Paws News June 2009

“Paws Abilities” - Behaviour & Learning Centre
Newsletter Number 31 – JUNE 2009


A warm hello to all Paws family and friends,
Well winter appears to be truly with us. I for one actually LOVE winter. Winter is a great time to get outdoors and take your best friend for long walks without the hassle of him or you - overheating. There is nothing like a brisk walk on a cold day to warm you and your dog.

THE KENNEL UNION K9 GOOD CITIZEN TEST IS TO BE HELD AT THE PAWS ABILITIES TRAINING GROUNDS ON SATURDAY THE 25TH JULY 2009 COMMENCING AT 12:00 NOON. This is great news for us (and also gives the students a bit of a chance to prepare). I outlined the necessary exercises in the last newsletter. Please give me a shout if you missed it as I will send it to you with pleasure. The cost is R50 per dog. I really do hope lots of our students will enter. It is a fun test and precision obedience is not needed. The aim is to see if you have a well-mannered, well-adjusted dog! Please speak to Rose at training who is taking the bookings. We will need payment in advance in order to pay for the packs from KUSA.

For any non-students, you are also welcome to book – please contact Rose for payment (in advance – bookings are being taken NOW) Moneys need to be received before the end of this month as we have to pay for the “packages” from the Kennel Union in ADVANCE (sorry guys we cant afford to carry you on this one)

A HUGE thank you goes to Paul Lakin – who is going to be our Kennel Union Judge for the afternoon.
Paul – we appreciate you giving up your time and Saturday for us!
Thanks again – we do appreciate it!


Our school is getting back into the show scene. On Saturday Mandy and Rose entered Beginners (open show) and both achieved very high scores. They both entered N.F.S (not for score) which means that their scores did not count as they has previously been in higher classes, and they both decided that, as their dogs had not had any ring experience, they would enter a lower class – for the sake of the dogs! Just so that you know, once you have entered and one a lower class, you are never allowed back in that class, not even with a new dog! This is to ensure that new entrants to dog shows have a fairer chance – A good thing!

Our Paws Abilities Students did us proud in Elementary Beginners! Emma – with her little squatter camp GSD also entered. It was her first show and Hector did not let her down. A “first” in Elementary. Siobhan and her Husky Dodge brought home a “Second” (with a Husky nog all!) Penny and her Bouv achieved a well deserved “Fourth”. Not bad for first time entries hey!! Well done to all of you.

Anyone interested in attending or entering shows please give Mandy or Rose a shout at training!


702 WALK THE TALK
Talking about walking your dog – 702 Talk Radio will be holding their annual charity walk in the next month or so. Dogs are very welcome, and several of our handlers enter every year. If enough people show interest we could go as a group! Could be fun.

Have a chat to Siobhan on Saturday if you are interested! It certainly is for a good cause.


THE DOG OWNERS’ GUIDE TO BEING A GOOD DOG AMBASSADOR
Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer open areas available where you can walk your dog safely off leash. There was a time when it was safe to let your dog off leash most of the time. But with the dramatic increase in modern traffic and the increase in the urban sprawl, there are now few places left for us doggy people to let our dogs run free.

CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG!
Leave the area that you are walking in as clean as possible. Take a couple of plastic packets with you – be considerate of other people and keep South Africa clean! Many parks are currently being closed to our pets! Thoughtless dog owners give the rest of us a bad name. Be a responsible dog owner! Good manners in the park means that you should be considerate of other park users.

Do not permit your dog to chase children or bikes, or interfere with picnickers. Joggers should also be considered.

Make sure that you teach your dog a reliable “recall” (to come robotically when he is called). Just because your dog comes when he is called at home, does not mean that he will do so amidst distractions! If in doubt, use a long line to give him some freedom, but also to ensure that you have full control and can gently insist on compliance.

WHEN TO USE THE LEASH:
If you cannot see your dog – he is not under control! It makes sense to call your dog to you when approaching a corner if you cannot see around the bend! When walking in the park, if you see another dog and owner approaching, call your dog to you immediately and put him on leash until the other person is out of range.

