Kenneling Your IG
I won't go into too much detail about kenneling because there's a lot of good information out there. I do just want to address a few things that I see all the time.
Do you feel bad when you have to put your dog in the kennel? Are you sad about it? Here's why you shouldn't.
-Your dogs can tell you're upset, and they feed on it. If you think the kennel is bad, they will associate the kennel as bad.
-Dogs feel most comfortable in a confined space. If left free in a big house, they can become more anxious than if in a kennel or confined to one room. This is why the house is often "destroyed" when you come home.
-IG's have housetraining problems. Yes, you already knew this! Dogs will not soil their beds if at all possible. However, if their bed is on the couch, there is nothing that says the corner of the room is part of their bed. When dogs are kenneled, they tend to sleep, so their bodily functions will slow down and they won't need to potty as often.
-Their kennel is the coolest place in the house. What, it's not? Why not? The kennel is filled with fluffy comfy blankets, and you know what? Treats magically appear in the kennel, and your dog gets the best treats when they go into their kennel. What, they don't? Well, they should :D
You probably sense a little false incredulity in that last one. But I'll be honest with you. One of my dogs will break down the door to get into the kennel room, and he'll sneak into the kennel room whenever he can. Why? Because he knows there's always good stuff down there. Us leaving for work is the best part of his day because he knows that running into that kennel and sitting down = treats. He's a bit of an extreme example, but my other dogs don't mind the kennel either.
Here are my kennel rules:
1) Woohoo, we're going to the kennel, who wants treats!!! Going to the kennel is happy, and it shows in my voice. I'm never sad or reluctant. Kennel IS happy, point blank.
2) Dogs never go in the kennel as punishment or when I'm angry.
3) Don't force/shove the dog into the kennel. Whenever possible, lure them in with a treat. When you place the dog in the kennel, it's not their choice to go in, and that will slow down the desensitization process. This doesn't mean you're giving them a choice, you're just letting them think it's their choice ;-P Close off the room or block them so that they can't escape, and eventually they realize their "choice" is to go into the kennel, and then they are rewarded for their choice.
3) The dogs always get really really good, special treats for kenneling. Treats they don't get in other situations. And lots of them. I'll often toss a handful of cut up sausage or chicken into the kennel for them to root around and find. When first kennel training, throughout the day put treats in the kennel when the dog's not watching. Eventually they'll figure out that treats grow in the kennel. If your dog goes into the kennel on his/her own, praise and give a treat.
4) And this one is very important. You are NOT happy or excited when you come home. I still have to remind my husband this weekly. He will run into the kennel room "Hi buddies!!!" in a loud happy voice. This is bad! Because - you coming home should be nothing special, it should be mundane and boring and nothing cool. If you coming home is exciting, then being let out of the kennel becomes the coolest thing ever. We want being IN the kennel to be the coolest thing ever!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Shy Dogs Part 3 - Desensitization vs. Sensitization
Desensitization vs. Sensitization
Much of socializing a dog involves "desensitization". We desensitize dogs to head patting, petting, collars, leashes, you name it. It's all about teaching the dogs how to live in our world and be successful. We go through this process because, let's face it, humans are weird! Or at least to dogs we are pretty strange creatures.
-When dogs show each other their teeth, that's usually an aggressive display, right? Well, us humans like to show our teeth to each other when we're happy.
-When one dog looms over another, or tries to get on top/above another dog, that's dominance and aggression. Humans like to reach down over dogs to pet them, pick them up, hug them etc. Strange!!
-Dogs, in a friendly encounter, do not walk directly towards one another. They actually arc around each other to approach. They never approach in a straight line, unless they are trying to threaten each other or show aggression/dominance. So what do we humans do? You guessed it! We walk directly towards each other and give a big hug or a firm handshake. We will walk directly up to a dog, stand right in front of it, stare down at it and then reach over it to give it a good head pat. What's worse: when we walk our dogs, we are always forcing our dogs to walk straight at another dog walker moving in the opposite direction.
-And last but certainly not least. When do dogs make eye contact with one another? All together now :D When they are challenging each other or showing dominance. Rarely do my dogs make eye contact with each other, unless they are about to fight. Humans? We LOVE eye contact ;-P Or at least we appreciate it. For us, it means we're focused on each other, confident in ourselves, etc.
