Category: Dog & Puppy Advice

This blog features advice, faq’s and tips and tricks for dog and puppy owners that we come across in the dog training and behaviour field based on actual cases and consultations.

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Vaccinate your pets!

The following excerpt is taken from the website www.pet-care.co.za and highlights the dangers of rabies and the simple steps that can be taken to protect your furbuddies and family from rabies.

RABIES PREVENTION

SIMPLE STEPS, SAVES LIVES

What is rabies?

  • Rabies is a disease which people can get from animals.
  • It is caused by a virus which affects the brain and leads to the death of the person or animal involved.
  • The virus is shed in saliva and is spread by the bite of an infected animal.

Animals which can infect people

  • Usually dogs.
  • Other animals which can infect people are cats, mongooses, jackals and other wild animals.
  • Rabies is spread to other animals and people mainly by dogs, blackbacked jackals, yellow mongooses and bat-eared foxes.

Signs of the disease in animals

  • Changes in behaviour occur in all animals. Domestic animals can become wild and aggressive (they appear to be mad), while wild animals may become tame.
  • Salivation
  • Incoordination
  • Paralysis eventually occurs, resulting in death.

Dogs: aggression, howling, attacking without warning, salivation, biting at imaginary flies,
fixed stare, wandering aimlessly, dropped lower jaw, inability to swallow, eating soil and sticks, choking, vomiting, difficulty in walking, paralysis

Cats: become very aggressive and attack without any prior warning signs

How are people infected?

  • People are infected when they get bitten by an infected animal because the virus spread in the saliva. It is possible for people to be infected by saliva contamination of cuts, the mouth or eyes.
  • Animals with rabies may appear to have something stuck in the throat as they salivate excessively. You should take care not to place your hands inside the mouth, because you can contract the disease if you get bitten or cuts on your hands are exposed to saliva.
  • Infected carcasses of cattle, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys may be a health threat if these are cut open, because it is possible for people to be infected through cuts or by splashes of brain material or saliva into the eyes or mouth when cutting open the skull and handling the brain of an infected animal.

Signs of the disease in people

  • In people, the first signs of disease are headaches, anxiety, fever, vomiting and fear of water. Finally, paralysis, coma and death results.
  • It normally takes 2 to 10 weeks for people and animals to show signs of the disease after being bitten by an infected animal.
  • Once people or animals actually show signs of rabies no treatment is possible and they will die.

Prevention

  • It is very important that dogs and cats are vaccinated to reduce the risk to people and animals.
  • Young animals should be vaccinated twice in the first year and then every 3 years, or as often as required by your state veterinary authorities. The vaccine is safe and will not make your animals sick.
  • Notify your state veterinarian immediately if you see animals acting strangely and rabies is suspected.
  • Do not handle, or go near, strange animals, wild animals that seem tame and do not run away from you, sick animals that are not properly restrained or animals that appear aggressive.

Signs of the disease in people

  • In people, the first signs of disease are headaches, anxiety, fever, vomiting and fear of water. Finally, paralysis, coma and death results.
  • It normally takes 2 to 10 weeks for people and animals to show signs of the disease after being bitten by an infected animal.
  • Once people or animals actually show signs of rabies no treatment is possible and they will die.

Prevention

  • It is very important that dogs and cats are vaccinated to reduce the risk to people and animals.
  • Young animals should be vaccinated twice in the first year and then every 3 years, or as often as required by your state veterinary authorities. The vaccine is safe and will not make your animals sick.
  • Notify your state veterinarian immediately if you see animals acting strangely and rabies is suspected.
  • Do not handle, or go near, strange animals, wild animals that seem tame and do not run away from you, sick animals that are not properly restrained or animals that appear aggressive.

Treatment

  • If you get treated in time (as soon as possible after the bite) you will not die from rabies.
  • If bitten, you should quickly wash the wounds well under running water, using
    soap or a disinfectant if possible. Then seek medical attention immediately from the nearest
    clinic or doctor.
  • The doctor or nurse will start a course of injections, which can prevent rabies developing. It is very important that you continue going to the clinic until the course is completed, because you can die if you do not get all the injections. The recommended vaccination programme at present is to give the first injection on the day you are bitten, and the others 3, 7, 14 and 28 days later. A rabies antiserum injection will also be given on the day you are bitten.

You should notify the state veterinarian or police as soon as possible when you are bitten by a dog or other animal.
They will then investigate and if necessary destroy the animal, making sure it is tested for rabies.

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Dog trainer Vs Dog Behaviourist Vs Dog Psychologist

Dog owners frequently ask the question, what is the difference between a dog trainer, a dog behaviourist and a dog psychologist.

The easiest way to explain the difference is to think of a dog trainer as a teacher. The teacher, or trainer, will equip your dog with the skills needed to navigate daily life and become a functioning member of society. Training also serves to strengthen the bond between dog and owner and teaches basic things like dog etiquette at home and in public. Training is best done early in the dogs life whilst the brain is still in a developmental stage and learns easily, but its never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. Dogs live to serve and please their owners, and with training they’ll respond positively to their owners.

A dog Behaviourist can be explained as an occupational therapist. Behaviour is assessed and problem behaviours can be modified through practise, patience and perseverance, much like CBT or cognitive behavioural training in humans. Behaviourists provided the tools and guidance a dog owner needs to modify unwanted behaviour.

A dog psychologist is similar to a Behaviourist, but looks deeper into the reasons for the dog behaviour. The dog may have suffered a trauma, suffer from PTSD, have been abounded or neglected etc which may explain the behaviour. The psychologist will assess the dog patient and will work in much the same way as a Behaviourist. A dog psychologist may also refer the dog to a vet or vet psychiatrist to prescribe medication and perform further testing. An example of this is a dog that suffers from fits, possibly epilepsy, sever anxiety, depression etc.

When choosing the right option for your dog, remember that what you put in is what you get out, as the dog owner, the amount of work you put in is directly related to the outcome. Your dog is dependant on you to help them be the best they can be and it takes work and what we call the 3 P’s – Patience, perseverance and practice.

we hope that this article will make it easier for you to navigate the wonderful world of dog ownership.

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Dog & Puppy Training – Collar vs Harness

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but in our experience we find that collars provide a better feedback mechanism to the dog or puppy being trained than what body harnesses do.

Then there’s the question of full or half choke collar. We strongly recommend Martingale or half choke collars for our FurbBuddies which gives the best comfort, control and feedback on leash.

Choke collars or chains can cause pinching, choking and injury if used incorrectly during on leash training or walking.

The Martingale or half choke collar is a best of both combining the comfort of a traditional collar with the flexibility of a choke collar. The collar is the primary feedback signal or mechanism to your dog or puppy during training, especially when teaching leash walking, or addressing behavioural problems such as leash aggression.

Typically, Martingale or half choke collars are a combination of the traditional webbing collar with a chain loop to which the leash is attached. When the dog or puppy is at rest or in a neutral walking position, the collar imitates a traditional static collar. If the dog or puppy starts pulling or chasing, the tension in the collar increases, which together with a verbal command will break the leash pulling cycle and provide positive reinforcement when the dog or puppy backs off and the tension in the collar is released.

We are currently testing the latest type of body harness, the no-pull harness which provides similar flexibility to a Martingale collar and will provide an update in a future post on our findings as the use of that as a training tool.

As to where the name originates from, it likely derives from the piece of tack used in horses by the same name, which is designed (in horses) to prevent them from lifting their head too high. The smaller of the two loops on a martingale collar contains a D-ring, where the leash is attached.

FurBuddies is an official RedDingo partner and we can supply your dog or puppy with a his or her own swanky martingale collar. For more information visit https://reddingo.co.za/products/dogs/collars/martingale/ – Pricing on request, simply provide us with the size, colour and design for a quote.

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The difference between obedience training and behaviour training

Dogs are highly intelligent and easily trainable because it is in their nature to want to please and be rewarded by the ones they love.

Dogs fall into many different categories, for example we have working dogs such as Huskies and German Shepards. There are hunting / retrieving dogs such as Labradors and retrievers. There are the hounds that are driven and motivated by scent and tracking.

When we talk about training a dog or puppy, we have to take into account the age, breed, temperament of each individual, as well as how they respond to training. Many dogs and puppies are reward driven, some are food driven.

A good trainer takes all of this into account when starting to train your dog or puppy.

Dog Behaviour and Dog Obedience training are sometimes confused or misunderstood.

When we talk about obedience training, we refer to teaching dogs and puppies commands such as sit, fetch, stay. we teach you how to communicate effectively with your dog or puppy, and how to read the feedback or non-verbal communication that he or she responds to you with.

Behaviour training is a more complex issue which is generally training focused on correcting problem behaviour in dogs and puppies. Examples of this are leash aggression, aggression, fighting, destructive behaviour, chewing, nuisance or boredom barking, separation anxiety, fear, insecurity etc which may lead to what we consider bad or “acting out” or defensive behaviour. In behaviour training we need to identify the root cause of the behaviour and address that with focus, patience, perseverance and a common language between dog and owner. This is a process that requires dedication and long-term investment and involvement.

All dogs have it in their nature to be loving, obedient best friends for life. It’s up to us to ensure that they are given the very best chance to have a happy, loving life as one of our family members.