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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 1:19 pm Post subject:

I've got two hounds. Any advice on the barking? Son't want to use oppressive collars!

Expert's Answers:

Hi Naomi~
Unfortunately, barking is a bit more innate in the hound breeds to some extent than it is with some other breeds. To some degree you will only be able to modify the behavior to a small extent. What I would advise first is to really analyze what your behavior is when they are barking so you can determine if any part of their barking is inadvertently reinforced by your behavior. It's easy to do without even realizing you just reinforced them. Sometimes something as simple as a strong "be quiet" is enough to reinforce a determined attention seeking dog.
If your dogs are barking instinctually, the problem will be hard to "fix". My recommendation is to be very proactive about cutting off the barking by redirecting your dog, calling their name or calling them inside if they are barking when outside in a yard, etc. as quickly as you can when you hear the first bark or whine. The less they practice the barking, particularly if they are young, the better off you will be. Barking is in itself self-reinforcing so cutting them off so they can't perfect the behavior will help a little. I wish there were a more concrete answer I could give you, but again, hounds of most any breed bark and bay a bit more than some other breeds so you are working against mother nature to some degree.
If you can find a good certified pet dog trainer in your area that can better assess exactly when and why your dog is barking, that would help you pinpoint the best technique to use to cut down or redirect the barking for sure!
Good luck!
Leslie Burgard
Dogs Think! Dog Training

Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 1:25 pm Post subject:

Hello Experts!

We have received the following two questions via email:

"What if you have a cat that suddenly needs to take medication, but it's tough (impossible really) for one person to hold them and make them take it? Is it ok to grind the pill up in wet food?"

Expert's Answer:

At our shelter, we tend to open capsules or grind the pills and put it in some canned food. It makes it less stressful on the cat and they do not come to associate the human as doing something negative to them by pilling them. It has worked well for us.

Debby Williams
Veterinary Services Manager
Erie County SPCA

Many medications can be mixed into food but there are some that are too nasty tasting for cats. The important thing if you are trying to get medicine in is to use luscious tasting foods such as tuna, canned salmon or turkey baby food. In addition, work with your vet to pick products that can go into the food. An example is clinamycin(brand name antirobe) can be mixed into food but the generic formula is horrible tasting!

For the nasty tasting medication, they can be put into small capsules and pilled. For chronic medications, special formulations can be made that are applied to the ear to have the medication absorbed.

Dr. Grant Gugisberg
Parkview Cat Clinic

"When adopting cats from a shelter, how do you know what houseplants are safe and which are not? I know peace lillies are toxic, but how dangerous are they?"

Expert's Answer:

I would remove the peace lilly. Better to be safe than sorry.
Having 11 cats of mine own (all shelter cats), I specialize in silk flowers-LOL!
Cat Fanciers has a nice list of plants not good for cats.
Try: http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html for more information.

Debby Williams
Veterinary Services Manager
Erie County SPCA

The most common toxicities we see are Easter Lily(EXTREMELY toxic even if the cats vomit shortly after eating it) and Ibuprofen.

Dr. Grant Gugisberg
Parkview Cat Clinic

Hello, and thanks for hosting this forum.

I wanted to ask Ledy VanKavage what the best way is to approach city councils or other law makers in communities where there is Breed Specific or Breed Discriminatory legislation. How do you start the conversations and open the dialogue as a concerned citizen who does not support such laws?

Thank you!

Expert's Answers:

My favorite saying is "Politics is NOT a Spectator Sport". We need to be the voice of the animals and speak up for our pets and protect them. Breed-Discriminatory legislation is wrong. Because of this panic policy, thousands of innocent dogs are seized and killed simply because of their appearance. The studies show that canine profiling fails to protect the public. All dangerous dogs should be regulated no matter what their appearance and of course RECKLESS owners should not be allowed to own ANY pet.

Start by going to city council meetings and observing. Find someone on the city council who seems to be a leader and approach them with research to back up your point that breed discriminatory laws fail to protect the public and are expensive.

These resources will help you:

http://www.abanet.org/govpub/sampleart.html

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com

http://network.bestfriends.org

http://www.msba.org/sec_comm/sections/animallaw/docs/MidAtlanticAnimalLawfinallvjd.pdf

There are also some books that can give you great ideas- Get Political for Animals by Julie Lewin and Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.

The American Bar Association Book - A Lawyer's Guide to Dangerous Dog Issues will also help.

https://www.abanet.org/media/releases/book070909.pdf

Organize! Find pet owners, groomers, vets who also think breed discrimination is wrong. Ask them to contact the city council members and politely speak with them. Make flyers with the city council members phone # and addresses on it and ask folks to call and write to stop breed discrimination.

Send them Dr. Victoria Voith's wonderful paper "Comparison of Adoption Agency Breed Identification and DNA Breed Identification of Dog" This study reveals that animal shelters are only correct in identifying a dogs breed in 25% of the cases! This calls arbitrary visual id of mutts in question. (you can get this at www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com)

Go to network.bestfriends.org and click on our fiscal impact calculator for breed discriminatory laws. You can enter in ANY city in the US and find out how expensive breed discriminatory laws are to enforce. Show what a waste of taxpayer dollars these laws are.

Ask for your cities' bite stats and analyze them.

Be tenacious! Vote, Go to Political Fundraisers, and run for office if need be. If just one or two city councilmen follow the panic policy of breed discriminatory laws-vote them out!

Democracy is wonderful thing! Elgin city council's committee passed a breed discriminatory law and animal activists were outraged & organized. The city council was flooded with phone calls. Over 100 folks showed up and they voted breed discrimination DOWN!

We can achieve NO MORE HOMELESS PETS through lobbying.

PS - Be sure to check out the Advocacy for Animals site on the Best Friends Network site and join!

Ledy VanKavage, Esq
Best Friends Animal Society
www.bestfriends.org

Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:46 pm Post subject:

PLEASE HELP. Hello, This is a question regarding selective aggression in kittens. We are "veteran" pet owners with a household of two dogs and three cats. One of our cats is actually a kitten. He is just at 6 months and is very large for his age. He has been vaccinated and neutered. Our veterinarian has told us he will be large, and is an alpha male. He is truly fearless of any and all. Since the day we brought him home, he has shown signs of aggression and dominant behavior. My husband used the scruffing technique described on many cat behavior sites to gain our kitten's cooperation. The kitten rarely bites him, but will still play, snuggle and show other affectionate behaviour, only occassionally getting out of control. I, however, have been the victim of unprovoked attacks resulting in a "hands in meat grinder" look for many weeks. Just recently I learned of a strategy that involves food restriction and hand feeding to gain trust, and have become able to pet him both while he is eating and when he is calm. However, if I try to pick him up a kitten tornado of teeth and claws ensues. HELP! He is vaccinated and in perfect health. If only the vet knew that his sweet temperament does not extend to me...and I have known dozens of cats over the decades.

Expert's Answers:

Hi,

You may want to ask your vet to recommend a feline behaviorist that could help you with your "ALPHA KITTY". Patience will be key while they help you try to change this behavior.

Debby Williams
Veterinary Services Manager
Erie County SPCA

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:43 am Post subject:

Can or should bunnies be walked? If they can, how do you go about training a rabbit on a leash?

Expert advice:

The most important form of exercise for your rabbit is simply freedom in a bunny-proofed space so they can run, jump and play. Bunnies will much prefer their freedom to any sort of organized 'walk'.

However, rabbits *can* be leash trained for specific purposes - although as I said, they will get more exercise from free roam playtime. If you want to train your rabbit to a leash, you'll need to start with a proper harness. You want an H-style harness (looks like an H when laid out flat). You are unlikely to find them in the rabbit section of a pet store, but look in the cat area. In the rabbit area, you might find a product like this: http://www.superpetusa.com/product-list/comfort-harness-stretchy-stroller-leash-large.htm, which also works. Avoid any harness of the 'figure 8' variety as they can cinch the rabbit's neck and cause injury. You also want to avoid a simple collar for the same reason. Some rabbit harnesses come with stretchy leads, which sorta work, but a regular leash from the dog/cat section will be better if you have plans to train your pet and not just follow them around wherever they go.

When fitting the harness, make sure it is neither too loose (escaping rabbits) or too snug (bunny is uncomfortable & won't move and could even be injured). The first few times you attempt to harness your bunny, expect a LOT of help from the bunny, but despite their antics, you are not hurting them or inflicting some terrible fate on them, either. However, if you want them to get better over time, then being on the harness has to be a fun time for the bunny and worth the indignity of having to put the thing on. Wink

MCRS actually offers classes on leash training your rabbit - you may find a rabbit group in your area does the same. Leash training is the foundation for participating in Agility: http://www.mn.companionrabbit.org/join/classes/rabbitagility.html. Most bunnies really love this activity, although like humans, there are a variety of degrees of aptitude. A few (maybe 5% or so) flatly refuse to have anything to do with it - including one of my pet rabbits. One loves it, one almost failed the first level course out of pure stubbornness.

