Cynologist

There are several types of aggression: protection of critical resources (food, toy, or person), genetic predatory response, fear aggression, and dominant aggression. Aggression towards people, either members of the household or general public, should be counseled with your local behavior professional. The complete counter-conditioning plan should reflect the same aspects of the behavior modification plan as described above. Medication (especially in cases of aggression in the home) is highly recommended. Examine the behaviors closely to determine the real root cause(s) of the problem, and medicate accordingly. Dog / Dog Aggression When two dogs "play" together, the play action reinforces instinctual behaviors such as dominance, fight, or flight and general aggressive manners. The long-term casualty of these inappropriate "play" behaviors is trust. Dogs learn to not trust each other. Once trust breaks down, the dog becomes defensively aggressive in an attempt to gain the dominant posture. To properly counter-condition your dog, your obedience skills must be excellent. Distraction training is also especially important. Resocialization of dog aggression involves repeated positive exposures to dogs that show control. Read more [...]

Boundary Agitation Boundary agitation occurs when a dog is maintained, uncontrolled, behind a fixed boundary, and is agitated by a repeating experience. The boundary could be a crate, exterior fence, windows in your house, or your car. The repeating experience could be the mailman, a neighbor, cars, dogs, children, etc. Do not use remote corrections for boundary agitation. The correction may only serve to promote negative feelings toward the people or animals being guarded against. Yard If your dog is "defending" the boundary by running along the perimeter and barking, he is becoming boundary agitated. To counteract the effects of boundary agitation, you will need to remove his yard privileges and hand walk him outside for at least two months. Divert any inappropriate behaviors with the corrective NO and redirect. Crate The crate is a highly confined space, and even the most mild-mannered dog may become defensive as she becomes stressed by the repeating agitations. If the crate is located in a high traffic area like the kitchen, relocate the crate to a non-central location such as spare bedroom or basement. Cover the front of the crate with a heavy blanket to block out visual stimuli. Never stick your fingers at your Read more [...]

Root causes: chemical imbalance, improper socialization to separation, mixed. Messages and Expectation Separation anxiety has two components: panic response and emotional response. The panic response is almost entirely chemical. Pharmaceutical therapy in the form of Chlomicalm or other homeopathic remedies is essential to controlling this response. The pharmaceutical therapy must be coupled with desensitization exercises for the maximum effect to be realized. The second response is the emotional response. This part has more to do with how you live with your dog than anything else. Most dogs have a tough time hanging out on the couch or bed and then being put into a crate or left behind. In your dog's mind, equal or lesser members of the societal structure do not tell other equals or superiors what to do. The plan. Sometimes separation anxiety is called "rejection of confinement." This label is probably more descriptive and may provide insight towards the modification plan. Change the expectation. Implement a leadership protocol that will teach the proper roles of man and dog to successfully treat this component of separation anxiety. Change the perception. Inflate the confidence cushion. If your dog feels as though Read more [...]

Root causes: stress and mental boredom.

Provide adequate mental stimulation. Two or three obedience workouts should be sufficient. Provide adequate chew toys and games. Emphasize toys and games that promote thinking and not just physical exercise.

Make sure your chew toys are appropriate. Plush toys are similar to sofa cushions or pillows. A rawhide chew is similar to that fine leather shoe. If your dog is chewing on inappropriate things, check to see if you haven’t accidentally taught him to do that with your toy choices.

Remove the opportunity. Supervise your dog in the house or the yard. Keep your dog on-leash and divert with a corrective NO and praise for the redirection. If necessary, counter-condition by providing remote-device correction for the undesired behavior. Wait until your dog is just about to begin the activity and correct with the remote device.

In Puppies When a puppy grows, her body craves protein. There is undigested protein in the stool and your puppy seeks it out and devours the stool. Prevention of this behavior is essential. Redirect with the leash. Take your dog for bathroom breaks on-leash and do not allow her to return to her stool. After the main growth spurts have passed, this instinct will pass as well. Consider changing to a better-quality food. If your puppy is craving additional protein, you may need to supply him with a higher-quality food. There are also meal supplements that supposedly make the stool less palatable. These supplements are available in catalogs or quality pet stores. Add the prescribed quantity of tablets to your puppy's food on a regular basis to achieve the desired effect. In Adult Dogs Adult dogs will eat their stool due I mainly to stress. In multiple-dog households, dogs may eat the other dogs' stool in an attempt to literally "eliminate" the traces of the other dogs. The solution to this problem is a bit more complicated. Review the section in chapter 10 about multiple pets. Providing leadership and guidance will be essential to elimination of competition feelings and stress. Persistent Coprophagia in the adult dog Read more [...]

The root causes of these three behavior problems are similar: mental boredom and opportunity. If your dog is bored, she searches for something to do. Odors of food or owner drive the search. Items like food, socks, underwear, and remote controls are prime targets. These nuisance behaviors are not stress-related. However, repeating these nuisance behaviors will become stressful for your household. Solve the mental boredom. Provide adequate mental exercise, especially to the hunting or herding breeds. Two to three workouts of twenty minutes each are probably the minimum. Remove the opportunity. During the periods between workouts, prevent the nuisance behaviors from repeating themselves by keeping your dog on-leash. Crate your dog if necessary. Trying to correct your dog to get him to "understand" that these behaviors are wrong will not work. Be very careful not to chase your dog if he has stolen something of yours. Chasing ends in confrontation while you take the object from your dog's mouth. Coupling this confrontation with some negative emotions (like yelling) may cause your dog to become possessive of the item he has stolen. Distraction training is essential to letting your dog know his behavior is inappropriate. Read more [...]

Teach "give paw" at your own risk. "Give paw" starts out as an easy command to teach your puppy. After a short while it will become an annoying way for your dog to demand you pay attention to him. If you have already made this mistake, you may need to counter-condition the behavior. When your dog paws at you, give three or four obedience commands so he defers his bossy action to your commands. If your dog defers, praise and then go play with him. Running Away First, get your dog back. If your dog gets away from you and is enjoying his freedom by playing "catch me," stop chasing him. Get down on one knee and point to a spot on the ground. You will need to focus all your attention on the spot. Now is the time to be theatrical! Maintain focus on the spot and your dog will wander over to you and wonder what you are doing. Dogs are focus animals. If you take your attention away from them and put it on a spot, they simply must see what is more interesting than them. Try it. This trick really works! Most dogs run away when their basic needs are not being met at home. Make sure your dog is getting enough positive attention and social interaction. Take your dog off the property to meet people and see different things at least Read more [...]

The following section of chapter 12 will be dedicated to describing several behavior modification plans after the basic obedience commands have been taught and the root causes of your dog's behavior problems have been identified. The process of behavior modification includes practicing obedience commands (to keep the obedience skills positive), distraction training (to build mental discipline to override fears, genetics, and instincts), and socializing (replacing improper emotions and expectations with proper experiences and behaviors). Behavior-modification plan. A complete behavior modification plan includes the following parts: Establish an effective basis of communication (obedience training). Identify the root causes of the behavior. Remove / modify the root causes. Resocialize: teach a new thought pattern / path through systematic exposure. Establish a reasonable time frame for resocialization. All behavior-modification plans will include establishing the obedience language. Behavior-modification plans are not designed to be quick fixes but are lifestyle changes. Most of the root causes of behavior problems are seated in the daily living habits of your dog. If you and your family are in a hurry to return Read more [...]

Socialization is the systematic replacement of one set of experiences or expectations with another set (which we hope is more acceptable) through planned repetitive exposures. The exposures begin in small intervals at greater distance and increase in duration and decrease in distance. Use the leash and collar. Use your commands exactly as you practice them. When creating a new behavior, you will need to repeat a pattern every day for thirty days before your dog will begin to accept the new pattern as a behavior. Likewise, if you are trying to extinguish a pattern, you will need to prevent the old pattern from happening for at least thirty days. Some patterns require many repetitions before they can become behaviors. You may need to repeat a pattern at least one hundred times until it becomes a behavior. If you can only repeat a certain pattern (like door greetings) five times a week, it may take at least five months to truly create the new behavior. Patience is critical! Repetition is essential. Behavior resocialization requires two to three exposures per week to gain ground. If the owner waits too long between exposures, the lessons learned during the session may be lost and you will need to start over again. When Read more [...]

Pharmaceuticals are rarely the sole solution to behavior problems and should always be used in conjunction with a counter-conditioning plan. Pharmaceutical agents are metabolized in the liver and may have long-term effects. Regular blood tests may be required to monitor these effects. Sometimes removal of stressful living conditions and creating a new behavior pattern can be made easier with the help of one of several pharmaceutical agents designed to restore chemical balance within the nerve synapse. Understanding the root cause of your dog's behavior will assist in the application of the correct medication. Always talk to your veterinarian or accredited behaviorist for assistance. Behavior situations that may also benefit from pharmaceutical therapy include situations where counter-conditioning exercises have reached a plateau, situations where it is difficult to manage the situation (e.g., dog aggression and thunderstorms), and finally when the reaction to the situation is so reactive that diversion is impossible (e.g., panic reaction and fear aggression). Different Medications Have Slightly Different Actions Genetic Sources. All dogs exhibit normal genetic / instinctual behaviors like territoriality, herding, Read more [...]