articles
 

There are several articles here to help you with common behavior problems such as house training, barking, etc. These articles are designed to help the normal dog owner who just doesn't know where to begin. Occasionally there's a dog who needs more specialized help, but these articles will pertain to the vast majority of dogs. If, after trying the techniques in the article, you are still having problems, please contact Raising Canine for help.  

Socializing

Puppy Training

Is Your Dog's Collar Dangerous?

Mental & Physical Stimulation

Bite Inhibition

Dogs and the Crazy Things They Eat!!

Crate Training

House Training

Chew Training

Introducing Cats and Dogs

Socializing

Socializing is critical to your dog's mental health.  Exposing your dog to different people, children, animals, places, noises, etc. will help your dog to adjust easily to new situations.  

Why Should You Socialize Your Puppy?

All animals have an optimum time period in which to learn about the world around them.  For dogs, that age is from birth to about 5 months.  If your puppy does not learn certain things during this time, he may never learn them and will always be uncomfortable in certain situations.  It is important to socialize your puppy as soon as possible or your puppy may miss some very important developmental deadlines.

Developmental Deadlines
 

Learning About People:  Learning about people is one of the most important things for your puppy.  Your adult dog will probably spend the majority of his time with people.  And, he should be thoroughly socialized with all types of people by the time he is 3 months old.  Dogs will only be comfortable around people they are familiar with -- this means they need to meet kids of all ages and adults of all sizes, shapes, colors, and genders, as well as people in uniforms, people with physical disabilities, men with beards, and so on.

Bite Inhibition:  The second most important thing for your puppy to learn -- and some would argue it is the first most important thing -- is bite inhibition.  This doesn't mean that your puppy learns not to bite (although he will learn this), but to control the intensity of his bite.  This way, when he's an adult dog, if he is ever put in a position where he feels he must bite (and any dog can be in this position), he will not do serious injury.  Bite inhibition absolutely must be learned by 18 weeks of age.

Learning About Dogs:  Although your puppy already has some good info on dogs, he has probably been removed from his litter too early to be really socially adept!  Your dog should be exposed to other dogs throughout his life so he can maintain his social skills.

Learning About the World:  last, but not least, your puppy needs to learn about the world around him.  There area ll kinds of things your dog should be aware of -- trucks, construction, firecrackers, thunderstorms, squirrels, cats, other dogs, smells, sights and sounds.  The list goes on and on.  The more different and strange things your puppy learns about during his first 5 months, the better able he will be to adjust to unexpected situations as an adult dog.

Conclusion:  Don't put off socializing your puppy -- he'll be an adolescent before you know it!  If you commit to doing everything you can for your puppy for the first 5 months of his life (which is probably about the first 3 months you have him), you should have a wonderful dog with few problems.

Adult Dogs

I don't want you to think that if you missed the chance to socialize your puppy, there's no point in socializing your adult dog.  Dogs need to socialize -- they are a social animal, just as people are, and they need to socialize.  Pet dogs particularly need to socialize with people because you don't want your dog to be frightened of people. The same holds true about other dogs, and pet dogs often are not exposed to other dogs. Try to get your dog out as much as possible. When you take your dog on a walk and you see another dog and owner, ask if it's okay for the dogs to meet.  If it is, let them approach each other in their own time and manner -- don't force it -- and do the butt-sniffing thing. If your dog has problems with other dogs on leash, you should probably consult with a behavior counselor.

Another opportunity for socializing is at a dog park.  If you don't have any dog parks in your city, consider trying to get one started. I don't recommend taking puppies or very small dogs to dog parks, however you might be able to arrange a play group for your small dog.  

An excellent place to socialize your dog is in formal training. When you enroll your dog in formal training, ask the trainer if they allow time for socializing.  This is a controlled situation, so if there are any problems the trainer and the owners can stop any trouble before it gets started.  

Puppy Training

Puppies seven weeks old and older are at a perfect age to begin training. They are little "empty slates" just waiting to be filled up with new information.  This is the time to make sure the information they learn is the right information.  

The first thing you should think about is, are the behaviors you are currently letting your puppy indulge in going to be acceptable behaviors when your puppy grows into an adult.  For instance, if you have a 7 week-old Great Dane, do you really want him hanging out on the couch or your bed?  Do you want him jumping up on you and others because it's easier for you to pet him and he's so cute?  If you let your puppy indulge in these behaviors now (and most owners encourage these behaviors in young pups) it's going to be that much harder to break him of the habit when it's no longer acceptable.

Start teaching your puppy as soon as you get him that "nothing in life is free."  He must earn his dinner; he must earn his play time; he must earn his trip to the park. If you get your puppy into the habit of working for the things he wants, you'll have a much more attentive adult dog -- a dog who understands that you control the resources he wants.  This isn't "being mean" to your dog -- we have to earn what we want in life, also -- food and leisure time don't come for free.  If you do the ground work early, you won't have to do it with a wild, out-of-control adolescent dog.

Very young puppies are best taught in very short sessions.  You should get in the habit of carrying some dry dog food in your pocket, a bait bag, or an inexpensive nail apron whenever you are around your puppy.  Every time your dog comes up to you, ask him to perform a behavior such as a sit or down and give him a piece of food. This is the best way for young pups to learn, and this method can also be used for older dogs if you can get yourself in the habit of carrying treats with you around the house.

