Women sleep better next to dogs than other people: study

Let sleeping dogs lie!

Women sleep better next to dogs than their human partners, according to a study published this month by researchers at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

Of the 962 women living in the U.S. interviewed by the school, 55 percent of them shared the bed with at least one dog and 31 percent of them shared the bed with at least one cat. The study found 57 percent of the women shared the bed with a human partner. Dogs were less likely to wake their owners in the middle of the night than cats and humans, results revealed.

The study found that both cats and humans were equally disruptive to women's sleep and provided them with fewer feelings of comfort and security than dogs.

Dog owners also reported earlier sleep and wake times than cat owners and participants without pets.

"Dog ownership and its associated responsibilities may cause individuals to adhere to a stricter routine," researchers said. "Keeping to a consistent sleep schedule may be beneficial to dog owners."

Women aren't the only ones who report better sleep with dogs, according to a study published last year.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona conducted a study of 40 healthy adults, both male and female, and found that people who slept with a dog in the bedroom got more rest than people who didn't. Although, the Mayo study found sleeping with a dog in the bed, as opposed to another place in the bedroom, could disrupt the sleep cycle.

Dog harness or collar? The best way to control your pet revealed

It's difficult to change traditional behaviour. People get used to doing things a certain way, and even when science and logic suggest that there's a better way, old habits are hard to get rid of.

In the animal world, there's an obvious area that stands out as being stuck in the past: using collars to restrain dogs.

Of course there's a place for dog collars: they are a handy way to permanently attach an ID tag around a dog's neck. Once put in place, a light dog collar can be impossible for a dog to remove, similar to a festival-style wristband on a human.

A well-fitting dog collar can also function as a way of reminding dogs that they are with you and that you want them to stay close to you. There should be no tugging or tightening of the collar: if the collar was not there, the dog should still want to be in the same place. The collar should act in the same way as gently holding a child's hand.

But as a way of controlling a dog? There are now alternatives that are far better than dog collars.

As a well-known behaviourist said at a veterinary conference: "We call dogs 'man's best friends', then we put a noose around their necks and drag them around after us".

One of the developments in contemporary veterinary science is the recognition that animal sentience is far more like our own than we used to believe. It's now understood that if an animal displays behaviour that would mean distress, fear or pain in a human, then almost certainly, the animal is feeling distress, fear or pain too.

So when it comes to collar use, the same parallel can be made. If you'd feel uncomfortable being hauled around by a collar, a dog is likely to have just the same level of discomfort. When tightened and pulled, collars twist the neck in an uncomfortable way, and they apply pressure to the windpipe and blood vessels, causing severe discomfort. Choke collars do exactly what their name implies: they choke dogs. So-called "prong-collars" take this a level further, with metal spikes digging into the neck as the collar tightens. How did we ever think this was humane and fair? And as for electric shock collars: it's astonishing that it took until 2018 for them to be made illegal in England.

There are a number of effective, humane alternatives to dog collars. They have been around for many years, used for working animals like sledge dogs and horses, but it's only relatively recently that they have been adapted for daily use in pets.

Head collars

Head collars, similar to those used widely in horses, are now commonly used in dogs. The fabric straps fit neatly around the dog's head and muzzle, and the dog's leash clips on to a metal ring on the head collar under the dog's chin.

If you need to exert control on the dog, when you pull on the leash, the dog's head and muzzle are pulled around so that the dog is forced to look at you. This immediately removes any visual distraction which may have grabbed the dog's attention, making it easier to regain their focus. In contrast, if you pull on a traditional collar, the dog continues to look at  (and strain towards) the object that's distracting them.

Dogs need to learn to tolerate head collars: the better brands come with detailed instructions on how to do this. If this process is rushed, or done wrongly, or if the head collar is poorly fitting, it can be easy for a dog to wriggle out, and even to damage the head collar by chewing it. But when care is taken to use the products properly, they can be highly effective.

Body harnesses for dogs

Body harnesses are the latest method of dog control to become popular. In essence, they are similar to the safety harnesses that parents use to keep control of wayward toddlers when out in public. We recognise that they are the kindest way to restrain boisterous little humans, so it seems logical that they should also be appropriate for our canine companions.

