Dog Parks are Dangerous

  

Dog parks are a relatively recent phenomenon, and they are now the fastest growing type of municipal parks. There were 571 dog parks in the largest 100 cities in the United States in 2011, which is a 33% increase over a 5 year period.

But are dog parks safe? The ASPCA has endorsed the idea of dog parks, saying that it gives owners an opportunity to provide much needed exercise for dogs, which has a positive impact on decreasing dog behavior problems. True, but at what cost?  Lots of people love taking their dogs to dog parks. But are they safe?  

Fights are common at dog parks, and because of the large number of dogs in a relatively small area, so are diseases.

In my opinion, dog parks are a bad idea. More harm than good is done in dog parks - too many fights, and too many illnesses.

Socialization should be done carefully, with dogs you know – not with strangers’ dogs. Just one fight can change a dog’s attitude about other dogs for the rest of her life - it’s just not worth it.

 

If you absolutely must take your dog to a dog park,  at least follow these common sense guidelines:

1)      Be alert. Watch your dog and the others around him. You’re not there to have coffee and chat with your neighbors – you’re there to supervise your dog.

2)      Keep weight ranges similar. Small dogs should not be matched with big dogs.

3)      Be extra aware of bully breeds at the park. Their play styles are more “in your face” than other breeds, and this can be frightening to more laid back dogs.

4)      Watch for avoidance behavior in your dog. For example, if your dog comes running back to you and stands behind you, put a leash on him and take him home! He’ll recognize that you did your job and protected him from whatever was frightening him.

5)      Bring an air horn – the loud noise can break up a fight (not always - but sometimes).

6)      If you have to break up a fight, do not reach in between the fighting dogs – this is a sure recipe for a dog bite. Instead, grab the back legs and pull the dogs apart.

Bottom line: It's easier and safer to AVOID dog parks completely. For young dogs who need socialization, it makes more sense to have them play with friendly dogs owned by friends and neighbors. 

The Key to Effective Dog Training? Keep it Simple!

Dogs are very simple creatures. They are not burdened by the same emotional baggage as humans. They live in the present, and they learn from their environment, from experience and most of all, from their owners. Most of pet dog behavior has been trained by the owner – intentionally or unintentionally.

Owners struggle needlessly with their dogs’ behavior problems when they overcomplicate things. For example, we know that the keys to housebreaking are supervision and confinement. Yet owners will come up with an endless number of theories as to why their dogs are going to the bathroom in the house: he’s upset that Joe is away on business, he’s jealous of the new dog, he’s being spiteful and so on.

We know that fearful dogs are uncomfortable with strangers. Yet owners come up with all sorts of interesting theories as to why their shy dogs have bitten people – he was carrying a box, he had on red shirt, he smelled like another dog, etc.

As professionals we can be of tremendous help to our clients when we help them cut through complicated theories and focus on simple solutions.  Stick to the basics and keep things simple.

How do you housebreak a puppy when you live on the 3^rd floor?  Use the elevator.  How do you walk a dog on a prong collar when you have trouble attaching the prongs? You practice until you can do it.    

Purely positive trainers create complicated click-and-treat training protocols designed to encourage differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, while ignoring the undesirable behavior. This results in frustrated clients who give up on their dogs.  In contrast, balanced trainers teach their clients how to simply and effectively correct undesirable dog behavior.

We must never lose sight of the huge benefits that our programs have for our clients – simple, effective solutions that give fast results will help enhance the bond between dog and owner. With a  balanced approach to dog training, dogs learn what to do and what not to do.

Purely positive trainers teach owners how to respect their dogs’ feelings. Balanced trainers teach owners how to correct their dogs’ behavior.  Rewards are a good way to teach a dog what to do, but they are a bad way to teach a dog what not to do. Simple.

What is "Temperament?"

It depends on who you're asking. Like many words in the English language, the word “temperament” has a number of definitions. In the shelter world for example, it covers a very broad range of factors and refers to the overall character and behavior of the dog – everything from the dog's personality, sociability, activity level, tendency toward aggression etc. So a “temperament test” in the shelter world is an overall picture of who the dog is.

