Advice for Pet Owners

Laurie Williams and her petite pooch Andrew proved that smaller doesn't mean weaker as contestants on the CBS show "Greatest American Dog." She and Andrew placed second in the competition, but Laurie is number one when it comes to training dogs at her Fredericksburg business Pup 'n' Iron Canine Fitness and Learning Center.

Prior to opening Pup n Iron, Williams was the area trainer for PETSmart's VA/MD district. Williams is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, a regular contributor to The Chronicle of the Dog and founder of the Stafford Dog Club. She was online Wednesday, September 24, at 11 a.m. ET to answer questions.

Please join us again Wednesday, October 1, for another discussion on pet care with the Animal Doctor Michael W. Fox. And check out washingtonpost.com's Pets section anytime!

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Laurie Williams: Good morning everyone, so glad to be here and I look forward to hearing all your questions!

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Washington, DC: Laurie -- thank you for taking questions! My girlfriend and I have adopted an adorable two-year-old Chi-mix. We are her third home this year (and her forever home), and are trying to help her in two areas: separation anxiety and potty training. We crate her in the evenings, and she is fine with this as the crate is in our bedroom. During the day, we leave some puppy pads for her, which she uses, but which she also confuses with our area rugs. Our vet recommends crating her during the day as well, but we worry that that would mean too much time in a crate for her. What do you think?

Regarding her separation anxiety, she is on Reconcile and we regularly do some behavior modification exercises with her. But are the exercises we do in the evenings for naught we leave every morning for work? Also, should we pick a set time of day, every day, to train? How long should the training sessions last? When we come home she's absolutely ballistic, and starts drinking water like a madwoman... which only makes it more difficult for her not to pee on rugs around the house (we've now put away almost all of the rugs). Any advice? Thanks so much!

Laurie Williams: Hi there! Training sessions should always be short, no more than 15-30 minutes at a time, and you always want to end on a positive, successful note. The time of day doesn't really matter. Keep working on the behavior modification because it does take time and patience. Have you thought about hiring a pet sitter who could come over during the day?

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Washington, DC: It's shedding season again. I have been using shedding blades on my Husky mix and Jindo. Any better ideas for my two fur machines? Also any tips on how to more easily clip toe nails? The Jindo will allow only one nail each day to be clipped. She was severely abused and is more than just skittish.

Laurie Williams: Ahhhh, I haven't been a professional groomer for about 10 years, but I do know that they have come up with lots of new de-shedding products lately. I'd say to take them to a professional groomer and have him/her explain these new products to you, and maybe let them do your dogs first, and if you like the results you can do it yourself at home. There really is no easy way to clip nails if your dog doesn't like it. That's why it's so important to start acclimating and desensitizing them to it when they are young.

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Annapolis, Md.: Thank you for doing this chat! We have a wonderful 'SPCA special' dog that has two bad habits. He sits on the couch, but only when we're not there, and barks like crazy at other dogs. How can we correct this?

Laurie Williams: Hi there. Ahhh SPCA Specials are the best! The best way to prevent him from sitting on the couch when you're not there is to put him in a safe place where there is no couch!! You can't expect him not to sit on a perfectly comfortable, inviting couch, now can you? I'd sit on it!! As for the barking, it sounds like he possibly wasn't socialized well. You could try finding a behaviorist or trainer in your area who could help you desensitize him to other dogs.

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Trenton, NJ: I have just adopted a 9-week-old Bichon-poodle mix and would like to take her to formal obedience training classes. How old should a new puppy be to attend these classes? In the meantime, what can I do to assure that the experience is enjoyable and productive for both of us when we do begin classes.

Laurie Williams: As long as the puppy has had two of her distemper parvo boosters she is ready! In the meantime, get any of Ian Dunbar's puppy books and get started at home!

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Rockville: Thank you for taking my question. How do I get my dog to stop going after cars? I tried treat reinforcement, works when she feels like it. I walk her with a gentle leader, which helps a bit. Will she outgrow it? She is getting bigger and it is getting harder to stop her. She is a 1-year-old, rottie/lab cross. Thank you so much for your advice.

