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?

How serious is it when a dog fights?

Most dog fights are minor spats -I consider them playground scuffles.  There's a lot of noise and a lot of commotion, but when the fight is interrupted, the dogs go their separate ways, shake-off the fight and resume playing as normal.  However if your dog is consistently getting in fights you should contact a certified trainer or behaviorist so that the problem can be diagnosed and a behavior modification plan can be implemented.  

The usual Cause-Of-Fight Suspects are:

1.  The dog is uninterested/uncomfortable with other dogs.  Dogs like this can appear to do fine at a park, but rarely seek out other dogs for play.  they tend to go about doing their own things (sniffing, playing with a toy, or walking by themselves or with their people).  Fights erupt when other dogs try to engage the loner-dog in play, try to sniff the unsocial dog, or inadvertently invade the sensitive dog's personal space.

2. The dog loves playing with other dogs, but gets carried away and the play tips into a fight.  This is common with rough-players like young Labradors, Boxers, Bulldogs, Staffordshire Terriers, Jack Russell Terriers and Ridgebacks (individual dogs of any breed can enjoy rough play, this list is not complete by any means).  Dogs that like rough play often don't take play-breaks to sniff or change roles (chaser vs. chasee) they simply keep mouth-wrestling until one or both dogs are unsure about the status of the game:  Real or play?

3. The dog gets along fine with known dogs and often plays well within that social group, but guards resources from unknown dogs.  Resources are anything the dog feels are valuable.  Some dogs guard toys, some dogs guard their playmates and some dogs guard people, food and locations (the park bench).

More on Playful Body Language >>>click here.

More on Guarding >>>click here.

Whether your dog fights a lot, or has only been in one fight...

The seriousness boils down to ONE KEY QUESTION:

How much damage did your dog do to the other dog?

Dogs have what trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians call Bite Inhibition.  This refers to the amount of tooth/jaw force used by a dog when they fight or defend.  Bite Inhibition is learned when the dog is a puppy.  At about 3-4 months of age, a dog's socialization window closes and the dog will have established their Bite Inhibition.  Puppy classes include puppy-to-puppy playtime to increase the practice time puppies have and improve their Bite Inhibition skills.

Dogs with Poor Bite Inhibition (sometimes called a Hard Mouth/Bad Mouth) use greater force than is needed and cause damage:  punctures & tears.

Dogs with Good Bite Inhibition (Soft Mouth/Good Mouth) limit the force that they could use and do little to no damage when they bite:  yelp, brusie, scrape.

More on Bite Inhibition (appropriate corrections in play) >>>click here.

What it means...

Bite Inhibition cannot be re-learned, trained, or punished out.  A dog that fights vary rarely, but who causes serious damage (veterinary care and sutures required) is far more dangerous than a dog that fights all the time, but never leaves a mark.

If your dog has seriously injured another dog, the prognosis for rehabilitating the dog's Bite Inhibition is poor.  Dogs that cause damage, even if they fight rarely, should be muzzled at the dog park.  Exceptions are rare and I limit them to ear-tears.  Ears are thin, tear easily and bleed profusely.  But exceptions are rare and this decision is left best to training professionals.

So if you have a dog that has injured another dog in a fight, the dog should always wear a MUZZLE. There are many, perfectly happy, muzzled dogs.  It beats never getting out to play, paying large vet bills, or going to dog court!

NOTE:  A Muzzle is NOT a replacement for TRAINING.  

Dogs that fight need help from a certified trainer! 

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?

Is leash aggression the owners fault?  

When dogs fight with other dogs on leash is the owners lack of confidence the problem?

Hardly!  Owners can and should NOT be blamed for being nervous when handling their leash-reactive dogs.  

It goes without saying that if you have seen your dog bark, lunge, or snap at another dog when on leash that you will anticipate more bad behavior.  The anticipated unpleasantness makes most people nervous.

Still, my clients are often astonished that the dogs behave better when I am handling the leash.  

When I am called to consult with a client whose dog routinely behaves badly on leash towards other dogs, a common question is:  Have they (the owners) been transmitting their fears down the leash to their dogs?  From this my clients often surmise that it must be my calm, confident demeanor that gives me the edge when handling feisty dogs.  I would argue otherwise for several reasons.

Reason #1   When meeting new clients and handling a new dog for the first time I am absolutely NOT CALM.  

I am always nervous when meeting new clients and handling new dogs.  I might hide my fears and doubts well from my clients, but I am sure that if you were to put me to the test you would find that my heart rate is elevated, my mouth is dry and I my hands are sweaty.  

Reason #2   It is more scientific to rule out other, simpler explanations first.  

The answer to how well a dog can detect and to what degree they react to fear has not been sufficiently studied.  however, the mechanism responsible for self-preservation called Fight or Flight is very well understood and is the key to helping many of my clients navigate on-leash encounters between their dogs and other dogs.

Reason #3   I have a very good success rate with teaching my clients new skills that improve the situation despite their nervousness at trying something new and their fears that they won't do well and/or that their dog is beyond help.

Imagine if you were taking tennis lessons and your instructor simply coached you by saying, "You need to swing with more power and accuracy."    While this may be true, it won't help you KNOW HOW TO DO THESE THINGS!  

A good instructor/coach/teacher is always able to break things down into specific tasks that a student can practice in order to obtain better results in overall performance.  Telling someone that they are doing poorly or that they need to be, or do things better is NOT an educational technique.  

My personal results with the aforementioned bad-coaching technique was a frustration-induced, "more powerful" but drastically, LESS accurate swing.

So what is the CONNECTION between the LEASH & AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR?

All animals have an innate protective response.  When you are afraid (really, really afraid) your  The is commonly referred to as the Fight or Flight Response.  

Reactions include:

FREEZE -victims that we would describe as shocked, stunned, catatonic (this may precede other actions).

FLIGHT -a way of creating distance between you and a real or perceived threat.

FIGHT -another way of creating distance (turn the tables and get the scary thing to back off or run away).

The trick is to KEEP THE LEASH REALLY LOOSE & to KEEP MOVING FORWARD at a quickened pace so that your dog does not feel stuck or trapped.  This is hard to do when you own body is anticipating a bad encounter, so my clients with badly behaved dogs all tend to slow down and hold their dogs back.  This is a recipe for disaster.  The slow pace and tension causes the dog to lunge forward aggressively.  

Keeping the leash loose is easier said then done when there is a history of things going badly, so here are some hints.  Carry your dogs favorite toy or better yet, walk your dog when she is hungry and hold some cheese or some yummy meat in front of her nose as you pass by dogs.  Using your best goofy voice and moving quickly helps too.  Also, be sure not to punish or correct (jerk the leash) your dog for relapses.  

Remember you can't punish away fear!  

So fix the fear, and the barking and lunging will disappear.