June 2008 Archives

When a dog is constantly trying to run away, or escape your yard, it can mean the dog is bored or frustrated. The backyard becomes his jail, and it’s natural to want to escape. Once he is free, he does what dogs do naturally: Walk, sniff, and explore what’s on the other side of the fence. The dog has found something to do that will satisfy his needs.

Dogs who become escape artists are naturally active types. You can’t leave them without an activity. If you do, they will find one on their own! The answer is more exercise. If your dog wants to roam the streets, let him roam the streets, but in a healthy way -- on a leash!

It’s very important that your dog understand your rules, boundaries, and limitations, especially when you have to protect yourself. In the animal world, claiming space is a very basic concept, but even the simplest movements can give your dog the upper hand.

Claiming space is the act of using your calm-assertive energy, mind and body, to "own" whatever it is you want control over, and to establish the bubble of space around you that only you can say who enters and who doesn’t. Once you have asserted yourself and the area you've claimed as yours, the dog will respond to the behavioral rules that you set there.

Consider how sheepdogs do it: They stand firm and upright, with confidence, and move toward and around the sheep, maintaining eye contact and telling the sheep where to go. You can do the same. The inner dialogue is important, because what you are communicating in your mind will show through in your posture and movement. In essence you are saying "This is my space; you go over there."

How do you encourage strangers who are afraid of your dog to act confident around your dog? Three commands: No Touch. No Talk. No Eye Contact. This helps to build confidence in the fearful person and the dog. If you feel at peace, you feel relaxed; if you’re relaxed you can work on your confidence.

I don’t encourage people to touch my dog, I encourage people to be around my dog. Now, if my dog misbehaves, I tell people, "Don’t worry about it, I’ve got him under control." You must do that too. People often have to see it to believe it. That’s the way you are going to convince a fearful person, “Ah your dog isn’t that bad.” Once he sees that your dog behaves perfectly fine with you, then that person will have confidence around your dog.

Humans experience a wide range of emotions -- frustration, anxiety, insecurity -- all of which can affect your dog's behavior. So before you blame the dog, ask yourself whether he could be reacting to your unbalanced energy!

If you are the one who’s causing the problem, cool off in another room or ask someone in your pack for help. Find a quiet place to regain neutral, calm-assertive energy, which will help both you and your dog.

Pack leadership must involve the entire family. Every member of your human pack should be aware of the same rules, boundaries, and limitations. Your dog needs to recognize that all the humans are higher up on the dominance ladder than he is.

One member of your family may already be a clear pack leader, but that does not mean that the dog will share the same respect for the rest of the family. Each of you needs to earn it.

In other words, just because the dog obeys Mom and Sister does not mean he will obey Dad and Grandma. The most effective way to do this is to have a family meeting to make sure everyone understands what is expected of the dog. The "rules of the house" must be held up as law at all times by everyone. Remember that inconsistent leadership will lead to an unpredictable and unstable dog.

When taking your dog to the groomers, take a moment and try to see the experience through her eyes. Dogs don't know they're going there to look good. They see beauty from the inside, not the outside. When a dog has a bad experience at the groomers, it is because she went in there fearful, anxious, and against her will.

When those emotions are present for a dog, she will associate everything that happens at the groomers as negative. We want to change that experience for the dog, so that going to the groomers becomes like going to a day spa for a human, where the dog associates the experience with relaxation, massage, and affection. If we can change the context in which a dog goes to the groomers, we can actually make it a joyful experience; an experience that a dog loves.

Changing that context begins with making sure a dog is relaxed before going to the groomers. Take your dog for a long walk before you go, and a shorter walk around the block once you get to the groomers. This will tired him out and make him more relaxed.

Of course, you need to find groomers who understand dog psychology and provide a safe environment and patient environment.
Pay attention to the groomer's techniques. If they're trying to rush a dog through an experience she isn't ready for, that can create tension and anxiety. It's best to wait until the dog is in a calm-submissive state, then reward with a cookie, affection and a massage. That's the ideal time to start grooming.