home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!pad-thai.aktis.com!pad-thai.aktis.com!not-for-mail
- From: tittle@netcom.com (Cindy Tittle Moore)
- Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs,rec.answers,news.answers
- Subject: rec.pets.dogs: Behavior: Understanding and Modifying FAQ
- Supersedes: <dogs-faq/behavior_737611205@GZA.COM>
- Followup-To: poster
- Date: 16 Jun 1993 00:00:52 -0400
- Organization: Disorganized in Orange County, CA
- Lines: 974
- Sender: faqserv@GZA.COM
- Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu
- Expires: 30 Jul 1993 04:00:09 GMT
- Message-ID: <dogs-faq/behavior_740203209@GZA.COM>
- References: <dogs-faq/introduction_740203209@GZA.COM>
- Reply-To: tittle@netcom.com
- NNTP-Posting-Host: pad-thai.aktis.com
- Summary: Discusses how to deal with problem behaviors in dogs.
- X-Last-Updated: 1993/04/27
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.pets.dogs:35643 rec.answers:1213 news.answers:9462
-
- Archive-name: dogs-faq/behavior
- Last-modified: 1 January 1993
-
- This is one of the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Lists for
- rec.pets.dogs. It is posted on a monthly basis: updates, additions,
- and corrections (including attributions) are always welcome: send
- email to one of the addresses at the end of this article.
-
- The multiple parts are all archived at rtfm.mit.edu (18.70.0.226) in
- the directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq. The files are:
- introduction, getting-a-dog, new-puppy, new-dog, health-care,
- breeding, medical-info, training, behavior, working, service,
- AKC-titles, misc/part1, misc/part2, rescue/part1, rescue/part2,
- publications and resources.
-
- To obtain the files, first try ftp to rtfm.edu and look under
- that directory. If ftp does not work from your site, then try
- the mail server: send email to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with
-
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/introduction
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/getting-a-dog
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/new-puppy
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/new-dog
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/health-care
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/breeding
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/medical-info
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/training
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/behavior
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/working
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/service
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/AKC-titles
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/misc/part1
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/misc/part2
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/rescue/part1
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/rescue/part2
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/publications
- send usenet/news.answers/dogs-faq/resources
-
- in the body of the message (leave the subject line empty). If you
- don't want all of them, include only the lines of the ones you want.
- You do have to repeat the path information for each file.
-
-
-
- BEHAVIOR: UNDERSTANDING AND MODIFYING
-
- Prologue.
- A. Understanding Your Dog.
- B. Principles Behind Dominance.
- C. Dominance Problems.
- D. Aggression with other Dogs.
- E. Housetraining Problems.
- F. Submissive Urination.
- G. Other Common Problems.
-
-
- Prologue.
-
- First, you should understand that there are two components to
- "training". There is the kind of training that solves *behavioral*
- problems. There is also the kind of training that creates a
- command-response pattern. It is perfectly possible to have a dog that
- heels, sits, and stays perfectly and digs out all your marigolds.
- Conversely, you may have a dog that does not destroy things in your
- house but does not sit or heel. "Obedience training" does not
- necessarily cover both of these aspects of training. In fact, they
- usually just teach a command-response pattern and that's it. You need
- to be aware of whether your dog needs behavior modification (where you
- will have to find out the underlying reason why your dog digs and not
- just put chicken wire over everything) or obedience training to
- understand commands. Certainly, the two may be related: a dog that
- digs because it is bored may become less bored with obedience training
- and stop digging. It is important, however, to understand that the
- dog stopped digging because it was no longer bored than because it now
- knows how to heel. You will need to modify your approach, or select a
- trainer to help you, with behavior vs. training in mind.
-
- While this article tries to help you understand what the sources of
- trouble between you and your dog may be, I want to stress that there
- is absolutely no replacement for a trainer you know and trust to help
- you and your dog. Having someone to ask questions and show you what
- works with your dog is like having the picture as opposed to the words
- -- a thousand times better. Nevertheless, this article will hopefully
- help with some common problems.
-
- That said, some good books that are aimed at helping solve problems
- between dogs and owners are:
-
- Benjamin, Carol Lea. _Dog Problems_. Doubleday and Co. 1981. ISBN
- 0-385-15710-X. $13.95 hardcover.
-
- Evans, Job Michael. (1991). People, Pooches, & Problems. NY:
- Howell Book House. ISBN 0-87605-783-0 (hardcover). $19.95.
- Excellent suggestions for dealing with common problems between dogs
- and their owners. Highly recommended. [Evans is a former New Skete
- monk.]
-
- Milani, Myrna M., DVM. _The Weekend Dog_. Signet (Penguin Books USA,
- Inc.) (1985). ISBN: 0-451-15731-1 (paperback).
- This book outlines practical solutions for working people with dogs.
- It has excellent suggestions for understanding dog behavior,
- particularly destructive or unwanted behavior. Gives all kinds of
- practical solutions to the problems of adequate exercise, adequate
- training, housebreaking, and so forth.
-
- Monks of New Skete, The. _How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend_. Little,
- Brown & Company. 1978. ISBN: 0-316-60491-7 (hardback).
- A monastery in upstate New York breeds, raises, and trains German
- Shepherd Dogs. On the basis of their considerable experience, they
- offer troubleshooting guides, discuss discipline, environmental
- restrictions, basic and puppy training, and much more. Extensive
- bibliography. The emphasis is on understanding the dog in order to
- communicate with it or to solve problem behavior. An excellent,
- well written classic.
