Minimising Contrast for your Separation Anxiety Dog

It can be one of the greatest feelings in the world; coming home to your dog, jumping into your arms, giving you wet kisses, tail wagging a million miles a second. It makes us feel like we're loved. It makes us feel important. So we fuss our dogs right back so they know we're happy to see them too. So what's the issue? For a separation anxiety dog, this massive contrast between when you were gone, and when you are home only serves to increase their anxiety. Instead, we want our dogs to feel like us being gone is no big deal. To achieve this, it means creating a window of calmness on either side of your absence.

If you want to say a big goodbye to your dog, do it before you even start getting ready, at least half an hour before you leave. Don't make a big fuss of him just as you are walking out the door! Again, this just creates a huge contrast for him between you being home and you being gone. If you want to spend a bit of time with your dog before you go, have a calm session of gentle massage or Tellington TTouch This will actually help to lower your dog's blood pressure and heart rate which will lower his anxiety and increase calmness.

When you get home after an absence, you don't have to flat out ignore your dog, but don't engage with him either. Just go about your business, and if you want to, talk to him in a calm, soft manner. Don't create or encourage excitement around your arrival home. It might make you feel great, but it won't help your dog in the long run. Wait 20 minutes or so before fully engaging with your dog so that you have effectively minimised the contrast between your absence and your arrival home.

Happy Training :)

Splitting Hairs - Separation Anxiety in Dogs

So often when owners come to me with dogs suffering from separation anxiety, they will say things like,

"My dog is fine if I get up and leave the room, but I can't close the door,"

Or,

"My dog will be happy in his crate, but not if I leave the room."

On the surface, these seem like real road blocks. In reality, they highlight the incredible importance of splitting criteria when working with separation anxiety. What splitting criteria means, is that instead of expecting the dog to go from being comfortable with the door fully open, to being comfortable with the door fully closed in one big step, we add in little steps along the way to make the transition easier for the dog. In this particular scenario, it might look like this;

1. walking out of the room and returning
2. walking out of the room and touching the door handle and then returning
3. walking out of the room and moving the door an inch, and then returning
4. walking out of the room and moving the door 3 inches and then returning
5. walking out of the room and closing the door half way, opening it again and then returning
6. walking out of the room and closing the door 3/4 of the way, making sure you stay in full view of your dog, opening it again and then returning
7. walking out of the room and closing the door 3/4 of the way so that only half of you is visible to the dog, opening the door and then returning
8. walking out of the room and closing the door almost all the way with your leg sticking into the room so the dog can see it, opening the door and then returning
9. walking out of the room and closing the door almost all the way leaving just your foot sticking into the room so the dog can see it, opening the door and then returning
10. walking out of the room and closing the door almost all the way leaving just your big toe sticking into the room so the dog can see it, opening the door and then returning.
11. walking out of the room, closing the door almost all the way and being completely out of view from your dog, opening the door and then returning
12. walking out of the room, closing the door almost all the way, twist the handle as though you were going to completely shut the door but then open it again and return to your dog
13. walking out of the room and shut the door completely, open it immediately and return to your dog.

So as you can see, what humans would naturally see as one step, is actually made up of over 10 steps, and it could be easily split into more steps if the dog needed. It is natural for humans to lump things together, but in order to build our dogs confidence and allow them to transition smoothly to the next level, we must provide them with an unlimited amount of steps. Splitting criteria doesn't only apply to the door scenario, but to every aspect of treating separation anxiety. If your dog can handle a 5 second absence but not a 6 second absence, then split the criteria and aim for 5 and a half seconds, or even 5.25 seconds.

Criteria can always be split. To you, the difference between 6 seconds and 5 and a half seconds might very well seem like splitting hairs, but to your dog, it may be the difference between total calm and major panic! So if you feel like you've hit a wall, and you can't seem to make any progress, then take a step back and think about how you can split criteria for your dog. Once you provide him with enough little steps, he will eventually reach the big picture.

The Adolescent Dog

The Adolescent Dog

Adolescence is a developmental stage that all dogs go through, and actually consists of different stages, including juvenile, flight period, second fear impact stage and adolescence. Generally, an adolescent dog will start to push boundaries and may turn a deaf ear. Some dogs will be suddenly fearful or reactive towards things they weren't before. It is important to understand that these are all natural stages in a dog's development and they are nothing to be worried about. Male dogs may also start to exhibit mounting behaviours both on other dogs and potentially people as well. If this does happen, it is important not to punish your dog for something he cannot help. Just redirect his attention with a toy or game. 

The most important thing about living with an adolescent dog is to be consistent. Continue with training and socialisation to ensure your dog matures into a well balanced and well mannered companion. Never punish your dog for what you may perceive as misbehaviour. Dogs don’t do anything maliciously. They are simply responding to triggers and particularly during this time in their life, responding to hormones in their body. It is very important to ensure your dog is receiving appropriate physical exercise and mental stimulation, and that you are continuing in your relationship building by playing games and positive reinforcement training. 

As much as possible, don’t set your dog up to fail. Don’t leave items you don’t want chewed up within your dog’s reach. Don’t leave food on the bench where he might steal it, unless you are doing specific training exercises for ‘leave it.’ Ensure your dog has plenty to do and that you are catering to all of his needs. For example, if you have a terrier, you might consider getting a sandpit and teaching him to dig in the sandpit only. If you have a herding dog, make sure you give them a chasing outlet, like playing fetch or playing with a flirt pole. If you have a scent hound, make sure you are playing scent work games with your dog. Giving your dog appropriate outlets for their natural behaviour will help to prevent them doing these behaviours at times you might deem inappropriate.

Don’t let your dog off lead where he has the opportunity to ignore you when you call him. 

Socialisation is key during adolescence, not just with other dogs but with every day things such as people, skateboards, trucks etc. Ensure that they are all positive experiences through the use of treats and toys, and this will help to prevent fearful behaviours around these things in the future. 

Make sure your walks with your dog are interactive, using treats, and toys, as well as the environment. By interacting with your dog in a fun way on his walks, he is learning that you are the most interesting thing in the world, and will help prevent unwanted behaviours such as barking and lunging on leash and pulling on the lead. It will also help to tire your dog out much better.

Remember that adolescence is a stage in your dog’s life and with continued positive reinforcement training, socialisation and relation building, your dog will mature into a well balanced dog. 

Happy Training

Letting our dogs decide!

Often people feel as though they are in competition with their dog. For example, the human must always win a game of tug of war, or if a dog wants to go in a certain direction on the walk, the human must go another way to make sure the dog doesn't feel like it is in charge. It seems as though in many people's minds, allowing a dog to make its own decisions one day, will surely lead to world domination the next. But if we take a look at the dynamic between most dogs and their owners, we start to see a pattern emerging.

When it comes to food (the most valuable resource for most dogs), it is in fact the owner who decides when, where, what and how much the dog will eat.
In most cases, unless the dog lives outside all the time, the owner decides when and where the dog is allowed to go to the toilet.
Again, in most cases, the owner decides where the dog will sleep. In most cases, the owner decides where the dog walks, what the dog is allowed to do and not allowed to do, when the dog has to go outside, when it is allowed inside, when the dog has to go into its crate, when it is allowed out! If you are a breeder, who decides when, where and with whom the dog will mate with? In most cases the owner decides when the dog will get attention and when they won't, when they are allowed to go the park and when they are not.
The list goes on but in summary, every single resource that matters to your dog is controlled by you - the owner. Could you imagine living in a world where you had very little free choice? A world in which all of your basic needs being met, was completely dependent on someone else? A world in which any requests made by you to have your needs fulfilled were either ignored or denied?

How often have you heard your dog scratching at the back door to go to the toilet, but because you were busy, you ignored them, knowing they could hold it for ten minutes.
How often have you been on a walk and your dog was insisting on smelling a particular bush, but because you were in a rush, or even just because you were impatient, you hurried on past?
Could you imagine if you were really hungry, and your partner told you, you weren't allowed to eat anything because your allotted meal time was still 2 hours away. Or if you were walking down the street and you passed a store that you really wanted to pop into, just to look around, and your friend grabbed your hand and dragged you in the opposite direction and made you go into a different store instead. Or maybe you're watching a movie on t.v. with your partner, and you suddenly need the bathroom, but when you get up to go, your partner forces you to wait until the end of the movie.

So maybe if these scenarios occurred in jest, they might be acceptable, but not if they occurred on a regular basis. If you had to deal with this on a daily basis, imagine how downtrodden, how oppressed you would start to feel. Relationships are about balance, and this is no different when it comes to the relationship between you and your dog. I'm not saying we should allow our dogs to make all of the decisions, because we would probably end up with a dog that behaved inappropriately. However, allowing our dogs to make their own decisions, and respecting and allowing for their choices when it is safe and appropriate to do so, will dramatically improve your dog's confidence, make for a happier, more stimulated dog, and strengthen your relationship with your dog.

So next time Fido wants to stop and sniff the bushes for ten minutes, for goodness sake just let him!

Punishment vs Reward

So you probably think that punishment is an important part of training a dog, right? Otherwise, how else would they know right from wrong? After all, people learn in the same way, don't they?
Well you're right about one thing, people do learn in the same way as dogs, and any other animal for that matter. So let's take a closer look at what punishment actually teaches us.

Most of us drive cars. And if you drive a car, you're probably aware that speeding can result in a speeding fine and loss of demerit points on your license. Yet the majority of people still speed to some degree or another. So despite the potential for punishment, we still break the rules. Why is this? Because we have learned that we can get away with it most of the time, unless the source of the punishment is nearby. In other words, we will all slow down for the speed camera, or when we see a police car on the side of the road, but when those sources of punishment aren't around, we speed.

One of the most common issues owners have with their dogs is that the dog breaks the rules when the owner isn't around. If the owner is in the room, the dog won't jump up onto the bench, or kitchen table and steal food, or raid the garbage bin, or get on the furniture. As soon as the owner leaves however, it's fair game as far as the dog is concerned. It is also common for dogs that have been punished for going to the toilet inside to start toileting in inconspicuous places such as under the bed or behind the couch where the owner can't see. So just like humans, the dog has learned that when the source of punishment isn't around, they can get away with it. But wait, you say, I always make sure I show my dog what they did wrong and then punish them after the fact, so they still get punished. Unlike humans however, dogs are unable to connect the punishment with their actions that may have occurred minutes or even hours before. Your dog will associate the punishment with whatever is happening at that particular time. For example, you come home to find the garbage strewn all over the kitchen. You call your dog in, show him the mess and then punish him. In the future your dog will be afraid of garbage on the floor in the kitchen, even if it wasn't him who caused it. Your dog is also going to be less likely to come to you next time you call him seeing as last time it resulted in punishment.

Also, I don't know about you but when a police car is driving behind me, next to me or even in front of me, I get nervous. Even if I am not doing anything wrong, I am constantly worried about making a mistake. Now that is definitely not how I want my dogs to feel anytime that I'm around.

Now imagine a world where instead of punishing drivers for speeding, cops went around randomly handing out $100 to people who were driving to the speed limit. Imagine you didn't know where or when, and it didn't happen every single time, but it was a regular and yet random occurrence. I don't know about you but I would definitely start driving to the speed limit (hypothetically I mean because I never speed...ever.) And I would also feel a lot less nervous when I saw a police car. In fact, I'd probably be really excited about seeing a police car.
Now translate that to your dog's world. You are frequently rewarding your dog for doing the right thing, and if they make a mistake, hey, no big deal, set it up next time so they will have a better chance of success. It is scientifically proven that dogs trained using positive reinforcement learn more efficiently, more effectively, and are more consistent with their behaviour than a dog trained using punishment. I want to be the cop who goes around handing out $100 bills for good behaviour. I want my dogs to enjoy learning, to make the right decisions even when I'm not around, and most of all, to enjoy my presence, not fear it. Which cop do you want to be?

