Kinkajou : Living with your dog

SLEPING WITH PETS

PEOPLE/ COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS

Erasmus:
EG NOT OUTSIDE DOGS

EG WALKING

ED EXERCISING

EG PICK UP POO

Erasmus:In the US the Kennel Club splits dog breeds into over 200 pedigree breeds. These are then divided into seven general groupings: Gundog, Hound, Pastoral, Terrier, Toy, Utility and Working. Each dog has its own personality and behaviours which can be unique to the pedigree breed itself.

Miniature Schnauzers for example love to talk and to use their paws to ask for affection or attention. They like to sleep close by you on the lounge. They especially like to hang their heads down off the edge of the lounge while they are resting. This can be quite unsettling to people who have never seen a dog do this before. But I think only Schnauzers behave this way. They will bound onto the bed to greet you in the morning and then settle down within 20 seconds as if they are preparing to go to bed. They will bound up to you in the evening to greet you enthusiastically and then wander off to be nearby, but not be in your face.

 Each pedigree dog has its own characteristics and needs. Think about your own personality, and how you spend your time. With a pedigree dog you can choose a personality to suit yourself, giving you a better chance of a happy, easy and healthy relationship with your dog.

Aristocratic Dog

Goo : And it is genetics, not  learned behaviour that makes the balance work so well. Each year, many dogs are passed on to the pound as unsuitable for their owners. But it may well be that the owner is unsuitable for the dog they have chosen, that is the problem.

Erasmus: The best dog breeds for first time owners include: 

Yorkshire Terrier

Poodle

King Charles Spaniel

Papillon

Greyhound

Bichon Frise

Pug

Labrador Retriever

Golden Retriever

Boxer

Dog after Bath.

Kinkajou : When Do Dog Personalities Become Obvious?

Puppy personalities come out by the age of eight weeks, when puppies play fight, compete for placement next to Mom's warm skin and compete for food.

Goo : Can you tell How big a dog will be , while looking at the parents?

Erasmus: With a purebred, it is usually easy to know what you are getting into. However, predicting the adult size of a mixed bred puppy can be tricky, especially if you do not know the size of the parents. It is a reliable fact that most dogs do not grow bigger than the larger parent.

Erasmus: People’s expectations of how to engage with and live with their dogs have changed considerably over the years. Many of the dogs we know so well were once working dogs.

The terrier breeds were developed to find and hunt vermin such as rats and to assist with sports such as foxhunting. The need to dig to find rats is almost a job description. Terriers in general are notoriously feisty with other dogs. They were initially bred to work in solo and hence had little need to develop much sociability with other dog breeds. They were bred to be excited when they saw prey and to seek the prey with energy and enthusiasm.

Dog working - carrying.

Goo : Genetics makes a big difference to the personality and behaviour of both humans and dogs. Dogs are designed to blend with people and to be with people. But there are substantial differences in the personality and behaviour of both humans and dogs. This means that there needs to be a marry up of expectations between humans and their dogs in building the best relationships.

Erasmus: Now people expect their dogs to be sociable both with people and with other dogs. People expect a minimum of barking from their dogs. People dislike their dogs digging. So those feisty digging terriers of old, come with many undesired behavioural traits to suit modern suburbia.

Kinkajou : Many dogs now live inside the same house as their owners – full-time. A substantial portion of owners – a third or more – often even have the dogs sleeping on the same beds as they do.

Kinkajou : Our Opinion?

Dogs are pack animals, and once they are welcomed into a family, humans become their pack.

We suggest you choose a dog that’s right for your lifestyle and can fit into your “pack.”

If you want your house to be spick and span, for example, it’s not a good idea to get a German Shepherd or other dog that sheds heavily. If you don’t have time to train and exercise a big, energetic dog, look for a smaller, quieter breed.

We love dogs most of all for their companionship. You’re not going to get much joy out of a dog that spends all its time away from you- being kept outside. The dog won’t like it much either.

Dog behind barrier. Is this a good way to interact with your dog?

Kinkajou : Why we sleep with our pets?

Erasmus: We've been doing it for ages.
Human-animal co-sleeping is not new.

Kinkajou : Have people slept with dogs throughout history?

