Advice on Pets, Life, Love
Dear Dog Lady,
We adopted a wonderfully frisky and quirky Cairn terrier, Charlie Boy, from a no-kill shelter, where he lived for at least five months before we rescued him. He displays a constellation of behaviors that we cannot seem to understand or break. He likes to sit in a wingchair in our front window and stare onto the street and sidewalk. Whenever dogs walk by, Charlie Boy will either ignore them or run frantically around the living room.
When Charlie Boy becomes a whirling dervish, I will sometimes bring him out to the street so he can greet the passerby dog. Oh, he's very friendly. Yet, after the sniffing is over and the other dog wants to walk away, Charlie Boy will either walk away too or he strains at the leash to follow the dog he just sniffed politely. He will get himself into a lather.
We have Charlie on homeopathic flower remedies that have helped a bit to calm him. But he still has this strange behavior and compulsions. What do you think?
Maddy
Dear Maddy,
Weird behaviors? Not for a dog. Compulsive? Yes, a million times yes. In all her years trying to decipher the behavior of dogs - and people - Dog Lady knows one thing: Distraction is the mother of reinvention. In order to coax your dog to behave differently, you must behave differently. For example, instead of merely allowing quirky cairn Charlie to sit in the wingchair staring out into the street, you should divert him by offering an alternative place of repose. Put his bed on the floor in another room. And allow him more time to be with dogs, at the dog park or walking on the street. Obviously this is the tonic for his soul. You mention nothing about him being aggressive so he handles the interactions well. Also, he needs the exercise. Keep up with the homeopathic remedy since it seems to be diffusing his obsessions. Charlie sounds adorably terrier - manic for no good reason.
Dear Dog Lady,
Are there certain breeds of small dogs that like to be carried, in totes or arms, more than others? Or is it a bad idea to carry dogs around with you?
Summer
Dear Summer,
This column has two cardinal rules. These are arbitrary and absolute. Here are the laws according to "Ask Dog Lady":
Don't dress your dog in clothes just for fun.
Don't carry your dog if the beast can walk (unless there's salt on the sidewalk or other irritants to your pet's paws)
Oh sure, there are fancy doggy tote bags and lots of paparazzi pictures of Hollywood types carrying purse puppies on the red carpet. But, truly, even the tiniest Chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers are tres miserable being carried around, especially when they can blow off steam under their own steam.
If Dog Lady has any doubts about this, she thinks of the obvious: Dogs are animals. They are living, breathing creatures whose needs must be treated with respect. They need to walk, drink, eat and eliminate to live. Responsible dog owners accord them these privileges and don't stuff them into pockets or pocketbooks.
Write askdoglady@gmail.com.