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    Canine senior wellness checkups

    CANINE SENIOR WELLNESS

     

    • As dogs grow older, their bodies become less able to cope with physical or environmental stress.
    • Dogs are very good at hiding signs of illness, so health problems may seem to appear quickly.
    • Most experts agree that healthy senior dogs should see their veterinarians every 6 months.

    When Is a Dog “Senior”?

    With many dogs living well into their teens, many owners wonder: When is a dog truly senior? The answer is that there is no specific age at which a dog becomes senior. Individual pets age at different rates. However, most dogs become senior at 7 to 10 years of age, and most large- and giant-breed dogs become seniors earlier than small-breed dogs.

    Knowing the general age of your dog can help you monitor him or her for early signs of any problems.

    Health Issues in Senior Dogs

    As dogs grow older, their bodies become less able to cope with physical or environmental stress. Their immune systems become weaker, and they are more prone to developing certain diseases or conditions, including:

    • Arthritis
    • Cancer (especially testicular or breast cancer)
    • Prostate disease
    • Cognitive (brain) disorders
    • Intestinal problems
    • Deafness
    • Dental disease
    • Diabetes mellitus (“sugar” diabetes)
    • Kidney disease
    • Liver disease
    • Vision problems

    This is why regular senior wellness visits with your veterinarian are important for the long-term health of your dog.

    The Senior Dog Wellness Exam

    Just as with people, it’s important for dogs to see their doctors more often as they age. Most experts agree that healthy senior dogs should see their veterinarians every 6 months. A thorough senior wellness exam is designed to:

    • Promote the longest and healthiest life possible
    • Recognize and control known health risks for older dogs
    • Detect any signs of disease at their earliest, when they are the most treatable

    During a senior wellness exam, your veterinarian will ask you questions to obtain a complete medical history for your dog and to determine if there have been any changes in health or behavior since the last visit. During the physical examination, your veterinarian will assess your dog’s overall appearance and body condition by listening to his or her heart and lungs; feeling for signs of pain, tumors, or other unusual changes in the neck and abdomen; checking joints for signs of arthritis or muscle weakness; and examining the ears, eyes, and mouth for any signs of disease.

    A routine senior wellness exam should also include the following tests to check your dog for signs of disease and to assess your dog’s kidney and liver function:

    • Blood pressure
    • CBC (complete blood count )
    • CHEM screen (liver and kidney function )
    • Urinalysis
    • T4 (thyroid function)
    • Heartworm blood test
    • Fecal test (for intestinal parasites)

    Most veterinarians recommend that this baseline laboratory testing be conducted at least once a year in adult dogs aged 2 to 7 years, and more frequently in senior dogs. Dogs that have an existing medical problem may need testing more often.

    Additional tests may be required depending on the results of routine screening tests. Which tests are necessary and how often they are performed are different for each dog, but, in general, the ones listed above will provide your veterinarian with a good “snapshot” of your senior dog’s health. Over time, these test results can be tracked and compared to help your veterinarian detect any developing health trends.

    Monitoring Your Senior Dog

    Dogs age much more rapidly than people do. Therefore, they may appear healthy for a long time and then seem to become suddenly ill. You can help your veterinarian by keeping a close eye on your dog between exams. If you notice any unusual signs of trouble, don’t wait for your regularly scheduled checkup to see your veterinarian: call right away. Signs to watch for and quickly report include the following:

    • Incontinence (unable to control urine/bowel movements, or having “accidents” in the house)
    • Lumps
    • Constipation or diarrhea
    • Shortness of breath or other difficulty breathing
    • Coughing
    • Weakness
    • Unusual discharges
    • Changes in weight, appetite, urination, or water intake
    • Stiffness or limping
    • Increased vocalization
    • Uncharacteristic aggression or other behavior changes

    Unexplained weight loss or weight gain can be an early sign of underlying disease. Weight management itself can also be an issue: Many senior dogs are obese, and obesity can contribute to the development of diabetes, arthritis, and other conditions.

    Keeping Up With Basic Care

    Along with paying more attention to your dog’s health as he or she ages, you should continue routine wellness care such as parasite prevention, dental care, nutritional management, and appropriate vaccination. Maintaining proper routine care becomes even more important as your dog’s immune system ages.

    Take steps to ensure your dog’s comfort, such as making sure that food and water bowls are still easily accessible to your old friend and that you give him or her plenty of attention and affection.

    Foods for senior dogs should be lower in fat but not lower in protein. Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation. Size is used to determine when it’s time to feed your dog a senior diet:

    • Small breeds (dogs weighing less than 20 lb)—7 years of age
    • Medium breeds (dogs weighing 21 to 50 lb)—7 years of age
    • Large breeds (dogs weighing 51 to 90 lb)—6 years of age
    • Giant breeds (dogs weighing 91 lb or more)—5 years of age

    Smaller, more frequent feedings are easier on a senior dog’s digestive system.

    You might need to give your senior dog more opportunities to urinate and defecate.

    Because senior dogs can’t regulate their body temperature as well as young dogs, senior dogs should be kept warm, dry, and indoors when not outside for exercise. Senior dogs are also more sensitive to heat and humidity, so they should be protected from conditions that could cause heatstroke.

    Arthritic dogs may appreciate ramps instead of stairs, extra blankets on their beds, and an orthopedic bed.

    If your dog is losing his or her sight or hearing, remove obstacles and reduce your dog’s anxiety by keeping floors free of clutter.

    Regular toothbrushing (only with dog toothpaste) will help reduce plaque that can cause problems, but many senior dogs require professional cleanings under general anesthesia.

