My Pet World: Do animals have long-term memory?
2. Interactions with people: Clingy dogs may become aloof, or vice versa.
3. Sleep pattern changes: Overnight, a dog may be restless, perhaps pacing or crying out. Also, the dog sleeps far more during the day.
4. Housetraining errors: Accidents occur with no apparent explanation.
5. Changes in activity level: Of course, older animals are less active, but often the thrill of life appears to be gone from dogs who previously wagged their tails as soon as they woke up in the morning.
"There are products that may help if the veterinarian determines this dog has cognitive decline," says Landsberg. "The earlier you intercede, the more likely you are to be successful in slowing and conceivably reversing the decline."
Landsberg advises to never force your dog from her hiding place. Instead, try to coax her out with food or toys. And reward play behavior.
"It would be interesting to see what happens if you blocked off access to your dog's hiding place," Landsberg adds.
Q: I'm writing to find help for my brother's dog, Roscoe. After my brother and his Argentine Dogo moved in with me, I trained Roscoe for 6-months, but then was forced to leave the country for work. My brother promised to continue the training, but unfortunately, he hasn't done that.
Roscoe is perfect in the house, but he's very aggressive toward people coming into our home, and very aggressive outdoors. When he gets into an aggressive fit, he'll bite. I don't want to give up on this dog. Any advice? -- V.R., Toronto, Ontario, CA
A: "For starters, let's keep people safe," says Landsberg. "Your dog probably requires a muzzle, and should also be secluded behind a closed door when people visit." The Argentine Dogo is a large breed and could deliver serious bites. If Roscue were to hurt someone, he might have to be euthanized.
"You need hands-on qualified help from a professional who uses positive reinforcement techniques," says Landsberg. "By the way, using punishment to deal with this dog would only make matters worse."
At this point, you may need to adjust your expectations of what's possible regarding Roscoe. For example, a muzzle might be needed anytime you have company or when Roscoe is outdoors.
Resources for qualified help include veterinary behaviorists (www.dacvb.org), International Association of Animal Behavior Consults (www.iaabc.org) or Karen Pryor Academy Trainers (https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer).
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Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state. Steve's website is www.stevedalepetworld.com; he also hosts the nationally syndicated "Steve Dale's Pet World" and "The Pet Minute." He's also a contributing editor to USA Weekend.
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