Your Dog — November 2017

54 Your Dog November 2017 TELL US YOUR PROBLEMS. EMAIL [email protected] — FACEBOOK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/YOUR DO

A career in animal

behaviour can be

hugely rewarding.

General Care

THE YOUR

DOG EXPERTS

John Burns BVMS,

Lic Ac, MRCVS, is

a vet and founder of

feed company, Burns

Pet Nutrition.

EXTRA

Dog Answers

Q

My seven-month-old rescue

Springer X Pointer puppy

was eating from her bowl,

but to me she wasn’t eating

enough, so I followed some advice

and offered her kibble and treats,

and she ended up eating the whole

feed from my hand. However,

when I held the bowl up to her,

she turned her head. What do you

suggest I do?

Agnes Baldacchino, email address.

A

John says: I don’t know

where you got these tips

from, but in my view they

were a serious mistake. Many health

problems are caused by overfeeding

— far more than by under feeding.

By leaving some behind when eating

from the bowl, your dog was telling

you that she had already been getting

more than enough for her needs.

Rather than hand-feeding, you should

have reduced the amount you were

offering her to the point where she

was clearing her bowl. I suggest you

feed her once a day, in the early

evening, from a bowl placed on the

fl oor. Because she has been overfed,

it may take her a day or two to start

eating again, but she will. Experiment

with the quantity so that she clears

her dish without any encouragement

or interference from you. Oh, and be

pleased that you have a dog who is

not fi xated on food.

Clearing the bowl

Steve Goward

is behaviour

development manager

at Dogs Trust.

pg

at Dogs Trust.

Q

I am a passionate dog and cat

lover. I did a degree in animal

behaviour and welfare, and

I am very interested in pursuing an

animal-related career. Any help would

be appreciated.

Christy Roberts, email address.

A

Steve says: A career in animal

behaviour can be achieved in

a number of ways and as you have

already got a qualifi cation it may be that

your practical experience is the next area

to concentrate on. Volunteering at a local

shelter can be a way to gain experience

of handling and training, as well as

making connections within the animal

welfare sector. If you want to change

your job sooner rather than later then

there are a number of options available

and I would recommend you keep an

eye on various organisations’ websites

to see what is available. Currently Dogs

Trust is expanding its behaviour team

and these posts are advertised on the

website. Keeping knowledge up to date

by attending well-recognised conferences

and seminars can help to ensure that

prospective employers can see your

commitment to furthering your own skills

and knowledge.

Q

I put a suet cake with berries in my

garden for the birds and caught my

fi ve-year-old Border Collie eating it.

The ingredients are not listed on the pack and

I can’t fi nd anything on the internet about it. On

inspection, the berries look like cranberries. Do

you think they could be harmful?

Louise Hennessy, email address.

A

John says: There are a number

of different products available

containing suet and wild berries.

Manufacturers may use different

types of berries at different

seasons, depending on

availability. Rowan berries

could cause upset, but

cranberries should not

pose a problem.

Berry harmful?

Careers advice

54-55 General Care CS(AM)SW.indd 54 22/09/2017 13:43