Q: Hi Julie,
Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge with us!
My dog is a 3 ½-year-old neutered male Boerboel (South African Mastiff). He weight about 140 pounds. He is fairly well trained and has his CGC and has taken beg and agility classes. He is a very athletic and hyper boy. The problem: He has injured his right front shoulder and needs to stay calm for a week or so in order to heal. Normally, he plays or trains for an hour or more every weekday and more on the weekends. Right now he is quite stir crazy and is inventing new ways to entertain himself by jumping, running, chewing and so on. He actually jumped over my dining room table in his excitement. He’s also taken to harassing the other dog (12 y/o fem. ACD) in my household and chasing the cat.
What can I do to help him expend some energy without injuring himself? I’ve tried Kongs, but he is very clever at getting the treats out (even frozen) and then turning the
Kong into a self-tossed fetch toy. Because he is so large, he is a very strong and powerful chewer and chew toys (even Black Kongs) have a very limited lifespan around him. Toys as entertainment don’t seem like the best way to go.
I was thinking about teaching him a few tricks, but I don’t know how or know if this is a good idea.
Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rebecca
Julie’s Answer:
Subject: dogs injured-needs to be calm to heal-but going stir crazy.
Hi Rebecca!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you are enjoying my posts!
Wow, that is a tough situation to be in! I am sorry you are going through this right now.
The very first thing I would do is talk with your veterinarian very specifically about what you are going through with your dog. It sounds to me that he might injure himself more by being at home doing nothing since he has already jumped over the table! You might also try looking into Canine Hydrotherapy which is beneficial in the recovery program for certain injuries and may be a great way to drain extra energy at the same time. Also, another option is the Tellington T-Touch, which is a method that uses specially designed circular movements of the fingers and hands all over the body and among its many benefits, has been used extensively to speed healing and recovery from injuries. I first became aware of the benefits of using this method while training at Guide Dogs for the Blind. This would feel great to your dog too!
As a trainer I know how important being busy and exercise is for a dogs state of being, especially young active ones. Does he like car rides? My dog loves going in the car so that might be another possibility for something to do; new smells to smell, etc. Perhaps you could even speak with an animal physical therapist. They would be specially trained to know what kind of exercise could be done for specific injuries. If your dog is really in need of moving and exercise, it might be worth looking into all of these options before he injures himself more at home.
Even teaching tricks can take some physical movements so you’ll have to get some approval on what can and cannot be done before you start. After you talk with your vet and animal physical therapist and look into hydrotherapy and T-Touch, you’ll get a better idea of how to release some of that pent up energy and speed his healing.
Hopefully, you and your dog will be on the road to recovery and soon be feeling great again! Please let me know how he does and if you find that one of these methods helped, you come back and share it with us!
All the best,
Julie
Q: My dog Sasha is a 2-year-old Basenji mix. She has a problem with urinating everywhere when she is excited (usually when people come in the house). Other than this she is extremely well house trained. Any person who comes in the house and even looks at her will cause her to urinate. Two days ago she was so excited when she saw me outside the window, she urinated on our new couch. Is there something that we can do to stop this?
Julie’s Answer: To understand why your dog is doing this, it helps to understand dominance and submissiveness in the dog world. In a situation where overly sensitive dogs may feel intimidated and excited their response is to urinate to show that they recognize the other person or dogs dominance. It’s very common for this to happen during greetings. It’s VERY important to understand that punishment will only make the situation worse and they are not doing it on purpose or out of spite. In their dog world this is proper behavior. But, because they are living in our world we understandably want to change the behavior.
First and foremost you should always make sure that your Vet rules out all physical problems. After that, you can move onto learning how to control the behavior. For submissive dogs, positive reinforcement for good behavior is very important to build their confidence. I would suggest an obedience plan that uses treats, favorite toys and other positive motivators for this type of dog.
Since greetings are the main culprit, there are things you can do to solve the problem as well. Upon arrival, both you and guests should actually ignore her for the first few minutes to minimize the excitement, which leads to the urination. Walk in calmly, with no eye contact and no petting for the first five to 10 minutes. Just walk past her and act as though she is not even there. After the excitement of the arrival has ended you can acknowledge her in a calm way. When you do pet her, don’t stand over her, as this is a sign of dominance, just sit calmly and let her come next to you. Ask all guests to do the same. Over time, your dog will not get so overwhelmed with the greetings and the behavior should be controlled. Make sure you are exercising your dog regularly and having her relieve herself often, especially before you are expecting guests.
It will take a few changes but I am confident you’ll be happy with the results and a clean house again! You and your dog will be happier!
Subject: Submissive Urination.
All the best!
Julie
Q: Wow that’s a ton of help, thanks so much Julie! I will definitely work with both of my pups! Luckily, coal is great with Saya so we can get her properly socialized. We will organize a nice puppy get together for her on weekends to work on socializing! She doesn’t really bite at all, just does the normal spinning in circles and jumping. She responds great to “no” and “bed.” I like using the bed as calm down spot! So for people asking about how to calm a dog down, calm down spot like a bed or crate is great!
So as far as calming signals for Coal and calming him down, are there any specific tips for doing that. He gets VERY over stimulated that is probably another reason he rubs other dogs the wrong way. When at the dog park, he barrels over full speed and circles the other dog and then runs up at their face and licks them so I think he is making other dogs nervous. Sorry so many questions! It’s so nice to get a professional’s help! I think both my pups would benefit from a dog training/socializing class! Thanks again!
Julie’s Answer:Subject: Teaching your dog to be calmer at the dog park.
Hi again!
I’m so glad you found my other advice to you helpful! As far as getting your dog to be calmer before entering the dog park…one of the most important things you can do when you have a dog that is overly excited in the dog park is to exercise your dog BEFORE entering. It’s a misconception that dog parks are the place that a dog should get their exercise. Dog parks are for socializing. When dogs enter a dog park in an overly excited state of mind filled with pent up energy, problems often arise. If you want to go to dog parks with your dog, I would highly suggest that you really tire him out before letting him go inside. One of the biggest reasons dogs develop behavior problems are because they are not getting their energy drained enough daily. Most dogs need a lot more exercise then they are getting and overly excited dogs need even more!
Secondly, I would suggest practicing some obedience with your dog daily. Obedience teaches dogs control and helps calm them through that control. Plus, if you notice your dog getting too wound up in the dog park, you can call them over to you and ask for a “down stay” until you feel they have relaxed a bit before letting them loose again. Obedience training and lots of exercise are the keys to having a well-trained dog!
Let me know how it all turns out for you!
Julie