Meet and greet guests

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 23, 2014, 09.50 PM IST

We love our dogs. But, do our guests/visitors love our dogs too? Well, it might not always be the case. So, our dogs need to learn how to accept our visitors and greet them in a way that works for our friends.

When our puppies come running to us and jump on us, our hearts melt and we shower them with love. Before we know it, that puppy has become a 25-30 kg dog and is still jumping on us. Now it might not be pleasant, but our hearts don't let us do anything about it. After all, coming home to a dog that is overjoyed is one of the great pleasures of having a dog. He makes us feel loved and important.

But this very behavior becomes an annoyance when dogs decide to welcome the guests in a similar manner. Our guests may not be dog lovers. They may be old or frail and unable to handle 'jumping dogs'. On most occasions our guests dress up to visit us. And there goes our dog, professing unconditional love to them, in the only way he knows — the way we taught him — by jumping and licking them. Now comes the arduous task of untraining a dog. Let me admit, right off the bat, that I too struggle with this problem. The key is consistency and when members at home and guests are not consistent with the rules, behaviours are hard to change. When different people give mixed messages to dogs, it's very confusing for them.

The first step is to start training the dog. When you enter the house, say a low key, "Hi doggy!". No exuberant entrances. If your dog starts jumping on you, turn away and walk to some other room. Leave your bags behind. Wash your face. Put the kettle on. Basically do anything but engage your dog. After some initial confusion, your dog will calm down. Only then, pet the dog. I am, in no way suggesting not to pet your dog. I am just saying, delay it a bit. The pay-off will be massive.

The next step is 'generalisation'. Once your dog has learned that you don't appreciate jumping, call over some good friends, who will do the same with the dog. I had a friend who would walk in, say "hi" and then just stand checking messages on his Blackberry. Once Nishi stopped jumping, he would sit on the sofa and continue staring at his Blackberry. We would serve him a drink and when Nishi had finally settled down, he would pet her.

So then, why am I struggling? One of my biggest challenges has been in the generalisation area. My friends adore Nishi and find it very hard to ignore her when they walk in. While their love for her is touching and a blessing, it is quite a challenge for training. Owing to Nishi's traumatic past and her exuberant love, most of my friends just want to bask in it. Just last week we were going through our friends list to identify who might be a good candidate to do this training. It's important that this person is comfortable with dogs, because the person cannot afford to react to the dog jumping by saying: "No doggy. Don't jump." Maintaining complete silence is critical. If this technique does not work, another idea is to have your guests call you before they drop by. Take your dog out on a leash and start walking. Ask you friend to gradually join you on the walk and then casually walk into the house and settle down as if nothing has changed.

These training techniques might sound tedious.

But they are worth the effort. When guests get intimidated by your dog, it can alienate them and leave your social circle smaller.

Caring for 'streeties'

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 16, 2014, 09.50 PM IST

 Last weekend, a few of the dog lovers turned up at home and we painted 20 odd urns that we had bought with donations from animal lovers across the city. People from different parts of the city will be taking the urns back to install them near their homes or offices, and are taking the responsibility of filling them up with water for our street dogs. My hope is that the brightly painted pots will attract attention and inspire more people to do the same outside their homes too.

The good news is that there is a segment of our society that's comfortable sharing this planet with all of its children. And why not? That is the Indian way, is it not? We are largely a tolerant society and embrace all of earth's bounty with gratitude and magnanimity. The question really is how do we minimise man-animal conflict.

Let me start off by busting some myths about our street dogs. Getting rid of street dogs or relocating them to other parts of the city is not legal in our country. Whether we like it or not, our street dogs are here to stay with us.

Getting rid of one group of dogs only means that we have opened up our streets for a new group to move in. That brings with it a set of new conflicts and the tedious task of building familiarity with a new pack.

Dogs are extreme survivors. Not feeding them does not mean they will starve. It only means they will find other sources of food mainly in garbage. So, let's get this straight once and for all — street dogs are here to stay.

The best thing we can do for the dogs is keep a check on their population, make them healthy and happy. If you are finding new pups in the area, that means some dogs have not been neutered or spayed. Find a group of volunteers and animal lovers, scout the area, find the dogs that need to be spayed/neutered, identify the local BBMP-tendered Animal Welfare Organisation (AWO) and get the procedure done at the earliest. Do this with diligence and the street dog population will remain stable for the next decade.

Familiarise yourself with the streeties in your neighbourhood. Dogs are great friends and fiercely guard friends. They are easy to befriend too. Visit the dogs a few times, toss some biscuits and you will get a loyal friend for life. There is more than one instance where I have heard of dogs thwarting the evil schemes of burglars. If you live in an independent home or have to return home late at night, nothing better to protect you than your doggy friends on the road.

Well-fed, healthy dogs are happy dogs. Reach out to your AWO to get all the dogs vaccinated. Government provides this for free. So use the available tools. Feed them regularly and provide water during summer. If there are many dogs, enlist the help of animal lovers to break up the pack and feed them in different areas, to avoid doggy-fights for food. Just like with humans, well-fed dogs sleep well at night. But unlike your human friends, dogs, no matter how well-fed they are, will still maintain vigil for you all night. Win-win.

And, finally, get a grip on speed limits on narrow roads. Dogs are hunters by nature and they cannot help chasing after speeding bikes.
When I used to ride a bike, I would stop, look at the barking dogs and ask: "Yeah? May I help you?" They would look confused and lose interest in me.

India has a long history of peaceful co-existence. That's the beauty of our culture. Let's remain true to our nature. And nature has a way of balancing things as long as we play it fair. Spare a thought to other children of this earth.

Sound Recall

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 9, 2014, 10.21 PM IST

One of the most useful skills to teach your dog is recall; it refers to the ability of a dog to come when called. Instinctively, we want our dog to come when called by name or when commanded to "come". Teaching a dog his name is a good exercise in general. But there is another type of recall.

In this type, we train the dog to come to us, not in response to his name or any word, but a sound. The reason I suggest a sound and not a word is because words carry emotions. They betray us when we are in panic mode, irritated or angry. When our words betray us, our dog's natural instinct is to run away from us, not towards us. I don't suggest mechanical devices either because you might not have one on you when you need it the most.

You can pick any sound — kissing, clucking or even something like psst! Make a sound that you are comfortable with; make it loud and clear.
The next thing to do is to find the right incentive. Find some tasty treats. And when I say tasty, they really need to be tasty. Dry dog biscuits will just not cut it. I have used idlis, dosas, cheese, sausages and once even vegetable samosa. The size of the treats should be the size of the nail on your little finger.

Now comes the part where you sensitize your dog to the sound. Put your dog on a harness and leash and find a quiet place, preferably inside the house. Your dog is likely to be very excited assuming you are taking him for a walk. So pull up a chair, sit and wait out the excitement. After your dog has gotten past the excitement, the first instance at which he looks at you, is the opportunity to start training. Make your special sound and give the treat to the dog immediately. Repeat this about five times, then give the rest of the treats as a bonus for a session well done, praise and pet your dog and end your session.

The next session should focus on getting your dog to follow you. Start the same way as before — make the sound followed by a treat. Then make the sound, turn around, walk two steps, and then give him a treat. It's a very precise process. Don't walk more than two steps. Don't create any delay in the process. And most importantly, don't keep making the sound. Make the sound once, turn, walk, treat! Repeat a few times. Give a bonus treat and end the session on a happy note.

In subsequent sessions you can increase the number of steps you walk after turning — three, five, seven, nine or 10. Once you reach 10, then take the dog a little away and follow the process — sound, treat; sound,turn,walk, treat. Then head out to your balcony or terrace or just walk way outside your door. Start at the beginning again. Slowly increase the number of steps you walk.

Then you can start venturing onto the road during late or very early hours when there is no traffic. Do not try the process when your dog is completely distracted with a squirrel or another dog. Using the sound during distraction is the final exam. You don't take final exams without preparation. Keep training sessions short, sweet and happy. Don't do more than two sessions a day and let each session last less than five minutes. Learning should be fun for you and your dog. Happy training! 

Bozo comes home, finally

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 2, 2014, 10.54 PM IST 

Adopting a dog with a troubled past is not easy, especially if it's a big dog. Few people have gumption for it and Suman Bolar is one such person. She recently lost her dog Domino, which was survived by a lovely black labrador named Carbon. I was a bit nervous that he would slip into depression. So I took my sprightly dog, Tigger, to remind him of younger happier days and put him in a good mood. One such play date, Suman cancelled on me. She mentioned that she had adopted another dog, a rottweiler called Bozo, and she wanted to give Carbon and Bozo time to bond. That was a fair ask. But having some insights into Bozo's history, I wanted to know more. Suman's wisdom and magnanimity struck me.

As I spoke to her, she was laser-focused on how she could meet Bozo's needs and not on what she expected of him. For Suman, Bozo's needs came first. I asked her why she decided to adopt a dog. "While we badly wanted our Domino back, we discovered that there were many people who had dogs they didn't want. The irony was unbearable," she said.
People are often averse to adopting a rottweiler. Suman says: "We don't believe in 'selecting' a dog the same way you would choose a pair of shoes. A pet is more a matter of commitment than of instant connection — like the difference between the reality of a long-term relationship and the idea of love at first sight. Bozo had been abandoned more than once. He needed stability in the form of a family that was reasonably settled, with a low probability of major life changes in the near future. Our children are 15 and 19 years old; we both work from home and we have a large garden space. So we fit the bill on all counts."As a behaviourist I knew that a dog like Bozo would require constant supervision around small children. So I could see that she really had considered all factors before adopting Bozo.

She seemed very well informed. But once, a long time ago, she too was a first-time pet parent. Did she have her oops-moments? Was there anything she was not prepared for the first time around? "Looking back at our experience with Carbon and Domino, though not clueless, I don't think we expected it to be a 24x7 job. Dogs can be messy, naughty, moody, tiresome, fussy, stubborn, boisterous and demanding. They can get into fights, fall ill, injure themselves, and damage or destroy things. They need attention, entertainment, exercise, vaccines, medicines, even surgery sometimes. Before we got the dogs, we only saw the fun, happy side of owning a pet."

She had some sensible advice for first-time pet parents. "Be honest with yourself about your own traits, habits, and lifestyle. Are you lazy? Self-absorbed? Have an unpredictable schedule? Frequent visitors? Travel often? Hate waking up early? Think about the next five years: Do you see yourself getting married? Having a baby? Moving abroad? Taking on a more demanding job? Speak to dog owners, consult a canine behaviourist and a vet. Once you have taken the plunge, be patient — with your pet and with yourself — as you get accustomed to one another. Developing a relationship, based on friendship and trust, takes time and patience."Adopting a dog with a troubled past is not an impossible task. However, it does take a lot of hard work and patience. I wish Bozo and his new family the very best.