Dr. Carol,

I have 2 dogs that have both recently started on your pet vitamins. They already seemed to have increased energy.

One thing I have noticed, but I am not sure if it is PAAWS related, is that they seem to sleep better. Before they started the PAAWS vitamins they would get up at night and my sleep suffered but now we all sleep all night!

Thanks,
Susan T.
Ashville, North Carolina

Expecting a new baby can change a lot of things, including your adult dog’s behavior. His position in your family will change and you don’t want him to blame the baby. Make as many changes in your home environment and your dog’s routine as early as you can.

If certain areas of your home will be off limits, like the nursery, establish that now. It’s also a good idea to teach your dog the difference between his toys and the baby’s. For dogs that have trouble differentiating between certain toys, use scent recognition to teach them the difference – put a dab of Listerine on the baby’s toys, truss the scented baby toy and a dog toy then play the game “which one is yours?” Playing this game once a week, most dogs learn the difference within a month.

The sound of a crying baby also upsets a lot of adult dogs, so it’s a good idea to desensitize your dog to the sounds before the baby arrives. Use a tape of a baby crying, put it in the crib, turn it on and see how your dog reacts.

Some experts recommend that you go so far as to get a doll and rehearse various activities that you’ll actually perform with the baby in the dog’s presence. When your dog acts indifferently to the crying or the particular activity, he is desensitized.

Finally, when the big day arrives, dad should wait in the car with the baby while mom goes inside and greets the dog. Once the initial excitement is over, she should put the dog on a leash and have him sit or lie next to her while dad enters with the baby in his arms. Mom then slowly walks the dog toward the baby and dad. If the dog balks, acts nervous or anxious at any point stop and try again later. If all seems fine, let your dog sniff your baby. Most dogs treat babies with indifference and move on.
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Need a date, trying to meet new singles, or just lonely and looking for some companionship? Well, why not rent-a pet?

Now-days you can rent almost anything and today even pets have been added to the list. Renting pets for profit is actually a new concept welcomed by those too busy to commit to full time pet ownership, or need a quick pet to attract attention.

Some say this represents the disposability of pets in our culture, and to counter the trend, some cities including Massachusetts and Boston recently banned pet rental services; San Francisco is considering a similar ban.

Others enjoy the opportunity to enjoy a pet for a day. For example an animal shelter in Colorado allows residents and tourists take out dogs, free of charge, for a day around town. The Ritz-Carlton in Beaver Creek, Colo., for the last several years had an “in house” dog that greets guests in the lobby and occasionally accompanies them on hikes or stays in their rooms.
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Animal cruelty is a predictor of future violence. More than 50% of violent offenders began with animal abuse. Often, some event will happen in a child’s life that pushes them in the direction of violence. Therefore, it can be said that violent offenders are made, not born.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said that “one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.” Children who are abused often think that “this is the way of the world” and will then release their stress by abusing those more helpless than them…especially animals or smaller children, referred to as bullying behavior.

School shooters are often the victims of bullies or bullies themselves and will often have a history of animal cruelty. 4 million serious bullying incidents occur annually. 70-80% of battered women report animal abuse by their partner. Sadly, 32% of these women report that their children have learned this behavior.

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Behavioral issues are not only the leading cause of of pets being relinquished to local shelters, but also the number one reason for euthanasia of pets in the United States. Many pets lose their lives because of myths like the following:

1) I can’t take my puppy to puppy classes until he’s had all of his vaccines. The fact is that dogs are more likely to be euthanized due to a behavior problem than to die from contracting parvovirus or distemper at a training class.

a. Puppies properly socialized between 8 and 14 weeks of age are more tolerant of new stimuli and people and are less likely to grow into nervous, fearful dogs.
b. Find a class that is held in an indoor (and easy to clean) facility that requires the puppies be vaccinated and groups them by age.

2) My dog was abused as a puppy. By focusing on this unlikely scenario, pet owners and veterinarians often miss opportunities to address more common causes of behavior problems.

a. Problems associated with fear and/or anxiety will only worsen with time if ignored.
b. Fearful and shy behaviors are highly heritable traits, but the expression of these behaviors is a complex interaction between the genes and the pet’s environment.

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Dr. Carol,
We have two black labs Coal & Belle; they are 1 yr and a couple weeks. When they were younger they played with rocks and chewed on them. Then they started swallowing them. When we would catch them chewing on them we would tell them to “drop it” then pick up the rock and tell them “no”. Coal would and still does it the worst.

He throws up and sometimes, out come the rocks that way, and the smaller ones pass through. He loses his appetite for a day or so but gets it back. Yesterday morning I woke up to his vomiting, no rocks, ate breakfast which didn’t stay down. He hasn’t had a bowel movement since yesterday morning; he threw up quite a bit in the morning and a couple of times later on. Now this morning he only vomited once and it was bile because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday. He just lays he won’t eat I even tried to give him his favorite treat he sniffed and turned away from it. I am suspecting a rock has gotten stuck.

He did drink some water awhile ago. I don’t know what to do. I can’t really afford to take him to the vet. I am on a limited income with 2 kids too. I don’t think the vet would let me make payments if it comes to something expensive.
Help, I love my puppies like my own kids. But am lost about what to do, I sit with Coal a rub his belly which and he rolls over like he is saying that feels go keep doing it.
Thank you, Debbie

Hi Debbie,
It sounds like he is either impacted and his intestines are blocked perhaps with the
rocks, or he is constipated as a result of eating the rocks. Bloat is a remote possibility. As a veterinarian for over 25 years, this sounds like an emergency and although this is not what you were hoping to hear, I would take him to your vet today to avoid further problems!!
I am glad to talk to you and offer suggestions.
Thank you,
Dr. Carol

WHAT YOU CAN DO
* If you are lucky enough to start out with a puppy teaching her good habits from day one is your best bet the minute she walks through your door. By giving her a toy to play with , a post to scratch and a litter box to use, you are teaching her what is appropriate to play with and scratch and where it’s acceptable for her to do her business. Using positive reinforcement helps achieve the best results. Observe your dog’s natural behaviors; figure out what she likes the most; a toy, treat, or affection and use that to reward correct behavior. If you see your puppy doing something dangerous use negative reinforcement to stop her right away so she doesn’t hurt herself. For example, if she’s chewing on a electrical cord, immediately redirect her attention to an appropriate toy or activity.

* Your puppy must not associate you with the unpleasant stimulus or she might blame you or become afraid of you. Instead, she’ll blame the item used i.e. the whistle or water.

* Medical conditions that may be responsible must be eliminated first by your vet. Generally a thorough physical exam with or without laboratory tests are required. Referral to a Behavioral Specialist is the next step. A written, detailed history is essential. An at home visit is best, but telephone consults are an option. Behavioralists try to pinpoint the exact problem and the stimulus (what triggers the bad behavior) then make recommendations accordingly.

* Methods used for behavioral modifications vary according to the specific problem. A variety are available but a combination of physical (termed behavioral redirection) and medical intervention work best to resolve most problems. Physical methods used include positive (toy, treat, love) and negative (loud noise, horn, whistle) reinforcements and obnoxious stimuli. Obnoxious stimuli are strong tastes, like red pepper, that dogs dislike. They are used to get dogs to avoid certain items, furniture and areas by making them taste bad.

* If “toxic” plants can’t be removed from the environment, do not allow your dog access to that area. “Dabbing” the leaves of non-toxic plants or dabbing items like furniture with hot pepper sauce also helps deter pets.

* Use booby traps on items or areas to prevent chewing a plant or item. These are also an option when you’re not home for example, a balloon or an upside down cocked mousetrap, they “self-startle”, the dog startles himself and avoids the item which stops the unwanted behavior.

Barking excessively is one of the biggest complaints pet owners hear. Constant barking is a nuisance to owners as well as their neighbors. Sometimes a simple change solves the problem, for example, bringing your dog inside at night. More often, excess barking is your dog’s response to being confused emotionally or otherwise.

CAUSES
* Barking is a normal behavior for dogs. Some dogs bark to defend their territory, as a greeting, an invitation to play, or because they’re happy. Other dogs bark as a threat, because they’re lonely, do not have enough exercise, or are frightened by thunder or fireworks.

