By Don Hanson, PCBC-A, BFRAP

< A version of this article was published in the JUNE 2026 issue of Downeast Dog News>

< A version of this article was published on the ForceFreePets blog >

< Updated 2026-06-07 >

< The link to this page – https://www.greenacreskennel.com/2026/06/07/questions-to-ask-yourself-before-adding-a-dog-to-your-family/ >

Adding a puppy or dog to a family is no small matter. The decision to do so will affect all family members, and the new dog will be affected by everyone else in the home, humans and non-humans alike. Dogs have their own unique needs and behaviors, some of which conflict with human norms and desires. Therefore, to be fair to the dog and all other family members, everyone in the home needs to consider the following:

Are you ready to live with a companion that will be emotionally and cognitively equivalent to a human toddler its entire life?  

If you have any experience with human toddlers, you know that their innocence and curiosity can be charming and usually outweigh any mischievous or undesirable behavior. However, while most adult toddlers mature into responsible adult humans, a puppy, or even an adult dog, does not. As your dog’s parent, you will be responsible for your dog’s happiness, good health, comfort, and safety for their entire life. If you have human children or other non-human family members, you also need to consider how a dog will affect their lives. For example:

• Do you have the time, energy, and knowledge to manage human and non-human toddlers in your home?
• If you are living with elderly family members or family members with health issues, will a puppy or dog be a benefit or a nuisance?
• Is it fair to an existing dog or cat, especially those that are seniors, to bring a new dog into the home?

Do you accept that dogs have very specific behaviors they need to express, even if we don’t like them?

Any animal denied the opportunity to express normal behavior will not be living its best life and may act out.

These are normal behaviors for a dog: Barking, Begging, Biting in play, Chasing, Chewing, Digging, Eating things they shouldn’t, Growling, Guarding food and other things, Humping/Mounting, Jumping on people, Rolling in “yuck”, Sniffing the butts of other dogs, Stealing, and more.

Dogs are individuals, and the number and intensity of the undesirable behaviors I have listed will vary, but they are all normal. While you can use positive-reinforcement training and management of your dog and its environment to moderate many of these undesirable behaviors, you must understand and accept that some of them are at the core of the nature of a dog. You cannot train a dog to stop being a dog and expect them to have a life worth living.

Are you willing to change your behavior if it negatively affects your dog?

Just like us, a dog’s temperament and behavior can change at any time. A negative or frightening experience, no matter what it was, can have lifelong consequences. For example, let’s say someone visiting your home frightens your dog so badly that it becomes reactive toward everyone except family members. Are you prepared to stop having guests over, or, when you do, to set up your dog in a private room where they are comfortable while you visit with friends?  Are you willing to postpone an evening out to stay home and comfort your dog during a thunderstorm?  If your dog gets ill and requires hospice-level care for the last several months of its life, will you be able to provide that care? Dogs, like children and elderly parents, may require you to go above and beyond to care for them; are you ready to commit to do so?

Do you have the time to care for a dog?

Most of us get a dog for companionship, but that means taking the time to do things with your dog that you both enjoy regularly. This includes all the regular tasks associated with having a dog that take time: feeding them, taking them out to go to the bathroom, taking them to the vet, and playing with them. While a human toddler has similar needs, they outgrow them; your dog will not.

Do you have the physical, mental, and emotional ability to care for a dog?

As we grow older, our physical, mental, and emotional abilities can change; therefore, it is essential to consider where you are now versus where you will be in 10 to 15 years.

Can you pick up your dog, carry them up and down the stairs, put them in the car, and get them out of the car? Can you comfortably play with your dog and take them on adventures? Dogs are very good at reading our emotional state, and if we’re depressed, they may become depressed too. Can you maintain a cheery outlook for your dog’s benefit?

I have never housetrained a puppy in the winter by choice. However, in Muppy’s last year of life, due to her bladder cancer, I was taking her out to urinate two to four times every night December through March, just like one might need to do with a puppy. I’m not complaining; I did everything I could to keep Muppy comfortable. However, if we were to get another dog and, in 10 years, I had to take them out several times per night in midwinter, I am wise enough to know there is a very good chance it would be physically difficult for me.

Do you have the financial ability to care for a dog now and in the future?

Caring for a dog is not inexpensive. Every dog needs veterinary care and a quality diet to minimize the need for veterinary care. Beyond basic veterinary care are surgery, emergency care, and possibly chemotherapy, all of which can be quite expensive. Then there are pet-sitting, daycare, boarding, training, and grooming costs. It is better to have one dog who gets the best care available than have multiple dogs that you struggle to care for financially.

While costs vary with a dog’s size, breed, and overall health, studies indicate that the lifetime cost of veterinary care alone ranges from $22,000 to over $50,000 per dog. If you use professional caregivers to assist you with your dog’s care (daycare, boarding, pet sitting, dog walking, grooming), the lifetime cost can easily be over $100,000.  Data suggests that the cost of caring for a pet has increased dramatically in the past 5 years (2020 to 2025).

Have you made plans for who will care for your dog if you can no longer do so, and have you ensured they have answered all of the above questions to your satisfaction?

As many of you know, my dog Muppy recently passed. I’m 68 and hope to be around for many more years but also recognize that fate can end a life at any time. Personally, I would not be comfortable leaving a pet behind unless I knew they would be loved and cared for as I had loved and cared for them. The time to have this discussion with those you are depending on to care for your dog is before you ever get the dog.

< Updated 2026-06-01 >

< The link to this page –   https://www.greenacreskennel.com/2026/06/01/wfmwtip/ >

MIKE DOW: – Welcome to Woof Meow with Don Hanson here on Star 977. When it comes to pets, how to best care for them, how to train them, and how to make that bond with your pet even stronger, do what so many people in Maine do: they go to Don Hanson at Green Acres Kennel Shop, 1653 Union Street in Bangor, and online at greenacreskennel.com, and at the ForceFreePets website at  forcefreepets.com

DON: – It’s June, and that means summer is either here or desperately trying to arrive. Please remember, summer heat can cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Never leave your pet in the car during the summer. If your pet doesn’t need to be with you, please leave them at home. If you enjoy time in or on the water, make sure your pet is wearing a life vest. Blue-green algae occurs in Maine, as do toxic mushrooms; both can be fatal to you and your pets. Ticks and mosquitoes carry serious diseases, and many of the pesticides and herbicides used on our lawns have been linked to cancer in both people and pets. I’ll add more for you to think about after the break.

