Naughty Dog's Day

Give Your Puppy a Hug!

It's the best thing you can do for both your puppy and all the people he will interact with for the rest of his life. So many dogs came into the veterinary clinic where I worked who were great dogs... until you had to draw some blood or cut their toenails. Then it would take a couple of people.  Maybe a muzzle.  Lots of sweating and swearing and eye rolling on the staff's part, and an embarrassed owner. 

You don't want that to be you. So handle your puppy. Hold him in your lap, rub and look in his ears, handle his feet, pull gently on his legs.  Lift up his lips and check his teeth.  Hold him in your arms like a baby.  Stand him on a table or the floor, and wrap one arm around his neck and the other underneath him and around his middle (like someone's holding him for the vet to give an examination). If he squirms or mouths or has a tantrum, persist, gently, quietly, and patiently.  Keep in mind that he's a baby.  He's learning.  No discipline is involved here.  It's unfair to discipline a dog for behavior he hasn't yet learned.  Later, for bratty behavior, that's the time for the sterner voice, a little spark when you make eye contact. Now, it's gentle, firm persistence, until you get an approximation of what you want.  You'll come back to it later, and eventually it will be perfected.

He will learn so many things from this.  That people can be trusted.  That he needs to stand quietly for the vet or groomer.  That it's people who rule his world, no matter that he thinks he was born crowned king.  Push on his butt.  Grab his collar.  Pet from head to the end of his tail with long strokes. Grab the end of his tail and pull lightly.  Gently pinch and lift the skin on his back and sides (these are tender areas, so you MUST be gentle here). Teach him to walk being led by the scruff of his neck (This doesn't hurt, but it feels weird and bossy so proceed appropriately, it's a very good lesson for him to learn.)  Remember that this should be a positive event for your puppy.  If you hurt him, you're ruining any progress you've made.  So keep it light.

Teaching a dog that humans can touch him anywhere, anytime, is a necessity.  It will reduce the likelihood of a bite when a neighbor's kid grabs him around the neck.  It will make it easier to draw blood for his heartworm test when he's at the vet.  Obedience training will be come more naturally to him, because he's already learned to look to you as the leader. It makes your dog a much better citizen overall. Because a dog accustomed to being handled is much less likely to bite.  Once again, it comes down to giving your dog the tools to be safe in his environment.  And for the urban dog, that environment contains a multitude of well intentioned but not necessarily dog savvy people.  So keep everybody safe.  Go hug your puppy.

Finding the Right Dog

    In a neighborhood of well kept older homes with postage stamp yards, the plaintive woo-woo-wooing of a Siberian Husky floats into the evening air.  From his perch on the sloping roof of his front porch, looking stranded and forlorn, he surveys the concerned neighbors gathered below.  Such an act he’s put together.  Ring his doorbell and within seconds his smiling face is paws up on the windowed front door.  This bright, active dog is loved, well cared for, and living what must be, for him, a life of misery.  His owners are a young working couple with a baby.  He goes for a walk around the block on weekends, if the weather is nice.  He whiles away the rest of his time inside the house or in a tiny back yard surrounded with stockade fencing.  This is the life of a dog with the heart and energy to pull a sled for miles and miles across ice and snow, and a prime example of a great dog home going to waste.  While his owners love him, he makes them crazy.  Big surprise – right back at ‘em.  Where's my magic wand?  I need to swap him with the sweet, gentle, quiet Clumber Spaniel, trailing doggedly along behind his jogging owner, his only thought of climbing onto the big comfy couch at home.  A huge percentage of the dog owning public makes the wrong breed choice on a daily basis. And the dog pays for it.

    You new buddy will probably be with you for 10, 12, 16 or even 20 years or more depending on size and other factors.  You owe it to both the dog and yourself to find one that will fit in with your lifestyle.

    Most people pick out a dog for all the wrong reasons.  They like the way it looks, they have a friend with one they really like, or they saw it in a movie.  After I lost my Belgian Tervuren, a wonderful dog, I was looking for a new breed, something different. I had a list of breed requirements: 

• Big, but not so big it would be old at 5 years of age. 
• Sturdy build.
• Couldn't be a drooler
• And, above all, it must have a sweet, discriminating disposition.

    I didn't need to take into account things like grooming, since I was a groomer and could handle any kind of coat care, or space, since I lived in the country.  Cost of veterinary care wasn't a big issue since I worked for a vet and could get medical care relatively inexpensively. I stumbled upon Leonbergers, fell in love, and it took me 3 years to find my first puppy. For me, they've been the perfect breed. 

    That is the correct way to choose the perfect dog.  Take all the factors of your life into account.  Some of them are:

• What do you want to do with your dog?  Have it sit on your lap, go for walks, throw a ball?  Certain breeds will fit into that picture of the perfect dog you have in your head better than others.
• Do you live in a house with a yard or an apartment?  It's a myth that your high energy dog will go out and exercise himself to tiredness alone in a big backyard.  To wear him out, you'll still have to be there, throwing that ball or frisbee.
• Do you want a dog that follows you everywhere, or one that likes a bit of attention, then goes to sleep in the corner?
• Do you have kids?  Depending on their age, certain dogs might not be appropriate.  It takes a special owner to keep the elegant, fragile Italian Greyhound safe in a home with toddlers.  My niece learned to walk with her little fist in front of her face to avoid being wagged by my Dalmatian's tail.  My Belgian Tervuren routinely rounded the kids up into the center of the family room when he thought they were getting too rough.  My nephew used to watch TV with his hands behind his head and his feet propped up on my Leonberger.  Different breeds react differently to kids, depending on what they were bred for.
• How tight are your finances?  Antibiotics for a simple urinary tract infection in a giant breed can run $100.00 or more, not including office visit and lab work.  Certain breeds are more prone to certain health problems which can be a financial nightmare if you're not prepared.
• What kind of hair do you want to pick off your clothes?  Does the idea of a monthly grooming appointment make you cringe?  There is a coat type to suit everyone.  Make sure you pick one you will maintain.
• Do you travel frequently?  If you take your dog with you, smaller dogs are more portable and easier to move around with.  If you kennel your dog, it may be more expensive to board a large dog than a small one.

    Above all, ask yourself: Do I really want a dog?  Will I take care of it from the moment it steps into my home until it finally goes on ahead? If I move, will I take it with me?  There's nothing more ridiculous than the "Moving, need to find good home for..." ads that are cropping up everywhere these days.  Am I willing to amend my life to take my dog's needs into consideration?  Because if you aren't ready to commit wholeheartedly to caring for your dog for it's entire lifetime, you just aren't ready for a dog.