Yaghi, Modular Chemistry:  Secondary Building Units as a Basis for the Design of Highly Porous and Robust Metal−Organic Carboxylate

All aggressive behavior has an underlying cause or motivation. You need to figure out the motivation in order to eliminate the aggression. If you cannot figure it out or create a plan you can carry out to successfully eliminate the aggression, you must call an animal behaviorist to help you before someone gets seriously hurt.

Fear-Motivated Aggression: Fear-motivated aggression is a defensive reaction and occurs when a dog believes he is in danger of being harmed. Remember that it’s your dog’s perception of the situation, not the actual situation, which determines your dog’s response. For example, you may raise your arm to throw a ball, but your dog may bite you because he believes he’s protecting himself from being hit. A dog may also be fearfully aggressive when approached by other dogs. Most aggression seen in dogs is based on fear.

Protective, Territorial, and Possessive Aggression (Guarding Resources):

Protective, territorial, and possessive aggression are all very similar, and involve the defense of valuable resources – home, toys, food, owner and family. Territorial aggression is usually associated with defense of property, and that “territory” may extend well past the boundaries of your yard. For example, if you regularly walk your dog around the neighborhood and allow him to urine-mark, he may think his territory includes the entire block. Protective aggression usually refers to aggression directed toward people or animals who are perceived by the dog as threats to his family, or pack. Dogs become possessively aggressive when defending their food, toys, or other valued objects, including items as peculiar as tissues stolen from the trash or owner’s purse.

Redirected Aggression: This is a relatively common type of aggression but one that is often misunderstood by pet owners. If a dog is somehow provoked by a person or animal he is unable to attack, he may redirect this aggression onto someone else.

For example, two family dogs may become excited, and bark and growl in response to another dog passing through the front yard; or two dogs confined behind a fence may turn and attack each other because they can’t attack an intruder.

Dominance Aggression: Dominance aggression is motivated by a challenge to a dog’s social status or to his control of a social interaction. Dogs are social animals and may view their human families as their social group or “pack.” Based on the outcomes of social challenges among group members, a dominance hierarchy or

“pecking order” is established.

19 Two Things to Do to Avoid Aggression

When you have an aggressive dog, you need to do two things:

Ø Become the pack leader Ø Socialize your dog

How to Become Pack Leader

Every human in your household has to become higher in the pack than the dog. This is not mean, nor does it mean being dominating. It is simply using body language to help the dog understand that the humans are higher in the pack order than he is. He can still be friends with everyone and may even sleep with you or one of your children, but only on the humans’ terms. This is especially important with breeds or individual dogs who are prone to aggression.

Here are some things to remember:

1. Do not tolerate growling or barking or talking back. (Teach your dog

“Quiet.” See below.) Talking back must be dealt with swiftly by placing him in a room away from you and gating the room so he cannot get to you. This is a time out just as you would do with a child. If he barks, growls, or talks back, use a shake can (coffee can with coins in it) and say “NO” sharply and pick him up and take him to the bathroom or whatever is his time out room (not his crate since it is a “safe” place) and shut him there for 15 minutes. When he comes back out, repeat the procedure when he does it again. If growling and barking are done when the dog is on a piece of furniture, he must not be allowed on the furniture.

2. Never allow any biting or nipping or mouthing. Use a shake can (coffee can or bottle with coins in it), then say sharply or gruffly, “No bite.” If you have to repeat it, take him to a time out place as above.

3. Never let your dog(s) go through a door ahead of you. You may have to put your dog on a leash and keep him right with you as you go about the house. If he runs ahead of you into a room, pull him back and make him “sit”

and “wait” and then make him “heel” to go through the door.

4. All attention that is given to the dog is on the human’s schedule and not the dog’s schedule. Do not let the dog tell you when to play by pushing a toy at you. Always say “not now” and make the dog lie down. Then, if you are willing to play, release the dog (say “free”) and send him to get the toy to play, using a command like “get your toy.” Games of fetch or any play should be started and ended by the human.

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5. Beware of playing “tug-of-war” with your dog. This allows him to become dominant. It also loosens his teeth. It allows him to “win” and teaches him to growl and to pull objects away from you and run away with them, refusing to drop them on command. These are all bad behaviors. It also reinforces biting and barking behaviors.

6. Teach your dog “Give” or “Drop It.” Practice by giving the dog a toy or ball (or throwing it for them). Make the dog “sit” and then say “Give” and take the object out of the dog’s mouth. If he jumps up and runs away with the object or growls or holds on very tightly, you must enforce the “give” by getting the dog and bringing him and the object back to you and putting him on a sit (with his leash on). Pinch his nostrils closed so he has to breathe through his mouth and say “give” and take the object. He must learn to “bring” and to “give” on command.

7. Do not let your dog sleep in your bed. This signals to him that he is Alpha.

You can give him a bed in your bedroom, but make him sleep in his bed.

Otherwise, he is shut out of your bedroom, preferably in his crate. If the puppy is under 6 months, he should be sleeping in a crate at night anyway.

Once he reaches six months, you could substitute a dog bed for the crate for sleeping.

8. Do not let your dog jump at you or anyone else. Jumping up on you is a dominance issue with a dog. Do not let a 65-pound Retriever jump on you, and do not let your 5-pound Chin jump on you. Teach him the “floor”

command and enforce it. (See page 42)

9. And if he is a small dog, don’t let him jump into your lap when you are sitting down (watching TV, working at the computer, visiting, eating) until you have given him permission. That means that if he jumps in your lap, you must set him down off your lap and say very firmly “NO” and hold him on the floor for a full minute. Then say “come up” (you could pat your lap and say “ok”) to give him permission and let him come up on your lap. He must always look at you and ask permission and be granted permission before coming up. If you allow him to sit on the couch next to you, use the same “permission granting” procedure. He must know that you own your lap, your chair, and your couch and you sometimes permit him to share them. At no time should he be allowed to growl or to snap at a person or dog while he is on your lap. Again, you may need to use a time out if a “NO” does not work.

10. Dogs are not allowed to eat when people eat. Feed the dog at one or two specific times (the same every day). Make him wait until you put the bowl down and say “Eat your food” before he eats. He needs your permission. Do not ever give him food from your table while you are sitting at the table. If, after you have eaten and cleared the table, you want to put a bite in his bowl, that is okay, but again he must be given permission to touch it. In many cases, it is advisable to not let the dog into the room where the people are eating. Feed him before you start to prepare your food or after you have finished eating.

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11. Do not greet the dog immediately when you enter the house. Ignore the dog at first. After laying down anything you’ve brought in, then greet the dog in a low-key manner. If he tends to jump up to greet you, you may kneel to greet him.

12. If the dog is lying in your walking path through the house, make him get up and move. If he is standing in your lap in a proud manner, make him sit or lie down or put him on the floor. Never have a staring contest with your dog. If your eyes do meet, he must look away or blink first.

Being the pack leader is not being mean to your dog. It does not necessitate yelling at your dog or smacking your dog. Do not hold his head, pinch his ears, or shake any part of his body at any time. Your body language will tell your dog that you are the leader.

Each person in the household must project pack leader body language – even fairly young children can be taught to work with the dog in this way. All humans are above dogs in our packs.

How to Socialize Your Dog

If you get your puppy from a breeder, the breeder should have started socialization with him. Whether he has had a good foundation laid or not, you need to really work with your dog on socialization. This is the basis for all good behavior. It is a fun way to spend time with your dog, yet make a big difference in his knowing your expectations. It will also give you several ways to observe how your dog reacts to various situations.

When you take your puppy out of your home and yard, people will want to pet it and make over it. Unfortunately, all puppies seem to be cute. You do want people to approach your dog and you want your dog to get used to a variety of people.

However, you need to be the judge of who does what to your dog, so do not be afraid to say “I’m sorry but he has already had a lot of handling today, so he does not need another hug.” Or you can say “You may say hello to the puppy, but we are doing some work right now.”

When you allow someone to approach your dog, ask them not to bend over but to kneel or squat to the dog’s level. Have them put a hand out with either the palm up or with the palm down but with the fingers pointed down. That way your dog can smell their fingers and palm or the back of their hand. Usually he will not be afraid in either of those positions as they cannot pat his head directly without his meeting them first.

Do not allow your dog to jump on or lunge at people. This is usually accomplished by keeping him on a leash and making him “sit” while the greeting takes place.

Children should be taught to ask an owner if it is okay to pet his or her dog before approaching the dog. If a child asks, always thank the child for asking and then tell them “yes” or “no.” Teach children to approach the dog correctly.

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Whether your dog is a puppy or a six-year-old rescue, you need to get your dog used to a variety of noises and you need to see his reaction so you will know how much work you will have in order to overcome any noise fear he has:

• Make sure your puppy (dog) hears household noises like the vacuum, doorbell, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, TV, and radio.

• Expose your dog to other noises such as various lawnmowers, airplanes and helicopters, sirens, fireworks, and thunderstorms.

• Take lots of short rides – 2-3 times a week take your dog with you to run errands, go through a drive-through window, stop at the vet, go to a park, etc.

• Take a longer car trip each month. Take your dog on a trip that takes an hour or more of riding some time each month - to a park or outdoor festival or other event where dogs are allowed.

Introduce your dog to as many different animals and people as you safely can:

• With your dog safely on a leash, let him meet other dogs, cats, horses, llamas, etc. Remember that animals meet nose-to-nose. Many dogs then sniff the new animal’s rear end, so give him a chance to do that unless the other animal objects (growls), but after a few seconds, pull him away and say “be nice.”

• Take your dog (on a leash with a slip collar) to a strip or outdoor mall, to a nursing home, into a business building that allows dogs, in an elevator, on various types of stairs, etc.

• Allow your dog to see and meet people of different ethnicities. The dog will be exposed to a variety of voices, gestures, smells, and clothing as well as the peoples’ reactions to dogs.

• Men, women, children of various ages, and older people should be included in your dog’s early experience. Some dogs are very fearful of tall people or people with deep or gravely voices.

• People wearing hats, glasses, flip flops, or skirts sometimes scare dogs who have not seen them before. Your dog should also be exposed to people who smoke, who tap their fingers, etc. Make sure his experience includes people in wheelchairs and using walkers, canes, or crutches so he learns to be calm and careful in those situations.

Puppy kindergarten or puppy classes are another great socialization tools. They allow your puppy to be with other dogs and people in a controlled environment. Many community centers and pet stores offer a 4-week, 6-week, or 8-week puppy class.

You may even learn some beginning commands like “heel” and “sit.”

Always watch your dog carefully in new situations. If he shows fear, do not pet him or say “good boy.” Instead, cheerfully say “don’t be silly. That’s just a cat.” Let your dog

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approach new experiences on his own terms and don’t force him. You want these to be positive experiences.

Socializing a rescued dog who is afraid in some of the above-mentioned situations will take much patience and repeated exposures. You may have to break the socialization into “baby steps.” For instance, a dog that is afraid of men will have to have many positive experiences meeting many men in many situations. You may want to invite one male at a time to your house. Each time put the dog on his leash.

Provide treats outside the door for the male to pick up and bring in with him. Then have him kneel to hold a treat out to the dog. If the dog shows signs of aggression, make him sit while you take the treat from the outstretched, open hand and give the treat to the dog. Repeat several times.

He may never trust that person on the first meeting enough to take a treat. However, if he meets the same person with treats again, he may be more willing to get close to the outstretched hand. (Note: If he is still very hesitant or fearful or aggressive, try really smelly treats (like cooked chicken or beef or bacon.) If he still will not accept a male who is kneeling, keep him on a leash and have the male sit in a chair or on the couch. Keep the dog on a leash and let him see that the male is not going to hurt him. Praise him for not growling or hiding. Use a treat to get him to sit where he can watch the person. It could take 2-3 meetings before he becomes brave enough to work his way closer to the person. Just talk to each other and pretend to ignore the dog (do not look directly at the dog).

Once the dog gets closer to the person, he can extend a treat and drop it on the floor. He may have to do this several different times. If you feel your dog is trustworthy, you can drop the leash but leave it on the dog so you can grab it again if necessary.

Only after the dog becomes somewhat friendly to the person sitting or kneeling should you introduce the dog to the person when he is upright (standing). Be sure to let the dog sniff the person’s shoes and pant legs to know that it is the same person he has known.

You may have to repeat this tedious process many times with a dog who has been abused or frightened by a previous owner. However, your patience will pay off!

What Every Dog Needs to Know

Every dog should be taught to pay attention to you when you ask him to do so. There are several ways to get your dog’s attention if he is growling or barking too much to realize you are asking for his attention. However, the ideal is to have him focused on you and aware of you and your desire for his attention at all times.

24 Pay Attention to Me

There are several ways to try to get your dog’s attention.

• Put some beans or coins in a pop can and shake it.

• Use a squirt gun.

• Use a whistle or train whistle.

• Bang on a pan with a spoon.

• Ring a bell or cowbell.

The main thing to remember is that getting your dog’s attention is only the first step.

Then you must immediately give a command. And that command has to be one your dog is trained to know and obey. So you must do your duty training your dog.

Five Things You Must Teach Your Dog Whether He Is Aggressive or Not These five things are critical for good manners and necessary to make sure you and your dog can co-exist. None of them is hard to teach. Each should be taught within

Five Things You Must Teach Your Dog Whether He Is Aggressive or Not These five things are critical for good manners and necessary to make sure you and your dog can co-exist. None of them is hard to teach. Each should be taught within