Seize the Leash
4458 E Cooper Circle
520-751-7772
Seize The Leash - Group Behavior Training
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Group Behavior Training -Rehabilitating the Reactive, Shy or Aggressive Dog
SATURDAY at 9am at our facility Sign Up Here
TUESDAY at 6pm at our facility Sign Up Here
Life Without A Leash: Righteous Recalls
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My Dog Has C.L.A.S.S. - APDT Canine Life and Social Skills Program
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SUNDAY at 9am - Sign Up Here
Puppy Basics - AKC STAR Puppy
TUESDAY morning 9am, THURSDAY evening 6pm at our facility
This 6 week program includes the AKC STAR Puppy evaluation and certification Sign Up Here
Out of Control! Surviving Adolescence & Implementing Leadership
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Shy Dog Workshop
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Seize The Leash - Tucson Cold Wet Nosts and Ask The Trainer
Tucson Cold Wet Noses is a local rescue group in Tucson. Recently they ask us to be the official trainer and behaviorist for the foster dogs both before and after they are adopted.
See our Signe on the Morning Blend !!!
Or you can view our segment here.
As a part of this service to TCWN, they have set up a page on their web site called "Ask The Trainer". If you are having behavior problems or just have a general question about dogs or cats, please visit the TCWN web site here and ask us. We will send you back an email answer and your question could be featured in the TCWN weekly newsletter.
 Here are some of the questions we've been asked and the answers we gave. In some instances, the questioner wrote us back and told us how our suggestions worked.
From Beth:
Ok so I rescued Duke. He comes from a home where he was not well feed, yellowing teeth, much to much for his age. He was taken from the house that had 10 other dogs and hadn't been fed for sometime. Then he spend 10 days in PACC. Here is our little Dukes problem, he goes to the bathroom on towels and rugs and if lucky enough to get him to go outside its on piles of pine needles. She bought and put in a doggy door but still... New mom is not happy. What kind of retraining ideas can I offer this new mom? Thank you. Beth
Answer:
The easiest way to re-housetrain a dog, or to housetrain an older dog that
was never housetrained to begin with, is to attach the dog to you when you
are home. Tie a rope around your waist and attach it to the dogs collar.
This way the dog is always with you and you can start spotting his signals.
As soon as you see his potty signals, take him outside to a designated spot
(use the towels or rugs or pine needles outside to start with) and tell hiim
to "go potty" or "hurry up". Be totally calm and matter-of-fact about the
whole process. When he's done doing his business, praise him lightly and go
back in the house.
When you aren't home, if he is already crate trained, put him in the crate.
If he isn't crate trained you have two options. Crate train him or get a
cat box and put a bathroom towel in it (an old one that you don't mind
washing a lot).
It sounds like he could have been litter box trained or pee pad trained.
You could use this to gradually move him outside through the dog door.
Don't leave rugs or towels down anywhere for him to use for a couple of
weeks except the one in front of the dog door. For three days practice
luring him outside to another towel through the dog door. On the third day,
remove the towel that's on the inside and leave the one that's on the
outside for him to use.
If you don't make a fuss about things, don't punish him for going in the
house, especially don't punish him hours later, then he should be choosing
to go outside within a week or two.
NOTE: Beth is a foster for TCWN and is now coming to behavior class with another foster dog - Pepper.
From Jessica:
I adopted a fantastic little dog from Cold Wet Noses (Terri highly recommends you!). I just adopted my new pup Sunday and she is transitioning exceptionally well.
One thing that I hope you can assist me with- I see she has some anxiety when I leave, which consists of her crying and some howling/barking. She does calm down. She is making small strides in reducing anxiety each day she is with me and I am celebrating her small successes. I would love for her to trust me, and her feel secure since she has been abandoned in the past.
I would really like to enlist your services. I see that you will be offering classes in July and would like to sign up for them if you think we would benefit. She likes to be around other dogs and I think she would really love the group environment. Which series of classes would be best for a small, young dog who has some anxiety when left alone? Also, she does not yet grasp the basic commands such as sit and stay. Or, would it be best for a one on one visit? Many thanks and look forward to meeting you! Jessica
Answer:
So, separation anxiety and anxiety in general. Dogs are social creatures,
just as we are, they don't like being left alone especially in a strange
place. It sounds like you are doing great. Just keep doing what you are
doing.
Because she has only been with you since Sunday, the pattern of departures
and arrivals hasn't been set with her yet, so the normal "ritual" that I
prescribe for separation anxiety most likely won't work. That said, there
are many things you can do to make this process go a little faster.
1) Take her out for a good strong tiring walk before you leave the house.
2) Don't fuss about leaving, just leave.
3) Don't fuss when you come home, just walk in the door (if she's in a crate
let her out), ignore Maddie completely for at least 5 minutes. Come in, put
your purse down, listen to your messages, turn on your computer, whatever,
but don't greet Maddie yet. When she looks like she is bored with your
arrival, that's when you pay attention to her. Make this greeting of a calm
dog really happy and exciting for her.
4) get her some mentalling challenging toys - a busy ball, a kong, treat
puzzles and chew toys. Rotate her toys every day, don't let her get bored
with them. Have enough toys that you can rotate every day for at least 4
days before repeating a toy.
5) Now take her for another walk or play fetch or tug or with a flirt pole
(for her size you can use one of the cat toys which is a pole and string
with a fuzzy thing tied on the end for her to chase and "kill").
Dogs love an ordered existence. If you do this every day, where she can
count on things happening regularly, it will speed up the process.
Trust is built with a dog through play and shared outings - just like in the
wild, they play and rest together and then go hunting.
Response:
Jamie, Thank you SO very much for your fantastic advice! I am feeling so reassured by your email that I am on the right track with creating less anxiety for Maddie. I need to work on #3 big time and I am definitely not doing that just yet. Thank you so much, I learned quite a bit just from your response! I would love to continue to learn from you and sign up for a series of one of group classes. Any recommendations of which one would be best?
MANY thanks!!
Jessica
From Tracy:
I am having some aggression prolems with my females. Yesterday I had to break them apart 3 times, the first one was in the late afternoon and the last fight was late at night. They were fighting over an ice cube, a ball and I dont know what the last one was about. I did end up getting nipped the last time by Shiv. Shiv seems to start it every time there is a problem. When they were fighting I grabbed hold of Shiv by the scruff of her neck and pulled her back, she has never tried to bite me before. She then was put straight into her kennel. Ellie goes to her kennel on command
> so I didnt have to drag her in there. Ellie is a very calm submissive dog. Shiv hasnt had any big problems with my 2 males. She does play pretty rough and at times gets a little carried away but all I have to do is raise my voice and she stops. I would like to know what I can do to keep the girls from fighting and me from getting bit again. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Answer:
From what you've said here, it sounds like both dogs are bored and there is
a bit of resources guarding happening.
You have two dogs that are both adolescents. They are both trying to figure
out where they "fit" in the pack and it sounds like they might be fairly
equal in determination. Generally dogs will compromise over toys and food -
whoever wants it the most gets it and the other just shakes her head
basically saying "ok, if you really want it that bad, take it, I'll find
something else". I'm not anthropomorphising here, just trying to put this
compromising type behavior in words us poor humans can understand.
Dogs conserve energy as much as possible and fighting wastes energy. So to
have a fight means they both want the toy equally and neither one is willing
to compromise. What you need to learn is how to spot the signalling
behavior that happens before the fight and stop it before it escalates -
meaning you don't get bit either. Once both dogs have calmed down, claim
the toy/bone/treat and then put it away. Give each one something else to
chew on.
The signalling behavior will include things like, huffing, snorting, the
eyes going hard, growling and dancing spots (if you can see the spots on the
nose where the whiskers are - genereally on pits you can't). Watch the
ears, the eyes and the mouth. When the ears go back or prick forward
suddenly, when the eyes go hard or the whites start howing, when the mouth
contracts showing only the front teeth and none of the back teeth, when the
mouth closes and the eyes go hard means a bite is imminent.
Raise your voice, say HEY loud, touch them both on the waist hard enough to
get their attention and fast enough that your hand -resembles a snake
biting - in and out fast but with enough oomph that they both look at you
like "I'm sorry mom, it won't happen again".
If at first you don't keep it from escalating, ask yourself this question?
Have they ever actually hurt each other? If not, let it go, see how far
they will take it. If they learned bite inhibition as puppies, they will
not bite each other. An ear might get torn or something might get
scratched, but that's usually incidental. If they don't stop within 2
minutes, or you start to see blood, then break it up. My favorite method is
to throw something on the ground right at their feet that makes a ton of
noise, like a can full of pennies. If you have to grab, grab the rear legs
and pull back really fast.
This is reaction. Now for the prevention. Teach them both "leave it".
Take them on a long walk or give them some other strenuous type activity
twice a day for 1/2 hour each time. Fetch, tug, flirt pole, anything that
is going to really tire them out. 15 minutes a day, teach everyone
something or run through a quick routine of all the tricks they know. Make
them think, get them mentally stimulated. Create an obstacle course in your
back yard and teach them to go through it. Rotate their toys and "give" them each their toys every day, you own the toys not them, they need to
learn that. Practice claiming the toys using nothing but your body language
and your attitude. |
