Community ClicksBehavioral challenges
Dear Dr. Fox,
We have a neutered, 7-year-old, male American Eskimo dog.
We’ve had him since he was an 8-week-old pup.
Behaviorally, he is challenging.
He barks excessively for food when we have guests or at any sound outside.
He also guards excessively — his food bowl, toys, sleeping space — and he growls aggressively if anyone walks past him.
He has never bitten anyone.
He can be affectionate and greets our family warmly when we come home.
But we are looking for guidance in curbing the barking and growling.
We’ve tried obedience training more than once, to no real effect.
— R.G., Minneapolis, Minn.
Dear R.G.,
Your dog is barking and growling in order to get attention and to assert/insert his presence.
This behavior-modification method may work: Try reward training — when he barks or growls, say “Quiet,” praise him, and put him in the sit-stay position; then reward intermittently with a treat.
If he cannot contain himself, say “Go away” and point to the room to which you will send him for a 10- to 15-minute timeout.
I call this “shunning,” and most pack-oriented dogs hate it and soon shape up.
Add seaweed to meals
Dear Dr. Fox,
After losing our beloved Australian shepherd to hemangiosarcoma, I decided to listen to your advice and feed your homemade natural food to her 11-year-old sister.
I am amazed at how little time it takes to prepare her rations and how much satisfaction we both have.
However, I have had trouble finding dried kelp.
I finally found some sheets of dried kelp at a local natural-food store, and I’ve cut it into pieces for use in the dog food.
Is this what I should be doing, or do you recommend something else?
— B.M., Golden Valley, Minn.
Dear B.M,
Seaweed is a good addition to dog (and human) meals.
I often put it into our soups and stir-fried veggies.
Use different varieties as kelp can be contaminated with arsenic, so rotating from one variety to another is advisable.
Wash to remove excess salt if you are using whole leaves rather than powder.
The best sources are health-food stores and Asian markets.
Some varieties of seaweed purportedly have anticancer properties, with overall health benefits being recognized in Oriental medicine and by indigenous healers of many countries.
How to make cat stop biting
Dear Dr. Fox,
In October 2009, a little male kitty we believe is full Siamese appeared at our home.
He made a home for himself under our shed.
I set out plates of food and toys, and I made a bed for him in our garage.
He has never let me pet him.
As it became colder outside, I lured him inside with chicken, and he has been inside every day since then.
He has bonded only with me and only tolerates my mother and husband, even though they try to love him.
He is definitely skittish.
My main concern is that he bites me a lot (no scratching, just biting).
I give him a firm “No” and then ignore him.
Sometimes he jumps at me from out of nowhere and gives me a scare.
He jumps quite high and then lies down at my feet.
A lot of the time, he acts as if he’s going through the “terrible twos” and I’m sure he knows better.
He’s about 9 months old.
We will be getting another neutered cat as soon as possible.
What do you suggest I do about the biting and jumping?
— F.A.W., Springfield, Mo.
Dear F.A.W.,
I am pleased to know you have saved an obviously wonderful strayed-and-lost cat, and that you plan to adopt a second young cat.
You should have him neutered as soon as possible, about three to four weeks after he has been examined by the vet, wormed as needed, and given the three core vaccines for feline distemper/panleukopenia and respiratory viral infections.
Have the rabies vaccine given to him a month or so after he has been neutered only if mandated by local laws.
In my book Cat Body, Cat Mind, you will find more answers to understanding and changing your cat’s behavior than I don’t have room for in this column.
But you should understand that he simply wants to play (most intensely in the early evening, I bet).
You need to learn to think more like a cat and play with him.
Check out your local pet store, and ask about interactive cat play toys like wands and snakes that you use as a lure to trigger his predatory instincts.
This will help redirect his attentions from you, ankles being a favorite for cat-play-attack stimuli.
Engage him in games of hide-and-seek, peekaboo and other social games that a second young cat will more fully participate in to the delight of all.
