My Pet World: Dog fears house and family, but acts fine everywhere else
You also can introduce a pheromone collar or pheromone plug-ins for the home or over-the-counter calming chews to supplement to help him feel more at ease during training. If you think it’s noise sensitivity, get a sound machine for your home to muffle extraneous sounds.
If you’re consistent, you should see improvements in a few weeks.
Dear Cathy,
I read your column about the anxious dog in the pool, especially your suggestion to have the dog wear a life vest. My grand dog is a Labrador Retriever and an awesome swimmer. She will also paw you and try to put her paws on your shoulder. This is because dogs cannot tread water and must move constantly.
Unless the pup can put her feed on the boot of the pool, she will have to keep paddling. Owners should be careful that their dog does not get too tired out. Great advice too about training the dog not to jump in the pool. Pepper knows to enter at the shallow end using the steps. The last thing kids need is a 70-pound dog landing on them.
— Marilynn, Hayes, Virginia
Dear Marilynn,
Experts estimate that about 5,000 dogs die in the U.S. annually from backyard pools. While the life vest is a must for every dog entering the water, it’s equally important to train dogs not to get into the water unless given permission to do so. It could save a dog’s life someday.
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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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