Adding A Second Dog: The First Few Weeks

Everything begins with thought, energy, intention that, when strong enough, seeks manifestation. Everything begins with that, and that is all what is left in the end. That is my personal believe regarding all aspects of existence, in physical life and afterwards.

So when adding a second dog began to dance around in my mind, again and again, I knew it was just a matter of time before the right one was going to appear.

The right dog, I was sure of and Mike felt equally strong about, would come in the form of a female blue merle Australian shepherd puppy, bred locally by our friends Lisa and Stephen, who are one of the most conscientious breeders and nicest people I know.

The pup hasn’t happened yet.
This dude has! 

The Connection: Bowie, at the time called Billy, instantly caught my eye at the Halifax Dog Expo in February. If you compare his markings with our beloved Aussie Davie’s 

who died three years ago and we’re still missing like crazy, you’ll understand why. On a side note, I always thought that Davie was a funky blue merle, but thanks to Bowie I learned that that particular coat color is its own: Tri-color Merle or Seal Merle – which one, looking at the dog, I haven’t figured out yet. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.

The Rescue: Bowie is a three-year-old male Border collie from Quebec who, due to personal circumstances, needed a new hook to hang his leash. Home to Stay Dog Rescue, who had a table at the Expo, helped him with that.

Bowie's appearance drew me in, his personality I got a feeling for watching him and chatting with Monique and Jim, his foster folks, was icing on the looks-cake, and I couldn’t get him out of my mind for the rest of the day, and filled out an application the next one.

Requirements adopters have to meet vary from rescue to rescue. With some, an unfenced yard, resident dogs unvaccinated or intact, even young children, lead to an automatic refusal. We do have the fenced yard, but don’t follow the traditional vaccination regime, and although Will is spayed, my opinion about blanket neutering also differs from the North-American norm.

Home to Stay asked about the yard but made it clear that it was not mandatory, didn’t mention neutering or vaccinations but wanted references, one from a veterinarian, a home check, and a bunch of general information how we’d plan to care for the dog.

I trust neither rescue nor breeder who doesn’t poke a bit into the life of someone who wants one of their dogs, so we didn’t mind answering the questions they had.

We were accepted.

Our Requirements: I love working with dogs and their humans. Seriously, humans too. Not always, but mostly my clients are caring, intelligent and open-minded people, albeit sometimes following bad advice.

I feel that I have the best job and truly enjoy every dog, regardless of breed and behavioral issues.

However, when it comes to living with one for a decade or longer, I am much more selective. I know what I want, what I am willing to work with, and what would be too taxing on us, particularly on 12-year-old Will.

One deal breaker is destructive separation anxiety in the house or car. We love to travel with dogs and often, weather permitting, combine walks in parks and beaches with shopping or a restaurant outing. And although our dogs are rarely left alone, someone being home all of the time is impossible.

The other deal breaker is if the dog’s behavior compromises Will’s welfare, which for the remainder of her earthly life is our priority. And Will is choosy. She enjoys a dog’s companionship, but becomes distressed when one is generally hyper or anxious, boisterous, pushy or klutzy, or relentlessly wants to play.

Bowie, according to what his foster parents observed, seemed like he could be a match. We arranged for a home visit.

The Intro:

A guest-dog is nothing new for Will: At one time we fostered, social events in our home often include dogs, and last year we cared for our friends’ Aussie and Border collie, respectively, when they were on vacation. 

Will’s typical behavior when a dog enters is to briefly block the entrance combined with a: “My home my rules” snarl. After that she accepts most, including around resources. Bowie she let in right away. No blocking, no snarl, no tension and no signal that would indicate distress.

Monique and Jim left Bowie with us for a couple of hours, and he curiously checked our place out, periodically looking at us for clues what this was all about - offered eye contact is what I want in a dog. He was neither pushy nor fearful, not overly interested in Will but motivated to join in little training games. When we settled on the couch, he settled beside us. But he was also ecstatic when his humans returned, and for that reason we didn’t want to keep him for a trial that day, to be left behind again. We planned to meet the following Saturday for a walk, and then would take Bowie home with us.

Going for a walk is my preferred way to introduce dogs, and the best case scenario is if they are aware of each other but largely ignore the other, casually moving in the same direction doing their own thing, perhaps getting a quick sniff in and then carrying on, with no or little cuing from people – self-directed behavior.

Although it was Bowie and Will’s second meeting, that’s exactly what happened. Walking together was a no-big-deal event, but we were still surprised that Will let him in the car so easily, and that they relaxingly shared the back seat on the one-hour drive home.

The Trial Period:

Will’s default way to deal with life’s troubles is to completely withdraw, pitiful, and with dogs that trouble her that typically presents itself after about two weeks. Hence, we asked if we could have a prolonged trial period during which we would also leave the dogs alone in the house and car, uncrated. Our request was generously granted. 

I know that this is not standard rescue and SPCA protocol, but I am wondering if, within reason, it should be. Naturally, the dog’s wellbeing is paramount and I am not suggesting to bounce a dog around from family to family until one eventually decides to adopt, but asking someone to commit to an adult dog without having the chance to get to know him a bit better in their own setting can be difficult, especially when there are other animals or young children to consider. Behaviors are a combination of nature, nurture and environment, and behaviors that aren’t obvious in a shelter or even a home-style foster place can surface in a new milieu with its individual dynamics.

The staying alone tests went without a hitch, but Bowie remained somewhat aloof around Will, even pushing into her space, once nose-punching when she came close to have her harness put on for a walk. He consistently marked on top of her every pee, rushed her at the door, and tried to block her when she wanted on the bed for morning cuddles.

Despite that, within a week we were certain that we wanted to go ahead with the adoption. Partly, because we didn’t observe anything that indicated a bite risk, partly, because Bowie was very responsive and easily redirected, but mainly, because his actions did not at all bother Will. Yes, it hadn’t been the typical two-week time frame yet, but her whole demeanor was different than with the other dogs before: She continued to solicit play and physical contact with Bowie, pushed back instead of retreating into her bubble, followed through with what she had intended to do – once peeing on his head when he pushed in while she marked with a raised leg, and generally seemed more alive and engaged.  

I was confident that with special efforts Will would continue to feel good about Bowie, and that Bowie could learn to perceive Will as a friend instead of a competitor. I made sure that her appearance announced affection, attention, fun games and treats for him and vice versa, and although Bowie will eventually also get a fancy 6+foot leather leash like Will has, for now he’s staying on the somewhat shorter one because that brings the dogs nicely parallel to each other on prolonged pleasurable walks: A forced team-building activity.

It works. Bowie still ignores Will’s play invitations, but he is much more space polite, shares the bed and waits for his turn without getting stressed and butting in.

What We Love Most About Bowie:  

That bonded with all of us. He greets Mike and me with the same exuberance when we return home, solicits affection, loves to snuggle up. He wants to be with us, and always checks in when off the leash. He is easy to handle, including brushing and nail clipping, and is completely safe, including around resources. Resource defending behavior wouldn’t be an unsolvable problem, but I admit that I do love a dog who trusts me around his loot. 

Will still enjoys Bowie, and seems to feel supported by his presence. She is altogether more relaxed, even at the veterinarian – gee, I hadn’t realized how much she wanted a canine companion. Bowie is also meshing with Will. Both dogs have begun to look for each other when off the leash, synchronize and share sniff and pee spots, and twice, when Will was charged by a neighbor’s dog, Bowie nuzzled her afterwards. It's subtle but it's sweet.

We love Bowie’s level of obedience. Someone must have trained him, because his response to come, stay, wait, sit, down, and distance down is consistent, instant and accurate, including around distractions and when he is aroused. Nevertheless, I don’t take any of it for granted at this point and continue to rehearse and reward.
We like that Bowie likes people. So far, he’s been friendly with every person who visited us, yep, even the mailman. People outside he typically ignores, but when invited is authentically friendly, not looking for treats but social attention. So far he also encountered children on bicycles, bouncing a basketball and running past him, joggers, a couple of cats, and horses and riders. He is aware, looks and processes for a moment, and then carries on. 
Bowie has an automatic on and off switch. He plugs in the moment we give him the impression that we’re ready for action, and whenever we are not he settles without needing an additional cue: Me working on the computer, us watching TV or eating dinner, is enough for him to recline. He also nicely self-regulates regarding toys. Like every dog in our home he has access to a toy basket stocked with a rope, things to chew, some soft flying objects, and a squeaky Guz ball. We love when a dog is enthusiastic about toys, and Bowie surely is, and initially we thought the ball might have to be a limited resource so that the squeaking noise wouldn't drive us nuts, but no: he is excited when we play, but settles with an “all-done” command, which he learned in a flash. 

He also learned: Leave, give (hand), drop-it (ground), over (step to the side), cross (the road), touch (hand), target (object), get-it (toy), keep-going (move forward), and is beginning to learn to put the toy back in the basket when we’re done playing, and to place his butt on a mat.

Bowie is brilliant. He catches on so quickly what we want. Do it once, and he’s got it.

Are there challenges?

Not so far, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any in the future. Humans have the silly expectation that a dog’s behavior, for a lifetime, is unchanging. Sure, there is a core personality, and to establish solid habits and behaviors should be every owner's goal, but dogs are alive and sentient beings, not machines.