Erasmus: A friend of mine visited the goldfields of New Zealand in Arrowtown, where Chinese immigrants had domiciled themselves. To visit their dwellings is to realise how basic and simple have been human lives right up into the 20th century. No sewerage. No electricity. No running water. Heat came from open fires which needed to be moulded into human habitations. Floors were made from compacted dirt. Glass windows were but a dream. Even doorways were rough.

Dirt and cold are constant accompaniments of life. An animal such as a dog or a sheep would be a very welcome source of warmth in cold miserable and especially windy blowing nights.

The Australian aborigines fared even worse. They slept in the open, around fires and erected very few even semipermanent structures. Their lives were open to the elements around them. Being able to sleep with a dog ensures warmth, safety and a much better night.

Apparently there is an Australian expression “3 dog night”: the colder the night, the more dogs are needed to keep warm.

Erasmus:It is only this century with our expansive and technology accoutred houses, that humans have even had much of a choice of whether they should live with animals or not.

Goo : But we have had cities with apartments and houses for a long time.

Erasmus: In cities of prior-centuries, habitations were small and tight, often without private yards in which an animal could perform basic ablutions – such as peeing and pooing. To tell a story, a friend holidayed in  a unit block on the Sunshine Coast near Brisbane which was described as dog friendly. However, every time the dog needed to pee or poo, it needed to be taken out by its owner on a leash for a period of time outside of the unit. This becomes a substantial time hit for the dog owner and makes the care of a dog much more demanding of time and effort. It becomes more difficult to live with your dog, if there is no yard or exterior in which to domicile them.

You are stuck with living with your dog, even in cities, due to the lack of space. And in years gone by, apartments  and cities are tight. The development of the motor vehicle has allowed our cities and habitations to expand.  So in olden days, we may have been forced to share  our habitations  with dogs due to lack of space, not just for safety and warmth.

So that’s why our Dogs like being in bed with us:  cosy and warm , I presume.

Dog asleep on Lounge.

Our animals like to be in bed with us because they seek affection and company and can appreciate the warmth and closeness of a bed especially on a cold night. Dogs have evolved as pack animals. As packs they can bring down large prey and protect their dens and their young cubs. A single canine understands intuitively that it cannot easily survive by itself. So a lone dog is much more likely to feel anxious, uneasy and ostracised. Being alone is not a natural choice for a dog. Dogs instinctively know that for them to survive, they need to maintain a place in the pack – in these days the human household.

 One universal, fundamental fact is undisputed by all dog people: Dogs need company.

Recently, we have begun to appreciate that some dogs prefer the company of human beings instead of other dogs. While dogs may be pack animals, new research shows that as dogs have become more domesticated; they tend to bond more with humans than with other dogs. After all, the most important relationships for a pack animal, are those with the more dominant members of the hierarchy, not down amidst their peers.

Dog asleep on Doggie Lounge.

Goo : Other Issues In Lying with dogs, Great one ?

Erasmus: There are a few problems with sleeping with dogs. Dogs are to some extent active up to 20% of the night. So this can cause a reduction in sleep quality for their caring humans. In our sleep – deprived, time – poor world, being kept awake at night by dogs can be a deal breaker.

One friend I know solved this problem by having the dogs sleep just outside the bedroom in a fenced off piece of corridor. The dogs like to be close to their owners, but “dog noise” is much less likely to interfere with their human owners’ sleep. The dogs are in a warm safe environment, and a much less likely to bark at strange noises in the night than otherwise. Their presence nearby to the human owners creates a sense of security.

This arrangement has some other advantages as well. Dogs are a lot less likely to pee and poo throughout the house if they are restricted to one small area of the house during the night. They are much more likely to “hold it in” than to pee or poo at all in fact. You can also control dogs’ tendencies to sleep on lounges and lounge chairs – especially where dog smell may be a problem if the lounge does not have a washable cover.

Dog smell can be limited to small areas of the house. By using towels over dog beds, the towels can be washed when smelly – again limiting the development of dog smell throughout the house.

Some pep le say that having a dog nearby makes them feel safe.

I had a friend who once had their poodle sleeping under the bed. One night there was a rocking clacking sound coming from the garden. He knew his poodle was awake because he had heard him swallowing and moistening his mouth in the minutes prior. The poodle did not react to this noise.