* Certain breeds are more vocal than others. For example, beagles bark a lot while greyhounds hardly ever make a sound.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
* The first step in dealing with your dog’s barking is to gain an understanding of what stimulates his excessive barking behavior. Keep a note of when and where the problem seems most persistent.
* Since barking is a normal behavior, trying to reduce rather than eliminate it is most realistic. For example, try teaching your dog to bark on command, then teach him to be quiet on command, and release excess energy with exercise.

* Recently several antibark collars have been marketed as a quick fix for barking. These collars produce an adverse stimulus in the form of an electric shock of variable intensity, an ultrasonic or audible noise, or a spray of citronella oil that is released under the dog’s chin. Shock collars almost always stop the barking but dogs may become fearful and/or aggressive as a result. Ultrasonic collars work for some dogs, others get used to the noise then resume barking. Citronella collars are as effective as shock collars for most dogs but are more acceptable to most owners and to me. Always check with your veterinarian before using any product or device on your pet.

Some dogs that eat their own feces or are coprophagic are deficient in B vitamins and/or minerals. A few may have a pancreatic enzyme disorder. This is called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and occurs primarily in adult German Shepards. Most dogs that are coprophagic do not have a medical or psychological problem. Research now indicates that this may be a normal behavior associated with evolutionary factors that have been previously under appreciated.
Wild dogs and wolves scavenging for food are coprophagic and mothers with young pups are normally coprophagic. In puppies, the behavior may stimulate nervous system development through exposure to deoxycholic acid. This behavior may also somehow be involved in playing and learning.

To prevent dogs from becoming coprophagic, keep your yard free of feces and take your dog out on a leash.

Food additives such as monosodium glutamate make feces distasteful and are somewhat successful in deterring this behavior.

Some dogs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) stimulate themselves to defecate and ingest their own feces from their rectum. These dogs suffer from extreme anxiety and should be referred to a behavioral specialist.

Dogs can develop bad habits because of a lack of training or poor initial training. In some cases behavior that was permissible in a puppy is no longer acceptable when the dog is older. This is generally the case with thievery, which might have been fun as a puppy, now that he’s all grown up this behavior is suddenly unacceptable. But dogs that steal can make themselves sick. For example, chocolate candy contains a chemical called theobromine, large quantities of which are toxic to the nervous system. The dose of chocolate depends on the size of dog and the type of chocolate – baking chocolate has more theobromine than milk chocolate.

CAUSES
* Dogs can steal for a variety of reasons but in most cases they do it because it’s fun. When your dog steals your turkey off the kitchen counter or your underwear out of the laundry room, you chase him and he runs around the house and that’s fun.
* In rare cases dogs steal food because they are hungry. This may occur in a dog that previously had good manners and suddenly begins to steal. If the dog is thin he either needs more meals, better quality food or he might have worms. Take him to the vet to be sure no underlying health problems exist and check a stool sample to rule out worms.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
* Once you know the thieving is just bad behavior, then it’s time for a program of “behavioral modification” to eliminate the bad habit. The solution is to set up a situation that is not fun. Use a negative reinforcement to interrupt the behavior and cause an unpleasant result. In most cases, after a few experiences and regardless of the temptation, the item won’t look good anymore.
* For the negative reinforcement you can use anything that startles the dog sufficiently to interrupt the behavior and prevent the dog from immediately trying it again. For example, blow with a horn or use a shake can. You could toss a water balloon or a large key ring. You can also taint the item with hot pepper sauce or a mix of equal parts of alcohol, lemon juice, and vinegar. It won’t hurt your dog, it just tastes terrible. As an example: put a portion of fresh-cooked roast on the kitchen counter and taint it with hot pepper sauce. Wait for your dog to investigate – when he does he’ll be sorry.
* Avoid feeding your dog from the table. When you sit down to a meal, put the dog in another room until you’re done.
* Dogs – especially puppies – are curious and like to investigate. Be sure to put things away, well out of your pet’s reach. This is especially important at holiday time, when you need to be particularly careful not to leave temptations in areas accessible to your pet.