House training is an important step to living successfully with a dog. More than likely, it was the first thing you thought about when you planned to bring home your new puppy. It may also have been the thing that worried you the most. The good news is that housebreaking can be very easy if you follow some consistent guidelines. 

It is important to remember that puppies do not house-train themselves, and using the house as their toilet is not something that they will “outgrow.” Training is a must and it will require a commitment from you and lots of patience. It is your job to make things easy so that your puppy can learn and succeed! 

Mistake-free Learning 

By far, the simplest way to house-train a puppy is to use mistake-free learning, meaning that you never let him make a mistake (i.e., using the house as a toilet). Diligently supervise your puppy and watch for any indication that a potty incident is imminent and then quickly get him outside. If you can’t watch him, then you must crate him, even if it’s just for a minute. Remember, this isn’t punishment, it’s education. 

You can further prevent house training accidents by making sure that your puppy is frequently taken outside. Your young puppy will need to go out every time he comes out of the crate, every time he awakes from a nap, every 10 – 15 minutes during playtime, approximately 20 minutes after eating or drinking and additionally, every hour on the hour. That is a lot of “outside” time, but the more opportunities your puppy has to go outside, the more opportunities you have to build good habits! 

Feed your puppy on a regular schedule; don’t leave food out all day. Keep a journal of when he eats/drinks and when he makes potty. This will help you to predict 

when he’ll have to go. HINT: Young puppies eliminate very frequently! The number of times that they need to eliminate will decrease as they get older. 

Don’t wait for your puppy to tell you that an outside trip is necessary. Just like young children, puppies won’t always be accurate about when they need to go, especially if they have been distracted. Instead, put your puppy on a frequent outside schedule so he won’t have to ask and you won’t have to guess. 

In addition to supervising and preventing mistakes, there are three fundamental things that your puppy must learn for potty training to be successful: 

1. where to go;
2. how to “hold it”; and most importantly, 3. where not to go. 

It is as easy as 1, 2, 3! 

1. Teaching Where to Go 

When you take your puppy out, bring them to the spot where you want them to go. Stay there and be patient; some puppies have no idea why you have them out there. Walk back and forth to “move things along.” When they finally do go, praise them and reinforce that good behavior with a treat immediately! You can then go for a walk. The walk should be a reward AFTER the puppy has done what you need them to do. This way, you ensure that when you take your puppy out the first order of business will always be to potty. This is a great time-saver for the future! 

If the puppy doesn’t go, take him back in the house, put him back in his crate and wait five minutes before trying again. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that he probably didn’t have to go. If he hasn’t gone and you give him unsupervised playtime inside, you are sure to be cleaning up an accident in the near future. 

2. Teaching Where Not to Go 

Just as puppies need to learn where to go, they also need to learn what places are off limits. Just as he is about to make a mistake, make a sound loud enough to startle him but not scare him, like eh-eh or clapping your hands and quickly take him outside. Once he goes outside, make a fuss praising him and be sure to reward him! 

If you are supervising your puppy properly, then catching him in the act shouldn’t be a problem. If you didn’t see it happen, then you need to assess your supervision plan. Don’t try to correct the puppy when you discover the accident; after- the-fact reprimands only make your pup confused. Correcting too late can result in the puppy hiding any accidents or eating them to prevent getting scolded. 

Whether you are house training a puppy or an older dog who just joined your family, the rules are the same. Your puppy or dog cannot have the run of the house until he has had no accidents for several months. Period. Use baby gates and crates to help confine him to where you can keep your eyes on him. If you haven’t been doing this already, the good news is that it isn’t too late! START RIGHT NOW!!! 

3. Teaching Holding It 

The last step you will teach is how to hold it. Gradually, as your puppy has been successful with house training, you can begin decreasing the frequency of your trips outside. Instead of taking them out every hour on the hour, try an hour and 15 minutes and then an hour and a half. While you are increasing the interval, make sure to supervise your puppy a little more closely or crate them during the increased time slot. 

As a rule of thumb, for long-term crate confinement purposes puppies can “hold it” one hour for every month they are old, plus one. For example, a three-month-old puppy can be in a crate for a maximum of four hours. Remember, that is a rule of thumb, not carved in stone! Also, those numbers are for when the puppies are confined and are most likely sleeping. They cannot hold it that long when they are awake and active. Some puppies, especially the smaller breeds, won’t be able to physically hold it that long. Young puppies often cannot hold it all night, so set your alarm! 

