Dog Behavior Blog

When the Lights Go Out, Dogs Steal Food

2013-04-22T13:25:41-07:00

One Halloween, I bought little packaged chocolate candy bars
and put them into a bowl on a table in the darkened hall next to the front door.
I told my Standard Poodle, Zephyr, to leave the candy alone, because I knew
that chocolate can be poisonous to dogs.

As the Trick-or-Treaters came up to
the door, I gave each a candy bar while Zephyr stood nearby, wagging his tail
and obviously enjoying the kids and their costumes. Even though I sometimes
stepped out onto the front porch, stepping away from my sight of the candy
bars, Zephyr made no effort to touch the bowl.

Then my phone rang in another room. I thought that I was
safe leaving the candy for the thirty seconds that it took me to walk into the
other room, pick up the phone and carry it back to the front door. After all,
Zephyr was an obedient dog, and I had told him sternly that he should leave the
candy bowl alone.

Imagine my horror when I came back and found that the entire
bowl was empty. Zephyr had swallowed about twenty candy bars, wrappers and all.
He was standing as far away from the bowl as possible, with a look that said,
Candy, what candy? I don’t know what happened to it. It wasn’t me.

It was time to haul out the peroxide, take him out on the
back porch, and pour a couple of teaspoons down his throat. A few minutes
later, the peroxide did its job. Out came all twenty candy bars, unscathed by
dog teeth, just covered with goo.

I had saved my dog, but I still had a dilemma. That was my
entire supply of candy, and the evening was still young.

The candy wrappers were still intact, and I had a fleeting
thought of simply washing the wrappers and giving the kids the candy. But I
thought, no, that’s pretty gross.

My solution was to turn off the lights and pretend that no
one was home, and keep Zephyr from barking when kids rang the doorbell.

So did Zephyr realize that he could eat the candy bars
because I wasn’t watching?

A new study in the journal Animal Cognition suggests that
the answer is yes.

In the study by Kaminski et al. (2013, Animal Cognition
16:385-394) the experimenters set up situations were dogs were always forbidden
by a person to eat food that was available, but sometimes the person was lit up
with a lamp while the food was in the dark, sometimes the food was lit up while
the person was dark, sometimes both person and food were lit up, and sometimes
both were in the dark.

Whether or not the person was lit up with the lamp, as long
as the food was in the dark, the dogs felt that they could eat it. They
apparently realized that as long as the person couldn’t see the food, the
person also couldn’t see the dog stealing it.

This is yet another study showing that dogs are a lot
smarter than we sometimes assume.

For more of Zephyr’s antics, check out my ebook,
Autobiography of a Poodle, available on Amazon.com

--Con Slobodchikoff

Do Dogs Have Language?

2013-01-07T15:53:29-07:00

In my recent book, Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the
Language of Animals (http://tiny.cc/sam5nw), I show that a number of animal
species either have language or have language-like abilities.

Do dogs fall into the category of animals with language?

As we find out more and more about the behavior of dogs, we
find that they have elaborate body-language cues. Some of the large-scale cues
have been known for a long time. For example, the position of the tail, the
ears, the head, and the body torso have been known for a long time as signals
that dogs give to other dogs.

New research shows that within those large-scale cues, there
are more subtle ones, such as dogs laughing, or wagging their tails differently
to show their enjoyment.

We all know that dogs bark, but for a long time people
thought that the barking lacked any meaning. Now research is showing that dogs
give different barks in different contexts, and that other dogs can understand
the contexts from the barks.

Interestingly, we have a hard time understanding the meaning
of the barks, while some dogs seem to have no trouble understanding our words.
The border collie Chaser knows upwards of 1,000 words in English, and the
border collie Rico knows upward of 200 words in German.

And then there are the odor cues in anal glands and other
sources of odor. We have a hard time understanding the meaning encoded in
odors, but it is likely that anal glands can signal a considerable amount of
information to other dogs.

So the bottom line is, it is likely that dogs have a
language, just like the prairie dogs, dolphins, chickadees, honeybees, and ants
that I talk about in Chasing Doctor Dolittle have their own forms of language.

--Con Slobodchikoff

Animal Behavior Course

2012-09-14T15:08:14-07:00

What Would You Like To Know About Animal Behavior?

Would you like to know about why animals do what they do? Would you like to know why your dog does the things she does? Would you like to know how animals, including dogs, learn?

Now you can find out through my Animal Behavior Course, at www.animalbehaviorcourse.net.

It is an edited version of the lectures that I have been teaching to animal behavior classes for a number of years. I have edited it so that everything is people-friendly, with no big scientific terms or jargon.

You get a pdf file for $37. There are 11 modules in this file, and each module teaches you the highlights of what we currently know about the behavior of animals in areas such as learning, aggression, feeding, reproduction, migration, navigation, homing, communication, and social behavior.

You risk nothing in buying it. The course is sold through Clickbank, which has a 60 day return policy. So if you buy it and find that it is not right for you, Clickbank will return your money.

Also, if you haven't read it yet, I invite you to read my new ebook, Autobiography of a Poodle, which sells for $3.47 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book tells the story of Zephyr, a standard poodle, and offers in a painless and fun way a lot of advice on the training and behavior of dogs. You can find the Amazon version at:http://tinyurl.com/9de6g6p

Finally, I would like to invite you, if you are on Facebook and haven't yet visited it, to visit my new page called Dr Con (www.facebook.com/doctor.con). If you are interested in animal intelligence, animal abilities, or animal language, I talk about recent findings in all of those areas. Click on the Like button, check it out and let me know if you like it or if you have suggestions for what to include.

--Con Slobodchikoff

New Book: Autobiography of a Poodle

2012-08-23T14:56:30-07:00

What kind of book would a dog write? In my new book,
Autobiography of a Poodle, I try to answer that question.

The book is an uplifting story about a standard poodle named Zephyr, and
chronicles his life from puppyhood on. All of the events described in the book
actually happened to Zephyr, an eternal optimist.

He had to go through dog training classes
He went to a dog show
He had to adjust to living with a cat
He had to stay in a crate while his people slept
He ran off-leash some of the time
He had dog friends
He encountered a dog who bit him
He ate some poisoned food
He had to learn to live with another standard
poodle who came into his life

Along the way, Zephyr shares his philosophy of life and how
dogs might see the world.

There are three possibilities for how this book was written:

Zephyr wrote the book at night, typing on the
computer while everyone was asleep
Zephyr dictated the book to me, and I faithfully
copied down every word
I wrote the book based on events in Zephyr’s
life and my knowledge of dog behavior

What you choose to believe is up to you.

--Con Slobodchikoff

Career Advice for Aspiring Behaviorists and Trainers

2012-05-10T10:04:14-07:00

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This post is by Karen London, PhD, CAAB, CPDT, who regularly contributes posts to this blog and is also a frequent contributor to Bark Magazine as well as author or co-author of a number of books on dog behavior.

One of the questions I receive most often is how to become a
canine behaviorist or trainer. Neither is a career with a typical path made up
of a standard educational program followed by an exam or an approved
internship. All of us in the field have carved our own way, which is why there
are so many variations on the story we each tell about how we came to do what
we do. While there are many paths to a career in this field, some basic advice
applies to all of them.

The most important advice I like to give to anyone with an
interest in this type of work is that there are two equally important aspects
of preparing for such careers. I feel strongly that the best trainers and
behaviorists have pursued both avenues as part of their education.

One is acquiring the knowledge you’ll need in this field,
and that involves learning a lot about a variety of areas: canine ethology,
learning theory, coaching skills, proper equipment, and business. To educate
yourself in these areas requires a lot of reading of books and blogs,
supplemented by seminars, online or in-person courses, webinars, and workshops.

The second, and equally important area is practical
experience and hands-on work with animals. All the book learning in the world
will not take you very far as a behaviorist and trainer if you don’t have the
skills to actually work with a dog. The best ways to acquire these practical
skills are with a combination of workshops, training your own and friends’ dogs,
and volunteering at a place with a lot of animals, such as a shelter or humane
organization, a rescue group, a veterinary clinic, or a dog-training business.

In my experience, most people are stronger in one area or
the other. Either they are really on top of the knowledge and information side
of things but a bit weak on dog handling skills or they are highly skilled with
dogs but could benefit from having more information at their disposal. The
people who really excel as dog trainers and behaviorists are balanced—very
knowledgeable and highly skilled.

When I started doing this kind of work full time, I was far
more advanced in my book learning than my dog handling skills. I had completed
my Ph.D. in zoology with an emphasis in ethology, and I was in good shape in
terms of what I knew. (To clarify, I think it’s critical not ever to be done
learning, so I follow my own advice and continue to learn, especially with a
lot of reading and also with webinars and conferences when I can). Though I had
good practical skills for working with large colonies of stinging wasps, as was
required for my dissertation work, I lacked enough experience with dogs, and
that’s what I set out to correct.

I worked as a dog groomer for a year just to get to know my
new species of choice, while I worked as an assistant trainer and then as a
trainer. I remember after that year when I began my internship with behaviorist
Patricia McConnell, she once said to me, “I’m as proud of my dog training
skills as I am of my Ph. D. They were equally hard to acquire.” That comment
has always stayed with me, reminding me of the importance of excelling in both
knowledge and practical skills. These skills must be practiced regularly to be
maintained.

If you haven’t yet worked a lot with dogs, you may wonder what
sorts of skills I’m talking about. The things that people who work with dogs
need to be able to do is practice with dogs of every temperament, size, and
learning style. They include:

Getting them in and out of kennels and crates

Using your own expressions and postures to set even fearful
dogs at ease

Having excellent timing with reinforcement, such as treats
and clickers or other markers

Using your voice and modulating its tone and volume

Managing the leash when working with exuberant or even
aggressive dogs.

Attaching and fitting all sorts of head collars, harness,
and leashes

Body blocking

Moving in space with dogs for turns, stops, accelerations

If you are interested in a career as a behaviorist or
trainer, know that you will be working with people as much as with dogs. If you
want to work with animals because you love them and aren’t so fond of people,
this is not the right field for you. People and dogs are two of my very
favorite species, which is lucky since I spend so much time with members of
both of them.

Best of luck to all of you who want to be in this field. I
love my work and I would recommend it to anyone who loves dogs as much as I do!

--Karen London

Dog Training Certifications – The Credential Craze

2012-04-22T18:21:58-07:00

Note from Con Slobodchikoff (www.conslobodchikoff.com): The following post was written by Starr Ladehoff, Certified Professional Dog Trainer -- Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), and Director Elect, Board of Directors, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (#71153) and a Canine Life and Social Skills Evaluator (#E750403). Starr does training and behavioral consulting at Arizona Pet Professionals, LLC, www.ArizonaPetPro.com. Her email is starr800@gmail.com.

(Disclaimer: The Dog Behavior Blog has no affiliation with, nor receives any compensation from, any of the dog behavior web sites or organizations listed in this post).

In a world full of credentials for everything from doctors to technicians, it is often challenging to make sense of what they mean and in the dog training and behavior industry, credentials are becoming quite popular. Many trainers have some form of certification or are on their way to obtaining one. Through the maze and haze of all of these symbols that grow every year, it is worth taking a look at what several of the popularly listed credentials mean.

There are three main types of certification as described by Susan Smith, CPDT-KA, CDBC of Raising Canine, LLC in her article posted on her school website – www.becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

· The first certification signifies you have completed a course of study and met standards discerned by the organization providing the course – giving you a certificate of completion or diploma. The testing process is geared to the organization’s curriculum so one may or may not be limited in proficiency.

· The second type of certification is where one has met standards of a member-driven organization and, like the first, it may be driven by a certain point of view or methodology.

· The third type is where one has met standards that are independent of any organization; these standards are based in science, or are accepted industry standards. Regardless of how you obtained your education, the tests are standardized for the profession.

In the second and third cases, there are often continuing education requirements to keep the certification up to date and in the third case periodic renewal of the certification almost always required.

The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is the only independent, psychometrically sound, certifying organization for dog trainers, to date. The certification is met by sitting for a knowledge based exam (CPDT-KA); CCPDT has recently added a skills based exam (CPDT-KSA) and an exam for behavior consultants (CBCC-KA or -KSA).

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) encourages people to attain certification and has a list of approved certifications they recognize as meeting their standards. Below is the list of approved certifications by the APDT as listed on their website www.apdt.com:

Credential By Organization

CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed) By Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

ACAAB (Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist) By Animal Behavior Society

CAAB (Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist) By Animal Behavior Society

CABC (Certified Animal Behavior Consultant) By International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

CDBC (Certified Dog Behavior Consultant) By International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

CCAB (Certified Clinical Behavior Consultant) By International Association for the Study of Animal Behavior

DACVB (Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists) By American College of Veterinary Behaviorists

The following are some of the schools with certificate programs that provide a certificate upon completion of their program (there is usually no requirement for continuing education):

Credential By Organization

ABCDT (Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer) By Animal Behavior College

DipCBST (Diploma of Canine Science Behavior and Technology) By Companion Animal Science Institute

