Coprophagy: Stool Eating Behavior of Puppies and Dogs

 Occasionally, a puppy would eat his own or a different dog's stool. This grosses out and disturbs the owner but it doesn't have to become a habit. The dog may just be hungry—puppies are oftentimes ravenous and ready to pick up anything that is available. It might be a good idea, hence, to keep a few dry dog meal or biscuits within your dog's play area for him to nibble on when he abruptly feels like eating.

Inactivity, boredom, and a bit much confinement are additional causes of stool consuming and point to the demand for more attention, more exercise, and a good variety of toys so the dog will have something to drag around. Puppies frequently play with stools. Since ungathered feces could be responsible for the practice, tidy up all bowel movements right away.

 

Stool eating may also ensue from a deficiency of the digestive enzymes amylase, protease, and lipase, causing a dog to eat feces to substitute them.

This detestable habit must be instantly corrected, particularly because a dog can be infected with hookworm, roundworm, or whipworm eggs from eating the stools of other dogs. A sharp "No!" in a fed up tone of voice would stop a puppy while you catch him in the act. Then, naturally, get rid of the stool. A well-balanced diet is all-important. Adding the enzyme papain (contained in meat tenderizers) occasionally discourages the tendency to eat feces. Try to sprinkle a teaspoon of Accent or Adolph's Meat Tenderizer on your dog's food. Your vet can help, too, by giving you an ingredient to add up to the dog's food that would make his stools unpalatable.

© 2011 TW

Can My Puppy Play Outdoors?

 Can you take a 3-6-month-old puppy outdoors? Naturally! But apply common sense. When it rains or snows, the puppy belongs inside the home. When it is exceedingly cold or very hot, hold him indoors. Draft, wind, and too much direct sun can prove disadvantageous. It is best to avoid them. This is most crucial with small and medium-size breeds. The bigger breeds at this age will be better used to being outdoors.

Keep in mind that most puppy coats are not dense and weather-resistant enough to keep him warm or to cover his body from the sun's rays. He is more sensitive to cold as well because he has more body surface for his weight than a grown dog.

 

In fairly warm weather, a certain quantity of exercise on natural grass is good; but it's not safe for any length of time. Particularly when left to himself, the puppy will dig up dirt and stones and could swallow them. He'll enjoy sprawling out on the grass, but if he lies there very long he might get chilled from dampness even though the ground appears warm. If the owner plays with the pup for ten or fifteen minutes, two or three times every day in good weather, that's fine, and that will be adequate. Keep the pup moving and he would benefit from the outing. The safest type of outing for a young pup is in a playpen.

 

© 2011 TW

Tips on Getting a Puppy Playpen

 

To get enough exercise, your puppy must have more space to play. He may be quite mischievous, too, or not completely housebroken, so he can't be given the freedom of the house. Put a tension-bar gate (designed for small children and dogs) in the entrance of the room you want him to stay in. At this age of 3-5 months, weather permitting, dogs of big or heavier-coated breeds can spend some of their time in an outdoor enclosure. They can be fenced in a puppy exercise pen or baby playpen. You can purchase a puppy exercise pen from most pet-supply dealers, or you can build one.

 

 Four wired frames can be screwed jointly and bolted to a wooden platform using casters or wheels. If the height of the pen is one inch or two less than the width of the house doors, it can be transported from one room to another, or outdoors. While covering the frames, nail the wire on the outside. It's safer for the puppy because he won't scratch himself.

 

Since you may wish to enclose the puppy in the pen for a couple of hours, it is wise to add up a bed in which he could curl up for a nap. For most puppies, a wooden box would do nicely. Cut an opening in the side to serve as an entry. Hinge the top for a cover that can be put up for cleaning or left open if the weather is really warm. Put a blanket or other bedding inside and you have made a snug little harbor free from draft and chill. Sometimes a pup will refuse bedding of any kind and claw it out of his basket, box, or kennel. Don't concern yourself about it. If he favors a bare bed, there is nothing you could do about it.

 

Put the pen in the sun when it's cool, and in the shade when it's hot. Face one long side and one short side using canvas as a windshield. The outdoor yard for bigger breeds must have some shade as well as sun, and a place secure from drafts or wind, like a doghouse. If you leave the house, even for a short time, take your dog inside. Don't leave him alone in an outdoor enclosure when nobody is at home, even if your yard is fenced.

 

© 2011 TW

Dealing With Hyperactive Puppies

Expect every healthy puppy to be mischievous. You could as well make up your mind to it and not worry. Worry more if your puppy is so good he never shreds anything; brace yourself, for he is below par!

 

When we say that puppy mischievousness isn't a fault but a virtue, we can hear protests popping up on all sides. But a dog's teeth are considered his fingers, and he must use them if he has the normal energy and curiosity of a healthy young animal. Books and magazines within reach would be gnawed; that hanging corner of the tablecloth will be jerked unmercifully. The world is his, and everything he can grab is a toy to play with.

 

There is just one way to avoid a lot of trouble.  Keep things out of his reach. You can't teach him yet to leave certain objects alone. So make sure to furnish safe and interesting toys to push and pull and tear and wreak his small vengeance on; and then take away all else from his inquiring teeth.

