Saturday we were settling down here after a fun-filled night of Trick-or-Treaters. As I was about to turn off the computer I heard that familiar sound it makes when it alerts to an email arrival. I decided to check it out just in case it was a client with a dog issue. It was from a client that I saw last week with a 12 month old barky dog.

Here’s the scoop on his behavioral issues:
dog is spoiled and rules the house,
dog barks all night if put in the crate to sleep,
owners get dog out of crate to stop the barking,
dog barks uncontrollably at doorbell when visitors arrive
dog jumps on visitors
dog free feeds and is a picky eater, owners have gone through 5-6 different dog foods
dog pees and poops in the house
owners walk dog every day but dog controls walks and pulls owner down the street

Their biggest issue is the barking in the crate at night. What they did not know is that extinguishing a behavior like barking is a “process.”

This process includes ignoring a barking dog (and much  more) but more importantly, understanding that the process also includes “extinguish bursts” – more and louder barking will likely occur, during which you may see other bad behavior occur like scratching in the crate.

If you know this is to come you can be prepared for it.

If you don’t, you may think the trainer didn’t know what he was talking about and give up – which is exactly what they did before they met me and learned what to do.  Now they know what to do and here is their report after just one lesson:

“Jim, i am very pleased to report that your recommended strategies for Fluffy’s (name changed to protect the innocent) behavior modification is working!

In summary:

·fluffy barked all night thursday night
·fluffybarked off and on friday night
·fluffy only barked for thirty minutes last night and did not bark again throughout the
night.

feeding: fluffy did not eat her thursday evening meal and her friday morning meal
. she has been eating her food over the weekend.
·fluffy is having very lose stool this evening.

training: fluffy is doing excellent with her skills training of sitting and down.
.  she is very consistent with the ‘down’ phase.

We recognize we still have much work to do; however, the entire family is seeing results.  She is much calmer, barking less and obeys our commands. 

Today, she still tried to get on our bed and when commanded ‘off’ she obeyed.  We look forward to our
next training session!”

Successful behavior modification will always begin and end with 100% owner compliance. not 80% - but 100%! stick with the program and get the results you want!

Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children.  And of course remember:  “Opportunity Barks!”   

Jim Burwell

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• Keep dogs out of the candy bowl. Ingesting tin foil and cellphane candy wrappers can pose a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockage.
• Make sure the dogs can’t get into the trash.  Chocolate contains theobromine, which can cause nerve damage and even death in dogs.  The darker the chocolate, the more concentrated it is.  Raisins are also extremely hazardous for dogs.
• Candies containing the artificial sweetner Xylitol (like sugar free gum) can be poisonous to dogs.  Even small amounts of this can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. 

3.  Pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively non-toxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset if ingested by your dog.  If they swallow a large piece it could also cause intestinal blockage.

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My response to her was very simple. Her dog was insecure. Dogs that are very insecure in their “sense of place” in your home will mark territory to feel more secure and they will whine because they have no other way of dealing with their anxiety that is produced by no leadership on your part.

Here’s what I told her to do:

• require your dog to earn everything that she wants from you i.e. food, toys, love and affection by giving you a sit.
• require her to sit before getting on beds, sofas, etc.
• require her to sit before walks
• do daily regimens of 2 minute training session to give her a sense of working (because you as her leader requested the behavior)instead of feeling responsbile for it herself.

90% of what goes on between us and our puppies and dogs is emotional.  Very little is intellectual.  Keep your own emotion in-check by following these guidelines:

• don’t involve your dog in excited departures or arrivals.  This tends to cause her to have emotional highs at important, critical times of the day which in turn can lead to disorders such as separation anxiety. 
• ignore your dog for 5 minutes before departing your home and 5 minutes after arriving at home. 
• don’t “BARK” (yell and scream) at your dog with anger or frustration when correcting a behavior
• do decide what you would prefer your dog to do instead of what you are correcting her for and then train her to perform the good behavior.

Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children.  And remember—-”Opportunity Barks”

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Jim Burwell

Dog barking can also be a result of boredom or seeking to get relief from social
isolation and it can be frustration or anxiety based as he tries to relieve
the tension in his relationship with you or the family.

Your dog barking problem may stem from social deprivation, that is, lack of
exercise as in “walking” or lack of mental stimulation as in training.

Consider adding a regimen of structured walks twice daily and three
2 minute obedience training sessions daily -  apart from everything else you do with your dog.

Walking will give your dog novel sights, sounds and experiences to process
during the day while you are gone.

