Ten Dog Illness Symptoms that Require Emergency Care

Dogs Dog illness symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Many symptoms may mean illness but not an acute emergency. But other symptoms such as loss of consciousness, seizures, difficulty breathing, high or low temperature, as well as several others can be an indication that your dog needs emergency veterinary assistance. If you notice any of the following signs or think you may be observing them, seek veterinary assistance immediately.

1. Loss of Consciousness

A change in consciousness can manifest as sudden collapse, tremors, staggering, sudden withdrawal or lack of responsiveness, coma, convulsions or sudden blindness. A dog may also exhibit a chronic tilting of the head or biting at imaginary objects.

2. Seizures

You can identify a seizure in several ways. The dog's entire body will likely shake or tremor for several seconds. Then the dog will be unresponsive for a few seconds or up to a minute. You may see the whites of the eyes.

3. Difficulty Breathing

If a dog is struggling to breathe, you may notice him gasping for breath or breathing in a labored manner. You might also notice noisy respiration, and the dog's tongue may become blue. It may also appear swollen.

4. Change in Temperature

A dog's temperature should be around 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. If his temperature goes below 99 or above 104 degrees, something is seriously wrong. You need to take the dog's temperature if you see him panting, if he feels very cold or if he seems really lethargic.

5. Bleeding

If you cannot stop blood from any area of the dog's body, apply pressure with a clean piece of fabric and go to the emergency vet. Uncontrolled bleeding can cause loss of consciousness and death.

6. Signs of Acute Pain

If a dog won't stop whining or yelping, he's trying to tell you something is wrong. If the usual problem solvers don't work, seek veterinary attention.

7. Extreme Energy Changes

If a dog becomes extremely lethargic all of a sudden, it's a sign of a possible serious and systemic problem. Extreme lethargy manifests as a dog who won't come out of his crate or won't move a muscle when called or enticed with food or a favorite toy.

8. Symptoms that Do Not Alleviate

The following symptoms should not last for more than 2 to 3 days. These include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, poor appetite, constipation, wheezing, or dully, dry and flaky hair and skin. Lameness, weakness, and major changes in urination are also symptoms that should change in a few days.

9. Abdominal Bloating

A bloated or abnormally distended abdomen is an acutely serious issue. If your dog seems to be having abdominal pain (i.e. winces or whimpers when touched there), but he isn't vomiting, this is a sign of potential poisoning or an acute kidney problem.

10. Other Times to Call the Vet Immediately

After any accident, fall, or dog fight, a vet should check for trauma, injury, or shock. If you suspect that a dog has ingested poison or any sharp object, don't wait for symptoms to appear. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Plan For Your Dog’s Pregnancy

On average, female dogs take about 62 days to gestate after being bred. Any time frame between 54-72 days is normal though. You have a long road ahead of you, so make sure you’re ready for this exciting journey.

The First Month

During the beginning stages of pregnancy there is not much for you to worry about!

Feed your dog her regular diet for the first month. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not give your dog vitamins during this time. If your dog takes supplements during her pregnancy she may have problems extracting calcium from her bones after she gives birth. This will make her more susceptible to hypocalcemia. Hypocalcemia is the presence of low serum calcium levels in the blood and can result in muscular weakness and even seizures.

The Second Month

Start feeding your expecting mother a high-quality puppy food. Puppy food will provide her with the extra calories that she needs without providing excess supplementation.

About a week before her due date, you should start taking her temperature each day. If you don’t know how to take your dog’s temperature you should ask your vet to show you the correct procedure. The normal rectal temperature for dogs ranges from 100 to 102.5F.

About 24 hours prior to giving birth, your dog’s rectal temperature will drop a few degrees.

One to Two Weeks Before Delivery

You should start getting your supplies together! You’ll need to construct a “whelping station.” This should be an area where your new mom will deliver. She should be able to get in and out without letting her pups loose. Make sure you put the box in a quiet place that your dog feels comfortable.

Supplies you’ll need:

• Plenty of clean towels
• Sharp scissors (to cut the cords)
• Dental floss (for tying off the cords)
• Povidone iodine (for disinfecting the cord ends)

The Birthing Process

Be ready to get your hands dirty because whelping is messy!

The 3 Stages of Labor:

#1- Cervix is Dilating, Dog Experiences Some Uterine Contractions (this stage often goes unnoticed)

This stage lasts about 6-12 hours and your dog may experience some shivering, restlessness, panting, vomiting, and unwillingness to eat during this stage. If you notice this happening, you should encourage your dog to go to the whelping area.

#2- Active Labor

If your dog has more than one puppy, she will alternate between stages 2 and 3 in-between births. Dogs usually rest for about an hour in-between puppies.

It takes about 10-20 minutes to deliver the first puppy. If your dog is actively straining for more than an hour, you should call the vet because your dog is going to need some professional help getting those babies out.

Puppies are born either head first of breech (rear first). Both are normal and you should not be alarmed if you see a breech puppy.

Some dogs squat to have puppies and some lie down. Some dogs grunt and some will scream, just be flexible

on what your dog may need. Every dog is different!

Puppies are born with their amniotic sac intact. If the mom doesn’t attend to her pups within the first 2 minutes, you’ll need to intervene.

The membrane must be ruptured so the puppy can breathe. Use a child nasal aspirator to clear the fluid from the puppy’s mouth and rub near the umbilicus with a towel to stimulate respiration.

Then, take a piece of dental floss and tie off the cord about an inch from the puppy’s body. Take the scissors and cut it off, take the end of the cord and dip it in the povidone iodine to disinfect it.

If the mother wants to do all this herself− by no means should you stop her. Some dogs chew off their puppy’s cord themselves− there’s nothing wrong with this. Don’t let the mother eat the placenta though. Take it away from her, and she’ll never know the difference.

#3- Placenta Expulsion

Generally placenta expulsion occurs within 15 minutes from the time each puppy is delivered. Every puppy will have one placenta. You should count the numbers of placentas expelled to make sure that none of them are retained inside the mother.

The Puppies Are Here− What Now!

Make sure all the puppies get a chance to have their first meal. The first milk is rich with protective

antibodies that really help them to start off on the right foot. Mom is also going to need a light meal and potty break.

You should call your vet to let him know the results of the event. Your vet may suggest that you bring everyone in for a checkup to make sure everything is returning to normal!

For about 6-8 weeks, mom will be producing a reddish brown to bright green odorless discharge called lochia. No worries, this is normal and you should not be concerned about it. However, if your dog has a bright red bloody discharge, you should call your veterinarian right away.

Continue to take your dog’s temperature and inspect the mammary glands daily so that any uterine or mammary infection can be caught and treated early.

Your dog will need extra food now that she’s a momma and she’s lactating. She will need 3-4 times more food. Also, make sure the puppies are eating a high quality puppy food.

You can start supplementing the mother’s diet with calcium. You can get this from your vet or give her cottage cheese.

