And Then There Were Three: Love, Loss and the Multiple Dog Home

Merlin

I did not yet expect to find myself in this position, though some would say that I should not be surprised. Merlin was, after all, about to turn thirteen years old and he had been battling the worst of cancers, hemangiosarmcoma for over seven months. He had been beating the odds so I got a little more secure than I should have gotten, I suppose. I should probably explain before I go much further, that my heart dog, my sweet baby boy Merlin, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on September 24, 2011.

Normally, I would not be writing another blog so quickly after just completing one. But this one is more personal than most. I need to tell it if only to get it out of my system but maybe my experience can help other multiple dog households that find themselves in similar circumstances, though I would not wish this on anyone.

It all started in February of this year when we had to rush to the vet only to be told that an unknown mass was showing up on an x-rays. Several doctors later, after said unknown mass’ removal, it was diagnosed as the dreaded afore mentioned disease.

I must be completely honest as I expect that the same thought has crossed the minds of other multiple dog parents. My first thought was why THIS dog. Please don’t misunderstand me. I love all of my dogs more than words can convey. But this dog is/was different. He feels like part of my DNA. My heart. My soul. Maybe it was because he was my first boy dog. Maybe it was how we chose each other. Maybe it was any number of things but WHY THIS DOG??? That question may never be answered but because it was THIS DOG, maybe the lessons learned on this roller coaster ride will be more firmly imprinted in my soul.

Thus began my journey to try and save my dog’s life, at least from this horrible disease. This process necessitated that much more time be spent tending to Merlin than my other three dogs, what with multiple consultations with specialists and seemingly endless chemo visits and follow up check-ups. And let’s not forget the additional pills he was getting and endless research into what might help him live longer.

Merlin reveled in the attention, being the Velcro boy to me that he was. But quite frankly, he was always the one to ask for more attention so this was his show now. This could have easily caused quite a few problems with my other dogs. They could have easily been very jealous and started acting out as a result of that jealousy. But they didn’t. I am very lucky that was not the case. But most of this was not blind luck. It was actually the result of setting up my fur family to roll with the situation that they are presented with.

How did I do this? I forged a very strong relationship with all of my crew from day one, based on mutual respect and love. I made it clear that everyone mattered in this household and that all creatures here should be respectful of each other in any way that they can. There is little pushing and shoving here. Everyone takes turns. Everyone gets loved. Everyone gets snuggled. Younger pups are taught to be body aware of older pups. Older pups are taught to be patient with younger pups antics. No one takes anything from anyone else without permission. We watch out for each other. If one hurts, we all hurt. We are one.

Everyone else seemed to realize that there was a need to be okay with Merlin’s multiple car trips alone with me. Maybe he smelled different. Of course, he smelled different. Dogs are able to detect cancer with their noses after all. They had to know. Too bad they can’t talk. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to ask them what they thought of all this? Maybe not. Maybe that would involve a more openly raw emotional discussion than any of us can deal with right now. We communicate without words. That is enough. It’s all I need. It’s all WE need.

In any case, I tried very hard to make up for extra time with Merlin. I made an effort to give each other dog extra attention at home. I spent time having special group time for us at home. There were extra group trips together and longer group walks. There were extra chewies and as many play times that I could get them to agree to. I think they were okay with it.

I would be lying if I said that I handled all of this perfectly. Merlin was my heart dog. It’s hard to hide that kind of panic for my baby’s survival. I am sure that I spent more time snuggling with him than the others more than once. I know I did. I am sure that I showed anxiety at too much body bumping by the others more than once. I am sure that all that fussing over whether he was eating or not, did not always go unnoticed. I am sure that I showed more stress than I would have preferred far more than I would have liked. But thankfully, they rolled with it.

There were small signs that at least Siri was a bit stressed about the somewhat unequal attention. She was a bit pushier than usual about treats but that is also very Siri-like at many normal times. She does lean towards pushy. Other stress signs included the growing group reluctance to eat their breakfast, whenever Merlin was feeling poorly. I assumed it was because Merlin was eating special meals so I always made sure that they got some of what he was eating. That sometimes worked but not always.

Trent, Siri, and Kera

Now that Merlin has left us for the Rainbow Bridge, I know that the stress signs were actually worry for him. Now they are eating the same thing they were eating before, with gusto. They were worried about him. They no longer have that worry. Siri would go and smell him or nudge him gently when he would not eat. Now she knows he is free so she eats. It is important to realize that ordeals like this also cause stress on your other dogs. They are not blind. They knew something was wrong.

The others were okay with us walking slower than usual when Merlin was tired after chemo. They were okay with shorter walks. They were okay with what were not actually even walks at times. I was also not up to much on some days so on those days, we would go to one of our favorite places and the dogs were free to walk about off leash as much as they wanted. This allowed Merlin (and Kera, whose back legs are not what they used to be) to simply lay in the grass and chill while the others walked. After Merlin’s first scary brush with mortality, about a month and a half prior to when he left us, we had such a trip. Merlin did not want to get out of the car at all for the first fifteen minutes we were there. He was gaining his strength back. He just lay in the car with all the doors open and watched and grinned. Siri stood sentry by his door and would not move until he opted to come out. Then she happily escorted him to where he chose to lay. She also followed closely behind when he decide a bit of walking about would do him good.

They were all present when he went over the bridge. He had another bleed (an HSA term that I hope you never need to know more about) and he did not recover so I chose to end his suffering. We have a wonderful in-home vet here who specializes in hospice patients. I called my friend who had recently used her and learned that the vet would be dropping off ashes at her home that morning. My friend lives a short half a mile from me so my decision seemed to be confirmed by this coincidence. With my friend there to assist with my other dogs, Merlin’s passing was as peaceful as it could get for such a situation. Certainly more peaceful than the extreme discomfort he was feeling before hand.

