What Happened To My Perfect Puppy?

It’s no secret that raising a puppy requires a great deal of patience. Chewing, crying, destructiveness, demands for attention, and potty-training mishaps are all just par for the course. But the difficult phase only lasts a few months, right? Wrong. Once your new edition is finished being a puppy, he enters a new, and often far more maddening phase of development: adolescence. Starting anywhere between nine and twelve months of age, that sweet little puppy will become - gasp! - a teenager.

Like human teenagers, adolescent dogs may test the resolve of their superiors. They often revert to the types of behaviors we thought they had long outgrown. Like the rebellious, back-talking teen-aged child, adolescent puppies often leave us scratching our heads, wondering where we went wrong. Obnoxious puppy behaviors such as play biting and jumping on guests may return with a vengeance. This is when behaviors such as growling, food guarding, and blatant disobedience of commands tend to appear seemingly out of nowhere. It is also when dogs are most commonly surrendered to shelters. 

Unaware of the existence of this challenging phase, many people assume they have either failed as dog owners, or are stuck with a “bad dog.” These scenarios are rarely the case. The solution to the Terrible Teens is a combination of consistency, patience, and preparation. Do your research on canine adolescence as soon as you bring your puppy home. As with most other situations, you’ll be happy to have a plan in place when you need one.

Puppy Kindergarten

For people over the age of forty (like me), and folks who were not brought up in this country (like me!) the growing popularity of puppy kindergarten can come as an initial shock.  While it’s easy to see how spending time in a classroom full of puppies would be fun, I am sometimes asked if such classes benefit the puppies, or are simply an example of brilliant marketing.

The first 8-10 weeks of a puppy’s life is known as the Fear Impact Period. Puppies are easily frightened, and lessons learned during this stage tend to be permanent. During this time, it is crucial to expose your puppy to as many new experiences as possible, provided they occur in a positive, controlled setting. During this vital stage of life, puppies are taught to properly interact with other dogs in a fun, non-threatening environment. Such classes also provide play-based introductions to obedience concepts. These early sessions are geared  toward building confidence and providing positive experiences, rather than teaching specific behaviors. The result is a confident, well-socialized dog who is eager to learn how to better meet your expectations in every stage of life.

Surviving Your Puppy's Adolescence

Surviving Your Puppy's Adolescence

It’s no secret that raising a puppy requires copious amounts of both time and patience.  Chewing, crying, destructiveness, demands for attention, and potty-training mishaps are all just par for the course.  But they’re sooooo cute! And the difficult phase only lasts few months, right? Wrong. Once your new edition is finished being a puppy, he enters a new, and often far more maddening phase of development: adolescence. Starting anywhere between nine and twelve months of age, that sweet little puppy will become - gasp! - a teenager.

Like human teenagers, adolescent dogs may test the resolve of their superiors. They often revert to the types of behaviors we thought they had long outgrown.  Like the rebellious, back-talking teen-aged child, teen-aged puppies often leave us scratching our heads, wondering where we went wrong. Obnoxious puppy behaviors such as play biting and jumping on guests may return with a vengeance. This is when behaviors such as growling, food guarding, and blatant disobedience of commands tend to appear seemingly out of nowhere. It is also when dogs are most commonly surrendered to shelters. Unaware of the existence of this challenging phase, many people assume they have either failed as dog owners, or are stuck with a “bad dog.”  These scenarios are rarely the case. The solution to the Terrible Teens is a combination of consistency, patience, and preparation. Do your research on canine adolescence as soon as you bring your puppy home. As with most other situations, you’ll be happy to have a plan when you need one.

Zohan at 14 months. He swears he wasn't eating the Halloween pumpkin, but note the debris field on the floor near his tail...

Should I Crate Train My Dog?

Should I Crate Train My Dog?

While veterinarians and behaviorists generally agree that crate training is ideal for both puppies and adult dogs, many pet parents confess they cannot bear the thought of seeing their dogs “locked in a cage”.   Our dogs’ wild ancestors spent much of their time in dens. The den was where they would sleep, hide, shelter from the elements, and raise their litters.  Crate training simply takes advantage of the natural instincts our dogs still possess as descendants of these early den dwellers.