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date May 28, 2016

    Dog tip: scared of stairs?

    Scared of Stairs?
    Do you know a dog who is afraid of steps and stairways?

    Perhaps past experiences led to the dog to associate steps with something unpleasant, frightening and/or hurtful. Perhaps the dog was yelled at for going up or down a stairway, or had fallen down stairs during his formative weeks, or was pushed down steps. Or the dog recalls that steps once led to a place in which he was frightened, yelled at, or physically abused. Or the dog just never encountered steps before.

    Some people respond to such fears by forcing the dog up and down the steps. But this approach often doesn’t provide the dog with an opportunity to overcome his fear. (In addition, a fearful dog may try to nip or bite as a means of expressing “I’m terrified of steps!”

    Instead, many canine behavior specialists recommend to help the dog work through her step-phobia through use of positive reinforcement (including verbal praise, treats and other positive, nonpunishing motivators) and counter-conditioning.

    Before attempting any of the exercises suggested in this Dog Tipsheet, visit your vet to rule out the possibility that the step-shy dog does not have an injury or medical condition that is making it painful to walk up and down steps.

    Preventing the development of fear of steps:

    Take the time to properly socialize your puppy. Make sure that by age 16 weeks, the pup is exposed to the various things, people and situations (such as stairways) he will eventually encounter along the course of life. Do your best to keep all experiences during these impressionable weeks safe, secure and happy.

    If you’ve adopted a more mature dog, remember that socialization continues throughout the dog’s lifetime. Practice the same exercises as for puppy socialization. (See other Robin’s Dog Tipsheets on socialization, accessible via the links listed at the end.)

    Training your dog to climb and descend steps without fear:

    When introducing your pup or dog to steps, work to gradually build her confidence. Start with just approaching the stairway. Reward her for making baby steps – any show of progress, no matter how small. Slowly introduce treats and, of course, verbal reinforcement into the training scenarios. Besides food treats, positive reinforcement tools include playing with your dog and providing a favorite toy for quick romp sessions.

    You can use tasty treats or a favorite toy as a lure, placing one on the “target” step as you work with your dog.

    After the dog shows signs of comfort with approaching the steps, practice going up one step. Then turn and go back down the step. Practice this several times, praising the dog for any sign of progress and any sign of reduced anxiety.

    Note: some trainers suggest advancing on the steps beside the dog. Others suggest staying just behind the dog, since a shy and/or fearful canine will usually find this less intimidating than having someone towering over him.

    Next, ascend and descend two steps. Again, praise and reinforce for any progress. Repeat until the dog is willingly managing the steps. Add a few more steps at a time.

    When you’re ready to climb to the top of a stairway, make sure you have several particularly high-value, appealing treats on hand. You want to give your dog the idea that contrary to being scary, or leading to a scary place, steps lead to good feelings and things…such as tasty treats.

    Take care not to rush the process, or else you will risk a setback.

    Be patient. You might aim to devote 2 or 3 days to working on each “step” (approaching the stairway, touching the first step, climbing the first step, climbing a couple more steps, etc.).

    When the dog is comfortable heading in one direction (such as down the steps), reverse direction…again taking things slowly. Note: many dogs are more scared of going down steps, so their people often start working with them on going up steps.

    When the dog is comfortable going up and down that flight of stairs, practice the same exercise on a different stairway. Remember, dogs do not generalize well on their own.

    Another approach, which can be blended with the previous counter-conditioning strategy: instead of feeding your dog in the kitchen or wherever you usually feed him, put the dog’s food bowl at the top or bottom of the stairway in your home, whichever is closest to the dog’s regular feeding area.

    When the dog exhibits comfort with eating in this new area, move the food bowl to the first step. As soon as the dog seems relaxed and accepting and willing to eat at this step-side spot, move the food bowl to the next step. Keep going, gradually, so that the dog will learn that the steps are not a scary place after all.

    Here’s another technique. While we do not advocate forcing a dog up or down steps, some dogs will respond to a combination of firm physical encouragement and happy talk, which conveys to him that you, the leader, are not at all afraid of the steps and to trust you. Before attempting this exercise, teach your dog to move forward in response to the command “heel” or “let’s go” in a nonthreatening situation, such as when out on walks. For the stairway exercise, place the dog in a harness, so that you are not pulling on his neck. Firmly grasp the harness at the point between the dog’s shoulders. Then, use the command “heel” or “let’s go” and descend the steps with your hand on the harness, firmly navigating the dog down the steps by your side. Move steadily forward, without pauses, so that your dog doesn’t have a chance to contemplate his anxiety.

    As you descend together, praise your dog verbally (GOOD DOG!), then provide a treat at the bottom of the stairs. Work to keep your dog’s eyes focused on you, and not on the steps or the space beyond you. A key goal is to help your dog learn to trust you, and to help him realize that you’re not going to let him get hurt. Repeat several times. If the dog continues exhibiting fear, follow the first technique described above.

    After the dog becomes comfortable going down the steps, reverse direction.

    Even after your dog appears to lose his or her anxiety about steps, make the effort to provide continued opportunities to ascend and descend stairways to reinforce the new association that “stairs are OK and even lead to good things.”

    These exercises can be adapted to entering and exiting cars and other motor vehicles.

    Another smart, novel technique:

    Liz Dietz shares this smart technique that helped her foster dog, Bubba. Having always lived in a single-story house, Bubba didn’t know how to navigate stairs. When Liz first took him to her home, instead of descending her back deck steps to do his business, he jumped off the top step. “When it came time to get back into the house, I couldn’t get him to go up the stairs,” said Liz.

