Problem solved: unwanted dog

Question

I want to get rid of the family dog now that my kids are moving out, but my wife disagrees

Having had a dog as a boy, I felt it would be good for my kids to experience the joys and responsibilities too. Unfortunately, we left it until they were teenagers and they are now at various stages of moving out. I want to retire while I'm fit enough to travel and enjoy it. But having a dog restricts us in so many ways, and this particular dog shows no sign of needing less play and walks. He demands attention if either of us is around, when I just want to read or do jobs round the house. His bark is harsh, so leaving him to bark is not an option. Dog hairs and mud everywhere put me off improving the house as much as I'd like. Even our plans to move somewhere smaller seem pointless to me when I think of claw marks on polished wood floors etc. I worry that I get irritated and angry from being at the beck and call of what in many ways I know to be an intelligent and lovely animal.

unwanted dog

I have raised my feelings with my wife who finds the dog's ways and habits less irksome than I do, and sees him almost as one of the children. She would feel terrible if we were to move the dog on, but says she could cope if we found him a genuinely loving home.

Natural Remedies to Relieve Dog Constipation

Like humans, our dog companions can and do, get constipated at times. Constipation in dogs can have a number of causes. It can also be treated by several different natural remedies. Please note that I am not a veterinarian and it is always best to check with your pet's veterinarian before using any type of natural remedy on your canine to ensure it's appropriateness and safety.

You can tell if your dog is constipated if he or she exhibits any of these symptoms: your dog produces small, hard, and/or dry fecal matter, experiences abdominal pain, strains when having a bowel movement with no results, experiences a loss of appetite, and there are long time stretches between bowel movements. More specifically, if your furry friend has not defecated in two days, he or she is most likely constipated, according to Organic Pet Digest.

According to Dog Pro, constipation in canines is typically caused by something your pet is or is not eating. However, constipation can have several other causes as well. It may also be caused by a lack of fiber in your pet's diet, not getting enough exercise, not having enough fresh water to drink, ingesting foreign objects, which cannot pass through the intestines, an underlying medical condition, and worm infestation in your pet's body.

There are several natural remedies for canine constipation you may try at home. However, please check with your vet before you give your dog any type of natural remedy to ensure its safety and appropriateness for your dog's situation. Furthermore, if you do not see improvement when using these natural remedies for dog constipation, please take your dog to a veterinarian who can check for ingested foreign objects, worms, and underlying medical conditions.

Dog Daily Water Requirement

Formula

dogs requirement of water (ml/day) = (70 (body weight in kg)0.75) x 1.6

As a general guideline, the daily water requirement of dogs and cats, expressed in ml/day, is roughly equivalent to the daily energy requirement (DER) in kcal/day (for dogs 1.6 x resting energy requirement [RER], for cats 1.2 x RER).

Example

What is the daily water requirement of a 24 pound cocker spaniel?

24 pounds converted to kilograms (24 divided by 2.2) is 10.91 kg

(70(10.91)0.75) x 1.6

70(6) x 1.6

420 x 1.6 = 672 ml

OR

672 ml = (672 / 236.6) 2.84 cups or 2 cups & (0.84 x 8) 6.72 ounces

constipation in dogs

constipation in dogs

While the majority of dog owners have more experience with doggy diarrhea than constipation, pups do on occasion become constipated.

Sometimes the problem is no more complicated than a lack of fiber in the diet or inadequate water consumption, but there can be more serious causes as well.

The following is good advice from alldog360:

“Please keep in mind that you should always consult your vet before making any changes to your dog's diet or administering medications (and also to be certain that he isn't exhibiting symptoms of a more serious illness or disorder).”

Note: My recommendations for constipation remedies can be found toward the end of the following comment, and differ from those listed in the Dogtime.com article.

Dr. Becker's Comments:

Your dog is constipated when he either has difficulty pooping (and feces produced are dry and hard) or isn’t pooping at all.

If solid waste stays in your dog’s colon too long, all the moisture in it will be absorbed and stools will become dry, hard, and difficult to pass.

DOG'S MICROCHIPPING

Whilst every dog owner is legally obliged to ensure that their dog is wearing a collar and identification disc, thousands of owners have now taken positive steps to ensure their much-loved companion can also be identified through microchip technology.

Introduced in 1989, microchipping is now recognised as the most effective and secure way of permanently identifying a pet. A unique identification number is registered to the animal and the owner's details are placed on a national database.

Micro-chipping remains one of the most influential ways in which dogs are returned to owners, accounting for a reported 32% of reunions by Local Authorities.

Get your dog microchipped and have the assurance that should he become lost (or be stolen), he is more likely to be returned to you safe and sound.

What is a microchip?

Microchipping Your Dog or Cat Question

Up to 8 million animals end up in shelters every year. Unfortunately, only 15-20% of dogs and less than 2% of cats are ever reclaimed by their owners. One of the ways to increase the chances of finding your lost pet is having it microchipped. We asked Louise Murray, DVM, director of medicine for the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City to explain microchipping.

Q: What is microchipping, and can it be done to any animal?

