Five Secrets to Successful Adoptions!

It's up to you to set your dog up for success!

Beginning from the very FIRST SECOND that your dog enters your house they are absorbing information like a sponge. If you’re smart – you’ll take advantage of this time and get your dog off on the right paw. Here’s how:

#1: Housetraining – When bringing a new dog into your home NEVER assume that house training will carry over. (Dogs don’t generalize well) Allowing your dog the opportunity to have accidents in the house in the first few days may set the stage for months of potty problems. Get your dog on the right track on Day 1 by vowing to prevent any accidents from occurring. These next three tips may seem like a lot of work but will save you time and frustration in the long run! Here’s what you need to do for the first 2-3 days (minimum):

• Go for for potty breaks outside (on leash) every half-an-hour
• Praise and/or reward when they do their business in the appropriate place
• Prevents accidents by keeping your dog on a leash or in a crate when they are in the house.

#2 Separation Preparation – It’s a great idea to adopt your dog when you have 2 or 3 days off to properly begin the bonding process. However, don’t make the classic mistake of spending every minute of those first three days with your dog. You could be setting them up for separation issues when it comes time for you to go back to work! We recommend using a crate to keep your dog safe while you are away. In order to help your dog feel happy and secure in their crate, and in your absence, you should do these three things:

• Always be sure that your dog has been given the opportunity to potty and exercise before going into the crate.
• Provide irresistible goodies only if/when they are in the crate
• Introduce the crate beginning in short increments of time (5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute), do this 5-6 times each day gradually building on duration.

#3 Establish Rules – Everybody wants to spoil their new rescue dog with love and luxuries, but it takes more than that to help a dog adjust to major life changes. Dogs thrive when given structure and clear-cut expectations. Sit down with your whole family and write up a list of “house rules” – your dog will thank-you for it! Here are some basic rules to consider implementing with your new dog.

• Big or small – don’t reward your dog with attention when they jump for greetings.
• Don’t be so quick to allow access to furniture (ie. couch and bed). Wait 2 months, at least, and even then it should be reserved for “invitation only.”
• Be careful not to encourage barking! Small dogs that bark at big dogs, big dogs that bark “protectively,” or any dog that barks for attention usually gets their fair share of encouragement. Over time something that starts off as a minor bark can develop into a major problem.
• Don’t be rowdy in the house. Provide plenty of exercise and playtime outside, but always encourage calm behavior inside the house.
• Create a feeding schedule! Don’t leave food out throughout the day! Why? 1. It makes your dog less interested in his food. (Imagine if someone converted your house into a 24/7 chinese buffet. You’d probably wind up hating Chinese food!) 2. Scheduled feeding also allows you to monitor your dog’s appetite. If you free feed it’s impossible to know how much your dog is eating or not eating. 3. It deprives your dog of a critical relationship building opportunity, that time where they learn that you are the bearer of all-things-good!

#4 Learn About Your Dog – Read their body language, and take note of how your dog responds to different people, places, noises, environments etc. If your dog appears fearful, nervous, anxious, aggressive around specific stimuli you should consider talking to a Certified Professional Dog Trainer to learn more about the behavior and how to address it before it develops into a serious behavioral issue! Remember that the majority of aggressive behavior is based in fear, if you notice that your dog is shy, timid, nervous or fearful you should be proactive about helping them to overcome their uncertainties.

#5 Socialize Your Dog – Daily social interactions provides necessary mental stimulation. Once you begin to get a better idea of who your dog is, and how they will react to the “unfamiliar” you can begin providing opportunities for your dog to socialize. Consult a trainer if you are uncertain about how to introduce your dog to unfamiliar dogs, to unfamiliar people, kids, new environments, dog parks etc in a safe and effective manner.

Written by Alyssa Lapinel, Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. Alyssa owns and operates Legends Dog Training, based in San Diego, California.

If you have questions or would like to set up a consultation for your new adoption dog you can contact us at legendsdogtrainer@gmail.com or by calling 646-315-4475, to learn more about the services we offer you can go to www.legendsdogtraining.com

Do’s and Don’ts of Helping Dogs to Become Friends

For serious aggression issues contact a Certified Professional Dog Trainer or Animal Behaviorist for a private consultation. If you live in San Diego go to: http://www.legendsdogtraining.com

This article applies to initial dog-dog introductions, as well as, those dogs that need “relationship therapy.”

Neutrality: Minimize friction by being proactive. Put away the toys, keep bones in the cabinet, block access to socially significant areas (ie. sofas and beds), and avoid giving attention that could potentially spur conflict. Preventing fights through management is just as important as the next step: forging a bond.

Forging a Bond: Take them for long walks in places that neither one of them has ever been (the more often you do this, the better). Not only are they less likely to get into fights when they are on neutral ground, but it will also help them to become friends. Migrating, sniffing and exploring new territory will make them feel like a pack.

Developing Positive Associations: Positive reinforcement training that rewards sitting, lying down, and “going to place” helps us and our dogs focus on desirable behavior, and can simultaneously condition these dogs to feel calm, comfortable and relaxed in each other’s presence.

What to do if and when you notice tension (ie. a hard stare, growling, snarling): Be Calm: Yelling, screaming, reprimanding or frenzied actions will make matters worse. Aggression stems from stress, if you are feeling nervous or uneasy you are likely going to feed into your dog’s aggressive behavior. Be Prepared: Have dogs drag a short leash at home (when supervised). Now if you notice tension you can calmly walk up to the dog, pick up the leash and call him (or lead him) away from the other dog. Abruptly grabbing a dog’s collar is often a sure fire way to start a fight.

Warning Signs are Good! Be thankful for growling, snarling and air snaps; this is a dog’s way of communicating that they are feeling stressed, and is the perfect time to calmly diffuse the situation. Many people want to “correct” their dog for  exhibiting these signs, and believe that this is the best way to “teach a dog not to be aggressive.” In reality, they are only addressing the symptoms not the underlying cause of the problem. The other most unfortunate side-effect of “correcting” warning signs is that your dog will learn to suppress warning signs, and go straight into fight mode. Have you ever heard people say “There was no warning, my dog just attacked!”? Corrections can teach dogs to suppress the symptoms of aggression, but will NOT teach your dog not to be aggressive.

What to Do If Your Dogs Fight: Break the fight up, and separate the dogs for 2 or 3 minutes (or until they are calm) – now take them for a walk. Reintroducing dogs in a calm, controlled, positive fashion will ensure that neither dog will harbor resentment and make the rivalry worse.

by Alyssa Lapinel, Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Trainers Alyssa Lapinel and Joel Smith own and operate Legends Dog Training, based in San Diego, California. Check out their website: http://www.legendsdogtraining.com

Flight or Fight! Fear Response in Dogs.

 This article is about how to recognize the body language of a fearful or anxious dog, and what you should do to minimize stress and aggressive responses. If you would like more information write to us at: legendsdogtrainer@gmail.com.

A fearful or anxious dog is likely to exhibit at least one or two of the following signals: flattened ears, excessive panting, tense body posture, excessive lip licking, tucked tail, cowering, slow motion movements, moving away from an extended hand, pacing, hyper-vigilance, sudden loss of appetite. They may even offer more ambiguous submissive gestures: they may roll onto their back, lick your hand, involuntarily urinate or wag their tail. Various breeds and individual dogs will have their own way of expressing anxiety. Spend time observing your dog’s body language, and always step in and deter people from forcing unwanted petting/attention. Unsolicited attention will cause aggression and unnecessary stress.

Once you identify a dog as being fearful or anxious, you should:

1. RESPECT their space: let them approach you.

2. Do not attempt to pet the dog even if they do walk up to you.

3. Make the experience rewarding. The use of primary reinforcement in training is invaluable. Toss high value treats on the ground: don’t attempt to hand a fearful dog food.

In the video below you can see that these two dogs react to fear/anxiety inducing stimuli in two completely different ways. It is common for people to peg Martini (the short haired dachshund mix) as being fearful, but are likely to see Harvey (the terrier mix) as being maliciously aggressive.  BOTH dogs are reacting because they are uncomfortable meeting new people but one dog responds passively and the other aggressively. It is common for people to recognize fear when a dog chooses the “flight” response but fail to recognize it when a dog chooses to “fight” instead.

For more information on rehabilitating dogs with behavioral issues (fear, aggression, anxiety) write to us at legendsdogtrainer@gmail.com. Check out our website: http://www.legendsdogtraining.com

Written by Alyssa Lapinel, Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist.

Training by Joel Smith and Alyssa Lapinel – Certified Professional Dog Trainers and Behavior Specialists