I am excited to participate in a #Train4Rewards blog party, hosted by Zazie Todd, PhD, of Companion Animal Psychology
For my blog post, I decided to answer some questions from my clients or followers on Facebook. Here are just a few of the questions I received.
Question #1: Crate Training a Puppy
Sheila asks: “We are trying to crate train our 10 week old puppy and though she does quiet down after a while, I am worried she is starting to fear going in. We are in and out every day and she could go in for up to an hour or 2 at a time each outing. She is resisting going in and is sometimes wet with saliva when she comes out.. night time is much better though.. any tips or advice?”
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for your question, and congratulations on your new furry family member :)
I think your concern is valid, dogs often drool when they are stressed, but don't let her stress cause you stress. The good news is that it can be fairly straightforward to help a puppy feel more comfortable in a crate, especially at her young age.
You can start out by ensuring your pup has positive associations with being in the kennel. You can do this by:
- Ensuring your voice and body language are light and friendly whenever putting her in. Don't use it as a harsh punishment or use a harsh tone of voice when asking her to enter.
- Provide positive and safe items for her to chew on or play with while in the kennel: I like stuffed Kongs the best as they are very durable and you can fill them with puppy food, wet food, a few treats, anything to keep her busy and enjoying herself.
- You can also feed her meals in her kennel with the door open, so she can enjoy eating and then exit when finished.
- Provide safe toys (that she cannot destroy and potentially ingest) that she likes. Our Boredom Busters blog post may provide some helpful ideas.
- Play some calming music (classical or other soft music) or talk radio when you are out and leaving her alone in the kennel.
- If you use a wire kennel, place a light blanket over top to create a "roof", some dogs feel more comfortable in a den-like environment and feel safer with a roof over their head. Ensure there is still one side open (i.e. the door is not covered by a blanket) to allow air to move through, you may want to leave a fan turned on in the room on hot days.
- Wear an old t-shirt to bed and then leave it in the kennel for your puppy, your scent may be calming for her. Be aware that she may chew on it, so choose one you don't mind giving up!
Teaching your puppy to go in her kennel on cue can help her feel more in control of the situation and can eliminate the resistance because she chooses to go in on her own rather than being put in. I have included a (rough, unpolished and unedited) video tutorial that may help.
Keep in mind that it is very common for puppies at 10 weeks of age to begin to "make strange" and be more nervous of things than they were previously. This is normal as puppy learns what in her world is safe and what is not. The important thing is to be patient through this phase and as long as you keep the associations with the kennel positive, she will likely adjust very quickly. If you find she continues to be stressed out in her kennel (excessive drooling, resisting going in, trying to dig her way out) after trying all of the above suggestions, you may want to seek out a professional trainer for assistance. Good luck!
Question #2: Nuisance Barking
Caitlin asks: “Barking! How do I get the pugs to stop barking when they are in the yard. I can't leave them out for very long because they will just stand there and bark and every single sound. If there is a neighbour in either yard the small one will stand right at the fence and bark at them..forever. :( help! It's embarrassing.”
There are two approaches for dealing with this behaviour, and I recommend doing both: management and training an alternative behaviour.
Management Options:
- Don't leave the dogs outside unsupervised, let them out for a potty and then bring them back in. Take them for walks on leash for exercise and stimulation so they are not allowed to continue practicing this behaviour.
- Plant shrubs, add fencing, or add something along your fence line that somewhat obstructs your dogs' view of your neighbour to reduce the stimulation and trigger for this barking.
Training Options:
- Train an alternative behaviour for the specific triggers, such as seeing your neighbour. While inside the house, teach your dog the behaviour you want him to do instead of barking, such as "touch" (target nose to hand) for example:
- Once your dogs have learned this behaviour in the house, go outside with some kibble or treats in your pocket along with your clicker if you use one. When the dog notices something (turns head towards a sound, perks ears up, etc.), call them and ask for "touch" before they start barking.
- You can try any alternative behaviour you like: sit, down, mat, watch me (eye contact), or go get a toy. I like go get a toy, touch, or lay down the best because a dog is much less likely to bark when they are doing these behaviours.
- The downside to this is that you have to be outside with your dogs and on alert at all times during your training period (it can take about 5-6 weeks to break old habits), which is why it's a very good idea to utilize the management techniques listed above in combination with your behaviour modification so that you have fewer opportunities for your dogs to practice the undesired behaviour.
Keep in mind that dogs do bark and they will always bark, the idea here is to have them bark less. If you continue to have difficulty after trying all of the above suggestions, you may want to seek out a professional trainer for assistance. Good luck!
Question #3: Dogs Pawing at & Sitting on Us
Barbara asks: “Why do our dogs put their paws on us or back into us and sit in our laps; 60 pound dogs that is :-)”
Great question, Barbara! I don't have any scientific studies to cite, but here is my professional opinion based on extensive experience and knowledge of dog behaviour and communication.
Dogs make contact with us to solicit attention, seek social contact, or to seek comfort or reassurance.
There was a great article on the ASPCA website recently called "Dogs Don't Touch You by Accident" by Dr. Emily Weiss.
There's also a cute Bark Post article on how our dogs are communicating affection with us: http://barkpost.com/ways-dogs-say-i-love-you
Regardless of their size, when a dog is gently and calmly seeking physical contact with us, it is just that, they want to be close to us.
Question #4: Resource Guarding
Diane asks: “How do you get a dog to 'drop it' when she takes something she is not allowed to have. Mousse will growl and has even snapped at me when I try.”
Hi Diane, I'm glad you asked, resource guarding can be a serious issue if not dealt with appropriately and quickly. The best starting place is to teach the cue "drop it" with much easier items first - items that your dog will take in her mouth, but is not resistant to giving up if you try to take them. This way you can teach the cue "drop it" without having a stand off.
Start by offering her a toy that she will take in her mouth, then show her a treat and say "drop". When she drops the toy to take the treat, click your clicker, then give her the treat. Repeat this three times. Then on the fourth time, give her the toy or item and say "drop it" without showing her the treat first. Then click if she drops it. If she doesn't drop it, count to 10 seconds in your head (without saying or doing anything further - give her a moment to process) and if she still hasn't dropped it, just get up and walk away from her. If she follows you to drop it, turn around and reward her.
As before, the other piece of changing behaviour is to set up the environment for success. As much as humanly possible (which I understand is difficult in a busy household with kids and a puppy!), keep anything you don't want her to chew completely out of reach. If she gets something she should not have, evaluate. Is it something that you don't want wrecked? Is it something that could be dangerous for her? If yes, go and get something better (a treat) and ask for a trade. If it's something that won't hurt her and that is not an important item, just walk away from her and do something interesting (like play with a ball) and she will likely loose interest and come to see what you are doing.
Are you rewarding her for getting things she shouldn't? No, you are rewarding her for giving them up. The important piece is that you're practicing this behaviour with other items every day, multiple times, so that it doesn't just happen when she sneaks something she wasn't supposed to have. The second most important thing is that you are doing your very best to ensure she does not have a chance to get those forbidden items so you don't have to resort to a trade. This may include confining your pup when you can't supervise her so that she cannot get into trouble. And the third most important piece is that you are avoiding and preventing the stand-offs. Remember, we want to prevent our dogs from practicing unwanted behaviour in the first place, which includes trying to remove the item so that the dog growls or snaps at us and then we must back off to avoid a bite. We want to avoid the confrontation in the first place so that you and your dog are not put into a no-win situation.
A fantastic book on the topic of resource guarding is called "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson and can be purchased through Amazon.ca or on DogWise.com.
As I mentioned, resource guarding can be a serious issue, especially when there are children in the home, so please contact a qualified professional trainer for assistance if this persists. Good luck!
Thank you to everyone who submitted a question. I will continue to work on this and other blog posts in order to answer the remainder of questions that came in, so please check back for updates. Remember that reading materials are a general guideline only and for serious behaviour issues you should contact a qualified professional trainer for assistance. If you would like to book an appointment, please contact Jillian.
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