Resource guarding is a natural, normal canine behavior. In fact it’s a normal behavior for most warm-blooded animals. Even we humans guard our resources – sometimes quite fiercely. Think about it. We lock our doors. Store clerks have loaded .22 rifles under checkout counters, while homeowners keep shotguns and baseball bats leaning in the corner by the back door. Banks keep valuables in vaults. Some of us get insanely jealous if someone pays too much attention to our significant other.
Dogs guard their resources as well, sometimes quite fiercely. This is most troublesome when they guard from humans, but can also get them in hot water when they guard from other dogs. That said, some dog-dog guarding behavior is quite appropriate and acceptable.
As an example: In a dog park or doggie daycare, Dog A is chewing happily on a (insert any valuable resource here). Curious, Dog B approaches. Dog A gives Dog B “the look.” Dog B quickly defers, saying “Oh, excuse me!” by calmly turning and walking away. No harm done. Much of the time the dogs’ owner isn’t even aware that this occurred.
This is the ideal resource-guarding scenario. Many times, however, other, less appropriate scenarios occur.
To read about these scenarios along with advice on how to recognize the signs of resource-guarding and ways to reduce, eliminate and prevent it, read Whole Dog Journal‘s ebook Resource Guarding.
An important skill for impulse control is the ability to settle down in the face of excitement. There is a lot of value in “installing an off switch” in your dog! It translates into the ability to get your dog to settle on cue even when she is very excited. This is especially useful when you want to let your dog know that an activity or a game has ended. Some high-energy dogs simply don’t know when to stop, and they can keep going long after you’ve already tired of the activity.
An effective way to turn off activity in an action-loving dog is to teach an “all done” cue. This one doesn’t specifically tell the dog what to do – it just signals to her that the activity is over. Use any cue that makes sense to you, such as “All done!” or “That’s all!”.
The sooner you “install” an off-switch in your high-energy, activity-persistent dog, the better. Remember, the longer the reinforcement history for persistence, the more persistent she’ll be.
Start teaching this behavior by engaging in your dog’s favorite activity – say, fetching a ball.
After a reasonable period of fetch time, say “All done!” and put the ball away, out of sight, perhaps in a nearby cupboard.
Give your dog a reasonable alternative that she can do by herself, such as emptying a stuffed Kong.
Go sit down and occupy yourself with something, such as reading a book, watching TV, or web-surfing.
Ignore any attempts on your dog’s behalf to re-engage you, such as going to the cupboard and barking, or bringing you a different toy. Don’t even repeat your off-switch cue, just ignore her.
Warn all other nearby humans to similarly ignore her attempts to engage them in activity when she’s been given the “All done” cue.
Be prepared to quietly (so as not to get her aroused again) praise her when she finally lies down and starts to chew on the stuffed Kong.
Use your off-switch cue every time you end a play session with her favorite activity, and don’t give in if she persists. The more consistent you are, the sooner you will see her resign herself to the fact that the fun really is over when you say it is.
If your dog does not like to fetch a ball, try another similar “get excited and settle” game such as running around together with a stop and settle. Or, play tug-and-drop, or try playing with a flirt pole (a toy on the end of a rope, which is fastened to a pole) to get your dog running, and then incorporate the stop and settle.
Looking for more ways to teach your high-energy dog to chill out and relax? With Calm Down Rover from Whole Dog Journal, you’ll have instant access to vital training techniques. We all owe it to our dogs to understand why they act the way they do.
Dog trainers like to say that our dogs do what works for them. The thought behind that concept is that dogs are extraordinarily good at figuring out how to get what they want. Consciously and unconsciously, they constantly weigh their circumstances and make decisions about where the most benefit for them resides. What’s the most fun? Where are the most calories? Which is the most comfortable bed? Which person in the family is most likely to give them a treat, or scratch them the way they like the most?
The reason trainers tell you this is so that you don’t take your dog’s opportunistic decisions personally, or ascribe any evil intent to them when they choose chasing a squirrel over coming when called. Of course, chasing a squirrel is more fun than coming to you, even if you are armed with handfuls of delicious treats!
