Paws News July 2007

“PAWS ABILITIES”
Behaviour & Learning Centre
JULY NEWSLETTER 2007:

FROM THE EDITOR:
A warm winter’s welcome to all students, clients, and Paws Abilities friends – Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who might be interested. You are also welcome to get them to contact me, and I will add them onto my mailing list:

We would like to welcome Mandy and Rose back from their wonderful world cruise. They were sorely missed BUT a huge thank you must go to Siobhan, Brian and Chanell for stepping in and doing such a fantastic job! We are very thrilled to announce that Siobhan is going to be staying on as an instructor. Congratulations and a very, very warm, welcome to the team and we look forward to many years of learning and growing together. Siobhan’s special talent lies in clicker training and she is a real wiz and we would just like to say that we know we are very lucky to have her and look forward to learning a lot from her.

COMING SOON:
Exciting News!!! Paws Abilities Behaviur and Learning Centre are to be hosting a series of ½ day workshops on dog behaviour and training. The workshops are kindly going to be hosted by Ashbury School (just round the corner) and we would like to thank Terry Scott from Ashbury in advance, for her kindness and generosity.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED! – WHY YOUR DOG DOES - WHAT HE DOES??
ARE YOU EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR DOG??
Join Animal Behaviourist, Louise Thompson
for the FIRST, in an Exciting Series, of
MONTHLY WORKSHOPS
on Dog Behaviour & Training, which are going to be held over the next few months.

The First Dog Behaviour & Training Workshop is going to be held at the end of next month!

DATE: 26TH August 2007
TIME: 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
VENUE: ASHBURY SCHOOL, BENONI.
(Close to N12 highway access)
COST: R100 per person: The cost includes a detailed, bound copy of the proceedings, & light refreshments.

The workshop is open to anyone interested in the above and all are most welcome:
The first workshop covers the following:-

AN OUTLINE OF THE AFTERNOONS TOPICS:
What kinds of dogs end up at the SPCA and why?
An insight into basic dog behaviour:
How dogs communicate:
Calming signals – how they affect your relationship with your dog:
How to be your dog’s boss without being a bully!
Educating your puppy early - & why it is so important!
What is puppy school?
How to choose a “good” dog training school!
Punishment vs. Positive reinforcement training.
Dog training – an overview:
Why training should be fun for your dog!
The afternoon session will end with an open Q and A session where owners will get an opportunity to ask Louise advice on
any behaviour problems they are experiencing.

Please do not hesitate to forward the above details to anyone you think might be interested. A portion of the money taken will of course be going to charity. Please give me (Louise) a shout for further inquiries and bookings – contact Louise at:-
(011) 969-4467 Mobile: 082-890-0905 Electronic address louthomp@mweb.co.za

WITH YOUR HELP, We look forward to seeing a good turnout.
Dogs with educated owners do not end up at the pound!
Animals in Complexes by Melvyn Greenberg
The topic conceptualises the effects of modern society on our pets as a result of changes in the human social structure, the design of townhouses and cluster complexes and other internal and external environmental influences.

Altered human family structure: Over the last 5 to 6 decades the changes in human family composition has altered severely to the detriment of the dog. It is uncommon to have 3-4 generations within the same household. The grandparents are committed to a retirement village, both parents work and the children are at school most of the day. The dog is either home alone or being raised by the domestic worker or gardener. Further to this, one finds that the dog dominates the children and the children dominate the parents, a complete failure in patriarch and matriarch control.

Property design: Walled-in properties deny dogs the opportunity of visual and social stimulation and the lack of recognition and association of neighbour activities, pets and people. The gregarious canine exists in a claustrophobic environment and lacks the opportunities of socialisation, training and extramural activities due to the increased laziness of owners.
Property developers never consider pet facilities e.g. in-house dog park or look-in fencing for cats

Canine Selection: The rapidly increasing misconception that small dogs must be placed on small properties is causing a marked increase in frustrated, hyperactive and attention-deficit Jack Russell Terriers and excessive vocalising Dachshunds.
Large breeds e.g. Newfoundland, St. Bernard, Great Dane actually cope surprisingly well because they have low activity levels.
The inconsiderate and incorrect selection of working and hunting dogs is the cause of a multitude of behaviour problems plaguing pet dogs with limited space. The mix of unsuitable breeds is a further aggravating factor for inter-canine aggression e.g. two terriers.
Certain breeds are on the verge of “extinction” due to the biased selection process for modern living. When did one last see a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Keeshond, Schipperke. The trend involves selection for size, cost of feeding, cuteness (neoteny), short hair and the belief that exercise is not a requirement. The constant wrong mix of sexes will be with society forever. Siblings of same sex is commonplace and only manifests as a problem further down the line. 2 pups of the opposite sex from the same litter is also a perpetual problem as the anthropomorphic concept still prevails where people truly believe that animals know that they are brother and sister.

