by Zak George
6. Dogs who eat poop don’t necessarily discriminate on the type of poop they consume. So, what should you do if you have a cat, and your dog is eating poop out of his litterbox? Use the same logic—make sure your dog doesn’t have access to the litterbox by putting it in an area only your cat can access. By managing your dog’s environment and rewarding good behavior often, you’ll have this taken care of in no time! As your dog gets out of the habit of eating poop, then she’s less likely to continue to want it. Good luck!
CHAPTER 14
HUMPING
Humping is a natural dog behavior. When a dog humps people or objects, it’s actually a very similar behavior to jumping, so you might notice some similarities in how I suggest handling it. When a dog humps other dogs, that’s a little different. I’ll cover both types of humping in this chapter.
WHY DO DOGS HUMP PEOPLE AND OBJECTS?
As with jumping, when dogs hump people or objects, it most often seems to occur when a dog is feeling playful or excited. Of course, regardless of the reason, humping can be pretty obnoxious, and you’ll want to discourage the behavior ideally before it even starts. However, it’s never too late to resolve this.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT HUMPING PEOPLE AND OBJECTS
From a training perspective, resolving humping is virtually identical to resolving jumping. Just know that this behavior quickly becomes a bad habit if it goes on too long, so work on stopping it sooner rather than later. Here’s how:
1. First, see your vet to make sure the humping isn’t due to a medical issue such as skin allergies, urinary incontinence, or a urinary tract infection.1 Also, you can ask your vet whether neutering or spaying might help reduce your dog’s behavior.
2. As with most unwanted energetic behaviors, exercise is key! If your dog is getting plenty of healthy play, then he won’t be as excited when, say, guests come over. In turn, he’ll be less likely to hump them.
3. Showing your dog the proper way to behave is critical. In this case, a sit and a stay should be the alternative behavior that you encourage. Also, humping behavior becomes pretty easy to anticipate as you get to know your dog. Therefore, being preemptive and asking for a sit and a stay any time you or others greet your dog teaches him the acceptable way to behave. Set up primary training sessions to handle this, similar to the ones I covered on jumping in chapter 6. For instance, you might have a friend or family member come over to your house so you can work on this specific issue.
4. If at any time your dog begins humping, simply redirect him by using a treat to lure him away from the person or object he’s humping. Then, ask for a sit and a stay. Always have your dog’s currency nearby—say, by the front door or wherever he is likely to hump—so that you are in a good position to reinforce the proper behavior. At first acknowledge subtle, brief success—say your dog sits and stays for a few seconds—and increase the duration as your dog starts reliably sitting and staying rather than humping.
WHY DO DOGS HUMP OTHER DOGS?
When dogs hump one another, it can mean a variety of things. For instance, humping can be sexual in nature, particularly for dogs who haven’t been spayed or neutered. However, both male and female dogs hump, as do dogs who have been fixed.2 Humping can certainly be a normal part of playing, too. For example, many younger dogs, especially those who haven’t been properly socialized, attempt to hump other dogs in social settings. It seems to be their way of gaining control over another dog—not in an aggressive way, but apparently as a way to say, “Stay here! I want to interact with you!”
WHAT TO DO ABOUT HUMPING OTHER DOGS
Keep in mind that humping isn’t always a bad thing. Context matters! If the dogs involved are behaving appropriately and seem to be tolerant of the humping, it may be fine. However, sometimes you’ll want to stop the behavior. Here’s how:
1. Again, first talk to your vet to make sure your dog’s humping isn’t due to a medical condition.
2. You might get some help from the other dogs themselves: many older, well-adapted dogs are quite good at letting younger dogs know that they need to back off. This may mean a quick harmless air snap or loud squeal. Often a few of these experiences is all it takes for dogs to learn not to hump other dogs.
3. Of course, there might be cases where you need to intervene. If you notice your dog is humping another dog and that dog seems unhappy about it, simply remove your dog from the situation and give him a brief time-out. Ask him to sit and give him a really tasty treat when he does. Once your dog seems to have chilled out a bit, let him resume playing. If he tries to hump again, give him another time-out, and consider making this one a bit longer. By redirecting your dog every time he begins to hump, he learns that humping isn’t a preferred behavior.
4. If your dog’s humping is way out of hand and he seems to hump every dog that comes across his path, then you’ll want to make sure he gets very vigorous exercise just before interactions with other dogs. Of course, if your dog has a bite history with other dogs, then you shouldn’t let him have easy access to other dogs he doesn’t know and get along with. Provided you are very consistent about bringing a prompt end to humping just before or as it begins, most dogs learn that this behavior brings an end to the fun—and they stop doing it.
