Now the process of integrating Bart & Sadie into their home started.  My parents aren’t really dog people—they have 4 cats.  They have inherited my grandmother’s Yorkie, CoCo, but she is nothing like these wild, semi-feral puppies.  So I had to get those rusty dog-training gears going again in my head and fast!

One of the most important things you need to do when you have a dog is manage their environment.  This is especially critical when you’re teaching your dog what they can and cannot do.  Dogs are explorers & opportunists and once they’re “rewarded” by some behavior, they’ll tend to keep doing that behavior as long as they get the “reward”.  In this case the word ‘reward’ means anything the dogs really like—chasing cats, eating garbage, stealing dirty clothes—not a treat that you give them.  So don’t lay out a banquet of temptations and expect your dog to resist.  Manage their environment and set them up to succeed.

For example, your kitchen trashcan holds awesome smells & tasty scraps, which your dog is likely to explore.  If, in that exploration, your dog tips over the trashcan and gains access to those smells & scraps, your dog is “rewarded” by that access.  The best way to keep your dog from learning they can get to the smells & scraps by tipping over the trashcan, is to prevent them from doing it in the first place by managing their environment.  The level of management depends on the dog.  Our dog, Saffron, gets spooked by things tipping over and loud noises, so our management strategy for the kitchen trash was a metal step-can with a close fitting lid—it’s heavy so less likely to tip over unless she’s really trying, the lid has to be lifted so she can’t just stick her snoot down in the can, & a close-fitting lid means enticing odors are less strong.  Other dogs may need to have the trash behind a closed door.  When it comes to managing a puppy’s environment, I think it’s best to assume the worst!  They’re likely to get into everything.

Here’s how we managed Bart & Sadie’s environment to get you thinking about strategies for your own dogs or if one shows up on your doorstep:

• We immediately began crating the puppies & kept them closed in the utility room.  Limited access to the house and being kept in a smaller space means they’re less likely to have accidents while house-training because of their instinctive aversion to eliminating in their “home”.  Otherwise they’d learn the “reward” of emptying their bladder or bowels whenever they want.
• We removed shoes, a trashcan, things with power cords, and fishing rods to keep them from learning the “reward” of chewing on these things.  We did underestimate them on a few things which met their demise—venetian blinds, a straw hat hanging 6ft off the ground, a yard stick  We provided Bart & Sadie with suitable things to chew on instead.
• We put the pet food bins on a top shelf out of reach, so they didn’t discover the “reward” of chewing them open and eating the food.
• The puppies kept escaping when we opened the utility room door and were “rewarded” by getting to run around the house, so there’s now a “airlock” created by an ex-pen that encloses the door on our side.  They may slip through the door, but they can’t get past the ex-pen.
• Bart & Sadie wouldn’t come when called yet and were being “rewarded” by getting to play, sniff, and find dead crabs at their leisure, so we started only taking them out on leashes.
• We didn’t want them to get the “reward” of chasing the cats, so we kept the puppies on leash when in the house.

No matter what your situation, you can take steps to manage your dog’s environment.  It takes some thinking, but managing like this makes teaching a dog so much easier.  My parents won’t have to unteach chasing the cats or chewing up shoes, because the puppies aren’t having these unwanted behaviors reinforced and “rewarded”.  I’m so happy to say Bart & Sadie are well on their way to becoming wonderful members of the family—they couldn’t have found a better home!

Find out why adopting an adult cat or dog, rather than a kitten or puppy, might be right for you

Click below to play.

You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader.

And check out the posts on Reasons to Adopt An Adult Cat and Reasons to Adopt An Adult Dog.

Check out this awesome House Rabbit Palace ! What a great idea.  The tutorial shows the first version and ends with the more sophisticated 2nd edition.  Sweet!  You could easily make this by retrofitting an old bookcase.  You could also make it wide and short instead to narrow and tall.

If you’re thinking about getting a bunny, please don’t buy one!  There are tons available for adoption.  For the Dallas area alone, there are over 5,000 rabbits who need a good home.

Jim Gorant from Sports Illustrated has a new book that follows 49 surviving dogs seized from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennel. (You can read about the history of this case on the Michael Vick archive page.)  Gorant says:

As odd as it may seem, Michael Vick may be the best thing that ever happened to the pit bull. He gave the forum to discuss this and make it possible to get the message out there that these dogs are not what they’ve been made out to be in the headlines, that they really are just sort of dogs. And a lot varies from each one to another and then how they’re raised and socialized and all of these issues that go around them. You can find the sweetest, most loving pitbulls in the world and you can find other dogs that are as mean as you want.

Listen to the interview with the author. It was first thought that most of the dogs seized would be euthanized, happily this hasn’t been the case.  Four dogs have even become therapy dogs.

The Michigan State University College of Law has a very informative page on dog fighting that covers the history, the training, the culture, the societal cost, the criminal links, laws and legal issues, and evidence, including less obvious things such as the drugs/vitamins/medical supplies used. You can also find out about the signs of dog fighting. And the Humane Society of the United States has a FAQ on dog fighting. (Note: None of the these pages have gruesome photos of dogs showing the barbarism of dog fighting. They do have a wealth of information.)

Happily, a humane response has been developed in the form of The (C)ave Canem Project. The project promotes and facilitates the adoption of dogs by Italians and foreign visitors.  Besides vaccinating and spaying, the organization also provide each dog with a European Passport making it easier for foreigners to adopt.  The Project also feed and care for the dogs within the ruins.

I’d much rather bring a dog home from a trip than some touristy tchotchke.  Wouldn’t it be cool if other countries developed similar programs for their stray animal problems?  (thanks Jennifer!)

These ferrets are at Motor City Ferrets Shelter & Rescue and they have a lot of ferrets available for adoption.  As Motor City Ferrets says—please don’t breed or buy when animals still die in shelters.

The video of Stanley inspired so many people to act.  Working together they rescued him and eventually brought him to a foster family in British Columbia.  He had surgery to fix his eyes, has been putting on weight, and is recovering from mange.  And the best thing of all—Stanley won’t have to move again because he’s being adopted by his foster family! What a lucky boy.

Sadly, the first part of Stanley’s story is all too common.  Shelters are filled with dogs & cats who need just one person to step up and change their life.  I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, but please consider adopting before you ever buy a cat or dog.  Pure bred or mixed breed, juvenile or adult, spotted striped or solid, short hair or long, big or small, any possible color or temperament—whatever you’re looking for is out there, but most of them don’t have a lot of time.  And don’t forget there are rescue groups for all sorts of animals: reptiles, ferrets, pocket pet, exotics, horses, goats.  Please adopt!

Stanley today & his new brother Taylor

PlanetGreen has a great post on how to limit your pets’ environmental impact. (Full disclosure: PetProject was included in Planet Green’s list of Top Ten DIY Sites.)

I recommend reading the whole post to see their good suggestions and the reasons behind them, but here are some of my favorite points.

• adopt from a shelter
• use pet-friendly deicer on sidewalks
• compost dog poop
• contain your pets

Topped only perhaps by habitat destruction, cats are the biggest, baddest bird killers of all time. Even wind turbines have got nothing on them. …[D]omestic cats do have an unfair advantage. Unlike wild predators, house cats are always well fed, well rested, and in tip-top fighting shape. They’re also present in more concentrated (and rapidly increasing) numbers than say, the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike.

There are also tons of links to articles and useful websites, so check it out!

Adopt-A-Dog Month

Make sure you’re ready to adopt and adopt a dog suited to your lifestyle.  All dogs need attention and training.  Here’s a good list of things to consider before adopting a dog.

The ASPCA has great tips on preparing for a new dog.

And don’t automatically go for the puppies.  Here are 17 excellent reasons to adopt an adult dog. I love puppies–who doesn’t–but, I’m so glad we adopted an adult dog.  Our dog Saffron was just as fun as a puppy, without all the extra chaos and destruction.

Maybe this is the month you save a life and enrich your own!