Also, make sure your dog has access to plenty of water, but not in the “whelping station,” you don’t want one of the puppies to drown.

Have fun with your new puppies- you certainly have your work cut out for you!

How To Tell If A Dog Is Pregnant

When talking about canine pregnancy there is an awful lot of material to consider and so I will be splitting the topic between three hubs. This hub is going to talk about how to tell if your dog is pregnant and what veterinary procedures can be undertaken to be certain that a dog is carrying a litter.

Whilst it is advisable for a dog to be neutered, not all owners will want to put their dog through this process and may actually want their bitch to have a litter of puppies. In some cases a female dog may escape and mate before she has been altered. No matter how a dog has come to be pregnant it is up to the owner to ensure that they look after their dog, helping to nurse them through the pregnancy.

A pregnancy usually lasts for between 60 to 65 days and there are quite a few signs that can indicate that a female dog is pregnant. However, most of them do not become apparent until well into the pregnancy. The first thing that may be noticeable is the discharge of mucus from the vulvar; this usually happens around a month after the dog has mated and so if spotted by an owner can be a good indication of when a bitch was impregnated. Between 25 to 30 days after the mating has taken place a dog’s teat will become pinker, erect and easier to see as the blood supply to the nipples will have become increased. A weight change is of course inevitable and a pregnant dog will start to get heavier from around the 35-day-mark onwards; some dogs can increase to up to 50% over their normal weight.

There a few changes that will occur from around day 40 of the pregnancy. One such change is the enlargement of the abdomen which whilst thought to be a common sign, is not always shown with a bitch that is pregnant/carrying a litter for the first time; a dog carrying a second or third litter will ‘show’ a lot more. Another sign that occurs around the 40-day-mark is the enlargement of the bitch’s mammary glands, with some female dogs’ glands leaking quite heavily around this time.

Behavioural changes may also start to take place with some female dogs becoming lethargic, depressed or losing their appetite. Whilst this can be due to the pregnancy it can also be an indication of a problem with the pregnancy and so a vet should be contacted immediately. If there are no complications then a dog’s appetite will actually increase towards the second half of the pregnancy. As the delivery date gets closer the pregnant dog will start to show her nesting instincts by scratching at the floor, particularly in her bed, and displaying restlessness behaviour.

On average it will take about a month for an owner to realise that their dog is pregnant. As well as looking out for the signs of pregnancy by themselves, the owner should take their dog to the vets where confirmation of the pregnancy can be obtained. A common procedure to detect puppies in the womb is an ultrasound that detects foetal heartbeats; this can be used after a bitch has been pregnant for 20 days or more. Another way a vet may want to check will be by feeling the abdomen after around 30 days. This can be quite uncomfortable for a pregnant dog and so ultrasounds are usually a less invasive way to check for puppies. After a dog has been pregnant for 25 days, a vet will be able to run an endocrine test to detect relaxin, a hormone that is only produced by pregnant dogs.

The next hub I will be writing will take a look at what to do when your dog goes into labour and actually gives birth. This can be a worrying time for any pet owner but there a few things that can be done to help the process which I will highlight and take a look into. In addition to writing on HubPages I also write for Animal Friends Insurance, an ethical company that offers cheap dog insurance.

Treatment and Prognosis for Abortion in Dogs

Introduction

Treating Abortion in Dogs: Veterinarian reviewed information on the treatment options for Abortion in dogs. Treatment options for Abortion may vary from dog to dog, so a veterinarian is always the best resource to decide how to treat Abortion in dogs.

Goals of Treating Abortion

There is really no way to “treat” an abortion, because once it has happened, it is over and done with. When a bitch aborts her litter, it usually is sudden, spontaneous and irreversible. Unfortunately, owners usually don’t even know that an abortion has happened, especially when it occurs early in a pregnancy, because the mother typically will lick and ingest the expelled placental and fetal tissues as part of her normal grooming behavior. The only realistic goal of treating abortions is to determine why the prospective mother lost her litter, and to take steps to prevent her from having abortions in the future, assuming that she is found to be otherwise healthy and useful in a well-managed breeding program.

Treatment Options

The normal gestation period for dogs is 63 days, and most bitches conceive several days after they ovulate. This is a pretty short period of time, especially when you consider the number of puppies that can be conceived, develop and become viable during that short, two-month window. As mentioned above, there is no real way to “treat” an abortion. Abortions usually either go undetected or are identified only after the fact. The best we that can be done is to try to prevent abortions from happening in the first place.

Many breeders conduct periodic abdominal ultrasounds after about 25 days of gestation to confirm whether their bitch is pregnant, and thereafter to monitor the viability of the puppies. Blood samples can also be taken and evaluated to assess the level of circulating progesterone. A bitch must have adequate levels of progesterone in her blood to sustain a pregnancy. If the dam’s serum progesterone level is too low, progesterone supplements can be given to help maintain her pregnancy to term. However, progesterone supplementation must be stopped for the birth process, called “parturition,” to occur. There can be some potentially adverse side effects from supplementing progesterone during pregnancy, however. For example, administering progesterone before fetal sexual differentiation has occurred can contribute to abnormal masculinization of female puppies.

Once an abortion has occurred, the bitch may require supportive care, including administration of intravenous fluids to reestablish normal hydration. She may also need a course of antibiotics, especially if she has a fever or if a bacterial infection is suspected. She should be monitored for signs of mammary gland inflammation or infection and for evidence of a uterine infection. She may become lethargic and depressed, and will need extra special attention from her owner.

Prognosis

Once a bitch aborts one or more of her puppies, the prognosis is poor for saving the other puppies in that litter. Fortunately, unless the abortion was caused by Brucella canis or canine herpesvirus, the dam usually will still be able to successfully conceive and whelp other litters in the future. Bitches that develop Brucellosis have a guarded chance of having successful live litters. Brucella canis is extremely difficult to eliminate once the bacteria have established their colonies in the dog’s reproductive tract. If the bitch develops a uterine infection (pyometra), she will be predisposed to having recurring uterine infections during subsequent heat cycles, which can also make it more difficult for her to carry a litter to term.

Symptoms & Signs of Abortion in Dogs

Introduction

Identifying the symptoms and signs of Abortion in dogs is the first step to knowing if your dog requires medical attention. Diseases and symptoms can vary, so it’s always best to consult your veterinarian if you notice any of the following symptoms.

Effects of Abortion – From The Dog’s Point of View

Abortions are not all that common in companion dogs. When they do happen, abortions usually occur during the last few weeks of the bitch’s pregnancy, although they certainly can occur earlier. Fastidious bitches may actually eat any placental or fetal tissues that they expel as part of their normal hygienic activities, especially if the abortion happens early in their pregnancy when those tissues are undifferentiated. This can make early abortions extremely difficult for owners to detect. Bitches understandably may become lethargic and depressed after aborting their puppies. They will need lots of extra time, attention and love from their owners to get them through this traumatic experience.