A crate trained dog will perceive his crate as a safe place to ride out a thunderstorm, take a break from a bustling party, or duck out of reach of a curious but overbearing toddler.  Dogs who know they can retreat to their own space are better equipped to cope with anxiety, and therefore less likely to bite.  Additionally, crate trained dogs are happier at boarding facilities, which means we pet parents can travel with greater peace of mind.  When we decide to bring Fido along for the trip, the crate provides him with instant familiarity and comfort.  While the surroundings may be new and strange, crates allow our dogs to feel like they are travelling with their own special room.  And the only thing better than discovering the world, is discovering the world with with a dog!

Ask the Advisor: Stranger Danger Part 2

When you use a toy/ball to trigger prey drive and reduce defense drive, does the dog ever perceive the toy as a reward for the defensive behavior? She has the same problem with her 2 year old rat terrier, so she was very intrigued by your advice. But she is also concerned that she may inadvertently reinforce the barking. Does that ever happen, or does the shift take place on a more instinctive level?

-Tiffany

Tiffany, you have a very valid concern b/c done with the wrong timing in a consistent manner, the ball / toy can become a reward for bad behaviors.. people do this with praise towards their dogs at the wrong time all the time and the results are usually an increase in the dog's bad behavior simply b/c they are being rewarded for that same bad behavior.

If the dog does a bad behavior and you reward the dog for that bad behavior, he is likely doing it again... this goes whether you use balls, toys, treats, or praise.

However, if BEFORE the dog does the bad behavior (but shows signs such as a closed mouth or stare down, indicating the bad behavior is about to be exhibited) the dog gets a surprise positive trigger (such as the squeaky sound of a toy or ball), you can quickly divert the dog's attention and get him to focus on the toy / ball therefore stopping the bad behavior from ever occurring.

Also, if you know that meeting certain people or in certain areas is a problem, then you may set up a mock meeting where the greeter has the squeaky ball and that ball / toy is used initially (BEFORE the dog is even triggered with any defense mechanisms) to make the positive association.

In short, the timing of the positive trigger item (such as toy / ball) is very important so that it is not turned into a reward for bad behavior.

Some things are just easier to demonstrate and teach hands-on than to explain them in writing.

Edel Miedes
K9 ADVISORS
954.923.3440
786.419.3647
www.K9ADVISORS.com

Ask the Advisor: Stranger Danger Part 1

Dear Edel,

Zohan is a year old now, and starting to display some obnoxious behavior on walks. Specifically, he lunges and barks hysterically at anyone that walks towards us. It's especially bad if the person makes eye contact, and once the behavior stops, it's very difficult get him to snap out of it. I know this "teenager" phase is challenging, but I worry he is going to become aggressive. What should I do?

While eye contact may play a role in all this, the actual approach of the person onto Z's space may be enough to trigger his defensive reaction. Test it out with a new person approaching and not having any eye contact. He will likely respond the same. There are a few things you may do differently when greeting a person (given that you have the time and availability from that person to take a little longer in the greeting). To create a greater interest in the person, reduce Zohan's defense drive by increasing his prey drive. Do not let him greet the person until you are ready for Z to do so. This adds a level of pack leadership on your end that will later give him the confidence to not have to react defensively.

I have seen his reaction around strangers coming to greet him. While it may come across as "aggressive" in some people's view, he is really being defensive - not aggressive. His defense drive (one of two key drives that a dog has innately) kicks up a notch when he is uncertain. For some dogs, when they feel uncertain about a new place or person, they go into a fearful-submissive state and other dogs go into a fear or anxiety state that shoots up their defense drive. This seems to be more like Zohan.

