Current Blog Posts
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Dog's
Feb. 20 2012
Have you ever known a dog that shows signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Tell us about it. It is now recognized that more than 5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs deployed by the US are developing canine Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder. Half of those affected dogs will be retired from service. Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Allen M Schoen D.V.M., M.S believes many animals not exposed to war also show symptoms of having PTSD but unfortunately at this time it takes a dog being exposed to the ravages of war to be diagnosed with PTSD.
A dog not exposed to war may develop PTSD through the trauma of abuse, a car accident or even the 4th of July. PTSD develops in animals in much the same way as it does in people. When an animal is exposed to situations in which a traumatic event is perceived to threaten safety or makes one feel helpless PTSD may occur. The traumatic event may only witnessed by the individual or it may be the individual experiences the traumatic event either way the animal may begin to show symptoms of PTSD.
Symptoms of PTSD can manifest immediately or over time. It might be the symptoms are triggered by something that reminds the animal of the traumatic event (noise, smell or the sight of something). This may be one reason sound phobias in dogs appear to come out of the blue. One 4th of July the dog appears to be OK because it is actually shut down with helplessness and then suddenly at a different time the dog shows extreme fearfulness of sounds. Dogs experiencing PTSD may not sleep well and appear to be having bad dreams, show avoidance of places or activities, appear depressed or lose interest in previously enjoyable activities, appear detached, may be irritable or aggressive, hyper vigilant or jumpy, experience separation anxiety, loose previously acquired skills (housetraining or the ability to follow commands) or even suddenly appear to be in pain. A history of trauma plus numerous symptoms differentiates a PTSD dog from a dog that is just fearful.
As with all training challenges that involve changing emotional responses training new coping skills is possible but not easy. Training using desensitization, counter conditioning and classical conditioning will accomplished this in dogs in much the same as it is in people.
 |
Socialization
Feb. 3 2012
How To Socialize A Dog
Socialization requires that dog owners provide a dog with controlled positive experiences. Each experience needs to be pleasurable. To ensure a pleasurable experience the dog or puppy need not interact directly with people, dogs or environmental stimuli. If a dog or puppy is unsure, letting it see things from a distance is better than imposing stimuli upon it. Also exposure need not be of a long duration. Letting a dog investigate something from 10 feet away for 30 seconds and having that dog be confident at that distance will ensure a much more successful outcome than if the dog looses confidence at any point. Watch your dog's body language to understand whether your dog is confident or having a pleasurable experience.
Dog To People Socialization
Teaching dogs to interact appropriately with people means the dog is not shy, fearful or aggressive nor is it rudely jumping, biting or barking with exuberance. Because the appearance of people is diverse dog owners need to seek out diverse populations of people to ensure their dogs is sociable to all types of people. This includes children of all ages, people of a different ethic origin than the owners, the elderly, people with facial hair, tall people, the handicapped (mentally and physically) and people who are dressed differently. Every dog needs to be able to calmly accept having humans grab their collars, restrain them and handle their feet, ears, mouth and body. And if that is not asking enough dogs need to be relaxed about having people come up and take values objects such as bones, chew objects or food away from them.
Being "OK" around people is not good enough; we need dogs to be happy or relaxed. The dog that is "OK" can have its emotions swung in the wrong direction too easily. To facilitate socialization with people, owners should be armed with treats and when a stranger wants to interact, they should be given treats to feed the dog. If the dog is already relaxed or happy around people it will easily take treats from the stranger's hand, but if the dog is not happy or relaxed the person will need to toss the treats to the dog from a distance.
Dog To Dog Socialization
In addition to being sociable with people, we also need our dogs to be sociable with other dogs. But to be successful, socialization with other dogs must take play styles and confidence of each dog into consideration. If they are not a good match, one or both of the dogs will become afraid or upset resulting in social issues for either of the dogs.
The mistake owners make in socializing their dog with other dogs is they let their dog play with any dog that comes along. Our dogs should have opportunities to play with a lot of other dogs, but it cannot be just any dog that comes along. Some dogs really enjoy rough and tumble play, but for other dogs that type of play will crush all confidence the dog has and cause the dog to be fearful and then aggressive. To get a good play match for your dog, ask questions. Find out when another dog is introduced on leash to other dogs what it does behaviorally. Does it stand stiffly, sniff, or play immediately. When it does play, does it prefer chase games or wrestling games? If it likes to wrestle is it gentle or rough and tumble? Only if the play and confidence style of both dogs match up should a play session take place.