Okay, so I've rambled on about why humans are strange, but what does this have to do with desensitization? Our job, if we want dogs that fit into the human definition of "good" dogs, is to desensitize dogs to all of our strange habits. This means that the dogs think "yeah these humans are weird, but I just put up with all of their eccentricities because it seems to make them happy..." That is what we're doing when we take our puppies to meet strangers who walk straight up to them, smile, stare them in the eye, bend over them, reach out and pet them.
What is sensitization? It's the opposite of desensitization: instead of convincing the dogs to put up with whatever we're doing to them, we accidentally make them more sensitive, more reactive to our actions. This can happen when we force a dog too far past their comfort level, or fear threshold. But it can be more simple than that. My dogs are "sensitized" to me taking the leashes from the hook where they hang. When I pick up a leash, the dogs go bonkers. They just know that we're going for a walk or a car ride. They start jumping all over me, jumping on the tables, knocking stuff over, it's ridiculous. Well, maybe I only picked up the leashes so I could put them in the wash? But, 99% of the time, when I pick up the leashes, we're going somewhere -- my action equals a consequence (in this case the consequence is a good thing, the walk), so the dogs are sensitive to the action.
Another example is a dog getting upset when you pick up your car keys. They know that jingle means that you're leaving them: they are sensitive to the jingle. To desensitize your dog to that jingle, you'd need to pick up your keys and jingle them several times a day -- without leaving! -- until your dog stops getting upset when you jingle your keys. You may need to jingle your keys without leaving periodically on an ongoing basis so you don't re-sensitize your dog by accident.
Now let's apply this concept to fear threshold. Whenever strangers come over, they invade Bella's space. She is way out of her comfort zone, and very nervous when this happens. These strangers keep cornering her, while showing their teeth. She reacts to them by growling and showing her teeth. The stranger is then appalled and offended and leaves her alone. Bella is sensitive to strangers, and has learned that showing aggression makes them go away. We need to desensitize Bella to strangers. To do this, we will have strangers in the vicinity, but not even acknowledging her existence. They will not corner her or look at her, they don't even notice she's in the room. Over time, Bella becomes desensitized to the presence of strangers because she is accustomed to them and doesn't associate them with aggression or threats.
Much of socializing a dog involves "desensitization". We desensitize dogs to head patting, petting, collars, leashes, you name it. It's all about teaching the dogs how to live in our world and be successful. We go through this process because, let's face it, humans are weird! Or at least to dogs we are pretty strange creatures.
-When dogs show each other their teeth, that's usually an aggressive display, right? Well, us humans like to show our teeth to each other when we're happy.
-When one dog looms over another, or tries to get on top/above another dog, that's dominance and aggression. Humans like to reach down over dogs to pet them, pick them up, hug them etc. Strange!!
-Dogs, in a friendly encounter, do not walk directly towards one another. They actually arc around each other to approach. They never approach in a straight line, unless they are trying to threaten each other or show aggression/dominance. So what do we humans do? You guessed it! We walk directly towards each other and give a big hug or a firm handshake. We will walk directly up to a dog, stand right in front of it, stare down at it and then reach over it to give it a good head pat. What's worse: when we walk our dogs, we are always forcing our dogs to walk straight at another dog walker moving in the opposite direction.
-And last but certainly not least. When do dogs make eye contact with one another? All together now :D When they are challenging each other or showing dominance. Rarely do my dogs make eye contact with each other, unless they are about to fight. Humans? We LOVE eye contact ;-P Or at least we appreciate it. For us, it means we're focused on each other, confident in ourselves, etc.
Okay, so I've rambled on about why humans are strange, but what does this have to do with desensitization? Our job, if we want dogs that fit into the human definition of "good" dogs, is to desensitize dogs to all of our strange habits. This means that the dogs think "yeah these humans are weird, but I just put up with all of their eccentricities because it seems to make them happy..." That is what we're doing when we take our puppies to meet strangers who walk straight up to them, smile, stare them in the eye, bend over them, reach out and pet them.
What is sensitization? It's the opposite of desensitization: instead of convincing the dogs to put up with whatever we're doing to them, we accidentally make them more sensitive, more reactive to our actions. This can happen when we force a dog too far past their comfort level, or fear threshold. But it can be more simple than that. My dogs are "sensitized" to me taking the leashes from the hook where they hang. When I pick up a leash, the dogs go bonkers. They just know that we're going for a walk or a car ride. They start jumping all over me, jumping on the tables, knocking stuff over, it's ridiculous. Well, maybe I only picked up the leashes so I could put them in the wash? But, 99% of the time, when I pick up the leashes, we're going somewhere -- my action equals a consequence (in this case the consequence is a good thing, the walk), so the dogs are sensitive to the action.
Another example is a dog getting upset when you pick up your car keys. They know that jingle means that you're leaving them: they are sensitive to the jingle. To desensitize your dog to that jingle, you'd need to pick up your keys and jingle them several times a day -- without leaving! -- until your dog stops getting upset when you jingle your keys. You may need to jingle your keys without leaving periodically on an ongoing basis so you don't re-sensitize your dog by accident.
Now let's apply this concept to fear threshold. Whenever strangers come over, they invade Bella's space. She is way out of her comfort zone, and very nervous when this happens. These strangers keep cornering her, while showing their teeth. She reacts to them by growling and showing her teeth. The stranger is then appalled and offended and leaves her alone. Bella is sensitive to strangers, and has learned that showing aggression makes them go away. We need to desensitize Bella to strangers. To do this, we will have strangers in the vicinity, but not even acknowledging her existence. They will not corner her or look at her, they don't even notice she's in the room. Over time, Bella becomes desensitized to the presence of strangers because she is accustomed to them and doesn't associate them with aggression or threats.
Shy Dogs Part 2 - Fear Threshold
One of my trainers had a really good example for fear threshold: Let's take 2 different people, and introduce them to a spider. One of the people is so scared that he cannot function if the spider is within 10 feet of him. The other person doesn't exhibit the same fear reaction until the spider is touching him. We can draw an analogy to dogs: one dog shuts down with fear when a man with a hat walks into view, and another dog shows no fear even when the man with a hat walks up and pets her. Different dogs have different fear thresholds, and these fear thresholds may change for varying stimuli.
To help a dog overcome his fears, he needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone. Hiding the dog from the world and never taking him out of the house is not the solution. However, if we take the dog too far over his fear threshold, we can actually make the fear worse, and we certainly haven't helped the dog feel more confident in a scary situation. It comes down to taking incremental steps. If walking around in a Petco is very very stressful for your dog, then the first incremental step is to sit with your dog in the parking lot, feeding treats and rewarding the dog for being there. The next step may be sitting with the dog 5 feet from the door, next walking just inside the door, next sitting in a corner of the store, next actually walking around the store. This process may happen over 10 to 20 visits, depending on the dog and the level of fear.
A very good way to determine if you are pushing the dog too far over the threshold is if they will not eat. If you give the dog a treat and they will not take it, or they take it and spit it out, then you are too far over the fear threshold.
How do you know if your dog is nervous or stressed out?
Some signs to look for:
-Dog will not eat (i.e. will not take a treat)
-Shaking
-Tail tucked way under
-Ears flat back
-Crouched way down
-Panting (not the same as panting from heat or exercise)
-Biting or snapping when approached (this is also known as fear aggression - fight instinct)
-Etc.
OK, my dog is nervous. Now what?
- Evaluate the situation. What about the situation is making the dog nervous? For Piper, it's strangers present. For another dog, it may be thunder or a man with a hat.
- Is there a way to help your dog exit the situation? A safe place, a bigger distance between the dog and the threat...
- Determine a course of action for the next time this situation will occur. Having a plan in advance will help keep you from becoming emotional. Remember, you're not allowed to feel sorry for your dog! :D The plan may include a way to break the situation into steps to prevent going over the fear threshold.
Another example:
Fido is nervous of strange people, especially kids and teenagers. He has been known to snap at and even bite people when they approach him and try to pet him or reach out to him. This occurs primarily when kids come into the house.
Solution:
Before opening the door for the strange people to come in, put Fido in a bedroom (somewhere he can't come "greet" the strangers). Let the people in and explain to them that Fido is nervous and that they should completely ignore him and not reach out to him, even if he approaches them. They should not look directly at him, and especially should not make eye contact. If you like Caesar Milan then you should know this saying: "No touch, no talk, no eye contact." Sometimes this is just as much about "training" people as training your dog. Then allow Fido out, but leave him a safe place and a path to escape so that he does not feel cornered.
