When my private training clients are faced with their dog’s behavior issue, I generally recommend we do “doggie therapy.” But when does a dog need “therapy,” as opposed to regular manners training?

Do versus Feel
Typical dog training is intended to teach your dog good manners: staying on his dog bed while you eat dinner, walking on a loose leash, or sitting while you open the door for him. This kind of obedience training prepares dogs to be polite members of your household and community by teaching them what behavior is acceptable and what is not. For instance, a well-trained dog is able to sit calmly when being pet by a stranger, rather than jump up on him. In essence, training teaches your dog to do something, whether it’s a sit-stay or recall. 

Then there is behavior modification, which is the technical term for doggie therapy. (I use the latter term with clients to lighten the mood and help them relate to the behavior modification protocol.) The purpose here is to encourage your dog to feel something rather than do something. But what does that mean, exactly? 

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Does your dog sniff his food and then walk away? Take a treat, only to spit it out? It might be time to give your dog a new feeding routine, so he will live to eat, not just eat to live.

Why Isn’t he Eating?
There could be a number of reasons why your pup is turning his nose up at his meals. Before assuming that he’s stubborn, consider medical causes and discuss his lack of appetite with your vet. It would be cruel to start making lifestyle changes if your dog’s problem is in fact medical.
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Occasionally a dog doesn’t like his food anymore, possibly due to a change in the formula or simply boredom with the same old flavor every day. I’ve embraced feeding a rotational diet, as many nutrition experts now recommend varying dog’s diets among several high-quality brands and proteins. This is because every brand and food type (dry, wet, and so on) inevitably has a different nutritional makeup. One food, even if considered “complete and balanced,” may not meet all your dog’s nutritional needs and could put your pooch at a disadvantage over the years. Could you imagine eating the same meal every single day for your whole life? Even pizza would lose its appeal, and the missing vitamins in your diet would catch up with you eventually.

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Do you walk your dog, or does he walk you? If your dog drags you from shrub to shrub, or launches himself at every dog he sees, it’s time to brush up on his leash walking skills. 

It’s no wonder that leash walking problems are the number one complaint I hear from my dog training clients. To a dog, leashes are completely unnatural and unnecessary. Dogs are designed to wander in this-or-that direction, following a scent or investigating things in their environment. A six-foot leash just can’t allow such freedom. But since leashes are necessary for safety and required by law, we have to teach dogs how to walk politely while tethered to you.

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Even when it’s too cold to do much outdoors, you can create challenging activities for your dog to do inside your home. You can’t go wrong with scent games, as they are naturally fun for any dog and can even carry behavioral benefits. On bad-weather days, scent games are the perfect way to break up the monotony of being cooped up indoors. If you have an elderly or injured dog who spends most of his time inside, scent games provide a mental and physical challenge, but you don’t need to worry about overexertion. These activities can also help active dogs burn energy in a small space without getting overly amped up.
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When you share your life with an active dog, there is rarely a dull moment. Energetic dogs are almost always ready for a game, sport, training session. And if you don’t give them these outlets, woe to the furniture that will be devoured, or the children that will get herded, simply out of boredom. Whether naughty or nice, your energetic pup will love these gift ideas!

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Here, we’ll look at pros and cons of adopting a fully mature adult dog. (Considerations for puppies are outlined in a separate post.)

Pro: You know what you’re getting
Adult dogs are more “what you see is what you get” than puppies are. If you go to meet an adoptable adult dog at a foster home or shelter, his temperament, sociability, and activity levels are fully developed. (That said, a noisy, confined shelter can make many dogs anxious, shut down, or irritable. Bear the environment in mind.) If the dog has a behavior problem such as leash reactivity, you are likely to see signs of that during a meet-and-greet. Furthermore, you can easily know the dog’s size and have a better idea of his breed(s) just by looking at him.
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   When a veterinarian and a dog trainer get together, what do you think they talk about? (Hint, the #1 topic is probably "#1" and "#2.") 
   I had the pleasure of sitting down with friend and veterinarian Kaarin Vekman, DVM, to play a little game we called, "Whom should you call first: your vet or a trainer?" As a trainer, I get a lot of questions about topics that should really be directed to a vet. Likewise, vets are often asked behavior questions that are more in a trainer's territory. Then there are other cases where vets and trainers can work together to tackle a dog's issue from both medical and behavioral angles. And so when your dog is having a problem, it can be difficult to know where to start.
   Our game covers issues such as house training, separation anxiety, puppy vaccinations, nutrition, aggression, and nail trims. Though we were both involved in creating the questions, we didn't discuss our answers ahead of time.
   This game was also a good test for Dr. Vekman and me. Prior to playing the game, I was worried we would have widely differing points of view and possibly end our friendship over the contentious "puppy vaccination" topic. And while we do look at the same issue from different angles, it turns out these differences do not lead to confusion or conflict; rather, educating owners from both a medical and behavioral perspective can give them a more well-rounded understanding of their dogs' conditions. 

​   Sure, your dog’s Agility days might be behind him, and the gravity-defying tricks he used to perform are no longer in his repertoire. Still, there is a long list of activities perfectly suited to older dogs, to ensure his golden years are his best years.

Sports for Seniors
   There are several sports that don’t demand much of your senior dog’s body. Even if you don’t live near a training facility that offers sport classes, there are online schools that allow you to learn and practice at home.
   Rally Obedience (also called Rally-O or simply Rally) is a lighter version of competition obedience, and a great way for you and your dog to spend time training together. Rally involves you and your pooch performing a series of obedience-type tasks, laid out on a course. The tasks include lots of heelwork, sits, stays, and so on. Rally is perfect for older dogs because it provides lots of mental stimulation, but at a slow pace. Even at Rally trials, there is a division just for seniors, and exceptions can be made for dogs with disabilities.
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   Dogs just don't seem to share our love of mani-pedis. But can you blame them? Doggie nail trims often involve getting pinned down and possibly muzzled, plus enduring the crrrrrunch of the nail clippers on every toe and and the occasional sting of the hacked-up quick... The horror!
   While there is no instant fix, you can help your dog overcome his fear of nail trims by following the steps in my newest video. In most cases, it's all about building trust and comfort. The first few steps are simply to get your dog to find the sight and feel of the clippers comfortable, and to show him that you won't push him beyond his comfort level.  Taking this kind of slow and steady approach will ultimately yield faster results, as your dog will be willing to accept the clippers without a fight.
   In the video, you'll see I used a nail file rather than clippers. This is because Beans had had a clippers-meltdown a few weeks earlier, and I decided to let her cool off from the clippers for a little while. Conditioning her to something new -- the nail file -- takes much less time than counter-conditioning her to her nemesis, the clippers. However, when I'm ready to re-introduce the clippers, I will use the same method as in the video.
   This method works for nail trims, bathing, brushing, toothbrushing, and any other grooming activity that normally makes your dog squirm.

   You love your dog, that’s a given. But do your neighbors feel the same way? Make sure your dog has neighbor etiquette both indoors and out, so he brings a smile to everyone’s face.
   Well-behaved dogs are made, not born. To ensure your dog is a pleasure for everyone in the neighborhood to be around, a little training and management will go a long way to prevent bad habits from forming. Here are some ways to get started.
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   (Photo by constantism.com. Check him out!)