Dog Training

Introduction

You've brought the new puppy home. He's without question the most irresistible little dog that ever was. But unique as his charms may be, he has one thing in common with all puppies, in fact, all young animals. He frequently needs to eliminate body wastes. The function is as natural and without thought to him as breathing. He has no idea that the backyard, street curb, or newspapers, are preferable for this purpose rather than the living room rug. He must be housetrained.

This is the puppy's basic training. It is probably the first time he has to interpret your wishes, learn to control himself, and find out the meaning of the words "good dog" or "bad dog." Housetraining sets a foundation for all future training.

Index

The Adult Dog

Special Situations

Arrangements for Working Owners
Asking To Go Out
Curbing
Forgets Training
Nervous Wetting
The Too-Well-Trained Dog
Wetting at Night
Deliberate Soiling
Stool Eating
Care of Older Dogs

Puppy Training

Kerrydom Court Dubhain

Kerrydom Court Dubhain, at 9 weeks

Dog owners are likely to look at housetraining as a necessary evil. True enough, but it's more often people, rather than puppies, who err. Successful housetraining depends largely on the effort put into it by the human element. Approached the right way-with prevention, not punishment-housetraining can be accomplished in a short time and be a painless procedure for you and the puppy.

Let's consider what you're dealing with. Your puppy's breed and sex have no bearing on the ease or difficulty with which he's trained. His age does. Three months is about the youngest a puppy can be expected to respond to housetraining.

Puppies of a few weeks of age have no power of retention, physically or mentally. The younger the pup, the less time between impulse and action. He needs to eliminate; he does. Scold him and he's probably forgotten all about it by the next, time he has to relieve himself. Punishing a young puppy has no more effect than it would on a baby in diapers.

But puppies are innately clean. Watch a litter sleeping in its pen. As soon as each pup wakes up, he uses the area farthest from the nest to eliminate. Puppies won't dirty their bed unless forced to do so. This instinct is your greatest housetraining aid.

Start off, then, by confining the puppy as he has been in the kennel or the breeder's home. He knows only this living arrangement. He accepts it in new surroundings if he isn't first allowed the run of the house.

What happens when the puppy isn't safely confined? There are puddles and messes on the floor. You reprimand the puppy who may, or may not, remember the scolding before he makes another "mistake." You are using after-the-fact punishment instead of preventive training. By the time you decide that confining the pup is a good idea, he's used to his freedom and objects when it's taken away.

Confining the Puppy

Keeping the puppy confined is the basic rule of housetraining. Control is promoted by the pup's instinctive aversion to soiling his bed. You must help by anticipating the times he needs to eliminate and taking him to an appropriate place. He learns correct behavior by not having opportunities to make mistakes. There will be accidents-no puppy ever grew up without them-but they'll be few and seldom compared to those of the puppy who has learned to "go" anywhere by being free in the house. That freedom comes later, after he's trained.

Before you bring the puppy home, prepare a pen for him or enclose an area in one room. The kitchen is a good location. It's usually a center of family activity, where the puppy won't feel isolated. The floor is as damage-proof as any in the house, in case of accidents, and most kitchens have a back door handy for whisking the pup outside at necessary times.

Commercial woven wire pens are available in various sizes, styles and types of construction. A discarded baby playpen is excellent for small puppies. (Fasten wiring around the outside of the slats to make sure the pup can't get caught between them or wriggle out.) Collapsible fencing makes a convenient indoor-outdoor portable pen. Sections of fencing can be attached to a wall, or walls, to enclose an area. Folding gates, such as used at stairwells to protect small children, also may be adapted for an enclosure. Or, you may prefer building a pen to fit a specific place.

Line the bottom of the enclosure with several layers of overlapping newspaper. Put food and water dishes, and toys, inside. Use a small blanket or towels for bedding. Save the regular dog bed until your puppy is past the chewing stage.

Dimensions of the pen depend on the puppy's size and estimated growth in three months, or so. Housetraining may be accomplished in a few weeks, or less time, but the pen still may be needed as a precaution during the night or when you're away for several hours. Allow ample space for well separated sleeping and "bathroom" areas.

Outdoor or Paper Training?

Whether you teach the puppy to relieve himself outdoors or inside on papers, is a matter of convenience and the pup's eventual size. Big dogs, obviously, should be trained to the outdoors. Toy breeds. and other small dogs, particularly those belonging to apartment dwellers, are often taught routinely to eliminate on papers.

