Best Furniture Ramps for Dogs

December 22, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Choose a Furniture Ramp for Dogs

Dog Ramp for Bed — MilicaStankovic/iStock

If you share your home with small or elderly dogs and they enjoy snoozing in your bed or on furniture, then you’ve probably researched dog ramps. Choosing a good furniture ramp for dogs is not hard. It’s flat overwhelming instead. With so many choices, which dog ramp is best for you and your dogs?

I know it’s hard to resist a chocolate wood stained dog ramp that would look glorious next to your bed. However, before pulling out your credit card, make sure a ramp will work for your dog’s and your home’s needs first.

Decide on Ramps or Stairs

Overall, ramps are easier for dogs to navigate on than stair-type ramps. Walking up and down stairs causes dogs to hop up from stair to stair, which can cause pain and injury, so stick with ramp-style options. Steep ramps are hard to climb up or down on, so find a longer ramp that slowly declines downward.

Ramps for Small Dogs

For little dogs, the sky is the limit on choosing a furniture dog ramp. Just make sure your chosen furniture ramp is wrapped in non-skid material and wide enough that your dog won’t fall off while navigating. If your little dog likes to jump off ramps, I highly recommend choosing one with side rails because little dogs can most certainly hurt themselves jumping off anything.

Ramps for Large Dogs

Larger dogs need sturdier furniture ramps due to their heavier weight, wider body and longer body length. Stay away from stuffed wedge-type ramps. They’ll crumble and fall under the weight of larger dogs (50 pounds and over).

Measure Your Space First

If you’re like me, space is minimal when living in the city. While we all want a gorgeous wide, long dog ramp, the ramp we choose must fit into a small place first. Plus, if you’re looking for a ramp for large dogs, you really need to do your homework.

Dog Ramp for Beds

Usually, furniture dog ramps are positioned at the foot of the bed. This works best for smaller dog furniture ramps. For large dog ramps, sometimes positioning the ramp on the side of your bed–sandwiched between a wall and the bed–is a huge space saver. This way, you and your spouse have access to your bed from the foot of the bed or other side.

Now measure the space, and then start looking for furniture dog ramps at your local pet supply store or online!

Dog Ramp for Couches

For small living rooms, look for dog ramps that can easily fit in front of your sofa. If your coffee table takes up a lot of room, try replacing it with an ottoman instead. Place a furniture ramp next to the ottoman, so once your dog climbs onto the ottoman, he can easily step onto the sofa.

Yes, Furniture Dog Ramps Must Be Cute

Well, at this point, we’ve narrowed down some options for you. If you’re having a difficult time finding a sturdy furniture dog ramp that meets your specifications, I highly recommend creating your own version, especially if you’re crafty. Once you’ve found the perfect dog ramp, check out this article on teaching your dog how to use his new ramp.

For more safe and well-made ramps for dogs of different sizes, check out the links below.

This is, by far, my favorite furniture dog ramp because it’s wide with a low slope, contains non-skid material, and lays flush onto the floor and bed. Plus, it’ll hold up to 200 pounds!
For DIYers, take a peek at this site. There are many options to choose from, but honestly a creative person can easily make my favorite ramp (listed above) too.

Furniture dog ramps are expensive, so make sure you’ve chosen the perfect one for you and your dog.

How to Ease Your Dog’s Fear of Sirens

December 21, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Tips for Dogs Afraid of Sirens

If you live in the city, you and your dog are probably pretty used to screaming ambulance and police sirens sounding off near your home. However, it’s not uncommon for dogs afraid of sirens to run, hide, or even howl at the ambulance. As a pet owner, it’s your responsibility to teach your puppy or newly adopted dog that sirens are harmless. You can train puppies, newly adopted dogs and dogs afraid of sirens to not fear the sound with these dog training tips below!

When You Hear Sirens, Give Your Dog a Treat

Many years ago, we lived in a quiet subdivision where the loudest sounds were chirping birds. We moved to downtown Nashville, which then took us a couple of weeks to teach our dogs sirens were harmless. When we brought Sobek, who was a puppy at the time, to our home, I immediately paired food with sirens to prevent fearful behavior. Now, ambulances and police cars can blare sirens in our back alley and all of our dogs completely ignore it. Here’s how we handled sirens.

Puppy’s or Dog’s First Time Hearing Sirens

If this is your puppy’s or dog’s first time hearing sirens, it’s best to pair siren sounds with a super yummy treat. We assume puppies and dogs will get used to the sound over time, but it’s almost a 50/50 chance your dog will learn to ignore the sound or react to it. Personally, I’d rather be proactive by teaching puppies and dogs that sirens are harmless than try to fix fearful behavior.

When pairing dog treats with sirens, your dog learns sirens make good things happen, such as the appearance of yummy cheese or hot dog chunks. When sirens go away so do the treats. By pairing something good with something scary, you’re changing the way your dog reacts to something scary.

Dog is Already Afraid of Sirens

Scared dogs will usually flatten their ears against their head, tuck their tails in, widen their eyes, and either freeze up or run away to hide. Usually, it’s the siren sound that scares dogs, especially if an ambulance siren is screaming close to your home. Some dogs will even react to the red and blue flashing lights. Whatever is scaring your dog, it’s important to teach your dog siren sounds are harmless.

If your dog has learned to be afraid of siren sounds, still pair treats with the sound. Keep in mind, it may take a bit longer for your dog to stop being scared, as your dog has already learned to fear the sound.

Some dogs howl at sirens whether they’re close up or at a distance, as dogs have excellent hearing. Howling doesn’t dictate fear; however, it’s always best to watch your dog’s body language when this happens. If he displays the above fearful body language, then I would most certainly pair food with siren sounds. If your dog is not fearful, but just loves to chime in, I wouldn’t worry. For apartment dwellers, it’s best to teach your dog to ignore sirens by pairing food with the sound.

Changing Behavior, Time to Practice

You’ll need quick access to super yummy treats to train your dog properly. I hide treats in plastic bags near my recliner and next to the front and back doors to reward good behavior. Dogs love fresh food just as much as we do, so grab half a cheese stick and keep it next to your chair every night. If you don’t use it for siren sounds, then reward your dog for calm behavior (i.e. sleeping calmly).

Here Come the Sirens!

When introducing dogs to sirens, start tossing treats toward your dog the moment you hear sirens in the background–preferably before flashing lights appear. Once your dog has eaten the treat and sirens continue your way, keep tossing treats toward your dog until the sirens have disappeared.

If your dog is already afraid of siren sounds, you’ll need to start tossing treats the moment your dog hears sirens. Remember dogs can hear much better than us. What usually happens is your dog will sit up the moment he hears sirens, so it’s important to start tossing treats sooner than later. If you’re too late, your dog will run and hide. You can still follow him and toss treats, but he’s probably so scared by then he won’t eat treats. Start tossing treats the very moment your dog responds to the siren. Sooner is always better.

Continue Pairing Treats With Sirens

Over the next two weeks, keep pairing yummy treats with sirens. By now, puppies and dogs that haven’t heard sirens in the past will totally ignore sirens. It may take an additional week or two for scared dogs to tolerate the sound, meaning no more running and hiding. Take your time and move at your dog’s speed. As always, if you’re stuck, reach out to a professional dog trainer for any questions you may have.

Being proactive is key. Start pairing food with siren sounds immediately.

READ NEXT: Supplements for Anxiety in Dogs

Why Acepromazine Should Not Be Used For Dogs

December 17, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Acepromazine for Dogs is a Bad Idea

Acepromazine, also known as ace, has been used as a tranquilizer for years. However, acepromazine for dogs has recently shown some pretty nasty side effects. Before giving your dog acepromazine, even if your vet recommended it, it’s important to understand why scared dogs should never take acepromazine.

Now, I’m not a veterinarian, but I do work with moderate to severe dog fearfulness and anxiety on the daily, have earned multiple nationally recognized animal behavior certifications, have worked as a vet tech for many years, am currently a psychology major, and currently work for a veterinarian pursuing my animal behavior certification. I also learned the hard way about the pitfalls of acepromazine for dogs, and I can tell you I’ll never do it again. So yes, I do feel I can speak on this subject.

Acepromazine Won’t Reduce Fear or Anxiety

Acepromazine Side Effects

While acepromazine for dogs will tranquilize the body, it doesn’t sedate a dog’s brain, which is where fear and anxiety are created. After taking acepromazine, your dog’s body is unable to move, but his brain is fully functional and freaking out.

To understand the effect of acepromazine on dogs, let’s look at this situation from our perspective. Let’s say you’re terribly afraid of loud noises and decide to take acepromazine to reduce your fear. After 20 minutes or so, you hear fireworks exploding in your neighbor’s backyard. When you try to move away from the sound, your body doesn’t move. However, your brain is still responding with fear. You start to cry because you can’t move, close the curtains or scream for help.

Yes, this is what happens when dogs take acepromazine and then are exposed to fearful stimuli (i.e. loud sounds, anxiety-filled car rides, thunderstorms, scary dogs and people).

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Telling an anxious dog to relax works about just as well as telling someone on fire to not think about it. It’s impossible.[/perfectpullquote]

Acepromazine For Dogs Will Make Fears Worse

Can you imagine being stuck in your body, yet unable to move while being exposed to your deepest and darkest fears? When dogs are repeatedly exposed to scary situations, their fear worsens. Remember, anxiety is a symptom of fear and it’s learned. Anxiety is predicting your fear will happen.

Let’s say a man wearing a red shirt mugs you. You’ve never had a problem with men wearing red shirts before, but you just learned they’re scary (fear). The next time you see a man wearing a red shirt, you’ll likely become anxious (anxiety) because of your past scary experience (fear). It would take many positive experiences with red shirt-wearing men before your anxiety reduces, which takes time.

Now, let’s say you took acepromazine to reduce your fear of red shirt-wearing men during a party. Then, a red shirt man mugs you at the party while you were completely helpless and unable to move because you consumed ace, yet your brain was fully engaged. Now, your fear is complete terror. I think you now understand how acepromazine can worsen your dog’s fear.

Medications for Anxiety in Dogs

Trazodone for Dogs

Thankfully, there are a couple of dog medications that can reduce anxiety (and fear) within your dog’s brain, causing his body to relax. By far, I’ve seen amazing results giving my dog trazodone before he’s exposed to something scary. Many of my dog training clients have had great results with Xanax (alprazolam) too, but I’ve personally witnessed better results using a combination of trazodone and alprazolam.

After Sobek, my two-year-old Rottweiler, had his ACL repaired, he was given strict bed rest for 12 weeks. Keeping a young dog quiet for that long is pretty impossible, so our orthopedic veterinary specialist prescribed trazodone twice a day during that period. Honestly, we couldn’t have made it through the healing process without it, especially since jumping on our bed once could have destroyed his orthopedic repair.

If your dog requires strict crate rest, ask your veterinarian to prescribe trazodone. Please never use acepromazine for dogs. Trazodone calms the brain, so a completely bored dog doesn’t panic when his body is unable to respond. No one should be trapped in an unresponsive body with a completely engaged brain ever—that’s torture.

Drug-Free Ways to Reduce Anxiety and Fear

Fear and anxiety can be draining, so I definitely recommend trying drug-free ways to help your dog. Don’t rely only on drug-free options though; sometimes, dog medications are needed to prevent anxiety and fear from becoming worse. Remember, the more your dog freaks out, the worse it’ll get. Telling an anxious dog to relax works about just as well as telling someone on fire to not think about. It’s impossible. Check out a few drug-free ideas here. As with everything, a combination approach always works best.

Be your dog’s voice. Keep him safe and fear free. 🙂

Dog Breed of the Week: Standard Poodle

December 16, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Standard Poodle Breed Information

Poodles are popular. You probably see tiny, medium and large Poodles everywhere. Today, let’s discuss the less common Standard Poodle, which is the largest variety of Poodles. Standard Poodles are part of the AKC non-sporting group with their original function being water retrieving dogs and their current day function being a companion. This dog breed is versatile, can easily be trained as military and guide dogs, and is wicked smart too!

Standard Poodle Temperament

General Characteristics

The Standard Poodle stands 15’’ at the shoulder (on average) and weighs between 45 and 65 pounds with a lifespan of anywhere between 10 to 13 years. Don’t let their good looks and flashy haircuts fool you though. They’re extremely smart and full of zest, so they’re not all business. Standard Poodles are usually very friendly with dogs and people alike. They’re also tolerant, making them good with children so long as they were socialized positively as puppies and adults.

Standard Poodle Grooming Needs

Yup, you guessed it, Standard Poodles require a lot of grooming. Poodles don’t shed like most dogs. Their loose hair gets caught in their curly hair, which causes matting really quickly. To minimize grooming your Standard Poodle, ask the professional dog groomer to give your dog a pet clip. Pet clip haircuts are stylish, yet shorter than most Standard Poodle clips, and only require maintenance every four to six weeks. You should still thoroughly brush your dog every couple of days or she’ll mat like mad.

They need weekly nail trims (or nail grinding) to prevent overgrown nails, which can be painful and break. Also, make sure to brush your Standard Poodle’s teeth every day. This will keep yearly veterinary dentals at bay.

Standard Poodle Training & Exercise

Standard Poodles require daily mental and physical stimulus. You can provide this by practicing polite behavior cues in short sessions, playing fetch (they’re amazing retrievers!), taking them on daily walks and joining a water sport. Not only are they smart, but they’re also extremely agile. This means they can excel in agility, competition obedience, rally obedience, nosework, tracking, dock diving, field trail (hunting and retrieving) and any other dog sport out there. Again, don’t let all their fabulous hair fool you. Standard Poodles are serious workers that love jobs!

With any dog breed, you have pros and cons, so it’s important to ensure the Standard Poodle’s characteristics and needs meet your lifestyle. If you’re interested in adding a Standard Poodle to your family, I encourage you to visit Standard Poodle Club of America for additional information on finding a responsible dog breeder or rescue in your area.

Is It OK for Dogs to Chew on Sticks?

December 15, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Think Twice Before Letting Your Dog Chew on Sticks

Can Dogs Eat Sticks — loriklaszlo/Deposit Photos

This is a tough one. I’m so against paranoid media posts convincing people the world is an evil place, so I’m dancing on this subject carefully. I personally feel anything is dangerous if we aren’t aware of the possible consequences. Is it OK for dogs to chew on sticks? It depends, but I would certainly suggest caution when letting your dog chew on sticks, as sticks can most certainly cause harm.

If Your Dog Chews on Sticks, Then Take Sticks Away

Sticks are basically free toys for dogs. They’re littered around your backyard and range in different sizes from tiny twigs to huge branches. Sticks quickly become toys when puppies learn to pick them up and run around the yard. Plus, sticks are softer, which makes them easy and fun to chew.

If your dog plops down to begin chewing and swallowing stick chards, then it becomes a big problem. When sticks break off, even when chewed, they turn into sharp splinters, which can easily get stuck in your dog’s mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and intestines. I’ve even seen stick splinters lodge themselves toward the top of a dog’s mouth and in between teeth. Swallowed sticks (whole or chards) will definitely cause intestinal obstruction because wood is impossible to digest.

Believe it or not, swallowing sticks is actually quite common. Pet owners usually find their dogs pawing at their mouths, drooling or refusing to eat because a stick is causing them pain. This almost always results in a veterinary visit to remove the lodged stick or splinter because the injury bleeds a lot and can cause further damage beyond piercing the skin.

How to Take Sticks Away From Your Dog

It happens. Your young dog finds a stick, then you begin to panic and chase him around the yard to take the stick away. Well, we all know chasing a dog always ends in frustration for us, but very fun for your dog. Instead of chasing your dog, play a game of trade.

Grab a super yummy treat and hold it out in front of you. If the treat is delicious, your dog will likely drop the stick to eat the treat (most dogs can’t do both :)). Now, don’t just give your dog the treat; toss it in the opposite way of the stick, so you can quickly pick up the stick and toss it in the trash or compost bin while your dog enjoys his treat. Trading your dog for a treat is the easiest way to teach your dog to drop things. It’s not bribery either. Think of treats as a paycheck; I’ll give you this for that. Everyone deserves a paycheck or allowance, right?

Use Soft Toys for Fetch Games

Sticks are just too hard for fetch games. They can easily shatter or knock out a tooth when your dog catches them in mid-air. Also, as scary as it sounds, dogs have accidentally swallowed or were impaled by sticks during a game of fetch.

Instead, toss an appropriate-sized soft rubber toy that gives a bit when your dog catches it. Soft rubber toys are less likely to harm your dog’s mouth or teeth. When choosing a size, I recommend a fetch toy that your dog can easily carry around, but still be visible when your dog holds it in his mouth. If a toy disappears in your dog’s mouth, it’s too small. Soft yellow tennis balls work best, but if your dog is large, choose a bigger ball. Remember, dogs don’t care if it’s a stick or toy; they just want to play with you.

Stick-Obsessed Dogs

If your dog is obsessed with sticks, I would recommend picking up and tossing sticks in your compost bin every day. If you don’t have time, then walk your dog on leash until you do. One good thing about removing sticks is it stops your dog from practicing stick-playing behavior. Now, add plenty of fun toys in the backyard for your dog to play fetch with and make sure to only play fetch with appropriate toys rather than sharp sticks. Soon, your dog will learn which toys to play with because they’re fun and forget sticks even exist!

Anything is dangerous, so I recommend redirecting your dog to play with soft rubber toys.