The noise came again several minutes later. This time the dog went ballistic – barking and becoming agitated. My explanation is that the dog could hear the “difference” between the sources of the 2 noises. One was probably the wind rocking the gate. The 2nd was probably a possum climbing across a tree onto the gate. The dog could tell the difference.

Dog Asleep.

While dogs may be noisy at times, the knowledge that someone is looking out for you and guarding you with senses superior to your own is quite comforting. It can allow you to relax a lot more and more easily as well.

Kinkajou : Are Dogs Good Bedfellows?

Erasmus: Dogs also make poor bed mates for other reasons. Many dogs default to an out of the way part of the bed. However others spoon up against their owners, restricting their owners’ ability to move and be comfortable at night in bed. Again damaging their human owners’ sleep quality. They can interfere with spontaneous intimacy as well – effectively providing a chaperone, (which depending on the points of view of the human carers could be a good or bad thing).

However, I have known some elderly women living alone, who would never contemplate going to bed without their faithful dog companion on the bottom of their bed, looking out for them. They provide an immense sense of safety and security, and companionship to an otherwise lonely person. Kids especially often feel much safer having a dog on their bed – especially in Queensland where possums create a wide variety of disturbing noises: boots thudding across a roof, scraping and scratching sounds in the roof cavities and wall cavities and loud hissing and clacking sounds. Occasionally fighting, in fact brawling like sounds.

Dog asleep.

Very small children and dogs are a potential recipe for problems. If the child is unable to control the dogs by voice or by physical strength, a situation may occasionally rise whereby the dog is in control of the situation to the detriment of the child. Even a single episode of bad behaviour maybe once too often.

Sleeping on the bed does not create a sense of dominance in the dog. They understand their role in the human – dog partnership. They are simply there because they wish to be sociable and comfortable. A dog is showing aggression on the bed is likely to be more a sign of “guarding”, (protecting something they care about). Sharing your bed with your dog can however increase separation anxiety, if they are used to being with their owner 100% of the time.

Big dogs can become a problem  for kids even if they do not intend to do so, simply because of their size.

Human Commanding a dog to Sit.

Goo : So there is really no right or wrong answer as to where dogs should sleep.

Kinkajou : It depends on the adaptive compromises between the human and the dog. Some dogs may insist on sleeping in a blanket close to your bed while others are comfortable in a more remote area of the house.

Kinkajou : : Puppies are Different though?

Erasmus: Puppies have demanding needs for creating a proper sleep environment.

Having left a litter and their parents, they suffer from significant separation anxiety if left in a separate room.

If they are not in a restricted environment they can wander throughout the house – and this can be dangerous or messy . Peeing and pooing can occur anywhere – including on top of lounges and carpets. Chewing an electric cord is likely to be lethal.

Music or TV noise or clocks that tick can all be used to create a sense of comfortable activity around puppy – to help them to relax and sleep.

Kinkajou : For the Dogs, living with People is their life?

Erasmus: Yes. Puppies grow into adults and usually leave those bad habits behind.

Adult dogs are much more likely to have been socialised, know that they should not chew and destroy many household furnishings and objects, and are usually toilet trained. Adult dogs can spend up to 17 hours a day sleeping, so often a range of sleeping environments may be in order. Night-time sleep areas – daytime sleep areas – daytime resting and lounging areas. (Some friends of ours have dogs who love spending their time on lounge chairs on the deck of their house. They can lie there with their eyes open but seeing everything that goes by, but in a safe and “hidden” environment.

Using towels to cover furniture and then being able to wash these towels controls the spread of dog smell.

Some dogs especially in warmer climates like Brisbane and Queensland often prefer to sleep on the bare floor as it is cooler than lying on a bed. So dogs do not often insist on sleeping on soft beds. They can be quite happy slipping on bare - but cool floorboards.

Kinkajou : Re Sleeping in the Owner’s Bedroom

Erasmus: Pros and Cons

Less likely to develop separation anxiety

Less likely to be scared by lights from passing cars or thunderstorms

More protection against cold weather

Bonding with dog owners and vice versa

Chances of your dog troubling your sleep

Your furry friend could fall off the bed and injure himself

Your dog could bring zoonotic diseases/parasites into the bedroom

As long as your dog doesn’t disrupt your sleep or doesn’t get into any trouble around the house, there really aren’t any wrong choices.

The choice also depends on your dog. All dogs are different and they have different needs.

Dog having a toilet break.

Kinkajou : Which Dog Breeds Can Be Kept Outside?

Erasmus: All of the livestock guard dogs that are working will do better if kept outside. A Great Pyrenees, Komodor, Kuvasz, Anatolian Shepherd, Caucasian Ovcharka, or any of the other guard dogs  may fit into an outside environment far better than they fit into an inside one.

Any of the small dog breeds, or even the medium sized dogs with short coats, should not be left outside. Little dogs like Chihuahuas, Maltese, and Yorkshire Terriers can freeze to death, no matter how good the dog house.

Dogs are not humans, so it is important to determine what the dog’s preference for night-time accommodation may be. If however you have multiple dogs, you may be forced to adopt circumstances suitable to looking after this number of animals – such as an outside kennel. One friend I know has a large number of King Charles Cavalier spaniels. She keeps these in the entire lower floor of her house – having re purposed much of the living space to be suitable as dog living space. She is not keen to have the animals outside especially as large scrub Pythons are quite capable of devouring a small animal overnight in a single go. (The Aussie countryside has some unique perils).

Schnauser frolicking.

One person I know asked for some advice from a Facebook group on keeping their dog (a miniature schnauzer) – as an outside dog. He had set up a bed outside and had an aversion to allowing the dog inside the house.

His question for advice from the Facebook group was met with a cascade of howling indignation. The emails asserted: Schnauzers are inside dogs, it’s cruel to leave your schnauzer outside. Schnauzers are family dogs and need to spend their time with their families. Anyone who would treat a dog like this in such a cruel fashion should not be allowed to purchase a dog from a breeder. Many even advocating telling all the local breeders “not” to sell this person a dog.

Kinkajou : I think 30 or 40 years ago there would have been very little objection to keeping your dog as an outside dog.

Erasmus: Times have changed.

However, Having your dog living inside with you, creates a number of problems.

Dog smell.

Dogs shed hair.

Some dogs snore.

To the extent that these issues bother you, a solution becomes imperative.

Dogs smell less if they are washed regularly.

Dog bedding smells less if it is covered with towels – the towels then being washed regularly. Having a supply of towels around for the dogs’ sole use also works well with washing the dog and with cleaning up accidents (namely urine). Most dog bedding falls apart if washed, so it makes more sense to cover the bedding and then to wash the coverings.

 The next decision is where to put your dog’s bed. Most dogs like to sleep near their owner. One solution is to have the dogs within the same room as you, but not in the same bed. I know one family who used to let the dogs sleep under the master bed.

 Another solution is to fence off a small area of a room near the master bedroom. Important advantages of this are that dogs that are awake at night are less likely to wake you up or to interfere with your own sleep with scratching or other restless behaviours. Most humans like to sleep and like to have as much undisturbed sleep as possible. Keeping your dog nearby but not in the same room as you works quite well as a solution to this problem. Separated enough so that any noise they generate is not a problem. Close by and enough that they feel part of the family.

In the United States, more than 60 percent of households have a dog, and of those dog owners, 50 percent allow their pets to sleep in bed with them. However, if you decide to let your pet cuddle up while your husband is out of town, it's common for that relationship to continue. Studies show that 25 percent of women report sleeping with a pet, while only 16 percent of men do.

Kinkajou : But Sleeping outside can become a problem too?

Erasmus: Leaving a dog in the backyard can lead to a number of bad habits in dogs that might force the owner to want to give the dog away. Endless barking, destructive digging, chewing up furniture, hoses, sprinklers, and shrubs are some possibilities. Some dogs left outside extensively become aggressive or hostile.

So sometimes, you almost “have to” keep your dog inside the house with you.

Destructive dog behaviour - often related to boredom.

Erasmus:

Erasmus:

Goo :

Commandant :

Beethoven and Frobisher:

Dr AXxxxx :

Kinkajou :

Kinkajou :

Dr Xxxxx: