Relaxation and meditation is known for having such health benefits as decreased heart and respiratory rates and decreasing anxiety.  Relaxation can also be taught to your dog as a conditioned response.    Just like Pavlov taught a dog to drool in response to the ringing of a bell, you can teach your dog to decrease his anxiety, and relax in times of stress.  This type of training can be essential for owners looking for ways to help treat dogs with behavior problems and anxiety disorders, and is also crucial for any good training program.

Often, I think we unknowingly condition our dogs to get excited as a response to most exciting things that go on in our world.  Our dogs are unknowingly conditioned to get overly excited when people come over to visit, when we take them out on a leash, when we come home; almost everything we do in some ways encourages our dogs to get excited.

Let me explain; when people come over it is normal for most dogs to get excited the inherent problem therein lies when we allow them to be rewarded for this behavior, we pet them, we allow our company to pet them or we shriek at them to get down and get off of people; therefore giving them attention for their poor behavior.  After a few visits, this excitement, which has previously been rewarded, gets to be the custom and your dog thinks he must show this behavior in order to be interacted with; i.e. a conditioned response to exciting stimulus.

I once worked with a client who allowed his dog to bark and scream and pull him toward the beach each time they arrived.  When the dog was a puppy, he thought it was cute, but he didn’t realize he was conditioning the barking and screaming and pulling as a response to being at the beach.  The dog thought this was a part of a ritual he had to perform to get to the beach.  We had to regress and teach this dog calming techniques and teach him that only when he was calm was he allow access to walks and play on the beach.  They had to drive to and away from the beach several times before the dog realized that he would only be rewarded while he was calm.

Relaxation must be taught as a response to exciting stimulus, and can even be used to help focus dogs with mild aggression problems.  (Dogs with severe aggression problems should seek the advice of a Veterinary Behaviorist before trying any training program.)  Do not pet or reward your dog if he is showing signs of stress, teach him to be calm.

Take your dog to a quiet room, one that is free of distractions.  Next take a treat in each hand and show them both to your dog, then bring them up toward your eyes.  Your dog should look from one treat to another and back and forth until finally in a moment of frustration he looks directly into your pupils.  As his eyes look into yours tell him what he is doing by saying “Watch” in a calm tone.  Dogs often mirror our behavior, in order to teach your dog to be calm you must show the same attributes.  After a few brief seconds of holding your gaze, praise and give your dog the treat.  If your dog is tense, do NOT reward!  If he is showing signs of stress stop this lesson and try again later.   Do not reprimand him, just discontinue the session.

Your dog MUST be relaxed!!  Relaxation is the purpose of this exercise.  Your dog’s posture should be malleable and tranquil, if he is stiff, trembling or shivering then try again later.  His pupils should be small in size not large and hard.

Continue this until he is readily looking into your eyes.  Once you think your dog has mastered this command, take the treats away from your eyes and take them out at arm’s length out to each side.  If your dog is still staring deep into your eyes and not looking at your hands your dog has mastered the command.  If your dog is still watching the treats in your hands, he is not yet ready.

If you are having trouble getting your dog to relax, try this exercise just after your dog has taken a nap and is already relaxed, or when he is tired, just prior to a nap.

Once your dog is looking at you in a peaceful manner, hold the treat behind your back and give the “watch” command.  Wait until eye contact is made then reward.  If your dog can do this with no problem, wait to reward until he holds your gaze for a longer period of time.  Every time you change the difficulty level expect some failures and just back up a few steps in training if needed.  DO NOT get frustrated, this does not encourage relaxation, simply back up and praise him for something that is easier for him to achieve.

Practice on and off throughout the day at random times.  Just remember not to reward your dog for any signs of stress i.e. panting, whining, crying, pacing or trembling.  Extend this until he can stare into your eyes for 15 to 20 seconds.

Once your dog is 95% reliable with the command in an environment without distractions, take him to a room with a few distractions (like windows or your kids playing).  When he has mastered (95% reliable) in a room with minor distractions, take him outside to the backyard and work until he has mastered the command in that environment.  As he masters the command in a multitude of environments you can continue to increase the level of difficulty while still expecting some failure or learning events, just back up in your training as these occur.  Remember don’t get frustrated, this is a normal step when learning any new behavior.

When your dog can stare into your eyes reliably with a multitude of distractions, you can begin using this command for all kinds of situations:

• When you have a dog that is fearful or mildly aggressive
• In situations when you are unsure how your dog will react
• To bring your dog’s focus and attention back to you before you give a command or after a distraction is added
• And even when preparing for competition obedience

Eye contact is the foundation to good obedience, and it is a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your canine companion.

Training for a Relaxed and Calm Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

My Best Friends Chilling in their Backyard

There are fewer joys in life greater than a good walk; add a well behaved dog to that equation and in my opinion you have pure perfection!  I have the great honor of training and walking 5 Weimaraners twice a week.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are full of exhilaration and exercise, I tell my friends I am Weimar-running or doing Weimar-obics.  Although it is a job for me (thank goodness for wonderful clients who rescue dogs) it is an opportunity for me to get outside, enjoy the weather and beat some of my stress.

Last Tuesday, I headed out for my normal routine.  First I work with Zach, he is a four year old rescue, and in his former life (if you can call it that) he was tied to a tree.  This lack of socialization and the stimulation of watching other dogs and kids coming and going has caused Zach to be quite dog aggressive and easily over stimulated.

However, I am happy to report after a few years of training and desensitization and under the watchful eye of a veterinary behaviorist we have seen a remarkable improvement.  In the respect of safety, I walk Zach alone.  I also make sure he is always on a gentle leader ® and a martingale collar, this gives me ultimate control in case of an off leash dog emergency.

Many dogs in the South are “outside” dogs and have never seen the inside of a house, and often run in packs.  Although we were rushed by two small dogs, Zach has learned to trust in me and give up ultimate authority to me, and I was able to keep them and him at a safe distance while providing him with mental entertainment.

After Zach, the alpha dog, gets his walk, it is time to walk the other four boys.  Because we have been working and training together for so long, I am able to walk the other three or four dogs together.  I have even trained for a marathon with all of them running by my side in the heel position.

It takes miraculous skill and trust to run with 3 or 4 dogs that are over 100 pounds apiece.  Ultimately I am able to walk or run all of them with four leashed draped over one finger.  They too have learned to listen to respect, and deduce my every movement.  We all really enjoy the time we spend together.

On this particular day, there was a man and his dog in the neighborhood as I rounded the corner with the boys.  His dog was distracted and not use to walking around other dogs, he kept turning around, barking and growling and pulling on his leash.

My boys, were perfect, although stimulated to see another dog, they were fantastic about staying in heel position and paying attention to my every move.  I perceive every occasion like this as a training opportunity, so we fell back about 50 feet and worked on our training.

I varied my pace, changed my direction, made a few circles and encouraged my dogs to pay attention to me with praise and petting.

Unfortunately, the guy in front of me quickly began to lose patience with his dog, and finally kicked his dog in the ribcage and jerked on his leash.  For a moment, his dog did pay attention, but it was simply because he was terrified he would be met by the same anger.

I could see his eyes wildly dashing back and forth toward the street and then back to his owner.  It was clear his dog didn’t know why he had been the recipient of such rage.  In his mind, what he was doing was normal, he was entertaining himself and he was also challenging any sense of danger from a pack of unknown dogs.

I was distraught and saddened that someone would so blatantly abuse his dog however I felt it was in the best interest of the dog to fall back and change directions to alleviate the distraction we were causing.

I Tried to See the Situation from all Points of View

• To me this was a training opportunity, a chance to strengthen and polish my dog’s obedience skills.
• To my dogs it was an opportunity to challenge their minds and add excitement to our walk.  The addition of a new dog meant paying more attention to me, changing directions, doing circles and changing paces.  There was no time to pay attention to what the other dog was doing.
• To the other dog, who was bored with a slow walk, we provided excitement and stimulation.
• To the owner, he let himself get irritated.  He probably didn’t regularly work obedience with his dog at home and he became frustrated when his dog would not listen to him.

It is fairly simple to get your dog to have good leash manners if you understand walking from his perspective.  Walking in one direction at a slow pace is boring for dogs and boredom leads to looking for ways to entertain themselves.

