Musings on Multi-Dog Households

While I've been a "two dog household" for many years, I have, on occasion, been a three and four dog household.  Now, with my daughter and her dog, Westley, home for the summer, we are a three dog household once again.  This is an interesting situation for me from the standpoint of being a behavioral observer by trade; I watch these dogs and I've come to some interesting conclusions that I think are worth sharing, particularly for those of you considering adding a second (or third or fourth!) dog to your own household. 

First and foremost, keep in mind what I've said previously about the happiest dogs being those who live alone with their owners.  Despite dogs being "pack animals," they don't need other dogs to be happy.  In fact, most are happiest just living with their favored person.  No competition!  Beyond that basic concept, though, there are nuances to the relationships among dogs and their people.

Here at my house, Ozzie and Westley had an established relationship pre-Henley.  In fact, Ozzie and Westley have always been close from the time we adopted Westley into our family.  Desi wasn't one to play with Ozzie, even when Ozzie was a puppy and Desi was a young adult dog.  When Westley joined us, he was a 9 month old adolescent and Ozzie adored him.  They would run, wrestle, play tug-of-war, and sleep near each other.  It was so fun to watch Ozzie find a new best friend.  And you know what?  Desi didn't care one bit. It took the pressure off of him; he really didn't want to play beyond an occasional spin with a tug toy, and then he was back to his nap.

When we went to pick up Henley last Spring, we took Ozzie and Westley with us.  They were a bit overwhelmed by Henley as a puppy, but then again, so were we!  He was a whirling dervish of puppy energy.  Ozzie didn't really like that at all. But Westley?  Westley stepped in and started teaching Henley boundaries and played with him as a reward for respecting those boundaries.  So, Westley and Henley became friends.  Then the summer ended and Westley went back to school with my daughter, and Henley had to figure out how to develop a relationship with Ozzie if he was going to have any chance of playing with another dog in our home. Desi was a senior by that point with no interest whatsoever in Henley. Henley was respectful with Desi, licking his face and trying to cuddle with him, but there wasn't going to be any play as part of their interactions.

So, over time, Henley started working on Ozzie. He'd run past him with a toy which often stimulated Ozzie to chase. He'd drop toys in front of Ozzie to see if he could spark interest. His record was four toys dropped one after the other, until finally Ozzie liked one of the offerings.  Henley would let Ozzie chase him, something Ozzie loves to do.  A tentative friendship was born.  Ozzie and Henley play together a couple of times a day now, usually a game of chase and a game of tug-of-war.  And then Westley came back home for the summer and things changed once again.

Now, there is an interesting dynamic going on.  Henley currently has two established relationships, based in play, that he can engage in.  The problem?  Ozzie and Westley still have their friendship which is now based mostly in resting near one another and eating side by side.  It's the way of a senior dog (Ozzie) and a dog on chemotherapy (Westley).  So, what does Henley do to get someone to play with him?  He's smart.  He goes for one of the humans.  The instant he does, the older dogs jump up and let him know the humans are theirs first, at which point Henley runs to get a toy, and Ozzie chases him, or he shoves that toy at Westley and Westley feels obligated to play for a few minutes.  Henley gets what he wants and the older dogs, I'm certain, feel like they were in control of the course of events.  What I find the most interesting is that Henley does solicit play from us humans, but it's always at a time of day when he knows Ozzie and Westley are uninterested in his shenanigans.  He's learned that if he shoves on Westley with a toy or tries to get Ozzie to chase first thing in the morning, there will be consequences he does not enjoy.  Ozzie will indeed snap at him and Westley will growl.  If he persists, Ozzie will remove himself and Westley will step it up and pin Henley, despite Henley outweighing him by 20 lbs!  And Henley respects the older dogs, and has now learned to temper his morning antics and find a human to play with instead.

Which brings me to my final point and observation.  You might ask why don't we step in when Ozzie is growling or when Westley has snapped and pinned Henley and the answer can be summed up like this:  Not my monkey, not my circus.  Stepping in would tell the older dogs that something they'd done was wrong (when it wasn't) and potentially make Henley feel like he could challenge the older dogs willy-nilly when he really shouldn't.  My dogs aren't fighting, no blood is being drawn, and no dog is afraid of any other dog.  In fact, letting them sort out their own issues, saves anyone having hurt feelings.  Research shows that when it comes to inter-dog dynamics, you don't want to step in unless there is a bullying situation occurring, someone is afraid/avoidant, or if issues don't seem to be resolving naturally as outlined above.  If any of those situations are occurring, please do step in, and if you are unsure how to do that safely, just let me know.

Because, as always, you know where to find me. I'll be over here watching my collies learn how to be a three dog household again, at least for the summer.

In case you were wondering, I said "cookie."

Thinking About Off Days

When I say "off days," what's the first thing that pops into your head?  Is it a day off from work and responsibilities, so potentially something fun, or does it trigger the opposite response and make you think of a day when you didn't quite feel like yourself, a time when you just felt "off?" Both are important and worth talking about with respect to our canine companions.

Just as humans need to take breaks in order to reduce stress and prevent mental and physical fatigue, so do dogs.  And it's not just working dogs (police and military dogs, search and rescue dogs, contraband sniffing dogs at the airport, herding dogs, etc.) that need those breaks, your pet dogs need breaks too.  A break for a pet dog could be something as simple as an uniterrupted nap each day.  Or, it could mean a trip to the park to run around, or a sniff-centered walk with no particular destination.  What your dog considers "time off" is really up to them.  For my own dogs, nap time and time spent parked on the couch while I read a book (my off time!) is how they use their "time off." 

But what about the other kind of "off days?"  You know, those days when you feel blah, not really like yourself.  You're not sick, but you don't feel awesome either.  You just feel out of sync.  Well, dogs have those days too!  It's interesting to me that most of the time when there has been an incident on a pet therapy visit for the group I've been working with for years, the volunteers tell me after the incident that their dog was "acting weird,"  "wasn't himself,"  or "seemed off."  To which my response is always, "Then why did you do your pet therapy visit with a dog who was clearly not themselves?!"  You see, when a pet isn't 100%, that's when things like an uncharacteristic growl, snap, or bite might occur. For people doing pet therapy visits, I always tell them to err on the side of caution and skip visits on days when their pet seems "off," behaviorally speaking.  For the rest of us not doing pet therapy, recognizing that your dog is having an off day, is still important.  

If your dog is having an off day, don't immediately assume that they are ill.  Observe them for other signs of illness such as not eating or drinking, drinking a lot of water, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, or  lethargy for more than just a day. If your pet doesn't want to eat a meal, preferring to go off by themselves and rest, just let them.  If they seem uncomfortable or unable to get comfortable, watch to see if this is something serious like bloat, or simply more about muscle pain or soreness keeping them from getting comfortable.  Go ahead and skip your training exercises with your dog if they are having an off day, and maybe cut your walk a little shorter, if need be. And, quite frankly, there is no reason to assume that dogs don't just get into a mood sometimes where they are a bit melancholy, no pun intended. Give your dog some space, but do watch them. No need to panic as, again, we all have off days.  Given that they are dogs, it's more than likely that tomorrow they will be back to their usual, joyful, happy-go-lucky selves.  And that truly is one of the best things about dogs!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Henley is usually full of joy, enthusiasm, and mischief, but recently he seemed out of sorts.  At first, I thought he must be sick as he's never spent an entire day in a clingy mood and/or trying to get comfortable moving from couch, to dog bed, to another dog bed.  I watched him and gave him space, and I watched the other dogs give him space too.  But the next morning?  He was perfectly fine, back to his usual self.  He never vomited, had diarrhea, or missed his meals.  He was just having an "off day."  And you know what?  He's entitled to it and we all respected that, giving him the space he needed to recharge his internal battery.

What's Your Frequency?

No, I'm not referring to the 1994 song from the band, R.E.M. What I'm referring to is the frequency of common appliances used in your house, or those used outdoors by your neighbors. There is some fascinating research that's been coming out over the last couple of years, including a really good study conducted by researchers at my alma mater, U.C. Davis.  Here are the important details for the dog owners reading this:

First and foremost, many dog owners are not recognizing the stress they are causing their dogs who are repeatedly exposed to what are to us, common household noises. While most of us understand that things like backfiring cars or fireworks are anxiety triggers for dogs, we often overlook more common and daily occurrences like beeping smoke detectors, the sound of the microwave, the baseline sound emitted by the Alexa home assistant, or other smart appliances like thermostats and security devices. While we might think the vacuum cleaner is driving our dogs nuts, truth be told, that's less stressful than the nice, new thermostat you bought for the sake of energy efficiency. And if your neighbors are using ultrasonic frequency devices to control or deter pests in their yard, or to deter your barking dog, they are actually making the situation must worse. 

High frequency, intermittent noises are more likely to cause anxiety and stress than lower frequency, continuous noise; so a beeping smoke detector causes more stress than your vacuum cleaner. While dog owners in the study were able to recognize their dog leaving the room or avoiding contact as a sign of discomfort, they actually missed a lot of the other cues that their dogs were stressed. Behavioral signs such as being very clingy, lip licking, looking away, tail tucking, and panting actually got missed. While most dog owners knew that a dog was stressed when they tremble, shake, or howl, many missed the more subtle, but nonetheless significant, signs of anxiety. 

In the recent study, researchers found that high frequency, intermittent sounds (think smoke detector beeping) resulted in dogs showing intense signs of fear and anxiety like trembling and shaking. Conversely, low frequency constant sounds (think vacuum cleaner) resulted in behaviors associated with agitation, reactivity, and even aggression.  There are certainly dogs who display fear in the form of lip licking and tail tucking with sounds like vacuum cleaning, but these behaviors are even more prevalent with the high frequency intermittent sounds.

Dogs who are stressed have both physiological and behavioral responses to their fear.  When those sounds are high frequency and intermittent, for example from the pest deterrent devices or anti-bark devices, a dog processes those sounds as being unpredictable and outside their control, thus creating undue stress. This is also why a baby crying can be very distressing to a dog.  That's a high frequency sound that they can't control and they hope we can!  Because dogs naturally have better hearing than us, particularly in the 1000-8000 Hz range, this means they will be more sensitive to these types of sounds than humans are in general, and even more so if the dog's owner is an older person with hearing deficits associated with the aging process. 

The bottom line is this:  All dog owners need to better understand dog body language so as not to misinterpret that clingy behavior, for example, as something cute or happy, but rather as a sign of stress and anxiety.  Eliminating pest deterrent devices, not using anti-bark devices, being aware of the low battery in a smoke detector, and continuing to use fewer "smart home" devices means less baseline anxiety and stress for dogs in those homes period.  And if your neighbor is using pest deterrent devices on wild animals in their yard, or against your barking dog, have a frank conversation with your neighbor.  There are better ways to discourage pests AND you can correct your dog's barking yourself (I've blogged solutions for barking many times here!), no need for those high frequency devices. Those high frequency devices are causing both physical and psychological distress and that's something we can get better at controlling and managing.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Westley is noise-sensitive, particularly to sounds like garbage trucks and buses.  He has no problem with fireworks, interestingly enough.  He is definitely sensitive to the smoke detector beeps, as are my other collies.  Always important to know your own dog, watch for the signs, and find ways to relieve the stress they feel, and the potential pain to their more sensitive ears.

Stay the Course!