Behaviour problems: 4-6 million dogs are euthansed in the USA annually for behaviour disorders alone. Considering that most of these cases are put down younger than 2 years of age has dropped the average lifespan of dogs to 3.5 years!! All behaviour disorders involve normal canine behaviour patterns that become exacerbated and inappropriate for people. The more common groupings of behaviour problems that develop rapidly in an unstimulating environment include:
Stereotypy (pacing)
Self-mutilation
Digging
Barking
Destructiveness
Aggression – various forms
Anxiety
Inappropriate elimination
Ingestive disorders- coprophagia, phytophagia, foreign bodies, over-eating, passive/active food aggression
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (tail chasing, light/shadow chasing, licking, acral lick dermatitis, spinning, flank sucking, ingestion of stones and sand, snapping at the air, attacking inanimate objects, excessive grooming in cats etc.)
Sound phobias (echo of sound transformed in walled-in areas)

Human influences: People have lost the concept of what an animal and particular breed’s needs are with regard to physical, mental, emotional and social stimulation. People are being raised in mostly animal-free households as opposed to most families 50-60 years ago who had small holdings where contact with a wide variety of animal species offered a more lucid educational opportunity about nature. This deprivation in modern complexes is distorting the human understanding of pets, in particular. The most common human influences on animal behaviour in high density dwellings are:-

Anthropomorphism (attributing human mannerisms to animals)
Over-indulgence, over-attentiveness (particularly in puppy hood and in early contact with parrots) creates over-dependence and lack of coping skills
Neurotic people have neurotic dogs; treacherous people have treacherous dogs
Ignorance through failure in attending puppy socialisation classes and obedience training. The owner needs the orientation more than the dog.
Negative reinforcement and conditioning mostly due to inappropriate punishment
People acting as catalysts for phobias, fears and manias (rewarding fears and neuroses)
Transfer of human insecurity on to the pets- human loneliness, depression, and childlessness—needy people have the need to be needed.
Domestic violence
Inconsistency amongst family members – creates canine confusion, distrust, even fear aggression
Abuse – 2/3 of women in shelters have pets that have been injured or abused. Animal abuse leads to an 84% chance that there will be wife or child abuse in the family
Benign negligence – nothing is ever done for the dog
Criminal violence – intrusive, traumatic, can be irreparable.
Use of pets as scapegoats in inter-human conflicts e.g. divorce or disagreements
Lack of calming signals – many homes are noisy and dogs are attacked from many angles by undisciplined children
Overfeeding
Puppy isolation during impressionable development periods “in case they pick up diseases”


ARE YOU THE LEADER OF YOUR PACK?
You used to hear people suck on their teeth, like car mechanics do when they are about to tell you the bad news, and say "that's a dominant dog" as if the owner's cherished pet had popped out of the womb that way. Whatever a dog's physical capacity to become high ranking within a given group a sense of its ability to achieve it has to be learnt. This is developed by observing the signals from, and remembering the outcome of interactions with, other members of the group. There are many variables in each dog to dog and dog to person relationship. In fact the situation can change from one scenario to another. Imagine for a moment that you are a dog walking towards another. It has got food. Do you want to go spoiling for a fight?

There are three things to consider.
1. What has been your previous relationship with this dog, have you or it been pushover or are the honours even?

2. Is the prize worth having? There may be a big difference between its desire to guard, and your desire to get, a chocolate bar and a bowl of cold porridge, but this depends upon how you feel about cold porridge.

3. Are you going to get hurt? Even if the other dog has lost to you in the past it is in possession of the item. So even if you are top dog it may just not be worth the effort. If you think you can win, you really want the item and you've got nothing to loose go-ahead and take it. If you are right the other dog will predict it will come off worse if it challenges you and will give way.

The Problem
The signals dogs get from other pack members tend to be genuine and, although subtle, unambiguous. However within the family, the dog’s adoptive pack, the wrong signals are sometimes given which results in faulty learning and relationship problems. Think of the example above and ask yourself if you are a dog with a bone will you give it to another dog?
If you do is that dog more or less likely to think you are weaker than it is. If it thinks you are weaker is it more likely to throw its weight around or challenge you in other situations? Now lets put the questions in a family context. If you are wandering about the house with a piece of toast and you break some off and give it to your dog is it going to see you as a stronger member of the pack or a weaker one? If the answer is weaker is your dog more or less likely to challenge you in other situations?

