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Dogs trained in your own home. Natural Dog Trainer and Pet Behavior Consultant, Pam Whyte uses only natural methods to cure all behavior problems. No force, no gimmicks - only love, trust and the thoroughly proven - Language of the Pack, which Pam has learnt from studying wild dogs in East Africa. Nature’s Formula for Obedience is kind. It is easy. It is inexpensive - and it works... every time! All dogs want to be good - they only need to be understood.
You too can learn Dog Language by visiting Pam Whyte at: http://www.TalkingToDogs.com
Pam Whyte's website - http://www.Naturaldogtraining.info and makes your dog truly your best friend!
Does your dog bite, bark, dig, disobey, fight or freak you out! Internationally renowned Pet Behavior Consultant and Natural Dog Trainer, Pam Whyte trains dogs and cures all behavior problems in the comfort of your own home. Nature’s Formula for Obedience is kind. It is easy. It is inexpensive. And it works! Naturally!
Dogs trained in your own home! Internationally renowned Natural Dog Trainer Pam Whyte uses natural methods to cure all behavior problems. Nature’s Formula for Obedience is kind. It is easy. It is inexpensive. And it works!
You too can learn Dog Language by visiting Pam Whyte at http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
Does your dog bite, bark, dig, disobey, fight or freak you out! Dogs trained in your own home. Internationally renowned Natural Dog Trainer and Pet Behavior Consultant, Pam Whyte has been studying wild dogs in Africa for over 30 years, and teaches dog owners Nature’s Formula for Obedience. It is older than history - yet ahead of it’s time! It is kind. It is easy. It is cheap - and it works! An understood dog is a happy dog – an understood owner is a happy owner! You too can learn Dog Language by visiting Pam Whyte at http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
After going to the (wild) dogs, Natural Dog Trainer and International Pet Behavior Consultant Pam Whyte uses only natural methods to cure all behavior problems in domestic dogs. Nature’s Formula for Obedience is kind! It is easy! It is immediate - and it is inexpensive! Proven over 40 years – it is older than history – yet ahead of it’s time!
You too can learn Dog Language by visiting Pam Whyte at: http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
Does your dog bite, bark, dig, disobey, fight or freak you out! Dogs trained in your own home – naturally! Immediate and exciting results, without any force or gimmicks. An understood dog is a happy dog! You and your dog both deserve it. Visit internationally renowned pet behavior specialist, Pam Whyte at http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
The aim of Pam Whyte's work with dogs is to reduce the high home turn over rate in dogs and puppies. She teaches new puppy owners how to bring up their pups so that they fit in with their new families through trust and communication, rather than through force, domination and submission (which in reality, is fear). When new puppy owners, and dog owners have access to this new and vital information, they have a far better chance of being able to bring their dogs under control naturally and willingly, and therefore to live harmoniously with their four legged children.
Nature's Formula for Obedience: older than history - yet ahead of it’s time! So visit Pam Whyte at: http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
Pam Whyte's website on the Language of the Pack gives away our dogs’ secrets, and looks at our Best Buddies with new eyes. This refreshing and empowering new approach to dogs is the end result of nearly 4 decades of on hands research within many thousands of homes in many countries, as well as through studying the spontaneous behavior of functional packs of wild dogs in East Africa.
It aims at enhancing the life of our best friends by assisting families to achieve a more meaningful, and very exciting connection with their pet, through teaching them what makes dogs “tick” - how they think, what they are trying to say to us, why they do the things they do, and how to both prevent and correct abherent behavior with techniques that are both natural and very humane, and have been proven over many years.
This emprical knowledge on dog bwhavior enables dog owners to bring about compatibility and harmony between pups and their families - who find this insight extremely enriching. It teaches dog owners proven cures to all behavior problems without the use of anydrugs, force, gimmicks or trauma to either dog or human. It therefsore, gives pups a far greater chance to live out their whole lives with their original families! Looking at dogs with “new eyes” makes dog owning an even more wonderful experience. So visit Pam Whyte at: http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
NaturalDogTraining.info is dedicated to bridging the "species gap". Pam Whyte shares the results of 40 years on-hands research into Nature’s Formula for Obedience within a pack of wild dogs, and applies it to bringing harmony between dogs and their families. It is exciting. It is empowering. It is inexpensive - and it is kind to both dog and owner! So visit Pam Whyte at http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info and you too can learn Dog Language!
Pam Whyte’s website - http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info is aimed at improving the quality of the domestic dog’s life, thereby reducing the high pet turnover and euthanasia rate. Behavior problems are no more than a dog crying for help, and dogs need to be heard - not punished. Or killed. So visit Pam Whyte at: http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info
The aim of Pam Whyte’s Alpha training, clicker training Pet trainer Dog obedience training Natural Dog Training Pet Psychologist Pet trainer Dog behavior training dog obedience training pet psychologist dog obedience training pet psychologist pet trainer alpha training, clicker training (which funds it’s own research) is to reduce the high home turn over in domestic dogs. Pam Whyte achieves this by teaching dog owners how to bring up their pups so that they fit in with their new families. ning.info
Pam Whyte’s site:http://www.NaturalDogTraining.info is dedicated to bringing quality of living to the domestic dog, and reducing the high home turn over in so many pet dogs, and the escalating euthansia rate. We have saved many thousands of dogs from losing their homes, and from the fate of the needle. Our domestic pets are just dying to be understood!
(Which no other approach to dog handling does.) This actually gives dog owners far more control over their dogs – out of choice and not through fear - it is achieved by winning the dog’s trust, and communicating with him on his own level (dogs don’t command each other), rather than by trying to impose human logic onto pets through with force and gimmicks - which actually have a very high failure rate, and is the cause of many thousands of dogs losing their homes – simply because they are confused. This confusion is called “disobedience”. What Pam Whyte teaches is gentle, and gets immediate results because it removes the root cause of all disobedience and behaviour problems. Pam Whyte points out that there is no such thing as a naughty dog – only a confused dog. Looking at dogs with “new eyes” makes dog owning an even more wonderful experience.
When new puppy and domestic dog owners have access to Pam Whyte’s revolutionary information on how a domestic dog’s mind, instincts and emotions function, and therefore how to win their willing cooperation instead of punishing them, being firm, raising our voices and getting angry with them, these dogs will be guaranteed a far greater chance of living out their full lives in their new homes. An understood domestic dog dog is a happy dog! And an understood owner is a happy owner! Natural domestic dog obedience training… older than history - yet ahead of it’s time! Looking at domestic dogs with “new eyes” makes domestic dog owning an even more wonderful experience.
This information is extremely important. It is the foundation to everything else you are going to learn, to your relationship with your domestic dog, and indeed, like with us - the foundation to his very life. New Research Findings By: The International Institute of Canine Mental Health in domestic dogs.We are taught that our Best Friends are no more than mere specimens that must be kept a predetermined shape.That does not apply to you, you may think. But read on and not only shed the shackles of guilt and misinformation that are creeping into the lives of caring domestic dog owners .... but save yourself a lot of money, time and energy - and your domestic dog a lot of suffering (that you will not be aware of until you have read this).
It is the domestic dog experts who dictate our current mindsets that we have toward dogs, and therefore both the way they behave, and their quality of living.The most prominent of these are the experts who teach domestic dog owners to develop their pet domestic dogs' full physical (and therefore predatory) potential - rather than their full character (and therefore relationship) - potential. This they do by subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) abusing their professional standing by making us believe that a domestic dog that is contented is actually suffering. This is not difficult because:There is a lot of money to be made from stressed domestic dogs through treating the symptoms of stress-related behavioural disorders - as you will see as you read on;
domestic dogs cannot tell us when they are not coping; except by “being naughty”;The entire Western world is caught up in the “health cult” so we genuinely think we are doing the best for our domestic dog when we follow their advice;We trust professional people to do what is best for us and for our pet. But they are also in the business of making money. And even the professional people themselves frequently believe they are doing the best for the domestic dog - but they are trained by a profession that is looking after itself and has to keep it's professors and it's laboratories funded. We all know that sections of the medical profession have been guilty of abusing their knowledge and their position by keeping self-empowerment out of the hands of the public for many decades. This has given rise to the need for the alternative medical movements which are empowering the public over their own health, and are producing cures for many illnesses that the conventional medical profession has failed to do, as well as medicines that do not have harmful and expensive to cure side-effects.
The veterinary profession comes from the same system but because domestic dogs cannot communicate their distress to us, alternatives in the animal medical profession are 20 years behind the human alternative movements. If you care about your domestic dog, reading this can change both yours and his life dramatically and ecitingly. These facts are all thoroughly scientific and proven. Original documentation is available on request. DOMESTIC DOG AGGRESSION AND BEHAVIOURAL DISORDERS ARE “PROGRAMMED” INTO OUR SOCIAL SYSTEM.The current fashion - which started in the mid 80's - is to keep our dometic dogs fit and agile.he foundation to all healthy and harmonious relationships is: the availability of sufficient food. Feeding for temperament therefore lays the foundation to a healthy and harmonious relationship. Which explains both why so many human/animal bonds relationships are failing and why dog attacks on innocent people are on the increase. Because this is not an ordinary relationship - it is one between prey and predator. The central and essential issue of satisfying the domestic dog's hunger is not being attended to, and the dog is in a situation where he is unable to communicate this need in a way that he can be understood. He is in fact being kept under what amounts to concentration camp conditions where he can do nothing to attend to his primary needs. If man and domestic dog are to become truly compatible, (best friends) (Time Magazine says of domestic dogs – “Man't best friend? Not any more.”) the army and laboratory influence need to be eradicated from dog owning, and replaced with sensitivity and natural principles.