With summer nearly upon us, there will be a lot more folks out and about with their dogs in tow.  While we all encounter dogs "in the wild," so to speak, on a daily basis, you will start seeing more and more of them out with their families over the summer months.  I mention this only as a reminder to those taking their dogs everywhere with them that you've made sure your dogs are ready for that kind of stimulation.  You see, dogs who spend most of the year in their homes and yards, venturing out for neighborhood walks on a somewhat regular basis, aren't necessarily ready for an arduous hike, trip to the beach, street fair, or concert on the green. While you may think that your dog will be happiest being included in these new adventures, that isn't always the case.  Let's, once again, look at this from your dog's point of view.

If your dog isn't used to going everywhere with you, just a simple ride in the car can be anything but simple to them.  Even if they don't get carsick, a lot of dogs get anxious in the car, pacing back and forth, panting and often barking at things as they go by. While you can control the pacing by harnessing your dog in place with a car safety harness system, they may still pant and bark. Prepare your dog in advance for longer car rides, or more frequent car rides, by taking them in the car for shorter distances, spending time in the car in your driveway, or driving around the block, reinforcing calm, quiet behavior. And it goes without saying that if your dog starts barking frantically when you get to your destination, don't take them out of the car until they calm down.  Otherwise, you are just rewarding that frenetic behavior!

Once your dog gets to your destination with you, keep them under your control.  If you are visiting an off leash area, don't immediately let them off leash!  Keep them on leash or switch to a long line and work with them for at least a few minutes on their recall in this new place. Do not assume that just because your dog has good recall at the dog park, they'll have good recall at the beach or on an off leash trail.  There will be different triggers in these new spaces and your off leash dog could be caught unawares if you haven't warmed them up to this new environment.  And as I pointed out last week, dogs at the beach or lake should be wearing a life vest and dogs on hiking trails need to be taught to avoid snakes.  Keeping your dog on a long line will keep them at a safe distance from the water if you don't have that life vest on and, hopefully, will allow you to call them away from that "nope rope," aka a snake, before they try to pick it up!

While I understand that you and your family are on vacation, so are other people.  As dog owners we need to be respectful and mindful of the fact that other people have the right to be at that off leash trail, beach, or outdoor venue even without dogs.  And many people use those spaces who don't like dogs or are afraid of dogs.  Don't reinforce their belief that dogs are menaces by letting your off leash (or on leash) dog approach random people you encounter.  Pleasantly greet them for sure, but keep your dog with you unless someone indicates a desire to interact with your dog.  And don't assume that people will have control over their children in these places. If you think off leash dogs are out of control, just picture off leash kids...lol.  Kids running around on trails, in parks, and at beaches can be a trigger for many dogs to bark and chase.  Don't let your dogs do it and don't blame the kids for running around.  It's your job as a dog owner to control your dog. Yes, parents should supervise their kids, but kids have a right to run around without fear of being pursued by a dog, even a friendly dog.

If you are going to have time off, now is a good time to take that obedience class refresher course, sign up for an introduction to agility or another dog-centered sport, etc.  These classes will give you the opportunity to get out with your dog in a novel situation and work on their skills.  Those skills can only help when you present them with more challenges like family adventures on summer break. And don't feel bad if your dog isn't cut out for family vacations, car travel, and trips to the beach. Despite what the social media influencers are trying to tell you, not every dog is made for that kind of exposure.  In fact, even a lot of those social media influencers have trouble with their dogs on those adventures, you just don't see it in their highly curated, online content. Social media is not reality and we all should remember that. Don't put your dog into a risky or frightening situation just for the photo op.

All behavior has consequences. As dog owners, we need to make sure that the consequences of our actions and the actions of our dogs don't negatively impact the experiences of others.  And this is no more true that during summer break when we are all headed to the beach, the trails, and the parks.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Ozzie and I both love the beach and he's been going to the beach since he was a carsick puppy.  He doesn't get carsick anymore, which is great and makes trips to the beach more enjoyable for everyone!