Introducing a New Cat to a Dog & Cat Household

Last Saturday my husband and I rescued a new cat. I had lost my cat Moonlight back in February, he was 21 and died peacefully at home. He left a void in our lives, and I have been searching for a special male cat since March.
On Saturday we finally found him. His name is Bumble Bee, and he came from a home with other dogs, cats, children, and pigs (good to know if I ever get a pig).

I introduce new cats slowly. First I set him up in his own room with everything he needed, litter pan, water, food, scratching post, & cozy bed. I left the door closed for a day so he could have some peace, and my other pets could get used to his smell through the space under the door. I could see he was really mellow, and everyone else seemed just curious, not overstimulated or aggressive. 

So the following day I left the door open with a gate up. My various other cats were in and out of that room all day, except for one, who was giving this kitten the cold shoulder. My dogs got more of a chance to sniff him through the gate & to see him. Before I knew it he came out of the room on his own & started exploring the house. I followed him (and I put my dogs in another space), to make sure no conflict broke out between the cats. The only cat put out was my Female Diamond. She hissed a bit, I interrupted it with happy talk to her and petting each cat and offering my hand to each so they could smell the other without contact. He had no reaction to her hissing other than looking at her with an expression that I could only interpret as "what's the problem, I like you". I showed him where all of the other litter boxes were in the house, and was still feeding him in his room. Of course during this process I make sure I continue to give all of my other pets equal attention.

By Monday I took down the gate, he still had access to that room, and the dogs were included in the introductions. Thank god he is the kind of cat that rather than running away from the dogs, which only induces them to give chase, he just lay down as they sniffed him. That is why I wanted a cat that was already used to dogs. I also showed him & put him up on the various cat climbing furniture I have so he knew how to get away from them if need be.

Monday night we decided to close the door to his room as things were going so well, and he ate upstairs with all of the rest of the cats. I always separate dogs and cats at mealtimes to avoid food stealing and conflict. Things were going great, he ate with great gusto, used the litter upstairs, and no problems at all with the other cats at mealtime.

Monday night he appeared in our bedroom with all of the rest of my furry guys, and slept in the bed with us for the first time. Diamond was the only one who didn't join us, but she didn't start any conflict either.

Tuesday all cats were on the bed with us (the dogs have beds on the floor), and Diamond and him were starting to do some gentle sniffing without any hissing from her.

It's been a little more than a week and he is fully integrated into our household. Everyone is fine, the dogs love to watch him play which he does a lot as he is just 7 months old. I have a few toys that are circular tracks with a ball inside that the cat can't remove, but can get their paws in the tracks and chase the ball around. My dogs lie on the floor watching him for hours. The other cats are joining in when he plays, so all is well.

I would have adjusted the speed of moving things along if it had not gone as well as it did, and if you add a cat or new cat to your household you can do the same. This is the method I have always used, and depending on the cat, they are out of their room in a few days, or a few weeks. I have never had cats who fight with each other, but again, I adopt cats who have been around other cats only. In the beginning if they get tense or hissy, I am there to supervise and interrupt if need be. If they are really throwing a fit over the new cat, I will remove one of them if I feel I need to, and give them a chance to see each other later. I go at the speed the animals need to adjust, and never try to hurry things along, I go with their flow. 

My next article will address getting a new dog and how to introduce him to the dog or dogs you already have safely.

For now, may you have animal harmony in all of your homes.

Reflections on all creatures at my Koi pond

I have always assumed that the dogs I work with are intelligent, sentient beings, and that they will learn. Now science tells us that if you assume an animal is intelligent, the training of that animal will be better simply because of that assumption.

Since the weather has been warmer, I spend as much time as I can relaxing at the Koi pond that my husband and I put in ourselves 8 years ago when we bought this house. It's great. The sound of the waterfall, the other animals that come to have a drink of water, the hummingbirds in my garden that visit and stay until the fall.

My Koi are smart, aware of their surroundings, know me and trust me. From the beginning I fed them in one place. You can get these floating rings that keep the food from being washed into your skimmer box. But feeding in one place had training possibilities for me, as my goal was to be able to hand feed my fish treats. 

So slowly, first they got used to eating in one location. I always tap on the water twice before feeding them, so they are "tap conditioned", as a clicker wouldn't work with them.

So, tap, tap, and  my hand would be in the ring while they ate. They got used to this in about five minutes. Koi just love to eat. 

Next, tap, tap, and I am holding their favorite treats, dried krill. They do have personalities. The boldest fish that first accepted my hand in their feeding ring were also the first to eat out of my fingers, not without a lot of suspicious glances at the start. Now most of them will eat from my fingers, and if my guests have patience, they will take food from strangers as well. As I said, they do know me. 

In the winter Koi go into a state of semi-hibernation. We keep a submerged heater in the pond, as well as one that floats. If your pond ever completely ices over, good bye fish, as they will die because of no exchange of gases. We also use a submerged aerator instead of the waterfall in the winter. They don't get fed once the water drops below 55 degrees F, and we don't see much of them as they mostly hang out in their Koi cage at the bottom of the pond. The Koi cage is their to protect them from predators.

As soon as spring arrives, and the water is above 55 degrees, we start feeding them again. Even though I have not seen them since the Winter, they still recognize me, and take food from my hand in the same order as before. The boldest first, then the others.

We have two Fancy Goldfish that summer in the pond, but come indoors to a tank in the house for the Winter. They are not as hardy as the Koi & would not make it through the winter temperatures.

Today it is gorgeous. So I decided to release them into the pond for the summer. Only one of them was in the pond last summer, we bought him a companion fish so he wouldn't be lonely in the tank in the house.

As I floated them in a bag of their tank water for 15 minutes so they could slowly get used to the temperature change, all of my Koi ware gathered round checking out the newcomers. They were fascinated by them, poking the bag, swimming away and returning in a group.

Finally, I released them into the pond with the rest of the fish. Usually new fish hide in the pond, and may not eat for a few days or more until they get accustomed to their new environment.

But this year, the one fish that summered last year in the pond seemed to remember being there, and was immediately swimming around and eating. The new fish I got over the winter is hiding in the Koi cage.

So, what does this have to do with dogs. At the start of this article I talked about assumptions of intelligence and sentience. Assume your dog is brilliant and he will be. Be consistent, methodical, and kind when you teach her and you will have all you want in your dog. If my Koi can recognize people, remember them after not seeing them for months, and remember being there before, your dog can certainly learn basic manners. Assume the best, not a bad thing to apply to life in general, as well as to the people in our lives.

Peace, Linda

Electronic Fencing- A Positive Trainer's Viewpoint

Being a positive methods clicker trainer does not make me a big fan of electronic fencing as it is grounded in punishment based methodology. Dog nears electronic fence field and dog receives a warning beep and then if he doesn't immediately retreat, gets shocked. Call it electronic stimulation, saying it is like a static electricity shock, IMHO, just is not true. It is a shock, and needs to be strong enough to discourage the dog from going through the invisible line. Try it on your own neck if you would like to find out how strong it really is (kidding here, I would not do that, too close to my brain). You could however, put in on your arm to get a real idea of what your dog feels.

That being said, where I live, it is a reality that a high percentage of my clients install invisible fencing. For me, nothing beats proper height and well installed physical fencing. It is what I have with my own dogs. Keeps them safely enclosed, and keeps other animals out.

As a trainer I have had to learn to adapt and live with it, so here is my take on using electronic fencing properly:

1. It is not meant to be a dog-sitter. Dogs should be let out to go potty, or for extended periods for play, with owners present. You should always have your dog under your verbal control, and your dog should be off-leash trained BEFORE you install the electronic fencing. Otherwise, the only thing you will have is a dog that won't leave your property, but how do you get him back inside if he prefers to be outside.

2. Never leave your dog outside and go run errands or horrors!, go to work for the day. Your dog could get so distracted that he runs through it, receives the shock, and now won't come back in knowing he will be zapped again. Result, you could lose you dog, and you weren't even home to know where he went and were unable to do anything about it.

3. Prolonged alone time outside can cause your dog to be a neighborhood nuisance. Some dogs bark all day and run the fence line barking and carrying on whenever someone passes by. 

4. Over time this can cause an aggression problem. As your dog barks at people passing by, he believes his barking and guarding your property kept them away. The fact that they were never really coming to visit is something he doesn't know, and their continuing on their way is reinforcement for the dogs aggression. I can't tell you how many of my clients dogs have eventually bitten someone entering the property, despite my warnings not to use the electronic fencing with the dog unsupervised. You need to be especially vigilant if you own a breed bred to be a watchdog, your UPS man will not understand your excuses.

5. Fencing should not even be considered until your dog is completely house trained.

Getting shocked can freak out dogs so much that they revert to pottying in the house as they feel the outside is no longer a safe place to eliminate. 

IMHO they should be at least six months old. Baby dogs should not have to encounter this type of severe correction, it can traumatize them and cause them to be afraid of their own yards. Even with older dogs you need to often do a lot of play therapy outside to convince them are safe. I have seen dogs refuse to leave the front step or deck for months.

6. Don't include your driveway. Since electronic fencing has become so popular, I have known five dogs that have been either run over and injured or killed by a car in their own driveways. In one case the owner did it not realizing his dog was sleeping under his car to get out of the sun. And this dog was a puppy, what a tragedy for all.

Also, dogs will often jump on peoples cars in their eagerness to say hello to your guests. A great way to become more popular with your friends and family when your dog scratches their new vehicle. Again, dogs need to be supervised at all times.

7. Keep your flags up! I think this is only fair that your dog also have a visible reminder as to where the boundaries are. Since flag shaking, and running away and saying WATCH OUT are part of the training, why take the visible reminder that you used to train the dog away. When dogs get zapped by the fencing they often have superstitious learning anyway. They will think it was the rock they were standing by, or that pine tree, not really understanding that they need to stay away from the flags. So keep up your flag shaking until they understand fully, and don't then take them away when they finally understand. So unfair.

8. Don't ever cross the boundaries when your dog is outside with you. Your dog should never be punished for following and staying with you. That is what we all want, isn't it? So no crossing the line to get your mail, say hi to your neighbor, or having your children run in and out of the line. Dogs that follow their people are good dogs. If anyone is going to cross the boundaries, bring the dog inside first please.

9. Be real about your dogs limits. If you look out your window and see a herd of deer on your property, that may not be the best time to let your dog out on his electronic fencing. Some dogs have a really strong desire to chase fleeing animals, don't tempt fate and lose your dog. Maybe leash walk him instead, and when the deer have disappeared, then you can let him loose again.

10. Constantly maintain and check your system for proper operation. Check the batteries in the collar often. And please, don't think your dog is so trained he no longer needs to wear the collar. Use the equipment you paid for, keep your dog as safe as you can.

11. Supervise the person included in the electronic fencing package that is doing the training. They should never ask you to call your dog to get it to go through the fence. I had one client whose electronic fencing trainer did this because the dog would not cross the line to get zapped. That dog would not come to it's owner for months, and I had to be called in to fix the problem.

12. Be careful when you play fetch a ball, stick, or a frisbee. Don't throw toys across the line, not fair, and let's not tempt fate. You don't want to be the person who caused your dog to get shocked when he was just trying to play a game with you.

13.  Once again, not a dog sitter, Supervise, Supervise, Supervise. Remember it is not physical fencing, your dog can run through it, you need to be there if that should ever happen. Or better yet, have your dog under your verbal control (which means a trained off-leash dog), and prevent problems before they occur.

                     Love, Train, and Supervise your dog. Better safe than sorry.

Mother's Day Sale

Celebrate Mother's Day with a well trained dog. My positive, humane, & user friendly clicker training techniques will give you the companion you have always dreamed of. 

Sale Starts May 5th and end May 10th 2011. 10% off 6 lesson in home training package, and $40 off 4 lesson package. In your home training is a great way to address any problems you may be experiencing from house training issues through aggression. All ages, all levels, beginners to advanced training. Expert behavioral problem solution by Linda Lukens with more than 34 years experience.

Loving & Training

My life loving and training dogs and other animals. I do miss having my own horses, but am so grateful for the ten years I had of horse ownership and training. I miss all of the animals that are gone from my life, if only they could live as long as we do. Albert, my parrot is still with me, must be 28 years old by now. These pictures really bring back some warm memories for me,

In Gratitude and Love,

Linda

Spring is in the air -The Scoop on Poop

Well, I know Spring is in the air from the warmer temperatures, the snow is melting, and so are the poopsicles. 

Yes, it's that wonderful  time of year. The time for more outdoor activities, and inside my fenced in property, the time to pick up those thawing poopsicles.

There are many pooper scoopers available out there, but I like the one-handed operation kind, although I also own a metal set that consists of two parts, sort of like a broom and dustpan. I find the dustpan part particularly handy for chipping out those most stubborn and not quite thawed remnants.

Being a full time dog trainer, I do spend an awful lot of my time talking to owners about pooping and peeing, so I thought it was appropriate to write about dog scat and urine.

Both pooping and peeing are scent marking behaviors in dogs. I have seen small male dogs almost tip over in their efforts to place their calling card, or p-mail, as high as they possibly can. The higher the mark, the more other dogs think a large scary dog has been in the area, but I really don't think they are fooling anyone. 

Dogs mark their territory with both urine marking, scat, and scratching the ground with their paws which have scent glands, after they evacuate. Wolves in the wild like to place their scat on bushes or high grass so it not only says, "Hey, I live here" by scent, but also by the charming visual display. 

I myself have seen my dog Chicory (who has passed on) literally shit up a tree, depositing it on a fungal growth. I guess he thought that it made a nice shelf for displaying his artwork, sort of like our displaying our knick knacks. "Take that you other dogs, I can shit higher than you can!!".

Many dogs have quite ritualistic behavior during their circling routine. The funniest dog I ever saw indulge in this behavior was a Dachshund named Dixie, she simply had the most ornate poop dance I had ever seen in my life. Averaging about ten or twelve circles, galloping along at breathtaking speed, spiraling inward to a slowly decreasing circle size, and voila! Spinning in place, Dixie would then deliver her all important deposit. Dogs like to circle when they poop to deposit yet more scent from their paws around the all important star of the show. They also have anal glands that excrete a small but potent scent on their scat as well. As if it isn't smelly enough!!

And let's not forget the lovely habit some dogs have, copraphagy, or in layman's terms, eating their own crap. This can be a genetic behavior, or certain dog's will just  eat their poop out of boredom. Please don't let your dog get this bored, can you imagine being that bored, I can't. Poop eating does have it's origins in a Mommy dog eating the poop of their still nursing pups, both to keep the den clean, as well as to not tip off predators that nursing, vulnerable pups live here.

Many people ask me how to stop this lovely habit, and there are many solutions out there. I have heard it all. Putting manufactured products on the poop to discourage the copraphagy, feeding the dog certain products to make their poop taste yicky (you mean it's not yicky enough!), or putting hot sauce on the poop. Well I always tell them, rather than spending your time seasoning your dog's scat, just pick it up. They can't eat what is not there, and you never know, they just might enjoy it more with hot sauce on it. I know I prefer lot's of things I eat with hot sauce on it, so please, don't season your dog's poop. PICK IT UP!!

Let's not forget to cover another lovely canine habit, rolling in other dog's poop. When my son Justin was little we were at the park with my then puppy Bernese Mountain Dog Grimsby, who had found an especially wonderful pile of diarrhea.  He proceeded to roll in it, I didn't see this as I was watching my son at the time. But, I found out soon enough when he pranced back to us, jumped all around my son, and smeared Justin with his new found prize. Dog's like to roll in funky things, they like the novel scent, sort of like when we decide to wear a new perfume. I will never forget trying to rinse off both Grimsby and Justin from a small water fountain and a discarded dixie cup I had found. When it come to dogs and poop, the fun just never ends. Or as we say in the dog training world, "sh**t happens".

Sole rights for this article belong to Linda Lukens of Common Ground Dog Training. Cannot be reprinted without the author's permission.

Dog Training and Exercising in the Winter - "Baby It's Cold outside"

Dog Training and Exercising in the Winter - "Baby It's Cold outside"

How to keep your dog happy, exercised, and continue training through the coldest weather. Alternatives to outside exercise for dogs in harsh winter climates. Dog safety in cold and snowy climates.

When it is hard to work with your dog or properly exercise him, here are some ideas that can help.

Work in your garage-You can practice loose leash walking, heeling, stays, come when called. At least you are both protected from the wind and the snow. Be sure to use your clicker & your treats to mark and reward all good behavior

Play the recall game in your home- Call your dog back and forth between you and another person in your household. Use dog's name only, as soon as your dog turns toward you when he hears his name, click, praise like crazy (Yeah!!!!) and kneel down to welcome him to you. Give a yummy treat when he gets to you and lot of petting. Now the other person playing the game does the same. Back and forth your dogs goes, having fun, learning to heed his name, and getting some exercise.

Play retrieve- Play retrieving with a ball or favorite toy. First get the dog interested in the toy by waving it around, tugging, bouncing the ball, etc. Now throw it and say "Fetch" or "Get it". When your dog goes out to pick the toy up, call him using his name, and as he comes back, use your clicker, praise, praise, praise, and give a treat when he drops the toy.
Dogs like a high pitched voice, so you guys, get your girlie voice out. When he returns to you hold a treat near his nose to get him to drop the toy, click when he drops it, give the treat, and you are ready to go again. You can do this in the house or garage, just choose your largest room, and work in the longest space. Repeat until your dog has had enough exercise.

Play Stairball- Sit at the bottom or top of your stairs and play retrieve up and down the stairs, Follow above directions to get the dog to give you the ball or favorite toy. Don't play this game if your dog has any physical problems, and don't overdue even with a healthy dog. Running up and down stairs is good exercise but a little goes a long way.

Work on Attention-Say your dog's name in an upbeat friendly voice, when he makes eye contact, use your clicker, give him a treat and praise. Can be done all day long.

And let's not forget a nice romp in the snow for those dogs that enjoy it. Just keep an eye on your dog that his paws are not freezing. Lifting up a paw, limping, & whimpering are signs that you need to bring your dog inside. There are boots for dogs on the market, personally, my little dog Lola, an Italian Greyhound, always manages to get one off, which I then have to search for in the snow. But perhaps your dog will keep his boots on! It's worth a try, and protects their feet from not just the cold, but also salt if you take a walk on the road. If your dog is short haired, I feel they should be wearing a well fitting, warm coat, regardless of their size. All small dogs should wear coats, they are low to the ground and get colder, sort of like your feet getting cold in freezing weather due to their contact with the cold ground. When you come inside, if your dog is a hairy footed critter, you will need to melt or remove those snowballs they can get in their paws. A hairdryer set on low heat, and be sure to keep it moving so you don't burn your dog, can be very helpful here.

Linda Lukens
Common Ground Dog Training
http://www.commongrounddogtraining.com