Train Your New Dog

Six months after adopting Sam, I found out the likely reason why he had been hit by a car. Sam had severe thunderphobia, running blindly, scratching at doors, digging up flooring, and jumping baby gates at even the faintest rumble. After the first few storms of the season Sam saw a veterinary behaviorist who determined that in addition to thunderphobia, he was also very insecure and uncertain of his place in my household “pack”. In addition to medications, we began a program called NILIF, an acronym standing for nothing in life is free. This approach, while not resolving Sam’s fears has proven to be very effective in reducing them to a manageable level.

NILIF is a behavior modification technique that provides structure, helping any dog understand their place in the pack, below their owner. Establishing a reliable hierarchy using these methods allows insecure dogs to feel more secure knowing they have a pack leader, and shows the more dominant that they are not pack leader. Implementing NILIF is straightforward, but should be done only after consultation with a veterinarian, to make certain it is appropriate for your dog. The concept is easy, but results will not be immediate. Simply put, to get anything, your dog has to do something to earn it, he or she has no rights to just get what they want.

In Sam’s case he would hop up on the sofa next to me and nudge my arm until I stroked him, elevating his position in the pack to equal, or greater than mine. I started by simply ignoring Sam’s demands, not reacting when he nudged me, stroking him on my terms when he was not demanding my attention. At the start, Sam seemed to deteriorate, becoming more pushy, even stressed and upset at my sudden lack of response. The hardest part at this time was to not respond in any way – doing so would have told Sam that he could still get what he wanted when he wanted. It took several days, but gradually things changed.

Now Sam stays on the floor until invited onto the sofa, and has to sit before he can jump up, thus working for his reward. There are similar requirements for other areas of Sam’s life, for examples he eats after me and has to sit and shake his paw before being allowed outside. Interestingly, without addressing the thunderphobia directly, Sam seems more at ease and better able to deal with these stressful events. Yes, he still becomes very anxious during storms, but he is nowhere near as destructive, because he now knows he has a reliable pack leader.

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No matter if you bought a puppy or adopted an adult or senior dog from a shelter, training them is part of your new responsibility. One of the easiest commands to start with is “sit”, a basic training behavior on which more advanced commands are based. Sitting prevents unwanted behaviors, improves the relationship you have with your dog, and strengthens your position as leader.

There are several ways to train your new dog to sit, one of which, clicker training, is gaining popularity. Clicker training uses only positive reinforcement. Simply put, you have a device called a clicker that makes a clicking noise when it is pressed. At the exact time your dog does the behavior you want you click and then give a reward. Your dog associates the click with something desirable (e.g. food), and will thus want to learn.

Before starting to train commands you have to let your dog know what the click means. At the start of your first session, just click the clicker and give a treat. Repeat this several times until your dog looks at you when they hear the click. You can then start training a command in one of two ways, capturing or luring.

Capturing is somewhat informal; when you see your dog sit, click at the exact moment they do and give them a reward.

Luring is more structured:

1. Chose a quiet place to train, and spend a couple of minutes with your dog clicking and giving a treat to reinforce the meaning of the clicker.

2. Use a treat to lure your dog into a sit, moving it from just above their nose over the top of their head. As soon as they sit, click and reward. If your dog has problems with a command you can break it down into steps, clicking as they move in the right direction towards the final goal (sitting in this case).

3. After a few sessions your dog will start to sit when it sees the clicker. At this stage you should add the sit command or hand signal. From here on, only click and reward when your dog sits when you have given the cue, ignore your dog if they sit at other times.

4. Once you dog is reliably sitting on cue, introduce another command (e.g. stay or down) using the same technique.

As with all training, make formal sessions less than 15 minutes long, but remember to have your clicker and treats close by so you can capture new behaviors. Don’t be disappointed if it takes some time to train your new dog to sit. Be determined, persevere, and reward any progress that is made.

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Life Stages Dog Crates – An easy way to potty train a puppy

All my dogs have been rescued from shelters, some as puppies, some adults – none were potty trained.  It can be difficult to potty train a puppy, you need patience and commitment as puppies have small bladders and need to go outside often.  The key to potty training is consistency; develop a schedule and stick to it!

Starting as soon as you bring your puppy home get into the routine of taking them out frequently.  Puppies go to the toilet 5-10 minutes after they’ve eaten or woken up, so always take them outside after meals.

To help with training, choose one place where you always take the dog to go to the toilet.  Remember to give encouragement and praise every time  your puppy eliminates in the toilet area.

Accidents happen.  If your puppy doesn’t make it outside and messes inside the house, don’t punish them, just clean the mess and take the puppy outside. Praise when they goes outside.

Use a crate.

Midwest Life Stages Crate

Crate training is the best method to potty train your puppy as dogs are denning animals who do not like to sleep in the place where they go to the toilet. Your crate should only be big enough so that your puppy can stand up, turn round and lie down comfortably. If your crate is too big then your puppy will use one section to sleep in, the other to use as their toilet area.

Over the years I have found the best crates to be life stages wire crates by Midwest. Wire crates provide great visibility and airflow for your puppy, allowing them to be involved with your family while still being safely confined.  If your puppy likes a place to hide, a dog crate cover can be placed over all, or part, of the crate.

Life stage crates come with a crate divider which will save you a significant amount of money as you only need to purchase one crate, the appropriate size for your puppy’s adult size.  The divider is used to reduce the crate size to fit the size of your puppy.  As your puppy grows, so you move the divider to increase their living space.

Wire crates are also easy to clean, something very important when you have a new puppy.  The wire sides can be wiped down with a cloth and the plastic tray that covers the floor is removable for thorough cleaning.

Potty training a puppy is not instant training. It takes time for your dog to learn what is expected of them, but it is time well spent, and which can be minimised using a crate and positive reinforcement.

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Cleaning a dog’s ears is an important part of their care. Dog’s have L shaped ear canals that often accumulate debris and harbor bacteria that can cause an infection. Before starting to clean a dog’s ears you need to check them first. Look for swelling, redness or discharge and make a note any smell. Also record if dog is shaking their head or rubbing their ears.

If you notice anything abnormal you should take your dog to vet before you clean so that the underlying cause can be identified and appropriate treatments prescribed. It is important to wait until your vet has given the okay to clean because if your dog has a perforated ear drum, the cleaner can enter the middle and inner ear which, as well as being painful, can cause deafness and neurological problems.

Cleaning Steps:
1. Take a cotton ball and soak it in an ear cleaning solution formulated for dogs. Place it just into the ear canal and massage the ear canal well for 15-30 seconds, allowing the cleaner to run down the ear canal. Let dog shake head to loosen debris. You may want to do this step outdoors as liquid and waxy debris shaken out of the ear can travel a long way.

2. Using another cotton ball, wrap it round the end of one finger. Use this to remove as much debris as possible without causing bleeding or irritation. Remember to never use Q-Tips in the ear canal, as you risk perforating the ear drum. You can use them to remove debris from the pinna (ear flap).

3. Gently dry the ear with a dry cotton ball and repeat the process on the other ear.

4. Reward your dog when you have finished so that they see ear cleaning as a positive experience.

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Crate training a dog is not about locking your dog in a cage for prolonged periods as a punishment. Rather you are providing a “den” that they are comfortable in and see as a safe place, available to them whenever they want time alone. Crate training keeps your dog safe when you are not around or are in your vehicle, and can help quickly housetrain a puppy.

The first step in the training process is to get a crate. There are several types on the market, the most common being the plastic airline kennel and the wire crate. No matter which type you purchase, the important thing is that it is the right size for your dog. It should be large enough so that your dog can stand up, turn round and comfortably lie down. If you have a puppy and decide to purchase a crate appropriate for their adult size, then you should use a divider (typically provided with the crate) to reduce the size. If the crate is too large then your dog will likely use one section to sleep in, the other to relieve themselves.

1) Set up your crate in the place where you want your dog to be. This is often the kitchen or the bedroom where there are people nearby. Place a comfortable bed and some toys inside and leave the door open allowing your dog to investigate and enter and leave at will.

2) Start feeding your dog close to the crate and gradually, over the course of several days, move their food bowl closer and closer until it is eventually inside. When your dog is happy eating with their head inside the crate, start moving their bowl further into the crate until they are fully inside when eating.

3) Once your dog willingly goes into the crate to eat you can shut the door. At first do this only for a short period, gradually increasing the time until you can leave the house with them in the crate. If at any time your dog gets upset or stressed then open the door and let them out. Go back to a point where your dog was comfortable and restart training at that point.

Crate training can be started at any age with any dog. Most dogs like being crated, feeling comforted by the smaller, secure area, but some cannot deal with the confinement, or have had negative experiences being confined in the past. These dogs may try to break out of the crate, potentially seriously injuring themselves. Crate training must be a positive experience, the dog wanting to be in their den. Forcing a dog into a crate or leaving them there when distressed is a negative experience that can cause lasting psychological and potentially physical harm to your dog. If your dog is not happy in a crate, you should talk to a trainer or behaviorist.

Crate training is not instant training. It takes time for your dog to become comfortable with the idea, but it is time well spent, knowing that your dog and house are safe.

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