Training will give your dog a sense of “working for leadership” rather than feeling
responsible for it himself.  This will also will create much needed mental fatigue.

If your dog has been banned from the house because of his destructive nature
and is now the neighborhood nuisance barker, fix the destructive issues that
your dog has —which sent him to the back yard to begin with and get him back inside!
You have now just fixed your barking problem.

Another reason dogs bark can be when you leave for work and they continue to bark while you are away.   This can be especially worrisome for people living in apartments or condominiums whose adjacent neighbors complain to management.

This warrants looking at your relationship with your dog. This may be the result of the dog feeling insecure in his relationship with you.  Your dog may not have been conditioned to be by himself as puppy and matters have been further complicated by unsolicited constant petting by you “loving” your dog.

Now your dog has a certain expected level of attention that cannot be satisfied while you
are away.  The dog is now barking to relieve the tension and frustration caused by your absence and the lack of the “constant petting and doting” It’s like your dog is going through withdrawal and doesn’t know how to handle those strange feelings.

While fixing most dog problems is not difficult, a dog barking problem is a
frequent complaint from dog owners and it does take patience and time to work
through the exercises consistently each day until the barking is extinguished.

Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children. Remember: “Opportunity Barks!

Jim Burwell

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This post has received more responses and questions than anything else I’ve written which tells me it’s a big problem. It’s a big problem because 99% of the time dog fighting within your family is caused by lack of leadership on the part of the dog owner, lack of structure in the home, and lack of structured exercise of the dogs.  So let’s take these one by one

1. Lack of leadership:  this does not mean dominating your dogs.  This simply means that you understand how dogs think, what’s important to them and how do you, as the dog owner, control those things so your dog receives the things that are important to him on YOUR terms, not his.  Training your dog using leadership is very much like raising a child, the child must understand that mom and dad are in charge, certain behavior is expected from the child and the child will get what it wants on the terms of the parents - not the child.
2. Structure in the home:  again, dogs are much like children.  If you as the dog owner provide structure in your home, you dog will understand the expectations, what is allowed and what is not allowed.  Everyone’s dog should at a minimum do a “sit” before their food bowl is placed in front of them and then be released with an “OK” to eat their food.  Dogs must understand that you get to decide when they get pets and love - not them.  Your dog does not get to act like a wild man in the house, bolting out doors, knocking you over to get in front of you etc.
3. Structured exercise:  this is something people do not think about.  It’s very simple, wild abandon play outside leads to wild abandon behavior inside.  If playing in the backyard, and running the fence and chasing squirrels is the ONLY exercise your dog gets then he does not understand this same behavior is NOT ok in the house.  A structured walk where you control the walks is one of the best and easiest ways to practice leadership with your dog.

When these things are in place, a multiple dog household has structure. The message to the dogs is, We (the humans)  are in charge, not you, things are on our terms, not yours and the “rivalry” between the dogs to figure out who is running the show between them is gone.  Also - intact males release the smell of testosterone which affects the way other dogs (male and female) perceive that dog and you will have issues!  And remember, a tired dog is a good dog.  Get out there and take your dogs on structured walks, minimum once a day, even better is twice or WOW! 3 times a day would a happy dog make! Jim Burwell, Jim Burwell’s Petiquette

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Lots of dog owners believe that puppies will outgrow their fears, but that isn’t always how it happens. The best thing you can do is help your puppy get familiar and comfortable with things that seem to make them uncomfortable. You have to instill confidence in your puppy and this can usually be done by building structure into the puppy’s life and teaching obedience training. Both of these things give your puppy confidence.

Here are some good guidelines to follow:

• Most importantly, the puppy should be able to lessen his fearfulness at his own pace. Never try to force a person or situation that scares your puppy. If you do this, it just confirms to the puppy that the person or situation is dangerous. Let the puppy do it on his own time.

• There are some things you can try to help your puppy along without forcing him. If he trusts you because he views you as his strong leader he will trust that you can handle the scary situation.

• If you have been training him to sit or stay, start redirecting his focus by training the puppy in the area of the person or situation he is fearful of. Do this at a comfortable distance. Then, over a period of time, you can slowly begin to get your puppy closer to the “feared object”.

• If your puppy is afraid of a person, have the person stand a distance away from the puppy, not look at the puppy, not make a big deal of anything and toss food treats periodically to the puppy. Done repeatedly when the person is around the puppy, the puppy will begin to associate good things with the once “scary stranger”.

