behavior Archives - Page 8 of 9

Why does my dog love other people more?

Does your dog love other people more than you? Does he go running to a favorite person, leaving you abandoned and standing all alone?

Before you get frustrated, jealous, or start trying to woo your dog back, try to decipher what’s actually going on.

You adore that person

One of the most likely explanations of the situation is that you adore that person and your dog is picking up on your delight in seeing him/her. Our dogs have excellent antenna for our feelings. If someone makes you happy, chances are that person will make your dog happy, too.

These days, we can’t always hug people we care about – but our dogs have no concept of social distancing and can go rushing in where people fear to go.

Recognizing “dog people”

Dogs in our shop’s neighborhood know we’re a great place to stop. There are a few who even pull their owners/walkers in our direction. Dogs have great memories and know they’ll get a treat and a scritch when they stop in. Lots of dogs, all over the world, have their “regular rounds” of people and places they visit as a matter of routine. It doesn’t mean the dogs love those more – it means you’re a great owner who enriches your dog’s life with great experiences.

Dogs should also adore their dog walkers, if you use one. We know of many people, now working from home, who continue to use their walkers. It’s good for everyone – the walkers have continued employment in tough times, the owners have a few minutes to themselves, and the dogs love it.

Loving too much?

If you’ve attended a dog training class, or hired a private trainer, your dog may also adore the trainer. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes not so much.

Most good trainers are wary of using a dog in the class for a “demo dog,” or paying too much attention to any attendee’s dog. It’s not that the trainer doesn’t like you, or your dog. A good trainer will avoid substantial interaction with other people’s dogs.

We know that dogs respond to clear, consistent instructions and rewards. Dogs that seem clueless and untrainable can instantly become stars of the class when the trainer takes the leash. Good trainers have spent years honing those skills – crystal clear instructions, prompt delivery of rewards.

He really does love you best

Don’t despair if your dog runs off to greet someone else. The joy she feels in seeing that person reflects the confidence and fun you’ve built into her life. And remember, you’re greeted with exuberant delight when you return. Even if you were just gone long enough to take out the trash. Your dog really does love you best.

Special dogs need routine even more

Booker in his "place!" Booker is "special."

Have we told you that Fran’s 7-year-old Boston Terrier is a very “special” dog? He has difficulty focusing, he has the attention span of a gnat, he constantly needs attention – he just never seems to completely relax.

High energy is a characteristic of Boston Terriers. So we knew what we were getting into. We’ve had Bostons most of our lives, starting with our childhood pet, Spunky.

Another special dog

Our last Boston before Booker was Ceilidh, who was a very special dog, indeed. She had only two speeds, full or off. She was, possibly, the sweetest girl ever, but her life had to be strictly scheduled, or she was lost.

Since Booker wasn’t as extreme as Ceilidh, we didn’t realize, until Simon joined the family, that Booker, too, was a special dog.

Facing facts makes life easier

Once we understood what was going on with Booker, we made changes to make everyone’s life easier.

All dogs love routine. But special, high-energy, high-anxiety dogs crave it. They can thrive when they know what to expect, when to expect it, and what’s happening.

Thriving with routine

It’s to Fran’s credit that she never gives up with Booker. He’s accomplished amazing things, in light of his personality. He achieved a Companion Dog title – the first level of competition obedience. The hardest thing for Booker was, at the time, sitting for one minute, lying down for three minutes, in a line-up of other dogs and Fran across the room.

Every dog does better with routine. And a routine can be any rehearsed schedule, from what time to get up in the morning, to what you say and do in the few minutes before you leave the house.

Best part of the day

For Booker, the routine he enjoys the most is his morning training session. It’s only a few minutes, but it makes his day. He dashes down to the basement where we train, and waits on the mat in our little training area.

Booker practicing retrieving his dumbbell.

What Fran and Booker practice for those few minutes can be anything – from advanced obedience or rally skills to “put your toys away,” to silly tricks, like crawl or roll over.

And when his session is done, Fran asks him to “hup!” She kneels and he stands on two back feet and puts his front paws on her leg. He gets a reward, and happily goes into his crate while the other dogs each get a “turn.”

If you have a special pup, try adding more structure to his/her life. It can make it easier for everyone.

Accentuate the positive

Ever try to teach your dog not to do something?

