The furry friends: What to know before you bring your dog home

A dog during a training session at a dog show recently. Photos by Michael Kakumirizi

What you need to know:

They will signal the family when you get to the door, rush to welcome you back home, jump all over you, showing you love the best way they can, scare off intruders from your home. And when it is meal time, some will wag their tails, when eager to feast on their favourite meal. These furry friends are said to be human’s best friends, we share what you need to learn before you make them part of your family.

Dogs are loyal friends that are not paid to love you. That is why experts say every home needs to have a dog. And with the high levels of insecurity across the country last year, every home needs a dog to wade off intruders. However, before one thinks of having a dog at home, there are key issues they need to put into consideration and key things they need to learn.

Your lifestyle
Just because one has watched movies where film stars have a good relationship with the dogs does not mean they should own a dog to imitate celebrities. Ask yourself if you and your family members love dogs, or if any member of your family is allergic to dogs.

The purpose
First, knowing why you need a dog is very important because different types of dogs play different roles in a home. Micheal Wopo, the managing director, Kaisha Dog Trainers Limited, says one needs to know the purpose of the dog they need. He says some dogs are pets, others are security dogs/ guard dogs. “Choosing a dog depends on the purpose, however, some dogs play more than one role but knowing why you need the dog, would even help in grooming it,” Wopo says.

Security dogs include attack dogs and watch dogs and thus meant to provide safety in a home. Watch dogs bark whenever they notice something strange and unusual at home. They are very noisy most of the time but rarely attack whereas the attack dogs will always bark and attack whenever they notice something strange or odd.

Attack dogs
Rottweiler: They are less noisy but very aggressive. Most of the times will attack whenever they notice something odd. Most experts regard them as the best attack dogs in Uganda. Other attack/guard dogs in Uganda include American pit bull, boerboel, bull dog, Doberman, great den, among others.

Watch dogs make a lot of noise as they bark, they send a signal that there is something unusual. Some of them are German sphered, Belgium sphered.

Dogs do not just bark for the sake of it, whenever they bark, they are drawing your attention to something. Dr Herbert Muganwa, from Country side Veterinary clinic in Ntinda, says his dog barks as he is approaching home on hearing him hoot once. “This alerts whoever is at home to open the gate”.

Wopo says when it comes to pets, any dog can be a pet provided it is trained very well. He, however, adds that people usually prefer calm and small dogs for pets such as Kiwawa, poodle, Maltese, and Japanese spitz. However, dogs such as the German shephered, are multipurpose, they could be sniffer dogs, watch dogs, or even pets. Dr Maganwa says: “Dogs too can be guides to help the blind in crossing, shopping, but also in developed countries, dogs can diagnose a disease for they smell diseases earlier than one can tell.”

Character
Sometimes knowing the character, personality of the dog is very crucial as some dogs are very calm, the others very strange. Some of the dogs are just so noisy, as some will bark because the others dogs are backing or because they have noticed someone at home such as the Belguim dogs.

“Whenever some dogs look at any one in the compound or anything strange they just bark, they just make noise, because their role is to alert, so if your interest was to get the dog which does not make noise every time then you need to look into such issues,” Wopo says.

Then some dogs really shed a lot fur, which might leave the house littered and require you to groom them very often and therefore it requires one to know how often a dog needs to be groomed. German shepherds would serve as a good example in this context.

Ronald Kyobe, a dog consultant, adds that knowing the background of the dog matters because it helps in tracing the dog’s character, and on how to train it in what is needed.

Maintenance
Phoebe Tibingana, says they used spend about Shs1m in about three months to take care of Tia, their pet dog because for it to look good and healthy it needs a lot care attention.
“The vaccines alone used to cost us Shs400, 000, then include food and treatment, plus we would shower him once a week to prevent the ticks and those dog shampoos can be expensive, so before thinking about having a dog at home, think about its maintenance,” Tibigana shares.

Before thinking of having a dog at home, you need to ask yourself you whether you can handle the expenses because some of the dogs are expensive to take care of yet others are cheap, the management of the dog matters.

Then consider if you will be able to have time for the dog, if you will have time to train them on the things you need them to do. If there is no time to take care of the dog or even to train it, then first consider if you can afford a care taker or taking your dog for training. Dogs take some time at least a month to adjust to the new home and thus require time, exercising time, they need time to be taken care of.

Meanwhile, do not forget that the dogs also need love and affection.
Dr Henry Opori, Once a week at least the family should ensure to bond with the dog to shower it with love but also for the dog to get used to each and every family member and can easily recognise them. All family members should take the responsibility to play with the dog.

Note that dogs should be trained as soon as possible.

Dr Opori says as a dog owners, one should learn to give specific commands so that the dog knows when you a serious and not. Use a polite tone when calling the dog while when one is trying to stress a serious matter to the dog then one can use a commanding tone or deepen the tone.