Discouraging Unwanted Behavior

The first thing most people think about when they bring a dog home is how to stop bad behaviors. Stopping them is important but even more important is preventing bad behaviors from occurring in the first place. Prevention not only keeps bad behaviors from becoming habits, it also stops the dog from finding out how much fun those bad behaviors can be! Behaviors that are fun for the dog will get repeated with greater frequency. 

Imagine the dog who likes toilet paper. At his first opportunity, he enters the bathroom grabs a mouthful and runs! This gets the nearby human to immediately chase him in what he considers to be a great game of pursuit. Young dogs are explorers, so when you bring one into your home, look at the house from the dog’s perspective. Everything is chew toy fun. It doesn’t matter if it is a sofa cushion, your favorite book or a squeeky toy. All those items can get torn up in much the same way, so your dog sees them as the same. 

By implementing mistake-free learning, you remove all items that could be considered a chew toy to your dog. After he has been with you awhile and adopted appropriate habits, you can begin to reintroduce the things that would  have been problematic before. He will ignore them because he now has established appropriate behaviors. 

Because it is nearly impossible to remove everything that your dog might get into trouble with, you also have to use supervision. This means that when your dog is not in his crate, you are carefully watching him. You will watch for signs of behaviors that you like, so you can quickly 

reward them, and for signs of unwanted behavior so that you can discourage them. 

Discouraging Unwanted Behavior

So, let’s say when you got home you forgot to put your leather gloves away. You also got very busy and forgot that you should have been supervising your dog. Now, you have just discovered  that he is happily chewing on your gloves. What do you do now?

First and foremost, do not resort to any type of physical punishment (i.e., shaking cans of pennies, squirt bottles, rolled up newspapers or smacking). Confrontational tactics and strong discipline will create a fearful dog that distrusts you. You want your dog to see you as the person to whom he/she can go for comfort, friendship and kindness. If your hands dispense scary or painful things, your relationship with your dog will be one that is based on fear and avoidance. 

If your dog does do something you don’t like, you can convey your displeasure by:

Ignoring the dog – Avoid making eye contact with your dog, turn your back or even leave the room.  This method works best on attention seeking behaviors like barking at you or pestering.

Interrupting and redirecting – Calmly interrupt the inappropriate behavior with a short sharp noise like Eh-Eh, then direct her to what she should be doing. Provide her with a bone to chew instead. This works for potty accidents, destructive behaviors like chewing or even counter surfing.

Time-out – Put her in her crate for 30 seconds. Do this calmly and without emotion. This is the canine equivalent of being sent to your room. Using the crate as a means of removing the dog from a behavior you don’t like won’t ruin the crate as a safe place. At other times continue to use the crate for other good things, like eating and sleeping.

Lastly, Remove an expected reward – Take away something the dog wants as a direct result of inappropriate behavior.  For example: barking for food makes me put the food away; being pushy around the door makes me close it; and jumping at the leash makes me put it down. 

It is important to remember that after the fact reprimands don’t work. If you did not see the dog perform the behavior, just pick up the pieces and move on. It isn’t that dogs don’t have good memories, it is just difficult for them to understand what behavior caused the problem when dogs don’t understand human language. 

So the keys to getting rid of bad behavior are: 1. prevention, 2. mistake free learning, 3. supervision, 4. rewarding good behavior, and 5. discouraging unwanted behaviors with ignoring, interrupting/redirecting, time-out and removing an expected reward. 

Most common behavior problems can be solved with the tools listed above and a little preparation. If you are thinking that a great deal of getting good behavior from your dog is the responsibility of the human, you are right!

There is such joy in the simple act of taking a walk with your dog. It can be a time when you get to relax and let your mind drift away from the worries of the day. It is just you with your dog at your side, that is until he suddenly sees another dog and the frenzy begins. Barking, lunging, growling and dragging you, flailing, at the end of the leash. You can clearly see the look of fear on the other owner’s face, and then the judgment: “Can’t you control your dog?” The relaxation is long gone and the embarrassment is crushing. “Why is MY dog so cranky?”

