The Pawfect Guide to Thinking Like a Dog Read online

  362.KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT

  Try to find out what actually happens if and when your dog is put to sleep. Many owners dread or fear the process, but if you know what to expect you will cope much better with it.

  363.HOME OR AWAY

  All owners should have the right to manage euthanasia as they want or need to. If you’d like your dog to be at home in a familiar place with as many or as few people as you want, then don’t be afraid to ask. There are specific vets who will be able to accommodate your wishes.

  364.SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

  Some owners are desperate to stay with their pets at the end, but many wish to remember them as they were or simply can’t face the prospect of staying. This is YOUR choice, and no one will think any less of you, whatever you decide.

  365.HELPFUL INFORMATION

  There are a variety of online resources available to give you help and advice when the time comes. You can find out what will actually happen when your dog is put to sleep. If you’re worried about staying, this may help you decide.

  366.BURIAL

  Depending on where you live, you may have the choice of burying your dog in the garden. Many owners like knowing a pet is there, perhaps in a spot the dog always chose to enjoy sunshine. It may sound obvious, but make sure you consider the logistics of the hole, especially if you have a large dog.

  367.CREMATION

  Almost every vet will offer a cremation service, individual or not. An individual cremation is as it sounds, and you will have the choice to have your dog’s ashes back. If you choose a normal cremation, the crematorium will dispose of your dog’s ashes.

  368.MONEY MATTERS

  Like all things in life, death also comes at a price. Talking about euthanasia costs, billing, the timing of payments, and the costs of cremation can be very difficult for both you and your veterinary team. Discuss costs and settlement early on to avoid discussing it when you are upset.

  369.COPING

  Everyone grieves in different ways, and your vet will have seen every reaction, so don’t feel self-conscious about being upset.

  370.GRIEF COUNSELING

  In many countries, there are now specialist services to help pet owners through grief. Ask your vet or go online if you are struggling to come to terms with the loss.

  371.REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES

  This may sound silly, but in the weeks and months afterward, look at photos of your dog when younger, talk about it all with friends and family, and think about the funny and cheeky things your dog did. Laughter and happiness are great antidotes to sadness.

  A DOG’S SENSES

  SIGHT

  372.DID YOU SEE THAT?

  Dogs use their eyesight very much like humans do, to focus on objects of interest and to convey information to the brain for interpretation. However, dogs’ eyes are more suited to the purpose of hunting and tracking moving prey, or, sometimes, moving toys!

  373.VISUAL ACUITY

  This term refers to the ability to focus. Dogs cannot focus on items closely, unlike humans, as canine eyes are constructed differently. Dogs have a visual streak, an arrangement of cells in the eyes that allows exceptional peripheral vision and movement detection, essential for a predator that hunts.

  374.FIELD OF VISION

  With eyes positioned to the sides of the head in most breeds, dogs have a wide visual field and may notice movement behind them. This sensitivity can be surprising to humans, whose eyes are positioned to the front and who focus on objects ahead.

  375.SPOT THE BALL

  Dogs find it easy to spot a thrown ball in motion, but may not see a ball as easily when it is still and in front of them. As cursorial predators, dogs evolved limbs adapted for running and for chasing prey. Prey species such as rabbits adapted ways to keep still or to freeze so they can avoid being caught!

  376.IS SHARP EYESIGHT A PROBLEM?

  The optokinetic reflex, which is how eyes reflexively track movement, is more sensitive in a dog than in a human. This explains why a dog may suddenly snap at a fly or may become startled by sudden, unusual movement, such as a plastic bag blowing in the breeze.

  377.CAN DOGS SEE TELEVISION?

  Newer, high-quality digital images on television make it much easier for dogs to follow movement on the screen. Dogs are stimulated when recognizing shapes such as other dogs or sheep, and the high-pitched noises that accompany such images can cause dogs to react.

  TASTE AND TOUCH

  378.TASTE TEST

  A dog has a much weaker taste sense compared to that of a human, with fewer than 200 taste buds compared to the human’s 9,000.

