Q: I am 92 years old and live in a retirement village with a 9-year-old Boston terrier that will not get into his cage when I leave the house.
He has been so good until six months ago. When I would say “I’m going bye bye,” he would run and get in his cage.
Now, when I get ready to leave, he barks, cries and jumps and really has a fit. Yes, I give him a treat.
When I shut the door, he is OK.
I hope you can help me.
— V. B., Shell Point Village, Fort Myers, Fla.
A: Dogs are masters at reading people and other animals. Most likely the dog has learned to “work” his owner.
Some of the ideas to help this can also help a dog with separation anxiety.
When leaving the dog, do not make a fuss over it. Telling the dog you are going away in a whiney voice does nothing to instill confidence in the animal. Often quite the opposite. Show the dog that it is not a big deal that they must be left home.
Vary your routine. Because dogs watch us, they know our routines. They know we will sit down to drink a cup of coffee while reading the paper. They know when we will eat breakfast and pick up our car keys to leave. Vary your routine by picking up your keys and then sit down and have a cup of coffee. Get the idea?
Another thing that helps with stress when I leave my dogs is getting a special treat. We regularly give our dogs a cow bone with some almond butter in it so they actually look forward to us leaving the house. Kong toys are great for that and though they are made in China, they comply to the child safety standards our country has established. I ask them where they have to go to get their treat. After initial training, they run to the crate to get their treat. If they regress, I might knock up the quality of the treat they get when I leave and then begin to randomize with the regular treat.
If necessary, when I am home I will allow the dog to have the collar and leash on to assist in the ability to catch the dog. Please note, this is only if I am home with the animal and keeping an eye on them. Especially with young dogs and small dogs it makes getting them much easier. Then I can get hold of them and put them in the crate with a treat, eliminating the option to refuse.
If they regress, I take a few steps back and re-train the behavior. Dogs do not reason in the way we reason. They think in black and white. For whatever reason, humans do not like to take a step back to re-train behavior. When working with animals, taking a step back is never a bad thing. It will only help strengthen the behavior.
Always remember, training is active and not passive.
— Susan Jenkins, owner of Papp’s Dog Services in Akron and a member of the national Association of Obedience Instructors and the International Association of Canine Professionals
Please send questions about your pet to Kathy Antoniotti at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; or send me an email to kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com. Please include your full name and address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached. I will forward your questions to the expert I think is best suited to answer your particular problem. Phoned-in messages will not be taken.