A Guide for Young People on How to Interact with Dogs

Now that the weather is warmer, we are all finding more time to be outside. So, that means we get to meet a lot more dogs! This can be very exciting for dogs and for children, but there are some things your child should know about interacting with dogs. The following illustration (found on adoptapet.com) gives some good tips on how to interact with dogs.

Dog Training: Come

 

The Come command, also known as Recall, is a little more time-consuming to teach, but is important when you need your dog to come back to you. For example, if you are out hiking and your dog is off-leash, but you notice another hiker farther along the trail, you can tell your dog to Come, and expect her to do so.

An important note on teaching this command: there are many ways that we can sabotage the effectiveness of this command, and not even realize it. Avoid recalling your dog for things that she may not find enjoyable, such as nail trims and baths. And never call your dog, and then punish her for something else that she has done. Both of these examples will teach your dog that if she does come, something unpleasant will happen. Pretty soon, when you call her to Come, she will run the other way.

Treats will be helpful when you first start to teach this command. To begin, ask your dog to Stay, and then back up a few feet, show her the food, and ask her to Come. When she comes to you, give her the treat and lots of praise. Each time you ask her to sit and then back away, try to make the distance farther. You can mix this exercise up by hiding from her before you call her. Or, ask a friend to help, and you can take turns calling her. Make a game out of it! As with other commands, remove the food reward as she improves.

Keep your training sessions short and have fun, and remember that consistency and patience are key!

Cats may be key to HIV vaccine

There have been many studies that show how dogs can benefit human health, but few on the benefit of cats. Researchers from the University of Florida and the University of California, San Francisco have found that blood from patients infected from HIV shows an immune response against feline AIDS. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is distantly related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and their sequences are similar, which allows researchers the opportunity for further study and analysis towards a possible vaccine against AIDS, in the future.

The article is an interesting perspective on how cats can be beneficial to the health of humans in more ways than just companionship. To read more, click here.

Dog Training: Lie Down

The method to teach the Lie Down command is similar to teaching the Sit command. This is a useful command to help your dog calm down, or if you need your dog to stay in one spot for an extended amount of time.

To teach this command, small treats will be useful. During training sessions, especially with young dogs, limit your time to 5-10 minutes. Dogs tend to have short attention spans, and the longer you work at something the worse their performance will seem.

To begin, stand in front of your dog with a small treat in your hand. Place your hand in front of your dog’s nose, close enough that she is not tempted to jump for it. Then, slowly move your hand, with the treat, towards the ground. As you are moving your hand, say “lie down.” As soon as your dog has her elbows and hocks on the ground, shower her with praise! As you progress with this command, work away from using treats, so that she knows to Lie Down, whether she is rewarded or not. To release her from Lie Down, use a simple command, such as “release” or “OK.”

Remember, the most important part of any training exercise with your dog is consistency and patience. And have fun!

Dog Training: Stay

You've had a couple of weeks to work on teaching the Sit command to your dog, so hopefully by now it is becoming second nature. It will be a useful command for many of the future commands that you teach your dog. This week, we'll discuss the Stay command.

 

The Stay command is used when you need your dog to stay put. This can be confusing to a dog that is used to following you around and always being at your side, but it’s useful in many situations. For example, when you are eating dinner, or when someone comes to the door, it’s good to be able to tell your dog to Stay so that she isn’t begging for food, or interfering with your guest’s arrival.

Stay can be taught in any position. You can ask your dog to Sit and Stay, Stand and Stay, Lay Down and Stay, etc. To be successful at Stay, your dog must not move when the command is given.

The easiest way to introduce this command is by teaching it in the Sit position. Once this step is mastered, follow the same steps to teach the command with other positions.

Begin by asking your dog to sit. Then, stand in front of her and place your palm in front of her face. Step away from her, starting with your right leg. It is important to consistently use your right leg. Starting on the left leg can later be used to train her to walk with you. Take a couple steps away, then turn and stand right in front of your dog. You may repeat the word “stay” a couple of times, but be careful of using it too much. You want to teach your dog to respond to “stay,” not “stay stay stay stay stay.” Wait a few seconds then return to your dog’s side. As she begins to understand the point of what you are doing, you can increase the time you stand away from her and the distance you walk away from her. When you return to her side, if she has done what you ask, give her lots of praise. If she messes up, simply start over. Dogs respond much better to praise than to criticism. If you choose, you may use small treats as a reward for training, but make sure they are very small and do not interfere with her normal diet. You will use a lot of treats during training, so a dog can easily overeat, if the treats are too large. Many dogs respond well to a treat of lots of praise from their owners, and don’t even care for the food treats. You’ll just have to try it out and see what your dog likes.