Bowie is a Border collie, and there are things I particularly will keep an eye on, like loving something vs. being obsessed with it – the line can be fine. Bowie’s preferred activities all involve chasing after something: Ball, disc and squirrels, but he is not constantly pestering to play or standing at the door asking to be let out. He can be called back or stopped from a chase, and I can get him interested in another activity. Plus, after a session, he is content. In contrast, an obsession doesn’t leave a dog satisfied, but frenzied. Still, I will continue to vary his activities and introduce new stuff, so that we'll have a repertoire of things we like to do together, inside the house and outdoors.

The brilliance we love about Bowie can backfire. Brilliant dogs connect the dots quickly, then expect what should happen next, and anticipatory arouse with the first cue, or become frustrated and antsy when there is a delay. Sure enough, after about a week Mike’s customary arrival from work sometime between 4.15-4.30 caused Bowie to pace between door and window starting at about 3.45. One reason for that was the predictability that Mike would play with him right away. So we mixed up routine and consequence, and although Bowie still periodically looks out the window in the afternoon, he is much more relaxed.

I haven’t noticed a fixation toward light flickers, or noise anxiety, but Bowie is motion and sound sensitive, normal for his breed, and wants to act on impulse. However, he is easily interrupted, in fact, already begins to self-regulate because I reinforced when he didn’t follow through, but I need to stay aware. For instance, he didn’t try to chase cars until a few days ago, when the roads were wet and the sound amplified. The dogs were on the leash, and Bowie again easily interrupted when he lunged at the passing car, and reinforced generously when he shifted his focus. Since then cars haven't fazed him, until this morning when a slow-moving van left its driveway. We’ll continue to work on that.  

As much as I love Bowie’s obedience, I don’t like that he sometimes lays his ears back, tongue flicks and averts his head, seemingly afraid, and that he, at times, is also apprehensive when I try to teach him something new. With any dog, our aim is to accumulate a relationship bank account that is in the black, like Susan Friedman says and here is her must-read article, and thus Bowie gets food, attention and affection with no strings attached, we play a lot, I provide information when he is nervous, and there is no training pressure. I am sure that as he experiences that life is predictably good and safe, and that it’s okay to make a mistake, he’ll become more confident.

Dogs have a different meaning for Bowie than humans. He is not as chilled, but arouses, not with barking sounds, but when he smells or sees one. He pulls to get to where they've been to sniff and mark, and in the first couple of weeks either exaggeratedly avoided or charged up to a dog we encountered on the walk. On home ground, he nose-punched our neighbor's boisterous but sweet wheaten terrier when I greeted her, and he was tense and growly with my friend’s two Border collies. I am not in a knot when a dog refuses to share a resource because it is normal, not bad, behavior - when was the last time you welcomed a person you didn’t invite - but we worked on it.

We haven’t had a canine guest since, but on walks Bowie has begun to look at me when he sees a dog and then follows my cues, mostly leave and keep-going. We had a few appropriate greetings with neighborhood dogs, and he was perfect when we met a friend and her Portuguese water dog Sophie for a long walk in an off-leash multiuse trail park, which is, by the way, quite possibly my favorite activity. Surprisingly, he showed no possessive behaviors when I treated and paid attention to Sophie, and although he didn’t play with her or any of the dogs we met, all his social interactions were normal. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot: Bowie pulls on the leash. That’s okay, though. I never had great leash manners with any of our dogs, and yes, I know how to teach it, but frankly prefer to spend time doing stuff more important to me.

Pawsitively Matched

We’ve had Bowie for a little more than a month and we're still discovering each other, but can’t imagine life without him. Not an Aussie, but nearly perfect and perfect for us.

As a bonus, he is a rescue. Personally, I believe that getting a dog from a caring breeder is as conscientious as supporting rescue, and adopting Bowie doesn’t rule out any future sassy female Aussie pup, but I must admit providing a home to an adult dog that needed one feels good. Then again, that is not quite true because he already had a wonderful place with his foster parents, who were about to become foster failures.

I am glad they didn’t.

Teaching a Dog to Give on Cue

We recognize that animals have the right to defend themselves and their possessions. No one watching a nature show on TV, or wildlife in their own back yard, would think it unreasonable or abnormal when an animal chases another away from its food source. No one would label that animal bad, aggressive, dominant or unpredictably dangerous.

We consider a person who acts in self-defense to be within his right, and our law, in theory anyway, protects us from thieves.

