Shy Dog Adopted From Shelter

Dear Marie,
Last month I adopted an extremely shy dog from my city’s shelter.  The shelter people told me she was found as a stray by animal control and no one came to claim her.  They don’t know much about her other than she’s a little mixed breed dog and about two years old.I knew she was timid when I adopted her, but now that I've had her home for a while, I realize this isn't a case of being shy.  I think she is very fearful.  Her tail is always curled tight between her legs, she jumps at any sound and seems always to be looking over her shoulder.  I had some friends come to meet her and she ran into my bedroom and would not be coaxed out even with yummy treats.  She seems to like and trust me.  In fact, when I am alone, she sticks to me like glue.  I've almost tripped over her a couple of times.  What do you think is going on with her and will she ever come out of her shell?

Meghan 

Dear Meghan,
It is hard to say exactly what is going on with your little dog, but knowing she was out on the streets all by herself is a good indicator that she went through some harrowing experiences.  It is lucky that an animal control officer was able to rescue her and take her to a shelter before she was injured or killed. Try and imagine life as she has experienced it—she had a home and a family.  Most likely, she had a warm bed, regular meals, water, and attention.  She was safe and secure.  Somehow, she was separated from all of this.  Perhaps a meter reader left a gate open, or worse, her family abandoned her.  Regardless, her world was instantly turned upside down.  She may have had close calls with moving traffic, or she may have been chased by another loose dog, or even a wild predator.  It all must have been very terrifying. Then she was rescued—but from her perspective, that experience was in all probability, just as frightening as her initial ordeal.  A stranger picked her up, put her in a strange vehicle that almost certainly contained the sights and sounds of other animals, and drove her to a facility with dozens of loud, barking dogs.  She was poked and prodded by a veterinarian, was spayed, and then given a number of shots.  Kennel doors opened and closed continually with food bowls being put in and taken out by any number of people. It was all very overwhelming for your poor little girl.  But then you came into her life and became her rock of security.  It’s good to know that she was able to trust you like this.  Now it’s your job to make her know that she is undeniably safe and sound. Based on what you've indicated, you’ll need to take things slowly with her.  Don’t bring a lot of people into your home.  Instead, play some classical music.  Talk to your dog in a happy, confident voice.  This will let her know that you are not afraid of anything so she can feel more secure.  Spend as much quality time with her as possible.  Giver her lots of affection and treats.  If she is interested in playing, get some playtime in.  If she doesn't know how to play, try to teach her a few games.  Believe it or not, playtime is great therapy. As you see her become more confident, begin a few short activities outside of your home and yard.  If she enjoys being out of the home, increase the duration of these outings.  Long walks help relieve stress so when you get to this phase of training, you should see improvement by leaps and bounds. It is at this point that you can begin to introduce her to your friends.  Ideally, you’ll want just one person a day to stop by and they should always come with doggie treats in hand (or pocket)!  Don’t force your dog to visit, let her come to each person when she is ready. Sometimes it takes several months for a dog to fully comprehend that it is safe in a new home, but many dogs adjust in just a few weeks.  Just remember that it’s up to you to show her that she will never be alone again.

Puppy and Kitten Trouble

Dear Marie,
Shortly before Christmas, we decided to adopt two pets, a kitten for my twelve-year-old daughter and a puppy for my 10-year-old son. We wanted to get a kitten and a puppy to make sure that the two would get along and that was actually a good call. They get along great and they don’t seem to know that they are the least bit different from each other, which is funny because the puppy is a German Shepherd mix and is huge! But that doesn’t stop them from playing together and snuggling together. It’s adorable. But here’s the problem. They are constantly getting into trouble. They run up and down the hall and into all the rooms while they are playing and things get knocked over and broken. Individually, the kitten is climbing and scratching all the furniture and curtains. The puppy is gnawing on everything and anything. It’s getting to be a financial burden at this point. The kitten is even chewing things! Last week he chewed right through my husband’s phone charger cable. I don’t know how things got so out of control, but my kids can’t seem to manage their pets and I am at my wit’s end. Please help us.
Jan

Dear Jan,
I can hear your frustration loud and clear and I am happy you are asking for help. Many people in your shoes would just give up their pets so it’s good to know that you are looking for a way to fix the problem without taking such drastic measures.

Now let’s get to the problem. Puppies and kittens are blank slates. They don’t know any rules but are very smart and able to learn - and it’s never too early to teach good manners. However, it does take a lot of time and a lot of patience.

