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To All Working Dogs in the Military, I Salute You!

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Party Marty here, the cool cat who has come to recognize those who have protected our freedoms on this Veterans Day:  While I want to give great thanks to all those human veterans and active military personnel today for their selfless service to our country, I also want to honor the working dogs in the military. Yes…I am a cat, and I normally choose not to recognize dogs, especially that one with whom I live, but on this honorable day, I think it is vitally important to give thanks to the dogs who support our troops and help to defend our freedoms.

Dogs have been part of the military since the Revolutionary War. First, they were used as pack animals, and by World War I, they were used to kill rats in the trenches.

However, during World War II, dogs began to support military operations. The U.S. military deployed over 10,000 specially-trained canines as sentries, scouts, messengers and mine detectors.

Today, a couple hundred dogs are over in Iraq and Afghanistan with our troops and are working as patrol dogs and as explosives and drug detectors. An additional 2,000 dogs help with similar services at various U.S. baseas and operating posts worldwide.

Dogs have a unique ability to incite fear in an aggresor in a way humans rarely can. Dogs will defend to the end. A trained dog for military purposes actually can create a strong psychological deterrent. No one wants to mess with it.

So, on this noble day, please take a moment to honor and recognize ALL veterans…even those who bark!

Thank you.  And thanks to usmilitary.about.com for this insightful information.

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Helping One Dog Conquer Fear

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

The other night as I was walking with my Pug client Kita, we met a man walking his Bichon Frise, Molly.  I asked if we could stop to say hi, Molly’s owner said sure, but as we got close Molly cowered behind her owner.

He explained that she was extremely afraid of other dogs.  I asked if he knew what caused the fear, and he told of them being attacked a year ago by a large “police dog.”  As we were talking, I knelt down to make Molly more comfortable in approaching me.  She remained hesitant, so her owner dragged her and prodded her lightly with his cane to get her to come near us.  I dissuaded him from doing that, knowing it would only make the problem worse.

So what are some things he could do to help Molly conquer her fear?  The main thing is not to force her to confront her fear too quickly.  In Molly’s case, she is now only two years old, so the attack was one of monumental proportion in her development.  She will need to be led very gradually back to interacting with other dogs.

One way to help Molly would be to expose her to dogs with a calm demeanor.  Begin with only a minute or two of exposure and gradually increase the time until she becomes comfortable and is willing to approach other dogs on her own.

Exposing her to other dogs with calm demeanor would help her learn to trust that not all dogs are going to attack, helping to  build her confidence.

During the re-acquaintance period, rewarding positive behavior would encourage Molly to continue interacting with other dogs.  The reward should be based on what works best for her; treats, special outings or just a kind word from her owner.

To help Molly, it won’t be a fast fix, but with time and a lot of patience  she can make much progress in getting the better of her fears.

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That’s MY Easy Chair….Not Your Throne! Down, Doggie!

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Party Marty here, the well-behaved cat with all the right moves:  Word on the street is that a certain Wheaten Terrier in the neighborhood, who shall remain nameless at this time, has been abusing his privileges of comfort on the homefront, making excessive use of his human’s furniture for his own leisure.  Every time his owner turns around, it seems that Naismith, er….I mean NAMELESS dog….is lounging on the nearest couch or over-stuffed chair, as if it’s his throne and natural birthright.

While there are certain products on the market that aid in deterring such behavior, they seem rather cruel. (Really?  Spiked mats to keep the dog off the couch?  That just seems mean!)  I believe there are more positive approaches to this dilemma, and actually are quite simple in nature.

Instead of yelling at the dog for being ON the furniture, praise him when he gets down from it when you ask him to do so.  Give him a small treat for such behavior. 

Put a few comfy pillows on the floor just for your dog or place a special treat on his little bed every now and again to encourage him to relax there.

Of course, if that fails, I suppose you can just pass a massive amount of gas while sitting on the couch that even the dog can’t stand!  In the household of the “nameless dog” referenced above, that’s exactly what one of the kiddos did, and that dog made a run for it!

Have a great day! And if you are relaxing on the couch this weekend, PLEASE keep your feet off the coffee table!  Manners, people! Manners!

