Why I Became A Trainer

Yesterday was a good day.  For those of you who have seen me recently, you know that I just closed on my first house this week.  Instead of supervising movers yesterday, though, I went with my clients and friends, Jean and CJ, to support them as they took their CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and TDI (Therapy Dog International) tests.

When I first met Jean and her husband (and as I worked with them) I was told, "We really do believe that CJ was meant to be a therapy dog.  He was meant to help people."  So, we had our goals, and we were off!  Jean was wonderful with CJ.  I enjoyed watching her become more confident with her CJ, and I especially enjoyed watching CJ start to respond to her.  They were really developing a special bond.

Admittedly, CJ and Jean had tried for the CGC once before.  CJ was fantastic and did great on 9 out of 10 steps, but on the 10th (reaction towards other dogs) he just became too excited.  He's definitely a dog who loves to play!  It was hard to watch Jean's reaction to the news.  Of course, she loves her dog, but she was obviously disappointed.  She was disappointed in herself, in her dog, and whether she's willing to admit it, I'm sure she was a little disappointed in me.  To be honest, I was a little disappointed in me too!

Luckily, though, she's not a quitter.  We reevaluated what was going on and got right back to work.  Obviously he'd be a great therapy dog.  He loves being loved and he loves other dogs (even the dogs who don't love him).  He just needed to learn how to control his excitement.  We took CJ to the dog park, and we brought dogs to him.  We worked on techniques to keep his attention focused on Jean, and we worked with Jean to ensure she knew how to handle any situation that came her way.  By yesterday, I was confident he'd pass with flying colors.

I was confident, but that doesn't mean I wasn't nervous.  I didn't know if I could handle that sort of disappointment again.  After 45 minutes of testing, however, Jean and CJ were given the news they'd done wonderfully and had passed.  YAY!!!  I took pictures as Jean did a happy dance and CJ, realizing that work was over, tried to find a dog to play with him.  I was happy for them.

It wasn't until we got back to their house, however, that I realized how wonderful the situation was.  I watched Jean interact with CJ.  Of course she was thrilled, and CJ just soaked up all the love and affection she could give him.  I watched Jean give CJ kisses, walk away, and then walk back just to give him more kisses (multiple times).  I watched as she hugged CJ and told him what a wonderful, fantastic boy he was.  I watched CJ as he wagged his tail and gave kisses back.  I watched until I couldn't watch any more and had to join in the fun.

The entire time I was watching, though, I was thinking, "This is why I'm a trainer.  I love seeing this!"  I became a trainer to help people build and develop that special bond with their dogs.  I want to see them reach their full potential and not just get along with their dogs, but really enjoy them too.

Congratulations Jean and CJ!  You deserve it.

If Only I Had a Trampoline

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Vaccines

Vaccines are Making Our Dogs Sick

The above link talks about the hazards of over vaccinating.  It says that, yes, dogs do need vaccinations but they don't necessarily need them every single year, and that such a schedule only benefits drug companies and veterinarians, but may harm our dogs (and cats).

I wasn't completely convinced by the article, but I thought I should ask my vet anyway.  Here's what Dr. Lori Pasternak from Richmond, VA has to say about the issue:

I do have my own opinion about vaccines, although it's not black/white. I see many dogs still die of parvo and less often distemper. I've seen a few cases of leptospirosis in the past 3 years and kennel cough is very common (I think of it as the equivalent of doggie flu). So yes, vaccines are very important. The big question for me lies in, how often? And that is where the veterinarian needs to talk with the owner to determine an individual pet's risk for these diseases. Not every animal needs every vaccine out there. A pet's lifestyle, where they live and go should determine what diseases they are at risk for. I do think all puppies should be vaccinated and boostered until they are 16 weeks, after that, it should be determined by a conversation between client and vet as to what the pet needs. Just like with my kids, I educated myself about the diseases my kids were to be vaccinated for and made an educated decision about what vaccines were right for them. Pet owners should do the same. I must admit, I do not vaccinate my pets annually but they are very low risk as they are old and never leave my property anymore.  Drawing blood for titers is an option, but it is costly. The vaccines are labeled my the manufacturer to only be effective for 1 year, but I'm sure in some/ most animals they may last longer. The only way to know from animal to animal is to run titers.  Once I did run a titer on a dog after 1 year post vaccine and that dog had a strong titer for distemper,  but no titer for parvo. Interesting, but really confuses the issue. I hope this makes sense. Not very cut and dry, but nothing about vaccines is.

So there you have it.  The vaccination issue isn't completely cut and dry.  It may not be in your best interest to vaccinate every year, but seven years may be too long.  One thing you should keep in mind, though, is that the yearly vaccinations also allow your vet to do a general health check, checking on eyes, ears, and general overall well-being.  If you do decide to vaccinate less, I still encourage you to keep regular vet appointments.  It is important to keep the conversation open with your veterinarian.  Talk to your vet and together the two of you can come to an agreement on what may be best for both you and your beloved friend. 

