Using Positive Reinforcement Training Properly And Understanding Punishments🐾

As we touched on above, it is important to understand how to use this training method correctly. Food rewards are a bribe but only to be used when your Min Pin is complying with you and 100% focused on you. When he is not complying you should also never resort to aversive methods to ‘punish’ him such as shouting or threatening to hit him. Physical force, pain through hitting, intimidating your Min Pin by shouting are all the wrong things to incorporate into any training. With an emotionally delicate breed such as the Min Pin, arbitrary methods of punishment such as this can actually be damaging. These are sensitive dogs that are known for submissive peeing when they’re frightened of their owners angry reactions e.g. your Min Pin can get into the habit of peeing on the spot the moment you approach them, even if it’s to give him some affection. Fear is a very poor state of mind for your dog to be in when you want cooperation from him. If your dog is in a state of fear because he’s being punished for not performing the correct action, he is not going to be a primed state of mind to learn something and rather will just be overwhelmed by being frightened. The argument of not using force, even if it’s to physically position his body into a sitting position, is because you want your Min Pin to understand and comply with you of his own volition. This allows for much better results than you having to force him to do so by physically manipulating his body, leading to hit and miss results. A dog has to know what action to perform by himself when he hears a particular command without your assistance (force). You want him to want to comply with you. That’s a properly trained dog. There are however some mild aversive methods you can use to remind your dog of what he should be doing which are best used in combination with other methods. An example would be saying firmly ‘no’ or another word to convey the same thing to let him know that when he is about to pull on the lead, you do not approve. Firm vocal corrections can be used as part of guiding him to do the right thing instead of a true punishments. Another example can be a firm tug on the lead accompanied by vocal correction and should only be used as part of lead training. Always keep these corrections very swift, light and only use where appropriate. You want to be an effective leader to your dog and for that you need balance sensitivity and compassion with assertiveness.

“Dogs are happiest when they are lead and guided by an effective but compassionate leader who also shows them love and affection. The best results are yielded when your dog is happy to cooperate with you because he wants to and not because he is bullied, coerced or forced which can lead to misunderstanding and distrust at worst. Dogs need to be programmed on what to do and what not to do and should not be left to their own devices otherwise you will have an unruly animal on your hands that doesn’t know how to behave, which can be a nightmare”.

Lee, Min Pin enthusiast

Mikki as an older puppy wearing a choke collar. Thinking that these aversive training tools will be effective in the long run is erroneous thinking because your dog can learn only to avoid the punishment (choke collar) when it’s present and misbehave when it’s not. And that’s if they work at all. Often these punitive tools fail because the dog learns to live with the discomfort while continuing to pull on the lead, clearly showing that they have not learned the desired behaviour for walking on a lead. This also means they are highly unsuitable for small breeds with delicate windpipes as the constant pulling can cause serious damage 

Aside from this, harsh treatment and being scolded for doing the wrong thing can make him a more anxious dog, mistrustful and less willing to cooperate with you overall. This can damage the bond between the both of you. The sometimes stubbornness, impatience and liking to get it’s own way attitude of the Min Pin breed must be approached and handled maturely by a patient and understanding owner. As with all relationships, you and your dog being no exception, communication and understanding is key.

Aversive Training Methods And Aversive Tools In Positive Reinforcement Training🐾

Today the use of aversive dog training methods including the use of tools are controversial with many modern dog trainers and proponents of positive reinforcement training against them. Dominance theory is behind this kind of approach to training which teaches handlers or owners to behave like a wolf pack leader causing a dog to submit during training and to force him to behave in desirable ways through the use of punishments. For many decades it was widely believed that dogs needed to be treated as subordinate and in a harsh no-nonsense manner using techniques such as dominance rolls and painful corrections such as hitting. Prong/choke/shock/vibration collars and compressed air are examples of tools used as part of aversive training and are designed to startle or cause varying degrees of discomfort to your dog when he displays undesirable behaviours, just as certain methods of correction do.

Do They Work?

