All posts by Dr. Marty Becker

Poodle barking

What to do when a neighbor dog’s barking is driving you insane

Pet Connection, ,

I live out in the middle of nowhere on Almost Heaven Ranch, and one of the things I most cherish is the peace and quiet. But people who live in townhouses, apartment buildings, and neighborhoods value peace and quiet, too. Which is what makes a constantly barking dog next door so infuriating. What can you do? That’s what a reader asked, and as with all things behavior and training related, I asked my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, to weigh in.

Q: I live in a townhouse, and my neighbor’s poodle is a barking machine. Can a dog be trained not to bark?

A: Barking is a natural dog behavior. Dogs bark to communicate — “Hey, someone’s walking up to the door” — out of frustration or excitement, or out of boredom. The good news is that dogs can learn when it’s appropriate to bark and when to put a lid on it. More difficult, sometimes, is educating owners about how to deal with their dogs’ unwanted behaviors.

The first thing to do is document the frequency of the dog’s barking. Note the days and times the dog barks and the length of time the barking continues. Record the barking so your neighbor can have an idea of how much noise is coming into your unit.

Then knock on her door and politely ask if you can have a chat about the dog’s barking. Explain the specific problem, whether it’s being unable to sleep, unable to hear your television or unable to concentrate on work.

If your neighbor is not home during the day, she may not realize what a nuisance it is. She may be able to set up a “dog cam” to determine what’s setting the dog off. It might be people, other dogs, squirrels or birds that he sees through the window. If that’s the case, she may be able to put a stop to the barking by closing the blinds or restricting the dog’s access to rooms with windows. To offset boredom, the dog may need a midday walk with a pet sitter or some interactive toys to occupy his brain.

If she’s unable or unwilling to deal with the dog’s barking, it may be necessary to approach the homeowners association or animal control.

Read more, including a report from the world’s largest veterinary conference, in this week’s Pet Connection!

The pack

When a family pet wants to be an outdoor dog

This and That,

Our dog Quill’N is special.

Of course every one of our pets is, so that’s no surprise. But pretty much everything about her is special. She came to us with our beloved Quin’C, who we adopted knowing he had cancer. She was in the adoption program with him, and didn’t like any other dogs but him… he seemed to give her confidence. So when the staff told us that, well… how could we leave her behind?

But Quin’C lived a very short time, and when he was gone, Quill’N was lost. We tried to give her the love and comfort she had received from him, but it didn’t seem to reach her. She made friends with our other dogs, but didn’t always appreciate them. She gets along well with our barn cats, and while I think the horses find her annoying now and then, is good with them as well.

What she doesn’t like is being in the house.

Quill’N was an outdoor dog who lived her whole life on a chain. We wanted so badly to introduce her to the joys of sofas, lying in front of the fireplace, and snuggling in the morning. She wanted nothing to do with it.

She’s overjoyed to see us in the morning, and accompany us on our ranch chores. She’s eager to smell the morning air, roll in the grass, and nip in and out among the trees. She loves to watch, stalk, and chase after wild rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and grouse — none of which she’s every caught. But bring her in the house, and she’s a wreck, panting and pacing and looking for a way out.

It’s been hard for us to admit it, but despite our best efforts, Quill’N wants to be an outdoor dog. Not a lonely, deprived, chained-out, bored outdoor dog, but our outdoor dog — with a heated kennel in the winter, lots of love and affection, a safe place to spend the night, and tons of exercise all day long.

This wasn’t our plan, but we’re committed to honoring who Quill’N is and what she’s clearly shown us she wants. We are even talking about looking for another dog with the same needs, who may not fit into a house dog lifestyle but would be overjoyed to join Quill’N in the great outdoors here at Almost Heaven Ranch.

I admit some trepidation at sharing this information, but hope you’ll respect that we are trying to treat Quill’N as she’s shown us she wants to be treated, and not how we think she should be. Please know we love her no less than the pets who live in our house, and we will never relegate her to an existence without love and enrichment.

We’ll also continue giving her opportunities to spend time in the house, on her terms. Maybe one day she’ll realize it’s a haven and not a prison. But until then, this is for sure: She is part of our family, and we’ll never, ever give up on her!

Can dogs and cats see color?

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

A lot of people say that dogs are color blind. Are they? How about cats? That’s what a reader asked — here’s my answer!

Q: Can dogs and cats see color? I always see conflicting answers to this question. What else is different about their vision?

A: Part of the reason for conflicting answers is that vision varies, as can the way it’s evaluated. Here’s what we know.

Cone cells in the eye determine visual acuity and color discrimination. Dogs have two populations of cones, says veterinary ophthalmology specialist Ron Ofri, DVM, who spoke earlier this month at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. One cone population absorbs light in the blue-violet spectrum, the other in the red spectrum. That means dogs can see colors, but they are unable to distinguish between green shades.

A dog’s color vision is similar to that of a human who is color blind. Unlike people with normal vision — three cone populations in blue, green and red wavelengths — those people are missing either the red or the green cone population.

Cats have three cone populations, but several studies have determined that they do not have rich color vision. What they do have is highly sensitive night vision. Cats have unusually large corneas and pupils, allowing more light to pass through them and reach the retina. In the proceedings for his talk, Dr. Ofri notes that the amount of light that falls on a cat’s retina is 6 times the amount of light that reaches a human retina. In addition, cats benefit from a structure called the tapetum lucidum, which gives cats higher vision sensitivity at night, but not during the day.

Which animals have the best color vision? That prize goes to certain species of birds and fish, with four cone populations, the fourth absorbing light in the ultraviolet area of the spectrum. When it comes to richness of color vision, they beat out cats, dogs and humans.

Read more, including about the dreaded medical condition known as “bloat,” in this week’s Pet Connection!

Husky

Video: Friendship between dogs is real

News

I write quite a bit about the power of the bond between people and animals. But there’s another bond: the one between the animals themselves.

We’ve lost several beloved pets in the 14 months, and seeing the impact on our other animals has brought that lesson sadly home to us. Quixote lost his best friend and sister, Quora, and our poor Quill’N lost her friend and brother Quin’C, and then her best pal Gracie, all in less than a year.

But there’s a very happy side to that same story, and it’s beautifully told in this fun and silly video about a Malamute mix named K’eyush and the day his very best friend in all the world, Sheppa, came to visit.

Maybe it was the amazement on his face when his mom said Sheppa’s name. The fact that he recognized Sheppa’s owner’s car when it turned down the road. Or maybe the squeal of joy when he greeted him in the yard.

Whatever it was, it tells us a story about how dogs see themselves as well as other dogs, and the real power of friendship. Good dog, K’eyush!

cat

Cat heart condition can cause sudden death

Pet Connection, Veterinary Medicine

A heartbroken reader found her young cat dead just moments after he’d seemed perfectly fine. What could have happened? Here’s what I told her.

Q: I found my 18-month-old cat dead. I had been playing with him just a few minutes earlier, and as far as I knew he was in good health. My veterinarian said he probably died from a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. What can you tell me about this disease, and how can I avoid it in a future cat?

A: I’m so sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately, HCM is the most common form of heart disease in cats, and there are few obvious signs. Some cats with HCM have a heart murmur, but that isn’t always a definite sign. Cats with HCM can go into congestive heart failure, develop an arterial thrombus — a clot lodged in an artery — or die suddenly.

Any cat, pedigreed or random-bred, can develop HCM. We don’t know what causes the disease, but Maine coon and ragdoll cats have a genetic mutation for it. A genetic test can identify cats in those breeds who carry the disease mutation. It is also seen in Cornish and Devon rexes, Norwegian forest cats, Persians, and sphynxes. Most commonly, cats with HCM are middle-aged males, but females can be affected, too, as can young cats.

Cats with HCM may not show signs of disease, especially in the early stages. Some become weak or collapse suddenly. Cats diagnosed with a heart murmur –an abnormal “whooshing” sound — abnormal lung sounds, or an irregular heart rhythm should be seen by a veterinary cardiologist for further screening with an echocardiogram.

Any time a cat seems unusually lethargic or has rapid or labored breathing, take him to the veterinarian immediately. He may have left-sided congestive heart failure associated with HCM. Cats with CHF can benefit from medications to slow the heart rate, help relax the heart’s pumping chambers and prevent fluid from building up in the lungs.

Read more, including the danger the sago palm plant poses to pets, in this week’s Pet Connection.