 

A special warning regarding base plugs: electric outlets having their wires attached are fair game for any puppy. He will try to chew them, and perhaps cause a fire or shock himself. If your puppy does get a shock from chewing through an electric cord and turns unconscious, don't touch him when he is in contact with electrical current. Unplug first the cord from the wall. If you are unable to, wrap a towel around your hand, a broom handle, or use a pencil, or some other nonconductor of electricity to force the wire out of the pup's mouth. Wrap him using a blanket to keep him warm. If the dog isn't breathing, start artificial respiration then get to your vet as soon as possible. Another word of advice: don't drop paper clips, rubber bands, and other small items on the floor, because they could get into a curious puppy's mouth and be swallowed up.

© 2011 TW

When Old Dogs Feel Jealous

You suppose one day how still the house is going to be if the old fellow is gone. You choose to get a puppy before the old dog leaves. When the new member of the family comes, the old dog's nose is going to be out of joint. The jealousy might cause problems, particularly if the old dog has been the sole family pet. He has been the center of attention for a while, beloved and well-tended, and now everyone oohs and aahs over the cute fledgling. Pet the old boy first before you manage the little one! When both dogs clamor for attention, pet both at the same time or neither.

 

Without concern the pup plagues the old dog to play, bites his ears, jumps at him with great joy. Possibly already out of sorts at being forced to share attention around the home, the old dog might resent the young one's onslaughts and maybe nip him to put him in his place. Jealousy is potent in doggy relationships.

Be really careful when introducing a new puppy to the old dog. First, put the puppy in his cage where the oldster can sniff around him and say hi without being rushed, and meanwhile pet the old fellow extravagantly. Feed the two individually, and watch them when they run together for the first few days. Always pay especial attention to the old dog to keep him from feeling neglected and ignored. Don't allow the two to sleep together or be alone together till definite signs of friendliness are established by the old dog. Before you know it, they will be the best of friends.

 

 © 2011 TW

Swimming Activity for Dogs

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Swimming is a most gratifying exercise. But not all dogs, are fond of swimming by nature, but some can be instructed.

Get the pet into shallow water by floating a ball. When you, too, are in the water, he would wade in to get it, and might swim when he reaches out beyond his depth. The dog’s swimming stroke is just like his walking movement—that’s why it’s also known as a dog paddle. He doesn’t have to learn either stroke or timing, but he should have to hold his body fairly upright and his chin above the waterline. If your dog does not begin swimming, do not pressure him; let him fool around the shallow water to get the feel of it. You will be able to guide him beyond his depth later, though with your hand under his chest.

Next, take him out into deeper water, readily turning him toward shore before he starts out to swim. He will go on swimming using paddling strokes till he reaches the bank and clambers up.

When you get your dog ready to swim, make sure there is a graded exit, meaning, a slight rise or bank up which he can scramble. A dog can’t pull himself up out of a straight-sided pool. Unwatched and unaided, he can readily drown in this manner. Even when he tries and fails by his own efforts, he may be so scared or exhausted that he will reject entering the water again. When a dog learns to enjoy the water, he will join in by himself, especially when chasing a stick or ball.

When your dog has finished swimming, dry him well using towels or an electric hair dryer. Be particular about his ears; dry them fully. If he was swimming in salt water, rinse off his coat with fresh water. Salt water (together with sand) dries out the hair, often chafes the skin, and causes itching and scratching.  

© 2011 TW

Training Your Dog to Respect Your Gardens and Lawns

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Coming when called is a really valuable command to teach your dog to maintain your own property line, and to keep him from getting at your own or your neighbor’s garden and shrubbery.

If your place is large walk along the edge once or twice a day; first having your dog on a long leash, then later without the leash. When he begins to go toward the street or into the next yard, say “No!” Curtly, then call him to you and praise him when he comes. Do this many times. If the dog doesn’t obey your command when he’s off leash, get back to using the leash once more.

If this does not work, get someone to assist you. Have him stand outside your hedge, or someplace in the disallowed territory, armed with a shake-can (put five to ten pennies in a clean empty soda can and tape the top) or a couple of empty tin cans. When your dog disregards your command and goes beyond the “boundary line,” have the assistant cry “Go back!,” clatter the cans, and even throw some towards the dog. You’ll, of course, welcome your dog heartily when he comes back to you for “protection.” Such steps, however, are generally unneeded if you take regular boundary walks. Call him to you, on the walks, for a pat or a tidbit every once in a while. Naturally, you should keep in mind that a passing dog or cat, or a female in season on the next block, could cause even the best-intentioned dog to wander from his own yard. Therefore, if you can’t furnish an enclosed area, your dog must never go outdoors unsupervised.

Dogs acquire spring fever and nothing is better to roll in or dig up than the soft earth of a newly sown lawn or a flower garden. If dogs are regularly warned “No!” and called back when they go for your flower garden or special shrubbery, they’ll soon give it a wide berth. A few dousings using a water pistol, a plant mister, or a garden hose will deter not only your own dog, but any strays as well.

The commercial dog repellents or cayenne pepper spread out around plants and shrubbery also will help deter a dog’s attention. The repellents have an odor that a dog disapproves; the pepper will bother his nose and make him sneeze. All such material has to be renewed often, especially after rain. And, naturally, the least trouble is to put up a low wire fence around a garden to keep it from dogs.

© 2011 TW