Symptoms of Abortion – What The Owner Sees

The signs of abortion can be difficult for even the most attentive of owners to detect. Usually, there is nothing obvious in the house or yard to suggest that an abortion has happened. Bitches often lick and swallow the aborted placental and fetal tissues as part of their normal grooming, especially when the abortion occurs early in their pregnancy. A more common reproductive abnormality in domestic dogs is reabsorption of puppies, where the bitch’s body actually absorbs the fetal and placental tissue, leaving no sign that puppies ever were present. Reabsorption can happen even after a pregnancy has been confirmed by an abdominal ultrasound and/or by radiography (X-rays). When puppies are reabsorbed, they literally just disappear. No fetuses or fetal or placental tissues are ever expelled through the birth canal.

Sometimes, owners do see signs of an abortion that has happened to their pregnant bitch. Recognizable signs of abortion may include one or more of the following:

• Failure to whelp on time (the average gestation period in dogs is 63 days, although puppies can be born 5 or more days before or after that period)
• Vaginal discharge – usually profuse with an abortion; dark greenish to black; thick; purulent (containing pus); sometimes may be thin and bloody
• Strong foul odor coming from the vulva
• Loss of appetite (inappetence; anorexia)
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Abdominal pain
• Restlessness; listlessness; general malaise
• Depression
• Dehydration
• Delivery of lifeless puppies
• Passage of dark, bloody placental and/or fetal tissue
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Behavioral changes
• Dogs at Increased Risk

Malnourished females have a greatly increased risk of aborting their puppies, as do elderly bitches and those that have some sort of systemic illness or disease. Pregnant females with internal or external parasitic infestations also have an increased chance of aborting their litters.

Special NotesWhile abortions are relatively rare in domestic dogs, they can go unnoticed by even the most attentive of owners. However, the bitch will still suffer the emotional and physical consequences of what she has gone through and will need lots of love and attention to restore her confidence and happiness in life.

Causes and Prevention of Abortion in Dogs

Introduction

Causes & Prevention of Abortion in Dogs: Veterinarian reviewed information that explains the causes of Abortion in dogs, including how they may be prevented.

Causes of Canine Abortion

There are a number of different things that can cause a pregnant bitch to abort one or more of her puppies. These include excessive inbreeding, congenital abnormalities, poor nutrition, endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism also known as Cushing’s Disease; ingestion of toxic substances, exposure to certain pharmaceutical agents such as chloramphenicol, administration of high doses of glucocorticoids (steroids), systemic illness accompanied by a high fever, abnormal ovarian function, cystic endometrial hyperplasia, pyometra, trauma, lethal chromosomal abnormalities, stress, old age and bacterial, viral or fungal infections.

One of the most common causes of still-births in dogs is Brucellosis, which is an infection caused by theBrucella canis bacteria. Other infectious agents that can cause abortions in dogs include Listeria monocytogenesEscherichia coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Chlamydia, canine herpesvirus, Neospora caninum, Mycoplasma, Pasteurella, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, canine Distemper virus, Parvovirus and Toxoplasma gondii. Abortion can also be caused by immune-mediated hemolytic anemia and by a number of neoplastic (cancerous) conditions.

Bitches who abort on successive pregnancies should be examined by a veterinarian for uterine infection or progesterone deficiency. A progesterone deficiency, called “hypoluteoidism,” happens when the ovaries don’t secrete enough progesterone to support attachment of the embryo to the uterine wall. If the bitch’s owner finds any fetal or placental tissue after an abortion, she should take it to her veterinarian, so that it can be evaluated by a pathology laboratory to help identify the cause of the aborted litter.

Preventing Canine Abortions

Sound management practices, including providing superior nutrition, regular vaccinations, internal and external parasite control and pristine environmental hygiene, are all important to a successful pregnancy. Once a bitch begins aborting her fetuses, it is very difficult to save the litter. However, if the dam’s serum progesterone levels are low and caught early enough, progesterone supplements can be given in an attempt to sustain the pregnancy to term. Progesterone supplementation probably is a good idea for bitches with a history of early-term abortions. Progesterone levels must be rigorously monitored throughout the entire pregnancy. Pregnant bitches should have limited contact with dogs other than those in their immediate family, and should be kept away from dog parks, dog shows and other areas frequented by dogs whose vaccination and health status is unknown.

Special Notes

Many intact bitches go through a pseudo-pregnancy, which is also called a false pregnancy. It can be difficult even for experienced breeders to differentiate between a false pregnancy and a true pregnancy, especially during the first month of gestation. Bitches going through a false pregnancy often have mammary gland enlargement and may produce milk. They also may dig and nest, much like pregnant bitches will do shortly before they give birth. When an owner has carefully planned a breeding and has conscientiously cared for her bitch during the subsequent two months, it is extremely disappointing to find out that the dog is not actually pregnant. Sometimes, nature just fools us.

ABOUT THE DOG

The dog is one of the most popular pets in the world. It ordinarily remains loyal to a considerate master, and because of this the dog has been called man's best friend. Class distinctions between people have no part in a dog's life. It can be a faithful companion to either rich or poor.

Dogs have been domesticated for most of human history and have thus endeared themselves to many over the years. Stories have been told about brave dogs that served admirably in war or that risked their lives to save persons in danger. When Pompeii--the Roman community destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79--was finally excavated, searchers found evidence of a dog lying across a child, apparently trying to protect the youngster. Perhaps few of the millions of dogs in the world may be so heroic, but they are still a source of genuine delight to their owners.

A dog fits easily into family life. It thrives on praise and affection. When a master tells a dog that it is good, the animal happily wags its tail. But when a master scolds a dog, it skulks away with a sheepish look and with its tail tucked between its legs.

People in the city as well as those in other areas can enjoy a dog. Medium-size or small dogs are best suited for the confines of the city. Large dogs need considerable exercise over a large area.

Dogs are not always well thought of, however. In recent years dogs in the city have been in the center of controversy. Some people have criticized dog owners for allowing their pets to soil sidewalks and lawns, although in some cities laws oblige owners to walk their dogs along street curbs. In turn, dog owners have argued that the animals serve as protection against vandals and burglars and thus protect their detractors as well as their owners.

When a person decides to own a dog, he should be prepared to care for it properly. For a dog to stay healthy it must be correctly fed and adequately groomed, and its medical needs must be met. For a dog to be well-mannered it must be properly trained. It should never be ill-treated or mishandled. Otherwise, it will bite in its own defense.

The wild ancestors of all dogs were hunters. Wolves and other wild relatives of the dog still hunt in packs for their food. Dogs have retained the urge to be with the pack. This is why they do not like to be left alone for long. Some breeds of dogs still retain the hunting instinct.

Dogs exist in a wide range of sizes, colors, and temperaments. Some, such as the Doberman pinscher and the German shepherd, serve as alert and aggressive watchdogs. Others, such as the beagle and the cocker spaniel, are playful family pets, even though they were bred for hunting. Still others, such as the collie and the Welsh corgi, can herd farm or range animals. Each of the dogs just mentioned is a purebred. A mongrel dog, however--one with many breeds in its background--can just as easily fit into family life.

