How To Crate Train Your Dog

Some people view crating dogs as cruel and it can be if dogs are confined excessively. However, done correctly, crate training teaches dogs a number of important life skills and provides dog caregivers with an effective management tool. From my point of view, the benefits of crate training for both dogs and their owners far outweigh the potential risks.

Why crate train your dog?

Dog have a natural instinct to seek safety and comfort and crate training takes advantage of this behaviour. There are many benefits to having a crate trained dog. Some of these include: 

• Assisting with toilet training – puppies and adult dogs learn to hold their bladder and bowls as they don’t like to toilet where they sleep and rest. Be sure to provide your dog with plenty of opportunities to toilet before and after crating your puppy or adult dog overnight. Young puppies may need additional opportunities to toilet outside during the night
• Minimising destructive chewing when not actively supervised
• Helps to avoid night time barking at possums and other things (especially when used with a crate cover)
• Helping dogs learn to settle and relax
• Teaching dogs to cope with separation from their owners gradually – A very important skill to help reduce/avoid the development of separation anxiety
• Crates provide a safe place for dogs and are helpful for dogs who live with young children. Their crate is a place where they can go to rest without being bothered or where dogs can be safely separated from babies and young children
• Crates are very useful when travelling with dogs, especially when staying in other people’s homes or dog friendly accommodation (e.g. AirBnB)
• Crate trained puppies and dogs cope better with confinement they might experience at the vet or groomers

When is the best time to crate train your dog?

The best time to start crate training is the day you bring your puppy or adult dog home. Puppies adapt well to crate training as part of their new routine as soon as they come home. Newly acquired adult dogs can take a little longer to learn to love their crate, especially if they’re not used to being confined. 

Choosing a crate for your dog

There are a number of different types of crates to choose from including wire, plastic and fabric. Choose a style and material that suits your needs and your dog baring in mind that you get what you pay for in terms of cost. Some materials, such as plastic and fabric, can easily be chewed and may not be the best choice for puppies. Wire crates are great because they fold down for ease of transport and storage - One of the reasons I chose a good quality, sturdy wire crate for our dog Lenny. Whatever type of crate you choose, be sure to purchase a size that allows your fully grown dog to stand up, turn around, lie down and stretch out comfortably. 

Even with the door open, this dog prefers to sleep in the cate
Image source: Flickr

How to crate train your dog 

The secret to successful crate training is to do it gradually, using positive reinforcement to create a positive association with the crate and to reinforce your dog for being inside for longer and longer periods of time. Here are the steps I recommend:

Step 1 

Place the crate in a room or area of the home where you (or the family) spend lots of time. This will help your dog feel more relaxed as they’ll be able to see you when they’re inside the crate. At the beginning of the training process, place a towel or mat inside the crate to prevent your dog from slipping. These can easily be washed if necessary. 

Step 2 

To begin the crate training, start to build a positive association with entering and being inside the crate for short periods while you’re nearby. At first, leave the crate doors open so your dog can enter and exit freely. Use praise and high value treats to entice your dog to go into (and momentarily stay inside) the crate. Repeat these training sessions daily. 

Outside of the training sessions, there are other ways you can build on creating a positive association with being inside the crate. Feed your dog their meals or give them puzzle toys filled with high value treats or long lasting chew treats inside the crate. Give your dog their favourite toys inside the crate. Place your dog’s favourite bed inside while leaving the crate door open. 

Step 3 

Begin closing the crate door during training sessions but only if your dog is comfortable inside the crate and shows no signs of stress when you gently close the doors. This may take several days or weeks depending on your dog and how much training you do. 

Step 4 

Gradually increase the time your dog stays inside the crate and the time between food reinforcement. 

Step 5 

Next, start to leave the room for short periods of time (e.g. 1 or 2 minutes) while your dog is inside the crate eating a meal or treats. This step is important and teaches your dog to cope with separation from you and to be comfortable on their own. 

Step 6 

Gradually increase the time you step away but only if your dog is coping well at the previous step. Once your dog tolerates absences of 2 minutes increase it to 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15, 30, 1 hour etc. Remember to only increase the time out of sight if your dog remains calm and relaxed. 