In describing a human, we use the word “temperament” to refer to one’s basic constitution as it effects their behavior. So when describing a pleasant, easy going person we might say they have a “good temperament.” 

To obedience trainers, that word has a very specific definition. When we use it, we mean (broadly speaking) “the speed with which a dog recovers from a change in the environment” and more commonly in the training world we use it to describe, “the speed with which a dog recovers from a correction.”  

For example, if I am working with a 120 pound leash-lunging German Shepherd and I do a hard leash correction and he shakes it off as if to say, “Is that all you got?” – that is a dog with a hard temperament. A hard temperament is a basic requirement of many types of working dogs, such as patrol dogs, seeing eye dogs and search and rescue dogs. It’s an important trait in a therapy dog as well – the dog must be able to quickly recover from a startle or a strange noise.  

So picture a nice, friendly, calm Labrador retriever who is a good therapy dog – she is sweet, calm, friendly and mellow – but she has a ROCK HARD temperament if she is good at her job.

It's easy to see a shy, fearful dog who submissively urinates, runs and hides at the drop of a hat as being "soft." But we can also picture a mean, nasty, vicious dog with a long bite history – a dog who  takes it personally when you correct him - maybe even redirecting at you – as possibly  having a very SOFT temperament as well.  

As obedience trainers, we must not confuse temperament with personality. It takes a while for new trainers to grasp the concept of hard vs. soft temperament within the context of obedience training and to use those terms accurately. They sometimes incorrectly use the terms as personality descriptions rather than working traits.

(Note: Other terms such as: weak nerves, sharpness, acute anxiety, generalized anxiety, separation distress and hyperactivity are commonly misunderstood or misused as well. These will be discussed in future posts.)

How Do I Train My Puppy to Use Only One Small Area of the Yard for Elimination?

 

This is a question we get all the time from dog owners concerned about their lawns.  Unfortunately, the common practice of restricting a puppy’s choice of bathroom locations to only one small area may hurt your housebreaking efforts. Why? Because the key with housebreaking is to form a habit of elimination outdoors. Puppies who are permitted to travel around in the yard and choose their spots, more quickly develop preferences to go to the bathroom outside. 

The feel of grass under their paws, the smells of the outdoors, and the ability to move around and choose their spots, all contribute to faster progress in housetraining. 

Some puppies are a bit fussy about other things as well - like weather, surfaces, and proximity to the owner. For these dogs, adding yet another roadblock to housebreaking is even more risky. 

So as a general rule, we do not recommend attempting to teach your puppy to only use one small area of the yard for elimination. Taking him to the same spot over and over might eventually teach him to prefer that particular area, but it is also likely to slow down your housebreaking efforts.  In addition to the "moving around" factor, Lindsay's Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training (Vol. 3, page 79-80)  gives another reason for not using one small spot over and over during puppy training: "In the morning, the puppy should be taken to the same general location [e.g. the back yard] and vocally prompted to eliminate...As the training process progresses, the puppy should be encouraged to eliminate in different locations near and away from the home, thus preventing the behavior from becoming overly contextualized to particular substrates and locations. [emphasis mine]."  

This advice might not be welcomed by dog owners who are concerned about burn spots on their lawns. The good news is that some dogs will naturally seeks the perimeter of the yard for elimination. If so, that’s great. Also, male dogs who have been neutered after reaching sexual maturity will insist on lifting their legs on vertical surfaces (fences, trees and shrubs), which also tends to reduce the number of burn spots on the lawn. But for most of us, some urine-nitrogen-burn-spots on our lawns are an inevitable part of dog ownership.  

  

Housebreaking Your Dog - Myths and Facts

“Don’t use my house as a bathroom.”  That’s a basic rule required by every dog owner. It is not surprising therefore that, every day, dogs are relinquished to shelters or euthanized for failing to abide by this rule.  Housebreaking skills are critical. But dogs don’t housebreak themselves, they have to be taught by their owners. Why do some owners have such a hard time teaching their dogs where to go to the bathroom? Perhaps because they believe things that aren’t true. Here’s a list of some common “myths” associated with housebreaking.



MYTH: Dogs go to the bathroom inside the house because they are being spiteful, jealous, stupid, dominant or lazy.
FACT: Dogs don’t care where they go to the bathroom; we do.

MYTH:  Dogs prefer one place over another for the same reasons humans do.
FACT: Although habituation, association and early substrate preferences (i.e. what their paws are touching) play a major role, for the most part dogs use their noses to decide where the bathroom is.

MYTH: The key to housebreaking is teaching a dog to ring a bell or give some other signal to go out.
FACT: Many dogs that are reliably housebroken will never learn to tell us when they need to go; instead, they will simply wait until they are let out.  In fact, putting bells on the door interferes with, rather than enhances, the housebreaking process.[i]
 

MYTH: My dog was perfectly housetrained, but when we got another dog he got jealous and started going to the bathroom in the house.
FACT: Dogs use urine (and occasionally feces) to mark territory. It is a natural instinct and has nothing to do with "jealousy."

MYTH:  Neuter your male dog and territorial marking will immediately stop.
FACT: Neuter your male dog and territorial marking tends to decrease several weeks later.

MYTH: Dogs sneak away to go to the bathroom inside the house because they know they're doing something wrong.
FACT: Dogs tend to move away from the center of activity for elimination. It's a natural instinct and has nothing to do with "being sneaky."

MYTH: Dogs “look guilty" after they’ve had an accident.
FACT: Dogs are experts at reading our body language and they easily form strong associations.

MYTH: Dogs want to please us.
FACT: Dogs are eager to follow benevolent leadership, but they do what they’ve been taught to do. Dogs are simple creatures who are not burdened by the same emotional baggage as humans.

MYTH: When you find an accident, take your dog back to the mess, stick his dog’s nose in it and hit him with a rolled up a newspaper.   
FACT: When you find an accident, clean it up, then go look in the mirror and hit yourself in the face with a rolled up newspaper (every accident is your fault).

MYTH: Most dogs are reliably housebroken at 12 weeks of age.
FACT:  Most dogs are reliably housebroken at 8 months of age.

MYTH: Some dogs cannot be housebroken.
FACT: Except for dogs with genetic temperament flaws and serious physical illnesses (both of which are rare) ANY DOG, of ANY BREED at ANY AGE can be housebroken.

MYTH: The key to housebreaking a puppy is to put down newspaper or puppy pads.
FACT: The keys to housebreaking a puppy are supervision (never out of sight) and confinement (use a kennel crate). Putting down puppy pads or newspapers is a bad idea.

MYTH: After the dog goes to the bathroom outside, call him in and reward him with a treat.
FACT: Dogs only associate a behavior with a reward when delivered quickly (within about 2 seconds).

MYTH: If a dog you adopt from a shelter was housebroken in his first home, he will bring those skills with him to your home when you adopt him.
FACT: Most adopted dogs need a refresher course in housebreaking when they arrive in their new homes.

MYTH: A dog will never go to the bathroom in his crate.
FACT: If you leave him in the crate too long, or if the crate is too big, he might have accidents in the crate.

MYTH: More time in the yard is needed for dogs who have housebreaking problems.
FACT: Less time in the yard is needed for dogs who have housebreaking problems. The dog must learn that he lives inside (that is the area to keep clean). Frequent 5 minute potty breaks (about once per hour) are much more effective than spending lots of time in the back yard.  In fact, a very common complaint among owners is, "He spends a half hour outside and then comes in and pees on my floor!" Yes, that's because you have not taught him where the bathroom is. A dog will not housetrain himself - you have to teach him where to go to the bathroom.

Quick tips:

• The keys to housebreaking are 1) supervision and 2) confinement.
• Your two best tools to help teach good housebreaking skills are a leash (always attached to you) and a crate (dog in crate when he cannot be attached to you).
• Set a strict schedule for potty breaks and stick to it – except for overnight and when crated, a 5 minute potty break every hour is about right.  
• Keep a chart of progress.
• If you catch him in the act – let him hear a  loud “NO!” and take him outside immediately.
• Clean up any messes with an enzyme cleaner.
• Feed a high quality kibble (less filler) and you will reduce the number of bowel movements.
• Monitor water intake – some dogs love “playing” in the water bowl – these dogs tend to drink more than they need.
• Be extra patient with pet shop dogs – they got a tough start because they were inappropriately confined when young, but even pet shop dogs can be housebroken.
• Dogs frequently urinating (especially in small amounts) might have a UTI – see your vet.   

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[i] The Handbook of Applied Dog Training and Behavior, Volume Three, Steven R. Lindsay, M.A.  

Top 10 Handling Errors

When I was learning to drive, the instructor beat “10 o’clock 2 o’clock” into my head  - designating where my hands should be on the steering wheel. Now they’re teaching 9 and 3. If I had to take a driving lesson today I’d have a heck of a hard time learning 9 and 3.  

Training dogs is similar. People have a hard time mastering the basics of leash work and obedience training, after having done it differently for so many years. Old habits die hard, and if you’ve been doing something a certain way for 20 or 30 years and one day you have to relearn it – it will take a lot of patience, practice and conscious effort to learn to do it a new way.

So here, in no particular order, are some of the “bad habits” that many owners - and most new trainers - often struggle to break:

1)      Holding the leash wrong. The proper way to hold a leash is to put your thumb through the loop and gather one loop of slack. It should look like  this:

              

2)      Holding your grip hand too high. If you have  the right amount of slack gathered in the loop, your leash hand should be approximately near your hipbone (on the same side of your body – left hipbone if you’re holding the leash in your left hand, right side for right hand).  If you don’t have a solid grip on the slack as shown above, the dog will gradually take the slack from you, and your hand will rise higher to compensate – that’s a no-no.

3)      Snapping your fingers at the dog when asking for a “sit” or “down.”  Finger snapping is a sure sign of an amateur handler. Your body language and tone of voice, along with clear, crisp consistently delivered command words, and the following hand signals: sit is palm up, starting parallel to the ground and rising 45 degrees. Down is either palm down toward the ground or (my personal preference) point at the ground. Either is fine – I prefer pointing because it comes in handy when teaching drop on recall. This is a potentially lifesaving command that every well-trained dog should learn. You can see it here at around 1:45 - 

4)      Tugging the leash in the wrong direction during a correction. To correct for a sit, or to re-sit a dog who got up too soon from a stay, you should tug straight up, not down or to the side.

5)      Correcting too hard or too soft.  Light pops on the leash put drive in, one hard pop takes drive out. If you confuse the two, you send the opposite message to the dog. (e.g. When doing  a recall drill multiple short tugs (correct) will get the dog to come, but one hard pull (incorrect) will shut him down. Conversely, if you’re trying to correct leash lunging and you’re not correcting hard enough you’re increasing drive instead of taking drive out). 

6)      Playing “fake out” with a dog during stay practice in phase 2 or 3.  Don't play fake out  (where the handler walks back and forth "reminding" the dog to stay). Instead, if he gets up prematurely from a stay, rush back to him and give him an upward tug  on the leash when you arrive. If he voluntarily sat when he saw you approaching, he should still get the tug/correction (tug up to correct for sit - see #4 above). Same penalty for dogs who play “creepy crawly” during a down stay. Dogs with high working intelligence are notorious for this. It’s like they’re asking, “Is it ok if I crawl around as long as I'm still sort of in a "down?" Don't fall for it!  If he leaves the spot, crawling or not, he needs a leash correction which takes him back to the original spot.

7)      Verbally signaling turns and stops. Sometimes this is almost an unconscious behavior, and the sounds are very slight. Dogs have a highly developed sense of hearing - they can hear a twig snap from 100 yards away. So they can certainly hear your little shooshing, clicking and other verbal signals – and these little signals are cheating. A well trained dog watches where the handler is going – he turns when the handler turns, stops when the handler stops, speeds up and slows down with the handler. Dog and handler function as a team ONLY when the dog has learned to watch the handler during leash work. If you cheat by making little noises, the dog is listening to you instead of watching you. Why is this important? Because the dog must learn to make the handler must the center of his focus. If the dog has been trained to listen for turns he is free to look around for other dogs, rabbits and squirrels and still keep pace with the handler. We don’t need a “heads-up heel” (dog does not need to continually look up at your face). But we do need the dog to check in frequently by keeping an eye on the handler’s leg. You will inadvertently train that out of a dog when you cheat by giving him little verbal clicks and shushes during loose leash walking. 

8)      Walking two untrained dogs at the same time.  Leash train one dog at a time. When they are both perfectly trained, you can walk both of them at the same time.  Remember, you can’t make corrective turns when you’re walking 2 or more dogs, so take your time and do things in the right order.   This is particularly true if one of the dogs is leash reactive – in this situation the reactive dog will often redirect at the other one you’re walking. If they’re large dogs it will not be easy to break up a fight with both hands occupied holding onto the leashes.

9)      Using the wrong types of leashes.  6 foot leather is for loose leash walking. 20 to 30 foot cotton is for recall drills (not nylon as it is slippery when wet, tough to grip and can cut you or the dog). Leather traffic leashes (about 14”) are handy for walking a dog through a crowd, or for jogging with 2 dogs.  Flexi-leads and chain leashes should not be used. 

10)   Attempting off leash work in an unfenced area with a dog who has not yet been thoroughly proofed.   I am guilty of this one myself. I will admit that I tend to push the envelope on this one. Trust me, there are few things more embarrassing to a professional trainer than to have their dog leave his side, take off after a Canadian Goose  and dive into the lake after it.   A trainer-friend in Florida had their dog jump into the water after an alligator and disappear below the surface! He happily emerged unscathed a minute later, but that was a close call.   Proof the dog with every conceivable distraction in a safely fenced area before trusting him off leash.

Why I Do Not Train a "Wait" Command

 

On Amazon.com there are, at the time of this post, 57995 dog training books.  57994 of them include instructions on how to train the “wait” command (e.g. “wait” before you go out the door, “wait” before you eat, etc).

I have never taught my clients a verbal “wait” command.  In fact, if the dog already knows it, I have told my clients to stop using it.  

“Wait” waters down the “stay” command.  Think about it – what does “stay” mean? It  means put your butt on that spot and don’t move until I give you a release command. What does “wait” mean to a dog? Wait for how long? It sounds the same to the dog, and the body language of the handler looks the same - but it means something different.  Dogs who are good at “wait” are lousy at “stay” (and stay is a much more useful command).

“Wait” is not only confusing to the dog, but it is a completely unnecessary command if your dog has been properly trained.  Well-trained dogs are constantly looking to the owner for approval in everything they do. They do not dare follow their owners out through open doors unless they are invited (or are on leash). 

So, what do you do if your dog is following you out the door as you head to work in the morning? You signal (using body language) that the dog is not invited to accompany you. Any good trainer can teach you exactly how to do this without saying a word. (By the way, you can’t use “stay” because the dog won’t be able to get up until you come home – assuming that you’ve taught your dog a proper stay.)

The verbal “wait” command is a fairly recent development, coming into vogue just a few years ago thanks to the purely positive crowd – the same people who insist on sweetly chirping “Thank You” when their dogs sit. I don’t know a single experienced professional dog trainer who teaches (or uses) a “wait” command.       

Should dogs learn to wait? Absolutely! They should be waiting all the time, for all kinds of things, politely deferring to their owner’s established household rules.  But “wait” is not a verbal obedience command – it’s a learned behavior that polite, well trained dogs will do all the time on their own. When they don’t do it, good handlers know how to efficiently correct the oversight.  

By the way, if you want to see “wait” practiced hundreds of times a day without anyone saying a word, go to your local animal shelter and watch experienced employees entering and leaving kennels. The dogs easily read their body language and know when they are staying and when they are leaving based solely on the body language of the employee. On leash with my back to you means you’re coming with me; off leash and I am facing you (sometimes with my hand out) means you’re not coming.  

What about using “wait” before eating? Again - good idea, wrong command. What you need here is “stay” and then a release word of your choice.

Rule of thumb – not only with this “wait” business, but in general - if you want to be a better handler, stop talking so much.

