Anti-Pulling Equipment for Dog Walking

Most equipment mentioned below is available on Amazon. Some are available at big name pet stores like Petco and Petsmart.

Head Collars

Head collars are similar to horse bridles. They go around a dog's neck and muzzle, which gives the dog owner the ability to direct the dog by his head and prevent major pulling. While head collars work quite well, they can also prevent the dog from displaying "calming signals" (natural body language to avoid conflict) so I don't recommend it for puppies and environmentally sensitive dogs. But with generally confident dogs, as well as special cases, such as elderly or pregnant dog owners with big strong dogs, the head collar can be a huge help. In my experience, only 1 out of 4 or so dogs will accept the head collar willingly. Some need to learn to get used to it. A few will absolutely hate, even after a few uses. Below are a few of the many brands out there:

 

Control Ease Dog Headcollar - This is a good quality and affordable brand. The nose loop is padded with neoprene, which helps to avoid chafing.

Gentle Leader Headcollar - This is a also a good quality brand but a little more expensive. The nose loop is padded with neoprene, which helps to avoid chafing. This brand is more widely available, including at big pet stores like Petco and Petsmart. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns.

Halti Headcollar - This is another good one. It has a safety clip and other features so that the nose loop doesn't have to sit so tightly on the dog's muzzle. It might be good for sensitive dogs.

 

Front-clip Harnesses

Front clip harnesses are my first choice for dogs that pull. It doesn't prevent the dog from turning his head and giving "calming signals" but it curbs the pulling to a manageable level, especially when combined with training.

Wonder Walker Body Halter - This is a nice affordable harness that comes in many colors and sizes. I like that there is a back clip ring (in case you want to put a drag line or long line on your dog) as well as a front clip (to curb pulling). It only has one attachment so it's very easy to put on the dog and take off.

Didog Soft Flannel Padded Dog Vest Harness - This is a new harness that is easy to put on the dog and take off. It has a back ring as well as front ring.
 

Freedom No-Pull Harness - This harness has a nice fit, and the bottom part uses a velvety fabric which helps to prevent chafing behind the dog's front legs. It has a front clip (for anti-pulling) option, as well as a Martingale-style back clip option, which can be used when you want to give your dog more freedom on a long leash. It's a little cumbersome to put on the dog every day though, because there are multiple attachments to clip in.

Halti Harness - This is a pretty good harness. It's very affordable and is available at big name pet stores. It has neoprene on the bottom strap to prevent chafing.

Easy Walk Harness - This is a decent one although I've found that the sizes/fits are not very good. It doesn't have any padding on it either so some dogs experience chafing behind the front legs. The front clip is Martingale-style, so it shifts a bit more than I like. But it is available at most pet stores.

Leash

If you don't have access to anti-pulling tools, you can use a long leash and create a makeshift harness. The method I like to use, which works on my high energy 80-lb Lab, is #1 in the link below:

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/285082-turn-your-leash-into-a-no-pull-harness/

Others

Martingale Collar (limited slip) - While this collar works well on dogs with narrow heads that might easily slip out of a regular collar, it doesn't serve as an anti-pulling tool.

Slip Collars and Choke Chains - This collar works in such a way that if the dog pulls, the hole in the collar tightens on the dog's neck, thereby choking him. This tool can curb pulling with some minor pullers, however I would say that many dogs will pull anyway and start choking or coughing. It's not very pleasant. Also if your dog is in any way fearful or reactive, the "correction" they get when pulling towards a trigger can exacerbate their negative emotion.

Prong Collars -  This collar has prongs that stick into the dog's neck. It puts pressure on the dog's neck in many spots if he pulls on the leash.  Some dog owners swear by this tool. I would recommend this tool over a choke chain, although again, I wouldn't recommend it for emotionally sensitive dogs that might develop negative associations. Also, I should mention that some dog owners have told me that their dog ended up losing their hair and getting raw skin where the prongs were pinching the neck.

Nose Work Fun with a senior Golden Retriever

I've been hooked on nose work ever since I attended a K9 Nose Work® seminar taught by Jill Marie O'Brien and Amy Herot at a dog trainer conference a few years ago.  What I love about nose work is that although the methods are based on professional detection training, it is easy to do and fun for the average pet dog and pet dog owner.  Nose work is also a great confidence-building activity for fearful and reactive dogs.

My dog is 11 years old and although he's a Golden Retriever, he doesn't fetch balls, play with other dogs or swim. Oh, and he has hip dysplasia too!  So he and I were quite excited when we discovered nose work.  Not only does he love it but he is actually pretty good at it...even though he is not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to general training.

Exterior search - Outside our home

4 food hides

The first video is from the early days when Luka was searching for food only.  We had already done the foundation exercises, using boxes in familiar environments.  You can tell he's very excited about hunting, especially for the stinky Plato salmon treats.

Exterior - Shopping center parking lot

4 birch hides

This next video below was shot more recently.  Because Luka had searched for his primary reward (food) for almost a year in various environments, it only took two weeks of pairing with the target odor of birch for him to transition to birch only.