In order to change this reaction, you must change his perception of the situation and of the new person he will greet. Then add a little control once the perception is changed. By this, I mean that you may associate the new person (greeter) with a positive trigger for Z. For example, you may use a treat and squeaky ball that you can just carry with you whenever you are walking Zohan. When you approach a potential greeter, you ask them to hold the ball and squeak it a few times while keeping the treat in another hand. Perhaps, have the new greeter bounce it a couple of times to really spark his interest in the new person. Focusing on the ball and its motion should trigger his prey drive, whilst blocking his defense drive. Prey and Defense drive are inversely proportional. The higher the prey drive, the lower the defense drive and vice versa. So, two key things that you are doing by using an interesting toy or ball, (1) creating a more positive association with a new person and (2) increasing his prey drive, thus reducing his defense drive. Once you get Z really interested in meeting the new person and really excited, through his prey drive, to get that ball, you have him sit and stay a few feet away from you while you greet (or pretend to greet) the new person and then you give him the "ok" to greet the person. When he comes in for the ball, the greeter may then hold out the treat in a flat palm, low to the floor (since Z is a low rider ;-)). You don't want people going over his head to pet him, as most people do, because that may trigger his defense drive. So, Zohan should come in towards the greeter after you gave him the ok to go greet. The greeter has their palm flat for Z to come get his treat and make the positive association, then the ball comes out and he gets to focus on the ball and go get it (not too far - within the vicinity of the greeting). While keeping him on prey drive mode, you subdue his defense drive. Finish the exercise with lots of praise!

It is important to have several interactions like this before you even get people to pet him. This will allow for many greeting events to be positive with low to no defense triggered, and will make it easier for Zohan to make a clear and consistent association with a more positive way to greet.

Hope this helps. It is so much easier to show you all this than to write it down. Whew!

Cheers,

Edel Miedes
K9 ADVISORS
954.923.3440
786.419.3647www.K9ADVISORS.com

Ask the Advisor: HELP! My puppy is a teenager

Dear Edel,

When we brought Zohan home at eight weeks of age, I thought I had hit the puppy jackpot.    He never barked, he played quietly in his crate, and learned quickly.  By twelve weeks of age, he had mastered basic command obedience.  He was the perfect puppy!

When he hit ten months of age, the honeymoon ended.  He is now 13 months old, and continues to vex me.  He runs when I call him, charges through doorways, barks at strangers, eviscerates toys - yesterday he stole a banana from my coffee table and glared at me when I took it away!  Is this normal?  What happened to my perfect puppy?!?!

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While your puppy may have been calmer as a pup, he is coming into his own now.  As a teenager, in dog years, your puppy's development will take a few turns before it all evens out with some proper training and structure.  As most dogs enter their teens (at about 10 months to a year of age), they will "test" their pack members and try to get away with things they might have never done before.  It is important to give those dogs that test their pack members, more daily structure.  Things like staying on top of their bad behaviors, like barking when they are not supposed to, and pulling on leash while on walks are crucial to their understanding that YOU are the pack leaders and not them.

Edel Miedes
K9 ADVISORS
954.923.3440
786.419.3647
www.K9ADVISORS.com

---

Ask the Advisor: HELP! My puppy is a teenager

Dear Edel,

When we brought Zohan home at eight weeks of age, I thought I had hit the puppy jackpot.    He never barked, he played quietly in his crate, and learned quickly.  By twelve weeks of age, he had mastered basic command obedience.  He was the perfect puppy!

When he hit ten months of age, the honeymoon ended.  He is now 13 months old, and continues to vex me.  He runs when I call him, charges through doorways, barks at strangers, eviscerates toys - yesterday he stole a banana from my coffee table and glared at me when I took it away!  Is this normal?  What happened to my perfect puppy?!?!

---

While your puppy may have been calmer as a pup, he is coming into his own now.  As a teenager, in dog years, your puppy's development will take a few turns before it all evens out with some proper training and structure.  As most dogs enter their teens (at about 10 months to a year of age), they will "test" their pack members and try to get away with things they might have never done before.  It is important to give those dogs that test their pack members, more daily structure.  Things like staying on top of their bad behaviors, like barking when they are not supposed to, and pulling on leash while on walks are crucial to their understanding that YOU are the pack leaders and not them.

Edel Miedes
K9 ADVISORS
954.923.3440
786.419.3647
www.K9ADVISORS.com

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