Not all dog-to-dog interactions should result in play. As a matter of fact you don't want your dog to think, every dog on earth is here to be played with. As you walk down the street and you are passing another dog, stop with your dog off to the side and let the other dog pass. You might need to give your dog a lot of treats as they pass to get your dog to sit beside you. If the other owner stops and wants the dogs to interact, first find out whether the dogs play and confidence style is a match and then only if your dog is calm and sitting beside you should you let the dogs interact.
Environmental Socialization
Although socializing a dog to other dogs and people is a high priority dogs also need to be socialized with a vast number of sights and sounds within the environment. To be behaviorally healthy, dogs need to experience normal environmental stimuli without becoming fearful. Dogs need exposure to all types of vehicles, different floor or ground type surfaces, a vast array of sounds and simply all the weird looking things to be found out in the world. The only way you can socialize your dog to the vast array of things out in the world is take your dog with you as often as the weather permits. Let your dog investigate all that is out there.
Having a socially well adjusted dog that can relax in different environments, around all kinds of people and dogs gives owners a lot more options with their dog and makes owning a dog a lot more fun. As owners we just need to remember to take our dogs with us, to be aware of what is going on in the environment and how our dogs are reacting so we help them when they need it. Above all dog owners need to remember that behavior is always changing and to socialize their dogs through out their lives instead of just as puppies.
|
Socialization
Jan. 30 2012
What Is Socializiation?
Socialization is the process of teaching dogs how to interact appropriately with other dogs, people or the environment. The term sociable means all individuals in the environment are having a pleasant experience. In the past many people have confused out of control friendliness with sociable behavior. Yes, the goal in socializing dogs is to help them become friendly to other dogs, people and not afraid of the environment but this friendliness must be displayed in a calm, polite manner. When it comes to obtaining sociable behavior the goal is to have a healthy balance of friendliness towards people, other dog and interest in the environment countered with enough calmness that the dog is comfortable to be around.
Why Socialization Is Important?
Studies show:
- Puppies who are enrolled in classes between 7 and 12 weeks of age are more likely to be retained in their original homes compared to puppies that did not have the advantage of classes when they were young.
- Puppies who are well-socialized display earlier maturation of the electrical activity of the brain, are less emotional, adapt to new situations more easily, can solve problems more effectively and retain learning better.
- Deprivation of social experiences before 20 weeks of age greatly increases the likelihood of serious antisocial behavior.
When people considering bringing a new dog into their lives they rarely have the goal of having a dog that is anti-social. Through quality socialization dogs learn to be calm, friendly, accepting of change and things that are different.
When Should It Be Done
Between 3 and 16 weeks of age puppies are more accepting, curious about their environment and less cautious. Therefore it is a lot easier to socialize puppies at this age than when they are older. The more positive experiences a puppy has between 3 and 16 weeks of age the less chance that an owner will have to deal with aggression or fear based issues as the dog matures. But 16 weeks does not mark the end of the socialization process. The social behavior of the dog does not plateau until 3 years of age. Continued positive exposure to new environments, people and safe dogs needs to continue as the dog matures to ensure the dog's social behavior does not regress. Many people do a great job of socializing young puppies but then the get busy and forget to continue the process and the dog develops fear, over excitability or aggression as it matures.
Key Places To Socialize Your Dog or Puppy
- Diverse Experiences - Enroll in puppy school and start training
- People - Sit on a bench outside the grocery store as all kids of people go by
- Novel objects and surfaces - There is a vast array of textures and odd shapes to be experience at any park that has playground equipment.
- Moving Vehicles - Take your puppy to public paths where joggers, bikes and rollerblades will go by
- Water - Introduce you dog water fun with a child's wading pool
- Errands - If the weather is appropriate, take your puppy with you on errands. Let the puppy get out of the car to see the environment and people at each stopping point.
- Your veterinarians office - Take the dog in to be weighed and just to get treats from the receptionist.
|
He knows how to do it
Jan. 17 2012
Is this your dog? What training reasons would make it so your dog does not follow commands that it normally would follow?
|
Marie O'Dell of Eugene Or. Says:
Jan. 18 at 7:34am
Inconsistancy
Kathy Flynn of Cottage Grove Or. Says:
Jan. 18 at 3:52pm
Maybe we accidentally reward them when they ignore a command we KNOW they know? Or maybe that is just part of the inconsistency.
Debbie of The Well-Mannered Dog Responds
Good answers, The reason dogs do not follow a command that they previously have shown compliance with is because:
Dogs will only do what they perceive as being to their advantage. As you put in distractions for training you have to use rewards at a more frequent interval for dogs to perceive it as being to their advantage to do the behavior. Even when there are not distractions we have to continue to deliver rewards for behaviors we like through the dogs life. This does not necessarily mean treats. These could be life rewards such as play, access to a social stimulus, the opportunity to go through a door etc. As you use commands your dog does know continue to reward it in some fashion and make sure you are not punishing it by following it with something the dog perceives as being a disadvantage (leaving the dog park, grooming, being confined etc). If you need to do something the dog will not like, make sure to wait 2 minutes after the dog follows the command before you do the "horrible" thing.
Brrr, Its Cold Outside
Jan. 13 2012
In the Willamette Valley we are not used to dealing with freezing weather and snow on a regular basis but because the majority of dogs take delight in the in the crisp weather a few precautions can make the difference between enjoyment and disaster.
When the weather is cold most dogs should be kept inside. There are some dogs such as Malamutes and Huskies that have a long double-coat that can do well in freezing weather but even those need to be adult dogs (in good health and not too old) that are used to the cold and they need to be provided with a well insulted dog house. Dogs that spend a lot of time in the freezing weather need a special high-calorie diet. Check the tips of your dog's ears and the tip of the tail for signs of frostbite.
It is just as dangerous to leave your dog in the car when it is cold as it is when it is hot. Without heating, the car is just like a refrigerator compartment. It is better to leave dog at home when the weather is really cold.
Small dogs or those with little to no hair may benefit from sweaters or jackets for protection against the cold. You can evaluate whether you dog needs a sweater by looking for shivering when your dog is not scared or anxious or if your dog is tucking its tail and looking unhappy. Also if you are cold, your thin-coated dog may need a sweater or jacket also.
Consider protecting you dog's feet with doggie boots while it is in the snow. This can protect your dog from buried hazards and reduce the need to remove snowballs from between your dog's pads. If you don't use dog boots, then periodically check between your dogs's pads to remove accumulated snow balls.
If your dog begins excessively shaking or shivering, immediately take your dog indoors. If you suspect your dog is developing hypothermia, bring him to a vet immediately.
Avoid letting your dog eat snow. Snow can be contaminated with dangerous chemicals such as antifreeze, which can cause vomiting, kidney failure and death. Eating snow can also cause stomach upset and even hypothermia. Always keep fresh room temperature water available at all times.
Now that you know how to keep your dog safe, what type of fun can you have with your dog in the snow? Dogs that play ball love chasing snow balls. Skiers may want to consider Skijoring a sport in which a dog (or dogs), assist by pulling the skier. You will want to get some books on training your dog for this sport. For many dogs the snow its self will inspire many dogs to simply race around on its own. There degree of delight shown on the face of these dogs is priceless. Hope you have some safe, fun snow activities this winter.
|
Bobbi DeHart of Cottage Grove Or. Says:
Jan. 19 at 1:31pm
Bingo and Sophie have fun running in snow and bingo likes to make doggy snow angels, and he actually will chase snowballs.
The Second Brain
Jan. 2 2012
According the article, Your Backup Brain, written by Dan Hurley and published in Psychology Today, the health of the gut can affect mood, cravings and decision-making as well as health. The gut is being called "the second brain." Michael Gershon, professor and chair of pathology and cell biology at Columbia, says, "The gut can work independently of any control by the brain in your head-it's functioning as a second brain." "It's another independent center of integrative neural activity." The guts brain is also known as the enteric nervous system (ENS).
Emeran Mayer, director of the UCLA Center for Neuro-visceral Sciences and Women's Health as well as of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress says, "The nervous system actually started out in the gut." This explains why the gut has an amazing 100 million neurons folded into its surface. It used to be thought that neurons were only in the central nervous system (the brain and spine). The gut is the only organ that can function independent of the brain. The gut controls movement and absorption of food without influence from the brain. The really amazing thing is these neurons control much more than intestinal function. The neurons manufacture neurotransmitters such as serotonin and sends impulses to the brain that affect decision-making, learning, memory, stress and emotions. Studies are finding depression and autism can be lessoned through manipulation of the guts neurons.
Because the gut can have a tremendous effect on behavior it is recommended that dogs with a history of emotional issues (fear, anxiety, aggression) work closely with their vet to bring the gut into impeccable health while receiving training.
|