People who aren't familiar with detection and nose work often ask if the dog is supposed to do a Sit to let the handler know he's found source.  Most handlers will tell you that the change in the dog's behavior is the true indication.  I can tell from Luka's behavior when he's in odor and at source, but in case you can't tell, his final response is a nose poke, and if the reward is delayed, a look back at me.  I haven't trained a formal alert like a Sit because some dogs (like Luka) will fake it and false alert if taught a behavior like Sit that doesn't happen naturally during the hunt.

Interior - Post office

3 birch hides

Here's another video taken around the same time as the above exterior video.  This one's off-leash, although even when we work on leash, I try to simulate an off-leash search in order to give him as much space as possible to problem solve.

Exterior - Park Bathroom

3 separate birch hides

This next video was taken at a beach park where the wind was howling onshore.  It is interesting to note that the wind is blowing onshore on either side of the building, but is blowing the other direction behind the building because of an eddy.  You can tell from our gushing comments that my husband and I are very proud of Luka!

Containers

1 birch hide with 3 poke containers

On this day, I wanted to do some really simple nose work using just 3 little poke containers.  I wanted to simulate the idea of a scent wheel, where the dog has to figure out which of the compartments the odor is in.

Interior - Our ohana apartment

3 birch hides

After several months of a nose poke alert and rewarding quickly at source, I decided to delay his reward a little and shape a Look alert, since sometimes his Nose Poke is not very obvious (looks like he's sniffing).

If you're interested in starting nose work with your dog, check out the classes I offer on Oahu:

http://www.countrycaninehawaii.com/nosework.htm

Happy Sniffing!

Rehabilitating Separation Anxiety

Below is some general information on separation anxiety and its treatment.  Each dog is different so it is a good idea for you to get advice directly from a dog behaviorist or behavior consultant. However you may be able to implement some of the general tips below if your dog's separation anxiety is not severe.  For this article, I will use "she" to refer to the dog's gender.

WHAT SEPARATION ANXIETY IS AND WHAT IT'S NOT
First off I want to mention that just because your dog digs, chews, barks and potties inappropriately in the house does not necessarily mean that your dog has separation anxiety.  These may be symptoms of a bored adolescent dog that is not house trained.

True separation anxiety is when a dog panics when her owner leaves.  Dogs may display a variety of symptoms, including pacing, panting, drooling, shaking, non-stop barking or howling, destructiveness, loss of appetite, and even self-mutilation.  It's a good idea to video tape your dog when she is home alone, so you can assess her behavior and body language.

Some dogs have "isolation distress" rather than separation anxiety, which means that they are not necessarily hyper-attached to their owners, but rather they don't like to be left alone (without company).  These dogs might be fine if they have some other companion with them, whether it's another human, a dog housemate or a cat.

Other dogs have low "frustration tolerance," meaning they are used to getting what they want when they want.  They may whine and bark when you leave the house, but they eventually settle down and do not necessarily display severe or other stress signals.

Assuming your dog has separation anxiety, below are some steps you can take.

NO FOLLOWING
One of the things you can do right away when you are home, is not let your dog follow you around everywhere.  Close the door when you go to the bathroom and don't make eye contact or talk to her when you leave or return to the room.  Do the same when you go to your bedroom or garage or laundry room for short periods of time.  Your dog may whine a little at first, but she should start to get used to you being out of her sight for short periods.

DEPARTURE CUES and ROUTINES
Dogs with separation anxiety will pick up on cues that you are about to leave the house, including the alarm clock, your getting dressed a certain way, picking up car keys or purse, the car engine starting, your departure through a certain door, etc.  It's a good idea to identify all these cues/triggers and make a list.  You can desensitize your dog to those triggers, or else you can eliminate them.

An example of desensitizing would be if you have your car keys hanging on your pants all the time so she hears it jingling all the time when you're home; or you can pick up the keys, walk out the door and come right back in - repeat this process often so that your dog realizes that the sound of the keys doesn't necessarily mean you're leaving for a long time.

The alternative is to eliminate the cues, at least for a while.  An example of this would be: Park your car a little ways down the street so your dog doesn't hear the engine start; go quietly out the back door when your dog is not paying attention to you, etc.

LOW EXCITEMENT WHEN LEAVING AND RETURNING
It's a good idea to keep departures and returns low key - not too much eye contact, not a lot of petting or talking for the first several minutes, even if your dog is very excited to see you when you come home.  Same applies for departures.

BACKGROUND NOISE
You can also record a background soundtrack and play it on a loop on your stereo.  For example, a soundtrack of you and your family talking to each other, kitchen cabinet doors being slammed shut, microwave going off, TV in background, etc.  This will help in the beginning stages when you are leaving the house for short periods of time.

BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
In order to eliminate your dog's separation anxiety you will want to implement a systematic behavior modification program.  It will require that you leave your dog for only short periods of time to begin with.  For example, you would start by leaving her for 3 minutes (with something delicious to eat such as raw bone or stuffed Kong with real meat, and not just kibble - see Food Toys section below).  When you come back after 3 minutes, take away the bone/food (the idea being that she only gets this good stuff when you leave).  It would be a good idea to video tape everything to make sure she is not panicking.  (If panicking, shorten time to even 1 minute.)

After dozens of repetitions of leaving her for 3 minutes and her being okay with it, increase the time to 5-6 minutes.  If that goes well for multiple times, increase to 8 minutes.  If at any time the video shows that she is panicking, then you will have to cut down the length of time you leave her alone, and slowly increase the duration over time.  Repeat the process until you can leave her for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, etc.  It seems like this would take forever, but the beginning stages are the hardest (few minutes at a time), and expanding the duration later should be easier (e.g. 2 hours to 3 hours).

Ideally you will do many repetitions each day, rather than just one per day.

The above program requires that you do not leave your dog for more time than she is capable of handling.  If you and your family members work long hours from Monday to Friday, then you might work on the above programs on nights and weekends only, and manage the situation in other ways during the week. (See below for ideas.)

FOOD TOYS AND FOOD
Below is a blog piece I wrote on Enrichment Food Toys such as the Kong.  It can facilitate the behavior modification if you use food toys with high value food.  You can also feed your dog's entire meals in food toys - just mix the kibble with something wet like canned food or peanut butter:

http://woofpackhawaii.blogspot.com/2011/10/enrichment-food-toys-for-bored-and.html

Here is my blog piece on Training Treats (and Raw Bones).  I recommend high value food for training and behavior modification:

http://woofpackhawaii.blogspot.com/2011/09/training-treats-biscuit-aint-gonna-cut.html

(Note on the Kong if never used before: At first it might be best to make it easy for your dog to get the food out, rather than stuffing it too hard or freezing it. You don't want your dog to give up on it too easily.  Try the Kong while you are at home first, to see what level of difficulty she can handle.  Increase the difficulty with freezing or different consistency food as she gets used to it.)

BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION VERSUS MANAGEMENT
It's a good idea to show your dog the distinction between her "safe" alone time (short periods under threshold) versus "not so safe" alone time (longer periods over threshold), i.e. you have to leave your dog at home for a long time because you don't have a choice.  You can show your dog the difference by having different cues.

For example, you may crate your dog either way, but when you are working on behavior modification, you can play your custom background noise soundtrack and leave your dog with a food toy.  When you are not doing behavior modification and you have to leave her for a long time, then you might just play regular music, and not give a food toy.  This will allow you to keep your new departure cues "clean" so your dog associates them with positive emotions.

EXERCISE AND MENTAL STIMULATION
As you probably know it's also good to give your dog regular exercise, especially before leaving her at home.  Not only will exercise make her more tired, but exercise also releases endorphins and reduces stress.  If physical exercise is not possible for whatever reason, you can tire her out with obedience training, clicker training and shaping exercises, etc.

CONFIDENCE BUILDING
A great activity for dogs with separation anxiety is nose work.  Nose work is an activity where a dog has to use his sense of smell in order to find his rewards, be it food, toy or a target odor.  The techniques are similar to those used for detection dog training.  In order for a dog to hunt, he has to work independently of his handler (the dog owner), which helps to build his confidence.  To read more about our nose work classes, click here. 

OTHER MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
If your dog is not attached to you in particular and is okay as long as she is with any person, then other temporary management options include:

• Dog daycare
• Day boarding at a vet clinic
• House-sitter - for example, there may be college students who are looking for a quiet place to study
• Leave your dog with a friend who works at home or is a stay-at home mom

NATURAL SUPPLEMENTAL REMEDIES
You might also try using products like Comfort Zone DAP, Thundershirt and Rescue Remedy to help keep your dog calm.  This would be good to use in combination with a behavior modification program and management.  If your dog is on anxiety medication, these natural remedies can be used as you wean your dog off of her medication.  Below are the links:

• Thundershirt and Anxiety Wrap - Drug-free solutions to thunder/noise phobia and anxiety in dogs
• Comfort Zone D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) for reducing stress and anxiety
• Rescue Remedy for reducing stress and anxiety

MEDICATION
If your dog has severe anxiety, i.e. she is injuring herself, then medication may be a helpful option in combination with behavior modification and management.  Talk to your vet about it.  It's a good idea to make sure any medication is a true anxiety medicine and not just a sedative like Ace Promazine.  Below is an article explaining why:

http://www.pet-health-care-gazette.com/2011/07/03/acepromazine-for-dogs-is-acepromazine-a-good-medication-for-anxiety/

NOISE PHOBIA or TRAUMA
If your dog suddenly developed what appears like separation anxiety when she never had this problem in the past, then it's possible the anxiety was caused by a sudden traumatic event like a burglar breaking into your house, or a really bad thunderstorm while your dog was home alone.

BOOKS
There are a few good books that address separation anxiety:  I'll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell and Don't Leave Me by Nicole Wilde.  They are both very good and I would recommend one or both.  I'll Be Home Soon is a shorter guide book, and Don't Leave Me is a full length book.  They are available on Amazon.com or from the respective author's website.