Positive punishment and negative reinforcement are methods designed to be emotionally or physically upsetting for dogs, so they learn more quickly to avoid the undesirable behaviour. In theory. That’s because dogs can learn to supress behaviour and cooperate only when they know they’ll be punished for it, as in the case when they’re wearing a shock collar and not because they actually want to cooperate. Some dogs may always need to wear it meaning that haven’t actually learned correct behaviours but more how to avoid the punishments. In a common-sense way, you could come to the conclusion that long-term, these aversive methods don’t hold water. Positive reinforcement trainers say that using rewards as a reinforcer as opposed to punishments are far more motivating for dogs and make for more effective and efficacious training. There is also new research coming to light that these methods of training can cause new behavioural problems in some dogs such as those that are fear-related including aggression. With the Min Pin being an emotionally sensitive breed, we definitely do not back aversive training methods at all especially the incorrect use of aversive collars which can also cause serious damage to any small breed that pulls badly on a lead as they have delicate windpipes. It is also the fact that many owners who do not implement proper training use these collars incorrectly, jerking them harshly causing more physical pain to their dog. Not understanding that plenty of patience is needed and instead resorting to anger and frustration, makes aversive methods border on abusive in some cases. This does nothing to teach dogs the correct behaviours and instead keeps them trapped in a cycle of fear and for the owner, frustration. To avoid any possible negative consequences, many trainers now prefer to train dogs in a punishment-free way. We believe it’s far better to manipulate and change your dog’s behaviour through rewards and real understanding and love without resorting to cruel and unnecessary methods, which can compound behavioural problems and seriously damage your relationship with your dog. All that being said, aversive collars can be used in a humane way and actually be very effective, providing you keep to positive training methods and only use the collars when absolutely needed.

Dogs Need Structure

All species of canids have certain fundamentals coded into their genes and one of the most important of these is your dog’s need for structure within a family setting or household. This is canine social structure and it plays out in all wild dog packs, not just wolves. Dogs need to know their place in a family or home in terms of where they are in the hierarchy. An example could be you, your partner and another dog. One of you needs to assume leadership and that’s also the person who is charge of every day training, feeding and walks, as well as other important activities in a dog’s life. Second in the hierarchy will be your partner who also shares responsibility for the training and other things and then it’s your dog. The other dog in the household depending on age, sex, breed and personality, may come before or after your dog. Puppies typically are last in a family hierarchy however that can change once the puppy hits puberty. It’s important to note that dogs do not see one another or their human family members as equals, even though through our romantic human lens we’d like to believe they do. Two dogs in a family or as part of a multi-dog household may cuddle together but be sure that they have sorted out who is the alpha at some point and one of the dogs will be submissive to the other. The only time the position can change is if the beta dog challanges the alpha which is sometimes seen when dogs suddenly begin to squabble and fight, seemgly out of nowhere or when one dog becomes older or senior, much to the confusion of their human owners. In this circumstance the younger beta dog may see an opportunity to assume alpha. However this hierarchy which is linear in nature and therefore simple can be kept in order through training and as a human leader, you must support the natural order of the family in both dogs’ eyes. If you understand which of your dogs is alpha then you’ll understand how to keep the order. Therefore structural hierarchy is intimately tied with training for your dog and is why your Min Pin puppy must have one member of the household who assume’s training and who will spend a lot of time bonding with the puppy. This person will naturally be ‘the leader of the pack’ in the puppy’s eyes. This person will be the puppy’s protector, provide support and boost confidence in new situations and be there to guide him through his first few years of life. The second person is command should follow the EXACT same training methods and techniques as the leader as to keep communication crystal clear and training consistent. See Caring For And Training Your New Miniature Pinscher Puppy for more. The same principles apply when adopting an adult dog and training needs to begin the moment you bring any dog or puppy home.

Leadership Is Not Dominance Theory

As we’ve explained above, an effective human leader who employs effective training, doesn’t need to use force as a dog or would or punishments for when your dog steps out of line. There are some light and gentle reminders or corrections you can borrow from dominance theory to integrate into your positive training. One of them is the use of prong collars and e-collars providing they are used in a non-abusive way (remember there’s a fine line) and to indicate when the dog needs prompts when they are learning a new thing e.g. a prong collar as a gentle leader when lead-training (see below for a good example of this). With a normal collar you can use gentle ‘pops’ as a correction.

