*Burp*

I had a friend over to visit yesterday evening.  Ozzie and Henley were super excited to see him, jumping and bouncing around, bringing him toys, etc.  When he leaned down to ruffle Ozzie's neck floof, Ozzie raised his face, appearing to be going in for a smooch, and promptly burped right in my friend's face!  Even Henley dropped his toy with a horrified look on his face!  Luckily, we just burst out laughing and Ozzie shook it off and moved on.  Why in the world would a dog burp in someone's face?

Dogs burp for the same reasons we do: eating too fast, drinking too quickly, dietary/digestive issues, and excitement or anxiety.  In Ozzie's case, that burp was due to excitement, but he's also been known to burp if he eats too quickly, and Henley burps when he drinks too fast, often spitting out water all over the floor when he does so. Is burping ever a concern?  Well, sure, if it's happening all the time, is associated with coughing or vomiting, or is part of a bigger issue like recurrent diarrhea and a loss of appetite. Otherwise, it's probably not that big of a deal.  If your dog is otherwise healthy, but does burp frequently, there are things you can do to decrease the frequency of those gassy outbursts.

Slow feeder bowls, snuffle mats, and even just spreading the food out on a flat surface will slow down how quickly your dog eats, thus he will capture less air due to gulping.  Smaller, more frequent meals can also mean less air swallowed. It's also true that giving high fat diets or treats, and those that are harder to digest like popcorn, for example, can lead to burping more frequently. Focus on giving a high quality diet, with a good balance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, and limit the fatty snacks and popcorn. And for those excited or anxious burping dogs, try to keep the environment calm, particularly at mealtimes.  You can keep them on leash for greetings to control jumping, spinning, and bouncing.  Teach them to sit in place and wait for guests to greet them instead. And if their anxiety is overwhelming, try crating them when people arrive and then letting them out, on leash, after the initial excitement settles.  And if their anxiety is strictly about excitement and enthusiasm, and not about aggression or fear, you might even be able to give them something like CBD oil to help calm their nerves and control those nervous burps.

I'm pretty sure Ozzie would be mortified if he knew I'd told the world he burped in someone's face.  He's been working so hard to fill Desi's shoes and be a good pet assisted therapy dog, and burping in faces isn't high on the list of behaviors for pet therapy animals!  Luckily, Ozzie is mostly calm on his visits, not anxious or overly excited, so he's unlikely to burp in those situations.  He is a collie, however, so burps could still happen.  Every collie we've ever had was a burper, versus our Labrador who could clear a room with her flatulence.  But that's a different story all together.

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

Mr. Burps himself.  But don't tell him I told you!

Thinking Outside of the Box

I had a wonderful conversation with a client after her appointment was done. She actually called me from her car on her way home because she wanted to share her thoughts while they were fresh in her mind.  So, why did she call?  Because she appreciated my "outside of the box" approach.  I laughed and thanked her for making my day, but it really got me thinking.  Are my techniques, recommendations, and treatment plans really that "outside the box?"  I guess for some people, they really are, while for others my approach aligns with either their own personal views or validates what their veterinarian or trusted dog trainer told them, and that works too.

I like to think of myself as progressive in my approach to animal behavior. I certainly remember what I learned in college and graduate school, but I think what I've learned on the job all these years has influenced my approach more than anything else.  Knowing that what works for one animal might not work for another, meaning you can't just apply the same techniques to every anxious dog, for example, and expect the same outcome.  Every animal is unique and while they may present as anxious, how they got there in the first place is their own journey and what I'm left to figure out in order to help them AND help their human caretaker.

As the years have gone by, I've really begun to dread the misinformation spread on the internet and through social media.  While this misinformation certainly extends beyond the realm of animals and their behavior, I'm going to limit my comments to that.  Whether you are searching for answers, help, or validation, know the sources you are using.  Asking your veterinarian beats Google every time.  And asking a behaviorist is better than Reddit, hands down.

