(Q) How can I stop my dog from rolling in fox poo on every walk?
(A) Trainer Elizabeth Kershaw says: I am afraid that rolling in fox poo and other obnoxious smells is one of the dog’s natural behaviours.
There are many suggestions as to why they do it, such as needing to disguise their own scent for both hunting and protection of the site where their young are living. I believe that it is usually bitches who do this; dogs tend to roll just for the fun of it. Whatever the reason (even if outdated in the domestic dog) dogs still roll and it is very difficult to stop behaviour that is instinctive.
There are things you can try, such as using a long line and training your dog’s recall against distractions to such a level that he can run past the offending pile without diving in. At the end of the day you may have to grin and bear it!
Showers from an early age are advisable, so that when required your dog is happy to have one!
What is obesity?
Obesity is the term given to being overweight, or having an increased proportion of body fat. In dogs, obesity tends to occur when the calories in the diet exceed the energy expenditure; this excess energy is then converted into fat.
Obesity in dogs is on the rise, with 35 per cent of dogs in the UK estimated to be overweight. Being a bit on the podgy side is the least of an overweight dog’s worries; as in humans, obesity and fat can cause dogs many serious health issues. We have all the information you need on canine obesity, how to tackle it, and how to keep your dog’s weight in check.
Causes of obesity in dogs
Overindulging and lack of exercise can result in dogs becoming obese. Many dogs become overweight due to their owners unwittingly overfeeding them; dogs can’t self-regulate their food intake and will generally eat whatever is put in front of them. Some health issues may also cause a dog to put on weight. These include hypothyroidism (an under-active thyroid gland), which reduces a dog’s metabolic rate, causing him to become lethargic.
Musculoskeletal conditions, such as arthritis or ligament strain, and heart and respiratory disease, can also cause problems, since they reduce a dog’s ability to exercise, while Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder, causes the body to overproduce natural steroids which stimulate the appetite.
Similarly, steroid medication can cause an increased appetite as well. Some health conditions may make dogs appear overweight when they’re not, such as fluid retention, pregnancy, and abdominal tumours. If your dog’s tummy looks like it’s getting bigger or appears swollen, it’s worth taking him to your vet to rule out any underlying health issues.
Health risks of having an overweight dog
If your dog is carrying excess weight it will put extra strain on various parts of his body. A number of health issues could arise as a result:
Musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis, ligament strain, and slipped discs.
Heart and respiratory diseases.
Skin disease — obese dogs may develop skin folds that restrict airflow to some areas resulting in them becoming moist and prone to infection. Blood flow to skin may also be reduced due to cardiac or respiratory deficiency.
Liver insufficiency.
Diabetes
A dogs ideal body shape
When looking at your dog from above, there should be a slight narrowing between the end of his ribcage and his hips, giving him a noticeable waist.
Looking at your dog’s profile, the line of his undercarriage should curve from the end of the ribs towards the groin. This is more pronounced in deep-chested breeds such as the Greyhound and Whippet.
When stroking your hands along the side of your dog’s body you should be able to feel each rib easily, although they shouldn’t be visually prominent. Check your dog’s weight on a weekly basis and weigh him regularly — your vet can do this at a monthly health check.
Keeping the weight off your dog
Following the launch of the latest PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, the charity has given some top tips for healthy weight loss…
Prevention: Preventing obesity is much easier than getting a dog to lose weight. A good diet in puppyhood is essential — fat puppies are more likely to become fat adult dogs due to the number of fat cells they produce while growing.
Take action: If your dog is overweight, don’t be afraid to seek advice from your vet on how tackle the problem effectively.
Cut out treats: Even a small treat can significantly increase your dog’s daily calorie intake.
Balanced diet: Successful weight loss requires a combination of the right diet and the right amount of exercise.
Regular exercise: Activity levels must be built up gradually. Encouraging play and games is a great way to increase your dog’s activity levels. Remember that every dog is different; ask your vet about how much exercise your dog needs
Seek veterinary advice: Rapid weight loss can be dangerous. Always speak to your vet before making any major changes to your dog’s diet or exercise regime to ensure that weight loss is gradual and safe.
