Teach Your Dog Self-Control

Dogs often misbehave because they lack self-control. This lack of control is at the root of a number of behavior problems, including jumping up, bolting out the door, and demanding attention. You can begin to get some control over your dog’s behavior by putting him to work. This means that you are going to ask your dog to do something for you, such as sitting or lying down, before he is allowed to do the things he wants to do, like eating, going for a walk, or playing a game with you. Many dog trainers refer to this as Nothing In Life is Free (NILF).

Nothing In Life is Free doesn’t replace training your dog to prevent specific behaviors, but rather reinforces the other training you are doing with your dog. It allows you to establish your role as leader, and helps to build your dog’s confidence.

Here’s how to put your dog to work:

Train Your Dog to Sit and Lie Down

You should train your dog the “sit” and “down” commands before you begin working on Nothing in Life is Free. You will be asking him to do these things frequently. You can teach him other commands to use with this program, as well, but he should know at least these basics before you start. Once he knows a few simple commands, it’s time to put your dog to work.

Make Your Dog Work for His Dinner

Dogs tend to get excited at mealtimes. This can lead to your dog jumping up on the counter as you prepare his dinner, or jumping up on you before you can get his bowl on the floor. Instead of allowing your dog to misbehave, make him work for his dinner. As you are preparing your dog’s meal, give him the command “sit” or “down.” He must sit calmly until his meal is placed on the floor before he is allowed to eat. If he jumps up before you have his bowl on the floor, pick up the bowl and put it away. Walk away for several minutes, and then return and again ask your dog to sit or lie down. As soon as he is sitting or lying down calmly, place his food on the floor and allow him to eat.

Make Your Dog Work to Go Out

Your dog should never be allowed to bolt out the door. If your dog is allowed to play off-leash in your yard, do not let him out while he is jumping or scratching on the door. Instead, ask him to sit. If he refuses to sit, walk away from the door for several minutes, and then return and try again. As soon as he is sitting, you can open the door and let him outside.

The same goes for taking your dog for a walk on a leash. Before your dog is allowed to go out for a walk, he must sit calmly while you put on his leash. If he refuses, walk away. Give him a few minutes to calm down, and then return and ask him to sit again. As soon as he sits, attach his leash and head for the door. When you reach the door, ask him to sit once again rather than bolting out the door and yanking you behind him. If he refuses, walk him away from the door, and try again in a few minutes.

Make Your Dog Work for Your Attention

Most of us love playing and cuddling with our dogs. It can get annoying, however, when your dog is constantly demanding your attention by nudging his head under your hand or pawing at you. Make your dog work for your attention. Ask him to perform a behavior, such as sitting or lying down, before you pet him or play a game with him. If he tries to demand your attention, stand up and walk away. Once he sits or lies down when you give the command, you can play and cuddle for as long as you like.

Patience is Key

When you start working on NILF, your dog’s behavior may seem to get a little worse before it gets better. Be patient. After you walk away from your dog a few times, he will begin to understand that he’s not going to get what he wants until he does as you ask. If you pair Nothing In Life is Free with obedience training, you should see a big improvement in your dog’s behavior. He may even surprise you by sitting down patiently before you even give a command!

Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Heartworm in dogs is caused by an infestation of the organism Dirofilaria immitis, a parasitic nematode (roundworm) commonly referred to as the heartworm. The severity of this disease is directly dependent upon the number of worms present in the body, the duration of the infestation, and the response of the host (the infested dog is the host).

In regions where Dirofilaria immitis is endemic, dogs without proper heartworm protection are almost 100 percent likely to suffer from heartworm infestation. The heartworm is mainly endemic in geographic areas with tropical and subtropical climates, and is also commonly found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and the Ohio and Mississippi river basins. The presence of Dirofilaria immitis is not limited to these areas, however, it is found worldwide. Dogs have been diagnosed with heartworm disease in all 50 U.S. states.

Heartworm disease is preventable with the administration of a heartworm prophylaxis (preventative) medication, as recommended by a veterinarian. For those dogs that do contract heartworm disease, the prognosis is good for mild to moderate cases, and such conditions can be relatively uneventful. Dogs with more severe cases may suffer from lung complications resulting from extreme medication given to kill serious infestations.

If you would like to read how heartworms affect cats, please click hereand visit our article in the PetMD health library.

Symptoms and Types

Heartworm disease is defined in three classes, varying in severity. Dogs with Class I heartworm disease are often asymptomatic, meaning they exhibit no visible symptoms, or may only exhibit minimal signs such as an occasional cough. Class II patients usually exhibit coughing and unusual intolerance to exercise. The most severe cases, defined as Class III, may show symptoms of anemia, exercise intolerance, fainting spells, and — in severely affected dogs, right-sided chronic heart failure.

A physical examination may reveal further symptoms, especially in Class III cases. These include high blood pressure (hypertension), labored breathing, and extremely rapid heart beat (tachycardia).

Causes

Heartworms are spread through mosquitos that carry the infective heartworm larvae. These larvae migrate from the bite wound through the dog’s body until they reach the heart and blood vessels of the lungs, a process that takes approximately six months. The larvae mature in the dog’s body — an adult heartworm can grow to be about 12 inches long. These adults reproduce and release immature heartworms, known as microfilariae, directly into the dog’s blood. When a mosquito bites an already infected dog, it may take in these microfilariae with the dog’s blood, and then pass on the infective heartworm larvae (the microfilariae develop once inside the mosquito) to another dog, thereby continuing the parasite’s life cycle and spreading the disease to the next host.

Risk factors associated with heartworm disease include residence in endemic regions, such as tropical areas, outdoor habitation, and lack of the proper prophylaxis to prevent heartworm infestation.

Diagnosis

If heartworm disease is suspected, an electrocardiograph (which monitors changes in the heart) may reveal heart rhythm disturbances and/or enlargement of the right ventricle of the heart (hypertrophy).

Additional tests may include a urine analysis, serologic tests that can identify the female heartworm antigen, and X-rays, which may reveal enlargement in key arteries associated with heartworm disease.

Treatment

In initial treatment, most patients are hospitalized as they receive administration of an adulticide designed to kill the adult heartworms. The microfilariae in the body can be eliminated with a monthly prophylaxis, which can be administered at home. For more severe cases, such as dogs experiencing thromboembolic complications (in which a blood clot that has formed breaks loose and travels through the blood stream to clot another vessel), hospitalization may be necessary for a longer period of time.

In some cases, a surgical procedure may be necessary to remove adult worms from the right heart and pulmonary artery by way of the jugular vein. This procedure is recommended if the infestation consists of a high number of adult worms.

Living and Management

Upon initial heartworm treatment, activity should be severely restricted for at least four to six weeks after administration of the adulticide. Severely affected dogs may need to be kept in a cage to limit activity. For dogs recovering from congestive heart failure, a moderately restrictive sodium diet is recommended.  An antigen test should be done four months after adulticide treatment to check for continued presence of the adult Dirofilaria immitis. If the test is positive, the adulticide treatment can be repeated, or a surgical procedure performed instead. Some dogs with persistent infestation may not require retreatment, depending on the patient’s age and severity of the disease. Older dogs, for example, may not be overly affected by mild recurrent worm infestations.

Prevention

Routine heartworm prophylaxis (preventative) should be given to any at-risk dogs, for example those living in endemic regions, as directed by your veterinarian. This is essential to preventing heartworm infestation. There are a number of medical preventatives that are highly effective and commonly used. It is possible for reinfestation to occur if a prophylaxis is not regularly administered.