Remember, the most important part of this training exercise, and any other, is consistency and patience. And shower your dog with praise!

 

If you have any other questions about this or any other training technique, give us a call (208-552-9825)!

Dog Training

Training a dog can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve never had a dog before, or if your dog is older. But all dogs can learn! It just takes consistency and patience. There are a few basic commands, which are important for any dog to learn. These basics will help your dog to be well-behaved and can pave the way to more complicated to training, if you are interested in furthering your dog’s education. Over the next few weeks, I will cover these basics in detail.

 

Sit

The Sit command is one of the most basic commands, and also one of the easiest to teach. It’s important for your dog to learn this command to use on its own, and with other commands. It’s especially useful for dogs that tend toward hyper activity and need to be reminded not to jump on people.

To teach this command, small treats will be useful. During training sessions, especially with young dogs, limit your time to 5-10 minutes. Dogs tend to have short attention spans, and the longer you work at something the worse their performance will seem.

 
To begin, stand in front of your dog with a small treat in your hand. Hold your hand over your dog’s nose, close enough that she is not tempted to jump for it. Then slowly move your hand toward the back of her head. As you are moving your hand, say “sit.” It is an unnatural position for her to continue turning her head backward, so she will sit to get more comfortable. As soon as she sits, give her the treat and lots of praise! As you progress with this training and her Sit becomes more consistent, work away from using treats, so that she knows she needs to Sit, whether she gets something for it or not. To release her from Sit, use a simple command, such as “release” or “OK.”

Remember, the most important part of this training exercise, and any other, is consistency and patience. And shower your dog with praise!

 

If you have other training questions or would like a one-on-one training session, contact us at Ammon Veterinary Hospital (208-552-9825) for more information.

 

Do You Talk to Your Pet?

During the past century, pets have become much
more important in our lives, rising from simple companions and work animals,  and often becoming "part of the family." My dog was my first "kid" and I still consider her my fur-baby. We have conversations all of the time. And as a technician, I talk to my patients. Which makes me wonder how other people communicate with their pets?

Did you know that cats have more than 100 vocal sounds, while dogs have about 10? Who’s louder in your home? And dogs have about 100 different facial expressions and most of them are made with the ears. What do you call your favorite pet expression?

In reading the news headlines, or even the latest updates in my Facebook feed, I often see the discussion of food, diets, exercise and overall weight and health topics. These are topics that are important to me because of my food allergies, which require me to follow a strict diet. I believe that it is important to understand how the things we consume, including what, when, and how much, affect our bodies. As a veterinary technician and pet lover, I also believe that this conversation is very important to consider for our animal companions. Obesity is a problem in dogs and cats and is becoming all too common. Fortunately, many of the healthy habits that we are learning are good for us are also good for our pets.

 

An article I recently read titled, “Curbing feline obesity by offering smaller more frequent meals,” covers this topic. In a study performed at the University of Illinois, researchers found that cats that were fed smaller meals, more often, tended to be more active and weigh less. The link to the article is here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/273054.php

 

I found this article interesting because it is a relatively simple solution to a problem that is becoming more widespread all the time. Of course every household is different, and feeding your cat 4 times per day may not be feasible, but the study found that even cats that went from free-feeding to being fed a set amount 2 times per day benefited. And it is a method that has been shown to have great success in weight loss in people as well. A win-win for you and your cat!

Veterinary Care for the Life of Your Pet

Do you have a new puppy or kitten, or a pet who hasn't been in to see us for a while? Wondering what type of preventive care your pet needs? The following graphic is a good overview of the basic care that is recommended for the life of your pet. If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, give us a call!

What signs will you see if your pet has dental disease?

Pain from dental disease can present in different ways in our pets. And often, they will show no pain until is severe. But, what might you see if your pet has dental disease? And how can treatment affect your pet's quality of life? Here are a couple of case examples presented in DVM InFocus in March, 2009. (dvm360.com)


CASE 1: Boots, a 16-year-old male domestic shorthair cat with reduced appetite for approximately three weeks, is gradually losing weight. Boots acts interested in food. He eats small amounts and runs from the food dish. He frequently drops food and paws at his face. The client is worried about Boots' poor quality of life and has considered euthanasia.                            

After diagnostic testing, including an oral exam, bloodwork, ECG and blood pressure, and dental x-rays, Boots, was diagnosed with tooth resorption. Tooth resorption occurs when the body re-absorbs teeth, and it can be very painful when the inside of the tooth is exposed. The only treatment for this condition is extraction of the affected teeth, which is what Boots' doctor decided to do. Following his procedure, Boots recovered and returned to normal eating within 24 hours.

CASE 2: Tiny, an 11-year-old female Great Pyrenees, visited her veterinarian with swelling on the right side of her jaw and severe pain. Tiny seemed particularly painful when attempting to chew food. She would chew primarily on the left side, and food would fall out of the mouth on the right side. 

Diagnostic testing included bloodwork, an oral exam, and dental radiographs and found a severe periodontal defect, with severe dental disease around a nonvital tooth. Based on this diagnosis, Tiny's doctor opted to extract the affected tooth to alleviate her pain and stop any further destruction of the surrounding structures in her mouth. Following her procedure Tiny experienced an immediate improvement in eating and return to playful activity.


These cases are examples of how dental treatment can provide immediate relief and improve quality of life for pets. In these cases, their symptoms were more obvious, but remember, most pets over the age of 3 years have some form of dental disease, and many times they will not show any sort of pain. If you have any questions about your pet's dental health, give us a call!


The cases presented here are provided by Dr. Kressin, who operates the Animal Dental Center in Oshkosh, Wis. and is a diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College, in the article Veterinary dentistry and oral surgery for geriatric patients, DVM InFocus, March 2009.

What's in your cat's mouth?

Periodontal disease can have devastating effects on an animals entire body, and often we don't see the damage until it is causing quite a bit of pain. Most often, animals hide any weakness or pain. It can be difficult to understand what is going on in your pet's mouth, especially with cats who don't like to open their mouths for just anyone. The following photographs (from DVM360.com) are examples of some of the painful diseases that a cat can experience from poor dental health.

For more information about feline dental health visit ammonvet.com and dvm360.com


 

Does your pet's mouth smell eww? Odor can signal serious health problems.

Bad breath is often an indication of periodontal disease that can be minor tartar buildup or severe calculus buildup with loose teeth. At times, it can also be an indication of more serious health issues. To provide the best care for your pet, it's best to visit your veterinarian regularly for a wellness exam, including a dental check-up. Your veterinarian will be able to help you determine the best schedule of care for your pet, including any additional tests that may be needed to find the source of the bad smell, and any at-home care that you can provide.

Click here for more information on pet dental health, provided by AAHA.

February is Pet Dental Wellness Month: What products are effective in helping maintain our pet's dental health?

In recent years, we have become more aware of how important our pet's dental health is to their overall health. Approximately 60% of all pets over the age of 3 have some sort of dental disease. To prevent dental disease from causing more negative health effects to our pets, regular exams by their veterinarian and a good at-home dental care routine are very important. The gold standard in at-home care is brushing our furry friend's teeth, just like we brush our own, every day. Even the most seasoned veterinary professional knows how difficult this can be, however. In an effort to make it easier for us to care for our pet's teeth, many companies have created products that are designed to help keep our pet's teeth clean and healthy. So many companies have jumped on board, in fact, that it can be difficult to know what actually works, and what doesn't. In response, the Veterinary Oral Health Council (R) (VOHC) was formed.

The VOHC's stated purpose is to "recognize products that meet preset standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in dogs and cats." Products are awarded the VOHC Seal of Acceptance after a review of data from trials conducted according to VOHC protocols." The VOHC seal is the pet product equivalent to the Amercian Dental Association (ADA) seal. The VOHC strives to maintain the highest credibility among the veterinary community and to help prevent the most common dental disease in dogs and cats — periodontal disease. (excerpt from dvm360.com, Improving veterinary dentistry: The purpose of the Veterinary Oral Health Council and veterinary specialists (Sponsored by Greenies) Sept 1, 2011)

So, if brushing your pet's teeth isn't always feasible and you're looking for something to help make the job a little easier, just make sure it has this seal on the package: