Common Small Dog Problems
- Chewing Whether it is your favorite sandals or a bone, a small dog with strong chewing habits will change your shoes into a piece of rubber in no time. Because the reasons for small dog’s chewing are so varied, this habit can be changed by providing some praise and reward reinforcement.
- Urinary Problems Your dog might refuse going outdoors at times like in cold or rain. This may lead to your dog having the urinary incontinence symptoms or other health issues like the bladed infection. One of the primary signs of having urinary tract infection is the urinary incontinence. Apart from this incontinence, other symptoms of urinary infection can be straining while urinating, frequent urination and raised amount of thirst. These signs when combined together can prove to be the result of some serious dog problem and so urinalysis should be done in order to know the problem.
- Hip Dyplasis Even hip dysplasis is a common problem that is suffered by many a small dog. It is actually the health condition which is caused when the dog’s hip joint and femur do not fit well and this further result in stiffness and pain. In some serious conditions, the dog may need euthanasia or surgery to get relief from the pain. It is best to carry on with a balanced diet and proper exercise in order to cure this problem to handle the mild cases of hip dysplasis.
- Anxiety There are times when your dog eliminated when you or some of your family member goes away. In all such situations, the dog feels anxiety in its behavior. Dogs having the problem of separation anxiety have the dysfunctional history and become distressed when their owners leave the house. They then bark or whine immediately and do not consume anything in the absence of their owners.
- Knee Problems Many a small dogs also have the common problem of jumping unnecessarily. If you really wish to stop your dog from jumping all the time, you should be consistent about not to reward it anymore. Never pat it or pamper it when the pet wants to. Also, when the knee structures are sometimes found to be misaligned in some small dogs, it is known as ‘trick knee’. The dog’s kneecaps serve to be the crucial part of the knee joint. The kneecap or patella serves as the pulley thus providing much required leverage for extending the knee when the dog walks.
- Aggressive Behavior Needless to say, some kind of possessive and aggressive behavior of the dog can also prove to be a problem for the pet owners. This may be because of the leash, crate or any other thing in the room. Try to find the reason behind your pet’s aggressive behavior and remove it to keep your small dog happy and healthy.
