Start with empathy for your dog’s needs

When a human client asks me to help them with their dog’s “problem behavior,” I make it a practice to wonder how the dog client would describe the problem. If they were in a couple’s counseling session, what would the dog have to say about their human?

When it comes to pulling-on-leash conflicts, I suspect most dogs would say, “Could you stop torturing me by bringing me outside and then forbidding me from enjoying myself? Our walks are weirdly slow and straight-ahead; can we make them more interesting, please? I’d like to smell some stuff, and it would be great to play some games part of the time.”

Sometimes, the fastest way to get what you want in a relationship is to make sure your partner gets what they want, too. In the case of the dog/human leash-pulling conflict, that means offering – structuring time for and facilitating – parts of the walk that will meet your dog’s species-specific needs. Using a pattern in every outing of intentionally switching from styles of walking that dogs enjoy most, to styles that work best for you will transform that activity so that it’s more fun and less work for both of you.

“Ugh!” you might say. “That sounds complicated. I just want to walk my dog!” I know. But just give this a try for two weeks. You’ll be experiencing that gorgeous “J” shape in your leash more and more – and you may find that you feel closer to your dog and more connected to nature. I’m not promising world peace, but I swear good things will happen.

First Phase: Training

If I’ve got a dog who’s barely keeping it together at the beginning of the walk – bursting with energy – I start that walk by training with a super high level of reinforcement. Our initial steps down the driveway are going to be a string of cues: find it, heel, side, spin, heel, touch, heel, find it.

“Hey, lady, if it were that easy for me to get my dog to heel I wouldn’t be reading this article.” Fair point, but the devil is in the details. An authoritative (or annoyed) “heel!” is worlds apart from the rapid-fire fun I’m proposing. Here’s what my version involves:

• Head-turning food, whatever that means to your individual dog. I tend to start a walk with jerky in play, and then turn to less enticing stuff when arousal levels are lower and the dog and I have gotten into a groove.
• Rapid-fire cues. Ask for 10 different things in two minutes. Reward every single one at first! Don’t lose momentum. Keep your energy up to hold your dog’s interest. If your engagement flags, so will your dog’s. One particularly helpful exercise is “Fast! Slow! Fast! Side!” as you reward your dog for matching your varying pace.
• Enthusiastic vibe. Note that adding “training” sections to your walks does not mean “kill the fun by being very serious and demanding things.” Quite the opposite. This is your dog’s fun opportunity to earn extra yummy treats for doing stuff he knows how to do! How great is that? Demonstrate with a happy voice, good energy, and confident connection that this is an especially fun part of the walk.

Doing a “training” section of the walk right off the bat accomplishes a few important things. It gives the dog someplace to throw that initial big energy. It confirms that I have great food on me, which will be important as we pass challenging things like that barking German Shepherd around the corner. And it starts us off psychologically together, engaged. That sets us up for better loose-leash walking.

Second Phase: “Go Sniff!”

“Go sniff!” is something the dogs I’m working with hear maybe a half a dozen times in a half-hour walk. That’s the signal that they can go ahead and inhale the world to their heart’s content for the next few moments. I won’t rush them or pull them away.

We humans with our 6 million nasal receptor sites cannot fathom what dogs can smell with their 100 million. That’s why it’s so natural for us to say after two seconds, “C’mon, there’s nothing there!” The dogs beg to differ. The information they gain by sniffing is probably akin to our scanning our email, news headlines, and social media gossip. I imagine they can smell the raccoons that walked down the sidewalk yesterday, the pizza that was delivered last night, the UPS driver’s cat whose fur is on the guy’s shoe, and all the other dogs in the neighborhood that passed by in the past few days. By reading the pee-mail left by other animals, and commenting with some pee themselves, they gain and share important information.

Even if you don’t take delight in your dog’s sensory experience, keep in mind that it’s also in your self-interest to let your dog sniff. Allowing our dogs to really be dogs sometimes makes it a heck of a lot easier for them to live according to our human rules the rest of the time. Sniffing is, hands-down, the easiest way to help your dog obtain his required daily allowance of dogness. This kind of data-gathering for your dog can also help enormously with anxiety and reactivity. Plus, it’s not difficult for you to provide and you don’t have to learn anything or plan anything; just stand still for a few moments or minutes while they sniff!

So the case for sniffing on walks is very strong; the key is to make it official. Obviously you don’t want your dog yanking you hither and yon whenever they catch a great scent – which is exactly what happens when we never give our dogs the option to sniff in a leisurely fashion. Faced with that utterly unfair situation, dogs will take their welfare into their own hands, put their heads down and drag their owner to the bushes.

In contrast, if an owner regularly makes a point of noticing where good smells tend to be and – just as that spot comes up, before the dog tries to pull for it – says, “Go sniff!” the entire dynamic changes. After a few weeks of this kind of pattern, the dog isn’t desperately pulling toward everything, because she can trust that she’ll get a chance pretty soon.

Third Phase: Loose-Leash Walking

Now we get to the whole reason you started reading – the loose-leash part. I started with the other sections because that mimics my typical progression: When I’m just starting to work with a dog, I expect to do a lot (maybe 15 minutes?) of alternating between sniffing and high-engagement training before we get to a place where we’re going to succeed with a section of loose-leash walking. In essence, I wait until I’ve met some natural canine needs, drained some energy, and reminded the pup that engagement with me is incredibly rewarding.

After a sniffing session, I’ll say, “Bella, let’s walk!” to indicate we’re officially in a new pattern together. Then we move ahead. I’m looking for that leash to be in a nice “J” the whole time. If the dog pulls so that the leash becomes taut, I simply stop moving. I wait. She’ll look back, which usually also creates slack. I reward that slack leash with movement forward: “Let’s walk.” If it tightens again, we repeat that cycle. Soon enough the dog learns that walking in sync with me offers its own reward: forward motion.

If I try the stop-at-every-taut-leash business with a new dog right out of the gate, it’ll be a very frustrating exercise for us both; we’ll be stopping every two feet. Many folks approach loose-leash training that way, but I don’t enjoy that one bit. Instead, if we’ve been alternating between lots of high-reward training and sniffing for 15 minutes or so, I’m set up to succeed with getting that loose leash without frustration. In fact, some pups will then be ready to relax into this style for much of the rest of the walk. Others do best if I continue to alternate sniffing, training, and loose-leashing the rest of the way.

IT’S A JOURNEY

When a dog is new to all of this, I’m highly deliberate and communicative so that we both know which part of the walk we’re in at all times: sniffari, training, or loose-leash walking. As time goes on, though, the need for that precision fades away. That early, predictably clear structure allows for mutual learning that paves the way for mutual trust – and that trust turns out to be the key.

For me, walks are about the relationship. When it comes to getting a “polite” walk, there is tons of chatter out there about equipment and complicated training instruction, but to me that mostly misses the point. What gets you to an enjoyable walk with your dog is two-way connection. Get that right, and watch the leash loosen.

