Behind the Behavior

Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT

If you’ve read some of my other posts here, you know I’ve mentioned my Australian Shepherd named Conner. He is quite the remarkable dog; lots of natural herding instinct, loves kids and men, and a born dog/dog communicator who helps me diagnose and treat dog/dog aggression cases. Conner has one problem though, noise phobia. This time of year sends him into fits of barking, stress panting, and pacing. We’re lucky in one way though, his symptoms are mild to moderate. Our clients report that some of their dogs hide (in bathtubs, closets, under the bed), shake and drool. This phobia is difficult to treat because it’s difficult or impossible to control the stimuli: thunder, fireworks, gunshots, cars backfiring, etc. Thunderstorms are even more difficult to deal with because thunderstorms are more than one stimulus: change in barometric pressure, metallic smell, wind, rain. (more…)

Miles Bensky, BA, CTC

Summer is a beautiful time in Seattle, and as the warmer weather approaches, many of us find ourselves spending more time outside. Recently, I have taken up running, completing my first half-marathon in March over on Whidbey Island. As I have continued to train outside, I notice more and more people walking, jogging, skating, and biking around town. Being a dog lover, I can’t help but notice an increase in the number of dogs enjoying outdoor activities with their owners. Therefore, I thought it would be a great time to discuss some important points that dog owners should consider when thinking about exercising with Fido.

Exercise is an important component to having a well-balanced dog. An article published in The Journal of Nutrition estimates that obesity rates range between 18-44% of the dog population and exercise is critical to their health as well. All dogs need some level of daily physical activity in order to stay happy and healthy. Lack of exercise can contribute to behavioral issues such as Destructive Chewing and Leash Reactivity. Having an overweight dog can lead to various health complications such as Heart Disease, Hip Dysplasia, and Diabetes.

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Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT

I adopted two adult, male Aussies named Conner and Flynn from Australian Shepherd Rescue so now I’m a volunteer. A little over a week ago, I got a call from Seattle Animal Care and Control notifying me that a purebred, female Australian Shepherd puppy had been surrendered. Once the puppy’s hold period was up, I went off to evaluate her and bring her into Aussie Rescue.

I’d love to know the back story on this girl since she’s perfect, never been mistreated that I can see, and perfectly healthy (including negative fecal float). She’s up to date on shots and has a microchip. I’ve named her Maebh (pronounced may + v). This name is from an old Irish name Madb, “the cause of great joy” or “she who intoxicates.” I know she’ll probably end up with a name like Oreo, but I thought I should give her a predictive name… it’s a shot. (more…)

Carly Loyer Davis, CPDT

It’s more than mildly ridiculous that a dog trainer would not have a dog. Unfortunately, living in a Seattle apartment is very rarely conducive to dog ownership/parentage. Similarly, college, working multiple jobs, and driving a lot don’t lend themselves to being an ideal dog owner. As a result, this dog trainer has had to make do with adoring client dogs and spoiling the bejeezus out of her parents’ two dogs, Hobbes and Gracie (really, they’re family dogs, so they feel like ‘my’ dogs even though I don’t get to live with them on a day-to-day basis). However, I am finally in an apartment that allows dogs and has a convenient place to exercise and enjoy them, and I finally have a job that is flexible enough to allow me to provide sufficient attention for a dog, and I have a husband who is ready and willing to help care for and spoil a dog. What does that mean? It’s time to go dog shopping! (more…)

James Ha, PhD, CAAB

I have expressed my concern about confrontational behavior modification techniques in earlier blogs: the use of “positive punishment” or dominance and pack theory-based techniques, especially in the hands of untrained users, has been shown to be ineffective and to produce negative side effects.  Hiby and colleagues demonstrated that positive reinforcement techniques produced a significantly better response to obedience tasks than did positive punishment techniques (see references below).  Blackwell and colleagues showed that dogs trained using positive reinforcement methods were less likely to exhibit later behavior problems while dogs trained using punishment were more likely to exhibit later fear-related behaviors (see references below).  These are just some examples: there is an expanding literature on the significantly greater effectiveness of positive reinforcement techniques as well as the lack of effectiveness of aversive or confrontational methods, methods which are related to incorrect ideas about the role of dominance and pack theory in dogs. (more…)

Carly Loyer Davis, BA

Part One of this article pointed out that the proposed breed-specific legislation for the City of Seattle is ambiguous and uncertain in designating which dogs it should apply to.  But even if the City works out this knot, the legislation creates further problems.

