Too much s? Sorry, it kinda wrote itself there, ;).
Today's topic is all about the summer, and how to exercise your dog in the hot summer days without risking heat stroke - or worse. It is incredibly common for dogs to become too hot in the heat, and suffer for days because of it. From their world, they're not only exercising in the heat, which is already not too fun, but they are doing it with a fur coat on - and the inability to sweat it off, except from their paws, and panting, which stops being effective very quickly. Seeing as this summer is being called California North for Vancouver Island this year, we are going to address easy and innovative ways to exercise your dog - without risking their health.
1) Water!
There are tons of places around Vancouver Island that has water that is readily accessible - for dogs that enjoy it, that is. Swimming takes a lot of energy, muscle, and focus for a dog to do - and the cold water will help regulate their temperatures, especially in larger, bulkier furred dogs, or breeds sensitive to the heat - like bulldogs, or pit mixes. Most dogs can be trained to swim, and end up enjoying it. Make sure, however, to check algae and bacteria levels in lakes before letting your dog swim - and there are many saltwater access points that are just as great for dogs with little risk. We have also found that Lookout Lake is very good for dogs when fishing isn't too hot - it also has limited algae issues. If you're not looking to burn any gas, you can always turn your sprinkler on and play fetch through it! Many dogs love the sprinkler - once they realize it's not going to hurt them. You can also employ a kiddie pool for this - just toss their toy into it!
2) Early Morning!
I know, it sucks to get up at the crack of dawn, but it's not only cooler, it is the best time for your dog - its the breakfast of their exercise, so to speak. When you exercise a dog first thing in the morning, they can go through the whole day feeling exercised and satisfied - rather than wait for the evening to come to get it, and then have to sleep and recharge, and wait all day again. Dogs usually start their days between 6 and 8 am on average, whether or not their humans are awake. They prefer early rise and early sleep, with the moon - but they don't argue with human schedules, and once they adapt to it, they end up preferring following the sun instead. Humans tend to like sleeping late and waking late, with no real adaptation to the sun or moon - but for a dog, one or the other is normal. So, first thing in the morning is the utmost best for your dog, if you're a night-sleeper. If you happen to be on night shift, switch the clock around if your dog sleeps for you - or just walk them after work, before you sleep. Of course, the added benefit to a morning walk is that it is also excellent for your own health - humans burn the most fat and build the most muscle first thing in the morning! So, put on those sneakers, grab your tea, and take that pup out! Besides, what better way to spend the summer than to see the sun rising?
3) Indoor Activities
There are plenty of ways to burn your pup out indoors when the heat is especially high - and we are due for quite a few of those this summer. While indoor activities are not going to satisfy traveling needs, it is however going to physically and mentally drain them, which is the next best thing. While this should only be used on days when leaving the home is out of the question, you can include this every day on top of regular walking - and build your relationship while doing it! Great indoor activities that engage your dog properly are extensive - teaching it a new skill, trick, or behaviour; letting your dog jump over a solid coffee table (to exercise more muscle); indoor agility training (dining room chair weaving, for example?); indoor fetch (be aware of breakables because in the moment, your dog will not be); retraining a fear (such as fear of bathtubs); refining and working on speed of command response for basic commands; nose work such as searching for a treat or finding a treat in a series of cups or boxes; leash work and pressure response; the list goes on. Be creative - anything that gets your dog moving and thinking will accomplish this goal!
Words Of Caution
If you still need to take your dog out in the heat, make sure it is quick as possible, and as low impact as you possibly can make it. If you have absolutely no other choice, and must be out in the heat with your dog being active, watch for some warning signs that your dog may be getting too much heat:
-Glazed eyes, unresponsive or slow reacting eye movement and pupils. (This is a sign their temperature is too high.)
-Slow response or no response to name or commands (This is a sign their brain is too hot.)
-Slowing down, lagging behind, with heavy panting. (This is a sign they are too hot, not watered enough, or both.)
-A very hot spot just behind the base of the ear. (This is a sign that your dog is overheating and heading in to danger).
-Drooping, flat, too-relaxed tail and ears. (This is a sign your dog is too hot).
-Red, blackened, sore, cracked, or bleeding paw pads. (This is a sign your dog's feet have burned - they will no longer be able to sweat through their feet and cool off).
-Constant, heavy panting, as if they have been running all morning. (This is a sign your dog is no longer able to cool themselves off properly - they need to get out of the heat immediately).
-Laying down in the shade often, or laying prone at random. (This is a sign your dog's heat level has gone critical).
