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We humans love to loom over dogs and pat them on the head—often failing to notice their signals that they’d rather not interact that way (in this case, pulling away with a head duck).
When dog behavior doesn’t make sense to us, it’s easy to just shrug and say our dogs are stubborn or crazy. But often a productive answer is right there in front of us, if only we’re willing to look at dog body language—and our own.
The way we humans move matters. For example, do you stand tall and walk toward your dog when you’re calling him? That may be why he doesn’t come to you. On Planet Dog, that direct-facing approach sends a message to stop or back up. (Much better to angle to the side and start moving back a bit as you call—that tells your dog to come along.)
But it’s not just our human movement that deserves attention. The subtleties of our dog’s movement matters, too. When you sit down next to your dog for a cuddle, does she look away or lean away? Does she yawn or lick her lips? If she does those things, but you continue petting her, you may have an answer for why she “doesn’t listen” to you in general: You’re not listening to her, either, so she feels a bit on her own.
Instead, when you see one of those signals, give your dog space. Back up a foot. Now does she come over for a snuggle? Great! If not, also great, because you listened to her, which will build some critical trust.
Canids + Primates = Misunderstandings
The squinting eyes, the lip lick, and the flattened ears are a neon sign that this dog is incredibly uncomfortable. That’s important communication, and the owner who listens and adjusts will be rewarded with increased trust and better behavior. Photo by Nancy Kerns
Canids and primates use their bodies differently. Dr. Patricia McConnell’s classic book The Other End of the Leash powerfully illustrates how that’s at the root of an enormous amount of dog-human misunderstanding. Many of the issues that send people to dog trainers—and eventually veterinary behaviorists, as things escalate—stem from our human lack of attention to body language. It’s also the hidden cause of the confusion and disappointment that runs through countless dog-human relationships.
“We humans are talking . . . but our dogs are watching,” Dr. McConnell writes. “Once you learn to focus on the visual signals between you and your dog, the impact of even tiny movements will become overwhelmingly obvious.”
For example, let’s say there’s a new dog you’re hoping to befriend. In your human (primate) style, you’re inclined to move in close, get face-to-face, reach out and even hug, just like chimps and bonobos would. But when dogs (or wolves and coyotes) have a friendly intent, they would not do any of those things. Oops. No wonder the dog ducks away, backs up, or even growls if he doesn’t have the ability to retreat.
Let’s say you knew enough to approach that dog in a more canine way; you start by giving the dog some space, angle slightly to the side, crouch, and glance away. McConnell notes that a human leaning in just half an inch makes a dog move away, where leaning back just slightly works as an invitation. The difference of an inch is dramatic in terms of building a relationship!
“Felt Safety” is Critical
Given how important body language is, why is it that beginner dog training classes never seem to spend any time on it? I suspect the answer is that we humans are in a rush to learn something that feels “real” and seems obviously helpful, like sit or stay.
Well, ask any veterinary behaviorist who’s counseled folks after dog bites, and they’ll tell you learning two-way body language is plenty useful and frankly a lot more important than “heel.”
Your skill in this area determines whether your dog feels safe with you and whether you’re able to assess when your dog feels uncomfortable.
It typically doesn’t even cross our minds that our dogs don’t feel safe. After all, we know they’re safe! But being safe and feeling safe are two very different things, and if an animal (humans included) doesn’t have “felt safety” it can affect an enormous range of behaviors. Dogs who feel safer become less skittish, obviously—but also less barky, less jumpy, more able to settle, and more attentive because they trust that listening to humans will work out well for them.
This is where the importance of body language comes in: Our body movement can either make our dogs feel safer or less safe. And our attention to their body language can either make them feel safer or less safe. It’s not an exaggeration to say that getting this right will transform your relationship with your dog.
Body Language 101
For me, Body Language Lesson #1 is teaching humans to get in the habit of giving their dog agency, the ability to choose. By being intentional with our own body movement, we can offer the relationship-building gift of distance. We can train ourselves to stop a foot or two away and invite the interaction rather than forcing it. We can stop the striding in with big footsteps and a direct approach. We can stop looming, cornering our dogs in small spaces, and swooping in to pick them up and hold them prisoner. In short, we can stop smothering them with our primate displays of affection.
If that key lesson is absorbed, it becomes a little less important to become an immediate expert at what is a trickier subject: truly reading your own dog’s body language. Almost everyone can see that a dog who’s running away, pulling away, or shaking is afraid. But sometimes we need a trainer to teach us how to look for loose, relaxed body language versus a stiff, still posture that signals uneasiness. There is much more to learn to recognize in time—tucked tails, lip-licking, rolling over, the lifting of one paw, a whale eye, etc.—but giving space and agency is an immediate game-changer.
Charades Mindset Helps
While most of the critical body-language-reading moments of the day do not happen during a training session—bites happen at Thanksgiving, not during training! —casual daily at-home sessions are incredibly helpful. Frequent practice in a predictable, rewarding situation will smooth the communication path between you and your dog. I encourage folks to make a daily habit of a handful of relaxed, fun, two-minute lessons. Teach easy, low-pressure stuff, such as touch and spin. By working on these things that “don’t matter,” you’ll be building your fluency together, which is the whole ballgame.
Have you ever played the game charades? When you’re trying to get better at body language, I think it’s helpful to use that game’s mindset as you train. The skills it takes to win at charades are 100% relevant to the skills it takes to build solid two-way communication with your dog:
Think through what you’re going to communicate beforehand.
Keep it simple or you’ll throw your teammate off.
No extraneous body movements or you could get onto a tangent you can’t get back from.
Clear your mind as you’re trying to decipher their clues, because your own thoughts will take you down the wrong road.
Give your full attention to your partner.
Understand that each round is half their job, but also half your job.
