3. I will not punish my dog for behaviors that stem from fear.

I will not punish my dog for barking IF/WHEN my dog is barking because of he/she is afraid or frustrated.  I may have to do some investigating to determine if my dog is afraid or barking to demand something.

I will try and remember that aggression stems from fear.  This means that when my dog is behaving aggressively (barking, growling, lunging) the cause was something that upset/scared my dog.

I will NOT make my dog's fear worse by punishing behaviors that my dog is not in control of (flight/flight is a reflex).

I will consider that my dog is frustrated, upset or fearful and needs Classical Conditioning.

Dogs don't have an agenda.  There is no such thing as a "bad dog."  

There are dogs who bite, but it's not their fault that they have big teeth and jaws.  Nor is it their fault that we like that about them and decided to let them live intimately with us.  Furthermore, all dogs can and will eventually bite if hurt badly enough, scared badly enough, or threatened.  

Generally when people say they have a "bad dog," what they mean to say is that they have an untrained dog.  Just keep in mind that untrained, under-motivated, or under-exercised does not mean BAD!

Often when I meet clients and their dogs for the first time I am more concerned with putting everyone at ease.  And sometimes when I'm out and about I avoid telling people I am a trainer.  Such a stigma comes with my profession...people immediately get weird with their dogs, get embarrassed by them being dogs, or worse, start "showing off" how strict they can be.  I loathe strict when its obvious the dog has NO CLUE what the person wants.  

I happen to love a clever, rascally dog.  There is nothing as cute to me a dog being naughty.  

This doesn't mean I approve of dogs who bite, or bark, or steal toys, etc. But you have to admit, I'd be a really poor trainer if naughty behavior made me lose my mind instead of bringing a smile to my face.  

If you can't appreciate it, you won't want to look at it.  If you can't look at it, in detail, you won't ever know it well enough to change it.

Love your DOG!

Honor their doginess.

Appreciate them for what they are.

Happy Holidays!

THEY LOVE OTHERS DOGS...  Why do they show it like this?

* What makes a dog behave badly on-leash?

* Is your dog trying to embarrass you?

* Is there anything you can do to change your dog's behavior?

Leash Reactivity is a common problem for dog owners/guardians.  True leash reactivity is defined by aggressive looking displays that are only seen when a dog's mobility is restricted by a leash.  

A similar problem called Barrier Frustration occurs whenever a dog is repeatedly allowed to see or hear something that it is never allowed to interact with.  This consistent exposure and repeated frustration eventually causes aggression.  In mild cases the aggression ceases if the barrier is removed.  In sever cases the aggression becomes so entrenched that even when the barrier is removed the animal will remain aggressive.  Most cases of barrier frustration involve aggressive displays towards people or dogs seen through fences or windows.

The last and final cause is a Classically Conditioned Response.  In other words the dog is taught to be aggressive.  I'm not suggesting this is done intentionally, but rather the opposite.  Classical Conditioning is a type of learning.  When an animal is Conditioned Classically (also called Pavlovian Conditioning) the animal is taught a relationship between two things, places, or events.  The relationship is INDEPENDENT OF THE ANIMALS BEHAVIOR, THOUGHTS, or ACTIONS.  

A typical case-evaluation for Classically Conditioned Leash Aggression looks like this.

1. The puppy is separated from its litter-mates and brought into its new home.

2. The puppy is unnecessarily kept away from all other dogs and puppies until all puppy shots have been given.  Incidentally most puppy shots are not complete until the pups are about 3-4 months of age.  By this age the pup is already through all of its Socialization Period and too old to acclimate to new people, places, and experiences quickly and easily.

3. The puppy is then allowed to interact with other dogs for the first time in about 2-months.  At the same time many puppies are unfortunately introduced to their first training collar.  In an ideal world an anti-pull harness would be worn and used by the puppy form the moment it first enters its new home.  Sadly many people are still using choke and pinch collars on young pups.

4. The puppy (on-leash) encounters its first dog.  In excitement the puppy pulls forward and the collar tightens.  The puppy pulls forward again and barks.  The handler, not knowing better and wishing to teach their dog good manners, jerks the leash back and "corrects" the puppy for the inappropriate barking.  At this moment the puppy DOES NOT LEARN:  barking is bad.  Neither does the puppy learn that barking is wrong.  Instead what the puppy learns is that everything is fine, UNTIL THERE APPEARS A DOG and then bad things happen.

**Imagine that you were in a dark parking garage and someone came up behind you and grabbed you.  You scream and so they stab you.  Would your first response be, "Oh, I probably would have been OK if I didn't scream."  No you would scream because it is your natural, human response to fear.  Barking is a dog's natural response to frustration or fear.  It makes no more sense to your dog that the leash correction is barking than it would make to you that screaming when grabbed from behind is the cause of imminent pain.