 

Dogs and Babies

The arrival of your new baby is an exciting, joyful moment! Life changes in lots of ways for everyone in the family. You’ve got a million things to think about, but there’s one thing you might not have considered – introducing the baby to the family dog.




Expectant parents who own dogs are often given  2 pieces of advice from well meaning friends and relatives, which are at best ineffective, and at worst, dangerous:

 MYTH #1

“Bring home a doll and start treating it like a baby so the dog will get used to having a baby at home.”
On the surface, this sounds like it makes sense, but there’s a huge problem with this piece of advice: a baby doll is not a baby. Dogs are hunters, with highly evolved senses. They can smell mates, prey and predators from miles away.  They have eyes that can detect the slightest movements. They can hear the sound of a twig snapping deep in the woods. Their very survival depends upon these keen senses. Thinking that a baby doll smells, moves and sounds anything like a baby is ridiculous.
What does a baby doll smell like? It is usually made of vinyl and cloth and it smells a lot  like a dog’s toys! Exactly the wrong association!  You don’t want your dog thinking that the baby is a toy, do you?

 MYTH #2

“A few days before baby comes home, bring a blanket home from the hospital with the baby’s smell on it.” 
The advice to bring home a blanket does absolutely NOTHING to prepare a dog for the arrival of an infant.  Think about this: many dogs have been in fights with other dogs. Is that because they did not smell another dog before the fight began?  Does smelling something teach the dog to feel good around something? The only thing that bringing home a blanket does is distract the family from what they should be doing in preparation:

What you SHOULD be doing in preparation for the arrival of the baby:

- Gate the baby's room and have the dog learn now, before baby arrives, that this room is off limits.

- Obedience training is always helpful (sit, down, stay, come). A trained dog is under your control; an untrained dog is not.

- Crate training is always helpful for those times when the dog needs to go to a safe, secure place to rest. If your dog is not crate trained, do it now, before the baby arrives.

- Expose and desensitize your dog to the stroller, high chairs, playpens and swings before the baby arrives.

- For dogs who are sensitive to loud noises, use a recording of a crying baby (at first at low volume, then gradually louder during short daily training sessions) to desensitize the dog to the sound.

 

After baby arrives:

- Pay more attention to the dog when the baby is present, and less when the baby is down for a  nap (not the other way around). We want the dog to LOVE seeing the baby because when the baby is around the dog gets more attention.

- Dog and baby should NEVER be left alone together. 

- Dog and baby must not play with eachother's toys. 

- Do not allow baby or toddler to play in the dog's bed or crate.

Buyer Beware: Thunder Garments, Herbal Remedies and DAP Don’t Work!

In days gone by, a gullible public eagerly bought up miracle cures by the gallon to cure everything from baldness to obesity. You’d think that people would be smarter nowadays, but I could make a good argument (at least in my little corner of the world - dog training) that things haven’t changed all that much. Even in this Internet age - people are every bit as likely to buy a potion, lotion or miracle cure to fix a problem as they ever were.

Don’t believe me? Then how else can we explain the millions of dollars spent each year by  pet owners and so-called “dog trainers” on things like Thunder Shirts, Rescue Remedy, Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) and other “miracle cures?” Where is the credible scientific research supporting their effectiveness?   There is none.

If your dog has a serious behavior problem – like fear, hyperactivity, aggression or separation anxiety – you might be willing to try anything to help your pet. These “miracle cures” might not make things any worse, so it’s tempting to give them a try. But when it comes to dog behavior there are problems with wasting time experimenting with junk science: 1) After these products fail to deliver as advertised, people tend to feel they’ve “tried everything” and are tempted to give up; 2) People spend their limited time and money in the wrong place. Spend your money on an experienced, properly trained, “real world” dog trainer - not on nonsensical notions, lotions and potions promoted by the “purely positive” crowd.  

These products are a multi-million dollar business. Their manufacturers sponsor many of the major dog trainer conventions each year.  Well-meaning but often inexperienced trainers are the primary conduits for many of these products.   