A: A needle is used to place a little chip under the animal’s skin, usually between the shoulder blades. That chip has a unique number on it that can be picked up and read by a scanner.

It can be done to lots of different animals, including horses, dogs, cats, ferrets, and most other mammals.

Q: How long does it take, and does it have to be done by a veterinarian?

Pet Shipping Information

Sheila Burnford's 1961 book "The Incredible Journey" tells of two dogs and a cat making their way across Canada in search of their dearly beloved owners. The owners had left the animals with a family friend during a trip, and when the animals are mistakenly abandoned by a caretaker, they set out to find their family. The arduous and challenging trip could have taken the animals' lives at any time, and indeed, when the animals can't be found, their masters assume the worst. However, it's unlikely this book would have found such acclaim and spawned two movies if it featured that kind of dour ending, so there's a heartwarming scene in which pets and owners reunite.

While we love to watch the ingenuity of animals on the silver screen, we certainly don't want our own Fido or Princess Whiskers deciding to make incredible journeys of their own. So when a person is moving, or even just taking a short-term vacation, he or she might choose to ship the family pets. Pets might also be shipped if they're ordered from a breeder across the country, or if they're heading off to show their merits at a dog or cat show. Some animals headed for zoos also travel this way.

But does the word "shipping" bring to mind dinged packages, broken Netflix discs and lost letters? Surely it's not safe for an animal to be shipped from place to place like cargo, you're thinking. Well, have no fear. There are many rules in­ place to ensure that shipped pets reach their destination in one piece; in fact, the rules can be so complex and detailed for different destinations that it's unlikely that humans would travel at all if they had to meet as many requirements.

Crate Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog

Most dog trainers, veterinarians and other pet professionals agree that crate training is, hands-down, the most effective way to housebreak Fido if you're teaching him to relieve himself outside. It is can also be a helpful part of an indoor potty training program for dogs who will be papertrained or litter box trained.

Crate training is a method of teaching Fido hold his bladder and bowels by confining him in a cage or airline kennel, also known as a crate, when he is unsupervised. This allows you to prevent him from having accidents by taking advantage of his natural instinct to avoid soiling where he sleeps.

Crate training is a good choice for just about any dog owner. The only people who shouldn't choose this method are those that have very young puppies and are away from home all day or those that have unusually long work hours and can't come home during the day to let the dog potty on a reasonable schedule. Occasionally, certain dogs will panic in the crate, even after the proper steps are taken to acclimate the dog to the crate (this is very rare). These dogs, obviously, are also not good candidates for crate training and should be trained using another method like umbilical cord training or dog door training, if possible.

DOG FIDO - THOU SHALT SUPERVISE FIDO'S FREE TIME IN THE HOUSE

If Fido is not housebroken, he should not have unsupervised time in your house. It takes only seconds for him to have an accident, so, in the early stages of your housebreaking program, he must be directly supervised the entire time he is in the house.

Direct supervision guarantees that if Fido is about to make a mistake, you're able to catch him, correct him, and guide him into doing the right thing. If he attempts to have an accident in the house, don't panic... as long as you catch him, it's a learning opportunity. You can teach him at that moment that going potty in the house doesn't feel as good as going outside.

It's always discouraging when Fido has an accident in the house, but there's a big difference between the accidents you catch and the accidents you don't. If Fido has an accident and there's nobody there to let him know it's wrong, it actually works out pretty well for him... he's uncomfortable because his bowels or bladder feel full and he gets relief when he lets loose on your nice, expensive rug. If he gets the same relief from pottying inside as he does from pottying outside, why should he wait? The accidents you don't catch Fido having prevent him from becoming housebroken, so the immediate goal of your housebreaking program is to catch and correct all of Fido's attempts to go potty in the house... starting NOW.

Umbilical Cord Housebreaking Method

Umbilical Cord Training is a housebreaking method that's pretty much what it sounds like... your dog is attached to you with a cord (his leash) throughout the day. It is a supervision-based program that requires vigilance but yields excellent results with just about every dog or puppy. This method works well in conjunction with other methods, such as crate training or indoor potty training. It is also an excellent alternative for those who spend a lot of time at home and prefer not to use a confinement method like crate training.

This method is an excellent choice for preventing accidents, since your dog never has the opportunity to wander off to have an accident in the house. You'll also be right there to correct him if he tries to have an accident, which is a great opportunity to teach him where you don't want him to go and to get him promptly to the right spot to finish up.

Most people prefer to use a 6 foot leash for umbilical cord training. This gives Fido a bit of room to move around, but he can't get so far away from you that you lose track of what he's doing. You will have Fido on his leash with you at all times when you're in the house with him. You can hold it, put the loop around your wrist, sit on the end of it or tie it to your beltloop. You can also tether Fido to a nearby object, like the leg of your chair or coffee table or a door handle. Make sure that whatever you tie him to is not likely to follow him when he pulls. If you choose to do this, be sure you don't walk away from him, leaving him unsupervised. Remember, the whole point of umbilical cord training is to have Fido right there with you at all times.