Just heard that the KC have concerns about the misuse of belly bands, I'd never even heard of them before then. What are they, what are they meant to be used for and how could they be abused?
Sarah Stevens, Slough
A Belly Band seems to be an American invention - it's a wrap secured by velcro that goes around a male dog's middle stopping them weeing or even mating! Correctly used they stop dogs from scent marking - particularly useful for hard to housetrain dogs or dogs that may be incontinent. Incontinence pads can be used inside the wrap. The KC are worried about these wraps being too tight or being left on for too long.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI think this is yet another terrible invention to stop people taking care of their dogs, if you choose to have a dog then nature will tell him when he wants to wee, just like you and I, can you imagine how painful this will become if he cannot function , if you keep males and females then you have to be able to care for them when the girls are in season, a place for the girls away from the boys is not difficult to create for 3 weeks twice a year surely, restricting a dog like this is barbaric and cruel, yet another stupid thing to give the general public a bad idea of how we treat our dogs, I keep mostly males and would never put them through anything like this, along with electric collars and other dissgusting creations people come up with to torture dogs under the false name of "training" aids, we are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers in this country, I often wonder just how many people really are......please let your dog be a dog.
[Breed adviser]
ET
A proper belly band is neither restrictive nor cruel. It is simply a wide piece of material usually with a feminine pad on the inside, to catch any pee or dribbles that may happen. It should never be tight and should be replaced as soon as it gets wet. Many breeding males tend to mark their territory wherever and whenever they want, a belly band will keep your house clean.
ReplyDeleteA belly band will not stop your dog from peeing, it just "catches" the pee, therefore it is not restrictive or cruel. I have never heard of one being used to prevent mating, and most would not work well in that capacity, they are only made of fabric and can be "pushed" or "pulled" out of position. They wrap around the dogs belly (hence the name) at the area of the penis, covering it, but not it alone.
Also older males, and ill males may suffer from incontinence. If a vet has determined that there is no physical reason for the incontinence, it may be a matter of an older dog forgetting, or in the case of my oldest dog, he no longer wakes up at night when the "urge" to pee comes over him. We do get up in the middle of the night and wake him up to step outside, but this is not always enough.
It is not torture, without a belly band how many dogs would be put down because they are destroying carpets and hardwood just because they are getting old? Or infirm?
As to letting my dog be a dog, I am, I'm just making sure that his last few years are as enjoyable for both of us.
Can't get my head around this one! Sounds horrible invention.
ReplyDeleteThey are just as horrible as underwear are for people. And just like underwear, you don't want them to be tight, and you change them as soon as they get dirty. They are certainly *not* a substitute for proper care--even though you wear underwear (I hope ;), I hope you still make an effort to make it to the bathroom.
ReplyDeleteI have owned dogs my whole life, and work for a breed rescue group. I do not use them all the time, or even frequently. And they are rarely appropriate as a long term solution. But they are a good tool for housebreaking and preventing territorial urination.
Which do you think is more difficult for your dog--taking 2 minutes to get used to a non-constricting piece of fabric, or getting yelled at constantly?