MIKE DOW: – Since 1995, Don has owned Green Acres Kennel Shop at 1653 Union Street in Bangor, offering pet food and supplies, boarding, daycare, and grooming. Learn more at greenacreskennel.com. Don also offers education for pets and their people at forcefreepets.com.

DON: – Summer is also the time for gathering with family or friends. While some dogs thrive on the added attention, many find the chaos to be intimidating. Always make sure your dog is not stressed, and if they are, give them a break before someone gets bitten.  Many pets love traveling with us, but if you take them with you, make sure they are microchipped in case they run off. Also, bring a copy of your pet’s medical records with you and ensure you have contact information for the emergency veterinary clinics in the area where you will be staying. For more information on keeping your pet safe this summer, please check out Summer & Hot Weather Pet Care Tips on my blog at ForceFreePets.com.

MIKE DOW: – Animal lovers listen for Woof Meow with Don Hanson each Monday at 4:20, and at various times during the week, only on Star 977

I maintain two blogs, where I write about a variety of topics related to dogs and cats, or with a “Woof and Meow” theme. See what I did there? You can explore either by clicking on the links below. I also often share links to articles by others that I believe my subscribers will find interesting. If you like what you see, please subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time. If you think friends and family members would like what I’m writing about, please share the link. – Don

.

ForceFreePets Blog – https://www.forcefreepets.com/blog/

Green Acres Kennel Shop Blog – https://www.greenacreskennel.com/blog/

By Don Hanson, PCBC-A, BFRAP

< Updated 2026-05-22 >

The link to this page – < https://www.greenacreskennel.com/2026/05/22/why-your-pet-wants-you-to-read-beyond-belly-rubs/ >

Welcome to Why Your Pet Wants You to Read Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian.

I had the honor of reading a pre-publication version of Beyond Belly Rubs while caring for my dog, Muppy, during the last weeks of her life. I’d read a section of the book and reflect on how it was related to our mutual relationship. When I finished the book, I knew I needed to share and recommend the book to as many people as I could. This marvelous little book provides a clear recipe for creating a relationship between a person and a dog like the one I shared with Muppy. It is the most important book anyone with a pet can read.

This blog post and series of three short videos is made available for free to give you a sample of our educational materials and to encourage you to read this wonderful book.

This book is included with the Puppy & Rescue Headstart-ONLINE and Basic Manners classes offered by ForceFreePets at Green Acres Kennel Shop.

I know different people learn in different ways, so I have provided this material both as an article you can read and as three short videos you can watch. The links to the three videos are below, followed by the article.

ReadBeyondBellyRubs-1

https://vimeo.com/1180474086

This 11-minute video is the first in a three-part series in which Don Hanson discusses why he believes all pet parents will benefit from reading Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell. Don reflects on his life with his dogs, Gus and Muppy. He reveals how bad advice from pet care professionals damaged his initial relationship with Gus. Don then discusses how the kindness-first philosophy described in Beyond Belly Rubs shaped his relationship with Muppy.

ReadBeyondBellyRubs-2

https://vimeo.com/1180474654

This 8-minute video is the second in a three-part series in which Don Hanson discusses why he believes all pet parents will benefit from reading Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell. In this video, Don starts by reviewing what we know about a dog’s cognitive abilities and emotional range as compared to a human toddler. He then describes our responsibilities as our pet’s guardians when caring for a dog from puppyhood through old age and into their passing.

ReadBeyondBellyRubs-3

https://vimeo.com/1180474876

This 19-minute video is the third in a three-part series in which Don Hanson discusses why he believes all pet parents will benefit from reading Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell. In this video, Don reviews the five skills one needs to be a trusted and compassionate pet guardian as outlined in Beyond Belly Rubs.

• Recognizing when our dog is experiencing either distress or eustress.
• Creating optimal conditions for your dog to learn.
• Understanding that a dog “misbehaving” is not being defiant or dominant.
• Being patient and teaching your dog at a pace where they can best learn.
• Controlling the environment to minimize stress and distractions to optimize learning.

The Article

My dog Muppy passed on March 24^th, 2026. As I was caring for her during her last month of life, I was also reading Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian, by my friends Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell. I’d read a section of the book and reflect on how it related to my relationship with Muppy. When I was finished, I knew I needed to share and recommend Beyond Belly Rubs with as many people as I could. This marvelous little book provides a simple recipe for creating a relationship between a person and a pet like the one I shared with Muppy. I believe Beyond Belly Rubs is the most important book anyone with a pet will ever read.

This book is not about training your precious pet; it is about something even more important: living a full, harmonious life with them, mutually beneficial to you and your pet, as family members and partners for life. This should be the book you read before you bring your pet home, and anytime you are unsure how to best meet your pet’s needs.

After reading the first quote in the introduction to Beyond Belly Rubs, I knew it would be an important read for everyone who shares their life with a dog.

This is exactly the attitude we must all strive for with all of our pets. They deserve no less.

We brought Muppy home from her rescue foster family on May 1^st, 2013. I knew that if Muppy and I were to develop a lifelong relationship, I would need to be kind and gentle in order to build trust. That meant going slow and allowing her to decide when and how she wished to interact with me. Near the end of our first day together, she chose to hop onto my lap and take a snooze. I was delighted that I had made her feel safe and welcome so quickly. If I had tried to force her to interact, it might have been days before she chose to do this.

In my opinion, our failure to consider how our pets feel about the things we ask of them and do to them has been a major flaw in how humankind approaches our companion animals.

Gus was the first dog my wife Paula and I raised together as a puppy. We brought him home in April of 1991. Because we wanted to do everything right, we enrolled in a puppy kindergarten class where we were told we had to be dominant and exert total control over Gus. The message was “good dogs” were ALWAYS quiet and compliant. On the first night in class, I did what the instructors told me to do. When I asked Gus to sit, and he just stood there, I forcefully “alpha rolled” Gus and held him down. I understand why Gus bit me that night; he was afraid for his life. It took weeks for Gus and me to trust each other again.

Early in my career as a pet care professional, I learned that a dog is a sentient, emotional being like me and that a dog’s feelings matter as much as mine. Their feelings affect their physical and emotional well-being, as well as their ability to learn. Sadly, there are still people calling themselves pet care professionals who would tell you to do the same things I was told to do to Gus in 1991.

I want you to read Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian to help you avoid the mistakes I made. It summarizes the most important things I have learned in my thirty-year career

We cannot be kind to our dog if we do not first understand how they express emotions and how an emotional response in a dog, just as in humans, can stop their ability to learn. This is not something you consider only when training your dog; it MUST be considered in every interaction you have with your dog every day.

