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11:51

Philly.com - Good afternoon, everyone! Leigh will be along momentarily, but please get your questions in early so she can answer them.

12:06

Opportunity Barks - Hey ohhh, go Phils! This is Leigh with Opportunity Barks and I'm standing by to answer your behavior and training questions and welcome to the chat. Thanks!

12:06

[Comment From Rosie]
My dog is sneaky! He gets on the couch when I'm not home, but I never catch him in the act. My evidence is a warm spot and disheveled pillows and blankets. Any suggestions to keeping Mr. Sneaky off my new furniture? Thank you!

12:11

Opportunity Barks - That's a tough one, because the "consequence" is only dependent on whether or now you are home at this point. And, I bet that couch is a lot more comfortable than the ground (so it's also self reinforcing to the dog). Pick- floor or mattress? Mattress likely wins.

If you want to have the dog less likely to be on the couch when you are not home, you can try to prevent the dog from being in the area, using gates, etc. Or you could consider placing something on the couch that would prevent the dog from jumping up- motion activated compressed air can sometimes work, but it's possible that the fall out may be that the dog would become fearful of the area near the couch (depending on how sensitive the dog is).

In a nut shell, you can create other attractive things in the environment- dog beds that will give the dog an alternative and comfy, couch-like place to relax, or prevent the dog from being in the space...or rely on an environmental "correction" (like compressed air that makes the couch and undesirable place to be). I think the wisest thing would be to train the dog to hang out on a dog bed and manage the dog when you are away from home ;)

12:11

[Comment From riri]
I just got a shih tzu puppy about 3 weeks ago. The first two weeks, he was doing great with potty training (both puppy pad and outside), but this week, he just goes everywhere (carpet mostly)except his pad or outside. Should we change our game plan or just stick it out?

12:14

Opportunity Barks - Sounds like you have some incomplete house training going on and I'm sure the rain didn't help a bit. I'd go back to basics.
1. make sure food and water are on a schedule
2. make sure you are using management- crates, gates, tethers
3. get the dog out as often as possible (every 30 minutes if you are home)

And I think you'll be on the right track. If the dog does not "go" outside, bring him/ back in and tether them to you or a piece of furniture near you or return them to the crate and take them back out in about 20 min.

Remember pups will have to go a LOT, almost 20 minutes after eating, drinking and exercise. So try to exercise and play with him outside to get things going. If your noticing that the dog is spooked by noise, etc outside, then try to find a some what secluded place so the dog is comfortable enough to just "go"!

Hang in there!

12:14

[Comment From Monica]
I want to dress my golden puppy up for Halloween (just a little clown hat and collar), but she seems to be afraid it. Is there anything I can do to calm her fears? I know it may sound cruel to make her wear a costume, but I foresee her fear being an issue when I get her a winter sweater.

12:17

Opportunity Barks - Monica,
Some dogs become catatonic wearing clothing because, well, I don't really know ;)
For others, having on a sweater or a coat and the gentle pressure may be calming and self soothing. I think that having a fleece or sweater on the dog will be different than the hat for sure!

Again, with the hat, I'd try to place it on, feed and take it off. If she still seems annoyed, frustrated or freaked out, then get a few Kodak moments and then call it a day!
I'd start with just the collar put it on- feed- take it off and with the hat, it's not that different than acclimating a dog to any new piece of "equipment", but it's probably not her idea of a good time!

12:17

[Comment From Chris]
My sister & her boyfriend work long hours during the week. They have a dogwalker come twice per day M-F. Recently, their dog has been acting strange, including stopping and refusing to walk and refusing to leave the house. Her vet said the dog is lonely and depressed from being left alone during the day. Is that really the problem?

12:23

Opportunity Barks - Hurm, that is a good question. If only we could delve into the dog's mind, then we'd really know.

Keeping to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle, I'd look at a few things.
1. environmental change? construction, loud noises, a new dog on the block?
2. how does the person or handler react when the dog stops walking...
(often they are reinforcing this behavior and don't even know it)
3. what kind of equipment is the dog walked on? collars that punish the dog when the dog stops moving (ie- person keeps walking, collar tightens), aren't likely to help much.

But, if we think we have a dog that is looking a little down. I'd get a medical work up to make sure everything is going okay. Secondly, I'd give this dog lots of enrichment and anything that increases serotonin (fetching, hikes, feeding from toys that dispense food, good chewies).

I think in many cases what is going on with the dog is that the stopping behavior may have been reinforced -or- there is something in the environment that the dog is fearful of (a new intact male in the neighborhood). In my experience, sometimes a more insecure, younger dog may not want to make "waves" and avoidance or not wanting to leave a scent trail here and there would make sense, especially if the area was uber marked. But, again we'll never really know.

So, if the dog is medically sound...I'd look to increase enrichment, change the routine walking path to something more unpredictable and monitor her behavior. If this pup is very dog social, dog daycare may be a good alternative "routine" a few days a week too!

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