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Overview
Why do dogs bark? Why do dogs like to bury bones and dig in the dirt? Can you train them to refrain from these natural behaviors? How do you choose the perfect canine companion? Can you "allergy-proof" your dog? Can you train your dog to like the mailperson? Your boyfriend? Your grandchildren? How do you know if a dog is depressed? Stressed? Sick? Happy? In fourteen information-packed chapters, H. Ellen Whiteley, D.V.M., answers these and hundreds of other vital questions about raising healthy and happy dogs in your home. Each chapter includes a letter from a concerned dog owner, and Dr. Whiteley's advice to that owner. Whiteley, an award-winning author, draws upon her experiences as a practicing veterinarian and her years as pet columnist for publications such as "The Saturday Evening Post," "Woman's World," "Milwaukee Sentinel" and others to write a book filled with interesting and insightful anecdotes about dogs and their people that will keep you turning pages long after you've discovered the answers to your specific questions.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781611391619 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Sunstone Press |
| Publication date: | 06/15/2006 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 288 |
| File size: | 8 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Hearing
The dog's ability to hear is better than ours, especially when it comes to hearing high-pitched sounds. We can hear in the range of 20,000 cycles per second (cps); a dog's range is more like 34,000 to 40,000 cps, and a cat's is even higher, up to 60,000 cps.
All three of us—people, dogs, and cats—have about the same ability to hear low-pitched sounds. The ear is generally least sensitive in the low frequency range; otherwise, we would hear all our body vibrations.
Because dogs hear at higher frequencies then we do, they may respond to certain gadgets, such as electronic pest-control collars and remote devices to change television channels. If your pet reacts with anxiety by moving away or vocally protesting when you activate one of these devices, be aware that you may be sacrificing your pet's comfort for yours.
A veterinary journal recently cited the case of a dog exposed to the low-battery warning sound from a smoke detector; the low-battery sound is a high-frequency beep emitted every few seconds. The dog was confined to a downstairs room in which the smoke detector was located, and neither his barking nor the warning sound were heard by the owner, who was sleeping upstairs. The poor dog was so disturbed by this constant noise that he destroyed the room and finally broke out of an exterior door. It took a week for the dog to recover from this distressing episode.
Some animals hear even higher pitched sounds than dogs and cats; bats, for example, hear up to 98,000 cps and dolphins up to 130,000 cps. Yet the bat doesn't hear those low sounds that we hear; he can hear only the high-pitched sounds we can't hear. It's the same with dolphins; theirhearing starts at 100,000 cps. Animals have their own lanes of sound—ones in which they communicate and ones to which their ears are the most sensitive. If we all heard the same sounds, the bombardment to our hearing sense would be overwhelming.
Nature writer Diane Ackerman, in her book, A Natural History of the Senses, describes auditory niches: “Nature allows an animal a little decorum and privacy when it comes to its own species. Otherwise, a warning to its brethren would also signal a predator.” There is, however, overlap. A vocal mouse is inviting the interest of an astute dog or cat.
In the same way, perhaps, a loud car will invite the interest of dogs who chase cars. Years ago, when I wrote a pet-care column for the Saturday Evening Post, readers wrote in to describe their pets' strange behavior concerning Volkswagens. That was in the days when you saw and heard more VW Beetles on the road. It seems that some dogs are discriminating in the cars they chase, opting only for Beetles. I've asked several automobile mechanics, and they've confirmed that the car makes a distinct sound.
There is a particular distance range, as well as pitch range, within which animals hear. If you are calling children and dogs for mealtime, dogs can hear from a distance four times farther away than kids. The mobility of a dog's outer ear allows him to rotate toward and pinpoint the direction that sound waves are traveling; dogs can locate the source of a sound in six-hundredths of a second.
It would seem that a cup-shaped erect ear would be advantageous over floppy ears for sound sensitivity. In contrast, dogs who hunt by scent—bloodhounds, for example—usually have long, floppy ears. The drooping ears are advantageous to the tracker, for they tend to screen out distracting sounds and allow the dogs to concentrate on his superior sense of smell.
