You Tube’s Merengue dog and uncontrollable sniffing

Dear Dr. Forsythe: Have you seen the Dancing Dog doing the merengue on You Tube?  I would like your comments on this dog and whether or not this is something painful the dog is doing just to please his master, i.e., dancing partner.  It seems like a long time for a dog to have to walk on his back legs when dogs are designed to walk on all fours. –Thanks, Bon

Dear Bon: I did take a look at the dancing dog, and I do agree that this is not something that is healthy for a dog to do.  In “freestyle” competition, dogs perform choreographed routines that include weaving in and out of their humans legs and going up onto their back legs for short periods and even doing such tricks as a “high five.”  This is entertaining, recreational, and fun for owners and their dogs.  However, this video showed the dog walking on rear legs for a very long period of time, placing a large amount of pressure on the hips and lumbar spine.  In my opinion, this is potentially dangerous to the pet, since dogs musculoskeletal system is NOT designed to hold all the weight on the rear limbs and in an upright position.  I believe subjecting the pet to this for repeated long periods of time could lead to orthopedic problems and disc compression problems, all for the sake of exploitive and entertainment purposes.  Nobody I know rejoices in the beauty and perfection in his pet more than I do; but as far as pushing your pet physically and risking his physical health to do it, I think this man may as well sign his pet up for the circus -– and I liken that to just another form of animal abuse. – Dr. F

Dear Dr. Forsythe: My four-year-old Whippet/Shepherd mix was a street dog and abused.  She has improved in the two years since I have had her.  She is gentle, sometimes, playful and loves to run and play.  The problem is, while, walking she’s constantly keeping her nose to the ground, always smelling.  I’m wondering if she is still searching for food – as a former street animal she scrounged for food I’m sure – or if she is getting enough food?  I feed her one cup of kibble twice a day and give her treats between meals.  She vomits and I’m thinking she is eating something she shouldn’t be.  I notice her system is sensitive so I don’t give her table scraps or bones – too much fat is not good for her.  Any thoughts? – Thanks, L. Smith

Dear Mrs. Smith: It sounds like there are two separate problems here, the sniffing your pet does while out on a walk and the issue of what to feed her to control her weight and prevent her from vomiting.

Some pets have the habit of doing a considerable amount of “scenting” while on walks.  It may be that although your pet is part “sight hound” she may have an incredible ability to pick up a scent and the desire to do so while walking.  If she goes on a walk after having eaten, despite being satiated, and still sniffs along the way, this could be her excellent sense of smell or a chronic habit from her unfortunate puppy hood that requires patience and training.  I recommend you get a harness and a gentle leader from the pet store and limit her sniffing the ground to three times and urinating on a walk to twice.  It is possible to condition a pet to eliminate these undesirable habits by being firm on a walk.  Choke up on the leash, and keep her head close to your knee while walking.  Make sure that after the first three “scentings” you use traction to prevent the constant scenting.

After several short walks with her in a response “heel” at your side, you can extend the distance with her obeying you and actually walking rather than sniffing constantly like a bloodhound on the scent of an escaped convict.

Your dog’s caloric needs are based on several factors: body weight, metabolism, health, age, and activity level. In general I would feed a pet that weighed approximately 35 pounds the amount of food you described.  If you are feeding a super premium food such as Eukanuba or Science Diet, your dog is probably well satisfied – if on the other hand you are feeding Alpo or “Atta Boy” then there may be some nutritional deficits you may want to discuss with your veterinarian.  I do agree that too much fat is not good for any dog, you want to stay around or below 15 percent to keep from turning your sweet puppy into a chubette.  Good luck with your wonderful dog.  Let me know how the training goes. – Dr. F