Zak George's Guide to a Well-Behaved Dog

by Zak George

  2. The more time that passes and the less pressure you put on your dog, the more likely things are to improve. Some dogs just need a few minutes to check people out at a distance. The same goes for people in public. Go out of your way to find lots of low-key public places, like parks, where your dog can do this. As your dog becomes more comfortable, you can focus on desensitizing her at closer ranges.

  3. Assuming your dog isn’t likely to bite out of fear, encourage your guest or someone at the park to get low to the ground and offer their hand to be sniffed. Then give the person a great treat to give to your dog. At first, your guest may need to toss the treat from several feet away. That’s fine! If your dog learns that she receives treats from strangers routinely and that nothing bad happens, she’s likely to become much less fearful over time. If, however, your dog is too stressed out by the person, then you yourself can offer treats and request normal behaviors like “sit” and “down.” Of course, reward generously in these cases.

  4. If you find that your dog is particularly uneasy around people in uniform, in big hats, or any other quirky thing, apply the same advice I’ve covered in this chapter. In a nutshell: Do lots of meticulous counterconditioning exercises to create the association that being around such things yields great outcomes for your dog. And, as always, go slowly!

  HANDLING A FEAR OF OBJECTS

  If your dog is afraid of objects like vacuums, umbrellas, or anything else, you can use a simple formula to make dramatic progress. Let’s take vacuums. Rather than just turning one on as normal, set up a training session. Turn the vacuum on for a fraction of a second and give your dog a treat. Do this several times in a row. Work up to one or two seconds. Reward generously if your dog remains calm.

  If your dog gets too nervous, then you are probably going too fast. Slow down! It’s perfectly fine for this to take several training sessions before seeing lots of progress. As your dog gets the hang of things, practice these same exercises running the vacuum for twenty or thirty seconds at a time, provided things are going well. Do you see what you’re doing? First, you are managing the situation by keeping the vacuum on for only a short period of time rather than simply expecting your dog to accept it. Next, you are providing good outcomes around the vacuum by offering fantastic treats. In other words, you’re counterconditioning! You’re also desensitizing your dog by repeating this drill often.

  Maybe your dog is scared of umbrellas. I mean they are pretty crazy, right—they go from straight and narrow to rapidly expanding in just a second. That must be wild from a dog’s perspective! So, in this case, let your dog look at the umbrella and offer a treat. Do this several times in a row. Then, open up the umbrella 5 percent of the way. Reward. Work up to slowly opening up the umbrella 50 percent of the way. You get the point! Repeat this drill often until your dog becomes more accepting of umbrellas. Again, this is counterconditioning and desensitizing.

  I put this formula into practice in my video How to Get Your Dog to Listen to You Around Anything—Even Vacuum Cleaners! In it, I work with Jacob, an awesome dog I’ve done a ton of videos with. Jacob is very high-energy to say the least and, at first, he was very excited around motorized objects such as vacuum cleaners. He would bark uncontrollably. However, as you can see in the video, it took only a few minutes to teach Jacob how to behave more politely around the vacuum and other motorized objects.

  Just remember that any time you want to make your dog more comfortable with something, you’ll need to be fair and give her the time she requires to become comfortable. By keeping her anxiety low through effective management, by frequent, low-level exposure, and by involving things your dog loves when around places, people, animals, or anything that she’s afraid of, you’ll be well on your way!

  CHAPTER 16

  SEPARATION ANXIETY

  Most dogs truly enjoy being around people. After all, that’s a big reason why we love them so much! So, it’s no wonder that when we leave our dogs for periods of time, they may feel uneasy or stressed out. Like all forms of anxiety or fear, the spectrum is wide as to how significant separation anxiety can be from dog to dog.

  Symptoms of separation anxiety often include prolonged barking and whimpering, pacing, drooling, digging, chewing, and scratching—particularly at doors and windows.1 Your dog might try to break out of his confinement and have potty accidents even after you’ve adequately walked him. Also, if your dog follows you around everywhere when you are with him, he’s more likely to be anxious when you are away. Never punish your dog for any of these behaviors—doing so only makes his anxiety worse!

  Of course, lots of dogs might whine a little or get into some mischief when left alone if they aren’t confined in a safe space and especially if they haven’t been trained properly yet. That’s normal. Also, if your puppy is chewing stuff up, has frequent accidents, and barks a lot when you’re not near him, these aren’t necessarily signs that your dog has long-term, generalized separation anxiety. Those behaviors can simply be due to the young age of your dog. Many puppies are anxious when you first bring them home simply because they are in a brand-new place.

  However, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, about “14 percent of dogs have separation anxiety, or an inability of the pet to find comfort when separated from family members.”2 These dogs experience real distress when their person leaves them. In this chapter, we’ll explain what to do if you’re dealing with this issue.

  WHY DO DOGS EXPERIENCE SEPARATION ANXIETY?

