behavior Archives - 2 Minute Trainer

Your Face Is A Stop Sign

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Seeing your face signals your dog to stop. Don’t believe it? It’s easy to test. Invite your dog to run with you. You’re both going along together, facing the same way. If you suddenly stop and look at your dog, they’ll stop, too. And stare you in the face.

When you have a conversation with another person, it’s considered polite to look at them. Dogs are the same. Your dog always wants to see your face.

In some ways, that’s a wonderful thing. Doesn’t everyone make funny sounds to get dogs to look? And if we get the adorable head tilt, we keep doing it.

Not always what we want

There are times, however, that you don’t want your dog to stop and look at you. You’d think that calling your dog to “Come!” is easy and natural.

It’s not. If you’re standing still, facing your dog, and call them, they may not move an inch. They can see you, but your face is a stop sign.

Motion triggers motion

When this happens, most people will sweep an arm back, encouraging the dog to move. It usually works. It also means that your dog doesn’t have a reliable recall.

In Obedience competition, the rules require you to stand absolutely still when you call your dog. You can’t do any of the things that come naturally. You can’t back up a step, pat your leg, move your head. Any handler motion when a verbal command is used is considered a “double command” and not allowed.

This exercise, done correctly, demonstrates that your dog knows the word and what to do when they hear it.

Good to know

Most people aren’t competing in Obedience. They just want their dogs to come when called. The easiest and fastest way to teach that is the Chase Recall. Your motion spurs your dog to move.

It’s true with all dog behaviors. One of the most difficult parts of “Stay!” for dogs is sitting still while you walk around. Most dogs will either swivel on their hindquarters to keep watching you, or get up entirely.

Take advantage

Knowing that your dog always wants to zero in on where you’re facing, you can use that to direct your dog’s learning. When teaching “Place!” you stare at the dog bed. Your interest in an object will make it intriguing for your dog.

That’s the principle that lots of our games are based on. The ones that involve manipulating objects start with you staring at the object. The ones that require the dog to move somewhere start with you looking there.

We tried it today. One of the behaviors we teach our dogs is to walk sideways. When facing each other, the dog’s natural tendency is to move their front legs in line with us, but their back end tends to go crooked. Today we tried the behavior looking at where we’re going (to the side) rather than at our dog. It works.

Watch where you’re going

When we were learning agility handling, one of the first things we were taught was that dogs will follow your shoulder. They go where your shoulder indicates. If you’re running or walking straight ahead, keep your shoulders square. If you’re moving to your right, that’s where you orient your upper body.

Your dog is attuned to every move you make and is keenly aware of your body language. If you can’t figure out why your dog is moving a certain way, check yourself. You may be giving them a signal you don’t intend. Like looking straight at them when you want them to keep moving.

Are you a dog-control freak?

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How much of a control freak are you with your dog?

As the dog trainer associated with a doggy day care facility, the staff sometimes asks Hope to consult with a dog owner that has some issues in the play group.

Not long ago, she talked to the owner of a dog that was, putting it mildly, inappropriate with other dogs and staffers at day care. While the play supervisors had repeatedly mentioned the problems to the owner, the dog’s person dismissed their concerns.

Not a fun phone consult

The dog repeatedly charged at and nipped other dogs, even staff, trying to get somebody to play with her. They weren’t casual invitations, and the dog wouldn’t take “No!” for an answer. The dog clearly had no idea of manners.

When Hope finally was able to speak with the owner, his answer was “She always does what I tell her.”

And that, right there, is the problem. If you always tell your dog what to do, what happens when you’re not there?

Banned from daycare

This particular owner clearly had no interest in training his dog to learn impulse control or manners. He thought it was adequate “training” that she obeys him. It didn’t concern him that the rest of his family couldn’t get the dog to obey. It didn’t bother him that the dog has no manners in day care and doesn’t listen to the staff. The dog was banned from play groups.

The kind of blind obedience this man requires from his dog may suit him. Decades ago it may even have been the norm to be a dog control freak. Now, it’s not good enough.

Giving up control

Letting your dog exercise some autonomy makes life easier. Teaching them to make good decisions, giving them credit for controlling their impulses, frees you to enjoy your time together. It’s stressful to always be the one making every choice for everybody.

