Our briefing from National Weather Service Mt.-Holly has given us the following information about this weekend’s storm:

– Most of the precipitation is expected during the daylight hours on Saturday
– Precipitation is expected to begin as snow
– Areas below the C&D Canal should expect more rain than snow
– The areas of Kent County, to the North and West, are expected to see 1-2″ of snow (could be a Wintery mix)
– Little to no ice is expected
– Winds are expected to pick up over night on Saturday, no strength has been given
– These winds are not expected to cause significant tidal issues, even with the Full Moon causing the usual higher than normal astronomical tides.

OES will continue to monitor and forward any changes as soon as possible.

Dogs counter surf (steal food from tables and countertops) because we have allowed them to find food there.  Once your dog has been rewarded with tasty food from your countertop or table, he will continue to look for more.  Like a slot machine, it only takes an occasional reward to keep him coming back for more.  Counter surfing is one case were prevention really is the best strategy.  To prevent counter surfing:

· Never leave your dog unsupervised with food accessible on the table or countertop.  If you have to leave the kitchen while food is out, close your dog in another room.
· Never feed your dog scraps directly from the table or countertops.  If you do give your dog an occasional treat of people food, feed him where he normally eats. 
· Make sure your dog always has accessible fresh water.  Dogs can smell water and a thirsty dog with an empty water bowl may try to get water from the kitchen sink.
· Teach your dog to stay in another room while you are cooking and eating.  Use a gate if needed.

If you slipped up and left food unattended and your dog found it, you can bet he will look for more.  If he never finds food again, he will eventually give up looking for it.

If your dog has been a long-term successful counter surfer, simply following preventive measures may not be enough to break his habit. In this case a pressure sensitive sonic deterrent mat may help. A sonic mat is typically four to five feet long by one foot wide and will emit a loud, irritating, high-pitched sound when your dog jumps on it or puts his paws on it. They work equally well for training cats to stay off tables and countertops. You may need several of them to fully cover your counters or table. Your dog will learn that the irritating sound is worse than the prospect of an occasional reward.

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How can I help my newly adopted adult dog overcome her fear of riding in a car?

Most likely your dog had few or no opportunities to ride in a car as a puppy and is frightened by the noise and motion of the car. If you gradually introduce your dog to the car and make it a pleasant and rewarding experience, she will overcome her fear of car rides. The worst thing you can do is to force her into the car and take her to a potentially unpleasant experience such as a visit to the veterinarian.

Start by treating and petting your dog every time you come near the car, then begin to gradually introduce her to being in a parked car with the engine off and the doors open. Leaving the doors open will keep her from feeling trapped. Initially, give your dog treats while you are sitting in the car and your dog is outside the car. Then, using an irresistible treat like fresh roast chicken, encourage your dog to sit in the car with you. Gradually increase the time in the car until she can relax while you read a magazine.

Next, have the engine running before you start the treats and relaxation session in the car. When she is comfortable in the parked car with the engine running, begin leaving one less door open during each session. When she is comfortable with all doors closed and the engine running, go back and forth a few feet in your driveway. Gradually build up to a ride around the block, then longer and longer rides, making a big fuss over her after each ride.

Keep in mind that some dogs, like some people, become car sick on bumpy, curvy, hilly roads or long rides. If your dog seems nauseous or throws up, talk to your veterinarian about giving her Dramamine prior to a road trip. Once your dog is enjoying car rides, make sure most rides are to a fun or neutral destination. If every car ride results in a vet visit, your dog will start to fear car rides again.

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There are a few challenges and differences in training techniques and tools, but yes, by using hand signals instead of verbal cues, you can train a deaf dog to do almost anything a hearing dog can do. In fact, all dogs learn and respond to hand signals more easily than to verbal cues, so much so that most trainers recommend teaching dogs to respond consistently to hand signals before introducing verbal cues.

In addition to the standard hand signals for things like Sit and Stay, hand signals from American Sign Language, such as clapping to indicate “good job!” can be useful in communicating with a deaf dog. One of the challenges in training a deaf dog is getting their attention without startling and scaring them, when they are nearby as well as at a distance. For that reason, attention exercises are an important foundation and ongoing necessity for deaf dogs.

A vibrating, (not shock), collar can be a useful tool for getting a deaf dog’s attention at a distance. At night you can use a flashlight or laser light, or flick the lights on and off. Getting a deaf dog’s attention may not be as difficult as imagined because most are reluctant to lose sight of their owner and may even panic and frantically search for their owner when they do. Having a fenced yard and training him to walk well on a leash are both critical, as there are few places where he can be safe off leash. A bell attached to the dog’s collar is helpful in cases where you may lose sight of him. Should he become lost, an ID tag stating that he is deaf will help whoever finds him understand his needs. If you have a deaf dog or are considering adopting one, here are some helpful resources:

The website https://www.deafdogs.org/resources/ has a wealth of information on training, vibrating collars, and more.
The book Living With a Deaf Dog: A Book of Advice, Facts and Experiences About Canine Deafness by Susan Cope Becker, is packed with useful tips and information.

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Is it true that dogs do things out of spite and feel guilty when they do something wrong?

It is unlikely that dogs are spiteful, feel guilt, or know right from wrong. I’ve heard people say, “Even though he knew it was wrong, my dog got into the trash to get back at me for leaving him home. He knew it was wrong because he looked guilty when I came home.” For this to be true, your dog would have to think about what you have done to him in the past, (left him home), and the ramifications of what he will do now, (get into trash.)

To feel guilt, your dog must understand the abstract moral concepts of right and wrong, categorize behaviors as right or wrong, and connect what he did hours ago with your reaction to trash on the floor. All of this complex, abstract, past and future thinking occurs in a part of the brain called the Frontal Lobes. The Frontal Lobes comprise 29% of a human brain versus 7% of a dog’s brain. From studying the effects of brain damage, scientists know how the size of the Frontal Lobe affects abstract thinking and planning. Given the small size of their Frontal Lobes, dogs have minimal capacity for complex, abstract thinking or planning.

If your dog gets into the trash, it is most likely because he was bored and the trash was tempting and accessible. Dogs live very much in the moment and their behavior is guided by learning connections between events that happen within moments of each other. If you catch him in the act of getting into the trash and punish him, he will connect being punished with getting into the trash. If you find the spilled trash hours later and then punish him, he will learn that people seeing trash on the floor means punishment. He will not learn that getting into the trash caused punishment. The “guilty look” simply means that he has learned to be afraid of you when you see trash on the floor.

If you want to test the idea of your dog feeling guilty for getting into the trash, try this. Take your dog out of the kitchen and spill some trash on the floor. Then let your dog back into the kitchen. Act like you think he spilled the trash. Your dog will do a classic “guilty” look even though he had nothing to do with spilling the trash. Understanding the limitations of your dog’s thinking and learning will help you do a better job of training your dog and help you have more reasonable expectations.

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