  Often, separation anxiety occurs when a dog is very bored and understimulated. We underestimate just how much extra training and exercise some dogs really need to be fulfilled. Also, a change in a dog’s routine seems to be a cause of separation anxiety. In fact, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, “because far more dogs who have been adopted from shelters have this behavior problem than those kept by a single family since puppyhood, it is believed that loss of an important person or group of people in a dog’s life can lead to separation anxiety.”3 So, if you’ve adopted a dog who is anxious, that could be one reason why he’s like that. Another example: If your dog suddenly seems stressed, it could be due to a change in his home life, such as when a kid leaves for college, a roommate moves out, or a couple splits up.

  Separation anxiety may also be an unintended side effect of the domestication process with many dogs. Remember that humans bred dogs who worked well in partnerships with us. The dogs best at working with people also tend to be the ones who naturally love being with people. Something is often missing for these dogs: frequent mentally and physically engaging stimulation. In other words, dogs have been selectively bred to work with people, so being left alone is just not normal to them. “Dogs are social creatures who do not generally do well with lengthy solitary confinement,” explains Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, DACVB, an animal behaviorist and clinical instructor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. “It’s just not natural for them to spend many hours a day alone.”4

  WHAT TO DO ABOUT SEPARATION ANXIETY

  Of course, when it comes to separation anxiety, every dog is different. You’ll have to tailor your approach to your dog’s individual personality. However, there are some general ways to deal with this issue. First, you’ve got to make sure your dog gets enough exercise. In fact, you will likely find that regular exercise dramatically reduces separation anxiety provided that it is a regular part of your dog’s life! A study in PLOS One found that daily exercise was the largest environmental factor that was significantly different between dogs with separation anxiety and dogs with no symptoms of such anxiety.5 If your dog is mentally and physically satisfied, he’s less likely to become anxious.

  What’s the best way to exercise your dog? I think you know where I’m going with this: teach fetch! I’ve said it many times in this book, but it really does work. Playing fetch early in the day and before leaving for significant periods of time wil
l really help your dog keep calm. See this page, chapter 17 to get a full description of how to teach fetch. If your dog isn’t into fetch or he hasn’t learned it yet, then make sure to take him on a long walk in proportion to his needs.

  Also, it’s important to understand that dogs are incredibly observant of our behaviors, and they are particularly astute at correlating our actions with being left alone for a noticeable period of time. Let’s take an obvious example: when you pick up your car keys, you usually leave the house for a while. This does not go unnoticed by most dogs. In fact, if your dog suffers from separation anxiety, this is likely to trigger a reaction from him.

  When you want to change a dog’s emotional response to something, counterconditioning is enormously important. Also, as with almost everything in dog training, you must not wait until a real-life circumstance arises to then address the undesired behavior. Rather, you must prepare and rehearse for these events over a period of weeks to months. My YouTube video What to Do About Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety helps a great deal with this issue. Also, here’s a step-by-step guide:

  1. It’s important to set up counterconditioning exercises to improve the way your dog responds to common departure signs, like your picking up your keys, opening the door, putting on your jacket, grabbing your purse or wallet, and so on. When you are at home with your dog, pick up your keys as you normally might when you are about to leave. As you do so, give your dog a treat. Playtime isn’t recommended here as this is likely to get your dog more rambunctious and less likely to settle down, which is the ultimate goal. Repeat this exercise many times during your first training session or two. The idea is simply to get your dog to associate picking up the keys (and other events surrounding your departure) with getting something great. If you do this over a few training sessions, you ought to notice that your dog eagerly begins anticipating a treat. This is evidence that your dog’s emotional response to your picking up the keys, putting on your coat, and opening the door is gradually becoming more favorable than usual.

  2. Once you’ve been successful here, it’s time to introduce longer-lasting toys or bones that can keep your dog’s interest for an extended period of time. For instance, there are products you can stuff with treats that release the treats slowly. You might also want to consider a hollowed-out bone that you can fill with peanut butter, a pig’s ear, or a safe edible bone that will take a while to eat. Now set up a drill: Put on your coat and give your dog the toy or bone for a few seconds. Take it back and let your dog forget about it for a minute. Then, pick up your keys and give the amazing toy or bone back for a minute or so. Repeat this exercise often, for five minutes at a time, throughout the day. These special toys should only be used during these training exercises and later when you actually leave your dog alone. See what we’re doing here? We are trying to change your dog’s perception of, “Oh no! You’re leaving! What am I going to do?” to “Oh yay, you’re leaving! I get that special toy!” You need to get your dog enjoying the stuffed bone or toy while in your presence at first, not when you actually leave the house for real. That’s because your dog’s level of anxiety about your departure probably outweighs his desire to enjoy even the most amazing toy (or even a T-bone steak for that matter!). As people, we can identify with this a little bit. Think about how difficult it is to enjoy things you normally love when you’re feeling anxious. For example, when you are feeling especially nervous about a test or a business decision or anything going on in your life, you’re probably not as into your favorite TV shows or shopping or even your favorite meals. It’s the same for dogs.

