This is one lucky dog who found not just one happy home but two.

All dogs need some form of exercise if they are to maintain health and vigour and this includes mental health as well. Dogs lacking exercise tend to become bored and eventually lethargic which leads to problem behaviour and to obesity with all it’s attendant problems of heart and kidney disease joint weakness and bone thinning all of which can shorten the lives of animals just as they do for humans.

15-20 mins. exercise twice a day or 30-40 mins. once a day is sufficient for most dogs although the more active breeds such as Border Collies thrive on much more than than this as this breed is a very active working breed, bred to be active all day.

Dogs need someone to interact with when exercising, even when they have access to a large garden they will not exercise as such on their own but may instead rest and snooze or invent activities for their own amusement such as digging, which their owners see as problems.

It is not sufficient to just exercise your dog at the weekends, he will need regular exercise several times a week if not every day. If you cannot exercise him before or after work see if some other responsible member of the family can take him on daily walks or consider hiring a dog walker 2-3 times a week.

With a large garden available one of your children at least 10 years old ( remember kids and dogs safety rules) may be able to play fetch with the dog as both dogs and children usually enjoy this. However, a good walk at a brisk pace on a regular basis is the simplest and easiest way of keeping both dog and owner fit.

Some things to consider before exercising your dog.

• Health – You need to make sure that your dog is in good health before you start exercising so a visit to your veterinarian for a general check up is a good idea.
• Age – Puppies and elderly dogs should be exercised carefully and gently. Watch for signs of stress and if they appear cease exercising at once.
• Weight- Should your dog be over weight and the primary aim of exercising to reduce this weight consult a veterinarian first and get a program which will do this gently over time.

Be careful not to over do exercise. Some dogs of working breeds will run all day long and can in fact do themselves harm unless their owners restrict strenuous exercise to a reasonable limit. Remember also before getting your dog to perform any strenuous exercise to warm up gently before starting and to warm down afterward.

Take some water with you to quench thirst after warm down but do not give too much at once.

Another way of exercising is to participate in dog sports, there are many of these and many levels at which to participate.

If you are using one or more of your local dog parks be aware of potential problems and make sure you apply appropriate dog park etiquette which includes as always using those little plastic bags to clean up afterwards.

Three dogs died in the Iditarod this year. At first glance this might not seem too bad, but need dogs be made to race in these onerous conditions at all, because remember there are other health problems caused by these conditions which might not result in death but which are best avoided.

Doggie dancing and retrieving tennis balls may be fun, but is it Crufts?

This term implies a lack of confidence in a dog and covers a whole spectrum of behaviours from being very timid to fearful aggression. If timidity is left untreated there is always the possibility of the dog becoming fearful when forced to confront particular situations and of that escalating in to aggression. Dogs exhibiting this behaviour are often handed in to shelters or even abandoned to fend for themselves by owners who cannot cope and then they become very likely candidates for euthanizing.

The main thing an owner of such a dog needs to be aware of is that soothing or gentling a frightened puppy reinforces this behaviour rather than reducing it. Although it is normal for a dog to be wary when faced with new situations, things or people who are unfamiliar a “shy” dog will tend to be extremely wary.

The main cause by far of shyness is lack of proper socialization during the critical 8-16 week period of a young dog’s life. This means that the young dog was not exposed to as many experiences as it needed to have been.

Some think there is evidence that shyness can be inherited or learned from the mother but it is not generally believed that ill treatment or abuse is a likely cause.(Dogs are so incredibly forgiving.)

Careful socialization of even  older dogs can improve the behaviour.  Careful here means slow and steady, the socialization must not be rushed.The dog’s confidence must be built up and he must trust his owner.This can only occur  by the owner understanding the situation and carefully handling the dog. You need to spend time with the dog to get to know him

• to know what is likely to make him afraid
• to know when to push and when to back off
• to know when your dog has had enough

Some situations you may want to avoid at first and then work towards them step by step. Should the dog be showing signs of aggression take action before it can become established. Get expert help, but make sure the help is expert, as bad handling can make an unsatisfactory situation worse.

If you have ever wondered just how good a dog’s sense of smell is read this article and be prepared to be amazed.

Digging is a natural function for dogs and they dig for many reasons. However digging becomes a problem behaviour when our dogs dig where they shouldn’t causing damage, usually in the garden where they dig up flower beds and small shrubs. It should be realized that some breeds have a genetic propensity to dig but most dogs just like to dig and do so for fun and to use up energy. Understanding the reasons for digging goes a long way towards finding a solution to it. The main reasons are :

• to bury (and recover) bones and other food to hide them from competitors.

• to dig cooling pits, in hot weather it is cooler in the ground than above it so dogs dig holes, sometimes quite deep, and lie in them in an effort to keep cool.

• if you use blood and bone fertilizer on your garden this may well prove irresistible to your dog and he will try yo dig it up.

• to dig up prey.

• to relieve boredom, dogs are social animals and become lonely when left on their own for long periods of time.

• to escape, holes dug near fences and gates usually indicate a desire to escape on the dog’s part sometimes to find a mate and sometimes to escape sheer boredom.

Once started this behaviour quickly becomes a habit so steps should be taken straight away to curb it. There are several measures which can be taken :

• if loneliness and boredom are thought to be the cause then try to spend more time with him. Play games and teach him some tricks.
• provide more exercise to drain some of his energy preferably first thing in the morning if he is left alone all day.
• provide him with company by enrolling him in doggy daycare or engaging a dog walker for some of the time. Alternatively maybe a friend, relative or neighbour could spend some time with him but take care that such people are reliable and remember that he is your dog and you have ultimate responsibility for him.
• a dog run will confine him and if it has a concrete floor he will not be able to dig. Ensure the run is sited properly with a good kennel and sheltered from both cold winds and hot summer sun. Provide him with hard rubber toys to play with rotate them so that they are changed every day and include some stuffed with treats to keep him busy.