Bad Weather

In case you're not from Virginia and don't watch the weather, the east coast is getting slammed with a major snow storm.  Actually, we're on our third snow storm of the season, which is virtually unheard of in this part of VA.  Unfortunately, this means that we as dog owners aren't necessarily prepared for the circumstances, and our dogs are the ones to suffer.  It's a lot harder to jog when the sidewalks and roads aren't plowed.  Who wants to go to the park when it just means that the dog will come home covered in mud and we'll be freezing?  This is fine when you just have to worry about a day, but what happens after a week?  What does your dog do then?  More importantly, what do you do when your dog is so bored he starting to chew on furniture, shoes, or even your carpet?

Play Inside
Move furniture around, secure all breakables, and have a romping good time!  The kids will really love this one too.  Just be forewarned, things will get a bit crazy and loud.  If you live in an apartment, your neighbors might not appreciate it.  Also, keep in mind that this play time needs to last longer than 5 minutes.  Can you handle the dogs going crazy for 30 minutes or more?  No?  Then this probably isn't the best idea for you.

Work on Obedience or Teach New Tricks
One of the things I tell every single one of my clients is that dogs need more than simple physical stimulation.  They need mental stimulation as well.  This can mean changing your walk routine, teaching your dog agility (or any other dog sport) or working on obedience.

  If your dog knows agility, try practicing some at home.  Use a broom handle as a jump and a hoola hoop as a tire.  Use your stairs to practice two paws on, two paws off (a handy trick for the a-frame and teeter).

If your dog doesn't know agility, try to just practice your basic obedience.  Dogs who are new to sits and stays may find this a bit more difficult, so the mental exercises will be good for them.

Some dogs, however, are bored with obedience but don't know any other sports.  Take this time to teach them something fun and new.  You can invest in any trick-training book at your local bookstore or you can make up your own.  I used a day like this to teach Cody to sit pretty (beg) and to bow.  You may want to work on teaching your dog how to open and close cabinets or how to fetch.  I've even had a client teach her dogs to run to the bathroom and jump in the tub on the cue "Tornado," a handy tool to have in a stressful weather situation.  Have fun coming up with new ideas for your dog.  Keep in mind, however, that training doesn't need to be long.  Keep it to 15-20 minutes max or else you and dog will both get bored or frustrated (or both).

Play Games
Have fun with games like Hide and Seek.  You can do this a few ways.  One of my favorites involves hiding a toy stuffed with treats while your dog waits in another room.  Once the toy is hidden, encourage your dog to find it.  Note: It's helpful if your dog already has a cue to grab a toy.  "Find your frisbee" is Cody's favorite.   Another, two-person, method is to have one person hide with treats while the other person waits with the dogs.  Once the person is hidden, the dogs can be released.  When they find the person, they'll get a treat.

Head Outside
Just because you can't go for your normal walk or jog, doesn't mean you can't have fun in the snow.  Try to tap into your inner child and head on out into the cold.  Some dogs love this, but others just think it's an icky mess.  See how your dog reacts.  I love having snowball "fights" with Cody, but I have to keep an eye on his coat.  The longer hair means cold snowballs attach.  Sometimes, my husband and I will even play hide and seek in the snow.  He'll cover himself with snow and I'll send Cody to find him.  Of course, that's only a game to play if you can handle the wet cold.  I can't, which is why my husband is the one who hides.

Try the "Joring" Sports
"Joring" is a Norwegian word that means "driving."  The most common form of "joring" is dog sledding, but you may also try your hand at skijoring.  Skijoring, in the simplest of terms, is cross-country skiing with your dogs.  Or dog sledding on skis.  Of course, it's best if your dogs have some experience in this or else you may find you're being dragged out of control.  That being said, I have some great memories as a child of trying to "mush" my dogs.  If your dogs are really big pullers in the snow, try attaching yourself to a harness (collars aren't safe for this) and see if they'll pull you around on a toboggan.  Make sure you're strong enough to stop your dog if necessary, and, most importantly, NEVER try this on a hill.  Traveling downhill without the proper equipment could be extremely dangerous for both you and your dog.   Lastly, I'll note that my dogs growing up never were big pullers, so when I yelled "MUSH!" (a command they'd never heard) they merely turned around and gave me kisses.  I was ok with that.

I hope, no matter what you decide to do, you have fun with your dog.  Keep your dog safe in the weather and make sure you both get plenty of water.  Check your dog's paws to make sure they aren't to cold, and make sure you don't stay outside for too long.  Lastly, if you have any other ideas, let me know!

