Your Dog and Your Family The Dynamics

My Uncle and I both got puppies from the same breeder at the same time.  When we got them, they both appeared to be just alike.  Now, my Uncles 1 year old Terrier is as calm as calm can be.  Wolfie, his brother, is just a complete crazy nut.  What happened?

The answer is pretty simple, but sometimes the simple things are the hardest to recognize.  From our experience in training over 2,000 doggies in South Florida, family dynamics has a great deal to do with how they are going to act.

If the family is made up of older adults who are normally calm and lead structured lives, their doggie will normally be calm and sedate.  If the family lives an active lifestyle, has children who love to play and chase them, and are always having friends and neighbors over, they will probably have a more active, social, engaging, and (sometimes) annoying doggie.

Remember the old saying, "You are what you eat"?  Our doggies will often adjust to our environment so they "Are who we are".  Since most people are just fine with their calm, well behaved, and sedate doggies, let me focus on some times for the crazy, annoying doggies:

• Dont go nuts with Wolfie in the house.  He will get used to chasing you, barking, jumping, and stealing things from you in the house all the time.  He doesnt understand that he cant do it all the time and will find the most inopportune time to display these annoying traits (that you actually taught him).
• Be sure to find at least 30 minutes every day to play and go nuts with Wolfie in the back yard or any large, enclosed area.  Throw the Frisbee, toss tennis balls, scatter feed, or do anything else that gets him engaged and drains the adrenaline.  Do not play games that might encourage general bad behavior such as tug-of-war, chase-me chase-me, or jump-on-me with him.
• Have your children pet Wolfie calmly by stroking him from the back of his head to the middle of his neck.  This is a very calming and soothing experience for Wolfie.  It also teaches your kids and Wolfie how they can engage each other without going nuts.
• Ask your guests to ignore Wolfie for the first few minutes when they come over.  Wolfie sees your guests entering the house as "new playmates" and will almost instantly engage them by barking and jumping.  Have them ignore Wolfie so he will understand that his behavior is inappropriate.  After a few minutes after Wolfie has calmed down, they can then engage in calm interaction in the house or they can go outside and play fetch, etc.

The main focus here is to manage Wolfies adrenaline through your example.  If you are calm with Wolfie, you will not encourage a spike in his adrenaline that leads to the annoying crazy stuff.

If you have more questions, we would be more than happy to provide additional information.  You can contact us through our web site at South Florida Dog Trainers.

   

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Can I Give Wolfie Too Much Affection

I am always petting Wolfie, picking him up, giving him hugs & kisses, talking to him in a high, baby voice...  Is that ok?

As dog trainers, we are asked this question a lot.  Sometimes we arent asked this question and have to instruct our clients on the errors of their ways.  Simply put, it is possible to give your dog too much love and affection.  The problem comes down to the differences between humans and their canine companions.

As people, we love affection.  We love it when people say good things about us, we are always in need of a hug.  We comfort our small children when we are leaving with a high pitched "Oh, dont worry, daddy will be right back".  In some countries, it is custom to give kisses on the the cheeks when greeting.  Since Wolfie is so cute and cuddly, we naturally pour the hugs and kisses on him.

This is absolutely the wrong thing to do.  When we give Wolfie too much hugs and kisses, we are sending him a signal that we may not be the strong leader that will keep him safe. Remember, the very top thing that Wolfie wants in life is to feel safe.  If properly trained, he looks to us as his leader who will provide him with that safety.  As strong leaders, we are resolute, firm, calm, and consistent. Wolfie should be providing us focus, intent on receiving the proper leadership to stay safe.

If we are constantly giving Wolfie our focus with all that "hugs & kisses" stuff, we are sending him the signal that he is the boss.  If we are picking him up to cuddle, we are giving him dominance and surrendering our leadership.  We are telling Wolfie he must be the Alpha Canine Leader of the pack.  Many times this will result in bad behavior such as jumping  barking, nipping, and separation anxiety.

So the bottom line is that you can give Wolfie affection, just dont go overboard with it.  If Wolfie is a small dog, dont pick him up all the time.  He has four feet, he can walk.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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A Tip When Walking Your Puppy

When I am walking my little puppy, Wolfie, he seems to pull the leash and try to run away from any distraction like big cars, joggers, other dogs, the garbage men, etc.  What can I do about it?  I dont want him going nuts all the time...

This is a walking tip that we have found works best for puppies.  When we are thinking they are going nuts or are super-afraid of that distraction on the walk, that really isnt the case.  With older dogs, this is a strong possibility because of inappropriate socialization or negative experiences.  What we have to remember is that our little Wolfie is new to the world and every sight and sound around him is new.  He has to make a decision if "that thing" is friend or foe.  

What we need to do is to set up the socialization experience so that little Wolfie feels safe while observing and/or hearing that new distraction.  If Wolfie is moving (walking at your side), he might not maintain that sense of safety.

As you are walking little Wolfie, the first thing you must do as the Alpha Leader and his "Safety Provider" is to constantly scan ahead and behind you for anything that might frighten or negatively distract him.  

Lets say that a UPS truck just turned the corner behind you and is coming up the street.  Stop walking and have little Wolfie sit.  If you are walking right at the edge of the street, move about 10 to 15 feet back from the edge of the street and have him sit.  Allow him to passively watch the truck pass and move out of sight.  

If little Wolfie begins to bark or "leave his sit", give the leash a slight tug, correct him, and have him sit again.  If you think you are too close to the side of the road, move farther away from the road and then ask him to sit.

What you have done is to allow little Wolfie to observe this new distraction in the real world and in real time.  You have also provided him with the safety he needs to understand that he does not feel threatened by the distraction while maintaining the focus on you as his safety provider.

If you do this in a consistent manner, you will teach little Wolfie the correct socialization "manners" for all the things in his new world.  You will have a great dog without bad habits.  For more information, please contact us at 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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Training tip for your puppy

There are several teams that you should teach. Stay is one of them. It is important that the puppy understands what being a word not to move. You can teach your puppy to use this command from those sitting or lying down, but you should make sure that he knows what to do. It may take a long practice and told him to walk. If he moves to the next, you must take note of surprise and to return to the starting point. If you listen, and remains, even if only for two or two, listen to praise him and do what you said to do. You can extend the time to ask him to stay as it becomes more and more used to the team.

Another important feature in a dog is to go on a not drowned. You can use the fifth team teach this lesson. You should practice this lesson again and again to make it clear that you want to do. Another important characteristic is to get your dog, you know, when you want to exit. This can be partially or Saturday near the door. He must learn not to jump when he greeted the people. A good way to do this is that when people sit down approach.

He must also learn to control when other approaches. He does not bark or cause anyone to run until it permits. Inside the house, you should not let it go on your furniture. If you wish, you can allow him a decoration that he knows very well. You should train him begging for food on the table. Unfortunately, family members may make it difficult to be tempted to feed it.

Do not allow your dog to get in trouble. It should not be able to leave their property without a leash. You may think that means that he does not need training, but it is not. On the possibility to let him go, to listen to your orders and respond to commands, it can save his life. For example, a woman of well-trained Spaniels has left the door open, went to his car, on the other side of the road.

When he looked back, saw their dogs descended the stairs and the car is on the road. The use of teams, has taught them, ordered his down. "And they did as they said that, as in cars increased. He then allowed them to come and commends obedience training had given them.

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