Calming Your Cerrrrrraaaaaazzzzzzzy Canine - new blog series

tripod · #1 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 06:30 PM

I will be blogging a new series of articles on 'crazy' dog behaviour over the coming days/weeks

Lots of stuff relevant to lots of topics brought up here on a daily basis

so hope to help lots and lots of pets & people.

The intro is up as well as Under Pressure which is an introduction to some of the issues behind crazy behaviour (anxiety, stress, impulse control).

Lots more on implementing calming protocols and exercises coming!

Love to hear your comments and suggestions

#2 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 09:27 PM

Looks like it will be very useful, pity you can't put it directly on here, I find that a lot of people never look at links

tripod · #3 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 09:28 PM

I can do that if its allowed (?) - its all my material so no copyright issues - whaddya think?

#4 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 09:34 PM

Depends how much there is going to be

You could always copy and paste sections that are relevant to a question raised

k8t · #5 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 10:06 PM

I think it sounds like a great idea, but I suppose you could do it with links if you are not allowed to post it directly.

Having been on these boards for a few months now, it is really the same issues that arise again and again and to be honest, I keep thinking 'that has all been explained before'.....

Something a bit more permanent is brilliant.

I love the info on your site Tripod, so realistic and easy to understand.

Kate

tripod · #6 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k8t

I love the info on your site Tripod, so realistic and easy to understand.

Kate

Thanks Kate

will post an abrideged version of blogposts in this series and those who want more can check out the full thing. Thanks for the support

tripod · #7 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 11:29 PM

This is the first in this series, check it out, maybe even subscribe and let me know what you think!

Quote:

Over the next few weeks we are going to post some training plans for camling crazy canines.

This series of blog posts is for those with dogs who are always on the go, even after strenuous exercise; who constantly seem to be on the alert; who are reactive to noises, activity, other dogs, meeting people; who demand attention or who have difficulty settling…

Sound familiar?

Many owners believe their pets to ‘be out of control’ but in fact there may be several things going on; their dog may be suffering with anxiety, stress and/or have poor impulse control.

These may be seen in dogs who find it difficult to settle particularly after excitement, who are barkers, who pace, who are fearful, leash aggressive, resource guarders or are aggressive. These dogs may even be fussy eaters, food bolters or regularly have tummy upsets or regular minor illness.

We will look at the causes and remedies for these issues, many of which are suitable to apply to any and all dogs living in the human world.

So if you recognise any of this in your furry friend or would just like to work on helping your dog to stay calm and controlled even in crazy situations join in but don’t forget to let us know how you get on.

tripod · #8 (**permalink**) 04-04-2010, 11:36 PM

This is the first informational blog post in the Calming you Crazy Canine series with background on what is often going on behing the crazy behaviour:

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Let’s start with a bit of an intro to the issues behind the crazy dog. This is by no means exhaustive but will hopefully help you to understand what’s going on so that we can implement strategies to improve calmness.

Stress
Stress is an over used term, certainly in relation to people, but this is a well studied physiological issue that has all sorts of effects on the individual ranging from physiological illness, poor condition, behavioural and emotional effects.

When discussing stress we are not always talking about something harmful; a level of stress that the individual can handle can be thought of as stimulation or eustress. Eustress actually enhances performance – keeps the individual working and thinking and improving.

Steven Lindsay describes stress as occurring “when any demand is placed upon a dog to change or adjust”.

When a stressor causes stress to surpass the dog’s stress threshold the dog becomes distressed.

Anxiety
Anxiety is caused by feelings of uncontrollability – a dog that doesn’t know how to control his environment is likely to be anxious.

What I mean by this is that animals are learning how to earn nice things and avoid bad things from the world around them all of the time.
This is the reason that animals like dogs and humans are capable of learning; this, if you like, is the function of learning.

Dogs without successful strategies for earning nice things and avoiding bad things are likely to become distressed, anxious and even depressed.

Impulse Control
If discussing humans we might say that impulsivity stems from a lack of forethought, from not considering the consequences of ones actions.

In realtion to dogs we can’t possibly draw that conclusion. But we can certainly see where their behaviour reflects this.

Dogs living with humans are required to be calmer and many if not most of their natural behaviours are frustrated.

Well socialised dogs are good at dealing with stressors being better able to cope. As a situation becomes more stimulating (and therefore stressful) a dog’s ability to inhibit his behaviour lowers.

Tired Dog = Good Dog?This old adage, like all old adages, has some truth and some inaccuracy about it.

When we play high energy games with our dogs, allow them to play with other dogs for extended periods or run & walk them at length we put demands on the body to adjust to this change in physical condition (e.g. heart rate increases, oxygen need increases etc.); this is actually a pretty accurate description of stress (remember, not always a nasty thing!).

When the body is forced to adapt to cope with these pressures there are all sorts of physiological goings on, the most influential being the release of different chemicals. Just like humans, dogs can become addicted to these chemical effects – you might have heard of athletes becoming ‘addicted’ to the rush of endorphins experienced when pushing themselves to perform.

The difference here is that the athlete has a choice: our dogs do not.

Huh?

Dogs are programmed to chase that ball over and over again, to run and run and run, to get jazzed up and excited when greeting you – they do not have a choice.
The dog is not necessarily happy to be taking part in these activities but is doing so because of installed instinctive behaviours.

It’s important to understand that it doesn’t matter how the dog feels about the particular activity or situation – he is not necessarily happy if you see him excited, he’s just wound up.
The stress response experienced is similar to that which is brought on during a ‘fight or flight’ response that you may have heard of in animals being chased by a predator for example.

Dogs, like most animals, are actually made to conserve energy and as a result in natural situations are pretty inactive most of the time. If and when there is a rush it does not occur regularly, is over pretty quickly and usually followed by stress-busting behaviours such as grooming or chewing.

Dogs, like most animals, actually work to avoid this sort of excitement. But, when they live with us we teach them to be crazy and then we get them hooked on it.

By commonly engaging the dog in high energy activities for extended periods we get them all wound up and offer little opportunity to gradually bring them back down.

What do you when you finish playing with or exercising your dog? Flop down on the sofa? Go out leaving your dog behind at home alone? What does your dog do?

This idea is not unique to modern dogs; this is an issue for modern people too. Our bodies have similar coping mechanisms for dealing with stress but instead of having short bursts of exposure to stressors we sit in traffic for hours a day several times a week, we put up with phone calls and business meetings and people bustling and job pressure on a daily basis – just like dogs we are in a constant stress bubble with little opportunity to turn it off.

Our bodies and our dog’s bodies are constantly responding to our stressful world with responses that nature intended only to be used occasionally and in real emergencies.

What’s more we become addicted to this ‘hit’ and seek out further exposure to stressors to elicit this response.

Not only are our lifestyles and our beliefs of what our dogs need a problem in relation to calming but due to poor early socialisation many pet dogs are unable to cope well with even low level stress so this state of excitement can be pretty constant for these dogs.

Even if the dog doesn’t quite get to the fight or flight stage they may still shut down due to this stress overload. For dogs, even those who handle stress well, the physiological effects caused by stressors can remain in the body for up to two weeks.

So, what’s the deal with exercise?

Are we causing our dogs to become play, fun & high-energy addicts?

We might well be but by implementing some simple strategies into your dog’s daily routine and by concentrating as much on mental exercise as on physical exercise we can keep the fun and lose the crazy!

What does canine stress look like?

Reading doggie body language is a speciality in itself but is important so that we can understand that stress is escalating in a particular situation.

Generally doggie stress signalling is very subtle but as the weight of the stressor grows stress signalling may become more obvious, the dog may be quicker to escalate from one level to the next and in some cases, particularly where the dog’s stress signals are ignored rendering him powerless, we may see the dog shut down and discontinue interaction.

Anxious, over-aroused dogs may appear to be uninterested in food and don’t follow food lures. These dogs are also difficult to physically manipulate into positions – big lesson here!!! We have to teach them to be responsive so we never have to resort to trying to force them!

An over aroused dog (whether he is stimulated by something scary or interesting or overwhelming) will have difficulty focussing on his handler and may only achieve the simplest behaviours and the shortest focus times in stimulating situations.

A dog’s previous training history may also have an effect on how he copes, particularly in training situations. A dog who has been exposed to aversives used in training may be shut down and reluctant to focus and offer behaviour for fear of something nasty happening.

Dogs have a complex ‘language’ of signals that communicate when a situation is too much for them – its up to us to respond to these signals appropriatley.

Check out the blog for lots of resources on reading dog and lots of pictures showing canine signalling.

Quote:

Get Outta Dodge
When a situation is becoming too much for your dog it’s time to get outta Dodge! This is particularly important for dogs who are fearful, uncomfortable and/or reactive in particular situations.

It is exceptionally important that dogs learn to trust and look to their owners for guidance in all manner of situations. If the dog is not helped to get out of a situation or their owner frustrates their escape they may feel that the only way to keep scary things away is by acting aggressively (this is often an escalation of stress signalling).

In many situations the dog may be asking for distance and polite requests should ALWAYS be appropriatley responded to – if ignored we teach the dog to ask for distance by growling, baring teeth, snarling, snapping and even biting. Again, these ‘aggressive’ signals are an escalation of more subtle polite signalling so often missed and misinterpretted by people.

Teaching a ‘let’s go’ cue is pretty easy and is very easy to execute in an emergency situation.

Recognise calm behaviour & not so calm behaviour

We know that to get behaviour we want we gotta reward it but the first step to doing this is recognising it.

Sometimes your dog is calm and sometimes he is not.

At one extreme your dog is snoozing quietly or staring into space – he’s chilled out.

At the other end of the spectrum you have a dog who is on high alert – his ears are up, his tail may be up, straight out or even tucked, hackles may even be raised, he may be standing stiffly or moving around quickly or straining on tiptoe. If frightened he may be cowering or hiding.

He may be barking, growling, whining, howling; he might even salivate, pant, scratch at things or chew excessively.

All of these behaviours mix and match to portray your dog’s emotional and behavioural state but what’s important here is to recognise that your dog is aroused.

When we talk about arousal here we mean that the dog is alert and reactive to goings on – this may manifest itself in so called ‘hyper’ behaviour, being unable to relax, excitement, out of control behaviour, vocalisation and difficulty calming after being wound up.

Between those two extremes your dog will be behaving on a continuum showing all sorts of combinations of those tell tale signals.

Your dog may be sleeping soundly until you say his name or open the fridge – he might wake up and lift his head, eyes focused and ears up, tail wagging in anticipation. Your dog is relaxed but alert.

Maybe the doorbell rings and your dog jumps up to a standing position, perhaps even vocalises a little – he is a little aroused.

You answer the door and in comes your friend and his dog. Your dog stands stiff, slow stilted high tail wag – we have moderate arousal.

The two dogs decide they like each other and soon they are tearing about the garden, chasing and wrestling. This is approaching the upper end of the arousal scale.

Your friend decides to end the play-date and go home so now your dog’s state will begin to move in the other direction.

After his new pal has left your dog may pace, vocalise, sniff around – he is beginning to slow down.

He might solicit attention from you by pawing or nudging you. Soon he gives a big sigh and settles on his bed. He might chew his toy a bit, groom his front feet and eventually go back to snoozing.

You will see your dog go up and down this scale over each and every day. Generally the closer he is to the chilled out end of the scale the more acceptable his behaviour is to humans.

Again lots more explanation and links to resources on the blog itself so check it out!

Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions - there's more to come too

Inkdog · #9 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 05:24 PM

Absolutely outstanding!

Jam packed with useful information and excellent advice. Thanks for taking the time to do this, Anne!

I'm looking forward to the next instalment!

tripod · #10 (**permalink**) 05-04-2010, 06:57 PM

Thanks Inkdog

Today's entry is on things we can do to help calm our dog:

Quote:

There are lots of ways to help reduce stress in the life of your dog pretty simply, before we even have to tackle any behaviour modification.

The 2-leggers

We are often the most influential factor in the lives of our dogs – certainly when it comes to environmental factors. Let’s look at ways that our behaviour can help out dogs.

Often times we have rewarded the crazy dog stuff – its fun to get the dog all jazzed up during a ball game, its funny to see him going nuts when you say “get the catssssss” BUT its not so much fun when you can’t get the dog to quiet after the doorbell rang or have him relax in the evening with his family (remember he becomes more and more addicted to the crazy response too).

You might see him swing from calm dog to Tasmanian-Devil-dog over very short periods of time.

Start the sequence of events that leads to walkies: put your shoes on, reach for your coat, pick up your keys, get his leash out, put your coat on, attach his leash, walk to the door… Notice that there are different, increasing levels to your dog’s excitement.

Now, think what happens with this wound up dog: he is taken outside to an even more exciting situation. Are you beginning to see why your dog pulls, jumps around, barks at other dogs, chases leaves blowing, and doesn’t respond to his name?

It’s also important to be aware of our behaviour – if we are running around, moving frantically and talking excitedly of course our dogs will be very interested in the goings on. Yet if we move slowly, walk calmly and speak quietly our dogs may not even raise an eyelid.

If you own a reactive or fearful dog your reactions take on even more significance. Your dog may learn to anticipate a scary incident by your response or anticipation to something you think your dog will react to.

Learning to be calm and quiet even in the face of barking, snarling, crazy dog will help your dog too.

Singing ‘Happy Birthday’ or a song from a musical (The Sound of Music is my fave!!) is a good way of relaxing your tension and keeping you calmer. I don’t know anybody who can’t smile while singing ‘Do a deer’!

You can even teach your dog that your tense signalling means something other than ‘scary incident is imminent’. You will of course have to be able to carefully recognise your own subtle signalling for this one and then be able to rehearse it in lots of training situations with your dog.

While we are talking about stress we should also mention that this month in the US is National Stress Awareness Month which is the inspiration for these blog posts. Its important that we become aware of the effect stress has on our health as well as that of our dogs. Pets are said to be great stress busters but often we see pet owners who need help coping with their pet’s behaviour so calming your pet may help to calm you too.

Stres busting tips for humans linked to from the blog

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Calmatives and Medical Treatment
If your dog has trouble calming down or seems to be on the go constantly there may well be a physiological disorder at the root; but this sort of stress particularly over extended periods of time can have all sorts of detrimental effects on your pet’s health. Therefore a vet check is essential as medical and behavioural therapy may be required.

Certain anxiety disorders commonly seen in dogs may warrant medication to help the dog focus enough for behaviour modification to begin to help. There are obviously all sorts of considerations but dogs on medication need thorough veterinary care and supervision over the course of treatment.

Dr Karen Overall, a renowned veterinary behaviourist has written extensively on behaviour modificaiton medications.

There are many calmatives available over the counter suitable for use on most dogs too.

DAP – Dog Appeasement Pheromone is a a synthetic product that mimics the effects of a pheromone produced by the dam in the nest. This pheromone has a calming effect on puppies in the nest keeping them quiet and encouraging them to suckle. Although available in several forms, I find DAP pump spray the most useful and versatile. Spray DAP on your dog’s bedding, on a bandanna he wears and even on your trouser leg when you bring him for walkies.

