Teaching Dogs to "Swim"

Not All Dogs Like Water...

And, not all dogs CAN swim!

But, waders can have fun too!

Tips for Hydrophobic (behaviorally, not clinically) Dogs

If you want your dog to like or love something, you must find a way for them to associate that thing with good things.  If they are too nervous, scared or shy to try the thing you want them to like then you have to start really slow.  

Starting slow means:

REWARD (toys & treats work the fastest) any and all interest in the activity or item.  This can mean praising and treating the dog for looking at the pool of water, moving towards it or sniffing the edge.

REPEAT the same exercise over and over again in SHORT intervals.  Try starting with 5-minutes at a time, then leave and go do something else for 10-15 minutes.  Try 3 or 4 short sessions once or twice a day.

JACKPOT your dog with a huge surprise of yummy treats of an extra special version of a toy (squeaky tennis ball vs. regular ball) for any extra brave attempts or sudden bursts of enthusiasm.

OBSERVE & IMPROVE on the required level of interest only when your dog is clearly ready to move onto the next level.  If they aren't consistently sniff putting one paw on the edge they are NOT ready for putting one paw IN the water.  Wait and keep rewarding just one paw on the edge.  

***Fatal Errors***

Forcing a dog to do something and hoping they will figure out it isn't so bad.

Forcing a dog to do something and then letting them ESCAPE and giving them semi-interesting rewards/good stuff.

Trying to sooth a dog with words and kind petting while they are freaking out.

Forcing a dog to stay in water once they decide to go it = punishment for trying (let them escape so they can do it again).

Filling the pool with a big scary hose while the dog is learning.

Doing swim/play in the bath area.

DO...

Let your dog escape once they go in.

Let your dog decide they are done for the day.

Try using toys/food as a bribe to get in, BUT be sure to REWARD (more treats/play) AFTER the dog gets in even if they pop out.

Use really, really tasty treats or your dog favorite toy.

Start with a shallow pool and clear water with no waves or spray.

An Un-Happy Celebration

My poor hound-mutt, Eddie (short for Edward J. Snuggle-Bottom Pants-Man, III) is already having a terrible 4th of July weekend.  To be fair, Eddie is an extreme case; he's a rescue and x-rays have confirmed that he was shot several times.  The bullets are buried deep in his backside, but his fragile mental state is plainly obvious.

Like many fears Eddie's "consistent concern" with noises has grown to include any loud noises.  A big gust of wind is enough to put him on high alert, but fireworks are the worst and I pay special attention to Eddie each year as the Fourth of July nears.

The climate of San Francisco is virtually thunder-storm free, but if it were not I would likely consult with Eddie's veterinarian and begin the process of finding him the right anti-anxiety medication.  As it is, the incidents are fairly isolated and we have gotten by with the following routine:

Like many sound-phobic dogs Eddie is prone to pacing.  While confinement can exacerbate the panic response (they feel stuck), many dogs do well having access to a small den in a dark room.  Eddie does best when confined to the back of the house in a small room with little light and his crate open and available to him.  Some dogs also enjoy a small fan or a radio.

In the days leading up to the Fourth of July there are often single firecrackers that go off.  For each of these Eddie gets a huge surprise delivery of broiled chicken (about 1/2 cup of 1" pieces).  In fact I often don't feed him much in the days preceding the 4th except his a light kong (his usual meal stuffed into a rubber toy and frozen) and the "Noisy-Snacks!"   Eddie gets these "room-service" style, meaning: he doesn't have to do anything for them, I bring them to him.  

While it is tempting to hold, pet and sooth my terrified dog with sweet words, this has never helped.  In fact it actually seems to make things worse.  So I must put aside my urge to comfort as a human being and just do my best to make him believe that noises bring snacks.  Incidentally these "Noisy-Snacks" are special to this time of year and that seems to really help.  As does getting an early start.

In preparation for the big celebration, Eddie fasts all day (with the exception of a few pieces of chicken for the early booms, whizzes and pops).  that evening I usually give Eddie a nice big frozen Kong stuffed with rice and hamburger and cheese and small chunks of pig's ears.  This is all carefully layered into Eddie's Extra-Large Kong and frozen that morning.  At the first pop that evening I deliver Eddie his Kong into the crate and turn on some music -(Eddie likes Johnny Cash & Patsy Cline).  I deliver additional Noisy-Snacks for outstanding sounds, but otherwise I leave Eddie alone.

He usually has some soft stool the next day (either from the stress of the food, I'm not sure) and is on-edge for about a week.  Still that's a small price to pay.  If your dog panics because of loud noises, please plan to spend some time to make arrangements to help them cope with the fireworks.  Take special care to make sure they are safe indoors.  Too many dogs are hurt and injured each year when they panic and try to escape the scary storm of booming, popping, whizzing noises.  In particularly bad cases, anti-anxiety medication can usually be prescribed by your veterinarian.

HOPEFUL FOR A HAPPY FOURTH

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?

Can Old Dogs Learn New Tricks?

I am often asked, "Is it too late to train my dog?"  

99.9% of the time the answer is "NO, It is never too late to work on training!"  

While I am only too happy to make exceptions for dogs who are physically limited (blindness, deafness, incontinence, etc...) I am generally NOT inclined to excuse bad behavior on the basis of age.  

This is not to say that old HABITS won't be more difficult to change.

But, for the most part: Training a dog, is training a dog.  

There are 3 basic parts.

1) Establishing a GOAL.

2) Breaking your goal into SMALL STEPS that your dog can achieve.

3) Providing encouragement, support and REINFORCING SUCCESS.

However, it can be difficult to focus on training new behaviors when you are busy dealing with the results of older, more annoying behaviors.  

A common mistake is to put energy into the wrong end of the behavior equation.  My clients are often too focused on "the best way to punish their dogs bad behavior."  In their zest for finding the perfect punisher (squirt, pinch, roll, choke, pin, rub, shock, squeeze) the miss the point completely.  

I read that I should ...

Somebody told me to ...

I heard that dogs need ...

I was thinking I would try ...

My neighbor used a ...

Focusing on "what to do when your dog messes up" is a terrible plan!  Imagine if airline safety focussed 90% of their energy on what to do when the planes crash.  

This is not to say that I don't punish bad behavior.  The only way to reduce any behavior is to punish it, but punishments are tricky to do well.  Most dog owners dole out punishments that are late or too harsh.  Or, they don't even punish the dog they just nag it or say something and follow that with no consequences.  

When punishments are done badly they ruin relationships and dogs.  If you want to successfully teach a dog to DO something BETTER, you must REWARD the things they are doing RIGHT.  Sometimes your dog will need help getting there.

Goals help you form a reasonable plan.

Try picturing "Your Perfectly Behaved Dog."

What is she doing?

Here is example:

When my family is eating I would like my dog to lie on her bed quietly.  This is a GOAL!  

"I don't want my dog to beg." is NOT a goal, it is an unreasonable request for an animal that evolved as a scavenger.

When guests come over, I want my dog to sit in the hallway while I answer the door.  This is ALSO A GOAL.  

"I'm sick of my dog jumping on people." is NOT a goal, it is a complaint.

In short, your older dog CAN learn new tricks, but you might have to spend some extra time helping them get things right.  Remember just KNOWING better is not enough.  Your older dog will have a long history of doing things their way.  Be patient, set reasonable goals, help them get it right and MOST IMPORTANTLY  --REWARD, REWARD, REWARD.  In fact, even if you feel like you did most of the work, you MUST still reward your dog.  This will give them incentive to try it your way again.

Training Small dogs can be a challenge.  Dogs that weigh less than 10lbs move quickly.  They are also so close to the ground already that using a Food-Lure (a treat held in your hand, close to their nose) can be challenging.  For medium and large dogs Food-Lures are a convenient ways to move dogs into positions like sit or down.  However, with small dogs Food-Lures can sometimes cause more jumping-bean action than is conducive to training.

For really small, fast-flying dogs I prefer to sit back and relax when training.  For this type of training a CLICKER is really, really handy.  A clicker is a small device that makes a click-sound when the metal flap inside the small box is pressed down and released.

Clickers are used to train dogs, horses, cats, pigeonsrats and even marine mammals.  Using a clicker is simple.  In the beginning the animal in training needs only to learn that each click-sound will be quickly followed by a small reward (technically it must be a reinforcer) that the animal will enjoy and working for.  I like using small, tasty bits of food like cheeses or meats.

The rules are simple.

1.  Click what you like.

2.  Click at the EXACT moment the behavior is accomplished.

3.  Don't command the animal to DO anything, JUST WAIT for something -be patient!!!

4.  Reward the animal after every click.

5.  Train is short intervals 5-10minutes

Sometimes it is helpful to think of the clicker as a camera.  At the end of the training if each CLICK was a PHOTO, and if you placed all those photos on your kitchen table you would have only photos of the behavior (sit, down, bow) that you were hoping to train.

Here are two Kinder-CLICKER lesson for fast-flying, jumpy little-dogs.

1.  Click (and reward) the dog anytime they are NOT moving.  Click the dog for being still in any position.  Offer extra treats for clicks that marked exceptionally cute still positions (like sit or down).  After 2 or 3 sessions, raise the bar and click only certain positions.

2.  Click (and reward) All Cute Behaviors.  This is my favorite.  I will click anything cute!!!  Head-tilts, play-bows, prairie-dog position, sit, down, waving.  Then I pick one behavior that gets clicked and a special bonus treat (gorgonzola).  I like to see how long it takes for the dog to offer only that behavior.