And if you want to know where I go to continue my educational journey, I read.  I read A LOT.  I'm currently reading Zazie Todd's newest book, "Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful or Reactive Dog." It's terrific and will be one I recommend to dog owners just starting their journey with an anxious or fearful dog. And for those of you who have been managing your fearful, anxious, or reactive dog for years, you'll still enjoy this book as it will validate that you've been doing all of the right things to enhance your dog's quality of life.

So, I'm going to continue thinking "outside of the box" for a few more years, at least.  I'll eventually retire, probably devoting more of my time to writing, gardening, and everything collie. But in the meantime, my quest for new ways to help you help your pets remains my purpose.

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

So, Henley has skin problems as most of you know.  He gets twice weekly baths and in between baths, he gets a mousse applied to any skin irritations to keep him from drawing attention to those spots and licking or scratching them. The problem?  He wants to lick the mousse as soon as it's applied!  My (maybe?) outside the box solution? Get him working on tasks until the mousse soaks in and he no longer wants to lick it! We worked on tap today, one of his favorites.  Basically, I move my feet and sort of dance with him and he has to tap the tops of my feet as they move. He loves this game so much, that even when I stop, he often tries to get me to play more by doing what you see in this picture.  The good thing is, he's not licking the mousse or himself.  The badish thing?  I can't move my foot now.

The Magic Pill!

It's happened too many times to count.  A client reaches out for help with their pet, asking for a recommendation to a medication that will "make the situation better," "cure the aggression," or "make their dog like other dogs/people."  I always refer to this as the "magic pill." A lot of people look for magic pills for themselves (to help with weight loss, increase their energy, etc.) and they definitely look for them for their beloved pets.  The problem, however, is the same; there are no magic pills, at least none that I've found yet.  While cannabinoids (CBD) help some pets (and people), others remained unaffected by them.  And while it's certainly true that anxiolytic medications like Prozac, for example, can be helpful for some people and pets, it isn't a miracle cure.  Work still needs to be done on behavior modification, including counterconditioning, increasing mental stimulation, and avoiding the triggers that lead to the anxiety and aggression. Oftentimes, pet owners don't really want to put in the work that is necessary to make drug therapy an effective, adjunct means of helping their pet overcome their anxiety; they just want the pet to "be better" or "do better."  And sometimes they want their pet to be something that it really isn't: sociable, approachable, friendly with everyone, and normal, whatever normal really is.

We've talked about this before: you have to love the dog you're with, not the dog you thought you were getting.  Every dog has a unique personality as a result of their genetics, early environmental factors, and socialization experiences. No single factor creates an anxious dog; for most dogs with anxiety, there was a genetic predisposition and then repeated exposure to triggers exacerbated the problem.  For example, that shy puppy you picked from the litter because he was calm and quiet?  Remember when you took him to puppy class and he freaked out, squealing if anyone walked toward him?  Remember when he hid during class and wouldn't let the instructor or anyone else touch him? And then when you took him to the vet, he tried to hide again and snapped when he was pulled out from under the bench? Well, that puppy was always going to be an anxious dog.  He was oddly reserved at 8 weeks old when he was chosen, he was painfully introverted and fearful around other dogs and people at class, and he displayed fear aggression with the vet. No amount of socializing is going to make this dog into something he's not.  And giving him Prozac alone, without adding in mental stimulation and appropriate physical exercise, isn't going to solve the problem either.  This puppy will need life-long management, and drug therapy more than likely, to have a good quality of life. His owners will need to protect him from his triggers as best as they can, not push him when he's uncomfortable, and keep guests in their home safe. He isn't going to be a park dog, beach dog, or out for lunch companion. He will likely need to learn cooperative care and be muzzle trained for safety at the groomer and at the vet's office. 

For me, I like to think of the magic in these situations as coming from the owners themselves.  Some pet owners just get it; maybe they too, have anxiety, or they have a family member with anxiety.  They know what it will take to make that pet feel safe, loved, and comfortable; they also know what will trigger their pets and they avoid those triggers as best as they can.  They don't ask for a magic pill to make it all better; they ask if there is something they can give their pet that will help with their quality of life. They are willing and able to put in the work and admit that while this isn't the dog they signed up for, they love him nonetheless.

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

Anxiety can present in many ways. Take my granddog, Westley, for example. He is very noise sensitive when it comes to garbage trucks and squeaky hydraulic brakes on buses and heavy construction equipment.  But fireworks? He could care less. Screaming children?  He loves them.  Aggressive dogs?  He ignores them.  So what do we do? We protect him from what triggers him, using white noise machines and fans, and his crate is his safe space.  Westley is thriving despite his anxiety!

Why Did He Do That?!

I was out with my buddy, Loki, last Saturday.  It was a beautiful morning, actually on the cooler side which was a nice change from the crazy hot weather we've been having.  At one point Loki sniffed the air, then he dropped and began rolling around on the wet grass, smiling ear to ear, and really enjoying himself.  A woman pushing a stroller walked by us and then stopped, apparently because she couldn't figure out why I was letting Loki just roll around.  She actually asked me, "Why in the world is your dog rolling around like that?! Is he okay?!" Clearly not a dog owner, amiright? She asked if he was having a seizure!  That quite literally cracked me up. No, I told her.  He's not having a seizure. He's having a moment of joy!  The grass is wet and it feels good to roll around.  Plus, Loki knows if he grins my direction while rolling, I'll lean down and scratch his tummy and armpits, his favorite thing in the world.  She still looked perplexed as she walked away, shaking her head, but that's okay.  Dogs aren't for everybody!  And here's the truth of the matter:  Dogs roll around for many reasons beyond the joy of wet grass.

Dogs roll on the ground because their world is based in scents.  A dog who's just been bathed/groomed will roll around (if allowed to) drying himself off in the process.  Some dogs roll around post grooming, even if they are dry, as they are trying to get rid of the "clean dog smell" in favor of something more earthy and "normal," or familiar, from their perspective. Dogs will roll in mud or damp leaves to cool off.  They'll roll in smelly things like seaweed, horse manure, and cow patties for the joy of smelling like those delightfully stinky things.  They may also be doing so to disguise their own scent. So, rolling dries them, cools them, gets rid of a smell, adds a new smell, and of course, brings them joy.

And then, there are the dogs like Henley.  Henley rolls on his back to scratch.  He has a lot of allergies (it's why I bathe him twice a week!), but rolling on his back allows him to scratch spots he can't reach.  And Ozzie?  He rolls around, mostly rubbing his face, as he likes to clean up his mouth post water or food that way. So my two dogs are rolling around as some kind of individualized grooming ritual. It's interesting to me that after Ozzie has done this face cleaning, or Henley has scratched his back by rolling on the rug, each of them will go to that spot, drop down for a deep sniff, and often paw that spot.  Clearly, rolling around like that has left the other dog's scent behind and they know it!

I really do enjoy watching dogs do, well, just what dogs do.  And it is kind of fun when you meet someone who isn't a dog person as their perception of what us dog owners see everyday is quite different. Just for fun, share why your dogs roll around or if they even might be the ones sleeping on their backs, all four feet up in the air!

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

Here's Loki, post-roll, getting his scritches in!

Why Can't We Be Friends?

I just met yesterday with a lovely young couple who recently moved to San Francisco from the Midwest.  They had chosen San Francisco because they had read online about it being one of the most dog-friendly cities in California and they were eager to be able to take their adolescent Boston Terrier more places with them.  They were also hoping that they'd be able to find him a few playmates, whose owners they might like too, since they don't really know many people here yet other than their coworkers, and those are all virtual! So far, however, it's been a total bust; either their dog didn't like the other dogs they've met, or my clients didn't like the dogs' humans!  They'd met with their new veterinarian to update their dog's vaccines and that's how they'd heard about me and reached out for help.

This was such an interesting appointment!  I wasn't there because their dog had any specific behavioral issues; he didn't even really have any training issues.  I was there to help this couple and their dog find some social opportunities here in the Bay Area that would get them off to a great start.

We took their dog for a walk so I could observe him (and them) out in public.  I made suggestions about where to walk and explore, including places other clients regularly use and love like Fort Funston, Strawberry Hill, the Presidio, and Dolores Park. I did tell them that they would need to visit these places several times, and on different days, to get a feel for the areas and the dog owners that use them.  While Fort Funston is an off leash dog haven, dogs are primarily on leash at Strawberry Hill and Dolores Park.  I told them that they should really think about their ultimate goal; was it truly to find their dog a dog friend, or was it for them to find like-minded, dog-owning humans to hang out with? These are not necessarily the same thing.  They could send their dog to doggie daycare to make friends and socialize with other dogs, BUT if they really wanted to make friends themselves, then they were going to have to get out a lot more than they've been doing.  On a recommendation from my daughter, I even suggested that they try online groups like MeetUp and Bumble BFF to find couple friends with similar interests.  They'd never even thought of that!

I agree that it can be harder to make new friends when you first move to a new area, but while it may seem overwhelming, it's really not.  You just have to put yourself out there and be okay with not every connection working out.  Finally, I suggested they consider volunteering with Furry Friends, the pet assisted therapy group I work with, given that they are both very interested in volunteerism AND their dog loves meeting new people.  Through an organization like Furry Friends, I know this couple will definitely connect with other like-minded dog owners, including many who live outside of San Francisco, thus expanding where they cast their net for new friends and new connections.

We can't make our dogs like certain other dogs, or even certain people.  And our dogs may like people or other dogs that we ourselves don't.  That's just how it works!  You can't force a dog to like who you like, though you can hedge your bets by including good treats and a lot of positive reinforcement on those first meetings in the hopes of making a great first impression.

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

My daughter met a lot of like minded dog owners hiking in Los Angeles County when she lived there.  Ozzie and I often joined her and Westley on their hikes which were quite enjoyable, except for the mud.  Rough collies definitely get dirtier than smooths as this photo aptly proves!

If You Just Need a Plan!

I worked with a wonderful client over the weekend who told me that she just needed a training plan for her new dog.  She likened it to the workout program her personal trainer gave her for getting back into shape. She said what she really wanted, and hoped I could provide, was a simple outline of what she should be doing everyday with her dog to make sure he was headed in the right direction.  She indicated, too, that she'd tried to find simple guidelines like this online, but ended up down a rabbit hole of suggestions and exercises, some of which she was pretty sure weren't good for her dog! So, when I told her she really just needed to put in about 5-10 minutes a day to reach her goals for her dog, she was ecstatic!  This was something she could commit to and she took out a notebook to write down the plan.  Here's what I told her:

1.  Work everyday on the important behaviors you need your dog to reliably do.  Run through them quickly and efficiently, kind of like stretching before you go for a run.  Then spend the remainder of your training with your dog working on a new/fun skill/behavior.

2.  The basic behaviors I think every dog should be able to do reliably:  sit, down, stay, stand, come, drop it, leave it, and walk nicely on leash.  My client's dog had reliable sits and downs, but that was about it.  So, we worked together on luring him into the other behaviors.  I showed her how to turn leave it and drop it into a game so her dog would be more likely to comply rather than resist giving up treasured things he finds.  And for the loose leash walking, I told her to work indoors, sans leash, luring her dog using treats and her voice FIRST, before moving outdoors with a leash and trying the same techniques.

3.  The list of behaviors I gave her for adding in fun/new skills:  touch, bow, turn, through, back it up, sit up, dance, spin, speak, whisper, flop, and roll over. I then had Henley demonstrate each of those skills for her!  He did each skill twice, once for her to observe, and once for her to see how I got the behavior in the first place.  

