To bite, or not to bite…

Posted on February 9, 2012 by susieh

I was just saying the other day that any dog will bite, given the right (or wrong) circumstances.  And then this story comes along to illustrate the point.  Maybe you read about or saw the recent video of the dramatic rescue of an 85 lb Dogo Argentino that fell through the ice of a Colorado lake while chasing a coyote.  Rescued by firemen, it was a pretty heartwarming and sensational story, so the dog was invited to be on the local news in Denver!  Here’s the rescue:

What happened during the “interview” (see video below) is the reason a lot of people are bitten by dogs.  Dogs and humans communicate differently.  The dog is sitting in front of the owner and the fireman, backed up against its owner’s legs, held tightly by the collar, with nowhere to go, and the nice anchor lady is on the floor at face level, getting right in this dog’s face, which is very confrontational to a dog.  (NOTE: never put your hand, and definitely not your face, in a strange dog’s face .)  He puts up with it for a while but he’s turning his head away, and looking a bit stressed, like please, lady, enough, but she keeps putting her face closer and closer to his.  Finally, when she is mere inches from his face like she’s going to kiss him on the lips, he snaps, and gets her in the lip.  Well.  It’s not good but it would be pretty hard for a reasonable person to blame the dog.  It seems like at least one of these humans could have seen that this was not a good setup for the dog.  Unfortunately, in cases like these, reason doesn’t necessarily prevail, so we’ll see what happens.  Would love your profanity-free comments.  :-)    (and check out the poor meteorologist’s utter speechlessness…)

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How to stop a puppy from biting

Posted on January 10, 2012 by susieh

Prevention is the easiest solution for how to stop a puppy from biting

Young puppies learn to inhibit their bite by practicing on their littermates.  Mom knows how to stop a puppy from biting and she helps teach the puppies not to bite too hard.  So it’s a good idea to let puppies stay with their moms until they are at least 9 weeks old, because she is still teaching them good “manners.”  Puppies purchased or adopted earlier than that miss some critical lessons from their mothers.

Developmental stages related to how to stop a puppy from biting

Puppies go through a series of developmental stages as they grow, and if you understand these stages, you can see how to stop a puppy from biting.

The “seniority classification period” or “social dominance period” occurs between 10 -16 weeks of age.  This is also known as the “age of cutting,” cutting teeth and cutting apron strings.  Prior to this stage biting is not usually an issue, although putting teeth on humans should be discouraged at any age.  At about 10-13 weeks of age the puppy begins testing to see who is going to be the pack leader.  At this stage, if the puppy bites, it is an attempt to dominate.  Knowing who the pack leader is is important to the puppy.  If no one in the household assumes this role, even a puppy will try to take over.   The puppy is also beginning to cut teeth, which causes some discomfort and elicits more chewing behavior.

In considering how to stop a puppy from biting, think about what puppies need.

Puppies need to chew!  But they don’t need to chew your hands, shoes or furniture.  First, provide your puppy with appropriate things to chew, like high quality rawhide sticks.  Always supervise your puppy when he has chew toys or sticks.

Second, handle your puppy calmly.  Teach your children (adults too) not to rile your puppy up by playing pushing games or teasing with their hands.  Kids love to do this to puppies, and then they get upset when the puppy’s sharp teeth bite or scratch their hands and arms.  When the kids yell or squeal  the puppy gets even more excited and is likely to bite again.

Most dog trainers recommend that if your puppy bites you, you should give a loud OW or YIPE, like the puppy’s littermate would if it were bitten too hard.  I look at it differently.  If you’ve ever watched a litter of puppies you would see that in that scenario the littermate will YIPE and then come right back and continue the game of wrestling and biting.  However, I don’t want to be seen as a littermate; I want to be seen as the leader.  If a puppy bites his mom too hard, his mom doesn’t go OW or YIPE…she growls.  If the puppy persists, she will growl and snap and even flatten him with her paw, and then ignore him.  She’s not mad at him or being aggressive; she’s teaching.  So I recommend a quick SHHH to simulate a growl, and then withdraw attention.  Ignoring is powerful!  Do this calmly; don’t get mad or frustrated.  Once the puppy settles down, go back to calm interaction.  Do this consistently and your puppy will quickly learn that biting people is not allowed, and that NOT biting is good.

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Does your dog jump on you?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by susieh
I always ask that question because the answer is really important!  If it’s a dog with a behavior issue…doesn’t matter what behavior… aggression, separation anxiety, barking and lunging at other dogs, general out of controlness… at least 90% of the time the answer is YES.   That makes you wonder, doesn’t it?  What is the connection?  If your dog jumps on you when you walk in the door (for example), is it because he’s happy to see you?  Can’t he be happy with all four feet on the floor?   He’s excited, yes.  And excitement often leads to dominance.  Jumping is a dominant behavior.  If your dog jumps on YOU, he doesn’t see you as the leader.   And if you’re not it…guess who is?  Well, why is that important?  Let’s say your dog has an issue with growling and lunging at other dogs when you walk him.  He’s doing that because he thinks that’s his job.  The leader’s job is to protect!  If he is allowed to jump on YOU, he thinks he’s the leader.  So the moral of the story is that everything is connected so what happens inside the house is connected to what happens outside the house.
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Good article on holiday dog bites

Posted on December 20, 2011 by susieh

“Tis the Season of Dog Bites
The Meaford Independent  Dec. 20, 2011

The Grey Bruce Veterinary Association and the Grey Bruce Health Unit are reminding pet owners of the need for extra vigilance in controlling their dogs (and cats) during the holiday season.  Dog aggression dog bite

“The holiday season can be a stressful time of year for dogs,” says Dr. Sally Parks from the Grey Bruce Veterinary Association. “There is lots of coming and going, strange faces, excited children and changes in routine.”

