Dog Fact or Fiction?

Experts debunk common dog myths

By Sharon L. Peters
CTW Features

Much of what is generally believed about dogs is fiction layered upon misconception.

Or is it?

We put a few commonly held beliefs before a couple of experts to establish whether they're myth or fact.

Our experts:

-- Tamar Geller, author of "The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way To Teach Your Dog Good Behavior." Geller has appeared on The Today Show and Larry King Live and has worked with dogs owned by Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Ripa..

-- Darlene Arden, Author of "Rover, Get off Her Leg: Pet Etiquette For The Dog Who Pees On Your Rug, Steals the Roast and Poops in Improper Places" and other training books. Arden is a certified animal behavior consultant who specializes in small dogs.

1. All dogs, but especially big dogs, need a big yard. And if you don't have one, you can't get a dog, especially if you work all day.

"False," says Geller. "It's not about the eight hours you're gone. It's about what happens the rest of the time."

A dog requires morning and evening walks, exercise appropriate to its age and breed, "the opportunity to regularly play with its own kind" and the "chance to run full out sometimes," she says.

Most dogs, if they're having reasonable walks and additional weekend exercise opportunities do fine hanging around the house while you're working. In fact, she says, dogs that are required to spend all or most of their time in the yard, not inside with the family, are the ones that are living more miserable lives.

"Dogs are social," she says, they need to be part of the owner's life. "Dogs with huge, wonderful yards and a doggie door will spend a few minutes outside then come right back inside to be with the family."

If you're considering a high-energy young dog like a Lab, it must have several brisk walks daily, and you should consider hiring a mid-day dog walker or using doggie daycare every other day, she says. If that isn't practical, "an older dog, five or six years old is a good choice" because even the active breeds are less intense by then, but are still great walking or hiking buddies.

Dogs left alone for prolonged periods need things to chew or stimulate them. Geller loves Busy Buddy, which you fill with food that takes an hour or more to empty.

2. All little dogs are yappers.

"No," says Arden. "But some breeds are more predisposed to announcing what's going on in the neighborhood, even if that's just that the leaves are on the trees."

Among noisy ones: Shelties, Miniature Pinschers, which "talk incessantly," Maltese and Affenspinschers, she says.

On the other hand, many small dogs are fairly quiet. "I haven't heard many complaints about Pugs, Havenese, Japanese Chin or English Toy Spaniels," says Arden.

3. If you've got a yapper, you've got to live with it.

"There are several things you can do," says Arden. "You want the dog to alert you to someone at the door ... so a little barking is fine. Acknowledge it with a 'Thank you'" as you check out what triggered the barking. Once you've taken an action, the dog will usually be quiet.

"Don't yell at the dog to 'shut up' or 'stop it' because he interprets this as you are barking too," she says. "A simple 'that's enough' is usually sufficient."

But if you've got one who feels the need to bark with abandon, "sometimes the best thing you can do is put the barking on cue so you have control of it," says Arden. You can train him when to start and when to stop, and getting him to stop when he hasn't been cued to start is the next, relatively simple step.

4. People who don't have enough time to spend with their dog should get a second so he'll have more company and feel less lonely.

"Terrible idea," Geller says. "Whatever time you used to spend with your first dog will be cut in half, at least, with the arrival of a second." So the first dog will feel even more unhappy with the reduced attention, and the second dog, who has no history with you, will not be properly trained or socialized and will "probably become looney."

Moreover, she says, "not all dogs want a second dog around."

5. If a dog bites once, it will bite again.

"Not true," says Geller. "I'd need a lot more information about the circumstances." Was there a warning? How bad was the bite? Did it happen when the dog felt pushed into a corner? "The circumstances must be completely broken down," she says.

"I'm not saying the dog has the right to bite.... I'm saying we have to understand the trigger," and in most cases "we can teach the dog how to behave " in bite-free ways, says Geller.

A dog that bites does require help from a trainer, she says. "But I'd caution the owner to get one whose techniques do not involve fear or pain." If anything in the person's methods include yanking on collars or leash, prong collars or other aversive practices, "walk away from that person."

6. Little dogs have Napolean complexes, which is why they're always baiting and going after big dogs.

"There are two schools of thought." Arden says. "One is that the little dog doesn't know how small he is when he challenges a large dog. The other is that the dog knows precisely how small he is and is letting the larger dog know he's a dog too (not tiny prey) and doesn't want to be hurt."

Whichever is correct, "Small dog owners walk a fine line," Arden says. "They have to allow their little dog to be a dog yet they have to know how and when to protect the dog and not allow him to become aggressive."

Got a myth you want busted or confirmed? E-mail us and we'll do another roundup in a few weeks.

What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, training and loving your pet. E-mail Sharon@Pets2008.com.

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