There’s no helping the control-freak man. We tried, and were unable to convince him of the benefits both he and his dog would experience. His repeated response was “She does what I tell her.”

We agree that it’s easier to just tell your dog what to do. A friend of ours had major difficulty guiding her dog into making good decisions, rather than telling her all the time. This particular dog has major confidence issues. Both dog and person felt safer with the owner giving orders all the time. But that wasn’t helping the dog’s timidity.

Confidence boost

It’s scary ceding control to another being. But, with children and dogs, letting them make good decisions boosts their confidence. When your dog knows what’s expected of them, even when faced with unfamiliar situations, they’re more likely to demonstrate good judgment.

It’s hard giving up control and allowing the possibility of mistakes. It helps the dog’s confidence when errors are overlooked rather than punished. They try, and try again, mostly because it’s fun to finally get it right.

We couldn’t help the day care dog. Our friend, on the other hand, won High In Trial in Obedience with her dog last weekend. Patience pays.

Your Dog’s “Reactivity” is Just Exuberance: Time to Learn “Touch!”

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We heard from a long-time friend this week, reaching out for training after acquiring a new dog. We actually met her at our dog training club, so we know she knows how dog training works. But, like anyone with a new dog, there’s so much to teach it can get a bit overwhelming.

No matter how many dogs you’ve owned, it’s always a good idea to either take class or follow guidance from an expert. We always take new family dogs to somebody else’s class. It helps you focus on the things that are important and set your priorities.

First things first

Our friend’s new-to-her dog is a four-year-old French Bulldog retired from the show ring. We also know the breeder of the dog, so know that she’s had a great life. Her issues at the moment are pretty common for a retired show dog. She’s fine in big, noisy, crowded venues. But she has no idea how to act on a walk around the neighborhood.

The dog is, in our friend’s words, “ is dog and people reactive when we are out in the neighborhood.” Further questions revealed that the dog is noisy and overly-excited, but not aggressive. That description could apply to at least half the dogs out there.

Side Note: Watch your language

Unfortunately, while we’re all using the word “reactive” correctly here, it’s time to stop using it to describe your dog. The outside world interprets “reactive” as aggressive. Because the meaning has been changed, unless your dog truly is a biter or fighter, don’t use it. People hearing it, even some trainers, will make assumptions about your dog that may escalate the situation. Excitement isn’t aggression. Barking isn’t aggression. Reactivity is now synonymous with aggression.

We tell our training classes to use “excited” or “exuberant” to describe their dogs instead. It conveys joy and happiness, rather than anything darker.

Action plan

The first training game we’re going to play with our friend’s dog is “Touch!” It’s the most useful game for getting your dog’s focus back on you and away from whatever is causing them to misbehave. Before you use it this way, the dog has to love the game. It doesn’t take long for dogs to learn it and love it. If you start today, in three days your dog will be nose-bopping like crazy.

The next part of using “Touch!” out in the wild requires a bit of effort from you. If your dog has already spotted something fascinating, it’s too late. Even if your dog adores the game, it can’t compete with squirrel watching. You have to keep scanning the area, trying to locate possible trouble spots before your dog sees them. As soon as you do, move backwards a step or so, stick out your hand and say “Touch!” The added benefit is that you start moving away from the distraction. With luck, your dog will never know they missed the bunny running across your path.

Holiday Dog Dilemma: When Your Dog Isn’t Party-Ready

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“We can’t host Thanksgiving for the first time in decades!” One of our trainees was almost distraught at the thought. She loves her adopted rescue dog, but knows the dog isn’t party-ready. She has a holiday dog dilemma.

The dog is fearful around strangers, and will bark and snap.

She is helping the dog overcome his fear-aggression but realizes it’s a process that probably won’t meet her Thanksgiving deadline.

Dogs not invited

We love dogs and truly think the world would be a better place if everyone agreed with us. But we do recognize that dogs are only a part of our lives. Everyone has multiple priorities that require our time and attention. Family is first. And family traditions, like Thanksgiving, take precedence over dog training.

Just because dogs are members of the family doesn’t mean they have to be included in every family event. Especially when it would cause tremendous stress for both you and your dog.

Always another option

If our trainee’s event was only a single afternoon, it would be fine to confine the dog to a room far away from the festivities. If the dog is comfortable in a crate, use it. Turn on the television or a radio, give the dog a special treat, and leave the dog alone.

With a more extended event, if people are coming for several days, you can think about boarding the dog. There’s plenty of time between now and the holidays for you to check out boarding kennels near you, both their reputation online, and their physical facility. If possible, you can even book your dog in for a “practice” night.

Teaching party manners

Our student is relieved that she can continue both her family Thanksgiving and her pursuit of better socialization for her dog. Her goal is for her dog to be part of the festivities at home next year and avoid the holiday dog dilemma.

She’ll achieve this by building her dog’s army of “Cookie People,” both in her neighborhood and at home. She can enlist friends and neighbors to come over specifically for short dog-training sessions. It only takes a few minutes and does the dog a world of good to meet new people at home in a non-threatening way.

The objective isn’t for your dog to love everybody and be their best friend. It’s equally stressful if your dog jumps on your guests and won’t leave them alone.

The ideal is for your dog to say “Hi!” politely and then resume normal behavior. The dog shouldn’t be the life of the party.

Your dog can control his impulses

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If you think your dog is demonstrating impulse control when they sit motionless waiting for their food, you’re wrong.

You’re also wrong if you think impulse control is greeting guests with all four paws planted on the floor.

Both of these examples are trained behaviors, not impulse control. They’re both excellent things to teach your dog. But neither teaches the dog impulse control

What is impulse control?

Simply put, impulse control is the ability to think before you act and make good choices. In the examples, the dog has no choice. They’ve been taught what to do in each scenario and they’re doing it. They’re not “choosing” to be good. They understand what they should do and do it.

Years ago it was considered good dog training to tell your dog what to do at all times and make them do it. Our first mentor in training said “Never let a dog make a decision. They’ll always make the wrong one.” Fortunately, he’s changed since then. Now we know that good dog training is teaching dogs how to make good decisions. Impulse control is at the heart of good decision-making.

Ready for anything

Trained behaviors, like waiting to be released before eating, are perfectly fine for things that happen all the time. Mealtimes probably happen about the same time, in the same place, and in the same order every day. It’s an entirely predictable sequence that both your and your dog know and one that works for you.

Impulse control is the valuable tool your dog will need when confronted with different, unexpected, and unpredictable circumstances. Dogs’ innate instincts tell them they have two options, fight or flight. Dogs taught impulse control know that their first reaction isn’t necessarily the right one.

Give them the tools

If your dog acts without thinking it’s time to teach them the skills they need to make good decisions. A good place to start is our e-book Impulse Control.

Just this week we taught the game “Whatcha Gonna Do?” to our competition Obedience class. One woman, who has a Labrador Retriever, was convinced her dog would never catch on. He continued to lick and nibble on her hand, not trying anything else. But it only took about five minutes before he got the idea. She was ready to give up after three. Impulse control training may test your patience, as well as your dog’s. But many worthwhile things in life aren’t easy.

It may not be the fastest, most entertaining training game you play with your dog. But it may prove to be the most valuable training you ever share with your dog.

Hardest skills for dogs

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The hardest skills for dogs are the ones that aren’t natural. Of course the same is true for humans. People naturally want to help their dogs succeed, so patience/waiting is the hardest part of dog training. For dogs, who want to be with their people, the most difficult skills are staying and going.

That sounds contradictory, but it’s not. Both the “Stay!” and the “Go out!” usually involve separation between you and your dog. If you have a good training relationship with your dog, they want to be near you. Always. The closer the better.

Too much of a good thing

You might think that creating a strong bond might pave the way for unwanted behaviors like separation anxiety. Instead, it actually helps reduce the issue. Dogs with strong training-game experience tend to be more confident and able to deal with everyday anxieties more easily. They’ve been taught how to make good decisions and to persevere through stress.

It’s one thing for the dog to deal with your routine absences. You probably have a familiar ritual you follow every morning as you leave. It’s probably been choreographed down to a science, with singing out “Be good!” the last thing as you sail out the door.

