This post comes to us from Robin MacFarlane of That’s My Dog! in Hazel Green, WI.  Robin is a fantastic dog trainer, speaker, and mentor; we are very lucky to have her contribute to our blog.  Enjoy the article!

Lately we have been getting an increase in calls regarding problems in multi-dog households. Often we hear that one dog is *suddenly* becoming aggressive with the others and causing fights. Without exception, a lack of human leadership in the home is the primary cause of the problem. What seems sudden has actually been a building problem, but the symptoms went without notice.

In an effort to help a dog * be happy* many people add more dogs to the household for companionship. However, there is often surprise when this addition creates tension and chaos rather than a play buddy. It is true that lots of people live with two or more dogs without difficulty but that success is due to their ability to convey structure and rules to their dogs (whether they realized it or not).

The key to living successfully with multiple dogs is understanding their needs and motivations, as well as how those things work in a group dynamic. In short, dogs that are allowed to create their own rules and structure are not going to set up a nice little democracy where sharing and fair play will be the standard.
Unfortunately is doesn’t naturally work that way with a group of dogs. Well, it doesn’t always work that way in human groups either……at least not without someone being in charge. Animals will covet resources. For our domestic dogs the resources are food, toys, you and space.

Armed with the knowledge of what is important to your dogs, you can now establish routines of living together and maintaining the peace in your tribe. Here are a few thoughts on the types of routines to fall into.

* Adequate exercise: Dog’s that have pent up energy are going to be prone to frustration (which leads to scuffles) Make sure your dogs get adequate exercise in the form of structured walks/jogs on leash with you. Too often it is assumed that having one of more dogs will mean the dogs will entertain one another by playing in the back yard. While this may be true, it does not replace the responsibility and value of walking the dog.

* Control feeding time: Many fights start around the food bowl and during feeding time. Feed each of your dogs from his/her own bowl rather than expecting them to share. Put down the food (feeding the calmest dog first) and remain in the room to ensure no one is attempting to steal someone else’s ration. If this is not possible due to your schedule than consider separating the dogs by using crates or different rooms. Dog’s should be allowed to eat without feeling they need to defend or guard their meal.

* Take charge of space in your home: Dogs are very spacial oriented. *Territory* such as the couch, the bed or access to the front door, should be something you control rather than your dog. If you allow your dog on the furniture, be aware of potential problems and watch for dogs who begin to defend that space. Growling, lip lifting, baring teeth, etc. should be nipped in the bud at the first sign. These behaviors indicate your dog believes he/she has the right to warn off others. If you mistakenly excuse the behavior it can escalate into fights down the road.
You may need to remind yourself that it is; Your Couch, Your Bed, Your Front Door…….rather than your dogs. It is easier to keep perspective on the appropriateness of Fido’s actions when you take this viewpoint toward his/her behavior.

Dog’s can also begin to become possessive of you and it is not uncommon for one dog to growl when another comes near you. This is often interpreted as *he/she is jealous when I pet the other one*. Jealous isn’t really the right emotion to attach to this type of behavior. Imagine if your dog could speak. Rather than growl, you would hear him/her saying, “Hey Dog, back off, that is MY human!” Does that sentence change your perception of what is going on? It should and your response to such behavior is “Quiet Fido” I have the right to pet and play with which ever dog I chose in this house……cause after all, I pay the mortgage.

* Monitor play time: It is normal for many dogs to play by wrestling, grabbing each others neck, play biting and tugging with toys. Supervision of these activities will allow you to intervene if you feel it is getting out of hand. As you learn to calm the energy down when it gets too high you will be teaching the dogs to develop better self control when playing. Without supervision, wild, high energy behavior can escalate until, just as our parents told us when we were growing up “someone’s going to get hurt”

Living with a group of dogs can be delightful. But it is a responsibility. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes more challenging. The dynamics are going to depend on the individuals that make up your group. Pick wisely as you add new members to your household, establish boundaries and rules early on and find professional help if you are currently struggling with one or more of your canine companions.

Woof!

