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SEPTEMBER 2010 TAIL TIPS
Teach Your Dog Hospital Skills This subject is very close to home with me after working as a Certified Veterinary Technician for 20 years I have seen the best to the worse dog behavior in the veterinary hospital. In my classes I stress handling and “Be Still” exercises for both submission building and hospital handling skills. Regular veterinary care is an important aspect of your dog’s health. This is obvious to you but not to your canine friend. Your view of your veterinary clinic is that it is nice, clean, efficient hospital with a helpful professional staff. Your dog senses a sterile evil-smelling place that causes pain and discomfort. To help your canine friend to learn to change its perception, lets prepare your dog to remain calm and teach “good patient” skills at home. The Office. Visit the veterinary hospital often without your dog getting poked, prodded or stuck with needles. Walk in give treats, walk around the waiting room, and even place your dog on the scale. Let your dog smell and visit with the veterinary staff, in all creating a positive visit to the veterinary hospital. The Table. Many dogs object to the height of the table and the lack of traction afforded by a slick metal surface. To desensitize your dog, practice at home with a picnic table or other solid piece of furniture that you have to lift your dog onto. Only leave your dog on the table for very short period of time, give a treat or two, then remove gently back to the ground. Repeat the process several times with more handling on the table and increasing the time. Head Holding. A necessary part of every exam requires the dog to hold still as the veterinarian examines its head, eyes, mouth and ears. To condition your dog to this type of handling place one hand on top of your dog’s head. Now cup its chin with your other hand. Once there is no wiggly from your dog, remove your hands and offer praise and a treat. After a few seconds, place your hands on your dog’s head again and peer into one of its eyes for a moment. Rotate the dog’s head look in the ears and the mouth and when your dog is use to this kind of handling place your fingers in their ears and mouth. Keep repeating with praise, treats and handle, handle, handle! Shots. Teaching your dog to accept different types of shots can make procedures more routine and less terrifying. Start by gently pinching your dog over the shoulder area. Give a treat and praise for remaining still. Repeat this exercise 10 times in a row. Over a series of training sessions, increase the intensity of the pinch and try new areas of the body. The most likely places for needles are the top of the foreleg, the forearm, the top of the shoulders and the large “ham” muscles at the back side of your dog’s hind leg. Paw Lifting and Joint Flexing. Practice lifting each of your dogs paws independently and move its legs through their full range of motion. You should be able to examine each of your dog’s paws. Flex the dog’s paw to move the toes apart so that you can look at the web of skin joining the toes. Tummy Palpating. Veterinarians are trained to squeeze and touch your dog’s abdomen to detect abnormalities and illness. Ask your veterinarian to show you how this is done, and make it a regular part of your in-home training program. Kenneling. For a dog that is rarely confined, an enclosed area can be stressful. If your dog is ill, additional stress caused by confinement at a clinic may affect its recovery. To avoid this problem, it is a good idea to introduce your dog to crates and kennels under more ideal circumstances, at an early age. Check out my archive of tail tips for more on crate training. These are only a few of the hospital skills your dog should learn. Giving your dog the opportunity to become familiar with these procedures can make a trip to the veterinarian a more pleasant experience for you and your dog. In some cases it may even be the difference between life and death. |
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Harmful Foods I get asked all the time on what foods can I feed my dog besides dog food? Basically the answer should be none only dog food. There are some food items that you should be aware of that can be very harmful to your dog, if you decide you need to feed your dog something else besides their food. Be sure to store the following foods in places that your dog cannot get to them. Under NO circumstances should you allow your dog to eat any of the following foods.
Keeping your dog safe can be challenging, we spend a huge amount of time training so ultimately we can control our dogs and keep them safe, but keep in mind it is also what we allow our dogs to ingest that can be just as fatal as running across the road. Animal Poison Control Center: 1-888-426-4435 or visit www.aspca.org |
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Does your dog jump up or get on furniture that you do not want them on? If your dog has some of these bad manners, it is really your fault as the leader/trainer to not show your dog what the rules and boundaries are consistently. In the past tail tips I have explained the technique of body blocks, which can be a very useful technique to use for respect of space around you or an object. Refer back to the archives for more on body blocks. Teaching “Off” is another tool for creating good manners for jumping up and getting on objects you do not want your dog on. Try not to use the word “down” when a dog is jumping because “down” really means lay down to most dogs so that is just too confusing. Let’s try using the short command “Off” instead. Here is how you can teach your dog what “Off” means.
Teaching “off” along with body blocks will establish respect for you as the leader/trainer and develop the manners from your dog of what you want in your house. |
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Take Your Dog to Work Day Take Your Dog to Work Day celebrates the special bond between dogs and their owners. This concept has been growing in interest. For years now, we’ve been taking our sons and daughters to work with us, showing them the ins and outs of office life, and now the trend seems to be extending to our four-legged friends. According to a 2006 survey by the American Pet Products Manufactures Association (APPMA), nearly one in five U.S. companies allows pets at work.
Some things to consider before you take your canine friend to work with you. In addition to rock-solid socialization, people who bring their dogs to work say these behaviors and training will serve your dog well in the workplace:
Dogs in the work place crave human contact. They give us comfort, like pets in the classroom. They teach us lessons about life and the need for breaks (bathroom, play, or otherwise). |