September | 2013 | Dog Behavior Blog

Stress and perseverance with it. Asteroids destroy things. There are a ton of movies about it. Break its down and it’s is a great metaphor for behavior and rehabilitation for humans and dogs alike.

Stress can make it hard to think clearly and sleep well. Stay calm and open for effective troubleshooting

I climb so I can prove to myself that with preparation, an open mind and patience nothing is unattainable. This is true with dog behavior and stress and life. Climbing to the top is hard, but the view is worth it.Personal choices in life seem to be part of a cycling process based on the choices made and the steps after the consequences from those choices. Life being what it is,  has to expect stress, set backs,  loss, pain etc. No one has to let the big 300 megaton rock set to decimate everything you hold dear or the after shock issues delay hope or stunt will to live your life.

As The Dog Whisperer of MN , I use a lot of metaphors and examples of random things to shine lightning a dog’s behavior making owners understand a little more about what thing is spawning the reactiveness, Aggressive or even insecure behaviors. I talk about stress, kids and the weirdo people you see or no to make it easier and allowing people to envision this in a way to help further understand their dog better. Below is my gift of a goofy way to deal and understand stress and to make it easier to cope amd move forward and earn from it. Dog Psychology is very similar to human psychology since we have evolved socially with dogs for 1000s of years. Think about this in you have an intense behavior in your dog born you are in a crappy spot in life out side stressors big or small.

I’ve come to look at Stress as an asteroid heading towards earth. There is always relief after you figure out the engineering to get the Nuke drilled to blow it up, but remember that after that,  there may be smaller chunks that may need to deal with and over come. Less destructive but can still damage plenty. After that,  you have the emotions to deal with then the rebuild process then relaxation then creating a system to defend against the next asteroid.

Lessons learned are meant to make the next subject easier to manage and navigate through. Take my advice, I have made a lot of mistakes and some of them, I am still working through the aftermath of the initial Asteroid. You can do it if you trump fear and insecurity with will, determination and learn the value in effort and who deserves/ is willing to take the challenge on with you. The best view often proves to have the hardest path.

Share this and like this blog, it may help the next person navigate through a personal asteroid.

Dog Behavior Training is what I do,  but I stress that all dog safety measures should not be take lightly in heat or cold.

I’m often asked by dog owners, questions related to physical health along with the behavior health of their dogs. Remember,  I am not a vet,  but I have picked up some tips along my experiences. I do my best to answer health questions though. You should ask a vet if you have any deeper concerns.

The September heat is reaching record levels today and tomorrow so make sure to keep your dogs safe during the last parts of the summer.

Lots of people assume that with high temperatures,  a dog will be smart enough to stop playing as they heat up or drink when they become thirsty. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. If a dog is in play mode,  having a blast,  they don’t think about these essential pieces of survival. They are all out into the game they are in or even just super into sun bathing (Pit bulls and bully breeds especially)

A Dog’s are social and adaptive. Heat kills when safety is neglected. Dog’s can lack common sense when playing, owners shouldn’t.

As the “parent”  of your dog,  it is your job to keep them safe from the them selves and enforce intermittent cool down/water breaks. With a dog’s internal body temp already around 101 degrees,  the point to where they can develop heat stroke or exhaustion is quicker. The worst feeling as a dog owner is when your dog gets hurt or sick when it can be prevented. Below are some tips that can save your dogs life:

1) Dogs sweat through their feet,  so every 5 minutes or so,  check to see if the pads are hot and in between the pads damp.

2) The best way to cool them down is to apply cool or cold water to there belly,  under their neck and by their crotch.  Having a small wading pool is a great way to go about this.

3) Make sure they are hydrated. Look to see if they are salivating,  if they are and it is foamy or overly sticky,  make them slow down and take a water break.

4) No Parking: A normal thing is for owners to take their dog on a little ride along.  But,  on hot days, yiu should NEVER leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, a parked car can become a furnace in no time-even with the windows open-which could lead to fatal heat Stroke. On a 75 degree day,  in less then 5 minutes,  the temp in the car can rocket to over 100°. Another point, in several states, leaving pets unattended in cars in extreme weather is illegal and is grounds for repossession a dog a hefty ticket or even being charged with animal cruelty or animal neglect. Rescues all over the USA have adopted a BRICK pledge.  If they see an animal in a car and it is very hot out,  they throw a brick through the window with a not and repossess the animal.

For some other great tips to keep your dog safe in extreme weather,  click here and visit the ASPCA website section for pet safety.

My general rule of thumb is to slow down play every 2-5 minutes. This will allow them to create a habit of play then rest. Also not getting them ramped up to the point where tempers can flare.

Healthy and happy dogs are made through safety measures and structure.

Keep your dogs and pets safe in all facets of life. Keep or create happy and balanced dogs and minimize stress and vet bills!

A Dog’s Squeak Toy,  innocent fun or a gate way to neurotic, obsessive or aggressive behavior?

You know how it goes. Anyone who owns or has owned a dog knows the excitement and pure joy of bringing your beloved four legged family member home that bright and Shiney new Doggy Squeak Toy.

What’s the first thing every dog owner does when they walk through the door and get rushed by a wiggly ball of fur and tail. He knows the bag,  the gooberish look on your face, the excitement in your voice- finding it difficult to contain your self,  you know the feeling. I bet he checks the pet store bag out even before saying hi to you.

I know everyone does this myself included, you bend a slightly at the hips and say, 

“do you smell your toy,  do you?  You’s a good boooy,  whose a gooooood boooooy, are you a good boy?  Yes you are!… “

The Dog Whisperer of MN team of Cesar and me showing off what a balanced pit bull can do! No leash, people and dogs around, still focused.

Do

know, I spoil my dogs. But like with my Pit Bull Cesar, I work with him and am consistent with him every day throughout his 5 years of life.

Without a dogs understanding what a person or toy represent, you get a dog progressively becoming more ramped up and maybe even jumpy or barky. So you finally take it out of the magical portal of fun and with out any more delay,  you toss it for him.  He chases so fast, he almost slides into the wall.  Such a great idea right? Maybe…  Then again,  maybe not. 

Dog Toys are meant for fun, going about it the wrong way, can be a liability

The thing is, a toy can be a gate way to unwanted behaviors in your dog with out any obvious signs. There is a science involved in dog toy development. That fun (annoying) Squeak your dog loves, is a simulated sound meant to be at similar frequency of an animal dying. So, for those of you that wonder why your dog will just walk and chomp the toy for endless squeaks, it fulfills a dog’s predatory instinct to kill. This is why in some cases,  the toy can become that gateway to obsessive, neurotic and even aggressive possessive behaviors. Resource guarding can spawn from this,  unwarranted dominance related reactions and more.

Dog’s, as a species are predators and as such have a systematic approach to situations.  If this is fulfilled, there aren’t many things that can create intense or unwanted behaviors. For anything they get,  they need to work for it,  meaning in the wild for dinner they hunt. When they hunt,  the kill,  when they kill they eat and when they eat,  the dog(s) in control eats first (pack leader/alpha male or female) that is just one example of course. A-Z,  the dog’s specific psychological needs are satisfied, order remains,  not too many bad things happen.

To a domestic dog,  these needs tend to be neglected.  All with pure intention I know,  but to the wrong dog,  what winds up happening is a sense of entitlement manifests. With that,  a dog becomes unmotivated to work for you and develops a welfare mantality. Spoiled,  like those Nanny 911 kids.  Like a drug addiction,  they need the fix and will hit it until they are feel the high. Take an addicts drug of choice away,  what happens?  Withdrawal, panic, they obsessively try to find it to feel whole again.  If they can’t, they go find some one who can give it to them. Doing anything to get the person to give it to them.  For a dog,  you will feed into the tricks or get sick of the pacing and give the toy back.

Stage two. Now,  it takes more to get the high and thrill of victory,  your dog soon becomes frustrated,  begins tearing the toy up to pull the squeaker out. Like an addict going from smoking drug to sniffing drug. Quicker,  more intense feeling of ecstasy. See where I’m going?

The Dog Whisperer of MN philosophy is based on communication and the value of relationships.

Soon the obsession becomes frantic. Soon the toy becomes an entity in its self.  Soon the dog will be ripping so hard at the new toy, clawing, tearing and ripping, being consumed by this darn thing that won’t die,  he swallows the squeaker.

Uh oh.  Overdose.

You bring him the the Emergency Vet and $ 2000 dollars later,  he is on bed rest and pain management for 7-10 days because of the surgery to remove the squeaker and stuffing. Almost like detox. During the first few days,  it isn’t too bad but then the tick comes. The fit comes. Now he musters some strength to find another toy from the bucket. He looks pathetic, you feel bad, you can’t bare to see him like this; you buy him a new one shortly after.

Then what? He should have learned that day right?  Don’t destroy it or swallow the squeaker. He’ll be fine. Right? Well,  he started off slow. Then there is a point where you see that look in his eyes change. He is frantic again. You see some white fluff begin to come out. So you jump to to take the toy,  keeping him safe right? What happens when you take the pipe away from an addict? Violence. Aggression. Physical escalation,  almost red zone behavior. You see it on those COP and Jail shows or related movies all the time.

Dog Behavior Training and Rehabilitation is now needed. All because of an innocent toy. A fun play thing.

With out consistent rules and boundaries, a dog will not develop important limitations with a thing so that it doesn’t consume his thoughts and stunts his genetic inclinations to work,  hunt or earn the things he gets. Settling this,  satisfying this will not create the need to go further,  harder,  higher. It won’t create frustration.

Balance is key.

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