Lets Get Serious about Getting Wolfie to Come

Why is it the more I try and work with Wolfie to come, it seems that he only comes when he feels like it?  It feel like every time I really, really want him to come, he doesnt feel like it...

I have talked about this before, but because so many of my clients seem to need "refreshing" on this subject, I wanted to talk about it again.

Dogs learn through consistent, repetitive association. They learn that A always equals B.  When I hear this sound or see that hand action, I always do something.  "Always" does not mean sometimes.  When you tell Wolfie to come, he must always come.  If you dont provide this type of learning environment, it wont work, or take a really, really, really long time.

Here is what you do:

• Put a leash on Wolfie.  See Wolfie above?  Guess what, he has a leash on!
• Hold the leash, step back to the end of the leash, and go to your knees.
• Now, say Come.  If he doesnt come, give a little tug on the leash to guide him in your direction.
• When he reaches you, praise him for doing the right thing.

Guess what just happened!  You said "come" and Wolfie came to you.  If Wolfie didnt come to you, you gave him a little tug on the leash and he came to you.  A sound (command) resulted in a unique and consistent action.  That is how Wolfie learns and that is the method you used to teach him.

Until Wolfie will come to you every time you give the come command without your need to guide him with a gentle tug, do not say "come" if you dont have the leash.  This opens up the possibility that he wont come to you and you will no longer be consistent.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Why do Dogs Sometimes Get Crazy at People in the Car

My dog is the greatest dog in the world until he goes for a car ride.  He just starts barking like crazy!  He barks at everyone as I drive down the street.  He doesn’t do this with people in the house, what’s happening?

I have seen this with so many clients of ours.  Let’s just say here is a picture of your dog in the back seat.  You are doing the right thing by constraining him so that he doesn’t fly out of control if you have to slam on the breaks.  So far you are doing great.  But still, he is constantly barking and is driving you crazy.  That is bad.  What is the problem and how can you fix it?

...The answer is simpler than you think and the explanation is just as simple.

Dogs are always very aware of dominance; who is the boss, who is the leader.  Who is the dominant one?  Who is in charge?  Look at this picture of your dog.  He is in his car seat that is elevated above the normal seating area which puts him in a raised position.  In the canine world, height is dominance.  Guess what?  You are sitting lower in your drivers seat while your dog is sitting high and mighty in his "dominance seat".  On top of that, you have given him an excellent view of everyone around the car.  He is dominant and he sees all these "other animals" (people) moving around the car.  Some of these "other animals" might even be walking towards the car which gives them an aggressive posture.

Don’t forget that you put your dog in the dominant role and he sees possible aggression towards his pack.  Barking, jumping, growling are all natural actions he could take to try and protect the rest of the "pack".  You put him out in front.  You told him that he was the one who had to protect you and the rest of the people in the car.  You did this by giving him height and dominance.  You elected him the "boss of you".

Now, what do you do?  The answer is simple.  Lower his height.  Find a doggie carrier that you can put on the seat or floor of your car.  Find a car seat that sits on the seat of your car.    All you are doing is lowering the height of your dog and lowering his requirement to be the "boss".  Also, make sure that you dont put him in the front passenger seat, unless you can turn off the air bag release.

This is a quick fix that seems to work over and over again.  Take away your dogs requirement for dominance in the car and your rides will be a whole lot nicer!  Please contact us immediately if you have any questions.  Please feel free to contact us regarding dog training questions at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Getting Wolfie to Stay

No matter what I do, I cant get Wolfie to stay.  I think he just wants to drive me nuts.  I think he is going to stay, but as soon as I walk away, he is up and following me...

What you have done is to try and teach Wolfie too many things too quickly...  Remember that we all learned that 1 + 1 = 2 before we started to work with calculus.  That is the problem we are having with Wolfie.

