K-9 Lifesavers

Training Advice for Positively Good Dogs

by Kelly Spring, CPDT

Hooch

Tips for Handling Your Nipping and Mouthing Puppy

Is your puppy driving you crazy with her sharp little teeth on your hands, arms, legs and clothes? Don’t worry; this is a really common (and fixable) problem.

The first thing to know is that it is very unlikely that this is aggressive behavior. Puppies use their mouths and teeth when they play with each other, which is normal and appropriate behavior – with other puppies. As the bigger-brained species, it’s our job to teach puppies that we don’t like that kind of play and give them other appropriate options.

First, swap out your hand or pant leg for something that is appropriate for her to have in her mouth. When your puppy starts getting excited and mouthy while you’re petting her, give her a bone, a rope toy, or a soft plastic toy. Remember, she has a strong desire to use her mouth in play combined with the lack of self control that comes with being a youngster. Set her up to succeed by always having something appropriate for her to put her mouth on when you pet, cuddle or play with her.

You’ll also need to discourage unacceptable behavior by teaching your puppy that when her teeth touch your skin or clothes; it makes all the fun and attention stop. If you’ve already tried redirecting her to a toy and your puppy continues to mouth, nip or grab at your clothes, try this: As soon as you feel her teeth on your skin, say “Ouch” or “Uh-oh” and get up, walk away, and ignore her for 10 to 30 seconds (no touching her, no talking to her, and no eye contact during that time).

Ahh but, she just follows you grabbing on to the hem of your pants as you try to get away? Try leaving the room and closing the door, stepping to the other side of a baby gate or tethering her with a leash attached to a piece of heavy furniture, so she can’t follow you.

Tethering is a great way to teach all kinds of puppy manners. Leash your puppy to something stable and begin petting or playing with her in a low key manner. Continue the fun play until your puppy does something unmannerly, like jumping up, mouthing, or becoming overly excited. At that moment, say “Ouch” or “Uh-oh,” walk away and ignore your pup for a count of ten (more if your puppy is still too excited to play nicely). Return slowly and calmly and resume low-key petting or play. Repeat several times until your puppy learns that jumping, nipping and mouthing make all the fun stop.

NOTE: Never leave your puppy unattended while she is tethered as she may get tangled in her leash and injure herself.

There is a lot of old-fashioned and dangerous advice out there about dog training. Be mindful about what you read and try because puppies are very impressionable and harsh methods can create much bigger behavior problems, like fear and aggression. Please avoid methods like holding your dog’s mouth shut, spraying things in their mouth, gagging them with your hand or an object, and biting them back (all actual advice that is found all over the internet).

Teaching your puppy what is appropriate to chew on (her toys) and that the consequence of using her mouth inappropriately is that you go away and the fun stops is a far more humane and effective way to handle this very common puppy behavior.

Kelly Spring owns Spring Training, LLC (SpringTrainingForDogs.com). She is a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant serving the metro DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia area. Kelly lives with her four rescue dogs and cats, including her devastatingly handsome K-9 Lifesavers alum – Hooch.

Contact Kelly at 202-664-4206 or Kelly@SpringTrainingForDogs.com.

FLEA ALLERGY DERMATITIS (FAD)

Fleas and ticks are external parasites that can cause extreme discomfort and serious illness in pets and even people.

Fleas and ticks are easily prevented from bothering your pet through the use of safe, easy to administer, effective products. Parasite prevention also may require treating your home and yard and keeping pets out of areas where fleas and/or ticks are likely to lurk. Flea or tick control products meant for dogs should never be used on cats and vice versa.

What Are Fleas and Ticks?
Fleas and ticks are external parasites that can cause extreme discomfort for your pet and can also cause serious diseases.

Fleas
Fleas are insects that are ubiquitous in the environment-meaning they can be found almost everywhere. There are more than 2000 species of fleas, but the common cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the one that most commonly afflicts dogs and cats.

A disease of concern that can be caused by fleas is flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), which is a severe allergic reaction to flea bites. Some pets are so allergic that even a single bite can cause a reaction. FAD makes pets miserable. In severe cases, it can cause severe itching and inflammation that, if left untreated, can lead to excessive scratching and chewing that can damage the skin. Secondary bacterial or fungal infections can develop as a result.

Fleas can also play a role in transmitting parasites, such as tapeworms, and bacterial diseases, such as cat scratch fever (bartonellosis), to humans.

Fleas are prevalent throughout the United States. They prefer warm, humid conditions, so infestations are typically worst during mid to late summer and early fall. In some parts of the country, they can be a significant problem year round. Even during the cooler months, fleas can survive very well indoors once an infestation has been established.

Ticks
Ticks are not insects, but they are closely related to spiders, scorpions, and mites. There are approximately 80 tick species found in the United States, but only a handful of them are of real concern to pets and people. Some of these include the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). The brown dog tick is the only species that can complete its entire lifecycle on a dog and can infest homes and kennels.

Tick bites can be painful and irritating, but the real concern with ticks is the number of serious diseases they can transmit, such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These diseases can cause significant illness and even death in both pets and people.

Ticks are found in virtually every region of the United States. They are most prevalent in the early spring and late fall, although some species are well adapted to temperature extremes and can be found any time of year. In general, however, they prefer dark, moist, brushy places in which to lay their eggs.

How Do I Know If My Pet Has Fleas and/or Ticks?
Larger tick species can typically be seen or felt in the hair coat, especially once they are engorged after feeding. Deer ticks, on the other hand, are very tiny-about the size of the head of a pin in some stages-and can be harder to see.

Repetitive scratching is a telltale sign that your pet may have fleas. Adult fleas can be identified on the pet, but fleas in other stages of their life cycle (eggs, larvae, and pupae) can be harder to find. Adult fleas are tiny and can be hard to see, but flea combs can be used to remove fleas as well as flea dirt. Flea dirt is essentially flea feces, which is digested blood. To check your pet for fleas, run a flea comb through your pet’s fur and dump any hair and debris onto a white paper towel. Dampen it slightly with water. Any small, dark specks that stain the towel red are a clear indication your pet has fleas. Finally, excessive grooming is also a sign of a potential flea problem. Infested cats will groom themselves repeatedly in an effort to remove fleas.

How Do I Prevent Fleas?
There are many safe, effective, and easy to administer flea control products. These products are typically administered orally in tablet (or liquid) form or topically by applying the medication as a fluid directly to the animal’s skin-generally between the shoulder blades or at the back of the neck. Some flea control products are only active against adult fleas, whereas other products can also target other stages of the flea life cycle, such as eggs and larvae. In some cases, your veterinarian may recommend more than one product in order to most effectively kill fleas and break the flea life cycle.

Once an infestation is established, fleas can be very difficult to get rid of. You may need to treat your pet repeatedly. In addition, fleas must be completely removed from the affected pet’s environment. Therefore, all other animals in the house must also be treated with flea control products, and the house and yard may need to be treated as well.

Vacuuming rugs, throwing out old pet bedding, and laundering other items may also be recommended by your veterinarian to help remove fleas from your pet’s environment.

How Do I Prevent Ticks?
There are many safe, effective, and easy to administer tick control products. Many of the major flea control products also have formulations that will help prevent ticks. These products are typically administered topically by applying the medication as a fluid directly to the animal’s skin-generally between the shoulder blades or at the back of the neck.

Prevention also includes keeping pets out of “tick habitats,” such as heavily wooded areas or tall grass. As much as possible, create tick-free zones in your yard by keeping grass mown short and bushes cut back. Ticks like moist areas, so remove leaf litter from around your house. If necessary, you may need to treat your backyard with a pesticide to reduce the number of ticks.

Finally, make a habit of performing a “tick check” on your pet at least once a day, especially if he or she has any access to wooded or grassy areas where ticks may lurk. If you find a tick, grasp it with a pair of tweezers as close down to the mouthparts as you can reach. Exert a gentle, steady pressure until the tick lets go. There are also tick removal tools that are very easy to use. Never remove a tick with your bare fingers. Avoid using lighter fluid, matches, or other products that may irritate the skin or cause other injuries to your pet. When in doubt, ask your veterinary care team for assistance removing the tick.

Never use flea control products intended for dogs on cats. Some medications can be highly toxic to cats. Only use products on the species for which they are intended, and follow all label instructions.

England Run Veterinary Clinic
756 Warrenton Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
(540) 370-0237
www.englandrunvet.vetsuite.com

Training Advice for Positively Good Dogs

by Kelly Spring, CPDT

Hooch

House Training Your Dog

A dog has no innate understanding of where you think it is appropriate to potty and where you would rather he didn’t.  He really doesn’t know.  Seriously.  He can and will learn – but it will be much easier for both of you if you communicate it to him in a way that he can easily understand.  The holy grail of housetraining is: confinement, supervision and positive reinforcement.

Crate Training:
When you can’t actively supervise your dog, he should be confined to an area small enough that he won’t want to soil in it – a crate is a great confinement solution.

The crate should be large enough that he can comfortably sit, lie down, and turn around, but not so large that he can soil one area of the crate and comfortably move away from the mess to play and rest.

Never crate a dog for longer than he can hold it.  Puppies can generally hold it one hour for every month of age plus one.  So a two month dog can probably hold it for a maximum of 3 hours.  If you crate a dog longer than he can physically hold it, you’ll teach him to go in his crate.  This will cause the dog a lot of stress and make house training VERY difficult.

If you are gone longer than your dog can hold it, you need to get someone to walk him while you are gone.

Your dog should be taken outside immediately after coming out of the crate (carry him outside, if you can, to avoid an accident on the way).  If he goes outside, praise and treat immediately after he finishes.  If he doesn’t go when outside, bring him back in and put him in the crate for 20 minutes or so.  Then take him back outside.  Repeat this process until he eliminates outside.  Only after he has successfully pottied outside should he be given some supervised freedom in the house.  You want to set him up to succeed!

The crate should never be used as a punishment.  Always put safe, interactive toys and chews in the crate with your dog so he has something to keep him occupied.  Kongs stuffed with wet dog food, peanut butter, etc. and frozen will keep your dog busy for long periods of time.

Supervise:
The second key to teaching your dog where you want him to potty is preventing him from having accidents in the house and rewarding him when he goes outside.  Pottying is inherently rewarding to your dog – it feels good to eliminate and leave his scent behind.  You want to make sure he only experiences that “reward” outside.  Every time he gets to practice going inside, he’s more likely to do it again.

Watch your dog for signs that he needs to go – sniffing the floor, circling, walking to the door where you usually take him out.  Get to know your dog’s signals.

When your dog is not confined to a small space, like a crate, where he won’t eliminate, you need to be able to see him and watch for signs that he needs to go.  Close doors or use baby gates to keep the dog in the same room with you.  He should never be out of sight.  You can also tether him to you or a piece of furniture with a leash.  (A tethered dog should never be left alone!)  Watch for signs that he needs to go out and take him immediately.

Positive Reinforcement:
Reward your dog every time he eliminates outdoors. Praise him AND give him a treat (really high-value treats like small pieces of cheese, hot dogs, turkey, and chicken, etc. work best).  The treat must come immediately after he’s finished eliminating — not after he comes back inside the house.  Timing is everything – you want to make sure he knows exactly what he is being rewarded for.  Be careful to wait until he’s finished to start the praising and treating.  Puppies are easily distracted and you want to make sure he finishes his business.

This will incentivize him to hold it until he gets outside.  He’ll learn that going outside results in treats and praise – while going inside gets him nothing at all.  This is the fastest way to teach him to potty where you’d like him to go.

Other helpful tips:
A consistent schedule is the fastest route to a housetrained dog.  Feed him and take him out on a regular schedule.  When your puppy is not in the crate, he should be taken out at least every two hours plus immediately after he wakes up, after playing, and after eating or drinking.