First, enroll your puppy in basic obedience. Keep in mind that the class is more for you and your kids than it is for your pet. You will all learn how to be consistent with the rules and that’s what your puppy (and your kitten) need. Practice everything you learn in class at your home. Everyone in the family should work with both pets as often as possible.

Of course, you won’t be teaching your kitten to do the traditional dog routine, but you can train your young cat to play on a scratching post instead of your curtains and sofas. And this is accomplished by everyone in the family taking some time to play with him at designated cat-friendly area(s).

Remember, young cats and dogs need to chew on things. Give them both something acceptable to satisfy this basic need. Demanding that they don’t chew at all is not realistic. So redirect them to something appropriate. Chew toys are great for this. And if you have certain personal items that seem irresistible to your pets (phone charging cables, expensive shoes, etc.), it might be a good idea to keep those items in places your pets can’t get to.

Cats need to drag their claws across suitable surfaces. In addition to scratching posts, you can place disposable scratchers in most of your rooms. These are small, inexpensive items that are available at most pet supply stores and if you get the kind scented with catnip, your kitty will happily use them instead of your home’s furnishings.

Puppies and kittens have lots of energy. But it comes in bursts. If you notice that your pets want to play, that’s a good time to stop what you are doing to play with them. Find an area that’s safe for rough and tumble activities. Take your dog outside for games involving running and chasing. Have someone stay indoors with your kitten. That person should use a feather toy or something similar to engage the little feline. Take turns. Everyone should play with all the animals at various times. You’ll probably notice patterns to when your pets want to play. This will work to your advantage and you can get your pets into a routine that you can count on.

Like all babies, energy bursts don’t last very long and soon your little guys are going to want to nap or rest. As they mature, they’ll require less playtime though that doesn’t mean you should cut it out completely. Keep your pets active throughout their lives for excellent physical and mental health; but enjoy the quiet time that will come with your pets’ maturity.

Believe it or not, kittenhood and puppyhood don’t last too long and if you begin training now, you’ll have some pretty well-behaved pets in no time. Just hang in there and remember: consistency is the key to success.

Barking at the Doorbell (or knocking)!

Dear Marie,
My three dogs go nuts each an every time someone comes to the door and knocks or rings the bell. I'm not talking a little, "Hey, there's someone at the door," kind of bark. I mean ferocious, "I want to eat them," barking! I yell (so they can hear me over their barking) and tell them to quiet down, and I pull them away from the door, but they just won't stop. You should know, though, that as soon as I open the door and talk to whoever it is, they are fine. They are not aggressive at all. But they have intimidated a lot of visitors with their doorbell barking. I don't know what to do. They are like a barking super-ensemble; as a group, they are unstoppable. Do you have any thoughts on how I can get them to behave? Thanks, Monique

Dear Monique,
Your problem-barkers are part of a larger canine crowd. Next to house-training troubles, this is one of the most common behavioral difficulties I hear about from readers. You will be happy to know that it is also one of the easiest issues to resolve, and can probably be dealt with in just a few days. So, I would recommend making this weekend your designated training time. Or if you have a more unconventional work schedule, try to find a block of time where you can be home for a couple of days to do some repetitive work with your dogs.

As you have learned, yelling at your canine companions and using your brute strength to pull them away from the situation is not very effective. If anything, it just adds to their frantic energy. Instead, you must create an environment of calm that prevails whenever the doorbell rings, or there is a knock on the door.

First, enlist the assistance of a family member or friend. Have that person walk up to the door while you are seated in a comfy chair reading the newspaper or pretending to sleep. Your accomplice should then knock or ring the doorbell. As soon as your dogs get into bark-mode, quietly and calmly tell them to "shush" and then toss a few treats to the other side of the room. If they go there, tell them they are good dogs, and then put them on "Sit-Stay," give them another treat, and then go answer the door. Hopefully they know basic obedience; if not, you need to take care of that before you do anything else.

Repeat this routine over and over again, until your dogs start going to the designated "treat spot" without any treats getting tossed. Begin to exchange treats for praise and petting; but always make sure they are in "Sit-Stay" before you answer the door.

Mix up the training a bit. Have your partner ring the bell every 10 seconds or so, while you remain in the "treat area." As soon as the bell rings (or there is a knock), tell your dogs to sit, and if they remain with you, and do as they're told, give them a treat. (You don't need to answer the door – you are just desensitizing them to the doorbell.) Pretty soon they will begin to associate doorbell/knocking sounds with this training, and if all goes well, they will move to the designated spot and put themselves on "Sit-Stay" without you even asking.

This takes a lot of repetition, but as it becomes clear that your dogs are getting the idea, you can take a little break and ask your partner to assist you later. Your dogs will probably forget some of their training in a few hours, but it will come back quickly once you follow-up with them; and by the end of the weekend, you should be able to have anyone walk up to your door, knock or ring the bell, and hear nothing from your dogs.

It's always good to add a little refresher training as time goes by so your dogs don't fall back into bad habits. But you know your dogs best, and should be able to gauge what's needed. Just remember, any time you ask your pets to do anything, you should always praise them when they do. Animals are a lot like people on that front, a kind word and a pat on the back goes a long way.

Good luck.

Runaway Dog Trouble...

Dear Marie,
I have a 3 year old, female, Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua mix that I found on the streets about 2 years ago. She continually sneaks out of the house and runs away. I cannot catch her and she is running around the neighborhood loose and has almost been run over several times, as she will just go right in front of any car. When she is tired of running around loose she will come home or let me pick her up and bring her home, if I can find her. I am so afraid she is going to get killed. Please advise. Also, she is pooping and peeing in the house. I have tried and tried to house train her and she will go outside for me but continues to leave me surprises in the house. Please let me know what to do. Thank you so much for your help!

Barbara

Dear Barbara,
It sounds like you need to go back to square one with your little dog. This will involve routine, consistent training on a daily basis. You’ll want to devote a lot of time to this too. Dogs learn through repetition, positive consequences, and stability. If anything is missing, you won’t get the desired results. I am assuming your dog has been spayed; if not, you’ll want to take care of that immediately because this may be at the heart of your dog’s wanderlust problems.
Begin the training in the backyard. Make sure all the gates are closed, and perhaps even locked, so that no one unexpectedly opens up an exit path in the middle of your training session!

Start with your dog on a long or extendable leash and try some basic heel-walking, sit, and down commands. Make some circles, figure-eights, and any other odd path you can come up with in the space you have. Each and every time your dog does well, praise her. You can also give her an occasional treat; but make most of her rewards be in the non-food category – a scratch behind the ears and a heart-felt, “good girl!”

If she wanders too far away, tell her to come. If she doesn’t, bring her on in with the leash and tell her “come” while you are reeling her in. Once she is by your side, tell her, “good come” and give her praise. If she comes on her own, without any stimulus other than your command, give her lots of extra praise. This is definitely a time to dole out a treat too. You want your dog to associate coming to you as something really great. Unfortunately, most people have taught their escape artist dogs that if they come, they are in big trouble. It is very easy to become frustrated if you’ve been chasing your dog for a half hour through traffic. If your little girl has received any negative consequences from that frustration, she will have no interest in coming to you unless she knows for a fact that it will lead to love, attention, and maybe even goodies!

After a couple of weeks of this basic training, and only when it has been routinely successful, take her to a park. Again, she should be on a leash. In the park, there will be a lot of distractions that will interest her. She will likely want to run off and explore. Again, you will need to give her the command to come. Hopefully, she’ll remember what she learned in your yard. If not, go through the whole process that the two of you have been working on previously and bring her on in while using the command, “Come.” Your park training should continue until she consistently comes when called.

Once you are at this point in the process, you can take her to an off leash dog park. Let her run around and have a good time. But every now and then, give her the command to come. If she does, your rewards should be huge. If she does not, take her outside of the fenced area on her long leash, and work on the previous weeks’ training for a few minutes. Then try again off leash inside the dog park. Eventually, she will get the hang of it and will always come when called.

Your house-training problems can be solved using basic crate training (and this will also help with her “sneaking out problems”). I’ve discussed crate-training in some of my recent Orange County Register columns however I’ll recap some of the key points now. Keep your dog in a crate at night. As soon as she comes out in the morning, take her outdoors and give her the command to “go potty.” Praise her when she does. After she does her business, she can stay out of her crate. But be sure to let her outdoors after she eats, as well as periodically throughout the day - and always use your preferred command for her to do her business. For times when she cannot be supervised, she should be in her crate. But don’t keep her in for too long of a time. The crate should not be a punishment. It should be like a comfortable “den” and she should enjoy resting there. For more information about crate training, do a search through my old columns as well as Maryanne Dell’s columns on ocregister.com. Good luck.