#DogAnxiety #SeparationAnxiety #DogBehavior #PetWellness #DogTraining #CanineBehavior #DogParenting #EmotionalDistress #dmvdogs #dogtrainingtips #dogemotions #DogLatin
It's crucial to recognize the distress signals of dogs when left alone. These can include whining, pacing, panting, drooling, trembling, chewing household objects, and even self-injury. Such behaviors indicate that your dog is experiencing high emotional distress when you leave.
As a dog parent, you play a crucial role in helping your distressed pet. There are several ways to assist a dog who becomes distressed and even panic. Every situation is unique. Here's what Winnie's Mom is doing to help Winnie:
⭐Mom consulted with her veterinarian. She's collaborating with her primary vet on medications that can ease Winnie's anxiety.
⭐Winnie and Mom are practicing relaxation exercises developed by Dr. Karen Overall. The exercises include 15 lessons, with each lesson leading to departures. Mom easily integrates the lessons into her day since each takes about five minutes. The lessons work up to dog parents leaving the home.
⭐Besides the exercises, Mom does some independence training by providing Winnie with a frozen, food-stuffed Toppl after a walk. She cues,
⭐"Guard the castle" when near the mat and then walks around her home, only to return and repeat the cue. Mom aims to get many easy "Guard the Castle" reps before Winnie finishes the frozen snack. She's creating many easy wins for Winnie while teaching her the cue means that Mom returns.
Mom can also use the exercises to introduce outdoor triggers predictably.
If your dog is suffering when you leave, it's crucial to consult your veterinarian. Remember, your dog is not giving you a hard time; she's having a hard time. Professional guidance can make a significant difference in your dog's well-being.
Keep it simple for “reactive” dogs and increase their ability to cope through “Find it!”
🎯Play the game for several weeks inside. 🎯Scatter some kibble and snacks in a circle a few feet in diameter.
🎯Point out the food to your dog while happily saying, “Find it!”
🎯Over time and at your dog’s pace, widen the scatter area. Keep helping your dog find the snacks.
🎯Test a round of “Find it” during a quiet walk. Scatter on the sidewalk or grass. Help your dog to find the pieces.
When your dog instantly responds to looking down and searching, try “Find it!” the moment sees a dog at a safe distance.
If the game is well-conditioned, a dog can be more motivated to search rather than bark or lunge.
Many dogs struggle with travel, especially car rides.
Like many dogs, Zander faced a common challenge. After a long transport from Texas to Washington, D.C., Zander developed an aversion to cars and even experienced physical illness.
He arrived in March and flew in mid-June. During the months leading up to travel—which included a forty-minute car ride to the airport—his family took tiny steps to support his anxiety.
They started by praising and snacking whenever they walked by the car, making it no big deal. They didn’t linger.
His dog parents recognize Zander’s stress signals by watching him. They also try to limit his car anxiety. Pushing a dog through his fear is a tactic that can backfire in big and inconvenient ways.
Support your dog and recognize the power of successful moments rather than minutes. Zander’s dog parents did and enjoy their relaxed dog.
@justiceforpawsrescue
Many dogs struggle with travel, especially car rides. Zander’s first trip was his rescue transport from Texas to Washington, DC.
Zander arrived in March and flew on a plane in June. During the three months,
his family supported him through his fear of car rides. They took tiny steps and realized the power of successful moments rather than minutes.
Listen to your dog when attempting to convince them to like something they do not.
Pushing creates resistance. Support them through steps by feedback of praise and snacks. If your dog is not eating favorite snacks, the step is too big. How can you back up a few steps?
Thank you @justiceforpawsrescue, the rescue community, fosters, adopters, and donors for saving lives.
Dog parents of “reactive” dogs know that avoiding other dogs is a strategy to prevent the rehearsal of barking, lunging, and increased adrenaline levels.
Avoidance works, yet it’s not always feasible, especially in urban settings. But if the thought of coaching coping skills to your dog seems overwhelming, you’re not alone.
Expanding Callie’s resilience began with the simple marker word of “Yes.” A marker word lets a dog know that whatever she’s doing at the moment the marker is said, is appreciated. Markers are followed by a reinforcement, often food.
Whenever Callie looked at a trigger, she heard “Yes.” We often calmly moved away from it, too. At first, she was too overstimulated to eat food. It was a sign she needed more space from the trigger, something I couldn’t always give her.
To compensate for space, we found spots to watch the world go by at a distance. Callie quickly learned triggers are a signal that food may come. She learned to look at me when she spied them. Over time, we moved a foot closer or looked a second longer.
Ways to build coping skills include:
Making some days easier than others.
Scoping out and using “exits” on our walking routes like alleyways, parking lots, and foot paths.