Whichever method you choose, be consistent. Don't confuse the puppy by putting him on papers, then outside, and vice versa. Start with one approach and stay with it. As he gets older, he may very well adjust to both. Many well-housetrained dogs use paper indoors when necessary. In making a transition from indoor paper training to outdoors, take some paper along. Gradually decreasing the amount of paper usually teaches the puppy to use the ground or gutter.

Be cautious about taking the puppy out before he's immunized against infectious canine diseases (distemper and canine hepatitis, for example). The risk is not too great where he isn't exposed to other dogs by direct contact or through their urine or stools, but exercising an unimmunized puppy on city streets is inviting trouble. Consult your veterinarian about the protective shots your puppy needs.

Try to-arrange the pup's arrival during a period of good weather so he can go outside, when immunized, if this is the housetraining procedure you prefer. Also, try to bring the puppy home on a weekend or whenever you have time to begin settling him into a training routine.

Establishing a routine is simple. In fact, just be observant and the puppy helps you set up his schedule. He needs to "go" when first waking up in the morning, after naps, eating and drinking, playing or other stimulation, and before being bedded down at night. These activities take up most of his day but should two or three hours elapse between eliminations, give the puppy a chance to relieve himself.

Anticipate these times. Keep a sharp eye on the puppy. He often warns you by over-attention to sniffing the floor or circling as if starting to squat. Even the youngest pup shows an intent attitude that leaves little doubt what's on his mind.

Bowel movements depend to a great extent on feedings. A young puppy given three or four meals a day may have that many movements, far more than he'll have as an adult dog.

Feeding a good, complete dog food such as one of Gaines products, at regular times, helps immeasurably in keeping the puppy on schedule. Unusual "treats" or tidbits from the table between times, or making sudden changes in diet may cause digestive upsets and loose bowels. If you make a change in your puppy or dog's diet, mix in a little of the new food with the former food at first, gradually increasing the new food and decreasing the former.

Outdoor Training

When the puppy shows signs of needing to eliminate, pick him up immediately and take him outside. Have his collar and leash handy but put them on as you go. The few seconds this takes may be a few seconds too long for the puppy.

Ask "Do you want to go out? Let's go out!" Repeat this every time. Build an association in the puppy's mind between these phrases, going outside and his urge to eliminate. Later, you can use the question in teaching him to go to the door when he needs to go outside, or, he may teach himself to "ask" at the door.

During the first stages of housetraining, take the pup to the same place each time. Once he's urinated there, the scent remains and stimulates him to use the spot again. City dogs should be taken to the curb; others a place well away from the house or any area with human foot traffic. Permitting a puppy to soil in front of the doorstep soon makes the entrance to your home slovenly and unsightly.

Always go outside with the puppy even if you have a well-fenced yard or acre of ground around your home. Take him a good distance from the house. Don't just push him out the door since he'll form the habit of relieving himself there. Also, you can't be sure whether or not he has eliminated. Go with him. Walk briskly and play with him to keep on the move to the far end of the yard. This establishes the routine and he'll go there of his own accord when grown. It also helps in keeping him out of flower beds.

If you live in a city apartment, put on your coat and be ready to go outside as soon as you pick up the puppy from his bed. If you put him on the floor while you get ready there is very likely to be a puddle. Carry him outdoors while he's small. Later he'll walk along on a leash.

The puppy probably relieves himself soon after he's taken to the designated spot. Most puppies go through a ritual sniffing and circling. Be patient. Perhaps walk him around a little. But don't let him become too distracted. Keep him to the business at hand and praise lavishly when he performs. Here, too, is an important association: the puppy learns to connect your pleasure and affection-the most important parts of his world-with correct behavior.

Perhaps the puppy doesn't need to relieve himself as badly as you or he thought he did. If he shows no indication of taking care of matters after ten minutes or so, go back inside. Stay around, though. If it's been some time since his last elimination, or if he's recently eaten, his warning signals start again before too long. Take him out, and out again, until the mission is accomplished.

All this may seem like a lot of trouble but a couple of weeks' concentration on housetraining works wonders!

An occasional puppy is slow to learn about eliminating outside, especially if he's previously been accustomed to papers, or to making mistakes in the house. Training takes persistence as well as patience in these cases. Repeat the going outside-same place. praise routine until he gets the idea or gives in and accepts it.

