I love my vet, while we may not always agree, nutrition-wise, he respects my choices and never gives me a hard time about it. He is at the head of his field in terms of some ground breaking work being done with stem cells to improve spinal cord injuries, hip dysplasia, and arthritis. He is a well versed and devoted small mammal veterinarian specializing in rats. Honestly, I really do think he’s a fantastic veterinarian. I love his manners with his clients and their pets and I love that he is the type of vet who is always learning more and staying up to date with the latest information in his field.

That being said, I’ve heard him give some pretty questionable training advice to the general public. He does t.v. and radio spots regularly (when he’s not globe trotting performing the aforementioned stem cell therapies or talking about it at conferences) and on one such program he was asked, and chose to answer, a training question. Now, I do not recall the exact question or wording but it had to do with a dog in a fearful situation. His first piece of advice was not to coddle the dog, which eh, isn’t the worst advice but that particular phrase does bug me because reassurance can’t reinforce fear. He went on to say you should praise when they offer to be brave (which is fine) but that you should correct any fearful growls or nips (this is, as I mentioned the other day, not the best plan). He may not have meant physical corrections for growling, but as a viewer, that’s how I took it and that is concerning advice.

Every so often I come across either online advice, anecdotal stories from students, or online videos that are incredibly concerning about vets giving behavioral suggestions or information. I recently saw a video on youtube of a vet handling a 10 week old aussie puppy while telling his owner (in a very matter of fact way–very confident in the information he was sharing) all about “Alpha Holds.” He showed and explained that when a dog/puppy was being submissive he was loose while being held on his back but if the puppy got stiff or picked his head up, the puppy was being an alpha and it would be bad to let the puppy down in an alpha state of mind. In another video, the same vet is talking about alpha holds with adult dogs and at one point he was trying to show the dog in a submissive position on his side, but the dog’s legs were still stiff and the vet says, “Oh his paws are still alpha.” Really? Just the paws, umm… okay.

The point is that you can have the best vet in the world, from a medical standpoint, but that the vet is not necessarily qualified to give training/behavior advice. It would be like asking your physician about a cavity… it’s a related field but an expert in one does not make an expert in the other.

Veterinarians are in school for quite a long time and are responsible for knowing a huge amount of information–they are pediatricians, surgeons, dentists, oncologists, general physicians, and dermatologists… for more than one species! They have a lot to master and behavior/training just isn’t one of them. There are certainly things they may have learned either with their own pets or though just being around dogs, but again, that does not make them an expert or an authority in behavior/training (I’ve learned how to crudely adjust bike brakes out of experience…but that does not make me a bicycle mechanic or expert). If you have a pressing behavior/training question, you would probably be given a more up to date and accurate information if you ask a trainer and not a vet.

There are, however, some veterinarians educated in behavior and who might even be board certified veterinary behaviorists, who have been schooled in both disciplines (certified veterinary behaviorist is a specific title that is earned through degrees in both fields). If you happen to have one of these locally, they can be much better sources for behavioral information (especially when it’s also connected to veterinary issues like hyper/hypothyroidism). Here in Pittsburgh we are about 4 hours away from the nearest certified veterinary behaviorists (Ohio St. and a handful in eastern PA).

All of this isn’t to say all vets are completely clueless to training/behavior issue, only that sometimes you need to take it with a grain of salt and remember that while they are highly educated and experts in an animal field, they are not necessarily educated or trained to be behaviorists or trainers. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to tell your vet any behavior/training problems you are having with your dog since they may have a good trainer to refer you to but it is out of their field and their advice may not necessarily be the most sound. Sometimes even the best vets can give really bad training advice.

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Trainers train, vets, um, vet first appeared on Lesbian.com.

“The more tools you have in your tool box the better. If you purposely exclude a particular tool and a problem pops up that requires that tool, you won’t be able to fix the problem. I’m not one of those cookie pushers that limits their toolbox to one tool, cookies!”

This is a quote from a commenter on a Facebook post that was about a nine-week old puppy. In the conversation, the poster was looking for a training school. One of the places locally required all dogs and puppies to wear choke chains plus they never used food to reinforce behavior. She was unsure.

In the conversation that followed, someone (it might have been me) posted that there was absolutely no reason to strap a choke chain or prong collar on to a nine-week old puppy and that learning should be fun. Shortly after I posted that, someone wrote the above quote as a response and it got me thinking, I really don’t think bigger is necessarily better.

I do think it’s extremely important to know about as many tools as possible, how they are used, the limitations of the tool and potential problems. Because I know about a tool, does not mean I need to include it in my tool box. I really do not believe that a bigger tool box is at all a better tool box.

I don’t need to go to a hardware store and get one of everything to have a tool for most occasions. There is a lot redundancy, if I were to get one of everything.

I do need a wide variety of tools in my tool box, so I can tackle a wide range of problems, but I don’t need every single individual wrench size, if I have a couple adjustable wrenches.

Back in the day when I was cutting lots of PVC piping for jumps and weave poles, I didn’t have the extra money to buy a good PVC cutter, but it wasn’t a big deal because I had a hacksaw at home that did the job easily. I didn’t need the specialized tool when I had a multi-tasking tool at home.

It’s the same thing with dog training. I want to know about as many of the tools out there as possible, but that doesn’t mean I include all of them in my tool box. I know how prong collars can be used to build drive with small pops that are not corrections, I know about using a sustained low-level shock to get fast responses using negative reinforcement, and I know the the science behind why both of these tools work and their potential pitfalls.

I don’t need them in my toolbox, if I have other tools that can accomplish the same goals. When the average person talks to me about using a prong collar, more than 90 percent of the time they want it because their dog pulls on the leash. Well, it just so happens I know more than a handful of ways to teach loose leash walking without a prong collar (as we know dogs can learn to pull through any no-pull tool, so it’s about training not a tool).

The average person who talks to me about either using or wanting to use a shock collar wants off leash control and/or recall. There are many tools, exercises and skills that I use to achieve that without relying on a tool, that by its very nature, utilizes pain, discomfort or annoyance.

Skilled and experienced trainers select tools that have some versatility, use each tool to its full potential and with some creativity push the tool beyond its normal capacity (aka think outside the box). It’s pushing the versatility of the tools and being creative that makes the need for a warehouse-sized toolbox unnecessary.

I don’t want to have to carry a toolbox the size of Home Depot with me everywhere I go to make sure I have a tool for every individual issue. I would much rather choose to stock my toolbox with tools that are the most flexible, most versatile and the most open to modifications.

By choosing tools that meet that criteria and being willing to think outside the box, I can absolutely maximize my toolbox’s effectiveness without having to increase its size or add in tools that work on the premise of fear, pain, discomfort, annoyance or intimidation.

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

It’s really not about the number of tools but the quality of tools in the dog trainer’s toolbox and their willingness and ability to be creative.

The post Is bigger better? Not when it comes to dog training first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Natalie Garcia on her way back to Los Angeles with a rescue dog.

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

Natalie Garcia really loves animals. Sure, you say, don’t we all? But I mean Garcia really loves our four-legged, furry friends – so much so that she recently announced the launch of MaeDay, a labor of love in the form of a non-profit organization committed to helping the homeless animal population, generating awareness of the plight of stray animals and providing education regarding the importance of spaying/neutering animals. The organization focuses its efforts in La Ventana, Baja, Mexico, and Los Angeles, California.

While Garcia’s dream of creating MaeDay was just recently realized, she’s been actively involved in independent rescue efforts since 2010, re-homing, rescuing and networking hundreds of animals, a passion borne from the tragic loss of her beloved Maggie Mae.

Maggie Mae was lost after Garcia, who at the time was building her career as a TV and red carpet host, was involved in a rollover car accident. Both Maggie Mae, her companion of five years, and Pistache, a Mexican street dog she had been fostering, escaped before Garcia could pull herself from the wreckage. After a trip to the hospital, Garcia’s full focus turned to searching for the two lost pups.

With the aide of volunteers across Los Angeles and Orange County Pistache was found after five days, smelly and scared, but alive. Sadly, two days later Garcia’s beloved Maggie Mae was found, killed by a train. Garcia took the pain of losing her cherished Maggie Mae, the lessons learned from the week-long search and the insights gained from the healing process and decided to dedicate her life to animal rescue.

From 2010 to 2014, Garcia served as the Chief Animal Officer for Sweet travel, organizing volunteer opportunities, adoption events and spay/neuter clinics in Mexico for the eco-friendly travel company’s guests. Through these efforts, Garcia gained experience working alongside Mexican rescue organizations, finding homes for dozens of Mexican animals.

Garcia’s vision for MaeDay includes sponsoring animal education/awareness programs for children in Mexico, purchasing a large property for housing homeless dogs and cats and establishing biannual spay and neuter clinics in rural parts of Mexico.

Right now, Garcia is busy preparing for a MaeDay’s upcoming benefit photo shoot on June 28. For the event, MaeDay Rescue will pull 20 dogs from high-kill shelters in Los Angeles and photograph them with models and celebrities who have volunteered their support. Currently, Garcia is seeking support for the event in the form of donations, volunteers to assist with the logistics on June 28, a plane ticket to fly a model from New York City to Los Angeles, professional hair and make-up artists and fosters for the 20 dogs who’ll be featured in the photo shoot. For information on how to get involved, visit www.maedayrescue.com.

I was able to talk with Garcia shortly after MaeDay’s launch and learn more about her passion project, how people can get involved in their own communities and why it’s important to adopt rather than buy an animal.

MaeDay is focusing on rescue efforts in the Los Angeles, California, and La Ventana, Baja, Mexico, areas. Given that you’re based in Los Angeles, the connection there makes sense, but why did you choose to focus on the La Ventana area?

I have always had a soft spot for Mexican dogs, since Pistache was my first foster and she and I went through so much due to the accident. Her survival and strength has always inspired me to help her fellow “primos” or cousins in Mexico.

I met many animal rescue connections in the Cancun area through Sweet, but wanted to find somewhere in Mexico that was closer to Los Angeles and made more geographical sense. I met Olivia Withington at the Cozumel shelter a few years back, while volunteering with Sweet. She has since moved to La Ventana, Baja Sur, California to work for her family’s company. She and I have always hit it off and we have the same animal rescue ideas and goals.

Since La Ventana is only about a three hour commute, it made sense. It’s a very small fishing community, with a lot of poverty, which means a lot of animals that are in need. In the last few months Olivia has already done a lot to better the La Ventana community, but was in need of financial, networking and spay/neutering assistance. So we teamed up and MaeDay is raising money and putting together what I hope will be a mini Sweet-like trip where we will take over a small hotel, volunteer at the clinic, have entertainment, give back to a community and, of course, have fun!

We know you’ve been involved in rescue efforts for some time. Do you have a rescue story (or two) that really stand out to you, “favorites,” if you will?

That’s so hard to pick! Seeing sad animals turn into happy souls with healing and love is always a great story to me. But, when I was volunteering at a clinic in Cancun about year ago, there was a very skinny dog outside the clinic who was being scared away by a local with a stick. He could hardly stand, because he was so thin and weak. I had honestly never seen anything so emaciated.

We brought him in and were deciding if we should put him down, because it seemed too late for him. But, I saw a little gleam in his eye and we decided to try and save him. He was too weak to fly to Los Angeles with me, so he stayed at a Cancun rescue and was rehabilitated. MaeDay paid for his care until he was strong enough to fly to Los Angeles.

It took him about a month and he gained weight, became happy and was healthy! We got a donation for his flight and he was on his way. Once he was here, he was like a new dog! He got adopted on my block by a neighbor, so I get to see him every day! Seeing him go from almost dead on the streets of Mexico to living a healthy and happy life in Hollywood is so rewarding.

One of my personal foster dogs, I pulled from an adoption event I was volunteering for in Los Angeles. I networked the dog all afternoon at the adoption event and had someone who wanted her in Pennsylvania. So I took the dog home and was going to keep her a few days, while I organized her flight, etc. I didn’t feel a real connection with this dog, nor was she my “type.” Plus, she was mean – biting pant legs, tearing things up in my house and so on, but I was sending her to Pennsylvania in a few days, so I dealt with it.

In the meantime, I took her to the vet to get a check-up and a flying certificate and the vet found a grade 4 heart murmur. You could visibly see her chest moving with her over-working heart. That was when we realized she was so mean because she was in pain.

Since we couldn’t fly her to Pennsylvania with the heart murmur, we didn’t have many options. We obviously couldn’t take her back to the shelter (her condition is what we think got her in the shelter originally) so now we were stuck with a mean, biting, tearing up, money-draining dog that was going to cost us $3,000 to fix! So we did the right thing and raised some money, then paid the rest for the surgery.

Meanwhile we were still networking her to help her find a home. After she had a routine, the surgery and love, her whole personality changed. She became nice, loving and very grateful. After eight months of surgery after-care and unsuccessful home checks for potential adopters, we kept her. Ironically, she is now our smartest dog. (Don’t tell my others!) It was all meant to be and I believe she found us! It was really neat to see a dog change so much just with love and a stable environment.

We know people can help out by making donations at the MaeDay website – how else can they get involved?

They can get involved by fostering in the Los Angeles area or volunteering for one of our spay/neuter clinics in La Ventana, Mexico. Our next clinic is in mid-October, where people can volunteer at the clinic during the day, doing things like supporting animals as they wake up in recovery, brushing them, clipping nails, de-ticking and de-fleaing them. They’d also be weighing animals to help determine the proper dosing for anesthesia and medication.

When the clinic isn’t going on, we’ll be right on the ocean, which offers opportunities for stand up paddle boarding, kite boarding, canoeing, boating, kayaking, etc. All the food in the town is local. The fish is caught fresh daily and feeds the whole town, from locals to the restaurants. Not only does volunteering help with the La Ventana animal population, but it helps this impoverished community of 1,500 people, who otherwise can’t afford animal care. Check for clinic details on maedayrescue.com starting in June to get details on where to stay, house packages and the clinic schedule.

You can also get involved by escorting a pet or helping us find an escort. For example, if a pet has a home in Oklahoma, but it’s in Los Angeles and you know someone who is traveling from Los Angeles to Oklahoma, you could let us know. it’s all about the escorting animals and networking them. Sharing animal posts online is also a good way to help. Every share, gets that homeless animal seen! If you follow us on Facebook, you can see when we have escort opportunities.

For people who want to help with animal rescue efforts closer to home, what are the best ways for them to get involved?

They can help MaeDay as I mentioned above, but they can also look up a local rescue group and volunteer at an adoption event. Go to your local shelter (ideally high kill), take pictures of animals in need and share their picture. It’s hard for many people to go into the shelter environment, so if you can go in and get some pictures, it helps those people see the animals that are available and learn about their stories.

We all know that many people still prefer to get their pets from breeders or (yikes!!) pet stores. Can you tell our audience why they shouldn’t do that?

First, there’s a saying: “When you buy, a shelter animal will die.” It’s sad, but true. There are so many shelter animals that need homes, so buying an animal that isn’t even born yet and waiting for that specific puppy to be born from a breeder is taking a home away from a dog who is already here and hoping to be saved.

I get that people like a certain “look,” and think some dogs are cuter than others. But, there are always rescues that save those breeds. Plus, for me, I think it’s about the animal connection. I definitely think certain breeds are beautiful, but none of my dogs are those breeds. My dogs found me and it’s like a relationship, you better get along and like each other if you are going to spend the next 10-15+ years together! If we picked our girlfriends like some people picked dogs, it wouldn’t last. I think that one is cute, but I don’t know her personality or likes or if we even get along.

(Sorry, I ranted a bit.) But, if you really need to go to a breeder, make sure you are knowledgeable about the breed and that your lifestyle fits that dog. In my experience, all the rescue dogs I have saved or placed are extremely grateful and know they got a second chance. Since most are mutts, they are very smart and with the great mixes, you get to see their unique qualities.

As far as pet stores or puppy mills, most people don’t know that pet stores are puppy mills. They have a few female dogs that they over-breed to produce cute, cuddly puppies. The females are usually birthing so many puppies that they die, get really bad health problems, etc. The conditions of these facilities are usually not clean and there are many dogs in one small cage. Then the dogs are placed in a fancy window to seem adorable. Unfortunately, the misconception is that people think they are saving the puppies from this place, which, of course, they are, but they’re also supporting an industry that doesn’t really tend to the pets very well at all. If we don’t buy from them, eventually they will go out of business and all the remaining dogs will go to a rescue or shelter. Then the dogs will be saved. So please rescue, rescue, rescue!

Finally, if someone sees a pet on your site up for adoption, but isn’t close to Los Angeles or La Ventana, is there a process by which you can get that pet to them in, say, Boise, Idaho?

Yes, we can always transport animals. Ideally, the adopter would fly to Los Angeles and transport the animal home, but if that isn’t an option we can arrange a pet escort. It’s takes a village to find the perfect home.

Is there anything else we didn’t ask that you’d like to share with our audience?

​Just check out Maedayrescue.com. All the views are a plus and you can donate, spread the word or network animals via social media. Follow us on Instagram @maedayrescue, which is where I post animal-related pictures daily. Follow our MaeDay Rescue Facebook page and come to the October clinic. I will have more details to come!​

You can see some of the fabulous work being done by MaeDay Rescue and their supporters in these videos.

Bark for Baja and MaeDay Clinic — Part 1

Bark for Baja and MaeDay Clinic — Part 2

The post Dogs, cats rejoice: MaeDay to the rescue! first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY TENA PARKER

I regularly get asked questions from dog guardians who are worried about their dog being dominant. (This happens more often than I would like to mention.) They are often genuinely concerned because they’ve either heard a TV personality or a friend say that if their dog does some behavior that the dog is being dominant and trying to take over the role as “alpha.” Some of these may sound ridiculous, but these are actual concerns that have been brought to my attention.

Help! My dog is being dominant by leaning into me and claiming my space. How can I correct that?

If your dog is leaning into you, take it as a compliment. He’s seeking out affection and attention. He is not trying to dominate you – though he is being a little forward in how he is seeking your attention. It’s also probably a matter of the dog repeating a behavior that has been rewarded historically – he’s learned the leaning into you will get ear scratches, butt scratches and general snuggles. If you have a huge dog and a small body and you don’t like the lean, just don’t reward it and cue him to do something else (like a sit) so you can lavish him with cuddles for something other than leaning.

*When leaning, or variations of leaning, could become problematic is if the dog is pushing you away from things more than just leaning in. If you notice that every time you try to sit on the couch your dog blocks your way and pushes you out of the way, it may be more along the lines of resource guarding and not an attention-seeking behavior.

My dog likes to sit on the back of the couch; is he trying to dominate me?

Probably not. The back of the couch is a hot commodity in my house (and a place the Rio has always liked to sit – weird dog). Often, dogs like to sit on the back of the couch to look out of windows, to be able to avoid other animals playing on the ground or as a way to get close to their human if another animal is occupying the cushion next to the person. They aren’t trying to be dominant; they are more likely trying to get a view out of a window or be close to their person.

*This behavior could be problematic if the dog is resource guarding the person they are sitting behind or the couch itself.

My dog likes to sit on my feet or put his head or paws n my lap if I’m sitting down or nudge my hands to get pet. I can’t have him trying to be the alpha; what can I do?

All of these behaviors are attention-seeking behaviors. Your dog likes you and wants to try and be in the same space as you (which can be annoying at times). They are seeking out your affection and physically touching you – they aren’t trying to dominate you. If you like a little bit of space and would prefer your dog not intentionally sitting on your feet or putting their feet in your lap, teach them a “move over” cue or heavily reinforce them for laying down close to you but not on you.

*This behavior could be concerning if it was paired with resource guarding you from other animals or people or if it is a manifestation of separation anxiety.

Someone told me that when my puppy jumps up that he’s trying to be dominant. He jumps on everyone; is he really trying to be dominant?

Dogs jump up for a bunch of reasons. Often, they want to get close to our faces to say hello (what wild canids do when parents return to the area with food, they jump up an lick faces) and the only way to do that is to jump up. They are excited to see us and want to get close to us (again common behavior among young wild canids). And probably most commonly, jumping up is simply a behavior that has been reinforced over time and is a way the dog knows to get attention. While the jumping can be annoying and painful at times, it’s not about dominance.

*Jumping up may be a serious problem if your dog is doing what’s called a “muzzle punch.” A muzzle punch is when a dog forcefully bops into a person with a closed mouth – this typically, though not exclusively, happens when jumping up. A muzzle punch is a distance increasing behavior – ”get away from me!” and a potential precursor to a bite, so it is a concerning behavior (still not dominance).

My brother told me that I had to make my dog walk behind me at all times and go out of all the doors first or else my dog would become dominant and aggressive. Is that true?

No.

Dogs pull on the leash for a few reasons, but the most common is because humans are naturally slow movers. Our normal gait is a walk; theirs is a more efficient trot. This is their cruising speed. Have you ever had to hold the hand of a toddler and walk with them? It’s painfully slow. That’s what your dog feels like as we go out for walks and they would like to go out for a trot. So they are pulling because they are naturally faster than us and they are excited to get out of the house they’ve been stuck in all day. The same concept goes for walking through doors first – they have been stuck in the house all day and are excited to get their 30-60 minute constitutional (so to speak). They aren’t being dominant; they are excited. Both of these non-dominance issues are simply training issues.

*This may be concerning behavior if – well, neither of these have any big concerning things from the dog’s perspective (in terms of a bigger behavior concern). It can be concerning if the safety of the human is being put at risk of being pulled or knocked over or if the safety of the dog is at risk in that the handler can’t hold onto the leash or the dog bolts out doors.

My dog’s tail is always really high and over his back. Someone at the dog park got really upset and told me that it means he’s dominant and shouldn’t be at the park. Is that true?

Many dogs have naturally high tail sets and their tails being raised is nothing alarming at all. Breeds like huskies, malamutes, shih tzus, shar peis and shiba inus all have tails that are tall and curled over their backs naturally and breeds like beagles, fox hounds, many pointers and terriers like the airedale can all have tails that are often quite vertical. Rio has a very low natural tail set but his tail is often high and curled over his back when he is excited, really happy, hanging with doggie friends at the farm and hunting. A tall tail alone is not alarming and certainly isn’t automatically a sign of dominance.

*A high tail can be problematic when there are other concerning body language features as well. Very high tail, stiff body, and a staccato (fast/flagging) tail wag can be problematic, but it’s not instantly a sign of dominance. Shayne used to be nervous and insecure around other dogs and one of her body language pieces is a tall, stiff and flagging tail. It’s not a good sign, but it’s not dominance either.

So there you have it. Those are the most frequent dominance questions I get asked. Don’t get hung up on some label that doesn’t even really apply to the species in the way that people are trying to use it. Describe the behavior, learn to interpret the behavior, and then figure out the function of that behavior (what is the dog getting out of it). From that point you can figure out what your dog means by it.

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Dominant or not: Should you be worried about your dog’s behavior? first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY TENA PARKER, CPDT-KA

Does your dog drive you crazy with annoying behaviors like barking, stealing things, chewing inappropriate items, jumping up, getting into garbage or cabinets or digging? Does he engage in peculiar behaviors like occasional spinning and tail chasing, licking (himself, others or inanimate things), chasing shadows and lights or pacing?

While some dogs with these behaviors may require extensive behavior modification to help alleviate the symptoms of a bigger problem, many dogs I encounter with these behaviors are simply under stimulated. The dogs are engaging in these behaviors because they aren’t getting the mental exercise they need, so they are creating their own mental work.

The key is to tire out the brain. If given the choice between a mindless five-mile bike ride for my dogs and 40 minutes of mental exercise, I will take the mental exercise every chance I get. If the brain gets tired out, the body will follow, but tiring out the body and not the brain often leads to problematic behaviors. Now, physical exercise is absolutely important for dogs, but mental exercise tends to be more overlooked. Adding physical exercise is pretty straightforward, but adding mental exercise can require some creativity and isn’t always as obvious.

For dogs who are under stimulated, the solutions are generally simple and, with some consistency, changes happen quickly. Here are two simple ways to reduce problematic behavior due to boredom or under stimulation:

1. Ditch the food bowl

There are many options available that require a dog to mentally and physically work for their meals. Why let Fido simply eat for free from a bowl when you can give them some brain games to earn their meal? There are a huge range in toys that you can use to dispense dry dog food to your dog through play and problem solving—after working for 20 minutes on a challenging toy to get breakfast, many dogs simply take a nap (instead of getting into trouble). There are also a wide range of games that you can play while your dog earns their meals.

Hide and Seek is one of my favorite ways to feed my dogs. Hide dry dog food in a room. Let them use their brains to hunt out the food. Eventually, you can expand to your dog having to search the whole house for their meal or even the yard. It’s pretty easy to set up and dogs love the game.

There are countless food dispensing toys available on the market that are fantastic options for dogs earning their daily meals. When introducing toys, it’s best to start with easy ones first so your dog builds skills they need to solve harder toys and build stamina for toys that won’t pay out as fast. Here is a very small sampling of the toys available.

Ultra Easy Toys
Kyjen Slo-Bowl (pictured), Kong Classic, empty Gatorade bottle with 3+ quarter-sized holes cut in the side.

Easy Toys
Kong Wobbler, Kong Genius toys, Hol-ee Treat Ball, Rockin Treat Ball, Tricky Treat Ball, Planet Dog balls/Orbee

Moderate Toys
Treatstik, Atomic Treat Ball, Kong Satelite, IQ treat ball (on the easy setting), Buster Cube (on the easy setting), Gatorade bottle with one nickel-size hole with lid on.

Challenging toys
Buster Cube, IQ Treat Ball, Gatorade bottle with one kibble-size hole on the bottom.

2. Train That Doggie

Training does two very important jobs, it helps your dog learn better life skills (or crazy tricks) and it tires them out mentally. You don’t even have to spend hours training your dog at all! How about 15 minutes? If you trained your dog during every commercial break during an hourlong TV show, you’d end up training for just about 15 minutes without changing your schedule at all. You can even multitask by using part of your dog’s daily food as training treats so you can feed your dog while working your dog.

What you train isn’t all that important (manners, obedience, tricks, sports), though there are lots of skills that will work the body as much as the brain. Some of my favorite tricks that work the body as much as the brain are: sit pretty, bow (like a play bow), spinning both directions, rollover, come when called and a hand target (touching their nose to my hand). Put this all together and mix them up for a fast-paced series of position changes and dogs end up panting and mentally tired.

Basically, the more you have your dog working with positive things, the less they will be working with not so positive things. Whether that is an enrichment toy, a puzzle game, a training game or a training class, get your dog thinking and working!

Tena Parker, M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

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BY TENA PARKER

Believe it or not, I find that leashes very frequently become weights holding back the potential for training. The more one relies on the leash during the beginning stages of training, the more it hinders training at higher levels.

Yes, of course, leashes are often necessary for safety’s sake and for the law, but they often get in the way of teaching reliable behaviors without the leash. The number of dogs I see who behave beautifully on leash and who are less than stellar off leash is pretty large.

There are three big issues I generally see as a result of leashes holding back training. Dogs learn that there is no chance for punishment without the leash attached (this is with people who use leash corrections), dogs learn that a tight leash is required to respond to cues, and humans rely on using the leash to gain their dog’s attention.

For handlers who utilize punishment, like leash pops, early in the training (not just for proofing), it is very easy to create dogs who are super leash savvy. When the leash is on they are perfect angels, but as soon as the leash comes off, they become crazy monsters.

They quickly learn that if the leash is on they have to respond or they will get a leash pop, but once the leash is off, that they have no reason to respond.

This is an incredibly dangerous side effect of using physical punishment during training. If there is a malfunction and Fido somehow ends up off leash and loose, they take advantage of being off leash and do not reply to cues. The only reason the dog responds to cues is due to the threat of punishment. When that threat is gone, they no longer respond.

Many handlers new to my class have to work through keeping their hands quiet and not pulling up on the leash as part of the cue. If they cue their dog to sit, many will automatically tighten the leash. It’s not a leash pop, but just a tightening of the leash. They often do this lovely contortion dance where they lift the leash hand up and out from their body, as if holding up a disgusting dirty sock away from their body. Because the tight leash happens each time, they give a cue. The dog starts to learn that the tightening of the leash is part of the cue. What results is that the dog struggles to perform the behaviors reliably without having a tight leash, which is the opposite of what most of them want. Most of them want a dog who doesn’t pull on the leash.

I’m glad to say that this last one is something I have not seen quite as much of in the last few months, though I’m sure it may come back again. Up until recently, I frequently had to mention not using the leash as an attention getting tool.

Handlers would leash pop or jangle the leash to make the tags make noises as a way to regain their dogs focus. This really undermines the training the handlers need to work on for focus. I mean, what time is it imperative that you are able to gain your dog’s focus? In my mind, it’s most important when they are off leash and at quite the distance. If handlers rely on using a leash to gain focus, how are they supposed to gain the focus when their dog is off leash? Again, it’s setting the dog up to fail, when the dog is required to perform off leash.

Leashes may be required by law, but here are a few ways you can minimize its effect on your training so it does not become a crutch or a hindrance.

• Use a hands-free leash. Keeping your hands off the leash prevents you from inadvertently tightening, pulling or popping the leash. It also requires you to be more connected with your dog in terms of better communication and focusing on using other methods to control your dog.

• Use a long line. This is a great next step for working towards off-leash reliability. Since you are working with a long line, tightening the leash or giving a leash pop is more difficult. It requires a bit more work than the hands-free leash because the dog has more space to roam, but it’s a great tool to make a handler really work with their dog.

• Focus on keeping a J Leash or a leash with lots of slack in it. Sometimes, you may get wrapped up in the training and forget your technique, having a trainer there to help point out mistakes can be incredibly helpful. You can always use a video recorder to film your session and to play back. It’s not as good as instant feedback, but it can give you really helpful information in terms of how you use your leash.

I really encourage you to take a moment to rig up a hands-free leash and go for a walk. How much do you rely on your leash to keep your pup with you and / or gain compliance. How much harder did you have to work to keep Fido with you?

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Unleash your dog’s potential first appeared on Lesbian.com.

No, I’m not talking about your dog, I’m talking about you. If I could give students of any dog a handful of “words of wisdom,” this would surely be one of them: Be proactive. Don’t wait until your dog does the unwanted behavior, don’t wait until someone reaches for your dog to say “don’t pet” and don’t allow bad behavior as a puppy because it’s “cute.” Being proactive prevents problems. Yes, that’s quite the sweeping statement, but it is accurate in many (though not all) situations.

When we wait to react to behavior, that behavior will have already been repeated, practiced, and patterned in. Yes, you may have given feedback on that behavior, but it was rehearsed nonetheless. By the time we react to behavior, it is simply too late.

When I’m dealing with an annoying (though no dangerous or concerning) problematic behavior like barking or jumping, I work hard to be proactive in the training. I set the dog up in a situation to be successful so I can reward them before they offer the unwanted behavior. So when working on jumping up, during training sessions, I will control the arousal level of the situation to where the dog is excited by not quite jumping up and will be clicking and treating any instance of the dog keeping feet on the floor. As the dog is successful, I will increase the arousal level of the exercise and continue to click and treat for any four on the floor. I’m not waiting for the dog to jump up and reacting to the jump, I’m setting up situations where the dog is slightly more likely to keep their feet on the ground than jump up and I’m rewarding (rapid fire) for four feet on the ground. I will react if I fail and the dog jumps up, but my goal is always to approach the situation proactively.

If I’m out at a busy canine event with Shayne, I am not waiting for her to bark, lunge or growl before I react. I am proactively approaching the situation by keeping her thinking and working or rewarding all of her good choices that she is making with regards to the other dogs.

If I see her get into a sticky situation that she may end up going down the wrong path, I’m going to step in. If I see impending doom, even if it’s not a sure thing, I’m going to help. If I see a loose dog rushing us, I’m not going to “wait and see” what happens and then react to the brouhaha created. I’m going see the loose dog and act proactively by either getting out of the situation (if possible), yelling to (maybe at) the owner to leash their dog, or throw treats at the dog while I shove food in Shayne’s face and walk away. If I’m confident that Shayne will hold herself together, I will let her do her thing, but the first sight of potential doom and I’m stepping in to help.

When I was raising puppy Rio, I was working hard to prepare him for the future. I wanted to be proactive in my approach to set him up to be the dog that I wanted as an adult (while not missing out on his puppyhood or silly puppy antics). I didn’t want a puppy who was fearful in the world, so I worked hard to prevent that from happening by socializing him appropriately. I wanted an adult dog who would be focused on me and pay attention to me so I worked hard to create a puppy who wanted to work with me and wanted to focus on me, even in very distracting environments. If I weren’t proactive in my approach with raising the type of puppy I wanted to have as an adult, I’d likely be forced to go back and fix issues that I let develop from puppy Rio. If I had let puppy Rio build other dogs as being more valuable than working with me, that is a behavior I’d have to fix later.

What is something you are proactive with your dog about (or something that you wish you had been proactive about)?

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

The post Don’t be reactive: Training you to train your dog first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Robin Roberts with her beloved dog

BY FARM SAETEURN
Lesbian.com

Just like the rest of us, celebrities love animals, especially the furry friends who live to give them kisses (slobbery ones) and jump around like they’re from “House of Pain” when they get home, and who wag their tails wildly when they give them the slightest attention. Yup, they love the pooches and who can blame them? They are a man’s best friend, a companion unrivaled by any other.

But wouldn’t we love it if their furry friends could talk and give us the goods (and the dirt) about their famous human bestie? Well, that would be nice, but it isn’t going to happen unless linguists start learning and teaching woof-woof talk. So I guess delving into the breed of the K-9 friends these celebs are choosing may give some insight into who they are off camera (and Twitter). The following is a list of 10 LGBT celebs, their bow wow, and what their particular bow-wow’s breed may say about them:

Alan Cumming
He plays a campaign strategist and crisis manager named Eli Gold in CBS’s popular TV series “The Good Wife.” He is also starring in the Broadway musical “Cabaret.” He’s one of the most versatile actors in our generation and has had all shades of roles under the rainbow. When he is not working, he’s home with his multi-talented (she does impersonations) pooch Honey who is a Collie-Shepherd mix. Collies, like Lassie, are working dogs: They are strong, have stamina and are highly trainable. It’s also said if you own a shepherd or collie, you are a classic extrovert and can socialize with anyone and everyone. Yes I would say this sounds very Alan Cumming-like.

Jane Lynch
You know her as Principal Sue Sylvester of Fox’s musical-comedy series “Glee,” for which she has won both an Emmy and Golden Globe. Jane totes around her Lhasa Apso Olivia that she adores ever so much.

Lhasa Apsos are happy, joyful and playful, but are also regal and dignified. Lhasa Apsos were bred to be indoor dogs for dignitaries, including the Dalai Lama in Tibet, for hundreds of years. Jane as a monk? Yeah, I can see that.

Anna Paquin
She plays the slightly clueless fairy Sookie Stackhouse on HBO’s hit series “True Blood.” She has been quoted saying that her dogs have grounded her and given her perspective about herself. But for brevity, we’ll only introduce her Catahoula Leopard dog, Banjo. The Catahoula Leopard is the official state dog of Louisiana and is highly affectionate, hard-working and an excellent family dog.

Robin Roberts
The “Good Morning America” anchor, who is a cancer survivor and has recently undergone treatment for a rare blood disorder from the chemotherapy she received, was overjoyed when she was able to reunite with her Jack Russell Terrier, KJ. JRTs don’t grow over 18 pounds, but are very quick and sporty. And very Robin Roberts-like in that they are fierce and resilient.

Anderson Cooper
The anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” jets around the world to do live news broadcasts on location for breaking news, loves his Welsh Springer Spaniel Molly. Molly made an appearance on Cooper’s, now defunct talk show, “Anderson Live,” where everyone was introduced to the shy Molly crouching in Cooper’s lap most of the time. The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a sensitive breed, they have a soft and gentle expression and are extremely devoted to their owners.

Jesse Tyler Fergusson
Better known as Mitchell Pritchett to avid “Modern Family” viewers like me. He treats his dog Leaf as his own child. Leaf is a Maltese-Yorkie mix and is as cute as a button. Maltese dogs are lively, playful, quick learners and brave. Leaf’s other half, Yorkie, is similar. They are small, clever and playful. It’s also been said that if you own a “toy dog,” like a Yorkie, you’re likely to be very creative.

Jim Parsons
Even though his character Sheldon Cooper sings a jingle about cats on CBS’ hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” Parsons is actually a dog person in real-life. His beloved Shih Tzu Rufus is one of two of his prized pooches. Shih Tzu’s are Chinese dogs (the word Shih Tzu in Mandarin translated means lion dog). They were favorites of Chinese Royalty, so much so they refused to sell, trade or give away these dogs until the 1930s.They are happy, lively, alert and packed with character.

Neil Patrick Harris.
This “How I Met Your Mother” star has always had two dogs, a Carin Terrier named Fred and a rescue dog named Watson who is a Labra Doodle-Wheaten mix. He has said that their family has always had these kinds of dogs, if one would pass away, they’d get another. Both dogs are from the Terrier family, but the Labra Doodle requires tons of mental stimulation and needs to be challenged or they get bored, so it takes quite an energetic owner to keep up with them.

Ellen DeGeneres
She has a Poodle-Maltese named Wolf and a Poodle named Mabel. Poodles just like Malteses are “toy dogs” and extremely adorable. In addition to their adorableness, they are also highly intelligent (arguably the most trainable breeds), delightful, very amusing and keen. What a perfect match for Ellen as she is all of those things and a bag of dog biscuits.

Ellen Page
She came out last month at the Las Vegas Human Rights Campaign’s “Time to Thrive” conference in the most ingenious and revealing manner. She has two Poodles of her own, Gigi and Valentino. Just like her name twin (Ellen DeGeneres, duh), she and her dogs are all that and then some.

The post Dogs of the rich, famous, queer: The breed says it all first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Jimmy Fallon’s parody of the “First Kiss” viral video.

The post ‘First Lick’: 20 cats and dogs lick for the first time first appeared on Lesbian.com.

I share my home with Shayne, Rio, Bandit (my mom’s dog), Panther, Monty and Jefferson — plus the occasional foster dog. It can be a bit much in terms of the number of critters that share the space but I am extremely fortunate that managing this bunch is actually pretty simple. There are many homes and situations with multiple pets/dogs that require different degrees of management to run smoothly.

When talking about multi-pet homes, there is no one-size-fits-all picture of what a home should look like. Depending on all the individuals involved, each house will look different. One is not any better than the other — they are just different and suited to each individual set of pets.

When there only the six resident animals are in my house, the level of management is pretty low. With the exception of one incident between Shayne and Panther a year ago (in a very specific circumstance that is strictly managed), there has not been a single scuffle, snark or concerning incident between anyone. There are very rare (once with Shayne and once with Rio) moments of yucky face resource-guarding over food items but it has never escalated beyond a snarly face and small growl.

When I am home, all the critters have access to one another. The dogs can all have resources together (though they go to separate areas on their own), they have access to toys/chews and they come and go as they please. The cats have wall shelves, cat towers, window perches and a gated off area so they can always get out of the way of the dogs if it gets rowdy. I manage the play level and don’t allow picking on anyone but it’s pretty harmonious.

Although they live completely peacefully when I’m home, I still have a very low-level management routine in place for when they are left unattended. Since they have never had any scuffles or issues, the dogs are left unattended together in a gated off section of the house. The cats have access to the dogs’ area but most of their favorite sleeping spots are outside of the area so they aren’t together too much when we are not home. Even though there have never been any indications of problems, there is still risk in leaving six animals together unattended. Given that there has never been so much as a serious disagreement between them the risk is low, but it still exists.

The risk for issues is drastically greater when there are foster (or new) dogs in play. These dogs are new to the mix and do change the dynamics of the group. All but one of my foster dogs were with me for more than three months–some as long as seven months. All of the dogs, except for Linus because of his separation anxiety, were left separated from the rest of the animals when they were unattended. There was too much risk of a fight happening with the unknown dog in the mix to leave dogs together (even if they had been with me for six months).

Anything can happen when dogs are left unattended — disputes over couch space, toys, beds or even just floor space can quickly escalate into a disastrous fight (remember these are predators who have powerful mouths full of sharp teeth). These things can happen even if there had never been a big issue seen when they were supervised. (The fact that the humans are home changes the dynamics.)

As previously mentioned, there are many homes that require a higher level of management to keep everyone safe and happy. Some homes only function on a strict separation protocol when left alone — all dogs are crated or securely separated from other dogs/cats in the home. Some homes may even have this type of separation protocol for when the dogs are simply unattended — if you are in the shower or in the garage/basement working, the animals are separated. There are some situations where only certain dogs must be completely separated but others can be left alone together. Perhaps it’s only a matter of separating the dogs and the cats when left alone.

It all will vary and depend on the individual dogs and the specific situations. I take into account the history of the dogs (any disagreements/scuffles/fights), how long they have been together, any known behavioral problems, size differences, breeds and general vibe in the house when I’m choosing what type of management is needed when dogs are left unattended.

Here are some situations and how I would personally manage them. (Others may handle the situations differently and each situation is individual and details not included in the snapshot of info might change things.)

A household with three adult dogs who have been with each other for years. One of the dogs has a history of resource guarding toys, trash or couch space. The guarding hasn’t result in serious injuries but there have been some physical disagreements.

I would not be leaving these three dogs alone in the house together. The risk of things escalating without me there to step in quickly would be a risk that I wasn’t willing to take. Since the dog who resource guards does so with a wide variety of resources, it’s not as simple as leaving them without food items. If there was a single dog who was resource guarding, I may crate or gate that dog separately and let the other two hang out, or I may separate all three. With three dogs in the house, when two dogs get into it, many other dogs would jump in on the melee and gang up on the weaker dog which can result in serious injury or death of a beloved pet.

A household with two dogs — one is a dog who was adopted/purchased a few months ago. After a rough several days immediately after adding the new dog (no injuries, just some posturing), the dogs have seemed fine together. No known issues of resource guarding.

I would not leave a newly adopted dog home alone together with the resident dog. It can take newly adopted/purchased dogs 2 – 4 months to fully settle into a home, let alone be trusted with the resident dog. Add to that concern the fact that it sounds like the initial introduction wasn’t necessarily ideal I would be even more cautious. (I would have suggested a two-week shut down for the newly adopted dog, instead of going right to meeting the resident dog.) I would make sure to have both dogs separated when I was not home to monitor interactions. Puppy Rio had been with me for about five or six months before being left alone with Shayne (with no history of any issues between the two).

Two dog household with adult dogs of similar size and two cats in the house. These dogs have lived together for years. While they are typically good together, they have a history of a few disagreements that resulted in some minor injuries — maybe a few minor lacerations to the face or maybe a torn ear needing stitches. Both dogs love the cats and there have been no problems between dog and cats.

Although they are fine together most of the time, the fact that there is a history of scuffles/fights that led to blood being drawn would lead me to make sure both dogs are separated from one another when left alone in the house. There is a good chance that the prior scuffles were quickly broken up when I stepped in — if I wasn’t there to step in who knows how fast they would escalate and what type of damage could be done. Since both dogs have shown no problems with the cats, I would be comfortable letting the cats roam as long as the dogs were separated.

A home with three dogs of varying ages. One of the dogs is either old, frail, deaf, blind, ill, injured or fearful/anxious/insecure. None of the dogs have a history of any concerning behaviors with another resident dog.

I would be separating the old, frail, deaf, blind, ill, injured or fearful (etc.) dog from the others (assuming the other two have no history of concerning behaviors, they would be left together). Dogs that are deaf or blind can have an exaggerated startle response that could lead to a fight in any number of situations–these responses can be totally out of the blue and contrary to the normal group vibe. Fearful, anxious, or insecure dogs can easily overreact to situations that don’t warrant a high response–another dog barks or growls in their sleep while dreaming and the fearful dog reacts defensively causing an issue. Dogs that are old, frail, ill or injured may be more defensive because they know they are not ‘well’ or they can be easy pickings for the other dogs if something were to spark a disagreement or spark an increase in arousal/stress level (door bell rings, car back-fires, thunder storm, etc).

The most important thing to remember is that there is risk involved when leaving animals alone together. The risk in some situations is pretty low but the risk in others is pretty high. Dogs are capable of seriously injuring or even killing other dogs/cats in the home–if things go wrong, they can go really wrong. It is extremely important that pet owners are making safe and educated decisions on the management protocol in the house. You have to set a management protocol for the dogs/cats that you have, not necessarily for a house full of perfect Lassies. I’d love to be able to give the dogs full run of the whole upstairs in my house, but the fact is I have two dogs who are food hounds that will extreme counter surf and open doors to get into things — so, because of their history they are gated into a few rooms that have no food in them.

It’s okay if a more strict management plan is needed to assure all the dogs/cats remain safe–it’s not a reflection of you as an owner or your dogs as animals.

Tena Parker M.S., has been working with dogs for over 10 years. She is the owner of Success Just Clicks Dog Training in Pittsburgh, PA, has a thriving daily dog blog online, is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), is a Certified APDT C.L.A.S.S Evaluator (and instructor), is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator, and is a Certified Mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College. She also teaches popular dog training classes through Western Pennsylvania Humane Society’s Get Smart! Training School several days a week.

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