Classical Conditioning

Everyone has surely heard of Pavlov and his dogs? Passive conditioning was discovered by Pavlov when he noticed that if he rang a bell every time he fed his dogs, after a time they would salivate when they heard the bell even if there was no food. The continued pairing of a stimulus (the bell) with a response (salivating because of food) led to the response happening even without the original trigger.

Classical conditioning can be used to help a dog get over a fear of/aggression towards other dogs. A dog that behaves in a negative way around other dogs does so because he has been classically conditioned by one means or another to feel afraid or aggressive when he sees the trigger of another dog.

Classical conditioning can make this trigger elicit another response by means of counter-conditioning.

First, it must be determined how close the other dog can be before the dog being conditioned will respond. This distance is known as the reaction threshold. It is important, so far as possible, to keep the subject dog below his reaction threshold, while ensuring that he does notice the other dog.

As soon as the subject dog has noticed the other dog, but before he has reacted, begin praising the dog and giving it treats. If there is a concern over the dogs weight, simply take some of its daily food to be used as treats.

Over time, the subject dog will begin to associate the arrival of another dog with being given praise and treats as long as the subject dog is calm.

This is not an easy and quick solution to a fearful or aggressive dog, but it does work if the time is put into it.

Conditioned responses may fade over time if they are not reinforced. This does not mean that treats must be given every time the subject dog sees another dog for the rest of its life, but instead that once the dog is at an appropriate level of conditioning and firmly associates other dogs with treats and praise, the owner can begin to give the treats intermittently instead of every time.

As Pet Owners, We Tend To Forget That Dog’s Are Nature’s Animals

Several thousand years ago dogs were initially domesticated for their functional value; hunting helpers, village and stock guards, even body-warmers in bitter cold climates. These basic functions are no longer required by modem civilization and, the dog’s capacity to cooperate within a group for the mutual benefit of its members is stifled – frustrated. Without some meaningful functional nurturing, dogs grow older, mature physically, but behave like puppies emotionally – seeking attention and care, totally frustrated, denied any competent guidance toward filling an acceptable role in the family.

photo credit: Lucy Boynton

On the human side of the equation, as we become increasingly dependent on verbal skills and electronic communications, a pet animal is sometimes our only meaningful daily contact with the animate, natural world. However, without an opportunity to develop nonverbal communications with animals, dog owners tend to use human verbal and physical abilities (vocal commands, scolding, manipulation, force, punishment) to communicate with their pets. Most people mistakenly think dogs must simply be “trained” if they are to learn how to behave properly. When training fails, both owner and dog become frustrated, and problems develop. While formal (deliberate) training is an important element in a satisfying relationship, informal training is at the root of most problem behavior.

Dogs learn from, and react to, the way people behave. Movement, stance and sound communicate with dogs. On the other hand, as dogs struggle to communicate with people through their own movements, postures and sounds, they are too often misinterpreted; or ignored. This only widens the frustrating communications gap for both parties.

It may seem far-fetched to propose that behavior consultants should help dog owners learn how to interpret their pet’s behavior, then use movement, stance and special sounds, in order to communicate effectively, and hence, live together harmoniously. However, it is not unrealistic at all. Once the basics of effective human/canine communications are learned and applied, they play a crucial role in correcting behavior problems humanely and effectively.

It doesn’t occur to most dog owners that shouting at a barking dog is, in fact, joining in the racket – responding with the human version of the same behavior. When their dogs do become silent,  it is because they associate the owner’s tone of voice with disapproval and/or fear of impending pain from punishment. Excitable types, or those with some prior traumatic experience, usually become worse.

In the non-verbal world of dogs, silence means quiet, inaction begets stillness, and movement stimulates action. The fact that this patently obvious facet of non-verbal communication must be written or talked about to gain attention among dog owners further points up the extreme verbal orientation of humans. Spoken language is just noise to dogs. It is a tribute to their adaptability that they actually learn the meaning of certain key sounds, which usually comes about through a combination of the dog’s intelligence and the owner’s almost accidental consistency when referring to certain events or objects.

You’ve just gotten home after a brutal day at work. The headache from your busy schedule would love nothing more than to be relieved by a warm welcome from your family.

photo credit: theihno

As soon as you open the door you hear the high-pitched voice of your wife as she is scolding your ten-year-old son, while his little sister is sobbing because he broke one of her new dolls. The television is loud and your Mother-in-law is chatting on the phone…

So who is the loving one that meets you at the door?