The other dogs were permitted to say their goodbyes as well. Siri sniffed him, Trent was very nervous and refused to look at him. Kera, well Kera stepped on him. She’s going a bit senile sadly. After the vet left and took Merlin with her to be cremated, I spotted Siri sniffing the bed where he passed. They spent the rest of the day with me mourning in bed. No one protested the lack of a walk that day. They stayed close by my side and we comforted one another.

A short three days later would have been Merlin’s thirteenth birthday. I bought them vanilla ice cream to celebrate as that was Merlin’s favorite vice. And they enjoyed beef tendons after dessert. Or rather two of them did. Trent was reluctant to chew. On a hunch, I sat with him and hugged him and told him that our little boy would want him to enjoy him chewy in his honor. I don’t know what words he actually understood but after our snuggle and chat, he chewed his chewy.

There are other signs that they realize we are missing a crucial family member. No one wanted to lie on his bed for several days. No one will take his usual spot in the car. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, two days after Merlin left us, I spotted Siri coming out of the bathroom while I was working on the computer. Merlin loved to lay in there and watch me work. Siri never goes in there. She was seeking his presence, I believe. I hugged her.

We are all trying to remember just the happy times now, I think. I would be lying if I said that I missed the extra work, the amazing stress of always having this potential sadness hanging over our heads and the effort of trying to be positive every moment. But I would gladly do every single second of it all over again if it meant I could have my baby boy with me again. I have too much time on my hands at home now. I keep busy. It is evident that Merlin was the one of my crew with initiative. My other pups mostly wait for me to cue them. Merlin was a question asker. I am encouraging them to ask their own questions now.

I don’t really know what all I can advise as every situation will be different. But maybe some of what I have done with my crew can help shed some light on another multiple dog household that finds themselves in this position. Be positive, take care of yourself and ask for help when you need it. You have to be taken care of to take care of others. Never forget that. Find a support system and use it. The internet is a great place for that. Use it. I did and I am grateful for the support that I got. Godspeed to all those special pups who are leaving us for the moment. And hugs to the pup parents.

To my sweet baby boy, until we meet again, I love you every second of every day.

The More, the Merrier: Participating in Activities with More Than One Dog.

Having a multiple dog household is a wonderfully entertaining and rewarding way to live your life. But taking more than one dog to any given place can make even a seasoned multiple dog parent sigh with stress. But it can be done and it can be fun! I kid you not!

Some activities simply cry out for participation by more than one dog. Such activities that can be done with multiple dogs range from the basic such as simple walking or hiking to the more complicated such as mushing. We will attempt to cover several activities here with some details on various aspects by the participants.

3 huskies waiting their turn to go mushing.

In addition to being fun, being able to include more than one dog at a time can minimize jealousy issues as well as foster more camaraderie among your crew. Dogs in my crew jostle each other playfully with anticipation when we are readying for a group hike. They are delighted together, which increases their mutual bonding.

There are many things to keep in mind when planning activities for multiple dogs. Having some solid foundation behaviors already established can make a huge difference. Various behaviors relevant to your individual activity choice can include recalls, sit, down, wait, leave it and many others. Your attempts at multiple dog activities will be much more successful than if you just head out the door with several untrained dogs. The latter is almost certainly a recipe for a stress cocktail!

Important cues will vary with the activity you have chosen, but impulse control is a good general behavior to train to all of your dogs for any activity, including daily life. The importance of strong impulse control skills in a multiple dog household cannot be overstated. You will never be sorry for the time that you have spent teaching this skill.

Teaching your dogs to take turns politely in many daily scenarios can go a long way towards creating a solid base for participating in activities with your crew. A “wait” cue is an excellent base behavior as is a default offered “sit” or “down”. A “leave it” can be helpful with just about any activity as can a superb recall. Teaching focused walking skills is something that can help make your activity safer regardless of whether you are actually walking. Focused walking can generalize to focused bicycling or focused mushing.

As for my own multiple dog activities, as I mentioned previously, we hike en masse which also means we ride in my vehicle en masse. Both of these activities generally go very well because of the training effort I have put into them. Happiness and anticipation is what I feel when heading out the door with my crew.

I utilize a “wait” in the car as well on the trail when I need to stop for anything. A “leave it” and a “look at that” as well as amazing focused walking skills make our walks and hikes relaxing rather than stressful. My dogs get off leash privileges after some walks because they have earned it. I can trust them even if we encounter wildlife close by, unexpectedly.

Now to share some insights from others on how they handle multiple dog activities. Before I share their details, a quick blurb about my friend Crystal in Indiana, PA, who participates in geocaching with multiple dogs. I don’t have any details on this because Crystal offers that geocaching is just hiking with an extra purpose. So the details would closely mirror those she already offered in the hiking blog. But just in case this is not an activity that you had thought of in your quest for things for the crew to do en masse, consider it if you enjoy hiking.

Monica in Brunswick, OH has two Dalmatians. Delta trials in agility and Doc shows in conformation. They travel together to both. She either crates both en route or crates one and contains the other in a seat belt harness. Delta does better at her trials when crated while not working as she over-stimulates easily. She gets breaks away from the action. Doc is crated is also crated when not working as he values his job. Both are given enrichment toys while crated. Monica plans on adding Doc to the agility trialing when possible so her routine may be adjusted. Flexibility is important with multiple dog activities.

Janel in Lindsey, OK is working both of her dogs in a scentwork class at present. While practicing at home, she works one dog at a time while the other is crated.

