Question: My husband and I had a dog for years, but after he passed away we adopted a cat. We are avid joggers, and would like to adopt another dog to run with us but we worry about whether our cat, who has never been in a household with a dog, will be able to adapt. What are your tips for adding a dog to a cat household?
Answer: Make sure to get a dog that does not have a prey drive, where he feels that he MUST chase or pin down a cat, a squirrel or a bicycle rider. Rescuing a mature dog makes it easier to test the dog’s natural tendencies. Chances are the rescue organization will be able to tell you if the dog has a strong prey drive or not. Some rescue dogs have grown up with cats and they either adore cats or simply know how to respect cats. Btw, a dog with a strong prey drive will make your jogging a nightmare as well.
Once you get the dog, the first two things you want to teach the dog is to LEAVE IT when asked, and then to COME when you say his/her name. It’s got to be more fun to LEAVE IT and COME to you than to chase something, so you want to teach the dog that his favorite treats and games are there for him only when he LEAVES IT and COMES to you! If your dog’s just love to Fetch, you could teach him to fetch a toy of lesser value and when you ask him to LEAVE IT, and COME, you will toss for him to fetch an unbelievably amazing toy. Also, teach the dog to associate his/her name with remarkable outcome, so do not say your dog’s name unless you are talking to them and have a Gold Level treat to give them. Give them a nickname to be used when talking about them.
The first encounter is key. You don’t want them to associate each other with any traumatic experience, but rather a healthy and gentle curiosity. You want to make your cat feel safe. It’s best to put your new dog on a leash and tie it to the refrigerator door. That way you know that the cat is safe and you will be able to focus on rewarding both cat and dog for the desired behaviors without the fear that somehow your dog will make his/her way to the cat.
Let them just be in each other’s vicinity, but make sure you are the main focus for your dog. You want your dog to think that everything that is great in his/her life takes place when the cat is there and s/he’s focused on you!
Question: I rescued a Shepherd mix named Scout several years ago, and he has been a great dog. The problem? I recently started working from home every day, and Scout has become very demanding, constantly barking, fetching toys, nudging my hand and pawing at me for attention. I can barely get any work done. How should I deal with my suddenly overly needy dog?
Answer: Your dog isn’t needy… let’s put ourselves in your dog’s paws – up till now when you came home it was all about “together” time, so he thinks that now that you are spending more time at home it means more “together” time. When he’s not getting his way, he’s trying in his doggie way to invite you to do so and that is what the pawing, barking, etc. is all about. He’s confused… It’s time for some compassion.
All dogs have Core Needs just as all people have Core Needs. The need for connecting with another being, the need for certainty and predictability, the need for mental stimulation (you can read about the 7 Core Doggie Needs on page xx), and up till now your dog was getting all of his Needs met by you, when you were physically present.
So we need to change two things:
- We can show your dog that he could meet his Core Needs by other sources other than from you – you could sign him up for a reputable doggie daycare, one that does not do “naps” where they lock the dogs up even if it’s in some fancy suits, and instead let the dogs play with each other while supervised all day. You can also sign up your dog to go on nature hikes if its available in your area. He’ll come home with his core Needs satiated.
- Set up time for “together” time and them reinforce the NO MORE rule. Many dogs don’t have an “off” button. It’s crucial to say NO MORE at the end of any activity that your dog does – when they are done eating, say NO MORE, when you are done playing Fetch or Tug or War, say NO MORE, at the end of a walk, etc. You get my point? If needed say it in a firm voice and close the door behind you if needed to make the point. The key is to give good amount of time for your dog to have a mental and emotional engagement so his Core Needs are met, and then you have the right to say NO MORE. What you don’t have is the right to expect your dog to have no Core Needs.
It’s tough for people to handle change, and we see it most with toddlers. If you were the fun parent and now you were home all day, your kid would have thought that it is all about fun all day. Dogs are just like toddlers when it comes to emotional understanding, and it’s up to us to find ways to meet their Core Needs in a way that works better for us.
Question: We recently adopted a sweet dog who we adore. The only problem is we don’t like the name the rescue group gave her. Can we change her name and if so, does it have to sound similar? We don’t want to traumatize her any further.
Answer: I love the idea of giving any rescue doggie a whole new and wonderful reference point to the world, and I love to start with a new name. The name does not need to sound similar what so ever. Come up with the name that you see most fit for your new family member, and simply combine the old name with the new name.
So if the old name is Rex and you want the new name to be Cooper, just start saying RexCooper whenever talking to your dog. After a week or so, get rid of the Rex and just keep the Cooper part.
Play the Come Game which is a fun way to teach a dog their name; it’s a Hide & Seek game and you call your dog only by his name and only when he’s next to you include the word COME accompanied with a jackpot of treats. Start the game by calling RexCooper in a super inviting tone of voice, and later on just call Cooper. You reward the treats while saying Come Cooper, Come Cooper, Come Cooper.
Question: We are adopting a dog next week. Our family already has two guinea pigs at home. What is the safest way to introduce our new dog to our little piggies?
Answer: Introducing a dog to guinea pigs is a great way to teach a dog to ignore their impulses and listen to you instead.
We all, people as well as dogs, encounter situations that make us react in an animal way instead of responding from our higher self (driving on the freeway in Los Angeles is always an exercise in not screaming at someone…lol).
We all have to learn from a very young age how to control that animal impulse, and we have to teach our dogs the same.
The best way to teach it is the exercise of “Leave It.” When we say “Leave It” we ask the dog to take his attention away from the object and focus on us instead.
We start in a way that will make the dog feel successful and then we increase the difficulty level. We do it in 4 stages:
Level 1 – Leave It when kneeling and gently placing a treat on the floor.
Level 2 – Kneeling and tossing the treat onto the floor
Level 3 – Standing up and tossing the treat to the floor
Level 4 – walking while tossing treats onto the floor
Start by taking a favorite treat, show it to your dog, place it on the floor and cover it with your palm. Say nothing and just look at your dog. The very first moment she looks away from the treat, say happily “Leave It”, and give her a treat, BUT NOT THE ONE ON THE FLOOR. That treat on the floor represents the guinea pigs which she should never be allowed to get.
Repeat the above. And when your dog starts to look at you directly, and/or quickly, give a jackpot of treats. For that part you will need to use both hands and you will leave the treat on the floor exposed. It’s ok to do so! Just make sure that if your dog tries to get it, without saying a word, cover it with your palm again, and start all over again.
When you are at stage 4 of Leave It, which can take 2 days or 2 weeks, depends on how much time you can actually practice with your dog, bring your dog to the guinea pigs area and do Leave It. But this time have the best Gold level treats as the reward. You do not have to use treats on the floor. Start far away from their guinea pigs cage and then work your way closer. Let your dog smell their cage and then say Leave It and when she does, reward with a huge Jackpot of Gold treats.
| Sidebar: A Dog’s 7 Core Needs |
All dogs have what I call Core Needs. Any behavior that a dog displays is in order to meet one of his Core Needs. They can do it in a way that we like or in a way that we don’t like. People are the same way. A man might meet the need for “connection” by joining a church or by joining a gang — a good way and a bad way to meet the same Core Need.
Whenever a dog is misbehaving it is simply his attempt to get at least one Core Need fulfilled. Our job is to understand what Core Need the dogs is trying to meet and find a better way for him to meet that need. You can’t expect them to just drop that need.
The 7 Core Needs are not in order of importance. The order is personal to each individual dog. One dog might have Mental Stimulation and Variety at the top of his Core Needs list, whereas another dog might have Predictability and Connection at the top of his list.
You can make what I call a Love Map for your dog by making a list of all the things that give him immense joy and ranking his own Core Needs in the order of importance to him. Then do your best to meet the highest-ranking needs in ways that are acceptable to you.
For instance, a dog might try to meet his need for Physical Stimulation by digging in your garden; regular daily exercise in the form of jogging or off-leash fetch is a better way to meet your dog’s need.
