differ from those of feral and free ranging dogs?

The answers to those questions may never come, in the meantime you have to help your dog understand how to survive in a human world and do so in a manner he understands with his doggie being.  Management is the path best traveled.

Dogs clearly understand resource management (which lends to behavior management, when the environment is properly managed). The being to follow (be it dog, pig, cat, bird or human) is the being who controls the resources: playing, eating, grooming and sleep.

Playing is a great way to bond with your dog, and allows you to interact from a stand point of control. You set the rules and play by them- consistently (meaning all the time). Pick games of cooperation vs games of conflict. Tug is a great cooperative game, add some release and retrieve and you have a great energy release and “chill out” style game, that keeps overly impulsive dogs from going overboard. While tugging, cue your dog to give up the toy, get a sit or down, wait and toss the toy sending your dog out to retrieve it. If your dog does not comply with any part-the game ends. Not allowing your dog to make up the rules sends a strong message, play begins and ends with you.

A favorite game dictated by dogs is keep away and sadly most people are always willing to engage. You can chase your dog all day long, you will catch him when he lets you ( or is injured). NEVER engage in this game, unless it is your game, in which you switch places (but I do not recommend it). If your dog has something you want, trade. If your dog is on the loose-grab the car, run away from your dog calling, learn better management, but do not chase him. This is the ultimate dog controlled game.

Eating is an easy one! Do not let your dog graze all day long, feed him on a routine basis. If you have a dog who is pushy and bossy and generally non-responsive to you, controlling the food is a great means of reshaping the relationship. Before getting to eat, work on a sit and permission to move scenario where your dog waits for an “OK” to eat. You can also feed totally by hand, use food for training, give treats only for some cued behavior and more. As long as you control the when and how of eating, your dog will see you as being in a position of control, as without you there is no food.

Grooming is about more than simply brushing your dog, it is about touch and handling. You should be able to handle your dog (in a kind and respectful vs alpha roll manner) when you want or need to. This includes, checking in his mouth, looking in his ears, touching  his feet, his toes, his tail and you get the picture. You should be able to pet your dog (be respectful-dogs as a general rule do not like being “hugged”, many do  not like having their heads patted and the such) if you want to without any overly aggressive acts and actually be able to brush, trim nails etc. Petting the pushy dog is ok, as long as you are able to pet him on your time, and are able to ignore his advances should you choose. Being handled by people is a learned trait in dogs, so be sure to approach it correctly from the start or desensitize your older dog if there are issues. Do not allow handling/grooming to turn into a WWF event.

Sleeping places are determined by those in a higher standing in the relationship, this should be you. Can you allow your dog to sleep on/in your bed? As long as you can decide to disallow it you bet, but if you cannot get in the bed or move the dog or make a move once in bed without fear of a dog bite, then this part of the relationship has gone astray and it is time for Fido to find a new hibernation spot, preferably out of the master bedroom altogether. This dealing with the sleeping spots also applies to your dog’s bed or crate; you should be able to interact with it without fear of an aggressive act by your dog (growling is a verbal warning by your dog he is uncomfortable).

Simply taking control over these four areas of your dog’s life can go a long way to helping keep the balance in your home. Dogs still need to be taught what is appropriate in a human world, but using a system they understand is the only fair way to do it.

This week’s clients come with (as always) their unique set of quarks and “little things”, that make a trainer have to sit back and look at the whole process from a new stand point.

Today’s client was a fun little Corgi (no bias on tailless herding breeds here I assure you), who has no use for food or treats, but loves his mom. His goals, as luck will have it, tie together nicely, which makes the job a bit easier. He cannot keep himself contained in the vehicle – where he spends the majority of his day, as his owner is an equine chiropractor who spends days at the barns of her clients. A crate is not a real answer, but some management will be used to keep him from bouncing from seat to seat and trying to get out the doors, and did I mention — other dogs-not a fan?

As food is not at all an option, and I am not about to go all Dog Whisperer on him, I had to think on my feet, and the DVD Crate Games to mind, as did functional rewards. So we played our own version and call it SUV Games-targeting the backseat, drivers side as the “settle mat” (as it were). Reinforcement was the new challenge, but knowing he really just wants out by mom-we went with that.

