The Fab Five

Top Trainers Answer your Questions

Ask Nicole Wilde
My dog used to enjoy her top-of-the-line raw food diet but now turns up her nose at it - she only wants to eat what I'm eating. How do I get her interested in her own dinner? - Karine, Sarnia, ON

Dear Karine,
It's great that you are feeding a top-of-the-line raw diet. And if your dog were suddenly turning her nose up at food altogether, I would suggest a thorough vet exam. But in your case, it sounds as though she does have a healthy appetite-for your food. So the question becomes, why is she eating what you are eating? While it's awfully nice of you to share, is it possible that your dog is filling up on what you are offering to the point that she no longer wants her own meals?

If you stop sharing your food, your dog will most likely go back to eating her own meals. After all, no dog will starve itself. It wouldn't hurt to re-evaluate the balance of foods in your raw food plan and to have her checked out by a vet just in case. But I'll bet that once you stop being so generous, your dog will go back to eating her own meals in short order.

Nicole Wilde, CPDT
Nicole Wilde holds a B.A. Degree with a heavy emphasis on psychology. She is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) who specializes in behavior issues, and a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). Nicole runs Gentle Guidance Dog Training in Southern California, training owners to work with their dogs' obedience and behavior issues.

Ask Teoti Anderson
Q: Whenever my dog, Rose, or another dog at work gets a new bed, Rose will go over and pee on it right away. She does this to her new beds at home, too, where she is the only dog. Why does she do this and how should I deal with it? I've only once caught her in the act but we all know it's her. - Zachariah, Tucson, AZ.

Dear Zach,
It may be that Rose is marking the bed as "hers." It may be that somewhere along the line she learned it was okay to pee on beds. We can spend hours wondering why, but Rose can't tell us her motivation! Instead, let's spend our energy working on the real problem: Rose isn't housetrained. She thinks it's fine to pee indoors.

Before you address the issue, make sure she's really the culprit, or you will spend your time training the wrong dog! I suggest you start from scratch, as if you were training a puppy to be housetrained, and follow these guidelines:

* Supervise Rose at all times, or confine her if you can't watch her like a hawk. If you give her the freedom to pee on beds, you're setting her up to practice that behaviour. And practice makes perfect! Your goal is to take away any opportunities she has to pee on beds. If you're watching her, then you are in position to prevent the behaviour.

* Place her new bed on the floor and watch her. If she looks like she's about to pee, clip on her leash and rush her outside to potty. If she eliminates outside, praise her and give her a treat.

* If you do catch her peeing on the bed, just use a stern "No!", clip on her leash and run her outside to potty. If she finishes eliminating outside, praise her and give her a treat. Never rub her nose in her mess or use physical punishment with your dog. In addition to a housetraining problem, you could cause an aggression or fear problem. If you don't catch her in the act, don't bother scolding her later...she won't understand. Instead, work harder to supervise her more closely next time.

Ask Dr.Ian Dunbar
Q: My Chihuahua, Crystal, hates men. This is ruining my chances for romance. What should I do? - Leila, San Jose, CA

Dear Leila,
It is unlikely that Crystal "hates" men. Hate is an inimitably human foible. More likely, Crystal is fearful of men. Indeed, being afraid of men is very common for dogs living with single women, since the dogs have had little opportunity to interact with men on a daily basis. What Crystal needs now is what she has always needed since puppyhood-the opportunity to socialize with men-lots of them. The resolution to the problem is going to be pretty easy and, of course, man-socialization for Crystal also means man-socialization for you.