Strange behaviour

Question
Hi,
I am living in Gaborone, Botswana, Africa.
I have two Jack Russel dogs, a male and a female. Both are about 2 years and 4 months old. Both have their vaccinations annually. By nature the male is very restless and inquisitive while the female is quiet.
We stay in a complex where there are many cats in the vicinity and monkeys regularly roam around. The cats do come into the yard but the monkeys just walk on the compound all of my apartment.We moved into this locality only a couple of months ago.
I have noticed a strange behaviour from the male dog since last week. It keeps going to the front door and sniff as if someone is staying out. At times he even scratches the door or bark. When he is doing this, he does not even respond to your call. All he does is, he will wag his tail, when you call his name and continue to sniff. I have checked the outside while he is sniffing and haven't  found anyone, either human or animal. When I open the door he runs out as if he is chasing something. The time spent, sniffing the door,is increasing day by day. He is a very affectionate and a naughty dog. I am very concerned about this strange behaviour and would like to get him to break this habit. Can you please advise me as to what I should do. I will be addressing this with my VET today when I take him for his annual vaccination.
awaiting your response eagerly,
Haresh..

Answer
Hi Haresh,

Thank you for your question. I can only guess what your dog may be hearing or smelling outside. If he has never seen or heard cats or monkeys, this may take some getting use to for him.

Dogs' sense of hearing and smell is so much more acute than ours. My dogs also hear and smell things I do not take notice of, as do most other dogs I have known over the years.

My one dog, a collie mix is an especially good hunter. According to her DNA test she has Jack Russell Terrier in her ancestry. These tests are not highly regarded by veterinarians but even so, my dog is an amazing hunter, whether she has Jack Russell Terrier in her or not. She has a keen sense of smell and an eagle eye. She is every watchful.

What I tell my clients who have dogs that alert bark at the door is to go to the door, acknowledge the barking, thank the dog and say, "That's enough." I haven't had anyone yet tell me that doesn't work to curb the barking.

It's only natural for your dog to alert to something he perceives to be a threat outside. I don't consider this strange at all.

If this becomes excessive, as you suggest that it has, perhaps taking your dog out for walks around the compound on a regular basis will curb this curiosity and concern. Can your dog see outside? Sometimes being able to see what's outside is helpful and sometimes not.

I think it sounds like your dog is still adjusting to his new home. He is also a natural hunter and so I think is responding to the sounds and smells outside.

The way we usually change an unwanted behavior is to teach the dog to do something else. To redirect his natural hunting instinct you could hide dry dog treats, one at a time or several at a time in your home and then release them to go find them. You could gather a group of boxes and put a treat in one of them and then turn him loose to find which one contains the treat. Reward him with the treat he finds.

You can also try to redirect him with some interactive food toy games. Below are some examples that I use with my dogs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4MwI3GSdqo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTXuKaNOdWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4DqzlwSOx8

I also recommend clicker training as a way to reduce reactivity. The more a dog thinks, the less he reacts in knee-jerk fashion. The more skills he has in his repertoire, the less he will rely on simply reacting to his environment in non-productive ways.

To read more about clicker training, see these articles:

http://www.animalinfo.com.au/fact_sheets/view/2/25/175/What_is_Clicker_Training
http://dubuquedogtrainer.hubpages.com/hub/clickertrainingfordogs
http://animalinfo.com.au/fact_sheets/view/2/25/172/Clicker_Training_Getting_Star

I would recommend teaching your dog to wait at a door - for his safety and to develop impulse control. To do this, ask your dog to sit and then open the door slightly. If your dog gets up, say nothing but close the door. Repeat until you can hold the door open just a little while your dog remains sitting. Then release him with a verbal cue that tells him he may proceed through the door. You may want to have him on leash for this exercise when practicing at the front door! Gradually work on holding the door open for longer periods of time and opening it wider, but not at the same time. Work on either one or the other parameter during any one training session. Also, vary the duration and how wide you have the door open in an irregular fashion, so that it does not always get harder. For example, sometimes, ask your dog to wait 5 seconds, and sometimes 10 seconds or any amount in between before releasing him.

Another idea for breaking your dog of this habit is to pair his hearing (or smelling) something outside with another behavior - for example, sit and be quiet, come to you to let you know something is outside, go to a mat, retrieve a toy, etc.

If you want to teach your dog a two way alert, here is a good video tutorial on how to do that:

Part 1: One Way Alert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1DiaKPvgIU
Part 2: Two Way Alert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q-hKRmFYiU

The final suggestion I have for you is to make sure your dog gets plenty of physical exercise. Jack Russell Terriers, as you know are high energy dogs and require a lot of exercise. They need physical exercise as well as mental exercise so taking them for a walk at least once daily will help satisfy both of these needs.

I hope I have given you some suggestions that you can use.

Thanks again for your question.

Cindy