Applying Rules
You can apply rules in their literal sense or you can adopt a policy of making it clear to your dog that you are in control by telling it to comply with a request first so that it "earns" the resource, egg. you may tell it to sit before you stroke it if it is seeking attention. These variations on a theme are not contradictory because the application of the rules is on a sliding scale. How you impose them is dependent upon what seems necessary, which you can only judge from your dog’s behaviour. Prior to maturity however, dogs will not necessarily show the consequences of receiving the wrong signals from the group it lives with. Whatever your dog’s age, if a rule does not seem very important to it concentrate oneness that are.
Copyright: David Appleby 1999


FEEDING YOUR PUPPY:
Puppies (and all dogs) should have access to clean water at all times. Pups need feeding three to four times per day. To ensure that your pup is getting enough to eat he should ideally leave a little in the dish after each meal.

PUPPIES AND FEEDING: Everyone wants to make sure that their puppy is the best fed, best cared for puppy in the world and give him the best they possibly can. Here are a few tips and points to ponder upon:

THE FEEDING DISH:
Make sure that the pup can reach into the dish easily. Do not give him a dish that is too high or too flat that would be difficult for him to get the food out of the dish.
Put the dish on a piece of newspaper, an old towel, or a rubber mat, for easy cleaning and in order to prevent the dish slipping and sliding.

FEEDING THE FIRST FEW DAYS: A good breeder should supply you with the relevant feeding information, charts etc including times, quantity, brand names etc. This is in order to reduce the risk of upsetting the puppy’s tummy.
No dramatic change in diet should be made, especially in the first few days. The pup needs to settle into his new environment and any emotional upsets, stress and change of diet, increases the odds of upset tummies! If your pup gets mild diarrhoea, do not panic. A couple of loose stools is not unusual – and could be caused by stress or a change of water and can be considered normal. Seek veterinary advice if it continues for more than just a couple of loose stools! Rather be safe than sorry! Pups, like human babies, dehydrate very quickly and I cannot stress the importance of not allowing this to happen. Severe diarrhoea and dehydration in young animals can be fatal. If in any doubt – consult your veterinarian. As previously stated, any changes in diet (even small changes, such as feeding different products/brand names etc) must be extremely gradual. The easiest way to go about any feed change is to add/replace a teaspoonful at a time to the existing meal until he reaches a tolerance level.

FEEDING MALNOURISHED – RESCUE PUPPIES: Often pups that have had a bad beginning will have sensitive stomachs which are less tolerant to commercial feed. These pups sometimes have to be started on a plain bland diet of chicken and rice with a spoonful of plain yogurt. These pups need to acquire gradual tolerance to normal food and their tummies stabilised, before adding commercial dog food. There is also special feed available from your veterinarian for pups/dogs with allergies, sensitive tummies and special needs. Check with your veterinarian if in any doubt.

FREQUENCY OF MEALS: Puppies need to be fed little and often. At seven to eight weeks of age, they should be having three to four meals a day. A healthy happy puppy will polish his meal off very quickly, but does not always lick the plate clean! So do not panic if he leaves a little on his plate for “Mr Manners!” Rather feed him a little extra, so that there is a bit of food left over, and then you know that he is fulfilled both nutritionally and emotionally.

TOILET AFTER EACH MEAL: Take the pup outside immediately after each meal to eliminate and do his “business”. Most pups will toilet within a few minutes of having eaten their meal, which makes cleaning up and toilet training easy!

REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF MEALS PER DAY: After a couple of months when the pup is between five and six months old he will probably start to show less interest in one of the meals, in which case they should be reduced to three and eventually two meals a day. The pup should continue to have three meals a day until he actually shows you that he doesn’t want the midday meal. This depends on breed and size and any individual special needs – if in doubt consult your veterinarian. His bones and growth are still developing and only when he has completed most of his growing (at about year or so) would the meals gradually be reduced to twice a day. Many pups will show their owners when they are ready to cut out a meal by a lack of interest in one of the meals, usually the midday meal. Observe your pup – If you learn to ‘read’ your pup he will let you know by his behaviour and response to the food dish when it is time to feed less frequently. If in any doubt regarding your pup’s appetite please consult your veterinarian. Loss of appetite and listlessness are the first two symptoms of illness, or something being amiss with your pup. If in doubt – check with the vet.