It can take weeks or even months to build trust, but as I have already noted, trust can be destroyed in a single instant. The relationship between Muppy and me has lasted because we trust each other and work at it, just like a couple, nurturing it every single day.

As part of that relationship, Muppy let me know when she was hurting and trusted me to do what was necessary to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge.

The fact that kindness is a skill set that must be learned and practiced is one of the most important lessons in Beyond Belly Rubs. I do not doubt that most of us believe we are always kind to our pets. I enrolled Gus in a puppy kindergarten class because I wanted to do the best for him. My intentions were good, but my understanding of what was kind and ethical was limited, and I made a mistake that harmed our relationship.

Neuroscientists and animal ethicists agree that the animals we choose as companions are far more like us than different from us. The cat, dog, and horse are all emotional, sentient beings with their own specific set of normal behaviors and emotional and physical needs.

A puppy, or even a senior dog, has the mental abilities, social intelligence, and emotional range of a 2 to 3-year-old human toddler.

While the human toddler will continue to develop as they age, the two dogs will reach a plateau and remain cognitively and emotionally equivalent to a human toddler for their entire lives.

Living with a Canine Toddler

Your number one priority is to ensure your puppy feels SAFE. Ensuring your puppy feels safe is more important than:

• Your desire to cuddle with your puppy.
• Showing off your puppy to friends and family
• Taking your puppy for a walk
• Teaching them things like shake, fetch, or sit

Like a human toddler, your dog, regardless of age, will require you to meet their most basic needs. Feeding them a diet natural for their species and providing them with access to adequate amounts of fresh water. Dogs, just like people, do better on whole, fresh food.

Pet obesity is a huge health crisis in the US, and no one is more to blame than humans who are either overfeeding or feeding food that is too high in carbohydrates. Yes, exercise plays a role, but in most cases, obesity in dogs is due to bad food choices.

FMI – Pet Obesity Is A Major Health Issue for Our Pets – Please, Do What You Can to Help!

Your dog, like you, will need to urinate and defecate throughout the day. You will need to kindly teach them where to go, and then make sure you take them out as needed, no matter the weather or whatever else you have going on.

Your dog is a family member and, as such, will need a safe, secure spot to sleep indoors. Whether it’s a doggie bed, on your bed, a doggie crate, or some combination of several places, it is ultimately up to you and, yes, your dog. If your dog does not feel a resting place is safe or comfortable, you need to provide one that is.

Dogs like us also need annual medical care and, at some point in their lives, emergency medical care.

Just like a toddler, most dogs will require some level of active and direct supervision and management throughout their lives. Crates and baby gates can be especially helpful in the first couple of months. As well as a fenced yard and working with a professional dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement training, as we do at ForceFreePets and Green Acres Kennel Shop.

Dogs, like humans, are social animals. That means they like to interact with other living beings. As the one who added the dog to your family, you have a responsibility to provide companionship throughout your dog’s life. Whether that’s going for a walk or some silliness in the backyard, your dog appreciates every moment of time you spend with them.

If you want to learn more about your dog’s most basic needs, I encourage you to read this article on my blog, Helping Your Dog Thrive – Brambell’s Five Freedoms.

Beyond Belly Rubs also includes, in Chapter 7, sections on the Five Domains for dogs, cats, and horses.

The Skills One Needs to Be A Trusted and Compassionate Pet Guardian

Beyond Belly Rubs lists the following skills one needs to be a trusted and compassionate pet guardian. They include:

• Recognizing when our dog is experiencing either distress or eustress.

• Creating optimal conditions for your dog to learn.

• Understanding that a dog “misbehaving” is not being defiant or dominant.

• Being patient and teaching your dog at a pace where they can best learn.

• Controlling the environment to minimize stress and distractions to optimize learning.

Recognizing when our dog is experiencing either distress or eustress

As your pet’s guardian, it is absolutely essential for you to be able to recognize when your dog is experiencing either distress or eustress. This ability is also necessary for any friend, family member, or pet care professional who might interact with or care for your dog, yet this knowledge is lacking among many.

Stress exists in two forms: distress and eustress. Distress is often associated with negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, fear, frustration, helplessness, and sadness. Whereas eustress is often associated with positive emotions such as anticipation, excitement, happiness, hope, and joy. Both types of stress, eustress and distress, can trigger a physiological reaction, leading to a heightened state of arousal in your pet that, in turn, can limit their ability to learn and can make behavior less predictable. The same things can happen to us.

For example, have you ever been in a class or at work and not feeling well, or worried about a loved one in the hospital? You were likely experiencing distress and, if in class, were not learning as easily as you usually do; if at work, you were probably less productive than usual.

The parts of our body that handle stress are virtually identical in our dogs, so they often experience the same feelings we do when under any type of stress.

A video, How Would YOU Like It?, was released by the San Diego Humane Society in 2023, and it is brilliant. It illustrates things people do with or to dogs that cause dogs’ distress, yet many continue to do them because they do not know or do not care.

So that no dogs would be unnecessarily harmed in the production of this video, the dog’s part is played by the woman in the grey hoodie, and the human causing the distress is played by the man in the blue sweater. I encourage you to watch it at https://forcefreepets.com/shared-video-howwouldyoulikeit/

To understand when our dog is experiencing distress or eustress, we need to read their body language. Dogs use their entire bodies, including their ears, eyes, mouth, and tail, to silently communicate how they are feeling, whether they are neutral or experiencing stress. Since it is a visual signal, you MUST be watching your dog to see it.

These signals, averting the eyes, licking the lips, and yawning, are all ways a dog communicates they are uncomfortable. You’ll learn more about them if you take ForceFreepets Puppy and Rescue Headstart-ONLINE or Basic Manners classes.

Canine communication will be a major topic in any reputable dog training class. If it’s not covered by your trainer, you need a new trainer. However, if you want to learn more, these three books are excellent resources.

• A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog, Niki Tudge, 2017, 978-0999262092 [Also appropriate for adults!]
• On Talking Terms with Dog: Calming Signals, Turid Rugaas, 2005, 978-0954803216
• Doggie Language: A Dog Lover’s Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend, Lili Chin, 20978-178783701020,

All three of these books are available at Green Acres Kennel Shop as well as many other places.

Creating optimal conditions for your dog to learn

I think we would all agree that neither person in this image is feeling happy. Our emotional state, if we are experiencing distress or eustress, can also affect our dog’s response to us. If we are angry, our dog can detect our anger in our facial expressions and in changes to the pheromones we produce. Remember, your dog’s sense of smell is much more sensitive than ours and is one way they can detect whether we are safe or a threat. You smell differently when you are angry, sad, anxious, happy, etc.

