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Updates & tips

I don't need dog day care...

Dog day care is not for the people, it's for the dogs.   Dogs have a desire for socialization and exercise that often cannot be met by just a daily walk or romp in the backyard with one person.  Socialization is a lifetime commitment and there are many ways it can be done, but it really must be done.     Why?  I'll give you examples.   I personally have 3 dogs.  I have a 13 year old lhasa/poodle mix named Chachi, a 7 year old lhasa apsa named Tascha and a 2 year old cairn terrier mix Kochany (Kochi).   All three dogs were rescued when they were older. Chachi was socialized with adult people and other dogs when he was young.  He was an owner give up because they could not house train him.  We got him when he was 2 years old.  He does really well with adults and with most other dogs.  At the age of 13 though, he's become a bit intolerant of the young, rambunctious dogs.  He does not do well though with fast moving, high pitched, young children.  They scare him.  When dogs get scared, they revert to one of three things - 1) fight; 2) flight; 3) avoid.   Chachi avoids young children as much as possible.  If he can't avoid, he tries to flee.  However, I fully believe that if he were cornered and could not avoid or flee, he would fight.  If he were socialized with young children when he was a puppy, he would be better with young children.  At 13, it's quite difficult to get him to overcome that fear. We don't know Tascha's full story other than she was left behind when her owners moved.  She was in the yard for a day or 2 when the neighbors wondered what was going on and rescued her.  She was 4 years old when we got her.  According to the neighbors, Tascha lived with children and she is always curious about them and allows them to pet her.  She however, does not like other dogs.  She tolerates the ones in her home.   From what the neighbors told the rescue group that we got her from, she was in the back yard a lot without much interaction from the adults in the family - just the children, and never from other dogs.   That answers why she doesn't like other dogs - because she's never had interactions with them.  Her response to other dogs is to avoid first and if that doesn't work, then she will bark and growl to get the other dogs to "back off".  I fully believe that if she were cornered and could not avoid or flee, she would fight too. Kochany was in a crate with his littermate until he was 6 months old.  The owners decided to give up both Kochi and his brother.  They were extremely bonded, but had really not been around people.   Kochi is fabulous with other dogs since that's what he depended on for the first 6 months of his life.  He is very timid and scared of new people though as he didn't get interaction with people in those 6 months other than to get a bowl of food every now and then.  Once he gets to know someone (which takes 4-6 times of meeting him), he is very loving.  However, it takes him quite a while to trust new people.  He will totally avoid people and will find a place to hide.  I fully believe that Kochi would never fight.  He wants to avoid totally and if he can't, he will flee.   When cornered, he shakes and just wants to get away. Why am I telling you all of this?   Because it shows the importance of socializing.  Dogs are born into litters, so they are social animals.  We take them from their pack at 8 weeks and just expect them to be perfect. When I volunteered at the shelter, we called it the "Lassie syndrome".  All dogs should be perfect even if we don't train them.  Frankly, that's totally unrealistic.  All animals, including humans, need socialization, exercise and training (education).  If you don't let your child interact with other children until they are 10 years old, can you really expect them to just go out and start playing nicely?  No - you have to teach them and you have to start doing it at a young age and continue doing it.    We've had several people come in when their dogs are older and want them to be social because now they want to take them with them to their grandchildren's ball games or family events.  However the stage where a dog needs this the most is when they are young - in their formative stages.   There are several experts that say a dog should meet 100 new people and 100 new dogs in their first 100 days of life.  That's 3 1/2 months old.  If the breeder or pet store has them until they are 2 months, that doesn't give the new family much time to accomplish 100 new people and 100 new dogs in 100 days.   So, how can you do that?  The answer is take them EVERYWHERE.  To the bank, to the pet store, to dog day care, to the park.  Anywhere that dogs are allowed, take them.  Make sure that their experiences are positive and they enjoy it. How?  Many dogs are motivated by food.  So have yummy treats with you so they can enjoy those things in various environments.  If your dog is not food motivated, find a favorite toy or give your dog extra attention in those situations.  What you're trying to do is build their confidence in new situations.  If you're unsure how to do this, find a positive trainer to help you.  (Flydogs Training and Nurture Your Pet and Narnia are all good ones). Can an older dog become social?  Sure, but it takes much longer and is something that must be continued for the rest of that dogs life.  We've had dogs as old as 8 years come to day care that haven't had socialization with other dogs.  Owners expect that their dog can become social in 2-3 visits.   Again, this is an unrealistic expectation.  Socialization is a lifetime commitment.   Can we work with the dog so that the dog is social, is many cases, yes.  However, there are some dogs, like my Tascha, that will never be social with other dogs - she'll just tolerate them and avoid them. So, for all you new puppy owners out there, get out and get your dog socialized.  You've got a lot of work to do!

