Training: "Leave it" in 5 Steps

"Leave it" is a training skill that could potentially save your dog's life. Before you start to train your dog on how to leave something on the ground, it's best that they have already mastered "sit" and leash walking. Below, I have outlined how to teach your dog how to "Leave It", but first I would like to explain how to go about teaching your dog this skill:

1. Only teach your dog a new skill for about 15 minutes a day in 5 minute sessions. "Leave it" is a good skill to practice during commercial breaks. 😏 If you go all hard core on the training and do more than 15 minutes a day in 5 minutes sessions, you risk over saturating your dog and stressing them out.... or they will just become plain ol' bored with the task and not listen to you.

2. In my steps, you will see "P/R". This means "Praise and Reward". Praise= a "good job" or "good boy/girl!" with lots of happy enthusiasm. Reward= a treat. Usually pea sized treats are sufficient for training sessions. If your dog does not respond to food treats, you may need to get creative on what reward to use.

3. Do not move onto the next step until your dog has mastered the previous step. Mastering a step may take a few days. These steps are not meant to be blasted through in one day!

And now.... the steps!

Once your dog has mastered step five, you can move on to practicing with real life objects: table scraps, cat boxes, dirty diapers... pretty much all the gross stuff dogs like to get into that they really shouldn't. Once the skill is learned by your dog, make sure to practice it weekly in order to maintain the training! Otherwise, you may have to start all over again. 😞

Dog Breed Personalities

In the past, I have written about choosing a pure bred vs. a shelter dog, how to choose a shelter dog and how to choose a dog breeder. But, I have yet to write in  more detail about dog breed personalities and traits. I am not saying that every individual dog of a specific breed is basically a clone of another of the same breed. As all dog owners know, individual dogs will have their own quirky personality specifically for them. What I am saying is that when choosing a dog breed, you must know historically why that dog was bred. Once you have that gem of knowledge, understanding why your dog does what it does will help you ease a lot of training frustrations. After all, some things may just be a bit more hardwired into your dog than you think.

There are seven main dog breed groups in the dog world: Herding, Hound, Sporting, Terrier, Toy, Working and "non-working" (Basically, anything that doesn't fit into a nice tidy category). I provided examples of breeds for each group, but not every breed. You will need to research your dog's breed to know where it belongs if I have not provided it.

Herding: Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepard, Border Collie, Belgian Sheepdog, Bearded Collie, German Shepard, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Puli and Shetland Sheepdog.

These dogs are smart and serious with a lot of energy. They can be territorial of "their" property (which might mean you, the owner) and can make a great watchdog. They have a tendency to bump and nip at people. This is an innate response from being historically bred to herd (which is also why they are territorial!) They are intelligent, easy to train, hard working and athletic. Companionship is also very important to them and they make great family dogs.

Hound: American Foxhound, Basset Hound, Beagle, Dachshund, Greyhound, Norwegian Elkhound, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Treeing Walker Coonhound and Whippet.

There are two types of hound dogs: scent hounds and sight hounds. Depending upon what type of hound you have, will determine the aspects of their traits. Scent hounds tend to be tough and slow. Sight hounds are agile and speedy. Both types are inquisitive, independent and INTELLIGENT. Hounds can be trained... if they want to be trained 😂. If they don't think your training is a worthwhile objective, they will simply ignore you. Owners must provide their hound with a secure area for exploration and when on walks a leash. Hounds tend to be so inquisitive, they will often wander off if left to their own devices.

Sporting: Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Pointer, Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Irish Setter, Korean Jindo Dog, Labrador Retriever, Weimaraner.

Sporting dogs are active, easy to train, friendly and alert at all times. They are great multi-taskers and bred to be hunters. If you have a water dog of this group, your dog will most likely want to spend the rest of their days swimming and at the lake's edge. Sporting dogs make great therapy and assist dogs. They need to be entertained and exercised. They are not a lazy man's dog, but they make an excellent family dog. I would recommend researching what the specific breed of your sporting dog and devise enrichment that suits their hunting style whether it is finding, pointing, flushing out, holding or retrieving.

Terrier: Jack Russell, Rat Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Scottish Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Welsh Terrier.

