One very annoying habit of many dogs is that of charging the door when someone knocks. Since the dog is likely to run faster than the resident human, the dog thinks it’s out of your range and hence only under voice control. Now having your dog thoroughly under voice control is a situation to be striven for, but it does not come overnight. In the meantime, how to cope?

I first used one of those chain collars that is supposed to be keyed so it would assault the
dog’s ears when it was jangled, for I had an adult, incorrigible door charger, Heidi. One day when Heidi was charging the door, I couldn’t immediately find the sound collar, so I just grabbed a regular chain choker and threw it, hitting the door at the same moment that my voice hit her ears with the NO. The effect was the same: She backed off. Thus I learned
that one does not need any special equipment; the jangle of any choke chain suddenly landing out of thin air is upsetting enough to cause your dog to heed your NO command. Repeated regularly, this combination of the thrown chain and the NO command resulted in the dog not charging doors anymore—in fact, she charged them a lot less, and finally not at all. I’ve used the technique since on other dogs who learned the lesson in just two or three sessions.

Do not worry about what the person at the door is going to think when you go through your correctional antics. People do not think kind thoughts when they are knocked down or jumped on by a dog that answers the door, so they’re likely to appreciate your efforts to keep their entry safe. Besides using the thrown object indoors to aid training, thrown objects are useful outdoors, too. Put some pebbles into an empty plastic bottle and use it as an outdoor training aid.

The puppy who does not heed your voice command is startled by the rattle the bottle makes landing nearby and is quickly convinced that it is not safe to ignore you. A clod of dirt or a handful of pebbles will do in a pinch. Do not use anything that would hurt your pup if it hit. The object here is to get Puppy’s attention, not to touch him. The combination of the thrown object and your command gets the pup’s attention and improves compliance. Be sneaky about throwing things; you don’t want Puppy to see you doing the throwing, for that could make the pup afraid of you.

Modern drugs are surely a benefit to the practice of veterinary medicine. They have helped save the lives of many critically ill dogs and restored countless others to normal health. Yet improperly used, they cannot only fail in their intended function, but can actually create a more serious threat to your dog. An antibiotic given at haphazard and infrequent intervals can create a resistant strain of bacteria. A corticosteroid abruptly discontinued after long use can precipitate a dangerous adrenal gland hormone imbalance. A drug intended to be given four times a day may produce a dangerously high blood level if given, only twice a day, but at double the dose.

When your veterinarian dispenses or prescribes medication for your aging dog, he or she should also give you the following information in addition to the dose and frequency. Do not hesitate to ask your vet the following questions:

1. What is the medication expected to do?
2. How soon can improvement be expected?
3. How long should you wait if there is no change in condition?
4. How long should the medication be continued?
5. Is the medicine to be stopped abruptly or is the dose to be reduced and how?
6. Does the medicine need special storage? Away from light? Refrigeration? Must it be kept airtight?
7. What possible side effects might be expected?

The dispensing label or prescription should carry specific directions for use, which should be followed explicitly. Is the medication to be given before or after or with food, or perhaps on an
empty stomach which should remain empty for a specified time? Some medicines are inactivated by food, due to mechanical or chemical interference with their absorption from the stomach or small intestine.

If there is more than one type of medication, can they be given together, or is there a particular sequence of administration or time interval between them? Certain drugs interfere with each other when given together while others will intensify the reaction. The directions say “three times daily.” Does that mean morning, noon, and night or breakfast, lunch, and supper or every eight hours? The effective levels in the blood of some medications fall more rapidly than others and require administration at regular and specific time intervals.

The prescribed tablet is quit large and not too easy to administer twice a day. Will it be just as good to give ½ a tablet four times a day? For some drugs the answer is yes. For others
definitely not, because by doing so, you will render the drug ineffective. And you most certainly will want to know when to start giving the drug; when you get home, later that day, the next morning, or only if certain symptoms appear? Ask your vet all pertinent questions before leaving the examination room! This is especially important if the prescription is to be filled outside of the veterinary hospital.