Do not leave food down for the pup to feed “Self Service!”
Ad lib feeding is a bad idea, not least, because you never know exactly, just how much the pup has eaten! When food is left down for any length of time, the food could become contaminated, by exposure to flies, germs, rodents – etc. If there is always food available in a dish – you have no idea how much or how often the puppy is eating! Loss of appetite is harder to spot; therefore, illness could be diagnosed too late! From a behavioural point of view, if the pup is fed ad lib, food then ceases to be a valuable resource. This could even affect a positive relationship with you. All things that are valuable in life are earned. If valuable resources are given for “free”, then why bother to “work” or “earn” them. This definitely applies to canines. You, as pack leader, should be in control of all valuable resources, including food!

FEEDING RULES:
Give the pup/dog 10 minutes (you can even set your watch), to finish his meal.
If he is not finished after 10 minutes then take the food away.
Take the food away even if he has only begun to eat the meal after 10 minutes.
Do make sure that the loss of appetite is not connected to ill health.
If you puppy refuses food after the second meal – consult your veterinarian to rule out any possible illness.

FUSSY PUPPIES: Most puppies will happily gobble down anything that is put before them. THERE IS ALWAYS THE EXCEPTION! Pups learn from an early age which behaviour works and which behaviours to repeat. Fussy eating is one of them. The pup will learn very quickly that if he refuses his meal you are going to add something special to encourage him to eat it! We also tend to do this with our kids. Do not fall into this trap! If you stick to your guns and do not give in to him, the pup will eat! If you weaken and start adding extra yummy stuff – the pup will have won and you will have set a precedent for the rest of the pup’s life.
If you have a tiny breed this may not be such a big deal but what if you have one of the giant breeds? Are you going to be prepared, both in time and costs to add yummy stuff to his meal for the next 10 to twelve years? If not, start the way you mean to go on! Any significant loss of appetite could indicate illness – if in doubt consult your vet.

WHAT TO FEED YOUR PUPPY:
There is a saying that goes: - “You are what you eat”
This is true not only for people but also for dogs and puppies!
Today there are numerous ready made, pre-packaged excellent quality pet foods available. Dry food is extremely convenient, easy to use and store, palatable and easy for the pup to digest. There are good quality feeds available from both your veterinarian and from the local supermarket. Puppies need a fully balanced diet and the feed has to be one that has been specially developed for puppies, as adult dog food does not always have the correct balance of nutrients and vitamins for a growing youngster! What you feed your pup is your business and everyone has his or her own different ideas and opinions! Try to give them the best that you can afford but remember that each dog/pup is different and there are many alternatives from natural diets to the pre-packaged feeds. You decide! This is your puppy, and you should feed it what you feel is right for you, your pup and your pocket. If you are in any doubt or have concerns regarding your puppy’s diet, contact your local veterinarian who will advise you, or refer you to a qualified animal nutritionist.


TEACHING YOUR DOG/PUPPY TO “SIT” WHEN HE IS GETTING “DRESSED”
When you are about to take Fido for a walk, there is nothing more frustrating than owning a dog who leaps and bounces off the ceiling, becoming totally uncontrollable in his excitement at the prospect of going out for a walk! This certainly dampens many owners enthusiasm for walks, and makes the prelude to “walkkies” a nightmare! This excitable, uncontrolled behaviour is totally unacceptable, but fortunately is easily solved with a bit of practice, patience, and most important CONSISTENCY!

Ideally, this particular bad habit, should never have been allowed to develop in the first place!. From the first time a young pup has his collar fitted, he should be made to “Sit” still whilst it is put on and the leash clipped on. This sounds very easy and indeed it is. By following a few simple rules below you will be amazed at how quickly good habits develop!

Use a collar that is quick and easy to put on and take off. Buckle collars are clumsy and difficult to work with. A quick-release, webbing collar is probably the easiest, as it has a plastic clip that is very easy to use and very user friendly.

All dogs and pups should permanently wear a “house collar”, with the dog’s name, address, and your contact telephone number on it. This can be in form of a name tag or it could be written in permanent marker, on the inside of his collar. This is vital, and a way to increase your chances of getting your beloved pet back if he ever strays.

Never leave your dog or puppy unsupervised if he is wearing a collar that can tighten, (such as a half check or full check/choker chain). This is very dangerous, as it could become caught on something and the dog/pup could choke which could result in death by strangulation! Only leave him in a buckle type, or quick release flat collar, and even then you should make sure that it is loose enough for him to wriggle out of if he did become stuck on something, thus avoiding a tragedy! You should also make sure that if your dog/pup is ever confined in his dog crate / mobile indoor kennel, that all collars and leashes are removed – again this is to ensure safety in the crate.

HOW TO DEVELOP THE “GOOD” COLLAR AND LEASH HABIT!
Using a soft food treat, lure the pup into the “sit” position. You do this by simply holding the treat in your hand and :-

Have the dog/puppy on your left hand side for future good training habits. In formal training class, dogs are taught to walk on the owners left hand side and the sooner he gets into this habit, the easier future training will be, and you will have the advantage of not having to “re-teach” him to “sit” in the “heel” position.
Place a food treat or lure in your hand. Show the dog you have the food and slowly push your food hand over the dogs head towards the tail. As the dog lifts his head to follow the food, his bottom will drop onto the ground and he will be “Sitting”. Let him lick some of the food and tell him he is a good boy to “Sit” whilst using the rest of the treat to ensure that he is in the “Sit” position for a couple of seconds. Make sure that your vocalisation is in a happy, jolly praise voice. Repeat until you can see that he is following your food hand as a hand signal.
Now you need to keep him in the “Sit” position – whilst repeating the happy command to “Sit” whilst simultaneously slipping his collar up.
If your hand is in the correct position, and you don’t move it, you can actually “wedge” him or “block” him, so that he will not need to get up or move (to follow your food hand – which is why it is so important – that once the pup is in the correct position, to keep the lure or food hand still) whilst you can now simultaneously fit his collar on and clip on his leash!
Repeat this regularly so that he soon begins to associate the “Sit” with putting his collar and leash on.
You should also practice simply clipping and unclipping his leash with him in the sit position.

The same method can be used when putting doggy coats on and taking them off and even for pill popping!

AGILITY AND DOG JUMPING:
Our Thursday Agility Class still has a couple of places open for anyone who is interested. You do need a bit of basic obedience as all exercises are performed off leash and without even a collar. The reason being that if a dog is jumping or going over any of the obstacles wearing a collar, it could become hooked on a piece of equipment, and apart from the risk of injury, the dog would in all likelihood get a huge fright and it could take months (in some cases never) for the dog to recover and trust the sport again.

INCREASE IN TRAINING FEES AND NEW SCHOOL STRUCTURE:
As from the first Saturday in August, our training fees are going to be increased by ………………(hold your breath) R5 per week which is a grand total of R20-00 per month - so start saving up now!

All new students will in future have to pay a joining fee of R60-00 to cover admin costs and will include a homework book:
Thus, the new price structure is as follows:-

Puppy School (puppy one and two) R120-00 per month and a one off joining fee of R60-00 a first month total of R180-00
Thereafter the fees will be R120 per month
This will also be the same for New Recruits (dogs and handlers who have not trained before) in the 1:30 class
The Clicker Class will stay the same at R150-00 per month but new students will pay a R25-00 joining fee to cover the price of the clicker, which will be included in the first months joining fees: Thereafter the fees will continue at R150-00 per month.

NEW CLASS STRUCTURE:
We have some great news, classes are to be streamlined, new exercises introduced, and lots of fun exercises are to be introduced:

Saturdays now look as follows:-
08:00 AM Puppy One and Puppy Two Group (Louise)
10:00 AM Puppy Three (Louise)
10:00 AM Specialised Clicker Class (Siobhan)
01:30 PM New Recruits – (Siobhan and Rose)

03:00 PM CLASSES:
New Social Class – Specially developed for students who want social training, but do not want to compete or be bothered with the finer technical aspects of training. However, we are going to introduce more exercises, from beginners to advanced levels (non-competitive) in order to provide the dogs with constant new things to learn. Including advanced exercises and games and some dog sports. Should students change their minds and become more competitive they are most welcome to take part in a small test to see where they would fit in to prepare them for a higher class. (Maureen)

Elementary Beginners: This is the first rung in the obedience ladder and its aim is to prepare dogs for promotion to the next level where, although all the exercises are taught as a game, the pressure on the handlers becomes a little more serious. (Louise)

Beginners / Novice: This is the second serious rung on the obedience ladder and things become a little more serious now. Fun dog sports are now going to be Included for the end 20 minutes of each lesson! Fun and fitness for you and your dog! (Rosemary)

Novice / A: This is the third serious rung on the obedience ladder and we need total commitment from owners. As with the previous class although all exercises will be taught as a game, it now becomes more challenging for dog and owner. We are also introducing dog sports at this level. (Mandy)

B/C: This is the “big time” and again commitment and dedication is essential. This class will commence in the near future:
Trainer TBA


That’s all for now folks.

Please don’t forget to ring me, to book your place at the behaviour & training workshop, and PLEASE pass the word for us near and far. If you have any further queries you are welcome to give me a ring on (1011) 969-4467 or on my mobile 082-890-0905 or via electronic mail louthomp@mweb.co.za

Happy Heeling
Louise

PS If there is anything you would like included in the newsletter or you would like to contribute articles, ideas or criticisms please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Paws Abilities “LOVES” Dogs!
We even “LIKE” most people!