There are different styles of dog harnesses, but broadly, there are two types:
 
Nylon strap harnesses

The simplest dog harnesses are almost identical to the human toddler harnesses: it can be fiddly to work out how they need to be fitted, but once you've got that sorted out, they are easy and quick to put on, and they're tolerated well by dogs. Some are designed to follow body contours and movements so that if a dog strains on the harness, the straps tighten at certain pressure points, sending the dog a message to ease back. A simple, well-fitted harness of this type is far more humane than a dog collar, and often more effective at controlling a dog, especially for smaller animals.

Webbing and buckle harnesses

A sturdier, more substantial type of harness for dogs has also become widely available in recent years. These are derived from the types of chest harnesses that have been used in horses for hundreds of years, since the time of Boudicca and the Roman Empire.

These harnesses have thicker nylon webbing, and tough plastic buckles that snap securely into place. There's often a thickened loop of webbing at the centre of the harness that functions as a handle to lift the dog comfortably (e.g. into the car), and there are other slots that can be used to allow the harness to double up when used with seat belts to restrain a dog safely for travelling in a car. They can also sometimes be used to attach directly to the car seat anchor, the metal attachment point that's used for child car safety seats.

Some types of dog harnesses have reflective strips along the side, allowing dogs to be seen in low light conditions,  and velcro-detachable strips can also be attached in these areas, allowing messages (e.g. "Sniffer dog") to be carried by the animal. Bags and panniers can sometimes be attached too; owners can use their (larger) pets to help them, by carrying shopping or other objects.

The best of these dog harnesses have been designed with the help of mobility scientists in the laboratory who have analysed the way that dogs' bodies move. They have been fitted with padding to protect the dog at pressure points, and in contrast to dog collars, they avoid placing pressure on airways, nerves and blood vessels. As with all other types of restraint, it's crucially important that these harnesses are carefully measured and fitted before being used for daily activities.

Studies have shown that far from hindering movement, they help animals move  ergonomically and comfortably, whilst still being able to be controlled by the humans working beside them.

As well as being highly effective for pet dogs in normal daily activities like walks in the park, harnesses of this type also have specific professional uses. Dog sledge teams, and people who run with dogs – the new sport called CaniCross – use special padded harnesses that are similar to the types of harnesses that are now used for pets.

Dog collars should be consigned to the past; science and new knowledge should be put into practice. Try fitting a dog harness to your dog, and you - and your pet - will appreciate the difference.

Lubbock dog in wheelchair wins in worldwide pet calendar contest

Kardi, a special needs French Bulldog from Lubbock, Texas, is one of 13 winners in a worldwide 2019 calendar contest featuring dogs in wheelchairs. Walkin' Pets by HandicappedPets.com, an e-commerce pet product company, hosts the annual calendar contest to help spread awareness of how disabled dogs can live active, happy lives.

Kardi was voted into the calendar by popular vote on the company's Facebook page out of a pool of 240 entries from 26 countries around the world. Kelsey Glen, a veterinary technician, rescued Kardi from a puppy mill when she was two years old. Two years later, Kardi became paralyzed from IVDD. The Animal Medical Center in Amarillo where Glen worked put together a secret collection to buy Kardi a Walkin' Wheels wheelchair; she's been on a roll ever since!

When Kardi first became paralyzed, Glen was living with her sister Kadie; the two of them figured out how to express Kardi's bladder and deal with her mobility challenges. Now Glen is living on her own with Kardi and another special needs rescue, a Boston Terrier named Bonnie Rose. Glen has also found the time to help Kardi become a certified therapy dog. They visit schools and nursing homes, where Glen reports that Kardi is especially good with the Alzheimer's patients.

“She is just the sweetest, most laidback little dog,” says Glen. “Kardi surprises me every day. She doesn't let her disability define her; she gets up every day and lives life to the fullest!”

Fox attacks beloved pet dog while owner makes dinner in Earley home

A tiny Chihuahua/Yorkie crossbred dog caught by a marauding fox in her own garden managed to escape being eaten alive.

The fox had its teeth gripped round little Morag's body as her owner Claire MacKenzie, 59, made dinner in her kitchen.

