Author: Tara Houser

Deep Breathing – A Tool We Can Use During Fireworks (and other noise events)

Do you remember the smell of grandma’s homemade apple pie? It was overwhelming when I walked into the house. I’d slow down just to take it in. There would be anticipation of what was to come. Looking back, the smell and anticipation of the taste was more gratifying than actually eating it. After that, the experience was over.

Have you ever watched your dog while you were cooking (especially B-A-C-O-N)? Their nostrils flare taking in the smell. They lick their lips. They are living that homemade pie right there in YOUR kitchen. But more importantly, they in that moment are DEEP BREATHING. They are getting a double whammy of “FEEL GOOD.”

Teaching Dogs to Take a Deep Breath

While we know it is very possible to teach our dogs to take deep breaths (and it is highly recommended), our human half takes over and we decide to do shake or spin because well that is way more fun and entertaining, right? In all seriousness, teaching your dog to take a breath on cue and ultimately to choose this behavior in a setting of concern is a terrific idea.  Dr. Karen Overall’s Protocol for Deep Breathing is the document to follow!

Luring a Deep Breath

With fireworks imminent, having our dogs be able to take a deep breath would be amazing! So, how can we get a deep breath when it hasn’t been taught? How can we get a deep breath when we can’t even get any other cued behavior because our pup is too stressed? By luring it with food! Hold some extra yummy food in your hand.  THIS IS THE TIME TO BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS… think bacon, sardines, liverwurst, anything that would stink you out of the place.  Many dogs might not be able to focus on the food, but just having it in the environment during fireworks may be beneficial.  Sniffing things after all is reinforcing to most dogs (especially hounds) and could be used in making a good association.

Alternatively, you can scatter the food on the floor allowing your dog to engage in the activity of sniffing.  But, just a word of caution don’t scatter bacon or other greasy stinky food on carpet.  You’ll be hating me in the morning.

Reward (reinforce) the Breathing

Don’t forget to offer tiny bits of the yummy stuff once your dog engages with your hand. Tiny bits are key… we really want to drag out this experience (of eating and breathing in the wonderful smell) not like when we woofed down grandma’s apple pie!

So Why a Deep Breath?

Have you ever been in a tense situation? If you took a deep breath, how did you feel after? Taking a deep breath calms the nervous system, releases muscle tension, improves the digestive system, and affects the dog’s mental state.

If your dog can’t focus…

Don’t get frustrated if your dog can’t take a breath when food is presented.  Yes, I meant can’t instead of won’t, because your dog is experiencing a very unpleasant and often panic inducing event.  If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you’ll understand the feeling of knowing it’s irrational but not being able to change your own feelings.

Your veterinarian can help.

This won’t be the end all be all fix right now.  We are just talking things we can do when it’s a little late for creating a better association to fireworks.  If you have had a prior experience and know your dog can’t focus, speak to your veterinarian right away.  There is still time to get an appointment with many and they may be able to provide some assistance to get your dog thru the fireworks.

How should I feed my dog?

Most people feed their dogs straight from the bowl.

Here at Real Pet Behavior we like to add a little extra enrichment for our dogs mealtimes.

Watch the video below!

 

Our dogs have over 220,000,000 receptors in their nose. That’s an awful lot compared to a humans measly 400. So why not let them use their nose and their brains to enhance their meal times?

By throwing out your bowl and investing in puzzle feeders you can elongate meal times. This also helps to wear your dog out so they are all ready to cuddle on the couch later.

However this doesn’t start and end with just puzzle feeders! Although they are a great tool don’t be afraid to use your imagination when feeding your dog. Here’s a list of ways to feed your dog using things around your home!

 

1.) Toilet Paper Puzzle. Take an empty toilet paper roll and fold one half of the tube to seal it. Put some of your dogs kibble inside the tube and fold the opposite side down. Make sure to supervise so you don’t get a puppy paper eater!

2.) Paper Towel Puzzle. Read number one. But use an empty paper towel roll. I know… I’m a genius.

3.) Blanket Puzzle. Lay a blanket down. Sprinkle your dogs kibble on top. Now fold the blanket over the kibble. Human kids want Aladdin’s flying blanket, our furry kids want treat dispensing blankets. Only one of them is feasible.

4.) Water Bottle Puzzle. Take an empty water bottle. Cut holes around the sides. Open the cap and poor some kibble in. Lay it on the ground and watch your dog to roll it around to get the treats out. If water bottle is lost, check under the bed.

5.) Sock Puzzle. DO NOT USE THE UGLY SOCKS YOUR SPOUSE BOUGHT YOU FOR CHRISTMAS! JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE UGLY DOESN’T MEAN THEY WEREN’T PURCHASED FROM THE HEART! Use a sock thats old, or even better, that one sock that you keep because you think you’ll eventually find the other matching one. You won’t, the dryer ate it, gift it to your dog. Put kibble inside sock. Tie sock. Let your dog either learn how to untie a knot or (most likely) destroy your sock to get to the kibble. Again, supervise so you don’t get a canine cloth eater.

6.) Sprinkle Puzzle. Take your dogs kibble into your hand. Walk across your room or even your house slowly sprinkling the kibble throughout. Avoid expensive rugs. We are not trying to ruin marriages here, just enrich your dog. Watch as your dog sniffs all throughout your house for their kibble! This can also be done in a fenced in back yard, or on a supervised tether.

7.) Box Puzzle. Got an amazon package? Maybe its even a deluxe puzzle feeder you can’t quite figure out yet. Well while you read the instructions put some of your dogs kibble into the box and close it up!

 

REMEMBER! Some of these puzzles are made of materials your dog might enjoy destroying or digesting after the food is all gone. We recommend (more like insist) that you supervise your dog. First off it’s entertaining, but it also is a safety precaution. Now go have fun watching your dog eat! Trust me, it’s way more enjoyable than watching your brother inhale an entire pecan pie on thanksgiving. Like, really bro, if you’re reading this, chill.

 

Online Dog Trends: Trainer approved.

Putting eggs in our dog’s mouth, dressing them up for Halloween, pretending to step over a “force field” that doesn’t exist, and making our dogs pose for a funny picture with our toddler is social media gold. All your friends are going comment about how funny it is or how their dog would never do that. You might even get a full-on belly laugh out of it.

Let’s take a step back. How do you think your dog feels?

We bring dogs into our homes. Using the help of dog trainers we teach them what items to chew, and where to pee. Dogs don’t get a choice in the food they receive, barking is not welcomed, humping is inappropriate, they learn how to play bite to your preferred level and let’s not get into what we do to their genitals.

This is a lot to put on our dogs already, they are so much more understanding than we give them credit for. At the end of the day we need to realize that we might find them adorable, sweet, kind and understanding but when we stick an egg in their mouth for a couple of “wow” emoji’s on our Facebook page, we are the biggest weirdo’s they’ve ever met.

The biggest issue here isn’t that these things make your dog uncomfortable, it’s that we have options to enrich our dogs lives and achieve the sacred “wow” emoji all at the same time and we don’t take advantage of it.

Here’s 3 online dog trends that are fun for you and your dog.

1.) Teach a new trick. There are tons of tutorials online that show you step by step how to clicker train your dog how to “say their prayers”, turn off the lights, spin and much more. Once your dog has learned, film it and put it up. Any dog can put on a Yoda costume but how much cooler is your dog for standing on their hind legs when you hold your hand out in the Vader chokehold pose?

2.) Hide treats throughout your house and watch your dog find them. Take your dog’s regular kibble or some delicious treats and hide them under pillows, in corners and under blankets. Let your dog into the room with the hidden treats and watch as your dog becomes the most adorable detective the internet has ever seen!

3.) Film a video of your dog using just a picture, I used pictures of my sisters dogs to make her think we threw a crazy party while she was away. One of my favorite apps to use is called My Talking Pet. It’s the best $.99 you’ll ever spend. Using a picture of your dog you identify where their mouth and eyes are, record yourself saying whatever you want, change the pitch of your voice and let the app put it all together. You can even string together conversations between your dogs using this app and a little editing.

There are so many options to make our dogs happy while still being the coolest kid in the virtual world. So, what are you doing reading this? You go out there and make quality viral material and make sure to give me a shout out when you get your 15 minutes of fame on Ellen.

Samantha Brown, Victoria Stilwell Graduate

Sam graduated with Distinction from the Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy.  While completing her studies she mentored under Tara. She is a Fear Free Certified Professional and is continuing to seek other ways to expand her knowledge base. Her background as a professional comedian compliments her skills as a trainer.  She volunteers at the local shelter and specializes in day training, kitty kindergarten, and class creation.

 

What is a clicker?

Some of us have heard of clicker training, but what is it? How is a click going to magically turn my dog into a perfect princess? Watch the video below to find out the use of the clicker, how it is effective, and how to properly use it!

 

So now you’re ready to efficiently start your training!! Just remember the three rules.

1.) Hold the clicker either behind your back or in your pocket.

2.) Make sure you only click once.

3.) Every time you click, you feed a treat.

Have fun training!!

Samantha Brown, Victoria Stilwell Graduate

Sam graduated with Distinction from the Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy.  While completing her studies she mentored under Tara. She is a Fear Free Certified Professional and is continuing to seek other ways to expand her knowledge base. Her background as a professional comedian compliments her skills as a trainer.  She volunteers at the local shelter and specializes in day training, kitty kindergarten, and class creation.

How to Choose a Dog Trainer

Dog Training is Unregulated

Did you know there are people out there claiming to be dog trainers with no certifications or education?

Did you know there is no legislation to stop this from happening?

Did you know there are some certified dog trainers that use outdated methods?

Don’t panic. I mean, panic a little. I need you to panic. That way you will look just a little closer at who you hire to train your pets, so they can become the loving family members you envision them to be.

How can you trust us?

Just like choosing a babysitter for our children this decision can be stressful. When you know what to look for there’s less stress.  That’s where we come in. Now how can you trust us? What’s to say we know what we are talking about? Did you see the images at the bottom of the page? Those certifications show how much investment we have made in our education.

Need help finding the dog trainer your dog deserves? Check this out!

I mean wow! This is not me bragging. I’m brand new to the industry and have only earned two of those badges. The rest are Tara’s. She’s been in the industry almost 10 years now. She has seen many sides to dog training and has read over 300 books. Just don’t ask her about it, she will downplay it like a popstar who’s hit song is about how they “don’t fit in with the cool crowd’. My point is, look for these types of certifications on your local dog trainer’s website. If you don’t see a certification on their website, chances are they don’t have one. Certifications aren’t cheap! You best believe we are going to wave our badge everywhere we can! If you see a badge and don’t recognize it, google it, check the methods, make sure it’s a positive reinforcement-based certification. Check the about page, or methods tab like we have here on Real Pet Behavior. Study pictures to check and see if the dogs are wearing harnesses or regular collars.

Remember those outdated methods I mentioned earlier?

Shock collars, prong collars, choke chains, and pinch collars are still used by some in our industry. These tools often appear effective immediately, but unfortunately can result in what trainers call “fallout”. Dogs often shut down and stop offering behavior, and this includes that adorable spin before going out to potty. The use of these tools may also cause aggression as a result of being hurt by the tools and associating this pain to the humans that used them.

What if I told you that training our way, using reward-based training, would be just as effective and you’d never have to jerk, pinch, or shock your dog again? You wouldn’t have any of the risks associated with using these tools.

Ready to find a trainer?

To make this decision easier we have designed some questions you might want to ask your next dog trainer with some keyword answers you want to listen for. Emailing us at [email protected] with your city enclosed is always an option. You can always talk face to face with us via virtual consults.

Now get out there and start training your dog!

Samantha Brown, Victoria Stilwell Graduate

Sam graduated with Distinction from the Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy.  While completing her studies she mentored under Tara. She is a Fear Free Certified Professional and is continuing to seek other ways to expand her knowledge base. Her background as a professional comedian compliments her skills as a trainer.  She volunteers at the local shelter and specializes in day training, kitty kindergarten, and class creation.