Q&A with Kate Bendix about dog health and happiness - ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

We're running a Q&A this week with dog expert Kate Bendix on all aspects of canine health. Kate runs the webchat My itchy dog. She regularly features on The One Show discussing dog health with vet Joe Inglis. She also writes for canine magazines.

Kate's latest book Top Dog is a step by step guide on how to have a happy dog and happy owners! Expert Kate Bendix answers all your questions whether it's how to choose the right dog for your family, preparing your home for a new puppy, how to have a lovely smelling dog (!) or simply what special doggy treat to make for his Christmas lunch! Offering simple and affordable tips on health, diet and lifestyle, Top Dog shows how you can have a marvellous mutt.

Post your Q to Kate before Monday 8 December and we'll post up her answers the following week (12 December). Everyone who joins the Q&A will be entered into a draw to win one of five copies of Top Dog. Winners will be announced on 12th December.

Hi Kate,

How can you stop a nervous dog weeing when you want her to move from where she is lying? She sneaks onto the bed and I find it extremely difficult to get her off with her urinating.

My 9 year old collie cross has s ridiculous amount of fatty lumps he's always had a couple but I've found around 10 new ones recently, the new ones are dotted about but mainly on his legs - front and back - any ideas why? Also my border terrier is very itchy, has little spots on his chest, any tips?! Both fed Lily's Kitchen kibble and are walked for about an hour and a half every day, neither of them are over weight or have any other issues. Thanks!

My 4 1/2 month cockapoo is biting so much we cant even play with her now as she has not only torn my 11 year olds clothes she has broken the skin on his arms! We give her chews toys frozen stuffed Kong etc and from 8 weeeks followed the bite inhibition training info given by veterinary nurse. she goes for two walks of 20 mins each a day has numerous runs around the garden have started puppy classes where she does sit paw stay rollover wait (only short time atm) she doesnt snatch food is toilet trained so a good girl for her age! My son is sad that he cant play with her without getting bitten quite hard. She also pulls on the lead awfully I follow the 'rules' of dog walking ive read online to no avail, Help !!

Our old dogs were fed the BARF diet (or our version of!) and did really well on zero commercial food.

We now have a 13 week old pup, who is still on the same brand kibble she came to us from rescue, with. I have started mixing in some cooked meat as this is the only way she will eat it all. But I only have experience of BARF feeding older dogs - have never raised a puppy on it - and don't feel so confident about it as I know it is crucial to get it right with a growing dog.

So... what would you say is the optimum diet for a pup/young dog and how to transition our dog over to it as we don't want to keep her on kibble?

Our old dogs did very well on real meat, bones and leftover veg. But I have heard my (former) vet rant for ages about raw food diets (I was sceptical as I noticed he was selling a commercial food).

What - in your opinion - is best for growing, young dogs? And how would you transition them over to a better diet?

I've got a happy dog one...

I have a 2 yr old Rottweiler with some complicated health issues which have caused some behavioural problems (I have professional help for both, it is a more general question, honestly, lol). Because of his issues he's on lead and muzzled when out and often on restricted exercise...however, he's a young intelligent energetic dog.

I do all the obvious things with him, some scentwork at home, he has things like kongs and puzzle toys and I clicker train him to do tricks and he has a couple of short walks a day (he'd quite happily do longer ones, but it's a case of the spirit is willing and the body isn't able).

Is there anything else I could be doing with him to keep him entertained? He's fantastic at picking up commands, quite happy to do anything involving food and likes any toys (though he is a chewer)... But he can't do anything too frantic or that would put strain on his elbows or spine, so is there anything I haven't thought of that he could be doing?

Hi Kate. My mini schnauzer has got into the habit of barking when she sees other dogs as she's excited. But at times it's embarrassing as she won't stop even when we tell her off or distract her with a treat or even turn around and walk the other way! Any tips so our walks can be enjoyable again?
Thanks

Hi Kate.

