To kick start the New Year, animal behaviour specialist answers questions on compulsive licking, making your dog happy, fearful puppies and house training a new puppy…
IS LICKING HIS LEGS NORMAL?…
“My Golden Retriever licks his legs a lot and we’ve noticed that he does this more when he is scared. He has started to get sores where he is licking so much.” Sally and Coco
BC says: Compulsive licking of the paws could be because of a number of things. Golden Retrievers are particularly susceptible to anxiety-based behaviour problems and thyroid problems, too, so it’s worth booking an appointment with your vet to discuss investigating for this as hyperthyroidism will make him more anxious. It sounds like acral lick dermatitis which is a behaviour problem which masks as a medical problem; 79% of which appear on the dog’s front or rear lower legs, normally over joints. If you can, identify what things make Coco anxious and aim to reduce those where possible. Don’t reinforce or punish the licking but do give Coco plenty of other things to occupy him: calming music, well-stuffed chew toys, a Stagbar and if you catch him licking, have him do something else instead like “sit” or “go to bed”, which you can reinforce. Finally, ensure he’s getting plenty of exercise and do see your vet.
HOW DO I MAKE HER HAPPY?…
“We have a Shar Pei and I’m worried she isn’t happy. She sometimes mopes about the house looking very sad and other people’s dogs are so active and seem much happier in life. How can we know if she is happy or not?” Simon and Nut
BC says:Happiness is of course subjective and although scientists believe that animals do experience happiness, it is difficult to measure accurately. What many owners commonly do is measure their dog’s feelings and internal state by watching them and attributing human emotions – emotions the owner can relate to – to the dog. Breeds such as a Shar Pei that, because of the wrinkles could appear sad and mopey, might be feeling on top of the world inside!
Dogs need plenty of exercise: this can be physical free running or simply plenty of walks. Allow them to sniff and find something that really motivates your dog: for some it’s a ball, others love chasing rabbits; some like food and some simply love a cuddle. Now you can use this motivator as a reinforcer or reward. Train your dog to stimulate their mind and help build a bond between you both – make training sessions, short, simple and fun. Give Nut a hobby: chewing hollow rubber chew toys and Stagbars are ideal hobbies! Ensure you’re feeding a healthy food; as good as you can afford and ensure that treats are 100% natural, too. A safe place for them to take themselves to and sleep, somewhere quiet and away from the busy bustle of the house is required and a regular routine, too. Finally, make sure you understand how your dog feels – download my Talking Dog poster free of charge here.
MY PUPPY IS SCARED OF MY HUSBAND…
“We got a Dogue de Bordeaux puppy who is three months old but is terrified of me. She is fine with my wife but very nervous around me. We think it is because there were only women at the home she was bred in but how can we stop her being so scared of men?” Alan
BC says:Dogs, like most mammals, have a critical socialisation period; a period of time during their early development where the blueprint for their behaviour is formed. For dogs this ends at 13 weeks of age and anything they don’t see enough of during this period, they are likely to be more fearful of later on in life. Men and children are the two most common things that puppies are most fearful of.
Begin by feeding all of your puppy’s daily food allowance by hand: use each piece as a training reward or simply in exchange for handling your puppy. Settle down in front of the TV and hold your puppy on your lap, touching a part of their body and in exchange feeding them a piece of their food. Rather than focusing just on you, ensure your puppy is meeting, socialising and having positive experiences with as many different people as possible – invite friends over two or three times a week, three of four at a time to take in turn to handle the puppy and feed their daily food allowance. Give your puppy plenty of quiet time on their own, too, and reserve some really tasty treats like Pet Munchies for you to give your puppy.
Download The Secret to a Perfect Puppy here; a free poster which will give you some more information on what to do and how to do it.
HELP ME HOUSETRAIN MY PUPPY!…
“We got a new puppy for Christmas and she toilets all over the house. We’ve tried to teach her to go on the newspaper which she does sometimes but not other times. Please help!” Samantha and Rudy
BC says:Firstly, congratulations on your new puppy! Fortunately it’s really simple to house train a new puppy – when you know how! Set up a long-term confinement room; an area you can leave your puppy when unattended. This should have their bed or crate at one end and a litter tray with soil or turf in it at the other. Set your timer for an hour and when the alarm goes off, clip your puppy’s lead on, run with her to outside and then keep quiet. Wait for her to go to the toilet. Typically puppies will urinate within 1 minute and defecate within 3 minutes. Verbally praise and offer three tasty treats as soon as your puppy has finished. Now re-set the timer for one hour: young puppies will need to empty their bladder or bowel every hour.
When you can supervise your puppy, make sure you have your timer handy and as soon as it goes off, clip their lead on and run outside. Running helps stimulate the bladder which sets you up for success when you get outside. The key here is not to punish accidents inside the house and to prevent mistakes from happening, otherwise she’ll get really good at going inside the house through learning by repetition.Send your questions to: atb@thebehaviourcompany.com
Please Note:
We cannot guarantee your question will be answered and regrettably The Behaviour Company is unable to enter into correspondence. The Behaviour Company and does provide free advice and resources on his website, where you can also find information about booking a behaviour or training consultation: www.thebehaviourcompany.com.
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Kind Regards,
Animal Behaviour Specialist
Director