While dogs don’t know where you’re going or what you’ll be doing there, they never did and probably never will. You don’t miss what you’ve never known. And they don’t have an option. However, a command to “Stay!” requires that the dog actively work against their own instinct to accompany you wherever you go.

“Go out!” is just as difficult, if not more so. At least with the “Stay!” your dog is able to watch you walk away. They may not like it, but they can see what you’re up to and know they can reach you quickly if you suddenly suffer an attack of dog withdrawal. With the “Go Out!” your dog has to choose to go away from you. They can’t see you as they move away.

Fetch doesn’t count

But wait, you say! My dog runs away from me all the time when we’re playing “Fetch!” In that case, your dog isn’t actually “Going Out!” What they are doing is chasing an object in motion. Just as you’d expect any predator to do.

Both the “Stay!” and the “Go Out!” have three aspects to work on individually.

Duration – Gradually increase the amount of time the dog is on their own without rewards.This is the first thing to work on with the “Stay!” and the last thing to work on with the “Go Out!”
Distance – The first thing to work on for “Go Out!” Gradually increase the distance you put your Target for the dog. For the “Stay!,” randomize the number of steps you take away from your dog and return to the dog to reward. Remember to always reward the dog to the front – don’t make them turn to reach the reward or you’ll pull them out of position.
Distraction – Introduce all kinds of distractions. In the “Go Out!” practice with distractions both when the dog is in motion moving away from you and when the dog reaches the Target and is supposed to stay there. For the “Stay!,” use all kinds of distractions at varying distances from the dog. Even the hardest skills for dogs can be taught with patience and consistency. And distractions.

About distractions

A distraction can be anything that’s different. It can be sounds, like someone banging pots in the next room. It can be something in motion, like a tennis ball rolling across the training area. It can be a combination of both, like a sound-and-motion toy in the room.

The most difficult distraction we’ve ever dealt with was from our very first dog training teacher. For the “graduation” class, he brought freshly-made french fries and spread them around the floor, expecting us and our dogs to navigate across the room through the delicious smells. Every dog/handler team did it. You can, too. Tailor the level of distraction to your dog’s interest. Start with things they don’t care much about and increase the difficulty as their skills improve.

Make it easy on your dog. Expect perfection.

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It’s not being mean to expect perfection from your dog. It makes it easy for your dog to understand exacly what you want.

We have a friend with both French Bulldogs and Border Collies. Our friend makes us absolutely crazy because she holds the different breeds to different criteria in training. She expects the Border Collies to be perfect. The Frenchies can get away with “meh” performances. So that’s what she gets from them.

Every dog is capable of great things in whatever training you choose. Whether it’s reaching elite dog sport performance or becoming the perfect couch cuddler, it’s up to you. But you’ll do your dog a huge favor if you expect perfection.

“Good enough” isn’t

Have you ever asked your dog to “Sit!” and thought “eh, good enough” when the dog lies down? If so, you just confused your dog. The dog was showing you they don’t understand the word. Instead of clarifying it, you fed the confusion.

Unlike people, dogs don’t have a sliding scale or understand there’s an acceptable range. Dogs understand “yes” and “no.” “Maybe” is an alien concept. That’s why dogs often behave better for the “strictest” person in the family, rather than the one who’s “nice” to them. They understand what the “strict” person expects of them. Niceness is confusing.

That doesn’t mean you yell at your dog or order them around all the time. It means that you teach them what you want from them. If it truly doesn’t matter to you if your dog sits or lies down, reward whatever you get. If you actually want them to “Sit!” teach them what it means. Accept and reward only an actual sit position. If the dog lies down, wait and look at their butt. Don’t repeat the command. Just wait. As soon as they rise into a “Sit!” reward.

Keep it simple

A key to understanding dogs is recognizing that they love patterns and routines. That’s why people who say “Sit” three times (many do) when they’re teaching their dogs will always have to say “Sit” three times to get their dogs to do it.

Clarity and precision are largely disregarded and underrated. With people, you can easily clear misunderstandings with more words. You don’t have that option with dogs. While they can understand hundreds of words, they’ll only know one meaning for each one. And you’re the one who decides what each word means for your dog.

If you think you’ve confused your dog about something, it’s often easier to start over with a new word than fix the mistake. You may never know why a particular word has become “poison” to your dog. Fran had that happen with Tango. He stopped understanding his release word, which was “Go!” He didn’t.

He couldn’t tell us why. Fran could only deal with what was true. So she started over again with a new release word, “Action!” It’s still working just fine.

Maybe it’s time to switch anvil makers

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Wile E. Coyote has been trying to catch Road Runner for decades. He’s spent innumerable hours and buckets of money and nothing he tries works. And yet he persists in ordering his traps from Acme. When is it time to concede he’s put his faith and effort into the wrong thing? Agree that maybe it’s time to switch anvil makers. And how long will you stubbornly stick to something that’s not working for you and your dog?

Although its source is uncertain, we still adhere to the quote “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” The hardest part for many people seems to be recognizing when something’s unrecoverably broken and moving on. It doesn’t mean you give up on the behavior you’re trying to teach. It means you may have to approach it sideways instead of head-on.

Poisoning the well

Experience being the excellent teacher it is, of course we’ve “been there, done that.” Tango, Fran’s Brussels Griffon, has posed many challenges over the years. Since he’ll celebrate his 16th birthday this month, we can’t even count the vast number of lessons we’ve learned from him.

After Fran got him over being a snarling, hostile devil-dog (read Tango: Transforming my Hellhound, available on Amazon) , she was able to concentrate on more fun things like Rally, Agility, and Obedience. For unknown reasons, and Tango’s not telling, he stopped responding to his release word, which was “Go!” When he heard it, he visibly shrank and shut down.

For a short while, like most people, Fran tried to get him over the bugaboo. She loaded the word with treats, praised any slight movement, did all the right things to make “Go!” valuable and fun. Tango wasn’t having any of it.

Instead of persisting in hitting a brick wall, Fran regrouped, thought, “Maybe it’s time to switch release words,” and started from square one. She chose a new release word, “Action!” and taught it to Tango. Whatever negative association he had with “Go!” didn’t apply to the new word. They were in business once again.

Choose the easy way

Un-teaching something to a dog is difficult. If it’s attached to some negative emotion, it’s practically impossible. Dogs don’t just “get over it.” If some word, action, or place has become toxic to the dog, it’s often better to just let it go and approach from another angle.

A similar thing happened with one of our Rally students. Her two-year-old, rather skittish dog, became slinky and shut down if told to “Stand!” Nobody knows why. She was never abused, nobody hurt her after telling her to “Stand.” She’s a dog. She’ll never give us the answer.

We advised the dog’s owner to start over. Pick a different word and another hand motion to indicate “Stand!” And the dog perfected the “new” behavior in days. Does it look just like a “Stand!”? Yes, of course. Is it actually the exact same exercise? Yes, it is. But it’s different for the dog. And her opinion matters.

Regrets, there’ve been a few

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It’s fun having dogs who understand and know how to do stuff. If there’s something we want them to know, we figure out a game way to teach them. But over the years, there’s been some training, or lack thereof, that we regret. (Like eliminate on command.)

If you’re lucky enough to have an old dog, you know it’s not always easy. On those really bad-arthritis days, you feel like a tyrant making them get up and walk. But joints, like lots of things in life, are a “use it or lose it” proposition.

Tango is now 15 ½ years old. He’s little, so we have the option of carrying him around. But we don’t, except for stairs. He needs to move. We make him play “Put Your Toys Away” almost every day – at least he’s moving from the toy pile to the bin.

What we wish he knew: “eliminate on command”

The biggest regret is what we wish we’d taught him when he was young and spry. That’s to eliminate on command.

When Tango was young, he could “hold” for a dozen or more hours. He never messed in the house or had accidents. He also never had a predictable elimination schedule. It wasn’t a big deal then. If he had to go when he was outside, he did. If not, he didn’t.

Now, he can’t hold for a dozen hours. But he doesn’t like being out in the cold. And he doesn’t eliminate on command, because we never taught him. So he stands there, shivering (we are, too), and looking miserable. When we relent and bring him inside, he either paces around the house, or has an accident.

