Expect to see friendly people and happy dogs. DO NOT expect to see people shouting at their dogs all the time, hitting them or continually checking them on a check chain, shouting ´heel, heel´ at the top of their voices. Expect to see dogs being taught the recall (to come back when called). In a happy manner, being praised and played with, not being yanked in on a lead, or the owner calling them in a threatening manner, and the dogs coming back hesitantly.

I READ with interest your regular features in the EWN and find them very helpful. I wonder if you could give me some advice on the subject of good quality pet food in Spain. I have been told that Spanish pet food can contain a high level of salt, which is not good for our dogs. However, I have also been reading of the shocking ‘fillers’ which go into supermarket dog food. Could you please advise me of a brand or an alternative to feed my dog which will be nutritional for him and also a good diet which I could give him. Many thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing from you.

In the above article, you wrote that onions are a food to avoid. I would be grateful if you can explain why. Does this apply to both raw and cooked onions?

Owning a dog has many benefits, but it is also very important to remember that it is long-term commitment and responsibility. Dogs are not toys that can be put away in a cupboard when you are bored with them. If you are considering taking on a puppy, perhaps you should ask yourself these questions first.

Dear Connie, I expect this is a common problem.  We have two cats, one six years and one two years (both were feral and we had them both when they were only a few weeks old and now are very domesticated).  A Husky cross dog was abandoned outside out house and was taken to the dog pound but no one claimed her and so we took her in.  She is about 12-18 months old.  Wonderful nature and very loving BUT the cats. We read loads and loads off the internet and put it all into practice.  We have separated the garden and she has the front and the cats the back, but eventually we would like them to sort of get on.  The cats keep well away after one getting stuck down the drainpipe when the dog chased her at the beginning.  When the dog sees the cats she just stares and stares but she is always on the lead. We are not too sure what to do next? The dog seems fairly obedient but obviously needs to learn more than sit!!   Any help much appreciated. Linda   Dear Linda A husky is a big dog and will kill them if it catches them. So there isn’t any room for error at all in this one. Staring suggests to me (without seeing the dog) that this is the first stage of the hunting sequence which is eye, stalk, pounce, grab. Not good. Not good at all. This is not a gentle breed when it goes into hunting mode. If this dog is eyeing its prey, I don’t reckon the cats’ chances of survival are high. My thoughts are frankly just this. 1.         For the sake of the cats – either rehome the dog and start again with a puppy from a gentle breed like a spaniel (not a terrier) or rehome the cats. 2.         OR keep the two species separate for the rest of their life. IF the cats ever feel safe, they can probably get over the fence into the dog territory but I wouldn’t if I was them. If you think in terms of years it might just come right. But the key factor is NEVER letting the dog chase. NEVER EVER. Once it does this it will see cats as a meal not a friend. Think about cat flaps within the house into dog safe areas, or through windows (they fit into glass) where the cats can exit without going on the ground at all, stair gates (if they are strong enough for this dog). 3.         Training can help a little, of course. But stopping a dog in full chase is trying to stop it too late. I would suggest a home visit from a properly qualified dog behaviourist here as a starting point. But even with the best person in the world, given the dog breed and its unknown history as a stray, I would never  assume the cats were safe. Old habits die hard and this is a breed that runs and runs and runs. So it can chase and catch and kill easily. Also cats that are in fear of their lives may well leave home.  Even if they don’t is it fair to keep an animal with a predator. It’s rather like asking a man to live in a large zoo enclosure with a lion – even if he was the other side of a fence how would he feel? All the best Connie  

IN the treatment of human beings there are 21 men, each specialising in a different field of medicine, to take a person from prenatal days to post-mortem. And yet, there is only one man who must be obstetrician-pediatrician-orthodonist-exodontist-endocrinologist-internist-orthopedist-exodonist-psychologist-urologist-gynecologist-neurologist-neurosurgeon-psychoanalyst-metabolist-dietition-cardologist-roentgenologist-geriatrist-pathologist to take a dog through his span of life.

  Start with training. The way your dog is trained can have a big impact on how he reacts to a stranger. Make sure you can easily handle him in a group of people. Don't allow your dog to jump up on you or others in greeting. Teach your dog these crucial commands -- "Sit, stay, down and no!" They'll help you and your dog when dealing with strangers. Make sure your dog is ready and able to respond to them.

WITH the stress you're under and all the issues you must
deal with, a valuable member of your family is neglected.
Your pet. You still provide the basic necessities, but you
probably don't realize that divorce affects them as well.

