tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74716463146858900312024-03-12T17:19:50.551-07:00Understanding Dog Body Language for a Well Behaved DogJulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-78418592755676939682017-02-03T14:00:00.000-08:002017-02-03T14:00:14.488-08:00Not Every Dog Has To Be A Social ButterflyIf you think about it, you probably don't like everyone you meet. And even if you don't frankly dislike them, chances are you have people you just don't want to hang out with. While you may or may not be an introvert, chances are you know one.<br />
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Dogs are the same way, but we often forget that and expect them to like everyone.Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-55181473324034191732017-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:002017-01-27T16:48:11.814-08:00Why Paying Attention To Your Dog's Mental State MattersI may actually spend more time on this blog talking about why paying attention to dog body language and other signals are important than what they are. There are a couple of reasons for that. I think observation of the dogs in your life is an important teacher. I (and other sources) can tell you what this or that behavior means in general, but I cannot tell you what it means in your dog.<br />
I also think that paying attention to the messages our dogs are giving us is crucial. In order to live with us, dogs have to give up choices about so many things. They make our lives better. The least we can do is try to make their lives the best they can be. The way to do that is to pay attention to their needs. In particular, I think it is important to be able to tell that they aren't doing well; whether from illness, stress, or other factors; and help make things better for them.Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-30891067501467745382017-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:002017-01-20T14:00:09.901-08:00Cheese Makes Everything BetterContrary to the title, this post isn't really about cheese; it is about and reducing stress and relationship building. There is a lot of discussion about "emotional eating" for people, usually with the implication that it is bad. But eating really does decrease stress. We can use this with our dogs (and ourselves), the trick is to do it mindfully in a way that really does help with the stress. For myself, that means choosing something I like eating and eating it slowly. My dogs aren't very good at eating slowly. But I can feed them slowly in a calm manner that doesn't work them up. When I notice that they are having a bad day or have had a lot of stress recently, I'll sit down with them in a relaxed manner and just feed them their meal a bit at a time. They don't need to "work for it", they just get it because they need to eat in a low stress way.<br />
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What does all this have to do with the title? For Max, his favorite stress eating food is cheese. His life motto seems to be "Cheese Makes Everything Better."Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-20041091134302876552017-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:002017-01-13T14:00:11.257-08:00High Value RewardsWhen you are training or counter conditioning, you want to reward behaviour you like. All of us, dogs included, value different things differently. If you want to reward someone, knowing what they like is important. Keeping track of what your dog's favorite treats and relative value and passing them out accordingly is important in training and having a good relationship. Being asked to work really hard and then being paid 1 cent is particularly demoralizing if you are regularly paid hundreds of dollars for something easy. Think how you would feel about a friend who kept wanting to go out to dinner somewhere you hated. Providing higher value treats for more difficult work and mixing things up so they stay enjoyable is just good sense when you look at it that way.<br />
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Max's current highest value treat is <a href="http://amzn.to/2adunzO">Feline Pill Pockets</a>. He takes 2 pills a day and we use those 2 opportunities for something special - that might be something hard and it might just be taking some time together to enjoy a good treat.<br />
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What are your dogs highest value treats?Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-7325198718395832662017-01-06T14:00:00.000-08:002017-01-06T14:00:21.397-08:00Is Kibble Rewarding?Food treats are a common reward, of course.
