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Dear Susan,
I have a Yorkie who is 1 year old. My husband adopted him from a shelter for me for Christmas. The Yorkie was wonderful for two months until he started barking and barking when we left home. Then he tore up our plantation shutters. We sold our home and now live in an apartment. If we pin him up, he barks all day, and the neighbors complain to the office. If he is on the balcony, he barks and the neighbors complain to the office. We bought a very tall gate to block him in the kitchen, but he jumped it and ate the computer wires, scratched the wooden front door, and now we want to get rid of him. The kids and I love him, but we think he has separation anxiety that is really bad. What do we do?
Kam Williams
Dear Kam,
Separation anxiety occurs for many reasons. It can be alleviated through several methods. If a dog has separation anxiety, the first thing I ask people to do is to train the dog.
Training helps the dog understand his place within the pack. Submissive dogs almost never display separation anxiety symptoms. In addition to training you should consider placing Rescue Remedy in his water bowl.
Another aspect to ridding your dog of separation anxiety is to make sure the dog is too tired to bark. Exercise is an essential element to any dog’s life. Running around and playing with toys does not count as exercise. He should be walked at least 45 min per day. Ideally, 45 minutes for one session and 20 minutes for another. Yorkies are perfect for the treadmill.
Set rules and limitations around the house. He should eat on a schedule. (I feed raw food to make sure no food stays in the bowl. Visit www.naturesvariety.com.)
Consider his furniture access. Does he sleep on your pillow, beg for food, etc.? Any behavior that is considered dominant should be put to an end.
Finally, you might consider putting a bark collar on him while he’s in his pin while you’re working through these issues. Sometimes a bark collar is all you will need, but many times dogs find other inappropriate outlets for their anxiety. Visit www.petstreetmall.com.
Susan Strough
Dear Susan,
I have a Cocker Spaniel, and she has been killing a lot of squirrels
lately. I want to know if there is anyway to prevent that.
Yesterday, she managed to get out of the back yard while I was at work,
and she got a hold of a stray kitten. When my mother tried to make her
drop it, she growled at her and took the kitten into the corner of our
back yard and ate it. Can I stop the killing? Or is it just in her
nature?
Addy Cuellar
Dear Addy,
Yes and yes. If you want to control a dog’s behavior when you aren’t around,
you need to confine the dog. If she was my dog and I had a problem with her murderous rampages, I would keep her indoors until potty time and then I would
take her out on a leash to do her business. Left in the back yard to her own
devices just hones her killer instincts.
Susan Strough
Dear Susan,
Hi, I’m hoping to get some suggestions on how to proceed with an aggressive 2-year-old Black Lab-Golden Retriever mix. Her name is Saddie. She is from time to time attacking my 14-year-old Golden Retriever that is dying of cancer. She breaks the hide and later inspects the other dog’s wounds and licks them and will freshen the wound from time to time.
The attacks only take place when we’re home. It can be brought on by various things. Example: When she was picked up by us as a puppy then set back down, she’d attack the other dog. If you startled her from her resting spot by touching her with your foot, she would jump up and attack the other dog. The Lab mix is not fixed; she’s usually a happy dog transfixed on chasing a tennis ball all day.
Now my wife just brought home a Pomeranian puppy a few days ago, and my wife had the puppy on her shoulder while sitting down when we introduced it to Saddie. Saddie climbed the chair to sniff the puppy while wagging her tail then growled and tried to bite the puppy! The only thing I can think of is it is the same size and color of a squirrel in the back yard.
We are keeping the Pomeranian downstairs away from the lab for now. We decided to introduce the two again, this time at ground level and with a leash attached, and it went OK but we don’t trust Saddie.
She is not a threat to us, although she has growled at me rarely. I put her down on the ground and hold her until she relaxes; then she’s fine most of the time. But even then, if the other dog witnesses her being pinned down, she’ll get up and threaten my other dog like she was embarrassed for being pinned down.