See YouTuber Jason Corey for more training training tips

Basic Obedience Training🐾

When you begin training your dog, you need to start with the basic commands. Training is best started in puppyhood from when the dog goes to his new home but a dog can be trained at any point in his life. Basic commands such as sit, lie down and stay are important ones to start with. For the Min Pin who wants to constantly move around and explore, you will need to teach them when to not do this and to sit down and relax e.g. if you are sitting with them at café or in a pub. Nobody wants to take an untrained dog on outings because they will be a nuisance you wished you left at home. The second thing you want to teach your Min Pin is recall. When Mikki was a puppy, through his separation anxiety he learned very quickly how to respond to coming when called. As he was raised in sunny southern Spain, he would be left to run for kilometres off the lead and he only had to be called once and he came back in an instant. This was the case because he was an insecure puppy which made him want to be close to me at all costs when he was outside. All I had to do to strengthen the recall was to capitalise on his anxiety and walk the other way and he’d coming rushing towards me and between my legs. Late one evening on the beach, during his terrible teen phase, I remember he started being cheeky and wouldn’t let me re-attach the lead. Instead, he made me chase him around. I lost my rag and walked off then deliberately crossed a little bridge and when I did this, he couldn’t figure out how to get to me as there was a large stream of water between us. He panicked and had a meltdown before I crossed the bridge again and re-joined him. His instinctive reaction was to immediately stick to me, cowering between my ankles, not letting me walk away from him. I attached the lead easily. Other times I’d resort to doing the same thing when he didn’t respond to my calls was when he was greeting other dogs and ignored me. Of course this is NOT the way to train or strengthen recall or proceed with any training. That was me not knowing what I was doing or how to train a dog correctly. Recall is a vital part of basic obedience especially if you want to allow your Min Pin to explore safely off-lead. There are a very high proportion of owners we see who allow their dogs off-lead routinely who have not taught them recall properly. This means that we get approached when we have Mikki on the lead by an over excited untrained dog when we don’t want it. This is highly inconsiderate as some owners may have nervous dogs on the lead who don’t want to be pestered by other dogs or dogs which may have serious aggression issues. What ends up happening is these owners have to physically steer their dog away from us embarrassingly. All because they are too lazy to train their dogs properly. We do believe this is a nationwide problem.

When you begin training always start at home. The reason you want to begin in an environment free of distractions is for your Min Pin, who is new to training, to understand the basics in an environment where he’ll be able to focus easily without much stimuli. From there, your dog will work his way up to more and more challenging environments with more distractions and stronger stimuli e.g. outdoors which means different smells and noises to other dogs being around etc. Your Min Pin will then eventually be programmed to follow your commands in every circumstance.

Focus

First thing you need to do is teach your Min Pin to focus on you. At home, you should be in a room free of distraction. Armed with food rewards, you should call his name and when he looks at you making eye contact, praise him and feed him his reward immediately. If your dog is watching the hand with the treat, wave it in your face and get him to make eye contact with you. You should ensure that when he is focusing he makes eye contact with you and not the treat. Practice this whenever he is engaged in doing something else by calling his name or saying something like “focus” or “look at me” to get his attention and ensure that you hold it. When he masters this every time, you’ve succeeded. Repetition is key here. Work up to busier and more distracting environments until finally, you are able to practice this command outside, around strangers, other dogs and novel surroundings where your dog will usually be most aroused.

Basic Commands

Teaching your Min Pin basic commands is essential for helping him focus on you better in general as well as during training. Your dog should learn these simple commands before you start him on more difficult training such as recall as they will be a valuable aid. As mentioned, practice these basic commands in different parts of your home or even in your garden if you have one. Your Min Pin will likely respond differently to the command depending on which area of the house he’s in. For example, he may be used to you training him in the living room but not the bedroom or kitchen. Maybe your corridor is a place of much arousal because it’s where the front door is which to him means walks. Like our Mikki, who found it hard to obey the sit command near the front door. It’s great if you can work up training outdoors in your garden because there are way more distractions, such as smells and sounds of wildlife but with the benefit of being a secure environment.

Sit

Armed with your treats, hover the treat over your Min Pin’s head and get him to follow it until his head is pushed back. This action will naturally cause him to sit and when he does you say “sit” and praise him while rewarding him the treat.

