Harmony Forum

As we discussed in our Introduction to Cooperative Care , this training concept involves training your dog not to just tolerate handling, grooming, and other husbandry procedures, but to empower them to be an active and willing participant in these experiences. The concept of cooperative care has become commonplace in large animal practices such as zoos and rescue facilities where an uncooperative large animal could be potentially dangerous. By training these animals to “opt-in” to care procedures, they can be safely treated without the need for physical or chemical restraint. The same concept applies to our pets. If we train them to become willing participants in their care, and empower them to “say no” when needed, we can help them become an active part of their care and reduce the need for force in husbandry procedures. Foundation Behaviors for Cooperative Care One of the foundations of Cooperative Care is teaching a duration target behavior. This behavior helps to keep the dog still and in place, but it also empowers them to opt-out of the process if they break that position. To achieve this, we can begin by teaching a Chin Rest. When we teach the dog to rest their chin on a target, it can be the dog’s way of communicating that they are ready to go ahead with the procedure. While training the chin rest, we can begin to mimic husbandry procedures such as eye drops, ear cleaning, or dental cleaning. To begin, use only gentle touches to simulate the behavior. For example, lift the ear gently and then alternate sides and reward your dog along the way. As the dog grows more comfortable, add in a tool such as a Q-Tip. Touch the ear with the swab, give a treat. Then lift the ear, gently touch with the swab, and reward your dog. Your goal is to gradually build up to an ear cleaning. If at any point your dog feels uncomfortable, allow them to lift their chin and take a break. The video below illustrates the start of training a chin rest. Every time you practice this training, be it an ear cleaning, eye exam, or oral exam, you are building your dog’s trust in their ability to opt-in or opt-out of procedures. Think of these practices as making a deposit into your dog’s “trust account”. The more deposits that you make through regular practice, the easier it will be to make a withdraw when the time comes to put practice into play.

How do we start? How long should it take? Is my puppy peeing behind the sofa just to spite me? Puppy potty training… we’ve all been there (or, if you’re reading this as you prepare for a puppy you’ll be there soon!). It’s not always easy, and how to start can be confusing. In today’s blog post we’ll give you the scoop on potty training and offer some things to do (and avoid) to make the training a bit easier. Instinct Is Your Friend Dogs are wired to avoid eliminating in their dens. It makes sense—you wouldn’t want to eat and sleep in a dirty nest! We use this instinct to our advantage when teaching appropriate spots to go potty. While there is an instinct to avoid soiling their living area, when a puppy’s gotta go it’s gotta go! We need to support and encourage age-appropriate potty habits. By 12 weeks of age, a puppy still doesn’t have great control over their bladder and bowels. They might not know they have to go, so our job is to predict their needs and help them get to an appropriate spot. Signs and Schedules Developing a potty schedule is an important part of speeding along puppy potty training. The scheduling of potty behaviors is something that we focus on in [ HARMONY SCHOOL ]. The schedule helps avoid accidents by predicting when pottying will need to happen, and proactively placing the puppy in a potty area. Typically, a puppy will need to potty: - 15 minutes after eating. - For younger puppies, immediately after drinking. As they get closer to 12 weeks, about 15 minutes after drinking. - 10 minutes after play begins. - Immediately after waking up. When you have your puppy in your house or in its penned living area, be on the lookout for signs that a potty might be on its way: - The puppy stops what they’re doing and looks like it might be “thinking”. - The puppy starts sniffing around the floor. - The puppy goes to a door, barrier, or edge of their pen and lingers. A puppy naturally wants to eliminate as far away from where they live/play, and will tend to start looking for fringes of the area to potty in. Set up for Success When potty training, it’s all about setting puppies up to succeed at the thing they want to do naturally. To begin, put them where they can’t make a mistake. A crate is a great way to avoid accidents, but is only effective once the puppy can control their bladder/bowels, and even then is only effective when used for reasonable timeframes. If you keep a puppy in a crate but do not make sure its needs are taken care of ahead of time, they may begin to soil the crate and accept it as their only option. For initial puppy training, you might find it beneficial to attach a crate to an exercise pen area with potty pads. Leave the crate open, giving the puppy the option to leave it to do their business on the potty pads. This will reinforce the concept of a clean den being important, and will help you avoid accidents that will set your training back. Transitioning to the Great Outdoors If your breeder used an indoor potty area or you’re enrolled in one of our programs that utilize an indoor potty station, you might be wondering how to make the jump from pottying in an indoor space to pottying outside. It’s important to be clear on what the indoor potty training is and what it isn’t. The indoor potty area gives puppies an opportunity to be correct in where they potty. It reinforces keeping their living area (their pen or your home) clean, and it also reinforces that pottying in front of you (in the appropriate place) can be totally awesome. These things all set you up for success in the training work you need to do at home. It is not a substitute for good scheduling, management, and clear indicators of where your potty area will be. Once you’ve Set up for Success , commit to a schedule as outlined above. If your puppy has just woken up, take them to your appropriate potty area and wait with them until they potty. It might take seconds or you might need to bring a book! At this point, patience is key. You know the potty will be coming, and you just need to wait it out. Once they’ve done their business, reward them, praise them, and have a potty party! You can add a modifier cue to this behavior so that it begins to have a name. A “good potty!” can turn into a cue for them going if they need to as they grow and have better control of their eliminations. This process is the same regardless of if you’re potty training for a turf area on your apartment deck or a backyard. Consistently get the puppy to the spot it needs to do its business, reward, and repeat. Accidents Happen The puppy will try to keep its area clean, but accidents can, will, and do happen! When one occurs, be sure to avoid scolding them. You might think it’s obvious that you’re scolding them for pottying on the rug, but from the puppy’s point of view you’re angry at them for going potty… or even worse, for pottying in front of you. If your puppy makes this association early, it will make potty training very difficult because even when you get them outside before they need to go, they’ll be reluctant to potty in front of you. As puppies are rarely left outside unsupervised, they might not have an opportunity to “go” somewhere that is out of sight when outdoors. As a result, they may be let back in the house and quickly hide behind a piece of furniture to potty. They aren’t doing it to be spiteful, they’re doing it because they learned quickly that if you catch them pottying you might be unhappy. If an accident happens, take the puppy to an appropriate area to finish up, clean up the mess, and be on watch for the next Schedule or Sign that a potty is on its way.

Residents throughout the state are experiencing poor air quality due to ongoing wildfires. For many areas, air quality has reached hazardous levels. Poor air quality is just as much of a concern for animals as it is for humans, and we should take the same precautions for our dogs that we do for ourselves. If you live in a area that is affected by wildfire smoke, the following safety tips may help you and your dog stay safe and healthy. Smoke Safety The main danger of breathing smoke comes from the inhalation of fine particulate matter. These fine particles can reach deep into lungs and cause a variety of health concerns, including congestion, coughing, and burning eyes. Safety Tips: Keep pets indoors with you. Close windows, and keep doors closed as much as possible. If possible, keep your air conditioner running to filter the air. Keep your potty breaks short and avoid long walks or other outdoor exercise. Keep hydrated! Be on the lookout for signs of respiratory stress or eye inflammation. Brachycephalic dogs, like Bulldogs or Pugs, are more susceptible to respiratory distress. Puppies and senior dogs are also at higher risk. Any dog with a pre-existing condition, such as asthma or bronchitis, should be monitored closely. Signs of Respiratory Distress in Pets: Difficulty breathing, forced or labored breathing. Unusual coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or loss of appetite. Swelling or inflammation of the mouth, eyes, or nose. Unusual open-mouthed breathing. Weakness and Lethargy. Increased salivation. While we may brave the smoke for a walk, we do do have the benefit of being able to wear masks to help filter the air. Keep in mind that your dog may suffer the same poor air quality symptoms as you, and that we need to be proactive in keeping them safe and limiting their exposure. Air quality for your location can be checked on the Airnow.gov site. If the air quality is anywhere above 150, you should be concerned about your exposure as well as your pet. Always check the Air Quality Index before taking your pet outdoors. If the AQI is between 100 and 150, it is likely safe to take your pet outdoors for limited periods of time. If the air quality is compromised, avoid prolonged exposure and outdoor exercise. Find a different way to burn off excess energy, such as Scent Games .