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Drywall
Addict
Dear Ashby,
Hi, i'm a 18 month old
air dale and a very good boy, BUT for some reason
i like to chew the dry wall i have chewed 7 different
holes ,some right down to the wood, my mom can't
catch me at it, i'm afraid what she will do if
she catches me. do you have any idea why i do
this
Bear
Dear, Dear Bear,
Still a puppy aren’t you!
We are all very lucky that we are so cute and
loveable that we won’t get thrown out in the yard
even when we chew on things we aren’t supposed
to. When my Mom and Dad brought home dear Casey
Pup, she was a royal pain in the u-know-what.
She pulled on my ears, chewed on the cabinets,
the baseboards, my favorite Kong, mom’s slippers
and yes, she chewed dry wall too. I walk down
the hallway to our room and can still see where
Mom tried to patch the walls from the many holes
she put in the wall. Dad swears he will fix them
properly one day, but that was almost 5 years
ago! Anyway, I digress, Mom never caught her in
the act and we all got blamed for it, until Casey
slipped up one time and left dry wall crumbs in
her chest hair.
You chew dry wall for the
same reason Casey did, not because you are fond
of the taste, as it can be a bit chalky, but because
you are bored and have not been offered something
better! Casey was a very energetic puppy and Airedales
such as yourself also have a great deal of energy
to expend and I fear that you have way too much
pent up energy and not enough toys to sneak up
on.
Here’s what I recommend,
buy your Mom a patch kit for the walls, you can
have it sent anonymously via Home Depot online.
After it has arrived and she fixes the holes in
your wall I have no doubt that she will put up
an x pen around
the walls to discourage anyone in the family who
“may” have been the culprit to stop touching the
walls! However, we still need you to get rid of
some of the energy you have so I suggest that
you ask your Mom to take you for more walks, especially
if she is a working Mom and you are home all day
by yourself. Also, I think you should save up
your allowance and get some new toys! Lots of
new toys like bones to chew on and some of those
thinking toys, where you figure out how to get
the treat inside, these toys will help take your
mind off the drywall addiction and they are so
much better tasting! And pretty soon you’ll forget
all about the drywall!
Good Luck,
Ashby
Secondhand
Smoke
Dear Ashby
We used to have a cockerspanial but unfortunately
we had to put him down because he had a huge tumour
in his lung. I believe this was caused because
my girlfriends mother and father are smokers.
Its been now 4 months since we put the dog to
sleep and we decided to get a new puppy. My question
to you is there any websites that will discourage
my girlfriends parents to not smoke near this
dog. I fear that it will meet the same fate as
our old dog did.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Paul
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Paul,
Let me take this time
to give you and your family our sincere condolences
for the loss of your cocker, it is always hard,
especially when they die too young. In my breed,
golden retrievers, 87% of goldens end up with
cancer, which is a very sad fact. To broaden that
number, 1 in 250 dogs and cats are stricken with
cancer, but lung cancer in dogs is very rare.
From media education most
people now know that secondhand smoke is deadly.
If you look at studies about secondhand smoke
they show that in humans, one tobacco-exposed
non-smoker dies for every eight smokers who die.
Studies also show that it is possible that secondhand
smoke causes lung and nasal cancer in dogs as
well as incidents of feline lymphoma. John Reif,
DVM, (Department of Environmental Health at Colorado
State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences), conducted a study in
2001 that showed that dogs that lived with smokers
were more likely to have cancer than dogs that
lived with nonsmokers. The Colorado State University
study also showed that the effects of exposure
to secondhand smoke are lasting. Tobacco smoke
contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, 43
of which are known carcinogens. Measureable levels
of these carcinogens can be found in dogs' hair
and urine for months after exposure.
I also found an article
by Christina Mehra in VetCentric Magazine (www.vetcentric.com)
and she is quoted as saying "While some breeds
are more susceptible to certain types of cancer,
all dogs that live with smokers are at a greater
risk for some form of cancer than dogs that live
in non-smoking homes." The more smokers that
live in a household, the higher the risk for the
dog.