Whether your dog just looks scary or has actually fought with or even injured another dog, this type of behavior is known as dog-to-dog aggression. It can be very isolating for dogs and their owners as they begin to limit the places they go and the times that they can do outdoor activities.Although you may feel like you are the only one whose dog is out of control, dog-to-dog aggression is unfortunately, not an uncommon problem.

The plethora of information on dog- to-dog aggression that is available on the internet and TV is testament to how many people have this problem. Unfortunately though, not all of the information that is available is reliable, or safe. Other dog owners, and even non- dog owners will often weigh in with how they have handled the problem or have seen it handled on TV. It can be tempting, but also very dangerous, to take their well-meaning but often misinformed advice.These TV shows and knowledgeable neighbors make it seem SO easy.That is, until you try it.Then it isn’t so simple after all.Aggression should only be handled by skilled professionals with extensive experience.

For the majority of dogs, aggressive behavior is rooted in fear. It can be the result of poor or inadequate socialization as a puppy, something that was learned from a housemate, or even the consequence of a traumatic event, such as an attack. The goal of this barking, lunging behavior is to keep the other dog as

far away as possible.Yes, there are some dogs that just like a good row, but in reality those are few. Even
the most fearful dog can look very ferocious, and unless you have lots of experience with it, it can be hard to understand how ferocious and fearful come together.

In an effort to get their dogs under control, most people turn to traditional obedience training. Unfortunately, this isn’t an ‘obedience’ problem.The dog has not ‘chosen’ to misbehave or disregard his owner. He simply can’t respond to a command because he is already in an aroused state (i.e., barking, lunging) that prevents him from doing anything else.This is a behavioral problem that needs a much more comprehensive approach.

When dealing with dog-to-dog aggression, the recommended approach is one that incorporates positive reinforcement training with behavior modification. Specifically, behavior modification focuses on changing the underlying emotion or motivation that drives the behavior. Once the underlying condition is addressed, then the more relaxed dog can be taught skills that replace the unwanted behavior.The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior provides specific position statements
to address this very issue (http:// avsabonline.org/resources/position- statements). It should be noted that, due to the potential for side effects and/or worsening the behavior, dominance and punishment should be avoided.

Finding a knowledgeable trainer/ behavior counselor can be a difficult task. Online resources such as the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC.org) or the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT.com) are good places to start. Once you have identified a few candidates, you can narrow down your selection by looking for consultants who have advanced education and hands on experience.Ask for references and a chance to observe them handling a dog or teaching a class.

Group classes, sometimes referred to as ‘growl classes,’ if taught correctly, offer the perfect solution.They give you the perfect opportunity to work your dog in a controlled environment with other dogs present and build up the number of positive experiences your dog has in the presence of other dogs. Eventually, those positive experiences outweigh the negative or fear-generating ones they had before.

Classes focus on teaching skills to help you successfully deal with dog-to-dog situations in real-life settings while changing the dog’s behavior from reactive to calm. Not everyone offers these classes though, and not everyone should. Before enrolling, ask how long the classes have been offered, where the instructors got their education, and the types of methodology they will use. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can speak to former students and make every effort to observe a class.

With a good group class, improvement can occur.As with all behavior modification, it will occur slowly
over time. Behavioral change does not happen like a light switch going on and off. It is more like a dimmer switch. Behaviors aren’t stopped, they are changed into something more appropriate. For any real progress to be made though, training must continue, and it is undeniably work.The reward though is a less cranky dog and a nice boring walk!

To Greet or Not to Greet? 

Is it ok to let your dog greet another dog while on leash? You see it happening
everywhere. Everyone does it, from neighbors to complete strangers in the park. It looks
easy and fun, and it is considered a very social thing to do, for both people and dogs.
With leash laws and dogs that aren’t trained to reliably come when called, how else can
you let them socialize with members of their own kind?

The truth is, allowing dogs to greet on leash can be tricky and even risky. Leashes can
increase tension between dogs when they greet because they are so close to each
other and have a limited escape. This inability to flee can make dogs uncomfortable and
cause them to react inappropriately. Combine that with dogs that may not be friendly
and the average human’s inability to correctly interpret the nuances of dog body
language, and things can go bad very quickly.