“Sammy” does, your three-year-old mongrel dog.

He’s wagging and wiggling from his head to the tip of his tail. He dances and jumps into your waiting arms, and, if you allow him, he licks you on the face. He’s glad to see you. Your dog has expressed himself in the language that he knows you understand.

Your dog, like pet dogs all over the world, use body language and a variety of vocal sounds to communicate with his owner. The dog possesses an incredible ability to communicate with his owner: a universal language, telling man of danger, desire, loyalty and love.

Your dog talks to tell you how sad he is when he’s scolded. He shouts loud and clear his distress when a stranger or something unusual approaches, and he talks to you about how happy he is to be near you and share your companionship.

Your dog talks best with his tail. When you accidentally step on your pet or upbraid him, he will tuck his tail between his legs and cower down, showing his submission. By tucking the tail, the dog is hiding his scent and thus hiding himself. This language seems to go back to the ancient wild dog when submissiveness and dominance existed in the pack.

Your pet’s ancestors signaled his subservience to the dominant dog by dropping that tail. Today, the domesticated dog is saying, “I feel terrible about what happened.”

In contrast to the submissive tail movement, there is that happy, excited tail-wagging that states how much your dog wants to please you. The following story is such an example of this need to please:

Max, a Collie, did his doggiest best to please his young owner while she was preparing for her wedding. Max had watched Angelica opening her wedding gifts the week before the ceremony.  One afternoon, the Collie proceeded to provide a gift for Angelica…

He yanked a brocade pillow from a neighbor’s clothesline and brought it home. After placing the pillow at Angelica’s feet, he wagged his tail in sheer joy that he was pleasing his owner and sharing her prenuptial pleasures.

As you can see from this wonderfully heartwarming example of this Collie’s desire to communicate pleasure, dogs are also much more intelligent than we give them credit for, especially in the communication department.

When you verbally ask someone a question you expect an answer, right? A well-mannered, thought-out response is always appreciated and humans talk with their mouths and voice boxes to respond. This is how we interact, mostly with words to let others know how we feel.

Do you have the ability to understand what it is your dog is saying? Learning how these animals communicate is not only beneficial to proper training, it also helps tighten the bond between man’s best friend and his owner.

In addition to using his barking, tail wagging, and body movements, dogs can also relay messages by the language of ear positions. The frightened dog tells of his submissive attitude to man by flattening his ears as well as lowering himself on haunches.

Also, in the last step in the sequence of aggression just before attack, the dog folds his ears close to his head and bares his teeth. But in the first step of aggressive movement, the dog picks up his ears to a vertical position.

Even the dog with hanging ears will pull the base of his ears forward, which makes the rest of his ears stand forward and outward. This upright position tells his human handler that there is every reason to be alert or on guard.

During World War II, the marines of M Company of the Second Raider Battalion laid their lives on the line in their dependence on the ability of their dogs to communicate to them what was ahead. While he was in the thick of battle, a Doberman named Andy had advanced from the shore to the jungle on Bougainville Island.

Andy liked to work off his leash. The dog was about ten yards ahead of the men when he froze and alerted his ears. The soldiers knew that those stiffened ears meant that there was a Japanese sniper just ahead. The scout leader sent two riflemen ahead, and they sprayed a mangrove tree with bullets. The sniper fell out. That same day Andy silently alerted his handler to snipers on two other occasions.

Now you might not have your own dog trained to such an elite degree, but you don’t have to in order to know how well your dog supplements his silent body language with his vocal communication. The vocal vocabulary has numerous and varied forms – your dog whimpers, whines, signs, grunts, hums, coons, howls, squeals, growls, and barks.

Your dog can vary his barking enough to communicate with you. Almost subconsciously, you have no doubt learned to understand the nuances of your pet’s barking. These minute differences may be  in the tone, the frequency, the rhythm and the level of loudness. Your pet may bark to show his excitement, his pleasure, his sense of fear, and the need for your attention.

