Does The Dog Know The Difference Between Wrestling And Having Sex???  
(I Swear I Don’t Make This Stuff Up…)
By Adam Katz  Visit Dogproblems.com for more dog training information.

[ Adam’s replies denoted within text of original e-mail. ]

[ Joe: ]  Hello Mr. Katz

Thank you so much for writing the book that has given me a whole new

perspective on dog training. I guess you could say that I fell into the Lazy Dog Owner category of dog owners. After reading your book I realized the error of my ways and am on my way to having the dog of my dreams.

[Adam: ]  Thanks for the kind words.

[Joe: ]  I adopted a Lab/Shepherd mix at 8 weeks old. Her name is DAX.  I had her house broken in two weeks using the crate. I watched her like a hawk when I allowed her to roam around the house, verbally correcting her when she tried to chew anything that wasn't hers. I guess I've been blessed with a really good dog based on the horror stories I hear from other dog owners.

The reason I bought your book was to ensure I was doing everything I could to make this dog the dog of my dreams. I did not want a stupid dog, like some of the untrained pets of friends and family. Your book made it simple and clear and was actually quite entertaining. I have since purchased the pinch collar and a leather leash. I was using one of those fancy retractable leashes which I consider to be junk now. The pinch collar has been a tremendous help in motivating her to the next level. It really only took 5 minutes and only a couple of pops to get her to heel consistently. And now when we confront a neighbor she will sit and wait for the neighbor to come pet her instead of lunging forward to get the attention. I can't imagine anyone training a dog without one. It's the next best thing for dog training since the leash.

[ Adam: ]  Agreed.  It always amazes me when I see people spending weeks using some cookie-bribery technique, only to reach the same end point that you can achieve with the pinch collar and a leash.  And the dog is happy, just the same.  And about 10 pounds lighter, too!

[Joe: ] I agree with you on everything you have to say about the subject. I love dogs and would consider being a dog trainer if I didn't have to put up with idiotic clients, hence I will not change careers anytime soon. It just doesn't make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on professional dog  training if the owner can't follow through with the training at home. There is not a professional dog trainer that is available in my area. So I'm pretty much stuck doing it on my own through videos and reading. I'm continuing to increase my knowledge of the subject and plan on buying the "Good Dog Good Owner" book you recommended. In the mean time I have just a couple of questions which were not covered in your book.

[Adam: ]  I believe it’s called, “Great Dogs, Good Owners” by Brian Kilcommons.  As far as books you can buy at your local bookstore, it’s pretty good.  There are better resources you can buy online, though.  I think that if you’ve already purchased my book, then GDGO may be somewhat redundant.  But it never hurts to hear good advice multiple times, from multiple sources

[ Joe: ]  DAX has not been in a crate since her 4th month of puppy-hood. After 4 months and feeling comfortable with her house breaking I decided to let her have the kitchen (baby gated of course) as her play den because she was showing signs that she really didn't want to go into the crate.

[Adam: ]  So what?  This was a power play she was attempting.  And she won.  What’s the point of confining her to the kitchen?  If she’s not in the crate, you run the risk of teaching her that she’s allowed to chew your linoleum, your baseboard, the paint off your cabinets, etc…  In fact, you’re not really confining her at all.  Remember… the dog does not make the decisions… you do.  Four months is too young to leave her unsupervised.

[Joe: ]  I left the crate in the kitchen with the crate door open so she could go into it to sleep. During the first week I would sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night to see if she was in fact sleeping in the crate or on the pillow I had placed in the opposite corner. To my surprise she was on the pillow.  After about a week of that she had taken all her toys and blanket out of the crate over to the pillow. At this point I removed the crate completely and regained my kitchen space. My question is: Did I make a big mistake by not keeping her in the crate? I know that at this point it would be hard for me to go back to that even if you said yes.

[Adam: ]  Don’t leave the dog unsupervised where she can destroy ANYTHING until she’s 1 to 1 ½ years old, and has been perfect while supervised, for several months.  Before this age, it would be akin to leaving a 6 year-old human child home alone without a babysitter.  True, everything might turn out fine.  But why risk it?

[Joe: ]  I have been taking her to the kennel once a month for an entire weekend so she doesn't flip out when I go on vacation or a business trip. Do you think this is a good thing? Or am I just causing undo stress? She seems to be well taken care of when I pick her up. Are there signs to look for which would indicate poor treatment at the kennel?

[Adam: ]  If you haven’t noticed anything, she’s probably fine.  Just make sure she’s current on all of her shots.  It’s better she’s kept in a kennel run while you’re away on business than at home unsupervised by a friend who lets her chew on your couch.

[Joe: ]  Eventually I would like to give her free roam of the entire house

but this won't happen until I'm 100% sure she won't destroy anything. I've considered getting a camera setup so I could watch her from my office computer. It would be interesting to see what she does all day.

[Adam:]  This idea can work great, if your office is in your home.  If not, then it’s a poor idea as the dog will be able to get away with unwanted behavior without being corrected for it.

[Joe:]  One thing you did mention in your book was that it wasn't good to socialize your dog with other dogs for up to a year and a half old. You did mention that you did socialize one dog with your family or friends pets and the others you did not. What criteria besides ensuring that both dogs have the proper vaccinations and non-aggressive temperaments to interact with each other? DAX has socialized with several dogs that live on my street with no problems. She loves every dog and every person she comes in contact with. Absolutely zero aggression on her part. Is there an issue with this kind of socialization? I was under the impression that the more you socialize the better. Is this just with people? Your book implies that I may have aggression problems with her later in life.

[Adam:]  Exactly.  If the pup (less than a year old) gets dominated and corrected by another dog … and your pup submits… but the other dog does not stop correcting your pup, then:  Your pup learns that submissive behavior does not work.  You can/may see this “lesson” manifest itself later in the dog’s life.  I don’t have time to explain this fully, here.  But I may sponsor a multi-party conference call at some point in the future, for Dogproblems.com subscribers, so that I can explain this issue further.

[Joe: ]  One last thing. Do dogs know the difference between two people wrestling and having sex? Or does she just think we are having fun without her. My girlfriend and I can't get a moments peace when together intimately. DAX somehow knows what's going on and it drives her crazy. She's trapped in the kitchen but we can here her crying and jumping around from two rooms away with the door closed. My girlfriend seems to think DAX can pick up on the hormones flying around the house. Could this be true? If so I guess there is not much I can do short of putting her out back if we decide to do the wild thing.

[Adam: ]  Okay… I thought this was the beginning of a bad joke!  My advice:  Put her in the crate.  If she continues to make a ruckus, then go and correct her.  More advice: Do this as a training exercise where you set her up.  Otherwise you’ll be spoiling a romantic evening.

And if you’re interested in reading a new book on how to adapt my dog training techniques to persuade, influence and re-train your husband or wife, please send an e-mail to:

Dogtrainerloveadvice@dogproblems.com

[Joe: ]  Thanks again for opening my eyes. It all seems so simple now and has allowed me to become more comfortable with dog ownership and the responsibility that the dog owner must answer for. It's all my fault if she doesn't become the dog of my dreams.

Sincerely,

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