• build a digging pit with sand, either sand on it’s own or mixed with garden soil and train him to dig in this.The pit should be at least 1.0m sq(3 ft sq). To encourage him to dig in it bury toys there, some of them stuffed. Watch him as often as you can and when you see him start to dig outside the pit give him the off command, take him back to the pit and praise him for digging there.

• wire netting can be buried where he is likely to dig to escape and this is often sufficient deterrent to stop digging at these places. Neutering or spaying will help if dogs are intent on escaping to find mates.(this is a good idea anyway)

Some of the above measures at least will have to be used until your dog is trained to dig only where allowed as this takes time. Before you get a dog the different breeds should be researched and one thing which will be shown up will be that breeds of dogs such as Terriers, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamute, Retrievers, and Cocker Spaniels are genetically predisposed to digging. It’s in their blood so you should expect it and take steps to deal with it from day one.

Uno the Beagle won first in show this year, the first time ever for a Beagle.

These dogs befriended by American soldiers are on their way out of Iraq and should be leading a much happier life in America.

Separation anxiety is a condition where a dog develops considerable distress when it is left on it’s own even for only short lengths of time. In some cases it may be the absence of one person the dog has bonded with that triggers the problem even though another person may be there. It is difficult to determine precisely the cause but there is no doubt that the level of anxiety can rise to epic proportions in some cases to the point where damage to property and injury to the dog can occur.The causes of this problem are thought to include the fear of abandonment which can affect dogs which have been given up to shelters and adopted from there. An owners change in routine or change in schedule such as may occur on moving house, meaning there is less time to spend with the dog are possible triggers for the problem. Be alert for signs of anxiety in your dog after any changes such as these so that you recognize them immediately and can take action.

It is clear a case of separation anxiety exists when your dog :

• constantly follows you around demanding attention.

• is not happy to be in even the next room to you if the door is closed.

gets increasingly distressed as you prepare to leave the house.

• carries out destructive chewing round doors window frames.

the chewing begins very shortly after you leave.

• poops and pees in several locations round the house.

• always shows the above behaviour even if you are gone for only a short time.

• engages in self mutilation by chewing or licking of legs, paws or sides.

• barks, whines or vocalizes in any other way such as howling.

It is important to understand that your best friend, although you might not see him as such at these times, has a problem very much like a mental illness and is not doing these behaviours just to annoy you or to punish you for leaving him alone.This being the case he should in no way be punished but rather helped to overcome his problem.

Separation anxiety falls into the severe category when major damage by chewing occurs round doors and windows as if the dog has been trying to escape by making hoes in walls. Also self inflicted injury by the chewing of legs paws and some times flanks falls in to the severe category.

An effort should be made to desensitize him to your getting ready to leave ritual and you will have one even if you don’t know it. Break down this ritual in to it’s component parts which might look like this :

• put shoes on.

• put jacket on.

• pick up car keys.

• go to door.

• open door.

• step outside.

• close door.

So you have a ritual of seven steps and your dog knows every one of them and the sequence in which you carry them out. In order to desensitize your dog to your leaving ritual you must start by going through the first step of putting on your shoes and then taking them off again after a short time without going near the door. Wait a little while and repeat. If after a few repetitions of this first step your dog is not showing any signs of becoming distressed then add the second step. So put on your shoes and your jacket and take them off again. Repeat several times and if the dog is comfortable move on to adding the next step into the practice sequence. Continue until you have been through the whole sequence to the point of closing the door several times without upsetting the dog.

Now it is time to spend a little time out side the house and increase it gradually without causing the dog distress. Once you have got the time out to more than thirty minutes it should be possible to increase it dramatically from there without problems.

It doesn’t often go as smoothly as indicated above and it is almost inevitable that there will be setbacks, but remember to take things slowly, and if necessary go back a step or two and start over. Do not punish, he is not doing this on purpose and punishment will only confuse him and may reduce the trust he has in you. Do keep your departures low key and without fuss.

There are other things which you can do. The good old stand by exercise in sufficient amounts will not only keep him fit and well but will provide mental stimulation as well. He will be more inclined to sleep and therefore less inclined to get into any destructive behaviour.

Filling kongs with food so that he has to work to get it will provide some mental stimulation and keep him busy just after you leave, which is the time when any damage is likely to occur.

Chew toys can be useful. You will need several so that you can give him say two per day and have a sufficient supply to keep changing them.

Opinion is divided on the use of crates and the effectiveness of leaving the radio on.This is probably because so much depends on the level of anxiety in the dog and whether he has been trained to a crate before. Putting the dog in a crate in a quiet place in the house may increase his sense of security will help in some cases.There is no doubt that the damage to the house will be eliminated but this is at the risk of a highly agitated dog injuring himself.

If extensive damage is being done temporary measures may have to be taken until you get your departure underway. Someone you know well, and more importantly your dog knows well, may be able to look after him during the day for a while or you could consider doggy daycare if you can find one run by people who understand the problem.

Some of the more enlightened employers are now allowing employees to take pets to work as it has been found to raise productivity in some instances. It might be a good idea to find out how other employers organize their scheme before you approach yours with your request.

The purchase of another dog to keep the first one company does not always work if they do not know one another before the problem arises, so if getting another dog is contemplated make sure you really want one as this might not be the answer to the immediate problem.

All pet dog owners should make some effort to get their dog used to their absences when they are young so as to avoid major problems should circumstances change at a later date.