Conversations with Dog

  "Buddy came from a shelter.  I've had him for about 4 years and he is probably 5 or 6 years old.  I don't have a backstory for him.  He was left at the shelter and lived there for about two months.  He was about to be put down when I adopted him. Buddy is great with me and Chris, my partner.  With strangers it is a different story. He exhibits fear regularly. If anyone has a hat or sunglasses on, or anything in their hand, or makes sudden movements he cowers and may growl.  He also is extremely protective of me and growls when most strangers come near me. Can we assist him? I am not sure how to change this behavior." Join Suzy, Chris, Patty and Buddy in this conversation on what might be done to get Buddy over his fear and protectiveness!

Recently I adopted a Chihuahua puppy, such a dear sweet dog, how could I resist? As with many small dogs, my puppy thinks he is ten feet tall and bullet proof. Well, one day while playing with a bigger dog my puppy’s left foreleg got broken. He is okay, and the leg is healing well, but I’m a mess. I have become so over-protective and I feel as a result I am making puppy afraid of everything! Please help! I don’t want to be that overbearing dog owner who controls the dogs every move. Moreover, I don’t want my poor little dog to become neurotic. Join Suzy this week as she offers insights, tips and suggestions to improve your conversations with dog. 

This week, Suzy continues her conversation with Lynn.  This time they will discuss Lynn’s male dog, Polamalu. Lynn writes about Polamalu, “He is so sweet however, he has developed aggressiveness with others.  If they pull in the driveway and I let him out and he meets them in the driveway then he is OK for the most part.  But if he meets them in the back yard or inside the house, he charges – he even charged a 3 yr old little girl and barked in her face.  I don’t want to have to put him down for biting someone and I would like him to be as sweet with others as he is with me.  He is Captain Licky Pants with me, and he even sleeps between my legs (which my husband says is the problem).  He is 2-1/2 years old.“   

This week Suzy talks with Lynn.  Lynn’s dog wrote the following about her dog, Lily. Lily, will not stop barking. She is so sweet but no one wants to be around her because she barks a few seconds BEFORE the phone rings, at the wind, everything!  She was a stray that was shot in the rear end, and we took her to the vet.  We thought she was mute for 3 months she never made a peep until she was in the car and a white-haired lady walked by and she went berserk!!  Now she hasn’t shut up since.   Also she has developed a thing where she throws up every morning.    She can throw up 12 hours after eating yet she throws up food as if she just ate…  In addition, all of a sudden she has been wanting to be in my lap which she has never done before. She is 8-9 yrs old.  

  My seven month old German Shepard is afraid of many things. She doesn’t like the refrigerator, the car, bath time or even her brush.  I try to be understanding, but it is so strange I can’t figure out what is going to spook her next. How do I introduce her to things in a way she will like them?  I need to be able to brush her and give her baths, but she runs from me when she sees the brush. What can I do to help build her confidence with all these “scary” things? Join us this week as Suzy offers ideas to bring ease to this nervous puppy.

My sweet dog, Lady, had a litter of healthy and bright-eyed puppies.  They are two months old now and quite playful.  Out of the ten, I have only allowed a dear friend of mine to adopt one of them. How do I stop feeling so protective that I am afraid to adopt out to people I don’t know?  What are my best tools to insure that I am letting the pups go to really good homes?  I know in my mind there is no way I can keep 9 pups yet my heart doesn’t want to let them go unless I know they will be cared for.  What can I do to relax about this whole situation? Join Suzy as she addresses these questions and provides  tools to bring ease to this situation.

Join us for this episode where Suzy answers several questions from listeners related to Halloween and your dog! Question 1: Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! My children were so excited to buy their outfits at the costume store this year.  While we were shopping for costumes there was also whole section of dog costumes.  My kids begged me to buy a costume for our dog so that he could get dressed up too. My question is whether this is appropriate for dogs and how I know whether my dog wants to participate by getting dressed up in a costume? And, how do I talk to my kids about this either way? Question 2:  I have mixed feelings about Halloween because of my dog. My dog goes crazy with barking every time trick-or-treaters come to our door.  I love seeing the children dressed up and participating by providing them candy.  However, I don't know what to do about the dog.  Normally, we only have one person come to the door in a day.  On Halloween, the doorbell is ringing every few minutes. I realize that I could simply turn the lights off and not make our house available to trick-or-treaters, but I would love to find another solution that works for me and our dog?

Dear Suzy, Recently I landed a great new job, which included a move to an apartment in the city. Formerly, I lived in a smaller college town and my work schedule allowed for my dog and I to have lunchtime walks, hanging out in the park or at the dogs-allowed coffee shop. I was so happy for my new job, that I didn't realize that my dog's whole life was about to change too, and maybe not for the better according to her. My new work schedule has me out of the apartment 8-10 hours a day. I try to do walks in the morning, but that doesn't always happen. My dog and I recently took a trip to the mountains and I saw how happy she was to be out again. I now feel guilty when I leave for the full day.How can I improve the quality of my dog's life and still maintain my full time job? Join Suzy this week as she offer suggestion for ease and joy for all members of this family.

This week, the Timm family joins Suzy to talk about the newet addition to their household, Ram, young a Pyrenees mix. Ram is strong-willed yet seems to crave direction. Then, when Ram received direction he is stubborn and chooses not to listen. The Timms would like to know a good way to establish Ram's role in the family and how to deal with his willful disobedience (such as running away and not coming back when called.) Join us for this week's episode!  

Sally's dog 'Sport" stopped taking these wonderful walks with her, but still waks with the neighbor. What happened 6 months ago that made him stop? Is he mad at her for travelling more? Does he not like her anymore? Find out what might be going on here in their dynamic that is creating this rather strange behavior!

Another show with Mattew Couperthwaite about a different way to succeed in Agility. Matthew is a young, very successful trainer in South Africa, who is sharing with us how asking questions and being willing to have 'a dance' with your dog can really give you a totally different way of being in agility training. If you'd like to see how appying the Access tools in a highly competitive sport can work in your favor, you are in the correct place!

Rosa has been Leslie's dog for a while, but since a recent move and change in the envirnment has gotten worse with her fear of noises. Please join Suzy and Leslie to see what changes could be facilitated with Rosa and if there is a way to get her out of her fears! 

Donna just adopted a boxer from a shelter across the country. Now she is wondering if he is happy in his new home and how she can make his integration easier. What are a few tools that can assist to make any adoption go with ease? What energy is required for teh new owner to make this a lasting relationship? Please listen for some tips and tricks!

  Rose’s dog, Prince, is loyal most of the time. However, she has some concerns about his behavior she will discuss with Suzy this week. Suzy will give Rose some trick and tips as they talk about when Prince: -Jumps on people when they walk in the door -Pulls on the leash -Reacts aggressively when he sees a dog or cat -Doesn’t come on command Join Suzy and Rose for this week’s engaging conversation!

  My retriever has a habit of retrieving small creatures and things.  He will bring me snakes, chipmunks, trash, bones, etc. I am concerned that he will one day try to bring home a poisonous snake or something that is dangerous to him. I have heard there are ways to train your dog not to bring home potentially harmful items or creatures. Is there some way to communicate to my dog the things that I would rather him not bring to me or in the house? Is asking a retriever to not retrieve against his nature?  How can we have ease with this situation? Please join us as Suzy provides tip and tricks to communicating about what works and doesn’t work between you and your dog.