Anyone remember the best-selling memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie?  It recounts sports columnist, Mitch Albom’s, weekly visits with his 78-year-old sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying from ALS, and the life lessons gleaned from their candid conversations.

Today, Bark & Swagger is kicking off its own Tuesday series, containing great lessons on how to be the best dog parents we can. We’re tackling the Top 10 most common dog training problems as identified by TV celebrity trainer and dog guru, Justin Silver and his partner, Dave Donnenfeld, from the more than 500 dogs they’ve trained.

Each week, Justin will tackle one training issue, explain his philosophy behind why it happens, and then give us the fix to do our dog training at home. They will surely give us food for thought about our own participation in the problems we have, and solid tips to move beyond.  Sounds good, right?

And, each week we’re giving away a copy of Justin’s new book, The Language of Dogs, a great read chock full of easy to follow techniques, training tools, tips, and more. We won’t get to cover everything in the book here, so winning a copy will give you all of the information you need to train your dog. See how to enter at the end of this post.

A training series like this is at its best when it’s interactive. So, feel free to comment, tell Justin and Dave what issues you’re experiencing, what you think of their advice, and we’ll see how many we can address.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves, find a comfortable seat and get ready to learn how to have a well-balanced, well-behaved dog.

Tuesdays With Justin – Week 1 – Self Awareness or Why does my dog pull on the leash?

Guest post by Justin Silver & Dave Donnenfeld

Justin Silver & Dave Donnenfeld

Training, problem solving and philosophy. These intimately connected elements comprise the foundation for all dog training. And for the next ten weeks, I’ll see if we can blend these magical herbs and spices into a readable elixir of doggity goodness.

To begin, I’d like to tackle the question that gets posed more than any other- why does my dog pull so much on leash?

The first thing I look at when dealing with a difficult dog is how an owner responds to an undesired behavior. Stressed owners beget stressed dogs and what I often see are dogs reacting to owners, not the other way around.

While many people understand the basics tenets of training, I often implore dog owners to slow down and practice a little self-awareness. With practice, they can often see the fix staring them in the face.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

 So, “why is my dog pulling me on the leash?” Now it’s my turn to ask a question: How do dog owners typically react to a pulling dog? They pull back. Now both parties are doing the exact same thing, effectively turning a Sunday stroll into a tug of war.

When dogs pull and people follow, nobody wins. Once this frustrating dynamic locks in place, the next move conscientious people make is to buy collars or harnesses that make pulling less painful for the dog. Thoughtful though it may be, these concessions don’t help.

In Your Face

Aren’t we the ones who initially started pulling our dogs on leash? It would take a black belt in Buddhism to have never pulled on a dog’s leash. Having set this precedent for pulling from walk one, is it our dog’s fault for responding in kind?

The Fix Is In – What To Do

When a dog pulls on leash- stop walking! The dog will eventually look at you as if to say, “Your world buddy. What’s next?” Simply halt when a dog pulls and resume only after your dog looks to you for instruction.

Expect to lather, rinse and repeat quite a bit. It may take a lot of reps to undo an owner’s history of pulling.

Sum Final Advice

It’s not often one gets a chance to quote the Bible in dog training, so here goes: “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?” How many dogs get to jump on people as puppies, only to get scolded for it later in life? How many pulling dogs get pulled around themselves? Barking dogs get barked at in the form of yelling and the list goes on. We’ve certainly been guilty of all of these things, at one point or another. 

Try a little self-awareness and see how your behavior, energy and actions impact upon your dog. When your dog pulls, stop walking, take a breath and wait it out. Next week, we’ll go from shouting what we don’t want, to getting what we do.

# # #

The Giveaway!

To enter the giveaway to win a copy of Justin’s new book, The Language of Dogs, you have to be a member of the SwagTeam or join the SwagTeam. That’s it!

What’s your biggest training problem?

Call me crazy, but some of the best training advice I’ve received are these three simple words: Keep it fluffy. That’s how dog trainer, Justin Silver, puts it when he talks about the energy we communicate to our dogs. The CBS-TV Dogs in the City star sat down with me recently to talk about how our dogs think and learn, topics he covers in his new book with David Donnenfeld, The Language of Dogs. What follows is how Justin helped us and his top dog training tips.

