As working vet, I see both sides of the coin. This is a very touchy subject! And with good reason- In the place where I live, Pit bulls have been banned… The funny thing is this- there is NO way that I as a vet can actually prove that a dog in question is a pit bull (or any other breed) or not.

Genetically, there is effectively no difference- so there is no way that it can be proven that a particular dog is a particular breed! Even if it is pretty obvious- (though funnily enough, there seems to be a lot of red nosed Staffordshire terriers around here these days…)

I have met some dangerous dogs in my working life as a vet- the most dangerous was a Japanese Akita- I took one look, and just knew. “It would be suicide to step out from behind my table…” So I examined at a distance, without eye contact. Scary dog! Then again, the most aggressive dog I have ever treated was a Chihuahua!

I also had a friend (another vet) who had a client with a small fluffy dog- and you know what?- If the dog got onto the bed before her at night, she slept on the floor!

My point is this- ANY breed of dog is potentially dangerous…

Nearly all of this has to do with how the dog is treated and trained, especially from about 8-12 weeks of age (this is when the dog is most impressionable). Many people who buy ‘aggressive’, or ‘dangerous’ breeds, buy them because they want that sort of dog- and then they make them so by how they treat and train them. Some of these breeds do have more aggressive tendencies than others, but I believe it is how they are treated that leads to how they behave.

Dogs have personalities, just like people- some are harder, or more aggressive, even within a breed.

So- No- we should not be banning certain dog breeds! We should be banning certain people from owning any sort of dog, more like it!- however, this opens a whole other can of worms.

I believe that 99% of puppies can make a good dog, and I also believe that some dog breeds are not for ‘beginner’ owners. Be responsible- take your puppy to puppy school, and obedience, keep them properly confined, never leave them alone with kids (what would your dog do if a little one poked him in the eye, hard?).

Enjoy your dogs, they are such wonderful friends!

Dr Edward

This is my Dog- Pearl- when she was a big puppy- we had a LOT of fun together.

First Things First!

It might be worth reading my previous post about choosing a new pet.

When your new puppy arrives, it is a HUGE change for them- they have been happily living with mum, and their litter-mates, where everything is familiar. And then this strange smelling person arrives, and picks them up and takes them away to a totally strange place, sometimes where there is no other dog at all, sometimes where there is another dog who is very put out at this little intruder- or maybe there’s this huge, scary cat. And these people are starting to do puppy training stuff already, and he is missing his mum, and…

Imagine what it must be like for them! Pretty scary…

There are a few little things you can do which will help your new friend settle in.

• Make sure he has a safe haven, or a den, to retreat into- a crate, or a box, or sometimes just under the couch! It would be a great idea to ask the people you get him from to give you a cloth the puppies and mum have been using to sleep on, so there is something that smells like home.

• Find out exactly what he has been fed- and try to at least start with a familiar food- offering a little feed as soon as he gets home is a great way to make him feel at home. Make sure he has clean water as well.

• Be clear about the boundaries from day one- if he is going to be an outside dog, make sure you get him in the morning (to allow heaps of time to settle in). If he is to be an inside dog, plan ahead where you will sleep him- and remember that he might be small and cute now, but he will get a lot bigger. Have a place all ready for him to sleep. Be warned, he will most likely feel lonely, and yell for mum. Only go to him when he is quiet- No matter HOW long it takes. He will eventually run out of steam. If you want him in your bed- start NOW to teach him that YOU own the bed, and he must get off it when you ask. (I had one Veterinarian friend with a client who was owned by a small, white, fluffy dog- and if the dog got on the bed first, this lady slept on the floor! I kid you not…)

• Give him a hot water bottle in bed (not too hot, mind )- he will be used to snuggling up with something warm, and a ticking clock can be a great help also (it sounds like mum’s heartbeat).

• Give him plenty of healthy attention, and make sure you have plenty of good toys to play with. They will give him something to do when you are not available. Play is great bonding.

• Make sure you give him regular opportunities to go to the toilet- probably take him out every 15-30 minutes to start with. (And if he does make a mess, be kind to him!)

• DON’T give him attention all the time, especially every time he asks for it- You are the boss dog, and he needs to learn to respect your personal space from the very beginning! Turn away, ignore him until he goes out of your space and stops hassling- then give him the reward of your attention. (This is VERY important!)

The Most Important Thing…

Is to be kind, and patient. This little soul you have chosen to share your life has a huge learning curve with you, and he is NOT doing anything more than being a normal puppy when he bites your fingers, or he messes on your floor, or he chews up you good shoes, or… You should be getting the picture by now. Kind, gentle, firm teaching is the way to go, preferably reward based, rather than by punishment.

Socialization, and why it is VITAL to do this well!

Hopefully he will be between 8-10  weeks of age when you get him- the period between 8-12 weeks is a very important window, when puppies can easily get used to new things, and people. I advise taking your puppy everywhere you can at this time, meeting as many different people, dogs, cats, and places as is possible. It is also a great time to get into a puppy preschool, and start learning a bit about how best to teach your new friend all the things he needs to know to be a happy member of your family.

There is always the issue of  vaccination at this age- many vets will advise that you don’t take you puppy anywhere until they have had all of their shots. I know that the benefits outweigh the risk of catching something. Another thing you can do is to treat your puppies with Homeopathic Nosodes for the dangerous diseases- You can do this in addition to standard vaccination, and it seems to give an equivalent protection (and without the potential harmful side effects of vaccinations). You can see a blog report on the (very successful) use of homeopathic nosodes  to treat and prevent Leptospirosis outbreaks in Cuba here. This is with humans, it works just as well for pets!

I don’t vaccinate my pets at all, but I will discuss that thorny issue in a later post.

General Health Tips.

Make sure you feed a good quality food- as little processed food as possible (by this I mean especially tinned food, and also dry biscuits)- as much as possible raw, and maybe healthy home cooked food, or table scraps. NEVER cooked bones though. Worming every couple of weeks until 3 months old is advised.I worm my adult dogs little or not at all if they are healthy- though if you live in an area where hydatid tapeworms are present, you MUST worm your pet regularly.

Vaccination… is widely recommended- as mentioned before, you may wish to use Homeopathic Nosodes as a stand alone protective measure, or you may elect to use them in conjunction with vaccination, or you may simply choose to vaccinate your pet. Please NEVER vaccinate your puppy if they are in the slightest way unwell or off colour. Some places mandate vaccination- eg for rabies in the USA- Nosodes will help reduce adverse side effects, and there are other remedies one may use which help even more on this front. Please contact me for further information- and I will post at length around this topic in the future.

I recommend:

Revolution for flea and heart worm prevention.

Taking time every day to roll him on his back, get him used to you opening his mouth, and touching his paws (important if ever you need to give tablets etc)- if he doesn’t like it, be gently persistent, try using food rewards to help him learn…

Regular bathing.

Lots of exercise.

Training.

Fun games…

and most of all, lots of LOVE and ATTENTION!

Enjoy your pets!

Until next time, Dr Edward.