    Liz came up with a great idea. To disguise the steps, she draped a blanket over all of the steps of the staircase. “With a little encouragement, Bubba stepped on the blanket rather gingerly but made his way right up,” recalls Liz. This visual trick worked.

    She needed to use the blanket only three or four times before he was willing to climb the stairs without it. Stepping down the stairs came more gradually, but he learned.

    Liz’s back deck steps presented what some dogs would perceive as an additional challenge: the stairs were built without vertical panels, so you can see through the staircase. “This might have scared or confused Bubba, but with the blanket there, he couldn’t detect any puzzling patterns.”

    Dogs typically have trouble generalizing between different situations, so it’s not surprising that Bubba had trouble transferring his newly acquired step knowledge to the indoor stairs, which did have vertical panels. The indoor staircase was also taller, included a turn at a landing, and led to a narrow hallway, which might seem somewhat intimidating to a dog inexperienced with stairways.

    Bubba’s step story has a nice surprise ending. After leaving his foster caregiver’s house to go to his permanent home, Bubba figured out the indoor staircase. He navigated the stairs all by himself, apparently determined to be with his owner. As Liz says, “Not a bad leap of learning for an eight-year-old dog!”
    Related reading:

    Safer Stairways
    http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_StepsStairs.html

    Helping a Dog Overcome Fear
    http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_OvercomingFear.html

    Socialization for Adult Dogs
    http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_SocializationAdultDog.php

    Socialization: What it is, basic principles, socializing young and new dogs
    http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_SocializationPup.php

    —–
    For more Dog Tips and other information about pet care, adoption and the work PAW does,
    visit our website at: www.paw-rescue.org

    Partnership for Animal Welfare, Inc.
    P.O. Box 1074
    Greenbelt, MD 20768

    FOR NONPROFIT USE ONLY. These articles may NOT be reproduced or circulated without author permission.
    Last Updated: June 23, 2013 (LET) PawSupport
    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date May 5, 2016

    Introducing a puppy and an adult dog: take it slow

    by Eileen Anderson

    Remember “Lessons for My Puppy,” my collaboration with Marge Rogers? She made some videos that I loved so much that I wrote blog posts to go with them.

    Marge is still out there working with dogs and making great videos, and I’m featuring another one today. Although there is a lesson for a puppy in this video, and also a lesson for the adult dog, the biggest lesson here is for puppy owners. (Isn’t that usually the case, when you come to think of it?) In the video she shows how she gradually introduced Tinker, a fox terrier puppy she was boarding, to her own dog, young male Portuguese Water Dog Zip.

    How many of you, when adding a new dog to your household, follow the “stick ’em together, stay close by, and pray” method? I have certainly done that in the past, though I don’t recommend it. I was more prudent and conservative by the time I got Clara, but even then, my situation was so unplanned and complex that I basically made digital decisions: this dog can hopefully be with the puppy, and these dogs definitely can’t.

    Thanks goodness for Zani!

    When Clara came into my household, I kept her permanently separated from Cricket, my small, elderly and frail rat terrier. Clara could easily have knocked over Cricket with her wagging tail alone. I also kept Clara separated from Summer for a good while. Summer has a history of moderate dog aggression and I wasn’t sure she would grant Clara a “puppy license.” But I immediately turned Zani loose with Clara, since Zani is incredibly friendly, likes puppies, and was well matched in size. Zani lived up to my expectations and became Clara’s buddy and babysitter.

    But what I didn’t do was any controlled introductions and gradual exposures. If and when I get another puppy, I certainly will do that. All the dogs in a household, both the residents and the newbie, can benefit from good planning and making acquaintance with each other gradually with good associations.

    A common and effective method that pro trainers often use when introducing a puppy into their household is classical conditioning of the adult dogs: whenever the puppy is brought into proximity, fabulous food rains down on the adult dog. This can help build pleasant associations and prevent jealousy, since puppies can be obnoxious and can take up a lot of the owner’s time. That method was not necessary in Marge’s case. Her dog Zip is naturally friendly and gregarious and was likely to enjoy the pup; he just needed some time to calm down and learn to be gentle.

    This is not really a how-to post. All of our individual situations are different, and it would take much more than a standard-size blog post to cover even the basics of doing introductions.

    What I want people to see is the visual of the dog and the pup getting to know each other safely and gradually, through a barrier and with good associations.

    The Timing

    One of the things I love most about Marge’s approach is that she didn’t have any sort of time schedule mapped out for “releasing” Zip and Tinker to play together. In fact, it would be great if we could even stop thinking about it in those terms. At the time the video was filmed, the puppy Tinker was a baby, and at an age where a scary experience could potentially have negative residual effects for the rest of her life. Zip, although a friendly dog as Marge points out, had zero experience playing with a puppy now that he was a (very) young adult. He was much larger than Tinker and had a history of exuberant play with dogs around his size (i.e., not tiny and breakable) as a youngster. So before even considering putting them together, Marge had to be sure of two things: Tinker wasn’t scared of Zip, and Zip wouldn’t be too rough for Tinker.

    I love the visuals in this movie. It’s something that we rarely see, and it is so incredibly valuable. You can watch as Tinker gets acclimated to Zip with the fence of the exercise pen between them. Marge reinforced Zip for being calm in Tinker’s presence, and built good associations with Tinker for being near Zip. After a few days, Marge allowed them together, but kept Zip on leash as a safety precaution. Tinker was comfortable enough to climb on him!

