Digging

Digging

Does your front lawn look like a war zone with complete foxholes & trenches? Do people think that you’re family is part gopher? Dogs dig, but if excavating your yard is their favorite extra curricular activity it can be a nuisance. You could injure yourself trying to walk through their booby trapped minefield or they could escape out under a fence & become lost or worse.

Why all the holes!?!?

There are several reasons your dog may start digging. It’s important to know why before you choose a solution.

Some dogs dig to make a cooler place in the yard to stay, others, like Terriers were bred to kill vermin so they dig in pursuit of their prey; some may be burying a yummy keepsake or are looking for one they buried previously; occasionally unaltered males may dig to get to a female in heat & some times pregnant females will dig out a den. These are all normal reason for a dog to dig – it’s when the digging becomes excessive (or obsessive) that it becomes a problem. This is usually a symptom of boredom or anxiety.  

Fix it!

This is where it’s important to know why your dog is digging: if your dog is spending a lot of time outside, be sure that there is adequate shade or shelter & think about adding a kiddy pool to help keep them cool.

When it comes to vermin, a chipmunk or two is normal, however an exterminator may need to be called if there’s an excessive amount of critters.

Some dogs, like terriers, were bred to dig so they must have an outlet for that behavior. Making a sandbox can be a fun & easy solution. You can use a children’s sandbox, small pool or make one yourself (be aware, while wood looks nice, it is porous & can absorb urine making it next to impossible to disinfect. Even if you use treated wood your dog may chew & ingest it) & most home improvement stores carry playground sand. Be sure to bury some of your dogs’ favorite toys, treats & bones in the sandbox to help encourage them to dig there. Watch them when they’re outside so you can use a sound deterrent (like a shaker can) to discourage digging in an un-designated area & then redirect them to the sandbox.

You may find that there is a particular spot they are fond of with no obvious reason to you. There are a few types of deterrents can you can bury in these areas: pine cones, citronella soaked sand, moth balls & their own waste; most dogs are very clean & will avoid that like the plague.  

Ya dig?

While all these solutions do work, making sure your dog is well exercised & has plenty of mental stimulation may keep them from developing this particular vice in the first place. Perhaps your dog has been banished to the back yard because of unwanted behavior in the house you may want to consider an obedience class. This strengthens the bond you have with your dog while also creating good habits. 

If your dog must stay outside be sure you have an appropriate enclosure; shelter, shade, high fences & poured concrete so they can’t dig out. Even dogs that stay outside must still have exercise, positive interaction & mental stimulation.

Training Philosophy

One of my friends lent me a book called "Kinship with All Life" by J. Allen Boone which I read in one day & highly recommend to anyone who loves animals. There is a passage in it (I wish I wrote down the direct quote!) where they talk about dog trainers vs. dog educators. They talk about how a dog trainer makes the dog do a desired behavior through force & punishment (mind you, this book was published in 1954...) while a dog educator teaches the dog to think. Training methods have improved exponentially since then but I still understand where that statement stems from. While I call myself a dog trainer, I consider myself a dog educator.

Each dog is an individual & needs to be treated as such. While some methods work well for one they may not work at all for another. This is why I have spent a huge amount of my time learning several different methods. Yes, I do prefer the clicker. But for some people, the amount of coordination & good timing required to use it effectively is a turn off. 
 This was the problem I had while at Triple Crown Academy. My hand eye coordination was awful & I was a bit slow. Imagine! But I stuck to it & now it's second nature to me - people say "You make it look so easy!" Really, it is. Like all things in life it takes practice & patience. If you are interested in using it but would like tips on how/why it works please ask me about it. I periodically give seminars with fun games for you & your dog.
However, if the clicker isn't for you or your dog, no worries! There are plenty of ways to get your point across. Mostly I use positive, reward based training but there are times when a correction is needed. This can be a sound deterrent, collar correction or time out. There is balance in nature & there can be balance in dog training, again, it depends on the dog & the desired behavior.
A big part of what I do is not only teaching commands, sit, down stay etc. but educating owners how to communicate with their dogs. On almost a daily basis I hear people say, "I wish I knew what my dog was thinking!" You can! As long as you know what to look for & how to interpret what your seeing you can figure out what your dog has been trying to tell you.
 