Considering what a dog experienced during the day and on previous walks. Dogs have stressors which may vary from their people. For example, a house full of guests maybe fun for human family members, yet it often disrupts a dog’s routine.
Watching doggie TV—sitting at a distance and feeding snacks to your dog. A trail mix of food makes watching TV even more interesting.
Reading your dog’s body language even though you can’t see her face. Often, our dogs walk in front of us. Watch for a slight head lift. It a sign that your dog is homing in on a potential concern. Read their tails and ears. Listen to their breathing. Offer a tidbit. Dogs can’t eat if they’re senses are overloaded.
These tips aid Callie. Dogs are indivi
Dogs are miracles. I’ll be eternally grateful for Frankie and all my dogs.
My family is grateful for Hubbard Hospice House in Charleston, WV.
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Happy Mom’s Day!
Without our dogs, it would be just another day.
Parenting is teaching, managing, and redirecting. Pivoting includes all three.
Sudden changes in surroundings occur all the time—it’s life. Yet some dogs startle more quickly than others. Humans may jump and yell, “You scared me!” Dogs vocalize through barking.
By providing your dog with an alternative to barking, such as a chew toy or a treat, you can effectively redirect their attention and reduce excessive barking.
In the video, Chowder demonstrates this by happily chewing on a turkey tendon, a distraction that can last a few minutes. He’s still hearing and looking occasionally at the tractor, though.
Thankfully, the noisy tractor is at a safe distance from him. Although he barks once, it’s not a series of rapid “Woo woo woos” that happen when he’s exceeded his emotional bandwidth. It’s unrealistic for me to think Chowder shouldn’t bark.
Parents can take advantage of these opportunities daily. Frankie, the Sealyham Terrier friend, dislikes loud truck noises. Although she’s not barking, she is concerned. I’ve dropped food into the grass after she looks. Foraging is her jam!
Often, dog parents need to exit situations when dogs are triggered. But if you have the space and time, take advantage of the experience.
Although dogs may never love loud vehicle sounds, parents can make them more pleasant during the learning process.
Parents teach. They help their children navigate the world around them while guarding their emotional health and physical safety. Feedback from each other is essential.
Dog parents do the same. However, additional feedback is needed. Dog parents control almost every choice for their dogs—every day, all day. Humans often refer to other humans who control everything one does as control freaks and emotional manipulators!
Of course, dog parents must be accountable and abide by leash laws. Yet, consider the dichotomy between people’s lives and their dogs. Dogs depend on their legal guardians for all care and behavioral needs.
Dog Latin believes that if “training” is replaced by “parenting,” dogs and their people will learn much about each other. The word “training” can be one-sided, which results in a one-way conversation. That’s not an effective learning environment.
Most behavior concerns dog parents convey to us are not about dogs’ ability to learn. After all, dogs are the species that learned to read another species and moved into their homes and hearts. Dogs are intelligent, but their ability to process emotions is limited. Their reaction time to triggers, though, is faster than humans.
Use a word like “Yes” as a marker to convey, “Hey, I appreciate what you’re doing at this very moment.” Dogs appreciate the marker when they are simply looking at something. Looking is good, especially when your dog is not barking, lunging, or growling.
When parents give feedback to their dogs, they also project an element of assurance, like, “I see that, too.” If dogs are scared by loud trucks, parents guide them away from the trigger or take a different route. A dog’s reaction informs a parent that their dog needs help with noise desensitization. Future coaching could include a parent providing a frozen licki mat of beef baby food and then turning on city noises played in a whisper at first.
Think about the feedback you’re giving. Is it
Raise one of your eyebrows, and people notice.
Dogs raise their tails and other dogs (hopefully) notice. Tails signal various emotional states in dogs.
🐕Like Higby displayed in the video, a circular, swirling tail means a dog is happy and approachable. It’s often referred to as a helicopter or propeller tail.
🐕A stiff, suddenly raised tail signals aggressive behavior may follow. A dog perceives a threat!
🐕A fast and high-wagging tail indicates an adrenaline rush. Some dogs make bad choices if hormones hijack their brains.
🐕Low, slow wags represent fear. Dogs are placating and showing discomfort. They don’t want to be touched, even if they roll over in the presence of a person or another dog.
But all said, a tail is just one part of a dog. To judge a dog’s emotional state, a person needs to look at the sum of a dog’s parts. Some dog breeds, like Frenchies and Boston Terriers, are born without tails.
Dogs speak through ear positioning, facial expressions, and body postures. They may vocalize by panting, barking, growling, whining, and chuffing.
Body language tells the truth.
@doggielanguage is an informative, illustrated book and a must-read.
Many dog parents complain their dogs won’t come when called.
If you’re struggling, here’s a low-stress activity for your dog and you.
📣Use a long lead, like 15 feet, and let your dog sniff. You follow.
📣In a safe enclosure, dogs can be off-leash.
📣Let them sniff.
When your dog looks at you or enters a pre-determined bubble, use a marker signal. (Our marker word is “Yes.”)
Most likely, your dog will come over and eat a food tidbit.
📣Tell them to “Go play” or “Go sniff” and send them on their way.
📣Place food out of sight, or a dog may stay.
📣Look off in the distance and avoid eye contact.
📣Repeat several times.
When it’s time to leave, walk to your dog, say “Yes” for looking or orienting to you, feed, leash, and reward again when the leash is attached.
𝑻𝒊𝒑𝒔:
💡A secluded spot provides fewer distractions. The aim is for dogs to get distracted by sniffing rather than playing hard or fetching. Calm feelings all around are needed.
💡At off-times, places like parks, parking lots, alleyways, cemeteries, and recreation areas may fit the bill.
💡Use M&M-sized pieces of food that are a favorite. Try a trail mix of snacks for added interest if needed.
💡Use pieces of chewy dried sweet potatoes or turkey tendons to create more time near you via chewing. They can be great training wheels for dogs who tend to avoid parents.
Many things dogs do, like fetch, are a series of short behaviors that look like one.
Trappe is a teen Labrador Retriever. His person grew up duck hunting and wanted to continue with Trappe. Dog Latin was grateful for the opportunity to coach Trappe using positive training, as the hunting training culture has a history of using electronic collars.
Fetch entails a dog going to an object, picking it up, returning it to the handler, and placing it in a person’s hand. Yet, a fluid fetch looks like one behavior. Trappe receives his reward at the end of the sequence.
Tara trained each chain step separately, beginning with his “drop.” People often do this when memorizing a poem, for example. They’ll learn the end of it first. By doing so, they are working toward the familiar.
Trappe and Tara also practice “Place” in a duck blind. Trappe enjoys retrieving so much that waiting to be released is sometimes tricky.
Humans and dogs do behavior chains all the time. Making a sandwich is a behavior chain; children learn steps to create one.
Trappe has done actual hunts, and his person is super happy with the results of his learning.
Think about what you’re asking your dog to do. Can you break it down into achievable steps? Are you practicing each step individually? Does back chaining help your dog? Let us know! We’d love to hear about your training journeys.
When dogs notice something of interest, they lift their heads slightly.
The lift is like radar. It’s a signal that a dog detects a change in the environment. Often, the change is concerning.
Marking a dog’s headlift means looking at whatever popped into the scenario pays. You’re saying “Yes” to noticing and shaping the absence of barking, lunging, and pulling.
When a trigger is in the distance, a dog is more likely to respond to “Yes.” The more space you can maneuver, the more a dog may succeed.
Callie notices everything, much more than her brother Champ, who busily sniffs. Communicating that these changes are okay also counters her negative association with some of them, especially other dogs.
Observe your dog when outdoors. Does her head lift differ depending on the trigger?
Many dogs find face wiping distressing. It can be invasive and scary.
Chow Chow Hugo agrees! He’s super sensitive to being touched and reserves petting and touching for his mom and dad. But even they find cleaning his eyes and face a chore since it may result in conflict.
As a five-month-old pup, Hugo became so emotionally overwhelmed by being separated from his parents for an exam (COVID procedures) and then being restrained he aggressed toward veterinary staff. He never forgot how distasteful he found touching by “strangers.”
When Hugo decides the towel isn’t threatening, his parents may use it to touch his face. For now, they’ll use the towel as a snuffle mat.
His parents can place food and snacks on the folded towel and the floor at the edge of it. Food placement is crucial to getting the desired behavior—his eyes touching the towel. Placing the food tidbits on the floor at the towel’s edge allows him to move his head and eyes toward it.
Since Hugo has an adverse reaction to the towel, we pair it with a favorite toy. We gauge his acceptance of the towel on his toy before proceeding. His body language was calm and relaxed, so we started the “Find it” game.
Mom and Dad will play the towel snuffle mat game for a few minutes daily. Some days, they can increase the time of snuffling and closeness to the towel. They’ll make the game easier at other times by placing the food on the towel. Who says each day needs to be more difficult?!
During each session, they’ll observe his body language and decide when to lift the towel toward his eye one inch or less. From there, they’ll build on the distance to his eyes and duration—but NOT at the same time!
Hugo dictates the pace. Achieving small successes creates a new behavior pathway in his brain. No one says the reps must the completed behavior.
Start with kindergarten level and progress to other grades. Like human learning, make it achievable, build in vacation time, and keep it short, 20 se