So please remember: if you come home angry or upset, you may look like these two and give off a scent that suggests you may not be safe. Remember, your dog does not know why you’re angry, just that you are, and thus may not be safe, and so they may choose to avoid you.

If you are not in a well-balanced emotional state, you will not be an effective teacher, so don’t even try to train the dog until you are in a good mood.

Neuroscientists have learned that a dog is cognitively and emotionally equivalent to a 2 to 3-year-old human toddler. Toddlers, like dogs, can be easily distracted and may be prone to unexpected emotional outbursts. While most humans outgrow these traits, most dogs do not. This is important to remember when training and setting expectations for our dog.

Just as a child who is distracted or in the middle of an emotional outburst is unlikely to learn, so is our dog.

Both humans and dogs learn best in an environment with little or no distractions. The best place to start teaching your dog is in a quiet room in your home, with no other pets, no other people, and no toys or other interesting things in the environment; just you, the dog, and some meaty treats to use as rewards.

PLEASE Be Patient – You will need to train your dog in a wide variety of environments and scenarios, slowly increasing the level of distractions, before they will understand that what you are teaching them applies in many situations.

All animals, yes, even goldfish, are subject to this golden rule of behavior.

A behavior that is rewarded will be repeated, and the more it is rewarded and repeated, the stronger it becomes.

Just like us, dogs are more likely to repeat a behavior when they are rewarded for it. The more times they are rewarded, the stronger it becomes. If the rewards go away, like you no longer getting your paycheck, the behavior may go away as well. If you stop rewarding your dog for coming to you, that behavior may become less reliable.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is failing to reward a behavior they want and like when they did not ask for it. If you see your dog calmly lying several feet away from the dinner table as the family eats, and you like that behavior, don’t ignore that behavior – REWARD IT!

IF YOU WANT AND LIKE CALM BEHAVIOR. REWARD IT AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY

Why does Muppy stay by my side on a walk? Why does she race back to me when I call her? Why does she dance with me in a field? Muppy does these things because she was trained with food and because I made training FUN for both of us. It’s why we are both smiling in these photos. The best trainers, whether amateur or professional, ALWAYS make training fun for both you and your dog and use food rewards.

And recognize if training the dog is fun, that means you’re more likely to do it. That’s positive reinforcement for you.

Canine Behavioral Experts agree that a dog will not learn if they do NOT feel safe. Pain and force make dogs feel threatened or unsafe, which is why the use of techniques and tools that were designed to cause pain or fear or to require force are considered unnecessary, unethical, and may cause aggression.

These 5 organizations: the American Animal Hospital Association, the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the Pet Professional Accreditation Board, and the Pet Professional Guild are the leading authorities on dog behavior and humane practices in the US.

 Understanding that a dog “misbehaving” is not being defiant or dominant.

The idea that our dog would dominate us and think it’s the Alpha is utter nonsense.

The animals we call dogs and grey wolves evolved from a common canine ancestor about 130,000 years ago. Although the grey wolf and my dog, Muppy, share the same ancestor, they look and behave very differently. The common ancestry and flawed research on wolf behavior have led to many myths about wolves and dogs, the most detrimental being dominance. Unlike the wolf, the dogs are not even pack animals.

The American Animal Hospital Association, the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the Pet Professional Accreditation Board, and the Pet Professional Guild all agree that dominance theory, the idea that dogs compete against humans to be the Alpha of the household, is outdated and was based on poor research. Later research has demonstrated that a pack operates like a cooperative family unit.

Unsurprisingly, research has also demonstrated that dogs respond well to kindness & rewards. Being dominant destroys the trust and the bond between you and your dog. This seems to be common sense, but sadly, many people today lack what should be common.

Being patient and teaching your dog at a pace where they can best learn

It is essential to be patient when teaching your dog and to adjust the pace of training to suit them best.

Dogs, like human toddlers, can have short attention spans and be easily distracted. For that reason, I recommend that training sessions be no longer than five minutes. If you’ve trained for two minutes and your dog is not into it, just end the session and do something fun that you will both enjoy.

An hour later, after the 2-minute training session and a fun walk, you close the window and the drapes to eliminate any distractions, and your dog remains focused for 5-minutes of training. Afterward, you reward the dog’s attention by again doing something fun!

Thank you for reading this article and/or watching these videos!

However, for the benefit of you and your pets, please read the entire book, then encourage every family member in your home to watch the videos and read it as well. If your children are too young, explain the book’s basic principles as best you can.

Next, you need to make a list of people who might interact with your pet. As your pet’s guardian, it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure they treat your pet kindly. This might include:

• Other family members not living with you,
• Friends and Neighbors,
• People Who Work in your Home or Yard,
• Delivery People,
• and More!

Next, you need to make a list of professionals who might work with your pet. Do not presume that just because they are professionals, they know the material we’ve just discussed and will always treat your pet kindly. To treat a pet kindly and with compassion does take knowledge and patience. Not everyone in the pet care profession has those qualities. As your pet’s guardian, it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure they treat your pet kindly.

When selecting the following, make sure they are and always will be kind and compassionate:

• Veterinarians and their team,
• Boarding & Day Care Facilities,
• Pet Sitters & Dog Walkers,
• Groomers,
• Trainers & Animal Behavior Consultants,
• Shelters, Rescues, & Breeders,
• and More!

I sincerely hope you have found this presentation enlightening and will go on to read Beyond Belly Rubs. You will learn much more than the few items I have chosen to highlight here. Lastly, I hope your relationship with your dog is as wonderful as the one I shared with Muppy.

In this blog post from October 20, 2022, Eileen Anderson of eileenanddogs.com and co-author of  Puppy Socialization – What It Is and How to Do It discusses a recent walk with her 18-month-old dog Lewis. She describes his first encounter with a new object, a trailer parked in front of the house next door. Eileen also includes photos that illustrate the very subtle body language, whispers as she describes them, that Lewis expressed that indicate his wariness towards the trailer.

I believe it is essential for everyone with a dog to be very familiar with its body language. This is even more important if the dog is not socialized or expresses fear and anxiety. It is not uncommon for rescue dogs to have little or no socialization and to be fearful in new situations. When we react to the whispers before the shouting (growling, barking, lunging) starts, we have saved our dog from unnecessary trauma, which should ALWAYS be our goal.

Read Eileen’s blog post at – https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2022/10/20/just-a-whisper-the-early-signs-of-fear-in-dog-body-language/

< A version of this article was published in the September 2022 issue of Downeast Dog News>

< Updated 23OCT22 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/PetInsurance-Choosing >

In my article Pet Health Insurance – Why It’s A Good Idea, I discussed why I recommend every pet parent consider purchasing pet insurance, especially when their pet is young and before they have any preexisting conditions. In this article, I suggest what you want to consider before enrolling in any health insurance plan for your pet.

When we decided to purchase pet health insurance for Muppy in 2013, there were far fewer options than there are today. That also means it was not as complicated. There were fewer companies, and it was easier to find independent and unbiased reviews online. Today several major insurance companies are offering policies for pets as they see this as a financially lucrative market. Their participation could drive prices up or down. However, if you already have homeowners, renters, or auto policies with those companies, you may get a discount,

Also, as we see more veterinary practices purchased by corporate entities, they may recommend specific insurance in where they have a financial interest. That concerns me.

When you see articles online with a title like “The Best Pet Health Insurance for 2022,” be aware that there is a distinct possibility the review is biased. You will find many such articles, and they seldom rate individual companies the same way. It’s common for vendors of all sorts of products to use this technique to make their product looks like it is number one.

As you consider a provider, I first recommend choosing wisely for the long haul. Remember, once your pet has been seen for a health issue, they are unlikely to be covered by insurance because it is a preexisting condition. If you are insured when something occurs, you will likely need to stay with that insurer to maintain coverage.

Don’t select the first plan you see, the one that is cheapest, or the one your cousin, breeder, or favorite shelter recommended without doing your own research. A great place to start is by asking pet care professionals like your veterinarian, boarding kennel, daycare, groomer, and trainers about their experience with insurance. They may have their own experience and know other clients that have had good and bad experiences. Like hairdressers and bartenders, our clients often share with us.

However, also recognize that in some cases, pet care professionals, breeders, shelters, and rescues may receive compensation for recommending certain pet health insurance products. So don’t be afraid to ask them if they fall into this category.

When talking to your veterinarian, ask if they have worked with the provider you are considering. As with human healthcare, you need your provider and insurer to work together. Insurers need information to process a claim, so you want to ensure your veterinarian can and will provide that information as required.

Speak to other people in your circle who have pets that might have pet insurance. What has their experience been?

Determine your budget and if you will be able to maintain payments moving forward. The price of your policy may increase. If you stop making payments and your pet has an issue being covered, you may lose that coverage forever.

Assess what you want your plan to cover. You can purchase insurance that covers annual wellness visits; however, these are likely to be more expensive than a plan that only covers emergencies. Some plans may offer discounts for multiple pets, while others may limit the maximum annual payout. If complementary therapies are essential to you (acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Chiropractic, and Homeopathy), make sure they are covered by the plan you select. Lastly, read the fine print before signing or paying for anything.

Before purchasing a plan, consider your alternatives. If you are good at budgeting and setting aside money in a bank account for your pet, that may be all you need. However, recognize that veterinary emergencies can cost thousands of dollars, so it may take you a while to build that account. There are also products available for pets, just like a Health Savings Account (HSA) would work for us.

In summary, it is unlikely that the cost of veterinary care for a pet will decrease. To help make sure you can pay for your pet’s care, consider pet health insurance or its alternatives before you need it. You and your pet will be glad you did.

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), serving on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairing the Advocacy Division. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Show podcast, available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com. The opinions in this article are those of Don Hanson.

©23OCT22, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >

< A version of this article was published in the August 2022 issue of Downeast Dog News >

< Updated 23OCT22 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/PetInsurance-Why >

My wife and I decided pet insurance was worth investigating when we adopted Muppy in 2013. We had several unplanned vet bills with previous pets requiring emergency surgery or because they were treated for chronic issues for many years. So when we adopted Boomer that fall, we also purchased a policy for him. Nine years later, I believe it was a wise investment.

In the fall of 2020, I started talking about pet health insurance with students in my Puppy Headstart-ONLINE class. It follows the module where we discuss chewing and dogs consuming inappropriate and dangerous items. I show my students x-rays, which veterinarians have posted online, showing some of the scary things dogs have ingested.   A partial list includes; coins, toys, spoons, forks, a fish hook, a segment of a fishing pole, batteries, socks, tennis balls, 4lbs of gravel, and even an 8-in kitchen knife. A veterinarian even told me about a dog that had swallowed a  brassiere. Unfortunately, a dog consuming items like these is not unusual; ask your veterinarian.

I discuss pet insurance with my puppy students because this is the time in a dog’s life when they put anything and everything in their mouth. However, I also bring it up before their puppy swallows something dangerous. Unlike human health insurance, pet insurance typically does not cover pre-existing conditions.  Suppose you wait to purchase pet health insurance until your puppy has consumed something requiring veterinary care. In that case, the future ingestion of inappropriate items will likely be excluded from coverage. I have clients with dogs that have had multiple expensive surgeries to remove items swallowed by their dogs. They would have been covered if they had purchased insurance before the first incident.

In addition to worrying about swallowing hard goods, there are many other items a dog can consume that can be deadly. These include; tobacco (nicotine) and marijuana-based (THC) products. Products designed to help one quit smoking, such as patches and chewing gum, contain enough nicotine, even after discarding them, to be toxic to dogs. The same is true of vaping products containing nicotine or THC.

Then there are the things we might consume, which can also be deadly to our dogs. A partial list includes; marijuana edibles, grapes, raisins, chocolate, and anything containing the artificial sweetener Xylitol (birch alcohol). A partial list of products with Xylitol includes sugar-free candy and gum, breath mints, toothpaste, children’s vitamins, ready-to-go pudding, and even some peanut butter brands.

I cannot emphasize enough that the probability of consuming dangerous things does not end after puppyhood or will happen only once. I know of a dog that recently ate a bag of chocolate chips resulting in a vet bill approaching $2000. I have a client whose dog swallowed a sock on six occasions, requiring surgery. One of the x-rays I show my puppy students is of a dog’s stomach filled with 44 socks.  I know two people who had dogs that got into gum containing Xylitol. One dog survived after a three-day stay in the doggie equivalent of an ICU. One dog died.

So why pet health insurance? Simply because any of the abovementioned incidents could result in a costly bill. Also, it is not just the ingestion of items that can cause an unplanned vet bill. Like us, dogs are subject to trauma, orthopedic issues, heat stroke, and tick-borne diseases. Additionally, there are many chronic diseases to consider; skin disorders, ear infections, urinary blockages, seizures, behavior disorders, diabetes, renal disease, and cancer. Pet insurance can help with all these expenses if you have it in place before it occurs.

We decided to purchase pet insurance for Muppy because of a previous dog who had seizures for seven years of his life and another that had two immune system disorders. The treatment cost for both was significant. In addition, we purchased it for our cat Boomer because we had previous male cats who experienced a blocked urethra which can be deadly and is not inexpensive to treat.

The policies we chose do not cover annual wellness exams, but we are covered in the case of the unexpected. Muppy has had five incidents where her insurance paid a significant part of the bill; 1) treatment for a back injury, 2) treatment for Lyme disease, 3) treatment for anaplasmosis, 4) eye surgery, and 5) treatment for another eye issue. So I believe it has more than paid for itself in dollars and peace of mind.

Check out my article on choosing a pet insurance provider.

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), serving on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairing the Advocacy Division. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Show podcast, available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com. The opinions in this article are those of Don Hanson.

©23OCT22, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >

< A version of this article was published in the October 2022 issue of Downeast Dog News>

< Updated 22OCT22  >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/WhenCanIStopTrainingMyDog >

My students often ask when they can stop training their dogs. That’s when I ask them when do you anticipate you will stop learning. My point is that we are still learning as long as we are alive. The same is true of our dogs.

If our dog is awake, they learn from us and the environment in which they live. Since the environment is vast and almost always available to our dogs, it provides more learning opportunities than we do. For example, a child in a high chair or an elderly parent at the dining room table can teach your dog by accidentally or intentionally dropping tidbits of food while eating. In this case, your dog may be learning something you would rather they hadn’t.

Understand that your dog may also learn from dogs and people it interacts with at the dog park or doggie daycare. Even the wind blowing through your apple tree at the end of summer, causing fruit to drop, could be teaching your dog. Considering your dog is always learning, I believe there are many excellent reasons to continue training them.

Reasons to Continue Training Your Dog

We all need a refresher now and then if we expect to maintain our skills. While I had two years of German back in high school, I have not used that knowledge and skill for years, and as a result, ich kann kein Deutsch mehr (I can no longer speak German.). If we stop asking our dogs to do what we have taught them, they may get rusty and not respond as well as we would like. Muppy and I practice behaviors like sit, leave it, and recall regularly. Having a reliable leave it and recall can save your dog’s life.

However, I also practice training for my benefit. Training is a mechanical skill; like all skills, it requires maintenance, just like a golf swing. The only difference between a clicker and treats and a golf club and ball is the furry friend I’m interacting with is sentient, whereas the golf ball is not.

However, a second and even more important reason to continue training your dog is that it is a great way to provide you both with mental stimulation. When done right, training will be fun and will make your bond even stronger. That doesn’t mean you must be enrolled in a dog training class. A well-designed dog training program will leave you with the skills and knowledge you need to continue working with your dog long after completing the class; however, if you attend a class so that you can both learn something new, why not! For example, Muppy and I recently attended a new class ForceFreePets is offering called The Joy of Sniffing. We had a blast! We both learned new skills, but, more importantly, we had fun doing something together. We’re using what we learned several times per week

Remember, training does not need to be limited to things like sit and recall. You can teach your dog silly tricks or teach them to use their nose while playing fun scent games like find it. You will soon forget you’re learning when you and your dog have fun together. The best teachers I have had in my life were able to make learning fun.

My point is that minimally, we at least need to acknowledge that our dog will be learning their entire life. So why not use that zest for knowledge by turning it into an opportunity to continue nourishing our bond with our dog while having fun?

Determining If Your Dog Understands SIT

Students often ask, how can I tell if my dog understands what I’m teaching them? How we assess a dog’s training can vary with what we’re teaching, the environment where we are testing them, and the dog and their physical and emotional status at that particular point in time. Below you will find one method you can use to assess how well your dog understands a simple behavior like sit.

In each scenario, you will give your dog a single visual or verbal cue and look for them to respond in 1 to 2 seconds, eight times out of 10.

• In three different rooms in your home
• For three family members
• With you standing in front of the dog
• With you sitting in a chair with the dog in front of you
• With you sitting on the floor with the dog in front of you
• In three different places in your yard
• In three other locations away from your home
• In a distracting environment

The ultimate test can be if you can lie on your back in an environment where you usually play with your dog, and they will respond to your cue.

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog
( http://www.words-woofs-meows.com  )

What Is Dog Training? – http://bit.ly/WhatIsDogTraining

What to Look for When Choosing a Dog Trainer – https://bit.ly/DogTrainerChoosing

Do I Need a Dog Trainer or a “Behaviorist”? – http://bit.ly/WWM-Trainer-Behaviorist

What Is A Pet Behavior Consultant? – http://bit.ly/WhatIsPetBhxConsulting

Help! My Dog Is Stubborn! – https://bit.ly/HelpStubborn

There Are No “Stubborn” Dogs – Twelve Steps to Becoming Best Friends for Life – https://bit.ly/12Steps-BestFriendsForLife

Dog Training – A Rescue Dogs Perspective – http://bit.ly/Rescue-Muppy

Reward Based Training versus Aversives – http://bit.ly/RewardVSAversive

What Is Clicker Training? – http://bit.ly/WhatIsClickerTraining

About Don Hanson – https://blog.greenacreskennel.com/about-the-author-don-hanson/

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), serving on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairing the Advocacy Division. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Show podcast, available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com. The opinions in this article are those of Don Hanson.

©22OCT22, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >

< Updated 22SEP22 >

Knowing what “human foods” you can safely feed your dog can be confusing. Unfortunately, the internet and even pet care professionals, who should know better, often give contradictory and confusing advice. Sadly, that advice is often only supported by myths and not research studies based on science. Even sadder is that we deprive our dogs of some healthy, natural sources of vital micronutrients.

On September 21^st, 2022, veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker posted an infographic on Facebook, adding clarity to this topic. Thank you, Dr. Becker!

You can view, print, or download a PDF of Dr. Becker’s infographic and her comments at this link –Human Foods Dogs Can & Cant Eat-Dr Karen Becker

Dr. Karen Becker on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/doctor.karen.becker

< Updated 31AUG22 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/12Steps-BestFriendsForLife >

If you have read my article, Help! My Dog is Stubborn! you already know that I believe that dogs are never stubborn but simply misunderstood. In this article, I will introduce twelve steps to help you and your dog become best friends for life, a far cry from stubborn.

Step #1 – Focus on being your dog’s best friend, not their master. Be committed to the idea that you and your dog are a team working together. Make it your goal to thrive on a life of companionship and the adventures you share, not blind, perfect obedience. Your dog will notice your positive and considerate attitude, and they will respond in kind.

Step #2 – Take time to learn about dogs. Your dog is a sentient being very different than a human and far more complicated than your smartphone. To make the best of your life with your dog, you need to take time to learn about them. You need to understand their senses, how they communicate, how they interpret communication from people, the best ways to teach them, how they express emotions, what constitutes normal and abnormal behavior, and what they need to have a long and happy life. A dog training class taught under the direction of a credentialed professional dog trainer or canine behavior consultant should address all of those subjects. Meanwhile, an excellent place to start is with these two books; Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw and On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas.

Step #3 – Build and nurture a relationship based on mutual trust. You cannot be a best friend or have a relationship with your dog unless you trust one another. Trust is earned. However, it takes time and patience, especially if you have a rescue dog who may have had a rough start. While achieving your dog’s trust can take weeks, that trust can be lost instantly.

Step #4 – ALWAYS be kind and patient. Smile at your dog instead of making “frowny faces.” Speak softly and gently, not loudly and with an authoritarian tone. Handle your dog gently, and don’t grab at them. Never use force or fear to intimidate your dog; always be patient and help them learn.

Step #5 – Show empathy and understand your dog’s emotions. Dogs have a rich emotional life and experience positive emotions like joy and contentment and negative emotions like fear, grief, and anger. Help your dog through those negative moments just as they may try to help you when you feel bad. Understand that an emotional response cannot typically be “trained out” of a dog. If you need help addressing your dog’s negative emotions, seek help from your veterinarian or an accredited professional dog behavior consultant sooner rather than later.

Step #6 – Let your dog make choices. Trust your dog’s instincts and understand they will feel better when they have options like you. Be their advocate when they are out in the world. Do not allow others to force your dog to interact.

Step #7 – Understand the world from your dog’s point of view. While we share our dog’s five senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch, they prioritize them differently. For example, we might enjoy a brisk walk around the same block every day, letting our minds wander. However, most dogs will enjoy a walk that involves following their nose and making frequent stops to sniff and explore. Your dog may even choose to go in an entirely different direction at any moment. These are incompatible ways to walk, so it is our responsibility to take our preferred walk without the dog and then take the dog on a walk they will enjoy. Think of it as your dog helping you increase your daily steps.

Step #8 – Gently teach your dog how to live harmoniously in your world. When we bring a dog into our world, we are responsible for teaching them how to live in a foreign culture. You need to start by learning their welfare needs and language. Then you need to patiently teach them by rewarding the behavior you like.

Behaviors that are rewarded will be repeated, and the more they are repeated, the stronger they become. So please do not hesitate to reward your dog for being calmly by your side, even if you did not ask for that behavior. For every millisecond you think about correcting your dog, spend 100 hours rewarding them. That is the key to success!

Manage your dog and its environment to prevent undesirable behavior. Understand that teaching a dog is a process and will take time. Remember, your parents spent 18+ years teaching you. It is unrealistic to expect your dog to learn everything it needs to know in a couple of months.

Training a dog also requires knowledge and skills. A credentialed professional dog trainer or canine behavior consultant can provide that knowledge and teach and coach you on those skills.

Step #9 – Accept your dog for who they are. Dogs are living, sentient beings whose personalities are just as variable as those found in people. Not all dogs are extroverts and automatically like every other person or dog on the planet. Neither do people, and that’s okay. Not every retrieving breed likes the water and retrieving, nor does every herding breed like to round up livestock. No matter what breed or mix of breeds you have in your dog, you will not always get what you want, and you need to accept your dog for the wonderful canine they are. If you need help, seek a credentialed professional dog trainer or canine behavior consultant.

Step #10 – Ensure that everyone interacting with your dog follows rules #1 thru #9. Unless you’re a hermit with no family, many other people will interact with your dog throughout their life. That can include friends, family members of all ages, co-workers, neighbors, and a wide variety of pet care professionals such as veterinarians, daycare and boarding facilities, groomers, pet sitters, dog walkers, dog trainers, and behavior consultants. You must help all these people understand and accept rules 1 through 9. If other people are not kind to your dog, it can negatively affect your dog’s behavior around other people. Remember, your dog cannot always stand up for themselves; that is up to you.

Step #11 – Do something fun with your dog every day. Often, the strongest relationships involve two parties doing something together that they both enjoy. Find that special something you and your dog love doing together, and then make the time to do it daily. Don’t overthink this. There can be more than one thing you both love, and sometimes it can be as simple as your dog sitting in your lap snuggling while you read or watch your favorite show on TV. Activities like going for walks [ as long as you allow your dog to sniff and explore], playing fetch [ in moderation ], going for car rides, or just dancing in the backyard all count. The important thing is finding those activities and making time for them. If you do, you and your dog will benefit and strengthen your bond.

Step #12 – Enjoy your journey together. The saddest part of sharing your life with a dog is that that journey ends too soon. So instead of striving for perfection, focus on the joy you feel when together. Commit to making every moment count so that when the journey ends, you can both say, “Thank you for this wonderful time together! I’ll miss you until we are reunited on the other side!”

I hope that I have convinced you that your dog is not stubborn and to give my program a try. From personal experience and feedback from my clients, I know that it will help you and your dog become best friends for life.

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), serving on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairing the Advocacy Division. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Show podcast, available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com. The opinions in this article are those of Don Hanson.

©31AUG22, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >

< Updated 29AUG22 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/HelpStubborn >

What Is Stubborn?

I have often heard a prospective or existing student say, “Can you help me? My dog is so stubborn.” I’m not a fan of the word “stubborn.” Too often, it is used in a derogatory manner as a result of frustration when something or someone is not behaving in a way that is perceived as desirable. Yet it is a word that most of us, myself included, use occasionally. “Stubborn” is used between spouses, co-workers, parents, children, and yes, by people describing their dogs.

Before starting this article, I looked at several definitions for “stubborn” and finally settled on one from Dictionary.com. All of the definitions reviewed were revealing in that they suggested the response of the “stubborn” party was “unreasonable.”This indicates a lack of understanding why another being might choose not to do something we want.

Empathy is essential when interacting with anyone, but especially when working with a different species, such as a dog, which has very different needs and communication methods than humans. Understanding these needs and what our dogs communicate to us is crucial to empathizing with them. Furthermore, if we want to have the best relationship possible with our dogs, we need to work diligently toward meeting their species-specific needs. [ FMI – http://bit.ly/Brambells-1-5 ]

Let’s examine the simple exercise of teaching a dog to sit and examine why even a well-trained dog might choose not to “sit” when asked to do so.

Anxious/Afraid/Hyper-excited – No living thing learns or responds well when stressed. If your dog is under stress for any reason, it is not a good time to train; it does not matter if the stress is rooted in fear or excitement. When under stress, the part of the brain responsible for learning is deactivated to allow one to focus on survival. Even if your dog is exceptionally well trained, it may be unrealistic to expect them to respond reliably when they are worried or highly aroused. [ FMI – http://bit.ly/Canine-Stress ]

Physical Discomfort or Illness – Think of the last time you were hurting, nauseous, or tired. The odds are that it caused you to move slower or possibly not to move at all. Unfortunately, our dogs experience injuries and exhaustion just as people do, and this may cause them to appear to be “stubborn.” Additionally, some trainers use tools designed to cause physical pain (shock, prong, and choke collars). Pain, whether from an injury or intentionally inflicted by a person, will cause stress, which may cause a dog to shut down, act “hyper,” or respond aggressively.

Not all physical discomfort comes from pain. I have known more than one dog that refused to lie down on a cold floor or sit on hot asphalt. My dog Muppy will choose not to go outside during heavy rainfall. The anatomy of some breeds also makes certain positions, such as sitting or lying down, more or less comfortable. Is it fair to say your dog is “stubborn” for refusing to do certain behaviors when they are in physical or emotional distress? Of course not.

Lack of Understanding/Training – Have you ever started to learn something and were then asked to use that knowledge before you were ready? Was that stressful? Over the years, I have encountered people who expect their dog to “get it” with only minimal training. Unfortunately, when the dog fails to respond, they blame the dog.

Dogs are discriminators, which means that training a dog requires teaching behaviors in a wide variety of environments and situations while gradually increasing distractions for many repetitions. Training a dog for an hour a week in a six-week training class is just the beginning of a training program that would benefit almost every dog. Achieving reliable responses from a dog requires that you, the trainer, be knowledgeable and skilled in canine behavior, body language, and the selection and use of rewards. The treats you use and the timing of the treat delivery are essential to getting reliable behavior. Working with a professional and credentialed dog training instructor can be very helpful. [ FMI – http://bit.ly/HowToSelectADogTrainer ]

Your Challenge

If your dog is not behaving as you desire, before you call them “stubborn,” ask yourself why that might be. Is your dog afraid or over-excited? Could they be experiencing physical or emotional distress? Do they understand what you want? You and the dog will get more frustrated with one another until you address the core issues for their lack of response.

I believe that a dog that appears to be stubborn is under stress or in pain, has had inadequate training, or is insufficiently motivated.

Like us, our dogs need to be motivated to do things. Motivation is simply offering an incentive to another living being to do something. For many people, an example of a primary motivator is the paycheck we receive from our employers. Of course, our employer could punish us instead of paying us, but we are unlikely to show up the next day unless we’re enslaved.

Motivation can be either a reward or a punishment. With dogs, punishment as a motivator typically involves yelling or using force to cause physical pain, fear, or emotional distress. Pain and fear can be highly motivating the instant they are applied. However, using punishment as a motivator will likely irreparably damage the relationship between the punisher and the victim. It can make the mere presence of the punisher a demotivator for life. Thus, choosing punishment as a motivator is not only cruel; it is an inefficient and unproductive way to train. This is one of many reasons why the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), and the American Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and many trainers recommend punishment NEVER be used to train or care for a dog. [ FMI – https://bit.ly/Pos_HumaneTraining ]

Many types of rewards can motivate dogs: food, play, and physical touch are at the top of the list. However, contrary to popular belief, praise does not qualify as a reward in and of itself. Back in the seventies, a group of Monks wrote a book suggesting that you should never use food as a reward with your dog. However, several studies have since confirmed that food has more value as a reward than either praise or touch.

Food is a great choice when training dogs.  Professional animal trainers use it all the time. At Sea World, the animals are trained with food and continue to get food as a reward for their performances long after they have been taught. Our employer doesn’t stop paying us after we learn how to do our jobs.  So why would we ever stop rewarding our dog for doing something we want?

While play can be valuable as a reward, I find it less efficient than food. Since training is all about repetition, efficiency is critical. I often get as many 5 to 10 behaviors per minute when using food while training a dog. In contrast, one must refocus the dog after every play session when using play as a reward. It is like coming in from recess when we were in grade school; the teacher had to get us settled before they could start teaching us. However, play can be a great reward after training a dog.

Food is a great motivator, but we must remember that some foods are more motivating than others, especially if what we are asked to do is difficult or something we do not enjoy. Therefore we must identify the food that our dog likes best.

While many dogs are known to eat almost anything (even what we consider inedible), some can be finicky. In my experience, treats that smell and taste of meat are usually valued higher by our canine companions. If one of my students doesn’t believe me, I suggest we call his dog at the same time. The student uses pieces of the dog’s kibble while I use some leftover roast beef or chicken. The dog races to me, and voila, the student gets it. The point is that treat value matters. So don’t be stingy to protect your ego.

Teaching a dog to sit can be relatively easy since most dogs sit anyway of their own accord. With “sit,” we are just training our dogs to do something they already do naturally.  When initially teaching the “sit” in a low distraction environment, I will probably use a mixture of low to medium-value treats (kibble or other treats with very little meat content) with a high-value treat thrown in at random for an exceptional response. However, when training in a more distracting environment, for example, in a group training class or in a park where children are playing, I will probably need to increase the value of the treats to be successful. Don’t let your ego get in the way of helping your dog be successful; use better treats when you need to!

Training recall is more difficult to teach than sit because we ask the dog to go against its instincts. Often when we most want our dogs to come, they are simultaneously distracted by something extremely motivating (a taunting squirrel or anything else they find very tempting). Therefore, if we are going to be successful, we must be even more enticing than the squirrel. For this reason, I always use special, high-value treats when training recall. Even after my dog has a reliable recall, I continue to reward them every time.

To learn how to turn your “allegedly stubborn” dog into your best friend for life, check out my article There Are No Stubborn Dogs–12 Steps to Becoming Best Friends for Life at – https://bit.ly/12Steps-BestFriendsForLife

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), serving on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairing the Advocacy Division. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Show podcast, available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com. The opinions in this article are those of Don Hanson.

©24AUG22, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >