HOUSE SOILING – ELIMINATION AND MARKING PROBLEMS IN DOGS

There are numerous reasons why a dog might soil the house with urine and/or stools. Determining the specific reason is essential for developing a treatment program. Dogs that soil the home continuously or intermittently from the time they were first obtained may not have been properly house-trained. Dogs that have been previously house-trained may begin to soil the home for medical reasons or behavioural reasons.

Assuming medical causes can be ruled out (see below), some of the behavioural causes can include:-

• a change in schedule or routine,
• a change in housing
• being left alone for unusual periods of time
• or any change in the pet’s home that might lead to anxiety.

For example, if you leave a dog alone for longer than the dog is accustomed, or significantly change the daily schedule or routine, your dog may begin to house-soil. Dogs that are exhibiting an increase in anxiety may begin to eliminate in the home due primarily to a loss of control when anxious and not due to spite. Dogs that exhibit separation anxiety may soil the home and require an intensive retraining program.

WHY ARE YOU FINDING URINE ON UPRIGHT OBJECTS?

Marking is urination on upright objects. It is most likely to occur on or near the odours, especially the urine, left by other dogs. The volume of urine is usually small. The problem is much more common in intact males but some neutered males and spayed females will mark. Dogs may mark territory for a number of reasons including male hormonal influences, other dogs entering the property, moving to a new household or getting new furniture, or as a response to increased stress or anxiety.

WHY DOES YOUR DOG URINATE WHEN HE/SHE MEETS NEW PEOPLE OR WHEN YOU COME HOME?

Two specific types of house-soiling, submissive and excitement urination differ from most other forms of house-soiling in that the dog has little control over their elimination. Submissive urination occurs when a person approaches, reaches out, stands over or attempts to physically punish them. A dog not only urinates but may show other signs of submission such as ears back, retraction of lips, avoidance of eye contact, and cowering. Although this problem can be seen in dogs of any age, submissive urination is most commonly seen in puppies and young female dogs. Owner intervention in the form of verbal reprimands or punishment only serve to aggravate the problem by making a dog act more submissive which leads to further urination. Excitement urination is similar to submissive urination except the stimuli that lead to elimination are those that lead to excitement, particularly greeting and giving affection to a dog. These dogs may also be overly submissive but not necessarily.

WHAT MEDICAL PROBLEMS COULD CAUSE YOUR DOG TO HOUSE-SOIL?

There are numerous medical problems that could cause or contribute to house-soiling, and these become increasingly more common as a dog ages. Medical problems that cause an increased frequency of urination include:-

• bladder infections,
• bladder stones or crystals, or
• bladder tumours,
• problems that cause a decrease in control or mobility such as neurological deterioration or arthritis, and
• problems that cause an increase in urine volume (amount) such as kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, or Cushing’s disease could all contribute to indoor elimination.

Certain drugs such as steroids may also cause a dog to drink more and therefore urinate more.

For dogs that defecate in the house, any condition that leads to more frequent defecation such as:-

• colitis,
• problems that cause an increased volume of stool such as problems with absorption or lack of digestive enzymes, and
• problems that affect a dog’s mobility or control such as arthritis or neurological deterioration.

As dogs age, cognitive brain function decline, could also contribute to indoor elimination.

HOW CAN THE CAUSE OF HOUSE-SOILING BE DETERMINED?

For dogs that are house-soiling a physical examination and medical history are first required. For most cases a urinalysis and general blood profile will also be needed, and additional tests such as radiographs and contrast studies, may be indicated based on the results. If there is any abnormality in elimination frequency or amount, stool colour or consistency or urine odour, more comprehensive laboratory tests may be necessary. Once medical problems have been ruled out, it will than be necessary to determine if your dog was ever completely house-trained, whether there were changes in the pet’s household or schedule at the time the problem started, whether your dog is marking or eliminating on horizontal surfaces, whether or not the pet is exhibiting anxiety when the owners leave or when they are locked in their confinement area, and whether there is any evidence of submissive or excitement urination.

HOW CAN HOUSE-SOILING BE TREATED?

Training techniques for house-soiling dogs are virtually identical to those needed to house train a new puppy. However, even if house-soiling dogs are retrained to eliminate outdoors, indoor sites may continue to be used, since the odour, substrate, and learned habit may continue to attract your dog back to the location. In addition, dogs that eliminate indoors are in essence, performing a self rewarding behaviour since they relieve themselves and do not perceive that the area they have used is inappropriate.

Supervision

The key to effective house training is constant supervision and preventing access to indoor elimination sites. If you find your pet in the process of eliminating in an inappropriate location you can use a mild correction and redirect him/her to an appropriate area.

When you find your pet in action in an appropriate place

• Reinforce the acceptable behaviour with lavish praise or food rewards
• Use a word cue prior to each elimination so your dog will learn to eliminate on command

If you have trouble keeping your dog in sight leave a remote indoor leash attached to your dog. This leash can also be used to deter any elimination or pre-elimination behaviours (such as sniffing, circling or squatting) in the act and to direct your dog to the appropriate area without delay. Whenever you are not available to supervise, your dog should be housed in either a confinement area where they do not eliminate (such as a bedroom, crate, or pen), or in an area where elimination is allowed (such as a dog run, papered pen or room, or outdoors).

Your dog must never be allowed access to indoor sites where they have previously eliminated unless you are there to supervise. Access to these areas can be denied by closing doors or putting up barricades. Odours that might attract the pet back to the area can be reduced or removed with commercial odour counteractants

Feeding schedules – set your dog up for success

Feeding schedules can be regulated to improve owner control over the situation. After a dog eats, they will usually need to eliminate in 15 to 30 minutes. Dogs that eat free-choice often need to relieve themselves at a variety of times throughout the day. Dogs that eat one or two scheduled meals each day often void in a more predictable manner. Feeding a low-residue diet may also be of benefit because a dog often has less urgency to defecate and produces fewer stools.

Crate soiling

A dog that eliminates in their crate poses special problems. In these cases, crates and cages may not be the ideal training aid. Since the purpose of the crate is to provide a safe, comfortable area for a dog to “curl-up and relax”, it is not appropriate for dogs that are anxious about entering or staying in their cage. While this can be overcome with training techniques, it may be better to confine these dogs to a small room such as a laundry room or kitchen where your dog is fed, or a bedroom where they sleep.

Aged or ill

If your dog has reduced control due to their physical health, scheduling changes may need to be made. If possible, arrange your schedule so that more frequent trips to the elimination area can be provided. Alternatively a dog walker, or doggy day care, may need to be considered. If you cannot accommodate your dog’s decreased control, installing a doggy door, or providing a papered area may be necessary. When age related cognitive decline is suspected, a drug trial may be considered in conjunction with retraining techniques.

HOW CAN SEPARATION ANXIETY BE TREATED?

To try to differentiate house-soiling from separation anxiety, it may be necessary for you to keep a record of when the elimination occurs. If the elimination takes place when you are gone, or your dog is prevented from being near you, separation anxiety should be considered. In this case, treatment should be directed not only at re-establishing proper elimination habits (see above) but also at the underlying separation anxiety. Drug therapy may be useful in those cases where anxiety is a contributing factor. It should be noted that punishment at homecoming is not only useless for correcting a problem that has occurred during your absence but also serves to add to your pet’s anxiety during future departures and homecomings.

HOW CAN SUBMISSIVE URINATION BE TREATED?

For submissive urination, it is important that you and all visitors interact with your dog in a less dominant or threatening manner by avoiding physical punishment and even the mildest verbal reprimand.

In fact, owners who attempt to punish the pet for urinating submissively will make things worse since this intensifies fearful and submissive behaviour. When greeting a very submissive dog, you may initially need to completely ignore them at greeting, even to the extent of avoiding eye contact. Counter-conditioning can be very helpful in controlling submissive urination. Your dog is taught to perform a behaviour that is not compatible with urinating, such as sitting for food or retrieving a toy when they greet someone. If your dog anticipates food or ball playing at each greeting, they are less likely to eliminate.

HOW CAN EXCITEMENT URINATION BE TREATED?

For excitement urination, those stimuli that initiate the behaviour should be avoided. During greetings, you and guests should:-

• refrain from eye contact
• refrain from verbal or physical contact until your pet calms down
• keep greetings very low-key
• speak in a low, calm tone

Counter-conditioning, distraction techniques and drug therapy might be useful. Caution must be taken to only reward appropriate competing behaviours (eg. sit up and beg, go lie on your mat, retrieving a ball). Inappropriate use or timing of rewards might further excite your dog and serve as a reward for the excitement urination. The use of drugs to increase bladder sphincter tone might also be considered as an adjunct to behaviour therapy for refractory cases. Another important aspect of treating over-excitement to visitors is repeated presentations of the stimulus so that a dog learns the correct response. If visitors come only infrequently, a dog does not have the opportunity to learn a new behaviour. By scheduling visitors to come, visit briefly, then leave by another door and re-enter, a dog may learn to be less excited and/or submissive with each entrance. Each time the person returns they are more familiar and less likely to stimulate the urination behaviour. This allows a dog to “practice” the good behaviour and reinforce the appropriate response.

HOW CAN MARKING BE TREATED?

Sterilisation will eliminate male marking behaviour in over 50% of dogs and is also recommended for female dogs that mark during oestrus. Confining the pet so that they are unable to watch other dogs through windows in the home may be helpful. Urine residue must be removed from around doors, windows or other areas where stray dogs have been marking. Provide rewards to reinforce marking at outdoor sites where marking is permitted. New upright objects that are brought into the home should not be placed on the floor until your pet is familiar with them. During retraining, you must closely supervise your pet, and when they cannot be supervised, they should be confined to their crate or bedroom area, away from areas that have been previously marked. If anxiety is an underlying factor in the marking behaviour, then treatment of the anxiety with desensitization and counter-conditioning may also be helpful.

Head Pressing in Dogs

Pressing the Head Against Objects in Dogs

 

Head pressing is a condition characterized by the compulsive act of pressing the head against a wall or other object for no apparent reason. This generally indicates damage to the nervous system, which may result from a number of causes, including prosencephalon disease (in which the forebrain and thalamus parts of the brain are damaged), and some types of toxic poisoning.

This condition can affect dogs of any breed or age-range.

Symptoms and Types

The act of head pressing is just one sign of prosencephalon disease, in which the forebrain and thalamus parts of the brain are affected. Other symptoms that may accompany this include compulsive pacing and circling, changes in learned (trained) behavior, seizures, damaged reflexes, and visual problems. Some of these symptoms may lead to lesions, for example, sores on the feet as a result of compulsive pacing, or injuries to the face and head as a result of pressing the head against a surface for long periods of time.

Causes

There are a number of reasons for why a dog might feel a compulsion to press its head against objects, depending on the primary cause that is leading to this symptom. Possible causes may be a metabolic disorder, such as hyper or hyponatremia (too much, or too little sodium in the body’s blood plasma), a primary or secondary tumor (meaning a tumor located in the brain vs. a tumor located elsewhere in the body), or an infection of the nervous system, such as rabies or fungal infection. Other causes can include head trauma, such as from a car accident, or from exposure to toxins, such as lead.

Diagnosis

One primary diagnostic procedure in cases of head pressing includes a fundic examination of the retina and other structures in the back of the eye, which may indicate infectious or inflammatory diseases, as well as irregularities in the brain. Other likely tests are blood pressure measurements to test for high blood pressure, and computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain. Your veterinarian will also include a urine analysis (which may reveal a problem with the metabolic system), and tests for blood lead concentration (which can indicate toxins in the system).

