Share your favorite behavior tip
Wednesday July 8, 2009
Yesterday's post about veterinary behaviorists and Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) got viewers talking about dog training methods.Leaving the debate aside, have you worked on a specific behavioral issue with your dog? Do you have any experiences with medically-based behavior problems that were solved once the underlying problem was addressed? Was your dog's history (abuse, neglect, abandonment) part of the reason for the behavioral problem(s)?
Whatever the cause, what worked for you and your dog? Please share your pet's behavior problem and how you modified it, either on your own or with the help of a veterinarian or trainer.
Photo: Daisy © Jay McDaniel on Flickr
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Our foster failure (otherwise known as our rescued mastiff) Sasha, had severe separation anxiety. She could make a 54″ crate round like a hamster ball in a matter of minutes, no matter how much prozac, how many yummy treats, Tv on or off, another dog next to her, none of it mattered. She was sure we were never coming back and she’d totally panic.
We started putting yummies in the crate and laying next to it, while she chewed on them. When she relaxed, we’d move a foot or two away, let her relax again, then let her out, but take away the bone she was working on. We did that a few times a day, until she started to look forward to the crate. She was never in it more than 5 minutes for the first few weeks. By the end of the month we had worked it up to 15 minutes and you could leave the room and come back without her pacing and crying. It took months of slowly working up to it, but eventually we could drive out the driveway without her panicking. Soon we had her worked up to 2 hours. It’s been 18 months now and she can be left out of her crate with our other mastiff for up to 6 hours. Patience has really paid off!
We never pet the girls when we come home until they’re totally calm. I can’t remember where I read it, but it definitely helps them be calmer when we arrive and seems to keep them from getting so worked up about us leaving, also.
My two dogs (and my cats) are all very bad scavengers. The first dog was a pregnant stray who’d had no choice but to garbage pick, the other is just a bratty “puppy” (100+ pounds and can easily reach the counter. Plus i have cats that are pretty much raccoons and can break into anything. The best investment i ever made was buying a couple of scat-mats. They give a mild shock which is not painful but is unpleasant – i tried it myself first. Because this behaviour occured only when i was not home and barriers such as doors and latches didn’t stop them I tried the scat-mat. it works like a charm with my dogs, after one shock they never tried it again. unfortunately the cats STILL test it but it keeps them out of the garbage and out of the cupboards! it’s safe, affordable, quick and easy. i tried alot of other methods before but this was the only one that worked.