One of My Dog's Snarls (I call it "Smarl" smile/snarl) on Command

Last year I fell off the wagon when it comes to my running regiment.  I was up to 13 miles, but when my 8 year old dog, Snitch, died it broke my heart and I stopped doing a lot of the things that use to bring me joy.

Recently I decided it was time to start lacing my shoes and hitting the road again.  I take my 1 year old puppy and 18 month old dog with me when I run, not only because it makes me feel safe, but also because they need the exercise and mental stimulation of it all.

The other day as I was running (they are always in “heel” position when I run) a squirrel ran out in front of us.  I swear if I had seen it coming I could have touched it with my foot, it was that close and thankfully my dogs have a good “leave it” and know my expectations when it comes to running.  Otherwise, I would have had some road rash on my face, down my body and into the woods.  I live in a very rural environment!

As I stutter stepped and continued my run I beamed at the loyalty and obedience of such young dogs.  I was quite proud of them and could have understood if they had miss-stepped and tripped me to the road.

But it wasn’t until about 2 miles later that I realized how crucial good obedience is in my running program.

An SUV slowed down beside me and I stopped.  As I stopped my dogs immediately sat and then I directed them into a “down” as I pulled the tunes from my ear.

The man in the car said “I have seen you running out here before and I saw that squirrel run in front of you earlier”  and I just wanted to tell you “your dogs are terrifying”.

“What!!???” I asked, somewhat astonished that anyone would refer to my fur babies as terrifying.

“You have so much control over them, a person doesn’t know what they have been trained to do or what they might be capable of.”

“I am very familiar with those breeds.”  He assured me.

“Well,” I said, “Then you must have a background in police and protection dogs?”

“Yes.  I have worked with many K9s over the years”  He agreed.

I assured him that I could neither confirm nor deny his report without having to kill him,  haha.  But I agreed they were quite formidable and very, very well trained in a variety of skills.

As he drove away I chuckled and gathered my dogs together I thought to myself.  It is true, I bet there is nothing more terrifying to someone looking to commit a crime on another person than a large, well behaved dog.  I don’t even know what HIS true intentions were stopping to talk to me while I was out running alone.

Don’t get me wrong, I recognize that just the appearance of a large dog is a deterrent but a well-trained dog is even more formidable!

This is not Intimidating

Imagine if you will seeing a big imposing dog pulling his owner on his leash, choking himself as he runs from tree to tree.

Now imagine the same dog in perfect heel position, stopping and sitting when his owner stops, looking up at his owner’s every move and listening flawlessly to each command.

Which dog would you think was protection trained?

Poorly trained dogs are not scary, they are unpredictable but not scary.  A loud noise, a tossed treat, or a dropped leash would be all it would take for dog #1 to be gone from the scenario; however dog #2 might have been trained to work through any distraction.

That is not to say that all well-trained big dogs are protection trained, but it gives a criminal some pause to their thinking!

I have always been of the opinion that an obedient dogs is more of a deterrent, but to hear it from a passerby was conclusive!

As a female I often worry about jogging alone, driving alone, or otherwise being in a bad situation, but having a dog by my side evens the odds a bit.

This is All you Need to Ward People off!

I have always taught my dogs to bark on command and with a small hand signal in case I should ever need a little reinforcement to warding off strangers.

When I had Rottweilers, my female Rottweiler loved all humans.  If someone stopped to speak to us, her whole body would wag; starting from her buttocks and working its way through to her ears.  She was adorable, but she wasn’t very imposing if you knew dog behavior.  However, I could at anytime by just clicking my fingers together get her to bark ferociously.   This would deter anyone from asking to pet her or wanting to talk to us.

On most occasions I let anyone pet her, but there were a few people I didn’t want getting that close to me while I was alone, they just made me feel uneasy and so I would get her to bark.

We live in a scary world where people do unmentionable things to other people, but I don’t believe that aggression training or protection training is always the answer.

She had no protection or bite training but she had great obedience and would bark at the drop of a hat and that was all I needed.  I didn’t need the liability of having a dog trained to bite or be protective.

Sometimes I would lie and tell people she was so that they would stay away and not want to pet her, but again that was only if they gave me that creepy

I believe this IS Intimidating for Someone Looking for Trouble

feeling.  I knew they would never “test” my statements.

Protection dogs or teaching your dog to be aggressive is a HUGE liability and sometimes once immersed in the process it can be very hard to control the dog.  For the most part I don’t recommend this type of training.

But, I do know the benefit first hand of training my dog to be obedient and teaching them to look scary.

Be very careful what kind of behaviors you promote in your dog training!  Even though I could and can get my dogs to bark, they never associated it with barking AT someone or driving someone away and so I was always safe and in control of situations as they arose!

Remember, if you want a dog that will keep you from being bothered, work on your leash manners and obedience commands and that is all it takes to keep people at a safe distance from you and your companion.

Do You Want a Terrifying Dog? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

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In January of 2012 actor Nick Santino committed suicide after he euthanized his dog Rocco amid pressure from his condo board and harassment from his neighbors.

The NY Post reported that a Veterinarian had issued a warning that Rocco was “becoming aggressive” this has now been proven to be false.

