The first 24 hours

I have already written about how important the first 24 hours are when you bring home a new dog. (Please read "Bringing home a new dog" for a refresher) But, I got a call last night about a recently adopted dog. The dog had only been in his new home for three hours and the new owners had already changed their mind about him. Sadly, this is common.

The first 24 hours you have with your dog are arguably the most crucial. Remember, your new dog does not yet know this is his new pack, they do not know the rules, they do not even realize this house is their house. Many times people get a "house trained" dog, and the first thing the dog does is pee on their carpet. It is not that the dog isn't house broke, it is simply that they are not trained to your house.

When you get a new dog you must follow certain steps. 1. The leash! never bring a new dog into your car or house without the leash. It gives them guidance, shows them rules, and makes them feel secure.

2.Do NOT let them have free roam of your house. It is confusing to them. When a new dog comes into a pack they are on high alert to learn the rules and their place. If you do not relay those rules in a way they understand how can you fault them for not knowing? Keep them on leash in the house, and allow them to explore only what you say they can. This teaches them that they are the follower in this new pack and you are the leader. You can show them where the bathroom spot is, what toys are okay to play with, and how much excitement is allowed in the home.

Dogs are a sponge the first 24 hours. They are hard wired to be alert to the rules of the pack they are in. Correct the dog with a sound or a tug on the leash any time they go to do something that is not allowed in your pack. It is not mean or cruel. You are not hitting or yelling at them. You are just saying "This is my pack, follow my rules." This is what makes a dog feel secure.

3. Save the snuggles. This is so important. We all want to love on our new pet, but first your dog has to learn to respect you. While they may respond to lots of petting and attention you aren't helping them transition into your pack. The pack leader DOES NOT give affection first. In the wild when a dog is following the rules, showing respect, and approaching the pack leader, only then will the alpha return with affection. This rule is the hardest to follow but remember it is for the dog's benefit. He needs to know where he fits and what role he plays in your home. Love and affection does not make a dog feel safe. Rules and boundaries do.

4. Don't expect perfection. Even the most well behaved dog on earth will not be perfect 100% of the time. Dogs are not lovely floor statues. You will make mistakes and so will they. Be patient. If your dog has done something you don't like ask yourself "Was I communicating with him in a way he understands? How can I do it differently next time?"

*Remember, a dog is only as strong as the pack it goes into.

Dogs and Allergies

With spring in the air many dogs sufferer from allergies just like we humans do. Here is an article I found that gives some good information about recognizing an allergy in your dog, and what to do about it. Make sure you always check with a vet before doing any kind of home remedy.

www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/medical/canine-allergies.html

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DIGGING!

I get a lot of calls and questions about dogs digging in the back yard. Honestly, these are my least favorite calls because I can tell an owner exactly how to fix the problem but most of the time they won't. Most owners already know why their dog is digging and how to stop it, but they are hoping I will have some magic wand that will stop the digging but not require them to change their routine. I don't have such a wand.

Dogs dig for only two reasons, and often it is a combination of both. 1) The dog is bored...plain and simple 2) the dog needs to relieve stress

I know the moment I get a "HELP MY DOG IS DESTROYING MY YARD" call that the dog is not going on a daily brisk walk. I also know that the dog is spending large amounts of time alone in the yard. Clients often tell me that they have a "big backyard", when I ask how much exercise their dog gets. I call this the "big backyard myth". You may have 5 acres or you may have .5, it doesn't matter to your dog. Unless you are back there instigating play your dog could care less how big your yard is. Dogs alone get bored. Period.

Think of it like this, in the wild dogs are never alone. They are always with the pack. If they are alone they feel anxious and vulnerable because the pack is their protection. They don't understand that you built a nice strong fence. They still hear dogs down the street, loud trucks, cars back- firing, and they are alone and vulnerable. This is also why dogs bark non stop when left in a back yard alone.

When I tell my clients how to fix the problem they always hesitate. Why? Because they know that this is going to require a change from them, not the dog. If your dog digs up your yard don't leave him in it. Plain and simple. Get up every morning and take him for a nice long walk before he eats. He will have drained his energy and be ready for a few hours of rest. If you have to go to work you can put him in a crate and feel secure that he will be tired and ready for a nap while you’re gone. When you get home another walk and some play time in the back yard.

I don't care what kind of dog you have; it needs at least 30 minutes of structured activity a day. And that is for a low energy dog! High energy will need 60+ minutes a day. What is structured activity? Walking is number one! It is how your dog bonds with you as leader, drains physical and mental energy, and feels a sense of purpose. Structured play is another good activity but is used WITH a walk, not in place. Fetch, frisbee, find it, these are all good game you can play with your dog, and you can intensify those games by making them harder. Make your dog sit and wait before you throw the ball, or do a trick to get it thrown. Make an obstacle course in your back yard and teach your dog to go through it. Dogs love games and the ideas are endless.

I recently had a Heeler mix as a foster and I did not want to leave my Border Collie and him alone out back to make trouble, but when I had to clean house or get ready I designed a game they could play without me to keep them busy. I made a treasure hunt out of our yard. I had both dogs lay and wait in the middle of the yard while I hid pork rinds all over! (The waiting is also a good energy drain) I would hide at least 30-40 pieces of pork rind under bushes, up on chairs, in the grass, even on top of the play set. When I was done I told the dogs to "find it" and I had a good 20 minutes to spend in the house doing what I needed to do, confident the dogs were engaged.

*Remember, if your dog is destroying your yard it is YOU who needs to change, not the dog. You are not meeting all your dogs’ needs. Add in more exercise, structured play, and supervision and you won't have holes. Dogs in the wild dig for purpose. They don't just dig to dig. A big backyard and lots of toys means nothing to a dog if you are not there to engage him.

Jack's Last Chance

Yesterday I worked with a 3 year old Border Collie named Jack. Jack's owners called me as a last resort. Jack had a bad habit of biting people. Everyone from strangers walking by to his own owners! When it came to Jack's aggression no one seemed to get a free pass.

His owners loved him very much but were living in constant fear of a law suit or being forced to put Jack down because of his aggression. I was the third professional they had called in to help with their biting Border Collie.

Unlike the other two professionals who had tried to work with Jack I did not come into his home to challenge him and "put him in his place". (The last person they had in actually instructed them to hit their dog on the nose over and over until he cowered down. That of course only made his aggression worse because dogs do not submit to pain. They submit to secure, calm leadership)

I simply came in to see how I could help this dog. It was not long before I realized Jack had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He lived in constant fear of the world around him. His owners loved him, gave him a nice home, lots of toys, and tried to follow advice they had been given in the past. But what Jack really needed had been overlooked. Jack needed to feel safe!

At one point in my life I had two little babies and my husband had lost his job. He was only out of work for a short time, but that feeling was unforgettable. We did not know what would happen to us and to our family from day to day. It seemed the whole world was resting on our backs and all my husband and I wanted was some security for our family. If you have ever been in a similar situation than you know exactly how Jack was feeling. Jack did not know that guest in the home were there to have fun and visit, he didn't know strangers on the street were not going to harm his family, and everything was a threat!

I spent a good 20 minutes ignoring Jack so he would understand I was no threat to him. Then I placed a treat in my hand and continued to ignore him. He wanted the treat. He licked my hand, pawed at it, begged for it, I still would not even look at him. I did not do this to tease him; I did it to show him that I was a strong confident person who was calling the shots and that he could relax around me. He did. Once he realized my energy was confident and that I was not trying to challenge him he began to respect me. It wasn't long before this "mean" dog was eating out of my hand, literally!

It was wonderful to be able to show his owners what a sweet dog Jack could be when he was relaxed and calm, and it was the first piece to helping this boy. Jack HAS to believe that his owners are strong leaders and can protect the home, pack, and him. Only then will he be able to relax. We came up with an exercise schedule that will give Jack the ability to physically release his fears through running and I helped them find ways to send Jack calm confident messages. We also discussed having him neutered so that sexual frustration does not add to the weight he already is dealing with.

Jack won't change over night, but I believe his owners really want what is best for him and will continue to work on giving him the leadership he needs to feel safe. Jack is a lucky dog! Many people are quick to put down or get rid of a dog that shows aggression. Jack's owners were willing to take a hard look at themselves and make a change to benefit their furry friend. Many of us can't or won't do that and a good dog is often the victim.

*Remember: Love is not enough for a dog to feel secure. They need a leader and they need a leader they trust, not fear. If your dog feels safe he will be able to relax and live in harmony with you and the rest of the world. And don't forget to have your pets fixed! Unless they are breeding on a regular basis it is just not fair to make them suffer sexual frustration.

And please remember that anyone who wants you to "break" your dog with physical harm does not have your dogs best interest at heart and will likely cause more harm than good. NEVER do anything to your dog that goes against your gut... even if a "professional" tells you to.

A House Divided

I recently worked with a client who had a problem that is likely more common than you might think. She had two separate packs living under the same roof. In pack number one were two male pit bulls and the two humans in the home. In Pack number two (and the cause of the chaos) were to Miniature Pinchers, a male and a female.

There is usually a combination of two things that cause pack separation. 1. Is physical division, or keeping certain animals away from certain others. This can happen with cats being separated from dogs, kids being kept away from dogs, or even one human and one dog bonding tightly and other humans having little or no interaction with the dog. 2. The second reason is lack of understandable leadership. I say it as "understandable" because while the human may feel as they are the pack leader they have not communicated that to the dog or dogs, and really the dogs are the ones who need to know it.

Dealing with problem number one of pack separation: Don't separate your animals. If they are dogs feed them at the same time and in the same general area. They don't have to eat right next to each other, but eating in the same room is a good idea. When feeding remember that the squeaky wheel does not get the grease. The quietest, calmest dog eats first and so on. That way, the dogs learn from each other to be calm at feeding time.

If you have cats or other animals, don't separate them. Teach your dog how to be calm around them. (You can read earlier post about claiming cats, and keeping introductions calm.) The important thing is for you to be in control and for your animals to live in harmony among each other.

If you have a dog that has bonded with one human and growls or nips at the others in the house you likely have two packs. The person who is bonded to the dog MUST assert themselves and correct growling and nipping, and the other members in the house need to take part in the dogs care. Every person in the house should have a job when it comes to each pet. This is how we create leadership and bonding.

The best way to bond with a dog is to walk. Just walk. If you have two dogs that see each other as separate packs, walk them! EVERYDAY! Make sure you are in the lead and they are on the side or behind, then just walk. Walking is primal for dogs. The pack has to get along for survival and they have to migrate for survival too. This is a great way to merge your packs.

Dealing with problem number 2: In the case of the pit bull pack and the Min Pin pack the problem was being caused by a dominant male min pin, and an insecure female. The male was reinforcing the female’s fears of everything by over reacting to everyday normal situations. When the pit bulls were in the house the male would bark, thus telling the female, "These dogs are not in our pack and we don't trust them." And of course, the female did not see the humans as the pack leader, she trusted the messages she got from the male.

I told my client to start walking the min pins separately so they would have a chance to learn that the humans were the leaders. It basically came down to the male min pin telling his female that life was scary and out to get her, and the humans trying to tell her the opposite. The one who was the most convincing was her leader.

I advised them to walk the female with one of the pits and to give her strong leadership so she could begin to relax. Away from the house and away from her "min pin pack leader" she did much better. They are going to have to continue to show all four of their dogs’ leadership so that as they merge the packs their dogs will trust them to do so.

A good example of pack introduction is what my family did yesterday. We brought home two tiny chicks to our pack. Chicks and dogs can spell disaster but it does not have to. Rather than keeping the dogs away from the chicks (which we could only do for so long seeing as these will soon be backyard chickens) we introduced right away and claimed the chicks. I brought our Border Collie in and our foster pit bull and held the chicks to my chest. Claiming them. If they acted too interested I said "MINE" in a strong voice until they backed away. When the dogs were relaxed at my feet and not seeming interested in the peeping noises the chicks were making I allowed them to sniff, correcting with a loud sound if they got overly interested in the birds. It took about five minutes, and unless you are completely secure in your dogs respect for your leadership I don't recommend doing this with vulnerable animals, but in the end we were able to get some really great pictures of our two dogs and new chicks peacefully interacting all as one pack.

*Remember that unless everyone and everything in the house interacts your dog will not see the big picture. Be in control of all things in your dog’s eyes and you can then control the environment.

Calm Milly

Our house got a new foster dog yesterday. A 10 month old pit bull named Milly. Milly came from a very sad situation where she was injured as a young pup and left un-treated. Both her back legs had been broken and re-healed improperly. The great people at Boise Bully Breed Rescue (see links) helped her out and got her the surgery she needed on her legs.


It has only been a few weeks since Milly had major reconstructive surgery to repair her right leg. She still has a large scar and can not yet put weight on it. When we got her I knew it would be important for Milly's safety to remain calm when meeting my 2 yr old Border Collie, Dolly. However, both Milly and Dolly have energy to spare and love other dogs! If I did not carefully control the meeting and teach then that they MUST always be calm around each other, Milly's leg could have been re injured.

To create the environment I wanted I put Milly in an open wire crate where she could see and smell but not get so excited she would be hurt. I brought Dolly in on a leash and walked her over to the "newcomer". Of course my girl wanted to play and get to know Milly, but as the pack leader I had to control the situation. I would give Dolly a correction every time she got excited, and made sure to stay very calm and relaxed myself so the dogs would know what I expected. When they both settled down I would reward them for being relaxed with a treat, but they ONLY got the treat when they were both very, very calm. This told them that to be together meant relaxation.

After about 5 minutes I let Milly out and aloud the dogs to gently sniff and get familiar, making sure to correct with a sound if they tried to escalate to play mode. I had them both lay down side by side and when their ears, tail and mind were relaxed they got rewarded with a treat.

Two young energetic dogs were able to meet and be friends without fear of injury to Milly. Our whole family knows the rule that the dogs only get rewarded when they are calm together and get a correction if excitement sets in. In this way we can be sure no harm will come to either of them and they can enjoy each other safely.

*Remember that sometimes with dogs we have to work against nature for their own good. Like keeping dogs calm when they both want to play. As the pack leader you have control of everything that happens within your pack. Project the energy you want from your dogs onto them and they in turn will be able to follow your lead. Remember that even corrections and rewards should be done with calmness and you will be on your way to a stress free pack!