We have two dogs, a springer and a working cocker. Both are young and fit as fiddles. Both are very lean. The cocker however borders on being thin, rather than lean. He's on Millies Wolfheart kibble for working dogs, and one specifically for dogs that struggle to maintain weight, so with a higher proportion of protein, and a very good quality food in itself, which I don't wish to change. Fed twice a day. More than the recommended quantity.

In addition he has one or two eggs per week, raw. Treats are liver, cheese etc. He gets a couple of kongs per week and a couple of raw meaty bones for his teeth.

Both dogs have 90 minutes to 2 hours off lead every day and run around like loons for pretty much the entire time The cocker is one year old and is still entire.

Other than this, they are both well behaved good boys and I love 'em to bits!!

TIA.

I have 3 cavalier King Charles, one if whom is aged 11

He is more or less completely deaf and the vet thinks he is a bit senile.

The issue we have is that he is barking all the time to go into the garden, you'll let him out, he'll have a wander around the garden then come back in, only for it to be repeated 30 mins later.

We've tried ignoring him but he can be very persistent, we've also tried distracting him and getting him to come into another room where we are but nothing seems to help. We've closed the hall/kitchen door so he can't get to the patio door but the he just barks in the hall.

The day times are bare able just, but he's started doing it during the night .. Seriously it's like having a new born baby. Our bet suggested ignoring him which we did for a week but it hasn't helped

He's definitely not wanting to go out for the toilet and he gets plenty of excessive and company

Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated

Kate. Do you think dogs get jealous or is that just putting human emotions onto a dog?

I've recently got a puppy and while I'm making every effort to fuss my older dog still if he catches me tickling puppy's tummy he comes over and puts his paw on my hand as if he wants me to stop.

Viva - just an observation, but my two definitely notice when the other is getting affection. Ddog2 is especially bad for this, he muscles in if we fuss ddog1 by nudging us and standing on us if we are on the floor

Hi Kate,

I have an approx 2.5 year whippet cross. She is a rescue and came to live with us about 6months ago.

She loves people and is so friendly towards them but is an absolute terror around other dogs!

She doesn't start off being aggressive but approaches other dogs in a very 'full on' way. Running up to them, legs everywhere and getting in their space.

She will sometime bark and we don't know if this due to aggression or playfulness.

If she approaches a dog who is more dominant they may have a little tussle but once she's put in her place everything is usually ok. Unfortunately it's not easy finding other dogs like this whose owners are willing to let my dog be trained by them as it were.

Any sort of food bribe to call her back or calm her down doesn't work. Once she's seen another dog she goes from calm to crazed in a heartbeat. She won't obey commands either.

At dog training classes she will occasionally bark and paw the other dogs but as the lesson progresses she calms down.

I do genuinely think she likes other dogs, she just doesn't know how to behave around them.

What are some practical things I can do to help her deal with doggy situations?

I've tried a stern command which she does understand in other situations but nothing gets through when she sees another mutt!

I'd love to get her a calmer dog sibling but we don't have room at the moment. Other members of our family have dogs and they don't get on too well with her either.

She spent the weekend with a larger dog a couple of months ago and calmed down after a few hours. He is a very old and patient creature so it was a really great situation for her. Unfortunately that dog lives 300 miles away so it can't be a regular thing.

I'd love to be able to go for a walk with her and not have to turn around/hide/cross the road when another dog comes our way. Please help!

Oh er. I have a thread tuning at the moment ......

Hi Kate

Every night our springer cross scratches at her ears and rubs them on the carpet. She has been put under to have them checked as she went through a stage of 'flapping' them at night. All was clear.
We have her trimmed and have changed her diet but she still does it! Do we need to be concerned or do you think it's now just a habit?
Thank you.

Hi
We would like our 2 year old jack russell terrier to sleep in her bed in the kitchen at night. We gave up when she was a puppy as she would wee/poo in the kitchen and she slept on our bed. It is more like in our bed but we would dearly like to rehome her at night. She scratches at the door when we do try.
tia

Hi Kate

We adopted two adult Dalmatians around 9 months ago. One has major health issues I'm trying not to admit that this will be his one and only Christmas with us

They're extremely attached to each other - never more than 2-3 metres away from each other. Currently curled up asleep with her head on his back. We've been trying to take them out separately to get them used to being apart for when the inevitable happens but unless they're with one of us, they just howl. It's the saddest sound you could imagine. Even when one has been in the vets overnight, they've had to allocate a nurse to stay in the room fussing whoever is in there to stop them howling all night

Any suggestions?