Step 7 

Next see if your dog will sleep inside their crate, on their favourite bed, overnight. Once your dog is happy sleeping inside the crate overnight you can practice leaving your dog inside the crate when you leave the house for short periods. 

Eventually, your dog will enjoy spending time in and sleeping in the crate without the need for constant reinforcement from you. However, it’s a good idea to give your dog a treat or meal inside the crate, every now and then, to maintain a positive association. 

When crate training my own dog Lenny recently, I used the Pet Tutor. With two toddlers, I’m very time poor at present! The Pet Tutor made the whole process incredibly easy and did most of the hard work for me! Watch the video below to learn more about the Pet Tutor and how I used it to crate train Lenny. (Note: If you live in Australia and wish to purchase the Pet Tutor, contact me for a promo code to claim a free small treat adaptor and bag of treats! Australians can purchase the Pet Tutor here).

For me, the whole process took about three weeks of daily training sessions for Lenny to be completely relaxed in the crate and happy to sleep inside overnight. However, it’s important to recognise that every dog is different and the process might be quicker or longer for you and your dog. 

Whether or not you decide to crate train your dog really comes down to personal preference and circumstances. However, having a dog that’s crate trained can certainly make living with your dog that little bit easier. This has certainly been the case for myself and my family. 

If you decide to give crate training a go, we'd love to hear how it goes! 

Happy training! 

Dr Kate.

Gut Feeling: How your pet's microbiota affects their health and behaviour

Have you heard about the recent discoveries of the gut microbiome and how it affects the health and behaviour of it’s host? If not, listen up. The implications of these findings not only effect us, they also effect our pets.

Did you know the gut microbiome of people and their pets overlap?

What is the gut microbiota?

Microbes are the smallest forms of life existing in every corner of the world, including inside the body of animals. Microbiotas exist throughout the body including on the skin and in the mouth but the gastrointestinal tract is the primary microbial habitat in humans and other animal species.

What does the research tell us?

In recent years, our understanding of the composition and functions of the gut microbiota, particularly in humans, has increased exponentially. Advances in technology, including next generation sequencing and metabolite profiling, have contributed to this new understanding.

This new frontier in scientific research is unveiling some extraordinary truths about the function and purpose of the gut microbiota in both humans and animals. Some of these discoveries include:

• The gut microbiota is host-specific and variable. Loss of diversity has a negative impact on health. 
• Diet significantly affects the composition of the gut microbiota. Research has found a link between long-term dietary habits and the structure of the gut microbiota. It also suggests that permanent adjustment of the microbiota may be achieved through diet (Marchesi et al., 2015) and that nutritional interventions may be useful for re-establishing a healthy micro biome. 
• Ingestible carbohydrates are the food of the gut microbiota and probiotics, prebiotics and polyphenols can promote gut health via the microbiota. 
• The gut microbiome plays a role in the development of obesity and associated metabolic disorders although the exact mechanisms remain unknown. 
• The gut microbiota can affect the permeability of the intestines. Increased permeability of the intestinal wall is often referred to as “leaky gut syndrome”. 
• Changes in the gut microbiota have been linked with the development of Inflammatory Bowl Disease, liver disease, obesity, diabetes, food allergies, Alzheimer’s, anxiety and depression.

Researchers are now comparing the gut microbiota to a new organ; a collection of cells working together with the host, able to promote health but also initiate disease. The gut microbiota is essential to the proper function and development of the host.

What do these discoveries mean for our pets?

To date, most of the research investigating gut health has focused on people. But what about gut health in companion animals? Given we are made of the same cells, organs and structures, do these new discoveries relate to our pets as well? 

The answer is YES! The canine and feline gut are similar to the human gut. Indeed, research shows that if you live with a companion animal, you share some of your microbiota with your furry family member! 

Although in it's infancy, research investigating gut health in companion animals has unveiled some interesting results so far. These include:

• Although domestic cats are obligate carnivores and domestic dogs are metabolically more omnivorous, research suggests their gut microbiota are relatively similar. The predominant phyla of canine and feline gut microbiome are similar to those of humans and rodent models which are dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes.
• A recent study showed that long term diet type affected the microbiota of dogs. Dogs fed a more natural diet had higher richness and diversity of gut microbiota compared to commercially fed dogs. This study also concluded that dogs fed a natural diet may be more prone to microbial infection.

