Teaching a new pup not to jump up is easy and smart

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

If you have a new puppy, you are probably enjoying the enthusiastic kisses that come when your canine friend jumps up on you in greeting. Few things are as endearing as a puppy welcome when you come home from a long day at work. It’s like getting a hug from someone you love -- which, of course, you are.

But what’s endearing in a puppy can become annoying or even dangerous when the pup has doubled or tripled in size. In some breeds, that growth can occur in a period of weeks. A dog who hasn’t learned not to jump up on people can easily knock over an unsteady toddler or senior citizen, or make a mess of the expensive new outfit you just bought.

Dogs who jump up on people are seeking attention, but not in a good way. Well, it’s not good for us when they snag our clothes or scratch our skin. But for dogs, jumping up for attention almost always works. Often, we respond with a laugh because it seems like cute behavior. It’s all too easy to encourage jumping up from small puppies or dogs by scooping them up for love and kisses. Even if we scold, our dog has achieved her objective: attention from her favorite person.

Instead of having to “unteach” this rambunctious behavior when your puppy is older and larger, begin on Day 1 by substituting a more acceptable greeting behavior. Show your puppy that sitting gets attention and rewards, while jumping up doesn’t.

Teaching “sit” is easy. Grab a handful of small, stinky treats. Hold one in front of your pup’s nose, and slowly move your hand upward. His nose will follow, and his rear will naturally move into a sit position. Say “yes,” so he knows you like what he did, and give a treat or praise ("Good sit!"). Practice this for a couple of minutes several times a day, and gradually add the word “sit” so he has a name for the action.

Once your puppy knows the cue “sit,” use it any time he is likely to jump up, such as greeting you when you come home, greeting other people at the door or watching you prepare his food (or yours). Ask him to sit while you put on his leash for a walk or at the corner before you cross the street. Sit is a good cue to practice anywhere -- in different rooms of your home, at the veterinary clinic, at an outdoor table at your local coffee shop or any time a person is approaching.

As you teach your puppy to sit for attention, turn your back on any attempts to jump up. Literally. Don’t yell “no” -- don’t say anything -- and don’t look at him. Removing your attention, including verbal communication and eye contact, sends the message that there’s no reward for jumping up. Give attention, praise and rewards only when he has all four paws on the ground.

Teach friends and family members to use this technique as well. Everyone should know how to respond so that they don’t inadvertently reinforce unwanted behavior. If strangers seem willing to let your dog jump on them, explain that you’re training him, and you’d appreciate their help. When you can get everyone to cooperate, your dog will learn quickly to offer a sit for attention.

All puppies need to learn self-control, and teaching them to sit instead of jumping up helps provide this training. Even better, everyone who meets your dog will be impressed by a puppy who greets them in a polite sit.

Q&A

Can healthy cat

eat medical diet?

Q: I've had two senior cats who eat a dry renal diet prescribed by their veterinarian. I'm a flight attendant, so the food is available for them all the time, plus I have a big water fountain. Recently, one of them died, and I'd like to get the other a younger companion. But how would I separate the food? Is it bad for the younger cat to have a renal diet, supplemented with regular wet food when I am home? -- via email

A: I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. It’s never easy to say goodbye.

Regarding your question, your veterinarian is the best person to advise you about whether your proposed feeding plan will be all right for a new cat.

You could also ask about a new product I saw recently at the VMX veterinary conference in Orlando. The PortionPro RX, available only from veterinarians, ensures that each pet in a household receives only his designated amount and type of food. Eric Schreiber at Vet Innovations says the product controls portions and access using RFID technology to pair a pet with the feeder and allow access to the food while denying access to other pets. “If they approach, the door to the feeder will close, preventing them from stealing that food,” he says. “We have a small tag that’s worn by the pets that puts out a signal, and the signal is read by the feeder as either being allowed to eat from this feeder or denied.”

I’d also like to suggest that your cat may be at an age where she prefers to live a single life. My colleague Tony Buffington, DVM, says the behavior of survivor cats often changes with the loss of a roommate, and some do not do well with newly introduced cats. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Dog brain games may

prevent brain drain

-- Like humans, dogs begin to lose cognitive function with age. Playing games that stimulate their brains may help to prevent the decline, say researchers at Vienna’s Clever Dog Lab. They taught 100 border collies and 115 dogs of other breeds to use a touch screen that dispensed food, associate a particular image on the screen with a treat, receive a treat by touching their nose to a yellow dot that moved to different positions on the screen and, finally, to choose between two images that appeared on the screen. If they chose the correct one, they received a treat. It’s unknown yet if the dogs experienced neurological improvements, but owners reported that their dogs enthusiastically anticipated the weekly visits to the lab. Future studies will examine the effects of the game on the dogs’ physiological, behavioral and cognitive well-being as well as the human-animal bond.

