 If your dog is being “naughty,” and you look for help on a social media site, you are looking in the wrong place! There are two main reasons why social media is the last place to look for advice.
 As you can expect, the comments ran the gamut of answers. Use a “vibrating collar,” give them more exercise, squirt them with vinegar water; they need training and the usual “I had this problem, and this is what I did.”
This is about par for the course in my experience. I find it a fascinating study in human behavior that some people immediately encourage punishing the dog – shock collar and vinegar water, and others (politely) blame the owner – exercise more and train them. My comment was, “Trainer here: This situation has a lot to unpack, and you won’t find a fix on social media. Hire a trainer.” I didn’t say “hire a trainer,” hoping they hire me. I am not looking for a payday. I often give training advice on social media, but complex situations like this can’t be solved overnight. Let’s use my “address or suppress” series as the framework. If you are unfamiliar with this, you can watch the whole series here. If we want to suppress the behavior, we could punish the behavior – yell at them, use a shock collar, a squirt bottle, or a penny can. These could work if the dog finds them punishing, but you can also create a more significant problem by compounding the fear by adding pain or discomfort. We could also suppress the behavior by using a management tool to prevent the behavior. For example, we can crate the dogs and cover them with a blanket so they can’t see. We can put window cling on the windows to prevent the dog from seeing clearly and use a calming cap simultaneously. If we want to address the behavior, we need more information. So these are the questions I would ask to gather the information I need to create a plan to address the cause of the behavior. Tell me more about the dogs.
Tell me about their learning history
Tell me about the behavior
Tell me about your expectations.
Tell me about yourself
Once I have all those answers, I can see the bigger picture. When I can see the big picture, I can see behavior patterns. Once I can see the behavior patterns, I can formulate a training plan that addresses the problem's root cause and is tailored to that specific dog. The root cause of this problem could be fear-based anxiety, it could be a lack of clear communication of expectations, it could be a lack of training to the level of distraction needed, it could be a pack dynamic problem, or it could be a lack of self-regulation. Still, until I have all the details, I can only guess. If I am not addressing the cause of the behavior, I am wasting time. This happens all the time. People will say, “I’ve tried x,y, and z, and nothing works.” It isn’t working because you aren’t addressing the root of the problem for THIS dog. And that is the problem with getting training advice on social media. People try to be helpful but they give advice based on what worked for THEIR dog and not yours. And as a trainer, I can’t get all the information I need in a social media post to provide accurate advice. That doesn’t mean you can’t get good advice on the Internet. You certainly can, but you have to look at the source of the information and understand that it is GENERALIZED information and is a good starting point. When you are serious about changing your dog’s behavior it’s time to hire a trainer. Hiring a qualified trainer isn’t an expense but an investment. When you work with a trainer, you benefit from their experience. This is often years of experience with a variety of dogs which allows them to assess a dog’s behavior quickly and create a specific training plan for your dog. When you make this investment and follow their specific suggestions, your dog’s “naughty” behavior will soon be a distant memory.
2 Comments
 We have committed. We found our breeder and we have put a deposit down on a puppy so there is no turning back now. We chose to get a puppy from a responsible breeder. I’ve already been asked by a few friends “Why didn’t you rescue a dog? There are SO many homeless dogs!” So, if you are secretly wondering the same thing here’s a list of why we chose a buy from a breeder instead of buying a dog from a rescue.
 You have planned, prepared, and dreamed about adding a dog to your life and today is the day they come home with you. You are so excited! On the other hand, your new dog has no idea who you are. All they know is that they have left their last “home” (whether it’s the breeder, a shelter, or a foster, it was still “home” to them), and now everything they know is gone.
Homecoming can be pretty stressful for everyone in the family, most of all the dog. This is especially true if the dog comes from a shelter or rescue situation. What can you do to help your dog handle the stress of this transition? Utilize these ten tips to help them ease into their new life with you. 1. Let them decompress Younger dogs, especially puppies, will take less time to decompress than adult dogs. Adult dogs from a shelter can exhibit fear, occasional aggression, or completely shut down. Your primary job is to allow the dog to settle into their new surroundings and explore their new home on their terms at their own pace. This does NOT mean leaving them unsupervised in your home – if you do, accidents will happen, things will get chewed on, and mistakes will be made. I recommend allowing your dog to explore the home while you hang back, following them to guide them. 2. Manage expectations Don’t expect them to understand the rules of your home. Don’t expect them to know where the toilet is or how to signal they have to go potty. If your dog is a puppy, don’t expect them to sleep through the night. Expect them to have an accident in the house. Expect them to chew on stuff if you haven’t dog-proofed the home. Don’t expect them to love you right away. Relationships take time to build, and you might think it’s “love at first sight,” they may not feel the same way. High expectations are a sure-fire way to get disappointed. Give it some time. 3. Keep it calm and low key A new dog needs a calm environment to acclimate. Keep things quiet and peaceful in your home as much as possible. Every sound, movement, and smell will be new to them. This is especially challenging with kids in the house. Yes, your dog needs to adapt to a busy household, but perhaps you can give them some time to settle in before the kids are jumping on the couch and running around screaming? 4. Give them space Imagine going on vacation to a place you have never been with people you don’t know, and as soon as you get there, someone keeps hugging you or touching you. Would you feel comfortable? Probably not – especially if you just met the person. Your new dog probably feels the same way. Give them some space! Resist the urge to shower them with affection. Allow them to solicit engagement from you. This doesn’t mean you can’t pet them but keep your sessions short and stay out of their face. 5. Slow introductions For the first week, keep your dog at home and limit visitors. When it comes time to make introductions to people and other pets, do it slowly. If you have other animals, it's best to let them get acquainted with the new dog outside your home. Take them on a walk and let them meet on the neutral territory if possible; an established dog may feel more territorial in the house. If that isn’t possible, have them meet outside in a safe enclosed area on long leashes that don’t have tension. I know you want to show your new dog to all your friends and family, but there is plenty of time for that later. Let your dog start to build a relationship with you, so they know they have a safe person to go to if they get overwhelmed. When they meet people and dogs, let them go to them and pay close attention to how they communicate comfort or discomfort. 6. Update their identification immediately If your dog gets spooked and runs out the door or jumps a fence and doesn’t have identification, it makes it much harder for them to get back home safely. The best tags are Red Dingo tags because they are guaranteed for life, but they take a week to arrive, so stop at the pet store and get a cheap tag until your permanent identification arrives. 7. Crate train Some new dog owners are not fans of using a crate. For puppies, they are a must for housetraining and sleep training. For adult dogs, they can be a tool that is familiar to them, and everyday things can be comforting. You (as a human) might not like them, but many cautious dogs view them as a safe place to process all the changes that are happening daily. 8. Become a detective Watch your dog for clues about their personality and what skills they may already know. You are looking for deficiencies and strengths, and this requires you to see what they do naturally with no influence from you. For instance, if you are walking in the backyard (fully fenced), pay attention to see if they follow you or do their own thing. If they follow you, that is a clue that teaching recall might be fairly easy. If they are busy doing their own thing and rarely look up to see where you are in relation to them, that is also a clue. This isn’t about judging your new dog as “good” or “bad”; this is simply a tool to see how they respond when given a CHOICE. Those choices will influence how you will train certain behaviors and will provide you with greater insight into how they see the world and how that will ultimately affect their responses to the world. 9. Establish a routine Dogs, like us, are creatures of habit. The more predictable aspects of their new lives are, the faster they will acclimate to their new home. Feeding, walking, playing, sleeping, and other daily activities can all be a part of your dog's regularly scheduled routine. Routines can change, and some people have jobs that prevent a set routine, but the more predictable life can be, especially at the beginning, the easier the transition to your home will be for the dog. 10. Start teaching them life skills Give them a week or two to begin settling into your home and do your detective work before starting any training program. Giving them some time allows you to assess them to formulate a training plan. Do they know any basic obedience? Do you need to start at square one or somewhere in the middle? Regardless of what they already know, I encourage you to start teaching them basic obedience – especially patience games! When you teach (training), you are building a relationship, and the more positive experiences you share, the stronger your bond. So, have fun with it, use tasty treats, and show your new dog that you are a fun human! If you follow these tips, it shouldn’t take long for your dog to realize that your home is now his home, and it’s safe to let his guard down. Sometimes this results in a dramatic behavior change – both good and bad so be prepared that you might have a very different dog on day forty than you did on day two. That’s ok! You will figure it out but don’t hesitate to contact a professional for help, especially if you see fearful behaviors that don’t lessen in two or three weeks. It could be transitional stress, or it could be more deep-seated fear behaviors. When you work with a professional, they can help you avoid common misconceptions and pitfalls and help your dog feel safer faster than if you go it alone. If you are trustworthy, patient, and open to hearing your new dog’s communication, you will lay the foundation of a lasting relationship with your new friend. A dog to walk WITH you through life because they WANT to be with you. Our dogs don't have a choice in the training methods we use but we do it's our responsibility as loving guardians to teach them without hurting them or damaging the potential of our lifelong relationship with them.
I believe that dogs have an amazing culture and communication system. I believe that just because it is different than ours does not make it inferior to ours, simply different. Because we have different cultures we have to each learn about the other. Our dogs have to learn our human culture and we should learn some dog culture. It is our job to bridge the communication gap between species. We shouldn’t punish them for being dogs when we haven’t taken the time to teach them what behaviors we do want. We must show them how to function best in this human world. I believe that when we are teaching our dog something new positive teaching methods are best. However, I am NOT afraid to tell a dog “no”. When I do tell a dog no it is after I have thoroughly taught the dog what behaviors they can do. I do not have to hurt a dog to tell then no and I don’t. I don’t use choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars, or alpha rolls. When I have to learn something new I hope that my teacher is patient, clear, shows me exactly what they want me to do and makes learning fun. I don't want a teacher who yells at me, makes me feel stupid, or hurts me to teach me and our dogs are the same way. I also believe that
Using humane, scientific learning theories, I’ll show you how to communicate with your dog so they become a happy, well-behaved, and reliable companion. I will teach you how to listen to your dog and build a relationship based on trust and love. I will show you both how to work together as a team. |
AuthorI have been working with dogs for over 15 years-soon to be over 20. I have two dogs currently - Stanley and Walter and two dogs waiting for me at the rainbow bridge - Maverick & Jasper. My dogs have been profound teachers and I want to share what I have learned with you. Archives
April 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed