How to Stop a Dog From Digging

November 20, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Stop Your Dog From Digging

How to Stop a Dog From Digging — Save your backyard from your digging dog. irinafuks/Deposit Photos

Does your backyard resemble the moon’s landscape riddled with craters and holes? Well, I have some tips for keeping your dog from digging to the center of the Earth — I promise!

Why Do Dogs Dig?

Dogs were bred to dig: While many folks believe this is a Terrier thing, I beg to differ. Pretty much all dogs like to dig, some more than others (hence Terriers). I would lump Dachshunds and many scent hounds in this digging group too.

Dogs smell vermin under the ground: This scent is mesmerizing to just about all dogs even that darling little Maltese with bows in her hair!

Dogs left outdoors, especially in the heat, will dig a hole to cool themselves off. To prevent this from happening, bring them indoors.

Bored dogs dig: If a dog is alone and bored in the backyard (and sometimes dig indoors too), he will entertain himself this way. And it’s usually digging up your petunias. 🙂 Instead, provide him with plenty of puzzle toys, or better yet, hire a pet sitter to bring him on a long walk.

Trying to escape or get to something: Prevent by never leaving a dog outside unattended. Cover a hole with dirt and secure fence lines, if needed. The more your dog practices digging out the yard, the better he will get at it so prevent. 🙂

Bury something: Sometimes dogs want to bury a bone or chew.

It’s fun! Who doesn’t love cool dirt running through your paws?

Pre-Dug Holes — Don’t Fill Them Yet!

Before filling holes dug by your dog, do one extra step and add poop in the hole first! Poop is a powerful deterrent for most dogs. Go ahead and try it. Add fecal chunks in the hole and let your dog out in the yard. You’ll notice his disgust once he notices what’s in the hole and he’ll meander away — bingo! Leaving poop in the hole, even if filling with dirt, will continue to deter your dog from digging in that spot again.

Now, if your dog enjoys eating stool, you just made him a buffet! Instead, add several large rocks in the hole, then cover with dirt.

Digging Pit

Actually, this idea works really really well! Dogs will dig so it’s best to teach them where they are allowed to dig and to their heart’s content!

Fill a plastic swimming pool

Place in a shady spot and fill with dirt. When choosing dirt, choose regular dirt or sand. Stay away from potting soil, which can contain chemicals. Bury toys, treats and bits of kibble within the layers of dirt and turn your dog loose. Cheer him on while he’s digging. This is very rewarding (who doesn’t love his own cheering section?).

Section off a small part of yard

Choose a shady area (who wants to dig in the heat?). 🙂 Till or shovel the digging pit area, which exposes and loosens the dirt, making digging easier and fun. While your dog watches, hide treats, chews or kibble within the loose dirt. Several times a week, hide treats in your dog’s new digging pit and cheer him on while he’s digging in his new spot.

Indoor Digging Area

Find a large box, then cut a side hole so your dog can easily enter and exit the box. Now fill the box with old towels and newspaper, then scatter treats within the layers. Turn your dog loose, show him the hole and now he has a digging pit! If he’s not sure about entering the hole, scatter a few treats next to the outside and inside entrance.

Does your dog love to dig? Mine sure does!

Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

November 20, 2014 by Fanna Easter

How to Stop a Dog From Eating Poop

Before you’re completely grossed out by this topic, do know it’s quite common. When discussing this topic during Puppy and Basic Manner group classes, usually 50% of enrolled dogs have or had this issue. This issue can be fixed. However, it takes some trial and error to find out which solution works for your dogs.

Coprophagia is the technical term for stool eating and is usually due to a poor diet. Even dogs that have super healthy diets eat poop.

Dogs smell undigested food, such as rawhide bits and undigested supplements, in stool.
Some dogs lack digestive enzymes that break down their food. If a dog is unable to digest his food properly, he possesses ravenous appetites, which can include stool eating. Usually, these puppies or dogs are thin even though they eat a tremendous amount of food. Always rule this out with your vet.
Diet lacking essential vitamins, minerals and probiotics. In this case, upgrade to a high quality diet, which fills these needs.

How to Stop Coprophagia

100% effective way to prevent stool eating: pick up immediately after each dog poops.

Is This a Behavioral Issue?

For 90% of the dog population, I would say it’s not a behavioral issue. Changing a dog’s diet, including adding taste deterrents, probiotics, digestive enzymes or upgrading to premium dog food usually stops the issue. For persistent coprophagia, immediately picking up fecal matter prevents this behavior from being practiced. Over time, when a behavior is not practiced, it extinguishes (goes away on its own). For some dogs, this may be behavioral, especially if they’re lacking mental and physical exercise.

