Dog-Proofing Your Home

The kitchen， bedroom， bathroom and even family room hold a world of mystery and temptation for any dog — there’s always something to do. But while gnawing on the sofa cushions is a relatively harmless canine pursuit — despite the sure scolding from his human companions — chewing on or otherwise investigating other household objects may prove to be deadly.

Plants to Avoid

It’s not easy being green. Plants may be a tempting， tasty treat for dogs， but chewed vegetation is the bane of any proud gardener’s existence. Worse， many indoor and outdoor plants are toxic to dogs. Either make sure that your houseplants are not harmful， or keep them high up， out of reach. Garden plants to avoid include potatoes and spring bulbs; among the indoor hazards are ivy and azaleas.

When walking outdoors， keep your dog on a leash and close to you to more easily monitor what he’s getting into. Avoid areas that have been sprayed with insecticides or other poisons. (Lawn-care companies usually plant small warning flags in freshly treated areas.)

Plants to Avoid

It’s not easy being green. Plants may be a tempting， tasty treat for dogs， but chewed vegetation is the bane of any proud gardener’s existence. Worse， many indoor and outdoor plants are toxic to dogs. Either make sure that your houseplants are not harmful， or keep them high up， out of reach. Garden plants to avoid include potatoes and spring bulbs; among the indoor hazards are ivy and azaleas.

When walking outdoors， keep your dog on a leash and close to you to more easily monitor what he’s getting into. Avoid areas that have been sprayed with insecticides or other poisons. (Lawn-care companies usually plant small warning flags in freshly treated areas.)

Do Fence Me In

A fence around your yard not only keeps passersby safe， it also protects your furry friends from harm. The gate should be sturdy， high enough to keep jumping dogs in， low enough to the ground to keep small or digging dogs secure， and should have a lock. You may want to try one of the newer electronic "invisible fences" — sensors are buried at the borders of the lawn， and a special battery-powered collar around your dog’s neck emits a slight shock when he approaches the pre-determined boundary. It’s relatively painless， and your dog quickly learns when he’s gone too far.

Canine First-Aid Kit

Being prepared in case of emergency can save your dog’s life. You can find most of the following items for your canine first-aid kit in drugstores， or simply add the appropriate items to your family’s first-aid kit to serve both human and dog members.

Scissors

Tweezers

Needlenose pliers

Penlight flashlight

Magnifying glass (type with light is best)

Examination gloves

Rectal thermometer and lubricant

Isopropyl rubbing alcohol (70%)

Hydrogen peroxide (3%)

Povidone iodine

Antibiotic ointment (neomycin， polymixin， bacitracin)

Assorted sizes of sterile nonstick pads， gauze squares and cotton balls

Roller gauze (self-adhering)， cotton roll and elastic bandage

Adhesive tape

Cardboard or wood for splints

Eyedropper and syringe (needle removed)

Syrup of ipecac (Caution: Only to be given on instructions by vet or poison control center and only in dosage specified)

Eye wash

Styptic pencil for cut vein in nail

Ice pack

Large blanket

Elizabethan collar (available for sale at many vet offices or clinics) or bitter spray to prevent licking of injury

Muzzle; or handkerchief， gauze strip or rope for makeshift muzzle

Board or towel for makeshift stretcher

?

Dogs and Kids

Few things are sweeter than the close bond between a child and dog. Such relationships don’t just occur， however， and children， just as puppies do， may require some "socialization" to interact happily with dogs. Since the biggest problems between children and dogs usually arise when adults are absent， supervise your children closely， especially if very young children and/or puppies are involved. But with patience， restraint and mutual respect， your children will remember their childhood dogs as fondly as we do ours.

Encourage your child to care for the family dog with duties appropriate to the child’s age and maturity， but always follow up just to be sure.

Actively involve the kids in obedience and training. The child should learn the commands used with the dog so that the dog receives consistent messages (although adult reinforcement of a command may be necessary).

Insist that even the rowdiest and most excitable children treat the dog gently， and with kindness.

Teach your child how to approach a strange dog (no rushing， shouting， teasing or staring at the dog) by first asking the canine’s owner if the dog may be patted.