-
- Tucker, Michael. _Solving your Dog Problems_. J.M. Dent Pty Ltd,
- Australia. ISBN: 0-8677-0053-X.
- It is really funny, and it really makes you think about the messages
- that you give your dog. Recommended for anyone who instructs in
- obedience or who is trying to train their dog to be obedient, or
- just easier to live with.
- pup as you can; this is one of your responsibilities as a dog owner.
-
- A. Understanding Your Dog.
-
- 1. "Why would my dog be happier inside than outside when I am not home?"
-
- Many dogs behave well when kept inside; bark, dig, and whine while
- kept out in the yard. Why is this? Well, you must understand the
- nature of dogs as social animals, living in social units called
- "packs." That means that your dog views you and your family and any
- other pets as its pack. Your home is the "den." Dogs prefer to be
- closer to the center of the den -- the place where the pack's smells
- are most acute. While some dogs are happy to stay outdoors during the
- day while the rest of the pack is gone to work, a great many dogs
- develop behavioral problems as a result of daily "expulsion" from the
- den.
-
- In addition, a dog with access to a large territory may feel compelled
- to "defend" all of it, resulting in other types of problems: frantic
- barking at "intruders," and so on. Restricting the amount of
- territory it has to protect may reduce this type of behavior.
-
- 2. "Shouldn't dogs run free in the countryside?"
-
- It is an absolute myth that living in the country confers greater
- latitude in the dictum "thou shall keep thy dog constrained to the
- immediate environs of the pack." Country dogs allowed to run free get
- shot by hunters, into fights with other dogs over territoriality
- issues. They can kill livestock, fight and tassle and get disease
- from wild animals, and be hit by cars on the highway. They become
- increasingly aggressive as they vie for larger and larger perimeter
- boundaries to their territory, and they no longer relate to YOU as the
- leader of their pack. Also, don't forget that intact animals will
- breed and add to the overpopulation problem.
-
- 3. "Why do dogs engage in undesirable behavior?"
-
- When dogs start undesirable (to humans) behavior, its best to try to
- understand the source of this behavior. Often it stems from the
- frustration of being left alone. Dogs are very social animals. One
- positive solution is to make sure your dog is properly exercised.
- Exercise is a wonderful cure to many behavioral problems and dogs just
- love it. Do check with your vet for the proper amount of exercise for
- both the age and breed of any dog. Another solution is obedience
- training. The point is, your dog needs your attention, whether it is
- by taking it out on a walk, training it, or both.
-
- When bad behaviors begin in your absence, they can just get worse and
- worse every day if not addressed or prevented. Puppies (up to 18
- months or so) get very bored when they are left alone. Even catching
- it in the act may not help, at least at this point. Often this is a
- problem with separation anxiety. Try to spend as much time with your
-
- 4. "But it is SO FRUSTRATING when my dog does this!!"
-
- Yes, it is. But screaming and yelling at the dog, or punishing it
- well after the fact does not tell your dog what is wrong. You may in
- fact wind up teaching it to fear you, or consider you unreliable. You
- must get your dog to understand you, and *you* have to work on the
- communication gap, as you are more intelligent than your dog.
-
- Preventing your dog from unwanted behaviors coupled with *properly
- timed* corrections will go much further in eliminating the behavior
- from your pet than yelling at it.
-
- In fact, you should not yell at, scream at, or hit your dog, ever.
- There are much more effective ways to get your point across. Try
- instead to understand the situation from your dog's point of view and
- act accordingly. The techniques in this chapter approach problems
- with this in mind.
-
- 5. "Why does crating work?"
-
- First of all, it prevents the dog from doing many of the behaviors you
- don't want it to. What it does not do, it does not develop a habit of
- doing and does not need to be corrected for it. Second, it means that
- when your dog *does* have an opportunity to engage in the unwanted
- behavior, *you* are around (because you're home to let it out) to give
- a proper and timely correction.
-
- As the behavioral aspects pointed out above, reducing the territory
- to protect and keeping it in the den are positive things from the
- dog's point of view.
-
- 6. "How do I know if my dog understands me or is ignoring me?"
-
- There are five reasons a dog might not do a command: it's untrained,
- it's confused, it's fearful, it's distracted, or it thinks it has a
- choice. Only the last two requires correction. The first two require
- working with your dog do solve the problem and to get it to understand
- what you want it to do. The fearful reaction is probably an
- indication that you're doing something wrong in your approach and you
- need to try something else. Persistent fear may need mild correction.
- You won't always be able to tell how your dog is reacting, especially
- not at first. You must learn to pay attention to your dog so that you
- can accurately read it. Think of obedience and training as a two-way
- street: you're both learning to understand each other.
-
- Dogs first learn to behave in a certain way without really
- understanding what they are doing. By putting the dog in a stressful
- situation or tempting the dog to not perform the exercise, you can see
- how well it understands the exercise. When the dog initially fails
- under these circumstances, it is only appropriate to help them through
- the exercise. Corrections are done if the dog appears to think it has
- a choice; or if the dog continues to be afraid after helping for a
- long time. In this case, the dog needs to learn to work through his
- fear. Corrections are appropriate, because dogs often think their
- owners approve of the fear -- in particular, soothing them can
- communicate your approval of their fear. Keep corrections for fear
- mild, but definitely corrective.