When dogs are forced to entertain themselves, whether at home or on a walk, they often choose naughty or what we presume as naughty behavior.  They bark, they growl, they lunge, they lead with their noses and sniff, they pull; these things provide mental stimulation for them.

The Key to Enjoying Your Walk Together

1. You must provide entertainment for your dog’s mind.
2. Vary your pace!  Dogs like to walk quickly and walking at a quick pace gives less opportunity for sniffing and pulling.
3. Changing your direction, throwing in turns and circles in the middle of the street also teaches your dog that he needs to be paying attention to your every move.  If he has to speculate your movement and direction, he has less time to pay attention to distractions and chose those naughty behaviors plus its FUN for you both and it gives you a chance to polish your obedience.

You MUST provide your dog with mental stimulation.  The Weimaraners I walk not only trust me that they will be kept safe because I am in control, they also enjoy the fact that they never know how fast or slow, which direction I might turn, if I may just turn around…they just don’t know WHAT I will do so they didn’t have time to care what that other dog was doing and most importantly they were getting praised and petted each time they made a correct choice.

Practice makes perfect!  The more you work with your dog the more you will reap the benefits of your hard work and the more you can actually enjoy your time together.  I truly believe there is almost nothing better than a good walk with a well behaved dog!  A good walk is hard to beat!

Sebastian: where all the Weimaraner Rescuing Started

A Good Walk is Hard to Beat is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Do you sing to your dog?   If not, perhaps you might want to give it a try.   According to Roberta, you might be in for some surprising results!

Singing to your dog has an effect.

by Roberta Baxter, January 15, examiner.com

Yes, you read this correctly! No I am not going off my rocker! The senses for animals are different than human sensory abilities as we know specifically from the sounds the dog hears that we don’t.  It is not just the pitch, but the flow of tones that catch a dog’s attention. Try singing  “Yankee Doodle” to your canine and see what the response is.  Then sing  ”Brahms Lullaby”.  You know the one that mamas sing their little ones to sleep with when they are cranky. Now one must really get into the depth of the meaning of those songs as you are singing, because if you don’t the effect will not be accurate.

As we sing a gentle flowing, calming song, we produce serene surroundings for our dogs.  Try it the next time you know your dog does not like to visit a certain place. Yes, the trip to the veterinarian is the great place to practice this concept. Choose the song you will be singing each time you are going to the Vet.  You can change the tune, but you will then be changing the effect since the dog will not be guided by your familiar song.

Read the rest of Roberta’s article.

Singing to Your Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Dog and Deer is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of dogblog.dogster.com, One of the two chewed police cars/chew toys, "Chattanooga Times Free Press"

I’ve heard of dogs that love ‘chasing‘ cars, but  ‘chewing‘ cars!  Check out the bumper on this police car.  Give the poor dog a good chew toy for goodness sake!

Talk About a Dog With a Chewing Problem…

by Maria Goodavage,dogblog.dogster.com

You think your dog’s chewing is destructive?

Don’t talk to Nancy Emerling, of Chattanooga, Tenn. Her bulldog made four cars — as in real-deal automobiles — into chew toys this weekend. And two of the cars happened to be police cars.

This is how the Chattanooga Times Free Press described one of the incidents:

While running radar at 1410 Workman Road, Officer Clayton Holmes reported he felt his car shaking and upon investigating he found the bulldog chewing on his patrol car, said Officer Rebecca Royval, police department spokeswoman. The dog reportedly chewed two tires and the entire front bumper off the car, she said.

Read the rest of Maria’s article.

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew… is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of www.aplacetolovedogs.com

A face that only his owner could love!

Show me your teeth! is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of www.dogblog.dogster.com

They say “Music soothes the savage beast.”  Yes, I realize that is a misquote; it is actually “Music hath powers to soothe the savage breast.” However, I believe in this case, we’ll go with the first one.  Now, perhaps you don’t consider your sweet little pooch to be savage, but then again…

Dogster Exclusive Interview: Calming Dog Musician, Lisa Spector

by Maria Goodavage

Dogster’s for the love of the dog blog

We’ve got another terrific interview for you this week, with Lisa Spector, concert pianist and graduate of The Juilliard School.

“But this is DOGster, not MUSICster,” you might say. True. Fortunately for us, Lisa has a foot in both camps.

Lisa is co-founder of BioAcoustic Research & Development, where she presided over the groundbreaking music and canine research conducted with 150 dogs. She is the pianist on the Through a Dog’s Ear music series. If you have a dog who could use a little calming at home or in the car, these CDs are for you.

Lisa has won first prizes in prestigious national piano competitions and performs concert tours internationally, so dogs and people lucky enough to hear her music are in for a treat. Click here for a few free downloads and samples of her calming music for dogs.

Read the rest of Maria’s article

Tunes for your Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

A lot of people are feeling the effects of “cabin fever” this winter with all of the snow we’ve had, so imagine how good it feels to finally get out and see new sites, other people, and generally just stimulate our minds with new adventures.  Well, your dog needs new adventures once in awhile, as well.  Read this article explaining why it is important to take your dog on field trips.

Field Trips: why it’s important to get your dog out of the house

by Rachael Pan, February 6, 2010

Examiner.com

Dogs are highly intelligent creatures and as such, can quickly and easily become bored. Stimulation—both physical and mental—is very important to the overall health and well-being of your dog. Taking your dog on a “Field Trip” is a great way to give him some extra stimulation.

A field trip for your dog is going anywhere new, unusual or rarely visited. Your dog may surprise you with how fascinated he is with something as simple as sniffing (or marking) some new trees, nose-to-nosing with new canine friends, or exploring some different territory. Field trips give your dog something to “think about,” and, when used to stimulate a destructive dog before leaving him alone at the house, can contribute to helping him be less inclined to seek and destroy items in your home.

Read the rest of Rachael’s article.

Taking Your Dog on Field Trips is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of wikimedia.org

With Spring finally on the horizon, are you looking forward to getting outside and spending some time in your own back yard?  In thinking about creating the ideal setting for you and your family, have you also considered whether your yard is a place that both you and your pet can enjoy?

Petscaping for Dogs!

by Mary Haight
Dancing Dog Blog

Spring is almost here. No…really. (I know I’m repeating myself, but maybe if I keep saying it, it will stop feeling like I’m stuck in “Groundhog Day.”) With all the snow blanketing a large swath of the US, what better time to sit down and plan what’s going to make your yard the family’s favorite place this season? What kind of pet-scaping suits your dog and your family’s outdoor style?

Starting early can save money, giving you the time needed to plan a scheduled do-it-yourself assault on all the things you don’t like about your garden: The dog’s digging that makes your yard look like a manic woodchuck with memory loss kept digging up new back doors for his den; the flower beds you’ve been meaning to raise up and out of Monty’s parading area–how many times can delphinium be trodden on before they don’t spring back (it’s a trick question)? Maybe you could fence off an area where that digging behavior could be contained and indulged with gusto and no reprimands? Everybody’s happy! (See, this is fun:)

As long as we have a little time, what about that grass? Do you have a lot of  “beaten path” wear from paws, urine stains, and bare patches?  What grass seeds are you planting this year?  We used rye and bluegrass at the house  which is hardy and works in this climate.  A herd of deer would  camp out in the yard each year, giving birth to their young.  Still, the grass did well (don’t ask about the rhododendron…or the trees lining the driveway).  Check out the pet-safe fertilizers while you’re at the home and garden shop.

Read the rest of Mary’s article.

Outdoor Living and Your Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Aiden Bindoff post on dog aggression addresses some interesting issues worth considering.

Personally, I think one of the best thing you can do for helping set youself up as a better leader for your dog, is to set up LOTS of rules that your dog has to follow to get what he wants out of life.

Rules like:

• Hold down stays on bed while eating dinner, instead of begging at the table
• Sit down, or obey a command before you pet him, making him earn his pets
• Training him to stay away from the door when guests come over to avoid chaos, etc.

Do any of these things guarantee your dog will never have a dominance or dog aggression problem, no.

But I do think the more rules you set up, and the more structure you put into your dog’s life, decreases the likelihood of aggression problems ever occurring.

Does Dog Dominance Really Exist? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog