Top Six Dog Myths - Blog Eight

Hey everyone! Today's blog is about aggression. I've seen a few articles floating around that seem to be spreading misinformation, so today's topic focuses on setting these myths straight, and the facts about what aggression really is.

Top six myths:

1) Dogs become aggressive because their mother or father were that way, too.
While genetics does play a part in whether or not a dog has a likelihood of showing some early aggression, it's not all the parent's fault. When a puppy shows tendencies to be dominant, or aggressive, it's really easy to channel this energy into something constructive, or to train the puppy to respond to stimulus differently. Behaviourally speaking, a puppy is like a bit of clay; ultimately, the human molds the dog into the character he or she is most comfortable with. Personality wise, they're usually pretty solid.

2) Breed specifies a dog's behaviour, and nature.
Dog breed is nothing more than skin deep. Breeds can and do have typical traits that follow along with the skin they're in, but that's because it is encouraged by things like genetics, human intervention, and training. Some dogs might be more skilled in certain areas due to genes, but this isn't specifically dictated by breed. Breed influences things like height, weight, physical specifications like color, leg length, energy level, eye color, things like that; but, one dog passes on it's skill set to the puppies - which is why you can find German Shepherds that are excellent police dogs, while Pointers are better at hunting, or Mastiffs are best at guarding. Any breed can produce police dogs, hunters, or guarders, if the parents were naturals. No breed is specifically known for its aggression, but some breeds can switch quicker from balanced to unbalanced, which can earn them a reputation. Over the last 50 or so years, several breeds have been singled out and forgotten, fad-like, when the breed isn't the issue.

3) Aggressive dogs need to learn their place in the pack.
This could not be farther from the truth. While aggression is a blanket term for many different types of behaviour, it is not a pack structure problem, unless the dog is also showing signs of dominance. Aggression is actually several different types of behaviour, and very rarely is it associated with pack structure problems. Dominant-Aggression however is more common, and is mistakenly titled as many other issues, such as "he just doesn't like this," or "he listens when he's calm".

4) Aggression is caused by human failings.
Often, this is the case, but sometimes, a dog's behaviour can be totally unrelated to the owner or the family. Aggression can be caused by several different issues, but regardless, it isn't solely caused by human failings.

5) The alpha-roll is the best way to communicate to your dog that they aren't in control.
The alpha-roll, or pinning your dog on it's side until it submits, is old fashioned, and bully-like in nature. When you do this to your dog, your pet has no way to differentiate your actions between a predator-and-pray scenario or a correction in behaviour - essentially, your dog thinks you are trying to kill it. This is why they fight and struggle to get away from you. Regardless to what style of training you choose to use, the alpha-roll should not be a tool in your toolbox, unless it is a life-or-death scenario, such as a dog attacking a child and you cannot put the dog on lead, or similar situations where bringing the dog away or restraining/crating it is not an immediate option. Be prepared for yor dog to lose trust in you if you use this technique. If you've used it already, and your dog's behaviour has worsened, seek help immediately.

6) Anxiety is common in dogs, especially with those that whine and howl when they're alone or bite when they're confronted with something that makes them anxious.
Anxiety in dogs isn't even a thing. It doesn't exist. Dogs don't feel anxiety like humans do. They feel fear and nervousness, but not anxiety. Situations like "separation anxiety", when it is truly a pack structure problem, was initially invented by vets and pharmacies in order to create pity around the situation to make owners spend money on meds, when the real problem is what I call "mommy syndrome" (or, daddy syndrome, as the case may be). When a dog is in control, sometimes they become dominant, and other times, they think their humans are their puppies. When humans disappear, they have no knowledge of where their "puppies" went, when they're coming back, or what happened. In their fear and panic, dogs suffering from "mommy syndrome" can whine, howl, eliminate in the house, all ways to guide the puppies home through smell and sound, or occupy their panicked minds by destroying things.


When the term aggression is used, it's a blanket term that encompasses many different types of behaviours. True aggression by itself is rare; it's the type of behaviour that makes you think of a crazed junkyard dog with no boundaries whatsoever, or a wolf with rabies. This true aggression is extremely rare, and is almost always one of the other sub-types of negative behaviour. Aggression can be broken into many main types. Please note, there are far more subtypes and possible interactions that I have not listed. It would be a full course of information to cover it all. I am glossing over the most common types that owners see, or identify.

True Aggression
This behaviour is the most violent, baseless physical attacking that one usually sees in pit fighters. In pet dogs, true aggression is next to impossible, as they are with humans that are genuinely trying to do their best for the dog, regardless to whether or not those actions are helpful or accurate. A true aggressive dog is likely to have been abused, either currently or in the past, or has had a traumatic upbringing.

Fear-Defensiveness
When a dog is scared, they either react to look aggressive, or they shut down. Fear-defensiveness is when a dog growls, hides, or freezes, eliminates, or whines, and moves away, or any mix of the above. Its characteristic of a resistance to face whatever they are scared of.

Fear-Aggression
Instead of hiding and fleeing, fearful dogs can fake an aggressive reaction to reassure themselves, and scare off whatever is scaring them. This is signalled by feirce growling, snarling, snapping, warning nips, and high pitched barking. It is usually worse in sight and sound than anything else, and they rarely every actually bite until they think they have to attack to defend themselves. These dogs have learned that teeth and show get them what they want; the scary thing to back away.

Pain-Induced Aggression
If a dog is injured, or is caused to be in pain for whatever cause, a common response is for the dog to become aggressive based on the fear that they will be hurt again. Sometimes, when a dog doesn't know what caused the pain, they can lash out at everything. This can either be an instant reaction, or it can be a life-long struggle from a serious injury.

Dominance
Being different from dominant-aggression, pure dominance is not an aggression issue, but I felt it needed to be covered. Aggressionless dominance can be identified if your dog does not listen all of the time, walks with his tail erect and stiff, pretends not to hear you, pees in the home (adult dogs, who know better), or doesn't appear to take you seriously. At a low level, it can look harmless, but if allowed to continue, it can branch into frustration, and dominant-aggression.

