Tricky Puppy Training

Looking for something to do with your puppy? Try some of these great tricks from a puppy pre-agility class in Italy! These little guys can do a whole lot more than most people expect. Here's proof!

Puppy in the House!

We are puppy-sitting for a friend, and loving every minute of it. Seagram is a 9-week old Weimaraner boy. He is the epitome of good breeding and early socialization. His breeder and his owner have gotten this puppy off to a great start already! He is a nice blend of cautious and curious, confident and careful. Yesterday, he was a little overwhelmed at first, meeting my two big dogs. (See detailed photo journal below blog entries.) But, after a while, he rallied and decided he just might play with them. Seagram will be coming to puppy class next week with his owner, and I know he's going to be one of the stars!!

Heartbreaking Decisions: Aggressive Dog in the Family

It happens fairly often – “We got the dog before children… and now the dog has bitten our child.”

When I get the phone call for training, I have to ask the difficult questions, like, “Is it okay with you if your dog bites your child again?” Because, let’s face it, accidents happen. I can never guarantee that a dog that has bitten will not do it again. In fact, my money’s on a repeat offense, and, double or nothing, that it will be a worse bite, the next time.

Dr. Ian Dunbar, veterinarian and highly regarded dog training expert, has created this scale for discussing dog bites:

Ian Dunbar's Bite Assessment Scale

Level 1- Dog growls, lunges, snarls-no teeth touch skin. Mostly intimidation behavior.

Level 2- Teeth touch skin but no puncture. May have red mark/minor bruise from dog’s head or snout, may have minor scratches from paws/nails. Minor surface abrasions acceptable.

Level 3- Punctures ½ the length of a canine tooth, one to four holes, single bite. No tearing or slashes. Victim not shaken side to side. Bruising.

Level 4- One to four holes from a single bite, one hole deeper than ½ the length of a canine tooth, typically contact/punctures from more than canines only. Black bruising, tears and/or slashing wounds. Dog clamped down and shook or slashed victim.

Level 5- Multiple bites at Level 4 or above. A concerted, repeated attack.

Level 6- Any bite resulting in death of a human.


This scale is a useful tool when communicating with parents whose dog has bitten their child. The thing to point out, though, is that the next time – that next bite, when it happens - will not usually be a lower-level bite. In other words, it’s all downhill from here.

Some dog behavior counselors set their clients on a protocol for training and management that borders on the ridiculous: Supervision of all interactions between the child and the dog. Step-by-step desensitization to teach the dog to accept handling from the child. Response substitution to teach the dog to be relaxed and comfortable, rather than predacious when the child is at play. Meanwhile, the dog-owning parent is often holding down at least one job, caring for the family and involved in other obligations in and outside the home.

What’s the sensible answer? Is it reasonable to ask my clients to put their lives on hold while they train the family dog for a few months? If we do that, can I guarantee the dog will not bite the child again? Not likely. In the end, after they have done the work, they still are going to have a dog that bites at least at the level he did the last time. Some time, some where, some one will be bitten by that dog. Especially if that some one is going to be a child, I have a moral responsibility to sternly warn the parents of the risk.

But, it isn’t any fun. Today, I told a family they should consider re-homing their beloved pet because any amount of training we do will not prevent him from biting their two sons if surprised or provoked. It breaks my heart.

Several years ago, I had to make that tough decision. I re-homed a fearful Sheltie girl that I had owned for 8 years because my active sons terrified her and she had begun biting. Her bites were “only” Level 1 and 2 on the above scale, but I wasn’t willing to see if the theory held true – that her bites might become worse. I agonized over it for a year and cried about it for months later. In the end, it was a great thing for her, though. She lived out her retirement years as queen in a household with no children. She was one happy dog, and never showed the kind of anxiety she had in our home once the boys came along. (Meanwhile, I continued training my “bomb-proof” golden retriever, that barely looks up when a boy accidentally falls on top of him while he’s sleeping.)

Not every dog is a good candidate for re-homing. Some aggressive dogs should simply be euthanized due to their dangerous nature – another heartbreakingly difficult decision. But, for the dog whose aggression is specific to one stimulus, in this case, children, it is easier to think about re-homing as an option that can bring peace to the family and the dog. It’s still tough to come to that decision, and my heart goes out to my clients tonight while they discuss their options.

Field Trip Fun!