    Tinker was there for a week. If she and Zip hadn’t indicated that they were getting comfortable with each other, Marge would simply have kept them separated, using the ex-pen and other means. And if Tinker had indicated that even the ex-pen barrier put Zip too close for comfort, Marge would have kept them separated even further. The paramount concern with a puppy this age is providing positive experiences.

    When Not To Do The Ex-Pen Setup

    Putting the two dogs adjacent with a fence in between was a good method for this friendly adult dog and confident puppy. But there are many situations in which it would not be appropriate. Here are three of them.

    If you have a grumpy, snarly mature dog, the last thing in the world you want to do is park him next to a puppy with only a wire fence between them.
    You also wouldn’t do this if you had a large breed, exuberant puppy (who would enjoy bouncing on that fence) and a tiny, fearful, or frail adult.
    And you wouldn’t do it with any two stranger dogs unsupervised, no matter how well they were apparently matched.
    But take a look at how well it worked out for Zip and Tinker.

    Patience and Barriers

    Whatever method you use to integrate a new dog into your household, patience and barriers are your friends. Even if you are a gregarious person, you probably don’t want to spend 24/7 with an acquaintance you met yesterday. Most dogs probably don’t either. Take the introductions slow and easy. For instance, I didn’t let my dog Summer interact directly with the new puppy Clara until Clara was about 5 or 6 months old. That was more than 2 months. Some people wait a lot longer than that, depending on the situation.

    If I had it to do over, I would probably do some classical conditioning with Summer: associate the appearance of the puppy with great food falling from the sky. I didn’t have it together to do that at the time. But when I did finally let them into the same space, I supervised closely and kept the sessions short. Summer in particular needs her “down time” so I made sure she had it. Clara needed to learn, without getting hurt, that Summer would probably never want to play with her and that it was not wise to pester her.

    Back to Marge and Zip. As it happened, Zip never did get to play with Tinker off-leash during that week. He was too clumsy and goofy (did you see the paw to her head?). He did learn a lot though, including a softer approach and play style. Marge may have an “uncle dog” in the making! (That’s a term for a good-natured male dog who is good with puppies and good in general at putting other dogs at ease.) But she knew better than to rush things. This is another situation where “slow is fast” though. Zip earned off-leash time in two days with the next puppy who came to visit!

    Being gentle with a puppy is not something a human can directly teach a dog, but Marge facilitated it with carefully controlled exposures and lots of breaks in the play. I know she is counting her blessings that between her efforts and the fact that Zip is friendly and socially savvy, he is learning gentleness through direct experience with the puppies themselves.

    You can view Zip’s lovely interactions with his next puppy guest here: Off Leash Puppy Play.

    http://eileenanddogs.com/2016/03/17/introducing-dog-puppy/

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date March 19, 2016

    No (training) plan survives contact with reality

    (by Diana Bird – Victoria Stilwell’s “Positively”)

    Newbie dog owners and people struggling with dog behavior problems – I feel for you! The huge amount of training/ behavior information online is overwhelming and confusing. Tempting promises of quick fixes; careful use of language around every tool – kind/ gentle/ humane… What can you believe? Who can you believe?

    If I was starting my dog training days now, I think I would feel quite lost.

    Perhaps this is why people adopt gurus. I have misgivings about that and have written more here, but I understand that when you find someone whose work makes sense to you, it’s quite a relief.

    One of my concerns with online training information is that it’s often presented as a simple recipe which you can easily follow to make a difference quickly. Most of the time I don’t think that’s true.

    Think about this:
    To stop smoking – don’t put a cigarette in your mouth.
    To lose weight – eat less fatty and sugary food. Eat more fresh fruit, leafy vegetables and lean meat. Exercise regularly.

    You see, it’s quite simple. Yet anyone who’s ever tried to do these things will tell you it’s not EASY!

    Simple dog training recipes are no different. Their simplicity is attractive because we all want to achieve a lot in a short time, but they aren’t easy to implement successfully. Why not? Because of all the important detail which has to be missed out in order to keep the plan simple.

    “No plan survives contact with the audience.”

    You and your dog are not programmable robots. Neither of you are likely to follow a list of instructions perfectly, so you should expect training to go amiss. What’s more, because the instructions are usually incomplete (to keep them simple) you might have no idea that you need to do more. You might think your dog is now fully trained or socialized, or you might realize that he isn’t, but not know what to do next.

    Even if you do follow the instructions with some success, they’re often not very effective anyway. Heck, show me a dog who learns that because you eat first or exit the house first, he should walk nicely on a leash! Perhaps they’re out there, but I’ve never met one.

    I really don’t like the word ‘easy’ as an intended motivator.

    It might work for some people, but I don’t like what I see when people don’t find it easy. They feel demoralized. They give up. They blame their ‘dumb’ or ‘stubborn’ dog or their ‘dumb’ or ‘inadequate’ selves. That’s so sad and so unnecessary.

    Training effectiveness depends on training regularly, consistently, communicating clearly, reflecting and adapting what you do … and that depends on you, your knowledge, your skills, the people you live with, your dog, how everyone feels today etc.

    Even the best instruction list can’t cover every training possibility you will face.

    You just have to:

    1. Train.

    2. Observe the results.

    3. Analyze what happened.

    4. Reflect, make some changes, and try again.

    5. If you are completely lost, don’t just give up. Try to find out what you don’t know. Seek help EARLY.

    (And I know that simple list has a lot of gaps in it! Aaargh!)