  379.TASTE OR SMELL?

  It may be that the dog’s sense of smell compensates for any comparative weakness once the item is in his or her mouth.

  380.WHY DO DOGS EAT DISGUSTING THINGS?

  A dog will happily dine on nonfood items. Coprophagia, where a dog eats the poop of other animals and even its own, baffles most humans! For the dog, the feces may just smell like food. If this occurs, check with your vet, as feces can transfer parasites.

  381.UNSAFE EATING

  Consuming toxic items can lead dogs into serious trouble. Human families often leave foods that are lethal to dogs in range, such as chocolate. Sometimes, dogs are given the wrong foods by mistake. As scavengers, dogs will eat most things. Just because dogs want to eat something doesn’t mean it is good for them!

  382.TOUCH SENSITIVE

  Each dog likes different amounts of tactile contact. Some love to be stroked, and others find that uncomfortable. Never assume that a dog enjoys petting. Allow the dog to approach you, and never reach over the dog’s head to stroke it. This may be seen as a threat.

  SOUND

  383.SOUND SEEKING

  A dog’s sense of hearing helps it navigate toward its goals, detecting and interpreting sound as it is funneled in the ears.

  384.EARS!

  Dogs’ ears take various shapes, from erect and upstanding to long and floppy, but their hearing is excellent no matter how their ears look.

  385.HIGH-PITCH HEARING

  Dogs detect many sounds that humans cannot, from the scratching and squeaks of tiny vermin to the noises of possible intruders. Some dogs are especially sensitive and will alert their owners with excitable barking.

  386.HEARING RANGES

  A dog can hear intervals of 67 to 45,000 Hz, compared to a human’s 64 to 23,000 Hz, but this varies according to the breed and the size and shape of the dog’s ears. Human hearing is relatively poor, and we forget that some sounds can be unpleasant to a dog’s sensitive ears.

  387.DEAF DOGS

  A dog that cannot hear makes use of its other senses and still makes an excellent and trainable pet and family friend. Hereditary deafness is often related to white pigmentation and piebald coats, but it is also common to breeds such as the Doberman pinscher.

  388.TRAINING WITH SOUNDS

  A high-pitched dog whistle is often used to alert a dog for training, but a special whistle is not always needed, other than over long distances. A dog can be trained using human voices for cues.

  SMELL

  389.A DOG’S SENSE OF SMELL

  Dogs are renowned for their incredible sense of smell, which can detect and analyze many different scents as well as differentiating between them.

  390.UNDERSTANDING OUR DOGS

  Humans often fail to imagine how the sense of smell can both help and hinder dogs in our world, which is filled with a wide mixture of different types of scent.

  391.NOSE CONSTRUCTION

  Dogs’ noses are delicately constructed, and they must never be forced to sniff or contact strong aromas.

  392.SCENT ANALYSIS

  A dog’s nasal cavity contains a rich supply of nerves linking to the olfactory center in the brain. The vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson’s organ, allows the analysis of scent, primarily of pheromones carrying information about emotions and mating.

  393.PHEROMONES

  These substan
ces communicate sexual factors, such as a dog’s maturity or whether a female is in heat nearby, as well as conveying information about marked territory or aggressive intent. Recently, pheromones have been artificially created in an effort to calm dogs that are stressed.

  394.WHEN A DOG SNIFFS

  When your dog sniffs heartily at the air, the nostrils dilate and the air is split for the dual purposes of an olfactory analysis of scents and respiratory needs, or breathing.

  395.SCENT INFORMATION

  Dogs investigate each other’s rear ends when they meet. Dogs will also roll in strong-smelling items, such as the excrement of other animals or even rotten carcasses. This may be to disguise their scents or to mark the new scent as theirs.

  396.TRACKING AND SEARCHING

  Dogs’ incredible ability to follow and analyze scent is used to locate lost items and people, and to track paths. Dogs may work to locate drugs, money, or banned food items at country border controls. The animals can easily perform these tasks, and their training helps them communicate such information to their human teachers.