Rhonda and her fiancé in Borea, OH have three dogs. Her senior dog Bagley, is more laid back so he doesn’t participate in dog sports, but instead gets his own fetch time at home as well as away. Her yellow Lab, Cali, participated in flyball before they discovered dock diving. The humans in the home enjoyed going to the events so much that they wanted to have another dog to participate with. Enter Hydro, a shelter rescue who loves water and discs. They are now working on focus. Rally is also an option. All dogs go to events, regardless of participation. They all have crates to retreat to as needed but get individual time appropriate for each at every event, in order that they are al happy and fulfilled.

Laura in St. Louis, MO is a mushing aficionado. She and her hubby have four dogs: Tasha, a Husky; Kodi, a Husky; Daisy, a Sheltie mix; and Seeker, a Husky. Daisy is not into mushing so she doesn’t travel to club events. They travel with their crew uncrated but secured in their SUV. Laura’s hubby devised a system all their own with clips of his own design. Their rig fits inside of their vehicle with their crew arranged around it. They use a stake out line while getting set up or waiting.

These are several examples of activities that a multiple dog household can participate in. Be creative. Think about what you and your crew like to do and get out there and do it! The rewards await you!

Mealtime Madness! Part 2

Many multiple dog households have dogs with different levels of need. This can extend to mealtimes. Different dogs may need different nutrients at different life stages. While striving to be fair most of the time with your crew should be your goal, there are times such as this that can seem unfair.

My own mealtime example of this is my dog Merlin who is currently being treated for cancer. Since his surgery a few months ago, he has been switched from ground raw food for breakfast to a cooked diet breakfast. He refused the raw one too many times in the morning and having him not eat was not an option so cooked it is now. Do the other dogs know this? Of course they do, as cooked meat will always be of higher value than pretty much anything else is, to most dogs. My solution to leveling the playing field in this instance is to add a sprinkling of the cooked meat to the ground raw in their bowls. But with Siri, who is clearly more bothered by the raw vs. cooked, than the other dogs, I sometimes simply feed her a cooked breakfast as well.

Five dogs wait for their cue to eat dinner.

Aside from the raw vs. cooked issues, my dogs are fine all eating together in the kitchen. They all have their own spot, sort of like the four corners of a square. They generally wait quietly in their spots, unless it is a very early breakfast; in which case, I have to call two of them back out of bed to eat. With the evening meal, they eat on towels. This is a variation of the Go to Mat behavior that has been discussed in previous blogs. This is a fabulous cue to teach your crew, that has it’s best application in mealtimes.

For clues into how others handle it, see below:

Tara in Houston, TX feeds four Border Collies a raw diet once a day. She feeds all four in one room but they all have a designated spot that their call theirs and they get served in a certain order that is simply out of habit rather than meaning.
They are all expected to retain their positions in order to get served. She doesn’t need to monitor their positions once fed as they all are busy eating. Once all are done eating, they are permitted to peruse the others’ bowls, though typically the females are the only ones who partake in that activity!

Michael in Denver, CO feeds his shy American Eskimo in her crate with the door open but he hand feeds his Border Collie, along with some targeting games between bites as she is working on impulse control.

Afra in CO feeds her three Great Pyrenee mixes a mixture grain-free kibble and wet food with some raw meals, in the same room in close proximity to one another. They are all expected to maintain a sit/stay while she doles out the bowls for all and she then releases them to eat. She rotates the order that they are served to work on impulse control for all. Once their meal is done, each dog is again expected to maintain a sit/stay until all dogs are done.

Vicki in Hanover, PA feeds two Standard Poodles and the occasional foster dog grain-free kibble with some cooked meat and dairy add-ins. She feeds two small meals per day with a mid-day snack to minimize the chances of bloat occurring. Their mid-day snack is a raw meal. She feeds in crates but each dog is expected to sit politely while she is preparing their meals. She calls them individually to their crate and asks for a sit and a watch before the meal. They relax in their crate for about forty-five minutes until they are released.

Debbie in Columbus, OH currently feeds three dogs a raw diet twice a day, but has fed four in the not so distant past. Her two adult dogs, Great Danes, are fed loose in her kitchen as were her other two adult dogs (German Shepherds) that passed away. They each have/had their designated spot. She only requires a sit if one dog is acting up so usually, it isn’t necessary. Her newest addition, a German Shepherd Dog puppy, is fed in her crate until her impulse control skills are honed.

As you can see, there are many different ways to handle mealtimes but the most common denominator among all of them is teaching impulse control. Master this skill with your crew and you will master the art of multiple dog mealtimes!

Mealtime Madness!

When I recently asked what topics multiple dog owners wanted to see covered in this blog, one of the most frequent responses was help with feeding time! Feeding a multiple dog household without having any issues at all can seem challenging at times, but it is possible to have a relaxing mealtime experience. Some households just have to work at it a little harder than others, but don’t let that worry you. Practice makes perfect.

Impulse control exercises are something that every multiple dog household should employ. These are especially important at mealtimes. Creating structure within your crew should be your first priority. Structure gives your crew boundaries and boundaries are important in a multiple dog household, especially when high value resources are concerned. Food is a pretty high value resource, as any dog owner can attest to, let alone those with a multiple dog household.

Now some of you may be wondering what the big deal is. You have no problems at mealtimes, right? Why should anyone else? Well, just like humans, dogs each have different personalities. Some are more easy going, some are less so. Some don’t care whether someone is right up in their face while eating, some resent this so strongly, they would take it to a level that we would prefer that they avoid. It is your responsibility as the human in the equation to not only prevent such a rude gesture but to train your crew for such an occurrence so that it is something that they can handle briefly as they know you will tend to it.

And as far as training for this goes, if any of your dogs have issues that affect mealtimes, accepting this and taking steps to deal with them is a good first start to a happy mealtime experience. Serious resource guarding issues are best handled by a behavior professional that can be on the spot, tailoring the modification to the dog’s needs. If you need such a behavior professional, feel free to email us for assistance with finding a qualified one in your area.

In the meantime, management is the key to safety. Separate or crate for feeding to prevent issues from arising. Separating can include tethering in the same room if it is large enough, provided you are comfortable with the strength of the tether/tether holder and the guarding is not severe.

If your dog’s issues are simply a lack of impulse control, then teaching a solid sit, down and a wait or stay are your key to mealtime peace. In order to do this successfully, the cues need taught individually to each dog at first and then you can start combining dogs until you can do this en masse. Impulse control is always harder for a group of dogs as opposed to an individual dog so one-on-one work has to be the first order of business for best success. Dogs are naturally competitive as a species. Survival of the fittest and all is in their DNA. It is up to us to teach them that we as their guardians are meeting all their needs and making sure that everyone is acting appropriately. Dogs who have a clear leader will learn to respect that leadership.

Leadership is in no way, shape or form comparable to dominance. Throw that word out of your vocabulary. I am not talking about being a ruler. I am talking about being a parent. Setting and enforcing polite boundaries will go a long way towards having a calm mealtime in your multiple dog home.

It really all comes down to impulse control. Teach that to each of your dogs and you will be happier come feeding time. Excitement over mealtime that exhibits itself in barking, whining, etc. must never be rewarded, And when I say “rewarded”, that includes negative words such as “no”, etc. ANY marking of a behavior maintains or increases said behavior. No functions as a marker word just as much as a hearty “yes!” for desired behavior! The sooner that you understand that, the happier that you and your crew will be. Trust me on this!

Bad behavior needs to be ignored, provided safety is not an issue. And when I say ignored, I mean that a barking or whining or otherwise exhibiting lack of impulse control behavior dog, should NOT be acknowledged in any way. This means that when your dog is barking, you do not feed him to shut him up faster. You wait until the moment that he is quiet and you get the food closer. He barks again, the forward movement of the food stops. He is quiet, it resumes. Wordlessly. That is the REALLY important part. You only reward with the forward movement of the food. The actions are saying what you need said. You will be surprised at how well you can instruct without words.

With all of these impulse control exercises, you also need to teach a release word. A release word is going to let your dog(s) know from here on in that they can now move. You must be consistent with this cue in order for it to have the most meaning. While I very much prefer you that not use such an overused word as “ok!”, I have accepted that many people do use this. So if you insist on going that route, please at least say it in such a way that it sounds different than the usual way that you use it, for the dog’s sakes! Other release words are “free!”, “all done!”, “go ahead!”, “release!” or even just “eat” for meals. It can depend on the context.

Consistency with cues and structure will help your crew’s impulse control talents to be in a better place. Mealtimes can’t help but be calmer.

Take a Hike! Enjoying the Great Outdoors with Multiple Dogs

If you are not a nature lover or if you prefer taking your crew out on a one-on-one basis, then skip this blog. Then again, maybe not! If the previous apply to you, why not read anyway and see if you can get inspired to take the crew out en masse? It’s the season for connecting with your inner explorer, after all. Spring calls us outdoors to enjoy Mother Nature’s beauty.

I have been hiking with multiple dogs for twelve years and I would not have it any other way. It can be very hectic at times, but training your crew with some basic manners ahead of the hiking experience will minimize the chaos.

There are many ways to enjoy hiking with more than one dog. Some people use waist leashes, some people use couplers, some use individual leashes, some use no leashes. The on leash vs. off leash debate can get very heated. We will not be delving into that too much here other than to cover legalities and my view on responsible dog walking.

I hike on leash only. I do permit my dogs some off leash time in a carefully controlled area that I can see the entire perimeter of, after most just regular walks (as opposed to hikes) in the local cemetery. The management is okay with how I do this since they view me as one of the few responsible dog walkers there. Of course, this only happens if no one is around to be disturbed.

Something to note is that my dogs all have a fabulous recall. Even Trent, who is only at an approximate 95% recall, is more reliable than many dogs I see off leash (that shouldn’t be). I have called all of my dogs off of chasing a herd of deer less than 20 yards from us in the past. This is the kind of reliability you should aspire to if you are aiming for of leash walks in nature.

I mentioned legalities previously. Let me elaborate on that. If the area that you walk or hike in requires you to have your dogs on leash, then please abide by those rules. They are there for a reason and if you violate the rules, you take the chance of taking the privileges away from all of us to be able to walk our dogs in areas that we currently do. Be polite please.

Back to hiking: my dogs have been taught quite a few cues that are handy for hiking in addition to other areas. One of the first things that I taught Merlin and Kera as puppies is a “fix” cue. That is my solution to not having to bend over constantly to untangle leashes from legs and feet. Once taught this, my dogs typically will untangle themselves, both front and back legs. This is also helpful for teaching dogs that they have back legs, as many don’t consider this aspect when deciding where to step! If a dog ignores a leash under a leg, a request to the dog in question causes quick compliance.

Other cues I have taught to enhance the hiking experience are: front (walk in front of me), over (navigating downed trees, etc.) gee and haw (right and left of me). The basics that help here as well are: sit, down, stop, wait, watch and leave it. I also use Leslie McDevitt’s “Look at That!” for things that may be viewed as worrisome.

My personal preference is individual leashes all attached to my right wrist. I don’t allow a lot of meandering so the leashes don’t get as entangled as you could imagine but I do untangle approximately once a regular daily hour long hike. For longer hikes, it’s more frequent. I carry water and a collapsible bowl in my vehicle for local hikes in everything but very warm weather. In warm weather and on longer hikes, I carry a CamelBak backpack with a collapsible bowl tucked inside. When we venture to a further locale for a longer hike (8-10 miles), Siri wears a backpack and carries additional water. Trent does as well. I also carry more snacks on longer hikes. I carry my cell phone always. I wear a treat bag and treat when I feel it is warranted. My dogs are very well trained so the treats are very random unless there is a good reason for excess rewards.

Hiking with Multiple Dogs

One of the areas where I do offer more rewards is when we need to get off the trail to let others pass. The rules or manners will vary with locale but in general, if you are hiking with multiple dogs (or even one dog!), it’s considered mannerly to get yourself and your crew off the trail to let other trail users such as hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders pass by easily. If two single dog hikers are approaching one another, who lets who pass easily is best left to the individuals based on how well trained each dog. Even if someone offers to let me pass first, I always give priority to the other party. I think it shows my dogs a better behavior plus it gives me an opportunity to control the situation better which is the best option when hiking with a crew.

My dogs offer a sit or a down (Merlin doesn’t have to sit, he is perfect!) and watch me while rewarding them for quality choices. I also reward Siri for each LAT opportunity. My dogs know that people and dogs approaching mean they may get fed. The proximity will determine whether it is truly necessary and the quantity of rewards. Closely passing dogs with owners who are not controlling them will get them more rewards than a single human passing by who is oblivious to their existence. Verbal reinforcers are always provided.

The behavior that I have taught my dogs that has given me the most benefit is pairing rewards engage/disengage  when they spot a deer or a squirrel. With Merlin, this behavior is as automatic as breathing is. I am such a proud mom when he offers me this! Kera is a close second most of the time, which itself is amazing as she has some northern breed blood. Siri comes up third in this and Trent is a work in progress; though he will often surprisingly simply throw himself into a down and look up at me, when the planets align properly.

Now for other hiker’s insights on multiple dog hikes:

Crystal in CA hikes with two Australian Shepherds off leash. She finds it more exciting than hiking with one dog. She has good voice control over her dogs and their greetings are appropriate with other hikers. She carries treats for rewarding snappy recalls.

Monica and her husband (also in CA) hike with four dogs: three small tenacious breeds and a Spaniel mix. The little ones are recalled frequently to keep their attention more focused and the Spaniel sticks close by when off leash by choice. When they encounter other hikers, they recall the crew, get off the trail and wait until they pass. When the wildlife is active, the little ones are leashed to a shoulder strap that permits her to walk more than one dog at a time comfortably.

Ettel in NYC hikes with two dogs. One is slower than the other so she has slowed her pace to allow the dawdler to enjoy her hike more. She is more on alert than when hiking with one dog. She also gets off the trail and employs a sit stay when needed to allow people/dogs/wildlife to pass unencumbered.

Mary Ann in Ocala, FL hikes on leash with three dogs: two Border Collies and a Terrier mix. She adores hiking with Border Collies. They like order on the trail! The Terrier, however, weaves so she has to untangle frequently! She also joins the mannerly hiker club by getting off the trail so that others may pass. Mary Ann has some great hiking cues as well that include pack on, wait and rest.

Crystal in Indiana, PA does more off trail hiking than on, so she has special rules that she follows. She always brings water, first aid supplies and an extra leash. She only brings as many dogs as she can comfortably handle (she has four of her own and at least one foster at any given moment). Her sturdy dogs (she mostly has English Setters though her Border Collie mix is pretty sturdy!) wear a backpack. The other dogs wear orange vests, especially in hunting season. She also attaches a bell to their collars if they are off leash.

Pam in Oregon hikes with four dogs: one Border Collie, two Border Collie mixes and one Sibe/Golden mix. Her BC leads the crew, often keeping her more excitable BC mix in check with his BC eye. Her females stick to the rear. She has taught them several cues: stop, back, sit and down. She uses hiking poles and sticks to quieter less populated trails to minimize the stress.

Andrew in Morgantown, WV has hiked frequently with two dogs. He believes that teaching impulse control and a fabulous recall are the secrets to a successful multiple dog hike. I think he is right!

As you can see, there are many ways to hit the trail. Find your own groove and get out there. If you do not currently hike, I cannot possibly overstate the benefits to your well being; unless of course, you delight in concrete, glass, noise and a fast pace. If the sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping is more your thing, then give this a shot! You will not be sorry. Enjoy the season.

Who Do You Love? Playing Favorites and the Consequences

Favorites, we all have them; be they colors, flavors, songs, scents, you name it, everyone has a favorite something. Even among living beings, favorites exist. We have favorite people, favorite children, favorite dogs, etc. Troubles can exist in all of the realms of living being favorites but our concern here is favorites among your dog crew.

It’s perfectly normal to have a favorite dog among your crew. You would be very unusual if you didn’t have one. When issues arise, it is because you are making your choice of favorite too obvious.

I talked quite a bit in my book about teaching your dogs that life is not always fair but the key to teaching this is to covey that life is not always fair at every moment, but it will all equal out to be fair at some point. What this means to me is that anytime you have to spend more time with or pay more attention to one dog, at some point not too distant in the future you will do the same with the other dogs, one on one. Much of this was discussed in another blog, “Different Day, Different Dog Activity.”