Diet significantly affects the microbiome of dogs.

Factors affecting the human gut microbiota (e.g. age, genetics, region, diet, health status, living environment) probably also affect the gut microbiota of dogs and cats. To date, however, there are no published studies investigating the link between behaviour and the microbiome in companion animals. 

Research has looked at the effect on other animals. For example, one study found that microbes influenced mate choice in fruit flies with individuals preferring to mate with others that were reared on the same diet. Furthermore, recent experiments with mice showed that the gut microbiome can influence stress, anxiety and depression related behaviour and may also influence how animals behave towards each other.

Understanding the taxonomy, dynamics, and functions of microbial communities, the relationships between them, the substances produces and consumed by microbes, the influence of environmental factors (such as diet, drugs, housing), the interaction with the host and the differences between healthy and diseased populations is the focus of current research.

How can you support your pet's gut health?

The use of probiotics for supporting gut health is also the subject of current research. Recent studies show supplementing the diet with probiotics and prebiotics could be beneficial. For example, Lactobacillus has been shown to reduce anxiety and lessen the effect of stress. Prebiotics support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut and can assist in recovery from illness such as acute diarrhea in dogs.

Supplements, such as Inside-Out from Australian company Evolution Animal Care, contain pre and probiotics and are available to help you support the gut health of your pets. Inside-Out is especially formulated for companion animals (and horses) and can be added to daily meals.

A typical meal I feed my dogs, supplemented with Inside-Out

I've been using Inside-Out, for my two dogs Joseph and Lenny, for the past 6 months. Joseph has had chronic skin disease for several years now. He's been on numerous courses of antibiotics and steroids and is now doing much better on cytopoint injections. Supplementing his diet with Inside-Out has been an important component of restoring his gut health. If you'd like to learn more about Inside-Out or purchase it for your own pet, click here. Note: Inside-Out is currently available for shipping to Australian and New Zealand residents only.  

As research continues in this fascinating field we will, no doubt, learn more about the incredible links between gut flora, health and behaviour, in ourselves and our companion animals. This new understanding will help us improve the way we care for our pets to support their microbiome and optimise their health.

References

Deng, P., & Swanson, K. S. (2015). Gut microbiota of humans, dogs and cats: current knowledge and future opportunities and challenges. British Journal of Nutrition, 113(S1), S6-S17.

Ezenwa, V. O., Gerardo, N. M., Inouye, D. W., Medina, M., Xavier, J. B. (2012). Animal behaviour and the micro biome. Science, 338(6104), 198-199.

Gomez-Gallego, C., Junila, J., Mannikko, S., Hameenoja, P., Valtonen, E., Salminen, S., & Beasley, S. (2016). A canine-specific probiotic product in treating acute or intermittent diarrhoea in dogs: A double-blind placebo-controlled efficacy study. Veterinary microbiology, 197, 122-128.

Hang, L. (2018). The Gut Microbiome and Behaviour. International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC) Conference 2018.

Kim, J., An, J U. Kim, W., Lee, S., & Cho, S. (2017). Differences in the gut microbiota of dogs (Canis lupus familiarise) fed a natural diet or a commercial feed revealed by the Illumina MiSeq platform. Gut pathogens, 9(1), 68.

Marchesi, J. R., Adams, D. H., Fava, F., Hermes, G. D., Hirschfeld, G. M., Hold, G., ... & Tomas, L. V. (2015). The gut microbiota and host health: a new clinical frontier. Gut, gutjnl-2015.

Disclosure Statement: As an Inside-Out affiliate I earn commission from qualifying purchases. 

The 4Rs for Better Behaviour: Reinforce the Right Response Religiously

Our dogs, and all animals for that matter, are learning about their environment and the consequences of their behaviour 24/7, not just during formal training sessions.

This means that every interaction your dog has with you, other people and other dogs, as well as all their previous life experiences, shapes their behaviour and the way they view their world.

Although we don't always have control over the environment and all the consequences that reinforce our pet's behaviour, there is much we can do to shape it for the better...

Here I'm reinforcing Lenny with treats and praise for shaking on cue

How to get better behaviour

Animals repeat behaviours that pay off; that have a desired consequence (also called a "reinforcer"). Reinforcers are not necessarily treats, rather they are consequences that strengthen (or increase) behaviour. This means that any behaviour (good or bad) that maintains or increases in frequency must have reinforcement value to the animal or else it wouldn't continue. Dogs that jump up on people is an example that comes to mind and a behaviour that's easily prevented (learn how here).

If you want better behaviour from your dog (or other animal), don't take good behaviour for granted! As pet owners we tend to do this a lot! When our pets are calm and relaxed we ignore them. Then we give them attention (e.g. tell them off) when they do the wrong thing.

Lenny LOVES pats and attention - effective reinforcers for him

What we should be doing is what I call the 4Rs: Reinforce the Right Response Religiously. This simply means noticing when our dogs (or cats or birds etc) are offering behaviours we want to see more of (e.g. being calm and compliant or any other behaviour you like) and reinforcing that behaviour generously and frequently. The more often a desired behaviour is reinforced, the more likely that behaviour will be repeated in future. That's how behaviour works! But there's a catch - you must choose your reinforcers wisely and you must be consistent!

Reinforcement effectiveness

Not all reinforcers are equal and lots of factors influence how effective and valuable different reinforcers are to an individual (you can learn more about reinforcement effectiveness here).

The important thing to understand is that just because you think something is reinforcing for your animal doesn't mean that's true. It's the learner who decides what's reinforcing, not the trainer. Experimenting with different reinforcers (e.g. food, toys, attention, pats) can help you determine which ones are most effective for the individual animal you are working with.

Lenny also loves tug - a great reinforcer for some dogs

Go practice the 4Rs!

So now that you understand the importance of not taking good behaviour for granted and instead reinforcing the right behaviour religiously, go and give it a try! You'll be surprised by how quickly you can get great results when you consistently reinforce behaviours you like.

Dr Kate :)

Dr Kate Mornement is an Applied Animal Behaviourist & Consultant who runs Pets Behaving Badly in Melbourne, Australia. You can follow her on Facebook or subscribe to her blog here.

This blog post is part of the 2018 Companion Animal Psychology #Train4Rewards blog party. Click on the button below to read lots of other great blogs on animal training...

Wild at Heart: Why Enrichment is Essential for Your Pet's Well-Being

You've probably heard of the term "environmental enrichment". Most people associate environmental enrichment with captive animals, such as those living in zoos and aquariums, but did you know that environmental enrichment is important for your pet's well-being and welfare too?

A body of research from ethology, animal science and veterinary science has clearly demonstrated that animals have behavioural needs and that certain innate behaviours, such as nest building in birds, are highly motivated. In addition, neuroscience shows us that animal brains have complex emotional systems that serve as motivators for behaviour. The core emotional systems include seeking (novelty), fear, panic (e.g. separation stress), rage, lust, caring (e.g. nurturing young) and play (Morris et al 2014).

Chew toys are a great form of enrichment for dogs

What is Environmental Enrichment?

Broadly speaking, environmental enrichment involves the practice of increasing the physical, social and temporal complexity of captive environments (Carlsbad & Stepherdson, 2000).

Wild at Heart

Our modern day companion animals are relatives of wild species and, more recently, breeds originally developed to perform work such as herding, hunting guarding and retrieving. Despite this fact, when choosing their next animal companion, many people do not consider the breed or species-specific behaviour of the animal, rather their choice is made on the basis of appearance or the perceived status the pet will bring them (Whelan, 2010).

What are "species-specific behaviours?" Species-specific behaviours are actions and behaviours that animals have evolved to perform or carry out. They include things like foraging or hunting for food, establishing and maintaining a territory and protecting their territory from intruders. To provide appropriate environmental enrichment it's crucial that the natural history and behaviour of the breed or species is well understood. Cats and dogs are both members of the order Carnivora and they share species-specific behaviours similar to their wild counterparts. Similarly, companion parrots also share the same species-specific behaviours as their wild living relatives.

Many wild-living cat species are arboreal (live in trees)

As with captive exotic animals, laboratory animals and livestock, our pets are also captive animals living by the constraints we place on them. Even though we provide them with everything they need to survive (i.e. food, water, shelter, vet care etc) we often don't realise they retain the instincts and desires to perform, and need outlets for the expression of, these behaviours in order to thrive. When we fail to provide ample opportunities for our pets to express natural behaviours or exercise as they normally would, unwanted negative behaviours can result (Whelan, 2010).

