May 2010

This Month...

By The Numbers
Up and Down Dogs... Read Now

On Good Behavior
Reward Pet's Good Manners... Read Now

On The Move
Planning Will Make a Change of Address
Easier on Your Pet... Read Now

Total Recall
Training Key to a Dog's Save, Prompt Return... Read Now

The Scoop
Patience key to getting good pet pics... Read Now

The Buzz
Bites Not Likely Triggered By Breed... Read Now

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Up and Down Dogs

The popularity of small dogs (under 20 pounds) has steadily risen over the past decade. Some of the biggest increases in registration are among these breeds:

• Cavalier King Charles spaniels
• French bulldogs
• Brussels griffon

Of the breeds that have seen the highest decrease in registrations during the past decade, larger dogs are affected the most:

• Rottweilers
• Dalmatians
• Chows

Source: American Kennel Club

Training With Cookies

Almost half of all dog owners responding to a trade group survey said they didn't use any training devices or services at all. Of the remainder, here are the most popular responses:

• Treats 37 percent
• All other 12 percent
• Books 11 percent
• Hired professional 9 percent
• Whistle 5 percent
• No-bark collar 4 percent
• Videos 4 percent
• Electric fence 3 percent
• Clicker 3 percent

Source: American Pet Products Association

Reward Pet's Good Manners

Animals learn from the immediate consequences of their actions. Reward-based training is based on positive reinforcement -- giving an animal an immediate reward for "getting it right."

A reward can be anything a pet desires, such as food, praise, touch, toys, playtime, and indoor or outdoor access. Reward-based training teaches an animal that you are the provider and controller of everything good. It also builds trust and keeps the animal student eager to learn more.

When teaching your pet what you want him to do, offer what he likes the best as the reward. After the new behavior is learned, continue with intermittent rewards. Once the pet knows a behavior, you can withhold the reward when your pet gets it wrong. For example, the dog who knows how to sit but won't sit for his dinner dish can have his grub withheld for a few minutes. Then try again! Chances are he'll sit, and he'll sit even more quickly the next time.

Planning Will Make a Change of Address Easier on Your Pet

Even in an off year, the housing market traditionally picks up in the spring, as families who need to change residences get moving so the children can be settled into the new neighborhood before the next school year begins.

But moving is tough on families, pets included. Animals always know when something's amiss, even if they can't understand exactly what's changing, or why.

The key to moving pets is to keep them secure before and during the move, and to settle them safely and quickly into a routine afterward.

Cats are a particular worry at moving time because they form a bond not only with the people in a home, but also with the home itself. Because of their mobility, cats can be difficult to keep around the new home long enough for them to realize that this is where the people they love will now stay.

The family dog is a bit easier to deal with: Put his leash on and drive him to his new address. Show him his new, warm home and the securely fenced back yard. Unless the dog is a high-jumper of Olympic caliber, he'll stay put while he adjusts.

Not so with free-roaming cats. The cases of cats returning to their previous homes are common for people who move short distances, and the instances of cats disappearing forever are just as common for families moving a great distance.

Confinement is essential when moving cats: It keeps them safe while they become used to their new territory and make it their own. Bring your cat inside, if he's not already an indoor cat, before the movers arrive. Set him up in a "safe room" -- a spare bathroom or bedroom is ideal -- and leave him be. Provide him with food and water, his bed, a scratching post, litter box and a couple of favorite toys while the packing and moving is under way.

The cat's ride to the new home is best undertaken in a carrier, especially for the cat who rarely sees the inside of a car.

At the new home, work the "leaving home" procedure in reverse: Put the cat into a "safe room" for a few days -- until the movers are gone, the furniture arranged and most of the dust settled -- and then allow him to explore inside the house on his own terms after things calm down a bit.

Quickly re-establish a routine. Pick a time and a place for feeding, and stick to it for all pets.

If you've been thinking about converting your free-roaming cat to a house dweller for his health and safety, moving to a new home is the perfect time to accomplish this. In your old home, you'd be constantly listening to your cat demanding to be let out into the rest of his territory. In a new home, he hasn't established any territory of his own yet, and you can make the new home his only turf by keeping him inside from day one.

If you don't want to convert him, keep him inside for a couple of weeks, until he seems relaxed. You can introduce your cat to the new yard by accompanying him on short tours with a harness and a leash. But in the end, you'll have to take your chances, open the door and hope for the best.

Moving is stressful for all, but taking a little extra care when it comes to your pets will help to move them safely and with a minimum of stress and mess at the new home.

Training Key to a Dog's Safe, Prompt Return

Call them the Finger Crossers, if you will -- those folks who know if their dogs get loose they'll get them back only when conditions are absolutely right: if there isn't another dog to play with, a squirrel to chase or a scent to follow. Or if they're fast or lucky enough to corner them.

If you're one of these dog owners, you may well be in the majority. While "come" is one of the most basic of dog commands, it's probably the one dogs obey the least. While it's true some dogs are naturally more inclined to come when called than others, obedience is not an impossibility for any dog.

Figuring out why your pet won't mind is the first step toward fixing the problem.

Maybe your dog is afraid to come to you. If you're one of those people who have to chase your dog, you may also be someone who isn't very happy when you've finally caught up with him. Screaming at your dog for running away or punishing your pet when you collar him at last is a good way of making sure the next time he gets loose he'll run farther, faster. Wouldn't you?

Being reunited with you should be a positive experience. Never, ever punish a dog for coming to you or for failing to come.

If you're not punishing him, perhaps your dog really doesn't understand what you want. Few people practice the "come" command enough -- or at all. You probably use "sit" a half-dozen times a day, just around the house, but you probably don't use "come" in the house when you want your dog near you. Maybe all you have to do is open the refrigerator. If that's the case, your dog doesn't understand the relationship between the command and the action of coming to you. He just knows if he's sitting in the right place at the right time, you might drop some food.

Or maybe your dog doesn't see why he should listen to you. You may have a dog who believes that what you want is only one of the factors that go into his deciding what he's going to do. A dog who knows what's expected of him and respects you is going to mind you. A dog who thinks you're a dope who couldn't catch a bus is going to treat you like the fool he thinks you are.

If the problems are training and respect, you can fix them both together. Train your dog, work with your dog, and the respect will follow. Teach your dog the "come" command in increments, on a standard 6-foot leash, on progressively longer and lighter lines, and with lots of praise and treats. Practice, not just in formal sessions but in everyday life. And sharpen up all your dog's manners, because they all help reinforce your role as leader. Elicit the help of a trainer if you just don't seem to be getting anywhere.

Should your untrained dog get loose, there are a couple of tricks you can use to catch him. Try to sweet-talk him in with a kneeling, open-arms stance, or run away from him, enticing him to follow -- the chase instinct is very strong in most dogs. Another strategy is to use a command he knows well, like "sit." Once he's planted, you can take him by the collar. (Don't forget to praise for the sit!)

Remember, though, a loose-dog situation is not about obedience -- it's about keeping your dog from becoming road-pizza. If you're one of those Finger Crossers, keep him on leash for his own safety and start training now. Johns Natural Dog Training works closely with Dirty Dogs to train your dog. Call to get a class schedule 858 259 DOGS (3647) or 760 944 DOGS (3647)

Patience Key to Getting Good Pet Pics

Taking lots of pictures is one of the keys to successful pet photography. Keeping your camera ready to use is another. Great pet pictures, like great kid pictures, pop up when you don't expect them.

For more formal photo sessions, here are a few tips:

• Use the right attention-getter. Dogs will react to jingled or thrown keys, or squeaky toys or tennis balls. But try the same thing with a cat, and the only thing you'll get a picture of is the tip of a tail as your pet departs in disgust. Talk sweetly to your cat for a better response, or tease him with a favorite toy. Food is another winner, and it works with both dogs and cats.
• Use natural light. Available light avoids the dreaded red-eye shot, where the flash makes your beautiful pet come out as a monster. Taking pictures outside also gives your pet a more natural, healthy look. If you must take pictures inside, avoid the reflection by not pointing the flash straight at the animal, or by having the animal look off to the side, at another person (kids are great photo assistants).
• Come in close. If you want a good picture, you're going to have to go where your pet is. Shoot at just below your pet's eye level and zoom in as closely as you can for good detail.
• Watch your backgrounds. Think neutral -- a plain wall, not a cluttered cabinet. Think contrast -- light for a dark pet, dark for a light one.
• Keep your sessions short -- kids and pets get bored quickly -- and don't forget to keep them fun, with lots of praise all around.

Bites Not Likely Triggered By Breed

Circumstances are a more likely indicator of a dog's potential to bite someone than the animal's breed or mix, according to an analysis of bite statistics by the Coalition for Living Safely with Dogs and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association. Loose dogs, territory-protecting dogs, frightened dogs and dogs involved in fights with another animal were most likely to be involved in biting a person. Most bites in the home were triggered by a dog guarding food or a toy, or biting a visiting friend or relative in a display of territory- or object-guarding. The number of bite incidents roughly correlated with a breed's popularity -- more of a certain kind of dog meant more bites from that kind of dog. Age and gender also played a role, with adolescent male dogs more likely to bite -- and bite more severely -- than older dogs or female dogs. Children were bitten more often than adults.

Dirty Dogs - Carmel Valley
4639 Carmel Mountain Road #101
San Diego, CA 92130

(858) 259-3647(DOGS)

Dirty Dogs - Cardiff
2107 San Elijo Avenue
Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007

(760) 944-3647(DOGS)