READERS may notice that I have changed my look.  Although the photo of myself in my younger years was very flattering, a recent picture that appeared in last weeks edition is a bit closer to the reality I wake up with every morning! Time to update and be proud of all that the years have taught me. Many of my clients tell me that their dog is allowed to jump up next to them on the settee or chair whilst they are watching television. Most of them own smaller breeds, but a lot of larger breeds are afforded the same privilege. The majority of these dogs are also allowed onto the bed, if only for a cuddle in the morning.

YOU’VE probably noticed that when you pet a soft, warm cat or play fetch with a dog whose tail won’t stop wagging, you relax and your heart feels a little warmer. Scientists have noticed the same thing, and they’ve started to explore the complex way animals affect human emotions and physiology. The resulting studies have shown that owning and handling animals significantly benefits health, and not just for the young. In fact, pets may help elderly owners live longer, healthier, and more enjoyable lives.

Trying to treat a dog like a human is called anthropomorphism, and the dictionary states that this means “attributing human characteristics to things that are not human". Your pet is not a small hairy person, he is of another species known as a canine. Humans are capable of complex emotions like love, sadness, despair, jealousy, sympathy, hatred and loyalty. A dogs emotional state is more reactive, instinct driven and survival orientated. Instinct is something which is either there or not there, and it covers survival, maternal, hunting, guarding, pack, and self preservation.

A dog has around 200 million sensitive cells in its nose compared to a human’s five million, so its sense of smell is around 40 times better than ours. A dog’s sense of smell is made even stronger by an organ in the roof of the mouth that humans do not possess. This enables it to ‘taste’ a smell, turning a weak smell into a stronger one.

I recently moved to Benalmadena from Canada and brought my little tabby cat with me. I wasn’t able to bring her scratching post so I bought her a lovely new one at the neighbourhood pet-shop.

Hi Connie, I have two small Spanish rescue dogs, both look to have some terrier in them. We now live in a cortijo next to a rambler. The dogs get very excited and bark when it’s time for walks, due to ill health we are moving to an apartment shortly. I saw you recommended a lemon bark collar to someone, would this help our situation? as we don’t wish to fall out with new neighbours over noisy dogs.

I do hope you can advise us; our dog is a four-year-old Bichon Frise which we adopted six months ago. He is very well behaved but follows me around everywhere.

THIS follows on from last week’s column where Jessica wanted to know what she could do about her Pug’s separation anxiety. We have seen the causes and what we can do about it, and this week, here is how to solve the problem. Once your dog is tolerating your being on the other side of the door for several seconds, begin short-duration absences.

THIS follows on from last week’s column where Jessica wanted to know what she could do about her Pug’s separation anxiety. Last week we saw the causes and this week, here are some solutions.

Hi Connie, I have a six year old pug who I have never trained very effectively. I tried, she looked at me with her big brown liquid eyes and I just felt horrible and so discipline has kind of been out the window. I am the ‘alpha’ of the house and have recently gone through a divorce and my husband has moved out. My pug has always been my baby but recently it has seemed to be unhealthy for her.

Hi Connie, I wonder if you might be able to help me with a wee (excuse the pun!) problem with my dog Sam. We got him at four months old and he is now six and a half months old. He is a Presa Canario (I have had four so far and I just love the breed!) and otherwise seems to be a well-adjusted young dog. He has plenty of toys and goes out for three 20 minute walks a day and likes to meet other dogs and other people.

Dear Connie I love your column and look forward to reading it every week. I also copy this to my sister in the UK. It is so hot here do you have any general tips on potential dangers, etc?

I have a three-month-old puppy who is not toilet trained and I do not know how to deal with this. Any advice?

I wonder if you can help me please. I live on my own and have an 18-month-old female cocker spaniel.  

Sassy was one of the hundreds of abandoned or stray cats who wandered into my life. She travelled with me to Portugal for 10 years, then back to Spain.
She developed a growth on one side of her mouth which seemed immune to normal treatments, vet’s pills, etc.

I wonder whether you could help us. How do you stop a dog biting your feet even if its in a playful way? Wonder whether you have any tips for this.

Hi Connie, Having read your weekly column in the Euro Weekly News, I hope you might have some advice for me re Floyd, a little terrier cross I found three months ago. He is a very excitable, hyperactive dog. I know small dogs usually are but he seems to be even more so. He is constantly jumping up at me and family members, barking all the time, which does not endear him to the neighbours. On the vet’s advice I had him neutered which has not made the slightest bit of difference. We live on a finca with plenty of outdoor space so it is not as though he is confined. What can I do?