FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How do I get my dog to stop digging holes?

I personally have never found a definite cure for this, but have found a few tips to curtail this. Some people I know lay wire about 4-6 inches under the soil so the dog does not get very far and gets discouraged. Remember to use a wire that will not harm the dog's feet. Since dogs tend to dig in the same spot, some people use rocks to fill the hole up; I have heard of using old bowling balls too. This is very discouraging to the dog, since they can't carry these around.

2. How do I teach my dog to stay off of the counters?

This is a frequent question for Dalmatian owners. Dals love to counter-surf. Most generally they won't do it in front of you, so the idea is to make the experience as unpleasant as possible. Put some Bitter Apple (or something similar) on "planted" items. The dog will start to think that everything on the counter tastes awful. Some people use mouse traps to scare the dogs. If you can catch the dog at it, harsh punishment should help.

3. How do I teach my dog to stay out of the trash?

This I would handle just like Question 2. Tabasco sauce in the trash might help cure this also.

4. I've been gone a couple days with one dog and when I came home the dogs now want to fight? Why? What do I do?

I'm not quite sure why dogs behave this way, but it is a common occurrence. I feel there are a couple of reasons for it happening - (a) jealousy; (b) the smell of other dogs on your dog if you have been to a dog event. I recommend leaving the dog/dogs in the vehicle that went with you and greeting the dog/dogs left at home. Say your hellos and then crate or separate those dogs. Bring in the dogs that were away with you and get them settle and then separate or crate those dogs. Let the dogs out that were left at home and let them greet the dogs that were away with you. After a couple of hours, one by one let everyone back into the pack together.

5. How do I get my dog to stop barking on command?

You need to pick a command that you will always use for this. I use "Quiet". When the dog barks and you don't want him to, say "No, Quiet". As soon as the dog does as you want, reward the dog with "Good boy!". As in training anything, you want to let the dog know when they are doing it right as well as wrong.

6. How do I find a veterinarian?

When I made my move, I visited all the vet hospitals in the area to check for cleanliness, how I was greeted and general appearance. I also asked for an appointment to meet the Veterinarian and ask questions about his/her knowledge of my breed and their common ailments. I also asked people I worked with and the people I bought my house from for their opinions.

7. How do I teach my dog to quit jumping on people?

Dogs most generally are jumping on people to greet them. We need to teach them that this is not acceptable to humans. So we need to retrain what the dog thinks is right. I find that the easiest way to train a dog to stay off people is to give the dog another command like "sit". Once the dog is doing as asked, THEN you pet the dog and reward. If the dog gets petted before the jumping on the person has stopped, then the dog has been rewarded for the jumping, not the sitting. Repetition and diligence is the key for success!

Another thing that I have seen people do wrong that confuses the dog, is tell it "No, No, No, No" while the dog is jumping around like a pogo stick. The dog is being told No while it is up, while it has all four feet on the ground and as it is turning circles. You need to be precise when saying "No" while the dog is in the air. The second the dog is on the ground, then praise with "Good boy/girl"! If you don't give the right reprimand/praise at the exact second the behavior is happening, all is lost in training.

8. How do I get my dog to stop eating feces?

Two suggestions come to mind. First there are products available to put in the dog's food to make the feces unappealing to the dog. One product comes to mind called "Forbid". Most veterinarians carry some product in the same line. Another helpful thing is to immediately pick up the feces after the dog. Then there is no chance to for the dog to consume the feces. This is a training process and you can not always expect results overnight.