How Justin Helped Jasper Get Over the Hump

After hearing about Justin Silver and watching his show, I was intrigued about his training methods. So I asked a colleague to introduce us,  got his new book and hunkered down to read it. I had an ulterior motive. Our rescue Jasper, who has fear aggression issues, had taken over our lives since we took him home 8 months ago.  Our wonderful trainer, Maggie Wood, had taken us from not being able to walk Jasper on the street – he’d shriek bark and lunge at people and dogs – to having a much more manageable dog. But, we were stalled and I wanted to see if we could get Jas over the hump of total unpredictability.

Justin & Dave Donnenfeld

The Language of Dogs was a great read.  I found it easy to follow the training tips (with great demonstration photos of the techniques), and his sense of humor and no nonsense approach drew me in, not surprising from a one-time stand up comic and personal trainer. Having trained about 500 dogs, Justin has seen it all.

We did our first and only training session with Jasper via Skype. Yup, Skype!  Justin was in L.A. working and escaping the brutal NYC winter. My husband shot some video of me walking Jasper and him acting out towards other dogs on the street,  and I texted it to Justin prior to our session (what did we do before iPhones and email?). As soon as we connected on Skype, he dove in. Apparently, I was doing several things wrong and not being fluffy was at the heart of it.

He told me that, in the video, my energy was sending the wrong message to my dog. I was tense, almost expecting an outburst, which was true. We never knew when Jasper would go loco and we were honestly afraid he’d bite someone or their dog. But my body posture, the way I was holding his lead, the tone of my voice – all of it was  telling Jasper to be tense, too.

In that session, Justin taught me how to hold his lead and walk him. He said we were using the wrong collar and suggested I put Jasper into a Halti Head Harness, which we subsequently changed to a PetSafe Gentle Leader. You know those head harnesses that has a strap around their nose? That made a HUGE difference right away, because I was able to control him “from the cockpit,” as Justin put it, and they are safe and humane. I love the Gentle Leader so much for our dogs (yes, Sophie, too), that I’m going to do a separate post about it and go into detail about how the harness works, what kind of dogs it’s good for and how it helped us with two completely different types of dogs.

The PetSafe Gentle Leader

Justin also explained his concept of “keeping it fluffy.” He said, “Imagine the most perfect walk with your dog, and live that feeling while you’re walking.” That didn’t mean to check out and be ignorantly blissful. One of the main tenets of his training is to listen with our eyes. What Justin was saying was to manifest a lovely, drama-free walk by sending out that kind of energy to Jasper. Keep the lead a bit loose, smile, sound happy. And, you know what? I saw immediate results when I tried it out on the street. Immediate!

After our Skype lesson, I interviewed Silver and he laid out his training philosophy. It is explained more in depth in The Language of Dogs, which I recommend highly. There’ll be a link to purchase at the end of the post. I’ll also be starting a weekly series with Justin of 10 common training issues dog parents have. Each week, Justin will instruct us as how to solve that week’s problem.

Justin’s Top Training Tips (in his own words)

Silver told me he rarely sees a client more than once or twice. That’s right! He doesn’t believe in working with a trainer long term. Why? He feels that once he teaches dog parents what to do with their particular dogs, as long as we follow through and do it, we will train our own dogs. And, it seems to work!

On to some of his top tips!

* Send the right message!  

If I got a tattoo across my chest to sum up my #1 training tip, it would be this: Tell the dog what you want him to do, not what you don’t!  The dog is somehow getting a mixed message of what it’s supposed to be doing, through the owners or through the trainer. We’re constantly communicating with them, either through commands or through our behavior. A perfect example is barking at the doorbell. Many people yell at the dog to stop barking. That doesn’t work. An alternative is to take what is instinctive to the dog, alerting you that someone is here, thank the dog for telling you and then redirecting that behavior to something you want them to be doing. That’s giving the dog the message of what to do once they’ve alerted you.

* Keeping it Fluffy

Dogs tend to follow. They’re bred to take cues from our eyes, our voice, to read facial expressions better than primates. When we train, we always have to have the goal in mind. People will use various techniques they’re taught, thinking the techniques alone will lead them to the promised land. You and Jasper are a perfect example. What I suggested is take the leash, hold it and instruct with the end goal in mind – a great walk. What I meant was, our energy when we’re with our dogs  is super important. The leash is like a lightning rod. Whatever is going on with you is traveling right down the leash to the dog.  Sometimes you have to breathe through it,  as if your goal is already happening and the dog will follow. When I say ‘Keep it fluffy,’ I mean a fluffy energy, like a cloud…light. That expression developed when I was walking dogs and teaching people how to do it. They’d grab the leash tight, yank or pull it and the dog would counter pull, and I’d tell them to keep it fluffy, nice and easy like you’re walking on a cloud. That doesn’t mean you fall apart and turn to mush, but you have a real sense of ease, manifesting what you want to occur.

* Give them a job

Imagine if your dog was a human child, like six or seven. You have friends over and he’s running around the house wild, driving everyone crazy. You would most likely pull him aside, have a word, then sit him down and give him something to do. A job; a sense of responsibility. It’s the same with dogs. The job doesn’t have to be something that really needs doing, but the dog thinks it is. For example, if you’re a parent with a stroller, maybe the dog’s job is to walk politely next to the stroller and be like the big brother or the big sister. If treats motivate your dog, maybe you’d bring some with you on the walk and when she’s walking nicely by the stroller, you’d give her praise and a treat. If it’s affection and attention your dog responds to, you’d praise them and give them a pet. So, use what motivates your dog when you’re giving them a job. Oftentimes, all a dog wants is to have attention from you and be with you. If it’s a beautiful day and I’m walking down the street with the dogs, the reward is in the moment. So, it’s slowing both you and the dog down enough to see that, which means putting down the cellphone and paying attention.

* Listen with your eyes

Be observant about the way your dog takes in information and what they’re driven to do. For example, sometimes the owner of a high energy dog that doesn’t listen will try to quash that behavior, which can kill its spirit. They don’t realize that what the dog really wants is to interact with you. You don’t want to suppress that drive, you want to redirect it to other behaviors. You’ve got your dog’s battery charged…use it. You want food from me? You want affection from me? Here’s what you need to do to get it. Pay attention to what motivates your dog and use that to get him to do what you want, so he can get what he wants, too.

* No Free Lunch

An emotionally healthy dog has a clear understanding of its role in the household. This begins with the knowledge of who is in charge. In order to give a timid dog confidence, the dog needs to understand that it is not in control of the household. The same holds true for an overbearing dog, or a dog that exhibits “dominant” behavior. All of these behaviors reek of anxiety and desperation for instruction. The most important thing for a dog to understand is that we are the rightful owner of treats, chew sticks and squeeze toys, and that we decide when the belly rubs get doled out. When your dog has learned this information, you will have a calmer and happier dog. Why? Because your dog has something to work for that will allow it to perform one of it’s biological imperatives. Think about it this way: If you get a check every month from an anonymous donor, you’ll likely worry that one day the checks will stop coming. However, if you’re confident that you have earned and will continue to earn this check, you will not have cause for concern. It is healthy for a dog to know for whom and for what they are working.

* Structured play and structured activities

These are key. Everything you do with your dog is an opportunity to train. There’s a big difference between letting a dog run around the backyard,  going absolutely crazy to burn off steam and taking a walk on leash with you. With structured play, a dog needs to follow a certain protocol to get what it wants.  It reduces anxiety and lets the dog know what is expected of her. Hikes, games like fetch or tug of war with the drop it command,  frisbee, or specific playdates where there are rules and regulations are all good. A lot times, people don’t realize their method of exercising the dog can amp them up and teach them more bad habits. I see that in the dog park; there are people who let their dogs do whatever they want, and there are people who have some rules. The dogs who have some rules are going to get the benefit of burning off their energy without amping up their anxiety.

* Master your body

The way we hold our bodies sends a message to our dogs. Dogs are constantly trying to pick up signals from us and are masters at reading our body language. They’re never trying to dominate us; they’re trying to get what they want and figure out what we want. When training, it’s almost like you’re teaching English to a baby or putting together dance moves. You want to say command words very clearly, very deliberately, and give hand signals with a body posture that is also very concise. Think of an orchestra conductor. You see how he stands; his posture, how he holds that baton. He wants to be very crisp and concise because variations can mean something different to his orchestra. So, I tell people to look at their body and listen to their voice; how they’re communicating. With talk, less is more. Make the keywords [the command word(s)] all you say. Mushing is what I call the opposite of this. The best interaction between a dog and dog parent is like dance partners. You lead with the signals and words and he follows seamlessly.

There’s so much more…

These are some of the key aspects of what Justin teaches, but there’s so much more in the book…way too much to include here. Linking, luring, the 80/20 rule, and the critical how to introduce your dog to other dogs and humans are just a few.

I asked Justin if, in the hundreds he’s trained, has he had dogs he just couldn’t “fix”?

“Yes, there have been dogs I’ve had a very difficult time with. Certain dogs are going to prove [a term explained in the book] only a certain amount. If I have a dog that’s had an aggressive, tough background, it’s late in their life and they’re living in New York City with lots of triggers, how much better can I get that dog? Sometimes, the best thing for them is to go live on a farm or in a much more peaceful environment, where they’re not triggered by the things that cause them anxiety. I have a client who’s dog is really calm when he’s at her parent’s house in Pennsylvania, but when he’s back in NYC, he’s so anxious he starts attacking dogs in the elevator. We’ve gotten that dog as far as we can get him, where he’s not attacking dogs in the elevator, but he’s still really nervous. We’ve made as much improvement as we can, based on what that owner is willing to do and the environment the dog lives in. So, there’s things I can do and I can not do and people need to have realistic expectations of what the dog is capable of.”

With Pacino & Chiquita

 A message to dog parents…

Justin is a big supporter of adopt, don’t shop. His two dogs – Pacino and Chiquita – are both rescues and he’s done a lot of work with shelters. So, he knows from what he speak when he says, “If people took the time to learn how a dog thinks and learns, the proper way to introduce them to people and other dogs, instead of getting a dog and thinking they’ll just wing it, a lot of dogs’ lives would be saved. We’re basically dog re-trainers. I get called when the last three trainers haven’t worked and the owner thinks the dog is hopeless. Well, is the dog hopeless or is your method of teaching not the best one for this particular dog? It’s a trainer’s job and a dog owner’s job to find out the best means of training that specific animal that’s in front of them and, with that, the epidemic of dogs that show up in shelters with behavior problems would vastly go away.”

(photo credit for all photos: Brian Friedman)

Stay tuned for Justin’s favorite training tools, tomorrow, and an upcoming training series on the top 10 most common problems.

To purchase Justin Silver’s book, The Language of Dogs, go here.

To follow Justin on Facebook.

To follow Justin on Twitter.

To follow Justin on Instagram.

What is your biggest training challenge?

Alexandre and the dogs who love him

She’s a scruffy rescue who was returned twice for behavior problems. Today, Estopinha has 2 million Facebook fans and knows 40 Portuguese and 10 English commands on Skype. If you’re shaking your head in disbelief, keep reading. When I met brilliant Brazilian animal trainer & more, Alexandre Rossi, and saw the proof for myself, I was convinced. Can dogs be trained to use Skype? Yes! Meet Alexandre and his famous dogs, Estopinha and Sofia, who will show us how it’s done.

Sending a message about rescues…

Alexandre and Sofia, who started it all

Both of Alexandre’s dogs were rescued. Sofia was found in the street as a puppy, an escapee from an unsecured backyard. Alexandre spoke with the owner and then took her home. Adopting Estopinha was a bit more calculated. Sofia was already a famous dog in Brazil, with her ability to use a keyboard to tell Alex what she wanted. She had a platform to send a message to others. So, Alexandre decided to purposefully adopt a black, mixed breed, adult dog – all of which are harder to place in Brazil –  and found Estopinha.

She had already been returned twice by previously adopters for “enjoying life too much,” as Alex described her. “She used to bark a lot, but she doesn’t anymore,” he explains. “She would destroy things and look for trouble. She has a lot of energy.”

Her name means a rag that you might use to clean your hands. It’s fibers aren’t uniform, giving it a scruffy look – kind of like Estopinha.

An affair of the heart for both Alex and Estopinha

Through training, Estopinha has grown into a well-behaved, international star. Stick around to the end, and Alex will take us through, step-by-step, how he stopped her from her incessant barking.

With her 2 million Facebook fan platform, many others have been encouraged to adopt dogs that look like her. “There are so many dogs who look like Estopinha, so people will say maybe this one’s a cousin of Estopinha or a brother or sister of hers and they adopt them,” Alex shared.

Why Skype as a training tool?

I’ve heard of many different types of training methods, but using Skype was a first for me, so I had to know why and how. Here’s what I found out.

“I read article in BBC magazine on why dogs don’t understand what we say on Skype and I didn’t believe it,” Rossi explained. “This was about five years ago and I was studying for my Master’s Degree in human psychology. I went to one of my professors and showed him the article and he agreed that I could do my thesis on this – human/animal communication and a look at how language might develop.  I used a 3D printer to create a rudimentary device that can give treats remotely. I put an answering machine through Skype and when I pressed the numbers 0 or 9, the device would deliver a treat. I started doing some tests, which turned out really well.”

Alexandre, Sofia and the keyboard she used to communicate

Sofia ended up learning 50 commands in Portuguese on Skype, and started the sensation of Alexandre’s training feats.  She was also taught to push keys on a board to tell Alex what she wanted, whether it was to have food, water, go outside, etc. A video of Sofia’s communicating with Alex and friends is below. Go to about 2:40 to see her use the keyboard.  It’s really cool!

Unfortunately, Sofia passed away from a very aggressive cancer last year, prompting an outpouring of support from around the world and requests for Alexandre to speak about her and what she accomplished in places from Boston University to Hungary.

Estopinha has taken the training on Skype a step further.

Learning “yes” and “no”…

To teach Estopinha to communicate what she wanted,  Alex needed to teach her how to respond to yes and no questions. For yes, she gives a paw; for no, she turns her head the other way. She knows 40 commands in Portuguese and 10 in English. “She can also understand many of the things we say that we don’t consider a command, and that helps because she can answer yes or no to them. She can also ask for some things with her body language,” Rossi says.

I asked how he taught her to understand yes and no.

“I would get something she really wanted, like a treat,” he described.  “I’d show it to her and ask if she wants it. Once she got excited, I’d ask her to give her paw. When she offered it, I’d give her the treat.

“Then for no, I would present something she doesn’t like, like some alcohol on a cotton ball, for example. I would ask her if she wants it, and I’d let her smell it. She wouldn’t like it, so she’d turn her head away. This would be very subtle; it’s not something I’d put in her face; it’s not cruel. I’m very careful about that. When she’d turn her head away,  I’d say ok, good, you don’t want this, shaking my head. Then, I’d give the treat option again to show her the difference.

“After she got the hang of that, I’d start presenting other things to her, like the pee pad. Did she want to pee? If she got excited, I’d ask for her paw. Now, if she wants something, she’ll keep turning her head no until I get it right!”

Watch for yourself a video of Estopinha communicating with Alexandre on Skype. It’s in Portuguese but is subtitled in English.

“After that, we taught her all new commands only via Skype,” he explained. “For example, we taught her to turn the lights on and off in my house, through Skype.”

What else does she know?

“She does all the commands, like jump, turn around, sit, lay down, give a paw, give another paw,” Rossi says. “I can ask what she wants – food, drink. She always says yes to food, because that’s the only thing I can give her via Skype. She can dig, push this, pull that, get her toy.”

Here’s a complete list of what Estopinha can do in both languages:

In English

Sit
Down
Turn around
Hold
Let go
Jump
Up
Down
Fetch
Back

Does Estopinha also know how to cook?

In Portuguese

Senta – sit
Deita – down
Rola – turn around
Da a pata – give the paw
Da a outra pata – give the other paw
Morto – play dead
Busca – fetch
Rola – roll
Puxa – pull
Vem – come
Vai – go
Fica – stay
Para trás – go back
Pula – jump
Segura – hold
Solta – let go
Cadê – go find
O que vc. quer? – What do you want (she can do some signs to show what she wants, like drink water, go for a walk, food, etc.)
Quer água? – Do you want water? (she can answer with yes or no)
Quer comida? – Do you want food (same)
Quer passear? – Do you want to go for a walk? (same)
Barthô – Bartho is the name of the other dog. She can be asked to give a kiss to Bartho.
Mamis – Her “mother”. She can be asked to find her or take something to her.
Papis – Her “father.” Same thing.
Brinquedo – toy
Kong – Kong Classic Toy
Sobe – go up
Desce – go down
Vai para Casinha – go to the crate
Quer que abra? – Do you want the door to be opened? She can answer with yes or no.
Louca – Go crazy, she runs and through stuff to the air.
Da beijo – Give a kiss
Acende a luz – Turn on the light
Apaga a luz – Turn off the light

Alexandre with Bartho and Estopinha

What’s your background, Alex? (part of our interview)

AR: I started training fish when I was six. I lived in a small apartment and had many brothers and sisters. I always loved animals, but my parents only allowed me to have fish at first. I taught them to jump out of the water, to ring a bell for food, and for the fish to lay down on the floor of the aquarium and to turn around.

B&S: How did you teach them to lay down on the floor?

AR: It was kind of an accident. We weren’t allowed to watch tv, so I spent a lot of time watching my aquarium. I would notice that the fish would naturally lay down on the tank floor. So, I would wait for this, then tap the glass and offer food. Although I focused on one fish, Oscar, because I was doing this with a tank full of fish, the others learned too, and I could give a show! LOL

Finally, my parents allowed me to have a hamster, snakes, a rabbit…I had so many animals in that apartment, I feel sorry for my parents now. I didn’t train all of them, but I was able to get them to do things just by examining their behavior. For example, I had a spider who I could make walk a certain way and to stop.

