Age Appropriate Training for Dogs

By: Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, Pet Behavior Solutions http://www.petbehaviorsolutions.com/

Dogs, like children, go through stages in their development. Training needs change as they mature and as they move in and out of these developmental stages. Often, training is one size fits all – dogs must learn sit, down, stay, heel, and come. While those are the most common and useful commands, dogs need to learn so much more than that and those needs change based on their age.

Puppies age 8 weeks to 5 months - Puppies in this age group need to learn bite inhibition, gentling exercises for handling, housetraining, appropriate play, how to handle frustration, etc. Puppies have the attention span of a gnat at this age! They shouldn’t be expected to be perfectly precise in their commands nor should they be expected to do behaviors for a long period of time. Generally at this age, they should know sit and down on command but compliance will be inconsistent. They will stay until they forget what they were doing, walk on a loose leash until they hear, see, or smell something exciting, and come when it is fun for them.

Juveniles age 5 months to 1 year – Older puppies need to learn impulse control, how to turn their play on and off immediately, how to handle and negotiate disappointment, how to problem solve and/or manipulate complex situations, etc.. At this age, they should not be puppy biting anymore. They have a little more attention span and impulse control at this age. Often juvenile puppies get into more trouble because they are bigger, more curious, and less fearful. They should learn the house rules of what is not allowed – like getting on furniture, getting up on counters/tables, etc. At this age, they should know how to sit and down on command as well as what happens if they don’t comply (i.e., disappointing consequences - don’t sit when I ask, the door won’t open or the leash is put away, etc.) They should be able to stay for longer periods of time, but they still lose track of the exercise after a while. They are far more independent at this age so the come command can become a real challenge. You should keep in mind that this is their “teenage years” and they think most things don’t apply to them unless it was their idea. They are testing and pushing for as much control as they can have over their lives and consistency in training is critical.

Adult dogs age 1 to 3 years – Dogs in this age group are becoming emotionally and socially mature. They can understand complex situations as a result of fully developed doggy impulse control and a longer attention span. They can connect cause and effect well. It is critical to remember that dogs don’t have a moral sense about them. They know safe vs. dangerous and what works vs. what doesn’t work. They may still test and push boundaries depending on their breed and personality. At this age, it is important to maintain consistency with your rules and provide feedback for their behavior. Adult dogs should know sit and down well – just for the command – not just for treats. They should reliably stay and come provided you have trained them to this level. Walking on a leash should be a pleasure at this age if you have taken the time to train loose leash walking.

Older dogs 5+ years – By this age, dogs should be finished making their mark on the world. All the training that you put in should be maintained in their long-term cognitive memory as well as their kinesthetic or muscle memory. At this age, dogs still need enrichment and still need to think and solve problems. Training is even more critical at this age to keep dogs young, active, and as healthy as possible. Try to incorporate their training into situations they may not expect like when playing with toys, before going for a walk, etc. You should also ensure that their training isn’t sequenced as is common for dogs of this age. (e.g., You ask your dog for a sit and they show you their entire resume of sit, shake hands, sit up, down, roll over, etc.) If this is the case, clean up their command response by asking for a behavior and giving them a reward only if they give you the proper response. (e.g., You ask for a sit and they give you a sit into a down into a roll over – no reward. You ask for a down and they give you a sit – no reward.) These exercises are so important to their mental health and are fun for you and your dog.

5 Biggest Mistakes People Make With Their Cats

By: Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, President, Pet Behavior Solutions http://www.petbehaviorsolutions.com/

1. Placing the litter box, food, and water in the same location. We wouldn’t want the bathroom to be incorporated into the kitchen and neither do our cats. Cats are fastidious animals and generally prefer to eliminate far from where they eat and drink. If they must be located in the same room, be sure they are on opposite sides of the room.

2. Having multiple boxes lined up next to each other when there are multiple cats. Cats prefer to have a couple options for eliminating especially when there is more than one cat in the household. Most cats are private when they go to the bathroom. They are also quite vulnerable to ambushes (playful or not) while they are busy in the litter box. When boxes are all lined up like urinals in a public restroom, they aren’t able to be private or feel safe. It is better to have boxes in different locations within the same room or different rooms altogether.

3. Introducing a new cat into the household too quickly. Cats need time to acclimate to another cat. Very few cats readily accept a new cat without some adjustment. It is best to keep the new cat in a spare room with all the necessary kitty amenities for a day or two. Then wedge the door open about 2 inches with a rubber door stop to encourage limited interaction. Once the cats are interested in each other without acting as if they will fight, then they can have brief time together as long as they are supervised. Once they can be peaceful with each other where no one is a bully and no one is traumatized, they can be allowed together unsupervised. This whole process can take from a few days to a few months.

