why does our dog pull out his hair?

Question

hes a 12 yr old chow mix he lives outside but is bathed once a week. at first we thought it might be fleas so we got advantix and he no longer has fleas but continues to pull out his hair. its not his food weve tried different brands.

any ideas what it could be

hes physically pulling it out with his teeth.

Answer 1

there is a number of things that could be it. 1)fleas or ticks or mosquitos, but you said you had the medicine for that so that COULD possibly be discarded. 2) because you bathe him once a week and he is an outside dog, you may be drying his skin and fur of necessary oils. A lot of people bathe their dogs too much but the dogs don't always show signs against this. 3)recently improper diet, sometimes, even after years of feeding the same thing, dogs can actually stop transfering nutrients from the food to their bodies. Also, it could be a sensative spot he has developed as an allergy. This is possible given the time of year. I suggest that you let him go a few weeks, at least 2-3 weeks without batheing him. He won't smell too bad. Next, if you have a lawn, go out and get some of the lawn bug killer but the liquid kind not the powder. Or, if you can get both at the same time it would be okay. Just make sure the liquid is dry before let him back onto the grass. Food, stick with one type of food but make it a good quality food and don't switch it off from one week to the next. Try either Natural Balance, Canidae, Royal Canin, Wellness or anything from teh superior balance formulas. They are a little more expensive than others but the tradeoff is worth it. Since he is 12 yrs old already, i won't say excersise him too much but make him move around a little more than he does. We had a shepherd years ago that was doing that so we mixed iodine and alcohol into a spray bottle and sprayed all over that spot. Its kinda like a way of stopping them from putting their mouth in that area. Also, if he has cut skin, it will help heal faster. As for the temp, most dogs are able to live in various environments and a dog like the chow should be able to adapt to it. If it is too hot, i'd suggest getting the hose and wetting him once during the day when the sun is up. Your not bathing him but you are getting him wet to help him keep cool.

Answer 2

Dog Pulling Hair Out

Answer 3

Many people love the idea of owning a dog but one thing that they have to keep in mind often times, is that the dog needs to be trained. While the pet may look heart-breakingly cute when it's in a shelter or at the pound, picking out the dog is only the first part of the relationship between dog owner and the animal. Many people don't understand that they have to put time and effort into socializing the dog.

An unsocialized dog will intimidate others, tear up the home, and will create an environment that can become so bad that the it will have to be returned. Many times when dogs have to be returned to shelters or to other resources, it will end up euthanized, which is very heartbreaking. All of this can be spared if a person learns the various techniques in order to socialize the dog.

One thing that they have to understand is that the he wants to be told what to do. It's in the canine nature to follow a leader. The dog will be more than willing to obey the leadership of its master. Here's a look at some common techniques that are used in dog training:

"Dog Whispering"

This is a technique that has been around for a while, but gained national notoriety over the last 10 years. Some people might hear this term and wonder how in the world whispering to a dog can train it! Whispering isn't meant to be taken literally in this case. As trainers have shown, whispering is a term that refers to connecting with a being or an entity on a very deep and almost spiritual level. When it comes to dog training techniques, dog whispering involves careful observation of the dog's behavior and actions.

It literally entails getting inside the mind and the behavior system of the canine. When a person uses dog whispering techniques, they interact with the dog on the canine level. Again, one the most common mistakes that people make is treating the dog like a small human being.

"Reward Training"

Reward training is very simple and it's one of the older tricks that works. This is a simple method of training the dog by positive reinforcement. Once he does what it is told to do, it receives a treat. How this works is that the dog owner must entice the dog towards the treat. Once the canine develops awareness for the treat, it develops a strong desire for it. When the desire for it is extremely strong, the dog owner pulls back. Then the dog receives a command and when the dog obeys the command, it receives the treat. The object is to make the dog associate a treat with the command.

"Clicker Training"

Other dog training techniques include one that is similar to reward training, which is called clicker training. How this works is that the clicker is incorporated to get the dog's attention. The clicker is clicked as a form of communication with the dog. It learns that there is a command or reward associated in conjunction with the clicker. Many people claim that this is fun, and they actually make a game with the dog by using the clicker for their dog training tasks.

"Ultrasonic Whistle"

Last, a relatively new form of dog training technique is called the ultrasonic whistle. This works because the ultrasonic sound is only heard by the dog. When the owner is trying to communicate a command, or stop the dog from barking, they will blow on their whistle when they want to communicate a command to the dog. The benefit of this is that the humans can't hear this noise, but the dog can hear it, and they will learn to associate the sound with a command.

Dog training techniques aren't hard to incorporate, but they are something that absolutely must be incorporated from the time a dog owner brings their new dog home. No matter how old or how young the dog is, they will need training. Once they are trained properly, they will be a wonderful addition to one's family.

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Answer 4

My moms dogs do the same thing except one bit her tail off. They were both around 12 or 13 years old. They tried all the good flea stuff from the vet and it did nothing. So I told my vet about it and he said it might be food allergies, or hot spots.

Dogs most susceptible to hot spots are those with heavy coats and histories of allergies, ear infections, flea infestations, irritated anal sacs, and grooming problems such as hair tangles and mats, but any dog can develop this infection. Dogs in warm, humid climates may develop hot spots when they shed their undercoats if the dead hair is trapped next to the skin, and dogs with behavior problems may mutilate themselves by licking and thus encourage an infection to become established.

The most common locations for hot spots are the legs and feet, flanks, and rump — areas that can be reached by licking or biting — but these localized infections can also appear on ears, neck, and chest if the dog is continually scratching.

Answer 5

The owner of the dog needs to know how to "operate" the dog, same way you can get into a car that's in perfect running order but if you don't know how to drive you won't have much luck making the car go anywhere. If the owner doesn't know how to maintain the training, the dog will soon become untrained again. Read more here https://tinyurl.im/SwZ6Z

People seem to think that once a dog is trained, that's it. Not true. You must reinforce the dog's training every single day in some way. It's best if the owner and the dog go together to get trained. As a professional trainer once said to me "We can train any dog in 2 days. It takes longer to train the owners

Answer 6

If its a hot spot it would look like a sore or a rash. Does his skin look hm splotchy? If not it could be severe allergies some pets can be allergic to quite a few things you should talk to your vet about an allergy test I don't remember how its done but I know there is treatment either pills or a monthly injection depending on how sever it is...but the best thing to do is take him to your vet before it gets worse.

Answer 7

Oh dear. Chows, purebred and mixes, and the great outdoors DO NOT mix. I would like to start by chastizing you for keeping such a great dog outside. But its really none of my business so I will not. Fleas are the cause of Scratching, not ripping hair out. It sounds like your little babe there is having stress issues. Which, by the way, can be caused by many things. Does your dog have toys? My dog licks his feet when he gets bored to the point that they develop sores. Does your dog have a constant supply of water? Is he fed twice daily? Is it HOT where you live? Chows have tremendously thick coats. Do you brush your dog daily? Yes, even chow mixes need to be brushed daily to avoid tangles and mats in their fur. It only takes about ten minutes. I recommend using a slicker and they cost about eight dollars at Petsmart. Overheating is the number one cause of stress in outdoor dogs. Make sure you dog has plenty of cool water and a nice shady tree to lay under. If you don't have a tree, create some sort of doggie shelter. Doghouses can get too hot as well. Well. If none of these could possibly be a problem, I advise seeing your vet. Your dog is getting up in age...and it could be a neural problem.

Answer 8

He's a baby. My boyfriends little brother does that to the cats and he bites the dogs back not to hurt him but he thinks he's hugging him. As long as your dog isn't like filthy it's probably not gonna hurt. Babies don't understand, their gonna do what they want too lol. Edit: You're not a bad parent. He's a freakin baby and I'm sure you don't leave him alone with the dog. It's really not that bad.

Answer 9

sounds like obsessive disorder. Mine is being treated for this. Before you try acupuncture and the calming herbs, which works great, you can try the other part, which is to get the dog interested in chewing lots of tastier things. You'll have to break this obsessive cycle.

Answer 10

mites ,so thats what this fellow told me the other day he told me to get some kind of dipp, and use ..mine dog is a little chiuaua so idont know how to speell he looks fine then one day he just has balled spot on his back where he naws an pulls .. i asked the fellow
was it mange he told me that there isnt mange that its mites that is troubling him.and that a long time ago they gave it the name mange but its just mites get mite dipp for dogs .tryit just dont dro0wn the pets in it... mite dipp im telling you and i havent tried it yet but i plan too .Veteriinarian has the dipp