Counter Surfing and Garbage Raiding

Dogs are naturally curious and love to get into everything. Dogs also love food, especially the food they see us eat. So it’s not surprising that pet parents often have problems keeping dogs from “counter surfing” and raiding the trash. Unfortunately, once your dog has learned there’s tasty stuff to be found on kitchen counters, in cupboards and buried in garbage cans, he’s more likely to look for food in those places again. Even small dogs aren’t exempt from food stealing—there are reports of especially clever terriers learning to push chairs up to counters so that they can conquer new heights!

Prevention Is Key

The best way to ensure that your dog never gets in the habit of stealing food is to prevent him from experiencing the joys of thieving. Always put leftover foods away. Keep countertop foods in Tupperware^® containers. Put pastries and breads in a bread bin and cookies in a jar. Fruits and raw vegetables are less appealing to many dogs, but it’s still worth keeping them in or on top of the refrigerator. Use trash cans with lids that dogs can’t open, or keep the can in a closed cupboard. Place wastebaskets up high so that your dog can’t reach them. If your dog has learned to open cupboard doors, install child-proof latches. Close doors or use baby gates to keep your dog out of certain areas. If you’re consistent about keeping foods inaccessible when your dog is a puppy or is new to your home, you can probably relax these restrictions later on.

Perpetually hungry dogs who ransack kitchen countertops and garbage cans for food might be easier to discourage if they have more to eat. Feed your dog several small meals a day. If your dog is on a diet, speak with your veterinarian about a high-fiber, low-calorie diet that will help your dog feel full.
Providing plenty of physical and mental exercise can also help keep your dog off the counters and out of the trash. Some dogs get into trouble purely out of boredom. If your dog is well exercised and has plenty of chew toys to keep him occupied, he’ll be less likely to get into things he shouldn’t. Please see our article Enriching Your Dog’s Life for more information about how to keep your dog happy and out of trouble when you’re not around to supervise him.

Teaching Your Dog to Stay off Counters and out of the Trash

The first step in teaching your dog that it’s unacceptable for him to get into these areas is to always react immediately when you see him jump on counters, nose around cupboard doors or nudge at the trash can. Clap your hands loudly and say “Off!” in a firm tone of voice. Then take your dog by the collar and remove him from the area. Do not do this if you suspect your dog might bite you when you grab him by the collar. Instead, please see our article Finding Professional Help to locate a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB). If you can’t find a behaviorist in your area, you can choose to employ a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT), but make sure that the trainer is qualified to help you. Determine whether she or he has education and experience successfully treating aggression, as this expertise isn’t required for CPDT certification.

Some dogs learn that it’s only safe to surf the counters and get into the trash if people aren’t around. If this describes your dog, you can dissuade him from getting into off-limit areas by using “environmental punishers.” Environmental punishers work by punishing your dog directly, without you present. For instance, if your dog jumps from the floor onto the kitchen counter, you can balance some lightweight cookie sheets on the edge of the counter. When he jumps up, he’ll land on the sheets. They’ll move and possibly topple over while your startled dog leaps back onto the floor. He shouldn’t be harmed by this experience, but it’s unlikely he’ll risk jumping onto the counter again.

If your dog doesn’t jump up onto the counter but instead reaches for things by placing his front feet on the counter, you can design a “pop-can pyramid.” Gather a dozen or so empty soda cans. Tie a light string to one, and position the can a few inches back from the edge of the counter or on a shelf above the counter. Build a pyramid with the cans, placing the can with the string on the bottom of the structure. Tie the other end of the string to a small piece of food that you know your dog likes. Place the food near the edge of the counter. Leave the kitchen and give your dog a chance to discover the enticing tidbit. If all goes as planned, he’ll snatch the piece of food, pulling the can from the bottom of the pyramid, and all the cans will come crashing down. If they hit your dog, the empty cans won’t harm him. Even if they don’t hit him, the falling cans will make a terrible racket and startle or scare your dog. You can also use the pop-can pyramid to teach him to stay out of the garbage can.

Commercially available deterrent devices perform a similar function. The Snappy^™ Trainer is a large plastic paddle affixed to an upside-down mousetrap. Any touch causes the mousetrap to trigger. When triggered, the large paddle propels the device into the air, makes a loud snapping noise and startles the dog who touched it. The Snappy Trainer is safe to use because the trap is upside down, so no part of your dog’s body can be caught in it. Snappy Trainers are most effective if you set up two or three and place a sheet of newspaper on top of them. When your dog touches the newspaper, it triggers the traps simultaneously. Snappy Trainers are good for use on countertops and tables and inside cupboards and trash cans.