The game looked like this. Cute little Corgi in the SUV, if he was on the back, driver’s side seat the door remained open and he was allowed to come out to say hi (upon the cue “ok”) A bunch of this and we had a Corgi in the BC crouch on the seat waiting to be released. Any move toward self release netted the door closed, as did going to the front seat, the floor or the hatch area. I love herding breeds as he got that concept quick…”stay on the seat man, stay on the seat!”

We were able to get him to wait on the seat for about 5 minutes, albeit in the crouch, which was a darn good thing. This included his owner being several steps (about 18″ actually) away from the door and to the side. Now to work on him staying in the seat while she gets files out of the back while he remains “in his seat” (relaxed-an entirely new behavior set to work on).

Dogs, dogs, farms have dogs! Now to work on some “I love dogs” moments, as keeping “Mr Crouch” on the seat, while a dog goes by and his beloved owner is out there, is going to be a fun challenge…luckily I like a challenge (and an owner who is willing to tough it out with me).

His threshold was pretty big, we had to start with him about 50 (or more) away and my decoy dog in my van. She would jump out of the van, if we got a small bark or no bark she went back in (so keeping him far enough away to be under threshold was important). The reinforcement here was 1) the dog went away and 2) he got praise and pet from his owner. In no time he was not only not barking, but looking to his owner! In less than 30 minutes we were able to walk past one another, and each take a drink from the water bowl while standing near one another! Because there was no reaction from the decoy dog to any crazy behavior, and no reaction from his owner, he began to choose a more acceptable response-the head turn.

This was a perfect time to go back to the SUV Games with the distraction of the dog. Back to the beginning with owner near, and door closings he got it quick, “Stay on the seat man!” His last OK come out moment, he was allowed to wonder around (leash dragging) while Trivia was also out, we all got along…and the sheep were exciting to check out too!

Reinforcement is simply what works to get a behavior period. It does not need to be food, and in many cases of natural consequences it is not. There are just times when a trainer has to sit back and access the situation and decide what is going to work to motivate a dog to learn something (normally the appropriate version of something he already does), without resorting to harsh, heavy-handed tactics that are about bullying the dog. Those trainers with true talent will make it work…it is after all, all they can do.

I am a bit late with this…many apologies ( I have been busy).

This year Kyjen sent us the Hard Boiled Softies Sheep. I must say it is the neatest toy we have had here in awhile. Naughty Red Dawg would agree as he has taken ownership of it.

The body is a nice “eggish shaped” vinyl that is covered with the creature of your choice…being working stock dogs (or at least in training) we went with the sheep. I love the fact that I can pull the “sheep” off the egg and toss it in the wash. This also allows me to wash the body. Ok so enough of how the human liked it…

Naughty Red Dawg spent hours playing with this toy, as it was large enough for him not swallow, yet small enough for him to carry around (slightly smaller than a football). The sound is an unusual squawk like sound that had NRD very intrigued to say the least. He would pounce on it, paw it, shove it with his foot, roll on it and of course toss it for himself.

In hindsight I should have gotten a video of NRD with it the first time out as it really would be worth the watch…and of course would have given me the courage to figure out how on earth to embed it!

As I have had the toy for a few months I am now able to give a much better review, why..I have 10 Australian Shepherds ranging in age from 12 years to 15 weeks and the Hard Boiled Softie-Sheep has survived! Very few toys can make that claim. As the outside body is “woolly” (sherpa-like) it is every bit the stuffed toy type, which never make it more than 5 minutes here. The “inards” are not easy to get to even though the body comes off (trust me I had a hard time removing and replacing it as it is clearly not meant to come off easily – thankfully) making it a hardy, long lasting beast. This poor sheep has been left out to be played with inside, outside and all without direct supervision…he is currently hiding under a tree in the dog yard as I write.

My crew gives it a strong 4 paws (yes we only have 4 toes) up in the fun, durable, creative and interesting categories. I myself highly recommend it as well.