We can use our superior knowledge of animal behavior to manipulate their actions, though. Through a great number of trials, we can “condition” them to value coming when called, with a rich history of giving them things they value highly when they respond to our recall cue. With a rich enough reinforcement history – and not nearly as many opportunities to chase a squirrel – when momentarily caught between the stimulus of spotting a squirrel on the back fence and hearing our recall cue, their internal calculator should almost instantly tell them that the most reinforcing, enjoyable, sure thing to do would be to speed back toward you for treats or a session of tug with their favorite toy.
This can fail, though, if the reinforcement history of their squirrel chasing is richer and/or longer than their history of receiving reinforcement from you. If they get to chase squirrels daily, or perhaps have been chasing squirrels for months before you decided it was problematic and started trying to teach them to come away from the squirrels when you call – well, you’re fighting an uphill battle. You’re going to have to beat that ratio, by a lot, and for a long enough time that the thrill that courses through their body when they spot or hear a squirrel begins to fade. Ideally, you’ll reinforce the coming-when-called behavior with something that lights them up as much as squirrel-chasing did – that’s hard to do!
It will help immensely if you can somehow prevent their access to seeing, hearing, and much less chasing squirrels while you are building the reinforcement history for coming-when-called. You need time to build a mountain of reinforcement on the coming-when-called side of the decision calculator, and you can’t build a bigger mountain on that side if the contractors are building just as fast – or faster – on the squirrel-chasing side.
Bringing this all back home
As an old boyfriend who was prone to telling long stories used to say to me, I told you all that so I could tell you this:
I have been having really good success with calling 10-month-old Boone away from all sorts of distractions. We live on a corner in a rural area, on a two-acre lot, so we have a looooong fence line. When people walk or jog or bike by our house, it gives my dogs a looooong opportunity to spot the people – and potentially run to the fence and run along barking.
Dogs who bark, bark, bark without any interest or intervention from their owners is one of my pet peeves. I love for my dogs to alert me to potential intruders – but I also want them to have enough judgment to not bark when people are just passing by. I’ve spent literally hundreds of dollars on high-value treats and foods and toys so that I can richly reinforce my dogs for coming when I call them away from barking at passersby. Since I was fostering Boone since he was about 6 weeks old, long before I decided to keep him, he’s had nearly zero reinforcement history of unfettered barking at squirrels or people, or chasing either of those tempting targets down the fence line, and a ton of reinforcement for coming when called.
Remember, I work at home, so I have opportunities to do this literally all day long. I’ve done this so consistently with Boone that now, when he spots a person walking down the road, he will often let out a woof, start to run toward them, and then, without my calling him at all, turn and run at top speed to my office to receive the treat he knows will be there for him. Woohoo! Good Boone! Good Nancy!
I might have to call him if the person outside my fence is more exciting, though. People walking dogs or walking with little children are more tempting to investigate. A squirrel on the fence or running across the power lines in front of our house? That’s getting a little more exciting. Someone delivering a package to the gate is even more tempting – they might try to open the gate and come in! But still, with a high rate of reinforcement, he’s been doing great. I can call him back to me from any of those situations. He’s been doing absolutely super – and then, the other day, it all fell apart.
Squirrels: Our new nemesis
Last week, I heard Boone barking with an unfamiliar excitement in his voice, and so instead of waiting for him to return on his own, or calling him without knowing what he was barking at (it may have been an intruder, after all), I rushed out of my office toward the lawn in front of my house. As I approached, I could hear a squirrel chittering and could see Boone leaping in the air around a tall oak tree in our front yard. Whew, no intruder. I called him once, and he glanced toward me, but with the proximity of the squirrel, and my lack of proximity (I was still maybe 50 yards away), his decision calculator said, “Don’t go to her! Stay here! You’ve got this sucker!”
No big deal. I wasn’t worried; the squirrel was a good 20 feet off the ground. I would call Boone away when I got closer and anyway, I figured I should take a photo before calling him. Honestly, it was a good photo opportunity! I always have my phone in my pocket, and the light was perfect for capturing a photo of a dog leaping at a tree with a squirrel in it! I could use that photo in the magazine! And then call him off. That was my plan, anyway.
