The One Year Old Dog Can You Get Past This Destructive Stage Part 1

My son was at a birthday party recently when one of the moms wanted to know if she could ask me a dog question. (This happens quite often actually. Once someone finds out that I train dogs, they almost always want to ask my advice... which Im happy to give.)

She wanted to know what to do about a dog that was starting to chew things up. My question was, "Is your dog a year old?" She looked surprised and said yes. 

I cant tell you how many times I am contacted by owners of a one year old dog (or close to a year old). Just when people think they are past the crazy puppyhood stage and their dog is in his or her now mostly grown body and therefore must surely be starting to act like an adult dog, whamo! Surprise! Your couch is gone! Your new shoes are in shreds. Your sprinkler system is in pieces. You have a new hole to China in your backyard. Your remote control has been molded into a new shape by canine teeth. I mean, cmon, a remote control? How could a dog possibly find that tasty?

One of the first things I tell people who own a young puppy, like 4-5 months old, is that the stage they are in is called the teething stage... goodbye sharp puppy teeth (yay!), hello dull adult teeth (yay... for the moment!). But this is NOT the worst stage. This is NOT the chewing, destructive stage. Save that for the one year old dog. 

Ever been to an animal shelter? Ever looked into the eyes of the eternally hopeful, wondering what they did wrong, why their families abandoned them? Ever noticed that the vast majority of those dogs are around 1-2 years old? Most people dont realize how destructive dogs can be at that age and simply put, they are unwilling to accept it or do anything to help solve the problem. Bye bye, Fido! You ate our kitchen cabinets and now you can be someone elses problem... and thats if youre lucky enough to get out of the shelter.

The most important thing to realize is that almost all dogs will chew and be destructive. (I mean, there are web sites dedicated to Dog Shaming so you know if you own a destructive dog, its not just you!) But it wont last forever! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! And although you may not be able to bi-pass this stage completely, you can get past it with minimal damage if you do the right things. 

To find out how you can survive this stage, stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog. 

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The One Year Old Dog Part 2

Well, the holidays came upon us and I didnt get the chance to write Part 2 of The One Year Old Dog as quickly as I hoped. Meanwhile, I got 3 calls from people who needed help with... yes, you guessed it... their one year old (or close to that age) dog.

Almost everyone wants to know what to do to end the chewing. Why is that one day the dog is left alone and everything is fine... and the next day the dog is left alone and you come home to your couch in pieces?

The first thing to understand is that your dog is not chewing your house apart to annoy you. To your dog, chewing is instinctive and fun. Your dog chews as part of his teething stage and to strengthen his teeth. Your dog chews to investigate, much the same way a human baby sticks everything in his or her mouth. Its interesting; it gives tactile stimulation. And to a dog that is left home without human stimulation and becomes bored, chewing is a very rewarding activity.

The most important piece of advice I can give about dogs going through the destructive chewing phase is this - I dont trust them. Simple as that. I dont trust a young dog to be left to roam the entire house while no one is there. Your dog may be housebroken, but if you want your plants to remain in their pots, your sofa cushions to remain on the sofa in one piece and your carpet to stay intact, you wont leave your dog alone for extended periods of time.

So what do you do? If youve crate trained your dog, yay for you! Your dog can remain in his crate for up to 4 hours or so while you are gone. If you are gone all day at work, find another secure area to contain your dog - a kitchen with a baby gate, a dog pen, an area that is not too large but not too small and is free of items you dont want your dogs mouth on.

So wont Fido still try to chew on things like kitchen cabinets? Yes, sometimes. Its best to try to leave your dog with one or two interesting items to focus on. Do not leave 500 toys for your dog to play with. Chances are he will get bored with them, and if he has that many toys, he just assumes everything is his. I like leaving a marrow bone filled with yummy stuff or wedging a piece of hot dog in the bone that the dog can try to get out. There are great interactive toys you can purchase - some of which contain hidden treats for the dog. Rotate your dogs toys as well. Take away a favorite toy for a few days and then leave it with him one day while you are gone. He will be so excited to see that squeaky duck again (or whatever it is)!

If you have found that your dog has already started chewing something he shouldnt, you may want to purchase a product called Bitter Apple (or something equivalent). Make sure you spray the product on your finger and place it on your dogs tongue. He will not like the bitter taste (usually!). Then spray the Bitter Apple on the area you want him to avoid. The taste will fade off the area, but the smell will remain, reminding your dog of that bad, bitter taste. Most people make the mistake of simply spraying the item on the couch or wherever and expecting the dog to avoid it. The dog doesnt care about the smell. He must relate the bad taste to the smell.

So when can you start to trust your pet? Does he have to be contained forever? The answer is no. Gradually, as your dog matures, you want to let your dog be alone in the house for short periods of time. Or you may want to extend the area in which he stays. Try going out for coffee or a quick lunch and see how he does. Praise him if you return to a home with no destruction. With time, you can start to trust your dog.

Remember, the destructive chew stage is from around 8 months old - 2 years old. Sometimes the time frame is less, sometimes more. If you exercise your dog before leaving the house and follow the advice I have mentioned, you will get through this stage with less damage!

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Puppy or Doggys New Year Resolutions

Not only us people who can celebrate new years and have a new year resolution each time, but puppy or doggy are also qualified to have a new year resolutions too you know?

With cooler temperatures outside, no huge events on the horizon, and not much else to do to fight the winter doldrums, this is a nice time of year to focus on training your dog. Whether a brand spanking new pet who joined your relatives, an elderly pet who has a few naughty habits, or a pet who has been downright driving you crazy, making a brand spanking new years resolution to train your dog can be that leads to years of enjoying your pet more.