-- The University of Illinois is using a $500,000 grant to expand the services of its shelter medicine program. The three-year grant from the Sally Lorraine Sedlak Vaughan Irrevocable Charitable Trust will help pet-owning families in need to provide their animals with vaccinations, dental care, heartworm screenings and wellness exams. Veterinary students provide the care, under supervision.

-- The Netflix series “The Crown” has brought about a resurgence in corgi popularity, reports Dianne Apen-Sadler in Britain’s Daily Mail. The long, low-slung dogs are actually two separate breeds: Pembroke (no tail) and Cardigan (long tail). Both breeds were developed in Wales, but besides the tails, they have some other differences. The Pembroke has a more foxlike face and smaller, more pointed ears, while the Cardigan is slightly larger. Both have a thick double coat that sheds heavily in spring and fall, and both are active, agile and fast, with good watchdog skills, barking a warning at anything unusual. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Caring for pets can be tricky when you’re laid up from an injury, illness or surgery

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

When Rosemary George had a hip replacement five years ago, she sent her three collies and 15-year-old terrier-mix to stay with various people, expecting to have them back home within a few weeks of surgery. Instead, a serious postsurgical infection kept her hospitalized for weeks, culminating in five additional surgeries. She was finally able to go home, although she was still sick and weak, unable to drive for months.

Sherman, her terrier-mix, boarded with a pet sitter for three months while she recuperated. A friend was finally able to bring him home to her, but the prolonged stay was the beginning of a downward spiral for the geriatric dog. Her collie Bridget was away from home for six months, Shayna for nine months and Mick for nearly a year.

George’s experience is an extreme example of what can go wrong when pet owners get a bad case of the flu, break a bone or develop complications after surgery. Without a plan and friends who can pitch in, it’s all too easy for pet lovers to be stymied in caring for their animals.

“I could never have managed to get through this horrible time, which is known to family and friends as 'the hip replacement from hell,' without the help of so many, many kind and generous dog friends,” George says. “And you know what? As horrible as the experience was, the worst part was being separated from my dogs for so long. I'll never get that time back.”

It’s easier with cats, but their care in a postsurgical situation still requires planning and preparation. Barbara Cole Miller, who recently underwent knee-replacement surgery, left her cat Piper at home with plenty of food and water during the day and night she was hospitalized. She knew from past experience that Piper didn’t do well being boarded. The amount of food and water she left out ensured that she didn’t have to worry about getting around to feed Piper for more than a week.

“My primary concern when I came home was scooping the litter box,” she says. Knee replacement patients are warned to reach only between knees and shoulders. Miller was able to scoop Piper’s box almost immediately but was still concerned about the possibility of falling. Visiting friends helped as well.

Young and highly active dogs pose a different problem for injured or ill people who aren’t able or willing to have their dogs stay somewhere else. Tracy Weber, a yoga teacher in Seattle, broke her collarbone recently, which has put her in a sling for a couple of months. Because of the high risk of falling, it will be another three months before she can take her 18-month-old German shepherd, Ana, for walks. The experience is taking a toll on both of them.

A friend comes over and plays with Ana, but Weber is reluctant to hire a dog walker because Ana is skilled at slipping out of her harness and doesn’t always come when called.

“I’ve been doing some clicker training with her to train her to do new things and make her focus more,” Weber says. “My husband is taking her for a half-hour walk every night. I’m using treat toys so she has to play to get her treats out. I’m also using lots of chews, but it’s not easy.”

After a horse in a hurry for breakfast knocked down Gina Spadafori, causing her to fall and break her wrist, she called on a cast of friends and neighbors to help care for her four dogs, two horses, four goats and a dozen chickens; hired someone to clean the house; and had her dogs do tricks, play with puzzle toys and practice indoor heeling and long downs to keep their minds engaged.

“The key is not being ashamed or reluctant to ask for help, because you’re probably going to need it,” she says.

Q&A

What’s causing

marking behavior?

Q: Last year I adopted a 9-year-old chocolate Lab who was badly neglected and has permanent limited mobility. He joined my pack of two female Jack Russell terriers and my 13-year-old catahoula hound. Both males are neutered. After about two months, both males started marking the furniture. Now I think it may be only my old dog marking.

When I find urine, I’ve done everything from yelling to speaking calmly to not saying anything when cleaning the area. I have used every kind of cleaner I can find, have given my hound extra attention to make him feel loved and put diapers on him. Do you have any other recommendations? -- via email

A: It may seem as if the behavior is related to the new dog, but there’s a good chance it may not be. Our No. 1 piece of advice is to take the dogs to your veterinarian to rule out health problems that may be causing the behavior.

Often, dogs appear healthy, but if they don’t feel good, breaking housetraining or marking objects may be the only way they have to get their message across. Also, both of your males are seniors; problems with arthritis, cognitive dysfunction, kidney disease or other health issues could be contributing to their behavior.

If your dogs get a clean bill of health, the first thing to do is to make sure you know which dog is marking. Consider setting up an inexpensive video camera in the area where marking occurs to identify who’s doing what and when.

“Try to create opportunities for them to not soil in the house,” says Kathryn Primm, DVM, who often sees behavior issues in her practice. That may mean taking them out more often, rewarding them at the moment you see them potty outdoors and restarting the housetraining process as if they were puppies. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Students develop

slick pet product

-- Students at Cornell University came up with an innovative solution to a common pet owner problem -- dingleberries, small clumps of feces that hang onto fur after a pet poops. HygenaPet, a spray made with beeswax and carnauba wax, causes poop to slide off the fur instead of sticking. The product, priced at $10 by team members, took top prize at the 2018 Cornell Animal Health Hackathon, beating out 23 other teams with its low-tech but eminently useful product. “We’re avoiding the spread of germs that can be embedded in the fur, and owners can reclaim their clean homes,” says team member Adam Itzkowitz, an engineering major.

-- Following Delta’s lead and after an incident in which a person tried to bring aboard an emotional support peacock, United Airlines has tightened requirements for emotional support animals on flights. Beginning March 1, customers traveling with emotional support animals must notify the airline 48 hours in advance of the animal’s presence, provide a letter from a licensed medical or mental health professional stating the animal’s necessity and fill out a veterinary health form documenting the animal’s health, vaccination record and behavior training. Animals must stay in the floor space below the owner’s seat and not sprawl into the aisle and must behave politely and respond to direction from the owner.

-- Robodog Diesel is training Marines how to care for working dogs wounded in the line of duty. The canine simulator can mimic such injuries as broken bones, bleeding and burns, as well as changes in vital signs, reports Will Morris in Stars and Stripes. The realistic canine model even barks and whimpers. The Marine Corps hopes to have the robotic dog more widely available in the spring.

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

How to take the fear -- yours and your pet’s -- out of pet dentistry

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

My parents have a 12-year-old toy poodle named Spike whom they love dearly. Spike is as cute as he can be, but boy, does he have bad breath. My dad won’t get his teeth cleaned, though, because that means putting him under anesthesia, and he’s afraid Spike will die.

That’s a common fear. Many places try to counter it by offering non-anesthetic dental cleanings. In other words, they scrape the visible plaque and tartar off the teeth. And it’s not like the recent dental cleaning I had, which involved lying back in a comfy chair and watching Anthony Bourdain eat his way through Sicily. Pets must be restrained during the process, which can be distressing for them, or even cause injury if they squirm at the wrong moment and are accidentally jabbed with a sharp scaling device.

Pet dentals are done under anesthesia for many reasons. The aforementioned squirming, for one. Anesthesia ensures that pets remain still and don’t experience fear, pain or discomfort during the procedure. Besides reduced pain and stress for pets, anesthesia allows the veterinarian to better perform a complete examination of the mouth, clean tooth surfaces thoroughly, get beneath the gumline where bacteria hide, and take X-rays of teeth to ensure no damage or infection is lurking.

By the numbers, anesthesia is a low-risk procedure. The risk of death associated with general anesthesia in both healthy and sick dogs and cats is approximately 1 in 500, says Bruno H. Pypendop, DVM, a professor and veterinary anesthesiology specialist at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In the case of healthy animals, the risk drops to 1 in 2,000.

“Many factors have improved anesthesia safety over the years,” Dr. Pypendop says. “These likely include drugs with more consistent and predictable effects, better knowledge of the effects of drugs on vital function, better ability to monitor and therefore prevent or treat abnormalities and better pre-anesthetic screening.”

