Does your dog love other dogs?

 

 

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Choices

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Trigger Stacking

During this difficult time of "social isolation" we are all stressed out.  Our dogs can be too.  Here's a little graphic to teach you about trigger stacking.

What normally happens in a dog’s day is that they meet a series of stress-inducing triggers - door bell ringing, loud noise on tv, stranger at the door, you drop a pan and make a loud noise, people shouting, strange dogs, etc. If you’ve socialized your dog and introduced him/her to these triggers when they were young (before 20 weeks of age), he or she will most probably learned that these things are nothing to be afraid of. If you didn't, you’ve got an uphill battle to show your dog that a strange man in a hat, wearing boots and glasses, holding a shovel is nothing to be afraid of!

In order to understand trigger stacking, you need to understand how cumulative stress affects your dog. Each time Rover is exposed to a trigger which causes him stress, his brain is bathed in stress hormones. Just as in the explosive volcanoes, stress can be allowed to accumulate. We all have a limit of how much stress we can handle, dogs included.  Eventually, Rover goes over  threshold and explodes by acting aggressively and possibly biting.

Trigger Stacking: One way to think of it is in terms of a cup; some dogs may have a large glass, others a tea cup and some a shot glass.  Each of these  ‘cups’ can hold a different volume of stress.  By continually filling thacup with stressful things, eventually the maximum volume is going to be reached and it spills over the edge.  That moment of spillage is the trigger that sets off intense reactions. Dogs that live with long-term stress will have a cup that is constantly filling up and so there is less room for more stress to fill it.  Trigger stacking is an involuntary occurance that puts your dog into auto-pilot to protect himself.

Know your dog, avoid stressful things, don't let too many stressors happen at one time.

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The Number One Dog Ownership Myth

The Number One Dog Ownership Myth That Might Be Harming Your Dog

by absolute Dogs May 13, 2019

The Rule

There are few rules of dog ownership so enduring as the myth that you MUST walk your dog EVERY DAY! It is such a basic principle that it is practically set in stone. Everyone knows that this is the rule and that is why you see legions of dog owners and their dogs pounding the pavements on a daily basis.

Daily walks form part of the vision when you get a dog. It is something you accept as a standard part of dog ownership and embrace. We see it as good for both of us, getting us out into the fresh air with our dog and enjoying the great outdoors together. For some, it can be the most treasured part of dog ownership, getting them out and about, meeting new people and enjoying some time outside with their beloved pet. 

But what if a daily walk is the very last thing your dog needs? What if a walk will do them more harm than good?

What if their daily walk could actually be so detrimental to them that it puts their health at risk?
Click here for full article.


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It's Not How They Were Raised....

 DINOS

It’s Not How They’re Raised, It’s How Dogs are Managed That Matters Most 
By Jessica Dolce, Dogs in Need of Space 

How many times have you heard someone say about a dog, “It’s all how they’re raised”? Probably a lot. If you own a pit bull dog, probably a lot more.I hear pit bull advocates saying it all the time, as a way to defend our dogs. I hear other saying it as a flippant remark about dogs in general. This phrase gets tossed around all the time, but no one seems to be aware of what they’re really saying....and how damaging it can be.This saying does have a kernel of truth in it, of course, but ”how they’re raised” is just one of the factors that contributes to who our dogs are. It’s not the whole story. When people believe that “It’s All How They’re Raised”, there are some real-life consequences for the dogs. So we need to check ourselves. 

 Here are a few ways our words hurt:  Click here for full article.

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Will My Puppy Grow Out Of This?

http://www.drjensdogblog.com/

As a veterinarian in general practice, seeing a brand new puppy for a wellness check-up is one of my favorite parts of the job.
(I’d wager this is true for most vets – ask anyone!)

Puppies are cute, and obnoxious, and very, very busy.  They sniff all around the exam room, jump up to say hello, and try their best to eat my shoelaces.  They chew on my stethoscope while I auscult their hearts.  They eat treats eagerly when offered, and shove their noses into my scrub pockets to look for crumbs.

They turn over the wastebasket, or get excited and pee on the floor.
These things are normal, and they make me happy.
Or, they’re calm and drowsy and snuggly, like a toddler at naptime.  They wake up long enough to lick my fingers on the exam table, yawn luxuriously, and fall asleep on the scale.  They cuddle happily in my lap while we talk about vaccination schedules, microchips, and heartworm prevention.
This is normal too – a different kind of normal, for a different kind of pup.

A solid 90% of my puppy visits fall into one of these two categories.  Normal puppies, doing normal puppy things.  Exploring their world, making friends with anything that moves, or snoozing contentedly through whatever happens around them.

If your puppy is like this, congratulations!  You’re in great shape.  Keep doing what you’re doing.
Sign up for a good puppy class, invest in some puzzle toys, and keep up with socialization – but you’re off and running in the right direction.  Odds are good that your pup will turn out to be a stable, friendly member of the family.

BUT.
What about the other 10%? Click here to read full story.



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Dog Phobias

By Sandra Machado

BarksFromTheGuild.com

Johnny is five years old and he is a great kid. He is loving, does very well in school and absolutely adores his mom. 

One day he was playing in the park and was badly bitten by a spider. He was never afraid of them before until he got bitten. He became so fearful that every time he saw one he would cry, tremble and have a panic attack. He would sweat and almost faint. Almost all physiological signs of fear were present at the mere sight of a spider, no matter how far away.

 

Oh it was truly embarrassing… He did this in front of everyone. All the other moms had kids who were fine with spiders. Johnny was the only kid making a scene. This needed to stop.

 

Johnny’s mom called a child ‘expert’ who had experience with such situations. He told Johnny’s mom she was being too soft on her kid; she needed to show him that she was the boss so that he would not try to dominate her by having a panic attack – on purpose – when he saw a spider. He was clearly trying to be the leader of the family and take charge of the household by sweating and almost fainting. How dare he?! Involuntary crying, involuntary sweating and involuntary trembling were not acceptable. It was obvious that he was doing these involuntary (aka reflex) behaviors on purpose. And the expert was going to make sure the mom had complete control over the involuntary behaviors. Click here to read full article.

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Miracle Cure for Dog Aggression

By:  Nicole Wilde

 I recently came across an online video that stopped me in my tracks. Essentially, it promised to stop dog aggression and reactivity “in minutes”. Naturally, I had to see this miracle for myself. Enter a trio of dogs who were barking reactively at passing dogs. The “trainer” struck the dog who was doing the most barking. Struck as in hit the dog with some sort of padded baton that was given a cutesy name to—no pun intended—soften the blow. The actual hitting was not shown, but rather, conveyed in text on the screen. (Apparently someone realized no one wants to see a dog being hit.) Not surprisingly, once the dog had been struck, he stopped barking. Dogs are not stupid, and they understand how to behave in the moment in order to avoid pain. To be fair, there was mention of some training being done after this since the dogs were now calmer. And so, once again the other dogs were once again paraded past these dogs, who now remained silent. If you didn’t know any better you might be impressed, and might even believe that the problem had been solved. If you did know better, you’d notice the body language of the newly “trained” dogs, who were displaying subtle signs of anxiety and fear. The trouble is, whether on a television show, a Youtube video, or anywhere else, it’s all too easy to make it seem as though an aggression problem has been solved when in reality, the dog is simply suppressing the reactive behavior to avoid further pain.

Seeing a dog being being hit (or reading about it) gets all of our hackles up, and rightly so. But let’s take the emotion out of the situation for the moment and consider it logically. Does hitting or otherwise punishing a dog who is reactive to other dogs actually solve the problem? The majority of dogs who are classified as “aggressive” to others are actually displaying fear-based reactivity. They’re not comfortable with dogs in close proximity, so they bark and lunge in an attempt to increase the social distance between themselves and those dogs. And it often works, as dogs who are being walked past on leash do seem to move along! But what’s the real problem here? Is it the barking and lunging? No. That behavioral display is merely a symptom of the underlying issue, which is the dog’s emotional response to other dogs.

Dogs make associations between things by learning that one thing predicts the other. It’s simple classical conditioning. To use a human example, let’s say I’m afraid of spiders.  Each time I see one I scream. This really bothers you, and you wish I’d stop. So, you decide that each time I scream, you’re going to smack me. Well, I’m not stupid, so I learn quickly not to scream when you’re around. What did this accomplish? Now whenever I see a spider I’ve got one more thing to worry about, as I’ve associated spiders not only with being scared, but also with being smacked. I think Damn, I knew those spiders were trouble! If, on the other hand, you had shown me spiders at a distance at which I was still comfortable while feeding me enticing morsels of dark chocolate, gradually closing the distance as I became more relaxed, in no time at all I’d be raising my fist in the air and shouting, Bring on the tarantulas! Okay, maybe not, but you get the idea. I’d have learned that spiders predict good things. With a bit of patience on your part, I would eventually lose the need to scream when I saw the creepy crawlies, because now they would predict something I really, really like. This example of classical conditioning works similarly for dogs, although it is not, of course, the entire solution to helping a reactive dog. (Just don’t feed them chocolate. Not only is it dangerous, but it leaves more for you.)  Click here for full article.


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Dogs and Vet Visits

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Classical Conditioning

By:  Ian Dunbar

Whereas eight-week-old puppies are universally accepting of people, adolescent dogs naturally become wary of anything unfamiliar, including noises, objects, dogs, people and places. It is not uncommon for adolescent dogs to become fearful or reactive. As puppies grow older, the world becomes a scarier place. To prevent dogs from becoming wary of children, men, strangers, skateboarders, other dogs, loud noises, vacuum cleaners, nail clippers, collar grabs, etc. etc. etc., take your time when exposing your puppy, adolescent, or newly adopted adult dog to novel (unfamiliar) stimuli, settings and situations and make sure you classically condition your dog not only to tolerate, but also to thoroughly enjoy all of these potentially scary stimuli.

Simply put, classical conditioning helps your dog form positive associations with all sorts of stimuli. Let’s say your puppy has grown to be scared of men. Rather than feeding your dog in a bowl, use his entire allotment of kibble for classical conditioning. For one week, take your dog to dine downtown. Sit on a bench and offer him a piece of dinner kibble each time a man walks by. For a second week, ask male passersby, “Excuse me, would you mind hand-feeding my dog? He’s really shy of men.” In no time at all, your dog will form a positive association between men and FOOD and might muse, “Ah yes, I love men.”

The most important times to classically condition your dog are when visitors come to your house, on walks, in dog parks and especially during dog training classes.
From puppyhood onwards, have every visitor to your house offer your dog a few pieces of kibble. Even though your puppy may be Mr. Sociable right now, unless you take this precaution, he will most certainly become more standoffish, asocial, and maybe antisocial as he grows older. Please do not take your puppies golden demeanor for granted. Have every household visitor offer a food treat to your puppy/dog and then your dog will look forward to visitors. Additionally, teach each visitor how to use the treat to teach your dog to come, sit and stay.

Most people walk their dogs too quickly through the environment. There is simply too much for the dog to take in — people, other dogs, other animals, noises and smells — “Oh there’s a squirrel. I smell Trixie. Hmm! I just love the smell of her urine. Trixie! Trixie! Trixie! Son of a female dog! That motorcycle was soooooo loud! Oh, oh, oh! Cat poo! Woo hoo! Yes!!! And another squirrel. Two squirrels Oh what’s my owner saying now? Oh, S.O.A.F.D! There’s Bruno. OH he’s HUGE! And his owner looks nervous. Why’s my owner jerking my leash? Is that a discarded hamburger wrapping. There’s a cat. I know there’s a cat. Can’t see it. Can’t hear it. Can’t smell it, but I know it’s there somewhere. I can feel it. She’s looking at me. Where is she? Oh NO! Children! I hope they don’t come this way. Another squirrel. Is that the mail truck three blocks away? I hope I get back home before he come.” And so it goes on. The dog’s brain goes into sensory overload. The dog is over-stimulated and instead of paying attention to his owner he becomes hyperactive or reactive.

When walking a dog, on-leash or off-leash, stop every 25 yards, let the dog take his time to look, listen and sniff and wait until he establishes eye contact (acknowledges your presence) and accepts a couple of pieces of kibble before saying “Let’s go” and continuing the walk for another 25 yards. Every couple of hundred yards, find a comfortable place to sit and wait for your dog to settle down and get used to the new environment. Offer your dog a piece of kibble every time the environment changes, for example, each time a person passes by, and maybe two pieces of kibble for a man, a piece of freeze-dried liver for a boy, and three pieces of liver for a boy on a skateboard.

When dogs visit unfamiliar environments, offering then kibble is a great temperament test for trainers, veterinarians and owners to check that the dog is at ease. If the dog refuses kibble from the owner, he is probably anxious about the environment — so give him time to adapt. However, if the dog accepts kibble from his owner but not from his veterinarian or trainer, then the dog most probably feels ill at ease with the veterinarian or trainer and so, proceed slowly — verrrry slowly.
For an adolescent or young adult dog, dog parks and training classes can be pretty scary environments, usually with a high-voltage social scene. Always give the dog a chance to relax and get used to the environment. Before attempting to train, wait until the dog settles down and appears and ease. Periodically keep offering pieces of kibble. Once the dog feels at ease, he will take the kibble and start to pay attention. Keep offering the kibble regardless of the dog’s behavior; it doesn’t matter whether the dog is hiding and peeking, barking, growling, or snapping and lunging. Keep offering the kibble so that the dog eventually forms positive associations with the class setting, the other dogs, the trainer, and other people.

Some people are afraid that offering kibble during classical conditioning might unintentionally reinforce bad behaviors. Certainly, when training, we are always classically conditioning and operantly conditioning at the same time. If you use your voice when classically conditioning, “There’s a good boy, it’s OK,” you might unintentionally reinforce all sorts of unwanted behavior. The classical conditioning still works for us but the operant conditioning works against us and makes the problem worse. In time, the dog will begin to feel OK about the situation but will continue barking and growling, or hiding and shaking, because that’s what he’s been unintentionally trained to do. However, by using food when classically conditioning, you can only reinforce good behavior because a dog cannot bark and lunge or eyeball another dog at the same time as turning to face you to take food.

For example, let’s say we are trying to classically condition a dog that is barking and lunging at another dog. We offer food, but the dog ignores our offerings and continues barking and lunging. Eventually though, the dog barks himself out and sniffs the food, whereupon he turns away from the other dog to take the food. Taking the food does not reinforce the dog’s barking and lunging. On the contrary, the food reinforces the dog for stopping barking and lunging, for turning away from the other dog and for turning towards his owner. After a couple of dozen repetitions, the dog will begin to form positive associations with the sight of other dogs. “I love it when other dogs approach because then my owner feeds me dinner.” And as a bonus, the dog’s trained response to seeing another dog is to turn away from the dog and to sit quietly and expectantly facing his owner.

As classical conditioning proceeds, the dog is less and less inclined to react in a negative manner towards the scary stimulus. Once a dog forms positive associations with stimuli, such as a vacuum cleaner, other dogs, or people, he doesn’t want to growl or snap and lunge at them.
You simply cannot do too much classical conditioning. Read the entire article

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The Bad News About Fearful Dogs

Originally Posted March 11, 2017

I am contacted regularly by people who have found themselves living with a fearful dog and looking for help. They are to a person, kind, compassionate, caring folks looking for answers. And I have them. But I routinely have to tell people things they do not want to hear.

When I mention that veterinarians and vet behaviorists can prescribe medications to help dogs who are anxious, something I do early in the conversation, some people are clearly upset. They paid me for information to help their dogs and I’m suggesting they consider putting the dog on drugs and they do not want to put their dog on drugs (few of us do and I am not saying they should, only making them aware of the option). Others will be relieved to find out there is something they can do tomorrow that could relieve their dog’s anxiety, the chronic startling or hyper vigilance, or the frozen immobility. They will be disappointed when I point out that though medications can be exactly what the doctor ordered for our dogs, there will still be training involved, and medications may need to be changed or dosages adjusted. There will be more effort required to get their dog to a happier place. 

Read the entire article

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