Anywhere near a road, even if it appears to be unused. Many dogs (and horses and their riders) are run into by thoughtless drivers each year. Country roads give us a false sense of security and you should be prepared for the unexpected.

While we encourage puppies to be socialised, this does not mean that your pup should run up to any strange dog that he sees. When your pup sees another dog, call him to you, have a really exciting game and reinforce this with lots of praise and pop him a treat. If the other dog is friendly and the owner is agreeable, you can permit them to greet each other in a sensible manner.

You should then call your puppy to you and have an even more exciting game ready, a special toy, or the highest value titbit you can provide – at the same time walk or preferably run in the opposite direction (quick movements will excite him) so that when he has finished his reward/game, the other dog is out of sight.

When on footpaths in rural or country areas, you should be vigilant for both livestock and workers – if apparent, put Fido on leash.

Care should also be taken if there are growing crops – and do not forget that grass is also a crop! In some areas, it is an offence to allow a dog to be “at large in a field where there is livestock”. This means that the dog does not actually have to be chasing the sheep in the same field. Play it safe and keep him on leash.

The dog is a natural hunting carnivore – so rather do not give him the opportunity to get into trouble! Remember that if the dog chases the livestock, the farmer has the right to shoot him!
Few people realise that with certain kinds of livestock, like sheep for example, suffer from severe stress even if they have not been physically injured. The trauma of being chased can cause a sheep to die of shock!

Care should also be taken with regard to wild birds, buck, and any accompanying wildlife.


WHY WALK YOUR DOG?

IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL STIMULATION AND EXERCISE:
Without mental or physical stimulation, a dog’s level of frustration and stress would be exceptionally high. This is heightened through confinement: Within a very short period of being on your property - through his superior sense of smell, your dog will have experienced every blade of grass, every inch of every shrub, indeed every single part of that property!

The dog going for a walk is rather like you reading the newspaper or catching up on the news by watching the television! He also needs to catch up on the “news”.

You also need to broaden your dog’s horizons, and provide him with a way to develop “life skills” Dogs who are confined to just their own property, never experience new things – if they never experience new things they will NEVER develop and grow to their full potential. To develop life skills, which in fact are “coping skills”. the dog needs as many different, positive experiences as possible!

Experts agree that, “Dogs who are confined behind closed in walls tend to be narrow minded, intolerant, and anti-social in behaviour!”

The only way a human could possibly equate with these very real feeling of frustration, would be to imagine oneself locked/confined in a small room, say for instance a bathroom, with no radio no television, and no books to read.
It goes without saying, how frustrated one would feel after a very short period of time. In fact, as an experiment, try it! Shut yourself in a room and just sit………. Don’t read, don’t have the radio or TV on, just sit………. I tried this and within 10 minutes, all I wanted to do was sleep. This shows how lack of stimulation can affect us – How do you think it affects your dog??? I am sure that your dog in solitary confinement feels just as frustrated!

This type of frustration often leads to stress, and anxiety, and regularly presents itself as destructive behaviour.
It may even lead to aggression, and many other kinds of behavioural problems.

I do not recommend that you walk your dogs in the street or past neighbours barking dogs, or they will learn that other dogs are “bad”. Most dogs behind closed gates exhibit territorial aggression and will fiercely guard their gate space. In cases of households with two or more dogs, often redirected aggression is seen, where one dog will turn on one of his pack mates. This is due to the frustration of him not being able to follow through with the aggression towards your dog. So avoid this, as it will just encourage your dog to be reactive – and actually teach him to be aggressive to other dogs!

Rather pop him in the car and drive to the park. If you own more than one dog, don’t always walk them together, they will learn leash “manners” much quicker if you start by walking them one on one. Once they have developed leash manners then you should sometimes walk them separately (which will also aid in their over dependence on each other) and only walk them together when their manners have improved and they are easy to handle and you have full control!

Provide something special for the one left “home alone” to chew on so that he sees the separation as a reward.

IN AN IDEAL SCENARIO
Start taking your pup off the property for life experiences at an early age. This will help to alleviate his mental boredom and raise his level of tolerance and confidence.

