Hi, me again asking about my adorable but domineering cocker spaniel.

1. Why does my dog always want to rub her backside up against me and our furniture? It is almost as if she is scratching but I know that isn't it. Maybe she is rubbing her scent on things?

2. She has very bad breath. I give her "greenies" which I heard are supposed to help, but it doesn't. Any tricks for doggie halitosis? How often should I brush her teeth?

3. We got her from a rescue shelter and she has bad separation anxiety, so we kennel her when we aren't' home. We have had her about 8 months and she is starting to get adjusted. However, lately she has been barking some while we are away. Most of the time she doesn't, but it is random. We had guests for a week over Thanksgiving and since then she has been more anxious about us leaving.

That's all for now. I'm taking advantage of this new found site since I'm a pretty new pet owner :). Thanks.

1 She may be leaving a little scent on you and the furniture to claim you and her territory. Or her glands may need emptying. Next vet visit or if you have her groomed, have them empied. Maybe even ask at a pet shop that does grooming.

2 Greenies are dangerous. There is a big class action lawsuit over them now. I don't feed any consumable chews including rawhide. Feeding a dry chow helps with the breath. You could start brushing her teeth 3 times a week, and if it helps some, try more.

3 You might try the Kong with peanut butter in it. Freezing it makes it last even longer.

If you need a second opinion, I agree with everything in labman's post. Just to reinforce it, stop the greenies. I am surprised you are still able to find them for sale. I thought they were removed from shelves.

The less human food you feed her, the less problem with bad breath and tartar on the teeth you have to deal with. If I read your other post correctly, she is 6 years old. Do you know if she has had her teeth cleaned by a vet? She may have some tartar buildup and requires a good cleaning. Next vet visit, as him/her if it is needed.

She is 6 and has tartar. The groomer brushes her teeth, but would a vet do a better job? I'm surprised to hear about the greenies being bad. Everyone I know swears by them and they sell like hot cakes at Pet Smart. Any specific suggestions for similar treats? I have her glands suppressed about every 6 weeks. Should it be done more often? Oh, I had given her a kong with peanut butter at first then switched to greenies. I'll go back to the kong. Good idea to freeze it.

Dogs are like little kids, they tend to swallow things just big enough to choke on. What makes Greenies so dangerous is that dogs can quickly gnaw them down to where they can gulp the whole thing down. Even Nylabones eventually get too small for the dog. With a 3 month old in the house, I now have all the Nyla nubbins out again I put up with the larger dogs. We are keeping a friend's dog on Friday. I will have to go through and pick them all up. The puppy will be quite happy to chew on him instead. He is 6 years old, and I am pleased how tolerant he is of our puppies. Our 14 year old won't tolerate their sharp little teeth.

There are other consumable chews out there advertised as teeth cleaning. I wouldn't risk them. Nylabone makes some softer chews with a nubby texture they advertise as being good for the breath. They are fine for many dogs, but again, some will chew the up too fast. Many puppies ago, I had one destroy one in an hour. After that, she did without soft chews. Some dogs even destroy Kongs.

SJV, in reference to the tartar, just brushing the teeth doesn't take the tartar buildup off the teeth. The vet needs to remove the tartar. Think of it in terms of humans going to the dentist every 6 months to get a good cleaning & check up. When the dentist cleans our teeth, he is removing the tartar buildup and doing a general health check of the mouth, gums, teeth. Vets do that for dogs. This is why it is important to minimize giving human food and soft treats to a dog, and sticking to kibble. The kibble scrapes the teeth and keeps tartar at a minimum. There are treats & toys out there that will also help minimize the tartar, and greenies isn't one of them. They are too soft. Please listen to labman on his suggestions. Although the people at PetSmart are very nice, they haven't done any research. They are there to sell you the products they carry. They repeat whatever sales spiel they have heard about a product. At 5 1/2 years old, my "permanent" dog just had her first cleaning because the vet felt it was time. I am hoping that we won't have to go through that for another 5 years. My objective is to keep her mouth healthy which will allow her to keep her teeth for her entire lifetime. I don't know if you have ever seen it, but when dogs have not had the proper dental care, they lose their teeth, just like humans. Last year I was watching a 13 year old large breed dog "gumming" his food like an old man. When their teeth are allowed to become diseased from poor/no dental attention, it hurts them to eat.

Just as an addition, if you are so compelled to give her a "bisquit" type treat outside of what labman has suggested, I recommend the "Mother Hubbard" bisquits. They are all natural, no additives or preservatives, and they will help with the tartar buildup. My dog has digestive problems as a result of a poor start in life. I have to be very careful about what she eats. Those are the only edible treats I will allow her to have from time to time because they are the only ones that help with tartar buildup, do not have a negative impact on her digestive tract, and she loves them.