Some of the restrictions on these breeds present potential health issues. The bill’s purpose is ultimately to eliminate these breeds (or their mixes) in Seattle, mixed or purebred; accordingly, if this law passes, all mixes or purebred dogs affected by the legislation must be sterilized within seven days, “with the exception of immature dogs.” Puppies will be exempt until they’re 13 weeks old if female or 9 weeks old if male. I’m not a vet, but my puppy class students and Companion Animal Solutions‘ clients tell me their vets advise waiting to spay or neuter until the puppy reaches at least six months old.  One reason: to make sure that lack of hormones doesn’t adversely affect the puppies’ growth. Sex hormones regulate bone growth and early neutering can change some joint angles in an unhealthy way, possibly contributing to hip dysplasia or CCL rupture. Additionally, sex hormones help regulate bone density, and dogs that are spayed or neutered prematurely often have lower density. (more…)

Carly Loyer Davis, BA, CPDT

Companion Animal Solutions believes that breed bans are a bad idea for a number of reasons. Instead of discussing this broad topic in a general way, I decided to get a copy of Seattle’s proposed breed ban legislation. I found so many vague and problematic issues with Seattle’s proposed legislation that I’m breaking my article into three parts. This is the first of those three parts.

Recently I’ve noticed bumper stickers and posters popping up with sweetheart pictures of stocky dogs or small children or both, either in support of or in opposition to breed bans. In many dog communities, breed-specific legislation (BSL) has become a prominent topic of discussion and debate, resulting in a variety of websites and groups centered on promoting or preventing laws restricting ownership or breeding of “pit bulls” among other breeds. One article can neither fully explore the numerous perspectives on this delicate, emotionally loaded topic, nor discuss the rationale (or lack thereof) behind all of them. This series of blog entries will focus on the local situation: the practicality of proposed legislation that has recently been circulating in Seattle. After reading the proposed law from beginning to end, I’m convinced that the writers missed out on a few very important facts about dogs, beginning with their designation of which dogs this law would affect. (more…)

Molly Grim, B.A.

We’ve all felt it: The late-afternoon energy crash between lunch and a second cup of coffee, or the on-edge irritability that preceeds that hours-overdue dinner.  As humans, we know that food is a vital tool in stabilizing our mood and energy levels, and for maintaining overall health.  Providing all the necessary brain and body fuel for ourselves and our families helps ensure more relaxed, cooperative relationships between comfortably satiated individuals. If we don’t function optimally on imbalanced nutrition, could what’s in Fido and Fi-fi’s bowl be contributing to their bothersome behavior? This is a multi-faceted question that is being increasingly investigated by veterinarians, pet trainers and animal behaviorists alike.

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Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT

Seattle Woman Magazine featured me and one of my clients for an article in their February issue titled Pet Positive: Gentler Methods of Dog Training Come to Seattle. The magazine did a very nice job of comparing and contrasting  traditional (coercion based) methods of dog training with the positive reinforcement based methods of dog training used by all of us here at Companion Animal Solutions.

Tara Hayes, the freelance writer spent half a day with me. She rode along on one of my initial consultations and then interviewed me for a couple of hours. We’re thrilled that a magazine of this caliber is so interested in promoting scientific, positive reinforcement based methods of dog training.

I highly recommend Seattle Woman magazine. All of their content is high quality and reflects the unique character of the people and businesses here in Seattle.

Greta Kaplan, CPDT, CDBC

First, we love TWAAW because it is very funny.  Food Lady is just a funny writer and her great photos really give her lots of opportunities for humor.

Second, we love TWAAW because there are lots of great photos of dogs being dogs.  Food Lady does not hide the fact that Piper is, well, a bitch.  We love Mad Teeth ™.  We love the bizarre lip configurations when dogs shake off.  We love the photos of the Woofs interacting with strange dogs, too.

Third, we love TWAAW for a reason that is a little harder to describe.  There are lots of great dog photos (though fantastic quality photos of dogs out just doing their doggie thing are rarer), and there are lots of great writers who tell us truthful things about dogs, and there are lots of people who are very funny about their dogs… but almost no one is all three. (more…)