Dominant-Aggresion
With all of the previous description's symptoms, dominant-aggression is the next step above that, and can be identified if your dog guards toys, food, delivers warning nips, herds you or your family, charges at and barks at the door in an intense manner, growls at or attacks your guests, is unruly on walks, and/or is violent or pushy in regards to his desires.

Passive Dominance
When a dog is in the position of control and does not want to be there, they usually end up thinking that it is their duty to protect their family, and does not know how to do so. Without the skills to manage a pack of their own, they can become a mix of dominant and obedient, but easily submit the role of leader, because they don't want that position.

Fear-Dominance
When a dog is afraid of something, sometimes they believe they need to control it. These dogs are often very unstable, and show signs of fear-defensiveness, fear-aggression, and dominant-aggression. These dogs should not be trained by the owners, and a professional should be called in immediately.

Boredom
When a dog gets bored, while this isn't a type of aggression, it can be mistaken for many aggressive symptoms. When a dog's needs aren't being met, they become bored. A bored dog will lick their paws like a cat does, pace, bark at things, bite/chew items, get into trouble seemingly on purpose, display low level willful disobedience (when you have to tell them what to do 4 times before they lazily do it), and nipping at your feet, among other mildly annoying habits. This is a sign your dog needs to walk, or play with you.

Frustration/Tantrum/Neuroticism
If your dog has gone past simple boredom, and they are displaying more intense symtoms caused by such things as from not enough walking, not enough play time, not enough rules, not enough heath care, the wrong kind of food, inconsistent leadership, or a dog simply not wanting to listen (willful disobedience), the dog has no way to fulfil this level of excess energy by themselves, so they become frustrated, act out in a tantrum, or become hyper-obsessed with something, in order to try and fulfil that need. Symptoms of this include getting into the trash/breaking your things, attacking the leash or handler on a walk, destroying toys, or neurotic behaviours like spinning, digging, bum-dragging (when not a medical issue), digging at the dog bed/dragging it all over the house, hiding items along the walls, obsessive licking, paw-licking, chasing animals that don't appear to be there, running in circles around your yard, and many other habits that are not usual for a calm, balanced dog.

I missed several subtypes, but this should give you a good picture for you!

Top Six Odd Dog Things - Blog Seven

Hi everyone! Today's topic is 6 odd things dogs do, and what they mean! Hopefully today's insights help unlock a little more understanding with your dog! Be forewarned, there are a couple squeamish points in this blog!

1) Dragging the bum across the floor or chewing on their flanks/anus.

The common assumption about this is that it is a game, or that it simply feels good. Most owners wish their dogs would not drag their hinds across the floor, especially on their nice clean carpets. Sometimes, all of a sudden, dogs will flip about and start ravenously chewing at their hinds, as if someone glued a steak to it. Sometimes people may think it's nothing to worry about - but is it?

When a dog is dragging it's bum across a carpet or chewing on their hind, it's one of a couple causes. In their anus, dogs have a sac that is filled with mucus that coats the poop so it isn't painful to the dog to secrete it. Sometimes, these sacs are so effective, the mucus builds up, and it needs expressing. A vet can show you how to do this, or you can pay them to do it - either way, the little sacs have become over filled, and since your dog has no thumbs, they have to try and express it themselves, by chewing the area, or dragging their bums across something in order to release the excess mucus. You can have a look; if the anus looks bigger than it should, or if they seem to be sensitive, you've found your cause.

If, however, the anus does not look large or sensitive, the cause is one of two other things - there is a chance your dog has an allergy. Not always do dogs get hives, or obvious symptoms such as loose stool or vomit; sometimes, they just get an itchy bum! If there is no obvious enlargening, you more than likely have an allergic pooch!

If there is no swelling, and your dog is not allergic, then you more than likely have a paracite in your pooch's pooper. Sometimes, you can see them - they can look like grains of rice, or bits of thread - but not always. In any case, your dog needs to see the vet, and quickly. If they are dragging bums or chewing often, this is a sign whatever is causing it is driving them crazy with itching - and a vet will need to intervene.

If nothing else comes up, if all avenues have been exhausted, and your vet has cleared the medical side, it means your dog is bored and has learned that doing this expends his energy. They need more exercise! They could also be suffering from a neurological condition, and if they can't seem to stop with exercise, your dog will need a psychological exam. (Yes, those exist for dogs). Your vet should have recommended this, if the medical side was inconclusive. If not, try a different vet!

2) Chewing/licking on their paws constantly.

Most people associate this with cats, or a type of grooming - but dogs do this too. Sometimes, it really is grooming - but dogs don't lick their paws as habitually as cats for a grooming reason. If they are grooming, they will lick other spots too, and only briefly. Dogs prefer to swim, unless they have a fear about water - which is a learned behaviour. So, if dogs aren't as super clean as cats, why is your dog licking or chewing all the time?

If they are chewing or licking a lot, more than a passing lick or chew every few days, check it for cracks, burns, sores, slivers, or heat sores. The pads should be leathery and soft, and the skin of the paw should be thin and warm. If there is nothing present, then your dog is bored. They wants to burn their extra energy, but have no way of doing so. Some dogs will get into trouble, but some just flop over and attend to their paws. Your dog is communicating that they need to walk or run.

3) Bringing items away and hiding them in odd places.

In a single-dog household, this is a symptom of a couple things - too much energy, and insecurity. Fearful-type dogs that are unsure if they are going to be able to keep something will hide it from everyone else. With food, when they take it and scamper away and look around, they think someone is going to come take it away. Its not a sign you're taking too many things away, its a sign your dog is unstable. Call in help at this point, as your dog no longer trusts anyone.

In a multi-dog household, the cause is the same, but instead of the cause being human, the cause is another dog. One of your dogs is causing the retreater to feel scared and like they need to hoard things to keep them. If this is happening, you will need help soon - because it is a sign that something is wrong in the pack dynamics. Call us when you can.

However, if your dog is confident in everything else and seems to be hiding things in obvious spots such as along a wall or taking food and leaving it around, chances are there is something neurological going on and there is some kind of disorder happening - or, they need more exercise. Sensing a theme, here? Dogs tend to break the norm when they're bored. First, try doubling your exercise for a week. If nothing is happening, see your vet, and call us for help.

4) Barking/Growling at nothing or at the wall.