Just because young puppies need to learn in short sessions doesn't mean you shouldn't take them to class.  Class is an excellent opportunity for them to socialize and this is every bit as important as obedience training.  You should look at class as a time for your puppy to learn good social skills while you're learning training techniques that you can use at home.

Finally, puppies do not need harsh treatment when being taught. They are eager and willing to learn -- you need to make sure your puppy understands what you want him to do.  Remember, they don't speak English and you must find a way to communicate with them.  If you take the time to train your puppy when he's young, you'll have a wonderful companion for years to come.

Reprinted from the PETA web site

Winston is a great dog, smart and affectionate. He only has one problem: He just can't get anywhere fast enough. His walks always turn into a tug-of-war between his walker's arm socket and his neck. An old-fashioned dog trainer would say to teach him not to lunge by walking him on a "choke" chain collar and yanking it abruptly whenever he starts to pull.

Sherry Fries, an accredited animal chiropractor, adamantly disagrees. "Anybody who still employs the jerk method for training their dogs ... should have the same thing done to him or her," she says. What happens? "Whiplash of the most severe kind. It can also set the stage for disc disease, neuropathy, or disease to the spinal cord and nervous system.

According to British veterinarian Robin Walker, the "yank and stomp" method was popularized by the well-known animal trainer Barbara Woodhouse, whose books from the '60s and '70s are still sold in book stores.

"Barbara had arrived with her choke chains and nasty things were happening to dogs' necks," he says. "Since then I have seen a stream of screaming dogs arriving at my surgery with dislocated neck bones and damaged voice boxes."

Sherry Fries explains why: "When a dog is jerked by a collar, his head is stationary, and sometimes the body whips around. So now we're talking about maybe 50 to 60-plus pounds on the stalk of the neck being thrown around, and the dogs can't tell us, 'Hey, that really hurts!'"

The garroting effect of a choke chain can cause bruising and damage to the skin and tissues in the neck, resulting in the formation of scar tissue. Scar tissue has no feeling, thus, subsequent jerks will require greater force to achieve an effect.

Not only can the jerk method of training cause physical injury, it can cause psychological problems as well. Kevin Behan, author of Natural Dog Training warns: "...with a choke collar, the dog has an instinctive reflex at his disposal to deal with the sensation of something tightening around his neck. He may misinterpret the correction on the choke collar as a stranglehold and unnecessarily become rebellious or afraid."

Australian veterinarian Dr. Robert K. Wansbrough has even printed a fact sheet on the hazards associated with choke collars. In it he warns that chokers can cause dogs to become fearful of hands, resentful, and aggressive. 

While choke chains and their ugly counterpart, the "prong collar" (sometimes recommended by trainers when the war of wills caused by a choke chain escalates), come in for the most criticism, regular buckle collars aren't necessarily the answer.

Chiropractor Sherry Fries dislikes all collars. "I implore people to use harnesses as opposed to any collar," she says.

Like a choke collar, a buckle collar puts pressure on a pulling dog's neck. The absolute safest option for walking a dog is probably a standard nylon-web harness. However, if your dog is a determined lunger, he or she may need an intermediate tool for training.

Learn to Walk Safely — Halters and Harnesses

One of the gentlest devices for training dogs not to lunge is a head halter. These consist of a strap that fits around the back of of the dog's neck, connects to a loop over the dog's muzzle and continues down to a control ring under the chin. The idea is that where dogs heads go, their bodies follow. The halter works, not through force, but by redirecting the dog's focus sideways or down. It may also re-create the sensation felt by puppies when their mothers correct them by putting their mouths over their puppies' muzzles.

The "no-pull" harness consists of cords that run under the dog's front legs, puts pressure on the chest and "armpits" when the dog pulls, not on the neck. While safer than a collar, these harnesses have been suspected of causing chafing and even radial injuries in some dogs' legs if used incorrectly. Available in animal supply shops and catalogs. 

Goodies!

Trainer Robin Kovary of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers emphasizes that just about any training tool can be either benign or dangerous in the wrong hands. She believes that the technique is more important than the tool. "A heavy-handed approach is not only unnecessary, it's counter-productive," she says. "It causes fear and stess and stress impairs learning." Kovary believes a dog can be taught to heel just by using positive reinforcement, such as "lure rewards" (urging the dog to stay close by holding a treat or toy, for example). What a relief! This new style head halter doesn't pull on a dog's neck at all.

Injuries caused by choke collars:

• Intervertebral disc protusion

• Fainting

• Partial or complete paralysis of the fore and or hind limbs due to spinal cord injuries

• Damage to the vagus nerve thus affecting function of major organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, bladder, spleen, kidneys, etc.

• Crushing of the trachea with partial or complete asphyxiation

• Crushing of and sometimes fracture of the bones in the larynx

• Bruising of the esophagus

• Sharp increases in pressure in the head which can cause brain or eye damage and sometimes prolapse of the eye

Mental & Physical Stimulation

Most pet dogs lead very under-stimulated lives. If your dog lived in the wild he would spend the majority of his time in survival activities. He would be hunting for his dinner. He would have to find prey, run it down, hang onto and kill it, and then rip it apart to eat it! He might even have to protect it from other predators. Furthermore, he would probably have to make several finds and run-downs before he successfully made a kill. That’s a lot of work! Dogs are programmed to work -- they need and want a job. Busy dogs are happy dogs.

