The Dog Park - The Positives

The safety of fenced-in acreage can provide a dog with some freedom to roam and run, but I think the freest feeling a dog park provides is your lack of worry. When you feel more free and relaxed, your dogs do too.

While fences don't mean complete safety, for a dog like Foster, the boundary of a fence creates a comfort zone for me. Our neighborhood does not allow fences, and I'm not comfortable with electric containment systems, so I accompany my dogs every time they need to go out. With Luna, and before her Satchel and Koko, there is never a concern she'll run away. I trained them all to know their boundaries - Koko wanted, and Luna wants, to stay near me anyway - and I've done the same training with Foster, but after a year, he is still enticed by the prospect of an unsupervised field trip into the woods. A trip to the dog park means he doesn't have to be attached to me by a leash. He can just be a dog.

Being a dog means being around other dogs and using one's nose. A dog park can be perfect for that. Calm, attentive, good owners who bring calm, balanced, good dogs to a dog park help provide an essential element to a successful, fulfilling adventure for a dog.

Being around other dogs - Socialization:

Dogs know we are not dogs, and they benefit from canine companionship. There are a lot of wrong ways to bring dogs together, but done well, the experiences your dog will have at a dog park can teach him more things more quickly than you could teach him on your own. Dogs learn so much about manners and limits and play from other dogs. Dogs encourage and accept good behavior, and they correct unacceptable behavior quickly and without grudge. Dogs are awesome that way.

Also, it's not just the interaction with other dogs that benefits your dog socially. Walking to the park or riding in the car, entering the park, and encountering new people all provide exposure to experiences in which your dog must follow your lead and use her skills. You are helping build her confidence, as well as practice and succeed in our social world.

Using their noses:

Dogs who have been traumatized or overly-humanized tend to lose the connection to their noses. They don't absorb information about their surroundings by smelling. When attempting to rehabilitate dogs like these, encouraging the use of their noses seems to provide quick healing. While dogs can get into trouble in your home from using their noses - getting into garbage for example - a dog park can provide them with the chance to use their noses for good. Inhaling the scents of nature, and gathering information about other dogs, can be a sort of reset button for your dog. Connecting her to Mother Nature helps her connect to herself.

The Dog Park

I like to take my dogs on adventures to new places and spaces. I am frequently asked what dog parks I like the best, and how often do I go, and don't my dogs just looooove The Dog Park. Honestly, I don't like dog parks. I never went to one until Foster came into our life. Foster, though, he LOVES the dog park and I see that it's good for him.

Foster is a runner, and has a terrier nose, and the open space of dog park acreage provides him with the freedom to run and follow his nose and experience the smells, sounds, sights and energies around him. He is always relaxed and happy when a dog park is involved.

Because of Foster's undeniable joy, we go to The Dog Park. This week I will share the positives, the elements I experience as negative, and the ways you can give your dog the best dog park adventure.

Making Treats For Dogs! Why Do We Do It?

Why would anyone want to cook anything for her dogs? There are a million kinds of prepared dog foods and a billion kinds of boxed and bagged treats, and most dogs are happy to eat anything. There seems to be absolutely no reason to make something home-cooked for your dog. Weeeellllll, I like to cook for my family, and my dogs are my family, so I cook for them! You don't have to cook every meal for your dogs, but it can be really fun to make treats, and fun isn't the only good reason to be in the kitchen for your dogs.

Allergies. Just like humans, dogs can have indoor and outdoor and food allergies. It is super super hard to pinpoint any allergy, and food allergies are particularly difficult, especially when the allergy isn't an allergy but an intolerance or a sensitivity. Regardless, there are some breeds of dog that are more prone to food allergies than others. They are: Boxer, Cocker Spaniel, Springer Spaniel, Collie, Dalmatian, German Shepherd, Lhasa Apso, Miniature Schnauzer, Retrievers, SharPei, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Dachshund, West Highland White Terrier, other kinds of Terriers, Beagle, Pug...just about every dog owner can share a story of allergens.

Luna seems to be allergic to grass, which creates a major problem when she tries to relieve her ear and eye itchiness by rubbing her face IN THE GRASS! She also seems to be allergic to grains. Since I started using a commercially prepared dry food with no grain, Luna seems to be more comfortable. Main culprits for food allergies are: Wheat, Corn, Chicken, Chicken Eggs, Beef, Dairy, Soy and Pork. And common allergic reactions are: Dry, itchy, red skin, rashes or skin infections; Chronic ear infections, Constant hot spots; Excessive chewing or licking of paws or other body parts; Dull coat; Stomach upset like diarrhea, vomiting or irritable bowel; Bald patches. These are reasons why people like to cook for their dogs!

Source: "Food Allergies 101," by Elizabeth Pask and Laura Scott, Modern Dog Magazine

Making Treats For Dogs! Things to Avoid!

I've been having a few computer issues, so it's almost the end of Week 14 and I'm just getting to I'm a D.O.G.! That stresses me! For a fun short week, I'll try to cover Making Your Own Dog Treats.

There are many many many websites and recipes for dog treats. You don't need my help to find a recipe, but what I thought you might want to know a little about is what things dogs shouldn't eat. It's a really long list, and I'm certain my list doesn't include everything, but here are several things you shouldn't include in any treats for your dog. Some of them might sound fun and good, but they're not. Some may seem silly and overly conservative, but there are so many ingredients you can include in a dog treat, there's no reason to harm your dog for an ingredient that sounds good to YOU! You're not going to eat the treats, but because you're making them you could!

Avocado: Contains persin which can be toxic.

Alcohol: A little in a dog is like a lot in a human.

Onions & Garlic: Can destroy a dog's red blood cells, leading to anemia.

Coffee, Tea, Caffeine: Caffeine in large quantities can be fatal to a dog, and there is no antidote.

Grapes & Raisins: Can cause kidney failure, no one is sure why though.

Milk & Other Dairy: Can cause diarrhea and/or itchiness.

Macadamia Nuts: Can be fatal after eating as few as six.

Candy & Gum: Many contain xylitol (made from corn) which can increase insulin and cause a drop in blood sugar as well as liver failure.

Chocolate: The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous due to greater amounts of theobromine which is toxic and can cause problems from diarrhea to seizures to death.

Fat Trimmings & Bones: Fat can cause pancreatitis, bones can be choked on or can splinter causing an obstruction or perforations and lacerations of the digestive system.

Persimmons, Peaches, Plums: Seeds and pits can cause inflammation of the small intestine, blockage, obstruction; peach and plum pits contain cyanide.

Raw Eggs: May contain salmonella or E. Coli, and an enzyme in raw eggs interferes with the absorption of one of the B vitamins.

Raw Meat & Fish: May contain bacteria that can lead to food poisoning or death.

Salt: Too much can lead to sodium ion poisoning which can cause death.

Sugary Foods & Drinks: Can lead to obesity, dental problems and diabetes.

Yeast Dough: Can cause pain as it rises in your dog's stomach and as yeast ferments it can produce enough alcohol to lead to alcohol poisoning.

Human Medicines: Prescription or over-the-counter, even common pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) can be deadly.

Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Nutmeg, Some Spices: Toxic.

Raw Potato: Toxic.

I know people whose dogs have eaten many of these things and "been just fine." Yes, your dog's organs and immune system may have managed eating something on the list once, twice, even multiple times. Our Big Yellow Lab, Satchel, died one month shy of his 16th birthday from a demyelinating disease, not anything from loving garlic his entire life. I'm just saying, it's not advisable to feed your dogs any of these items. If you can prevent your dogs from eating things on this list, their organs and digestive systems will probably appreciate it!

YOUR TURN #2 - Door Manners - Your Guests

Your sign informs your guests that you are working with your dogs. And it tells them to ignore your dogs. They will be terrible at this. They will need more reminding of their one assignment than your dogs will need of their several.

Your guests will say, "Oh it's ok! I LOVE dogs!" or "Oh it's ok! They just want to say hello!" or "Oh it's ok. They just smell my dog." First, it's not ok. Rude dogs who don't listen to their owners are not ok. Second, when your guests encourage the non-listening, they are not helping. They like to think that your dogs' behavior is due to their irresistibility, but it's not, and who wants to tell them it has nothing to do with them personally? I appreciate people trying to make me feel better, and I don't want to make anyone feel badly, so I say something like, "Not everyone thinks they're as cute as you and I do, so I've got to teach them to have manners for every guest."

The best thing your guests can do is ignore your dogs. No high-pitched speaking. No vigorous ear or belly rubs. No looking them in the eye and bending down to be face to face. Your dogs can get a lot of information with their noses. I understand being curious, but I don't approve of excited, jumping up, barking, invading personal space behavior. When your guests ignore your dogs, they help create a calm environment in which your dogs can be curious and gather information about whom you have allowed into the environment.

My dogs bark at people and things outside that are not coming to my door. Runners, kids on scooters and bikes, even deer cause them to bark. This does not bother me, but I always respond. I go to the window, see if I can see what they are seeing, and say, "Thank you." I think because I am calm and softly say, "Good work," or "Thank you," they stop until the next things catches their barking fancy. I also believe our daily walking routine keeps the behavior from becoming obsessive. They do not have to depend only on their sight to experience the world outside the door. They get to be out in the world each day to sense it through smell and sound as well.

But back to your guests. Educate your guests that when they ignore your dogs they are helping you, and once your dogs have practiced welcoming guests with calm respect, you will release your dogs to interact with your guests. Once your dogs are released, encourage your guests to speak in quiet tones, if at all. Treats can be included if you like, but only if your dogs are calm, and ideally if they are in their "spot." Also, some guests do not want to interact with your dogs and this is an excellent opportunity for your dogs to experience that not all people are for up close and personal interaction. Gathering information from afar is entirely possible.

The ignoring, and the later calm greeting, help to keep the energy in your home welcoming and calm. Guests mean calm fun, and the more times you can practice this, the better you and your dogs will become at welcoming guests. If you can look to the doorbell ringing as an opportunity to practice good manners, you may not dread its sound anymore!

YOUR TURN #2 - Door Manners - Your Dogs

You're aware of yourself and what you want, you've given yourself time at the door with the sign, and you're showing your dogs that the door is yours by blocking their access to it. You've said what you don't want, now, the next step is to clearly direct your dogs to do what you Do want.

If your dogs hear the doorbell or a knock or see someone's car pull into your driveway and run toward the door and start barking, you probably want them to stop barking and move away from the door. I am assuming this, but I want you to think for a minute or two what you may have liked about your dogs' behavior. I have learned from a few clients that "in the beginning" they liked the protectiveness of their dogs' behavior. They liked the idea and practice that people were afraid of their dogs and they liked the image that their dogs were attached to them and wanted to keep them safe. What they learned over time is that their dogs were really just out of control and not respecting them. There are training techniques specific to home defense, and I advise families that if a guard dog is what they truly want, they need to invest in a training program specifically designed for that. An untrained dog, whose aggression you consciously or subconsciously reward, is irresponsible dog ownership...in my opinion.

If what you want is for your dogs to stop barking, move away from the door and follow your directions, there are a few things you can do. You and your dogs will be more successful if you have taught your dogs to follow the commands of Sit, Stay, Down or Lay or whatever you use for those actions. I have taught my dogs hand commands so that I don't have to say "Sit" or "Stay" or "Down." My dogs know what to do, but when they need reminding, I don't even have to speak, and I definitely don't have to repeat the commands over and over which often teaches your dogs that they don't have to respond until the third or fourth or fifth time you say the command.

1. Designate a location that is a comfortable distance from the door. Ideally, your dogs can still see the door and you from this location, but not impede anyone's entry.

2. Designate the area with a dog bed and/or a word or label like "your spot" or "the spot" or "your pillow" or something like that.

3. Have treats ready for this designated area.

4. Put yourself between your dogs and the door and block their access. Move forward, continuing to block the door. You may have to move side to side, widen your stance, and use your arms, but claim the space and move forward.

5. You can point and say something like "Go to your pillow." After you've practiced a bit, you will be able to simply point.

6. Once your dogs sit, lay, stay, or whatever you want them to do, give them a treat. I like to use a hand signal like "Stop" for Stay so I no longer have to say Stay. My hand is the command. Give them a treat when they are in their spot and stay.

7. If your dogs move from their spot, put them back to the EXACT same spot. I do not recommend allowing them to scooch closer even though they're still lying down. I do not recommend you allowing them to move closer and then stop and follow your command. Decide the spot, direct them to it, direct them to stay, and put them back to the exact same spot no matter how many times they try to move. Giving them a treat in this spot only will reinforce the benefits of remaining in that spot. Remaining calm, and not getting mad that you have to teach them this limit, will create respect between you and your dogs. Getting angry or agitated makes you appear weak to them. Your sign gives you the time to attend to them.

8. Open the door and greet your visitor. If your dogs "break their stay," put them back. They get a treat when they are in their spot. If it's a delivery, complete your business and give your dogs a treat. Release them when they are CALM. If you release them when they're itching to bolt to the door or window, you'll need to start over. You can also put leashes on your dogs before this exercise, and when you feel they are calm, you can direct them to follow you to the door or window to see outside. Follow you, not drag you. A calm walk to look out the window reinforces that calm is what's rewarded and gets you there to see what's happening outside.

9. If you are welcoming a guest, remind your guest to Ignore your dogs, and speak in calm, quiet tones. No high-pitched "Ooooohhhhhhh, it's been soooooo long since I've seen you!!!!!!" Your guest should be able to remove his or her coat and hug you hello and walk into your home to where you will visit. If your dogs "break their stay," ask your guest to remain where he or she is and ignore your dogs, and allow you to direct them back to their spot. Giving them a treat when they are looking to you and in their spot will reward their focus being on you and them being in their spot instead of obsessing about your guest.

10. Release your dogs when they are calm. If your guest would like to say hello, it is usually less hectic if your guest is seated, and you can block your dogs from your guest, by placing yourself in between, if their behavior is not what you want.

The next post will describe your guests' responsibilities, and until then, work on "catching" your dog being calm and quiet. When you notice your dog is quiet and relaxed, or especially if she is lying in the designated spot and is quiet and relaxed, give her a treat. Treats can be in food form or with a non-verbal conversation in which you use your body language and energy to communicate how much you LOVE her behavior.

YOUR TURN #2 - Door Manners - The Door

Ok, you have your sign at the door and you're aware of yourself and working to be calm and clear and confident about what you want. Because you've made a list about what you want from your dogs, it is going to be so much easier to address the next step: The Door. I will address more specifics of what and where and how for your dogs in the next post, but some elements will be highlighted here. This post is about The Door.

Now the doors in your home are yours. They are not your dogs'. Some people make jokes about how the doors are theirs because they paid for them, and as soon as their dogs can pay for them the dogs can own them. I'm not completely humorless; I get the joke, but of course, I look at the situation in my serious, feel responsible way. My owning The Door is a primal conversation with my dogs. My not just opening the door, but controlling their passage through it, makes me the provider of sunshine and mud puddles and sticks and fresh air. I open up the world to my dogs and guide them through it. I keep them safe, as well as everyone outside our door.

My neighbors are very sweet and told me not to worry about it when Foster was learning the boundaries of his yard and wandered into their backyards and driveways. While rude and unsafe for Foster, I also felt the responsibility to protect my neighbors who would be devastated to have hit Foster when simply pulling into their own driveways. I am responsible for Foster and that responsibility ripples.

Two things I find people do at the door - Yell and Pull Their Dogs Away. Two things to do instead - Say Nothing and Put Yourself Between Your Dogs and The Door and Face Them.

Saying nothing prevents you from adding to the tense noise created by their barking, and though dogs do use sound to communicate, they more often use body language to have entire conversations. Instead of using human words, try to communicate with your dogs using only body language.

Placing yourself between your dogs and the door, and facing your dogs, communicates ownership. When you pull them away, they are the ones in power. By placing yourself between your dogs and the door, facing your dogs, and then moving forward, you are "claiming" the space, and your dogs will learn to respond by backing away. They may try to maneuver around you at first, but since you have that sign at the door, you don't have to rush, and you have time to claim the door and get your dogs under control.

This is a good time to include your children too. Keeping your infants and toddlers out from underfoot is important during hectic or chaotic times like guests at the door. If you have nappers, hopefully, your children are so used to the barking, visitors do not ruin nap time. I always vacuumed and put dishes away during nap time so the kids in my life would be able to sleep through various noises as they grew up and went to college. If your children are awake, and if jumping up isn't one of the issues with your dogs, holding your young ones, and teaching them a hand command to use such as "Stop" involves them in the space claiming and empowers them in the eyes of your dogs.

If you have concerns for your children's safety, choose a location away from the door in which to leave them so that you can be focused on your silent conversation with your dogs. Again, since you have the sign on the door, visitors know you need a minute. You can be calm, and attend to your family, before attending to your visitor.

Recap:

1. You have a sign on the door. You have the time to get yourself together and your kids to a safe location.

2. Try to say nothing.

3. Place yourself between your dogs and the door, face your dogs, and "claim" The Door as yours.

4. Your dogs may attempt to maneuver around you. Take your time. Block your dogs, and move forward. This usually causes dogs to back up.