Herbert Tumwesigye, a resident of Mbarara Town, says he spends more than Shs200,000 on dog training every month and pays the dog care taker about 100,000 per month.

When it comes to dogs which need a lot of grooming, some dogs such as the Germany shepherd might need more attention as they require a lot of grooming.
“Such dogs might be time consuming and need a care taker, they might require grooming every morning, though some people like dogs with so much fur because they look beautiful,” Wopo says.

How to deal with ticks
Most of the times spraying the dog to go away with ticks is tricky because dogs might end up licking the medicine. However, according to Kaisha dog trainers, the dog can be trained not to lick the medicine. After washing the dog , play around with it, dry it up with a towel but the best way to avoid all this is by having a tick collar, which is medicated and there is no way a dog will lick this.

There is also medicine that is put on the dogs back and then will go to the dog’s skin and circulate over. In case of ticks visit a veterinary doctor.

Dog’s diet
According to Dr Henry Opori, a veterinary surgeon, a dog owner has to provide a proper well balanced food for the dog. Once in a week a dog should be given, meat, rice and not just silver fish and posho throughout.
“Most of the people here in Uganda have a tendency of giving dogs posho and silverfish alone but that not a balanced diet. Just like human beings, dogs too need a balanced diet,” Dr Opori said.

One must endeavour that the flour used to make posho to give dogs has not over stayed. A refreshment should be done at least every after one week to prevent the dog from suffering from hepatitis. “I am experiencing more cases recently of dogs suffering from hepatitis because you find dogs being given flour that has stayed for over eight months. If you cannot eat the posho then your dog should not that kind of posho as well,” Dr Opori adds.

More to feeding, a dog should not be over fed. Dogs from well off families tend to be over fed and end up being obesity so one should make sure the dog is not over fed.

Help your dog live longer
Dr Herbert Muganwa, a veterinary doctor at Countryside Veterinary Clinic Ntinda, the life span of dogs depends on their breed. The big breeds is nine years and 15 to 20 years for smaller breeds. He says the smaller the breeds, the longer they live. He, however, notes that this is in ideal situations where they are well taken care of. “One must care for a dog like they are caring for a human being for it to live longer. Ensure that the food is balanced containing all minerals for the dog to be healthy,” he says, adding: “Whether it is commercial food from supermarket or food prepared at home, know that dogs need nutrients. Dogs love bones, yes, but actually they love the flesh on the bones,” Dr Muganwa says.

He says for a dog to live longer, they need love, care and tenderness. One needs to wash them regularly, shelter them in a very clean environment, but also get time to play with a dog once in a while to shower it with affection. “One thing a dog owner should not forget is to visit a veterinary doctor for checkups in order to know the health of the dog and act appropriately. Treating a disease earlier and advice from the veterinary doctor on how to prevent the disease is very crucial,” Dr Muganwa notes.

Some circumstances one might need to learn how to give first aid one needs to always ask his/her veterinary doctor on how to go about that to save a life in need.

First aid tips for dogs
According to Dr Henry Opori, a veterinary surgeon, common accidents among dogs include:

Bites: Bites among dogs are usually encountered when dogs fight especially during the mating period, puppies at eight weeks have high demand for nutrients yet the mothers lose milk. When puppies do not find milk, it irritates the mother and ends up biting the puppies,among other scenarios.

Dr opori advises that once the bite is noticed clean the area, arrest the bleeding and call for a veterinary doctor for antibiotics to fight tetanus.

Ronald Kyobe a dog consultant, says once the dog has been injured, one can use normal spirit to stop the bleeding for it clots the blood and then take the dog to a veterinary doctor. If the wound is over bleeding, one can gently pour clean water on the wound to stop it from over bleeding.

Burns: There are a number of malicious people out there who will burn the dog or a dog might step on fire and get burnt. One should endeavour to cool the area using ice or clean water and make sure the bleeding is stopped as well. Then call a veterinary doctor immediately or take the dog to the veterinary doctor immediately for medication.

Food poisoning: As a dog owner make it a point to train a dog not to just eat every kind of food they come across because they might end up eating poisoned food. Dr Opori says this can be done by feeding the dog from one specific place so that they get used to that spot. “Dogs are very intelligent and can understand and adhere to most of the things,” Dr Opori adds.
Food poisoning can make the dog vomit. What on needs to do, is to give the dog Oral Rehydration Solution and immediately call a veterinary doctor.

Choking: Dogs rarely choke, but in case they do so, it is an emergency that needs one to immediately call a veterinary doctor.

Safety tips for dogs
According to Ronald Kyobe a dog consultant, a dog should be kept in a fence to avoid it from accidents and can be taken walks once in a while.

Once fumigation is being carried out, a dog should be in separate room or taken for a walk to prevent it from inhaling or ingesting the medicine.

