Cooper post cactus encounter. The spines were actually in his leg and flank.

It’s got to be hard to be my dog. There’s snow on the ground, now, but it turns out that cactus still reside under it and so do their spines. Cooper took a digger yesterday and must have skidded right across one. I noticed a few spines after we were done training but didn’t see the fine hair-like spines that were stuck in his leg and belly by the hundred. When I got home last night, poor Cooper looked like a Shar Pei and couldn’t hold down his dinner. I gave him two Bendryl (to bring down the swelling from his alergic reaction) and started plucking out the spines with tweezers. Three hours later, I’d gotten most of the spines out and the swelling had started to go down. This morning, we went to the vet who said more Benadryl and rest. Cooper thanked the nice man by barfing on his floor. Hopefully the little man’s back on his feet by tomorrow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/druidicparadise / CC BY 2.0

A few weeks ago, Grayson posted some tips on how to prevent your dog from wolfing down his food. That post drew a criticism for referring to dogs as scavengers rather than straight-up hunt-kill-eat carnivores.

Physiologically, dogs are certainly carnivores. This is evident in the structure of their digestive tract, from their sharp, flesh-tearing teeth, through the bone-dissolving acidity of their stomachs, to their short span of intestine—useful for absorbing fat and protein but wholly inappropriate for digesting vegetable matter. I’ve fed my dogs a raw diet for 10 years. Assistance Dogs of the West also advocates and feeds a raw diet, and has for many years. We have seen remarkable benefit of this sort of feeding in the health, temperament and longevity of our service dogs. Here’s some more info on the how and why of feeding raw.

Although dogs share the majority of their genetic makeup with wolves and can interbreed, in many ways they are distinct. Since their hook-up with humans tens of thousands of years ago, many physical and behavioral changes have taken place. There are many theories on how wolves came to be domesticated into dogs, but a likely route was by learning to scavenge for scraps around human settlements. This behavior was the source of my suggestion that dogs be fed more than once a day—together with personal experience, and veterinary recommendations. Certainly dogs can get by on a single, large meal per day, and there are people who feed this way. As with all interactions with our dogs, it is up to each of us to determine what best serves the health and happiness of our companion animals.

Do I look worried?

Q. I have a 7 month British Lab. Outstanding pup, very good with obedience and retrieving—in the backyard. However, she is very skittish in new surroundings: school yard, fields, park, etc. She won’t retrieve or listen to me anywhere except the backyard, but she does heel very well for more than twenty minutes around our neighborhood. I have tried MANY new locations, recently walking her on a 6′ lead in the same field seems to help a little. Will she outgrow this shyness or is there other methods to assist? Thanks.

A. To arrive at a solution for your dog’s problem, you have to attempt to analyze the possible causes.  Situational shyness, as you describe, could come from three specific areas:
1.  genetics – the parents portrayed these traits/the dog’s personality
2.  improper early puppy pre-conditioning, socialization and backgrounding (the lack thereof)
3.  inadequate training methods

Assuming that we have no genetic traits that could be the cause of this problem, then we have to focus on the other two.  Even if you have genetic issues that are causing the shyness, progress can be made by slowly introducing variables in the dog’s life for desensitization.  Item 2 can be equally difficult.  Early socialization of a pup is imperative to build a great foundation for future learning and the ability to deal with new situations.  Opportunities lost cannot be regained.  Similarly to the genetic issue, this will be a slow process of progressive introductions. One success at a time.

Training:  One thing that is interesting is the dog does fine in your backyard but is not easily transferring these skills to other locations and/or situations.  There are four levels of training… yard work (teaching the basic skills in a familiar area which you have done), field work (teaching the pattern drills, exercises and skill necessary for hunting, adventure, service, etc.), transitional training (moving the basic skills taught in training to realistic field activities/experiences/situations).  Transitional training is where a lot of people break down with their dogs.  A few exercises in the back yard, then it’s off to an abandoned lot and we thing we’re ready for a hunt.  The result:  the wheels run off.  It’s called generalization.  Dogs don’t easily move/transfer skills learned in one location to another in a rational manner.  It has to be experiential.  Each skill has to be practiced 5 times in 5 different locations.

Now, in your pup’s case, he’s confident in the back yard, but this confidence is lost when moved to a new area.  In gundog training I call this sensory overload or to use popular terms today, the stimulus package.  When we are asking skills of our dogs and the stimulation, diversions, and distractions are too high or extreme, we have two choices… simplify the task while maintaining the stimulus or keep the task and reduce the level of the stimulus.

Plan of action:  Perfect one or two skills of your choice in your back yard.  Then, move one of these skills to a new area but with no activity, just new ground.  Perfect the single skill there.  Then move the same skill to a new area with a bit more activity.  Focus only on one or two skills and gradually vary the locations only after the skill is perfected in each, then increase the stimulus slowly.  Here’s the Wildrose rule:  Each of our skills must be practiced 5 times in 5 different locations before we can assume the skill is an entrenched habit.  Be careful that you do not subconsciously reinforce the fear factor.  When you move to a new area, do it with a great deal of confidence which should be displayed in your body posture, tone, gait and attitude.  Don’t be thinking your dog is going to fail.  Also, don’t coddle the fear.  Walk briskly and aggressively as the pack leader letting your dog know there is nothing to fear.

The last of the four levels of training is an actual field activity, hunt, adventure, competition, the public area, etc.  Your first experience in any field situation is not about your participation in the activity.  Your focus is on training your dog.  Example:  Your first hunt is not a hunt at all; it’s a training opportunity.  Keep in mind Wildrose law #5 as you deal with the fear factor:  “Make haste slowly.”
Best of luck,
—Mike

Hey, furball

Q. I have a very smart, 11-week old Golden Retriever puppy. He has learned “Leave it,” “Come,” Sit,” “Down,” “Look,” and to touch my hand with his nose on command. However, I have problems with biting and “heel.” On walks he is more interested in biting my hands, my pants, and especially the leash more than anything else. Using the command “leave it,” will get the dog to temporarily abandon the leash, but go back to chewing immediately after receiving a reward. Often, it is almost impossible to
get him to move; he lies on the ground, zeroes in on biting the leash and wanting to play tug-of-war. When I go down to remove it or pick him up, he turns to my hands.

—Adam

A. Sounds like you’re off to a good start with your 11-week old Golden. I’ll point out one of the Wildrose laws—#5—”Make haste slowly.” You’re trying to teach a lot of commands and behaviors to a very young pup. Pups this age have a short attention span and are easily distracted. Keep things simple, interesting and the sessions short. You’re likely teaching far too many commands at one time before each is becoming a conditioned behavior.

Secondly, your pup is very young and youngsters, especially retriever breeds, very much enjoy using their mouths. Tugging, chewing, pulling are normal behaviors. At this age I’m concentrating more on holding focus, crate training, tying out patiently, early leading (not heel work), and perhaps a sit.

For the tying out, I use a flat collar and a steel tie out cable, 10 feet long. My pup fights, chews, and pulls at this cable which is a fruitless behavior and earns him no results. Therefore, he is not pulling against me nor is he gaining my attention. Once the pup ties out patiently, we can begin to teach leading. Heel work with a loose lead comes a bit later.

Lay off the treats which is only giving the puppy more interest in mouthing your hands and collect all the chew toys which is just reinforcing the chewing. One has to be very careful when training with treats that you are not conditioning in an undesirable behavior that must be trained out later… Wildrose Law #4 – “Don’t train in a habit that you’ll later have to train out.”

Follow these simple procedures, lower your expectations for a pup this age, focus your efforts on gaining patience and the pup’s attention, and be careful not to unconsciously reward your pup for inappropriate behaviors with treats, affection, and praise.

Best of luck.

—Mike

Ol' Ruby in a calmer moment of interspecies understanding

Q. “White dog bit my hand.” That was the unabridged version of the note I found scribbled on an envelope in my mailbox, during the week when my patient and long-suffering mailman, John, was out of town. I’ve got two labs, both rescues. Angus is old and gray and barks at the mailman as well; Ruby is sweet and shy with all dogs and people outside the yard-but inside it, she charges the fence and acts like she’s going to kill passersby. It gets worse: The “White Dog Bit My Hand” note came a couple weeks after “White Dog Tried to Bite Me”—this from the paper deliveryman. And here’s the more embarrassing part: I’ve had Ruby for three years. She was probably abused as a pup, she used to be terrified of new people, but has settled down in most situations. She’s mostly lab, but may have a wee bit of pit bull. I’ve tried a citronella collar that squirts when she barks, but it doesn’t faze her.
I’ve tried a lot of “no!” when I’m there to catch the behavior (but she does it mostly when I’m gone). I’ve put an inner fence inside the fence, but she can still reach the gate where the mailbox is. Now I’ve moved the mailbox and am thinking of fixing sweet Ruby up with a shock bark collar. Any other thoughts? Thanks Dog Shouters! —Elizabeth

We definitely have some issues here.  Good that you moved the mailbox. A solid-paneled fence that would prevent her from seeing the mailman would stop the barking and lunging as well. But as for correcting the behavior of the dog (rather than just erecting more elaborate defences): Forget the spray collars.  They’re not going to work.  Bark collars are effective at suppressing the bark and will probably work, but they won’t permanently stop the barking or teach the dog anything. Also, if you wire up one dog, you should probably wire up the other as well. I subscribe heavily to the pack mentality. If the older dog can still bark, it will encourage the other. What the dog really needs is some socialization and desensitization for passersby, especially those in uniform. With Ruby on a lead, walk out and greet the mailman. Have her patiently, then have the mailman deliver treats with each visit. Give your mailman treats ahead of time if you need to.  You want to emphasize that seeing the mailman is a good thing and that this territorial aggression thing isn’t needed. Consider a strong obedience program for both of your dogs and cement yourself as their leader. If they don’t feel like they rule the yard, they’ll feel less inclination to defend it.

Pardon me, but do you happen to carry the New York Times?

Q. My seven-month-old Australian cattle dog, Bivy, is starting to show his adolescent side and misbehaving more and more. I spend a lot of time training, socializing, and exercising him, but he’s a different dog when I’m not around and destroys paper, climbs on tables to get to remotes I’ve placed out of reach (or so I thought), gets up on furniture, etc., even though I never leave him without stuffed Kongs and chew toys. Knowing I can’t really scold him after the fact, I’ve tried leaving papers and remotes on the floor when I’m home to catch him in the act, but he’s uninterested. How can I correct bad behavior that only happens when I’m not around? —Mike

A. Mike, I like where your head’s at. You’re trying to set Bivy up to succeed in a controlled environment so that he also succeeds when you’re not around. Trouble is, your dog is clearly not ready to be alone with the temptations around the house. Training him to avoid the remote a few times a day is hopeless if he’s got the rest of the day to hapily untrain himself. It’s likely that he’ll grow out of gnawing everything in site, but you don’t want to risk having inappropriate chewing become a habit. The only thing to do at this stage is to have a safe place to leave Bivy where he can’t get at the remote. Ideally this is a secure outdoor kennel or fenced yard where the lad can get some fresh air. The best runs have shade and privacy, which gives the dog a sense of security. Some people see the bars of a kennel and think it looks too much like doggy jail. I’m of the opinion that a well-situated outdoor enclosure is more fun for the dog than wandering the living room. I leave Danger and Cooper outside in a divided 10×20-foot run. Danger is a year-and-a-half, now, and I’ve just started trusting him to spend the night on his dog bed without wandering into the bathroom to snack on toilet paper. The key thing to remember is that it’s a fluid process that mostly depends on your dog. If what you’re doing isn’t working, you’ve got two choices: change something or live with it.

Just an update: The key for Aggie is to get her to run. I don’t think she’s spent much of her life outside a kennel, so she loves to run and play. That was the key for pavement. Once I got her to jog with me on pavement, she was cured. She’s still more timid on pavement than on grass. That turns out to be good, though, on our in-town walks.

She’s much better with noises now, as well. She doesn’t mind the sounds of making dinner anymore, although she still doesn’t like the curtains closing (metallic rod sound probably has a high pitch to it) or lawn mowers. I don’t really like those things either.

She also knows her name, sits before we go out, heels, is starting to come when called (unless she’s near water, which she’s crazy about) and we’re working on lay down. I’ll stop myself there before I start rambling about her.

Thanks again for the help.

—Jonah

Aggie prefers to stick to the grass

Q. I just adopted a six-year-old English setter named Aggie. She’s a sweetheart of a girl, but she’s had almost zero training. She doen’t know her name, is jumpy at some sounds (though not sudden loud ones, strangely), has a fear of feet, and does not like being on pavement. My strategy is to treat her like she’s a puppy, since she needs to learn anything a puppy would learn. My question is: Is there anything different I should be doing for a neglected, possibly abused older dog? And if you have any advice for helping me best help her (books, methods, etc.) I’d greatly appreciate it. —Jonah

A. Jonah, I like your strategy. Even though your dog has already decided what she does and doesn’t like—feet, pavement, and probably a few other things you’ll discover later—the basics of puppy training like focus and patience is a good place to start. Setters tend to be intelligent, independent, and often a bit skittish. When I hunt grouse with my buddy Dave and his elderly setter, Zeke, the old boy will usually hang with us for a few miles and then go back to the car to wait. Zeke also became gunshy late in life. Why? I have no idea, but that brings up your dog’s history. It’s often tempting to interpret adopted dogs’ idiosyncrasies as signs of previous abuse. Maybe they are, maybe not, but the fact is all dogs have their quirks and most can get over them with consistent work. You just need to decide whether they bother you enough to try and train them out. Here’s where I’d start with Aggie:

1. Figure out what she likes and will be willing to work for. Does she respond with lots of tail-wagging to affection? Does she love her food or treats or a specific chew toy? Figure out what gets her going and reserve those things as training rewards.
2. Above all else, build in a solid recall. I can’t tell you how comforting it is to know I can blow a whistle and have young Cooper instantly drop what he’s doing and come running from anywhere within earshot.
3. Teach that dog her name. Use the beginning of our leave it drill and instead of adding the cue “leave it” for ignoring food on the floor, add her name for looking away from the treat in your outstretched hand and making eye contact with you.
4. If you want to make the pavement less scary (assuming it is scary and not just really hot or that Aggie has soft feet), try some classical conditioning: Toss a few of Aggie’s favorite treats onto the pavement so she has to put at least one paw on the road to eat the treat. Then move the treats a little farther away. You’re building a simple association between good treats, like liver, and the pavement.

For books, check out the ones we’ve mentioned here. Also, Karen Pryor’s Don’t Shoot the Dog is still a classic must-read for all operant trainers. Let us know how it goes.

Determined, the huskies executed an elaborate marine escape

Q. I have two Alaskan huskies that are so smart and loving, but every time they are off-leash they run away and NEVER come back. Two or three days after they take off, someone will find them and give me a call to pick them up. I try desperately to keep them contained or on-leash at all times, but huskies are clever escape artists. I exercise them a few miles a night but they still run away every chance they get. I’ve been told that huskies will always run away, and you can’t train them not to. Is that really true? Is there any way to teach them to come back? —Amber

A. Amber, what you’re hearing is more or less true. Huskies have been selectively bred for their strong instinct to run long distances in freezing temperatures. I interviewed three-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey for Outside’s March issue, and he had this to say on the subject: They’re designed and raised specifically for this sport. And in reality, they’re useless unless this is what they’re doing. They’re not a real laid back kind of dog. They don’t make good house pets. Their mentality is to run. You take ‘em of the chain and, shit, they’re gone—they run off. Now, Mackey was talking about dogs from his kennel that were bred specifically for racing. If your dogs are a few generations removed from mushing, their drive may not be quite so strong. Here are a few ideas to keep them closer to home.