Dogs:
When considering the natural history of dogs, it's important to recognise breed differences. With over 150 different breeds in existence, originally developed to perform specific jobs, genetic differences in the strength of the core emotional systems are likely. For example, one dog may be a high seeker, constantly motivated to chase a ball, compared to another which is a low seeker, happy to live a more sedentary life. These days pet dogs are not required to perform the jobs they were originally bred for however those selected behavioural traits still remain. For example, the Border Collie that herds small children or the Doberman that barks at people walking past the home. These are normal behaviours for these breeds but are often considered problematic by dog owners (Morris et al, 2014).

This dog is highly motivated to fetch the ball

Cats:
Increasingly, pet cats are confined to the home with many not having regular access to the outdoors. Although this keeps them safe from cars and other animals, many can spend long periods of time in isolation unable to exhibit hunting or social behaviours. Consequently, these cats often develop problem behaviours.

Species-specific behaviours of the cat are very similar to that of it's relatives, the African wildcat and to free-roaming cats, and include social family rankings, elimination and feeding behaviours (Overall et al, 2005). When owners understand these normal behaviours and provide appropriate outlets for them, the behaviours are less likely to be expressed in a problematic way.

Behavioural issues are a common reason for relinquishment of companion animals to shelters. As such, we must recognise the core emotional systems affecting behaviour and do our best to provide appropriate outlets for these systems through enrichment. This will help to reduce problem behaviour and the subsequent relinquishment of pets to animal shelters.

Benefits of Environmental Enrichment

Much of the research on the benefits of environmental enrichment to date has been performed on mice in a laboratory setting. These studies show that an enriched environment can provide numerous benefits including improved learning and memory, increased brain weight and size and enhanced activity of the opioid systems in the brain (van Praag et al, 2000). Research on captive exotic animals shows that enrichment can decrease aggression, increase activity, reduce the expression of abnormal behaviour and improve health and reproduction (Carlsbad & Stepherdson, 2000).

Enjoying some environmental enrichment!

As our pet's guardians it is our responsibility to maintain not only their physical health, but their emotional health as well. Adequately providing for the mental health of our companion animals through environmental enrichment before the development of behaviour problems is key. Furthermore, the concept of environmental enrichment should be considered an essential component of pet husbandry rather than an optional addition.

Good enrichment should provide pets with opportunities to express behaviours driven by positive emotional systems of seeking, caring and play. Some examples include foraging, play, positive social interactions and grooming. Enrichment should aim to increase positive emotions and reduce the time animals experience negative emotions such as fear and panic (Morris et al, 2014). When applied correctly, environmental enrichment promotes optimal animal welfare.

Stay tuned for my next few blog posts which will focus on the most effective ways you can provide environmental enrichment for your dog, cat and companion parrot!

References

Carlstead, K. and D. Shepherdson. "Alleviating stress in zoo animals with environmental enrichment." The biology of animal stress: Basic principles and implications for animal welfare (2000): 337-354.

Morris, C. L., T. Grandin and N. A. Irlbeck. "Companion Animals Symposium: Environmental Enrichment for companion, exotic and laboratory animals". Journal of Animal Science 89.12 (2011): 4227-4238.

Overall, K. and D. Dyer. "Enrichment strategies for laboratory animals from the viewpoint of clinical veterinary behavioural medicine: Emphasis on cats and dogs." Ilar Journal 46.2 (2005): 202-216.

Van Praag, H., Kemperman, G. and Gage, F. H. "Neural consequences of environmental enrichment." Nature reviews. Neuroscience 1.3 (2000): 191.

Whelan, F. "Environmental enrichment for pets." Veterinary Nursing Journal 25.3 (2010): 27-28.

Is Your Cat Suffering Whisker Stress?

You've probably heard that your cat's whiskers are highly sensitive. Indeed, whiskers provide cats with vital sensory information about their environment. But have you heard the term "whisker stress" and, if not, what is whisker stress and could your cat be experiencing it?