-
- B. Principles Behind Dominance.
-
- For obedience training to proceed smoothly, your dog must consider you
- its alpha leader. This means that it considers YOU the boss. There
- are a number of exercises you can to to establish and maintain
- dominance over your dog. Individual dogs vary in submissiveness. If
- your dog is very submissive, you don't need to worry about
- establishing dominance (in fact, you may need to tone down your own
- dominating behavior to help bolster its confidence). Most dogs are
- happy to be submissive: just be sure to show approval at the
- occasional signs of submission, and assert dominance if it tries to
- test you (most dogs will, in adolescence). A few dogs may be very
- dominant and continually challenge you for dominance, in which case
- you will actively need to assert and establish your position.
-
- Never mistake being alpha with punishment. An alpha leader is fair.
- An alpha leader *deserves* its position. An alpha leader does not use
- fear, punishment or brute force to achieve and maintain its position.
- An alpha leader, instead, makes it crystal clear what behaviors it
- approves of and which it does not.
-
- If you get mad at your dog, or angry or furious, you've lost the alpha
- position. Dogs do not understand fury. You have to be calm and focused.
-
- 1. Always show approval at signs of submission
-
- Praise your dog when it drops its eyes first. Praise it when it licks
- you under the chin. Give it an enthusiastic tummy rub when it rolls
- over on its back.
-
- 2. Be consistent and fair in your corrections
-
- You must demonstrate to your dog that it can trust your orders. Do
- not ever correct the dog after the fact. Such corrections appear to
- be arbitrary and unfair to the dog, because it has no associative
- memory the way people do.
-
- If your dog is still a puppy, socializing it is a good way to gain its
- trust.
-
- If you decide that some action requires correction, *always* give a
- correction when you see that action. For example, if you decide that
- your dog is not allowed on the sofa, then *always* correct it when you
- see it on the sofa.
-
- Consistency can be a big challenge with a family: every family member
- must agree on the basic ground rules with the dog; when and for what
- it should be corrected, what commands to use and so on. Families must
- cooperate extensively to avoid confusing the dog. It is best if only
- one person actively trains the dog; thereafter if the commands are
- given the same way, everyone in the family can use them.
-
- 3. Correct the dog's challenges
-
- Especially during adolescence, you dog may test and/or challenge your
- position. Do not neglect to correct this behavior. Examples of
- challenges can be: disobeying you, growling, staring.
-
- 4. Learn how to display alpha behavior
-
- You may not need to use all of these, but you should be familiar with
- them. They are listed in "escalating" order. Do not use any of these
- if you are angry or upset. The point is never to hurt the dog, but to
- show it who is alpha. They work best if you are calm, firm, and
- matter of fact.
-
- More important than knowing how to perform an alpha roll is learning
- to play the alpha role. That means having the attitude of "I am always
- right and I will _never_ let my dog willfully disobey me" without ever
- becoming angry or giving up.
-
- Using an alpha roll on a dog who is already submissive but disobeys
- because it doesn't know what is expected of it can be destructive.
- Likewise, using an alpha role on a dominant dog but not using any
- other positive reinforcements can alienate it.
-
- Furthermore, alpha rolls are one of the strongest weapons in dominance
- arsenal. It should not be used unless one has use chin cuffs and
- scruff shakes first.
-
- Being dominant is no substitute for learning to read and understand
- your dog. Proper obedience (which should be a part of _any_ dog, even
- when only used as a pet) is a two way street and requires you to be as
- responsible to your dog as your dog is responsive to you.
-
- Demonstrating dominance:
-
- * Eye contact: alphas "stare down" subordinates. If your dog does
- not back down in a stare contest, start a verbal correction. As
- soon as it backs down, praise it.
-
- * Taps under the chin: alpha dogs nip subordinates under the chin as
- corrections. You can use this by tapping (NEVER hitting) your dog
- under the chin with one or two fingers.
-
- * Grabbing under the ears: alpha dogs will chomp under subordinate
- dogs' ears and shake. You can mimic this by holding the skin
- under your dog's ears firmly and shaking. Again, do not use
- excessive force. Do this just enough to get the point across.
-
- * Alpha roll: Pin the dog to ground on its side with feet away from
- you. Hold scruff/collar with one hand to pin head down (gently but
- firmly). Other hand on hip/groin area (groin area contact will
- tend to cause the dog to submit to you.) Hold dog firmly, look
- right into its eyes, and wait until it quiets down and looks away
- from you for a time lying limp. If the dog struggles, attempts to
- bite, or whines, hold firmly, shake scruff if necessary, and give
- a verbal correction until the dog calms down. If the dog is calm
- and submissive, give mild verbal (not physical) praise. Once the
- dog submits for, say, 15 seconds or so, let it up with more mild
- verbal praise, but don't excite it. If this is to be a severe
- correction, ignore the dog as much as possible for several minutes
- afterwards. This alpha "roll" (in which you play the "role" of
- the alpha dog in the pack) is intended to teach the dog that you
- are the leader and that behavior contrary to your wishes will not
- be tolerated.
-
- 5. Keep the alpha position
-
- Challenge your dog occasionally, even after puppyhood. Take its food
- or a toy away, push it off its sleeping place, etc.
-
- Do mild alpha rolls (tummy rubs, etc) periodically. If the dog is
- truly submitting to you as leader it is not at all traumatic, kind of
- like a scheduled, low affection-quotient hug, and if the dog is
- testing you frequently then you need to do it anyway, so either way it
- works.
-
- 6. Learn to recognize challenges
-
- Some behaviors are readily recognized as dominant, e.g., growling, but
- there are other, more subtle challenges. For example, nudging.
- Discourage persistent nudging. Don't let your dog be possessive of
- its food or toys. Make it give anything up to you when you ask it to.
-
-
- C. Dominance Problems.
-
- First of all, don't be surprised if your female dog is a dominant dog.
- Dominance and aggression, while more common in male dogs, appears in
- female dogs quite often as well.
-
- 1. Ignoring your spouse or significant other
-
- A common problem is that your dog pays attention to you, but none
- whatsoever to your SO. This problem can even be compounded by your
- SO's fear of the dog, or reluctance to take control of it. This
- problem does need to be corrected, however, if your SO is ever left
- alone with your dog.
-
- Begin by having your SO give commands to your dog. Correct it when it
- does not obey. Have several sessions where your SO issues the
- commands and you provide the verbal corrections and praise.
-
- Then have your SO challenge the dog. Taking its food away, pushing it
- off its sleeping place and the like are good ways. Basically, you
- need to back your SO up in every action.
-
- If your SO is actually afraid of the dog, you will have to get past
- this fear before you can have your SO established as dominant over
- your dog. Go out walking, playing in the park, playing fetch,
- whatever fun things it takes and whatever time it takes to get your SO
- comfortable with the dog. Have your SO take the leash on occasion.
- The key here will be going slow and easy.
-
- If the person the dog does not obey is a young child, do not expect
- the dog to consider the child an alpha. As the child grows older,
- then you can start making the point that the child is now an alpha in
- much the same way. When this is appropriate depends on the childs
- emotional maturity and responsibility (because if the child is to be
- alpha, she or he must responsibly lead, as described earlier).
-
- 2. Growling
-
- You have to distinguish between play growling and serious growling.
- If you're in the middle of a tug-o-war game, your dog may growl, and
- it's not a problem provided you can still win. If your dog growls or
- snaps at you at some other time, say when you get too close to its
- food, you must correct it.
-
-
- D. Aggression with other Dogs.
-
- Dogs can be aggressive with other dogs, especially if they have not
- been properly socialized with other dogs in puppy-hood. Sometimes a
- dog that is naturally dominant has trouble with other dogs especially
- in puberty. Sometimes a dog has a specific experience (e.g. a
- dogfight with another aggressive dog) that causes it to become
- aggressive toward other dogs in general as well. Whatever the reason,
- it is well worth your time working on your dog's aggression toward
- other dogs. You will probably get the best results, especially with a
- problem dog -- extreme aggression, for example -- if you contact a
- local trainer (preferably one that specializes in problem dogs) for
- individual help. However, there are some common-sense things you can
- do.
-
- First a bit of basic dog pychology: friendly behaviors include moving
- side by side, sniffing butts, tails wagging at body level (not up high
- or over the back). Not-friendly behaviors include meeting
- face-to-face, esp. a face-to-face approach, ears forward and tail over
- back.
-
- Force them into friendly behaviors as follows: walk the dogs in
- parallel on leash. They should be close enough to see each other but
- not close enough to snap at or touch each other. Be careful when you
- two turn that the dogs don't tangle. Make sure one doesn't get ahead
- of the other: keep them parallel. Keep this up until they relax.
- Slowly start walking closer together as behavior permits.
-
- Hold one dog on leash in a sit. Have food treats and a water bottle
- handy. Walk the other dog toward it, to about six feet, then turn
- away (increase the distance if the sitting dog snarls). The idea is
- to turn away *before* the sitting dog shows any aggression. If the
- dog shows no agression, reward it with a food tidbit. Do NOT touch
- the dog (stand on the leash or tie it down). If it does, spray it
- with water. Switch the dogs so that each experiences sitting or
- walking toward. They are learning that good things happen without
- defensive behavior. As they improve, start walking a bit closer
- before turning. If the sitting dog snarls, do NOT turn the other dog
- away: the person with the sitting dog should correct it and when the
- dog subsides, THEN the moving dog should turn away.
-
- Finally, holding the head of one dog, but allowing it to stand, have
- the other dog investigate its rear briefly. This is really the
- extreme extension of the above.
-
- These exercises have several purposes. One is to force the dogs to
- consider themselves friendly by engaging in the behavior of friendly
- dogs. The other is to teach both dogs that an approaching dog is not
- necessarily grounds for aggression.
-
- This will take a lot of work, probably over a couple of months, but
- they will work, and what's more, should reduce tensions with *other*
- dogs as well (i.e., not only between the two specific dogs in the
- exercises).
-
-
- E. Housetraining Problems.
-
- 1. Sudden changes in established habits
-
- If your dog has been fine with its housetraining up till now, there
- may be several reasons for it to break with its training.
-
- * If there have been no major changes in its life, your dog may very
- well have a medical problem, such as kidney trouble. Have your
- vet rule out possible medical causes.
