Dogs and Children

Dogs and Children

What goes on in the mind of your dog when there is a new baby in the family? Do you know how your dog will react if a toddler comes up and gives the dog a hug? Bringing a new addition into the household can be a big change for everyone, including the family dog. Introducing a new dog to a family with young children can also be an interesting challenge. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you have dogs and children under the same roof.

As a sensible dog owner and parent, it is your responsibility to be aware of the interactions between your children and the dog to ensure everyone’s safety. Most pets do not pose any threat to infants because there is not a lot of interaction between them. Toddlers are at a much greater risk of getting hurt because they can move about on their own and may not realize that their actions may be hurting or scaring the animal. All dogs should ideally be introduced to children at a young age and continue to be socialized with them. However, even the best socialization will not guarantee that a child cannot be hurt by your pet. That is why adult supervision is so important.

A toddler can be perceived as a threat to your dog as much as a dog may be a danger to your toddler. For example, it is important that children know that it is not right to pull on a dog’s tail because it hurts and it may lead to the dog biting as a result. Many dogs, however, adjust very well to a new addition to the family. It is a good idea to have a separate area or large crate in the same room as the family for the dog to play in without interacting with the baby. This new addition to the family will take up a lot of your time and attention, and your dog will notice that. Ease the dog into the transition by introducing the new area or crate a few weeks before the baby’s arrival. Remember to give your dog the same amount of love and attention as before, because some dogs will become stressed when new changes occur in their environment and they need to be assured that everything is alright.

In preparation for the baby coming home, you can practice obedience skills with your dog. For example, carry around a baby doll and work on the down command to get your dog accustomed to the positions you want him/her to be in while you are holding the infant. Accustom your dog to walk calmly beside the stroller without pulling. Remember, it could take up to several months for your dog to realize that the new baby is a part of the family. Give your dog time to adjust and always supervise. Keep up with the obedience training and ensure the dog continues to get enough attention and exercise.

You do not need to separate the baby and the dog at all times. In fact, it is recommended to teach your dog how to behave appropriately when the baby is present. Letting the dog sniff and interact gently with the baby will help reinforce the fact that this new addition is an important part of the family. Using positive reinforcement, teach your dog to lie quietly nearby when the baby is present. Reward with lots of praise and/or treats when he/she is doing something you like.

Puppies and babies both require a lot of time and care, so it is often recommended that you wait to get a puppy until after your youngest child is old enough to follow instructions and understand that they are capable of hurting the animal. Puppies have a lot of energy and often like to explore and nibble, so they can be a danger to the toddler if they get too excited. When a baby and any dog are together, they should be closely supervised at all times or separated with gates or crates. This prevents both the baby and the dog from being injured and/or frightened.

Most people would agree that we often treat our pets like members of our family. So when it comes to the task of training, socializing and playing with the dog, why not include the entire family? Children of all ages can play an important role in the training of a new puppy.

Children as young as three years of age can help feed and train the puppy while under adult supervision. For example, the dog can be told to sit and stay while the child places the food bowl down. Young children can also toss a toy once a dog has learned to patiently sit and wait for it. During any play session, close supervision is important to prevent the dog from getting too excited or rough. Encourage calm, gentle behaviour in both the child and the dog, using positive reinforcement.

Children aged 5 to 9 can take on responsibilities such as measuring how much food to feed the dog, filling the water bowl, helping with grooming, playing fetch with the dog, or practicing walking the dog in a fenced-in backyard. If you have children of different ages, you can assign an important task to each one so everyone has a responsibility. A young child may not be able to walk the dog on the streets on his/her own in case they come across another strange dog. However, walks can be turned into a fun family outing.

Children aged 10 and older can handle the dog independently (as judged by the parent) and help with the training of the dog. In fact, most children of this age group make wonderful dog trainers because they have the time, patience, and persistence to teach the dog new things. They can also feed, groom, walk, and clean up after the dog. Children of this age can also participate in dog training classes on their own. You can find a kid-friendly training program in your area. You should spend some time and observe a class in progress before registering. Ask if positive methods are being used and see if classes are well-structured and under control by the instructor. The class should focus on the bond between owner and dog and encourage participation from the children. Lots of praise and treats should be used, and misbehaving puppies should be ignored or given more space to work, not punished.