Your dog has actually been trying to play charades with you forever! He’s been watching your every move, trying to assess its meaning, and hoping you’ll respond to the clues he offers. Imagine his delight when he finds his teammate is suddenly coming to practice and engaged in the game! You’ll both end up enjoying the prize, which is a deepening interspecies friendship filled with trust and understanding.
As Frodo learned all too well, messing around with someone’s eye can be asking for trouble. And while administering ophthalmologic drops or ointment to your dog isn’t quite as hairy as tangling with the Red Eye of Sauron, it still can be an unpleasant experience for both of you if you are unprepared.
Eye drops and ointments are prescribed for a variety of ocular conditions in dogs, including glaucoma, corneal ulcers, and recovery from cataract surgery. Even a minor eye infection like conjunctivitis – what the kids in your grade-school days called “pink eye” – can require regular administration of drops.
But when it comes to putting anything in their eyes or those of their dogs, “people are naturally freaky about it,” says Dr. David Maggs, professor of veterinary ophthalmology at the University of California at Davis. “And it’s just difficult to aim: You’ve got a wriggly dog and a very small target.” It doesn’t help that eyes in need of medication tend to look very off-putting, to put it mildly: Even a superficial scratch of the cornea, which in many cases will resolve in a few days, can make your dog look like something out of a low-budget horror flick.
If you’re feeling trepidation, your dog probably isn’t looking forward to the experience, either. Most would rather be somewhere, anywhere, else rather than getting a generous splash of wetness plopped into their eye, which likely isn’t feeling so great to begin with. “Depending on the dog, they can be very sensitive, especially if they have ulcers in the eye, which are extremely painful,” says Dr. Tomas Infernuso, of Veterinary Traveling Surgical Services in Long Island, New York. “And they associate any kind of contact with pain.”
That said, there is something worse than having to deal with a dog’s resistance to getting eye medications: Having matters escalate to the point where you can’t give them at all. “I’ve seen dogs who have lost an eye because people couldn’t medicate them,” Dr. Infernuso says. And that’s really not an option.
Find a Technique That Works For You
Ask 10 veterinarians, and chances are that you’ll hear 10 different (and sometimes contradictory) recommendations on how best to give eye medications. The following are some tips to make the process a little smoother; pick the ones that work best for you and your dog.
Ask 10 veterinarians, and chances are that you’ll hear 10 different (and sometimes contradictory) recommendations on how best to give eye medications. The following are some tips to make the process a little smoother; pick the ones that work best for you and your dog.
Cornered! Dr. Brad Holmberg, a board-certified ophthalmologist at the Animal Eye Center in Little Falls, New Jersey, likes to position the dog so she can’t back away: For small dogs, that’s on a table or countertop, with the dog’s rear against you – “butt to belly,” as he puts it.
Dr. Holmberg recommends straddling large dogs (who need to stay on the floor) with your thighs and elbows, and maneuvering their backs into a corner so they have no way to escape.
“Place your left hand on their chin and angle their head up,” he explains. Rest your right hand on the dog’s forehead, with the applicator ready. Using the thumb of the left hand, which is still steadying the chin, pull up the eyebrow – not the eyelid – to expose the white of the eye, and apply the drops.
Lessrestraint. Dr. Infernuso, by contrast, prefers not to restrain the dog unduly. “I usually start by rubbing the dog on the head, so he knows I’m not just going for the eye,” he explains. “Then I gently massage the area around the eye,” being careful, of course, not to put any pressure on the eye itself.
Restraining a dog, he notes, usually will mean that she will resist you. “They learn that when they’re held, something’s going to happen, so it usually turns out to be more of a struggle than an easy way out, and usually you get the opposite of what you want.”
Instead, with most patients, he offers food with one hand and administers the medicine with the other. (In a variation of this, a dog rescuer recently exulted on Facebook that she had found the perfect distraction: peanut butter smeared inside a yogurt cup, then held high to induce a helpful head tilt.)
I’ll take Ointment. Dr. Infernuso prefers ointment, because it lasts longer, and administers it by using his thumb to pull down the bottom eyelid, then deposits the medication on the pink tissue, or conjunctival sac. “You don’t have to open the eye that much, and you don’t want to touch the cornea,” he says. He administers drops this way, too.
Going steady. Take a tip from the manicurist: If you’ve ever gone to a nail salon, you might have noticed that the technician stabilizes the hand she holds the nail-polish brush with by resting her pinky against the table; it gives her more control and accuracy. Use that same technique with the hand that holds the eye medication.
“Resting your hand on your dog’s head is important – you don’t want to be holding the bottle above his head,” says Dr. Jacqueline Pearce, an assistant professor of comparative ophthalmology at the University of Missouri in Columbia. “Hold the medicine bottle or tube with your thumb and forefinger, and rest your pinky on the dog’s forehead.” Use the fingers of your other hand to hold the dog’s eyelid open.
Don’t telegraph your plans. Dr. Pearce also advocates the element of surprise, bringing the bottle from behind. “Move your hand along the dog’s neck toward the back of the head,” she advises. “That’s better than if you come straight at them with the bottle.”
Hands Off. Administering eye medication is a tricky little dance: You have to get close enough to ensure that the liquid or ointment actually gets into the eye, but not so close as to let any portion of the applicator make contact with it. With eye drops, hold the applicator about an inch from the eye, and be conscious of where it is at all times. “I’ve seen people rupture the eye by holding it too close,” Dr. Infernuso warns, “or the dog turns his head and basically perforates the cornea.”
Though you might be tempted to squeeze ointment on to your finger before applying it, don’t: No matter how well you clean your hands, you will transmit bacteria into your dog’s eye. Again, with ointment you don’t apply it to the eye itself, but rather to the strip of pink tissue behind the eyelid. Once placed there, the ointment will dissolve and distribute itself across the eye.