When it comes to dogs, though, our perception changes. We expect from our canine companion that he relinquishes any possession to any human without objection. 
But just because we expect and wish it, doesn’t mean it works that way. It doesn't because it is against nature. Dogs, like every other species, will protest if someone they understand as an opponent attempts to take something that is important to them.

People, including the owner, become opponents when they forcefully wrangle a possession out of a dog’s mouth. The dog experiences loss at the literal hand of the person, and if he is confident enough will become guarded and offensive the next time the hand reaches for his mouth. Normally, a dog would give a warning first, but if that is futile, may bite.

The problem is that with our owned dogs, realistically in a lifetime, there will be situations where we must take something away - something that could harm him or a valued possession of ours he's snatched. 

The solution: To convince the pooch that giving is better than keeping.  

Chirag Patel is a trainer and behavior expert from the UK, and very generous in sharing his wisdoms. I love his "drop-it" clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndTiVOCNY4M
You can find out more about Chirag, including more video clips, at www.domesticatedmanners.com

Another option is to play the trade up game.

First, identify 10 things - 10 is a good number but not edged in stone - your dog is interested in. It should include different foods, toys and chewy/bone type items. 
Establish a hierarchy, staggered from lowest to highest value as perceived by your dog and keep in mind that that could vary, and then orchestrate training sessions with all items handy and under your control.

Begin by offering a lower valued toy. A toy is best because you want your dog to hold on to it for a few moments, so food won’t work and a bone or chewy is typically higher up the value hierarchy.

Let your dog enjoy it for about 15-20 seconds, and then wave something in front of him he cares a little more about. That part is crucial. Your dog must want what you have more than what he has. Kibble in exchange for a bone is not going to cut it. 
There is a segment in Dr. Patricia McConnell’s DVD “Reading Between the Lines” of an adolescent retriever whose owner, following the advice of her previous trainer, insisted he give up a toy. She threw some kibble to persuade him, which he ignored cause he wanted to keep the toy, and he gave his human plenty of warning signals that he did, which the person ignored. Aggression increasingly escalated, and if I remember correctly, the dog was eventually euthanized.

So remember to trade up. If you get it right, your dog will open his mouth to grab the better thing you offer, and in the process drop what he already has, and that’s when you attach the give command. Repeat, and end with giving your dog something of high value he can keep. 

A variation is to have an identical toy stored away you’d retrieve and play with when your dog has his. Talk to it, toss it in the air, be animated, pretend you are having great fun while not paying any attention to your dog and his toy. Chances are that he will want in on your game, and drop his toy in order to play with yours. When he does, attach your cue, and play with him for a few moments.

If your dog likes toys, but is also super motivated by food, play chase’n’grab.

Securely attach a toy to an about 6 feet long rope, then drag it behind you. Almost every dog’s interest is instantly keened when something is in motion, and he’ll try to catch it. When he is about to grab it, say get, stop moving, and toss a high valued treat. A flying treat is likely to get your dog's attention and he'll pounce after it, releasing the toy. Again, say give when he does it, let him have the food treat, and repeat, repeat, repeat... 

Fast repetitive motion sequences are a lot of fun for a dog, and releasing the toy becomes doubly rewarding: he gets a piece of delectable food and the game goes on. The dog experiences that releasing something prey-like has a pay off, and he also practices to release when in a somewhat aroused state.

Once giving on command is a habit, you don’t need the treats any longer. Continuation of the game is the sole reinforcement.

End the game with untying the toy and handing it over, or giving him another.

If you identify your dog’s hierarchy of motivators correctly, and if you practice often and with a variety of items, and if you manage dog and environment accordingly to prevent that he gets hold of something inappropriate until you established a solid give, you should never be in a position of confrontation.

If you made a mistake and your dog filched something, don’t force it away and risk a bite. Try to find something better to trade up.

Think twice before you chase your dog. Running away with a possession can be a strong play chase invitation, and if you race after your dog you reinforce him for running away with something that belongs to you, and he’ll be on the lookout for the next thing to pilfer if he wants to play chase. So, even if it’s your new Italian leather pump he’s got, keep cool: Get his attention with a high-pitched excited voice and snappy body movements, and when you have it coax him to come to you, trade for one of his toy, and then play with him. Your dog will learn to initiate play with his toy. Nothing wrong with playing chase, but only with established rules: Your toys only and you need to come when called.

If your pup has something he could keep, sometimes give the original item back after you traded and played a bit. A dog who experiences that bringing you stuff doesn’t always mean that he loses it, and gets something rewarding on top, will bring you anything, including something dead he nosed out on a hike. 

Releasing something that is already in da gob is a tough thing for dogs to do. And for people too, by the way. It is called loss aversion. 

Giving something important to a human on request is a trust, not a dominance issue. With a puppy, we can build that trust right from the start. With an older dog who experienced loss at the hands of humans in his past, it can take some time, but with patience and practice, and above ideas, every dog can learn to give on cue.

The Crate Debate

Nothing like a good discussion on social media, eh?

Seriously, I like a good debate, whether online or in person. I like the mental fitness, it makes me think, drives me.

There is no shortage of topics that evoke strong, opposite polar opinions in the dog world. That is probably true for any other world, but the dog crowd is the one I am traveling in.

Neutering, diet, snoot-loop harnesses, rescue, breeders, training methods, are all contentious issues.

Add crating to that list.

Crates are widely promoted in North America, but not so much in some other countries, and banned at least in one: Sweden.

Does it surprise you that something that is such an accepted norm here is not popular, even illegal, elsewhere? Perhaps not so surprising if one sees the ugly side of a tool that makes it easy for people to neglect their dog’s needs.

A Border collie was euthanized when he was 10 months old because he was insane - compulsively had chewed half his tail off. He belonged to a busy family and was kept in his crate for most of the day and all night.

Two littermate Australian shepherds, acquired by a trainer when they were 8 weeks old for the sole purpose of competing in dog sports, were kept in separate crates unless they trained. At age 18 months both were surrendered to the humane society. Stated reason: Performed below expectation. The male became my client, nice dog, but socially inept.

Two adult dogs, very bonded who enjoyed each other’s company, played and snuggled, had free run of the house when their people were at work all day. Problems arose when they, to deal with barking at passersby, were suddenly placed in separate crates during the day, and as part of a Nothing in Life is Free protocol, also whenever the owners weren’t actively interacting with them.

Granted, above examples may be isolated cases, but others aren’t.

Dogs who, in an attempt to get out, bend wires and injure their gums, teeth, or paws.

Dogs that are so distressed that they vocalize unceasingly, soil their crate, drool excessively, or can’t be left with any comfort – a blanket, bed, or mat, because they destroy it.

Despite the ugly side, I want to state unequivocally that I do not want to see crates banned here, because I believe that when used caringly they can benefit both people and dogs. For example raising a puppy.

No doubt, house training is difficult when the pup’s space is not restricted. Of course it doesn’t have to be a crate. An ex-pen or a certain room can do, and with my puppies I also used the leash quite a bit – umbilical corded the pup to me, or attached her to a long line looped around a piece of furniture when I had to make a quick trip to another room. Obviously, the crate or any other space restricting measure only works if the pup is given ample opportunities to pee and poop outside, otherwise she learns to eliminate in her sleeping and living space. The general rule of thumb is age in months plus/minus an hour, but in reality young puppies typically have to go more often during waking hours, some every half hour or so.

A more valid reason for using a crate with a pup is for safekeeping, to prevent that she gets into something that could harm her when she can’t be closely supervised – in the house and in the car.

A pup safely in the crate buys new owners time to do people-only things. I recently had a client where this worked wonderfully: There were critical times during the day when they were busy, and because their excellent breeder had linked the crate with naps early on, it was a cue for the pup to settle. Not only did it function during the critical times, but also when the pup was too wound up and couldn’t settle anywhere else, and in addition she was quiet riding in the car, even on longer trips.

To me, napping and resting is the primary purpose of a crate - stimulation and enrichment happens outside of it. When the crate is that familiar and felt as safe retreat, it can be that for a lifetime, and that is very handy in circumstances when the dog needs a getaway place.

Even though our own puppies were only crated during the night, with the crates stationed in our bedroom, I am pro crate when it comes to pups. It is almost a must to keep the pup safe and owner sane.

A good breeder introduces the crate in a way that it doesn’t produce fear and anxiety. With luck, by the time the pup enters her new home she goes in willingly. Nevertheless, the owner should continue to combine crate time with good things.

With an adult dog, I feel differently. Going in the crate should be choice, optional, with the door open or removed, or it becomes a bad thing - a trap.

At what age does the change happen? Obviously, when the pup is reliably housetrained and trustworthy not to get into trouble or get hurt. Unfortunately, there is no general guideline when that is, it depends on the dog. During the day, three of ours were around 5 months old when they signaled that they had to go out, and fairly consistently searched the toy box for entertainment, leaving our stuff alone, but with some dogs, often retrievers, giant breeds and bullies, that can take a lot longer, up to a year, even 18 months.

At night, the crate door was closed until our pups were about a year old. When we left it open, Will continued to go in well into adulthood, but Davie was happy to kiss the crate good-bye for good. Despite our attempts to make it a positive experience, she never liked it.

Davie’s strong dislike being crated is not uncommon, and I want lay owners to understand that: Their dog rejecting and resisting the crate is neither abnormal, nor did they fail.

