Exercise and your dog

What better way to enjoy the great outdoors than to take your dog with you?
Exercising with your dog outside will lead you into some serious quality time together, helping to strengthen your bond with the dog, and leave you both feeling great!

Dogs, like people, are far less likely to exhibit behavioural problems when they are well exercised, leaving a deep sense of relaxation and calm, whilst being free from anxiety and stress as you bathe in those uplifting endorphins. Depending on the environment you have before you, you can do so many things with your dog when outside.

As well as playing fetch with the humble tennis ball, you could stretch your imagination to the Frisbee, cycling together, roller blading or swimming in the sea together  -if you live in a suitable climate! The UK is experiencing an interest in CaniX, which is basically running with a dog whilst it wears a harness connected to the handler via a stretchable chord.

So which breeds are suitable for such activities? The short answer is that virtually all dogs can be exercised outside in a way that allows them to have fun and remain fit. Certain types of dogs will prefer different ways to exercise their natural instincts.
Working breeds such as the gun dog group (Pointers, Labradors, Retrievers, Spaniels and so on) or pastoral breeds (Collies, German Shepherds, Old English Sheepdogs) will love virtually all forms of finding and returning an item to you.

Introduce entering into water for the same game and your dog will probably love it. This can be made into a more involved game involving nature’s obstacles to introduce agility and nose work to find a hidden item such as a toy you may have planted earlier.

The terrier group (Jack Russells, Border terriers, Airedales etc.) also love to seek items out in hard cover, and are no less adventurous or brave due to their reduced size. The instinct to thrash a toy they have retrieved may leave it in less than good shape, so ensure it is a tough one to play with.

All of the above breeds will happily run or walk as far as most people can due to the efficient stride and reserves of stamina. A number of the toy breeds can handle good levels of exercise too. This group includes breeds such as the Bichon Frise, Chihuahua, Papillon and Pomeranian. Simply downsize the same activities, and many will be surprised as to what a big heart they have!

Ideally a dog should be approximately eighteen months of age before giving it hard prolonged exercise, and a very gradual build up to that point is advisable. If in doubt consult your vet before commencing a fitness programme with your dog, or indeed your own doctor if you have not been very active for some time. It’s important to build the dog up gradually if your dog happens to be out of shape. Give regular easier rest days to begin with, and keep an eye out for lameness or cut pads for example. Dogs will often exercise with little regard for their own safety, and often show a much higher tolerance of pain than humans do.

So I hope the above has given food for thought, and encourages you to keep active with your dog.

A checklist to consider before each adventure will include the following:

• A simple 1st aid kit for both of you. Your vet/doctor can help with this.
• Carry a mobile, and the phone number of your vet/doctor.
• Be sure to provide ICE information on your phone and papers carried.
• Consider a simple GPS unit to mark your starting point if in unfamilar surrounds.
• Let someone know where you’re going & expected time of return.
• Take adequate food and fluids.
• Take adequate clothing for the weather conditions.
• Avoid exercise in excessively hot conditions.

Nick Jones Deciphering Dog Behaviour
www.alphadogbehaviour.co.uk

Keeping your dog cool in the heat...

Keep your dog cool this summer

Summer is well and truly with us, and as I write we are experiencing a mini heat wave in the UK.

My old girl Amber used to know the phrase 'In the shade', and she would go to a cool spot and stay there when hot (quite sensible I thought!). Little Pip the Border terrier however knows nothing of common sense and will stay in the intense sun until she is near to meltdown. As a result I keep her in the shade or in a well ventilated cool room for her own good.

Free access to water is of course essential for both man and dog in this weather so do be sure to keep the dog well watered. Just plain clean tap water is sufficient. Dogs are lactose intolerant, so no milk and so on.

If it's too hot for you to walk bare foot on the pavement (for example) then it'll be too hot for your dog too! Avoid exercising your dog at peak sun hours and go for early morning or late evening walks. Take a water bottle and possibly a collapsible water bowl too for regular water stops.

Be on the alert for heat stroke. I have seen the opposite whereby my ol' girl Amber once went into hypothermia when walking in freezing rain on a lake district peak with me. She should have had a Gore Tex kit like what I did ;) Hyperthermia is the excess of heat build up and equally as dangerous for a dog. Early signs of this might include rapid breathing, heavy panting, salivation. Also fatigue tremors, and staggering. If you see this and feel concerned, get the dog into shade, and apply wet towels if possible. Offer small amounts of water and call your vet (always carry that number with you). At worse I would be prepared to dial 999, or 118247 in the UK and they can put you through to a nearest vet if you're away from home.

