Wag Reflex

Space Games Make Dogs Safer

In My Smart Puppy we teach Space Games. These are games you play with your dog that teach him or her what to do in certain situations. In "Mine!" you teach your dog that when a human being gets near something, you back off, sit and something wonderful will happen. Here is a perfect example of why this is such a darn good game to play:

"My husband and I had a moment of miscommunication-I thought he was keeping our son upstairs. He thought I wanted him downstairs. He brought him down and set him in the LR by his toys. I was making coffee and got Lily's food ready not realizing he was there.

I set her bowl down and released her to eat. I never saw my boy come scooting into the kitchen from the DR door behind me. I turned around and saw him lunge toward Lily's bowl. Before I could even move he grabbed a large chunk of her food.

And what did Lily do you might ask? Why she immediately backed away from her food bowl and sat down. Her tail beat gently on the floor and her ears and face were soft and relaxed. I was so proud of her."

YEAH Lily!

This points out why we don't say, "Leave it" during "Mine!" "Leave It" is great, we teach that too, but guests and children won't always say the word at all, never mind correctly. Exactly the case here.

Luckily, dogs don't need words. Dogs need practice, praise and clarity. This wonderful mother and dog-woman took the time to teach Lily that backing away from anything was always well worth doing. It wasn’t optional, but Lily clearly understands by her wagging tail and relaxed face that this is a task she is more than happy to do.

And the only place these games exist is My Smart Puppy. Good news, each book comes with a DVD in the back, so you'll get lots of help learning just what to do. Or, you can come find us at MySmartPuppy.com - we have a free, moderated message board – and we will help you with all your dog (and cat) questions.

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
---------------------
Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Good Owners, Great Dogs", all available now.

Potty Training Puppies and Kittens

Bringing home your new pet for the first time is very exciting but, along with the excitement, comes the daunting task of house training. For some young pets (most kittens) housetraining is almost instinctual, but if your new kitten does not take to the litterbox, there are a few things to check. Be sure to have the litterbox in an easily accessible, quiet location. Also, your kitten’s sense of smell is sensitive and your kitten may find scented litter too strong. Switch to an unscented litter and, to keep the litter smelling fresh, use a litter odor remover like Hartz Nodor.

Puppies need a little more training. Some things to remember when starting:

1. Do not leave a puppy without access to a potty area during the day for longer than your pup’s age in months plus one (in hours). This means a 2-month-old puppy should not be left for more than three hours without a chance to relieve itself. Puppy training pads can provide a suitable area when your puppy needs to be left alone.
2. When you are at home and awake, take your puppy outside at least once per hour. Watch your puppy for signs that once per hour is too long; some young puppies cannot wait this long. Puppy training pads can help while your puppy is loose in the house.
3. Give lots of praise when your puppy potties in the right area.

With a little guidance, you can have your new companion house-trained and a welcomed addition to your family.

--Dr. Melinda, Hartz R&D Team
---------------------
Dr. Melinda is the resident veterinarian at Hartz and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Training on the Fly

The Sunset Cruise headed out of Little Dix Bay and our group was on it. As we turned toward “Bitter End” the resort at the north end of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, a colony of Laughing Gulls tagged along behind.

Some find these raucous, back-headed birds beautiful; others consider them “sea rats;” as a trainer, I saw them as an unusual (and unusually noisy) training opportunity.

Side note: I do not encourage wild animals to interact with me unless doing so poses no potential harm to them or to me. In this case, despite Hitchcock’s brilliantly terrifying movie “The Birds,” the only risk these gulls pose is pilfering from your plate if you leave it untended. This being the case, and because the gulls were already well aware of what goodies the boat carried, I decided to see what we could accomplish.

Grabbing a handful of leftover crackers, I started tossing bits – arcing them up and back, away from the boat. The birds dove and spun but, more often than not, had to land in the water to grab their prize. Entertaining as this was, it slowed down the process -- how could I do rapid repetitions if the birds had to land, eat, and then take off?

So, I decided to add in a simple cue that told the gulls that a treat was about to be launched. Stretching my arm out parallel to the water, I then dropped my hand suddenly toward my body, paused for a second, and then tossed.

The birds quickly figured out that a rapid hand drop meant food was forthcoming, just as Pavlov’s dogs had learned that a bell meant dinner was on its way. When I dropped my hand, the birds lined up in formation – anticipating my next toss.

From that position, I could easily toss treats that were grabbed “on the fly.” Perfect. Now I could move to rapid fire rewarding which allowed me to start shortening my tosses. Instead of arcing back and away from the boat, I tossed them just a few feet back. Some gulls hung back but a few were willing to trade proximity for food.

Seeing that I had lost a few, I upped the ante by tossing out bits of spring roll. The gulls noticeably intensified their efforts – as we all do when something we value is offered.

Getting them taking a treat from my hand (back to crackers because they were a larger and more obvious target) was just a matter of tossing treats progressively closer to me and then holding one big one out while I stood very still - waiting. And that worked, as you can see.

The principles of training apply whether you are training a Laughing Gull or your grinning Golden: give clear signals, reward frequently, start slow then work toward your goal in small steps, have fun. These gulls reminded me to do all of this and gave me a special vacation memory, as well.

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
---------------------
Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Good Owners, Great Dogs", all available now.

What is Your Dog Learning Today?

Compared to our hectic schedules, our dogs have very little to do or think about every day. Often, our dogs are simply observing the activity around them. They watch us, study us, and learn from us. Therefore, they become experts in understanding our behavior patterns.

We are creatures of habit, so we have routines that we follow. Our dogs learn these routines, usually very quickly. They see a pattern and learn to predict our behavior based on the pattern. More importantly, they learn to use an understanding of our behavior patterns to get what they want.

For example, putting on a certain pair of shoes may signal to your dog there’s a very good chance you’re going for a walk and he’s coming with you, so you find him waiting attentively at the door. He might learn that when you begin cooking dinner, his meal is soon to follow, so he’ll lay down next to his bowl in anticipation.

Without any conscious effort to teach our dogs what these kinds of signals mean, they learn them anyway and act accordingly. But most dogs will do more than just react to our signals: they try to initiate a behavior from us that they have seen before.

Instead of waiting patiently by the door, Rover might decide a walk is in order and bring your walking shoes to you. Or if he’s in the mood for a snack, he might bark at you from the kitchen to call you.

Whether these more assertive gestures are considered problem behavior often is a matter of personal preference. Sometimes, they are just downright cute!

It is not uncommon, however, when clients ask for help, that we find the dog engages in a long list of behaviors which serve to run the household on his terms. Only when an owner is confronted with a “problem” are these other controlling gestures identified and fixed.

Sometimes, we teach our dogs things we never meant to teach them. If we take Rover outside while gardening--pulling weeds and digging holes for plants--what do you suppose he’s learning to do? To try some gardening of his own, of course.

With a puppy, what does he learn when we ask, “What’s that? Who do you hear?” and he rushes excitedly to the window barking at any possible intruder? It’s a fun game at first, but not so when the puppy grows up believing that he has to defend your home from all of your friends.

The most common and least understood behavior we unwittingly teach our dogs are the subtle signals we respond to for attention. A nudge of the hand, bringing a toy, leash, or maybe something he’s not supposed to have at all to initiate a game of chase.

These behaviors our dogs will use to try to shape what we do. Most of it is quite harmless and even fun, but some of it can become annoying, and some may represent problem behavior that requires a solution.

What behavior does your dog initiate that you find endearing? What would you rather he stop?

Who is responding to whom is important to dogs; it’s part of how they figure out their relationships within the pack. In the pack, leaders are the center of attention and our dogs often discover that is exactly where they sit. Without even trying, we have inadvertently taught them to be leaders. Remember, they learn our behavior patterns, then they respond to them, then they try to manipulate them.

Most dogs don’t want to be in charge, however, because pack leadership can feel like too much responsibility. Without meaning to, we often give our dogs a feeling of too much authority, and that can be troubling for both owners and dogs.

What have you taught your dog inadvertently? What’s he learning today? When you recognize his and your patterns of behavior and use those to teach him, you’ll be on your way to a happy dog, and we all know the rest . . .

[Editor's Note: Cassidy recently learned that she can sit in the holes she digs.]

--David Wiley, Bark Busters
---------------------
David Wiley is a dog behavioral therapist and trainer for Bark Busters Home Dog Training and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Heel to Heal

In October, PJ, my beloved terrier mix and dead ringer for Tramp in Disney’s classic, Lady and the Tramp, tore a ligament in her knee, which we had surgically repaired. Recovery and then rehabilitating a dog’s leg is slow work, but it is made much faster and safer because of the communication she and I share. Here are a few commands/skills that are a gift to an injured dog and to a worried caretaker:

Calm Crating
Safely resting an injured dog is key, and a crate is a great way to do that. Even though it had been years since PJ has been regularly crated, she did not forget. This is a skill every dog should have because you never know when you will need it.

Loose Leash
PJ needed to be walked on lead for many weeks after surgery and, once winter settled in and ice arrived, those weeks stretched into months. If she were wild, spinning, or dragging, she could have easily reinjured herself. She wasn’t perfect every moment, but she was calm most of the time and I could easily calm her when it was needed.

Handling Handling
Stretching, icing, heat packs, passive range of motion exercises are all part of her rehab. If I had to fight with her to help her, I would risk her leg and our relationship. Because handling exercises are a part of my life with all my dogs, I could help her to the best of my ability. Handling exercises, as taught in My Smart Puppy, are a life necessity.

Solid Wait
Often around the house, I had to stop her in her tracks as I tried to prevent sliding around corners, climbing stairs, going out the door, or hopping up on the couch. “Wait” means pause a second. Her responsiveness to this useful command allowed her as much freedom as possible in a time when she could have very little.

Thank goodness she knew all this before her ligament tore, so I could support her with relative ease. It was all worth it. This spring she is racing up hills and hunting in the dead winter grasses as she always has. It makes me smile.

So do your pets a favor and put these four things on your “to-do” list. If you never need them--great! But if you do, you (and your dog) will be glad you did the work now.

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
---------------------
Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Tails from the Barkside", all available now.

Beyond Patience

“I could never have that much patience” commented the woman watching me work a lovely young Poodle at a local store.

“Not really,” I replied with a smile, “We’re just having fun.” Then I thought for a moment: “Patience” is really the difference between our expectations and the dog’s current understanding. When those two things are aligned, there is no “patience” involved. It’s just learning and having the pleasure of helping another being figure something out. It feels alive and connected, not “patient” at all.

Not that patience is a bad thing, certainly not, we all need it at times. But when you are in the moment with an animal you’re working with, “patience” isn’t even present, you’re someplace beyond it.

It is the same whenever we are involved with what we love. If you’re a musician, artist, writer or athlete lost in the love of your craft or sport, you aren’t “patient,” you are simply doing and being at the same moment. Being lost in the process feels so profoundly good, so deeply nourishing that you are not outside of it, judging it or tapping your toes for it to hurry up. You’re just in it and happy to be there.

To help you get there, here is my recipe:

1. Accept that your dog is doing exactly what he understands to do. Which means, if he’s doing something different than you expect, try thinking, “He is confused”.

2. Accept that your dog is trying his hardest, and if he isn’t doing things the way you’d like them done, think “I need to help him,” not that he is stubborn or defiant.

3. Ask yourself, “How can I help him understand what I want?” And then make things easier until you find out where he is confused. Reward his best choices and you will get better ones in the future.

Do those three things and I bet you’ll be “beyond patience” in no time!

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
---------------------
Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Tails from the Barkside", all available now.

Set the Pace--Don't Race

There’s a saying in the world of leadership training that, "The speed of the leader determines the pace of the pack." This is certainly true in the human world, but in the canine world, it’s especially so.

When my dog Stella and I walk together I set the pace. Sometimes I walk slowly, sometimes I walk fast. Stella matches my pace and stays right with me. She doesn't rush ahead nor does she lag by more than a pace or two.

Most dogs are inherently faster than we are. If we follow or "chase" them they become the leaders in our homes. Dogs use competitions of speed and strength partly to determine their leaders, but the most dominant dogs rarely participate in the competitions. They let the rest of the pack run, chase and wrestle each other while they just keep an eye on things.

Since they’re so quick, our best opportunity to demonstrate leadership with our dogs is to slow them down to our speed. Don’t try to keep up with them. This is not always easy. Every time we lose a race to Fido, whether it's to the door or to the toy, it tells him we can't be the leader. Leaders are the fastest and strongest and they always win. I can't win those races, so I don't race.

We have to be smarter and understand how Fido views leadership. Part of it is not playing canine games of dominance. Wrestling, tug-a-war, and chase are all physical games. Sure with some dogs you can always win, but playing physical games also teaches dogs that it's ok to play those games with people. You might be able to win, but what about the child or grandchild or friend or neighbor? Do you want Fido jumping on them or trying to grab something out of their hands?

Stella is faster than I am, but I am the leader. She doesn't know she's faster because I don't play those games. Knowing how to provide leadership without engaging in physical contests is important to having the relationship you want to have with your dog.

Leadership is about trust and respect; it's not about overpowering or dominating Fido physically. It's about letting him be a dog and doing dog things, but shaping the context in which he does them. Let me give you an example.

Fido loves to use his nose. It's a dog thing to do. While we primarily use our eyes to learn about the world, dogs use their noses. As entertainment make your use his nose. Try making him "find" his cookies, his toys, and sometimes you. Hide his treats or toys under furniture or inside boxes that are upside down. Try making him work for his treats by using Buster Cubes, Kongs, Canine Genius and other food toys. Dogs in the wild would have to work for food so it's a natural behavior.
By letting Fido satisfy his natural instincts to search for food, he doesn't need to find other less acceptable ways of expressing his instincts. Making Fido use his brain will tire him too, because mental exercise is as important as physical exercise. It's important to balance both. That is part of the leader's job.

When you are your dog's leader you will set the pace of your pack. When the pack is following your lead things are in balance. When the pack is balanced we all know the result...

--David Wiley, Bark Busters
---------------------
David Wiley is a dog behavioral therapist and trainer for Bark Busters Home Dog Training and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Common Quagmires of the Cookie Rookie

Quagmire #1: Where’s the Treat?

The Problem: You say “Sit” but no treat, no sit.

Your dog is being stubborn! Defiant! Sassy!
Nope. Your dog is just trained. Chances are you taught him sit with a treat clearly visible so he thinks, “Treat means time to sit!”

Think of it this way: You play football. On the football field, in your gear, you know what “hike” means. But if someone walks up to you in the kitchen and says “hike” you might be confused. For you, football playing behavior is cued more by the field and the gear than the word.  Your dog is exactly the same.

This “proves” your dog will only work for treats!
Not at all. This proves you need some way to cause your dog to sit that doesn’t involve a visible treat. One way is placement where gentle touch causes the sit. Another method, the Simple Sit, uses slight upward pressure on the collar. These are “pretrained” meaning you teach them separately until your dog understands and then you can use them to help your dog respond to the word, rather than the treat. Both the placement and the Simple Sit are explained in more detail My Smart Puppy.

Why not just wait for him to want to do it?
Because then you have a dog who does things when he wants to and that won’t keep him safe. Safety is critical for me. If my dogs are running toward danger and I call out “Come!” I want them to come right away, as fast as possible, not in a minute and not when they feel like it. 

This Common Quagmire is easily avoided/changed once you understand how to help your dog move from responding to a treat to responding to the word. Give it a try!

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
---------------------
Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Order Sarah's new book, "Dogology: What Your Relationship with Your Dog Reveals about You", out now.

Why Barney Bit That Reporter

Here is author and Wag Reflex blogger Sarah Wilson, along with her writing partner Vicki Croke, talking about why the 1st Dog, Barney, bit a reporter. They also discuss their new book, Dogology.

--Spanno

'Dogology' is Now Available

Be sure to pick up your copy of Dogology: What Your Relationship with Your Dog Reveals About You--available now on Amazon.com.

Authors Sarah Wilson (prolific Wag Reflex blogger and dog training guru) and Vicki Croke, use quizzes, psychological insights, and humor to analyze why dog owners gravitate toward certain breeds as pets--and to explain what owner’s choices reveal about their character and emotional makeup.

Here's what excited readers are saying about the new book:

"I LOVED Dogology! Nearly every page made me laugh or cry and wonder if Sarah and Vicki had somehow been watching me with my dogs for years. These authors know dogs, and just as importantly, they know people …”

"Just got it today! Yay! I love the size of it, the feel, the way it's been designed with each page looking fun and interesting. A quick browse revealed humor, insight, and lots of information! I want to put up my feet and really give it a good read! I'm glad I got it! "

"If you are a dog lover, or even if you know dog lovers, this book is for
you. It amazingly helps us figure out what makes us "tick" dogwise."

"I started reading it and became so engrossed in reading about the different owner types that I actually forgot to feed my dogs!!"

"My copy arrived and I decided to just page through a little since I was short on time and … I was hooked. There is a LOT of truth in this good natured look at our relationships with our dogs. My favorite part details how our human qualities match (or clash with!) our dogs'. I laughed out loud when I read the characteristics of my spaniel and they also suited me to a T! I'll be stocking up on Dogology for Christmas presents for all of the dog-people I know. They can't borrow mine!"

"I love Dogology because it's all about US, the humans, unlike the rest of my dog books which are all about, well, dogs. The square format is really handsome, easy to hold, and classy. It's lighthearted, tongue in check and fun--perfect for any dog lover. You can dip in at any page and enjoy just one section.

“Just got my copy and I'm having trouble putting it down! Whether you're a *read a little - put it down - read a little more* reader, or a *devour it all at once* reader like I am, this book is a fun read with deep insight into people and their dogs. You're learning about you, about your dog, and about your human/canine relationship, all while having fun. This is a must-have on my bookshelf.”

--Spanno