  3. Next, once you’ve done exercises like picking up your keys and other events that your dog has associated with your leaving, and you’ve provided alternative, desirable outcomes to these actions, try pretending to leave the house. With some dogs, the moment they see you walk out of the door, they go into panic mode. So, instead, walk out of the door for one second, return, and give your dog that special toy or bone. Sit with him for a moment. Pick up the toy or bone, place it out of his reach so he forgets about it for a moment, and repeat this exercise a few minutes later. At first, get him comfortable with the format of these training exercises. As he comes to anticipate his special toy or treat, you can then try to leave for longer periods of time—say, five minutes or so. If that’s successful, gradually add more time.

  4. What about when you have to leave your home for real? Ideally, get your dog used to your being away for short periods of time—say, thirty minutes, not hours. However, I understand that slowly phasing in alone time like this isn’t easy for most people. I mean, you have to go to work and continue to do the things that life demands. In these cases, you may need to find ways for your dog to have some social time with other people or dogs when you’re out of the house: you might want to look into doggy day care or at least have a neighbor or relative stop by your house during the day. Apps such as Rover can also help you find dogsitters in your area. Eventually, you might be able to leave your dog for hours at a time, but I advise avoiding that while you’re actively working on mitigating separation anxiety. A study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science found that dogs are affected by the amount of time they are left alone.6 If you must leave your dog home alone while you’re working on his separation anxiety, then definitely make sure he gets a lot of exercise right before you leave.

  5. Keep in mind that dogs with separation anxiety do not usually do well in crates or small areas. So, when you have to leave the house, you’ll need to explore ways to safely contain your dog in a larger area, such as in a laundry room or other area of the house where your dog is likely to feel comfortable.

  6. For those of you with younger dogs (and puppies especially), you’ve probably noticed that your dog exhibits lots of signs of separation anxiety. After all, young dogs are much like toddlers in this way—they are more likely to stress out when alone. You can still apply the steps we’ve covered in this chapter, but avoid having dogs under a year old spend too much time alone anyway. Puppies require lots of extra attention in their first year of training. Also, if you’ve adopted an older dog with little training, he may well need many of the same considerations as a young puppy as it relates to separation anxiety. Many dogs need time to be prepared to be left alone, just as kids do.

  Remember, separation anxiety varies greatly and, in some cases, you might notice quick improvement, particularly if you follow my advice on exercising your dog just before you have to leave the house. However, other dogs will be on the more extreme end of the spectrum. For these dogs, keep in mind that extended management may be necessary to see improvement. That might take months—or it could last a lifetime.

  In other words, some dogs may never feel completely comfortable alone, so do your best to reduce your dog’s anxiety over the long run by following the advice in this chapter. The good news is that most dogs will eventually learn to do just fine on their own, particularly as they get older and have more training under their belts.

  CHAPTER 17

  HYPERACTIVITY

  General hyperactivity is way up there on the list of what people tell me they want to fix with their dogs. There are actually a host of additional “problems” stemming from what people consider hyperactivity: for example, usually a dog who jumps a lot, chews things up, pulls on a leash, and seems to have a hard time focusing are the ones classified as “too hyper.” This chapter addresses hyperactivity in depth.

  WHY ARE SOME DOGS HYPERACTIVE?

  First, it’s important to understand what hyperactivity really means. Actually, it’s a bit confusing. Yes, those dogs who jump, chew, and pull on leash seem hyperactive, but the behaviors they are exhibiting are normal. As I’ve mentioned throughout this book, dogs have been undergoing refinement for thousands of years in terms of what we’ve selected for when breeding them. Historically, the most valuable dogs were often the ones who seemed to have eternal stamina. That energy came in handy, for example, on the farm w
hen livestock needed herding and when hunters needed assistance for hours on end. Along with their genetic makeup, some dogs also seem hyper because of lack of socialization, lack of training, and lack of exercise.

  However, there are some dogs whose hyper behavior may actually be due to a physiological disorder. Known as hyperkinesis,1 this condition can be what some researchers consider a canine form of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).2 “Hyperkinesis is a pathologic behavior and is characterized by a dog who is easily stimulated into activity but cannot settle down,” says John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB, past president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and coeditor of the book Decoding Your Dog.3 Such dogs might have a hard time sitting still. They can’t rest, even if their surroundings are quiet, and they never get used to the stimuli in their environment.

  WHAT TO DO ABOUT HYPERACTIVITY

  With the help of your vet, try to determine if your dog has so much energy she doesn’t know how to channel it or if she’s dealing with a more serious issue. If you think your dog is truly hyperkinetic—signs include an inability to completely relax, short attention span, reactivity to routine stimuli, and increased heart and respiratory rates4—then work with your vet and possibly an animal behaviorist to determine which combination of behavior modification, and possibly, medication, can help.

  However, for the vast majority of you, your dog likely won’t have hyperkinesis. Instead, that “hyperactivity” is actually just the fact that your dog is bursting with energy and needs to learn to calm down a bit. I can’t stress this enough! I know that a lot people assume that hyperkinesis is an explanation for their dog’s excessive energy. In fact, I hear, “I think my dog has ADHD” all the time. And while that is possibly the case for some dogs, it is not for most dogs.