The issue of leash greetings is often debated among dog trainers. Should people be
encouraged to avoid leash greetings or be taught to do it properly? Many trainers go the
‘no-greeting-on-leash’ route and in the past, I did too. I instructed my students
accordingly and warned them in class about the problems that can occur.

Understandably, I would see these same people eventually relent at outdoor events
where they were surrounded by routine leash greetings by nearly everyone. For the
most part, those greetings were done without reservation, and sometimes without
problems. However, there were an equal number of situations that did not go well. Often
disregarding that advice, got the people and their dogs into bad situations that they
regretted and could have avoided.

Not long ago, a former client contacted me via email to tell me about an on-leash
greeting he allowed that went horribly wrong. While walking his older female dog, he
encountered another man walking his dog. Now, this client is a very friendly person, as
is his current dog. His previous dog had been quite reactive to other dogs and would
fight. But now, assuming that since his current dog was friendly everything would be
fine, he approached. Within seconds the other dog had attacked the old female dog and
caused several severe wounds to her face. After hospitalization and much care, she
survived. The client found out later that the dog had been adopted by this man only two
hours prior to the incident.

So, what is the right thing to do? Avoiding on-leash greetings entirely is pretty much
impossible. Pressure from other people or unanticipated greetings can challenge the
best of intentions. It is best to train for the event so you will be prepared. Leash
greetings are something that should be worked toward and practiced, like any behavior.
To put it simply, if you can’t do it right then don’t do it.

There are some rules to follow before you allow your dog to greet another:

1. The dog you are about to let your dog greet should be known to you. Take a lesson
from the client in the previous story, never allow your dog to greet an unknown dog. It
is ok to refuse a greeting.

2. Neither dog should be allowed to greet if either of them is pulling. From a training
perspective, successfully pulling to get something that they want will reinforce pulling.
Definitely not something you want! Additionally, the pulling gets the dog too excited
for the greeting to be done calmly or correctly. This frenetic greeting can easily
escalate to aggression if either dog is frustrated or easily offended.

3. During the greeting, the leashes must be loose. Most people keep the leashes tight
because it makes them feel as though they have control. However, the tight leash
makes the dog feel forced and out of control. Loose leashes allow the dogs to move
about freely and get away if necessary. Additionally, a slight tug on a tight leash can
cause an eruption and fight. It is important though, to ensure that the leashes don’t
get tangled.

4. Make sure that you have enough room for the dogs to greet properly. Dogs often
circle around each other when they sniff and they need room to do that. Tight spaces
make dogs uncomfortable, so no greetings in hallways or other tight spots.

5. Both dogs should be under control and relaxed. It can help to get your dog to focus
on you. Focus is an excellent tool to have and it is super important for greetings. It will
take some practice, but if you have your dog’s attention and focus, everything else
you do will be easy!

6. Your dog should have a good response to his or her name. When you say your dog’s
name, does he immediately turn and look at you? No matter what else may be going
on? A fast response to their name can help you diffuse a situation that may not be
going well. Good name recognition can also help dogs that don’t like other dogs in
their faces. You can allow a quick sniff and then call your dog away.

7. Always ask permission before greeting and be understanding, leash greetings are notfor every dog. Not every dog will like another dog getting up close and personal. Like people, dogs can have space issues, some prefer not to have anyone near their face
and some don’t like to get sniffed. Additionally, different dogs greet differently.
Sometimes this can be categorized by breed, but not always. Some dogs prefer a
very ritualistic and reserved greeting, while others will bound up and bounce all
around. I think of this as similar to cultural differences for humans. A very hearty
handshake and shoulder slap vs. a polite bow is very different and using the wrong
greeting can offend the other person.

8. Give your dog permission to greet the other dog. Do this like you would give your dog permission to eat a treat. They should look for permission to greet.

9. If you encounter a dog unexpectedly, relax, loosen the leash and speak calmly to
both dogs.

Loose leash greetings can be successful, but they require training and preparation. You
can practice approaching another dog in a controlled setting, BEFORE actually allowing
any greeting. This is best accomplished by enlisting the aid of another dog and handler
who are either proficient at, or working on, the same skill and are also motivated to have
successful on-leash greetings.

Start with the dogs at a distance from each other where they can each easily pay
attention to their handlers. Begin your approach while keeping your dog’s attention. As
you get close, and before they start to pull, quickly call your dog and retreat. You should
be reinforcing attention and their response to their name. Gradually, with each
successful approach, decrease the distance between the two dogs (and the point at
which you call their names).

When you can get a little more than arm’s length away from the other dog/handler team
and both dogs are more interested in the handlers than the other dog, ask for a sit. You
can then reward the sit. In this way you are teaching approach a dog and handler and
sit. When you can easily walk up to the other team and get a sit, you can then allow the
greeting!

This can actually be a fun game and is a great way to teach your dog to attend to you
despite distractions. Even easy-going, laid-back dogs can benefit from increased
attention and the rules for on-leash greetings. Young, enthusiastic dogs can be a real
challenge so it is ok to put off greetings until they have had some practice with
impulse control and set-up approaches. Have fun!- See more at: http://www.marylanddogmag.com/_articles/2014/spring/leashes_on.html#sthash.vfjCoV1o.dpuf

Dominance in the pet dog has become a common topic of discussion in just about every training session I conduct. Nervous and fearful owners confide in me “My dog is dominant” and then they timidly ask: “How do I dominate my dog?”. The more confident few even ask: “How do I teach my dog that my child is dominant?”. 

Over the years I have heard just about every behavior you can think of attributed to dominance. From unruly behavior like jumping up on people or eating poop, to mounting, dominance is thought to be the root of all bad behavior. Just Google dominance in dogs and you will find a treasure trove of misguided information on the subject. I found one site that listed 28 behaviors that were attributed to dominance. The most disturbing reference I saw was on a popular TV dog training program. The trainer was working with a dog who obsessively chased a laser light. His explanation? The dog was trying to dominate the light! 

Unfortunately, these ‘explanations’ are offered to the general public by animal professionals who should know better. Most of this I believe, is that the use of the word dominance, although misconstrued, has been in use for so long, people take it as fact. They have not taken the time to fully research canine behavior and as a result continue to perpetuate false and potentially harmful information. 

Dominance is a broad term that has many vague definitions, as you will find out if you research it. Biologists, Ethologists and Animal Behaviorists however, refer to dominance as a competitive series of encounters, that use force, intimidation or aggression to gain access to a priority resource (food, space, opposite sex). Through these series of encounters, the individual who triumphs most frequently can be considered dominant at that time. However, that role can change quickly depending on the fitness level or motivation of the individuals involved. It is not a constant state. In reality, the outcomes will vary greatly over time. 

It is important to point out that dominance is not a personality trait. It is instead, the attribute of a relationship. When someone is told that their dog is dominant, an adversarial relationship is immediately formed. In response the owner attempts to control the dog with physical force or intimidation.

Equally important is that aggression does not equal dominance. Although dominance aggression, where the dog challenges his owners over resources, does exist, it is in fact, extremely rare. Most behavior cases have nothing at all to do with dominance and the dogs that are frequently labeled as dominant, are reacting out of fear. Dogs that are afraid will act defensive in an attempt to try and scare a potential threat away. It is not hard to recognize that major problems will arise when a fearful animal is treated like a dominant one. Using forceful methods to make him ‘submit’ will only make fear-based behaviors worse. This is the saddest fact and the one that troubles me most. 

Dogs that are unruly, misbehave or are unmanageable are not trying to dominate their owners by attempting to control a situation, they are simply untrained. You needn’t walk out of the door before your dog to prove that you are ‘dominant’. However, teaching your dog to wait at the door until released will make life more pleasant for both of you, not to mention safer. Many of the behaviors that are commonly attributed to ‘dominance’ are normal dog behaviors that have been inadvertently reinforced by well-meaning humans. 

The issue is of such importance that The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior issued a position statement on the use of dominance theory for behavior modification of animals https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dominance_Position_Statement-download.pdf.  They emphasize that Veterinarians specializing in behavior should not use dominance theory as a general guide for behavior modification. Additionally, they recommend that Veterinarians “refer clients only to trainers and behavior consultants who understand the principles of learning theory and who focus on reinforcing desirable behaviors and removing the reinforcement for undesirable behaviors.”

The truth, for all the dog owners who want to ask about dominance, is that you don’t have to dominate your dog. Dogs don’t know what humans think is acceptable behavior. Only through training can dogs learn what behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable. Dogs do need consistent and clear rules, mental stimulation and physical exercise to be able to learn well and adapt to a human world. All this is accomplished by being an effective teacher for your dog. Teachers can choose to use force and intimidation or motivation and reward. By using positive reinforcement methods, you will avoid the pitfalls of force-based techniques and build a bond that will last a lifetime with your dog.

Recently, I was asked about mounting behavior (i.e., ’humping’) and why it occurs. Since this is a frequent question, I thought that a blog about it might be a good idea.

This is the one behavior that seems to really freak people out. Most people erroneously attribute it to dominance. It is important to remember that dominance is NOT a personality trait. It is a term used to describe the outcome of a confrontation over a desired resource. The one that walks away with the resource, is dominant, in that moment. The next confrontation may have an entirely different result.

So let’s get to it, dogs mount for several reasons:

1. Excitement – anything that excites your dog can elicit mounting behavior. A favorite person arriving, the potential for a game or even their favorite snack may cause a mounting session.

2. Play – Dogs mount to entice another dog to interact with them. Occasionally, when two dogs are playing, a third will try to get in on it by mounting one of the players. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. 

3. Stress/anxiety relief – Some dogs aren’t sure what to do in certain social situations or are so nervous they resort to a comforting behavior, think of nail biting. 

4. Social behavior – Dogs sometimes use mounting as a means of controlling another dog.

5. Sex – Yes, sometimes, it is about sex. 

Mounting is not an exclusively male behavior. Females often engage in the activity as well. Additionally, the behavior is often directed at members of the same sex. When used in the context of play, excitement or anxiety, the sex of the “mountee” is not important. 

So is it ok if they are mounting? The answer lies in the other dog. Does the other dog mind? In other words, are they growling or snapping or trying to get away? Do they turn to play and then take turns mounting? If it happens occasionally during a play session or once in awhile when your dog is very excited, it is no big deal. If it is your dog’s only behavior upon meeting other dogs or people, then you may want to determine what about the situation is either overstimulating or scary. 

Will neutering stop mounting? Unfortunately, no. Some of the most dedicated mounters are neutered. There is no scientific evidence to support that neutering will change mounting behavior. If you would like to read more about mounting (and dominance) check out the link below:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/your-dog-dominant

A Home Away from Home: 

Crate Training 101

The crate is probably one of the most important training tools that you will have for your dog. It is a necessity because it is the only portable means of confining your dog. Think of it like an RV is for humans, a home away from home.

Trained correctly, the crate can be a safe and even happy place from what can be a confusing world for a dog. When things get too chaotic (think Thanksgiving dinner for the entire family), your dog has a quiet place to rest. Crates make it easy to travel. You can set up the crate in a hotel room and instantly your dog feels at home. This is especially important for unplanned travel, like evacuations. Natural disasters never seem like they will happen to you but they are real and happen all the time. Your dog will be less stressed and easier to handle if he is used to a crate and can relax wherever you go. The crate should be big enough for the dog to lie down and stretch out, stand up without bumping his head and allow him to turn around easily. 

Long term confinement for Veterinary care is infinitely less stressful if the dog has previously been conditioned to using a crate. Surgeries, injuries and sometimes illnesses require that the dog be confined at the hospital or home. If crating is not something the dog is used to, then they will be subjected to additional anxiety. Nevar’s first surgery had me a nervous wreck but when I brought him to the Vet, he went happily into the crate and was not stressed in the slightest. That made the rest of his stay much easier for him. Additionally, crating sometimes becomes logistically necessary for behavioral issues such as aggression to visitors.

Using the Crate 

Mature dogs can be conditioned to using a crate, but it is easiest to condition a young puppy. Good breeders help to prepare the puppy for his life with you by doing the majority of the task. They give the puppy short periods of alone time in the crate. With dogs that have no previous history, or even a bad history, with the crate, you must proceed slowly. 

Before training, the dog or pup should be tired from exercising and playing and should have had an opportunity to relieve himself. The dog should be placed into the crate with a Kong stuffed with yummies to lick, like peanut butter or yogurt. A tired hungry puppy or dog will almost always settle down and work on the Kong. 