The Angry Owner

"Lady! Lady! Lady, be quiet! Lady, it's ok. Be quiet! LADY! LAAAAAAADY!"

Does this sound like an exchange between you and your dog?  Unfortunately, for too many people, this is exactly how they talk to their dogs.  Of course, it's not always because the dog is barking.  I've often heard, "Sit.  Sit.  Sit, sit sit!  SIT!" while I watch the dog stare on in utter confusion, and it makes me wonder why people try to communicate they way they do.

Dogs do not speak English.  They also don't speak French, Spanish, Italian, or Czech (my husband might argue that all dogs speak German, but I can assure you they don't speak that either).  Dogs speak dog.  Period.  Unfortunately for dogs, most owners only speak primate.  Most owners think the best way to communicate is by repetition and volume.  The problem is, if your dog didn't understand "sit" before, she's not going to understand it simply because you said it louder. 

When training a dog, it's important that we as owners and trainers realize that we're really teaching our dogs ESL (English as a Second Language).  That, however, requires us to speak dog.  Think of it this way, if you were trying to learn Spanish, and had never heard the language before, what good would it do for your Spanish teacher to walk in and say, "Buenas dia, clase.  Sientase por favor."   You'd sit there a bit baffled.  Would it help if your Spanish teacher repeated the command?  "Sientase."  How about if he said it louder?  "SIENTASE!"  What about a clarifier?  "Yo dijo, 'SIENTASE!'"  Do you understand the command yet?  No?  Oh, in that case, "Sit!"  Great, now we're on the same page. 

Unfortunately, this is what our dogs go through every day.  Sit.  Sit!  SIT!  I said, SIT!  Instead of then actually trying to translate for our dog we just become frustrated and angry.  (Note: If you're reading this and can't seem to figure out what the best thing to do in this situation would be, I beg you, please call a trainer or some other animal specialist.  Take the time to learn how to speak to your dog.)

So, how do dogs communicate?  Before I answer that question, let me ask you another.  When you come home from work, what does your dog do?  Does she walk up to you calmly and say, "Oh, hi Mom!  I missed you today.  I'm happy you're home."  No?  Ok, so what does she do?  Does she instead run up to you, tail wagging, face smiling, sometimes jumping all over and giving you kisses?  Yes?  Fantastic.  She's talking.  Dogs communicate with their bodies.  They wag their tales, they raise their fur, they stretch.  They don't need words, their bodies say it all.  Not only that, but their body language is completely different from our own.  Let me give you an example, first from a person's point of view and next from a dog:

Maria was looking for a new dog, so she went to her local shelter.  As she walked through the kennels, she looked to the right and there he was.  Drew was perfect.  Maria walked straight through the door and patted Drew on the head.  She smiled when he backed away and said, "It's ok.  Don't worry."  After a while of petting Maria was in love.  She scooped Drew up, held him close and said, "Ok, I'll take you home."  That's when Drew bit her

Now from Drew's perspective:

Today, I was sitting in my kennel.  It's a soft kennel, a clean kennel.  No one really bugs me.  But today, this weird, two-legged creature came by.  I don't know what I did wrong, but she passed by all my friends, turned right to me and came forward.  I was pretty scared by her challenge (I'm not really an alpha dog) so I backed away a bit.  She really must not have been happy, though, because she kept coming forward and even swiped at me and hit me on the head.  When I tried to back away again, she barred her teeth and whined which was kind of confusing, so I just decided to stand still.  All I could think was, "Please don't hurt me!"    Then, all of a sudden, she lunged!  She grabbed me and was pulling me towards her.  I'm a pretty gentle guy, but I can only take so much.  I had to protect myself.  I bit her.  Thank goodness that worked!

Drew isn't necessarily a mean dog, he just doesn't understand.  While some dogs, especially those raised in a house from puppy-hood, can learn to understand people talk (just like a baby can learn to speak multiple languages spoken in a home) many dogs just haven't had the proper exposure.  Instead of labeling Drew as vicious, aggressive, or even cranky, maybe we should label him as non-fluent...just like he labeled Maria.

Then, instead of condemning this dog to a kennel (or worse), we can try to "speak" to him on his terms so we may both come to a basic understanding.  Once we've learned his language, we can try to teach him some of ours.  That way, when someone else tries to "hug" Drew, we have a way of letting him know it's o.k.

Again, for those of you who just aren't sure what to do, don't be afraid to seek guidance.  Read books, ask a trainer, even talk to your vet.  Just, please, don't write your dog off. 

Submissive Elimination

Submissive peeing is something that often occurs in fearful or anxious dogs, and is usually found in younger dogs.  It is often found in dogs with some history of abuse, and usually occurs when a dog feels threatened.  It is important in a dog with submissive peeing issues that you try to build the dog’s confidence and keep all experiences positive and happy.

