Dog ADHD- What this French Study Can Teach You

Dog ADHD- Is it Real?

I was reading an interesting study recently about ADHD in children and how the French see next to no cases of ADHD within their children.  (You can read the study here- Why French Children Don’t Have ADHD).  I found it to be a very interesting article outlining certain thoughts on ADHD, child rearing, medication and drugs to manage behavior, etc.

I’m not going to comment in depth in this article about my opinions on childhood ADHD.  I’m no expert in that field.  I like what the study said and believe it to be true, but I don’t have a dog in that fight.

Where I am an expert, though, is in dog behavior.  I often get asked if dog ADHD is real.  Usually the question comes from the owner of a dog who is hyper, doesn’t focus, etc.  Truthfully, whether or not it is real, doesn’t matter.  What I want to comment on in this article is the mindset that the French have when raising their children and how that relates to your dog and his or her training.

Dog ADHD- The Parallels

Whatever your opinion on child ADHD or dog ADHD I think it’s safe to say there are certain parallels that can be drawn from how children with behavior problems are treated in the United States and how dogs with behavior problems are treated in the United States.

We frequently get clients at our Salt Lake City dog training company who have dogs that are being medicated for behavior problems.  In 9 cases out of 10 we can get those dogs off the drugs.

The reason why is that the vet, behaviorist, or previous trainer the dog owner was using saw the problem of aggression, destruction, hyperactivity (dog ADHD perhaps?), anxiety and didn’t know how to deal with it from a behavioral level.  Instead, they threw drugs at the problem.

The problem is that drugs are designed to interact with the body on a biological and chemical level.  The vast majority of behavior problems, though, aren’t biological in nature.  The vast amount of behavior problems are learned.  The dog doesn’t know how to deal with his stress, no one has taught him to deal with his stress, so he lashes out aggressively.  How is medication going to fix a problem that was a learned behavior in the first place?  Or perhaps the dog has too much pent up energy, hasn’t been trained any sort of outlet, and manifests that stress through chewing and destruction.  How are medications going to solve the problem of a lack of structure, training, outlets, etc.?

In most cases the only ‘results’ we see from these medications are that dogs live a sedated life and therefore less likely to be destructive and aggressive.  Is that any way to live for your pet, though?

The article sites how French parents give real boundaries to their children, give real expectations of behavior and back it up, have set schedules and more.  Behavior problems aren’t coddled, they’re addressed.  The net result is they see so much less ADHD.

The same is true for our clients and those coming to us worried that they may have a dog ADHD problem.  In 99% of the cases you don’t have a problem that medication will solve, you’ve got a fundamental issue where your dog needs more or less of something…training, stimulation, attention, excitement, exercise, and more.

Dog ADHD- Is there a time for drugs?

I want to close by saying that I’m not 100% opposed to drugs or medication for the family pet.  About once or twice a year we’ll come across a dog who simply can’t deal with stress in a normal way.  This is after great efforts in training and fulfillment yet the dog can not cope with the situation he is being dealt.

Like I mentioned, there are dogs and children that do have real chemical imbalances.  These are best managed by proper medication from a skilled professional COMBINED with training protocols designed to get results.

Filed Under: Behavior Problems Tagged With:

How To Train A Barking Chihuahua (And Other Dogs With Nuisance Barking)

Nuisance Barking- Chihuahua

The following question comes from a reader of our site:

Hi Ty,
Thank You so much for your interest in my question. I have a 10 yr old Chihuahua. She has always been a barker but we lost our older dog, back in May of 2012 & since then Chloe, our Chihuahua, has seemingly gotten worse. Actually I have noticed since I first asked the question about her barking on your website, she not only barks at my husband when he puts down the foot to the recliner but she also barks at me too. But any other movement that he makes she barks at him! I have thought that she was having some anxiety since the loss of our other dog, since she is alone now, & I am looking into getting another dog. She had always had our other dog ever since she was born. Any suggestions? She is very smart & attentive to me when I do training sessions with her! I have tried ignoring her when she barks, that doesn’t help. I have tried telling her NO, that doesn’t help. I literally go over to her & put my hand in front of her face & then she will let up, but it’s everytime!!! Time after time!
Thank you so much,
R.

