Living With Dogs (24 page)

Answer:
Dogs are programmed to be members of a pack and to follow the lead of the boss dog. Dogs cannot understand why the human members of the surrogate pack disappear after breakfast and do not return until late in the afternoon. Being left alone all day is the cause of separation anxiety and all of the nuisance problems that drive neighbours bonkers. So if your dog can go to work with you all the better. Check it is okay with the boss and carefully examine the workplace for dog hazards, particularly getting out onto busy roads.

We have a 12-month-old Bulldog–Jack Russell cross and it obsessively licks people. Why does it do this?

Answer:
The dog is enjoying the flavour of the surface deposits on your skin, which is sweat mixed with salt. You’re the boss dog, so growl at the dog to tell it to stop. You’ve got to be tough.

We are babysitting a 12-month-old Shih Tzu and she eats our cat’s droppings. Help!

Answer:
Disgusting as this behaviour is to you, the pup eats the droppings because of the taste sensation. Placing the cat’s litter tray on a platform or in another room where the pup cannot reach it will stop the problem. Eating the cat’s droppings will not harm the pup, but make sure both animals are wormed every three months.

Our dog eats horse manure. How can we stop it?

Answer:
Horses eat vegetable matter. Dogs in the wild also eat vegetable matter direct from the stomach contents of a recently killed prey. Revolting as the eating of horse manure may be to you, your dog is enjoying the ‘taste sensation’. Have your dog on a strong leash when walking. Allow it to go near horse manure then pull sharply on the leash and scold the dog. Your dog will soon learn of your disapproval and cease the habit.

Why do dogs engage in inappropriate urination and defecation?

Answer:
Many dog behaviours are there for a purpose when living in the wild but cause difficulty if continued in the domestic situation that we humans have designed for ourselves and demand our pets to conform to from day of purchase. Urine and faeces clearly mark the boundaries of territory for dogs while anal gland secretion individualises each dog. House-training a dog is teaching the dog only to urinate and defecate in an acceptable part of the property and certainly not inside the house. Of course house-training will not stop a dog from marking territory outside of your property, that is why local government has local laws requiring owners to clean up droppings after their dog.

I have a 22-month-old Kelpie–German Shepherd cross and she has a lovely nature at home, but in the last five months when I walk her on the lead she gets aggressive when other dogs approach me. A lot of people don’t walk their dogs on the lead, and when the dogs come up to me I get nervous.

Answer:
She should be walked on a choker chain or halter and when she starts to bark or act aggressively, you, the boss dog, should give a good jerk on the lead and growl, ‘How dare you behave like that!’ That will indicate you won’t tolerate such behaviour.

When I walk my dogs I always carry a walking stick, and that’s protection for me and the dogs. You’ve got to be defensive in this life, because there are so many irresponsible people. If you look as though you’re equal in power and savagery to the dog which is threatening you, it will back off.

I have two big, energetic, well-trained dogs and if they don’t get enough exercise they start chewing things at home. My local council has a rule that you must walk the dogs on the lead in the park, but I can’t possibly give them enough exercise when they’re still on the lead. I don’t have enough time to drive them to the one park where the council lets you walk dogs off the lead. My dogs wouldn’t attack other dogs so I don’t see why they should stay on the lead. What can I do?

Answer:
The RSPCA’s position is that councils should designate certain parks in each municipality for dogs off leads, but we’re not saying it should be every park. You live in a community where you must give a little for the amenity of the whole. If you haven’t got time to drive to the off-lead park, then you shouldn’t have two dogs. It’s sheer arrogance to say, ‘I must exercise my dogs, and because I don’t have much time I will exercise them where I like.’ Every day in my practice I have to treat dogs that have been mauled by dogs that ‘never attack other dogs’.

Should elderly people own pets?

Answer:
In my view people living alone, such as the elderly, benefit enormously from pet ownership and if there are little hiccoughs in care it is better to provide assistance than criticism. Contact the Social Welfare Officer in the local municipality, as local government often has helpful schemes to keep older citizens and their pets together.

I have a one-year-old Maltese with very bad breath. His teeth are very good because he eats bones, so I don’t think that is the problem. Is it his diet? He’s a very fussy feeder, and will only eat raw steak or cooked chicken.

Answer:
If a dog has bad breath, the first thing to look at is the teeth and gums. There shouldn’t be any problem if he crunches bones. The second thing to look at is diet, which is often the cause of gastric halitosis. Usually halitosis coming from the stomach is worse after eating, then it tails off. The last cause, and the least frequent, is the respiratory system. The problem is probably caused by food, so try the dog on some other foods for a while and see what happens.

Our Terrier cross loves people canned food all the time can cause teeth and gum problems in dogs. Is that true?