Another deterrent, called SSSCAT^™, is a motion-activated system that triggers a blast of compressed air when a dog comes within a certain distance of it. You can position the SSSCAT in areas where you don’t want your dog to go, such as the corner where you keep the trash can or on the kitchen counter. Another possibility is to cover the surface of the countertop or the floor next to the trash can with a ScatMat^®, a sheet of plastic that delivers a mild static charge when a dog steps on it. Because they’re not as startling to dogs as the Snappy Trainer, the Scccat and ScatMat may need to be left in place for a long period of time to work. The pop-can pyramid and the Snappy Trainer usually teach dogs to stay away after just one or two experiences.

The advantage to using an environmental punisher is that the scary thing happens whether you’re present or not. Your dog won’t learn to simply wait until it’s safe (until you’re not around) to do things like jump up onto counters and dive into trash cans. Instead, he’ll discover that it’s never safe to do those things. Plus, since you won’t always be there when your dog gets punished, your dog won’t associate an environmental punisher with you. You don’t want him to decide that you’re the scary thing!

What NOT to Do

• Do not scold or punish your dog if you discover that he’s already eaten stolen food. Unless you actually catch your dog in the act of stealing the food, it’s pointless to punish him. He won’t understand what you’re punishing him for. More likely, he’ll learn to be frightened of you.
• Do not shoo or push your dog off of countertops and tables. He could fall and injure himself. Always pick him up and put him on the floor, or tell him to get off and let him jump down himself.
• Do not use any device to scare your dog away from forbidden areas if there’s a chance he could be physically harmed by the device. For instance, do not substitute real mouse traps for the Snappy Trainer. The goal of an environmental punisher is to make your dog reluctant to return to a particular place by startling him or making the place uncomfortable for him. Physically hurting your dog is neither necessary nor effective.
• Do not resort to a muzzle to control your dog’s thieving behavior. Muzzles restrict a dog’s breathing and prevent him from drinking water, so only use them for short periods of time when you can closely supervise your dog.
• Do not use environmental punishers to keep your dog away from a certain area if he’s especially skittish and nervous. He could become so frightened that he‘ll be reluctant to enter the room at all or even move around your home.

Originally published by the ASPCA.

Summer Pet Care

When the lazy days of barbecues and swimming pools roll around, you can make them even better by sharing them with your favorite pet. By following a few summer pet safety tips, you can keep your animal friends healthy and enjoy the months of sun and fun.

·         Never leave your pet in the car. Though it may seem cool outside, the sun can raise the temperature inside your car to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of minutes, even with the windows rolled down. If you need to run some errands, leave the furry ones at home.

·         As you’re outside enjoying the warm weather, keep your pet leashed. It will keep her from getting lost, fighting other animals, and eating and drinking things that could make her sick. This tip isn’t just for dogs--even cats can learn to walk on a leash if you train them. (See How can I teach my cat to walk on a leash?)

·         Water, water everywhere. Whether you’re indoors or out, both you and your pet need access to lots of fresh water during the summer, so check her water bowl several times a day to be sure it’s full. If you and your furry friend venture forth for the afternoon, bring plenty of water for both of you.

·         Pets need sunscreen too. Though all that fur helps protect her, your pet can get sunburned, particularly if she has light skin and hair. Sunburn in animals can cause problems similar to those it can cause in people, including pain, peeling, and skin cancer. So keep your pet out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and when you do go out, rub a bit of sunblock on unprotected areas like the tips of her ears, the skin around her lips, and the tip of her nose.

·         Say no to tangles. Keeping your pet well groomed will help her hair do what it was designed to do: protect her from the sun and insulate her from the heat. If she has extremely thick hair or a lot of mats and tangles, her fur may trap too much heat, so you may want to clip her. (See Should I shave my thick-furred dog in the summer?)

·         Watch out for antifreeze. Hot weather may tempt your pet to drink from puddles in the street, which can contain antifreeze and other chemicals. Antifreeze has a sweet taste that animals like, but it’s extremely toxic. When you’re walking your pet, make sure she doesn’t sneak a drink from the street.