While strange and seemingly haunting, as if they're reacting to a spirit, this is not the case. Dogs can hear things we can't - birds outside, kids playing across the street, cars driving past, ambulances a while away - all of these things can take them by surprise and make them bark in the direction of the sound, kind of like when someone startles you and you look at them and gasp or scream. Ninety percent of the time, they have heard something you did not. In the rare cases, dogs can have suspicious reactions to things, which they forget about, then suddenly think about it or see it, and cause them to bark or growl. Maybe a picture on the wall startled them when a door opened, or perhaps they tripped on the rug once. In very rare cases, the dog has a neurological condition, but this should only be suspect when you cannot break them from their attention and it occcurs all day every day type of behaviour. You can try exercising them more as a process of elimination, and then leave the radio on, and see if it stops. If the exercise stops it, they were bored. If the radio stops it, they were hearing something. If it does not stop, they have gotten a suspicious worry about something, or it is neurological in nature.

5) Darting under the table/into the crate/under items when someone comes over.

Dogs that are afraid often do this. It makes them feel safer, and as if they will not be hurt or confronted in these spots. Fearful dogs don't always slink away and cower; sometimes, they hide away and bark. If your dog is doing this, it means they need some confidence. Do not allow them to hide and bark; keep them on leash, and make them face the fear, and give them more exercise - if they're too tired to move away, they are too tired to fear as deeply as they were before. Call us to help you rehabilitate your scared dog.

6) Honking/Chortle sound.

Good news - it's harmless! Just like we sneeze and cough at smells, dust, and minor viruses, so do dogs! It happens to sound a lot worse given that their noses and throats are a lot bigger than ours. They also do it when pulling on a leash, because they cannot breathe. Teaching respectful walking and proper leash skills are essential so your dog does not choke themselves out - a harness also won't solve the root of the problem. Surprisingly, dogs can also be allergic to pollen and dander! It sounds funny, but it can make them react just like us! It's nothing to worry about unless they are also acting strangely, or with lethargy. If they are, see a vet immediately.


Overall, many issues with dogs can be solved with exercise - most people underestimate the amount of exercise their dogs need by HALF. Dogs also reset their exercise at night - so if you walk them before bed, you're essentially walking for nothing. Early in the morning, as early as possible, is the best time to walk your dog. Even little dogs like Chihuahuas and Pomeranians need at least 2 hours per day. If they don't get it, that energy carries on to the next day, unlike when they burn energy and it resets overnight, so your dog could very well have their entire age worth of too much energy! Larger dogs like Border Collies and Huskies top the list at needing an astonishing 12 hours of exercise every day, and not just walking, but running! If your dog isn't flopping over and can't get up to walk after you, they're not "done" yet!

Separation Anxiety Doesn't Exist - Blog Six

Hey everyone, its been a while since our last post, so it's time for a new post! Today's topic will be the ever prevalent and over-used "separation anxiety" - why it doesn't exist, what it really is, and how to address it!

It is no secret that the veterenarian/pet care industry and food and drug administration make the most money when patients are not healthy - they profit the most off of people and pets that keep coming back for more care under the premise of getting better. But, what happens when there is nothing wrong? What profit is there to make off of the healthy? There isn't, unless you are selling food, clothing, toilet paper, or vitamins, because everyone needs those things (or food, toys, treats, and leashes for dogs). Veterinarians make money mostly off of pet owners that need to fix a severe injury, illness, or spaying and neutering. In fact, that is the largest part of their income. Prescriptions, whether for pet or human have dire side effects, and don't always work - most of the time, they make you worse in other ways, and recent research suggests that they're not really working much at all, depending on what prescription you're taking. Why am I talking about this? Well, when a dog is healthy, doesn't need a drug or a vet visit, how are vets and the pet industry supposed to make a profit? They can't.

Let me make a side note here in mentioning that veterinarians are not trained at all in canine behaviour, psychology, or eating needs. They should never be consulted in regards to behaviour issues, or what brand of food to eat. Some vets have their own animals and may have reliable advice, but they are not trained in it – just as Ideal Companions is not trained in a dog's medical needs. Please do not take your vet's word on training or foods, as they are often offered a bonus from food companies to sell you their brand – most commonly is science diet, which is not healthy. Also, please don't come to a trainer with medical needs unadressed.

Now, in order to get healthy people to spend money on medically healthy dogs, the vets and pharmacies agreed to create a situation where drugs were necessary. How do you get pet owners to spend money on healthy dogs? Find a pesky behaviour, and assign an emotion to it that draws pity. Anxiety. Before this term came to be, dogs were treated as either people-oriented or afraid to be alone. It was something wrong with training, and their learned personalities from the mother dog. Once the vets started calling it Anxiety, people immediately wanted to know how to fix it – and thus is born an entirely new industry – dog emotion control. By labelling something training-learned with an emotion, thousands of dog owners did not have to take responsibility for their dog's behaviour and was able to medicate it.

So, if Separation Anxiety is not really an emotional problem, why is my dog breaking out of its crate, chewing up my house, destroying my garbage can, or defacating all over my home when I am gone?

Mommy complex (or daddy completx as the case may be). Call it what you wish, in every case, the cause is the same. Dogs need to know who is in control, and who is following. When the owner does not offer this clarity, the dog believes they are the one who is in control. Some dogs simply do not listen to every command given, some become aggressive, and some get mommy complex. If their human cannot offer the stability of control in their language, they take over. It is either one or the other; there is no such thing as mutual understandings, no time where it switches back and forth. When this need is not fulfilled, the dog takes over. When they get mommy complex, they begin to see their owners as their puppies, or their younger pack mates.

It is unnatural for a dog to be separate from his or her puppies, ever. They bond, they stay close, and they take on the world together. When a dog with mommy complex is left behind alone, they are suddenly without their puppies (the owners). They believe it is their job to protect the puppies no matter where they are (characterized by barking energetically at the door, not listening, or behaviours such as urinating in the home to mark terretory, scratching the ground after defacating, and fearful habits such as cowering, growling, and a resistance to commands). If they cannot get to their puppies, they are essentially caught in a loop. “My puppies are lost. I have to find my puppies. I need to protect my puppies. I can't see my puppies. I have to find my puppies. I need to protect my puppies....” When this happens, because they do not understand the human world, they must occupy their minds until their puppies come home. This is accomplished by nervous behaviours such as chewing things and destruction (to spend the extra energy), fearful behaviours such as howling and barking (to signal to the puppies to return), and dominant behaviours such as marking and defacating in the home (to increase the scent so the puppies can smell it and come back). It is essentially caused by a need to control you, and the inability to accomplish that goal.

