Dog Poison: 3 Treats your Dog should Never be Given.

There are a number of everyday foods that are harmful for dogs, but three of them are foods that might be easily be used as training treats. Don't ever use these again, even if you have used them in the past.

1) Sugar free sweets

A common sweetener, Xylitol, is poisonous to some dogs. It can cause liver damage and even death in quite small quantities. If your dog eats sweets that contain Xylitol, you should contact your vet immediately. The danger of Xylitol was only discovered in 2004, so your vet may still not be familiar with the problem.

2) Chocolate

Chocolate intended for humans (dog chocolates are especially formulated to be safe) should never be given as a treat to your dog, as it contains Theobromine. This effects the dog's nervous system, making him hyperactive, and can bring on epileptic type fits. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include an increase in the dog's heart rate, arrhythmia (an uneven heart-rate), restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination and excessive panting. As the condition worsens, the dog can suffer from hypothermia, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.

According to the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the 'LD50' toxic dose of Theobromine (the dose at which 50% of dogs would die) is around 100mg/Kg of body weight. Note: For 50% of animals, lower doses may prove fatal.

But how much chocolate is this?

Different kinds of chocolate contain different amounts of Theobromine, with very low concentrations in white chocolate, and high concentrations in dark (semi-sweet) and baking chocolates.

As a rough guide the fatal dose of chocolate for the average dog is:

60g/Kg (1 oz per lb) of body weight for milk chocolate.
20g/Kg (0.3 oz for lb)of body weight for semi-sweet chocolate
7g/Kg (0.1 oz per lb) of body weight for baking chocolate.

Remember that your dog's overall health, age and diet will effect their resistance to Theobromine poisoning, so the guide above is just that – a guide. The best way to avoid poisoning your dog is to avoid chocolate altogether!

3) Grapes and raisins

Grapes are an easy treat to give a dog, especially as a 'one for you, one for me' snack. But don't! Grape toxicity has only recently been discovered, and is not understood. There appears to be no difference in shop-bought or home-grown grapes, and the toxicity is due to the grape and not any pesticide or heavy metal contamination.

Early symptoms of poisoning are vomiting and diarrhoea, appearing between 6 and 24 hours after eating the grapes, leading to possible kidney failure and death. The process can take between 3 days and 3 weeks.

There are no detailed studies, but early indications are that the following amounts of fruit could be fatal:

20g / Kg (0.3 oz / lb)of body weight for grapes
3g / Kg (0.05 oz / lb) of body weight of raisins

If your dog has eaten a large quantity of grapes or raisins, the advice is to make him vomit, administer activated charcoal, which will help soak up any toxins, and call your vet immediately.

*****Did you know that many commercial dog-foods include substances that could be fatal for your dog? Click here to find out how you may be poisoning your favourite pet!*****

Training your Dog: The 5 Golden Rules that will Guarantee you Success

There are a hundred different training techniques, a thousand tricks of the trade, and a million mistakes that can be made along the way when you first start training a dog. But if you follow some basic rules, and build your training on firm foundations, you will not go far wrong.

While I always emphasise that a dog is not human, and cannot understand the subtleties of human speech, you must always remember that the dog is a living, conscious, intelligent and above all sensitive being.

1) Be gentle. Never harm your animal, either by physical or mental punishment. A lot of nonsense has been written about how dogs in the wild attack each other to prove their dominance. This is an old fashioned theory based on a misunderstanding of wolf pack behaviour. To train a dog you must earn his respect, not his fear, otherwise, like a naughty child, he will only behave when he thinks you can enforce your (violent) will!

2) Be Positive. Like humans, a dog will best remember the last thing he did during training. If it was a pleasant activity, he will want to do the training again, so you should always finish a training session by doing something that the dog enjoys, or is good at. If he has just mastered a new command, then finish with the most lavish praise he has ever received. If things have gone badly, then do something basic that he can be do successfully. Not only will he link training with success and enjoyment, but so will you!

3) Be calm. Never get flustered. You will not help yourself by getting stressed – just enjoy your dog's company, even if his progress is painfully slow, or non-existent. You will not help your dog either, who will sense your frustration and lose his concentration. He may get confused and could misinterpret your mood as anger and assume that the one thing he is doing right is wrong after all. A training session when you are stressed can set your dog back weeks.

4) Be loving. Give your dog plenty of attention. Remember, you want him to think that you are the most important being in his world. The more praise you give him, the more you call him to you for pats and ruffling ears, the more he is going to want to listen to you and follow your instructions.

5) Be consistent. Your dog will get confused quickly if the goalposts move every other day. Commands should always be the same – both words and tone of voice should remain constant. Remember that your dog will read your body language as much as he hears your voice, so be calm with calm commands (like leave or stay), excited with exciting commands (come, or fetch), but above all, keep each command consistent all the time!

Learn to train your dog, by understanding his thoughts and body language - click here for a free email course.

Why not to train your dog: 5 of the best excuses!

There are almost as many dog-training excuses as there are dog owners. Here are five of my particular favourites - not because they justify not training a dog, but because they show how poorly people understand dog training, and dog training methods.

1) I don't want to break my dog's spirit.

Many people cite examples of listless dogs or dogs that won't do anything unless told. In 20 years of handling dogs, I don't think I've ever met any of these mythical dogs – except where the dog has no stimulation at all, he will always be excited and pleased to be rewarded for doing what he's told. This does not make a dog listless or unhappy – it gives him purpose and rewards thinking!
Beating a dog will break his spirit and make him afraid of doing wrong, but this is not training. Beating does not teach him obedience, it just teaches him fear. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the dog cowering at the end of his lead as his owner shouts at him has been 'trained'. Far from it. He has possibly been abused.

2) She's such lovely dog: I wouldn't change her for the world!

Lovely dogs are lovely despite not being trained, rather than because they're not trained. Exceptionally lucky owners may have a lovely dog who doesn't bark much, who avoid people who are afraid of them, who never chew things, and may not even pull at the lead. But dogs are pack animals, and need rules to live by, and a leader to look up to. Training will not change your lovely dog's personality, but will help her to understand life, make her more content and an even better companion. Actually, most people who wouldn't change anything put up with a lot of inconvenience to 'keep their dog's personality'.

3) I don't have time to train him.

Why do we have dogs? A dog is a living, breathing, thinking being that needs stimulation, play, exercise and companionship. All of these needs can be answered through training, which strengthens the bond between us and our animals, giving us both what we need. Better still, the very activities that make our dogs the perfect pets are the best activities to use to train him. If you spend time with your dog, you have time to train him. If you don't spend time with your dog, maybe it's time to consider whether a dog is the best pet for you.

4) He's only a puppy – I'll train him when he's older.

No, no, no, no! Would you wait for a child to go to school before teaching them to speak, or before potty training them? Dog training isn't a chore for the puppy! Dog training is fun and fulfilling, and the training gives your puppy something to occupy their mind. Pet your puppy when she comes to you; make a fuss of her and give her titbits when she brings you a slipper, or a piece of paper off the floor! The more enthusiastic you are when she sits, the more she'll love to sit for you. The more she loves coming to you for praise, the more likely she is to leave Mrs Smith's cat alone when you call her. Train her now, or you may be paying for it for the rest of her life.

5) He's well behaved anyway

The dog is a pack animal. A pack has a leader and followers of various importance. If you don't take the responsibility of leadership, your dog may may feel he has to. This will be stressful for him and for you. If you don't set the rules, your dog will, and you may not like them! Your dog should be a relaxing companion, not an adversary, a boss or a burden.

For more information on training your dog, including a free short course by email, click here.