KPCT (Karen Pryor Certified Trainer) By Karen Pryor Academy

PMCT(1,2,3) Pat Miller Certified Trainer levels 1, 2 & 3) By Pat Miller Academy

TCA Trainer By Triple Crown Academy

If you are thinking of becoming certified as a dog trainer, when deciding on a certification, consider the type of credential you feel would best suit your needs and what value you will receive in obtaining it. If you are looking at a program that gives a certificate or diploma upon completion, look at methodology and course curriculum. Communicate with graduates and ask why they chose a specific program in addition to asking if they feel benefited by the credential. Most credentials and programs offer benefits and perks to those who have graduated or obtained the certification including exposure to the public, discounts for various items or services and groups to join for advice and support. Other programs that don’t offer a certification, such as www.becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com provide a thorough curriculum to prepare you for training and/or CCPDT certification in the future.

If you are trying to find a dog trainer who is credentialed, ask them what their designation means and what it took to get it or look at where it was obtained and what standards were met to get it. Talk to the trainer’s references. Make sure you feel comfortable with the trainer and their methods and experience. Ask questions of those who state they are a “behaviorist” without the PhD or certification to back it up.

While there are many amazing trainers without a certification, it is my opinion that we improve ourselves and our profession by obtaining a valid and respected credential that was obtained by testing one’s knowledge of the science of canine behavior.

DOG SOCIALIZATION – WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW?

2012-03-31T10:51:49-07:00

Most of us have been told we should socialize our dogs for them to be ok with other dogs, animals and people but what does that really mean? Is it free-for-all play with all types of dogs and letting them “figure it out?” Should we take them to different places with lots of people and/or animals so they can “work through their fears?” To answer these questions, we should consider how a dog’s social development progresses from the time they begin the process into adulthood.

The primary socialization period starts at age 3 weeks! Puppies learn they are dogs. The littermates begin to play with each other practicing survival techniques for later on in life such as biting, barking, fighting, posturing and chasing. During this period, which lasts up to approximately 12 weeks, puppies go through major changes both physically and socially. They learn to accept corrections from their mother and to use submissive postures. They learn to relate to their littermates and develop a loose hierarchy within the litter. If puppies are separated from their litter before 7 weeks, their ability to get along with other dogs may be affected and they may not have learned to inhibit the force of their bite.

Between the ages of 7 and 12 weeks, they learn what human beings are and to accept them as safe. This is the time when rapid learning occurs and any experience the puppy goes through has the greatest impact on future social behavior, good or bad. Teach your puppy the house rules and give them structure but keep in mind their short attention span and physical limitations. Although puppies can continue to learn to be comfortable with new things, it is not as easy as during this period. This is why the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends proper socialization classes and experiences as early as 7 to 8 weeks of age. Although puppies are not completely immune to disease this young, there is greater risk for behavioral problems developing later on in life due to incomplete or improper socialization. To read the position statement on puppy socialization from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, go to www.avsabonline.org.

As puppies age, they go through two “fear imprinting” periods. Any traumatic event the puppy experiences can have a more lasting effect and may last for life. The first fear period is between 8 and 11 weeks. Be careful not to put your puppy into stressful or frightening situations. No wild costume parties during this time of their life! The second fear period is between 6 and 14 months old. Many dogs will become more reactive during this time or become suddenly apprehensive about new things. In large breeds, this period could extend longer. Puppies have individual personalities just like we do so what is scary for one may not be for another. By becoming familiar with canine body language you will learn to recognize fear signals your dog might display.

So what is proper socialization? Socialization is not simply dog/dog play, though that can be part of it.

Socialization really is:

Exposure to the world the dog will be a part of in a safe manner with rules and guidelines
Learning to be calm when the world is stimulating
Learning to respond to signals when that is not what they want to do

Yes! Socialization is learning and maintaining acceptable behavior in any situation, especially when they would rather not. It is learning to handle any experience they will normally encounter throughout their life without becoming fearful, overly stimulated, reactive or aggressive.

Getting to know the breed(s) in your dog will help you understand their predispositions to sociability. Some breed types are more likely to continue puppy sociability into adulthood like sporting dogs and companion dogs (retrievers and spaniels). More of the breeds however become less tolerant such as terriers, guard dogs, herding dogs and bully breeds. Some dogs grow to become consistent challengers and others consistently remain passive.

Seeking out proper socializing experiences such as well-structured puppy classes or one on one play dates with other appropriate dogs is a vital part of proper socialization. A great puppy class may have a safe, mature dog for the puppies to learn from who will teach them boundaries. Puppies should be matched by personality and play style. Sharing games like the retrieve/drop should be taught to avoid possessiveness and teach relinquishment of unsafe items. Learning to come happily back to their person during play is an extremely important skill to learn at any age. Your dog should look to you for guidance and be willingly dependent upon you.

If you have a mature dog who is easily stimulated, teach them to relax before allowing them to socialize. If you have an adult dog who would rather not be around other dogs or people, don’t force them to socialize – they may never change and you might end up with a fight or other problem behavior. Encourage and teach passive play instead of overly aroused play. If you have a dog or multiple dogs who play rough, do a lot of interruptions and call them to you happily rewarding them for paying attention. Teach them to play together with toys instead of mouthing each other. Overly aroused play can lead to aggression as dogs mature so be careful, particularly with the breeds who tend to go from 0-60 in about 2 seconds!

Proper socialization is an art! Be patient, kind and consistent while teaching social skills. Both you and your dog should be having fun. If you feel you have a dog with socialization issues, seek advice from a qualified behavior professional.

Should Dogs Eat The Same Food Every Day?

2011-12-07T10:39:48-07:00

I was just feeding my Standard Poodle his daily rations and thinking about dog food. Every morning and evening, I give him half a can of some kind of premium dog food, some premium dog kibble, and some human food, like chicken, beef, or tuna. I mix up the cans of food, so that he never gets the same flavor repeated twice in one day. Sometimes it’s canned lamb, other times it’s canned chicken, and other times it’s beef from a can. I mix up the human food as well, giving him some chicken meat or beef or tuna on a random basis.

When I started feeding my first dog, many years ago, I was told by everyone that I should feed her the same thing, day in and day out. So I gave her the same dried kibble, twice a day, every day. The rationale was that if I gave her something else to eat, she would have an upset stomach because she was not used to processing different kinds of food.

She seemed grateful to get the food, and I didn’t think to question the conventional wisdom that I was told.

Much later, I started to wonder about the conventional wisdom. After all, feral dogs and their wild relatives eat a huge variety of food, basically whatever they can find or catch, all without having severe diarrhea every 20 minutes.

So is it really true that dogs need to stay on the same diet?

We know that mammals (yes, us too!) have a bacterial flora in their gut that assists in the digestion and processing of food. When that bacterial flora is disrupted, we can have diarrhea. This is often why people who go to other countries come down with a case of the “turista” when they eat food containing a different mix of bacterial flora.

Maybe that happens with dogs as well, when we change them over from feeding on only one food item to a large variety of foods. Then we might have a little bit of cleanup to do for a while.

Some people have told me that the proper way to introduce a dog to some other kind of food is to put in a little bit of the new food in along with lots of the old food, and then keep adding a little bit of the new food every day until the proportion of new food outweighs the proportion of old food. This can take months.

But with us, we know that we get over the “turista” in a week or two, and then are quite happy to eat a variety of strange foods as the bacterial flora adjusts in the gut. Should dogs be any different?

I know that my Poodle enjoys eating a variety of different foods. Occasionally I will forget which can I gave him and repeat the same canned food twice in a day. He usually eats some of it, but not with the relish that he saves for a dinner that is varied from the time before.

Put yourself in his place: How would you like to have oatmeal for breakfast, and oatmeal for dinner, only to look forward to the next day and …..more oatmeal?

To go back to my question: should dogs stay on the same diet day after day? In my opinion, the answer is No, not even close.

(PS, I love oatmeal, but I don’t think that I could eat it twice a day for the rest of my life).

--Con Slobodchikoff

Your Dog Can Talk To You

2011-10-17T16:27:51-07:00

We have known for some time that animals such as chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas can be taught to communicate through using signs such as those of American Sign Language or using lexigrams on computer keyboards. We also are becoming increasingly aware that dogs have the cognitive ability to understand human gestures such as pointing, and that dogs are keen observers of the body movements of humans. However, with dogs, this communication has often been a one-way street: We point, they respond, but we do not usually respond to their gestures. In her book, Dogs Can Sign, Too, Sean Senechal offers a step-by-step method of teaching both humans and dogs a way of communicating with one another through gestures (Senechal, Sean, 2009, Dogs Can Sign, Too: A Breakthrough Method for Teaching Your Dog to Communicate to You, Celestial Arts, Berkeley CA).