Last note: Could you get a loose leash fast by using aversive tools and methods? The ones that use pain (at the very least, discomfort) and fear to ensure compliance from your captive animal? Sure. But . . . is that who you want to be? I promise it’s more fun – and much more effective in the long run – to not resort to using these tools.

The post How to Stop a Dog From Pulling on a Leash appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

Always have yummy treats ready for your training sessions, so you can capture and reward desired behaviors whenever they occur. Let’s start!

Teach Attention

All dogs need to be able to pay attention to their humans, but with deaf dogs, it’s critical. Because the dog can’t hear, training a deaf dog requires that he learn to look at you. Start with your dog on a six-foot leash.

This will take patience, but your dog will look at you. When he does, reinforce with a treat. Do this a half-dozen to a dozen times, and then end the session. You can repeat the session later. After he gets the idea that looking at you is the desired behavior, just give the attention cue and reward him when he looks at you.

You can train a “pay attention to me” cue, like pointing to your face, but if simply you treat each time he looks at you – consistently! – he will happily and frequently look at you, hoping it pays off with a yummy treat.

If He Ignores You

If your dog looks away too much, don’t worry. Just remember to reward him when he looks at you. To increase his attention, you can:

• Make vibrations. As you approach your dog, he may feel the floor vibrating and turn to look at you. If not, you may stomp your foot or hand on the floor to get his attention. Treat when he looks at you.
• Use a flashlight. Turning a flashlight on and off a few times should get your dog’s attention inside any time or outside at night. Do the light flashes inside near him first, so that you can give him a treat immediately after he looks at you. You want him to understand that’s the desired behavior. You can even use a porch light turned on and off to get attention at night. Caution using light sources though: Some dogs may develop OCD and compulsively chase the lights, especially lasers.
• Gently touch his shoulder or on his back above his tail. Before doing this, you need to condition him that this is a positive action so that you don’t startle him.
• Use a vibrating collar. This can be used to get your dog’s attention. The point is to communicate, not punish. Some dogs may be sensitive to the vibrations and become stressed. If so, use a different method to get his attention. Never use a shock collar, which is always aversive.

Hand Signals

You can use traditional hand obedience-competition signals: adapt some from American Sign Language, or make up your own. Dogs are experts at reading body language. Whatever you select, it’s crucial that you and everyone working with your deaf dog are precisely consistent in the signal used, including which hand is used. Each hand signal must be distinctive from the others.

When using hand signals, you can speak the word for the behavior cue. Even though the dog can’t hear it, you will probably be more natural if you simultaneously say the cue as you give the signal.

Use lure-reward training when teaching a cue using a hand signal. The dog will naturally follow the motion of the lure. “Sit” is a basic behavior to start with. Have a yummy treat in your hand and hold it just above your dog’s nose. Slowly move it toward the back of his head, then lift your elbow up toward a 90-degree angle. As soon as your dog’s posterior touches the ground in a sit, give him his reward treat.

In another training session, you can teach him to lie down on cue. Make a sweeping motion with a treat in front of his nose down to the ground when he’s sitting, luring him down. Treat and reward when his elbows come into contact with the ground.

Frankly, hand signals help any dog – with or without hearing – pay more attention to you. Even if your dog still has his hearing, many lose it as they age. And, just as with us, background noise can get in the way of the dog hearing a verbal cue. Plus – there may be times you can’t (or don’t want to) speak – like when you’re on the phone with a client.

Mark the Behavior

Since your dog can’t hear the traditional “good job” reward marker such as the click of a clicker or a verbal “Yes!” you need a different reward marker. This can be a thumbs-up, the action of clapping your hands, or even nodding your head a few times. And smile! Your dog will notice. Use your reward marker signal after he performs the desired behavior cue, then immediately provide him with his reward treat. Remember that every time you mark a behavior you must treat or provide some other high-value reinforcer.

If at any time your dog is reactive, aggressive, or you’re not making progress, get professional help before proceeding. Take your deaf dog to the veterinarian to be sure there aren’t any physical issues. You can also contact the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants or the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists to find a behavior specialist in your area. If you need help with the training itself, you can contact the Pet Professional Guild or the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

The post How To Train a Deaf Dog appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

Why Do Female Dogs Hump?

Hof advised that dog guardians shouldn’t panic. “Although it may be a bit embarrassing, humping is a normal dog behavior. You do not need to demonize it nor glorify it.” People get uncomfortable with dogs humping usually because they are under the impression that it is either a sexual behavior or connected to dominance. However, Hof explained that humping is usually a result of a heightened arousal state, but that doesn’t mean it is necessarily sexual. He explained that when female dogs hump it may also be a stress response.

Hof not only has professional experience with female dogs humping, but also personal experience at home: “I had two female dogs that would hump each other any time I had a guest over due to the heightened arousal level; a good outlet for them was humping one another.”

Does Spaying Stop Female Dog Mounting?

It is generally assumed that neutering a male dog will stop him from humping. That isn’t always the case – many male dogs will continue to hump post-neutering if that was a behavior they engaged in before the procedure.

When it comes to female dogs, spaying doesn’t generally have much impact on their humping behavior either. Girls who hump before spaying are likely to continue humping after spaying because it isn’t related to hormones. “I often see female dog humping as more related to arousal state or environmental stressors, neither of which would be changed by a spaying,” explains Hof.

Hump Toys for Female Dogs

Object-mounting is a common behavior with female dogs. “When we are trying to determine if a behavior will be reinforced, we try to look at what is encouraging or maintaining that behavior. Often humping may begin based on environmental conditions or stimuli [such as guests in the house], but if that results in, for example, laughter at the dog humping, some dogs find that reinforcing and that may be encouraged.”

So, if your female dog is humping objects like pillows, toys or furniture, the more you direct attention toward her, the more she may continue the behavior. Pat Miller offers advice on how to train your dog away from mounting behavior in this Whole Dog Journal article.

If your dog’s humping doesn’t bother you, letting her use one (or any) of her dog toys as a personal mounting object is acceptable. Toys are a safe outlet for humping behavior, and if it does not offend any nearby witnesses, allowing your dog to do this without reinforcing her is unlikely to create additional behavioral problems.

What Should You Do to Stop Female Mounting Behavior?

Dog humping isn’t inherently concerning behavior. It is very natural for dogs. The only times humping is a problem are when it makes you uncomfortable and when it makes the object of the humping (a guest or another dog) uncomfortable. In those cases, Hof suggests that, “it would be best to try and redirect the dog’s attention. This could be done by just attempting to interrupt the behavior or trying to redirect the dog’s focus by asking for a sit or other behavior.”

Nick Hof also advises that if you know your dog is prone to humping in certain conditions like when guests come over, it’s best to take steps to prevent it by redirecting your dog before she starts the humping. It’s all about creating situations where your dog is going to be successful.

