Dog Dental Trauma - Losing a Tooth

Interesting coincidence - there are no accidents!

A few days ago I visited my dentist who somehow found out I have a puppy. I got a short lecture on dog dental care and in my take-home package I found a tiny toothbrush. My dentist recommended meat-flavored toothpaste. You can read about special toothpaste for dogs here.

Then this morning Alvin suddenly went into a fit of mouth hysteria - he kept licking the side of his mouth, was bleeding a little, and appeared to be choking. We checked - there was nothing in his mouth.

This scenario continued for about 10 minutes during which we were deciding how to get him to the vet as quickly as possible. Finally he dropped something white on the floor - a nasty looking tooth - sort of a molar with points on it. Now I know why no one wants to be a dog dentist!



Does the tooth fairy know it's a dog tooth and put a dog bone under the pillow?

Puppy Training - The Big Picture

I finally got smart about puppy training - it's not a finite thing with a beginning and an end - puppy training turns into dog training and NEVER ends.

At first, I thought I could housetrain Alvin and teach him a few commands, and then bingo - a perfectly trained, obedient puppy. What WAS I thinking?

First, I discovered the Basic Command training needed constant reinforcement (this was explained very thoroughly in the It's PAWSible! Dog Training and Puppy Training DVD I used for training). The best example is the COME command - Alvin conveniently forgets that one. And if he's distracted - a rabbit, a bird, someone cooking food - he might forget "SIT." At times, "NO" is clearly a foreign sound. And housetraining - that's a never-ending vigil. One little lapse in his schedule means a possible accident.

Then the behavior/agression issues started in the last few weeks (Alvin is now 5 plus months):

• Jumping up on everyone
• Barking for seemingly no reason
• Backbark (similar to people backtalk)
• Biting/Nipping
• Pulling on the leash
• Constantly getting into mischief (pulling socks or clothes out of a drawer, chewing slippers, chomping on the computer mouse)

It was clear that housetraining and basic command training were not enough and it was time for a new plan. This must be the stage where many people give up training and decide the puppy wasn't such a great idea. And that's how dogs end up in shelters. Lack of committment - people just give up.

What's the solution in Alvin's case - a look at the issues and how to address them with more comprehensive training. And it seems to be working - one day at a time.

More details in future posts . . .

Pet Transport Has Reached a New Level - Pet Airways

I stand corrected - this post is now outdated - Transporting a Pup by Plane - There are no Positives with the introduction of Pet Airways, a new airline that transports pets only!

I have no reviews yet, just a newspaper article introducing Pet Airways - Travel for Your Best Friend!

Pet Airways features cabin (not cargo) travel for pets - what better treatment could your pet get - first class travel at commercial airline pricing! No more cargo travel for 6 plus hours at a time in a cold or hot environment with no food, water, and pee/poop breaks. See the details here.

valmillsy