I also believe it's beyond important for pet parents to understand how dogs learn. Knowing not only what  works but also why it works can be tremendously helpful. 
Our dogs are our family. They crave attention & thrive with structure. It's my job to open the lines of communication between you & your dog to make sure all are happy & safe in their forever home.

 

Mouthing

Mouthing & Biting in Puppies

Are you & your family your puppy’s favorite chew toy? Do your arms look like you sleep on a bed of poison ivy?  Mouthing & nipping are a normal social behavior for a young pup. Most people think that it’s related to teething but puppies don’t start to teeth until about 4 months & that will usually result in chewing & gnawing toys or furniture rather than nipping at people.  When dogs play, they tend to use their mouths & teeth; like Panda & Wren in the picture above. One of the things that puppies learn from their litter mates is called bite inhibition; how hard is too hard. This is one of the reasons it’s important not to take a puppy home until he’s 8 weeks old.  If your puppy is continuously nipping & biting you, be sure to stay away from games like tug or wrestling – these encourage them to use their teeth on you. Retrieving, training, swimming & walking are all great social interactions for puppies & their families. Always provide your pup with plenty of exercise & mental stimulation; a tired pup is a well behaved pup!

Can the chomping be stopped?  

First & foremost your pup must have exercise, attention & adequate play for this particular training to be put into action; puppies have energy & a need to be social so there must be an appropriate outlet for that. The way puppies teach each other that the force of their bite it too hard & hurts is by crying or yelping. This tells the other puppy “Ouch! Not so hard!!”  Most dogs just see people as strange looking dogs.   We can teach them not to bite in the same way. The best way to make it very clear to them is to simply not allow any teeth on you or anyone in your family at all; don’t wait for it to actually hurt.

                Whenever your puppy puts his teeth on you immediately yelp & then stop playing & ignore him. If you do this every time your pup bites you, what he will learn is that his teeth hurt you & playing too rough will get him ignored. He doesn’t want either of these things to happen so he will soon stop. Occasionally, a high pitched yelp sounds like a toy or fun to a puppy; if the yelp winds your pup up rather than stopping the behavior try saying “OUCH!!” in a loud, clear voice. As long as everyone is consistent, the biting & nipping will soon stop.

                If your dog has had plenty of exercise, training & social interaction & this method still isn’t working please ask me about “Bummer”

 

Barking

           Behavior Solutions: Barking

 Is your dog’s bark worse than its bite?  While you may appreciate the notification of visitors, you don’t necessarily need to be alerted to every pine needle, bike, mailman or leaf that passes through your lawn. Barking is a natural behavior in dogs but when excessive, it can quickly become an annoyance to you & your neighbors.

The Basis of Barking   Domestic dogs inherit barking from their wild ancestors. They may bark to call pack members (you, your family & possibly other pets) to alert others of their location, or to get attention when they are left alone. Dogs bark a warning when their territory has been invaded & try to make the intruder go away. Keep in mind that while you understand the boundaries your house & your yard, your dog may perceive its territory as being much larger& feel the need to ward off potential intruders – even if they’re half way down the block! Over stimulation by things in the environment, such as activity in neighboring yards or other animals can also trigger barking.

        Some breeds of dogs are more prone to barking behavior because of the jobs they have been bred to perform, though there are always exceptions. Some herding breeds, like Australian Shepherds & Shetland Sheepdogs, bark in order to herd their flock. The Kuvasz & Great Pyrenees also worked closely with herds but as guardians, keeping would be predators at bay with their bark. Terriers bark to tell their handlers of their location in underground tunnels when they find game or need to be dug out. Again, this working behavior is inherited by our nonworking pets. Look into the breeds that you are interested in to see if their needs & traits fit into your lifestyle.

To Bark or Not to Bark

Having a dog doesn’t mean forfeiting calm & peace. Through prevention & patience your home can remain a quiet haven for you & your best friend. You can start by exposing your puppy to a wide variety of people, situations & sounds in a calm, positive way. This will get your puppy used to the various things he will encounter in his environment & reduce alarm barking. Begin obedience training with your dog as soon as you bring him home to establish a clear line of communication, keep him active & mentally stimulated. Daily exercise will help burn off energy that might otherwise go into barking.

        When you are unable to supervise your dog, keep him a crate or puppy-proofed area in your home where you can control his surroundings. A lot of traffic or activity going on around him when he is left as an observer can induce frustration barking. Give your dog an interactive toy, like Kong or Star Mark Everlasting Treat Ball, or stuffed hollow bone so his energy goes into the toy rather than barking.

