What age should I adopt?

So you are looking to adopt a puppy or kitten, dog or cat… what age should you get? That depends on a lot of factors. Let me try to explain some differences in your choices and what you may find with each stage of life. I am striving to keep these explanations brief, so please understand there is a lot of generalization here.

Car Manners for your Dog

Harness with tether

Traditional seatbelt

A lot of dogs do not ride along with us in our car the way we truly want them to, but is that the dog's fault?  If you have not taken the time to teach your dog how to act in the car, then how can you expect him to behave?  Riding in the car requires training, just like anything else.  You need to teach your dog how behave and what is expected of him while you are busy driving.  Let's start from scratch.

teaching your dog to "come"

"Come" is one of the most important commands we teach our dogs.  It is a potentially life-saving word, too.  If your dog is running toward the road for example...

Dogs learn that they can ignore our commands at times.  They learn this because when we tell/ask them to do something and they don't do it, there may be no consequences at all.  It is imperative that this is not true when your dog hears, "come."  Here are some rules that need to apply to that word.

1. In teaching it: never say "come" unless the dog is already coming toward you or you have them on a leash or rope of some kind.  When you say the word, there must be no alternative but to comply.

2. Always make it very worthwhile for the dog to come.  When they obey, there must be a super fantastic reward awaiting them.  They must immediately get the reward.  There can never ever be any punishment after complying.  It no longer matters what they did that made you say the word, if they come, they must not be punished.  If you are trying to teach them not to do something, go and get them - do not use "come."

3. Do not ask them.  Tell them.  Come is a command.  Stop asking your dog.

Helpful hints: 1. Use a unique verbal and a visual signal at the same time.  (i.e. whistle and raise your hand) 2. If your dog has already learned that "come" can be ignored, teach a new word with the same rules as above.

Thunderstorm phobia in dogs

Lately I have been seeing quite a bit of this common problem with the recent weather we have been having.  Fear of thunderstorms can stem from several sources, but once the dog becomes fearful, it is a difficult and tiring process to reverse the effects.  Most puppies are not fearful of storms - this comes later in life and I feel the fear is based in behaviors the puppy observes.  Therefore, prevention is possible and so is behavior modification to reverse the behavior.

Prevention - teach the puppy that storms are nothing to be afraid of.  The puppy begins to worry about storms when they become noisy, the light shows begin, or when they see us responding to the storm in a dramatic way (running around looking for candles and flashlights).  One effective tactic is to take the puppy outside during a light storm and play ball.  You can take the pup for a walk in the rain, or sit on the porch and practice tricks while feeding treats.  If you ignore the storm, the pup will learn to do so as well.  When the puppy exhibits fearful behavior such as to a loud thunderclap, you should get his/her attention on something else and teach them to ignore the noise.  Reward the puppy with verbal praise for remaining calm, but do not coddle him/her. Simply ignoring the storm may not be enough - work with the pup during a storm to keep their mind off of the weather.

Behavior modification - when our dogs are scared, we give them attention and reassurance.  This response to the dog's behavior will perpetuate that behavior and make them feel justified in their fear.  Instead, ignore the storm all-together and help your dog to do the same.  You can close the blinds and turn the lights on brightly in the house.  Play the radio or TV and interact with your dog though play and/or training.  Your dog will associate storms with good things like attention and treats, but if he/she exhibits fearful behavior it is ignored.  Over time and with consistency the fearful behavior can be extinguished. 

Medication - if needed there are some good sedatives that can be used to help with storm phobia.  However, it is important to remember that any medication given to reduce anxiety has to take full effect prior to the beginning of the anxiety.  Keep tuned to the weather channel so that you can administer those medications early enough to help take the edge off.  One good over-the-counter medication you can give is benadryl (diphenhydramine) - this anti-histamine has the nice side-effect of mild sedation and is quite safe to administer.  The dose is 1 mg per pound of body weight.  A 23 lb beagle can have 1 adult diphenhydramine (25 mg) every 6-8 hours.  A 55 lb labrador can have 2 adult diphenhydramine capsules, and so on. 

Remember, giving attention for fearful behavior perpetuates the behavior.  Instead, re-direct the behavior to something more desirable.  Good luck!

Dr. Amy Hellard
West Chester Veterinary Care (WCVC)
www.westchesterveterinarycare.com

Cats urinating outside the litter box

I so often hear stories about people's cats urinating outside their litter boxes.  This happens not only in my practice, but when I travel or meet people who discover that I am a vet.  There are some basic "rules" to follow when you are personally faced with this problem, and I will mention a few here.  Cats have not evolved over years and years to know house rules when it comes to going potty.  We are lucky that cats are generally fastidious and we take advantage of that.  However, a clean litter box is a must.  The cat will find a different place to go if the litter box only gets cleaned once a week.  Some cats refuse to use the box after only a day or two of non-cleaning.  The litter box has to be in the realm of the cats natural territory in the house.  Putting the box in the farthest back corner of the basement does not promote use.  Having one box for two or more cats to share is not enough.  Having two boxes side by side equates to one box in the cat's mind.  The box can't be too close to the food and water.  Some cats like to urinate on one type of substrate and defecate on another.  Some cats can't fit into the box provided.  Cats have great noses - the litter box should smell like a favorable place to go potty, but not like a field of flowers (scented litter is for the humans, not the cats).  Cats may be returning to a formerly soiled area due to the odor that persists.  Some cats develop the tendency to urinate outside their boxes as a result of a medical condition.  Others have behavioral problems that have been triggered by other stressors or changes in their lives.  

You are probably getting the picture now.  There can be many factors at play and frequently medical problems must be ruled-out before behavioral therapy can be initiated.  But no matter what the cause, the rules to follow are good ones and making a change may correct the problem.  Even better, fix the situation early before a problem develops.  

Dr. Amy Hellard
West Chester Veterinary Care (WCVC)
www.westchesterveterinarycare.com

Dogs riding in the bed of the truck

Yesterday I saw a young dog riding in the back of a pickup truck.  Wow.  I just don't get it.  Are dogs disposable?  A dog has no awareness of how fast they are going or how high they are.  They do not have any way of understanding the level of danger of any given situation.  No one is sitting back there with the dog in an attempt to control their movement (it's against the law because it's too dangerous).  Even if they were, no training is foolproof.  Imagine the dog sees a bunny rabbit on the side of the road, or they are peering over the side with their front feet up when you drive over a big bump in the road, or they just decide they want out...

No, having them tied back there is not a solution.  Now we add hanging to the list of dangers.

If you travel with your dogs in this fashion or you know someone who does, please consider these things.  It takes only one fall out of the vehicle to end the dog's life.  Every time you travel this way, there is a 50/50 chance your dog will be in the back of the truck when you arrive at your destination.  Please help put an end to this bad habit through thoughtful consideration and discussion of the consequences.