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CAN WE HELP SOLVE A PROBLEM FOR YOU?
IF YOU HAVE ANY TIPS YOU CAN OFFER PLEASE CONTACT US. A PROBLEM SHARED OFTEN SAVES A VET BILL!
Question: I suffer from asthma and my doctor has told me I have to get rid of my pets. I have one cat and a Labrador - can you help please? I really do not want to lose my pets as they are my family.
Answer: You may not have to, there is a product on the market called Allergen D which is a liquid and you rub this on the dog's coat, This helps to stop the dander and other particles in the coat from causing problems with asthmatics. There is also a product called Allergen C which is purely for cats and does exactly the same thing. Please go to: http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/catcare/page30.phtml
where you can read all about the product.
Question: What type of collar is best for a Labrador?
Answer: Try and avoid chain collars like check chains - these are purely designed for training purposes and not as an everyday collar. Leather can rot fairly quickly knowing how Labradors love to be in all things mucky especially water. The best type of collar is the webbing type as these can easily be washed, should your dog roll in something he fancies and you don't! They are comfortable for the dog to wear and look good. One important point to remember is to ensure that you check your dog's collar frequently as the dog grows the collar does not and we have had several dogs into rescue recently with collars strangling them. I personally never leave a collar on my dog when it is in the home, it is not necessary and I have known of dogs being strangled by jumping up at the work surface or the door only to get caught on a handle or similar.
Question: My dog pulls like a train - what can I do?
Answer: The majority of rescued dogs have had no formal training and therefore have no idea what to do at the end of a lead. First and foremost get yourself and your dog booked in at the local dog training classes. Your local veterinary surgeon will undoubtedly have a list of these and will be able to direct you to the nearest classes. These are normally held in the evenings and classes are usually for 1 hour. Please make sure that you use an instructor who is registered with the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)
Check or otherwise known as choke chains are useless for training unless you really know what you are doing. In some cases the problem will be made worse and also you could cause damage to the larynx of your dog. A good half check which is part material, part chain can be excellent. Avoid using chain leads as these are not only difficult to handle but also give you little or no control over your dog. Purchase a decent webbing or leather lead for training purposes. Once you have mastered how to walk you dog to heel then a slip or clip lead will be sufficient.
Another type of training method is by using the Gencon 3 in 1 headcollar and lead and these are obtainable from our Area Coordinators, plus they will demonstrate how they should be used. Halti is another method but these must be fitted to the dog as they are specifically sized for different types of dog.
It takes time to train your new dog and patience is of the essence. Short training sessions followed by fun and games is the answer then your dog will find it enjoyable as well as being taught at the same time.
Question: My dog eats disgusting things, how can I stop him?
Answer: Firstly, your dog does not see this problem as disgusting, to him it is an extension of his diet!
Most dog foods are not completely digested and therefore are still attractive to another dog. The main thing to remember is that even though we are disgusted by this behaviour, chastisement or worse still hitting your dog will not help, in fact it will make the matter worse. If you see that your dog is about to eat something unmentionable then divert his attention either by calling, throwing a ball or dropping a tin with stones in. This will divert him and you can give him lots of praise and reward him. Clicker training is ideal for this problem.
All the old tricks of pineapple, yucca etc. do not work, neither does a thing called Deter obtainable from your vet. With Deter you have to be almost as manic as your dog hunting the offending article out and covering it with powder before he gets to it. Sadly the last resort is a Baskerville muzzle and under no circumstances must it be a sleeve muzzle. Baskervilles can be obtained from your local pet shop and really need to be fitted as they come in different sizes. Having said that we tried it on our boy who promptly got a claw stuck in it trying to get it off and he broke his claw. We have never repeated the exercise.
Do you have a friendly farmer locally who would let you use a field for his exercise, that way you would be away from where lots of dogs are exercised and the temptation is just too great for him.
Another idea would be a training collar – definitely no an electric collar but one that is called Aboistop.
Not cheap but it consists of a small box on a collar which is affixed round the dogs neck. The box contains a liquid such as citronella and is refillable. You have a control panel, much like a tv remote but very small. When you see you dog becoming over interested in something push the button and the box emits a spray of liquid under his chin which gives him a ‘wake-up’ call. This does not hurt him but merely distract him.
Question: My dog steals from the worksurface or the table.