To further cement this relationship of events (Dogs + Leash = Yucky) the dog then gets to play off-leash with puppies in class or at the park or daycare.  When NOT ON A LEASH the puppy pulls towards a new dog and is immediately given access to the dog.  No pain, no choking, no problems.  The dog draws the obvious conclusion (Dogs + NO LEASH = Everything is Fine!)

Separation anxiety seems to have made the BUZZ WORD Top Ten List.  I've had numerous clients call and report that they need help treating their dog's separation anxiety. Recently, several of these clients have had puppies that are between the ages of 10-14 weeks of age.  When questioned it becomes apparent that what the owners/guardians are concerned about is that their dogs have separation anxiety disorder.  

I do NOT believe in diagnosing puppies with separation anxiety.  Sep-Anx./separation anxiety is a diagnosis of a abnormal behavior or disorder.  Many behaviors that appear in dogs with separation anxiety can also occur in dogs with no anxiety.  In other words, just because your dog or puppy barks when you leave does NOT mean they have separation anxiety.

Puppies that bark and whine when left alone are displaying NORMAL, AGE-APPROPRIATE behaviors.  Treating a puppy's normal separation distress with the protocol for separation anxiety disorder may not be wrong, nor will it likely make the problem worse, but it does waste valuable time, energy, and resources.

In canine literature, descriptions and treatments for separation anxiety are often given by trainers, behaviorists, and veterinarians.  What is often laking in these articles is basic information regarding the difference between NORMAL, AGE APPROPRIATE separation anxiety and the ABNORMAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION known as separation anxiety disorder.  Interestingly, this is a developmental stage with similarities to human development.

Barking and whining are normal behaviors for young puppies separated from others in their litter or family.  Furthermore, it is very easy to teach a puppy or dog that barking is the fastest and easiest way to get something--namely people to come back into the room, or to free them from a confinement area or crate.  This does not mean that barking is not annoying, or that it must be tolerated.

ALL puppies must learn how to be alone.  This is often an uncomfortable lesson to learn and teach as the puppies have to go through the unfamiliar task of being alone.  Puppies that do NOT EXPERIENCE BEING ALONE are the dogs that will later develop separation anxiety disorder.  In general I use the crate to teach puppies how to be alone.  

It is important to allow the puppy to fully EXPERIENCE being alone safely and successfully and to LEARN that whining/howling/barking DOES NOT bring people back.  To do this some careful planning helps.

First, make sure you have a cozy, puppy-appropriate crate prepared.

Second, make sure your puppy is hungry (skip a meal, it won't kill them).

Third, make sure your puppy is well-exercised.

If your puppy is hungry and has played vigorously they are also likely to have recently pooped and peed.

Now, prepare a tasty kong and coax or place* your puppy in the crate with the kong.

Shut the door and place a blanket over at least three sides of the crate.

Then LEAVE.

Yup, that's it.  Your pup might bark, howl, or complain for up to 20 or 30 minutes, but they will eventually fall asleep.  After 10-15 minutes of silence, wake your pup up and let them out.  Repeat this 3-4 times a day.  Keep a daily log of how long your dog tries making noise to get out.  It will continue to drop until your dog no longer complains.  

Alone-Time Training is VERY, VERY important for ALL puppies.  Alone-Time Training is separation anxiety disorder Prevention!

* With young puppies (less then 3 months of age) you can gently nudge your pup into the crate.  If you want, you can also plan ahead and teach your pup to go into the crate for a cookie.  With adult dogs, or dogs older than 3 months of age (dogs no longer in the socialization period), DO NOT FORCE crate entry, go slow.

Or do they?

Anxiety causes people to sweat.  It makes your dog sweat too.  However, dogs sweat through the pads of their paws. 

Many dogs bark when their owners are gone. 

It could be that their are barking in response to things they see or hear (people or dogs passing by the house). 

Or, they might be barking because they are bored, underexercised, understimulated (lacking toys, chews, companionship. 

Or, they could be having a real anxiety attack. 

Yes.  Dogs can also have anxiety disorders.  The name for the disorder in dogs is called Canine Separation Anxiety. 

If you are not sure why your dog is barking when you are gone.  Try leaving them on a light-colored tile floor (or similar surface).  When you return look for sweaty paw marks on the ground.  If you see lots of sweaty paw marks, especially near the door, or near a wondow you dog was likely pacing and feeling more than sad.  Seaparation Anxiety is PANIC!  To cure a dog of this affliction you will need help from a behaviorist or certified trainer.