-Shaking, shivering, trembling, or other odd behaviours that are not normal in the heat such as turning, rotating, twirling, or backing up. (This is a sign their brain is over-hot and is affecting their ability to think and control their body - they will need emergency veterinarian service).
-Excessive drooling and lethargy. (This is a sign the dog has lost some motor control due to being overheated).
-Inability to bark, whine, or growl at stimulation. (This can be from overheating, or the dog's brain has begun to cook - the dog will need emergency veterinarian service).
-Inability to drink water, despite being offered and interested. (This is also a sign there has been some brain damage due to heat).
We hope we have helped! Good luck in all that summer heat, everyone!
Monday, May 25, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Nuisance Behaviours; What They Are, And How To Fix Them - Blog Twenty Four
Today's blog, we are dealing with nuisance behaviours - those things our dogs do that drive us absolutely bonkers and love to hate - what they are, and how to fix them. Since there are so many, we will be addressing those that we receive the most complaints for.
1) Unwanted Licking
Whether it be you that is subjected to the constant tongue contact, your guests, kids, furniture, or other objects, it can get really old, really fast - especially if they don't seem to understand that it isn't wanted or acceptable. Usual licking crosses the border into nuisance licking after a few seconds. It is important to understand that licking is a normal, social behaviour that should be allowed - but only briefly, and in most normal situations.
Licking, when not linked to a neurological or psychological disorder, is caused by one of three things. Submissiveness, Dominance, and Boredom. Which of these three your dog is displaying is important to know, because it indicates greater issues - but for the purpose of this blog, we will address the behaviour itself.
Submissive licking is usually caused by a dog that is meeker, more shy, or more scared of various things in life. It is generally caused by a desire for the dog to assert their role as the lesser animal, and assure you (in great excess) that they are a weaker animal. It is hallmarked by other submissive behaviours, like muzzle-licking themselves, licking your hands or arms in excess, fast tail wagging, whining, or even lick-and-run behaviours. When your dog is performing submissive licking, they are generally doing to to reassure you - and themselves - that there doesn't need to be any punishment or severe reaction to keep them "in line" - a symptom that your dog is not confident with either you, guests, or something in their world. It is a sign that there is something greater going on, and your scared pup needs some work.
Dominant licking however occurs when a dog insists on licking - or grooming you - because they wish to. It is a behaviour that many dominant dogs will perform, sometimes targeting places like your face, nose, and mouth - but its not usually located to a specific place of the body. A dominant licker will simply walk over and begin to lick you, whether you protest or not. Dominant licking is a way for your dog to communicate that they are granting your their affection, or they believe you need to be cleaner and are taking the matter into their own tongues. Generally speaking, dominant licking is linked to other dominant behaviours, and should be addressed in kind.
Bored licking, or licking caused by too much energy, is usually coupled with other kinds of chaos - like running, barking, pacing, or lazy behaviours, like sitting in their bed and constantly licking their paws, fur, toys, or other objects, like your table, hands, or legs. It usually can be either crazed, hyper licking that doesn't seem to stop or slow down until you distract them, or slow, rhythmic, or timed licks with or without moving or pacing behaviour. A prime example of this is a dog that has been home alone for a bit that day and their paws are licked wet, or you arrive home and they greet you not with one or two, but a thousand licks, bounce around, and circle around. You could also be watching TV and your dog will begin to absentmindedly lick your feet, or their fur, bed, or toys. These are all signs that your dog is bored and just wants to do something else - they just cannot ask you, so they occupy themselves with licking things.
Licking - How To Solve
Whatever the case, the remedy is the same. If your dog does not already understand impulse control (a common way of training this is to teach them to wait patiently for a treat and make eye contact with you before they get it), they will need at least a basic understanding of the concept, preferably a deeper, more patient understanding of "I have to wait for what I want, I cannot just go grab it until I am given permission). Once they have this understanding, here is the fun part - you are going to REWARD the licking! This sounds counter intuitive, but we are priming the licking the same way you would prime a puppy to understand the concept of treats - and also to teach the dog what the word "lick" or "kisses" means. Once they can lick on command - and no matter the cause, once they realize they can get something good out of licking, this won't be an issue - you're going to introduce the idea of stoppage - be it "No Lick" or "Stop Kissing" or however you choose to mark a cessation in the behaviour - whatever their "don't do that anymore" word is - you will reward them when they stop. Once you have them understanding they must lick on command and stop when you tell them to, you're going to apply this to real world situations, and eventually, your dog will understand that they can lick, but only when they are told to!
