Crazy Canines

This series of blog posts is for those with dogs who are always on the go, even after strenuous exercise; who constantly seem to be on the alert; who are reactive to noises, activity, other dogs, meeting people; who demand attention or who have difficulty settling…

Sound familiar?

Many owners believe their pets to ‘be out of control’ but in fact there may be several things going on; their dog may be suffering with anxiety, stress and have poor impulse control.

These may be seen in dogs who find it difficult to settle particularly after excitement, who are barkers, who pace, who are fearful, leash aggressive, who steal and rummage through bins scavenging, who are resource guarders or are aggressive.  These dogs may even be fussy eaters, food bolters or regularly have tummy upsets or regular minor illness.

We will look at the causes and remedies for these issues, many of which are suitable to apply to any and all dogs living in the human world.

So if you recognise any of this in your furry friend or would just like to work on helping your dog to stay calm and controlled even in crazy situations  join in but don’t forget to let us know how you get on.

Understanding Crazy Canines:

Introducing the Crazy Canine - understanding what is behind the crazy and what how we contribute to the stress

Under Pressure - understanding stress that is behind the crazy canine & recognising canine stress

The Makings of a Calm Canine - the easiest way to get calm behaviour is to catch the dog doing the right thing: capturing calmness plus some essential reading for the owners of crazy canines

Aversives & Calmness do NOT mix - using positive methods and getting rid of aversives is very important when the desired result is a calm canine

Behaviour Modification for Crazy Canines:

Keeping the Peace - the first stage in behaviour modification is management so here we look at ways of avoiding triggers of the crazy, enrichment to channel energy, control equipment to ensure safety and your dog’s home & lifestyle

Stress Busting - before we even start on the crazy canine there are some things that we can look at to really reduce the crazy: your behaviour, calmatives & diet

Games: Stress Busters & Relationship Boosters - teaching your dog to play games with rules is a wonderful way of busting stress and boosting your relationship with him

Premack-ing for Calm - using Premack’s Principle in calm dog training is very effective, easy and fun

Essential Exercises for the Crazy Canine:

Settle & Matwork - teaching your dog how to settle willingly

Crate 4 Calm - crate training properly is so handy in so many areas of your and your dog’s life

Good Things Come to Calm Dogs - ‘leave it’ training is the most basic way of teaching your dog a more acceptable way of getting access to the things he wants, that is by being calm

Getting Outta Dodge - sometimes its best just to bail on a situation that is too much for your dog so teaching your dog an emergency escape cue will become very useful; also in here exercises to diffuse leash pressure, which is a major tension increaser

Focus & Re-focus - although it sounds simple, if your dog is focused on you he can’t be watching and reacting to triggers

Taking Calm on the Road - crazy dogs need extra special attention to continued socialisation so having some protocols that will help make that easier will be a big help

Training Plans for Crazy Situations:

We took some of the most common situations during which crazy canine behaviour becomes a problem and devised specific training plans just for these:

Home Alone - calm for separation

New Leash on Life - calm for walkies

Vrrrrooomm! - calm in the car

WOOF! – calming for quiet

Comments from original posting:

1. Carol  |  April 4, 2010 at 1:31 pm

That’s my Moxie, 3yr F GSD. She is hyper and highly visually reactive. We do ongoing training, rally and agility and she is starting to focus better. In the car she may start barking at anything such as people with shopping baskets and all out there dogs. I would like to harness this car behaviour.
Carol

Reply

• 2. Anne  |  April 4, 2010 at 1:39 pm

  Hi Carol, hopefully this blog series will help you – I will add some stuff for car-craziness and post any other resources I come across. Feel free to share any ideas or tips that you have found to work for Moxie too! Look forward to having you on board – let us know how you get on.

  Have a lovely Easter weekend,
  Anne

1. Grisha Stewart  |  April 6, 2010 at 4:19 am

I love this article. Great summary, instructional photos, solid insights. Thanks for sharing! (And thanks for the BAT reference!)

Reply

• 2. Anne  |  April 6, 2010 at 11:19 am

  Thanks Grisha, that means a lot – your welcome too, we love love love BAT

1. fearfuldogs  |  April 5, 2010 at 7:35 pm

Fabulous post!

Reply

• 2. Anne  |  April 5, 2010 at 7:40 pm

  Thanks so much – means a lot

1. Virginia Burroughs  |  June 4, 2010 at 6:08 am

This is an extremely helpful, straightforward, and concise explanation of crate usage and instructions for crate training. I have read other articles about crate training instruction and this is one of the most useful I have found. I feel I could print this up and follow it step by step.

Reply

• 2. Anne  |  June 4, 2010 at 7:01 pm

  Great Virginia, thanks for the comments – hope its useful,

  Anne

1. Dave Thorpe  |  April 14, 2010 at 11:14 pm

Great article Anne, can I cross post this.?

Reply

• 2. Anne  |  April 15, 2010 at 1:34 pm

  Yes sure Dave – spread the word!! Don’t forget the rest of the series too

1.  umar  |  May 14, 2010 at 9:04 pm

Hi. This is a great guide. My border collie has this problem so this guide should help me.

Reply

• 2. Anne  |  May 14, 2010 at 10:18 pm

  Thanks Umar, let us know if you have any questions – best of luck!

  Anne