There are several ideas in this article which you can use to keep your dog busy. However, your imagination is the limit -- as long as it is safe and keeps your dog occupied, do it! If you come up with a great idea, please share it with Raising Canine and other dog owners.

Feeding Your Dog

Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) Rule: Never give your dog food without making him work for it. It can be as simple as a "sit" or as complicated as running an agility course. This includes treats, handouts while you’re fixing your own meal, and putting his bowl down in front of him (although I hope after reading this handout, your dog won’t be using a bowl anymore). This also means everyone in the family. There’s always a softie who thinks it’s mean, but in reality, it’s meaner to not make your dog work than to make him work.

Buster Cubes: If you feed your dog kibble, feed it in a Buster Cube. This is a square-shaped ball which you fill with kibble and the dog has to roll it around on the floor to get the kibble out. You can adjust the holes that the kibble comes out of, so as your dog gets better at getting the food out, make the holes smaller.

Kongs: Kongs are meant to be stuffed! You can be conventional and stuff them with peanut butter or Cheez Whiz, or you can be creative and feed your dog’s dinner in the Kong and then hide it. Following are some stuffing tips:

• Buy 2 or more Kongs, and stuff them all at the same time. This way you will save time.

• Peanut butter, Cheez Whiz, cream cheese, etc.

• Canned dog food.

• Pre-mix canned dog food with chopped hot dogs, cheese, commercial dog treats, and any other goodies and keep in your refrigerator. 

• Stuff and freeze. It will take your dog longer to get the frozen stuffing out.

• Use a plug of white bread at the opening and then freeze.

• Freeze, put in an old margarine container, wrap in several layers of old rags with complicated knots, and then hide. (You need to work up to this one -- hide and show your dog, so he knows the game; initially make the wrapping not too complicated, etc..) Hide them in the house (under couch cushions, behind doors, under beds, etc.) or hide them outside -- if it’s not a problem, you can even bury them!

Scattering: Throw your dog’s food out on the lawn. This way he must hunt for his dinner. If you have more than one dog, be sure they are both getting enough food.

Hiding: If you work all day, start hiding food around your house in different locations.  Take a small pile of food and hide it under the couch cushion, behind the bathroom door, under your kid's pile of dirty clothes, etc.  Just remember where you hid the food in case your dog can't find it!

Exercise

Remember the saying: If your dog is overweight, you aren’t getting enough exercise!

Walks: All dogs need exercise. A walk is great for your dog’s mental stimulation -- it allows them plenty of sniff and pee time, and usually allows them to encounter other dogs and people. However, it is not a substitute for strenuous exercise. If you exercise by jogging, bike riding, etc., take your dog with you (after consulting your vet as to your dog’s condition and capability).

Fetch: Teach your dog fetch. It’s a great way for you to remain a couch potato but still give your dog good exercise. You can come home after a hard day’s work, veg out on the chaise with a cool drink and exercise your throwing arm. Commune with nature while exercising your dog!! Frisbee!! Most dogs love Frisbee.

Tug-of-War: Tug is a great energy burner, and it also burns their predatory energy. Too often, people would like to ignore the fact that dogs are predators, or, even worse, try to eradicate their predatory drive. This is a big mistake. Dogs are predators! We will never change that, and instead of ignoring it and hoping it goes away, let’s channel it into useful activities. If you play Tug, just be sure you follow some simple ground rules:

• Use a specific toy for tug, and this is your toy, not the dog’s. When not playing tug, the toy goes up, out of the dog’s reach

• Use a specific command for beginning and continuing the tug game, such as "tug."

• Your dog must "out" or "drop it" on command. Teach this with food treats, and do not play tug until he has the command down pat. Then gradually build him up. Teaching a half-hearted "drop it" command and then expecting your dog to "drop it" in the middle of a heated game of tug is asking too much. If he fails to "drop it" on command, the game immediately stops for a time-out penalty (about 1 minute should do it). To resume the game, give your "tug" command. If the dog again will not "drop it" again, stop that play session and put the toy away. Most dogs love to play tug, and will soon learn the rules.

• Use the tug game as an opportunity to improve your dog’s obedience. Give him a "drop it" command, make him down, roll over, or whatever, and then resume the game. Chances are he’ll eventually roll over so quick you’ll hardly see it, because he wants to get back to that tug game.

• If the dog grabs the toy without invitation, have a time-out penalty or end the game.

• The dog must never touch you with his teeth. That should be an immediate end of game. Even if you offer him your hand, he should go out of his way to avoid it. Dogs are extremely quick with their mouths, much quicker than we are with our hands. Don’t ever assume that he touched your with is teeth "by accident." Make no exceptions to this rule.

Most dogs really love to play tug, and you can use this as a reward for good behavior, or exceptional performance.