“Stop barking at leaves blowing down the street!”

“Don’t counter-surf!”

“Leave the garbage alone!”

Your garbage is tempting to your dog - make a training game out of it!

It’s hard. Much more difficult than training dogs what they should be doing. It’s easy to reward a good decision your dog makes. But communicating the “badness” of a decision requires interrupting the behavior you don’t want. And for that, we have to catch them in the act. All too often we see the aftermath of the naughtiness, not the act itself.

We know it’s frustrating. And we know the temptation is to believe “he knows better!” when your dog dumped over the garbage again.

Your dog doesn’t know better

It’s not true. He/she doesn’t know better. The instinct to go after that smelly, irresistible garbage absolutely overpowered the lesson to “leave it.” Dogs live in the moment and really don’t “know better.” To read more about this, see the 2-Minute Tip: https://2-minute-trainer.com/dogs-live-in-the-moment-and-do-not-know-better

When it’s time to do something about the behavior you don’t want, you have two choices:

Control the situation and, in this example, make the garbage inaccessible to the dog.
Set up a training game and play it often, so your dog truly does understand.

Teach a better solution

In the case of the garbage dumper, it’s easy to get started teaching a better decision. Start by getting your clicker and a bunch of treats and stand by the garbage. When your dog looks at you instead of the garbage, click and reward. Build distance from the garbage can and be sure to watch your dog carefully. Whenever he/she “chooses” you instead of the trash, click and reward. Ultimately, you can increase the “difficulty” of the game by making sure there’s stinky stuff in the garbage that your dog usually can’t ignore.

It may take multiple repetitions for your dog to get the idea that looking away from the trash is “good.” This is one of those situations that yelling at the dog is faster, easier, and lets you vent your frustration. But it’s not better. And negative attention to the behavior is still attention, which most dogs crave.

Correcting “bad” behavior with positive reinforcement does take patience and planning. It’s also a more long-lasting solution and builds understanding for your dog. We’d rather take the time than have a dog that disappears, cowers, or even yells back.

Plan a training game

If your dog consistently does something you hate, plan a training game that turns it around. What would you rather see your dog do in response to the situation? How can you communicate that to your dog? Create your own 2-Minute-Training game around it. You can do it!

Stop lying to your dog

Teasing your dog is lying. Fooling your dog is lying. Stop lying to your dog.

Last year there was a viral video challenge on social media that featured people, with their pets as audience, holding up a blanket in front of themselves (in a doorway), stepping out of sight, and dropping the blanket. Hilarity ensued, as the dogs (or birds, or cats) looked surprised and went to find their “disappeared” people.

It was funny, and not what we’re talking about. It was a momentary “startle” and the dog’s world was right-side-up again within moments. Not a big deal.

Habitual lying is the issue

Also on social media, in a local dog-owners group, we saw a picture of an adorable dog and the owner, introducing herself and her pup, said one of her dog’s favorite games was chasing the laser pointer.

That’s lying to your dog. Big time. If you’re playing that game, stop it.

Your dog chasing a laser is a no-win game. That's lying to your dog. Stop it.

You’re probably wondering why that’s a big deal. The reason is because it’s a no-win game. And while people may understand “no win” scenarios and choose to play as a skill test, dogs don’t. The dog can never, ever catch the light.

A behaviorist friend of ours has witnessed dogs becoming obsessed by the light. What started as a game becomes a frustrated compulsion to chase light – any light. Even sunlight coming through a window, with trees causing shadows, triggered the obsessive/compulsive behavior. Does it happen with every dog? No. But why play a game your dog can’t win?

Never lie to your dog

Dogs are honest beings. Contrary to what some people think, dogs aren’t conniving or guilt-ridden. If your dog peed on your bed when you went to work, it wasn’t because she was being spiteful. It was because she’s suffering from separation anxiety, was looking for you, and was in distress.

Chances are that dog was lied to. Rather than teach her a routine to follow when they were leaving for work, they may have tried to sneak out. Dogs are highly adaptable, bright beings. When they’re given the information they need to cope with a situation, they can do it. If you’re leaving for work, give your dog a special “I’m leaving” treat-filled toy, tell him/her to be good, and go.