Food and Water Bowls: A puppy needs a variety of basic items. Topping the list are a food dish and a separate water bowl. A mat to put them on is also necessary in order to save the floor from slurped water and spilled food. If your puppy has long, hanging ears, get dishes specially made to keep their ears out of the food or water. Consider bowls with weighted bases or non-slip bottoms so your pet cannot push them all around the room. For a dog that will be very tall, two dishes in a raised stand will keep food and water where they belong and at a comfortable height. Lightweight plastic bowls are not a good idea especially for a teething, chewing puppy. If your puppy is in an exercise pen, a water bowl is available that hangs on the wire and can be raised as he grows.

Food: Begin with whatever dog food the breeder was feeding, or ask your veterinarian for advice. You may also buy a top-quality food made especially for puppies. Vets today agree that it is not necessary to add vitamins or minerals to a quality dog food for a healthy puppy. Too many vitamins are actually detrimental, especially for large breeds.

Cookies and treats: Small, plain dog biscuits are ideal for “good puppy” rewards and an occasional treat. Fancy flavored treats are okay for adult dogs, but young puppies do better on a blander diet and fewer treats!

Collar and Leash: Collars come in all colors and styles. Just keep in mind that the puppy will outgrow several collars until he reaches his full size and he may go through as many as six different collar sizes as he grows. It is very sad to see a little puppy weighed down with a heavy chain collar and a leash strong enough to restrain a horse! Be sure each collar and leash you select matches the current size and strength of your puppy. Take him with you to the pet store to be sure you get the right collar, and keep in mind that you will probably be back in a couple of months for a bigger one. The leash will last longer, unless your puppy is allowed to use it as a teething toy, which is definitely not a recommended game.

Collars that can tighten around the dog’s neck are meant to be used only as training devices and removed when the lesson is over. They are not intended for continuous wear because they are dangerous. If this type of collar catches on any immovable object, the dog can easily strangle in his efforts to get free. Stay with soft buckle or snap-closure collars for everyday wear. If you go for “motivational training,” you will be staying with the soft collar.

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Creating a holiday tree that is both beautiful to look at for you and unattractive to your dog is a special challenge. Here are some suggestions to keep your tree pet-friendly.

1. Tree water at the base of live trees can be harmful if preservative chemicals have been added to prolong the life of the tree. Keep your dog from drinking the water by covering the tree basin with foil or a tree skirt.

2. Place dog-safe ornaments near the bottom of the tree in case your dog decides to use the ornaments as playthings.

3. Tie up loose electrical cords of the lights used to decorate the tree and keep them concealed by attaching them with wire or cord to the trunk of the tree. End-to-end lights eliminate individual cords dangling from the tree that might entice your dog to chew them.

4. If you have lots of tree lights that are not end to end, purchase a power strip in which to plug the lights. Attach the strip to the tree trunk at a level that is higher than the height of your dog. As a result, you will have only one heavy-duty power cord running from the tree to the outlet instead of several flimsy cords from single strings of lights.

5. To prevent your dog from knocking over your holiday tree, anchor it with cord or wire to the ceiling directly above the tree’s trunk. Don’t attach it with wire to a wall behind the tree because your dog could get caught in the wire if be darts behind the tree.

6. Spray the tower branches of the tree with bitter apple, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, or other unappealing scents.

7. Hang your ornaments with ribbons rather than hooks to keep your dog from accidentally swallowing something that could get lodged in his throat.

8. Do not use tinsel or angel hair on your tree. Angel hair, made of glass fiber, and tinsel, made of metal, can cause internal damage if your dog swallows any.

9. Avoid decorating your tree with strings of berries or other edible ornaments – many are harmful if swallowed. The string on which they are attached can cause damage to your dog’s intestines if swallowed, and a dog, eager to get to the “treats,” could knock over the tree.

10. If you like, decorate a small, artificial tree for your dog with items he will find appealing, such as doggie biscuits and dog toys. Hide the tree until you are ready for your dog to open his presents.