And your dog, by his tail-wagging, his licking, nosing, barking, howling and his many clever individual expressions, talks to you. Your pet tells you how much he wants to be your protector, your companion and your best friend. Like dogs throughout the ages, your dog has become your friend by his uncanny ability to communicate.Dogs, on the other hand, communicate in a very different way. Yes they bark and use their vocal cords to cry about something, but the number one way to read how a dog is feeling or  what he wants you to know is by looking at his tail.

As your dog wags his tail in happiness, he may also exercise the rest of his body to tell you that you are a welcome sight. He may greet you by jumping, dancing around, and attempting to lick your face.

As one dog trainer, Chris, tells of his German short-haired pointer, named Tiger, your dog can let you know when he is approaching a place which associates with comfort and happiness.

When Chris, who spent many hours out of the house to play golf and hunt, would come home from his long day and driving hours to get home, his wife would comment on how Tiger’s ears would perk up and the dog would show ripples of excitement up and down his back in awaiting Chris’s return.

What is amazing is that these signs of excitement to greet his owner at the door, Tiger would start to become anxious and happy when Chris was still more than an hour away driving home.

In addition to their expression of elation, dogs many times warns their owners of danger. You have probably heard many emotional stories of dogs scratching at the bedroom door to warn the family that the house was on fire. It happens all of the time.

One woman was suffering a heart attack while her dog literally broke through the backyard screen door to get to the husband, barking fiercely in the attempt to get the husband’s attention of what was happening inside the house. It worked – the woman survived.

Dogs also communicate with people by using their head and nose as part of the body actions. My three-year-old Dachshund nosed a message to me one afternoon. Sandy had learned that the covered candy dish on the coffee table was a good place to satisfy her sweet tooth.

This particular day, I was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, and I wasn’t paying attention to Sandy. She jumped up on the couch and nudged me with her nose. When I looked at her, she gave her head a jerk, pointing her nose straight at the candy dish.

After sensing that I knew what she wanted, she began to jump up and down as if to say, “Please, please, please! Just one little piece!” I had understood very well what my dog was saying with her nonverbal head and nose language.

Why Do Dogs Howl?

More Dog Sounds And What They Mean

Soft whimpering: “I hurt!” “I’m scared.” The average person is most likely to hear this at the veterinarian’s office, when the dog is suffering, or when a submissive dog is in a strange place that appears threatening. This is really a carryover of the mewing sound that young puppies make when cold, hungry, or distressed.

Louder, more prolonged whining sound: “Please give me . . .” or “I want …” A dog usually uses this sound when waiting for food, or for the leash to be put on, or when trying to get his owner’s attention, and so forth.

Sighs: This vocalization, which is invariably accompanied by the dog’s lying down with his head on his forepaws, can have two meanings, depending on the context and certain facial expressions. With eyes half-closed, it is a sign of pleasure, meaning “I am content and am going to settle down here.” With eyes fully open, it is a sign of disappointment when something anticipated has not materialized, best interpreted as “I give up!”

Baying: This is the characteristic sound of hounds during a hunt. It is usually interpreted as “Follow me!” “Let us get him!” or “All together now!”

Yip-howl: This is really more of a yip-yip-yip-howl, with the final howl quite prolonged. It usually means “I am lonely” “I feel abandoned!” or “Is anybody there?”

Howling: “I am here!” “This is my territory!” or “I hear you out there!” A confident animal will often howl simply to announce his presence. Howling also often occurs in response to a yip-howl from another dog. It has a more sonorous sound to the human ear than does the yip-howl, which is often described as mournful.

Moaning: This sounds something like “ar-owl-wowl-wowl . . .” over a short interval of time. It is a sound of spontaneous pleasure and excitement that means “I am excited!” or “Let us play!” A dog usually moans when something he really likes is about to happen.

Panting: “Let us go!” This is a sign of excitement.

Dogs can also learn specific vocalizations. For instance, the bark that dogs give to the command speak sounds qualitatively different from a spontaneous bark. The same can be said for the bark that police and protection dogs learn to give. Some dogs can even be taught
specific sounds for specific settings, ranging from simple barks, moans, or play-growls to more complex sounds that may sound like yodels or attempts at speech.

The command is to say his name and then “Sit!” All commands should be preceded by the dog’s name; that is to get his attention so he knows you are not talking to anyone else. Puppies are proud to have a name. It is when they reach adolescence that they, like other teenagers, pretend they do not hear you.

Any time you see the puppy about to sit, quickly say, “Sit, good dog.” If he is already sitting nicely give him a “good sit” reward. The easiest way to teach a young puppy to sit is to get his attention with a treat held in front and just above his nose to make him look up. Then slowly move the treat backward over his head. Because he wants to keep his eye on the treat, his backside will have to drop to the floor.

It takes a little practice (on your part, too) but it is a tried and true means of getting an unforced sit. As he assumes the position, give the command, “Sit” and hand out a tiny portion of the treat. That is motivational teaching. The puppy performs the desired action by himself.

The other way is to have the pup beside you on your left side, hold a treat in front of him with your right hand, and gently press down on his hindquarters with your left hand. With a large puppy, you could put your left arm around his hindquarters and with a gentle forward motion, bend his knees, forcing the sit.

As you are coping with all that, brightly say, “Sit.” If you followed the first method, and he is doing a prompt Sit every time you give the command, you will soon graduate to using just the hand signal, making the same upward motion with your hand, palm up as you did in raising the treat over his head, and the pup will do a very nice sit.

One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the tight bond we experience and encourage with our dogs. However, if your dog becomes too reliant or dependant on you, dog separation anxiety can develop.

Dog Separation Anxiety is an enormous problem to an estimated 10% of all puppies and older dogs. Somewhat ironically, it is the major cause for dogs ending up in animal shelters. I wish I could say dog separation anxiety is an easy fix, but the truth is it can be a very difficult and time consuming problem to turn around.

Let’s take a look at separation anxiety from your dogs perspective. You are the most important thing in your dogs life. Dogs are very sociable creatures and thrive on company for many reasons. If your dog had a choice he/she would spend every bit of his time with you. So it’s only natural that when you go out, your dog can experience varying degrees of distress and anxiety. He becomes confused, vulnerable, doesn’t know where you are going, why he can’t be with you and if you will be coming back to him. When you are separated all he wants is to be reunited with his pack – which is you.

Punishment is never the answer to treating dog separation anxiety!

Does Your Dog Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

There’s every chance your dog is suffering from a Separation Anxiety disorder rather than another dog behavior problem if:

1. Your dog gets really worked up and anxious when you are preparing to leave the house. Things like picking up your car keys or putting on your coat can trigger the behavior.

2. Your dog engages in inappropriate behavior only when you are separated. I expand on this topic further down the page, but behavior such as urinating inside, excessive barking and destructive behavior are common symptoms of Separation Anxiety in dogs.

3. Your dog follows you everywhere you go and immediately becomes distressed if he can’t be near you.

4. When you arrive home your dog is over the top with his greeting and takes a while to calm down.
Why Do Dogs Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

There are many theories on this one. In some cases the cause or trigger can be pinpointed to a particular event, but often there appears to be no explanation for the Separation Anxiety to commence. What I can say is that Separation Anxiety in dogs regularly occurs:

* Straight after a change in routine. Such as your work hours changing or a family member leaves home. Remember dogs are creatures of habit and any changes can be very unsettling to them.
* If you have been on vacation or unemployed for some time and have been spending heaps of time with your dog. When you go back to work your dog becomes anxious and distressed.
* Unfortunately dog’s rescued from animal shelters contribute a highly disproportionate number of Separation Anxiety cases.
* After your dog experiences a traumatic event while on his own. If a thunderstorm lashes your home while your dog is alone, this can trigger Separation Anxiety in the future.
* If your dog is rarely left alone and becomes overly reliant on his pack.
* When you move house to a new neighbourhood.

How Does Dog Separation Anxiety Manifest Itself?

* Barking
* Whining
* Licking
* Destructive Behavior
* Chewing
* Howling
* Panic Attacks
* Digging
* Inappropriate Urinating
* House Soiling
* Self Mutilation
* Escaping
* Diarrhea
* Loss Of Appetite
* Excessive Salivation
* Vomiting
* Jumping Through Windows
* Crying

What Can You Do To Help Your Dog Overcome Separation Anxiety?

The treatment administered to your dogs separation anxiety problem depends on its severity. You will find lots of theories and suggestions regarding the correct way to treat separation anxiety – I’ll just inform you of what’s worked for me.

The 4 Step Program I Used To Fix My Dalmation’s Separation Anxiety Problem

My dalmation Harrison developed Separation Anxiety seemingly for no reason when he was about 7 years old. He would start digging and crying as soon as I left the house, even if my other family members were home. My Veterinarian suggested this training process, it achieved the desired result but took plenty of time and patience.