4.  Don't get frustrated!  Rome wasn't built in a day, as my grandmother used to say.  It might take her dog weeks to get through just the basics and that's absolutely okay!  But, even if he's still struggling with the basics, she should introduce something new and fun every day to try, learning how to keep his brain engaged and keep herself motivated.

5.  Always end on a positive note.  Regardless of how that 5-10 minute session went, always end the session with something easy or fun that your dog will be 100% successful doing, even if it's "just a sit."  Because, you know what?  A dog who can sit still, even for just a few seconds, has potential and that should be rewarded and celebrated!

We will be meeting again in two weeks to check her progress.  She referred to that as accountability for herself!  In the meantime, she's going to send me video progress reports which should be fun for us both.

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

I simply could not resist sharing this picture of my granddog, Westley!  

My daughter taught him to do "junkyard dog face!" This trick is hysterical.  When I've tried it with Henley, he just ends up yawning or sneezing!

An Ode To Those Gutted Stuffy-Fluffies!

I know Henley is not the only dog out there who can gut a toy in two minutes flat. I mean completely wreck it, stuffing all over the place and giant holes where those cute stuffed limbs used to be.  Even toys labeled "indestructible" are no match for Henley; they will have a chunk taken out of them in seconds. He is a dog with a singular purpose, gut the toy and call it a win.  I just roll my eyes, pick up the pieces and move on, but I've started thinking about this a bit differently recently, mostly because he's the first dog I've ever had (and I've had a LOT of dogs) who was this single-minded with toys.

How about if we look at this as a necessary behavior?  Dogs are animals and animals, by their very nature, must hunt and kill to survive.  Now, dogs have been domesticated for over 30,000 years, but who's to say that predatory drive isn't still there?  Maybe it's just the case that some of our dogs have more of a predatory drive than others, and while they may exercise that drive by chasing squirrels, birds, and neighborhood cats (Henley does that too!), some also direct that prey drive at their toys.

If you watch a dog taking apart a toy, and believe you me, I've had a lot of opportunities to do so with Henley, there is a method to his destruction.  He is focused, toy poised between his front paws, or pinned to the floor with one paw, as he snaps at it, shakes it, and rips his first hole. Once that first hole is made, he often moves to a new place, laying down to get a better angle, as he starts pulling out the stuffing, literally dissecting it. Now, fortunately for me, he's never eaten any stuffing, squeakers, etc.  He just leaves those spoils for me to clean up, which I do promptly.  Once a toy is gutted, he's done with it.  He might return to it later to see if he can pull it apart some more, but for the most part, once it's gutted, he just carries around the empty carcass until something new catches his eye. Or he nods off.

I'm now starting to think of Henley as a captive animal, not just my beloved pet dog.  I wouldn't give a second thought to a captive wolf tearing apart a carcass!  But Henley is stuck in my house with me (and Ozzie), and his toys are his outlet for this very natural, normal behavior. He is genetically wired for this, as he's been doing it since we brought him home.  What does it mean for me long term? It means I buy a lot of toys for Henley, varying the texture, durability (I hope), and size to keep his interest.  If a toy is able to be repaired, I re-stuff it, sew it up, and put it back into the rotation. If it's beyond repair, I toss it.  And the best part of all of this is that this dog has NEVER chewed up anything that wasn't one of his toys; he's never touched a blanket, pillow, cushion, chair, etc.  Not once.  All of his predatory drive and chewing behavior has been directly appropriately to the toys that are his.  I'm actually quite proud of him for that, and frankly relieved, as were he chewing my stuff, it would be a lot more expensive to replace!

So, if you, too, have a dog who likes to dissect toys, try thinking of it as a natural part of the predatory sequence and part of life as a captive animal. It's our responsibility to keep our dogs entertained with appropriate outlets for their mental and physical exercise.  Finally, if any of you have durable toy recommendations, Henley and I are all ears.  Well, he's all ears, but I'm listening too!

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

I also buy Henley lots of hard, ridged, flavored, bone-type toys to chew on.  He loves these and I find them in every room, especially when I step on them in the middle of the night!