My puppy isn't
housetrained yet - can he spend the day outside while I'm at work?
Well, as with
a lot of questions in dog training, the answer is, "it depends."
It depends on what breed of puppy you have (a lab will do better
than a Maltese would in the yard). It depends on whether you want
a dog that might bark all day or dig holes in the yard (if left
to their own devices outside without supervision, your dog will
likely learn bad habits like digging and barking). It depends
on whether you want your dog to be house trained (if your puppy
is outside all day, she won't need to use her muscles to control
her bladder and bowels - if those muscles aren't being used, your
puppy won't learn to hold it and your house training efforts in
the house will be sabotaged). It also depends on how much effort
you want to put into training your dog (dogs that spend large
portions of their day outside tend to "tune out" their
owners, making it hard to get their attention and doubling or
even tripling the work required to effectively train your dog).
And, of course, if the weather in your area of the country wouldn't
be safe for a dog to be in for several hours at a time, then the
answer is a resounding no!
Ideally, let
your puppy stay inside and use a pet sitter or dog daycare instead.
For a young puppy, you may need two visits by a pet sitter per
day until they learn to control their bladder (to calculate how
many hours your puppy can hold its bladder, take your puppy's
age in months and add one). If you decide to go the daycare route,
be absolutely sure they will maintain housetraining efforts at
the daycare and that they fully understand how to select appropriate
playmates for a young puppy (other puppies its own age or good,
older dogs - NO adolescents!).
Selecting
a good pet sitter or dog daycare can be crucial to the safety,
happiness, and well-being of your pet. Look
for the following when choosing a professional pet sitter or
dog daycare:
Experienced
staff that is knowledgeable in pet first aid, dog behavior
and body language, and ways to reduce stress and fear in dogs.
Membership
in professional organizations.
Insurance
(and bonding for pet sitting companies that employ sitters
to come into your home).
Written
policies and procedures for handling emergencies, sick dogs,
and daily pet care.
You should
also ask some very specific questions about who will be coming
into your home (for pet sitters) or how your dog's playmates
will be selected (for a dog daycare). Ask what a typical visit
or a typical day in the daycare would look like. How many dogs
will be in a playgroup at one time? Will you pet sitter ever
let your dog off leash outside? What type of punishment, if
any, is used? How are fights handled at the dog daycare?
Be sure
to meet with the pet sitter or dog daycare staff and listen
to your gut feelings - if you're not 100% comfortable, find
another sitter or daycare!
Jane
Pate, a pet sitter & dog groomer in Austin, Texas,
sent us this photo of her dog, Winter in Austin. There's
a Texas tradition of taking photos of loved ones in
the beautiful spring wildflowers. As Jane tried to get
her traditional shot, she got Winter in the midst of
trying nab a pesky bee!
Does our next pet of the month live in your home? Let
us know! Email a picture of your pet, and be sure
to tell us a little bit about him or her.
Alley
Cat Allies
Alley
Cat Allies (ACA) is the only national organization dedicated
to improving the lives of outdoor cats and eliminating lethal
animal control policies that kill virtually all feral cats
entering shelters and animal control agencies. ACA consults
with public officials and animal control officers across the
country to help develop and implement municipal Trap-Neuter-Return
(TNR) programs.
Alley
Cat Allies is also a vast resource for individuals caring
for outdoor cats, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned
pro. You can find an extensive library of factsheets and information
at alleycat.org. ACA can also provide you with a list of feral
cat groups, veterinarians who spay and neuter feral cats,
and individuals in your area who can help you with advice.
Buying
a lighted dog collar and/or leash is one of the cheapest and easiest
investments you can make to keep your dog safe. There are many options
available for both collars and leashes. The premise behind the products
is to create light so that cars or people can easily spot your dog.
Many collars have blinking lights that go all the way around the
collar so you can see your dog at any angle. The lights flicker
or blink to increase the visibility of the collar and are behind
the dog's eyes and don't disturb the dog. However, if you think
your dog might be sensitive to the lights, we recommend a lighted
flickering collar or a glow collar.
There
are three options for lighted dog collars:
Lighted
blinking LED collars (LED model made by Visiglo)
Lighted
flickering collars (Sports model made by Visiglo)
Glowing
collars (made by Niteize)
There
are other collars that have a sparkly surface on them that are supposed
to reflect light at night but we haven't had a satisfactory experience
with them. We found the collars too hard to adjust and the light
didn't reflect well. As a result, we don't carry those items. All
of the lighted collars are a bit clunky to adjust at first because
the technology makes them a bit stiff but you normally have to only
do it once.
We
recommend always having the back up batteries with a small flashlight
or a spotlit on hand in case the batteries run out. They normally
last 35-40 hours.
The
correct collar for your dog depends on many factors:
Length
of your dog's hair.
If your dog is short-haired any of the above options work best.
If you have a long-haired dog, then the blinking LED lights are
the best since they are most visible under their long hair.
We
recently brought home a young dog from TLAC and I
want to get involved in agility with her. She's part
border collie so she has plenty of energy she needs
to work off, and I thought agility would be the perfect
way to accomplish that. I've watched trials on TV
but don't know much about the sport. Can you help?
Ella
- Austin, Tx
Dear
Ella, If
your dog is part border collie, you're right on the
money in thinking she needs to work off some of that
energy. Because border collies are smart, active dogs
they need a way to give their mind and body a good
workout. Agility will do that for her, and it will
be a great way for the two of you to have fun together.
Although
it's a relatively new sport, started in the UK in
the late 1970s, it has become hugely popular for the
handlers and their dogs, as well as spectators. At
Agility Ability you can read more about the history
of agility, what takes place in a trial, and how you
can get involved with your dog. As you've seen on
the TV there are different obstacles that your dog
will need to maneuver, and Agility Ability will explain
what they are and how your dog is to go through, over,
or under them. The website also explains some of the
training techniques, and has links to just about anything
agility related - email groups, agility clubs, national
organizations, and more. Once you click on Agility
Ability a whole new world will open up to you and
your new dog. Enjoy!
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