8 Things That Drive Your Dog Crazy

Recently, I have been thinking about the first dog I owned and all the things that I did wrong that caused behavioral problems. I wish I would have had a short list of do's and don't s when I adopted that dog so long ago. It's always easier to think back on these things in hindsight. This week I have decided to compile a list of common mistakes and maybe it will help some other dog owner out there:

1. Treating Your Dog Like a Human: Dogs are not humans (Thank goodness!) They speak a completely different language. Things that humans find appealing may not necessarily mean dogs like them. Take for instance hugs. Most humans like hugs, but often a hug for a dog makes them feel stressed and claustrophobic. Hugs mean something completely different in dog language. As a dog owner, it is really important to learn your dog's language and how they communicate their different emotions. AND, it is equally important to teach your children. For more information on how to train your human children proper behavior around dogs, click here. 

2. Not providing your dog with enough exercise: To put it simply, a dog that is not adequately exercised (mentally and physically) will get into trouble. Your little furry family member will have a lot of pent up energy and will have to find a way to release that energy.

3. Taking food away mid-meal: A common mistake of dog-owners that are dealing with dogs that are food aggressive is take their food bowl away mid-meal when their dog is still eating. This just adds a lot of stress to your dog and makes the situation worse. Every time you feed them, they will be worried and in a panic wondering when their bowl is going to be taken away. Instead, enforce the rule in your household that your dog, whether food aggressive or not, is to be left alone while eating. Establish boundaries for humans and dogs. Which leads me to #4.

4. Not establish boundaries! From the time your dog first steps foot into your household, you need to establish boundaries. Your food is your food, not your dog's (and vise versa--- don't mess with your dog when they are eating!) There should be no food gobbling. Which is what happens when your dog "stress eats"... Yep, even I food gobble when I'm stressed. When going on a walk, your dog should walk beside you. Not in front of you and pulling on the leash. When you enter the household or guests enter, your dog should not jump up to greet people. Basically, set rules for your dog and expect them to follow the rules.

5. Yelling at your dog all the time: When you yell at your dog all the time, you will A) Ruin your relationship. If your dog is not properly trained, he/she will not understand why you are yelling at them. All they know is that your anger is always directed at them. This causes a lot of emotional stress for your dog. B) De-sensitize your dog to yelling. This could become dangerous. Imagine if your dog is running into a busy street and you NEED to yell at them to stop. But, your dog isn't listening because yelling is a daily norm. Not a pretty picture, huh? Instead, focus on properly training your dog, so yelling is not necessary and only used in life threatening situations to get their attention quickly.

6. Using punishment instead of positive reinforcement for training: When it comes to training, positive reinforcement of good behavior goes a long way. If they are doing something wrong, you need to catch them in the act of doing it and re-direct their behavior. When you see them doing something right, reward that behavior. Also, remember to be consistent with your training.

7. Using the crate for punishment: Dogs are naturally den dwellers and a crate should be their personal den. They should feel safe and cozy when they are in their crate. When you use their crate as a punishment jail, their den will become associated with stress and bad, horrible feelings. This is not a good situation.

8. Leaving your dog for long periods of time alone: Dogs are social animals. Leaving them alone for long periods of time can cause separation anxiety, stress and depression. If you need to be gone for long periods of time, maybe a dog is not the right pet for you. Other options are to arrange to have someone come to your house to check in on your dog to provide attention and break up their day or take them to a doggy daycare during the day.

I hope this list is helpful for some dog owners out there! There can be a lot of frustration and miscommunication when an owner does not know how to "speak dog". Being a dog owner requires a lot of education. As a owner, I am constantly educating myself. Knowing that you don't know everything is the key. And remember, mistakes happen. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and move forward. Don't beat yourself up. Learning is a life long process and is very fluid. Not all dogs are the same, which is why learning how your dog communicates is vitally important.

Do I Need To Groom My Dog?

 

As pet parents, we are busy. Our typical day not only involves work & maybe two-legged family member responsibilities, but also feeding our four-legged members and making sure they receive proper mental & physical exercise. It's a lot! In the midst of it all, many pet parents forget to groom, brush & bathe their dogs on a consistent basis or at all. Grooming helps keep your dog's coat, skin, ears, paws, claws and sanitary areas clean. Without proper grooming, dead skin & dirt can easily pile up causing infections. 

According to the American Kennel Club, most breeds should be groomed once a month. Some breeds need more. Let's break down the needs based on coat length:

Short-haired dogs: Short-haired dogs should receive baths about once every 4-6 weeks & brushing should be minimal.

Double coated dogs: These are the breeds of dogs that shed their undercoat seasonally. Brushing should be done 1-3 times a week and with a brush that goes through the undercoat all the way to the skin. Forgoing consistent brushing can cause the undercoat to become tangled which can be very painful for your dog. 

Please resist the urge to shave down double coated dogs! Instead, opt for a trim. The undercoat is insulation & helps your dog regulate body temperature. By shaving the undercoat, your dog will be more susceptible to heat stroke and follicle damage. 

Now that we've got the brushing out of the way, let's talk about bathing & trimming double coated dogs: Puppies with short dense coats should be bathed & groomed every 2-3 months. Adult Huskies will rarely need their coat trimmed, but should be bathed a few times a year. And finally-- Most double coated dogs with longer, less dense fur will need to be bathed once a month AND have a trim around their face, ears, paws pads & sanitary regions. Full body trims should be once every 3-months.

Curly/wavy haired dogs: These breeds of dogs shed less than other breeds, BUT their fur is more prone to be matted. Therefore, brushing should occur 3 times a week with a slicker brush that brushes from the skin out. Bathing & grooming should happen once a month to maintain hair & skin health. 

Wire-coated dogs: These breeds do not shed, but dead hair has a tendency of matting close to the skin. Brushing should happen from the skin out to the end 1-3 times a week. These breeds should be bathed at least once every 1-2 months and grooming should be a light trim around the face, ears, paws and sanitary areas every 4-6 weeks. 

Being a dog parent is a busy, busy life! Keeping up with a regular routine of brushing, grooming and bathing your dog according to it's breed is a must for skin and hair health. Do your research & purchase a dog brush specific to your dog's breed. If you have questions on whether or not you are over-brushing, over-bathing or over-trimming your dog's fur (or not enough), please reach out to a professional groomer. In addition, any skin infections, excessive hair loss or if you notice your dog's fur looking dull, please take your dog to the vet for a health check-up! These can all be signs of underlying health issues.

How To Train Your Dog Not to Jump on People

Training your dog not to jump on you and other people is a hard one, because it goes against their natural instincts. Dogs greet other dogs nose to nose. When your dog is jumping up at you in greeting, it's because they are trying to reach your nose! But, what can start out as cute puppy behavior, can become downright dangerous if not dealt with at the beginning. Dogs that jump up on people can cause serious injury. What can start with a mild scratch or bruise can turn into someone getting knocked down. So, it's best to nip that behavior in the butt right away.

The first thing you need to do is manage the situation. If your dog is not quite up to par on sitting and/or not jumping, and you are still working on it, find a way to  "avoid" the situation when visitors are coming over. Some alternatives to having your dog jump on people:

• Crate
• Put your dog in another room
• Restrain your dog on a leash

Even if your visitor says they don't mind your dog jumping on them, politely tell your visitor that you mind and that your dog is in training.

Next stage--> The training.

Stage One: Mastering the No Jumping On You Phase

When you greet your dog at the door, make sure you are calm and low key. You shouldn't be revving your dog up with baby talk or high energy greetings. Think about how your voice and actions are translated into dog language. What kind of energy are you exhibiting?

Once your greeting is calm and cool, proceed onto the not jumping stage-- If your dog jumps on you, stand tall and look over their head. Do not give them eye contact, do not push them down, do not talk to them. To a dog, this is attention! Tuck your hands into your chest and turn your body away from them. Once your dog's paws have come back down onto the floor, then give them attention. If they proceed to jump on you again, repeat the process again, again and again.

Another option on greeting at the door: you can turn around and go back out the door when they jump on you. Again, do not touch them, talk to them or make eye contact.  Keep repeating the process until their paws stay on the ground.  Then praise them. 💟

If you are sitting in a chair and your dog jumps up on you: Once more, do not talk to your dog or push them away. Simply, stand up and turn away from them. 

Stage Two: Mastering the No Jumping On Others Phase

**Your dog needs to know the "sit" command before you can proceed onto this phase.

1. The first step is to find an assistant (aka.. The Greeter) that your dog likes and that is willing to help you. You should never force your dog to interact with someone they don't like or are scared. Load your Greeter up with lots of dog treats.
2. Have The Greeter leave the room and ask your dog to sit. 
3. Once your dog is sitting, have The Greeter approach your dog. If the dogs up, The Greeter should turn and leave. Ask the dog to sit again. 
4. Keep repeating this process until the dog remains seated. Once that is achieved, The Greeter is to give Fido some praises, ear scratches and a treat. 

Once you have achieved this level of no jumping on others, you can proceed to no jumping on random strangers on the street:

*This level is basically like the above steps, you just have to be willing to ask a stranger to help you.

1. You are walking down the sidewalk and a stranger starts to approach. Tell your dog to sit and step on your dog's leash so that there is no slack. 
2. Tell stranger that you are trying to trying to train your dog not to jump on people and ask if they have a few moments to help.
3. Stranger says yes-- If the dog tries to jump up as stranger passes by, have stranger ignore them and continue on their merry way. If the dog stays seated, have stranger give some praises and ear scratches. Give the stranger a treat to pass on to the dog. If Stranger says No, ask them if they could please just ignore your dog as they pass by.

Remember: When you are trying to train your dog, keep your sessions short and sweet. 15 minute sessions should be the maximum time duration. Otherwise, you run the risk of mentally exhausting your dog. Mental exhaustion in canines leads to a grumpy dog which equals unwanted behaviors. Additionally, once your dog is trained, you must maintain that behavior by practicing on a consistent basis. Otherwise, you will eventually find yourself back at square one.  🐶

How To Stop Your Dog From Barking in Four (patient) Steps

Whether it's the mailman, the neighbor walking his dog by your fence or a deer in your back yard, excessive dog barking can bring anyone down to their knees in frustration. Here are four steps you can take to bring a little peace and quiet into your home:

1. Make sure your dog is exercised. A lot of doggy mischief can be avoided by simply making sure your dog is properly exercised, mentally and physically. When your dog has extra energy, he needs to find an avenue to release it. He's bored! This results in behaviors we owners may not find endearing. By making sure your dog is getting physical and mental exercise everyday, you are releasing that pent up energy and helping your furry friend live a balanced life. 
2.  Stay Calm. You are not helping the situation by yelling "STOOOOPPPP!!!!" or "KNOCK IT OFF!". Remember, dogs do not speak human. If you are yelling at them, all they hear is you barking along with them. They think everyone is joining in on the fun! Instead, you can...
3. Teach them the "Quiet Command". The first steps of this training seem quite counter intuitive, but trust me, with some patience you will see where I am going with it: Step 1- When your dog barks, praise him and use the verbal cue "bark" as you give him a treat. This will allow him to start to associate the word "bark" with the action of barking. Step 2- When your dog stops barking, give him a different treat with the vocal cue "quiet". This will get him to associate the word "quiet" with the action of not barking. Step 3- Train, train, train with a lot of patience. Repetition is key. Training does not happen over night and takes a lot of diligence and patience. Only train your dog for about 15 minutes a day in 5 minute sessions. Otherwise, you risk over saturating your dog and stressing them out. Once the behavior is learned, practice it weekly in order to maintain the behavior. 
4.  Desensitize your dog to whatever it is that is making him bark. For example, if it is the mailman, sit with your dog everyday the mailman comes and practice the quiet command while redirecting your dog to an incompatible behavior like laying on his bed or going to his kennel. 

You will notice that I didn't put in here to "remove the stimulus". Some people recommend doing things like closing the shades when people are walking by (if your dog barks at that) or bringing your dog inside if your dog barks at people walking by. I don't think that really helps all that much, because you are basically avoiding the situation instead of teaching your dog a positive behavior to associate with the situation. Plus, seriously, who wants to live their whole life with the shades down because you are afraid someone is going to walk by and your dog will start barking. That is giving your dog way too much control of the situation and leaving you kind of helpless. Instead, work with the situation. If your dog is barking at the walkers going by, sit there with your dog practicing the "quiet" command with an incompatible behavior. Or rally up your friends to purposely walk by so you can practice. It takes a lot of patience and diligence to have a furry friend in your family, but it also brings a lot of joy. Raising a canine companion will bring out a lot of positive traits in yourself that you had no idea you could foster.