This post is a long time in the writing, and could come across a bit preachy-as it should.

Dog ownership is a “right” (in a sense) that animal rights groups wish to remove, or at the very least make impossible to exercise. While I do see it as a right, it is also a privilege and comes with much responsibility. When people act in ways that allow the AR movement to convince senators to enact laws that strictly restrict my right (and yours), it really sets me off-especially given how hard I work to ensure the animals in my care have it great.

It is not enough to take your dog to the vet for a medical issue, you must actually administer the medication you are prescribed. If you cannot, then you best be figuring out how you will do so, even it means you are at the vet 3 times a day for help. Simply showing up at the vet and walking home with something does not help the problem…

Dogs require routine and regular grooming. This means actually running a comb through their hair at least once a month (more would be better-and for some dogs is a must), and clipping toenails every two weeks. To not do so, sets your pet up for at best major discomfort and at worst pain. Toenails that are allowed to grow and grow will curl up, and nothing breaks my heart like having to try and remove a nail that has grown through a dog’s pad. It also leads to other issues, since the dog cannot walk properly. Not combing your dog leads to matting, and severe knotting of the coat. While am I good at my job as a canine stylist, I am not the miracle worker and when I am presented with a dog that has mats to the bone no I cannot “just brush him out”, I must shave him down (to the skin in most cases, risking razor burn).

Dogs are social creatures who, with rare exception, began their existence in a small pack of like minded canine companions (their littermates and mom), and who should have a continued “need” for that companionship. This means to continue early socialization; getting your puppy out and about with other dogs. This would go a long way to ending dog-dog aggression issues, not mention making everyone’s life a bit easier. Simply taking your dog for a walk and not allowing him to interact when “he sees other dogs” builds frustration which eventually lends itself to dog-dog aggression issues, as dogs have been a source of frustration in the past.

Train your dog, he is begging you! In addition to proper and timely socialization, early training will set your dog up for success, while preventing unwanted behavior issues in the future. Your dog will not magically get it one day, or just know what you want, nor will he understand that jumping all over you as a tiny 9 week old puppy stops being correct when he is 12 months old and knocking you off your feet. Teach your puppy from the start exactly what will be considered appropriate when he is an adult. If you won’t like it tomorrow, don’t let it happen today.

Dogs need proper nutrition. While I believe dogs (like people) should eat fresh raw food as they were designed by nature to eat, I can get behind a high quality dog food. While they may be more expensive they are typically closer to what they really need to not just survive, but thrive, they also require far less to go in; which equals far less coming out. Some behavior issues are thought to be the result of poor nutrition (like children and ADHD).

Your dog needs you to be his teacher and guide, this does not mean “alpha rolls” and showing him who is boss, it means helping understand what is needed, best achieved by reinforcement of what is right from the start. Punishment can be highly effective when used properly, and disastrous when not, and can cause damage to the canine-human bond.

All dogs need fresh, clean water available throughout the day. This includes when being confined. “But he always knocks over the dish” is not a good answer, figure out how to prevent it instead. Many times I hear owners (especially those with puppies) talk about how much water their dog drinks at one time and how much he then of course urinates. This is not at all healthy, imagine if you were only allowed water (or your beverage of choice) on this very limited schedule every day.

Dogs need to be cared for, not stuck out back on a chain to have the food tossed at him and clean water as an afterthought. They need attention, they need exercise and mental stimulation. If they cannot have these things, they simply should not be there, they are not yard ornaments.

Before ever becoming your companion, the breed (or mix thereof) you pick should be thouroghly researched and fully understood. Each breed has general requirements for grooming, training, etc and no dog owner should ever be found to say “I had no idea he would need so much…..”.

Puppies are darn cute, they do however grow up to be dogs, that live on average 12 years. Puppies should only enter one’s life if he is going to stay with his new person (people) for that entire 12 years, not simply tossed aside when puppy cute goes away, and behaviors that were allowed to go unchecked are now annoying. I do understand sometimes life happens and things must change, but that should be the exception not the rule.