But this one is more about playing favorites in the house. This can happen in many ways, actual physical affection only being the tip of the iceberg. Let’s start with comfy resting spots in the places where the dogs relax. The living room can be an area ripe for jealousy among your crew, especially if you have a guarder. If your favorite dog also happens to be a guarder, then you have some work to do and should consult with a professional in-home consultant. In all likelihood, you are contributing to the continuation of this behavior with or without being aware of it. And in such a scenario, the non-biased outside opinion of a behavior professional can make a world of difference. (Please contact me if you need help finding a behavior professional in your area – a lot of people call themselves canine behaviorists but there are a number of qualifications to look for.)

Okay, back to the living room. If you permit your dogs on the furniture, it’s possible that two dogs (or more!) can covet the same comfy spot. In this case, your best option is to take turns with who gets said comfy spot, while providing other hopefully equally comfy spots in such a quantity that everyone can have one if they desire. Now that does not mean your’re to force your dogs to use these provided spots. They make choices too. You simply make sure that they are there for use. And you enforce the “taking turns” rule should more than one dog share a favorite spot.

In my household, all dogs are permitted on the furniture but Trent must be polite when others are also on the furniture. Trent can be pushy on furniture but if he is polite, he is welcome to lay on the couch when others are on it. The most frequent scenario is Siri on the couch with me having to direct her to turn around and only use one cushion so I can fit there with her. Kera starts out on the couch (before I sit down) but soon shifts to either the loveseat or the fluffy large mat on the floor or, less frequently, the round dog bed in front of the TV. Merlin loves to lie on the floor next to one dog bed that is near a heater vent. He rotates between the floor next to the bed with his bum next to the vent or on the bed itself. He resists my urgings to get on the couch or loveseat. Occasionally, he takes the round dog bed. Trent sometimes hangs on the couch with Siri and I but most frequently he lays on the couch pillows I lay on the floor in front of the couch. Sometimes he takes the round dog bed. I have not yet figured out what the criteria is for any of them to choose that bed. Siri is the only one who rarely uses it but she is bigger than it.

So in my living room, everyone has a place they enjoy relaxing on and there are no disputes. But as mentioned, if you have two or more dogs who all like the same spot, then have them take turns. And take a closer look at that favorite spot and see what you can do to replicate the reason for the coveting in other areas of the room. Try and look at things from your dogs’ point of view.

Another key resource room is the bedroom, if your dogs sleep in a room that humans share with them as mine do. The scenario in my bedroom is Siri typically sleeping on the bed with me, unless it is very warm outside. In that case, she sleeps on the floor next to the bed. I have a three large dog beds along one wall/corner that all the dogs enjoy lying on. But for nighttime sleeping, Merlin’s spot is considered to be the bed next to a dresser. He starts there but moves around to several places, including the bathroom floor if it is warm out. Kera sometimes starts on the bed but usually moves to either a dog bed, the floor, or my robe which I have learned to lay down on the floor for her. Trent favors the dog bed furthest in the corner and rarely deviates from that. All dogs are welcome on the bed at night. This works for us and no one fights over a spot. I have made sure that there is abundance in comfort here for this very reason.

You probably have not yet figured out who my favorite is unless you already know me. It’s Merlin. From raised surface positions, you might think it is Siri. I dearly love all of my dogs. They all have completely different personalities but my connection with Merlin feels ancient. I try very hard to not show this in excess. It is a constant struggle. But you don’t see it evidenced by who shares comfy spots with me. Siri likes to snuggle and I like her to snuggle so we snuggle. Merlin and Kera like to snuggle on their terms. Trent likes to snuggle a bit too much at times and gets pushy if permitted to snuggle in excess.

So favorites of the heart don’t have to be the same as favorites in every facet. This can help you to not play favorites too much. Each dog has a different personality and will enjoy different things with you. One dog may like to snuggle like Siri does. Another dog may love going just about anywhere with you while another may find the same activity scary. Playing favorites with each dog’s favorite activity is a good way to play favorites without actually favoring one dog over another. This is also a fantastic way to teach your dogs that life is usually fair and that things even out if they are patient.

My dogs understand that just because Siri is the one who is usually snuggling with me doesn’t mean I love her more than them. I always make a point to give each of them individual attention before settling down on either the couch or the bed with Siri. I do the same every morning. Each dog gets quality morning snuggle time.

In the evening, Merlin often likes to toss some stuffed toys around after dinner. Kera doesn’t enjoy playing with stuffed toys so she gets out of the way on the loveseat. Siri and Trent sometimes join Merlin with living room toy tossing. Merlin will then usually try and engage them in a game of “beat up Trenty”, which entails Siri pretending to “beat up Trenty”, while Merlin “directs” from the sideline. Kera will comment if they get too close to her. This game is enjoyed by all, especially because I sit on the floor with them for it so everyone gets my attention at once.

In the winter months, Lisa in Massachusetts only walks the dogs that don’t mind the cold. Her shorter haired Terriers prefer snuggling next to the heater so it all works out for everyone. Vicki in Hanover, PA competes in obedience with one dog because that dog enjoys it and the other doesn’t. Both of her dogs are therapy dogs and take turns going with her to “work”. Each dog understands that his turn will come.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to show affection to your dogs based on their individual personalities without showing favoritism to one on a regular basis. Not being obvious about who is your favorite will go a long way towards preserving harmony among your crew. Enjoy your dogs’ individual personalities.

Chaos or Chorus? Barking Blog Part 2

How your crew greets visitors can cause you stress or make you proud. Do you avoid having family over for fear of the barking that can ensue? Do you make workman call first so you can block your crew away from the doorway? And forget about parties, it’s just too much to deal with, right? Well, it can be better with some work on your part if your primary issue is barking and not aggression.

Dogs barking at (greeting) someone at the door.

