Empty Promises

Every good dog comes with a well-trained owner. - I can't remember where I read this or who said this, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

On my morning commute, an advertisement played on the radio promoting "doggy boot camp". I instantly cringe when I hear this ad... It starts by asking if your dog chews, barks or digs - and then promises to train these "problem behaviours" out of them in a couple of weeks.

My problem with this advertisement is that barking, digging and chewing are normal doggy behaviours and can be used to keep your dog busy and out of trouble if you know how to use them to your advantage.

Yes, it can become problematic when for example:

1. you stay in an apartment, and your dog barks the whole day while you are out

2. when your dog digs in your freshly planted veggie patch

3. or when your dog finds and chews your brand new pair of Jimmy Choos (or is it actually Jimmy Chews)

Excessive barking, digging or chewing when you are not around often means, "I am freaking going out of my mind with boredom, human!!!" And I know I am generalising in the worst way. Sometimes it is not as straightforward because of underlying separation-related issues (but let's pretend that this is an average bored dog without any severe problems).

*Now I also have to mention that if your dog is doing these behaviours and you think that your dog might be in distress, it is always a good idea to get an animal behaviour professional's help*

But in general, if your puppy is a digger - create a digging space for them. If you have a garden, it can be a corner of your garden or a sandpit shell with balls if you don't want to go to those lengths. Make this a fun area for your dog by burying chew treats or scatter feeding their food there. If you decide to go the whole sand way, make it soft river sand... much more fun digging in that for treasure than your veggie patch soil... hopefully.

Managing your dog's access to the forbidden area is also an excellent idea!! Don't ever scold

or punish them for digging in the wrong place - instead, take them over to the correct place and show them how much more fun it is to search there.

Chewing is great for their teeth and can be a great way to manage barking (but more of that later).

Its important to note that chew toys are not shoes, ropes or kid's toys that are lying around.

Appropriate chew toys are chews that your dog can eat and digest without forming any obstructions. Many owners think bones are a good idea - but unfortunately, bones can break teeth and form obstructions that can be a costly visit to the vet (yes, even the soft chicken or rib ones).

Instead, stick to dried animal products like chews or a yummy stuffed Kong.

Make sure that these are the appropriate size for your dog.

Always supervise your dog, especially if it is the first time you give it to them.

Always remember - everything in reach is fair game for a teething puppy! Instead teach your crotch goblins to pack their shit away than punish your dog for doing a very normal dog behaviour on a random object that was just lying there waiting to be chewed.

Lets talk about barking...

Dogs barking can be for many reasons, and barking is not always a simple fix.

Barking is USUALLY (but not always) caused by some or other trigger and can be influenced by genetics (yes, some herding and guarding breeds were actually bred to bark) or by not being properly socialised when they were a puppy. (Like poor little Mouse - more about him later)

Teaching an interruption cue or signal like "quiet/all done" or even my favourite "thank you!", signalling that the barking is over is an excellent way to manage barking when you are around.

For a bored dog, barking can be a release of energy, something to do, or a coping mechanism. If your dog is a barker but also enjoys chewing... you can drastically reduce their need for barking by giving them an alternative behaviour to do, like - you guessed it, CHEWING (refer to the above paragraph).

Often dogs learn that barking gets them what they want, like food or a treat - and that is 100% an owner-operator issue.... and will definitely need some professional guidance to reduce your problem behaviours that will in turn reduce your dog barking.

So after touching briefly on these "problem" behaviours above - this is where I have a problem with the "train it away in a couple of weeks" attitude. Your dog is using these behaviours to try and cope with what is happening in their world. "Training" these behaviours away gives them one, two or even three fewer options to cope with a day that is maybe unbearable for them. This can lead to many other issues like anxiety, aggression and so on.

And this discussion is way too short to even contemplate or start to think of what kind of training methods are used at these boot camps to magically makes these behaviours disappear.

So take my honest advice: You will get much further and have a much better relationship with your best friend by figuring out why your dog is barking and then working on treating the cause rather than just trying to train away the symptom.

So to wrap up my ramblings for today...

Please remember every dog is an individual, and every situation is different. Please speak to a professional to make an informed assessment if you are experiencing any of these problem behaviours with your pet.

Management is always one of the most effective tools in my toolbox... always set your dog/cat/rat/rabbit up for success by taking them out of the problem situation and/or giving them an alternative behaviour.

There are NO QUICK FIXES in behaviour. Like us, behaviour can change daily as your pet learns what works and what doesn't work for them in different situations.

Please be extremely careful about selecting a dog trainer or behaviour professional. If they are making promises that sound too good to be true, it probably comes with some fallouts.

And most of all, treat them with kindness...

This post is dedicated to an old friend's 5 dachshunds (especially Mouse) that never stopped barking. Sorry I didn't know how to help you back then, little Mouse.