And Baby Makes Four - How to Introduce Your Dog to the Newest Member of the Pack

Congratulations!! You have a new baby. Not having a child myself, I can only imagine all the changes that take place in your life once your beautiful bundle of joy arrives. Although I am no expert at human "momminess", hopefully I can help shed some light on how to make the transition easier for your dog.

Unfortunately, sometimes when a new baby arrives, the pet who was formerly the "baby" may find his life has drastically altered. The house where he may have once enjoyed free reign suddenly has rooms that have become "off limits" or certain pieces of furniture where he may once have napped, are no longer allowed for peaceful slumber. Stuffed toys which have always been a favorite play toy, may no longer be appropriate toys for your pet. Daily walks or play sessions may be reduced or disappear altogether as new parents understandably, have less free time.

What's worse, is that many times dogs that have always been indoors are suddenly relegated to the backyard isolated from the family that once doted on him. This lack of attention and change in lifestyle while not meant to be hurtful, can cause the dog to become stressed and lead to the development of negative behavioral issues. Tragically, many pets are given up because of the arrival of a new baby.

The key to success is preparation. Just as you have had 9 months to prepare for the arrival of your baby, your dog is no different. He too should be a participant in the preparation with specific exercises designed for him so that when the baby arrives, you will be confident of the behavior you can expect from him and vice versa.

The Humane Society of the United States is a great resource for information regarding your pets. They have written an article entitled "Introducing Your Pet and New Baby" that is filled with great suggestions. Here are just a few examples:

1) Before the baby arrives, take you pet to the veterinarian. Have the vet give your dog a thorough check-up and make sure all vaccinations are up to date.

2) Focus on obedience in the time prior to the arrival of the baby. Practice having the dog lie calmly next to you. Teach him not to jump and curb any "mouthing" or "play biting" behavior.

3) If the mother-to-be is especially close with the pet, have someone else begin to spend more time with the dog. This way the dog will have an opportunity to bond with another person and not feel "lost" when the new mother is unable to spend as much time as she used to with the dog.

4) Set aside time each day to spend one on one with the pet - even if it's just a grooming session, a short walk, or some dedicated backyard ball time.

5) Have friends with babies and young children over to the house so that the dog gets used to babies.

6) If the baby's room will be off limits, start training the dog right away to stay out of the room. Or set aside a certain part of the room where the dog will be allowed to stay. Give him special toys and treats when he stays in his "part" of the room.

7) Once the mother has gone to the hospital, bring a blanket or some clothing with the baby's smell home for the dog to sniff so he becomes familiar with the baby's scent.

These are just a few of the tips that you will find in the Humane Society's article. To read the full article, please click here. Dogs and babies can live successfully together with each getting the proper attention they deserve, but it is important to prepare your pet for the arrival of their new "brother" or "sister", just as you prepare any other member of your family.

Road to Recovery - HOTLR's Malibu

Whether it was blunt force trauma from an angry cow's hoof, or some other painful accident, only Malibu knows the real story. What we know at HOTLR is that Malibu is yet another reason why this rescue group exists. The heart and spirit of a Lab are second to none in my book, and Malibu is a great example of a Lab with both heart and spirit. Just one look at her biography and video on HOTLR's website and I am sure you will agree. See Malibu's bio here. Malibu is well on her way to recovery from the surgery that fused her shattered shoulder and front right leg back into place.

Physical therapy is vitally important to a dog recovering from serious orthopedic surgery just as it is for people. No one knows how long Malibu has been lame, but now that her leg is working again, she must learn how to use it again. We thought you'd like to see her in action during a recent physical therapy session at the Canine Rehabilitation and Conditioning Center. Sandra Hudson is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner and heads up the physical therapy program at CRCC located at 12419 Metric Blvd. Last Thursday Malibu visited Sandra for another session. It was her second week of PT.

The session began with cold laser therapy in which a laser is directed at the scar tissue and incision sites from Malibu's surgery. This type of therapy aids the healing process by entering the mitochondria (the energy power house of the cell) and helping remodel scar tissue. This therapy is also instrumental in relieving inflammation and pain.

Next, Malibu found herself on the balance board. The balance board is reminiscent of a see-saw and forces the dog to redistribute her weight to maintain balance. This exercise is helpful in reminding Malibu that she now has a fourth leg that is able to hold her weight and will teach her to trust in using the limb again.

After the balance board, Malibu found herself placed on top of a giant rubber ball. Although this type of exercise therapy also teaches her to redistribute her weight, this particular exercise is more about massaging Malibu's tired and overused back muscles. Malibu's other body parts have taken on the burden of supporting the weight that her unused right front leg should have been handling. Therefore, it's important to massage these overused muscles to prevent her from causing injury to other body parts. Malibu could could not have been more relaxed as Sandra manipulated the muscles of her back releasing tension and tightness.

Finally, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. Malibu was placed in the underwater treadmill tank. The water helps support her body weight as she becomes more buoyant in the water just as we do when we swim. She spent 20 minutes in the tank which really required her to work her leg. It was amazing to see her injured foot on the ground, supporting her weight, toes splayed out looking exactly like her left leg. The slow motion underwater resistance really allowed her to focus on using her leg. It was amazing to see her walking normally. In fact, during the treadmill session, her speed was increased numerous times as she kept placing her recovery leg on the latch to the door, attempting to escape. Each time the speed was increased, she responded until it was obvious that she was tired. Way to go Malibu!!

Malibu still has another six weeks before she is fully recovered. If you are interested in meeting her after her recovery, be sure to put in an application at our website. This is one pup that will go the last mile with you and will definitely be worth the wait. Click here to fill out an application to adopt Malibu.

Meet HOTLR's Scuba!!!

On February 21st, I attended a meet 'n greet at President Margaret Huston's house. Most of you familiar with HOTLR know how a meet 'n greet works. Potential adoptive families are matched with 2 - 3 dogs available for adoption and hopefully find the perfect fit for their family.

We had 8 families meet about 10 different dogs on Sunday. Meet 'n greet's are fun, exhausting and chaotic, but I guarantee if you've ever been to one, you're pretty much smiling and laughing the whole day.

I've done several meet 'n greets as a volunteer. Sometimes I come because my foster is "showing" that day. Sometimes I come just to help out. It's another great way to get to know some of the dogs in the program too.

Everyone laughs at me, because I fall in love with all the dogs in the HOTLR program. Maybe it's because they each have a story to tell that we will never fully know. Maybe it's because I often participate in the shelter checks and I see the dogs in the cages at the shelters, how pitiful, broken and sad they seem. Then after entering the HOTLR program, I get to see how they come out of their shells and begin to trust in humans again, eventually becoming a part of a new wonderful family. Watching this change touches me every time no matter how many doggy success stories I witness.

Right now there is a little dude I can't get out of my mind. It's Scuba, so named because his shelter card said that he loves water. Scuba is probably a classic victim of "Black Dog Syndrome". Black dogs are routinely passed over at shelters and rescue programs in favor of lighter colored dogs. It's a real documented problem. We picked him up about a month ago at the Waco Animal Shelter. He'd been there since early November having been transferred in from another shelter. Who knows how long he'd been at the previous place. They had placed him in a back corner cage where he sort of melted into the shadows of his kennel.

He hardly greeted us and would not make eye contact. He was emaciated, probably the skinniest guy I'd seen. I knew we were his last chance. I knew he didn't have long. He was going to die of malnutrition or the shelter would soon deem him unadoptable because his spirit had been broken. He had quit trusting in humans and wouldn't engage with them even if they did stop by his cage.

We took him out and looked at him anyway. We pulled his tail, looked at his teeth, talked to him, petted him. Ultimately, we felt he would blossom in the right situation and we pulled him and added him to the program. He's at Canine Hilton right now. He's getting some training and he has started eating again. He's beginning to fill out from the neck down but it will take a little more time before he is fully fit. He has a gorgeous head and face. When he fills out, in my opinion he will be a truly beautiful Lab.

Yet, he still has some rough edges. He definitely needs to be potty trained. He's most likely never been in a house before. However, I believe he is a quick learner. As soon as he understands where it's appropriate to go, the problem will be solved. (Neutering will help too.)

He was shown to a large family of 7 on Sunday. He was not intimidated at all. We watched fascinated as he greeted and showed interest in every family member. He stopped in front of each one, sat, sniffed and licked each person, all the while loving the attention. After a few minutes, he moved on to the next family member, exhibiting the same behavior. It seemed he was giving each a chance to get to know him and he them. Later, after they left, he spent a few minutes pacing around the house, then laid his head in my lap for some more attention. Finally he collapsed on the floor next to me, paws crossed, completely relaxed and seemingly at peace with the world. It was a totally normal Lab thing to do. The very thing I'd seen my own dog do thousands of times. It was in that moment that I knew he was going to be okay and just needed a little more time to get things figured out.

