By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  Jan 2, 2009

Question:

Do you have suggestions for training in a multiple dog household? Of my three dogs, two are “sitting to say please” to go out. The other dog refuses. I started letting the two go on out and making the refuser stay until she sits. But she still refuses to sit at the same time as the others. How do I reinforce behaviors properly with three dogs who don’t always respond the same way or at the same time? (All three dogs are eleven years old.)

Rhonda

Answer:

Here’s the trick. For the one who just doesn’t “get it,” he needs a ton of practice in a short period of time—not just sitting to go out, but for other things throughout the day. It’s like when you learn a new sports skill or dance move. If you practice it 30 times in a day, you may get the move down-pat. If instead you only practice once a day for 30 days, it may take forever.

So here’s what I suggest if you want to make the behavior a habit with just 1-2 days. Have the slow learner earn every single kibble by sitting throughout the day. You may need to attach him to you via leash when you’re home if he tends to blow you off. That way you have a lot of opportunities to reward him for sitting because he’ll be near you.

You can randomly reward him for sitting or you can have short two-minute sessions where you reward him for repeated sitting. You can also add in several variation of an exercise called leave-it where he learns that he can’t get to a dropped treat because you physically block him or have tossed it out of his leash range. Then once he figures he should turn and sit and look at you, you can let him get the treat. This exercise teaches him that when he can’t get something, he should turn to you and ask by saying please by sitting. Do this after you’ve practiced a lot of sits in a row first so that sitting is foremost in his mind.

Then work on a similar exercise at the door. Open the door and toss a treat through. Block him from going through. Once he sits and remains seated, you can let him out. If he takes a while to sit, then once he sits give him a string of treats in a row. This helps him learn that sitting is a jackpot position! Once he sits quickly each time, they you don’t need to give treats-the reward is going out. By practicing a bunch of times in a row, the lightbulb will finally click on.

Once he’s great with the behavior on his own (which should just take 1-2 days) then practice the same thing with your other dogs present. With this focus-type of practice, he’ll be sitting politely at the door in under a week!

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  January 4, 2010

Question:

I love watching your videos. What treats do you use in your veterinary practice? They seem pretty irresistible. They also look like they are something that allows them to nibble off small pieces at a time. We have trouble finding something the fearful or anxious dogs will eat.

Thanks!

Lily from Grand Rapids, Michigan

Answer:

I use a variety of semi-moist treats such as Pup-Peroni and Natural Balance Food Roll which can be cut into variable-sized pieces and nibbled off in little bits at a time. The ability for dogs to nibble small pieces comes in handy for keeping dogs focused on the food during potentially scary procedures and thus helping to control their head. I also keep treats such as canned spray cheese and baby food in my food arsenal just in case.

You’re right in that using really tasty treats in the hospital setting is important. I often have people tell me dogs won’t take treats in their hospital and then I find that their giving treats that are about as enticing to dogs as celery is to kids. If you use boring dry dog biscuits, only the happy-go-lucky chow hounds, who don’t really need treats to have a good hospital experience will eat them. But if you start with something most dogs love it makes a big difference.

That said, the environmental set-up as well as how the treats are delivered will make a huge difference too. For instance, even though I see a huge number of fearful and anxious dogs in behavior consults, most of these dogs readily take treats during the course of the consult. I ask the owners to withhold food that day since the dog may get its meals-worth of food in treats during the consult. Then there’s the hospital set-up. The waiting room of our hospital is comfortable and calm and my behavior room has throw rugs or fleece beds, chairs that look like couches, dog toys, and other homey things. You’d be surprised the difference that a little washable bathroom rug makes in improving the dog’s comfort level quickly.

Next, when I first greet the ambivalent dog, if he does not immediately look relaxed or approach me, I just ignore him and talk to the owner. I let him see that I have food, which I may discretely toss to him. Once these dogs have had a few treats from a safe distance in the absence of people staring at them, they quickly warm up. Pretty soon they’re walking right up and offering a sit to earn treats. Even the dogs who won’t initially take treats tend to eat the treats after they habituate to the room for several minutes, especially when it’s clear I’m not going to put any pressure or demands on them. For a regular veterinary health exam, the perfect time to inconspicuously toss treats to a dog who won’t yet take them by hand is when the technician is doing the pre-examination history.

Once you put all of these things together-starting with a hungry dog in a dog-friendly room and a ho-hum low key greeting you’ll find that most dogs will eat almost any semi-moist, tasty treat you offer them.

For more information on these techniques refer to Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats. The online version is at www.AskDrYin.com/elearning.

Let’s hear from you!

What are your favorite treats for dogs and cats in a hospital setting and what percentage of dogs and cats take treats in your practice?

Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  December 10, 2009.

Clients frequently tell me that they think their cat or dogs like each other but they aren’t sure. They sometimes point out that their pets sleep together, but does that mean they’re best friends? It could but it doesn’t necessarily. They could just be sharing beds because it’s comfortable or convenient. True “friends,” actively seek eachother and hang out, play together, and perform affiliative gestures such as mutual grooming.

Here’s a photo of Jonesy and his bratty younger, but bigger sister, Lucy. Jonesy pretty much just tolerates her. Sometimes he puts up with her pestering, and other times he exercises his Sailor’s mouth. When she’s in the more comfortable bed he sometimes joins her because that’s the most comfortable spot.

Here’s Jonesy with Homer (tricolor JRT) and a visiting JRT. Homer would actively seek Jonesy out and lie next to him. That would sometimes make Jonesy grumble under his breath. Homer did indeed look up to Jonesy. But, as usual, Jonesy could care less about Homer.

Tell me about your pets who sometimes share a bed. Are they best friends or just convenient buddies?

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS August 28, 2009

Question

Our puppy eats our older dog’s poop. We tried “forbid” a powdered product that was supposed to have an awful taste. What else can we do?

Karen in BC

Answer

Your puppy eats dog poop? Yuk. How disgusting…. My dog does that too. Or at least my last Australian Cattledog did.

You might think that such a foul habit points to a nutritional deficiency or that it means Fido’s not getting enough to eat, but actually poop-eating (a.k.a. copraphagia) is a common pastime among dogs. It’s quite normal. But still disgusting. In fact female dogs with litters of pups have to lick their pup’s rear end to stimulate pooping and the licking doesn’t stop once the pup starts pooping.

Most dogs in all-dog households never show a proclivity for poop. In households where dogs and cats coexist, though, owners should take care to check Fido’s breath before letting him say hello, because dogs like cat poop the way kids like candy. Once a dog figures out that indoor sand-filled boxes contain tasty morsels of “used cat food,” they frequent these sites in hopes of finding a “kitty roca surprise.”

How is it that a waste product could become a delightful dessert for some dogs? It all started thousands of years ago. Originally domestic dogs descended from hunters, but more recently the descendants have been scavengers. This tendency to scavenge can be seen in the present day “wild” model of the domestic dog—the village dog. While dogs in the U.S. experience the luxury of a cozy home, free meals, and regular veterinary check-ups, three quarters of the world’s dogs are feral dogs, most of whom have chosen to live in villages near people. These mottly mutts make their living by preying on stolen tidbits, human leftovers, and feces of all kinds. Those tame enough to hang out close to humans and indiscriminate enough to eat anything with nutritive value survive the best.

Among our coddled domestic dogs, many retain a strong desire to scavenge. They raid trashcans and left out lunch bags. A bias for dung depends on access to the morsels, level of other interesting activities, and personal preference. Luckily for most owners, like humans who never develop a taste for escargot, many dogs never develop a taste for poop.

So what can you do if your dog likes to feast on feces? It doesn’t hurt to try some of the over-the-counter products that supposedly make poop taste bad. Or to even lace poop with peppers regularly for several weeks—assuming they don’t just learn the smell of chili pepper-laced poop. On the other hand, what could possibly taste worse than poop? A more successful solution is to just deny access to the delicacy by cleaning it up ASAP. And don’t waste time punishing Fido for exhibiting the horrible habit in front of you. He’ll still snack on it behind your back. Rather, just call him to you before or as soon as you see him heading towards the stinky delicacy. Then reward him for coming when called and sticking with you instead of going after the poop.

A version of this article first appeared in Dr Yin’s Pet Tales pet column in The San Francisco Chronicle in 1999.