Aside from the 4 step program listed below, I continued to practice the general day to day duties of responsible dog ownership. By this I mean things like providing a safe and comfortable bed, plenty of exercise and obedience training.

Harry would start to get anxious (his whole body would shake) at the very first sign of me leaving the house. This typically would be putting my shoe’s on or turning off the TV or heater. It became a real problem for Harry, myself and the rest of my family, this is how we eventually solved it:
Step 1

Since Harry was always by my side when I was home I had to slowly teach him that he didn’t always need to be close to me. I started out by ignoring his attention seeking behavior (jumping up, barking etc.) and then did some solid practice of his down stay. Little by little we extended the time and distance we spent apart, until he was happy to be alone for up to 30 minutes. Of course, we still spent lots of fun time together.
Step 2

The next step was to get him used to being outside when I was inside. Again we started off with very small periods apart and gradually lengthened the time over a couple of weeks. If you try this Separation Anxiety treatment make sure that you don’t just leave your dog outside to get all worked up and stressed. The trick is to start out leaving your dog out for a few seconds, then going out and reuniting before he shows any signs of Separation Anxiety. Give your dog a treat or dog toy to keep his mind off missing you. Only initiate contact with your dog when he is calm and quiet.
Step 3

The next step in fixing Harry’s Separation Anxiety problem was to eliminate the distress caused by me getting ready to leave the house for work. What I did was write a list of all the triggers that started Harry’s anxiety. I then set about desensitizing him to these triggers. I’d put my shoe’s on, and not go anywhere. Put my coat on, then sit down to read the paper. Pick up my car keys and just carry them around with me, jangling along as I went about my business. After a while (about 3 weeks) Harry barely offered a sideways glance at my shenanigans.
Step 4

When Harry was completely calm in situations that would have unsettled him in the past, I left the house. At first I just stepped outside, shut the door and came back inside within 20 seconds – before he made a sound. Again this was a slow process, similar to step 2. I extended the time outside the front door and then graduated to starting the car, then driving around the block before I came back inside. You can provide a tasty treat to your dog on your way out the door, something that he can work on for a while. Harry’s favorite was a frozen Kong stuffed full of peanut butter and a few liver treats, this eventually kept him occupied for hours. Remember that when you return home, don’t make a huge fuss. Come inside, get changed, pour yourself a nice hot coffee, then greet your calm dog.

This process did prove effective for me and my anxious dalmation. All up the 4 steps took about 5 weeks to work through and fix Harry’s Separation Anxiety problem. My Vet suggested that I supplement this training with some medication. I didn’t go down that path, but it would have been my next step if required.

Whichever method you choose to treat dog separation anxiety, be sure to stick with it and don’t expect any immediate results.

Chris Smith is a long time dog owner and runs a website designed for people who choose to train their dogs the right way, at home. You can read more about it here – http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com

To the untrained eye this seems like unmitigated aggression, but would anybody with an  untrained eye  own a dog anyway  You bet they would!

There are many conventional ways of treating this aggression, but a lot of the time they are ineffective due a lack of understanding of canine behaviour, If we took a step back and reviewed each and every situation in which our dogs showed aggression we would probably find that we would react in much the same way. However, there are some dogs who demonstrate various degrees of aggressive behaviour which we as dog owners need to understand and then deal with.

It is essential to understand what is likely to make a dog react aggressively. This is quite simple, if it would make you or me react aggressively then it would probably make a dog do much the same.

So the first step in dealing with aggressive behaviour is to eliminate as many situations as possible where a dog may want to bare his teeth or growl. It is important to understand your dog and how his mind works to the point of knowing which dogs or other pets he would not wish to associate with. For example, it would not be advisable to leave two dominant, male dogs together unattended if one or both of them was not used to company from other dogs. This boils down to common sense. Dogs should be able to interact with other dogs, but this needs to be done over time if you have an  aggressive  dog.

