Category: Behavior modification

Stressed or Anxious dogs?

Stress is a biological response to external stimuli. Stress is the body answering the question – should I fight, flee, freeze, or fawn when in the presence of a real or perceived threat?
Puppy Porthos’ first day in his new home – very scared.
He didn’t know how much he was going to be loved 🥰
Things that stress our dogs can include:
  • Separation/being alone.
  • Sounds – like thunder, fireworks, or one of my dogs was terrified of the sound fire alarms make when the batter is low.
  • Strangers – in the home, approaching the home, or out on walks.
  • Other dogs – your dog can be afraid of other dogs idiopathically or because of some incident(s) involving other dogs.
  • Anything new or things moved to a different location.
  • Cars – this could be idiopathic or because of an incident. This could also be about the sound and/or the movement of the vehicles.
  • Unusual surfaces – those of you who live in a city know how often our dogs scurry around sidewalk grates to avoid walking on them. I’ve had clients whose dogs would not walk on tile or linoleum.
  • Being kenneled for the family’s vacation or in a shelter environment, or rehoming
  • There are many more.
It’s important to remember each dog has their own idiosyncratic stressors. You will want to learn your dog’s stressors so you can help them when afraid or anxious.
A dog’s response to stress can be any or many of the following:
  • Whining
  • Heavy panting
  • drooling
  • Inability to follow simple directions.
  • Sudden dander (usually only visible on dark short-coated dogs)
  • Hiding or freezing in place
  • Running away or towards (remember flight or fight)
  • Growling, barking, baring teeth
    • Stress facial signals like tight commissures, whale eye, tension below the eyes, and more
    • Flat or overly perked ears
  • Tail wrapped low or the opposite, straight up high.
  • Stomach upset including diarrhea.
  • More…

This list is not complete. And you can see from this list that many of these signals can mean a number of things besides stress. How do you know which is which?

You need to know your dog by observing and registering their typical behaviors when happy, worried, or downright scared and note the differences.
What can you do?
  • Hire a certified behavior specialist. The AKC has an article outlining the different type of behavior specialists.
    • I am a CDBC (Certified Dog Behavior Consultant) IAABC.org
  • This behavior specialist will help you begin desensitizing/counterconditioning (Ds/Cc) your dog, implement management strategies to help your dog avoid triggers before they are ready to face them, and work on other training skills that will help your dog overcome their fears.
  • Supplements – sometimes our dogs need help to simply be around their triggers. A dog who is riddle with fear cannot learn so sometimes we need to help them internally. There are some helpful supplements that are proven effective and easy to find.
    • L-theanine and L-tryptophan are both amino acids that are very safe.
    • I advise my clients to use these two links above, so they are giving their dog nothing other than the amino acids indicated. Compounded anti-anxiety products will have a number of other components many of which can cause issues, and with compounded products we won’t know which element is doing what.Here is a great Overview of Behaviour Supplements for Dogs and Cats. Remember to check with your vet before starting any supplements.
    • If Ds/Cc is stalling or not working and the supplements are not helping your dog work through their stress and fears, it is time to consult a veterinary behavior specialist.
There is a lot you can do to help your dog process stress in their environment to give them a happier and safer life.
Pax’e in her happiest place –
four flights up on her balcony watching the firetrucks go by.
To each their own…

Remote dog Training is Good

Is remote here to “Stay”

We adapted during the pandemic, and some of those adaptations turned out to be a good thing, like remote dog training.

“How is that good?” you might ask.

There are certain situations where my being in-person for an initial session would interfere with the process…

For example a dog who is afraid of strangers or aggressive with new people would not be well served by my walking into their home. In these cases, my presence only causes your dog more stress (and probably you, too).

If your dog spends the majority of an in-person session barking at me, it limits what we can do. However if we meet remotely first, I can craft management strategies and training techniques for you to begin working on so that when I do arrive in-person for the follow-up session, you and your dog will be less stressed, ready to work and I will be able to see how the process is progressing.

For all behavioral issues, the use of videos on zoom allows us to watch together as I identify and show you your dog’s body language. This is indescribably enlightening and usually very difficult to see in real life.

I can also watch how you work with your dog without my presence getting in the way.

It doesn’t matter if your dog wants to eat me or play with me, my presence changes their behavior dramatically.

Many of my clients started with a remote session and happily continued that way. Some have done a blended series of sessions, starting with remote and following up with in-person and remote as needed.

During the pandemic, separation anxiety issues floated to the top of the list of behavioral issues for a lot of households.

I have worked fully remotely with some separation anxiety clients, and some have done the blended approach which allows us to check in frequently for very short sessions that are not practical in-person.

Some of the most fun I’ve ever had with clients is remotely walking them through a skill they thought they couldn’t teach their dog. By the end, we are all cheering and laughing because it’s like playing remote twister. And the dog not knowing what just happened is still thrilled by the treats and laughter.

Some more logistical reasons remote is good:
  • As a working mother of a child with special needs, remote sessions allow me to meet with more clients, offering easier scheduling than in-person.
  • Because I don’t have to travel for remote sessions, the cost of a remote session is less than in-person.
  • No matter where you live, we can set up remote sessions. I’ve been able to work with clients from Paris, to Chicagoland, Connecticut, Texas, California, and even Australia.
  • And because there are so many pandemic dogs and families who need help, remote sessions help us all manage the larger demand.

And if you are looking for a Subject Matter Expert on kids and dogs and/or special needs kids and dogs, you may need to reach beyond local trainers. I can now offer that speciality to anyone anywhere.

What To Expect During A Dog Behavior Consultation?

I offer both Remote or In-person sessions

For either remote or in-person sessions:

You will fill out a behavioral questionnaire prior to any scheduled appointment.  

I will also need some video which usually shows me more than what I can see in person. 

If a situation is dangerous, I do not need dangerous video. I just need to see your dog in action vis-a-vis family, other dogs, etc. to the best of your ability, safely.

I work with you and your family to set goals and teach you how to implement a plan to modify and/or manage your dog’s behavior. Depending on your family’s needs.

Both Remote and In-person Sessions offer great instruction and sometimes one is more effective than the other.

There are times when a remote session is a great alternative to in-person either because of

  • Covid restrictions
  • Distance
  • Scheduling difficulties
  • Need for expediency
  • Less expensive

And often in remote sessions we can dive deeply into the videos which allows you a better understanding of your dog’s signals, needs, and triggers.

Here is a video that demonstrates how sometimes when we observe in real time, we miss a lot of signals that can help us help our dogs.

In-person sessions allow me to physically interact and demonstrate with your dog and if necessary work with you and your dog in an environment specific to your dog’s issues.

Regardless of remote or in-person sessions, I send notes to help you follow the stratagies we go over in our session.

To set up a private session or get more information, email me.

What Can A Certified Behavior Consultant Do For You?

“If you want me to drop these scissors, maybe you should call a specialist.”
An IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant – CDBC

is a uniquely qualified clinician with expertise in evaluating, managing and modifying a wide range of challenging canine behaviors. By using evidence based positive behavior intervention strategies, I will build and strengthen relationships between the human and canine members of a household. This minimized stress in training and creates an atmosphere where all members of the household learn positive training techniques.

Dog Behavior Consultants emphasize preventing behavior problems and when issues already exist, working protocols in the LIMA principal (Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive) to fix and/or manage behavioral obstacles getting in the way of a happy human-dog household.

Find more information on private training here.

Or if you are interested in pursuing private training, please contact us.

The Anxious Greyhound, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Leash

Leash anxiety can be a common behavioral problem in dogs. Here are some great positive reinforcement tips on how to overcome it.

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Ask Professor Boo is our recurring, positive reinforcement dog training and behavior question and answer column. If you have a question that you would like to ask Professor Boo, please feel free to contact him.

Question: We have two Italian Greyhounds, a seven year old male and a four year old female. The female has not allowed us to leash or harness her since she was about six months old. She is extremely nervous and skittish and generally difficult to deal with. She can run in circles for hours. As you can imagine, getting her to the vet or anywhere in general is a nightmare. Have you ever heard of this, and can this be corrected? We have had no problems like this with the older dog. Thanks.
Answer: While it might seem as if you’ve got one single issue with your younger greyhound, from what you’re saying it seems as if there are smaller, individual problems that are snowballing together.

On the one hand, she seems as if she’s leash-phobic, which isn’t entirely uncommon, and on the other she seems to be exhibiting the signs of a more general type of anxiety.

Let’s address the leash sensitivity first since it presents a pressing safety concern for her.

Almost no dog is born liking their leash. It’s something they eventually learn to love, tolerate, or even hate depending on the rewards associated with them putting it on.  Going for walks, play, and general fun will make the leash much more attractive for a dog who likes those things.

Stepping back for a moment and putting it in human terms, in many ways on a behavioral level a leash to a dog is the same as a tie is for a man.

No man, young or old, likes wearing a tie the first couple times, but if they’re consistently told they look handsome in it – or if they get paid a million dollars to wear it – they’re going to learn to really like it.

Alternatively, if someone has to wear a tie to a job that they only kind of like but they get paid pretty well to do it, then they’ll tolerate the tie but – more often than not – will look forward to pulling it off the second they’re out of the office.

Finally, if the only time someone wears a tie is to go to funerals then the powerful negative associations they’ve made to the tie will essentially guarantee they’ll hate every second of wearing one.

Bringing it back to your anxious greyhound, for whatever reason she’s put herself in the “funeral” associative camp and your job is to get her from there to tolerating and then loving her leashes or harnesses.

Here’s my advice for how to deal with the leash issue:
  • Since her anxiety levels likely spike if she even sees the leash or harness, in the very beginning just bring it out so she can see it and give her jackpot handfuls of her favorite dog treats (or a tidbit of something super-yummy like cheese, hotdogs, etc.).
  • Do this once or twice a day for the first couple days to allow her to begin to associate the presence of the leash or harness with something really, really good.
    • Please remember that if you are using the jackpot method, you will need to cut down on her regular meals – she does not need extra weight.
  • When she begins to display excitement as you bring the leash out – even if it’s just excitement for the treats – bring the leash or harness over to her, put it on the ground next to her, and give her the same jackpots or cheesy tidbits as before.
  • At this point we’re trying to build comfort with proximity to the leash or harness and repeat this process once or twice a day for a couple of days.
  • Now that she’s displaying excitement with having the leash next to her on the ground, hold the leash in one hand while feeding her the jackpot or other yummy goodies with the other.
    • Like before, this is about building comfort with both proximity and having the leash or harness near her head and face so you’ll want to do this for a couple days as well.
  • Finally it’s time to move on to putting the leash on her collar or harness on her body – and like before it’s going to be jackpots or other super-yummy snacks while you clip her up and walk her around wearing the leash.
    • Like the man in the example above learning to love his tie because he gets paid a million dollars to do it, your jackpots are her million dollars.

Once you’ve gotten to the point where she’s happy to wear her leash or harness, you are going to go very slowly as she builds up her confidence while she’s wearing it.

Dogs feel at a disadvantage when they’re leashed so you must be very careful so you do not undo all the work you’ve done.

(As an aside, I’ve written before on the topic of how best to handle leashes – Leashes, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and Mad About Leashes, or How to Manage Leash Aggression.)

My advice for the anxiety is…

Check with your veterinarian to be sure that she is healthy and find a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant who has experience with anxiety in dogs. That person will need to help you set up a protocol for desensitizing and counterconditioning your dog so you can change how she feels about the the scary things in her life.

There are a number of over-the-counter approaches that are worth exploring:
  • D.A.P. – Dog Appeasing Pheromone – is something that I’ve used with both my private and shelter clients. I’ve seen encouraging anecdotal evidence that suggests it does help the dog to reduce their anxiety levels. D.A.P. is nice because it comes in a wide variety of forms from house diffusers to collars to pocket-sized sprays, and I’ve noted no negative side effects from its use.  (I’ve written about D.A.P. A Little DAP’ll Do Ya, which you might find useful to read.)
  • Thundershirts – like D.A.P., the Thundershirt is something used to address dog anxiety.  Essentially, the Thundershirt is a body wrap that cinches snugly around the dog and functions in very much the same way that similar deep touch pressure calms patients with autism or ADHD. In short, the pressure exerted on the body causes the wearer to relax.  Some dogs to not take to the Thundershirt if they are not the kind of dog happy wearing ‘clothes.”
  • ProQuiet help the dog produce more serotonin and is very useful for moderate anxiety re: car rides, some thunder or firework issues, mild stranger anxiety, etc. It is great for right-before an anxiety producing situation.
  • Rescue Remedy is for very mild anxiety situations, but it is worth a try to see if it supports your work.

Ideally you will need to address both the leash sensitivity and anxiety in parallel because the confidence she builds from the leash training might lessen the anxiety while the lessened anxiety from the over-the-counter approaches might allow her to better focus on the training.

All of this will take time and patience on your part, but desensitization and counterconditioning through positive reinforcement does – and can – work wonders.

And don’t forget while you are working on these items please seek out professional help to assist you with the root cause of your greyhound’s anxiety.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! Stay positive!