I don’t know many people that say they hate Autumn.
We all complain about the gloom and the damp, the cold weather and the grey skies, but there’s the brightest colours to make it all feel good.
Yesterday whilst with a client, the leaves from her Lime tree suddenly rained down like confetti, fluttering around us as her puppy played and chased them around.
Autumn, for our dogs, brings all the smells and damp earth that they love. The smells of wild animals sneaking around at night, the hunting amongst piles of fallen foliage, are a dream landscape for a dog.
Of course, there is something really heartwarming for us about kicking through crunchy leaves and seeking out conkers.
Now is the time of year to take your dog for longer, rambling walks. Let your dog sniff to his heart’s content as he potters around following the squirrels’ paths as they tease him from high above.
Let the dogs learn how to play with one another, especially those of you with puppies. Set up a nice Autumn walk, wrap up warm, even think of getting a little coat to keep puppy warm whilst their coat develops. Find nice adult dogs that are generous with a youngster. Let them get to know one another and have a little game. There are fewer things more enjoyable than watching your dog caper about with another one!
Along with leaves and damp comes plenty of mud! Leave some towels laid out flat by the door, so that you and your dog can come in without fear of transferring the wet any further. It keeps the doormats a little cleaner, and towels soak up most of the moisture from their paws. There’s nothing to stop you bundling them around your dog too, for a drying off cuddle, as long as you both enjoy this of course!
If your dog really is soaking, and you know this is likely, set up a drying crate. Our Collie used to jump into every dyke possible, some very silty! I would then try to send him to swim in a clearer one, before we came home. At home I had set up his crate by the door with a tasty chew placed inside and a few treats thrown in as we arrived. Inside the crate were dry towels with a few more over the top to catch the inevitable shaken off water.
Result? One dry, clean-ish dog by the time he had finished his chew. It also gave me lots of time to change my shoes and clothes into something a bit more indoor-friendly.
Next, another favourite Autumn pastime. Cuddling on the sofa with my dogs snoozing on a blanket, watching repeats of ‘Bake Off’ and seeing the squally weather remaining firmly outside the window.
Children petting your dog?
We all pat the dog! Please don’t!
Working with owners every day brings lots of stories about their problems with their dogs, but also their experiences in the community, too.
One big worry for dog owners is that children are not asking first if they can stroke their dog. I have even been in situations where parents encourage their kids to come over and pet the dogs in my care. They then become upset when I ask them not to. This is not because I am a mean old lady (and less of the ‘old’, please!). Instead I simply don’t want my dogs to be scared by a child that has been a little clumsy. In the past a child has swooped onto my dog and tried to pick him up. My dog is a good sort and very used to children, but seeing his little shocked face was horrible and told me that he was not enjoying it one bit. If the parents can’t control their children, then I have to. Even if we are nice, we dog owners are still seen to be ‘rude’ when we say, ‘No, please do not touch my dog’!
As a parent myself I know that we want our kids to be friendly and kind. Whilst we want this for our dogs too, there are risks. A child that a dog does not know, going over to ‘pat’ it on the head is NOT friendly, even though the child thinks it is. Few dogs enjoy the attention. I witness dogs simply putting up with it. I also meet owners that are too embarrassed to say no. Imagine if a stranger came up and suddenly put their hands on you?
Our poor dogs don’t talk using words, but their body language speaks for itself. Dogs draw back from unwanted contact – their ears pull back, their heads lower, they try to move away. Remember that being patted on top of the head means reaching out (scary( and touching the dog right over their eyes. Rarely a welcome place to have a stranger place their hand.
The more we take note that children often get bitten when they are being friendly, by a known dog, the sooner we can act positively towards prevention. Let’s be proactive in our community, by learning how we can all work together to teach our kids and dogs the better way to behave.
Teaching your dog to come back WITH FUN!
Getting your pooch to come back to you quickly is something all dog owners dream of. Asking their dog to leave behind fox poo, other dogs, rabbits in the hedge, on a single word, takes some teaching. We make the mistake of causing it to be a horrible event. We call the dog to us, clip the lead on and head for home. The words ‘Come’ or ‘Here’ become miserable events for the poor dog.
Instead, let’s work on making the recall a great event!
These are a few training games that have been very successful in keeping the fun involved in calling your dog back. The first principle is to always call your dog back throughout your walk, throughout their play, and throughout the day. Don’t leave it to the one time their fun is going to be spoiled.
‘Chase me, catch me!’ is a great game that means the dog comes to you and chases you, catches you by arriving at your feet in a sit. Not the other way around. Chasing your dog is a really bad idea. Run the other way! Here’s how to play.
Call your dog to the front of you, then as they arrive, reward them with a treat and some happy praise. Then suddenly turn away 90 degrees and say ‘Come’ whilst moving a few steps away. Again, as they catch up at your feet and sit, say Yes! and reward again. Occasionally dash away as they get close to you, so that they can’t always predict what is about to happen. All of a sudden you are much more fun and rewarding to be with.
Repeat with the excited attitude of ‘Can’t catch me!’
Celebrate when your dog does as you ask. Gradually make this more fun and more difficult by turning and dodging away. Get them to chase you and try and follow you in an effort to get to the front finish point.
Remember the three key aims:
– Be exciting
– Use high value rewards (tasty food is always best and make sure you have a hungry dog!)
– Repeat quickly
If your dog becomes over-excited you must ask for a sit before you give them any reward. Enthusiasm is great, but not knocking you flying in their haste.
