ArcaMax

Dear Cathy,

We inherited a rescue dog. We have no other dogs right now, so we agreed to take her. She’s a good dog but very skittish and barks constantly when she's outside. I’m hesitant to discipline her, like our other dogs, because she's so leery. So far, she’s way more agreeable to my wife, but even my wife can't get her to stop barking without praising her somehow. It seems wrong to praise her for barking, but we don't know what to do. I am at a loss on how to deal with this without making her more afraid.

–G. Washington, Las Vegas, Nevada

Dear G.,

You don’t have to discipline her. You can use positive reinforcement to change her behavior. Start with some basic obedience training to build her confidence. Training teaches her you are in charge and she must look to you for instructions. If she lets you lead, she will relax more and not feel the need for the constant alerts (barking) when out in the yard.

Of course, training takes time and you can’t let her bark incessantly in the yard. So, you will need to interrupt the barking by clapping your hands or using a Pet Corrector (a can of compressed air) to get her attention. Then call her over to you. When she responds, ask her to sit, then use a reward word, like “Bingo,” and give her a treat. Training her to “come” when called helps to interrupt the barking.

Another option is to go outside with her. Dogs often bark less when their owners are present. Hopefully, as she adjusts to her new home, she will bark less and be less skittish.

Dear Cathy,

I have an 11-pound Chihuahua, a 22-pound terrier-mix, and an 80-pound lab puppy and a very large backyard with young sapling trees. All three are white or blonde. Sometimes my Chihuahua, Taco, goes off on his own, sometimes 30 to 40 feet away from the others. Is he safe from birds of prey? Does his color help? Is the terrier-mix safe? I have seen falcons and hawks in the area.

–Casie, Tampa, Florida

Dear Casie,

It’s rare that a bird of prey will scoop up a small dog. Generally, large birds can’t carry more than half their body weight, so if they wanted to pick up a pet, it would have to be a much smaller dog or kitten.

I reached out to Kara Bale, communications manager for The Avian Conservation Center in Charleston, South Carolina, for her thoughts. She said if you’re seeing hawks and falcons overhead it’s because it’s breeding season and they are keeping an eye over the predators in their territories.

“Birds generally don’t want to interact with pets, and definitely not with humans who they see as the scariest predators of all,” Bale said. “Aggressive encounters aren’t about the birds thinking the dogs are prey, but the birds seeing dogs as predators. These birds are protecting their young. So, if a bird gets too close to a dog, even a dog you’re walking, it’s telling the dog to stay away. It’s not a predatory behavior. It’s a defensive behavior.”

There are other predators in Florida, like coyotes and alligators, she says, that might be more of a concern to a small dog’s safety. I don’t know if the color of your dogs’ coats makes them more vulnerable, but it’s possible. Just to be safe, monitor your dogs’ outside time whenever you can and encourage Taco to stay closer to his pack by reinforcing his recall response through training.

Keeping pets safe over the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is a stressful holiday for noise-phobic pets, and our dogs and cats may express their fears in numerous ways. Cats may run and hide, and not be seen for hours. Dogs may pant, pace, tremble, vocalize, panic or destroy things. The challenge for any pet owner is to find the right combination of stress-reducing strategies to keep their pets calm over the noisy holiday weekend.

For both dogs and cats, it’s important to create a safe space inside your home with music or white noise that drowns out the sound of the fireworks. Pressure wraps, like Thundershirts® and Anxiety Wraps®, can ease frayed nerves. There are also veterinary-prescribed anxiety medications and over-the-counter products for stress that, when used separately, may help.

It often takes multiple strategies to calm pets over the Fourth of July holiday. Mix it up and determine what works best for your pets.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)

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