Ask the AJCpets Expert: Dog behavior
About our AJCpets Expert: Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson is the founder and owner of Jabula Dog Academy. Born and raised in South Africa, Kate grew up on a farm among dogs and horses and is passionate about both. She currently owns three horses, four dogs and a cat. She named her training academy Jabula for the Zulu word for Happy.
Training has always been a part of Kate’s life. In South Africa she bred and trained Jack Russell Terriers. She is a certified trainer through both Animal Behavioral College and Sit Means Sit, and she also is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and a professional member of the IACP (International Association of Canine Professionals).
Kate started her training career in obedience, but now her facility offers a variety of classes, including flyball, agility and freestyle dancing. She also specializes in aggression issues in dogs. Her own dog, Winston, had severe aggression issues. Today Winston is a top demo dog, visiting retirement centers and participating in all Kate’s public appearances.
For more information: www.jabuladogs.com or 404-373-6258.
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Hello Kate!
I have a 4 month old puppy and my boyfriend and I are in the process of crate training her. She is doing pretty good now, but my question is when we do take her out sometimes she won’t go and we’ll stay out there for a good 10 mins waiting. Then when we put her in the crate she’ll notice that we’re about to leave, so she’ll stick her little butt up against the crate and will use the bathroom outsides of the crate while shes still inside. Almost like shes punishing us b/c we’re leaving. It drives us crazy b/c we don’t know what to do. HELP!
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Hi Kate,
My Mom inherited 2 mini poodles from her late sister
One of them constantly chews
his feet and legs, we finally started putting anti-itch cream on these spots and he has relief(short).He gets bathed in warm water (with anti itch shampoo/condtioner). My Mom is on a fixed income, is there anything else we can do to allievate this problem for him, we believe that he is about 4 to 5 yrs old.
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I have a 1 1/2 year old Chihuahua mix that I adopted from an animal shelter last year. Everything is perfect about him — potty trained, doesn’t chew, quiet, loving, healthy, sweet — except his behavior towards other dogs. He HATES them. Whenever we go on walks, he barks and tugs on his leash when he sees another dog. There are certain dogs in the neigbhorhood that he reacts worse to than others. How can I keep him calm around other dogs? I would really like him to be able to play with other dogs at a dog park one day, but am afraid to do that now. Any advice? Thank you!
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Hi,
I have a 6 year old lab mix that with the exception of being ok around the other dog that we had, has never been a very social dog. She’s actually a little co-dependent. Any time another dog comes around her, she will try to hide behind us.. But, she was always fine around the other dog we had.. an older australian cattle dog. And she is constantly trying to play/wrestle with our cat. We thought perhaps she needed a playmate, so
We recently got a 2 month old puppy. She is not sure what to make of this spastic little thing.. and we have introduced them kept them in the same area (the puppy is being crate trained, the lab has free run) and try to let them be around each other for small bits of time with the puppy on a leash so she can’t jump all over the lab. My question is, should we just let them work it out themselves, or what is the best way to socialize these two?
When we first brought the lab home, it took over a month for her and the cattle dog to coexist peacefully.
I would love for them to be playmates, just not sure how to go about letting them get to know each other without the puppy just being all over the lab.. nipping, jumping etc.
any help would be appreciated.! thanks!
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I have a female German Shepard who eats her feces. I have tried things (like garlic or alum power)and the vet gave me some pills but nothing works. Any suggestions?
Also, she is very aggressive around strangers and other dogs(barks, tail up, charging, growling). How do I get her to be more social?
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[…] best pet experts in metro Atlanta. Look for your answers every Monday. Today’s advice comes from Kate Jackson of Jabula Dog Academy. Click here to see all the AJCpets experts. Then submit your question as a […]
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Hi Kate,
We have a 3 year old Shih Tzu named Snickers. He’s a really great dog but does have an interesting quirk that we cannot seem to understand. Whenever he eats his food he paws at this bowl and knocks it around until the food falls out. Sometimes he knocks the bowl clear across the room. He does this every time he eats. We’ve tried to change the bowl, taped it down, and other things, but nothing seems to get him to stop. We don’t understand this behavior and also do not know how to curb this bad habit! Any advice would be great!
Thanks,
Emily
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We have three german shepherds who have been rescued from one situation or another, two spayed females and a neutered male.
The two females are both alpha females, and have gotten into a couple of very bad fights. We have tried to keep them seperated, but this can be quite a chore. Is there anything we can do to change their attitudes? One, Shadow, we have had since 5 months old, but Tasha came to us as an adult after found wandering in Tennessee, so we don’t know her background at all. Sammy, the male, stays out of the way when they have fought. Short of getting rid of one of our girls, what can we do?
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I have 3 mo old pitt who is tearing up the house and is not housebroken,can you tell me what to do?
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If your dog eats his poo, Ive heard to feed him pineapple. make’s it taste bad.
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[…] you can always submit questions to Kate Jackson of Jabula Dog Academy. She’s our resident ajcpets.com dog behavior expert. […]
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Hi Kate!
I am the owner of a 3-yr old Jack Russell terrier named “Salem”. I have had Salem since he was 4 months old. He is very bright and loving with all family members (and my 8-yr. old female rat terrier, Dixie)…however, Salem demonstrates “fear agression” to all other people and dogs. His high-pitched “squealing” bark seems to frighten other dogs and sometimes causes them to attempt to attack. I keep him on a leash of course, but must pick him up if another dog…off leash… approaches us. He often bites me when frightened. As a secondary issue, Salem continues to lift his leg on my furniture and has recently made a habit of defecating on the floor when I am not home. I have had to begin crating him again. I love this dog! need some help… thanks!
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I have a 11 month old puppy and still having house training problems. I will take her outside and stay with her and she walks around and sniffs everything and I give her a long time to go. She will usually pee but won’t poop. BUT as soon as she comes inside she will poop in the house. I NEED HELP! I am very frustrated.
Thank you,
Shelley
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We have a 7month old aussie mix and when small children come to our house she gets really excited and wants to jump on them and sometimes she pee’s. what should we do? Thanks, Jennifer
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We have an 8 month old Jack Russell/Beagle mix that we adore but have had problems teaching her to potty outdoors. Although she goes most of the time outdoors from the day we have brought her into our home, if she has an accident she tattles on herself by coming to get you, chewing on your arm and barking until you clean up her mess, as soon as you’ve cleaned up her mess, she settles back down. What is making her tattle on herself? P.S. I recently had our 8 year old jack russell/beagle mix into the vet and took the younger one just for the car ride. Upon leaving the vet’s office, they approached me advising that she anxiety issues (she had misbehaved with high pitched barking in their office which was not appreciated) and needed to seek “help” or is this just typical of her breed although we have never experienced this with the older dog of the same breed. Any insight that you can provide is greatly appreciated.
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[…] advice comes from Kate Jackson of Jabula Dog Academy. Click here to see all the AJCpets experts. Then submit your question as a […]
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I have a five month old shih tzu that I will be taking to puppy training classes this week. I am concerned about her seperation anxiety. When I leave the room and close the door behind me, she begins barking and stratching frantically. When I would try to crate train her, she would bark, scratch, and bite at the gate to get out for as long as three hours until she was too exhausted continue. She would be soaking in sweat and panting heavily. I don’t know what to do to help her and give me some alone time to take a shower.
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I recently adopted a black lab (approx 1-2 years old) from the shelter. I also have another lab from the same shelter. John-Boy is extremely intelligent, sweet and knows most basic commands. While at the shelter he was kept outdoors with the other larger dogs. When I brought him home although he was ill with respiratory issues, he did not mess in the house. Shortly afterwards (I’m assuming after he was feeling better) he is starting to display distructive behavior. He seems as if he does not like to be left alone and if so, will tear up anything in his path. I have plenty of toys in the house but if I am not at the back door to let him in after he’s told to “go make pee-pee”, he’ll go on his distruptive behavior spree. It seems as if he’s afraid he won’t be let back in the house. Even when I sit out back with the other dog (and leave the door open), he’ll lay partially inside and outside. In addition, he has now began to “go” in the house which is not like him at all. I’ve heard that dogs don’t do things on “spite” but it seems to me that he’s rebelling because he is almost afraid of going outside and not being let back in. What can I do? Thanks!
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I have an 11 month old female mixed breed dog. We think she has some Chihuahua in her. I am quite puzzled by her barking at doors inside the house. If a door is open, she will bark at it for a few minutes. Then, she’ll push the door closed with her nose and continue barking. These are inside doors to bedrooms, closets, etc. It doesn’t seem to matter what door it is and she only barks at open doors. Does she just want all the doors closed or what? And why?
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[…] found some of the best pet experts in metro Atlanta. Today’s advice comes from Kate Jackson of the Jabula Dog Academy. Meet all the AJCpets experts. And feel free to submit questions in the […]
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I have a one year old mutt (possibly a basenji) who I cannot get completely house trained. I take her out every few hours and and she will go, but she will also go inside. When she has messed inside she runs and hides under the table or in her cage because she knows she did something wrong. She will do it when we are there and when we are not. Is there any advice you can give me on how to break her of this habit?