One should endeavour to check around the car before driving off because the dog might be lying next to car.
For a dog to be safe, it has to be vaccinated. Follow the vet’s schedule.

To avoid the dog from choking, endeavour to give it small pieces of food. But in case it chokes, massage its throat for the food to find way as you take it to the veterinary doctor.

Dr Henry Opori, says always observe the environment where your dog is. If as a dog owner one notices anything harmful to the dog it should be eliminated as soon as possible.

Plants dangerous to pets
Some plants in our homes can cause allergies to dogs, discomfort. Some of them once consumed by the pet, especially dogs and cats, they lead to death. Lawrence Lwanyaga, Production manager and teacher CIDI school for gardening and landscaping, Muyenga, shares some of the plants that may be dangerous to your dogs:
Nettle: Nettle plant is a sharp plant with tiny hairs and its leaves sting. It has a spinach like taste. It is commonly used for fencing. It affects the skin for both pets and humans. He says once a pet rubs up against the stinging nettle plants, their skin turns red or they experience redness, swelling and itching. Once the dog has ingested the plant or rubbed himself against the plant, then take the pet to the veterinary doctor as soon as possible.

Dump cane: The dump cane is very dangerous to pets, once ingested, there are high possibilities that the pet will die. Lwanyaga says this plant is mostly for office decor, they rarely sell it to those taking them at home because it is poisonous.

In case your pet likes to chew, this plant should be kept very far away from their reach. Once this plant is taken, it causes, burning of the mouth, Inflammation of the mouth swelling of the throat as well as the lips, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and tongue extended out of mouth, head shaking, and respiratory issues among others. If the dog has taken in too much of this plant it leads to death.

Aloe vera: Dogs should never ingest any part of the aloe vera plant. It is slightly toxic for domestic animals, and will cause vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, depression, and urinary changes.
Dog training
Training the dog varies according to different services the dog owner needs for his or her dog. Services include, behaviour training, poisonous case training, guarding among other trainings.

Poisonous case training involves teaching the dog not to just eat every sort of thing they come across.
This can be done by feeding the dog from one place so that it gets used to that specific place.

training costs Shs 200,000 for five weeks. But remember different dog trainers charge different prices.

In case you need your dog to be groomed in terms of character especially how to live with people, behaviour in general, one will require about Shs400,000 a month though different dog trainers charge differently.

Guarding training. This basically involves teaching the dog watching skills, how to notice something different at home. It costs about Shs400,000.
The three services cost more than Shs750,000 per five weeks depending on the dog trainers.

Dog necessities
One needs to have some of these things before thinking about bringing a dog at home:
Food and water bowls.
Food (canned and/or dry)
Collar
Four to six-foot leash.
ID tag with your phone number.
Hard plastic carrier or foldable metal crate.
Dog bed.
Doggy shampoo and conditioner

Your dog’s health
Dr Herbert Muganwa, of Country side Veterinary clinic in Ntinda, says caring for a dog starts with vaccination. This shields the dog from diseases that can be vaccinated against. Some of the diseases are viral ailments got from a dirty environment. “When the bitch (female dog) is pregnant, she is vaccinated at mid pregnancy to give the unborn puppy immunity and shield it from viruses. If the vaccination does not take place at this stage, then the puppy is vaccinated at six weeks,” he says.

Vaccine-preventable diseases
Some of these include rabbies, parvovirosis, leptospirosis, bordetella. Some of the diseases can be passed on to human beings, especially, rabbies, transmissible venereal tumour (sexully transmitted), and parvovirosis. Dr Muganwa says rabbies are vaccinated at six weeks from birth, then annually; parvovirosis at six weeks after birth, eight weeks, 12 weeks then after six months, then annually; bordetella (viral infection) at 12 weeks then annually.

He adds that dogs too, can get cancer and many other diseases yet some of these can be treated. Therefore, one has to visit a licenced veterinary doctor for regular medical check-ups. “Some of the cancer or diseases are genetic. The reason why one needs to be careful while cross breeding. A qualified breeder should be the only person in position to carry to cross breed to avoid breeding from the same parent,” Dr Muganwa advises.
Some of the other diseases dogs suffer from include: rickets, prepuce.

Hygiene
Micheal Wopo, the managing director, Kaisha Dog Trainers Limited, says, one needs to make sure the place where the dog sleeps is always clean.
He advises: “Check the dog’s ears, eyes, inside fur for any ticks and they should be bathed at least once a week with dog shampoo.”

According to Petakids, dogs’ nails should be trimmed regularly so that they don’t break, get snagged on something or get so long that they interfere with normal walking.
Dental health is important for overall health, so remember to brush the dog several times a week. Introduce the toothbrush slowly and gradually.

Dr Henry Opori, says since most of the dogs in Uganda are not brushed, bones should be given to them to clean the teeth so as to avoid them from being brown but also to make them strong.