The role of whiskers:

Whiskers are modified hairs which are deeply rooted and rich in blood vessels and nerve endings. They are used by mammals to supplement their short-distance vision, providing information on the distance, size, shape and texture of surrounding objects as well as air pressure. Cats typically have between eight and 12 whiskers on each side of their face and additional tufts of whiskers above their eyes and on their chin.

What is Whisker Stress?

Whisker stress is caused when a cat's sensitive whiskers continually touch the sides of it's food bowl while eating. Many cats are affected by whisker stress on a daily basis, especially those fed from a deep food bowl. This causes the whiskers to hit the sides of the bowl every time the cat eats a mouthful of food (see image below).

Whiskers contain proprioceptors; sensory receptors which detect the slightest change in pressure. When whiskers constantly make contact with the side of the food bowl (or cat flap etc) it can cause significant irritation. The result is a cat that can appear picky or finicky with food - Ever seen a cat flick it's food out of the bowl? The reality, however, is that eating from the deep bowl is very uncomfortable.

Wild living felines have choice in terms of where they consume their food (e.g. on the ground, high up in a tree, in hiding etc). Most pet cats are fed from their food bowl, so they cannot eat in a way that is most comfortable for them.

Notice how this cat's whiskers hit the sides of the bowl while its eating

How to prevent whisker stress:

There are a number of things you can do to help prevent your cat experiencing whisker stress.

• Choose a wide food dish with shallow walls or, even better, ditch the food bowl and provide meals in a food dispensing puzzle toy or activity feeder. No wild living feline (or other animal) gets high quality food for free, served up in a bowl, without having to work for it. Making cats work for their food is an excellent form of environmental enrichment and provides additional physical activity and opportunities for problem solving which is especially important for indoor-only cats. Research supports this idea, showing that animals prefer to work for their food; a phenomenon known as "contra-freeloading".
• Consider providing fresh water via a cat fountain instead of a bowl or provide a wide and shallow water bowl. 
• Ensure any cat flaps or access holes are wide enough to avoid touching your cat's whiskers as some cats may avoid using them if they cause irritation to their whiskers.
• Avoid touching or playing with your cat's whiskers.

Finally, NEVER cut or trim your cat's whiskers. Cutting the whiskers can cause them to become disorientated, scared and stressed. 

We'd love to hear about any changes you notice in your cat's behaviour after implementing some of these ideas!

Dr Kate xo

Piranha Puppies: How to bring an end to the BITE!

I’ve seen several clients recently with puppies and young dogs who bite and mouth them REALLY hard, often causing scratches, bleeding and bruising. Puppies vary in the intensity and duration of their biting and chewing. Given plenty of appropriate items to chew on, many will not direct this behaviour towards their human family. When they do, however, it can vary from mildly annoying to painful and scary.

Why do some puppies bite hard?

Biting and mouthing is normal puppy behaviour. Puppies explore the world with their muzzles (smelling, tasting, chewing) and biting and chewing on things, including our limbs and clothing, helps puppies learn about the world around them. It also helps to relieve pain associated with teething. This means that biting and chewing is a self-rewarding behaviour and will continue while it provides desired consequences (pain relief, entertainment etc.).

When puppies are with their mother and litter mates they learn many important social behaviours, one of these is called “bite-inhibition”. Bite inhibition is a dog's ability to control the pressure of its mouth and teeth, to cause little or no damage to the recipient of the bite. 

During normal play and rough housing young puppies inevitably bite each other and their mother. The high-pitched yelps given off by the receiver of the bite signal to the offender that the bite was too hard and it hurt. The consequence often being the play session is over.

With repeated interactions puppies learn quickly to modulate their bites to avoid conflict. Sometimes, puppies are separated from their mother and litter mates too early, missing this important learning opportunity, and may be prone to bite harder than normal.

