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Tear Stains - Please note there is no evidence to prove that the solutions mentioned below will work for your own animals.
Tear stains are a big problem with many light coloured dogs and the Bichon breed is no exception. There are many branded products on the market that claim to clear up these stains, but do they work?
There are sometimes underlying causes, such as an infection in the eye or even something as simple as a stray eyelash that is causing discomfort, but in the majority of cases it is simply because of a natural watering from the eyes (similar to our own tears on a windy day) which soak in to the fur allowing microorganisms to grow which results in the discolouration, commonly know as tear stains.
After trying several products on the market we found that they never worked for us and all the money we spent on them could have been put to much better use. We didn't give up however and we came across a simple home remedy that was a cheap and very effective solution that worked for our dog.
You simply add a small cap full of
an own brand cider vinegar in to your animals water bowl each time you fill it up (see pic above). Sounds crazy? but let me explain. The vinegar helps to clear up active yeast infections, which are a source of the discolouration. A dog's system should be PH balanced and Apple cider vinegar adds the acid that many dogs are lacking. Is it safe? well we have been using it for over two years and you can see from the picture on our web site our bitch is very happy, healthy and full of life! so we would say it is absolutely safe!
Also a good quality dog food plays an important part too. If we change our bitches diet or stop adding the vinegar to her water the tear stains return and no amount of bathing or solutions will remove them.
You will find your dogs eyes may still have tears but the tears clog up at the top of the fur (similar to the sleep in our eyes in the morning when we wake) this prevents the tear from moving down into the fur on the nose and thus stops it from discolouring.
This is by no means a medical explanation or solution, it just works for us so we are passing the information on, simply as Bichon owners. We have started our puppies on the same water solution as we start to wean them which ensures they will become accustomed to it from the start.
Please be aware there are suggestions it could damage the enamel on teeth if used in an undiluted form and there are also some people who do not agree with the use of AVC in animals. The link below shows arguments for and against. Please make up your own minds as to whether you try it on your own animals.
Check out these links:
therealowner.com or this one natural-dog-health or wikihow.com
Alternative viewpoints of some people here:
www.earthclinic.com
What worked for you? Please let us know so we can pass it on info@mybichon.co.uk
House Training
The Bichon puppy, although very intelligent, is renowned as being one of the hardest breeds to house train. Nobody knows the reasons for this but it may be simply that they are like children and would rather play than remember to go to the toilet on the paper or toilet pads you put out.
In the first few weeks from birth you don't need to worry about anything as the mother will keep them clean and keep the box clean herself, you would be advised to leave newspapers out for the Bitch though as she seldom leaves the puppies side in the early days and will need quick toilet breaks inside when she has chance.
It is also recommended that dogs are not taken for walks when they are nursing the pups as they could quite easily pick up diseases that are easily passed on to the puppies. Even if your vaccinations are up to date, as they should be, there is still a significant risk. Even using their own garden should be cause for concern. You never know what wild animals or rodents are passing through.
At around four weeks of age the puppies can be introduced to training pads and newspapers, anytime before that and they would not even notice they were there. They will be in the whelping box for the first few weeks anyway.
The best way they will learn in the early stages is by placing the puppies on the mat each time they wake from their sleep, they will almost always go, if they walk away pick them up and place them on the mat again, until they do go. Give them lots of praise and they will learn quickly that after they have been to toilet they can go and play without you picking them up all the time.
Few Bichon's will be fully house trained before they are thee months of age and much older in many cases. Accidents will still happen but as long as your puppy is never too far from the mat they will start to walk on to it to go to toilet. New surrounding will affect how a puppy performs and the quicker they are familiar with their new homes the better it is.
In the early days keep your puppy in a room close to where you will place the mat, close to your back door is ideal. The puppy will learn to explore their environment themselves when they are ready. We have found that after two weeks of training some of the puppies are starting to get the idea. Just remember to guide them along the way as much as you can and you will have a toilet trained dog in no time at all.
Repetition is best way to house train a dog, praising is more effective than shouting. training mats are better than newspapers as they define a definite area as the toilet space rather than a few a sheets of paper that can easily be disturbed. It is important that these mats be placed as close to the door as possible so they puppy learns that this is the one place that they will go to, it will also be easier to move to the next stage of the training if the door leads on to a garden or outside. Do not place mats in different places in the house or have more than one.
If your puppy urinates in the house, you should discourage with a strong, not loud voice, then simply pick it up, it is even better if it is still in the process of still doing it so you can run and place it on the training pad. Then praise the puppy.
oh and remember to wash your hands!. This will be something you will have to do over and over and over and over and over and... well you get the idea. It takes what seems forever but stick with it, they will learn eventually. Remember repetition and keep calm!
Once they have succeeded in learning the mat is a toilet the next stage is to learn that toilet should be outside rather than in. Don't worry though although it seems that you will be starting all over again, it really is a lot easier to train the dog to now go outside rather than inside.
Simply get to know the routine of the times when your dog would usually go to the toilet - maybe after meal times or a few minutes after having a drink and always after waking from a sleep. The next stage is to move the mat outside and keep a close eye on your dog. If they go in search of the mat open the door and show them that it is now outside. Again repetition is the the key, whenever you pet looks to be heading to the toilet, you must follow and open the door. But remember by the 10th week you will be taking your puppy out for walks anyway and this is where they prefer to go to toilet so regular walks, or a few minutes in the garden, will speed the process up to.
This is why it is easier for people who spend more time at home to train their dogs. They need your help, time and attention at all times to learn. Eventually the pads are no more and they will learn that going on the grass is rewarded with praise and that when they stand at the door they can let you know when they want to go out. Go easy on your pet, Bichon's are very sensitive dogs, they will learn eventually, it just takes a little extra patience than usual to get them there.
Although puppies are introduced to training mats early on in their life It still took our dog about three and a half months to be completely accident free while she got used to her new surroundings..