Petville

Prozac approved for dogs with separation anxiety

Beef-flavored tablet will treat dogs suffering separation anxiety

Man’s best friend may have a new best friend after Eli Lilly and Co. won U.S. approval to sell its former blockbuster antidepressant Prozac to treat misbehaving mutts.

The drug, repackaged into a chewable, beef-flavored tablet to be called Reconcile, was officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of separation anxiety in dogs in conjunction with behavior modification training, the drug maker said on Wednesday.

The product gives new life to a drug that was once Lilly’s most lucrative medicine before it lost patent protection several years ago and sales evaporated in the face of generic competition.

full article here

Putting a stopwatch on dog barking in NJ

A town in NJ - one that's only minutes away from Petville's home base - is giving a reason for neighbors to pull the kitchen timer out of the drawer. Later this month, the city council of Clifton is expected to introduce an ordinance setting a limit on how long dogs can bark.

Noisy canines will be defined as those that bark for more than 30 minutes on two consecutive days.

Police have to investigate complaints, and the city Health Department sent 11 letters last year warning dog owners that a summons could be issued if barking continued.

Not surprisingly, getting a summons is rare, because the person who complained must go to court to sign a complaint. Fines for the new ordinance could start at $250.

Dog socialization - start early!

I believe a dog can not be TOO friendly. Anything a dog does out of joyfulness can be tempered and controlled. Happy "mistakes" can be quickly forgiven and, ultimately, forgotten. The same can not be said about fearful, possessive, or aggressive dogs. Anti-social problems are often very difficult to remedy and "mistakes" often leave lifelong scars.

Early socialization is a crucial part of puppyhood. Once fully vaccinated, you should get your pup out and about. Allow everyone to greet your pup and allow your pup to meet anyone. Put the pooch in a SIT to be petted and cooed over. Bring along tasty treats (or even a pocket full of its mealtime kibble) and encourage passers-by to give the pup a morsel or two. Ask your mail delivery person to give your pup a treat every now and then. Likewise, the kid who delivers the newspaper and the service station worker. If your pup grows up thinking everybody is a potential treat giver, you've avoided many possible fear or aggressive behaviors.

Housebreaking Puppy Tip: Water

Water... Give only what the dog needs:

Determine how much water can fit into the dog's belly
A little puppy's belly can't possibly hold a full bowl's worth of water... start with 2 or 3 fingers worth and go from there

Do not let the dog warehouse water

• Make it a point that the dog must tinkle after each watering and before it gets more water (under normal circumstances)
  
• close the toilet cover
  
• notice the planters
  
• do you have plants, a low lying fish tank, open toilet seats?

Does the dog REALLY need water?

• just because the dog is panting doesn't necessarily mean it needs water
  
• what was this dog doing to make it thirsty?
  
• when was the last watering?
  
• has the dog tinkled yet?
  
• how warm, dry is the environment?

All these points should be considered during your dog's training.
Article posted courtesy of ThePoop.com's Expert Dog Trainers

Puppy Lesson: Establish The ALPHA Position

All our dealings with our dog will be from a position of authority, or ALPHA. Being pack animals, dogs see us simply as members of their pack. A pack is a very structured society with a set hierarchy with an absolute leader (ALPHA) on down to a very definite subordinate.

Following are just a few basic rules to follow that allow us to establish our ALPHA over our dog:

NEVER HIT YOUR PUPPY - even a teeny, tiny flick on the pup's nose can possibly make it hand shy and defensive

DON'T SCREAM OR YELL AT THE PUP - Alpha never has to bark. When you yell (bark), your puppy instinctively knows that you are not Alpha.

NEVER GIVE EMPTY OR REPETITIVE COMMANDS - always ensure your puppy complies with any and all commands

DON'T GIVE THE PUP TABLE SCRAPS - the puppy doesn't need it in the first place and it only confuses the Alpha

DONT GIVE OLD PERSONAL ITEMS TO THE PUP - your pup can't tell the difference between an old, torn sock and, a brand new one; an old, worn slipper and a brand new pair of loafers, a frayed bed sheet and a brand new quilt ...

Dog training tip: Exercise, exercise, exercise!

A huge number of private dog trainings center on solving one problem or another. These problems run the gamut from simply annoying, puppy nipping on through to extremely dangerous forward aggressive adult dogs. These "problem dogs" come in all different breeds, in all ages, and come from very diverse households. They do, however, have one thing very much in common. They all don't get sufficient exercise to suit their needs.

Proper exercise alone can solve or prevent 90% of common doggy problems 90% of the time 90% effectively.

When I first mention the above written fact, my clients instantly imagine I mean they have to tediously jog for miles with their dogs. Not so - aside from not always being practical or even beneficial - jogging focuses too much on just physical exercise. I prefer to mix active physical exercise with mental exercise as well.

For example:
That jog around the neighborhood is an O.K. idea. But, to make it a really effective canine exercise, try practicing obedience DURING the jog. Every 15 feet or so, make the dog SIT. Make these SITs quick and snappy to keep the dog interested and thinking. Now, instead of having the dog mindlessly trot around (and probably getting more excited, not less), you now are making the dog work.

If jogging isn¹t your cup of tea, try playing FETCH with your dog. Get ahold of 3, 4, 5 or even a dozen OLD tennis balls. Several balls allow you to keep the game active without having to stop and retrieve (or fight the dog for ) the ball. In between every toss, though, have the dog SIT or DOWN. As soon as it performs the requested act, immediately toss the ball. After an amazingly short time, your pooch will start to relate the SIT or the DOWN with you throwing the ball. Now it has to think while playing. This game can be played on and off leash, in a fenced in yard or a hallway, or even up and down a flight of stairs.

Further exercise can include simply stimulating ALL the dog¹s senses...

The way a dog "marks" - is it normal?

A Petville reader, Ellen, posts a question... can you help her?
She says: My problem is as follows: I have a year old male Airedale and who has had this problem since he's been 7 months old. Frequently, although not always, when I walk him into town from my home he will have a bowel movement, need it or not. He will then have another and another every few feet, progressively softer and mushier and eventually just squatting with nothing coming out. This does NOT occur when I am walking through our develpment, or when we take him to show grounds. It has nothing to do with exercise, as he plays hard with other dogs and we also work hard in his Intermediate Obedience classes. Once we are back in our development he stops, and doesn't "go" again until his next appropriate time to "go", and that movement will be perfectly normal. He has had several negative fecal tests, including Giardia because we live along a river.

The walk into town is a rural road, with no sidewalks. There are overhead electrical wires, which are NOT present in our development.

I don't know if he is marking with these bowel movements, is reacting to the overhead electrical wires, is exhibiting an anxiety disorder, or what. I'd love to know if anyone has any clues for me. We're already been to three vets, with no success. Other than this, he seems totally healthy and full of energy and happy in every way. In fact, he doesn't seem to even notice he has this problem.

Don't Leave Me Home Alone!

DINO writes to tell us...
"I have a beautiful male beagle who will turn 12 months old on August 8. His name is DJ. DJ has a serious separation anxiety problem whereby he does not want to stay at home by himself. Anytime he does not see me or if I just go out of the door it is totally non-stop barking. I have tried doing so many of the exercises of leaving him alone for 5 minutes etc. and it is not working. DJ gets plenty of exercise and that is not the issue. He sticks to me like Velcro. DJ is no longer destructive in my apartment and crating is not necessary. He has his own place in my apartment with a comforter, pillows, and toys which is right by the TV. I keep the TV on when he is there. I have placed him on meds and it is now 2 weeks with no results. Getting another dog is not an option for me.
Any helpful advice would be so greatly appreciated."

Biting fingers and toes

BellesMom says:
"My 13 week old mini doxie Anna Belle has a problem with biting fingers and toes. And its not just during playtime when we have our hands close to her toys.. she does it all the time. Sometimes she just nips at us, and sometimes she really tries to chew on my fingers. I have read a few ways to deal with it but none have really worked. I tried the yelp and shun method where you yelp like a littermate when she bites and then refuse to play with her for a little while afterwards. This didnt work because she follows me around and barks at me when I ignore her. I also tried the method where you turn your hand around and hold their mouth shut for a few seconds when she bites your fingers. I was consistent for a few days and I didnt see any improvement. It didnt seem to bother her, and she would go back to trying to bite me immediately afterwards, like she thought it was a game. Does anyone have any suggestions to break this habit?"