Bach Flower Remedies - although controversial, the use of homeopathic flower remedies are a popular choice when working with animals. The best known of these is Rescue Remedy but there are many others that can be used in specific situations. I tend to use Rescue Remedy in most cases and then add a more specific remedy where appropriate. I always have a bottle of Rescue Remedy on hand at home just in case Rufus is spooked and for fosters when they come in.
***Rescue Remedy pastilles contain Xylitol which is toxic to dogs – never give them to your pet and keep them out of the reach of animals.***

Herbal Remedies are often an excellent addition to behaviour modification programs in relation to crazy behaviour. I am a particular fan of Dorwest Herbs who supply two remedies that I have found effective: Skullcap & Valerian tablets and Valerian Compound drops. The tablets are more suited to regular use during behaviour modification work while the Valerian drops are excellent to have on hand should a distressing incident cause your dog a problem.

Using a Lavender room spray or mist is relaxing both for dogs and their humans. Spray it when your dog is already chilled out so that when you use it during mildly distressing incidents it will help your dog to feel more relaxed.

Music for Dogs like Through a Dog’s Ear - intensive work has been carried out to find specifically designed music that can help dogs to feel a little more relaxed. Playing specific music at times when your dog is chilled out will allow you to also use this effectively at other times. If the only time the radio is left on is when your dog is left alone it may become a cue that causes an increase in your dogs anxiety or worry.

I love love love T-touch and use it as often as possible. This is a massage and body work based therapy that can really help, along with behaviour modification, in many cases. I highly recommend the book Getting in Ttouch with your dog by Linda Tellingoton Jones so that every one can get t-touching.

The Calming Cap is an aid that can be used as a short term management device in situations where your dog is likely to become aroused because he is being exposed to a stressor at full strength. This is particularly effective if your dog is aroused by visual stressors such as birds or when travelling in the car.

Anxiety Wraps work with consistent pressure hugging your dog’s body helping him to feel more secure. I have found this particularly effective with some dogs who are spooked by thunder or fireworks, especially dogs with spaniel, retrieiver, setter like coat. I have had less success with harsh coated dogs (like my own dog) however so there may be a static reduction while wearing the snuggly fitting wrap. Using wraps is an important part of Ttouch body work and I have had success with dogs wearing a snuggly fitted t-shirt (secured with safety pins) too.

Have you come across a remedy that has been particularly helpful when dealing with crazy behaviour? If so, please tell us all about it!

Links to detailed resources on each of the above described remedies here.

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The Dog’s Dinner

Just as food affects our moods it has a massive effect on our dogs too. There are often common factors in cases where the owner reports ‘out of control’ behaviour, hyper behaviour or indeed aggressive behaviour and poor diet is certainly a contributing factor very often.

Your dog should be fed the best food that you can afford. How do you tell which are the best foods? Well the best tips are to look for foods with fewer ingredients, low in preservatives and additives (count how many words you have difficulty pronouncing!) and has a specified protein source listed in the top three ingredients.

If the food is described as ‘chicken’ flavour chicken should be the main protein source so chicken and/or chicken meal should feature in the top three ingredients (ideally both should be in the top 3 or 4). Avoid foods that list animal derivitives or some other unspecified source.

Although the amount and type of protein in a diet is important more so is the quality of dietary protein. Poor quality protein is linked with interfering with the body’s ability to use serotonin – serotonin is produced by the brain and helps to keep dogs (and people) calm, moderate anger, aggression, mood and sleep.

To help in the formation and use of serotonin in the body add a Vitamin B6 supplement to your dog’s diet too.

Fillers such as grains and starches should not feature high up on the ingredients lists (and ideally not at all). These are of little nutritional use to your dog and take the place of other valuable nutrients in your dog’s diet – avoid foods like this!

Its not about brand or food type but about ingredients. Foods closest to natural diets are obviously most suitable so ideally tinned foods are the best (from commonly available commercial foods) BUT it is exceptionally difficult to find high quality tinned/wet foods – have a look at the ingredients lists on tinned foods the next time you are at the pet shop or supermarket.

So to start stress busting for your dog we need to look at our behaviour particularly when faced with situations that are a little much for your pet, a vet check, adding calmatives and possibly medication under veterinary supervision and looking closely at your pet’s diet. Phew! and thats only the beginning!

More links and resources available - check it out!

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