Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Any time new episodes of It’s Me or the Dog are airing on Animal Planet in the US, Victoria will answer questions about that episode later that week. Post your questions to Victoria about the most recent episode here anytime.

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Victoria
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

DuaneF wrote:When I got my first dog, I felt as the woman in the episode did about crating. After I educated myself, I had a change of heart about using it as a training tool, as well as a place of safety and comfort for my pet.

My question is this: even though the woman used the crate on the show, (with positive results) did she ever really change her opinion about their use?
As I mentioned above, we only used the crate as a temporary training tool, and not as a den or bed area. The problem was resolved thanks in part to the use of the crate, so now they don't have a crate in the house. As for how Judy feels about it, once she saw that it worked, she was very happy about it. She knew it was only temporary, though, so that helped, too.
GoofyDog2
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by GoofyDog2 »

I think dogs quickly learn to respond to their name, and can also learn to respond to a different name. If you reinforce the behavior, you can use another name, and they will all respond to that. They probably don't understand what "All dogs" means, but it's just another name that they all have and learn to respond to. Like "Alldogs". :D
GoofyDog
dontpugme
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by dontpugme »

This is super random, but how did you enjoy "Life" last night? At first i thought it would be a bore, but i really enjoyed it! :D
--dontpugme
Victoria
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

dandykins wrote:I think (though I could be wrong) that Manny was a rescue, wasn't he? And I remember Shayna was the one starting many of the fights on the couch and during walks. We have two resident dogs in our own home, and we generally have one foster, which means our dogs often see a new dog every week or so. Any tips on how we can make them feel less anxious about the new arrivals? We do the usual stuff - let them greet the newcomer one at a time in the yard, then everyone, then do the house walkaround, and feed everyone separately - but we're still figuring out how to make our dogs feel a bit more secure with the situation. Our oldest dog that we've had for the longest, for example, is a 2 year old gordon who usually is VERY social with other dogs but has taken to barking at and charging new comers and mouthing (without actually biting.) It doesn't look like playing.

Do you think there's something to the theory where the "top dog" (besides the two-leggers of course) in the house is walked first, fed first, let out first presents good boundaries and alleviates some stress?
No, I don't think it's about a 'top dog' situation.

Most of what you're doing sounds good. The one thing I'd change is the first meeting. I always like to have the first meeting on neutral territory like a nearby park, and then try them at home. Always remember, though, that meeting new dogs can often put a lot of pressure on dogs - having to socialize and accept dogs in their territory can be a big deal for some dogs (not all).
GoofyDog2
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by GoofyDog2 »

I think it is good to feed the calmest dog first, as that is the behavior you want to reinforce.
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Victoria
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

sj96skittles wrote:Hi Victoria!! Srry I missed the chat last wk. I had a question about sunny. When u were walking her u said u were using a flooding process. I thought u said u were against flooding or something like that :? What exactly is flooding? I can't waitto see the new episode!!!! I'm always looking forward to your shows!! I love what u do with dogs!! U r amazing!! :)
Good question. Flooding is a technique that must be done very cautiously, and I only do it with certain dogs that I know are going to be more responsive to that type of therapy.

I am totally against flooding when it is with tons of dogs and done in an overkill situation. The flooding on that show was only done with one dog, and I wanted to show her that nothing bad was going to happen to her in the presence of the other dog. Slow, gentle flooding like I did is far different from just plonking a fearful dog in the midst of 20+ other dogs. In those cases, even though it might look like the dog being flooded is tolerating all the other dogs and is a real success, it's actually a survival technique called 'shutting down.' It's not going to attack or start a fight with the other dogs because it knows it's in a no-win situation.
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

GoofyDog2 wrote:I think it is good to feed the calmest dog first, as that is the behavior you want to reinforce.
I agree.
kimb123
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by kimb123 »

Hi, Victoria! Great episode! Keep up the great work! :D

Since I watched that episode, I sometimes say, "All dogs come!" to my dogs.

Anyway, has the dogs become less aggressive at all since you left the family?

Thanks.
Kimmy
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

bordercollielover wrote:Hi Victoria, my husband and I are big fans of yours and use many of your methods of training. We have a 3 year old purebred Border collie that has a habit of licking herself in the wrong place,(if you know what I mean) we have tried to break her of it but sometimes she gets to going and humps as well while licking herself. She is fixed so I don't understand why she does this. Also, she is always trying to lick me in the same place but doesn't do this to my husband. It gets kind of annoying because she is a Border collie she is very persistent about this. Is there any advise you can give me in regards to this? We love your show and watch it all the time.
Ahhh, licking. Sounds like the licking could be linked to a hormonal situation even though she's been fixed. Have you asked your vet about it? It could also be habit, or that she's responding to certain pheremones, or referred pain (where she's in pain elsewhere but she's dealing with it there). It could be a medical condition, too, so I'd get it checked out by the vet and start there.

As to why she licks you and not your husband, I'd have to see the behavior in action to figure that out - could be lots of reasons. Have you tried to get a positive reinforcement trainer in to help you? I know it can be frustrating. Good luck!
Victoria
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

kimb123 wrote:Anyway, has the dogs become less aggressive at all since you left the family?
Yes, Manny is much more relaxed, as is the family.
thepennywhistle
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by thepennywhistle »

Victoria,

I noticed that when reversing direction with Shayna, she was not happy to go
with you and at points was actually walking backward (clever girl!) before she
was willing to walk with you. But what do you do when a dog simply refuses
to turn away and go with you. Is that a moment where a bit more force is used
to actually turn the dog around? I know a 'we're moving off' warning is given,
but I've a dog that tells me 'hang on, I'm not done here yet'. I use a quick yank
with the leash and if necessary walk off anyway, but I don't think I've got
the right answer to this.

Thanks,

Skye
Victoria
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

daisy wrote:Hi Victoria,

I absolutely love your show and take to heart everything you teach the dog owners. I understand the concept of desensitization and how it was used on Manny for "guarding" the female owner (work slowly and praise when there is an absence of inappropriate behavior). But what can you do when a dog has food aggression with humans and other animals. My 2 year old (ohh so sweet girl) Lhasapoo recently snapped at a dog-friend:

-Daisy (my Lhasapoo) received a big treat and hid the treat in a bush a couple feet away.
-Daisy returned to the other dogs and dog owners.
-When her dog friend approached her, Daisy snapped at other dog (even though the treat was not in her possession).
*Currently, I am working on the "leave it" and "drop it" commands and also dropping treats near her when she is eating from her bowl. I will work towards getting closer and closer to her without her exhibiting inappropriate behavior (e.g., growling, snarling).
*Once Daisy does not growl at me (even while petting her head), I plan to generalize to other people and objects (Daisy also guards her treats and toys)

Does this seem like a good plan or am I going in the bad direction????? Also, what do I do when she displays food aggression with other dogs? Should I not allow her to have food/treats when present around other animals (dogs, cats, etc)?

I appreciate your feedback. I just want Daisy to be the happiest dog possible and want to extinguish the growling behavior around her food.

Sincerely,

Chie & Daisy :D
First of all, she should never be fed food or treats when she's around other animals. Secondly, she shouldn't be allowed to hide her food or treats, because she'll remember where she hid them and then start to get protective of that place.

Re the food aggression, I'd do the empty bowl training: I feed in a different place so that the dog is always in a different place at feeding time. Also change the bowls a lot. Then put an empty bowl on the ground. Dog goes towards it thinking there's food, and when the dog realizes there isn't she'll likely look up at you, at which point you put a little bit of food in the bowl. When the dog's finished eating and looks up at me again, I repeat. Do this 4-5 times until the food is gone. Keep doing this at mealtimes for a good week or two, and don't even attempt to touch the dog. This technique shows that not only does the human provide the food, but also that the human's presence next to the bowl is no big deal.

Dogs that dog their food/toys/treats/etc do so not because they want to be dominant or 'top dog', but because the other animal or person that goes near their valued resource is seen as a threat to the dog's comfort or pleasurable resource.

Make sure your training is never confrontational. You don't want your dog to see you as competition, but rather to accept you willingly as part of its feeding routine.

After a couple of weeks of training as described above, I then graduate to walking past the dog while he's eating and throwing even higher-value food into the dog's bowl. It's one thing to stand next to a dog while it's eating, but it's quite another to be moving past the bowl while it's eating - the movement can sometimes elicit an aggressive response.

Only once the dog is relaxed with me standing near and walking by the bowl do I then start to briefly touch the dog on its back (immediately followed by throwing more high-value food in the bowl), so I'm working on desensitizing the dog to my touch as well.

Good luck!
Victoria
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Re: Episode 210 - Man vs Manny - March 20

Post by Victoria »

thepennywhistle wrote:Victoria,

I noticed that when reversing direction with Shayna, she was not happy to go
with you and at points was actually walking backward (clever girl!) before she
was willing to walk with you. But what do you do when a dog simply refuses
to turn away and go with you. Is that a moment where a bit more force is used
to actually turn the dog around? I know a 'we're moving off' warning is given,
but I've a dog that tells me 'hang on, I'm not done here yet'. I use a quick yank
with the leash and if necessary walk off anyway, but I don't think I've got
the right answer to this.
I don't yank, I just go. In a case like this, I would be sure to get a walking harness so that you can gently pull the dog until she agrees to go with you.

Thanks to everyone for a great chat - sorry I couldn't get to more questions. Have a great week and be sure to tune in next Saturday at 8pm EDT for a special 'Ask Victoria' episode!
Victoria
RyanBerg
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April 1st. Not April Fools:[

Post by RyanBerg »

Victoria i need help my dogs are out of controll.licking themselveles, uncontrolably barking, everything, and ive tried everything help me!
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