Ask Dr. Paola- Help! Are Bark Collars Inhumane? (March 2, 2026) – Dogster

Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” collection, the place each Monday we convey knowledgeable recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their canine’s well being and well-being.

Whether or not you’re a brand new pet dad or mum or a seasoned canine lover, Dr. Paola is right here to offer solutions to your most urgent questions. From vitamin suggestions and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to supply insights that can preserve your furry good friend completely satisfied and wholesome. Keep tuned for knowledgeable steerage on a variety of subjects that matter most to you and your canine, so you may make knowledgeable choices and supply the very best care on your canine companion. ‎Have‎ a ‎question? Send it in here!

Assist! My Canine Eats Bizarre Issues!

“We have now an 8-month-old Shih Tzu, Indy, who has eaten grass, chunks of wooden, pine cones, and numerous different issues she finds on the bottom. She is now digging up little holes within the garden. Is there a one thing lacking in her food regimen? How can we greatest break this unhealthy behavior?“  – Carla

Pricey Carla,

At eight months of age, Indy is in a developmental stage the place curiosity and oral exploration are very regular, very like a toddler who experiences the world by placing the whole lot of their mouth. Generally, consuming grass, wooden, or pine cones just isn’t associated to a dietary deficiency if she is consuming a whole and balanced industrial food regimen formulated for development. This conduct is extra usually linked to regular exploratory conduct, boredom, extra vitality, teething historical past, or a condition called pica, which may change into a behavior whether it is unintentionally strengthened. The principle concern is security, since wooden splinters, pine cones, or soil could cause gastrointestinal irritation, obstruction, or dental harm.

The simplest strategy to change the behavior is thru administration and redirection reasonably than punishment. Shut supervision open air is crucial at this age, since stopping entry to inappropriate objects is the muse of adjusting the conduct. Supervise outside time intently, restrict entry to areas with particles, and preserve the yard as clear as attainable. When she begins to choose one thing up, calmly interrupt and instantly supply an applicable different, resembling a safe chew toy or a meals dishing out toy. Consider this like giving a baby a protected toy as an alternative of taking one thing away with out a substitute. Growing psychological and bodily enrichment can be crucial for younger Shih Tzus, together with quick coaching periods utilizing constructive reinforcement, scent video games, puzzle feeders, and common walks, since many canines interact in floor scavenging just because they’re under-stimulated.

If the conduct turns into persistent, if she actively seeks and swallows non-food objects, or in the event you discover scientific indicators resembling vomiting, decreased urge for food, stomach discomfort, or lowered stool manufacturing, a veterinary analysis is essential to rule out gastrointestinal illness, anemia, or different medical contributors. With constant supervision, enrichment, and redirection, most younger canines outgrow this section and study what is suitable to chew.

Good luck!

Dr. Paola

Assist! Are Bark Collars Inhumane?

“Honey is 9 months outdated. She barks incessantly. Normally early night. Or when a leaf falls. Is it inhumane to make use of a bark collar? “ – Shirley

Hello Shirley,

Honey is in an adolescent phase on the younger age of 9 months, and that is when reactivity to sounds and motion is quite common, particularly within the early night when environmental exercise will increase and vitality remains to be excessive. Barking at small triggers, like falling leaves, normally displays heightened arousal, alert conduct, or pent-up bodily and psychological vitality reasonably than stubbornness. Consider it like an overtired baby who reacts strongly to each little stimulus. The precedence ought to be figuring out the trigger, which regularly consists of inadequate enrichment, lack of structured train, or a creating behavior of rehearsed alert barking.

Bark collars, significantly people who ship shock or robust aversive stimulation, usually are not advisable from an animal welfare perspective. Analysis and scientific expertise present they’ll enhance anxiousness, concern, and noise sensitivity, and they don’t tackle the underlying emotional state driving the barking. In some canines, they could suppress the sound whereas rising inner stress, which may later seem as heightened reactivity or different conduct issues. A extra humane and efficient strategy is to extend daytime bodily exercise, add predictable psychological retailers resembling scent games or meals puzzles earlier than the standard barking time, and use constructive reinforcement to show a peaceful different conduct, resembling selecting a mat when environmental triggers happen. Constant administration, decreasing visible entry to outside motion, and calmly rewarding quiet moments assist reshape the response reasonably than merely silencing it.

If the barking is intense, escalating, or accompanied by indicators of hysteria resembling pacing, lack of ability to settle, or vocalizing for lengthy intervals, steerage from a veterinarian or a certified constructive reinforcement coach is essential to rule out anxiety-related circumstances and develop a structured plan. Our veterinary on-line session at Pangovet may also help assess the state of affairs and help a humane, efficient technique that protects each Honey’s emotional well-being and your family’s peace. We’d be completely satisfied to assist!

Dr. Paola