Dogs on Bonfire Night

Whilst this article is directed fundamentally at the safety and welfare of pet dogs it is extremely important to remember that all of the pets we care for can be similarly affected by fireworks.

With November the 5th rapidly closing in on Pet owners and the looming excitement of Bonfire night upon us, it is time to give thought to the safety and welfare of our pets. The thrill of flashing lights, bangs, crackling and large explosive light shows in the sky is a fascinating and hypnotic experience for many adults and children alike. This is unfortunately not the case for the pets we cherish that trust us with their care and welfare. Bonfire Night together with many of the days leading up to and shortly after is probably the most distressing and frightening experience and time of the year for many of our pets.

Dog Firework stress

Whilst Bonfire Night is the clear winner for the instigation of pet misery there are of course many other occasions that cause similar discomfort to our dogs and other pets. New Years Eve, victorious celebrations of specific events together with birthdays and other parties all offer the opportunity to inflict firework misery on our pets. Dogs have very sensitive hearing together with an extremely keen senses of smell. These finely tuned senses work well for our dogs in everyday life but on such celebratory nights as Bonfire Night those same senses work against them.

Bonfire Night and Dog senses

Pet Dogs - The Sense of Hearing

Loud and sudden noises can be a shock to people and dogs are certainly no different. First of all we must remember that dogs have far superior and sharper hearing than humans. The noise we hear and often take for granted is therefore much more intense on the ears of our pets. In fact our pet dogs can pinpoint very precisely the location of noise at more than four times the distance than humans. We do have an added advantage over our pets when it comes to dealing with sound. We understanding the sound and can generally determine quite quickly with our brain what the noise is, where it came from and whether we are at risk from it. Our dogs unfortunately do not have the benefit of this attribute and therefore suffer not only from the intense sound but also the uncertainties that surround it.

Pet Dogs - The Sense of Smell

The very acute sense of smell that dogs have developed provides them with the ability to recognise scents and odours in concentrations of about 100 million times less than humans. Dogs also have the ability to ascertain the direction of smell with their cold wet noses. On Bonfire Night there are many smells that may both discourage or entice our dogs. The best course of action in any event is to keep them indoors. Under the protection of our homes dogs are less likely of becoming afraid or potentially straying towards scents they may wish to investigate.

Pet Dogs - The Sense of Vision

Dogs do not have particularly excellent vision. Our pets sense of sight has been developed primarily through evolution to allow it to hunt efficiently in the wild. Dogs see across a colour spectrum that is similar to human colour blindness with large pupils providing excellent low light vision. The dogs sense of sight is therefore not as efficient during the day as ours but extremely well developed for the explosive displays that fill our sky on Bonfire Night. This sensory overload can be extremely distressing for our pets and exposure to such visual displays should be avoided whenever possible.

Bonfire Night and Dog Welfare

There are some very simple ways in which we can prepare our pet dogs for Fireworks. Everyday care such as the correct diet and regular exposure to crowds and noise through a good socialisation program can be priceless. It could be wise to consider a diet rich in the vitamin B group for dogs that may suffer with nervous conditions. The vitamin B group is recognised for its beneficial properties for helping boost and protect the nervous system.

Common sense prevails when occasions such as Bonfire night and other firework occasions are upon us. Reducing the exposure to noise, smell and light displays together with removing any risk of secondary injury through escaping in fear is an obvious course of action.

Keeping pets indoors with the television or music on at a reasonable level will help to cut down on sudden noise whilst playing with your pet can be another excellent distraction technique. Keeping the dog indoors with the curtains pulled on will also reduce their exposure to any unfamiliar smells and remove their exposure to flashing lights in the sky.

Bonfire Night - Walking dogs outside

If it is unavoidable to prevent your dogs from being exposed to the outside environment it is essential that we take appropriate precautions. Firstly, keep any exposure down to a minimum and stay with your pet so that you can observed at all times. Gardens must be very secure to prevent dogs from running away in fear or potentially pursuing fireworks in the distant sky. Dogs that are travelling through Fireworks in vehicles should always be secured by a dog seat belt and consideration given to prior medication by a suitable sedative. Remember that this should only be carried out with medication recommended by a vet or other such person with the necessary expertise in such products. If you treasure your pet always lead walk them on such occasions. Even if you are certain in your own mind that they will not run away, or out into the road, is it really worth taking the risk?

Dog Bonfire Night Summary

Good vitamin B rich diets can help over a long period for reducing stress by helping the dogs natural nervous system.

Pet Dogs have extremely keen senses of smell and hearing that should be protected from firework displays. keeping them indoors with distractions such as noise from television and music together with interactive play is great for limiting the stress that firework noise may cause.

Dogs have good night vision and keeping them indoors with the curtains drawn can remove the trauma that firework displays can present.

Always keep your dog in a secure garden under constant supervision on Bonfire Night.

Lead walking them when outside will prevent them from running away or into the road when frightened.

Use a dog car harness when your dog is travelling in a vehicle for your dogs and your own safety.

Don’t try and comfort your pet too much if they react to fireworks negatively. This can be construed as reinforcing their fear and actions which can actually cause their behaviour to deteriorate.

Consult a vet or similarly qualified person for dogs that suffer severely on such celebratory occasions. It may be worth considering a form of safe sedative to help your pet through the firework ordeal.

Dog Crates

Dog Crates are becoming ever more popular amongst dog owners. When used responsibly dog crates can be a very efficient way of training pet dogs to go outside to the toilet. As with most dog training techniques, positive reinforcement is the key to success.

How do dog crates help?

Dogs are like most other animals in nature where their toilet habits are concerned. They do not like to soil their close surroundings. The use of a dog crate reduces the dogs ability to escape any misfortunate accidents. Providing the dog is given regular periods from the crate outside the home they will soon associate those periods with the opportunity to relieve themselves. The most essential thing to do with any dog that responds correctly to a new training regime is immediate praise or reward. This should be done at the very time they toilet outside and not after returning to the home. The dog will therefore associate the reward with the action of relieving itself outside.

What size dog crate should I use?

If you choose to use a dog crate to assist in toilet training your new puppy it is important to select an appropriate size, for this you should give yourself some stiff ground rules.

The crate you choose should be large enough to offer suitable bedding but not so large that the puppy can separate a convenient area within to relieve itself. Offering enough room to use an area of the dog crate as a toilet would defeat the training exercise and could actually get the dog to associate the crate with the desire to relieve itself. Keeping dogs in close proximity to dog faeces is widely accepted as a reason for dogs eating their own poop. An unsocial able and extremely unpleasant habit known as Coprophagia.

Dogs need food and water regularly!

Remember that what goes in must come out. You can use this fact to help improve your toilet training routine and your puppies bladder and bowl control.

It is an absolute necessarily to offer the dog water on a regular basis together with regularly timed meals. Dogs will often use the toilet following a drink of water or eating a meal. It is therefore a good idea to build that factor into your toilet training regime. At regular intervals of no more than 1.5 to 2 hours take the puppy from the dog crate and encourage it to drink. Ensure that dog are also given their food at regular times according to their dietary needs. Following food or water the dog should be taken outside immediately and encouraged to use the toilet. If successful the puppy should be given immediate reward in the form of a dog treat or praise and returned to the house for some play time.

Observe your dogs behaviour

Whenever possible the puppy should be observed for behaviour indicative of the need to relieve itself. This may be anything from crying, scratching at the floor, turning round in circles, squatting down or sniffing around the floor. All of these signs apply to time both in and out of the cage. If any of these signs are observed the puppy should be taken outside straight away and rewarded immediately following them having relieved themselves.

Let them see you

When separated from their owners puppies are likely to become anxious and even distresses. This factor coupled with the need to observe the puppy closely for successful house training makes it common sense to position the dog crate somewhere that the dog can see you and you can see your dog.

How often will my dog need to use the toilet?

It is important to remember that young dogs like other young animals use the toilet more frequently than older dogs. It takes time for a puppy to gain the same control over its bladder and bowls that its older relatives have achieved. Please therefore give them a chance and remember patience and positive reinforcement are the key to your success.

Summary

• Choose a dog crate large enough for the breed of dog but limit’s the space available for the dog to use it as a toilet.

• Position the dog crate somewhere that prevents the dog becoming anxious and allows you to observe them.

• Always take the dog outside following food and water where they should be encouraged to use the toilet.

• Always follow up outside successes with immediate reward and praise.

• The dog needs to trust that you are reliable when it comes to frequent visits to the outside world!

Dogs eat poop

A frequently asked question by dog owners is, my dog keeps eating its own poop, how can I stop it? There is no simple answer or solution to the habit of eating poop, otherwise referred to as Coprophagia. Unfortunately dogs may be drawn to the highly unsociable practice of eating their own poop or other dogs poop for a variety of potential reasons.

Dogs have a naturally developed instinct to both guard their own territory from intrusion by other dogs and also to maximise their dietary efficiency. These two factors are suspected to be the most likely cause of dogs eating their own poop.

The dogs we accept into our family homes as pets today have all originated from wild animals such as the Grey Wolf.

It is believed that in the wild where food is often scarce and difficult to find or catch, such animals may eat their own poop (faeces) to digest as many nutrients as possible from scavenged or hunted food. It is also believed that wild dogs and wolves may eat their own and other animals faeces (poop) to recognise and identify territorial intruders or mask their own sent.

It is unfortunate that this built in survival instinct is widely inherent in the pedigrees and mongrels we now treasure as family pets.

There is another factor unique to domesticated dogs that may be responsible for coprophagia. This cause is unfortunately down to dog owners providing their pets with a house training regime based on punishment and not praise. In such circumstances it is believed that dogs may associate going to the toilet with punishment. This negativity encourages the dogs to only go to the toilet when humans are not around (hence, I cant believe it, didn’t do a thing on walk, got home and there’s a stool on the carpet) furthermore the dog may attempt to hide stools by eating them to prevent being punished.

So how do we break the habit?

Firstly, as I am sure you are now aware, there is no single reason that is openly identifiable as the definite cause of dogs eating their own poop. We must therefore as responsible dog owners attempt to remove the obvious temptation and address the many factors that may have induced the desire in the first place.

Factors that may induce dogs to eat poop (coprophagia)

Temptation to eat dog poop - dogs may eat dog poop for many reasons and a simple solution is to house train dogs properly and clean up poop from the dogs surroundings at the earliest opportunity. As dogs may also eat dog poop whilst out walking it is important to steer them away from poop whilst on the lead and observe them carefully whilst off the lead.

Cleaning poop from their own surroundings - It is important for us as dog owners to take full responsibility for keeping our pets surroundings free from dog poop. Dogs like most animals do not like to live amongst their own faeces and may be tempted to clean up for themselves if we don’t offer the support they deserve.

Dietary deficiencies causing dogs to eat poop

It is important for anyone considering taking on the responsibility of a new dog to fully understand the dietary requirements and frequency of feeds that the breed of their choice will need. Of course the needs of dogs do differ even within the same breed at times. If we take into consideration the age and weight of the dog and allow ourselves to be guided by the advise of reputable breeders and food manufactures we should be on the right track.

If we cut corners with our dogs diet their may be an imbalance or insufficient nutrients to support their needs. Dogs may then eat their stools to improve their intake of nutrients. Also cheep dog foods are often difficult to digest and the stools of dogs on such diets can include high levels of undigested food. This may in turn encourage the dog to eat their poop.

Another dietary factor that may encourage dogs to eat their own poop is hunger. Feeding the correct amount of food for your dogs weight at the appropriate times and frequency is essential for your dogs health. This important good practice is also a great way of reducing the chance of your dog getting hungry and feeling the need to eat its own poop.

Dogs may also be drawn to eating their own poop when suffering from underlying health issues affecting their ability to digest and utilise the food they eat. It may also be a sign that your dog is suffering from the infestation of an intestinal parasite such as worm. In such cases the parasite benefits from the dogs healthy diet leaving insufficient nutrient to support the dogs dietary needs. In such circumstances the assistance of a vet should be sought as a matter of urgency.

Curiosity builds dog poop eating habits

A dogs curiosity will encourage it to investigate everything in its surroundings, including dog poop. Furthermore, dogs may be encouraged to investigate dog poop when they observe us cleaning it up around the garden and mimic what we do (allelomimetic behaviour). They may see the poop as something that is good to handle because they see their owner picking it up on a regular basis.

An unfortunate coincidental of this initial investigation is that the dog may actually enjoy the taste and texture of the faeces and thus develop a taste for poop that forms into a habit.

Boredom and attention seeking - play with me or I’ll eat it!