You will need to give a thorough history of your dog’s health, the onset of symptoms, and possible incidents that might have preceded this condition.

Treatment

Care is dependent on the symptoms that appear and the diagnosis your veterinarian settles on. Severe clinical signs will require hospitalization and immediate treatment. Different causes require different treatment, and no drugs or therapies should be administered until a diagnosis has been reached.

Living and Management

Specific diseases require various methods of follow up care; however repeat neurological examinations to monitor progress are generally the main requirement.

 

Why Do Dogs Push Their Food Bowls Around?

Dog owners have a way – sometimes within DAYS of first becoming dog owners – of becoming EXPERTS on animal behavior. It blows my mind. These are people who observe their animals displaying interesting or curious behaviors and make up things like “dogs like being put in tiny cages, actually, because of when their ancestors were pack animals and lived in caves.”

That said, a reader sent me an email inquiring about a particular behavior that she has observed in her lab. This reader is not one of the above-described self-proclaimed experts. This reader is generally awesome.
She writes:

My dog is pushing around her food, her food dish, or anything in the area. She noses it around every time before she eats, sometimes for a significant period of time. This video is of her pushing the towel under the dish around (which I put there to stop her from pushing the dish entirely across the tile floor and spilling food everyone). Sometimes she noses the food around and doesn’t even bother to eat any. What is this all about?

One day she decided to set up a spycam so she could catch her dog in the act. She sent me the video and permitted me to upload it for the world to see:

It turns out that this behavior appears fairly common, and inquiries abound online in various forums and whatnot. Enter the self-proclaimed experts. One offers;

Many dogs push their food bowls around; it might be vestigial to the dog’s foraging instinct. Many dogs also pick food out of the bowl and carry it to another location to eat it.

Another suggests;

Depending on the breed of your dog, and dominance level, it’s food looks rather bleak. Meaning that it’s looking for something more alive; this would be the hunter in them call out. Ever wonder why dogs love a good squeaker? It’s because it resembles a dying animal.

Here’s a selection of other gems,

Maybe try switching food brands

Maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t like the shape of the bowl it may be not the most convenient shape for her to eat out of. Having just a dog brain she doesn’t know it is a permanent shape. But more than likely it is just an inherited behavior left over from before dogs trained humans to be pet owners. Back then the dog (or dawg, or even dogg, spelling having not been domesticated yet) ate things it killed or found already dead. Sometimes the prey might not be dead yet and might try to bite back so Dog would need to check and one way to check was just give it a push and see if it moved.

I think they want you to pay some attention to them….They can’t speak so we have to listen to them without hearing words…If I were a dog pushing my bowls around I would be saying..I am bored..I am lonely eating alone every night, no one validating me…I am tired of this same ole’ crap all the time…

He’s trying to get on your nerves, or he wants attention. Both ways are the same. Your dog and my dog know that once he does something bad, he’ll get your attention and you might scream at him or maybe slap his nose for him to stop, but he/she thinks it’s fun.

I think perhaps they feel they are “hunting” the food and then eat it.

If I was going to make up a hypothesis, I might conjecture that pushing food around with the nose will indicate if the food is beginning to rot, as bugs and other critters that munch on dead flesh tend to be found underneath the food item.
Time for some actual research.
How about first we knock down all those lay explanations:

In wild animals, food selection begins with foraging (or hunting, for carnivores) behavior, and ends with food consumption. Through domestication, however, hunting behavior in dogs seems to have been genetically modified if not entirely eradicated. Some evidence that this is so comes from studies of “village” or feral dogs. These are dogs that generally survive by scavenging, raising the possibility that domesticated dogs have not maintained a fully functional repertoire of hunting behaviors. It should be noted, however, that not much is known about how wolves decide what is palatable (e.g. appearance, odor, texture, flavor), so it is hard to determine if dogs’ preferences in that respect have changed in domestication. So it is unlikely that any food-related behavior you observe in a domesticated dog is “leftover” from their wolf ancestors. Possible, but unlikely.
Then, I asked this reader a few questions: are there other dogs in the house? Yes, a male dog. Does she generally feed the dog the same food every day? Yes.

I could not find anything in the literature directly addressing this issue. Here are some things we do know about food selection in domesticated dogs, and my best guess as to the explanation of this particular dog’s behavior:
(1) It is certain that odor plays a strong role in food selection, because anosmic dogs (who can’t smell) show reduced discrimination between types of meat that are otherwise highly discriminable.
(2) Dogs combine olfactory information (smell) with social information to select what type of food they want. In one study, dogs preferred eating something that smelled like the breath of another dog who had recently been fed.
I wonder if perhaps Shug (white poodle) smelled something on the other dog’s breath, and was looking for it. This reader insisted that the two dogs are fed the same foods. It is possible that there is some odor produced by the interaction of the other dog’s saliva and the food that Shug was trying to find in her food bowl.
One other bit of info that I stumbled across concerns liberality in dogs. Laterality is an observable measure of functional asymmetry in the brain. The human brain, for example, is strongly left-lateralized for language. This means that much of language processing occurs on the left side of the brain. Human handedness (whether you favor your right or left hand) has to do with laterality as well. Human handedness may be a topic for another day – this day, we shall focus on dog paw-edness. Do dogs favor one paw over the other?

So the answer is yes, and is actually related to their sex. Females tend to prefer the right paw, and males tend to prefer the left paw. What is most interesting to me is that task #3 was a food retrieval task.
I am well aware that I might be reaching here and over-interpreting – but I wonder if perhaps Shug, if she is right-pawed like most other female dogs, is simply trying to move the food away from the wall. Kind of like, if you’re at a restaurant, and you’re right handed, it totally sucks to be the guy at the end of the booth with your right hand against the wall.
So, there you have it. Both may be stretching it a little, but you’ve got two workable hypotheses that are totally testable.

Why Do Dogs Push Their Food Bowls Around?

Dog owners have a way – sometimes within DAYS of first becoming dog owners – of becoming EXPERTS on animal behavior. It blows my mind. These are people who observe their animals displaying interesting or curious behaviors and make up things like “dogs like being put in tiny cages, actually, because of when their ancestors were pack animals and lived in caves.”

That said, a reader sent me an email inquiring about a particular behavior that she has observed in her lab. This reader is not one of the above-described self-proclaimed experts. This reader is generally awesome.
She writes:

My dog is pushing around her food, her food dish, or anything in the area. She noses it around every time before she eats, sometimes for a significant period of time. This video is of her pushing the towel under the dish around (which I put there to stop her from pushing the dish entirely across the tile floor and spilling food everyone). Sometimes she noses the food around and doesn’t even bother to eat any. What is this all about?

One day she decided to set up a spycam so she could catch her dog in the act. She sent me the video and permitted me to upload it for the world to see:

It turns out that this behavior appears fairly common, and inquiries abound online in various forums and whatnot. Enter the self-proclaimed experts. One offers;

Many dogs push their food bowls around; it might be vestigial to the dog’s foraging instinct. Many dogs also pick food out of the bowl and carry it to another location to eat it.

Another suggests;

Depending on the breed of your dog, and dominance level, it’s food looks rather bleak. Meaning that it’s looking for something more alive; this would be the hunter in them call out. Ever wonder why dogs love a good squeaker? It’s because it resembles a dying animal.

Here’s a selection of other gems,

Maybe try switching food brands

Maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t like the shape of the bowl it may be not the most convenient shape for her to eat out of. Having just a dog brain she doesn’t know it is a permanent shape. But more than likely it is just an inherited behavior left over from before dogs trained humans to be pet owners. Back then the dog (or dawg, or even dogg, spelling having not been domesticated yet) ate things it killed or found already dead. Sometimes the prey might not be dead yet and might try to bite back so Dog would need to check and one way to check was just give it a push and see if it moved.

I think they want you to pay some attention to them….They can’t speak so we have to listen to them without hearing words…If I were a dog pushing my bowls around I would be saying..I am bored..I am lonely eating alone every night, no one validating me…I am tired of this same ole’ crap all the time…

He’s trying to get on your nerves, or he wants attention. Both ways are the same. Your dog and my dog know that once he does something bad, he’ll get your attention and you might scream at him or maybe slap his nose for him to stop, but he/she thinks it’s fun.

I think perhaps they feel they are “hunting” the food and then eat it.

If I was going to make up a hypothesis, I might conjecture that pushing food around with the nose will indicate if the food is beginning to rot, as bugs and other critters that munch on dead flesh tend to be found underneath the food item.
Time for some actual research.
How about first we knock down all those lay explanations:

In wild animals, food selection begins with foraging (or hunting, for carnivores) behavior, and ends with food consumption. Through domestication, however, hunting behavior in dogs seems to have been genetically modified if not entirely eradicated. Some evidence that this is so comes from studies of “village” or feral dogs. These are dogs that generally survive by scavenging, raising the possibility that domesticated dogs have not maintained a fully functional repertoire of hunting behaviors. It should be noted, however, that not much is known about how wolves decide what is palatable (e.g. appearance, odor, texture, flavor), so it is hard to determine if dogs’ preferences in that respect have changed in domestication. So it is unlikely that any food-related behavior you observe in a domesticated dog is “leftover” from their wolf ancestors. Possible, but unlikely.
Then, I asked this reader a few questions: are there other dogs in the house? Yes, a male dog. Does she generally feed the dog the same food every day? Yes.

I could not find anything in the literature directly addressing this issue. Here are some things we do know about food selection in domesticated dogs, and my best guess as to the explanation of this particular dog’s behavior:
(1) It is certain that odor plays a strong role in food selection, because anosmic dogs (who can’t smell) show reduced discrimination between types of meat that are otherwise highly discriminable.
(2) Dogs combine olfactory information (smell) with social information to select what type of food they want. In one study, dogs preferred eating something that smelled like the breath of another dog who had recently been fed.
I wonder if perhaps Shug (white poodle) smelled something on the other dog’s breath, and was looking for it. This reader insisted that the two dogs are fed the same foods. It is possible that there is some odor produced by the interaction of the other dog’s saliva and the food that Shug was trying to find in her food bowl.
One other bit of info that I stumbled across concerns liberality in dogs. Laterality is an observable measure of functional asymmetry in the brain. The human brain, for example, is strongly left-lateralized for language. This means that much of language processing occurs on the left side of the brain. Human handedness (whether you favor your right or left hand) has to do with laterality as well. Human handedness may be a topic for another day – this day, we shall focus on dog paw-edness. Do dogs favor one paw over the other?

So the answer is yes, and is actually related to their sex. Females tend to prefer the right paw, and males tend to prefer the left paw. What is most interesting to me is that task #3 was a food retrieval task.
I am well aware that I might be reaching here and over-interpreting – but I wonder if perhaps Shug, if she is right-pawed like most other female dogs, is simply trying to move the food away from the wall. Kind of like, if you’re at a restaurant, and you’re right handed, it totally sucks to be the guy at the end of the booth with your right hand against the wall.
So, there you have it. Both may be stretching it a little, but you’ve got two workable hypotheses that are totally testable.

