Birds Aplenty

Spring has finally sprung!! The leaves have popped and soon there will be babies of every variety out and about all over town. The mothers of these creatures are very well adapted to avoiding us and caring for their young. We should do the same. For the most part, they do not need our assistance and should be left alone. Occasionally some assistance may be needed and given, but this should be the exception rather than the rule.

There are a number of resources available if you are unsure of how to help or even IF something is in need of help. The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Massachusetts can be found at http://www.wraminc.org/ . There is a flow chart on what to do if you find a bird or mammal which may help you determine if the animal should be left alone or if you might need to intervene. You can also contact a wildlife rehabilitator if necessary. These trained volunteers are able, when necessary, to raise wildlife and return it to the wild. Wild animals are not to be kept as pets and even the most loving and caring novice can do much more harm than good. IF an animal needs to be removed from the wild, it should only be cared for by a properly trained wildlife rehabilitator.

If you come across a nest that has fallen from a tree or shrub, do not remove it from the area. It needs to stay as close as possible to where it originated; usually straight above where you find it on the ground. That way the mother bird can find it when she returns. If the nest cannot be placed back in the original spot, there are few things that can be used; an empty hanging planter is the perfect size for most nests to be placed in and then to be hung from a tree limb or eave. An empty water jug (gallon size) with a hole cut in the side can also be used, use the handle and a string or coat hanger to hang it back up.

Occasionally a young bird will be ousted from the nest, accidentally, but it also happens intentionally. Depending on the size and age of the bird it may or may not need assistance. Obviously if the bird has no feathers and its eyes are closed it needs help; if it is fully feathered and hopping around, it should not need help. Fledglings are pushed from the nest and watched from above by mom. This is part of how they learn to survive and grow. So if you come across a young bird, please don’t immediately run up to rescue it, stand back and observe the situation first; the mother could be gone for hours at a time gathering food. Often times you will see a murder of crows (yes that is what a group of crows is called) in the trees squawking at a fledgling on the ground, think of them as a cheering group, not as if they are asking you to step in and assist.

If you find an injured animal a call to the Animal Rescue League of Boston is a great place to start. They have a fleet of animal ambulances which provide rescue services to wildlife as well as stray animals. Their dispatch is trained to answer questions and provide various numbers for wildlife rehabilitators and others trained to help. They can be reached at http://www.arlboston.org/ or 617-426-9170. They can provide services to swans entangled in fishing line, raccoons trapped in dumpsters or even skunks trapped in a lobster trap!

If you have birds, squirrels or raccoons nesting in your eaves or under your porch, they should be left alone until the young are old enough to leave the area on their own. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty has an interactive portion of their website to help you identify and deal with wildlife issues. It can be found at http://www.mspca.org/intruderexcluder/ . Please remember the wildlife was here first, we are building on all vacant space and causing the animals to have to find new dens and food sources. Be tolerant and humane in your dealings with them.

Socialization

We learn from an early age that cars are dangerous, it is polite to hold open a door and to say “bless you” when someone sneezes. How do we learn these things? From our parents, teachers, peers etc. we encounter people and situations of all shapes and sizes. It is explained to us how to behave in each new circumstance. Our lives and environment exposes us to different people and situations on a daily basis. Why should it be different with our dogs?

Watching dogs interact allows us to see through the window into their world. They jump, paw and mouth each other; often sniffing areas that embarrass even the toughest of men. These behaviors are generally accepted by other dogs, even welcome, but they are usually frowned upon by strangers that we meet in the park or at our children’s soccer games. How are our four-legged family members to learn what acceptable social human behavior is, if they are relegated to our homes? If we do not allow them to frequent the places where they are to meet new people, how are they to learn how to act around them?

Your dog’s socialization begins early. At around day ten, a puppy’s eyes and ears are open and begin to let them see and hear the world around them. Early exposure to people, children especially, is a great way to prepare the pups for their future life. But what are you to do since 99% of us do not raise our dogs from birth?