Going for a walk should not be used as a training session; the pup does not need to be in the “heel” position nor should he have to perform lots of tricks. THIS IS HIS WALK NOT YOURS! Let him have fun and do doggie stuff! As long as he is not pulling on the leash, or behaving wildly it is OK. He can walk a little in front of you, beside you or even behind you. As long as there is no tension on the leash he is allowed to sniff and do doggie stuff! So please let him be a dog and give him sniffing opportunities, and a chance to explore and investigate this new exciting world of sights sounds and smells!

Unless you are walking in a fenced off safe area, do not let the puppy or dog off the leash or if he gets a fright he will bolt. You can utilise a long piece of durable cord, known as a “long line” or have him on a flexi leash to give him some freedom. Do not let him off leash until you are 100% certain that he reliably comes when he is called each and every time he is called and under extreme circumstances! Start with a venue that is safe, for both you and the pup.

Do not go to the park that is full of free running adult dogs or the pup might be chased, attacked or worse, but he should have contact with safe adult good ‘role model” dogs. If you are unsure of a venue or have no safe park in your area speak to your puppy school instructor who will advise or facilitate such interactions with safe dogs.

HOW TO TEACH YOUR PUP TO ALWAYS COME WHEN HE IS CALLED:
In the past, most training methods used, involved force, making the animal conform to our will, and submit to what we wanted and expected of it, sometimes using brutal inhumane methods. The end-result was often a dog that was terrified of the leash, hated the collar, and more often than not, associated the entire unpleasant experience with the handler!

The dog would in time come to view his handler with distrust and fear, because of the negative association with these unpleasant experiences. In short, these methods create a dog that probably will never be a happy worker, or enjoy the joy of even a simple walk in the park! Dogs that experience this kind of negative learning often end up as timid/fearful creatures, cringing when called and unable to cope with pressure. As a companion-animal, this would be a totally unsatisfactory human/canine relationship!

Why do so many dogs end up like this? Because the learning is based on FEAR as the motivation! Today we usually accept that this type of rough, thoughtless handling is unacceptable, and is counter productive if we want to produce a well-balanced mentally sound pet or working dog.

The following was designed to help you through the first steps of positive leash training.

The golden rules to apply are –:
REWARD THE POSITIVE AND IGNORE THE NEGATIVE!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED.
· A calm RELAXED handler with a sense of humour!
· A soft collar, either leather or webbing or a harness:
· (The first one should not be too thick, bulky or heavy so as not to intimidate the dog)

NOTE: Training collars, often referred to as choke or check chains should NEVER be used on a young pup. The delicate tendons and ligaments in their necks are not fully formed, and any yanking or jerking could cause permanent damage. If trained correctly from an early age – the use of a check chain should never be necessary!

If you own a difficult dog, or a dog who is hard to handle, there are numerous kind, gentle, humane alternatives to choke chains and other means of torture!

LONG LINE - TRAINING YOUR DOG TO ALWAYS COME WHEN HE IS CALLED:
You will need:-
Two lengths of webbing long line. One should be about five meters or so for work in the park and another shorter one (about leash length) to use as a house line to ensure indoor manners and obedience. These are available from Paws Abilities or you could get a long line from one of the equine outlets who sell horse equipment. The reason the webbing is recommended, is that it is thick enough not to cause injury if it get stuck around the dogs legs.

The house line should be used under supervision only!) We need another longer length of about five or six meters which is for the long line to use in the park or some other place where the pup can have some “free” time to do doggie stuff, (have some fun and explore) in safety and under your full control!

RULES FOR THE HANDLER!
· Do not let the dog think this is a big deal
· Be calm and relaxed – never begin to work the dog after a bad day at the office!
· Everything learned – from the dogs point of view should be a happy positive learning experience
· Smile!!! The dog quickly learns to read your body language and facial expressions, in fact he does this far better than you as a mere human! This body language is after all how dogs communicate among themselves.
· Do not run before you can walk. Perfect the first step or stage before moving on to the second.
· Remember – this is supposed to be FUN! and you areworking towards an improved relationship with your companion animal.

The long line is a useful training tool, both in domestic and obedience training. The idea is never to put the pup or dog in a position where he has an opportunity to disobey you! Remember WE teach our pets that they have an option, and can disobey us – they do not learn this on their own! Now you need to give the pup some “FREE” exercise, in the park and off leash, but you are worried that he might bolt, or run away or worse get into a fight, and not come back when called.

I would NEVER let a young/adolescent dog free in the park. Even the calmest pup, when startled or under pressure, can bolt, it is part of the natural “flight” instinct. For safety sake, young dogs and pups should always be in a position where you the handler can be in control.

Even with an older dog, unless it is a well-trained, already obedient dog, it is a risk that is not worth taking. This is when the long line comes in. It has been proved that a pup or dog can not feel the difference in drag from one metre to five metres. This is what we capitalise on!

You may take the pup in the car to the park or a school field, or some safe open space. Attach the long line to the collar and let him go. Remember that you have hold of the end of the line, so YOU ARE ALWAYS IN A POSITION OF CONTROL! The pup or dog cannot run away or get into trouble, as you always have the upper hand!

Every few minutes or so, call him to you with a smile and a happy voice. If he does not IMMEDIATELY respond, gently, hand over hand (with a treat in one hand and a big smile – and don’t forget to sound happy and praise him) reel him in – gently like a fish on a line.

Draw him in to you and with lots of praise (Yes, he has earned praise, even if he has been helped) Put him in the “Sit” position to give him something productive to do for you, and praise. If you want in the beginning, you can give him a small tasty titbit.

Continue with this method for a couple of weeks, until the dog comes to you EACH AND EVERY TIME THAT HE IS CALLED WITHOUT BEING HELPED. If the pup / dog regresses at any stage go back to the stage where he was performing well, and work forward from there. Once he reaches the stage where he is coming to you on command, and if using titbits, they are given randomly, and you do no longer have to reel him in like a fish on a line, you may cut a small piece off the end of the line. Remember to still praise every time the pup or dog comes to you. This also has to be followed though in his every day interactions with the family.

He is to be praised EVERY time he comes to you when called, no matter what he has done. If the pup is ever punished after being called to you, he will learn a vital lesson. Unfortunately, it is the WRONG LESSON!!! The pup or dog will think “When I am called, Daddy does not like it when I come near ……… I had better run away, and stay as far away from Daddy as possible!”

Over a long period of time, you may reduce the length of the line. Never putting the animal in a position where he may try to evade you, or does not comply with your command. In the end, you will end up with a reliable pet, with a two-centimetre piece of string attached to his collar, because he thinks YOU ARE ALWAYS IN CONTROL!

REMEMBER!!!
For the pup, none of this has been a frightening or an unpleasant experience. By positive reinforcement he has earned only praise, there has been NO PUNISHMENT, nothing to undermine his relationship with you. Learning has been a rewarding pleasant experience, and he probably wants more! He has never been put in a position where he has been able to disobey you, so he has not learned that he has an option!


PAWS FOR THOUGHT! A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stonewall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveller asked. 'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.' The man thought a moment, turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. 'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 'How about my friend here?' the traveller gestured to the dog. 'There should be a bowl by the pump.' They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveller asked. 'This is Heaven,' he answered. 'Well, that's confusing,' the traveller said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?' 'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

As a follow on to the recent controversy about the possible introduction of Greyhound Racing in this country I found this article whilst surfing the net.
This is another reason why we should all stand together and continue to fight against the introduction of this - so called “sport” (What I call torture!)
THIS COULD BE A SOUTH AFRICAN HEADLINE SOON!
Shock and Outrage as Dog Fatally Injured Live on TV October 15, 2008 by Freelance Writers A greyhound protection group was inundated with calls from concerned viewers after a dog was fatallyinjured at Belle Vue Stadium during a race broadcast live by Sky Sports.
The greyhound, a 2 year old male, called Frisby Foreman, fell badly during the 8pm race last Tuesdayand was carried from the track in agony.
After receiving dozens of calls from viewers, Greyhound Action investigated the incident and has nowlearned that the dog, who was racing for the first time at Belle Vue, sustained a broken shoulderand was subsequently “put down” by a vet. Following the incident, the group has renewed it’s calls for an end to greyhound racing at Belle Vue and for the public to totally boycott the dog racing industry.
Greyhound Action’s UK Co-ordinator, Tony Peters, said: “Last Tuesday evening our office receiveddozens of calls from people who’d been watching the greyhound racing on Sky Sports and were shockedat seeing a dog fall very badly during the 8pm race at Belle Vue. “We immediately contacted one of our investigators, who has discovered that the greyhound, a 2 year old male, called Frisby Foreman, broke his shoulder as a result of the fall, was carried from the track in agony and was subsequently ‘put down’ by a vet.
“Sadly, such horrific injuries to racing greyhounds are all too common and we are often contacted bymembers of the public who have witnessed them.“ Thousands of injuries to racing greyhounds occur every year, many of them serious. The main reason for this is that the shape of the tracks, with fast straights leading into tight bends, creates a very dangerous environment for dogs to run in.
“Because track owners fear they will lose money through racing being called off, races are quiteoften run in unsuitable conditions, which increase the risk of injuries to the dogs. This appears tohave been the case last Tuesday, where the racing was allowed to continue during torrential rain. “The injury to Frisby Foreman was obviously serious, but we would question the decision to put him down. Broken shoulders in greyhounds can be repaired and they can go on to live long and happy lives afterwards. “Obviously, such a dog would no longer be any good for racing, which is why we believe that Frisby Foreman’s life was ended for commercial reasons, rather than out of genuine concern for his well-being.
“Sadly, even less serious injuries, which spectators may not be aware of, can still end up beinglethal, as greyhounds are often “put down”, if it’s considered to be not worth the money to get themfit for racing again.
“Ex-racing greyhounds often suffer considerably in later life because of the unnatural stresses andstrains imposed on their bodies through racing on the tracks.
“Even more serious than the large number of injuries to racing dogs is the fact that many thousandsof greyhounds get put to death every year, simply because they are considered not good enough forracing.
Our latest research indicates that over 15,000 greyhounds are “put down” annually after being judgedunsuitable to race on British tracks or when their racing “careers” come to an end, either throughage or injury.
“This means that each of Britain’s 29 major dog tracks, including Belle Vue is, on average,responsible for the deaths of more than 500 greyhounds annually.
“According to an RSPCA statement ‘at least 20 greyhounds a day - either puppies which do not makethe track, or retired dogs aged three or four - simply disappear, presumed killed’.
“In recent years, national media exposés have highlighted the wholesale slaughter of ex-racinggreyhounds and several mass graves containing the bodies of shot greyhounds have been discovered invarious parts of the country.
“In 2006 the Sunday Times carried a story about large numbers of greyhounds, including many fromBelle Vue, being put to death for £30 a time at a so-called “Dogs Home” in Leigh. “There are local greyhound rescue groups, who do excellent work in finding homes for some of the dogs that ‘retire’ from racing at the stadium, but this only amounts to a minority of the greyhounds disposed of because of the existence of the Belle Vue track.
“Greyhound racing also causes the death of many thousands of other dogs apart from greyhounds, asplaces in homes and rescue kennels, which could go to other stray and ‘unwanted’ dogs, are taken upby greyhounds got rid of by the racing industry, meaning that those other dogs are ‘put down’because there is nowhere for them to go.
“The rules of the National Greyhound Racing Club, the body that controls dog racing at Belle Vue andBritain’s other major tracks, encourage greyhounds to be treated as disposable commodities, byallowing racing owners to get rid of dogs, including having them put to death, once they are nolonger of use for racing.
“Greyhound Action believes that the only real solution to this horrific state of affairs is forcommercial greyhound racing to be ended. Six states in the USA have banned greyhound racing inrecent years, so there is no reason why a ban shouldn’t be imposed in the UK.
“In the meantime it is important to educate the public to boycott greyhound racing. If enough peoplerefrained from attending greyhound racing and stopped betting on races, then the activity would dieout through lack of support.
“Our local supporters demonstrate and distribute leaflets every Saturday evening out side Belle Vue,as part of their campaign to end dog racing at the stadium.
“This latest horrific incident will, without doubt, cause them to redouble their efforts to endcommercial greyhound racing in Manchester.”
For more information, contact Tony Peters on 01562 700 043 or 07703 558724.See also the Greyhound Action website at www.greyhoundaction.org.uk

