A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG...... RIGHT?©

A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG...... RIGHT?©

By Daina BeckmanDog Behavior Specialist

Happy Tails Dog Behavior & Training

This is a new fad in dog training. Get your dog tired and he will be a good dog, all his unwanted behaviors will go away. It is like using Pixie dust! So you take your dog out for a long walk on leash or off, or perhaps you take him to a dog park and let him run around. On the walk, you both get lots of exercise. At the dog park, you rest he gets exercise and socialization. That's what appears to be happening right? But is the outcome really what you think it is?

Lets look at this from Rovers perspective.

You hook on the leash with some left over stress from your day; your dog picks up on that. As you head out the door and down the sidewalk, you begin to worry about whatever problems you have had on walks in the past and whether or not you will be able to control the situation better this time. You run through the behavior problems in your mind that you are having with your dog at home and reassure yourself that if he just gets rid of his energy he will behave better. Or perhaps you are mulling over your day, problems at work or at home. As you run through all these thoughts, your pheromones run with them. A popular dog trainer has coined it as; your dog following your energy. This is somewhat true. I believe though that your dog is now worried because he senses that you are not secure in the environment. (He smells the pheromones, hears your heart rate and breathing rate, reads your body language and your face and associates those signals with past experiences) As you start your walk, your dog has increased stress.

Add to that the dogs view of the environment where you walk. Your dog who has behavior problems (low confidence or lack of trust in people etc.) is now faced with the possibility of trying to mount a defense to protect both of you. All those smells! There are the sounds! Remember your dogs' ability to hear and smell is so much more than yours is. Is there going to be an antagonistic wild animal ahead, or am I going to be invading the territory of an adversary? My owner must hear the monster up ahead, and yet we are still moving toward it. The dogs stress is increased again.

DOGS THINK LIKE DOGS. You expect your dog with behavior problems to be able to ignore all the stressful stimulation coming at him, and just happily trot or walk along next to you enjoying the world around him. For a dog with behavior problems, this would be like me taking you by the hand and strolling through a bad neighborhood in New York City or Los Angeles. How relaxed would you be, would the physical exercise benefit you psychologically in that situation? No, it would be traumatic.

Is your dog sticking to you like glue on walks or in the park? Is he trying to run back home, or get back to the car? Is he suddenly standing still - freezing? Is he quickly looking in different directions? Is he looking behind allot? Does he suddenly hesitate then move along? Where is his tail? Is it tucked? Is it straight up pointing toward his head? Is his hair ever standing up on end? These are some of the signs that the walk is too stressful for your dog.
What does your dog do when you get home? Does he drop totally exhausted? After a positive physical and psychologically healing work out, you feel good tired, not so exhausted you drop. If he does go right to sleep, is he twitching whimpering or jumping in his sleep? Is your dog pacing or licking his paws, licking his genital area or his side, biting his nails? Is your dog moving from one place to another unable to settle? Is he crankier, does he growl or snap? These are signs that the walk or romp in the dog park is too stressful for your dog.

A fast-paced psychological work out in a safe environment with a confident owner and lots of positive cues will go a long, long way in helping your dogs' behavior problems. Be confident, be positive, be a trustworthy and reliable pack leader. A good pack leader will not lead the pack into danger. If you are not a trustworthy reliable pack leader, the dog will not follow your lead, he will think you are crazy, he will have more stress, and you will have a damaged relationship with your dog.

Do you need professional help? Don't put it off, problem behaviors will not go away on their own.Contact us to get help from a Dog Behavior Specialist

Happy Tails Dog Behavior & Training

This is a new fad in dog training. Get your dog tired and he will be a good dog, all his unwanted behaviors will go away. It is like using Pixie dust! So you take your dog out for a long walk on leash or off, or perhaps you take him to a dog park and let him run around. On the walk, you both get lots of exercise. At the dog park, you rest he gets exercise and socialization. That's what appears to be happening right? But is the outcome really what you think it is?

Lets look at this from Rovers perspective.

You hook on the leash with some left over stress from your day; your dog picks up on that. As you head out the door and down the sidewalk, you begin to worry about whatever problems you have had on walks in the past and whether or not you will be able to control the situation better this time. You run through the behavior problems in your mind that you are having with your dog at home and reassure yourself that if he just gets rid of his energy he will behave better. Or perhaps you are mulling over your day, problems at work or at home. As you run through all these thoughts, your pheromones run with them. A popular dog trainer has coined it as; your dog following your energy. This is somewhat true. I believe though that your dog is now worried because he senses that you are not secure in the environment. (He smells the pheromones, hears your heart rate and breathing rate, reads your body language and your face and associates those signals with past experiences) As you start your walk, your dog has increased stress.

Add to that the dogs view of the environment where you walk. Your dog who has behavior problems (low confidence or lack of trust in people etc.) is now faced with the possibility of trying to mount a defense to protect both of you. All those smells! There are the sounds! Remember your dogs' ability to hear and smell is so much more than yours is. Is there going to be an antagonistic wild animal ahead, or am I going to be invading the territory of an adversary? My owner must hear the monster up ahead, and yet we are still moving toward it. The dogs stress is increased again.

DOGS THINK LIKE DOGS. You expect your dog with behavior problems to be able to ignore all the stressful stimulation coming at him, and just happily trot or walk along next to you enjoying the world around him. For a dog with behavior problems, this would be like me taking you by the hand and strolling through a bad neighborhood in New York City or Los Angeles. How relaxed would you be, would the physical exercise benefit you psychologically in that situation? No, it would be traumatic.

Is your dog sticking to you like glue on walks or in the park? Is he trying to run back home, or get back to the car? Is he suddenly standing still - freezing? Is he quickly looking in different directions? Is he looking behind allot? Does he suddenly hesitate then move along? Where is his tail? Is it tucked? Is it straight up pointing toward his head? Is his hair ever standing up on end? These are some of the signs that the walk is too stressful for your dog.
What does your dog do when you get home? Does he drop totally exhausted? After a positive physical and psychologically healing work out, you feel good tired, not so exhausted you drop. If he does go right to sleep, is he twitching whimpering or jumping in his sleep? Is your dog pacing or licking his paws, licking his genital area or his side, biting his nails? Is your dog moving from one place to another unable to settle? Is he crankier, does he growl or snap? These are signs that the walk or romp in the dog park is too stressful for your dog.

A fast-paced psychological work out in a safe environment with a confident owner and lots of positive cues will go a long, long way in helping your dogs' behavior problems. Be confident, be positive, be a trustworthy and reliable pack leader. A good pack leader will not lead the pack into danger. If you are not a trustworthy reliable pack leader, the dog will not follow your lead, he will think you are crazy, he will have more stress, and you will have a damaged relationship with your dog.
Do you need professional help? Don't put it off, problem behaviors will not go away on their own.Contact us to get help.