Shiloh and the soccer ball.......

[CherylHampton]

Hi! Has it been 24 hrs.  Yet since I posted? Got another question odd as most of mine seem to be. Shiloh is still recuperating and doing well,,,he seemed to be getting frustrated that he couldn't play with his favorite ball because the cone kept getting in the way. So...of course I got him a lovely blue soccer ball with yellow sections on it. He was so very happy and swatted it around having a great time until he knocked it into a broom which of course fell and scared him silly. Now he seems to think the soccer ball is out to get him because he's been growling and barking at it for almost 20minutes now. I tried to get it and put it into another room but he won't let me near it. What's up? His body language looks like he's trying to entice play but I don't know, he hasn't gotten aggressive when I try to get to the ball just pushes back like he wants me away from it, Possessivenes, protectiveness or playfulness? Will check in later, he's still at it and I gotta do something 😊

[Adrienne]

Maybe the broom falling over scared him and he now he perceives the ball differently. I had Einstein as a puppy bark once when I  put a chair upside down and it looked totally different to him and he just couldn't come to terms with it. I tossed treats around it and turned it into his "best friend."

Since we don't know what's going on his mind, just to play it safe it may help to prepare a stuffed Kong or some other irresistible goodie, lure him to it inside a crate or past a door, let him have it, then close the crate or door and remove the ball once he's out of the way. Once you have stored the ball out of sight, you can let him back in.

By now, I am sure you already found a solution,  so maybe you can use this strategy if you ever find yourself in a similar situation another time. I would aim though in the long term to training a fluent "leave it" (with a strong reinforcement history) so that you can use this cue to have your dog step back when you want him to stop interacting with something or you need to retrieve something. As an extra precaution, you can reinforce the leave it by tossing a treat in the opposite direction as you collect the item that was just left. 

 

[CherylHampton]

On the mark as always. Believe it or not I can't find the soccer ball I've looked everywhere, just as well as he's decided now that the vacuum cleaner is enemy  number one. I'm getting concerned that this time away from training is going to set him pretty far back, he's still great with the basics and does the leave it 95% I'd say. Leash training is suffering somewhat but the biggest hurdle is two fold. He loves to ride in the car but won't even try to get in himself . I've got a ramp that will make it quite easy even with his leg issue, and vet visits are often right now. He's gotten much too big to be picked up ( and yes I do but shouldn't due to my back) he simply won't go. Second issue he's not eating his kibble. Could a few maybe three meals of grilled meat be enough to cause him to refuse it? He's had a couple of kinds of dry and seemed to like them o.k. but he's always (even when younger) been bad about not chewing it. he will get a mouth full, try to swallow then cough most of it up, he won't eat it softened,and he's going to be so large dry is the most economical option for me . He doesn't eat from the table, so there is that. Just want him to be satisfied and full with his dry food, and occasional training treats, he has a lot of learning and growing left to do. Thanks in advance for your always stellar advice. He will be SOOOOO glad to get rid of that cone, I can tell its stressing him out.

[Adrienne]

It's an unfortunate bump along the road this injury, which can create some setbacks in his socialization and training, but hopefully he'll be soon be on the mend. Important is to ensure he doesn't get injured any further which can further prolong things-and we don't  want that. I hope he heals quickly and well so that he can go back to where he was.  When you take him out to potty on leash, try your best to work on polite leash manners. Try to keep his interest on you to reduce pulling and reinforce that. 

 

With dogs who dislike vacuums, the key to putting an end to this age-old battle is to take a step- by -step approach and get your pup to associate the vacuum with good things, like super duper tasty treats!

 

This process, therefore, involves desensitization and counterconditioning.

Desensitization simply aims in presenting the vacuum in forms that are less intimidating, while counterconditioning entails creating positive associations.

 

Here is a read on desensitization:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Here is a read on counterconditioning:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

You need to make it a goal of making sure your dog doesn't go over the threshold. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

If your dog at any time in the process appears uncomfortable or refuses to take treats, you need to go back a step or two in the process, taking it more gradually before progressing further. Don't advance to the next step until your dog is fully comfortable with the previous one. In some cases, you may need to create some intermediate steps.

Here's a quick rundown of the type of work I use to get a dog acclimated to the vacuum.

1. Set the vacuum in the middle of the room (turned off of course!) with your pup but keeping him far enough away so that he doesn't get antsy. Feed him some treats for a few days for just looking at the vacuum so he begins to associate the vacuum with the tasty treats. You know a strong association is made when you notice a CER, Conditioned Emotional Response (a happy look on the dog's face as he looks at the vacuum and then glances at you as if saying "great a vacuum, now where's my treat?")
2. Next, lay treats around the vacuum, letting your pup approach as they feel comfortable to snag the goodies. Praise your dog for acting calm and eating. It’s all about getting them in a new mindset of the vacuum equals great things!
3. Third, start to move the vacuum back and forth (while turned off) feeding tasty treats with each movement. Now, your dog should be getting the hint that the vacuum isn’t such a dastardly villain after all, but can turn into a friendly treat dispenser! Once the movement stops, no more treats. Repeat several times until you notice once again a lovely CER.
4. Fourth, turn on the vacuum in another room while a helper feeds your pup treats for listening to the sound of the vacuum. When the vacuum shuts off, no more treats. Repeat several times until you get again a CER. Note: If your dog is super scared of the vacuum's sound, try playing a YouTube video of vacuum sounds starting at a low volume and feeding treats before moving to the real vacuum's sound.
5. Turn on the vacuum in the same room where your dog is. Again, have a helper feed your pup treats for being good listening to the sound of the vacuum. When the vacuum shuts off, no more treats. Repeat several times until you get a clear CER.
6. Toss your dog treats while you turn on the vacuum and move it in your dog's presence while still maintaining some distance. Careful here as when you add motion and sound, you are combining two highly arousing triggers. The goal is to have your dog learn to start looking for treats rather than attacking the vacuum. When the vacuum turns off and stops moving, the treat fest ends. Repeat several times.
7. Add duration. At some point, once your dog is calmer, train your dog to lie on a mat https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ at a distance and give him a durable treat (stuffed Kong, bully stick) to enjoy while you vacuum. Once he's done eating the food, stop vacuuming. This will teach him that great things happen while you vacuum, and good things end when you're done.

Taking this process slow and steady (several days of repetition on each step) will get your pup comfortable with the vacuum so the war will reach its peaceful conclusion and eventually, you can get him to lie down elsewhere and occupy himself while you get the house cleaned up--after all, that dog hair ain’t gonna disappear on its own!

It also helps to keep the vacuum around as much as possible. Rather than putting it away in a closet, keep it in plain view so that your dog gets used to seeing it. After seeing it sitting there for some time, he'll start realizing that Mr. Hoover is nothing major to worry about. If you place some treats around the vacuum, it will further convince him that he's a friend rather than foe.

 

About the getting in the car issue, we have a video demo on how to teach a dog to use a ramp (you may need to help him or have a helper assist to ensure he doesn't fall off)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-use-a-ramp/

 

The reluctance to get in may be associated with his current orthopedic issue especially if this is a recent issue. 

 

There's also an article about dogs who won't get in the car but you will have to wait for him to heal to start training him how to jump into the car. Consult with your vet on when you can start having him jump in the car unassisted. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-getting-car/

 

 

Sadly yes, even just three meals of grilled meat is enough for dogs to cause them to turn their head to their kibble. With Petra, my female Rottie, as a pup, a few meals of canned food when she had a tummy issue was enough for her to decide to turn her nose away from kibble and she went on strike for a couple of days.

 

My question though is: why have you given him three meals of grilled meat in the first place? Was he struggling with eating in these days and you needed to entice him to eat something? 

 

[CherylHampton]

It banks for the help with the vacuum and of course we will wait on getting him to jump in the car his cone and splint are now off but he's still limping a fair amount. I had tried before his accident to get him to walk up a ramp that fits perfectly from the seat edge to the ground he goes in and out on an identical one from the house to the deck as I frequently have to use my walker if I'm up for long periods. I thought being familiar with it he would adjust but no luck. He fine once he's in,no whining, pacing or car sickness he seems to enjoy it now that he can sit and look out the windows we will work on it. I gave him the plain grilled meat to entice him to eat as I think the medicine the vet gave him knocked his appetite. He has since gone back to his kibble but still wants to bet a mindful and try to swallow it(he's always done that) he coughs it right back up then proceeds to finish it. I've tried different brands same result. He simply won't chew it. He WILLNOT touch it if its softened, never had this issue before with my other dogs, am antsy about him choking on it. Thanks again for all your support. Oh he's since made friends with the vacuum😊

[Adrienne]

Ahh, I understand! When my dogs were sick and wouldn't eat, I would offer them something tasty and then I was in your same spot. It took some days to get them back on kibble by putting the bowl down and keeping it there for 10 minutes, and if they didn't eat it, I would remove it and only offer it again at the next feeding. Usually by 2 times, they would learn to eat right away after feeling more hungry. However, it's important to check with a vet before doing this as some medications (especially pain meds like Rimadyl and Metacam) need to be given on a full stomach. 

The swallowing the kibble like that can be just his way of eating, but next time you see the vet ask if his bite looks OK. I say that, because a dog I had for training and boarding some time back used to drop treats a lot and would gulp down her food like there was no tomorrow. Turns out, this dog had an "overshot mouth" where the top teeth extended over the lower ones (see picture below) which caused pain when eating so she would just inhale her food within seconds. Not saying your dog has this, just worthy of ruling out!

There are food bowls for dogs who eat food fast such as the Brake-Fast bowl for dogs (and many newer models), or you can organize treasure hunts or feed his Kibble in a Kong Wobbler to slow him down- once the vet gives the OK to have him moving more freely around. With large dogs, we want them to eat slower as they can be swallowing too much air and this leads to annoying burping, gassiness, bloating and even life threatening stomach torsions (GDV) in deep-chested dogs.

Glad to hear he's made friends with Mr. Hoover!

 

 

[Adrienne]

Hi Cheryl,

Was just thinking of you. I hope you are Shiloh are doing OK and that Shiloh has been recovering nicely.