This behaviour is actually encouraged quite quickly by otherwise innocent looking behaviours such as greeting your dog with excitement when they are bouncing and “happy” looking when you come home, feeding them when they bark at you, petting them or picking them up to calm them down, letting them free of their crate or rooms when they are still excited, or even putting them in the crate when they are excited, under exercised, or afraid to begin with. When you leave a dog in those states, they have no way of knowing what the human is doing – they only know that they have been left behind in an unstable state, which sends the message that they messed up so badly that they deserve to be removed from the pack (which will bring more instability and worsen the behaviour or turn it into aggression/frustration which is when the dog needs immediate intervention) or that their puppies have vanished on them and causes mommy complex.

How do I solve this problem? Do I have to take them everywhere with me? Leaving a dog alone isn't the problem – neither is leaving them in a crate. In fact, it is supposed to be a time of relaxation and waiting, not a source of obsession or punishment. Taking your dog everywhere won't solve the problem, because it is a training issue. It is essentially like putting a bandaid on a broken leg. You might not see it, but the issue is still there, and it will pop out in other ways and can often compound and get severe in other areas, and will cause your dog to stop trusting you – if this hasn't happened already because of mommy complex. In order to repair this damaged relationship, you need to go back to square one, and in some cases, dogs will need all new equipment in order to readjust the learned behaviours of the items you use now. You will need to re-teach what the crate means, what stay means, and that even though you vanish, you will come back. Absolute basics must be retaught – and if your dog just isn't listening, starts to shy away, yelps when you come close, or starts getting aggressive, contact us for immediate help – there is a chance your relationship with your dog may not recover.

Another side note, you should never leave a dog unattended for more than four hours – five at the absolute most, and puppies under 6 months no more than an hour or two - without coming to allow the dog to relieve itself and have time to see you. Any longer than four hours, and you run the risk of your dog messing in their crate, and losing trust in you. To a dog, four hours is a very long time. They may love the crate, they may enjoy the time alone, but it is inuhmane to leave a dog longer than that time, and often causes severe behaviour problems – as well as medical ones. If you are in a job where bringing your dog is a possibility, using a crate can help associate the crate with calm relaxation – like a bedroom! As a note, it is illegal in BC to leave a dog in a car unattended without shade and water. Even if they have both, the car cannot be in the sun. It is also legal to break a dog free of a car if the dog is in distress. Puppies that are teething also need to chew, and often will do so on your throw pillows or couch to satisfy the pain – don't mix this up with mommy complex.

If I can't bring my dog with me, and I can't safely leave them alone, what do I do? You must reassess the dog's needs. If it is impossible to retrain crating, and your dog is too mistrustful of you, consider rehoming your dog, or calling Ideal Companions to help you. Retraining a crate can be as simple as changing a behaviour, or changing it's location, or even something as simple as changing your own habits. If you are not in control, you need to become in control. When you are in control, your dog does not hide under the table. She does not bark at the door as if the person behind it is going to murder your whole family. She does not pull on the leash. She does not growl at people, or try and bite them. She does not bounce and vibrate when you come home. She does not protect her food or toys. She does not defacate in the home, or pee everywhere. She does not destroy things. The list is large. For everything the dog does, she needs to know whether you like or dislike it. Everything they see, do, or touch needs rules and boundaries, and most of all they need positive reinforcement. Do not tell your dog no, no, no no, no all day – teach them what is safe, and what is not – and you will have your Ideal Companion!

Sources
Prescriptions not helping/killing: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/26/prescription-drugs-number-one-cause-preventable-death-in-us.aspx
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10952/are-prescription-drugs-killing-you-and-your-kids.html

Illegal to leade dogs in cars:http://www.dogsafe.ca/blog/2011/8/Dogs_in_Hot_Cars_Understanding_Heat_Stroke_and_the_Law
http://www.spca.bc.ca/pet-care/health-safety/dogs-in-hot-cars.html
http://www.victoria.ca/assets/City~Hall/Bylaws/bylaw-11-044.pdf
^ This is the actual bylaw for Victoria.

Other illegal things people do with dogs:http://www.vacs.ca/regulations/leash-regulations

Separation Anxiety help:http://caymancare.ky/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/seperation-Anxiety.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_anxiety_in_dogs

Dogs 101 - Blog Five

Hello, readers!

It has been a while since our last blog; we have been busy training, gained some insight, and new experiences, so I decided it was high time to pen one down! In this blog, I will be talking about quite a few things; so hold on tight!

Genetically, dogs are descendants of wolves; they have their pack, and there is a structure within that pack. There is one leader, or a pair, and everyone else follows. When you bring a dog into your house, you become their pack; they find out where they land on that line by testing boundaries. Most dogs will give this up very quickly if you are consistent with the enforcement of rules, boundaries, and limitations. This is important to understand, no matter what breed or age your dog is. All well behaved dogs understand where they rank within the pack - and a balanced dog should be beneath every human in the home. If this is not true, then the dog is in control of one or more humans, and this is where behavior problems come in. If your dog understands that you and your family members are in command of the pack, then conflicts of pack command challenges, and certain behaviour issues will be less likely to occur. If you do not let your dog know that you like or dislike everything they do, they will become confused. There should be rules for everything they do.

Establishing a pack structure is not difficult. The pack commander gets all of the best things like sleeping place and food; they control the environment, who eats what, all behaviour, and when behaviour is inappropriate, they correct that behaviour and assert control over the offending member. Dogs do not come to us knowing the rules we expect them to follow; they have no knowledge or understanding of the very confusing human world. We have to teach them, and be patient, while they are learning. This is why everything they encounter needs rules. Your dog will not hate you if you disagree with something are doing; they may protest immediately, but they appreciate the boundaries. That being said, with a young puppy, for everything you stop, you should provide them with an acceptable alternative. For example, if your dog is play biting, yelp with a high pitched voice, like they really hurt you badly, and as soon as they stop, offer them a chew toy. You can also give a chew toy after correction for chewing on items they shouldn't be. If they are chasing the cat, teach them fetch.

