You come home and your floor is scattered with empty tin cans, shredded up boxes, and food packages that have been ripped to shreds. The trash can is toppled over. Your dog sits in the middle of the mess, her eyes wide and apologetic.

As a loving dog owner, you may be tempted to let the occasional secret trash feast slide. But when your dog breaks into your trash while you’re away, she’s not only making a mess, she’s endangering her health.

Every year, far too many dogs die from eating an item from the trash they weren’t supposed to. Many of the foods and products your dog might find in the trash — such as sugarless gum, rodenticides, and metals — can be highly toxic for canines.

To keep your kitchen clean and your dog healthy, follow these tips for how to prevent your dog from eating trash when you are away.

1. Keep your dog fed
   This may seem obvious, but your dog will be less likely to raid the trash can for food if he is well fed. Make sure your dog doesn’t go hungry by feeding him small meals throughout the day. If he is trying to lose weight, provide him with high-fiber foods that will keep him feeling full for longer.
2. Keep your dog engaged
   Your dog may wander into the trash can when you are gone because she is bored. You can help to keep her out of mischief by leaving her with engaging chew toys and providing plenty of exercise when you are around.
3. Be strategic with your trash can
   You should purchase a trash can with a tight lid that is short enough to fit in a closed cupboard. Keep the trash can in a secure space — such as under the sink or in your pantry — and install a childproof latch on the door to prevent your pooch from nudging it open.
4. Introduce baby gates and crates
   If you set and consistently enforce boundaries while you are away, you may be able to ease up on these restraints. Consider setting up baby gates to keep your dog out of the kitchen, or setting him in a crate when you leave the house for prolonged periods of time.
5. Training
   You may be able to train your dog to stay out of the trash by teaching her that the trash can is off limits. If you see your dog nudge the trash can or cabinet, clap your hands and say “off” in a loud and strong voice. You can also move your dog away from the trash by using your body to claim the space around it, exactly like one dog would move another.
6. Catch your dog in the act
   You should never scold your dog for digging through the trash unless you catch him in the act — otherwise, he will not understand what he has done wrong. However, if your dog only gets into the trash when he knows you’re away, you can stay one step ahead with a bit of smart planning. You can purchase deterrent devices which trigger a loud snapping noise when it is touched. If you position the deterrent device inside your trash can, you can startle your dog whenever he touches it and teach him to stay away. However, you should avoid resorting to loud deterrent devices if your dog is skittish and prone to anxiety.

Do you have any experience teaching your dog to stay out of the trash? Share your stories and suggestions in the comments below!

The post How To Keep Your Dog From Raiding The Trash appeared first on Cesar's Way.

Let’s face it, dogs are territorial animals by nature. They like to protect their territory, their family, and their belongings. Territorial marking is different from urination because it is only a small amount to make other dogs aware that this is their territory. When people notice that their dog has been marking around the house, it is not usually done out of spite, but out of insecurity.

For a dog, this insecurity may be a sense that their area is under siege by another person or animal inside the house, or even outside in some cases. Territoriality is not always a bad thing, but it is definitely bad for your home, because it involves urination around things or places that “belong” to the dog; exposure to the scent later can also trigger re-marking. Here is what you need to know in order to prevent this behavior.

How to Prevent Territorial Marking

Spay or Neuter Your Dog

If you have not already done so, having your dog spayed or neutered can reduce incidences of territorial marking. It can also extend your dog’s life, improve other aspects of their health, and reduce the number of unwanted dogs. Dogs that have been spayed or neutered can and do still engage in marking behaviors from time to time, depending on other factors. According to a report from the Humane Society, spaying or neutering your pet may help reduce likelihood that they will mark their territory, but it does not completely stop it.

Allow Your Dog to Get Acquainted with Unfamiliar Faces

Sometimes your dog may start marking things around the house because someone new has been introduced into the household, whether it is a new roommate, pet, or even a frequent visitor. Chances are that the dog feels like this person or animal has entered their realm and it is marking to show them that they still have ownership over the territory. People are usually annoyed by this behavior, but other animals know what it means if a dog has marked their territory. The only way to resolve this issue is to allow your dog to get a true introduction to the new person or pet and allow them to spend some time to bond with them. Keep the new person or animal out of the dog’s area until the two have become more acquainted.

Establish Yourself As the Pack Leader

Dogs crave rules, boundaries and limitations. It is not a good idea to allow your dog to roam all over the house, sit on furniture, eat from the table, or engage in any other type of disruptive behavior. Although your dog is your companion, it is a follower in your pack, not a leader. You can reduce this type of behavior by asserting yourself as the pack leader by using calm, assertive energy. Make your dog earn food, water, and affection through exercise and discipline — exercise via two or more daily walks to drain her energy, and discipline through setting those rules, boundaries and limitations.

These types of issues are often exacerbated by a lack of training and discipline for your pet. If this seems to be a big problem, then you may want to consider an obedience class for your dog or speak to your veterinarian for some other solutions.

How long are your pack walks? Share it with us in the comments below.

The post What Is Territorial Marking And How To Stop It? appeared first on Cesar's Way.

Nine hour plane flights are great for looking through more of your email questions and writing some answers, so here we go.

Post Attack Trauma

Question:

Nancy A., California: Two days ago as my boyfriend was with our English bulldog Django, a pit bull came and attacked both of them. Django was left with a swollen face and a deep abrasion and my boyfriend was left with a fractured finger and bites on his hand trying to save our puppy. Django is acting his old self and is recovering great but I am concerned as to what signs to look out for so he does not become aggressive or scared of dogs.

Answer:

Nancy: I’m glad you asked what signs to look out for to keep Django from becoming aggressive or scared, because the first place to look is at you and your boyfriend.

I hear this story all the time: Someone’s dog is attacked or gets into a fight, and then their biggest fear is that it will happen again.

Remain Calm and Assertive

And how do humans deal with this fear? By obsessing on it. Suddenly, every encounter with a strange dog becomes a potential fight, and we tense up and become fearful and anxious ourselves. That energy goes right down the leash and into your dog, and reinforces the wrong idea: “Strange dog makes me nervous, be alert to danger.”

Note that you said that Django is acting his old self. Of course he is. To him, that fight was over the second the other dog stopped biting; done, a thing of the past. And that’s great. Although it was naturally a very traumatic event, you and your boyfriend need to let it go as well.

Keep Them Social

Ideally, you should enlist some friends or neighbors with dogs and organize a pack walk. This will keep Django socialized, and help the both of you realize that you don’t need to be fearful just because he’s around other dogs.

Defensive Dog

Question:

Wendy D., Pennsylvania: Hello Cesar I have a Chihuahua. I was having depression problems so I went out and got a dog just to get me out of bed. The dog did help but then I took a turn for the worse. My brother moved me in with them to help me get better. Well, Zeus my dog does not like anyone but me and my son. So when my sister-in-law’s nicest kids came over Zeus went after them and I will not have that from him but I am having trouble with him and other people. I really need your help.

Answer:

Wendy: Pets can be wonderful therapy for things like depression, and trained mental health dogs are becoming more and more common. That said, however, by adopting Zeus to treat your depression, you have put an unfair burden on him. It is not natural for dogs to nurture unstable or weak energy unless they have been trained for it, so you brought Zeus into a situation without a strong pack leader. This may have helped you — but now it’s your turn to help him.

Become a Pack Leader

Your entire household, including you, your son, brother and sister-in-law, must step into the roles of pack leader, with the entire family taking part. You need to establish rules, boundaries, and limitations for Zeus, as well as a very regular routine for him and you. He also needs lots of exercise to reduce his excess energy, and you should be the one walking him, for at least half an hour twice a day.

Exercise Will Benefit You Both

Not only will this be good for Zeus, but it will be good for you — some studies have shown that physical activity does help with reducing depression.

Of course, I don’t need some studies to prove that. When I went through depression and a suicide attempt three years ago, I learned two things firsthand.

One: My pack abandoned me after I abandoned myself; they did not want to associate with me because of my energy.

Two: My pack helped me come back, and lots of exercise together was a huge part of that process.

As it is, Zeus is aware of your mental state and that is what he is reacting to. He has clearly bonded with you and your son, and steps into the role of protector when your sister-in-law’s kids come around. By taking advantage of calm, strong energy from everyone in the house, you’ll help Zeus find his place in the pack and reduce his need to protect you when “outsiders” (in his mind) are there.

Wake-Up Trouble

Question:

Jesmane S., California: My dog Charlie has always had anxiety problems. She has awful separation anxiety and she doesn’t get along with other dogs — especially little ones. Although she’s calmed down after turning one, I think that anxiety has picked a new target. We have to try and wake up my brother to go to school and other things. But he’s like a log so you have to shake him. Charlie now bites and scratches us when we try to wake him up. This is especially dangerous for my grandma, who has diabetes, because if she gets bitten she won’t heal.

What should we do?

Answer:

Jesmane: Imagine how this looks to Charlie. Every morning, somebody in the family goes in and “attacks” your brother while he’s asleep. You don’t mention it, but I’m sure that the shaking comes with a lot of calling out his name loudly and other excited energy. Charlie is just trying to protect him.

Begin Setting Boundries

The first thing to do, for now, is make your brother’s room off-limits to Charlie while you’re waking him up. The simplest way is to not let Charlie in and close the door, although she may complain about this, in which case someone needs to be outside the door to correct and redirect her if she tries to bark, scratch or whine. If necessary, someone else in the household should take her for a walk during the wake-up process.

If Charlie currently sleeps in your brother’s room, then you need to establish a new place for her for now. Sharing the room just establishes it as Charlie’s den, and so will make her even more defensive when the morning starts with a lot of excited energy.

You should consider crate training Charlie as well, since this will help with this problem and the separation anxiety by creating her own place for her to go.

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