Nuisance Barking- Video Response

Nuisance Barking On YouTube

Nuisance Barking- Key Points For A Solution

There are a few things you’ve tried that haven’t worked.  The reasons for why they haven’t worked are simple:

  • Telling isn’t training.  This is one of the things I teach a lot.  Just telling the dog ‘no’ does nothing to communicate what you actually want.  Dogs are physical learners and don’t learn terribly well with just verbal.  Yes, we can teach them verbal commands but if you are simply telling a dog ‘no’ in a stern voice that won’r really do anything to train the dog.
  • Ignoring bad behavior CAN work at times.  It doesn’t work too often, though, and doesn’t tend to even work well when it does ‘kind of’ work.  Just because you ignore her nuisance barking doesn’t mean that the barking itself gives the reward to the dog.

The path I would go down would be obedience related.  She needs to learn to deal with her anxiety and stress and she needs to learn that she’s not the one calling the shots.  I would have her wearing a leash at all times and I would use that leash to teach a ‘place’ command on a dog bed when she starts barking.  The idea is that you want to condition her to learn how to calm down.

Our foundation obedience training program goes into a lot of detail on the obedience necessary to fix this kind of issue.

Filed Under: Behavior Problems, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Video- Dog Training Reader Question

Dog Training Reader Question:

The following is a question from one of our clients:

I am looking for some personalized advice from Ty about one of my dogs.  Overall, everything is going great, and I am making great strides with the basic obedience using Ty’s methods in the DVDs. I have a 4 year old Am-Staff mix named Lucy who is obedient about 65-70% of the time. When she’s not is when she gets into trouble with other dogs. I’ve done a lot of reading and research on aggressive behavior, and I stumbled across Ty by accident while reading a rescue blog. I am so glad that I did because the way he teaches is exactly what I was looking for. I have some experience training, as I trained my now 14 year old yellow lab to do some competitive obedience when I was a teenager. He was a breeze to train because he was willing to learn and eager to please. Lucy is absolutely the love of my life, but she is stubborn and has a mind of her own. She isn’t a terrible aggression case, but she gets snippy from time to time when around new dogs, especially if those dogs are acting out (for example, when another dog excitedly tries to get to us while passing by on a walk). I’m tired of being embarrassed by her occasional outbursts, so I’ve been scouring the internet and books for a solution. Already, things in the videos are working to get her much more consistently listening to me. We have a long road of practice ahead, but her heel command has already come a long way.

What I wanted to ask Ty about is more specific to Lucy’s personality. I rescued her at about a year old. She came from an inner city shelter and was clearly not taken care of before I got her. She seems to me to have been beaten at some point. She’s naturally fearful, and is specifically very fearful of objects touching her. If you approach her with anything in your hands she jumps away or cowers. I have never, in the 3 years I’ve owned her, hit her with any object. She came to me with this behavior already engrained in her. She’s also suspicious of unknown things. For example, it was my husband’s birthday recently, and I brought in a bunch of helium balloons, and she’s terrified of them. She’ll co-exist with them when they’re up by the ceiling standing still, but if I move them, she runs away and hides. I can coax her out and make her lay near me while I hold them near her, but she is clearly terrified the whole time. In the past, I’ve tried to work on this issue, but the training methods I came across were very treat based, and it frankly just hasn’t worked at all. For example, she is very afraid of being touched by a frisbee, and the manuals I was using say bring the frisbee close to her and give her a million treats while slowly moving it closer. It does little to nothing for her. She remains just as afraid no matter how many treats I give her in the presence of a frisbee. I did this exercise many times with little improvement. She will pick up the frisbee and play with it on her own, but if I hold it and bring it near her, she’s very afraid.

