Professional trainer

Bare Paw Dog Obedience

When Sam was a puppy, he would chase his tail, spinning around and around but never catching it. His owners thought it was cute and funny. Now Sam is older and is still chasing his tail. It is now a continual obsession. It is no longer cute or funny.

Dogs are born with a brain full of "hardwired" instincts such as how to groom themselves, care for their young, hunt for food and interact socially in packs. When a dog repetitively prefers instinctive behaviors outside its natural functional context, the dog has a compulsive disorder. Compulsive disorders come on gradually or suddenly and can cause self-inflicted injury or interfere with the normal relationship between a dog and his owner. Some common canine compulsions are: repetitive grooming behaviors including self licking, nail and paw chewing and compulsive scratching, all of which can cause self mutilation; out of context vocalization, which includes a steady, rhythmic yapping or barking; inappropriate eating or drinking behavior, such as consuming excessive quantities of food or water or eating gravel or other inappropriate substances, and excessive predatory activities, which include pacing, fence running, over zealous digging, tail chasing or jumping in place.

Compulsive behavior has no single, identifiable cause, but almost all compulsive dogs have a nervous, hyper vigilant disposition. When stressed and anxious, a dog may spin off into some kind of compulsive behavior. To combat these behaviors, as with any unusual behavior, the owner must first rule out possible medical causes, especially infections of the ear or an injury. Some breeds seem to be genetically predisposed to CD. These breeds include but are not limited to Doberman pinschers, bull terriers and herding breeds.

If you suspect your dog has or is developing a compulsive behavior, here are ways to help solve the problem:

€ Identification of the conflict: What stresses trigger the dog's behavior? Mealtime, the owner leaving, strangers in the home? Once identified, try to eliminate or desensitize the dog to the stressful event.

€ Environmental enrichment: Dogs need activity. A herding dog needs balls and other toys to "round up." It also needs the companionship of its people and other dogs.

€ Exercise: Become your dog's personal trainer, play fetch with him, take a brisk walk, make him search for his supper by hiding kibble around the house. Remember, a tired dog is a good dog.

€ Diet: Feed the right diet for your dog's activity level. A house dog, be it Maltese or border collie, does not need a "high octane" ration that is fed to hunting or sporting dogs. Many compulsive behaviors can be reduced by feeding a low-protein diet.

€ Daily structure: Dogs feel more secure with a daily schedule and a particular routine to the day. Feeding Sam at the same time each day, taking him out to exercise on schedule will help reduce stress.

€ Attention withdrawal: Turn a cold shoulder to CD - unless there is a danger of injury. If you reprimand Sam for what he is doing, this could escalate the problem.

€ Eliminate discipline: Once a compulsion is established, discipline is ineffective because the dog is unable to control the behavior.

€ Obedience training: By accentuating the positive behavior when Sam is in training, you are eliminating the negative behaviors that exist. Training should be done with good, gentle techniques of positive reinforcement.

€ Counterconditioning: Interrupt the unwanted behavior by training Sam to respond to a command such as "sit-stay," which is incompatible with his compulsive behavior. If he is sitting, he cannot chase his tail.

€ Drug therapy: When all other efforts have failed, prescription drugs are available that will help make Sam more receptive to behavior modification techniques.

You do not want Sam to become one of the 2.5 million dogs euthanized annually because of problem behaviors. He is just one of those companion animals, living in an increasingly urban, suburban setting that does not fulfill his need for exercise, environmental stimulation and human/animal interaction. Pay attention to Sam, make him part of the family and show positive reaction to the behavior you want.

Question? E-mail 7mbuell@ttc-cmc.net Happy training.

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