Dogs have been with humans since prehistoric times. Over the years they have performed various services. They have pulled sleds over snowy tracts. They have delivered messages, herded sheep and cattle, and even rescued persons trapped in the snow. Dogs have served as a source of food, too. The ancient Romans are said to have prized certain kinds of dog stew. The Aztecs of ancient Mexico raised tiny dogs, thought to be the forebears of the chihuahua, to feed the large carnivores in the private zoos of the Aztec rulers. In the past dogs have even been worshiped as gods. Recently, they have been used in drug research, medical experimentation, and space science. Soviet scientists launched dogs into space to test the ability of mammals to survive the rigors of space travel before people were sent up.

Dogs are trained as guard dogs in peacetime by the United States Army and other military services. Because of their keen sense of smell, dogs are used by police at times to track down escaped prisoners. Law enforcement agencies also rely on the dog's acute sense of smell to uncover illegal drugs. And specially trained dogs serve as the "eyes" of the blind, guiding the steps of their sightless masters around obstacles and hazards.

Man's Best Friend - the dogs

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that humans can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts them, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is their dog."

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Wild Dogs and Phylogeny
• The Domestication of Dogs
• Breeds of Dogs
• Behaviour
• Communication
• The Dog Genome
• Man's Best Friend, Why? 
• Dogs in Society
• Quiz
• Commemoration
• Introduction

Dogs. We all know what they are, and most people have lived with them as pets or seen them about in communities. But how much do we really know about them? The above quotation is believed to be the origin of the colloquial adage ‘Man’s Best Friend.’ The truth to the adage is recognized, as dogs remain among the most popular pets in the world. This treehouse provides information about many aspects of domestic dogs, to learn more about them, what they are capable of, and where they come from and to try to find an answer to the question ‘why are dogs man's best friends?’

Wild Dogs and Phylogeny

Domestic dogs, wild dogs, and wolves all belong to the Family Canidae, which also contains jackals, coyotes, and foxes. Canidae is contained within the group caniformia which is contained within the Order Carnivora, one of the eighteen current groups of Eutherians, or placental mammals. A full list of the groups contained in Canidae is provided below.

Within the Canidae are 14 groups, or genera. Contained within those 14 genera are at least 34 species and two subspecies (a chart showing all members in the Canidae is provided below). The genus Canis contains dogs, jackals, and wolves. The gray wolf, Canis lupus, is among 7 species of canids and also related to two subspecies, Canis lupus dingo and Canis lupus familiaris, which are known commonly as the dingo and the domestic dog, respectively.

Containing Groups for Canidae

Canidae
Subgroups	‘Species’	‘Subspecies’
Alopex  Arctic fox	Alopex lagopus Arctic fox
Atelocynus  short-eared dog	Atelocynus microtis short-eared dog
Canis dogs, jackals, and wolves	Canis adustus side-striped jackal Canis aureus golden jackal Canis latrans coyote Canis lupus gray wolf Canis mesomelas black-backed jackal  Canis rufus red wolf Canis simensis Simian jackal	Canis lupus dingo dingo Canis lupus familiaris dog
Cerdocyon crab-eating fox	Cerdocyon thous crab-eating fox
Chrysocyon maned wolf	Chrysocyon brachyurus maned wolf
Cuon dhole	Cuon alpinus dhole
Dusicyon Falkland Island wolf	Dusicyon australis Falkland Island wolf
Lycaon African wild dog	Lycaon pictus African wild dog
Nyctereutes raccoon dog	Nyctereutes procyonoides raccoon dog
Otocyon bat-eared fox	Otocyon megalotis bat-eared fox
Pseudalopex  South American foxes	Pseudalopex culpaeus culpeo Pseudalopex griseus Argentine gray fox Pseudalopex gymnocercus pampas fox Pseudalopex sechurae Sechura fox Pseudalopex vetulus hoary fox
Speothos bush dog	Speothos venaticus bush dog
Urocyon gray foxes	Urocyon cinereoargenteus gray fox Urocyon littoralis island gray fox
Vulpes foxes	Vulpes bengalensis Bengal fox Vulpes cana Blandford's fox Vulpes chama Cape fox Vulpes corsac Corsac fox Vulpes ferrilata Tibetan fox Vulpes pallida pale fox Vulpes rueppellii Rüppel's fox Vulpes velox swift fox Vulpes vulpes red fox Vulpes zerda fennec

The Domestication of Dogs

One ancestor too many breeds

• Humans have historically desired certain traits in their pets and, therefore, have produced by artificial selection the vast variety of dog breeds
• Artificial selection has given rise to breeds spanning everything from pocket-sized Chihuahuas to 100 kilo Saint Bernards
• Dogs of many sizes and shapes appear in archaeological and artistic records of almost all cultures, dating to thousands of years ago
• Dogs have been specialized for a variety of purposes, from hunting, herding, protection, and companionship, to esthetics
• Almost 400 dog breeds have been established since 1850
• This radiation is a testament to the popularity of purebred pets as status symbols, specialized breeding, and dog shows

Dog Diversity depends on three key factors

• Three processes are involved in the rapid evolution of dog breeds
• Systematic selection
• involves carefully selecting certain dogs for inherited traits like body type, coat characteristics, speed, herding, hunting, endurance, and size
• over time and from breeders’ choices, produce animals with distinctive looks and abilities
• has yielded, for example, the saluki, basenji, and greyhound
• Sports (a term that Charles Darwin used for macromutations)
• refers to puppies with unusual traits, such as hairlessness or lack of a tail
• includes individuals with the mutation for achondroplasic dwarfism that causes limbs to stop growing prematurely, resulting in short limbed breeds like dachshunds and basset hounds
• mutations generally don’t help dogs survive in the wild, but they can yield dogs with exotic looks that appeal to breeders
• Cross-Breeding
• produces new forms by crossing two breeds that differ in appearance or behavior
• usually is followed by selective breeding of offspring
• unleash a lot of genetic variation – many shapes, sizes, and colors

Breed standards help keep purebreds pure

• the first formal dog show held in 1859 in Newcastle, England presented an enormous array of dogs
• these shows since have become paramount for establishing bloodlines and breed standards
• standards describe the ideal height, weight, coat color and texture, ear type for individual breeds
• breed standards maintain the uniform appearance of pure bred dogs
• once established, the look of pure bred dogs won’t change much over time
• in contrast, wild species evolve constantly in response to changing natural conditions

Picking the right breed of dog for you
Among the many breeds of dogs, finding the particular type that suits an individual’s needs is an arduous task. Therefore, a three-step process that will guide any dog lover to the dog of their dreams is provided below.

Step one: Browse the dog list. If you follow the link provided, you will surf to a complete alphabetical list of breeds, from A to Z, approximately 150!

Step two: Know your habits and correlate these with the dog breeds’. Decipher which breed is appropriate for you. Or, if you’re someone who enjoys conflict, maybe pick a breed that is inappropriate … whatever your interest, the link will help guide you to making the right choice:

Step three: Take 48 hours to review your potential commitment. Make sure that you want and can care properly for a dog, and, if after those two days you feel you can, then start your new companionship!

Favorite Breeds of Dogs

Below is a list compiling the most popular dogs in the USA in 2005.

• Labrador Retrievers, 137867 logged ownerships.
• Golden Retrievers, 48509 logged ownerships.
• Yorkshire Terriers, 47238 logged ownerships.
• German Shepherds, 45014 logged ownerships.
• Beagles, 42592 logged ownerships. 

Behaviour

• General behaviours:
• primarily flesh-eaters, but, as a group, they are more omnivorous than are most other carnivores
• most canids rely primarily on an acute sense of smell and hearing; in general, their vision is less well-developed than is vision in other carnivores
• they are adapted more for endurance than speed; most of their hunting involves a long chase, whereby they exhaust their prey
• when they catch their prey, they often bring them down by grabbing the back of the neck; smaller prey usually are killed by shaking and breaking the spine; larger prey usually are killed by biting the soft underbelly, resulting in disembowelment, blood loss, and shock
• all Canidae, whether solitary or social in nature, are territorial

Social organization:
Three types of social structure can be found among the different species of Canidae (Fox 1978).

Type I (e.g., red fox)mating is accomplished by a temporary pair bond that is formed during the breeding season; the male might stay with the female and assist in providing food for the young
litters usually are deserted at about 4-5 months of age
after litters break up, individuals find their own territories as solitary hunters

Type II (e.g., coyote)a permanent pair-bond is formed between males and females
offspring will remain with parents until the following breeding season
offspring usually are driven off and will disperse to find individual territories
very infrequently, when food is particularly abundant, yearlings may be allowed to remain in their natal territory

Type III (e.g., gray wolf)the social unit is a pack of mostly related individuals
a strong leader-follower relationship exists between subordinate wolves and the alpha wolf, who acts as the primary decision-maker and settles disputes between others
as the young mature, they usually stay with the pack and fill positions that are created by the death or departure of others
if the pack becomes too large or food becomes too scarce, then the pack may split up and move into neighboring territories (if available)

Behaviors associated with pack formation

Several behavioral differences are associated with canids, which may be categorized by whether they form packs:
pack-forming canids:

• exhibit a wider spectrum of individual differences; some are more confident and aggressive and have better hunting instincts; many are more timid and inclined to learn from the behaviour of others
• exhibit greater proximity tolerance to each other
• are more likely to exhibit group-coordinated behaviors and play
• possess greater complexity in their visual and auditory cues and, consequently, can convey a greater range of expression; this is consistent with the closer proximity afforded by pack behavior

solitary canids:

• tend to be more uniform in their behaviors; exhibit similar levels of confidence, aggression, and hunting skills
• exhibit lower proximity tolerance
• possess more-stereotyped visual and auditory cues; this is necessary because they are in close contact less often and require less ambiguity in their communication
• are more reliant on olfactory cues – as they are in close contact less often, olfactory cues can be left in areas and received much later; olfactory cues are relied upon greatly for territorial boundaries and mate acquisition

Behavioral attributes that favor domestication
Several behaviours are relevant to domesticating nonhuman animals:

• animals that have been domesticated tend to live in large social groups; this is associated closely with a leader-follower tendency and greater proximity tolerance
• those exhibiting promiscuous sexual behavior are more likely to be able to reproduce in an artificial environment
• animals that include a greater range of environments in their territories are more able to adapt to human environments
• a flexible diet facilitates adaptation to food provided by humans; for example, prior to domestication, wild dogs would have been able to eat most refuse left by humans
• untamed domesticated animals tend to be relatively comfortable near humans and exhibit less substantial tendencies toward conflict

Behaviour of Canis lupus (gray wolf)

• live in packs ranging from 2 to 36 individuals (most contain 5 to 9)
• packs exhibit a very strong dominance hierarchy; the alpha male is the leader, but the alpha female also plays an important role in decision making
• rank in the pack determines mating success and feeding order
• packs are stationary in the spring and summer (during the breeding season) but nomadic in the fall and winter, in search for food sources; they often travel up to 300 km in a night
• hunt in packs for large prey and individually for small prey; they also scavenge for garbage, steal prey, and eat carrion

Behaviour of domestic dogs

• behaviour in domestic animals rarely is studied from a scientific perspective, as selective breeding confounds information that researchers might learn
• domestic dogs behave similarly to gray wolves; when feral packs of dogs are found, they exhibit similar social tendencies
• natural and artificial selection have attenuated some behaviours and enhanced others; for example, Canis familiaris exhibits bite inhibition when presented with prey: they pick up prey with their teeth but are much less inclined to deliver a fatal bite
• different Canis familiaris breeds are selected to enhance specific behaviours; for example, terriers are selected to chase sheep whereas sheepdogs will guard them from predators

CommunicationDogs have four main ways of communicating with each other or humans:

• scent marking (spraying)
• visual (body posture, eye contact … or lack thereof)
• vocal (barking and whining)
• social communication

1) Scent marking
Spraying or urinating on objects is a method used by dogs to communicate. It serves to mark territory and to give information – such as the sex of the animal and its mating status. Dogs mark territory to avoid confrontation. Depending on how secure a dog feels about its territory, it will tend to spray more or less often. For example, if a dog is very unsure about its security, it likely will mark the territory more frequently; if this is a domestic dog, then the marking will extend to objects inside the house – the bed

s, clothing, even visitors. Dogs also will urinate when they smell the urine of another dog (Lanier 2000).
2) Visual cues
Dogs will use a variety of body postures to indicate how they will act in certain contexts.

Aggressive intent (Horwitz, 2001):
staring at offenders
snarling or baring teeth
displaying erect body posture, tilting ears forward (depending on the breed), piloerecting fur
attacking (indicated by a crouching body posture with the ears laid back)

Submissive intent (passive or active) (Horwitz, 2001):
lateral recumbancy, elevation of the hind limb, tucking the tail (passive)
no eye contact, low tail but wagging between the legs (active)

3) Vocal communication
3.1 The Vocal Tract:

Sound reproduction is similar in all mammals. Primary sound is produced by the vocal folds of the larynx and then is oscillated by the exhalation of air from the lungs. To modify airflow, the vocal folds can be opened and closed, which produces acoustics that vary with time (Riede and Fitch, 1999). The resonances of the vocal tract produce what are known as “formants,” a phenomenon that has been studied heavily in speech science (Riede and Fitch, 1999).

Although dogs lack the structure found in the modern human vocal tract, modifications that allow us to produce vowels, dogs are capable of distinguishing among the different formants produced by humans (Riede and Fitch, 1999). This knowledge caused scientists to wonder if animals could distinguish formants within their species, and if it possibly could be used as a form of communicating size between dogs.