But there is a whole wealth of food available. When using food as a
treat, it is important to use food your dog values. A lot of people say
that you shouldn't use kibble as a reward, but if it is sufficiently
rewarding for your dog, then it's a great reward. When your dog is
distracted, then they might need something they like better (then again,
maybe your dog thinks kibble is the best thing ever.) All of my dogs
have found kibble quite rewarding, but sometimes they liked other foods better. I
think kibble tends to be more rewarding for my dogs because I rarely
just give them a bowl of kibble, they get it as part of a game or as
training treats. Also, I tend to have more than one variety of kibble on hand, to mix it up a little. Pico had dental problems, so I used dental kibble as one of her treats (she really liked it.) I've used the cat dental kibble a lot for training, it is more flavorful and smaller, so it can be eaten more quickly.Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-3368786548359097812016-12-30T14:00:00.001-08:002016-12-30T14:00:33.910-08:00Rewards - Not Just Something To EatWe often talk about treats as food rewards, but they don't
necessarily have to be. Pico really liked having her special water dish
held for her. Having a ball thrown is rewarding for a lot of dogs. Max
loves food, but being rubbed behind his ears is also a big treat. Hero
loved getting to play with the flirt pole and when he got food, it was
even more rewarding if it was given in the <a href="http://amzn.to/2adrSxo">Treat and Train</a>
(previously known as the Manners Minder) than if he was given food by
hand. A lot of dogs really enjoy their <a href="http://teamunruly.com/?p=3301">tug rope</a>, and you see them used a lot as a reward or to rev up a dog doing dog sports.<br />
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Does your dog have a special non-food reward?<br />
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<br />Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-53982021236908272762016-12-23T14:00:00.000-08:002016-12-23T14:00:13.806-08:00Stop StaringMaking eye contact or staring is considered rude in the dog world. Not making eye contact is rude in the human world (although we usually still consider staring rude.) This can cause a wealth of misunderstandings. We naturally look dogs in the eye, just like we do with humans or really any thing with eyes. This causes dogs to feel scared or attacked. Often they turn their heads or back away. We might think our dog isn't paying attention. Or we might keep looking or move forward further upsetting the dog. These two natural instincts just don't combine well.<br />
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As the human part of the equation, we can train ourselves not to look dogs directly in the eye. When we do, we can make sure to move on quickly. We can also teach dogs that when a human looks them in the eye, it isn't a bad thing. Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-5871205780520222342016-12-16T20:59:00.000-08:002016-12-16T20:59:04.206-08:00Accepting "Bad" BehaviourJust like the humans in our lives, dogs may do things we don't like, or misbehave. We don't have to like this behaviour, but we can't just unthinkingly train it away. (And we definitely don't want to punish our dogs for it, because punishment doesn't work.) But is that behaviour actually bad?<br />
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Dogs do things for a reason and often that reason is important. For instance, dogs growl as a warning and while we may not like the growl, a dog that doesn't warn people to get away could bite "without warning." (There probably are other signs, but we missed them.)<br />
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Barking is usually done for a reason too. Sometimes that is a reason that we don't agree with or irritates us, but we need to know the reason. We also need to think about when we might and might now like certain behaviours. We don't want to train a dog to never do something we want them to do sometimes. For instance, I don't really like Max barking the whole time service people are in my house, but I was sure grateful when he growled and scared off the prowler trying to get in. It is fine that he uses a particular bark to greet people he knows, but he needs to quiet down quickly, not keep going for minutes on end.<br />
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Until we know why a dog is doing something and when we might or might not appreciate that behaviour, we shouldn't teach them not to do it. Once we do know what we really do and don't want, then we can help our dogs replace behaviour we don't want to live with with something more appropriate. Or we can live with behaviour that we then realize is appropriate for dogs or our dog.<br />
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<br />Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-56730058719778994822016-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:002016-12-09T14:00:14.264-08:00Collapsed Trachia and StressI've noticed that when Max gets stressed, he will show symptoms of a collapsed trachea and cough until he is recovered and can breath easily again. This isn't a sign I've seen from just stress before. Or alternatively I haven't recognized it, because they seem to be pulling at their harnesses or collars due to over excitement when their trachea’s collapse.<br />
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Have you seen what appears to be a spontaneous collapsed trachea due to stress?Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-42686962481909843262016-12-02T14:00:00.000-08:002016-12-02T14:00:00.147-08:00Can and Will As a result of my <a href="http://talking-to-your-dog_25.html/">just talking</a> to him, one of the things Max has picked up is the phrases "Can I pick you up?"
and "I'm going to pick you up." "Can I pick you up?" is used when it is
optional. For instance, he is often more comfortable in the presence of
strangers if I pick him up so he is at eye level. He also may find the
terrain we are walking in difficult given his small size - he doesn't
always like walking in tall grass where he can't see where he is going.
He has started offering the behaviour of coming and sitting on my right
side in response if he wants to be picked up and moving away and to my
left if he does not. <br /><br />Of course, sometimes Max has to be picked
up. He might need to get up on the exam table at the vet. I might be
picking him up to deal with a hazard like a hot street we are crossing.
Often if strangers are coming over I don't give him the choice and just
pick him up because I know he is less stressed that way. For those
situations I tell him "I'm going to pick you up." and he knows what is
coming.<br />
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Having these kinds of options is a great thing for your dog to have. I plan to generalize Max's use of positioning to say yes or no here for other situations, so he will be able to answer yes or no questions using <a href="http://talking-to-your-dog_25.html/">vocabulary</a> he has learned. Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-83146474991040821812016-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:002016-11-25T14:00:02.669-08:00Talking To Your DogWhen Pico and I were talking our service dog training class, our instructor told us to talk to our dogs all the time. She said that if we told them what we were doing as we did it, named items and otherwise just talked to them conversationally, they would pick up words and phrases. I did this with Pico and she picked a vocabulary of hundreds of spoken and ASL words and phrases. She knew more ASL than I did because other people used it with her and she had a better memory.<br />
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I have done this with my subsequent dogs as well and while they haven't picked up as much vocabulary as Pico, they certainly have picked up quite a bit. Remember that they didn't spend 24 hours a day with me like Pico did as a Service Dog.<br />
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Having a large vocabulary isn't just a dog party trick. It allows you and your dog to communicate wants and needs and builds your relationship.<br />
<br />Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-47791063234308602652016-11-18T13:23:00.000-08:002016-11-18T13:23:05.153-08:00Camera Shy Dogs<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdO-2_fxtg786MGfG0lWtrYc3WmWKw5tlGYTNjs3T0V6u5QS5usqQGPqJQ3SzLvoaWC85RuYZP1-UFpcPSKVnE2h-qYwoBizxIdV0QFLoN2gIxa2RPc54CTHfNVEsMupVAgyahqEAwBuI/s1600/IMG_20160608_213352948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="brown chihuahua type dog in a fabric box with rags" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdO-2_fxtg786MGfG0lWtrYc3WmWKw5tlGYTNjs3T0V6u5QS5usqQGPqJQ3SzLvoaWC85RuYZP1-UFpcPSKVnE2h-qYwoBizxIdV0QFLoN2gIxa2RPc54CTHfNVEsMupVAgyahqEAwBuI/s320/IMG_20160608_213352948.jpg" title="Max in Box of Rags" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Doesn't Like Photos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Many dogs don't like their photo taken. This includes many of the dogs you see in super cute photos. If you think about it, most photography involves looking directly at the dog - or to put it directly staring. For some dogs, a camera lens (sometimes even on a phone) feels like another eye as well. Staring is rude in dog language and that naturally makes many dogs uncomfortable. Some of the behaviours that commonly show up in photos are dogs looking away, <a href="http://dogbodylanguage.blogspot.com/2016/11/whale-eye.html">whale eye</a>, nose licks, various facial positions (see Max in the photo for some good examples) and holding themselves in various postures that express stress like a <a href="http://dogbodylanguage.blogspot.com/search/label/rounded%20topline">rounded topline</a>.<br />
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This doesn't mean that you should never take photos of your dog, but you should work with them to make it more enjoyable. Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-45058246583687076062016-11-11T14:51:00.000-08:002016-11-11T14:51:09.294-08:00Whale EyeWhale Eye is the name usually used in the dog world for moving the eyes so that the white shows. This can be used for the same type of communication as when we humans roll our eyes or side eye someone. But it can also be a sign of fear or distress. <br />
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<br />Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-58804237764198482262016-11-04T13:38:00.000-07:002016-11-04T13:38:00.172-07:00Look At That, Look At MeOne of my favorite games to play with my dogs is "Look at That, Look at Me." I originally learned it from the vet to help Hero with his fears and aggression, but it can be fun just to play in any situation where there is some kind of distraction to teach your dog an automatic check-in. When you see something that is likely to take your dog's attention (or if your dog notices something that gets them worked up); you say "Look at that!" in a happy and excited voice. They will (or already are) paying attention to whatever that is. Then you say "Look at me!" in the same happy or excited voice and give them a treat when they turn their focus toward you. You need to start playing this game with things that don't get your dog too excited that they can't pay attention to you. That can mean playing with low value items or far away from the stimulus. Obviously this only works if your dog is not so stressed that they don't care about food (although you may need to get better food too.) <br />
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Max and I play this a lot in order to earn breakfast. We sit out on the back porch with my coffee and his kibble. He wanders around on a tether and when things draw his attention, we will play a round. This is both desensitization (he is way too hyper about birds flying over our yard) and relationship building. We do a lot of rounds just based on his ears pricking up or his head turning in response to something he alone may notice, but we also do it for the things he is really distracted by, like large birds flying over head, squirrels in the yard, and people walking down the alley. Now that he knows the game well, we can use it in more stressful or potentially dangerous situations. For instance, the first time he figured out he could climb our fence he was interested in something and I used it to get him to come back to me for his treat (followed by a bunch more treats!) Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-52355594036489860462016-10-28T11:59:00.000-07:002016-10-28T11:59:00.153-07:00Non-Acknowlegement SignalsA non-acknowledgement signal (or NACK) is a way of letting your dog know that they didn't do what you are asking for. It is also called a no reward marker. It should absolutely not be used as punishment, rather as clarification. <br />
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With Pico, I would tell her "Not what I asked for" if, for instance, I asked her to wait (stay behind a boundary like a door frame) and instead she would heal. I did the same thing with Hero. With Max, I have started to use "oops" when either he or <b>I</b> make a mistake. I have actually found this to be more effective than just marking his behaviour. For instance, if we are walking and he is in the informal heel position we use most of the time and I step in front of him, I say oops because I messed up. If he gets me tangled up in his leash, I say oops because he messed up. He learned the marker much faster and it seems to make him think about what went wrong. We use "oops" when I use a command inappropriately or when he doesn't follow my command. I started doing this without thinking about it, but it has worked much better with Max than I have ever seen a no reward marker work with other dogs. Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-55661077247611866892016-10-21T11:35:00.000-07:002016-10-21T11:35:00.184-07:00Shuting DownWhen dogs are overwhelmed by stress and other stimuli, sometimes they just shut down. They stop reacting to what is going on around them as much as possible. Given the choice, Max will go hide in his kennel. At this point, they are not learning and don't seem to be fully aware of what is going on in their surroundings.<br />
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Shutting down is often mistaken for good behaviour, especially if they have just been doing something we humans think of as bad behaviour. Shutting down often reinforces our human belief in punishment - we yell (or worse yet, physically punish) our dog and all of a sudden, they are quiet and not exhibiting the behaviour we didn't like. However, in reality, we didn't "teach them a lesson", we damaged our relationship with them <b>and</b> put them in a state where they can't learn.Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-48467400943745612442016-10-14T16:33:00.000-07:002016-10-14T16:33:00.147-07:00Speaking Dog As A Second LanguageIn addition to observing body language to determine what dogs are thinking and feeling, we can mimic dog signals ourselves too share our thoughts and intentions with them. In her book, <a href="http://amzn.to/29Fiobm">On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals</a>, Turid Rugaas uses the example of head turning as a signal we can both read and use. Dogs turn their heads to look away to signal that they mean no harm, are uncomfortable with a situation, or to avoid rudely looking straight on at another dog. (Or all of the above.)<br />
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There are many signals we can easily use that are easily recognizable to most dogs. For instance, <a href="http://dogbodylanguage.blogspot.com/2014/10/blocking-or-cease-and-desist-for-dogs.html">Blocking</a> and Laying Down. Other signals are harder to mimic or may not be as recognizable to dogs. Not all of us are good at pulling off a <a href="http://dogbodylanguage.blogspot.com/search/label/sneeze">sneeze</a> on demand, for example. Dogs don't always recognize our hands and feet as paw equivalents, so signals that require a paw can also be difficult to reproduce meaningfully.<br />
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What signals can you reproduce effectively?Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-45987869000530875292016-10-07T14:07:00.000-07:002016-10-07T14:07:00.148-07:00Sneezing Take 2A behaviour I've noticed with Max is that he sneezes to get attention. I don't mean in the sense of "Hey, play with me", but to make sure that people and bigger dogs know that his is present so they won't accidentally step on him or run him over. I suspect this is because it gives him an excuse to move and make noise for his own safety while making it clear that he is not threatening.<br />
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After noticing that he does this, I realize I've seen it in other small dogs as well.<br />
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Does your small dog sneeze like this?Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-22179199095156627642016-09-30T14:00:00.000-07:002016-09-30T14:00:00.154-07:00Case Study - Overwhelmed or EmpatheticMax is cautious around strangers, especially men. I have a new friend
and Max is fairly comfortable with him in our yard, but Max gets nervous
when he comes in my house still. I have a process I use to get Max
comfortable with my friends in the house and he's progressing well. (For
repair people etc, I just hold him.)<br />
My friend, C, was sitting
on the couch and talking about something emotionally difficult. Max
worked his way into C's lap so C could/would pet him. Max still seemed
nervous and was shedding (a stress sign) but curled into him more and
more. Later, he went almost to sleep in my friend's lap.<br />
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Usually
when I have guests over sitting on the couch, Max moves back and forth
between getting attention from me and guests, gets too stressed and
backs off in a short period of time, then comes back later.<br />
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I'm
wondering how to interpret this and what, if anything I might do better
in the future. Max seemed stressed, but was also able to remove himself
from the situation, move over closer to me, go to his kennel, etc. Other
than the shedding, he wasn't exhibiting any of his usual stress signs
(licking his feet or scratching his neck.) I don't think he was
shutdown, because as soon as we moved him, he was acting normally. But
it is really important to me that I do keep Max under threshold or at
minimum learn from it if I let things go too far.<br />
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If you have any input, please share it in the comments section. Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-65998830816189311602016-09-23T14:00:00.001-07:002016-09-23T14:00:00.172-07:00Stress Signs - Calming Signals<div dir="ltr">
I previously stated that stress signals are not calming signals because while dogs may use them to calm themselves, they don't usually have the effect of calming dogs around them. However, dogs can use calming signals in an attempt to calm themselves down when stressed. In that case they are also stress signs.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Max licks his paws when he is stressed to calm himself. He will do this when stressed even if there is no dog or person to see. (He leaves evidence in the form of missing hair on the tops of his paws.)</div>
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Like other stress signs, our dogs need us to pay attention to them and intervene.</div>
Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-34123493775020119102016-09-16T14:04:00.000-07:002016-09-16T14:04:00.208-07:00Excitement UrinationExcitement Urination, also called Submissive or Submission Urination, is when a dog gets so stimulated from positive or negative stress that they pee. Often it is only a small amount of urine, but that is influenced more by what is in their bladders than anything else. It is usually more common in small dogs and young dogs, but it is not exclusive to them. Sometimes you will see a dog cower and pee, but I have also seen dogs jump up and down with excitement and pee at the same time.<br />
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Excitement urination, like so many stress signals, can be a sign of a medical problem, so it is a good idea to check with a vet - particularly if it is a new behaviour. Punishment never helps with excitement urination, because it just ups the stress level and makes it worse. Decreasing the stress level can help a lot. For dogs who get over excited, this means controlling the excitement. Max used to excitement pee when I came home sometimes. We have reduced the excitement by creating a protocol where he doesn't get any attention when I come home until he sits. He's still allowed to run into the back yard and run in circles (this works well for me as then he pees while outside), but he has to sit to be acknowledged. He doesn't always automatically sit and he's way to excited to do it right away, but after less than a minute of excitement on his behalf, a simple "sit" from me almost always works. If not, I ignore him for a while and repeat until he does sit. After he sits, we can both be excited to see each other.<br />
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For dogs who exhibit excitement urination from fear or other negative stress, you need to not only not punish them, but ideally hide your stress and negative feelings about having to clean up. For me, that means trying to figure out where they are likely to be when that happens and making that spot as easy to clean up as possible - an easy to clean surface like potty pads or flooring scraps and a handy clean up kit.Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-18525332894462636592016-09-09T14:00:00.000-07:002016-09-09T14:00:03.222-07:00Stress Signs - Chasing the TailDogs chasing their tail are a staple of humor. However, it isn't always funny. It can be a sign of pain in the back and tail area. Max has structural issues around the base of his tail and will pull on his tail when he is overdue for a chiropractic visit. More often it is a sign of stress. It is possible that there is truth to some of the jokes and that stress may be due to boredom. But it is stress none the less.<br />