Laurie Williams: I'd need to know exactly how you did the "treat reinforcement?" The best thing to do when a dog is reactive is to distract them from the stimuli. When she sees a car, get her attention before she gets fully involved in watching it with a "watch me" and do a U-Turn and reinforce with a high value treat or toy.

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Kansas City, Mo.: I am SO desperate to get my dog to stop jumping! He is a 2-year-old rescue Golden Retriever, and I've had him for about a year. He is just so excited by new people and wants attention, but nothing works to curb the behavior, including ignoring him or turning away or making him settle down first (he'll settle down if I tell him to, and then BOING! like a spring in the face of the visitor). I'll take any suggestions -- there has to be something that will work with him!

Laurie Williams: Try always having him leashed before he meets people and keep your foot on the leash to prevent him from jumping. He will likely sit down and when he does BINGO, reward!!

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Uniontown, OH: Hi, Laurie. Trixie Mae's Momma from Dogster's STAFU here. We love you and Andre -- you all were awesome on GAD. Just a quick question for you. Is there any easy way to train an 8 month old pup without using treats? Trixie Mae is NOT one for treats, go figure. Thanks for your help and take care.

Laurie Williams: Hi Trixie's mom! Sure, you can train without treats! Positive reinforcement means using anything your dog loves to reinforce behaviors such as praise, touch, attention and toys! Hopefully Trixie Mae likes one of those things enough to use as reinforcement!

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Any simple solutions?: I have tried the various tricks for teaching a dog to walk nicely on a loose leash, such as changing directions often or stopping every time the leash is pulled taut until the dog loosens it, but nothing seems to get the point across to my rambunctious dogs, so I must be doing something wrong! I even use a gentle leader on one of them, but he pulls and pulls on that. So am I missing some obvious training tricks here? Even the tricks they teach in obedience school (holding a treat right in front of their nose) doesn't seem to work. I'm open to suggestions! Thanks!

Laurie Williams: It's actually pretty difficult for a dog to pull while on a Gentle Leader, but the key to a dog not pulling is getting the dog to watch you. Attention is the key. You need to work on that before you can get your dog to walk nicely on a leash.

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Herndon, Va.: Our 4-year-old female Lhasa Apso has a great fondness for the semi-dried chunks of grass left behind when "commercial" mowers are working in the neighborhood. She loves to eat them. I don't recall any of our other dogs (Dachunds and Heinz 57s) eating dried grass. Is this normal?

Laurie Williams: Hi there. I suspect there is something else in that grass she likes to eat as well!! :) But yes, eating grass is normal to a point. Sounds like you should teach her the "Leave It" behavior!

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Dog Aggression: Hi Laurie! I hope you can help. My husband and I are the proud owners of a wonderful pit bull. He is such a great, loving dog. His only "flaw" is that he's dog aggressive. We've come to accept this about him and we know we're a one dog family for as long as he's with us. We've gotten to where we can control it when we encounter other dogs on our walks but his instinct is always to go straight for them. He definitely reacts stronger to male dogs than female dogs.

My question is...my sister just got a female Boston Terrier. Can these dogs ever be friends? (Keep in mind, I would NEVER leave him alone with another dog unsupervised.) Or at least, can we introduce them in such a way that our dog won't want to kill her? We'd likely be introducing them at my mother's house so it wouldn't be my dog's "territory" (although he's been to my mom's house several times). How do you recommend we introduce them? Sorry this is so long but we're desperate for help!!! THANKS!

Laurie Williams: Hi there. I would work on his dog aggression with a trainer or behaviorist first before introducing him to the Boston Terrier.

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Boston, Mass.: Hi! My older parents recently adopted a lab puppy. She is about 5 months old and her energy is really straining them. She barks incessantly and does not like to be in her crate for long periods of time. For instance, when they try to crate her for the night she will whine and cry until they just decide to let her out and then she keeps them up all night. They are unable to get another dog to keep her busy and my suggestions are falling on deaf ears. Do you have any suggestions for them? I am afraid that they might be starting to give up but they love her dearly and I know that she would be a great companion for them if they could get some of these issues under control. Thanks so much!

