Living With Dogs (20 page)
Authors: Dr Hugh Wirth
Already the benefit of microchipping is being seen. Most of the dogs separated from their owners in the 2009 Victorian bushfires were eventually returned to their owners, or next of kin, via a microchip.
If people love their dogs as they say they do, why is there still resistance to putting a marker put on them and having them microchipped to link the dog with the owner? It’s an utter disgrace, not least because having the dog registered and identified is fundamental to having its rights recognised. The only right for a dog coming into the pound with no identification and no marker is that it will be given eight days before it is put down.
Registration has also been used as a way of encouraging owners to have their animals desexed, as the registration fee for desexed dogs is by law only a third of the fee for animals that have not been desexed. It is intended that the savings on the fee will be equivalent to the cost of having the dog desexed. One benefit of de-sexing an animal is that it becomes more of a ‘home body’, and therefore less likely to stray, to spread infectious diseases or to be hit by cars.
I have always strongly believed that the key to achieving the full joy of dog ownership lies in understanding as much as is possible to know about dogs. This belief has shaped my approach to veterinary practice and has been one of the reasons for my involvement with the RSPCA.
In 1981 the ABC in Melbourne invited me to be their veterinary expert for a half-hour animal welfare programme. I readily accepted because I felt it would greatly assist me in fulfilling my wish for greater understanding of dogs by their owners. At first, because I was challenging long-held beliefs that were convenient for humans, but did not take into account the needs of the animal, many of my views on the welfare of animals provoked strong listener reaction. I am still saying many of the same things but only rarely is there an angry response, apart from when I talk about correct dog control.
If my talkback segment on 774 is any guide, there has been a dramatic and measurable shift in community attitudes to the welfare of animals in the last 30 years. Yet I find the same questions being repeated each Saturday morning, which suggests to me that it will take many more years at the microphone for owners to fully understand the normal dog, its behaviour and its needs. The following are the most common questions asked by listeners, with the answers I have given on 774, and I include them in the continued hope that owners will strive to understand their dogs.
House-training
I have a problem house-training a five-month-old Kelpie cross which I got from the RSPCA two weeks ago. I take her out after eating and sleeping, but when she’s inside she goes to the toilet everywhere. How do I train her to stop urinating inside?
Answer:
You have to re-double your efforts because she’s past the peak of the learning curve, which is 12 weeks. No puppy can be reliably house-trained under nine months. What you have to do is teach the dog rapidly where to urinate and defecate. I would buy a packet of reward food, so that the dog knows that if it urinates and defecates in front of you in the spot in the garden you’ve chosen, it will get the reward food.
You shouldn’t have the dog in the house for more than 30 minutes without taking it out. If you catch the dog urinating in the house, scold her straight away. If you do it five minutes later, when you find the mark, the dog won’t know why it’s being punished.
We have a 15-week-old Groodle which barks at night and annoys the neighbours. What can we do?
Answer:
Your pup has suddenly been forced to spend the night by itself when it has been used to living with its litter mates. Barking is the pup’s way of attention seeking. ‘Why can’t I live with my new human family?’ the pup is demanding. You must immediately teach the pup this behaviour is unacceptable. If he is to live outside, then consider confining him to a garage, which will help lower the barking tone. But you must get up every time the pup starts barking and scold him so that he quickly learns that you, the boss dog, will not tolerate barking for no acceptable reason.
Our dog has bonded to me, but he dislikes and barks at my male partner. What can we do?
Answer:
The situation is more than just bonding; it is now possession of you at the expense of your partner. Assuming that your partner has not played any part in causing this behaviour, you will need to rapidly socialise your dog to accept him, lest your partner resolve the issue by simply moving on.
Our West Highland White Terrier puppy is very destructive regarding toys, books, etc. How can we train him not to do this and how long will it take?
Answer:
This is normal behaviour for so young a puppy. Begin by training the members of your household not to leave things lying about thus inviting destruction. Secondly, divert the interest of the pup to something that can be chewed — a meaty raw bone daily will do the trick. Lastly, your pup is highly energetic and this energy needs to be used up or else he will find his own energy release. A good walk two to three times a day is essential. Terriers tend to settle down between their first and third birthday.
We have a two-month-old Jack Russell and a cat. They are lovely together and well toilet trained. However when my husband comes home the Jack Russell urinates all over him. How can we stop this?
Answer:
In my experience a dog is never ‘water-tight’ under nine months of age. The Jack Russell is so excited to see your husband each night that he loses bladder control. Vets are always conscious of this when returning desexed puppies to their owners after surgery! Your dog will gain bladder control by nine months of age.
I have a male German Shepherd cross who recently lost his mate, who used to mother him, and he’s acting very strangely. We replaced the dog with another one from the RSPCA and we’re now finding that he’s doing things he’s never done in the past. At night he gets confused, and won’t sleep in the kennel. What should we do?
Answer:
He’s getting used to the new dog and feeling a little bit confused and out of sorts. It will take a month or two for them to chum up and form a new arrangement. He is attention-seeking, and if you go and bother about that, he knows he’s found out how to get your attention and stay top dog, without having to share with the new dog.
Is it okay to have three dogs?