·         Be cautious on humid days. Humidity interferes with animals’ ability to rid themselves of excess body heat. When we overheat we sweat, and when the sweat dries it takes excess heat with it. Our four-legged friends only perspire around their paws, which is not enough to cool the body. To rid themselves of excess heat, animals pant. Air moves through the nasal passages, which picks up excess heat from the body. As it is expelled through the mouth, the extra heat leaves along with it. Although this is a very efficient way to control body heat, it is severely limited in areas of high humidity or when the animal is in close quarters.

·         Make sure your pet doesn’t overexert herself. Though exercise is an important part of keeping your dog or cat at a healthy weight, which helps her body stay cool, overdoing it can cause her to overheat. Keep the walks to a gentle pace and make sure she has plenty of water. If she’s panting a lot or seems exhausted, it’s time to stop.

·         Take it easy on pets that can’t deal with the heat. Elderly, very young, and ill animals have a hard time regulating their body temperature, so make sure they stay cool and out of the sun on steamy summer days. Dogs with snub noses, such as Pekingese, pugs, and bulldogs, have a hard time staying cool because they can’t pant efficiently, so they also need to stay out of the heat. Overweight dogs are also more prone to overheating, because their extra layers of fat act as insulation, which traps heat in their bodies and restricts their breathing capabilities.

·         Bring them inside. Animals shouldn’t be left outside unsupervised on long, hot days, even in the shade. Shade can move throughout the afternoon, and pets can become ill quickly if they overheat, so keep them inside as much as possible. If you must leave your pet in the backyard, keep a close eye on her and bring her in when you can.

·         Keep an eye out for heatstroke. Heatstroke is a medical emergency. If you suspect your pet has heatstroke (see "Signs of Heatstroke,"below), you must act quickly and calmly. Have someone call a veterinarian immediately. In the meantime, lower the animal’s body temperature by applying towels soaked in cool water to the hairless areas of the body. Often the pet will respond after only a few minutes of cooling, only to falter again with his temperature soaring back up or falling to well below what is normal. With this in mind, remember that it is imperative to get the animal to a veterinarian immediately. Once your pet is in the veterinarian’s care, treatment may include further cooling techniques, intravenous fluid therapy to counter shock, or medication to prevent or reverse brain damage.

Even with emergency treatment, heatstroke can be fatal. The best cure is prevention, and Fido and Fluffy are relying on you to keep them out of harm’s way. Summer does not have to be fraught with peril--with ample precaution, both you and your furry friends can enjoy those long, hot dog-days of summer.

Signs of Heatstroke:

• Panting
• Staring
• Anxious expression
• Refusal to obey commands
• Warm, dry skin
• High fever
• Rapid heartbeat
• Vomiting
• Collapse
  

Article originally published by AAHA Healthy Pet.

What would you do if…

...your dog ate the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips that was left out on the kitchen counter?

 ...your cat had a seizure right in front of you?

 ...your dog fell down the stairs and started limping?

 ...your cat was overheating on a hot summer day?

To avoid the feelings of panic that may accompany these situations, we recommend the following steps to better prepare you for a pet medical emergency. The following links summarize the basics you need for giving first aid care to your pet.

Always remember that any first aid administered to your pet should be followed by immediate veterinary care. First aid care is not a substitute for veterinary care, but it may save your pet's life until it receives veterinary treatment.

First aid supplies
Our handy checklist tells you all the supplies you should have on hand for pet first aid. Print out a copy to use for shopping, and keep a copy on your refrigerator or next to the first aid kit for your family, for quick reference in emergencies.

How to handle an injured pet
Knowing how to comfort an injured pet can help minimize your pet's anxiety and also protect you and your family from injury.

Basic pet first aid procedures
Read our simple instructions for providing emergency first aid if your pet is suffering from poisoning, seizures, broken bones, bleeding, burns, shock, heatstroke, choking or other urgent medical problems. Print out a copy to keep with your pet emergency kit.

First aid when traveling with your pet
A few simple steps can better prepare you to help your pet in first aid situations while you are traveling. Remember: pet medical emergencies don't just happen at home.

Pets and disasters
Whether confronted by natural disasters such as hurricanes, or unexpected catastrophes such as a house fire, you need to be prepared to take care of your animals. A pre-determined disaster plan will help you remain calm and think clearly.

Adapted by an article posted by the AVMA.