4. Not cleaning the litter box often enough. This sounds so obvious, but it is the most common thing we see that contributes to litter box problems. When using scoopable litter, the boxes should be scooped daily or twice daily depending on the number of cats in your household. Again, cats are fastidious animals and want a clean area in which to eliminate. Be sure to keep the box itself clean as well since used litter sticks to the bottom and sides of the box. The box retains odors even when the litter is scooped. The box should be cleaned periodically before adding additional litter.

5. Not giving your cat vertical access. Cats like to climb high, hide in “hidey” holes, play fort behind things, jump out from under things, etc. Cats should have a cat tree or cat condo to provide for those needs. If you do not provide appropriate places for your cats to climb and hide, they will create their own. This may include your curtains, piano, counters, shelves of knick knacks, etc. The more outlets cats have, the easier it will be to retain your precious belongings!

5 Biggest Mistakes People Make With Their Dogs

By Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, Pet Behavior Solutions (http://www.petbehaviorsolutions.com/)

1. Not training your dog. Dogs need training and boundaries in order to be polite and well-behaved. Be clear on how you want your dog to behave and the household rules. Think of these common training issues: jumping up to greet people, getting on furniture, stealing food from counters, unruly when walking on a leash, not coming when called, bolting out doors, etc. These are common problems that can be addressed with training and behavior modification. You don’t have to be frustrated with your dog!

2. Giving your dog too much freedom. A dog’s freedom should be proportionate to his behavior. Common issues that can arise when a dog has too much freedom include eliminating indoors, marking, chewing, stealing, digging, etc. If your dog is doing these things when you aren’t around to consequence or train him, he has too much freedom. While confinement or restriction alone won’t alleviate these issues entirely, it will make the treatment program work much more quickly and effectively.

3. Not understanding your dog’s personality and preferences. Dogs, like people, have preferences. Not all dogs like other dogs, or children, or strangers. Some dogs are environmentally focused by breed and instinct and will therefore be limited in the attention or command compliance they give you while they are engaged in their interests. Training may be limited by their breed, personalities, preferences, experiences, etc.

4. Not giving your dog adequate exercise or outlets for enrichment. Dogs were not intended to live a sedentary life in the confines of our homes. Like us, they can get cabin fever and become restless when they haven’t had an outlet or exercise. Restlessness usually manifests itself in nuisance behavior problems such as digging, chewing, barking, pestering, and other unruly behaviors. Dogs need to get exercise as well as negotiate things and problem solve. In other words, they need to think as well as work out. Adequate enrichment and exercise decreases or eliminates many behavior problems.

5. Giving your dog everything he wants at will. In our crazy, hectic lives, we generally try to do things to make dog ownership easier on our schedules. We have tons of toys available, give them dog doors, and have food available for them at all times. While this makes it much easier for us and convenient for our dogs, it isn’t the best situation. Dogs should learn to do something to get something as a part of their training. They should learn to do what we ask in exchange for a desired resource. Dogs that never have to ask for anything can be difficult to train. While they can learn to sit for treats, if the training isn’t incorporated into their routine, it will have little impact. Dogs should learn to sit or down in order to get access to or freedom from things. They should learn to sit and down for dinner, doors to open, access to certain furniture if allowed, access to certain rooms, etc. If your dog is asked to sit before being allowed outside and he doesn’t sit, then the door doesn’t open which is a consequence for not complying. Dogs that have all of their resources freely available at all times don’t need to do something to get something and therefore will likely not be as well trained.

If you avoid these common mistakes it will lead to a much more balanced relationship between you and your dog!

Help! I think my Dog has separation anxiety!!

Written by: Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, President, Pet Behavior Solutions

Newly adopted pets may be more prone to adjustment issues in their new home. Often times newly adopted dogs attach quickly to their humans as their source of security while they are negotiating the environment and learning the routine. With most dogs, they adjust quite readily but in some cases, they can become anxious and inconsolable when their owners leave. This article is designed to help you identify whether or not your dog may have separation anxiety. It will give you some general guidelines to help your dog adjust and tolerate being separated from you.

What is Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety describes dogs that are overly attached or dependent on family members. They become extremely anxious and show distress behaviors of vocalization, destruction, house-soiling, or inactivity when separated from the owners. Most dogs with separation anxiety try to remain close to their owners and become increasingly anxious the greater the separation. They may follow the owners from room to room and begin to display signs of anxiety as soon as the owners prepare to leave. Some of these dogs crave a great deal of physical contact and attention from their owners and can be demanding. During departures or separations they may begin to salivate or pant profusely, vocalize, eliminate, refuse to eat, become destructive, or become quiet and withdrawn. Most often these behaviors occur within about 30 minutes of the owner’s departure. While typically the behavior occurs each and every time the owner leaves, it can only happen on selected departures, such as work-day departures, or when the owner leaves again after coming home from work.

Many dogs enjoy chewing and engage in the behavior when they have nothing better to keep them occupied. House-soiling may be due to medical problems, leaving the dog alone for longer than he can control his bladder, or inadequate house-training. Vocalization may be due to territorial intrusion by strangers or other animals and can be a rewarded behavior if the dog receives any form of attention when he vocalizes or rewarded by the stimulus leaving. Some dogs will attempt to escape or become extremely anxious when confined, so that destructiveness or house-soiling when a dog is locked up in a crate, basement, or laundry room, may be due to confinement or barrier anxiety and associated attempts at escape. In addition, noise phobias such as a thunderstorm that passes through during the owner’s absence, may lead to marked destructiveness, house-soiling, salivation, and vocalization.

What can I do immediately to prevent damage?

This is an extremely difficult question. The goal of treatment is to reduce your dog's level of anxiety by training him to feel comfortable in your absence. This can be a long intensive process. Yet, most owners will need to deal with the damage or vocalization immediately. During initial retraining it may be best to hire a dog sitter, take the dog to work, find a friend to care for the dog for the day, board the dog for the day, or arrange to take some time off from work to retrain the dog. Crate training or dog proofing techniques may work especially for those dogs that already have an area where they are used to being confined. Crates should be used with caution however with dogs that have separation anxiety and/or also have barrier frustrations because they can severely injure themselves attempting to get out of a crate.

What should be done prior to departures?

Before any lengthy departure, provide a vigorous session of play and exercise. This not only helps to reduce some of the dog’s energy and tire him out, but also provides a period of attention. A brief training session can also be a productive way to further interact and “work” with your dog. For the final 15-30 minutes prior to departure, the dog should be ignored. The key is to avoid as many of the departure signals as possible, so that the dog’s anxiety doesn’t heighten, even before the owner leaves. Brushing teeth, changing into work clothes, or collecting keys, purse, or briefcase are all routines that might be able to be performed out of sight of the dog. As you depart, the dog should be kept busy and occupied, and preferably out of sight, so that there is little or no anxiety. Giving favored treats and food for departure times (and taking them away when you are at home) can help keep the dog distracted and perhaps “enjoying himself” while you leave. Dogs that are highly stimulated by food may become so intensively occupied in a peanut butter or dog food stuffed dog toy, a new chew bone, or some frozen dog treats, that they may not even notice you leave. Be certain that the distraction devices last as long as possible so that the dog continues to occupy his time until you are “long gone”. Frozen treats placed in the dog’s food bowl, toys that are tightly stuffed with goodies, toys that are designed to require manipulation and work to obtain the food reward, toys that can maintain lengthy chewing, and timed feeders that open throughout the day are a few suggestions. Naturally, food will not be effective for dogs that will not eat when the owner is preparing to leave. If you have multiple dogs, you should take caution about competitive situations with food and treats.

What should I do when I come home?

At homecomings, ignore your dog until he calms and settles down. Take this time to get changed, check your e-mail or read your mail. When he has calmed from his initial reaction, then you may calmly greet him. Exuberant greetings or any type of punishment for misbehavior will only serve to heighten the dog’s anxiety surrounding homecomings.

None of this is helping, what should I do?

Sometimes, a dog’s anxiety is so severe that none of these things work. If this is the case, you should contact Pet Behavior Solutions or another behavior expert, or your veterinarian. You will likely need a systematic protocol to desensitize your dog to departures and separation from you. These protocols will contain exercises designed to teach your dog to relax and accept longer periods of separation from you. These protocols should be specifically designed for your family, environment, routine, and your dog. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all. I can be reached at sam@petbehaviorsolutions.com or at 602-324-8948.

Final Update and A Heartfelt Thank you

By: Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, President, Pet Behavior Solutions

On September 28^th, I had surgery to donate a kidney to a client / friend of mine, Dave, who was in renal failure. The surgery went perfectly and the kidney began working immediately. I was out of the hospital the next day and he was out two days later. Dave’s recovery has been smooth and he is doing great! This has been the most amazing experience! What an honor to be a part of something so significant!

It has been a quick recovery for me since I am healthy and active. I am excited to say that I am back to work already even though I am still healing. I am resting as I need to and have assistance as needed for the more physical appointments.

I have been overwhelmed by the support and friendship shown by so many people. This experience has truly changed my life in so many ways. I learned to appreciate my health in a way I never have before. For the first time in my life I was in a position to truly need and have to accept help from others. That wasn’t easy for me, being as independent as I am. It was a humbling and yet very comforting experience. I also experienced so much compassion and caring from people - people I didn’t even know! Finally, I truly know how important we all are to each other and how much we truly need one another.

