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Breaking Ace’s fixation

Note: This is part three of a three-part series on my dog’s tennis ball obsession. Click these links to read part one, My mutt has a fixation and part two, 10 signs your dog has a fixation.

Just like any addiction, rehabilitation takes a long, long time. In Ace’s tennis ball case, I have two options. I can either continue things the way they are and allow him to obsess over a ball until he ends up hurting himself, or I can begin the long process of correcting his behavior.

Obviously I am going to correct the behavior or I wouldn’t have chosen to do this series. The problem is getting started because I know how difficult it is going to be to follow through.

My goal is to have a dog that can control himself around a ball and play in a healthy way where he never becomes fixated. He will respond to all commands even if he has a ball. He will have the ability to stop playing and leave a ball alone without me hiding it or putting it away. Most of all, he will be able to play and socialize with other dogs as well as accept verbal and physical attention when there is a ball in sight.

Here are some rules I have set for Ace to begin right away:

1. No fetch playing for 30 days (at least).
2. No dog park for 30 days (but we’ll stay away as long as needed). The reason for this is there are balls everywhere and I can’t enforce my new rules if Ace is off leash in a big area surrounded by tennis balls.
4. Ace will begin a more regular, intense exercise program of at least one hour of running or walking at least five days a week.
5. Every day I will have Ace practice calm energy by lying on his side in a submissive position with a ball beside him. He will lie like that until he is totally relaxed and ignoring the ball. Depending on the day, this could take 30 seconds or an hour. He will also have to do this any time he brings me an object expecting me to throw it for him.

Once Ace has shown some improvements, I will move on to some challenges for him:

1. When Ace can manage to ignore a ball while lying down, I will move on to him sitting and then just being loose in a room with a ball, ignoring it.
2. Once Ace can leave a ball alone in a room, I will work on more mental challenges with him such as me throwing a ball while he sits and stays at my side. We will practice heeling by weaving around a yard full of balls with Ace on leash and then off leash.
3. Ace will get to play with a ball himself if he is totally calm. If he is even close to that fixated state of mind, the ball will be put on the ground and he will lie beside it.
4. I hope to return to normal fetch playing, but Ace must remain calm and in control of himself the whole time.

I have no idea how long this whole process will take. Maybe six months, maybe two years. Or maybe I will never be able to correct Ace on my own. It mostly depends on how well I am able to stick to these rules. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d like to hear them. My ideas are influenced by Jon Katz and Cesar Millan, but I don’t know anyone personally who has actually tried to break his or her dog of an obsession.

Click these links to read parts one and two of this series, My mutt has a fixation and 10 signs your dog has a fixation.

Image from flickr.com

Cairn terriers are more than just the “Totto” dog. They love children and can make a great family pet, but they also require a long walk every day along with mental challenges.

Cairn terriers were originally bred in Scotland during the middle ages to kill mice and rats, according to the Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds by D. Caroline Coile. They were used to chase small animals from piles of stone used as landmarks, called cairns. The breed is very closely related to the Skye terrier and the West Highland terrier and became popular in America after Toto starred in “The Wizard of Oz.”

Cairns weigh about 13 or 14 pounds, which makes them a nice, lap-sized dog. They come in colors ranging in shades of white, red, gray or black. Cairns have a shaggy outer coat and a softer undercoat. Many breeders recommend stripping the coat twice a year, which gets rid of all the dead hair by pulling it out by the roots, but stripping the coat is not necessary.

Advantages to owning a cairn terrier:

1. Cairn terriers are playful and affectionate. My grandparents have had cairns for as long as I can remember, and every one of them has loved attention. In fact, they will crawl right into your lap and demand it if they have the chance!

2. Cairn terriers have very few health issues. I could not find any health problems common among cairns, likely because they are not overbred in the United States like so many breeds. Because of their small size and few health problems, cairns have a long life expectancy of at least 14 years. A few eye issues are becoming more common with cairns, including cataracts and ocular melanosis.

3. They are intelligent. This doesn’t mean they are easy to train, because they will challenge you. But they are hard working and really do want to please their owners.

4. Cairn terriers are tolerant around children. They typically get along well with other dogs, too, even dogs five times their size. They are tough little dogs that are rarely fearful, and they can handle some rough housing from kids and bigger pets.

5. They can handle the heat and cold. Although cairns do best as indoor pets, they do not overheat easily. Their coats also keep them warm in cooler temperatures as long as they are not outside for too long.

Disadvantages to owning a cairn terrier:

1. Cairn terriers are typically high-energy dogs (they are terriers, after all) and require a long daily walk even though they are little.

2. Cairn terriers need mental challenges. They are smart dogs and get bored easily if they don’t have something to do. They are great at agility and also compete in earthdog trials, where the dogs navigate through manmade tunnels.

3. They are often barkers. A cairn will let you know if a stranger is approaching, but if they don’t get enough exercise or training they will get carried away with the barking and also alert you to every bird, every passing car and even the wind blowing. No one likes to hear a little dog yapping out in the yard all day, but cairns are very alert and likely to be territorial if they aren’t given any rules.

4. They can be diggers. Cairns have a strong instinct to search for small animals burrowed underground.

5. They are often unfriendly to small animals. Cairns were bred to kill vermin, so of course they want to hunt gophers, rabbits, birds and whatever else they can find. If you have a small pet and are interested in a cairn, make sure to introduce the two pets properly and with caution because of the cairn’s strong prey drive.

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If you would like to write a profile of your favorite breed, send me an email at Lindsay@thatmutt.com. I’ll use pictures of your dog and link to your site. I’m happy to feature any breed!

Top image from commons.wikimedia.org, bottom image is Ace with my grandpa and uncle’s cairns

People are very opinionated about boarding their dogs. However, dog daycare is a whole different level of boarding. Although many dog daycares use kennels, others don’t have cages at all. And you can leave your dog for a few hours or the whole day.

I think dog daycare is a great option for someone who works long hours and can’t get home to let his or her dog out over a lunch break. I often considered this for Ace but decided the price wasn’t worth it.

Some benefits to taking your dog to daycare include knowing your dog gets to have fun while you are at work (assuming your dog likes other dogs and lots of activity), you don’t have to worry what kind of trouble your dog is getting into at home, and she will be OK if you have to work a little late.

On the negative side, often the staff members in charge of the dogs do not have a lot of knowledge in animal behavior and don’t know what to do when something goes wrong. The pick-up and drop-off hours are often inconvenient, and if you can’t pick up your dog by a certain time you will be charged a night’s boarding fee. And just like any boarding facility, you need to do lots of research to make sure the daycare is right for your dog.

What do you think? Does your dog go to daycare? Why or why not?

Email your dog-related question to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer.

(Image from K9sinkahoots.com)