    Some dogs just absorb the rules and routines of their home with very little effort from their owner. These dogs are usually quiet, sociable and sensitive to their people. They may not be very well ‘trained’ (don’t do a lot of behaviors on cue), but they are friendly and well behaved and their people enjoy them. Other dogs need a little more input from their people to learn to be ‘well behaved’ or ‘somewhat trained’, but they get there without too much drama.

    Most dogs need lots and lots of input from their people.

    Some marketers encourage businesses to sell tools and ideas because when people have those, they think they have the answers to their problems. Frankly that bothers me.

    Buyers might believe that all they need is a tool or a recipe to build a relationship or solve a complex issue with their dog, but it’s never going to be my sales pitch. Mine is the complete opposite, in the hope I will attract the people I really want to work with.

    I want my people to know that:

    YOU WILL HAVE TO DO SOME WORK!

    IT WILL PROBABLY BE QUITE DIFFICULT!

    YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES!

    IT WILL DO YOU GOOD!

    REMEMBER YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR!

    I want people to learn to ENJOY THE PROCESS … Be willing to struggle. Be willing to problem solve. Be patient. Forgive yourself and the dog. If the dog isn’t learning it’s probably because your teaching sucks. That’s okay. You’re a learner too. Relax your shoulders. Unclench your teeth. Take a breath. Chuckle. Then play with your pup. Remind yourself that it’s only a game and you’re both learning the rules.

    I study and practice this stuff yet sometimes my teaching sucks too. Then I relax/ breathe/ chuckle/ play and try again!

    Here’s a little story about that.

    I bought a puppy earlier this year. My older dog was a well trained 9 year old and I knew having a puppy would be hard, but it was even harder than I expected. For a start the older dog isn’t sociable. I was prepared for this to be difficult, but the reality was worse. These two spent the first 3 months separated by baby gates and closed doors. The pup wanted to be friends. The older dog didn’t. Keeping them apart, but able to see each other and interact safely was a simple idea, but it wasn’t easy. My husband and I regularly crashed into and fell over the baby gates, and had to be strategic about which dog was in the front yard, which one was in the back yard and how we would get them there. It was a darned nuisance – BUT IT WORKED! Now the dogs are great together.

    My puppy bit like a piranha, didn’t like to be handled and when confused or frustrated barked or bit some more. (No, I didn’t know this when I bought her – she seemed sweet and her parents were delightful.) She screamed in the car. She didn’t want to eat what I offered her. At times I felt completely lost, missed my quiet single dog days, wondered why I had bought a puppy and what on earth I was going to do next. I was supposed to be a dog trainer and I was struggling! How did pet people survive this??

    An exhausted parent wrestling with a colicky baby loves to hear from other parents about their difficulties. I was equally grateful to hear other experienced trainers share their stories of awful puppy behavior! It gave me hope and made me feel less alone and inadequate!

    The most worrying problem was the biting. However, having had students with persistent biters who eventually improved, I held out hope. ( I also got a real taste of what those poor people had been up against. Not fun )

    I persevered. At times I felt distressed, frustrated and angry, as well as sore and bleeding! I knew it wasn’t only that I had a difficult puppy, I wasn’t doing things clearly enough for her. I began to make my way through the alphabet with different strategies because plan A, B and C weren’t enough.

    I owned the problems and adapted my training – sometimes successfully, sometimes not. I lowered my expectations. Instead of trying to work on everything at once (which felt quite overwhelming) I focused on a few things for a while, then a few different things, then a mix of both.

    Why am I admitting this?

    I wanted to share my struggles, so you’d realize that those simple puppy training recipes sell you a start point and no more. It’s okay to find puppy raising difficult.

    I also want to share the positives. Even as a baby, Spring was responsive, and progressed quickly in many ways. This encouraged me, and let me know we were headed in the right direction despite the numerous detours and U-turns. You must NOTICE the positives! They’re very important! Focusing on negatives is easy, but they can cloud our judgement, and become all that we see. Finding positives can be hard, yet achievements are what give us confidence and motivate us to continue.

    This puppy reminded me that to progress quickly, sometimes you have to slow everything down – a lot. If you haven’t heard of the 1% principle, it’s time you did. 1% daily improvement adds up to a whole lot over time. (Read more here.) Occasional big training sessions are not going to be nearly as useful as the many small sessions and interactions you have with your dog each day. Use that time well. Pay attention to how things are going, tweak your training and strive to make tiny improvements. Small things accumulate to make a big difference, not just in dog training, but in life.

    Also remember that If you make a mess of a ‘big’ session, it may have a bigger impact than a messed up micro session. 3 successful brushes with a brush each day are far better than trying to do a full groom and having a major battle. If you try for a 4th brush and the dog doesn’t like it – you just learned that’s too many for now (messed up micro session – no battle.)

    At eleven months old, I thoroughly enjoy my little border collie. Her behavior has been a steep learning curve, which I always knew I would appreciate – and now (thankfully) I do! Raising her has been hard work and the work continues, but it has also been well worth the effort. She’s teaching me a lot, is great to live with and I love her.

    I leave you with these reminders.

    A lot of simple things are not easy (and that’s okay.)

    Training plans and recipes are just starting points, not magic spells.
    No plan survives contact with an audience. Expect to make many adjustments.
    Be ready, willing and able to spend time with, and work hard for your puppies.
    Use the 1% principle to develop and learn from the process.
    (Take advantage of the learning and apply the 1% principle to other parts of your life.)
    Your hard work will be rewarded with a thoroughly enjoyable canine companion!
    Good luck and enjoy!

    https://positively.com/contributors/no-plan-survives-contact-with-reality/

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date January 21, 2016

    Confessions of a dog trainer: I have a reactive dog (Part 2)

    (from Victoria Stilwell’s “Positively”)

    In part one of this blog series, I talked about my reactive dog, what reactivity is, and why it happens. While attending a behavior seminar last year, I heard a very clever metaphor to explain theimportance of management in a behavior modification program: allowing a dog to practice a behavior that you are trying to change is just like pouring water into a bucket with holes. Management is important because it helps to create an environment in which the dog has little or no opportunity to practice the behavior you want to change. Otherwise it’s like taking three steps forward and two steps back.

    Many of you read my last blog about my dog Charlotte and her behavior of barking and lunging at other dogs when we lived in New York City, a behavior I wanted to change. By allowing Charlotte to practice the behavior of barking and lunging, she was only getting better at barking and lunging. Management in this case means doing my best to avoid or minimize situations where Charlotte was able to practice barking and lunging. I have a human example as well. Many years ago, I had a friend who wanted to quit smoking but was struggling to do so. This was during the time when people could still smoke in bars and restaurants had smoking sections. After a few failed attempts, he realized why he was having such a hard time–he kept hanging out around people who were smoking. For three months, he avoided public areas, including parties, to better support him in quitting smoking.

    I remember many occasions while living in New York City where I had to weave in and out of kids coming out of school, dogs pulling across the sidewalk with retractable leashes stretched out like trip wire, scooters zooming by, and people stopping abruptly to text on their phones. All of this while walking my dogs! A lot to think about! I was reminded of a defensive driving class I took in my early twenties. The instructor lectured us on how to be careful driving and avoid getting into accidents. Isn’t that exactly what I was doing that day when I was walking Charlotte and Tricky around the neighborhood? I was maneuvering my dogs through the sidewalks keeping aware of the environment and avoiding situations that could trigger a reaction out of Charlotte. Defensive Driving on the sidewalks of the city.

    It’s simple but not easy to be skilled at managing a reactive dog. It takes lots of practice to sharpen your own mechanics while teaching the dog various exercises to help the dog stay focused on you. These skills–both human and dog–have to be practiced regularly, away from the things that trigger the dog. My sister is a professional in the stunt industry. Yup! My sister is a stunt woman. So cool! Not only does she fall out of buildings and kick the you-know-what out of men, she also drives a stunt car! One of the reasons she is successful in the stunt industry is because she practices…a lot. Talk about defensive driving!

    I started with a series of games that involved Charlotte moving with me while focusing on me. Foundation handling exercises helped Charlotte move with me like a dance partner. These skills helped me weave Charlotte through foot traffic and re-position her to avoid dogs as best as possible on the streets of New York City. We practiced these games all of the time in the park and on walks, even if there wasn’t another dog present. That way, Charlotte and I were skilled at executing the maneuver when we needed it. Practice makes perfect! Here are two of the Defensive Driving skills I taught Charlotte.

    Emergency U-Turn

    This is a great maneuver to help you get out of dodge, so to speak! If the trigger (another dog, for example), was in front of us, I used this to get Charlotte to turn around and move away from the trigger. It was a game for her and she enjoyed chasing me away from the ‘scary dog’.

    Find a quiet area where there isn’t much going on. You can even start indoors so you can practice without a leash initially. Once you and your dog are fluid with the technique, you can add a leash to the picture.
    Arm yourself with high-value treats—something your dog will go ga-ga over. You want small, bite-sized treats in your hand.
    Keep your treats handy by holding one in your hand and walk with your dog. Let him know you have a treat in your hand. In this case, let’s imagine your dog is on your right side. After taking a few steps forward with your dog, you would turn to your left, while keeping the treat in your left hand. Lure your dog, encouraging him to follow you as you turn. When he catches up with you, tell him “good boy!” and give the treat when your dog is next to you again on your right side.
    You can add a verbal cue once your dog understands the game. You can say something like “This way!” or “Let’s go!” and then turn. After a few steps in the opposite direction of where you and your dog were headed, reward him at your side.
    Practice, practice, practice. You want to do this often, make it fun, and try to do it in different locations with different distractions.
    Face Front

    I used this maneuver if I couldn’t turn around on the sidewalk but needed to create some distance between Charlotte and the other dog, while keeping her focus on me. Charlotte was the kind of dog that did better when she wasn’t watching the other dog approaching. As soon as the other dog passed, we continued on our way.

    Makes sure to have a couple of yummy treats in your hand, at the ready.
    Walk forward several steps, and then say your dog’s name and shuffle back 4-5 steps.
    Lure your dog with treat in your hand so that your dog follows it, coming into your space and sitting in front of you.
    Feed several treats, one after another, while praising.
    In my next couple of blogs, I am going to share more Defensive Driving games with you as well as the other work I did to help Charlotte feel more comfortable around dogs when on walks.

    https://positively.com/contributors/confessions-of-a-dog-trainer-i-have-a-reactive-dog-part-2/

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date January 18, 2016

    Smoking is damaging your pet’s health, researchers warn

    Smoking is damaging your pet’s health, researchers warn
    Written by Honor Whiteman (Medical News Today)
    Published: Monday 4 January 2016

    If you made a New Year’s resolution to stop smoking and are already struggling to stick to it, a new study may offer a further incentive: quitting the habit can benefit your pet’s health as well as your own.

    Pets in smoking households are at greater risk for weight gain, cell damage and some cancers, according to researchers.
    Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the US, accounting for around 1 in 5 deaths annually.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking causes around 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and women, and it is also a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and numerous other illnesses.

    But it is not only smokers themselves who are at risk of such conditions; since 1964, around 2.5 million non-smokers in the US have died from exposure to secondhand smoke.

    With this in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that pets living in households where someone smokes are at greater risk for poor health.

    Previous research from Clare Knottenbelt, professor of small animal medicine and oncology at the University of Glasgow in the UK, and colleagues has shown that dogs living in a smoking household ingest a high amount of tobacco smoke.

    For this latest study – which is ongoing – the team set out to investigate how tobacco smoke exposure impacts the health of cats and dogs.

    Cats at greatest risk from smoke exposure
    Prof. Knottenbelt and colleagues analyzed the nicotine levels in the animals’ fur and looked at whether such levels were associated with any health problems. Additionally, they assessed the testicles of dogs following castration in order to identify any signs of cell damage.

    Compared with pets living in non-smoking households, the researchers found that those living in smoking households may be at greater risk of cell damage, some cancers and weight gain.

    Cats are most at risk, according to the researchers, because they ingest more smoke than dogs – regardless of whether or not they have access to outdoors. The team speculates that this may be down to the extensive self-grooming cats engage in, causing them to ingest more tobacco toxins.

    When analyzing the testicles of castrated dogs from smoking households, the researchers identified a gene that represents a sign of cell damage that is related to some cancers.

    Furthermore, they found that dogs that lived in smoking households gained more weight after being neutered than dogs from non-smoking households.

    Stopping smoking completely ‘best for pets’ health and well-being’
    However, the researchers also found that these risks reduced when owners smoked outside, therefore reducing the amount of smoke their pets ingested.

    While owners who reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked per day did reduce pets’ smoke exposure, it was not eliminated completely; cats from households that reduced their cigarette intake to less than 10 daily still had higher nicotine levels in their fur than those from non-smoking households.

    The team suggests that pets may even be at greater risk of health problems from smoke exposure than children in smoking households, noting that because pets are lower in height, they are more likely to ingest third-hand smoke – that is, tobacco chemicals present in carpets and other surfaces.

    While the research is ongoing, the team believes the results to date should act as a warning to smokers with pets. Prof. Knottenbelt says:

    “As well as the risk to the smoker, there is the danger of secondhand smoke to others. Pet owners often do not think about the impact that smoking could have on their pets.

    Whilst you can reduce the amount of smoke your pet is exposed to by smoking outdoors and by reducing the number of tobacco products smoked by the members of the household, stopping smoking completely is the best option for your pet’s future health and well-being.”

    So, the next time you get the urge to light up and break that New Year’s resolution, just spare a thought for the health of your four-legged friend.

    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/304605.php

    Category Jindo Info & Dog Tips, Latest Updates
    Post Date January 10, 2016

    How to handle a growling dog

    By Karen Fazio | New Jersey Pets

    Recently I was awakened from a deep sleep by someone poking me. I complained and whined. It didn’t work to stop the annoyance. Finally I blurted out “whaaaat?” in an angry tone of voice.

    My poor husband was the one doing the poking and he was trying to wake me up so I wouldn’t be late for my first appointment of the day. Of course, after gaining complete consciousness I felt awful that I spoke and reacted to him in such a fashion. He now calls me the crypt monster.

    That same weekend while a friend was visiting me I attempted to move my Lucy — a Foxhound — on the couch because she looked like she was going to fall off. I pushed and prodded with all good intentions to keep her comfortable as she lay in a semi-sleep state. After trying to push around her 107 lbs of her body she looked at me and began growling, snarling and whining. Her tone of voice sounded as if she were saying “hey, what the heck do you think you’re doing? I’m sleeping. Stop it!”

    I assured her and apologized and told her she was a good girl. My friend looked at me aghast and asked why in the world I didn’t reprimand her for her naughty behavior. My answer was that she was being very polite by growling. This served only to confuse my friend further. I explained that dogs have so few ways to express themselves to us when they are upset. Growling happens to be one of them.

    Growling is quite possibly one of the most misunderstood expressions in dogs. The behavior isn’t evil and it doesn’t always mean a dog is unfriendly. Growling may occur when a dog is in pain, frightened, annoyed, to send a warning, or tell you that pushing and prodding them while they’re trying to sleep is really annoying.

    As humans we have an unlimited amount of ways to express ourselves when agitated. Dogs are fairly limited to barking, whining, snapping, running away, and yes, growling. To put growling into perspective lets examine some of the ways in which humans respond to things that tick them off.

    We yell at people, scream at drivers on the road, flip them the bird, break things, slam doors, stomp our feet, huff and puff, make idle threats. If you begin adding in domestic violence, gang violence, missile launches, genocide and arson, the growl of a dog doesn’t seem all that bad of an expression.

    Despite the vocal and oftentimes violent ways in which we express our feelings we’re quick to point the finger at a growling dog and label it dangerous or a bad dog.

    Now, I’m not giving a free pass to a growling dog. Threatening postures from a dog should never be taken lightly and one should seek professional help if this is a common occurrence.

    Growling is a warning. It is a dog’s way of saying this is making me very uncomfortable. If you continue to do what you’re doing I will have to take action. In dogspeak the behavior is considered to be quite polite. The reason I say this is because a dog can easily cause much damage by biting us. Those that growl are trying to avoid conflict, or at the very least, attempting to prevent a situation from escalating.

