Archive for the ‘Dog’ Category
One of the most common health problems that affect dog is known as “Hip Dysplasia.” Found in dozens of different breeds with different levels of commonality, hip dysplasia can cause your dogs a great deal of pain, due to poor positioning of the hips that is exacerbated over the course of your dog’s life. It is not uncommon for hip dysplasia to lead to such issues as paralysis, extreme discomfort, and immobility.
Finding Out if Your Dog Has Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia may be based on bone formation, but it gets worse over time due to various muscles around your dog’s body being too weak to keep the hip in place, causing it to be pushed into various other parts of the body. Over time, more muscle and tissue problems occur, and the hip dysplasia gets worse and worse.
It becomes very important, then, to catch hip dysplasia as early as possible. Though there is no surefire treatment, there are various ways that the vet can help reduce the effects of hip dysplasia in order to ensure that your dog is able to continue moving as usual, and reduce the long term effects of this painful health concern.
To catch hip dysplasia it is important you know the signs. Some of these signs include:
- Uncomfortable Rest – Dogs usually rest comfortably, with their hips turned in order to easily keep their legs to the side. A dog with hip dysplasia may not be comfortable relaxing in this manner.
- Reduced Activity Level – Dogs that do not want to participate in exercise or other fun doggy activities (or those that do but do not appear to be enjoying it) may have hip dysplasia that are making these activities too painful or difficult for them.
- Standing/Jumping Problems – The most hip pressure is going to come from the back legs. If your dog is having any problems standing when forced on their hind legs (such as sounds that indicate extreme pain) or it chooses not to jump or go up or down stairs, hip dysplasia is a possibility.
One final way that can be tricky is if you see your dog running in an odd formation that looks more hop like than it does a healthy gait. Dogs may run in odd ways anyway, but if you see your dog appearing to hop and – when compared to others of the same breed – this hopping appears considerably different, then you may want to get your dog checked for hip dysplasia.
Hip Dysplasia is Treatable – So Catch it Fast
Modern medicine has continued to create new and effective ways to treat hip dysplasia, including various fake joints and better formations through surgery. It is also now known that hip dysplasia, in general, is fairly preventable by ensuring that your dog is fit (so that it does not have extra weight pushing on its hindquarters) and giving your dog foods that are effective for bone and joint health. The surgery to fix hip dysplasia can be expensive and painful, but prevention is free, easy, and may considerably reduce the risk of your dog experiencing hip dysplasia pain.
Hip Dysplasia affects millions of dogs across the nation, and is one of the primary genetic diseases found in most dog breeds. Though it may not be life threatening, it may still threaten your dog’s way of life, which is why prevention should be your first priority. Give your dog lots of exercise, watch for warning signs, and be sure you let your vet know if you notice anything that worries you.
By Dr. Jan Bellows
When you need to obedience or trick train your pet, finding a good dog trainer is a great way to make sure that you raise a well behaved dog. There are some fantastic dog trainers across the country that have a great deal of experience teaching dogs of all shapes, sizes and temperaments how to perform interesting behaviors and maintain good obedience to their owner. But to be a dog trainer, you do not necessarily need some type of advanced education – which means that two individuals with the same credentials can vary vastly in how qualified they are to be chosen as your dog trainer.
Most dog trainers these days recognize how to train canines correctly, as there is a wealth of information available about proper training methods. Dog training is one of the most understood sciences available in the world today. But there are still some dog trainers that are under-qualified and misinformed about how to dog train correctly, and these are the trainers you need to do your best to avoid. If you meet a dog trainer that supports any of the following, that is likely a dog trainer you would like to avoid:
- Punishment Training – Any dog trainer that believes physical punishment is a successful way to train dogs is vastly misinformed and a trainer that you should avoid. It is a well researched facts that dog learn considerably better through positive reinforcement than they do from positive punishment, and a trainer that does not acknowledge this difference is not an effective trainer.
- Trainer-led Training – Dog trainers are not there to take your dog from you and bring them back to you as a well behaved animal. On the contrary, the only effective way to dog train is if you, yourself, are the trainer, and the dog trainer’s purpose is to coach you on how to train your dog effectively. Dogs that learn solely from a trainer are still unlikely to take those behaviors home with you, making the entire training irrelevant.
- Trainers that Believe in Pet Equality – It is healthier for you and your pet if you establish yourself as alpha in the pack. Any trainer that believes you should treat your dog like an equal member of the family is vastly misinformed. Dogs need a “place” in the pack – there is no such thing as equality in the dog world. A dog that is confused about its place in the pack will exhibit poor behaviors and possibly suffer from increased stress.
If you notice any of these three beliefs from your prospective trainer, you will want to avoid them. Dog behaviors are extremely well studied and understood. There are very few things that have not been researched about dog training and dog behavior effectiveness. As behavioral creatures, what works and what doesn’t work has been extremely well established, and a trainer that deviates from the norm is doing so recklessly, because when it comes to what works best with your pet, there is very little that is not known.
The best thing for you to do is look for references from other people that have had their pets trained. Dog trainers that have successfully trained your friend’s pets are likely provide the same level of efficacy with yours. However, if you do not know anyone that has a reputable dog trainer available that you can work with, use the above criteria to weed out the pool, and carefully monitor the way that your trainer suggests training methods to ensure that you are using someone that knows what they are doing.
Like people, dogs have their own feelings of self worth. In most cases your dog will think it is the greatest animal in the world, ready to protect your family and loved by all that interact with it. But in some cases, your dog may experience signs of low self esteem. This can be due to:
- Constant scolding for bad behavior.
- Insufficient praise for good behavior.
- Neglect or a lack of stimulation.
- Limited mobility and a great deal of time in a crate.
- Pain/injury as a result of play.
- Failure to achieve any rank within the pack.
In some cases these cannot be avoided. For example, your dog –for its own safety and yours – needs to be on the lowest end of the hierarchy within your “pack.” It is healthier for your dog if it is last in pecking order, as a dog that believes it is higher on the food chain is far more prone to behavior problems.
That said, in most other cases your dog’s self esteem needs to be raised, otherwise serious problems can result. A dog with low self esteem may be prone to:
- Increased stress in new situations.
- A general lack in mobility.
- Submissive urination.
- Severe separation anxiety.
For your dog’s own health, as well as the status of your furniture, it is very important that your raise your dog’s self esteem when it has become overly submissive.
How to Raise Your Dog’s Self Esteem
Raising your dog’s self esteem is not only better for the health of your dog – it is more fun for you as well. The first tip for improving your dog’s feelings of self worth is by far the most important. You need to praise your dog often for any behavior that it does that you like, while attempting to ignore behaviors that you do not like.
The best way to do this is to keep a large number of treats with you at all times. Whenever your dog does anything you enjoy – even if it is simply laying down by your side and getting pet – you respond by giving your dog a treat and showering it with affection and praise. The latter part of this is important. Simply giving your dog a treat is not enough – your dog wants attention from you to know that it has done a good thing, and that praise and attention that you give it after it has performed the behavior is enough to make your dog feel much better about itself.
Similarly, while you cannot let your dog be higher in the pecking order without risking negative behaviors, you can still let your dog win a few “fights” with you until its self esteem is raised. If you play tug of war with your puppy, for example, it is okay to let your dog win on occasion. This will help your dog feel as though it has strength can handle itself.
Also, don’t forget to exercise your dog regularly. A tired dog is a more content and less emotional dog. The more time you spend outside, the more energy you burn, and the less likely your dog is to misplace its energy.
Finally, this type of low self esteem can also be the result of problems within the pack. If you are fighting constantly with other family or house members in front of your pet, the stress can cause your dog to feel scared and alone. If you have to fight, fight more quietly or away from your dog, as the angry energy that comes from these loud noises can be harmful to your dog’s sensitive emotional balance.
Loving Your Dog
The affection your dog receives from love and play is more than enough to raise its self esteem. Dogs do not respond well to punishments, but they respond extremely well to praise and affection. Let you dog know how important it is, and your dog’s self esteem is sure to rise in no time.