If you scold her that can bring on aggressive behavior and attacks. She wants to be the pack leader, and I’m pack leader. Generally she’s a sweet dog, but I think she wants to be the only dog in the house. What should I do with her to rehabilitate her? Any help would be most appreciated.
Thank you!
Mark J. Bottasso
Dear Mark,
I think it would be a good idea to spay her. There are many reasons this aggressive behavior is happening but I’m going to get right to the point of telling you how to fix it.
She needs advanced training and effective corrections for her aggressive behavior. Your problem is too broad to be answered in an email. If she is becoming aggressive when scolded, you have a serious problem. I don’t think she’s as “beta” as you think she is.
It is not uncommon for dogs to behave submissively in most situations and then act inappropriately aggressive from time to time. You can only say that you are alpha in your canine-to-human relationship when your dog acts as you wish for it to act 100 percent of the time. If you are not in my area, you need to find someone who is well-versed in pack behavior and aggression extinction.
Susan Strough
Susan,
Thanks for your rapid reply. I am not sure about some of what you are saying. But here is what I think you are saying: I am too permissive with Boomer; I let him jump up, I let him pull me when I walk him, he barks and only quiets down when he is ready, if I tell him to “sit” he only does it in his sweet time.
I am not authoritative enough with him so he takes liberties. I need to assert my authority more actively and regularly.
Do I have it?
What is Cesar’s second book?
Thanks again. I know you are very busy, but you are the best trainer I know and I respect your opinion.
Chuck Falci
Dear Chuck,
You’ve got it. I couldn’t have said it any better myself. While you’re getting a handle on things, crate him at night (which is part of getting a handle on things). Cesar’s second book is called Leader of the Pack. There’s also a product called belly bands that might be of use to you if crating alone doesn’t solve the marking problem. (Some dogs will try to mark while inside their crate, believe it or not.) Thanks for the compliments.
Susan Strough
Dear Susan,
I have two Labs, a 6½ year old and 1½ year old, and the younger one is extremely hyper. I am disabled and walk with a cane so I cannot walk them; I try and go outside and play fetch with them every day. The youngest one likes to jump around me, and she has knocked me down a couple of times and she bites at my hands when I am walking. She knows how to sit and stay because I make her do that when I feed her.
How can I stop her from jumping and biting at my hands? We have thought about getting her trained to be an assistance to me for when I fall down, but I don’t know if she would ever be calm enough for that. I know you say that backyard exercise isn’t enough so what do you suggest?
I would appreciate any feedback.
Thank you,
Sherri S.
Fort Worth, TX
Dear Sherri,
She is really being disrespectful of you by exhibiting this behavior. Two things are needed. 1.) Proper exercise. 2.) Formal training. Sometimes you have to get creative in regard to exercising dogs when you have limitations. You might consider putting a baby pool in the back yard that she can jump in and out of while playing fetch. This will help to drain some energy. You can also consider teaching her to run on a treadmill. And, she can wear a backpack with weights in it during any of these activities.
In regard to training, you mention you don’t know if she is calm enough to be an assistance dog. My guess is that with training she will become calm. Because of your disability, I would suggest formal training as opposed to you training her yourself.
Specifically, what I mean by that is to have a professional train her and then the professional can transfer their knowledge and skills to you when learning how to deal with her and her new skills. I think it would be too difficult for you to train her on your own as hyper as she is. I can train her for you in pet obedience, or you can seek out help with training her as an assistance dog.
Susan Strough
I have a newly adopted 8-week-old puppy, and his brother lives with my in-laws a few doors away. They enjoy each other’s energetic tussling, but our family is having issues with the painful biting that happens once the two puppies are together. I do not want to leave a leash on our dog, and I cannot seem to regulate their level of play without receiving some pretty serious bites myself. Is there an acceptable method of puppy play?
Tonya Megyesi
Dear Tonya,
You used the word painful. I’m sure the bites are painful to you, but do you think the bites being delivered from one pup to another are painful? If so, what makes you think that?
Unless one pup is being terrorized to the point where it is cowering, running away, hiding etc., they are probably playing normally. Every dog has his own play style. Remember, there is always domination and submission when pups play. The roles should go back and forth between the two pups in any given play session, but one usually is more dominant than the other. What looks vicious to us humans is usually just normal play between pups. They do bite each other and hold each other down, show their teeth and growl. It’s even OK if one of them yelps once in a while. That’s how they communicate to each other that one of them has gone too far.
When puppies are playing (assuming they are playing and not fighting), humans should merely be observers and not concern themselves with regulating the play session. If you still think their play is inappropriate, have a professional observe them.
Susan Strough
We have two chocolate Labrador Retrievers. One has developed seizures and a change of personality and will bark excessively at small dogs, birds and lunge at them when on a walk. I am unable to handle him enough to take him on a walk.
The other is more docile, he loves to play fetch with a ball or any object but will not return the object to the person throwing the ball. My daughter is able to take him on walks but doesn’t have the time to do so. I would like to be able to walk them both. He also will pull apart any object left on a table, couch (TV remote control, books) when we leave the house. How do we resolve this? We work during the day. How can I get the one to give me the ball during play time?
Marianne Stephens
Dear Marianne,
I’ll start addressing your issues in the order you’ve listed them.
1. If the change in personality can be controlled behaviorally, the dog lunging and barking at small animals needs to learn the leave it command, and you need to learn how to administer a proper correction (once the command is learned) with a prong collar.
2. He needs to learn how to walk properly, at your side, not pulling. You can use a prong collar for this.
3. Try holding a second ball behind your back. When the dog has retrieved the first ball, show him the second and see if he’ll come to you with the first ball in his mouth, at which time you can tell him to “release” and then throw the second ball, bend over and pick up the original ball. Repeat. If your dog doesn’t know the “release” command, you’ll need to teach it to him.
4. He needs to be confined in some way during the day so that he can’t destroy things. You must first tire him out before you isolate him to confinement and then exercise him again when you return. Another option is to hire a dog walker to come over in the middle of the day to remove him from confinement and help him burn off steam.
You’re going to need a professional trainer to help you put this advice into practice.
Susan Strough
Dear Susan,
We adopted Humphrey, a Beagle-Terrier mix, from a rescue group about two months ago. His previous family had him for five months and gave him up because they didn’t have time for him. After two days in our home, he started displaying aggressive behavior toward my husband, particularly if he wears boots. It escalated from barking to pacing and growling, to charging. Several of these episodes have resulted in his urinating on the floor.
We have been working with a trainer for about five weeks and have seen some improvement by using these methods: making a distracting noise and/or spraying him with water, immediately followed by “good boy” when he stops the bad behavior; and using passive dominance. However, we are still having problems: One minute he is friendly to my husband, and 10 minutes later he acts like he’s never seen him before. He even barks at my husband if he hears a noise outside.
Both we and the trainer feel that I am the problem. Humphrey is either challenging my husband for the alpha male position or trying to protect me, as he and my husband get along fine when I am not in the room. We made the mistake of letting him sleep next to me when he first arrived, but his crate was moved to another room about a month ago and we stopped letting him stay in the room with me when I work on the computer. When we are all in the same room he stays close to me and barks/growls if my husband even moves.
I realize Humphrey probably has trust issues as a result of something that happened to him at his previous home, but shouldn’t he be improving after two months? Is it possible for a dog to be bipolar?
Any insight you can provide will be very much appreciated.
Joyce
Dear Joyce,
It’s important to know whether your dog is afraid of your husband or is challenging him. Your first statement regarding his aggression toward his boots tells me he’s afraid of him or at least afraid of his boots. And is the urinating submissive wetting or marking? These are two very different behaviors indicating different emotions that are crucial in understanding what your dog is thinking so that the right course of action can be taken to correct the behavior.
The technique you’ve been using regarding the spray bottle is not the technique to be using for your situation.
He’s not bipolar.
Your husband needs to take ownership of this dog.
I strongly suggest we meet. If you're not in my area we should have a phone consultation. The cost is $75.
Susan Strough
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