"There are foxes round here all the time so I'd checked there were none in the garden before letting her out," she said.

"I'd seen her dancing round the back door. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a fox come from nowhere and grab hold of her.

"She managed to wriggle free, came in screaming and hid under the television.

"She was covered in puncture wounds from the fox's teeth and lost some of her fur. She was very shocked.

"I took her to the emergency vet and she didn't move for two weeks. It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened. I was very stressed."

She urges owners of other small dogs to keep a careful eye on them when foxes may be about.

And she has asked residents around her area, Beech Lane, Earley, not to encourage foxes by leaving out food for them. She suggests it would also help if Wokingham Borough provided wheelie bins so household rubbish was not left out in bags for collection. 

Ducklings and cygnets have disappeared from nearby Maiden Erlegh nature reserve lake, she said. She suggested foxes, rats or larger birds may have been responsible.

The Wokingham Paper was told there are no cygnets this year because the female is away being treated for an injury.

Brave Morag's wounds later recovered well enough to beat dogs many times her size to gain second place at Hurst Show's terrier race earlier this summer. Morag, weighing just over a kilo, is famed for her speed: she has been fastest dog at Swallowfield Show.

Cllr Norman Jorgensen, Wokingham Borough council's executive member for Environment, Leisure and Libraries, and a member of the Public Protection Partnership board, said: "We were very sorry to hear of the unfortunate attack on a resident's dog, and understand that this is distressing both for the animal and the owner.

"The council does not have a remit to control the local fox population and there is no legal responsibility for councils to do so. But there is advice we can give.

"Make sure small dogs and puppies are inside at night, and take the right fox-proofing precautions for outside hutches, if that is where you keep guinea pigs or rabbits. Raise the hutches above ground level, and check for any signs where a fox may be trying to get access.

"We also suggest that if you witness your animal getting into a scrape with a fox, you should take your pet to the vet for a check up to make sure no parasites have transferred."

He added that the council had not recorded any complaints about foxes for the last two years.

"In relation to our rubbish collections, we will be staying with blue bags and do not have any plans to change this system to wheelie bins at this time," Cllr Jorgensen continued. "We know that it is not always convenient to put your rubbish out first thing, with many residents needing to place their rubbish for collection, outside at night.

"From April next year we will start collecting food waste, as well. We will provide containers which will keep the food waste safer. And it will also help reduce blue bags being attacked by animals.

"We do advise residents to present their blue bags in the following ways: on the top of their recycling boxes to avoid bags being ripped; contained in a dustbin that our crew will collect from; and if possible to present their rubbish and recycling by 6.30am on collection day."

Dogs can interpret owners' feelings and show empathy, study suggests

WASHINGTON — Does your dog know how you're feeling? A small study suggests those that have strong bonds with their owners do.

"Every dog owner has a story about coming home from a long day, sitting down for a cry and the dog's right there, licking their face. In a way, this is the science behind that," said lead author Emily Sanford of Johns Hopkins University in a news release.

The research published in the journal Learning & Behavior involved 34 dogs of various breeds separated from owners by a clear, magnet-secured door. The owners were instructed either to hum the song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" or to cry. Of the dogs that pushed through the doors, the ones responding to owners who were crying acted three times more quickly.

"We found dogs not only sense what their owners are feeling, if a dog knows a way to help them, they'll go through barriers … to help them," said Sanford, a graduate student in psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University who did the research as an undergraduate at Macalester College.

The experiment was prompted by the behavior displayed by the pet of co-author Julia Meyers-Manor, a former faculty member at Macalester who is now an assistant professor of psychology at Ripon College.

While playing with her children, Meyers-Manor was buried in pillows by her kids and began calling for help as if in distress.

"My husband didn't come rescue me, but, within a few seconds, my collie had dug me out of the pillows," she said in a news release. "I knew that we had to do a study to test that more formally."

The study's title, "Timmy's in the well: Empathy and prosocial helping in dogs," refers to an American cultural icon: Lassie, the canine superhero of 1950s TV, known for rushing to retrieve help for her person Timmy, a boy who had fallen down a well.

The research team also included Emma R. Burt, who's now a research technician at Cleveland Clinic.