Fearful urination occurs when a dog feels threatened. It may occur when he’s being punished or verbally scolded, or when he’s approached by someone he perceives to be threatening to him. It’s important to remember that this response is based on the dog’s perception of a threat, not the person’s actual intention. Fearful urination may resolve as your dog gains confidence, but you can help build confidence through Nothing in Life is Free, which is when you teach him commands and then have him perform a command in exchange for something, like food or going outside (see our handout: “Nothing in Life is Free”). You should gradually expose him to new people and new situations, making sure all of his new experiences are positive and happy, while also counter conditioning him to respond differently to situations that normally make him pee.

Your dog may be fearfully urinating if:

• Urination occurs when he’s being scolded.
• Urination occurs when he’s being greeted.
• Urination occurs when someone approaches him.
• He is a somewhat shy, anxious or timid dog (doesn’t settle down or is easily scared).
• He has a history of rough treatment or punishment after the fact.
• The urination is accompanied by appeasing postures, such as crouching or rolling over to expose his belly.

  What to do if your dog has a fearful urination problem:

• Take your dog to the vet to rule out medical reasons for the behavior.
• Keep greetings low key.
• Practice Nothing in Life is Free and do clicker training (see our handout: “Dog Clicker Training”).
• Encourage and reward confident postures from him.
• Give him an alternative to behaving fearful. For example, if he knows a few commands, have him

  “sit” or “shake” as you approach, and reward him for performing the behavior.

• Avoid approaching him with postures that he reads as threatening, for example:

o Avoid direct eye contact. Look at his back or tail instead.
o Get down on his level by bending at the knees rather than leaning over from the waist and

ask others to approach him the same way.
o Pet him under the chin rather than on top of the head.

• As you approach, present the side of your body to him, rather than your full front, and avert your gaze.

o Until the problem resolves, you might want to protect your carpet by placing a plastic drop cloth or an absorbent material in the entryway where the accidents are most likely to occur. Alternatively, you can purchase “doggie diapers” at your local pet supply store.

What not to do:
• Do not punish or scold him. This will only make the problem worse.

Excitement Urination

Excitement urination occurs most often during greetings and playtime and is not accompanied by appeasing posturing. Excitement urination usually resolves on its own as a dog matures, as long as it isn’t made worse by punishment or inadvertent reinforcement.

Your dog may have an excitement urination problem if:

• Urination occurs when your dog is excited; for example, during greetings or during playtime.
• Your dog is less than 1 year old.
• Your dog tends to be anxious in general (doesn’t settle down or is easily scared). •
  What to do if your dog has an excitement urination problem:

• Take your dog to the veterinarian to rule out medical reasons for the behavior.
• Keep greetings low key.
• Practice Nothing in Life is Free and do clicker training.
• To avoid accidents, play and greet outdoors until the problem is resolved.
• Until the problem resolves, you might want to protect your carpet by placing a plastic drop cloth or

  an absorbent material in the entryway where the accidents are most likely to occur. Alternatively,

  you can purchase “doggie diapers” at your local pet supply store.

• Ignore him until he’s calm.

  What not to do:

• Do not punish or scold him.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

It is normal for dogs to explore the world with their mouths. However, chewing can be directed into appropriate items so your dog is not destroying items you value. Until he has learned what he can and cannot chew, it is your responsibility to manage the situation as much as possible, so he doesn’t have the opportunity to chew on unacceptable objects.

Managing the Situation

• Take responsibility for your own belongings. If you don’t want it in your dog’s mouth, don’t make it available. Keep clothing, shoes, books, trash, eyeglasses, cell phones, and remote controls out of your dog’s reach.

• Don’t confuse your dog by offering him shoes and socks as toys and then expect them to distinguish between his shoes and yours. Your dog’s toys should be obviously different from household goods.

• Until he learns, confine him when you are unable to keep an eye on him. Choose a “safe place” that is dog proof with fresh water and “safe” toys (see our handout: “Dog Toys and How to Use Them”). If your dog is crate trained, you may also crate him for short periods of time (see our handout: “Crate Training Your Dogs”).

• Take your dog to an obedience class to teach him important commands, like “leave it.” Classes may have the added benefit of reducing destructive behavior because they will help your dog burn off excess energy (see our handout: “The Educated Dog”). You can also do basic training at home, using clicker training (see our handout: “Dog Clicker Training”).

• If, and only if, you actually catch your dog chewing on something he shouldn’t, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise and offer him an acceptable chew toy instead. Play with him when he takes the toy in his mouth.

• Have realistic expectation. It is highly likely that your dog will, at some point, chew up something you value. This is often part of the transition to a new home.

Dogs will engage in destructive behavior for a variety of reasons. In order to deal with the behavior, you must first determine why your dog is being destructive.

Play, Boredom, and/or Social Isolation

Normal play behavior can result in destruction, as it may involve digging, chewing, shredding, and/or shaking toy-like objects. Since dogs investigate objects by pawing at them and exploring them with their mouth, they may inadvertently damage items in their environment.

Your dog may be chewing for entertainment if:

• He’s left alone for long time periods without opportunities for interaction with you or other family members.
• His environment is relatively barren, without playmates or toys.
• He’s a puppy or adolescent (under 3 years old) and he doesn’t have other outlets for his

  energy.

• He’s a particularly active type of dog (like the herding or sporting breeds) who needs an

  active lifestyle to be happy.

Solutions:

• Make sure that your dog gets plenty of positive attention everyday – playing, walking, grooming, or just petting.
• Ignore (as much as possible) bad behavior and reward only good behavior. Remember to reward your dog with praise and petting when he’s playing quietly with appropriate toys.
• Make his favorite off-limits chew objects unattractive or unavailable to him. Use aversives on objects that cannot be put away (see our handout “Aversives for Dogs”).
• Teach your dog a “drop it” command so when he does pick up an off-limits object, you can use your command and praise him for complying. The best way to teach “drop it” is to practice having him exchange a toy in his possession for a tidbit of food (see our handout: “Teaching Your Dog to “Drop it”).
• Practice “Nothing in Life is Free” with your dog (see our handout: “Nothing in Life is Free”). This gets your dog in the habit of complying with your commands and is a good way to make sure he gets lots of positive attention for doing the right things – so he won’t have to resort to being naughty just to get your attention.
• Increase your dog’s opportunities for mental stimulation. Teach your dog a few commands and/or tricks using clicker training and practice them daily (see our handout: “Dog Clicker Training”). If you have time, take an obedience class.

  Fears and Phobias

  Some dogs are afraid of loud noises. Your dog’s destructive behavior may be caused by fear if the destruction occurs when he’s exposed to loud noises, such as thunderstorms, fire crackers, or construction sounds, and if the primary damage is to doors, doorframes, window coverings, screens or walls (see our handouts: “Helping Your Dog Overcome the Fear of Thunder and Other Startling Noises” and “Stress Relief for Your Pet”).

  Solutions:

• You can work on your dog’s fear and reduce his stress using clicker training. See our handout or attend an obedience class.

Puppies

Chewing is normal teething and investigative puppy behavior (see our handout: “Dealing with Normal Puppy Behavior: Chewing”)

What Not To Do

Punishment is rarely effective in resolving destructive behavior problems and can even make them worse. Never discipline your dog after-the-fact. If you discover an item your dog has chewed even just a few minutes later, it is too late to administer a correction. Your dog doesn’t understand that, “I chewed those shoes an hour ago and that’s why I’m being scolded now.” People often believe their dog makes this connection because he runs and hides, or “looks guilty”. Dogs don’t feel guilt; rather they display appeasing postures like cowering, running away, or hiding when they feel threatened by an angry tone of voice, body posture, or facial expression. Your dog doesn’t know that he’s done something wrong; he only knows that you’re upset. Punishment after-the-fact will not only fail to eliminate the undesirable behavior, but my also provoke other undesirable behaviors.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

Puppies explore their world by putting things in their mouths. In addition, puppies are teething until they’re about 6 months old, which usually causes them some discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething, but also makes sore gums feel better. While it is perfectly normal for puppies to chew on furniture, shoes, and shrubbery, these behaviors can be a problem for you and your puppy will not magically “outgrow” this behavior as he matures. However, by shaping your puppy’s behavior and teaching him which objects are acceptable chew toys and which are not, you are able to minimize chewing problems past 6 months of age.

Discouraging Unacceptable Behavior

It is virtually inevitable that your puppy will, at some point, chew up something you value. This is part of raising a puppy! You can, however, prevent most problems by taking the following precautions:

• Minimize chewing problems by puppy-proofing your house. Put the trash out of reach inside a cabinet or outside on a porch, or buy containers with locking lids. Encourage children to pick up their toys and don’t leave socks, shoes, eye glasses, briefcases, cell phones, or TV remote controls lying around within your puppy’s reach.
• If, and only if, you actually catch your puppy chewing on something he shouldn’t, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise, then offer him an acceptable chew toy instead. Play with him lavishly when he takes the toy in his mouth.
• Make unacceptable chew items unpleasant to your puppy. Furniture and other items can be sprayed with Bitter Apple or other taste aversives to make them unappealing (see our handout: “Aversives for Dogs”).
• Don’t give your puppy objects to play with that can cause confusion, such as old socks, old shoes, or old children’s toys that closely resemble items that are off limits. He cannot tell the difference!
• Closely supervise your puppy. Don’t give him the chance to go off by himself and get into trouble. Use baby gates, close doors, or tether him to you with a six-foot leash so you can keep an eye on him (see our handout: “The Training Tether”).
• When you must be gone from the house, confine your puppy to a small, safe area, such as a laundry room. You may also begin to crate train your puppy (see our handout: “Crate Training Your Dog”). Puppies under 5 months of age should not be crated for longer than four hours at a time, as they may not be able to control their bladder and bowels longer than that.
• Make sure your puppy is getting adequate physical activity. Puppies left alone in a yard do not play by themselves. Take your puppy for walks and /or play a game of fetch with him as often as possible.
• Your puppy learns what is appropriate in the house when he is in the house with you, so give your puppy plenty of people time.
• Take your puppy to an obedience class to teach him important commands, like “leave it.”

  Encouraging Acceptable Behavior

• Provide your puppy with many appropriate toys (see our handout: “Dog Toys and How to Use Them”).

• Rotate your puppy’s toys. Puppies, like babies, are often more interested in unfamiliar or novel objects. Put out four or five toys for a few days, then pick those up and put out four or five different ones.
• Experiment with different kinds of toys. When you introduce a new toy to your puppy, watch him to make sure he won’t tear it up and ingest the pieces.
• Consider the various types of toys that can be stuffed with food. Putting tidbits of food inside chew toys focuses your puppy’s chewing activities on those toys instead of on unacceptable objects.
• If your puppy is teething, try freezing a wet washcloth for him to chew on.

  What Not To Do

  Never discipline or punish your puppy after-the-fact. If you discover a chewed item even minutes after he’s chewed it, you’re too late to administer a correction. Animals associate punishment with what they’re doing at the time they’re being punished. Dog and puppies cannot reason that, “I tore up those shoes an hour ago and that’s why I’m being scolded now.” Some people believe this is what a puppy is thinking because he runs and hides or because he “looks guilty.” Guilty looks are canine appeasing postures that dogs show when they feel threatened. When you’re angry and upset, the puppy feels threatened by your tone of voice, body postures, and/or facial expressions, so he may hide or show appeasing postures. Punishment after-the-fact will not only fail to eliminate the undesirable behavior, but could provoke other undesirable behaviors, such as aggression or fear.

  Other Reasons for Destructive Behavior

  Although most destructive chewing by puppies is normal behavior, some puppies may exhibit destructive behavior for the same reasons as adult dogs. Examples include separation anxiety, fear- related behaviors, and attention-getting behavior. For help with these problems, contact our free behavior helpline at 303.751.5772, Ext. 1359, or a professional animal behaviorist.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

What is Canine Rivalry?

Canine Rivalry

Canine rivalry refers to repeated conflicts between dogs living in the same household. Animals that live in groups, like dogs, establish relationships through which the individuals involved interact and live together. The roles that the individuals play within the relationship can change with each new day or situation and can be affected by the presence of various resources, such as food, toys, and attention from people. Dogs may warn each other initially by snarling, growling, or snapping, but not causing injury. However, the conflict may sometimes intensify into prolonged bouts of dangerous fighting, which may result in one or more dogs being injured.

Getting Professional Help

Ongoing canine rivalry is potentially dangerous. Dogs or human family members could be severely injured as a result of fighting. Because resolving rivalry problems requires the understanding of the ways in which dogs communicate, it’s often necessary for owners to obtain assistance from a professional animal behaviorist (see our handout: “When the Behavior Helpline Can’t Help”). Certified animal behaviorists are trained to observe, interpret, and modify animal behavior.

Why Conflict Occurs

Conflicts between household dogs develop for a wide variety of reasons. Conflicts may occur if:

• A new animal has been introduced to the household.
• A resident animal has died or no longer lives in the house.
• A resident animal is re-introduced after an absence.
• A young dog reaches social maturity, which is usually between 10 months and 2 years of age. Understanding canine relationships
  • How relationships are established: Relationships are established through healthy communication, which puppies learn early on in life through socialization. However as a result of inadequate socialization, surgical alterations, or genetic tendencies, some dogs lack proper communication skills and may escalate into aggression with very little warning.
  • Your Role: Do not attempt to influence or define the dogs’ relationship by interfering in their interactions with each other or by favoring one dog over another. Rather, establish a strong, stable relationship with each dog individually by practicing “Nothing in Life is Free” (see our handout). Requiring a dog to work for everything it wants is a safe, non- confrontational way of reinforcing the positive ways a dog behaves in the relationship and provides the guidance that dogs need. If your relationship with your dogs is stable, it can help reduce any stress or feelings of instability that may be adding to the conflict between your dogs.

• Breaking up a fight: If you need to break up a fight, do so by making a loud noise to try and interrupt them. If loud noises do not work, then try squirting the dogs with water. Never attempt to break up a dog fight by grabbing the dogs by their collars or getting any part of yourself in between them. Touching dogs while they are fighting can result in what is called “redirected aggression,” where a dog may bite you because he thinks you are part of the conflict. If you’ve had a dog fight, please call our behavior helpline at (303) 751-5772, Ext. 1359, or contact your veterinarian for a referral to a professional animal behaviorist.

What You Can Do To Help

• If the dogs involved are intact males or female, spay or neuter both dogs.
• Make sure that all the humans in your household are practicing “Nothing in Life is Free.”
• With the help of a professional animal behaviorist, elicit and reinforce non-aggressive behaviors using counter-conditioning and desensitization techniques. These procedures must be designed and tailored to specifically meet the needs of each individual case and require professional in- home help.
• Punishment will not resolve the issue and can actually make it worse.
• You should be aware that if you respond to this type of problem inappropriately, you run the risk of intensifying the problem and potentially causing injury to yourself and/or your dogs.

©2014 Dumb Friends League

(from The Dumb Friends League)
An aversive is something that your dog finds unpleasant (also called punishment). It can be used to discourage the dog from a particular action or place. Aversives are most effective when you also offer a pleasant alternative to the place or action you need your pet to avoid. Please experiment cautiously and sparingly when choosing an aversive as individual responses will vary. Using an aversive that is mildly unpleasant for one dog may be terrifying for another and have no effect on yet another. The goal is to apply the aversive at a level that will cause your dog to avoid the action or place without becoming fearful.

Using Textures as Aversives

Apply these textures to places you need your dog to avoid, and add toys or treats to appropriate places to make them more attractive.

Indoors

Outdoors

• Irregular/sharp rocks set firmly into dirt
• Chicken wire set firmly into dirt with the sharp edges rolled under

  Both

  You may need to weigh the material firmly or tape it to keep it in place. To protect furniture or floor finishes from sticky substances, attach the aversive material to a piece of foil or heavy plastic and secure that with weights or light tape. Texture aversives are most effective for puppies, small dogs, or low- confidence dogs than for those that won’t let a little obstacle stand in their way. Easy-to-attach, commercial varieties of texture aversives are available from most pet supply stores.

  Using Tastes as Aversives

  Apply these substances to places where your dog’s mouth should not be, and offer an appropriate item to chew on instead.

• Bitter Apple or any commercial product that is specifically marketed for taste aversion
• Some hot sauces
• Cayenne pepper
• Citrus odors (colognes, concentrated juices, or fresh peels)
• Aloe gel

• Shelf paper with the sticky side up
• Double-sided carpet tape

• Heavy plastic carpet runner with the pointed side up

Some of these substances may damage furniture or floor finishes, so be sure to test them in a hidden location first. Except for hot sauce and cayenne pepper, these substances should be safe to apply to human skin; however, some individuals may be sensitive to them.

Surprise!

Remote-controlled Aversives:

These items can be used to keep your dog off items, like the couch or counters. They are available at pet supply stores or easy to make at home, and are activated by the dog’s behavior, so the owner does not need be present to apply them.

• Motion detector that reacts with a startling sound or a spray of water
• Snappy Trainer, or an upside-down mouse trap that is securely taped under paper to avoid contact
• Aluminum pie plate or cookie sheet containing water, pennies, beans or pebbles – preferably balanced precariously
• Scat Mat (gives a slight static shock)

  Human-controlled Aversives:

  Use these to interrupt undesirable behaviors, like barking or chewing on furniture; then offer an appropriate alternative. Keep in mind that human-controlled aversives can lead to your dog being afraid of you, or result in your dog still doing the behavior, but when no one is home or in the same room as them.

• Loud air horn
• Whistle
• Shaker can (soda can containing nails, pennies, beans or pebbles, with the opening securely tapes shut)

  WARNING: For fearful dogs, do not use aversives. Aversives may do more harm than good! Also, remember to start out with the lowest level aversive first and experiment cautiously to see what works for your pet.

©2014 Dumb Friends League