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Make Sure Your Puppy Does His Homework

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Gigi in puppy formI’ve acquired several new puppy clients lately, and one thing all owners have talked about is enrolling their new addition in training class.  It’s definitely a good idea to get your puppy into training school and once there, to help him get the most from his training.  Following are a few tips on things you can do with your dog to help him get an A+ in school:

  • Reinforce what was covered in class by going over the exercise for a few minutes twice a day.  Space the sessions at least 30 minutes apart so your puppy won’t be overwhelmed.  Keeping each session short also helps your puppy stay engaged, even with his short attention span.
  • Walk your puppy in different areas and reward him with treats to reinforce him staying by your side.
  • Help reinforce toy exchange by trading the toy he is playing with for a treat or another toy he values more.  Continue doing this several times a day to help him learn to give toys willingly.

Make sure your puppy does his homework after school and you’ll have an honor roll student in no time!

Dog Fancy, July 2011 was a reference for this article

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Please let us use our sniff sense!

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Jessie, always on the trail for the right scent: Hey!  I have a little tip of the day when it comes to your lovable dogs.  In his book, “Dog Sense,” animal behavior expert John Bradshaw conveys some pretty interesting information about dogs, stressing understanding of our fine pets over trying to dominate them.  I like this suggestion:

When you are outdoors with your dog, please let him take the time to sniff around.  He is curious about everthing going on in the small world around him. In fact, the ritual of sniffing is probably a very important part of his day, a true highlight.  Just as you wouldn’t want someone to abruptly change the TV channel as you were watching it, your dog does not appreciate being pulled away from one of his favorite activities.

Go ahead, Rover!  Sniff away! It’s your birthright!

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Hot Dogs are Only Good for Eating!

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

Bolt, Yorkie-Poo guest columnist:  What dog doesn’t love a fun walk around the ‘hood?  I certainly do, but in these current elevated temperatures, I’m lucky to make it around the house without feeling overheated.  My paws hurt.  My tongue is dragging on the ground. Drool is rolling off my beard. Not a pretty sight.

While I love my exercise, I want to warn you to exercise some common sense when it comes to your dogs and the outdoor life in the dog days of summer.  It’s hot outside, baby!  The ground is hot to our paws.  We are so much closer to the asphalt than humans are, so we feel the heat that much quicker and so much more exponentially.

Save the walks for the cooler times of day – early mornings and evenings.  Stick to shaded areas.  Limit the duration and intensity of the walks.  Make sure we have plenty of fresh, cool water.  If you think it’s hot, imagine how we feel!

Just be smart about it.  Heat stroke in pets can lead to illness, internal organ failure, and even death.  You can play games with us inside, too.  My master loves to have me chase her up and down the stairs a few times.  It’s a fun little game we play, and I sure do get some exercise that way.   So does she…in fact, I really think she does it for herself! I won’t let her know I know that, however.

Take care!  Catch you later! It’s nap time!

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Like butter! (Or is it “like buttah?”)

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Boltie-Boy, the Yorkie-Poo guest columnist:  It’s amazing what you can learn from watching TV!  Just the other day, as I was mesmerized by Animal Planet, I learned of a great tip to train your puppy not to bite.  You see, I live with a Wheaten Terrier who tends to nip at strangers, and it has landed him in “doggie jail” a couple of times. That kind of behavior does not look good on a resume!

At any rate, on this one particular show about dogs, they said that a great way to teach  puppies not to bite is to rub butter on your hands and arms so that they will then learn to lick, as opposed to biting.  Kind of messy, I know, but it can save aggravation down the road.

As for that Wheaten Terrier in my home, who is now six years old, I don’t think he is completely untrainable, but I think at this point, our owners will have to dip themselves in barbeque sauce to get the message across.

That’s my friendly tip of the day!  And, by the way, don’t all dogs bite?  I mean, seriously…how do they eat otherwise?

Have a great Easter weekend!

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How Will Your Older Dog React to a Younger Dog in the Home? It’s Up to You!

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

Jessie, the dog who thinks she’s a movie critic:  I just heard about a movie starring Jeff Bridges called “The Dog Year.” It is about a struggling and angry writer who brings a younger dog into his home that is already residence to two older dogs. The story primarily revolves around Jeff trying to tame and train this formerly abused dog who seems wildly out of control. The two older dogs look on with equal parts disinterest and intrigue. So…just how do you introduce a younger dog to an older dog? Here are a few tips:

Sometimes, when folks have an older dog, they like to bring in a younger dog to provide companionship for the older dog. You just never know, however, how things will turn out when you bring home a one-year-old dog and introduce it to your 12-year-old dog. That represents a huge gap in development. It could work out well, or the older dog could become quite annoyed with the new, loud, energetic addition.

Don’t force the two to become fast friends. Sure, have them spend time together, but if fighting ensues, do not tolerate that.

Provide ample exercise time for the younger dog. Be sure to schedule time to do activities with both dogs and reward good behavior. Take a short walk with them or have them both sit next to you while you watch a movie. If both behave well, be sure to give them lots of positive attention.

Be sure to teach the younger dog basic skills, such as sit, down, and stay. These will come in handy when managing his behavior.

Do not allow the dogs to be together alone at home until you are confident they will get along well.

(Thanks for Mary Burch at pawnation.com for this great information!)

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We Were Born to Run!

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Naismith, Wheaten Terrier guest columnist:  Happy dog! I am such a happy dog!  I awaken each morning around 4:15 and am so excited because I get to go on a run with my human!  As you know, running for dogs is pure joy!  That is true happiness for us.  We are totally in our element when we can run.  Luckily for you and for me, there are great benefits in going for a run with us.  Check out these fun facts:

1.) When you run with your dog regularly, not only does your dog stay fit, but you do, too.  Burn some extra calories and have fun along the way!

2.) Running will improve the quality of your dog’s life.  As I mentioned, dogs love to run.  A dog that does what he enjoys most is a happy dog, and a happy dog equals a happy life!

3.)  Running not only gives you humans an edge on a longer life span, but it has the same effect on dogs!  If you want to enjoy our companionship for a long time, then take us out on regular runs.  Both your heart and mine will thank you for it!

4.)  Running with your dog provides a great opportunity to work on training commands.  Your dog will learn to sit patiently while waiting for traffic.  He will learn to remain in control when passing by other runners and their dogs.  He will learn to stay by your side.  This time also provides a great way to deepen the bond with your dog.

5.)  Running is a terrific outlet for all of your dog’s energy!  If he is causing trouble in the home because of pent-up energy, take him for a run.  You will be amazed at how calm he is when at home!

Well, it is time for my nap now.  I ran for almost an hour this morning!  It was awesome.  I saw a few other dogs out and about. Most of them were just barking at me from their fenced-in yards.  Poor things.  They need to nudge their owners and get a move on!

(Thanks to runningplanet.com for this great info.  Thanks to my human for making the effort to get up early in the morning with me.  Oh, yeah…another benefit….those regular morning runs keep ME regular…get it?  My system runs like clockwork!)

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Is Your Adult Dog Forgetting that He Should Go Potty Outside?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Bolt, Yorkie-Poo guest columnist: I’ve had it!  I have absolutely had it!  My roommate, a five-year-old Wheaten Terrier, has recently begun to poop in the house again.  Sadly, this has encouraged poor behavior on my part.  Even though I am two years old, I now have this feeling that if HE can poop in the house, so can I.  It seems our humans, though, think otherwise.  I know they get upset when they continually have to clean up after us.  We do try to limit it to one area of the house, and we really are sorry when someone steps in it barefooted, unaware we just left our mark there.  Help!  What can we do to break ourselves of this horrible habit before our humans ban us to the basement?

I did some research at veterinarypartner.com, and here is some handy advice if your older dog has begun to “let loose” inside once again:

**Make sure your pet does not have any health problems that might be contributing to this nasty habit.  Medical problems such as urinary tract infections, prostate problems, neurological incontinence, pain when squatting, intestinal parasites, etc., may cause your pet to poop in the house.

**Treat the premises to get rid of odors form past accidents, including those that only dogs can smell.  Use a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator, or, if possible, go for a professional cleaning.  You may need to repeatedly use the enzyme product until the odor is fully removed.  Otherwise, the dog’s natural instincts will just irresistably draw him back to the same spot.

**Figure out where you want your dog to go potty outside and how he is going to get there.  Plan on giving your pet access to that area once an hour when you are at home and awake.  If that is not possible, perhaps enlist the services of a reliable pet sitter (we do know of one!), dog walker, neighbor, relative, etc., to help out during the day.

**If your dog has been successfully housetrained in the past, he stands a better chance of being re-educated in this regard.  It will take a while to break those bad habits, however.

**When you let your dog outside to go potty, go with him to ensure he does eliminate, and go to the same spot each time. Then, praise him for his efforts.  If you do catch your dog in the act inside, immediately usher him outside to finish his business, but do so without punishment.  Dogs need positive reinforcement.  Punishing the dog can cause setbacks in his progress.

While re-training a dog that has lost sight of the house rules of potty time, it’s not entirely impossible.  You just need time, patience, and dedication.  As for me, well, I just need a better role model in that older dog in the house.  He needs to learn correct potty habits so I can, too!

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