2) Problem Barking
When a dog barks a couple times, most people don't care - and sometimes appreciate the behaviour, especially when you don't notice someone in your yard before the dog does, or you weren't aware the delivery truck had arrived. This can be great, except if your dog likes to sound the alarm at every passerby, every vehicle, and heaven forbid, every bird or squirrel. It gets on your nerves, and the nerves of your neighbors very fast.
Most problem barking is caused by too much energy - they're barking just to bark at something, which is easily remedied by some exercise. However, there are some situations where it isn't just too much energy - when it is alarm barking, or when it is aggressive barking.
Barking from too much energy is hallmarked by a dog barking at random sounds, birds, or something you can't pinpoint. It is not quite an alarm bark, and not quite an aggressive bark, but it can be coupled with bouncing, jumping, or gymnastic style furniture hopping.
Alarm Barking is caused by a dog - whether bred to be a watchdog or not - that is a little fearful of something - usually things they cannot see or control, such as someone walking nearby, or someone knocking at the door. These dogs are borderline panicking, communicating to you that they are afraid and want you to fix it. It is hallmarked by high pitched, loud, rapid-fire barking that sounds like a machine gun burst - a kind of BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH!!!! It often includes pacing, hiding, or door charging behaviours, but can also be from a stationary position until the door is opened.
Aggressive barking is caused by a dog that is trying to look and sound like a threat, either because they believe they need to scare off anything that might challenge their dominance, or cause them or their pack harm. It is usually from a perceived belief that the human can't - or won't - protect them. Sometimes it can be fear based, a desire to appear more "tough" or on defense, but usually it is caused by dominance. It sounds deeper, slower, more fearsome, and can be coupled with growling, and bearing teeth.
Barking - How To Solve
Just like with licking, you're going to want to solve the root cause - which is harder and deeper than a simple behaviour - but for the behaviour itself, it works exactly the same as training out the licking behaviour - by rewarding it first, putting it on queue, and then teaching the concept of "no bark" or "stop barking". The root cause of the barking will however need to be addressed - and most often, when they are addressed properly, the barking issues solve themselves.
3) Whining (In Adult Dogs)
When adult dogs whine, it's typically in place of other normal adult dog behaviours, like barking or growling. Most often, it's caused when a growing puppy learns that it is acceptable and that it works to get attention or whatever they need. Some dogs naturally out-grow whining, and while it is a normal mode of communication for puppies, adult dogs should only whine when they are in pain, or to communicate fear or unease. When an adult dog uses whining as a mode of communication like a puppy, for example to catch your attention, to communicate needs like food, to pee, or exercise, or to make a noise that makes you look at or talk to them, you have a nuisance whining problem.
Nuisance whining is caused by a dog that is responded to and had learned that, for whatever the cause, they get a reaction and your attention from it, they will keep doing so, under the belief that it is how you prefer them to communicate to you. It can also be a submissive/fear related behaviour, but whatever the root, the product is the same - they have learned that it works.
Whining - How To Solve
There are two ways to train out of a whining behaviour - and you can do them both, just not at the same time. You can train it out with the above strategy and putting it on command. Once they get this concept, whining can and often still does persist, even when they understand what whining is, and that they shouldn't do it until they are asked, because it is an ingrained behaviour that is used for communicating needs. You are also going to need to totally ignore the whining behaviour, and remove yourself from the dog's presence (either by turning your back or walking away a few feet) and ignore completely until the whining has stopped - THEN reward the dog for "Good Quiet" and wait a few seconds for them to stay quiet, and give them what they want or need. This can be a long process, because the dog has had many months - sometimes years - of the behaviour getting them what they desire - be it your attention, eye contact, pets, or whathaveyou - and it's going to be a hard lesson for them to comprehend. Patience and grace goes a long way with this behaviour!
We hope we have helped!
1) Unwanted Licking
Whether it be you that is subjected to the constant tongue contact, your guests, kids, furniture, or other objects, it can get really old, really fast - especially if they don't seem to understand that it isn't wanted or acceptable. Usual licking crosses the border into nuisance licking after a few seconds. It is important to understand that licking is a normal, social behaviour that should be allowed - but only briefly, and in most normal situations.
Licking, when not linked to a neurological or psychological disorder, is caused by one of three things. Submissiveness, Dominance, and Boredom. Which of these three your dog is displaying is important to know, because it indicates greater issues - but for the purpose of this blog, we will address the behaviour itself.
Submissive licking is usually caused by a dog that is meeker, more shy, or more scared of various things in life. It is generally caused by a desire for the dog to assert their role as the lesser animal, and assure you (in great excess) that they are a weaker animal. It is hallmarked by other submissive behaviours, like muzzle-licking themselves, licking your hands or arms in excess, fast tail wagging, whining, or even lick-and-run behaviours. When your dog is performing submissive licking, they are generally doing to to reassure you - and themselves - that there doesn't need to be any punishment or severe reaction to keep them "in line" - a symptom that your dog is not confident with either you, guests, or something in their world. It is a sign that there is something greater going on, and your scared pup needs some work.
Dominant licking however occurs when a dog insists on licking - or grooming you - because they wish to. It is a behaviour that many dominant dogs will perform, sometimes targeting places like your face, nose, and mouth - but its not usually located to a specific place of the body. A dominant licker will simply walk over and begin to lick you, whether you protest or not. Dominant licking is a way for your dog to communicate that they are granting your their affection, or they believe you need to be cleaner and are taking the matter into their own tongues. Generally speaking, dominant licking is linked to other dominant behaviours, and should be addressed in kind.
Bored licking, or licking caused by too much energy, is usually coupled with other kinds of chaos - like running, barking, pacing, or lazy behaviours, like sitting in their bed and constantly licking their paws, fur, toys, or other objects, like your table, hands, or legs. It usually can be either crazed, hyper licking that doesn't seem to stop or slow down until you distract them, or slow, rhythmic, or timed licks with or without moving or pacing behaviour. A prime example of this is a dog that has been home alone for a bit that day and their paws are licked wet, or you arrive home and they greet you not with one or two, but a thousand licks, bounce around, and circle around. You could also be watching TV and your dog will begin to absentmindedly lick your feet, or their fur, bed, or toys. These are all signs that your dog is bored and just wants to do something else - they just cannot ask you, so they occupy themselves with licking things.
Licking - How To Solve
Whatever the case, the remedy is the same. If your dog does not already understand impulse control (a common way of training this is to teach them to wait patiently for a treat and make eye contact with you before they get it), they will need at least a basic understanding of the concept, preferably a deeper, more patient understanding of "I have to wait for what I want, I cannot just go grab it until I am given permission). Once they have this understanding, here is the fun part - you are going to REWARD the licking! This sounds counter intuitive, but we are priming the licking the same way you would prime a puppy to understand the concept of treats - and also to teach the dog what the word "lick" or "kisses" means. Once they can lick on command - and no matter the cause, once they realize they can get something good out of licking, this won't be an issue - you're going to introduce the idea of stoppage - be it "No Lick" or "Stop Kissing" or however you choose to mark a cessation in the behaviour - whatever their "don't do that anymore" word is - you will reward them when they stop. Once you have them understanding they must lick on command and stop when you tell them to, you're going to apply this to real world situations, and eventually, your dog will understand that they can lick, but only when they are told to!
2) Problem Barking
When a dog barks a couple times, most people don't care - and sometimes appreciate the behaviour, especially when you don't notice someone in your yard before the dog does, or you weren't aware the delivery truck had arrived. This can be great, except if your dog likes to sound the alarm at every passerby, every vehicle, and heaven forbid, every bird or squirrel. It gets on your nerves, and the nerves of your neighbors very fast.
Most problem barking is caused by too much energy - they're barking just to bark at something, which is easily remedied by some exercise. However, there are some situations where it isn't just too much energy - when it is alarm barking, or when it is aggressive barking.
Barking from too much energy is hallmarked by a dog barking at random sounds, birds, or something you can't pinpoint. It is not quite an alarm bark, and not quite an aggressive bark, but it can be coupled with bouncing, jumping, or gymnastic style furniture hopping.
Alarm Barking is caused by a dog - whether bred to be a watchdog or not - that is a little fearful of something - usually things they cannot see or control, such as someone walking nearby, or someone knocking at the door. These dogs are borderline panicking, communicating to you that they are afraid and want you to fix it. It is hallmarked by high pitched, loud, rapid-fire barking that sounds like a machine gun burst - a kind of BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH!!!! It often includes pacing, hiding, or door charging behaviours, but can also be from a stationary position until the door is opened.
Aggressive barking is caused by a dog that is trying to look and sound like a threat, either because they believe they need to scare off anything that might challenge their dominance, or cause them or their pack harm. It is usually from a perceived belief that the human can't - or won't - protect them. Sometimes it can be fear based, a desire to appear more "tough" or on defense, but usually it is caused by dominance. It sounds deeper, slower, more fearsome, and can be coupled with growling, and bearing teeth.
Barking - How To Solve
Just like with licking, you're going to want to solve the root cause - which is harder and deeper than a simple behaviour - but for the behaviour itself, it works exactly the same as training out the licking behaviour - by rewarding it first, putting it on queue, and then teaching the concept of "no bark" or "stop barking". The root cause of the barking will however need to be addressed - and most often, when they are addressed properly, the barking issues solve themselves.
3) Whining (In Adult Dogs)
When adult dogs whine, it's typically in place of other normal adult dog behaviours, like barking or growling. Most often, it's caused when a growing puppy learns that it is acceptable and that it works to get attention or whatever they need. Some dogs naturally out-grow whining, and while it is a normal mode of communication for puppies, adult dogs should only whine when they are in pain, or to communicate fear or unease. When an adult dog uses whining as a mode of communication like a puppy, for example to catch your attention, to communicate needs like food, to pee, or exercise, or to make a noise that makes you look at or talk to them, you have a nuisance whining problem.
Nuisance whining is caused by a dog that is responded to and had learned that, for whatever the cause, they get a reaction and your attention from it, they will keep doing so, under the belief that it is how you prefer them to communicate to you. It can also be a submissive/fear related behaviour, but whatever the root, the product is the same - they have learned that it works.
Whining - How To Solve
There are two ways to train out of a whining behaviour - and you can do them both, just not at the same time. You can train it out with the above strategy and putting it on command. Once they get this concept, whining can and often still does persist, even when they understand what whining is, and that they shouldn't do it until they are asked, because it is an ingrained behaviour that is used for communicating needs. You are also going to need to totally ignore the whining behaviour, and remove yourself from the dog's presence (either by turning your back or walking away a few feet) and ignore completely until the whining has stopped - THEN reward the dog for "Good Quiet" and wait a few seconds for them to stay quiet, and give them what they want or need. This can be a long process, because the dog has had many months - sometimes years - of the behaviour getting them what they desire - be it your attention, eye contact, pets, or whathaveyou - and it's going to be a hard lesson for them to comprehend. Patience and grace goes a long way with this behaviour!
We hope we have helped!
Monday, May 4, 2015
Canine Anxiety - Blog Twenty Three
Today's topic is the ever-present canine anxiety, its myths, its blatant falsehoods, and its truths - and how to deal with it! Please note - we have already covered Separation Anxiety, which isn't even a form of anxiety, in this blog: http://idealcompanionsvictoria.blogspot.ca/2014/09/separation-anxiety-doesnt-exist-blog-six.html
In humans, anxiety is usually a mental issue caused by either an inability to process a given situation properly, or an chemical imbalance that is causing emotional side effects in your emotional center - and it can often go unchecked, because it's sometimes so subtle, that the person experiencing it doesn't realize it's abnormal. A large percentage of people are born with anxiety issues, and in these cases, there are real life strategies to overcome this issue, but some cases need medication (or herbal remedies) to help the human process this excess in emotion. Some uncommon cases have learned the anxiety behaviour from a parent or guardian at a young age - such as someone who becomes anxious in large crowds, and the child notices it - and then becomes anxious with crows themselves, learning in effect that crowds are scary and stressful. If this is the case for humans, does this also apply to dogs? Is it as simple as getting a pill?
Ninety nine percent of the time, no, unfortunately. While there are rare cases where a dog's anxiety warrants medication, such as in severe brain malfunctions or dogs that have other psychological disorders that also present looking like anxiety, but these are always coupled with other severe issues that bridge the gap from behavioural to outright psychological disorders. The vast majority of cases of Canine Anxiety are in fact a learned behaviour - like the toddler that sees his mom suffering from social anxiety and learns that crowds are scary - or that being alone means danger.
Anxiety In Dogs - Causes
The vast majority of anxiety cases are ones that are caused by a learned pattern of behaviour early in life that wasn't addressed or corrected properly - or worse, was inadvertently encouraged by inexperienced owners. Just like the roots of fear are in anxiety, the roots of anxiety are found in unsure behaviour. Most often, when a puppy is exposed to something new or different, they learn about that new experience and form new memories about that item, person, or thing. If they are not a confident personality, these puppies can display unsure behaviours, such as whining, moving away, or raising a paw. If these puppies aren't encouraged with positive experiences and excitement, they can either realize the new thing is totally harmless, or, they can develop mild anxiety about it. When a human notices this behaviour, a common reaction is to attempt to soothe the puppy with soft voices and petting, or giving treats. This is exactly what causes anxiety to worsen; the owner is essentially telling the puppy that yes, they are to be scared of this new thing, and keep doing that. The puppy logs this in their brain, and while the human thinks they are soothing the dog, they are feeding the situation. If the human ignores the behaviour, either the puppy will gain confidence when he realizes there really is no danger, or, they will form a kind of question mark surrounding the new thing, and try and keep learning about it until they decide it is either something to fear, or something that is okay. In either case, the chances of an unconfident dog becoming confident around a strange, new experience is fairly slim - this is why anxious dogs, as older dogs, tend to be scared of clusters of items or experiences, such as loud noises, certain toys, or certain kinds of people.
Secondary Causes
Another common cause of anxiety is rooted in a dog's perceived "rules" of the world. When dogs aren't exposed to something often enough, or at all, they can formulate opinions on how things work - such as cars are deep and loud with a specific sound and move and contain humans; toys can be silent, crinkle, or squeak; leashes are always attached at the head; humans are all one gender, color, height, or have certain hair colors; ect. When these rules are "broken", a dog can become fearful or reactive, based on where their personality lays on the confidence line. This is common for dogs that seem to fear men, or beards, hats, or specific races of humans. We have been working with a client's dog that has a very strict sense of her "rules", and when they are broken, she becomes fearful. A perfect example of a rule-breaking anxiety case is this lovely pet. We have a toy that quacks like a duck in order to reward and keep a dog occupied during vehicle trips. We introduced this toy to her, hoping she would enjoy chewing on a pretend duck after a great learning session - but to her, toys don't make that sound - they squeak or crinkle, but they don't quack - and we had broken her rules for toys. This caused an anxiety reaction to the toy, and she won't play with it or go near it. Another great example of this are dogs that seem to target specific kinds of vehicles; always trucks, always road bikes, always blue cars - this is a prime candidate of a dog that has had it's rules broken, and is reacting like this to self-control their broken rule base.
Anxiety Myths And Falsehoods
-Anxiety comes from the same basis that it does in humans, and medication will help. (Medication simply puts a band-aid over the issue by drugging a dog into a stupor so they -can't- react - and can't learn).
-Anxiety is a mental issue. (It isn't, it is behavioural).
-Vets won't prescribe medication to my dog if it isn't necessary. (Yes, they will. If you come to a doctor to patch an issue, they will do so to the best of their given skills - whether it will help the core issue, or not.)
-Anxiety is not helped by situational training - you need to medicate, or use scents, sprays, or dietary aids. (Anxiety, unless it is caused by severe psychological disorder, is always behavioural, or a learned behaviour. These remedies and medicines only patch over the issue - it should be treated as a temporary fix, like on holiday, or in a situation where you don't have the time or ability to address the behaviour.)
-If your dog is anxious, soothe them like a child. (This is dangerous, and the exact reason why anxiety gets worse. Anything that operates on the basis of calming or soothing a dog while it is anxious usually makes it worse and patches over the issue.
Anxiety - How To Address It
While you should always consult a professional dog trainer with experience in dealing with anxious cases, there are ways you can deal with these things yourself to make it easier on you and your trainer.
-Realize that anxious dogs are usually reacting this way because they either do not trust the cause, or don't trust you to keep them safe. Even an obedient dog can believe that you won't protect them from whatever is causing the reaction.
-Keep tabs on how you yourself react to the stimulation that causes the reaction - even if you say to yourself "Oh no, there's the thing, my dog is going to hate this..." or even regarding it with tension, dread, surprise, or even walking to avoid it is going to cause your dog to react, too. Like bees, they can sense and react to your feelings - only they're way bigger than a bee.
-Never pet, touch, look at, or reward a dog feeling anxiety around an object! Always approach the thing with happiness, excitement, and reward -only- if your dog moves forward towards it, or relaxes in it's presence! This will reward with positive experience, rather than encourage fear.
-Realize that if your dog doesn't trust you to protect them from the thing, that they likely won't until you rebuild your relationship.
-If your dog reacts aggressively out of fear, your dog does not believe you're capable of protecting yourself from the thing - you need to completely overhaul your relationship and rebuild low level trust before even considering addressing the anxiety.
-Do not intentionally antagonize your dog to enforce other behaviour - such as using a toy they are scared of to make them take a bath, or stay inside a room. This will compound many issues and cause your dog to mistrust you.
-Allow your dog to be around other confident dogs they get along with around the thing that causes the anxiety, if the other dog doesn't fear - or even better, interacts with the thing.
-Use very low level stimulation of the thing - if it is a sound or thing, use youtube or google images to de-stimulate your dog at a low level to the sound or thing. Up the ante until you get a small reaction, then distract with playtime or training until you do not get a reaction any longer, then up the ante again.
-Do NOT let an anxious dog off leash outside your home - ever. They can suddenly react and bolt at new stimulation, and a fearful dog in a run will not stop for anything - be it people, traffic, or even treats.
-Make sure your dog is properly exercised AND mentally stimulated before you expose them to the thing - if they're too tired to get up, chances are, they are too tired to react. This is a prime time to expose and reward for relaxed interactions with the thing!
Anxiety - Closing Comments
Anxiety isn't something that can simply be medicated or treated away, like a bruise, or kennel cough. It can be patched over, but that is about the same thing as drugging a child every night to make them stop crying and sleep - it isn't addressing the root issue, which is a breakdown in relationship between dog and owner and dog and thing. While it might seem simple just to drug your dog and deal with this the easy way, it isn't fair on the dog to suffer when the aids aren't there. After all, you wouldn't put a band-aid on someone's broken leg and say they're all good - the same goes for your dog and anxiety.
We hope you have learned a lot! Keep aiming for your ideal companion!
In humans, anxiety is usually a mental issue caused by either an inability to process a given situation properly, or an chemical imbalance that is causing emotional side effects in your emotional center - and it can often go unchecked, because it's sometimes so subtle, that the person experiencing it doesn't realize it's abnormal. A large percentage of people are born with anxiety issues, and in these cases, there are real life strategies to overcome this issue, but some cases need medication (or herbal remedies) to help the human process this excess in emotion. Some uncommon cases have learned the anxiety behaviour from a parent or guardian at a young age - such as someone who becomes anxious in large crowds, and the child notices it - and then becomes anxious with crows themselves, learning in effect that crowds are scary and stressful. If this is the case for humans, does this also apply to dogs? Is it as simple as getting a pill?
Ninety nine percent of the time, no, unfortunately. While there are rare cases where a dog's anxiety warrants medication, such as in severe brain malfunctions or dogs that have other psychological disorders that also present looking like anxiety, but these are always coupled with other severe issues that bridge the gap from behavioural to outright psychological disorders. The vast majority of cases of Canine Anxiety are in fact a learned behaviour - like the toddler that sees his mom suffering from social anxiety and learns that crowds are scary - or that being alone means danger.
Anxiety In Dogs - Causes
The vast majority of anxiety cases are ones that are caused by a learned pattern of behaviour early in life that wasn't addressed or corrected properly - or worse, was inadvertently encouraged by inexperienced owners. Just like the roots of fear are in anxiety, the roots of anxiety are found in unsure behaviour. Most often, when a puppy is exposed to something new or different, they learn about that new experience and form new memories about that item, person, or thing. If they are not a confident personality, these puppies can display unsure behaviours, such as whining, moving away, or raising a paw. If these puppies aren't encouraged with positive experiences and excitement, they can either realize the new thing is totally harmless, or, they can develop mild anxiety about it. When a human notices this behaviour, a common reaction is to attempt to soothe the puppy with soft voices and petting, or giving treats. This is exactly what causes anxiety to worsen; the owner is essentially telling the puppy that yes, they are to be scared of this new thing, and keep doing that. The puppy logs this in their brain, and while the human thinks they are soothing the dog, they are feeding the situation. If the human ignores the behaviour, either the puppy will gain confidence when he realizes there really is no danger, or, they will form a kind of question mark surrounding the new thing, and try and keep learning about it until they decide it is either something to fear, or something that is okay. In either case, the chances of an unconfident dog becoming confident around a strange, new experience is fairly slim - this is why anxious dogs, as older dogs, tend to be scared of clusters of items or experiences, such as loud noises, certain toys, or certain kinds of people.