SCAM part 2 Please read

This is the second pard of the scam email of Kijiji pups, I answered the ad with false info, If they were legit they should never have approved me, here below is what they sent back to me;

 

Hi,    Grace Bryson
We are impressed and happy you got back for the puppy and at this
moment we see you will provide all we need for the baby.
we shall be sending to you the male puppy Max
When I read through your mail,  I felt like we have found a home
already for the  puppy .we are currently in Regina Sk,we made these
post in another city so we could give them out fast for adoption
We work out here so much that there is little or no time to care for
the puppy.  they are so lonely that we thought it wise to get  them a
new home.  So we are glad you are willing to give them just that home.
Our main concern is that you give the puppy the attention and care
for their needs.. You will be getting the  puppy by  today  if we
can sort out everything now.and all you are paying is the delivery fee
to your location and you are making the payment to the delivery agency
,We are not out to make money from them since they where just like our
own children and has been our perfect companion, our main concern is
to give them the best they ever want..
The  puppy will come with CKC registration papers, vet certificate, a
one year health guarantee against  puppy disease, started on potty
training, a pedigree, up-to-date shots, crate,puppy  care package
(this includes food, training treats, a toy, and puppy pads)well
socialized and spoiled rotten. All shots and worming are up to date.
we will equally need some information from you to prepare the  puppy
for Home delivery to your location OK .How ever, to
proceed with this, you are requested to email us with your full
delivery information that we shall be using to registered the male
puppy for shipment to your address and this details include,

Your Full names???
Your State????
Your City?????
Your House Address???
Phone # ?????
Closest Airport To you????
Postal Code????

So email us the following information we have asked from you.we will
use the information for the shipping o.k.So flight to you will take
approximately 7 hours as soon as we are complete …
As soon as we have these, I will immediately work on the adoption
process and then go make arrangements for the shipping with the next
available
flight to your designated location. they have all their papers so it
is not a process.Upon arrival,you will be called by the delivery agent
to make sure you are home so that he can hand over the baby to you in
person. they will be delivered to you at your home. So get back to us
soon with all the
data required for the shipping so that we can start making all
necessary arrangements.

All you are requested to pay is $150 for the male puppy Max
money is to be used for the following;
$50= pets traveling crate for Max
$100 = To activate the flight ticket of Max
Giving a total of $150*

The puppy  will be delivered at your door stairs so you don’t have to
go and pick the up at the agency. Hope to read from you soonest with
the above details.
Note: Please this details are very important and will be highly needed
from you as soon as possible. We shall copy this detail out and take
the  puppy to the delivery company and registered the  puppy  and also
this are the same details we have to replace in the  puppy  OWNERSHIP
Documents to proof that you are the new owner.
Thanks
Waiting to read again from you as soon as you can
best regards

Car Sickness and Your Dog

Motion sickness isn’t just a problem for humans; your dog may be just as uncomfortable in a moving car.

We’ve nearly all felt it at least once before. The car starts to get going and all of a sudden you’re nauseous, hot, and dizzy. It can make car rides uncomfortable, sometimes even intolerable. Believe it or not, this same ailment can afflict your dog as well. For many of the same reasons, lots of dogs experience motion sickness. It’s not just on cars, either, as boats, trains, and other moving vehicles can cause similar effects. Here’s a guide on how to tell if your dog is experiencing motion sickness and what to do about it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motion sickness in dogs occurs for the same reason as it does in humans: the movement of the vehicle over-stimulates the inner ear, which controls balance. Like humans, it affects younger dogs more than older ones, as their balance has not fully developed yet. Puppies that get motion sickness often outgrow it.

Another possible cause for motion sickness is stress. Oftentimes a dog knows that a car ride means a trip to the vet and the anxiety makes them sick.

Symptoms

The symptoms of motion sickness in dogs will sound familiar to anybody who has had the ailment themselves. They vary from dog to dog but are most usually characterized by:

• Lethargy
• Yawning
• Rapid panting
• Shaking
• Pacing
• Drooling
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

If your dog experiences the milder of these symptoms, you could try using some simple steps to prevent the motion sickness the next time in your car. If your dog is experiencing more severe motion sickness, you may want to take him to your veterinarian and ask him about treatment.

Prevention

These steps could be effective in reducing the risk of motion sickness in your dog.

Empty Stomach: Try not to give your dog food or water before taking a car ride. It’s less likely that your dog will get sick if there is nothing in his belly.

Take a Break: On longer car trips, try taking frequent rest stops to allow your dog to get out and get his legs under him.

Fresh Air: Try leaving the car window slightly open, but not enough for your dog to lean out of. The fresh air will help him cope with the motion. You can also try turning up the air conditioning to help keep him cool.

De-stress: Try not to just take your dog in the car when you go to the veterinarian. If you take him on trips to fun places like the park or a lake, he’ll learn to associate the car with those things. It will help to make the rides much easier on him without having to worry about the veterinarian.

Treatment:

If the previous measures don’t work, you may want to consider talking to your vet about these options.

Medication: Certain medicines such as Benadryl, Dramamine, and Bonine work to help dogs cope with motion sickness. Even though these are available over the counter, never give them to your dog without asking your veterinarian about it first. Always follow his dosing instructions and be cautious. Also remember that these medications can cause drowsiness, so let your dog rest after a car ride.

Conditioning: If you’re wary of using medicine, you can try to condition your dog to tolerate car rides. Start by playing with him in the car; even without it running; to get him used to being in the car. Then you can start to take him on very short trips; always rewarding him with treats after. If you gradually increase the length of trips, you may find that your dog no longer minds them.

Sedatives: This should be viewed as a last resort scenario, but there are prescription sedatives that can be used if your dog gets very severe motion sickness. Always closely follow your veterinarian’s instructions with these and be very cautious. Remember, if your dog’s in a plane cargo hold, side effects and medical emergencies will go unnoticed, so try not to fly with your dog if he has to use sedatives.

How to Welcome a New Puppy Home

A wriggling, licking and squirming little puppy brings joy and energy to the home . However, the first few nights with him can be a trying experience. Follow the steps in this article to welcome your new puppy home, help him acclimate to his new surroundings and establish good habits for the rest of his life.

 

Oh how we have grown

 

Instructions

1. • 1

     Be a comforting presence his first night but do not establish a pattern of dependency. He may cry or whimper because he misses his mother and siblings and feels uncomfortable in the new environment. Scolding him will only make him fear you, while immediately responding to his every cry will teach him that you will come when he makes noise.

   • 2

     Establish a safe, warm and comfortable sleeping area for the new puppy. Put his pen or bed next to yours: he will be reassured by your presence without perceiving that you have given in to his cries. Consider bundling him snug in a travel crate where he will feel safer (although he will eventually grow out of it)

   • 3

     Bed him down with a cloth or soft toy from his former home. The familiar smell will remind him of mother and offer comfort. Leave on a soft light so he can see his surroundings. Do not set out too much food and water because it may cause him to wake in the night to go out.

   • 4

     Cover his crate or bed with a sheet if he will not settle down. The cover will mask any distractions and also signal that it is bed time. Remember to leave air holes exposed.

   • 5

     Puppy-proof your home just as you would baby-proof it. Put chewable objects out of his reach, especially dangerous things like electrical cords, drapery ties and potted plants.

   • 6

     Create safe areas for your new puppy to play and explore inside and outside the house. Always leave food and water accessible. Inside keep him on linoleum or tiled surfaces until housebroken. Select an outside area with fence and shade. Keep him in smaller rooms or areas until he gets used to the environment and rhythm of the household.

   • 7

     Housebreak puppy by establishing a regular schedule. Feed him two to three times a day and take him for regular potty breaks. As he potties, speak words out loud that describe what he is doing and that he is doing it well. He will soon associate words and praise with the activity and then eagerly go potty when you take him.

     Tips & Warnings

     • Do not hit, kick or slap the puppy. These actions exacerbate rather than remedy pet behavior problems.

     • Catch your puppy exhibiting desired behaviors and then praise or reward him. If he knows he has done something correctly, he will be more likely to repeat it.

     • Do not let your new puppy sleep in bed with you unless you plan to allow it for the rest of his life.

 

 

Think Before Buying

As I sit every damn day at my computer I read more and more about people giving up animals for ridiculous reasons! Such reasons as; I no longer have time, moving and can’t take them with me, children are allergic, have a new baby and no longer have time, it peed in my house, difficult and can’t afford training, the list of excuses are extraordinary. I read face book, kijiji, Belleville animals and pet websites, humane society pages again the list is endless. I don’t know about anyone else but it infuriates me on a daily basis! People like me who constantly try to rescue as many as I can, or who change their entire life style to accommodate these animals, move if have too, I simply do not understand why humans think animals are disposable? If your child was ill you wouldn’t put them down! If your new baby wasn’t accepted by your existing child you wouldn’t give up your baby, if you didn’t have time to spend with your children I am pretty sure you would make changes for your children, so why not for your animals? Also if I read one more time, ” if someone is willing to pay for my dog then they will be a good home.” Are you kidding me? Puppy mills and people who buy puppies often breed them for profit! Need Christmas money? Lets have a litter of puppies!. Can’t pay bills? Lets have a litter of puppies!, How about you get a damn job!!!! Just because people pay for puppies does not ensure them going to a good home! If you really and truly have your animals best interest at heart you would pick a home based on their ability to provide the animals with a lifestyle that suits them! The lifestyle of good excercise, health, food, socialization vaccinations, and spay or neuter not they and ” recoup their financial loss” by selling them!

 

Animals are not temporary. They are not disposable. They are not commodities either. They are loving family members who depend on you to love and care for them forever. Most commonly kept pets will grieve when left behind, or abandoned by their family. So, think before committing!

Take a good look at your lifestyle and your habits. How much time do you have to devote to a pet? Some pets are more expensive to maintain than others. Are you financially ready to meet a new pet’s needs or an unexpected emergency? Remember, animal shelters exist because people create the need for them.

No one needs a pet RIGHT NOW! Do your homework. Take your time before making any decision. Pets do not make good gifts, and all family members should be involved in a decision like this. We teach our children a lot just by how we treat and value our pets. What do you want to teach your child?

No matter what critter you’re considering as a pet, in addition to the above mentioned, consider these things:

1.    What is the expected lifespan of the pet you’re considering? Some types of animals exceed human life expectancy. Some live only a year or two. Most cats and dogs live beyond 10 years. So, can you commit to a lifetime of care?

2.    How the heck do you care for this type of pet? Okay, we all know pets need basics such as food, water, and shelter, but what kind exactly? Snakes eat other animals. Large dogs consume mass quantities of food. Exotics need a variety of specialty foods, and sometimes special habitats. Some critters will go absolutely cage crazy if they aren’t provided with constant enrichment, exercise, and/or stimulation. Some need to be maintained at certain temperatures. Some animals are solitary. Some need more socialization. Do you have what it takes to keep this pet happy, healthy, AND safe??

Do you have what it takes to keep this pet happy, healthy, AND safe??

3.    Is this pet legal in my town/province or does it need a license or permit? Ha! You may laugh, but even some commonly kept pets are illegal in some places. It’s not only the wild and dangerous animals that are regulated. Animals such as hedgehogs, prairie dogs, and ferrets are frequent targets of animal bans. Check it out first! And think about your neighbors! Proper permits don’t ensure happy neighbors! Would they mind if they knew what was “next door”?

