Tag: The Dog Whisperer
Cesar was right! Give a dog plenty of exercise (and socialization) and his behavioral issues go away!
(To be fair, any dog trainer will tell you this; I don’t mean to single out Cesar specifically.)
Here he is, sitting by a curb. It’s one of the rules we give him. When we stop at an intersection and need to wait for a walk signal, we make him sit first. When we allow him through a doorway, we make him sit first. When we play fetch with him, we make him sit first. It’s good doggie discipline.
I took Mocha for a nice hour-long walk today. Sometimes he’ll bark at bicyclists and skateboarders. Other times, he’ll growl at pedestrians and other dogs. Occasionally, he’ll lunge at someone he probably perceives is threatening, perhaps because of his protectiveness.
But during this walk, he was totally fine. Hurray for exercise and doggie discipline!
I had the leash high up on his neck and kept him by my side the entire time. This is what I do whenever I walk him for bathroom breaks and exercise. Thankfully, I’m beginning to see a change. The protective behavior is subsiding.
What does this mean? We need to walk him more often. Like every day. Our jobs don’t always allow us this free time, but we try our best. We take him on long hikes once a week and 3-mile runs about two-to-three times a week.
For some dogs, that’s probably enough. For a Jack Russell Terrier mix like Mocha, it’s not quite. And ironically, the more we exercise him, the more fit he becomes, and the more exercise he needs. On the plus side, we’re also getting more fit too. (Need to lose weight? Get a Terrier!)
Now that it’s getting nicer outside, perhaps I’ll start working in a downtown cafe and take Mocha with me. It’s a nice 1.5 mile walk away, which ought to give him the exercise and socialization he needs. And, of course, the exercise I need.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tho… I don’t think Mocha had a very happy one himself.
We dropped him off at a kennel back in September. Since then, he seems to have developed a case of stranger anxiety. At least, that’s my theory.
Before the kennel, he didn’t bark much. After that, he’s been getting increasingly vicious. I don’t think it’s aggression, since his body language hints at fear more than anger. Neighbors, strangers, odd noises at 2AM in the morning, he’ll bark at anything scary.
Then at a camping trip, he lunged at some friends with bared teeth. The growls were a distinctive, “Stay away from me” warning. Lunges are now part of his daily repertoire too.
I watch enough Dog Whisperer to know that us – Mocha’s owners – could be triggering this defensive move with our own anxiety. So we’ve worked hard to maintain a calm & assertive demeanor.
The other problem could be a lack of exercise. However, after alternating days of three-mile runs and dog park romps, he’s still a barking, growling, lunging mess of anxiousness. We might not be exercising him enough though; he might need a marathon to tire his ass out.
Which leads me to why Mocha was in a crate on Thanksgiving. We visited some friends who have young children. Admittedly, we were a little worried about how Mocha would react to them, but remained calm & assertive when introduced him to the others.
We had him on a loose leash while I stood in front of him in a calm, dominant stance. He had on a new PetSafe Bark Control Collar
we purchased.
And what did he do?
He barked and lunged at the children. :( He also lunged at an aunt and both parents of the children. His teeth almost bit through their mother’s pants.
This resigned him to an evening in the crate alone, unfortunately.
It was great to see family and friends this Thanksgiving. But for me, the weekend was dampened with concerns for Mocha. What are we doing wrong? What can we do to help this poor guy? Maybe we ought to call up Cesar Milan one day.
I got me a clicker today! In addition to some Cesar Milan-style exercise, discipline & affection, I’m going to apply some clicker magic on Mocha.
Except… he’s afraid of the clicker. How’s that for irony? Mocha’s a nervous dog who’s barking at people out of fear, so I decide to begin clicker training to restore his confidence – except clicker training scares the heck out of him.
Ah well. Guess I’ll have to try a softer clicker on him, like the clicker on a pen or something. Scaredy dog.
This is Mocha after a nice three-mile run first thing in the morning. It’s part of my new training regime for Mocha. Exercise, discipline & affection.
Ever since leaving Mocha in a kennel, he’s been a changed pup. He’s more skittish, more nervous, and a lot more barky.
During the day, he’s usually pretty good. Playful, goofy, and pretty chill. But at night, he’ll bark at people walking outside, even if it’s neighbors that he once happily sniffed & licked.
Suddenly, he started barking at every person we encountered on his bathroom breaks. Even the nice neighbor and their kids. That was the last straw.
According to Cesar Milan of The Dog Whisperer, one way to restore order and banish the bark is to assert your dominance. Become the pack leader.
I thought I was doing that already, but perhaps not. Or perhaps the time in the kennel knocked me out of that position.
So starting today, I’m getting Cesar on his ass. It’s going to be all about exercise, discipline, affection, and calm & assertive pack leadership, dammit!
Today at the dog park, Mocha was cowered into submission by a pack of dogs. It was an ugly sight.
As soon as we entered the park, a pit bull gunned right for Mocha. Apparently, the pit bull sensed Mocha’s fear and lunged towards him. This noticeably made Mocha even more frightened, so he ran off. Perhaps his previous encounter with a pit bull didn’t help.
Suddenly, there was a chase. Most of the other dogs joined in. Pretty soon, there was Mocha, tail between his legs, galloping as fast as he could away from a torrent of teeth and barks. In the front of the pack was the pit bull.
The pit bull’s owner jumped in and tore her dog away. As soon as she did that, the pack stopped chasing and Mocha shivered between our legs.
The owner apologized. “My dog sensed your dog’s fear. That’s why he chased him,” she explained.
Okay, great. So if she knew that, why didn’t she hold back her fear-sensing pit bull back until Mocha entered the park and became acclimated? I’ve seen other dog owners do that before with their aggressive dogs. Once a new dog enters the territory and becomes accepted by the pack, then the aggressive dog is let free and able to inspect the new dog him/herself.
While the owner was chasing her pit bull around, I heard other dog owners mutter comments like, “Why did she bring him in there?” “Doesn’t she know there’s a dog park for large dogs around the corner?” “What a vicious dog.” One mother even pulled her daughter back from trying to pet the pit bull.
After the fiasco, we retreated to a faraway corner of the dog park. We played fetch with Mocha, which cheered him up immensely. Then I looked up and noticed that the pit bull and owner had left.
Dog owners need to control their dogs. It’s fine, and perhaps even recommended, to socialize their dogs in a dog park. But a dog with a potentially aggressive temperament may need some Cesar Milan magic before playing with others. In my humble opinion, it’s common courtesy and responsible dog ownership.
We got Mocha a Ruff Wear Approach Dog Pack
today, so he can carry his own stuff (water, food, treats, etc) on long walks and hikes. A friend suggested this product. I’ve also seen dog backpacks in general recommended by the Dog Whisperer too, as a means of exercise and giving your dog a sense of purpose (“I will carry this stuff; it is my duty!”). So since Cesar said so, it must be a good idea.
So far, we’re pleased. Mocha seems to like it. The backpack fit on him well and he didn’t fuss as we put it on. Perhaps because it felt like a harness, he acted like we were ready to take him out – see his tail wagging so fast it’s a blur? He’s looking at me and going, “C’mon Daddy, put down the damn camera and let’s go out!”
Each pouch has plenty of room for a water bottle, some dog food & treats, and a collapsible dog bowl. Each. Not to shabby, huh?
For the collapsible dog bowls, we purchased two Ruff Wear Quencher Dog Bowls
, one for food and one for water. They fold up nicely and look easy to wash.
The materials look & feel sturdy. They are waterproof and hopefully pee-proof – which is our one fear. The back bottom strap seems a bit close to Mocha’s, you know, deflated prune sack. We’re really hoping it doesn’t get soaked in pee.
We eagerly prepared for Mocha like any good, new parent would – by reading books, watching training videos, watching Dog Whisperer (calm & assertive!), and asking dog-owning friends for advice.
Armed with this info, we prepared by:
- Buying nearly $300 dollars worth of dog supplies, such as:
- a collar
- a leash
- a crate
- dog food
- food & water dish
- dog treats
- chew toys
- a grooming brush
- dog shampoo
- dog toothpaste
- dog toothbrush
- wipes
- an enzymetic carpet cleaner
- a wet vaccum
- flea & tick medicine
- Dog-proofing our apartment by:
- removing items near the ground that we didn’t want chewed
- taping down loose wires
- arranging a space for the crate
- arranging a space for the dog supplies
- arranging a space for the food & water dish
- installing doggie-gates (which were really baby gates)
- Making a list of dog-related businesses nearby, such as:
- veterinarians & pet hospitals
- pet stores
- dog parks
- kennels
- pet-friendly cafes
- Coming up with a dog schedule that included:
- feeding times
- bathroom breaks
- walks & exercise breaks
- training sessions
- Writing down a list of the commands & tricks with which we want to train him
- Preparing ourselves for potential potty accidents, barking, and chewing damages
This list took a long time to put together, because I’m a geek and did a lot of research into which were the most highly recommended & reviewed products or services. On occasion, I’ll post some reviews of the products & services we’ve used, and how effective they were for Mocha. What works for Mocha may not necessarily work for your dog, however.
We also used this list as a loose guideline. Some parts of it evolved over time. The dog schedule morphed into something totally different as we learned more about Mocha and his preferences. For instance, I had alloted more time for bathroom breaks, thinking he needed to be housebroken. Thankfully, Mocha came to us already housebroken. Whew!
If you’re about to become a new dog owner and need some basic guidance, I hope this list helps. It sure helped us.
