Usually it isn’t a problem to the barking dog! It is a natural behaviour to them. To us humans, though, it isn’t necessarily something we want!

In this week’s special podcast we talk about the issue of barking dogs using Jon’s own little barking Bassett Hound puppy as an example.

Because dogs bark for many reasons, our little podcast case study shows you the essential knowledge you need, to identify all sorts of factors BEFORE you begin to put solutions in. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to a barking dog.

On the podcast we discuss these questions in detail and how you might go about considering the cause, so you can identify a proper, and long-lasting solution. Listen in and enjoy!

Listen to the podcast here

or subscribe on iTunes

The free download as discussed on the podcast, is available free for a limited time ONLY -  ‘Barking – Identifying the cause’.

If for some reason you cannot access this download here, please email us on podcast@karenwild.co.uk and we will send you the link!

Other items on the podcast

Strays – if you find a stray dog, is it yours? Who do you need to call? Listen in to the podcast, and see our special report in this website’s blog section. Stray dogs and the Law

Celebrity dog news!

Scouring the internet for weird and wonderful, I decided not to report on the dog that ate a man’s ear after his girlfriend had bitten it off.. (UGH!)

NO instead, I bring you…

Johnny Depp has had to be rescued from Angelina Jolie’s dog!

The 47-year-old actor is not a fan of dogs but agreed to watch their Mastiff, Jacques, whilst the couple went out for the evening.

Johnny stated “Foolishly I was persuaded to look after their dog Jacques for a night. He’s a huge bulldog. At first I had a terrible feeling, because Jacques smelt horrible. But then I told myself, ‘Come on, you will survive one night’. Everything was cool – until I sat down on the bed to take my shoes off. Jacques pounced on me from behind and kept jumping around on me. He’s not small. Around 175lbs of dog was hurled at me, which felt like about 300lbs. I shouted for help and luckily someone came to take that beast off me.”

Johnny and wife Vanessa are still friends with Brad and Angelina though!

He told German magazine TV Movie: “We often went for dinner with them. It was great. I’ve known Brad since the end of the Eighties. It was great to see him as a man and amazing father.”

News link for this report is here http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20110113/depp-rescued-from-angelina-dog-110113/

Well that’s enough in the dog world for this week – PLEASE send us your comments and ideas, questions and stories – or we will feel very lonely. podcast@karenwild.co.uk or on twitter www.twitter.com/wildpaw
Our next podcast will be on dogs that BITE. You may have a dog that bites, or you may have been bitten by a dog yourself. Maybe you have a dog in your neighbourhood that has a bit of a reputation, or is it your dog that has the bad rap?

I know this sounds a little bit like reality show host Jeremy Kyle, but we want to hear your stories on this so PLEASE write in to podcast@karenwild.co.uk

More importantly, is there anything we can do to stop it?

Recorded as The WildPaw Dog Podcast with Karen Wild and Jon Buscall

Listen Now

or Subscribe on iTunes

Other items in the WildPaw podcast:

• The John Lewis department store Christmas advert. Do you think John Lewis should be left out in the cold – or should they be wrapped in twinkly lights? What is your opinion? podcast@karenwild.co.uk

• Detective firm in Milton Keynes spies on dog fouling public

• Chihuahua makes the grade as Police Dog in Japan

Why does my dog eat poo? UGH!

First of all – DON’T PANIC.

Whilst they appear to enjoy it, it’s worth taking a look (not too close…) at what might be some causes.
 Does your dog have a medical problem? There are medical conditions and some medications themselves that can cause a dog to feel more hungry. Allergies and other problems that can cause the food to be malabsorbed could be a factor, so it’s always a good idea to ask your Vet, especially if the problem has suddenly started in an older dog.

Your dog’s diet: Partly linked to the above, but it may be that your dog is not getting the right nutrients it needs. Nutritional deficiency may cause your dog to want to supplement its diet with that little extra something. They may even be a bit bored with the same food every day, and are looking for variety of taste and texture!

Attractiveness: Well, it may just be that what comes out still tastes and smells like it did going in! Some foods are highly palatable and remain so after they have ‘emerged’. You could take a look at whether or not your dog is digesting the food properly if they are eating their own faeces. If they are eating that of other species, such as horse, cat or fox, then there may be other factors. Commercial cat food is quite strong smelling in order to make it attractive to cats, for example.

Is my dog hungry? Dogs, as we know, will scavenge. Some dogs value food highly and may simply see this as a case of ‘waste not, want not’.

Is it a dog houstraining problem? Are they ‘destroying the evidence’? If a dog has been punished by an owner for toileting in the home, they may wuickly eat any signs of the faeces in order to avoid future trouble.

Is it harmful? There is of course bacteria in faeces as well as germs, and also parasites such as worms can be passed along in this way. Some of these are not harmful to the dogs but they are harmful to humans so be very aware of hygiene. Especially if you have a ‘licky’ dog and young children! Our natural reaction is ‘ugh’ and that’s for a good reason, as we may not be as immune to some infections as a dog might be.

Competition for resources: If a dog thinks they are going to be beaten to their ‘prize’ by the owner, or perhaps by other dogs, they will quickly gobble it up. This is particularly so in certain dogs who really do see food as a very valuable resource.

What do I do about it? Along with some of the reasons above, your question will next be – how do I deal with it?

If it is a dietary or medical issue then your Vet will help.

Adding things to the faeces: It is possible to add a nasty taste to the poo to deter your dog. This may or may not work, given the reasons above. Sometimes a dog will eat it anyway, which is not at all nice and shows the dog really must be keen and/or depserate. I believe that with the amount of effort this takes it is probably just as easy, and certainly more long-term useful, to train the dog with the suggestions below.

Improve digestion? There is a theory that adding pineapple, or courgette, to your dog’s diet may help with digestion and therefore make the resulting faeces less palatable.

Will a muzzle help? If you have a particularly greedy dog who also gobbles up stones and everything else, after checking with your Vet, you may wish to use a muzzle out on walks to at least buy you some time to get on with training. It’s really only a part-solution but it prevents unwanted Vets bills in the meantime.

Provide a toilet area in the garden, as this is easiest to control and supervise. And of course, it may seem obvious, but do pick up regularly, especially if you have a young puppy. This will help to stop a habit becoming established.

Training your dog to leave it, and a great recall too

It is always better to distract and reward your dog with something that is a lot better. Something that YOU control. Some tasty, smelly treats in your hand, can work wonders. Don’t try boring biscuit!

Teach your dog the OFF command, and a Rock Solid Recall, too (mini-books available to download on my site). This saves you shouting or getting stressed yourself, and gives you the power to enforce what it is you want. Using a long line is also a really important part of this training with a persistent dog. Teach the dog that you are predictably going to give a command, followed by something better, including actually not allowing them to get into foraging behaviour. Act early and act positively. Be more persistent and determined than they are, and always ensure you are likely to succeed. A good recall is an absolute must for any dog, and this is another use for it. Teaching the ‘Off’ or Leave command really ends up being more of a negotiation. ‘If you leave that and back away, I have got something better over here’.

Thank you everyone for reading and listening! See you next week! Comments are very welcome below.

How about during training when you might be making it wait for its toy when it is desperate to play?

Ever ask yourself how you know the dog is ok with you doing this? How can you tell? More importantly, is your child able to judge the same things as you are?

A BBC report has today highlighted the continuing dangers involved when kids mix with pet dogs.

Often, news reports on dog attacks give impressions of a slavering mange-ridden hound that has somehow mauled an unsuspecting child. We look over at our snoozing pet dog and we somehow ‘know’ they would never be like that.

Nevertheless bite statistics indicate that children are bitten most often by their own family dogs compared to an unknown stray.

The BBC report states that research which examines how children “scan” a dog’s face shows that younger children focus on the mouth and teeth, and that under-fives are far more likely to “lean in” to have a closer look. A single bite, intended to make a child ‘go away’, can easily cause permanent scarring and does not necessarily mean that the dog has turned into a vicious animal! Nevertheless the child probably failed to read the signs.

So, what can we do right now to reduce the risks?

Dr Kerstin Meints, from Lincoln University, is helping to assess the bite prevention interactive DVD called “Blue Dog” which aims to teach children about how to play safely with dogs and when to leave it alone. The DVD gives the child a chance to decide whether or not to approach the dog or play with it in different scenarios. It is aimed at children even as young as 3 years old, to give them an insight into reading dog cues. The research, to be presented at the World Safety Conference in London, indicates that even two weeks later children still show that they have learned the rules presented on the DVD.

The Kennel Club have a free interactive site for their Safe and Sound scheme, which again aims to show children how they might learn to read the signs. My advice to you is to take that test and see how well you fare as an adult!

Dogs are, by and large, hugely tolerant creatures. Nevertheless if they are continuously under stress, it is not surprising that one day they will be pushed too far.

If you would like to take steps to really work on this with your own dog, don’t forget you can read more in one of our Intellidogs dog manual chapters ‘Kids and Dogs Safety and Sense’ available for download for just £2.99. You can just download that chapter, no need to buy a whole book!

As a dog-owning community, it is within our power to spread the word and to smash the myth that ‘only bad dogs bite’.

I’d love to read your comments and discussion points, so please feel free to air your thoughts below

Karen