Now that we've discussed
the research regarding secondhand smoke let's
talk about the puppy you are going to bring into
the home. It seems that you and your girlfriend
are living under the same roof with the parents?
Secondhand smoke applies to dogs and humans don't
forget. It seems that the parents in question
are so addicted to their habit that they are not
quitting for their health or their daughters'
health, why are they going to quit for a new puppy?
Well, stranger things have happened and perhaps
the death of your cocker will help them to put
down this habit for the good of the entire pack.
But if I may make a suggestion that it's time
for you and your girlfriend to branch out and
find a place of your own that's fit for your new
puppy prince or princess. If it is not feasible
to do this at this time, perhaps you should teach
your new puppy a trick - steal the cigarette.
Before it's lit of course, and make sure that
the pup doesn't dispose of it!
In any case, good luck
with your new puppy and helping your entire family
to become a healthier pack! A Pack a Day could
now refer to the family being out for their daily
walk.
Ashby
Texas
Furfriend is Collared!
Dear Ashby:
Ok, apparently I have done
something to make my fur parents angry and I have
no idea what it is. My punishment for this mysterious
crime is that I have to wear this HUGE collar
that looks like a bandana. I am sooooooooooooo
humiliated, and what’s worse is that they have
taken a picture and afterwards they couldn’t stop
laughing hysterically at me. I HAVE to figure
out what I did so that I can get this stupid collar
off me!
Foolish in Texas
Dear Foolish,
I know exactly how you
feel. I too have been embarrassed by the collar.
Did the collar treatment come after a visit to
your “friendly” vet? Those vets, they just try
to buy you with treats, because they hope that
once you are back home and your fur parents have
started treatment that you will remember the treats
and not the tricks they have played on you! But
I digress…. If you visited the vets office, try
to remember what body part they prodded the most.
That is most likely the spot of controversy. Quit
licking it and they will take it off. In the mean
time, when you see the camera, run into a dark
corner, they can’t get you there.
If you are a male and have
a male father and have not been to the vet, perhaps
he has just put you in the collar because he is
jealous. My advice, watch out, a trip to the vet
is coming and it won’t be pleasant.
Ashby
Boomtown
Duo Sings the Baby Blues
Dear Ashby,
My sister and I thought we were prepared. They
showed us Lady and the Tramp several times before
it actually happened. Jim Dear and Darling were
ok and I knew the new little one would take up
more of their time, but NOT this much. And they
think she’s so cute cooing and gurgling, but do
they hear the screaming and the crying! They just
don’t seem to love us anymore, we don’t get pearls
for our birthday, no more steak under the table,
no more long walks around the block. Now they
just pay attention to “it”. We have tried the
sad puppy dog eyes, whining, wooing and we even
tried playing with “it’s” toy’s to make them feel
like we were trying to include the little tyke.
But we either get snubbed or put out in the yard!
Finally, we were fed up, so we made our statement
and went poopies in her room. We thought they
would finally see something as bold as that, and
they saw it alright. That was the worst we have
ever been yelled at and then put out in the yard.
When we came back in the house, we’ve been RESTRICTED
to only part of the house and we can go near anyone
now! We are so depressed, how can we get our life
back?
Banished in Boomtown.
Oh My Banished,
You have a long road to
wander before you are going to get back in the
good graces. I see this story all the time, it’s
really a sad one. There should be classes for
our poor fur parents on bringing home a new baby,
especially those that only have hair on their
heads. The original fault can be found in your
parents, as they just didn’t know how to handle
the situation, however, your final act didn’t
do you any favors and just made the road to recovery
that much harder.
When your fur family brought
the new baby home, they should have made some
time for both you, your sister and the new one.
However, you have to understand that babies are
higher maintenance than we are. They take a lot
longer to become self sufficient. So, because
you were here first and you are fully capable
of taking care of yourself, you are expected to
act like good big sisters to the tyke and entertain
yourself while they care for the baby. Still,
this does not preclude their original parental
responsibility to you. My advice to you is to
set this column in their favorite reading spot
and be patient, as they won’t be able to read
it for awhile. In the meantime, be on your best
behavior, be their support. When the new little
one is making those crying noises, protect yourself,
but then after they have been able to get “it”
to stop, go to them and just lay by their side,
and eventually they will notice again and be able
to spread the love around. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES
are you to play with the baby or it’s toys unless
it starts it. And it’s best to keep a low profile
even then, remember, the baby, even though on
all fours, will not be fully developed and capable
of real play until they are steady on their own
two feet.
Good Luck!
Ashby
Fur
Parent Learns The Bump
Dear Ashby,
I have learned an awful lot about my faithful
companion by reading your weekly column. Perhaps
you can teach me how to interpret something that
my fur kid is doing. When ever I am watching TV
or working on the computer, my dog comes over
and bumps my hand until I stop and talk to him.
I always think I get the message, but he just
keeps doing it, what should I do?
Fur parent in Buffalo
Dear Fur Parent,
I am proud of you for taking
an interest in your education and thank you for
your kind words. Our species are bred for a lot
of love and attention. We crave it, we love most
everyone and it is in our nature to draw smiles
and love out of your species with our main goal
being to lower your stress level. In this day
and age, it is not uncommon for a dog to have
a majorly stressed out human living with them
and it is their job to help you unwind and be
happy. Now, keep in mind that some dogs are different
than others. Different breeds display their affection
differently, and only give love to those they
know and trust, so do some more research on your
dog’s lineage to find out the specifics.
Here are some general interpretations
and recommendations for your fur kid. The bumping
of the hand can be interpreted many ways. The
most common is “Love on me please, because you’ve
been on the computer all day!” This simply means,
“I love you and would love for you to take a break
and love on me and play our favorite game together.”
Now, if you are on the couch the bump of the hand
could simply be “Love on me, I’m right here to
relieve your stress” You do know it’s proven that
petting a dog relieves stress in humans. Your
dog knows a lot about you and can see when you
are carrying too much stress and he wants to help
you relieve it. If you are not getting the hint
about your stress perhaps it’s a more persistent
bump followed by a let me up on the couch to really
help you out! If the bump involves a toy, you
must really be in need of stress relief and should
follow the dog outside and play with the toy you
have been presented.
However, sometimes the
bump on the hand could have to do with the time
of day, meaning – “you forgot to let me out, I
have to go now!” Or “have you seen the clock,
I’m hungry!”
The only drawback of the
bump is that it is also a dominance posture. Your
pup is demanding your time and trying to set the
pace for the household. What you need to determine
is, have you fallen into any of the scenerios
above and this is a helpful bump, or does your
pup just trying to get his way?
This should help you to
interpret what’s going on and to better understand
how to deal with the issue!
Ashby
Clueless
Cubbie Learns to Mind His P's and Q's
Dear Ashby,
Last week I got to go visit
my grand parents and play with my cousins. When
I first got to the house, after Mom left, I lifted
my leg and hit the couch! I was so happy but Grandma
shouted at me and then threw me outside before
I could look at my work. Needless to say I was
very disappointed to see Grandma’s cleaning up
my pee-mail before my cousins could take a sniff.
Why would see do that to me?
Cub fan in Arizona
Dear Cubbie,
How OLD are you?
While I would like to say
that Grandma erased your “pee-mail”, as you call
it, because it had a dirty joke in it not fit
for your cousin’s noses. That’s just not it. You
see, what your grandparents call that is “marking.”
You waltzed right into your grandparents house,
lifted your leg and said to them “This couch is
MINE.” Your grandmother however is the “alpha
bitch” and believes it is her couch and she has
shown you that by cleaning off your “pee-mail”
and replacing it with a scent that she prefers.
Furthermore, when she threw you out, she showed
you where you could place your “pee-mail” from
now on. If she really wanted to drive home the
point, she would have waited outside for you do
go again and then given you a treat for doing
so. So, If I were you I would mind your “Pee’s”
and “Q’s” while you are in the house and remember
not to mark inside the house!
Ashby
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