A very important part of dog ownership is dog entertainment. Dogs need a good balance of exercise from dog walks and stimulation through play interaction around the home and garden with their owners. These two important aspects both relieve boredom and de-energise our pets. Without a good combination of both our pets are likely to mischief for entertainment which may include eating poop. They may also recognise that a normally disinterested dog owner suddenly gives them lots of attention when they are caught in the act of eating dog poop. This can become a method of gaining your attention even though it may not be welcome attention.

Stress, anxiety and fear

There are many issues that may stress our pets or make them anxious. These issues may include the conditions in which they are kept, the levels of exercise they receive, picking up on negative things happening in their home, abusive behaviour from owners or maybe a new addition to the family that they do not understand, amongst others.

Chastising a dog for going to the toilet where it shouldn’t or eating their own dog poop will only confuse them. This will instil negative memories together with fear into the dog. It is very possible that the dog will develop a fear of going to the toilet in view of their owner and attempt to hide their poop by eating it to prevent punishment.

Masking sent - territorial and puppy preservation

Dogs have naturally developed and built in instincts to protect their territory and defend their puppies from predators. In order to mask the presence of themselves to potential challengers to territory and dominance a dog may eat their poop to disguise their presence. A bitch with a litter of pups may also eat her own poop and the poop of her litter to prevent predators locating their position.

Summary

Put your dog on the correct diet and feed them at regular times with the correct amount of food for their weight. House train them properly using positive motivation and not negative reaction and punishment. Let them out regularly and clean up their mess before they can. Remove boredom through regular exercise and stimulating interactive play with you. A combination of the above should when put in place help stop your dogs eating their poop.

Treatments to prevent dogs eating poop

There are certain dietary supplements that can be used to help break the habit of dogs eating their own poop.

For further information visit our page - Stool Repel, stop dogs eating their poop!

Dog Licenses - Should they be re-introduced?

Dog Licenses in Britain were mandatory up until 1987 at which point they were abolished. Whilst the law stated that dog owners were under legal obligation to provide a dog license only about half of all people with pet dogs complied.

It was widely accepted that responsible dog owners were abiding by the dog license legislation whilst the very owners the act was introduced to control were ignoring the law.

Now of course we have a culture of abandoning unwanted pets in times of financial hardship and also an increase in reported dog attacks on members of the public. These two issues are impounded by the growing insanity and cruelty that surrounds the barbaric culture of dog fighting.

The Governments answer to these problems appears to be quite simple, the re-introduction the dog license.

The Route of the problems

This article has been compiled to give a personal opinion regarding the problems relating to dog cruelty and neglect. I would like to outline three general problems which I believe have a large part to play and hopefully hear your alternative views.

Problem One - Financial

The first is quite obvious, due to financial circumstance the owner of the dog can no longer afford to keep the dog and unfortunately all the dog pounds are full of strays or unwanted pets. Hence financial burden results in stray unwanted dogs.

Would a dog license have prevented this? I think not! Even if you were required to prove that you were financially capable of looking after a dog prior to a license being issued, financial circumstance can change at the drop of a hat. Also, I think that having people look into your private finances would put people off buying a dog license.

Most importantly, people might just think that the dog license is just one more unwanted financial burden and abandon the dog.

Problem Two - Education

The second cause is a little more complex. Far too many pet owners acquire a dog on impulse. No prior research into the breed they intend taking home and no basic understanding of what is involved in looking after a dog is a recipe for disaster.

Will introducing a dog license overcome this problem? No, again I think not. Unless of course that licence is re-enforced by some form of dog owner general knowledge test prior to issuing the dog licence. That would be another good reason for some people not to apply for one.

Problem Three - Mental State

This problem is a hurdle that I personally believe will be very difficult to overcome. You can prove financial capability and you can educate regarding dog welfare. What you can not do is understand how the owner will deal with the stress that often comes with dog ownership.

What is more you can not always identify if that licensed dog is destined for the fighting ring.

A final thought

In difficult financial times it may be that many responsible dog owners would keep pets without buying any obligatory dog licence. I have no doubt that unless some form of extreme monitoring of dog owner licensing is implemented it will be just as lapse as it was in 1987 and of course as the car tax and licence laws are now!

Maybe the only people that will abide by the law will be people with dogs destined to fight. After all dog fighting is understood to command large amounts of cash incentives.