In this episode we discuss Great Danes, the myth surrounding dog ageing, caring for your dog in summer, and a truly remarkable Wagtastic Woof.
Is the UK becoming a small dog country? We take a look at an article that suggests this is the case, but all is not as clear cut as it may seem.
Do dogs age at the same rate as humans? We discuss the findings of some recent studies that might just change the way you look at your dog.
Do you know the signs of heatstroke? What can we do to help our best friends survive the rigours of summer? Listen to the podcast to find out more.
We pay tribute to a crime-fighting canine with a truly remarkable record, and celebrate his dedication to protecting us.
In this episode we discuss Great Danes, the myth surrounding dog ageing, caring for your dog in summer, and a truly remarkable Wagtastic Woof.
Is the UK becoming a small dog country? We take a look at an article that suggests this is the case, but all is not as clear cut as it may seem.
Do dogs age at the same rate as humans? We discuss the findings of some recent studies that might just change the way you look at your dog.
Do you know the signs of heatstroke? What can we do to help our best friends survive the rigours of summer? Listen to the podcast to find out more.
We pay tribute to a crime-fighting canine with a truly remarkable record, and celebrate his dedication to protecting us.
Hello, and welcome to the first ever episode of Talk2ThePaw, a brand new podcast devoted entirely to dogs. I'm Caroline Bartley and in each dogcast, I'll be bringing you the latest pooch related news and research as well as discussing how and why these fabulous animals make such a huge contribution to our lives. Aiding me in this mutty marathon will be dog trainer and canine nerd, Scott Andrews. Scott, welcome. Let's set the scene first by explaining a little bit about your background.
Scott Andrews:Okay. Well, I'm a qualified canine instructor and I also hold certificates in dog handling, instructor skills, canine aggression, canine cognition, and canine evolution.
Caroline Bartley:And the idea behind this dogcast, what is it exactly that you hope to achieve?
Scott Andrews:First and foremost, I think one of the biggest difficulties nowadays facing us is the amount of information that we are confronted with every day. So for dog owners, when you're looking for articles or, you're actually looking online for something to be of assistance to you, it's really difficult to work out what is fact, what is useful, what is truthful? And I hope somehow that this podcast can act as a filter for all of you. The second thing that is really important to me and I hope important for both of us is that we love dogs. We want to celebrate them for all the wonderful things they bring us and some of the remarkable things that they succeed at, that they carry out in doing every single week. And lastly, on a much more personal note, my own poor dog. I have a Scottish terrier at home who has suffered for a long, long time with a particularly nasty illness with no cure. And this dog is so resilient and so unbelievably strong that he has taught me things I never realized about myself. So I feel it's my obligation to him to try and pay it back.
Caroline Bartley:Your passion for dogs comes through very strongly, but what is it particularly about dogs that you love so much?
Scott Andrews:Dogs offer us a remarkable opportunity to connect with a species that's entirely different. I don't know, well actually I'm sure some of you at home have experienced that moment where you're trying to teach the dog to sit and you repeat it, and the dog looks at you absently and you get somewhat of a derpy face and you're thinking to yourself,'Oh my goodness, this is never going to happen.' And the dog looks away, sometimes looks over its own shoulder and it has this moment of thought before it realizes'I know!' and suddenly it sits down and you've built a language that crosses species. This is something beyond words for me. This is something magnificent. And honestly it's the best part of every single day for me
Caroline Bartley:We very much want this to be as interactive an experience as possible. So please get in touch. We are on Twitter@Talk2ThePawPod. That's using the number two and you can find us on facebook@www.facebook.com/Talk2ThePawPod. Introductions done. let's get down to business and time for the first of our regular features. It's The Twilight Bark. So what news story has caught our eye? Well wonder no more, Mail Online featured an article about the British public falling out of love with the Great Dane, that particular breed popular, of course, thanks to the hugely successful Scooby Doo cartoon. So Scott, the love affair is no more. Tell us why.
Scott Andrews:Going back to the eighties when Scooby Doo was most popular, specifically 1980, Great Danes reached the peak of their popularity and three thousand Great Danes were registered in that year. Since then, the numbers have been steadily declining. In 2019, only 855 Great Danes were registered which was a decline of about 69%, which would make it the lowest number in 50 years.
Caroline Bartley:Could you just clarify what a registration is and the significance of it?
Scott Andrews:So, a registration is when a pedigree puppy is born, so, it could be a dog of any breed that you have to register the dog, you get papers from the Kennel Club to prove that it's full pedigree. That way you're able to show it and take it to Crufts or whatever on earth you want to do with it. So essentially 855 full pedigree Great Danes were born in 2019.
Caroline Bartley:Why are people less inclined to want a Great Dane do you think?
Scott Andrews:Well, the most obvious point to make is that a Great Dane is the size of a small horse. You know, they are incredibly large dogs and we are living very much in a micro world. Many of us now live in apartments and flats in big overpopulated cities and we simply, we don't have the space. The other thing to consider is that Great Danes were a hunting dog of t ype originally, they were used to hunt wild boars back in the 16th century,
Caroline Bartley:Is the UK becoming a nation of small dog lovers?
Scott Andrews:According to the Kennel Club, I'd say no. Every year they release a popular breeds list and if you actually look at the very top of it would be Labradors, they are now the most popular dog within the UK. Similarly, there is a endangered breed list and actually within that list, some of the dogs that you will find include Bloodhounds, Irish Wolfhounds, the King Charles Spaniel, the Mastiff, The Field Spaniel and the Queen's favorite, the Welsh Corgi. This in itself is a great mixture, a great difference in size. You know, there are big dogs and small dogs there.
Caroline Bartley:Okay. So when you talk about endangered dogs, what actually defines a dog as being endangered?
Scott Andrews:By definition, it refers to a breed of dog where less than 300 puppies were registered with the Kennel Club within a single year.
Caroline Bartley:So, going back to our friends, Scooby Doo, the Great Dane. Are Great Danes likely to disappear from UK households all together, bearing in mind everything that you've just told us?
Scott Andrews:Well to put into context, the Great Dane had 855 registrations in 2019 and the Irish Red and White Setter had only 39. So I think it's fair to say that contrary to what the article suggests, there's no chance of the Great Dane disappearing anytime soon,
Caroline Bartley:Time for the science bit. Here on Talk2ThePaw, we know you're passionate about dogs and want to play your part in making their lives better. There's a phenomenal amount of scientific research being done to aid this, but it's not making its way into the public domain where it can be used practically. So in this section, the Doggler Effect, we're going to try and bust some myths, demist those lab goggles and make this doggy science digestible. Scott, what's the topic under the microscope this time round?
Scott Andrews:I'm pretty sure that everybody can think of one very famously held belief about dogs and their age. Can you read my mind, Caroline?
Caroline Bartley:Um, I'm going to try. Um, the common assumption that I have, and I'm sure many other people will have as well for aging your dog, is that it's, it's one dog year for every seven human years. Is that right? Have I got that the right way? Now I'm beginning to doubt myself.
Scott Andrews:I would rather say it's seven human years to every dog year. So, for instance, think about your own dog. How old's your dog now?
Caroline Bartley:My little dog is actually she's 17 in September. Oh my Lord. That means, well, she's extraordinarily old anyway, but, but even more extraordinarily old, if my calculations are correct, let me do a quick mental, 17 by seven. That is, one, she's 119 years old.
Scott Andrews:Now, does she act like she's 119 years old?
Caroline Bartley:In her case? She absolutely does. God bless her. Yes, she does.
Scott Andrews:You know, interestingly enough, I have a Scottish Terrier. Um, n ow he i s s even years old, which would make him 49, but being a t errier himself an d a particularly vocal one, very often, he sounds like he's 80. First thing in the morning. I'm greeted by
Caroline Bartley:That sounds more like a sheep than a dog, to be honest, but let's go with it.
Scott Andrews:No, no, no. Sorry. The first thing in the morning, he likes to begin by doing his sheep impression.
Caroline Bartley:Of course he does.
Scott Andrews:And then he makes grumbling noises all day, all day and all night. And you look at him and you think like, you're meant to be seven years old, but with your big distinguished beard you're acting like you're 72. Anyway, I digress a little bit. So, our subject going back to it, aging. Recently, there's been a study published that has examined changes in dogs DNA. Now it's been published in the journal Cell Systems. Strap in people. This is going to get seriously nerdy.
Caroline Bartley:Okay. Do we need to go and grab a cup of tea?
Scott Andrews:You may need a coffee to keep yourself awake. I will try to make it as simple and sensible as possible. So basically in this study, they looked at chemical marks in the DNA called methylation marks. Now, as you age, these marks change and they control growth patterns. Humans have them, dogs have them. And this was the first time they were looking at these marks in dogs and they discovered a few astonishing things. Primarily, it was the fact that dogs age very quickly during their first five years and then they slow down. That basically means that the seven year myth has been debunked.
Caroline Bartley:I'm sure that will surprise a lot of people. Did this study give or suggest any reason why these first five years of a dog's life were particularly affected by this?
Scott Andrews:No, no, unfortunately not. The study didn't go that far. What I can tell you about the study and there are some important pieces of information, the study used 104 Labrador puppies. The youngest was just a few weeks old. The oldest was about 16 years. I'd love to be able to explain the calculations in great depth, but I'm not Einstein or Dr. Sheldon Cooper. What you need to know is that you can find how to do the calculation online and you will require a scientific calculator. But what I can tell you- a one year old dog by his DNA is 41 years old.
Caroline Bartley:No!
Scott Andrews:Yes. A two year old, sorry, a three year old dog is 49.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:A five-year-old dog is 60.
Caroline Bartley:Okay now even, even with my limited grasp of maths, this is making no sense whatsoever.
Scott Andrews:Just wait for it, it gets better. A seven year old dog is 62.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:And a 12 year old dog is 70.
Caroline Bartley:A 12 year old dog is... Okay.
Scott Andrews:Yes, and so, you have to keep the study in context, right? This is specifically on DNA.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:So it doesn't mean that a dog behaviorally could be 70, it's just by the dog's DNA pattern that the dog is 70 years by his, I suppose you'd call it his genetic makeup.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:The first point I questioned about this when I saw this was that, this is a study uniquely focused on Labradors.
Caroline Bartley:Of course, yes.
Scott Andrews:Now within dogs, there are hundreds of small breeds and large breeds.
Caroline Bartley:Of course, yes.
Scott Andrews:it's commonly accepted that small breeds do tend to live shorter lives. The study needs to be broader for us to really know how accurate this is. Now when I read it, it brought me back to, u m, t h ere's a study ar ound a long time ago now probably two or three years ago. In, u h, t he domestic dog, they found that there's a great difference between German Shepherds, ordinary dogs and wolves. What we u sed to refer to as the fear stage in a do g. So this is the moment when a dog goes from being excited about new things and novel items to being afraid of them. Does that make sense?
Caroline Bartley:Ah-ha yeah.
Scott Andrews:Nowadays, scientists are referring to it as the avoidance of novelty.
Caroline Bartley:The avoidance of novelty?
Scott Andrews:Yes, I much prefer the fear stage as it makes much more sense.
Caroline Bartley:Yeah.
Scott Andrews:Now in most dogs, the fear stage doesn't begin until eight weeks. Okay?
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:In wolves six weeks.
Caroline Bartley:So earlier in wolves?
Scott Andrews:But wait for it. I do hope we've got some German Shepherd owners listening.
Caroline Bartley:I'm sure we have.
Scott Andrews:Because German Shepherds fear stage begins at five weeks.
Caroline Bartley:Oh, no. Oh, poppets.
Scott Andrews:My question, when I think about this new study about dog ages, if it's known that German Shepherds mature much faster than normal dogs, this study on Labrador DNA may well be different depending on the breed.
Caroline Bartley:Yes.
Scott Andrews:Obviously the whole story about this seven year myth being debunked has been picked up by some bigger papers and bigger magazines because it's, you know, within general interest, but there was another study published quite recently that hasn't gained that much attention.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:Now this was by Royal Society Publishing, and this was a study that took place on potential guide dogs. Within the group, it included German Shepherds, Labradors and Golden Retrievers, and it was focused upon two specific types of behavior. They asked the caregivers of the dogs to mark the d ogs for social behaviors, such as, u m, attachment. Does the dog seek attention from the owner? Does the dog sit very close? Does it have a strong bond with someone in the house? Additionally, they a sked them to mark them for separation behaviors, such as shivering when they're alone or trembling when the owner goes out. And what they discovered was that w ith dogs who scored high on either s cale entered puberty a t five months
Caroline Bartley:Entered puberty?
Scott Andrews:Puberty.
Caroline Bartley:I wasn't aware that dogs went through puberty.
Scott Andrews:Dogs go through almost every period that humans do. They share some of the same, um, disorders that we do. Dogs, for example, can experience obsessive compulsive disorder and a myriad of other problems that you see more often in humans, but it wasn't unique about the dogs going through puberty. What was unique that the dogs with the high scores went through puberty at five months, but the dogs with low scores on either scale went through at eight months. Why is this important? This showed that their relationships with caregivers showed changes in their reproductive development. So you think, for example, teenagers...
Caroline Bartley:Do we really need to think about teenagers?
Scott Andrews:Oh yes. I'm going there.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:So you think teenagers who have close relationships or more distant relationships with their parents have been shown to go through reproductive development earlier.
Caroline Bartley:Okay.
Scott Andrews:So now scientists can't explain this commonality. They assessed a separate group of 69 dogs. First at five months and later at eight months. They asked the dog's caregiver, and then they asked a stranger to ask the dog to sit. All of the dogs that were pre-adolescent sat for both people. But when the same puppies reached adolescence, they didn't sit for their caregiver. They only sat for the stranger.
Caroline Bartley:How extraordinary!
Scott Andrews:So, you know, this is telling us that dogs behaviors through adolescence mirror t hat of teenagers.
Caroline Bartley:When you talk about, because I'm conscious of, um, particularly that last study, um, the attachment that you mentioned, so would the onset of puberty, would that potentially make them more likely to be, um, a good guide dog?
Scott Andrews:To be honest, the study doesn't actually give us any feedback about that. All it talks about is how these findings influence our perceptions of dogs and puberty, but the important thing, and to be honest, the quite wonderful development from this study is this. If you at home, happened to have a dog between the age of five and eight months, and it starting to defy you, it's starting to behave in a disobedient manner. We now have a scientific explanation. We now know that bonding impacts a dog's obedience. Now we need more studies that look at the impact of bonding exercises is to see if we can lessen the impact of this adolescent period. The second discovery from this study is extremely valuable to dog shelters, because when you think you have a dog in a shelter, you're looking for a home, you know, you want to rehome the dog, the dog is five months old, six months old. This dog has been in a shelter, it's not going to have had a chance to bond. And if someone does come to take that dog home, the chances are they're going to be met with the defiant behavior of a teenager. And this offers shelters the opportunity to make a plan to ensure that that dog doesn't come back to them. Now, this could completely change the numbers of dogs that are being returned to shelters within that age category.
Caroline Bartley:Plus the trauma of the dog, having been plucked for whatever reason from the situation that it has been in most likely the home that it has been put into the quite, um, unnatural surroundings of a shelter. So that's added trauma as well.
Scott Andrews:Yeah, and we don't know whether that will impact the dog's attachment behavior. To be honest, this study hopefully will open a body of research into this period in a dog's life, and what we as owners can do better to help them to ensure that they don't have this dreadful existence of being returned to the shelter again and again. To put it into a broader context just to finish up that when you combine this information that this news that adolescents, well adolescent experiences impacts canine behavior, and it actually changes the biological mechanism of a dog. So as I mentioned before, dogs go through puberty earlier. And when you combine that with the fact that dogs do not age in the way we have always imagined them to, it leaves us with one very tricky question. How do dogs age? Because it seems that I don't know, and science doesn't know, either.
Caroline Bartley:In each episode we want to talk about items that have piqued our interest. And for our first outing, we're looking at summer toys, particularly cooling aids. It's hard to believe, I know, but there are unsubstantiated rumors that summer has arrived in some parts of the UK. So how do you keep a dog cool on a sweltering summer day and are cooling toys of any real benefit Scott? First off, do they actually work?
Scott Andrews:Well that's a very good question because every summer time you'll find that the internet is awash with gadgets and ideas. And unfortunately, they're not really that useful. You know, you think for example, on a summer's day, most of us like to eat an ice cream and we eat the ice cream, and as soon as that ice cream gets down into our stomach, the digestive process warms us back up again. The toys that I've seen, they include various plastic balls and bones that are filled with water and frozen. They actually do very little to lower core temperature
Caroline Bartley:In that case then, if these toys don't work in your opinion, how can dogs actually cool themselves down? Obviously there's some sort of natural process they have?
Scott Andrews:Yes, dogs actually cool themselves down in a very different way to the way we do. Whereas we would sweat a tremendous amount on a summer's day. Dogs can only sweat through their paw pads. And you imagine they are releasing that heat through their paw pads whilst wearing a fur coat. So it tends to not be that effective on a summer's day. The second way in which they call off is by panting. Now, panting can also be a very serious indicator of troubles to come.
Caroline Bartley:So you talk about, um, signs of dogs being in distress. Can you elaborate on what the signs of heatstroke are? Because I would imagine that's as it is for humans can be potentially serious. The same would be for dogs as well, is that right?
Scott Andrews:Yes. Unfortunately, heatstroke can kill dogs if it's not seen or treated quickly. Now, as I mentioned previously, the panting is always one big sign and you do often see with dogs that are seriously overheated, their tongue hanging out of the corner of their mouth. There are a number of other symptoms such as dribbling, one, which is easiest to spot, you'll see your dog wobbling. So it will be walking almost... It will look perhaps drunk or, you know, quite uncoordinated. Um, you may also see a dog having trouble to stand up, at its worst dogs will begin to vomit. It's also worth bearing in mind that the age of your dog will also impact how a dog experiences heat. Older dogs will have bigger problems, larger docs have even more difficulty cooling themselves down. Um, also nowadays brachycephalic dogs. So by brachycephalic, I mean dogs with short noses and fairly stubby faces, such as Pugs and Bulldogs have an incredibly hard time. And of course dogs with thick coats will struggle more.
Caroline Bartley:How do you avoid heatstroke in dogs then?
Scott Andrews:Well, the first and the most obvious thing that you can do, I don't know if you've ever done this on yourself or an elderly relative. When we're dehydrated as humans, if you pinch the skin on the back of your hand and you actually watch it fall back into place, when you're healthy and fully rehydrated the process happens quickly. But when you're dehydrated the skin sometimes can take a few seconds to return to normal. You can pinch the skin on the back of the dog's shoulders and if it takes a little to fall back into place, then your dog is dehydrated. There are some obvious, common sense things that you can do. If you are out in your garden and you're spending some time out in the sun, make sure there's a shaded area with some water for your dog. When you do actually go out and you take your dog for a walk, try to use the shade, use a slower pace, and don't ever forget the pavement test.
Caroline Bartley:This is probably me being a little bit stupid. Elaborate on what that pavement test is. You're probably going to tell me now it's something very simple, indeed.
Scott Andrews:It's when you check how hot the pavement is. So you take your hand and you place your hand down on the pavement and you count to five and if you can't hold your hand on the surface of the pavement for five seconds, then it's too hot to expect your dog to be able to walk on it.
Caroline Bartley:So that would be the, the canine of equivalent. And for all you parents out there, you probably know what I'm going to say, running a bath for, um, your, your baby, your, your toddler, you dip the elbow in, and if the water is too, too hot for your elbow, then it means it's too hot for the baby. So the pavement test is something similar, but for dogs.
Scott Andrews:Yes, absolutely.
Caroline Bartley:Yeah, because that's a funny, you mentioned that because I have been guilty of this too. We automatically think as humans that we're doing the right thing. It's a beautiful day, the weather's lovely, gets to around lunchtime and we think'aww such a great day.' Take the dog out for a walk.
Scott Andrews:Yes, and you know, this is common amongst us. I think it was Noel Coward that said that only mad dogs and Englishman go out in the midday sun. The fact is your dog should never be out in the midday sun during summer. Personally, if I'm walking my dog in summertime I will look to go before nine o'clock if possible, before the warmth of the day sets in. If I'm walking a second time later in the day, I won't go before six 0'clock. The last point I do actually want to mention is for those of you out there with anxious dogs, if you do share a home with an anxious dog that tends to follow you around and tends to spend it's days as your shadow, if you've taken that dog out into the garden and you're expecting to get some work done, your dog is gonna follow you the entire time. So if you have an anxious dog, I would strongly suggest it's better to leave the dog indoors when you're working in the garden, unless you yourself are ready to rest in the shade.
Caroline Bartley:I guess all things considered. We need to be prepared for it. If the worst happens and your dog succumbs to heatstroke, what should you do?
Scott Andrews:The most obvious answer is to call the vet immediately. Essentially, if a dog cannot reduce his temperature they will go into heatstroke pretty rapidly. So, obviously first thing we need to do is to lower the dog's temperature. Step one, get the dog to a shaded or a cooler area. Um, next douse the dog in cool, but not cold water. If you just take cold water and you start washing your dog down, you risk your dog going into shock. And that could be a bigger problem. So ideally using something like wet towels, if you've got a fan around, get the fan out on a low setting,
Caroline Bartley:You mentioned there about putting tepid water on the dog. Can you put tepid water directly onto the dog, or is it better done through a medium there, as you talked about, perhaps with a flannel or a tea towel or a towel?
Scott Andrews:Imagine, it's like a child with a fever and you know, you're dotting the, the head with a wet flannel to cool it down. It has to be done gradually. So if you was to apply cold water to the dog straight away, yet again, it's another way you can risk the dog going into shock. Um, and I know it may sound odd, but you must make sure that the dog drinks only small amounts of cool water. If you give your dog too much to drink that can make matters worse, continue to douse the dog with cool water until the breathing returns to normal. Now, by normal, when a dog is too hot you'll see the dog open its mouth and it will be breathing through its mouth in an effort to cool down. So, normal breathing would be with a closed mouth or partially closed mouth, and you'd see the breathing slower, so if you watch the hindquarters of your dog you would see much slower movement, much less violent momentum. So you've gotten the dog's temperature down. You know, you've gradually cooled it down. Even if you think your dog is feeling fine, I would still suggest you take the dog to the vets, for the simple reason, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Caroline Bartley:Okay, so I'm going to attempt to summarize looking after your dog on a warm day. Don't walk the dog in the heat of the midday sun. When you're walking the dog, obviously first thing in the morning or later on in the evening, when the temperature has cooled. Walk at a slower pace. Use the shade, keep the walk reduced in length. Don't walk on hot pavements. If you're concerned that your dog has succumbed to heatstroke, first point of call should always be your vet. You try to lower your dog's core temperature, and you can do that by placing cool, but not cold water on them. For example, if you use, um, a towel or a flannel, something of that nature. Make sure the dog has access to water. And when you're attempting to cool the dog down to a suitable temperature, make sure you don't overdo it and watch for signs of shivering. Would that be a, uh, uh, basically fair summary?
Scott Andrews:That would be the best way to keep your dog safe through a hot hot summer.
Caroline Bartley:And of course we must emphasize if you are concerned at any stage about your dog's behavior, how it's looking, how you think it's feeling, then obviously your vet is the first point of contact. Here at Talk2ThePaw we want to recognize those extra special dogs who've gone above and beyond to enrich our lives and we'd love you to get involved too. whether it's an emotional support dog, a working dog, or simply your pet poodle who carries the newspaper to granny, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch with your nominations and tell us why this phenomenal fur ball holds a special place in your heart. You can find us on Facebook, the address www.facebook.com/talk2thepawpod and of course you can find us also on Twitter@Talk2ThePawPod. The first wagtastic woof is police dog Akie, who's stepping into a well-earned retirement following a wonderful seven years service with Nottinghamshire police. Akie's played a vital role in bringing a number of cons to book, in fact, he holds a 100% success rate and he was showered with plaudits during his career, including a Crown Court recommendation for his contribution to recovering a firearms haul. Injury has forced him to step down from his post, but not before he's passed on some barks of wisdom to his successor, police dog Morse. Have a fabulous retirement Akie and enjoy a very well deserved rest. And that signals the end of our very first dogcast. Hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. Remember. We'd love to hear from you, your stories and comments, questions, and suggestions are all welcomed. You can talk to the paw, contact us on Facebook or Twitter, talk2thepawpod and remember to use that all important number two, in the address. Thanks so much for your company, until next time, goodbye.