A shy backyard dog is learning a new life
By Kim Campbell Thornton
Andrews McMeel Syndication
After Brent and Katherine Williams bought the house next door to them to have as an occasional guesthouse, they discovered that the seller, who was moving out of state, planned to take his 11-year-old backyard dog, Chance, to the shelter.
“We’ll take him, too,” said the Williamses, who live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Now Chance, renamed Champ, lives in their backyard, not because they don’t want him in the house -- although their three indoor cats might have an opinion about that -- but because the unsocialized dog doesn’t know what that means. He’s leery of people and keeps his distance, but they’ve been working for some months to help him feel more comfortable in their presence.
Brent, an avid gardener until his death from cancer last month, would talk to Champ while he was working outdoors. Sometimes he sat outside with the dog, the two of them just being quiet together. Katherine, too, talks to Champ when she’s outdoors, and he’ll follow her at a distance. Visiting friends and relatives help to feed him or leave treats out for him so he learns that people bring good things.
Dog trainers say they’re on the right track. Licensed psychologist and certified dog behavior consultant Rise VanFleet (risevanfleet.com), who specializes in working with dogs experiencing extreme fear, likes to use a Suzanne Clothier technique called Treat-Retreat, which involves tossing chicken beyond the dog’s comfortable distance from people -- away from people, not closer. Luring the dog closer with food often backfires, Clothier says.
“The dog needs to feel safe enough to approach on their own,” she says. “Hanging out at a distance is great and could be paired with Treat-Retreat.”
Leaving goodies out for the dog to find on their own can build confidence in the environment, she adds.
Trainer Maryanne Dell, with Shamrock Rescue Foundation (shamrockrescue.org) in Orange County, California, advises dropping good treats on the ground and letting the dog find them at their own pace.
“No staring, no trying to touch,” she says.
Reading to the dog is another way to help them become accustomed to human presence. Laura Anne Gilman of Seattle says: “One of the things we do with shelter dogs who aren’t well socialized yet is read to them without looking at them. It gets them used to the idea that having people nearby isn’t scary and can even be comforting.”
What you read doesn’t matter. It can be poetry, fiction, magazine articles, children’s books or your most recent emails. What’s important is that the dog becomes accustomed to the sound of your voice.
“Some dogs will creep closer and eventually ask to be touched; some don’t,” Gilman says. “But they almost all become more relaxed.”
VanFleet says singing softly from a distance can also help. “I learned this from a wildlife photographer and have often used it, even with the bears I help study in Alaska. It’s a sound that most animals do not associate with human danger, and I’ve sung softly to semi-feral dogs.”
You might not be caring for an outdoor dog yourself, but you can still help them live more comfortable lives through donations to shelters.
“We appreciate donations of gently used outdoor dog enclosures such as Dogloos,” says Dee Dee Drake, executive director of Calaveras Humane Society (calaverashumane.org) in California. “We’re then happy to provide them for free to anyone who asks. We also send extras over to our local animal care and control agency, so that their humane law enforcement officers can give them to pet owners who need them if they’re out on a call where a dog doesn’t have appropriate shelter.”
Champ now has a nice bed, better food and a heater that he likes to sleep beneath. When people come out and put something on the ground, whether it’s a meal or a treat, he investigates readily. Today, he approached Katherine on his own and welcomed petting. His future looks bright.
Q&A
Why does rabbit
have itchy ears?
Q: My rabbit is tilting his head and scratching at his ears a lot. When I look inside them, they are scabby and crusty. What’s going on?
A: It might be mites. Like cats and dogs, rabbits can get ear mites.
These tiny parasites love setting up housekeeping in the warm, dark, humid environment of a rabbit’s ears. The next thing you know, they’re digging into the skin and starting to feed and reproduce. Their presence could be what’s causing your bunny’s itchy ears. If they become numerous enough, your rabbit’s scratching can result in red, raw or bloody areas around the outside of the ears, and crusting and scaling inside the ear flap.
Take your rabbit to the veterinarian for an ear exam and diagnosis. They can get a better look inside the ear using an otoscope, a lighted instrument that allows the veterinarian to detect ear problems such as infections, objects lodged inside the ear and mites.
Treatment right away is important, because if mites are left to themselves, they can cause secondary bacterial infections of the skin -- more itching, plus hair loss or sores -- or invade the middle or inner ear, causing neurological signs that affect balance and gait.
If you have more than one rabbit, treatment is also important because mites are transmissible between bunnies. They are spread by direct skin contact or contact with bedding or other objects. Even if another rabbit doesn’t have signs, they should be treated as well. The good news is that ear mites don’t affect humans.
Your veterinarian can prescribe medication to kill the mites and relieve the itch. You’ll also need to thoroughly clean your rabbit’s hutch, bedding, toys and other objects because ear mites can survive for up to three weeks outside their cozy ear canal. -- Dr. Marty Becker
Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.
THE BUZZ
Happy cat,
healthy cat
-- Does your cat hate to go to the vet? She may be uncomfortable with riding in a carrier. Teaching cats to willingly enter their carrier helps to lower travel stress, improving the veterinary visit once the cat arrives. Cats who are carrier-trained prior to a veterinary visit typically have lower stress scores during the exam and are less likely to pant (a sign of stress) or attempt to hide or escape. Their more relaxed attitude allows the veterinary exam to be carried out more efficiently. Carrier-training is just one of the ways to help make a cat’s life happier. For more feline happiness tips, see Mikkel Becker’s interview with Zazie Todd, Ph.D., author of “Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy” (fearfreehappyhomes.com/what-cats-want-and-need-the-science-behind-their-happiness).
-- Pets get into pills, poisons, pot and more, keeping veterinary emergency hospitals and toxicologists busy. According to Minneapolis-based Pet Poison Helpline, dog-related incidents account for 88% of their calls; cats for 11%; and other species for the remaining 1%. The Top 10 poisons for all species in 2023 were chocolate, grapes/raisins, ibuprofen, xylitol, neurotoxic rodenticide (bromethalin), marijuana, members of the Allium family (onions, chives, leeks, shallots), anticoagulant rodenticides, vitamin D3 supplements and carprofen, a dog pain medication that is safe at therapeutic dosing levels. “Both marijuana and carprofen made their first appearances on our canine Top 10 list in 2022, and they appear again on our 2023 list,” said Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist for PPH. For cats, lilies topped the toxin list, followed by chocolate, Allium species, garlic, ibuprofen, vitamin D3, more lilies (Alstroemeria species), ADHD medication, tulips and daylilies (Hemerocallis species).
-- Ward off itchy, flaky pet skin by using a humidifier in your home and drying pets thoroughly when they come in from playing in the snow. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Bluesky at kimthornton.bsky.social. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.