Paws News October 2007

Paws Abilities Behaviour & Learning Centre:
Newsletter Number 11 - October 2007

As usual, a warm welcome to all Paws friends, students, clients and connections. Thanks to all the readers who gave me feedback. One of the requests was that more training info was included. Another being that I spread out the format a little for easier reading. I will endeavour to include as much of a balance between behaviour & training as possible. I cannot promise that the spelling or punctuation will improve though. I have decided not to include graphics – as they just take up too much space and make mailing a mission. The impossible I manage – miracles are another matter entirely!


FEEDBACK ON WORKSHOP NUMBER 2:
The second workshop which was held at the end of September was a huge success! There was a great turnout and a good time was had by all. A big “thank you” to Maureen and Rose for providing the scrumptious afternoon tea – it was greatly appreciated. Another big “thank you” goes to two of our special instructors, Mandy and Siobhan – who were bullied into adding some spice to the afternoon – well done to both ladies. They provided us with some added insight and valuable information from breed to training. Lastly, I would like to thank Lindie, for taking on the mundane task of registration – thanks Lindie - again, much appreciated.

The next workshop (to be held on the 28th October 1:00 - 5:00 pm), and is probably going to the grittiest subject matter of the series. We are dealing with AGGRESSION – a huge problem in this country, both in the home and in many dog training schools. We will be covering many of the different aggression issues and providing some tips and solutions on handling, eliminating and redirecting and controlling some of the various aggression issues. Please book early as I suspect this workshop is going to be fully booked very soon! As with the other workshops, there will be an accompanying bound, printed copy of the proceedings. If anyone who missed the first two, be interested in obtaining back copies of the previous workshop proceedings, they are available at R35 each (plus postage).


CLICKER TRAINING TIPS
We now have a fair amount of students who after completing a basic clicker course with Siobhon are utilising the clicker as a method of training - which great success I might add. Great results from obedience to tricks and including fun sports! So, I thought that each month I would include a section on some clicker tips and fun exercises – (don’t want anyone to feel left out)!


CLICKER - TEACHING YOUR DOG TO GO TO, AND STAY ON A MAT
DISCUSSION: Wow, your dog is well-enough trained that you're going to start putting some of her learned behaviours together into a chain! In addition, using things she knows already that look sort of like new things you will be teaching her!
Congratulations!

Go To Mat is a combination of Distance work (she has to go over THERE to the mat, just like she has to go over THERE to go around the pole), Crate (she has to control herself over THERE with you over HERE), and Down (she has to lie down when she gets to the mat). Some people might think that it is a complicated set of behaviours, but I have found that it is usually an easy one to learn and to teach.

Moreover, how important is this behaviour? Picture your dog crated whenever you need a moment without her, no matter where you are, and without you having to cart a crate around. When I teach a class or do a seminar, my demo and Service Dog (Scuba) is always with me, ready when I need her, but she's never wandering around distracting people or dogs because she's on a grooming table or a mat. From the comments I've had, this seems like a big hairy deal to many people, yet it's one of the first behaviours I taught her and it's easy for both of us. Picture going for a walk and finding someone having a seizure. Hop your dog up on a nearby bench or slip your coat or jersey off and she can “go to mat” and leave you free to deal with the situation. Sure, you could ask her for a Down Stay, but you never know, when you're not looking, who is going to be petting her, stepping on her, shooing her.
No matter how good your Down Stay gets to be, your Go To Mat could be better. I do not know why, but dogs are more secure with something to mark the spot than without, but there it is.

EASY BEGINNINGS: Get a mat. You can start with a dog bed, a towel, a carpet sample, a jacket. Use the same mat for at least the first couple of weeks. Once she understands the behaviour, you can start playing around with different mats. Get your treats, clicker, and mat. Sit down and put your mat on the floor close to you where you think the dog will naturally be when she realizes you have food – probably right in front of you. The dog comes over, stands on the mat, you click (boy, training dogs is hard work). That is setting yourself up for success, then waiting for the behaviour to happen so you can catch it.
Click and toss the treat on the mat X10, then toss the next treat off the mat. Click when the dog returns to the mat and toss the next ten treats on the mat, then another one off the mat. Move the mat A FEW INCHES away from you.
Click when the dog returns to the mat, and the next ten treats on the mat. Then toss one off the mat. Why are you tossing it off the mat? to get the dog OFF the mat, and gives her a chance to get back ON.

There are two parts to this behaviour: a) BE on the mat, and b) GET on the mat.
Repeat this sequence another ten times, then move the mat a few more inches away from you. Keep going. When you finally get the mat far enough away from you that she's not going to hit it naturally, she might go looking for it (EE HAH), or you might have to switch from waiting to shaping. If she can't find it, sit with a totally quiet body and LOOK at the mat. When she turns her head toward it, or moves her body closer to it, click, and toss the treat on the mat (the art of training is in how you set things up and how you combine waiting, shaping, and luring into an explanation that the dog can understand). Now go to five clicks with treats tossed on the mat, one click with treat off the mat, then five more on, and one off. When she's figured out the game and is finding the mat by herself every time, you can move to one on, one off OR you can move the mat further and further away from you.

Remember, when you make ONE thing about a behaviour more difficult, you have to make everything else simpler, so every time you move the mat, go back to clicking X10 and tossing the treat on the mat, then once tossing the treat off. You want the clicker to keep saying "Yes, no matter where the mat is, I'm still talking about the mat!" If you tell her this often enough, you should get to the point where you have to hide the mat to get any other behaviours out of her. If she sees the mat; she should be heading for it.

One more part of the equation. She needs to be ON the mat, not just TOUCHING it. Once she's eager to head for the mat, you can start shaping the number of paws on it. If she's consistently putting two paws on, start with that as your base behaviour. Click two paws on X10, tossing the treats away from the mat. Then stop clicking. She runs back to the mat, puts her two paws on, looks expectantly for the treat. Nope, sorry, not good enough. IF she really knows that you've been clicking her for being on the mat, you'll get what I call the "Hey, Stupid!" reaction. She looks at you, she waits for the click, she doesn't get it, she frowns, and she shouts "Hey, Stupid! I DID stand on the mat! LOOK!" and in that "LOOK", she does the behaviour again. She moves further on to the mat, just to make sure you don't miss it THIS time. Click three paws on, and move on from there until you've got all four paws on. You need to be very clear about your criteria with this behaviour, or you'll pretty soon have her standing NEAR the mat wanting a click.

PROBLEM SOLVING: SHE JUST STARES AT ME AND DOESN'T LOOK FOR THE MAT! Just back up, you moved the mat too fast. Alternatively, sit back and use the mat as shaping practise for both of you. And do other things with the mat that aren't in prime training time – for instance, hold her dish and walk casually around the room (she's following, of course). Walk around until you've "accidentally" gotten her on the mat, click, and put the dish down – on the mat. SHE JUST STANDS ON THE MAT INSTEAD OF LYING DOWN!
No big deal, Down isn't part of the behaviour at this level. Click it if it happens, otherwise don't worry about it.

ADDING A CUE: You know how to add cues now, right? Don't say a word until the dog is offering you the behaviour. When she's running to the mat, over and over again, practically screaming "Look, I'm running to the mat! Look, my paws are on the mat! Aren't you going to click?!” It's time to tell her what the behaviour is called. I call it "Hit the rack".

CONTINUING EDUCATION: As we're going to be asking for an automatic Down on the mat in the next Level, you might as well start clicking any indication of sitting or lying down on the mat. Move the mat around the room (start moving it slowly, or else put it in a totally new place and start training it from scratch) I want to be able to tell the dog to Hit The Rack and have HER do the work of figuring out where the mat is. If you have access to a doggy hammock or pause table, you can transfer your Go To Mat to the that as well (Holy cow, the dog's first agility behaviour!). One trick I really like (but can't use as Scuba is a Service Dog. Her main job is picking things up, and her BEST job is picking up her leash – I put her in an obedience fun match once and it took me five minutes to get my leash on the ground behind her. Every time I put it down, she picked it up and handed it back to me!) is using the leash as a Mat. Wherever you are with your dog, you've got a leash, right? If I was going to teach this, I'd start with a very long leash, or a couple of leashes snapped together to make a fairly large puddle of leashes, then cut it back to one 4' leash. Or you could use your purse; Your mitts; Your car keys; A chair; A couch; A bench in a park;

LEVEL THREE: Dog goes to his mat, bed, etc from 5’ away; one cue only, lies down, 1 cue only, and remains Down without fussing with no additional cues for one minute.

DISCUSSION: Another of the many duration behaviours in this Level. Here we're asking the dog to hold a Down Stay, but as the time gets up around ten minutes, we'll relax the Down as long as she stays on the mat.

