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It’s the new animal version of racism: terriers are all hyper and barky, small dogs bite, pit bulls are scary, and on and on.  And we’ve probably all heard that large dogs are prone to hip issues and barrel-chested dogs are more susceptible to bloat.  But maybe in a medical sense breed profiling could be useful.  Veterinarians are studying the mortality rates of different dog breeds to discover the truth behind which dogs actually tend to suffer from what diseases.  Is there some truth to all the myths?  Curious to see what you should be watching for in your dog?

The results are summarized here.

Yeah, they have needle teeth, I know.  But, it’s normal and even beneficial (seriously!) to have a puppy who mouths you.  Unfortunately for your hands and clothes…

Puppies play-bite because that’s how they interact naturally with other dogs with whom they’d like to play.  When they grab you with those little needle teeth, they’re simply trying to engage you in play or get your attention. Dogs have thicker skin than we do (not to mention fur), so it doesn’t hurt them when they play-bite each other. In fact they would probably be thrilled if you wanted to bite them back. (Not that I’m recommending that, though, unless you like flossing with dog fur.)

There are two schools of thought on puppy biting:

1) Let them bite.  Allow them to mouth your hands as much as they’d like; you’re interacting in a healthy way with your dog.  Don’t correct, but remove your hands when they bite too hard.  The thought is, teaching a dog “don’t EVER put your mouth on human hands!” actually teaches them nothing about just how hard one can bite down on us fleshy humans without hurting us, which could be valuable information for a dog to have in the future, if he’s ever afraid enough to bite.  The thinking is, he’ll know exactly how hard he can press down before injuring a person, and thus have more refined bite inhibition.

2) Not surprisingly, the second school of thought is, “don’t ever let your dog put his mouth on your skin!”  This makes sense too.  When a dog bites a human it is quite literally a capital offense – there is a chance he could be sentenced to death for it.  Dogs don’t understand this.  Perhaps in making human skin forbidden we could give them an idea of how serious this is.

It’s up to each individual pet owner to decide where their feelings on this issue lie.  I will tell you however, that no matter how much training or preparation a dog has, if he is scared enough and nothing else works, he WILL bite.  It is an animal’s last defense and you will never train that out him.  The real skill, and this can be done, is to raise a confident, well socialized dog who is better able to deal with stress and has excellent frustration tolerance and impulse control; the best way to start this is with a good Puppy Kindergarten class.

At any rate, if your hands are covered in scratches and you’re tired of it, here’s what to do. Make sure everyone who interacts with the puppy uses the same rules, whatever they are.

1) When you play with your dog, use a toy. Encourage your dog to bite it. Growling and energetic predatory behavior is okay.  “Oops I grabbed your hand!” is not okay.  End the game immediately.  No punishing, just leave. Count to twenty, start the game again.  Puppy will learn that if he bites you, you’re not going to play.  If he keeps his mouth on the toy, HAPPY AWESOME PLAY FUN TIME continues!!

2) If your puppy bites you (or, bites you too hard – again it’s up to you to decide what the rules are but be consistent) – the moment he hurts you – yelp like a puppy.  Don’t be shy – your yelp should be loud, high pitched, and will probably get everyone else in the room to look at you like you’re crazy (that’s how you know you’re doing it right!)  Then, get up and leave the room. That second step is crucial – if you don’t get up and leave, you’re just going to become a human squeaky toy. If you go to leave and your puppy is attached to your pant leg, have a baby gate handy and step over it, or lock yourself in the bathroom.  Again, count to twenty and return to your puppy and resume playing.  You’re doing a very condensed, simplified and slightly clumsy version of what another dog would do in this scenario.  Most puppies understand this with lots of repetition.

I do not advocate alpha rolling, pinching your dog’s lip against his teeth, jamming your hand down his throat, pinning him, flicking his nose, smacking him, or any other aversive punishment.  We want your dog to associate human hands with good things, not be afraid of them.  If your timing isn’t excellent, your dog may not even associate the punishment with something he did.  Scared dogs are more likely to bite.  (Trust me on this one – your veterinarian will thank you.)

And of course, the disclaimer: this is the quick and dirty version of puppy biting solutions.  All sorts of other factors (behavioral and otherwise) can come into play, so if you have any concerns or questions, just shoot me an email or phone call!

How dogs drink

So this is how it works!  Click! here!

What’s in a name?

Ask your parrot!  Up until about a month ago, it was thought that only humans, dolphins, and some songbirds use certain calls which distinguish different individuals within a social group. Now, research shows that “all wild parrots use unique “contact calls” that not only distinguish each bird individually, but also communicate their gender, and the mate and larger group they belong to.”  In other words, parrots call each other by name, gender, familial ties, and “rank.”

Take this as proof that although your bird may not always respond to his name, he does understand the concept, which is more than we can say for your dog

Even more compellingly, it seems that “the parents give the chicks their own call” – meaning that this naming is not a random sound emitted by the chick and responded to by others, or a genetically wired action, but that the parents are actually choosing a “name” for the chicks.

Of course, this then raises the question: when your bird calls you by name from across the house, does he really understand that he’s calling you, or is your name just fun to yell because it makes you show up? Your guess is as good as mine.

Click here to read more, and see an extremely cute video of baby parrotlets.

AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test

If you’ve already done basic training with your dog, and you’ve ever toyed with the idea of doing therapy work, or just want to mark a milestone in your dog’s progress, then you need a CGC test! This is a standardized evaluation sanctioned by the American Kennel Club which certifies (yes, your dog gets a real AKC certificate!) that your dog is a well mannered “canine good citizen.”

In the feedback survey I asked y’all to fill out in April, you said that you were crunched for both time and money.  Well, that makes approximately 1 million of us

Fur and Feather Works proudly presents: One-month classes in Reno! Yes, that’s right, classes offered in Reno are now only a four-week commitment, and the new price reflects the reduced time commitment.  Classes begin the first Monday of the month, and end 4 weeks later – simple, sweet, easy, and effective!  They fit better into your schedule, your brain, AND your wallet!

This also means that if you miss a class you can just hop in on the corresponding week next month.  If the new schedule continues to be as efficient as it’s been so far, 4 week classes will be offered in Carson City as well.  Let’s enjoy this experiment together, shall we?   It’s about time dog training kept up with the fast pace of our lives today!

I feel confident saying that this was the best Art Paws and Wine Festival yet!  Thank you to everyone who came by to say hello and share the shade (and dog treats!) in my booth.

Some snapshots from the day …

Wow, what a fantastic booth!

If you're looking for me at an event, look for this.

My next door booth neighbor, Harry (a very large Cavalier King Charles Spaniel)

Silly cavvie is silly

A dog in a hat, sunglasses, and a pearl necklace. Go figure.

Dachshund in sunglasses. Somehow, Dachshunds always seem too cool for school.

These 2 lovely borzois came to visit my freeze-dried liver.

Nice to meet you, Mr. freeze dried liver. Would you care to join me for lunch?

ETA: Not sure why the pictures are so blurry.  They’re not usually like that.  Sorry about that.

Training Tidbit – April 2011

The Golden Rule of animal training: Don’t ever, ever call your pet to you (or ask your bird to step up) then punish them.  Animals are not stupid; they learn by association and consequences, and if there is an unwanted consequence for coming to you, they will be reluctant to do it again!  Especially if you do this more than once.

You’ll also have to consider what your pet views as a “punishment.”  Sure, a time-out, scolding, or taking something away from them (GIVE me back my sock, you bad dog!) is obviously a punishment.  But, look at it from your pet’s perspective.  If your dog loves playing in the park, clipping on the leash and going home is a punishment.  If he doesn’t like go outside in the rain, putting him out to potty in the rain will be a punishment.  If your bird hates getting a shower, that is a punishment.  If your cat hates going in her carrier, that is a punishment.  Look at it from your pet’s perspective.  Is it a consequence they’d enjoy, or one they’d dislike?

If you need to do one of these despised things to your pet, you have several options:
1. Call me for a private lesson. I will teach you how to help your pet enjoy these things; then there will be no worries about accidentally punishing them!
2. Go get your pet.  This is why dogs wear collars.   If you have a parrot or a cat, good luck with that.  (see option 1 above!)
3. Bribe.  This is not our favorite option, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures, and it’s better than ruining your recall (or step-up). And don’t use your recall word!  Just show the animal what you’ve got, then wait for them to approach.

The bottom line: no matter how much you want to throttle your little friend, reinforce the behavior of coming to you.  This will make he behavior likely to happen again when you need it most.  Then change your pet’s environment or training so that your dog can’t steal your sock, your parrot can’t harass your cat, the cat loves going in her carrier, etc.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results!

Next month we will discuss the difference between reinforcement and bribery (there’s a big one!)  and why we prefer one over the other.

If you have an idea for the Training Tidbit, just let me know!

Thank you so much to David, Jana and Bear for taking these last summer.  They were all so tiny and cute!  I’m in touch with all of these people, and I can safely say that all of these dogs are doing very well indeed!

June 2010 Puppy class

Jackson: candidate for Cutest Puppy Ever Award?

"Funny Hat or Sunglasses Day" - for extra socialization!

Jackson and Tobi: learning to share is very important for puppies!

exploring the tunnel

Puppy Playtime is carefully moderated to make sure everyone comes away with good experiences. Here I hold Bear back so Jackson can leave if he wants to. (He never did - Jackson can hold his own)

Why do they always choose to play *on* the humans? It's a well-known puppy class mystery.

learning to lie down

The last class is always bittersweet - it goes so fast!

You only graduate from Puppy class once! (unless you decide to take it again...)