What do two Coton de Tulears, a Brittany Spaniel, an Afghan Hound, a Labrador, a German Shepherd Dog, three mixed breeds, a Golden Retriever and a Boxer all have in common? They all had a great outing at the Sensible Puppy Field Trip this past weekend. Eleven puppies aged 14 weeks through 6 months enjoyed the warm spring weather at Holliday Park, along with several hundred other Hoosiers and their dogs, bicycles, boom boxes, strollers, picnic baskets and more.

(You can view the slide show to the right)

We taught the puppies to greet people politely, to climb a rock wall, to navigate playground equipment and to be comfortable in the hubbub of a busy park. Those in attendance were able to check off many socialization contacts in their Sensible Puppy Notebook.

Our current STAR award puppies led the way. Ava, the German Shepherd Dog, looked gorgeous, confident and under control. Sammie, the pretty black Lab-cross, was friendly and relaxed around the noises, too. Lady, a lovely a Brittany Spaniel, seemed to relish taking the lead, showing everyone “her” park.

Other puppy class grads seemed happy to be out and about with their owners as well. Bailey, a Coton de Tulear, looked great, walking nicely and sporting his new red Gentle Leader. Bella the aristocratic Afghan made several new friends, and I was thrilled to see her confidence! Sophie, a Coton de Tulear, learned that even little dogs can climb rock walls with alacrity.

Nearly all the current class members were present. Edna, a mixed-breed, paid excellent attention to her owner. Ali the Boxer was great at loose-leash walking. Clearly, he has been practicing this skill. Dyce the Doodle learned that play structures could be fun. Orion the confident black Lab puppy greeted strangers happily, and wondered about a baby in a stroller: is that a kid with wheels or a vehicle with eyeballs? Drew the golden retriever clearly loved the commotion of the busy park – he wagged his tail the entire time.

The trip was definitely worthwhile as a socialization and training opportunity. Next month will be somewhere altogether different – be sure to mark your calendars and keep those fourth Saturdays open for field trips!

Well-Trained (and Well-Socialized) Dogs Have More Fun

During Spring Break a few weeks ago, my friends Becky and Cathy invited us to join them for a hike in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. My sons came along as did 5 dogs – Two golden retrievers, one Labrador retriever, a Brittany Spaniel and a Vizsla.

The hike was lovely. It was nice to see a bit of wild Indiana before the bugs and humidity come along! Even more wonderful, though, was the realization that our hike was pleasant because our dogs enjoyed great freedoms. They splashed in the creek, explored upturned tree-roots and raced up and down steep embankments. They tried to retrieve rocks tossed into the water by the boys. They laughed their way through the mud and rolled in the great "doggie-bliss" perfumes they found.

All of the dogs were fabulous with my boys, although only three of them live with children. All of the dogs considered the running, jumping, shrieking, climbing and splashing that the boys did to be normal behavior, and they were right. None of the dogs chased wildlife. All the dogs got multiple treats and praise for “working” so hard doing our hike. They were trustworthy enough to enjoy off-leash freedom. When they checked in on their own, they were rewarded. When they came at our calls, they were rewarded.

When another hiker and dog appeared on the trail, we asked our dogs to down-stay. All five of them did, immediately. As the elderly man passed by, his pretty little border collie growled threateningly at us, especially at the children. She glanced warily at our dogs, her tail tucked to her belly. Her pretty little face was contorted with fear. Her owner tightened up her leash, and she stuck to his leg like a burr on a sock. The kindly man, smiling and chatting to us, was unaware of his dog’s body language, which said, “I’m scared – don’t come near or I will bite.” I don’t even think he heard her growling.

Suddenly, I was jolted by the contrast. Here’s a dog who had a ton of potential, probably…but why was she so afraid of all of us? I wanted to ask the man, “Did you take her to puppy class? Has she seen children, before? Why doesn’t she trust other dogs? How is it this beautiful, sensitive girl is such a snarling, defensive-aggressive menace?

Some would cry “abuse!”, but I know that the simplest explanation is usually accurate – and this dear old man probably knew nothing of early developmental “windows” for socialization and likely never considered training his attentive little companion. The most likely reason for her behavior is a lack of positive experience with strangers, children and friendly dogs. She’s probably never seen 5 calm dogs on a down-stay. That is not normal dog behavior! I felt sorry for the old man and his dog, as they continued down the trail. She’ll never be off her leash, and he’ll never know the pleasures we were having, watching our dogs gamboling in the woods.

I look forward to a return visit to that lovely place. There are miles of trails for us to explore. It was refreshing on many levels. I am glad that my lifestyle and my friends include well-socialized and well-trained dogs. We have more fun than the other guys.