Archive for March, 2009

Controlling Boxer

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Monica told me about the problem with her new boxer:

“Hello,
I have two boxer dogs a one and a half year old male (Bailey) and a 16wk female (Daisy). They are both very good in the house and listen to both my husband and I however whenever we take them around other dogs they both start barking and the male even lunges at other dogs. For instance, we recently signed them up for training classes and the whole class Bailey was barking and lunging at the other dogs. Some times it would be at a dog that wasn’t doing anything and some times another dog would growl at him and it would set him off. Daisy was good until Bailey started getting out of control and then it would set her off and she would start barking but not lunging.
We just dont know what to do, we take him on long runs so he gets a lot of exercise and we made sure to socialize him as a puppy, he does ok at a leash free dog park when the other dogs are behaving but as soon as theres a scuffel he tries to be right in the middle of it. Is there any hope for him?”

There is always hope, Monica!

I could list some advice for you here, but I think it would be better for the dogs to have some one-on-one training sessions.  It looks to me as though Bailey is being protective over Daisy and his male hormones are getting the better of him.

Unless you want to breed from them, consider at least having Bailey neutered.  This may help calm him down around other dogs.

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Cocker Spaniel Walking

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Jill has asked for advice regarding her cocker spaniel:

“Hi
I have a six month old cocker spaniel bitch who is very energetic and loves her walks. I myself am a very keen walker but have tried hard not to over walk her when she was younger. How far is she able to go everyday now would you think? I live in very hilly countryside so she races up and down.”

It’s not really the distance that you need to worry about, but the impact of walking on her bone development.  Any advice I offer here could not replace that of a vet or the breeder you got her from.  I know that larger dogs need longer for their bones to develop before letting them race around too much, but you should really have a chat with your vet to make sure.

As you are based in the UK, the following pages may be able to offer you an answer from a qualified vet:

http://www.pdsa.org.uk/managed/ask_the_vet.html

http://www.emmathevet.co.uk/askthevet.asp (not my first choice, as this one asks for a donation in order to receive a guaranteed reply)

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Crate Train Mum and Pup Together?

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Anne asks:

“I am adopting a 6 year old springer spaniel and one of her pups. I am going to crate train the puppy, but should I put the older dog in the crate with the puppy when I am training?”

The short answer is that it really depends on the age of the pup and whether or not it has been weaned.

You can keep more than one dog in the same crate, but if they are the same sex, it can lead to squabbles and fights.  If the puppy is over twelve weeks, I would consider letting it have a crate of it’s own

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Lab Golden Mix Housetraining Problems

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Jessica is having trouble with her new Labrador/Golden Retriever cross:

“my bf and i recetnly bought a 6 month old blk lab/ golden retreiver puppy hes not housebroken….we’ve had him for almost 2 weeks now. he ends up pee’n and pooping on the carpet right infront of me.. the family we bought him from said he was house broken as soon as we brought him home he went on the carpet … and then we took him on vacation with us to VA and he does nothing but go on my friends brand new carpet we’ve been here for about a week now my bf takes him out every hour and he wont go.. he’ll end up going when he comes home.. and weve tried alot of ways to make him go outside… we only leave the house for about 2 hours a day and leave him home alone. .please help.. i dont know what to do.”

OK, my first bit of advice is aimed at readers of this post, as it is too late for you to do this bit, but will help anyone who rescues or buys a dog that is old enough to go out after having all their shots..

Provided your dog is old enough to not have to be kept at home for the first few weeks (and in the case of this question, six months old falls into that category), the first time you bring them home, do not go straight into the house! Take them for a 15 or 20 minute walk around the neighborhood so they can get used to the new surroundings.  This will not only help burn off some nervous energy (that might cause them to involuntarily pee or poop in your house), but also stimulates them to mark and therefore hopefully empty their bowel and bladder.  By praising them when they do, you are teaching the dog where the right place to potty is.

The other issue that might make the problem worse is immediately taking the dog on a trip with you.  Dogs are very sensitive to changes in their environment.  Ideally, there should be a “boring” routine for the first few weeks when you rehome an older dog (the exact same walking route at the same time each day – seven days a week – etc..).  You can get some great tips about what I mean and why it’s important here: The Two Week Shutdown

I would wait until you are back home and try to establish a routine (look at other posts in the housetraining category here).  Food at set times and regular walks (not just taken into the yard – again, use the dog’s natural marking instinct – if you are out and about, the dog will pee and poop to leave their own scent for others to find)

Give your dog time to settle and set a routine to suit your lifestyle and the dog’s toilet habits and things should be fine within a few weeks

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American Bulldog Male Aggression

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Preston has a problem with his male American Bulldog:

“I have a 2 year old American Bull Dog. He’s very socialized with other dogs. The only problem he has is that he will show aggression to another male dog that is not neutered. Why is that.”

