Pictures of puppies in the workplace..

Research in Japan has shown that having a picture of food on your desk has no effect on your work rate or productivity. Hmm. Ground breaking information, this.

However, a picuture of an adult dog can increase your work rate by as much as 5%.

And a picture of a puppy on your desk can increase your productivity by up to 10%.

Imagine the effect of having a real puppy on your desk....

I'd say that would be a reduction efficiency of about 100%. Until the puppy fell asleep, at which point, having cleaned up the pee, blown the hair off the keyboard, repaired the chewed up mouse cable and spent 10 minutes sighing while silently cooing to yourself about how cute he/she is, you might be ready to start.

Remember, remember, the 5th of... it's firework time again

Q: With bonfire night approaching quickly have you any tips for helping my 9 year old border collie/spaniel cross cope with the sound of fireworks? We keep him indoors, but the noise has him shaking uncontrollably.

A: Keep him indoors during the evenings. Make sure he has a microchip for identification, wears a collar and ID tag at all times, and give him plenty of exercise during the day.

Back at home, give him a large high carbohydrate meal before the fireworks are likely to start, and provide him with a comfortable place to hide away, such as under furniture or even in a cupboard. Close all windows and doors, draw the curtains and turn on some music to muffle the noise outside.

Remember the golden rule of training: you reward with your attention the behaviour you want to encourage, and make every attempt to 'reward' undesireable behaviour by ignoring it.

So when he's a gibbering wreck as yet another rocket goes off in your show-off neighbour's garden, do not sweep him up in your arms and tell him what a good boy he is. You can of course allow him to come to you for comfort. 

Do not even consider punishing him for his fear.

See if you can distract him with games or even a few training exercises and strongly reward any more normal interaction with you. Give him problem solving toys like a Kong stuffed with tasty food. Consider inviting one of his braver buddies round for a sleepover, invest in an Adaptil pheromone diffuser and a 'Sounds Scary' noise phobia CD (www.soundtherapy4pets.com) well in advance.

A letter from a Sunday Times reader...

Dear Andrew

I have just read the above letter in today's Sunday Times, and I just have to respond with the following account of my dog. Please feel free to forward to Mr Reinhard.

My heinz 57 dog, (looked like a cross between a small German Shepherd and a fox!) developed a hacking cough. My first thought: kennel cough, the  vet thought the same. A month later, still had a cough so he said lets try more antibiotics, then, when still had a cough: anti-inflammatories etc etc. Lets check for a foreign body lodged in his throat. Nope, not that. During the course of the next 8 months,  I changed vets 3 times, as no one was coming up with a suitable diagnosis or treatment. The dog had x-rays and even a scan. Cost a fortune. Meanwhile the dog still suffering with a dreadful cough.   

So a friend said try a homeopathic approach. I thought a bit ridiculous, but friend explained what the vet had done for her dog. I was a bit reassured when I checked the vet out to discover that homeopathy is an additional certification undertaken by a conventionally qualified vet. So went to said vet. He took a long history of the dog, which took over an hour. He learned much more about the dog and his personality than any other vet I've been to. I asked a lot of questions about homeopathy and what 'medicines' would be best. Vet said it sometimes takes several goes to get the 'treatment' exactly right, "but when it's right, the results are really dramatic". He then came up with a plan and I went off, more than a little skeptically, I have to say, with a couple of small bottles of hocus-pocus. 

Well, within 24 hours, the dog stopped coughing. It was dramatic alright. Now, I don't know whether the dog would've stopped coughing spontaneously anyway, but I do know the dog doesn't know what a placebo is.

Oh and by the way - I have a first class honours degree in Chemistry and a MA by research, so I know all about scientific method; but I have no idea how homeopathy works or if it does. I only know 3 conventional vets failed to cure my dog in 8 months and one trip to a homeopathic vet cured the dog in 24 hours.

Sincerely, Sam Ray