I thank you all for your support and especially for your patience during my recuperation. I also appreciate your referrals and loyalty. It was really scary taking a month off of work but with your support and continued business, I am back on my feet and thrilled to be working again! Thank you again, so much!

Integrating a New Dog With an Existing Dog

Written by: Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, President, Pet Behavior Solutions

http://www.petbehaviorsolutions.com/

Adding a new dog into your household is a very exciting time! Generally, everyone adjusts and your new dog blends well with your existing dog. Sometimes, there may be stress when things don’t go as well as expected. There are several things you can do to ease the stress and help the adjustment to go as smoothly as possible.

· It is important to feed your dogs completely separate from each other and pick up the food bowls when the meal is over. Some dogs become possessive over their food and competition may begin. Separate feeding is particularly important so your dogs have an opportunity to establish their hierarchy and form a social bond with each other. Once a hierarchy is establish and social bonds are formed, most dogs tend to negotiate their conflict more appropriately.

· You should also keep all toys and chew bones up unless you are able to supervise the dogs to see how they behave in these potentially competitive situations.

· Some dogs are one-dog-wrecking-crews when they are left alone. You should confine your new dog when he is left home without you until you know that his behavior is appropriate.

· Store anything of yours that is of value to you until you know how your dog behaves in the house. There is no reason to lose a valuable collection of antique baseball cards because you didn’t think your dog would chew them up!

· Acclimate your new dog to being home without you by leaving him for a few minutes at a time. You should leave, drive around the block, and return home. Do this several times increasing the length of time you are gone each time. He should get used to your coming and going and the most important part is that he will know you always return. This may help if your dog has a little anxiety about being left home without you.

· Supervise your new dog around your children until you feel completely comfortable with everyone’s interaction. Don’t assume that things will go well until you see it go well for yourself!

· Leash your new dog when introducing him to the household cat to ensure that no chasing takes place. As with children, you should supervise your dog and cat together until you feel completely comfortable with everyone’s interaction.

· Don’t put your dog in stressful situations until he has fully acclimated and is comfortable. Wait to have the dinner party, hold off on the grooming appointment, and delay the dog park visit. Once he has settled in, he should better be able to handle all those situations.

· Don’t allow your dog to have unsupervised access to the back yard until he has settled in and you know how he behaves. Some dogs may become anxious when left alone and escape your yard either by jumping over or digging under the fence or gate. Some dogs also bark and howl when they are left alone and your neighbors may not take kindly to all the noise.

Adding a new dog should be fun and exciting. If you take the time to go slowly and prevent any potential problems, you can create a smoother transition for everyone.

How Pets Change Our Lives - A Personal Story

13 years ago Dave & Diane went to the Arizona Animal Welfare League and adopted a 6-month-old black shepherd mix named Beau. They came through my obedience class and then became private clients. We worked together to deal with Beau's adolescent behavior as a one-dog wrecking crew! Through the years we became good friends.

Last summer, Dave (42 years old) became seriously ill and was hospitalized. He was told he was in kidney failure with Polycystic Kidney Disease. He was immediately placed on dialysis to save his life. He recieves dialysis three times a week and is in end-stage renal failure. He is on the transplant list for a new kidney which would enable him to stop dialysis and live a normal life. Because his options are limited, I went through days of testing to see if I was a match for a kidney donation. We recieved the amazing news that I am and we are moving forward with the surgery! I am generally a very private person, but I share this for two reasons. The first is that I am honored to be able to do this for a friend to improve the qualify of his life! The second reason is that the transplant surgery and recovery will have an impact on my business and my clients.

The surgery will take place on September 28th. I will be out of commission for a couple weeks following the surgery while I recuperate. Marsha will be taking calls and e-mails for the first week following my surgery. I will be available on a limited basis via phone and e-mail from the second week on as I recover. Once I am cleared to drive and lift more than 20 pounds, I will ease back into a full work schedule!

I understand that when there is a behavior problem, people need help right away so I will do my best to do phone consultations until I am cleared to return to work. I ask for your patience, continued business, and referrals so I can get back to work as soon as possible!

To be a match for an organ transplant for a friend is an awesome and humbling experience. We are working through the challenges involved with unreimbursed expenses associated with the transplant. With the help of friends and family, everything will come together.

I want poeple to understand why I will be taking some time off and to ask for your continued business and referrals both before and after the surgery. More importantly, I wanted to share the most amazing part of this very personal story. Isn't it amazing how our pets are often the catalyst for our closest relationships? Through Beau's adoption and training, lives crossed, friendships were formed, and many lives will be forever affected by that experience!

I thank you for your patience, understanding, and support. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me directly at sam@petbehaviorsolutions.com. Thank you!

Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, President

Pet Behavior Solutions

www.petbehaviorsolutions.com

602-324-8948