37
The main question is this: Is your dog
Single coated with hairs that grow endlessly at a constant speed?
Or double coated with hairs that grow to a predefined length and are shed?
Single coated breeds are often "fashion" or "toy" breeds like Poodles and Shih Tzu. They actually do need regular hair cuts because their hairs don't stop ...
7
In my (admittedly limited) experience with tumors, there's not much you can do against the odor.
First you need to understand the state your dog is in. Tumors are bundles of cells that are physically and functionally changed (the medical term is "neoplastic cells" or "neoplasia"). A tumor "rupturing" doesn't mean it's going to ...
6
I agree 100% with Elmy
Sometimes when groomers are trained, they may not be told or may not absorb the true reason for doing certain tasks in certain ways. They may simply be told, "Don't do this".
There are plenty of folk-tales circulating in the dog world that have little or no scientific basis.
A groomer will know that it is a bad idea to trim ...
4
From a scientific point of view, first we must define what "politeness" means.
Politeness is the practical application of good manners or etiquette so as not to offend others. It is a culturally defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context.
...
4
This question was asked a while ago and the baby in question is probably walking by now. I'll add an answer anyway.
Dogs can indeed be worried by a crawling baby even if they are happy with toddlers and pre-crawling babies. The problem for them is that crawling doesn't look quite right to a dog - it is not the standard quadruped gait. Also babies are prone ...
4
If there's a medical need to shear the dog, then the consequences (far more grooming required, possibly additional shelter needed) until the dog's coat is regrown maybe a year later are just a consequence and equally necessary. Also, if the consequence is that the dog loses a few top coat hairs, then that's how it is. Medical need means that the consequences ...
3
You should definitely get a different clicker.
Clicker training works by connecting the sound of a clicker to a positive outcome. If the cat hears the clicker, but doesn't get a treat, you basically desensitize him, meaning the actual clicker training won't work as well in the future.
To be honest, you don't even need a clicker, you just need a very ...
3
Please keep in mind that I am not a vet. All information given in this answer is based on personal experience, but not on veterinarian education.
First of all, your vet can hear a heart murmur with a stethoscope. A heart murmur also doesn't appear and disappear over time, so your vet should be able to hear it even if your dog doesn't show any symptoms. It ...
3
This is a very common problem
It will get worse if you don't tackle it.
Optionally jump straight to the video at the end of this answer! I have no connection to this trainer or any other.
The (unfortunate) fact is that the owner often encourages the behaviour without knowing. They see small dogs as babies rather than adult miniature wolves.
The dog knows ...
2
I see that this was asked a long time ago but it's still worth answering.
Dogs are predators and are very sensitive to movement. They can sometimes miss seeing a stationary animal (such as a rabbit) when it is obvious to us. However the second it moves, they will spot it.
Dogs with good eyesight can see tiny flies such as fruit flies in the air, even in ...
2
A late answer but worth adding I feel
Dogs love walking. They love it for the sake of it. It's nice if its outside but indoors they will walk and walk if you provide a safe way. What's the safe way? An ordinary human treadmill is perfect provided you introduce it correctly and always supervise. Eventually, once the dog understands perfectly, you can sit ...
2
I was without a dog for a couple decades. About five years ago my wife and I adopted Mickey as a puppy from a shelter. He will lightly put his paw on me or my wife when asking for something, laying down if it’s for petting, going to the door if he needs outside, or going to where his treats are if he’s hungry. He intentionally will try to involve everyone ...
2
To be honest, this does look somewhat worrying. The rest of the incision healed very well, but the dark dot near the bruising could be a spot that didn't heal properly.
In my oppinion, you don't need to rush to an emergency vet, unless one of the following occurs:
Your dog is lethargic, sleeping all the time and avoiding physical activities.
Your dog eats ...
2
Dogs are descendants of wolves and some years of domestication do not erase the behaviors that were useful for millions of years in the wild.
Wolves live in packs that has a couple as leaders. These are the ones that get the first and best bites of the food and the comfortablest and safest places to rest.
I assume that the dog of your girlfriend sees itself ...
2
There are some commonly cited reasons, which are mostly not true or not fully true:
Cutting the hair will cause it to grow back differently or not grow back. This is not true because hair is dead and has no sensory ability, so the hair follicle has no way to know if a hair has been cut or not. Thus, the follicle cannot change based on a hair being cut. (If ...
2
From what you describe, I notice only one personality: very playful dog, very enthusiastic while playing, to the point that unaware people / dogs get frightened.
It is also normal behavior of dogs to pretend to bite while playing - they just cannot control the biting force sometimes. This comes from their nature, when dogs play, they pretend to bite one ...
2
Here is an excerpt from the RSPCA guidelines
As a minimum your dog must be able to sit and stand at full height,
turn around, stretch out and lie down in a natural position. Document
downloadable from
here
It might be argued that for a short journey, say a visit to the vet, a slightly smaller crate would be okay but in my opinion for regular travel and ...
1
I think the Animal Welfare Act 2006 would be the legal document ruling the treatment and housing of dogs.
Section 9 "Duty of person responsible for animal to ensure welfare" states:
(1) A person commits an offence if he does not take such steps as are reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that the needs of an animal for which ...
1
Sorry to tell you this, but it's not your dog's fault and he doesn't have 2 personalities. He's probably bored and didn't learn restraint. The good news is that you can do something against this behavior.
At one year old, he's pretty much an energetic teenager. He needs to burn all of this energy somehow and if you don't offer him a safe way to do so, he'll ...
1
In most animals, that live social with each other (like cats and dogs) the nature added a built-in-health-system.
One part of this is, that individuals that are relatives should not have children together. (Children that get the same genetic material from mom and dad have a very high risk for illnesses).
In most cases this incest will be avoided by chasing ...
1
I will provide a comparison dog - human, along with explanations.
For a human, there are 2 ways for cooling:
lowering the temperature of the environment; possible indoors with air conditioning, not possible under the full sun;
perspiration + evaporation; the effect is amplified by applying ventilation, even without any active cooling. It works, because the ...
1
especially children on bikes
and
The child never did anything to upset him and they got along very well
and also
He gets along with other dogs in general
These two statements makes me think that the problem are not children but... bikes. You should know already that dogs chase bicycles.
It is not because dogs hate bicycles, but because they are "...
1
I guess that your dog is at the same time loving you and still carrying some old traumas. The best way, in my opinion, is to have patience and gradually learn to socialize - until the dog learns to fully trust you.
Of course, the dog never having been socialized only adds to the problem - which is not a reason to despair anyway.
I wrote some answers for some ...
1
I haven't heard of it happening several times an hour, or for so long, but my dog sometimes coughs/hacks like he's gonna throw up a hairball, and like twice a year it means he's going to throw up. But other than that, there's nothing wrong with it. I also haven't heard of them hacking if you pet them "too hard" or don't handle them delicately. For ...
1
Yes and no. That is, in some areas they see better, and in some areas they see worse.
Both human eyes and dog eyes have rod and cone cells making up the retina. Rods are better at vision in low light conditions and detecting motion. Cones are better at visual acuity and can actually detect color.
In comparison to humans, dogs have more rod cells, which means ...
1
There are a few tests you can do to assess the dog's behavior in the shelter. All following tests are taken from the "Meet your Match" dog character assessment guide by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
First of all, ask if the dog was tested for aggressive behavior. It's not your job to test for (read: provoke) ...
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