How can I stop my dog chasing joggers?
Q My 10-month-old male German shepherd has a bad habit of trying to chase after cyclists and joggers. Scolding him makes no difference and seems to make it worse. I dread seeing cyclists and runners when we are out.
A Young dogs like yours enjoy chasing, which is probably a throwback to hunting behaviour in the wild. Much of chasing about, with other dogs, for example, is harmless play, but lunging at or chasing moving objects such as bikes and joggers is a potentially serious problem. To a dog the behaviour is fun and telling him off adds to the excitement without helping, as you have found. Because you are potentially liable for any injury caused by your dog I recommend a training programme devised by a behavioural specialist as a long-term solution. Suitably qualified persons are normally members of groups such as the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (apbc.org.uk). In the meantime I can make a few suggestions. For the time being, always keep the dog on a short lead, not a flexi one, and with a halti collar. These collars, available online or from pet shops, enable you to prevent pulling by closing the halti and gently turning the head to the side. You can begin by training your dog to sit on command, with the use of the halti. Good behaviour is quickly learned if always rewarded with a treat. The next step is sitting on command whenever cyclists are near, with help of the programme by the behaviourist.
Q Our 10-year-old male neutered cat has developed a lump between his shoulder blades. The vet took some samples and has diagnosed a “soft tissue sarcoma”, referring us to a specialist surgeon, as these tumours can be difficult to remove.
A Sarcomas can be quite troublesome because they need very wide margins at the time of surgery to minimise the possibility of recurrence. Although they can spread, recurrence is overwhelmingly the problem. Veterinary specialists in this type of surgery often say that the first surgery is the best chance of cure. Recurrence makes things much more difficult. A particularly aggressive form of this tumour was reported for the first time in 1991. It was thought to be associated with some vaccines and was initially called vaccine-associated sarcoma. Then it was established that many different injections could potentially be a cause and it has been renamed injection-site sarcoma. As lots of cats are injected between the shoulder blades it is not surprising that lumps in this site might occur. Not all soft-tissue sarcomas are caused by injections, however, as some occur in sites where injections are never given. Specialist surgeons will have more experience with injection-site sarcomas and when possible, my own preference was to refer these cases. Before operating the surgeon will want to do a CT scan to see how extensive it is and whether there is any spread. This enables surgical planning to ensure that no cancer cells are left behind, hopefully resulting in a cure in many cases.