There are dogs who, regardless how many training games you play, continue to perceive a crate as aversive.  

Despite popular belief, dogs are not den animals, but whether they are or not is actually irrelevant because it is all about choice. One of the Five Freedoms that define acceptable animal welfare is Freedom to Express Normal Behaviors, and it is not normal for any animal to be caged for most of their life, and whenever they are not operant or their actions otherwise controlled. To express normal behavior is to have some autonomy over one’s movements, to find stimulation and enrichment, and choose where to hang out and relax. If that’s the crate, wonderful, but if the dog is forced in, it causes distress and creates anxiety, and Freedom from Fear and Distress is another criteria for animal welfare that is then not met. 

Anxiety doesn’t magically dissipate when the crate door opens. Initial pressure release is played out in exuberant, out-of-control jumping, mouthing and general rowdiness, but biochemically stress lingers and, if the dog is presented with her stressor regularly, accumulates. Biochemically, stress can become chronic, and cause a host of other issues. 

Karen L. Overall, in “The Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine” writes: “Dogs that do not go willingly into their crate and are happy to be in there should not be contained in crates”.

Note that you don’t always get the strong, obvious signals: The destruction, self-mutilation, unceasing howling, or soiling. Tension, being clamped up, scratching the door, appeasement signals, whining, bucking, not coming when called and moving away, are subtler ones that tell you that your dog doesn’t want to be in there.

I am well aware that that can put people who have dogs with behavioral problems in a bind. A crate is often suggested to deal with separation anxiety and dog-dog aggression, but in both cases rarely provide a solution.

A dog who has separation anxiety often soils the house, chews door and window frames, or eats through drywall, and naturally a crate prevents that. But the anxiety is still there, and that is when you get the gum lesions, broken teeth, bent wires and injured paws – and vocalizing that can get you evicted in a rental even if the dog is not destroying the apartment.

One of our foster dogs had severe separation anxiety. We are not talking about leaving the house, but leaving the room briefly. We typically tagged him along, but it was not always possible because at the time we also ran a business out of our home. Whenever we were out of his field of view, he screamed in panic and exploded in body fluids, and the only benefit the crate offered was that only the area around it had to be cleaned and not the whole room.

With two other fosters who had mild anxiety crating made it worse: Left in it, they howled and soiled, when left outside there were minor scratch marks at the door and some whining that quickly passed, but no other destruction, no soiling, no prolonged vocalization.

Resource guarding is another problem why people might use a crate, but that is also only managed, not solved. Granted, sometimes managing makes the most sense. In a multi-dog household, feeding each dog in her crate is easiest and can instill resource security for all. However, when there is serious animosity between dogs, food is typically not the only thing that triggers aggression. Anything can be contested: A toy, a stick or garbage outside, food accidentally dropped, space, and people and their attention, and what do you do then? What do you do when the dogs are outside their crates and the root of the problem has never been addressed?

In addition, the crate only prevents injuries, but the intimidation and fear continues through the crates, and causes distress in all dogs involved.  

Getting the dog used to being crated to simplify air travel or a stay at the veterinarian is another point people bring up, but the problem is that if you pop an anxious of the crate dog in daily you are not desensitizing but flooding, with the result that she becomes more sensitized rather than getting used to it.

So, what is the take-away message?

That a statement that says that crating is cruel and abusive is just as precarious as the blanket belief that it is good for all dogs.

Crating or not depends on the individual. Not the individual person, but the dog. Owners could, and with a pup should, aim for their dog to feel good in a crate, but there is no guaranty that the adult will like it, and in that case how the dog feels needs to trump. In real life, for the short term crating might be unavoidable, but the frequency and duration should be as minimal as possible, and for the long term, an alternate solution ought to be explored.

Halt, Beep-Beep and Other Useful Commands

Below are a few commands you might not learn in your basic obedience class, but I find very useful in everyday life with my dogs. 

Halt means: Don’t continue to move in the direction you are going, but stand still and stay there till I get to you.

Halt is different from, and in addition to, stay: It always comes from motion, whereas stay is to maintain a certain position.

The purpose? For some dogs shifting their attention completely away from a stimulus, and walking away to return to the owner, is difficult.
Yes, in an ideal world you would have a 100% recall before letting the pooch off the leash, but realistically 100% anything in life is rare. Let's not forget that we intentionally bred and breed dogs that require that they, although still mentally connected to the handler, hold steady and keep their eyes on the job. 
And we have fearful dogs who, like us, won't want to turn their back on what is worrisome. Humans are compelled to maintain visual control over what makes them queasy - unless they trust the person they are with absolutely.

