Today, we are examining some issues with a 15 month old, 100+lb. male lab that spends his days outside, and he sleeps inside at night with his sister.  Recently, when it is work time for his humans,  he has gotten very aggressive with them, growling and showing his teeth.  They have to drag him outside with a leash before they leave for work.  With a dog of that size, he is going to figure out that he is stronger than he has been letting on, and they will not be able to get him outside at all.

Photo Courtesy of Emilee Fuss Photography

You gotta love those retrievers!  They are the “happy-go-lucky” dogs of the canine world, and that is probably why they have been the most popular dog in the United States for many years.  Having spent the last seven years with Tax, a yellow lab, I just do not get that they maintain that #1 position year after year.  Tax is a PWD (Pretty Weird Dog).

Most black labs stay in “puppyhood” until they are about three years of age.  With dogs that mature so quickly physically, it is important to begin training a retriever as soon as possible.  The things they do as small pups of 20 to 30 pounds, just are not as cute when the are 80 pounds plus with that same puppy mentality!  At fifteen months, this lab is very much still a puppy.

If your dog has been routinely going outside without issue and now exhibits aggressiveness at the thought of going outside, I think that something has occurred outside that he does not like.  Take a moment to explore the outside world that he experiences.  During the summer, it is hot.  During the winter, it is cold.  There are numerous insects and other pests to bother him, not to mention thunderstorms, hail, snow, and wind.  On days without those things to distract him, it is a very lonely and boring place.  Unfortunately, a lot of humans believe that a dog’s place is in the yard, and they leave him out there 24/7.  At least this pup is out only during the day.

I know this family feels that there is no other option than the outside when they are away, but FORCING him into the yard can lead to some serious behavioral problems.  His boredom may lead him to destroy the yard, dig his way out, or worse.  Please note, I am NOT suggesting that they leave a fifteen month old retriever alone and unsupervised in their home.  This is for the same reason they should not be left alone in the yard.  Bored retrievers can cause a lot of problems and damage.

When I was still a pup, Mom put me in my crate when she could not be at home with me to be supervised.  At fifteen months with proper potty training, accidents in the house should not be a problem, as they should be able to hold it for about ten hours.  If you do keep your dog inside while you are away, the first thing you need to do when you get home is let him outside to “get busy.”  I stayed in my crate while Mom was at work.  I LOVED it, because in the summer, I was nice and cool, and in the winter, I was nice and warm.  Mom placed my crate so that I could watch TV when she was away.  Tax and I are big fans of Animal Planet and cartoons.  Once Mom got home, we ran around the house.  If there was something Mom did not want us to do, she was right there to supervise, correcting us, if necessary.  As we got older, we earned Mom’s trust and did not always have to go to our crate when Mom was away.  Our crates can be accessed anytime, since they are our rooms.  In my crate, I keep my stuffed pig, a purple hippo, and a green alligator.  Although I have a very large crate now, I had to earn it.

Until you can trust your dog to be unsupervised, I hope that you will leave your dog in a crate or a safe, enclosed room in your house.  Your ultimate goal is to say goodbye at the door every morning and have your dog meet you every afternoon, like me.  Being left alone inside can also be boring to your pup, so I suggest getting him a few things to alleviate that boredom.  Smart toys like a Planet Dog Orbee Tuff Strawberry or a Crazy Pet Bumble Ball are a good choice to keep him occupied.  To break up the monotony of toys, you may also want to invest in some long-lasting treats and chews like bully sticks.  Bully sticks last for hours, days, or weeks depending on the size of the dog and the length of the stick you buy.

To sum up, there is no reason to keep trying to force a dog into the yard, when you can confine and entertain him for hours in the comfort of the home.  His resistance actions are his way of telling you that he is uncomfortable and unwilling to go in the yard.  Right now, he trusts you to take care of him.  The best thing you can do is to listen to his communication about his time in the yard.  If you continue to force him, you risk betraying the trust that your dog has bestowed in you.  In many of my articles, I say that the dog is the most social animal on the face of the earth.  We are more sociable than humans, and we do not like to spend time alone.  In my house, when the TV is on, it is like someone is home talking to us.

Relatively near our office in metro Atlanta, there is a fence company that does not actually build a fences.  They install Invisible Fence.  Are you skeptical too?  At first, I thought that Mom was playing a joke on me, because even I know that you should not buy a fence you cannot see.  I told her that I thought it was fake.  After all, what good is a “fence” going to do if there is nothing to stop me from running in places I am not wanted.  She explained that they install stuff  and attach something to a dog’s collar that keeps them from going outside the yard.  I still had my doubts, so I asked Mom if she would ask them a few questions for me.  I doubt that they know how smart I am, and there is no way they have someone in their offices that speaks dog as well as Mom does.

Since this was my first encounter with an “Invisible Fence,” my initial questions were pretty basic informational ones.  I found out that an invisible fence is actually a system where a wire outlines the areas that are meant to contain a dog, and that wire sends a radio frequency to a receiver on the dog’s collar.  That collar can emit a beep, vibration, or static pulse (similar to touching a doorknob after walking across carpet) when it receives the radio signal that the collar, and the dog it is attached to, come too close to the pre-determined boundary.  They use a “patented, vet & behaviorist approved training program” during and after the installation to teach pets to stay within the prescribed boundaries.

Since there are different correction methods, I was curious to know how it is determined which to use.  The fence company has animal trainers that come to train the pets about the boundaries set for them in the yard.  Apparently, this even works for cats or indoors.  The trainers that follow the installation team set an appropriate correction level, depending on the pet, often starting with a beep, working up to the static correction, if necessary.

Since I am such a smart dog, I figured out that once a dog got past the wire, the collar would just stop its beep, vibration, or static correction.  They must have thought about that too, because the correction is sustained for several seconds upon breaking the plane of the boundary, but it does not continue indefinitely.  Maybe they do speak dog after all, because I am sure a human did not figure that out.  They probably have a resident dog on staff to help them figure things like this out.

There is an animal trainer involved shortly after installation to work with the dog, as well as the family, to define the boundary and how to use their tools for containment.  Teaching the family and the pet is the most important part of safe containment, so the office has at least one full-time trainer on staff to make sure that everyone understands how to use the system, pets included.  Mom said they would not provide me with a wiring diagram or full details on how to dismantle the system, so my four-legged readers will have to try getting their parents to get that for them.  I think she may have some plans for Tax, Molly, and I and this “fence” thing.

I wanted to see if I could fool the system by running really fast past the boundary, but the receiver continues correcting for a number of seconds outside of the boundary, making the “break-out dash” completely useless.  The training program for the pets teaches them to return to home upon triggering the correction method.

They were really friendly to Mom and even talked to me for a few minutes.  They said that Web-savvy pups can find out more information at their website, but they assured Mom that the shut-off switch information was not included.

After discussing it with Mom, we agreed that we could recommend it for dogs that are generally well-behaved, especially if signage is utilized to inform passersby of the containment system.  However, if your dog is fearful or shows any signs of aggression, a more traditional fence will probably be a better option.

Recently, February’s addition to Spike’s Pack, Jesse, had a fence built for him by his Dad, who documented the process with a photoblog of the events over at the Trukindog’s Den.

The following pictures from top to bottom are my fence project to give Jesse a large play & exercise
Pic. 1 The beginning
Pics. 2, 3 & 4 The base trench is dug & the gate & center posts are set & waiting for the concrete to dry.
Pic. 5 The gate latch/fence end post is set & concrete drying, the gate is hung & waiting for height adjustment
Pic. 6 The Boss/Jesse inspecting my work.
Pic. 7 The first section of fence is up & secure.
Pic. 8 The second section of fence is up & secure.
Pics. 9 & 10 The job is done !

Now Jesse has a big safe place to play & exercise.

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As I may have mentioned, I got a new dictionary for Christmas.  I have been spending a lot of time looking up words in it.  When I looked up “coprophagia,” it was not in my new Webster’s.  I am guessing that they did not include the word, because is refers to eating poop, and humans do not typically suffer from this malady. In fact, humans that do suffer from this are probably taken away very quickly, never to see poop again! Continue Reading

Dogs are also fighting the “Battle of the Bulge.” Obesity is now the #1 health problem for dogs.  As people get busier, they tend to let their exercise program go by the wayside, as well as the exercise their pets receive.  Keep an eye on what your dog is eating, how much they are eating, and that they get regular exercise, even if you have to “outsource” it to a dog walker or another family member.

Earlier this month, a reader e-mailed me about a problem she was having with her Springer Spaniel puppy.  Basically, anytime her puppy saw her, she would get so excited that she could not contain herself, and she would pee wherever she stood, sat, etc.  This seems like a pretty cut and dry case of submissive urination, but there are some steps we need to take to rule out other potential issues.

Submissive urination is a problem common to a lot of puppies, especially the exceptionally energetic ones.  This problem occurs when your pup is just so happy to see you, she simply releases her urine.  My first suggestion in this situation is to rule out any physical problems.  Continue Reading

Most Americans do not get enough exercise, and that does not even include their dogs.  Your four-legged buddy needs exercise too.  You may not excel in your own exercise regimen, but you should ensure your dog gets his exercise in.  You can get your exercise while you go for a walk with your dog, getting two treats with one act.  If you are unable to go for a walk with your dog every day that would constitute exercising, make sure that your buddy gets exercise in other ways, like playing ball, tug-of-war, or fetching his toys.  Allow and encourage other people who have a relationship with your dog to play with him as well.  Another great way to get your dog some great exercise, along with some excellent socialization, you can set up play dates with other dogs or make a trip to the nearest dog park.  Taking those extra steps can help to keep your dog healthy for years to come.