Does Dog Breath Come With the Territory?
13 Dog Myths Debunked
We’ve
all heard the myths: Dogs age seven years for every human year, dogs are
smarter than cats, dogs are colorblind. But do these myths have any basis in
reality? We’ve consulted some of the “top dogs” in their fields – vets, behaviorists,
and trainers – to help separate truth from fiction.
Dogs age seven years for every human year.
“This
myth is incorrect,” says W. Jean Dodds, DVM, President of Hemopet
in Santa Monica, CA. “The age ‘gap’ between
dogs and people may start out with youngsters at about seven years to one, but
shortens over the dog’s lifetime to more like four or five years to one in old
age.”
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
“This myth has some basis in
truth, but not the way it seems at first glance,” says Pamela J. Reid,
Ph.D., Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, VP, ASPCA Animal Behavior Center, New
York, NY. “I view old dogs the same as I view elderly
people – they are certainly capable of learning for their entire lives and they
can be as quick-witted as a young ‘whipper-snapper.’ But elderly people can
become set in their ways about some things and dogs are like that too. So, in
reality, it’s not that old dogs can’t learn, it’s more that old habits are hard
to break. Once a dog has behaved in a certain way year after year, it’s harder
to convince him to change his behavior. But his learning capabilities are certainly
still intact.”
Rob Houseman, canine behavior
advisor and trainer, New York, NY, says that although there are crucial periods
of learning during a dog’s first year of life, an older dog will still approach
foreign items and tasks, albeit with caution.
“Saying that an old dog can’t learn
new tricks is like saying that an old man can’t learn to use e-mail,” says
Houseman. “My dog, Max, is a ten year old mixed
breed and he learns new tricks all the time. So please, when
hanging out with an old dog,
don’t discriminate against him – teach him a new trick.”
A wagging tail means a happy dog.
“Though most dogs may wag their
tails when they’re happy or to be friendly, some do so as a warning if the dog
is unsure of the situation, especially if the tail is straight up or stiff. So,
tail position is a better indicator of the dog’s feelings [rather than wagging].
A tail held at spine level is usually a neutral position,” says Dodds.
Briana Walton, Trainer/Behaviorist
and Animal Control Officer, owner of Pawsitively Dog, Willimantic, CT, says
that a wagging tail doesn’t necessarily mean a happy dog.
“A dog greeting his masters at
the door is likely to be wagging and dancing all over the place because he is
so happy to see them. But what about the dog barking and wagging his tail
at the postman? Depending on other body language, hackles (the hairs that run
down the topline of dog’s body), ear position, stiffness, and so on, this
can be a dangerous sign. People would be less likely to get bitten if they took
a little more time to evaluate the dog’s posture and body language.” says
Walton.
Dog breath comes with the territory.
“Dogs don’t generally brush their teeth daily so some odor
may be normal depending on the foods they eat,” says Charles Miller, D.V.M.
owner of Triangle Veterinary Hospital, Durham, NC. “However, an abnormal odor
may indicate a problem such as teeth or gum disease, gastrointestinal or respiratory
disease, tonsillitis, coprophagia, lip fold dermatitis, or licking in the
perianal region.”
Dogs are colorblind.
“Actually, although dogs cannot
distinguish colors like we can, they definitely see graded shades of color from
white through beige, gray, brown and black,” says Dodds
Dogs are smarter than cats.
Reid says that comparing
cats and dogs is like comparing apples to oranges. “Dogs have evolved to
function extremely well in one type of environment, that of scavenger and
hunting companion to people, and cats have evolved to do well in a very
different type of environment, a solitary hunter of rodents and birds. Each
species’ intelligence is very well suited to its own world: a dog is as ‘smart’
as a dog needs to be to survive in a dog’s world and a cat is as ‘smart’ as a
cat needs to be to survive in a cat’s world.”
“To address the issue in a different way, many people
equate ‘smart’ with ‘trainable.’ Dogs are generally more easily trained than
cats, again because they have been selected by humans for that quality. For
centuries, people have used dogs to fulfill a variety of roles for us: to herd
livestock, to retrieve fallen birds, to hunt rodents and other pests, to track
felons, to protect our families and property, to pull carts, to be companions,
and so on. The ‘trainability’ of a specific breed is highly linked to its
original purpose. A breed that needed to work closely with people is typically
highly responsive to training. A breed that worked more independently of people
is often characterized as ‘stubborn’ or ‘stupid.’ Cats were never selected for
their willingness to work with people and so it’s not surprising that they are
less responsive to efforts to train them to perform tricks or other behaviors.
Realize that there are always individual exceptions to general rules – there
are highly trainable cats and there are very difficult dogs out there!”
Dogs eat grass because they’re sick.
“Dogs (and cats) often eat grass if
they have low-grade indigestion or gastritis,” says Dodds. “This usually causes
them to vomit up a frothy fluid or what ever is in the stomach, to relieve the
gastric acid reflux or irritation. However some animals eat grass as a habit, perhaps
to get attention or be given another type of food or treat, or even to get rid
of bad-tasting medicine.”
Certain breeds, such as Poodles, are hypoallergenic.
“No breed of dog is hypoallergenic,” says Miller. “Most
human dog allergies are due to the protein in dander which is composed of dead
skin cells, scales, and flakes that the animal is continuously shedding. Some
breeds do however to appear to be less allergenic. These include: Basenjis,
Maltese, Bedlington Terriers, Schnauzers, Bichon Frise, Poodles, Chinese
Crested, Portuguese Water Dogs, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, Irish Water
Spaniels, Italian Greyhounds, and Kerry Blue Terriers. Other breeds may be
tolerated better by certain individuals as well. Current research also suggests
that exposure to pets in early childhood may protect children from developing
pet allergies.”
A female dog should go through at least one heat cycle
before being spayed.
“Even though this is a well-known myth,
young females are spayed as early as seven weeks today,” said Dodds. “However,
a recently published study about the long term risks and benefits of early-age
gonadectomy [spaying] found an increased rate of cystitis and incontinence in
later life when these female – but not male – puppies were spayed or neutered before twelve weeks of age. Increased incidence of noise
phobias, hip dysplasia, and sexual behaviors were also noted in both female and
male pups. The benefits of early
age gonadectomy in both sexes included decreased incidence of obesity,
separation anxiety, escaping behaviors, inappropriate elimination when
frightened, and relinquishment. The study concluded that veterinarians should
recommend gonadectomy before the traditional 6-8 months of age, but delay
spaying females until after twelve weeks of age.”
All dogs naturally eat bones.
“Although wild
canids consume all or part of the bones of their prey, domesticated dogs
generally do not require the added minerals found in bones if they are
consuming a good quality dog food,” says Miller. “Some dogs do enjoy chewing
bones and some commercially available products are safe and help prevent tartar
buildup on the teeth. Small bones and bones that splinter should not be fed,
however, as they may lodge in the mouth or gastrointestinal tract.”
A cold, wet nose indicates good health.
“A
moist nose is a normal state, but the nose of a healthy animal should be at
normal body temperature, unless it was just dipped in cold water or there’s
cold windy air blowing. It’s a dry, hot nose that often signals illness or
fever,” said Dodds.
Shaving a dog for summer helps it stay cool.
“Because
dogs sweat from their foot pads and via the respiratory tract, shaving them
really won’t help much in cooling them down. However, most people feel more
comfortable shaving very hairy pets in the summertime because they’re easier to
groom and keep clean,” said Dodds.
Miller says that although opinions may differ, the veterinary
community agrees that a dog’s coat protects and insulates him from extremes of
heat and cold. “The coat also protects from thermal injury and provides
protection from UV-induced skin damage. Shaving a dog may be indicated if the
hair is matted or it has a dermatological condition. Shaving may also be
indicated around the perianal area for the purpose of hygiene particularly if
the dog is old or debilitated.”
Dogs feel guilty when they do something wrong.
“Recently,
a client asked my advice about a problem with her boxer. Her dog, a
young ‘teenager,’ got into the garbage while left alone when her owner was at
work. Walking through the door, she saw the mess, looked at the dog
with disgust and said "BAD DOG!" among other things, I’m
sure. The dog cowered under the coffee table. ‘She knew she was bad,’ the
owner told me. ‘She looked very remorseful.’ Of course she did. Her owner came
home in a foul mood and the poor dog was scared. I cringe to
think how often this happens and the dogs have no idea why,” says Walton.
“Dogs get instant gratification
from getting into the garbage. There’s lots of stuff to eat, not to
mention the diverse textures of things to chew on,” Walton continues. “So let’s
say you leave the house at eight am and get home at five. Most of the
damage done by your best friend is probably done the second your car pulls out
of the driveway, if not sooner. By the time you get home, the dog has probably
taken a few naps and done other things and has likely forgotten about the
original incident. If you want to teach your dog to sit, you reward
the second the sit occurs, not hours after. How can they know what you are
rewarding for? The same is applied to bad behavior.”
by Nikki Moustaki
This article was originally published in Dog Fancy Magazine