Stepping things up is easy. Occasionally, as soon as they arrive at your feet, toss the food away so that they have to move away.
Soon your dog will be looking for the next call, their eyes firmly fixed on you. Give it a try this week. Happy training!
Buying a dog online? Know or say NO to “pet deception”
Pugs are very popular but can have serious health issues. Never buy from an unregistered breeder!
This month I saw another case where a young dog bought online was put to sleep with severe behaviour and health problems including severe skin issues, leaving behind a crying family and a seller that gets off scot-free.
Would you buy a sick, dangerous or even illegal animal from an online advert? How would you know? A puppy being swapped for a smart phone, a pit bull advertised illegally for professional dog fighting, illegally imported puppies from Lithuania, are just some of the shocking ads discovered during the research and all caused by a lack of proper regulation of the online pet trade.
Ah, the Internet. We used to disregard it as a new-fangled idea that cost loads of phone bill to access. Now, it replaces swathes of our everyday activity. Shopping is incredibly convenient. You don’t even need a premises for customers, and you can source pretty much anything. Just sit cosily and wait for the delivery.
That’s great when you are buying books, or clothes, but what about shopping for a puppy?
Fluffy and cute? Well, no. Here’s the cold, hard news. International welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has carried out research on 42 classified ad sites across 10 countries world-wide (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, South Africa Switzerland and the UK).
Some online sales sites have as many as 200,000 adverts featuring pets for sale online at any one time, with over 4 million viewers.
Julie Sanders, International Director of Companion Animals Department at FOUR PAWS, tells of a positive move. “As part of the campaign we have developed an online tool which ranks the more commonly used classified ad sites to show the public which sites could be putting them, and indeed the animals, at risk: www.petdeception.org.”
Special welfare measures have been taken up by some of the sites, helping potential pet parents to choose the better sources. Such measures mean that classified ads sites are:
· Having to verify sellers identity, so that there is no anonymous selling on the sites for animal sales, to help stop illegal activity
· Running pre checks of all adverts to remove illegal, misleading or inappropriate adverts before they go live
· Having mandatory information in the ad on the animal for example important care, health and documentation details to help the buyer make an informed decision when buying a pet
· Having in place and enforcing a list of animals which are banned from being sold on the site including primates, endangered and wild caught animals, underage animals and pregnant animals to help address animal welfare issues
With all these measures, there are still many lies and stories spun around puppies for sale. Remember my golden rules:
- See the Mum and make sure she is the right one. Many puppy farms sell on to agents who pretend their own dog is the mother. I never buy a puppy unless I can see Mum, Dad, Aunties, Uncles, older brothers and sister dogs. How else will I know what this puppy will grow into?
- Never buy with cash
- Choose local, so that you can return the puppy if there is a problem. Get a receipt of sale. Get a puppy contract (see the Kennel Club details on this).
- Never ‘buy from a bucket’ because you feel sorry for the puppies. You are only making room for another. Choose an accredited breeder from the Kennel Club wherever possible.
- See the puppies at least twice before making a decision
- Expect a good breeder to ask you many many questions about your home. Good breeders will say no to you if they don’t think their pups will be suited.
- Remember. It is YOUR CHOICE. All puppies are cute, but they are not all healthy. You will be caught out, as many kind, intelligent, caring people are.
Still not convinced?
Watch this fabulous video from FOUR PAWS to really help, and please share this blog as far and wide as you can. Visit www.petdeception.org to see updates and let potential buyers know about the project. We want to help animals, don’t we? So let’s stop the crooks.
Karen
Karen’s new book ‘Being a dog’ is available on PRE-ORDER here!
Being a Dog: The world from your dog’s point of view
Helping your dog with thunderstorm fear
Optimisitic, i know, but the weather is changing rapidly so let’s hope we get a run of dry, sunny weather. Which does your dog prefer? Rain, cold or warm temperatures, hot, dry weather? Not every dog likes every type. Just like us, some are happiest splashing in puddles, and others enjoy sunbathing in the middle of the lawn.
Summer brings thunderstorms, so be aware that these may frighten your dog. Some dogs bark in fear, flee, or may urinate. You can purchase ‘sound desensitisation’ recordings (or download them) to get your dog used to the crashes and rumbles. Play them at a very low volume at first, then gradually increase until your dog isn’t affected.
It helps if you don’t get worried yourself. You can comfort your dog, and cuddle them if they want you to. We used to think this made their fear worse, but nowadays we have research which shows that fear cannot be reinforced by comfort. Quite the opposite, it can make your dog feel better, but only if you yourself stay happy and jolly.
Why not play a game with them when the next rumbles of thunder appear? They will soon forget about the noises outside if they are having fun indoors.
You can give them their favourite food, and turn the radio and/or TV on so that it drowns out external noise. Your dog can be distracted as long as things have not got too terrifying.
You can provide your dog with a safe place to hide, too. Some dogs like to run under the bed, so as long as you are happy with this, allow it. At least they have a little den to occupy until the ‘danger’ has passed. If not, you can create your own little safe haven. Insulate a crate or travel box with heavy blankets, placing water and food inside. Better still, train them to enjoy being in there long before the storms start. This way, when they are worried, they can head for their safe place that is quiet and cosy.
If your dog shows severe anxiety around thunderstorms, consult with your Vet. They can refer you for behavioural help and advise you on ways to settle your dog using pheromones or other interventions. There is no need for any dog to suffer.
Hopefully the rains will be brief, and we will all enjoy a safe and storm-free summer!
Karen