Alert barking, which is what this is, is a normal behavior in most dogs, especially guarding breeds, which is what most of my own crew is. I am not going to lie to my readers: as mentioned in my book, I have not really trained out barking at visitors with my crew. But reasons for that is a simple one. It’s not laziness. It’s just that I don’t really have many visitors that are not “dog people” and my crew is pretty comfortable with “dog people” right away.

For service persons, I simple baby gate them in rooms that said service persons will not be in. Occasionally, if the service person professes to be a “dog person” and I believe him, I will let Merlin in with us because he has been voted “most likely to bark at length if not permitted to greet visitors”. Merlin has a lot of opinions and he loves people so he is fine after greeting them with his opinion.

I actually have very successful parties despite mostly ignoring visitor training with my own crew. The reason for that may also be helpful for some of you. Once past the 3-4 visitor mark, my crew ceases to use barking as a greeting. Instead, they anticipate attention and potential food dispensing from any newcomer so they are on their best “we are too cute to ignore” behavior.

I always ask friends who my crew is familiar with to be among the first few to arrive at the melee and that helps my crew to feel more comfortable and helps to sets the stage for success. I have even had a successful Pampered Chef party with a PC rep who was afraid of dogs with this formula. Congrats to Dee for handling Siri (90# of Rottie mix!) being nosy while enthusiastically showcasing her wares!

So how is it possible to minimize the visitor barking? Easy. Will work for food is the motto of most dogs I know, especially those with this issue. You goal is to give your dog something else equally rewarding to do other than bark.

One of my very favorite food rewards to use for this issue is peanut butter. If you are allergic to peanuts, other nut butters work just as well as does soy butter. The sticking quality is what you need for a lengthier positive connection between said visitor and the yummy food reward. Any nut butter cannot be immediately swallowed so basically, you get more bang for your buck.

I have training tubes that can be filled with peanut butter and dispensed directly from the tube in order to minimize any mess that using peanut butter on a spoon can cause. They can be purchased directly at any R.E.I. store or you can buy them online. They are made for camping. What a great idea!

It’s difficult to do step by step training in this venue for this particular issue so I won’t attempt it. Steps are very much based on the individual dog. But if you keep certain things in mind, perhaps these tips can help.

-You must practice this with one dog at a time until each is pretty predictable. Then start with the two that are best at it together and progress from there. As long as your crew gets along well together, once at the all together point of training, you can use some competition to get the slower on the take pups to be faster at being quiet.
-You should practice associating the doorbell with peanut butter (or other food) before you need it. It takes time. Be patient and very consistent.
-You will need a helper or two. You cannot ring the bell and feed the dog at the same time!
-The peanut butter starts before the doorbell rings and until the door opens. There should be no ringing (or knocking) without food happening.
-It is important to talk to your dog while practicing this in order to keep the connection going. Use your best happy voice to verbally acknowledge staying with you/the peanut butter as well as choosing not to bark. Eye contact with you is a very rewardable behavior as well.
-If your dog heads towards the door at any time before the visitor enters, use your best happy voice to get his attention back on you. If he ignores you, get closer.
-Do not bribe him by placing the treat in front of his face but instead, prompt a head turn towards you and reward that, then head back away from the door
-Once your guest is in, you can allow your dog to greet your guest if he is not barking.
-You can give your guest treats other than peanut butter to offer your dog. Think high value such as boiled chicken, hot dogs, liver, etc.
-You can also implement a time out (just the removal of attention, nothing scary) if barking is excessive.
-Never use a negative word or tone to try and “correct” barking. Attention is still attention and negative (no, bad, etc.) attention still maintains or increase the behavior (barking).

One thing that I have found that helps with group greetings to visitors is allowing one dog at a time in to greet until every dog that can be there is present. This tends to take the excitement level down to a manageable level. You can use baby gates or simply another room to separate dogs until it’s their turn to come in.

You can also simply train your dogs, again one at a time, to go to a special place such as a mat, crate or dog bed when they hear the door. Then you have the option of inviting them from said place to come and greet guests on your pre-trained terms. Again, this will not happen over night and you must be patient.

Courtenay in British Columbia is a Manners Minder aficionado. I admit I have not yet tried this wonderful machine but it’s not for lack of wanting to. It is not cheap but it’s helpful for this sort of thing if you do choose to train the “go to place” for door manners. Courtenay did this and it worked well for her.

Crystal in Indiana, PA has also trained her dogs to go to a place when visitors arrive, though her method differs. She has the crew first go to her couch and when they are calm, they are permitted to come and greet the visitors. Once they do this, they are sent to go lay in their individual places. When she has visitors that are staying a bit longer, the dogs are given Kongs or other high value distractions while they are in their spots.

Training dogs, especially a multiple dog household, to be calmer around visitors is not the easiest behavior to train but it can be done with patience and vigilance. Having multiple dogs at all requires both so give yourself credit for this feat and believe that you can persevere!

Can You Hear Me Now? When group barking is out of control!

Even if you don’t have guarding breeds like I do (mostly), barking can be a problem. When one dog decides there is something to bark about, others typically will follow along, even if simply out of habit. It is up to you to know how to reinvent the habit!

How do you do that? It takes consistency and patience, just like with any other training. Good timing helps too!

It is really important that you do not dismiss all barking done by your dogs because just like human talking, barking is a form of communication. Keeping that line of communication open between you and your dogs is vital. Your dogs need to trust that they can count on you to hear what they are saying, How can you do this while maintaining your hearing ability? Easy, at least most of the time.

Barking happens for a variety of reasons. I will start by addressing alert barking.