You should also restrict space when a puppy is still learning. Controlling space is easy; in the beginning, if you cannot devote all of your attention to your dog at that moment, they need to go into a crate or an ex-pen. Young puppies need to be given freedom very slowly, because if they are given too much control, they often wind up thinking they are in control - and it also prevents them from getting in to things they should not. They should be kept on leash in the house until you know they will listen to you the first time, every time, and are house trained. If you would like a greater explanation, please email us.

Controlling food is important, and is simple as well. Free feeding, or allowing a dog to eat whenever it wants, is very dangerous. This is a convenience thing for us; its easier to let them do this, but it sends the wrong message, and also disconnects you from a vital need the dog needs to understand comes straight from your hands, and doesn't just appear to be scavenged. We recommend having set feeding times, and leaving the food down for a specific period of time, and if the dog doesn't eat, put it away. Dogs will not starve themselves; they are very much like humans in they have times where they won't want to eat, or will eat at certain times. This will train your dog to eat when the human says to, not when they decide they want to - which enforces the human as the provider. It can take a few days for them to understand that they need to eat when you say so, but they will learn fast, and will not be stubborn about it for long. Also, always give your dog access to water, all day (except overnight when still house training).

Why do you need to teach your dog obedience skills? The simple reason is that it teaches your dog exactly what you want, gives them confidence, and lets them understand a small piece of the human world. Commands like sit, down, stay, and come, mean absolutely nothing to dogs. We give them meaning, and it ties into pack structure, as well as safety, and the ability to get your dog to place themselves into positions at command when you need them to. Certain training methods, however, will destroy your dog's personality, and essentially turn them into robots and teach them to listen, but not think for themselves. A few techniques like this involve strong corrections at a young age, the alpha roll, and dominance theory. We train dogs to pay attention to their owners, and to think for themselves, while maintaining the ability for them to have a personality. Without that personality, they no longer desire to be a dog. These techniques might look showy and have a rapid response from the dog, but it is so stressful on the dog that you're not just showing them "who is boss", but it shows them that they are not valuable to you as a dog. Please do not hire trainers that teach you to alpha roll your dog or engage in stern handed dominance theory. Conversely, don't take anyone seriously that tries to get you to train your dog that thinks pack structure is a myth.

I went to school to become a dog trainer, I finished a year long course in 6 months and passed with high honours. If you ask me to come help you, and I recommend that you take your dog to a vet, or that you need to buy a different collar, I am doing this because I have weighed the risks whether or not doing so will benefit you and your dog. I will always explain why I am asking you to do so, and it is something I do not do lightly. I know taking a dog to a vet is expensive, so is buying a collar or a leash. I am impartial. Please remember that I make no extra money off sending you to a vet, or asking you to buy certain equipment.

An example of lack of pack structure (and I will not use any names) is I recently encountered a client who asked me to come look at his dog. This dog was jumping up, play biting, pulling on leash, and was cited as being "violent" (which it wasn't). All three of these things are totally normal for a 7 month old puppy. The client didn't want his dog to become better behaved, or to establish anything I had talked about to achieve his goal; he simply wanted his dog to become less violent. We explained what needed to happen and why on the first session, showed him how to do what was asked, and then left. When we came back for the second session, we discovered none of the recommended training and been done, though because I had set rules boundaries and limitations, the dog's play biting lessened with me, but he was still doing a lot of it to the owner and other people.

This is a prime example of why pack structure is important. A dog is not going to change in personality if you teach them that you are in control. If a trainer is asking you to do too much too fast for you, it is important to ask them to slow down. This dog is now set up to become a very vicious pound-case write off, but not because the dog had a problem - the owner chose not to train the dog. We had several other recommendations that were ignored, some critical for the safety and training of the dog. None were followed. On the final session, we had another client graciously come out and help us as we needed to see how the dog was around other dogs. Socially, this dog needed supervision and management, but over all for a dog who is not used to being social with other dogs he did extremely well - and was not violent at all. Throughout our time helping this dog, the owner would tell us what we were seeing was normal for large breed dogs (which was inaccurate), and argue with us about exercise requirements, and passive-aggressively tell us we didn't know what we were talking about. His dog could only travel a few hundred meters before he shut down, mostly because of the attitude of the owner, and this hip wobble that caused us great concern. This was not normal for a species who is bred to run. We recommended that he take his dog to a groomer to help his dog prepare for the warmer weather (which he never did). The only recommendation that was followed (sort of) was getting a harness for the dog to use while he was running with his owner on a bike instead of having his leash clipped to a choke chain. The wrong kind and too big of a size was bought, and defeated the purpose of the item.

The reason I am telling you all of this (we have graduated very problematic dogs in a day or two), is because the progress this dog made was no where near where he should have been; and that is because the owner didn't follow the advice he had paid for me to give him. He expected me to work the dog and have it become different. I can set the rules up for any owner and their dog, but the reality is it, is not my place to be your dog's pack leader, that is up to you. It will not work, because your dog will respect ME - not you. It is my job to teach you how to get there, and teach your dog what is expected of them. I expect to be told what the problems are, what your expectations for your dog are, what rules you have, how you learn best, and how you have your life with your dog structured. With all of that information from you and what I see from the dog at the evaluation, I come up with a training plan. It is never set in stone, as how your dog responds to the initial plan dictates what happens, and we may discover something else needs to be addressed. It is always my goal to attain your goals as quickly as possible, while keeping your dog's personality alive, and making training fun for everyone involved. I love my job; I love helping dogs and their owners, and seeing the bond between owner and dog growing and becoming stronger, as well as the two getting a better understanding of each other. When we all work together, amazing things happen.

John

Head Trainer

Prong and E-Collars - Blog Four

Hi all! I would like to wish you all a happy Easter, and hope you all enjoy it, however you chose to celebrate!

In this blog, we are going to talk about prong and e-collars, when they should be used, and why you might want to consider using them if your dog is able to handle them. This follows our previous blog, which mentions them briefly. We felt we should expand our opinion and explain in depth.

