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Hey, Katie K-9!
Help! Car rides are a nightmare recently with my little Puggel (a Pug and Beagle mix). His name is Bill and he is 1 year old. I have had him since a pup and all was fine until a couple of months ago. Bill now barks incessantly and jumps back and forth from the front to the back seat. It is driving me nuts! My vet suggested Valium. I feel that's too harsh for my little guy. Any ideas?
Going Crazy
Martha
Hey, Martha and Bill!
Who knows what triggered this to start, but my guess is that you now start yelling at him, which feeds his frenzy even more.
First, put a leash on him and tie it to a seat belt or to something in the back seat so he cannot jump back and forth. You can use a spray bottle filled with water set on "stream;" or, as another option, you can use a rinsed-out pop can, place five pennies in it, and tape the top shut.
Now, when he starts to bark, in a deep, growly voice, say "AHHHHH, quiet!" and either blast him in the face with the water or shake the can of pennies. You may wish to work as a team with another person in the car until you get this under control. When he quiets, even for a second, calmly say, "Thank you." Do not say, "Good boy," as that is a trigger word for "Let's play!"
You can also try putting him in a kennel seat belted into the back seat. Some dogs need to have a towel over the kennel to keep them quiet, also.
All dogs should have their own seat in the car. They should never ride in your lap as you are driving. This is very dangerous, especially if you should need to hit the brakes or jerk the steering wheel quickly. Also, consider what would happen were in an accident and your air bags went off . What would happen to your dog? This is true for dogs in the passenger seat, as well. Dogs and kids are safer in the back seat.
And never let your dog put his head out the window. This may look very cute, and your dog may love doing it. But there are many eye injuries that occur from this as well as ear problems. We have to be the guardian of what is safe for our pets. Safety should always be first!
A side note: if your dog gets carsick, start putting a pinch of ground ginger on his feed daily. Th is will acclimate him to the taste of ginger. Just before you are going to go for a car ride, give your dog a couple of gingersnap cookies. Ginger settles the stomach. It works for people, too.
Have a safe and more quieter car ride.
Katie K-9!
Hey, Katie K9!
I just got a new puppy; she is 10 weeks old. I am worried about fleas. Can I put a flea collar on her?
Tom
Hey, Tom!
Congrats on the new puppy! And no, do not put any flea collar or flea-killing chemicals on your puppy. Your puppy's system is too fragile to deal with any chemicals of any kind. I know of puppies that have chewed off the flea collar and died from the chemicals on them. I do not believe in using chemicals to deal with fleas anyway, it just builds a bigger and better flea.
The best approach is to just to do a flea check once a week with a flea comb. Run the comb under the chin, over her rump and between her back legs. Fleas like warmth and that is where they usually are if your pup has any. If you find any, vacuum your house well, and throw the bag away aft er that. Wash all pet bedding, and just flea comb daily. If you come across a flea on the comb, dunk the comb in a jar with warm water and a couple of drops of liquid dish soap. This will drown the flea.
You can give your pup a bath with regular dog shampoo. Get her all lathered up, and let it stand on your pup for at least 3 minutes. Then rinse. This will smother fleas that are on your pup. You do not need a flea shampoo, which just entails more chemicals.
Keep on top of it naturally!
Kate K-9
The Katie K-9 radio show is now on every Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. on FM107.1 Send in your dog questions to "Hey, Katie K-9!" by mailing them to The Citizen, P. O. Box 393, Hugo, MN 55038 or e-mailing them to Katie at KatieK-9@ReadTh eCitizen.com.