Now, things are going really well with this tactic... The strangers have been in the house for a few hours and Fido seems to be doing pretty well. (Or you have used this technique 5 or so different times.) Now let's give the strangers some treats and ask them to offer the treat to Fido. They can sit or crouch down at Fido's level and offer the treat. They should not bend over Fido, as that is a pretty scary thing to a dog. If Fido moves back or appears nervous, the person should not keep moving toward Fido. Instead, they could toss the treat to Fido, as we have reached his next fear threshold.
This is just one example of how to break a situation into more manageable pieces. Remember, if the dog will not eat or exhibits the fear signs shown above, you have passed the fear threshold.
To help a dog overcome his fears, he needs to be pushed out of his comfort zone. Hiding the dog from the world and never taking him out of the house is not the solution. However, if we take the dog too far over his fear threshold, we can actually make the fear worse, and we certainly haven't helped the dog feel more confident in a scary situation. It comes down to taking incremental steps. If walking around in a Petco is very very stressful for your dog, then the first incremental step is to sit with your dog in the parking lot, feeding treats and rewarding the dog for being there. The next step may be sitting with the dog 5 feet from the door, next walking just inside the door, next sitting in a corner of the store, next actually walking around the store. This process may happen over 10 to 20 visits, depending on the dog and the level of fear.
A very good way to determine if you are pushing the dog too far over the threshold is if they will not eat. If you give the dog a treat and they will not take it, or they take it and spit it out, then you are too far over the fear threshold.
How do you know if your dog is nervous or stressed out?
Some signs to look for:
-Dog will not eat (i.e. will not take a treat)
-Shaking
-Tail tucked way under
-Ears flat back
-Crouched way down
-Panting (not the same as panting from heat or exercise)
-Biting or snapping when approached (this is also known as fear aggression - fight instinct)
-Etc.
OK, my dog is nervous. Now what?
- Evaluate the situation. What about the situation is making the dog nervous? For Piper, it's strangers present. For another dog, it may be thunder or a man with a hat.
- Is there a way to help your dog exit the situation? A safe place, a bigger distance between the dog and the threat...
- Determine a course of action for the next time this situation will occur. Having a plan in advance will help keep you from becoming emotional. Remember, you're not allowed to feel sorry for your dog! :D The plan may include a way to break the situation into steps to prevent going over the fear threshold.
Another example:
Fido is nervous of strange people, especially kids and teenagers. He has been known to snap at and even bite people when they approach him and try to pet him or reach out to him. This occurs primarily when kids come into the house.
Solution:
Before opening the door for the strange people to come in, put Fido in a bedroom (somewhere he can't come "greet" the strangers). Let the people in and explain to them that Fido is nervous and that they should completely ignore him and not reach out to him, even if he approaches them. They should not look directly at him, and especially should not make eye contact. If you like Caesar Milan then you should know this saying: "No touch, no talk, no eye contact." Sometimes this is just as much about "training" people as training your dog. Then allow Fido out, but leave him a safe place and a path to escape so that he does not feel cornered.
Now, things are going really well with this tactic... The strangers have been in the house for a few hours and Fido seems to be doing pretty well. (Or you have used this technique 5 or so different times.) Now let's give the strangers some treats and ask them to offer the treat to Fido. They can sit or crouch down at Fido's level and offer the treat. They should not bend over Fido, as that is a pretty scary thing to a dog. If Fido moves back or appears nervous, the person should not keep moving toward Fido. Instead, they could toss the treat to Fido, as we have reached his next fear threshold.
This is just one example of how to break a situation into more manageable pieces. Remember, if the dog will not eat or exhibits the fear signs shown above, you have passed the fear threshold.
Timid, Fearful, Shy Dogs Part 1
IG's are well-known for being a timid breed. While many IG's are outgoing, well-socialized, friendly little dogs, many IG's who were not socialized as puppies become shy/fearful/timid dogs. A shy IG may never become the life of the party, but they can become very functional, confident dogs -- with the right kind of support from their owners.
The number one rule, and I can't stress this enough, is that you cannot baby, comfort, or feel sorry for your shy IG. These emotions from us have the unintended consequence of rewarding the dog for their shy behavior. If your dog is scared and you pick her up and coo at her "it's okay, there's nothing to be scared of" and pet her and protect her, you have rewarded the fear and basically told your dog that being scared is the right response to this stimulus. Instead, the better response is to give your dog a "safe" place and beyond that, offer no comfort. Comforting the dog in a situation like this can even exacerbate the dog's fear and anxiety.
As an example: Piper is scared of strange people. He doesn't enjoy going places with a lot of people, he would prefer it if no one ever came to the house to visit. Piper doesn't want people to notice him and shakes and cowers when people approach him. However, Piper has never snapped at a person for approaching him. His reaction is flight, where another dog's reaction might be to fight. When Piper was first adopted, he was so scared that he would hide under the bed, and shake violently when a person even looked at him.
Solution: When friends come over to the house, the bedroom door is left open, and Piper is allowed to go into this room - his "safe" place - when he feels overwhelmed. Conversely, the friends are encouraged not to enter this room. Piper's owners never pick him up in these situations, never comfort him or pet him. They also never force him to stay in the room with the strangers. If Piper gets trapped in a corner and cannot get to the bedroom without crossing the path of a stranger, Piper's owners open a path for him by asking their friends to move. The owners also instruct their friends not to approach this dog, that he does not enjoy being petted. In fact, they are asked to completely ignore him.
Success! Piper is still not outgoing, and he still prefers not to be petted by strangers. BUT, Piper now comes out of the bedroom when strangers are present, and will often sit on the couch and observe the situation. He will approach strangers to sniff them, as long as they aren't looking at him (if they turn to look at him, he will run away). He does not hide behind his owners, and no longer shakes violently when strangers are present. He will even take treats offered by strangers!
The number one rule, and I can't stress this enough, is that you cannot baby, comfort, or feel sorry for your shy IG. These emotions from us have the unintended consequence of rewarding the dog for their shy behavior. If your dog is scared and you pick her up and coo at her "it's okay, there's nothing to be scared of" and pet her and protect her, you have rewarded the fear and basically told your dog that being scared is the right response to this stimulus. Instead, the better response is to give your dog a "safe" place and beyond that, offer no comfort. Comforting the dog in a situation like this can even exacerbate the dog's fear and anxiety.
As an example: Piper is scared of strange people. He doesn't enjoy going places with a lot of people, he would prefer it if no one ever came to the house to visit. Piper doesn't want people to notice him and shakes and cowers when people approach him. However, Piper has never snapped at a person for approaching him. His reaction is flight, where another dog's reaction might be to fight. When Piper was first adopted, he was so scared that he would hide under the bed, and shake violently when a person even looked at him.
Solution: When friends come over to the house, the bedroom door is left open, and Piper is allowed to go into this room - his "safe" place - when he feels overwhelmed. Conversely, the friends are encouraged not to enter this room. Piper's owners never pick him up in these situations, never comfort him or pet him. They also never force him to stay in the room with the strangers. If Piper gets trapped in a corner and cannot get to the bedroom without crossing the path of a stranger, Piper's owners open a path for him by asking their friends to move. The owners also instruct their friends not to approach this dog, that he does not enjoy being petted. In fact, they are asked to completely ignore him.
Success! Piper is still not outgoing, and he still prefers not to be petted by strangers. BUT, Piper now comes out of the bedroom when strangers are present, and will often sit on the couch and observe the situation. He will approach strangers to sniff them, as long as they aren't looking at him (if they turn to look at him, he will run away). He does not hide behind his owners, and no longer shakes violently when strangers are present. He will even take treats offered by strangers!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Introduction and Background
Hello IG owners!
I'm a volunteer/foster home/training coordinator for Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescue. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and are completely volunteer-run. We operate primarily in MN, WI, and IA. Please visit us at: www.italiangreyhoundrescue.org
As the training coordinator, I'm usually tasked with helping new IG adopters overcome some of the common behavior issues that are common to the breed. The most common issues are leash aggression, breed aggression, fear aggression, and anxiety, although there are a few other issues that crop up.
This blog will primarily be reference for owners that have questions or run into issues with their IG's.
I'm a volunteer/foster home/training coordinator for Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescue. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and are completely volunteer-run. We operate primarily in MN, WI, and IA. Please visit us at: www.italiangreyhoundrescue.org
As the training coordinator, I'm usually tasked with helping new IG adopters overcome some of the common behavior issues that are common to the breed. The most common issues are leash aggression, breed aggression, fear aggression, and anxiety, although there are a few other issues that crop up.
This blog will primarily be reference for owners that have questions or run into issues with their IG's.
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