52 – What does your dog need?

You’re a dog lover.  You play with your dog. You exercise your dog.  You feed her, you shelter her, you see that she gets her checkups with the veterinarian.  This is what dog lovers do.  They care for the beings they brought into their homes, it was a promise they made, that they would attend to its needs.   What happened to that promise, that some owners now relegate their dogs to the backyard, no longer providing the dog with the basic need of companionship? 

I read an article -  Critics Challenge ‘Dog Whisperer’ Methods (http://www.livescience.com/animals/091112-dog-training.html) – searching for any new insight in support of positive training.  The article focuses on the contentious battle between trainers who use current scientific methods and those who still use traditional, punishment-based methods. While it delineates the arguments of those with differing philosophies, it also notes the sides do share some points of agreement.  “Both sides of the training spectrum teach that a lack of discipline or structure is not conducive to a well-behaved dog… ‘You have to be calm, you have to be clear, you have to be consistent, and you have to make sure you meet your pet’s needs for other things: exercise, play, social interaction,’ says Herron of The Ohio State University.”  Bob McMillan, in last Sunday’s H-C Pet Page, described the need for and benefits of play.  I intended to write today about exercise, the column was almost done.  It will wait.  The sad existence of some dogs receiving no social interaction with people keeps popping up in my daily conversations and consultations.

Social interaction is vital to the well-being of people and pets.  When humans are to be punished for crimes against society, short of death, solitary confinement is considered the harshest punishment delivered by a civilized society.  Parrots, considered by scientists to have the intelligence of a five year old human, can literally go insane from lack of attention.  These birds pluck their feathers until their bodies are naked, they scream night and day, and swing back and forth endlessly.  Parrots did not evolve in a relationship with man, yet lack of interaction with him can make them crazy.  Dogs and man evolved together and have the closest interspecies relationship in existence.  What does lack of interaction do to dogs?

The relationship developed as one of mutual benefit.  Man used dogs for many purposes – to retrieve game, to protect, to pull carts loaded with goods.  Dog used man as a resource for necessities – food and shelter.  A bond formed between them.  It’s been a nice relationship through the centuries.  Now things have changed, at least for man.  With the development of grocery stores, guns, and cars, dogs are no longer vital to our existence.   Dogs still count on us for food and shelter.  People are able to interact socially with one another through computers, jobs, phones, and social engagements.  Dogs?  They are still dependent on owners for companionship.

I realize the people who read this column are not the ones I am writing about.  It’s more likely I am writing about a neighbor, a family member, a friend, even a stranger who has a dog and refuses to meet its basic need for social interaction.  While we are more likely to see our dogs as family members, they view their dogs as property.  The question arises “What can I do about it?”  The best you can do is attempt to enlighten the owner who thinks his dog is “just fine” left alone 24 hours a day.

When I work with people whose dog is not valued, I try to find out why.  Certainly no one goes out and gets a dog with the intention of having it sit outside, alone, consuming food, while the owner gets nothing in return.  Try to find out what changed.  Did the dog get too big?   Is the dog too rambunctious?  Is the dog destroying the owner’s possessions?  Has the dog become aggressive?  Is the dog barking day and night? Is the dog not housetrained, or loosing its ability to control its bodily functions due to age or a physical problem?  Once you can determine the “why,” it can be easy to resolve if the owner is willing to try some things.

For behavioral problems, once any physical problem is ruled out, providing mental and physical exercise can do a lot toward resolving the dog’s issues.  Suggestions which I offer to owners :  try using a frozen Kong or a Tug-A-Jug with breakfast and dinner inside, making the dog work to eat.  Play hide and seek with some of the dog’s favorite toys.  Teach the dog some tricks.  Walk. Play with a disc or tennis ball.  Hire someone to exercise your dog. Get help from a trainer for problem behaviors.  If the owner is not receptive to working with the dog, suggest re-homing.  There are some wonderful rescue groups.  Most are overcrowded, but often have a waiting list.  It’s a far better alternative than to allow the dog to suffer by spending its life alone with no social interaction.

Until better laws protecting our pets are enacted, we can only try to help dogs who are isolated.  To quote Dr. Patricia McConnell, "I wish more people would consider owning smaller pets, such as rats. They're social, interactive, trainable, and you don't have to feel guilty about not walking them."

Jan Casey is a reward-based trainer and owns Smiles and Wags Pet Services in Cookeville.  Her email is jan@smilesandwags.com or you may call her at 931-510-0119.