Researchers have found that vocal tract length is related directly to the body size of the individual producing the sound, which results in a change in frequency in low-pitched growls. These growls convey an accurate impression of size to the listener.

3.2 Barking:

For a long time, barking was thought to have no communicative role. Dog barking usually is highly variable. In wild canines, only puppies bark consistently and, upon reaching adult hood, barking is restricted to specific contexts. Excessive and repetitive barking in adult dogs has no relevant communicative properties and is a result of relaxed selection during the 12000 years of domestication that have transpired (Riede and Fitch, 1999).

In a recent paper by Pongracz et al. (2005), however, barking has been shown to have a role in interspecific communication between dogs and humans.

Two rules for the foundations of interspecific communication:
"Species could rely on common rules of communication that determine the structure of the signal” (Pongracz et al., 2005)
“The individuals of different species could learn the meaning of [a] heterospecific signal” (Pongracz et al., 2005)

To test the theory that dog barking does serve as a form of interspecific communication with humans, scientists used the Mudi – a midsized Hungarian sheepdog that is highly intelligent and utilizes a large amount of barking while herding.

They made several sound recordings of the dog in multiple situations:

• when encountering a stranger
• when encountering a 'bad guy'
• when going for a walk
• when left alone
• when tantalized with a ball or favorite toy
• when playing

These barks (72 in total, 12 from each situation) were shuffled and played for three groups of people. The human participants were grouped depending on their experience with dogs – whether they owned Mudis, had owned a dog but never a Mudi, and, finally, never owned a dog.

The human participants had to fill out two questionnaires: 1) rating the emotionality of each bark heard from aggressiveness to happiness and 2) attempting to categorize the situation occurring at the time of the barking using the list above
listeners allotted high despair levels to ‘alone’ situations
the highest aggressiveness levels were given to the ‘stranger’ and ‘bad-guy’ situations
no relevant difference in categorization between the three groups of listeners was discerned – non-owners chose most of the same emotions and situations as did Mudi owners when categorizing a bark
participants found that the dimensions of quick versus slow pulsating barks as well as the pitch of the bark (high or low) were important indicators for making happy versus sad distinctions – where quick pulsating barks indicate an aggressive situation
this suggests that the capability to recognize basic emotions may be an ancient trait shared among animals

4) Social communication

Even more so than do our nearest primate relatives, dogs have an unusual ability to understand human social and communicative behaviors. They
understand the meaning of pointing gestures – in cases for finding food, etc.
comprehend what a human can and cannot see, depending on the situation
can understand gestures, such as looking in a specific direction or nodding at a desired object
can make social inferences; for example, when an owner tells his or her dog to fetch something using a novel word, the dog returns with a novel toy instead of a familiar one

FACT: With respect to gaze cues, dogs – like human infants but unlike chimpanzees – only use the human head and eye direction to locate hidden food if the person is gazing at one of two possible hiding locations; they ignore a human’s gaze if the person stares into space above the correct hiding location” (Hare and Tomasello, 2005).

Are the similarities between dogs and humans in terms of social interaction a case for convergent evolution?
Dogs evolved multiple times from Old World wolves, and their ability to read social behaviour likely is a remnant from social pack hunting.
Wolves, however, do not show the same social skills as do domestic dogs and are less capable of using human social behaviors.
Studies of foxes have shown that domesticated kits recognize human social cues much better than do wild foxes.

The ability of dogs to understand human social and communicative behaviors evolved during the process of domestication and represents a case for convergent evolution. The behaviour possibly is an incidental side-effect of selection in dogs for tame behaviour (Hare and Tomasello, 2005).
The Dog Genome
Sequencing the genome

Who sequenced it?
Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research/Broad Institute

Picking the correct subjectneed a reference genome that is most reliable (Nhuch and Turner 2004)
tested 60 breeds and 120 dogs (Marinelli 2003)
decided on boxers due to the low amount of genetic variation within their genome
decided on a female (Marinelli 2003) because it possesses an X chromosome, which makes the genome a better representative of its autosomes (Marinelli 2003)
these criteria led to picking Tasha

they used a 7.6x WGS (whole genome shotgun) strategy

WGS involves
breaking genomic DNA into 1-3 kilobase sequences
collecting these sequences
cloning each sequence into a vector
sequencing the inserted DNA with a primer from either end
repeating many times (B. Golding, McMaster University, personal communication )

7.6x means they did a seven-plus fold coverage of the genome when initially sequenced (Nhuch and Turner 2004)

they specifically use a series of contigs (cloned overlapping regions of a genome) from a variety of data bases such as NCBI, EMBL, DDBJ etc.(Nhuch and Turner 2004)
Results
2.4x109 base pairs, when Tasha’s DNA was assembled (Ellegren 2005)
Tasha gave an estimated 99% coverage of the dog genome (Ellegren 2005)

due to highly repetitive sequences being removed (Ellegren 2005)
39 pairs of chromosomes (Ellegren 2005)
mosaic patterning within chromosomes (Ellegren 2005)

shows areas of homologycan lead to a breed specific map of traits such as morphological, physiological, and behavioural traits (Ellegren 2005)
Importance of the Genome
can compare it to other breeds/species to find single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are useful in finding genetic variants (Ellegren 2005)

by comparing the boxer and a few other species of domestic dogs, 2.5 million SNPs have been found (Ellegren 2005)
works out to an average of 1 SNP/1000 base pairs (Ellegren 2005)
can give evolutionary insight

e.g., anaylsis of mitochondria DNA suggests a small amount (bottleneck) of wild ancestor DNA contributed to the domestic gene pool (Ellegren 2005) BUT…


nuclear DNA does not show this same characteristic. Nuclear DNA has a high level of variability suggesting that domestic dogs have back-crossed (mated with wild dogs) after they became domesticated. This would allow for new genes to enter the gene pool (Ellegren 2005).
can provide information on mammalian biology and disease (Ellegren 2005)

use a SNP map to identify genes responsible for disease and traits that are detrimental to life (Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005)
dog is a good model for humans


they share common diseases and, due to inbreeding specific types of dogs, have a higher rate of contracting those diseases with a genetic link; therefore, the gene associated with a disease might be easier to find (Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005)
can be analyzed statistically

dogs are related closely to humans and mice and, therefore, may serve as an outgroup. This is important in analyses, when searching for conserved elements (Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005).
assists in finding common ancestors between clades (Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005)

Man's Best Friend, Why?

Domesticated animals abound. Over the millennia humans have, for a variety of reasons, domesticated everything from cats and dogs to snakes and skunks. But none of them receive the attention, care, and love that dogs do. Why is this? What makes dogs man's best friend? Is it their ease of training, the attachment they make to their human companions, or do they just really like free food?

The answer seems to lie in the long relationship between the two species. Researchers estimate the history of humans and dogs coexisting as far back as 15000 years. In this time, dogs and humans have had a long time to get to know one another. Studies in which researchers looked at the abilities of wolves, chimpanzees, and domesticated dogs to recognize human communication skills found that domesticated dogs, even those as young as nine weeks old, were better able than were wolves or chimpanzees to understand cues from human subjects. The subjects, all raised by humans, each were given instructions by humans on the location of hidden food and, despite the fact that chimps are more closely related genetically to humans and wolves have bigger brains, dogs still came out on top. The study revealed that the co-evolution of dogs with humans must have selected for a set of cognitive abilities between the two that makes the bond between humans and dogs unique (Walton, 2002). This unique ability to communicate eases the relationship between dogs and humans and lends insight into why both dogs and humans feel a special connection to one another.

Throughout the process of domestication, dogs have been of utmost use to humans, as workers and companions. In the Stone Age, dogs helped in hunting, labour, providing warmth, and protecting from predation. Often, the remains of dogs are found with the remains of Stone Age humans, in and around caves and in burial grounds (Vergano, 2006). Aside from pets, dogs the world over still work in a symbiotic relationship with humans.

True stories of Man's Best Friend
Countless news stories chronicling the bond between dogs and humans have been published. In 2005, a baby in Kenya was abandoned by her mother in a forest and left to die. A stray dog, a new mother of her own litter of puppies, heard the cries from the human baby that no one else heard and took the dying human infant back to her own litter of puppies and cared for her as best she could, treating her like one of her own pups. When a local man heard a baby crying, he was led to find a human baby snuggling with puppies, watched over by their faithful mother. The baby was taken to a hospital and is now growing up a healthy baby girl, thanks to a stray mother dog (Reagan, 2005). This begs the question, ‘How deep is the tie between humans, and their best friends?’ Did the dog know instinctively to take care of a human baby, despite the fact that she was a stray who may have had little human contact? These are the types of questions that researchers are trying to answer.

One study found that having a dog as a companion lowered blood pressure in patients in high stress jobs. Other studies showed that having a dog as a pet was a great substitute for human companionship for those who lived alone (Biology.About.Com, 1999).

Dogs have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in hospitalized patients. Researchers showed that just a 12 minute visit with humans’ best friend reduced stress-inducing hormone emissions and lowered blood pressure and pulse rate in hospital patients (AHASS, 2005).
Dogs In Society

Many dogs are used in professional applications, working in symbiotic relationships with their human counterparts to do everything from fight crime to guiding the blind.

Guide dogs
Guide dogs, commonly called ‘seeing eye’ dogs are paired with visually impaired people to add to their abilities to move about safely. The term seeing eye dog comes from the first guide dog training school, opened in America in 1929. The first ever guide dogs were trained as part of a program run by the German government to aid veterans who were blind or visually impaired. The seeing eye dog school, and most other schools, use golden retrievers, labradors, and German shepherds, as they have the best temperament for the work (SeeingEye.org, 2006).
Police dogs, drug dogs and airport security

Police dogs, sometimes referred to as the ‘K9 units’ (a play on the word canine), are dogs specially trained to assist in police-related matters. This can include anything from drug location to suspect location and restraint. Most police dogs live with their human coworkers and enjoy the same protection and respect that human police officers do. Often K9’s are given bullet proof vests, and, in many places, laws have been passed making it illegal to try to hurt a police dog (Grabianowski, 2006).
Search and rescue dogs and fire dogs

Many dogs are employed on emergency search and rescue teams. These dogs are trained specially to search out and find people who may be trapped due to hurricanes, earthquakes, avalanches, or some other disaster. Their superior sense of smell and quickness on their feet enables them to do this much more quickly than can their human counterparts.
Sheep dogs, sled dogs and guard dogs

Dogs also serve many purposes in the everyday lives of some people. For many centuries, dogs have been used to herd sheep, pull sleds through the snow, and guard homes and properties.

Astronauts
Dogs even receive credit as the first living organism in outer space. Laika, a dog from Russia, was launched on the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2, on November 2nd, 1957. Since then, many other dogs have taken part in manned and non-manned missions to space to collect scientific data (Miffline, 2006).
Research

Dogs, as they are physiologically similar to humans, are also often used to help scientists understand certain human behaviors. The Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov, based his theory of classical conditioning on work with dogs. He rang a bell every time he was going to feed the dogs and noted that, in response to this, the dogs learnt that food was coming every time the bell rang. As the dogs’ reactions to eating were to salivate, the bell alone was able to induce salivation. This principle relates to humans in many instances. Advertisements jingles or songs for different types of foods may make you hungry or desire the product advertised subconsciously.

Quiz

• Slowly pulsating barks indicate an aggressive situation in canines. True or False?
• Canines, rather than other primates, are much more like human infants in their ability to recognize human social and communicative behaviour. True or False?
• What is the special name given to police dog units?
• The first organization to train dogs as guide dogs for the blind was called?
• How many years ago did domesticated dogs diverge from their wolf cousins?
• How many processes are involved in the rapid evolution of dogs?
• The majority of the 400 dog breeds known today were bred after what year?
• Which breeding process involves carefully selecting certain dogs for inherited traits like body type, coat characteristics, speed, herding, hunting, endurance, and size?
• Why did they pick Tasha as the representative for the dog genome?
• Which species of canidae is the closest living relative of canis familiaris, the domestic dog?

Dogs - Human’s Best Friend

The human and dog bond goes deep and wide! This week's article is written and contributed by avid Dogs Topic reader and contributor, Kathy Abellanida better known as Kat.

When humans pulled themselves out of the primordial ooze there was a cold wet nose waiting to nuzzle their face.... Ok, maybe not that long ago, but when humans were huddled around fires and civilization was far off in the future, one creature came out of the darkness and chose to befriend them: dogs.

Dogs started hovering at the edges of tribes, picking up scraps and deciding if we were worth their time, when humans were barely standing upright. They started following the tribes when the smell of food drew them. They would eat the little that was left behind or thrown out. Humans noticed the dogs would bark if other creatures or humans they were unfamiliar with came near. This was useful to the tribe and dogs were encouraged to stay. A relationship developed that exists to this day.

If left to their own devices and treated well, dogs will give unconditional love to their companions. They seek out contact and express joy in reciprocated attention. They are devastated when they are given the cold shoulder or feel we are angry with them. As pack animals they, more than any other creature thrive in a family environment. Dogs develop a loyalty to their family or 'pack'. They raise the alarm if they perceive a threat and even confront that threat if they feel the need. The exceptions to this are breeds where these traits have been suppressed for some reason, i.e. Chows who were bred to be loyal to one person.

No other animal has evolved itself to be companion to humans. There are many different 'pets' humans choose to keep, but these 'pets' would rather be on their own in the wild. Dogs are the only animals to seek humans out. The closest any animal comes to being such a close companion to humans are cats. Somehow though, cats give off the impression that humans have evolved to become somewhat useful for cats to have around.

While this is not necessarily an argument against having other animals as pets, I think it is clear dogs are more than pets and deserve a certain respect and consideration for the role they have in civilization. They should have certain rights bestowed upon them and there should be more severe consequences when they are abused. Should they have more rights than humans? I say no. I think even dogs would put us first if given the choice. But they have earned their right to come in a strong second.

*If anything in this editorial resembles other works it is totally unintentional and the sole result of the inherent truths spoken by so many about their dogs. -Kathy Abellanida.

Stealing: Is Your Dog a Thief?

What is a thief? In the human sense, is a dog capable of stealing? When something of yours is in jaws of a dog, you want it back! How to get it?

Actions you take when your dog runs off with something of yours can create grave behavior problems in the dog-or improve the dog's training and your relationship. For either result you'll put in the same amount of time. Knowing what to do lets you shape the outcome.

Why Do Dogs Carry Things Off?

A dog's reasons for carrying something are fairly simple, but not always obvious to humans. Dogs have no way of knowing the value things have for us. Money means nothing to a dog.

Wild dogs often need to carry food from where they find it to where they will eat it. They bury some to eat later. They carry food to pups and sometimes to other members of the pack. In some cases they eat the food, travel to the pups, and regurgitate the food for the pups to eat. Domesticated dogs--at least some of them--have the ability to regurgitate voluntarily in order to transfer food in this way.

Some domesticated dogs bury bones, toys or other items, and some hide the objects in other ways. A dog worried about having a steady food supply may hide food. Sometimes a dog who does it at first in a home will stop after settling in. A dog with pups may do it when she's never done it before.

Whenever you see a dog hiding food, keep in mind that the dog may be feeling insecure or may feel a need to think about providing for the future. To rebuke the dog would likely make the dog feel even more insecure.

Dogs use objects to soothe their mouths by chewing. The jaws apparently are uncomfortable, possibly painful, in the process of setting new teeth. We should be glad that puppy chewing reduces the needle-sharpness of their first teeth! The permanent teeth need to be set in the jaws by chewing, and if this starts the dog on a lifelong habit of chewing appropriate objects, better dental health for life can be the welcome benefit. For you that means a dog with better-smelling breath, sounder teeth, and less frequent need for anesthetized dental cleaning.

Remember that dogs need to chew. When your dog has something inappropriate as a chew item, make a quick switch that ends in your dog chewing something appropriate and getting praised for it. Realize you'll likely have to do this many times and supervise until your young dog forms good chewing habits. Punishment will not help solve this problem, and will result in problems much more serious than chewed possessions.

Besides lifelong dental health, a dog with good chewing habits can use a chew toy to relax. This ability helps dogs control their own emotions in some rather remarkable ways. Instead of bugging you when you're sleeping or reading, your dog may pick up a toy and chew it until the dog falls asleep.

To help develop this ability, be sure to place one or more favorite chew toys in the crate with a young pup. With nothing else to do, the stage is set for the pup to discover that chewing helps bring sleep, and at the same time makes the jaws feel better.

Some people recommend providing only one toy so the dog will focus on that one object for chewing. Others suggest that you rotate toys, making old toys new again when they come back out of storage. Whatever you do, try to provide your dog with a variety of textures in toys to chew, especially textures similar to the human possessions that have interested the dog.

Dogs often "steal" something they notice interests you because they want to play. They'll do this with other dogs, too. Chasing your dog is not a good idea, because dogs who learn to run from humans have played this game in traffic.

Cornering the dog and angrily forcing the object out of the dog's mouth triggers fight-or-flight survival instincts-but gives the dog no flight option. People get bitten this way and damage their dogs' temperaments in the process. The dog has a new reason for running off with the object and for defensive behavior: fear of you.

The dog's playful mood in initiating this game is a perfect training opportunity if you know what to do, and we'll discuss that in a minute. Meanwhile, realize that it's vital not to turn this into a confrontation. Good work with your dog will make these situations easy to handle. In the meantime, trade the dog for something better, and act happy about the deal.

Dogs do sometimes "want" things. Some dogs have favorite toys. Sometimes this behavior may be related to maternal instinct. A heritage from the wild is food guarding, which will be made worse if you force the issue. The trick to handling food guarding is to convince the dog there's no NEED to guard food. Instead of taking food away, you keep approaching the dog as you bring small amounts of food. Meanwhile, though, feed the dog in a private place.

What Not to Do When Your Dog "Steals"

Things that don't work and that cause complications when handling the dog who has your stuff include:

1. Chasing the dog. Running away from people is life-threatening for a dog. Pattern your dog to always come toward you, unless it's a retrieve that involves going out and then coming back.

2. Yelling or punishing the dog for damage. The dog won't learn anything from this except fear. When people return home to find a dog left loose in the house has damaged things, and then freak out at the dog, they may soon find their dog has developed separation anxiety. The damage done before will pale by comparison with damage from a dog suffering separation anxiety.

3. Punishing the dog when you get the object back or when the dog comes to you. Teach your dog to bring things to you and to come to you when called. This learning does not occur when the dog experiences you being nasty when the dog comes to you or you take something from the dog's mouth. Anytime you remove something from your dog's mouth, make the dog happy about giving it to you. Give the dog something nice in return such as praise, games and treats-leave the dog happy about the transaction! The same is true whenever the dog comes to you. A dog who comes to you should be "home free," no matter WHAT the dog has done just prior to coming. Dogs are not going to come to people who penalize them for coming!

4. Corner and punish a dog. Just as you don't want to pattern a dog to run from you, it's dangerous to pattern a dog that being caught by a person can mean being in big trouble. You need to be a "safe place" for your dog, someone your dog can always trust. This will happen only if you behave in a trustworthy way. Lying to a dog doesn't work, because the dog only believes what you do, not what you say.

How to Use "Stealing" as a Training Bonanza

The brain-dog as well as human-is most receptive to learning when in a playful mood. When your dog grabs an object and prances away, enticing you with body language to come and play, you've just been handed a solid gold opportunity to teach your dog one of the most important advanced behaviors: the retrieve.

What's your first move? Instead of getting mad, join the game! Instead of chasing the dog, run from the dog. Make it the dog's challenge to chase you and persuade you to take the object. Have something handy to give the dog in exchange or to throw for the dog to pick up, carry, and hopefully bring to you. Get happy! Have fun! This is part of the great joy of having a dog. Don't miss it!

All of this fun gives you the opportunity to develop a language of retrieving with your dog. As you play together, associate words with the dog's actions of "pick it up," "get it," "go get it," "hold it," "bring it," "put it in my hand," etc.

Retrieving is the best game to play with a dog. It builds cooperation, brings the dog to you, enhances communication between you and the dog, conditions the dog to give things to you, and provides the dog with exercise.

It's Your Choice

It's no exaggeration to say that people have ruined the temperaments of their dogs by responding harshly when dogs "steal." Don't make this mistake. Recognize the golden opportunity presented to you when your clever dog picks up an object and runs around with it. The dog is ready to learn. Be ready to teach! In the process, you'll learn, too, and you and your dog will both be the winners.