Be sure to stay close at first and then begin to walk around the room attending to chores. If the pup is fine with that, then it is ok to very briefly leave the room for a few seconds and then return. The pup will then likely fall asleep. It is ok to let her sleep for awhile, but after a bit, wake her up to go outside for a potty. If she wakes up, discovers you are gone and starts to bark, you will be faced with the dilemma of letting a barking dog out of the crate, which is a guaranteed way to ensure that she barks to be let out again in the future.

Dogs and puppies should be crated whenever you can’t supervise them. The crate is simply a means to keep them safe and out of trouble. They should always have an opportunity to relieve themselves before being put into a crate and should go in with a Kong or food puzzle to help occupy their brains. This positive association with the crate will pay off in the long run.

Going in the crate, should be something that is a non-event. It is not punishment, it is school. It should happen frequently and be of short duration. Sometimes the puppy will be alone and sometimes crated at your feet. Crating at night is a good opportunity for getting the pup used to being crated while you are around. They should be crated nearby so that they can see you and have the comfort of your presence. They are, after all, social creatures and now that they are in our human family, they will need to be near you. 

How much is too much? 

Crates help to shape good habits (i.e., learning to be alone while not chewing up the house!) but too much crating can have the opposite effect. A puppy that spends most of his day in the crate will not have the necessary opportunities to learn about the world. He will not be able to expend all that youthful energy and will come out of the crate even more rambunctious than when he went in. This can create a dangerous, vicious cycle. Puppies and dogs that have not had enough mental stimulation and physical exercise run the risk of developing behavioral problems ranging from destruction to aggression. 

No dog or puppy should be crated for more than 4-6 hours at a time, depending on their age (the younger the dog, the shorter the crating period).  Crate time should always be offset with an ample time to potty, drink, stretch their legs, learn new things and burn off steam by running and playing. Any more than 14-hours total crate time (including night time crating), is too much.

It is important to keep your dog used to a crate for the variety of reasons listed above. However, your dog should be able to eventually be trusted to be home alone uncrated. It is time to give this a try when you find that you no longer need to worry about him getting into trouble when you are home. Once you find that you can trust him without your eyes on him every second, you can consider some unsupervised freedom. 

All dogs have energy but adolescent dogs have TONS!  I bet you already knew this!

Dogs must burn off all that energy either physically or mentally, specifically through their feet, mouths or brains.  When a dog isn’t stimulated in each of these areas daily and in an appropriate way, the energy will be expended in inappropriate ways.  It is a simple case of supply and demand.  Here are some suggestions on how to provide creative ‘demand’ for your dog’s seemingly endless supplies of energy!

1. Feet (physical) – They need to RUN!  Walking, no matter how long or how far, just won’t cut it.  They really need some good cardio activity where they can burn off steam! Play fetch! Play chase! Get them swimming! Practice long-distance recalls! When their physical energy isn’t expended properly, your dog will move to the next form of physical exercise – using his mouth.  If your dog is gnawing on you or your furniture, it is a safe bet that they haven’t had enough exercise.
2. Mouths (physical) – They need to CHEW!!!  Giving your dog appropriate chew toys like Kongs, bones, food puzzle toys, and the opportunity to play tug will help to direct their excess energy to an appropriate activity. Yes, I said ‘tug’.  This is a natural activity for dogs and gives them something to use their mouths on.  If your dog doesn’t get enough of the right things to use his mouth on, he will use it on you and on your stuff!
3. Brains (mental) – Dogs have ‘INQUIRING MINDS’!  They like to figure things out.  Training (not just repetitive drilling but training that requires them to really think), playing (both with you and other dogs), exploring and hunting are things that keep dogs fascinated. Dogs that aren’t using their brains will make up games to keep themselves entertained, like ripping up sofa cushions, peeling paper off walls, or chewing the flooring! (For further ideas, see the blog entitled,‘Think About It’.)

So, if your dog is mouthy with you or your things, or ‘creatively’ keeping himself busy, then you must consider whether you have a balanced economic plan.  Exercise and mental stimulation are as essential to a healthy dog as food or water. Show your dog how to expend his energy appropriately and you will end his behavior problems!

This sounds like a silly title for a dog training blog.  No trainer would ever want to teach you how to ruin your dog’s recall or ‘come’ cue!  The sad truth is though, that despite valiant attempts to teach human’s how to train this particular behavior, a perfectly good recall is ruined every ten seconds.  Ok, I made up that statistic, I guess it just seems like every 10 seconds!  Recalls always start out great! They work wonderfully for about 6 to 8 weeks, and then something happens…..

