Our dog depends on us for many things. We need to make triply sure we provide all he needs, so he will stay happy, strong and healthy, and live for as long as possible. The happiness they will give us in return is unquantifiable. Here are some of the things we need to do.

Protection

Puppies are born without any antibodies. Right after giving birth, their mother secretes a rich, thick milk called colostrum. This contains antibodies which will protect them for about four months.

Which puppies get the most depends on their birth order and energy level. Those who get less are smaller and weaker than their siblings, and thus are more susceptible to contracting diseases. They are called the runts of the litter.

We must do our best to ensure all of them will be protected from various kinds of afflictions common to their species.

The first treatment needed is deworming. This begins when puppies are 2 weeks old. It may be repeated every 2 weeks, then every 4 weeks, and finally every 3 months till they are 1 year old. This is only a guide. Please check with your vet for the exact schedule appropriate for your pup.

When they are 4 to 6 weeks old, they need to be vaccinated to protect them from distemper and parvovirus, two types of viruses that are fatal to them.

At 9 to 12 weeks old, another vaccination is needed to protect them from distemper, adenovirus (canine hepatitis), parainfluenza, and parvovirus (DHPP).

At 16 to 18 weeks old, they should get another DHPP vaccination and anti-rabies shot.

Also check with your vet regarding the types of vaccinations needed. Do be aware that some vaccinations are only optional. Ethical vets frown on over-vaccinating pups.

Choosing a vet

When we take our dog into the vet’s for the first time, he may be afraid. Remember, he will be in a new place, catch the scents of individual members of several species that have been in there up to two or three weeks previously as well as of those that are in there, and be among strange people to him.

We need to keep him calm by letting him know that everything is normal. We need not say anything. Our ‘energy’ or ‘vibes’ will convey the message. Therefore, we act as though we are only taking him for his usual walk or exercise. We ourself must not feel anxious.

Next is the vet himself. It is easy for us to tell if he really cares for the well-being of our dog.

After learning from us the issue affecting our dog, a caring vet will soothe and handle him gently. He will examine our dog carefully, thoroughly.

At every stage of the process of examining, injecting or administering of medication, a caring vet will always be gentle and ensure that our dog feel as comfortable as possible. When all is done, he will explain in detail what is wrong with our dog, and ensure that we understand exactly what to do after we have got home. If we don’t like what we see, we go to another one the next time around.

No early separation

Puppies must be with their mother for at least 8 weeks before they can be taken away. During this period, their mother shows them the ropes, prepares them for their next stage of life in this world.

If we rescue abandoned young puppies, we take them to the vet’s to determine their approximate age and get advice on how to feed and generally take care of them.

Please take special note that very young puppies cannot expel their solid and liquid wastes on their own. They have to be stimulated. This their mother does. If we don’t stimulate very young puppies we have rescued to do the necessary, their wastes will remain inside them and they will die.

We are the pack leader

Whether we keep one dog or more than one dogs, our dogs and us are a pack. If we keep only one dog, we are a pack of two. In all cases, we are the Pack Leader. Even if there is an Alpha dog in our pack, we are still the leader. Or we should be the leader.

We need to be consistent in all we do with them, such as giving them instructions or setting boundaries, so that they will not get confused. If they are confused, they will decide what to do themselves. When that happens, we will not be the leader any more.

Sometimes when he is not playing or resting, our dog will follow us everywhere. Please do not get upset with him. In fact, you should be pleased, because it shows your nearness means a great deal to him. He will also follow us everywhere when he is afraid, such as during a thunderstorm.

Separation anxiety

Some dogs suffer separation anxiety. Remember, we are everything to our dog. When we go out, he can’t tell whether we will return, and he gets stressed. He will show it such as by barking or wailing.

Let your dog know you won’t leave him forever. Start by pretending to go out. Pick your car keys (and handbag, if you are a lady), close the door, and walk away. Come back after a few minutes. Gradually lengthen the duration you are outside.

Our dog loves our scent more than any other scents. To decrease the anxiety in him, leave any of your unwashed clothes within his proximity, such as where he likes to rest. Your Tee drenched with your sweat after that 100-km jogging is perfect.

Fear of thunder, firecrackers and fireworks

Get recorded sounds of these to use to accustom your dog to the Natural sounds. Play a type softly on your audio system alternately and randomly during happy times for them, such as when they are eating, and at other times. Very, very softly, please.

Besides having an extraordinary sense of smell, dogs also have very keen sense of hearing and of sight.

They can also hear sounds of pitches inaudible to human ears. So, avoid using insect repellents employing sound inaudible to us.

They have wide-angle vision, and can even detect the flicker of a rabbit a hundred metres away. In very low light conditions when we can’t see our way, they still can see. Never expose your dog’s eyes to very bright light.

If you can, get someone to set off fire crackers and fireworks at a safe distance and watch together with your dog. Let him see that the sound is associated with nothing harmful.

Fear of high-pitched, hissing and roaring sounds

Some dogs are frightened of high-pitched, hissing and roaring sounds usually produced by appliances such as vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, and blender.

For vacuum cleaner, leave it off and just roll the cleaning head on your carpet or bare floor to show him the contraption is harmless. When he is used to it, switch your vacuum cleaner on and run it on the slowest speed to accustom him to the sound. Gradually increase the speed when he is used to the sound and movements.

To accustom my dogs to hair dryer, I use the type used by hair stylists to cool down food I have cooked for them.

With meats, I put them in a big, shallow, stainless steel dish, and set the dish on a stool so that they can see it and associate the appliance and sound produced with something nice – their food. I then switch on the hair dryer and begin with the lowest speed.

Now that they realise the appliance and sound are harmless, they will come near to the dish. Now and then, I purposely let the air blow on them for a second or two to accustom them to being blown.

For blender, I let them see me putting their food into it. I then run it on the slowest speed first. When they see that both the appliance and sound are harmless, I increase the speed.

Outpoint: Dogs can overcome their fear of practically anything if they associate the object, the place or the action with something pleasant to them.

Effects of static electricity

Some dogs can get frightened when lightning flashes. It is due to the static electricity which they feel through their coat and which generates an unpleasant tingling sensation in them. They feel agitated and try to find a spot they hope might isolate them from the unpleasant sensation.

Dogs can also sense a drop in barometric pressure and changes in ions in the atmosphere during thunderstorms.

Take your dog to the bathroom. The porcelain ware may help to block static electricity. Or take him to a dark room and play calming music. Softly, of course. You can find calming music for dogs on YouTube.

TTouch techniques

You might want to try the well-known TTouch method, a technique developed by one Linda Tellington-Jones, PhD (H), who was an animal therapist, to keep your dog calm.

Get a crepe bandage, spandex or any fabric that is stretchable about 13cm/5in wide and 1.8m/6ft to 2.4m/8ft long. The length depends on the size of your dog.

Fold this more or less into halves. Put the centre of the length under the base of your dog’s neck. Bring up the two sides of the bandage, cross them over the shoulders, bring them down to the belly, cross them there, then bring them up to near the base of the tail and tie them together.

The wrapping should be just a firm fit, not a very tight one. You will have formed more or less the figure 8.

There are other TTouch actions we can execute to train our dog as well as other species and humans. More information can be found at www.ttouch.com.

Act as if everything is normal

When our pup feels fear during thunderstorms and lightning, we instinctively want to cuddle and caress him, and tell him there is nothing to worry about. We do not do that. And we say nothing. If we do, he’ll think that, yes, those occurrences are indeed abnormal and we are rewarding him for expressing his fear.

Dogs can sense our feelings. Therefore, we also do not rush to do such things as close the curtains and windows to shut out the offending sounds.

Safety first always

Always keep electrical wires out of reach of your dog in case he chews on them. As a further safety precaution, coat the wires with substances dogs dislike but are non-toxic. You ought to be able to get these from pet supplies shops. Unplugged electrical wires for appliances not in use, and tuck them away.

Always keep any chemicals and toxic substances, including detergents, out of your dog’s reach.

Food

Check with your vet regarding what to feed your pup with.

I do not give my dogs canned food. The label often says ‘real meat’ inside, but what kind of meat is it?

I do not give my dogs what I myself would not eat or drink.

I would not eat, say, chicken with three legs and meat of diseased animals. So, I buy red and white meats from the supermarket and cook them myself for them to eat.

As in normal circumstances I don’t drink straight from the tap even in super-advanced, most developed countries, I give them boiled water that has been left to cool down to drink.

Doubtless, you love your pup, and so you probably will want to follow suit.

Collar and leash

When we take our dog out for a walk or exercise, there may be times when something attracts him, and he lunges away towards the thing. When he gets to the end of the leash and if he wears a collar, he will be stopped abruptly by the collar.

Dogs have strong neck, but the larynx is relatively soft. To experience the discomfort your dog feels, tie one end of, say, a 3-metre/10-foot long rope to your neck and the other end to a door knob. Stand close to the door. Then dash away. I don’t think you will enjoy the experience about a second later.

Get a leash with part of it made of bungee cord. That part is next to the swivel hook. At least this type of leash will cause the stopping to be a lot less abrupt.

You can also get an extension leash (usually 0.6 m/2 feet long) that is made of bungee cord and which you can hook up to your ordinary leash.

Be aware that the bursting points of the snap-on buckles on cheap collars may not be high enough for energetic dogs. It might be disastrous if your dog struggled hard and the buckle burst, and he ran away into busy traffic.

Harness and booties

If you take your high-energy dog for his vigorous exercise, putting a harness on him is recommended.

The safest harness is one of those with three sets of straps. One set wraps around the base of his neck, the second around his chest, and the third around his belly.

With such a harness, your dog cannot break free of it as long as the straps are adjusted correctly,

Visualise yourself tackling a, say, steep slope with your dog. Naturally, he is tethered to you with a long leash. If he loses his footing, he’ll fall down. When he reaches the end of the leash and dangles in mid-air, he will struggle hard, can come free of a harness with fewer than three sets of straps, and fall down to the base of the slope.

Besides the usual 4-foot/1.2-metre and 6-foot/1.8-metre leashes, 10-foot/3-metre, 20-foot/6-metre, 30-foot/9-metre and 100-foot/30-metre ones are also available on the market.

When exercising your dog in rugged terrain, making him wear a chest and belly protector with three sets of straps instead of a harness is a good idea. Those of good quality offer protection even against steel rods and barbed wire. The picture shows my Astra with chest and belly protector and booties.

Quality booties on all four paws complete the protective gear for our beloved wonder. They protect his paws from thorns, sharp objects and, if you are walking him on paved roads, high heat.

No bad weather

We need to take our dog out for his exercise every day. Even when it rains. There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothes.

Waterproof yet breathable raincoats are available for dogs. The top-quality ones are usually made of a special fabric. Although often comprising three layers, they are light. They don’t rustle, either. Some dogs dislike something rustling on them.

For ourselves, there are also waterproof yet breathable rain jackets with hood.

Hind paws first

When we carry our dog from point A and put him down at point B, we always set him down on his hind paws first. Those paws act like an anchor for him. He will feel secure before planting his front paws down.

Training

Training of dogs involves either reward or punishment. You reward them with a praise or a treat when they have done something correctly, and withhold the reward when they have not yet done so. Or you punish them until they do it correctly.

To me, the punishment method is cruel. And I will not use any of those collars that choke, or prick, or shock electrically.

Praise

We always praise our dog when he has done something right or that which we want. They know it. And they will feel good.

Have fun with your wonder. And may you both have long, healthy, happy lives together.

Woof! woof!