Lets break to the chase and let me explain exactly what you need to do to start getting your dog to stay:

• Make sure that you have your dog on a leash and that you are in a quiet place with no audible or visual distractions.
• Put your dog in a sit.  If he does not do this the first time and does not stay in a sit position with focus on you, stop the "stay exercise" and simply work on the sit.
• Once your dog is sitting and focused on you, stand in front of him, hold your hand up like a traffic cop, and tell him to "stay".
• He needs to remain in his sitting position while focused on you and, more importantly, your hand.
• After 10 seconds of your dog not moving, slowly step back a few feet (be careful not to tug or pull the leash).  Keep your hand up and always stand tall and face your dog. If he starts to move, correct him.  If he gets up, start the process again.
• Once you reach the length of the leash, make sure that your dog is focused on you and your hand and that you are focused on him.  Wait for 15 seconds.
• Now, while facing him and with your hand up, slowly walk around to your dogs left side.  Next, walk around to his right side.  Finally, return to standing in front of him. Always make sure that he is focused on you.  Again, if at any time he stands up and starts to move, start the exercise from the beginning.
• Return to your dogs side and praise him for a job well done.

It will be quite possible that you will not be able to successfully accomplish all these steps the first time you try.  The first time, you might only be able to stand right in front of him.  After several days, you might get him to stay when you take a few steps back.  It might take a week or so before you can walk to his right and left without his moving.  

It doesnt matter how long it takes to teach him these steps as long as you are ending on a winning experience and you have been consistent in your teaching.  The big thing to remember is to always face your dog while you are teaching and to hold your hand up to give him something easy to focus on.  

We are always telling our clients to understand the world from their dogs perspective.  In this matter, we are telling our dog to sit still and watch our hand.  It is something that they can easily learn and we have gained the result we require.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Getting a Second Dog

My little dog seems so lonely.  I just hate leaving him home alone when I go do work.  I am thinking about getting a “little friend” for him.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing? 

As Dog Trainers, we are asked this question from time to time.  Our clients have to leave their dog home alone while they are at work or their dog seems to show signs of separation anxiety or they think that a second dog will be a good “play buddy” for their current dog.  These are some of the thoughts that go through our clients’ heads and there are a lot more, for sure. The honest answer is that you never completely know what will happen when you bring an additional dog into your family.

My Dog is Lonely:

The idea that a dog is naturally “lonely” when he is left by himself all day is not correct.  Most dogs sleep most of the day while you are at work.  Why do you think they are fully adrenalized and ready to “rock and roll” when you open the door at night?  You have just woken them up and they are now ready to play. 

My Dog has Separation Anxiety:

If your dog is showing signs of separation anxiety, a second dog is normally not the answer.  Separation anxiety, normally shown through destruction, defecation, and persistent barking; is caused by an issue between you and your dog.  You have not established the appropriate bond between you and your dog and your dog is trying to get to you or call you back.  This can easily be resolved through proper behavioral training and does not require the addition of a second dog.

My Dog Needs to be Socialized with Other Dogs:

If you believe that a second dog will help with your dog’s socialization skills, you don’t need to bring a new dog into the pack.  Think about taking your dog to a doggie day care a few times a week.  If you have some neighbors with nice dogs, arrange some play dates in a neutral area. 

If our client still really wants to get a second dog because they are “sure that the new dog will be great for the current one”, we ask them a very simple question:

Are you prepared to take care of another dog, period? 

Getting a second dog can’t be done to simply solve a perceived problem.  What if getting the second dog doesn’t solve the problem?  What then? 

Let’s say that they have assured me that they really want a second dog and will do whatever is necessary to make sure that both will feel happy and safe in their family.  No matter what it takes, they will be the “diligent parents”.

With that said, I council them on the appropriate method to pick and introduce a new dog into their family:

• Check Rescue Groups and the Local Humane Society for dogs you like.  Try and find a “middle of the pack” dog.  This is a dog that doesn’t run at you instantly when you approach the cage or their area.  This dog also won’t stay in the back of the cage or area.  This dog will respond when you address them and will come over to you in a calm and polite manner.  This is important when you introduce this dog to your current dog.
• Have the two dogs meet in a neutral area.  Many groups and Humane Societies have fenced in areas that are used for this purpose.  You can also use a neighbor’s fenced in back yard if that neighbor does not have any pets. 
• Have both dogs on leashes and bring them into the area from different locations.  Walk them around the area while slowly approaching each other.
• Bring them to about eight feet from each other and have both sit.  Once both display submissive body language, allow them to approach each other.   Do not force them.  Let them sniff each other for a few moments and then separate them and have them sit again.
• If all is still going well, walk them around the area again for a few minutes.  Have them sit and then release the leashes.  If either dog shows aggression towards the other, quickly step on the leashes and separate them.
• Continue to let them interact, watching closely for any signs of aggression of fearfulness.  If they eventually lie down and show passive tendencies towards each other, you may have a good match.
• Continue the introduction at your home.  Have both dogs meet on your front lawn.  Have them leashed and walk them around for a moment or two.  Now, allow them to approach and sniff.  Continue this for about fifteen to twenty minutes.
• Take your dog into the house and have him sit in an area away from the front door but with a view of the front door.  Bring the new dog into the house but do not walk directly towards your dog.
• Allow both dogs to sniff if they want. 
• Sit on the sofa with the dogs at opposite ends.  Still have them on their leashes and have them sitting or lying down.  After a few minutes, let the leashes go but do not remove them.
• Get up from the sofa and quietly walk around the room but never leave the room. 