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to visit the website of That’s My Dog! If you are a professional working with dogs and would like to be considered as a guest blogger on this site, please contact us.

This post comes to us from Summer Milroy, owner of On the Ball K9 Training in Sanger, Texas.  Hopefully some of you got a chance to meet and chat with Summer last week at our Agility and Disc Dog Seminar.  If you are looking for professional dog training in North Texas, be sure to give On the Ball K9 Training a call.  Enjoy the article!

With the holiday season fast approaching, the thought of getting that cute little puppy may have crossed your mind.  Before you make the big commitment of bringing a new puppy into your house here are a few things that you should consider:

Time - What is your lifestyle? Will you have time to spend walking, playing with, & training a new puppy? Remember, once the puppy grows up you still need to commit time to exercise & to train it.

Size - What size dog do you want? Remember size matters… you wouldn’t want to get a Great Dane or Mastiff if you live in an apartment or a smaller home.  Some people think that by getting a smaller dog they won’t need as much exercise.  This is not always true.  Some small dogs need just as much if not more exercise then larger dogs.

Male or Female - Males are more likely to act aggressively towards other dogs, defend their territories, & try to be dominant over their owners, as well as mark territory and wander.  Females are more likely to demand more affection, are easier to house train & obedience train. There is really no difference in excitability, nervous or defensive barking between the two sexes.

Purebred or Mix - With a purebred dog you know what you’re getting but have a higher chance of inherited disease. If you go with a mixed breed it will be less likely to suffer from inherited diseases but the final size, temperament & grooming requirements will be unknown.

Activity level - What is your energy level? You want to make sure that the dog you pick doesn’t have more energy then you. If you would rather stay at home and watch TV on the couch then take a nice, long evening walk, than you probably would not want to get a Jack Russell Terrier.

Good with kids - Do you have children or are you planning on having children in the next 10-12 years?  There are certain breeds that tend to do better with children than others, but there are always exceptions to this rule. No dog or breed of dog is 100 % trustworthy with children.

Good with other dogs - If you have a dog now, you want to think if a new dog will make him or her happy. Is your current dog good at sharing? How will he or she feel about sharing your affection?

Cost - How much is it going to cost to raise this puppy? You need to take into consideration the cost for food, vet bills (shots, spay/neuter, medications, etc.), toys, training, grooming, & boarding, just to name a few things. Remember that the cost doesn’t end once the puppy grows up. The average lifespan for a dog is 10-12 years.

Once you have made the decision to bring a new puppy into your home, make sure that you start in a good training program early.  The sooner you start training the earlier your puppy will be instilled with good behaviors.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to visit the website of On the Ball K9 Training. If you are a professional working with dogs and would like to be considered as a guest blogger on this site, please contact us.

This re-posted article comes to us from Brice Cavanugh, of Team Dog!, a dog training company with locations in Chicago and St. Louis.  Team Dog! prides themselves in providing an educational, entertaining, friendly, functional and innovative experience of uncompromising quality that meets the dog training needs of the entire family, building balanced relationships through clear communication.  Brice has written an excellent article on Halloween tips that will help keep our pets and ourselves safe this Halloween.  Enjoy!

Halloween can be an especially trying time for our furry friends, so Team Dog! has put together a list of 13 tips to help you and yours avoid the common problems associated with the most dangerous holiday for dogs!

1.  Make sure that your dog’s ID tag is up to date and secure on their collar…just in case!

2. Keep candy away from your dog! Many candies can be toxic to dogs as well as being a choking hazard!  Wrappers of eaten candies can be of concern as well!

3.  Supervise! Children and dogs should always be supervised together, and this is especially true during this high energy holiday!

4.  Protect dogs from Jack-O-Lanterns, candles and the like.  Besides the obvious problems of getting into a flame, wagging tails can knock over items that can cause big trouble!

5.  Costumes. Many can be chewing/choking hazards, and some dogs just don’t like the constricting nature that most costumes create.  It may be fun for us, but consider your dog!  Make sure that your dog has good peripheral vision to enable them to fully use their senses…

6.  The eyes have it! Costumes worn by humans can take away a dog’s ability to see strangers as they are accustomed to meeting them (in addition to scent).  Hidden eyes can create insecurity in your dog, which can elicit defensive postures and actions.  Let your dog smell your costumes prior to your putting them on, and ease them into this new phenomena!

7.  Don’t take your dog out Trick or Treating with you! Many dogs are balanced and comfortable with this, but many are not.  It is human nature on this holiday to play pranks and scare fellow holiday goers, but your dog may not understand, and therefore protect his family!  Be aware of this!  It is only one day, he will probably be just as content to sleep through it, which leads us to…

8.  Provide a safe and quiet place for your dog. Many dogs look at their crates as a sanctuary (good training!), or a quiet room will serve the same purpose.  Allowing your dog to avoid the craziness of doorbells, strange costumes and the volume of visitors is an excellent way to help your dog through the evening.

9.  Practice your recall! Dog s should come when called, and practicing this skill can be life-saving!  Door bolting is a huge concern when the door is answered and opened dozens of times within an evening.

10.  Holiday decorations, like Silly String™ are fun to play with, for both you and your pet…but they should only be playing with toys designed for them and under your supervision.

11.  Exercise your dog prior to the festivities kicking off!  Having them mentally and physically spent helps them to relax better!

12.  Help your dog through trying times. Reassurance can be helpful, but make sure that you are not encouraging undesired behavior.  Optimally, refer to #8, but if you want your dog out and about, be aware of their state of mind and reward/discourage accordingly!

13.  Have fun! Our pets can be a wonderful part of our celebration, but if they are overwhelmed, the opposite can be true!  There is no need to create a problem that could take weeks to fix just to have a good time for a couple of hours, but if your dog can handle it, then have a blast!

For more great information, dog training tips, and videos, or if you are looking for Dog Training in Chicago, be sure to visit the website of Team Dog!

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.

Earlier this month we posted an article, written by Kari Vanick, titled Why Would I Take My Dog To Daycare? Now we have more great tips from Kari regarding How to Choose A Doggy Daycare Facility.

Choosing a doggy daycare facility for your dog is an important decision. Some things to consider:

• Visit the facility. Check for cleanliness. A good facility should be clean and free from odor.

• Do they require you to fill out an application for your dog so they can find out important information about you and your dog and get to know your dog before he comes to play?

• Do they have any type of interview process to screen the dogs who are coming in? Do they allow all dogs or do they weed out dogs who may be a little too aggressive for an open play environment?

• Do they require your dog to be up to date on vaccinations including rabies, distemper, and also bordetella for canine cough?

• What kind of play areas do they have? Do they have indoor and outdoor space for your dog? Do they divide the dogs by size so the little ones don’t get hurt? Is the fencing secure enough (gaps) and high enough to keep everybody in?

• How are the play areas monitored? Is there a staff ratio for a certain number of dogs to make sure there are enough people watching the dogs?

• How do they discipline dogs who may play a little too rough at times? Do they have emergency procedures in place for those times when things start to get a little out of control?

• Do they offer or require a nap/lunch time? Can you bring your own lunch for your dog? What are the resting quarters offered during nap time?

• Has the staff been trained in dog behavior? Have they been trained in Pet First Aid and CPR?

• Do they have webcams so you can watch your dog at play while you are at work and know that he is getting the playtime that he needs?

Most importantly, find a doggy daycare where the staff is friendly and you can see how much they care about the dogs. You want to make sure your dog is getting the exercise that he needs, but but you also want to know that he is playing in a safe environment and that he is getting lots of love when you can’t be there with him. Remember, a tired dog is a happy dog.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our dog training blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.

This entry is courtesy of Kari Vanick, owner of Camp Bow Wow in McHenry, Illinois. Be sure to check out her site if you are looking for dog boarding near Chicago.

There is a new concept in canine care that the dogs are just WILD about— doggy daycare. Yes, it might sound silly, daycare for your dog. Doggy daycare is a supervised environment where dogs can play off leash with other dogs. It’s a place where he can make new friends and romp and play and receive lots of love and attention. It’s a place that offers all day play so your dog can snooze the night away.

Why Would I Take My Dog to Daycare? Dogs need exercise. Period. Dogs have so much energy that needs to be released and the way to get it out is with exercise. How many dogs really get the exercise they need? Doggy daycare is a great way to provide your dog with an exciting day of play while allowing him to socialize with other dogs. This can help him develop good play manners and have fun romping with other furry friends. This will also help you fulfill his exercise requirements, which can reduce behavior problems that are the result of lack of exercise. That means less chance of that energy being exerted in other ways, such as chewing your brand new sandals or that family room sofa.

What is the biggest reason to take your dog to daycare? The dogs LOVE IT!! They know that this is the place where they get to play with their buddies, make new friends, run around like crazy and play in the pup pools. They know where they’re going as soon as you head down the street to your daycare facility. They will DRAG you to the door!

Some other reasons you could use doggy daycare:
• You work long hours and don’t like to leave your dog in a crate all day long while you are at work.
• You are going out after work and do not have time to walk your dog that evening.
• You are having a party and can’t have the dog running around the house while all your guests are there.
• You are having house guests who are allergic to dogs.
• You want to have a snuggle night with him on the couch when you get home from work, but the only thing he wants to do when you get home is play, play, play! After a day of play at doggy daycare, he’ll be more than content to snuggle with you all night long.
• It can assist in reducing separation anxiety in your dog. When they learn that they can go to a fun, safe place where they get to play all day, and still be picked up by Mom at the end of the day, it can really help reduce anxiety.

Keep your eyes on our training blog in the next few weeks for another entry from Kari discussing tips to selecting the right daycare facility for your dog.  In the meantime, if you are looking for a fun, safe doggy daycare environment for your pup, be sure to check our your local Camp Bow Wow Austin.

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.

This article comes to us from Wayne Booth, of Canine Behavior Specialists, a dog training company in Nashville, TN.  Wayne also offers dog training information on his blog at DogTrainingBlogger.com .  I hope you enjoy the article.

The frustration that leads frazzled pet owners to abandoning their dogs to shelters the most is a lack of effective house training. Remember that your dog is a family member, and as such, is worth the time and effort required to properly house break them, so that you can be a happier pet owner and your dog can be happily in their family’s arms, not in a shelter.

The house training method we’ll be going over in this article is crate training. I consider crate training a great gift to your dog. As a den animal, your dog will learn to love his or her “den”. Their crate will become a safe place, their sanctuary when they are stressed or just when they want some peace and quiet. Crate training is the house breaking method of choice for any good dog trainer and is widely considered the best way to train your animal to do their business outside.

Crate training begins with an initial 4 week process. During this process, your dog should be in one of the following places at all times:

1) in their crate

2) on the grass

3) in front of you

It may sound harsh, but remember that this is only for the first four weeks of training. Dogs develop a preference for where they do their business; we want that to be the grass.

The first step to good crate training is to keep in mind what size crate is needed. Make sure the crate is just large enough for the dog. Dogs will not soil the area where they are going to sleep or stay, which is what makes crate training effective. But, if you purchase a crate too big, the dog will be able to do its business in one side of the crate and still be able to comfortably lay in the other end. We want to teach the dog that it can control itself while in the crate and can “hold it” until you are able to let him outside. Also, remember to not put anything absorbent in the crate, such as a towel or pillow – this may allow the dog to soil the object and still be comfortably out of its own mess.

The first four weeks:

So that it can’t make messes in inappropriate places, whenever you aren’t supervising your puppy, he or she should be in their crate.

The first four weeks of training will require frequent trips outside for the pup: Immediately after you provide food or water for your puppy, take it outside to the grass. Also, immediately after it wakes from a nap or gets excited, take the dog out.

Do not forget that you MUST pay attention to your puppy’s every move when it is outside of the crate. A good tip to remember is to attach your puppy’s leash to your belt so that it is always close by.

Remember that consistency is the key – teach all family members these steps and to not allow your dog to do its business inside the house. Without consistent crate training, it may develop a preference for using the restroom on carpet or tile over grass.

This article comes to us from Wayne Booth, of Canine Behavior Specialists, a dog training company in Nashville, TN.  Wayne also offers dog training information on his blog at DogTrainingBlogger.com .  I hope you enjoy the article.

This is a question I am asked quite often…. here are my thoughts on the subject.

Bringing home a new family member is an exciting event in anyone’s life. You may thinking – “I don’t want my puppy to be alone. Maybe I should bring home his brother or sister to keep him company.” Is this idea a good one or not? There are several things to consider before bringing home two sibling pups.

To begin with, as you probably know, a single dog is a huge responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Puppies require a lot of time, effort, love and attention that will be a significant part of your life when they come home with you. Two puppies is twice the amount of time, effort, love and attention and twice the responsibility. Be sure that you have the desire and the resources to offer that to two new family members.

Another thing to consider is that when two dogs are raised together, they bond a lot more to their sibling than they do to their human companion. Oftentimes, this affects their capacity to be trained, as they have less a desire to please their human handlers than if they had had time to bond closely and solely with their master. If a dog has his brother or sister to be close to, they may very well wind up too close and pay more attention to their sibling than to you.

Dogs are pack animals and two dogs together are a pack. Remember that packs are powerful things that function away from and outside of human influence and can be tough, if not impossible, to control. When a pack forms, a pack order must be established and this can mean problems for your brother sister team. Fights can break out when the two are bickering for the alpha role. This means that one or both of them could get hurt and that they could easily develop aggression issues, which are very difficult to deal with as a human handler.

If you are considering taking home two puppies from the same litter because of your breeder’s influence, be cautious. Remember that this is the breeder’s business and they may be just trying to make an easy extra sale with you. If your breeder encourages taking home two puppies at once without discussing the difficulties that comes along with having sibling dogs, steer clear and seek out a different breeder.

On the plus side, a brother sister duo may keep each other company and be able to play with one another. This, however, can happen by raising one puppy to adulthood and adopting another after you have the first dog trained. This solution is far less difficult than raising sibling puppies at once.

Remember that dogs don’t have the same emotional bond with their families that humans do and that a dog can be perfectly happy raised far from any of his littermates. The concept “I don’t want to separate them!” is derived from inaccurate assumptions about a dog’s family attachments and can lead to a very difficult situation.

If you must raise two puppies from the same litter at once, be sure to be in contact with a good dog behaviorist and your breeder as your situation will require a lot of work and you’ll need professional and experienced advice!

This article comes to us from Brice Cavanugh, of Team Dog!, a dog training company with locations in Chicago and St. Louis.  Team Dog! prides themselves in providing an educational, entertaining, friendly, functional and innovative experience of uncompromising quality that meets the dog training needs of the entire family, building balanced relationships through clear communication.  Brice has written an excellent article on Halloween tips that will help keep our pets and ourselves safe this Halloween.  Enjoy!

Halloween can be an especially trying time for our furry friends, so Team Dog! has put together a list of 13 tips to help you and yours avoid the common problems associated with the most dangerous holiday for dogs!

1.  Make sure that your dog’s ID tag is up to date and secure on their collar…just in case!

2. Keep candy away from your dog! Many candies can be toxic to dogs as well as being a choking hazard!  Wrappers of eaten candies can be of concern as well!

3.  Supervise! Children and dogs should always be supervised together, and this is especially true during this high energy holiday!

4.  Protect dogs from Jack-O-Lanterns, candles and the like.  Besides the obvious problems of getting into a flame, wagging tails can knock over items that can cause big trouble!

5.  Costumes. Many can be chewing/choking hazards, and some dogs just don’t like the constricting nature that most costumes create.  It may be fun for us, but consider your dog!  Make sure that your dog has good peripheral vision to enable them to fully use their senses…

6.  The eyes have it! Costumes worn by humans can take away a dog’s ability to see strangers as they are accustomed to meeting them (in addition to scent).  Hidden eyes can create insecurity in your dog, which can elicit defensive postures and actions.  Let your dog smell your costumes prior to your putting them on, and ease them into this new phenomena!