I took several photos as I walked closer, and was just about to call him when the unthinkable happened. Inexplicably, the squirrel attempted to leap from the top of the tree to another tree, but he missed the catch, and fell 20 feet through the air, landing on the grass about three feet in front of Boone. For a split second, all three of us were frozen in shock. And then Boone dived for the squirrel, and it ran frantically for the fence, about 20 feet away, with Boone snapping at his heels. He slipped through the chain link with Boone about a centimeter behind him.
Needless to say, this event was an 11 on the 1 to 10 scale of “things that get dogs berserk.” Boone looked like someone had plugged him into a light socket; he was electric with excitement. Calling him away from the fence? Impossible. He had zero brain cells available to respond to my call; they were all taken up with the task of figuring out WHERE DID THE SQUIRREL GO AND WHEN WILL IT BE BACK? HOW DID I MAKE IT FALL OUT OF THE SKY LIKE THAT? I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN! I actually picked Boone up and carried him, struggling, away from the scene. It took him a good hour to calm all the way down.
And now, despite my hundreds of dollars of spending on treats and toys, and thousands of repetitions of getting reinforced for coming when called, if there is a squirrel chittering in the trees, my mountain of reinforcement history transforms in a moment into a molehill of tasteless gravel. Ugh.
We will start rebuilding our mountain, one slow pebble at a time, but dang you, squirrel! What were you thinking?!
The only good news here is that his recall is still superb when humans walk by. Just this morning I easily called Boone away from barking at the kids who were waiting for their school bus just outside our fence. As long as none of them launch themselves over our fence and challenge Boone to a footrace, we should be okay.
A dog with red eyes around the tissues, but not the eyeball, may be suffering from a mild infection or an allergy. Additional symptoms like swelling or signs of pain like squinting increase the potential seriousness of the red eyes. Credit: Freila / Getty Images
The seriousness of red eyes in a dog depends partially upon what part of the dog’s eye is red. If the eyes are red around the outside tissues (the conjunctiva), relax a little. While you can’t ignore a dog with eyes red around the outside, it’s unlikely to be vision-threatening. Red conjunctiva is often coupled with some discharge that ranges from clear to thick pus.
If both of your dog’s eyes are red, it may be eye allergies or an infection, although it is most likely an allergic reaction to some sort of pollen. Like allergies, mild dog eye infections symptoms include red and swollen eyes. And, while your dog needs a vet visit, it isn’t a middle of the night trip to the emergency clinic problem. (Interestingly, if your dog’s eyes only look red at night, that’s likely a normal reflection of light from red blood cells in the back of the dog’s eyes.)
A home remedy for red eyes around the outside is to gently compress the eye with a warm washcloth and remove any discharge or dried-on debris. Then flush the eyes thoroughly with artificial tears or an eye wash. Do not use any human medications for allergic eyes without consulting your veterinarian first. Try to prevent your dog from rubbing his face on the rug, furniture, or his paws.
If the dog’s eyeball is red and accompanied by squinting, pain, and/or discharge, your dog needs to be seen. An eye problem can go from minor to serious very quickly, so get your dog to your veterinarian as soon as possible.
Trauma can cause bleeding of blood vessels in the sclera (white portion of your dog’s eye). This can be caused by being hit by a car or any head trauma, and the dog needs a veterinary exam right away.
Glaucoma and uveitis are inner-eye conditions that are painful and can cause a red eye. Left untreated, these conditions can lead to blindness. Uveitis is an infection, while glaucoma is a buildup of dangerous pressure inside the eyeball. Dry eyes and corneal damage can both cause a reddish appearance to your dog’s eyes. These are also conditions that require a veterinary consultation and treatment.
You’ve determined the source from which you want to acquire your next dog, or at least identified which sources are the most likely candidates for you. The next question is how. How do you decide which dog is the right one?
Let’s assume the family has come to agreement about breed, or at least variables like size and type. If you’re purchasing a pup from a responsible breeder, she will guide you in selecting the best pup for your circumstances and dog-owning goals. If you want to show or compete, she’ll have a good idea which of her pups are best suited for that. If you want a family companion, she’ll identify which pups in the litter are best suited for that role.