Did you know that for your own safety you can insert an entry in your mobile phone under ICE-name (In Case of Emergency) and then the number you'd like the emergency services to call if you're out of action or involved in an accident?

Watch out for sunburn! Pale or white dogs and those with very short coat can suffer on the nose and back. I have often placed a dob of lotion of my dog's nose and rubbed it in past the licking point! Sprays or aerosols are good along the back too if the coat is short enough for the sun to hit the skin on the back. On the beach all day? Dig down to a cool level or provide a small pop up tent!

Certain breeds may be more susepible to the heat too. Such breeds would include the boxer, bulldogs, pugs, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and so on. These breeds have a job breathing at the best of times, so be careful in the extra heat. Dogs with heavy coats such as the Old English and so on should be clipped out nicely to allow a cooler summer. I love the idea of a long haired Shepherd for myself, but these dense coats put me off thinking about how to keep the dog cool at times. I would (funds allowing) consider an air conditioned environment for such a thick coated dog.

Dogs that carry an excess of weight can feel the heat too, so be kind and keep your dog trim :)

Dogs in cars. You would be shocked how quickly the temperature rises when a car is parked up (even with the windows down a little). This is just a bad idea full stop. Don't do it. The dog should only be in the car when with yo, and with the air con on. I often place the car in the shade at home prior to going out with the dog, and leave it running air con on full blast to get a nice starting temperature. I admit that I obsess a little about keeping things cool or warm accordingly, but remember your dog can't talk, so it pays to go the extra mile. Imagine what it musty be like with a coat on too. Going back to the car situation, I did an exercise for my local radio station a couple of years back as it was an article surrounding leaving dogs in cars in connection to a local game fayre. Thankfully I keep the notes in a file (quicker to find than on my PC!) and here are the notes I made whilst in the car:

I started with the car in direct sunlight with the air conditioning on to begin with. I wore shorts and a t-shirt. To begin with the temperature in the car was 25 Celsius. I had a small thermometer with me to keep record.

I then wound the windows up and the engine was turned off. Withing four minutes the temp had raised to 33 degrees Celsius! It was already feeling very warm and 'like an oven' quoting my notes.

Another six minutes on and the temperature had hit 37 degrees (99 Far.) I was at that time running with sweat.

After a full 15 minutes the car was 40 degrees Celsius inside (105 Far.) and I was gasping...I had to get out of the car. Imagine Fido that maybe be already warmed up after a dog walk/run and you then repeat this by dropping into Tesco on the way home. Please be careful!! Dogs regularly die this way.

Otherwise enjoy the summer folks with some walks focused on clean streams and edges of rivers. Remember to keep well hydrated yourself and enjoy the moment.

Nick Jones MCFBA

www.alphadogbehaviour.co.uk

Toileting away from the home...

[Name] = Jo
[County] = Surrey
[Country] = England
[Training Question] = I have been walking my neighbour’s dog for about a year now, he’s a border/cairn terrier cross and is a rescue dog. He won't do a bowel movement in his back garden, only doing so when he's on his walk. This is causing his owner a lot of problems as his owner has mobility problems and finds it difficult to get the dog out three times a day to go to the toilet and it would be much easier for him if he would go in the back garden. The dog had this problem since coming to his owner three years ago, and this is his third home. His owner has no solid information on the dog’s first home, but thinks that he was punished for going to the toilet in his back garden. Is there anyway to change this behaviour so that he will do a bowel movement in his back garden and on the walk?

Hello Jo, and thank you for this interesting question for D For Dog.

This is not the first time I have been asked this, and whilst he is having a chance to eliminate when on walks away from the home, it is indeed difficult to stop such behaviour. Bare in mind that it’s normal and desirable for a dog to eliminate away from its living habitat, and so in many respects the dog does not have a behavioural problem. This also suggests that the dog was not necessarily punished for doing so at his previous home. A behaviour problem is only classified as such when it affects the owner and their lifestyle. In the circumstances I can see that this does present some frustrations.

Should the dog eliminate when outside away from the home, there is nothing that can or should be done. Simply pick up as normal and carry on.
The best thing is to reward the behaviour we do want. This would involve you both agreeing a key word to use when the dog does relieves itself at any time or place to build an association towards that word. I like the term ‘Hurry up’. Though any clear term would work just as well. My own dogs are trained to go on command, though this takes time from puppy-hood to get right.