Gradual introductions to other dogs should help Rover feel more at ease in the presence of Fido and Scout. But this is not to sat that there will not be problems involving aggression, because there could be. This is why it is important for dog owners to know how to read body language. Just like humans can demonstrate aggressive body language like pointing and staring, dogs often initiate confrontation through body language. Tell tale signs include ears becoming pricked up, raised hackles and bared teeth. These are definite signs of aggression and should be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

There are many methods of treating this problem in dogs, one of the more radical yet effective ways involves the use of complimentary medicine. Holistic remedies such as the use of flower extracts offer alternative methods of correction. Used along side conventional behaviour modification techniques cherry plum extract offers an effective alternative to chemical drugs. It helps curb aggressive behaviour and is often effective alongside a dedicated behaviour modification programme. There is however, no substitute for a good well disciplined training regime to help control the behaviour of your dog.

If your dog does not respond to conventional methods of correction it is important to look at what causes his aggressive tendencies and attempt to remove the problem at the source. A dog is very sensitive to his environment, any tension or fluctuation in atmosphere will be sensed by the dog. If he feels uneasy he could turn that feeling into aggression. Monitor his behaviour to see if there is anything causing him irritation or bother. Trial ad error is often the only way to detect the root of the problem, if this is the case and still you cannot find any cause of cure for the aggressive behaviour consult your vet who may be able to refer you to dog behaviourist.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective. A lot of dogs are effected by their diet. Once again trial and error could reveal the root of your dog s unwelcome behaviour. Certain foods trigger certain reactions in dogs. Allergies can cause your dog to become aggressive. Other symptoms of allergy include hyperactivity, loss of appetite and stamina.

If your dog is feeling run down or generally ill this may cause aggression. Echinacea is an excellent supplement to boost the immune system and is readily available from many health food shops.

Your dogs exercise routine may be agitating him. Does he appear exhausted or even hyperactive after exercise  Is he receiving too much or too little exercise  Once again vary his exercise and diet in order to eliminate causes of aggression.

Holistic remedies, although effective are no substitute for a well trained dog. They are most effective when combined with other behaviour modifying measures.

Fighting between canine members of a household usually involves dogs of the same sex, often littermates. Trigger people in the family often stimulate such fights, though sometimes food or another dog may also stimulate fighting. To avoid such fights, it is best not to obtain littermates of the same sex, particularly those that appear competitive within the litter.

Also, when a new dog is adopted into the family, it is a good idea to pay more “jolly-type” attention to the resident dog(s) than was shown before the newcomer’s arrival. Make the additional pet fun for the resident pet. Allow the new animal to fit in and adjust with less attention than is shown the older members. This will cause resident dogs to have pleasant associations with the new animal.

If a fight should erupt, never induce more hostility into the situation by shouting, screaming, scolding, hitting, kicking the heads or bodies of the fighters or pulling them apart by the heads or necks. Most serious canine quibbling seen involves owners who induce hysteria into the original battle, which, if allowed to reach its conclusion naturally (if the owners had left the scene or remained passive), more than likely would have concluded bloodlessly and with one permanently dominant and one submissive dog.

The most effective method for stopping a fight requires that someone pick up the more aggressive of the warring pair by the tail, just high enough so its hind feet cannot touch the ground. If both dogs are aggressors, then both must be elevated. Lack of hindquarter traction often quickly short circuits hostility. If either dog has a docked tail, the hind legs may be picked up to equal advantage.

A common underlying cause of persistent fighting is owner hysteria when such fights break out. Most owners of multiple dogs who do not have such problems did not become hysterical when fights or hostilities initially erupted.

In more than 95% of sibling-type fighting, the dogs never fought unless the owners were present. A good percentage of them were boarded together in the same run without hostile signs. This brings us to one type of remedial program that is often successful: boarding the dogs together on neutral territory, there to be visited by the family under controlled conditions after a week or so. If no fight ensues, a daily series of visits, followed by rides in the family car to other neutral areas, will often help if the plan spans 3-6 weeks. After this, a daily trip home can be included.

Dogs fighting for any reason must be taught to respond to simple commands to Come, Sit and Stay when the owner directs. All fondling, coddling or solicitous behavior toward the pet must be avoided. This helps the owner assume dominance over the dogs involved and is prerequisite to all procedures recommended.

The reason that dogs such as Dalmatians, Jack Russells, Border Collies and Retrievers are so abundant with energy is because they all have a high metabolic rate. Which means they process nutrients into energy very efficiently. The metabolic rate dictates how quickly or slowly nutrients such as fat and carbohydrates are processed into energy.