Lie Down

Lie down much like sit relies on you getting your Min Pin to focus on the treat. To make things easier, get him to sit then follow the treat by bringing it close to him and bring it down to the floor. When he’s in a lying down position, say “lie down”, praise and reward him. When you’ve done a few practice drills, you can use your palm in a swift downward motion in front as you speak the command.

Stay

When your Min Pin knows how to sit or lie down on command, you can teach him to stay in position. When he is sitting, wait maybe 5 seconds and say “stay” before you praise and reward him. You build up to longer and longer times before he is given his praise and reward. This command should also be followed by a release command. This command is the one you need to teach your Min Pin if you want him to develop patience and self-control which are both essential things that he needs learn to become a well-behaved dog. For example, you can teach him to sit and wait when his meals are put down in front of him or do some obedience drills when you are playing with his favourite toys. When he is able to exercise patience and self-control through delayed gratification, he gets rewarded.

Release

This command teaches your Min Pin when he can end the action he is being made to perform. This is useful when you need him to stay put for a long period of time such as when you are sitting at a café or in a park. It does take much work and patience and it certainly won’t be mastered overnight. You can begin teaching a release command after he knows how to sit and stay and while doing so for 10 seconds, choose a word like ‘ok’ in a high pitched voice at the same time. Your dog should come running to you and when he does praise and reward. Work up to longer and longer stay times. This command is also popularly known as ‘break’ and you could use this word if you wish. When he is in the sit and stay command your dog will probably just get up when he’s had enough, at first. But you don’t want that. What you want is for him to get up when you say so. Tons and tons of practice and patience will go a long way to success.

Recall

Ideally only when your Min Pin has completed the above training, should he be ready for recall training. If your dog is not quite there with focusing on you in a busy environment such as outdoors, you can begin recall training in a safe indoor environment or your garden. Another option is a quiet outdoor space where there are very few distractions. When we started recall training, we bought a long lead typically called a training lead. We recommend a 10-metre lead or the longest you can get. This lead allows you control of your dog while you training him in distracting surroundings. So if he bolts off during a recall command you reel in the lead and pull him back to you, thus giving you control. Until your dog has perfect recall, you should be using the training lead. The basic premise of a training lead is that the dog believes he is free and off the lead. This is why you should allow it to trail along the ground or hold it letting it extend allowing your dog freedom (or the illusion of freedom) to a point until you are ready to do some recall drills. It is known (we’ve seen it with Mikki) that if dogs know they are on lead and restrained they are more likely to listen you but less likely to do so when off-lead. You should start by calling your Min Pin back when there are no distractions around and when he comes back, he gets rewarded. So for example when he does not respond to recall and instead runs to greet that other dog, you reel him back to you thus taking away the pleasurable behaviour.

You can attach the training lead while the normal lead is still attached so when you let him off the normal lead, he won’t realise you still have full control. Your dog MUST believe he is free because this is when you need him to listen to recall. So armed with the training lead attached and food rewards, you begin by calling your dog at short distance and rewarding and praise him when he comes. If successful, you gradually increase the distance until he succeeds. Just like focus training, keep stepping up the level of distractions in the environment. This’ll need tons of practice and patience, especially if your dog is an adult and has never had any sort of basic training.

Training leads which are also called long lines can come in a few different lengths between 5 metres and 20 metres usually. They are a vital tool for recall training allowing you control of your dog at the same time

Tricks🐾

Hi five! Min Pins are very willing to learn tricks. Aside from strengthening their every day training, learning tricks is also a fantastic way to strengthen the bond your Min Pin. This breed has agile minds which can learn a variety of tricks quickly. The most common tricks we list here are the easiest and it’s best to start with them to build up your Min Pin’s confidence and focus before progressing onto harder ones. This is where the real fun begins! Once your dog has a good grasp of the basic commands, you can teach him these basic tricks. Remember that just like basic obedience repetition is key. 

Give Me Paw/Shake Hands

Once in a sitting position, gently take one of your Min Pin’s paws and say “give me paw” or simply “paw” then praise and reward. Your Min Pin will probably get up from his sitting position when you do this, which is okay. After repetition, he will automatically raise his paw when you motion with your hand towards his feet because he knows that a treat is coming. When this happens or becomes too excited you stop until he calms down and you are both able to execute the trick properly. This is an exercise in patience for your dog as much as it is for you. If your dog is only giving one paw, you can teach him to give the other by going over the same steps. You can accompany it by another command such as “other paw”.

