Tag: dog

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Travels with Fido

Wear his bling
 
Your dog needs to wear a collar or tag with all the necessary identification. The tag should contain your dog’s name, your name, and your home phone number, plus proof of rabies shots. Keep your dog’s collar and tag on whenever you’re outside. A microchip is also helpful for additional security.
 
Think safety first

To ensure Fido’s safety while he’s in the car, buy a dog car seat. Your furry friend will be safer and more comfortable if your car makes a sudden stop.

Fido, come!
 
Your dog should have basic training so he’ll be well-behaved during the trip. Acclimatize him to the car. It’s a good idea to associate car rides with rewarding experiences, such as fun destinations or a special treat or meal when the trip is completed.
 
Pack his prize possessions

Improve your pet’s travel experience by making the car as comfortable as possible. Pack his bed or blanket and some familiar toys for the trip. And make sure to bring plenty of water and treats. Also, be sure to bring any medications he may need.

Always be prepared

Emergencies can happen while you’re travelling, so make some additional preparation. Prepare a list of vet clinics at your destination, along with a detailed map.

Window seats are extra
 
Good ventilation and access to a window may help ease nausea (and prevent a mess). Crack the window just enough for air to circulate. For smaller dogs, use a padded pet booster seat to help your pooch look outside. Not feeding your pet within an hour or two before leaving may also reduce the chances of an unpleasant incident.
 
If you’re worried about how Fido will react to a road trip, speak to your vet about anti-nausea medications.
 
A four-legged stretch
 
Make safe stops every two to four hours for water, snacks, exercise and bathroom breaks. You probably already know how often your dog needs a pit stop.  
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Pets Files

Fido + Fluffy – Best Friends Forever?

In 2008, Professor Joseph Terkel and his graduate student, Neta-li Feuerstein, from the Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University conducted scientific research on pets living in the same home. They interviewed almost 200 pet owners who owned both a cat and a dog. They videotaped and analyzed the animals’ behaviour, and found that two-thirds of the homes reported a positive relationship between the two species.

But it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight. There was a reported indifference between the cat and dog in 25 per cent of the homes, while aggression and fighting existed in 10 per cent of the homes. Research concluded that the animosity could be the result of crossed signals, that is cats and dogs may not be unable to decipher each other’s body cues. For example, cats

– Are solitary animals; dogs live in packs
– Tend to lash their tails when angry; dogs growl and arch their backs
– Purr when happy; while a dog wags its tail
– Avert their heads to signal aggression, a dog’s averted head signals submission
– Run away when startled, dogs are prone to chase
– Roll onto their back to slash prey with their hind claws; dogs signal submission
 
When a truce existed, researchers felt the two species had learned to speak each other’s language.
 
Fido meet Fluffy
 
You can’t simply throw the Fido and Fluffy together and expect instant harmony. The dog-cat introduction process will take several days, even weeks. Below are a few tips to help your pets find a happy compromise.
 
– Don’t make the decision to bring a new animal into your home quickly.
– Make sure you have the time and resources to provide for both animals.
– Prepare your home ahead of time. Make sure each animal has its designated area for its bed, food, and litter, and that they can’t access each other’s territory when no human is present.
– Clip both animals’ claws before their first meeting.
– Give each animal plenty of attention and praise when one on one.
– Give the cat food and attention first when the two animals can see each other.
– Even after they are co-existing peacefully, make sure that the cat’s food bowl and litter box are out of the dog’s reach. Keep the cat from approaching the dog when the dog is eating or chewing on a bone.
– Don’t assume your existing pet can adjust well to the other species.
– Never leave them together while no one is home before they have really bonded. This takes at least thirty days, sometimes more. Always separate them behind a solid door, not just a baby gate.
– And, if they never get to more than mutual tolerance, always separate them before leaving for an entire day.
 
Don’t be surprised to find Fido and Fluffy playing together, greeting each other nose-to-nose, and sleeping together on the couch once they’ve worked out their inter-species differences. 
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Pets Files

How to break your dog’s bad habits.

Play biter. The play biter is one of the worst habits you could instill in a dog. It typically starts when the dog is just a pup, and usually males (sorry, guys) like to play wrestle with the puppy using their hands. They think it’s fun in an ultimate cage fighter kind of way. They wrestle with the little one, allowing it to playfully nip and pull at their hand with its harmless little puppy teeth.