The metabolic rate also controls the body heat of the dog, it maintains it at a constant 101.5-102 degrees. At it’s slowest, the metabolic rate will enable the body to perform basal functions such as heart repair and digestion, if the metabolic rate slips below this rate for any reason, the dog will begin to die.

As a rule, the certain breeds of dog which are notoriously high in energy are difficult to train and are constantly testing the patience of their owner. This does not have to be the case. Given the right amount of training and attention these dogs can prove to be the most effective working dog and the most loyal companion.

Regular exercise is a must for these dogs, otherwise they will take it upon themselves to exercise inside the house or worse, fail to burn of any of the energy and become obese. Mental stimulation is also essential to prevent boredom. Always have a good supply of strong, long lasting chewy toys to avoid constant trips to the shoe shop. If you have a retriever, then encourage him to retrieve things when you play.

If you have a high energy dog of any kind encourage him to do what he was bred for, this is a good combination of mental and physical stimulation.

A good diet is essential for these dogs. Presumably the owners of such dogs would consider the high energy factor an asset rather than a hindrance and therefore would want to nurture this. Although they seem to have enough, a high energy diet is essential to their good health, they need the energy to burn of the fats. They need lots of carbohydrates and protein to store as energy and animal fats to use as quick energy.

Given the right exercise, training and diet the high energy dog will be the ideal companion for the high energy family, or even an averagely active family.

It’s essential to take puppies outside on a regular schedule so they learn to anticipate potty time and hold their urine or stool until then. If you’re not consistent about when you take a puppy out, it’s more likely to have accidents in the house – and that’s not good.{+++}

“After a puppy has the habit of peeing in the wrong place, it’s hard to change its mind,” says Stanley Kissinger, a Yorkshire Terrier breeder in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “But once the pup gets the idea, it’s extremely easy to train.”

With that in mind, take your puppy out early and often. Physiologically, the puppy won’t be able to hold its urine for long periods until it’s older, but it can learn that outdoors is the place to go.

Establish good habits by taking your puppy out on a leash and giving it plenty of time to sniff around and find just the right spot. Keep its mind on business by repeating the words “Go Potty” in a friendly tone. Stanley says that, “As soon as it potties, be happy and express that joy to the puppy. Take the pup back into the house immediately so it knows it was outside for that one purpose. It registers in its memory after several repeated events.”

A Quick Word About Lifestyle Changes

Taking on the responsibility of raising and house training a puppy may necessitate certain lifestyle changes, particularly for single people. If you work outside the home and like to push that snooze button to the limit, brace yourself – you’ll need to get up at least a half hour earlier to allow time for your puppy to potty and play before you leave.

Should distance permit, your formerly errand-filled lunch hour now becomes time to go let your puppy out for a potty break. Moreover, forget that after-work drink with a coworker; you’ll need to rush home to tend to your puppy.

When proximity prevents you from going home at lunch or during periods when overtime crops up, you must make alternative arrangements for getting your puppy out. Hire a pet-sitting or walking service, or enlist the aid of neighbors willing to help. Whichever the case, it is imperative that your puppy gets out to potty and play during the day.

by Avril Munson Of The Central School Of Dog Training

What is ‘Pack law’? Whenever there are two or more dogs together, the dogs will decide who is superior to whom. Often this is decided quickly and painlessly, because of vastly differing size or age.

Or can take up to two weeks. Where two dogs will not live together, it is because there is not a clear winner. Occasionally, human intervention is the cause. Unwittingly in trying to be fair, we treat both dogs equally. Or we give the natural under dog too much status and create warfare.

For dogs there must always be a leader and a number 2, 3, all the way to the bottom!

A wild example!
Imagine a wolf pack, moving to new ground. The group fall into line behind the leader; not just following the dog in front but 20 wolves will walk in the same tracks, as the first. This is tremendous discipline and authority. Imagine training 20 dogs to walk behind you, let alone in the same tracks – one is too much for many people.
This illustrates the need for the dog to see us as the pack leader, if we are to be successful in the dogs training.

What happens in the home?
The dog is a pack animal. He sees our household as his pack. It takes a maximum of 2 weeks for the dog to establish the hierarchy of his new pack. So, the messages we send out in the first few days are vital.

A dog that doesn’t accept people as way ahead in the leadership stakes will not think he has to obey you, and can result in a catalogue of problems. Once you understand the principle it is really quite easy to change things around.

This article contains more expert advice on understanding pack behaviour as well as a video illustration of pack behaviour in action!

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How to become the Leader
v People First
v Do not allow new pets to pester your other animals
v Feed dogs after people
v Do not play tug-o-war games
v The dog must move out of the way
v Think before reacting or how not to let the dog train you.
v People up the stairs first
v Dog’s sleeping area
v Do not leave toys available

1. People First.
Narrow gaps, doorways and stairways, whoever goes through first is the leader.

Older dogs
The older, bigger dog is the natural leader (there are always exceptions, be guided by the dogs), so promote this by always giving the older dog attention first this includes feeding, putting leads on, walking indoors.
If your older dog growls at a younger one for pestering, tell off the younger dog, not the older dog.

2. Feed dogs after people.
Feed your dog after people using a good quality dog food. Who eats first is higher in the pack. Feeding your dog at the same time, the dog is equal. Feeding your dog human quality food signals equality.

3. Do not play tug-o-war games.
Do not play these games if your dog is being generally difficult. If you do play you must win.

Entering into tug-o-war games indicates that you see your dog as a worthy equal.

4. Dog must move out of the way.
The dog must move out of the way of people, even when resting. In a pack, dogs automatically get out of the way of a superior.
Think before reacting.

Think before reacting to your dog’s demands. Every time we react to something our dog does we are most likely being trained by him e.g. when toilet training it is common sense that if the dog goes to an outside door we will let him out in case he wants to go to the toilet. It would be ridiculous, on this occasion, not too. Whereas, if a dog is whining and barking to be fed, wait until the dog is quiet, and then feed him. By not reacting, we are back in charge. The more the dog manipulates us the more important he will feel and therefore higher up the pecking order and less responsive to your requests.

5. People up the stairs first.
People up the stairs’ first. A dog sees height as higher status; therefore do not allow him to get physically as high or higher. Getting up on furniture, standing at the top of the stairs and looking down on us etc..

6. Dog’s sleeping area.
Sleeping in the bedroom or on the bed says the dog is at least equal to the humans.
Do not leave toys available.
Toys – if left down permanently become the dog’s property. If removed for even short periods daily, turns the tables, making the point that the toys belong to you. Take note of this if your dog is possessive of toys.
Do I need to do all of this?

No!

For some dogs they are naturally so submissive they do not need any reinforcement of their position in the pack.
Some dogs are so dominating and disobedient, it is necessary to enforce, as many of the above, as possible.
Most dogs will fall between these two extremes. You will be able to judge by how obedient your dog is. The more stress he is causing in your life the more you need to consider which actions you want to take to bring him down a peg or two. I suggest that you choose three of the ones that you feel would be helpful to you. Put them into action and don’t worry about doing “it” perfectly!

Why do I need to do this?
I have had dogs come into class, out of control, their owners at their wits end. They love the dog dearly, and yet he can be causing total misery in their life, maybe getting to the point where they are afraid of visitors coming in case he bites, with walks taking place after dark to avoid other people, because the dog is so aggressive. Yet at home, the dog is allowed to lie on the sofa, be given special food (e.g. toast and pate seems popular), sleep on the masters’ bed. Does this dog deserve this special attention? Why should he do as he is told? He gets the best of everything for no effort. If a person were causing you such grief would you reward them for it in this way? Why should the dog behave any better? In the wild the dog has to work for every pleasure.
The first step is to remove these sorts of privileges!

Do you want a more obedient and socialable dog?
Now be honest with yourself! You will know how many changes you need to make. Do you want your dog to be more obedient? If yes, start right now! These actions will change your dog’s attitude to training.

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About The Author

Avril has been instructing at dog classes since 1983. Two years later she started her business as a dog trainer and behaviour counsellor.

Avril has a Diploma in Integrative Counselling. Since June 1997, Avril has been giving advice on dog behaviour for BBC Radio Essex. This year Avril has become the Behaviour Consultant for the RSPCA at Wethersfield & is now a regular contributor for “Paws 4 Rescue” magazine in the UK & USA & recently appeared on T.V.
Avril lives with 2 Border Collies Dajean Truly Perfect OW and her son Super Ted.

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