The good news is that given time, most puppies will eventually grow out of the biting stage. That said, there are steps you can take to avoid being bitten and to teach your puppy to bite their toys instead…

How to stop the bite:

You can reduce the likelihood of being bitten by your puppy by following these tips:

• Encourage your puppy to bite and chew on appropriate items such as chew toys, chew treats and feeding toys. Reward your puppy with attention, praise and high value treats for chewing on these toys. You can also put treats inside toys or smear them with peanut butter to make them extra tempting.
• If your puppy’s teeth contact your skin immediately give out a high pitched yelp sound (to make the unwanted behaviour) and remove your attention from your puppy (completely ignore them) for a few moments. As soon as your puppy stops biting immediately reward that behaviour with your attention and praise. If your puppy continues to bite you remove yourself from the room for several minutes. Repeat as necessary.
• As you’re moving around the home or backyard, flapping clothing can tempt some puppies to latch on. Avoid pulling away and creating a fun game of tug. Rather, try not to make a big fuss. Stand still, be boring and ignore your puppy until they stop or throw a ball or toy away from you for your puppy to chase, allowing yourself safe passage.
• Do not allow your puppy to chew or mouth your hands (or feet) in play. Also avoid using your hands to rough house your puppy. Use toys instead. You want to teach your puppy to be gentle with your hands and feet and to bite and chew their toys instead.
• Have a variety of different sizes and textured toys available for your puppy to play with. Rubber toys (e.g. Kongs), rope toys, squeaky toys, balls and treat puzzles are popular choices. Tug toys such as the Tether Tug or Home Alone are great choices for dogs that love tug games, once they’re a little older. It’s also important to rotate toys and introduce new ones every so often to help prevent boredom.

With a little time, patience and consistency, your puppy will learn that chewing on their toys is WAY better (because it results in lots of additional reinforcement) than chewing on you (which results in being ignored).

Now go have fun with your puppy!

Lead Reactivity Part 1: How it develops and why it’s a liability

Lead reactivity and/or aggression is a common complaint I receive from my clients. Unfortunately, too many dog owners contact me after a significant incident has taken place even though the behaviour has been present, albeit in a milder form, for a period of time.

Having a dog that aggressively barks, lunges or pulls towards other dogs or people can be a source of stress and embarrassment. This often results in people being reluctant to walk their dog or continuing the walks but not knowing how to resolve the issue. Either way, this just perpetuates the problem. We know from neuroscience that "neurons that fire together, wire together" meaning the longer a behaviour persists, the more ingrained it becomes.

(Image: Mr.TinDC on Flickr)

Why are some dogs lead reactive/aggressive?
The most common reason for developing lead reactivity that I see in my clients’ dogs is fear due to past unpleasant or scary experiences. For example, a dog that is attacked by another dog while on lead may subsequently develop lead aggression when it encounters other dogs in an attempt to protect itself. Similarly, a dog that’s been hit by a car may display reactive barking or lunging when it sees moving cars during a walk.  It’s important to understand that a lack of prior positive socialization experiences can also result in lead reactivity/aggression. For example, dogs that have not been socialized with a range of other dogs (of varying breeds and breed types) may be fear aggressive when approached by other dogs. Similarly, a dog that’s never seen a person on a bicycle or skateboard may lunge aggressively at a cyclist or skateboarder who passes close by. This is called the “fight or flight response” and it’s a survival mechanism.

When a dog (or person or other animal) finds itself in a scary situation it either runs away or confronts the source of their fear in an attempt to make it go away. When on lead, the escape option is no longer available so using aggression in an attempt to create distance between themselves and the threat is more likely. Here’s an analogy; imagine you are walking down a dark alley at night and suddenly a dark figure lunges towards you demanding your wallet. What would you do? You’re either going to attempt to run away and escape the situation or, if you’re grabbed and can’t escape, you will fight back with everything you’ve got.

Normal dog behaviour
Dogs normally greet one another from the side, in an arc, rather than head on. When we walk them on lead along pathways we may force them to greet each other in an unnatural way. When two leashed dogs meet they are restrained and unable to move away from one another if they feel unsure or threatened. Many owners keep their dog on a tight lead when meeting other dogs “just in case” however the tension is felt by the dog and can exacerbate their stress. The dogs may all of a sudden start barking and lunging at one another (fight response) because the option to increase the distance between each other was not available (flight response). But get this; even if the dogs didn’t bark at each other, it’s wrong to assume that they were fine. Most dog owners are actually quite bad at reading their dog's body language and often miss subtle signs of fear, stress and anxiety such as pacing, panting when it’s not hot, lip licking, shaking off, paw lift and low tail carriage.