There is, of course, an overlapping of senses; smell and hearing are both useful in pinpointing the location of a quarry. Vibrations that trigger our sense of touch are intimately involved in our ability to hear low sounds; taste and smell combine in food appreciation. But Dr. Dare, Miller, A Beverly Hills animal behaviorist says, “Hearing is by far a dog's keenest learning sense, without doubt, the fastest route to his mind.”
Some years ago, Dr. Miller developed a method of training dogs that relies on their ability to perceive high-frequency sounds. His invention is simply a chain that sends out a sound just out of the upper range of the average dog's hearing. The sound, heard subliminally, interrupts the dog's behavior—whether the dog is chewing your bedroom slippers or digging up a flower bed—and causes him to prick up his hears and listen. Dr. Miller used the chain to reinforce the teaching of appropriate behaviors, as well as such commands as come, sit, heel, and stay.
Bringing as many of the dog's senses as possible into the learning situation is helpful. Teach the dog to respond to both voice and visual cues (hand signals). If a dog's hearing sense is later compromised by age or disease, he can compensate with his visual sense.
Deafness
The hearing sense of puppies is immature at birth. Hearing approaches adult level after the ear canals open, but mature hearing is delayed for most individuals until weaning, at six to eight weeks of age. For this reason, breeders of dogs prone to inherited deafness should delay hearing tests until puppies are six weeks old.
I have already mentioned my experience with a blue-eyed deaf Australian shepherd. Color influences inherited deafness. Predominantly white, merle, or piebald coat color, as well as blue eye color owning to a lack of pigmentation of the iris, predispose to inherited deafness. Affected breeds include Dalmatians, English setters, Australian shepherds, border collies, and Shetland sheepdogs.
Spaniels and hounds have an abnormal susceptibility to ear infections because their long ears prevent evaporation of moisture from the ear canals. Poodles and other breeds with hair growing inside the ear canals may develop infections when moisture is trapped in plugs of hair and ear wax. All dogs are prone to infections from foreign objects, particularly foxtail grass awns, which are found in the Southwest, and from ear mites that cause inflammation of ear canals. If you see your dog tilting or shaking his heard frequently, ear infection may be the problem; an infected ear may also give off a detectable odor. Regardless of the cause, an untreated ear infection can compromise a dog's hearing sense.
Hearing loss in dogs may also be caused by tumors, injuries, or damage from certain antibiotics, and may be related to the aging process. Exposure to high-decibel levels impairs hearing ability; dogs subjected over time to sounds such as those produced by heavy-metal rock groups might suffer the consequences. My husband, a retired military sergeant, is borderline deaf owning to years on the rifle range without earplugs; gun dogs probably suffer a similar job hazard.
Until recently, little could be done to help dogs with severe hearing impairment; however, Dr. Patricia J. Luttgen, a veterinary neurologist, has been experimenting with canine hearing aids. She has fitted several hearing-impaired dogs with a molded device inserted into the vertical ear canal. The problem, she says, is getting the dog accustomed to the hearing aid. Dogs are trained to wear the aid for short periods as the volume is gradually increased. Dog with large, thick matted ears, such a cocker spaniels, experience more problems wearing the aid because of sound interference.
Not every dog is a candidate for this type of therapy. If deafness is caused by nerve damage, a hearing aid will not help the problem. Even if the hearing deficit is ameliorated by a hearing aid, training of the dog will be intense and time-consuming.
Dr. Luttgen administers a BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test to access the level of hearing in each ear. If she determines that the dog is a candidate for an aid, she suggests that owners buy a package of foam earplugs sold at drugstores; if the dog can be taught to endure the earplugs, he might be trained to tolerate a hearing aid. Working with audiologists, Dr. Luttgen designs and fits an aid molded specifically for each patient. She attempts to enhance the hearing in one ear only.