Secondary Causes
Another common cause of anxiety is rooted in a dog's perceived "rules" of the world. When dogs aren't exposed to something often enough, or at all, they can formulate opinions on how things work - such as cars are deep and loud with a specific sound and move and contain humans; toys can be silent, crinkle, or squeak; leashes are always attached at the head; humans are all one gender, color, height, or have certain hair colors; ect. When these rules are "broken", a dog can become fearful or reactive, based on where their personality lays on the confidence line. This is common for dogs that seem to fear men, or beards, hats, or specific races of humans. We have been working with a client's dog that has a very strict sense of her "rules", and when they are broken, she becomes fearful. A perfect example of a rule-breaking anxiety case is this lovely pet. We have a toy that quacks like a duck in order to reward and keep a dog occupied during vehicle trips. We introduced this toy to her, hoping she would enjoy chewing on a pretend duck after a great learning session - but to her, toys don't make that sound - they squeak or crinkle, but they don't quack - and we had broken her rules for toys. This caused an anxiety reaction to the toy, and she won't play with it or go near it. Another great example of this are dogs that seem to target specific kinds of vehicles; always trucks, always road bikes, always blue cars - this is a prime candidate of a dog that has had it's rules broken, and is reacting like this to self-control their broken rule base.
Anxiety Myths And Falsehoods
-Anxiety comes from the same basis that it does in humans, and medication will help. (Medication simply puts a band-aid over the issue by drugging a dog into a stupor so they -can't- react - and can't learn).
-Anxiety is a mental issue. (It isn't, it is behavioural).
-Vets won't prescribe medication to my dog if it isn't necessary. (Yes, they will. If you come to a doctor to patch an issue, they will do so to the best of their given skills - whether it will help the core issue, or not.)
-Anxiety is not helped by situational training - you need to medicate, or use scents, sprays, or dietary aids. (Anxiety, unless it is caused by severe psychological disorder, is always behavioural, or a learned behaviour. These remedies and medicines only patch over the issue - it should be treated as a temporary fix, like on holiday, or in a situation where you don't have the time or ability to address the behaviour.)
-If your dog is anxious, soothe them like a child. (This is dangerous, and the exact reason why anxiety gets worse. Anything that operates on the basis of calming or soothing a dog while it is anxious usually makes it worse and patches over the issue.
Anxiety - How To Address It
While you should always consult a professional dog trainer with experience in dealing with anxious cases, there are ways you can deal with these things yourself to make it easier on you and your trainer.
-Realize that anxious dogs are usually reacting this way because they either do not trust the cause, or don't trust you to keep them safe. Even an obedient dog can believe that you won't protect them from whatever is causing the reaction.
-Keep tabs on how you yourself react to the stimulation that causes the reaction - even if you say to yourself "Oh no, there's the thing, my dog is going to hate this..." or even regarding it with tension, dread, surprise, or even walking to avoid it is going to cause your dog to react, too. Like bees, they can sense and react to your feelings - only they're way bigger than a bee.
-Never pet, touch, look at, or reward a dog feeling anxiety around an object! Always approach the thing with happiness, excitement, and reward -only- if your dog moves forward towards it, or relaxes in it's presence! This will reward with positive experience, rather than encourage fear.
-Realize that if your dog doesn't trust you to protect them from the thing, that they likely won't until you rebuild your relationship.
-If your dog reacts aggressively out of fear, your dog does not believe you're capable of protecting yourself from the thing - you need to completely overhaul your relationship and rebuild low level trust before even considering addressing the anxiety.
-Do not intentionally antagonize your dog to enforce other behaviour - such as using a toy they are scared of to make them take a bath, or stay inside a room. This will compound many issues and cause your dog to mistrust you.
-Allow your dog to be around other confident dogs they get along with around the thing that causes the anxiety, if the other dog doesn't fear - or even better, interacts with the thing.
-Use very low level stimulation of the thing - if it is a sound or thing, use youtube or google images to de-stimulate your dog at a low level to the sound or thing. Up the ante until you get a small reaction, then distract with playtime or training until you do not get a reaction any longer, then up the ante again.
-Do NOT let an anxious dog off leash outside your home - ever. They can suddenly react and bolt at new stimulation, and a fearful dog in a run will not stop for anything - be it people, traffic, or even treats.
-Make sure your dog is properly exercised AND mentally stimulated before you expose them to the thing - if they're too tired to get up, chances are, they are too tired to react. This is a prime time to expose and reward for relaxed interactions with the thing!
Anxiety - Closing Comments
Anxiety isn't something that can simply be medicated or treated away, like a bruise, or kennel cough. It can be patched over, but that is about the same thing as drugging a child every night to make them stop crying and sleep - it isn't addressing the root issue, which is a breakdown in relationship between dog and owner and dog and thing. While it might seem simple just to drug your dog and deal with this the easy way, it isn't fair on the dog to suffer when the aids aren't there. After all, you wouldn't put a band-aid on someone's broken leg and say they're all good - the same goes for your dog and anxiety.
We hope you have learned a lot! Keep aiming for your ideal companion!
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