Hi there everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick LOLOL) I'm BACK! I know, I know, I did a very bad job updating you on my nursing school progress, but yes, I DID graduate in Dec, and I passed NCLEX in Jan. My license number was posted in Feb, and I'm still looking for that elusive first new grad job. Its a TOUGH market out there right now for new grad RN's. Lots of openings for experienced nurses, but because of the economy, many hospitals would rather not put in all that extra money (and it can be upwards of $80,000) to orient a new nurse. I have interviewed with 2 agencies. The first was at the hospital I did almost all my clinical at. For budgetary reasons, the unit was unable to hire ANYONE for the position right now. The second I actually got called back for a second interview, but the position was most decidedly NOT a new grad position. It was a position with a local mental health organization going out into the community to work with severely mentally ill clients (think Schizophrenia and Bipolar, many of the clients are homeless or near homeless, have substance abuse problems, criminal records, etc). I would have LOVED that job but there was a lot of case management involved, which I have never done before. So yeah, still looking.
ANYWAY, since it is getting nice and warm and people are out and about, I thought I'd take the time to post a public health message here, and its all about dog safety! According to the ASPCA, 50% of all children will sustain a dog bite before their twelfth birthday, so this is of special importance to children. Small children are many times bitten more severely. Because of their stature, they are at eye level with many dogs and as a result sustain more facial injuries than adults do. So what can we do to keep our children and ourselves safe with dogs? Visit this link for an informative dog safety quiz!
1) If you have a dog, learn and teach your kids about dog body language and never approach a dog that is showing signs of dominance, stress, or fear
2) Do not "stare down" a dog, hug them, or get in their faces. These are all VERY threatening gestures to a dog
3) Do not approach a dog that is eating, has a toy (mostly for children. Adults, you need to TRAIN your dog to give up any item in his/her mouth. If you see any resource guarding behavior, seek professional advice!), is sleeping, or is caring for puppies
4) All children must be supervised 100% of the time around dogs. I don't care WHAT the dog's breed is, NEVER leave a child alone with a dog. I know many parents who like the cute photo op with their small children or babies, but NEVER place a child on or in the front paws of a dog. A dog needs to be trained to give small children and babies plenty of space
5) If you see a dog outside with its owner, ask the owner first before you pet the dog
6) If you see a loose dog, don't approach it, (even you adults!) find a parent and report the loose dog to the proper authorities. If you know who the owner is, you may let them know, if you wish
7) If a loose dog comes up to you, do not scream and run away. Stay very still with your head held high, arms crossed in front of you
8) If you are knocked down by a dog, curl into a ball and protect your neck with hands, stay still and quiet
9) Never tease a dog
10) Do not approach a dog behind a fence or tied up in a yard. NEVER climb into a yard with a dog.
11) If you are given permission to pet a dog, present your closed hand first to let the dog sniff you. Pet under the chin, never over the head. This could be seen as a threat by a dog.
12) Do not touch a dog that is hurt or sick. Get an adult.
ADULT DOG OWNERS (especially if you own a large breed dog)
1) Socialize, socialize, socialize! If you are getting a puppy, it is recommended that the puppy meet 100 new people in the first 100 days. The critical socialization window ends starting at about 16 weeks of age. The dog needs to meet every type of person you can think of, and be exposed to as many new environments as possible. Puppies should also meet other puppies and friendly adult dogs. Remember that not all adult dogs readily accept the wild and energetic antics of a puppy, especially if its a senior dog
2) Training. With a puppy, a great first step is to enroll in a Puppy Kindergarten class that uses non-aversive methods. Training needs to continue throughout the dog's life. The dog should be able to sit, down, stay with distractions, should have a foolproof recall, should be taught how to "drop it" and "leave it". The dog should be taught to walk nicely on a leash and focus on you during walks. This can prevent a LOT of problems.
3) Do not baby your dog. Take a look at the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) method. This is a great way to handle your dog. It will teach him that you control all aspects of his life, and if he wants something, he is going to have to work for it.
4) Containment. Never leave your dog alone outside. No matter how good you think your fence is, dogs have been known to escape from all of them. The backyard fence I have is not the greatest, hence whenever my two dogs go out, I am ALWAYS with them, and they are on either the 6 ft or 20 ft lead. I do all my fetch games on the 20 ft lead. ALWAYS leash your dog in public. If you have more than one dog, never leave them together unsupervised, and if you can't be there, crate.
5) Common sense in public. Learn body language. If your dog seems dominant or anxious, don't allow anyone to pet him/her. I let LOTS of people pet my puppy when he was little (he is 5 mos now) but at this point I am teaching him to ignore and only allow those people that approach him CALMLY pet him. He is a very friendly pup, but excites easily and I do not want him jumping up on people, which he has a tendancy to do if someone approaches excitedly. Ask the person petting to pet him under his chin. Only allow dog/dog interactions if you KNOW the other dog and the other dog's owner. Strange dogs can be aggressive, not vaccinated, etc. Under no cicumstances allow an off leash dog near your dog. If play between two or more dogs starts looking too intense, end it. Your dog should understand that the party is over when YOU say it is.
6) Dog fights. If one breaks out, STAY CALM. Screaming will only make the situation worse. If you own a bully breed, have and know how to use a break stick. Do not use a break stick with other breeds, you will probably get bit in the process. Check out this article about how to break up a fight without getting hurt. Many dog bite injuries occur in the course of breaking up a fight.
7) Dog parks. I think they are a bad, bad idea in general. You don't know the health status of other dogs there, most often people are not really watching their dogs and you have no idea if another dog is going to be aggressive. I wouldn't take any breed of dog there, but this is especially important if you have a bully breed or a dog you know has a history of animal aggression.
8) Human aggression. If a dog appears to be aggressive towards people, get it evaluated immediately by a vet and a behaviorist. Dogs that are sick or in pain can become aggressive. In the same light, take extreme care in handling a dog that is injured. Even if it is your own dog, he may not understand you are trying to help him. Once your dog is cleared by a vet, its time to get the dog evaluated by a behaviorist. Take care in who you choose for this task, not every behaviorist or trainer is all they claim. Check on credentials and ask what methods they use. If you are advised the aggression is fear based, you can choose to work with the dog or have it euthanized. Understand that if the behavior is fear-motivated (and they have no real reason to be afraid) you likely will never be able to "fix" that problem, only manage it. I have dealt with it in the past, and I would have to say I don't think I'd ever do it again. I would likely PTS.
9) Husbandry. Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise. A tired dog is a good dog :) Plus the more exercise he gets, the less energy he will have to engage in obsessive or over-excited behaviors. Make sure he gets enough food and water and make sure he is on a high quality diet. No grocery store crap, please. The number one allergen in dogs is corn. Read labels. I would stay away from anything with corn, soy, gluten, or byproducts of any kind. A named meat source should be the first listed ingredient. Finally, make sure your dog is up to date on his yearly physical, vaccination, and flea/heartworm preventative. Last year, two dogs were found not 5 miles down the road from me that were rabid. Scary, scary stuff. Not to mention that heartworm is SO preventable, yet the treatment for it is painful, very involved, and sometimes fatal to the animal. Do not leave your dog to languish outside on a chain. Not only can it make him more aggressive, its just downright cruel. Your dog belongs with you! Finally, get your dog spayed or neutered. Doing it before sexual maturity can help cut down on territorial and dominance behavior. Plus there is an overpopulation of pets in this country right now. Leave the breeding to experts.
And I will say it one final time: ALL CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MUST BE SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES WITH DOGS! No matter what the breed. There is no such thing as a "nanny dog". Of any breed.