Be good to your dog

When dogs know what they’re supposed to do, they’ll do it. Not robotically, and their responses can change with location, distraction, etc. But if your dog knows the word “Sit!” your dog will sit whenever you ask, wherever you are, whoever’s around you.

And if, every time your dog does as you ask, you deliver a reward, your dog will do it more consistently and happily over time. Consistent behavior on our part is mirrored in our dogs. Don’t pretend you have a treat if you don’t. Tell your dog she’s wonderful and show your open hands. She may be disappointed that there’s no cookie, but she’ll know she can always trust you.

Dogs understand the bottom line

What’s the bottom line for your dog? What are the things that he or she values most? And how can you use those high-ticket items to shape the behavior you want?

The entire basis for successful, science-based, 2-Minute-Trainer dog training is a compact we have with our dogs: they get what they want when we get what we want. It’s the best deal anyone’s ever made. Our dogs understand what’s expected of them and know they’ll be rewarded, comfortable, and loved. And we have loyal, loving, well-behaved, and adorable companions.

Adding value for everyone

What things are dearest to your dog? Is it food? Food-motivated dogs are a pleasure to train. Gratification is almost instantaneous.

Do toys and play rate highest for your dog? So much fun to be had by all with training games.

Humans and dogs both have a rating system for rewards. For most people, chocolate is more rewarding than Brussels Sprouts. Think about your dog’s preferences. One of ours adores celery – it’s a very high-value treat. When we really want him to pay attention, we have celery in our treat pouch.

Likewise, some toys are more important than others to toy-loving dogs. If you’re playing a training game, think about whether your dog will give up the toy to go back to the game, or if it’s so precious to him/her that he’ll lose interest in the game and focus instead on the reward.

Transferring the value

Simon has value for the balance disc - he gets lots of treats when he's on it.

You can use the things that your dog prizes make other “things” valuable. For example: we have our dogs work on balance and fitness on an inflatable balance disc. (A couch cushion can work just as well. For more on this, go to the post.) Whenever our dogs get up on that disc, they are rewarded. Every single time. That balance disc is one of the most valuable things in the house to every one of our dogs because they know its value.

From the dog’s perspective, it’s not the “thing.” It’s what happens when he interacts with the thing.

Say you want to start the “put your toys away” game. Start with the “thing” that you want your dog to pick up. You can use any household item; a spatula, a paper towel tube, an empty plastic jar, whatever you want.

Put the thing down in front of the dog. When he looks at it, reward. And offer the reward close to the “thing.” In almost no time, the “thing” acquires value. Dog thinks: “When I look at it (touch it, pick it up, carry it) I get something great every time. I love that thing!”

Transfer the value

It works no matter what. You can add value to any object or place, just by consistently showing your dog it’s important. Dogs love us and want to please us, but they’re also sufficiently selfish to do what benefits them. Dogs will repeat behaviors that have value. That’s every dog’s bottom line.

Pack dog training debunked

“Pack” dynamics was all the rage in dog training a while ago. There are still some remnants of it around. The objective, for those who managed to avoid the nonsense, was that you should be the “Alpha” dog – and that the other dogs would naturally be subservient.

Our domestic dogs bear very little resemblance to wolves in the wild. — Our domestic dogs are nothing like wolf packs in the wild.

Research into how dogs learn and behave has put paid to this. Dogs in human households are nothing like wolf packs in the wild. Domestic dogs are dependent throughout their lives, and more like perpetual puppies than a mature wolf pack. Pack dog training is unproductive and archaic.

Pack dog training silliness

Recently we’ve seen some dog food commercials emphasizing the relationship between wolves and dogs. While we agree that dogs aren’t designed to be vegetarians, showing majestic leaping wolves morphing into domestic dogs isn’t apples to apples. Dogs and wolves may have common ancestry, but their similarities after thousands of years of domestication are minimal.

If you’ve been following a famous television dog trainer who advocates pack structure and talks about “calming” behaviors, stop it now. It won’t help your training to think you have to dominate your dog. The best and most effective dog training forges a partnership between you. It’s not somber, it’s fun. Rather than forceful and stern, good training is playful and fun.

Go with what works

When we started in dog training, decades ago, there were lots of methods used that we now consider abuse. In obedience competition training, it was common to pinch a dog’s ear to get him/her to pick up a dumbbell. We’re sorry to admit we know of some people who still use it.

