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Video: I Know What You’re Googling: Your Dog Care & Training Questions Answered

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:20:07 +0000

Everyone knows that the internet is full of various and sundry ways to procrastinate, and one of my favorites is checking my analytics.

You can see exactly what search terms people use to find your Youtube channel or website. Some of these are pretty hilarious. My video How to Keep Your Dog Entertained and Out of Trouble comes up as the number one Youtube search result for “how to get your dog high.” My day was totally made when I realized that.

And some of the search terms speak to universal experiences that all dog owners can relate to:
“new puppy regret”
“new puppy sleep deprivation”
“got a new puppy can’t get anything done. “

Some are disturbing:
“dog teen makeout”

And some are just weird:
“putting your puppy in the laundry”

However, most are in the form of questions, so I thought I’d answer a handful of those questions today. Most of these questions require more detailed answers than I can provide in this video/post, so you will find links below to other 3LostDogs videos and articles that will provide the full answers you seek.

“Are Labrador retrievers supposed to be crazy as puppies?” LOL. Is the sky supposed to be blue?

“Why does my bulldog puppy get psycho hyper?” Because he’s a puppy.

“Why are puppies insane?” I don’t know. I’m sure there’s some genetic, evolutionary reason for it but I don’t know what it is.

Is My Puppy CRAZY? A Short Guide to Puppy Behavior

“New puppy! Now what?” Congratulations! Your biggest and most important tasks for the next few months will be house training and socialization. Advice for both at the links below.

A Beginner’s Guide to Adopted Dog Ownership
43 Tips for New Puppy Owners
I Just Got a New Puppy – What Do I Do With It?
Housetraining 101: The Basics

“Do you have to let your 4 month old puppy sleep in your bedroom?” No, but it does help minimize the stress that your new puppy is experiencing. He’s in a new place and away from his mother and littermates for the first time in his life. Sleeping near you is reassuring.

“What do little puppies do?” They poop and they pee and they bite.

“How do you get a new puppy to like you? Yahoo answers.” You play with it, feed it, be kind to it, and give it time to adjust. As an aside, please don’t get your dog care information from Yahoo Answers. The amount of bad advice that comes out of that site is mind boggling.

“Can I crate my dog for 8 hours?” No. Well, I’m sure you are capable of keeping a dog crated for eight hours but if your questions is SHOULD you crate your dog for eight hours, no. (Sorry. Sometimes my inner grammar Nazi breaks out of its cage)

“Is it awful to crate a puppy all day?” Yes.

“Does crating a dog make them over hyper?” Not inherently. But crating them too much might. I imagine if you were locked in a box all day you’d end up with a lot of energy to burn, too.

“Are dog crates good or bad?” Dog crates are good. But the phrase “too much of a good thing” definitely applies.

Dog Crates: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“How do I keep my dog from guarding his food?” The reason your dog is guarding his food is because he’s insecure and he’s afraid someone’s going to steal from him. You have to condition him to believe that people approaching his food bowl is a good thing, not a bad thing.

The Real Solution to Resource Guarding and Food Aggression

“Is dog growling always a bad thing?” No. Growling is never ever a bad thing. Growling is not aggression, it’s a dogs way of avoiding aggression. The last thing you want is a dog who stays silent when he’s uncomfortable and goes straight to biting.

The Truth About Growling Dogs

“Why would a dog yawn and have sweaty paws?” Sounds like one stressed out dog to me.

Do You Recognize These 6 Signs of a Stressed-Out Dog?

“What can you give your dog to chill him?” I don’t know… cold water?

“How do you get your dog to listen to you?”
“What do you do with a hyper dog?”
“How do you get your hyper dog to calm down?”
You buy my training kit, “Give Your Dog a Brain: How to Get Your Out of Control Dog to Chill Out, Focus, and Do What You Say.”

Or you check out these free resources:
Dog Behavior Problems: Hyper Dogs

“Leave food out multiple dogs?” Probably not a good idea. In fact I wouldn’t recommend leaving food out for a single dog. It can lead to guarding and overeating and boredom and all kinds of unpleasantness.

Keeping the Peace in a Multiple Dog Household

“How to stop my dog’s destructiveness?” Your dog is destructive because he’s bored. Play with him. Exercise him. Give him lots of things to do.

Solving Dog Behavior Problems

“What is the number one dog that will turn on you?” Chihuahuas. Shifty little bastards, they are.

Chihuahuas Are Evil: How to Keep Your Pint-Sized Pooch From Turning on You

Dog Crates: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:00:30 +0000

It is my humble opinion that the dog crate is the most awesome invention to hit the world of Dog Stuff since the tennis ball.

They’re a great tool for keeping mischievous canines out of trouble, and for traveling. Crates make the dreaded housetraining process so much faster and easier, since dogs don’t like to soil their sleeping area.

Dogs are den animals, naturally preferring to sleep in enclosed spaces (this isn’t true of all dogs, but generally speaking). If properly introduced to his crate, a dog will come to treat it as his bedroom, a safe retreat from the stress of life with those crazy two-legged members of his family. It is not uncommon for dogs to seek out their crate when they need a nap.

If you have a new dog or plan on getting one, your first step should be to get a crate. It will be one of the most valuable pieces of dog equipment you’ll ever buy. Seriously.

There are many design options as far as crates go – choose from wire, plastic, or, if you’ve got cash to spend, wood.

But, you know, too much of a good thing…

As a wise superhero once said, “with great power comes great responsibility.” This applies to crate training. As crate training becomes more mainstream, more and more people are using crates.

And more and more people are misusing them.

People often rely on the crate too much. Dogs end up crated for eight + hours per day while their families are at work and school. Imagine being stuck inside a box that was just big enough for you to stand up, turn around, and lie down in from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Now imagine doing this five days a week. You’d go crazy, too.

It just struck me, as I write this, that this must be what it feels like to work in a cubicle. Huh. If that’s you, my sympathies. Try this. But I digress.

Crates were not designed to contain dogs for very long periods of time. Dogs who are over-crated can become destructive, hyperactive, anxious, or even develop bladder infections from having to “hold it” all day.

How much is too much?

Puppies under four months of age can hold it in their crate for a maximum of three hours. But ideally, they should be let out every 1 – 2 hours. Puppies four to five months old, a maximum of four hours. If a puppy is crated too long, they may start having accidents in the crate.

No dog should be ever be crated more than five or six hours per day. If you need to be away longer than this, there are a few things you can do:

-Pick a room of your house, like the kitchen, and “dog-proof” it so that you can confine your dog here.
-Use an exercise pen instead of a dog crate. Add a bed in one corner and a “dog potty” in another.
-Hire someone to come and play with your dog or walk him during the day.

Hey, this isn’t a prison cell

Another common misuse of the dog crate is using it as punishment. An occasional time-out when your dog is playing too rough is OK, but your dog is supposed to associate the crate with good things, not bad things. Never angrily drag Fido into his crate, never yell at him or hit the crate when he’s in it.

This will only make your dog hate his crate. It certainly won’t be a place he wants to be.

Bottom line, your dog’s crate can be a great tool, as long as you don’t overuse it and don’t use it as punishment. Misuse of the crate can lead to all kinds of behavior problems.

Make the crate a comfortable place: Keep it in a spot that’s out of the way, but where he can still see the family’s activity. Put a bed and some chew toys inside, and your dog will learn to love his “room.”

Check out these other posts:
Housetraining 101: the Basics
Housetraining 101: 9 Steps to a Potty-Trained Pup
43 Tips for New Puppy Owners
Video: Keep Your Hyper Dog Entertained and Out of Trouble
Video: Hey, That WAS My iPod! How to Stop Your Dog’s Destructive Chewing
I Just Got a New Puppy – What Do I Do With It?

Photo credits: One, Two and Three

Housetraining 101: 9 Steps to a Potty-Trained Pup

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:01:36 +0000

Note: This post is part two of a housetraining series. Check out part one, Housetraining 101: The Basics

courtesy Flickr.com/amagill" title="pottyspot" width="213" height="240" class="size-full wp-image-655" />

courtesy Flickr.com/amagill

Here it is: your simple, magic-secret-free guide to housetraining your dog. How long this process will take depends on how consistent you are with it and what experiences, or lack thereof, your dog has already had with housetraining. If you’re really good, it can take as little as a week or two. Otherwise, about 1 – 2 months.

You can’t prevent every accident in the house; expect to be cleaning up a few messes. Just keep in mind that every accident your dog has in the house sets you back in your training that much more, because it reinforces that “going” in the house is an option.

1. PICK A POTTY SPOT
Believe it or not, you can actually teach your dog to use one small area of your yard as her bathroom, instead of creating a minefield of deposits all over the place. Pick the area you’d prefer she use. When you let her out, take her to this spot. Dogs are creatures of habit and if you’re consistent about this, she’ll grow to prefer it over any other area.

2. GET A CRATE
Preferably, before your new dog comes home. Buy a crate that is just big enough for your dog to stand up, lie down and turn around comfortably. If it’s much bigger, she might pick one half as her bed, the other as her bathroom. Take some time to introduce her to the crate before you use it to confine her.

3. CREATE A PLAY PEN AREA
A two-month-old puppy can be expected to “hold it,” in her crate, for no more than three hours at a time. A four-month-old, about five hours. And no dog should be crated more than six hours during the day. If you will be away from home (work, school, etc) longer than this, and can’t arrange for anyone else to come take your pup out, you’ll need to create a “play pen.” Choose an area with floors that won’t be hard to clean if Sparky makes a mess. The kitchen is usually a safe bet. Build a small pen area with baby gates or an exercise pen (found at any pet store). Put her crate and some toys in this. For best results, add some form of “potty” or pee pad.

4. SET A ROUTINE
Dog owners often report that when they take the dog outside, she doesn’t go. This is usually solved by giving the dog a consistent routine. Schedule meal times and potty breaks and Sparky will soon adjust accordingly.

5. SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE
Can’t overstate the importance of this one! When you can’t keep an eye on Sparky, she needs to be in her crate. When you CAN watch her, watch her closely. I’m talking your complete and total attention here. She’ll usually give some subtle warning that she needs to go, like sniffing or circling. However, some puppies will squat with no warning whatsoever, so keep her close so you can interrupt her if necessary.

6. TAKE PUPPY OUT ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE
Take your dog outside every 1-2 hours. When you take Sparky out of her crate, put her on leash and take her directly out to her “potty spot” first thing. No playing, petting, or cuddling until after you do this.

7. HEAP ON THE PRAISE
When she goes in her potty spot, praise her lavishly. No skimping on this, especially early on in the game. As soon as she’s done, reward her with anything she really likes: treats, playing with toys, ear rubs, whatever.

8. COME BACK INSIDE THE HOUSE…
If Sparky peed and pooped outside, you can reward her with a little bit of freedom in the house. If she did one but not the other, or didn’t go at all, back in the crate she goes. Take her back outside in fifteen minutes and see what happens.

9. WHEN PUPPY HAS AN ACCIDENT:

Scenario one: You discover the mess three hours, 30 minutes, or 20 seconds AFTER she did it. Find an old newspaper, roll it up and smack yourself on the head. Ok – not really. Just remember to do better next time. You can’t punish a dog after the fact. She won’t know why you are punishing her.

Scenario two: You catch Sparky in the act. Interrupt her with a sharp noise, like “ah ah!” or clap your hands. Don’t get emotional (“No! You baaaaad dog! Wait til your FATHER gets home.”). Take her by the collar and rush outside to her bathroom spot. If she goes, praise her. If she doesn’t, oh well. Just remember to supervise better next time.

I know how frustrating it can be, but never scream, hit or shake her, rub her nose in the mess or otherwise punish her. Yeah, she may learn not to pee in the house, but she’ll also learn never to pee in front of you again, indoors OR outdoors, because for some weird reason it makes you all crazy and scary. Instead of peeing on the rug in plain sight, she’ll go under the table or in a back room where you she figures you can’t see her. Not cool.

If you found this post helpful and would like to see more like it in the future, subscribe to 3 Lost Dogs via email. Subscription is free and only takes a minute to set up

Other posts you might be interested in:
Housetraining 101: The Basics
43 Tips for New Puppy Owners
I Just Got a New Puppy – What Do I Do With It?
Puppies Behaving Badly: Jumping and Biting
Mischief Managed
Oh, Just Kill Me Now! Surviving Your Dog’s Teen Months

Housetraining 101: The Basics

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:00:46 +0000

photo courtesy Flickr.com/kristenadams" title="housetrain101" width="169" height="240" class="size-full wp-image-633" />

photo courtesy Flickr.com/kristenadams

Housetraining is not all that complex. But do a search on Google and you’ll find all kinds of sites proclaiming they have the “secret to housetraining,” or “ten potty training secrets!” All this complicates things way more than they need to be. If there is a secret to housetraining, it’s that there isn’t a secret at all.

Before we get started, there are a couple of things we need to get out of the way first:
One – Yes, you CAN housetrain your dog. It takes some commitment, but so does anything that’s worth doing, right? Take a deep breath. I believe in you.
Two – Accept that there WILL be accidents in the house. It’s not the end of the world, it doesn’t mean that you have a bad dog and it doesn’t mean that you are a bad owner.

Okay, so the anti-secret housetraining formula?

Prevent unwanted behavior (eliminating indoors) and reward good behavior (eliminating outdoors).

Yup. That’s about it. And notice I said unwanted behavior, not bad behavior. Because your dog has no clue that she shouldn’t pee in the house. She’s not being “bad” on purpose.

Prevent unwanted behavior: crate training and management

Letting an un-potty-trained dog roam unsupervised in your house is like letting an un-potty-trained toddler roam free without a diaper. Sooner or later, there is going to be a mess.

When your dog (or uh, toddler) is inside the house, she needs to be watched carefully to make sure she doesn’t go where she shouldn’t. We’re trying to prevent bad habits from forming (or if Sparky is already eliminating inside, stop bad habits in their tracks).

A crate is the potty training “weapon” of choice for most trainers today. Properly trained, dogs treat their crates like their bedroom. They won’t use their bedroom as their bathroom. When you can’t directly supervise your pup, put her in her crate to prevent accidents from happening. As soon as you let her out of the crate, take her directly outside so she can relieve herself.

When you are around to provide complete and total supervision, use baby gates to block off forbidden areas (i.e. areas that’ll be hard to clean if Sparky makes a mess), and use them to keep Sparky where you can see her so you can watch for any sniffing, squatting or leg-lifting. You can also try “umbilical cording:” Put Sparky on leash and tie the leash to your belt loop. As you go about your day, your dog will never be more than six feet away from you – all the better to supervise with, my dear.

Reward good behavior

Take your pup outside every hour. Bring treats or toys with you. When she goes, heap on the praise! Tell her what a good dog she is, then (AFTER she’s finished, please) give her some treats or play fetch or tug-of-war with her. The specific reward is not important, just anything Sparky really likes.

And that’s it! Nothing real complex about it. Of course, there are some specific steps you can take when potty training – here’s a step-by-step guide But don’t get too overwhelmed by the details. Remember the big picture: Be patient and consistent; don’t beat yourself (or Sparky) up over mistakes; prevent unwanted behavior and reward good behavior. You’ll do fine.

Check out these other posts:
I Just Got a New Puppy – What Do I Do With It?
43 Tips for New Puppy Owners
Puppies Behaving Badly: Jumping and Biting
Mischief Managed
Oh, Just Kill Me Now! Surviving Your Dog’s Teen Months

Mischief Managed

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:20:23 +0000

Photo courtesy Flickr.com/cptspock" title="MischiefManagedPic2" width="286" height="389" class="size-full wp-image-595" />

Photo courtesy cptspock

When I adopted my dog Merlin, I made a couple of rookie mistakes.
One: he was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision; my life and home were not prepared to handle a six month old border collie. And two: I let him have free roam of the house and yard way before he was ready- before he understood the rules of the house.

The result?

A bunch of chewed up valuables, torn up couch cushions, dog poop in the garden, and a yard that was beginning to look like the surface of the moon. Not to mention the nasty habit he developed of lunging at visitors.

This is all kind of embarrassing to admit, because as a trainer, I was supposed to know better. Eventually I shaped up and started working with him appropriately, but the damage was done. I am now fixing behavior problems that could have been completely prevented in the first place.

The moral of this story is this: Whether you’re adopting a new dog and you want to start off right, or you have a dog with behavioral problems that you’re trying to fix, the key to success is a good management program.

What is management?
Management is about keeping your dog under control and out of trouble at home, through the use of things like crates, baby gates and closed doors. It’s about preventing bad habits from forming, or, if Fido already has some bad habits, stopping them in their tracks. Merlin (er, I mean, “Fido”) can’t steal from the trash can or chew up the sofa if he’s never given unsupervised access to the trash can or the sofa, right?

Management is not training, but it is complementary to training; by preventing your dog from doing something wrong, you set him up for success for when you start training him how to behave.

Your mischief management system options:
Crate training – I did do this with Merlin, at least. Crate training should be the first thing you do when you bring a new dog home. A crate gives you a safe place to put your dog when you can’t supervise, like when you’re not home or when you’re sleeping. It’s also essential for housetraining. Dogs see their crates as their “bedrooms” and they don’t like to use their bedroom as their bathroom.

Put up baby gates – At our house, the dogs are not allowed in the front living room. I trained Merlin to stay out of this room by rewarding him for waiting at the entrance. This training would’ve gone much faster if I’d put up a baby gate at the entrance. I didn’t, and guess what happened? Merlin found that it was loads of fun to wait til no one was looking, sneak into the front room and wreak as much havoc as possible before getting caught. He quickly learned that the rewards for sneaking into the front room were greater than the rewards for staying out, setting my training plans back considerably.

You can use baby gates in two ways: to keep Fido out of off-limits areas like I did, or to keep him in a puppy-proofed area where you can supervise him.

Exercise pens – or “x-pens,” provide your dog a space that’s bigger than a crate, smaller than baby-gating-off an area. Useful if you have an open floor plan that makes baby gates impractical.

Tethering method no. 1 – Real low tech. You put Fido on leash and tie the leash to something sturdy. This is a quick solution that shouldn’t be used for long periods of time, as Fido can get tangled up or start chewing up the leash.

Tethering method no . 2 – Put Fido on leash and tie the leash to your belt loop. You are now free to go about your day knowing exactly what Fido is doing at all times. Great for young puppies.

Close doors - Want Fido to stop drinking out of the toilet? Keep the bathroom door shut. Hey, no one said this stuff had to be complicated.

Outdoor kennels – Living in the backyard should not be a full time deal for your dog, and let me tell you, leaving a dog to his own devices out in the yard is the best way to guarantee he’ll get into trouble. But there will be times when Fido will have to hang out in the backyard by himself. So if you have anything out there that you don’t want him getting into, you might want to invest in a small kennel. They’re not cheap, but definitely worth their weight in saved sanity.

To summarize:
Management is not training. Instead, it can be used in combination with training to make the process easier, or, when you don’t have time to train, as temporary fix.

Got a new dog or puppy? Until he’s learned the rules and you are satisfied with his behavior, don’t let him have free roam of the house.

Got a dog with behavior problems you’re trying to fix? Set him (and you!) up for success. Prevent him from engaging in his old bad habits through use of some or all of these management tools.