And common sense tells us that a dog going back to nibble is a dog out of trouble. If our domestic dog feels peckish and goes back for a nosh and finds his bowl empty he may well go and dig or chew the hose up in frustration, and he will then go to clicker training or puppy socialising.. Or go chasing cats or disturb the neighbours with his barking for nothing. (And frequently does.)The army keep it's concentration camp inmates on the edge of starvation in order to achieve full mind control. Those who teach in dog puppy training to withhold food from our dogs to “prove dominance” are influenced by this system. It is no way to treat a friend."But I've heard that dogs protect food that's left over to “prove dominance!” Not if he has never experienced extreme or prolonged hunger - because then food hasn't become an issue to him. Those who teach us that dogs “prove their dominance” by leaving food, then standing guard over it (rather like a child gloating over some ice cream they deliberately leave so that they can make other children jealous) also teach people to withhold food from their domestic dog in order to “show him that you're boss”. (See paper on The Origins Of Behaviour Therapy, pet psychologist and dog puppy training, and electric shock collars and alpha training) The dogs that those who teach dog puppy training and obedience training and puppy socialising and clicker training draw their conclusions and theories from - are fed minimal army or laboratory rations and are therefore hungry and are protecting their food because they are insecure - not because being a bully around food makes a dog a leader. Those who teach this theory do not understand the principles of leadership. Leaders take the initiative, not stand guard over a locked fridge with a baton over their shoulder.Measuring a dog's food for him is rather like being told by car manufacturers that we must put “10 litres of petrol into our car every week” - because that is how much their demo models use. It is very important for laymen and professional people alike to realise that a domestic dog's calorie needs vary from day to day and from dog to dog. Weight charts and measuring cups that have been drawn up in laboratories do not allow for:a dog's individual needs which are determined by the size property he lives on, the amount of exercise he gets and his individual metabolism;fat to protect a dog's internal organs;genetic muscle tissue;temperature variations;the age and agility of his owners. Because domestic dogs are only viewed in laboratories where they do not run around, and are only fed just enough to keep them alive and breathing, only minimal nutritional needs are considered.The dog food manufacturers - many of whom have very aggressive marketing practices, even resorting to make dog owners feel guilty if they do not use their specific product - do not have the same priorities and goals as the family who own the dog and buy their product do. The manufacturers goals are:How little can a domestic dog scientifically survive on?How sharp can we make his contours?How can we develop his muscle tone to the maximum?How agile can we make him?How can we get peak performance out of him as if he's a BMW)How much can we make him into a techno-dog? (The advertising firms they use probably market fax machines and photo-copiers as well and have lost sight of the fact that this product deals with flesh and blood and not electronics.)Which gives us a souped up four-legged dynamo so that they have to go to the gym to keep up with the dog then buy a farm for them both. And then take them to dog puppy training, puppy socialising, alpha training and clicker training and buy them an electric shock collar Which is not what they bought a dog for.. When feeding their dog, they are more looking for:Quality of living for their dog (no one can be happy if they do not enjoy their food)Compatibility with his family (a hungry dog has a short fuse)A calm dog ( hungry domestic dog is permanently restlessand needs clicker training and dog puppy training ) Trustworthy with children (children are potentially the natural prey of a hungry dog)Fits in with their lifestyle (not too fit for the size property they live on for example)As a family member (they would not deliberately keep their children hungry or feed them high energy food)Not only physically healthy, but mentally healthy as well (no one can be mentally healthy if their mind is constantly on when they are going to be fed)Free of disease and illness (contrary to what we are told by the dog food industry and those who sell dog food, dogs actually lived longer on cooked food before the advent of commercial dog food.)The seriousness of measuring our dog's food regardless of his individual fuel and nutritional requirements is highlighted by both Medical Journals and news items which frequently report dog attacks that take place near feeding areas as well as dogs that, being predators, actually consume flesh. Dr.'s Greenhalgh, Cockington and Raftos in Paediatric Child Health Vol. 171-174, for example tells the pet psychologist states: “Involvement with the domestic dog during meal times were major reasons for dog bites.” And the need for dog puppy training, clicker training, alpha training a pet psychologist and obedience training. Alan M,. Beck also states in: Seminars in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Small Animal), Vol. 6 No 3: The Epidemiology and Prevention of Animal Bites “... flesh consumption is often involved.” But still does not advocate satisfying a dog's hunger in order to prevent these horrific dog attacks .In an item from a London newspaper, a boy describes how a Bull Mastiff leapt a fence, attacked him in his yard and started chewing his face. The dog was a Cruft's champion who had to be a certain shape in order to win glory for his owner after he had been to a pet psychologist and needed an electric shock collar. . A report from Animal Welfare Forum J.A.M.V.A. April 1997 says: “Dog bites are the second most costly public health problem in the United States, exceeded only by sexually transmitted diseases.”Time says in their June 1987 issue that the number of dog bites that caused people to seek medical care increased from 585,000 in 1986 to 800,000 in 1994. Washington Post says that at least one person is killed by a domestic dog (three quarters of them children) every two weeks. And Los Angeles Post says that one dog aggression every 40 seconds is getting a serious bite. This is a global crisis, and is no time to worry about whether our domestic dogs are fit and slim. It is time to worry about whether they are trustworthy.Bacchus was a family pet who always had his food rationed – i.e. - measured out for him exactly as the packet said. One evening after he had finished his meal and was still hungrily licking his bowl clean, Mark, the 5 year old child whom he had known all his life came outside. In a flash, Bacchus attacked him and tried to kill him. Mark had his scalp torn off - but he would not have survived the attack if his older brother and the other domestic dog had not come to his rescue. He is now a prison security dog. The scalp was successfully sewn back and Mark has recovered from the attack - physically.Jackson is a family pet that was put on diet for “obesity”. He lived with 5 cats and they all slept together in the same basket. During his diet, one of the cats came near and Jackson killed her and ate her. I was called in by his distraught owner who was extremely worried about the other four cats as well as a child that frequently visited. After the problem was identified, she enquired whether her dog could be taken off his diet, and was told “not on any account - until you can see his ribs”. Fortunately the professional advice was disregarded. Another person who did not disregard the advice to diet their dogs until ribs showed first had dog fights, then the dogs tried to kill a family friend. The dogs are now extremely “obese” but alive and trustworthy. On the demo video you can ACTUALLY see the ribs of the dogs that are hunting Monica. Then you can see them peacefully all together two weeks later - after their perception of her had altered from that of prey to that of a puppy. They no longer look like dogs on the front cover of an animal shelter magazine or the inmates of a concentration camp - they are filled out, contented and safe. (And yes, still keeping the burglars away!”A dog doesn't have to be either waddling and puffing ... or half starved and anorexic! There is another alternative - and that is a healthy balance. So that puppy socialising is not needed. I.e. a domestic dog that is well nourished and well-rounded, with Nature's own padding protecting his organs and giving him mental stability and peace of mind. Which unfortunately means that if he ever needs to be operated on, it takes the vet a little longer. But keeping a dog lean in case he ever needs an operation is putting the cart before the horse! A skilled and caring family vet will not mind spending that extra little time and patience operating on a well-padded and much beloved pet. The vet and puppy socializing is, after all there for the dog. The idea of keeping a domestic dog starving year in and year out in case he ever needs an operation is ludicrous. Obviously we want our pets to be well - but unfortunately our Western society is confusing physical fitness with freedom from illness. Contrary to what the health hype leads us to believe - we do not have to be in peak physical condition in order to be well. Mind and body become out of sync when fitness exceeds the limits set by lifestyle and environment, causing frustration and disharmony. The puppy socializing and health industry's slogan: - “Healthy body, healthy mind” sounds impressive on the surface but in reality a person is not automatically happy and stable and a pleasure to live with just with because he or she can run the Marathon.“But won't my domestic dog get fat!”Scientifically, in reality giving domestic dogs all the balanced food they want (what they want is what they need, as they are not getting chocolates and chips ... they are getting the equivalent of fruit and vegetables) right from puppyhood, gives them a speedy metabolism, teaching their bodies to burn fat efficiently rather than storing for future “famine”. There is a definite pattern in my work, as I see slim dogs that have always had food available to them, and genuinely fat domestic dogs that have become obese through developing a sluggish metabolism as a result of previously either being half starved, or always being kept on the edge of hunger. The body's survival instincts have learnt to spin out the calories by storing fat instead of burning it. DIETING DOGS CAUSES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES.We have come across many dogs that have died as a result of being dieted - but none that have died or even become ill from having their hunger satisfied. I have in fact come across thousands of domestic dogs that have had their lives saved simply by being allowed to break society's rules .... and eat their fill. Crime flourishes where people live below the breadline - and domestic dogs that live below the breadline (i.e. do not have their hunger satisfied by leaving a little food in their bowl after each meal) also “commit crimes”. In other words, display behavioural disorders such as vandalism, murder, violence, noise pollution Let's call a spade a spade. It is not puppy behaviour, disobedience “not being taken to dog puppy training yet” ... it's stress. In other words, he's very unhappy. The dog is desperately trying in the only way available to him to draw attention to his hunger. (Or loneliness ...peaks troughs sns etc)... Satisfying a dog's hunger is therefore fundamental to both preventing and successfully curing behavioural disorders and saving pets and children from dog attacks and dog aggression from hungry dogs.Then they don't need a pet psychologist dog puppy training, crate training obedience training, alpha training or clicker training or electric shock collars. Families, society and domestic dogs pay heavily for neglecting this cardinal rule. Even cats that have been put on diet kill exotic bird life, and go looking for food across the road and get run over. They might just as well stay at home and sleep (as is the natural life-style of the cat), contented and safe - even if he is not the ideal text book shape. Keeping him hungry by measuring his food and dieting him may well cost both us and our cat an arm and a leg. Some hungry cats that go looking for food also get into cat fights or get attacked and even killed by neighbouring domestic dogs. (I've heard they are now even putting fish on diet.)As we strive to give our dog the very best we can by keeping him fit and measuring out his food for him “so that he does not become obese and develop heart, hip, joint and liver problems” - we are in fact solving no problems and causing many, as hungry domestic dogs are:* hunting children and turn on their families;* stealing food eating poison, swallowing stones and other objects;* eating their own faeces in their desperate attempt to find food, attacking other pets;* breaking out in search of food, stealing food attacking passers-by, getting run over and even jumping fences breaking into other peoples' homes and attacking their children and pets;* digging and destroy possessions, * keeping neighbourhoods awake with their incessant barking for nothing* causing the dog to pass from home to home and ultimately being fitted with an electric shock collar or put in crate training be euthanased or taken to a pet psychologist because no one can live with his hunting behaviour. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association Vol. 210 says: ..euthanasia is the number one cause of death of companion animals .... . Over 90% of these behavioural disorders are stress-related and easily avoided through shifting our focus from developing the dog's physical potential to developing his character potential.* frequently lethargic - people sometimes report that they have had to take their dogs off their diet because it made them weak from hunger;* costing their families an immeasurable amount of money as they pay for hospital bills, lawyers bills (dog attacks account for one third of all homeowner's liability claims (over one billion dollars in liability claims are filed yearly) - and that's not counting litigation over excessive barking); hormones and drugs, having other pets stitched, the bark of their dog cut out or shock collars and other gimmicks, vet bills as persistent hunger lowers resistance to illness, replacing property that hungry dogs chew up, replacing the dog.* and generally causing chaos in their homes and in society; "At our centre we come accros situations such as these: "We were watching a mother owl rear her young. The vet told us to put our dog on diet, after that, he killed all the babies". "A few days after the vet put our dog on diet, he jumped the 6 foot wall and ate a rat that our neighbours had poisoned, and he died. It cost us thousands of rands to try and save him. He went through agony dying."Let's rather just feed our dog the way we feed ourselves and our children. It's not only humane - it's cheaper. And it is civilized.But I don't want my dog to have a heart attack!” Don't worry - he won't. He doesn't smoke, have to balance a budget, listen to the news or eat junk food and if you followed your dog around all day, you'd quickly cancel your gym subscription. It is very important for the domestic dog owner to be made aware that a new phenomenon is manifesting itself in the late 20th century, and that is: dogs under the age of 3 years old are dying of heart attacks. Many of these dogs just die “inexplicably” in their sleep - others drop dead suddenly in the middle of, or shortly after being exercised. The modern dog is frequently getting over-exercised on too little fuel which places a massive
heart, especially as he is not able to communicate his stress to his owner. Extreme stress can cause a “manic grin” on a dog's face, which many people mistake for happiness.. (They're aliens when they go to dog puppy training, to see a pet psychologist or do crate training.) Most of the domestic dogs that die of heart attacks in their sleep are dogs that are suffering extreme anxiety through not being able to “balance their budget”. A dog “balances his budget” so to speak by seeing food left over in his bowl after his hunger has been satisfied. When there is always more than enough food for a dog, he has not only does he have stamina, but also peace of mind through knowing that his primary need to have his hunger satisfied is not threatened - which removes the anxiety of having to worry about his next meal and allows him to focus on enjoying and protecting his family - also making him less likely to be bribed with food by burglars. As with people, persistent anxiety (such as not being in a position to satisfy his hunger) has a very detrimental long term affect on the heart and immune system -which cannot be measured in a test tube. And look at Sir Winston Churchill. Was he the ideal weight? Would he have been able to put his mind to his great work if he was always hungry through trying to achieve a conventional shape? He ate blatantly in a day what people wouldn't admit to eating in two wee
Torsion is a condition where the dog's stomach twists, causing him severe agony and leads to death. It can be compared to swinging a ball around at the end of a sock. If the sock is half empty - it is more likely to turn. If it is kept still - it cannot turn. So if the dog's hunger is completely satisfied and he is not overstimulated, he cannot get torsion. Latest research has also indicated that torsion is linked with a dog swallowing air while he is eating. A very hungry dog is far more likely to gulp in air as he frantically gobbles his food down, than one that eats sedately. Nearly all cases of torsion occur just after a meal where a dog has licked his bowl clean and then run around in an attempt to hunt.No dog should ever be allowed to get into a feeding frenzy. (“Gobble” or “wolf” his food down”) It endangers the lives of other pets and family members as well as his own. “But what about my dog's back and hips?In one of our studies we came across a 14 year old Dachshund that was very “obese” - his tummy was only centimetres from the floor. We noticed how lightly he hopped up onto the furniture - in spite of his age. We asked his owner if he had any back problems and she said: “The only time he has had back problems was when he was put onto a diet, but soon as he was take off it his back got strong again.” (The tendons had been deprived their essential nourishment.)It is also a myth that watching a dog's weight prevents him getting hip dysplasia. This myth comes from drawing superficial conclusions that come from theories that have not been validated by long term research under conditions where the domestic dog's behaviour normally and spontaneously takes place.When dog breeders stop breeding dogs with extremes of long, and sloping, our pets will no longer have to suffer from genetic deformities linked with these characteristics, and their families will no longer be subjected to the expense and heartache that cripple dogs bring. They will then not feel guilty about feeding their dogs adequately, and distressed (insensitively called “being weak”) by having to watch their dogs suffer severe hunger.However, what has been established through conducting long term research on the dogs' spontaneous movements and actions (as opposed to those that have been conducted in controlled laboratory situations) is that dieting
ks. He lived to nearly 100. And Pavarotti, being one of the most overweight people living, lived to his 70's and his heart was strong right up to his death. And in the same year that he died, two young healthy men of "ideal weight" dropped dead while running the marathon. We need to take a reality check from the real world, not from propaganda. But what if my domestic dog gets torsion?”
domestic dogs that have weak hips actually compounds the problem because when a doimestic dog is hungry, he tries to hunt by running around a lot - which puts even more wear and tear and therefore strain on the dog's hips - especially as his bones and tendons are not getting the nourishment which they need. What has been found is that when the domestic dogs' spontaneous actions are studied outside the laboratory, skinny domestic dogs sway from side to side revealing hips are not very sturdy, whereas stocky dogs have a far more stable gate. Long term hunger can also cause calcium to be drained from the dog's bones. When a dog is in pain from arthritis, a vet's receptionist had the answer. “My dog has rheumatism, and I am not going to subject him to hunger by trying to make him lose weight. I'd rather put him on pain killers. Only food removes hunger - pain killers remove pain.” We all say amen to that! (And so would our dogs. If they could only speak to us.) Another dog owner was told that her dog would have to have an expensive and painful operation. Just before going in she received a second opinion and was advised to put her dog onto calcium. The dog never needed his operation. Buttons is another dog that went to dog puppy training and puppy socilaising and clicker training who was totally cripple and couldn't even stand up - let alone walk. Three years later she runs around like any other dog - as long as she has her calcium di-phosphate every day. She leaves food behind after every meal and is sturdy and stocky - even though she's (enchantingly) bandy. Dieting isn't even an option.Being semi-cripple (having weak hips) is built into the breed standard of many large breeds of dogs, such as German Shepherds. So the less highly bred a dog is, the more likely he is to have strong hips. Even three generations free hip dysplasia breeding stock can throw pups that have this deformity, as it is not so much a result of a hereditary gene - as consistent inbreeding.So when we buy a pup from a family who have let their pet dog have a litter rather than from a breeder who is breeding from a small gene pool - we are much more likely to get a German Shepherd with sound hips. Provided that is, that his parents have strong hips. If their back is straight and not sloping or arched - their hips are healthy. A strong, level back like this is a “no-no” in breeding circles because the hips are too strong to give the built in redundancy of the desired sloping back which the breed standard demands. “But what about having the dog registered?” What is that little piece of paper going to do for your dog? And how much suffering is a strong bone structure going to save your dog? And how much money are you going to save by not buying from a “reputable” breeder that is breeding highly bred (and therefore interbred) dogs? You will not be paying hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of rands for a piece of paper that has the dog's ancestors names all written on it, or for an expensive hip operation and medication to relieve arthritis. (Or to treat the symptoms of hunger.)One morning I received a desperate phone call from Joan - she needed help right away - her dog - a one year old St. Bernard called Emma - had just injured her by side-swiping her right off her feet. “Does she leave food behind?” I asked. “Never!” I said that I would come and help her right away, but Emma must be fed twice a day until she leaves food behind - starting right away - as I cannot train hunger out of a dog - only food can cure that. I arrived to find a very slim (scrawny, in fact), agile - what Joan called “hyperactive” - dog dangerously close to attacking. We made a lot of progress in an hour and a half. But Joan was still very overwhelmed by Emma, and did not want to go outside on her own with her
