Dear Cathy: My boyfriend has two two-year-old brother-and-sister “pomapoos.” They sleep with him every night. He walks them sometimes in the middle of the night when one of the dogs scratches at him to go out. His sleep is, therefore, interrupted regularly. Is there anything he can do to train them to be on a more regular schedule and sleep in a different place than on his bed? — Rena, Durham, North Carolina
Dear Rena: Make sure your boyfriend is not feeding them too close to bedtime. Feed them early in the evening so there is time for them to relieve themselves before bed. Also, please do not give them any long-lasting chew treats within two hours of bedtime, as some of these treats can make a dog very thirsty, forcing them to drink more right before bedtime. At bedtime, stay outside with them for an extra five minutes. Often, we rush dogs inside once we see them pee, but dogs sometimes pee several times in different locations before they are done.
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Your boyfriend should also teach the dogs to “wait.” During the day, when the dogs signal they need to go out to relieve themselves, he should tell them to “wait” and then wait a few seconds or minutes before letting them out. At night, when he is awakened, he can now tell them to wait. The dogs are likely woken up when he moves around, and if he asks them to wait just a few minutes, they may settle down and go back to sleep. If they continue to wake him, though, he will have to get up and take them outside.
Teaching the dogs to sleep in another spot on the bed involves moving them to that spot until they get the hint. It might be easier to get some plush dog beds and train them to sleep on them instead. These beds can be moved to different rooms in the house during training and will ensure that no one wakes the other at night.
Dear Cathy: Can you explain why our two two-year-old “Shitz Poo” littermates, while on a leash walking through our neighborhood and upon seeing a rabbit and making a quick lunge toward the rabbit, immediately turn to fight each other? I'm puzzled! — Jan, West Hartford, Connecticut
Dear Jan: What you are witnessing is misdirected aggression, which is when a dog (or cat) gets frustrated when they can't reach something that has aroused them, in this case, the rabbit, and they turn that frustration onto a target they can reach, which, in this case, was each other.
Training your dogs to walk on a leash (heeling) and making eye contact with you when you say their names can reduce these occurrences. Start by training them inside the house with no distractions, then training them outside with a few distractions, and then training them around many distractions. Having good control of them can prevent sudden lunging and reduce their reaction to the source of their arousal or excitement.
Dear Cathy: We have a blue heeler/kelpie mix who refuses to walk on shiny wood floors, stays on the carpeted area, and then whines and cries as he wants to join the family. We had no problems until he wore a cone after getting neutered and started bumping into things. He is the sweetest pup who loves to be in the middle of the family. — MaryAnn, Roslyn, New York
Dear Roslyn: When dogs wear a cone, they tend to keep their head down and bump into things. Somehow, your pup associates the floor with that experience. Most does grow out of something like this, but if he continues to do this, you must train him that the wood floor is OK to walk on. This involves tossing high-value treats onto the floor to encourage him to step onto it. Let him know your approval when he does and toss a few more treats. Please make sure the treats land in the same area so he doesn't have to move across the floor to get them. Also, if there is another dog in the house, place them in another room so there is no fighting over the food.
In time and with training, he should learn to be less wary of the floor. If, after six months, he is not much improved, buy a few carpet runners to help him get around or consider getting him a pair of doggie shoes with grips (if he will wear them) to make it easier for him to walk across the floor.