It’s not necessary. And it’s certainly not fun, for either the trainer or the dog.

Tango picks stuff up and puts them into a bin. — Fran trained Tango to pick his toys up and put them into a bin.

Our dogs pick up all sorts of stuff, carry the stuff around, and put it down where we want them to. And all we did to achieve it was play a game. Here’s how it goes:

“Pick up the thing” game

Get a bunch of treats, your clicker, and the “thing” you want your dog to pick up.

Put the thing on the floor and stand by it. If your dog looks at the thing, click and treat. Do that three times.

By the third time, your dog’s going to figure out that the “thing” gets him/her rewarded. You’ve added value to the “thing.”

When your dog “gets” this idea, ask for more. You don’t have to be quiet, still praise your dog for looking, but now save the treats for something more – touching the “thing” with his/her mouth. If your dog touches it with a paw, you can certainly encourage and praise. The treats should be “saved” for the actions that move the behavior forward – in this case we want the dog to pick up the thing.

That’s basically the sequence: introduce the thing and reward each step in the progression. Each dog’s steps may be different, but could include: look, sniff, lick, pick up. Then run away with the “thing” and show it off like a trophy as you run around!

If your dog does this, the impulse is to run after him and try to get it away. Instead, run with him, or away from him, encouraging your dog to come with you! If you’ve already gotten a box or bin you want the “thing” placed in, run over to that and encourage your dog to “drop” the thing.

No domination here

In just a few short sessions, you and your dog will have a new game to play. And you both had fun learning it. If your ambition includes obedience, it’s even a useful game. And nobody got hurt doing it.

Does your dog need “dog friends?”

Does your dog need “dog friends?” We see lots of new dog owners on our social media groups wanting to get together so their new dogs can play.

It’s not a bad idea, although there are some considerations to take into account. We’re not fans of “dog parks” for lots of reasons. The primary one is the lack of attention from other owners. They bring their dogs to the dog park, release them from the leash, and then socialize with other owners. All paying no attention to their dogs. Groups of dogs, especially if they don’t know each other well, tend to gang up on the new guy, or the smallest guy, or the most timid.

Dog friends are great if they all play nicely.

Small gatherings

Small groups of people who are acquainted, especially if they have the same breed of dog, are a better idea. Because different breeds were developed for different “jobs,” different breeds’ play styles can vary widely. We see it in our own home. The Boston Terriers have a very different (and much noisier) idea of play than the French Bulldog. The Bostons seem to think “chase, tackle, yell, repeat” is the way to go. When we had two French Bulldogs, they’d lie in a bed and “mouth wrestle.”

Together, they’ve developed a mash-up, which is loud, vigorous, and, in tight quarters, can take you out. It works for them.

Harmony at home

It’s important that all the dogs in a household get along. That circle should include extended “family” dogs. In ideal circumstances, if the dogs are healthy and sound, the best thing to do is let them figure it out for themselves. With careful monitoring at first, only gradually removing supervision over the course of time. Be sure all the dogs involved are able to “go away” when they’ve had enough. Puppies can be tiring, especially if you have an older or senior dog in the house.

Other buddies

The only dogs we require ours to be friends with are our other dogs. They see other dogs all the time – out on walks, at obedience class, at agility class, at rally class, at competitions for all of it. And we want our dogs to notice and ignore.

Not everyone has the same objective. It may be that you want your dog to play with other dogs. That’s fine, as long as your dog doesn’t try engaging with every dog you see when you’re out and about. Think about the circumstances when and where play with other dogs is appropriate, and try to confine it. When you’re out walking your dog, your pup should be able to notice another dog and still be able to continue calmly walking with you. (Check out Book 3: Let’s Go For a Walk. Games in there will show you how!)

If your dog sees another dog and immediately goes into “play with me!” mode, it’s time to work on some attention behaviors. Try to scan the area and take note of other dogs before your dog sees them. Ask for attention and reward heavily when you get it.

With consistency, rewards, and praise, you should start to see your dog “check in” with you before going into “play mode.” It’s up to you when and whether your dog gets to play with other dogs.

If you want your dog to have dog friends, control the relationship just as you would with a human toddler. The dogs have to play nice, no bullying allowed!