There still is never an air tight guarantee that the two dogs will be “best buddies”, but you have done everything possible to properly introduce and jointly socialize them.  If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers inSouthern Florida.

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Separation Anxiety How Can I Help

Wolfie just goes nuts when I leave the house.  He barks and attempts to destroy everything.  The neighbors tell me that they think there is a "possessed being" in my house.  Is this "separation anxiety" and what can I do about it?

Separation anxiety is one of the most difficult issues to resolve in a dogs behavior.  It is brought about because of prior experiences as shelter or abused dog or lack of leadership in the current environment.  Over the coming months I will be discussing this in more detail, but, for now, lets get going on one thing we can do.

Wolfie and other dogs are very attuned to the sounds around them.  If their territory (home) sounds like everything is fine, they will feel that it is fine.  The way that they come to this conclusion is based on the "white noise" they are processing.  If they hear you doing the laundry or opening the refrigerator, everything is fine, Mommy or Daddy are home, no big deal.  If they dont hear this, they begin to increase their adrenaline and wonder where the rest of the pack actually are. 

Many people leave the TV on for their dogs as "white noise" for their being home.  This could actually be a negative thing if the TV is not always on.  Wolfie learns "A=B".  If the TV is on, you are not here.  Oh my gosh, I have to react to you not being here!  I will bark and destroy! (Just for your information, this is bad.)

We have an interesting solution.  Record about 30 minutes of daily household activities you would normally perform.  About 10 minutes before you leave, turn on the recording.  From this point until you leave, be very quiet.  Now, leave the house while your continuous loop recording continues to play.  

Wolfie now is focused on your natural noises and has been be redirected from your departure and his need to initiate separation anxiety.

This is only one of several things you must implement to successfully resolve Wolfies separation anxiety, but it is a start.  In the coming weeks, I will publish more articles that will assist you to resolve this problem.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Getting Wolfie to Stop Chewing and Teething

Wolfie likes to chew and teeth a lot.  I have tried all the normal ideas like Bitter Apple, Bitter Yuch, Tabasco Sauce, and the like.  It seems that these things make Wolfie want to chew the item even more!  Ideas!  Help!

This training blog is going to be rather short, because I believe I have found the Holy Grail of dogs chewing and teething.

I was at a client about two months ago and our discussion turned to their dogs obsession with chewing on wicker and hands.  Besides the normal corrections that we always teach, I wanted to provide them with a "Plan B".  I knew that the mainstream suggestions of the "Dont Chew on Me" items from the pet stores never worked, so I turned to my favorite suggestion of Hot Sauce.

They said they had some Hot Sauce and went to get it from the kitchen.  Being from Southern California, I assumed it would be a Mexican Hot Sauce.  I was wrong.  My clients were originally from China so they brought out some great Mandarin Chinese Hot Sauce!  (I hadnt had any of this stuff since I frequented a little place called The Mandarin Wak in California!)  This stuff was HOT!

I put three drops of this stuff on my hands and rubbed it in.  I then let their dog come back to my hand, (earlier he chewed on it), he took one sniff/lick, and he was done with that.  I put a few drops on the furniture he was chewing.  After one snip, he was done with that activity.

If your dog has a chewing problem, I think that Chinese Mandarin Hot Sauce is the way to go.  (Since I am also a hot sauce lover, I want to way that is is also really tasty!)   For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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A Tip For Your Dogs Separation Anxiety

Every time I leave the house, Wolfie cries and barks until I come home.  What can I do so that he wont be like that?

Wolfie is experiencing separation anxiety.  When you leave he becomes anxious and will cry and bark for long periods of time.  He will pace back and forth, sometimes jumping up on the window ledges to see if you are coming home yet.  Sometimes this behavior turns destructive.  He might start chewing on the baseboards near the door or on pillows and other pieces of furniture.  In one extreme case, we saw two dalmatians actually eat their way through a wall.

There are many things you can do about this.  For now, I would like to offer one of the suggestions I provide my clients having this problem.

Separation anxiety many times starts with anticipation.  When Wolfie has the ability to anticipate our departure and his solidarity, it builds up the adrenaline and can make the matter even worse.  What we must do is to eliminate Wolfies anticipation of our departure.

We are creatures of habit and usually have set routines for things we do.  This is almost always true when we leave the house.  We need to get our keys, check to make sure the doors and windows are locked, turn off the lights, grab our wallet, put on our shoes, grab our coat, etc.  Many times this process might begin up to 30 minutes before we actually leave.  Wolfie watches us every day and knows every one of our routines.  When he starts to see the "I am leaving" routine, his adrenaline and anticipated anxiety begin to build.  To minimize Wolfies anxiety, we need to "hide" our "I am leaving" routine from Wolfie.

Here is what you do:

• For the next three days, write down everything you do when you leave the house.  Start your list 30 minutes before you actually leave.  After three days, pull out your lists and look for a pattern of repeated actions you do before you leave.  Take these actions and make it your "I am leaving" routine.
• Now, every time you leave, mix up your routine or even eliminate some of the actions.  You might put your briefcase and shoes in the car the night before or leave your car keys in the garage.  Continue to mix up your routine for the next few days.
• Now, start to perform your "I am leaving" routine, but dont leave.  Get all ready to leave, walk out the door, come right back in side, and sit down to watch TV.  Repeat this and then work on the computer.  Even mix up the routine slightly, but dont leave.
• Perform the "leaving" and "not leaving" routines for several days.

What you have done is to show Wolfie that there is not a precursor to your leaving.  There is no need to get anxious because of particular actions.  Although this is not a complete cure for separation anxiety, it is a first step in minimizing the overall level of anxiety.  To completely cure Wolfies separation anxiety, he needs to have a clear picture of his place in the family and your leadership ability. For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Why Fluffy Goes Nuts at People in the Car

My dog, Fluffy, is the greatest dog in the world until she gets in the car.  Bark, Bark, Bark,Bark,Bark!  She barks at everyone as I drive down the street.  What gives?

I have seen this time and time again.  Here is Fluffy in her car seat.  The owner is doing the right thing by constraining her so that she wont go flying around if they had to put on the breaks.  So far so good.  So Fluffy constantly barks and drives you crazy.  That is bad.  What is the problem and how can you fix it?

...The answer is simpler than you think and the explanation is just as simple.

Dogs are always very aware of dominance and their role in the pack.  Who is the dominant one?  Who is in charge?  Look at this picture of Fluffy.  She is in her car seat that is raised off the normal seating which puts her in a raised position.  In the canine world, height is dominance.  Guess what?  We are sitting lower in your drivers seat while Fluffy is sitting high and mighty in her "dominance seat".  On top of that, we have given her a very clear view of everyone around the car.  She is dominant and she sees all these "other animals" (people) moving around the car.  Some of these "other animals" might even be walking towards the car which is a naturally aggressive move.  

We put Fluffy in the dominant role and she sees issues.  Barking, jumping, growling are all natural actions she could take to try and protect the rest of the "pack".  We put Fluffy out in front.  We told her that she was the one who had to protect us.  We did this by giving her height and dominance.  We elected her the "boss of us".

Now, what do we do?  The answer is simple.  Lower her height.  Find a car seat that sits on the seat of your car.  Find a doggie carrier that you can put on the seat or floor of your car.  All you are doing is lowering the height of Fluffy and lowering her requirement to be the "boss".  Also, make sure that you dont put her in the front passenger seat, unless you can turn off the air bag release.

This is a quick fix that seems to work over and over again.  Take away your dogs requirement for dominance in the car and your rides will be a whole lot nicer!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

Read More..