The Context Machine

A Jack Russell Terrier owner e-mailed me with the following question:

“My boyfriend has allowed his wonderful, very well-behaved Jack Russell, who is two years old, to sleep not just on but in his bed. We are trying to teach her to sleep in her bed which is on the floor by our bed but it’s proving very difficult! She’s managed to sleep there until about 4 AM, but then the whining starts and she ends up with us.

It’s not really a problem so much when we are at our house but we are planning to go on holiday and she will be staying with my parents and they really won’t tolerate her sleeping in bed with them, nor the whining when she isn’t allowed to, so we thought it best to nip the habit in the bud completely. We can get her to stay in her bed but we can’t get her to actually sleep … she just whines … even if we take her for a hundred walks to tire her out. It’s as if she HAS to be that close to us!”

Thanks,

Tiffany

Dear Tiffany:

Put the dog in a crate. Not only will she be UNABLE to get onto your bed, but when she goes to your parent’s house, you will be able to take the crate with her so she will have a familiar place to sleep at the different residence. By crating her at night, you’re providing her with her own “den” since dogs derive more satisfaction from small places than we do. She will more than likely put up a fuss in being confined beyond her control, but it should go away after a few nights as she becomes more comfortable with the crate. Do not give her any attention while she is whining, as this will only reinforce the behavior. Some people go so far as to buy earplugs for those first nights.

Introduce the crate in a positive manner, with lots of treats and praise. Put her bed in it so it has her scent in it. Feed her in her crate so she gets the idea that no one will disturb her and the crate is a safe place. When you have to shut her in, give her a special “crate toy.” Many people have had success with Kong toys stuffed with peanut butter or cheese/liver paste and freezing these.

The crate is also useful for confining the dog when it can’t be supervised to keep it out of trouble (see the first article above). My book, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” which is available exclusively at Dogproblems.com, goes into more depth on the use of crates and other training devices.

Adam G. Katz is the author of the book, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History.” Get a free copy of his report “Games To Play With Your Dog” when you sign up for his free weekly dog training tips e-zine at: http://www.dogproblems.com

I had heard about a Sunday evening spiritual gathering in my neighborhood and was curious to go and make some new friends. My husband and son decided to stay home so I went along looking forward to a quiet evening with like-minded folks. I arrived right on time and was greeted by my gracious hostess. As I entered the lovely living room, I actually screamed when I saw it! A pristine, white couch! The couple’s Persian rugs still had all the fringe and the rungs on their wooden chairs were without bite marks. Their woodwork had no scratches or mud spatters and their screen door was still in tact! Right then and there I made the decision; these people could not survive one minute in my house.

That’s because the day our two Australian Shepherd puppies, Jesse and Harley, came into our lives was the day “that lived-in look” took on new meaning. Old towels now cover our kitchen wall and floor beside the newly installed “doggie door.” Our spring flowers lost their blooms to curious taste buds long ago and the grass in our large backyard has all but turned to mud.

Trying to keep Jesse and Harley off the couch is like learning to fly by jumping off a cliff. We tried our round of obedience classes and agility training. We devoured the stack of dog books written by experts who ran the gamut in their advice from throwing a rolled up magazine at the dogs to ignoring them completely. As I stare at the once matching wicker tables and couch that have been dismantled piece by piece, I literally drool with anticipation remembering that day at the dog park when I heard one lady’s hopeful story who told us her 3 year old Aussie is a couch potato and loves to sleep and take it easy! Under threat of attack to our remaining furniture, we now schedule the dogs’ daily exercise time into our day timer right beside our other appointments.

All in all, would I turn back the clock if I had it to do all over again? Would I drive right by that open gate and leave that purebred Aussie trail behind?

What would my life be like without the smile on my young son’s face as he wakes up every morning to his own furry cheerleading team? And when he stands in the living room with a handful of treats authoritatively spouting, “Sit! Now down! Come and sit! Hey, Mom, did you see that? They did it!” How could I even think of such a thing? Would I miss that sign my doorbell wears, “Don’t ring. It makes the dogs go crazy”?

As I contemplate my life this past year, I look out the French doors to what’s left of our backyard and I experience that rare moment when our puppies are lying side by side in a one-in-a-million pose with the sun gleaming on their fur and their noses tipped up to catch the cool morning breeze, and I remind myself, who needs a white couch, anyway?

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Pet Portrait Artist and Professional Illustrator Connie Bowen creates stunning pet portrait paintings on canvas from photos. Specializing in capturing the spiritual nature of dogs, cats, horses and other animals in a realistic fashion with impressionistic backgrounds as seen on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s TV show, Art Beat. Over 200 pet portraits completed and counting! Visit http://www.conniebowen.com to view exquisite samples.