Avoiding Inter-Dog Separation Anxiety

When people talk about their dog having separation anxiety, they are usually referring to the fact that the dog can't cope being left by its human attachment figures, however, possibly just as common, is inter-dog separation anxiety. Inter-dog separation anxiety is when a dog becomes overly attached to another dog, and cannot cope being separated from the other dog. Whilst this most commonly occurs between litter sibling who are adopted/bought together and have grown up together, it can also occur between non-related dogs as well. It could be two non-related dogs of a similar age adopted together, it could be a new dog attaching to the already resident dog of the household, it could be a dog with special needs attaching to another dog out of necessity.

Whilst treating inter-dog separation anxiety is very much the same as treating dog-human separation anxiety (See here), today I am going to discuss how to avoid it completely.
If you already have a resident dog, when you bring your new dog into the household, here are some important steps you can take to avoid inter-dog separation anxiety. These steps also apply if you are bringing two siblings or two new dogs into the household at the same time, however this is not something I would recommend - see littermate syndrome

1. Practice separating the dogs for brief periods at a time. After the dogs have been exercised, fed and watered, let them have a nap in separate rooms so they learn to be relaxed by themselves.
2. Train them separately. This is not something you have to do every time you train, but by having fun training sessions with each individual dog while the other dog is out of the room, you are building up a positive association to being separated.
3. Take them on separate walks. Again, this is not something you have to do every time, but it is important to take each dog on a walk by themselves a couple of times a week so that you can work with them as an individual, and most importantly, get the dogs used to seeing the other dog go for a walk without them,  so that it never becomes an issue. If you are lucky enough to have a second person in your home, then taking one dog out for a walk while the other person has a fun training or play session while you are gone is a great way to build up a positive association to the other dog going out for a walk without them.
4. Allow them to eat their meals separately on occasion to build up a positive association to being separated. 
5. Be the most rewarding thing in your dog's life. Teach your dog that you are fun to be around because you play games and have treats and take them for fun interactive walks. This isn't to say that you shouldn't allow your two dogs to bond with each other, as this is an important part of having more than one dog. However you don't want your dog to think all of the good things in life are dependent on the other dog being there, e.g. games, food, meal times, walks etc. You want your dog to learn that these things happen regardless of whether or not the other dog is there.

If you want to avoid inter-dog separation anxiety, practice and maintain these easy steps as soon as you bring your new dog into the household. That way, you never have to worry about inter-dog separation anxiety.

Happy training :)

How to Raise the Perfect Dog!

Step 1: Go to your local toy store

Step 2: But a stuffed dog

Step 3: Bob's your uncle

Okay, so by now you've realised that this article has nothing to do with having the perfect dog. But don't go yet. The aim of this article is to offer some insight into why dogs "misbehave" and what can be done about it.

We expect a lot from our dogs - even more than we expect from our children. We expect them to understand us when we use a language they don’t speak, and many of us make no attempt to understand our dog’s language in return. We expect them to go to strange places with strange people and be immediately happy being left there. We expect them to tolerate ear pulls, tail pulls and being sat on by small children, we expect them to walk calmly by our side despite any manner of distractions going on, we expect them to come to us when we ask, exactly when we ask no matter what. We expect them to only go to the toilet where we tell them it’s okay.

But let's take a look at some scenarios in which a dog "misbehaves."

So you're sitting down in the lounge room watching your favourite television show, enjoying a tasty sandwich, when suddenly nature calls and you need the bathroom. You leave your sandwich on the coffee table where you assume it will be waiting for you when you return. But when you come back, you just see the last few crumbs disappearing into your dog's mouth. You're immediate thought pattern is "my dog is naughty. My dog just stole my sandwich." 

Let's take a look at the same scenario through your dog's mind now. 

You're owner is sitting down staring at the box where he keeps his tiny pet people and tiny pet animals and the occasional tiny pet vacuum cleaner (I'm referring to the television), and he's eating a sandwich that smells amazing! Then for some reason you're owner gets up and leaves half of the sandwich behind. "Awesome," you think to yourself, "he must not want the rest because he got up and left it behind. I'll just finish it off for him." 

Let's take a look at another scenario.

Your friend brings over their three year old child for a visit and you give the kid a cracker. The kid munches it for a bit and then holds it down by their side. Next thing you know, your dog comes up to the kid and steals the cracker right out of their hand. Then the kid starts crying because the dog took the cracker and so you get cross at your dog, tell him "bad dog" and put him outside.

From your dog's perspective;

A tiny human came to my house today. It offered me a biscuit which I gladly accepted. Then for some reason I got yelled at and put outside. I'm not really sure why though. Normally when people hold food down at my face level it means they are giving me a treat, I don't know why this time was any different.

Another scenario;

You come home from work to find your dog has raided the garbage bin and left a huge mess. "Bad Dog!"

In your dog's mind;

Hey cool, I found some food. It was yum!

Another one;

You walk in to find your wet muddy dog curled up on your new lounge. "Bad Dog!!!"

Your dog's perspective;

Hey neat. I found a super comfy place to take a nap.

Another one;

Your dog is barking ferociously at the fence every time someone walks by. Your dog is a "nuisance barker."

Your dog's perspective;

There's a stranger on the other side of the fence. I don't know them. They could be a threat. "Don't come in, don't come in, don't come in, go away go away go away." (Person on other side of the fence keeps walking until they are out of sight.) "Phew, lucky I was here to stop them coming in."

Okay, last one I promise, but honestly, I could fill a book with them;

Your dog is out the front when your neighbour's cat strolls by. Your dog sees it and immediately gives chase. Chaos ensues. You're chasing your dog trying to call him off, the cat is meowing in distress, your neighbour is chasing you chasing your dog chasing the cat yelling at you about keeping your dog under control and blah blah blah. Your dog is a VERY BAD DOG!

Your dog's perspective;

I was out the front with my human and all of a sudden I spotted my next meal just strolling by. Lucky I have ninja reflexes because I immediately gave chase. Seconds matter when you're hunting prey. My human was trying to catch it too, but he's a lot slower than me. Lucky he's got me. Another human was trying to catch the prey as well but she was really slow. Looked like it was going to be all mine.

So now you're probably thinking that I'm crazy if I think we should all just let our dogs steal food from babies, put mud all over our furniture and chase cats, however I'm not saying that we should allow these behaviours. What I am saying, is that what owners perceive as "misbehaviour" is actually just dogs exhibiting dog behaviour. When a dog finds food, they eat it, when a dog finds a comfy resting spot, they take a nap, when a potential threat tries to enter the dog's territory, they act to protect it, when a dog sees a potential meal, they hunt it. It's perplexing and yet almost hilarious when you think about it; we want dogs, but we don't want them to act like dogs.

We need to stop labeling our dogs as 'naughty.' It only makes it easier to justify punishing them. Dogs aren't naughty, they are just being dogs! No dog is perfect, just like no human is perfect, so we need to stop expecting them to be.  

When dealing with behaviours that you deem inappropriate, it's important to firstly give your dog a suitable outlet for this behaviour so that he can still fulfill his doggy needs. For example, if your dog chases cats, give them something else to chase instead (such as a ball, frisbee or flirt pole) and teach them a solid recall so that they will come away from chasing something. If your dog likes to take a nap on the couch, get them their own super comfy dog bed and teach them to lie on it using positive reinforcement. If your dog likes to find food and eat it, hide their regular meals for them to find, teach them a solid leave it cue, and don't leave food within your dog's reach. It's all well and good to train a dog not to do something, but your dog still needs to be a dog, so make sure that you give them an alternative outlet for their doggy behaviours. And when your dog makes a mistake, think about how you could set him up for better success next time.

And next time your dog "misbehaves," cut them some slack, because after all, if you didn't want your dog to do dog things, you should have gone to Toys R Us!