You can begin by acknowledging the first bark as an alert to you, the human in charge of taking care of scary things! An alert bark means that your dog is trying to tell you that he saw or heard something that he was not aware of a moment ago. It may or may not be appropriate to bark then, depending on what the situation entails. In any case, you certainly will not typically want the barking to continue once the alert is sounded. But in order to keep your dog’s trust and to ensure that he continues to bark when it is really important to alert, you should learn to properly acknowledge an alert bark.

To do this you can develop a cue word or phrase that you use for just this purpose. It need not make sense to anyone else or even be in English! I learned a great trick from the wonderful trainer, Pam Dennison, several years ago at a seminar she conducted here in my city. Her advice was to go and look in the direction of the bark and while looking back at your dogs, say in a calm and assured voice, “It’s just Uncle Fred”. The first time I did this with my dogs, my dog Kera looked at me like, “We don’t have an Uncle Fred.” But she ceased barking! I have since modified that phrase to another cue phrase. I now use, “It’s just the neighbor, we’re fine,” with much success. That is, when I am consistent enough to remember to do this instead of yelling, which is most of the time, thankfully!

Why not simply yell instead? Well, aside from the fact that yelling usually doesn’t work, yelling is to your dogs the human equivalent of barking. Which pretty much explains why yelling doesn’t work well: your dogs think you are helping them to alert everyone! So choosing the proper response to your dog’s excessive barking can have much better results than choosing to yell.

What other scenarios can result in group barking? The possibilities are endless so I will do my best to summarize some scenarios. Any time you have a group of dogs together, when one barks, the other will likely follow. It’s just a natural response. Your job as the owner and crew leader is to establish an alternate behavior that is a much more rewardable action that barking. What that means is that you will be very consistent about rewarding what you do want your dogs to do instead of barking.

For example, when on a group walk, I have taught my dogs to look at me when they see an animal that they want to bark at (and then chase!). For doing what I want, the dog in question gets handsomely rewarded with a yummy treat. I have done this in steps with a clicker. In some part, I have used Leslie McDevitt’s “Control Unleashed” exercises. www.controlunleashed.net I click when they see the object of attention and because my dogs equate a click with a high value treat, I typically get a quick head turn which results in a treat for the turned head!

This did not happen overnight. In fact, with Kera and Trent, it still isn’t completely second nature. But with Merlin, who is extremely food motivated, he has been doing the head turn at the sight of a squirrel or a deer for years. Siri has recently joined him in deer head turns and for her, this is a graduation of sorts. She is highly excited at the sight of a deer but because she is also very food motivated as well as competitive, she has (in my mind) decided that it is preferable to get fed when Merlin gets fed rather than afterwards. Kera has some northern breed in her so nature takes over a bit more with her and working on impulse control with Trent is ongoing but they respond to competition as well so we persist in their training.

Competition is an important training tool with a multiple dog crew if your crew gets along well. If not, you do not want to incite any wars over resources, which is what anything one dog focuses on becomes. If fights over resources are an issue, work on that before worrying about group barking. So be very careful about using competition but do use it with your crew if it is appropriate to do so.

I use competition in many situations. Rewarding a dog who looks at me when wildlife is spotted is just one situation where I use this tactic. How do I use it? By simply being more verbally enthusiastic than I need to be in noticing what dogs looked at me for rewards instead of a squirrel bark alert. I also use this method in my vehicle when we see other dogs. My dogs typically ignore other dogs that we see being walked UNLESS we are in the park where we walk. In that case, a couple of them may bark, most notably Trent, Kera and Siri in order of likeliness.

Trent’s barking is a work in progress and in his case, I do not use competition if he is with us. What works best for him is a whole other blog subject and best addressed by researching the wonderful Grisha Stewart’s work with BAT. ahimsadogtraining.com But with Kera and Siri, I use a NRM (No Reward Marker). My NRM is “Too Bad!” said in a very happy sing song voice. I immediately tell Merlin that he is the best dog ever after telling Siri and Kera individually “Too Bad”. Merlin gets a treat with his verbal reward. This virtually guarantees that the next dog that we see, Siri and Kera are quiet for and everyone gets rewarded. This is a win/win situation for all of us!

Another scenario in which competition can be employed, is when in your crew’s outdoor territory, their yard. If your dogs are prone to excessive barking in this situation as many dogs are, the number one thing that you need to do is supervise, supervise, and supervise more. There is nothing that you can do to remedy this situation if you are remiss in this area. Weather permitting, the easy way to train an alternate behavior to barking is by simply sitting outside with your dogs and using your clicker to mark any time a dog chooses to come to you. Of course, following this with a super yummy treat will be the real reason for choosing the alternate behavior.

Note that I did not mention calling your dogs to you when they bark. If you do this and then click and treat for coming to you, you run the risk of creating what is called a behavior chain. What that means is that your dog barks, you call him, he comes, you click and treat. He associates the bark with the beginning of the behavior chain and necessary to the end result. This is not what you want!

This method is best used at low distraction time frames at first in order to minimize the annoyance to your neighbors. And as always, I would recommend teaching a good recall so that if barking is a typical result of your dogs being outside, you can quickly get them inside in order to avoid citations! In this case, you would reward your dogs once inside, for coming to you, not for barking. Varying the sequence of the rewards can help prevent a behavior chain in this circumstance as well. And again, you can use competition in both of these circumstances if it is appropriate with your crew.

A visitor arriving at your home is a scenario that can cause a lot of barking, especially if you have guarding breeds. I am not going to address that scenario in this blog because it is a subject in of itself, so look for a future blog on that subject.

Vigilance and consistency can go a long way towards eliminating nuisance barking with your crew. Patience helps! Do not get frustrated, but remember, even dog pros yell sometimes! It’s just human nature but so is barking canine nature. If both humans and canines practice impulse control, your life with multiple dogs can be much calmer!