SUMMARY
I hope all this information helps.  Unfortunately there isn't an easy solution for treating separation anxiety.  Again, I want to emphasize that the information above is general.  Each dog and case are different, so please consult with a professional if you need help with your dog.

Getting Your Dog Comfortable with a Crate

Getting your dog to be comfortable with a crate is a good idea for several reasons:

* If there's a natural disaster such as a tsunami and you need to evacuate your house, the emergency shelter will only takes crated pets.  If you suddenly crate your dog then it will be an added stressor for your dog in an already stressful situation.

* If you ever have to travel with your dog, e.g. plane, train, you will most likely have to crate your dog. Why not train him ahead of time to be comfortable in a crate rather than waiting until last minute?

* If your dog gets rambunctious in the car or reactive towards the environment while in the car, then you can crate your dog within the car for your peace of mind and your dog's peace of mind.

 

* If you do dog sports or work with your dog, then it's usually required that dogs are crated between training or work sessions. The crate serves as a place for your dog to decompress and rest.

* Once your dog is used to his crate, it can become his safe/quiet den within your house or at new locations.

CONDITIONING EXERCISES

There are several steps you can take to get your dog used to a crate gradually and in a positive manner.

* For the first several days, feed all her meals in her crate.  If she typically gets only one feeding per day, you might try splitting it into multiple smaller meals during the training period, so that your dog has more opportunities to have positive experiences in the crate. During this initial training period, don't close the crate door.  Also, if your dog seems hesitant to go inside the crate or stick her head inside it, then make it easy at first - i.e. instead of putting the food bowl at the far end of the crate, put it right inside the opening, and gradually put it at the far end.  In general it's a good idea to let the dog go inside (or eat the food) on her own instead of trying to coax the dog.

* If your dog is not motivated by kibble alone, you can mix wet food or treats with the kibble to make the meal more enticing. Here's an article I wrote with recommendations on treats:

http://woofpackhawaii.blogspot.com/2011/09/training-treats-biscuit-aint-gonna-cut.html

* Leave the crate in a cozy spot in the house at all times, with door fully open, and see if she starts to go in on her own.  You can put a dog bed inside or a cooling pad, or whatever she likes.  You can also reward her by throwing treats into the crate any time she voluntarily goes into the crate and lies down.  Or,  you can always leave a few treats inside the crate so that she learns to go look for them there.

* If you dog is more toy-motivated, you can leave his favorite toy in the crate instead of treats.  Any time you notice the toy lying around your house, put it back into the crate so your dog can go look for it in the crate. If your dog likes to chew its toy, then you can even tether the toy to the back of the inside of the crate, so that the dog can chew it only when he's inside the crate.

* If things are going well and your dog doesn't seem to mind going into the crate, then you can start to close the crate door for short periods at a time, such as 5 minutes, and gradually longer periods, up to a maximum of 3-4 hours.  Unless it's overnight, I don't recommend crating a dog for more than 4 hours at a time.

* When you close the door, give your dog a food toy such as stuffed Kong.  Instead of feeding her meal out of a bowl, you can stuff her meal into a big Kong toy (mix kibble with wet food and even freeze to make it longer lasting if you want) and then let her work on it in the crate.  Instead of a food toy, you can also give some other high-value item such as a bully stick or raw beef bone that will take your dog some time to eat.  As soon as you open the crate door to let your dog out, take away the food toy (assuming your dog does not resource-guard).  This way, your dog learns that being in the crate = delicious food toy, and getting out of the crate = no more delicious food toy. It's a good idea to supervise the dog (or be in the house) at first so you can make sure the dog isn't stressed.

* Here's an article I wrote with enrichment food info including food toys and raw bones:

http://woofpackhawaii.blogspot.com/2011/10/enrichment-food-toys-for-bored-and.html

* If all goes well, you can try leaving your house for short periods of time while your dog is in the crate, and work towards longer periods.

* Practice crating inside the car, if you plan to use the crate for transport, or while parked in new locations. Associate crating with good things.

TYPES OF CRATES 

Below are the pros and cons of the different types of crates that are available:

* Plastic crate - This is good if you will need one for traveling anyway.  It's the only kind of the 3 listed here that is approved for airline use.  The top and bottom come apart for stowing, and it's not too heavy to transport.  It gets a little hot in there if there's no wind though, because of the plastic walls, so it would not be ideal for hot environments.

* Wire crate - This stays nice and cool because it's all wire.  It stores easily because it collapses and flattens out.  It is also very solid and escape-proof. At the same time, the dog can still see through the wires, so it's good for dogs that prefer if you stay in view. The down side of the wire crate is that it's heavy to transport. But it works well as a home or car crate if you plan to leave it in place.

* Canvas crate - This stays nice and cool as well, because the sides have netting with covers that unzip.  The crate is collapsible and easy to transport and store.  The down side is that if you have an escape artist or destructive dog, then she/he can probably rip right through the netting! I recommend getting your dog used to plastic or wire crates first, then transitioning to canvas.