CHAPTER 15
FEARS AND PHOBIAS
We’ve all met dogs who are total social butterflies. You know the type of dog I’m talking about: ones who always seem eager to jump in the car, explore new places, and become best friends with new people or other dogs. However, there are plenty of other dogs who instead become anxious and fearful around new people, animals, and even certain places and situations. Maybe your dog is afraid of a particular person. Maybe she thinks vacuum cleaners are the scariest things ever! Maybe the sound of the garbage truck coming down the street sends her into a total panic. Trust me, I’ve seen it all!
I often encounter fearful behavior with dogs I meet at my studio where I film my YouTube series. We have a thorough casting process, and I like to meet each dog and get to know them a little bit in order to find the video topic they’d be perfect for. However, not all dogs are immediately at ease in a new place. When I cast a dog for a particular lesson, I have to see how she reacts in my specific setting. For example, do the tall, top-heavy studio lights throw her off? Or can she not stand the idea of walking on wood floors? Or do new places in general cause her to act uncharacteristically? Or is she a little wary of me, a total stranger? I always make sure every dog is comfortable in the shooting environment. If a dog is not, that’s okay. I just shift gears. So, while I may intend to cast a dog for a basic lesson on fetch, if it turns out that she is too nervous to be in a playful mood, then I’ll instead make the video about the more interesting topic for that dog—getting her comfortable with strangers or in a new environment.
In this chapter, we’ll shed some light on why dogs are sometimes fearful and what to do to help put them at ease. First, it’s important to understand the difference between fear and phobias. Whereas fear is a survival mechanism and a normal, proportionate response to a particular threat or circumstance, a phobia is an excessive, persistent fear of a stimulus out of proportion to the threat it poses, explains Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, DACVB, an animal behaviorist and clinical instructor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.1
Naturally, the degree of fear varies from dog to dog. In some cases, a dog might quickly learn to no longer fear the things she was previously scared of. In more extreme cases, progress may be slow and improvement—not total success—may be the ultimate end goal. Most dogs fall somewhere in between, meaning that their fear or phobia may not be eliminated but improved to varying degrees. It’s always important to remember that it’s not fair to insist that our dogs just accept everything and everyone in their lives, just as it wouldn’t be fair to expect that of humans. Some people love skydiving, while others wouldn’t do it for a million dollars (myself incl
uded!). Well, for dogs, that vacuum cleaner, thunderstorm, or dog down the street who is ten times your dog’s size might very well be the equivalent from her perspective.
Of course, this is one of those topics that you need to tackle on a case-by-case basis. I’ll walk you through the basics of what to do in each situation. But if your dog is so fearful that it affects her day-to-day life—or yours for that matter—talk to your vet and possibly an animal behaviorist in your area.
SIGNS YOUR DOG IS AFRAID
How do you know if your dog is fearful of something? If you notice she’s suddenly displaying reserved or skeptical behavior, there is a good chance that she is feeling afraid. This could mean freezing up on a leash when she encounters a car driving down the street or retreating when a certain person approaches. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, the fear response may include any of the following symptoms:2
• Panting and salivation
• Tucked tail
• Lowered ears
• Gazing away
• Low body posture
• Piloerection (hair raised on the shoulder, back, and sometimes the tail)
• Vocalization
• Yawning
• Lip licking
• Avoidance and trying to escape
• Aggressive behaviors
These responses can vary greatly in terms of their degree of severity. Also, remember that you know your dog better than anyone, so you are in the best position to determine if she is afraid and why.
WHY DO DOGS BECOME FEARFUL?
Basically, there are a few reasons why dogs are fearful. First, just as some people are predisposed to be shyer or more scared than others, the same is true for our pets: some dogs are fearful because of genetics. They were born that way. In many other cases, a dog is afraid of something either because she has had a negative experience with it in the past or because she wasn’t properly exposed to it during the critical socialization period (which is typically between six and fourteen weeks). See this page, chapter 2, for more on the importance of socialization.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT A FEARFUL DOG
While I go over specific situations throughout the rest of this chapter, there are some essentials to dealing with a fearful dog no matter what she’s afraid of specifically. Here are the most important ones:
1. First and foremost, it’s essential that you have a strong bond with your dog. That is particularly true if she’s apprehensive. Your dog needs to trust you as you work through these sensitive issues together. See this page, chapter 1, for more on bonding with your dog.
2. Exercise helps tremendously with fears and phobias. I’m not saying it’s a cure-all with these issues as they often run deep and require committed attention and extra training, but it can go very far in making your dog’s uneasiness more manageable. This is especially true when exercise immediately precedes training—you’re more likely to be successful during sessions aimed at reducing your dog’s fear if she’s gotten some of her energy out first. So, a workout aimed at getting your dog panting a bit is a good idea before you tackle the training sessions I’ve outlined in this chapter. Of course, there are some dogs who are very low-energy and not likely to want to play fetch or go on a long walk. With these dogs, go straight into training.
