Expert: Kaza - 12/29/2010

Question
QUESTION: We currently have a 14 month old boy bichon and considering getting him a 4 month old boy puppy as loves the company of other dogs. However are two boys a good idea and should one or both be castrated. As a second issue our existing puppy has extensive tear stains can u recommend a cure. Regards. Kevin

ANSWER: Hello Kevin
two dogs together is a great idea as they are social pack animals. Two males are fine if you remain pack leader. That means so long as you maintain the word NO in a positive manner it really doesnt matter if its two boys, two girls or one of each. Clearly if its opposite sexes then one would need to be either neutered or spayed to avoid unwanted pregnancy.
Tearstains are in the main a genetic issue however much is also caused through food that is commercial in nature as it has alot of colouring. Dog food even dried dog food is made with owners in mind and not the dog. www.aromacarenaturalproducts.com is a site that has products (natural) that will get rid of these stains and if you follow instructions will continue to do so. It wont happen overnight so be patient. Also feeding fresh meat and veggies and probiotic yoghurt will also help tearstains go away.

Castration is great for unwanted pregnancy but for behaviour issues in reality it solves nothing and can create more issues than it resolves, however with any surgical procedure comes risks and side effects, there is a significant increased risk of cruciate ligament injury in all spayed/neutered dogs. I have a few articles (Scientific and recent 2009-10) relating to all the side effects on my site www.eurobichons.com, feel free to read them all.
I hope this helps you make the right decision for you and your family.
Have a good 2011


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Many thanks for your reply there perhaps could be an issue with our dog as he is more the leader of the pack or thinks he is needless to say through fault of our own could this therefore lead to problems integrating and regarding tear stains is there any particular food to avoid and does angel eyes work or is it dangerous. regards

Answer
Hi Kevin
Angel Eyes is illegal  to import use sell buy etc.
However the site I directed you to sells natural products that work  in most cases but not all as it is not a specific tearstain product but rather a general health supplement.Foods to avoid are dy foods and ones that are commercially produced in the main tinned foods. You can however use http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/
I use these myself and recommend them for all in the toy group.

Regarding pack hierarchy this would ideally be resolved before a new addition is brought into the home. That is something you need to work on and remember, no matter how cute these doggies are they still need positive leadership(not harsh treatment or aggressive owners just using voice commands and a firm but consistent approach to ownership)



Teaching Your Dog NO!
         ~By: Joan A. Walker; courtesy wandaspetshop.com
You cannot get anywhere with your dog unless it understands what NO means. No is your single-most important word in teaching your dog anything.
Many people have implemented a different word than NO and frankly this is both good and bad. Why? Well lets' think of it this way:

Most people have dogs as their pets. Your pet should be well behaved when anyone comes near it, to your house, in your yard, sitting on a chair - ANYPLACE people and your dog are, your dog should be well mannered.
There are times when your dog cannot control his or her emotions and using a universal command word for all your training needs will be beneficial to all.
Say your guest is in a chair and your dog keeps bringing his toy to play. Your guest does not want to play. Your guest should be able to say NO and get a response from Rex.

Non-universal words are used for specialty training. They are not wrong per se but they will not be very helpful in a normal day to day pet / people relationship. How inconvenient will it be for anyone and everyone if only your special word will get your dog to stop pestering your guests?
So we will save the special command words for guard and Schutzhund training.

As you already have read in the article on housebreaking, NO is used to get your point across. It is effective and it catches the dog’s attention immediately. Well, not always immediately and if that is the case, I guarantee it is you and your delivery of the command NO.
NO should always be said in a way as if you MEAN it. Not a holler, not mean and not long and drawn out with a soft tone of voice, but with a firm NO!

You can probably relate this to how a pack leader of a large dog pack would enforce his wishes on the others. A short sharp bark with sometimes a snapping motion toward the offending member is all it takes to get his point across.
This is their version of our NO!

So now let’s take our NO to some practice. Next time you see your dog doing something you want it to stop doing, practice NO!
If Rex is chewing something that does not belong to him, go to him, take the item away and firmly and with a clear audible voice say, "Rex, NO!"
Take the item away and replace it with something that is his.

How about if Rex is annoying someone? Say, "Rex, NO!" and then give Rex a command like sit, down, or on your bed (providing he is trained for such stuff already). If Rex won't listen, repeat "Rex, NO!" and the command and then give the physical prodding (this will be covered in our Sit lesson), or take Rex by the collar and put him in his own bed to stay.

You now have the basics of NO! You will need to be very consistent in your command. You cannot say nooooooooo and you cannot say "I told you NO" or ANY other variation of NO.
Dogs need to learn by repetition and you need to teach by repetition and patience. After a few tries on NO you will start to see results and as time goes on and Rex's attention span increases, you will see your hard work and patience pay off.
Also, as Rex gets the hint of your demand, using his name before the command NO will be needed less and less and a simple NO! will suffice.

This will work for ANY reason you need to tell your dog NO for. If they are begging at the table or simply whining for no apparent reason, NO is your magic word.