“A great option is always to focus on what you would like your dogs to do [instead of the unwanted behavior]. For example, they can’t hump while also practicing a down-stay on their bed. Help show your dog what you want from them as opposed to telling them to stop,” suggests Hof.

Isn’t It Best to Prevent Dogs from Humping Altogether?

Again, there isn’t anything wrong with humping unless it makes you or the object of affection uncomfortable. If you want your dog to stop humping, then Hof suggests the best thing to do is deny her the opportunity to start.

“It is always a good idea to, at a minimum, prevent and manage behavior you don’t want your dog to rehearse because otherwise they become more well-practiced.” Hof continues, “In my experience, since female dog humping tends to be more linked to arousal and stress, it is best to look at the context of the situations that the behavior presents itself in.” Knowing the situations where your dog is prone to humping means you can give her something else to do at the times when the behavior is usually triggered.

What if My Female Dog Humps Other Dogs?

Some female dogs hump other dogs, and this isn’t always bad. However, some dogs will react very negatively. Hof believes this comes down to a consent issue between the dogs: “If the dog or person your dog humps does not appear to be okay with the act, it’s a good idea to discourage and redirect your dog’s humping. If they don’t seem to care and neither do you, it comes down to personal preference.”

With that in mind, many dogs do really take offense to being humped, so if you take your dog to dog parks or other meetups with dogs, it’s a good idea to watch her and ensure she doesn’t start humping other dogs – which can lead to a fight.

How to Stop A Female Dog from Humping People

Hof advises that the best thing you can do is, “Management. Management. Management.” He suggests that if your dog likes to hump and you cannot allow it, it’s a great idea to keep your dog leashed at times she’s likely to engage in humping, even in the house. “If your dog is on-leash, you have much more control over their actions,” Hof reminds us. Focus your attention on teaching and encouraging your dog to do what you want her to do instead of having to redirect or correct the humping once it has started.

If you are struggling with your female dog’s humping behavior, schedule a consultation with a positive reinforcement-based dog trainer who can support you with gaining a greater understanding of what is triggering or reinforcing the humping behavior with your dog.

Sassafras Lowrey is an award-winning author and Certified Trick Dog Instructor. Sassafras’ forthcoming books include, Tricks IN THE CITY: For Daring Dogs and the Humans That Love Them, Healing/Heeling, and Bedtime Stories for Rescue Dogs: William To the Rescue.

The post Does Your Female Dog Hump? appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

But just like a good skunking doesn’t stop most dogs from going after those black-and-white critters again the next time (darn it!), there are many dogs who seem goaded into more intense bee-chasing behavior after an unfortunate encounter of the stinging kind. Conversely, there are also dogs who become literally phobic about all small, flying creatures after a stinging incident. Then there are those who develop an obsessive-compulsive behavior known as fly-snapping when there are no flying insects present at all. (See “Fly-Snapping: Not Really About Flies,” below.)

For a class of insects vital to our survival through their pollination efforts, bees (and their nastier cousins, wasps) can sure wreak havoc with our dogs’ behavior.

It’s understandable how hovering insects can be annoying – or intriguing – to a dog. We humans don’t like small flying creatures in our faces either, but we learn fairly early in life that some are more wisely respected than harassed. I may swat a fly, but I earned the nickname “bee whisperer” at a recent trainer academy when I gently escorted several wasps out of the training center with a plastic cup and a piece of cardboard.

In contrast, dogs are more likely to snap at the buzzing annoyances and end up with a painful (and possibly deadly) sting to the face. So, what do you do about a dog who has risky or inappropriate bee- or wasp-related behavior? Why, beehavior modification, of course!

Bee chasers are at greatest risk for injury as they run after and snap at the little buzzers. But bee-phobic dogs also may have significant quality-of life issues, as bees can cause them to shut down, tremble uncontrollably, and even run away in panic – and their fear behavior is sometimes generalized to other flying insects as well.

Situational Management for Dogs with Bee Issues

To change those behaviors, as with most behavior modification programs, we start with management. There are a variety of ways to deter and discourage bees from congregating in and around your home.

A Google search will give you a number of options for non-toxic bee and wasp repellents. I particularly like this recipe:

Fill an empty spray bottle with water, nearly to the top. Add a few teaspoons of liquid dish soap; this will help the next ingredients will dissolve and evenly distribute in the mixture. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil – enough so that you can readily smell it when you spray the mixture. Then add ⅛ teaspoon each of cinnamon and cayenne pepper and shake well.

Once you’ve mixed the repellent, spray away, in any place where you want to repel flying insects. Indoors, mist lightly on windowsills and door frames to discourage winged intruders. Outdoors, you can spray on the underside of patio tables, chairs, and shade umbrellas (to prevent patio users from touching the slightly sticky spray).

Additionally, there are a number of plants you can grow that help to repel bees and wasps, including cucumber, basil, geraniums, marigolds, citronella, and mint.

Conversely, there are plants that attract bees. Make sure not to plant these, or else plant them far enough away from your home that they are inviting the bees away from the areas where your dog spends time. Some of the plants that are particularly attractive to bees include bee balm, blackeyed susan, goldenrod, butterly bush, purple coneflower, lavender, roses, sunflowers, and salvia.

I discovered the value of using an attractant to lure wasps away from my dog-training area after I was stung on my ring finger by a yellowjacket when I was teaching outdoor classes in Santa Cruz, California. (Quick, get the ring off before the finger swells!) We used a lot of meaty treats in the class, and yellowjackets are carnivorous – they love meat. I learned to open a can of smelly cat food before each class and place it on a picnic table some distance from the training yard. Problem solved.

You might also consult a professional about other ways to remove bees and wasps (and their nests) from the area around your home. Just remember, for your own dog’s safety and the health of our planet, make sure your professionals use non-toxic methods for bee and wasp removal and deterrence.

Fly-Snapping: Not Really About Flies

Fly-snapping is one of several obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs) that occasionally occur in dogs. This behavior is not about snapping at real flies (or bees, or wasps). Rather, the dog appears to be snapping at imaginary flies, or hallucinations. There are several possible explanations for the behavior:

• There is a strong genetic component. Certain breeds of dogs, including the Bull Terrier, the Bernese Mountain Dog, and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are afflicted with fly-snapping at a much higher rate than many other breeds.
• It may be a digestive issue. There does appear to be a correlation between fly-snapping and significant digestive disorder, especially when the snapping is directed downward to toward the dog’s sides rather than up in the air. A 2012 study (“Prospective Medical Evaluation of Seven Dogs Presented with Fly Biting“) found gastrointestinal issues in all of the seven dogs examined for the study.
• It may be neurological or seizure-related. One theory holds that fly-snapping results from focal seizures – where only a specific part of the brain is affected, hence the absence of what we normally identify as “seizure” activity.

Some cases of fly-snapping can be successfully resolved with early behavioral intervention. Since OCDs are often triggered by stress, stress reduction and removal can be effective.

The first fly-snapping case I saw was a young Bernese Mountain Dog who had just begun the behavior. Stress reduction, increase in enrichment, and removal of any attention for the snapping behavior successfully eliminated the snapping. The three-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I met who had been snapping since the age of six months was not so fortunate – she ended up having to be medicated for the rest of her life.

If you think your dog is fly-snapping – get some professional help!

Behavior Modification for Bee-Obsessed Dogs

So, what is it that’s reinforcing the bee-chaser’s behavior? If you have a dog who is captivated by movement (think herding dogs, hunting dogs, and terriers), it may simply be that the behavior is driven by the genetic propensity to be reinforced by the opportunity to run after (and perhaps capture) things that move – sheep, cows, squirrels, rabbits, and yes, bees. These are the dogs who seem to think bee-chasing is a fun game. Alternatively, it could a strong emotional response because bees cause pain. These are the dogs who have probably been stung in the past, and seem angry or unhappy when they snap at and chase after the annoying, stinging creatures. In both cases, your goal is to change your dog’s behavior in the presence of the flying bugs.

Of course, the bee-fearful dog’s behavior also needs to be modified. Fear is a more normal and far safer behavior in the presence of bees – but what I’m talking about here are the dogs who are so fearful they cannot function.

While I normally begin with counter-conditioning (changing the association with the stimulus – in this case, the bee) for fear-related behaviors, for severe fear of bees, I suggest an “operant” approach, due to the difficulty in controlling the intensity of stimulus (the number, proximity, and predictability of the bees).

Note: If your dog has very strong fear-reactions to bees and wasps and/or behavior modification doesn’t help, we urge you to consult a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about behavior or a veterinary behaviorist. You can also ask your veterinarian to do a phone consult with a veterinary behaviorist to determine if medication is appropriate, and if so, what kind. Your dog needs help!

Start by teaching your dog an incompatible behavior – something the dog can’t do at the same time as chasing bees. It also should be something that your dog comes to love so much that when a bee appears you can cue your dog to perform (and get reinforced for!) and she will be consistently thrilled to do the behavior. This could be chasing a ball, finding treats dropped at your feet, targeting to your hand, lying down on a mat, or doing a trick. You can select one specific behavior and teach her to automatically offer that behavior when a bee appears, or you can choose to cue any one of several behaviors that she dearly loves.

This is likely to be easier with dogs who are happy chasers than with the ones who are angry chasers or fearful bee-avoiders, as anger and fear are stronger emotions to overcome. But with good training it can be accomplished with all of them.

How to Distract Your Dog from Bees

1. Select one behavior to start with (you can add more later if you want). If your dog already has a behavior she loves, use that. Just be sure it’s one that elicits a happy dance when you cue her to do it. Or pick a new behavior that you think will succeed in making her eyes light up.

2. Begin training the behavior in the total absence of all bees. Make it a fun game, with lots of play reinforcement as well as treats.

3. When she is delighted about having you ask her to do the behavior, generalize it to a variety of environments with a wide variety of distractions (but no bees yet!), until she is just as focused and engaged anywhere.

4. Now comes the hard part. Because we can’t control the bees, and realistic-looking remote-controlled bees are not readily available, we can’t control the intensity of stimulus as well as we would like. Ideally, you would find a location where a very occasional bee will buzz past at a distance close enough to be noticed, but not in your dog’s face.

Be careful! If the bee comes too close while you’re asking her to do her incompatible behavior, you could give her a negative association with the behavior and undo all your hard work!

As soon as she notices the bee, ask your dog for her “bee happy” behavior. Repeat until the bee is gone. Or, if it looks as though the bee is going to buzz around for a while, or if your dog looks at all worried or aroused, move away from the area as you ask for the incompatible, happy behavior.

5. Continue to practice this in a low bee-intensity area, until your dog automatically looks to you or offers her happy bee-behavior when she sees a bee. While you have operantly taught her a happy bee-behavior, you also have changed her classical association with the presence of a bee: “Bees make the opportunity for my fun behavior happen!”

6. Now move closer to where more bees congregate. If your dog can perform and still have fun in this area, you’re good. If not, you need a location with fewer bees, and/or need to be farther away. Be careful!

7. Next try it in a higher-density bee environment. Again, if your dog can still perform and be happy, you’re good. If not, you need fewer bees and/or need to be farther away.

8. When your dog’s happy response is well established in the presence of bees in reasonably close proximity, very gradually reduce your cueing of the behavior. First, wait a few seconds before you cue it, then wait longer, and occasionally don’t ask for it at all. You will still (and forever) continue to cue the behavior sometimes when the two of you are in the presence of bees. But your goal is to have your dog so well programmed that she won’t revert to bee chasing even if you’re not there to ask for her happy bee behavior.

“Bee” Smart

Remember that your dog’s undesirable behavior around bees can easily resurface if you forget to keep practicing her be-happy behavior(s) in the presence of flying, stinging buzzers. Continue to use good bee-management practices so our honey-producing, plant-pollinating friends (and their not-so-helpful cousins, the wasps) keep their distance from your canine pal.

The post Teach Your Dog to Relax Around Bees appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

I like to use these moments as chances to open up conversation about neurodiversity in dogs: some experience trauma and anxiety and need behavioral management, and not all dogs process trauma the same way. My dog Charlotte has come a long way. She has psychiatric medications that help her with some of her largest triggers, daily training, and behavioral management that all work to give her an enriching, high-quality life.

Though Charlotte’s behavioral challenges are probably due to her growing up on the streets, these conversations always get me thinking, “can dogs be autistic?” The expert opinion is…maybe.

Does Autism Exist in Dogs?

Dr. Valli Parthasarathy, PhD, DVM, ACVB Resident and co-founder of Synergy Behavior Solutions in Portland, Oregon,explains that at this time autism is not a behavioral condition recognized in dogs. This is in part because there has not yet been enough research into the typical and atypical behavior in dogs for that kind of diagnosis to be given.

Dr. Parthasarathy went on to explain that in the future this may change, and there is a possibility we could see diagnoses of autism in dogs. “As we are learning more about the complexities of canine neurology, behavior and neurodiversity, the more information there is to help dogs. As we learn more, we may be able to start more finely characterizing different behavioral disorders. We may find that autism is a condition in dogs as it is in people.”

Research on Autism in Dogs

Although autism is not at this time something dogs can receive a diagnosis for, there is research being done into autism-like behaviors in dogs.

Dr. Parthasarathy explains, “According to the Mayo Clinic website, children with autism have two key characteristics: difficulty with social interactions and communication, and repetitive behaviors.”

Studies have observed comparable behavior in dogs. “For example, recently Tufts Veterinary Behaviorist Nick Dodman presented a study in which he assessed the behavior of 132 English Bull Terriers and found patterns of repetitive behavior (tail chasing), trancelike behavior, and episodic aggression similar to what can be seen in autistic children,” continues Dr. Parthasarathy.

Is Your Dog Autistic?

If you have wondered if your dog might be autistic, you aren’t alone. A variety of behavioral challenges exhibited by dogs may be interpreted by their guardians as a form of autism. Dr. Parthasarathy explains, “When my clients ask me about whether their dogs are autistic, they are often referring to dogs that are not responsive to doing what they ask, and dogs that appear to become overstimulated in new environments, are performing repetitive behaviors or may be aggressive.”

A medical condition is always a possible underlier when dogs experience severe behavioral issues like aggression or obsessive licking. Canine compulsive disorder is another possible explanation for your dog’s challenges. At one time, dogs who exhibited repetitive, compulsive habits were thought to have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but experts in the animal behavior community have since identified the condition in dogs to be distinctly separate from that found in people.

Again, autism is not yet a diagnosis that can be given to dogs. Autism-like symptoms such as repetitive behavior or episodic aggression can be very challenging for dog guardians to understand and safely manage in the home, and it may be tempting to put the autism label on a dog if it fits. But Dr. Parthasarathy explains that a detailed history of the dog is essential for professionals to come up with a diagnosis. “Many of my patients who present to me with these signs have underlying generalized anxiety that needs to be addressed,” she says.

Dogs who have anxiety disorders may exhibit symptoms that their owners interpret as autism and diagnose themselves. But in reality, “anxiety in general can affect a dog’s ability to learn, problem-solve, retain and recall information,” describes Dr. Parthasarathy.

What to Do if Your Dog Shows Signs of Autism

If you think that your dog might be autistic, or if your dog is displaying behaviors that seem to be the result of an autism-like condition, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your primary care veterinarian. Dr. Parthasarathy explains that many conditions related to orthopedic, neurologic, gastrointestinal and dermatological issues can result in dogs being unresponsive to cues, or exhibiting trance-like, excessive sensitivity or repetitive behaviors.

If your veterinarian rules out any physical conditions, they may refer you to a veterinary behavior diplomate or resident for diagnosis and treatment. “Treatment for these behavioral conditions can be complex and may involve the use of behavioral medications as well as a comprehensive management and behavior modification plan,” explains Dr. Parthasarathy.

There are fewer than 100 behavioral diplomats or residents in the United States, so this isn’t an option available to all dog owners depending on where you live. Many canine behavior experts are able and willing to consult with primary proactive veterinarians to support individual patients, however.

Dr. Parthasarathy also advised it’s a good idea to begin working with a positive reinforcement, reward-based trainer. Find a trainer who has experience working with dogs who have behavioral concerns; a good trainer should be part of the treatment team for any dog who may be exhibiting autism-like behaviors. Correcting or punishing unwanted behaviors in dogs with severe behavioral problems can actually make the problem worse or cause other new problem behaviors to arise.

There aren’t any fast answers for working with dogs who have what might be considered autism-like behaviors. Dr. Parthasarathy cautions that, “dogs with behavioral disorders are not trying to be ‘stubborn’, ‘dominant’, or trying to ‘get away’ with things. People who live with these dogs are generally doing the best that they can. Having compassion for dogs with problem behavior, as well as their people, is an important step towards helping them.”

If you think your dog might be autistic, the most important thing is to love your dog, and commit to finding professional support to meet your dog where they are at this stage in their development. Be gentle with your dog and yourself. Just like we are getting better at accepting neurodiversity in people, I hope that as a society we will grow to understand that not all dogs experience and react to the world in the same ways.

The post Autistic Dogs: Can Dogs Have Autism? appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

That approach makes training sound simple and logical. If you give the dog treats for sitting nicely and push him down when he jumps up, then we should see more sitting. Approached in this manner, it would be simple to list all the random problem behaviors encountered by dog owners and then determine appropriate rewards for good behavior and appropriate punishments for bad behavior. All of the problems will go away and there would be happiness. Right?

Well, no – for two reasons. First of all, operant conditioning assumes a rational participant, and when emotions come into play, reason often goes out the window.

And second, strong emotions often cause specific behaviors to happen, not by choice, but as a side effect of the emotion itself. For example, the emotion of fear often makes dogs pace back and forth, or bark, or pant and whine excessively, or jump up on their owners, clinging to them and looking for security. Because pushing them off can exacerbate their feelings of fear and clinginess, this “solution” for jumping can actually make the jumping behavior even more pronounced. Worse, it can stop the jumping, only for it to change to another problematic behavior like submissively urinating. Recognizing that the emotion of fear is driving the behavior of jumping up should dramatically change how we handle the problem behavior.

How Emotions Impact Dogs’ Behavior

When emotions are driving behavior, the dog cannot simply choose to stop doing the behavior without ramifications. The reality is that animals (including people) are quite often not rational participants. If that sounds counterintuitive to you and you believe that behavior is largely chosen rather than the result of emotional experiences, perhaps a few examples will help you understand.

The police call and tell you that your son has been in a serious automobile accident and is in the hospital. At that moment, are you in a position to learn new things? Could you choose the behavior of sitting quietly at the table, reading a newspaper while you wait for more information? Would you be able to play a game of chess with your spouse? Of course not! Your fear for your son dominates all rational behavior and overwhelms your capacity for conscious thought.

Instead, it’s likely that you will pace, or not move at all because you’re frozen in fear. You will not be able to listen to conversations that are not about your son because your emotions will not allow it. You may cry (not by choice but as a human expression of fear), you may scream, or you may appear catatonic. But you cannot choose not to be afraid because you do not choose your emotions; you simply experience them, even when you would rather not.

Let’s consider a few more emotions.

You discover that your spouse has been having an affair and you’re angry beyond reason. Although you had planned to spend the evening catching up on some work that you brought home from the office, there is no chance for that now. Every time you pick up the folders, your mind immediately goes back to the reality of your private life and you drop the papers to return to angry pacing, your fists balled up and your breathing heavy and erratic.

You cannot work. You cannot learn. You can barely think, let alone make any decisions or concentrate. You know that if you see your spouse at that moment, you will react badly out of pure rage. You leave the house so you will not be home when he gets there, allowing you to avoid the situation rather than having to show self control that you don’t think you can muster.

Over time, as you come to accept your spouse’s infidelity, you find that your anger is being replaced by a deep sadness that you cannot shake. And yet you find yourself unable to concentrate, to work, or even to do the most basic of life functions like eating and sleeping. You are becoming depressed and once again your emotions are controlling your behavior, very much against your will. You want your rational life back but you can’t seem to get there.

Even Happy Emotions Interfere with Learning

The above examples focus on unhappy emotions like fear, rage, and sadness. So maybe negative emotions can severely impact learning and our choice of behaviors, but how about happy emotions? Could those possibly impact our outward expression of our behavior? Yes, they can.

Let’s say you just won the lottery – 10 million dollars! You are excited! Beside yourself with joy! You cannot wait to tell all your friends! But first, you’ll need to complete some paperwork and answer some questions. What is your social security number? How much did you claim on last year’s tax return? Do you want to take the money as a lump sum or over twenty years? You find yourself struggling to participate in this very important interview. Heck, you can barely remember your own name, let alone your social security number or the definition of an annuity.

Fortunately, the lottery secretary has seen this before, so she gives you lots of time to calm down; indeed, she suggests that you go get a friend to help you because she’s pretty sure you’ll get almost everything wrong if you try to do the interview alone. So while your friend writes down a list of required documents and decisions to be made, you run around the house, occasionally letting out screams of excitement and leaping around, looking a lot like a three-year-old on Christmas morning. You may be experiencing a wonderful emotion for a wonderful reason, but you’re not functioning well because strong emotions block rational thought.

Examples of Emotional Interference in Dogs

Now let’s consider our dogs.

A large and aggressive dog lunges towards your dog at dog training school. Your dog is not physically injured, but he is absolutely terrified by the encounter. He can’t stop looking where the dog had been standing. Even though he had been doing fine in his training up until this point, now he simply stands catatonic in the middle of the room.

He is not in a position to learn because he does not feel safe. More so, he cannot simply choose to feel better any more than you can, even when he realizes that the other dog is no longer present. From the handler’s point of view, the threat is gone, so the handler may well expect the dog to get on with his training. But in the same way that a human who is almost attacked on the street cannot simply move on after the police come and arrest the person, your dog cannot simply move on either. His emotions must be processed before rational thought can take over again. How long that takes is a function of the animal experiencing them, not the desires of the owner.

How about a happy emotion like joy? Does that emotion also block rational thought when our dogs experience it? Yes.

Your dog was just reunited with you after two weeks in a boarding kennel. He is overjoyed to see you again and can’t stop jumping up on you with happiness! In fact, he is so excited that he can’t see how irritated you are becoming about his muddy pawprints on your clothes. Now you’re both under the influence of emotions: your dog is happy to be reunited with you, and you’re frustrated because your clothes are getting dirty. At that moment, it’s likely that neither one of you is going to make very good decisions.

When Emotions Fuel Our Dogs’ Learning

Emotions don’t always prevent a dog from learning. Sometimes, your dog’s emotions may actually set him up for a great learning situation. For example, let’s say that your dog is left alone all day long with nothing to do. He is bored and desperately looking for something to do, so he starts to dig the dirt out of your houseplants. Later, he teaches himself how to climb up your pantry shelves to where you keep the dog biscuits.

This dog is in a position to learn – in fact, learning solves the feeling of boredom – but you’re not there to teach him something useful. So instead, he learns about wrecking your house and stealing dog biscuits. In this case, the feeling of boredom, and your dog’s desire to eliminate that feeling, leads to problematic learning.

In all of these examples, both human and canine, how the individual is feeling is the driving force behind the expressed behavior. Since we do not choose what we feel at any given time, we’re stuck with our emotions, whether we like them or not! And since strong emotions cause behavior to happen – whether we like those behaviors or not – we’re stuck with them, too. If you choose to ignore the emotions and focus solely on the behaviors, you’re likely to get nowhere in your attempts to create change. Worse yet, you might actually exacerbate the problem.

The fearful dog may try to run away and refuse to come back, irritating the owner who knows that the aggressive dog left the dog school an hour ago. The excited, happy-to-see-you dog can’t settle down! And the bored dog is wrecking your house. In all of these examples, the solution lies in addressing the emotion, not the behavior. Solve the emotion and you solve the behavior.

When an animal is in a state of emotional overload, we say that the dog is “over threshold.” The dog’s emotions are so great that the dog can no longer function effectively. In short, the dog cannot learn very well at that time. When a dog is over threshold, operant conditioning works very poorly because the dog is not rational at all. Only when a dog is “under threshold” is he capable of conscious thought, and only then can training take hold.

Adults, Pre-Verbal Children, and Dogs

In the above human examples of strong emotion, we discussed adults who have learned how to moderate their emotions, accept the realities of day-to-day existence, and find ways to cooperate even when they don’t want to. Because of this experience, adults are not likely to be completely overwhelmed with emotion very often. So how do these examples change when we talk about a two-year-old child instead?

As every parent knows, toddlers experience (and express) their emotions intensely and frequently. Everything is new and overwhelming to the toddler, and as a result, they have neither the developmental capacity nor the motivation to modify their emotional expression. Toddlers are routinely supervised because we know that under the influence of strong emotions, they will make really bad decisions like running out into the street after a ball, lashing out and hitting people, or grabbing attractive but dangerous items. In fact, we manage their behavior by holding their hands when we are walking on a busy street, or we avoid the situation altogether until the child is older and more able to stay reliably “under threshold.”

And your dog? Well, research into the cognitive capabilities of dogs shows that dogs are roughly equivalent to a two-year-old child. You can assume that your dog’s capacity for controlling his behavior is on par with that of a toddler.

Yes, your dog can be trained to perform specific behaviors (come when called, stay, wait at the door, toilet outside). And yes, your dog can also learn not to perform other behaviors (digging in your garden, barking in his crate, pulling on leash). However, you’ll find that this training goes a lot better when the dog is not under the influence of overwhelming emotions that block effective learning. And, like with a two-year-old child, there is also a place for recognizing when your expectations are not reasonable, making management the most logical solution. This is why we leash our dogs instead of relying on training when we walk them near busy roads.

The Ideal Emotional State for Learning

Does this mean we want to work with dogs who are devoid of emotion, staring vacantly into space? Absolutely not! We want to train a dog who is engaged with us! We want to train a dog who is happy, alert, focused, and motivated by whatever rewards we might have to offer. Dogs, like people, are curious and want to learn! We want a dog who is emotionally ready, willing, and able to learn!

When You Ignore Your Dog’s Emotions

There are two significant effects of ignoring a dog’s emotional state. First, if the problem behavior is a direct result of the emotional state, then attempting to address the behavior directly without addressing the underlying emotion will create new problems.

For example, if your dog is afraid to go for a walk because of the dogs who lunge and bark at him from behind their fences, you could attach the leash before you leave the house so that he has no choice but to come along. Now what happens? Well, after a few days, you may find that when you call him to attach the leash, he’s nowhere to be found. Now you have two problems: a dog who is afraid to be walked, and a dog who will not come when called.

If you persist, trap him in the corner, attach the leash, and pull him out the door, then what? The next time you trap him in the corner and reach for his collar, he may well pee on your floor or snap at your hand. Now you’re up to three problems. How many problems do you plan to create before you simply accept that your dog is fearful on his walk and address the root emotional problem?

The second significant effect of ignoring your dog’s emotional state is that you’ll find that training is slower and more laborious than it needs to be. Dogs who are comfortable, engaged, and not under the influence of significant emotions learn very quickly because they can concentrate on what you are doing together. Dogs who are fearful, overly excited, angry, or experiencing any other overwhelming emotions do not retain information well because they can’t concentrate on learning. A simple recall cue that would take a confident and engaged dog two days to learn now takes two weeks, creating a lot of frustration for both the dog and the handler, and eroding the pleasure that you both should experience during training.

Now learn about your dog’s body language, and how you can learn more about what emotions your dog is feeling!

Editor’s Note

Denise Fenzi is the founder and head trainer at the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to providing high-quality instruction for competitive dog sports. Denise has competed in a wide range of dog sports, titling dogs in obedience (AKC and UKC), tracking (AKC and schutzhund), schutzhund (USA), mondioring (MRSA), herding (AKC), conformation (AKC), and agility (AKC). Although Denise has found success as a competitor, her passion lies in training dogs – and teaching people how to train their dogs. To that end, she’s written a number of books on dog training, including a series on dog sports skills (co-authored by Deborah Jones, PhD).

The book we have excerpted here is Fenzi’s newest title aimed exclusively at pet dog owners and pet dog trainers. We are grateful for the opportunity to share its first chapter here. If you are interested in purchasing this or any other of Fenzi’s books, visit her website. – Nancy Kerns

Denise Fenzi is the founder of Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to the most current and progressive training methods for competitive dog sports.

The post The Emotional Lives of Dogs appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

The fact is, your dog should have both a collar and a harness for the most effective training. The harness is the appropriate place for attaching your leash – it keeps your dog securely connected to you while eliminating strain on their neck. Harnesses are hard for dogs to slip out of, and they increase the walker’s control over where the dog moves.

Whole Dog Journal believes collars are a great way to keep licenses and other identification tags on dogs – not necessarily for attaching a leash. For walking, we prefer a well-fitting harness.

Read more: The Safest Types of Dog Collars (and the Most Dangerous)

There are many types of collars AND harnesses on the market, and some serve specific purposes. The front-clip harness, for example, is a useful tool for a dog who pulls on the leash during walks. Head halters can be helpful for helping control a dog who pulls hard and is being handled by a physically frail or small person, but many dogs find them highly aversive. In this case, a consultation with an experienced, positive-reinforcement-based trainer would be advisable.

Both dog collars and harnesses should always be taken off during any play – whether with other dogs, or roughhousing in the backyard. Collars are known to get caught on things, and could seriously hurt your dog. Harnesses, too, should be taken off in play. They may not strangle your dog, but they can still catch on objects or entangle your dog’s playmate.

Comparing Harnesses vs Collars

The post Dog Harness vs Collar: Which is Better? appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on dog training supplies to be prepared to train your dog effectively. For most dogs, a well-fitted harness, comfortable flat-buckle collar, sturdy leash, and some tasty treats are all you will need to teach your dog to love training time! When dogs love their training, they learn behaviors quickly, and the best trainers never over-complicate things.

Save your cash for high-quality training treats and don’t bother with fancy dog training equipment. Stick with Whole Dog Journal‘s 5 positive dog training gear essentials and both you and your dog will have a safe and happy learning experience!

TRAINING A DOG: WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1. A Nylon, Leather or Heavy Cotton Leash

When your dog has a positive association with his leash, it makes going out for walks or getting in the car a lot easier. Your dog might even let you know when it’s time to go out by grabbing his leash and bringing it to you! You will want a leash made of sturdy cotton, nylon or leather that is between 4-6 feet in length. Build your dog’s positive feelings toward his leash by feeding lots of training treats whenever you clip it to his harness. If your dog is known to chew the leash, treats are also useful for redirecting his attention (and mouth) away from it. 

Even if you are fortunate enough to have a well-fenced or otherwise secure property where your dog can roam off-leash, you will want to consider leash training. Vet visits, the pet supply store – almost every public space will require your dog to be leashed. A dog who isn’t used to walking on a leash can make life quite difficult for their guardian, by being reactive when leashed or dragging their walker.

2. A Flat-Buckle or Breakaway Dog Collar

Collars are not the primary point of attachment for your leash. Collars are invaluable for carrying IDs, proof of vaccinations, and other licenses a dog might need if lost, but Whole Dog Journal holds the belief that attaching a leash directly to a dog’s neck collar must be potentially harmful. A dog with perfect leash etiquette – who never strains, drags, or ducks out of their collar – is the exception to this rule. But even so, a harness is almost always the better choice for attaching your dog’s leash.

Collars should be loose-fitting around a dog’s neck. You should be able to fit approximately 2 of your fingers between the collar and your dog’s skin; any tighter, and your dog may develop strain or chafing over prolonged wear. A collar that is loose enough for your dog’s comfort is simply not secure enough to be the main mechanism for controlling or restraining them on walks.

Since your dog will wear their collar more than any other gear, it is important that your dog is always comfortable in it. That said, dogs should not wear their collars ALL the time. Yes, there are different kinds of dog collars designed for safety, etc., but no collar eliminates every risk. To know more, read Nancy Kern’s “When Dog Collars Become Deadly.”

3. A Properly-Fitted Front-Clip Harness

Whole Dog Journal recommends using a harness for your dog’s general street action: walks, light exercise, car rides.

Harnesses should always be taken off in the house or during playtime with other dogs, however. Though there is no suffocation risk with harnesses, they can still get stuck on objects as dogs play.

Excessive wear, or an improperly fitted harness, can cause chafing around dogs’ “elbows”. There are even some reports of dogs developing conformation or gait issues from wearing a harness. Despite this debate, harnesses are still better for restraining your dog than leashes. As mentioned, harnesses present no risk of damage to dogs’ necks and are generally a more effective training tool for dogs who pull the leash.

4. A Clicker!

The decision to use a training clicker as a reinforcer when teaching your dog is entirely up to you, but developing your dog’s positive association with one can make training other behaviors a lot easier. Clickers for dog training are cheap and available at any pet supply store or online. If you don’t want to wait to obtain one, use any household object that you can use in one hand and which makes a distinct clicking noise. A loud pen or a baby toy could work; just keep in mind that clickers designed for dog training make a very sharp, recognizable sound which dogs can hear and identify easily. You want to find an object like that.

5. Delicious Dog Treats

The most important training tool of all: valuable dog treats. Treats are how you motivate a dog to do training exercises with you, and how you let them know they’re doing a good job. Choose a snack that is low-calorie, high-reward. A strong positive training program requires a lot of treats, so it is important to find a food that won’t cost you a fortune, isn’t a bother to carry around with you, your dog is highly interested in, and which won’t make your dog gain weight.

Whole Dog Journal will always recommend boiled chicken as a training treat, but we also encourage trainers to try using veggies. You may be dealing with a dog who lives for vegetables, in which case weight gain will be of no concern.

Here are 4 Training Tools Whole Dog Journal never recommends:

1. Choke collars
2. Prong collars
3. Head halters (with some exceptions)
4. Electric shock systems

The post 5 Essential Dog Training Supplies appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

There’s a good likelihood that this lack of choice is at least partly responsible for the amount of stress we are seeing in many of our canine companions these days. Imagine how stressed you would be if your life was as tightly controlled as your dog’s! We can introduce choice to our dogs by teaching them a “You Choose” cue: Select a very high-value and very low-value treat. Show one to your dog and name it (Meat, Beef, Chicken). Let her eat it. Repeat several times. Show the other to your dog and name it (Kibble, Milkbone). Let her eat it. Repeat several times. Now tell her to “Wait,” say your high-value name, put it in a bowl and set it on the floor at your feet. Repeat “Wait” if needed, say your low-value name, put it in a bowl and set it on the floor six inches to the side of the first bowl. Now say “You choose!” “Pick one!” (or whatever you want your “Choice” cue to be) and invite her to choose a bowl. While she eats that treat, pick up the other bowl. Repeat numerous times, randomly putting down high-value/low value first, on random sides, until it’s clear she’s realizing she can choose her preference. (You might be surprised to discover what you think is higher value for her; it may not be!) Now think of other ways you can offer your dog choices in her daily life!

The post Teach Your Dog to Choose Things appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

I adopted my first Australian Kelpie in the mid-1980s. This is a breed I cheerfully describe as “Border Collies on uppers” – and I quickly realized that my ball-crazy Keli was going to drive me crazy if I didn’t teach her an “off switch” cue.

I used her favorite toy – a tennis ball – to teach her that “All done!” meant there was absolutely no point in continuing to ask me to throw the ball. This then translated easily to other situations where I needed to tell her that we were done with whatever activity we had been engaged in – whether it was play, training, or casual interactions.

Here’s how you can install an “off switch” in your own dog:

1. Start with a long play session – long enough that it’s reasonable to expect that your dog will be able to end the game and relax.

With Keli, sometimes tossing the ball in the yard for a while was enough; sometimes it took climbing to the top of a steep hill and tossing the ball down the hill for her to fetch – over and over and over again.

The goal is to have him more or less ready to quit on his own – at least when you start teaching “All done!”

2. Give your “All done!” cue, and put the toy somewhere your dog can no longer see it – in a cupboard or in a backpack – and ignore any of your dog’s efforts to re-engage with the toy.

3. Notify any other humans in the vicinity to also ignore your dog’s attempts to get them to play.

NOTE: Training humans to ignore your dog’s attempts to get them to play fetch might be the hardest part of this! You have to be very assertive with them! Alternatively, you can just leash your dog and move away from the most insistent dog lovers.

4. Watch your dog, so you notice and can reinforce him for any appropriate behavior that is not attention-seeking. If your dog stops staring at you and, instead, retreats to his bed, go to him and praise and pet him calmly (assuming he likes petting).

5. Make sure to give your dog plenty of opportunities to engage in ball-chasing and other favorite activities daily. You don’t want your dog to feel deprived after you tell him that you are done for the moment, but confident that he will have another opportunity later.

6. Generalize your “All done!” cue by using it in other training situations and recreational activities, so that your dog will realize that the cue means the end of whatever he is doing when he hears it. For example, you can use the cue when you’ve allowed your dog-who-loves-to-lick to kiss your face several times and then you’ve had enough.

Herding dog trainers commonly use “That’ll do” as a “off switch” cue – and the expression was popularized by the movie “Babe.” (Remember? It’s when the talented swine was told: “That’ll do, Pig!”)

You can, of course, use whatever cue you want. But stick with it! Trust me, you will find it well worth the time and effort it takes to teach your persistent dog that enough is enough when you say it is.

The post Install an Off-Switch on Playtime appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

This process involves either classical conditioning (giving a puppy a positive association with something she doesn’t already have an opinion of), or classical counter-conditioning (giving a dog a new association with something she already has a negative opinion of). Either way, the process is similar, but it may go slower if you are working to change an existing opinion rather than simply installing one where none previously exists.

1. Sit next to your sitting dog, with a handful of tasty treats in the hand farthest from your dog. (Assuming your dog is on your left side, have treats in your right hand. If you prefer the other side, just flip the following directions.)

2. Touch the top of your dog’s shoulders (the withers) briefly with your left hand. While your hand is touching her, immediately deliver a high-value treat to her mouth with your right hand. Remove both hands at the same time.

3. Repeat the brief touch-then-feed process until you see your dog brighten happily and turn to look for the arrival of the treat when you touch her. (Note: If you can’t get her happy at this step, don’t go any further. You have three choices now: a) Seek the help of a positive reinforcement-based trainer to help you with the process; b) Resign yourself to hugging other humans instead of your dog; c) Look to adopt a second dog into your family who clearly loves being hugged.)

4. Gradually increase the length of time you touch her. As you increase the length of touch, feed, pause, then feed again. Feed multiple times as the length of touch-time increase.

5. Now touch your dog on her far shoulder, just the other side of the withers, and immediately feed. This will start to move your arm over her back as is you are beginning to hug her.

6. Repeat this touch as you did with the withers touch, gradually increasing length of time and multiple feedings as she looks happy about the process.

7. Slowly increase the approximations of your touch toward an actual hug, making sure you get a consistent positive response at each step before proceeding further.

The post Train Your Dog to Accept Hugs appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.

1. Holding a tasty treat in your hand, have your dog sit in front of you.

2. Show her the treat and move it to the corner of your eye. When her eyes meet yours, click and treat. Repeat.

3. Say the cue “Watch!” just before you move the treat to your eye. When she makes eye contact, click and treat. Repeat.

4. After several repetitions (the number of repetitions needed will depend on the individual dog), pause after you give the “Watch!” cue and see if she looks into your eyes. If she does, click and treat. If she doesn’t, move the treat to your eye, click and treat.

5. Say “Watch!” Move the treat halfway to your eye, and wait. Just wait. Eventually she will glance at your eyes. Click and treat. (If she never looks at your eyes, do several more repetitions of Step 4.)

6. Say “Watch” and hold the treat at arm’s length out to the side. Wait. She will likely stare at the treat for a moment or two, but invariably, within a few moments, she will glance at your face (usually, in an effort to try to figure out what you are doing!). When she makes eye contact, click and treat.

When your dog has come to realize the value of eye contact, she will sometimes offer the behavior without being cued. Be sure to reinforce offered eye contact as well as cued eye contact. To help her be comfortable with eye contact from other humans, ask your friends to play the “Watch” game with her as well.

The post Teach Your Dog to Make Eye Contact appeared first on Whole Dog Journal.