The test, fitting, and technology involved in designing hearing aids for dogs are the same as for people, yet the costs may be greater--$1,200 to $1,500 for a dog—because of the difficulty in fitting and training. Several years ago, a universal-type hearing aid for dogs was available; Dr. Luttgen describes her experience with this type of aid as a “dismal failure.”
The BAER test is an extremely helpful diagnostic tool for deafness; because of expense, however, it is found primarily in the offices of veterinary specialists. Before the BAER test, we clients and veterinarians—relied primarily upon behavioral clues for a diagnosis of severe hearing loss. Sometimes we used the response of the dog to a hand clap or tuning fork to make a determination. Interestingly, some dogs with severe hearing loss will respond—they “feel” or “see” what is happening. Others with no hearing deficit fail to respond—they are frightened or stressed or become acclimated to certain repeated sounds.
After talking with Dr. Luttgen, I am convinced that few dogs are candidates for hearing, aids, and that other means of preventing and treating hearing loss are more practical. Frequent physical examinations by your pet's veterinarian ensures that treatable conditions leading to deafness are detected promptly and handled aggressively. Dogs with inherited deafness should be neutered to prevent propagation of the condition. Hearing-impaired dogs should be taught to respond to hand signals and be kept in a fenced yard or house for their protection. Raise deaf puppies in homes with other dogs who can act as role models from which they can take their “cues.”
Table of Contents
| Preface |
| 1. Yesterday and Today |
| In the Beginning |
| Domestication |
| Diversity |
| Dog's Work |
| People and Dogs |
| Question: Burying Treats |
| 2. Relationships-Dogs and People |
| The Human-Animal Bond |
| Client, Patient, Veterinarian |
| Question: Allergy-proofing Pets |
| 3. The Way Dogs Are |
| Ancestral Type |
| Dogs Big and Small |
| Genetics |
| Personality Plus |
| Question: Pit Bull Controversy |
| 4. Choosing Dogs |
| Matching Owner and Pet |
| Roommates |
| The Heart Factor |
| Where to Find a Dog |
| Lemon Laws |
| Choosing |
| Question: Frostbite in Dogs |
| 5. Puppies-The First Weeks |
| Before and Following Birth |
| Two to Four Weeks |
| Four to Twelve Weeks |
| Recommendations |
| Question: Introducing New Baby |
| 6. The Dog Senses |
| Hearing |
| Balance |
| Vision |
| Smell |
| Taste |
| Touch |
| Other Senses |
| Question: Deformed Puppy |
| 7. Intelligence and Communication |
| Intelligence |
| Communication |
| Question: Aggressive Puppy |
| 8. The Essentials |
| Air |
| Water |
| Food |
| Shelter |
| Question: Reverse Sneeze |
| 9. Teaching |
| How Dogs Learn |
| Training Methods |
| Naming |
| House Training |
| Crate Training |
| Obedience Training |
| Exercise Training |
| Swimming |
| Tricks |
| Question: Watchdog Training |
| 10. Aggression/Other Misbehavior |
| Contributing Factors |
| Types of Aggression |
| Bites |
| Other Misbehavior |
| Question: Limping for Attention |
| 11. The Sick, Injured, Neurotic |
| General Signs of Illness |
| Pain |
| Stress |
| Diseases Affecting Behavior |
| Emotional Disorders |
| Question: Allergic Dog |
| 12. Sex, Pregnancy, Parenthood |
| The Female |
| The Male |
| The Mating Act |
| Pregnancy and Lactation |
| Parenthood |
| Birth Control |
| Question: Nymphomania |
| 13. Aging |
| Life Expectancy |
| Old Dogs and New Tricks |
| The Aging Body |
| Geriatric Care |
| Behavioral Problems Associated with Aging |
| Neurological Conditions Associated with Aging |
| Question: Sibling Rivalry |
| 14. Preparing for the Inevitable |
| Grief |
| Euthanasia |
| Making Arrangements |
| Surviving Pets |
| Question: Hospice Care |
| Index |