Laurie Williams: Hi there! The puppy really doesn't have any issues and is doing what normal puppies do. Lab puppies are high energy and need A LOT of exercise and stimulation. It sounds like your parents' lifestyle may not be conducive to this. Is there a doggy daycare in their area? That would be a great way to "unleash" the puppy's energy and provide socialization and exercise at the same time.

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Silver Spring: Good morning and thank you so much for these chats. I have a 5.5-year-old border Collie/Husky mix who is a wonderful, sweet dog -except for when he hears a mail truck or UPS truck. Then he goes insane -- running through the house and barking. If I am out walking with him it is worse -- he runs and pulls and would get out of his collar if I didn't use a choke collar (which I hate but have no choice). I have tried to make him sit, tried distracting him, even sprayed his face with water. Nothing works. I am at the end of my rope and don't know what to do. Any suggestions, please?

Laurie Williams: Good morning! There is always a choice besides choke collars! In fact, the choke collar is probably making the situation worse. Let me explain. It sounds like your dog doesn't like the sound trucks make. Well now, not only does he not like the sound, but also his neck is hurt when he hears it!!! That makes him hate the sound even more. I would try a head halter such as a halti or gentle leader while walking him. But you could also try some counter conditioning behavior modification. Find a qualified trainer or behaviorist to help you with this.

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WDC: Hi Laurie, and thanks in advance for your advice. I have a 4-year-old dachshund who's generally very high strung and who, for some reason, does not like a couple members of my extended family. We're most likely going to have to bring her to my parents' house for Christmas, and in other years we've had to either corral her in another room or put her in her sleeping crate to be sure she won't snap at anyone. If she's separated, she barks and howls the whole time. If she's in her crate, she's a little quieter, but still agitated. Do you have any suggestions? Family members and friends with animals have suggested sedatives, even Prozac, and I'm open to it, but haven't actually had a vet or other animal professional suggest this option to me. (We will be boarding her for Thanksgiving, but it does get expensive, and Christmas is booked at our kennel already.)

Laurie Williams: Hello there. So she actually has snapped at them? Does she do this when they are trying to pet her or does she actually go after them unprovoked?

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Laurel, Md.: My little Beagle/Terrier likes to take her food out her bowl and eat it in another room?? Why does she not eat it right there? Sometimes she will, sometimes she won't. I adopted her from a DAWG rescue operation and I believe she was mistreated by her other owners. She is skittish. Is this a trait that abused animals portray? Thank you

Laurie Williams: Sounds like she might not feel safe eating it in the room. It is possible she was mistreated but not necessarily. It also sounds like she may have come from a multi-dog environment and feels the need to guard her food. I'd say let her eat where she wants! Or, even try hand feeding her and you can train her while she eats!

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Brussels Griffon: Just got a Griffon a couple weeks ago. He's adorable and lovable and 10 weeks old. We're working on the housebreaking, and making progress, but have to keep an eye on him whenever he's out of his crate. The other problem is that he chews anything and everything. Is this temporary, like a teething baby? And how do we stop it? He's scheduled to begin training next week.

Laurie Williams: Hi there. Welcome to puppy parenthood! Your puppy is doing everything a normal puppy would do. Yes, continue to keep an eye on your puppy when he is out of the crate! It's your responsibility to set him up for success, not failure. Have fun in puppy class!

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Clifton, Va.: Please "Greatest American Dog" what a joke. Shame they didn't have any real test of a dog's ability to do things. How many of the dogs on the show can go out 500+ yards and fetch ten sheep, bring them back 500+ yards, then drive them 150+ yards through a panel then another 150 yards through another panel and then drive to the pen where the handler and do pen them. Then you open the pen take the sheep out and separate one marked sheep from the group. Can these dogs move several hundred sheep from pasture to pasture. So none of the contestants were the greatest American dog!

Laurie Williams: Hi there! LOL, well glad you enjoyed the show!! :) Sheep herding is a great talent, but there are lots of other great talents a dog can do as well. That's why there are so many wonderful breeds that are bred to do so many wonderful things! Give your sheep herder a big hug and kiss from me! :)

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Charlotte, N.C.: We have two Alaskan malamutes, 10-year-old brothers, and a 7-year-old foster Malamute. After a year of being acclimated, everyone was getting along fine when all of a sudden one of our two pounced on our foster, seemingly unprovoked. We're at a loss to explain this and now have to keep them apart. I recently found out that a neighbor is fostering an unspayed female who is in reason (the dog is "evidence" in a court case and so can't be spayed until custody is decided). My dogs are all neutered, but I wondered if just the presence of a female in heat across the street could have provoked my dog into attacking our foster. Or should I be looking for other behavior issues as the cause?

Laurie Williams: Since they are all neutered it is unlikely the presence of a female in season led to the attack. It is hard to tell what brings on an attack such as this. I would say that as long as it isn't repeated (and you are wise to continue to manage the situation) you shouldn't be too overly concerned. Given the older dogs' age, it could be they are just less tolerant.

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Rockville chasing cars again: When we see a car, I try to keep her walking. Usually she stops in her tracks. I put the treat in her face so she sees it. She knows she will get the treat if she doesn't go after the car. I use special treats that she only gets while on a walk. Sometimes, I think she is like "Heck with the treat, I want to go after the car." Tried using coins in a empty can, tried verbal 'watch me' -- she gets so focused on the car, almost like she is paralyzed. Will try the u-turn technique. Thank you so much for your help!!

Laurie Williams: Hi. Okay, instead of having her stop in her tracks, do a U-TURN and give her the treat immediately. And it should be a high value treat, meaning one she never gets any other time and she absolutely will kill for. Practice when she is hungry too!!

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WDC again: Yes, she has snapped at them. My niece is afraid of dogs, so I think my Dachshund responds to my niece's nervous behavior, but the dog has snapped at my niece's parents as well. The safest thing so far has been to keep Bella separated, and I'm inclined to keep doing that, but I wonder if there's anything I can do to make it less stressful for her (and quieter for the family).

Laurie Williams: Well firstly she needs to know that snapping is inappropriate. Has she ever snapped at anyone else besides them?

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Leesburg, Va.: Hi Laurie! I have two very affectionate dogs who are crazy about giving kisses. They want to kiss me when I return home, but sometimes, while we're just hanging out, they will rouse themselves to start kissing me again. I admit, I haven't really attempted to curb this behavior, but wondered if there were something more to it than simple affection, since they seem so fixated on the behavior.

Laurie Williams: Hi Leesburg. Do you mean excessive licking? Sometimes licking isn't really about affection. Sometimes it is a calming signal and displacement behavior. Try distracting them by playing fetch with them or some other activity.

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lab puppy/elderly folks: If doggie daycare is out of these folks budget, they should look for an off-leash dog park. They could go with a cup of coffee and sit and let the puppy get its crazies out (maybe with a pull toy or ball to help). Our puppy trainer always said a tired puppy is a good puppy, an exhausted puppy is a great puppy. A training class is probably also a must, so he doesn't pull them over when he starts to get bigger!

Laurie Williams: Hmmm, I'm not big on offleash dog parks unless they are monitored carefully, especially for a young puppy. Unfortunately some dog owners take their unsocialized dog to the dog park and allow them to bully other dogs, especially puppies. So you have to be very careful. A puppy is very impressionable and forms his/her opinion on the world from what happens when they are young. You want to keep negative experiences to a minimum.

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Olathe, Kan.: How do I train my two dogs (Shit-Zu and Golden Retriever) not to jump all over people who walk in the door? Right now I have to put them outside every time I know someone will be coming to the door. If someone randomly shows up it is always crazy trying to get the two dogs to stay down.

Laurie Williams: Have them on leashes whenever someone visits and step on the leashes to prevent them from jumping.

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Richmond, Va.: Our almost 5-month-old German Shepherd has started to show signs of dog aggression on the leash. He plays well with our 7-year-old GSD mix, but in puppy class spends all his time barking and lunging. We spoke with someone who evaluated him briefly and suggested he was probably afraid of other dogs (he loves people). She set us up with a behavioralist/trainer, but we wont see her for two more weeks. We have a puppy class scheduled tonight and don't know if we should go. It is so hard to keep him focused in class, even with tons of treats, and it feels like it's just reinforcing his lunging & barking to be there. Any advice?

Laurie Williams: You are right, you probably are reinforcing the behavior. It sounds like the set up in the puppy class is not conducive to being able to properly manage his behavior. I would say only take him if you can be seated at least 20 feet away from the other puppies and then you can reinforce good behavior since it's likely he won't be lunging when that far away. If you can't do that, then yes, put the group classes on hold for now.

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Follow Up on Pit Bull/Boston Terrier: So is there hope? Is dog aggression something that can be trained out of a pit bull?

Laurie Williams: Of course there is always hope, but you should work on the dog aggression with a qualified behaviorist/trainer before trying to introduce your dog to the BT on your own.

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Northern, Va.: Dear Ms Williams, I have a friendly, lovable, sweet, exuberant lab, approximately 9 months old. She is a BIG girl who thinks she is still a puppy. She does three puppy things that are really turning into problems: 1. She jumps on people who come up to greet her. 2. She tends to be "mouthy" when she is excited. This wasn't a problem when she was little but her jaws are a lot stronger now. 3. She pulls on her leash. I think these things are all related to her loving, energetic nature, and that she would stop if I could figure out how to communicate my desires to her. She is great with other behaviors that she has learned, such as going into her crate on command. Do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you!

Laurie Williams: Yes, get her in a puppy class right away! Everything you are describing is normal puppy/adolescent dog behavior and are fairly simple to fix with consistent training.

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Puppy chewing: You should get no more than three toys that the puppy can chew on and leave them out for puppy (maybe a bone, a squeakie and a rope). Praise puppy when puppy chews on one of those. Do not have too many toys, or puppy will get the idea that all floor items are up for grabs. Try to keep floor area generally clean otherwise (at least for a while!). If puppy picks up something of yours, say no, and re-direct to puppy toy, then give lots of praise. Puppy will learn quickly.

Laurie Williams: I don't like keeping any toys down on the floor except ones the puppy is actively chewing on or playing with. A home should be puppy proofed just like we baby proof, meaning don't leave anything on the floor that you don't want the puppy to bother. And rather than say "no," teach the puppy the "leave it" behavior.

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Arlington, Va.: My black Lab has a bad habit of barking when he wants you to kick or throw his ball. I've trained him to sit quietly before I will do it and that works when I am paying attention but I have four other dogs that I am playing with at the same time and if I don't get to him fast enough, he barks. When in my mind, we are done playing and just working in the yard, he will demand we play with him by barking. I feel bad for him because I taught him to sit and be quiet -- and he does up until a point where he thinks he is being ignored (cause he is) and then he'll go back to barking to get our attention. Any thoughts?

Laurie Williams: I think you've trained him to bark as well! :) Maybe when you are finished playing it will be easier on him and you if you take him inside so he truly knows the game is over.

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Fairfax, Va.: Hi there. I have a 6-month-old Coton and he won't let me brush his teeth. He pushes me away with his paws when I try. If I gently hold down his paws, he bites at me. If I get the brush in while he's biting, he wiggles his head away and then refuses to open his mouth. I am worried because I know small dogs notoriously have teeth problems. Any ideas??

Laurie Williams: Have you tried the finger brushes?

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WDC still: She's pretty owner-protective -- she barks and growls at pretty much anyone we encounter on a walk, for example, and she has snapped at the vet. The kennel says she's very friendly to everyone when we're not there. The trainer we used a couple years ago taught us to put a hand around her snout, effectively closing her mouth, and saying "No" firmly. That usually seems to work pretty well, but I'm nervous about letting her walk around -- if she snaps and neither my husband nor I are there to silence her, I'm afraid she'd bite.

Laurie Williams: I don't think putting your hand on the snout is effective at all! It sounds like your dog needs to learn that people are good, so some counter conditioning is in order. It is something you will definitely need to work on with a qualified behaviorist who is familiar with that process. And yes, snapping means a bite could definitely occur.

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Springfield, Va.: Loved you on the show...I have a question about my 2-year old Corgis. They are kenneled during the day (six hours) and when I get home, they naturally respond happily to see me. My problem is that one of the Corgi's (the female -- more nervous/high strung than the male) barks and whines and when she gets out of her cage, she runs AT the male. Once they are both outside and calmed down, she is better. I have tried letting them out separately to avoid this, but she'll wait 'til she gets outside and always give him a little fight. Also, when I am home with them, she is a totally different dog than when my husband is home. I get that he's her pack leader, but how do I get that level of calm?

Laurie Williams: Hi there and thanks! What has your husband done that makes you feel she views him as her "pack leader?"

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Washington, DC: What are the questions we should be asking when seeking a trainer/behaviorist for our dogs? For example, I don't want someone who puts the dog on his back to show him who the boss is, but am not sure how to communicate that. Thanks!

Laurie Williams: Check the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website. http://www.apdt.com Most trainers listed there use positive, dog friendly training techniques. Or feel free to contact me and i will hook you up with someone! I'm not that far from DC.

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Fairfax, Va.: Coton owner here - yes! That's what I'm using (or trying to use...)

Laurie Williams: And you've tried the different flavored tooth pastes as well? They also have teeth wipes as well. There are new products available that you add to their food and water too so you don't have to brush. Are you familiar with those?

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Crazy Dog Owner: Well, not me -- the dog. Anyway, he's much less rascally when he's tired, so we hang a balloon just out of his reach. He jumps and jumps until he drops and goes to sleep. Just have to make sure he doesn't swallow it if he gets lucky and catches it.

Laurie Williams: Yes, do make sure he doesn't actually get the balloon and swallow it!! But yes, a tired dog is a well behaved dog!

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Washington, DC: Can you recommend any training exercises to prevent on-leash aggression? One of our two large GSD mixes is aggressive towards other dogs we encounter when we walk. This is in contrast to her dog park behavior, where she gets along with others. Thanks!

Laurie Williams: Patricia McConnell has a great book called Feisty Fido that contains a lot of exercises for leash aggressive dogs. I highly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Aggressive-Dog/dp/1891767070

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Rockville: Hi there. My 3-year-old pug goes on walks with us everyday. During the course of these thirty-minute walks, he stops to urinate probably 75 times. Is this something we can (should?) break him of? We'd love it if he didn't need to stop and mark everything. Thanks!

Laurie Williams: Wow, is there anything even coming out after the 35th time? :) I say just keep walking and try to distract him with a toy or treat when you see him starting to walk toward something to urinate on. But, make sure he has completely emptied first.

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Springfield, Va.: He's primarily the disciplinarian with her. Or was when she was a puppy. I'm the Mom -- the nurturing type. That doesn't mean I don't discipline her, because I do. But the minute he walks in the door, she retreats to "calm/submissive" position and is the perfect little angel all night. He is bigger and will use a booming voice to control her. I'm not sure he does more than that.

Laurie Williams: Actually voice and size has nothing to do with your dog respecting you. Nor does discipline. The leader is the one who controls all the dogs' needs. Try hand feeding her for a while, at least a month. YOU should feed her in a quiet place with just the two of you and have her work for her food, i.e. perform simple behaviors, sits, downs, stays, etc. And then reward her with her food. No more food dish, just YOU. I can guarantee your status in her eyes will grow!

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Springfield, Va.: We lovingly call our Corgi's "his and her dogs" because the male is closer to me and the female is closer to my husband. But in the grand scheme, they are treated equally so I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong.

Laurie Williams: You just need to elevate your importance as the provider of all her needs.

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Laurie Williams: I have really enjoyed chatting with you all today! I love to hear from dog lovers! If you have more questions and are in the northern VA area, please feel free to contact me at Pup 'N Iron.

Big Woofs and give all your dogs a hug from me!

Laurie & Andrew

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