Now flash forward a few months and Rover’s teeth are now pointy and razor-sharp. See the owner getting angry with the dog when it sinks its teeth into its hands wanting to ‘play.’ The problem only gets worse the bigger and older the dog gets. All the while, you’ll typically have the owner or visitors complaining about the dog’s behaviour.

One way to deter the dog is to encourage it to chew and bite appropriate dog items like toys, sticks, balls, and rawhides. The other is to discourage it when it shows a propensity for gnawing on human digits. A light tap under the chin and a firm, loud ‘no’ will suffice. Consistency of this action is of the utmost importance in curing your dog of a problem that it never would have had if some human hadn’t trained it to ‘play bite.’

Fear biter. The fear biter is a much more difficult case to contend with. You may want to get professional help for this matter. Talk to your vet and read up on your dog training. Somewhere along the line your dog got skittish about something, and true to Pavlov’s experiments, whenever it experiences similar scenarios it morphs into Cujo.

This is dangerous not only to you and your family, but to visitors and anyone else in the neighbourhood. The problem needs to be taken seriously and will not go away of its own accord. If anything, it may grow worse if steps aren’t taken to nip it in the bud, no pun intended.
 
One of the best things you can teach your dog at any age, is a submissive position. Some dogs and breeds are naturally submissive and will often run up to you and roll over on their back for a belly rub. Others are a little more alpha in their genetic make-up and may need to learn that you are indeed the boss of them, by learning how to roll onto their side when commanded.
 
Your home as a fire hydrant. One of the most common disgusting habits, and one that will get your dog tossed from any respectable home, is the lack of toilet training. Every pet has the odd ‘accident,’ but if your pooch is busy marking every table leg in sight, you’re in trouble.
 
Crate training is the best approach to this problem, since dogs will literally not defecate where they sleep. The crate needs to be large enough so the dog can comfortably stand up and lie down, but no bigger. If you crate the dog whenever you’re out of the house and in the evenings, you’re creating a safe haven for your dog and toilet training your pet at the same time.
 
First thing in the morning and after work, let the dog out in the yard or take it for a walk. A nice after-dinner walk never hurt anyone. Before bed, let it outside one last time. Once your dog’s habits have improved, eventually you will be able to dispense with the crate, although smaller dogs enjoy having a safe haven to run to, especially if there a little ones in the home.
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Pets Files

Spending Thanksgiving with your pet?

Turkey thief. Is your dog the type of pooch who looks for every opportunity to sneak food? Even though you feed it regularly, does it act as though it hasn’t had a meal in months, inhaling snacks, when someone offers them a treat?

If that’s the case, you need to be vigilant in training your dog not to scavenge human food. You’ll notice the worst offenders sidling up to toddlers, salivating over the pieces of kiddie digestive biscuit sprinkled on their little clothes. And like a furry hoover, they go over the kid, stem to stern, licking every last crumb off them.

Sensitive stomachs. You’ll need to train your dog that human food is not allowed unless you personally put it in their dish. Dogs’ digestive systems are sensitive, so you’ll need to monitor their intake of human food, which can often upset their stomachs and leave you with a lovely mess to clean. If you’re someone who learns the hard way, you may have to do this a few times before realizing that dumping the family’s leftovers in Rover’s dish might not be the best idea. Usually a little bit sprinkled on top of regular dog food is all that’s needed to send them into paroxysms of ecstasy.
 
If they’re given a little bit here and there, their systems can handle it better than huge amounts of turkey fat, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy all in one sitting.
 
If you’re bringing Rover over to relatives, you’ll need to discuss dog etiquette ahead of time. Will your sister scream at your dog every time it comes in the kitchen? Do all of your family’s dogs get along with each other, or is there one bad apple always stirring up trouble? Mind you, we’re talking about the dogs now, not family members.
 
So whether you’re entertaining at home this Thanksgiving, or bringing Rover along to relatives, be sure that your dog is not planning to annoy guests by begging at the table, or overindulging on holiday food and making itself sick—tips you would be well-advised to follow. Can you mentally picture you and Rover rolling yourselves away from the Thanksgiving dinner table, patting your stomachs, and both thinking, “I ate too much, again!” 
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Pets Files

Company’s coming: Is your dog a delight or a terror when guests arrive?

Dogs behaving badly. All the while, your hosts are extolling the virtues of dear little Pookie who is racing around the house, jumping on laps, and shoving its saliva-coated toys at you. They assume you must be just as enchanted with their furry family member as they seem to be–then again, you might be thinking ‘hey, that sounds like my dog!’

 

While most of us prefer to think: not my dog, you might want to stop and reflect on whether your guests have made constructive comments about your pets during past visits. You may not believe it, but you are doing a great disservice to your dog when you don’t train it to behave especially when guests come over. Eventually, your guests will shun your critter and your home as though an untamed Tasmanian daredevil is running wild at the zoo.

 

Check out the library. So what can you do about it? Obedience school is a great start. There’s no excuse – if it’s not in the budget, library books and DVDs are free. The best time to start is when your dog is young, but you can most certainly can teach an old dog new tricks.

 

Smart as a toddler. Most dogs are as smart as a small toddler and, like small children, they learn well when hand signals accompany your verbal description. For example, with both puppies and older dogs, by motioning your hands towards yourself and saying “come,” you’re teaching Rover verbally and visually. Eventually, you won’t have to say anything because your body language can do the talking.

 

Practice makes perfect. Tie your dog to a long piece of rope, leash, or doggie tie-out line, and position Rover about 10 or 20 feet away. Motion towards yourself with your hands, and enthusiastically call “come.” Wait for a count of about three seconds, if the dog has not responded, gradually begin to pull the rope towards you. Once Rover is at your feet, praise it. Repeat this as many times as it takes for Rover to understand the command.

 

Mean what you say. One of the keys to training is not repeating a command over and over again, or raising your voice. After about 3-5 seconds, you must ensure the dog responds to your command. Also, avoid repeating your dog’s name too many times to ensure it is focused on the command.

 

Leader of the pack. The main thing to remember is that dogs are pack animals, and if you don’t assume the alpha position, they most certainly will. That is why it is so important to follow through on your commands within 3-5 seconds. You can also try applying this tip to your spouse and children as well… good luck with that.

 

So the next time company arrives, just remember they might not view a dog jumping up on them as “cute” or “friendly.” If anything, you can enlist their help by asking them to put their knee up to prevent the dog from jumping on them, and to just say “no” to dogs behaving badly.

 

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Does your dog need to go back to school? Discover three common dog-training mistakes.

Once upon a time, your dog may have been a well-behaved student and, little by little that training has backslid to the point where you’re not calling once or twice, but shouting yourself hoarse and annoying your neighbours.

 

Like long-time drivers who could use remedial training to bring a halt to rolling stops and kamikaze lane changes, your dog might benefit from a little back-to-school training to refresh its enthusiasm to joyfully respond to its name and proudly prance beside you on walks.

 

Three commonly-made dog training mistakes include: not teaching your dog to heel properly, praising your dog after you tell it “no,” and having family members sabotage dog training.

 

Common Mistake #1: Not teaching your dog to heel properly.

The best way to teach your dog to walk properly at your side, without tugging its leash, is to use a choke collar. It’s important that the collar is slack unless the dog pulls away. If you’re not sure how to place it on your dog, ask pet store staff for help. The dog should always walk on your left side. Pat your left thigh and say “heel” to help it understand what you want.

 

Set up a couple of lawn chairs about 10 feet apart in your yard, or you use a couple of stationary items in the park (a garbage can or a tree). Practice walking a figure 8 around those items, giving a little tug and saying “heel.” Try it in each direction, so that the dog experiences being on the inside and the outside lane. Do this every day until your dog “gets it.” Some dogs are more alpha than others, so training times can vary. If the dog tries to bite the leash, tug the leash quickly out of its mouth while firmly saying “no.”

 

Common Mistake #2: Praising your dog after telling it “no. ”

One of the worst and most common mistakes is to praise your dog after you tell it “no.” That’s like thanking your dog for not biting you. Maybe Fido was rooting though the garbage or digging a hole. After you firmly say “no” and prevent it from any further misbehaviour, do not praise the dog. It’s best to ignore the dog for a little while so it understands you’re not pleased.

 

Most puppies need something to chew while teething and if it happens to be your favourite pair of shoes, it can be quite traumatic. The best thing to do in this scenario is to take the shoe away, say “no” while giving it a toy or rawhide to chew, and praise it when it chews the appropriate item.

 

Common Mistake #3:  Family members sabotage training

Whether it’s feeding scraps from the dinner table, or letting the dog lead on walks, there always seems to be one family member who has to do it their way, even if it means sabotaging all the hard work that goes into training a dog. And like children, dogs will play one “parent” off the other–they know who to go to when they want to break the rules.

 

If any of this rings a bell, it might be time to send Rover, yourself -and maybe the whole family -back to school so that everyone learns the basics and Rover gets a gold star for obedience.