In the last 2 weeks I have had two clients call me with dog behavior issues in their relatively young puppies.  After speaking with both of them, the common denominator in both of their dog’s behavior, was lack of socialization of these puppies at an early age and no dog training.

What was even more interesting was the reason they had not taken their dogs outside of their home or backyard to meet the world- FLEAS!  

Now I realize fleas are a bother and nobody wants their dogs to have fleas.  However, in the scheme of things, keeping your new puppy from meeting the world, seeing new sights, smelling new smells, meeting children, other people and other dogs has much more potential for creating problems than a flea does.  A flea comb used on your dog after a walk works wonders!

Remember, the window of socialization for a puppy starts closing between 4 months and 4.5 months of age.  So what does this mean exactly?  It simply means that after that time, puppies tend to become more fearful of places, smells, sights and people they have not become accustomed to which can then lead to dog behavior that you do not want - such as anxiety, fearfulness, snapping, barking.

Remember - You must always be aware, that until your puppy is fully vaccinated, there are certain places you don’t want to take them to such as dog parks or  the large retail dog stores which are frequented by all types of dogs - many unvaccinated.  Back when we found Sammy, our black lab, (under a truck at 7 weeks of age) one of the first things we did after his initial vet visit was to begin to socialize him, keeping in mind where he was with all of his vaccinations.   We took him over to our local grocery store and stood outside the door where people exit.  As people came out, including kids, we simply said, “Hi, we’re working on getting our puppy used to lots of people and lots of noises, would you mind petting Sammy?”  Now who could resist an absolutely adorable 8 week old lab puppy??  So Sammy got lots of pets from women, kids, men etc. and he was a happy puppy!  Also be sure to have people come to your home to visit when your puppy is little so the puppy understands that it is ok for strangers to come into the house.

When you socialize your puppy early and begin dog obedience training at about 5 months of age, it really sets your dog up to be  more well balanced and a better behaved dog.  Here’s a link to one of my articles on getting a new puppy or dog.  Enjoy.  http://www.petiquettedog.com/news/choosingFamilyDog.php

Jim Burwell  www.petiquettedog.com

I just read in a Google Alert on dog training, that in the case of Marjorie Knoller, her murder verdict has been reinstated.  I’m sure most of you remember this case in San Francisco back in 2001.

Ms. Knoller and her husband Robert Noel owned 2 Presa Canario guard dogs in San Francisco and lived in an apartment building.  One of their neighbors, Diane Whipple was innocently coming out of the door of her apartment at the same time Ms. Knoller was returning from walking her dogs on the roof.  The 2 dogs attacked Ms. Whipple and mauled her to death.

There was a lot of debate and upheaval in San Francisco over that case because Knoller and Noel were blaming Whipple for not going back into her apartment stating that’s what made the dogs attack.

Here’s the thing.  It is my true belief that when you have a dog, you, the owner are solely responsible for the actions of the dog.  Yes true, certain breeds have a propensity for being guard dogs and somewhat more assertive than others.  But it all comes down to owner responsiblity. 

Red flag #1 - My belief is that Knoller and Noel were aware that the dogs they bought had been specifically bred to be aggressive.  The breeder was a racist convict who was starting a line of Presa Canario guard dogs he was going to call Dog-O-War.  Red flag # 2  Ms. Knoller did not take the time to properly obedience train her dogs and exercise those two large guard dogs.   Red flag # 3  The last mistake is that she was bringing both dogs down a hallway of an apartment (close quarters) and sadly Ms. Whipple probably startled the dogs when she opened her door.

When you own a dog it is your responsibility to make sure the dog receives proper dog obedience training starting as a puppy, it is your responsiblity to see the dog gets regular structured exercise to release its energy in a positive way,  it is your responsibility to know the temperament and behavior of your dog around people and places and things. 

A dog is a dog is a dog.  I would never tell anyone that any dog is not capable of biting.  The upsetting thing is  when a dog is set up to fail because of lack of responsibility on the owner’s part and someone gets hurt or killed because of their unwillingness or laziness to train their dog.  Here’s the link to the story

Please, be responsible pet owners.  www.petiquettedog.com

I received a call last month from a client with a new dog that was terrorizing her cats.  It was at the point where the dog was going to have to go if he couldn’t learn to live with the cats.  She asked me if dog training could fix her dog’s behavior? 