On the other hand, if she thinks your situation is totally unsuited for her breed – an active Border Collie or vocal Sheltie in a small apartment – she’ll tell you that too, and then decline to sell you a puppy. Take her advice to heart, rethink your adoption choice, and don’t just go get a puppy of the same breed from a less responsible source.
If you’re adopting from a good shelter or rescue, they will already have performed behavior assessments on your pool of prospective adoption choices, and will help you make an educated selection. If you’re doing a private adoption or looking to a group that doesn’t assess, you’ll want to do your own assessment to explore a few behaviors before you adopt. Ideally, you will share your home with your new dog for the next 10 or more years, so make sure he’s the dog you really, really want, not one you just felt really sorry for at the shelter.
If you are a novice dog owner, we recommend taking along a more knowledgeable friend, or a behavior/training professional who offers pet selection services, to help you with your decision. If you are reasonably knowledgeable about dogs and dog behavior, you should be able to determine at least some basic important qualities about your prospective adoptee on your own.
Things to look for include:
Does the dog happily approach to greet you? A fearful dog is probably not well-socialized, and it will take a lot of work (behavior modification) to help him become “normal.” Love is not enough! Unless you are very skilled in training and behavior and ready to commit to a significant behavior modification program, we suggest you resist the temptation to rescue a shy dog, and instead adopt a friendly one. Friendly dogs need homes, too!
Does the dog play well? He may or may not play with toys (some dogs need to be taught how to play with toys), but will he follow you and romp a little with you? Does he get too aroused while playing, mouthing you, jumping on you, and unwilling to calm down when you’re ready to stop? Does he have a playful world view, or does he seem very serious? Again, a playful dog will be easier to train and bond with; a serious one may be more challenging to motivate and interact with.
Is he easily aroused? Most pups bite some, as they explore their world with their mouths. But adolescent dogs and adults should have learned that putting teeth on humans isn’t acceptable behavior. If the dog in question gets over-aroused easily, to the point of hard biting, non-stop biting, biting clothes, or growling, snapping, and snarling, he’s a good one to avoid.
If the dog will take treats, can you get him to sit? Put the treat right at the end of his nose, and slowly move it back over his head. If he jumps up to get it, whisk it out of sight for a second, then try again. When he sits, say “Yes!” and feed him a bit of the treat, then try again. If he starts offering sits for your treat after a few repetitions, you have a solid-gold winner. If it’s difficult to get him to sit, and/or he doesn’t seem to get the idea after several repetitions, he’ll be a more challenging dog to train.
Try holding him close and looking at his teeth a few times in a row, then (carefully!) hugging him. If he resists restraint and becomes aroused, pulling away from you, perhaps even using his teeth, he probably won’t be a warm, cuddly dog – which is fine if that’s not what you want. Probably not a good choice for kids, though, who tend to want a lot of physical contact with their canine pals.
Speaking of kids, the dog will need to meet any human youngsters in your immediate family, and should absolutely adore them. Any reluctance on the dog’s part to engage with the kids should rule him out as an adoption prospect. Dogs who live with kids need to love them, not just tolerate them. You should also introduce your adoption prospect to any dogs you currently own before making a final commitment to adopt. Again, ideally you’ll see joyful acceptance on both sides of the canine equation. Anything less is a sign that behavior work might be necessary to keep peace in the pack.
For an expanded list of things to look for and lookout for when looking for a new dog, purchase Whole Dog Journal‘s ebook Adopting a Dog The Right Way.
Excerpted from Puppy Basics by Pat Miller, CPDT and Nancy Kerns
There’s lots of puppy stuff you’ll need to make your puppy comfortable, happy, and successful as he learns to adapt to your alien environment.
Crate. A crate is an indispensable behavior management tool; it facilitates housetraining and prevents puppy misbehavior by keeping your dog safely confined when you’re not there to supervise. It allows you to sleep peacefully at night and enjoy dinner and a movie without worrying about what the pup is destroying. (Check out WDJ’s Ebook on Crate Training if you need extra help.)
Puppy pen/exercise pen. This is another extremely useful management tool, but it expands the “den” concept of a crate to a slightly larger area, giving a pup more room to stretch her legs, yet still keeping her in a safe, confined area. Many people include a “restroom” facility, by using a tarp underneath the pen and newspapers on top of that at one end.
Tether. This is a short (about four feet in length) plastic-coated cable with sturdy snaps at both ends. Tethers are intended to temporarily restrain a dog for relatively short periods of time in your presence, as an aid in a puppy supervision and house-training program, and as a time-out to settle unruly behavior. They should not be used as punishment, or to restrain a dog for long periods in your absence.
Collar, ID tag, leash, and harness.
Seat belt. Use a restraint that fastens to your car’s seat belts and your dog’s harness (never a collar) to keep her safe, and safely away from the driver.
Clicker. Properly used as a reward marker, a clicker significantly enhances your communication with your furry friend and speeds the training process.
Treats. A clicker, of course, is nothing without an accompanying reward. We use treats as the primary reward to pair with the clicker because most dogs can be motivated by food, and because they can quickly eat a small tidbit and get back to the training fun.
Long line. A lightweight, strong, extra-long leash (10 to 50 feet), the long line is an ideal tool to help your dog learn to come reliably when called regardless of where you are or what other exciting things are happening.
Kong toys. If we could buy only one toy for our dog, it would be a Kong, a chew-resistant (not chew-proof), rubber toy with a hollow center. A Kong can be used “plain” as a toy, but makes an irresistible treat for any dog when stuffed with kibble or treats that are held in place with something like peanut butter, cream cheese, or yogurt.
Balls, interactive toys, fetch toys.
Grooming tools. Choose combs and brushes appropriate for your dog’s type of coat (ask a groomer or vet), shampoo and conditioner, scissors, nail clippers, cotton balls, and toothbrushes. Start using these tools on your puppy early, pairing the experience with tasty treats so she forms a positive association with the task.
House cleaning tools.
For more information on bringing home a new puppy, read the ebook Puppy Basics from Whole Dog Journal.
small dog with a blue collar is walking on outdoors
Remember that barking is normal behavior for dogs. It is a form of communication. Most dogs bark some of the time and often for very good reasons. Here are some of the most common:
They are excited! There are many potential triggers for excitement barking. Perhaps your dog barks when you first come home or when a friend comes to the door. Dogs who bark when they are excited may bark in play, or when they see something they like, or when they are amped up for no apparent reason.
They want something. This is often called demand barking, but in my house, we call it bossy barking. I live with herding dogs and they do tend to take charge. “Hey, don’t you know it is time for a walk?!”
Demand barking is also common when training with food – when dogs get frustrated because the treats aren’t coming fast enough, for example, they may bark to remind you to keep the food flowing. Barking is also one of the ways that dogs have to ask for what they want or need. A dog may bark when she needs to go outside to potty, and this may be a very good thing!
They are alerting us to something. Most dogs alert-bark to some degree. They may bark when someone comes up to the house, or when there is an unusual noise, or when another dog in the neighborhood barks.
Most of us appreciate some degree of alert barking (for example, I’d be very happy with my dog if she barked if someone were trying to break into my house). The problem with alert barking comes when our dogs are barking at things that people think are inconsequential or when they continue barking when we think they should stop.
They are afraid. We all have things that scare us and so do our dogs. Recently, I was walking with my dog on a familiar path, a place we walk almost daily. As we came around a bend, there in the middle of the path was a pile of boulders. My dog was so surprised by this new thing in our path that she became very afraid –and barked like crazy.
This type of startle barking is relatively common in adolescent dogs like Shadow. Once she stopped barking, we went and investigated the boulders and she realized they were just rocks and all was good. Some dogs, however, have more significant fears – they may be afraid of men, or kids, or other dogs, or hats, or skateboards. When a dog barks because of an ongoing fear, that fear will need to be addressed before the barking problem can be solved.
They don’t do well when alone. Many dogs will experiment with barking when they are alone and bored. Maybe they bark at the squirrels or the neighbor’s dog. Boredom barking often has elements of alert barking, excitement barking, or demand barking. But barking when home alone can also be a symptom of separation distress or anxiety. When dogs are barking when home alone, we need to figure out why in order to effectively help our dogs.
For more advice on how to understand and manage your dog’s barking, download and read Whole Dog Journal’s exclusive ebook Stop Barking.
Excerpted from an article by Mardi Richmond, CPDT-KA
Just say no to bark collars, air horns, squirt bottles, and other punishments. There are several reasons I don’t use this type of punishment for barking.
First, I don’t like to do anything to my dog that is intimidating or that causes pain or fear. Shock collars work by creating pain, noisemakers such as air horns work by scaring the dog, citronella collars and squirt bottles work by startling the dog or creating an unpleasant sensation. I do not want to do any of these things to my dog.
Also, I don’t think they are particularly effective in most situations. I will confess that in my distant past, I have used all of these in attempts to curb barking behavior. While I sometimes saw a short-term change in the behavior, in the long run the barking always returned. (And the few times I have seen punishment effectively stop barking, a kinder choice would have worked as well.)
Finally, the fallout from using these devices can be significant. Shock collars can cause aggression issues, noisemakers can add to startle and sound issues, and squirt bottles can make your dog want to avoid you! Enough said.
For more advice on how to understand and manage your dog’s barking, download and read Whole Dog Journal’s exclusive ebook Stop Barking.
Typically, symptomatic behaviors may begin either as the anxious dog’s human prepares to depart, or immediately after they leave. The behavior may continue for 30 to 60 minutes or longer, and in more extreme cases, for the entire length of the owner’s absence – even as much as eight to 10 hours. Destructive behavior is one of the most obvious and difficult signs of separation or isolation anxiety (SA or IA), but it is not the only one. Here are others that can be seen in some (but not all) dogs with SA or IA:
Velcro Dog – SA and IA dogs tend to be clingy even when owners are home – following their humans from room to room, and lying as close as possible when owners are seated. The dog may also frantically try to follow his human every time she walks out the door, even if she’s just going out to get the mail or newspaper.
Pacing – As you make preparations to leave, your dog recognizes the pending event, and begins to stress – often pacing, panting, and whining in anticipation of your departure.Vocalization – It is not uncommon for SA/IA dogs to be very vocal when their humans are gone.
House Soiling – Extreme stress can cause your dog to urinate and defecate indoors. He can’t help it.
Anorexia – Many dogs with SA/IA will not eat or drink when left alone. (This renders the often-given suggestion to give the dog a food-stuffed Kong or other toy relatively useless.)
Crate Intolerance – Dogs with SA/IA often will experience an even greater degree of panic if they are confined in a crate. Dogs who are destructive in the home due to immaturity and/or lack of house manners are often crated to protect the home, but this is generally not a viable option for SA/IA dogs. Panicked dogs have injured themselves and even died in the process of trying to escape from their crates.
For more details and advice on ways to prevent and cure canine separation anxiety, read Whole Dog Journal’s ebook Separation Anxiety.
Here are some tips for those who have already adopted a shy guy.
Locate a qualified positive behavior professional who can work with you to help your dog become more comfortable in his world. Try the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (iaabc.org) or Truly Dog Friendly (trulydogfriendly.com) for good lists of positive behavior professionals.
Have a solid understanding of counter-conditioning and desensitization (CC&D), and make a strong commitment to practice this with your dog every single day.
Read about the Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) procedure and consult with your behavior professional to determine if this procedure might be a useful behavior modification tool in your dog’s program.
Teach your dog to target (to touch his nose to a designated target on cue). Dogs get confident about targeting (most love it!), and you can use the behavior to help him be more confident in situations where he’s mildly to moderately fearful.
Assertively protect your dog from unwanted advances by well-meaning strangers who want to pet your dog. You must not let people pet or harass him until he is socialized enough to tolerate petting and harassment.
Be prepared for heartache. Some poorly socialized dogs respond well to remedial socialization and grow into reasonably well socialized adult dogs. Others don’t.
Try not to pay attention to, much less encourage, your dog when he’s chasing or biting at his tail. The behavior can develop into an obsessive or compulsive one in some dogs. Photo by Zuberka, Getty Images.
Dogs chase their tails for many reasons. Not sure if you should laugh it off or intervene? Here’s what you need to know.
Puppies often bite their tails as a part of their natural exploration and development. It’s like a toy – right there – attached to her body! And it’s moving, often erratically, as the puppy moves – it must be caught! At the other end of the life cycle, an older dog might engage in tail chasing as a repetitive behavior; this is not uncommon as aging dogs experience cognitive decline. And there are several more reasons in between:
Boredom and Excess Energy. A dog who lacks sufficient mental and physical stimulation may resort to tail chasing as self-entertainment and to burn off some steam. This can be especially common in younger dogs and breeds known to be highly energetic. If your dog spends the work day home alone, consider recruiting a friend or professional dog walker to help break up the day or look for a well-run dog daycare as a source of enrichment and an outlet for energy.
Medical Reasons. Allergies and parasites can also lead to tail-chasing behavior. Fleas, other parasites, and even environmental allergies can make the dog’s tail and hindquarters itchy, and they might spin and try and catch their tail in order to bite at it to relieve the itching. Also, in some dogs, tail chasing can be an obsessive behavior. If your dog’s tail chasing feels excessive or compulsive in nature, consult your veterinarian and a qualified positive-reinforcement trainer for help.
Attention Seeking. It’s hard not to laugh at a dog whirling itself into a dizzying frenzy in pursuit of the seemingly just-out-of-reach extension of its backbone. Dog chases its tail, we laugh, dog notices our attention to his shenanigans, and voilà! The tail chasing has been reinforced! You might think treats reign supreme when it comes to reinforcing behavior, but attention is a big deal – especially when you’re busy and not directly engaging with your dog.
If your dog’s tail chasing is infrequent, doesn’t last for long periods, and you can easily redirect him to another activity, it’s likely just a harmless behavior she enjoys – and it’s totally OK to laugh. If the tail chasing bothers you, make a point not to laugh – act like your dog is invisible. Once he stops chasing his tail, calmly redirect his attention to another activity such as chewing a favorite bone on his bed and offer calm praise (attention!) for that behavior instead.
Singleton puppies miss out on opportunities to learn basic canine communication and behavioral coping skills from their littermates, sometimes setting them up for frustration and sensitivity to handling later in life.
Occasionally a mother dog gives birth to just one puppy – often called a “singleton” pup. Fortunately it’s a relatively rare occurrence, although more likely to occur in small breeds, as they tend to have smaller litters anyway. Sometimes called “single puppy syndrome,” this can result in lifelong behavior challenges for the unfortunate baby dog who has no siblings to teach her important social skills. The good news is that while your singleton pup may offer you some behavioral challenges, she is not likely to suffer from significant health issues as a result of her singleton status.
Why Does Single Puppy Syndrome Happen?
A puppy’s critical socialization period occurs from 3 weeks of age to 12 to14 weeks. During this time puppies crawl over each other, play together, and squabble over access to mom’s milk bar.
Puppies bite each other in play, and if one bites too hard the other pup may yelp and stop playing. This is how puppies learn bite inhibition. Without littermates to teach this behavior, a puppy doesn’t learn to control her mouth pressure – much to the dismay of her future human family.
Other problems commonly found in singleton pups include being unable to problem-solve calmly, low tolerance for frustration, poor social skills, poor impulse control, and sensitivity to touch and handling.
What if I Have a Singleton Puppy?
Ideally the breeder of a singleton pup will find another similar-age litter with which to spend those first weeks so she has more normal experiences as a young puppy. If this didn’t happen, you’ll need to teach bite inhibition and handle your puppy a lot to avoid touch sensitivity issues. Have her spend time with other similar age and size puppies as much and as early and as often as possible during the first 12 weeks so she learns social skills.
If it’s too late for that, plan on doing extra behavior modification work to help your pup overcome her early social deprivation – lots of interaction with socially appropriate dogs, conditioning to handling, redirecting her hard mouth to toys, and teaching her to bite only gently. (See: “Teaching Your Puppy Bite Inhibition” and “How to Train Your Dog to Accept Husbandry Chores“).
A couple of days ago, I received a text from a dog-training client, wondering about a video she had just watched—and which she linked in the text. “Is meat meal bad for dogs?” she asked. She followed that message with, “I get that she’s selling her own pet food, but is it (meat meal) that bad?”