Take away your puppy’s water dish about two hours before bedtime to reduce the likelihood that he’ll need to potty during the night. Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without having to eliminate.

If he does need a potty break during the night, don’t make a big deal of it or he’ll think it is time to play. Turn on as few lights as possible.  Don’t talk to or play with him.  Just take him out to potty and return him to his crate.

Accidents are a normal part of housetraining. When it happens:
•    If you catch him in the act, calmly and quietly interrupt your dog and take him outside.
•    Don’t ever punish him for pottying in the house. Once the accident has happened, the training opportunity has passed.  Clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner, like Nature’s Miracle or white vinegar.
•     Don’t rub your dog’s nose in it, scold him, or punish him.  This will only make him afraid of you or afraid to potty in front of you – even when you are outside.  Punishment will only set your housetraining program back.

Kelly Spring owns Spring Training, LLC (SpringTrainingForDogs.com). She is a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant serving the metro DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia area. Kelly lives with her four rescue dogs and cats, including her devastatingly handsome K-9 Lifesavers alum – Hooch.

Contact Kelly at 202-664-4206 or Kelly@SpringTrainingForDogs.com.

Training Advice for Positively Good Dogs

by Kelly Spring, CPDT

Hooch, K-9 Alum

Halloween Can Be a Scary Time for Your Dog

Halloween is lots of fun for people, but it can be a nightmare for some dogs.  Keep your dog safe and stress-free with these easy tips:

• Walk your dog before or after trick-or-treaters make their rounds.  Costumes and sugar-fueled children can be frightening to dogs.  Hold the leash firmly just in case your dog gets startled by a child in a costume or a group of revelers.

• Keep the Halloween goodies out of reach.  Chocolate and candy containing xylitol are toxic to dogs.

• When the ghouls and goblins come knocking, make sure your dog is in a secure area of the home – behind a baby gate, in her crate, or in another room with the door closed.  Many dogs become increasingly excited, stressed, and/or scared by a parade of visitors – especially strangers wearing masks.   This puts dogs at high risk for bolting out the door and getting lost or hit by a car.  It’s also a recipe for inappropriate and potentially dangerous behaviors – from overly-friendly jumping to defensive biting.

• If your dog is greeting trick-or-treaters with you, make sure he is completely comfortable with his role and keep him on a leash.  Never force a stressed, anxious, or fearful dog to “face his fears” (trick-or-treaters or otherwise), as this will intensify his fear and possibly lead to someone getting hurt.

• Make sure that your dog is wearing an ID tag with your current phone number(s) and that the contact information associated with her micro-chip is up-to-date.

• If you know your dog is timid or sensitive to noise, place her in a quiet room as far away from your front door as possible before the festivities begin.  Consider a Thundershirt, dog-appeasing pheromones, or “Through a Dog’s Ear” music to soothe her.  For very anxious and fearful dogs, talk to your veterinarian about using medication to make her more comfortable for the night.

• Make sure your dog can’t reach candles, jack-o-lanterns, or other decorations.  Dogs will eat pumpkins – and it’s not pretty, for the pumpkin, the dog, or your living area.

• Keep your dog indoors unless you are outside with him.  Unsupervised dogs (and cats) are at risk for Halloween pranks ranging from taunting to poisoning.

• Think about whether you really need to dress your dog up for the occasion.  Halloween costumes can be stressful and irritating for dogs – no matter how cute they are for you to look at.  Some costumes pose safety and health hazards.  If you must… be sure your dog’s breathing, sight, and hearing are not obstructed and there are no choking hazards on the costume.

• When walking your dog after Halloween, be careful that she doesn’t gobble up candy or wrappers that get left behind.

Kelly Spring owns Spring Training, LLC (SpringTrainingForDogs.com). She is a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant serving the metro DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia area. Kelly lives with her four rescue dogs and cats, including her devastatingly handsome K-9 Lifesavers alum – Hooch.

Contact Kelly at 202-664-4206 or Kelly@SpringTrainingForDogs.com.