Problem Dogs (It's a
long article but definitely a must read).
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First and foremost, bassets
(and all animals) need love and attention, they don't really need a sofa
of their own, but they do show appreciation for such things.
In addition, basic
nutritional and housing needs must be met. Bassets can range from 18 to 35
kilos, and are prone to obesity, particularly after age four or five. Feed
only a high quality food and watch those treats!
The Basset does not need
fussy coat care, but because they tend to shed year-round they should be
brushed at least weekly.
The inside of the ears needs
to be cleaned; their heavy ear leather prevents loss of moisture from
inside the ear. The outside of the ear will collect more dirt than other
dogs' because the ears fall into the water and feed bowls and then drag
along the ground.
Nails are tough and should
be trimmed every two weeks.
Finally, meet regularly with
a veterinarian to be sure your dog is healthy and protected from disease.
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One of the direst
emergencies with a Basset is Bloat, the following articles have been
gleaned from the Internet:
The word BLOAT strikes fear into the heart of
every large dog owner. Bloat/Torsion is the common term for Gastric
Dilatation/Volvulus. It literally is when the stomach of a large,
deep chested dog fills with air and then because of the way the
stomach swings in the body cavity (as if in a hammock) the ligaments
stretch and the stomach flips over on itself and rotates in the abdomen.
When the stomach fills with air, you get a very short amount of time to
seek treatment or start first aid for Bloat. Once Torsion or
Volvulus occurs your dog is going to die within minutes of the shock from
the blood supply being cut off unless immediate veterinary intervention is
available. Please go the the links below to learn everything you can
about the symptoms, first aid, and procedures you will be faced with,
should your dog bloat.
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/vad/cae/bnjan97.htm
http://www.ualberta.ca/~dc8/szbloat.htm
http://users.erols.com/gr8rswis/bloat.htm
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Problem Dogs
(Jim Willis writes with
authority on the subject of animal behaviour for the DailyDrool
and has kindly given his permission
to publish this article)
From: Jim Willis & Nicole Valentin-Willis/Tiergarten Sanctuary
Trust jwillis@bellatlantic.net
Subject: Stay calm, stay positive when dealing with problem dogs
I've been keeping up an erratic private correspondence with some of you
about dog problems, mostly aggression. Thanks to my mail server's
continuing problems, since Thanksgiving, I'm getting only a trickle of
mail and often days late.
This is mostly just a message of encouragement. I've heard from dog
owner's who are heartbroken over situations where their dog doesn't like
them or their other dogs, and puppy's instead of being sweet, are trying
to bite their owners. Some owners have made the painful decision to give
the dog to a good home, and then learned the more painful reality that
the right new home is very rare, and that most Rescues are so flooded
with good dogs, they don't have the resources for bad dogs.
I can't tell you sight unseen what's wrong with your dog. The best
anyone can do long distance is tell you that you and your dog fit a
particular scenario, and suggest some things that have worked for other
dogs and owners. And although there are different schools of thought and
people who blame nature more, or nurture more, the one thing I believe
everyone who deals with these problems will agree on is that many owners
aren't paying enough attention to their dog's "dogness." Often
when they are describing a "problem," they are simply describing a normal
component of canine behaviour. Our grandmothers cautioned us to "let
sleeping dogs lie," and we're still wondering why the dog refuses to
give up the couch?
There are numerous reasons why dog problems seem to be escalating, and
one of those is that we're paying more attention to problems. Some of
the reasons are cultural - 100 years ago dogs served more of a purpose,
true pets were a luxury, the typical farmer or hunter simply put down a
bad dog as not being worth having. Neighbours didn't tolerate a dog who
bit children. Still today, if you are around hunting or working dogs
much, you'll see what wonderful temperaments they have; personality
problems interfere with their ability to perform their function, and
owners who depend on a symbiotic relationship with their dog have to pay
attention to the "dogness," and that includes breeding for the
right temperament.
There's no sense rehashing how the cultural relationship with dogs
changed, but some of it has reached the ridiculous (video monitoring of
doggie daycare centres? Really!). For some owners, dogs are child-replacements, unfortunately, dogs are not children, they are dogs.
The market for purebred dogs exploded, and some of the wrong people
responded to meet the need. And in Bassets, once known for their
wonderful temperament, the concentration was focused on "form"
not "function." We forgot about their "houndness."
Good breeders, if they don't look beyond their own circle, won't know
what I am talking about, because they are breeding for both conformation
and temperament. Unfortunately, because they are good breeders and are
home-raising a limited number of puppies, they are not the major
supplier of Basset puppies in the US, and that's a sad fact now true for
every breed.
Nature is critically important, there is a biological basis of behaviour,
and bad dogs pass along bad seed. Mama dogs with bad temperaments teach
their babies the wrong lessons. Nurture is critically important, which
is why I advise getting an older puppy home-raised by a competent
breeder, and why I think puppy mill-born dogs transported long distances
to mall pet shops is one of the WORST recipes for creating companion
animals.
So what do you do when both nature and nurture have failed your dog, or
you are the second or third owner of an adult dog who was passed around
because of problems? Can dogs overcome their earlier problems? Speaking<
from my own experience, in a great many instances they can, and it's a
testimony to the wonderful resiliency of the dog.
I'm trying to be brief, so I'll only mention some starting points. You
and your dog have a lot of hard work ahead of you, and nobody can do it
for you, and there are no miracle cures.
First, you must pay attention to your dog's dogness. Dogs need
attention, time, touch, a lot of exercise, a wholesome diet, clear rules
and a schedule they can depend on. Are you prepared to do that, or have
you just tried to cram a dog into an overflowing lifestyle? Is the
family dog an equal family member, or is he last on the list for any
attention?
Relate to your dog on his level - get down on the floor with him. Go for
a walk in the woods with him and see what he sees. Realize that you are
his whole world and he depends on you for everything. Most dogs need
other dogs, does your dog have that opportunity?
Most dog's aggression is based in fear and under socialization; what
caused those fears?
The principal way dogs communicate with each other is visual, every
posture and every position of the tail has a meaning for them. What
visual cues are you giving your dog, and are you being consistent?
Stop focusing on the bad behaviour and concentrate, and praise, what your
dog does right.
Jean Donaldson (you really must read her book "Culture Clash")
wrote:
"Shaping the absence of the behaviour you do not wish to reward is an
underused technique."
That's so simple, it's brilliant. Too many owners of bad dogs have an
adversarial relationship with the dog, and most of their communication
becomes "don't do that, bad dog!" Forget about arguing with your
dog
over the couch for now, in the meantime, praise and reward your dog for
being at your side in another location and not getting on the couch. One
reason clicker training is so successful is because it's providing an
immediate cue and reward for an appropriate response, and ignoring no
response or the wrong response.
You really must learn to think like a dog, and your dog can teach you
some things about that. Consider what most owners do with a problem
barker - the dog begins to bark, and the owner joins in with screams to
"Quit it! Shut up!" What the dog hears and understands is that
the two of you are having a "barking party." Reward the silence, come up
with a cue of soft praise for calling your dog into your lap for a belly rub
when he begins to bark. Dogs aren't stupid. Do they want to bark at
nothing, or do they want to be touched and praised by you?
If you ended up with a problem dog, you are his best hope and probably
his last. Pay attention to every problem immediately. Help is everywhere
- books, discussion lists, trainers, classes, and behaviourists. Your dog
knows more about you and how you're feeling than you know about him. You
even smell different when you are nervous or afraid, and he knows it.
Treat him as a problem and he will be a problem. Stay positive, firm,
loving and attentive, and he will more often than not reward you by
becoming the best dog he can be.
Good luck,
Jim
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AUTUMN
What do we do when our loving pets face the last leg of the race?
We do all we can to help them finish well, of course.
We take time to read the unspoken needs of the friends we've come to know so well.
We give the simple reassurance of a loving touch when the old boy seems confused for no reason.
We groom them faithfully, but more gently, as age brings muscle wasting, and the arthritic bones aren't so well padded.
We learn to slow down for their sake, as they enjoy the scent of the wind, or track a visitors trail across their yard.
We expect to be inconvenienced, and aren't angry when it happens.
We watch for pain and treat it, watch for changes in vision and hearing and do what we can to help preserve those precious senses for
as long as possible.
We take care of their teeth, and make sure their food is a manageable texture for them.
We remind them of the need for a potty walk when they seem to forget.
We remember the little rewards. We scratch the graying ears and tummy, and go for car rides together. When the pet we love has an
unexplained need for comfort, we give it freely. When infirmities bring a sense of vulnerability, we become our old guardian's
protector.
We watch their deepest slumbers, when dreams take them running across long-forgotten fields, and we remember those fields too. When they cannot
stand alone, we lift them. When their steps are uncertain, we steady them.
And if their health fails, it falls to us to make the choice that will gently put them to rest. But until that is absolutely
necessary, we pause to let the autumn sun warm our old friend's bones. And we realize, autumn is not a bad time of year at all.
Old age is not a disease or a reason to give up. It is a stage of life that brings its own changes. Autumn can be a beautiful time of
harvest.
And, sometimes, the harvest is love.
author-- Christy Caballero
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