Dieting tips for an overweight dog
For a dog to lose weight, his calorie intake needs to be cut by up to 60 per cent. Here are some tips on how you can stop your dog being fat.
Speak to your vet about the amount of food your dog should be eating on a daily basis. Use scales to weigh out his daily food allowance every morning.
If you like to give your dog naughty titbits, offer him portions of his daily food allowance or raw/boiled vegetables as treats instead.
Make sure that everyone who comes into contact with your dog knows the rules — there’s no point putting him on a strict diet if he can get a sneaky bit of sausage elsewhere!
Divide his daily food allowance in to several small meals to offer throughout the day so he doesn’t feel hard done by.
If your dog is on a wet food diet, bulk it up with vegetables rather than mixer biscuits, which have extra roughage and less calories.
Avoid leaving food lying around within your dog’s reach, and secure waste bins.
It’s the time of year when the splendid stag beetle is emerging to find a mate.
The beetles spend the first five to seven years of their life underground and only live until the end of August as adults.
They’re also seriously endangered. So if you see one, don’t be alarmed – and definitely don’t tread on them!
Here are some things to know:
1. The Stag Beetle is our largest native ground-dwelling beetle. Adult females can be up to 5cm long and some males may reach 7cm.
2. The male stag beetle has large jaws that look a bit like the antlers of a deer – hence its name. Females have smaller mandibles but are much stronger.
3. Male Stag Beetles use their antlers to wrestle during the mating season. The winner throws the loser to the ground.
4. Stag Beetle larvae are really good for your garden. They eat loads of rotting wood, returning important minerals to the soil, but don’t eat living plants or shrubs.
5. If you have found stag beetle larvae – they are white coiled grubs that can be as big as a £2 coin – please rebury them with some wood and soil in a shady undisturbed area. They spend up to seven years at this stage so it’s really important to look after them!
6. Stag Beetles can fly – and often go out to look for a mate at dusk. You may see adult stag beetles on pavements, when they’ve landed from one of their distinctive upright flights, which sound a bit like a tiny fighter plane.
7. If you find one, you can give them some soft fruit or sugared water and move it out of harms way. Don’t put your finger between the ‘antlers’ but if you pick them up (gently) on their body you can move them out of harm’s way.
8. Other names for stag beetles were billywitches, oak-ox, thunder-beetle and horse pincher. Old stories said they could summon thunder and lightning – possibly because they are often seen flying on warm thundery nights.
9. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species is particularly keen to hear from people who see stag beetles in the New Forest. https://ptes.org/
What better way to love your dog than by giving him treats? The trick is choosing something that won’t pack on the pounds.
Do you give too many treats to your dog? If so, you’re introducing extra calories into his diet and putting him at risk for pooch pudginess. Although many people don’t see overweight or obese dogs as a problem, the health risks are very real. Obesity contributes to a wide range of health issues, from arthritis to diabetes. It has been well documented that obese dogs live shorter lives.
This doesn’t mean you have to deprive your dog of snacks. The following eight tips will help you select great treats that will optimize his health while letting him know how much you love him!
1 Read ingredient labels.
Most commercially available treats are low in nutrition and filled with carbohydrates, sugars (e.g. corn syrup, molasses, fructose, etc), artificial colorings or flavorings. Although these “empty” ingredients make them desirable to your dog, they don’t satisfy hunger and will contribute to an ever-expanding waistline.
2 Go natural.
Choose natural treats that are meat-based and contain no artificial ingredients or sugars. Fruits and vegetables are other natural alternatives to commercial treats. Dogs often love apples, carrots, green beans and other fresh produce. Just remember that some fruits and veggies can be toxic to dogs – for example, onions, grapes and raisins.
3 Count calories.
Treats are usually not complete and balanced and should not be used as the primary source of calories – in fact, treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories. Ask your veterinarian how many calories your dog should eat each day. For example, an average 20-pound adult dog will require approximately 500 calories a day – therefore, no more than 50 calories should be provided as snacks. After you have done this calculation, read product labels and determine how many treats your dog can have each day. Some commercial treats contain over 100 calories each! It is easy to see how giving just a few treats (in addition to regular meals) can be the cause of excess calorie intake and obesity.
4 Avoid certain table scraps.
Leftover table scraps sometimes include hunks of fat or sweet morsels you know your dog will love. These scraps are usually high in calories and low in other nutrients. In addition, these rich tidbits will often cause digestive problems such as bad breath, gas, loose stools and occasional vomiting. If your dog develops a taste for these scraps, he may become finicky and even stop eating his own food. If you want to use human food as a treat, select lean meats and unseasoned vegetables To avoid creating a disruptive diner, never give your dog snacks from the table.
5 Do not give snacks around meal time.
Like your mother used to say, “If you eat that now, you will spoil your dinner!” If your dog fills up on snacks before his scheduled mealtime, he is likely to skip his meal. Good quality dog food is a source of proper balanced nutrition, so it is important to plan your treating accordingly. Missing meals can lead to dietary deficiencies and imbalances causing degeneration and disease.
6 Do not give treats for begging.
It’s common for people to create a vicious cycle of begging and bad behavior through the inappropriate use of treats. Treats should only be given to positively reinforce good behavior or motivate a dog during training. “Sad puppy dog eyes” should be ignored. If you give your dog a treat when he begs, this behavior will be reinforced and you will forever have a moocher!
7 Use treats as rewards.
A great time to offer treats is during or after activity or play sessions. This reinforces the positive aspects of exercise and helps your dog look forward to his daily activity. Exercise boosts the metabolism, so this is a great time to give him a nutritious protein snack!
8 Choose snacks with health benefits.
Some quality treats can actually improve your dog’s health. These “functional” treats may have very specific recommendations for maximum daily consumption. Examples of functional snacks are those that support dental, gastrointestinal or immune system health, or target arthritis or other inflammatory conditions. The ideal snack is low in calories and fat, high in protein, and offers additional health benefits. You achieve a winning combination when this type of treat supplements a high quality natural dog food to provide necessary daily nutrition. When healthy treats are given correctly, you will have a happy dog enjoying excellent nutrition, which forms the basis of excellent health.
Venue
Studland Beach, Studland
Opening Times
05/06/2016 10:00 – 16:00
(5 Jun 2016)
Day Times
Sunday 10:00 16:00
Prices
Free
Then join us for a day of all things tidal and follow the water out as the tide goes out during the afternoon. Free event, booking not needed
National Trust.
We welcome dogs all year round, but to make sure everyone enjoys themselves, please keep your dog on a lead of less than 2m anywhere on the beach between 1 May and 30 September.
The Royal Bath & West Show
Great Day out for the whole Family!
There’s more happening than you think at the country’s biggest rural festival and there really is something for everyone, from food lovers to families and farmers to fashionistas!
Tickets available from Sherborne Tourist Information Centre 01935 815341 or Dorchester Tourist Information Centre 01305 267992 or Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901
Opening Times
The Royal Bath & West Show
(1 Jun 2016 – 4 Jun 2016)
Day Times
Wednesday 09:00 18:00
Thursday 09:00 18:00
Friday 09:00 18:00
Saturday 09:00 18:00
* Gates Open 7.30am Please note Tradestands open at 9am
Prices
Ticket Type Ticket Tariff
Adult (16years+) – On the Gate £22.00 per ticket
Adult (16years+) includes up to 2 children free per ticket £19.00 per ticket
Child (5-15years) £5.00 per ticket
Child (5-15years) – On the Gate £7.00 per ticket
Concession (student / 60+ / disabled) – On the Gate £20.00 per ticket
Family 2a+4c – On the Gate £49.00 per ticket
Note: Prices are a guide only and may change on a daily basis.
Royal Bath & West Showground
Shepton Mallet
Somerset
BA4 6QN
Animal Wellness Magazine.
Training is necessary, and the lessons you teach him should be practiced regularly. Here are the five best times of day to do it.
Finding the opportunity for training can be a challenge, but this article will help with useful tips on the five best times to work on your best friend’s training and obedience.
Training Time: First things first – the three “E”s
There are three things dogs want to do in the morning: eliminate, eat and explore (the three “E”s). Use this time to practice training by asking your dog to sit, lie down or stay before granting his desires. This category is related to “Best Time 3”, but is especially important so it has its own category.
Training Time 2: During the day “captures”
Capturing the behaviors your dog spontaneously performs is one of the easiest and quickest methods you can use to train him. Simply watch him, and whenever he does something you want, praise him and toss him a treat. Over time, he will start offering the behaviors more frequently. Then it’s simply a matter of weaning him off the treats.
The six “capture” behaviors we stress in our training classes are:
Sitting
Lying down
Going to bed
Picking up a toy
Walking by your side
“Checking in” (the most important — whenever your dog glances up at you before doing anything)
Remember to jackpot the “aha” moment when the dog finally “gets” what the game is. An example is when a guest walks in the door and your dog, without being asked, pauses, lies down and looks at you. Super praise and multiple treats should rain from the heavens! That’s a jackpot.
Training Time 3: During the day “cues”
You don’t want to have to carry treats around with you for the rest of your life. Thus it’s important to ask your dog to do one of the behaviors you’ve been capturing throughout the day and use “life rewards” instead. Life rewards are anything your dog wants that isn’t food:
Want to go outside? Sit first.
Want to chase the ball? Lie down first.
Want to get on my bed? Go to your bed first.
Want to sniff the fire hydrant? Walk ten steps by my side first.
Training Time 4: Immediately after an unwanted behavior
If your dog steals food off the table, runs out the door or jumps on you, it indicates one of two problems — the behavior has not been properly managed/prevented, or you haven’t taught the dog an appropriate substitute behavior. Prevention and management refer to the proper use of tethers, baby gates and exercise pens. Substitution simply entails teaching the dog what you’d like him to do instead.
The 60 seconds immediately following an unwanted behavior is the perfect time for training – it’s fresh in your mind and in your dog’s. Taking one minute to teach your dog to “leave it” when food is placed on the table, or to lie down and stay when the door opens, helps both of you become more aware. In short order, the new behavior becomes more reliable.
Training Time 5: The witching hours
Parents often call the hours between 4pm and 9pm the “witching hours” because they notice a real energy uptick in their children. In the canine world, it’s called the “crepuscular” time. Think of it as the time of day when Mother Nature is screaming in your dog’s ear: “Your ancestors were wolves! Go hunting!”
The trick is for you to harness your dog’s sudden burst of energy and use it as a training opportunity. Take your dog for walks or runs, play hide-and-seek or fetch, and teach him to hunt treats around the house or yard. All these are easier when your dog is already geared for action.
How do you turn the switch off when it’s time to settle down for the night? Just because you’re ready to stop doesn’t mean your dog is. The easiest way to teach a dog an “off switch” is to say something like “that’s it” or “all done” and have him run to his bed and lie down. Then get a long-lasing treat like a good quality bully stick or a treat-filled Kong. The dog’s chewing will actually help dissipate that last bit of energy.
Taking advantage of these ideal times for training will keep your dog sharp and well-behaved, and strengthen your bond of friendship.
Happy the shih tzu had to be completely shaved after he was discovered.
A Bournemouth vet has been struck off for the “chronic and prolonged neglect” of her two pet dogs.
Kerstin Vockert, 56, was director of Ark Aid Veterinary Centre and received a £620 fine for failing to meet animal welfare needs in May 2015.
RSPCA inspectors found cocker spaniel Millie and shih tzu Happy with matted fur “covered in urine and faeces”.
Now the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has said she should never return to practicing as a vet.
Inspectors visited Vockert’s home in Sopley, Hampshire, in September 2014 and found the dogs. When they returned the next day, Vockert had put Millie down.
Happy, who had to have an eye removed and is blind in his other eye, has since been rehomed.
‘Impaired clinical judgement’
In a report the RCVS said the coats of both dogs had been in “an appalling condition” for “a prolonged period of time”.
It said: “[Vockert made] a conscious decision not to groom the animals because she considered that they found the grooming process unpleasant.
“The committee considers that it was not only wrong but wholly misconceived.
“The committee is very concerned that, as a veterinary surgeon, she allowed her clinical judgement to be so impaired.”
The RCVS added there was “a potential risk to animal welfare” if Vockert was ever allowed to return to practicing.
Although it said it had taken into account her “long and unblemished career” prior to neglecting her two dogs.
