Dangerous Outcome Could Come to Tomato Loving Labrador

My trusty sidekick Poncho and I received a dog behavior question for Dear Inquisitive Canine column about a fun-loving lab mix that enjoys eating all of the homegrown tomatoes in his yard. The dog guardian who wrote in was a little annoyed with this hunting activity, I believe more so because she didn't have any to eat herself! Hmm, that would be annoying - especially when you're craving fresh tomatoes for your evening meal, and there aren't any left!

I addressed this inquisitive dog guardian by outlining key management steps such as: Sturdier fencing, barricades, and yard location that would deter (and protect) her dog, while protecting the plants and her morsels of deliciousness. I also included some simple dog training tips including:

• Rewarding her dog whenever he ignored the plants
• Encouraging her to provide other enrichment activities that would redirect him away from the plants, while allowing him to "hunt". Something along the lines of a scavenger hunt for his kibble, or a tomato/kibble stuffed food toy would be fantastic.

Along with the above management and training, there is something even more important about this tomato hunting dilemma: the tomato plant is toxic to dogs! (cats and horses too). The fruit seems to be fine for this dog to eat, and many other dogs, but the leaves and plant itself have been know to cause many health problems.

According to the ASPCA, signs and symptoms of tomato plant toxicity include: Hypersalivation, inappetence, severe gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, drowsiness, CNS depression, confusion, behavioral change, weakness, dilated pupils, and slow heart rate. For more information on tomato plant toxicity, as well as other common poisonous plants, click here to access the ASPCA website.

To read the full post, please check out our Dear Inquisitive Canine dog behavior advice column - the tomato loving lab will be featured on November 13th 2009 on the Noozhawk website.

Not All Domestic Dogs Enjoy Being Bathing Beauties

Throughout the summer, and even heading into our warm-weathered Fall, Poncho and I have received a few questions through our Dear Inquisitive Canine dog behavior advice column from dog guardians regarding their dogs "freaking out" when it came to swimming pools. The dogs either didn't want to go anywhere near it, or would bark and patrol the area when their human family members splashed about in the water. Even if the dog would jump in and out of the pool on their own, playing and going after toys, their reaction would often change when people would all of a sudden "disappear" underneath the water.

Being a dog mom myself I can surely attest to this. Poncho is definitely not a water dog. He's

really not into going into any body of water. (Although, he does seem to enjoy bath-time; probably has more to do with the snackies).

I've also witnessed my friends lab Chief jumping in and out of the water, playing and fetching his tennis ball. But as soon as his human family members dive under water, he begins barking and patrolling. What's he thinking? Who knows. I'm not a mind reader. Why is he doing what he's doing? Hmm, my best guess is that pools are just weird to dogs. And some dogs adapt more easily than others.

What's the solution? Simple. Condition (teach) these dogs to adapt to these bizarre surroundings, watch for the behaviors you do like, even the smallest ones, and reward him or her for their "bravery" of being around pools. Keep in mind that it is always important to gauge a dogs comfort level, which you can do by reading their body language. And always take care in not pushing him or her beyond their “threshold.” Meaning, small steps to help get them used to being around a pool. Making it enjoyable for them, so they can build their confidence. Just like the old fashioned way of teaching us humans to swim by throwing us into the deep end has taken a long walk off a short pier, it's not the best approach to teaching our dogs either.

For the complete article on the german shepherd being afraid of the swimming pool, please see our Noozhawk Dear Inquisitive Canine column. The following are additional training tips for helping your dog in stressful situations. In addition to the above suggestions, you'll want to:

• Gauge your dogs comfort level by seeing how easily s/he engages in the play activities, and if s/he is taking food rewards. Few animals eat when they’re scared and stressed. If they are eating tidbits of steak or chicken then use these items to reward him or her being near the pool. No pool, no high value treats. In this case it's not punishment. Your dog is clearing letting you know they're uncomfortable.
• If s/he is not staying focused on you when near the pool, and not eating, this can be interpreted as being beyond his or her level of comfort, also known as his “threshold”. We all have a breaking point. It’s best to keep your dog below his or her level of stress so they can build their confidence and comfort level around the pool.
• To help the process move along even more rapidly, you can begin the “pool = good stuff for your dog" training plan by introducing him/her to it slowly. Start out with just the two of you, sitting poolside, enjoying the sunshine. Play, have snacks, cuddle, then go inside - stop all rewards and attention. Do this a few times before making it more difficult for him or her. You can then sit with your feet in the pool, but not go all the way in. Those times when s/he chooses on their own to go lie in the water to cool off, go in with them, but wade in the area s/he is in, again providing all rewards that your dog responds well to.

So, if Poncho isn't a water dog, why did I go to the trouble of trying to get him in? Well, I wanted him to practice getting out of the pool. In case there was ever a time that he fell in a pool (we don't have one, but we have friends that do), he might be less scared. Yes I was hoping that he would enjoy it. But nope, even steak, chicken, and his tennis ball didn't change his mind. Sure I could take the time to condition him to love the pool. But since we don't have a pool, and it's not a huge concern for us, and not a big priority, I'd rather spend my time teaching him things that are more important for our lifestyle such as discrimination and agility. If I want to go swimming with dogs I have plenty of my friends dogs to choose from.

Thank You Social Media: Making it easier to find this dog trainer

Wow, after wrapping up my Social Media Marketing class last night at UCSB extension with the Wild Web Women, I realized that I now have so many social media platforms, that I was starting to become a bit scatter-brained. So, since my new round of dog training classes is beginning this Sunday April 19th, I thought, what a great time to put together a list of how to find me! So, here it is! I took liberty of adding Poncho's info too...he likes to make himself available also.

Official IC Website: http://inquisitivecanine.com/

• For information on services, schedules, events, where to contact us, FAQ’s.
  
• A little about Joan and the Inquisitive Canine, our approach, methodology.

Joan’s Blog: http://dogtrainingventura.blogspot.com/

• For dog training tips (from the human perspective)
  
• Information on upcoming events, including those outside the Inquisitive Canine
  
• Commentary on the latest and greatest social topics
  
• An all around fun place to share with the community
  
• The perfect place for friends, clients, and the general public to make comments!
  
• A great place to send questions!

Poncho’s Blog: http://ponchosprose.blogspot.com/

• Poncho’s own dog training tips (from the dogs perspective)
  
• Information on events at the Inquisitive Canine, and those elsewhere
  
• Commentary on the latest and greatest social topics.
  
• The perfect place for friends (human and dog) to make comments or send questions.
  

Noozhawk Advice Column: http://www.noozhawk.com/joan_mayer/

• Dog training and behavior advice column written by both Joan & Poncho the dog
  
• Another great place for you or your dog to send in questions.

Facebook:

• Joan’s FB homepage: the place where I’m more of a “dog mom”
  
• The Inquisitive Canine Group page: for IC students, great place to “meet” other dog folks, have discussions, or set up doggy play dates.
  
• Poncho the Dog Fan Page: I’m his #1 fan and want to share that.

Twitter:

• Joan’s: http://twitter.com/joanthedogcoach
  
• Poncho: http://twitter.com/timeline/home

Flickr:

• http://www.flickr.com/people/joanthedogcoach/
  

This Inquisitive Canine Now Soaring Proudly With NOOZHAWK!

Wow! Talk about exciting and completely positively rewarding! My rambling, opinionated, common sense, and dare I say slightly smart-aleck mouth (and fingers) has proven to be an advantage once again! Yep, that's right! I'm expanding outside the world of blogging and adding the very informative, local, online news Web site Noozhawk to my ventures - in a new column called "Ask the Trainer"...

Since a young girl my mother had encouraged me to speak up, take risks, take a chance (as long as I was safe - nothing crazy or illegal mind you), and "go for it". She would say "What's the worst that could happen, someone might say no?" Well, I admit it sort of backfired in junior high when I asked a boy to a dance, but finally, after all these years, it worked for me! Someone said "yes"!

It all started when the very smart, business savvy, and open-minded Chris Donahue first made contact with me... Although he had called to inquire about something unrelated, I decided to take a chance and ask if he and the publisher/owner of Noozhawk Bill Macfayden, would be interested in a "dog behavior advice column"? I'd always wanted to take the Q&A moments from my everyday dog trainer/coach life, and put it out there for the whole world to see.

Along with my moms voice in my head, there were Lorrie Thomas's and Emilia Doerr's voices in my head too... they've encouraged me to "own my expertise" and "sell it!" - talk about great Web Marketing Therapy!

So thanks to all of them, and my desire to share my advice and opinions with the world, I am now the proud writer of the Noozhawk pet column "Ask the Trainer"! The column will run on Fridays and repeat Saturdays. If you have any specific training and behavior questions about your dog, or a dog you know, or a dog you're thinking of getting, please feel free to write to me - your question just might end up on Noozhawk!

Wishing you all the self confidence you need to own your expertise, in whatever you do!