BePrepared. “Get your drops ready,” Dr. Holmberg says. “Remember to take the top off before you start.” To soften ointment so that is more viscous and easier to spread, put the tube under your armpit or in your pants pocket for five minutes. “It will be more like a gel than toothpaste,” he explains.
If you’re short on time, you can also run the ointment under warm tap water for a minute or so, Dr. Pearce adds. She notes that eye drops rarely have to be refrigerated, but if yours do – or if they have been in a cold car or storage area for any length of time – leave them out for ten minutes so they warm to room temperature. Overly cold liquid is uncomfortable for your dog.
Helpwanted. If at all possible, have a capable helper on hand. One person can help support the head and body to keep the dog still, while the other person focuses on holding and administering the medication.
Accentuate the positive. “One thing that’s really helpful is to reward the dog after he gets eye drops, so he associates it with something positive,” says Dr. Pearce of the University of Michigan. “I’ve had clients who say their dogs remind them it’s time for their drops.”
Tough Customer?
Oh, to have a pliant and pleasant Lassie who lifts her comely head to you in trust and deference as you administer those all-important drops. But the reality is that some dogs are simply not willing to follow a script when it comes to medical procedures, and if you want to get the job done, some vets offer more compulsory methods to consider. This may go against your personal philosophy in handling your dog, but, as always, measure it against the potential repercussions of not being able to medicate at all.
Several veterinarians suggest giving the antihistamine Benadryl, which can have a subtle settling effect, about a half-hour before applying the eye medication. (The recommended dose is 1 milligram per pound of body weight.) Dr. Infernuso notes that because many eye conditions are painful, it can be appropriate to have the dog on some pain medication to manage that discomfort to begin with.
“Sometimes, a soft muzzle will preoccupy a dog” long enough for an owner to administer the medication, Dr. Pearce notes. And sometimes that kind of mouth restraint is required with dogs who may be unhappy or panicked enough to attempt to bite when the bottle draws near.
Dr. Holmberg notes that wrapping a small dog in a towel is sometimes very calming, though this may have more to do with the dog being immobilized rather than any more relaxed emotional state. Following this train of thought, consider using a pressure wrap such as an Anxiety Wrap or ThunderShirt. Tight-fitting garments made of elastic fabric that distributes pressure across the body, these wraps can decrease anxiety for some dogs, though of course they will do nothing to physically restrain them.
Dr. Maggs of UC Davis suggests putting the dog “in an area where he is not emotionally sure of himself – where he tends to freeze and be still.” For large dogs, he suggests an elevated area such as a table – provided you have enough help and control to keep the dog there during the process – or a bathtub; for smaller dogs, a sink often does the trick.
In the interest of “getting the job done,” using compulsion can seem like the most logical and expedient choice. But remember that once a dog is “wise” to your tricks, things can escalate, and you are put in the position of using even harsher measures to get the same effect. In the interest of preserving and building the bond you have between you, keep your interactions as positive and rewarding as possible. The results might not be as immediate, but they will very likely be longer-lasting.
Strike that Balance
It should go without saying, but let’s say it anyway: Be gentle. In particular, don’t put too much pressure around eye and be mindful of hurting your dog if he is so unruly that he’s bucking like a bronco. At the same time, don’t be so tepid or unsure that you communicate this to your dog. Remind yourself that this is a simple medical procedure that even the greenest layperson can do with the proper technique. And you’ve just learned it.
The problem with eye medication is most dogs don’t have a chance to be introduced to it in a gradual, positive manner: Instead, the need for it is often instantaneous and unexpected, and owners simply don’t have the time to build up a positive association, the way they would with other potentially invasive procedures such as nail trimming or bathing.
But if your dog develops a condition that requires long-term daily administration of ophthalmologic drops or ointments, it may be worth it to you to you to take the time to condition your dog to love the eye-drop bottle or tube. Veterinarian, trainer, and author Dr. Sophia Yin recommends systematically pairing the bottle and progressively intense handling with food rewards over the course of a couple of weeks.
To start, use an empty drop bottle smeared with canned cheese or peanut butter, and “let the dog lick the treat off,”
Dr. Yin advises. “It’s best to spread it flat and thin so the dog has to lick repeatedly instead of sucking up the entire treat with one quick roll of the tongue.”
Once your dog is consistently happy to see the bottle, Dr. Yin recommends starting to pair food with touching the dog’s face, systematically and gradually approximating how you will touch it in order to give the drops, such as parting the eyelids. Once she accepts that, you reintroduce the treat-smeared bottle, allowing her to lick the food off the bottle as you mimic the steps of administering the medicine, eventually quickly moving the bottle into position above the eye before returning it to a place where she can continue noshing.
“Keep switching back and forth, systematically increasing the length of time that you hold the bottle above her eye,” Dr. Yin explains. “When you’re consistently able to hold the bottle above her head for three to five seconds, you’re ready to administer drops. Switch the fake practice bottle out and replace it with the real bottle of medications. Administer the drops, and then hurry and follow with treats.”
Denise Flaim of Revodana Ridgebacks in Long Island, New York, shares her home with three Ridgebacks, 10-year-old triplets, and a very patient husband.
For some dogs, the frustration created by a barrier such as a leash or fence can trigger reactive behavior. Photo by Anton Novikov, Getty Images
Reactivity in dogs is an abnormal level of arousal in response to a normal stimulus. “Reactive” doesn’t necessarily imply aggression, although some dogs with reactive behaviors certainly can be aggressive. It just means a dog who gets way too excited over something in her environment—and not just excited as in, “Oh hi, I’m so happy to see you!” Rather, it’s way too excited as in an alarmingly aroused “Bark, bark, bark, lunge,” and maybe even a canine scream or two and possible escalation to biting.
Note that I use the phrase, “a dog with reactive behavior” rather than “reactive dog.” While a dog’s reactive behavior can be overwhelming to her human, it usually only occurs in specific trigger circumstances. Labeling your dog a “reactive dog” reduces her to her least favorable trait, when in fact most of the time she may be a lovely canine companion, especially if you do a good job of managing her exposure to her trigger stimuli.
