DOG TRAINING AND BEHAVIOR

Yelling is probably one of the most common training techniques people use on their dogs. We (and no doubt you) have seen people yell at their dog to stop barking, to “leave that dog alone,” to “get back here now,” and, in any and all situations, “What did I tell you?”

You’ve probably heard of or seen videos of dogs pushing buttons on a board to get the desired outcome: “Go outside”; “Treat”; “Cuddle.” Is it real? Can dogs be trained to push buttons that say in human language what they desire? Preliminary research appears to be pointing in that direction.

Is your dog one of those who likes to run off with your dirty undergarments, or perhaps nap on a sweatshirt that you wore to the gym? Take it as a compliment. It appears that when dogs smell our malodorous residue, they feel wonderfully reminded of us. It’s perhaps similar to the way people feel “seeing pictures of loved ones who are not physically present,” say researchers writing in the journal Behavioral Processes. The hypothesis makes sense in light of the fact that while people process so much of their emotions with their vision, dogs depend much more on their sense of smell.

Your perfectly healthy dog with no pain in his limbs or other parts of his body suddenly resists going for walks. It’s now an unhappy struggle every time you want to get him outside. What’s going on?

Q: My dog absolutely hates to go out in the rain. It’s a tug of war every time the drops fall. But she needs to relieve herself. Anything I can do on rainy days short of dragging her?

Q: Our 4-year-old hound/shepherd mix has two beds in our house, one upstairs in our bedroom and one downstairs in the living room. Historically, she always spent the day downstairs where we spend most of our own day working from home. She only slept in her bed upstairs at night. Recently, though, she has been choosing to spend more time upstairs during the day—almost all of her inside hours, actually. We have a 1-year-old cat who sometimes steals her downstairs bed, but that has been going on for months and doesn’t account for the new behavior. Should we be concerned?
Carolyn Tilney
Tacoma, Washington

To be vindictive or spiteful takes a certain amount of planning, a sequencing of events in your mind that you then carry out. Dogs simply do not have that ability. They pretty much act in the moment. It’s all about impulse.

It’s so easy to yell at a dog to “Put that down!” or “Wait!” Much of the time the yelling is out of fear that the pet will harm himself or cause some kind of trouble. So when the dog complies, there’s relief.

“Make a fist.” How often do we hear people tell their preschooler to close their hand into a fist when the youngster wants to pet a dog they don’t know? The belief is that making a fist is less aggressive than going straight to petting and less threatening than an open hand. Also, the thinking goes, making a fist gives the dog an opportunity to get to know the person by sniffing them before there’s any actual body contact.

Q: Our sweet 13- to 14-year-old mixed breed rescue has some hearing loss, osteoarthritis, and early kidney disease. She is, however, active and happy, and her kidney disease is so far managed with a special kidney diet. But formerly a dog who rarely barked, she has begun to bark at me impatiently when I am preparing her special treats (kidney kibble in a dog toy) and in general has begun to vocalize more often. We are amused by this change rather than annoyed, but wonder about the cause. Is she barking because of hearing loss, needing to be sure she’s heard? Is she less patient because of her age? Or could this be an early sign of dementia?

Dogs may growl to express pleasure while playing, and they sometimes growl when they are stressed. They may think someone’s going to take one of their resources (like food), or perhaps they feel endangered by the approach of someone they don’t know or feel uncomfortable around. Can you tell the difference?

Q: What exactly are Rally-O classes? There’s one near me, and one of my friends wants to sign our dogs up.