What is the number one killer of young dogs?
Not distemper or parvovirus.

It’s bad behavior.

Euthanasia is the primary cause of death for dogs under age 3, according to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. And usually the animals are brought in by their owners who can’t control them. So while vets are appropriately concerned about young puppies contracting infectious diseases from other dogs, the society encourages veterinarians to promote early socialization to their clients.

Some vets have been reluctant to suggest animals begin things like puppy kindergarten until the dog’s vaccine series is complete. But in an Oct. 1 article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association News, the society says socialization classes can begin when the puppy is as young as 7 or 8 weeks old, although they should have one set of vaccines prior to the first class as well as a first deworming.

Dr. E. Kathryn Meyer, the society president, said it’s critical to expose a puppy to other people and dogs before they are 3 or 4 months old. “[Unsocialized] puppies may fail to develop coping mechanisms and grow into dogs that are unable to adapt to new situations,” Meyer said in the article.

So make life good for you and your new puppy. Ask your veterinarian about puppy socialization classes.

Here is the page that includes the society's position on socialization. And go here to find out how to chose an appropriate dog trainer, depending on the behavior issues you are dealing with.

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We're in the heart of summer storm season. And if thunder and lightning make you nervous, imagine what it does to some poor dogs.

Storm phobias are a common behavior issue that many pet owners face. A 2001 article from the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, reporting on a survey of pet parents, suggested herding dogs such as collies and German shepherds, and hounds such as beagles and bassets, may be more likely to suffer storm phobias.

Rescued animals also may be more at risk, perhaps due to previous abuse, poor socialization or bad experiences. Our cat Frances Jeanne, who spent Hurricane Frances abandonned and crying under my co-workers house, is anxious whenever bad weather is raging outside our windows. Some dogs -- such as the now famous Marley, from the book Marley and Me -- are driven to panic by storms, shredding furniture and carpets, and even breaking windows.

Our natural reaction would be to "comfort" our stressed-out dog, but animal behaviorists advise against this, as it sounds like praise to your pup -- further increasing his anxiety and convincing him something is wrong. Instead, try to act as normal as possible.
Some vets suggest trying calming pheromones, which can be dispersed through a diffuser or be put in a container that attaches to your pets collar. Create a "safe haven" in a crate, where you pet can go during a storm. You can try "white noise," such as running a fan or playing a radio softly. Medication may be needed, although usually a last resort.

But you also could try another path: A jacket, or wrap, designed to quiet your dog.
The Storm Defender is a red cape, with a metallic lining that reduces the static charge that can build up in a dog's fur due to lightning. The cape works on the theroy that the static makes the animal anxious, as he associates it with the approaching storm.
Price: $54.99 to $64.99, with a guaranteed refund if it doesnt' work.

Below is a MSNBC-TV clip about storm-phobias, including a demonstration of the Storm Defender.

Somewhat similar to the Storm Defender cape is the Anxiety Wrap.
No metallic lining here. The wrap, which looks like a tight sweatshirt, calms your pet and helps him focus by maintaining a gentle pressure on the body, its creator says.

Price: $64.99 to $74.99. There are models for dogs and cats.

Want more info on storm phobias and dogs?

Here is an excellent article from PetEducation.com that gives a lot of details about what causes phobias and how you can help you dog overcome them.

Some methods involve behavior modification, however. So consult with your vet so you can follow the right routine.

So: Anyone out there tried any of these jacket, wrap devices? Do they work? Any other tips on helping our pets deal with storm phobias?
A glass of chardonnay may work for me but, alas, no good for them.

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Is this amazing or what?

Isabella, the golden retriever, has "adopted" these three tiger cubs that were abandoned by their mother. Isabella and the cubs live at a southeast Kansas zoo.

For the full amazing story click here.

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When we love our pets, we love it when kids love our pets. It's fun to share the joy of petting our four-legged friends with children, most of whom naturally are drawn to animals.

But a recent story by Linda Lombardi, of the Associated Press, points out that saying yes when a kid asks "Can I pet your doggie?" may be setting both the child and the dog up for an unpleasant experience.

Here are some tips to make the encounter go well:

* Tell the child that before the petting begins, "Let's ask the dog if it's OK first." Either have the child put out a closed fist or a hand with the palm upraised. Or just have the youngster stand close to the dog. Either way, let the dog approach the child. If Fido moves behind you, or turns away, it's not the right time for a pat.

* Watch the dog's body language around the child. Forget the tail; watch the mouth. A dog that is licking its lips or yawning excessively is not comfortable. An open mouth means the dog is relaxed.

* Tell the child to pet the dog along chin, neck or side, not the blind spot on the top of the head.

* Encourage kids to pet in "slow motion" rather than rapid patting.

Click here to read the complete story, via the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas, which includes more tips.

(AP photo by John Way)

Trainer Amy Robinson, of Vero Beach, shows Myles Blane how to pet Trixie.

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Reader TJ today sent me a very touching story that ran in The Times, the daily newspaper in Manchester, England.

A couple said their young dog, Oscar, so missed their deceased cat, Arthur, that the pup dug the cat’s body out of its grave and brought it back to his bed.

The family said Oscar had licked Arthur’s body clean and was sleeping next to him when they found the pair. Although the story ran back in January, definitely is worth reading.

And I’m curious: Have any of you had a pet that clearly mourned the death of another animal in your household?

Our Dolan is so much older than his "little sister", Franny, I’ve always assumed that some day, she’ll be an “only cat.” Most days, the two seem to barely tolerate each other. But I wonder if she would be lonely without him.

The other day, I came home early and found them sleeping on our bed – together, within about a foot of each other. While they weren’t exactly curled up like kittens in a basket, it was astonishing to see them even in the same sleeping area. They usually are very territorial about this sort of thing. Dolan will stake out a certain corner of the couch and that will be his for a while. But then Franny will muscle in and start sleeping there – and he’ll go find somewhere else.

Here's the original story about Oscar and Arthur.

DOG RETRIEVES HIS BEST FRIEND: A CAT BURIED IN THE GARDEN

By Russell Jenkins
From The Times: Manchester, UK

A pet dog missed the family’s dead cat so much that he dug up his grave and brought the body back into the house.
When Oscar’s owners woke up the next morning they discovered the dog curled up beside Arthur, the late cat, in his basket.
His owners, Robert Bell, 73, and his wife, Mavis, of Wigan, Greater Manchester, believe that the dog had licked the cat clean before falling asleep.

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So... I may have made a training boo-boo.

When we get home from work the routine is: check the mail, let the dogs out and then eat. Silvio also has a routine: bang against the door until I let him out, potty outside and beg for food (while we're eating).

When we're eating I noticed Sil tries to get our attention by playing with toys. (Which is unusual because he typically doesn't play with toys.)

So, one day Sil came over to the table, while we were eating, with a toy in his mouth. He had done this a couple times before so I thought I'd try to teach him something. So the next time he came over with the toy (before he dropped it) I said "GIVE", and of course he dropped it because he finally thought he got my attention, and I gave him a treat.

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Nothing like a constantly barking dog to drive you berserko. The solution for one Oakland Park 23-year-old guy? He's in jail, without bond, on charges that he shot and killed his neighbor's mixed-breed Boxer because the dog's constant baking interfered with his studying. Click here for the full story.

But BarkingDogs.net, an extensive online resource dedicated to what it calls "the barking epidemic," has its own suggestion:
Shame 'em on YouTube. Use a camcorder, not a gun.

The advantages of this method?

You can vividly show your neighbor's dog in all his full, barking glory -- and send it to everyone you know. Like your city council members, law enforcement, other neighbors and, of course, the dog's owner.

Not to mention you avoid jail time.

Here's an example. Think this would work?

Here's the link to YouTube's Barking Dog Video Group.

Yes, this problem is annoying so many of us, it has its own group.

By the way: Turns out dogs taking a bullet for sounding off isn't that uncommon. Just a quick search turned up three stories of people, driven over the brink by incessant barking, who went gunning for their neighbor's pets.

Isn't this the owner's fault? Yet BarkingDogs.net claims that people who try to deal with the barking issue by going through the legal system rarely get satisfaction.

Here's: "Barking dog shot, killed outside its home." (Staten Island, NY. July 2007)

And here's: "Dog shot dead by neighbor because of barking." (Atlantic Beach, NY. March 2006)

And: "Man arrested for allegedly shooting barking dog." (Albuquerque, NM. January 2005)

Feel free to share your own tales of "barking hell."

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True or false?

* If you are approached by an aggressive dog, scream and run away.
* Look directly into a threatening dog’s eyes, to establish your dominance.
* A dog flattening his ears against his head indicates he wants you to pet him.

If you answered true to any of the above… you have a lot of company. Every year, more than 800,000 people, more than half of them children, get medical attention for dog bites. And many were bitten because they did not understand how to deal with an aggressive dog.

Next week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. And Bark Busters, a worldwide network of dog trainers, is offering free hour-long workshops by its South Florida affiliates on bite prevention and animal behavior. Bark Busters Dog Safety program is available to community and neighborhood groups, Boy and Girl Scout troops, and other organizations.

Bark Busters also is giving away free window decals for homeowners, which alert emergency personnel and firefighters that a pet is inside the home.

To schedule a workshop or for more information, click here for the Bark Busters Web site. Or call 877-500-2275 to find a Bark Buster trainer near you.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also have a great tip sheet on dog bite prevention. Click here to see it.

As for our test above? All of the statements were false. Here are the correct answers and a few more tips:
1.) Do not run and scream if a dog is threatening you. Instead, face the dog but stand very still. Wait for the dog to lose interest and then back away slowly, watching the dog from the corner of your eye.
2.) Avoid direct eye contact with a dog, as the animal might feel threatened. Fear is the number one reason dogs bite.
3.) Ears flattened against the head, tail lowered, hackles raised on the back of the neck and teeth bared all are danger signs that the dog might attack.

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I have recently been vacating in Phoenix, Arizona, and so many funny pet things have happened since then.

Having four dogs is always a challenge when going on vacation. Luckily for me, I have great friends who don't mind dog-sitting.

Calvin went home with my friend Laura, who has two kids, a husband and a cat. He bonded with her immediately, but I think he may have taken a step too far. She thought it was very cute that he wanted to be on her lap and always be near her, but he started showing signs of jealousy with the kids.

She told me that her son, Zane, who is almost 4-years-old, ran to her and tried to jump on her lap, but as he came flying up Calvin lunged at him, as if to bite. (Which, our course, scared little Zaney)

Apparently his dominate behavior continued through the rest of the week. I find this interesting because Calvin used to be protective over me when we first adopted him, and he would try to fake bite Chris every time he came near me. But when we added Silvio to our family (and then the puppies) this behavior (mostly) disappeared.

(Just as a side note, Calvin is 99% all talk and no action when it comes to biting, so Laura and I were not too concerned.)

For all you behaviorist out there, can anyone tell me what that behavior is all about and also what should I do to try to prevent it the next time he has a sleep-over elsewhere?

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I'm surprised my two nephews did not grow up thinking they were sheep. Sydney, my brother's Australian shepherd, loved nothing more than herding them and their playmates around the backyard in New Orleans. It was hysterical to watch Syd, running in ever tightening circles and barking frantically if one of the kids strayed from the group. One Christmas, he managed to get hold of a bicycle horn and, grabbing its rubber bulb, tried honking instead of barking.

Poor Syd finally crossed the Rainbow Bridge last month. But wherever he is, I sure hope it's a lot like this ranch outside of Los Angeles -- a herding club where such dogs can be the dogs they are. It sounds like "City Slickers," where the pups play the Billy Crystal part.

Do you have a herding breed? And if so, how do you get them to work off all that energy without importing a flock of sheep?

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY"
Associated Press Writer"
VINCENT, Calif. (AP) — The sun is shining, the fields are clear, and the sheep — a jittery trio of fluff — are just getting comfortable.
Suckers.
Selkie, a border collie recovering from a tennis ball addiction, gets her cue. She cuts a wide curve around the field, hunches low and creeps in. Bleats of protest are useless. The sheep stiffen and get moving.
It’s a good day to be a dog.
Selkie isn’t really a stock dog but she plays one at Drummond Ranch, which isn’t really a livestock ranch, but a 40-acre haven an hour outside Los Angeles. There, city dogs escape their leash-and-lounge existence and learn to get in touch with their inner herder.

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We've had Silvio for about three years now (and it's been a very long three years). My boyfriend, Chris, and him haven't always seen eye to eye. But, yesterday Silvio showed a side we've never seen before.

Chris and I play in our company softball league on Sundays — he made a great play from shortstop, running into the outfield to catch a pop fly. Just as he caught it he came down on his ankle wrong and rolled it badly.

When we got home he hobbled upstairs to our bed while I prepared a large bag of ice. While he was resting I stayed downstairs with the dogs (to keep them out of his hair) but Sil wanted to be with Chris so I let him go upstairs. (this is unusual because Sil usually clings to me)

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Mel Seitz of Coconut Creek e-mailed us with a story about his two-year-old Shiba Inu named Chi.

Hope you don’t mind a little bragging about my dog....She is a very well behaved dog and almost never barks. Occasionally she will bark when a cat comes around or other dogs walk by however this is very rare.

This morning at 5 a.m. she started barking and woke me up. I thought that perhaps she was barking at the paper delivery person, however she kept on barking and with a different type of bark than I had ever heard. I got up to investigate and when I went into the front room where she was, I thought I heard someone crying out. Not being sure, (I hate to admit it but I am a little hard of hearing.) I called my wife and she also heard the cries.

I got dressed and took Chi outside and she led me down the street to a neighbor who was out on the porch crying for help. Turns out one of our neighbors had a reaction to some medicine. He lives alone and tried to go next door for help only to find that person gone. He was on the porch
having some kind of attack and could not move. I was able to call 911 and get help.

Thank God our neighbor is now in the hospital and should have a full recovery.

I now say that Chi is a hero.

Chi was treated to a dinner of steak and corned beef hash.

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Last week, SSS! reader TJF wrote about her fabulous, adorable 15-month-old male Lab who was chewing “everything he could get his paws on.” The pup was well supplied with chew toys, TJF said. And both she and her husband work at home, so the dog has plenty of company. They take their Lab on one-mile walks about four times a week.

“Is it a lack of exercise, stress, or something he will outgrow?” TJF asked. “We are keeping him forever… but I would like to have a future with furniture and blankets in one piece!”

What’s up with that? How did a sweet dog with plenty of toys and companionship become a non-stop chewing machine?

Click on CONTINUE READING below for the answer!

(photo from dogbreedinfo.com)

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