Training Tip: Separation Anxiety

You have the greatest dog in the world. He walks on leash like a champ, always goes outside to do his "doody" and even brings your slippers by the fire every evening. So why are you so frustrated with him? It's because you can't leave the house without your lovable pup giving a performance worthy of a canine Academy Award for grief. My gosh, you can't even go to the bathroom without Fifi clawing and scratching at the door, howling in misery until she sees you again! While we feel quite honored that anyone on this Earth is so bereft without our presence, it can be a real problem if allowed to continue. Dogs suffering from separation anxiety may put up such a racket that neighbors might complain, getting Animal Control involved. An anxious dog can also be quite destructive, chewing and scratching furniture, doors, and even drywall. What's a human companion to do?

Let's start with how you leave and enter your home. Most people have a ritual of some kind they go through before going out. Shower, dress, eat breakfast, read paper, etc. Your dog quickly recognizes your routine and if he is an anxious type he'll start getting worked up bit by bit as your departure draws near. By the time you go he'll be grief-stricken. Many of us try to reassure our dog, speaking to him kindly and petting him. We empathize with his feelings and without meaning to we amplify his anxiety by showing him that, indeed, there really is something to be upset about! Leaving our sorrowful pooch behind we head off to our day, leaving him to pine and eat the walls. Upon our return good old Rover is ecstatic to see us, leaping, running and barking up a storm. Who doesn't appreciate that kind of welcome? "He's home! He's home! The Great One has returned!" We oblige this behavior with cries of joy and big hugs, again reinforcing that it is so much better to be here than gone.

All this is fine if you don't have a dog that displays classic separation anxiety behavior. If your dog is one of the many who needs help, you'll need to change your behavior as well. Before we do that, let's play a little game with Fido. One afternoon when you have about 45 minutes to an hour for training you can get a good start on a cure. Start your usual "leaving the house" routine. Get a coat on, jingle your car keys and start for the door. Pet your pooch on the head and say "Bye bye". Then step outside. If your dog can't see you on the porch, stand there silently for a few minutes. If your dog can see you through a window, go around the side of the house to wait. Whether he begins whining or not, walk back into the house after those few minutes. Ignore your dog for the first five minutes no matter what he does. Don't let him jump up on you (a later column will cover this) and don't talk to him. Sort your mail, get a glass of water. When the time is up, meet your dog's eyes and ask him to "sit". When he does, say "Hello" calmly, praise the sit, and go on about your day. Extend this exercise to the point where you can leave, get in your car and drive around the block before walking back in. Always use this approach, called "Cool Goodbyes and Warm Hello's" when you leave. Stick with it! There is plenty of time for affection, play and good times with your Best Friend, but he needs to know that you will always be back no matter how long or short the duration. Then and only then will he stay calmer in your absence.

For comments and questions, please don't hesitate to email me through this site. We're all in this together. I'll see you out there!

Fun All Year: Geocaching with Your Dog

If you get out of the house at all with your pooch, whether you walk city streets or hike the hundreds of miles of trails the Bay Area offers, here's an activity that will add a bit of spice to your day. It's called Geocaching, an online treasure hunt that you can play anywhere on Earth. With just a GPS receiver and a sense of adventure you can seek containers that have been hidden in places from the obvious to the remote. These containers, known as "geocaches", range in size from about a .45 caliber bullet all the way to a bucket. The main goal is to find these hidden stashes and sign the log book (or strip) included in each one. The adventurous Geocacher will also find various trinkets, and may leave his or her own "signature item" to prove the find. Here's how you do it:

*Get a GPS receiver. Most sporting goods or camping stores have them, or go online to Amazon.com

*Sign on to The Geocaching Official Web Site

*Create a free account. There is no charge to join, they just want to make sure you have a valid email address. Premium Memberships are paid and allow users to find "Member's Only" caches as well as paying for all the server space needed.

*Type your zip code into the "Seek A Geocache" area and look at how many there are in just a ten-mile radius!

*Print out the ones you want to find. Check the reviews other cachers have written for hints as to how easy it was to find, if it has been destroyed (or "Muggled" as we cachers say). Some more tech-savvy folks will interface the GPS with their computer and download all that info directly. It's up to you.

*Pick a starting point and try to keep your searches in a big circle to maximize searching time.

*Try to pick as many dog-friendly caches as possible. Briones Regional Park is chock-full of caches and it's off leash!

*Get out there and start cachin'!

When You Find A Cache

Practice your "Found It!" dance. Be sure to sign the log book. Take some swag if you want a souvenir. Be sure to hide the container as well (or better) than it was but put it back in the exact same spot. That's really important. Remember to record your find online when you get back. While sheer numbers may impress some folks, most of us feel that the pleasure is in the search itself. Here in the Bay Area there is a thriving community of Geocachers and they have get-togethers from time to time that are published on the site. Four of the top 20 "finders" in the world live right here, including Team Alamo, with over 31,000 caches found! My own family has the handle "Blue Blaze Irregulars", ranked 15,987th in the world with 606 finds. Bill the Dog is a very important member of the Team, having found two caches all by himself.

Geocaching is all-weather, mostly 24/7/365 fun for you and your dog. Once you get the hang of it you can even hide some caches yourself. Hope to see you out there!

Training Tip: No Excuses!

During the week I visit several clients' homes and take their nice doggies out for walks. We go to Briones, Lafayette Reservoir, dog parks and many nice neighborhoods. I love getting out in the fresh air, burning up calories and teaching pooches to be good canine citizens. It's rather idyllic, really. It's the kind of job one only dreams about. And California is the perfect place for it, with weather to die for most of the time. My friends with office jobs tell me I'm a lucky guy and I can't disagree. So why do I come home some nights frustrated and angry? Bad dog owners.

I was walking my buddy Baxter on a back trail at the Rez recently when I encountered a gentleman walking his dog just ahead of me. The pup was doing his "doody" so we started walking by him. Suddenly the other dog sprang at Baxter, teeth snapping and his body twisting wildly on the leash. His owner was yelling at him as the dog dragged him across the pavement, knocking me down. I got up just in time to pull Baxter away before the other dog sank his teeth into his neck. In the calmest voice I could muster I said: "Sir, could you please not bring a vicious dog like that to this park!"

"He's not vicious, he's just scared!"

No Excuses!

I was walking my two "kids" Jake and Grace on a woodland trail when we were approached by a couple walking a mastiff. As they approached us the mastiff began to growl and strain at her leash, pulling the poor man along the trail. The woman told me: "Oh, she's recovering from an injury, she's not usually like this." Two weeks later we saw the same dog on the same trail. Same behavior, same explanation.

No Excuses!

I'm sure many of you have had similar experiences while walking your dogs. It can't continue. The next time somebody's dog acts out against you or your pup and their owner tries to explain it away with some lame story about their past or, worse, tries to put the blame on you, tell them:

No Excuses!

Training classes are held year-round and a small investment of money along with a responsible attitude toward dog ownership will make those stories unnecessary. I'll see you out there!