Before we get in to the nitty-gritty, never put a prong or e-collar on a puppy. Prong and e-collars should only ever be used on adult dogs, 3 years of age or older. Puppies cannot handle the stress these tools place on them. Also, never use these tools on small dogs, such as chihuahuas, yorkies, or mini eskimoes. They are not large enough for these tools to not hurt them, even when used properly. Smaller dogs can be trained using other techniques.

These tools are often considered controversial, and rightly so. Like with any tool, it is easy to use them incorrectly. Just as you wouldn't allow someone who has never welded before use your arc-welder without proper education, the same principle applies to dogs and the tools that can be used. When used improperly, prong and e-collars are without a doubt the most inhumane treatment from a training tool that a dog can suffer through, and that is why your dog must be the proper personality and why you must consult a professional before applying these tools. They should always be considered a last choice if other training tactics have failed, the owner is not totally consistent, or when the dog is a working-type dog that is expected to perform flawlessly, such as protection dogs, or hunting dogs. You should never place a prong or e-collar on certain personalities of dogs.

There are many things to consider when deciding if you want to try one of these two collars. Most importantly, what temperament of dog you have; is your dog shy, or is he bold and confident? Is he aggressive, and defensive? Will he bark at strangers, and pull on your pant legs, will he snap at you if you try to take a toy, or will he yelp when you raise your voice? If given a firm verbal or physical correction, will he act like you just hit them with a 2 by 4, or will they look at you as if to say "Ha ha, that's all you got"? These questions help guide you to the personality of your dog; we call them soft, medium, and hard. A soft dog would cower if you raise your voice. A medium dog would simply obey at a raised voice, and a hard dog would totally ignore you. There are variances; a very soft dog would likely mess on the floor, and a very hard dog would either totally ignore you, or try and bite your face off.

Prong and e-collar are not appropriate for aggressive-type hard dogs, soft, and very soft dogs. These tools will exacerbate the symptom you are trying to correct. Prong and e-collars should only ever be used on a medium to hard dog, assuming the hard dog is NOT aggressive. The reason for this is because to a dog these tools are the equivalent of someone poking us with a stick, or if set properly on an e collar similar to your cellphone set on vibrate and startling you.

A prong collar should never be used to deliver hard corrections. Your dog will likely yelp, but this should be from surprise, and never from pain. You should never yank hard on a prong collar, unless the situation is life-and-death, such as your dog charging a bear, your dog running into traffic, or your dog charging another dog or child.

There are two type of e-collars; one uses electricity, and the other uses vibration. An e-collar should never deliver more than a gentle tingle; set only barely high enough to usher a reaction from your dog, such as a glance, blink, or gentle yelp of surprise. It should never ever cause your dog to panic, yelp more than once or twice, and should never cause pain on any level. The best way to ensure your dog's e-collar is not set too high is to test it on your wrist, which is about as sensitive as your dog's neck. If it is hurting you, it is set too high. The goal is not to stun your dog or force it to stop; the goal is to cause your dog to go "Oh! What was that?" and proper training teaches the dog what that buzz means. Some dogs will get completely spooked by an e-collar. They are generally best used for training at a distance, and you have to train your dog to be able to use one efficiently. It is not simply plug-and-play; there is a learning period. The uses of an e-collar is touched on very well in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBb9PZ5SJrE

These tools are not designed to replace proper training; they are merely tools to make training easier and faster, so you do not have to spend extra time physically correcting your dog; the tools do it for you. Most people equate prong and e-collars to a fix-it-all tool; they are not. They are merely a way to correct your dog faster and make a greater impact in the mind of the dog than just going "no".

Prong and e-collars have a bad reputation because of how they look, they usually are not employed correctly, and have dire consequenses. Its like spanking your kid. Some may not agree, but everyone can agree that it is not okay to smack a child with the full force of your arm - or even a quarter of your power. The same goes for prong and e-collars. If you use a prong or e-collar correctly and teach your dog how to respond to them, you will find that just the act of putting the collar on them is enough to stop certain issues. They are also not to be left on all the time; only have them on when you absolutely need to have it on, when you cannot consistently correct them, such as when you are training a dog not to pull, or playing fetch with a dog that loves to chase squirrels. Also, you need to have a back up collar of some type with prongs. Prong collars will come apart, usually at the worst possible time, as seen in this video. It is important that the collar is fit properly, which is snugly right behind the dogs ears.

http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php/42/Prong_Collar_Safety/


When you go to give a correction with a prong collar, you never do three or four tugs on the leash. That is incorrect, and won't tell your dog anything, besides "my human is causing me pain" and not "I should stop". You need to do one tug, hard enough to get your dog's attention, but soft enough that you don't hurt them. This takes practice, and you can try it on your own arm to perfect it. You also do not need the biggest prong available on a collar. The bigger prongs cause more pain, and less reaction; the opposite of what you want. Use the smallest prong size you can get, usually around 2.5mm is more than enough no matter how big your dog is. The whole idea behind a prong collar is 99% of the time your dog will end up correcting themselves and you really shouldn't have to do anything but put light pressure on the leash unless you have to. Think of it as power steering for your dog. When getting used to a prong, your dog can bite the leash and put on a mighty show of protest, but it is because of a lack of control. If you are hurting your dog, they will usually shut down, ignore it, or attack the handler. The mighty show is just show.

Before you consider trying either of these training tools, please consult a professional dog trainer. We will happily teach you how to use a prong or e-collar. We do urge customers to however to train their dogs with other means, and we strongly advocate engagement training, and gentler methods. If you are at your witts end and need a quick switch in your dog, we can help you. Please only consider these tools as a final resort, unless you have a working class dog. Never place these tools on your dog without a professional present, and never use max settings or hard corrections. If you witness anyone issuing a painful correction to their dog with these tools, please report them immediately to the SPCA. If a trainer tries using these tools first, or tries placing them on your dog without permission, please walk away and encourage your friends to stay away. Never trust a trainer that uses prong or e-collars as an instant fix to train your dog unless there is no other means.

Off Leash - Blog Three

Hi everyone!

In this entry, I would like to talk about the dangers of off leash walking, and why you should never let your dog off leash in public.

