Origional Articles

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Separation Anxiety: Resources for Pet Owners



Books:



I’ll be Home Soon – Patricia McConnell

The Canine Separation Anxiety Workbook – James O’Heare

Dogs Home Alone – Roger Abrantes





Anxiety Wraps:



For information go to: www.anxietywrap.com and http://www.oldgoldrescue.ne t/wrap.html



Can be ordered from:

KV Valley Vet Supply, www.kvvet.com, 1-800-423-8211

Anxiety Wrap, www.anxietywrap.com





Dog Appeasing Pheromone (D.A.P.):



For information go to: www.farnampet.com



Can be ordered from:

KV Valley Vet Supply, www.kvvet.com, 1-800-423-8211

Omaha Vaccine Company, www.omahavaccine.com , 1-800-367-4444

PetEdge, www.petedge.com
Care A Lot, www.care-a-lot.com





Toys for Dogs with Separation Anxiety



Kongs www.kongcompany.com

Havaballs http://www.havaball.******. uk/ (can be ordered at www.dogwise.com)

Treat Ball (can be ordered from http://www.sitstay.com/store/toys/toysd.shtml)

Buster Cube (can be ordered from http://www.sitstay.com/store/toys/toysd.shtml)

Premier Pet Products has a variety of new interactive food toys - go to their website at www.premier.com



Homeopathic or "Natural" Treatments



Bach Flower Remedies (Rescue Remedy) http://www.bachcentre.com/

5HTP http://www.animalhealthopti ons.com/products.html#proqui et
www.naturalcanine.co m
www.naturalpetmarket .com




__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

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Please and Thank You Program
Mychelle Blake TEACH YOUR DOG TO BE A COURTEOUS CANINE

By the Instructors at K9U.com

Dogs that lack self-confidence, who are destructive or act spoiled and demanding are dogs that need structure and benevolent discipline in their lives.

Just like children, dogs need to learn good manners and what the rules of the house are. DOGS NEED YOUR LEADERSHIP, and here's how you can provide it:

Teach your dog to say PLEASE for what he receives. Implement a "Please and Thank You" program as part of his daily life.

Example: suppose your dog wants a treat? You ask your dog to SIT. (SIT = PLEASE) When he complies by sitting, you give him that treat and say "THANK YOU!"

If your dog wants his breakfast or dinner, you might ask him to DOWN first. Once he downs, you then reward him with his meal and say, "THANK YOU!"

Does your dog love to go for walks? Ask him to STAND QUIETLY to have his leash put on. When he does this for you, leash him up and thank him. Also ask him to WAIT until you exit the doorway first.

When your dog wants to play, ask him to DO A TRICK first. When he does, reward him with his favorite toy and play with him.

Anytime your dog is presented with something he enjoys, consider asking him for something in return. Reward your dog when he is courteous toward you and others by giving him something that he
wants, and you will see all of these great behaviors increase. This is the beauty of positive reinforcement training!

Remember that a reward to your dog could be many things; i.e., food treats, tug games, a game of fetch with a tennis ball, going for a ride, sniffing everything in sight, chase games, running through a field, being petted and praised, and lots of other activities. Make a list of 10 of your dogs most favorite reinforcers, and then use those reinforcers to motivate him during training.


When your dog realizes you will always be there to provide him with valuable resources, fun and other amenities of life, you'll begin to notice that he'll be more than willing to join you in this spirit of mutual cooperation. His trust in you will not only strengthen your relationship, but his overall outlook on life will be positive and upbeat.


This is a WIN-WIN program for both humans and dogs. It is based on establishing mutual cooperation and appreciation. Part of providing structure in your dog's life means setting him up to succeed! If you continue to train him using positive methods, he will reward you by behaving just the way you want him to. Reward all good behaviors, and then just watch them increase. It happens all the time!