This suspicious attitude also comes across when we’re training. I have done lots and lots of the crazy man method with her, and overall, it has tremendously improved her heel command. When there are little or minimal distractions, she’s basically 100% at my side now, and when there are distractions, she’s about 60-70% obedient. This is a big step up for us, and it’s improving every time. What I’m still struggling with is how hard it is to get her to be eager about listening. My other dog, who I’m also using Ty’s methods on, is naturally EXTREMELY eager to please. Crazy man has worked wonders on him, and he heels like a champion no matter what now. It’s really fun to walk with him because he is so absolutely in sync with what I want from him. He would also sit or lay down on hot coals if I asked him to. He has that trainability factor. Lucy on the other hand, is reluctant and stubborn. When doing the crazy man, she tends to hang back a little bit, and isn’t snappy about changing directions. She does it, but it isn’t eagerly. She’s the kind of dog that when I ask her to sit, and the ground is wet or cold, she half sits and hovers above it. She’s very stubborn.

Basically, my two questions are 1. What is your suggested approach to her fear behaviors? and 2. How do I make her more eager to learn without treating her to death?

I really, really appreciate any personalized advice. I love my dogs more than life, and I respect Ty’s methods wholeheartedly.

Thank you again,

Erin

Dog Training Video Response

Press play below to watch my response to her question:

Watch Dog Training Video Response On Youtube

Dog Training Response Summarized

1- You are correct about treat training, it doesn’t inspire change because it doesn’t challenge a dog to challenge it’s boundaries.  It only challenges the dog as far as he or she likes a treat.

2- I always think in terms of mindset meaning; what is the dog’s mindset or state of mind when it encounters that distraction.  If I don’t like the mindset how can I change it?  I often find that a dog’s mind follows the body so we need to train the body to just be and to relax.  A down stay or a place command while you have balloons around does not allow the dog to go into the flight response.  A dog, when stressed, has only three options; fight, flight, and avoidance.  Flight is like mental atrophy and if we can get rid of that response through a down stay then the dog must stay around the object that caused the fear and learn to adapt.

3- It may sound contradictory at first but I also like to introduce stress while moving.  If you had her focused and on a walk and just started holding the frisbee and then graduated to getting it closer, etc. you could see some results.  The point I want to get at is that a dog is not a multi-tasker.  She can’t be thinking of many things at once.  So if you oblige her to walk properly it doesn’t give her room to be thinking hard about other things which allows her mind to then accept those things.

4- As far as more eager a few ideas I have are: 1- Over exaggerated with praise.  For example, when she’s lagging a bit while walking pat your leg and really ‘up’ the praise.  2- Continue focusing on obedience overall.  The adage that dogs want to please their masters is true, but only if they see you as the master.  The better your obedience becomes overall the more bonded you’ll become and the more her desire to please you will increase.  3- Watch your timing.  Make it very clear that a correction is a corrrection and praise is praise.  A lot of dogs are hesitant and that can be confused for stubborn.  When you make the boundaries incredibly clear for them it allows them to trust you and trust the system much easier and you’ll see a dog ‘lighten up’ as a result.

Filed Under: Behavior Problems Tagged With: , , ,

Dog Training Case Study

Dog Training Case Study- Aggressive Behavior

The other day I sat down with Glenn Sherrill of TrainPlayLive to talk with some of his dog training clients about some fairly extreme cases of aggressive behavior.  You can see the first dog training discussion we had at my previous post.In this second conversation from the same day we sit down with the owner of a rescue dog.  The dog is either a Pit Bull mix or an American Staffordshire terrier mix. Unfortunately, the dog is displaying some very odd cases of dog aggression including biting people seemingly without warning. Listen to the entire call here:

Dog Training Case Study- The Call

Press Play to listen below:

Dog Training Case Study- Conclusion

To be honest, this was a difficult dog training call for me.  All behavior follows patterns and rules and precedents.  Even when dogs are displaying horribly anti-social behavior and aggressiveness those behaviors STILL follow rules.  There are rules that govern fear and aggression, etc.  Granted, these are dogs who are acting inappropriately but they are doing so in a way that follows patterns. In this case I found it hard to identify causation for the bites.  My gut and my experience tells me the problem could be originating from two different areas:

  1. Medical issues- I have run across very odd aggression that seems to not follow rules a few times in my dog training career.  On a few of these occasions it has been determined that there was a medical/hormonal/disease that was the underlying cause.  Not being a veterinarian I wouldn’t know exactly what to check for but I’d definitely look for tumors, hormonal imbalances, amongst other problems.  It’s definitely possible that this is an issue that will need much more than training in order to overcome.
  2. There is an underlying need for more structure, rules, leadership, etc.

Throughout my career I believe I’ve become very good at pinpointing the issues behind inappropriate behavior in dogs.  Every now and then a case comes my way, though, that reminds me to be humble.  For as much as anyone can understand a subject there are plenty of times when you realize how little you know.  This case was one of those and will be an interesting listen as you discover the precise thought process that we dog trainers go through when diagnosing cases of extreme aggression or other such problems.

Enjoy and happy training!

Filed Under: Behavior Problems, Podcasts Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dog Training Brainstorm Session- Aggressive Rottweiler

Dog Training Brainstorm- How To Solve Aggression Issues

As dog trainers we often like to get together to talk and remind each other how smart we are.  I had the privilege recently to get together with Glenn Sherrill of Train Play Live  and some of his clients to talk about dog training issues.

Glen has been running a successful dog training company in North Carolina but we often find it helpful to talk about dog training issues just to see if there are other perspectives that may be helpful.

In this first call we are talking with the owners of a Rottweiler.  The dog is quite dominant and displays that personality through growling and other dominance related behaviors.  The dog has also upset the balance with the other dogs in the family and it has led to fights and other problems.

Listen below to this short call and see if there are training key points that you can take from the call that can help you with your own dog.

Dog Training- Listen To The Call

Press play below to listen in:

Dog Training- Keys To Solving The Problem

When dealing with any aggression issue there are key points that must be considered that apply here:

  • We must correct the aggression but we want to do it in a way that doesn’t escalate the aggression.  Correcting the dog while getting him to move, instead of challenging the owner, can be helpful.  The movement will change his frame of mind and allow him to accept and learn from the correction.
  • Obedience is key.  I preach this to all of my clients regardless of the dog training problem they are experiencing.  If you have great obedience training that means that you have a dog who is calmer, more respectful, and sees you in a leadership role.
  • Remember with dog aggression that you can’t just treat the symptoms.  I often compare aggression to a disease where you have a root cause that allows symptoms to manifest themselves.  The symptoms are the growling, the fighting, and the other dominant behavior.  The root cause, though, is a lack of a proper relationship, a lack of structure, a lack of understanding of what should be the rules.  From those ‘lacks’ we see aggression develop.
  • Give this dog ‘checks and balances’.  That means that he should be ‘working’ throughout the day.  He should be waiting at doors, staying off furniture, sitting before eating, heeling properly on leash, coming when called every time, etc.  These are frequent and constant reminders of the expectations he has.
Filed Under: Behavior Problems, Podcasts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dog Fear- Where Does It Come From?

Dog Fear- Reader Question

The following question comes from a reader of our site:

Why are some dogs just flat out scared of men?  I have a 2 year old husky and he’s scared of men.  I don’t believe there’s any history of abuse.   He’ll run away or refuses to come to men and paces back and forth frustrated.
Rachel, Utah.

Thanks for this question, Rachel.  Dog fear is one of the biggest things I deal with in my company simply because it’s at the root of so many behavior problems.  Issues like dog aggression, some destruction, anxiety behaviors, and others all find their root in fear.  In order to solve these issues it’s important to understand where these issues come from.

Dog Fear- What Causes It?

The reality is that there are only two places that dog fear comes from:

  1. Genetics
  2. Upbringing

It’s the old Nature Vs. Nurture argument that has been waging in the halls of academia forever.  In fact, I find it unfortunate that many people these days are ignoring the science when it comes to dog behavior.

These days you don’t have to go far to find certain ‘breed apologists’.  Just log on to your Facebook account and you’ll see your dog loving friends posting graphics about how awesome Pit Bulls are and how any aggressive Pit Bull is simply that way because the owner trained it to be that way.

This type of thinking completely ignores basic tenets of dog behavior.

Nearly everyone will agree that both nature and nurture compose the makeup behind temperament, personality, and character.  Yet in the case of Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, etc. people suspend this understanding in their attempts to protect their favorite breed.

Now, let me set the record straight first of all.  I’m a big fan of Pit Bulls, Rottweilers (I own one), German Shepherds (I’ve owned a few) and Dobermans.  And I’m not trying to tell you that ANY of these BREEDS are more prone to fear, aggression, or any other sort of behavior.  But I will tell you that certain representatives of those breeds (and ALL breeds for that matter) can have larger propensities than others for fear, aggression, and other related behaviors.

I know I’m on my soapbox right now.  You may be wondering why I’m off on a tangent about Pit Bulls and other powerful breeds when the question was about a Husky and fear.  The reason is that people seem to be willing to accept that fear can cause bad behavior, and many of those same people are willing to accept that a Husky or a Beagle or a Labrador MAY have been born with a greater propensity for fear and that MAY be why they are acting inappropriately.  But many of those same people are unwilling to accept that a Pit Bull was born with a fear issue and that is why she is acting aggressively…they seem bound and determined to blame aggression in these powerful breeds on bad owners.

This is a damaging style of thinking, though.  Many of our clients own these breeds and we deal with a lot of aggression.  Based on what these folks have heard many are convinced that they are awful owners and somehow ‘trained’ their Pit Bull or Rottweiler to be aggressive.  The reality is, though, that they’ve been good dog owners (everyone can be better) and they did NOTHING to cause their dog’s fear or aggression.  The dog was born with a greater tendency towards aggressive behavior.

The majority of the dog fear that I see for genetic reasons comes from poor breeding.  Most breeders these days have no clue how to make pairings that will result in mentally sound puppies.  It may be that they are breeding for looks and not temperament, it may be that they are pushing out puppies just to make a buck, or it may be that they are incompetent but these bad breeders have flooded the country with dogs who have weak nervous systems and low thresholds for dealing with stress.  And, unfortunately, it is the public who is supporting their efforts by always looking for the best deal.

As I mentioned, though, genetics are just one piece of the puzzle.

Upbringing is also very important.  When I’m referring to upbringing I’m typically talking about socialization.

Dogs have what I like to call a ‘socialization window’ between about 8 weeks and 6 months of age where it’s important that the dog receives the correct doses of the correct type of socialization.  Errors that lead to the type of fear being described with this Husky typically fall into two categories:

  • Under-socializing.  Dogs need to meet a LOT of people, places, and things.  They need to meet lots of men, women, dogs, cats, children, bicycles, floor surfaces, sounds, textures, etc.  Many dogs simply don’t get a lot of exposure.  As they grow older they fall into the old adage of ‘we fear the unknown’.  It’s possible that your Husky didn’t receive enough exposure to men and now finds the fact that they are bigger, deeper voices, etc. as off-putting and cause for fear.
  • Improper socialization.  I can’t tell you how much dog fear I can trace directly to dog parks.  Dog parks are the worst place to socialize a dog yet they are so often used and they often inject fear into a dog.  Aside from dog parks bad socialization occurs when the owner doesn’t control encounters the young dog has with kids, strangers, etc.  I have had numerous cases where a dog has ONE bad experience with a kid, person, dog, etc. during this socialization window and it taints their whole life experience from that day forward.  In your dog’s case, it’s possible the dog simply was handled roughly by a man at a young age and that’s the experience that stuck.

Dog Fear- How To Solve It

Dog fear comes from what I call a ‘chaos mindset’.  That means that the dog isn’t thinking when she’s reacting fearfully, she’s simply giving in to her surroundings.

The opposite of chaos in the natural world is structure, control, etc.  With our clients we immediately start on a healthy diet of obedience training to overcome these fear issues.  As the dog’s mind learns to focus on structure it can’t also be focusing on the subject of her fear.

Here’s the catch, though.  Treat based obedience training or other such ineffective methods don’t get the job done.  The only way to overcome big-time fear issues is through advanced obedience training and that simply doesn’t occur with treat training.  You need a style of training that properly balances correction with motivation to show the dog that obedience is the rule but it’s also enjoyable.

Filed Under: Advanced Dog Training, Behavior Problems Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

(Reader Question) How To Stop Dog Aggression

How To Stop Dog Aggression:

The following question came in from one of our readers from our site on how to stop dog aggression:

We have a dog who is mid-size and has always been well behaved.  He’s a border collie mix.  As he has been indoors for more and more time over the winter he has become very protective.  He starts barking at the doorbell and growls when friends or guests want to pet him.

Has even snapped at my brother-in-law after my brother-in-law continued to try to pet him again and again even after being warned with growls again and again.  He turned and snapped and scared all of us.

He even trapped our neighbor in his car… Protecting their home (I was inside their home visiting his wife).

How to Stop Dog Aggression: Three Tips

The following three steps go over my recommendations for how to stop dog aggression in this case.

How to stop dog aggression on youtube 

The three steps I recommend in this case are:

  1. Take care of your handling errors.  You are putting this dog in situations that are not conducive to training success.  Allowing this dog to be pestered and leaving the dog loose in a neighbor’s yard are things that just should not be happening.
  2. Get this dog fulfilled.  You recognized that with more time indoors he has become more aggressive.  It’s important to help him get out some of that pent up energy that is currently being manifest as aggressive behaviors.  I always tell clients that they will get rid of energy faster through the mind than they will through the body.  Get this guy on focused walks, practice ‘integration training’ with him throughout the day, play games like fetch, etc. and that will help to siphon off some of that added energy that is going into negative behavior right now.
  3. Focus heavily on obedience.  When you are looking at how to stop dog aggression you MUST always start with some great obedience.  Obedience training allows you to have options for when the dog is feeling stressed out, anxious, or aggressive.  For example, if you could have him lie down and stay when someone knocks on the door it helps solve the doorbell problem.  Basic obedience isn’t good enough, you really need to work on obedience around distractions.

How to Stop Dog Aggression- Summary

A big majority of our clients come to us trying to figure out how to solve dog aggression.  I find that in nearly all cases it comes down to structure, structure, and more structure.  Structure is nature’s enemy of chaos, aggression, and anxiety.   

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How to Stop Dog Digging and Chewing (Destruction Tele-seminar)

How To Stop Dog Digging and Chewing

I like to periodically do dog training tele-seminars where I invite you to join me on a call to talk about various dog training topics.  Last evening we did a seminar on how to stop dog digging and chewing and overall destructive behavior.  The following podcast is about 36 minutes of pure content on how to put an end to destructive behavior once and for all?  In it I outline my 5 steps on how to stop dog digging and chewing and then I go through reader questions and show you how you can apply these steps in real life dog training scenarios.

Would you like to be notified of our upcoming tele-seminars?  Simply enter your name and email address at the top right corner of any page of this website and you’ll be notified.  Down below the recording you’ll see an outline of the concepts that were discussed on the call.  Happy training!

 

How to Stop Dog Digging and Chewing- The Steps

I’ve got a formula for how to stop dog digging and chewing that I’ve used on hundreds of dogs over the years.  I’ve got a great success rate when it’s applied.  That is the key phrase, though, ‘when it’s applied’.  The reality is that it is harder with some dogs than others and in the difficult cases it’s not uncommon to see people give up on these steps.

  • Supervision.  This is a big one!  Dogs that are being destructive shouldn’t be allowed to be in situations where they CAN be destructive.  We need supervision while you are home and some sort of crate/confinement training while you are gone.
  • Mental and physical stimulation.  While many dog owners with destructive dogs THINK they are fulfilling their dog in many cases they are not.  I alway tell dog owners that it is easier and more efficient to tire a dog out through the mind than it is the body.  I like to use focused walks and obedience training to accomplish a mentally, and therefore physically, tired dog.
  • A chewing outlet.  In the podcast I get into more detail but I like to have three things going on with my dog’s chew toys: variety, challenge, and surrogate owners.  Listen to the podcast for more in depth info.
  • Healthy attention.  If you give too much of the wrong kind of attention your dog can turn into a nervous wreck.  You want the right kind of attention at the right times.
  • Correct the destruction.  From poop tricks to balloons to K9 entrapment using today’s latest technology there are a variety of ways to catch your dog in the act 0f being destructive.

How to stop dog digging and chewing- Summary

The thing about fixing digging and chewing is that, for the most part, it’s a science experiment.  Every dog is so different with regards to their motivation for destruction to how we go about fixing it.  What I’ve found, though, is that the answer for you lies in one or all of the above five steps.  I’ve had clients who have casually applied just one of those steps and seen the solution.  I’ve had others, though, who have had to diligently work with all five before they got their solution.  Give it a listen and comment below with any questions you have.

Filed Under: Behavior Problems, Podcasts Tagged With: , , ,

Training A Dog That Bites And Barks

How To Solve the Problem of a Biting and Barking Dog

The following is a question from one of our readers:

I have a 7 month old min pin who minds good and does all the basic commands.  But he still likes to bite at times when he is playing.  I say NO but sometimes he doesn’t listen.  Also we have a problem with him barking at people and he wont stop until they are out of sight.  How can I fix these problems? I am an over the road driver so every day is something new for him.  Thanks.

A Biting And Barking Dog- It’s About The Relationship

A Biting And Barking Dog On Youtube

Almost always when you see a dog who bites and barks you also see a dog who isn’t respectful.  You mention that the dog is ‘obedient’ but I wonder how obedient the dog can be at seven months?  There are a few things I tell my clients that apply here:

  • You won’t fix a biting and barking dog with basic obedience.  You need to get much more advanced obedience to forge a solid bond of ‘leader/follower’ with you and your dog.
  • Telling isn’t training.  Just saying the word ‘no’, or even worse the word ‘no’ in a harsh tone, isn’t training your dog.  Unless something is going with that word you’re going to find that the dog will quickly learn to ignore it.

A Biting And Barking Dog- Tips

Here are a few things I’d recommend you do:

  • Keep working on that obedience.  Don’t work on treat training.  Work on solid, balanced obedience where you use leash corrections combined with proper praise.  This type of obedience will have an overall calming effect and will serve to have your dog see you in much more of a leadership role.
  • Keep a leash on your dog while you’re driving.  I’d recommend you have a leash and training collar on the dog at all times.  That means in the cab, when you take him out at rest stops, and once you’re back home.  You need a way that you can teach, communicate, and correct when your dog is acting out and simply telling the dog isn’t going to get the job done.  By keeping him on a leash you are in a position to always address negative behavior.

I wish you the best of luck and happy training.  Now it’s time to get to work!

Filed Under: Behavior Problems Tagged With: , ,

What You Allow Is What Will Continue- Dog Training

Dog Training- What You Allow Is What Will Continue

While on Facebook the other day I came across the image that you see.  It’s an image with a simple little saying, yet I found it to be profound.

