Pet Headliners
My Pet World
By
Mar 30, 2006, 23:05

MY PET WORLD

By Steve Dale
Tribune Media Services
Q: My chocolate Labrador retriever has tried to bite many people. When someone comes close to my house, he barks and barks. I thought these dogs were supposed to be hyper and friendly. Why is mine so aggressive? - K.M.B., Lawrence, MA
A: This is as serious as it gets. If your dog does bite someone, it may well mean a death sentence, not to mention an injury to a family member or friend. For starters, keep your dog and people safe. Don't offer your pet any opportunity to bite.
Meanwhile, Dr. Wayne Hunthausen, a Kansas City, MO-based veterinarian with a practice limited to behavior issues, suggests toning down your dog's agitation. "There's no way to tell, given this information, whether this is territorial aggression or fear, or most likely a combination of the two. For starters, close the blinds so your dog isn't always barking at everyone passing by. And a reminder to never allow your dog in the yard or anywhere without an adult supervising."
In answer to why your dog is the way he is, while there are breed tendencies, a dog's disposition is also directly linked to its individual parents. (This is why I always suggest that anyone seeking a purebred puppy visit the breeder to meet the parents.) However, there are various other possible influences, including the way a dog is raised. While sometimes abuse is the issue, more often the problem is simply a lack of socialization; the dog doesn't know how to react to people, and also may be afraid.
The good news is, you can teach a new dog new tricks. When it comes to aggression, however, you do need hands-on training help from a veterinary behaviorist, certified applied animal behaviorist, or qualified behavior consultant (member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants).
Q: You recently reported in your column that grapes were dangerous for dogs. You did say that there was "no problem with one or two grapes," but cautioned against a moderate amount. That's up to interpretation.
I share my lunch with my 60-pound yellow Lab, which includes small bits from my fruit cup, yogurt and grapes. If grapes are bad, I assume raisins are worse. My conclusion is that drying the grapes into raisins concentrates the toxin, so one raisin should equal several grapes. Specifically, then, just how many grapes are acceptable? - D.R., Rochester, NY
A: One of the leading researchers on this topic is veterinary toxicologist Dr. Steve Hansen, director of the ASCPA Animal Poison Control Center. "We do tend to hear more complaints about raisins," he says. "But I'm not sure if that's because they're more toxic or it's simply easier to leave out a box of raisins and the dog eats them all compared to leaving out a bunch of grapes that would equal the number of raisins in a box. Perhaps, the toxins are more concentrated in raisins. But there is, so far, no data to demonstrate that one raisin is any more dangerous than one grape, or that 20 raisins would be any more dangerous than 20 grapes."
Hansen continues, "We have no magic cut-off number as to how many raisins or grapes a dog may tolerate before becoming ill. There may be other variables, such as an individual dog's susceptibility. In general, a 60-pound dog can tolerate more than a 6-pound dog, and odds are that a few grapes a week won't matter to a larger dog. My concern is that now the dog enjoys raisins or grapes, and by accident if many are left out within a dog's access, that dog might now eat a large bunch of grapes or boxes of raisins. And now you could have a serious problem."
(Write to Steve at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY. 14207. Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)AOL.com. Include your name, city and state.)
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