Take the puppy to different places and on various surfaces, after he learns that outdoors is the approved location for his chores. Dogs can become "fixed" on a particular spot and refuse to eliminate anywhere else. This can become a problem. Let the pup know he can relieve himself outside wherever he's led: on grass, dirt, gravel, or concrete curb.

Paper Training

Adapt the same basic housetraining techniques to paper training. Instead of taking the puppy to the same place outdoors, cover the entire floor area of his enclosure with several thicknesses of newspaper and let him select the place he prefers. He chooses a corner as far as possible from his bed and consistently returns there to relieve himself. When this pattern seems set take away the papers farthest from the "bathroom". Gradually remove more papers until only the "bathroom" area remains. Give him plenty of leeway, however: at least two double pages of paper. Take your time about decreasing the spread. Be sure the puppy keeps going back to the right place as you make the paper-covered area smaller.

As with outdoor training, anticipate the pup's eliminations, use encouraging words, and give him lots of praise when he performs on the right place. If the pup starts signaling but doesn't head for the papers, pick him up and put him there. Or tap the papers and call him onto them, saying "Go to your papers, be a good boy!"

Your puppy may be performing quite reliably in three or four weeks, even sooner. Don't suddenly turn him loose in the house. He's probably far from completely trained at this stage. Excitement, stimulating play or scents, fright, a sudden urge to "go", can cause an accident and possibly a setback in the training that's been accomplished.

Start by giving him the freedom of the kitchen or other restricted area. Be sure the paper trained pup has papers available at all times. Put them in an out of the way place, if you wish, but show him where they are. Keep to the regular schedule. If he shows warning signs promptly take him to his papers or outside. The more dependable he becomes, the more freedom he can be allowed.

Accidents Do Happen

There undoubtedly will be accidents, no matter how much care you take. Scold the puppy only if you catch him in the act or immediately afterwards. His memory is short. Scolding or punishment long after the fact simply confuses him. It also can prompt a sensitive pup to urinate from nervousness.

Putting the puppy outside or on his papers after an accident serves no good purpose. It’s more likely to undermine the association you’re trying to build between his urges to eliminate and going to the right place to do it.

A combination of after-the-fact punishment and taking the puppy outdoors or to his papers is too often used in housetraining. Consider the situation: the pup has wet the floor. When it's discovered, he's dragged to the spot, scolded, slapped and thrust outdoors. As far as the pup is concerned, he's punished for some unfathomable whim of his owner. He's bewildered, perhaps frightened, and may resist using the usual place because it seems part of the disapproved behavior.

Under no circumstances should a puppy's nose be rubbed in his mess. This is a filthy practice and teaches the dog nothing except, possibly, to eat excrement, since he must lick his nose to clean it.

When you catch the pup in the act, scold him but be gentle during early stages of training. When he's half grown and presumably knows better, the point can be reinforced by giving him a shaking or a smack on the hindquarters.

What should you do when a puddle or mess is found? Clean it up and promise yourself not to give the pup other chances to get into trouble. The scent must be removed from the scene of an accident. Otherwise it remains as temptation for the puppy to use the same place again. Keep blotters or an absorbent towel handy for quick action, especially on rugs or carpet. Use a commercial product made for the purpose of removing urine scent, or a solution of water and vinegar. You can finish by spraying cologne. Dogs find the aroma of perfume highly unpleasant.

To summarize, the puppy is housetrained by prevention. He's taught good manners while not being given a chance to form bad habits:

Confine the puppy.
Take him outside, or on papers, on a schedule that suits his needs.
Be consistent, persistent, and patient!

The Adult Dog

Meagae

Sharon Miller's Meagae

An adult dog has certain advantages: he has greater learning capacity than a puppy. He remembers praise or punishment, and more readily understands its cause and effect relationship. He also has greater physical control and less frequent need to relieve himself.

If your newly acquired grown dog was properly trained as a puppy, you should have little difficulty adapting his routine to your home. A dog that has been kenneled, too, can have good habits. Kept in clean quarters and given adequate time outdoors, he trains himself. Dirty behavior is no more tolerated in a well-managed kennel than in a home. Because the kennel dog had no opportunities to eliminate indoors on floors or rugs, he is not likely to start doing so if taken out frequently and watched carefully when he's first in a home.