Much of this knowledge I was able to use later on to train animals for advertising.

B&S: What animals did you train for advertising?

AR: Many, but a couple you may know are a spider in the TV show,  “Dexter, ” which I trained to walk towards one of the character’s mouth for one scene, and a dog in a Julianne Moore film, Blindness, which they needed to act very sad and give her a lick on the face. Julianne was really impressed with this dog and called him a genius!

What formal schooling have you had regarding animals?

AR: I took an animal science course, I hold an degree in Animal Behavior from the University of Queensland in Australia, and did my masters degree in psychology. Now, I’m in my 3rd year of veterinary school. I like to study a lot; I’m very academic, and have a scientific approach to everything.

B&S: What do you hope to accomplish with everything you do?

AR: My mission is to improve the relationship between animals and people, not only for people with their dogs and cats, but also in zoos and sanctuaries.  In addition to behavioral consultation and training at home for clients, I also offer courses, lectures and workshops on how to train animals through my business, Cao Cidadao (Citizen Dog). We have 65 franchisee’s throughout Brazil, thus far.

B&S: Where can people learn more about what you do?

AR: Our site is www.caocidadao.com.br but that’s in Portuguese. There’s also a bio on me in Wikipedia.

The Rossi family – Alexandre, Estopinha, Bartho & Cynthia

The training tip I promised…

Because I think Alexandre is really talented with animals and his heart is so in the right place for animals, I asked him about a problem we have that we’ve been unable to solve and it’s one a lot of people also have.

How do you get a dog to stop barking incessantly? Here’s what Alex did that worked with Estopinha:

“First,  I went online and downloaded all the noises I could find that I thought would make her bark. I played them at a low volume while I was giving her treats, so her mouth was very busy. I kept increasing the volume, and she realized every time she heard that noise, I’d give her a treat. Also, when she got very good at that part of the exercise, I used a water spray bottle and when she barked, I would spray her a little bit. When you give them a nice way out of a frustration, something they do like like treats, works better than just doing something they don’t like. The noise desensitization was the first step, then I moved to the real thing, like our doorbell. I would ring it many times with the dog with me, giving her treats.  Then, I’d ring it with the door open and give her treats and, just a few times use the water bottle if she barked; mostly the positive getting her used to the treats. It did the trick. She stopped barking because she knew instead of spending time barking, she would get treats when she heard noises.”

I’m going to try this at home with Sophie. I’ll let you know if it works for us. Maybe you’ll want to try it, too!

In summary, what I love about Alexandre is how he’s used a lot of love for his dogs and the science from his studies to push the boundaries of what’s possible. To me, that’s great dog training.

If you ever go to Brazil, you can see Alex on one of the two most popular TV shows there – Missao Pet – on the National Geographic channel and Desafio Pet, in ‘Programa Eliana’, on SBT, as well as on the radio show ‘É o Bicho’ on Band News FM.

You can follow Alexandre on Facebook here.

You can follow Estopinha on Facebook here.

Is there a special trick you’ve taught your dog that you especially love?

Nikki Moustaki &
Her Dog

Whether you live in a big or a small city, there are certain encounters our dogs will have that differ from the experience of country canines. From the time Sophie was 3 months old, she had to adjust to wailing sirens, hordes of pedestrians, and a bombardment of dogs and children of all sizes and shapes And, that was just on our walks! Apartment living is an adjustment, as is managing the social environment of parties, big department stores or doggy daycare our babies may be faced with. So, when I learned that celebrity dog trainer, Nikki Moustaki, was an urban dog and shelter dog training expert, I thought it would be interesting to find out more about what this is, how it differs from traditional dog training, and how it might help us city dwellers.

* Nikki is generously offering to personally answer the first Bark and Swagger follower to ask a training question in the Comments below. She has also agreed to send the first two Bark and Swagger followers to add comments on this article, a copy of her book, Dogfessions, described: “…this full color collection contains hundreds of handmade postcards that reveal the deepest confessions from dogs and their owners. From unabashed admissions (“Yes, I made that puddle 5 minutes ago”) to thoughtful revelations (“I think I kiss the dogs more than I kiss my husband”) to self-affirmations (“I do this deliberately to look cute”), you’ll steal a glimpse into the lives of dogs and their dearest devotees.”

Who Is Nikki?

Nikki Moustaki’s two passions are pets and writing, and she’s quite accomplished at both. Having written 45 books on topics ranging from dog training and parrot care to choosing a college, Nikki  holds both a Masters of Art and a Masters of Fine Art degree in poetry. Her books are published in five  languages and have sold upwards of half a million copies. She is considered to be one of the country’s leading exotic bird experts, with 25 books on various types to her credit.

Nikki’s love of dogs led her to dog training and she’s now known as the urban dog guru, helping thousands of dog parents in cities around the country learn how to understand their pooches better, and helping their dogs lead more calm, happy lives. Moustaki is also an ardent rescue dog advocate, so much so, that she has been given the name, “St. Nik.” She has written articles for Dog Fancy, Popular Dogs and Dogs USA, and writes a regular rescue column, “MUTTerings,” for Dog Fancy magazine’s website, DogChannel.com, and a training column called “Ask the Trainer” for iLoveDogs.com.

I asked Nikki to explain her philosophy of dog training and give us some tips for some of the most common issues.

BaS: How would you define urban training?

NM: The urban dog has significant issues to contend with that the suburban or rural dog does not. For example, dogs need to be taught to sit at each curb rather than charging across the street — and there are often a lot of curbs in one walk! The urban dog needs to be taught to do his business at the curb edge of the sidewalk, not in the middle of it. He needs to be very well socialized because he is going to meet people and dogs of all walks of life. If he’s aggressive, we have to deal with that as well, because the urban dog meets children, smaller dogs, and people who will reach out to touch him without asking. He will meet people that are scared of dogs or just don’t like them and they might yell at him or behave in a way that’s frightening. He has to learn to behave in retail stores and at events that he can attend. Dogs that live in apartments need to learn not to bark all day, and they need to learn to “hold it” going down a lot of stairs or inside an elevator. I use clicker training to address a lot of these behaviors.

BaS: In urban settings, some dogs (like Sophie) get anxious about the noise, crowds, traffic. What are some tips you can give to help lessen their stress in these situations?

NM: Ideally, a dog is socialized to noise and people before 20 weeks of age (or so), when the socialization period closes. After that, it’s no longer about socializing the dog, but desensitizing her to her surroundings. I do that with positive reinforcement and a lot of treats. Arrange for the dog to be presented with the stressor. Then distract the dog and ask for an easy behavior, like sit, and reward that with a treat. Don’t reward shivering, cowering, barking, or whining. You want to wait for the nanosecond that your dog stops that behavior, perhaps because you’ve distracted her, and then you reward. Eventually the dog will start to associate the scary dump truck with treats and fun and eye contact with you.

BaS: What are your tips to having a calm, happy dog?

NM:  You have to speak your dog’s language. Don’t expect a dog to learn your language before you learn his. Communication is about meeting in the middle, not expecting the other party to come to you. So many dog owners come to me and say that their dog doesn’t listen to them. Really? But are you listening to your dog? People don’t even understand what this means, but if you observe your dog closely and learn about canine body language and behavior, your relationship will rise to the next level. If your dog feels that he’s being understood and you are fair with him, then he will be much easier to train. New dog owners live with their dogs as if they are furry aliens from another planet. That has got to be frustrating for a dog.

Nikki’s book Dogfessions, which helps us decipher the language of dog, is available for purchase by clicking on the picture to the right

BaS: What are the key things for a dog parent to know or do to be successful when training their dog?

NM:  Be fair with your dog and use positive reinforcement. Understand how she thinks and why she behaves in certain ways. People want their dog to obey, but that’s not what a relationship is about. Your dog is not a child, not a servant, not an employee — she’s your friend, and with friendship comes communication. Learn what motivates your dog and use that to your advantage. People tend to not know when to praise their dogs. One thing that drives me a little bonkers with dog owners and training clients is their idea of time, based on human experience. When a dog barks and I want him to stop, I’ll ask him to come to me, give a treat, then sit, give another treat. The dog owner says, “You just rewarded him for barking!” No, I didn’t. I rewarded him for coming to me quietly and sitting. Let’s say this dog is a chronic barker — he can’t bark all the time, can he? But the owners don’t praise when the dog is quietly laying on his bed, they just yell at him when he barks. He has no incentive for being quiet because he’s ignored then, but he gets attention when he barks.

BaS: How would you define shelter dog training?

