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 Click on his picture to read more about Phineas and to submit an application to make him yours. |
Useful InformationHeartworm Disease Heartworm disease is a very slow disease, and treatment is more successful when it's caught early, before the symptoms begin. That's why all dogs should be tested yearly. The first symptoms will begin about six months after infection and include coughing, shortness of breath, and exercise intolerance. It eventually progresses to heart failure, the lungs fill with fluid, and the dog literally drowns in its own fluids. Although a heartworm infection can be treated if caught early enough, the treatment is expensive and risky. Some dogs don't survive the treatment. The damage to the heart and lungs will never completely heal, which is why dogs successfully treated have three times the incidence of heart disease and stroke as compared to healthy dogs. Although small housedogs may be exposed to fewer mosquitoes, when they are infected, they have a much higher complication rate than a larger dog, and they are less likely to survive. Puppies should be started on monthly heartworm preventative at six weeks of age, and should be given the preventative year round, as long as they live in the South. People in the North can skip the winter months, since they have snow six months out of the year. Heartworms are far more likely to kill an adult dog than rabies, distemper, and parvo combined. If you keep your dog from running loose, have it spayed or neutered, and keep it on heartworm prevention, you will have eliminated the three most common causes of death. Crate Training Information A primary use for a crate is as a house training aid. Dogs do not like to soil where they sleep, so they will naturally "hold it" for as long as they can while in a crate. If a puppy or dog is removed from the crate and taken outside at age appropriate intervals, he will learn that the place to use the bathroom is outside. The crate can also be used during a puppy's "chewy" phase (which often lasts until they are two years old) if the puppy chews the floor or walls and therefore, can't be left in a "puppy-proofed" room. Place the crate in a corner of a busy room, such as the family room or kitchen. Your pet will not feel isolated or that he is being punished if he is around other people. Provide safe chew toys in the crate. Begin crate training by putting your pet in the crate for small increments of time. Leave him in the crate for 10, 15 and eventually for 30 minutes of time. Alternate crate time with periods of play and opportunities to use the bathroom. Once he is crate trained, he should be let out of the crate at age appropriate intervals and he should never be crated for more than 4 hours maximum without an exercise break. Puppies are immature and can not "hold it" for the length of time that an adult can. Therefore, they must be taken outside often during the day or crate training can be counterproductive....in other words, if you don't let them out often enough, they will learn that it is OK to use the bathroom in the crate. A puppy should be taken out of the crate in hours equal to their age in months. So, a 2 month old puppy should be taken out at least every 2 hours, a 3 month old puppy should be taken out at least every 3 hours, and a puppy that is 4 months or older should be taken outside at least every 4 hours from that point on. Most puppies can "hold it" double that amount of time at night (i.e. take a 2 month old pup outside every 4 hours at night). Be sure to also let the puppy outside within 15 minutes of feeding them breakfast, lunch and dinner because what goes into a puppy must come out quickly! Do not use the crate as a means of punishing your dog or it will be useless as a training tool. A crate should be a temporary method of house training and once the dog or puppy is house trained, the crate door should be left open and the dog should be allowed to stay in a "dog-proofed" hard-floored room. During the house training phase, do not give your pet any water after 7:30PM and make sure you take him outside last thing at night. A dog should sleep in his crate at night, preferably in your bedroom. For a puppy, take him outside in the middle of the night when you hear him start to fuss and then promptly put him back in his crate without any playtime. Do not crate your dog or puppy for a full working day or he will consider it a jail cell. If done properly, crate training is a very effective method of housebreaking a dog and your dog will consider his crate a safe room of his own. House Training the Adult Dog Was He An Outdoor Dog? Sometimes these dogs can be even easier because they are used to using the great outdoors and not the carpet. That's the positive aspect - the negative one is that sometimes they have had the freedom to roam and are a little reluctant to go potty with you standing at the end of a 6' leash staring at them impatiently. If you think your dog might not be used to 'going' on leash, you should get a 15 -25 foot retractable leash. This enables him to get a little farther away from you to get his privacy. Dogs (especially males) love to mark on top of another dogs' urine. Therefore, it helps to take him where other dogs have been a lot--he should find it irresistible. If a place like this is not convenient, then save the paper towels from the cleanup of his mistakes, or if you can get a sample from a girl dog (for boys), and put it down where you want him to go. Also, remember that dogs naturally are more inclined to go on things that stick up out of the ground, like posts, plants, trees, etc. You will be more successful in an area with lots of things to pee on rather than a walk down a street or curb where there is not much of interest to him. Keep saying the key phrase "GO POTTY" until he does. Don't pet or allow any distractions--strictly business until he gets it done. When he is almost through, so as not to disturb his concentration, begin praising him in a very high pitched tone of voice. Men should use a falsetto voice. Lay it on thick. Even applause can be helpful. You may want to have some treats in your pocket that he only gets after going potty. Don't stop till you see him puff up with self-pride and look at you like "what did I do?" We call this a "Potty Party". Catching Him Going Inside. There is a difference between a dog that is 'mostly house trained' because he will go potty outside when you take him out (and it's convenient) and one that knows that he shouldn't go potty inside and will purposely hold it till you get home to let him out. The difference is in your behavior. In order to have a truly house trained dog--not one that would be glad to go potty inside if you didn't adhere to the perfect schedule, you must catch him in the act and startle him. I recommend a 3 to 4 week intensive training period. In this period he must always be in one of the following situations: (do this until he is house trained--it ALWAYS works if you do your part) 1. Outside with you on leash or in a fenced area with you watching so you can say "go potty" and praise lavishly when he does the deed 2. Inside in a crate appropriately sized for him (not for long spells without relief) 3. Inside with you watching him like a hawk!!!! With all doors closed to other rooms and, if necessary leashed to your body or belt so he has to follow you around. The intensive dedicated period can save you lots of grief later though it may seem like a lot of work. When you catch him beginning to go potty inside you must startle him with your voice. NEVER HIT. This can cause a world of temperament problems, and he may not retaliate towards you, but let a child or a stranger move their hands too fast, and he thinks he's going to be hit, and he may bite them. Dogs give back what they are given. We, in rescue, have seen so many emotionally damaged dogs and many were made that way through battles with a previous owner who didn't know how to house train properly. When the dog didn't pick it up quickly enough, they lost their temper and went off on him and permanently damaged his trust level for humans. So, just as with children, it's important to be consistent and sure of yourself, not to terrorize, but to communicate in a language they can understand. When you see the dog getting ready to go potty inside, you (in a deep, and startling voice) command "NO-OUTSIDE." Immediately sweep him off his feet (practically running) with great speed and vigor, and take him outside saying firmly all the way out "OUTSIDE!!!" Take him out even if you think he is finished. You have to make the point. Stand there a while and see if he does anything more and, if so, praise him. Then as you are picking up the poop or dabbing the spot with paper towel, keep scolding him -. "Did you do this? Shame on you. Outside!" Be sure to give him some affection with high-pitched babytalk within the next few minutes, so you don't make him neurotic. Balance is the key. Just as with children, they want to please you, but you have to show them how and be consistent. A Healthy Stool. You must be working with a healthy dog first and foremost. A newly rescued dog may have a loose stool (colitis) due to the change in people and environment. But if you have any doubt as to diarrhea, intestinal worms, or bladder of kidney infection compromising his ability to hold it, you need to take a stool or urine sample to the vet and have it checked. Eating Schedule. During house training, I recommend feeding a small meal in the evening, no later than 6pm. The larger meal should be in the morning. Water should be available all of the times. Often dogs who are pooping in the house can be cured with a better feeding schedule - you may have to play with the time until you get it right. Food usually turns into poop about 8 hrs later so its usually best to feed early in the morning - and he'll need to poop after eating also. Bellybands. We recommend the use of a bellyband for male dogs while you are training. The bellyband does not stop them from urinating. It does, however, keep your frustration level down, because his pee can't strike its intended target. Thus, during the training period, your house doesn't sustain any damage and your nerves don't get quite so frayed. They are quick and easy to put on (velcro) and take off. Bellybands are great for dogs that are older and simply don't have the control they once had. The incontinent dog can have his freedom in the house back. He need not be confined to a kitchen or laundry room anymore. Don't forget to take it off when he goes outside though. They will protect your house while your doggie is learning to be house trained. You can do an internet search for belly bands (our favorite styles are found at www.smalldogclothing.com or kennelkomforts.net. Once you have seen one, you may prefer to make your own. The Proper Sized Crate. You are using the crate to take advantage of his natural instinct not to mess where he has to sleep. Obviously, if the crate is too big, you lose this benefit. If you want to get a larger crate so it will fit a pup when he grows up, you can put a box in one side so that it fits for now and can still be used later. Dogs don't like to be near their poop or pee after they do it - unless they have "learned to live dirty." This is a condition that happens when he is left in there too long, absolutely has to go, and gets used to it. So make sure he has the opportunity to go out enough. Pups under 12 wks can't hold it very long (such as overnight) so it is important to give them bedding on one side and newspaper on the other so that they don't "learn to live dirty." The adult dog will hold it until you come and take him out, thus learning your routine. Be sure you always take him outside as soon as he gets out of the crate and after every event such as eating, riding in the car, or any kind of excitement. If your dog has established the habit of going in the house, it may be a little harder, but if you are diligent about the above, he'll have no choice but to be house trained. Be sure to keep most doors to other rooms closed during this time so he can't sneak off and do something behind your back. If you do your part, he'll do his!! It's just that simple. Why Invisible Fencing is Not Acceptable Stray dogs and other animals can come into your yard and bring in disease or start fights with your dog. Vets can attest to this problem because they are the ones who have to "patch up" dogs that have been attacked while in their own yards. Invisible fencing is absolutely no deterrent to dog nappers who are known to steal dogs from owners' yards while the owners are inside their home or away. These strangers are known to steal dogs and sell them to laboratories for experiments to dog fighters for bait. A protective dog will defend his "territory," and an unsuspecting stranger could easily walk into your yard since there is no fence barrier. Some dogs think passersby are causing the shock --which makes them more likely to bite if they submit to the jolt and leave the yard or if the outsider enters your yard. If the incentive is great enough, the dog will not honor the fence. The "incentive" could be something fearful (thunderstorm) or exciting (another dog, a cat, a bunny rabbit). Once out, the dog will refuse to go back in. Ask any animal control agency how many loose dogs they pick up who are wearing those collars! Invisible fencing puts no observable barrier between the dog, who knows the boundaries, and visitors or strangers who can't see the barriers. Because of all the scare stories about dogs attacking people, more and more people are becoming leery of any dog. People are becoming quicker to sue homeowners over dogs simply frightening them--and collecting, usually because insurance companies find it cheaper to pay off a claim than to fight it in court. The result of this action is that the homeowner could well lose his insurance, and of course, the real victim, the dog, more than likely will lose his home. The collars can and do fail or fall off. The power supply system to the fence can fail.
Sources of Information Positive Perspectives (her 1st book- details clicker training, basic behavior cues (sit, down, stay), tricks (easy & fun instruction on how to teach your dog how to do these cute things), behavior explanations- why dogs think like they do and how we can better communicate with and understand them. It is very interesting and easy reading Both of these books are available online on www.dogwise.com, www.amazon.com, and I would check eBay and sitstay.com. I would also recommend her website- great FAQ page. www.peaceablepaws.com. She has a chat group (Peaceable Paws Yahoo! Group) that is very informative. Tell your clients if they ever want a dog friendly vacation getaway, Peaceable Paws offers dog camps. It is about a 10 hour or so drive to Hagerstown, Maryland from Chattanooga. Any books by Patricia McConnell are also great. She has some short booklets on fear (forgot the title), managing the multidog household, separation anxiety (I'll be home soon), resource guarding (Mine!), etc. They are available on Dogwise, Amazon, and Sitstay. Jean Donaldson is also very good. She is also available on Dogwise, Amazon, and Sitstay. And last but by no means least, the Dog Whisperer Cesar Milan. We think he is a dog's best friend! 10 Special Messages From Your Dog (author unknown) |
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