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Fourth in a series Dogs with separation anxiety can freak-out badly if they feel boxed in. With the crate left open and outdoor access through his dog door, Harvey had the choices he’d needed all along. It’s hard to wring your paws and fret while scrounging for survival, so I advised Don to bury food toys in an outdoor digging box before leaving home. Now this hungry spaniel had to work for a living, darn it. No more loafing around and belly aching. Carefully dosed antianxiety medication plus at-home treatments with a pulsed electromagnetic field device (Calmer Canine) reduced Harvey’s anxiety, making it much easier for him to succeed. Still, the poor dog struggled with an unsolved mystery behavior. Residency training in veterinary behavior medicine prepared me to diagnose and treat a myriad of malfunctions between the ears of non-human species but wild lunging at a clothes dryer? That was…
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Close the window blinds during storms. If possible keep your dog in an interior room with less outside sound White, pink, or brown noise (downloadable from the Internet) can be played at the start of the earliest indicators that a storm is approaching. There is scientific evidence behind the value of these frequencies. Only trial-and-error will determine which, if any, of these will help your dog. Through a Dog’s Ear is specially designed music that you can play when a storm is predicted. Research has supported this method. http://throughadogsear.com/ You will be able to manage your dog effectively if you are at home throughout these days. During storms allow him to stay where he is most comfortable. Many dogs like the bathroom because the plumbing grounds the electrical charges. If your dog is trained to a Gentle Leader, leave it on; it may help him remain calm. Finally, ask your…
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Third in a series Harvey’s stone sampling diminished quickly with medication for his intestinal disorder. His daddy, Don the designated household pooper scooper, seldom found landscaping rocks in his spaniel’s stool anymore. Harvey’s intense fear of storms and intermittent wild jumping at the clothes dryer continued. There is robust evidence that our brains are often influenced by problems elsewhere in the body. When Harvey’s intestines felt better his barking, pacing, and destruction when home alone improved somewhat but he had additional reasons for his separation anxiety. In most cases, it’s a dog’s genetic programming that sets this disorder into motion. The brain, with its intricate network of neurons and neurotransmitters, is considered the most complex organ in the body. It strains my brain to unravel and improve the misery of some of my patients. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine; a challenged mind performs better longer. So they say. Poor Harvey…
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Dogs Need a Job – Gainful Employment Confucius said, “A man (woman) who enjoys what they do never works a day in their life.” Our dogs can have that life. They naturally work to survive, an activity they appear to enjoy. Food-dispensing toys and puzzles are not prey and they’re not really rotting carcasses found in the wild but they require manipulation so bits of sustenance can be extracted. Check out Lulu here. This girl had a history of separation anxiety. Other dogs, like the Nichol family Border collie, Mick, need work to stay occupied. The downside for him is frustration and BARKING! We don’t like that. Forget feeding from a bowl. Your dog needs to live the life of his inner survivor. He/she needs to work to live. Lulu is too focused on getting the nutrition she needs to wring her little paws about being home alone. She is…
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Second in a series Harvey, a rather handsome and genuinely sweet spaniel mix, carried a laundry list of behavior symptoms. His pica (eating non-food items) was priority one because it could kill him. Folks are often amused by the bizarre items consumed by other people’s pets but the mirth is singularly lacking when it happens at your house. Intestines naturally push and squeeze ingesta (food) in the inevitable direction of a creature’s rear end. When junk gets stuck along the way, peristaltic movements come to an abrupt stop. Whenever Harvey’s dietary indiscretion acted up on him his head and tail drooped and he lost interest in food and play. Don and Diane knew right away that he needed to see a doctor. They were right. An object lodged in the intestine, pressing relentlessly against the soft inner wall, stops blood from flowing through the local capillaries. Dying intestinal tissue breaks…
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Our dogs should always come when called, whether they’re sitting and looking at us or when they’re heading off in another direction. Don’t get frustrated when ignored; train in baby steps that your pupster can understand. Mick has gotten pretty good at the recall command – when he’s already paying attention. But when he’s way from home, well, other priorities can get in the way. That isn’t OK but let’s not lose our patience. While allowing him to forge ahead on-leash he knows he can sniff and investigate at his leisure. But when I say, “Mick, Come!” I can enforce the command without having set my dog up for a mistake. Just after I give the command I back up as I pull the leash. That’s Mick’s reminder that, “Oh yea, I can get a treat and a hug and a kiss just by turning around and happily returning to…
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First in a series Seemingly logical assumptions can lead the most cautious among us down the wrong path. Veterinary medicine provides generous opportunities so I gather every detail possible. Because it’s important for me to understand the people who bring their pets to me I ask their ages and occupations. Nearly everybody complies. Diane and Don Sheets, each retired and in their early 80s, lived in a semi-rural (semi-wild) area near Santa Fe, NM. They had one dog, a spaniel mix named Harvey. The Nichol family’s previous dog was Miss America; our current Border collie is Mick Jagger. The reasons for those names are obvious, to me, anyway. The Sheets’ named their dog Harvey because, to them, he looked like a Harvey. Harvey could be sanguine when his world was quiet but his errant behaviors wreaked havoc in Diane’s mind. During storm season this poor dog jumped at the walls,…
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There are so many things to see and sniff outside the home territory. It’s more than just natural for dogs to investigate everything; reading the bulletin boards and posting messages is essential to who they are. But for part of a leash walk they can work for us. They can earn reinforcers, like treats, just for doing the right thing – like watching their leader. Another essential component canine behavior is to check with the leader for opportunities to earn resources like food. As Carolyn walks with Mick next to her, she hands him a tid bit every now and then because she sees him watching her. She tells him to “Watch” to get his attention, setting him up to succeed. As soon as he looks at her he gets the treat. (You don’t hear her voice because our footsteps were too noisy.) Notice that spring in Mick’s step? He’s…
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Mick and I have practiced the stay command 2-3 times a day. I no longer need to stand in front of him to remind him of what I mean when I tell him, “Stay”. I move slowly as I walk about 4-5 feet away. I don’t stand there any longer than he can take just sitting and waiting. He’s only a kid, after all. With more practice and maturity we’ll work up to longer durations. The business of walking back to Mick, slowly, and then around behind him to take up my position on his right side is important. A dog needs to understand that his leader should be able to move around – and still remember the command, which you never repeat. You and your dog can get there slowly. To keep the excitement out of this event I move slowly and quietly. No surprises. If I were to…
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