Don’t leave a very young child alone with a dog， even a trusted family pet.

Can’t We All Just Get Along

In the ideal situation， both dogs are well-socialized to other dogs. Choose a neutral， fenced-in meeting ground like a friend’s backyard to introduce your dogs to each other. Make sure there are no other dogs around. For now， keep both dogs on their leashes， even if one of the two has not been socialized. Have a friend hold the new dog’s leash. Although some experts believe that being off-lead in this situation can prevent a fight from breaking out (by allowing one of the dogs to run off)， it’s probably not a good idea. If things get out of hand， you’ll be better able to control the dogs and the entire situation if you and the person helping you are holding the leashes. If either dog does behave aggressively， turn his head and try to distract him with a toy. If the initial meeting goes smoothly， have the two meet on home territory， separated by a fence or a slightly open door that permits them to scent each other but not come in physical contact. If they seem to be progressing， allow them off-lead in your presence; they will probably proceed through some ritualized aggressive behaviors， establishing dominance. Try not to be anxious about their behavior because dogs easily read human body language and may respond to unintended emotional signals. Their "play" may be noisy and boisterous to the human eye and ear， but you shouldn’t intervene unless truly serious fighting and biting begin. If you do have to separate the two， remember that an agitated dog， whether aggressor or victim， may bite you in the heat of the moment. Have some human help on hand， as well as a hose or water pistol to aid in breaking off attacks.

Once the dogs are separated， grab their leashes and walk them away from each other. If the dogs seem to be only play-fighting， let them work things out. Human intervention is unlikely to alter the balance of power anyhow， so resist the natural temptation to favor the underdog. As long as the aggression is not serious (no full-fledged fighting or injuries)， the dogs will eventually come to an understanding.

To limit disagreements， be sure each dog has his own food bowl. Feed them together， if possible， but with the bowls placed so the dogs are not facing each other， setting the bowls far apart if necessary. Most dogs will share a water bowl， however. Each should also have his own sleeping area and toys， but be prepared for each wanting the other’s toy， even if they are exactly the same. If aggressive behavior continues， try to identify the precipitating events or circumstances and avoid these situations. Ultimately you may determine that the animals have to be kept separate when you are not home to keep the peace. Your veterinarian will be able to counsel you and may suggest a visit to a behavior professional to learn the best strategies for reducing intraspecies aggression.

Introducing a young pup as the second dog in the house is somewhat easier. Try not to let the puppy’s arrival upset the other dog’s routines. Even so， the older dog’s behavior may temporarily regress and， until the initial adjustment period is over， you may feel like you have two puppies， one large and one small. If you gently but firmly enforce the older dog’s obedience， the dog’s behavior should soon return to normal. However， unless truly threatening， do not correct the adult’s aggressive growls toward the puppy; these reflect the normal adult canine showing the puppy his place in the family. Since the puppy will be fed frequently， divide the adult dog’s food intake into smaller meals so that he will eat as often as the newcomer. Allow the older dog to sometimes escape from the puppy’s attentions and enjoy some special time with you. Also be sure that he and the puppy have separate sleeping places， and do not allow the puppy to invade his elder’s territory. Even if they become great friends， work with them individually when obedience-training the puppy or reinforcing the adult’s training. Finally， remember that canine hierarchy is not static. As the puppy grows and becomes sexually mature， he may reverse roles with the older dog.

Reading Your Dog

Learning to read a dog is much like studying a foreign language. It requires concentration and recognition that communications can have quite different meanings in different cultures and depend on the context within which they are sent. Dogs bark， whine and growl， but mostly they "speak" via a body language designed to be understood dog-to-dog. The meaning may not be intuitively obvious to humans; decoding requires some practice. To understand "dog" successfully， we must stretch beyond ourselves into canine culture. What are the rewards of making this effort? Clearly a better reading of unknown dogs can prevent the occasional nip. But far more importantly， we gain the chance to interact more fully with the dogs that share our lives. We can reach more of an "inter-species" understanding and deepen our bond by our ability to communicate. It seems only fair. Over the centuries， dogs have become very adept at interpreting human body language and even at learning spoken words and hand signals. Now it’s our turn.