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the “place” command- good for dogs who need to relax but don’t know how to… Written on May 11, 2010, by marlene.

WHAT IS THE “PLACE” COMMAND?

Place is taught on a mat and it is basically a crate with out walls for your dog. This command is taught using the down command on the mat. When he knows it as a command you can put his mat anywhere in the house or even take it with you places.  Remember: when starting any command get your dog in a working frame of mind by doing his basic obedience.

STEPS TO TEACH THE “PLACE” COMMAND:

Place your mat next to a wall.  You can use the wall as an ally, meaning one side the dog can’t be released from.  This will give you an advantage.

Start out anywhere in the room on leash and “heel” or “let’s go” your dog over the mat so he is between the wall and you.

If he is afraid to go over the mat, (remember to motivate) do this 3-4x until he is comfortable. Get him comfortable walking across it so he ignores the mat and pays attention to you.

If he is hesitant,  repeat step 3 again.

When he is comfortable, release the dog and allow him to sniff the mat until he really does not show interest in the mat.

Now go back to the “heel” or “let’s go” command and stop when the dog is on the mat.  Give him the “sit” command. Repeat this step until he sits automatically.

While he is in the “sit” give him the hand signal for the “down” command.  Do not use the verbal command for down.  Say “good place” when he is down on the mat.

You want to say “good place” very often, slowly and with emphasis to engrain it in his brain.

If he gets off of the place, you must correct him back into the down on the mat with “no. place” (plus leash correction).

To release from place command use “okay” or another command.

TEACHING “GO TO PLACE” (from longer distances)

Start out with your dog in a “Let’s Go”.   When you are near the mat, point toward the mat saying “Place”.

If your dog doesn’t go to the mat, step through so he goes onto the mat.  If he looks unsure, motivate him.

When he goes on the mat, he must go into the down position.  When he does this successfully, praise him (good place).

Now you can progress to giving the command from further distances.  However, start from only 6-12 inches away because you want him to be successful especially when learning.

When he is doing well, gradually increase the distance to 6-8 feet away.  Remember to follow him to the mat.

When he is doing well from these further distances, start dropping the leash and sending him to his place but start again from a short distance and use your body language as a guide.

When he knows to go to place from anywhere in the room you are ready to add distractions.

If he breaks the Place Command or does not go to place,  you must correct him over to it with the leash correction (using “no,  place”).

Calmly praise any improvements along the way.  Keep practicing- this command has more steps than the average command, so you’ll need patience and determination.

Good luck!

preparing for a new baby, part one Written on March 29, 2010, by marlene.

Many things will change when the new baby arrives, including:
Time you can spend with your pet
Amount of attention and interaction you can give to him
Restricted or off limit areas
Change in routine and schedules
Sights, sounds and scents

You should adjust ‘pet and me times’, gradually, decreasing the length of time your pet depends on you for ‘entertainment’ purposes. Try to get the pet to occupy his or her own time with acceptable mind exercising games or toys. A properly stuffed Kong toy, a marrow bone, knuckle bone or any other pacifier can help.

Start early. If you are going to have certain areas the pet will not be allowed into once the baby comes home, restrict access before the arrival so there is less likely to be an association with the homecoming. Offer the pet another area or create a special place for the pet. For a dog, try a training crate with the door left open, this becomes the dog’s safety zone, cover it with a blanket to create a den-like personal space. For a cat, a plastic carrier with the door removed can offer the same effect as the dog crate. This gives the pet a safe, quiet place to go when it wants to be left alone.

Any change in feeding or attention schedules can be disturbing to the pet. If you are going to change feeding times, locations, or any other aspect, do so gradually, so there is an easier and less stressful transition. Routine bathroom walks, as well as litter-box location or cleaning need also be adjusted gradually, as necessary. For cats, do not move the box into a heavy traffic area or next to the washing machine.

Desensitize the pet to the sights, sounds and scents of a new baby in the household. A doll may substitute for an infant. The baby-swing, walker and various toys make noises of their own and move. Friends with children or babies can tape record a variety of ‘baby sounds’ so as not to startle or frighten the unsuspecting pet and to desensitize them, if necessary. Expose the pet to a variety of scents, such as, baby-powder, lotion or cream, and infant formula.

body language part 3 Written on February 24, 2010, by marlene.

How to Approach a Dog

******Now that you know how dogs use body language to communicate,********
*******use those same body language techniques to interact with dogs.*********

To avoid a bite:
Dogs have a series of behaviors that they show before a bite. If you aren’t aware of these
subtle warning signals that come before a bite, you could be taken by surprise!

Whenever you approach a dog, it’s best to avoid direct eye contact but keep observing the
dog’s body language, just in case the dog gives you a subtle warning that he feels threatened.

Never pet a dog without watching its reaction as you are doing it. Too many times people have
been bitten seemingly “out of nowhere”, meantime the dog was showing warning signal after
warning signal, subtly, but the person wasn’t looking! This will most likely happen as a stranger
is handling a dog. Please watch how they interact, and if a dog seems uncomfortable, let them
know what to do to make the dog more comfortable and trusting (i.e.: slow down!)

If a dog stiffens, averts its eyes, tightens his mouth closed, and his body is tense, he feels uncomfortable.
It’s best to leave that dog alone, or at least stop touching or approaching. The best thing to do is to
wait for the dog interact with you at his own pace. If you choose to keep going forward with a dog
that is showing these warning signals, you are putting the dog in a situation where it may HAVE to
bite you in self defense because you are threatening the dog past its comfort level. Be patient- the
dog doesn’t trust you yet!

When you are approaching a fearful dog, use the body language that a dog who is trying to
avoid conflict would use (turn to the side; no eye contact; no forward movements like petting
over the head, ignore the dog). When you are taking a scared dog out of its comfort zone,
use these same body language techniques (loop them from the side, not from the front or
over the head.) Remember: fearful dogs believe that you are about to hurt them. Many are
scared for their lives. Try to be as non-threatening as possible so the dog will learn to trust
you. This will possibly include keeping silent, because your voice may even pose a threat!

A great way to think of interacting with a new dog is this:
If a stranger hugged you in the street, would you hug them back? Probably not, yet that is
how humans greet strange dogs all the time. If we greeted dogs like we greeted strangers,
we wouldn’t have any problems. We stop a few feet from the person and extend our hand.
If they respond, that’s great. If the person looks you up and down and walks away, you would
not mistake that message. Dogs give this message all the time, yet people insist on handling
them. Innocently, we force dogs into biting.

part 2 body language Written on January 14, 2010, by marlene.

Signs of Submission (avoids conflict):

Head is down, the dog squats/lowers itself to ground, belly up, urination, avoids direct eye contact

Signs of Friendly/Playful dog:

Tail/whole body wagging, play bow (front legs and chest on ground, hind up!), bouncing back and forth,
soliciting other dog to chase, mouth open and relaxed

Signs of a Fearful dog:

Tail between legs, body hunched over, body tense, eyes shifting back and forth, wincing, barking
and backing up, fast sporadic movements to try to escape, mouth tense and closed, tension in the body.
These dogs could easily transition into fight mode if they feel threatened enough to have to defend themselves. Watch out!

Vocalizations:
Play growl (occurs when roughousing) a softer noise, usually does not sound menacing. A play growl will be accompanied by signs of friendliness (playbow; full body wag, relaxed pouncing, etc.)

Serious growl (increases in volume as it continues, accompanied by menacing posture-stiffness
raised hackles, etc)

Dog Fights:

Never use hands or feet to separate dogs. Use 2 metal food bowls to clang together.
Have them accessible BEFORE you get the dogs together, just in case. Also, it’s a good idea
to have a bottle of water to empty onto the dogs that are fighting. This can startle them and give
you a second to separate them.

Dog Body Language part 1 Written on December 27, 2009, by marlene.

When two dogs meet, they typically sniff and circle each other. Usually, one dog will mount
the side of the other as a sign of dominance. If the dog being mounted takes offense to
this, he will growl and/or lunge to “correct” the offending dog. If the offender backs off,
there is no problem. If he doesn’t, a fight will usually break out. When looking for aggression,
look at the dog’s whole body. When a dog is aggressive or suspicious, his entire body typically
stiffens and all of his weight is shifted forward. More obvious signs of aggression such as growling
and showing teeth usually accompany this.

Signs of Aggression (wants to fight):
Almost every dog shows a series of body language cues before they actually go to bite.
Usually these behaviors are very subtle changes in body language, but they are clearly
understood by any other dog. We humans have to be looking for these behaviors in order
to prevent fights and bites to other dogs AND humans.

An intense, hard stare: body is very stiff, mouth closed tight (dogs always close their mouths
before they open them up again to bite), a high tail arched over the back, quickly and stiffly
switching back and forth (except for dogs whose tails are naturally curly at rest), raised hackles
(hair along back of neck stands up to make dog appear larger in the presence of a perceived
threat), posture is leaning forward on toes, low growl, snarling, flashing teeth, etc.

Tail wagging isn’t always “happy”. It means only that the dog is willing to COMMUNICATE:
“let’s play!” or “let’s fight!”
-Usually a low, relaxed, widely wagging tail indicates a relaxed, happy mood. This is especially
true when the dog’s whole body is “wagging” along with the tail.

-A high tail, arched over the back, quickly and stiffly switching back and forth usually means
agitation (except for dogs whose tails are naturally curly at rest)

These behaviors are also shown to humans when the dog feels threatened.
*BE AWARE OF THESE WARNING SIGNALS!*

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