Canine Head Start

05/14/2022

https://ruralveterinaryoutreach.org/2022/02/06/grape-raisin-and-currant-poisoning/?fbclid=IwAR0CwXCjI0K10VxTCCSF2_p0WcmrikIfuobTScUih2leK3fAjz-exZGlJfM

By Deb Haines Recently, veterinarians discovered that grapes, raisins and currants (fruits from Vitis species) can cause kidney failure in dogs. It is unclear whether this is a new problem, or if t…

02/25/2022

Your dog is NOT trying to dominate you. Dogs do whatever works to get what they want. Management and cooperation will get you both what you want.

12/16/2021

Five tips for surviving your first group dog obedience training class, and why they are so worthwhile even if they feel frustrating.

12/16/2021

How to increase the odds that you and your dog survive her trying teenage times with your relationship intact.

11/11/2021

We recommend that you avoid dog on leash greetings. If an unexpected encounter occurs, use these tips to keep the meeting brief and safe.

11/11/2021

It's important for your dog to control his impulses than for you to control him. Fortunately, this valuable skill can be cultivated.

09/16/2021

Please be careful about going to dog parks.

A friend’s dog has been attacked twice in a leash free area in Orange recently - on 2 different occasions by 2 different dogs. This is one of many stories I have heard since our original lockdown

In the latest incident, a nervous Border Collie attacked her dog. His owners were not reading their dog's body language and put him in an enclosure with other dogs when he was clearly not comfortable (and despite my friend suggesting she should take her dogs out first). Her dog is older and has lovely dog manners so fortunately did not retaliate. Her dog was injured however when the owner wrenched his dog away from her dog's throat.

I thought it an opportune time to remind people that not all dogs are social. This is a great graph to illustrate how many dogs are really dog social. It’s an expectation that your dog should 'love to play with other dogs' and that is simply not true. Why should they? Dogs should be allowed to choose who they interact with and when.

There are so many considerations to dog sociability including temperament, past experiences, previous socialisation history, health status, play styles and even how they feel on the day! Throwing dogs in with strange dogs is taking all choice away and could even result in your ‘friendly’ dog learning to dislike all dogs forever!

Speaking for myself, there are days when I want to catch up with friends and times when I want to be on my own. I would never want to go to a mosh pit or a rave with hundreds of other people - in fact I can think of nothing worse. Throwing dogs in with strangers is no different.

A well known TV Vet recently mentioned the ramifications of Covid on our dogs. Over socialising dogs can be worse than no socialisation at all. Inappropriate play and high arousal do nothing for your dog’s long-term state of mind and can even be a welfare issue.

Choose appropriate play friends for your dogs and follow dog park etiquette rules if you are going to use them. Watch the dogs first and assess if they would be a good match for your dog. Ask dog owners if their dogs are social and observe body language of all dogs before entering with your dog. Ensure you have a solid recall before letting your dog off lead as you may need to call him back in a hurry if things go pear shaped. Never keep a dog on lead in a leash free area – this is putting your dog in a very vulnerable position as a potential ‘sitting duck’

Don’t take your dog to a dog park with unknown dogs to socialise. Dog parks are for dogs who are already social. Short amounts of play are better than long periods resulting in completely exhausted dogs. Consider doing calming activities like nose work, doggy parkour, puzzle enrichment toys and long, sniffy walks together.

According to Dr Amber Batson from Understand Animals, it is also integral to provide dogs with choices in many elements of their life. If we provide choices, it is also necessary to understand what your dog is telling you with their body language…

What is your dog trying to tell you?

Debi Coleman, The Dog Lady, Orange

09/05/2021

5 ways to use food-stuffed toys to make your dog's meals last longer, relieve boredom, keep him busy, and provide challenge and enrichment.

06/02/2021

Very cute!

Biscuit & Cricket are competing to see who the BEST loose leash walker is! And Biscuit doesn't think she needs to practice! It's a new Biscuit talky on Cri...

05/28/2021