Walk the Dog Newsletter - Winter 2010

Dear friends,



‘Tis the season to be merry and for snuggling down with our pets as we look forward to some festive fun. We’ve got a bumper packed winter issue with advice on ensuring your four-legged friend stays safe over the festive period and we meet fitness guru Andi Vincent-Jones, who shares her top tips for avoiding injury from dog walking - advice we follow at Walk the Dog. Plus, we’re delighted to launch our very own cartoon series created exclusively for Walk the Dog by artist and illustrator Ellen Tozer. And, we have all our news and a great Christmas recipe for your furry friends. Thank you for your support this year, we’ve had a blast working with you and your pets. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year for 2011.

Click here to read the latest copy of our Walk the Dog newsletter for Winter '10.

New book for dog owners Playing With Your Dog

Nurture the playfulness of your pet dog! Walk the Dog founder and award winning dog behaviour specialist Hanne Grice’s new book is out in time for Christmas Playing With Your Dog, you will learn how playing enhances your pet’s natural skills.

Playing can benefit both humans and dogs in several ways.  For humans, playing is the key to developing the coordination that lets them perform their daily activities—may it be physical or social.  Playing can also help dogs in other ways. It allows a dog to use its natural behaviours by boosting its fitness and cognitive skills. This book will help any dog owner work out the games that are best suited for their pet to play throughout his life, from puppyhood to old age.


Playing With Your Dog also shares some tricks for all ages, group activities, and recommended toys that dogs will enjoy. Owners can also learn a few tips from this book to keep their pet tame while having fun. A useful guide, this book is a must-have for dog owners and lovers alike.

Click here to read an excerpt from Playing With Your Dog

Available to buy from Amazon, Tesco and most online resellers.  Or contact the Walk the Dog office to get your copy in time for Christmas.  RRP £6.99. 

Hot weather safety tips for your pets

We’ve had a lovely few days with the warm weather, however, while we have the luxury of changing into shorts and t-shirts, our four-legged friends aren’t as lucky being stuck with their furry coat!  So, while this warm weather continues, think about the following when walking your pets…

  

1. Take water bottles out with you so your pet can cool down and have a drink if needed.
2. Keep to shaded and wooded areas as much as possible to reduce any chances of your pet overheating.
3. If your walks are across the hottest part of the day (lunchtime), monitor your pet while out walking. If you feel he is becoming overheated or in any discomfort, reduce the walking time.
4. In the meantime, below are some useful tips on how to keep your pet safe in this heat, and signs to look out for if you suspect your pet is suffering from over heating:
5. Pets can get easily dehydrated, ensure they have access to fresh, clean water at all times
6. Make sure your pet has a shady or cool place to rest
7. Avoid long walks in the mid-day heat, instead play with your pet in a shady or cooler area to reduce the risk of over heating
8. Pets with flatter faces like Boxers, Pugs, Persian cats, struggle in the heat more than others breeds/species, as they cannot pant as effectively. Pets that are over weight, or suffering from heart and lung diseases should also be kept in cool areas
9. Avoid leaving your pet in the car. A parked car can quickly act like a furnace, leading to fatal heat stroke
10. If you have a paddling/swimming pool which your pet enjoys splashing around in, make sure your pet is supervised at all times. Wash your pet after swimming to ensure any chlorine or salt from the water is off his coat. Discourage your pet from drinking the swimming pool or canal water as this contains chemicals and bacteria that can lead to an upset stomach
11. Ensure your pet cannot get access to open windows. Often in the summer, veterinarian see an increase in the number of accidents and injuries caused by pets (mainly cats) falling out of open windows
12. Pets with a thick coat will benefit from a good groom and cut
13. Avoid long walks on tarmac/and or pavement as the ground quickly heats up and this can burn your dog’s paws and tummy as he is low to the ground. Avoid asking for requests to “sit” at the roadside, as this too may potentially burn your dog’s bottom on a hot day!

Over heating – signs to look out for:

If your pet displays any of the following signs, you should seek veterinary attention immediately. These signs include: 

 

• excessive panting
• difficulty in breathing
• increased heart and respiratory rate
• drooling
• mild weakness
• stupor
• bloody diarrhoea
• vomiting
• and even collapse.

 Stay safe in the sunshine and enjoy this lovely weather.

Moving house - a pet's survival guide

Moving house can be an incredibly exciting yet stressful time for us, and it can affect our pets too. Dogs and cats like status quo and they’re incredibly intuitive; so, a combination of their environment changing and picking up on our frazzled emotions, this can lead to our pets displaying unwanted behaviours after the move. Below are some helpful tips for a safe and stress-free pet!

· Check the property for any potential problems such as holes in the fence, dangerous items being left in the garden and so on.
· Introduce your cat to his new home gradually; restrict him to one or two rooms at first. Place the litter box, bed, scratching post, food and water in the room with it. This gives your cat the chance to get used to the new sounds and smells, and provides him with a ‘safe’ place to use later as a refuge or if he feels uncertain. Place your pet’s favourite bed, blanket, toys or any item that’s familiar to them in that room. This helps him feel more secure in the new surroundings.
· If your cat will be allowed outside, keep him indoors for at least two weeks, so your home is familiar to him. After two weeks, take the cat outside with you, let him explore a bit. After ten minutes bring him back inside. Each day increase the time until he feels safe and knows the area.
· Ensure your pet is properly tagged with your new address and phone number.
· If possible, allow yourself some time before you go back to work. This enables you to help your dog adjust. During this period of change, practice ‘Gesture Leaving’ - where you spend time coming and going from the house, building up in small increments (from a couple of seconds to minutes) to see how your dog will respond. This helps reduce separation anxiety and with practice and repetition your dog should adjust to being home alone in the new environment.
· You should also take your dog straight into the garden of the new property on moving day. Ensure he is on the lead and allow him to explore his new environment. Practice some heel work and general obedience requests to get him focused onto you too – this keeps his pulse rate steady and avoids over excitement. Introduce your dog to his new area very slowly. Explore the area one street at a time, so he can ‘suss out’ who else lives in the neighbourhood. Strange dogs can pose a threat and cause your pet unnecessary stress.

Dogs and babies

Whether you’ve got a new addition to the family or have friends visiting with young children, there are ways in which you can ensure your dog bonds with a new baby. ‘Baby proofing’ your dog, is all about making your dog feel comfortable and safe. If you are expecting, then watching how your dog reacts around other children will help to give you an indication of what you can expect when your little one arrives.

A dog’s primary sense is smell – your dog is able to detect the smell of human perspiration at a concentration up to a million times lower than humans can detect! Once we understand how powerful this sense of smell is, it’s no wonder our dog shoves its nose into our shopping bags to investigate what’s in it! A baby’s going to smell fascinating to your dog – so if you’re expecting, it’s important to introduce your dog now to baby smells; allow him to explore the sweet-smelling baby products you’ll be using. When the baby is born, have a friend or family member bring home a blanket and ask them to praise your dog when he sniffs it, give him a delicious treat and allow him to smell it again. This should be repeated a number of times before the baby comes home.

Hearing is the dog’s second sense and while the cry of a newborn can make any mother nervous, it can also affect your dog. Some behaviourists suggest using a sound effects CD that includes the sounds of children and babies crying. When the CD is played at a low level, you should play with your dog and treat him to ensure he has a positive association with the noise. Also, by simply acting ‘matter of factly’ in front of the dog when your baby cries and remaining calm, will show your dog there is nothing to fear, you’re in charge and his involvement isn’t needed.

Sight is your dog’s third sense, so it’s important that your dog gets used to what a baby looks and feels like. It’s a good idea to buy a life-size baby doll and allow your dog to touch the doll’s feet with his nose; you then praise him and treat. Wrap the doll in a blanket and walk around with it in your arms, sit with the doll in one arm – as if you were feeding it and stroke your dog with the other hand. Your dog will begin to associate the close presence of your baby with good things happening to him. Use food treats to reward your dog for calm behaviour.

From the time you bring your baby home until your child is at least six to eight years of age, he or she should never be left unsupervised with any dog, no matter how well-mannered and well-trained that dog might be. Think ‘prevention is better than cure’.

More information on dogs and babies can be found on our blog petdiary.walk-the-dog.net with a great article written by Jan Fennell, The Dog Listener on ‘How to ensure your dog and baby bonds’.