I said I would be around to help her some more the following day. As we walked out the door, Emma took off across the garden resembling a Ferrari at the Grand Prix with her under carriage about half a centimeter from the ground as she zoomed toward her quarry (Joan) aiming to bring her down by slicing in front of her as she walked across the lawn. I caught Joan as she was about to come down again. “Has Emma eaten yet?” “No” “Let's go and feed her before we do any more therapy.” This enormous dog was given half a bowl of food - the bowl being big enough for a Spaniel. She vacuumed it up and went to sniff around kitchen counters for more food where the housekeeper was preparing chicken and roast potatoes for the family dinner.“I thought she was leaving food behind!” I said. “That's already twice as much as the packet says, I don't want her to get weak hips from the instructions of the pet psychologist or the dog puppy trainer or from dog behavior training ” replied Joan. “What on earth will be the use of healthy hips to your dog while she is dead and buried after being euthanased for killing a child or putting you into a wheelchair? She must get more - but out of a much bigger bowl."Yes but ....” “She doesn't seem to be too concerned about the state of your hips, the way you're limping” I said “and she will have none left anyway, the way she tears around the garden after your cats, the Maltese and the butterflies like the dpg behaviour training and the dog behavior training says. I don't see any rationality here.” Suddenly, the penny dropped and we fed her in a much bigger bowl until she left something behind. Ignoring the family's dinner, Emma came and thanked each of us by coming to lick each person on the hand, utterly relieved at having the tormenting hunger pangs removed - and sane at last. We went outside. For the first time Joan was able to walk outside her door without being bruised and battered. Visitors are now safe, (including the vet and his young children who are a family friends), the cats that she was trying to kill and the Maltese who was always being cornered under furniture are all safe - and the haunted look has gone from her eyes. Before the health craze (when “sleeping dogs” were allowed to “lie”, that is) and even before the arrival of processed dog foods, it was not uncommon for dogs (yes, even obese ones) to live to over 16 years of age. The incidence of cancer and heart attacks in the domestic dog has actually increased - not decreased - since the “health craze” has been projected onto our pets ny the dog behaviour training and the dog behavior training and the pet psychologist and the obedience trainer and the puppy socialising. In a study that was conducted into longevity in companion animals, all domestic dogs that had lived to over 16 years of age had been brought up on home cooking. The hype around “expensive domestic dog food” is all about marketing, as the vets try to have a monopoly on dog food. Would we listen to a human doctor who tells us to only eat processed food! Or to a doctor who tells mothers that they can save on Pampers by feeding their child constipating food! Reducing the fibre in their domestic dog food “to make it easier to clean up dog mess” explains the sharp increase in cancer in domestic dogs.An Italian client of mine was advised to feed his domestic dog rice, vegetables and chicken mince. When he moved to South Africa, he continued to fe
. feeding his domestic dog with their expensive food. “Because I was advised to feed my dog table scraps and home cooking,” he replied. “And who told you to do that!” demanded the vet, who was put very nicely in his place by the reply: “My vet in Italy”.Dog psychologist, Peter Neville the pet psychologist and dog behaviour trainer and dog behavior trainer who does clicker training and alpha training and crate training points out in his book Do Dogs Need Shrinks? that this world record for longevity in dogs was set in the 1950's where a dog lived to the age of 26. That was in the days before pressure was placed on the pet dog to be fit and slim, and even before processed domestic dog food was available, when dogs used to eat leftovers, bread, mealie pap and drink lots of milk! (Which is no more natural for us than it is for dogs - but that doesn't stop us drinking it.) And the record has not been broken since. It is probably the only world record that hasn't been broken in 40 years - which says a lot. These free findings are repeatedly being confirmed during the course of my work. One of my clients, for example, had two domestic dogs - one, Candy who 8 and was diabetic and had had to have cataract operations on her eyes recently. The older one was Melissa who was 23, was very tubby, completely mobile and amazingly alert for a dog that age. On enquiring about the dogs' diet, I was told that Candy had been placed on diet at the age of 7 and had become diabetic shortly afterwards. Melissa had been given home cooking for most of her life and been allowed to get as fat as she liked. But we do not own dogs to see how long they can live (contrary to what a lot of dog food marketing that is targeting the emotions of the dog owner wants us to believe.) We own them to enjoy their companionship and the free security they give us by protecting us. OUR WESTERN SOCIETY IS UNABLE RECOGNISE HUNGER IN A DOMESTIC DOG
ed his
next domestic dog with this food. A vet demanded to know why he was not on expensive dog food and said he must buy from the pet psychologist and the obedience training and dog puppy training.
When I enquire whether my clients'domestic dogs are getting adequate calories and nourishment before I call on them to cure their domestic dogs' behavioural disorders, I hear: “Never!” “He wolfs his food down!” “He will never stop eating!” “He's very greedy!” “He'll go through 10 bags of dog food!” “He's permanently hungry - it doesn't matter how much I give him!” “He's always looking for food!”.... daily. Does this sound like a society of dog lovers, or the inside of a Nazi concentration camp? As a society, there is enormous ignorance surrounding the symptoms of hunger in a pet domestic dog among both laymen and pet psychologist obedience dog training dog puppy training crate training shock collars and alpha training professionals. Dmestic dogs ogs are aliens and have no way of communicating their distress to us. Just because a domestic dog is not crying, bleeding or limping - not being dogs - we think that he's not suffering. In a hungry dog's constant optimism that he may get a morsel of food, he may not even appear distraught. Hunger can also put a domestic dog on an adrenalin high, so his manic expression is not recognised as stress or anxiety. A nd why are so many of us (professionals and laymen alike) unable to recognise hunger in a domestic dog? In our privileged society, we take being in a position to satisfy our hunger so for granted that we do not even realise that there is another alternative. If we are hungry, we have access to food and if our children are hungry we recognise their distress cry because they are the same species as us. (And they see to it that we satisfy this primary need.) A dog cannot open the fridge (and when he does - he gets into trouble); he cannot hunt (and when he does try, he gets into trouble); and if in his despair, he has a tantrum - we throw a tin can at him (without the opener). Being another species, he is unable to communicate his distress to us in a way we understand. Except through “behavioural disorders”. When our domemstic dog was a pup, he chewed on his mother, so she exposed her teats to him. Then when he came into our home and automatically did what had worked for him all his life we pointed a finger at him and say: “NO!” Seminars in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Small Animal), Vol. 6 No 3 states in an article called: The Epidemiology and Prevention of Animal Bites When discussing fatal attacks -.. flesh consumption is often involved.” If it is recognised and acknowledged that flesh consumption is often involved in attacks by domestic dogs, is it not then criminal to deliberately keep them hungry? DOGS THAT ARE ALREADY VERY HUNGRY AND UNDERWEIGHT - ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL METABOLISM - ARE “PUT ON DIET” Such is the ignorance surrounding the correct feeding of domestic pets i
n our modern society that many professional pet psychologist dog puppy trainer obedience training crate training alpha training and crate training and laymen alike even believe that underfed, and therefore very hungry dogs are greedy. A dog can suffer very severe hunger without actually appearing scrawny. Adequate nutrition can give him a glossy coat, while at the same time, inadequate caloric density (fuel) can keep him ravenous.
Pam will tell you what to do when your dog bites. and shows aggression toward other dogs Dogs that “wolf” down their food, or “never stop” eating only appear greedy. They are in fact, very hungry. Yes, even if they do get a “very big bowl of food!” They are animals that have animal needs. Within the course of my work, I very frequently come across dogs that - because their ribs cannot be felt, or because they have loose muscle covering their body - they are automatically diagnosed as “obese” - even though their calorie intake is very inadequate. Dogs that are not the “ideal weight” according to the weight charts, but are in fact still permanently hungry because they are underweight according to their own individual metabolism - are being dieted.The advent of weight charts comes from viewing the dog very superficially on a steel table- as nothing more than a body, in fact. They do not take into account the fact that the dog is a family member, his mental health, peace of mind and quality of living, the damage hunger can do to his temperament or the fact that domestic dogs are predators. Or even the damage that long term hunger can do to his immune system and even his heart. The idea of owning a pet is not to count his ribs but to enjoy his companionship. By the time the dog's ribs can be felt, he is getting into the “undernourishment cycle” - if he is not already in it. (See later.)Bull breeds, Rottweillers, Corgi's, Labradors, Beagles (who all have a record of either aggressive or destructive behaviour) and other dogs who are genetically stocky suffer the most from these extraordinary modern demands that are now being made on them.Sheba is a Bull Mastiff who was diagnosed as both overweight and “greedy”. She was already so hungry that she was eating her owner's underwear, and as a result had had to have several operations when she was put on diet. Soon after her food was cut back, I was called in for aggression toward her companion. As her hunger had become even more severe, she had snapped (in more ways than one) - and nearly killed him. Fortunately, after spending nearly two weeks at the vet recovering from his injuries - he survived. This misperception of what shape the dog “should” be is costing many lives - of both dogs and people. When these large dogs are hungry, they can be very destructive and very dangerous. And undernourishment can ultimately cost them their lives. Dog owners are never given the essential advice to: “See that
your domestic dog is adequately fed” - just told “don't feed him too much.” With disastrous consequences, which comes from not perceiving dogs as predators or as family members, and only seeing them in laboratories as well as from not giving any consideration to his quality of living. (Therefore, teaching theories as fact - which is no less than criminal.)We hear three things about Labradors:they are greedy they are destructive t hey are fat Do you see the link? If we stopped believing that being tubby was bad for the dog and ignored the propaganda that claims that well padded dogs are unhealthy and unhappy dogs, our dog would not develop a sluggish metabolism through being permanently hungry, (and therefore get fat when he's older); try and hunt (be destructive);gulp his food down as if each meal is his last (appear greedy). Domestic Animal Behavior for Veterinarians and Animal Scientistsfor dog and puppy training and clicker training says: “Prevention of the development of misbehavior is always easier than eliminating established misbehavior, but because the exact cause of destructive behaviour remains unknown, preventative techniques have not been established. .... Many domestic dog owners that bring their dogs in for destructive behaviour report that their dogs are very restless at night. It therefore appears that destructive behaviour is linked with a sleeping disorder.” These are dogs that are demented with hunger and are “tearing their hair out” in an effort to communicate their desperate need to their owner! Dogs that are hungry are compelled to hunt - and there are no rabbits in the back yard. It is not easy to sleep when you are hungry. I have cured countless cases of destructive behaviour in dogs within 24 hours, simply by telling their owners to satisfy their dog's hunger. Sometimes it takes longer, as there are other factors involved (see booklet on destructive behaviour in this series) - but unless this first step is taken - the stress and therefore the destructive behaviour remains.Page 284 then goes on to say “Obesity is the most common behavioural problem involving ingestion (eating). (Obesity is a clinical, not a behavioural problem.) .... Fortunately, obesity in animals is easily controlled by food restriction ... most owners find it easier to control their pets' weight (i.e. starve the dog) than to control their own. Brackets mine.There is nothing profound about that pompous statement! You do not have to have a particularly high IQ to know that most people cannot handle the misery of prolonged hunger pangs. When we “diet” (i.e. when we are trying to force ourselves into a shape that we were never meant to be) we can get relief from excruciating and unbearable hunger by sneaking off to the fridge ... but our dog is helpless in his misery. He cannot even go and hunt when the hunger drives his instincts to seek his prey so that he can get food in order to relieve his hunger, as he's locked behind walls. All he can do is go off pop, (bite someone), tear his hair out (chew up our lounge suite) or try to relieve his torment by trying to hunt in our garden. Yet, tragically, the “exact cause of destructive behaivour” (and therefore of predatory aggression) which “remains unknown”, is right under the behavioural professors' nose.On page 60 this same set book on behavioural disorders in the domestic dog says: “Dogs in packs are more dangerous to humans than solitary dogs. This kind of aggression is usually predatory; the pack, usually underfed, chases a person on foot or on a two-wheeled vehicle (a bike) ...then it goes right off it's scent when it is no longer discussing strays, but is now referring to pets “The easiest approach to predatory behaviour is proper restraint of the dog.” When previously the book had just pointed out that adequate feeding was the solution to predatory behaviour by saying that the pack hunted because it was underfed. With the solution to the problem right under their nose, the do not put 2 and 2 together.Why is “restricting the dog's food” not “underfeeding” just because now it has a respectable label (“being put on diet) and a noble motive (to make the dog thin in order to win the approval of society.) The point was made that hungry dogs can be dangerous but they are not putting one and one together in order to get 2. I.e. satisfy the pet dog's hunger completely in order to reverse predation and cure destructive behaviour. The National Geographic May 1987 describes how there is fierce competition amongst wolves (the ancestors of our domestic dog) around a kill, stating: “Each wolf treats the others as competitors.” Then it goes on to say how after the hunt “... the adults rested a great deal and socialised more than we had ever seen before.” Which is what we want to do with our dogs - socialise, relate, show affection and be loved and protected by them. This article points out so clearly that a dog cannot give his best to his pack members (in domestic dogs -us) while his mind is on his next meal. (What's new?) It also explains why Medical Journals are repeatedly reporting dog attacks taking place near food. Our Western Society would do well to observe these fundamental principles.We are taught how to block our dog's cry for help by cutting out his bark (a “ 'painless' ” procedure”), using electric shock collars (“so you can sleep at night”) or fitting our dog with a collar which sprays citronella oil into his face when he barks (which is “humane” because it doesn't actually hurt”), by throwing tin cans with stones in them at the dog (“it's the sound”), stringing him up by his choker chain (to show him who's boss), drugging him (to shut him up) .... but they do not teach dog owners how to hear what the dog is trying to say to us. These techniques are not unlike sticking a sock into a hungry baby's mouth to stop him from crying. There is another way to stop him crying ... hear what he's saying, and feed him adequately. Coming to terms with a tubby, child/friendly, contented domestic pet by feeding him until he's full is a far kinder, less traumatic and cheaper alternative to using expensive gimmicks. And if your dog offers you company when you're lonely and gives you peace of mind by making you feel secure by protecting you and warning off intruders - then it's only fair to meet him half way.Paula is a dog owner who had an appointment to see me about a dog that barked for nothing when I returned from a trip to Cape Town. She phoned me late one night while I was away and told me she that she was being taken to court before my return, so could I please help her in the meantime? I asked her if she (her dog, that is) was leaving food behind when she ate - and she said that her dog would never stop eating. I told her to go to a garage shop (as it was very late and everything else was closed) and buy four loaves of bread and give them all to Tessa (with lots of water available) and phone me in the morning. Which she did. They had had their first night's sleep in months and she cancelled her appointment with me as she the problem was now cured.Jenny, a miniature Poodle is another example of the kind of chaos a hungry dog can cause in a home. She was dieted because their previous dog was fat. She was now well into an undernourishment cycle - (see later) and in her hunting frenzy, she jumped off the balcony of their first floor townhouse and injured her leg. I was called in after she killed and ate their daughter's pet hamster - Billy. When I got there, the whole family's nerves were in shreds. She had also chewed up a child's hearing aid worth a few thousand rand
ou need to know what to do when your dog bites.and shows aggression toward other dogsOGS DO NOT OVEREAT ON BALANCED RATIONS
This myth comes from watching dogs in laboratories ravenously gobbling up their last morsel of inadequate rations. On The Dogs Must be Crazy you can see a wild dog that has just left a kill, rolling over in sheer bliss at having his tummy full after gorging himself at a kill. By our late 20th and early 21st Century standards, he is “at risk of a heart attack.” And wild dogs just don't get heart attacks - yet there is no-one to ration their food! In fact, you can see the vultures waiting in the background for them to finish, then coming and eating what they left behind. It is therefore a false and dangerous myth that “dogs will never stop eating”. Rationing is for war-time and famine conditions. Where there is food shortage, there is no civilization. 90% of behaviour behaviour problems are nothing more than dogs being uncivilized due to enforced food shortages. In Nature, where food is scarce, there is tension and frequently disharmony leading to aggression and even death within a pack of wild dogs. It is a matter of extreme urgency that both dog owners and professionals alike realise that dogs do not over-eat on balanced rations - people overeat on luxury foods. Which only adds to the quality of their lives. You simply cannot overfeed a dog on balanced rations - or the rations are not balanced. If the rations are balanced, the calorie intake will naturally balance the calorie output. If you have any doubts, give your dog home cooking. (See later.) Only when dogs have never been given the opportunity to satisfy their hunger, do they appear to overeat. This is because they have developed a “famine” mindset. When my clients satisfy the hunger of their dogs by feeding them for temperament ... they always say: “It's amazing - he hasn't put on any weight!” “I can't believe it - he actually stopped eating!” And if he does put on weight - so what! He's happy. The child and the cat are safe and he can't be bribed with poisoned food. If food has never been allowed to become an issue to a dog, he does not gobble it down as fast as he can in case he never has another meal. Dogs are helpless about attending to this primary need and are extremely insecure when their food supply is inadequate. As indeed we would all be if we were brutally subjected to the same brutal conditions. We should all be afraid of underfeeding our dogs (which is not only possible but is extremely common and has very serious consequences) ... not of over overfeeding them (which is not only impossible on balanced rations - but not at all serious if it does occur). Are we all perfect specimens? We are relating to and enjoying our four-legged buddy's character and personality. We are difficult to live with when we are hungry. Hungry children are fractious. Domestic Dogs are also both difficult and fractious (i.e. noisy, destructive, aggressive, hyperactive and miserable) when they are hungry. When our world is perfect - then perhaps we can ask our dogs to be perfect too. But until then - and we have a very long way to go - let's not place the burden on them to be perfect on our behalf.What is needed is a reassessment of what is in fact “obese”. Plus a tolerance of what does not conform to our preconceived idea of what is “normal”. The domestic dog also needs to be accepted for who he is - a dog and not a person - and who has the right to have his feelings respected and his primary needs satisfied - not to be abused and exploited by being forced into a stereotype textbook shape that he was never meant to be.Hunger is a very personal experience. No-one can experience another's hunger - which is why it requires sensitivity and empathy to be in tune with our dogs' individual dietary needs in order to satisfy his hunger properly and avoid the eating disorders and behavioural problems which arise from underfeeding a dog.IT HAS BECOME A “SOCIAL CRIME” TO OWN A WELL ROUNDED, WELLFED DOGThose who promote pets as specimens have been so successful in instilling a horror of owning a fat dog into the minds of dog owners - particularly into those of impressionable and caring young people - that keeping domestic dogs slim and trim has virtually become a cult. Our minds have now becoming so conditioned to scrawny-looking domestic dogs, that a sturdy well-rounded family looks “wrong” - but our dogs are predators and if we are to stem the current “epidemic” of dog attacks and reduce the excessively high euthanasia rate among pet dogs, as a society, we will have to make a concerted effort to re-condition our thinking and accept their “old-fashioned” shape. (Like in the days when dogs kept the burglars, not the visitors away and they guarded children, not hunted them, and lived to over 16.)In fact, dog owning has become so shrouded in guilt (by those who eat red meat, have pudding, drink coffee, and breathe in polluted