    When a dog is growling the best way to handle it is to stop whatever you’re doing that’s causing the dog to feel uncomfortable. Yelling at it, threatening it with punishment, or actually getting physical with it may increase the likelihood that the next time you might get bitten. This is because growling did not work to stop the threat. In the best situations we would like the dog never to growl, but perhaps walk away instead. This certainly can be achieved in training, but in order for any training program to be successful we must understand what the dog is uncomfortable with and begin eliminating those factors that elicit growling.

    My backing down, walking away, or using a soothing tone of voice, we are helping to ease the dog’s tensions. Also begin thinking of how you could do things differently that wouldn’t cause the dog to get so uncomfortable that his has to resort to growling. For example, f you want to move a sleeping dog, perhaps it’s best to call their name so they can come toward you for a treat. For a dog who growls when he’s eating a bone when you approach, perhaps when you approach you should toss them a piece of cheese before you turn and walk away. In the first example we are giving the dog an opportunity to wake up and come toward us instead of prodding it. In the second example the dog will learn over the course of time that when someone approaches him while bone chewing that it will mean he’s about to get something even better.

    If you are the owner of a growling dog it’s always best to seek professional help from a positive based trainer who can show you creative, fun ways to help the dog gain more confidence and coping strategies to overcome those situations where it feels threatened. By helping the dog to cope better and overcome his fears, you will help to create a strong bond of trust that can help prevent future issues, or present issues from escalating.

    Karen Fazio is a professional dog trainer and owner of The Dog Super Nanny professional dog training and pet sitting services. She has over a decade of experience working with fearful and aggressive dogs using positive-based training methods. She can be reached for comment at thedogsupernanny.com, or by emailing her at karen@thedogsupernanny.com

    http://www.nj.com/pets/index.ssf/2015/05/how_to_handle_a_growling_dog.html

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date January 7, 2016

    Confessions of a dog trainer: I have a reactive dog (Part 1)

    by Bobbie Bhambree (Victoria Stillwell’s “Positively”)

    (Bobbie Bhambree is the Founder & Director of DogCentric Training, LLC, and has been a professional dog trainer for 13 years. Bobbie is a CPDT, member of IAABC, member of APDT and is a licensed trainer with VSPDT.)

    It was a humbling experience, as a dog trainer, when I moved into New York City and had a dog that barked and lunged at other dogs when walking down the street. My dog, Charlotte, is generally a little anxious, and life in the city was quite an adjustment for her. I know I’m really good at my profession, but suddenly I was able to empathize with my city clients and all that it takes to support a dog that is upset or anxious outside. I also did not wear any clothes with my logo on it for the first month I lived in the city, horrified that people would see this dog trainer with a “bad dog.” Who would hire that person?! It was a tough month of acclimation for all of us.

    Unfortunately for many dog owners, reactivity is a common behavior issue. In some cases, the dog is reactive to inanimate objects that move, such as trucks or scooters. Sometimes they react towards people, such as joggers, people holding objects like bags, or people walking with canes. Dogs can also be reactive to kids, loud noises, or a sudden burst of activity. For this article, I am going to focus on dog-dog reactivity, specifically leash-reactivity, for the purpose of explaining how I helped Charlotte. The first step is to understand the behavior of reactivity and what motivates the dog to put on a huge display that is embarrassing and stressful to the person on the other end of the leash.

    What is reactivity?

    I like Dr. Patricia McConnell‘s definition of reactivity:

    “REACTIVITY? What are we talking about here? When I use the term I am talking about what we usually think of as “over reactivity,” or “reactivity” that we see as inappropriate. After all, a loose body greeting is a “reaction” to another dog, right? In this case, I am talking about barking, lunging, snarling, snapping, stiffening etc… in other words, doing things we humans don’t like that makes us nervous that the behavior might be followed by aggression or trouble of some kind. It’s not a great term, but it’s better than “aggression,” since so much of behavior that we consider problematic is not aggressive at all.”

    Why are dogs reactive?

    Dogs can be reactive towards other dogs for many reasons. Some fear or dislike other dogs because they had a bad experience or were under socialized when younger (lacked positive experiences with other dogs). These dogs are barking and lunging to keep other dogs at bay. Some dogs LOVE other dogs so they bark and lunge out of frustration of being restrained by the leash. These dogs are desperate to meet every dog and tend to do well with dogs in off leash situations. Dogs like Charlotte want to control the space around them and the actions of other dogs. The leash prevents her from doing so and therefore she is reactive.

    In all cases, it can be embarrassing and stressful for the human partner as well as the dog. A dog trainer, such as myself, who uses reward-based techniques and has training in behavioral science can help you transform your dog’s behavior. I am a fan of finding such trainers who have CPDT status (Certified Professional Dog Trainers). You can also find excellent trainers using the trainer search on Victoria Stilwell’s website, where trainers have been VSPDT certified. I have both CPDT and VSPDT status and am happy to work with you or to recommend an equally qualified peer.

    In part 2 of this blog, I will give you some management tools I used to help Charlotte from reacting to things that bothered her. Management is important because it helps to create an environment in which the dog has little or no opportunity to practice the behavior you want to change. I heard a trainer recently say that allowing a dog to practice a behavior that you are trying to change is just like pouring water into a bucket with holes. That metaphor definitely made an impact on me.

    Clarity & Harmony…better way of living with your dog.

    https://positively.com/contributors/confessions-of-a-dog-trainer-i-have-a-reactive-dog/

    Category Behavior Issues, Latest Updates
    Post Date January 7, 2016
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