Parks and Dog-Dog Interactions: If your dog has a reliable recall, take him to an off-leash park and let him run and play. If he doesn’t have a reliable recall, teach him one. Find a dog park in your town. If there isn’t one, become civic-minded and get all the dog owners you run across to sign a petition to start one. Set up play-dates with other dogs. There’s nothing better for dogs than playing with other dogs. It gives them good exercise, increases their social skills and problem solving abilities, and is great exercise.

Dog Sports: There are a lot of dog sports out there which are fun for you and your dog. You can participate at the level you choose -- you can do it just for fun, or you can become competitive. Dogs love sports any way they can get them. Take into consideration your dog’s breed, his personality and temperament, and where you live. If you live in Alaska and have a Malamute, you might want to consider dog sledding or carting! Or, if you live in Texas and have a Border Collie, you’ll certainly want to consider agility or fly-ball. Any dog can compete in any sport, but some dogs are more suited to some sports than others. Following are a list of sports (not comprehensive by any means): obedience competition, agility, fly-ball, water rescue, scent work, carting, working trials, field trials, earth dog trials for Terriers, etc. The list goes on and on. Figure out what is involved in participating in a particular sport -- how much time and equipment is required, how far do you have to travel, what would you and your dog enjoy, and go from there.

Obedience: Obedience training is great mental exercise for your dog. You should institute the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) rule and begin making your dog do something before he gets food. When he becomes good at one thing, start making him give you two-fers (i.e., a sit and a down) before he gets the food. This will help him really distinguish between the commands. Often dogs are just guessing as to what it is you want.

Toys

Balls: There are various balls your dog can entertain himself with. Activity balls are another stuffing toy, Wiggly Giggly balls make noise when the dog moves it, plain old balls can be lots of fun.

Chews: You should always make sure your dog has plenty of chew toys. They need to chew to keep their jaw muscles and teeth in good shape. Chewing is not simply a "puppy thing," adults also need to chew. You might need to experiment to find out what kind of chew toys your dog prefers, but make sure he has plenty around. This will also keep him from chewing things he shouldn’t be chewing.

Dissecting: Stuffed toys, like tug, help release a dog’s predatory energy. If you watch your dog, you’ll notice that his dissection of stuffed toys is very ritualized -- this is what he would do if he had caught a prey animal. Usually, they hold it down with their feet, and dissect the middle (stomach) of the toy. This is excellent play for a dog. These toys can be expensive, so I go around to garage sales and get cheap stuffed animals. Be sure you cut off anything that can be harmful, such as button eyes, voice boxes, etc. Also, supervise when your dog is dissecting a toy, because you don’t really want him to eat the innards -- they aren’t particularly good for them. Dissecting should be a special treat, not an all day, every day kind of activity. If your dog is really into dissecting, you can use this as a reward for good behavior, or exceptional performance.

This list is only the beginning of ways to keep your dog mentally and physically stimulated. Use your imagination. The only criteria should be that you cause no harm -- to your dog or to others. Have fun with your dog!!

Bite Inhibition

One of the most important things you can teach your pup is to inhibition his bite. Learning about bite inhibition means that your puppy is learning to control his mouth -- NOT learning not to bite, but to CONTROL his bite. If your puppy learns to control his bite now, if, as an adult dog, he is ever in a position of having to bite someone, he will not inflict serious damage to the person he bites - hopefully nothing more than a simple puncture wound. After your dog has learned bite inhibition you can begin teaching him not to bite at all.

Let’s start with some background on dogs and their mouths. First, we must always remember that a dog’s mouth is his primary tool -- for hunting, eating, playing and defense. A dog’s mouth is also a very powerful tool. It is designed to crush bone! Finally, if a dog feels afraid and trapped, he WILL BITE -- I don’t care how nice a dog he is. It is unfair for us to expect a dog to never bite, under any circumstance -- their mouth is their only protection. With those thoughts in mind, it is easy to see why we must teach our dogs to control their mouths.

If you observe puppies in their litter, you will see that they do a lot of roughhousing. When puppies play, they are experimenting, learning to communicate, exploring, and testing their boundaries. If a puppy bites his littermate too hard, the littermate will yelp. If the puppy continues to bite too hard, the littermate will quit playing with him. If the puppy bites his mother too hard, she will reprimand him. This puppy is learning bite inhibition.

In the dog world it is perfectly legal to bite other dogs as long as you don't inflict serious damage, and they learn their limits by playing with other dogs.  People do not have the protective padding of fur and thicker skin that dogs have, so if a dog bites us in play as hard as he would bite another dog in play, it really hurts! Therefore, people must teach dogs their limits when playing with people. Eventually these limits will be not biting at all unless invited, but this is a gradual process.

In the human world, it is not at all acceptable for a dog to bite. We are imposing our rules on dogs, so we must, in return, teach them what is and is not acceptable. We humans have classified dog bites by severity:

1. Harassment (doesn’t actually touch your skin)

2. Tooth contact (touches but doesn’t break the skin)

3. Puncture (1 bite and then he releases - may have blood and tearing because person pulls away)

4. 1 bite with severe bruising (usually held in the mouth for 3 or more seconds)

5. Multiple bites

6. Severe mutilation or death (very rare)

99% of dog bites fall into categories 1-3, and to the dog these are warnings. For instance, if you are grooming your dog and he puts his mouth on your hand or arm but doesn’t hurt you, he is telling you he does not like what you are doing. We usually do not understand what our dog is telling us, and ignore the warnings. It is very unusual for a dog to bite without giving any warning. However, most people do not understand dog communications, and do not realize that they are being warned. This is when we hear "he bit me with no warning at all!" Actually, he probably did give plenty of warning, the owner just didn’t realize it.

To teach your puppy bite inhibition, follow these steps:

1. When playing with your puppy, pay attention to his bites and figure out what his "normal" range is.

2. When he bites harder than "normal," yelp in a high pitched tone (as if you were a littermate). Your puppy should immediately stop biting and look at you.

3. Resume playing. If your puppy again bites outside the "normal" range, get up and walk away from him -- stop the play session.

4. You can resume playing again after about 30-60 seconds of time-out.

5. Within a short time, your puppy’s "normal" range should decrease and not be as hard as it was before. When this happens, re-assess his "normal" range and repeat these steps.

Eventually, you will train your puppy not to bite at all unless invited, but in the meantime, you’ve trained him to be aware of how hard he bites, and you’ve taught him that there are consequences for biting too hard.

It is important that everyone who has contact with your puppy follow these steps -- particularly family members. It is often difficult to teach young children to assess a level of bite, so you can instruct them that if the puppy bites too hard, they should quit playing with him altogether for a few minutes.

Finally, you work on your dog's bite inhibition for the rest of his life.  If you are wearing a heavy-sleeved garment such as a sweatshirt or jacket, invite your dog to take your forearm in his mouth; roughhouse a little and if he's too rough, stop for 30-60 seconds and start playing again.  The early lessons will come  back quickly.  As with all skills, bite inhibition needs to be practiced to be maintained.

Dogs and the Crazy Things They Eat!

Food

Although we at Raising Canine are not veterinarians or dieticians, our personal philosophy is that dogs need variety in their diet just as we do. They have taste buds and can develop a fondness for certain foods. If you start feeding your puppy different types of foods -- such as fruits, avocado, and other foods you might not think about in connection with dogs -- from the time you first get him, your dog will develop an eclectic palate. Just like little kids, dogs will be picky about what they eat if they are not exposed to different things early on. We’re generous with table scraps, however it’s important to know that there are some foods that are not good for your dog.

Following is a list of foods that you should not feed your dog (or not feed in excess) because they can be harmful. If you have any questions or concerns, consult your veterinarian.

Chocolate: Chocolate can cause your dog's heart to beat rapidly.  Chocolate is particularly dangerous because dogs love it and will get into it if it’s left lying around. Be very careful with any products that contain chocolate, making sure they are safely out of your dogs’ reach. Some of the symptoms of excessive chocolate ingestion are vomiting, excessive thirst, restlessness, diarrhea, etc. Chocolate can cause kidney and heart damage and even death.

Onions: Onions and members of the onion family, including garlic, can cause anemia and liver damage.

Salt: Dogs do not eliminate salt as efficiently as people; we sweat all over our bodies and dogs only sweat through the pads of their feet and through their tongues. Too much salt in a dog’s diet can cause kidney problems. Be aware that there is a lot of salt in pre-packaged foods and food mixes; dairy products such as cheese and butter also have salt. Almost any food we buy that is not fresh will have salt in it, so be careful what you feed your dog. Also be sure to check the labels of the dog food and treats you buy.

That covers what not to feed your dog; the question of what to feed your dog opens up a whole new can of worms! There are a lot of dog foods on the market these days. If you decide to feed your dog a commercial dog food, the best way to make a decision is to read the label! There are a lot of wonderful, small, designer dog food companies making quality products, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding a good food for your dog. Again, our personal philosophy is that dogs like variety. We don’t feed one commercial food exclusively -- we switch from brand to brand.

A wonderful resource for finding out about commercial dog food is the Whole Dog Journal. Be aware that this is a holistic magazine, and that is their bias; however, they do a comprehensive review of dog foods a couple of times a year and you can get a lot of good information without doing the research yourself. They also do excellent reviews on other types of products, training articles, behavior articles, etc.

Another choice is to go with a BARF (bones and raw foods) diet. This is a lot more work, but is probably one of the better diet options for your dog. If you decide to do this, do your homework -- make sure your dog is getting the nutrients he needs. Again, the Whole Dog Journal is a very useful resource for this type of diet. Another resource is to join one of the many BARF discussion groups.

Finally, a discussion of what to feed your dog would not be complete without talking about bones! Bones are very controversial. If you decide to do a BARF diet, you will feed your dog bones. Your vet will probably advise against bones because they see some awful things happen to dogs who eat them. Keep in mind, however, that they usually see the bad effects a lot more often than they see the good effects, so they have a bias, also. Since we’re not experts in this area, we’re not going to give any advice one way or the other. We will certainly recommend that you do your homework and talk to knowledgeable people so you can make an informed decision.

Non-Food

Dogs are notorious scavengers! They’ll eat anything and everything -- unless of course it’s coming from you and is not cooked and seasoned just right! Dogs eat plants, trees, table legs, pantyhose, stuffed animals, garbage, carcasses and -- most disgusting -- poop.

