Questions and Answers About Dogs Part 2
by David the Dogman
Question: My dog seems to be going deaf, he is 6 years old and just
does not seem to hear. He certainly was not born deaf. Do dogs hearing
get bad as they get older?
Answer: I am afraid that most of our dogs hearing start to deteriorate
from about 5 years of age. About forty five per cent are deaf by the age
of ten years. Like us, as our dogs get older the eyes and hearing
deteriorate.
Question: Is it better to fast a dog one day in the week or one day in the
month?
Answer: Neither we never fast a dog unless instructed by a vet. Most
people prefer to feed a dog once a day by the age of twelve months. I
always recommend two feeds a day, half in the morning and half in the
evening. It is then easier for the dog to extract the right nutrients from the
food. Most dogs are fed far in excess of their requirements.
Question: I am giving my dog a good quality dried food recommend by
our vet, but it looks so boring ! I always add some meat or chicken, can
this do any harm?
Answer: Most vets are recommending complete dried food. It is really
detrimental to add any supplement to dry food. This will create an
imbalance in the completed balanced food. Most behavioral problems
stem from incorrect feeding. Red meat or any high protein can cause
aggressiveness or nervousness. High protein can increase the scale of
aggression, moods, and jumpiness.
Question: Will you confirm that it is good to give my dog bones?
Answer: I am afraid that I am unable to confirm that it is good to give
your dog bones. Your vet will also confirm that this will cause teeth to be
broken, and if your pet swallows a lump of bone, he may have to have an
operation. I would suggest a Kong stuffed with treats, a platted twisted
rope, stuffed in between with liver treats or a few pieces of dried food to
make it interesting. I encourage dogs to chew, but it's better that they
chew what we want them to chew, eh?
Question: Is it better to feed my dog before his walk, or after his walk ?
Answer: Neither, it is better to feed either one hour before a walk or one
hour after a walk. I prefer to feed one hour after a walk, now he has
something to come home to.
Question: During the past few months I have taken up part-time work,
my beautiful 12 year old Labrador has been soiling in the house, any idea
what is wrong, the vet says he is fine?
Answer: I am afraid this is called separation anxiety and this is more
apparent in older dogs. Your boy has become too attached to you.
Older dogs when left alone are apt to become stressed and lonely. I
really do not know of any treatment for this type of problem, and I would
think it pointless to apply any form of behavior modification. This might
well be a good time to bring into the family the second dog, and provided
it is a puppy or a young dog it will do your boy a lot of good.
Question: I have a Jack Russell Terrier, he is fantastic at home, but
whenever I take him out, he growls at people and dogs, so I have to pick
him up, am I doing the right thing ?
Answer: Actually you are unknowingly rewarding your dog for his
unwanted behavior by picking him up. This kind of aggression is
defensive and is a learned behavioral response. When dogs discover that
growling will cause people or dogs to back off, plus being encouraged by
you comforting him, by saying words like "dont be a silly Billy" and
picking him up.
Unfortunately fear is mostly influenced by heredity and the environment. I
would suggest that you attend a social dog class so that your pet can
socialize with other dogs and people under the watchful eye of a
professional person. It can be done in a few visits, both of you will enjoy
and you will both have better lives.
Question: My dog is so frightened of people he hides behind the settee
and even hides behind me, is this normal?
Answer: Most fearful dogs tend to stay quite close to their owner. This
type of dog should be encouraged to have a toy. Encourage the dog to
carry this toy as a retrieve article. Play by throwing and gradually
increase the distance that you throw the toy. The excitement of the
hunting sequence helps negate any fears of being away from you.
Try to make yourself less available in general to the dog. This will ensure
that the dog learns to cope without relying on you as much. An indoor
plastic or mesh type kennel can be used to advantage after carefully
conditioning the dog to enter on his own. This can be achieved by feeding
at the entrance and over a few days putting the food more inside. This
can also be achieved by throwing the retrieve toy closer and closer, then
inside using tit bits. Eventually the indoor kennel will be seen as a safe
haven. Place your dog inside when friends arrive, he will feel safer than
hiding behind a settee.
I would also pay attention to the dogs diet and remember that raw meat
or unpasturised milk should never be fed to a dog, speak to your vet
about a dried balanced food. Dogs are creatures of routine, and the more
routine for this type of the more confident he will become. Meal times
must be carried out at the same time each day.
Question: Whenever I go near my Poodle when he eats, he growls at me,
and is very nasty, why is he doing this and should I smack him?
Answer: When dogs growl over food never be aggressive or challenge
him. The best way to deal with this problem very quickly is to simply give
him a spoonful of food when you put his bowl on the ground, as soon as
he is finished, give him another spoonful. Within a few minutes he will fully
understand that you are giving and not taking. He will stand back when
you next go near his food bowl.
Question: I have a beautiful Husky, he was castrated when he was 6
months old and yet he still tries to mount dogs, even male dogs, is there
something wrong, because I thought that castrated dogs did not do this?
Answer: Castration will not make any difference to his behavior, I have
known castrated dogs that have penetrated females on heat. The
mounting of male dogs is also a form of masturbation. I would have a
word with your vet, maybe he will consider some female hormone to
calm him down.
Question: I am having problems with my Cocker Spaniel, he is 4 months
old and will not walk on his lead, he just lays on the ground. Do you think
I am training him too soon?
Answer: No I think you are starting at the correct time, but would
recommend that you go to a local dog training establishment for some
help. Dogs that are dominant will usually pull on the lead when you walk
them, by doing this they are leading the pack. On the other hand a
dominant dog willalso slow down his pack, and he is doing just that by
laying on the ground, he has stopped you walking. The quick way around
this is to carry on walking, and not allow him to stop the pack. You make
the decisions not him.
Question: I have a female boxer called Lady she is 3 years old. Her teats
have swollen and the vet informed me she is having a phantom
pregnancy, she has never had sex. Is this usual and what would you
recommend?
Answer: A phantom pregnancy is when a female imagines and goes
through all the symptoms of believing she is pregnant. Females will store
toys and treat them like young puppies, her teats will get large (enlarged
mammary glands )and she will even produce milk. Her Abdomen will
swell and her appetite will change. The behavior is not good during this
period.
At whelping time she will be very hyperactive and very excitable, she will
pant and even tremble. She will curl up to her toys (puppies) varying
symptoms are restlessness, whining and crying. Some females will go off
their food and expect a lot of abnormal behavior. Females will become
very affectionate to the family. Your vet should see the female who will
no doubt recommend to reduce her diet and fluid intake, since the more
she drinks the more milk will be produced. Dried food is best and plenty
of exercise to keep her bowels moving so as to excrete all the excess
fluid produced by her body.
A phantom pregnancy is not to be considered a neurotic tendency, but
should be considered as normal behavior due to an abnormality of the
ovaries.
Another theory is that the wild only the dominant female in the pack will
be covered by a dominant male of her choosing. The other females
normally produce milk for the litter which can be in excess of ten
puppies. The other females in the pack produce milk to help the mother
to feed the puppies. I would not be surprised that another female in your
area in about one kilometer has had puppies and your pet is producing
milk for them.
Your vet will treat your dog, and then I would recommend that she be
spayed, so that she will not suffer again. Having a phantom pregnancy
does not mean that the bitch is sterile and unable to be mated and bear a
litter.
Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.
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Do you have any problems with your pet? Then why not send your problem to DAVID THE DOGMAN.
David is a Canine Behaviourist who works and lives in Marbella, Spain. Tel/Fax (00345) 2883388.
His web site is located at: http://www.thedogman.net.
David has his own radio and TV shows, and writes for many newspapers and magazines. David has been working with dogs for many years and started his career in Israel, working on the Border Police. He has been involved in all forms of training, including air sea rescue, air scent work, and has trained dogs for finding drugs. David has devoted the past 10 years to studying behaviour and the very passive approach. He does not use choke chains, check chains, or any form of aggression.
David The Dogman is available for private consultations in your home, for further details telephone; Tel; (95) 2883388
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