1. If they love their food, you can use this as a powerful reward for a successful recall. You’ll know you can train a recall if your dogs get excited when they hear the rustling of the feed bag or the clang of the dinner bowl. If those sounds have become conditioned reinforcers for the dog, you’ll know you can train other sounds to mean the same thing: Come to food. Read a few of our posts on recall, but a shortcut: Get a dog whistle and give the recall trill just before rustling the foodbag or filling the dogs’ bowls. Do this consistently over several weeks until the link between whistle and food is ironclad.
2. You may also be unwittingly reinforcing the running-away behavior. If, on the occasions when the dogs do come back, you immediately leash them and take them home, you’re teaching them that a successful recall means the fun’s over. There’s something called Premack’s Principle in animal psychology, which says that you can use a high-probability behavior to reinforce a low-probability behavior. It’s the old, If you clean your room you can go out and play. If you come when called, you can go run some more. Try this in a big fenced run. (A lot of rural animal shelters provide these for the public free of charge.) Practice your recall. When the dogs return to you. Release them again and encourage them to run and play. The idea is that, through repetition, they’ll stop seeing the recall as a game-ender.
3. An e-collar might be helpful, but, with a huskie, you should consult a professional animal behaviorist. With a Lab, the first instinct after getting a jolt will usually be to run to the owner or to scratch at the collar. A huskie may bolt and run into the next county.
4. 

   Garmin Astro

   Lastly, here’s a high-tech fix that won’t exactly solve your problem, but could help reduce your stress. Garmin makes the Astro GPS tracking collar that can pinpoint the location of both of your dogs on a hand-held screen that you carry. It seems that if your dogs are going to act like a pack of roaming wolves, you might need to take a page from the book of wolf field biologists and wire them up with tracking collars.

Cute, but Brutus is a toy-hoarding monster

Q. My dog, Brutus, loves his toys to the point where he attacks other dogs that try to play with them. And it’s not just his toys. Say we’re at the dog park and there is a dog that is playing with a tennis ball: He will steal the tennis ball from the other dog and get very mean if that dog tries to take it back or even share it. At home, I have to take his toys away and put him in “time out” which is him being sent to his crate. I don’t think it’s a matter of lack of exercise; I let him run next to my scooter until he’s tuckered out, which he absolutely loves. Any suggestions on how to stop this possessiveness/obsession?

A. Possessiveness is an entirely natural behavior for dogs and, in the case of dog-dog interactions, a difficult one to modify. From Brutus’s perspective, his behavior works—and every time he successfully steals a toy or defends one from another dog, his obnoxious behavior is rewarded. I know of no way to decrease his interest in toys—I expect that “time outs” will have the opposite effect—and I don’t want to deprive him of what are obviously a great source of joy in his life! But here are some thoughts on improving his etiquette around other dogs:

1. I suspect you’ve figured this out by now, but… Don’t give your dog toys when he’s around other dogs.
2. Train your dog to drop toys (or anything else that’s in his mouth) on cue. When your dog has a toy, offer him another, better toy or treat.  As he opens his mouth to take the new thing, say “drop”  and praise him enthusiastically when he does. If he likes to retrieve, you can throw the toy for him as a reward. This is going to take a lot of training with every toy he has before it becomes automatic. Make your dog think that whenever you say “drop,”  an even cooler toy or fabulous treat will appear. You will get lots of use out of this command, and you can use it when Brutus steals another dog’s toy. We’re working on this one with Danger at ADW, now.
3. Train your dog to have solid leave it and come (recall) commands, and use them to prevent stealing other dogs’ toys. This is especially important if your dog is inclined to get ugly with other dogs. As your letter indicates, you recognize that he lacks self-control around toys, so it’s your responsibility to provide that control.  Just like you wouldn’t let a son (or daughter) bully other kids at the local playground, you can’t let your pup bully other dogs at the park for their toys!