- * It may be trying to defend its territory if you have a new animal
- in the household. You will probably need to separate the pets
- for a while, and reintroduce them gradually. Provide each with
- a retreat area.
- * It may be generally upset or anxious if you've just moved and
- trying to assert ownership of the new territory. Mark your
- territory first: scatter dirty laundry around the house to tell
- your dog YOU'VE claimed the territory and your dog should subside.
- After a few days, you can pick up the laundry.
-
- 2. Eating feces
-
- Some dogs will eat other animal's feces.
-
- If it is cat feces in an indoor litter box, you can try the following:
-
- * If you have a utility closet or some other closet where you can
- keep the litter box, you can fix the door so that it only opens
- enough for a cat to get through (assuming big dogs) by using
- something like a string/ribbon/rope over the door handle to a
- small hook on the adjacent wall or door jamb. If you can make a
- more permanent change, you could put a kitty door into the closet
- and be able to keep the door shut.
- * Get the kind of litter box with a big top and a "kitty door" or
- even just an opening on it. Place the litter box with the opening
- about 4"-6" from a wall (backwards from the way you would normally
- think of placing it). This leaves just enough room for the cat to
- get into the box but not (usually) enough room for the dog to get
- to the box. The kind of box with the swinging kitty door helps
- make it a little harder for the dog to get into it.
-
- A surprising number of dogs eat their own feces. This is a fairly
- disgusting habit, but difficult to cure. One way to prevent this from
- occurring is to clean up feces as soon as possible, but this can be
- difficult for dogs left in yards or kennels all day.
-
- The Monks suggest feeding your dog a dry food that is at least 23%
- meat protein, and about 25% raw meat. In addition, either an egg, or a
- tablespoon of vegetable oil every few days. They also think that
- eating feces may involve a dietary deficiency. Adding Accent
- (monosodium glutamate) or kelp tablets (usually available at health
- food stores) to your dogs food can give the feces a bad taste for the
- dog. Also putting tabasco and vinegar on the feces themselves may
- work.
-
- 3. Urination
-
- If it is a *change* in your dog's behavior, it might be a bladder
- infection, so check that with your vet first. If your dog is an older
- spayed bitch, you might need to put her on periodic estrogen doses to
- control the leaking.
-
- If your dog is urinating in different places around the house, you can
- try the "vinegar trick". Pour some vinegar on the spot in front of
- the dog. What you're telling the dog with this is "I'm alpha. YOU
- may not pee here." Then clean it all up first with an enzymatic odor
- remover and then a good carpet shampoo (see the Assorted Topics FAQ).
-
-
- F. Submissive Urination
-
- The genetically shy dog is a super submissive type and unlike many
- dogs are quite sensitive to any forms of "dominant" behavior in
- humans. Even ordinarily submissive dogs can become extremely
- submissive if its owner misunderstands and unintentionally forces it
- to increase its submissiveness.
-
- Tone down your aggressive behavior -- with a submissive dog there is
- no real need to consciously dominate it. Examples of dominating
- behavior include:
-
- * Direct eye contact
- * Standing over the dog
- * Walking towards the dog while looking at it
-
- Tips:
-
- * Wait when you come home. Say "hi" to it and be verbally friendly,
- but don't touch or pet it for about 5-15 minutes. Try not to make
- the moment more exciting than it already is.
- * When you greet it, get down on its level. Rather than standing
- and bending at the waist, bend at the knees (or sit) so that your
- face is about level with his and you are not looking down on him.
- This is a less dominant position, and less likely to trigger a
- submissive posture.
- * Don't pet it on the head. Rather, tell it to sit, maybe "shake
- hands", then scratch it under the chin and on the chest. This is
- less dominating than the pat on the head (because you avoid
- standing over it).
- * When you correct this type of dog, do so with your voice only
- (avoid direct eye contact. If it starts to urinate, then say
- immediately, "OK, let's go out!" in a happy tone of voice -- and
- take it out. Or, take a toy out (something it likes to do) and
- play with it. What you are doing here is telling your dog, "OK, I
- see your submissiveness. That's good."
- * When guests come over, ask them to ignore your dog and not look at
- it even if it comes up and sniffs them. After a bit, when people
- are sitting down then have them gently put their hands out and
- talk to your dog, without looking at it. Usually after about 15
- minutes or so everything is fine.
-
- In general, show signs of low-key approval *immediately* when the dog
- becomes submissive. Then distract it with something else. When you
- ignore submissiveness or get mad at it, you're in effect telling the
- dog "You're not submissive enough!" so the poor thing intensifies its
- efforts -- and submissive urination is about as submissive as it gets.
-
- Be really positive with your dog, this type lacks self-confidence and
- will look to you quite often to make sure everything is OK.
-
- One technique that helps many dogs with this problem is called
- "Flooding." You need a group of people, preferably ones who will
- stimulate the undesired response (in this case, peeing).
-
- - Have your dog sit with you on leash (preferably not on carpeting!)
- - Have the group of people walk past your dog without looking at her;
- when they can do this without her peeing, move on to next step (this
- is true of all steps)
- - Next have the people look/smile at her when they walk past
- - Next have the people say something to her ("Hi puppy") as they walk past
- - Next have the people give her a treat as they walk past
- - Next have the people touch her (ex. pat on the head) as they walk past
- - Next, repeat the previous 5 steps but with the people stopping instead
- of walking past (ie, stop but don't look, stop and look, stop and say
- hi,...)
-
- Ideally this can be done in 1 night with 5-10 people just circulating past
- you and your dog, progressing through the steps. The idea is that you start
- with the most innocuous action (just walking past) and build up gradually
- to the most intense action (someone stopping and petting her).
-
- Actually, this technique can be used for all kinds of other responses:
- a dog that jumps on people, barks at them, etc.
-
-
- G. Other Common Problems.
-
- In general there are several items you can use in training your dog to
- leave things alone, if it is persistent about some things. While
- these are no substitute for training, they can help the process of
- training.
-
- * Bitter apple, bitter orange
- * cayenne pepper, especially cooked into oil, but the oil stains easily
-
- Put a little on your hand or a towel, and let your dog sniff it. If
- your backs off and looks disgusted, then it should work. Let your dog
- see you put the substance on whatever its been chewing, and then sit
- back and watch your dog. If it goes up to where the substance is
- applied, wait until you know it can smell the stuff, and correct it
- right when the stuff hits its nose. This timing is crucial, and is
- what helps train your dog away from what it is doing. Do be sensible
- and make it physically impossible for your dog to do it when you are
- not home to aid in the training process.
-
- 1. Chewing
-
- Dogs can cause an amazing amount of destruction by chewing. Usually
- the problem is with younger, bored puppies. You need to train them
- with a combination of crating and chew toys as described in New
- Owners, New Dogs. The substances mentioned above may help in training
- the behavior away from specific items.
-
- 2. Biting.
-
- It is natural for young puppies to bite and chew on people; however
- don't let them do this.
-
- If your dog is a puppy, yelp pitifully when it chomps on you, and
- replace your hand with a chew toy; praise heartily when the chew toy
- is used instead. If it persists, stand up and stop playing with it.
- It is no fun for the puppy if you stop interacting with it, and it
- will learn to stop chewing on you fairly quickly.
-
- With older puppies and dogs, say "NO BITE" sternly and withdraw your
- hand.
-
- 2.1. Fear-biting
-
- This is a separate problem, caused by a fearful and submissive dog
- that feels cornered. It indicates an extremely poor temperament and
- possible abuse. Such dogs should never be bred.
-
- To deal with a fear-biter (evidenced by a dog that bites/threatens to
- bite but has its ears laid *back* along its head rather than facing
- forward), first you have to deal with the insecurity and temperament
- of the dog. This kind of dog has no self-confidence at all, hence its
- ready alarm at normally innocuous situations.
-
- Think of the submissive dog outlined above. You need to build up its
- confidence: pay close attention to understand exactly what sets it off
- (some are afraid of men, men with beards, people holding something in
- their hand, small children, etc) and for now, remove that from its
- environment. Do some training or other work with it to build up its
- confidence (the training in this case becomes a vehicle for praising
- the dog). Then work slowly on its fear.
-
- You should really enlist professional help to deal with a fear biter
- unless you are experienced with dogs. This kind of dog takes lots of
- patience and careful reading and may never become trustworthy. If you
- cannot resolve its problems, consider having it destroyed; don't pass
- it along to someone else to become a problem for that person.
-
- 3. Barking.
-
- Each and every time your dog barks, go out and see why the dog is
- barking. If your dog is barking for a good reason (such as a stranger
- in the yard), you should praise your dog and then tell it to be quiet.
- If the dog is barking because there is a squirrel up the tree, or
- something similar, tell the dog to be quiet and immediately go back
- into the house. You will have to repeat this every time the dog
- barks. Pretty soon, in a week or so depending on the dog, the dog
- will only bark for a good reason. The dog may still bark at the
- squirrel, but not continually. Instead, one or two good barks to
- scare the squirrel, and then it considers its duty done. At the same
- time, you have not dampened your dogs ability to bark when there is
- something wrong.
-
- You might also enlist the help of your neighbors. Neighbors are often
- happy to help you with this problem! Have them squirt water at
- excessive barking, or rattle cans of pennies/rocks, etc.
-
- There is some evidence that barking is an inherited trait: if the
- parents bark a lot, chances are their puppies will, too.
-
- Often, one method that helps alleviate barking is to give your dog
- specific permission to bark. Teach it to "speak" -- let it "speak"
- when appropriate (say, when you're playing in the park). Then "no
- speak" follows from that. However, there is often a problem when the
- dog is alone. The following methods outline some other possibilities
- to address this problem.
-
- (a) Collars
-
- There are collars available that are meant to help train your dog not
- to bark. Dogs will react differently, depending on how well they
- learn, train, and handle. The collars by themselves are not the
- solution to your dog's barking: it must understand what the collar
- does, and you will have to *train* it using the collar.
-
- (b) Debarking
-
- Surgery on the dog's vocal cords can be done to reduce the barking to
- a whispery sound. This is a controversial practice, banned in Britain
- and other places. Some vets will refuse to do the surgery.
-
- The dogs do not stop barking. They do not seem to notice the
- difference, or at any rate continue "barking" as if they still made
- the noise.
-
- There are different ways to perform the surgery, and it is possible
- for the vocal cords to grow back and the dog to regain its bark. If
- the vocal cords are cut, chances are the cords will heal themselves.
- If they are cauterized, the operation will last longer. Whether it is
- over a period of weeks or months, it seems that the dog eventually
- regains use of its vocal cords.
-
- (c) Muzzles
-
- There is a "No-Bark Muzzle" that is designed to prevent dogs from
- barking. Many dogs very rapidly learn not to bark when the muzzle is
- put on them each time they start barking. It is not binding or
- confining and does not put the dog through surgery.
-
- 4. Digging.
-
- Dogs may dig out of boredom or to make a cooling/heating pit.
-
- Some approaches:
-
- * Filling in the holes: Try refilling the holes with junk. With
- junk, dogs can quickly lose interest and pretty much stop digging.
- Fill the hole with whatever is at hand - dead leaves, sticks, pine
- needles, rocks or even dog feces. Fill the top 2 inches or so with
- dirt. The dog finds the stuff, gets discouraged and often quits
- digging. They seem to get the idea they'll never know where
- they'll find junk, and it's not worth the effort to dig only to
- find junk so they quit.
-
- * Surprises in the hole: The Koehler dog method advocates filling
- holes with water and sticking dog's head under the water for a few
- seconds or so. This may not work with some breeds (e.g.,
- Labradors), and may not appeal to you as a method to try.
- Alternatively, you can try burying a water balloon in one of the
- holes which will pop in its face when it starts digging
- (surprise).
-
- * A sandbox: Try to remember that digging is a natural tendency for
- dogs. So, if there is any place where your dog may be allowed to
- dig, you should encourage it (and only in that place). Designate
- an area where the dog can dig. Many people build a sand box for
- their dog. Place the box in an area that is cool in summer and
- warm in winter.
-
- To teach the dog to dig only in the box, place or bury toys or
- treats (sliced hotdogs, for example) in the box. Encourage the
- dog to dig up the toy or treat. Praise the dog. Repeat untill
- the dog willingly jumps in and digs. Watch the dog. When it
- starts to dig in any other place, quickly go out and take your dog
- to its box. Show it (by digging yourself), that it should dig in
- its box. To deter boredom, place several toys/treats in the box
- before you leave for work. The dog will spend its time digging in
- the correct place rather than digging up your roses. You can also
- sprinkle animal essence (available at hunting supplies places).
-
- Remember that dogs like to dig in freshly turned earth. So get
- out that shovel and turn the dirt over in the sand box every now
- and then. Toss in some fresh dirt. Keep a close eye on freshly
- planted areas, as they will be very attractive (bury some extra
- hotdogs in the sandbox when you are putting down new plants).
-
- * Line the yard. Only for extreme cases: you can line the yard with
- chicken wire and put a layer of sod over that. Use paving bricks or
- blocks around the edge to prevent the dog from injuring itself on
- the edge of the chicken wire.
-
- 5. Garbage.
-
- You should train your dog away from this habit. Crate it, to keep it
- out of the garbage when you are not home, and correct it when it gets
- into it when you are at home. This works best if you start in
- puppyhood.
-
- If you already have this problem, some approaches to try:
-
- * You can get "Mr. Yuk" labels and put them in the trash to keep
- them out of it or spray Bitter Apple into it. But you have to
- remember to do this regularly. If you can, put the trash out of
- reach of the dog, eg, under the sink. You may need to get the
- kinds of trash cans that have closing lids. Don't start easy and
- work your way up as the dog figures each one out: you are just
- training your dog how to open garbage cans. Get a good, well
- secured one at the start.
-
- * Get some jalapeno peppers, or something that your dog REALLY
- HATES. Slice them up and spend some time wrapping each one
- individually in tissues or kleenex. Fill the trash can with the
- wrapped surprises and let your dog at it. A few days of this
- should convince your dog that trash cans are not fun.
-
- * Put a mousetrap in the bottom of an empty can, cover it with
- newspaper, then put something that the dog really likes in the can
- and leave the room. Only do this when you are around, do not trap
- all the trash cans and then go off to work for the day!
-
- 6. Jumping.
-
- Since most dogs are shorter than you, its natural tendency is to jump
- up to see you. It is also an expression of exuberance and happiness.
- However, you may be wearing your Sunday Best. The dog's paws may be
- muddy. The puppy may grow too large. Some people are afraid of dogs.
- Train your dog not to jump on people. If you don't mind your dog
- jumping on you, then train it to jump on you only when it's "OK".
-
- In general, correct it immediately when it jumps on you, praise it
- when all four paws land back on ground. A helpful reinforcement is to
- give them a command and praise lavishly when they do it, e.g., "No!
- Brownie, sit! Good girl, what a good girl!"
-
- Try to anticipate the jumping: look for their hindquarters beginning
- to crouch down, and correct them when you see them *about* to jump.
- With medium-sized dogs, you can discourage jumping with a well-timed
- knee in the chest (never kick). This does not work as well on small
- dogs and very large dogs. With small dogs, step back so they miss
- you; you can also splay your hand in front of you so their face bumps
- into it (don't hit them, let them bump into you). Correct, then
- praise when on ground. With larger dogs, the kind that don't really
- *jump*, but *place* their paws on your shoulders, grab some skin below
- their ears (be firm but not rough) and pull them down, saying "No!"
- Again, praise it when it is back on ground.