• Check for Medical Issues
• Sometimes inappropriate elimination is actually a sign of other problems.  Be sure to test to make sure everything is ok with your dog’s kidneys and urinary tract.  Some common tests are a biochemical analysis, a bacterial culture, and antibiotic sensitivity.

• Build Your Dog’s Confidence
• Dogs who eliminate inappropriately have low-confidence levels.  Because of this, it is important to raise the dog’s confidence. 
• Reward confident postures and behaviors
• Avoid direct eye contact.  Look at his back or tail instead.
• Never pet the top of his head.  Approach from underneath and pet under his chin.
• Approach your dog from the side, and never present your full front.
• Go to your dog’s level. 
• When doing this, remember to bend at the knee rather than at the waist.  You want to avoid standing over your dog.
• Whatever you do, do NOT scold your dog for inappropriate elimination.  You will only make the problem worse!

• Play Games
• Tug of War- Let your dog win!

• Using Obedience
• There are a few different views on obedience and submissive urination.  It is my suggestion, however, that obedience be lessened or put on hold until the problem has lessened.

Why Does My Dog Pee on My Bed?

One thing I've heard from quite a few clients is that their puppy will pee in their bed.  Honestly, a few occasions it hasn't even been a puppy at all, but rather a young adult.  Of course, the owners of these dogs are frustrated and furious.  They love their dogs, but are at their wits end.  They're tired of washing sheets and just want a dog they don't have to worry about.  So, what does cause a dog to pee on a bed?

The Cause
The number one reason dogs pee on your bed is the exact same reason they chew your dirty underwear and socks...it smells like you.  In the wild dogs, and young dogs especially, encounter numerous different predators.  When they encounter a predator, they have two choices.  They can fight or they can run, and neither of these is extremely beneficial for the dog.  So, to avoid running into one of their foes they try to cover their scent.  In the wild (and often on farms or in the country), dogs will roll in the nastiest things, like poop or dead animals.  In your house, they roll in your dirty underwear and, you guessed it, your bed.  Young dogs especially have to be careful, so they try to cover the smell of their urine as well.  What better spot to hide their scent than in the scent of their protector and guardian.  Your bed smells like you...a lot...so your dog is hiding his scent in your bed.  By peeing in your bed, and hiding the smell of his urine, your dog is making himself feel less vulnerable and less exposed. 

Another Reason
Some dogs are known as "submissive eliminators."  Many people find a submissive dog to be extremely desirable (easy to calm, eager to please, good with the family, etc.).  An overly submissive dog, however, can be a bit of a problem.  Submissive eliminators tend to pee...a lot.  They tend to pee when excited.  They'll pee when they're scared.  Sometimes they'll even pee just because someone entered the room.  Their pee is actually a huge sign of respect.  If your dog tends to squat whenever you walk in the room, then your dog is probably a submissive eliminator.  Younger dogs often grow out of this behavior, but if you have an older dog who is still exhibiting this behavior, refer to the post on submissive elimination or consult your vet on local animal behaviorist.

A Common Misconception
Because your dog feels most vulnerable right after being scolded and often after being left alone, these are the most common times for your dog to pee on your bed.  Because of this, many people think the dog is doing this out of spite.  I'll often hear, "I yelled at him for digging in the garbage, and he was so mad he went to my bedroom and peed on my bed!"  This is often supported by the fact that the dog often looks guilty after such an incident, like he knew he was doing something terrible and felt remorseful afterward.  The truth, however, is that your dog is peeing in your bed because he's afraid.  He feels vulnerable either because you yelled at him or because you left him alone.  He's trying to feel safe again.


What Can I Do?
The simplest, most logical treatment is to not allow your dog on  your bed.  If you're not home or are unable to supervise your dog, put him in a crate.   You may think it sounds cruel, but I guarantee you that after a short while in the crate your young dog will start to find comfort by being in it.  Besides, if your dog can't get on your bed, he can't pee in your bed.

Next, you want to make sure your dog is completely housebroken.  Your dog may be confused as to where he's supposed to go.  Take the time to return to house training 101.  This will do wonders for you in the long run.

After that, it's all about keeping things clean.  If your dog can still smell his urine from previous accidents he'll be more likely to urinate there again.  When you're cleaning up a mess, try using a special pet odor eliminator (I use Hartz).  Also, make sure you keep your sheets clean.  If you're one of those unlucky people who sweat a lot at night, wash your sheets (including your mattress cover) on a regular basis.

All in all, it comes down to knowing your dog.  What will set him off?  What frightens him and what does he like?  Take the time to "read" your dog and work with your dog, and you'll end up with a wonderful relationship.