4.     How big will this animal be when it reaches adulthood? That cute 12 inch boa constrictor will reach 8-10 feet if cared for properly. Some snakes get much bigger. And in most places all are considered illegal once they reach a certain length (usually 6 feet)! Dogs grow up quickly too, as do lion and cougar cubs. What then? Are you prepared to deal with the adult animal? If you’re currently in an apartment, how will the animal (and possibly a cage) fit in your home once it reaches adulthood?

5.    Are you prepared for the financial obligations of pet ownership? Some pets need cages. If you answered the above question, are you prepared to invest money in a cage(s) suitable enough to house your pet as it grows and matures? Some of the “pets” dumped on us when they reached adulthood required cages that cost in the thousands. Are you willing and able to make such an investment?

6.    Do you have time for the animal? No matter what, it takes some time to care for a pet. The time required varies from animal to animal. Basic feeding, cleaning, and watering are certainly things to consider, but what about play and enrichment time? Some pets don’t require a lot of human interaction. Others are attention sponges. If the attention need isn’t met, pets can become unhappy and even unhealthy. Unhappy, unhealthy pets make humans miserable too. If you simply want something to look at, get a plant – you’ll stay happier too.

7.     Why are you getting the pet? “Because I love animals” is not a good enough reason. Lots of animals suffer under the care of real animal lovers. And pets are not status symbols. People don’t look cool walking a tiger down the street. Pets can provide companionship and joy; they can be something to look forward to after a hard day. Pet ownership is a privilege, not a right! Also, pets DO NOT teach children responsibility! There are many kids out there that are responsible enough to care for pets (some more responsible than their adult parents). Be honest with yourself, and don’t overestimate your child. If he or she begs and whines and makes all sorts of promises, remember that chances are YOU will probably be the pet’s main caretaker no matter what your child says!!

8.    What type of major life change could affect your ability or desire to continue holding up your end of the commitment deal? A new baby? A new pet? A new car? A lost job? A geographical relocation? A new spouse or partner? Sometimes things happen and it’s out of your control. We understand true emergency situations. But, when you just had to have that cute puppy (with a lifespan of 10+ years), did you intend on staying childless, or did you just figure you’d dump the pup when the kid arrived to take his place? And don’t think sentencing him to a life in a cage with little human interaction is any better. There’s a lot to be said about “forward” thinking!

9.   Have you looked into vet availability? Even if you can find aveterinarian who will treat this type of animal, will you be able to afford it? There are a bazillion dog/cat vets out there. Have you considered what would happen if your exotic or wild animal needed veterinary care (not to mention routine care)? Vets are not all-knowing! Some will not treat exotic or wild animals. Others may want to, but admittedly lack the knowledge. Vets who “specialize” in or treat exotics are also frequently more expensive.

10.   Are you willing to go to any length to ensure the pet remains a family member-in-good- standing?Huh? I mean, when your pet destroys the house, eats the Thanksgiving turkey, or whizzes on your guest’s leg, are you willing to seek advice and or training from a professional? Are you willing to change your routine to be part of the solution instead of getting abusive or dumping the pet? All dogs should have basic obedience training. And rabbits can’t chew electrical cords if they can’t get to them. Having pets frequently means creative problem solving. If you tend to give up easily… Again, stick with a plant.

11.    Do you have a back-up caretaker in case of vacation (what’s that?) or hospitalization? While you may be willing to forego any vacations for the sake of your pet, what would happen if you were unable to care for your pet temporarily? All pet owners need back-up plans. Would it be easy or difficult to find responsible, reliable help for your pet? Lions intimidate most pet sitters. Dogs and cats can be difficult guests in an unfamiliar surrounding. So, do you have a back-up?

If you’re grappling with any of the questions above, then chances are you are NOT ready to take your desired pet home. Do some more thinking and researching. Animals run, play, jump, climb, make noise, poop, throw up, eat, poop some more, get into trouble, sleep, grow, demand attention, and make nuisances of themselves on a regular basis. If you or any of your family members cannot accept this simple fact of petdom, then head back to the local garden center.

 

How to Clean a Dog’s Anal Glands

How to Clean a Dog’s Anal Glands. Anal glands really have no purpose in dogs. These archaic organs are located beneath the skin just inside the anal opening. The secretions that collect are very unpleasant and can cause problems and infection in the dog. Here is how to clean a dog’s anal glands.

Instructions

1. • Express the anal glands regularly during bath time. The anal glands or sacs are located just inside the anal sphincter muscle at the five and seven o’clock positions, just inside the anal opening. These glands are about the size of a kidney bean normally. As they impact, or become full, they enlarge to the size of grapes.

   • Wear latex gloves. Wet the glove or work in the water and insert the index finger gently just inside the dog’s anal opening. This is uncomfortable for the dog, so do this slowly and gently.

   • Use the thumb of the same hand and place it on the outside of the anal opening at approximately 7 o’clock. You should feel the anal gland between your fingers.

   • Gently pinch the anal gland between your fingers and the accumulated secretion should squirt out. You should be able to feel the anal sack shrink in size as you’re gently squeezing.

   • Move your fingers to the 5 o’clock position and gently squeeze in the same way.

   • Repeat the procedure regularly during bath time to keep your dog’s anal glands in optimal health.

      

     A dog’s anal glands are the two small sacks bracketing from the anus. If you notice that your dog is continually licking his rectal area or dragging this area across the ground, it may indicate that the anal glands of the dog are full or infected. Make sure to consult your veterinarian about this. Usually, the way to deal with this problem is by regularly emptying out or expressing the anal glands.

     In order to do this, the dog must be standing in its bathtub with his head to the left and his behind area on the right, in the case of right-handed people that is. Next lift the dog’s tail upwards firmly with your left hand and press on both sides of the dog’s anus using your thumb and your index finger with your right hand.

     When beginning this procedure, often times you will be able to notice a bulging and this indicates that the anal glands are obstructed. When the anal glands are emptied out correctly this bulging usually goes away. Next, wash out the black, brown, or gray substance that comes out with shampoo in order to get rid of the unpleasant odor.

     If you see that this procedure is complicated, if the dog seems to be in a lot of pain, or if the substance that comes out of the dog’s anal glands is green, it could mean that there is an infection in the anal glands. If this happens make sure to get a hold of your veterinarian.

      

 

Reasons NOT to use Choke, Prong or Shock Collars

In 25 years of my own personal experience I grace Bryson of rrruffhouse  have NEVER, not once used any of these collars and never will! I have heard rumours that other trainers have told clients that I have and do use these methods but I am here to clear the air! I HAVE NEVER, WILL NEVER INFLICT PAIN AS A TRAINING TOOL!!!  If you hear from someone that I use any of these methods please note that you are being lied too!!

Stated quite simply, prong collars are an aversive device that will cause pain to your dog. Sure, they can be a quick fix, but:

• Your dog is only walking nicely to avoid punishment.
• Your dog is not being taught WHAT to do, in that the old behavior will return when the prong collar is removed.
• Anything present in the environment when your dog experiences pain can take on a negative association, including other dogs, children and strangers.
• In NO WAY, does a prong collar emulate the correction of a mothers teeth to a puppy. This is a MYTH plain and simple, and is unproven in any scientific study.

Regarding the quick fix, why not invest in a little time and extra effort in positive reinforcement training, so you will not have to hurt your dog? Clicker training is remarkably effective and trainers look for and record quantifiable results. Granted, some dogs come with pulling behaviors already well installed, such as that adopted 3 year old Chessie, but less aversive equipment is readily available, such as Premiere Easy Walk Harness (very effective) and Gentle Leader Head Collar I personally use both. These both work, they won`t hurt your dog, and coupled with positive reinforcement training, your problem should be should be solved. Best of all they won`t damage your relationship with your dog, because pain is being inflicted.

We owe it to our dogs to communicate clearly to them WHAT we would like them to do, instead of automatically punishing undesired behaviors. In operant conditioning, it is a given that a behavior that is reinforced is a behavior that will be repeated. If your dog is reinforced for a loose leash, they understand that. They don`t understand pain, only that something hurt them. They quit offering any behaviors because they are afraid to. This is not much of a life for a dog.

You can bet your last dollar that when the prong collar is removed, the pulling will return, so you are looking at a dog wearing a prong collar for life. Reinforced behavior becomes automatic behavior to your dog, and when a behavior is learned, requires only occasional reinforcement to remind your dog that he is doing what you want.

When your dog feels pain and sees children, other dogs, and strangers on a consistent basis, he could make a connection that children, other dogs, and strangers might not be so great, because he feels pain when he sees them. The same thing is true of electric fences: when a dog repeatedly runs at the fence and gets too close to passersby at the boundary, he gets shocked and makes that negative association. Pat Miller writes of this in a Whole Dog Journal article.

Finally, bitches (mother dogs) DO NOT use their teeth to inflict pain on their youngsters. They may lift an unruly youngster by the scruff, or nudge an overly enthusiastic feeder off a teat, but in no way does that replicate the myth of a pinch collar being like the correction of a mothers teeth. The bitch does not apply pressure to the skin on both sides of the neck with strong powerful pressure. Period. The former is how the pinch collar works. In the hands of the uninitiated and the overly enthusiastic, (those who enjoy the power) the pinch collar is an aversive piece of dog training equipment whose use is unnecessary. Be kind to your dogs and investigate positive reinforcement training and equipment that is not aversive.

In doing some further research, I came up with useful statements from well-respected dog trainers and behaviorists in support of positive reinforcement, statements also detailing the dangers and side effects of using prong collars. As well, I think it no coincidence that some dogs I have trained, those with some of the most severe behavioral problems, have had a history of aversive equipment and training methods being used.

From Pam Dennison, Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, author of many books, including: How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong, comes the following statement. The Merck Veterinary Manual, in Behavioral Problems Associated with Canine Aggression, states: “Almost without exception, physical punishment, including the use of prong collars and electric shock collars, alpha rolls, and dominance downs can make an already aggressive dog worse. Owners should be discouraged from using these techniques.” That sounds like a pretty powerful statement right there.

The ABC`s of Behavior,make the following assertion: “Aversives in general, and punishment in particular, may have bad consequences for the dog and trainer. They can produce uncontrollable fear, not only of the trainer, but the entire training situation. Aversives can suppress virtually all behavior. They may also encourage aggressive responses. More acceptable alternatives, such as reinforcement, should always be considered before using aversives.

“Choke chains, prong collars and shock collars utilize mild to severe punishment, called ‘corrections’ by trainers who use them, to let the dog know when she has done something wrong. I don`t recommend their use. Punishment can be difficult to administer effectively- timing and severity of the correction are critical to effective punishment training – and even when done properly there is a high risk of unintended and undesirable side effects, including aggression. …Make no mistake however, those prongs do cause pain-that`s why they work. If you doubt that, slip one over your wrist and give it a solid yank. Then think about doing that to your neck.”

Do NOT use a pinch collar or any other pain-to-neck device (including especially a bark-corrector or remote shock collar) on any dog with an aggression problem. Pain tends to in crease aggression. For dog-aggressive dogs, any pain in the neck can trigger the same fight response as would be triggered by being bitten in the neck by the other dog. So use of neck pain to a dog who is dog aggressive is likely to cause the dog to start a fight as a pre-emptive strike under less and less provocation from the other dog. Additionally, if a pinch collar or chain collar is on a dog who is grabbed by the neck by another dog, the grabbing dog may catch and break a tooth on it, which causes great suffering to that dog and great expense to whoever has to pay for a root-canal procedure.