How Well Has Your Pet Trained You?

By Linda Cole

We are so misinformed in believing our pets are well trained by us. They actually have a unique ability to train us and in reality, we don't realize until after training is complete, how great a job they did on us. Don't believe me? Read on to see if you recognize any of the training tips pets use on us every day to get anything from a tasty treat to our attention. From our pet’s point of view, we are the ones who need training.

Housebreaking. One of the first things you do after getting a puppy is teach him where you want him to go. Our training begins the moment we frantically leap over an easy chair to stop the “accident,” which by then is usually already in progress, and rush the puppy outside as he/she leaves a trail out the door. Pups teach us to watch them like a hawk! Housebreaking a pup isn't difficult, once you learn their particular little dances and looks they give you when the crucial time has come and leakage is imminent.

Cooking utensils, laundry baskets and TV remotes crash to the floor as we attempt to get to the puppy before it's too late. People who never considered running sprints or jumping hurdles will fly over the couch or coffee table to get to their adorable puppy squatting in the middle of the living room. From a pup's point of view, we need training because watching a lumbering human race towards him with panic etched on their face and screaming, “NOOOOO,” is scary!


Food. If our pets had their way, we would be munching on kibble and giving them the steak. They might have a bowl full of premium CANIDAE pet food, but when you have any food of your own, the pressure is on to get you to share. Pleading eyes that could melt the heart of the most hardened scrooge follow the food from hand to mouth. If begging eyes fail to get your attention, dogs kick it up to the next level with a string of drool from the corner of their mouth. Dogs will also whine, plead, quiver in anticipation and try to get you to shake hands for just a smidgen of food that wouldn't sustain a mouse.

Cats, noble creatures that they are, would never resort to drooling like a dog for a smidgen of your food. Their tactic is simple – a defiant “stare down” to make you crumble. If that doesn't work, they go into stealth mode and try the “snatch and run” approach. Cats think nothing of leaving you with a bloody reminder of why you should share your food. The reason cat owners sit with their face close to their plate is so they can guard both sides from surprise attacks.

Pets can hear peanut butter being spread on a slice of bread across the street at the neighbor's house! I'm convinced snack food companies make loud crinkling bags as an alarm for pets. How many times have you quietly opened a bag of chips only to turn around to see your pet watching you with a look that says, “I wasn't asleep, and you can't fool me.”

Boredom and getting attention. From a pet's point of view, it's our job to keep them entertained and showered with attention, unless they find something more interesting to do, such as snooze in the sun or watch their house ghost (who's responsible for missing socks and spilled milk). Watching the house ghost is perfect for a cat, because there's no physical labor involved and she gets our attention when we look up to see what she's staring at.

Bored dogs take a more direct approach. They systematically disassemble furniture and remote controls, or eat socks. Cats swing from the curtains or race from one end of the house to the other, unless the house ghost is home. In that case, they just sit and stare into space. If you don't know your pet is bored, you aren't paying attention to their training. If your Great Dane brings you the couch for a game of fetch, that's a clue he's bored and needs some toys.

An unsolved mystery concerning cats is their ability to know, regardless of where they are, the exact moment some paper has been placed on a table in front of a human. I've never figured out if the cat is a magnet for paper or if the paper sends out an S.O.S. to the cat. It never fails; you turn away for one second and when you turn back, the cat is sitting in the middle of the paper. You are now required to scratch their ears.

Pets have their own unique way of providing us with the training they think we need. Now tell me, how well has your pet trained you?

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How to Housebreak a Puppy

By Linda Cole

Puppies are so cute, until you find a little surprise waiting for you on the kitchen floor. Hopefully, you didn't discover it in the dark. Housebreaking a puppy can be frustrating, but it's not impossible nor is it the puppy's fault. Stay calm and committed and you'll be surprised how quickly you can train your puppy where to go.

A puppy can't control his bladder muscles properly until he's at least 12 weeks old, and he simply can't “hold it” for very long. He doesn't know going inside is bad. Housebreaking a puppy takes patience and consistent training to teach him where the appropriate place to eliminate is. Yelling at a puppy for going inside the house won't teach him anything positive. He will understand you're upset, but he doesn't connect his mess to why you are angry with him. Because dogs live in the moment, he relates your anger with whatever he was doing at that moment. If he eagerly greets you at the door and you respond by yelling at him, he learns greeting you makes you unhappy and he'll stop greeting you. You want your pup to have only positive thoughts about you. Inappropriate discipline creates unnecessary stress and a confused dog.

Housebreaking a puppy is more about you training yourself to know when the puppy needs to go outside. He should go outside after every meal, immediately after waking up from a nap, when playtime is over, and anytime you see him circling or showing signs he needs to go. Because dogs are individuals, as you get to know your puppy you'll begin to see little hints he uses to show you he needs to go outside. A bark or yip, sniffing, an agitated look, staring at the door or standing in front of it are pretty good signs he's trying to tell you something. Dogs can learn things on their own and they will learn how to communicate to you what they need. Pay attention to what he's teaching you and you will always know when he wants outside. Never ignore him when he's asking to go out, no matter what you're doing.

When housebreaking a puppy, take him outside often to the place where you want him to go. The scent from his last outing will tell him this is the place. Never allow him to roam the house when you're gone. Confine him in an area of the house with no carpeting and make sure to thoroughly clean up any messes or puddles. I'm not a fan of crating a puppy, but it does have a purpose if you don't have an acceptable area to keep a puppy in. Make sure the crate is just large enough for bedding and a few toys.

Take him out of the crate as soon as you get home and don't let him spend a lot of time locked up. Go home during your lunch break and take him out for a walk and if you can't get home, try to find a neighbor, friend or someone you trust who can. Changing your routine to accommodate a puppy will only last for a short time, but how you handle his housebreaking training will last for a lifetime. Once he learns where you want him to go and he's old enough to control himself, you can go back to your old routine.

Puppies understand our body language and our tone of voice. All you need to do to let them know you're disappointed is say in a firm voice “No, bad dog.” Pick up a mess or puddle with a paper towel. Take the paper towel and puppy outside and put both of them on the ground. Let him sniff the towel and if he goes again, praise him with enthusiasm. He will understand by your tone of voice how pleased you are and he will want to repeat it to make you happy. Praise him every time he does what you want.

Establishing a routine with your pup is important. Puppies need to go outside at least 6 or 7 times a day. While you are housebreaking him, don't play with him outside. Give him time to poke around and sniff the area. He may need to relieve himself several times before he's done, so don't rush him. When he's 5 or 6 months old, he won't need to go outside as often.

Housebreaking a puppy is about being committed, staying calm, understanding your pup and giving him lots of praise for going outside. It really isn't hard to housebreak a puppy. Keep your focus and stay patient. Stick to your routine and he'll learn the proper place to go. Then you can add something new and teach your dog how to ring a bell when he wants to go out.

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Is it Separation Anxiety, or Something Else?

By Linda Cole

We all know what separation anxiety is. A dog just can't stand being away from the people he loves. Left alone, the dog might whine, howl or bark all day which isn't good if you live in an apartment. He may also destroy things in the home or scratch up the doors and windows. He gets all worked up and so do the neighbors. But, there could be something else going on that has nothing to do with a dog missing his owner.

Separation anxiety has become a sort of catch-all for behavioral problems. But it could also be boredom or a disease. No one knows why some dogs seem to miss their owner more than others. Some become anxious even with the owner at home but in a different room. Destructive chewing, howling or constant barking, drooling and doing their business inside are all symptoms of separation anxiety. Some dogs become so worked up they chew on themselves, causing self inflicted injuries. A mild case can be dealt with easily whereas a more severe case may require medication and/or working with an animal behavioral expert to help solve the dog's anxiety.

A bored pet can be as destructive as one who misses his owner, but the two problems are quite different. Boredom can be solved with exercise before you leave the house and chew toys stuffed with dog treats. But before you can solve the mystery of whether your dog is destroying your couch because he's bored or because he's experiencing separation anxiety, you need to determine which problem you are dealing with. Discussing the issue with your vet can help.

There are medical reasons why your dog may be exhibiting what appears to be separation anxiety. Cushing's disease, seizures, diabetes, renal disease, gastrointestinal problems or cystitis could be the problem. A fear of thunderstorms that increases when you are gone can upset some dogs enough that they howl or chew to help relieve their fear. Cognitive dysfunction, needing to go outside, marking their territory, a pup who is teething and not being completely housebroken can all be symptoms that you should have your dog checked out by a vet or an animal behaviorist, or spend extra time working on housebreaking and basic training.

