Dog Blog

Aggression in dogs is important to display or maintain a hierarchy amongst themselves, but when you own a family dog, aggression should not be allowed.

A mother will display intense aggression when she has puppies or is still nursing them. Any strangers, humans or dogs, will receive a curled lip and deep, guttural growls when they stray too close.

I took my Husky to the veterinarian, and sitting next to us was a smaller breed and a crate. I just assumed it was a mother and puppies, but I never dreamed she’d react so aggressively towards those around her. She would’ve attacked my dog, which is not only four years old, outweighs her by at least 20 pounds, but is also a male. My clueless Husky almost got a chunk taken out of him. If you have mother dogs, and they do show aggressive behavior, keep them isolated so their stress around others doesn’t escalate. Or at least warn those around you to stay a good distance away!

On-leash dogs should not show aggression to other dogs on leashes, according to seefido.com. It is your responsibility to teach your dog manners. Take the dog to a place where dogs on leashes normally socialize and get him accustomed to being friendly. You may require treats, a clicker, and an abundance of patience.

Dogs who were friendly when they were younger but have grown into adulthood with an aggressive behavior that was never curbed, these are harder to control. Obedience training is the first step. Persistent aggressive behaviors may need more drastic corrections, i.e. shock collars but only as a completely last resort!

Aggression between dogs that live together is normal. One will always be dominant and the other will always be submissive, according to cannismajor.com. If the submissive puts a paw out of line, the dominant will be there to correct him. When the aggression gets out of hand and you start having non-playful fights between your dogs, you should probably separate them when you are unable to keep a constant eye on them. The dogs have likely developed a “pack” behavior, according to cannismajor.com, which makes them treat each other differently from how they treat you or any other dogs they come into contact with. Pack behavior is definitely hard to break, and you should start with obedience training.

Dogs who exhibit aggression, either around other dogs or around people, should be monitored closely at all times. If they have to be around dogs or people, always keep them on a leash or secured in some way. The safety of others should always come first.

By Kenna Rogers

By Kenna Rogers

Registering your dog with the American Kennel Club (AKC) is important for pureblood breeds to give proof of family history and to keep track of the lineage, to avoid inbreeding. The downside to registering with AKC is the fact that you have to come up with some long complicated name that is unique to that specific dog, according to akc.org. You might think deciding on an AKC name would be easy – how wrong that notion is.

Guidelines:

1. Names are submitted to the AKC by the first owner of the dog, i.e. Breeder(s) have the right to choose a puppy’s name before selling that dog to another owner. If the breeder(s) never registered the dog, upon buying it, you would have full rights to submit papers of registration, thereby naming the puppy.

2. Names can be no more than 30 letters, and spaces, apostrophes, and hyphens count towards letters.

3. The letters of the names are limited to the English alphabet alone. Diacritical markings aren’t printed on Registration Certificates, and letters on the certificates are all capitalized.

4. Registered Kennel names are not allowed in the dog’s name unless specifically authorized by the owner of the kennel name.

5. Roman numerals are reserved for the AKC for assignation in identification purposes, and cannot be included at the end of a dog’s name.

6. There are only 37 dogs of each breed that can be assigned the same name.

7. Specific words that aren’t allowed in names are:
Champion, champ, sieger, or any other AKC title or show term, either spelled out or abbreviated.
Derogatory words, either towards race, creed, or nationality are not allowed, as well as any transliterations of such words.
Kennel(s), male, stud, sire, bitch, dam, and female, or any breed names alone.

8. Arabic (1, 2, 3), cardinal (one, two, three), ordinal numbers (first, second, third) have no restrictions upon them.

9. Imported dogs and puppies must be registered with the same name of registration which it had in its country of origin. Only a Registered Kennel Name may be added.

10. A registered name can only be changed once, as long as the dog was born in the United States and has already been registered with the AKC by the breeder(s). Alternately, a name cannot be changed after the dog has produced or sired an AKC registered litter or received an award at an AKC licensed or member event. Names cannot be changed unless the breeder(s) consent, in writing, to the AKC approving the name change.

Registering a name with the AKC is a complicated process, but as long as the guidelines are followed, names should be generated relatively quickly. And remember, a dog’s registered name does not necessarily mean that it has to be its everyday name, and it shouldn’t be. Everyday names should be easy to pronounce, simple to remember, and shouldn’t sound like any words the dog knows, such as “No.”

By Kenna Rogers

Believe it or not, but dogs do have a sensitivity to allergies which can sometimes have symptoms that are worse than your pitiful runny nose. You’d think dogs allergies would manifest symptoms in the say way a human’s would, but that is incorrect.

Dogs could be allergic to pollen, dust, certain foods, and insects.

A dog’s symptoms will manifest either in chronic ear infections or mild to severe itching all over his body. Allergic dogs usually chew on their feet, as that’s the only place they have sweat glands, until they are irritated, inflamed, and sometimes raw. They may get ear infections because the wax glands of the ears have a tendency to overproduce when the dog is fighting an allergen, according to peteducation.com.

Dogs will rub their entire bodies against surfaces, itch with their nails and teeth so much they could cause skin lesions and even cause self-mutilation if it goes on too long. There could be a subsequent hair loss, or patchy spots, if he itches frequently. The skin could become dry, flaky, crusty, reddened, or oily, depending on the breed. With skin lesions, bacterial infections are a side effect, according to peteducation.com.

Allergens outside:

Trees

Grass

Weed pollens

Allergens inside:

Certain fabrics

Foods and food additives

Milk products

House dust and dust mites

FLEAS!

You should always tell your veterinarian if your dog itches an inordinate amount anywhere on its body, or in a specific place. Your vet should be able to test the dog, either by intradermal or blood testing or by simply eliminating things individually from the animal’s environment until the allergen is isolated. Seasonal allergies can sometimes be held at bay from a single injection, or tablets, and will be allergy-free for up to 4 weeks, or until the following year when the allergen rears its ugly head again.

If your dog is allergic to atopy (inhaled allergens), it is always best to use the avoidance method. If you have just vacuumed the rug, keep the dog away from that area for several hours afterward. Dust mites can be held at bay by slipping a plastic cover over the pet’s bed, washing the bedding in hot water, or just keeping the pets in uncarpeted rooms.

If mold is the culprit, keep dogs out of the basement, avoid freshly mowed lawns, and definitely use dehumidifiers. You also might need to cut down on your number of houseplants. Keep your dog away from pastures, out of tall grass, and keep them indoors during spring and fall when the pollen seasons are at their height.

You should certainly speak with your veterinarian if you suspect your dog of having an allergy to something. Antibiotics may be required, but ask your vet about all alternatives before using antibiotics, and be sure to ask for any and all side effects.