It reminded me of when my wife and I got married and she brought 2 greyhounds and a cat named Petie into the marriage.  First time my dog Boo laid eyes on Petie, all he saw was the blue plate special!  He lunged through the air, mouth wide open and stomach growling.  How embarrasing was that?  Here I am, the dog trainer and my dog’s behavior is deplorable

My wife looked at me and sweetly said, “Fix It!”  So I did, and here’s how.  Each day, as many times as possible, the behavior modification process was put into place.  We would take Petie, an awesome Persin/Tabby mix who knows no fear, and place him in a wire dog crate in the den.  I had Boo on a leash and I had a clicker and some food treats to use during the dog training session.  Boo and I were about 5 feet from the crate.  Each time Boo exhibited inappropriate dog behavior by pulling or lunging toward the crate he was firmly told NO, leah tug, required to sit.  As he sat and exhibited good dog behavior, which at that early stage was simply not lunging at Petie, I clicked and treated. 

We kept doing this dog behavior modification training each day.  Each day Boo and I got a little closer to the crate and each time Boo was required to give me a sit, down, appropriate dog behavior.  Also, during this time I made him maintain that good dog behavior longer and longer before he was treated. 

It took about 2 weeks, but Boo learned that his inappropriate dog behavior got a stern NO, while his good dog behavior, sitting quietly and not bothering the cat, got him a GOOD BOY! and a treat.  Now as many of you know, I am adamant about weaning off food treats (see my blog post on To Treat or Not to Treat, that is the Question).  By the end of the two weeks, a simple Good Boy was the reward for Boo.

Now in all fairness, part of the equation of this dog behavior modification exercise, is the fact that Petie is not the type of cat who darts through the house and is skittish.  Nope, in fact, when Petie comes in the house, he uses the dog door, strolls through the den while all the dogs are on their beds and just like in Stuart LIttle, simply says “Tell It to the Butt!”  Petie rules, Petie IS ALPHA!

Today, on any given morning, you can find Petie curled up next to Boo on Boo’s dog bed.  It took work, persistence in working on the dog behavior modification and good obedience training, but all is well in the Burwell animal kingdom.

I’m doing a seminar for foster parents of dogs with HPPL (Homeless Pet Placement League) and HOPE on how best to structure life with a foster dog to insure that adoption goes smoothly.

Folks who foster dogs have a special place in my heart.  They are kind, generous, giving and truly have a love and passion for dogs.  It’s not always easy to have a foster dog or foster DOGS in your home.  They are usually up for adoption because of some behavioral issues and it takes a lot of care and knowledge to help these dogs overcome those issues so they can be adopted.

So, if you’re someone who has a spot in your home and in your heart, I encourage you to get with a rescue group or shelter and foster a dog.  Give a dog a chance to find their forever home.  It will put a smile on your face and a tear in your eye.  www.petiquettedog.com

I read in the Houston Chronicle this week that Kent Robertson has resigned his post as Bureau Chief of BARC (Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care) effective August 22, 2008.

I’m going to miss him and what he’s done for the animals.  Because of Kent Robertson, the stray and unwanted animals of Houston Texas have a cleaner, dryer place to stay.  And, despite the budget hardships he faced, Kent connected with the community and generated donations on his own, miraculously pulling donations out of the hat as if they were rabbits. 

He managed to get new trucks, fencing for play areas for the shelter dogs and much, much more.  I worked with him on the Mayor’s Committee or Task Force to investigate making Houston a “No Kill” city and know first hand, how difficult it was to get things done.

Kent was able to make a difference in the lives of many animals.  Cooper (aka 3 legs) for one, owes so much to so many - especially Kent Robertson.  Kent assisted in his humane rescue from a serious situation.  Despite Cooper’s broken back leg he had been dragging around for a year, he had eluded capture by neighbors desperately trying to get him medical aid.  Then, Kent Robertson, with the aid of Kentucky Fried Chicken, had this little Christmas pup safe and sound at BARC within an hour.  The rest is history as seen in this link

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/07/cooper/index.html

I want to thank you Kent, for raising the bar for the next Bureau Chief and for pointing us in a good direction for the future.  You inspired me and gave me hope for the animals.  Time will tell.  Sadly, though, time does not wait for the animals.

www.petiquettedog.com