Community ClicksBird is persistent pecker
Dear Dr. Fox,
We have a red bird that has been pecking at our window for about a month now.
He repeatedly flies at the window.
Sometimes I hear the flutter of his wings, as if he is trying to come through the window.
This started at our bedroom window, then he began to alternate between there and an adjacent window on the same side of the house.
Lately, he has been flying around to the back side of the house and doing the same thing.
We feel sorry for the poor bird.
He must be terribly frustrated. He’s very persistent.
We have tried opening the windows to change the reflection angle, making a sound to scare him away, etc., but nothing seems to deter him.
Do you have any idea what this bird is trying to do?
— J.B., Norfolk, Va.
Dear J.B.,
I appreciate your concern, but I assure you this bird, most likely a male Cardinal, is simply jousting with what he believes is a rival male in his reflection.
He should eventually habituate, but you may want to cover the windows that he is drawn to with sheets of paper secured with masking tape.
This may end his fixation.
Placing a piece of material about the same size and color of a male bird’s plumage on a branch may elicit aggressive responses in a variety of species.
The behavior is most likely in response to a perceived territorial intruder and rival.
Crate mates share mange
Dear Dr. Fox,
I adopted a female Chihuahua from the Humane Society.
She was rescued from a puppy mill and had a bad odor, but only on her neck and chest.
The vet said she was malnourished, which was the reason for the odor, but it would get better.
The problem is that my other dog will get into the crate with her. Not only does my first dog have the same odor; he is scratching all the time.
When I give them an oatmeal bath, it helps for a day or two and then the smell returns.
If I keep the new dog out of the crate, she will cry all night. I need some advice.
— L.T., Fort Worth, Texas
Dear L.T.,
Puppy mills are an abomination, a blight on the human soul. Efforts to close the worst and to enforce humane-care standards rarely succeed in a culture where money rules and dogs, like other creatures, are treated as mere commodities.
The American Kennel Club, which runs the pedigree registration and certification “papers” for pure-breed dogs, is notorious for defending such enterprises.
Because the smelly “breed stock” Chihuahua that you so caringly adopted has made your other dog smell and itch all the time, your dogs most likely have mange.
Secondary bacterial and fungal infections often develop.
The most likely factor is the skin-burrowing mite called Sarcoptes. Have your veterinarian test both dogs and treat accordingly.
Both dogs will benefit from daily fish oil or flaxseed oil and multivitamin and multimineral supplements.
Severe cases benefit from wrapping the dog tightly in a towel, which can have a calming effect.
Trimming trauma remains
Dear Dr. Fox,
We have had a 3-year-old cairn terrier since she was a pup.
She is a loving animal who seems happy, and is friendly to everyone.
However, her first trip to the vet, to have her nails trimmed, caused a lot of trauma.
Since then, the professional groomers can groom her all over except for her backside and her nails or she snaps and snarls.
I have always been able to trim around her eyes and ears and comb and brush her, but she has gotten more and more reluctant to allow me to do that.
The last time, after working on this normally docile dog, she suddenly snapped and bit my hand.
Lately, she seems to be snapping at small incidents, like stepping too close or touching her crate.
She has free rein of the house and yard, but loves to sleep in her crate.
I am becoming fearful of trying to either brush or trim her at all.
I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.
— J.L., Fort Myers, Fla.
Dear J.L.,
Your dog has developed a conditioned aversion to physical contact that has generalized after the initial psychophysical trauma to her paws.
Her age may also play a role in the genesis of this behavior because she has reached full maturity and may be playing alpha bitch, especially if she has been overindulged and not learned any boundaries.
Many dogs have too much unnecessary nail trimming.
Exercise on rough terrain is a natural, abrasive nail-growth regulator.
Lay off all the usual grooming treatments, and get your dog to regain her trust and lose her fear by rewarding her intermittently for sitting still and allowing you to stroke her all over.
Then begin gradual massage therapy.
This will help her relax and become more trusting.
Use a muzzle next time she needs her nails trimmed. This will inhibit her defensive-aggressive behavior.
I have to do with one of my own dogs who is phobic when it comes to trimming his front-paw nails.