One method would be to not take the dog outside for a week and to put it in such a position so that it has to go outside within the owner’s grounds. The owner must be with the dog as soon as it goes ready to reward with food (assuming the dog is food driven). Something liked cooked liver or any other high value meat based product can get the message home that you’re happy and you approve. Some dogs are mad for the favourite tennis ball for example, so use this also if you think it will help. Simply throw the ball to reward the pooing in the garden! Play with the dog for a few minutes, and then come back in.

Not taking the dog out for a week will have effects on the dog’s energy levels, so the owner will need to interact with the dog more in the home. Feeding the dog through a treat ball or similar can be a good start, and working on a few simple yet enjoyable fetch games can also relieve the energy.

See how you get on with this approach, and feel free to contact me directly if this needs modifying.

Good luck.

Nick Jones MCFBA. Alpha Dog Behaviour

Dog exercise!

Exercise that dog!

Not all dogs require a daily flogging until they come back wet and exhausted. I think it's just as easy to do too much as it is to do too little.

About 18 months is in my mind the best age to start opening the throttle more and exposing the dog to longer and more strenuous exercise. By this time the muscular and skeletal systems are well established, and able to take the strain.

How much is enough then? Well this really is something that I advise you to think about and to develop a routine that suits you and your dog. Our dogs need to fit in with our lifestyle of course, and ideally your choice of dog would compliment your lifestyle, rather than find yourself with a dog that is constantly in need of fresh air and big runs. This will only leave you feeling guilty, and your dog's behaviour may reflect the lack of exercise if this happens to be the case for you.

The other thing to consider should you be looking at a new dog is the fact that your lifestyle may change later on. Maybe you become a new parent, retire, or start back to work? These things can work for the better in many cases, so no need for a pessimistic forecast on the above, but they are all changes that the dog will need to handle.

Off lead exercise is hugely different from on lead exercise. I would like to see a little diagram that enables me to analyse the distance covered by the dog in a field in comparison to the route I walk. My guess is that depending on the breed and the activities undertaken, it could be anywhere from 5-100 times more than me!

A few of the activities I enjoy with Pip are:

* Ball flinger (what a neat invention!) This really works her hard and involves nose-work when done in longer grass.
* Frisbee (Whilst not quite comp. standard, I'm quite good at this now...and so is Pip. Amber used to be the past master however!)
* Cycling. (View the link at the bottom of this post for some amusement).
* Treadmill. I have placed her on the treadmill a few times, but I don't think it's her favourite activity. One should be very careful in the way that this is introduced, due to the potential danger.
* Freeform agility. This is using natural obstacles that one might find in nature. Log jumps/limbo you name it! Rather like dog Parkour! Video clip here
* Running between us as a family. Great to develop the recall, especially if you have a little food to reward her efforts ;)

I do see some dogs that are over stimulated, and seem overly hyped. Some collie owners do this as they think that the dog needs to do 100 miles every day. Not so. Any dog should look pretty content once home, and be able to settle within a reasonable time. I have seen good improvements in a number of dogs once the obsessive element of exercise has been prevented for a couple of weeks, and we work on a more relaxing aspect to help bring the dog into a more balanced state. During that time we can look at improving the dog's behaviour by implementing a modification programme.

Obsessive exercise? What's that? It's when the dog changes from seeing a ball (for example) as a really enjoyable means to play, to it then not being able to drop it, pushing it into you in the home, and never being able to relax. This may then connect back (believe it or not) to other areas of concern such as dog to dog aggression due to the dog's general level of stress. This is remember all in my experience and opinion. All play items should be either left outside in an enclosed area or shed/car. The house should be a place to relax...for you and the dog :)

So somehow we have gone from exercise to obsessive behaviour! Enjoy your dog doing what feels good to you and yours. Try to keep control of the game with a decent recall and give (if fetching is involved) and look out for over-exercise. You'll be in a minority if you do, as most dogs are under exercised...rather like us to be utterly honest.

Moderate exercise is the way to go at first, and then build things up gradually for both the dog and your own sake.

As always, feel free to contact me or comment here should you wish to discuss this further.

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?hzjmmyzrkjz 2/3 minute download


Nick Jones MCFBA

www.alphadogbehaviour.co.uk