air) that they are no longer an enhancement to their families or a pleasure to themselves. You need to know what to do when your dog bites and shows aggression toward other dogs. Words with emotional connotations like “obesity” are used to create guilt in dog owners who's pets are well covered, stocky and therefore placid with a resilient immune system. So warped are the priorities of society becoming that people who own contented, tubby dogs are held in contempt. It is not considered a social crime to own a hungry potential child-killer . It's considered a social crime to own a roly-poly, contented, child/friendly, burglar/unfriendly pet.We are even led to believe that a dog that has peace of mind through having his tummy full - and is the correct weight according to his own individual metabolism (which usually means “obese” by man's textbook standards) is suffering - and a dog that is subjected to the misery of permanent hunger pangs is happy! We seem to overlook the fact that a dog does not go and admire his new contours in a mirror - so the effects of dieting are lost on him. What is needed is less emotionalism and more rationality if we are going to bring about a greater degree of compatibility between dog and his best friend and stem and reverse the “epidemic” of dogs turning on their own families and innocent people. (Time Magazine, June 1997.)Vicki is a dog that was hunting her owner, Mandy with serious intentions to harm her. On one occasion Mandy even had to get up onto the garden table in order to escape her dog who was trying to bring her down - and that is when she consulted me. When I arrived to reverse Vicki's predatory behaviour I found a sleek, shiny, agile dog. She was being fed according to the instructions on the dog food packet, and we had to double up and double up several times on the quantity she was normally given before she stopped eating. Because she had been kept so hungry, her body had learnt to store, so after a while she got very tubby, although she never lost her agility. About a year later, Mandy and Peter had a baby and Vicki was very reliable and protective over him. When Shaun, the baby was about two and a half, I received an emergency phone call from Mandy - the electronic gate had been left open and Vicki had got out. We phoned the animal shelters and found that someone had picked her up just outside the gate and taken her in.When Mandy fetched her dog she was handed a report by a very irate looking warden. The report read: “This dog is OBESE!!!” with the last word underlined several times. When Mandy fetched her dog she was handed a report by a very irate looking warden. The report read: “This dog is OBESE!!!” with the last word underlined several times. Dieting Vicki the way the system demanded would have made her go back to her old hunting habits again and this time it would not only be Many that was at risk of predatory attack, but Shaun as well. And there would have been another inmate in the animal welfare kennel - this time on deathrow. But instead, we had a fat dog that was living harmoniously with a family that loved her very much. - Which was, after all, is surely the bottom line.Insecure people are pointing shocked, accusing fingers of disapproval and accusation at owners who own “obese” dogs, putting themselves up by putting the dog and his owner down. (Or think they are.) Most of them claiming to be dog lovers and ver
y proud of their starving dogs - and many of them not exactly textbook shapes themselves. THE WAY WE ARE FEEDING OUR DOGS IS NOT UNLIKE FEEDING A YOUNG CHILD'S HORSE WITH ONLY OATS This research will tell you what to do when your dog bites and shows aggression toward other dogs. Some modern dog food manufacturers state that their pet foods have extremely high nutritional value. They claim therefore that our pets “only need a cup or a handful of food”. Those that target the emotions of the dog owner make caring dog owners feel guilty if they do not put their pets on this high nutrient, low bulk, high cost diet. They also target busy housewives and yuppies by informing them that they will not have a lot of dog stools to pick up. Would a baby food manufacturer sell a product that reduces the number of nappies a mother has to change? (Not even a yuppie would fall for that one!) If the bowels do not get enough roughage - they atrophy. The combination of high nutrition and low bulk does not remove a dog's hunger pangs as it does not attend to the domestic dog's essential fuel requirements. Only his nutrient requirements. It is not unlike science fiction where cyber-people swallow only vitamin pills twice a day - and have no access to any other food in between. The enjoyment of food is very closely linked with mental health - and as we know, the subject of mental health is sorely neglected by the current dog system. There is no point in living if all we have to look forward to is a life time of hunger. Or boring food. The laboratories do not monitor the effect that this high nutrition, low fibre, New Age dog food is having on the dog's stress-levels, hunting instincts and his relationship with his family in his own home. And nor do they monitor the long term effect that the low fibre content has on the dog's digestive organs. We all know that if we did this to humans, they would eventually get cancer of the colon. With dogs - only time can tell. The protein ratio is also very high in some dog foods and can result in kidney failure. Rice, vegetables and or bread added to the food (with some milk or oil for flavour) reduces this high protein ratio. Some of them that sell very unpalatable food even tell dog owners that their dog cannot taste (as in remember, think, feel or see in colour - the list is getting longer). Offer a dog the choice of a steak and a piece of bread and see who knows best! Then there are some puppy foods that have too high a protein ratio which can cause the growing dog's bone and cartilage to grow at different rates, eventually causing lameness. Dog owners are therefore told to give their dog less food so that they take in less protein, which in turn causes hunger and undernourishment in the growing dog. This lameness can be prevented through correcting the protein ratio by simply giving the dog more bulk such as rice or bread. (But I've been told that bread is bad for my dog!” The domestic dog that used to live to 18 before the advent of processed dog food didn't find that.) Feeding a dog on high energy dog food is like feeding a child's pony on oats. With the same results. Those who promote “peak performance” in the pet dog by giving him high performance dog food are in fact promoting behavioural disorders. Performing is digging up a rose bush. Peak performance is digging up 10 rose bushes. Performing is taking the Barracuda out of the pool once a week. Peak performance is taking it out once a day. Performance is barking for an hour non stop. Peak performance is barking for 6 hours non stop. WE ARE SQUEEZING THE PET DOG OUT OF SOCIETY AND “KILLING HIM WITH KINDNESS” Many professional people are over-extending their scope still further, thus starting to place pet owning out of the reach of many who can't afford high cost pet cuisine, placing pets on the “endangered species” list. They are detracting from the pleasure of dog owning by telling dog owners not to cook for their pet dog. Many of these pet owners live alone, and need the therapy that many pleasurable hours planning and cooking meals for their dog brings them. They also throw away leftovers that are perfectly good food, as they are pressured into spending far more than they can afford on expensive dog food. This is placing a heavy and unnecessary financial burden on many poor and elderly people who's pets are their lives. . LAID-BACK PEOPLE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THEMSELVES ARE NOT THREATENED BY OWNING A TUBBY DOG. People who are secure and who therefore do not feel the need to always seek the approval of others are not phased about having a dog that is not the conventional shape. Their dog is happy, and they all get on with their lives. These families all find that tubby dogs make far more rewarding pets. Broad dogs also make more of an impression on intruders than scrawny ones - and just because a dog is tubby it does not mean that he is either lazy or indifferent to his territory or to his owners' welfare. Monty is a dog that looks more like a hippo than a dog. His owner, Pat is always being insulted about his size - but he can make a cat look clumsy when he thinks she or and his turf are threatened! So, is having a stocky, well nourished and contented dog such a crime! No - having predatory dogs that are a threat to children and the elderly, deliberately keeping dogs frenzied with hunger, keeping the neighbourhood awake at night with our dog's incessant barking, owning a dog that jumps walls and causes accidents in the street ... that's a crime. HOW CAN I TELL IF MY DOG IS UNDERFED? If your dog has two meals a day, takes over an hour to finish his food, does not gulp it down and is well padded, you are feeding him for temperament. You should be able to put your hand on your dog's back over his pelvic areas at the base of his spine and move your hand from side to side without feeling his bones. I automatically do that test on a dog that I suspect may be underfed. If I feel bones, he is needing filling out. But the reverse may not automatically be true. If you do not feel any bones but the dog still finishes each meal and licks his dish afterwards, he is needing to fill out still further. Walter, can you draw a diagram of a dog with his tummy horizontal and another with his tummy sagging?If your dog is not elderly and puffs and pants when he gets up or walks up stairs he is needing:His titbits cut out;His exercise increased very gradually.I have a dog that has a very slow metabolism through being kept very hungr
y before I got her, so she put on weight very quickly. By giving her all the food she wanted and never letting her bowls be empty so that food was no longer an issue to her, giving her no titbits and walking her further than the other dogs, she lost the sag in her tummy without any stress or damage to her temperament. I also gave her a piece of meat before her meals which made her lose her appetite a little and eat less of her own free will.AND AT LAST - HOW DO I FEED MY DOG FOR TEMPERAMENT?Now we come to the all important subject of feeding for temperament - which is a little like us going out to enjoy a meal with friends at a restaurant. Satisfying our hunger with enjoyable food also puts us in a good frame of mind as it facilitates socializing. Feeding for temperament means:the food is sufficient for your dog's individual needs. (When we go out to dinner we do not find the waiters waiting for us next to a scale so that they can weigh us in order to find out how much to give us.)the dog enjoys his food. (Called “spoiling” by members of the dog system who drink coffee and coke, have sugar in their tea, butter on their bread and go to the Spur or Mike's Kitchen.) it must have sufficient nutrition and caloric density. If you give your dog bread, vegetables, tinned or fresh meat, brown rice, balanced rations etc .... he will automatically be getting enough protein and nutrients. Dogs still lived - and live - on food that has not been processed in laboratories. And so do we. Fuel however (caloric density), may have to be attended to by the owner by adding rice, bread or vegetables if their dog is only getting new age high nutrient dog food.the food is sufficient for your dog's individual needs.Because our dog can't open his mouths and say “Please, sir, I want some more”, the only way we can know that he is being adequately nourished is for him to leave something behind in his bowl after each meal. Food just shouldn't be an issue. I always tell my clients to feed their dogs the way they feed their children - then you can't go wrong. Except once perhaps, when Virginia phoned me to help her with her dog that was being destructive. I asked the usual - “does he leave food behind when he eats?” and got the usual “Never!” “You must feed him like you feed your children” I said. “What do you do when they finish their food and lick their plate?” “Celebrate!” she came back in a flash. No mar fine ... let's start again . If you have a dog that “gobbles his food down”, “would go through 10 bags of dog food” “is always hungry”, you can start feeding for temperament by:just putting enough food for your dog to eat and eat until he stops. It is important that the food is moist when this is done. I frequently break up a loaf (a few if the dog is large) of brown break into a dog's bowl, and pour milk or three quarters mile and one quarter water over it. No dog has ever come to any harm when we do this. doubling up and doubling up on that, and then doubling again with each meal until you learn how much your dog needs in order to have his hunger satisfied.However, your dog will probably overeat for about two weeks until he has got rid of his “famine mindset”. This is termed by behaviour therapist Dr. Mugford as “positive overshoot”. Some dogs even regurgitate and go back to what is known by those who study wolves and wild dogs as the “food cachet”. But as your dog becomes less and less insure about his food supply, his eating will stabilise, and this reversion to his roots will go. If your dog does “overflows”, just ignore it. Getting upset is going to disturb his mind even further. My readers and clients usually report back to me that their dogs stop overeating after around two weeks after starting this very popular new feeding programme, and then settle down to eating far less of their own free choice as their insecurity goes through no longer being permanently hungry. Which means the dog has now lost his fear of starving. And not unlike victims that have just come out of a concentration camp (where ribs show and food is unpalatable) there is frequently diarrhoea until their digestive system has adjusted. This usually corrects itself on it's own, otherwise you can put your dog on chicken and rice or dog food that is especially formulated for this problem (as much as he wants) until his stomach has settled. Then if your dog finishes his food before an hour, give him more. If he finishes that, give him more. If he finishes that buy him a bigger bowl. Like the wolves and dogs in the wild (see National Geographic) a dog should spend at least an hour going back to his food. “A dog going back to nibble is one more dog out of trouble.”Puppies of under 2 months should get four meals a day. If the dog is a large breed, even five. Before going to bed, they should be given another feed at about 10.00 p.m. Only drop the midday meal and the late night one when the dog himself loses interest, and then keep him on two meals a day. A dog's stomach is not big enough to hold a 24 hour food supply, and the wild dog goes hunting morning and evening, so this is the feeding pattern that he is made for. Adult dogs are fed twice a day and puppies 3 to 4 times a day. And a bowl of their favourite biscuits should be left for them to nosh on in between. Temperature variations, and extra matters that have to be attended to up and down the fence for example, can make dogs extra hungry. While Romulus, the Rottweiller that I use for socializing, was growing, he had 5 meals a day until he was 3 months old and 4 meals a day until he was 5 months old - as long as he was hungry ... he was fed. He has never known hunger and is actually quite slim. He has a very stable and reliable temperament and thinks he is a child's nanny and because he can be depended on not to be aggressive under any circumstances (obviously we do not push him to his limits), he can be used for socialising other dogs. He is also a very good watchdog.Harriet, my Labrador is also slender - and again - she has always been given all the food she wants. Home cooking; balanced rations of her choice mixed with tinned meat; bread and milk, Beeno's .... Miss Piggy on the other hand is tubby. She is a Bull Terrier that I use to teach aggressive dogs not to fight. Because she understands the dynamics of aggression, she knows how to diffuse a fight by not returning aggression for aggression. She then opens up the option of socialising by teaching dogs “doggy manners”. She knew hunger before I got her so her body has learnt to store. In fact her tubbiness is part of her charm - as she is extremely popular. But although she would be termed “obese” by the Mother Grundies of the domestic dog world, her favourite party trick to get attention (like when she has been with new people for a whole minute and no-one has commented on her “looks”) is to leap into the air, do a 360 turn and land facing the same way. Never been known to fail. It will tell you what to do when your dog bites and shows aggression toward other dogs. When dog owners are told to drop their dog's midday meal before he is ready for it, or only feed their dog once a day - hunting behaviour, (excessive barking, chasing the cat, jumping on visitors, chewing our possessions ...) a sluggish metabolism and lowered resistance to disease are the inevitable consequences. As would be the case with us. (Perhaps we should all eat twice a day, instead of dogs once and us three times ...)Secondly, the food must be enjoyable for the dog. Palatability is essential for mental health and therefore for compatible and harmonious co-existence with our dogs as well as for their quality of living. We often hear: “He'll eat it when he's hungry enough” which comes from the army influence. Eating is not all about staying alive. It is about mental health (“a little bit of what is bad for you is good for you”, or “what's bad for the body is good for the mind” - or something like that).as well as physical health, enhancement of life, a highlight in a day to look forward to. It is about feeding our buddy, who can trust us to understand him and meet his needs. Because if we don't - he has nowhere else to turn. The feedback I get from dog owners is that dogs seem to like Pedigreed dog food, Hills, Olympic and the Bobtail “in the green packet” the most. Some dogs like Epol tender chunks. If the dogs like their dog biscuits, a bowl should be placed where it can be seen when it gets empty and simply kept full. A cocktail of different brands is a good idea.f a dog does not enjoy his plain biscuits - which few dogs do - flavour should be added in the form of milk, some oil, or flavour from the family's cooking, and mixed right through the dog's biscuits. Or mince or tinned dog meat which can be mixed meat some water to make a thick gravy, then poured over the dog's food and mixed through thoroughly.At our socialising centre, food bowls just don't get empty. They are kept in the shade, and then what has been lying around for a whole day or overnight, has some meat or oil added to it so that it does not go to waste and what is not eaten after about an hour is thrown out and the bowls cleaned. But we know our dogs well by now and very little food is thrown away. If you are starting out on the feeding for temperament programme, it won't be long before you know how much your dog eats as well. When I know I am going to be late, a bowl of dry Hills or Pedigree is left for the dogs, as I know they like those. The Maltese gets different food, so when she is being fed, the bigger dogs are locked away for about an hour.The Dogs Must be Crazy shows both wild dogs leaving food on a carcass that the vultures then come and eat, and feeding time at the socialising centre where the dogs are fed according to these natural principles. You see dogs swopping bowls and Bull Terriers sharing with Poodles and German Shepherds eating with puppies ... food just isn't an issue. (Unless it's an issue because it's yummies.) The pleasure they get from their food is obvious - and it gives us pleasure just watching them enjoy it. (One vet told me the eating scene was his favourite scene on the video.)If you have a dog that won't let other dogs eat, have more bowls than dogs placed all around the house. If one dog plays policeman over all the bowls, make food into less of an issue as described in this booklet, and see that the victim dog has at least an hour twice a day with free access to a food bowl while the bully is closed away.About twice a week they get brown bread either with or without oil, or Beeno's for “pudding”. Rice and meat with vegetables, for example, or bread and milk or a different brand of dog food. Samp or mealie rice cooked with chicken livers, tripe or Bovril is also
Dogs should have dry biscuits to nibble on inbetween meals in case their owners come home late, or the dog gets peckish. Sometimes bread with oil on it is dried out in a low oven and given to them to chomp on. it must have sufficient nutrition and caloric density. If you give your dog bread, vegetables, tinned or fresh meat, brown rice, balanced rations etc .... he will automatically be getting enough protein and nutrients. Dogs still lived - and live - on food that has not been processed in laboratories. And so do we. Fuel however (caloric density), may have to be attended to by the owner by adding rice, bread or vegetables if their dog is only getting new age high nutrient dog food.On Before and After Learning Dog Language, you can see a grandfather of two young children who acquired two young pups, and followed the feeding programme that he was given. On it you can see him describing the resulting chaos, including aggression toward the children. Then you hear him describing how he started feeding them for temperament after he consulted me, and we went back with the camera. It changed their lives - and probably saved the children from being attacked. I hear on a daily basis: “Since you showed me how to feed my dog for temperament (or “since I took my dog off his diet”) .... my wife and I are no longer fighting, my children can go outside and play, my teenage children are not embarrassed to have friends around any more, I can have a garden again, the cat has move back, the other dog's life is now worth living, my child is no longer taking remedial lessons, I can sleep at night ... I've heard them all. Over and over. And more than once I have even heard of owners coming off medication. The change in a dog's behaviour once feeding for temperament has been introduced is very dramatic. In one of the many letters I receive from dog owners, one of my readers wrote: “Thankyou so much for pointing out to us that hunger makes dogs hunt. Since I have fed my Labrador till she leaves food behind, she is a pleasure to live with.”Now your dog can take his mind off his next meal - and will longer see you as just a meal ticket any more (or a meal), but as a buddy. His metabolism will start burning fat more efficiently and his tendons and immune system strengthened. The benefits of feeding for temperament are proved over and over. Animal Welfare organisations that consult me on kennel stress all find that the benefits of changing their feeding programmes are enormous. I advise lower vitamin and protein intake to reduce the energy levels (and therefore the frustration in the dogs) and more bulk , rather feeding the domestic dogs cheaper food twice a day that fills them, than expensive, high performance food that energises them and makes them feel very frustrated and therefore extremely stressed in their small areas. When dogs are fed more expensive food, they also get less, so that when they go into their new homes, they are very hungry after alpha training. This frequently causes them to attack another pet or a child when food is around ... and back to the kennels they go - this time perhaps into deathrow. But when their tummies are full, the return rate is always lower. BUT WHAT IF MY DOG REALLY IS FAT.
I can understand that you would want to ask that. Firstly, if your domestic dog is reasonably agile - he is not overweight according to his own individual metabolism, however much he appears to be! Polly and Suki were two Staffies that were diagnosed as overweight and put on diet. Then they started fighting and I was consulted for dog puppy training and dog behavior training and clicker training and alpha training. The family had a long flight of steps up to their front door and the dogs would run up and down them effortlessly. They had very broad ribcages and a lot of genetic fat which was not being tolerated. The extreme hunger that was caused by trying to diet away gave them short fuses and two dogs there were very good friends were now trying to kill each other. But if your dog is puffing and panting and it is not through old age (dieting old dogs is only going to make their last few years miserable), is he getting titbits? If he is, let him lose weight by cutting them out. Is he bored? If he can see onto the street and has a sniffle on the pavement each day, he will not eat so much out of boredom. A dog that is younger than eight and is battling to walk or who has rheumatism can be filled up on low calorie food like vegetables so that his hunger is satisfied on low calorie food. Some people give their dogs some biltong before their dinner, which encourages them to be more picky about their food.You can also burn a little fat off your dog by exercising him very gradually - more mental than physical. If your dog already gets exercise - he is not overweight or you would not be able to exercise him - so relax! If he does not get exercised, start very slowly. Walk him at his own pace on a lead once a day, starting with a few metres, and finally going around a block or so. This is a highly enjoyable (lucky dog!) weigh-less programme for a dog. But do not cut his food back or his body will just burn fat less efficiently.If a dog has a severe eating disorder or hormone imbalance, accepting it is the kindest thing to do, as no-one is perfect. In the old days, being fat was synonymous with being kind and jolly. If fat people were allowed to accept themselves, they would also have peace of mind while making their very valuable contribution to society. Imagine a world with everyone lean and the same shape and obsessed with their image? A world devoid of those who are warm and jolly. AND WHAT IF MY DOG WON'T EAT AT ALL?This is usually either:an emotional problem; the dog's sympathetic nervous system is activated;he does not like his food;another dog is preventing him from eatingan emotional problem; A dog that gets too much attention often catches onto the fact that he can play games with loving owners by going on a hunger strike then sitting back and watching them freak. To cure canine anorexia, the dog must have nice food dished up for him, with the meat mixed right through in a gravy so that he can't pick it out - then you pretend to eat it, making slurping noises, saying things like: “Yum, yum, this is delicious” and make a show of licking your lips while ignoring him totally. This will either make him think that if he doesn't eat it, you will, and he'll hate that, or that he's getting some of your food and it certainly looks very nice. But don't look at him while you are doing it or he'll small a rat. He's smart remember, or he wouldn't be playing these games with you in the first place. Then put the food down, walk away and forget about it. As long as you keep checking to see if he's eating, he won't. He'll think “Trap!” If you don't worry about him, he then loses his power over you so he has nothing to lose by eating anyway. You can (should) also come out of your dog's power by following the principles laid out in Living with an Alien by Pam Whyte. Staffies and Maltese are the two breeds that go on hunger strikes the most.the dog's sympathetic nervous system is activated;When a dog is in the middle of a perceived hunt, his instincts are informed that he must not eat because the prey may get away. This might sound crazy, but because the dog is an alien, we don't know how to relate to him in a way that he can understand so he becomes totally out of rhythm with the way he is designed to function , so that he has now become dysfunctional. (Crazy.) The rhythm of the wild is discussed Living with an Alien and teaches you how to shut down a dog's sympathetic nervous system.WHAT IF MY DOG JUST WONT PUT ON WEIGHT? This is usually diagnosed as a pancreas problem but is always cured by feeding the dog for temperament, settling his emotions and taking him out of hunt mode. How to settle a dog's emotions and how to take him out of hunt mode are discussed in Living with an Alien - and now you know how to feed for temperament! AND WHAT ABOUT GIVING MY DOG TITBITS?We all have “titbits” - which simply adds to the quality of our lives. Giving a dog titbits however, can make him a nuisance when visitors come and can make our dog bother us when we are eating. It also takes away his peace of mind, because it can make his own food less palatable in comparison. I would say, put some Beeno's or West's or some Weetbix for example in his own bowl when you are having a titbit if you want to give your dog a treat, then he does not see it come off your plate, and the difference in flavour between the treat and his own food is not too great. When we give our dog food out of our hands, their inbuilt protocol (no different from people), tells him that he is being served. Which gives a dominant dog status, that goes to his head, and causes him to lose respect for his owner. All too often, I have seen this to be the case. When we are establishing a power platform with our dogs, and winning their respect in order to bring them under willing control - feeding them by hand is not only dishing up grub for them - it is handing them power as well.
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Jackie
Male, cross Terrier, plus minus 8 years old, been fixed.
Been with us the longest.
Street and abused dog.
Barks excessively. Nips when you turn your back.
Unruly towards visitors.
Guards his food, any food.
Runs out door if given the opportunity.
Barks at anything that moves day and night.
Humps only Jody not Shena.
Does not like it if we tell him no. at times might even growl and nip us. Goes for my niece.
Nips people on the bum especially if food being served. Hates garden service. Not really get
into fights but growl and makes a lot of noise. Licks obsessively.
Shena
Female, Parsan Terrier, 2 years on the 6 November, been fixed.
Very naughty as puppy, went through two of our couches, ruined a lot of furniture, digs like
a machine. Sulks a lot if I do not give her attention 24/7. if she is ignored – she will lie in
box and shake. Looks as if she dominates Jackie – as puppy she fought with Jackie a lot – we
had to separate them to cool off – Jackie does not fight back just makes a lot of noise.
Shena sucks on Jackie ears a lot till they are soaking wet – vet told us just to leave her.
Barks at cats and people at door. Generally submissive towards visitors but does still jump up.
Really submissive towards 7 year old niece. Loves playing ball but takes it very serious and
does not like it if other dogs get too involved. Seems quite depressed lately and sad. She wines
a lot – at nothing – it seems to get our attention. Hide under table on chair and sulks.
Jody
Female, Dalmation crossed with pointer just over one year old, been fixed. Got her from a terrible pet shop, she looked dead, weighed less than 1 kg. Looked like a starved donkey all bones visible. Took her to vet straight away. Vet stated she was obviously not fed for a couple of days. Treated her like her own puppy. Obviously eats a lot and loves her food. Now 18 kg. Lately became really aggressive. Play fights a lot – which has developed into actual terrible fights. Barks aggressively at anything. Does not seem to mind Jackie. Plays well with Shena but if get too excited they fight. (Especially when excited about people at door, garden service and CATS) when they fight she gets Shena by neck and on her back and stands over her – very difficult to separate them as neither of them give up. Ends up in blood shed and tears. Now lately past week very agro – stares at Shena then aggressively chases her. Possessive over toys, bed and us. Goes back to eat all the time. When we play ball she gets so excited but then loses focus and eats any food that can be found. Chews coffee table and in process of destroying out last couch. Destroys plants and digs. Hates to be ignored or left alone. Rolls on Shena – Shena then often gets hurt – which also can escalate into a fight. Likes to bring in trees and big stones and chew on it. Sniffs wild at anywhere Shena has been.
General
Food – they get fed twice a day, dog biscuits with chicken and rice and cauliflower and broccoli. Every second night they get chicken livers – they love that. In the mornings they get chicken sausages with left over veggies. They used to get raw hide at least twice a day – but stopped this as Jody would steal them all. get greats when we leave. Get treats when we braai. Get the occasional cookie if they are super good – they have not had one for a while. We always leave food down for them. And they always have fresh water.
We come home every lunch time to do damage control. Make sure the dogs are o.k. and make sure they have not damaged couch and other furniture. (The couch is now well protected every time we leave with wire and netting – to avoid the temptation).
We leave them inside but they can go outside through doggie flap. They all are will trained and pee outside. Very seldom that they will pee inside – only when flap is locked when garden service comes – if they pee and mess we don’t shout at them.
ke a wild person to catch them. They are not road smart. Fear that they will get out and be lost or I cannot catch them and they might get run over by car. We no longer use front door. We go through garage door to prevent them running out. We hardly have people over – if so it will be familiar people – never a stranger.
Very tense at home lately. Karl works at home so we don’t have to leave them alone. Constantly tense and our nerves are shot as anything could lead to a fight. Think this is tension rubbing off on dogs. I am very nervous around them lately. But they all get lots and lots of attention. They have their own beds and bench but sometimes allowed to sit with us on couch. They sleep with us on bed – tried for them to sleep in their own beds at night but just a constant fight to get them off so we gave up. When my mother doggie sits they sleep on the floor.
Try to leave them alone as little as possible we do shifts to be at home – they seem to be ruling our lives. We don’t to out at night as they really do not like it. Love our dogs to bits. Not an option to get rid of any of them – would love peace and calm at home not to worry and stress about them all the time. Would like to take them for walks as they would like it. Out dogs are really our lives – we want them to be happy dogs.
My case report.
Janine said that when her mother “baby sat” while they went away they told her that if the dogs fought, they must put one dog in the bathroom, but when they fought she put herself in the bathroom. They showed me how the table was chewed up, the plants were in cages, I was sitting on their 3rd couch and they were designing a contraption to come down from the ceiling to trap them when they couldn’t catch them. They didn’t use the front door because the dogs ran out when it was opened and they couldn’t get them back and they had no visitors anymore
They also didn’t go out so the dogs weren’t alone. The dogs fought at 3.00 am every morning. She didn’t want to come home anymore, which was actually a good thing because Karl said they were fine when she wasn’t there.
Email from Janine the next day:
Thank you for last night. When we let the dogs in and ignored them they just sniffed all over the place. we just ignored them and went about our own things. When it came to bed time they all rushed to the bedroom. But now that I am thinking like a dog I tricked them I walked to the dog flap as if there was a meeting between them all outside. I casually walked to the bedroom and closed the door behind me. We went to bed. They barked a little – Jackie was surprisingly very quiet. Shena whined and Jody barked a little soon though they all just slept and for once so did we. Predictably enough at exactly 3 in the early morning Jody tried to wake me up as she stared barking to get my attention – she was on her hunting trip. We ignored them and she stopped her barking very soon. We slept well in the morning they came to the door and cried a bit and sniffed at the door. We waited till it was quiet and we both came out of the room and continued to get ready for work, fed them some good chicken and had breakfast. I opened all the curtains they looked at me as if I was mad and I went about my own thing. After my shower I was busy getting dressed and they started to play fight on the bed – normally I would freak out and shout and separate them. This morning I ignored them completely and then casually left the room. I saw in the mirror that they completely stopped and looked at each other as if I’d totally lost it.
We went to work no hassles or tragic good bye kisses and hugs. Not once did they even look for a toy! Lunch time when we went home to ignore them – it was so interesting. We got home to be greeted by Shena and Jody. We ignored them and they soon just went to go sit in their boxes. Jackie dod not come in to g | |