Question of the week

Hey Tails,

I know you have been around for a LONG time... can you give me some advise? As you know, I am moving out of state and need to find a new doggie day care. Can you tell us what we should be looking for in a new place? I have gone to many other day care’s web sites... but they all look good! Any trick to weed out the ones I should not even bother to interview?

 

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Sure! We are happy to help. First, be sure to check out the info on our web site our page on How to Choose a Doggie Day Care http://www.tails-a-wagging.com/daycare/choosing-a-daycare but even before you get to that point, there are some tricks to doing some leg work on their web site

1) Check out the “about us” page.

If the information is only personal, and no real professional experience, I would suggest you move on. The most common information you might read is “we love dogs so we opened up a doggie day care” We ALL love dogs, if dogs were not our passion we would not be here! But it takes more than a love of dogs to be able to run a doggie day care properly. Only accept a doggie day care with a dog trainer on staff, or at least one with an owner with years of self education on dog training and dog behavior. Bottom line: if the staff are not trained properly in dog behavior this means its likely they are not sure of now to properly screen dogs coming into the facility, and there ends up being dogs there who are not appropriate for day care.

2) Check out their photo or gallery page.

Do you see big dogs and little dogs in the same play group? A day care should never allow to have big dogs and small dogs in the same play group, its simply not safe.

Do you see dogs wearing choke chains while playing?

Its ok for dogs to have collars on while they play, as long as the staff do not allow collar grabbing or collar pulling by other dogs, and staff are not using the collars as handles. Choke chains are a sign of old school corrective training, and if you see it not only it is horribly unsafe (imagine a tooth being caught while playing) but it tells you they promote fear based- intimidation training.

NOTE: be weary of “collar free” play groups. The most common reason a day care would not have collars on the dogs is because they have inappropriate dogs who, if a collar was on, would be allowed to grab and pull them. This is a sign of a day care full of ill mannered dogs.

Do you see kids on the photos?

If the day care owners/mangers allow their kids to work or be at the facility, you can be assured this is not the place for you. Not all dogs are good with kids, and we would never suggest your dogs livelihood should be put into the hands of a child. I am sure the kids love dogs, but it’s a liability issue. Day care attendants should never be younger than 18 yrs. of age. This includes “volunteers” or people hanging out and visiting.

Are staff dressed appropriately? long pants? closed shoes? uniforms?

Too casual of an atmosphere and staff are at risk of scratches, from being jumped on, injuries on feet, from being stepped on, and generally not professional overall. Of course, lets not forget the staff are with dogs all day! but, that does not mean they are not in a professional situation. Appropriate attire is essential, with out it are you sure the owner/mangers are looking out for the staff’s best interest?

 

Do you see real grass?

There is no way to sanitize grass... its simply not appropriate for a dog day care or boarding facility of safety and health is their number one concern.

3) Make a quick phone call.

Its true at Tails we have a waiting list to get into our facility, and we always have for 15 yrs... but just because a faculty can get your dog in sooner, are you sure you want them to? Are they sticklers for health requirements for vaccines, fecal testing and health exams? Do they set up an appropriate 6 to 8 hr. evaluations? Find out how many dogs actually make it in and pass their temperament test. At Tails our average is 3 out of 5 dogs pass our test. When you come across a facility that takes every dogs who comes in...be aware there are some dogs there who should not be there.

4) Check them out on Facebook.

What do they post? Just photos? or do you learn about their community involvement. Do they work with/donate to area rescue groups and shelters? What other business have they “liked”on Facebook? Are they in line with their core beliefs and mission? Do they post updates to let you know why they are a great facility? Do their posts give you a sense of who they are?

Good Luck! Your pup is worth the time and energy to make sure you find the best day care you can!

Hey Tails,

I know you have been around for a LONG time... can you give me some advise? As you know, I am moving out of state and need to find a new doggie day care. Can you tell us what we should be looking for in a new place? I have gone to many other day care’s web sites... but they all look good! Any trick to weed out the ones I should not even bother to interview?

Sure! We are happy to help. First, be sure to check out the info on our web site our page on How to Choose a Doggie Day Care http://www.tails-a-wagging.com/daycare/choosing-a-daycare but even before you get to that point, there are some tricks to doing some leg work on their web site

1) Check out the “about us” page.

If the information is only personal, and no real professional experience, I would suggest you move on. The most common information you might read is “we love dogs so we opened up a doggie day care” We ALL love dogs, if dogs were not our passion we would not be here! But it takes more than a love of dogs to be able to run a doggie day care properly. Only accept a doggie day care with a dog trainer on staff, or at least one with an owner with years of self education on dog training and dog behavior. Bottom line: if the staff are not trained properly in dog behavior this means its likely they are not sure of now to properly screen dogs coming into the facility, and there ends up being dogs there who are not appropriate for day care.

2) Check out their photo or gallery page.

Do you see big dogs and little dogs in the same play group? A day care should never allow to have big dogs and small dogs in the same play group, its simply not safe.

Do you see dogs wearing choke chains while playing?

Its ok for dogs to have collars on while they play, as long as the staff do not allow collar grabbing or collar pulling by other dogs, and staff are not using the collars as handles. Choke chains are a sign of old school corrective training, and if you see it not only it is horribly unsafe (imagine a tooth being caught while playing) but it tells you they promote fear based- intimidation training.

NOTE: be weary of “collar free” play groups. The most common reason a day care would not have collars on the dogs is because they have inappropriate dogs who, if a collar was on, would be allowed to grab and pull them. This is a sign of a day care full of ill mannered dogs.

Do you see kids on the photos?

If the day care owners/mangers allow their kids to work or be at the facility, you can be assured this is not the place for you. Not all dogs are good with kids, and we would never suggest your dogs livelihood should be put into the hands of a child. I am sure the kids love dogs, but it’s a liability issue. Day care attendants should never be younger than 18 yrs. of age. This includes “volunteers” or people hanging out and visiting.

Are staff dressed appropriately? long pants? closed shoes? uniforms?

Too casual of an atmosphere and staff are at risk of scratches, from being jumped on, injuries on feet, from being stepped on, and generally not professional overall. Of course, lets not forget the staff are with dogs all day! but, that does not mean they are not in a professional situation. Appropriate attire is essential, with out it are you sure the owner/mangers are looking out for the staff’s best interest?

3) Make a quick phone call.

Its true at Tails we have a waiting list to get into our facility, and we always have for 15 yrs... but just because a faculty can get your dog in sooner, are you sure you want them to? Are they sticklers for health requirements for vaccines, fecal testing and health exams? Do they set up an appropriate 6 to 8 hr. evaluations? Find out how many dogs actually make it in and pass their temperament test. At Tails our average is 3 out of 5 dogs pass our test. When you come across a facility that takes every dogs who comes in...be aware there are some dogs there who should not be there.

4) Check them out on Facebook.

What do they post? Just photos? or do you learn about their community involvement. Do they work with/donate to area rescue groups and shelters? What other business have they “liked”on Facebook? Are they in line with their core beliefs and mission? Do they post updates to let you know why they are a great facility? Do their posts give you a sense of who they are?

Good Luck! Your pup is worth the time and energy to make sure you find the best day care you can!

Can medication therapy help my dogs’ behavior problems?

 

There are many medications that your dog might be able to be prescribed by your veterinarian to assist you in the training program you and your dog trainer are currently working on.  Problems like separation anxiety,  fear issues, compulsive behaviors and reactive behavior are just some of the behaviors that are helped by medication therapy.  However,  your veterinarian will not prescribe medication therapy without your dog already  having had  an evaluation by an accredited dog trainer who specializes in the issues your dog is having and is also in agreement the medication might be useful.

 

Before any medication therapy,  your veterinarian will also do a medical examination including a full blood work up and urinalysis,  this often includes a full thyroid panel, to rule out metabolic  and hormonal disease.  Some behavior problems can arise from medical issues and that needs to be ruled out first.

 

For specific behavioral issues most dog trainers perform a private lesson.  The trainer will  come out to your home and  evaluate the situation where the dog is the most relaxed.  The trainer will discuss your dogs nutrition plan and current feeding regimen,  your dogs exercise program and current life situation. From that point, the trainer will set up a plan to work the issues.  Only after the plan is followed and if its determined the plan needs adjustment, would medication therapy be discussed. You would work with your trainer and veterinarian together to find the best plan for you and your dog.

 

Its not appropriate for a dog to be on medication therapy without behavioral modification because the whole point of the medication is for the dog to get into a state of mind to actually treat the issues and eliminate them from the dogs routine. Medication is not meant to cover up or stifle a behavior, but to  allow the dog to be able to accept appropriate treatment from a proper training plan.

 

 

Why Dogs Hump

There isn't a single reason behind this normal behavior

Published on September 1, 2012 by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. in Animal Emotions

"On a beautiful, warm afternoon, I watched a group of dogs frolic in a dog park. Suddenly, I heard a woman’s high-pitched yelp, followed by the pounding of human feet. There was no need to look; it was obviously about humping, which we can also refer to as mounting." So wrote Julie Hecht in her
excellent review of humping by dogs. Indeed, because humping often often offends some people, Julie titled her essay "H*umping".

Mounting and humping by dogs are among those behavior patterns about which humans make lots of assumptions but we really don't know much about them. Dogs will mount and hump other dogs and other nonhuman animals (animals) from a wide variety of positions, human legs, and objects such as beach balls, water buckets, food bowls, pillows, and garbage pails without a care in the world. If you want to watch please do but an audience isn't necessary. Sometimes they hold on for upwards of 20-30 seconds and sometimes they just jump on and slide off and saunter away. And size doesn't matter.


While many humans feel embarrassed when they see a beloved four-legged friend mount and hump in public places, this behavior is a normal part of a dog’s behavioral repertoire. Both males and females mount and hump, and these behaviors first appear early in a dog’s life, particularly during play. Mounting and humping should not be considered abnormal behavior patterns.

While mounting is best known for its role in reproduction, it also occurs in many other contexts and emotional states. Dogs mount when they're excited and arousal and even when they're stressed and anxious. Take out the leash to go for a walk and Lassie starts humping Toto. You come home after a long day’s work and Spot goes for your leg.

Mounting could also be what ethologists call a displacement behavior, meaning that it's a byproduct of conflicted emotions. For some dogs a new visitor to the house could elicit a mixture of excitement and stress that could make for a humping dog. And as we might flip on the TV when we’re bored, some dogs develop the habit of mounting during downtime, getting better acquainted with a pillow. Mounting is also very common during play, sometimes as an attention-getter, an affiliative behavior, or when a dog is over-excited. I've seen dogs going "beserk", enjoying that "doggy fit" - running here and there and mounting and humping a friend and then a ball.


What about dominance and mounting? In a recent article on mounting, Peter Borchelt, Ph. D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) in New York City, noted, “Mounting could be part of a suite of behaviors associated with aggression, such as high posture, resource guarding, direct stares, and threats and standing over. But mounting, in and of itself, doesn’t indicate a status issue. By itself, mounting might not mean a lot.” (cited in Hecht, 2012).

In my own studies of the development of social behavior in young dogs, coyotes, and wolves, mounting, clasping, and humping were not directly related to dominance, nor were they associated with dominance for the wild coyotes my students and I studied in the Grand Teton National Park outside of Jackson,Wyoming.

I wonder if in some sitiations dogs mount and perhaps hump others when there are dogs around who can see them doing it. Years ago in a detailed study of urination patterns in dogs I could easily follow I discovered they often engaged in what I called "dry marking"; they'd lift a leg but wouldn't urinate. When I looked at the social situations in which this happened it turned out that dry marking occurred more when other dogs were around than when the dog was alone. I concluded that leg-lifting might be a visual signal in and of itself telling other individuals something like "I (the dog) just peed." It would be interesting to know if dogs mount and hump more when other dogs can see them, and if so, perhaps in some situations mounting and humping may have something to do with telling others about relative dominance.

Future research is also needed to determine how often mounting leads to humping. We really don't know all that much about these behavior patterns and how often they're linked together so generalizations about what they mean to the dogs involved need to be put on hold.

Is humping a problem and what can you do about it
Are mounting and humping problems about which we should be concerned? Mounting, including humping and masturbation, are normal behaviors according to the ASPCA (and others) although for some dogs, they could become a compulsive habit such as excessive tail-chasing.

The bigger question is, “What do mounting and humping mean to your dog?” To answer this question consider them in the context in one or the other or both occur. For example, what happens before mounting and how often and how long does it occur? If mounting suggests a dog is under-stimulated perhaps they could be provided with additional mental or physical activities. If mounting suggests anxiety it would be good to increase a dog’s comfort level in a particular situation, Or, if a dog gets overstimulated and goes bonkers or gets rude or impolite during social interactions with other dogs or people, it would be good to encourage mutually-beneficial interactions. Guardians (aka owners) can intervene in mounting and humping by getting the dog's attention-getting or by teaching an alternate behavior to assist the dog in their interactions with others.

Perhaps your dog mounts and/or humps only occasionally because they like to do it and can, and you can leave it at that. Let them be dogs.

Getting behind mounting and humping

 
Julie Hecht concludes her review of humping as follows: "When trying to get behind any behavior (pun intended), [Marc] Bekoff recommends becoming an at-home ethologist. 'Get a paper and pencil, and watch and record what happens before and after the behavior of interest. This can tell you more about the behavior itself.' This technique can help you determine when a behavior needs to be managed and when it’s just fine.

"If dogs could talk — and they actually are with their behavior — they’d ask us not to clump mounting into one universal meaning. So what’s your dog’s mounting behavior telling you?

"All in all, when we’re trying to figure out a behavior, we’re better served by observation and understanding of its roots than by the stories we tend to tell ourselves and others."

Clearly, there isn't a single explanation for mounting or humping. Mounting and humping are normal behavior patterns so let's not allow our own discomfort to get in the way of dogs doing what comes naturally. You can turn away, pretend it isn't happening, or giggle nervously and, as I wrote above, let them be dogs. One thing's for sure, dogs hump because they can.

　

Further reading

ASPCA Virtual Pet Behaviorist. “Mounting and Masturbation.”

Bekoff, M. 1979. "Scent-marking by domestic dogs. Olfactory and visual components." Biology of Behaviour 4, 123-139.

Bergman, L. “Canine Mounting: An Overview.” Applied Behavior / North American Veterinary Conference Clinician’s Brief, January 2012: 61-63.

Hecht, J. “H*mping: Why do they do it?” The Bark, June-August 2012: 70, 56-60.