Think ahead

We’ve had dogs for so long that every floor is a dog-friendly surface. It’s not a big deal to clean up after Tango. But we wish we didn’t have to.

We’ve made sure to teach all the other dogs to eliminate on command. It’s easy to do – name it, praise it, reward it. Every time.

The other dogs aren’t young – 12. 10, and 6. And all of them know the commands “go poop” or “go pee.” A friend of ours used “hit it” as her dogs’ cue.

Think carefully about the name you give to your dog’s bathroom functions. And where you’re most likely to say it. If you’re in your own backyard, nobody’s around and it matters less. But if you’re in a more public place, will you be embarrassed to say “go poop?” If so, think of a lovely euphemism. Only you and your dog need to understand what you mean.

Language matters

A huge part of dog training is establishing communication between you. Dogs are capable of understanding dozens, if not hundreds, of words. Your job is teaching them the vocabulary they need.

You get to decide what every word means between you and your dog. Make your “potty” word something you’ll remember and use. And be sure it’s not a word your dog will hear all the time. That could get messy.

Dog Training Isn’t Always the Answer

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We got a rather urgent email from a long-time training student this week. Her dog had bitten a groomer at the doggy day care facility and she was rather frantically trying to deal with her dog’s sudden aggression. We had to tell her that dog training isn’t always the answer.

What’s Really Happening

Of course we called her right away to get the story. In addition to the bite, the dog had also growled and almost-snapped at her husband. The husband, who had adopted the dog from a shelter five months ago, was ready to return the dog immediately. The wife was distraught, upset both by the dog’s behavior and the thought of giving him up.

Neither of the couple is an experienced dog owner, so neither had a good idea of what was going on.

With the information the woman provided, our advice was to carefully consider the option of returning the dog to the shelter. Generally speaking, dogs adopted from shelters need at least three months before they feel comfortable in a new home and start showing their true personalities. If this dog’s nature was actually reactive, it wouldn’t be a good fit with this family. They already have a beautifully-trained Rottweiler and are planning for children in the next few years.

Getting More Complicated

The woman had already contacted the shelter about the bite. They got back to her saying that a dog with a bite history would automatically be euthanized. If they returned the dog, it was a death sentence. The shelter’s only suggestion was an introduction to another trainer to assess the dog. The options seemed to be getting narrower.

At this point, with the information we had, the choices were all bad. So we contacted the owner of the day care where the incident happened. We’re friends with the owner, and trust her opinion as a savvy dog person.

The Story Gets Clearer

It turns out that the dog has always been a happy, playful guy who’s never given them cause for concern. About a month ago, he was sidelined by illness. Kennel cough developed into pneumonia. He hasn’t been feeling great for a while now.

It was his first time back at day care, and the owners opted for a bit of a spa day – bath and nail trim. Like many dogs, this one didn’t much care for the ramp up to the tub, so the groomer was picking him up. When she touched his legs he reacted with the bite.

Talking to the dog’s owner, the incident with her husband also happened when he touched the dog’s leg.

Light Bulb Moment

The day care owner and we immediately recognized that the dog was showing symptoms of pain. Whenever a dog reacts atypically to normal things, the first thought should be “something’s going on there.”

The dog doesn’t need training for this. Dog training isn’t always the answer. He needs to see a veterinarian to figure out what’s happening that’s causing him to react atypically.

We called the owner back with this news. We also advised her to give the vet’s office a “heads up” that the dog would probably need to be muzzled for the examination. All dogs are capable of lashing out when they’re in pain. And all dogs should be muzzle-trained, just in case. Of course training to put the muzzle on your dog should be approached the same way as all other training – in fast, fun, game-based sessions.

She was relieved to hear that her dog probably hadn’t morphed into Cujo overnight. She also asked something that emphasized their inexperience with dogs. “Don’t dogs show signs when they’re in pain?”

No, they don’t. Dogs typically don’t show any signs of weakness or pain until it’s far advanced. Experienced dog owners know to consult medical professionals when their dogs seem “off.” The first, subtle signs of something wrong are clues only the dog’s owner will see. Combining these owners’ inexperience and the dog’s newness in the household, it was easy to miss.

We’re waiting to hear what the veterinarian discovers. But the dog’s future looks better today than it did.