Grr, Move Over

The thing about vacations (besides being totally necessary and fun) is that when you get back to your “regular” life you cannot avoid being confronted with a slew of things that were put on hold while you basked in the sun, climbed the steep mountain, etc. I got back from my (almost) three week vacation – yes, I tell myself under my breath, everybody (clients and my dogs) survived… no one is that indispensable… as I try to combat jet lag, allergies and lots of work needing my attention.

I am sitting at my desk listening to the webinar that I enrolled in before going on vacation in a rush, since tomorrow I have the last installment of it and I want to be prepared. For this reason I thought to pull out the frozen marrow bones that my dogs love. This is the perfect opportunity for them to chew in delight while I work in silence and without interruptions such as: ball throwing or tugging with a toy.

As I am wrapping up the webinar, I hear from the living room a growl and I think it is Deuce protecting his marrow bone from Rioja. Seconds later, Rio comes into the office and lies down on the rug boneless.

What a turn of events I think. It is normally Rio who ends up with all the bones while Deuce leaves his half worked-on bone behind and unattended. In my household, it is Rioja who is keener on anything edible and Deuce being more of a “perhaps-kind-of-guy”: perhaps I’ll eat my food this morning perhaps not…

As I keep working at the computer Rio who is in my office, emits a meek whine followed by a second one but she remains laying on the carpet. I turn around to see if I can figure out with little effort why she is whining. Deuce, on the other hand, is laying all stretched out - muzzle close to the carpet in the living room and near him are three (not two but three) marrow bones; one old- two as of this afternoon.

I get up and walk outside my office coaxing Rio to follow me but she won't. Now that is a change in roles! I think. Rioja left cold without any bones and Deuce the king of all bones!

I go over to Deuce and picked one of the bones for Rio. She grabs it from my hand and goes back to laying down in my office.

As I walk towards the kitchen with the intention of making some tea for myself I am feeling good about having resolved this family “drama” with both dogs content at the results. I also think that I wished I had seen Deuce “in action” when he growled at Rio over the bones. This is so not like Deuce and there you have - it is also very much like Deuce in the right circumstances.

This is exactly the type of scenario I wish dog owners the world-over would pay much closer attention too, instead of being so ready in labeling their dog’s relationships as a ongoing struggle for resources with little to none variation.

This afternoon what happened between Deuce and Rioja is a clear testimony of the fluidity of canine interactions. It is NOT about one of them being the top dog, the alpha or whatever other label we can come up with. And the other always the beta, looser or again another label describing a fixed pattern of relationship and communication between dogs that co-habit.

In this instance, Deuce who is as a norm less interested in bones and not such an avid chewer decides he wants not only his bone but also Rioja’s.

And Rioja, who is very keen on chewing, surrenders without much incident the coveted bone to Deuce. In fact, that little single growl from Deuce was heard “so clearly” by her that she sheepishly came to my office and remained there until I coaxed her out by positioning myself between her and Deuce.

Now, there are exceptions to the more fluid panorama I am presenting above between family dogs (or other groupings of dogs) where one dog is constantly being harassed or bulling by another. In this sad situation one is constantly getting the short end of the stick (or bone or…) and living a hellish life of stress and anxiety as to when he might be harassed once again. I feel so sorry for dogs in this situation. If the human in the household is not aware of this dynamic there is often little chance for the dog being harassed to find his/her needs met.

The message here is also of relaxed-vigilance. Just pay close attention on a regular basis to how your dogs are interacting. Pay attention to see if both dogs, and more than two if that is the case, search the company of the other(s). Do they have equal opportunities for places of rest? Valuable resources such as toys, chewies and the like going in and out through doors, etc.? Can they resolve their conflicts like Deuce and Rio with no need for physical contact or injury? It is also true, but in my experience less often found, that the owner/pet parent is doing everything right but the chemistry or friendship between the dogs is just not right. I guess they too are “stuck” with their siblings…

What has worked in my household is to have very clear in my mind what kind of interactions I will permit from my dogs towards one another and even a client’s dog that are here for training. I have a concrete plan of action should they begin to aggress towards one another over resources and I have learn as well from past mistakes to manage the dogs and most importantly their environment so that they can both co-exist in (almost) perfect harmony.

Call me crazy but knowing that my dogs live in an environment that they can feel safe in is one of the highlights of my day.

Practical Survival Guide to Canine Adolescence

Rioja: sit, leave it! Go to your mat please, no! Off the bed… thank you! Here….(Waiting, waiting…) Oh gooood girl! Get off the kitchen counter (really??!) Sush. Too bad for you… Time out!! (As I escort her outside for her 30sec. time out for continuous barking without a cause).

Ah, the throws of adolescences! Rioja is now 1 years old and smack in the middle of doggie adolescence. She has developed “selective hearing” and an ability to decide when to bark out of control as well as a fantastic habit of jumping on top of the kitchen counter. I have never been able to see her jumping up. I am curious to find out how much “prep” she must do in order to do so, I have “only” seen her on top of the counter scouting the lower elevations like a hawk.

She still cracks me up most of the time. And when I catch myself being frustrated with her, I remind myself that this part of adolescence is also fun. Dogs live such short lives that they move with the speed of a meteor through their development: Day one you have a puppy - puppy breath included, before you know it your lovely pup is already five months the crucial time when other adult dogs are not so lenient and begin to “correct” your cute yet obnoxious dog for inappropriate behaviors. Then in no time your dog has turned two and entering social maturity. Of course these stages are not fixed in stone, it varies with the breed of the dog and the individual. Larger breeds and males might not fully mature until the age of three.

Mind you that most dogs are surrendered at shelters during this period. Their owners get frustrated and not really knowing how easy it is to sail through an (almost) sane adolescences with your dog if  you only understood a few things…

During adolescences, dogs begin to explore their environment. They engage fully with all their senses. The pup that once relished being close to you during off-leash romps, now would much rather go see about a cat or another dog. Play between dogs also suffers especially in males who will squabble with other dogs. Squabbles between dogs are NORMAL dog behavior and development. It is actually rare to have a  male dog that has not been in a squabble. The good news is that most fights do not result in injury.

At home you might find, just like I am with Rioja, that your pups manners take a sharp turn downhill. For this reason, it is really imperative to continue working with your dog in basic manners. Ignoring the problem and the dog will only make matters worse! You might also witness how your once friendly-to-all-pup is growling and moving away from people. Please do something about this! Remind your once friendly pup that people mean awesome things for him/her: this is when the super yummy treats come out, or you get to play your dog’ favorite game, etc.

Keep in mind that in order to have a dog that feels comfortable around people of all kinds, we MUST continue with the socialization efforts- the same goes for dogs being friendly to (most) dogs… social isolation which in many cases becomes the norm once the dog leaves puppyhood, will be to blame if your now mature dog engages in displays of fear or aggression towards either people or other dogs.

The best approach for building your dog’s confidence and a smooth sailing through this stage is to incorporate little training sessions (we are talking 3 minute long training sessions) peppered throughout the day and immersed in your daily routine. For example: make sure your dog has ample daily mental and physical stimulation in the form of walks, off-leash romps (if appropriate), eating out of food-dispensing toys, an occasional class that you both enjoy. In addition, practice sit/stays when cooking dinner, wait at doors, and going in and out of the car. Permission to get on couches and your bed - if this is something you allow in your household.

Practicing leave it when it comes to undesirable objects your dog might pick-up during walks or at home. Make sure your dog gets to meet people while on walks or at least that he/she gets a morsel of food every time you both encounter someone in your walk. Invite friends over and practice safely with the UPS delivery person.

Now, it goes without saying that in order for you both to “practice” a given behavior it means that your dog has had prior learning of those behaviors. It is useless and unfair to ask a dog to do something when the dog has not had the proper training to learn a behavior you now wish to practice.

My advice here is that you honestly assess what behaviors (and in what context) your dog has had the opportunity to practice from puppy-hood. If your dog’s repertoire is not what you need in order to live a fun and relaxing life with him/her then by all means enroll in a class or do some private training. The saying: pay now or pay later really applies in this context.

When it comes to making sure that your adult dog enjoys the company of people and dogs, on-going exposure to these demographics paired with something positive is the way to go. However, if your dog has fear/aggression issues to either people or dogs please make sure that your dog is not put in a situation that he/she cannot handle. Get professional help since the problem will not go away.