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Josh, we are concerned because our dog is
blind and was wondering if you had any info on raising a blind dog?
You
can try spraying its toys with scents. Auditory commands and clicker training become really important. Good
news is they're very willing to be dependent on you, and you don't have to work hard to get that from them like a
normal dog. Once the clicker sound is established, you can easily shape household behaviors and obedience with sound.
The biggest precaution I can give you is to make sure there are no cords hanging that the dog could choke on or big falls
that could result from not being familiar with stairs or furniture. Every time you rearrange the house, it will be a
slight adjustment and require some modification. Just be sure to train going up and down stairs or other pitfalls with
treats so that they do not injure themselves.
Josh, our dog eats poops. Not just its own, every other
dog too. What can we do?
In regards to dogs
eating their stool, here are some you can try throughout the process of attempting to eliminate stool eating. I would
first recommend giving the dog the best diet you possibly can (don't settle for their Science Diet. Ask about premium
foods such as Canidae, or a Raw Diet). You can try putting pineapple in
the dog's food so that its stool is unattractive to the dog. Some
people will supplement iron tablets (ask vet for what dose). You can try
putting tobasco or chili powder on their stools (some have had success with bitter apple). It
is important that you pick up their stool daily and that they don't see you do it. Prevent access to the cat's litter box. When dogs are
left alone, make sure they have plenty of their toys to chew on or occupy their time. Take
the dog to go in one area, on leash. Once they're done, reward them all the way back inside or away from the stool
before they have a chance to check it out. Never give them the opportunity to
engage the stool. The product with best success at eliminating copraphagia
is Forbid, available at PetCo and other places. Use this in addition to the tips above. If you have concerns regarding
this issue, please speak to me and your veterinarian.
My daughter bought a pit/lab mix four years ago who was raised in the backyard.
My daughter visited and brought her dogs with her, one Labrador and the pit/lab mix. The pit attacked my dog and if someone
wasn't around to stop the fight, my dog would have been killed. The dogs were together for 5 days until this event
happened. We hear so much bad things about pits. Well, now I believe it is mostly correct. All I came up with is that
the dogs never met each other. My beagle was protecting his food when he growled, the pit went into a frenzy because
of their vicious nature. After the attack, the pit rolled in my dog's blood, while the lab went and put his head
in my sister's lap. Maisie was was raised sweetly but she still has the nature of the breed. People say that pits
are vicious by the owner's. Not true! Pits are sweet when raised with responsibility. Not true!
Cross-breeding pits, especially with labs, will calm them down. Not true! They are a unstable breed no matter how they
are raised! They should never be around young children. They need to be watched always. My question is:
Do you agree after reading my story?No, I do not agree.
As a breeder of pit bulls and someone who's been raised around "dangerous" breeds, I feel people lack the education
to be leaders. Any breed of dog is capable of such a situation when there is an absence of leadership.
In a situation such as this, there are many underlying causes and factors that could have escalated the situation.
I always recommend people take a walk together when dogs meet for the first time. It simulates dogs moving through the
wild together, as a pack. Once time to rest, they are bonded through their experience and less likely to fight.
However in any pack, while we may not see it as appropriate, dogs will attempt to figure out the rank amongst them, even if
it means fighting. No dog wants to fight. They only know safe vs dangerous, fight or flight. It's important
to encourage the flight by asking them to leave objects or ignore other dogs before a situation occurs.
A
trait unique to pit bulls is there ability to latch on and not let go. This first started appearing when pit bulls were
used to hunt mammals such as wild boar. The dogs would hold down the animal until the human came to stab and finish
it off. Pit bulls require four times the amount of training a Lab or German Shepherd would because of being bred to
think and work independently. That means you must be four times the leader.
When dogs became domesticated,
they quickly learned it was easier to follow us for food instead of doing the work themselves. This created a dependency
on us for the things they need. As leaders, we should ALWAYS control their access to food, toys, doors, and exercise.
I would not have permitted the Beagle to resource guard its food. As a leader, we should step in, claim the food, and
take it away to let the dog know that it really belongs to us, not them.
I do agree that mixing breeds will
not solve a breed problem and could make it worse.
Dogs can be around children (click here for info on Children and Dog Bite Prevention).
I just added a third dog to my "pack" from the animal shelter.
She has been mostly submissive but has been gaining some confidence towards my other dogs who are older. Should I allow
the dogs to sort things out themselves, or should I step in and maintain the hierarchy as it has always been with the new
dog on the bottom? She is always submissive to me but she is a lot younger and quicker than all of us. I have
a crate for her, but have not really used it up til now. My other dogs have never used a crate and I'm not sure
how to enforce it without making it seem like punishment. So far I have had minimal issues, but I have been home almost
all the time with them for the last two weeks. I'm going on a business trip for 10 days shortly and I'm not
sure what to do if anything to keep the peace.
I offer free inhome consulations for shelter dogs.
I invite you to schedule one to better answer this question. There are some things dogs should sort out themselves however
when it comes to resources there rules we must enforce. Some behaviors should be redirected, some eliminated. We do
offer pet sitting, also, if you would like a live in sitter or check-ins and exercise while you are gone. Exercise,
especially during absence, does wonders for separation, not to mention preventing scuffles between dogs.
As for crate training, I feel it is a must for any dog, regardless of age or breed.
If your dog appears
to be submissive, then what is happening between dogs?
Hi, my dog's name is Sprocket and he's a spunky 6
month old. And he won't stop jumping on people. Can u give me advice?
The
first thing you should always do when a dog jumps is turn away and ignore the dog. Only give the dog attention when
it will sit calmly for you. Often we stick out our hands and say "Off" or block them out with our knee.
This is still attention and is rewarding their behavior. Negative attention is still attention.
There are some other things that will help, such as
ignoring the dog completely when you enter the home or yard (or when the dog enters). Guests should ignore the dog also.
No eye contact at all. Eventually dogs learn people greeting isn't that interesting and excitable.
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