EASY BEGINNINGS: Two things added at this Level – Down on the mat, and Staying on the mat. Start with Down. You've got a good Down on cue from L2, and in L3 Downs you're working on Down from a distance – this fits in nicely with both of those. You can simply ask her to Down when she's on the mat. Down, click, and toss the treat off the mat. Down, click, toss. X10, then wait to see if she offers you a Down when she gets to the mat. If she does, X20, click, toss off the mat. If she doesn't, another ten giving her the Down cue and try for the volunteer behaviour again. Or, you can NOT cue the Down, just start right in on duration.
She goes to the mat, you count ONE, click, toss off the mat. She goes to the mat; you count TWO, click, toss off the mat. Etc. If she has not started to lie down on the mat by the time you get to 20, I'd go back to the first paragraph and start cueing it before you click.

When she has a clear understanding that she goes to the mat and lies down on it, you can start your duration counts. For this, toss the reward ON the mat X10, then once OFF the mat, then continue your count. So, she gets on the mat and lies down, click, toss ON. She is down on the mat, count two, click, toss ON. She's down on the mat, count three, click, toss ON, etc. She is down on the mat, count ten, click, toss OFF the mat. She runs to get it, gets back on and down on the mat, count eleven, click, toss ON, etc. As usual, when she sits up or gets off the mat at, say, 12 seconds, get her back on the mat and start your count over again from one second/click, two seconds/click, etc.

PROBLEM SOLVING: SHE'LL STAY FOR 30 SECONDS ON THE MAT BUT SHE WON'T STAY ANYWHERE ELSE! Of course not. You haven't yet trained her anywhere else. Stay on a mat may look exactly like stay in the front hall to US, but they don't look anything like the same thing to a dog.
By the time you've started from scratch and explained Stay to her in thirty different places, she'll be starting to understand. Even putting the mat in the front hall won't seem the same to her as having the mat in the living room.

ADDING A CUE: I don't use any cue for STAYING on the mat. The initial Go To Mat cue will get the dog to the mat. Once there, she's on her own. You are teaching her to stay on the mat until you click or call her or otherwise release her.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: The more she practices staying on the mat, the better she'll know it. Move the mat around your house. Use different mats. Use mats, and low tables, hammocks, clothing. And remember, each time you change ONE thing about what the dog knows, change everything else to make it easier, so if you use a different mat, be sure to keep it in a place she knows, and lower the distance and time. If you change the place you put the mat, use the same mat, and lower the distance and time.
Effort you put in now to help her understand new things will be well worth it later, because, like everything else you teach her, the more practise she has in generalizing a behaviour, the better she'll be at it.

LEVEL FOUR: Dog goes to his mat, bed, or pause table from 10’ away, lies down and remains Down with no fussing for 2 minutes. Appropriate cues.

DISCUSSION: Remember to decrease the time when you increase the distance, and vice versa. Getting a solid voice cue is one of the most important parts of the behaviour at this Level.

EASY BEGINNINGS: It makes no difference whether you increase distance first, or time. The choice is yours. Best results (or most visible results) will probably be gained by alternating. So work going to the mat up to 6', then cut back to 4' and make sure you have your Level Three 60 second Stay solid. Then go on to 80 seconds. Go back to maybe 10 seconds on the mat, but work the distance to the mat up to 8'. Cut your distance back down to 6' and work your time up to 100 seconds. Go back to 20 seconds and work your distance to the full 10'. Cut your distance to 8' and work your time all the way up to 2 minutes. Finally, work your distance back up to 10'.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Pay some careful attention to your cue at this Level. With a short distance and no duration on the Stay, move your mat around so the dog has to look for it a bit to find it. When she's really good at finding it, no matter where in the room you put it, put the cue back on. Do it a LOT. In this behaviour's most useful incarnation, you can walk towards one end of a training area, cue Go To Mat, and have the dog run out ahead of you and find something to park on. Wait a minute, does that sound like really good distance on the agility pause table? Why yes, I think it does!

At this Level, you can also start finding better things to do than staring at your dog for two minutes. Cut back to short distances and short durations and fold some clothes. Rinse a couple of dishes. Sweep the floor. Again, this is an excellent leading to the pause table, works just as well for leadouts at the start line in agility, and is also the beginning of the out-of-sight stays in obedience.

LEVEL FIVE: Dog goes to his mat, bed, or pause table from 20’ away and remains down for 5 minutes. Appropriate cues.

DISCUSSION: The behaviour is starting to look like it will when it's finished. Try doing the dishes or other chores while you're working through the five minutes.

LEVEL SIX: Dog goes to his mat/bed/pause table from 20’ away and stays there for 15 minutes. Appropriate cues.

DISCUSSION: This is the complete behaviour. We expect the dog to be able to find her mat pretty much anywhere in a training area, and we no longer require her to stay Down while she's on the mat. This means she can stand up, stretch, roll on her back, or otherwise relax on her own terms, as long as she stays on the mat.
LEVEL SEVEN: Dog goes to his mat/bed/pause table from 20’ away on one cue and remains there with no fuss for 30 minutes. This behaviour must be performed with no food or clicker in the room or area.

DISCUSSION: The same behaviour as we asked for at the previous Level, twice as long. Doing it without rewards in the area means the dog is doing the behaviour as a part of her everyday life rather than as a "trick" which requires an immediate reinforcer.


RULES TO ENSURE A HAPPY RETRIEVE
In the next issue we will be discussing some basic retrieve problems.
In the meantime here is some paws for thought!

· Never practise or train your dog when you are in a bad mood, or if you have had a bad day at the office!
· Never practise or work your dog if he appears to be off colour or ill.
· Keep in mind the breed characteristics of each individual breed (inherited genetics) some breeds take longer to learn than others.
· All learning should be FUN – both for dog and owner!
· All learning should be based on positive reinforcement, or reward based methods of learning.
· Abuse and/or abusive methods of leaning have no place in dog training.
· Always be consistent, calm, and confident. You will need to always be consistent in your attitude, voice, commands, and body language to obtain positive results.
· Never chastise or punish a dog/puppy for picking up anything in his mouth. If the dog/puppy has something “undesirable” in his mouth, you can do a “trade” for a valuable object or treat.
· Your voice is your most important training tool, so use it – especially for encouragement, affirmation and reassurance! The dog’s sense of hearing in some breeds is at least THREE TIMES GREATER THAN YOURS! So volume is not needed, rather use a soft excited tone than an intimidating booming voice!
· Always retain your sense of humour!
· Keep all learning sessions’ fun and light!
· Make sure that all training sessions are gentle and kind.
· Always end the practise session on a good note and if possible after a success!
· Quit when you are ahead!!!!! Unless following a programme such as the inducive retrieve programme as outlined later in this little book, keep the sessions short, and always end on a note of success!
· If the dog has performed an exercise correctly the first time, DO NOT REPEAT THE EXERCISE, or the second time he (or you) might make a mistake, and then you will have to repair the damage done by the mistake – QUIT WHEN YOU ARE AHEAD!

THREE RULES FOR A WELL BEHAVED DOG:
1. Consistency: communication between different species is not an easy task, especially when one species can talk and the other can't! Inconsistency makes that task all the more difficult. By adopting consistent behaviours in yourself, setting consistent boundaries, and keeping some sort of consistent routine - your dog will have an easier job of figuring out what you expect.
2. Lead by example: dogs tend to mimic our actions. Don't rely on them interpreting our intentions correctly. If we yell at our dog for being aggressive, this can lead to more aggression from our dog.
They don't necessarily understand that we are angry and upset with their actions, they just follow our lead. When we learn calm approaches to dealing with this sort of problem, our lead is followed with calmness in return.
3. Reward good behaviour: behaviour that is effectively rewarded tends to increase or continue. Therefore it makes sense to reward the behaviour we want to see in our dogs. In the same way we get paid to work, our dogs expect to be paid too. Life in the pack works that way; food, security, shelter, play and social contact are the rewards dogs work for. Whilst our pet dogs get most of this stuff for free, it makes sense to ask them to do something to earn it, no matter how simple the task. Asking a dog to sit before letting it outside, or asking for a short 'stay' before being fed are two simple examples.
By adopting these 3 qualities and making them habits in your day to day interaction with your dogs, you will see positive changes in your relationship. Dogs do respect these qualities and respond in kind with faithful companionship.

USING YOUR VOICE!
LESS IS MORE
Handlers should talk softly to their dogs when they give commands – and they should never shout! A dogs hearing is vastly superior to ours. A good way to describe using yelling and shouting in dog training, is like “swatting flies with a shovel!” One can compare a dog’s response to continual shouting or raised voices, to that of a young child, who soon learns to ignore a raised voice (children often become so accustomised to the sound they simply switch off!) Shouting tends to teach dogs to ignore.
Speak softly but in an excited tone – which will also make you much more interesting to your dog! Save the loud voice for life and death situations, for at that time, if a dog has never experienced the loud voice, in an emergency it will have a far more dramatic effect – and could in fact save his life!

Why in so many dog schools - is the command “Down” a swearword?
If a handler bellows out the command “Down” – the response he will receive from the dog will be a SUBMISSIVE RESPONSE! Not conducive to a willing happy worker!

BASIC TRAINING COMMANDS FOR ALL LOWER TRAINING LEVELS
Cultivate a good “Working” voice to use for interacting with your dog. Do not nag, and do not let your voice become monotone. Avoid “verbiage” or continually chattering when working your dog. As soon as the dog is focused “shut up” for a couple of seconds – and then only speak when encouragement is needed.

Continual “verbiage” causes boredom. Speak softly but make sure your voice is animated and interesting. Keep basic commands short. Handlers can use the following commands for simplicity. Always use the same word with the same tone of voice and the same accompanying body language and posture. See below examples:-

· “Sit” (spoken in a short, slightly higher pitch, do not use “Sit Down” it is too drawn out)
· “Down” (spoken in a slightly longer - slightly lower pitch - not “Lie Down” it is too long)
· “Stand” (spoken in a medium pitch - the word can be slightly stretched or drawn out)
· “Watch” (spoken in a soft, short, excited whisper – which encourages concentration)
· “Come” (spoken in a slightly louder, excited happy pitch – whatever works for the individual dog.)
· “Back” (Spoken in a slightly firmer, sharper tone – it is a quick movement)

Handlers should use different commands for different situations – formal commands are unnecessary for situations such as, when taking your dog for a walk. It is not necessary to make him walk at the “Heel” position as long as he is not pulling the handler. If the dog is reliable to let off leash, or during play and you want the dog to come when he is called it is unwise to use the formal command “Come in” as that is an instruction for him to perform a formal “Re-call”, followed by him “Presenting,” - sitting straight in front of your knees. As such exact precision is unnecessary when going for an informal walk in the park; rather give him another command, such as “Let’s go” or “Here”.

The basic rule for giving “Working” commands is:-
1. Dog’s name “Watch” -to get his attention
2. Then – dog’s name and give the command
3. Then physically follow through with the action / compliance
4. Immediate praise
NON-FORMAL COMMANDS
Do not use formal commands for non-formal interactions / situations! This is very important – as by using formal commands in an in-formal context YOU WILL CONFUSE YOUR DOG!

INSTRUCTION
COMMAND
To get the dog/s to go into the kitchen
Dog’s name / All dogs – go kitchen
To get the dog/s to go into the car
Dog’s name / All dogs – go car
To get the dog/s to go outside
Dog’s name / All dogs - out
To get the dog/s to toilet on command
Dog’s name – Go / All dogs go busy
To get the dog/s to come / or accompany
you / or just to stay near you (non-formal)
when off leash on a walk in the park
Dog’s name / All dogs lets go
Comm’on guys – lets go!
To get the dog/s into his crate
Dog’s name / Go crate
To get the dog/s to release an object
Dog’s name / Leave it
To get the dog/s to go to his bed/basket
Dog’s name / Go to bed
To get the dog/s to move out of your way
Dog’s name / Get back
When letting him off his leash in a safe park / play area
OK or Free
COMMANDS USED – INSTRUCTOR TO HANDLER AND HANDLER TO DOG:

NAME OF EXERCISE
INSTRUCTOR’S
COMMAND TO HANDLER
HANDLERS
COMMAND TO DOG

Handlers are encouraged to use their “Trigger” word
Trigger word =
“Dog’s name” + “Watch”
Sit
All dogs sitting
Dog’s name – Sit
Down
Put your dog into the down / down your dog / All dogs in the down
Dog’s name – Down
Stand
Put your dog into the stand / stand your dog
Dog’s name – Stand
Heelwork
Handler and dog forward
Dog’s name - Heel
Right turn
Right turn
Dog’s name – Heel
Left turn
Left turn
Dog’s name – Back
About turn
About turn
Dog’s name – Heel / Close
Halt
Halt
Dog’s name – Sit
Recall on the move
Recall on the move
Dog’s name – Come in
Recall to the front
Prepare your dog for a recall to the front:
Call your dog in
Dog’s name - Wait

Dog’s name – Come in
Sit stay
Prepare your dog for a sit stay.
Last command

Leave your dog


Halt and about turn.
Dog’s name – Sit Stay
Dog’s name – Sit Stay

No additional command – leave the dog stepping off leading with your right foot.
Stop on instructors command, step back with your right foot to turn around and face the dog.
Down stay
Prepare your dog for a down stay.
Last command
Leave your dog



Halt
About turn
Dog’s name – Down Stay
Dog’s name – Down Stay
No additional command – step off with your right foot.


Stop on instructors command
Step back with your right foot to turn and face the dog
Stationary heelwork
At the halt/or stationary
Right turn
Left turn
About turn

Dog’s name – Heel
Dog’s name – Back
Dog’s name – Heel
Retrieve
Handler, are you ready?

Throw the article / dumbbell

Send your dog



Remove the article
Finish
Wait for the instructors command. (lower levels may command – Dog’s name – Wait)

Dog’s name – Fetch
Dog’s name – Come In
Dog’s name – Sit

Dog’s name – Leave
Dog’s name - Heel

PAWS OUTREACH & OTHER ACTIVITIES: Mandy, Siobhon and myself took a drive to Cornilia earlier this week to attend an animal abuse case. Charges of cruelty to animals had been instituted against a family in the area. Video footage was obtained of a horse being “tamed” - (tied to a pole and thrashed until it dropped) and there are evidently several other charges going to be brought against the accused family. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide details at this stage due to the legalities of the ongoing case. The case was postponed until December. As soon as I am in a legal position to release details of this case – you will all be the first to hear! If anyone would like to attend the court hearing in December – please give me a shout.
Taking a drive through local and other areas, we have been horrified at the amount of negligence and poverty that we see and we have decided to do something about it. We are still in the planning stages but – have started a slush fund to use where and when necessary. It will involve a sterilisation programme and feeding assistance to improvised owners. Therefore, we are going to ask everyone to try and donate whatever they can. Dry dog food, blankets, wire and chains (to put up running chains) any building material that could be used to build kennels, and of course money to pay for vet bills and sterilisation.
We are going to start on our own doorsteps – regardless of colour or creed. Any family with pets who is in need will receive help if we have the resources. So come on guys – put your money where your mouth’s are and let’s try to make a bit of a difference!

ACRAL LICK DERMATITIS (ALD)
The Problem: What is ALD? Acral lick dermatitis (ALD), also known as lick granuloma or canine neurodermatitis is a stereotypic behaviour resulting in self-mutilation. A stereotypic behaviour refers to a pattern of movements or behaviours which are repeated without variation and seem to occur for no apparent purpose. Such things as pacing or excessive grooming are common types of stereotypies seen in domestic or captive animals.

In ALD the stereotypy is self-licking, chewing or scratching, most commonly on the distal portions of the limbs. The repetitive licking creates areas of hair loss and the production of lesions which may range in size from several centimetres to the entire surface of the limb. The continuous self licking and chewing prevents the lesions from healing and may cause discomfort, pain and, in severe cases, crippling.

Contributing Factors: ALD is most common in large active breeds, but small dogs may be affected as well. Of the large breeds the Doberman, German Shepard, Great Dane, Golden Retriever, and Labrador Retriever seem to be more predisposed to ALD than other large breeds. It is largely agreed that ALD is a behavioural disorder with many possible origins. The self-licking and chewing acts as a release of tension for dogs which are bored, socially isolated, confined for long periods of time or are physically punished continually by their owners. The self-licking may also be initiated by an over attentive or nervous owner who inadvertently fosters nervous behaviour in their pets.

The introduction of new animals or people into the household may also initiate ALD. It is very important if you see your dog licking incessantly that other possible causes are ruled out such as bacterial or fungal infections, neoplasia, trauma, foreign body and allergies which may cause similar symptoms. In order to rule out other causes your veterinarian may need to take bacterial cultures, radiographs, histological examinations or other laboratory tests.

Dealing with ALD: Treatment and Prevention: Unfortunately, ALD is difficult to treat. Many methods of treatment are available, but none are consistently effective. Treatments include: restrictive collars, bandaging, topical corticosteroid creams, surgical excision, radiation therapy and a wide range of behaviour modifying and antiobsessional drugs (antidepressants, antianxiety, etc.). Each of these treatments has varying degrees of success and failure on a case by case basis.
However, none of the above addresses the behavioural origins of the disorder. The treatment may have short-term success, but after the bandage is removed or the medication stopped, the self-mutilation behaviour will almost always begin again. Treatment should first begin with behavioural modification and then may be coupled with one of the above treatments on advice of your veterinarian.

The owner must identify the stimulus which is causing the anxiety and observe the environment/lifestyle of the dog.
Is the dog socially isolated with little or no human contact?
Is the dog crated for long hours at a time?
Is the dog home alone 8+ hours a day?
What kind of exercise does the dog receive?

Listed are some suggestions which may help prevent the onset of ALD and aid in its treatment:
Ensure your dog gets sufficient exercise, not just in a yard, but also leashed walks where you will be interacting with your dog.
Take your dog to obedience classes or participate in dog sports such as agility or flyball. These will challenge your dogs as well as provide exercise and time to interact with other dogs.
If your dog is going to be home alone for 7-8 hours consider coming home at lunch, or having someone take the dog out for you. Another option is to get a second dog or cat for company. Also consider researching and finding treatments for separation anxiety.
Most importantly, choose a breed of dog, which is suitable for your lifestyle. If you are sedentary and enjoy relaxing on your days off, you should not own a large active breed. Consider smaller toy breeds or a cat.

All of the above suggestions will improve the human-dog bond as well as decrease the stress and anxiety which may lead to behavioural disorders such as canine acral lick dermatitis.

Treatment of ongoing ALD requires identification and elimination of causative stimuli, behavioural modification and medical treatment to allow the self induced lesions time to heal.


SUBMISSIVE URINATION
My dog urinates when I pet him after I return from being gone for an extended period of time? Why does it happen?
It is a submissive gesture (sometimes it is a fearful thing that they just can not control). You cannot punish them because it is something that they are not doing on purpose and they can not help it. If your dog is young she will most likely outgrow it.

HOW DO I WORK ON STOPPING IT? Move slowly, and build her confidence. Walking sideways or backward, with your hand held out with a treat, and stopping when you see her start to squat and let her come to you. Keep the praise to a minimum. You can talk sweetly, but do not bend down toward her, or look at her in the eyes. When you walk into the house and she runs to you, do not stop and reach down to pet her. Go to the bathroom or do something besides greeting her immediately. Have a treat, one that will last awhile, in your pocket and when you walk in just toss it (not at her) on the floor. Alternatively, even better, if she will take it from your hand while you are standing, so she can't sit down. Then go do something until she calms down.

Do not get on the ground with her and do not lean over her. Try not to face your dog head on. A little later, let your dog come to you and just stroke her slowly and speak to her in a calm voice. It may take awhile, but it can be done. You can gradually adjust your motions as you see her confidence building. We have rescued many dogs with that problem and we have been able to adjust the behaviour in most cases. I had a little Pomeranian that we were fostering and nothing was working. Finally, I taught her to jump into my arms when I walked in the door.

So, when we placed her with her new home they were tickled to have her jump in there arms every night. That is not the answer for some, especially if you have a big dog. But in the Pomeranians case it was the best thing to do so she could go to a loving and permanent home.


REMEMBER the next workshop will be held at Ashbury School – Orchard Road – Crystal Park / Rynfield – Benoni on the 28th October: Registration is at 1:00 pm and the afternoon ends at about 5:00 pm. Refreshments will be served and each delegate will obtain a certificate of attendance and a bound, printed copy of the afternoons proceedings in article form.

Interesting Topics for the afternoon are:
AGGRESSION:
Dog on dog aggression: Aggression within the dog training school: Fear aggression: Battle of the sexes: Status related aggression: Hormonal aggression: Defensive maternal aggression: Resource guarding: Territorial aggression: Genetic aggression: Predatory aggression: Idiopathic aggression: Aggression towards humans:

ANXIETY:
Fear of storms and sound sensitivity:
Separation anxiety – the dog who loves too much!

This is followed by an open question and answer session – all questions welcome! For bookings and any further information please contact Louise at (011) 969-4467 (office hours) or 082-890-0905 (mobile) or please feel free to e mail me at louthomp@mweb.co.za for any further information.

Well that’s all for now folks. Hope the rain stops soon - I think my dogs and I are going to shrink!
Until next time,

Louise