Category: Dogs

Behavioral issues in dogs

The most frequent strange and unwanted behavior in dogs

Delighted to offer all you good people a guest post for today. It came about as a result of an email sent to me by Alex. This is what that email said; in part:

I am writing to you on behalf of Premier Pups, one of the main partners of Doctorpup.com. We have read your materials and we found them very interesting for dog lovers.

We have made a complex and detailed article based on Dr. Gary Rybka’s knowledge and experience (from Doctorpup.com – one of the most reputable veterinarians from Ohio) and we consider that our article will bring new information for your audience. The topic of the article is related to the most frequent strange or undesirable behaviors of dogs and their main causes. In addition, Doctor Rybka offers solutions for a great part of these behaviors.

Alex

Now there’s always a balance in my mind between expert information that should be shared with you good people and any guest article not coming over as a ‘soft sell’. Clearly, Doctorpup.com is a commercial operation but their website does clearly state their Vision:

At doctorpup we welcome your questions. Our articles and videos provide a foundation for your questions and each question gives us the opportunity to provide answers specific to your pet and situation. You can present your questions through the doctorpup Forum Q & A, the live interactive chat or through our personal and emergency phone consultation options. You can upgrade your membership at anytime to allow more opportunity to benefit you and your puppy.

So this was accepted by me because of the useful information it offers but at the same time I must tell you that a) I receive no benefit, financial or otherwise, from the publication of this guest post, and b) I can offer no warranties about the accuracy or validity of the information the guest article contains. Hope that doesn’t come across as too negative; it’s not intended to so do.

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The most frequent strange and unwanted behavior in dogs

Undesirable or strange behaviors exhibited by dogs during puppyhood and adolescence are known as pediatric behavior problems and it is important to address them as early as possible with behavioral modification methods. There are also adult dogs that display strange behavior, but their acceptance depend on the effects.

According to DoctorPup.com, one of the most important cause of behavioral problems is the living in urban areas where the level of exercise and play is limited.

We have made a list of the most frequent behavioral problems of dogs and potential solutions for them:

How to stop destructive chewing?

Dog destructive chewing consisting in chewing and damaging the furniture or household stuff can be caused by a poor nutrition or inadequate food provisions, presence of mice or other small animals in the walls or flooring, spilled food on carpet or furniture or uninteresting toys. It is recommended to give your dog various toys and look for his interests, to hide forbidden objects or to close the doors and interrupt this unwanted behavior with a loud “no”.

Dogs playing or fighting?

Play biting or play fighting can become unpleasant due to your dog’s teeth that are sharp and can cause you injuries. The behavior can be generated by teasing and rough play, long confinement periods or excited greetings. It is recommended to exercise your pup, use appropriate toys to distract him, avoid games that encourage the behavior, socialize it properly and ignore the unwanted behavior such as barking, whining or pawing for attention.

Training dogs not to bite

Biting everything in his way can also become a serious problem. There has to be a consequence to be remembered by your dog, for example, talk loud and say “no” and then pretend your dog doesn’t exist, look at him with a menacing stare and use a few words with the same tone. Your dog has to know you don’t like him anymore. You can also put him in another room or use a leash to restrain him where he can see you but cannot interact with you.

Dog jumping on people

Jumping on people and placing paws on visitors or family members is caused by excitement or by an acute need for attention. It is helpful to teach your pup to sit on command, avoid games and play that encourage it to jump, and use a loud and sharp voice when it jumps.

Why do dogs chase their tails

Dogs that are chasing their tails are likely to have a discomfort in that area. It may seem a funny behavior and it can be caused by an excess of energy. But, if you notice that the behavior is displayed constantly, check the tail to see if you find any crusts, scaly or sensitive areas. The tail contains many nerve endings. If you find any suspicious areas, you should scrub them gently with antibacterial shampoo or soap, dry it and use an antibiotic. Tail chasing and biting can also be caused by flea allergy dermatitis or overfilled anal glands or it can be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Why does my dog lick me?

If you notice your dog licks you, it may be due to his affection or his need to getting your attention. Licking is also a sensory tool for dogs, similar to reaching out and touching something. Another explanation consists in the fact the canine mothers lick their puppies for grooming and social reasons and this behavior continues into adulthood.