Your pet won’t have the option to watch Animal Planet while he’s worked on, but pre-anesthetic blood work ensures that he doesn’t have any underlying health conditions that could be affected by anesthesia. Monitoring of blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, body temperature and other vital signs during the procedure helps all pets stay safe and comfortable.

“More advanced equipment for monitoring pets during anesthesia allows for thorough assessment of the pet’s status during the procedure,” says Cheryl Blaze, assistant professor of anesthesia at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. “There has also been increased emphasis on continuing education training for technicians to increase their skills.”

Sedation beforehand, in the form of drugs such as trazodone or gabapentin, help him relax before the procedure, and a local nerve block minimizes pain if extractions are necessary. Long-acting medications provide pain relief after the procedure.

Why the assortment of drugs? Pain travels the body through multiple pathways and involves different neurotransmitters and receptors. Using a combination of medications, known as multimodal pain management, ensures that as many routes of pain to the brain as possible are blocked.

If your pet is a senior or has health problems, your veterinarian may consult a specialist in anesthesiology about the best ways to minimize risk and manage pain.

“Even older animals can be safely anesthetized when a thorough pre-anesthetic evaluation and dedicated monitoring during anesthesia are consistently done,” Dr. Blaze says.

Ask to see a practice’s anesthetic safety record. There is always some risk when a pet (or person) goes under anesthesia, but advanced anesthesia drugs and techniques used help to ensure that all goes well.

Q&A

Does aspirin help

pets with pain?

Q: Is it OK to give my pet aspirin if he’s feeling sore or stiff?

A: I don’t recommend it. In an acute pain situation, a veterinarian may prescribe aspirin for a dog, or you may know someone whose dog or cat is taking aspirin, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good idea for your pet.

For an explanation of aspirin’s risks, as well as when it might be used, I turned to Tina Wismer, DVM, a veterinary toxicology specialist and medical director at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

She says aspirin can be problematic in pets who are on medications that could interact with the aspirin and increase the risk of side effects.

“Long-term, we like to go with medications that are a little safer and that tend to have fewer side effects,” Dr. Wismer says.

Vomiting is the most common side effect of aspirin seen in dogs. Stomach ulcers are a potential but less common side effect. Dogs who break into a bottle of aspirin and swallow a lot of tablets run the risk of liver failure and seizures.

Cats are more sensitive to aspirin than dogs because they don’t metabolize it as quickly, but it does have at least one beneficial use for them.

“In cats, the most common use for aspirin is actually heart problems, and veterinarians prescribe aspirin for its anti-platelet effect -- basically, so your cat doesn’t get blood clots,” Dr. Wismer says. “But the dosing in cats is very different, and they only get a dose every couple of days.”

Any time you want to give your pet an aspirin, check with your veterinarian first for two reasons: to make sure you’re giving the correct dose and to make sure it’s indicated for what’s ailing your pet. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Cats have preferred

paw, study says

-- Take a look at your cat next the time he or she is reaching for a toy or patting your face to wake you up. Which paw is being used? A study of 44 cats at Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland, found that female cats tend to be right-pawed and males left-pawed. Does it really matter? Surprisingly, the information may help you determine how your cat deals with stress. Researcher Deborah Wells, Ph.D., says limb preference might be a useful indicator of vulnerability to stress. “Ambilateral animals with no preference for one side or the other and those that are more inclined to left-limb dominance seem more flighty and susceptible to poor welfare than those who lean more heavily toward right limb use,” she says.

-- Nearly 80,000 people have signed an online petition to urge that pet food become an approved purchase with food stamps, reports Caitlin Dewey in The Washington Post. The rationale? People on a fixed income often share their own food with their pets, meaning they don’t get enough to eat and their pets may not be getting a balanced diet. Supporters say it would save money by keeping pets out of shelters. The change would require Congressional action, so don’t expect to see it any time soon.

-- Flying through Canada’s Calgary International Airport? Feeling frazzled? Keep an eye out for a tabby named Taz wearing a red vest emblazoned with the words “Pet Me.” Taz is one of a team of pet therapy cats and dogs who visit the airport regularly to provide snuggles and stress reduction to passengers and employees as they wait in long lines or deal with flight delays. Some 50 airports in North America have therapy pets patrolling the premises, including Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver and San Jose, California. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.