Vivienne Barnes
,@vivvie001
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We are moving house and I am concerned for my little Cocker Spaniel, 8yrs old. How can I best settle her?
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My 8 yr old Cocker Spaniel was sick yesterday morning, pure white. Not a lot but twice. She was sick again this morning should I ring the vet?
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Krista Magnifico Yes. Please. It is the safest thing to do.
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Thank you
My eight year old Cocker Spaniel is a great wee dog, friendly and not at all cross and super with my grandchildren. However when the baby visits and cries Holly gets agitated and restless. No sign of aggression but the sound seems to really upset her. Holly is ok with my two year old grandson though when he was a baby she behaved in the same way. Any ideas?
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Many thanks for your reply. I do make sure that she does not feel excluded and give her reassurance that really all is well. She would never ever be left alone with any of the children and if when she has had enough she just gets offside to her own spot. Do you think Adaptil plug in would help?
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
If she is anxious it is important to respect her discomfort and either remove her from the area to a safe and quiet place and/or start working with her so that she begins to get used to the crying and baby noises so you don’t have to worry about either of them. Ideally everyone needs to feel safe and secure in their own home. Please talk to your vet about a good behaviorist. They can help. Best of luck.
When I take Holly to be groomed or to the Vet and lift her onto the table, not a peep out of her. However when she asks to be lifted onto the bed(she sleeps with me) she growls like mad. Why is this when she so obvously wants to get up. She can jump up when it suits her.
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Sarah Have you mentioned this to your vet? It may just be the way that you happen to,lift her, but there also may be an underlying cause. It also may be an unwanted learned behavior that you need to un-teach. I would first talk to the vet and rule out anything from that perspective. After that, if all,is well, I would start to retrain for a more desired behavior. Good luck!
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Many thanks. Any tips to help me retrain her re this?
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
I always suggest people go back to the very basics with training. Make sure you are both communicating in the same way and understand each other. And also understand that she is trying to tell you something. Some part of this routine causes her pause and hesitation. You may need a trainer to come to the house. Or video tape the occurrence and go over it with your trainer. Often I find clients don’t see the situation the way I do and often they are unknowingly and unintentionally part of the predicament. Find a poster reinforcement trainer and start over again. Gently and patiently and positively. Good luck
I think my dog may have worms. We collected her from kennels after two weeks and her appetite is insatiable. She has also been dragging her bottom along the floor. She is an eight year old Cocker Spaniel and in good spirits.
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Julie Brader Could also be her Anal Glands. I’m sure your Vet will empty them.
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Sarah Call your vet and get an appointment. Bring in a stool sample for them. They will be able to diagnose and treat for the right thing.
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Yes anal Glands which the vet cleared. He also gave her worm treatment we were there. Thank you.
my seven year old %$$!er spaniel has problems getting up and down on the seat. She also seemed to lose a little power in her hind legs and didnt want to go for a walk today. Paying a lot of attention to her front paws.
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Jana Naturally, please see a vet to find out what is going on and how to address it.
my 7 yr old cocker spaniel is a beautiful little dog in all ways. However when anyone is leaving the house after visiting she goes absolutely mad and I have to put her out. Also when my daughter comes to pick up her little boy she goes totally mental. When I leave for work she is grand. How do I calm her down?????
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Anonymous Don’t make a big deal out of leaving and returning. I hope you don’t mean you’re putting her in the yard when you leave? I would crate her in the house, say “bye” quietly, and just leave. 5 minutes later come back, don’t say a word, let her out of her crate once she’s calmed down. reward the appropriate behavior, ignore her until she’s calm.
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Vivienne Barnes Post author No no I would never ever leave her outside when I am not there. She is fine when I am leaving, she just goes to her bean bag. It is when others are set to leave that she goes barking mad.
My 7 yr old #@!#er spaniel is a pet UNTIL visitors call or leave. Then she gets so hyper, Barks its impossible to calm her. Then I get agitated also. I was thinking of buying a whistle, might this help to ground her. I tried a Kong filled with treats which worked initially but no.
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Jana These things don’t have a quick solution and need to be worked on gradually. Find out about clicker training. And then you need to work on changing the way she feels about things step by step. Probably starting from the knock on the door/doorbell ring … get your friends work with you on these sessions. Only when you change she feels about things you’ll change the behavior successfully to everybody’s happiness. Look up Donna Hill’s YouTube channel, she has some very good instructional videos. Other things to do is to give her a safe place she can retrieve to as well as curb the amount of visitors in the meantime.
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Thank you Jana. I would say she has become worse since my last little grandchild was born come to think of it. She was always uses to the others coming in and out but not as young babies. She is very gentle with the children and when she has had enough retreats to her own corner. Do you think the little stranger who made strange noises may have something to do with this.
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Jana Something like that certainly can be playing a role. Kids are quite stressful for most dogs unless they get used to them. I know Jasmine, who loved kids, would get upset if a kid started screaming or shrieking, for example. It’s easy to get stressed over things one doesn’t understand.
There could be other things at play, such as more attention taken away from her etc. I always wondered what I’d do to get my dog be okay with baby crying and screaming if I had to. I always wondered whether a recording of such could be used in the same manner as desensitization soundtracks to deal with noise phobias. I never had to test it but logically it would make sense to me. Having a recording of all the noises little kids make, and expose the dog to them gradually (first low volume and short duration) and using a similar game as the Look at That (Donna has videos on that), where the sound would become a predictor of something great such as a treat or play or whatever the dog really loves. And gradually increase the volume and duration etc. I’m sure somebody more focused on training (my focus is health advocacy) might have some proven technique which you might be able to find.
The bottom line with these things, though, always is this formula: “Change the feeling, change the behavior.”
Is it safe to give my 7 yr old Cocker Spaniel eggs occasionally?
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Krista Magnifico Yes. But I prefer it be cooked to avoid potential pathogens like salmonella. And it should not be a significant portion of the diet as it is high in cholesterol.
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Many thanks. I was thinking scrambled, boiled or poached.
How can I make life easier for my little Cocker Spaniel who is on steroids and a tablet for her immune system? She is absolutely ravenous yet I dont want to overfeed her. She was never a greedy dog yet she would eat the bowl at the minute. Those big brown eyes are so sad its breaking my heart. I understand to keep her alive we need to give her the drugs.
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Thank you very much. I have been bulking out with more veg than usual. She loves pasta. Would that be ok?
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Sarah We give our boys cold baby carrots, and canned or fresh bits of pumpkin as training treats. They absolutely live it, and I worry less about them getting fat from treats.?
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Vivienne Barnes Post author Thank you.
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
You can offer food that have bulk, and are therefore filling, without adding calories, like fiber. Pumpkin, and many other veggies can do this. Also I think that a nice distraction like a walk or play time (disease status permitting) also help. You can also break the meals into smaller meals. -
Vivienne Barnes Post author Whoops thank you for that. No pasta on Holly`s menu.
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Dawn Ferara, DVM Pasta is not a good choice it’s high in calories and starches that turn to sugar.
In my experience, keeping as close to your normal routine as best possible is huge. Also, if your dog has a blanket or toy/pillow that they love it is good to keep that around. Make sure she has her own space with her own things, but also that she knows she has you. It will take time but she will learn that this is your new home. Best of luck!