Why do some dogs over salivate?

A lot of dog owners out there don’t know why their dog over salivate, also most dog owners don’t even know that it is a sign of distress. Yes, dog have stress too, whether it be a change of environment, a change in their daily routine, upset stomach, going to the Vet, allergies, poison, thunderstorms, fireworks, gunshots, arguments among family members, a new dog in the house and the list goes on. You can’t control what makes them get over stimulated but you can control how you react to it.

Here is an example I use frequently. When you take your dog to the vet and when he act scared, do you pet him/her?

Most say, “Yes they are scared and I’m just letting them know I understand.” That is what humans feel through their emotions. What does the canine think when this happens is, my owner loves it when I act this way because she is petting me and pets to a dog mean praise, so instead of saying you understand you are telling the dog that you want them to act just like this next time you come. Why? Because in the canine’s thought process anything praised for consistently will be repeated and anything corrected for consistently will be vanished. So next time you go to the vet and your dog is scared don’t pet them for shacking or salivating, ask them to sit and comfortably if needed help them into the sit position then pet and praise them. In the beginning it might take several tries but remember the old rule the more you practice the more you will succeed.

Smiles to you

 Keep Dog Training Balanced

What is the difference between a good dog trainer and a great dog trainer? To be able to distinguish between the two all comes done to balance. A great dog trainer won’t miss the slightest time to praise, motivate or correct their canine student. Do I think of myself as a great dog trainer? In fact, I do and let me tell you why.

Years ago when I first started working with dogs, I knew how to modify dog’s behavior and give each owner the results they were looking for but I was just a good dog trainer not a great one. After 14 years in the dog training business and having to face so many different challenges, I have learned more than I ever dreamed possible.

Whether I’m working with a 2 pound Chihuahua or a 180 pound Great Dane it all comes down to proper balance. Ever since I can remember Jim and I have been training dogs accordingly to their personality. A Chihuahua can have an attitude of a Great Dane but when it comes to obedience training it all depends on the Chihuahua’s personality.

Look at it like a teeter totter, if you over correct a dog for a behavior everything else will be off balance. Also, if you over praise a dog it can bring out other behaviors and in turn the teeter totter falls off balance again. The same with motivation, too much of it will bring about other behavior and if they aren’t addressed at the same time you will be working against yourself and terribly confusing your puppy or adult dog.

So the next time you take a good look at your puppy or adult dog look passed the cuteness and behavior issues and try to figure out what personality your dog has so you can apply obedience training properly.

Here are a few ideas to help you pick which personality your puppy or adult dog has. Keep in mind, this is just a very few examples.

Hyper                                       Shy                              Basket/Kennel Case

Happy Go Lucky                      Fearful                          Aggressive

Jumping, play biting, un-controllable barking, will usually point you to a hyper personality.

Submissive urination, backing up when approached, hiding when scared, will usually point you to a shy or fearful personality.

Submissive urination, backing up when approached, growling and/or lunging, aggression towards people and/or animals will usually point you to a shy, basket case or kennel case personality.

Jumping, minor play biting, barking, will usually point you to a happy go lucky personality.

Jumping, biting, scratching, lunging, barking, growling, will usually point you to an aggressive personality.

Lastly, keep in mind while trying to figure out your dog’s personality, that not only are there six different personalities there can be over a dozen combinations intertwined with in each personality.

Good Luck!

That’s was such a great episode of Greatest American Dog last night. I thought it was so funny at the beginning of the show when Laurie walked into the house saying, “It’s bitter sweet,” referring to Bill and Star being voted off last week. Bitter being she was sad that Bill had to leave, since he’s like one of the sweetest men in the whole world. Sweet being with Bill and Star being gone Andrew and Laurie might have a better chance of staying longer.

I thought the stump challenge was a really great idea. It’s so difficult for a dog to hold a sit stay for over five minutes. Their legs get tired and their brain tells them to move or lay down but I thought the stumps should have been the appropriate size according to each dog’s size. So, saying that I was really surprised that most of the dogs did hold their sit stay for a very long time. Yes the distractions were low but the need for holding a 15 minute sit stay is almost un-heard of. Now we all new that Andrew could hold a sit stay while and elephant was charging towards him but we didn’t know how long it would be before he had to lie down. Which he did in the end. Presley was the other doggie that failed the challenge but not because he got off or laid down because Travis felt sorry for him and called him off. It made me think of when Bill called Star off when she wouldn’t fly. Poor Galaxy just couldn’t stay in a sit and just had to lie down know matter what J.D. said. I don’t think there was anything J.D. could have done, I just think Galaxy was tired and need a good lay down on a tree stump. As for Teresa and Leroy, they did win but boy it took some convincing for Teresa to keep Leroy on that tree stump.

The distraction challenge was fun to watch. I knew after each person had a chance to bond some what with each dog that J.D. would definitely be able to shake things up. It was so fun to what them work on distraction, since that’s what we do everyday at work. My son thought it was so cool that they were doing stuff on the show that he has helped us with dogs in the distraction phase since he was just a little toddler. Well I just knew Andrew wasn’t going to run off and play with any of them after watching how hard it was for everyone to bond with him. J.D. was probably shacking awaiting his turn to try to get Presley to break. J.D. knew he had bonded with Presley and already knew he could make him break. Teresa almost got Presley to break but Travis got him back in position which made the judges happy. Travis did get talked down to by the judges for changing his body language and fun spirit during the distraction challenge. J.D. did great but got talked down to for making Galaxy look like a robot. What ever! I thought they did great and the judges should stop picking on J.D. so much. You can see it all over J.D. face each time the judges scold him. I think there comments are a bit overboard. In the end Teresa finally disappointed the judges enough to get expelled from Canine Academy. She did show very aggressive body language and was speaking to Leroy with great anger and used very threatening eye contact and at the end, sent her packing.

How to remove the smell of skunk off of your dog.

If your dog has been sprayed by a Skunk your in for a long smelly week. There are no known instant smell be gone potions or lotions for your dog to use. The first thing you should try to do if your dog has been sprayed by a Skunk is keep them outside to wash them off.. The smell from a Skunk spraying is almost as bad as mace. If you have to wash your dog indoors try to open up some windows and do not let him on your couch or a rug, bare flooring is more ideal. You do not want the odor from your dog getting into your couch or rug because it will not be easily removed.

Most people don’t know this but try not to use to warm or hot water when washing the skunk spray off your dog. The reason for this is warm or hot water opens the pours of your skin allowing some of that spray to get into yours and your dog’s skin. Also, get your self a lot of tomato juice but be very well aware it may not work. The best way to get that odor off of your dog is by multiple washings in a row. depending how badly your dog was sprayed will result in the amount of times they will need to be washed. My best advice would be use your normal dog shampoo on your dog and if you have any lavender oil I would add a few drops to the dogs coat during the last washing on him. Unfourtanaly, most of the time it will take a few days for the odor to completely leave your dog coat. On the up side, each time you wash your dog the faster the skunk odor will go away.

You never want to use products that aren’t 100% natural or made to be used on dogs. Do some research before using anything not made for your dog or ask a veterinarian. Keep in mind that there are lots of products on the market that help remove the smell of a skunk off humans but dog owners should never try any of those products on their dogs in fear it could be toxic to them.

How do Dogs learn good behavior?

A puppy or an adult dog learns behavior just like humans, through consistency. It takes dogs and humans 30 to 45 days of doing something consistently each day for it to become a habit. And just like with humans, dogs don’t always welcome change until they have felt what it is like. An example for a human is for an alcoholic, to go 30 to 45 days without a drink; this change will improve the chances of breaking the habit. It’s the same way when it comes to changing a puppy’s/dog’s behavior. Once a puppy or adult dog is shown properly and consistently all un-wanted behavior can be modified or managed through obedience.

Let’s talk about jumping. I think jumping is the most popular complaint when it comes to bad behavior in puppies and adult dogs. The best way to address a puppy or adult dog’s jumping problem is to leave the canine’s leash and collar on when you practice this exercise. If you don’t have a means of correction then the behavior can’t be properly addressed consistently. Set aside three to four times a day you will work on this exercise. The exercise will probably only last between 5 and 10 minutes. The best way to fix bad behavior in dogs is to have the behavior you want to fix displayed. In most cases having your dog try to jump up on you or a friend isn’t usually a hard task. With leash and collar on dog properly, take all slack out of leash and ask the dog to jump up on you. As soon as he/she does pull and release the leash at an angle depending in what direction the dog is jumping up. Now depending on the size and personality of your dog will determine the size of the correction (pull and release with the leash). A jumping shy or fearful dog might only need a small correction but a happy go lucky adult Lab might need a larger correction. Also a correction given to a Lab would be much stronger than a correction on a poodle. Each time a correction is delivered say the word NO at the exact time. It might take one correction or it might take 4 or 5 corrections, just keep in mind if the jumping continues after 3 or 4 corrections, you need to increase the size of the correction. Also, the same for a correction that is to big, if the dog gets scared or screams, then lower the size of the correction. I like to start low and work my way up as needed. Keep in mind during this exercise, try not to scream or throw off a bunch of negative body language. When you give a correction to your dog, do it calmly and kindly with a smile on your face. If you start yelling and throwing your arms around, this human behavior will change your dog’s personality and that’s a big no, no in the canine training world. Now remember as soon as you correct the dog for jumping and they stop then this is your cue to praise them with pets and a bunch of good doggie. Usually as soon as you begin to praise the dog, the dog will probably try to jump again immediately. So be ready to correct again very quickly and continue to repeat this process each time you do this exercise.

So take this exercise and work on it several times each day for 30 to 45 days and your jumping problem will improve. But practice is the key, each time someone comes over be sure to practice and each time you first get home. When you first get home the dog will always be the most excited and will more than likely try to jump.

After several days of working on this exercise the dog will probably stop jumping near as much. But don’t stop trying to get them to jump or the behavior will return. Try not to stop working with your dog for the 30 to 45 days to complete the change. Also, keep in mind just like humans, dogs will try to revert back to old behavior. So if or when the jumping returns pull your leash back out and start working your dog again each day to reaffirm the good behavior you desire. 

Good Luck!