Don’t feel alone. We’ve all been there. 🙂

How to Stop a Puppy From Biting

November 14, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Puppy Biting

Pet Parent Question:

I have a question on a new puppy. I’ve always had dogs, and currently have two Yorkies, a Rottie and a new pup. The new pup is a Beagle and Dotsy mix, extremely smart at 12 weeks, completely house and kennel trained — I’ve never had a dog that young be so quick to house train. Though she is a huge biter! By that I mean she brings blood, nothing is off limits — arms, legs, hands, face if she gets close enough. I’ve tried scolding her, stop showing attention, giving chew toys when she bites, and I’m lost. Nothing has worked. I’ve even used a fly swatter, which she will turn and attack. She is very, very active and has a doggie door she can go through and run around, which she definitely does for hours. Any advice that I haven’t tried?

Dog Trainer’s Answer:

Congrats on your new family member and huge congrats on potty/kennel training your new puppy! A high five to a fellow Rottie pet parent! Do know the secret to potty training is providing clear boundaries and rewarding good behavior often, which you did so pat yourself on the back. 🙂

Ah, puppy nipping, or as we say in the dog training world bite inhibition. It’s pretty important to teach your puppy that teeth on skin does not pay. Now, your puppy is probably beginning the teething process and it takes a few times to teach your puppy what he can chew on so hang in there. 🙂

A couple of things to try:

Teach boundaries. If you’re rude when playing, the game is over: The moment you feel teeth on your skin squeak loudly, freeze for a moment, then walk away from your puppy. If your puppy chases you or tries to pull on your pant leg, repeat the squeak and freeze. Then walk away.
Redirect to a toy. Wiggle a toy in front of your puppy and play a quick game of tug. This redirects your puppy from you and onto the toy — works like a charm.
Lastly, spray bitter apple on your arms. Careful though, as some dogs love the taste of bitter apple. When polling my students, over half the puppies love the stuff.

Puppy nipping will pass. This is a normal part of puppyhood. 🙂 Punishment usually makes it worse, as any fast movement is play behavior. Hence, chasing the fly swatter. Just as you did with potty training, set boundaries early and follow them. Soon your new puppy will learn to control those little shark teeth!

Check out my article on puppy nipping. There’s some really good tips on helping your puppy through the teething process to puppy biting.

Happy training!

Do you have a dog or puppy training question? Ask the dog trainer!

Yorkshire Terriers

November 12, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Yorkshire Terrier Breed Info

Hello love. The diva toy Terrier, lovingly nicknamed Yorkie! Is a Yorkshire Terrier the right breed for you? Find out!

Yorkie Facts

Yorkshire Terriers are named after Yorkshire, a city in England. They were bred to hunt vermin, capture and kill vermin, mostly rats, in clothing mills. While Yorkies are tiny and adorable, their small size fits perfectly into rodent holes. Later, Yorkies became companion dogs for European high society where, again, their small size continued to be an asset. Now sprinkle in long flowing hair and beautiful brown eyes, and they became the perfect “high society” accessory. But trust me, Yorkies still possess Terrier genes even if they’re wearing bows and nail polish. Try walking them next to a small rodent hole in the park. They will carry on like a Terrier. 🙂

Yorkshire Terrier puppies are born with darker coats, which lighten up as they grow. Usually their tails are docked at 2-3 days old in the U.S. Yorkies are under 7 pounds and usually live up to 12+ years.

Temperament

Yorkies are Terriers, which explains their courage. They have a small body with a large dog personality, and will not think twice to bark at a Great Dane. It’s important to socialize them as puppies, especially before 16 weeks of age. I know, they are so tiny then, but after 16 weeks of age, their socialization window closes.

While it’s disheartening to some to witness the pluckiness of a Terrier, I say embrace it. Not only are Yorkies breathtakingly beautiful, they are smart and maintain a strong work ethic. Yorkies excel in agility, obedience, Earth Dog trails and the newest terrier adventure, barn hunting.

Yorkies are tiny and some are teacup size (2-4 pounds as an adult) so keep them away from small children. Yorkies can easily be stepped on or dropped, which can cause serious injuries from these types of accidents. While many pet owners are fascinated with teacup Yorkies, they are even more fragile so keep them safe.

Training

Due to their Terrier tendencies, it’s best to enroll them in puppy and basic manners group class. Plus, Yorkies excel at learning new behaviors, especially when paired with positive reinforcement and clicker training! Not only will they learn polite manners, but they will also build confidence around larger dogs and meet different people. While we smile when Yorkies growl at larger dogs, this is usually due to lack of confidence. Read tips on locating the best professional dog trainer here.

Digging is very common with Terriers, as it’s what they were bred for. As most Yorkies live in apartments or homes with minimal yards, it’s important to provide plenty of digging opportunities or they will dig in your leather sofa. 🙂 Find a large box, then cut a side hole so your Yorkie can easily enter the box. Now fill the box with old towels and newspaper, then scatter treats within the layers. Turn your Yorkie loose, show him the hole and now he has a digging pit! If he’s not sure about entering the hole, scatter a few treats next to the outside and inside entrance.

I’ve heard potty training can be troublesome with Yorkies, or basically small dogs in general. I don’t think it’s breed specific, but size specific if that makes sense. Smaller dogs have smaller bladders plus it’s pretty darn hard to tell if a Yorkie puppy is urinating or sitting, right? So, it’s easy for mistakes to go unnoticed, which makes potty training even tougher. Read more potty training tips, and for apartment dwellers, read paper training tips.

Barking can be an issue, as with all dogs. I’m hesitant to label any breed as an excessive barker, as dogs are individuals, but some are more vocal than others. It’s important to find the trigger for your Yorkie’s barking and problem solve from there. If your Yorkie is barking at everything, partner with a professional dog trainer who can zero in on the trigger. There is always a trigger, even if it’s a lack of confidence. Lack of confidence can easily be solved with participation in a positive reinforcement group class. 🙂

Grooming

While Yorkies need professional grooming every 6-8 weeks, they really don’t have a dense undercoat. Instead, they have silky long hair that can easily tangle. If your Yorkie tangles easily, ask your professional groomer for product recommendations. Every week, you should completely brush out your Yorkie using a pin brush (brush with bristles further apart than most brushes), which untangles his coat without breaking or splitting his hair.

Don’t forget weekly nail trims and ear cleanings. Due to their smaller size (big teeth in a smaller mouth), Yorkies are predisposed to gum disease so brush his teeth several times a week with dog toothpaste and a tiny soft bristled toothbrush (child size).

Health Issues

Yorkies are pretty healthy, but they are predisposed to eye disease. Also, they can develop patellar luxation, meaning their knee caps can move or pop out of place, which is pretty painful.

Locate a Yorkshire Terrier

If a Yorkie sounds like the right dog for you, locate responsible breeders and rescues at Yorkshire Terrier Club of America. These folks are the experts in this breed and health test their dogs to prevent painful health issues in the future.

How to Park Your Dog

October 24, 2014 by Fanna Easter

Train Your Dog to Stay

As a professional dog trainer, if I had to narrow down the top behavior all dogs should know, I would say parking your dog would be the first one! Trust me, “Come When Called” is probably right up there with “Park Your Dog.” However, this behavior will teach your dog to stay with you.

“Park Your Dog” is a great way to bring your dog’s arousal level down. It’s like taking a yoga breath for your dog.

Why Should I “Park My Dog”?

“Park Your Dog” is a great way to bring your dog’s arousal level down. It’s like taking a “yoga breath” for your dog. Use this dog behavior when your dog becomes overwhelmed by visitors or anything, really! When teaching hyperactive dogs to be calm, many folks ask them to sit still. This is tough, as they are learning how to manage their extra energy and excitement. So next time your dog tries to jump on guests, “park your dog.”

Just by teaching your dog this simple behavior, your dog will learn

Self control (teaching your hyper dog to relax)
Polite greetings of people (not to jump on people or you)
Polite leash manners (not pull on the leash)
Ignore other dogs
Stay with you
Prevent excessive barking

How do I teach “Park Your Dog”?

Step on your leash (about half way up to your dog, your dog should have 3 feet of extra leash).
Click and treat your dog the instant the leash becomes loose. Tip: instead of watching your dog, feel when the leash tightens and loosens under your feet. The moment you feel slack in the leash, Click and treat!
That’s it! Bingo, you are rewarding calm and quiet behavior!

Additional Troubleshooting:

Dog still jumps up on you, shorten the leash.
Dog continues to pull on leash, your timing is probably off a bit. Click/treat every time the leash is loose.
My dog is still pulling, then call their name and click/treat five times in a row. Now you have their attention, so keep their attention by rewarding frequently.

VIDEO: How to Teach “Park Your Dog”

When can you park your dog?

While talking to someone at the park
Having guests over
Outdoor dining
Paying at the pet store or vet’s office
During group class lecture, we ask pet parents to “park their dog” while listening to instructions

I want to hear from you! When should you park your dog?

How to Stop a Dog From Digging

Stop Your Dog From Digging

Why Do Dogs Dig?

Pre-Dug Holes — Don’t Fill Them Yet!