Help with housetraining

 ⒸCheri Faust

Dog owners used to "housebreak" their dogs, pushed their noses in mistakes, and screamed in rage when the dog made a mistake on the rug again. Today we're more enlightened. The following information will assist you in determining when the dog has to go.  If you can anticipate his needs, you will be able to teach him where to urinate and defecate, thereby minimizing household soiling.  A sensible feeding and exercise schedule, supervision when you're home and confinement when you're not will have most dogs reliably housetrained in 12 weeks (this is not the puppy’s age – it is the length of time spent on housetraining!)

Buy from a responsible breeder.  Buy a puppy from a breeder who has already started housetraining by putting the puppies outside every morning and after meals and praising when they relieve themselves. It's also helpful if the breeder has done some crate training as well. Puppies raised in wire cages in commercial kennels and shipped to pet stores have nowhere to relieve themselves except their living quarters, a habit that is difficult to overcome.

Give it some time.  A dog that is new to your home will need time to adjust. This can take up to three months, depending on the dog's age and level of confidence. Each dog is an individual and will respond differently to having new caretakers, living in a new environment (indoors and out), and getting used to a new routine.

Use crates and gates.  Buy a crate, a baby gate or two, and/or or an exercise pen to keep the puppy confined when you cannot watch him. If the puppy is kept in the kitchen, he can't pee on the rug in the living room, a simple fact that escapes many pet owners caught in the midst of a housetraining frenzy.

Feed a premium food.  Preferably the brand used by the breeder. If that food is unavailable, get a small supply from the breeder and gradually switch to a locally-available premium brand.  Feed on the same schedule every day.

Confine when necessary.  Confine the puppy to rooms with tile or other washable flooring when you are not constantly supervising his activities.

Set a schedule.  Understand that a puppy should have a schedule, that he should be taken to his outside relief spot FIRST thing every morning and last thing at night, as well as after meals and naps, and that he should be praised when he does his duty. When taking the puppy to his outdoor spot, don't play with him. First things first. If the pup does not relieve himself, put him in the puppy-safe area for a few minutes, then try again.  If he doesn't urinate and defecate within 15 minutes, bring him inside and place him in his area for 15 minutes, then try again. Continue this routine until he is successful, and then praise him as if he just won a blue ribbon.  Puppies do not soil the house out of spite or stupidness; they soil the house because they have not been taught to do otherwise.

Keep it clean.  Keep the yard clean by picking up feces every day.  Cleanliness prevents worms and spread of intestinal viruses and infections.  Clean up all indoor accidents with a commercial odor neutralizer. This type of product, which is readily available in pet supply stores and catalogs, breaks down (using enzymes or bacteria) the organic matter that causes the odor. Cleaning up with ammonia or pine-based cleaners will not neutralize the odor, in fact, ammonia is a by-product produced by urine and use of ammonia products may make the situation worse! If there is any residual odor left after cleaning, chances are good that the dog will return to the spot again.

Failures in housetraining are human mistakes, not puppy errors.  Supervision is everything.  When you are home, the dog should be in sight.  When you cannot supervise him, he should be confined to a small, dog-proofed area.  If you catch the dog in the act, a deep firm "No!" is all that is needed to communicate your displeasure. If you succeeded in interrupting the act, get the dog outdoors quickly and clean up when you get back. Hitting the dog or rubbing his face in his waste is not only unnecessary, but offensive and damaging. Intimidation tactics work against relationships based on mutual trust and respect. If you missed the event, all you can do is vow to be more diligent in your supervision and clean up! Unless you catch the dog in the act, the correction is useless. After-the-fact punishment does not teach. Upon finding an accident, many a dog owner will grab the dog, drag him back to the scene of the crime, point at the mess or even worse push the dog's face in it and yell. The dog will cower, lower his eyes, lay back his ears, yelp and/or belly up. The owner thinks the dog understands what he's done -- that all of the posturing is an acknowledgment of the misdeed. It is not. The dog is reacting to the here and now. The postures struck are in response to the loud, deep voice and the affront of being grabbed and shoved. For all the dog knows, you're yelling and pointing because you wanted him to soil the living room carpet instead of the hall carpet. Discipline after-the-fact lets the dog know something is wrong, but not what is wrong. Only catching the dog in the act will let him know what is wrong and how to make it right!

Summary.  Be consistent.  Stick to the schedule.  Teach by demonstration. Supervision is essential. Communicate dissatisfaction verbally.  Clean indoor accidents thoroughly.  Praise all positive progress.