I first learned of Sean Senechal’s work from a story by Anne Fawcett in the May 27, 2011 Sydney Morning Herald, which talked about the progress we are making in communicating with animals. The story talked about my work with decoding prairie dog language, and also talked about the work that Sean Senechal was doing in devising a language that dogs can use to communicate with their people.

I was intrigued, and visited Sean at her California ranch to see her work for myself. She showed me how her horse could use the sign language to request different kinds of foods, and also how her dogs could use the language to indicate what kind of food they wanted, where things hurt on their body, and their wanting to go outside to play. I ordered her book from Amazon, and found the book to be both informative and fun to read.

There are ten chapters in this paperback book. The first chapter offers a brief statement of why dogs are a good candidate for learning a sign language that they can use to communicate with their humans. Consider, for example, all of the signs, gestures, and procedures that guide dogs have to learn in order to perform their duties for people who cannot see or cannot hear. The second chapter presents an overview of the K9Sign Language that Senechal has devised for communication, using gestures and body postures that are easy and natural for dogs. This language is rule-based with standardized moves: If a dog want to communicate “Potty,” the dog moves its hind legs out to a wide stance, while if a dog wants to communicate its desire for “Chicken” as a food item, the dog lifts its left paw up high and then lowers it down. The third chapter discusses how dog learn and some of the elements of learning theory, as an introduction to those who are not familiar with the basics, and as a reminder for those who know how other animals learn. Chapters 4 through 6 give some practical tips on what people should expect when they start to teach this language to their dogs, and how people can avoid the pitfalls and frustrations that are likely to befall them along the way. Chapter 7 gives specific information on how to teach human signs to dogs, and Chapters 8 and 9 talk about how to use and interpret the signs that dogs naturally have through their body language. Chapter 10 briefly sets out Senechal’s vision that eventually such signs can be used to communicate not only with dogs but with other animals as well, such as horses, as a way of strengthening the human-animal bond.

Throughout the book, Senechal provides photographs of the hand, arm, and face gestures that she uses with her dog Chal, and also provides extensive photographic documentation of the signs that Chal uses to communicate with Senechal. This makes it easy for a person learning K9Sign Language to learn the signs and also to learn what kinds of responses should be taught to a dog. Senechal also goes into extensive detail about the different signs, so that in addition to the visual aspect of the photographs, there is ample explanation of how to learn and teach this language.

In our attempts to communicate with other animals, Senechal’s book is a step in a good direction. Although there is increasing evidence that many animal species have sophisticated methods of communicating and language, decoding those communication methods is difficult and time-consuming. On the other hand, teaching animals a basic language that they can use to communicate with humans offers a path to increasing the well-being of both the animals and the people who otherwise have to guess what it might be that their animals want. This book is a “Must Read” for those who seriously want to communicate with their dogs.

--Con Slobodchikoff

It’s Okay to Change Your Dog’s Name

2011-09-29T14:23:20-07:00

“They named him ‘Baby’ and I just hate it. I feel so silly calling him that, but obviously I can’t change his name. He’s already three years old.” It’s not surprising that my client, a new owner of a 130-pound full-grown Hungarian Kuvasz wasn’t that crazy about the name ‘Baby.’ It’s common to adopt an adult dog with a name that doesn’t really thrill you, and many people have soldiered on for the rest of the dog’s life, stuck with a name that they just don’t feel right about.

There’s good news, though: If you don’t like your dog’s name, you can change it. Period. It’s easy to do it and it causes no harm to the dog. Dogs can have multiple names and respond to each one, as is the case in many homes where the dog is called by his actual name as well as variations by different members of the household.

Changing a dog’s name is one of the easiest parts of adopting and training a new dog. Here’s how you do it. Start by saying the new name and giving him something great like a piece of chicken, a belly rub, or a play session if he looks at you. This teaches him to love hearing his new name and responding to it. Most dogs learn a new name within a few weeks if you do this multiple times each day, and some learn it in just a couple of sessions. Progress will be faster if you avoid using the name for no reason and also refrain from associating it with anything bad.

Names like Baby, Poopsie, and Pudding are often not popular with new adopters. On other extreme, many people feel a mismatch when they adopt a dog who has been going by Killer, Spike, or Vengeance. I knew a family who adopted a dog named Spot, and chose to change it. They could not imagine why someone would give their dog this cliché of a name. A year later, they learned from the rescue group where they adopted their dog that the couple who had surrendered him had been named Dick and Jane, which made the choice of Spot for the dog’s name seem not just understandable, but almost obvious.

--Karen London