How To Help Wolfies Fear of Storms

I thought that Wolfie was fine with our summer storms, but he is whining, panting, pacing, and just driving me crazy!  I try and comfort him, but it just seems to get worse!

Remember that I am always saying that we should not treat our dogs like humans?  Remember that I am always saying that we should treat our dogs like dogs?  Guess what!  You are treating him like a human, again.  

We have to understand that the sights, sounds, and even the drop in barometric pressure could be very strong negative stimuli on Wolfie.  This will cause him to become unsure and scared of what he thought was his safe environment.  Naturally, he comes to us to reassure his safety.  Here is where the problem begins.

When Wolfie comes to us, whining and getting under our feet, we instinctively go down and pet him and talk to him in a high, "baby voice" tone trying to sooth and console him.  If Wolfie would be our young son or daughter, that might work.  But Wolfie is a dog and he needs to reassured of his safety in a manner consistent by a strong, canine Alpha Leader.

Here is what you do in order to reassure Wolfie of his safety in a manner he requires:

When Wolfie comes to you, stand up, face him, and ask him to sit or lie down.   Give him a "good boy" when he does.  Continue with your work.  If he starts to whine again, stand up, face him, and give him a firm, low toned "No".  Ask him to sit again, praise him, and go on with your work.  

If Wolfie starts to whine again (what a persistent little guy!), take your leash, hook it on his collar, and briskly walk him around the room or the house.  Return to where you started, have him sit, and return to your work.  What you are doing is to correct and redirect Wolfie away from his perceived fear and to have him focus on you.

You are the boss and your appropriate presence should be all the reassurance he needs to maintain his safety.  As you are communicating with Wolfie, you are standing and facing him.  In the canine world, this is a sign of assertion and leadership.  

Give this a try and see how it works for you.  I have used this technique with our dogs for years and it works like a charm!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Wolfie and Pottying When It Is Raining

Wolfie had no problem with pottying until a few weeks ago and we got into rainy season here in South Florida.  Now he doesnt want to go outside and is messing up my carpets!  What gives?

The bottom line here is very simple.  It has been pretty dry here all winter long and Wolfie has been taught to go outside on this stuff that is rather dry when he is not getting wet.  Now he is getting wet and the ground is mushy with puddles and mud.  Some dogs just dont like that.  

"No thank you, I wont go here, I will just wait until I get back inside.  By the way, when is it going to be dry again?"

The answer is that it will be too long to keep my carpets from being ruined.  So, what do we do?  The answer, as with most of my blogs, is pretty simple.  First, we have to understand the situation when everything was going great.  Next, we have to identify when it all fell apart.  We then have to review what is different about the two situations.  And, finally, we have to create a plan to address the differences.   Here we go:

• Lets see...  When the ground is dry and it is not raining, Wolfie goes outside like a champ.
• When the ground is wet and mushy and it is raining, Wolfie just doesnt want to have anything to do with the "outside potty".
• So the difference is wet grass and being rained on.
• We need to find a place that is covered where the ground isnt mushy and is protected from the rain.

Here is what you do:

• Locate a place in your back yard that is protected from the rain.  This can be a patio, covered area off your cabana bath door, etc.
• Get one or two pieces of sod from Home Depot and place them in that protected area.  You might also think of putting something like a big, plastic garbage bag under the sod to keep your deck clean.
• When it is raining, direct Wolfie to the "dry yard" to do his business.
• Switch out the sod every few weeks to keep the grass relatively fresh and the smell under control.

You have now given Wolfie the bathroom he wants and your carpets are now safe!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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