Every dog shelter and responsible rescue has in an influx of dogs that are there simply because someone could not be responsible enough to train, socialize, and understand the dog they chose. This should never happen. Dogs have not chosen to be here, they deserve to be treated with respect, love and commitment from the very beings  who brought them here (human beings).

This ends my rant. I hope each and every person who reads this can come away with something to take to heart or share, as it was meant in the spirit of education and food for thought.

I was recently invited to test out and review some products for the Kyjen Company, which I jumped at, as I happen to use with great success some of their products (most especially their Outward Hound line).

My pick was the Squeaker Mat Character Sheep (large)..I decided this would be a fun and novel experience for my puppy classes.

I put the toy on the floor and the first puppy to notice it was a Shih Tzu cross who was so light that he did not squeak it at all by standing on it.  But he did like the toy to drag around, especially when we squeaked any part of the body-which the Bandit really found intriguing! Secondly a boxer puppy happened across it and really was confused by the squeak when walking on it, which was very entertaining for the people. He eventually dragged it around by the face.

The toy is pretty neat, there are 16 squeakers sown into the flat body, while it was smaller than I had envisioned, I did like it.  The overall toy is very well constructed and appears to be able to hold up (under supervision of course). They offer the Squeaker Mat in a variety of characters and no characters for the squeaker loving dog and his owner.

I would give this toy an 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10) and will be adding some others to the puppy center. I may also buy a few to be toughness tested by my crew of Aussies.

I cannot stress enough the importance of setting boundaries for your dog from day one. Every time I receive a call from a dog owner with behavior issues (and yes the issues are really the owners as one-they allowed normal dog behaviors to run a muck and two-they are normal dog behaviors which are clearly not a problem for the dog), I think to myself how being proactive would have made a world of difference.

When you allow your puppy to sit in your lap while you are driving, or use your arm as a chew toy; you are setting yourself up for a future of behavior issues. There is not this magical age or date when puppy goes “oh I am now blah blah and it is time to behave appropriately.”

Dogs need boundaries. They need you as their owner, to show them what is appropriate and what is not.  It is far kinder to set boundaries today than to start punishing inappropriate behavior later, leaving your dog confused, and potentially frightened. Not to mention the breakdown in the dog-owner relationship.

What are boundaries? They are the guidelines and rules to live by. They are the blueprint to the behaviors that are acceptable for the lifetime of the dog. They are what keeps peace, keeps the dog in the home and creates a behaviorally well canine companion that is not a nuisance in the neighborhood.

Anyone that knows me, knows I am not a Cesar Milan fan, but one thing he does have right is it is up to the dog owner to teach his dog what is right. This does not mean you have to dominate your dog, or be “the boss” or the leader of your pack.  It does mean you need to be the one who establishes the boundaries, then helps your dog understand and achieve them. It can (and should be done), not via punishment but rather through reinforcement of the correct behaviors.

While there are no hard and fast rules on what behaviors are appropriate, there are some common sense boundaries one should set…

No jumping up on people.  While you may love the look of doggie footprints on your attire, the average person visiting your home, or encountering your dog on the street probably will not, and while yes a large breed dog is most likely going to leave more prints, a small dog shredding someone’s legs and clothing is no more appealing.

Thou shalt not bark day and night.  Barking is normal dog behavior and a dog should not be expected to be silent; however they should not be allowed to bark non-stop for excessive lengths of time, nor at every moving thing.  A good compromise is to allow a quick bark “hey person someone is…(here, walking by, a leaf blew, a dog barked etc etc)” then be done.  “What was that”, “Friend of yours”, “Thank  you” or some acknowledgement for that job well done and let’s call it a day is a great compromise.

Walking on a lead without lunging and pulling and growling and snarling.  Every dog should be taught to walk on a lead from day one of coming home. Yes this means an 8 week old puppy (who is far easier to train by the way). Leash manners mean you can actually take a nice, enjoyable walk with your dog. Leash manners mean you can actually get your dog out to get some much needed stimulation and moderate exercise. Leash manners mean your dog can enjoy life as a social being, and no one has to cringe in embarrassment, or be afraid to pass you and your dog on the sidewalk.