Separation anxiety can begin at any age and for a variety of reasons. If you've moved into a new home, your dog may not feel as comfortable in his new surroundings. Separation anxiety can occur is you adopt a new dog who isn't accustomed to you, their new environment or a new routine. It might manifest if your work schedule changes and you don't have as much time to spend exercising and playing with your dog.

Other causes of separation anxiety include: a new baby in the home; new people living in your home; other changes in your living arrangements; a death in the family which can be a human or another pet. Separation anxiety might occur if your dog had an extended stay in a kennel or at the vet, or if you've adopted a new puppy or kitten. Your dog needs to know he hasn't lost your love, so any time there's a change, it's important to reassure him he's still your buddy. Dogs feel most comfortable and secure when their routine is maintained from day to day. Before making changes that are in your control, talk to your vet for recommendations on how to best implement the change so your dog doesn't feel threatened. Changes you can't control, like a death, may need to be dealt with by an expert if your dog continues to grieve.

Don't assume your dog has separation anxiety just because it's an easy explanation for why your dog is misbehaving. Any of the diseases mentioned above, boredom or lack of proper training could be the culprit. If you're thinking about using a crate to help keep your dog from destroying the house while you're gone, discuss your intentions with your vet before doing so. A dog with separation anxiety should never be put in a crate. It will only cause him more stress to be confined in a small area.

The more we learn about dogs, the more we understand how intertwined our lives are. Separation anxiety can be dealt with as long as that's the problem. It's always a good idea to have your vet give your dog a checkup just to make sure it's separation anxiety and not something else.

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Why Do Dogs Mark Their Territory?

By Ruthie Bently

Both male and female dogs mark their territory to let other animals (including humans) know that this is their space and it should not be trespassed upon or there will be consequences. Male dogs and some females will lift their leg. The reason is to leave their scent highest on the place they are marking. I know a female that both lifts her leg and squats. She learned the leg lifting because she grew up with a male dog; he was her role model and lifted his leg, so she does too.

Have you ever wondered why so many male dogs show up when your female goes into season for the first time? A male dog can tell by the smell of a female’s urine that she is in season and ready to breed, and they’ll come from quite a distance. A dog’s scent is carried on the wind and a dog’s sense of smell is so good, their competitors whether domestic or wild, get the warning at a distance. Before we had a fenced place for my AmStaff Skye, I’d leash walk her around the property. I let her amble where she wanted and she always chose the perimeters of the property, stopping every so often to do her business. We had coyotes when we moved here and saw one loping across our meadow once. After Skye came to live here we never saw them again, but we could hear them howling at night from a distance.

Sometimes a male dog will mark inside the house if he feels his territory is threatened, and this can pertain to his owner as well. I had a female client (Ms. Smith) with an adult intact male Akita named Buck. Ms. Smith began dating after a divorce, and Buck had an issue with her male friend. The dog would go into the bathroom and mark the toilet after her boyfriend had used it. Ms. Smith tried closing the bathroom door, but Buck then marked the door. Neutering wasn’t an option since Buck was a show dog and you cannot show a neutered dog in confirmation. I suggested that her boyfriend bring some dog treats when he came over. I hoped that having him give Buck a treat when he walked in and during the visit might help the dog become more accepting and be less apt to mark the toilet or bathroom door. It worked so well that Ms. Smith and her boyfriend got married, and Buck was the ring bearer at their wedding.

If you have a dog that is going potty in an inappropriate place, they can be retrained to go outside. I had to retrain Skye when she came to live here because she was used to going potty in a concrete run. She got to go outside and play with the other dogs and occasionally went on the grass, but usually waited to go back to her kennel to potty. Until I retrained her, Skye would have accidents in the house even if I took her outside every half hour. I spoke with an animal behaviorist recently and she explained that Skye could not differentiate between the concrete run floor and the kitchen floor because they were both smooth, flat surfaces. It is important to train a dog to go outside because the surfaces outside are different than the floors of a house.

I was able to use dog treats as a reinforcement for good behavior. I discovered the best approach was to reward Skye when she pottied outside, making sure to do so before we went back in the house. Now, she even barks to let me know when she needs to go outside. Having Skye properly house-trained has stopped her from marking inside the house, and has certainly made life easier!

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