Giving children training tasks and establishing rules when interacting with the dog not only builds the bond between them, but it also helps the children understand the animal and enables them to read their body language. Involving the children in the care of the dog teaches them about what it takes to be a responsible pet owner.

As the child and dog grow older, relationships may change. A young, calm puppy may become rambunctious and easily excitable at 6 to 9 months of age (their ‘teenage years’). A child that was once focused on the care and training of their dog may lose interest in their dog and stop taking responsibility for its care. Parents need to be aware of changes in the relationship and use positive methods to keep the bond strong. By avoiding physical punishment, rewarding good behaviour, and encouraging the entire family to participate in the care of the dog, you and your family will enjoy having a companion for life.

Dogs and Their Anal Sacs

Dogs and Their Anal Sacs

Every dog is unique. Some are star athletes, while others are couch potatoes. Some can fit inside a purse, while others can barely fit in the backseat of a car. Some are cute and cuddly, while others are noble and independent. Whether your dog is fast or slow, big or small, affectionate or aloof, there is one thing that all of our canine companions have in common: although it's not a glorious activity from our human point of view, dogs love to sniff each other’s butts.

Of course it seems crude to us of the human variety, but in the dog world, sniffing another’s rear end is simply a social custom. Not unlike a handshake and introduction, or an exchange of business cards, dogs gain valuable information from sniffing around down there. Each dog has a unique scent that is produced by structures called anal glands (or anal sacs). While many owners aren’t even aware that these glands exist, they play an important role in a dog's social behaviour; dogs use this scent to identify one another, as a form of communication, and as a way to mark their territory.

Anal glands are located just beneath the skin on either side of the anus (at positions 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock). They secrete a foul-smelling liquid which travels through small tubules to openings on either side of the anus. Believe it or not, every time your pet urinates or defecates, a tiny bit of this liquid is released as well, contributing to your dog’s personal fragrance. Similarly, when two dogs meet in the park, the action of raising their tails puts pressure on the anal glands, causing the butt sniffing to start in the first place.

The reason most owners are oblivious to the existence of anal glands, is because most of the time, they don’t cause any problems. For the majority of dogs, anal glands go about their business and express their liquid with each bowel movement and under appropriate social circumstances. However, in some cases, anal glands fail to empty sufficiently and can cause a number of issues for your pet.

The most common problem with anal glands occurs when lack of expression (emptying them) results in impaction. This is extremely uncomfortable for the dog who will usually let his owners know that there is a problem. Typical signs of anal gland impaction include scooting (dragging their rear ends along the ground) or licking/biting at their rear end. Some dogs will also present with loose stools. Fortunately, anal gland impaction can usually be cleared up quickly by your veterinarian. Veterinarians (as well as some breeders and groomers) are proficient at manually expressing anal glands to remove all of the secretion that has built up inside them. Often, one trip to the vet’s office will be enough to relieve your dog’s discomfort, however for other dogs anal gland impaction is an ongoing problem.

There are a variety of reasons why a dog might have trouble expressing its anal glands properly. Sometimes it is simply due to the conformation of the particular dog, or breed of dog. Other times it depends on the thickness of the secretion itself which may be too viscous to express easily. Also, the size and consistency of an animal’s stools can affect anal gland function. Stools which are too small or too soft might not put sufficient pressure on the glands to cause expression. For dogs who are suffering from chronic or recurring anal gland impaction, it is important to make sure they eat a high quality food which is high enough in fibre to ensure large solid stools. In some cases, it is recommended that a dog’s anal glands be surgically removed. This is a fairly simple procedure that can permanently solve the problem.

In addition to anal gland impaction (an uncomfortable, but fairly benign condition), some dogs will also suffer from infections and abscesses of the anal gland. This occurs when bacteria travels from around the anal opening through the tubules to the glands. When this bacteria builds up, serious infections can develop. If left untreated, abscesses can develop fairly quickly. In this case, dogs generally experience pain (as opposed to mere discomfort). Dogs will often present by biting or growling when one tries to touch them anywhere in the general area. Anal gland infections can be treated with antibiotics from your veterinarian. If the infection progresses to the abscess stage however, other complications may arise. It is therefore important to bring your dog to the vet as soon as you notice any signs that might indicate an anal gland problem.

For those dog owners who have never had to deal with an anal gland problem, consider yourselves lucky. As unpleasant as it may be to think about, your dog’s anal glands are as much as part of him as his cute little nose and his fluffy tail. Now that you know they exist, it is important to watch for any signs of anal gland problems in your pet.

Dog Collars

Dog Collars - Dog Leashes

Buying a leash and collar for your pet should be simple, right? Like many things in life that seem simple, choosing a leash and collar is not. There are many different types of dog collars, designed around certain personality or medical needs. There are even special collars for cats! Leashes are usually designed to accommodate the lifestyle of the owner. We will look at different types of collars and leashes in this article.

We’ll first discuss the traditional dog collar. It is usually a piece of sturdy fabric that fastens like a belt. Multiple holes in the collar make it somewhat adjustable in size. This is helpful when you have a growing puppy, because you can just loosen the collar as its neck gets bigger. It is also convenient to have a traditional collar as a place to put the rabies and licensing tags.

There are also traditional collars that have been modified for behaviour reasons. For a long time, choke (also known as slip) collars and collars with spikes on the inside have been used to control unruly animals. These collars were preferred on dogs that continuously pull at their leash. The thought is that a choke or spiked collar would provide one quick instance of pain, and the dog would stop pulling. If this technique works, it is a very successful one. The problem is that many times the dog continues to pull. In these cases the collar may damage the neck or may cause the dog to have trouble breathing. If this is the case you may well be using the collar incorrectly and should stop using it until you get advice from your vet or a trainer.

You may also have heard of barking collars. These can be used on dogs that bark too much. The idea behind these collars is that the collar senses the vibration made when the dog barks. As soon as the dog barks, the collar makes something unpleasant happen. Hopefully the dog will quickly learn that barking is associated with something unpleasant. This unpleasant event is usually either a small shock or a spray of citronella. Interestingly, recent research appears to indicate that the citronella collars are more successful at deterring barking than the shock collars. Never just depend on a barking collar- always make sure to work with your dog to decrease barking in other ways too, such as minimizing stimuli and possibly using dog appeasing pheromones.

Cats can wear traditional collars, too. Many owners like to put their contact information on a cat’s collar, in case their outdoor cat gets lost or runs into trouble. However, due to their exploring nature, some cats can get their collar stuck on an object. If this happens, the cat may be stuck somewhere remote and be unable to leave, or even worse may “hang” itself by the collar if it was caught while jumping. This is why breakaway collars were designed. The buckle on a breakaway collar (which looks similar to a buckle on a fanny pack) will open simply if it is pulled hard enough. Therefore, if your cat gets stuck, the weight of the animal pulling on the collar will open the buckle. This can be a lifesaving event.

An alternative to the traditional dog collar is a harness. Harnesses are also popular with cat owners. There are many different types of harnesses, but in general the idea is to transfer the strain of pulling from the neck to the chest. Harnesses are designed to go under the front legs, across the chest, and the leash attaches along the back, just behind the shoulder blades. Some owners feel that they have better control over their pet with a harness. The two most common uses for a harness are to decrease neck pain and to ease breathing. Harnesses are popular options for animals that have had neck surgery or a slipped disc. They are also very useful for older animals that can have pain from arthritis in their neck joints. It is also recommended to use a harness on any breed of dog that already has trouble breathing (for example: pugs, bulldogs). Traditional collars can exacerbate their breathing difficulties.

The last type of collar we will mention is the ‘Haltie’. A Haltie is designed to allow the owner to gain control of the head. The strap goes behind the ears and over the top of the nose, and the leash attaches underneath the muzzle. If you can picture a horse halter, it is somewhat similar. When the dog pulls on the leash, it causes their head to be pulled to the side. When you have control of the dog’s head, you have more control over their pulling. Halties are very popular for behavioural control.

Once you chose a collar for your dog, you also need to choose a leash. There are two basic types of leashes- the set-length fabric leash and the retractable leash. You can choose a leash designed around your lifestyle and your pet’s exercise routine. Don’t forget to personalize your pet’s collar and leash. Your pet’s collar and leash can support your favourite sports team, celebrate the holidays, or make a statement of style.

Choosing a leash and collar can be fun but confusing. Make sure you choose a collar that works best for your pet. Comfort and control are the most important things to take into consideration when making this decision. Some breeds (such as greyhounds) even have breed-specific collar needs. Make sure you talk to your veterinarian about what collar and leash is right for your pet.