10 Life-threatening Behaviour Myths in Dogs: #6

Myth # 6: He must be angry with me.  He knows what he did wrong.

Many dogs show submissive behaviours when their owners arrive home.  These behaviours of tucking the tail, lowering the ears, avoiding eye contact, and slinking away do not mean “I am sorry” in dog language.  They mean “Stop acting angry at me.”  They mean that the dog has learned to associate the return of people to the home with the presence of feces, garbage, or other destroyed items on the floor. The dog is not angry – he is afraid because n the past when people arrived home and these things were on the floor he was yelled at or hit.  Even if the dog was not yelled at or hit, the angry body language of the human is clear to the dog and the dog still learns to feel fear when people arrive.  Punishment in these circumstances does not teach the dog anything (except to fear the arrival of people).  The dog is completely incapable of associating any punishment with the behavior he performed minutes or hours before.

FACT:  Dogs do not eliminate on the floor or destroy items out of spite.  The most likely cause of the behavior is anxiety or lack of appropriate exercise and stimulation (or incomplete house-training).  Rather than being angry at your dog, seek help from a professional.  Your dog is suffering.

                                                           STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER MYTH....COMING SOON

Midnight has found a home

After months of searching, and waiting.....

our little man "Midnight" has finally found a family to call his own. 

We couldn't be happier for everyone. 

We know that he will be very happy with them, and they will enjoy his company as well. 

We are confident that Tucker and Midnight will become fast friends. 

Charity Dog Wash - Update

Our 3rd Annual Charity Dog wash was held this past weekend (Sunday Sept. 9th).
The Charity we chose to support this year was the Autism Dog Services.
In addition to bathing, and nail trims, we also held raffles for prizes, a photo booth, nail polishing station, as well as guess the staff pet match up games.
With the support of the community and our many sponsors, we were able to raise over $700 for the Autism Dog Services organization.  Thank you to everyone who came out.

10 Life-threatening Behaviour Myths in Dogs: #5

 Myth # 5: "Dogs that are aggressive are acting dominant."

While some dogs truly exhibit dominance aggression, they are much rarer than the popular media would have you believe.  The problem with outdated dominance theories is that they result in the recommendation of confrontational styles of training based on the erroneous belief that owners have to physically dominate their dogs.  Not only is this dangerous, but it is usually ineffective and has resulted in damage to the human - animal bond far more often than it has led to success.

FACT: Most dogs with aggression problems are anxious or afraid and are more likely to respond to reward-based training under the supervision of a qualified animal or veterinary behaviorist.

            Stay tuned for another myth....coming soon   

Charity Dog Wash Sept 9th ways to help

Charity Dog Wash

Sunday Sept 9th

If you are unable to attend the dog wash on September 9^th, but would like to donate to Autism Dog Services here are some options for you: 

You can give cash or a cheque (made out to Royal City Animal Hospital) to any staff member or mailed in; or, call Martha or Lisa at 519-763-4992 with your Visa or MasterCard payment.  

At the conclusion of the dog wash all donations will be forwarded to Autism Dog Services.

There will be a representative from Autism Dog Services (with a service dog!) at the dog wash who will be available to answer any questions you have about the organization.

Any donation will be gratefully accepted. 

These service dogs literally change the lives of autistic children and their families.  Please consider supporting them!!

Barbara Drewry

Guess Who is Celebrating a Birthday?

Someone very special to the staff and clients at Royal City Animal Hospital is having a Birthday. 

Teya will be 4 years old on August 30th. 

We wish her a very happy birthday. 

10 Life-threatening Behaviour Myths in Dogs: #4

Myth # 4: I want that new medication I heard about to treat my pet’s {insert behaviour problem here}

Medications alone rarely solve a behaviour problem.  Behaviour modification and environmental modification are usually necessary to achieve long-term, lasting improvement.  Some medications have been shown to increase the speed with which the behavior modification takes effect and can be considered another useful tool in treating behavior problems, but they are not the sole remedy.

FACT:  Medication can play an important role in the treatment of a behaviour problem but only if used appropriately as a part of a complete treatment plan.   

                                                                                                                                                Stay tuned for another myth....coming soon