Roll Over

Tell your Min Pin to lie down, then hover the treat over his head and get him to follow the treat, much like above tricks but bring the treat to either the left or right side of his head and eventually he should naturally get onto his side. Your Min Pin probably won’t do a complete roll the first, second or fifth time. It took our Mikki at least 10 attempts or more before he rolled over completely. But you must praise and reward your dog every time he gets on his side because he’s half way there which is an essential part of the process of a roll. When he finally does a complete roll, you say “roll over”, give him lots of praise and reward. Mikki didn’t do another roll after the first successful one. He needed a lot of reinforcing of this action.

Stand

This one’s a bit more complex because it involves your Min Pin sitting normally but with both paws raised. Some people may call this trick “sitting pretty”. With the method we used you’ll need to have taught your dog how to give both paws. So you speak the give paws command and when your dog performs the action of giving both paws, you take them and balance them on your hand or wrist. This should result in a half sitting position and this moment is when your reward your dog saying “stand”. Repeat these steps as many times as you need until he can perform this action by himself when hearing the word stand. 

Balancing Treats On Head Or Nose

We like this one because it teaches dogs self control and patience aside from also looking incredibly cute! Your Min Pin should know how to sit and stay first. So began by taking a treat. Tell your dog to sit and gently take his snout in your hand to steady it and put the treat slowly onto it. While you do this, speak the stay command firmly so he’s more likely not to move. Continue to speak stay for about 5 seconds, then give him his release command. 

Hand Stand

This is a really unique trick, at least, more so than the others. It certainly is a lot of fun as a party trick and requires your dog to work on their balance. Some of the team at Heathside have taught this trick to their dogs and every time it brings enjoyment and pleasure to see it performed-a great conversation starter amongst dog lovers! It is a bit more complex than the basic ones so it’s important to have plenty of patience with your Min Pin. As this trick puts pressure on the dog’s front legs it is not wise to teach it to your growing puppy, even more so if you have a large breed puppy. Instead wait till your Min Pin has completed their essential growth at a year old to be safe. There are a couple of ways you can teach this trick but essentially the end result will be your dog being able to do a hand stand using a surface, be it a wall, door, tree or anything else, as a balancing tool. 

For the sake of simplicity we’ll outline teaching this trick at home. Grab yourself a healthy stack of books. The bigger your dog the more books you’ll need because he’ll be using them to place his back legs on as a crutch for the wall. Always reward and praise each desired action he performs

• Place one book against the wall and hover the food reward over your dog’s face ensuring he backs up just enough for one or both of his back feet to touch the book and when he does, reward and praise. If your dog doesn’t back up or simply sits get him to come forward, then guide him gently again, with the food reward, so he’s backing up until he touches the book. Practice backing him up and very quickly he’ll step onto the book with both back feet
• As he starts to back up by himself use a command to indicate you want him to perform that action such as “back”. Practice it until he’s made an association. At this point if he backs up on command without fully placing his back feet onto the book, do not reward and praise until he does so
• Ensure that your Min Pin gets used to placing his feet as far back on the book as possible rather than just the front of it
• Once your Min Pin knows how to back up onto the books on command the next step involves periodically adding more books. Start with two, three, four etc until his back feet are as far as he can comfortably reach
• Your Min Pin must be fully comfortable and properly trained with the above actions before the next step
• Remove the pile of books. Take one book and place one end against the wall at an angle holding it the same level/height as the pile, command your Min Pin and wait for him to back up and place his feet as far as he can go on the book. Note that the book must be against the wall and your Min Pin’s rear should be touching it
• Once practicing the above step until your Min Pin aces it then you can hold the book with both hands and speak the command. Periodically move the book higher, angling it slightly and do several practice trials until your Min Pin aces them. Keep rewarding and praising throughout
• You’ll come to a point where the book will be flat against the wall as a result of the angling and by this time your Min Pin’s back feet should be placed squarely on the book. At this point your Min Pin should be in a vertical position with his back feet on the wall. Repeat this step as many times as possible
• Remove the book and command your dog to back up against the wall. Viola! The result will be a perfect hand stand. Reward and lavish praise should follow each time you command this trick until your dog has become very experienced

You can apply this trick to many different surfaces or objects as well!