Answer: This is a common problem especially with the Labrador. One way to cure this is to leave him a sandwich, however it will not be what he is expecting! Make up a sandwich and place horseradish or some other hot substance, chillies for example - making sure you have removed the seeds first. Leave it on the work top and do not draw attention to it - ignore it. When you return, if the dog has taken it, make no comment just ignore him. If he has taken it he might just be ready to hit the water bowl so beware! This will probably be enough to correct this problem. My own dog used to do this but the hot horseradish sandwich stopped it immediately and she has never done it since, fortunately we did not have to resort to chillies!
Question: I have two elderly choc labs - one aged 11, the other aged 13. The 13 year old is a female who is suffering from bowel incontinence. This means she messes in the house all the time as she cannot sense in time that she needs to go to the garden. She is on medication for arthritic hips but the vet has no suggestions for controlling the bowel problem. Is this common in Labradors? She is otherwise healthy and happy.
Answer: Sadly there is no cure for this as it is caused by spondylitis which is common in the older Labrador. As the dog gets older then the nerve endings in the spine cease to be quite as alert and as a consequence the message does not get to the brain to say ‘ I need the garden’ it just happens! Sorry not to be more positive but I have seen this time and again in older Labradors both male and female. I am afraid it is just a ‘live with it’ scenario. Question: Help! Our 7 month old fox red lab bitch
has taken to swallowing things she shouldn't. This started six weeks ago with
large stones. After the first operation to remove same we dug up all the
gravel, relayed pea shingle and de-stoned the garden. This worked brilliantly
until we left her at mum and dads where she managed to find and swallow a large
stone again. After operation number two - three weeks ago - on the advice of
our vet we got her a correctly fitting muzzle for the odd times when we are not
there (very infrequently as both my wife and I work from home). We gradually
introduced the muzzle and made it part of fun and games and worked up to
leaving her (and our 8 year old yellow lab) for three hours without any
problem. Saturday evening we went out for a meal and came back four hours later
to find the muzzle still firmly affixed around her neck but the entire top half
of the muzzle had disappeared.We've just got back from the vet and
she is blocked up again - most probably with the remnants of the muzzle. We
(including the vets) are at a loss as to know what to do for the best. I'm not
sure how much more her little tummy can take of these operations and
emotionally I'm not sure how much more heartache my wife can stand.
Answer: This is not an uncommon problem with Labradors and indeed with
other breeds. We have had a rescue dog that liked eating gravel and the last
operation the vet removed 2 kg’s of shingle from his stomach, another collected
golf balls and I believe the record is 24 golf balls in the stomach of a GSD!
There are one or two points I would make mention of –This is very often an attention seeking phase bearing in mind
her age and/or she could be coming into season as bitches can do strange things
especially with a first season. I cannot recommend highly enough that a
bitch must be allowed a season prior to spaying as any behavioural problems
will remain for the rest of the dog’s life if spayed too early and can also
lead to incontinence. This will probably be contrary to a vets opinion
but we are experienced in behavioural problems in relation to early neutering
of both sexes and there is strong evidence that this can and does cause
problems. Although spayed they can exhibit strange behaviour at the time
they would have come into season.I would not leave a muzzle on an unattended dog and if she were
mine the route I would take is to introduce her to a cage which could be kept
in a utility room/kitchen or wherever you have space. If you need to go
and leave her then the best thing to do is to cage her securely in a metal
cage. Do not give her bedding as she will probably chew that and you will
end up with a similar result. This is not cruel and our dogs have all
been caged at one time or another, usually after an operation. The
way to introduce it is to put the cage up and leave the door open. You
will probably find that she will go in of her own accord and be quite happy in
there, in fact you will probably find your older one wants to take it
over. If ever we have to use one we put the cage up about a week before
it is needed, leaving the door open at all times. If I tell you that
three of them all want to claim it as their own space and we usually end
up with two in there almost on top of each other! We have never used it
for punishment so they have nothing to fear from it. I am not sure as to
whereabouts you are but to save the expense of buying a crate we would be happy
to loan you one to try this out. You can buy metal water bowls that bolt
on to the cage and these are better than just a loose bowl which undoubtedly
will get jumped in, turned over or played with! The maximum time in a
crate with the door shut should be no more than 3 hours as a guideline.
When you are out with her in the garden or on a walk if she
attempts to pick up stones then tell her NO and distract her immediately
with a squeaky toy or something that she will take notice of. When she
drops the stone perhaps reward her with a treat and praise her to hilt.
You will have to supervise her in the garden for the moment until you can
correct the behaviour.
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