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM A VET SPECIALISING IN BEHAVIOUR
Question:
Murphy is a 6-year-old, purebred yellow lab. (spayed) & hyper, can never sit still very long. 32Kg. I would like to know the dosage of Prozac you would use for aggression? She is very aggressive to other dogs, whether she is in her own yard or out for a walk. She has never bit another dog or anyone, but continually barks until you get her away from the situation. This makes it very difficult for our 7 and 9 year old to take her for a walk.

Response
Your six and a half year old lab is very aggressive to other dogs, and you wonder how much Prozac to give her. I am not sure Prozac would help in the slightest. This is learned behaviour.

The dog has never been properly socialised with other dogs, so it is afraid of them, and threatens them. It has learned that other dogs go away or are taken away when it is aggressive, so for the dog, aggression and barking "work."

I'm not at all surprised that your seven and nine year olds can't take the dog for a walk; I'm a little surprised that you would consider letting them try, under the circumstances.

I would recommend an obedience class, for a start, with one of the adults in the family doing the class work. If that is too time-consuming, there is, in fact, a quick fix for this kind of behaviour: it's a head halter for dogs, not a muzzle but a halter like those we use on cows and horses, called the "Gentle Leader." The leash attaches underneath the animal's jaw. It can still open its mouth and pant and eat and even bark; but when the dog pulls forward, all a person has to do is hold onto the leash, and the dog's own actions will pull its head down and bring the dog to a halt.

The dog quickly learns that lunging forward at another dog will result in being turned away so that it can't see the dog. In fact, the dog can't pull on the leash at all, without losing sight of where it's going; so without any training or effort, a dog in a Gentle Leader quickly teaches itself to keep the leash slack.

Children will have a MUCH easier time walking the dog, and if it lunges toward another dog, they'll be able to turn it away with ease. I have seen the Gentle Leader work "miracles" with all kinds of big dogs, even confirmed pullers and barkers like yours.

Question:
I have a 13 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who loves to dig. How can I deter this behaviour?

Response
A 13-month-old Bull Terrier, a lively, intelligent breed, should not be turned out in the yard alone for long periods of time. Like a teenaged human, he will find something to do to relieve his boredom. Maybe you should be glad he's settled on digging; I know of one retriever who taught himself to pass the lonely hours by eating rocks.

Digging is great fun, and natural to dogs: in the wild, most canids dig dens. Instead of trying punitive measures to stop the dog from digging, give him more to do. Take him with you when you go places, keep him with you when you are indoors, make sure he gets two nice walks a day. Enrol him in a puppy day care playgroup or an agility class, or join a flyball team. He needs something to occupy his mind.

When he must be in the yard, be with him; play ball or something, and call him back to you if he finds one of his holes and starts to dig. It's one drawback of pet dogs; they are not furniture, to be stuck out back when not needed. They are family members (junior members, to be sure) who need company, supervision, and a job to do, even it it's just chasing balls.


Question:
My mother has a 9-month-old puppy, half dachshund and half Chihuahua. This dog has what I call a submissive wetting problem. When it sees us it wets, if you give it a command it wets, when it comes to our house or any other person's house it wets there. If you go to touch it it wets. What, if anything, can be done to modify or eliminate this condition? She has become an unwelcome visitor in our house.

Response:
Submissive urination is a big nuisance, I agree. It is not unusual in young dogs and small dogs; after all, huge humans are pretty overpowering, and this dog is both. Is it possible that your mother inadvertently reinforces the piddling by picking the dog up and reassuring it? I'd find an alternative to that: noncommittally wiping up after it, while cuddling it at other times, for more grownup behaviour such as coming when called, and allowing itself to be petted by others.

I'd strongly recommend clicker training for this dog: a system of positive reinforcement that doesn't involve stern commands or physical control of the dog. It could quickly learn a repertoire of more suitable behaviour to offer than the submissive display. Meanwhile, when the dog comes to your house, you could put it in a crate, (after it has been crate trained) or of course, you could just ask your mother to leave the dog at home when she visits!


Question:
HELP! My 2-1/2-year-old cocker spaniel goes nuts when the phone rings. He starts out whining, then he begins to bark--louder and louder. If I can't answer the phone on the first ring, I don't even bother because I can't hear the caller. He sounds like he is being tortured! He exhibits the same behaviour when I listen to the messages on my answering machine. What can I do to curb this behaviour?

Response:
Your dog has learned to make such a racket when the phone rings that you don't even bother to answer it, past the first ring, any more! Boy, has he got YOU trained? You are not ALLOWED to talk to that machine, or listen to it, when you could be paying attention to him! This in my opinion calls for a little negative reinforcement: not punishment, which is attention of a sort, but a consequence that he can remove by being quiet.

Here's how. Set things up by arranging to have several messages on the answering machine. Put a leash on the dog and let him drag it around the house; that way you can get hold of him easily without having to grab him by the collar (I betcha he's already skilled at ducking out of reach.) Step on the leash if you have to. Start the answering machine. The minute he starts yelling, pick up the leash, pick up the dog without scolding him or talking to him or acknowledging his existence, and gently pop him outside the nearest exit door and close it (you can also use a dog crate –in much the same way, but only if the dog has already been crate trained. The crate should have a blanket covering it so that it is dark inside) Only when he is quiet, let him out. Repeat.

If the phone rings, say "Just a minute" into the phone, and do the same thing: Put the dog AWAY. Then enjoy your phone call. Meanwhile, and here's the other half of the coin, prepare some tasty small treats and keep them in a bowl by the phone. If, at any point, he actually IS quiet when the machine starts, say "Good!" and give him a treat. Quiet pays off. Noise = banishment. Stay calm. He'll figure it out, and you will have learned something, too. Not to let the dog train you!


Five Ways Your Dog Senses The World Differently From You
Do dogs sense things differently than humans do? Well, yes and no. Dogs share the same basic senses with us: they see, hear, touch, smell and taste. But the level of their senses is different – an important distinction when you’re trying to figure out just what your dog is doing.

Sight
It was once thought that dogs were “colour-blind” – only able to see shades of black and white with some grey, but
scientific studies have found that’s not true. Dogs can see in colour – ranging from blues and greens to greys and crèmes, and of course, black and white. It’s been estimated that humans can distinguish somewhere between 7 and 10 million different colours. (We don’t even have names for that many colours!)

But, dogs have it all over humans in detecting motion – that’s one reason they can detect a cat up a tree at a much greater distance than you can! And their night vision is typically better than ours – dogs have an additional reflective layer in the eye called the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light back into the receptor cells of the eye, which not only increases their night vision, but gives them that spooky appearance of eyes glowing in the dark.

Hearing
When your dog is barking like crazy in the middle of the night, don’t just assume he’s lonely, and wants you to get up
and keep him company. He may be listening to something that you can’t hear, that’s extremely upsetting to him – like a
burglar breaking in your basement window. Dogs can hear at four times the distance humans can – that means you might hear something from a 100 yards away your dog could hear from a quarter of a mile away. Their ears are also better designed to gather more of the available sound wave – they have 15 different muscles that move their ears in all
directions, plus they can move one ear at a time – and independently of the other to absorb even more information!

Touch
Dogs also have a well-developed sense of touch, surprising perhaps under all that fur, although this sense is much less
sophisticated than a human’s. Puppies are born with sensory receptors in their faces so they can find mama even if they are separated before they open their eyes. But they also can sense touch all over their bodies, just as humans can. One reason your dog flops down on the couch next to you and tries to snuggle up on a hot day (or any other day for that matter!) is because he likes the comfort of feeling that you’re right there!

Smell
We can’t even come close to our dog’s ability to smell things. It’s been estimated that a dog’s sense of smell is 100,000
times more powerful than a human’s. Scientists think that humans have about 40 million olfactory receptors, versus 2
billion for your dog! That’s part of the reason dogs make such good trackers, and can trace scents across all sorts of
distractions – like across roadways or through dense woods. Dogs also use their sense of smell as a communications tool – when they’re running around the park with their nose to the ground, sniffing everything in sight, they’re actually reading the calling cards of everyone – dogs, humans, cats, squirrels, and anyone or anything else, that has been there before him. Which is why he may not pay attention to you when you first get to the park – he’s trying to see if any of his buddies have been there before him!

Taste
Just as with humans, taste is closely linked to the sense of
smell – the main difference is humans won’t eat something that smells bad; while dogs are the opposite – the smellier the better. Dogs will gulp first and ask questions later. While humans many times won’t eat something that doesn’t look
appealing, let alone doesn’t smell good, dogs are more concerned with smell, than taste. They frequently gobble down food before they have time to chew it, let alone taste it.
But that’s ok – it’s why when we clean out our refrigerators our dogs think it’s time for treats.

So the next time your dog engages in some puzzling behaviour, whether it’s barking for no reason, or ignoring you at the park, he might not be trying to irritate you – he’s just responding to a different level of senses than you are. Take a moment to look around and try and figure out what’s triggering his behaviour before you get mad. Your dog could be
trying to tell you something!


Famous Dogs:
Adjutant:
The longest-living dog known to man, Adjutant was born on August 14, 1936, and died on November 20, 1963, living
to the ripe old age of 27 years 3 months. As I write this, however, an Australian red heeler/bull terrier mix named Jerry
is trying his hardest to beat Adjutant's mark. Jerry turns 27 in August 2004 . . . that's 189 dog years! In addition, there's a bit of a controversy because the Aussie's also contend that Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, lived to the ripe old age of 29, chasing his last kangaroo in 1939.

Balto:
The Siberian Husky that led his team 650 miles from Nenana to Nome carrying Diptheria serum. There is a statue of
him in Central Park near the Central Park Zoo.

Buddy:
First seeing eye dog in 1928.




Checkers:
Richard Nixon's cocker spaniel, that saved his political career in 1952. Nixon was accused of setting up an illegal slush fund. He went public saying that the only political gift he ever received was Checkers, and even if it was illegal, he wasn't giving him back because his daughters loved the dog! The public warmed to Nixon, and he went on to be Vice President under Eisenhower. So . . . in a way, you might say that Checkers was responsible for Watergate!

Laika:
First earth animal into space aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957. Tragically, Laika was also the first earth animal to die in space because he couldn't survive re-entry into earth's atmosphere.

Owney:
The unofficial postal carrier union mascot. Dropped off on the front steps of an Albany post office in 1888, Owney was adopted by the postal carrier union and traveled more than 140,000 miles until his death in 1897. Today, Owney is stuffed and on display at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.!

Pal:
The original "Lassie" starring in "Lassie Come Home"

Sirius:
Orion's pet in Greek mythology, named after the dog star.

Snoopy:
With apologies to Napoleon, Marmaduke, Astro and Scooby-Doo, perhaps the world's most-famous cartoon dog, and
clearly the most-well known cartoon beagle! Snoopy starred in Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" cartoon strip as the independent, 4-legged companion of Charlie Brown.

Spot:
As In "See spot run.” From the "Dick and Jane" books that many of used when we first learned to read.

Toto:
Judy Garland's little terrier in "The Wizard of Oz." Though referred to as a "he" in the movie, in real life, "Toto" was "Terry" and "he" was a "she"!


Well that’s about it for now guys. I will keep you all posted of our upcoming events and other exciting news and provide feedback of other events.

Paws Abilities Students - remember our 3-month grading will be taking place soon, and we have some lovely certificates to award.

Please give me a shout with any views, news and other items, subject matter or articles that you would like to see included or discussed in our newsletter

Chow for Now

Louise
Consulting Rooms: (011) 969-4467. Please note that we are still without landlines due to continued cable theft so use the mobile line or contact me via e mail – thanks for your understanding!
Mobile: 082-890-0905. E-mail louthomp@mweb.co.za