The list of appropriate behaviors and boundaries goes on and each owner has their own sets as well.  Each dog’s very life depends not only on boundaries being set, but being followed.  The number one reason a dog under the age 3 is put down is due to relinquishment for behavior issues, which could have been prevented by a proactive owner and early training.

From day one with your dog (newly acquired puppy — or rehomed adult) never forget the importance of boundaries.

I have over the past several weeks started several blog posts (my draft folder runneth over), but was just not feeling it to finish them.  Have no fear, they will come…but here we are today.

I live with 10 active, healthy, happy, vocal, crazy, loving Australian Shepherds, ranging in age from 9 months (Naughty Red Dawg) to soon to be 12 years young.  Some have shown their fool hearts out for me and are retired or retiring from competition, some are training and some still hang with me at the shows.

Owning 10 dogs takes a lot of work and a huge commitment in time and resources and is not for the faint of heart, especially when they are medium, hair dumping, working dogs that require not only grooming and feeding but MENTAL STIMULATION and a lot of it.

I want you to know that ALL dogs regardless of size, breed, breeding, purpose in life or owner requires mental stimulation, and I dare to say many do not get enough if at all, as evidenced by any number of “behavior concerns” people have with their fuzzy friend.

Owning multiple dogs does have some advantages, in that they can play together, keep each other company when no one is home (as rare as that is) and keep me on my toes.  Multiple dogs do not mean; however, that I no longer need to worry about their behavioral or mental well being.

Why do dogs need mental stimulation?  One it keeps them from boredom induced behaviors such as chewing up your shoes or eating the sofa, vocalizing for hours on end, digging a nice swim  hole or ten across your yard to name but a few.  Dogs lacking mental stimulation from you, will come up with it on their own, and you may not like the options.

What can you do to keep your dog mentally stimulated?  Many things, and today I am going to give you some ideas..

Hide and seek-much like tracking or search and rescue type; work you can hide from your dog and let him find you.  I highly recommend you begin in your house, especially if your dog does not have a rock solid recall.  As you play, you can also work on some basic behavior cues such as stays while you go hide, and a release when you are hidden.

Hunting — dogs would by their nature scavenge and hunt for their food, so why continue to make them give up that doggie heritage behavior.  Begin by hiding their food in plain site all over one room, then send him off “find it”.  With time you can expand to hiding your kibble all over the entire house (of course only in locations that are allowed-and low.  In other words do not put it on the table if you don’t want him on it.), which makes the game last longer and is more mentally stimulating.

Food stuffing-you can also put your dog’s food in a toy such as those made by “Kong” or Premier’s Buddy Squirrel, by mixing it with a sticky substance such as peanut butter, canned dog food, or any number of those products now designed for this purpose.  You can give them to your dog at regularly scheduled meal times or when leaving for the day or any other time of stress.

Puzzle toys- have become the new rage in dog toy must haves.  They range from expensive and beautiful wooden sets to inexpensive plastic fun.  These toys are designed to hide food or treats within them and the dog is to figure out how to remove parts of the toy to get the tasty bits of treat/food out.  They come in the simplest to master to extremely difficult and my dogs love them.  What is really fun is watching the different styles my dogs use to get what they want from them.

Food dispensing toys — these tend to be toys that the dog has to interact with to get food or treats out of in ways such as rolling, pushing etc.  There are cubes, balls and jugs to play with in a variety of sizes and degree of difficulty.

Non food puzzle toys like the IQube, that are toys within toys.  The dog pulls the smaller toys out of the larger toy.  The creative dog and owner team will work on also putting them back in via doggie versus via owner.  Another really fun toy that not only allows for mental stimulation but allows your dog to “destroy” something by tearing the parts out.

These are just a few quick and easy ideas you can implement to keep your dog’s brain going strong for the forces of good.  Do not forget to toss in some training exercises and look into dog sports such as agility, tracking and the new game Triebball.  Many facilities that cater to the pet owning public offer non-competitive classes purely for fun.

Now get out there and set up your doggie mental wellness plan so you won’t be caught thinking “Naughty Red Dawg!”…