Dogs, their secret lives?

I am sure many of you watched this documentary on channel 4 on Monday night. It was very interesting, but at the same time quite shocking to watch those dogs with the bad separation issues.

What was more shocking than the obvious cases of separation anxiety, were the silent cases that were found. Basically dogs who their owners did not think had separation problems, but their cortisol levels (the stress hormone) rose just as much as the dogs who were howling and tearing up the house. It makes you wonder how many dogs are feeling this stressed each day when they are left alone in the house.

So, what can we do to help our dogs?
Thankfully, our dogs don’t have to suffer every time we have to leave them on their own, we just need to teach them how to be left.
To start with, the first step is to give your dog something fun and time consuming to do. For this I would recommend a well stuffed kong toy, filled with some of your dog’s favourite treats. Give this to your dog, and as he is enjoying this tasty treat, get up and move away from him and then move back to him, repeat this first step a few times.

The next step is to move out of the room whilst your dog is enjoying his kong, and then the step after this is to move out of the room for longer periods and to move to other rooms whilst he is enjoying his kong. What you are teaching your dog is that when you leave he can still relax, and most importantly that you always come back.

The end goal of this is to leave the house for a set period of time. When you start this step of leaving the house when your dog has been given his kong, start with only a minute and then build up the time gradually from there.
This method teaches your dog to relax when you leave the house, and shows him that you always come back.

Other important steps to know are to never scold your dog if he has had an accident or destroyed something whilst you were gone. So far studies to date show that dogs have no concept of guilt. In fact scolding your dog when you get home can make them more anxious when they are left, because your arrival home predicts a telling off!
Never over fuss your dog when you get home either, just greet them calmly like it was no big deal that you were gone for a few hours.

If your dog ever has to be left alone for more than 6 hours, which of course for some dogs is unavoidable if we have to go to work, then I do strongly recommend having someone come in to break up the day for them. Having your dog walked whilst you are out at work, saves you a job when you get home from a long day, and also tires out your dog so he is more likely to sleep away the hours that he is left in the house alone (hitting 2 birds with 1 stone!), after all a tired dog is a quiet dog!

www.4pawswalkies.co.uk

Respecting other dog's space

Respecting other dog's spaces

I feel this is a very important thing for all dog owners to be aware of.
When out on walks with our dogs we usually encounter all sorts of different dogs for our dogs to interact with, but when is it OK to approach another dog with your dog and when isn’t it?

My general rule of thumb is if the dog is on a lead, either ask the owner first, or give that dog some space from your dog. The reason is because when dog’s are on their leads, they are restrained from natural communication with other dogs (you’ll notice dog’s often wrap each others leads up trying to sniff each other), and this can lead to displays of aggression from one or both of the dogs. And, if the dog’s are tangled, it’s going to be tricky to safely separate them.

Another reason why it’s not always best to allow your dog to greet another dog that’s on lead is because that dog may be nervous, fearful, in pain etc. so, always respect the other owner’s wishes, and if they say ‘no’ to your dog approaching, it’s nothing against your dog, they are just looking out for the best interest of their own dog. Even if your dog is the friendliest dog out there, don’t allow them to approach other dog’s on lead without permission.

When dog’s are off lead, it’s usually safe to allow your dog to go over and say hello, assuming that if their owner’s let them off lead that they are approachable dogs. However, always assess for yourself, if the other dog looks unsure and stiff, call your dog away and ask the owner first. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Another point I feel is important to add is that a dog that growls is not a nasty dog. So, If a dog does ever growl at your dog, he is just telling your dog to back off a bit. Or, if your dog is the growler, please don’t feel obliged to tell him off, just remove him if you feel he is getting a bit overwhelmed. As humans we feel it is necessary to tell our dogs off when they growl because we are embarrassed what the other owner might think. Forget about them, as long as your dog is causing no harm to the other dog, let him growl, it’s their way of communicating how they feel.

www.4pawswalkies.co.uk