SUMMARY

 

In general the idea is to make the crate a "good/safe" place in the dog's mind through positive associations and training at the dog's pace.  If you find that your dog has an unusual aversion to the crate please contact a dog trainer or behavior consultant, so they can offer additional advice.

Help! My Puppy is a Terror!

Puppies are wonderful...cute, fluffy, and oh so loveable....except when they're not!  Some of the most common behavior issues that dog owners contact me to resolve are boredom barking and destructive chewing/digging.  99% of the time, these dogs are puppies and adolescent dogs (up to 1 or 1.5 years old).

Those of you who have human children understand that kids need to go to school, study, play with other children, do sports and other activities.  If you kept your kid locked up in a room all day with nothing to do and nobody to play with, he or she would go bonkers.  The same applies to puppies and adolescent dogs.

Below is a list of things you can do to channel your puppy's energy and prevent problem behaviors followed by more details:

• EXERCISE
• MENTAL STIMULATION
• CHEW TOYS: FOOD TOYS instead of FOOD BOWLS, RAW BONES instead of  NYLABONES
• PUPPY PROOF THE ENVIRONMENT
• EAGLE EYE: MONITOR YOUR PUP
• CRATING AND KENNELING
• OTHER ALTERNATIVES: DOG WALKER, DAYCARE, DOG SITTING TRADE

EXERCISE

Although I'm not a fan of some of Cesar Millan's behavior modification techniques, I like how he ecourages dog owners to give their dogs "Exercise, Discipline, and then Affection."

Unless you have a couch potato puppy, you will want to give your puppy daily exercise.  By exercise, I don't mean a 30 minute leashed walk.  A leashed walk is good for training and bonding, but it will be nowhere near enough exercise for most puppies and adolescent dogs.  Jogging or running is not usually recommended for puppies because their bones are not fully developed, and the repetitive motions of running can negatively affect their growth.

One of the best ways to burn a puppy's energy is Puppy Play.  Get together with other puppy owners in your neighborhood for daily play sessions if possible.  If you don't know of any puppies in your area, you can sign up for puppy classes.  Or you can set up play sessions with friendly adult dogs who won't be annoyed by a puppy.

For adolescent dogs that are fully immunized, I recommend off leash hikes.  If your dog doesn't have a good recall, or you don't want to let your dog off leash for some other safety reason, you can use a long line or retractable leash.  There's a product called Jerk Ease that you can attach to your leash so that you won't get pulled off your feet when your dog reaches the end of the leash.  Meanwhile you can start training a reliable recall in your pup.

The great thing about an off-leash hike is that the dog can vary his pace according to what's comfortable for him.  He can sprint for a little, sniff the bush a little, then walk a little, sprint again or run around in circles, and so on.

Swimming is a fun form of exercise that can be done even in the heat of day.  You can keep your dog on a long line if you are concerned about him running away or jumping on other beachgoers. Doggie flotation vests can help your dog can get maximum paddling exercise without worrying about staying afloat.

Playing fetch in the yard is another easy way to exercise a dog.  If your dog doesn't know how to fetch, you can teach it to him by putting treats inside a plastic water bottle or toy.  The only way your dog gets to eat a treat is if he brings the bottle back to you.  You can gradually throw the bottle farther and farther away.

Agility, nose work, Treibball, schutzhund, flyball, truffle hunting, herding, dock diving, etc. - There are all kinds of fun classes and activities out there to exercise your dog while also giving him a mental challenge. Which brings me to the next recommendation....

MENTAL STIMULATION

Obedience Training - Physical exercise is not the only way to drain a dog's energy.  You can also do so by challenging your dog with self-control exercises including obedience training.  You'll have the added benefit of having a better behaved dog.  I recommend keeping training sessions short (i.e. 5 minutes) and doing them throughout the day rather than doing one long session.

Out and About - Take your dog with you when you run errands or when you visit your friends.  Just driving around in a car with you or meeting new people can provide lots of mental stimulation for your dog.  You'll be surprised at how exhausted he will be when you get home.

Clicker Training - Teach your dog how to do fun tricks or useful tasks such as retrieving objects or closing/opening doors and drawers.  The cool thing about clicker training is that your dog has to figure out what he needs to do in order to get rewarded.  It's a lot more mentally challenging for a dog than being told what to do.  Service dogs are trained to do all kinds of complex tasks via clicker training.

Scent Work - Dogs have a really good sense of smell.  Nose games are an excellent way to mentally stimulate a dog, especially on a rainy day when you can't take your dog out for a regular walk. It can be as simple as hiding treats around the house or yard, or as challenging as teaching your dog to search for your car keys. If you have a food-motivated pup, why not feed all his meals through hunting games in the house?  At first, you may have to show him that you're hiding his food. Once he starts to understand the game, you can put your dog away while you hide the food, then bring the dog out and tell him to go "Find it!"

