Is Your Dog Dreaming?

Dogs Dream About running, eating, sniffing, and chasing. Like people, dogs enter light sleep and intense REM cycles, when dreaming occurs. If you notice your dog flinch and twitch at sleep onset, that signals light sleep and you can easily wake him. Once dogs enter a deep, REM cycle, the brain is active and their body responds accordingly. Their eyes may move back and fourth, you'll see their paws shifting, scratching, and they may wag their tails. During Rem, dogs can pant, sniff, and murmur. Despite activity taking place in the room, a dog in REM is not easily awakened.
Dreaming is vital to a dog's health. It's a time for data processing and memory storage - for mental replenishment and brain development. For this reason, puppies require a significant amount of sleep. Excited owners that keep their puppies awake for too many hours a day to play are, in essence, robbing their pups of critical development time.
Older dogs also need a great deal of sleep to repair from daily activities and restore energy for basic functions: eating, walking, socializing, and so on. Dogs may spend up to fourteen hours a day in REM sleep.
Should you wake up your dog if he is dreaming? There are two schools of thought. One says, do not wake your dog, even if he is whimpering and pawing in his sleep. If startled, he may unintentionally respond with aggression. The other camp says to gently wake up your dog by petting him softly and speaking in calm, reassuring voice.
Will your dog remember that heated chase or great big steak when he wakes? Perhaps that sad look he gave you when you put out yet another boring bowl of kibble is a sign your dog is remembering his dream.

Dog Lover's Daily Companion
Wendy Nan Rees and Kristen Hampshire

Personalized Dog Collars

Personalized Dog Collars

Try a collar with your name and phone number embroidered directly on it with no tags. The embroidered collar is great in case your dog gets out. Tags can be difficult to read, and your dog has to get close enough for the person to read it. With embroidered collars, the information can be read at a distance, making notification quick.

Laura Dorfman, CPDT-KA,

Kona's touch, Inc., Glencoe, IL

Top Tips from Top Trainers

Housetraining

Lack of housetraining is a common reason that pet owners relinquish a dog or banish him to the backyard. Yet housetraining is a straightforward process, as long as you understand that your new pet is like a toddler without a diaper and needs to be housetrained appropriately.

Ann Allums,

CDPT-KA,Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab UT

When housetraining, be gentle, be patient, be consistent, and most of all, set your puppy up to be successful.

Trish McMillan, MSc, CPDT-KA, ASPCA Animal Behavior Center, Urbana, IL

Supervision and consistency are the keys to housetraining success.

Jim Barry, CPDT, CDBC, Reston Dog

Training, Reston, VA

Imagine this: Inside your house you have a wonderful bathroom-it's clean and temperature controlled, the toilet seat is heated, and there's a guy standing outside the bathroom door waiting for you to finish so that he can clean and sanitize the area. Outside about 100 feet away from the back door is an outhouse that's old and rickety, there are splinters in the seat, and you only have newspaper sheets for toiled paper. It stinks in the summer, it's freezing in the winter, and there are cracks in the walls; it's horrible. Now, how much would I have to pay you to get you to go outside and use the outhouse every time? Think about your dog in the same situation-he can go in an inside area where it's nice, soft, and temperature controlled with someone standing by at all times to clean up, deodorize and sanitize the area; or he can go outside to his toilet area where it's not sanitized, where it's dirty, wet cold in winter, hot in the summer, and it stinks. There is nothing nice about the outside toilet area. So how much do you think you have to pay your dog to use his outside toilet area?

Sandra L. Wire, K9 FunTime, LLC

Indianapolis, IN

It can be helpful to take a long weekend to devote to housetraining. Stay home with your dog and go out every hour, generously rewarding each success. If you can keep it up for three or four days, progress is often very rapid.

Jim Barry, CDBC, CPDT-KA, Reston Dog Training, Teston, VA

Top Tips from Top Trainers

Naming your Dog

What's in a Name?

Soon after you bring home your new puppy or dog, you'll begin the name game. What should you call your new friend? If you adopt a dog that has been previously named, you can teach him a new name, but it will take some training. In any case, consistency is key with training, so decide early what to name your dog and stick to it.

Here, we'll assume you are naming a new dog.

Name possibilities are endless, some of which you may not want to call out loud. (Do you want to yell, "Come home, Stinker!" every day?) While you may have the perfect pooch name picked out before you bring your puppy home, keep an open mind until you get to know your new friend. It's okay to wait a few days to name your pup. You may learn that her spunky nature disagrees with the name Grace. Or perhaps your pet's sly behavior suits the name Brutus but not Fido.

Brainstorm a list of possible names, and keep these pointers in mind as you select a winner:

Noah sounds like "no." Names that rhyme with no could be confused for the command no. A dog named Noah that hears "No!" will be excited you called his name and will not get the message to stop a bad behavior.

Keep it short. Two-syllable names are best. Practice saying the name and see how easily it rolls off your tongue. If you choose a name that is too long, you'll probably resort to a nickname anyway.

Test the name. How does your dog respond? Of course, he will not realize it is his name at first, but if you get an adverse reaction, you may wish to reconsider the moniker.

You can also search online for name ideas. You'll find typical names for your dog's breed, most popular names, Hollywood names, historical names, political names. Here is a list of prompts to get your creative juices flowing:

What physical characteristics make your dog special? (Why do you think there are so many dogs named Spot?)

What was your favorite childhood movie or book character?

Name your favorite flowers or plants: Daisy, Rose, Basil...The list goes on.

Can you think of foods that would make interesting dog names?

Consider your favorite hobbies and the jargon associated with them. Music, dance, crafts, and sports terms can double as inventive dog names.

Avoid naming your dog after someone you know personally, unless the individual has a great sense of humor and is fond of dogs.

Peruse baby name books, where you'll find hundreds of possibilities.

Dog Lovers Daily Companion

Quick Dog Treats

Many of us can barely find the time to feed ourselves given our busy schedules, much less to make homemade snacks for our pets. When you don't have time for mixing, rolling, and cutting your own dog biscuits, try this quick and easy recipe, which uses just two ingredients. Wheat germ is a great source of Vitamin E, and organic baby food is widely available - try meat or vegetable flavors for variety. If time is not limited, you can puree your own organic meats and vegetables. We always kept a supply of these treats in a pretty glass jar on the counter for Gertrude and Jordan, since some experts feel that toxins from plastic containers can leach into food.


1 cup organic wheat germ
2 small jars organic baby food

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter or a little oil. Combine the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and flatten them with the back of a fork.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Variation: Try adding 1 tablespoon pureed garlic to ward off fleas, or 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal for a shiny coat.

eco dog