What Causes a Dog to Display Reactive Behavior?
The most common causes of reactive behavior in dogs are:
Excitement/Frustration. We often see this behavior with dogs who have a history of being able to perform a particular behavior and now are prevented from doing so.
The most common example is a dog who has been allowed to regularly greet other dogs at will, both on and off leash, and is now restricted by her leash or a fence. This is known as “leash-reactivity.” These are the dogs who are likely to be socially appropriate if and when they are allowed to greet another dog without restraint.
Understanding what your dog is reacting to is an important part of determining the best way to modify the behavior. Photo by Michelle Kelley Photography, Getty Images
This is often the simplest reactive behavior to modify, as we don’t need to change the dog’s emotional response to her trigger from negative to positive, we just have to tone down her excitement arousal. This dog’s primary motivation is usually not aggression.
However, if her high level of arousal is intimidating or offensive to the other dog, this can trigger defensive aggression from the recipient of her extreme emotions. Excitement reactivity is also a common behavior with dogs who have other impulse-control challenges. See “Dog Impulse-Control Training,” WDJ November 2021.
Defensive Reactivity. This is most often seen with dogs who have fear-related behaviors and often begins to present somewhere between the age of 6 months to a year.
Fearful puppies often just shut down when they feel threatened. As they begin to mature, they can become a little more confident about making a statement – on one occasion they growl when approached rather than just shutting down, and the person or other dog backs away. The dog realizes, “Hey, that worked—I’m going to do that again!” The behavior is reinforced by the removal of the aversive stimulus. Behaviors that are reinforced tend to increase, and the defensive-aggressive reactive behavior escalates.
Defensive reactivity in dogs may also be the result of a past association. A dog who was previously attacked by other dogs or badly treated by humans can also become defensive. As the defensive behavior increases and (in the dog’s mind) is effective in keeping the dog alive, the behavior may eventually morph into full-blown reactivity.
Offensive Reactivity. These dogs are not just putting on a show in order to make other dogs keep their distance; they really will attack other dogs.
This can be the most challenging of the various reactive behaviors and will likely require an extensive amount of behavior modification to change the dog’s strong, offensive emotional response. This dog may never be compatible with other dogs or completely trustworthy around her triggers, but with work may be able to be socially appropriate when properly managed.
How to Modify Your Dog’s Reactivity
As with all behavior challenges, the first important step is management. The better you are at managing your dog’s environment to prevent opportunities for her to practice the behavior, the more successful your modification program will be. You also have an obligation to prevent your dog from upsetting the world around her with her strong emotional responses. This might mean enrichment and exercise in your own yard rather than on-leash walks around the neighborhood that result in multiple reactive incidents every time – or scheduling your walks very early or late in the day when other people are less likely to be out with their dogs.
It also means keeping your radar on when you walk (not talking on your cell phone) so you can do avoidance moves like “Walk Away” the moment you see a potential trigger stimulus in the distance. See “How to Teach Your Dog to Just Walk Away,” WDJ September 2018.
Other measures might include the Thunder Cap/Calming Cap (to reduce visual stimuli for your dog), making veterinary appointments for your dog at low activity times and/or asking your vet to let you wait in the car and come in a back entrance, and talking to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medications if appropriate (see “Anti-Anxiety Medications for Dogs,” February 2023).
For the actual modification of reactive behavior, you have choices. Counter conditioning and desensitization is usually my first choice. It is a relatively simple protocol that people are often (but not always!) able to implement without much guidance from a behavior professional.
With the stimulus at a below-threshold intensity (for reactivity this is usually the distance from the trigger where your dog notices but isn’t reacting), you feed your dog a high value treat (such as fresh bits of roasted chicken) every time she looks at the trigger, until her behavior indicates that she begins to think, “Chicken!” when she sees the stimulus, rather than “Bark and get excited!” We call this the “conditioned emotional response.” The stronger your dog’s emotional response to her triggers, the longer it is likely to take for her to get there. See “Counter-Conditioning and Desensitization for Reducing Dog Reactivity,” on the WDJ website.
I have also had success modifying reactive behavior using the Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) procedure. This is a more complex protocol that usually requires working closely with your favorite qualified force-free professional. In this procedure, the dog learns that calm behavior makes the unpleasant or uncomfortable stimuli go away; eventually the dog becomes calm and no longer feels the need to display reactive behavior. (“Reverse CAT” works the opposite way; the frustrated dog learns to stay calm in order to make good things come closer.) See “Modifying Aggressive Dog Behavior,” May 2008.
The above-described protocols can be very effective in modifying your dog’s reactive behavior, and a qualified force-free professional can offer you other options as well. See “Find the Best Trainer for You and Your Dog,” July 2023.
Don’t Punish
It is critical that you do not punish your dog for her reactive behavior. The stress you add by verbally or physically trying to “correct” your dog for her “bad” behavior will add tension to her already strong emotions. Remember that she is not choosing to be deliberately “bad” – she is overwhelmed by emotions that she cannot control. Even if you succeed in shutting down the reactive behavior in the moment, you are very likely to do more harm in the long run by adding to her emotional load. Recent studies confirm that punishment and force-based methods can do significant damage to a dog’s quality of life. You don’t want to do that – you want to improve your dog’s quality of life!
New puppy stress is real. Remember, the puppy has been taken from the only home he ever knew and away from his littermates. Loose stools and/or diarrhea can occur as a result. Credit: Danita Delimont | Getty Images
A puppy may have diarrhea for many reasons and usually is not reason to immediately overreact unless you’re seeing additional symptoms. Start with simple reasons for your new puppy’s diarrhea first:
He has had major life changes. He is leaving the only home he has known, leaving his canine family, and moving to a new place with new people and maybe new animal friends. Diarrhea is a common stress reaction. Hold off on friends visiting your new puppy. Give him some time to settle in with quiet time and rest.
Diet change. Most breeders send you home with a bag of the same food your pup has been eating. Stick with that food to start and go slow on treats (treat with the puppy’s kibble!). If you wish to change to a different food or diet plan, do it gradually.
Parasites and illnesses. Anytime a dog has diarrhea, but especially with a puppy, parasites and illnesses need to be considered. Even if your breeder or rescue has dewormed him, take a fecal sample into your veterinarian. Better safe than sorry. Parasites like Giardia and coccidia can be missed with just one check or treatment.
When to Worry With Puppy Diarrhea
If the diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, any blood in the stool, and signs of sickness such as a fever, lethargy, and not eating, your pup needs to be seen by your veterinarian. Puppies can dehydrate quickly, especially toy breed puppies who are susceptible to hypoglycemia – low blood sugar – as well.
If your puppy has diarrhea but is still playful and otherwise going gangbusters with some soft stool, you may be able to manage this at home with some care and careful observation:
Keep him clean. The hardest problem with a playful, active pup with diarrhea is keeping him clean. Change bedding frequently and rinse off his rear and feet in the sink or the bathtub with warm water.
Be sure he is hydrated. Make sure your pup is drinking. Dehydration is always a concern with a puppy with diarrhea. You can add a little electrolyte solution such as Pedialyte to his water, if needed.
What to feed a puppy with diarrhea. Stick to bland food and skip the treats for now. A chicken and rice food or home-cooked plain (no seasonings) chicken breast and plain white rice are easy to digest. Canned mackerel is easy on the system. Add a small amount of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie version, which contains spices!) to help firm up stools. If stools don’t start to firm up in 24 to 36 hours, a veterinary visit is in order.
The more time that passes, the more likely you are to have pictures that feature several dogs who are no longer with you.
If you, like me, have posted photos of your dogs on social media for a long time, there’s every chance that you, like me, get regularly smacked in the face by a Facebook “memory” – a picture of your beloved heart dog who passed some time ago. And the longer you have been online, the more dogs you have loved and lost will appear there – sometimes in a group shot!
It’s bittersweet, isn’t it? When you unexpectedly see a photo of a small happy or funny moment that you may have forgotten about without the photo’s resurfacing, it’s just as likely to make you smile as bring tears to your eyes. Well, the smiles get more common the more time that goes by. When I see photos of Rupert, my sweet, sensitive Border Collie who died in late 2003 at the age of 14 years, I smile every time. But I’m still prone to getting weepy if I see a post about Otto, whom I lost last June.
I’m aware that we can delete these old posts so they never are presented to us again as a “Facebook memory” – and I have deleted a few. I still have the photos, and I can look them up in my filing cabinets and on my backup drives. But there are some memories that are too hard to revisit – at least when it happens without warning, or when I don’t have time for processing the feelings that arise when I see the serious, loving gaze of Otto as an old dog; he had such gravitas!
The older the photo, the more likely I can look at it without pain. The older Otto got, the more he acted like a grumpy uncle or behavior cop to my foster dogs and puppies. But when he was young, he used to play with them! It makes me happy to remember that.
It’s far easier to revisit the memories and photos of him as a young dog, still trying to figure out life with humans and new to his role as the leader to and guide for foster puppies and dogs. This makes perfect sense; those memories are farther away from the present and the more painful recent past. Is there a way to change the Facebook settings so they only show us memories that are more than, say, five years old?
Even if there isn’t a way to do that, and even if Facebook serves up are painful reminders of my loss from time to time, I’m glad to have this weird little digital time capsule of my life with my dogs, both the ones who have shared my life for years and years and the dozens of foster dogs who shared my home for just a few weeks or months. I never want to forget any of them.
While fresh garden vegetables are as appealing to your dog as they are to you, be wary of onions, which are toxic to dogs. Credit: StephM2506 | Getty Images
Approximately 100 grams – about a half cup – of onion can be toxic to a 45-lb. dog. Onion powder is more concentrated, and therefore worse, but most dogs only get powder in small amounts in cooked foods.
A dog who ate an onion may vomit or have diarrhea, refuse to eat, and may have oral or gastric pain. You may notice difficulty breathing, lethargy, and/or feel a rapid heartbeat. Be aware, however: “Signs may not occur until several days after ingestion,” according to the American College of Apothecaries.
The toxic compound in onions is N-propyl disulphide. This substance destroys red blood cells and can lead to anemia. With anemia, your dog may become weak and lethargic. You might notice a rapid heartbeat if you feel your dog’s chest or see that his gums are pale.
What to Do If Your Dog Eats an Onion
If you realize your dog ate an onion, try to make him vomit. A tiny piece of onion won’t be a big problem in most dogs, except small dogs, but any large chunks or whole onions can cause toxicity. Contact your veterinarian immediately, even if you made your dog vomit.
The vet will induce vomiting and give activated charcoal to try and bind the toxic compound. In severe cases, your dog may need a transfusion. Blood samples will be drawn to check for anemia and Heinz bodies (damaged red blood cell proteins). Your dog may need recheck blood samples to ensure he is recovering from the onion ingestion.
Many onion exposures are small but if repeated could cause symptoms just like one big exposure. If you are feeding baby food to a tiny puppy or to tempt a finicky or sick dog, always check the ingredients. Many of these products include onion powder. If you cook a soup using onions, onion powder, or garlic in any form, do not share any with your dog.
Dogs can eat many vegetables, including carrots – baby carrots are a little-dog favorite – and green beans (many dogs like them frozen!). Vegetables are a great healthy treat for dogs.
Ticks can’t jump. Instead, they hang out at the ends of grass waiting to latch onto an unsuspecting host, like a dog, spreading diseases like babesiosis. Credit: Faba Photography | Getty Images
Babesiosis is primarily transmitted through a tick bite but can infect puppies in utero and be spread by dog bites through saliva. The tiny parasite that causes babesiosis attacks and destroys red blood cell, causing anemia. While most dogs develop a slowly progressing illness with minimal symptoms, some dogs show an acute, aggressive illness.
An important consideration with babesiosis is that infected dogs never totally rid themselves of this infection, even with treatment. An infected dog is considered a lifetime carrier, with illness possible under stressful conditions. The dog may also serve as a potential source of infection for other dogs. Dogs used for blood transfusion donations should be screened for babesiosis. The same is true for any dog adopted out of a dog-fighting scenario.
Symptoms of Babesiosis
Symptoms of babesiosis include hematuria, which is blood in the urine; dark urine; pale membranes from the anemia; and weakness, swollen lymph nodes, and an enlarged and fragile spleen. Many dogs have a fever and are lethargic.
Imidocarb, azithromycin and atovaquone, and clindamycin are all potential medications for treatment. Very anemic dogs may need transfusions and are acutely ill.
Avoiding Babesiosis
As with so many tickborne diseases, avoiding this disease starts with tick control. With so many options, from orals medications and topicals for the skin to collars, you should be able to find the right one for your dog.
Management such as making your yard and outdoor areas unattractive to ticks also helps. Repellent sprays can help to keep ticks off your dog. Be sure you know what a tick looks like and how to remove it and do daily checks, such as wiping your dog over with a lint roller after a hike in fields or woods to pick up ticks before they attach.
A vaccine in Europe only seems to work on certain species. No vaccine is available in North America as of this writing.
You can let your dog have share some oatmeal, but be sure it’s made from plain oats and water without things like raisins or artificial sweeteners. Credit: Aleksandar Nakic | Getty Images
Your dog can safely eat most forms of oatmeal, but avoid those packets of flavored oatmeal, as they may contain other ingredients that are harmful to your dog, including the deadly sweetener xylitol. Stick with plain oats.
These qualities can help to support heart and gastro-intestinal tract health for your dog. Oatmeal also can help promote healthy weight and stable blood glucose levels. Oatmeal is good for dogs with diarrhea or loose stools because it’s high in fiber.
How to Feed Oatmeal to Dogs
When cooking oatmeal for your dog, use water instead of milk. Most dogs are lactose intolerant, so water is the better choice. Follow the instructions for the plain oats of your choice. You can even use overnight oats that soak overnight.
As with any new food, introduce oatmeal gradually so that your dog doesn’t get an upset stomach. Start with about a spoonful of cooked oatmeal at a time. You can work up to about 6 ounces of oatmeal a day per 25 pounds of the dog’s bodyweight.
If you plan to home-cook your dog’s meals rather than just feeding oatmeal as a supplemental snack, consult with a veterinary nutritionist or use BalanceIt.com to formulate a complete and balanced diet. This will ensure that your dog gets all the nutrients that she needs to be happy and healthy long term.
And don’t forget to let the oatmeal cool before you serve it to your dog!
Oatmeal in Dog Food
Oatmeal is sometimes used in commercial dog foods as an alternate carbohydrate source instead of wheat, rice, or corn. Provided that the dog food packaging has an AAFCO statement declaring that it is formulated to meet nutritional standards for your dog’s life stage, you are all set to feed it to your dog as-is.
Oatmeal is also used in many treats that your dog may enjoy.
Can Dogs Eat Uncooked Oatmeal?
Dogs should not eat uncooked “raw” oatmeal. The cooking process makes it easier for dogs to digest. Eating dry uncooked oatmeal in large quantities may cause your dog to bloat, which is a medical emergency.
Can Dogs Eat Oatmeal Cookies?
Dogs can eat oatmeal cookies once in a great while depending on what else is in them. Remember that raisins and chocolate chips are both toxic to dogs, which rules out many oatmeal cookies. The high sugar content of many cookies is not ideal for our canine companions, however.
Unless you are certain all the ingredients in an oatmeal cookie are safe for dogs, keep that treat for yourself.
Universal dog microchip scanners can be used to identify any dog with a microchip and get that dog back to the owner. Credit: Ali Cobanoglu | Getty Images
YES, microchipping your dog is 100% worth it! This quick, easy, inexpensive process gives your dog permanent identification that will stay with her for life no matter where she goes. If she ever gets lost, that microchip will be the best bet you have of being reunited.
Five reasons to microchip your dog are:
Collars and tags can fall off, but microchips are forever.
Once your dog’s microchip is registered with your contact information, it will stay in the database forever.
You can quickly and easily update your contact information online.
Almost all shelters, vet clinics, and animal control officers have universal scanners to check a lost dog for a microchip.
Microchips are safe, easy to implant, and inexpensive.
A microchip is permanent identification that shows the dog is linked to you. Each chip has a unique number. Most chip numbers also indicate the company that made the chip.
Once a microchip has been implanted under your dog’s skin (usually behind the shoulder blades), the chip needs to be registered with the manufacturer. In other words, if your dog’s microchip was purchased from HomeAgain, you will register through HomeAgain, if the chip was made by PetLink you will register with PetLink, and so on.
How Much to Microchip a Dog?
The cost of a microchip for a dog is generally $30 to $60, but that will vary depending on where you live and the brand of microchip used. The cost includes the microchip itself, implantation of the chip under your dog’s skin, and registration.
You do not have to purchase an annual subscription from the manufacturer for your dog’s and your information to remain in their database. These basic features are forever. The annual subscriptions provide additional features that vary from brand to brand, so read the details to see if you are interested.
When to Microchip Your Dog
The microchip can be implanted once your dog is 6 weeks old. It can be done during a routine vaccine appointment, or while your dog is under anesthesia for a spay or neuter surgery or a dental cleaning.
Microchip Registration Is Critical
Registering the microchip is what links the unique code in your dog’s microchip with your name and contact information. Most chips can be registered online, and you can choose to add multiple family members or co-owners as desired. Your veterinary clinic staff may register the microchip for you at the time of implantation, so be sure to ask how to access the account so you can keep your contact info up to date.
If your dog gets lost, most veterinarians, animal control officers, and shelters now have universal scanners to scan for a microchip. This means that one scanner can read microchips made by many manufacturers. When the person who scanned your dog has the microchip number, they can look it up online to then contact the company and get your contact information. In a matter of minutes, they can call you to let you know your dog is safe and sound. A study by Linda Lord, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, showed that the biggest reason microchipped pets were not returned to their owners was failure of the owners to update the information in the microchip database.
A dog who is constantly licking the base of his tail is reacting to discomfort. Credit: Maryna Terletska | Getty Images
A dog who spends a lot of time licking near the base of his tail is often suffering from anal gland issues, allergies, or both. Allergies, especially a food allergy, can cause inflammation of the anal glands, which is irritating to the dog.
Other potential causes of a dog licking the base of the tail include fleas in the area, hot spots, perianal fistulas, and perianal tumors. If your dog is licking back there a lot, take a good look at the general area yourself.
The dog’s licking implies something is uncomfortable. The sooner you get a veterinary diagnosis and appropriate treatment the sooner your best friend and companion is feeling better and can get back to living his best life.
Anal Gland Inflammation
The anal glands are two natural scent glands that sit at approximately 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock, if the anus was a clock face. Each time the dog has a bowel movement, a little of the anal gland secretions are squeezed out, keeping the glands from uncomfortably overfilling. Some dogs, depending on how the gland and its opening are anatomically situated, are unable to achieve this natural anal gland expression.
These dogs will either scoot on their behinds or lick obsessively at the area to try and relieve the uncomfortable pressure. For these dogs, routine manual anal gland expression is usually recommended to keep them comfortable. In addition to overfilling, anal glands can become inflamed, impacted, or infected.
For these dogs, working with your veterinarian is critical to getting the problem diagnosed and controlled. Additionally, your dog may need to have his inflamed anal glands flushed and an anti-inflammatory ointment infused into the gland. Impacted anal glands require manual expression by your veterinarian. Infected anal glands are usually treated with a flush, oral antibiotics, oral anti-inflammatory medications, and warm water soaks or sitz baths to encourage draining.
Allergies and Inflammation
Dogs with allergies lick and scratch a lot, sometimes all over, sometimes only in certain areas, such as around the base of the tail. If your dog is licking or chewing a lot back near the tail, the first thing to do is check for fleas, and if he is not on an effective flea control product, get him on one. Itching, licking, and chewing in the rump area, where the tail is, is frequently due to flea allergy dermatitis (FAD).
Licking under the base of tail and around the sides is often associated with food allergy. Your veterinarian will likely recommend a special diet trial to see if the urge to lick goes away while on a hypoallergenic food. If it does, keeping your dog on that food should resolve the licking.
It can be difficult to keep a dog from jumping the fence, especially if they are athletic and confident. Credit: fotorince | Getty Images
A fenced yard can be great when you have a dog. It gives them a safe place to play, relieve themselves, and enjoy being outside as well as providing a reasonably controlled environment for training, exercise, and enrichment activities. However, that safety can disappear quickly if your dog finds a way to get out of the yard.
It’s safe to assume that if a dog can get over, under, or through a barrier, she will. This raises the question of how to keep a dog in the yard once she figures out how to beat the fence. To be honest, the only reliable way to keep a dog from jumping the fence is to build a better fence. Training your dog to respect boundaries can help, but there is no way to guarantee that training will hold if something frightening or exciting happens while you are not there to reinforce the behavior you expect.
Why Dogs Escape
Identifying the cause of the problem won’t change how to keep a dog in the yard; to reiterate, if a dog is capable of getting out, always assume the time will come when she will. However, having an idea of what motivates your dog might offer some insight into how to improve her life overall. While the human/canine communication barrier prevents us from knowing exactly why a specific dog might decide to leave when an opportunity presents itself, we can make some educated guesses:
Boredom: A dog who is not getting enough stimulation may feel the need to go look for something better to do than hanging around in the same old space doing the same old things.
Loneliness: While some dogs are fine by themselves, others don’t like to be alone for long periods of time. If company can be found outside the yard, then over the fence they will go if they can manage it.
Separation anxiety: A dog experiencing separation anxiety may attempt to get back to where she feels safe – namely, with her humans. If this seems like it might be why your dog is trying to escape, it’s time to stop putting her out in the yard alone and first work on resolving her anxiety. Anxiety and fear can drive a dog to extreme measures such as flinging herself at the fence, biting or tearing at barriers, or forcing her way through too-small gaps.
Fear: Similarly, if something in the yard scares a dog to the point where she feels the need to escape, she will be very motivated to find a way out, fence or no fence.
External stimulation: There are a plethora of things that can trigger a dog’s desire to approach something they can’t reach because of the fence. Whether it’s chasing squirrels or wanting to get to another dog or human, seeing something on the other side can create a need to get out.
Fun: Sometimes the grass just looks greener on the other side. Exploring can be reason enough to go wandering even if there is plenty of fun stuff to do at home.
Good Fencing for Dogs
While no barrier is perfect, a good fence will go a long way toward keeping your dog in and other animals and humans out. Things to consider when assessing fencing for dogs include:
Your dog: Step one is to observe your dog, keeping in mind any traits or behaviors that might play a role in how she interacts with a fence. For example, an energetic, athletic dog may need a taller, stronger fence than one who just wants to laze around in the sun when outside. That goes double for a dog who has shown signs of wanting to jump or climb. On the other end of the fence, a small dog or a dog who wants to dig may need something that sits flush with or below ground level. Keep in mind that a puppy or a dog who is new to the household may become more willing to test the fence as she gains confidence.
Fence height: While 6 feet is generally considered a safe bet for most dogs, there is no fool-proof guide to guessing the right fence height. Typically, taller dogs call for taller fences, but there are plenty of small dogs that can get some serious airtime and they have less mass to weigh them down when climbing. It’s worth noting that the current record holder for “highest jump by a dog” logged a leap of 75.5 inches (6.3 feet). The record was set for a clean jump; if a dog can get a paw on something to give them a lift, or jump high enough to get paws over a support and climb the rest of the way, even a 6-foot fence might not be enough if you’ve got a real athlete on your hands.
Fence add-ons: For a determined climber or digger (see the sidebar below), there are some options to help keep them from getting out. An inward slanting panel at the top of a fence can make it harder to climb over while a concrete strip or L-shaped footer buried underground can serve to keep a digger contained.
Gaps and spacing: Pay attention to any gaps in the fencing, particularly at corners, gates, and where the fence meets the ground. Also note how closely spaced the fencing material is. A good rule of thumb is that if the dog can get her head through, the rest of her could follow.
Material: Discussing the pros and cons of fencing materials could be an article unto itself. In short, the best option depends a lot on the dog, location, and available budget. Of the more commonly used materials, chain link and other metal mesh fences are durable, low-maintenance, and often more budget friendly. However, they are climbable, flexible, and often have gaps at gates or corners. Wooden panel fencing provides more privacy and less external stimulation, but tends to require more maintenance, especially in harsher climates. It can also be chewable and provide purchase for determined climbers. Vinyl panel fencing is lower maintenance and longer-lasting than wood while offering many of the same benefits. It is also slippery enough to make climbing difficult, but can be more expensive and harder to repair if damaged. Brick or stone walls are great for containing dogs but can get very pricey, especially if they need to be taller than a few feet.
Extending Existing Fencing
When it comes to extending a fence your dog has already (or nearly) escaped, half measures generally won’t cut it. For example, if you were to add only a foot to a fence your dog has jumped or climbed over before, you may end up encouraging her to just try harder next time. The same goes for diggers; a footer that goes a short way past the depth your dog dug to previously might actually teach her to dig deeper. Also, filling in or reinforcing only the spot your dog dug out of may push her to try other spots along the fence instead. To be effective, fence extensions need to be significant to stand a chance.
Two Types of Canine Escape Artists
There are two individuals in my dog history – both beloved residents of the family kennel – that came immediately to mind when I started writing this article. The first, Lupe, was a joyful and relentless digger. She tunneled everywhere – in between runs in the kennel (which then had packed pea-gravel footing), under fences separating the dog yards, and out under the main dog paddock fence. She was also a big fan of bringing friends. If she was in the yard with a buddy, she’d urge them through the hole. If she was solo, she’d dig into another run or yard before heading out to explore the neighborhood. We were very, very lucky that nobody got hurt or lost before we figured out that she could and would go through pretty much anything even remotely diggable the moment her humans turned their backs.
Lupe has the honor of being the impetus for one of the kennel’s most expensive fencing renovations to date. In order to make a safe place for her (and her daughter, who picked up her mother’s hobby), we ended up renting a backhoe and digging a trench around the perimeter of every fence on the property meant to contain a dog. From there, we installed L-shaped panels that extended two feet below ground and one foot in. Lupe spent six months spot testing the new fence before deciding her digging efforts were better spent on gopher holes.
The second, Blue, was a climber. In his case, we didn’t figure that out for a while. He came to us as a rescue with a plethora of tick-borne illnesses. Recovery was slow but when his energy finally started to come back, he began climbing the fences, which were mostly chain link or wire mesh over wood. In his case, the climbing seemed to be motivated by separation anxiety. Especially in the early days, when he was still learning that we were his and he was ours, he really struggled with not having a human in sight and would do what he felt he needed to do to fix that – including scaling 6-foot chain link.
Trust-building and training helped him to feel more comfortable and eventually he was able to happily spend time in the yard, but he was always a climber. We ended up adding a chain link roof to one of the outdoor dog runs so he would have a safe place to hang out and get some fresh air without us being right there with him.
The Dangers of Tie-outs and Invisible Fences
It may be tempting to look for other ways to restrain your dog outside if existing fencing isn’t doing the trick, especially since a new, dog-safe fence can be a major expense. Unfortunately, there aren’t many good options available.
While it was once a commonly used approach, leaving a dog outside on a line or chain puts her at significant risk of injury. First, it’s too easy for a dog to get tangled in the line, even if there aren’t any obvious objects to get stuck on. If the line gets wrapped around a leg, or worse, around the dog’s neck, it can cause sprains, broken bones, or strangulation. There is also the risk of neck and back injuries if the dog were to get jerked to a sudden stop by outrunning the length of line or chain.
Electronic “invisible” fences, which usually work by supplying a shock, vibration, or sound via a special collar when the dog goes past the set boundary, aren’t a good way to go either. Even if you pick a “pain free” option that cues the dog with sound or vibration and provide training based on positive associations, it comes back to the question of “Will it hold when something scary or thrilling happens?” Let’s say a loose dog comes running through the barrier (which he can’t see or feel) and starts a fight with your dog. In the fear and confusion, how likely is it that your dog will remember her training and prioritize staying within the boundary over her own life?
What to Do if You Don’t Have a Dog-Proof Fence
Whether it’s the expense, the circumstances (such as rental property rules), or if you’ve just found yourself sharing your life with an incredible dog who can get through anything not designed to hold a grizzly bear, building a better fence isn’t always possible. It’s worth remembering that a fenced yard is not a requirement for giving your dog a good life. As long as you are able to provide her with appropriate exercise and enrichment through walks, training, and other activities, she doesn’t need to be loose in a yard to be happy and healthy.