Ultimately, the family that visited with Scuba chose another dog better matched to their family. I know it's just a matter of time for Scuba, that he needs to meet the right family, that we did the right thing pulling him from the shelter. It's this feeling, watching the changes that come over the broken souls that we find at the shelters that make me so thankful for this organization. I don't think this feeling will ever get old to me or that stories like Scuba's will ever stop touching me. I can't wait to see the next chapter in Scuba's life.

Right now, he could sure use a foster home. If you'd like to foster Scuba or are interested in adopting him, please visit the HOTLR website at hotlabresue.org.

Crate Advice from a Non-Believer

Dog owners have mixed emotions about crating their dogs. You know what dog crates are (also known as kennels) - those giant boxes that may look to some like mini jail cells. I for one used to be a non-believer. However, years ago I flip-flopped my belief when my husband "won" custody of a Beagle version of "Dennis the Menace" from his previous marriage. The exploits of Bonnie (yes, she was a girl) deserve a blog all to themselves , but suffice it to say that Bonnie and I had many stand-offs in which I (and my house) came out the loser.

So, we had no choice but to use the crate. Since then I've crated my last four dogs and every foster that has come into my home. Cayman is my 12 year old yellow male. When he was a puppy he ate a garden hose, a tennis ball, the rubber rim from around his food bowl, numerous toys and some twine. He's had exploratory surgery 3 times to remove many of the items listed above from his stomach. Since using the crate, the incidences of surgery from ingesting foreign objects have decreased dramatically - like to zero. From my perspective, when the dog is in the crate, know that the dog is safe and my stuff is safe from the dog.

Crates are great for potty training dogs too. Dogs are pretty smart. They don't like to sit in their own mess. Just make sure that the crate is small enough that if they do "mess" in their crate, there isn't an easy way for them to get away from it. They learn pretty fast that "hey, if I 'go' in here, I'm stuck in here with this mess and it's stuck in here with me until my parents get home". I promise, it doesn't take long for them to learn there are better places to go.

You can buy crates at almost any pet supply store. They come in many shapes and sizes, and are made out of many different types of materials. Some are so nice that you might mistake them for an end table in someone's living room. Others are made from canvas and look like they came from REI or Orvis, complete with screened in doors and windows and stakes for planting them in the ground if you go camping. You want to make sure that your dog can stand up and turnaround in which ever size you choose.

Most recently I purchased two really nice crates from Costco. They came with nice padded beds that fit the floor inside. They also collapse so that when they aren't in use, you can hide them under a bed or in a closet. I won't lie, they aren't cheap. Especially when you are buying for a larger breed like a Labrador. But you can buy about 12 crates at Costco for the cost of one exploratory surgery. So, they might end up paying for themselves many times over.

Ideally, dogs shouldn't be left in crates for many hours day in and day out, so use your judgment and do the best you can based on your work schedule. Place a nice padded bed or blanket in the crate. Sometimes I sleep with a blanket or towel for a few nights and then put it in the crate with one of my new foster dogs, so it smells familiar.

Introduce your dog slowly by placing the crate in an active area of the home where he won't be alone. Leave the door open and let him investigate it. Feed him in there. After several days of feeding him in there, shut the door while he eats and open it after he finishes. After he gets used to eating in there, leave the door closed for longer and longer periods of time. Toss cookies or treats into the crate to encourage him to go in. Praise him like crazy if he goes in on his own or better yet, if he goes in and lays down.

Of course, there will be resistant craters. My favorite thing for resistant craters is to stuff a Kong with wet dog food (you can mix kibble in there too). Don't be shy. Get the biggest Kong you can find and buy the one made for the REALLY STRONG chewers. Really pack the wet food in there until there is no space to stuff any more. Freeze it and then before you leave, throw the frozen Kong into the crate with your dog. Because the food is frozen (and stuffed in the Kong), it will take a lot of time for your dog to get it all out. It will be challenging and keep him busy while in his crate, plus it provides him with a unique treat easing the discomfort of you leaving. It is important to save the Kong treat for this particular occasion so that your dog will associate this treat with the crate making the crate a more pleasant experience. The Kong can get funky with wet food leftovers, so just chuck it in the top rack of your dishwasher for quick and easy clean up.

Other options you can try for resistant craters are DAP(Dog Appeasing Phermone) available at Petsmart. Also Peaceful Paws is an essential oil that can help calm a dog with separation anxiety or crate anxiety. Last, patience and practice will help your dog become more relaxed and comfortable with crating.

So, give it try. I'm sure glad I did.