Weekly article archive
The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.
Some dogs are miserable with anxiety, panicking when their people leave home without them. This is hard for everybody including neighbors. Some dogs bark, tremble, pee, poop, and tear down…
Sadly, aggression between family dogs is common. Friendships between canine besties can take a bad turn. I’ve sutured and stapled plenty of wounds and even repaired a few fractures resulting from nasty altercations.
Last in a series
Beer is a common canine dietary indiscretion. I’ve been asked, more than a few times, whether to allow a nonhuman BFF an occasional brewski. Who’s asking? Beer loving dogs are asking their beer loving people, who know their dogs are beer lovers because they’ve already served their underage pupsters, although no one admits it.
Third in a series
Eating is a self-rewarding behavior, making food stealing difficult to control. Your dog’s counter surfing needs to stop, for sure, but simple prevention may not be the best remedy. If those raids on your kitchen are happening more often they may be driven by a worsening internal disorder. That rapscallion of yours needs a medical evaluation.
Second in a series
You want to end your dog’s incessant food filching fast. I get it. Your first impulse may be to scream, swat, squirt or even shock the perpetrator. But punishment can only diminish a behavior if it’s applied with sufficient strength, immediately following the event, and – here’s the essential and impossible requirement – every single time.
Build staff morale! A shared passion! Bring your own? Barking, biting, messes, bathroom breaks? I love office pets but it’s not all fun and games.
First in a series
Dogs are known to pilfer and eat some funky food and often genuine junk, that’s not even food. They’ve consumed beer, cannabis, chocolate, raisins and roast beast because, well, it’s there.
Good cats can go bad when petted. They may hiss or swat or bite your hand. Several pets, scratches, or strokes may be tolerated and then Wam! Yell at him?
A recently published study established what veterinary behaviorists have long understood about separation anxiety: physical discomfort is often a major factor.