Dog Sports and Activities - As mentioned in the previous section, there are lots of dog activities popping up all over the world, including Treibball, where dogs are taught to herd yoga balls instead of sheep! Find the right activity for your dog based on his breed, temperament and personality, and you are guaranteed to have a happy and tired dog at the end of the day.

Toys - It's a good idea to rotate your dog's toys to prevent boredom.  For instance, you can give your puppy toys A and B today, toys C and D tomorrow, toys E and F the day after tomorrow, then go back to toys A and B the following day, and so on.  Squeaky toys might be more interesting than a non-squeaky toy.  I usually don't give stuffed toys to destructive dogs because they will tear them apart in minutes and leave a huge mess of stuffed cotton to clean up!

CHEW TOYS: Food Toys instead of Food Bowls, Raw Bones instead of Nylabones

Dogs are predators and enjoy hunting for food.  Why not challenge them with a food toy instead of feeding their meals out of a bowl?  For super high drive dogs, a Kong stuffed with kibble and wet food, then freezed overnight should be challenging.  Below is an article I wrote with ideas on different food toys and ways to stuff them:

http://woofpackhawaii.blogspot.com/2011/10/enrichment-food-toys-for-bored-and.html

Young puppies will also need something to chew on if they are teething.  Nylabones and other plastic or rubber toys are okay, but your puppy might lose interest pretty quickly because there's no flavor.  If your vet approves, you can try giving your dog a raw marrow bone or raw beef hoof instead.  I've yet to meet a dog that does not LOVE chewing on a raw bone.  It's safer than a cooked or smoked bone because a raw bone doesn't crack so long as it's fresh.  It's also good for your dog's teeth and gums.

PUPPY PROOF THE ENVIRONMENT

A well-exercised and mentally stimulated puppy should do less destructive chewing and digging.  However puppies are puppies, and don't know that they're not supposed to dig and chew your belongings.  Just like it's necessary to babyproof a house, it's necessary to puppy proof a house, at least until the puppy is older and has gotten past the chewing/digging phase. Below are some things you can do:

~ Put shoes and slippers in a place that your puppy can't reach

~ Put away other "contraband" such as sunglasses, purse and cell phone

~ Use flexible wire fencing in your yard to close off areas with plants and other fragile objects

~ Use a deterrent product such as Bitter Apple for objects you can't put away such as furniture

Don't let your puppy practice bad behaviors because they'll turn into habits.  Instead, prevent the bad behavior and give him something better to do or chew. As he grows older, they will turn into good habits, and he won't even think about chewing the wrong thing.

EAGLE EYE: MONITOR YOUR PUP

When you are at home with your puppy, it's important to keep an eye on him or her at all times and prevent inappropriate chewing and digging.  If you see him about to do something inappropriate, redirect his attention right away and give him something appropriate to do or chew instead.

Don't scold your puppy because he won't necessarily understand why he's being scolded.  In fact, he may even start to do the digging/chewing only when you're not watching, because he knows he'll be "safe" then.

CRATING AND KENNELING

Crate, kennel or confine your dog when you can't monitor him/her.  As long as you give your dog enough exercise, attention and mental stimulation, there's nothing wrong with crating a dog.  In fact, it's good for your pup to learn how to calm down and have "down time."  It's also a good idea to get your dog used to being in a crate - if by some chance you have to go to a disaster shelter, they usually only accept animals in crates.  If you ever have to move for your job and you have to fly to the new location, your dog will need to be crated in the plane.

If your dog is new to crating or kenneling, make sure you associate the crate or kennel with good things so your dog doesn't start resenting it.  For instance, give your dog his stuffed Kong food toy every time he goes into his crate.  For more tips, please read my blog article on how to get your dog comfortable being in a crate.

It's a good idea to crate or kennel an unsupervised dog until he or she is one or 1.5 years old.  That's the typical age that a dog outgrows his bad habits of chewing and digging inappropriately.  I don't recommend crating a dog for more than 3-4 hours at at time during the day, because they will need to potty and stretch their legs.

OTHER ALTERNATIVES: DOG WALKER, DOG DAYCARE, DOG SITTING TRADES

If you have to leave your puppy or adolescent dog unsupervised for longer than that because of your work schedule, some additonal options include hiring a dog walker, using a dog daycare, asking your relatives to dog sit, or doing a daycare trade with neighbors or friends.

BAT: What It Means To Me

Beth Chambers Carbone participated in our Leash Lungers Anonymous class where we teach BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training) techniques to rehabilitate reactive, fearful and aggressive dogs.  Here she writes about what she learned and how the class helped her and her dog.

For more info on the class, which I co-teach with Pro-Dog Hawaii, please email me!

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ProDog Hawaii's Behavior Adjustment Training sessions for aggressive dogs changed my experience of walking my dog.  I think most of of think of walking a dog as a peaceful experience.  We get to spend pleasurable time with our dog, we feel the sunshine on our backs, we enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Hawaii... But my walks were not like that for a long time.

My dog, Nero, is an "intact" male Bulmastiff.  He is wonderful with humans, but he doesn't like strange dogs.  I have always been very careful on my walks to avoid other dogs -- and by avoid, I mean I walked across streets, turned around, or even ran when I saw other dogs coming close.  Nero would lunge towards strange dogs, and it was very unpleasant for me.  Every day, when I walked Nero, I felt as if I was walking in a minefield: always trying to see beyond blind corners, practicing active avoidance when I saw dogs.  And if another dog and it's owner "snuck up behind me" (i.e., walked up behind me) I would feel panic!  So my walks weren't very fun. 

That changed after Nero and I participated in BAT with Marie and Kyoko and two other dogs (Hiro and Hina).  The goal of BAT is simple: learn how to encourage non-aggressive behaviors by marking them and rewarding the dogs.  And really, that's what it is.  We met for 4 weeks, 1 hour each week, and went through a series of activities that taught us how to recognize neutralization behaviors and reward them.  So I learned what Nero does when he exhibits aggressive behavior and also when he is showing calming/neutral signals.  When he would give me those calm/neutral signals, I would immediately mark it, turn away from the other dog, and then give a reward.  We did this over and over, getting closer and closer to the other dogs.  In this experience, I learned what Nero does to be calm.  But he also learned what I want him to do when he sees another dog.

The amazing thing about it is that the behavior and training have extended beyond the two dogs we worked with. Now when we are on walks and see other dogs, I don't feel that I need to walk away.  Now that doesn't mean I get too close:  I know now that Nero is okay at about 8-10 feet away. And Nero knows that he can look at the other dog -- sometimes for many seconds -- and then he will turn his head, lick his lips, and look me in the eye.  I know that means that he is telling me he's calm, and I reward him and walk away.  Today, I was walking him and a woman walked very close to me with a big dog.  I was standing near a tree, all alone in a field, and this woman cut right towards me!   Even though I was trying to give her signals (such as saying, "Please don't come too close to me because I have an aggressive dog."), she just kept coming.  I couldn't believe it!  But guess what?  My dog Nero just sat and looked.  When she finally stopped, about six feet away from me, my dog looked at me and looked away from her dog!  I gave him a treat and then we walked on. 

So, now I really am enjoying my walks with my dog.  I am not constantly afraid that my dog is going to suddenly lunge at another dog, and I feel more confident that everything will be okay even when the unexpected happens.  Yes, I think my dog will stay alert and could be aggressive with other dogs. But the great thing is that he knows how to communicate with me, and I know how to recognize his signals.  He'll let me know if I am getting too close to another dog, and I will respect his boundaries.  And so we will walk!

Guidelines for Re-Homing A Dog

In case you are in a situation where you are fostering a stray dog and cannot keep him/her, or you must re-home your own dog for a valid reason, I've written some guidelines to ensure that your dog goes to a good home.

CRAIGLIST

Craigslist's Community-Pets section is a good place to post an ad (although you have to make sure you screen potential adopters very carefully).  It always helps to post cute photos of the dog, and as many details about the dog as possible, such as age, temperament, neuter status, health, likes/dislikes, training history, dog-friendly, people-friendly, good with kids, etc. so you can find good adoption candidates and eliminate bad ones right off the bat.  It also helps to post the ad in first person, as if the dog is writing it.  For example:

"Hi, my name is Kona and I'm a super-friendly 2.5 yr old male neutered Lab mix who is looking for a forever home because my current owner passed away.  I like children but I'd probably do best in a home with no children, because I'm big and strong and could knock a baby over.  I love to swim and run so it would be a plus if you are active and enjoy going to the beach!"
...and so on.  People like to hear a little history about the dog too, such as where he came from, and why he needs a new home.

Talking to potential adopters on the phone first will give you a good idea of whether they are a good match.  If they are, you can set up an appointment to meet them in person.

Information you'll want to post about your dog include:

GENERAL DOG INFO
* Is your dog neutered or spayed?
* Is your dog up to date on all vaccinations?
* Age?
* Male or female?
* Breed or breed mix?
* Weight?
* General health?
* Is your dog on flea/tick preventative, heartworm preventative?

DOG BEHAVIOR INFO
* Is your dog potty trained?
* What energy level is your dog (i.e. low, medium, high, super high)?
* Does your dog get along with other dogs? If not, please describe.
* Does your dog get along with cats?
* How is your dog with young children?
* Does your dog have any behavioral issues that adopters should be aware of? (You should be honest here, for the sake of everyone's safety.)
* What does your dog do that is cute or endearing?
* What activities does your dog enjoy that will help potential adopters better understand his or her personality?

YOUR INFO
* What are the circumstances for your having to re-home your dog?
* Are you asking for a re-homing fee? If so, what?
* In what area of Oahu do you live?
* What is the best way for potential adopters to reach you? Provide phone number and/or email.
* Do you have a deadline for re-homing your dog?

