Some Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: If I'm told that a dog is house trained, will they know what "to do" when I get them home?
A: All animals need time to adjust to their new home enviroment, so we would recommend you crate train them for the first month. This will help them get into your houses routine and develop a good pattern of their own.
Q: My dog is afraid of going down stairs. How do I get them to use them?
A: For the dog, they have to go down the stairs "head first" and this can be a little intimidating to them. If you have a short staircase, carry them to the bottom of the stairs and teach them to go "up". Once they get comfortable maneuvering up the stairs, they will then try going "down". Keep practicing and encourage them as they go up and they will get the hang of going down in no time.
Q: My dog pulls on the leash when I walk them. How can I keep them from running away with me?
A: Most dogs are excited to go for a walk and start off "at a fast pace". After a while, they will slow down to a normal walk pace. It's best to start with putting a harness on your dog when you train them. The lease is attached to the harness on their back rather than around their neck. When you are holding them tightly while you are walking, you aren't choking them.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GIVING YOUR DOG RAISINS OR GRAPES!
Subject: Raisins (GRAPES, TOO) highly toxic to dogs
Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them. I looked on Snopes and found it's true. http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp
(Below written by a vet)
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7 AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but....Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1½ times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.
The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given Lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.
This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats, including our ex-handlers. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville, OHIO
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Disclaimer: This is just advise from other people who have had these types of experiences and what they did to help their dogs. As with any advise, you can take it or leave it - this is just here for you in case you want to try something different that you haven't tried.