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Ask Dog Lady

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Thursday Jan 8, 2015

Dear Dog Lady,
My six-year-old Border collie, Daisy, becomes an anxious mess when she hears our refrigerator make a popping noise when it is cycling. This problem started out of the blue. When she hears the noise she will go outside and stay there until we make her come back in. If she can't get out she will jump on our laps and literally shake and quiver while attempting to climb up to our shoulders. No amount of cuddling can settle her. After a while she relaxes and calms down. She has always been an anxious dog. She hates fireworks and thunder. She can't ride in the car for any length of time without getting sick. We believe that to be motion sickness since that is a common collie trait according to the vet. Medication helps with the car sickness. This new problem has been difficult to manage because the fridge makes this noise often. We can manage the other issues but this new problem is a multiple times a day problem. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Reggie

Dear Reggie,
A dog's behavior is so dependent on so many variables - breed, temperament, training, and terrors real or imagined. Darling Daisy is a Border collie, a passionate herder. This means many quirks and obsessions course through her blood. Did she develop this fear of the fridge because she's trapped inside with no herd of sheep to corral outdoors? Maybe.You could give her heartier walks and exercise so she sleeps through her neurosis. Or you could call the refrigerator repairman and ask the technician to muffle the popping noise.

Dear Dog Lady,
My Yorkshire terrier, Riblet, is a dog of open adoption. This means my neighbor across the street, who gave us Riblet a year ago when she couldn't handle him, believes it's perfectly acceptable to come over and collect him for overnight stays. I really don't mind all that much but she's starting to come later and later in the evenings. This does bother me. Also, Riblet always comes back to us a little crazier than when he left, which makes me worry whether this back-and-forth situation is good for him. He recently bit the man who installed our kitchen tile and he's growling more than usual. What can I do to help the situation?

Laura

Dear Laura,
Stop the spur-of-the-moment overnight visits. Riblet needs the security of one home. You betcha he's disoriented by the dog-swapping. Your neighbor gave him up. This means, she abandoned responsibility. Now, you set the visiting rules. She can see him during the day and only when it's convenient for you. Overnight stays should be limited to once a month. Tell her Riblet chomped the tile installer. Dog fear always produces aggressive behavior such as biting. Little Riblet, whose size means he can be picked up and carried off at any human whim, must have thought the tile guy wanted to take him home. The dog is wary and weary.

Small dogs pose a dilemma because people think they're cute enough to manhandle. This creates many problems. Small dogs need training as much as medium or large dogs. Their cuteness doesn't mean they should be coddled or indulged. Look in any shelter and the small dogs are usually the most vicious. Do whatever you can not to pick up Riblet and carry him like a toy. He's not.

Dear Dog Lady,
I need your help. I recently just got a new puppy, a Yorkshire terrier that is two and one-half month old. He was not trained to go out nor on the indoor pad. He basically goes indoor anywhere. I have been reading books about training your dog to go outside but I am still having problems with it. I have been taking him out every morning right after he wakes up and he pees outside. Then I feed him breakfast and take him right out and he has been going and I always praise him afterward. But one day he decided not to go so I decided to wait after the walk but he still didn't go. I have to get to work and won't return for eight hours so I kept him in the kitchen area with closed gate and he went of course. Since that time, he has been making accidents in the kitchen and not going outside. Did I do anything wrong? What can I do to help him to understand to go outside? What can I do to get him to go outside? Will he ever be trained?

Lucy

Dear Lucy,
Your question caused "Ask Dog Lady" to go cross-eyed. You've got a good dog so why complicate things? Give him a comfy crate, take him out every three or four hours to do business and the new puppy should be trained in no time. You say you have to work? Hire a dog sitter who will come in and take your dog out? You say that costs money? Well, think of it as an investment in your relationship with your new Yorkie. It will pay off in a durable bond with your dear dog.

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