  397.SCENT MATCHING

  Dogs can recognize one scent and compare it to others, locating the matching scent from a choice of many.

  BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING

  HOW TRAINING WORKS

  398.TRAINING

  This is the means of directing your dog’s behavior. Training lets you and your dog meet common goals. It is not simply tricks or afterthought.

  399.POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

  Training based in positive reinforcement uses items or events to reinforce or reward behavior. If an outcome is rewarding for the dog, the dog will repeat the behavior. If the outcome is unrewarding, it is less likely that the behavior will be repeated.

  400.REPETITION

  Dogs are well aware of what benefits them. Often trainers use repetition to ensure that dogs have plenty of practice at desired behaviors. Repetition must be consistent, or the dogs become confused.

  401.PUNISHMENT

  Using unacceptable aversive methods, such as physical striking, shouting, electric shock, or pulling sharply on the dog’s lead, can harm a dog physically, through spinal or eye damage due to the sudden impact of the movement, and emotionally, by creating fear and frustration.

  402.THE TRAINING ENVIRONMENT IS IMPORTANT

  A dog should be trained in a context where little else is happening to prevent distraction or confusion.

  403.MARKERS

  A marker indicates when a dog has made a correct choice.

  404.TYPES OF MARKER

  Markers can be verbal, such as saying, “Good dog” or “Yes.” They can also be sounds, such as a clicker, bell, or buzzer. Visual markers include hand signals such as the thumbs up, a signal used for deaf dogs. Markers are followed by reinforcement, such as a food treat.

  405.STRUCTURE

  Training follows this format: 1) gaining the dog’s attention, 2) a cue or an instruction from the trainer, 3) the desired behavior, 4) the marker, 5) some reinforcement or reward. This simple structure allows all owners to teach new skills to their dogs without confusion.

  406.TIMING

  Accurate timing is essential so that the dog can link what the owner is trying to teach to the “wages” being offered. If the trainer is too slow, the dog cannot learn that a behavior is getting “paid” with food. The dog may not link the reward with the desired behavior.

  407.PRACTICE IN NEW PLACES

  Once the dog learns the trained behavior, the teaching is moved to a new setting and repeated. This assures that the trained behavior is thoroughly understood.

  408.TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL FOR WELFARE

  Professionals agree that training is fundamental for your dog’s well-being. It allows for essential husbandry behavior, such as training the dog to let someone clip its nails.

  409.USEFUL SKILLS

  Training is beneficial because it provides useful behaviors, such as sitting instead of jumping up at visitors, or walking calmly on a lead in public. A dog will always be busy learning, and training is a dog’s “employment.” The dog doesn’t become “self-employed,” learning unwanted lessons.

  CHASING AND PREDATION

  410.WHY DO DOGS CHASE?

  As well as scavenging for food and interesting items, dogs can also chase and hunt. In some dogs, especially working breeds, this instinct drives them to look for opportunities to behave as the predators they are. This can lead to serious problems.

  411.PREDATORY SEQUENCE

  This pattern of behaviors is familiar to the trained eye. To catch prey, dogs follow some or all of this sequence: Orient. Eye. Stalk. Chase. Grab/Bite. Kill. Dissect. Consume. Of course, most dogs no longer reach the final parts of the sequence. We have taught them to retrieve things instead.

  412.BREED BEHAVIOR PATTERNS

  Though not present in every dog, behavior patterns such as these are more prevalent in working dogs such as collies, which are skilled at herding and stalking other animals. Terriers will shake vermin wildly, which is an efficient killing method for rats.

  413.CHASING ENJOYMENT

  Racing after potential prey, whether it’s birds, rabbits, mice, or even deer, can be exhilarating. Even if the dog does not catch the target, the chase itself is rewarding, leading the dog to seek further chasing opportunities. This can put the dog at risk.

  414.PREVENTING CHASING

  After learning the powerful rewards inherent in chasing, a dog will often seek it out at every juncture. Never allow your dog to freely chase, especially not when young. Instead, work on establishing a strong recall, so the dog comes back to you, no matter what temptations lie ahead.

  415.CONTROLLED CHASING

  It is unrealistic to think that a dog with a strong urge to chase can never be allowed to run after things. Instead, you must focus the dog on chasing games with a toy that you control. Your dog can fulfill the chase impulse and remain satisfied, without the risks of chasing live prey.

  416.RETRIEVAL WORK

  Teaching a dog to fetch means that even though allowed to chase away from you, your dog is ready to return. After catching or fetching the object that is tossed, your dog does not continue to run away. This is an enjoyable activity for both dog and owner in partnership.

  417.CHASING AND GRABBING IN PLAY

  Dogs love to chase one another, but this can lead to rough and uncontrolled pursuit. For the dog being chased, this can be highly threatening. It may lead to a damaging grab or bite as the chasing dog attempts to catch the victim.

  418.CONTROLLING CHASE-PLAY

  Dogs should be trained not to chase one another for long periods without coming back when called. Short play sessions prevent bad chase habits from developing. Dogs playing healthy chase games should take turns being the chaser and the chasee.

  RESOURCE GUARDING

  419.RESOURCE GUARDING

  A dog has a natural instinct to hold onto items considered valuable. This wish is related to survival needs. Problems occur when the dog is confronted and thus feels forced to defend a location or to prevent possessions from being taken away.

  420.VALUABLE ITEMS

  As scent-driven creatures, dogs can assign value to items we humans may otherwise disregard. Used tissues, worn socks, food aromas in the air, even garden snails, can all smell tempting to a canine. In turn, the dog may decide to protect such “valuable” objects.

  421.DEFENDING RESOURCES

  If a dog feels threatened, it may leave the area. However, this is less likely if the dog doesn’t want to be moved from a comfortable location or fears that an item will be taken away. Then, the dog will likely defend the resources.

  422.AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

  Dogs may choose to leave an area or let people take away their valued prizes. However, many dogs will growl and attempt to snap or bite in an effort to prevent this potential loss. This is usually successful!

  423.ESCALATION OF GUARDING BEHAVIORS

  If a dog is repeatedly punished, has val
ued items taken away, or is forced to move from favored places, the animal learns to resist. Your dog may hide with items or chase people away from certain locations. The guarding behaviors escalate until the dog is successful.

  424.HANDS MUST GIVE

  Human hands should not be used to smack or to snatch or to show who is the boss. Instead, our hands should be used for giving. This teaches the dog to not fear hands or guard items. Our hands can offer a tasty treat in a swap or to entice a dog to move.

  425.HIGH-RISK BEHAVIORS

  Dogs are good at working out what people are about to do and may learn to guard and defend large areas and a wide range of items. They may feel protective over the barest scent of an item. You must consult a clinical behaviorist for help with related issues.

  426.PREVENTING RESOURCE GUARDING

  All dogs have the potential to develop defensive behaviors of this type, even from early puppyhood. It can be hard to prevent it, but the problem can be effectively managed.

  427.SWAP, DON’T SNATCH!

  Always swap items, never spank or shout, and call your dog to you rather than pushing and shoving. All these rules can prevent problems from developing.

  428.PROTECTING VISITORS, THE ELDERLY, AND CHILDREN

  Should your dog protect your home, you must establish safety measures for anyone approaching. Delivery people are especially at risk. Lock all gates, place postboxes on external walls, and do not allow your dog access to areas where people approach.

  FEARS AND PHOBIAS

  429.FEARS

  The feeling of fear is a normal reaction designed to keep every dog safe from harm. Alarming or scary events create either an impulse to flee or to stay and put up a defense. A dog may freeze in fear, or may suddenly scratch or sniff frantically. These are known as displacement behaviors, or fidgeting!