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Hi
I adopted a 2 year old terrier mix a few weeks ago from the local humane society. Things have been going well for the most part but it is apparent that she has major seperation anxiety. I have worked on crate training and she appeared to be doing fine. My basic routine is to leave her in her crate when I go to work and then my neighbor comes to get her after lunch and she plays with her dog until I get home. She is never left alone for large amonts of time. However, another neighbor (i own a townhouse) offered to buy her a bark collar. She acts fine when I am home..will get treats out of her crate, go in and out, wont sit in it by choice but will sleep through the night inside it without a peep. However, it looks like when I am gone she barks and yelps for HOURS!! Please help! I am beginning to feel that I should stay home with her when I am not at work so that she doesn’t distrub the neighbors. Last night I went out for a few hours, when I got home she started throwing up..I spent half the night tracking down an emergency vet, the conclusion was that she has become so upset when I was gone that she started vomiting..
Please help!
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Hi,
We have a Jack Russell Terrier (3 years) and a Rat Terrier (9 years) the JRT is only sociable with other dogs when the RT or we are not present (i.e. PetsHotel). They are both very aggressive with other dogs at this point. Our problem is that when we walk them in the neighborhood, they go nuts at even the sight of another dog, barking (high pitched squealing almost), pulling, doing anything to get at the dog - no matter the size. An even worse problem we are having is that several of our neighbors in our close-knit townhome community feel that it is okay to let their pets wander off to do their business. This frequently results in an absolutely chaotic walk for us - and I’m afraid that one of the dogs (ours or a neighbor’s) is going to get hurt. We tried the “special collar” that had prongs on the end (suggested by our Vet) this only worked for about 2 days. The vet said most muzzles are not a good option because it will disallow the dogs to properly pant while walking. It is now to the point where the mere idea of a walk with the dogs is stressful, and that’s really not fair to our pups. ANY IDEAS?
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Hi Kate,
I have a 5 month Yorkshire Terrier. I got him when he was about 3 months old. I am in the process of crate training him and it does not seem to be working. I take him for 30-45 minute walks and he will rarely use bathroom, but as soon as we get back inside he will go in his cage. Even if he does use the potty when I take him out, he continues to potty in his cage which I am told is rare because dogs do not like to go where they sleep. I have no idea on what to do or what I am doing wrong in regards to training him. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks so much for any help. Nica
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I adopted a 2 1/2 year old Cockapoo a few months ago. The owner had four children. I was told, they were all very good to her. Any ways I asked her if she had ever bitten any one. She said yes one person over people food. Well to find out their dog trainer told me she had bitten 3 people. This trainer has given me no suggestions of how to break her of this biting. The first day I got her, she was terrible. She snarled at me twice even showed her teeth and growled at me once. But I figured she was just very frightened. But now she is very good with us. The problem is no one can pet her. She will not let any one touch her. She really acts freaked out if a stranger goes down to pet her. I have to stop them right away, because she might even bite them. I tell everyone we come in contact with, not to touch her. But I don’t know how we’re ever going to break her of this. Plus I took her to get groomed and they called me to pick her up, because they said she wouldn’t let them get her out of the cage. So I can’t ever see how we’re going to be able to board her either. Do you have any suggestions. I have to say my husband and I love her. She is very good with us!
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Hello,
I have a five month old Border Collie Mix named Mambo and he is a rescue puppy. I’m crate training him and so far he has gotten better at being comfortable in it. My issue with Mambo is that he is afraid of outside noises which in turns he does not potty outside. He uses the pads, but he is getting so big for them. He feels safe inside my house and at the dog park, but the moment we step outside the starts pulling back. Nothing that I have done has helped him. I need advise! PLEASE HELP!!!
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Hello Kate, I have a 4month old male Jack Russell Terrier, who is literally a text book Jack Russell, he is the complete description of his breed. A ball full of energy, very intelligent. Wonderful puppy and in most cases a very good dog. Here is my one small problem, while I am away at work or if doing housework or something, I confine him to a small room that we can see in and he can see out of, his crate and water are there, one day one of his toys went under the closet door, of course he tried to digg it out, the door is awfully scratched and layers of wood have been pealed off. This is the issue, now he does this anytime I he is confined in that room, I tried putting his crate in front of the door, however he is quite stong and basically just moves it, the problem too is that he knows that I don’t want him to scratch it, and will do this for attention when I put him in there… any suggestions? I would hate to have to crate him all day while I am at work, the room is a great size for him, he is able to see everything, has fresh air and room to play if he wants. I am open to any suggestions. Thank you kindly, Heather
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Hi,
I have a rescue lab mix and we have had he for four years this xmas. She peed in the house through phases about 3 times a year… however since the begining of summer it is constant, she pees and poops in the house at night, every night. I need help before it comes to… us have to get rid of her.
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Hi Kate,
A couple of months ago my daughter and wife adopted a dog seems to me to have some Pit Bull in him. My Question is how do you keep this dog from biting constantly? He is a puppy I guess from his teeth. I give all kinds of chewing treats and he seems to be OK till I pet him for being good and he focuses on biting me HARD even when I turn my back he bites the hell out of my ankles and jumps all over my back.
I’ve said augh, egh and turned away and even left for a short period and the action still continues. Is there anything that can be done? I fear if he were to get out someone will be harmed by his nature.
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I have two king Charles and spaniel mixes that are litter mates. I made the mistake and let them on the bed and snooze with me one morning. They are not allowed in the bedrooms during the day when they are home alone, but now at night I have to put them in create to sleep because they don’t settle down and want to play all night. I also have to put them in crates because they no longer want to sleep on their beds, but in the bed with me. How can a break the habit of them getting on the bed without making them feel like they are doing something wrong. I have tried to tell them no and show them their bed, but the look they give me when I allowed it in the first place. Please help.
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Hi,
I have a 7 year old mixed breed dog. Shes a really good dog she listens to all her commands and always behaves herself untill we leave we cant even leave for an hour without her destroying anything close to her weve tried putting her in the hosue and shes tore up several doors and walls. We tried to crate her but she hurt herself breaking out twice. So then we started chaining her out only thing is anything she can reach she will destroy when she was tied in the botton of the yard she dug hug holes so we let her be able to reach the back porch she then tore the siding off the house flipped our grill upside down and tore the carepeting off the porch shes also managed to shred our snowmobile cover and destroy the screen door. We have no idea what to do we will leave her treats and bones and toys she doesnt acknowledge them at all she pretty much loses it when we leave. She knows shes been bad though because as soon as we get home she puts her tail between her legs and she wont look at you. What can we do my dad doesnt want to keep her anymore.
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Please help me. My dog Chiaki is a Belgian Tervueren.She is one of three dogs in my home. I am female.
My dog is very much a follower. Wherever I go in the house, she follows me. When I am anywhere she is no more than three feet from me. When I am sitting watching t.v., She lays on the fireplace hearth and comes up to touch my knee with her nose and the goes to lay down again. What does all this mean?
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I have a 3 year old blue heeler (just adopted), a 2 year old and a 15 year old cat. I want to adopt a Beagle that is 5 years old. I am concerned if the Beagle with their desire to pick up scents will harm the cats.
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I recently rescued a 13 yr old Pomeranian. Because of his age he has some health issues such as poor vision due to cataracts. I am concerned because he is acting very fearful of my wife and I. He will back away when we move toward him and will essentially curly into a defensive ball when you come upon him. However, once you pick him up his tension quickly resides and he is confortably enough to fall asleep on you. The second he walks away from you though he is back to his fearful behavior. I have a feeling that this behavior is due in part to a combination of his poor eyesight, age (senility), and past treatment. What can I do to help correct this behavior and allow him to live out the rest of his days in peace???
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I have a 7 month old baby boy and up until now my 7 year old jack russell has been fine with him, then the other day out of the blue she growled and snapped at him, this was not like her and it totally caught me off guard,although no damage was done i am now concerned about this and what it may lead too. can you help?
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Hu Kate,
I have a neighbor who has trained their dog to use the bathroom in my yard instead of their own mainly around the mail box area. They don’t think it is a problem. I have read of some products that can keep an animal away from your garden but reviews state that they last less than a week and can be expensive. Some friends have said to try black pepper. I don’t want to harm the dog in anyway. I just want to retrain it to stay out of my yard. Is there a product out there that can help?
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We have a 7 year old border collie that has become increasingly agressive towards my son over the past 2 years. We are at a point now that I do not trust the dog alone with my son. Brandy will growl, bare her teeth and lunge at my son. Last night she bit his shoe while we were out. We came home to a terified son and a strangely behaving dog. My son refers to her as psycho because she pins her ears back, lowers her head and has a fierce look in her eyes just before she becomes aggressive. If my wife or I are at home she does not behave this way. My son is 15 years old. Any advice you could give would be much appreciated.
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I have a 4 month old 3/4 Border Collie and 1/4 Blue Heeler mix. The other day I was noticing when My boyfriend and I were hugging on to each other and play acting messing around with each other she would seem to get overly jealous and start nipping and barking and jumping on one of us, but mostly me. She spends most of her time with both of us and his two daughters. I was wondering if I should be worried about this or is it a natural thing? Thanks!
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Any one have any idea how to stop my mini australian shepherd from running up to people on our walk madly barking? She is a very friendly little girl and would not hurt anyone but this certainly looks to others as aggressive. Thanks.
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