Dog haters keep putting out poisoned baits and endangering the lives of countless four-legged friends.
Anti-poison bait training can protect against this.
It is every dog owner's nightmare when the everyday walk suddenly ends in a struggle for survival.
A fate that some dog owners from Frankfurt currently have to share.
A dog hater has laid countless poisoned baits in a park.
The local veterinary clinic tries everything to save the many poisoned dogs - sometimes in vain.
Poisonous dog bait: How to protect your four-legged friend
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Dangerous and in the worst case even deadly: poisonous baits.
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© Christian Mang/Imago
The incident in Frankfurt is shocking and brings up the topic of "poison bait" again.
Again and again it happens that poisoned baits are laid out on paths and roads.
They are often harmful, but sometimes, as in Frankfurt, also deadly.
What those affected have to go through is hard to imagine and the suffering of the dogs is indescribably great.
But how can the four-legged friend be protected from this hidden danger?
Special muzzles are used to prevent dogs from eating unfamiliar food.
However, it should be borne in mind that particularly clever four-legged friends quickly figure out how to catch supposed treats despite their muzzle.
In addition, with acute poison bait warnings, it quickly happens that all muzzles available in the area are sold out.
And if you order online, you have to wait a few days.
A stranger complains about dogs barking and threatens poison in a letter.
Poisonous dog baits: special training can help
Pet owners can also protect their dog from poisoned baits by undergoing special training.
Anti-poison bait training courses are offered in many dog schools, including dog trainer Franziska Herre.
"Such training is not a hundred percent guarantee that nothing will happen," she admits.
"But it reduces the likelihood that the dog will eat a bait." You can find out what to do in an emergency and what symptoms indicate poisoning here.
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With a special anti-poison bait training, the dog learns to leave food on the ground and show it to its owner instead of eating it.
This training is also useful because there are not only poisonous baits lurking on the streets and paths, but also countless poisonous foods that can be just as dangerous for your four-legged friend.
Essentially, anti-poison bait training consists of these essential steps:
Step 1: First, the dog should stop as soon as it sees food.
The four-legged friend is praised when he makes eye contact with the food, which should also prevent him from eating the food on the floor.
Clicker training can also be helpful here.
The aim is for the four-legged friend to stop in front of the food and wait for a release signal.
Only then can he eat the treat.
Step 2: If the first lesson works, it makes sense to teach the dog how to indicate found food on the ground.
He can do this, for example, by sitting down.
First, praise the four-legged friend for the eye contact as in step 1.
Then wait until he sits down on his own and then give him plenty of praise.
If this works, the dog is then only praised for the entire sequence.
So: make eye contact and sit down independently.
List of rubrics: © Christian Mang/Imago
