Dear Dr. Fox:
When our miniature poodle sees herself in the mirror, she gets all excited and barks at her reflection and runs around.
We have new sliding mirror doors in our basement, and every time she goes down there, she does this. We also have a stand-up mirror in our bedroom that we often have to tilt or cover with clothing so she does not see her reflection from the bed. One would think that after multiple times she would figure out there is no other dog.
Does this poodle’s behavior necessarily mean our dog is either smart or stupid? Is it characteristic of particular breeds?
C.B., Beltsville
DF: Mirror tests have been done with various animal species.
Some, such as elephants and chimpanzees, show reactions when they see that a mark has been put on their foreheads. This might reflect a higher degree of self-awareness, if not narcissism, compared with other species that do not react to a change in their familiar mirror image. Most dogs and cats quickly habituate to seeing themselves reflected in a mirror, but some, like your dog, will make a game of it.
One simple test of awareness is to stand behind the animal while looking into a mirror. The animal will often turn around, knowing that you are standing behind it and look at you. A common reaction among cats and dogs is to go behind the mirror to see whether there actually is another animal there.
How often does your dog see other dogs and interact with them? She might benefit from a doggy play group.
handle food safely
Dear Dr. Fox:
Does your dog food recipe use cooked or raw hamburger mixed in with brown rice?
K.S., Ellicott City.
DF: Bacterial contamination, especially of ground meat, is an increasing public health concern. It is responsible for thousands of cases of food poisoning annually, as well as massive recalls of contaminated food.
First, always handle raw meat and poultry products with care. My dog food recipe calls for combining raw rice, raw ground meat and other ingredients and then cooking the mixture to eliminate the risk of bacterial contamination.
But if you thoroughly mix raw hamburger (ideally from grass-fed, organically certified animals) into rice immediately after the rice is cooked, the high temperature of the rice is sufficient to kill potentially harmful bacteria. Preparing the dog food in this way also helps preserve the nutritional value of the animal protein.
Organically certified meat and poultry products have been shown to have less bacterial contamination and are preferred by those informed pet owners who feed (and handle with care) raw or partly cooked pet foods.
jealous bird
Dear Dr. Fox:
We adopted a blue parakeet that is still jittery around my husband and has nipped his fingers more than once. He’s fine with me and likes to nibble and rub my ear. Sometimes I think he’s courting me. What should we do about his nipping? Is he jealous of my husband?
B.K.G., Arlington County
DF: Your bird is probably used to being around and being handled by women, because birds naturally imprint or develop strong attachments early in life. Ideally, therefore, they should be socialized with male and female handlers and, where possible, with children.
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