With holiday festivities coming to a close and a brand spanking new year beginning, this is a common time of year to set new goals and resolve to accomplish them.

With the average life span of a dog being about 15 years, it is no doubt a wise investment of your time to prevent or alleviate behavior issues, whether you have a tiny puppy or a dog who is more advanced in years.

Those with puppies will likely need to focus on house training, socialization and chewing as well as basic obedience and manners. By taking steps now to prevent issues before they start, you are much more likely to enjoy your dog over the plenty of coming years.

Theres plenty of resources available right in your own community, ranging from individual in-home training, to group classes, socialization opportunities and educational seminars. Whether you work with a trainer or by yourself, training your dog is definite to lead to a well-behaved pet that is a pleasant addition to your relatives.

In case you have an older puppy or an adult dog with ongoing behavior issues, there is no better time than the present to work on assuaging the issues. Whether by yourself or with a trainer, a tiny work together with your dog now will pay off in years of enjoying your pet and not having to worry about repurcussions that could be caused by definite behavioral issues.

Whether a puppy or an adult dog, a brand spanking new pet or elderly, having a new year resolution for them that the fact the new year can be a nice time to make a fresh start and get things heading in the right direction. Happy New Year!

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New year new plans

Happy New Year! OK so I am a few days late. No excuses, just been busy like everyone else. Ive been reading on other blogs of resolutions and plans for the next year. Im not big on resolutions. I find it just makes me feel icky if I dont stick with them. No one likes that.

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I do have plans. One is to unveil a super cool trick with Jenny. Im not saying what it is but youll like it. (Ive only been planning to do this trick for 2 years so dont hold your breath. I dont want to be responsible for anyone passing out.) Id like to video our progress along the way then post it all at once when she learns the whole trick. Im also going to keep going with our Rally trialing. Maybe not until spring though. I hate driving in snow if I dont have to. Jenny has also just started a new medication for her skin. Special thanks to Julie (a reader) for this link in Bark about it. It had been recommended by another pug person to try but my vet was hesitant until I sent her the link to the article. Fingers crossed it does the trick. Her tail seems to be healing ok so far.

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My other planned event is to do the Idita-walk with Jack this year. I mentioned it last year then lost my motivation before it even started and never signed up. This year Ive already paid my entry fee so no excuses. It starts February 1st so you still have time to join in if you are interested. Id like to walk with Jack to get him out more. Being an "easy keeper" he tends to get taken for granted at times. The squeaky wheel gets the grease certainly applies to our Jenny. I signed just myself up though so I can take either dog or use the treadmill on days the weather is uncooperative. Just getting out and exercising daily will help with the dogs because the better you feel the more energy you have to do stuff, like more doggy outings and training. I could stand to lose a few pounds and certainly need work on my stamina. Jack makes the perfect winter walking partner. To get in the mood for the Idita-walk I will also be reading The Lance Mackey story. It was recommended by a friend. (For those looking to read about the Iditarod dog sled race I can also highly recommend Winterdance by Gary Paulsen. It is one of my all time favorite dog books.)

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Today I took the first dog over to the prison to kick off this years K-9 Corrections program. We had a short hiatus during the holidays. I gotta say it was much needed for me to recharge my batteries. Saturday I am taking the second dog over for the other set of handlers. I have 3 new guys this time around so its like training a whole new team. Todays sweetie is a red bone hound (possibly a mix) named Jenny. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera when I took her over. Ill be sure to grab some photos on Saturday. She is super cute and very young.
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Saturday January 15th I will be at The Loyal Biscuit Co. to help them celebrate their first year under new ownership. I am offering FREE training advice for anyone interested from 10:00 til 2:00. If youre in the area come on by and say hello.

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So thats all Ive planned for now relating to dogs. What do you all have planned for your dogs?

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(The footprints are my boot print next to Jacks paw print. Yeah they are that big!)

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Good news to begin the New Year

I do love starting the new year off with good news. I took Zola to the vet recently to re-check her liver panel and get some recent x-rays for her jaw. The blood work came back good. We have been managing her liver shunt issue very well and it shows. We did learn that she is prone to low blood sugar which is new information but important to know.

But the best news is that her jaw issue isnt getting worse as we thought was inevitable. In previous x-rays we thought we saw a growth. In the new x-rays nothing was seen. We also measured how far she can open her mouth. It has improved from 1 and 1/2 centimeters to 2 centimeters. That doesnt sound like much but considering the alternative, it gets smaller and eventually she wont be able to eat, then it is fabulous news.

This is a photo of one of her x-rays. We have a new digital radio-graph machine at work which is also excellent  news for us because we can see things more clearly. Her face is scrunched up because they were holding her jaw open with gauze strips. You can see her old original x-rays here: http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-difference-week-makes.html The mass that could be felt before is also no longer there. So while she will probably still have a shorter than normal life span, it isnt going to be as short as we previously thought. That is great news to me!

I also wanted to share a couple of dog related gifts I got from friends this year. This one makes me laugh every time I walk by it.

I think it looks a lot like Jenny too!

This one was from another friend. She made the whole thing by hand. She has a great shop on etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/smilingfrogpets My dogs all have some of her toys and they are wonderful and stand up well.

I have awesome friends. 

As you can see I had a great holiday and my new year has had a great beginning. I hope the same can be said for all of you! 

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