The belly band has a velcro strip so you can easily put it on and take it off and make it as loose or as snug as you need, as well as having a felted inside. Mikki plays and sleeps quite happily wearing it so we know he’s comfortable. See here for more information on purchasing belly bands

Separation Anxiety🐾

Separation anxiety, unfortunately, can be a problem in many breeds and the Min Pin is one of them. Dogs are highly sociable animals and enjoy being part of a pack or a unit almost all of the time. When that is taken away temporarily, they can become highly stressed and insecure. We know of Min Pin owners who have had to put with their anxious dog causing a noise nuisance for their neighbours while they’re out, including us. Some owners come home and find their dog has destroyed their soft furnishings through destructive chewing and have urinated and defecated on the floor. All of these are symptoms of separation anxiety. It’s a very stressful situation for both parties. Owners can begin to feel imprisoned in their home because their dog won’t let them leave (like we did). Anxious dogs will quickly learn to pair everyday activities such as you putting on your outdoor clothes or picking up your bag with leaving them alone in the house which can cause premature anxious behaviour, such as whining. Our Mikki had had this problem since he was a puppy for several years. This is largely because he was not crate-trained in the correct way and was left alone for long periods without having his anxieties seen to. It’s only recently that we changed our lifestyle and routine that Mikki now feels a lot more secure and is happier generally. The reasons for separation anxiety in your dog can be complex and can include-

• Improper or incomplete training in puppyhood whereby your dog was not taught how to be confident and secure by themselves resulted in separation problems in adulthood. This is the number one reason for separation anxiety problems
• A strong attachment to either you or one person in the household that provides most of the attention and affection to your dog. This can cause separation anxiety when that ‘special’ person isn’t around, even if other people or dogs in the household are. Min Pins are affectionate and attention-seeking dogs that love to be involved with whatever you are doing
• Boredom and excessive energy. Min Pins are naturally very active and need mental and physical stimulation. They are not happy to lay around and stare at the wall all day. Just because they are a small, non-working breed doesn’t mean that they do not have the same needs as a breed that is. Not meeting their needs in this area will augment any separation anxiety that they have as they are more likely to be bored while you’re gone

These are the most common reasons for separation anxiety overall and they can show up in dogs that you’ve had from a puppy or a dog that you’ve adopted from a shelter. It is also just another vital element of training that was missed, just as there are many dogs who have sadly missed out on obedience training. When their Min Pin shows signs of separation anxiety many owners do not know how to effectively tackle this problem and resort screaming or punishing their dog because they think he’s being naughty and having fun being wilfully destructive. This can make your dog more anxious especially being that Min Pins are so sensitive. As an owner, you really need tons of patience and we are speaking as owners who’ve been there. The most effective way to train your dog to cope with being alone is to progressively leave him alone for longer and longer periods to build up his confidence. If your Min Pin is a puppy, then see here for how to crate train him properly. Below, we will discuss the most tried and tested methods of resolving separation anxiety.

Step 1: Creating Positive Associations

If you leave your dog in a crate or isolate him in a particular room that he’s only in when you’re gone, it’s important to understand that doing so can exacerbate his separation anxiety. Many owners who don’t let their dog free roam the house when they’re gone tend to use a spare room and put the crate in there or the kitchen. These ‘special’ areas have strong associations with you leaving from your dog’s perspective. Imagine if every time your anxious dog is led to an area that you only put him in when your about to leave him, you’d expect him to throw a fit even in anticipation. Therefore it is vital to ensure that you either create positive associations with the area you leave him in or by changing the area which he is left or moving the crate to a different area (if possible). If you leave your dog in a part of the house such as a communal room where you often hang out with him, play and have cuddles, he is far more likely to be relaxed.

Step 2: Assess His Anxiety

Before you take steps to train out separation anxiety you need to do an assessment on your Min Pin to see how long he can handle being alone, as well as how much distance he is comfortable with before he starts becoming distressed. You should begin by placing your Min Pin in different parts of the house where he can and sometimes cannot see you. If he has a crate lock him in there in the same room as you where he can see you. Then do the same in a different room where he can’t see you but can hear you. You can use devices to watch or record your Min Pin when he is in a separate room from you to see how he’s doing. You should make notes of how long he can be by himself in these different situations before he begins to show symptoms of separation anxiety.

Step 3: Begin The Training

You should now begin the training already knowing the maximum amount of time your Min Pin can be alone for. Do not go over that time for the initial training. We recommend starting with leaving him for 30 seconds to start with. Put your dog in his crate or a room that he’s usually in when you leave the house. Let him see or hear that you’ve done the usual ritual of going out e.g. picking up your bag and keys and leave out the front door. Wait 30 seconds. Come back and give your Min Pin lots of praise and rewards. Repeat the process only this time you’re away for a minute. And so you continue this process and work up to longer and longer isolation times. It’s very important to stick to this training every single day and you’ll also need to make changes to your daily schedule if you want your dog to succeed at this training. It’ll be 100% worth it, trust us.

For each individual dog, depending on how anxious they are, the process may take a longer or shorter time for them to understand that you are coming back and are not disappearing forever. You may be only be able to leave him for 3 seconds if he is super anxious. This process will take tons of practice and lots of time.

Toys To Help With Separation Anxiety

There are tried and tested products on the market to help your dog in times of separation anxiety. The objective is to give your dog something to focus on and usually the most stimulating toys involve food. Amongst these are Kong toys which we’ve tried ourselves and recommend. They are made of strong rubber and are mostly designed to withstand hours of chewing. You can fill a Kong with your Min Pin’s favourite treats or even give some or all of his meals in them while you’re out. Giving a Kong to your Min Pin would be ideal for keeping his mind busy while he’s in training for separation anxiety. The act of chewing helps a dog greatly to reduce stress and relaxes them. Other toys include treat balls but they’re not as robust as Kongs which are not only designed to be filled easily with a range of recipes but can also frozen for later. Kongs or any other toys should not be used in place of training.

Medications To Help With Separation Anxiety

Typical medications for use in humans to treat depression such as SSRI’s have been used successfully in veterinary medicine for a while including the in treatment of separation anxiety in dogs. These medications include fluoxetine and clomipramine amongst others and can be very effective however, it is our firm belief that they should be used in conjunction with training. As a supplement and not as a plaster or as a quick fix. The correct medications can ease your Min Pin’s mind to a point where he is relaxed and in an emotionally balanced state to learn new desirable behaviours. You should speak to your vet about using medications for your Min Pin and he/she may advise that you speak to animal behaviourist, who may be able to provide more thorough advice on what’s best for your dog.

Natural Remedies To help With Separation Anxiety

If medication is not suitable for your dog, natural remedies may be able to help him through training. There are many different products available from treats that claim to calm your dog to pheromone sprays and diffusers. The latter products work by releasing chemicals mimicking those that are species-specific and translate as reassuring and comforting messages. The efficacy of these products is patchy (just as many human supplements are) but that’s not to say you cannot get some good ones. Finding a natural remedy that actually works is about trial and error, some products apparently working for some owners while other owners have no luck. We advise that you definitely do your research and once again, remember that natural remedies are supplements to proper training.

Destructive chewing is indicitive of a behavioural issue which needs to be addressed immediately

Hiring An Animal Behaviourist

Perhaps your Min Pin’s separation anxiety has reached a point where you need professional help. Perhaps he’s already several years into adulthood and he still has really bad separation anxiety which is beyond your capability to deal with by yourself. Training out a behavioural problem is highly time and energy consuming and if you feel you need help to resolve your dog’s problem, hiring a behaviourist can be the best thing you can do for both you and your dog. A dog behaviourist will work with you and your vet (providing your vet is in the picture with your dog’s problem) on a tailor-made comprehensive plan to help your dog develop that confidence he needs and end your struggles. These professional services will cost from several hundred pounds and it’s worth noting that you will have to do your bit in your dog’s training as well. Ensure that you research well and communicate as much as you can with any behaviourist and if possible, obtain free consultations before you commit to any payment. We at Heathside Miniature Pinschers always advise you to speak to your vet first before you undertake any training for behavioural issues.