If a concerted effort has been made for several weeks, and puppy is still having regular accidents in the house, or if puppy has been reliable and is suddenly having frequent accidents, make sure he does not have a bladder or vaginal tract infection, intestinal parasites, or other medical reason for his failure to signal that he needs to go outside; then redouble the efforts to teach him what you want him to know!

GROOMING THE COAT OF THE PET DACHSHUND 

ⒸCheri Faust

Smooth-coat

Very little grooming of this short, shiny coat should be required.  An occasional bath, and brushing with a short, medium-stiffness bristle brush will remove dead hair and stimulate new coat growth.

Longhair

To remove dead hair and undercoat, periodically comb the neck and body with a stripping blade.  Plush or abundant hair on the neck and ears can be kept neat with a thinning shears.  When using a thinning shears, always cut in the same direction as the coat grows – never against the “grain”.  Place the blades under the coat and cut only once or twice.  Comb the cut area to determine whether more thinning is required.  Continue to cut, comb and evaluate until you have the desired effect. 

It is important to scissor the hair on the bottom of the feet even with the pads to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating – and to prevent snow “balls” during the winter months.  Periodic use of a fine toothed comb will prevent mats and tangles in the coat.

Wirehair

Show grooming a wirehair requires plucking or stripping the coat.  Plucking consists of using the thumb and index finger to literally pluck or pull out the longer coat hairs.  It in no way causes pain or dicomfort to your wirehair, but is time consuming.  Stripping is done with a stripping knife.  Stripping is accomplished by placing the knife against the coat, catching a small amount of hair against the blade with your thumb, and pulling the longer hairs from the coat.  The hair should be pulled in the direction the coat grows with quick, jerking motions.

Clippering is preferred for the pet Dachshund, but will leave the coat with less of the typical harsh texture.  The head, underside of the neck and ears can be cut with a #10 blade, and use a #5 or #7 blade on the back of the neck, the body and tail.  Leave his beard and eyebrows, trimming these only as necessary.

Use straight scissors to trim the hair on the bottom of the feet even with the pads and to trim the hair around the foot.

CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE YOU BREED

ⒸCheri Faust

So you have a female dog and you want to breed her for a litter of puppies. Wonderful idea-very simple-lots of fun-make a lot of money.  Stop right there. It's not very simple-and you won't make a lot of money.  Having a litter of puppies to bring up is hard, painstaking, thoughtful work; and only a few people regard such work as fun.

Bear in mind this very important point:  Being a dog breeder is not just breeding dear Tillie to that darned good-looking male down the street.  Would that it were that simple!  Such a breeding will undoubtedly produce puppies.  But that is not all you want. When you breed a female, it should only be after the most careful planning-with every effort being made to be sure that the resulting puppies will be even better than the parent dogs (that they will come even closer to the AKC breed standard than the parent animals) and that all the puppies will have good homes.

Some people say, “I just want to make a litter of nice pet puppies”.  But what does that mean?

The following are known inheritable conditions in Dachshunds, which can be avoided with careful and knowledgeable review of the sire and dam’s pedigrees, and/or through testing.  Careful consideration of inheritable defects must be done prior to breeding.

·         PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)

·         von Willabrand’s Disease

·         IVD (Intervertebral Disk Disease)

·         Epilepsy

Even “pet puppies” deserve to be healthy, loved, and wanted.  Have you asked yourself (and honestly answered) these questions:

1)      Have both the sire and dam been checked for worms, had current vaccinations, and been tested for brucellosis?

2)      Are their pedigrees and physical structure compatible and complimentary?

3)      Are their temperaments sound?

4)      Can you care for a puppy or dog - for its lifetime - if you are unable to sell it, or if there are problems?

5)      Are you prepared to take a puppy or dog back at any time if the home you’ve placed it in can no longer keep it?

6)      Have you considered the expense of a C-Section, if necessary?  Do you know that there is a risk of losing your female during  

        pregnancy, whelping, and nursing?

7)      Would you recognize eclampsia - a life-threatening condition if untreated - in a nursing mother?

8)      Will you socialize and prepare your puppies to be well-adjusted members of a new family?

IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED NO TO ANY OF THE ABOVE QUESTIONS, YOU SHOULD NOT BREED.

BRINGING A PUPPY INTO BEING IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO THE SAFETY AND WELL BEING OF THAT DOG.