7.  Don’t take your dog out Trick or Treating with you! Many dogs are balanced and comfortable with this, but many are not.  It is human nature on this holiday to play pranks and scare fellow holiday goers, but your dog may not understand, and therefore protect his family!  Be aware of this!  It is only one day, he will probably be just as content to sleep through it, which leads us to…

8.  Provide a safe and quiet place for your dog. Many dogs look at their crates as a sanctuary (good training!), or a quiet room will serve the same purpose.  Allowing your dog to avoid the craziness of doorbells, strange costumes and the volume of visitors is an excellent way to help your dog through the evening.

9.  Practice your recall! Dog s should come when called, and practicing this skill can be life-saving!  Door bolting is a huge concern when the door is answered and opened dozens of times within an evening.

10.  Holiday decorations, like Silly String™ are fun to play with, for both you and your pet…but they should only be playing with toys designed for them and under your supervision.

11.  Exercise your dog prior to the festivities kicking off!  Having them mentally and physically spent helps them to relax better!

12.  Help your dog through trying times. Reassurance can be helpful, but make sure that you are not encouraging undesired behavior.  Optimally, refer to #8, but if you want your dog out and about, be aware of their state of mind and reward/discourage accordingly!

13.  Have fun! Our pets can be a wonderful part of our celebration, but if they are overwhelmed, the opposite can be true!  There is no need to create a problem that could take weeks to fix just to have a good time for a couple of hours, but if your dog can handle it, then have a blast!

For more great information, dog training tips, and videos, or if you are looking for Dog Training in Chicago, be sure to visit the website of Team Dog!

If you enjoyed this entry, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog.  You will be automatically notified as soon a new entry is made.

This entry comes from Chris Colt of Cove Mountain Kennels. Cove Mountain Kennels, located in the rural town of Annabella, Utah at the base of Cove Mountain, is a small gun dog training kennel whose purpose is to help people build good relationships with their dogs.  Their philosophy is that a combination of socialization, companionship, behavior and lots of experience on wild birds makes for a quality hunting dog and wonderful full time companion.

There are times when you should not give attention or affection to your dog. It may seem counter intuitive, but when a dog is scared, in pain, or their mind is somehow unstable, you should not give them attention. Turn and move away, or go on with what you were doing like you didn’t know they were there. If you give them attention at this time, it feeds their instability and worst case, can even give the dog an irrational superstition or fear of something associated with the incident.

I learned this principle many years ago from David Bowman, a very knowledgeable VDD dog fancier. A cute young Drahthaar pup he had tried to jump into the back of his truck, it missed and whacked its face on the tailgate and landed on the ground like a sack of flour. I immediately raced over with an, “Aaaaawwwww, poor puppy.” David sharply stopped me with a command like he would give to an errant pup. He pulled me back and we just watched the pup. The pup got up, shook it off and trotted over to us. David explained to me that there were times when you shouldn’t give affection to a dog, or they would develop and unreasonable fear of some object, action, place or other thing they associated with the event. The more anxiety you show in the situation, the more it will feed the instability.

In such a situation you should move on like nothing ever happened. Keep the dogs mind moving forward. Come back later and retry the action. David and I walked over to the other side of the yard for a minute, the pup trotting along. We gave him a few minutes to check out that part of the world and let his mind move on to other things, and then David then circled back to the truck and loaded the pup up without problems.

There are lots of times when you should praise your dog, but also times when you should withhold attention. When the dog’s mind is unstable or fearful, turn and move on like you don’t even know they are there. It is my belief that as a social pack animal, they surrender their fears to you, the pack leader. If you are not afraid of something, they feel that there is no need for them to fear it and they move on.

If you enjoyed this entry, please visit the website of Cove Mountain Kennels for a lot more great dog training articles.