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.

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“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.

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.

The post 9 doggy boredom busters first appeared on Lesbian.com.

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.

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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