Bette Isacoff

Biography

My writing has appeared in The American Kennel Club GAZETTE (where I was also a breed columnist), Dog Fancy, Golden Ages magazine, and The National Observer. I was the founder and twenty year editor of The Finnish Line, the monthly newsletter of the Finnish Spitz Club of America, which I established. I am a professional member of the Dog Writers Association of America. I obtained my B.A. and an MFA in Creative Writing from Albertus Magnus College and have also done extensive graduate work in canine behavior and counseled owners of dogs with behavior problems at Abbey Animal Hospital in Maryland. I am also a breeder, trainer, and exhibitor of Champion, Group, and Best in Specialty Show winning Finnish Spitz under the Kitsuna (reg.) prefix, and co-owner of the top-winning bitch in breed history. I am credited with bringing the Finnish Spitz from total obscurity in this country to recognition by the American Kennel Club. For my efforts on behalf of the breed, I was honored in Finland on the 100th anniversary of the Finnish Kennel Club. I was owner of, and principal instructor at, Berkshire Canine Services, Inc. I worked with Bruce Sessions of Naval Intelligence to train a marijuana detector dog for the Springfield (MA) Police Department’s Youth Aid Bureau. I will be teaching dog obedience classes for Connecticut’s Amity Regional School District Adult Education Program beginning in September, 2015. I am an avid fan of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and a lifetime member of the Iditarod Trail Committee.

Questions Answered by Bette Isacoff

I have had dashounds for years! I have never experienced what I am dealing with and would appreciate your opinion. Max is a short hair Black and Tan who will be 2 next month. He has been impossible to house break. We also have Greta same breed but long hair dapple who is 8. Every time I take them out Greta goes potty. Max does nothing! Once in a while Max will go outside. But for the most part Max goes inside the house wherever he wants

Put him on a leash and take him outside to his designated spot. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as he starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as he goes. When he is finished, bring him directly back inside., leaving the leash on. If he does not go after a reasonable amount of time, bring him in but do not remove the leash. Attach it to your belt loop and keep him with you. Don’t let him out of your sight! When you see him start to circle or sniff, take him right outdoors again and repeat the process. If he does mess in the house, do not scold him unless you actually catch him in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take him right outside. Tell him to "go outside" and praise as he finishes. Keep him in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home. For further assistance with this, click on the prompt to initiate a consult. Remember that, every time he goes in the house and no one see/scolds him, it reinforces that this behavior is acceptable!

My dog is now refusing to go outside. He pulls on the leash and basically drags me back to the door. He wasn’t doing this a few days ago and he normally loves going outside. He did however slip out of the door last night and I had to lure him back with food as he would walk towards me then bounce out of reach and take off running. He is now doing his business Inside my home and I don’t know how to stop this behavior. Any advice?

I'm afraid that, if Apollo is only 20 pounds, you are letting him drag you back to the house. Pick a "bathroom spot" and go there with him on the leash. Do not walk around. Just stand and repeat your "go outside" command (if you don't have one, make one up and stick to the same one all the time). Do not let him pull you anywhere. If he refuses to go, Bring him back in the house, but do not remove his leash. You can attach the end to your belt loop so your hand are free to do other things. This way he won't be able to go inthe house. The minute you see "I have to go" behavior, walk him outside again. Repeat this until he does his business, and then give him lots of praise and bring him in, Keep this up until he gets over whatever was bothering him and is willing to go out again. Good luck!

For my piece of mind what are signs of dying. My dog was put to sleep already yesterday. Colon cancer. Sent findings to our other vet and he concurred. Jake had swollen ankles, testicles and bloody urine, constipation. All in a few days. He ate voraciously and drank fine. I'm already second guessing. His quality of life wouldn't be good. afraid I made wrong choice

Please don't worry about your choice! Dogs are very good at hiding pain (it comes from way back when they couldn't let predators know they were injured or sick.) It sounds as if it was Jake's time to go. I am very, very sorry about Jake.

Help grooming my new puppy! I bought multiple brushes : wire brush, steel comb, and a regular brush (similar to a human hairbrush). What are each of the brushes used for? Should I use them in a specific order? When grooming, he thinks the brush is a toy and tries to bite at it. If he has a toy he’s playing with, I am able to brush him but since he’s not still it’s hard to do. How do I train him to allow me to brush him or give him a bath?

First of all, Bentley is way too young for a bath (unless he has gotten into something nasty). It is a good idea to bathe him twice a year, just as the hair starts to clump. As for the equipment: I had a Samoyed for years, and also Siberians--another double-coated breed. Your best bet is to use a rake (made for dogs, not your lawn rake!). Aside from a general going-over to get the loose hair out, the best method for grooming Bentley is to pick up a section of hair., as if you were going to tease it. Do nothing with the section except hold it. Rake what's left underneath (the undercoat). If Bentley's hair is really clumping, you can grab a handful yourself. You might want to use the metal comb to get the hair around his face, but it's not really necessary--nor are all the other products you bought. You can train him to the rake by initially just showing it to him with a treat. Just run the rake gently over his coat and treat/praise when he leaves it alone.

how much play/amusement/stimulation does my 60lb male lab/shepherd mix need? I feel I should always be paying attention to him, although he gets a long walk daily and tons of love and pets

Probably a lot less than you are giving him. By being Dexter's constant source of fun, you are keeping him from finding ways to amuse himself (with toys, balls, etc.) If for some reason (hospitalization, trip, new job) you are unable to keep this up, you may find a problem develop. By all means give him love and attention, but I'm afraid you've taken it too far. You are not his one-man entertainment committee. If you try to pull back a little (and by all means you should), you may find that he tries to insist on more. This is not because he "needs" it, but because you've created the expectation in him. Do not give in. Ignore any of his attempts to get you going again. Gradually lessen the time you pay attention to him, until you are down to about ten minutes/hour. This does not mean that you should play with him for ten minutes every hour; it is more like what your interactions should average out to be over the course of a day. Good luck with this!