Halt allows your dog to keep looking, but it freezes him in place until you can regain physical control.

This is how you'd train it:

During a leash walk, and as usual begin where there are no distractions, periodically stop and halt your dog. Reinforce when he stands still, and continue the walk with a let’s go.

Once your dog has linked halt with stop moving, say it when he is a little ahead of you, and reinforce generously when you catch up. Gradually, practice in more distracting areas, and also increase the distance your dog is in front.

Halt becomes solid if it precedes any kind of fun, including long leash or off leash freedom. Please note that your dog doesn't have to sit or make eye contact, because we use the command exactly when he is too focused on something in the environment to be able to shift his focus.

Don’t forget to rehearse at the dog park, sometimes releasing back into play, sometimes clipping the leash on and inviting your dog to play with you, sometimes bringing food out and sometimes throwing a ball. Make the consequence of halting and waiting till you get there always rewarding, and it will become a cue that reliably stops your dog in his tracks whenever you need him to.

Beep-Beep - like a truck - means: Back up 

How to train it:

Gently and playfully - you want to be loose and casual not challenging and forceful - walk into your dog’s space. If he trusts you and feels safe, he’ll likely back up slightly. Name that behavior and reinforce it. You’ll be surprised how quickly your dog catches on, and then, with a continued beep-beep-beep… incrementally back him up farther and farther: across the room, the training hall, a field.

That works for most dogs, but if yours doesn’t give you an inch, or becomes scared and evades dispiritedly, only approach to the point where he's still relaxed, toss a treat straight behind him, and add the cue as he moves to get it. Let him experience first that the verbal beep-beep is fun, and then you’ll be able to get closer and closer, and he’ll eventually back up as you walk in.

Another hurdle, fairly common these days, might be that your dog sits as a default when you walk toward him, and firmly holds it. You might have to undo that first and reinforce standing for a bit before you can teach backing up.

Purposes:

To direct your dog away when you enter with your hands full of groceries or the baby in your arms.

For children to cue the dog away from their body.

An alternate behavior to jumping – the attention seeking dog gets interaction, but it is structured and cued by you, and he gets to move, which makes beep-beep intrinsically rewarding.

It can jog a dog’s memory when an adult/child/crawling toddler encroaches in his space and he is mentally stuck what to do, or when the fearful dog is too close to a person, loses courage and tenses up. Ensure that your dog always has room to back away.

I recently had a case in which one of three dogs in the home perceived the other two as resource competitors and defended whatever he deemed important at the moment. For safety reasons, whenever the treats came out all dogs were leash managed, except when I taught beep-beep. The leashes could come off because the dogs were rewarded for increasing distance to each other, and learned that backing away was more fun than butting in, which relaxed the resource insecure dog.

Beep-Beep is yet another cue I can use to help my dog when she’s in conflict, and one to direct her into an appropriate action without increasing arousal or anxiety.

You can even engage in a back and forth beep-beep dance where you'd back up your dog, and then you back up and he follows you. It can help you teach leash manners because most dogs follow closer when their human walks backward. Whenever your dog enthusiastically follows and is mentally connected, do a 180 and likely he'll walk right beside you for a few steps, then switch and walk backward again to maintain his attention, gradually increasing the steps you walk normally.

Plus, a well-rehearsed beep-beep dance can function as an emergency turn and walk away from a trigger your dog might overreact to.

There are a couple more commands we use in day-to-day life I want to share with you: Forward, Over and Behind Me.

Forward means: Put your pretend blinders on and keep going straight ahead. I use it on trails, when Will is off the leash and when she encounters a situation she doesn’t quite know what to do with. I am not talking about fear or tension, but more like a “now what?” situation. For Will, that could be a crowd of dogs, or several people off their bicycles chatting. Forward tells her: Ignore and move on.

We also use forward as a directional to help our dogs locate a toy when we play hide and seek games, and to get them moving when they stop on a narrow path, or tell them to go ahead of us on stairs.

We taught the cue by capturing the behavior on walks, tossing a treat to get them to move straight ahead, and also by softly bumping into their back end on narrow trails to move them along – and reinforcing it when they did.

Over means: step to the side to let other trail users pass. I taught it by naming the behavior when guiding the dogs over on the leash, or whenever they naturally curved out to avoid something they weren't so sure about. 

Behind means: get right behind me and follow. Like forward, well rehearsed it can help you move your dog through crowds when he's a little uneasy, but we mostly use it to get ours past mud puddles. I train it with a treat behind my back and an animated duck-style gait, both tempting my dogs to file up right behind me. Periodically, I release the treat, and gradually navigate around more, and different, obstacles.