What you allow is what will continue.  I feel that if dog owners understood this simple little principle it would be a game changer in so many people’s lives.

Let me give you an example.  I often hear dog owners say things like:

“I don’t know why my dog keeps insisting on tearing up the flower bed.”

“I can’t figure out WHY my dog keeps going to the bathroom in the house.”

“I’m so tired of my dog not listening to me when I tell him to come/sit/lie down/stay/etc.”

Do you notice an underlying tone or theme in these types of statements?  Have you made comments like these in your dog training efforts?

The underlying theme that I see is that most people are blaming their dogs for these behaviors.  The DOG won’t stop, the DOG won’t learn, the DOG won’t listen, etc.

What they almost always fail to recognize is that their dog is simply an animal and, without their help, has no concept of right and wrong.  What that means is that if bad behaviors are continuing it is ONLY because the owners are ALLOWING them to continue.

While I have heard people ask about their dog’s behavior problems with the correct mindset it is not often.  With my clients I’m always trying to help them see things in terms of ‘what do I need to change so that my dog can understand this?’

The types of questions or complaints about dog behavior that I’d like to hear are:

“My dog keeps tearing up the flower bed.  What haven’t I provided for him or what haven’t I communicated to him that makes him believe this is still acceptable behavior?”

“My dog keeps going to the bathroom in the house.  What are the steps I HAVE NOT taken to ensure this won’t keep happening?”

“My dog is not listening to my commands.  What dog training principles am I not employing in my dog’s education to help him understand what I want”

If you can approach your dog problems with that type of mindset you’ll be much more successful in your efforts.

Dog Training- Passive vs Overt Training Techniques

Like it or not, if your dog is the dog who is tearing up your garden, jumping on your guests, peeing in the house, and not listening to you, these things are occurring because of you…not in spite of you.  These things are occurring because you ALLOW them to occur.  More often than not I find the culprit is a lack of education on HOW to go about addressing these issues combined with a lack of determination to work to fix the problems.  Regardless, make no mistake, by passive or overt methods you are allowing your dog to do the bad behaviors you don’t like.

Let me give some examples:

Let’s say you’ve got the dog who is peeing in the house and destroying the garden.  Well, you don’t have to figure out HOW to fix that, the HOW has already been done.  Whether you’re reading your dog training books, working with dog trainers, checking out my dog training blog or the blog of others you can quickly find out that one of the main keys in fixing a problem like this is to supervise your dog.

Now let’s say that you choose to ignore these proven training methods.  That is a passive training technique that YOU are consciously choosing to employ.  The result is obvious; destruction and messes.  But at that point there is no use saying that you can’t figure out why the dog keeps doing these things.  YOU decided to employ a passive training technique that is a proven failure.

Let’s look at an overt case:

Let’s say your dog is the dog who doesn’t come when called.  Now let’s say that you do what many dog owners do and shout angrily at your dog to come when called and when he finally does come you scold him further.

You aren’t being passive in your training efforts.  You are being overt, i.e. actually getting out and working with your dog.

It jus so happens that you are employing overt methods that are proven to not work.  So when the time comes for you to complain that your dog does not come when called it is null.  You ALLOWED yourself to employ bad methods and therefore have ALLOWED your dog to continue not coming when called.

Any way you slice it, through passive or overt methods you are allowing bad behavior to continue.

Dog Training- The Solution

So what is the solution?  As I mentioned before I maintain that the solution is education.

There is no point in complaining that your dog doesn’t listen, doesn’t do this, lamentably does that, etc.  Every problem you have had or will have with your dog has already been solved.  Now, being a dog training who is good at what I do I always encourage dog owners to invest in my dog training programs.  Having said that, I feel that dog owners simply need to educate themselves, whether that is through my training materials or other qualified trainers.

Many dog owners will willingly NOT get education on their dog’s problems and then complain about their dogs all along the way.  This doesn’t work.  It’s important to always remember that the buck stops with you when it comes to your dog.

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