Naughty Dog's Day

Veterinary Visits

Whether it's a routine visit or something more urgent, every dog needs to visit the vet at certain times in it's life.  You can make this visit easier on everyone if you follow a few guidelines, and teach your dog what will be expected.

• You'd think this would be a given, but at a clinic where I recently worked, seeming bright people would actually bring their dogs in off-leash.  OK, here's a news flash.  Your dog may love every dog it meets.  Not every dog does.  Luckily, if you're in a vet clinic and your dog is attacked due to your own lack of common sense, emergency help couldn't be closer!  Not only that, but many dogs at a clinic are there because they're sick.  Do you really want your dog sniffing noses or other anatomy with a sick dog?
• Speaking of leashes, leave the flexi-lead at home.  This is not the place for them.  Bring your dog into the clinic on a standard 5' or 6' leash.  If someone other than you needs to restrain your dog, a regular leash is much easier to handle, and you don't need the length a flexi-lead offers in a clinic setting.
• And, of course, your dog will have a collar on.  Make sure it's a flat buckle collar, martingale, or head collar.  Leave the choke collars and, especially, pinch collars, at home.  I have nothing against pinch collars, to be honest I feel they're kinder than choke collars, but they make it very hard and uncomfortable to restrain a dog.  So be kind to your clinic's staff, and put your dog in an appropriate collar.
• If your dog is sick with a possibly communicable disease, leave it in the car (unless it's hot, in which case call from the car to let the clinic know you're there, or leave the car running with the AC on) while you go in and notify them of your arrival.  Many diseases are spread by air or direct contact.  Minimize the danger to other dogs by keeping your dog quarantined until the doctor is ready for it.
• Veterinary staff all appreciate the fact that not all dogs understand that they're there to help them.  If your dog has a tendency to get aggressive during visits, by all means - let the staff know before  they handle your dog.  They aren't going to dislike your dog because she dislikes them, but it makes it safer for all concerned.  If your dog only has issues with one area on its body, such as nails or ears, again, let the clinic staff know ahead of time.
• Unless you absolutely have to bring them, leave the kids at home.  It's not that we don't love them!  Not all dogs, though, are accustomed to kids.  Not all dogs feel very well and want to be greeted by a small, happy human.  Some dogs are in pain.  If you do bring your kids, talk to them ahead of time, give them rules:  stay by me, don't approach the other pets, no yelling.  The goal isn't to scare them, it's to make them understand that they need to respect a pet who may be nervous or ill, and treat it in an appropriate way.
• How to terrify a cat in one easy lesson:  While it's away from home, sitting in a small box at it's owner's feet, possibly not feeling well, let your dog walk up and sniff, or, heaven forbid, nose the crate, while you smile and tell the owner "My dog just loves cats."  Even if you hate cats, never allow this to happen!
• Teach your dog to "stand", and accustom it to having its body examined.  Pick up and play with his feet, look in his ears, hold his muzzle gently and look at his eyes.
• If your dog is out and about, going for walks, visiting the dog park, bring a fecal sample in regularly.  Internal parasites are easy to pick up, not so easy to get rid of.  It's not expensive to have a fecal check done, and is very important in keeping your dog at the peak of health.  And, by the way, only a small sample is needed.  An amount that will fit in a bottle cap is adequate!
• When you're gushing to the doctor about how wonderful he/she is, remember the rest of the staff:  the receptionist who cheerfully handles your calls and questions (and has control over the "hold" button), the kennel staff who keeps the clinic sparkling clean and also helps keep your pet clean and comfy, and the technician and/or assistant, who routinely reach into cages to treat dogs who are frequently less than cooperative, draw the blood and gather other samples, and spend the most "hands-on" time (including dishing out the love and attention your away-from-home pet needs).

Following these simple guidelines will make your vet clinic love having you and your dog as clients, and give them the incentive to go that extra mile when you need it.  It will also make your dog, and the other pets who are there for treatment, safe and comfortable. 

26 Words Every Dog Needs to Know

Every dog needs a vocabulary.  It enriches both of your lives, and while it doesn't need to be huge, you'd be amazed at how many words your dog can learn to understand.  These are words I use every day with both my own dogs and the dogs who come for daycare.  If your own dog knows these words, moving her around, whether it's letting visitors in the door, loading her up in the car, or spending time in a sidewalk cafe on Main St. with your best friend at your feet, will not only be easy, it will insure your dog will have a warm welcome just about anywhere, because your dog is socially acceptable.  She has manners.  What a joy!

Here's my list...how many does your dog already know? 

1. Name - A given.  To do any training at all, your dog needs to know its name.
2. Watch me - An easy way to say "Hey, I'm over here, quit looking at that cute sheepdog across the street and pay attention!"
3. Sit - Probably the most used word in any dog's vocabulary.
4. Down - A little harder than sit, but necessary to keep your dog comfortable if you're going to be stationary for any length of time (like when you're at that sidewalk cafe). 
5. Stand - Excellent word to use when brushing, bathing, or being examined by the vet.
6. Stay -  Whether in a sit, down, or stand, stay means you remain in that place until I tell you to move.  So be fair.  Long stays should be done in the down position.
7. OK - A release word that means "That's it, you're done"
8. Come - Pretty self-explanatory, at least to us.  A good solid recall is actually, especially for some breeds, very difficult to teach.
9. Wait - A less formal command than "Stay", it just means you stop here until I say OK.
10. Heel - A command every city dog should know for navigating through crowds.  Combine it with the "stand" to negate the sit on yucky days.
11. Let's go - Lets your dog know that he's about to be on the move.  More civilized than a yank on the leash.
12. Take it - A little hard to teach, but a great command.  Once your dog knows it, he can help you in all sorts of ways.
13. Give - Now it's time to give me the object I had you take.
14. Leave it - Don't you dare pick up that post-game pizza pate, left so temptingly on the sidewalk!
15. Jump/up/over - Once your dog knows this, you'll use it in all kinds of ways.  Handy for puddles if you have a dainty dog, helpful for getting in and out of a vehicle.
16. Off - Once they're up, at some point you're going to want them "off"
17. Speak - Not only is it fun for your dog, it can help extinguish annoying barking.  Put it on a hand signal, and you've got an instant watchdog when you hear a stranger at the door!
18. Hush/quiet - You barked, I looked.  Everything is fine, it's time to stop.
19. Back - Trying to get into the house with a load of groceries or laundry with a happy dog waiting to greet you?  Teach her to back up!
20. Not there - We've already covered this one, check the archives.
21. Hurry up - It's raining, and I don't want to be out here all night.  Do your business and let's go inside!
22. Crate/kennel/house - All dogs should have a crate, we'll cover all the reasons in a later column.  And they should go into it without an argument when you give them the command!
23. Go lie down - You've been fed, walked, played with, and loved on.  I need a break.  It's time for you to "go lie down".  You can also use "Go to bed", but what if you're away from home, and the bed's not there?  With this command your dog will follow the direction you're pointing, and go there to lie down.
24. Dinner - Give your dog something to look forward to.  Anticipation always makes it finer!
25. Treat/cookie/biscuit - A great way to get a loose dog to come, and another way to give your dog a word that lets him anticipate something tasty!
26. And, of course, "Good Boy or Girl!!! - Dogs read body language far better than we do.  Telling your dog it's good involves your whole body - a smile on your face, a happy tone of voice, and your posture say it all.

So, maybe your dog does none of these yet.  Don't despair!  Keep checking back, at least once a week we'll be covering training methods for all of these commands.

Working and puppies

"Be careful what you wish for" - we've all heard the phrase, and that's what came to mind when I received a call from a good friend today, who had finally gotten the puppy she's wanted for oh-so-long.  Under the tree on Christmas morning sat an 8 week old, 22 lb., cute, fluffy Leonberger (same as the long coated dog in the picture above).  Being a U.M. employee, it's been great, she's had some time off, and is due back to work on Monday.  They've been working on housebreaking and crate training, frolicking in the snow, taking naps together on the couch, it's been pretty idyllic...but Monday looms, and panic is descending.  What is she going to do when she's gone all day?  Maybe you're in this position as well.  At some point, dog lover's almost always have to deal with a puppy in the house, unless you're like  a friend of mine who only adopts adult dogs.  If you work, and there's no one at home all day, what do you do?  It's just not fair to leave a puppy under the age of 6-8 months in a crate for more than about 4 hours.  They're bored, frustrated, and physically uncomfortable if they need to relieve themselves.  Plus, puppies this age really need to have a mid-day meal, and unless you have a bowl that snaps onto the side of the crate, and a  puppy who isn't a water dog, they need a drink. 

If you're able to go home at lunch - that's great!  Let your puppy out, feed it, give it some loving, and you're all set.  But if you're like most of us, this isn't the case.  Luckily, there are other options.  Maybe you have a neighbor who'd be willing to help you out for a small fee.  As long as they're reliable, this is an OK option.  There's also dog daycare (a shameless self-plug) which is an excellent option.  Your puppy will get plenty of time to play with other dogs, some have yards where the dogs can play, others rely strictly on walks to get the dogs outdoors, some, like mine, do both.  Most offer training, some have packages where you bring your dog daily for a certain period of time, and they help crate train and house break.  Many offer grooming, transportation to the vet for appointments, and overnight boarding.  Giving your puppy its lunch is no problem.  Plus, you get the added benefit of being able to pick up a tired, happy puppy who has had a fulfilling day, and is looking forward to going home for dinner and a nap.  Expect to pay 20 - 25 dollars a day for this type of service.  Even if you take your puppy only one or two days a week, the benefits are tremendous.