5.  Put all candles above the “tail zone.”  I don’t know about you, but owning a large dog who is always happy, his tail can wag off a candle in a heart beat.  So me personally, I’d rather not light my dog on fire and burn the house down.  Add my cats into the mixture, and they also might investigate a candle.  So be smart about where you place candles.

4.  Avoid the edible buffet of toxic plants, like the Poinsettia, which is a holiday favorite.  If you get toxic plants, put them out of your pet’s reach.

3.  Decorate your home, not your dog’s intestines.  Yes, dogs swallow some of the craziest things.  No matter how well trained your dog may be, treat even Lassie like a toddler, and supervise around the house.

2.  Don’t wrap food presents and put them under the tree on the floor.  Believe it or not, your pets x-ray vision (aka, their nose) can sense food through the best of wrapping paper.  And if this does happen, I wouldn’t count on your pet unwrapping it and saving the bow for next year, he’ll probably eat that too.

1.  If you put cookies out for Santa… put them out for Santa. Not the dog.  Not the cat.  Most pets don’t need the extra calories, and substances like chocolate are poisonous.

Here is a great little video to watch, poking fun at some of these very things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn2h3_aH3vo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

We wish you and your pets a very happy holiday, and that you both get everything you wished for!

While I’m there, I ask every single staff member to please give a treat to my pet.  Basically, I’m showering loads of rewards in an effort to classically condition a positive association with the vet’s office.  I don’t stay too long, just a half hour or so.  And I let him explore as much of the equipment as possible.  I ask the vet if my pet can smell the stethoscope, sit on the scale a few times, etc.  I also bring a toy in hopes my pet will relax enough after the meet & greet.  It only takes about 5 – 10 minutes to meet everyone in the office, then I have up to 20 more minutes in the exam room to calm and relax my pet.  If my dog seems relaxed enough, I’ll break out a tennis ball and let him roll it around the floor.  If I have a cat, I usually use one of those kitty teasers and let him bat at it.

The next time I come back to the vet, my pet is far less stressed.  I still have every single staff member give my pet treats AFTER the exam & shots are finished.  Remember, you always want the good stuff to come last.  The consequence of getting an exam & shots is treats; not treats at this location means I’m about to give you a shot.

A little bit ago I had to move my cats into my parent’s house. And instead of trying to train them to stay on the second floor, we put up a gate with a curtain.  This way, they couldn’t jump over it and it was easy to manage.  Sure I could have done some training but why?  Why in the world put that much time and energy into something temporary? It reminds me of when we get calls around the holidays to train the family pet to stay away from the Christmas tree.

Another popular training request is to stop the dog from getting into the trash can.  Why when you can just get a trash can with a lid?  Again, there are loads of training things to do, but why?  I remember when I opened a small doggie day care, I didn’t feel like training each and every dog that came into it.  So I spent the money on a mac-daddy, butterfly lidded trash can that was about $75.  And I can tell you, this bad boy was Husky proof.  We actually had a Husky jump on it, and knock it over, and vola!…  nothing happened.  And after that, never tried again.

I think my favorite things are the simple things though. “My dog eats my shoes and chews my dirty socks.” And again, prevention and management is easier than training.  I’ll bet money that every single puppy class out there will tell you to pick up your shoes and put away your clothes.  When I had my puppy, there was nothing, and I mean nothing left out of any value that he could chew.   I really didn’t want him to learn how great it was to chew up my flip flops.  It doesn’t take much to learn a self rewarding behavior like chewing.

Even if you plan on doing behavior modification and are going to actually train your dog to do “THING X” one of the first steps is behavior management.  How many times have you heard, “The first step is to prevent the dog from doing ‘THING Z’ so we can retrain him to do ‘THING X’ instead.”  So, even if you’re going to train a different behavior, typically managing the environment is the first step anyway.  Why?  Because you need to prevent the dog from reinforcing himself over and over again and practicing the unwanted behavior over and over again.  Quite often you can change behavior just by changing the environment.

So remember, not everything is realistically solved by training.  And in fact, there is some stuff not worth training.  And there is nothing wrong with management.

MORE EXAMPLES:

• Using a crate so your shiny new puppy doesn’t chew up the electrical cords.
• Using a front clip harness (like an Easy Walk) to walk your dog without him pulling, because you own 20 acres and have back problems and just never practice walking your dog.
• Put up a baby gate so your dog just can’t help himself to the Christmas chocolate under the tree.
• Close the door to the laundry room so you don’t have to buy new underwear every week.
• Shut the lid if your dog drinks out of the toilet so he doesn’t ingest the pretty blue chemicals.
• Clean off the counter so your Great Dane just can’t help himself to the butter stick.
• Put the cat litter box somewhere inaccessible so the dog can’t eat the “kitty cookies.”
• Use a car barrier so your St Bernard puppy doesn’t learn your lap is where he should be on a car ride.

• This casual Q&A is free and open to anyone.
• Bring your friendly dog, or come stag.
• Event is from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
• There’s no “question cap” so bring as many questions as you’ve got!
• Local animal professionals are welcome to stop by and meet & greet or catch up.
• Receive a $10 off training coupon for participating.

So, I did everything I knew to do.

Step #1 – Observe ALL behavior.  This is how I noticed he was straining and preferred to pee on flat surfaces. Also, like I mentioned before, he’s a BIG kitty. So, normal litter boxes were too small for his liking. You see it was uncomfortable to turn around.

Step #2 – Change ONE thing at a time. After noticing the “Joe normal” boxes were too small and hard to get into (high sides), I decided to use the bottom of a plastic dog crate. (Who says you can’t use other things?) He began to walk into the box entrance and pee, then back out.  And by doing this he was now going to the box, sticking at least half of himself inside it, and peeing on the floor right at the entrance.

Step #3 – Keep changing ONE thing at a time, and reinforcing behavior you want. Even when he was only going halfway in the box (the last step), when I saw him pee on the floor I didn’t react. No yelling, no punishments, in fact when he finished I pet him. Why? Because that was improvement from peeing on the bedroom carpet. I tried moving the box, I added a box, changed litter type, and baited it with cat nip. None of that worked. Then I realized I was thinking of “cat” solutions instead of “Spartacus” solutions. Bingo! Flat surfaces! Puppy pee pads instead of litter!

Step #4 – Reward and maintain progress. Besides the obvious medical help I gave my cat throughout this process, retraining behavior was vital. In my mind, why the #?@% was my cat not acting like a cat and using the litter box? Well, because in Spartacus’s mind going in the #?@%ing litter box was painful, uncomfortable, and represented kitty hell.

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. We think what the animal is supposed to do, and not what he is actually doing. Sometimes we think the only solutions are marketed for that particular pet and sold in the closest pet store. Sometimes we don’t walk a mile in their paws. And sometimes we are blinded by progress just because it’s not the final result.

Remember there’s always something to change, to change behavior. And if ANY behavior changes it’s progress.

Training my cats was just as easy as training my dog. The best recall I find to teach cats is target. They are also trained a general recall the same way I taught my dog through shaping. I honestly don’t know how cat training is all that impressive. Cats are just as happy to learn behaviors for pay as dogs.

One of my cats is a tuna whore and the other two love turkey. I still keep treats interesting or limited so they hold their value. And the rule of “keep training sessions short” is critical to remember when cat training. I started off just shaking the kitty treat jar and then giving them all a few treats. They understood that sound in about a week. The can opener just about trained itself through classical conditioning. And training Target with clicker training was a cinch.

Eventually I need to get everyone trained to a silent whistle (shoe maker’s kids huh?).

Chocolate was in the TOP 10 Pet Poisons for 2009.  And continues to be a main culprit in pet poisoning.  Dogs seem to be listed more than cats.  Not because chocolate is any less bad for cats, but because cats just don’t eat it as much.  Thankfully, cats just don’t have the sweet tooth dogs have.  So the good news about cats is they generally don’t want chocolate, the bad news is when they do it’s big trouble.  Their small mass is far more susceptible to toxic levels compared to your average size dog.

The entire reason chocolate is bad for pets is because of the toxic compounds called methylxanthines, specifically theobromine and caffeine.  Dogs (and cats) don’t have the same enzymes or metabolism we do, so chocolate is extremely difficult for them to digest.  The half life (once ingested) in dogs is estimated at 17.5 hours.  The lethal dose of theobromine for dogs is between 100mg to 200mg per kg of bodyweight.  However, according to the ASPCA’s Poison Control Center, symptoms appeared at 20 mg/kg, with severe symptoms at 40-50 mg/kg, and seizures at 60 mg/kg.  The amount ingested, type of chocolate, and your dog’s body weight will determine your particular dog’s fate.  See this Chocolate Chart for a better idea between the difference of: white, milk, dark, semi-sweet, bakers, & cocoa, and how it compares to your dog’s weight.

Estimated Theobromine Per Ounce of Chocolate

• White chocolate = 1 mg/oz
• Milk chocolate = 44-64 mg/oz
• Dark chocolate is = 150-160 mg/oz
• Semisweet chocolate is = 150-160 mg/oz
• Baker’s chocolate = 450 mg/oz
• Cocoa powder = 800 mg/oz

Symptoms can be seen after four hours but can sometimes take as long as 24 hours and range from vomiting, diarrhea, frequent urination, hard (to the touch) stomach area, sensitivity in the stomach area, hyperactivity, cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, and death.  Eating chocolate is very serious and you should call your vet or the ASPCA’s Poison Hotline (888-426-4435, fee applies) immediately.  Since there are so many variables, there is no specific treatment for chocolate poisoning.  Usually your medical professional will advise you to induce vomiting by hydrogen peroxide (one teaspoon per ten pounds of body weight) or syrup of ipecac, if it has been under two hours since initial ingestion.  I’m no vet but I do know hydrogen peroxide should be used sparingly in extreme emergencies because this can cause esophageal ulcers.  I would call death by chocolate a reason to use it myself, it’s the greater evil.  Activated charcoal is said to also help absorb toxins.  Your dog may have to go in and be put on fluids, treated for seizures, and/or monitored for heart failure.

If your dog gets a hold of one M&M don’t panic.  Chances are he’ll live.  Me?  I’d rather have my dog (or cat) eat zero parts per million of a known, deadly toxin.

For more information on theo­bromine and why chocolate is harmful to pets see:

“Chocolate intoxication” by Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, PhD

Merck Veterinary Manual – chocolate

“How Chocolate Can Poison Your Dogs,” Vet Info

“Leave The Chocolate Out of Rover’s Celebrations,” FDA

Hershey’s Nutrition Page – Theobromine

IARC Monographs VOL 51

POTTY MISTAKES

• DO everything in your power to make potty habits outside happen.  I can not tell you how many people call after a bout of bad weather because their dog re-trained himself to pee on the living room carpet.
• DO shovel at least a 10×10 area, and keep this area clean.  Don’t let snow pile on top of poo.  Your dog will know it’s there and may not want to walk in the area.
• DO reward your dog for going potty outside just like you would training a puppy.  Be happy and use treats, praise, and petting.  Don’t sound like a teenage girl at a Bon Jovi concert.
• DO supervise at all times and manage it so your dog doesn’t have the opportunity to go inside.  Use a crate and if your dog doesn’t potty outside, put him in the crate for a few minutes and then back outside.  Keep flip flopping him until he goes and then reward him.
• DON’T punish, yell, or rub his nose in it unless your goal is to make your dog want to potty in secret away from you.
• DON’T walk your dog on roads that have been salted (if possible).  The salt can be absorbed through foot pads and can cause stomach upset and dry cracked pads.
• DO wipe off your dogs feet every time you have to walk him on salted surfaces.  Use a sheet on the floor and walk your dog around several times if your dog won’t let you wipe his paws off.  Then call a trainer to help you so you can in the future.  Believe it or not, not all training is obedience.

FROSTBITE

• DO dry your pet off.  Dogs and cats can get frostbite.  Keep your pet as warm and dry as possible.
• DO use warm (NEVER hot) water compresses or soak feet for immediate treatment.  (You must have a constant supply to warm up your pet.  If you can’t continually warm your pet until temperature is normal again, then DON’T start.)  The affected area will be extremely painful as it warms up.  Then very gently and completely dry the entire treated area.  DON’T rub or massage it.
• DON’T use a heating pad or hair dryer.
• DO go to your vet ASAP even if you think you have completely treated your pet.  It can take several days to see the extent of the damage.
• DON’T give your pet any pain medication without your vet’s expressed permission

HYPOTHERMIA

• DO dry your pet off.  Dogs and cats can get hypothermia.
• DO use warm towels to wrap your pet.  (Putting dry towels in the dryer for a few minutes usually does the trick.)
• DO use warm water bottles wrapped in towels.  DON’T contact your pet directly.
• DO use a hair dryer, especially if your pet is wet.  Just make sure you are not using it on any areas with frostbite.
• DO go to your vet immediately.  Hypothermia can be life threatening.

COMMON SENSE

• DO pay attention how long your pet is outside.
• DO walk your dog on a leash, especially near roads with cars who might have trouble stopping.
• DO play with your dog, use interactive toys, or train to physically and mentally stimulate your pet so they don’t drive you crazy and start bouncing off the walls because they’re stuck inside more.
• DON’T bring your pet with you in the car.  If you get stuck or (heaven forbid) in an accident, you will have your pet to worry about too.
• DON’T let your dog walk or run on ice.  They can slip and break themselves just like we can.
• DO make sure you have plenty of supplies.  Just add dog food and cat litter to the list when you buy milk, bread, and toilet paper.
• DON’T get bend out of shape if your dog does something “normal” that he has always done, but it’s not cool when he’s covered in wet snow: like jumping on the sofa.  (Simple way to manage that would be to have the behavior on cue, when he’s invited he can jump up on the sofa.)
• And last but not least, if you see your dog licking his paws, look to see if there is something stuck in them, and double check for cuts.  Hardened snow and ice can be sharp on pads.