The 4th of July — a summertime holiday filled with fun, picnics, and fireworks for the family.  However, many of our canine family members are not overly enthusiatic for the fireworks.  Fireworks often cause a stress/fear response in our dogs which may be exhibited by excessive drooling, whining, digging, destructive behavior, etc.   

If your dog is stressed by fireworks, here are a few tips that may make the 4th of July more pleasurable for all:

1. State of Mind — remember that your dog is responding to a fear (i.e. destroying things) and it’s your job to help alleviate the situation. If you respond by getting upset you will only reinforce that fireworks cause bad things to happen (i.e. mom yells at me).
2. Plan, Plan, Plan — Make sure you have a plan for the 4th of July as well as the week leading up to the 4th
   • As the 4th of July approaches you will likely hear bottle rockets and other fireworks throughout the neighborhood, use this as an opportunity to desensitize — keep your dog’s favorite treats or toys handy and reward your dog for remaining calm when he/she hears a firework.
   • On the 4th of July, keep your dog inside with the TV or radio volume high enough to drown out firework noises and close the curtains if your dog has associated the lights with fireworks.
   • If you are home reward, reward, reward for calm behavior.
   • If you won’t be at home, keep your dog in a confined and safe place like a crate or kennel.

Start thinking about next year — try desensitizing your dog to loud noises through increased exposure with rewards. For example, you could purchase a CD with firework noises, play it softly and reward for a calm response. Gradually increase the volume and reward until your dog is confident

Safety Tip — Even if your dog is not afraid of fireworks, it is a good practice to keep your dog away from firework shows to prevent damage to their hearing.

For additional tips surrounding this holiday and it’s festivities, see ASPCA’s Fourth of July Safety Tips.

Have a fun and safe 4th of July — The Trainers of Online Dog Coach

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…and eyes, and ears, and tail…

Dogs don’t communicate with words or crying like we do. Their whining, barking, and growling is used in limited, and usually extreme, situations. To “hear” what your dog is saying, you really need to watch their body language.

Use these signals to assess your dog during training, agility, or other dog competitions. If you see signs of stress, try something easier for the dog to build up his confidence. Find games you can play to take his (and your) mind off of the surroundings at sporting events such as Touch Nose to Hand or other dog tricks.

A calm dog is relaxed – especially his eyes, mouth, ears, and tail. Take for example Rankine when his baby is walking all over him. Notice how his ears, lips, and eyes are relaxed. This is a calm dog who doesn’t mind the baby’s antics.

Had Rankine been asking baby to stop, you may have seen one of the following cues:

• Lip licking
• Yawning
• Ear flicking
• Flinching
• A “crescent” shaped whites of his eyes
• Intentional turning away from the baby
• “Freezing.” This is different from stillness in that you can almost see the tension in the body. If you ever see a dog “freeze,” beware. This is often a precursor to snapping.

You can learn more about a dog’s body language at Living with Kids and Dogs by Colleen Pelar. Watch her videos to see how dogs show their stress.

aggression, agility, babies, behavior, body language, children, communication, competition, dog sports, dogs, safety, stress Hide

Cesar admits to being a dog psychologist, not a dog trainer. In one episode he tells his clients that using “good dog” is for training, not what he was doing with their dog. Not to say training isn’t an answer for psychological problems. I have seen Victoria Stilwell solve similar issues with her training methods many times.

I agree with these aspects of Cesar’s philosophy:

dogs need “discipline, exercise, and affection”

“high-energy working dogs . . . can develop issues when the basic needs of their breed are not addressed.”  –Harley, Annabelle, and Memphis” episode of Dog Whisperer

treat your dog like a dog, not a human

Cesar has a place with some dogs, few and far between. I do not think his methods should be used casually or regularly in any home. Use positive dog training methods and consult a trainer if you need help (make sure to interview the trainer about their methods).

I believe in the following:

• dogs need leadership
• dogs need jobs
• dogs are dogs, not humans
• dogs need communication they understand (more…)

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Huggies Adventure Zone was at this year’s Boo at the Zoo to see who has the fastest crawler in the Denver area.  Of course being married to “Mr. Competitive”, our baby had to win!  So on Saturday morning, we were off to Zoo not to trick-or-treat or to see the animals, but to win a baby crawling race. 

We got to the Zoo and immediately checked out the course.  Being good dog trainers we knew to bring a high value reward (stuffed puppy dog), to aclimate our little guy to his environment and make sure he had a little obstacle familiarization.  After scoping out the surroundings, we had  a relaxing lunch in preparation for the 1 o’clock show down. 

We arrived a few minutes early as Dad wanted to check out the competition – eleven other babies varying in age from 7 months to 12 months.  Our guy was one of the younger babies, but not to be overlooked because he has got speed. 

The Huggies representative had the babies line-up, gave a run down of the rules, and said “Go”.  Moms and Dads were yelling excitedly to get their babes going.  One of the older babies pulled out into the lead and stopped about half way.  In the meantime, my guy wasn’t quite sure what the fuss was about.  FINALLY, he locked in on his favorite toy and took off down the stretch winning the 1st prize of six months of diapers by a couple feet.

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I love this article!

Carl Zimmer takes a close look at the social intelligence of dogs in “The Secrets Inside Your Dog’s Mind,” and what science has to say about it. He explains a simple experiment that demonstrates how a dog can understand the gesture of a pointing hand, and how this is an indication of a strong cross-species bond between human and canine.

If you live near universities such as Duke or Harvard, your dog may have the opportunity to participate in intelligence tests to explore the abilities of the canine mind. Additionally, scientists are exploring the meaning of canine behavior, like kisses and guilty behaviors.

This article explains the close bond dogs have with humans, and why they respond so well to our positive training techniques. It is a fun glimpse into the mind, and the evolution, of our best friend.

Here are a few links to some related web sites: (more…)

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