The outcome can be an unfortunate biting incident resulting in personal injury and possibly even the need for post-exposure rabies treatment. Children between the ages of 5 and 9 are bitten more often than any other group and most serious bites come from adult dogs between 2 and 5 years of age.

Here’s what you can do to reduce the possibility of a biting incident:

  • Family dogs should have a place where they can be content and rest undisturbed.
  • Respect the dog’s resting places, toys, and food.
  • Make changes if needed in the environment to make the dog feel safer and more relaxed.
  • Watch for stress signals that the dog is uncomfortable- closed mouth, turning away, lip licking, half-moon eyes, shaking off and yawning.
  • Ask permission before you pet a dog. Dogs don’t like hugs or kisses; instead scratch the side of the neck.
  • Give dogs an “escape route” if they are in the same room as children, so they can leave if uncomfortable.
  • Never place a baby on the floor with a dog or leave a baby alone even with a trusted dog. Keep the baby’s door closed.

Great advice.  Don’t let your dog get in trouble.

Happy holidays!

 

 

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Dog Whisperer or Dog Trainer?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by susieh

Why are some dog trainers and animal behaviorists so hostile toward “dog whisperers” like Cesar Millan?   Dog trainers and dog whisperers use different methods, for different purposes, and the results are seemingly complementary, because the outcome is a well-behaved and well-trained dog.  And what is better than that?  I’m not affiliated with Cesar Millan and my techniques and terminology differ, but the underlying dog psychology is the same.  It basically comes down to the energy of “leadership.”

We all want to help dogs.  Together we can drastically reduce the number of dogs given up, dropped at shelters or destroyed for having serious behavior problems or because the owners didn’t know how or didn’t take the time to train them.

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Good dogs ISO good leaders

Posted on December 6, 2011 by susieh

I put this video up a couple days ago and want to point out a few things!

These two both look like great dogs, and very adoptable. But what’s going wrong here? First, the shepherd mix. This gorgeous dog just wants to say hi to the pit bull! Because the SPCA woman is holding him back, he’s getting frustrated, and resorting to pulling, climbing on and biting the handler to try and get what he wants.  Instead of either letting him say hi to the pit bull (before this behavior started) or calmly correcting this demanding and dominant behavior, the SPCA woman is losing her cool.  Her own frustration and excitement are just creating more excitement from the dog!  Going down hill fast here! Great entertainment but there’s also the potential for serious behavior problems later on.  This shepherd boy needs to go to a home with a calm and confident leader who will teach him rules…no climbing, no jumping, and especially no biting!   He’s only 11 months old now; what will he be like at 18 months, 2 years, 3 years!  He’ll be a wonderful dog if he has a good leader.  If not…he may end up back at the SPCA.

OK, what about the pit girl? The good news is she’s friendly, and not concerned at all about the other dog.  Fantastic!  And this looks like really sweet endearing behavior, right? Pit bulls are usually super cuddly with humans…it’s part of what makes them so lovable.  But wait…  This dog has no respect for the human’s personal space and the human has no idea what to do about it.  Who is in charge here?  So, that’s a TV news person and we’ll cut her some slack.  But this dog too needs a home with a strong leader.  Pit bulls get in trouble because their owners tolerate this kind of behavior, and that can lead to some real problems down the road.  A dog that is allowed to jump on people, climb on them and get in their faces thinks she’s in charge!  That is never a good scenario with…well, with any dog…but especially not with a dominant breed dog.

Let’s hope these dogs get into some good homes quickly!

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Calm and well-mannered…seriously? lol

Posted on December 3, 2011 by susieh

by Susie Homire, DVM
Maryland’s Dog Whisperer
www.leadyourpack.com

After you stop laughing, I would love your comments on what you think is going on in this video. A woman from an SPCA goes on local TV to introduce two dogs for adoption.

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Dogs communicate using energy and body language

Posted on November 16, 2011 by susieh

by Susie Homire
Maryland’s Dog Whisperer
www.leadyourpack.com

Check out this video featuring a lot of good dogs…with some bad habits…especially dog aggression, which is a serious problem for a lot of people.  This has some brief tips on how your energy affects your dog.  That handsome dog with the shades is Treadmark.  He’s a legend around these parts…

Would love your feedback.  Please share your thoughts below!
Thanks

Susie

http://www.leadyourpack.com

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Dog aggression…better to get help early…

Posted on November 16, 2011 by susieh

by Susie Homire, DVM
Maryland’s Dog Whisperer
leadyourpack.com

Dog aggression is a big issue for a lot of dog owners, whether it’s dog on dog aggression or aggression toward people…sometimes even family members.  I think we all know this… it’s much easier to prevent a behavior problem or correct a problem when it first starts, than it is to deal with a long-standing behavior issue. Dogs form habits too, and some of them are really undesirable.  Attacking other dogs.  Biting our friends.  Peeing in the house…that sort of thing.  And while it’s often easier for a dog to change her habits than it is for the human, starting early almost always has a faster and better outcome.   Way better to get help the first time you see your dog growl at your child, than to wait until your child is bitten in the face.   And to get help for your dog the first time he barks and lunges at another dog, than to wait until he’s actually bitten a dog.  And how about the first time your dog growls at you when you try to get in bed with your spouse, rather than waiting until you have to sleep on the sofa!

dog on dog aggressionEven when the issue is dog aggression, it’s often human nature to take the “let’s wait and see if it goes away on its own” approach.  We rationalize; we accommodate, we make excuses for our dogs. Unfortunately most behavior issues get worse over time, not better.  And the longer they go on, the longer it will take to change them.  And if the problem is dog aggression, the risk is that your dog may get into serious trouble while you’re waiting.

The good news is…dogs can change!  Even older dogs.  The humans…well…there’s hope for most of them too.

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