From the day you bring your new dog or puppy home, you are in control of their encounters, good and bad. It is important that you bring your dog out places with you, the pet store, hardware store, even out to the mall; anywhere that you might encounter people who will be happy to greet your pup and spend a few moments saying hello. Don’t be afraid to bring some treats with you to sweeten the encounter.
A good and responsible owner will allow this to blossom throughout their dogs’ life. It is definitely a case of the sooner the better, but believe me, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. A well socialized dog will be friendlier and less fearful of people, places and things; keep things on a positive note, allow your dog to decide the speed at which to approach each new situation, don’t force the issue or “flood” your dog with exposure. And example of flooding is to bring a new puppy to soccer tryouts where 200 screaming children see an adorable puppy and fight to see who scores more petting time. Be reasonable, sit off to the side and be proactive about limiting the amount of people who are around your dog or pup at any one time. If things get too much, either for you or your dog, back off even more until you both feel comfortable with the situation.
Do this early and often, starting your new puppy in a puppy class is a wonderful beginning, but remember as with training, socialization must be continued into adulthood for proper results. Just because you took three years of Spanish in high school, does not mean that you will be fluent when you travel to Spain in your forties. Try an advanced obedience class or even an agility or fly-ball class. The commitment to a class is often what people need to ensure their set time with their dog.
You are the key to your dog’s success, if you are tense and rigid your dog will feel this and react accordingly. Be sure that you are comfortable where and when you decide to open your dog’s eyes to the outside world. And if you are not, be sure to seek assistance from a professional. Dog trainers and behaviorists have seen thousands of dogs and are able to access their needs and successfully socialize even the most timid of dogs.
I encourage you to make your dog an active member of your family, plan outings to dog friendly places, go for a hike, and plan a picnic on occasion. Our dogs don’t ask for much from us, yet give us their world, let’s give them a piece of ours.

Boredom-a dogs WORST friend

Dogs are bored. It is difficult to believe, but we have essentially created behavioral monsters! Why are they bored? We have taken away their “jobs”. Whether herding for their shepherd, guarding the homestead or tracking a fox on the hunt, jobs are an integral part of our dogs’ genes. Dogs have a drive, a need to be active. When we asked these creatures to become part of our increasingly sedentary lives and leave the activities to the weekend, when it suits OUR schedule; is it any wonder that they can be destructive, behaviorally challenged members of our family?

Border collies are a perfect example. If they came with a label, it would say “must herd sheep”. Borders have an innate drive to herd something around the yard or the living room. It can be a toddler, a cat or even your feet! If you do not provide them with something appropriate to herd, they will find it on their own. This often leads to a call to me to fix an unwanted behavior or a call to a rescue group to re-home the dog.

Thoroughly researching a breed(s) prior to adoption or purchase can be extremely helpful in preventing this situation. Avoid choosing a dog because it looks so “cute” or because it is a small breed, therefore it will take up less room. Observe a greyhound, averaging 70 lbs, in someone’s house: they sack out on the couch or dog bed and meander about visiting other “pack members”. Observe a jack Russell terrier, averaging 15 lbs, in someone’s house: they jump and bark at the door…”do I hear someone??”.. they jump at the window..” was that a squirrel??”. Repeat. repeat. Jacks are wonderful dogs, but they need mental stimulation and exercise to be a content member of your pack.

What is mental stimulation for a dog? Teach him to play hide ‘n seek in your house; hide in another room and call your dog to “find” you. Move to hiding treats or a favorite toy and tell him to “find” it. Use toys that the dog needs to “figure” out. “Kongs” can be stuffed with biscuits, peanut butter or dog food; some dogs spend hours figuring out how to get to the treats. To make it more of a challenge, throw it in the freezer first. “Buster” cubes were designed to gradually dispense kibble when the dog pushed it around with its nose or paws. Fill this toy up before you go to work with half of your dog’s breakfast in it and it will give him a challenge to work on before his first nap of the day.

Your usual walking patterns can be a bore as well. Try changing your routine, travel down a new street or enter the woods down a different path, this will give him new smells to work out; a dog’s nose is its most powerful sense. It may not seem that different to us, but he will smell new dogs, cats, squirrels, trash and people; a medley of aromas for his mind to process.

If you don’t have time to walk your dog everyday, consider a dog walker. The visits will break up your dog’s day; provide him with much needed exercise and a variety of scents to work through. If you do have time to walk your dog everyday, make it a challenge to yourself to change up your routine; walk, then jog for a bit, make him wonder what speed you will pick and for how long. Even occasionally walking a little slower, baby steps, makes him wonder what is going on. Take a drive on your day off; find a dog park or another dog friendly place to go. Prevent car phobia by making trips in the car adventurous, not just going to the veterinarian.

