Dominance Issues: A Few Quick Tips for Relief

Dogs that don't know their place in the human pack can be a real problem. A few tips from the Training Academy Class on Saturday can help relieve these issues.

1. No Dogs In Bed. Dogs may be domesticated, but they still maintain a pack mentality. Dominant dogs, or the pack leaders, get to sleep in the best spot.
2. No Dogs On the Furniture. Very similar to dogs in bed, the couch, as well as the rest of the furniture, is a place for alphas. There's nothing wrong with the dog having it's own bed (pet bed) or even it's own piece of furniture, as long as it's only for the dog.
3. Humans Eat First. More pack mentality here. Alpha eats first and gets the better food. Dogs should be fed after the humans. Food stealing, from you, the kids, or off your plate, for example, shows where the dog feels it's place is.
4. Humans Enter & Exit First. This is a door rule. All the humans in the pack, when leaving (or arriving) as a group, go in or out through the door first. This is another dominance issue from the dogs point of view.
5. Excess Petting & Fawning? Yep. More pack mentality. Alphas get more grooming and fawning over by the rest of the pack. The subordinate, or submissive, lower pack members are sucking up. Your dog should come to you for attention, but should not be petted excessively or fawned over continuously.
6. Leg Riding & Humping. Dogs that ride your leg are generally not feeling frisky. Humping and leg riding, performed by both male and female dogs, are signs the dog is trying to dominate. These antics may be funny in a movie, but are meant for business by the dog.
   

My Dog Is Missing: Who Do I Contact?

If your dog comes up missing, it can be very scary, even if s/he hasn't been stolen! Here's a short list of people you may want to contact to assist your search:

1. Neighbors may have seen your dog running loose, or may have seen suspicious activity. Be sure to keep your dog on-leash/contained so when s/he is running loose, your neighbors will know to contact you!
   
2. Animal Shelters will not know to call you if your dog isn't wearing a collar with id/license attached, and s/he isn't chipped. You would be surprised how many people never think to call the animal shelters or dog pound!
   
3. Police may be of assistance even when your dog hasn't been stolen. Officers both in cars and on foot can call if they have spotted a loose dog fitting your dog's description.
4. Area Veterinarians should be informed, also. This is where a microchip is once again important: if the vet takes in a dog fitting your dog's description, whether as a "new" client or an accident victim, s/he can scan the dog to check for microchip id.
5. Local Newspapers Believe it or not, I have seen the description for a lost dog be an exact match for the description of a found dog appear in the same column of the newspaper. More than once ;)
   

(Originally posted to mackaykennels.com April 2008)

Dog Theft On The Rise

"In the first three months of 2008, the AKC has tracked more than 30 thefts from news and customer reports, versus only ten for all twelve months of 2007." (AKC eNewsletter April 2008)

At such an alarming rate (10x increase within the year), pet owners need to take heed, as do breeders, kennels, shelters, pet stores, and salons.

Here are a few tips for keeping your pets safe:

1. Don't let your dog outside off-leash.
2. Don't leave your dog in the yard unattended for long periods of time.
3. As tempting as it may be ;) , don't brag on the purchase price!
4. Don't leave your dog in an unattended car, even if it's locked.
5. Read the AKC article for more great tips!

And don't forget to MICROCHIP YOUR DOG!

(Originally posted to mackaykennels.com April 2008)

Repel Biting Flies The Natural Way!

How do you repel biting flies the natural way? Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

I was watching Benny Hinn one day and he commented that they use olive oil in Israel (I believe that's where it was; he said his "native country") to keep the bugs off the sheep. What a God-send!

I don't like to use any un-necessary chemicals or medications on my animals, so to hear I could use something non-toxic and actually good for you was absolutely the best news in ages!

I have found it to be tried-and-true, and the only side effect to olive oil is that your dog is a little oily around the edges. That, and if your dog is like Cee Cee or Dee Dee, you'll have a heck of a time fending them off the bottle... and your hands!

Be sure to do the ears- flies find them especially tasty!

(Originally posted to mackaykennels.com April 2007)