Terriers can be great fun. They can be high energy and be feisty. Therefore, parents of a terrier will also need high energy.  Historically, they were bred to be hunters of small animals and have a tendency to dig. Owners will need to provide "work" for them. In their mind "work" = "playtime"!

Toy Dog: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Chines Crested Dog, Italian Greyhound, Maltese, Pomeranian and Pug.

Toy dogs were specifically bred to be companions. They are loyal, have a lot of character and can be territorial depending upon their upbringing and breed. Toy dogs do not need a lot of space, but do need a lot of cuddles and attention.

Working: Akita, Boxer, Great Dane, Mastiff, Portuguese Water Dog, Saint Bernard, Samoyed and Siberian Husky.

Working dogs are the most diverse of the dog groups. They were bred to help you whether it be pulling sleds, search and rescue or guarding livestock. These dogs are strong and smart. When properly socialized, they are super friendly and a good match for most people as long as there is lots of space, consistency and they are kept active. Because this group is so diverse, it is best to research your dog's specific breed of this group in order to understand what job your dog was historically bred to accomplish.

Non-Sporting Group: Bichon Frise, Boston Terrier, Bulldog, Dalmatian, Keeshond, Lhaso Apso, and Poodle.

Basically, a Non-Sporting dog is a grouping that was devised for breeds that used to be working dogs, but no longer perform the activity in which they were originally bred. They are also dogs that don't quite fit in the above categories. Maybe it's a small dog that isn't small enough to be a "toy" or a hunting dog that doesn't fit into the hound or sport category. Who knows. These dogs seem to be the most diverse when it comes to personality and can fit a number of different people or families. When it comes to a non-sporting dog, it's important to learn the dog's individual personality and back history before deciding whether it will be a good fit for you or your family.

Like I have said above, just because your dog belongs in one of these groups, does not necessarily mean it will be a clone. Every dog has it's own specific personality that is blending in with it's historical breeding. Understanding your dog's history whether it's breed or present day upbringing, can prepare you for communication and understanding of your specific dog.

Heartworms in Dogs

A heartworm is a parasitic worm that is transmitted by mosquitoes to your dog. It is easy to prevent, but can be difficult and costly to cure. Your dog can become infected when bit by a mosquito that is infected with the heartworm larvae. There is no way you can detect if a particular mosquito is infected, but it only takes a bite from ONE infected mosquito for the larvae to be transmitted to your dog.

Once the larvae has been transmitted to your dog, it takes about 7 months for it to mature into an adult heartworm. These little buggers travel through your dog's body and lodge into the heart, lungs and blood vessels to reproduce. Adult worms can get up to about a foot long and can live 5-7 years reproducing and causing permanent damage inside of your dog. A dog can get up to 250 worms inside there body! YUCK. If left untreated, the infestation will eventually kill your dog in a not so nice way.

Luckily, there are readily available preventatives you can give your dog in the form of monthly chew tablets (that dogs think are treats), monthly topicals and a 6-month injectable.  The preventatives are the way to go in terms of health and cost efficiency. If your dog already has heartworms, there is a treatment: Immiticide, which is an injectable arsenic based product that must be given 2- 3 times to your dog. The cost for treatment can range from $300-$1000 depending upon where you live. The catch to just relying on treatment instead of a preventative is that heartworms can cause serious permanent damage to your dog's heart, lungs and blood vessels. During treatment, your dog must remain quiet for several months afterward. As the worms die from the Immiticide, they break off into tiny pieces and can cause pulmonary blockage. Most deaths after treatment are caused by dogs exercising not from the actual treatment. If a dog gets heartworm and the owner has absolutely no way to pay for the treatment, the monthly preventative (Ivermectin) can be given instead. BUT, it takes about TWO YEARS for Ivermectin to eradicate the worms and in the meantime permanent damage to the heart, lungs and blood vessels will happen. In addition, heartworms are not a one time deal. Your dog can get repeat infections if not given the preventative.