Anytime your rabbit is leashed, there needs to be a human in attendance - don't stake them out in the yard or similar. Too many things can happen in that scenario - rabbit gets tangled in the leash, chews through the leash, gets snatched by a predator, etc. And, with our without a leash, rabbits can be trained to do all sorts of things. If you are familiar with the principles of training other animals, simply apply them to rabbits and watch them learn! I even heard recently about a rabbit that was trained to take medicine on command.

Good luck!
Joanna Campbell
MCRS President
www.MN.CompanionRabbit.org[/b]

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:33 pm Post subject: BSL alternatives

Hi. This questions is for Ledy VanKavage.

I have heard that Breed Specific Legislation will reduce the incident of dog bites in my community. Is this true?

Thanks for your help!

Expert's Answers:

Thanks for the question. There have been no studies showing that breed discriminatory laws reduce dog bites- in fact there are some reports that show dog bites increased after breed discriminatory laws were enacted.

Breed discriminatory laws are great examples of "panic policy-making". These laws are often enacted in haste with little research into the problem. You can learn more by going to

http://www.msba.org/sec_comm/sections/animallaw/docs/MidAtlanticAnimalLawfinallvjd.pdf

We at Best Friends support good generic dangerous dog laws and laws that target reckless owners and prevent them from having any pet.

This is America. Responsible pet owners should be allowed to care for any breed of dog they choose. Reckless owners should be prohibited from owning any pet.

Ledy VanKavage, Esq.
Best Friends Animal Society
www.bestfriends.org

Posted Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:36 pm:

This is another question for Ledy:

I've also heard in the newspapers and on tv that dog bites are on the rise. If BSL is not the answer, how can my family and I feel safe in our community? Are there alternatives?

Expert's Answers:

There are some great alternatives out there. One wonderful program is SAFE HUMANE CHICAGO that is funded through Best Friends.

Actually serious dog bites are on the decline in most cities and states. Karen Delise of the National Canine Research Council has a wealth of well researched information on the topic if you go to www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com.

Ledy VanKavage, Esq.
Best Friends Animal Society
http://network.bestfriends.org

Thank you!

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:02 pm Post subject:

Why does my 5 yr old neutered male cat *still* "hump" clothing? he will take random pieces of clothing for a ride all over the house. He is on amitryptyline for this QD but when it wears off, he is off to the races again. How can we nip this behavior in the butt? Also, is it normal for his brother (also a neutered male) to urinate on our bed or elsewhere in the house even though the litterbox is clean? He is also on amitryptyline PRN for this.

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:03 pm Post subject:

I have a main coon also - she pees in the house (not the kitty litter) when she gets upset with me GRRRR

Expert's Answers:

Have you taken her to her vet to rule out an medical issues? It may be a bladder infection. She may associate pain with going in the box so she doesn't want to go in there. You could also talk to your vet about medication that maybe available to help .
If that has been ruled out, has this been a recent change in her behavior or has she always done it? Ask yourself why is she mad at you? Are there any changes in the ongoing things in your home- your work hours changed, a new pet, children, a new adult around? Look at your home through your cat's eyes and see what she maybe seeing.
It could also be behavioral, and she is actually marking. You should clean the area thoroughly with a good enzyme cleaner . You may need to treat the spots several times until all traces of odor are gone.
You could also try a product called "Feliway", a spray that is formulated to mimic feline pheromones.
Good luck and do not give up!

Debby Williams
Veterinary Services Manager
Erie County SPCA

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:04 pm Post subject:

My yorkies fur seemed to have a"greasy" feel...and shes a lil itchy....do u have any idea what this might be??

Expert's Answers:

Hi There,

Hard for me to say without seeing your dog... How old is your Yorkie? Is this a year-round problem or does it just happen at certain times of the year? While allergies might be a component it is also possible that your dog has another primary skin problem - some dogs have abnormalities in how they shed the outer layer of their skin, for example. This might also be a Malessezia (yeast) infection - this can make them a little greasy and kind of stinky, not to mention itchy... although dogs with this problem typically have an underlying cause of that infection.

Dr. Stephanie Janeczko
Medical Director
Animal Care & Control of New York City

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:06 pm Post subject:

I rescued a dog recently and he is really sweet with my husband and I, but he is not so nice to others. If someone comes to our home he hide behind me and will growl and snarl and if they come close to him he will try to bite. We have tried having people just toss him treats when they are over but most of our friends live too far away for it to be a regular thing. Is there anything else you could suggest to help him get over his fears of people?

Expert's Answers:

Oh my -- fear: often the result of the dog simply not being exposed to an adequate number of new people during the critical socialization period -- which ends at around 4 months. The treat-tossing you mentioned -- were they milk bones, jerky strips or something really tantalizing like tiny bits of hot dog or cheese? Or steak? You might have to up the ante a bit. You also might have to move these greetings to another area other than the cfront door if that's what you have been doing. Have the guest sit down and have the dog enter the room after. The guests' body language must be non threatening -- sitting in a chair or on the floor, turning to face sideways to the dog and just dropping the goodies to the side a foot or two towards the dog. And if you are using food there has to be a smorgasbord, not a 100-calorie pack! Give generously and give often, is my motto. The guest should be instructed thoroughly on what to do and not do beforehand or else this approach fails. The guest should never try to reach towards the dog, feed the dog from his/her hand unless the dog asks for that, and should not look directly at the dog.

As with many of the questions on this forum, one session with a qualified trainer (www.ccpdt.org) would be worth its weight in gold in terms of on site feedback and instruction.

You really can't counter-condition your dog to "strangers" unless you can access a troop of actual strangers (friends to you) to help!

Liz Marsden, CPDT
MissionDog.com

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:28 pm Post subject:

We have two 6 YO cats - brothers - who were neutered as kittens. Every now & again, one or the other takes after the other, attacks & the fur flies! What's this all about? A year & a half ago we had to have our 17 YO kitty euthanized due to kidney failure. Could this be part of the problem?

Expert's Answers:

Hi LucyHG,

I take it from your post that your two sibling cats previously got along just fine when your older kitty was still around?

The change in household structure could certainly be contributed to intercat aggression that you are seeing... cats form complex social structures, and any change in that structure can create conflict where it previously did not exist. Most people think of this happening with the addition of a new cat, but it can occur with the loss of a previous housemate or even with something as "minor" as one cat going to the vet for a couple of days and then coming back. Sometimes it takes them a while to re-determine their social structure... how long has this been going? The good news in that intercat aggression tends to be lower in cats that have lived together for a long time.

Be sure to provide them an "environment of plenty" - plenty of places to eat, sleep, perch, scratch, play, go the litter box - to minimize any aggression related to someone trying to control the resources. You can also try Feliway - this is a synthetic phermone that is like a "happy scent" for cats - it is available as a diffuser that can be plugged into an outlet. If one of the two is the aggressor you can try belling him, and in some cases separation of the cats (even on a temporary basis) can be very helpful. If problems persist or are severe medication may be of use in certain cases.

Dr. Stephanie Janeczko
Medical Director
Animal Care & Control of New York City

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:29 pm Post subject:

Hi thank you! I just 4 weeks ago adopted a pug from a rescue and he is great but he has some anxiety/OCD issues. He will be calm and great on my lap or on his pillow even sleeping when he jerks up and starts pacing and yelping all around the apartment. I usually try to intervene and stop him beore he gets stuck in a loop and paces for 20 mins at a time. He get 4-5 walks a day and is crated at night and when we are away for potty training. Anything I can do to calm him and stop the pacing?

Expert's Answers:

Sounds to me like a seizure disorder should be ruled out. Not all seizures are the classic fall on the side and foam at the mouth variety. Dr. Nicholas Dodman of Tufts University explains this very well in his excellent book, The Well Adusted Dog and if your own vet comes up blank when you suggest this, go to: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/behavior/clinical.shtml for a remote consult.

Liz Marsden, CPDT
MissionDog.com

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:31 pm Post subject:

I have an almost 2 year old female lab/boxer mix (spayed) and an almost 2 year old male pit bull/beagle mix (not neutered YET) we have had them both since approx august of 2008. My female, Sophie, is developing a very territorial side. if the male. Bubba is in front of me and I am showing him attention, she will shove herself between us or bite his back legs, and she is developing some pretty severe food aggression, only to him, not toward humans. I need HELP!

Expert's Answers:

Interdog alpha bitch behavior is so common that we trainers laugh about it and call ourselves names (you can imagine)... the human-directed food aggression needs a private session with a qualified trainer (www.ccpdt.org). Food aggression towards humans is not something to mess around with!

I am guessing that your female does control most of the resources of your boy dog (get him fixed soon!) That is to say, if she decides she wants something (access to people, toys, favorite resting sots) she will warn him with a stern growl or more. Food-- the smart thing is to always give dogs separate feeding locations and monitor/interrupt aggression in that dept because food fights are the worst of all fights.

If your male is deferring to your female's stern warnings and you are not getting involved, and the female is reading your male's deference and backing off, all will probably be well. Dogs have to communicate somehow, and all they have are posturing, warning looks, body blocking and the like. If you don't know how to read canine body language, you might interfere when you don't need to, or fail to interfere when you rally do need to!

A few good resources on this:

www.missiondog.com -- an ebook on dog dog interactions with elaborate pictures and descriptions.

The Language of Dogs DVD by Sarah Kalnajs -- very worthwhile!

Off Leash Dog Play by Robin Bennett -- very good info on dog interactions.

Learn more about how your dogs communicate and/or get a session with a trainer listed on www.ccdpt.org to help keep the peace.

Good luck!

Liz Marsden
MissionDlog.com

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:34 pm Post subject:

My 8yr old --I have a Potty Mouth--/cocker mix pulls long strands of hair out and leaves them all over the house. Its usually when her hair grows out... she pulls them out an d yelps. Is this anxiety or does she just want to pull out hair that is getting in her way or irritating her near her feet?

Expert's Answers:

Hi Jeff~
There could unfortunately be a few different reasons for this behavior. It's always best to rule out any medical problems before you jump into treating a behavior problem. I would suggest having your vet give her a good workup to rule out any skin issues, allergies or internal stuff going on that might have caused this behavior change. After that, it would be good to consider talking with them about the possibility that there is an anxiety issue that needs to be dealt with and one that could potentially be helped with anti-anxiety medication. I would also encourage you to analyze any changes in your daily routine or schedule, new additions, work to the house etc, that could have her schedule thrown off and be creating some abnormal anxiety for her. Get your vet on board first and then work on the behavior aspect if there isn't a medical reason for the behavior!
Good luck!
Leslie Burgard, CPDT
Dogs Think! Dog Training

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:50 pm Post subject:

I am fostering a female Schnauzer that was a breeder in a puppy mill. She has come a long, long way (we've had her since Aug and she is just now letting us pet her.) The only thing she's doing now that's odd is licking her feet (she's done this since the beginning.) It's not an allergy, she's been through the food allergy trials of ... See Moreremoving foods, she's been in different environments so it's not an environmental allergy either, so I think it's just a habit. Her feet stay orange. Is there anything that can be done about it? I thought about acupuncture. What would you suggest?

Expert's Answers:

Hi Lauren,

Chewing feet is typically an itchy dog thing to do, although I have seen the occasional dog who seemed to develop a behavioral component to it that caused them to continue licking/chewing after the original cause was taken care of it.

When you did the food trial, was that the only thing she ate for 8 weeks? And was it a diet that had an ingredient list with no overlap to her previous foods?

Although you say you have moved around it could still be an environmental allergy (known as atopy). Atopic dogs are frequently allergic to pollens so if you move geographic areas that might help, but many area also allergic to things like dust mites - no matter how much you clean and vacuum these are everywhere. I even one dog who was allergic to human dander - his poor mom was beside herself that her precious pup was actually allergic to her!

One last medical reason that could cause your dog to chew/lick is a nail bed infection... they can get a yeast infection of the nailbeds. If you're dog's nails are clear (I'm assuming they are because you mention the orange feet, so I'm guessing a light colored coat) you will notice that they have a dark red discoloration to them at the base, and often the skin around the nails looks red and irritated as well. The fur turns reddish from the saliva staining. These nail bed infections can be itchy and uncomfortable, leading to the chewing and licking - I have been through this with my own dog a few times.

If there is truly no underlying medical cause you might need to consider behavioral medication... there are topical products like "bitter apple" that can be a strong taste deterrent for many dogs, but if there is underlying anxiety component simple providing them with a bad taste in their mouth so to speak won't address the underlying cause of the problem.

Hope that helps a bit,

Dr. Stephanie Janeczko
Medical Director
Animal Care & Control of New York City

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