An adult dog that's been mishandled. or not fully trained may have habits that call, for special training. These are covered in the following sections.

Your dog may.have been perfectly housetrained in his previous home. But nervous reaction to a strange situation or scents, such as that of a previous dog, may cause a lapse in manners. So may the male dog's natural instinct to "mark" his territory by urinating. Be cautious. Don't assume that his housetraining will prevail in your home until he is used to newsurrounclings and shows dependable behavior.

Follow the basic housetraining rule. Confine the dog unless you, or someone else in the family can be with him and watchful. He may be too large for the type of pen described for puppies, but restrict him to the kitchen or some other room where he can have his bed, food and water dishes, and papers, if that is the training procedure to be used.

A crate is accident prevention at night or when the dog must be left for a period of time. Collapsible crates of woven wire come in all sizes. The dog won't soil his bed, in this case, the crate, if he possibly can avoid doing so. But be sure that he has a good chance to relieve himself before being confined. You may wish to use a crate for his regular bed. It then becomes his special place in the house. He feels secure in it and doesn't resent being confined there when necessary. Many dogs, used to a crate, go inside of their own accord and rest there, even though the door is open.

Exercise your dog early in the morning, late at night, after his evening meal, and once or perhaps twice more during the day. Some dogs get along with morning, late afternoon and evening walks. Others need to relieve themselves more often. For these dogs, dual training to papers and outdoors may be necessary if no one is home most of the day.

Take the dog out or to his papers on schedule. Between times watch for the usual warning signs of sniffing, squatting, or a male dog squaring away to lift his leg. Immediately stamp your foot or clap your hands, saying "No, stop that!". This should distract him long enough to get him outdoors. Otherwise, quickly take him by the collar or scruff of the neck and lead him away from the danger zone. Then put on his collar and leash and take him for a walk.

From the start, curb the city dog. In suburbs or country, bring him to an area well away from your home. A male dog will try to urinate on the doorstep or shrubs near the door. Remember, he marks his territory this way, performing a rite as centuries' old as the canine species to inform other dogs that this is his home. But besides the urine's killing shrubs, its odor invites passing dogs to investigate. Take the dog on his leash where you want him to relieve himself. That doesn't mean the neighbors' front yards, driveways, or automobile tires! Of course, don't take him on a half mile hike, either, before letting him stop.

A females urine attracts attention from other dogs, too. When she's in season, her urine scent announces
the fact to every passing dog. If she's allowed to relieve herself in your immediate neighborhood, male dogs come from far and wide to loiter around your house. At such times (usually twice a year for a period of about three weeks) she should be kept in a boarding kennel or confined in some way to prevent her being bred. Spayed females, of course, are no problem in this respect.

Male dogs and females relieve themselves in different ways A female empties her bladder quite completely at one time. She may be more deliberate in selecting a spot she prefers but once she's urinated, she's usually through.

A male dog releases his urine a little at a time, conserving enough to make his mark as often as possible. If he wets in the house after only a few minutes outdoor exercise you're probably at fault for not letting him finish.

A young male dog, by the way, starts lifting his leg from about four months of age up to a year, perhaps older. As a puppy, he squats and still may do so occasionally when grown.

Praise your dog extravagantly when he performs in the right place. Let him know you're delighted with him for his good behavior. He catches on quickly, as with a puppy, if you keep him on a regular schedule. Allow him run-of-house privileges only when he shows housetraining reliability.

Special Situations

Eddie

Derk Drukker's Eddie

Arrangements for Working Owners

Owners who keep business hours have several alternatives for their dogs' daytime care.

As previously mentioned, your dog may be able to get along with exercise you provide before and after work. Don't ask too much of him, especially when commuting adds an hour or two to your absence.

Many cities have professional dog walking services. For a fee, your pet is exercised at specified times, usually with other canine clients. Or perhaps you can make similar arrangements with a neighbor or schoolage youngster.

If your house has an enclosed yard, it may be feasible to install a special dog door in the regular door that opens into the yard or dog's run. These products are available commercially, most of them hinged or otherwise constructed to permit the dog to come and go as he wishes. Be sure-and this cannot be overemphasized-that the yard fencing is secure. It should be in good repair, sturdy, and sufficiently high to prevent the dog's climbing or jumping out. A foot or so of wire mesh, fastened at an angle to the fence and overhanging the inner edge, is a safeguard. The fence also should be tunnel-proof. Set the bottom edge in concrete or sink it. several inches into the ground. Don't underestimate your dog: he may be a more skillful escape artist than you imagine

Many working owners, however, find the best solution is paper training their dogs or teaching them to use both paper and outdoors.

The paper method often is preferred by city people who haven't the time, inclination or suitable facilities for routine dog walking. Paper training procedures described earlier apply here, too. Leave several thicknesses of newspaper down for the dog at all times. Put papers on a washable surface. Over several hours' time, some urine may soak. through and possibly stain a wood floor. Also be sure the dog always has access to his papers. He's not to blame if there's a puddle because a door was absent-mindedly closed, shutting him out of his "bathroom."

Confining the dog during your absences when initiating paper training is a sensible precaution. Don't crate him for long periods but for the sake of your rugs and peace of mind, put him in an area of the house where an accident will cause the least damage.

If you want your dog to relieve himself on papers and outside, as well, don't give him a choice. Pick up the papers while you're at home. Take the dog outside on schedule, praise him when he performs, and follow the other basic housetraining suggestions. Sometimes a dog that's confused by the transition from papers to outside is given the idea from a piece of urine-wet paper placed on the ground.

As with any stage of housetraining, you must keep on top of the situation. Don't let your dog have a chance to make mistakes. Confine him and provide papers when you're not home. Give him adequate exercise and supervised freedom when you are at home. With patient and consistent coaching, the dog understands that he's to eliminate outside when given the opportunity and to use papers when they're put down for him.

Asking to Go Out

Once your dog is housetrained, you may wish to add a finishing touch by teaching him to let you know when he needs to go outside.

Make an event of his excursions. Enthusiastically ask the dog if he'd like to take a walk. Put on his collar and leash, pause at the door, and repeat the question. Urge him to bark or "speak" if you want this additional signal.

That's all there is to it. Pets quickly absorb often repeated routines and phrases that apply to them.

"Do you want to go out?" soon sends your dog tail-wagging to the door. Before long he takes the initiative.

You must follow through, of course, by exercising him when the request is made. Don't permit anyone to tease him with the "want to go out" expression, or other phrases or commands or they lose all meaning and only confuse the dog.

Curbing

Curbing means teaching your dog to relieve himself in the gutter, where wastes are carried off by street sewers. It's easy enough since the streets are used for this purpose by many, many dogs. The odors tell your dog what to do. With proper timing on your part, he learns to eliminate in the gutter without undue problems in getting the idea across.

Many communities have curbing regulations, often with fines imposed for not obeying the restrictions.

Whether or not such rules are in force, your dog never should be permitted to soil the sidewalk, footpaths or any area where people walk. Think about the last time you cleaned a pair of shoes after stepping unwarily: the point is clear.

Go to the curb when you take your dog out. Don't dawdle on the sidewalk. If the street is busy and curbing not safe, carry a small dog or walk briskly to another spot.

Don't curb an unimmunized puppy. In fact, don't take him on the street at all. Besides teeming with odors, it's teeming with germs. If you're a city dweller and have a puppy that hasn't yet- been protected from infectious canine diseases, keep him home and paper-trained until he's received necessary vaccinations from your veterinarian.

Forgets Training

Occasionally a dog that's clean at home seems to forget his training in other surroundings. Almost always this occurs with a male dog acting under the instinctive urge to leave his mark.

If the dog is accustomed to relieving himself outside, he may have- gotten the notion that any place, other than inside his own home, is a fair target. Set the erring pup straight before this highly undesirable behavior becomes a habit. Let him know that inside, anywhere, is forbidden. -

Keep the dog on a leash and close at your side when visiting, shopping or in other circumstances that might tempt him to lift his leg. If he starts sniffing or acting too interested in his surroundings, give the leash a sharp jerk and say "no!" in very firm tones. Tell an obedience-trained dog to "sit," or "down," and "stay."

Deliberate soiling should be followed promptly by a "no" reprimand and whack on the rump.

Nervous Wetting

Some puppies, and adult dogs, too, trickle urine because of nervousness. This is an entirely involuntary reaction, usually triggered by excitement or fear. Frequent causes are the dog's joy at your return, the sight of his leash which promises a -walk, or when you or anyone else suddenly reaches out at him. Is a pat or a slap about to be delivered? He may not be sure. A dog unaccustomed to children may trickle from uncertainty in their presence. As he gains confidence in you, in himself, and his surroundings he'll get over it. Don't let it worry you.

Punishment is the worst approach. Remember, the dog can't help himself. Scolding only heightens his apprehension and increases the problem. Do not confuse this action with deliberate wetting.

Be very patient with a dog of this temperament. Use diversionary action. When you come home, speak to him quietly and affectionately but give his initial excitement a chance to -calm down. Don't grab at him or tower over him. Kneel down first, then call him to you for his leash or his food. Ask visitors to ignore him 'when- they come into your home. Let him make his own advances, as he gains confidence.

If concerned about damage to floors or rugs keep certain rooms, such as the living room, out of bounds. Since accidental wetting often happens near the front or back door, the scene of comings and goings, protect the area with newspapers or washable rugs. Keep to the regular housetraining routine, of course, but don't worry about the nervous wetting. It stops if you use the right tactics.

The Too-Well-Trained Dog

It's possible for a dog to be too well-trained. While this may seem all to the good, a change in routine can cause problems. Perhaps a papertrained dog won't relieve himself outdoors or an outside trained dog won't use papers. A dog accustomed to running loose in a yard may resist eliminating when on a leash or a leashed dog may insist on using one particular place.

When it's essential for the dog to adjust his habits, go back to a puppy training procedure. Confine him and get him to the new location on schedule. Follow other steps suggested in the puppy housetraining section.

Be fair. After all, it's a confusing situation. A clean dog is distressed when forced to eliminate in a place that previously was forbidden. He won't understand at first and probably resists. Extra patience is needed as well as extra-lavish praise when he does perform where you now wish.

Be alert to his needs, too. Don't complicate his problems by making him wait, thus possibly having an "accident" even though it follows behavior that was approved before the new regime.

A dog raised in the city and accustomed only to the street usually has to be taken on his leash, or coaxed, to the roadside or woods. If just turned loose, he'll use the nearest familiar-seeming surface such as concrete walk or macadam driveway.

Similarly, the country dog has to learn about curbing when brought to the city. A male dog usually goes where other dogs have urinated. A female has no such urge and has to be coaxed along. Find a grassy spot or some earth if possible, at first, gradually guiding her to use the street gutter.

Wetting at Night

If your pet doesn't last through the night without urinating, try taking him out an hour or so later than usual before going to bed, or a little earlier in the morning. Perhaps the extra time is all that's needed.

It may be that the dog, particularly an older one as well as a puppy, can't hold out for six or seven hours. In such cases, settle him for the night in a confined place, put down newspapers, and be sympathetic. It's a good idea, as well, to have your veterinarian give him a checkup. Frequent urination can be a symptom of kidney infection or other ailments.

When nighttime wetting appears to be carelessness on the dog's part, take appropriate steps. Remember that he won't soil his bed. Put him in a crate for the night or tie him near his sleeping place. He won't like it, unless already accustomed to sleeping in a crate, but he learns to control himself until morning.

Deliberate Soiling

Why does an ordinarily clean dog soil in the house? Other causes aside (illness, your slackness in exercising him) these misdemeanors usually happen during your absence as the dog's revenge for leaving him. The message is clear when your return is greeted by a puddle or mess. It's even more, unmistakable if deposited on your bed. This is not uncommon "getting-even" behavior.

Some dogs become careless in the house. In either case, the problem should be stopped in short order. This is a quite different situation from an untrained puppy's accidents. Your dog knows what he's done. He's probably guilty and worried by the time you arrive on the scene. Lead him or carry him to the mishap and be rough on him. Let him know the consequences are going to be a lot worse than any satisfaction he may receive from such revenge.

There are fewer problems, puddles and punishments if he's confined when you're away from home. The next time you go out put him in his crate or a paper-covered area. If he remains clean, return his accustomed freedom during your next absences.

Be sure the soiling is deliberate and not because your dog couldn't help it. Was he exercised long enough' to "empty out" before you left home? Did guests at your cocktail party feed him an assortment of canapes his digestive tract couldn't handle? Think back before jumping to conclusions so you won't be unfair to him.

Stool Eating

Coprophagy, or stool eating, is one of the more disturbing habits that owners sometimes encounter in their dogs.

This practice is disgusting to you and unhealthy for the dog. Stools are a prime means of transmitting worm eggs and larvae, and disease-carrying organisms. Coprophagy, however, is not a perversion in the dog's makeup. It is, rather, a problem to be dealt with and solved, like any other.

Although no single cause is pinpointed as the reason for coprophagy, several possible situations and/or theories are well worth acting upon.

Your first step- should be veterinary examination of the dog's stool for worms. Infestation of intestinal parasites robs the dog of nourishment. He may turn to stool eating as an instinctive attempt to replenish himself with partially digested food substances.

Proper management and cleanliness, whether for one dog or a kennelful, are essential. Keep exercise areas free of stools: obviously, the dog cannot eat what's not there! Eliminations usually can be gauged by feeding times. Try to schedule your dog's meals so his enclosure promptly can be cleaned.

Stool eating often starts from boredom, then becomes habit. Puppies may form the practice by playing with stools through lack of other diversion. It's also not uncommon in dogs that are closely confined or overcrowded.

Give your dog, or dogs, adequate space and, preferably, supervised daily exercise out of the kennel runs or regular enclosure. Provide suitable playthings.

Self-feeding may be a solution and is especially practical for kennel dogs or those that must be left alone for long periods. Constant access to food can be provided by a commercial self-feeding device that automatically fills an attached dish, or you may simply keep a large container filled. Dogs do well on self-feeding when complete and balanced foods are used, such as Gaines' products. These foods are ideal for the purpose because they contain all essential nutrients and need no special storage or handling. Most dogs on self-feeding adjust their intake to satisfy individual nutritional requirements, and-a big "plus" for those with the problem-aren't tempted to eat stools. A few dogs may overeat on this method but most self-fed dogs keep in excellent condition.

Recent veterinary research indicates that lack of the digestive enzyme, amylase, may contribute to coprophagy. Amylase rapidly passes through the dog's system. If it is not retained in sufficient amounts the dog may eat stools. Amylase is naturally contained in some fruits and vegetables, particularly pineapple, figs, squash, and pumpkin. Your dog may prefer papain, a similarly-acting enzyme used as an ingredient in meat tenderizer products, which can be mixed into his food.

Another suggestion is adding a drop or two of anise or monosodium glutamate to the dog's meals. Neither affects food flavor but both give stools an undesirable taste that discourages coprophagy.

Care of Older Dogs

As your dog ages, he probably needs to urinate more frequently. He has less bladder control than before, perhaps caused by weakening of the sphincter muscle that holds urine in the bladder. Lack of tone in this muscle also can make the dog dribble urine.

Your veterinarian may be able to suggest treatment that can help the dog have greater control over his bladder. Veterinary advice should be sought on this and other care of the older dog. In fact it's an excellent idea for your pet to have annual checkUps, care often more important after age five or six, when he reaches canine middle age. Physical problems that may be developing then can be diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Such canine preventive medicine helps assure the dog a healthier, longer life.

Kidney disorders sometimes affecting older dogs are among the ailments that may respond favorably to early treatment. Be on the alert for increased or decreased urination, or abnormal thirst. Other danger signals are painful urination or bowel movements, bloody urine, and vomiting. Kidney infection may cause the dog to cry out when handled on his back near the hips. Don't lose any time getting veterinary assistance if these symptoms occur.

Constipation may plague the older fellow. He's probably being given the same amount of food as when younger and more active. Now, however, his intake may be combined with less exercise and, possibly, a less efficiently functioning digestive tract.

An older animal requires fewer calories than one that is growing and has greater physical demands. Your dog may be better off with smaller daily meals, .perhaps served in several portions instead of one to avoid overloading his system. Mild laxatives, given only on your veterinarian's advice, may relieve constipation. Remember, though, that haphazard dosing can create worse problems than those you're trying to cure and many medications for people are disastrous for dogs.

Give the aged dog all the opportunity he needs to eliminate. Put down papers or washable rugs for him in the house, if necessary, where he has access to them at all times. Don't scold him for accidents he can't help. He's as distressed as you are, even more so, at the mishap.

When ailing and unable to go outdoors by himself, a well-housetrained dog may have to be carried outdoors. He may completely refuse to eliminate in the house, no matter how you try to show him you won't mind.

Be extra patient, understanding and conscientious about the care of your old dog. He deserves this attention now, more than any other time in his life.