How Can I Tell if My Dog Has Heartworms?
Initially, you dog will have no symptoms, but as the worms multiply and take up more space inside your dog, you will notice:

• A chronic cough
• Your dog will get easily tired from exercise
• Abnormal lung sounds
• Pass out from lack of blood to the brain
• Eventually death

 Can Heartworms Be Passed to Humans?
No. Heartworms are a specific parasite to dogs, cats and ferrets. It is VERY rare for a human to get heartworms and even if a human does become infected, the worm cannot complete it's cycle. Also, Heartworms cannot be transmitted from dog to dog. It must be transmitted through a mosquito. Even if a mosquito bites an infected dog and then bit an uninfected dog. There is an incubation period that has to take place inside the mosquito before it can transmit the larvae.  

The best way to keep your dog happy, healthy and free of these really gross parasites is to give your dog the preventative. Recommendations are to give your dog the preventative even in the cold months. Repetition breeds habit and humans are notorious for forgetting. If you stop giving your preventative in the winter, you are more likely to forget to give it to your dog in the high-risk seasons. For more information, please visit these sites:

Heartworms in Dogs: Facts and Myths, WebMD, http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/heartworms-in-dogs-facts-and-myths 

Heartworm Basics, American Heartworm Society, https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm-basics 

Heartworms, Pets and Parasites, http://www.petsandparasites.org/dog-owners/heartworms/

How Much Sleep Does a Puppy Need?

So you got a new puppy and for most of the day this little fur ball is the cutest thing in the world. But during particular times of day, your little wiggly butt turns into a beast of incessant barking and biting. Let's face it, those puppy teeth HURT. So what's up with that? Chances are, your puppy is tired and overstimulated. Puppies need A LOT of sleep, and I mean A LOT. Dog's sleep more than humans (lucky them), but a puppy needs more sleep than most people think. The younger the puppy, the more sleep they will need. A newborn puppy will sleep about 22 hours a day and use the rest of it's time for things like nursing. At 3-months, your puppy will need about 15-20 hours of sleep a day. This sleep is crucial for body development. Things like: building muscle, brain development and improving the immune system. If your puppy does not get enough sleep, you get a cranky, destructive teeth chomper that is at risk for infections and illness. NOT GOOD.

The problem is that, like human toddlers, puppy toddlers don't necessarily know when they should sleep. They want to play, play, play! It's your job, as the canine parent, to teach your puppy the appropriate sleep patterns.

How To Help Puppy Sleep:

• Create a sleep friendly environment: A dog can hear 4x's the distance of a human and has 125-300 million scent glands compared to a human's measly 5 million. Nap time for a puppy should be quiet and dark with minimal noise. This may mean having puppy in a separate room from all the other household activity. Adjusting the light and noise is critical to making sure your puppy is getting good sleep.
• Give your puppy new experiences, but allow them to process those experiences afterward: Taking your puppy to the park or downtown is great for proper socialization skills. But again, remember that a dog's senses are much different from our own. What you may consider a mundane walk through the neighborhood is an overwhelming amount of smells and noises to your puppy. Give your puppy new experiences, but give them time to sleep and process afterward.
• Exercise: It's always good to provide your dog with daily exercise. An under exercised dog will become frustrated and find not-so-good ways to express this frustration. But, on the flip side, an over exercised puppy will become cranky. It's the body's way of saying "Hey! I need sleep!"
• How to Handle a Cranky Puppy: If you find yourself in a situation where your puppy is barking, biting and overall just being a little terror. Don't just toss them in the crate and call it good.  Remember, a puppy might not realize he/she is tired! You must first find a way to calm your puppy and then put them in "the sleep zone". A crate should be a positive experience and should not be used for "punishment". If you are frustrated with your over-tired little fur ball, they will sense that frustration. Tossing them in the crate while frustrated will cause them to associate their crate to a negative feeling.  

 There are times when you should worry that your puppy is getting too much sleep and something might be wrong. Puppies, like human children, will sleep more during growth spurts, but if your puppy has low energy while awake, you may want to take them to the vet. Your puppy may be anemic or have an internal parasite. Anemia can be caused by things like a flea infestation and a flea infestation can lead to internal parasites like tape worms.

For more about sleep and dogs, please visit these other posts by Bark City:

• Rest: Why It's Important for Canines
• What Your Dog's Sleep Position Communicates