3. When dealing with your dog’s fears, work on managing the situation so that she’s not exposed to the triggers for too long or at a distance or degree that’s too overwhelming for her. Instead, gradually desensitize her to those triggers and then work on counterconditioning. Also, let her choose the distance at which she’s most comfortable—so, if she’s afraid of, say, a particular person or object, don’t make her get close to that person or object. Yes, you can work on decreasing that distance over time, but you’ve got to do so at your dog’s pace.
4. Another part of managing the situation is timing: don’t wait to do this training when you really have to go to the place or encounter the person, animal, or object that your dog is scared of. Instead, practice in dedicated, primary training sessions so that you can completely focus on your dog.
5. Never punish your dog for being fearful. In fact, that’s the absolute worst thing you can do as it can make your dog even more afraid. Instead, if you remain understanding, calm, and patient, you are likely to make strong progress.
HANDLING A FEAR OF PLACES
To handle your dog’s fear, you need to attempt to change her emotional response to things that make her nervous or uneasy. Let’s say your dog is afraid of certain places or new places. Here’s what you can do:
1. The more a dog is in a place without something “bad” happening, the more likely she is to become accepting of that place. So, say your dog is fearful of your friend’s house for one reason or another. In this case, your job is to get your dog used to going to your friend’s house often so that she might become more at ease. This is desensitization.
2. It’s critical that you let your dog take in new environments on her own terms. This might mean that instead of going straight to your friend’s house (or whichever place makes your dog nervous), you might get her as close to the environment as you can without pushing her over her limit. So, in the case of your friend’s house, you might spend some time outside of the house. Or if your dog is frightened of congested sidewalks in a crowded city, you’ll need to find a place off the beaten path near those sidewalks to simply hang out and walk. For instance, sit at a café on a side street where your dog can see, hear, and smell everything happening on those congested sidewalks without being in the thick of things. The goal here is to slowly ease your dog into seeing people walk by and hearing the sounds of the city and realizing that the worst doesn’t happen.
3. Focus on normalizing the place in question by getting your dog to do some light play and general training at her working distance (the closest she can get to the thing that causes fear while she can still pay attention). Your intention is to bring some normalcy to her world. Since you’ve focused on training in other environments, this is just another environment, albeit a little tougher for your dog. You are taking advantage of the fact that she has good associations with these basic training drills in other places, and you are trying to get her to make those same associations in this place. At first, your dog’s fear may be too great to insist on too much training, but test her often to see how receptive she is to taking general direction from you. Nowhere is tiny progress more important than when addressing issues of anxiety or fear. Ask for a “sit,” “down,” or “look at me” to measure how willing your dog is to focus on normal requests. If you find that she is unresponsive to these skills when she is otherwise quickly willing to conform, this is a sign that your dog’s discomfort may be too great at this point in time. Continue focusing on letting her simply exist in the closest proximity you can while she’s still calm and relaxed.
4. Sometimes desensitization is enough to achieve the progress you’re seeking. However, for most dogs who are fearful, counterconditioning—changing an existing undesired per-ception to a desired one—is also appropriate. Bring top-notch treats that your dog loves and give them to her often just to reinforce that the place is totally fun and awesome! You want her to go from thinking, “This place is scary!” to “I get to show off my skills in this place and get some chicken. This place is awesome.”
HANDLING A FEAR OF THE GROOMER AND VET
Lots of dogs are specifically nervous at the groomer or the vet. And who can blame them? They’re often held still on a cold table while a stranger pokes and prods them. I certainly wouldn’t want to visit those places either!
Of course, such visits are often necessary, but how do you make your dog less afraid of these places? The key is to make sure that you spend time at those places outside of normally scheduled visits. Don’t wait until you actually have a vet or groomer appointment to teach your dog to overcome any
anxious feelings. Instead, talk to your vet or groomer about bringing your dog to the office or salon several times a month when you don’t have an appointment. Once there, give your dog time to adjust—which can take twenty minutes or longer. Just be low key and let her chill out at the vet or groomer without anything bad happening. By experiencing these places often, your dog is more likely to generalize them as “normal.”
Also, do some counterconditioning with basic training by giving her treats to communicate that this environment can mean getting things you really like! You might even ask the vet, groomer, and other staff members to ask your dog to sit and then give her treats. In other words, you want your dog thinking that the vet or groomer is a normal, fun environment—not a totally scary place.
What about when you have to go to these places for a real appointment? First, exercise your dog before the visit to help reduce her anxiety. Also, explain to, say, your vet that your dog is fearful and that you might need some help getting her to relax a little bit. Bring treats and encourage your vet and anyone who works at the office to reward your dog for any positive interaction. For example, as your dog steps on the scale and simply stays there for a moment, they can give her a reward. As they touch your dog for a moment, they can give her a reward. With very small steps like this, you are more likely to get your dog to accept the vet’s office. See my video How to Train Your Puppy to Love the Vet! for a vivid illustration of how to do this.