Many of the things dogs eat can be controlled through proper training. There is an article on chewing and how to prevent it in the "Articles" section of this web page. It is much harder to control things such as outdoor garbage, carcasses and poop when your dog is on his own and you are not there to supervise.

To help you understand and accept your dog’s disgusting eating habits it’s important to understand that scavenging is a survival instinct in dogs and they’ve been doing it (and surviving because they do it) for thousands of years. Their digestive systems are much tougher than ours, and they can eat things that would make us extremely sick with no ill effects.

The benefits of eating garbage and carcasses is obvious -- the one that escapes us is why they eat poop. No one really understands why they do it, but they do, so there must be a reason. If they eat their own poop, you can try feeding them tropical fruit such as mangoes, pineapple or figs (Fig Newtons work well) and this may stop them; there are also commercial products you can try. If you have cats and your dog gets into the litter box, management is probably the easiest solution; get a litter box with a top, put the opening toward the wall and put the box in a room or place the dog can’t get to regularly. If your dog eats strange poop found on walks or in the woods, you probably just need to be on top of things so you can interrupt before he gets started, or resign yourself to the fact that your dog is a poop-eater!

ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center

Crate Training

Following is information designed to help you decide if you need to use a crate or some other form of confinement for your dog.

Crate training helps with the following:

1. Housetraining: the crate prompts the dog to hold bladder and bowels when unsupervised and consequently helps expedite housetraining.

2. Chew training: the crate prevents the dog from chewing things he shouldn’t (such as shoes, furniture, etc.) and teaches him to chew the things he should (chew toys which are in his crate).

3. Settling down: helps the dog develop a pattern of inactivity when left alone.

4. Owner as good guy: by taking care of housetraining and chewing errors, the dog is "self-training" and reducing owner reprimands and other bad-guy stuff.

5. Preparation for possible close confinement: if your dog has been crate trained, and is regularly crated, he will be less stressed during travel, vet visits and other times crating is required.

Chewing and activity management could be accomplished with an ex-pen or a well dog-proofed room, and are a viable alternative, although a crate is really a better all around tool. Also, unless your dog is solid in his elimination habits, these options will not work for housetraining. The close confinement of a crate discourages a dog from eliminating because he prefers not to soil his living area. For good housetraining, the crate should be only large enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably in. Any larger, and he will be able to use one end as a toilet area and the other end as a bed; and this is what will happen with an ex-pen or dog-proofed room. You can now find crates with a moveable inside wall, which allows the crate to grow with the dog.

Getting Him Used to His Crate

Throwing your dog into his crate and expecting him to adjust and like it is asking too much. You must make the crate a place your dog wants to go. Be sure the crate is comfortable, with a pad or blanket and put the crate in a high traffic area, so your dog will be close to people. Then, whenever the dog isn’t looking, drop treats in the back of the crate -- he’ll start thinking "Wow, whenever I go in my crate, there are goodies!!" Feed him in his crate with the door open, tie one of his favorite chew toys or a stuffed Kong to the back of the crate with heavy string so your dog must lie in the crate to chew on it.

After you’ve done this for a few days, start teaching enter and exit commands, -- I use "crate" and "free" -- throw a treat in the crate, praise the dog as he goes in and then call and encourage him out, again praising and treating. Do this a few times and then change it slightly -- instead of throwing treats into the crate, command him to go in, wait for compliance, and then drop in a treat. If he doesn’t go in on his own, just wait -- don’t command him again, and don’t throw the treat in. If he doesn’t go in after waiting for a few minutes, end the session. Try another session in 15 minutes or so, initially throwing the treat in, then withholding the treat until he goes in on his own after one command. Have patience -- he’ll go in eventually. When he does, give him a jackpot -- double or triple the normal reward. Do a few more reps, then end the session.

Once he’s going in and out on command, start locking the door. Shut the door and feed him treats through the grate for a minute or two, then open the door. After doing this several times, have him go in and walk around the crate, then around the room, pitching treats to him occasionally; then, after a couple of minutes, open the door and let him out. Be sure the process is a positive experience for him. The next step is to add some duration.

Prepare yourself with a video, stuff a couple of chew-toys with extra-good treats, and set the crate up close to where you’ll be sitting. Command the dog to go in the crate, give him his chew-toys, close the door and start your video. Leave a couple of times to get popcorn, etc., but only be gone for a minute or two. Ignore any noise or tantrum behavior from your dog. When you’ve finished your movie, if the dog is quiet and settled, open the door and command him out. Under no circumstances should you let the dog out if he’s misbehaving! Don’t make a fuss over the dog when you let him out -- make it seem like the most natural thing in the world. All the good stuff should happen while he’s in the crate. The exception to this is if you think the dog is really distressed -- not just demanding to be let out.

After he’s out, command him back in the crate, give him a couple of treats with the door open, then end the session. If he refuses to go in, do what it takes to get him in with food lures, etc. and work on your enter and exit commands before ending the session.

Next, begin locking your dog in his crate while you go about your normal household chores and are at home. Ignore any noise and make sure he has plenty to do while in the crate. Only let him out when he is settled and behaving properly. Once he’s learned to settle into his crate, you can begin leaving the house for short periods. Start with 1-10 seconds over and over, then increase it gradually until you are up to 5-10 minutes, etc. Mix it up so the dog doesn’t learn to anticipate how long you’ll be gone. Don’t make a fuss when leaving or returning. If you are going to be gone for a longer period, tire your dog out with some strenuous exercise. It is important to gradually condition your dog to his crate so he will be comfortable and relaxed in a crate for the rest of his life.

If your dog is soiling his crate, try removing the pad or blanket for a week -- the porous material may be triggering elimination. Also be sure he isn’t in the crate for too long a period of time. Keep the dog and the crate scrupulously clean. You might also have him checked for a bladder infection if he urinates often. If this doesn’t help, contact Raising Canine for advice.

House Training

This handout addresses puppy training, but the principles apply to adult dogs as well.

Getting Started

As a rule of thumb (and it varies from dog to dog), a puppy can "hold it" in hours for as many months old as he is, plus one. I.e., if your puppy is 4 months old, he can probably "hold it" for 5 hours. Also, dogs cannot "hold it" as long in the daytime as they can at night.

To begin house training your dog, you will need the following:

• A crate large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in comfortably, but no larger

• A schedule for going outside

• Treats for whenever you go outside with your dog

• Good observational skills to prevent accidents

• Patience

Crate

The dog must be crated whenever you’re away or can’t actively supervise. If you are busy around the house, sleeping, have company, etc., you need to crate your dog. This will make him hold on so that you can have a success outside later. If the dog is soiling his crate, the crate is probably too large. If you have a puppy, and are not able to take him out regularly, he may use part of the crate as a toilet.

Puppy Schedules

You must provide your puppy with a set schedule for eating and going outside. If you are away for longer than 4 hours, have someone come to the house to take a puppy out. Optimally, there is always someone at home during the housetraining period.

A typical puppy schedule looks like this:

• First thing in the morning

• A few minutes after each meal. This is often when puppies will have a bowel movement. You will discover your own puppy’s rhythm through observation.

• Every hour on the hour. Take your puppy outside on leash for five minutes in a small area. Always use the same spot and he will begin to associate the area with its purpose. Don’t interact with your puppy. Have a play period once he’s finished. If nothing happens aft er five minutes, bring him back into the house and crate him for another thirty minutes. Try again. If he does eliminate, you may give him a free period under close supervision for a short time -- 15-20 minutes. Even better would be a walk or a game. This acts as an added bonus for performing.

• During the night a very young puppy (less than 8 weeks) may need to go out once during the night. If you are willing to bite the bullet and take him out until he is able to control himself through the night, it will help speed up the house training process.

Treats

Every time your dog eliminates outside, lavish him with praise while he is eliminating, and after he’s finished, give him an extra special treat (a small piece of cheese, hot dog, etc.). If he stops eliminating when you start praising him, save the praise until he’s finished.

Good Observational Skills

Your puppy will give off signals that he needs to eliminate. It is important that you learn to identify these signals so you can prevent mistakes. Common behaviors are circling, restlessness and sniffing. If you see your puppy doing any of these things, take him out!!

Patience

Don’t lose your cool. Most puppies will have accidents, especially in the beginning. Since your puppy will be supervised at all times if he’s loose, you will be able to provide the proper feedback if he begins to eliminate in the house, and hopefully catch him before the act and take him outside.

Use a sharp sound to interrupt him if you catch him beginning to eliminate in the house. This may prevent him from finishing his elimination. Urgently say "outside" and take the puppy out as quickly as possible. Then stay for the 5 minute wait period or until he eliminates, praising and treating if he does. If he doesn’t eliminate, put him back in the crate or supervise him until you are ready to try again.

If the puppy does have an accident in the house which you did not catch, there is no point in punishing him. He will not understand what he has done wrong, and you may damage your relationship with your puppy. Clean it up, and use a commercial odor neutralizer (or 50% vinegar and 50% water). Then tell yourself that you need to be more careful about supervising your pup, or you need to increase his number of outings.

Tethering

If you don’t want your puppy in the crate all the time, but can’t constantly be watching him, you can put him on a leash and tie the leash around your waist. Keep the leash short enough that you will be aware if he starts circling, sniffing, etc. That way the puppy can be out of the crate, with you, yet not able to run free.

Destructiveness is one of the most common behavioral problems for dogs. Often this takes the form of chewing the owner’s possessions instead of the dog’s toys.

We must first understand that chewing is a necessary activity for all dogs -- not just puppies. Chewing keeps a dog’s jaw muscles in good shape and also helps to keep their teeth clean. Dogs need to chew. Our job is getting them to chew the right things. Please remember that dogs have no concept of the monetary or sentimental difference in value between a rawhide bone and a Chippendale chair.

As an owner, you must keep your dog supplied with an array of suitable chew toys. You may have to experiment to find out what type of toys your dog prefers -- remember all dogs are different. Kongs are a wonderful chew toy, because you can stuff them with food in a variety of ways to keep your dog occupied. Sterilized, hollow bones can also be stuffed and make great chew toys. See the handout on Mental and Physical Stimulation for tips on toy stuffing. Another advantage of the stuffing toys is that they provide a puzzle for your dog to work out. Dogs need to solve problems. Dogs are predators which originally hunted as a group -- they are designed to solve problems, and a lack of problems to solve is part of what makes domestic dogs destructive.

Get your dog hooked on his chew toys! Make the toys attractive to him and praise him (and treat him if appropriate) whenever he is chewing on the correct item. Play hide-and-seek with his chew toys, making them even more interesting and valuable. Train him to bring you his toy when you come home from an absence, and then play fetch or keep-away with it.

Supervise your dog closely when you are home. Make sure he’s chewing on the right toy, praising him periodically for doing so. If he looks like he’s about to begin chewing on an inappropriate item, redirect him to one of his chew toys.

When you are not at home, confine your untrained dog in a dog-proof area with a supply of his chew toys. See the handout on Crate Training and Confinement. You can rotate the toys from day to day so he doesn’t become bored, but provide the most interesting (stuffed Kongs, etc.) for the longest absences.

There is no point in punishing your dog after the fact. If he has chewed something he wasn’t supposed to, and you don’t catch him in the act, punishing will not help.

If your dog has a more serious problem, such as separation anxiety, please call for help.

Introducing Cats and Dogs

The Prey Drive

Bringing a new animal into your home can create many problems -- especially if one of the animals is a dog and the other is a cat! Always remember that dogs are predators and they look on a small animal, such as a cat or rodent, as prey. Dogs are very attuned to quick movement, and nothing is as irresistible to them as a small, running animal. Cats often seem to instinctively understand this; an experienced cat will usually sit still when a strange dog approaches. However, an inexperienced cat may run which will trigger the dog’s predatory instinct. Also, more than half of adult dogs that haven’t been socialized to cats will show some signs of predatory behavior. Finally, when two or more dogs are together, they may acquire a "pack mentality" and spur each other on to chasing smaller animals.

Some dogs tend to have a higher prey drive than others, and some breeds also tend to have higher prey drives. If you are considering getting either a dog or a cat, research the breed of dog you have or are thinking of getting to see how that breed interacts with cats in general. You may have trouble finding such information in breed books, but there are many breed lists on the Internet, and the members are usually very happy to answer such questions -- however, be wary of taking training and behavior advice from these lists, as most members are not that well educated in behavior.

Social Patterns

Dogs are soical animals and, unless they have behavioral problems, will actively attempt to make friends with a new member of the household. They may appear jealous at first, but their natural instinct is to live in peace and harmony. Cats, on the other hand, are not necessarily social animals, and may have no innate desire to make friends with strange animals. Cats living entirely inside a house have different social rules than cats that spend time outdoors; cats living with other cats have different social rules than cats living without other cats; feral cats living in a group, may have very different social relationships than feral cats living in another group, so it is very difficult to predict how cats will behave in any given situation.

Another huge factor is whether or not cats and dogs were socialized well when they were very young. Cats that grew up around dogs will tend to be less fearful, and dogs that grew up with cats will be less likely to show predatory behavior -- although all dogs will chase a running cat, regardless of socialization history.

Introducing Cats & Dogs

Although humans have the naive idea that all animals should be able to live together happily, this is not realistic, and you must ultimately take responsibility for your animals’ safety when living in a multiple-pet household. Regardless of which animal was in the household first, when bringing a new cat or dog into the home, some good, basic rules to follow are:

• Do not force the new house mates to interact;

• When they are in the same room, have the dog under control -- either in a crate or leashed;

• Allow the cat to approach the dog at his own pace;

• Always have safe areas for the cat to retreat to; and

• Don’t be surprised or disappointed if your dog and cat never become friends.

Stress

Be aware of the stress levels in both the cat and the dog. If either animal is constantly under stress, it is very bad for their health.

A simple way to tell if a cat is under stress is by whether or not she’s eating. If you have food and water in a safe area where the cat is confident the dog can’t get to her, she should eat normally. This may take a couple of days, but once the cat is secure in this area, she will relax. You can watch the area, or set up a video to see what your cat is doing while in her safe area.

Introduction Techniques

There are some techniques for introducing dogs and cats which may ease the transition. First, make sure your cat has a safe area. High places that the dog can’t get to should be available in all rooms, but setting aside one room as "the cat’s room" will give the cat a reliable resting area. Her food, water and litter pan should be in this room, as well as toys for her to play with.

A baby gate across the doorway to the cat’s room can serve a dual purpose: First, it will keep the dog out of the room (you may have to train your dog not to jump the gate); secondly, it can act as a cue to the cat. When the gate is up, the dog is in the house; when the gate is gone, the dog is out of the house. This will allow the cat to safely explore the house. If you use this method, be sure to always have the gate up when the dog is in the house -- if you lie to the cat, she may never feel secure enough to explore and get out. When the cat feels comfortable in the house with the gate gone, you might try crating the dog and taking the gate down.

Another method is to take a towel or blanket and rub the dog with it. Then let the cat smell the towel and perhaps use it as a blanket for the cat to sleep on. Eventually the cat will be familiar with the smell, and that will ease the transition. You can use the same technique in reverse -- rub the cat and let the dog get used to the smell.

In the end, patience and management are your best tools. A cat and dog will not like each other simply because you want them to. They will make that decision for themselves. They may become great friends, they may tolerate each other, or they may never relax in each other’s presence.

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