All-Done and Later: The Dog's Off Switch and Not Now Signals

Imagine someone you like, a friend or your partner, invites you to do something together. While you are at it, suddenly and without a word, s/he disengages and walks away. Would you be: Confused? Frustrated? Conflicted? Worried? Follow to draw out why s/he has left? What will happen next? Maybe coax him or her to continue with the pleasurable interaction you enjoyed moments ago?
That scenario is exactly what many dogs are confronted with. The human invites the dog, by calling her name or any other understood start-up signal, to a mutual activity. Unless it involves force and pain, the dog is likely excited about spending quality time with her person, and then, at one point and without announcement, the human decides to end it: He stops throwing the ball, withdraws attention and eye contact, disconnects mentally and perhaps walks away, leaving the dog clueless what will happen next.
Like it would with you, that generates frustration and confusion, and like you, the dog wants to continue what felt good, and might paw her person, nose jab or mouth, whine or bark, or brashly shove herself in between if her person is attending to another dog, or child, or hugging his partner. Any of these behaviors typically prompts a reaction, and in that context any kind of attention is reinforcing, and that means that the dog will paw, bark, mouth… again to get attention and re-ignite an interaction.

Dogs who act like that often get the dominant label, but wrongly so; Demanding attention, even rudely, has nothing to do with dominance, but everything with what the dog has learned works to get attention.
Ignoring the dog is an option and often the advice trainers give, but in reality many owners find it difficult, if not impossible, to ignore a persistent dog's inappropriate attention getting behaviors and expressions of increasing frustration that result when the attention isn't manifesting. 
An important piece of information, a specific cue that announces that you are about to disengage and that no more reinforcements are going to be coming from you until further notice, can help. I use a verbal all-done, followed with a hand signal, and I completely ignore my dog thereafter.

Here's the hitch: A cue is only useful when it's known, and until then the dog will likely display the above-mentioned undesired behaviors because she is still frustrated and confused, and still wants to continue the activity. If she is determined enough, most owners will still respond, so we’re back at square one.
To prevent that, I initially sandwich one thing in between telling my dog that I am about to end the interaction and ignoring her: I direct her to the toy box I spiked with treats, or a filled Kong, or something else yummy or novel, prior. My goal is to make self-entertainment attractive after the all-done, the signal that provides clarity that I am going to do human only stuff for some time. If successful, chances are that looking for stimulation in the toy box eventually becomes a self-directed behavior.
Once your dog knows all-done and moseys on instead of pestering you, use it in various contexts. Naturally, she might not always choose the toy box, but sometimes just hang out nearby, or when you end an interaction outside, sniff or play with a stick, and that’s okay too.

The off switch cue is the opposite to name attention, the dog’s on switch. Binary information makes the world comprehensible for your dog, and thus lowers frustration and arousal and its undesired expressions.
You are not disconnecting without an explanation, leaving a social companion in a mental vacuum and confused about you, but rather you are giving your dog the same courtesy you’d give a human partner. Thus, teaching all-done is important for your relationship.
And it comes handy in a training class between exercises: With your dog in signaled disengagement, you can pay attention to the instructor. Of course you could also command a mat stay, but I like to allow my dog to do as she pleases within the 6-foot leash range. With all-done she can stand, move a bit, or sniff - just not bug me.


A related informational cue I use daily is later.
I like to be the one who ends an interaction, but my dogs can surely solicit for one. When bored, or when they think it’s time for us to play or go for a walk, they saunter in, or make eye contact, wag their tail and maybe bow or stretch. Looking for attention from a group member is normal social behavior, not dominance, and I don’t want to ignore it because that too triggers frustration and messes with the relationship I want with my dog. Especially soft and polite behaviors I want to reinforce, but I also respond to a bark or whine cause a dog snubbed when she needs something will in all likelihood turn the volume up till she is heard.
However, realistically I don’t always have time to jump into action right away: I might be expecting a phone call, or am in a train of thought, or answering an email, or trapped in a book’s chapter.
Later, followed with a non-verbal “in five” hand signal – you know, the spread five fingers and palm out one – communicates that “I am unavailable at the moment, but feel free to check back in a little while”. With later I acknowledge my dog and connect while buying time for me. By giving clear information I, again, avoid that my dog becomes frustrated.
In the beginning, later might only give you a couple of seconds before your dog checks back, and you might have to, much like the beginning stages of all-done, guide her into an alternate action to help her understand, but with practice, and unless something is urgent, eventually later can mean you get to do your own thing for another ½ hour or so.
When the dog solicits again, you can give another later or oblige, which is what I usually do cause seriously, if I don’t have a few minutes to spend with my dog, and especially after she’s been so patient, why have a dog in the first place.