What are the benefits, and dangers of off leash walking? The benefits of off leash walking is really the fact that your dog gets to wander in a more natural, wild pattern compared to on leash walking, and you aren't being pulled around. While this is a very common occurrence with many dog owners and brings joy in a way to have your dog out with you that is relaxing, it is not safe for your dog, and sends the wrong message to your dog that he or she does not need to pay attention to you or listen to you, and that they are in control now.

Life today presents your dog with many dangers; cars being the biggest one, among others depending on your area, such as predators, poachers, or even your neighbors. Your dog being on leash not only gives you a great way to communicate with your dog, but it also physically connects you giving you a way to stop your dog from unwittingly putting themselves into a dangerous situation. It also primarily guarantees that your dog won't get away from you, and won't get out of sight. Even the most perfectly trained dog can get a one-track mind and stop listening, but when on leash, what could have been a sad or expensive mistake becomes a two second correction. Sometimes, no matter how much training we do, how much time we spend, there is always a chance a dog will not obey a command. No one wants anything to happen to their dog, and the only way to lessen the chance of something happening is to keep your dog on leash. If allowing your dog to roam is an absolute must, while highly not reccommended, you can purchase long leashes that allow your dog freedom.

Though we strongly caution off leash walking, we realize it will happen, so for the above noted reasons, if you want to have your dog off leash, please make sure no matter what, you can get your dog to come back to you, on command, first time, every time. This requires intense and dedicates training that goes beyong the scope of puppy classes. Consider letting your dog off leash in an area where you can control the environment; a fenced in field would be an ideal place to let your dog off leash as an example. Other tools, when trained how to use them humanely and properly, e-collars can be an excellent tool to guarantee a recall, every time. Please contact us to show you how to correctly use an e-collar before ever placing it in your dog - there are many breeds and personalities that cannot have an e-collar used, and we are trained professionals - we won't ever intentionally hurt your dog. We at ideal companions prefer a solid, guaranteed recall, but for some people, the time is not there to dedicate to training. We can teach proper use of an e-collar if solid recall training is not possible.

We do not recommend going to an off leash dog area for much the same reasons, excluding our previous blog post where we explain why dog parks are a bad idea altogether. Please request a copy of our "human social vs dog social" post for more information. Dog parks lead to an incident which starts pack mentality, and while sometimes it goes by fast and unseen, it can lead to a quick and violent pack attack - and unless you know what you are doing, it is unwise to attempt to break up a dog fight.

You might be wondering what this leaves for exercising your dog. When a dog is on leash all the time, it can be complicated and frustrating to exercise them, especially if your dog hasn't learned leashed bike run skills, or long leashed fetch. There are a lot of options to excercise your dog on leash, or off leash in a controlled environment such as a yard or enclosed buildings. You can get your dog into agility, or play fetch/frisbee/search in the back yard. Dogs also need more then just physical exercise; they need mental stimulation, or thinking games, as well. Playing games that make them think are a great way to burn mental energy, which when there is too much of can cause dogs to misbehave or destroy things in your home, and they can be combined with draining physical energy as well, such as fetching a frisbee over a jump, or teaching new tricks, or search games.

Be creative when it comes to exercise with your dog. Things within the environment you are in can be used. If there is a low wall while on a walk, have your dog jump up onto it, and then back down the entire length of it, or have them walk across a park bench; run them on a playground, and have them climb onto the equipment as long as it is safe, and supervised at all times, preferably with minimal children, or later at night with older kids. It is mostly safe to play on a playground, as long as you are monitering closely, and do not allow your dog to get too hyper to prevent injury. Accidents happen, so take caution.

No dog is ever perfect, just as no person is perfect, but we can certainly help make your dog as close to ideal as possible.

Socialization - Blog Two

In this blog, we will be talking about what it means to socialize your dog, the differences oin human-type socialization and dog-type socialization, and how the common perception of socialization may not be healthy or acceptable for dogs.

We first need to define socialization for dogs; general society regards dog socialization as a dog being comfortable with everyone and their uncle, both human and dog alike, coming up to them and interacting in some way. In reality, dog-type socialization is the ability to continue on in daily activity without confronting, meeting, or interacting with other packs that are around, and instead just smelling their pee and carrying on with their separate lives. Dogs, being descendents from wolves, don't have the traditional all-dog pack they are driven to need. Their pack consists of their humans; meaning the ones who live with them. A human pack is very different from a dog pack, and we do fulfill that pack need, but dogs are wired to pay more attention – not healthy attention – to other dogs. Dogs that are allowed to become excited about strange dogs and people instead of ignoring them are not having their needs fulfilled; instead, it is expecting them to be something they are not. Wolves in the wild do not interact with wolves outside of their pack unless it comes to two alpha males who fight and the loser breaks off to form their own pack, or terretorial disputes. We as humans have passed on our need and desire to socialize with others, which is healthy for a human, onto our dogs; it is normal for us to talk and interact with strangers, but this mindset can lead to undue stress, reactive behaviour from our dogs, and is not a healthy habit to let your dog get in to. It can also cause your dog to be more excited about everyone else than yourself and your pack, and this is the opposite of the goal. This is where problems like not listening and excited behavior pop in. If your dog is more excited about everything else, how can he be expected to listen?

We at Ideal Companions believe that expecting your dog to be comfortable with this level of non-pack socialization is not healthy. For dogs, the idea of being social with other dogs is stressful, as they are programmed to think “fight or flight”, and they present behaviour that tells us they are not comfortable with the situation. We need to pay attention to these signs in puppies and not expect them to be human-type social. Most often this is by barking, or growling, as another dog approaches, or looking away, lowering down, and moving away. This behaviour is easy to fix, but our advice if your dog is exhibiting this behaviour is to not force outside pack socialization on your dog and to phone us to help you train your dog to act in a less unacceptable manner, and to move forward with teaching your dog to ignore others, rather than greeting.

Training a puppy to be dog-type social can happen the day he comes home. We believe it is less stressful to train your puppy to focus and be engaged with you, and to ignore everything else going on around them. This means, in the initial stages of learning and training, it is more work, but in the long run you end up with a much more responsive, and usually a less reactive dog. If your dog cares more about you than the things around him, he will listen every time, without fail, even if there is a steak being waved around. Puppies rely on their owners to protect them. They are not born with the ability to be human-type social, and rely on the older pack members to keep strange packs away from them. Whether they act happy or not, they are aware their humans are not keeping strange packs away and they're not ignoring them, so they have to learn an entirely new and unusual set of skills that are not natural to a dog. After time, this can lead to a dog becoming confused on who is safe and who is not, being suspicious of everyone around them, or thinking that their humans will not keep their pack safe, so it is their job. This is why it is important to teach your dog that you will protect them, by ignoring other packs. Now that being said, it doesn't mean you can't have your dog interact with close friends. These people are part of his “extended pack”; people that are not around every day, but are accepted into the pack when they come. These people are “safe”. These “safe” people should not encompass everyone you meet on the street.

To train a puppy to be dog-type social, you must expose him to as many different scenes, scenarios, and situations as possible, while maintaining their focus on you. Start small, and work your way up to things like crowds, or great noise. Every day should bring something new, or two new things. Adult dogs are a little different; since they already have established behaviors, you must train them that the rules have changed. It is the same basic concept, only adult dogs can take longer.

The simple fact of the matter is, in this day and age, it is safer to train your dog to ignore others, random food on the ground, situations, and focus on you. If your dog is interested in another dog across the street, it would be far easier to say “no” and have him listen than to bolt over and get hit by a car,or get into a fight. The perfect example of the benefits of dog-type socialization is, recently in local news, there was someone hiding sausages laced with drugs that are deadly to dogs, left for dogs to eat - or a story from Vancouver where a dog that was allowed to be off leash, and it got into a fatal fight with a larger dog on the other dog's property. If these dogs were not interested in other dogs or things around them, this kind of thing would never have happened.

In closing, your dog being social is important; but we need to respect the level of outside pack socialization our dogs are comfortable with, what is normal for a dog, and what is never acceptable. Unless you are going to visit with the people or dog on a routine or regular basis, it is better to leave well enough alone, and teach your dog to ignore them.

Our Philosophy - Blog One

Hi everyone;



Congratulations, this is our first blog post! To start off with, I thought it would be a good idea to explain the theory of why we train dogs the way we do. This way, we can have a basic understanding on how we are going to train your dog.



In our day to day lives, we communicate with people all the time; everyone understands how we as humans communicate with each other. Dogs do not have the benefit of knowing our language right away, so we have to create a way to communicate with them that is not only simple, and easy to understand, but gentle in nature. This type of training is often referred to as balanced, motivational, or natural; regardless of what term you wish to use, it is simply the most effective way to train your dog.



Balanced/Motivational/Natural training is the style we use. Put simply, we do not support large behavioral modification abuses such as those seen on the Dog Whisperer like placing a dog on his side, however properly powered corrections are important and do have a place in training, but only with properly trained, adult dogs that are misbehaving. Unlike most dominance theory trainers, we believe this is stressful and harmful to puppies. By using a Balanced/Motivational/Natural training, we utilize normal, natural canine pack and puppy behaviors to our advantage, and train them to use their natural thinking abilities with fast, effective, reliable response times. To be a Balanced trainer, we start off gently, and work up into more reliable responses from the dog. This way, you can always teach your dog something new, and it won't ever overwhelm them.



Here at Ideal Companions, our training means using a communication system rooted in marker/clicker training. While in the learning phase, which is the stage where the young puppy is still trying to figure out what we want them to do in order to get the reward, we do not correct a dog. This is critical, as it can confuse and stress out the dog into believing it can never do anything right. Once we know the dog understands what we want from them, consistently, we add in corrections for incorrect behavior, and distractions to ensure they perform the task, no matter what. This way, by the time you are finished training a command, it's instant, accurate, and reliable every time the command is issued, no matter what - which is something one rarely sees in the vast majority of pet dogs in the world right now. The moment you say "down", wouldn't it be marvelous to see your dog, whom could be chasing a duck, cat, or squirrel, to immediately drop into a down, and wait for you?



These goals are achieved by using luring, and marker training. Lure training is simply using a piece of food to manipulate the dog into whatever position you want him to go into. It works best for teaching sit, down, and stand, but can be adapted into all commands very easily. We want to use the least amount of correction, force, or negative reinforcement possible, to get your dog to where you want them to be. Food rewards are a huge part of our training; they must be something that is of a high value to your dog. Some dogs will not work for food but will work for a toy, and this works well for this style of training, albeit a little longer in time consumption to allow for play time. Marker training and clicker training are the same thing; and is simply either a sound via a clicker or your lips clicking, or a word to mark that the dog did the right thing, we prefer to use 3 words for our marker training those words are “YES” and “GOOD” for correct and continue, and “NO” for incorrect/that wasn't done correctly. This doesn't mean the dog gets corrected physically; just withhold the food reward and try again. It is important to note that if you use "No" inside the house for a stoppage of behavior, you will need to use a different word to mark the incorrect behavior, otherwise the dog will think it is to stop performing the behavior altogether. We suggest using "Uh-Uh" or "Ahh!" because it is different enough from "No", rather than "Nope" or "No-no".



Our system creates a clear and easy way to communicate what we want from our dog, and it allows the dog to think and figure out what we are asking of them. The more force you use to train a dog the less motivated the dog is going to be to want to please you. You can implement this system with any dog, at anytime, at any age, and it sets the dog up for success instead of failure. It is important if you are going to start this type of training to come and book an appointment with us, as we have only outlined the basics - there is much more information on the topic that we have left out. This system was originally created by a dog trainer named Michael Ellis. We firmly believe that his method of training will get the best results possible from your dog, and will give you a much better relationship than an older more forceful training method.



"Michael Ellis is an internationally renowned dog trainer, and teacher, with 30 years of experience in the competitive dog sports. He has taught extensively to a very diverse group of trainers; from competitive sport trainers, police departments, and the US military, to search and rescue groups, service dog agencies, and pet dog trainers. Michael’s clear, concise, and patient style has made him one of the most popular coaches of trainers in the country. He has given over 300 seminars in the United States, Canada, and South America, that’s well over a thousand days of lecture and practical work in the last eight years alone, and as a result, has been one of the driving forces in popularizing reward based training systems for the protection sports."

- from http://michaelellisschool.com/