We adopted a six year old Catalan sheepdog earlier this year. She had been with a breeder and had four litters. Kept well, but quite functionally in an outside kennel with a concrete run. Not much love or affection, we suspect, though in good health. She is a dream in many ways - great with kids and other dogs (now we have had her spayed!), very affectionate, fabulous to walk including off the lead, very patient and doesn't bark very much. We adore her, she is a much loved member of the family.

But she doesn't know how to play How can we help her?

Hi Kate

How can I stop a normally confident happy 2 yr old German Shepard from crying when one of the other dogs goes out, either to the vet of for a walk?

Thank you.

We are thinking of adopting another ex racing greyhound.

We have a very quiet natured (huge) boy who is seven. He doesn't like lively dogs at all, or other breeds. We live rurally so he rarely sees other dogs which suits him fine. He walks with my neighbour's ex racer most days and they're fine with each other.

What are your tips for ensuring a smooth relationship between the two dogs?

We have a cockerpoo pup. We've only had her a few days. She's adorable and learning about her new home very fast. We don't want her to go upstairs nor do we want her to go into our formal sitting room. She will have the run of the kitchen, family sitting room, playroom, hall, our studies & a large garden. We work from home so she will only very rarely be left without a human. Do we need a stair gate at the foot of the stairs or shall we just try to train her not to go up? Obviously the door to the sitting room can just be left closed.

(I realise I probably sound the dog-owning equivalent of a new mother who plans to teach her newborn the fourth declension nouns before the postpartum 6 week check up.)

Hi Kate,
We have a problem with our two year old collie, he is very loud! When we are at home, by ourselves, he is a gem. We've taught him to replace random barking with a lovely howl (it's gentle and sweet). The problem is when people come over, or we go over to other people's houses, especially if they have dogs - he barks for attention. All the time. Loudly.
It's our fault, we should have stamped on it when he was little, but he wasn't so loud then!
We have tried saying no, distracting him with toys, spraying him with water, and muzzling him of (all on advice from trainers). None of which work.
In fact he is getting worse.
I am due on Wednesday and I'm afraid the health visitor won't think having a loud attention seeking collie in the same house as our baby is a good idea.

Hello Kate
My dog is around 9 years old. He is a rescue and we have had him since April.
When we got him he had very stiff back legs and we have been giving him Arithium (?) since for suspected arthritis. The person we adopted him from used to carry him up and down the stairs and said he was an old boy but with us he plays like a puppy.
His vet has acknowledged that he has crunchy old joints but not suggested any review or treatment. What is the best thing we can do to manage his stiff legs? It doesn't seem to affect him - he charges around, running up and down the stairs and up on the bed and sofa, and doesn't appear to be in any pain.
Thanks x

I have two male dogs, one 19 months (Fergie) and the other 13 months (Bailey). The older dog was our pet from when he was born and we introduced the Bailey when Fergie was roughly 8 months old.

They're 2 different breads, Fergie is a Westie and Bailey is a Poodle x Westie.

Bailey can't help himself, but he chews the wallpaper and even when he knows he's done wrong - he will do it again. He tries to chew the covers on the sofa and he has chewed our cushions. We will not buy any more cushions now.

Because of the way he is, we cannot have a christmas tree up the year. Both have been neutered and chipped and get exercise daily.

Bailey also digs big holes in the garden. I've tried popping his faeces into the holes to stop him doing this, but he eats it sometimes (yuck).

How can I stop his behaviour?

We have a nippy lab - 14 weeks old. following for tips ;-)

I don't mean to be a complete bore but the answers to lots of these questions will be found if you post in www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse asking for help - there are behaviourists, vets and vet nurses who linger there and offer help regularly. It looks like a lot of MN users aren't aware of it - you will find kindness, sympathy and loads of helpful advice :)