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As far as I have seen, some dogs may use chasing their tail to comfort themselves, but it doesn't seem to de-escalate or calm things with other dogs, so I would not consider this to be a calming signal.<br />
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So, check for health issues (including fleas and ticks!), but consider tail chasing another sign of stress. Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-18136371840812260442016-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:002016-09-02T14:00:05.048-07:00Stress Signs - Refusing Food<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOne_of_Joes_food_and_sometimes_even_beverage.jpg" title="By B335t at English Wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="cubes of cheese, possibly Swiss" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/One_of_Joes_food_and_sometimes_even_beverage.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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Some dogs just aren't very food motivated (this is usually shocking to owners of highly food motivated dogs because it is such a big change.) But sometimes dogs, even food motivated dogs, don't want to eat because they are too stressed. Different dogs have a different threshold for how badly nerves affect their ability to eat. Max stops eating about as soon as he starts being nervous. Hero on the other hand would almost never get too nervous to eat.<br />
Sometimes using higher value treats can help. This particularly helpful for dogs who are also calmed by eating. Don't worry, you won't spoil your dog by giving him extra yummy treats when they are nervous, if anything it will help with desensitizing them to the stressor. </div>
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A particularly dangerous thing to watch for is dogs who quit drinking water when they are stressed. Not drinking for a little while is probably okay, but dehydration can be dangerous and just adds to the overall stress level.</div>
Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-18025434519160391552016-08-26T18:23:00.000-07:002016-08-26T18:23:00.147-07:00Stress Signs - Smelling BadAnother sign of stress is smelling bad, either from the coat or the mouth. I know my immediate though if something smells bad is that it is dirty and needs to be washed, but often for our dogs it is stressed and needs to be given protection and space from the stressor and time to decompress. Washing them and brushing teeth will only make things worse. Of course, your dog does need their teeth brushed, but at a time when they are relaxed and when they have been trained that it is an acceptable, if not enjoyable, thing to do. When my dogs smell bad from stress, the smell usually dissipates after they are calmer.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freshn-Clean-Daily-Grooming-16-Ounce/dp/B000790CP2/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=jlb-20&linkId=62d065cc9532d5447dcf380a842be7a3" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="grooming spray bottle" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000790CP2&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=jlb-20" /></a><br />
Be aware that often when is your dog is at the vet, boarded or groomed, they will be returned to you having been sprayed with grooming spray or another product to cover up this scent. While your dog might find any of these experiences stressful, you want to know so you can take steps in the future to reduce the stress. It is a good idea to ask for your dog not to be treated with this. <img border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=jlb-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B000790CP2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7471646314685890031.post-53969144676853221052016-08-19T15:02:00.000-07:002016-08-19T15:02:00.187-07:00Stress Signs - Shedding<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht45cFZPc6g1rrRpZKx-LvhdB0ZYiNSli3FovrF5oavqwS6l3_N1nuIelTOKqEnfxV7kZVjyx16R1IRPe8jD9ImEF2NC6QAsHwqyDLFLiiZF84FgxIyx1cjhUb8ceY_89Z107EUQhCYk/s1600/IMG_20160707_140624105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="light brown patch of dog hair with small sections of lighter hair about to fall out" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjht45cFZPc6g1rrRpZKx-LvhdB0ZYiNSli3FovrF5oavqwS6l3_N1nuIelTOKqEnfxV7kZVjyx16R1IRPe8jD9ImEF2NC6QAsHwqyDLFLiiZF84FgxIyx1cjhUb8ceY_89Z107EUQhCYk/s320/IMG_20160707_140624105.jpg" title="Max's Flank With Patch of Loose Hair" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max's Flank With Patch of Loose Hair</td></tr>
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Some dogs, and Max is a prime example, will shed when they are nervous. Most often this will show up as a pile of hair left where the dog was or hair almost flying off a dog. But as the photo of Max's flank shows, this can also result in loose hair similar to what you would see during shedding. For Max, this is the result of having several stressful days, in this case our legal fireworks season. Like other stress signals, this type of shedding or losing hair is a signal to us that the dog is stressed and intervention on our part is likely necessary.Julihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01636388860994577583noreply@blogger.com0