He’s Never Done that Before

Its an all together too frequent response that dog owners have for dog service businesses. Either because they have no idea about the canine in their house, or they simply do not want to acknowledge that their dog, their animal, is capable of this type of behavior. This article, “He’s Never Done that Before”, comes primarily from the most recent issue, July / Aug 2016 of Pet Boarding and Daycare. We hope you enjoy it and get a chuckle from it, but call us and ask us who we recommend for correcting these behaviors. We are happy to share with our clients in Jacksonville.

He’s Never Done that Before

We all know dogs. We know what they do. Humans have been around them for about 15,000 years. You could sit down and list most of their known behaviors off the top of your head. They run, they bark, they bite, they chew things. They also nuzzle, snuggle, lick, pee, poop and roll in noxious, decayed things. Despite our collective knowledge of canines, one of the most common, naïve comments by people is “he’s never done that before.”

This isn’t a casual comment like saying it’s the first time your nine–month–old male dog lifted his leg. It’s usually a response to some bizarre or tragic event. My neighbor’s dog that slipped out of the gate, followed the family car down the street and across a busy thoroughfare. He didn’t make it. The father (mother) explained why they were so surprised by the dog’s behavior by saying the magic words— he never did that before. He certainly isn’t going to do that again.

Be Prepared: Savvy Pet Ownership Revealed

One assumes that any behavior a dog can do is possible. The other lives in a world where if it hasn’t happened yet, it doesn’t require a moment’s consideration. As a person involved in a dog’s life outside the immediate family, you are in a perfect position to help your clients get savvy. The direct benefit for them is a less frustrating and potentially much longer life with their pet. For you, retaining a client is a very good thing. Here are some suggestions of simple topics you can bring up in a conversation to get your clients thinking about what their dogs can and may do, someday.

Aggression

Most dogs are capable of skilled, serious aggression. As infants, they play-fight with miniature ferocity until they become adept at using aggression. While the act of play–fighting may lay dormant for many months, the dog still gains coordination, speed, and stamina as it ages. If some event triggers the aggression when the dog is an adult, we hear the magic words.

The most common times to watch out for aggression are the advent of sexual maturity. This is at about 8–9 months and during social maturity (12–24 months). Being able to ask questions about a dog’s development makes the perfect entree into suggesting training in advance of the need to react to an aggressive event. Every dog AND owner could use some training. No matter if its training in a group at a big box store, the simple process of training is a stepping stone that every pet and owner need during their lives. Both pet and owner need training.

Home Security

There is a reason why every municipality has dog catchers—it’s because dogs escape and range freely. While some owners allow this, most don’t. Sometimes it’s the pool guy who accidentally left the gate open. (Which is why a discussion of this topic can help you head–off a tragedy.)  There are products available to that can metaphorically lock the door on this possibility. PetSafe makes a product call the Paws Away. It is a form of containment system that uses a small transmitter connected to a collar that gives a sting if the dog gets too close. They are fantastic at teaching dogs not to charge the front door and escape.

Destruction

There is nothing more concerning than returning home to a couch with a huge hole in it. When a dog passes through its teething stage from about 5 months to just shy of a year, it’s a great time for you to discuss the dog’s behavior. While the majority of dogs grow out of incessant teething some persist for a year or more.

House training

Every year, people get rid of dogs because they are finally fed up with urine soaked carpets. From puppy hood to old age, regularly reinforcing a dog for correct elimination makes this highly unlikely.  Dogs forget what they did within (4) four seconds. Correcting improper behavior at home needs to happen the instance that it occurs. Something we work on daily in dog daycare. While he’s never done that before is popular at home, we see this often in daycare. Anxiety and playing with other dogs can sometimes take over a dog. This may cause a release of fluids or solids. But owners need to know that a dog is a habitual marker too, something the dog will take home with them and duplicate.

Public Nuisance

Many pet owners cannot walk their pets in public without a struggle. The “he’s never done that before” often takes the form of their dog lunging and/or attacking another dog. Using a head–halter is the best way to prepare for this possibility. Halters give the handler a mechanical advantage. Instead of having to resist the entire dog, only the muscles that connect the neck to the head come in play. If a dog lunges at another dog, a very light pull back on the leash turns the dog’s head. That means the bite will not land and the dog will get “a mouthful of feathers.”

For people who are not savvy dog handlers, halters are the correct solution to this problem. Hint: Dogs on halters are less fractious when they come into your business. They cannot lunge forward and an owner can comfortably control their dogs as they stand at the front counter. On the other hand retractable leashes are NOT the answer. If you cannot control your dog 4 feet from you, what makes you think you can do so 20 feet away? A simple trick with a 6-foot fixed lead is to place the lead under one of the front legs and back to the owner’s hand. The pulling down of the leash on the dog will slow them down. Under control, the dog is more responsive during a walk.

We see this daily in Dog Daycare

At Happy Hound Dog Resorts, we believe that every owner could benefit from some training with their dog. No matter if at a puppy mill or a local vendor all dogs will be better pets and better in a daycare setting. We see it daily, dogs do not know their name, simple commands, and they act out on the daycare floor. Just walk down the neighborhoods of Avondale, Riverside or Ortega to see these daily.  Responsible pet  owners know to get their dogs what they need to be contributing members of society. Please do not take in a pet without thinking about the life of the pet. Its not fair to either you or the pet.