        Teaching your dog to bark & be quiet on command will clearly tell your dog when it is appropriate to vocalize. Teaching these commands is quick & easy. Have a friend stand on the other side of a door in your home – be sure they can hear you give the speak command. Tell your dog to speak & have your friend knock on the door to induce the dog to bark. When he does, immediately give him a tasty treat that may take a while to chew. While he is chewing, tell him quiet. Your dog cannot chew & bark at the same time. He will soon associate chewing on a yummy treat with the command quiet. Practicing this exercise several times a day & staying consistent will show your dog when it is acceptable to bark. Reward your dog regularly for being quiet in the house without being told.

        Barking is sometimes inadvertently reinforced by owners responding to it by yelling or by calling them into the house. Doing this shows your dog that barking is a means to get your attention & can encourage nuisance barking. 

Interactive Toys

Whenever I ask my students if their dog has interactive toys to play with the answer is usually, "Oh yeah, they've got a ball, some stuffed animals & bones they play with." So there seems to be some confusion as to what an interactive toy is....but first - why they're important:

For dogs, mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise. Wild dogs & wolves do not get served 2 meals a day, go for rides to doggie daycare & go home to curl up on their own bed with their favorite bone. They have to think about how to track & kill their next meal; they have to figure out how to combat the elements & other predators. 

Our dogs, however domesticated still have that same incredible mental capacity & most of the same instincts. This is why they are able to excel at all of the jobs we give them; herding, searching for drugs, bombs or missing people, service work & detecting mold or cancerous tumors.  On average, our pet dogs understand about 180 different words, so it shouldn’t be surprising 
that they can get bored easily.

Boredom is very often the culprit of unwanted behaviors in dogs; they HAVE to do something to fill their time & it usually isn't dishes & laundry :) Excessive barking, jumping, digging, chewing & other destruction all stem from not having enough to do. While physical exercise is very important, you have to be careful with dogs under the age of 2 because their bone structure is still developing & high impact exercise such as jogging or agility can cause joint damage. So along with basic obedience, interactive toys are the best solution.

 An interactive toy is often based around the dog figuring how to get the treat out of the toy. The Kong, Kong Wobbler, Kong Stuff a  Ball, Starmark Everlasting Treat Ball, Starmark Bob A Lot, Starmark Everlasting Fun Ball, Premier Twist N’ Treat, Premier Magic Mushroom  & the Buster Cube are just a few  of the options out there. Some are more difficult than others so it’s important to ask yourself a few questions before getting one for your dog; do they like treats or peanut butter, are they in a crate or puppy proof room, how food driven are they, do they like to carry their toys around with them or destroy them? Picking the right toy for your dog will ensure that they enjoy it & it fills their time with something "productive".

                                                   

Contact Me

If you'd like to get in touch with me for more information, to schedule a private lesson or for class availability you can send me an email at
                          
                           mstlovek9@gmail.com
                                       OR
               leave me a message at 207-200-7264

Introducing....Pandamonium

This is Panda. He is an Australian Cattle Dog (a.k.a. Blue Heeler) who came to me a complete & utter disaster. At 12 weeks old he had never: seen people (except for the "breeder") been inside a house or knew what a leash, collar or car was. 
Because of this, he developed sever fear aggression - the mind set is "if I act mean & scary, then whatever is frightening me will leave me alone!" Kind of like someone going to prison for jaywalking, acting as though they were a complete lunatic to keep the real criminals from giving them any trouble. 
He was like a tiny adorable version of Kujo.
                                                     
Through much hard work & determination  

he is now a canine good citizen :) He  now sees strangers as a source of either cookies or bum scratches (his 2 favorite things) rather than a source of terror. While there are still things that frighten him (fireworks, thunder & toddlers - not to mention the long standing vendetta he has against the vacuum...) he no longer lashes out with violence at these things. 
At each of my places of employment he's been lovingly referred to as the mascot. 

As their name would imply, Heeler's   are herding dogs. Unfortunately, working with livestock falls under       Pan's list of fears so this is not one   of his current jobs. He is beyond happy being a demo dog for all of my  classes, is quite accomplished at        helping me asses clients with dog to   dog aggression & thoroughly enjoys    being an emotional support service    dog for me (full explanation to come later.)

He is more than I could dream of for a companion & I am thankful for every day I have him at my side.