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Sprayed by Skunks in Montana

To help your dog avoid being sprayed by skunks, have a handful of distance commands to keep your dog from getting into skunk trouble.

I recently received a question about a dog who keeps getting sprayed by skunks in Montana.

Our dog keeps getting sprayed by skunks. She’s a terrier mix and loves looking in culvert pipes and exploring. We live in the country in Montana and there is so much a curious dog can get into trouble with. She used to not come when we called her. But we’ve been training her with treats and she’s gotten much better at coming when we call. We hate to have to keep her on a leash when we go for walks. Can you make any suggestions?

Thank you, Jennifer

If you enjoy walking your dogs off leash, it’s important to have a handful of distance commands.

The recall or “come” command is at the top of this list. It is the most common in terms of getting your dog back to you and out of harms way.

A “leave-it” at a distance is almost as important. Start by teaching “leave-it” close enough to you so you can reinforce it with praise and rewards. The command is solid when your dog turns away from whatever they have found to get their reward from you.

All of the commands listed here will have to be rewarded with food in the learning stages, and then intermittently forever depending on the dog and the surroundings.

“Sit” or “down” at a distance will allow you to freeze your dog in place for a second or two while you figure things out, or the danger (i.e. skunk, etc.) passes. These could be used anywhere or anytime you need to simply put your dog into a holding position. You will need to be able to reliably request these commands when your dog is close to you. Then you can start to request them at distances farther away from you until you can lock your dog down matter how far away they are.

Some dogs do better with a “stop” command at a distance rather than “sit” or “down.” If they can “stop” their action, but can’t follow other commands in the heat of the moment, that’s fine. Essentially the “stop” command like the “sit” and “down” halt all actions until you tell your dog to do something else.

“Sit,” “down,” and “stop” all have to be trained when you are near your dog so you can easily reward them. Then you can start using a long leash, ten feet, fifteen feet, etc. With this, you can begin to increase the distance you ask your dog to preform these commands. Once your dog is reliable at longer distances, they are ready for off leash work.

Hopefully these ideas will allow you to help your dog avoid getting sprayed by skunks in or out of Montana.

As for Dante – well…

He loved skunks!

Hope that helps and remember, there is just something that dogs LOVE about skunks so keep that skunk wash handy.

Encounters with Skunks, and a Face-full of Skunk Spray

When you don’t have access to fancy skunk wash, here’s a homemade recipe we’ve been using for years.

Of the five dogs who lived with me in the log house in the woods, only one of them had encounters with skunks. Dante was skunked more than a half-a-dozen times. He was always on the look-out for skunks. And when he caught the sent of one, he was gone in a flash. Then back home with a face-full of skunk spray.

I will never know why Dante was so attracted to skunks. He always seemed so happy when he got back home. I have noticed that puppy breath smells oddly similar to mild skunk spray. Just sayin’.

We tried many things to clean Dante when he would have his encounters with skunks. And then happened upon this homemade Skunk Wash formula. It seemed to work as well as pet-store-bought solutions. But it’s made out of ingredients nearly everyone has in their pantry or can get quickly at the grocery store. So, if you find your dog with a face-full of skunk spray and you don’t have special skunk wash, try this…

Skunk Wash Formula

1 quart (4 cups) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

1/2 cup of Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)

1 teaspoon of liquid soap

Mix together to make a shampoo for your furry pal.

Rinse well to remove the shampoo from the fur after vigorously shampooing.

You may need to double or triple this recipe depending on the weight of your dog.

dog in a bathtub after encounters with skunks — Dante in tub after one of his encounters with skunks

The ASPCA has some additional tips on dogs and skunks.

Here are some training tips to help you can prevent skunking. See Sprayed by Skunks in Montana.

But in the meantime, be prepared. Most dogs who get skunked are repeat offenders.

😫

Slow your dog’s Speed Eating!

Slow your dog’s speed eating with enrichment and training.

Snuffle mat for enrichment and to slow her speed eating

A question came to my attention the other day.

Our puppy’s been with us for two weeks now and the speed at which she eats is starting to get out of control. She’s a breed that’s prone to bloat so we know we need to slow our dog’s speed eating. But we tried putting half of her food in her bowl at first and then the second half later but she just wolfs it down just as fast no matter how much we give her. Help!

It is a problem if a dog eats too quickly because swallowed air can lead to bloat and gastric torsion which can be huge medical emergencies.

On the other hand, your puppy is telling us that she’s extremely food-motivated – which will make training her as she grows up that much easier once we slow down her speed eating.

First, some of your pup’s kibble should be wetted with water and allowed to absorb some of that water before it is given to her. This should slow her down a bit.

But then…

There’s a two-word answer to this problem: Puzzle Toys to slow her speed eating.

By delivering some of your puppy’s meantime kibble in a puzzle toy you’ll not only slow down your dog’s speed eating but you’ll also be providing her significant amounts of cognitive stimulation as she has to figure out (and work at) getting her food out of the toy. ENRICHMENT!

There are puzzles toys that deliver food as the dog manipulates them like the Twist ‘n Treat, Atomic Treat Ball, Tricky Treat Ball, Tornado, Snuffle Ball, and others.

We used a few of these to slow our speed eating goofy black LabMix, Porthos. After two bouts of bloat, he spent the rest of his life eating at least 50% of all his meals from on of these puzzle toys.

There are also other great products like snuffle mats, lick mats, the old fashioned Kong, snuffle balls, and snuffle bowls. Some snuffle mats can get pretty elaborate. I choose the simple snuffle bowl for my current dog, but you can go nuts with the variety of puzzle products.

I have one client who puts her dog’s snuffle mat into a box and lets the dog rip the box open to get to the snuffle mat.

In addition to puzzle toys, a good way to slow down the speed of your puppy’s eating is to set aside a portion of her kibble and use it as training treats. She’ll not only eat as slowly as you’d like by you setting the pace of the training session, but you’ll also get a head start on using solid positive reinforcement training techniques to help her become a great dog.

Bottom line… Make it Fun!!!

Upcoming Dog Training Classes Summer 2024

Three Dogs Training’s upcoming dog training classes begin Saturday June 8, 2024.

Dog wearing hat in front of Eiffel Tower

Maybe your dog is not taking a European vacation this summer…
…and needs a summer activity.

Early summer school begins Saturday June 8, 2024 at these times.

Basic – 9:00 am
Distract O Doggie – 10:10 am
AAI/Advanced – 11:20 am

Three Dogs Training teaches evidence based training techniques as outlined by:

Positive reinforcement dog training should be fear-free and force-free. Your dog should enjoy learning and you should enjoy teaching. I have been teaching fun and successful dog training for twenty-five years. Join us!

For more information on the upcoming dog training classes:
click here or contact
Lisa@threedogstraining.com

Want the best dog training class instructor?

The best dog training class instructor will teach humans and dogs alike using science based, force-free, fear-free training.

I have been offering fun and rewarding training classes in the northern Westchester, Putnam, and western Connecticut area for almost twenty-five years.

“Evidence supports the use of reward-based methods for all canine training. AVSAB promotes interactions with animals based on compassion, respect, and scientific evidence. Based on these factors, reward-based learning offers the most advantages and least harm to the learner’s welfare.”
AVSAB Position Statement on
Humane Dog Training

The best dog training class instructor will teach you and your dog to do more than sit, down, stay, wait and the basic commands.

I teach handlers how to communicate with their dogs to help their dogs do the right thing and be the best, happiest dog they can be.

The best dog training sit — Fun and rewards allowed this team to build a perfect and happy focus!

Teaching handlers how to read their dog teaches them how to understand and communicate with their dog.

To help you learn how to communicate with your dog, I will teach you how to read your dog’s body language. Knowing what your dog is signaling will help you teach them and keep them happy and calm. This book by Turid Ruggas is the primer on your dog’s body language, “On Talking Terms with Dogs, Calming Signals.“

We all learn better when we are having fun! Dog training classes should be fun and make everyone happy. There should never be force or fear used to teach.

Dog playing dots and gizmos one of the best training game — Sit/Stay with dots and toys.

The best dog training class instructor will understand that it is so much more fun to proof sit/stay when playing the dots-and-gizmos game.

Evidence shows us, “Why You Need to Reward Your Dog,” by Zazie Todd, PhD.

I want to help my students (humans and dogs) have joy in their training time together.

The best group stay — More dots, more stays, more fun!

For more information on Three Dogs Training’s classes, click the links below.

Two dogs settling after doing their best in class. — A trained dog is a happy dog – and probably a little tired, too 😊

Class location