-
- You should note that some dogs do not respond to the above physical
- corrections. They may view it as a form of rough play, or be so happy
- to get attention that they don't mind it being negative. In these
- cases, a much more effective approach is to ignore such a dog,
- stepping back slightly or turning your back when it jumps. Give
- lavish praise and attention when all paws are on the ground again.
-
- Gradually expand this to include friends and visitors. Start first
- with people who understand what you want to do and will apply the
- physical correction in conjunction with your "No!" As the dog
- improves, expand with other people. In the interim, a reinforcing
- exercise is to put your dog on a leash, and stand on one end of the
- leash or otherwise secure it so your dog can stand but not jump. When
- it tries to greet someone by jumping up, praise it *when it lands* and
- don't correct it for attempting to jump.
-
- For those of you who don't mind being jumped, you can gain control
- over it by teaching your dog that it can jump on you -- when you OK
- it. At random times (i.e., not *every* time you correct it), after
- your correction and praise for getting back down, wait thirty seconds
- or so, and then happily say "OK, jump" (or something similar, as long
- as you're consistent) and praise your dog when it jumps up then. At
- other times, when it is *not* trying to jump on you, encourage it to
- do so on your permission, using the same phrase. You must make it
- clear that it shouldn't jump on you unless you give it permission, so
- you must still correct unpermitted jumping.
-
- 7. Whining
-
- In many cases, the dog is trying to manipulate you when it whines.
- First be sure that the dog isn't telling you it has to eliminate. If
- you know it doesn't have to go, correct it. If it persists, then you
- can try squirting lemon juice in its mouth to discourage whining.
-
- 8. Car chasing
-
- This is symptomatic of a larger problem: why is your dog free to run
- after cars in the first place? If the dog is being allowed to roam
- that should be stopped.
-
- Have a few friends drive by (slowly) in a strange car. When the dog
- gets in range, open the window and dump a bucket of ice cold water on
- the animal's head/back. Repeat as needed (with a different car) for
- reinforcement.
-
- 9. Tug of War
-
- The Monks (and former Monk, Job Michael Evans) seem to believe that
- playing tug is a form of "teaching" the dog to use its teeth, and
- therefore a precursor to the dog's learning to use its teeth as a
- weapon. In their view, you should never play tug with a dog. There
- are other authorities that recommend never playing tug of war with
- your dog.
-
- However, dealing with the aggression may be more constructive than
- never teaching your dog to use its teeth. Besides, studies on canine
- aggression show that even extremely docile dogs can be provoked to
- show aggression. Houpt and Wolski in their book _Domestic Animal
- Behavior for Veterinarians and Animal Scientists_ note: "Growling is
- an aggressive call in dogs, and is commonly known. It is interesting
- evolutionarily that even the most placid dog can be induced to growl
- if one threatens to take a bone away from it. A scarcity of food in
- general can increase aggression ..., but bones seem to have particular
- value even for the satiated dog."
-
- This can hinge on whether you (as the owner) can distinguish between
- challenges and playing. If the dog is playing when doing TOW, there's
- no problem. If it *is* challenging you doing this, you need to 1)
- recognize the challenge (versus just playing) 2) win and 3) stop the
- TOW and correct its challenge to your authority. If you can't make
- the distinction, then don't play tug-of-war with it.
-
- Couple any tug-o-war games with the command "Give" or something
- similar so that the dog learns to immediately let go ON COMMAND. If
- it doesn't, that's a challenge, and you need to deal with it. Teach
- your dog what "give" when you start playing this game with it. When
- you know that your dog understands the command, then periodically
- reinforce it by having your dog "give" at random times. This becomes
- a form of keeping your alpha position as mentioned earlier in this
- article.
-
- 10. People Food.
-
- Feeding your dog "people food," i.e., table scraps and such is a poor
- idea. First, you may encourage your dog to make a pest of itself when
- you are eating. Second, feeding a dog table scraps is likely to add
- unneeded calories to its diet and your dog may become overweight.
- Third, if your dog develops the habit of gulping down any food it can
- get, it may seriously poison or distress itself someday.
-
- Some guidelines. Do not feed the dog anything but dog food and dog
- treats. You might add vegetable oil or linatone to the food to
- improve its coat. There are other foods that you may want to add to
- improve its diet (check with your vet first for appropriate food to
- meet the dietary need you want to address), but always feed them to
- the dog in its dish, never from your plate or from your hand while you
- are eating. Discourage your dog from begging at the table by tying it
- nearby (so that it does not feel isolated from the social activity)
- but out of reach of the table. Give it its own food to eat at the
- same time, and do not give it any treats during your eating time.
- Tell your dog "no" or "leave it" if it goes for anything edible on the
- floor (or on the ground during walks!), praise it when it obeys you.
- Teach it that the only food it should take should be from its dish or
- someone's hand.
-
- If you are concerned about the "boring and drab" diet for your dog,
- don't think of food as a way to interest it! Play with it, take it
- out on walks -- there are many other and better ways to make life
- exciting for your dog.
-
- Both _Mother Knows Best_ and _The Weekend Dog_ have good sections on
- feeding your dog and what food should mean to it.
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- This article is Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 by Cindy Tittle Moore. It may be
- freely distributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice
- is not removed. It may not be sold for profit nor incorporated in
- commercial documents without the author's written permission. This
- article is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
-
- Cindy Tittle Moore
- Internet: tittle@netcom.com USmail: PO BOX 4188, Irvine CA 92716
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-