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That’s Honeydew, our last service pup, and Tango, nose to nose, fast asleep. Clearly, not a whole lot of "snippiness" between the two of them. However, I’ve had several clients lately whose dogs have been getting snippy with other dogs and they need help figuring out how to help their dogs.

It can be surprising to many dog owners to find out that their dog doesn’t like every other dog. Do you like every person you meet? Don’t some people just rub you the wrong way? You may not even be able to explain why you don’t like someone, you just know you don’t. Dogs have preferences for dog friends just like we have preferences for our human friends.

Training can work wonders with this problem. Usually a protocol that involves counter conditioning and desensitization will address the problem. Find a professional trainer who specializes in positive reinforcement to help you. Contact me if you need help locating a trainer in your area.

In the meantime, here are a some quick tips that might help you navigate through doggie populated areas with your dog.

1. Your dog isn’t going to like every dog he meets. That’s ok. Learn and respect your dog’s preferences – keep him away from the dogs that tend to set him off. You’ll be happier, and so will your dog.
2. Some dogs aren’t good with other dogs while they’re on leash. My Lily has this problem. We cannot meet dogs we don’t know if she’s on leash. And because it’s not safe out in the neighborhood to take her off leash, we usually take the scenic route and try to skip all the doggie-centric areas. It’s not enjoyable for her to meet dogs while she’s leashed, so I try to avoid putting her in that position.
3. It’s ok for you to tell another dog owner that your dog isn’t friendly and would rather not play with their dog – even if they tell your their dog is the friendliest dog in the world. Your dog’s comfort is your top priority – so don’t be afraid to stand up for your dog and kindly tell that other dog owner that your dog just doesn’t feel like playing today and move quickly on.
4. Read your dog’s body language. Maybe your dog is ok with another dog for the first three minutes or so, then the play gets too rambunctious and the play becomes more harsh and less playful. Interrupt immediately, thank the other person for allowing the dogs to play, and move along.
5. Never, ever force your dog to play with or tolerate another dog. Ever. If your dog is giving you signals she’s not happy, she wants to leave — listen to her!

Of the four dogs we have, only one is completely without issue around other dogs and that’s Nemo. He’s the "bomb proof" dog who actually enjoys almost every encounter with another dog. Tango dislikes puppies (don’t ask me why, I find them irresistible!), Lily’s not good on leash, and Lucky’s not good with strangers. So it’s not at all unusual to have a dog that’s not perfect with other dogs. That’s ok. After all , we’re not perfect with all other people.

Happy birthday Roo! Seven years old, what a life you’ve led so far. My first service pup, you taught me the ropes of what it takes to love — and give up — a service dog.

It was both the worst and best experience of my life, giving you up. Graduation day was a roller-coaster ride for me, but you were rock solid. I was so happy to meet your new family and see with my own eyes how much they loved you.

And while my heart broke just a little when you walked away, looking so proud in your vest and your new job, it was also one of my greatest moments.

We always look forward to your visits, but being able to celebrate your birthday makes this visit extra special. Let’s whoop it up!

Tango and I just returned from the Delta certification test — and we passed! Now we can begin to pursue our goal of helping kids improve their reading skills. We want to get involved in the R.E.A.D. program and begin visiting schools to help kids with reading difficulties.

Tango couldn’t have been better! I was a little nervous about a couple portions of the test. It’s funny – the parts that I was worried about didn’t phase Tango at all! And the parts that I didn’t worry about gave him a little trouble…go figure!

I enjoy working toward a goal with the dogs. It keeps me on a predictable training schedule, as well as concrete goals to work on. I get lazy sometimes and tend to procrastinate — setting goals encourages me to keep working. And the time spent with Tango, and reaching our goals, is the reward!

After we passed the certification, I gave Tango some really delicious salmon dog treats, and I ate a handful of Cadbury Milk Chocolate candy coated easter eggs! Yummy!

When I talk about doggie self control, I emphasize the importance of both mental and physical exercise. The weather's been nice the past few days, but we're supposed to get lots of rain this weekend. My dogs need their exercise and don't care what the weather is. When the weather's awful outside, and I don't want to go out and get wet, I've found myself making a makeshift toy to keep the dogs from using the living room as a race track. Here are a couple ideas you might be able to use for your own dogs:

Clean an empty 1 liter plastic bottle, take the lid off and put some pieces of your dog's food or tasty treats inside. The food will come out if they learn how manipulate the bottle. It takes some time for the dogs to figure out exactly how to use their paws, nose, and mouth to get to the goodies. (Often, just an empty bottle does the trick — Nemo and Tango like to kick the bottle with their feet and then chase it [or each other] around the room.)

Save the empty paper towel cardboard rolls. Twist one end closed and put 5 or 6 pieces of kibble in. Then twist the roll closed there, add more kibble, twist closed and repeat until you've got three or four "pockets" of food in the paper towel roll. My dogs go crazy for this and really enjoy ripping the paper towel roll open to get to the goodies inside. There's a bit of paper to pick up when they're done, but they get some mental exercise and keep themselves busy while they're having fun.

Do you have make great homemade toys for your dogs? I'd love to hear about what you make for your dogs!

Tango and Nemo were demo dogs yesterday for my self-control talk "Your Outta Control Dog." I was joined by 60 or so folks at the Potomac Community Center who had their own outta control dog (not with them, of course!).

I took Tango because he’s got a reasonable amount of self control – lots of room for improvement, but pretty good. Nemo, on the other hand, came with me because he’s a little light on self control and is a terrific demo dog for how to teach self control in the moment.

I let the dogs wander around the crowd as people entered and got seated. Nemo wound through each row, sniffing and saying Hi to everyone (multiple times) and Tango got his fair share of greetings in, too. The difference was that once Tango said Hi to everyone, he came back and hung out with me, while Nemo kept circulating. Sometimes I lost him in the crowd and didn’t know exactly where he was. I just had to look for the people leaning over in their seats – they were giving Nemo big belly rubs!

I used (for the first time ever!) a Power Point Download Self_Control.ppt , along with my oh-so-reliable demo dogs to help folks really get the whole self control concept. I also wrote a handout Download selfcontrol.pdf  for the folks to use with their dogs when they got back home.

Feel free to take a look at both the PowerPoint and the handout – and let me know if it helps you and your dog!

Here’s an innovative new product that will help you figure out what your dog’s up to when you’re gone. The SNIF Tag records a dog’s daily movements and social interactions then uploads them to the internet. The online SNIF portal allows you to monitor what the dog is doing while you’re away and compare your pet’s behavior to that of other dogs. You can receive alerts by email or cell phone if any predetermined behaviors are detected. You can also meet and socialize with other SNIF users through their social networking site.

SNIF Labs Inc. (Boston)
(617) 338-SNIF
www.sniflabs.com