Important Note: If your dog has issues with other dogs/people/children, it is important that you let potential adopters know, rather than hide it because you are worried your dog won't get adopted.  Even if you might get less people inquiring about your dog, you can be comfortable knowing that only people who accept and can manage your dog's issues will adopt your dog.  You don't necessarily have to post details of behavioral problems on the ad itself, but you should mention it on the phone or in person.

PHOTO TIPS
When posting a photo in an ad or flyer, it helps to post a cute photo of the dog.  You will get a lot more responses if the dog looks happy and approachable rather than scared or unkempt. 

Photo Tip: Putting a plumeria behind her ear makes her look even cuter than she is! Get creative with props. You can use leis, bandanas, toys, and more. Just make sure your dog isn't stressed out by the props.

Photo Tip: Try to capture your dog "smiling" (mouth open, tongue hanging) and looking happy. An active shot (playing, running) is also nice, although harder to capture.

Photo Tip: This is an example of a less than ideal photo - you can't see the dog's face, he has red dirt all over his fur and he looks ragged in general.

Photo Tip: This is another less than ideal photo, taken at the vet clinic. Her body is tense, mouth closed and looking away from the camera.

LOCAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS
Another option you can pursue in conjunction is the local dog rescue groups.  On Oahu there are several including Hawaii Dog Foundation, HARF (Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation), K9 Kokua, Oahu SPCA.  Most of them are very busy with stray animals and most likely will not be able to take in an owner-relinquished dog, but they may be able to help you in other ways.

For instance, Hawaii Dog Foundation will let you post an ad on their Private Adoptions page for a small donation.  The Private Adoption ad will be seen by potential adopters who will contact you directly if they are interested.  For more info go to:
 
http://www.hawaiidogfoundation.org/meet-more-dogs-courtesy-listing/apply-for-courtesy-listing/

You may also ask if you can attend their adoption events and showcase your dog to potential adopters.

SHELTER

The Hawaiian Humane Society is Oahu's only open admissions shelter, meaning they will accept animals at all times, including owner-relinquished dogs.  Because they are open admissions, they cannot possibly have enough space for all relinquished and stray animals.  Nor can they possibly adopt out all animals.  Inevitably, some animals may be euthanized.

If you are turning in a stray dog, you can ask HHS to put your contact info into the dog's record, and to contact you if the dog is deemed "unadoptable" for medical or behavioral reasons.  You will then have the choice to adopt the dog back out of HHS, and seek out other options for finding a home for the dog.  However, if the dog is deemed "adoptable," then he or she will be placed in one of their adoption kennels and hopefully will find a happy forever home.

VET CLINICS and PET STORES

You can also make and post flyers at vet clinics and pet stores.  In addition, talk directly to the vets, vet techs and pet store employees.  Pet professionals often know of people who are looking to adopt a particular kind of dog, or a new dog because their old dog passed away.

ADOPTION APPLICATION

If you want to ensure that your dog goes to a good home, it's a good idea to ask potential adopters to fill out an application.  This will not only show you how sincere they are, but will also allow you to see on paper if they are a good fit for your dog.  Here's a link to an adoption application you can use:  http://www.countrycaninehawaii.com/AdoptionApplication.doc

RE-HOMING FEE - YAY OR NAY?

Some people think that asking for an adoption fee is inappropriate, as if it makes you look like you're selling an animal just for the money.  I personally think that an adoption fee is a good idea because it shows you that a) the adopter can afford to care for the animal - after all, they will have to spend money on medical bills and food after the adoption, and b) the adopter is not just looking for a free dog that they might resell for profit, or even worse, give to a dog-fighting ring.

$75-$150 seems to be what most people ask for, but you can ask for more if you paid for neutering or spaying a stray animal that you are fostering.

HOME VISIT and MEET AND GREET

Once you have found the right adopter, the last thing you will want to do is to visit their home to make sure the house is clean, safe and suitable for a dog.  If the adopter doesn't want you to see their home, it's a red flag.

Also, if the adopter has other pets, you will want to make sure that all animals get along.  If their existing dog is territorial, introduce the dogs to each other on neutral ground.  You can also hire a dog trainer to help with dog introductions.

SPAYING AND NEUTERING

In order to minimize pet overpopulation and irresponsible breeding, it's a good idea to spay or neuter your dog before you place him in a new home.  The adopter may say they will not breed the dog, but the reality is that most people don't intentionally breed their dogs.  It happens by accident.  If you can't afford the spay/neuter surgery, you can get a "Neuter Now" discount certificate at City Hall, or use an inexpensive vet clinic, such as North Shore Vet.  You can also pass the surgery expense on to the adopter, stating that the adoption fee includes spay/neuter.


ADOPTION CONTRACT

Below is a link to an adoption contract you can have your dog's adopter read and sign.  Hopefully you will never have to use the contract against the adopter, but if you do, you will have a legal document allowing you to take your dog back if necessary.

http://www.countrycaninehawaii.com/AdoptionContract.doc

SUMMARY

I hope the above guidelines are helpful to you.  If you have questions about the re-homing process, feel free to email me.  I am always happy to help people who care about the well-being of dogs.