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    How to tell if your dog is anti-social

    (Cesar Millan)

    Dog socialization begins almost from birth, when the mother dog starts teaching her pups what they can and cannot do. If they break the rules, she corrects them immediately and if they wander too far off she brings them back.
    If all goes well, by the time those puppies are a bit older, they know their place in that pack, respecting other dogs with a higher position and guiding dogs with a lower position.
    That’s if all goes well. However, quite often when humans adopt a puppy very young — twelve weeks is not uncommon — they fail to continue the lessons of the mother dog by not creating the rules, boundaries, and limitations that all dogs need to be socialized.
    Even if a dog is adopted much later in puppyhood or as an adult, if the humans don’t establish the rules of their new pack, then that dog is not going to know how to behave.
    A dog that respects its fellow pack members, knows their place in the pack, and follows the rules is a socialized dog. When a dog is anti-social, it can lead to various problems. So, how can you tell whether your dog is socialized or not? Here are some things to watch out for.
    Not Respecting Space
    A socialized dog knows its place in the pack, while an anti-social dog does not. One of the ways that this can manifest itself is a dog that does not respect the space of other humans or animals, especially those in its own pack.

    These are the dogs that nudge humans to beg for food during meal time, or try to “herd” people or other animals in the house by circling behind them or pushing them. They can also cause embarrassment for their humans by trying to mount guests’ legs or jumping on any people who come into the house.

    Solution: the humans in the pack must claim their space and consistently correct the dog to set the boundaries. This means physically blocking the dog or pushing it away when it tries to invade.

    Showing Over-Excitement
    To humans, it’s easy to see a dog that goes crazy with spinning and barking and jumping as just being happy to see us return home, but that’s not what’s happening from a dog’s point of view.

    The over-excited dog is acting like that because she doesn’t have any rules on where to go or what to do in certain situations, so all of that energy gets expressed physically and at random. And when a dog’s body is that physically excited, it’s impossible to reach the dog’s mind to calm her down.

    Solution: Over-excited dogs need a lot of exercise to drain that excess energy, but the humans in the pack need to also stop rewarding that excited behavior. If you don’t want your dog to keep jumping and spinning every time you come home, then you need to ignore the dog when it’s in that state. The dog won’t take it personally; she’ll just learn that over-excitement does not earn a reward.

    Pulling or Lunging on the Walk
    As the Pack Leader, we should always be the one in front on the walk, but that isn’t always the case, and one of the most common issues that Cesar deals with is people whose dogs pull them, or otherwise well-behaved dogs that will suddenly lunge when they see another dog or person on the walk.

    In these cases, the dog is not getting the leadership it needs from the human on the other end of the leash, so he naturally moves to the front because every pack has to have a leader.

    Solution: The human on the end of the leash needs to learn to be calm and assertive and to not let the dog get out in front, as well as how to not react to things in the environment that might get the dog excited. (You can find more information in the Dog Walk section at CesarsWay.com.)

    Avoiding Other Dogs or People
    At the opposite end of the spectrum is the dog that tries to avoid everyone, or at least unfamiliar people or animals. These are dogs that would naturally be happy at the back of the pack, where they are protected by the rest of the pack members but, for whatever reason, they feel as if they have been pushed forward in the pack and their reaction is to avoid or flee.

    Not every dog that runs away from something is anti-social — a normally calm, happy-go-lucky dog may suddenly hide under the bed if there’s a loud, unfamiliar noise like fireworks or thunder, for example. But the dog that does it every time there is something new is showing anti-social behavior.

    Solution: Timid dogs can be harder to rehabilitate than aggressive ones, but it all begins with the dog learning to trust you as their Pack Leader. And, although difficult, if you’re a Pack Leader with a timid dog, you may have to force yourself to ignore the dog for a while, practicing “no touch, no talk, no eye contact” until the dog feels comfortable approaching your space.

    Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/dog-socialization/How-to-Tell-if-Your-Dog-Is-Antisocial#ixzz3HOAfsLtG

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 27, 2014

    How to socialize an over-protective dog

    (from Cesar Millan)

    Dogs can become overprotective for any number of reasons. Perhaps you’re projecting fearful or submissive energy and he feels like he needs to take charge and keep you safe. Or you haven’t done the best job at following the exercise, discipline, affection model and your pooch simply sees you as a free source of food and love. Why wouldn’t he try to protect such a valuable commodity from other dogs and people?
    Whatever the reason that your pup’s overprotective nature developed, it’s something that you need to curb before it gets out of control. Left unchecked, this behavior can lead to more serious aggression, and no one wants that for their dog.
    One of the best ways to rehabilitate her overprotective behaviors and have a balanced dog is to socialize her. But how do you do it with a dog that’s already acting out around others?
    Steps to Socializing an Overprotective Dog
    You can’t just expect your dog to change his behavior simply by forcing him to interact with more people. But you don’t want to keep him locked away, either, because doing that will only reinforce their overprotective and aggressive instincts.
    The key is to control the socialization as much as possible — especially in the beginning stages. What does that mean?
    Practice Maintaining Calm-Assertive Energy
    At least part of the reason your dog acts out when you’re with her is because your energy is telling her to do so. That probably seems odd if the problem is that she growls whenever your significant other comes over, but it makes sense.

    If you become nervous that she’s going to act out, she’ll read this energy and become nervous herself, causing her to behave aggressively. When you can keep your own feelings in control, your dog will be more in control, too.

    Choose Your Guests Wisely
    It does your dog no favors if you try to socialize him by inviting over your neighbor and his aggressive dog. When socializing a dog that’s overprotective or aggressive, you need to seek out dogs that are calm and balanced and people who are calm and assertive.

    Just as your dog reacts to your energy, he will also feed off of the energy of others, so you want to make sure their energy is projecting a sense of peace and safety.

    Social-cize
    One of the best ways to get your dog used to other dogs and people is to go on a walk with them. Now this doesn’t mean that you should necessarily have your Uncle Ed walk your pooch if she tries to bite him every time he comes over, but what you can do is have him accompany you both on the walk and maintain your calm-assertive energy.

    This, in conjunction with the calming effects of getting a workout, will eventually help your dog to relax more around him. It’s something that works with other dogs, too, though you may want to have the other owner walk several paces ahead with their pooch until your dog gets used to their presence.

    Work with a Professional
    For many people, it’s not easy to establish pack leadership with an overprotective dog on their own. Using the help of a canine professional who is willing to work with both you and your dog can make a big difference, and it can be especially important if you have any safety concerns.

    Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/dog-socialization/How-to-Socialize-an-Overprotective-Dog?utm_content=Socializing%20an%20Overprotective%20Dog&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Socialization%2CSocialization%20DVD%20Pre%20Order&utm_medium=1414198266#ixzz3HBLTWqrY

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 25, 2014

    5 keys to handling a dominant dog

    (from Cesar Millan)

    Like humans, very few dogs are natural born leaders, but you may wind up with a dominant dog that would normally take the lead position in the pack. If you are not the Pack Leader yourself this can cause problems, as a dominant dog will gravitate toward being in charge given the chance.
    However, if you take the steps to establish yourself as leader of the pack, you can have a wonderful and balanced relationship with a dominant dog. Here are five things to keep in mind when dealing with an alpha dog.

    You need to be even more calm-assertive
    Dogs will not follow unstable energy. This is even truer of alpha dogs, who will try to correct what they see as unbalanced behavior. This is why, when dealing with a dominant dog, you have to be even calmer and more assertive than normally.

    If you’re anxious or nervous, your dog will sense this, and a dominant dog will see it as their cue to take charge. On the other hand, if you are calm and assertive, a dominant dog will read this as everything is all right, and they won’t feel the need to protect and direct their pack, i.e. you.

    Set rules, boundaries, and limitations
    Again, rules, boundaries, and limitations are even more important for dominant dogs because it focuses their dominance and gives them a way to express their confidence without using it on you.

    At a minimum, there should be rules for where they can go in the house without your permission, they should always have to wait before going in or out the door, and they don’t get their food until they are calm and submissive.

    With dominant dogs, you can take it a step further with things like agility training, which allows them to use up excess energy while leading themselves through the obstacle course.

    Don’t force affection
    Dominant dogs are naturally more aloof and solitary. Remember, in the pack, the leaders do not approach the followers. The followers come to the leaders. The trap that it’s easy for humans to fall into is to pursue their dog to give affection when the dog isn’t “cuddly” enough, which puts the dog in the leadership position.

    If your dog is dominant, the best approach is to ignore her. When she wants attention, she will come to you, and this reinforces your role as the Pack Leader.

    Use meal time to your advantage
    In the pack, the leaders eat first, and the same should be true when the leaders are humans. For dominant dogs especially, you need to create a boundary around the family table, with the dog not allowed to approach while the people are eating.

    When it comes to feeding time, your dog must be calm and submissive before you even begin the process, and wait in that calm submissive state until you have put the bowl down, walked away from it and given the “okay” for your dog to eat.

    Give your dog a job
    Dominant dogs in particular need to fulfill a role in the pack, which is why it’s important for you to give your dog a job. This can be as simple as having them wear a backpack on the walk, or you can train your dog in agility, search and rescue, obedience, herding, Treibball, and more.
    If your dog is dominant, then you need to be an even stronger Pack Leader. Keeping these five points in mind will help keep you on top and your relationship with your dog happy and balanced.

    Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/basics/5-keys-to-handling-a-dominant-dog?utm_content=5%20keys%20to%20handling%20a%20dominant%20dog&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=dominant%20dog%2Cbasics%2CTips%2Cdog%20training%2Cdog%20behavior&utm_medium=1414253282#ixzz3HBIwdEQN

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 25, 2014

    Hand target training

    (Victoria Stilwell – “Positively”)

    The ‘Touch’ cue teaches dogs that an approaching hand is not a threat and therefore does not require a negative response. Many advanced behavioral issues can often be traced back to seemingly innocuous beginnings like a puppy reacting nervously to an outstretched hand or general human touch.

    The key to avoiding the escalation of such issues is to desensitize the dog to things that might be considered scary (such as human hands) as early as possible. Teaching the ‘Touch’ cue is a great way of building that foundation and is a useful cue to teach both puppies and adult dogs.

    ‘Touch’ is also a great confidence-building exercise and can be used to help all dogs accept the approach of a human hand, something that is likely to happen to them many times throughout their lives.

    Training Technique:

    Dogs are naturally curious animals, so start this technique by presenting your hand to your dog. As he goes to investigate your hand and touches it with his nose, praise and reward him.
    Take your hand away, put it behind your back, wait a second or two, and then present it again.
    Repeat this exercise until your dog is touching your hand whenever you present it.
    When your dog is good at this task, start adding the word ‘touch’ as he goes to touch your hand with his nose. After many repetitions you will find that he will respond as soon as you ask him to ‘touch.’
    Try this exercise with both hands so that he gets used to touching either one.
    When he is reliably touching your hand, use this cue around the home. Call your dog to come to you, and as he gets close, extend your hand and ask him to ‘touch.’
    Every touch should be rewarded at this point–some with praise and others with a treat.
    When your dog is responding well indoors, take the exercise outside where there are more distractions.
    Gradually increase the distance between you so that your dog has to travel farther to touch your hand.

    Why Does My Dog Need To Know This?
    The ‘Touch’ cue can also be used if you want your dog to touch other things with his nose such as an object or toy. It can be taught as part of a retrieval exercise or if you want your dog to close a door or switch on a light. This cue is regularly taught to dogs that are being trained to assist people in various ways. ‘Touch’ can also be used to distract dogs that are nervous or fearful of certain situations. Teaching your dog to play the ‘touch’ game by extending your hand to your dog, rewarding him for touching it and repeating the exercise until the perceived fear has passed, gives him something positive to focus on rather than the person or situation that makes him nervous.

    https://positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/hand-target-training/

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 25, 2014

    Understanding why your dog growls

    Why you should never punish a dog for growling.

    By Pat Miller

    Clients always appear a bit stunned at first when I tell them their dog’s growl is a good thing. In fact, a growl is something to be greatly treasured.

    These are my aggression consultation clients, who are in my office in desperation, as a last resort, hoping to find some magic pill that will turn their biting dog into a safe companion. They are often dismayed and alarmed to discover that the paradigm many of us grew up with – punish your dog harshly at the first sign of aggression – has contributed to and exacerbated the serious and dangerous behavior problem that has led them to my door.

    It seems intuitive to punish growling. Growling leads to biting, and dogs who bite people often must be euthanized, so let’s save our dog’s life and nip biting in the bud by punishing him at the first sign of inappropriate behavior. It makes sense, in a way – but when you have a deeper understanding of canine aggression, it’s easy to understand why it’s the absolute wrong thing to do.

    Communication efforts
    Most dogs don’t want to bite or fight. The behaviors that signal pending aggression are intended first and foremost to warn away a threat. The dog who doesn’t want to bite or fight tries his hardest to make you go away. He may begin with subtle signs of discomfort that are often overlooked by many humans – tension in body movements, a stiffly wagging tail.

    “Please,” he says gently, “I don’t want you to be here.”

    If you continue to invade his comfort zone, his threats may intensify, with more tension, a hard stare, and a low growl.

    “I mean it,” he says more firmly, “I want you to leave.”

    If those are ignored, he may become more insistent, with an air snap, a bump of the nose, or even open mouth contact that closes gently on an arm but doesn’t break skin.

    “Please,” he says, “don’t make me bite you.”

    If that doesn’t succeed in convincing you to leave, the dog may feel compelled to bite hard enough to break skin in his efforts to protect self, territory, members of his social group, or other valuable resources.

    Caused by stress
    What many people don’t realize is that aggression is caused by stress. The stressor may be related to pain, fear, intrusion, threats to resources, past association, or anticipation of any of these things. An assertive, aggressive dog attacks because he’s stressed by the intrusion of another dog or human into his territory. A fearful dog bites because he’s stressed by the approach of a human. An injured dog lacerates the hand of his rescuer because he’s stressed by pain.

    When you punish a growl or other early warning signs, you may succeed in suppressing the growl, snarl, snap, or other warning behavior – but you don’t take away the stress that caused the growl in the first place. In fact, you increase the stress, because now you, the dog’s owner, have become unpredictable and violent as well.

    Worst of all, and most significantly, if you succeed in suppressing the warning signs, you end up with a dog who bites without warning. He has learned that it’s not safe to warn, so he doesn’t.

    If a dog is frightened of children, he may growl when a child approaches. You, conscientious and responsible owner, are well aware of the stigma – and fate – of dogs who bite children, so you punish your dog with a yank on the leash and a loud “No! Bad dog!” Every time your dog growls at a child you do this, and quickly your dog’s fear of children is confirmed – children do make bad things happen! He likes children even less, but he learns not to growl at them to avoid making you turn mean.

    You think he’s learned that it’s not okay to be aggressive to children, because the next time one passes by, there’s no growl.

    “Phew,” you think to yourself. “We dodged that bullet!”

    Convinced that your dog now accepts children because he no longer growls at them, the next time one approaches and asks if he can pat your dog, you say yes. In fact, your dog has simply learned not to growl, but children still make him very uncomfortable. Your dog is now super-stressed, trying to control his growl as the child gets nearer and nearer so you don’t lose control and punish him, but when the scary child reaches out for him he can’t hold back any longer – he lunges forward and snaps at the child’s face. Fortunately, you’re able to restrain him with the leash so he doesn’t connect. You, the dog, and the child are all quite shaken by the incident.

    It’s time to change your thinking.

    “Help!”
    A growl is a dog’s cry for help. It’s your dog’s way of telling you he can’t tolerate a situation – as if he’s saying, “I can’t handle this, please get me out of here!”

    Your first response when you hear your dog growl should be to calmly move him away from the situation, while you make a mental note of what you think may have triggered the growl. Make a graceful exit. If you act stressed you’ll only add to his stress and make a bite more, not less, likely. Don’t worry that removing him rewards his aggression; your first responsibility is to keep others safe and prevent him from biting.

    If the growl was triggered by something you were doing, stop doing it. Yes, your dog learned one tiny lesson about how to make you stop doing something he doesn’t like, but you’ll override that when you do lots of lessons about how that thing that made him uncomfortable makes really, really good stuff happen.

    This is where counter-conditioning comes in. Your dog growls because he has a negative association with something – say he growls when you touch his paw. For some reason, he’s convinced that having his paw touched is a bad thing. If you start by touching his knee, then feeding him a smidgen of chicken, and keep repeating that, he’ll come to think that you touching his knee makes chicken happen. He’ll want you to touch his leg so he gets a bit of chicken.

    Note: Make sure your dog’s discomfort with you touching his paw is not related to pain. If it hurts when you touch him there, counter-conditioning won’t work. It’s a good idea to get a full veterinary workup if there’s any chance your dog’s growling may be pain-related.

    When you see him eagerly search for chicken when you touch his knee, you can move your hand slightly lower and touch there, until you get the same “Where’s my chicken?!” response at the new spot. Gradually move closer and closer to his paw, until he’s delighted to have you touch his foot – it makes chicken happen! Now practice with each foot, until he’s uniformly delighted to have you touch all of them. Remember that the touch comes first, so it consistently predicts the imminent arrival of chicken.

    If at any time in the process – which could take days, weeks, or even months, depending on the dog and how well you apply the protocol – you see the dog’s tension increase, you’ve moved too quickly. Back up a few inches to where he’s comfortable being touched and start again. Or, there may be other stressors present that are increasing his tension. Do an environment check to be sure nothing else is happening that’s adding to his stress. Have the rowdy grandkids leave the room, give him a little time to relax, and start again.

    Remember, dogs can’t tell us in words what’s bothering them, but they can communicate a lot with their body language and canine vocal sounds. Pay attention to what your dog is telling you. Listen with heart and compassion. Be gentle when your dog tells you he needs help. Come to his rescue. Treasure his growl.

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 21, 2014

    Teaching bite inhibition

    How to develop and maintain your dog’s “bite inhibition.”

    By Pat Miller

    My dog bites me. A lot. Scooter, the 10-pound Pomeranian we adopted from the shelter after he failed a behavior assessment (for serious resource-guarding), has bitten me more times than I can count. Most of the time I don’t even feel his teeth. He has never broken skin, and the few times I have felt any pressure, it’s been because I’ve persisted in what I was doing despite his clear request to stop. Scooter has excellent bite inhibition.

    In the dog training world, bite inhibition is defined as a dog’s ability to control the pressure of his mouth when biting, to cause little or no damage to the subject of the bite. We know that all dogs have the potential to bite, given the wrong set of circumstances. Some dogs readily bite with little apparent provocation, but even the most saintly dog, in pain, or under great stress, can be induced to bite. When a bite happens, whether frequently or rarely, bite inhibition is what makes the difference between a moment of stunned silence and a trip to the nearest emergency room for the victim (and perhaps the euthanasia room for the dog).

    A bite is at the far end of a long line of behaviors a dog uses to communicate displeasure or discomfort. To stop another dog, human, or other animal from doing what he perceives to be an inappropriate or threatening behavior, the dog often starts with body tension, hard eye contact, a freeze, pulling forward of the commissure (corners of the lips). These “please stop!” behaviors may escalate to include a growl, snarl (showing teeth), offensive barking, an air-snap (not making contact), and finally, an actual bite. The dog who does any or all of these things is saying, “Please don’t make me hurt you!”

    Some foolish humans punish their dogs for these important canine communications. “Bad dog, how dare you growl at my child!” Punishing your dog for these warning signals can make him suppress them; he’ll learn it’s not safe to let you know he’s not comfortable with what you’re doing -and then bites can happen without warning. (See “The Gift of Growling,” Whole Dog Journal October 2005.)

    Others ignore the signals and proceed with whatever was making the dog uncomfortable. This is also foolish, because it can prompt the dog to express his feelings more strongly, with a less inhibited bite that might break skin and do damage.

    The wise dog owner recognizes the dog’s early signals, and takes steps to reduce or remove the stimulus that is causing the dog to be tense, to avoid having her dog escalate to a bite. She then manages the environment to prevent the dog from constant exposure to the stressful stimulus, and modifies her dog’s behavior to help him become comfortable with it. Sometimes, however, even the best efforts of the wisest dog owners can’t prevent a bite from happening. If and when it does, one hopes and prays that the dog has good bite inhibition.

    Installing bite inhibition
    In the best of all worlds, puppies initially learn bite inhibition while still with their mom and littermates, through negative punishment: the pup’s behavior makes a good thing go away. If a pup bites too hard while nursing, the milk bar is likely to get up and leave. Pups learn to use their teeth softly, if at all, if they want the good stuff to keep coming. As pups begin to play with each other, negative punishment also plays a role in bite inhibition. If you bite your playmate too hard, he’ll likely quit the game and leave.

    For these reasons, orphan and singleton pups (as well as those who are removed from their litters too early) are more likely to have a “hard bite” (lack of bite inhibition) than pups who have appropriate interactions for at least seven to eight weeks with their mother and siblings. These dogs miss out on important opportunities to learn the consequences of biting too hard; they also fail to develop “tolerance for frustration,” since they don’t have to compete with littermates for resources. They may also be quicker to anger -and to bite without bite inhibition -if their desires are thwarted. Note: Being raised with their litter doesn’t guarantee good bite inhibition; some dogs have a genetic propensity to find hard biting (and its consequences) to be reinforcing; others may have had opportunity to practice and be reinforced for biting hard.

    Your dog may never bite you in anger, but if he doesn’t have good bite inhibition you’re still likely to feel a hard bite when he takes treats from your fingers -and removes skin as well as the tasty tidbit.

    If you find yourself with a puppy who, for whatever reason, tends to bite down harder than he should with those needle-sharp puppy teeth, you need to start convincing him that self-restraint is a desirable quality. You can’t start this lesson too early when it comes to putting canine teeth on human skin and clothes. Ideally, you want to teach your pup not to exert pressure when mouthing by the time he’s five months old, just as his adult canine teeth are coming in, and before he develops adult-dog jaw strength. Here are the four R’s of how to do it:

    • Remove: When your puppy bites hard enough to cause you pain, say “Ouch!” in a calm voice, gently remove your body part from his mouth, and take your attention away from him for two to five seconds. You’re using negative punishment, just like the pup’s mom and littermates. If he continues to grab at you when you remove your attention, put yourself on the other side of a baby gate or exercise pen. When he is calm, re-engage with him.

    • Repeat: Puppies (and adult dogs, and humans) learn through repetition. It will take time, and many repetitions of Step #1, for your pup to learn to voluntarily control the pressure of his bite. Puppies do have a very strong need to bite and chew, so at first you’ll “ouch and remove” only if he bites down hard enough to hurt you. Softer bites are acceptable -for now. If you try to stop all puppy biting at once, both of you will become frustrated. This is a “shaping” process (see “The Shape of Things to Come,” March 2006).

    At first, look for just a small decrease in the pressure of his teeth. When he voluntarily inhibits his bite a little -enough that it’s not hurting you -start doing the “ouch and remove” procedure for slightly softer bites, until you eventually shape him not to bite at all. By the time he’s eight months old he should have learned not to put his mouth on humans at all, unless you decide to teach him to mouth gently on cue.

    • Reinforce: Your pup wants good stuff to stick around. When he discovers that biting hard makes you (good stuff) go away, he’ll decrease the pressure of his bite and eventually stop biting hard. This works especially well if you remember to reinforce him with your attention when he bites gently. It works even better if you use a reward marker when he uses appropriate mouth pressure. Given that your hands are probably full of puppy at that particular moment, use a verbal marker followed by praise to let him know he’s doing well. Say “Yes!” to mark the soft-mouth moment, followed by “Good puppy!” praise to let him know he’s wonderful.

    • Redirect: You probably are well aware that there are times when your pup is calmer and softer, and times when he’s more aroused and more likely to bite hard.

    It’s always a good idea to have soft toys handy to occupy your pup’s teeth when he’s in a persistent biting mood. If you know even before he makes contact with you that he’s in the mood for high-energy, hard biting, arm yourself with a few soft toys and offer them before he tries to maul your hands. If he’s already made contact, or you’re working on repetitions of Step #1, occasionally reinforce appropriate softer bites with a favorite squeaky toy play moment.

    If there are children in the home with a mouthy puppy, it’s imperative that you arm them with soft toys and have toys easily available in every room of the house, so they can protect themselves by redirecting puppy teeth rather than running away and screaming -a game that most bitey pups find highly reinforcing.

    It is possible to suppress a puppy’s hard biting by punishing him when he bites too hard. That might even seem like a quicker, easier way to get him to stop sinking his canine needles into your skin. However, by doing so, you haven’t taught him bite inhibition. If and when that moment comes where he really does feel compelled to bite someone, he’s likely to revert to his previous behavior and bite hard, rather than offering the inhibited bite you could have taught him.

    Teaching bite inhibition to an adult dog
    Teaching an adult dog to inhibit his bite is far more challenging than teaching a puppy. A dog easily reverts to a well-practiced, long-reinforced behavior in moments of high emotion, even if he’s learned to control his mouth pressure in calmer moments.

    I know this all too well. Our Cardigan Corgi, now six years old, came to us at the age of six months with a wicked hard mouth. Hand-feeding her treats was a painful experience, and I implemented a variation of the “Ouch” procedure. Because she was biting hard for the treat rather than puppy-biting my flesh, I simply said “Ouch,” closed my hand tightly around the treat, and waited for her mouth to soften, then fed her the treat. Hard mouth made the treat disappear (negative punishment); soft mouth made the treat happen (positive reinforcement). She actually got the concept pretty quickly, and within a couple of weeks could thoughtfully and gently take even high value treats without eliciting an “Ouch.”

    She still can take treats gently to this day, except when she’s stressed or excited; then she reverts to her previous hard-bite behavior. When that happens, I close the treat in my fist until she remembers to soften her mouth, at which time I open my hand and feed her the treat. So, while our bite inhibition work was useful for routine training and random daily treat delivery, if Lucy ever bites in a moment of stress, arousal, fear and/or anger, I have no illusions that she’s going to remember to inhibit her bite. Of course, I do my best to make sure that moment doesn’t happen.

    Because I have more leeway with Scooter and his excellent bite inhibition, it’s tempting to be a little complacent with him. I try not to. One of Scooter’s “likely to bite” moments is grooming time. The poor guy has a horrible undercoat that mats, literally, in minutes. This is a highly undesirable Pomeranian coat characteristic. I could groom my first Pomeranian, Dusty, once a week without worrying about mats. I have to groom Scooter every night.

    Of course he hates it; brushing always causes him some discomfort as I work to ease the tangles out without pulling too hard on his skin. We’ve made progress in the year we’ve had him; I can comb the top half of his body without encountering much resistance, but I can feel him tense up as I approach the more sensitive lower regions. Rather than relying on his good bite inhibition to get us through, I continue to use counter-conditioning and desensitization. I feed him treats (or have my husband Paul feed him) as I groom, or let him lick my hands (an activity he enjoys mightily -and one I can tolerate in place of his biting) while I comb out the tangles.

    Whether you’ve taken the time to teach your puppy good bite inhibition or had the good fortune to inherit a dog who has it, don’t take it for granted. Continue to reinforce soft-mouth behavior for the rest of his life, and don’t be tempted to push the envelope of his tolerance just because you can. Even saints have limits.

    Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center.

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 21, 2014

    How to help dogs get along

    (from Cesar Millan)

    It’s an all-too-familiar scenario. Two humans try to blend their existing packs and wind up with their dogs fighting and creating chaos. It can happen with roommates moving in together, people trying to date, or even when bringing a new dog into an existing pack.
    It doesn’t have to be this way and, short of having one or more dogs that are red zone cases (which will require a professional trainer’s help), you can take steps to prevent this problem before it happens or solve it if it does.
    Before the Dogs Meet
    One big mistake people make when introducing dogs from different packs or bringing in new dogs is by just tossing them together in one pack’s territory and hoping that they’ll get along. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t.
    By bringing a new dog into another pack’s territory, you are running the risk of the existing pack becoming assertive or aggressive in order to defend what is theirs. Depending on the new dog’s energy, they may become completely submissive and fearful, or they may fight back.
    Whether you’re bringing a new dog into the pack or moving in new humans with their existing pack, the procedure is the same, and you can find it in detail in the article A New Member of the Pack. The short version is that all of the dogs should meet in neutral territory and take a long walk together first, before coming into the home. Then, the humans enter first, followed by the dogs that live there, followed by the new dog.
    In this way, you are allowing the dogs to first bond as a pack on the walk, then allowing the dogs currently living in the home to bring the new dogs in. Just shoving a new dog in through the door is an invasion; doing it this way turns it into an invitation from the existing dogs.

    Too Late — Now What?
    One dog fight does not make for a disaster, but your reaction to it can. Even among the seemingly closest of pack mates, sometimes something can happen that will get them going at each other. One of them doesn’t respect the other’s space and a correction turns into a conflict. Maybe a human member of the pack accidentally drops a high value food item on the floor and both dogs go for it. Maybe one of your dogs is experiencing physical pain and another dog nudged her the wrong way.
    The first step with the first fight is to break it up quickly and calmly. Focus on the dog with the higher level of intensity, use touch to redirect (this forces them to release if they’re biting), and then pull them up (not back). Never yell or shout excitedly when breaking up a dog fight — this will only elevate the aggression. You can use a loud grunt or shout, but always in a calm manner. You’re not breaking up the dogs with your voice; you’re defusing the aggression with your energy.
    The second and most important step with a dog fight is how you handle it after. The right way: forget it happened, because your dogs will. The wrong way: start worrying about the next fight, because that is the quickest way to guarantee that it will happen.

    Avoiding Fights
    Dogs in the same pack fight for one reason only: because they do not have a strong pack leader. This is why establishing rules, boundaries, and limitations for the entire pack is important. If all of your dogs are looking to you as a leader, they will not be looking at each other as competition.
    It’s also very important to walk your dogs together, side-by-side. Not only does the exercise help to lower their energy, and hence the impulse to fight, but by moving your dogs forward together it focuses them on a common goal instead of each other.
    Remember: the worst thing you can do if you have dogs that fight is to ignore the problem by isolating them from each other. What this actually does is create a separate territory for each dog, and fighting over territory is the only natural cause of battles between dog packs. Since the dogs will still be able to smell each other, that conflict will become an obsession. If they ever do wind up together in this situation, then they will fight.

    The Key to Success Is You
    Even the most seemingly balanced dog pack may occasionally have a fight in it. The important thing to remember is that you are in charge and conflict like this is not the end of the world. Break the fight up quickly and calmly, redirect the dog’s attention, take them for a walk together, and don’t worry that it’s going to happen again.
    They may or may not fight again, but if worry over it does not become your obsession, you will not be feeding them negative energy that will lead to another fight. Reward them when they are being calm and submissive, and correct them when they are not. Your dogs would prefer to not fight, and you as the pack leader can help them achieve this goal.

    Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/dog-socialization/How-to-Help-Dogs-Get-Along?utm_content=How%20to%20Help%20Dogs%20Get%20Along&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Socialization%2Cdog%20training%2Chow%20to%20help%20dogs%20get%20along%2Ccw.com&utm_medium=1413418316#ixzz3GGMty6BL

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 16, 2014

    Stress-free dog walking

    By Jon Bastian (From Cesar Millan’s website)

    Cesar’s fulfillment formula is Exercise, Discipline, and then Affection, in that order — and the best way to provide exercise is to walk your dog.

    But one of the areas in which people seem to report the most trouble is … walking their dogs. Their dogs pull ahead, or act aggressively toward other dogs, or bark or snarl at everything. When you experience this type of behavior, it can really be a big disincentive to walking, which just makes things worse.
    If you don’t walk your dog, it’s not getting exercise, so it isn’t balanced. It’s missing out on the most important half of the fulfillment formula and will be full of excess energy. A dog with excess energy cannot focus on discipline, while showing affection toward an over-excited dog will just make it worse.

    So, what to do? The key thing to remember is this: the energy you bring with you affects the walk. That leash you’re holding in your hand is a direct communication system to your dog, and everything you feel just gets telegraphed down it. Are you anxious? Tense? Nervous? Excited?

    If you’re in a negative energy state, your dog is going to pick up on that immediately and act appropriately. Why? Because they are looking to you for cues on how to behave, for example, if you see another dog approaching and tense up on the leash, your dog is going to understand this as, “Uh-oh. Something is dangerous. Must protect!”

    So, instead of passing that other dog without incident or with a properly socialized greeting, your dog is going to react to the threat, probably with aggression. This leads to that awkward situation we’ve all faced of pulling our dog away, apologizing profusely, and then dragging our dog past the other dog and owner, a good walk ruined.

    Remember: dogs live in the moment. The dog they had a fight with yesterday can be their best friend today because they don’t hold grudges. The problem is that humans do hold onto the past, so the dog our dog once got into a scuffle with is forever the enemy — to us.

    But that’s the human way of looking at things. If you want to have a pleasant walk with your dog, you need to do two things. The first is to make sure that your dog is in a calm-submissive state before the walk even starts. To do this, you need to teach your dogs that they do not get to go on the walk until they are calm-submissive. In order to do that, you have to be patient and consistent, and not put the leashes on until your dogs calmly sit and wait.

    The second is to check what energy you are bringing on the walk, and put yourself in a calm-assertive state before you walk out the door. Here are some things to avoid:

    Don’t Anticipate the Worst
    Expectation can become reality, so if you head out the door worried that something bad might happen on the walk, you’ve already set the scene for bad things to happen. Before you go out that door, visualize a pleasant stroll with your dog at your side.

    Don’t Avoid Other People
    We’ve probably all seen or done this: when one dog walker sees another coming down the street, they suddenly pull their dog aside and drag them across the street in a panic. All this does is alert the dog to danger, and if their human does this a few times then the dog will make the association with other dogs and danger. Again, expectation becomes reality.

    Don’t Panic
    When you see or encounter other dogs on the walk, remain calm. If you’re calm, then your dog is calm — and the other dog will sense this. Maybe they’ll just walk right by each other, or maybe they’ll exchange a friendly greeting. Even if the other dog does become over-excited or aggressive, your calm-assertive energy will tell your dog that this is nothing to be worried about, and it will be much easier to steer your dog clear.

    Don’t Pull
    If your dog does start to bark at another dog, do not pull back on the leash. To a dog, this sudden tension actually makes them pull and lunge harder. Learn how to give a correction by giving the leash a quick tug to the side or by pulling up instead of back. When you’re working to train your dog to not pull, it’s perfectly fine to use your body to block them by giving them a nudge with your leg or standing in front of them.

    Don’t Yell
    If your dog does become over-excited or aggressive on the walk, resist the natural human urge to control them by shouting. This only makes them more excited or aggressive because, by that point, they aren’t hearing the words, they’re just sensing loud noise and your own excited energy. Dogs mirror our energy state, so if you want your dog to calm down, stay calm yourself.

    Read more: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/dog-walk/Helping-Your-Dog-Be-Social-on-the-Walk?utm_content=Helping%20Your%20Dog%20Be%20Social%20on%20the%20Walk%20Copy&utm_campaign=CW.com%20Article&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=dog%20walk%2C%22dog%20training%20channel%22&utm_medium=1412612824#ixzz3FPGi25OT

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date October 6, 2014
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