By Central Bark Doggy Day Care

Dog Training

In the "olden days", most experts said you shouldn't start training a dog until it's 6 months old.   However, most experts now say you should start training at 8 weeks and start socializing even younger (which would be the job of the breeder in most cases).    If you think about it, a dog ages 10.5 dog years per human year for the first 2 years, then 4 dog years per human year for each year after that.  So, a 6 month old puppy is 5.25 in human years.  Would you wait until your child is 5 years old before socializing with other children or teaching them anything?   Of course not, so why would you wait that long with your puppy?    Give them a head start and train and socialize them in as many different ways as possible right from 8 weeks (as long as they've had 2 sets of distemper&bordetella vaccinations). Take them anywhere dogs are allowed (but be prepared for accidents). Let them meet lots of different people and lots of different dogs.  Keep these introductions positive with good treats and lots of love and praise. Start training them on basic commands such as sit, off (not jumping), down (lay down), wait and stay and also working on leash walking as soon as you get them. In the long run you'll have a better behaved dog and a happier family. Check out a couple of great trainers in our area:   www.flydogs.ws   www.nurtureyourpets.com    www.narniapets.com     Each organization has various classes and times to choose from.   Check them out and find the best trainer for your particular needs. Happy training!

By Central Bark Doggy Day Care

Tips for choosing a shelter/rescue dog

Be realistic about your lifestyle.   If you and your family are couch potato's, get a couch potato type dog.  If your family is active, but you can't take your dog along to those activities (i.e. basketball, gymnastics, karate, etc.) think about whether the dog you're getting will be happy staying home while you're gone.  If you're a jogger and want a jogging buddy, get a dog that likes to run and has that same energy level.   Don't worry about the looks of a dog - find a personality and energy level that suits you and your family. If you are allergic, please be realistic.  There is absolutely no dog that is truly hypoallergenic.  As a person that's allergic (to dogs, cats, pollen, dust, basically the world), I know first hand that hypoallergenic dogs are a myth.   There are dogs that have hair rather than fur and that means they need to be groomed often (every 5-7 weeks) and the dander which is what you're allergic to isn't floating around your house on the fur (that sheds all the time).  You still will have allergies to the dander, so when you pet your dog or let it kiss you, that's when you'll have an allergic reaction.   You can still have dogs, but wash your hands before touching your fact and don't let the dog kiss your face. Ask the shelter/rescue staff about the dog's behavior.  Is it friendly, does it guard it's food or toys, what medical conditions does it have.  If they can't tell you these things, you might want to find a rescue that can tell you.   It's very important that the rescue's do an assessment of each dog.  They should be looking for activity level, are they good with other dogs, good with cats (or willing to test), good with children, level of food or toy guarding.  If they tell you they can't test to see if the dog is OK with children, then find another rescue - it's important to know these things.    Once you find the dog of your dreams, don't forget that training and socialization are very important.  Start training immediately.  Look for a positive trainer - not one that believes in "jerking the chain" or pinch collars.  There are much more humane ways to train your dog and create a positive relationship between you and your dog.   Find a trainer that allows the whole family to be part of the training so that everyone can learn the language and be consistent with your new pet. Good luck finding the pet of your dreams.  There are pure breeds and mutts available in many rescues.  If you don't think so, just check out www.petfinder.com!

By Central Bark Doggy Day Care