DogBoston Interactive Forums » Ask Jo - Dog Behaviorist

1. azoeller
   Member

   I just brought home a 10-week old Springer Spaniel puppy on Saturday. He's great and in general, is not fearful at all... but there are definite moments that make him freeze up. It has been raining a lot in my area and puddles make him stop in his tracks (I can't reverse my path or move forward so I've just been standing and waiting calmly for him to relax at which point we head in the opposite direction).

   He also seems to have issues with his food bowl. When its meal time, he doesn't exactly freeze, but his back legs are really tense when he starts eating and he kind of creeps forward slowly to get at his food. The weird part is that he only does this when he eats indoors. I think it has something to do with the reflection on the bowl but am not sure. My reaction so far has been to focus on something else in the room and show that there is nothing to fear, but I was wondering whether I should get different bowls... maybe plastic ones?... or try to get him to associate the bowls with something positive?...or since he was a little less tenative the second day, just let him figure things out?

   The breeder who I got him from is incredibly reliable and knows a lot about dogs (she's big in the Field Trial Association) and the pup, in general, isn't fearful about loud noises, meeting people or anything else really. But since this is such an important developmental period for him, I was wondering what advice you could give about how to help him past these fears. And whether I should be concerned about counteracting things now, while its still early. Maybe these are things that all puppies go thru but I hear so much about the 8 to 12 week period of development being what triggers later fears that I thought that I'd ask your advice to be sure.

   Thanks for your time,
   Amy

   Posted: 2007-06-04 17:45:03 #

2. snickdog
   Member

   Hi, Amy,

   It sounds to me like your pup has some mild under-socialization issues.

   Many people (including breeders!) don't quite understand that socialization isn't just about people and other dogs -- it's about EVERYTHING.

   When I meet with folks during a New Puppy Workshop, I hand them something that was given to me by a breeder who is insistant on bringing up a resilient pup: The Puppy's Rule of Twelves. The rules state that by the time a pup is 12 weeks old (the end of the Critical Socialization Period), it should be exposed not only to 12 different kinds of people, places and dogs, but also 12 different bowls for water/food (including things like pots, pie plates, coffee cups, disposable, etc), fed in 12 different areas (indoors in multiple rooms, on rugs, on tiles, outdoors on a porch or deck, under trees, etc), experienced 12 different types of challenges (boxes to climb into and out of, a plank of wood to walk on, stairs, puddles, etc) and experienced at least 12 different kinds of surfaces (cement, wood, rugs, tiles, linoleum, grass, gravel, wood chips, etc). As well, in order to avoid substrate preferences, it's really adviseable to have to have a put eliminate on those 12 different surfaces.

   You can find the complete article here, at my colleague Dee Ganley's website:
   http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/thepuppysruleoftwelve.pdf

   You've still got two more weeks to expose him to lots more stuff! Dee also has this really great checklist for those who are socializing their pups:
   http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/puppy_weekly_social_chart.pdf

   Just make sure that your new pup gets to explore on his OWN -- if he's afraid, it's okay if he hides behind you then comes out to examine things. But, don't force him to. If he's afraid of something, make it MAGIC by pairing its appearance with something super-great, like low-salt deli turkey or whatever else really makes your pup excited and happy. This will give him a different perspective: "Wow, that thing isn't so scary -- I get TURKEY every time I see it; I LIKE it!"

   Have fun with your pup! And remember, socialization never really ends: you have another fear period that starts right about at the beginning of adolescence and yet another towards the end. As they say, Use it or Lose it!

   Jo Jacques, CPDT, CPCT
   WiggleBums!
   Dog-Friendly Training and Behavior Consulting
   http://www.wigglebums.com
   http://www.trulydogfriendly.com
   President, International Siberian Husky Club
   http://www.casinstitute.com/
   Ask Jo at dogBoston.com
   IAABC# 023
   APDT# 064427
   IIACAB # 024
   ABMA # 221012

   Posted: 2007-06-04 18:42:55 #

3. azoeller
   Member

   Thanks sooo much for your advice. It has been working beautifully this week. Since I have your ear, do you have any thoughts on the correct way to discourage barking? I know what to do in terms of bed time and crate training... and actually, my pup is doing pretty well with that. He seems to enjoy his crate and only barks briefly when I put him in, and sometimes not at all.

   But he does bark quite a bit when he wants to play and I am doing something or similiar situations where he wants me to do something and is feeling frustrated. I read in a book that I should turn my back to him and ignore him when he starts barking so that's what I've been doing so far. Sometimes I'll walk away (though secretly keeping an eye on him of course). Which prompts more barking. Am I reacting correctly? Hopefully he will build up his patience as he gets older, lol, but I do want to be consistent in my approach to this.

   Amy

   Posted: 2007-06-07 20:50:03 #

4. snickdog
   Member

   Hi, Amy,

   Good -- I'm glad he's coming along!

   Barking: well, that's one of those things you don't want to really get rid of completely, because let's face it -- you WANT to know when someone's breaking in! Although, I do truly know how barky spaniels can be!

   So, let's take these situations one by one... the crate, first of all. Instead of YOU putting the dog in the crate, teach him to put HIMSELF in the crate! Give it a cue -- 'time for bed!' or 'kennel up!' in a very happy tone, throw a good cookie in for him to chase in, then make a big deal out of what a smart dog he is! Pretty soon, all you'll need to do is say your crate cue and he's barrel for that crate.

   Attention barking: first of all, plan on setting your pup up for success. If you know that you have something to do and it's a situation where he would normally bark, give him something to keep him occupied BEFORE you get busy. A filled Kong, a Bully Stick, some of his dinner kibble taped into a box or cardboard egg crate -- anything to keep HIM busy for a bit. This is the start of teaching him how to occupy himself when you can't play (remember, he's still a baby!) As well, you will also start extinguishing the barking behavior by managing the situation so that he doesn't want to bark. If at all possible, watch your dog, and plan to interrupt him with some attention right before he's about to lose interest in or finish his snack. I'm sure you'll be able to use a break by then, too!

   However if the situation is one where you were unable to give him something to do, the book you read was right -- turn your back and walk away, even if you have to walk out of the room. BUT -- you forgot the most important part of the equation: the SECOND that your pup isn't barking, mark and reward the absence of noise! Be ready though -- it will get worse before it gets better (it's called an 'extinction burst' -- when something that's been rewarded for some time stops being rewarded it's frustrating and you get a big burst of the behavior).

   The big thing to remember here is that any behavior that gets rewarded will get repeated. If you reward quiet and calm play, that's what you will get. One mistake that nearly everyone in the world makes not only with dogs but with cats/kids/family members: people tend to ignore good behavior ('oh, he's quiet I won't disturb him!') and instead give attention to bad behavior, inadvertantly rewarding the wrong thing! So, catch your dog doing the right thing! Anytime he's sitting quietly, just hanging around, go over and pat him and play for a couple of minutes, then go back to what you were doing... you'd be surprised at how fast 'good behavior' becomes a habit once you start rewarding it with attention!

   Jo Jacques, CPDT, CPCT
   WiggleBums!
   Dog-Friendly Training and Behavior Consulting
   http://www.wigglebums.com
   http://www.trulydogfriendly.com
   President, International Siberian Husky Club
   http://www.casinstitute.com/
   Ask Jo at dogBoston.com
   IAABC# 023
   APDT# 064427
   IIACAB # 024
   ABMA # 221012

   Posted: 2007-06-08 04:32:38 #

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