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!

These two herding dogs love their couch and their kitty.  

Dogs and cats often get along splendidly.  But not all dogs love cats, and not all cats like dogs.  In this case, the best advice is everyone else's advice.

Please COMMENT and share your experience of introducing cats to dogs and vice-versa.

Things to consider sharing:

Who was in the house first?

Was the cat/dog around other dogs or cats as a kitten/pup?

Was the cat the decider (just hated the dog)?

Was the dog the decider (could NOT stop chasing the cat)?

Did you use a management device--gate, door, cat escape tree?

Who did you confine?

What helped the situation the most?

When did you feel everything was OK?

When did you realize it wasn't gonna work?

Is your puppy's "playful biting" becoming a problem?

WHY SO BITEY?

Look inside your puppy's mouth.  Puppies have sharp, needle-like teeth.  Your pup's teeth are sharp for a reason.  An adult dog's teeth are modeled after their wild ancestor's.  They designed to rip and tear through fur, skin and flesh; crush small bones; and tear meat and muscle into bite-sized chunks.  To do this they need strong jaws and large carnivorous teeth.  These teeth can also be used for fighting and protection; so adult dogs must learn good control over their teeth and jaws.  This learning period is called Puppyhood!

Dogs possess the ability to use their teeth with varying degrees of precision and strength.   Removing a burr from the pads of a paw requires precision, but little strength.  Chewing a hoof, bone, or bully stick requires strength, but not much precision (crunch, crush, swallow).  Fighting and playing require control over both precision and strength depending on the activity or level of threat.  You can teach your puppy (and to some degree adult dogs) to use their teeth and jaws with control.

Bite Inhibition is the ability to bite gently.  Puppies MUST learn this before they get their adult teeth, or before their socialization period has ended.  A puppy's teeth are needle-sharp for a reason.  Your puppy has not yet developed all their jaw muscles, so they are not able to bite down with all of the strength that they will eventually have.  Sharp, puppy teeth are nature's way of compensating for undeveloped jaw muscles. 

When your puppy bites the sharp teeth cause pain (even though the jaws are weak).  This makes it possible for a puppy to get feedback about how to use their teeth later in life.  When playing and arguing (fighting) dogs should not use their full strength.  This is largely determined by how much playtime a puppy is allowed.  If your puppy is never allowed to bite and chew in play they will not learn how to bite with varying degrees of pressure (gently in play or as a warning).

DEALING WITH PUPPY-BITING

Most pups are adopted into their new homes at about 8-10 weeks of age.  At this time your puppy should be allowed to bite on an adults hands and skin when playing, but only if they do so gently.  Relatively hard nips should be addressed immediately by timing out your puppy.  A sufficient time-out for a puppy that bites too hard is "OUCH!" followed by you walking away from the pup, standing up or dropping the toy.

Do NOT hit, grab, shake, roll, or smack your puppy for biting!  Remember your puppy is very impressionable at this young age and they can easily learn to be fearful of hands, feet, and people.  An adult dog who is fearful of hands is MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BITE later in life than a dog who LOVES people and is not afraid of hands!  Besides, your pup's brain is telling them to explore the world with their mouth; they will not make the connection between this hard-wired behavior and your punishment.  Instead you will ruin your relationship and teach your dog to be a fear-biter.

As your pup looses his or her puppy teeth (the top center incisors will be the first to go), begin a zero-tolerance policy to any teeth that touch your skin.  If your pup misses the toy when playing, or nibbles at your hand when you are petting them, say "OUCH!" or "Too-bad!" or "No!" and then stop interacting and walk away!  Remember, your pup will not KNOW the WORDS you choose to use.  They WILL UNDERSTAND the action that follows the word.  Resist the urge to grab your pup's mouth or to look at them when you are marking the naughty action.  Just say it and quickly end whatever you were doing.  Ending the activity (as long as it is something your pup was enjoying) is a punishment or Reward Removal.  This is sufficient for your pup to learn that the biting is inappropriate.

ODDS & ENDS

Is your puppy is biting you when your try to touch their feet, ears, tail, tummy?  Or, when you are trying to take something away from them or, move them from place to place?  Your pup may need some additional training from a professional.  A well-socialized pup should not be intolerant of handling or show unwanted guarding.  If your pup is not play-biting, but biting to say "Stop-it!" contact a trainer.

Puppy classes are NOT just for training!  Puppies need to learn BOTH dog and people skills.  Please make time for your puppy to play with other puppies.  Adult dogs are not a substitute for pup-on-pup play.  Kinder-puppy classes such as those offered are a great way for your puppy to learn obedience and important dog-play skills.

Is your pup play-chasing?  Puppies that chase and bite at feet, legs may need an outlet for their natural urge to chase.  If your pup is going after your feet, a broom or other low-down, fast-moving things trying to re-direct their play onto an appropriate item before your move to a punishment such as a time-out.  I have a three-strike policy.  I re-direct twice.  Then I use a Time-Out for the third offense.

Teach your dog to play tug! Teach your dog to play tug! Teach your dog to play tug!

In general, I find the term "Positive Reinforcement Trainer" too specific and misleading. 

The term is commonly used to describe trainers who won't use aversive methods such as choke, prong, or shock collars.  Because of this I think that many dog owners/guardians have been given the impression that trainers who focus on rewards never punish dogs.  This is untrue.

Reward-Based Trainers (I consider myself one) choose to not scare, hurt or intimidate dogs.  This does not mean that naughty behaviors will go without consequences.  Nor does it mean, that I am arguing: aversive methods won't work.  I am aware that aversive methods can effectively punish out bad behaviors.  However, using aversives to punish/doling out yucky stuff (aka: Positive Punishment) will have side effects.  In addition to the side effects there are moral and ethical considerations that prevent me from even considering Positive Punishment: Giving (+) an aversive for a bad behavior.

My concerns regarding Positive Punishment:

1) Given the many other options available for teaching a dog what to do or how to respond, Positive Punishments are unnecessary. 

2) To reduce harm, Positive Punishments demand absolute accuracy; perfect timing is hard for trainers and almost impossible for new dog owners/guardians. 

3) Even when used correctly, aversive methods can have damaging and dangerous side effects including increased fear, unintended associations, avoidance and learned helplessness. 

4) Aversive methods are a poor choice for fear-based behaviors (barking, lunging, growling, biting) because Classical Conditioning, not punishment, is what will condition new responses to threatening stimuli or items perceived to be scary. 

This is usually where someone tries to argue:  

________ piece of equipment "doesn't really" hurt the dog. 

IF this were true, then the equipment or method being used would be an ineffective punisher.   Because ineffective punishers don't work they need to be used over and over again. If what the trainer wants is to teach the dog NOT to do something and they are adding/giving a punishment then you must assume that the intention is for that punishment to be aversive.  Aversives are by definition unpleasant.  If they are not truly aversive then they won't eliminate the behavior and the trainer/handler is merely startling or nagging the dog over and over again (choke/prong collars used for pulling).  This could be considered abusive.

It needs to be recognized that many Reward-Based Trainers (myself included) DO punish dogs when they fail to respond or behave rudely.  But, let me be clear.  This does not mean that we use aversive methods or GIVE punishments.  

Reward-Based Trainers stick to focusing on rewards by using 1) Positive Reinforcement (giving rewards -adding good stuff into the situation) and 2) Negative Punishment (taking away rewards, or removing access to fun stuff).  ***Remember the words: positive & negative refer to whether the trainer is adding or taking away a reinforcer or aversive, not to whether the dog will perceive them as good or bad.

This leads to the question: How does one punish a dog by using rewards?

It's simple.  If rewards can be given/earned, then they can be taken away/denied.  Taking away something your dog wants is a type of punishment.  By definition a punisher reduces or eliminates a behavior.  This is the principle behind detention.  In school detention a student loses their "free time," This translates as a loss of access to people, places and things that are fun.  This loss is a consequence for bad behavior.  This is calledReward-Removal or Negative Punishment.  ***Again, negative refers to something being taken away or removed (-) from a situation.

The expectation in dog training is that naughty behaviors like chewing, jumping and barking will decrease until they are extinguished completely.  As with all learning, the principles of Reward-Removal must be used in conjunction with other learning tools.

Removing Rewards is an effective and humane way to eliminate unwanted behaviors in dogs, cats, children, and many other living beings. As a humane dog trainer I use Positive Reinforcement (giving rewards) & Negative Punishment (removing rewards). I call myself, and others who train by similar principles Reward-Based Trainers.

One practical application of REWARD REMOVALS is removing access to fun stuff.  This can be accomplished by putting your dog in a Time-Out.  Because dogs are unable to comprehend a long time-out at the end of the week (no Saturday morning romp at the beach) you will need to be prepared to give your dog many, short time-outs immediately after each offense.  

For Safety & Sanity, every dog should have a DROP command that means:  "Spit that out of your mouth right now!"

I prefer to have a separate , LEAVE-IT command, one that means:  "Don't look at it, smell it, go near it, or even think about putting it in your mouth!"  Because you will be teaching your dog what the command means, you can choose any word that you want.  For more on choosing commands click here.

To teach your dog DROP-IT, you will need:

A toy that your dog likes to pick-up (ball, frisbee, stuffy) or an item they steal (socks, bags, leashes).

Some treats that your dog really likes.

A second toy that your dog likes as much as the first toy, or more!

A leash that your dog can wear and drag on the ground.

A flat collar that does not pinch or choke.

Location, Location, Location!

Choose a quiet place where you will not be interrupted.  Remember you want your dog to be successful so eliminate any competition that might interfere with your dogs ability to focus or be successful.  I like to start training inside, then I repeat all of the steps quiet outside area where dogs are on-leash, last I practice at the park with other off-leash dogs.

Your First Session

Give your dog the toy & allow them to play freely with it.

When you are ready, give the command:  DROP-IT.  Only say this command once.

Casually step on the end of the leash (it should be dragging on the ground) to prevent your dog from playing keep-away.

Now slowly move the stinky, tasty treat you have in front of the dogs nose.  

Some dogs will go for the treat right away, other dogs need you to wiggle the treat.

As soon as your dog drops the toy, PRAISE & TREAT your dog with the food treat you showed them.

Now say TAKE-IT and let your dog have their toy.

*** If your dog refuses to take the treat and/or shows no interest:  

1) Try the exercise when your dog is hungry.

2) Try a different treat.

3) Try using another toy to interest them in dropping the item in their mouth.

4) Try just out-waiting them.  Your dog may just need to learn that you aren't going to take their toy.

REMEMBER:  Only say the command ONCE right BEFORE you step on the leash & DEFINITELY BEFORE you move towards your dog's nose with the treat.

When your dog starts dropping the toy before you can step on the leash or before you can show them the treat, take the exercise outside or to a more distracting environment.

In NEW ENVIRONMENTS, expect your dog's performance to slip.  Help them out again by stepping on the leash or using a treat.

Eventually you will be able to also pick up the ball using the principals of teaching LEAVE-IT.