Health Risks in Overweight Dogs

ⒸCheri Faust

Dogs carrying extra pounds of weight place extra demands on virtually every organ of their bodies.  The health risks to overweight dogs are serious and every dog owner should be aware of them. The more common consequences of obesity in dogs are listed below.

Diabetes mellitus

One of the most common complications of obesity in dogs is the development of diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes).  Obesity causes an increase in the secretion of insulin in response to the increased blood glucose level in the overweight dog.  Insulin is also more in demand simply because there is a greater amount of tissue in an overweight dog.  When requirements for insulin exceed the ability of the body to produce insulin, diabetes mellitus develops.  If the need for insulin increases over a long period of time, the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin can actually "burn out", again resulting in diabetes.

Damage to joints, bones and ligaments

Studies have suggested that approximately one-quarter of overweight dogs develop serious joint complications.  If they are required to carry excess weight, they can start to become damaged.  Arthritis can develop and the pain and joint changes associated with it can become markedly more severe.

Extra tension on joints caused by an increased weight load can also lead to damage of certain ligaments. Ligaments are tough fibrous strands of tissue that hold one bone in proximity to another bone in joints. One of the ligaments in the knee, the anterior cruciate ligament, is very prone to strains or tears.  If this ligament is torn, the knee becomes very unstable and the dog is reluctant to use it.  Surgery must be done to repair this torn ligament.

Certain breeds, such as Dachshunds, are prone to develop intervertebral disc disease. Carrying extra weight increases the probability that they will develop this painful and sometimes debilitating condition.

Heart disease and increased blood pressure

As in people, overweight dogs tend to have increased blood pressure (hypertension). The heart has an increased work load since it must pump additional blood to excess tissues.  This can lead to congestive heart failure.

Difficulty breathing

In overweight animals the lungs can not function properly.  The additional fat in the chest restricts the expansion of the lungs. The extra fat in the abdomen pushes against the diaphragm which separates the abdominal cavity from the chest.  This also results in less space in the chest for the lungs to expand on inspiration.  To make matters worse, the increased quantity of tissue puts an increased demand on the lungs to supply oxygen.  These changes are especially serious in dogs who may already have a respiratory disease.

Decreased stamina

Dogs who are overweight have less endurance and stamina. Carrying all that extra weight around takes a lot more work.  The heart, muscles and respiratory system are all asked to do more than they were designed for.

Heat intolerance

Fat is an excellent insulator, which is fine if you are a polar bear, but if you are an overweight dog in the heat of summer, the excess fat can make you miserable, and much less capable of regulating your body temperature.

Decreased liver function

The liver stores fat so when a dog is overweight, an increased amount of fat builds up in the liver.  This is called hepatic lipidosis.  This condition can result in decreased liver function.

Increased surgical and anesthetic risk

The effects of obesity on the heart and lungs have serious ramifications during anesthesia. Cardiac arrest (heart stops) and poor circulation of oxygenated blood to the tissues can occur.

Many of the anesthetics are taken up by fat, so an overweight animal will take longer to come out of anesthesia because the anesthetic must be removed from the fat by the body. In addition, many anesthetics are broken down by the liver.  A fatty liver may not be as efficient at breaking down anesthetics and other drugs, so again, recovery may be delayed.  The increased fat in the tissues also makes surgery more difficult.

Digestive disorders

An overweight dog has an increased risk of developing constipation and may also have more problems with intestinal gas and flatulence, which is not pleasant for the dog or the owner!

Decreased immune function

Obesity in the dog is associated with decreased resistance to viral and bacterial infections.  Canine distemper and Salmonella infections, especially, seem to be more severe in dogs who are overweight.

Skin and hair coat problems

The risk of skin and hair coat diseases are increased in dogs who are overweight.  The skin forms more and different types of oils, the skin may fold in on itself creating pockets which are ideal for the accumulation of oils and the development of infections.

Increased risk of cancer

There have been studies which suggest that obese dogs tend to have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancers, including a particular type of cancer of the urinary bladder.  A recent study also found that dogs who were obese at one year of age were at greater risk of developing mammary tumors.

Decreased quality and length of life

It is evident from the above discussion that the health, ability to play, even to breathe, are diminished in overweight dogs.  Overweight dogs may become more irritable due to being hot, in pain, or simply uncomfortable. Overweight dogs die at a younger age than those maintained at an optimum weight.  It is clear that we are not contributing positively to our dog's health when we allow them to become overweight.

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