If your dog has not himself been neutered, then he is most likely reacting to the male hormones.  He will see the other dogs as competition or a threat. Think about having him neutered if you do not intend using him for breeding or showing.

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Golden Retriever Misbehaving

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Maris needs advice about her Golden Retriever:

“I have a 2 yr old golden retriever, female, who weighs 80 lbs. she is generally very well-behaved, but I try and take her for long walks each day. Where we live the walks are usually limited to the same 2 or 3 places. And she also has an affinity for other animal’s feces. Through either attempting to get at animal feces along our walk, or just for no apparent reason – she will decide to just stop walking and no treat or command will prompt her to continue. any suggestions? She’s too heavy to really ‘nudge’ along very far.”

Just to be on the safe side, I would ask the vet to take a look at her just to ensure there is no underlying medical condition contributing to her behavior, though I am sure she will be just fine.  Golden’s do like poop and, given a chance, will happily roll around in it all day.  The key is to find something she likes more, such as a favorite toy or an extra tasty treat.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that one of the best treats for even the most difficult to please dogs is pilchard (sardine) cake, though tuna cake and liver cake can be just as effective.  You can make these at home, but they do stink.  I have seen them on Ebay, so you could search and buy it ready made.  Find what she cannot resist and use it to lure her away from the poop or to get her moving again.

Also, try and vary the walks.  I know you mentioned there are only two or three places, but you can vary the route each time and change the day you go to each.  It really can make a difference

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Getting Lab Mix Into A Routine

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Tamara needs a little help settling her rescue Labrador mix into her routine:

“We recently(2 mos ago)adopted a 12 month old Lab mix from a neglect situation where he was crated 23 hours a day. Our dogs are routinely fed at 6:30 AM and again in the evening. This new dog begs to go out several times a night because he knows eventually after 1 of those trips out it will be breakfast time. We are getting up about 6 times a night to either let him out or give him attention. He sleeps with our daughters at night and we close their bedroom doors so that he can’t have free run of the house. How do we get him to sleep during the night and patiently wait until morning for breakfast? He was very thin when we took him and is gradually putting on weight. I am also concerned because I have never seen a dog eat as fast as this one. Thank you”

Time, patience and perseverance are the only real things needed here, Tamara.

It can take up to 12 months for a rescue dog to settle into new routines.  The main thing you need to do is to not give in to his cries to be let out more than once through the night.  One thing that may help is to have him sleep in a crate at night in your children’s room.  Because he was used to being crated so long, it might give him the added security to help him settle overnight.

Once he realizes that he is always going to get fed at a certain time, he should be less frantic.  making sure he gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation will also help calm him down a little.

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Bull Mastiff Leash Training Problems

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Robert asked for help with leash training his Bull Mastiff:

“I have a 4 month old female bull mastiff i can not get her to walk with on a leash it ’s like a stand off she will just lay down i do not use a chocker i don’t thank it would help can you please give me some suggestion’s on how to do this so it’s not so painful on both of us thanks”

Try getting her to associate the leash with positive things.  Have a selection of her favorite treats to hand.  Lay the leash on the floor beside you and call her over to you.  When she comes, give her a treat and let her go.  Do this a few times, then try attaching the leash before treating.  Take it off immediately and let her go.  Again, repeat this a few times, gradually moving towards being able to hold the attached leash whilst standing up.

Once you have got her associating the leash with a treat, use the treat to lure her to walk beside or behind you while you hold the leash.  Do this indoors at first then after you have got her happily following you around in the house, venture outdoors.  Increase the time between treats and you will eventually find she walks along with you without needing them.

It looks like a time consuming job, but it should only take a day or two if she is receptive to the treats you offer.  I have found that even ‘problem’ dogs can’t resist fishy treats like pilchard cake or tuna cake if you are stuck to find something she is prepared to accept the leash for.

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Toilet Training English Bulldog

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Abby asks:

“I have an 11 week old English bulldog. I am not sure how to go about training. I have her sleep in a crate at night, which she doesn’t mind-But when I am at work, I put her in my kitchen which is hard wood floor, and easier to clean up messes. Is it ok to leave her out of her crate in the kitchen when I’ll be at work for 8 hours and then crate her when I sleep? Or will it affect her potty training??”

Hopefully, you will have read through the tips in my free report and Squidoo lenses.

There would be no problem allowing her to be left in the kitchen (though I would leave the crate in there too so she has a den to go to), but at such a young age, you will be setting her up to fail if you expect her to hold in her pee for 8 hours.  Until she is at least six months old, you should expect to be letting her out once every two or three hours through the day.  If you or another family member are not able to get home to let her out, I would consider arranging for a dog walker to come in and do it for you or have her in doggy day care until her bladder has developed sufficiently for her to hold it a little longer.

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