The Smart Dog U Blog

Happy Dogs, Happy Veterinarians

I took little Miss Caysun to the vet today to get her up-to-date on some vaccines. It was going to be a quick in-and-out visit -- shots and then we'd hit the door. As usual, things don't go as planned. The shots went ok, don't get me wrong. But I mentioned, in passing, "she's got a little bit of mange on her nose," the veterinarian took a look and immediately said "that's not mange."

What? Of course it's mange. Mange is easy. Mange is common. Mange requires little treatment. It's got to be mange. 

Nope, he said, mange isn't raised like that. 

Crud. Which is funny because that's both what I thought and what her nose looks like. 

Because I have the best veterinarians in the world, they made a little time for me in the schedule (I didn't need an appointment to get the vaccinations, since we'd just been in the week before for a wellness check and forgot to get the updated vaccinations...). And they had to do a little needle aspirate in her nose to see what's doin'.

I say that as if it was no big deal: just a little needle aspirate. That's because it wasn't being done to me. What that means is that the vet has to stick a needle into the rough, cruddy part of her nose and draw out some cells to look at them under a microscope. Yes, needle into nose. 

Ouch. 

It looked as painful as I'm sure it felt. I had to turn my head, I'll be honest. Little Miss wasn't a happy camper. After a couple of pokes, she decided she was done with all that nonsense. Thankfully they got enough goop off of and from inside the crud that they didn't have to fool with her too much more. 

The veterinarian and vet technician were terrific. They had some squeeze cheese spread all over a tongue depressor stick to keep Caysun's mind off of the needle in her nose. They went slow and easy, they let me feed her while it was going on. 

But there was a needle going into her nose! She wasn't happy. The moral of this story is: because she wasn't happy with what went on, I need to do some remedial veterinary work with her. I will be taking her back to the veterinary hospital when there isn't anything scheduled for her. I want her to have at least 5 visits that are exceptionally good. Visits where stuff like this happens (and only this):

• the veterinarian and the techs come out and play with her in the lobby
• the veterinarian and the vet techs come out and feed her sirloin (that I bring, of course) in the lobby
• she gets to practice already known (and favorite) behaviors in the exam room and earn delicious salmon, sirloin, etc. 

Why spend time going back to the animal hospital and working on these things? Isn't that a waste of time? 

Because Caysun's just 6 months old. She'll be seeing a veterinarian for another 14 years I hope. I want all of those vet visits to be easy and fun for both the dog and the vet. And if the dog's not happy, ain't nobody happy, especially the vet because it's hard (and dangerous) to examine a dog who doesn't want to be examined! 

So it's well worth those 5 or so "un-vet" visits to help dissolve this one unpleasant one. 15 minutes here and there are invaluable for when she's got an emergency and she needs to be calm while the veterinarians and vet techs make her better. 

My vets and techs are great. They're willing to spend the few minutes playing with and feeding Caysun when I drop by. They know it's a good investment of their time, too. 

Caysun: Under the Knife

As I write this, our little Caysun is undergoing JPS surgery and getting spayed at the same time. What is JPS? Here's how a vet explains it: 

Juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (JPS) surgery is a prophylactic procedure performed in puppies 10 to 20 weeks of age that have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia.

That's a fancy way of saying it's an operation that should help Caysun avoid hip dysplasia later in life. When she had her hips evaluated a few weeks ago, her "score" was not great. Not terrible, though, which makes her a great candidate for this JPS surgery. As I was researching JPS surgery, I found a great website that explains PennHIP and JPS clearly for us regular folks (meaning: those of us without a DVM behind our name). 

Because hip dysplasia can be passed onto future generations, spaying (or neutering) is strongly encouraged at the same time as the JPS surgery. So while Caysun's under anasthesia for the JPS surgery, they'll go ahead and spay her as well. No need for more dogs with dysplasia! Especially service dogs who need to be as healthy for as long as possible. 

Service Dogs of Virginia is having the surgery done in Roanoke, VA. I dropped Caysun off with SDV last Saturday -- I won't know any details about how she's doing until I get a call from SDV. Keep your fingers crossed for an easy and uncomplicated day for little Caysun. I'm hoping to pick her up and bring her back home from SDV on Sunday.

Making Puppy Socialization Safer

You hear it all the time: socialization is important for your puppy! Socialize, socialize, socialize!

It IS true: socialization before your pup is 16 weeks old is crazy-important if you want a well-adjusted, easy-going, can-handle-anything dog later in life. 

But.

You gotta be smart about it. You can't recklessly expose the pup to potential germs and disease. 

I was outside teaching class last night in downtown Frederick. I saw a tiny 11-week old puppy walking on Carroll Creek and meandering through the grass where every other dog on the Creek had done it's business.

The Creek itself is a terrific location for the pup to be exposed to all kinds of things: joggers, noisy kids on bikes, barking dogs, ducks, the list goes on. 

The trouble with that is that hundreds of other dogs have been through there, too. Leaving behind poop and pee -- the carriers of disease. You don't want your puppy needlessly exposed to all that. Who knows if those dogs:

• have had their vaccinations
• are healthy
• are carrying diseases

It's much safer for the pup to be carried through very public areas until he's completed his puppy series of vaccinations. Walking a pup through your yard or even your neighborhood is probably safe, but you don't want your pups paws hitting the ground in the dog park or anywhere where there are potentially unvaccinated dogs running through the same grass as your pup. 

Bad Habits Welcome!

Nemo is thinking about counter-surfing. Yay!

Nemo is scratching his paw on the door --again-- because he wants back outside. Yahoo!

Nemo has followed me 10 feet to the bathroom, that's not big enough for both of us, and insists on staying. Yippee!

Why, you may be asking, would anyone (let alone a dog trainer!) be excited about a dog's bad habits?

Nemo came up lame over the weekend. He plays hard, so an occasional limp isn't cause for concern. But this limp went on for three days. And got worse. 

The vet was stumped. He happened to mention the most horrible word: cancer. All of a sudden, I missed everything that Nemo did. The silliness, the annoying things. Everything Nemo. 

Long story short, there's no cancer. Nemo's limp is probably due to soft-tissue damage (tendon, ligament, body parts like that). Rimadyl for a week was the prescription. 

After just two tablets, Nemo's acting more normal. He's not putting his paws on the counter, but he's at least thinking about it. I'm hoping that by tomorrow, he'll be squeezing into the bathroom with me. 

And, what was that I just heard? Interrupting my computer time? Why, it's that glorious paw against the door, telling me that Nemo's requesting his butler (that would be me) to come and let him enjoy the outdoors. 

I'm coming, Nemo, I'm coming!

More Denver Zoo Training Video!

If you've ever complained that you can't wipe your dog's feet, that you can't trim their nails, that you can't clean their ears, you need to take a look at this video I took while I was behind-the-scenes at the Denver Zoo.

The trainers are working with two male hyenas and most of what you're seeing is their husbandry behaviors. It's imperative for these animals to willingly accept veterinary care. If the animals are stressed for veterinary care, it makes it harder on the animals, the trainers, and the veterinarians. Instead of sedating, it's much easier (and better for the animals) to teach them to accept care. If you have a hard time seeing the video here on my blog, check it out on Smart Dog University's video channel on YouTube.

 

Dodged A Bullet

When I picked Teddy up from Hero Dogs, I was told the vet discovered a heart murmur earlier that morning. This came as a bit of a surprise, as both his parents had cardiac clearances (they'd been checked and were free of cardiac problems).

I didn't realize that some pups have heart murmurs as puppies and actually outgrow them as they grow. Teddy had an appointment yesterday with a cardiologist to have an echo cardiogram. The vet was looking to see if Teddy's heart had a physical defect or if this was something that Teddy would likely outgrow.

I don't know the particulars, but I do know this: the cardiologist found no problems with the heart, so there's a good chance he'll outgrow the murmur. He'll have to have another exam when he's six months old, but he's got the green light to continue his service dog training.

He had his first puppy class last night with Hero Dogs. Puppy training for a service dog is very similar to pet dog training. All puppies - service pups and pets - need to have good manners. Puppy class teaches all the pups how to greet nicely, how to have some self control, how to play nicely, and of course, the general good manners.

He had a few "time-outs" in puppy play for getting a bit rough, but we'll continue to encourage play with appropriate puppies and adult dogs. Over time, he'll hopefully learn to match his play-time enthusiasm to that of his playmates. If he doesn't, inappropriate behavior with other dogs is enough for a dismissal from the program. He's a long way from that happening, but it's something all service dog trainers and organizations have to keep an eye on. (And everyone else with a dog, for that matter!)

Our dogs here at home are really good at setting boundaries for Teddy. They'll give him a warning growl if he gets too close to them, a snarl if he ignores the growl, and finally an up-close, in-your-face, loud BARK! if he continues. That usually gets the message across and he appropriately modifies his behavior!

Stay tuned, there's always something going on when a new pup comes to live with us...

Exercise + Fewer Calories = Healthier

I had Tango at the vet last week and his weight has gone up to a staggering 75 pounds. He's fat.

All of us put a few pounds on over the winter, but the numbers on the scale really surprised me. Tango should weigh about 65 pounds - definitely not 75 pounds.

The picture of him tugging on the hose shows him at a really good weight - that's about 62 pounds I believe. He was younger there - and clearly more fit than he is now.

I, too, am growing older. And, ahem, wider. So Tango and I are going on a diet together. We're going to get more exercise together. It's easier when you have a partner, they say.

I've cut the snacks for us both waaay down. Gone are the days of four rawhides a day. And sharing my lunch with him. True confession time: every Wednesday after our R.E.A.D. sessions, Tango and I would share a hamburger and small fries from McDonald's. Looks like we'll be switching to one of those delicious oatmeals for lunch (they're surprisingly good!).

I'm going to bump the exercise up for us both, as well. We've got a nice big yard, but clearly that's not enough. For either of us. So we'll start walking each morning. Tango's got a bum shoulder so we can only do about three miles before it starts bothering him. But at this point, any exercise is good, even if it's only a mile!

I'll post updates here about our progress. Hopefully in a few months, there'll be less of us both!

Guarding

Tango's got a war wound. Complements of Talos. Yes, the oh-so-angelic Great Dane star of this blog. He wasn't a star the day he did this, let me assure you.

Any reader of this blog knows that while I love all my dogs equally, Tango's my favorite. All-time, all-star, best-dog-in-the-world favorite.

So when you mess with Tango, you mess with me.

I had given all the dogs a little pork rawhide "cigar." I didn't realize Talos hid his rawhide in the La-Z-Boy. Neither did Tango.

Talos was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room/living room and when Tango tried to move across the threshold, Talos let him have it.

As soon as I heard the commotion, I issued a deep, quick "HEY!" That's enough to get anyone's attention and all dogs turned to me. Tango looked like he had his feelings hurt, so I thought I ought to check him over for physical injuries as well.

Sure enough, Talos took a bite out of Tango's ear.

Talos' new nickname is Mike Tyson. 

So from here on out, Talos gets no more rawhides. Period. When the other dogs get rawhides, Talos gets a peanut butter filled Kong. He doesn't think those are nearly as good as a rawhide, so he doesn't guard them. 

Talos doesn't get "guardy" over toys, space, or people. Just rawhides and if a dog sticks their head in his food dish. While not ideal, it's definitely something that can be managed, but the service dog agency will have to educate Talos' new home - especially if that new home has another dog.

Thankfully, Tango's not a fighter and the altercation didn't escalate into something more serious. We'll have to do some remedial work on resource guarding and use 100% management from here on out.

As much as it pains me to say it - this incident will make it a little easier for me to say goodbye to Talos come June. The degree of his response - a bite that drew blood - was inappropriate and way more than what was needed. Ahh, it's alright - I had Talos too high on a pedestal anyway. This incident just reminds me that he's a real dog, warts and all.

Did He Just Eat That?!

  In just a few days, this house will be a wreck: wrapping paper everywhere, new presents laying all over the place, and food (glorious food!) all over the counters.

Sounds fabulous.

Unless you have a dog.

Emergency vets are super busy over the Christmas holiday because in all of the chaos, we tend to forget to keep a keen eye on our dogs.

Look up opportunist in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of a dog. They LIVE for opportunity. They LOVE opportunity. And all it takes is one quick moment for all the Christmas fun to turn into Christmas disaster when your dog steals the tin of oatmeal-raisin cookies, or the package of chocolate fudge, or eats the tinsel off the tree, or eats the earrings, or swallows the pieces to the new board game, or simply eats too much fatty food.

Have I scared you yet?

There's a fine line between information and fear. Fear isn't my intent. I want you to enjoy Christmas! But I also want to save you and your dog a visit to the emergency vet.

So keep these things in the cabinet. (Not on the counter. Not on the table) Anything that has these ingredients:

• raisins
• grapes
• macadamia nuts
• chocolate (dark chocolate is the worst, but all is dangerous)
• fatty foods (dips, finger foods, etc)
• anything with bones

Other ways to keep your dogs out of trouble:

1. Don't leave your dogs unattended. Even if they're usually good, keep an eye on them as temptation lurks.
2. Don't put small gifts under the tree.
3. Use a baby gate to keep the dog away from the tree and presents when you're not around.
4. Don't let your dog drink the water out of the Christmas tree stand.
5. Put breakable ornaments high on the tree.
6. After all the presents are opened, keep the dog away from the packages. Even if your dog's not a chewer, do you really want dog drool all over your new XBox game or Droid phone?
7. Keep your dog's diet regular. A little too much fat can spell trouble!
8. Keep your emergency vet's telephone number handy.
9. Keep this number by your phone: (888) 426-4435. It's ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center.
   

Can Medication Change Dog Behavior?

There isn't any magic bullet to cure an aggressive dog. No secret elixir will transform a scaredy dog into a confident one. There isn't a pill you can give your dog to magically erase his fear.

However, recent advances in the study of canine biochemistry, medicine, and pharmacology has made it a whole lot easier for your aggressive, scared, or anxious dog to learn new habits.

Behavior modification along with medication can change a dog's life. Last weekend, I attended a fascinating lecture by Dr. Karen Overall, a veterinary behaviorist from the University of Pennsylvania.

Both veterinarians and trainers attended the lecture. It was especially gratifying to see so many veterinarians in the crowd. Many veterinarians don't know about the ways that drugs can help improve the quality of life of affected dogs because the subject of behavior is an elective at most veterinary schools.

The most effective way to modify the behavior of dogs with serious behavior problems can often be by combining drug therapy with behavior modification. An effective veterinarian-dog trainer team can make a significant difference in the prognosis of your dog.

If your dog is anxious, fearful, or aggressive, talk with your veterinarian or your trainer about teaming up to create a combined medical and training plan to help your dog live a fuller, more enjoyable life.