(Image: IIdar Sagdejev / CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Furthermore, people often fail to recognize inappropriate and rude behaviour in their own “friendly” dogs. Bounding up to other dogs, jumping on or body slamming them or getting all up in their face is extremely rude behaviour and could easily cause a fight. This inability to communicate appropriately also tends to be the result of inadequate socializing with other dogs, particularly past the puppy stage. Many dog owners don’t realize that socialization is an ongoing process and attending puppy classes is not enough. These dogs tend to carry their puppy style greeting into adulthood when it’s no longer tolerated by other dogs. When another dog growls or barks at the rude greeter it’s owner chastises the other person for their dog's "aggressive" behaviour.

Being on the receiving end of a lead reactive dog
If you’ve ever been on the recieveing end of a lead reactive dog you will understand what a frightening experience it can be. If not, here’s an example of what happened to me. A few months back, when I was 36 weeks pregnant with my second child, I had an awful experience with two lead reactive dogs. My husband and I took our 15-month old son and dog, Joseph, to a local park. After a lovely walk we stopped at the playground to let our son play and explore. While he was happily playing I was standing nearby watching with our dog, a very placid Labrador, on lead. Several minutes later I heard loud barking and turned around to see a man sitting on a bench nearby, his two dogs straining on their leads, intently focused on our dog who remained calm and quiet. One appeared to be a Rottweiler mix and the other a Staffy mix. Upon seeing the dogs behaving in this manner, and realizing the man wasn’t going to move away, I immediately walked in the opposite direction behind a large piece of play equipment. My intention being to create distance and a visual barrier between Joseph and I and the two reactive dogs. 

The man remained on the bench and was struggling to control his dogs. Just as I was about to move further away I heard the man yell out and both his dogs came running up to me and Joseph, who was still on lead. It was an incredibly tense moment and my heart was racing. I could tell from the stiff body language of the other dogs that they were far from relaxed and friendly. After what seemed like an eternity the dogs’ male owner came running over, his female companion close behind, attempting to restrain his dogs. There were lots of young children in the playground at the time and my husband was holding our young son a meter or so away from us. The dog owners apologised profusely and remained there with their dogs. We immediately left the park. 

At the time I was so angry and in shock at the whole situation. All I wanted to do was ensure my family was safe, so I didn’t engage in what could have been a very valuable conversation with those dogs’ owners. I am so thankful that Joseph is such a placid and social dog. It seemed as though he knew it was in his best interest to remain calm and allow the dogs to sniff him intensely and not react. Had it been our late boxer, Archie, in the same situation I know the outcome would have been so much worse! I realise now that the dogs’ owners’ were just naive but that doesn’t change the fact their dogs are a huge liability. Given the same situation with a less placid or anti-social dog, the outcome could have been dire.

(Image: Kumarrrr / CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Again, just the other day while enjoying a walk with my boys in the pram and husband walking our dog we were confronted by a mother with her two small children walking a large American Bulldog. Upon seeing us she attempted to walk her dog (who was straining on it’s lead, body stiff, focussing intensely on our dog) behind a tree just off the footpath. I asked her if she’d like us to cross the road and her response was “lets see how it goes.” Really? Let's not! My husband immediately walked Joseph to the other side of the road passing the dog with as much distance as possible. 

As I walked past the family and their obviously anxious dog the mother laughed it off, assuring me her dog was “the most beautiful dog in the world at home” but that he behaves this way because he was “attacked by another dog as a puppy”. This is unfortunate for sure and if I had a dollar for every time I heard a client say those words… The problem is, the explanation for the behaviour doesn’t fix the behaviour, nor does it keep the community safe. As dog owners we have a responsibility to keep our dogs safe and the people and dogs around us safe as well. If you have a dog that’s reactive or aggressive towards other dogs or people you have a responsibility to your dog and your community to seek professional help from a reputable dog trainer or qualified animal behaviourist.  

Having regularly been called in as an expert witness, to conduct temperament assessments on dogs that  injured a person or another dog, I can assure you their owners also proclaimed how great their dogs are with kids and dogs they know. However that’s not the point. The point is that these issues need to be address before they become serious and endanger others. 

Read Lead Reactivity Part 2 to learn how to avoid your dog from developing lead reactivity/aggression in the first place (because prevention is better than cure!) and what to do if your dog is already lead reactive/aggressive.

Don't forget to follow Dr Kate on Facebook and Instagram!