Nick had Rocco euthanized at the ASPCA not at his regular vet. In NY State any pet owner can have his pet euthanized without too many obstacles.

By all accounts from people that knew Nick and Rocco, they all said Rocco was a sound, friendly dog and Nick was a great dog owner.

This film is not documenting any aspects surrounding this tragic event that deal with Mr. Santino’s personal life or the assumptions that have been made about his state of affairs.

We sincerely extend our condolences to his family and friends.

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Look Familiar?

I get a lot of questions about potty training and quite a few come from the owners of intact, older male dogs.  But the problem is that urine marking is not a “potty training” problem!

A dog that cocks his leg on the furniture is much different than a dog that squats and pees in a puddle on the floor.  Often one of my first questions as a trainer is: was the urine on a vertical or horizontal structure?  Marking often occurs on furniture, doorways, clothing, and anything else that might be new or your dog deems is his.

WHY do dog’s urine mark?

Dogs use urine marking to show their dominance and to mark what they think belongs to them.

For dogs, urine is not gross or undesirable, in fact it is interesting and exciting and a way of signing their name to something.  It is also a way to sense what other dogs have been in the neighborhood and a way to show confidence and to advertise mating availability!

An insecure dog may begin marking.  Dogs that enter a new home, have the addition of a baby or another pet may also feel the need to mark.

This is an instinct in the beginning when the behavior starts, that can become a conditioned behavior.  It is important to stop this behavior early before it becomes a habit or a conditioned behavior.

Do All Dogs Mark?

Not all dogs mark, however spaying and neutering at an early age is best!

Most dogs that do mark begin marking when they reach sexual maturity (depending on the size of your dog) between 6 months to a year old.

Small breeds tend to mark more than larger breeds and intact males tend to mark more than neutered males or females.  Although many intact females may begin marking prior to going into heat to let the other dogs in the neighborhood know she is available.

What to Do:

Keep it from happening!

Most dogs that are spayed or neutered will not begin marking (and yes females can mark too!  Although it is more rare.)

Testosterone definitely plays a key role in urine marking, so neutering at ANY age can help even if the behavior has been conditioned.

Prevention is a much better cure than dealing with a behavior problem!  I recommend spaying and neutering at about 16 weeks old or when your vet has finished up your puppy’s shots.

Supervision

You must catch your dog IN THE ACT to let him know that what he is doing is wrong!  Again, this is instinctual for him to mark what he considers “his things”.  So you must be able to catch him and tell him NO.

Keep him on a leash or a tie down with you for many days.  If you cannot watch him, keep him in his crate.

Treat him like an 8 week old puppy and keep him confined to small spaces that you are in until you are certain he is not going to mark.

This requires Talent!

Learn to Control the Behavior

I don’t mind my dog lifting his leg in HIS yard when he is NOT on leash.  But, I do NOT allow him to lift his leg on EVERYTHING while we walk or run.  He must squat to pee to relieve his bladder while he is on a leash or only lift his leg when I tell him it is okay to do so.  I don’t want him to get use to lifting his leg and marking everything all of the time.  Walks and runs are my time and I wont be pulled to every tree so that he can sniff and pee!

Clean

Clean up the urine spots well with a urine enzyme cleaner.  If he can still smell the urine, he is more likely to re-mark the area again and again.

If there is ONE favorite spot, I recommend feeding him in that spot.  Dogs will not usually urinate where they eat, so moving his food bowl for a week or two might be effective.  However, if you are not careful about supervising him he will just begin urinating somewhere else!

A Belly Band covers the penis and keeps the dog from urinating on objects

Belly Bands

Belly bands which is like a male dog’s diaper can also be effective.

I am more of a believer in training and supervision than I am in belly bands that can easily be taken off or chewed through; but, some people swear by them.  Dog’s don’t want to pee on themselves so one leg lifting in a belly band can be just enough to curb the behavior of even a chronic leg lifter.

Be patient!

This is instinctual and can be difficult to curb, but if you put in the effort you will go back to having a urine free house fairly quickly!

Stop Your Male Dog from Urine Marking is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

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My silence gives me leverage.  I want the sound and tone of my voice to mean something… I couldn’t give two craps whether they understand my words.  If I’m walking one way and they go the other, I’m not going to yell “COME!” at the top of my lungs.  What leverage would that give me when it’s actually important for them to respond?  How is the dog supposed to know that “This time he really means it!” if my tone is always one of urgency?

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Jeff Silverman, The Blame Game: Who’s at fault when dog bites Denver news anchor?

Hear!  Hear!  For a long time I’ve been frustrated with conversations among dog trainers about the lack of behavioral knowledge in the veterinary community, obnoxious behavior at dog parks, lack of puppies in puppy classes, owner non-compliance and the “stupid” things that dog owners do.

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The woman who gave me the eggs mentioned that a visiting family member would not eat these fabulous gems. The colors and variety in size and shape freaked her out. The eggs were… dirty! They had just come out from underneath the chickens after all. This visitor went on to explain that she would only eat white eggs with an ink stamp of approval from whatever “farm”.

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