Distract your dog from stress

Use your training games to distract your dog from stress!

A hand touch is a great behavior that you can do in a small space to relieve stress.

Ever been in a situation where your dog was upset? Thunderstorms? Vet visit? Something new in the house? If dogs are anxious, they don’t know what to do with themselves. They may whine, shake, hide, or bark uncontrollably. If you can distract your dog from stress, you’ll both be happier.

Ground them with known behaviors

When people need comfort, they surround themselves with familiar things – textures, smells, behaviors, etc. Familiar things are soothing. We know what to do, how to do it, what the consequences are, and how to react.

Dogs are a lot like us. They’re comforted by things they know. If you’re ready to play a fun, familiar game, you’ll be able to get your dog to focus on you. Instead of worrying about what’s going on “over there,” your dog will concentrate on you.

Persistence is key

When you’re using a game, or trick, as a distraction, make it one of your dog’s favorites. Hope’s French Bulldog Torque loves his “trick” of tapping on her legs with alternating paws. It’s a game they can play anywhere. All Hope needs is some treats.

In very stressful situations, it may take some doing to get your dog’s attention and focus on you. Be persistent! If Fido keeps looking over at the other dog in the vet’s waiting room, stand up and face that other dog. Ask Fido to look at you. Reward the attention – even if it’s only for a fraction of a second. That immediate praise and reward will remind your dog that you’re the source of all things wonderful!

Move around and remind Fido what he’s supposed to be doing. Play a recall game! Recalls (come!) don’t have to be long-distance. Even if it’s just a few inches, it’s still worth rewarding.

Small spaces are also perfect for “tricks” like Simon’s “High Five!” (See last week’s 2-Minute Tip: “Pet Tricks Aren’t Stupid.”) The added bonus, aside from the distraction for your dog, is that your tension will lessen too. Don’t you always smile when you’re playing with your dog?

Biggest distractions ever

Our biggest training challenge is the dog next door. Chloe is a mean, old, loud dog who’s constantly left in the yard to fend for herself and find her own entertainment. Her major entertainment is charging at our dogs.

We like training in our own yard, separated only by a chain-link fence. And Fran’s Boston Terrier Simon loves Chloe. He thinks she’s playing a game. Running up and down the fence with Chloe is Simon’s idea of a grand old time.

As distracting as Chloe is, as much as Simon wants to “play” with her – Fran can train Simon in the yard. Because she’s proven to Simon that playing training games with her is even more fun than chasing Chloe.

You are the best thing ever

The play-training bond you build with your dog will let you be the best thing ever to your dog, too. You’ll be able to distract your dog from whatever stresses you encounter. What if, when the next thunderstorm hits, you were able to calm your dog just by spending a few minutes playing games that remind her everything’s okay? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Pick a favorite training game or trick to use as a “go-to” when anxiety hits. Build value in that game by:

playing it often,
rewarding heavily, and
stopping when your dog wants more.

Pull it out in stressful situations and see the difference in your dog’s stress level. Which can only help yours, too!

Make comings and goings routine

Keys are part of comings and goings which are part of everyday life.

Comings and goings are a part of normal life. Everyone has “stuff” they need to do.

Does your dog greet you with overwhelming enthusiasm when you come home? Every time? Even if all you did was take out the trash?

Or maybe your dog starts to fuss when she sees you gathering your “stuff” ready to leave the house. We know of one case where the dog actually stood between the owner and the door.

That enthusiasm is adorable. Your dog loves you and wants to be with you. But being emotional about comings and goings can lead to issues like separation anxiety if you let it continue.

Kind of a big deal

If an owner makes a big deal out of leaving her dog – hugging, kissing, telling the dog “mommy will be home soon,” etc. chances are the dog will think that leaving is, in fact, a big deal.

It’s also a mistake when an owner comes home and the first thing they do is drop everything to hug their dog and say “mommy missed you so much.”

Even if it’s true, as it is for many of us, it’s not a good idea to let the dog know that’s how you feel. If dogs could reason like people, they’d obviously ask why they weren’t invited along on the outing. Since they aren’t able to understand exactly what’s going on, a “normal” response is to pick up on the owner’s emotion and get emotional themselves.

What’s a “big deal” to you will also be for your dog. They may not be able to understand every word we say, but they have uncanny abilities to pick up on our feelings.

Make it matter-of-fact

Instead of making a production out of going out without your dog, decide on a routine. Try not to rush around the house gathering the items you’ll need. Instead, have a designated spot, ideally near the door, that you gather items like keys, phone, etc.

The key to leaving without drama is not to conceal what you’re doing from your dog, but to make it so normal that the dog accepts it without fuss.

When you’re ready, the last thing to do is to give your dog a special treat he only gets when you leave. In our house it’s a vanilla-yogurt-filled treat-dispensing toy that’s been in the freezer. Be creative when filling the toy – sometimes there’s a special treat of blueberries in the yogurt!

When our dogs see us reaching for their “we have to leave now” toys, they make mad dashes to their designated spots. If they could talk, the dialog would be:

“Where’s my toy? Thanks! See ya!”

Our dogs know we’re leaving. They just don’t really care. We like it that way.

Coming home

We practice what we preach coming home, too. We walk in, matter-of-factly put on collars and leashes, and take the dogs outside. We may not even speak to them until they’ve “done their business.” It’s just a routine part of the day – no reason to get worked up about it.

When we come back in the house, a set of toys gets filled and popped into the freezer, so we’re always ready.

Avoiding melodrama

One of the roots of anxiety is not knowing what to expect. If you build a normal routine into your comings and goings, your dog will know what’s going to happen. You’re going to leave. And then, after a good doggy nap, you’re going to come home. Every single time. Having a routine will let your dog recognize “normal” and regularize it.

The stuff you can’t train

There’s a belief out there that dogs are ideal, perfect beings. Along with that comes the guilt trip that any behavioral glitch, big or small, is the fault of the owner.

It’s not true. There are some things no one can train away. In the last couple of weeks we’ve encountered several stories that break our hearts. And there was nothing these owners could do to spare their dogs.

Constant “bombs bursting in air”

Some things you can't train away in dogs. And some things are just heart-wrenching.

This year, perhaps because all “official” fireworks shows have been cancelled, there has been an astonishing racket of illegal fireworks going off, at all hours, all days. If your dog is sensitive to fireworks, I don’t need to tell you that – your life has been miserable.

Some of us are lucky – our dogs hear the explosions, but aren’t bothered and don’t even pay much attention.

Others have dogs that notice, are bothered, but can be distracted. These dogs can be trained to focus on other “stuff” – something like a “snuffle mat” will keep them occupied. Playing the television at volume, in a room with no windows, will help as well.

And then there are the dogs who panic. No cranked-up volume, no distraction, no training will help.

Pair of tragedies

We heard two particularly sad stories in the last week. A friend of ours witnessed a woman walking down her street, sobbing, carrying her dead dog in her arms as she, screaming, begged people to stop the fireworks. Her dog was so panicked it had a heart attack and died.

A friend of ours, who is a dog trainer, also has a dog that panics. Her dog didn’t die, but instead suffered a stroke from the panic. We’re hoping Nova recovers. When we heard from her last, her girl was back home and wobbling around, so it’s possible.

What you can do

We wish that silent fireworks and light shows could be mandated and become the norm. Technology makes impressive displays possible without gunpowder. But we all know that’s not going to happen.

If you have a dog panicked by fireworks, thunderstorms, or some other cause, it’s not a training puzzle. Panic isn’t rational. People are able to rationalize and use coping mechanisms to deal with the things that terrify them.

But you can’t appeal to a dog’s logic. They’re terrified and there’s no way to explain to them that their fears are irrational.

Instead, you can have an action plan to help your dog as much as possible. Our friend hadn’t had Nova long enough to know how she would react.

Be prepared

Enlist your veterinarian’s help. There is a range of pharmaceutical and nutriceutical products available, from essential oils, to supplements, to CBD, to tranquilizers, to sedation.

Not every product works for every dog, and dosage and frequency for effectiveness can vary. You need to know what works for your dog before the next panic-causing event happens.

There are also calming wraps and mats that may help. One friend uses noise-cancelling headphones for her dog. That IS something you can train, if you start well ahead of the time when it will be needed.

You can also try getting your dog more accustomed to the noise by using a fireworks recording as background noise. Start at very low volume and gradually increase the level as your dog becomes comfortable.