Veteran dog trainers don’t promote tight fitting sweaters, herbal remedies and aroma therapy to treat fear or aggression in dogs. They understand that real changes in dog behavior can only be achieved by classical and operant conditioning, systematic desensitization, obedience training, deference protocols and proper management.  With some time, patience and good coaching from a balanced professional dog trainer, owners will see genuine, lasting improvement. It doesn’t come in a bottle. It comes through hard work, consistency and sound training protocols.

What is a "Submissive Grin" in Dogs?

A submissive grin is a fairly uncommon gesture made by dogs.  It can be a bit tricky to tell the difference so people often misinterpret this signal of submission (i.e. a friendly smile)  as an aggressive snarl (exactly the opposite of the dog's intent).

A submissive grin can look like an aggressive snarl, but the two gestures are completely different in both action and intent. If you're not sure that you can tell the difference, here are a few things to look for: 

• Look at the overall body language - is it loose and happy or stiff and threatening?
• Look at the eyes - are they squinty (soft and averted) or threatening (staring and dilated)?
• What's going on in the environment? Has the dog just spotted the owner bringing the leash and is happy to be going for a walk? Or is he standing over a favorite bone stiffly (guarding it)?

Here are pics of 2 dogs. The dog on the left is doing a submissive grin and the dog on the right is doing a threat display:

Dog on left is showing full teeth with his mouth pulled back into a  "smile" - ears are gently back ("bunny ears") and eyes are squinty. This is a submissive grin.

Dog on right has her whiskers forward, hard eyes with pupils dilated, furrowed brow and a strong stare. This is a threat display.

Here is a video of a dog doing a submissive grin: http://youtu.be/Aw_1V1yguvE

Train Dog to Ring Bell for Potty?

Effective housebreaking protocols include things such as supervision, consistency, scheduling and confinement - not training the dog to ring a bell.

In "The Handbook of Applied Dog Training and Behavior, Volume Three"  Steven R. Lindsay, M.A., explains: 

"Teaching puppies to give a signal to go outside is a common, but questionable house-training practice. While appearing reasonable and useful at first glance, encouraging puppies to give such signals may conflict with the objective of training them to hold and eliminate in accordance with an arbitrary schedule. Effective bowel and bladder control require that puppies learn to endure some amount of discomfort – an aspect of house training that is not necessarily served by training puppies to perform a signal to get outdoors on demand. Furthermore, such need-to-go signals depend on the owner being present to respond – a state of affairs that can rarely be maintained on a consistent basis.

An unfortunate outcome of such training is the development of common elimination problems later. Unable to get the owner’s attention with the elimination signal, a dog may go to the door after and after a moment just turn around and eliminate nearby or run off to another room before eliminating, thereby reflecting the pattern previously established in association with the need-to-go signal, viz., give signal and then eliminate.

Finally, many puppies rapidly learn to extend and generalize the need-to-go signal with a need-to-whatever-whenever signal, prompting the owner to go outside for purposes other than elimination. Such puppies learn that barking or pawing at bells can get them outside for play and other activities having nothing to do with elimination."
  

Is a German Shepherd the Right Breed for You?

Canine Dimensions trains more German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) than any other breed. The AKC reports that in 2013 the GSD was the second most popular breed in the United States (the Labrador Retriever was #1).  Is the GSD the right breed for you?

On the website of GSGSR (a large GSD Rescue in the northeast) they answer this question in an accurate but somewhat encyclopedic fashion. Here’s their description – along with a few real-world comments from the perspective of someone who has trained, rescued and fostered many German Shepherds over the years, and has seen many successful – and unfortunately, some unsuccessful – owner experiences with this magnificent but potentially challenging breed: 

The German Shepherd Dog is also known as the Alsatian. It is handsome, well proportioned and very strong. The coat most often comes in black with tan, sable or all black, but also can come in blue, liver and white….here are three varieties of the German Shepherd: rough-coated, long rough-coated, and the long-haired. This breed sheds bits of hair constantly and is a seasonally heavy shedder. A quick daily brushing is best unless hair in the house is not a problem.

My two cents: This breed is not for “neat freaks.” All dogs shed, but the GSD is a champion shedder.  Like most purebred dogs there are potential health challenges in the breed. If you cannot afford to provide quality veterinary care for your dog, this breed is not for you.

Often used as working dogs, German Shepherds are direct and fearless, eager and alert. Bold, cheerful, obedient and eager to learn, they are also known for their tremendous loyalty and courage. Calmly confident, but not hostile, he is serious and almost human in his intelligence. They have a high learning ability. German Shepherds love to be close to their families, but they can be very wary of strangers. This breed needs his people and should not be left isolated for long periods of time. They only bark when it is necessary. German Shepherds have a very strong protective instinct, so they should be extensively socialized to prevent over-guarding when they become an adult.

Aggression and attacks on people are largely due to poor breeding, handling and training. A well bred, well-adjusted, and trained dog is for the most part generally good with other pets and excellent with children in the family. To be successful pets, these dogs should be trained and socialized from an early age with a firm and loving hand. Coercive or angry training does not succeed well with these dogs. To be truly happy, the German Shepherd needs a task in life. The breed is so intelligent and learns so readily that it has been used as a sheepdog, guard dog, in police work, as a guide for the blind, in search and rescue service, and in the military.

My two cents: Insurance companies put the German Shepherd at the top of the list for dog bite claims. Poor breeding and/or poor handling are the causes. A well-bred, well-trained GSD is a great pet. But because this breed is so popular with owners, it is unfortunately also popular with puppy mills. They breed GSDs by the thousands each year. A poorly bred GSD can come with a variety of physical and behavioral challenges.  A safer choice than buying a poorly bred puppy from a pet shop or puppy mill is to rescue an adult dog who has been temperament tested and lived in foster care with an experienced rescue organization. 

GSDs are extremely intelligent – sometimes more intelligent than their owners. It is common to hear comments such as these from first time GSD owners: “I’ve owned dogs all my life, but this dog is really a challenge!”  In response to perceived “dominance” issues (which usually are just “lack of training” issues), overwhelmed owners may resort to physical punishment, which creates bigger problems for them down the road.  GSDs are an intelligent and sensitive breed, and there is a much narrower margin for error with regard to poor handling than with some other breeds. If you’ve never owned a GSD before, this is not a “do-it-yourself” project, where you can read some Internet advice or watch a  few episodes of the Dog Whisperer.  Even experienced GSD owners will  benefit from the help of  a  good, experienced, balanced trainer (not Pet Store group lessons or “purely positive” trainers).

Socialization while young is extremely important if  you choose to buy a puppy. Puppies should meet a hundred friendly people and 20 friendly dogs by the time they are 6 months old. No dog parks. 

The German Shepherd also excels in many other dog activities including schutzhund, tracking, obedience, agility, flyball, and ring sport. His fine nose can sniff out drugs and intruders, and can alert handlers to the presence of underground mines in time to avoid detonation, or gas leaks in pipes buried 15 feet underground. The German Shepherd is also a popular show and family companion.

The German Shepherd will do okay in an apartment if sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and do best with at least a large yard. German Shepherd Dogs love strenuous activity, preferably combined with training of some kind, for these dogs are very intelligent and crave a good challenge.

An adult male German Shepherd usually ranges 24-26 inches in height; females 22-24 inches. They normally weight 77-90 pounds. It is important to consider their size when choosing a German Shepherd - an adult German Shepherd can swipe a coffee table clean with its tail, and can accidentally knock over small children or elderly people.

When all is said and done, it's hard to find a more well-rounded, intelligent, all-purpose dog than a German Shepherd.

My two cents: If I were a GSD I would prefer a big fenced yard to living in an apartment.  I would love an owner who enjoyed taking me places, and who was interested in agility, flyball and other fun activities. I would like to go to work with my owner if possible. If I were a GSD I  would insist that I live inside the house with the family, not be kenneled outside. I would ask that I have a crate of my own inside the house that I could go to for a safe, comfortable nap or whenever I needed that secure “den like” feeling  that my canine brain sometimes craves.   And most of all, if I were a GSD I would want a kind, benevolent but “no nonsense” pack leader to follow with the absolute loyalty and devotion that comes naturally in my breed.