NM:  A shelter dog is an unknown entity. That’s scary for some people, but I love the idea of a dog who has “a past.” For the most part, an owner of a shelter dog will never know what happened to their dog in a previous home, but if you watch a dog closely he will tell you exactly what his experience was like. If a dog is a resource guarder and doesn’t like to be picked up, I will assume that there were children in the house that didn’t handle the dog well, and that’s why he ended up homeless. There’s something that made the dog this way, that gave the dog these behavioral traits. I’d say that dog behavior is about 50% nature and 50% nurture, so, aside from obvious breed behavior traits, other behaviors have been formed in the dog via experiences. If you can give the dog time to realize that life in this new home will be different, unwanted behavior often changes by itself.

BaS: What are the most common training issues people have with their adopted shelter dogs?

NM:  The first issue is usually potty training. A shelter dog will most likely “make” in the house the first couple of days, and owners call me, frantic that they’ve chosen the wrong dog. I tell them to give it time and walk the dog a lot, and that usually solves the issue. Obviously, giving the dog plenty of chances to go potty is important. Don’t shame the dog if he makes in the house. Male shelter dogs will often “mark their territory” the first couple of days, but this behavior should fade after the dog is neutered.

 The second issue I see a lot is separation anxiety. Speaking in broad terms, shelter dogs can lack confidence, so they may bark and whine when a new owner leaves the house, which can cause issues with neighbors. Some dogs may destroy household items because they are so anxious. This is a complex issue to resolve and is often tailored to the individual dog.

The third issue I see is aggression. Shelter dogs have been through a lot — hands poking and prodding, maybe not being handled nicely, fearful situations — and they can show teeth, growl, and snap. In my experience, this is not a reason for real concern, and usually fades after a few days of decompressing in a new home. Give the dog time to relax. Give him a big can of dog food and some treats, and approach him slowly and with caution. Let him realize that he’s safe and he’ll be in your lap in no time. If he has a genuine aggression issue, it will become obvious. Bringing in a dog trainer is essential for aggression issues.

NM:  The Pet Postcard Project is a grassroots arts-and-crafts project aimed at raising food for shelter pets and awareness about the plight of homeless animals. “Pet Postcards” for this project are homemade and handmade postcards featuring people’s own pets that they make and then snail mail into The Pet Postcard Project. Each card received earns food for shelter dogs and cats. So far, this project has has received many thousands of funny, weird, sad, cute, and profound cards, all filled with love for a beloved pet, and has raised over 300,000 pounds of food for shelter animals.

• A pet food company agrees to pledge a certain amount of food per postcard that comes in. Sometimes it’s a “meal” (1/3 of a pound), sometimes a pound, sometimes much more – once we had a 128 pound per postcard pledge! Sometimes a company will pledge toys or even cash for each card that comes in.
• Next, someone “adopts” the campaign, which lasts 1 to 2 months. A cat or dog, several animals who form a team (Spokesanimals), sometimes even a high school, Girl Scout troop, college club, school district, or even a pet-loving company choose a shelter to be the recipient of the food, and drive cards into The Pet Postcard Project mailbox through their social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and friends and family.
• At the end of the month, cards are tallied and the shelter is sent the food or other products. Often there’s a card goal, and every Spokesanimal or team has always met the goal and every shelter has always gotten the food/products.

Boredom Busters

BaS: For people that may want to get your dog training books, which do you recommend?

NM: I’d recommend Pocket Pups and Boredom Busters.

BaS: Thanks so much, Nikki!

You can get involved in The Pet Postcard Project here.

You can follow Nikki on Facebook and Twitter.

Summary

Training our pups, for many of us, isn’t easy. I think Nikki broke it down in a couple of common threads we can focus on:

Pocket Pups

* The tactic of distraction, asking for a simple behavior and then treats is her method of basic training

* Observe our dogs to see what motivates them

* Listen to our dogs to help learn their language (also goes hand-in-hand with what motivates them)

* When trying to discourage negative behavior and promote the positive, wait for that split second they stop doing what we don’t want and then treat them. And also treat them when they are being quiet and relaxed, in general.

* Shelter dogs, in the first few days,  maybe have accidents in the house, exhibit separation anxiety and aggression. Give them plenty of potty walks, treats and encouragement and approach them slowly with treats,  if aggressive. If aggression persists, find a good trainer to address.

* Reaping the rewards of any training technique takes time. Having patience and being consistent each day will produce results.

Do you have any specific training challenges? What have you found that works?

Be the first to ask your training question and get a personal answer from Nikki. Be the first TWO to add Comments and win a copy of Nikki’s Dogfessions book!