Give a Dog a Stone

The problem became deadly serious when, on a couple of occasions, the dog accidentally swallowed one.  Following 2 major operations to remove stones the vet was concerned about further surgery. 

Stones are used to line most of the driveways surrounding Margaret’s home, so it was very difficult to avoid them. ‘Joss would often come into the house with a dozen stones in his mouth’ admits Margaret.  Although she didn’t actually see Joss swallow the first stone, she soon realised that something wasn’t right. ‘Joss wouldn’t settle anywhere and appeared to be in extreme pain’ says Margaret.  Following an examination and X-ray, the vet confirmed that the dog had a stone lodged in his intestine and would need surgery to remove it.  A few days later Joss was home alive and well, but Margaret was left with the problem of how to stop the dog returning to his old habits.  ‘I tried really hard to keep Joss away from stones, but there were occasions when the front door would be opened and he would just race out and be back to his old tricks’ she admits. 

Everything was fine for about a year, but then the symptoms returned.  An X- ray revealed another stone, this time in his stomach.  Once again Joss was opened up and the stone successfully removed.  Margaret returned home more intent than ever to prevent the same thing happening again.  ‘By this stage I was totally demented and dreaded going back to the vet with the same problem.’  However keeping the stones out of Joss’s mouth proved virtually impossible.  ‘One day when my grandchildren were over, Joss rushed out of the door and came back with several stones in his mouth.  By this point I was desperate and decided I needed some professional help.’

Diane Falconer, a Behavioural Therapist with home dog training company Bark Busters visited Margaret and devised a programme to put a stop to Joss’s errant behaviour. ‘The solution to Joss’s problem lay in easing his anxiety’ explains Diane.  ‘He was using the stones like worry beads and needed to calm down.  He also needed to understand in no uncertain terms that eating stones was not allowed.’  Diane worked with Margaret to ensure that she gained Joss’s respect.  ‘We achieved this by doing all the things that a leader in the canine world would do.  Once Joss saw Margaret as his leader he was more than willing to obey her commands.  In fact once Margaret took over the leadership of the household Joss became a much happier, calmer dog’ explains Diane.  The canine expert also made sure that the game of chase that Joss had successfully instigated each time he picked up a stone was also brought to an end. Several weeks on, Margaret is now able to take Joss out for a walk and even let him off the lead without any danger of him making a beeline for the stones.
 
‘Diane was wonderful and the results are quite terrific.  She taught me how to control Joss and how to get him to pay attention to me.  Joss will now walk by my side without even trying to put his head down or pick up stones and for the first time I know that I am in control.  Joss wouldn’t dream of stepping out of the door ahead of me, and now walks perfectly to heel’ says Margaret.  ‘It’s amazing, but now Joss won’t even go after a stone if it is thrown for him.’ 

For more information about Bark Busters take a look at www.barkbusters.co.uk

To contact a Bark Busters Therapist call Freephone 0808 100 4071

Bark Busters, the world’s largest, most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United Kingdom in 1999. Since inception, over 400,000 dogs have been trained worldwide. With more than 230 offices in eight countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioural therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a lifetime guarantee. Therapists will provide future sessions free of charge if problem behaviours recur, or if any new problems develop. For more information, call 0808 100 4071 or visit www.barkbusters.co.uk, where dog owners can complete a Dog Behavioural Quiz to rate their dogs’ behaviour.