How to get a dog stop barking when I leave the room/house

If your dog begins to bark immediately after you leave the room, he may suffer from separation anxiety. It is recommended to tell it to sit and give him praise before leaving the house. If he stays, give him a treat or a favorite toy with praise. Try this method until you can leave the house and your dog remains there without making a sound. It is possible to take a few weeks, but it is worth. Your dog will be better at emotional self-control. It is also possible that your dog become overexcited and pee when he meets or greets you or someone else or to begin barking excessively when you arrive home. This is because he is very happy to see you or the person he greets and it is his way to show his love.

Dogs love to chase their food and roll on

This behavior is caused by the fact that your dog considers the food is a prey and he wants to ensure it is dead before eating. You can give him a command to take his food to his bowl in order to understand you do not tolerate this behavior.

Why do dogs tilt their heads

If your pup tilts his head, it is possible that he wants to make sense of what he hears, to identify the location of a sound or to find if he’ll get something fun or rewarding.

Coprophagy in dogs

An unpleasant habit of some puppies consists in eating poop also called coprophagy and the phenomenon can appear because your dog is hungry, likes the smell and taste, is missing certain nutrients from his diet or simply thinks it is fun.

Why Do Dogs Howl?

Another pups get used to howl as an instinctive or rewarding behavior while others hump on other dogs, on people’ legs in their search for seeking attention or excitement, without sexual reasons.

Why does my dog stare at me?

If you notice that your dog is staring at you he probably expects to receive a treat or to show him praise and affection. Dogs generally consider direct eye contact threatening, so ensure it is not a sign of fear or aggression.

Why do dogs walk in circles before lying down?

There are moments when your dog walks in circles before lying down as an inherited ritual from the wolf-like dogs that used to spot to pat down the leaves or grass to make a nesting spot.

Why do dogs sniff each other’s butts?

Another unusual habit of your pup consists in sniffing other dogs’ butts as a sign to greet them or in trashing his toys that they consider as a killing action due to his primal instincts.

Did you notice that your dog hate other dogs?

It is probably because he wasn’t well socialized in puppyhood or he didn’t have positive experiences with other dogs during this period.

Got an aggressive puppy?

If your pup shows signs of aggression it is possible to notice that the aggression disappear when you take it out of his comfort zone. That’s why, exposing him to a wide range of experiences could help teach him to adapt to the rules you want. It is also important to not tolerate his aggression.

Some behavioral issues are due to inadequate supervision, control, training, exercise and or general environment. Your response has to be immediate, consistent and result in some sacrifice for your puppy if you want to repair his behavior.

Short Bio:

Alex is the Director of Communications for Premier Pups, a purebred & designer dog breeder that offers the best selection in Texas of certified pure bred and mixed breed designer puppies. Alex has a Master degree in Communication from Michigan State University and loves so much his dog he rescued from a shelter a few years ago.

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Hope you found this of interest. As for me, it was just another reminder that we are never too old to learn something new. As in the word “coprophagy” that I hadn’t come across before.

To which I would close by saying that your feedback as to the value of such guest articles would be most welcome.

For Dollar and all the other lost dogs.

A beautiful amendment to this blog!

Last Thursday, I published a post under the name of Affairs Of The Heart.

There was a reply from Asha:

My mom still cries for my pet GSD we lost 15 years ago to illness. There are no words to describe that loss.

I asked Asha what was the name of that dearly loved German Shepherd. She replied that it had been called Dollar. That then gave me an idea.

Thanks. Indeed, it just crossed my mind that there could be a page on this blog where readers leave the names and a few words of past loved dogs. Would that work for you?

Asha replied, “Oh wow! That so melted my heart.”

So I have just finished setting up a page Keep Their Memories Alive. You will see it listed on the sidebar next under the link for Try The Book For Free.

When you click on the link under the heading Keep Their Memories Alive you will go here:

We Shall Not Forget Them.

For millions, the relationship between a person and their dog is precious beyond words. Do you still grieve the loss of your wonderful dog? Let us all know what your dog meant to you. Write whatever you want. Leave it as a thought to this page.

I am hoping that Asha will be first to leave a message for Dollar. I am hoping that many of you will leave a message so that all of us will not forget the love we have received from our departed furry friends.

Thank you Dollar!

NB: I may have overlooked whether or not comments can be attached to a page under WordPress. If not, I will come up with a fix very soon. In the meantime, leave your thoughts as a response to this post.

Picture Parade One Hundred and Seventy

Dogs do tiredness in style

(Wonderful parting gift from neighbours Larry and Janell who recently moved to South Dakota)

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Aren’t they too perfect for words!

I am going to be sharing these with you for the next three Sundays.

Being saved by a dog!

A serendipitous find!

Yesterday, I published a post under the title of Forecasting Wonderful ‘Blu’ Days!

There was an exchange of thoughts between me and Susan Leighton, who is the author of the blog Woman On the Ledge:

(In part:)

Susan: Dogs can be such a comfort when life becomes overwhelming.

Me: For nobody can escape those moments when life becomes overwhelming. A loving partner is precious beyond words at those times, but there’s still something comforting beyond that love when it comes to our dogs.

Susan: Very true, Paul. A dog has saved me many times!

Later on yesterday, when I was looking for something for today’s post, I came across this video:

Published on Jan 5, 2015

Hantu the White German Shepherd Plays Surrogate Mum to Poncho the Opossum at the Rare Species Fund, South Carolina, USA.
Poncho the opossum was found clinging to his mother’s back after she had been hit by an oncoming vehicle, a common hazard for nocturnal animals. Under veterinary supervision, Poncho was brought to the Rare Species Fund in South Carolina where he has nursed to health. Opossums are the only New World marsupials and, in the wild, spend the first several months of their lives clinging to their mother’s backs. Having had no puppies of her own, Hantu seems a more than willing foster mum and mode of transportation for Poncho. Robert Johnson of the Rare Species Fund says, “They are both playing important roles in each other’s lives. When Hantu goes for her daily walks through the woods, she won’t leave the house until Poncho is securely mounted on her back.”
http://www.RareSpeciesFund.com
http://www.MyrtleBeachSafari.com

Just thought that was a lovely reminder of the unconditional love offered by our dogs; for humans and for other creatures!

Forecasting wonderful ‘Blu’ days!

So many examples of how special our dogs are!

I have said it before and, undoubtedly, I will say it many more times. That is that the connections made in the world of blogging are special beyond imagination. So many good people that one will never get to know in the traditional sense of being around that person yet people that one comes to know, and know well, through the medium of blogging.

I was contacted by Grinia who offered to write a guest post for this place. In turn, to better know her, I went across to her blog, Mirror & Soul, and then read this: Real Stories, Real People: Forecast: Blu Skies. I wanted to republish that and Grinia very rapidly gave me permission.

Here it is:

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Real Stories, Real People: Forecast: Blu Skies

Date: October 12, 2016 Author: mirrorandsoul

Alexandra thought of adopting a dog to provide company to her mother and bring a happy distraction to her days. What Alexandra didn’t expected was that this dog would become an important member of their family and would help her dealing with the emotions of caring for her mom with dementia. Alexandra became an advocate for rescuing dogs and she is sharing her touching story with us. Thank you Alexandra!

Forecast: Blu skies

By Alexandra Goodwin

My husband and I had many discussions about adopting a dog because he had grown up with dogs in the UK and missed having his four legged friends around. I was open to the idea as I had never had any pets growing up and thought perhaps it might help my mother, who has dementia and lives with us.

We went to various rescue shelters in February 2014 to get an idea of what kind of dog to get and to warm my mother up to the idea of acquiring a dog. My husband had had mostly pointers and greyhounds and we both wanted a medium / large dog with whom to go hiking and enjoy the outdoors.

When we went to the various shelters we knew we couldn’t bring anyone home right away due to my husband traveling for business the following month. One of the shelters we visited was Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton, Mass. My husband had made few solo trips there previously in his spare time and met Louise Coleman, owner of Greyhound Friends. They both had the same passion and heart for these neglected beautiful dogs. Blu was one of the dogs in the shelter back in February 2014. Blu was waving his paw at us as if he were trying to communicate and begging us to take him home.

Fast forward couple months later to April 26, 2014, a brisk Saturday morning when we set out to rescue a dog to bring home. We made many stops within 25 mile radius that day to various shelters. When we went to Greyhound Friends, we inquired about Blu as he had impacted his paw on our hearts back in February. Blu was in foster care in Milford, MA, so they called the foster parents and we arranged to go visit their home to see Blu again. We saw that Blu was comfortable and calm in home setting and was living with another dog and cat.

Blu’s a Bluetick Coonhound from way of Ohio. He was found in a litter of five back in Ohio when a generous rescue group called ” Stop the Suffering” picked up Blu and his mates. Blu was transferred to Greyhound Friends in the winter of 2013.

What drew us to Blu, aside from him waving at us, was that he had a cherry eye. Dogs have three eyelids and it’s common for dogs under the age of two for one of the eyelids to protrude. Cherry eye is not serious but if untreated it causes dry eye which then could lead to other complications. Blu will probably be on eye drop medications all his life.

After our Saturday afternoon of surveying various rescue shelters, we decided to adopt the dog who might be left behind, the underdog. We figured Blu might be overlooked because of his cherry eye. Most folks want to adopt puppies and the storybook happy perfect little dog. Little do they realize the trauma and suffering most dogs in shelters have had in their lives before being scooped up in shelters. All dogs just need patience and love and if you win their heart over, they will do anything for you and give back tenfold.

Blu has made a huge impact on our lives. For me, being the prime caretaker of my mother, he has calmed me down enormously and is aware of encompassing emotions. My mother’s not so fond of dogs as she grew up in Greece where dogs lived outside and their purpose was hunting. Blu has brought so much love and happiness in our lives that now can’t imagine life without him! Blu is a blessing!!! Thank you to all the rescue shelters who save dogs and try to find them forever homes — what a difficult and most rewarding job you have! Thank you for not giving up on these beautiful dogs!

Greyhound Friends is located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, please go visit their kennel and find your best friend like we did….

Featured Image with quote credit to Pinterest

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I can’t wait to receive Grinia’s guest post and I’m sure you feel the same way.

What lucky people we are to have these beautiful dogs in our lives.

Wanderings!

A Victorian Dog Story

Here’s a very delightful guest post coming up. But first to my introduction.

Whatever one feels about London, the city of my birth (Acton; North-West London, to be more precise), there’s no denying that it has some glorious parks.

One of those wonderful parks is Kensington Gardens that is located not that far from the Royal Albert Hall. Or as Wikipedia puts it:

Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park.

So keep that image in your mind as we turn to today’s guest post.

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A Victorian Dog Story

If you are ever in the UK, wander through Kensington Gardens (past the palace where Princess Diana resided) and go Northeast, behind Victoria Lodge; you will find a pet cemetery. Mentioned by Peter Pan author, J.M. Barrie, in his work The Little White Bird, over 200 dogs, cats and birds have been laid to rest here. All of its inhabitants were once beloved pets.

The cemetery was started by the lodge keeper around 1881; the first dog to be buried in Kensington was her “Cherry”, a Maltese terrier who died of old age. The second dog was “Prince”, once belonging to the Duke of Cambridge (no relation to the present Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton!). Struck by a carriage, this dog’s simple gravestone reads: “Poor Prince.” Though the cemetery is no longer active, contemporary guests can take pictures of the tiny tombstones and read such sentiments as “Maudie, An Old Friend”, “Darling Dolly My Sunbeam, My Consolation”; and “In Loving Memory of Our Faithful Little Friend Wobbles.”

Keeping dogs as pets gained popularity in the 19th century. As sanitation conditions started to be regulated, animals such as pigs, cows and sheep were banned from the streets. So dogs that were once kept outside were now invited by the fire. The dog changed from being a worker to being a member of the family. In 1837 there were about 140 dog nappers; they stole lap dogs from the wealthy and charged hefty ransoms for their return. A Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs opened in 1860; ultimately this became The Battersea Dogs Home, where strays could be adopted. For more information on the Victorian cult of the dog, I would recommend At Home and Astray by Philip Howell. Meanwhile, if you are searching for a name for your new pet puppy, you might want to consider Dandie, Dash or Eos, pronounced ee-oohs–if they were good enough for Queen Victoria’s pooches, they may be good enough for yours!

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Let me close with the words of the author: Annabelle Troy

An American who loves UK culture, I alternate my time between New York City and London. I’m the author of four books available on Amazon: Jane Eyre Gets Real, A Cure for Cecily, The Grace of the Hunchback, and Hansel and Gretel Inside the House of Candy. Inspiration comes to me through literature, history and magic.

Here’s the cover of that first-named book.

I don’t know about Jane Eyre but Annabelle Troy comes over as real enough!

CBD Hemp Oil outcomes.

Really good news now that it’s well over a month since our two dogs have been taking this oil.

First off, I want to republish in full a post first shared with you all on the 19th September.

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Just wanted to share our early results with you.

Back on the 13th September, I published a post under the title of Listening to our pets in more difficult times. I mentioned that Pharaoh was suffering pain in his rear hip joints and struggling at times to get up on all four feet and that we had started giving him Rimadyl.

One of the subsequent comments was from Pets, People, And Life who wrote:

Don’t wait around for a vet to tell you that your dog is in pain. You live in a state with legal MJ plus hemp oil is legal in all 50 states. I give CBD oil to my BC X Aussie 12 year old dog. He could not get up and yelped in pain before I began giving him 0.7ml daily that I drizzle over his food., After second dose he could stand up without help. Now he walks and runs with fluid movements of all limbs. It is totally safe and doesn’t require expensive tests, The danger of Rimadyl and other meds in that class used to treat arthritis, is that these types of meds cause kidney damage and your pet will have a shortened life span. Hemp oil works like a charm with no side effects.

We did some research and came across the following brand of Hemp (CBD) Oil specifically for dogs. We ordered it and it arrived last Saturday. Jean did not delay in adding* it twice a day to the food for both Pharaoh and Paloma.

Here we are at the end of Tuesday, at the time of writing this post, and already we can see observable improvements in both dogs.

Yes, it’s early days but I wanted to share this with you now.

There will be a more extensive report from me once these dogs have been using the oil for a few weeks.

One dropperful twice a day for Pharaoh, approx. 105 lbs, and half a dropperful twice a day for Paloma, approx. 45 lbs.

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Yesterday, as in Sunday 23rd, as per usual I let the ‘bedroom’ group of dogs out around 7am when I went down to clear out the stables. Usually Pharaoh comes away from the front door and ends up laying down on the area just outside the garage door.

But on this day he decided to trot down to the stables and join the others, mainly Brandy, Cleo and Oliver, in sniffing around after the horses and eating fresh horse dung. (Don’t ask me why our dogs find it so tasty!)

It was so lovely to see Pharaoh, who will be 13 1/2 years-old on December 3rd., still being able to walk around the property when he is in the mood.

Frankly, Jean and I are amazed at how well he is doing and how the hip displasia has not yet defeated him. We are certain that the CBD Hemp oil is a key factor.

Later that morning I took a couple of photographs to support my claim that he is still walking around, albeit somewhat stiffly first thing in the day.

Cleo watching Pharaoh come away from the house.

A shot taken of Pharaoh walking past me.

Dear old Pharaoh!

November writing alert!

Normal service may not be possible for the next few weeks!

As many of you know last December I published my first book Learning from Dogs.

That book had been the result of me getting my head down in the Novembers of 2013 and 2014. Why November? Because that is the month of NaNoWriMo, or to use the long-form: National Novel Writing Month.

Having brought book number one the light of the day, it was only natural that my mind started to turn to a sequel. At first, I thought of another book about dogs; perhaps Learning About Dogs? But for a variety of reasons I just couldn’t get started and it all came to a head last Wednesday during one of our regular group cycle rides. As follows:

Jim Goodbrod, he who wrote the foreword to my first book, asked how book number two was coming along.
“Oh Jim,” I replied, “I have left it far too late to contact the many academics that I have come across, to seek permission to quote their works and to find out if they have more scientific information of potential interest.”
“I have this terrible feeling that I’m setting myself up to fail!”

Jim then opened a wonderful window for me; metaphorically speaking. But before describing what Jim went on to say I should explain to you, dear reader, the connection between Jim and Janet, his wife, and Jean and me. Jim and Janet live about half-a-mile from us in Merlin, Southern Oregon, and right from the moment when we moved into our home back in 2012 they have been very good friends indeed. That friendship built upon Jim and Janet sharing very many similar outlooks on life to Jeannie and me. Plus Jim is a professional veterinarian doctor at a vet’s practice in Grants Pass, our local town some 12 miles from home, but has frequently given us advice ‘out of hours’ when one of our pets at home has gone down with something beyond Jean’s extensive experience.
So the four of us have spent much time together socially and I am embarrassed to admit that quite a few of my stories from past years have been told by me.

Back to that conversation during that bike ride. “Paul, Janet and I were only saying the other day that we would really love to see your next book being something autobiographical. You have had so many interesting experiences in so many parts of the world that we truly believe that they would be of interest to many others.”

It felt slightly uncomfortable to hear that. Uncomfortable in the sense that immediately responding by saying what a good idea that was carried too much egotism, was too self-indulgent. But at the same time I knew that Jim and Janet would offer a genuine recommendation and that it would most certainly get me out of my present difficult situation. I thanked Jim profusely. Jim then went on the describe the style that he and Janet would enjoy: “Janet and I have long loved reading books where each chapter was a self-contained story. In other words, a book that one could pick up and dip into and still feel that it was a good read.”

When I returned home and spoke about this to Jeannie she immediately said that it was something that she had been urging me to consider. An hour later I was speaking on the phone to my sister Eleanor and she, too, encouraged me to go down this route.

So that’s how it has come about that book number two is going to be semi-autobiographical, and it already has a name: Four Dogs On My Bed.

Or as the byline reads: On Life; On Love; and On Dogs.

All of which is a rather wordy way of saying that from now until the end of November my first priority is going to be book writing. How that will impact my attention to this blog and all you wonderful readers is uncertain. But if you see a string of re-posts from earlier times, if I don’t provide the most fulsome introduction to a guest author that they deserve, if my replies to comments are not as quick as I normally try to be, then you will know the reason why.

Thank you!

Picture Parade One Hundred and Sixty-Nine

The final set of these wonderful law and order pictures.

(Set One is here and Set Two here.)

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That is, indeed, the end of the shift of these three week’s worth of pictures. Thank you, Dan!

English as she is spoken!

Difficult to avoid the irony!

(Of an Englishman helping Americans to ‘Ramp Up Their English’! 😉

Good followers of this place will recall that in March I published a ‘thank-you’ piece showing my appreciation for Rogue Valley TV and John Letz. Here’s how I opened that post:

Huge thank you to Producer John Letz and the whole crew.

A week ago last Saturday Jean and I travelled down to Ashland and to the studios of Rogue Valley Community Television (RVTV). This is how RVTV describe themselves:

Based at the Southern Oregon Digital Media Center, RVTV provides access television and streaming media services for the citizens and local governments of Jackson and Josephine Counties. Please visit rvtv.sou.edu for more information.

John Letz, the Producer for Adventures in Education and Ramping Up your English, had read my book and thought it might make a good programme.

Anyway, leaving the irony to one side, John recently sent me a link to the 30-minute episode that is included below.

To be honest if you are comfortable with your English then I strongly recommend that you skip this video unless you can’t live another minute without peeking into the Handover household and our dogs.

Mind you, even if you want to skip the video I can’t let you get away entirely Scot free. For at the 3:30 minute mark in the video John sets out the definition of pet:

PET: A dependent animal with a close emotional connection to the pet-owner.

I wonder if John had this in mind (photos taken yesterday morning in our bedroom):

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Please give all your dogs out there a big hug! Now! 🙂

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Real Stories, Real People: Forecast: Blu Skies

Forecast: Blu skies

By Alexandra Goodwin

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