• It needs to be your puppy’s choice if he wants to approach his fear and if he backs off, that is okay. It takes time and patience to show your puppy that there is nothing to fear. Just as with a small child, things don’t happen immediately. You have to work with patience and understanding and do things in a gradual manner.

Sometimes it helps to think of yourself, your fears and things that make you uncomfortable. Would you want someone to force you into a situation you are afraid of? Your puppy shouldn’t be forced either. Give him time and with a little training he will come around on his own, gain confidence and lose some of that fear.

Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children, and remember, “Opportunity Barks!”

Jim Burwell’s Petiquette


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Jack: “Hello my 7 month old Brittany has suddenly become aggressive
towards certain dogs while in the local park. He has had plenty of
socialization since day one. It appears that he will test the other
dog for a reaction and if he gets nothing back then it seems to fire
him up to the point where he is close to full on attack. This is
embarrassing as well as annoying as my wife now refuses to take him
out and tonight I was told by 2 regular walkers that he has already
got a bad name and people will avoid him because of this . Can anyone
help me with this dilemma?”
Jim Burwell: “Sometimes putting a pup with only older mature dogs that
can teach your adolescent pup to better read dog body language and
respond appropriately is the way to go. Pups come into their
Protective/Agressive stage of development at around 4 1/2 to 6 1/2
months of age.

You should not set your dog up to fail by allowing play with other
adolescents who challenge his assertive and reactive behavior. This
sends him the wrong message about appropriate play.

To a certain degree you can help your dog communicate calming signals
(no harm intended) to other dogs on walk by turning your dog sideways
(arching around the oncoming dog) as you pass. This can be a long
process that takes time and dedication on your part. Seek help from a
professional “positive reinforcement” trainer in your area.

Hope this helps.”

Jack: “Thanks Jim. Having read this it does make a lot of sense
because when he is around older dogs he is very well behaved and the
dogs he is aggressive towards are all around his age. Although there
is one dog which is mature that Marley is very fond of playing with
and has as much energy as him that sometimes takes the playing a bit
too far and then turns on my dog. Do you think he may be picking bad
habits up off this dog?”

Jim Burwell: “How your pup plays with one dog will, to a certain
extent, shape how he plays with other dogs until he finally learns to
read other dog body language -calming signals and distance increasing
signals specifically. It will be difficult to isolate him completely
from all adolescent dogs unless you don’t allow play at all. This is
not advisable because he needs gobs of socialization. Pups can learn
quickly; however, reliability only comes with experience and maturity.
He’s got to have the experience as he matures. So now it gets down to
training, training, training. If your pup will respond to “off!” or
“leave it!” then “come!” around other dogs you can stop the rough play
when he ignores other dog’s calming signals and he will eventually
“get it.” I enjoyed our “chat” here and look forward to hearing about
your eventual outcome.

Hope this helps and….good luck.”
Jim Burwell, Jim Burwell’s Petiquette

This communication gap is never more painfully obvious than in house breaking a puppy. It can be a very frustrating process. It doesn’t have to be, but sometimes there are those puppies that are difficult to house break. Many people will say, “I’m doing all the right things” or, “I’ve read a whole stack of books” and the bottom line we keep getting back to with some puppies is, “House breaking this puppy” is difficult – or at least so it seems.

There are many factors that impact house breaking a puppy. None of them can be viewed separately as they all work together. One component most puppy owners do not consider is the impact that nutrition  has on house breaking a puppy. What kind of food, how much and how it’s prepared can heavily impact how quickly you can house break a puppy.

1. Step one is to feed a high premium, nutritionally balanced diet to your new puppy.

Tip: Inexpensive dog food is chocked full of artificial preservatives, dyes, bad fat and low grade carbohydrates used as fillers. You can not purchase high quality dog or puppy food in a grocery store or a big box store. They don’t carry high quality foods.

Tip: Keep your new puppy on the breeder’s food for at least 4 days once home. Any change in diet should be done gradually to prevent digestive problems and any related house training issues.

Tip: When you are ready to begin switching to your high quality food, begin using this formula: day one - 3/4 old food, 1/4 new food; day 2 - 1/2 old food, 1/2 new food; day three - 1/4 old food, 3/4 new food and finally on day four - all new high quality food. If at any point your puppy develops a soft stool, simply go back to the previous day’s formula until you get a firm stool.

2. How much you feed is important. Many people over feed their puppies and in fact, leave the food bowl down all the time so that the puppy can free feed.

Tip: The quantity they tell you to feed on the bag of food is not set in stone. Be flexible and adjust to your puppy’s appetite and weight. Too much food and you will have a puppy with loose stools.

Tip: Puppies have a very difficult time or simply can not control loose stools resulting in accidents for which they should not be blamed.

3. Developing a regular and consistent feeding schedule is important.

Tip: Keeping your puppy’s feeding schedule consistent on weekends as you do on week days is critical.

Once you have the diet correct, there are other components you will need to put into your house breaking routine. These include:

• How to be proactive in teaching your puppy to be house broken instead of being reactive.
• Understanding the importance of the crate in house breaking your puppy
• Teaching your new puppy where not to go is the final part that completes the process.

Remember that throughout this process avoid any and all punishment of your new puppy.  A great resource for learning and understanding not only how to house break your puppy but to set your puppy up to be successful in becoming a great member of your family can be found at:  http://www.puppytrainingsecretsrevealed.com

Jim Burwell

My evaluation from our initial phone call and first visit with this male, adolescent German Shepherd was territorial aggressive.  The dog was extremely aggressive on the front porch and even more so in the home.  The owner also told me that on walks, the dog was a rather pleasant dog and could be greeted by neighbors, even petted and that the dog liked other dogs.  I determined that his territorial aggression issues were limited to the front porch and in the home which he considered his territory.

The owners got the dog as a puppy and they found out he was suffering from some kind of kidney disease.  So, feeling sorry for the dog the owners doted on him a lot and pretty much spoiled him to the max.  They left food out for him all day, he slept in the bed with them at night, the owners had not put much structure in the dog’s life at all.  The dog has taken over the lead of all activities in the house over the last 6 months.

I am working with the owners to put structure into this dog’s life, to also teach the owners how to be strong but benevolent leaders and help the dog understand that they are running the show - not him.  this may take a while for them to get him back under control where he will pleasantly greet people who come to “their home” not his. 

Time, patience and consistently working on structure and leadership will help turn this dog around and these thing will eventually win in the end and this adolescent German Shepherd can relax because he will understand that his owners have everything under control.

Does this scenario sound familiar?  Begin to take a serious look at your relationship with your dog.  Provide more structure in the home and outside as well.  Be consistent in every way to interact with your dog and above all, have patience.

Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children.  And remember, “Opportunity Barks!”

Jim Burwell,   Jim Burwell’s Petiquette

Not only is pottying inside the house unsanitary, but it can also cause many other problems such as damaged furniture and rugs and it makes your house smell like a kennel! You can stop the behavior, but you must work on stopping the behavior every day, not sporadically. While not every dog responds the same to training, there are some simple ideas you can try.

What you really desire is for your dog to let you know when he needs to go potty. Dogs don’t like to soil the area where they eat and sleep. You have to help them learn what actions to take that are appropriate. As with children, train and teach your dog or puppy good behavior.

Your dog wants to potty outdoors, but he doesn’t know how to tell you. You need to train your dog to tell you when he needs to go potty. Some dogs communicate well, others don’t. If your pet is pacing back and forth or barks at the door, he is telling you he wants to go outside.

One method many people use to train their dog or puppy to tell them they need to go outside, is the bell method. It’s petty simple and usually very effective. If your dog isn’t able to communicate with you that he needs to go out, consider using this method.

Take a long piece of string and tie a small bell to one end. Tie the other end of the string around the doorknob or handle of the door that you use to let the dog or puppy go outside. Now, take your pet’s paw and swipe the bell so that it jingles. When it jingles, immediately open the door and let the dog outside. Praise your dog or puppy in a happy approving tone by saying “good boy”. A standing ovation would be nice also.

It may take a few practice rounds, but soon your dog will ring the bell when he needs to go outside to potty. Each and every time he rings the bell, praise him and open the door to let him out. It won’t be any time at all before your pet will be trained and will stop pottying indoors.

When you’re away from home you may need to crate your puppy or dog until you know that they are old enough and “proven” enough to wait until you get home to go outside. Most older dogs if let outside before you leave can easily hold it for most of the day. Let them out the minute you get home.

Now, here’s one exception. Some dogs potty in the house, not because they don’t know better, but because they are marking territory. Marking of territory is usually caused by these things: lack of leadership on the part of the owner, lack of structure and insecurities of the dog. You need to take a step back and look at how your behavior is contributing to your dog’s behavior.

Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children. And remember, “Opportunity Barks!” Jim Burwell’s Petiquette