3 Common Dog Behavior Problems Solved.

Everything your dog does has a purpose. Think of a behavior you want to change. Identify its purpose. Show your dog that she can achieve this purpose with an easier and/or more purposeful behavior than the one you want to eliminate.  That's dog training, plain and simple.

Here are some examples:

1. Your dog pulls on the leash.
Purpose of pulling on the leash, for your dog: To move forward.
The behavior you'd prefer to result in moving forward: Walking on a loose leash.
Solution: When the leash is loose, move forward faster. When the leash is tight, i.e. your dog is pulling, don't move forward at all.
Result: Dog learns that he can exert less energy to move forward AND move forward more efficiently by walking next to you than by exerting a lot of energy pulling on the leash.  This will become his default behavior.

2. Your dog jumps on you.
Purpose of jumping on you, for your dog: Food and/or attention.
The behavior you'd prefer to result in food and/or attention: Calmly lying on dog bed.
Solution: Only give her food or attention when she's lying calmly on her dog bed. Ignore her when she's jumping on you.
Result: Dog learns that she can exert less energy to get food and/or attention by lying calmly on her dog bed than by exerting a lot of energy jumping on you.

3. Your dog chews your shoes.
Purpose of chewing your shoes: It feels good.
The behavior you'd prefer to result in that good feeling: Chewing on appropriate things.
Solution: Make sure your dog likes the chews you're giving him more than your shoes.  Then associate chewing on his own things with the sight of your shoes.  I.e., dog sees shoes, dog gets kong filled with peanut butter.  Dog sees shoes, dog gets braided bully stick.  Dog sees shoes, dog gets frozen marrow bone. Dog sees shoes, dog gets squeaky stuffed toy.  Remove your shoes from his vicinity when you're not around so he loses the memory of how good it felt to chew on them, and they only remind him of how good it is to chew on his own things.
Result: Dog learns that chewing on his own things feels good. Having your shoes around reminds him that chewing on his own things feels good. Having your shoes around makes him want to chew on his own things.

Tip of the Day: What to tell your kids

It’s not safe to instruct children to put their hands near a dog’s nose so he can sniff them.  Instead, ask them to make a fist and hold it down by their knees, and if the dog wants to engage with them he will approach.  Otherwise, it’s not safe to pet that dog.

Tip of the Day: Your Dog is Good for Your Health

Petting your dog triggers a release of oxytocin in both you and your dog.  This is the same chemical reaction that happens in mothers in response to their babies.

Puppy socialization: 5 reasons to socialize your dog... from a very vet-friendly dog trainer.

1. You can't go back in time.
This fact of life throws a wrench in a lot of otherwise great plans.  Sports betting, for example.  But I'm talking specifically about how the impossibility of time travel pertains to our dogs.  They have a certain window of time when they're young to be socialized to all kinds of different people, dogs, animals, objects, terrains, etc. that they will encounter in their lives.  If you miss this window, you'll probably find yourself in the land of counterconditioning and desensitization later on... which might hold you hostage for months on end.

2. It can be embarrassing when your dog is not well socialized.
Dogs are supposed to enrich out social lives.  Let them do that to their full potential.  Don't end up with a dog who freaks out every time you approach him with your puffy jacket on or has a heart-stopping reaction to the occasional encounter with a bearded man.  It can be pretty embarrassing, to say the least.

3. Dogs like it.
Puppies like stretching their little brains.  Socialization should always be pleasant and sub-threshold, never stressful, or you're giving your dog a reason to fear instead of relax, which is counterproductive.  Also, it's a great way to tire out a rowdy puppy so you can take a breather once in a while!

4. People like it.
Self-explanatory.  I doubt you'll have trouble finding any shape, size or color of person to greet your puppy.  If you do, they're just crazy.

5. Your life will be easier later on.
If you're going out of town for the weekend, you will have a better chance of being able to comfortably leave your dog with a friend if you don't have to warn them about her tendency to attack the strange humans on the street with the giant reflective eyeballs (sunglasses) or ask them to refrain from vacuuming as it may send your dog into shock.  That's a really unsettling situation.

The good news is.. these scenarios are often so easily avoidable!  Contact us for more info on what to do if you've just brought home a new puppy - and ask for clarification if you feel you're getting conflicting info from your vet.  Safety should always come first, but socialization is vital!

Welcome DC Dog Lovers! Useful tips from a DC dog trainer.

Welcome to my new blog.  I hope you find it interesting and informative.

I remember when I got my third dog several years ago, and I was confident that I knew all about dogs.  Training them, interacting with them, etc. - I had lived with dogs before, I watched a lot of Dog Whisperer, and read a book or two about obedience training.  But I was sorely mistaken - and very unprepared.

Riis (named for Riis Park in NY, where I'm from) is a mutt that I adopted from a rescue organization.  He was found with the rest of his litter in a cardboard box on the side of a road in Memphis, Tennessee.  By the time he got to me, he was about four months old, ten pounds, and full of fear and anxiety that manifested itself in a whole host of behavior problems.  He was reactive to other dogs, had severe touch sensitivity - would flinch when touched anywhere on his body, and completely freak out when you went near his ears or paws - and was generally fearful of any unfamiliar noise or movement to the point that he was literally stopped in his tracks a dozen times a day.

Nothing I did to train or modify his behavior was working.  All the information I found was either really distasteful (using shock collars and other aversives) or I didn't understand enough to really believe it would work.  I felt guilty for failing to help my dog and myself, I felt confused about why I couldn't change him using all the expert advice I had come across.

Finally, I found a trainer who employed positive training methods.  For once, her reasoning made sense to me.  So much so that it changed the course of my professional life.  I've been working with dogs ever since, and it has made me a more observant and compassionate person to people and dogs alike.

The contents of this blog, then, should hopefully provide some comfort to dog owners who feel like they're out of ideas, at the end of their rope, or just want to learn more about how they can interact and understand their dog in a more positive way.

Riis, fixated on a piece of broccoli on our kitchen table.

Happy reading!