A frequent complaint from clients about their dog is:  

"But he KNOWS better..."

While I am always diplomatic in these situations and even sympathetic, the truth is that this type of thinking sets dogs up for failure.  We not only expect our dogs to be better than dogs; we expect them to be better than humans!

Here is a short list of things that I have done even though, "I know better..."

Roll a stop sign

Bite my nails

Scream at my dog

Pee in a parking lot or public park

Eat cookie dough with raw egg in it

Go to the beach without sunscreen

Drink beer, wine & champagne in the same evening

Use my cell phone while driving

What I would love to say to my clients (if I didn't think it would seem rude, or hurt their feelings) is:  "So, what!"  

Lets say your dog does KNOW BETTER.  Knowing is still just a small part of the equation.  There are other/more important factors.  Even without morals behavior is mitigated by:

Motivators:  Motivation is HUGE.  Even a very moral person might steal or lie if they were starving or under threat.  Motivation is at the core of debates on torture because if sufficiently motivated you can drastically alter a beings "normal" behavior.

Consequences:  The severity of a consequence, or the absence of any consequences CAN matter...but you can't control what is learned..  I got a $300 ticket for not wearing my seatbelt on a 1/4 mile drive to the corner store.  Now I always wear my seat belt in small towns.  I say CAN matter because despite fairly serious hangovers from partying too hard at weddings I continue to drink too much with old friends and I pay the price the next day.

Experience:  There are technically consequences for driving and talking on a cell phone, but my experiences with this have been good.  I have not had an accident, nor have I been ticketed... yet!  

Setting:  Could you explain to an alien from mars why peeing by a tree when camping is OK, but to do so in a public park could result in arrest for public indecency?

So the next time you find yourself thinking: "She knows better..."  

Remind yourself, KNOWING just means that you CAN do something;

it has very little to do with the action you take.  

This is true for humans; this is true for dogs.  

AND, this is why creating good habits with your dog is far, far more important that teaching them to understand your rules, logic and/or potential consequences for not following them.

Teach your dog to TAKE-A-BOW!

Many of my clients dogs have a hard time playing with and interacting with other dogs.  These dogs often play well with well-known, "buddy-dogs" and demonstrates good play-skills in comfortable situations, but do poorly with new dogs or in new places.  

With work the dog can learn to meet and greet the novel dogs without being inappropriate, but there is often no play.  In these cases the dog-in-training often starts getting jumped by the other dogs (in a not so friendly way).  This happens after the Meet-&-Greet, because the dog-in-training sniffs a hello and then just stands there stiffly.  This is awkward and invites aggressiion -a sort of preemptive strike against the dog who is standing stiffly and giving everyone the willies.

In these cases teaching a PLAY-BOW can bridge the gap between meeting and becoming friends.  It gives the dog-in-training something to do (besides standing awkwardly).  Furthermore, despite its trained-awkwardness it gives the other dogs something to do too -they can respond with more playfulness.

How To Teach A Play-Bow

Dog is standing...

1. Take a small treat and place it on your dogs nose.

2. Let your dog smell and lick at the treat, but don't let them eat it.

3. Slowly, very SLOWLY move the treat from your dog's nose in a straight-line down to the floor (right between your dogs front paws).

4. If your dog bends her elbows (even a little) while her tail-end is still in the air (not a down), praise and treat your dog.

If your dog's bottom flops to the ground, pull the treat away, stand-up and move away form your dog.  Wait until your dog is standing to begin again.

5. Keep doing this for 5 or 10 minutes everyday until your dog easily goes into the position shown above.

NOW ADD THE COMMAND

a. Call it something cute!  I like:  "Go play" or "New Friend"

b. Say this new phrase or the word, BOW

c. Then pause.... wait 10-15 seconds.

d. Now give your dog a HINT:  lure the trick.

If your dog does it, praise and treat your dog.

e. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

f. When your dog finally does this after the command and BEFORE the hint, JACKPOT your dog with 7 or 8 treats all at once!

g. Repeat some more.

h. Take it on the road; try it outside with no dogs around.  

Don't be surprised if your dog needs a review in new places or once dogs are around.

Include a picture of YOUR DOG'S PLAY-BOW.

Comment below & send the pic to:  kelley@dogEvolve.com

Nicole's dog CLOVER

READER QUESTION

My granddog is a boxer female 26 months old. In the mornings when I try to get her to go outside she snaps and growls at me. Can a dog sleep with a muzzle on? If they can is the my best plan of attack or put her back in her cage. Sincerely KB Houston TX

Dear KB,

Of course your dog could sleep with a muzzle on, but I wouldn't recommend it.  I almost always reserve muzzles for dogs that BITE.  Snapping & growling are warning behaviors  -it is not to late to fix this problem.  Both you and your dog deserve to sleep and wake-up in harmony.  

It sounds as if your Boxer is a Bed Guarder. On the Guarding Scale (1-10) your dog is a light-weight.  She only guards the bed, after having been there all night.  Heavy-Duty Guarders will claim it as theirs (growl/snap/snarl) as soon as they lay down.

I'm not excusing the behavior, but I do understand it.  I am a deep sleeper and DO NOT like waking up.  I hate waking; I routinely abuse my alarm clock in the morning.  The best days start with someone brining me coffee in bed!  

Coffee MAKES me happy; coffee is NOT contingent upon my BEING happy :)  As you read the following keep this in mind --The coffee I get in the morning is NOT a reward for waking up in a good mood.  The coffee is a nice way to prevent me from being cranky.

By contrast, punishments for 'grumpy morning behavior' will not work.  Think about it.  If you already hate waking up to leave your warm, cozy bed your attitude will not likely improve if you get in trouble for not being a morning person.

WARNING:  

Punishments: yelling, hitting, squirting, dragging, pinning, rolling, etc WILL MAKE CERTAIN BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS WORSE.  In this case, the dog already hates leaving the bed in the morning.  She is NOT is her right mind --me before coffee (cranky!)  Punishments for cranky morning behavior will make your dog have an even bigger negative (yucky) association with waking up.

Try this instead...

1. Before you wake your dog, go to the fridge.  

2. Get something tasty (some cheese or a hotdog).  

3. Approach your dog, but stop before you are so close that she will yell at you.  

4. Then, say something in a sweat voice: "Morning Girl -Rise & Shine."  The phrase can be whatever you like saying and can say nicely. 

5. Then toss a treat, right to her.  Toss it on the bed, or even bounce it off her head.

DO NOT WORRY IF SHE BARKS OR GROWLS -Remember she is NOT a morning dog.  She doesn't mean anything by it, she's just grumpy.

6. If she eats the treat, toss another and then toss the rest on the ground.  

7. As soon as she is on the floor call her to the door and give her once last treat.

Please see the following ARTICLES for more information.

Dog Faces: Reading Body Language

Muzzles -When & How Should They Be Used?

Muzzles --Is Aggression The Only Use?

Everyday I play the same game with my Houndy-mix Eddie.  I give him a rawhide and he buries it in the yard.  He spends a few good hours being paranoid about it -rushing to the back garden at the slightest sound; leaping to his feet if the other dogs go outside; and finally not-so-cleverly giving away the secret location.  When its time to collect the bone I move around the yard and watch Eddie's face. I can tell by the paranoid look in his eye when I am getting warm... getting warm... RED-HOT!  Then, I collect the rawhide and store it for the next day.

 Today's "Secret" Location

Why do dogs bury things?

There appears to be no answer.  Don't get me wrong, there is a good deal of conjecture and lots of opinions, but no real scientific answers.  The common theories seem to be that dogs are:

1.  Saving snacks for later

2.  Hiding food from other hunters

Whatever the reason, some dogs are compelled to bury their stuff.  From a behavioral perspective the "WHY" is only one part of the mystery.  The "HOW" is equally as interesting.  The burying of bones (and other stuff) is a Fixed-Action-Pattern.  This means that all dogs follow the same basic recipe and that they don't need to learn the ropes from any other dog -it comes pre-installed as a complete behavior.

Scratch with paws...

Push with nose...

Scrape with muzzle...

Push with nose...

Scrape with muzzle...

There are variations for sure, but the basic building blocks are performed the same way by the tiniest lapdogs and the biggest hounds.  

So, why do dog's bury bones?  

Because their genes tell them to; because long ago dogs that buried stuff had some kind of advantage over those that didn't and they survived and produced more dogs that buried stuff.

A well adjusted puppy is enthusiastic about playing.  

They are young, rambunctious and sometimes over-eager to engage other dogs in play.  While it is not wrong to ask another dog to play, trouble can arise when they don't notice that the other dog is not interested in playing.  

Young, playful pups are often too young to have learned how to read the intention-signals of other dogs, they sometimes get corrected.

Corrections from an older dog can be a learning experience, but owners need to protect their pups from getting harsh corrections.  To minimize the risk to your pup make sure that they have LOTS and lots of playtime with puppies their own age.  

Puppy classes are a great place to have your pup play with other puppies.  

A good puppy class will be filled with ONLY other puppies of a similar age.  Puppy play-time will cushion your pup's bank of experiences.  Puppy-to-puppy play will likely be appropriate and fun and pad your pup from associating play with bad things (older, un-playful dogs).  Lots of puppy-play will help your puppy associate an eventual correction with their actions or the other dog's body language.

When playing with older dogs, a correction is likely.  

The older dog should have EXCELLENT play-skills and give LOTS of warnings to the puppy.  When the older dog has finally had it and corrects the pup it should be a fast and timely correction.  The puppy will likely yelp and it will be over.  The older dog should not pin the puppy or keep fighting.  There should be NO harm and the pup should shake it off quickly and be back to his/her bouncy self.

A PUPPIES ERROR IN JUDGEMENT

Meet the dogs...

The FOCUSED, OLDER DOG is played by K-9 ANGUS, FEMA Certified Search & Rescue Dog, CA Task Force 3

see videos of Angus @ work -CLICK HERE

The PLAYFUL & OVERENTHUSIASTIC PUPPY is played by JUPITER, 4 month old, male beagle

Opening Act:  A polite invitation to play.

Act -II:  Stop ignoring me.  Don't you want to play?

Act -III:  You can't resist me; I'm right here!

Act -IV:  Knock it off pup!

Act V:  Pleeeese, play with me.

Final Act:  Too-bad, puppy; I warned you.

Second Show:  Hey, who are you?