When we add dogs to our home, we know that they are an additional responsibility. Don’t let the responsibility stop with food and veterinary care. Take the time to determine what your dog is looking for, what will make him smile. They add so much to our lives; let’s add fun to their lives!

Moms

I just received an email with a video clip of a dog mothering an orphaned litter of kittens. Animals are so amazing, for the mother dog to not even hesitate to raise not only a new litter, but an orphaned litter of another species!

At the end of the video, there are a few clips of other mothers who have raised orphaned young; a cat who raised a fawn; a goat who raised a foal and most amazingly a leopard who began mothering an infant baboon. Animals are amazing. Check them out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G6aJC3zYMQ

What type of dog are you??

This is a question that I have asked people for years. It is an interesting question and you can get a number of responses. Or just a look that you are NUTS!!

I received an invitation to take this quiz on FACEBOOK today and my results were:


Laura completed the quiz "What breed of dog are you?" with the result German Shepherd.
The breed that best describes you is the German Shepherd. You are loyal, strong in heart, and faithful until the end. Even if you do not have a lot of friends, the ones you have you would do anything for. You are bold and confident. You are usually more serious then you are silly. You enjoy working and take pride in what you do. You love being around family and close friends, but you are wary of strangers and may take time to warm up to them..

This is quite amazing as the only breed of dog that I have owned is German Shepherds and that I have been told by other dog trainers that I am one as well.

So I ask you....what type of dog are YOU?

To jump or not to jump....

Teaching your dog acceptable behavior is an essential element to responsible dog ownership, much like proper nutrition and veterinary care. Training allows you to open an important line of communication for all household members, also known as your dogs “pack“. It will teach your dog to be obedient in a way that he or she will easily understand and in the process it will make each of you more confident and happy in your “pack” role. This will also ease the way toward your dog becoming a more integral member of your family. This is generally why we bring a dog into our home in the first place.

Like children, dogs are eager to learn. In fact, they begin learning from the day they enter your home. It is up to you to teach them proper behavior instead of them teaching you to allow bad behavior. Dogs will learn something every time you interact with them--even when you are not trying to teach them anything!

Problems often arise when commands are issued in a stressful or distracting situation, when the dog is less likely to comply. Or commands may be issued in a casual manner, when the owner is less likely to provide follow through. Proper instruction makes it easier to avoid these pitfalls.

Dogs learn differently than people do. They are not able to learn the concept of “good” or “bad” behavior. Basically if something feels good they will do it again to obtain the same outcome. If something feels bad, they will avoid it. For example one of the most common “bad” behaviors that I see during a behavior consultation is dogs that constantly jump up on people. Often times, the owner is both screaming and yelling at the dog to STOP or petting the dog gently asking it to stop. In each scenario, the dog is receiving a message opposite to what the owner thinks it is sending. The first scenario excites the dog and initiates play. Picture two dogs playing together, often times they jump on each other, using their paws as spring boards to bounce up and down off the ground. Dogs use their teeth as we do our hands, in an escalating scenario; dogs will bite or “mouth” you as they are jumping up to greet you. In the second scenario, when the owner is gently pushing the dog and asking it nicely to get off, the dog is being positively reinforced for a bad behavior. Why stop a behavior which is rewarded by stroking or petting?

The easiest solution to the jumping problem is to replace this unwanted behavior with the behavior that you WANT the dog to do. The majority of dogs are taught to sit and usually through positive reinforcement with treats. Take this behavior and replace the jumping with a sit. When your dog jumps up on you, step back and ask your dog to sit (if you are a treat giver, entice the dog with a treat stashed in your pocket). If your dog sits, IMMEDIATELY reinforce this behavior with said treat or praise. If your dog does not sit, take hold of the dog’s collar (some dogs may need a leash to start with) place the dog in a sit and IMMEDIATELY reinforce behavior with treat or praise. REPEAT. REPEAT.

The more consistent you are with training and positively reinforcing the behaviors that you want repeated, the better behaved your dog will be. Obviously this is to be regarded as a general training exercise and to be done by an adult. If your dog has shown ANY aggressive behaviors or tendencies, seek professional assistance immediately.

Welcome

After becoming a columnist for a local paper, I have decided to also begin blogging. Over 20 years of dog training experience should be good for something right??

This blog will mainly deal with dog behavior. But not to worry, there will also bits on cats, birds, kids and local wildlife. I will also post my column here and on my website: http://www.allaboutdogsnmore.com/ feel free to check it out!



so long for now!