First, there are the many obvious ways that you can ruin a recall.  These are the ones that your trainer probably warned you about.

1. Call your dog to ‘come’ and then do something he doesn’t like: put him in the crate then go to work for the day, cut his nails or give him a bath. That will help him make the association that ‘come’ = bad thing.

2. Use ‘come’ when you are about to end a good time: play fetch but then call him to  ‘come’ so you can go inside and ignore him while you make dinner. That will help him learn that ‘come’ = end of fun.

3. Call your dog to come when you can’t enforce it or control the situation: call him when he is distracted at a distance with no leash on and you can’t get him quickly. That will teach him that ‘come’ = an option for consideration. I call this the ‘wishful thinking’ recall, the one where you are expecting your dog to perform a behavior you haven’t even taught yet (e.g., leaving a distraction).

Most people understand these three problem areas and try to avoid them.  So then, what eventually goes wrong?  Why do recalls get ruined so easily?  The answer is systematic over-use.  This is the lazy person’s route to dog training. They begin to use the word ‘come’ to mean other things, like stop poking in the trash, stop barking, don’t go in that room, or leave that (whatever) alone.  Whenever the person is too tired to actually train the dog, they call the dog to ‘come’.

When the dog hears ‘come’ ceaselessly throughout the day, and most of the time it doesn’t lead to anything important to the dog, he begins to learn that it is irrelevant. ‘Come’ should be something special, a wonderful and surprise event in your dog’s day!  It should never be reduced to a nagging, repeated duty.  ‘Come’ should mean run to me, something wonderful is about to happen!

If you don’t want to ruin your recall, use other words and train your dog for the varied behaviors you want performed.  For instance, if you want your dog to come in the house, train him to respond to the cue “let’s go in”.  If you want him to go in his crate, train him to respond to “kennel up”. If you want him to get out of the trash, train “leave-it”.

While ruining a good recall may be easy, it is much easier to maintain a good recall than to try and fix it once it has been damaged.  Keep it good, keep it controlled and keep it special and you will have a recall your dog always responds to!

Today I had a day off and spent it enjoying my dog.  On this day we didn’t practice our fancy agility moves, we didn’t work on our obedience skills, we learned no new tricks – we just took a nice relaxing walk in the woods; my little guy and me off on a little adventure of our very own.  We walked through the woods and along a stream; the leaves were just starting to fall.  We stopped and sat together on a little hillside, breathed in the fresh air and watched the water as it flowed past. It was simple and it was heaven.

As we walked, Nevar moved ahead, but never far away.  At about 15 feet, he would spin around and come back to me, a bright and happy smile on his face. I imagine that his smile was because of his sheer joy of being out in a place he likes, doing something he enjoys (which, for Nevar includes just about anywhere and anything!) with someone he loves. I know that those were the reasons I was smiling!

I have always used a long-line when Nevar and I hike.  I use it for safety, ‘just in case’. But I find that we don’t need that long-line anymore.  There really is no need for it. I don’t have to use it as a means to control him. As it turns out, our relationship is the only leash we now need.  A silent, invisible leash, that binds us to one another.

That invisible leash is the result of time well spent, training, playing, practicing, and even just being together on a sunny day.  It was an investment in his future and in mine too, and that investment is now paying dividends for both of us.  Despite his disability Nevar (who is deaf) is able to enjoy things that many other dogs can’t, and this time spent with him gives me such joy.

There is no shortcut to building a relationship.  You must commit to it, time, energy, love and a lot of yourself. Training is a big part of that. We could not enjoy the things we do without training.  On our hike, Nevar came back to me more times than I was able to keep track of.  That was the auto check-in that I taught him.  That little trick is an absolute necessity for us because we can’t communicate if he isn’t looking at me.

You can have a better relationship, a invisible leash, with your dog. What are you willing to invest?  Will you teach him a new trick? Visit a new park?  Play a new game?  Try a new sport? Maybe just sit together on a hillside on a glorious afternoon?  The time you spend with your dog is a tribute to him.  Every second tells him he is special, that he is worth it. Be generous with the time you spend with your dog.  You will find the dividends far greater than the initial investment. It is the best leash you will ever buy.

“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace.”

Milan Kundera