Dogs that are pushy, demanding or destructive become more courteous - substituting new and better behaviors for those old ones. Dogs that suffer from low self-esteem develop more confidence because what they are doing is working for them and they are winning! Dogs that are spoiled start to understand that they now have to work for their rewards - not just receive them.

Teach everyone in your family to implement the PLEASE AND THANK YOU program. This provides many additional opportunities throughout the day for your dog to receive rewards and privileges.


If you follow this program for the rest of your dog's life, and you are consistent with it, your reward will be having a well-behaved and courteous canine.


__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com

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Keeping Your Dog Busy




Many trainers go by the axiom “A tired dog is a well-behaved dog.” Many dogs are often under-stimulated and under-exercised which can result in many behavioral problems such as barking, digging, destructiveness, and general all-around unruliness! Here are some ideas on how to keep your dog’s mind stimulated and his body exercised!



Interactive Toys:

w Look for toys that keep your dog interested and active, such as toys that food is stuffed into. A dog will spend a lot of energy trying to get the food out. Types of toys like this are Kongs, Buster Cubes, Havaballs, and treat balls.



w You can also purchase sterilized, hollowed-out bones from any pet store and stuff these with peanut butter or cheese. Make sure you freeze them to make the food harder to get out.



w You can also take rope toys and soak them in chicken broth and freeze them for a tasty, chilling treat during the summer.



w A Pit Ball is a large round ring with a large ball in the middle that many dogs will go nuts for and spends hours trying to push the ball around the ring.



Other Toys:

w Nylabones make great chew toys for dogs that like to chew. We don’t recommend using rawhides because there is a danger of the dog biting off large pieces and swallowing them, and these can cause internal obstructions which can lead to surgery or even death. There is also a risk of salmonella transmission when humans pick up a wet, sticky, chewed up rawhide!



w Many dogs love to chew beef marrow bones that you can purchase from a butcher or a local supermarket’s meat section. Never give these types of bones if you are not going to be home to supervise, as you want to be able to remove the bones when the dog has chewed them small enough where they could accidentally swallow them. If you have multiple dogs, always give bones with the dogs separated to prevent aggression, and if you have a dog that guards objects from you, it’s best to refrain from giving any kind of bones or chews made from animal products.



w Always assess your dog’s toys for the dog’s level of chewing. A dog that is an aggressive chewer should have toys made of sturdy, tough rubber with no little knobs or buttons that he can pull off and accidentally swallow. Some dogs will go nuts trying to tear squeakers or noise-makers out of toys so you want to be sure that you supervise play with these toys and remove them when they get damaged so that the dog cannot eat the squeaker.



w Some dogs LOVE tennis balls. Always makes sure you purchase the balls at a pet store. Regular tennis balls made for the sport contain harsh chemicals which allow them to bounce better on the court, and these chemicals can wear down a dog’s teeth after years of chewing on them.



Games

w Fetch, Hide and Seek, Crazy Dog, and Recall Games are some fun games discussed in your homework handouts that you can play with your dogs.



w Teaching your dogs tricks is another fun activity that can stimulate your dog, and they’re a lot of fun, particularly for children.



w Some dogs love to search for objects. You can get a cardboard box and hide some toys or treats in the box and fill the box with rags and let the dog work on tearing the dog up to find his prize! Another search game is to sprinkle food or treats throughout your back yard and let your dog search them out (particularly fun for scent hounds!) Dogs that enjoy digging will love a set aside dirt area with their toys or treats buried underneath, or a small sand box.



w Lot of dogs love water and providing them with a small kiddie splash pool is lots of fun for the dog. If you have a pool, many dogs enjoy swimming and playing “fetch” in the pool.



w Many dogs enjoy running an obstacle course as can be seen with agility competitions. You can create your own agility course in your yard. Tunnels can be bought from children’s toy stores and you can make jumps very cheaply and easily with PVC pipe from your local hardware store. You can also purchase agility equipment often for great prices from Ebay!




__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com

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House Training



The keys to successful housetraining are:

Containment

· Your dog will not eliminate in areas where he is not allowed to go. Using a crate is an excellent way to quickly housetrain a dog as a dog will generally not eliminate in the same space where it sleeps.

· You can also contain your pet in a small area of your house such as a kitchen or bathroom using baby gates.

· Keep your dog confined at all times when you are not directly supervising (100%!) him until you are sure that he is housetrained.

· Another method is to tie a leash to your dog and loop the leash handle through your pant’s belt loop, or tie the leash around your waist, so that the dog must be with you at all times. This makes it easy for you to quickly move your dog outside if he starts to eliminate in the house.



Schedule



· By adhering to a strict schedule for food, water and walks, you will pattern your dog to the desired behavior.

· Do not leave food around all day for the dog, but rather give him 15 minutes or so to finish whatever you give him to eat. Pick up the bowl when you are down. Do the same with water.

· If it is a hot day and you have to leave for a few hours, you can leave a few ice cubes in a bowl for the dog.

· By controlling when your dog eats and drinks, you can be sure to be there when he eliminates and move him quickly outside to the correct spot to eliminate.

· Puppies will tend to eliminate about 15 minutes before or after he eats, and about 15-30 minutes after they have had water.

· Puppies will tend to need to eliminate:

o When they wake up in the morning;

o After a play session (or even sometimes during!);

o After a nap;

o 15-30 minutes after drinking;

o 15-20 minutes before and after he eats;

o if he hasn’t been out for an hour or two.

· Remember, young puppies have little control over their bladder so be patient and give them time to both learn, and to physically gain bladder control.

· If you have rescued an adult dog, the best tactic is to pretend your dog is an 8 week old puppy and start from scratch!



Praise



· Always praise your dog enthusiastically when he eliminates in the correct place, as this will let him know that he is doing the right thing by going outside.

· NEVER hit or yell at your dog for eliminating in the incorrect place, or rub his nose in his mess. If you don’t catch the dog in the act, correcting him later is useless. Punishing him is counterproductive as it teaches the dog that eliminating in your presence is a dangerous thing, but doesn’t teach them not to eliminate in the house at all.

· If the dog eliminated in the house, it is either because he was simply unable to hold his bladder for that long, or he was not confined properly or supervised properly. Dogs do not eliminate in the house because they were “mad” at you or “vengeful.” Dogs are simply incapable of that type of emotional thought structure. If your dog urinated on your favorite couch or fancy rug, the ONLY thought that was on your dog’s mind at the time was “hey, I need to pee!”

· If he starts to eliminate while you are supervising, use a sharp “eh-eh!” or clap your hands to distract him, and then grab him and run outside. When he pees, praise him and reward him effusively.

· Praise him when he is outside and eliminating – do not wait for him to come back inside to praise him. Otherwise he will think he is being praised for coming to you (which is a good thing, but immaterial to house training!).

· If you want him to eliminate in a certain area of the yard, bring him out to this area on leash and wait for him to eliminate. You can add in a “Go Potty!” command while he is eliminating so he can associate this command with his bodily function.



Odor Removal




· When your dog eliminates in the house, the most important thing is to remove all traces of the odor, or the dog will continue to eliminate in the spot.

· Using common household cleaners is not enough, and using ammonia products is actually counter-productive as the cleaner residue smells very similar to urine to dogs.

· There are products sold specifically to eliminate pet urine and feces odors that you can purchase at any pet supply shop. Nature’s Miracle and Simple Solution are two brand names for such products.



Other Tips



· Try to avoid paper training. The dog is still learning it’s ok to go in the house, albeit in a certain area, and it will make housetraining him take longer. Crate training is a better alternative.

· Don’t expect a puppy to be fully housetrained until they are at least 6 months. Puppies have very little control over their bladders until this age.

· If you bring the dog outside and you think he needs to eliminate but he won’t, take him back inside and crate him for another 10-15 minutes and take him out again. Don’t assume that he didn’t need to go after all and then let him run around your house unsupervised.

· Always take the dog outside to urinate on leash. Wait patiently until he eliminates and then let him off leash to play. If you let him wander around the yard on his own until he urinates, and then go back into the house, he will learn that his fun play-time outside stops when he urinates. You want him to learn that eliminating proceeds play time.

· Likewise, if you do not own a yard and must walk your dog on the street, take your dog outside and calmly wait for the dog to eliminate before proceeding with your walk. You want the dog to understand that his fun walk is the reward for eliminating. If the dog goes before he comes back in, the dog will wait longer and longer to go, and sometimes they will hold it until you bring them back inside.

· Finally, another useful method is to have a rolled up newspaper ready at hand. Every time your dog eliminates in the house, pick it up and hit yourself over the head while repeating, “I forgot to watch my dog! I forgot to watch my dog!” Remember, house-training accidents are your mistake, not the dog’s.






__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com

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SA Causes and Basic Treatment

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Post with basic treatment plan for S.A. by James O'Heare

To read it in German please go to http://www.hundewelten.de/thwb/show...ime=108860405 9&
Attached Files SA Causes & Basic Treatment.txt (7.0 KB, 103 views)

__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com


[Origional attached file is lost, of course]

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Crate Training, How To

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Crate Training




Why should you use a crate?

· A crate can be an invaluable tool for teaching a dog to eliminate outside of the house, and is one of the quickest ways to housetrain a dog.

· A crate can provide a safe haven for your dog when you need to be away from the house, or are too busy to supervise your dog.

When should you not use a crate?

· If you are trying to punish your dog - the dog will learn to avoid the crate and refuse to go inside, or he will become extremely agitated in an attempt to be let out of the crate.

· If you are looking for a long-term place to “store” your dog for hours and hours on end. An adult dog should not be left in a crate for more than four to five hours at an absolute maximum. For puppies, you cannot leave them in the crate longer than their physical bladder capacity, which depending on their age and breed can be no more than an hour or so.

Using crates to housetrain your dog:

You can expect to teach an adult dog housetraining within 3-5 days using a crate. Puppies, of course, will take longer due to their smaller bladder capability. The more consistent you are, the more you will see a difference.

Your dog or puppy should be kept in the crate any time that you cannot watch it 100%. This means that you are able to watch the dog at ALL times and move him quickly outside if he starts to eliminate. If your attention will be divided by tasks like cooking, talking on the phone, watchingTV, etc, then do not crate the dog. Rather, use the “umbilical cord” method. Use the dog’s leash to tie the dog to you, either by looping the leash around your waist, or through your belt or a belt holder on your pants.

For puppies, release them from the crate approximately once every hour. Take them IMMEDIATELY outside by running with them on-leash to your door and outside. Have some especially good treats on hand when you do this. When you are outside, give your dog the command (Go Potty!). Most puppies will eliminate within 5 minutes of taking them outside.

If the puppy eliminates, give him some of the treats, praise him calmly and happily, and take him back inside. It is ok to let the puppy run loose in the house, as long as he is supervised. After about an hour, you can put him back in the crate, and restart the whole process again within the hour.

If the puppy does not eliminate, take him back inside and put him in the crate for another 1\2 hour. Say nothing to him and do not give him treats.



If you are consistent with this pattern, your puppy will quickly learn that if he holds his urine and feces until you take him outside, not only will he get relief and be able to eliminate, but he will get a treat as well. As your puppy or dog starts to demonstrate that he has learned the “rules” you can begin to phase out the food treats and replace with praise and petting, or play time with you or with a toy.

Using the Crate to “train” your dog to the house:

Always make the crate a pleasant place for your dog to be. Make sure there is some soft bedding, such as towels, blankets, or a dog bed inside the crate. Items that are soft that smell like you are particularly good for dogs that are newly adopted, as it will create a pleasant association for the dog with your scent, and this actually is helpful for dogs that are anxious when left alone. Give the dog something to chew on, such as a toy or a dog bone. Make sure that the toy or bone is a sturdy one that will not break or be digested by the dog while he is in the crate with it and you cannot be supervising him.

If you are consistent, the dog will quickly learn that the crate is a nice place to be—he gets to lie down in a soft spot and gets to chew on something he enjoys. Dogs who are “housetrained” with the crate tend to be less destructive with your household items when left out of the crate because they associate chewing with being in the crate. Puppies under 12 months of age should still be supervised in the house however because the teething stage is a powerful stimulant for chewing. You can also feed the dog in the crate. Many dogs will eat their dinner and cuddle up and fall asleep in the crate. With puppies, you will need to wake them up to take them out to eliminate, and then you can bring them back to the crate to go back to sleep.

If your dog shows anxiety about being in the crate, crate him for very tiny increments. Let him in the crate for 5 seconds and let him out. Repeat. When he appears calm for the 5 seconds, increase to 10 seconds. Repeat. When he has learned to be calm with 10 seconds, increase to 20 seconds, and so on. Do not lock him in the crate and leave if he is anxious. You can also feed an anxious dog in the crate -split his meals up into ten portions, and feed him each portion stretched out during the day to increase the positive association with the crate. Let him out immediately after eating. For his last meal of the day, make it a particularly good meal by adding some sprinkled cheese, or a dab of peanut butter, or some beef or chicken broth to his kibble, and then put it inside the crate and shut the door. Give the dog about a minute before letting him in. Most dogs will at this point whine and pace asking to be let in the crate!

Another method for helping a dog to enjoy the crate is through the use of Kong toys. The Kong is a hardy rubber toy that is hollow. You can stuff it with food treats and freeze it, and then give the Kong to your dog when he goes in the crate. Most dogs will become very fixated on getting the food out of the Kong and will forget about the fact that they are in the crate. You can stuff the Kong with peanut butter; cream cheese, cheese wiz, cottage cheese, applesauce, plain yogurt, dog biscuits, raisins, etc. Be creative, but don’t forget to freeze it, as this makes it harder for the dog to get the food and increases the time his attention will be occupied.

Another method for acclimating your dog to the crate is set him up in the crate with some toys and then set the crate near where you will be. For example, if you are sitting down to read the newspaper in the kitchen, set the crate in the kitchen where the dog can see you, and then sit down and read. If you planning on watching a TV show, set the crate up near the couch and proceed to watch your show. Intermittently talk to your dog in a calm, happy tone of voice to let him know he’s being a good boy for calming lying in the crate.

Once you have successfully trained your dog to accept the crate, you can leave the crate open in your house. You will find that your dog will go into the crate and lie down there on his own with the door open, as dogs are “den” animals and instinctively enjoy a nice cozy place they can snuggle into and retire from the world.

Other Don’ts:

· Don’t leave your dog’s collar on when he is crated. A collar can catch on the metal grating and accidentally injure the dog.

· Don’t put the crate in a high traffic area of your house. Find a nice, quiet area for your dog so he will not be overly stimulated by noise and activity passing by him.

· Don’t let children tease the dog in the crate.

Size of Crate:

The crate should be big enough for the dog to stretch on his side, and get up and turn around without his head hitting the top. A crate that is too big is better than one that is too small.

For an adult dog, measure from the tip of the dog’s nose to the base of his tail for the proper crate length, and from the ground to the top of his skull for height. For puppies, do the same, and add about 12” for his anticipated adult height. With puppies, you may want to block out the extra area of the crate so that he does not eliminate in the far corner. You can buy a smaller crate and buy a new, larger one when he becomes an adult, but many crates can be bought with “dividers" so that you do not have to buy a brand new one when your dog grows older.

Crates come in wire mesh or in plastic “Varikennels” that have a wire grating on the door and along the sides. The wire mesh crates are usually collapsible which makes for easier storage, and you can easily place a blanket or towel on top of them to provide more privacy for the dog. Either crate works fine, although we prefer the wire mesh crates.






__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com