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Help Heal Your Dog with Common Herbs

By
Gregory L. Tilford
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[Updated May 23, 2018]

All I could hear was the buzz of a thousand bees as I parted my way through a deep thicket of Heracleum lanatum, a tall, broad-leaved member of the parsley family commonly known as “cow parsnip.” The big, umbrella-like white flower clusters seem to attract every insect imaginable. The plant is also arguably edible, most notably the root. I say, “arguably” edible, because the flavor is downright overbearing – like bitter carrot tops that have been intensified a hundredfold in flavor, then mixed with a pinch of soap. But that’s just my opinion. Much of the wildlife in these mountains relish the flowering tops, and later in the summer, the seeds. On this day I had noticed that several stems had been chewed, five feet above the ground, making me cautious of spooking a moose, which sometimes nap behind the cool cover of the plants. Maybe a moose with a toothache, I think to myself, smiling as I push through the plants. Although not a food choice for me, I do occasionally use Cow Parsnip as medicine. The unripe seeds possess a unique gum-numbing quality when chewed, making them useful for toothaches and other discomforts of the mouth.

herbs for dogs

But today my quarry is one of my all-time favorites: dandelions. I enter a clearing where the deep, moist soil always yields the best dandelion roots on the mountain, big juicy ones that are easy to dig. Reaching my target patch, I noticed that a few of these plants had also been chewed . . . but judging from the footprints, it looked like the diner in this case was a coyote. I stopped for a moment to take notes and ponder: what may be one animal’s food might serve as medicine for another.

Dandelion, of course, serves as both. Rich with vitamins, protein, iron, and other minerals, dandelion greens are indeed one of nature’s superfoods. The flowers are rich with lecithin, an essential nutrient that plays critical roles in fat metabolism and kidney, liver, and gallbladder function. The roots, the target of my efforts, contain prebiotic inulin (which feeds and maintains healthy digestive flora), strong antioxidant chemistries, and myriad other compounds that combine to make the herb one of my favorite liver tonics.

Dandelion is just one of many useful weeds that may already be flourishing in your own backyard. But before you grab your trowel and start digging, I wish to provide you with a general idea of what to expect from these amazing herbal allies: what they are, what they do, where they stand between food and drugs, and the best ways to use them.

Between Foods & Drugs

Medicinal herbs are simply plants that possess healing properties that extend beyond those that are normally found in most whole, healthy foods. Many herbs are quite nutritious. Parsley, a smaller domesticated cousin of Cow Parsnip, is a perfect example. It is certainly one of nature’s superfoods, containing impressive amounts of vitamins K, C, and A; potassium, iron, and myriad other essential nutrients. It also contains limonene, eugenol, alpha-thujene, apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, luteolin, and various other chemical constituents that make the plant useful in a broad variety of medicinal applications.

Parsley leaves and roots are valued for their for antibacterial (bacteria-inhibiting) and diuretic (urination-increasing) activities; the seeds, when brewed into a tea and cooled for use as a skin and coat rinse, can heal bites and repel fleas. It is this unique “medicinal-food” property that sets herbs apart from pharmaceutical drugs. Most conventional drugs are designed to treat the symptoms of disease; in contrast, tonic herbs – the kind I like most – work in concert with what the body is naturally designed to do for itself: stay nourished, stay healthy, and resist disease.

Dadalia | Dreamstime.com

A Tonic Against Disease

I consider myself to be a “tonic herbalist,” one who believes that the greatest potential of any herbal remedy rests with its ability to support the body’s innate mechanisms of healing. When used in this context, herbs are not expected to inhibit, bypass, or any way interfere with the body’s natural functions. Instead, they are used to support those natural functions.

For example, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often used to suppress a fever. But from my perspective, this amounts to working against the body. I see fever as part of the body’s effort to increase peripheral circulation and boost the immune system against bacterial or viral infection. The aim of a tonic herbalist therefore, is not to suppress a fever, but to honor it. Instead of completely suppressing the body’s innate response to infection, herbalists like me use olive leaf extract, Echinacea, Astragalus, or other “immunotonic” herbs to enhance immune system functions and thereby reduce the body’s need to produce fever in the first place.

Unfortunately, not all herb users think this way. Many will reach for herbal tinctures, teas, pills, or powders with hope of replacing a conventional drug with a healthier, more natural alternative. But such use will often lead to disappointment. Most herbs are much weaker in their abilities to suppress symptoms, leading the would-be user to become discouraged and eventually abandon the herbal alternative altogether.

With that said, if you always remember that the primary purpose of using herbs is to support the body’s natural mechanisms of healing, you will have a much better chance of finding the lasting results you are looking for. Then, I recommend that you begin your journey into the world of herbal medicine by employing the plants that grow at your feet, or perhaps those that are already waiting in the kitchen spice cabinet. Here are a few of my other favorites that you might find there…

Chamomile

This is a gentle and effective home remedy that can be safely used in a broad variety of applications. It is easy to access in bulk dried form or in tea bags, and it is also very easy to grow. This is one of the first herbs I reach for in cases of digestive upset that arise from nervousness and hyper-excitability. Dozens of human and animal studies have given us solid information about how chamomile’s chemical compounds contribute to its effectiveness.

For example, when used topically or internally, the apigenenin, chamazulene (and its precursor, matricin), and other volatile oil constituents of chamomile flowers have been shown to help relieve muscle spasms. In the digestive tract, chamomile eases nervous spasms, helps to expel gas, aids in the production of bile to improve digestion, and reduces inflammation throughout. All of these activities combine into an excellent remedy for chronic or acute gastric disorders, including various forms of inflammatory bowel disease.

For these applications the cooled tea can be fed at rate of one to four tablespoons for each 30 pounds of your companion’s body weight, simply by adding it to his drinking water.

Fennel

Fennel seed serves as a gentle anti-gas and antispasmodic agent that can be added directly to your dog’s food. In acute cases – such those which occur when too many goodies are consumed as a result of human weakness at the Thanksgiving dinner table – fennel seed can work wonders. The seeds can be fed directly with food – up to a teaspoon for dogs. However, a cooled tea works even better for this purpose.

Use one teaspoon of the fresh or dried seeds (fresh are better) in eight ounces of boiling water, and steep until cool. The tea can be fed at a rate of two to four tablespoons for each 20 pounds of the animal’s body weight, or it can be added to drinking water as generously as the animal will tolerate.

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Rosemary

This is an extremely useful herb. At the top of its medicinal attributes are its “carminative” properties; it relieves flatulence (gas)! and other digestive problems that are secondary to general nervousness, excitability, or irritability.

Rosemary also contains borneol and other volatile oils that are known to exert antispasmodic activity upon the heart and other smooth-muscle tissues. This not only helps moderate cardiac arrhythmia, but also strengthens heart function, making rosemary especially useful in older dogs. The rosmarinic acid contained in the plant is also believed to have pain-killing properties.

For any of these applications, a starting dose of 0.5 ml. (about 1/8 tsp.) of a rosemary tincture can be given orally for each 20 pounds of a dog’s body weight, up to three times daily.

Get some great DIY rosemary ideas from Dogster.com!

Thyme

Most of thyme’s medicinal activity is attributable to its volatile oil constituents, thymol and carvacrol. Thymol is a very good antiseptic for the mouth and throat; useful for fighting gingivitis in dogs. In fact, thyme is used as the active ingredient in many commercial toothpaste and mouthwash formulas.

Combined with thyme’s infection-fighting qualities are antitussive and expectorant properties, making the herb useful for raspy, unproductive coughs that are secondary to fungal or bacterial infection. Thyme also helps ease bronchial spasms that are related to asthma and other respiratory problems.

A glycerin tincture, or an alcohol tincture that has been sweetened with honey, serves well for most internal applications: 1/4 of a teaspoon (1 ml) for each 30 pounds of the dog’s body weight, fed as needed up to twice daily. A cooled tea will work too, provided it has been brewed with near-boiling water to draw out the volatile oil constituents. For the above applications, use one teaspoon for dogs, fed directly into the mouth two to three times daily.

For infections of the mouth or as a preventative against gingivitis, a thyme tincture or a very strong thyme tea can be directly applied to the gums or infected sites with a swab.

In the digestive tract, thyme is a useful carminative and antispasmodic agent; use in cases of dyspepsia, irritable bowel, and colitis. It also helps expel parasites, especially hookworms. In these cases, the dried or fresh herb can be mixed into the dog’s food – one teaspoon per pound of food fed.

Taken in the form of tea or tincture, thymes serves as an antimicrobial in the urinary tract, as well as a mildly astringent tonic that is said to be useful for urinary incontinence.

Used as a skin rinse, a thyme tea or an oil infusion can help eliminate fungal or bacterial infections of the skin.

Greg Tilford's Herbs for Pets

Greg Tilford is the author of five books on botanical medicine for animals, including the acclaimed Herbs for Pets: The Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life (i-5 Publications, 2nd ed. 2009). Tilford is a charter member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Animal Supplements Council (NASC), and founded and currently chairs the Animal Products Committee of the American Herbal Products Association, with a mission to promote and protect responsible commerce of herb products intended for use in animals. Tilford also lectures about herbs to veterinarians and owners worldwide.

Using Walks to Train Your Dog

By
Stephanie Colman
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We’ve all heard the saying, “a tired dog is a good dog,” but more isn’t always better when it comes to physical activity. If you’re trying to use exercise to help your dog relax the rest of the day, walking smarter, not farther, can help you meet your goal. It also creates wonderful opportunities for strengthening dog-owner relationships.

training dog with a lure

There’s one question I’d like you to consider every time you snap on your dog’s leash and head out for a walk: What kind of walk are you taking?

I have various goals for my dog walks at different times. Sometimes my walk is more about meeting an exercise goal for myself, or an opportunity to socialize with a friend, and I bring my dog along so he can benefit from the exercise as well. For those walks, my focus is mostly self-centered, as I will myself to push farther up an inclined trail or enthusiastically chat with a friend.

While walking, I might use a no-pull harness to manage my dog’s leash pulling (since I know I’ll likely be too distracted to train), and my dog and I are largely in our own separate worlds as we walk. Of course, I still keep an eye on the environment, as it’s my responsibility to ensure our safety. Fortunately, my dog doesn’t have any major reactivity issues I need to be alert for and prepared to suddenly train through or manage. I might ask for a sit here and there, but largely, he and I are walking together, yet each doing our own thing.

Most of the time, though, my walks are far more interactive. I don’t want to take my dog for a walk; I want to enjoy a walk with my dog. Dogs as a species were bred to work cooperatively with humans, and training time is a wonderful way to honor that evolutionary history, while helping to meet your dog’s need for human interaction. Time spent training together can strengthen the connection and bond you share with your dog. Training while on a walk allows you to practice a variety of known skills, and working away from home helps your dog learn to deal with real-world distractions.

“It takes energy to solve puzzles,” says Amy Cook, PhD, of Full Circle Dog Training in Oakland, California. “Training on walks means our dogs have to concentrate more and work to filter out distractions, and that’s costly in energy.” In other words, thinking is hard work. The more your dog thinks, the more energy he uses.

Even a simple walk around the block is full of plenty of opportunities to have fun while asking your dog to think through some simple training challenges. When I head out for a training walk, I still give my dog some “personal time” where he’s allowed to sniff and explore on a loose leash. That’s important, too. Roughly one-third of a dog’s brain is dedicated to olfaction; it feels unfair to deny them a good sniff-fest!

When you’re ready, there are lots of ways to throw some training into the mix, while keeping the walk light-hearted and enjoyable for the animals on both ends of the leash.

Make the fundamentals fun! Incorporate basic skills practice into the walk:

– Practice a quick response to your dog’s name. When he turns and looks at you, sometimes mark and reward on the fly as you keep moving, and sometimes mark and back up a few steps, encouraging your dog toward you, then deliver several small treats (one after another, rather than a handful at once), paired with praise and petting.

– Play “Red Light, Green Light!” This children’s game is a great way to work on sits and downs. At random intervals during your walk, ask your dog to “sit” or “down.” This can be adapted easily to your dog’s level of training, from using a lure to help get the behavior, to challenging your dog to be ready to respond to verbal-only cues when he least expects it.

Vary the challenge by sometimes specifying where you’d like your dog to sit or down. For example, if he likes to swing out in front of you, work on keeping him parallel to you, in heel position. Sometimes vary your pace just before you ask for a sit or down. Can your dog contain his excitement and pull off a quick sit or down after you excitedly run forward 10 steps? Try changing sides. If he’s used to working on your left, can he walk on your right (“Green light!”) and sit or lie down (“Red light!”) on that same side, without trying to drift back to the familiar left side?

These little changes might sound easy, but remember that dogs can be slow to generalize a behavior. Even subtle changes can feel like a totally different behavior to your dog at first.

– Recall Challenges. People often assume they need an extra-long leash in order to practice what looks like a real-life recall, but all of my recall training is done on a regular six-foot leash. The hardest part of coming when called is not the distance the dog travels back to the handler. The hardest part of coming when called is choosing to leave an exciting distraction in favor of returning to the handler – whether he’s six feet or 60 feet away.

After I’ve spent time teaching my dog to associate his recall word with an amazing party of treats, praise, petting, and play, and have spent a fair amount of time practicing at home (where it’s easiest to do), I start challenging my dog to come away from distractions while exploring on a walk.

The first few times I introduce this challenge, I warm up the recall behavior with a few practice sessions that closely match how I trained the behavior at home. Then I walk my dog up to what I think will be a relatively easy distraction, for example, the base of a tree (as opposed to a tree full of dog-mocking squirrels). While he’s sniffing, I quietly move behind him, backing up to the end of the leash. Once in position, I call my dog using his name (which I teach to mean, “Quick! Pay attention!”) and his recall word.

If he turns toward me, I immediately mark the correct choice (with the “Click!” of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!”) and cheer him on as I run away, encouraging him to chase me for several steps. Then we stop and enjoy a full 30 to 60 seconds of praise, petting, and several rapid-fire treats delivered one at a time.

If the dog doesn’t immediately turn away from the distraction when I call him, I’ll quickly step in and make a funny noise to get his attention and/or lightly and playfully goose him. The instant I have his attention, I excitedly repeat the recall word as I run off and invite him to chase me. This sequence ends in an even bigger reinforcement routine than if he’d done it right all on his own.

This often puzzles people who think, “If I had to help him, why should he be rewarded?” The reason? If you had to help him, your dog is telling you he doesn’t believe you’re willing to be as much fun as he was having with the distraction. In other words, he didn’t think it was worth it to leave the distraction. Over time, the magnificence of your reinforcement is what teaches your dog that coming when called is definitely worth it. Be sure to pay well!

training a dog

Note: If you find your dog frequently needs help leaving distractions, choose less-exciting distractions and revisit your early recall training in a distraction-free environment.

I try to fit at least five recall distraction trials into every walk. Walks are full of myriad opportunities for practice: Call your dog away from a prolonged sniff of a tree. Call your dog away from staring at other dogs across the park. Call your dog away from the neighbor after a quick “Hello.” You can even call your dog during the walk itself. If you’re cruising along and your dog’s focus is fully forward, surprise him with a quick recall trial. Be creative! In my opinion, learning to turn away from distractions is the single most important skill needed for developing a reliable recall – and a reliable recall might save your dog’s life some day!

– Interpersonal play. I’m a big fan of interacting with a dog through play. I love teaching tug games because they give dogs a great outlet for normal dog behaviors, while providing opportunities to practice impulse control and relinquishing a prized object. I often walk my dog with a favorite tug toy in my back pocket. He never knows when I might suddenly invite him to play a quick game of tug during a walk. Sometimes we stop walking and tug for 30 seconds, and sometimes I invite him to tug while we walk.

Many dogs enjoy playing tug games with their owners at home, but are reluctant to engage in the game away from home. For some dogs, it’s a matter of habit; they’re used to playing tug at home, not while on a walk. Some dogs are so interested in the environment that a game of tug suddenly seems less exciting. And some dogs worry when away from home, and lack the confidence needed to “let their hair down” and play.

Each case provides its own unique training challenge, but it’s well worth the effort to systematically work through the issue. Adding quick games of tug while on a walk is a great way to reward polite leash walking and correct responses to cued behaviors, while helping your dog burn additional energy.

If your dog is confident and able to focus away from home, but doesn’t enjoy tug games (or you prefer not to play tug), experiment to discover what type of interpersonal play is fun for your dog. Challenge yourself to keep your dog’s interest without using food or toys. Turn sideways and crouch down in a playful stalking gesture. Tap into his opposition reflex by gently pushing him away and encouraging him to move back into your space. Send him through your legs as you run the opposite direction and encourage him to turn and chase you. (Okay, that last one is hard to do on-leash during a walk, but it’s still fun!)

Play is a key component of building a solid relationship. For some dogs, you’ll need to build this skill at home before taking it into the world on a walk. As you practice, watch your dog’s body language, and be careful not to overwhelm him with your enthusiasm. While it might sound easy, interspecies play is a complex topic in dog training. To learn more, check out Dog Sports Skills Book 3: Play! by Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones.

– Use the environment to keep training interesting. Random objects in the environment are great for helping dogs learn to generalize behaviors while adding novelty to daily walks. Invite your dog to hop up and sit on a bus bench (for you city slickers) or a tree stump (for the rural dwellers). Practice any tricks that can be done safely on an elevated surface. Ask your dog to put his front feet on a raised object such as a drinking fountain, the bottom of a slide in the park, or the base of a tree. Hop up and walk along a raised barrier wall. Walk underneath an A-frame-style advertising sign.

Be creative as you look for new, safe ways to challenge your dog. Using objects in the environment is a great way to engage your dog’s body and brain, and is even part of a fun new sport called Dog Parkour. (For more information, check out the International Dog Parkour Association, dogparkour.org.)

– Change your route to change the scenery. I live in a densely populated, busy Los Angeles suburb. When I walk out my door, I have access to several different walking routes. I make a point to not take the same route twice in a row. The change of scenery keeps things interesting for everybody. A familiar walk is always better than no walk, but watch your dog while walking in a new environment; you’ll likely find his senses are in overdrive as he takes in the novel sights, sounds, and smells. Processing all the new stimuli is tiring work!

If your immediate neighborhood options are limited, consider jumping in the car and driving to the nearest shopping center. Shopping centers offer a wealth of novel stimuli to dazzle your dog’s senses, as well as urban distractions around which to train.

With a little forethought and creativity, you’ll soon find that training walks set you on a path not just toward better cardiovascular health, but a stronger, more interactive relationship with your dog!

Possible Barriers to Training Walks

By
Nancy Kerns
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Dogs who struggle to focus on their owners when away from home usually do so for one of two reasons – either the dog is too distracted by the environment, or he’s under the influence of anxiety or fear.

With anxiety and fear, the dog’s body language tells a powerful story. His posture might be slinky – head low, tail tucked, ears pinned back. His pupils might be dilated, with the whites of his eyes visible. He might pant, even if it’s not hot. He might sniff excessively, yawn repeatedly, or lick his lips. His movements could be slow, almost catatonic, or fast and erratic as though he’s trying to escape. Some dogs jump up on their owners in a way that is best described as “clingy,” while others become hyperactive and appear to lack training and be totally out of control. Fearful dogs can also lunge at the trigger (people, other dogs, etc.) as a way of trying to keep the “scary thing” at bay.

In either case, time and patience often go a long way toward helping your dog achieve a mental state that’s more compatible with a training walk. Rather than hit the ground running (or walking), pick a spot not far from your front door and just stand there like a tree. The curious dog is free to sniff around at the radius of his leash. Don’t ask for attention, but reward generously anytime your dog happens to check in with you. Your reward should look dramatically different from when you patiently stand there watching him sniff or look around. Your face should light up in a smile as you back up a step or two, drawing your dog toward you, and feeding several pea-size treats (like, 10!), one piece at a time. After the last treat, release your dog to “go sniff.” Plant your feet and wait for the next time he glances your way. Have another 10-cookie party. (If your worried about too many treats, incorporate pieces of kibble subtracted from his daily ration.)

Do this two or three times as a warm-up before starting the walk. The idea is to give your dog time to engage in a limited version of what he wants – the ability to sniff and look around – while also letting him realize that his choice to interact with you pays quite well. For some dogs, this helps jump-start an ability to focus on the handler during a walk, and the rewards that continue throughout the walk help build and maintain focus. (To learn more about developing your dog’s choice to focus on you, see “It’s All in Your Dog’s Eyes,” WDJ February 2016.)

Especially fearful dogs may benefit from quiet visits to new places, with no expectations. Their sniffing and exploration (to whatever degree they are comfortable) are driven less by curiosity and more by a need to realize nothing bad will happen. Don’t press these dogs to perform specific behaviors (as discussed in the main article); they can’t successfully think about attention or cued behaviors if they are worried. Support your dog with calm praise, slow, relaxed petting, and treats (if she will accept them). You can’t reinforce the fear – it’s a feeling, not a behavior. Your calm reassurance can help your dog relax, while treats build positive associations with the “scary place.”

Many owners of fearful dogs are concerned that if they give their dogs treats or praise, they will reinforce the dog’s fearful behaviors; it’s a common misconception. Let’s say you’re nervous about public speaking, and you’re about to give an important presentation. As you head to the boardroom, your friend stops you in the hallway. “Hey, you’re gonna be great. You’ve got this!” she says, as she gives you a reassuring smile and a hug. Then she slips a Godiva chocolate bar into your suit pocket! Did she just reinforce your fear of public speaking, or did you appreciate her kind and thoughtful actions?

Blood Pressure Tests for Dogs: Worth It?

By
Cindy Foley
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A health exam for all adults includes a blood-pressure reading. So why not for our dogs? There are a few reasons that veterinarians save blood-pressure testing for only certain cases.

The first is money. Because vets constantly face clients who are unable or unwilling to pay for anything “unnecessary,” veterinary clinics are forced to offer a la carte services. The basic office-visit fee includes the veterinarian’s brief examination and writing applicable prescriptions. Anything else is an additional charge; veterinarians say this helps the client determine the cost of veterinary care.

“Veterinary exams would have to climb more than $100 per visit to include ancillary services that are ‘included’ in physician visits,” says Eve Ryan, DVM, of Baldwinsville, New York. “As unfortunate as it may be, many pet owners do not want or cannot afford all of the high-quality medical services that are recommended, so non-exam services are separated out.”

Another reason that veterinarians are hesitant to perform regular blood-pressure checks is because of the high incidence of false positives. “You don’t want to risk inappropriate treatment due to an invalid diagnosis,” says Bruce Kornreich, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, a cardiologist at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell. “We don’t want to over-treat.”

Although an estimated 20 percent of humans suffer from “white-coat syndrome” (temporary high blood pressure caused by the anxiety associated with visiting the doctor), dogs aren’t as easy to sort out. “It’s reasonable to assume that dogs also suffer from white-coat syndrome,” Dr. Kornreich says, “but validation is different.” In human medicine, the patient sits quietly for a few minutes while the nurse prepares to take blood pressure. She might chat about the weather or an upcoming holiday to distract the patient’s thoughts, hopefully normalizing any white-coat effects. The blood-pressure reading itself is quick.

Visualize your dog in the veterinarian’s office, with the many smells, noises, and distractions. Just getting the dog to stand on a weight scale can throw him into a hyper state. Now add one or two staff members to restrain the dog and a Doppler ultrasound beep as the reading is done.

“It’s difficult to get blood pressures if the dog won’t stay still,” says Eileen Fatcheric, DVM, of Syracuse, New York. “The readings can be falsely elevated in a clinic setting, especially if the dog is anxious, and it is time-consuming.” Veterinarians are advised to take at least three readings – and preferably five to seven! – once the animal is quiet. The first reading is always disregarded.

Of course, the standard back-up plan physicians use is asking human patients to monitor blood pressure at home and report back to them. Over-the-counter human blood-pressure monitors are relatively inexpensive and foolproof. Get a cuff the right size for the patient and you’re good to go. Not so with dogs.

Types of BP Measurement

canine blood pressure test

There are three main methods of measuring blood pressure in dogs. The gold standard is direct arterial monitoring, which is invasive (involving a catheter) and usually done only under anesthesia.

The Doppler ultrasound method is used in many clinics, but it, too, is not without drawbacks. “It involves a messy gel that is necessary for the probe to detect the pulse sounds, and operator error is a possibility,” Dr. Ryan says. “In my experience, the noise associated with the Doppler unit often frightens the animal unnecessarily. Headphones are available, but this mode is becoming outdated. New oscillometric devices used in modern veterinary medicine are well-calibrated, easy to use, reliable, and mess-free.”

Indeed, modern veterinary oscillometric devices – similar to human at-home blood-pressure measuring machines – have undergone dramatic improvement, and more veterinary clinics are utilizing them. But that doesn’t mean you can expect to buy a device at Walmart and take your dog’s blood pressure at home.

“Machines made for humans might give a ‘ballpark’ reading on a dog, but it wouldn’t be expected to be accurate, nor should it be used to make any medical decisions regarding medication or treatment,” Dr. Ryan says. “Only an animal-calibrated machine used with the appropriately sized cuff, used on the appropriate parts of the patient’s anatomy, should be used for medical decisions. Choosing the appropriate size cuff and its placement requires an understanding of the anatomy of the patient, which may change, depending on species and breed.”

When To Pay for a Blood-Pressure Check

There are times you won’t be offered a choice on blood-pressure reading fees, including during surgery, serious illnesses, shock, trauma, and IV treatments. If your dog has been diagnosed previously with high blood pressure or is on cardiac medications, blood-pressure monitoring may be a necessity. There are aspects of veterinary medicine your pet’s doctor will not negotiate.

“Patients with disease states that predispose them to hypertension – heart disease, Cushing’s syndrome, renal failure, among others – should be monitored, and therapy instituted before a hypertensive crisis occurs,” Dr. Ryan says. “Patients on medications that affect the blood pressure need to be monitored even more closely. A dog with certain health conditions, both acute and chronic, may present with high or low blood pressure, and this is often checked if needed, given the illness or situation.”

Some lay animal experts advocate that regular blood-pressure monitoring should be part of every canine veterinary exam, as it is with human exams. They are adamant that the service should be included in all wellness exams at a minimum, believing if blood pressure is checked regularly, you’ll know what normal is for that dog and be able to catch problems earlier, similar to human medicine. But it’s just not that simple.

The problem is that humans usually have primary hypertension, which is high blood pressure without a known cause. The most common reasons for high blood pressure in humans really don’t apply to most dogs: smoking, drinking, stress, high salt intake, lack of exercise, and obesity. (Those last two are increasingly applicable, of course.)

Dogs are more likely to have secondary hypertension, which means another disease is actually causing the high blood pressure. The most likely first offenders are kidney disease, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, and eye problems.

One place most veterinarians do press for routine blood-pressure screenings is geriatric wellness exams, but even then, money can complicate the decision. “In my senior pets, if money was an issue, I would choose physical exam first, then blood work, then urinalysis for my general health screening,” Dr. Fatcheric says. “If kidney, heart, thyroid, or adrenal disease was detected, I would strongly recommend blood-pressure monitoring. However, the earliest indicator of kidney disease is actually protein in the urine (microalbuminuria).”

Bottom Line

If your dog has been diagnosed with hypertension – whether due to an underlying disease or not – he will require monitoring, probably once every three months, plus applicable blood work and urinalysis. And that means regular trips to the veterinarian.

Be wary of those YouTube videos showing how to take your pet’s blood pressure with a human monitor. Research has shown that the proper cuff is a necessity and the placement of the device on hind limbs vs. forelimbs vs. tails will generate varying results, none reliable.

If you absolutely want a blood-pressure monitoring at each office visit, chances are all you have to do is pay for it. The wisest course of action is to discuss the option with your veterinarian.

“Every pet parent should have a veterinarian they trust and can have an honest conversation with regarding the best health care they can provide for that pet. Good health care is a team effort,” Dr. Ryan says. And part of that team effort is the decision about whether a blood-pressure check is a valid monitoring tool in your dog.

Cynthia Foley is a freelance writer and dog agility competitor from New York.

Living in the City with Dogs

By
Helene G. Goldberger, Esq., CPDT-KA, PMCT
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If I were to choose two words to summarize how to live harmoniously with dogs in apartment buildings it would be “with consideration.” It really is no different than how we should strive to treat our neighbors even when pets are not involved. For example, before having a party, it’s considerate to inform your neighbors that you will be entertaining, invite them to join in on the fun, and be mindful of not being excessively noisy late in the evening. Similarly, if one has a dog, check in with your neighbors from time to time to make sure that Rocky is not driving them crazy with his whining and barking.

The consideration extends to our dogs as well. It is not fair to leave a young, active dog all day in an apartment with nothing to do and expect that he will be a model citizen. He might be destructive (which may or may not affect neighbors) and vocalize out of boredom and frustration.

If there is an opportunity to meet and discuss the rights and responsibilities of dog owners and other residents, I suggest bringing in a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer to educate everyone involved (building management, pet owners, and affected and/or concerned neighbors), about what constitutes normal dog behavior. Two sources of such trainers are the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and the Pet Professional Guild.

Here are some topics that apartment dwellers, landlords, and cooperative/condominium boards should take up and discuss proactively in buildings where dogs reside:

Noise (barking/whining)

Dog owners should be courteous and respond promptly to complaints. They should also try to figure out why their dog is barking, perhaps with the help of a qualified professional positive reinforcement-based trainer. Does the dog get enough exercise during the day? A walk around the block is insufficient for most dogs. Can a dog walker be hired to come during the day? If the dog is easy to walk, could a young person in the building perform this task?

Noise (separation distress or anxiety)

If your dog is whining and/or barking for hours, it’s likely being caused by some amount of separation distress, especially if there is evidence of destruction such as biting the door or walls. If so, you may need to address this with a professional positive reinforcement-based behavior consultant or possibly a veterinary behaviorist. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has a list of certified veterinary behaviorists on its website. These veterinarians are expert in behavioral issues in animals and may, if necessary, prescribe medications that can help relieve your dog’s anxieties.

Bored dogs

Leave him with something to do! Fill Kongs with his food, mixed with a spoonful of yogurt or peanut butter and freeze them; leave them around the apartment so he has to hunt for them and work to get the food out, rather than eating it in a few seconds out of a bowl. If he’s a good, safe chewer, provide him with some raw bones to work on, or use interactive toys such as Kong Wobblers. You can try something as simple as hiding treats or your dog’s kibble in cereal boxes or paper towel rolls (be sure he won’t ingest these by first trying this out while you are at home). Leave a classical music radio station on or play “Through a Dog’s Ear” CDs. Or try Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP or Adaptil plug-in).

city dog

Aggression

We expect dogs in an urban environment to tolerate crowded conditions, weird noises and smells, and all kinds of strange activities. Many dogs, thanks to good training and socialization at an early age, good genes, and/or just the luck of the nature/nurture combination, are wonderfully calm about all this. But others are more sensitive and fearful.

Fear is the main cause of aggression. So what to do? First, don’t put your dog in a position where he may feel the need to snap or, worse, bite. For example, if you are about to enter the elevator and there is already a dog in there and your dog doesn’t particularly like other dogs, don’t take any chances, just say, “Okay, I’ll wait for the next one!” Or, take the stairs and give yourselves even more exercise!

If you enter the building with your dog after a walk and the doorman has a package for you, tell him you’ll get it later. If your dog is fearful, he may be alarmed by a giant bag of dry cleaning being handed over by the man in the uniform.

Try to continually make positive associations with everything going on by rewarding your dog for calm behaviors in the presence of things he may be uncertain about. How? With tiny yummy treats that you will always carry in your pockets. (But remember to unload them at the end of the day or you may find holes chewed in your clothes when you wake up in the morning!) See “Eliminating Your Puppy’s Fear-Related Behaviors,” WDJ June 2012, for information about using counter-conditioning to reduce your dog’s anxieties.

Don’t take chances in having your dog meet other dogs he does not know, just because he generally likes other dogs. He may not like this one if you’re in tight quarters! The other owner may not be aware of her dog’s tolerances; many people aren’t that good at reading a dog’s body language. Speaking of which – educate yourself about canine body language! There is a lot of good information out there. Sarah Kalnajs has an excellent DVD on this subject called “The Language of Dogs“.

city dogs

Greetings

Be very careful about introductions, especially with children. If you have any doubts about your dog’s ability to handle an introduction with grace, say, ” Sorry, my dog is too shy to meet you. Maybe another time.” If it’s deemed safe, let the dog sniff the back of the person’s hand. Let the would-be greeter know that she shouldn’t reach out to a strange dog. If your dog is relaxed, with a softly wagging tail and no stiffness, instruct the person to pet his chest or under the chin. Many dogs don’t like to be petted on the head.

If you know that your dog doesn’t care to meet people or if he may jump on someone, until you can train better behavior, just manage with a smile and a good hold on a short leash. Then use treats to maintain your dog’s attention long enough to get past the person without interaction.

Exercise

When it’s subzero or pouring rain, it’s hard to convince ourselves and sometimes even our dogs that we must go out. While it’s very creative to use a hallway to play fetch, it may not be such a great idea. The noise may disturb others and even worse, a person leaving her apartment unaware could get knocked down or trip over your dog. If you have everyone’s permission on the floor to engage in this activity during a certain time of day, great, go for it.

Elimination

Be courteous. You wouldn’t dump your trash in the hallway or right outside the entrance. Try get your dog to the curb to eliminate and always pick up. If he has an accident, clean thoroughly with an enzyme cleaning solution so other dogs don’t get the idea the elevator is a good place to eliminate. Perhaps a spray bottle could be kept at the front desk in the lobby for this purpose.

dog with poor quality of life

Must Not Love Dogs?

Dog owners need to remember that everyone doesn’t love dogs as much as you want them to. Some people don’t have the experience of being around dogs and may be afraid or maybe they just don’t like them. Or, worse, perhaps they’ve had a bad experience! So have consideration and, who knows, based on observing your well-behaved ambassador, maybe they’ll come around!

Also keep in mind that non-dog owners may not understand the bond that so many of us form with our furry family members. If they have a complaint about your dog, try to understand and address their concerns, just as you would about any other grievance stemming from living in close quarters.

For a list of some city-friendly dog breeds, check out this Dogster post!

Helene Goldberger, Esq., CPDT-KA, PMCT, grew up with dogs and pursued a better way to train in order to help her fear-aggressive dog, Chester Bighead, CGC, TT. This path led her to becoming a professional trainer; her training business is called HeartDog. Helene is of counsel to Tooher & Barone LLP, an environmental law firm, in Albany, NY. She lives with her husband, two rescued pitbulls, and two retired horses in the Catskill Mountains.

Aggressive Behavior Information

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Yellow Dog Project – This is a project to encourage the use of a yellow ribbon tied to a dog’s collar and/or leash to let others that this dog needs space. The reason could be varied; perhaps the dog is fearful, may bite, or perhaps just had surgery and is in pain. For more information, go to yellowdogproject.com.

“Dangerous Dogs” – In some states, dogs that have a “vicious propensity” can be deemed dangerous – the canine version of being on probation. This means that while you may know your dog is a sweetheart much of the time, one bite can be enough for the authorities to label him dangerous, and two bites could result in an order to surrender or euthanize the dog. Also, if your dog bites someone you could be sued and found liable, and if the building ownership had knowledge of the dog’s propensity for aggression (a past bite), it could also be found responsible (which is one reason why many building owners and managers are reluctant to rent to dog owners).

Muzzles are Useful Tools! – If you know your dog is prone to biting, get to a positive behavior consultant who can also teach you how and when to use a muzzle, which can keep everyone safe while you work to modify your dog’s behavior. I like Baskerville basket-type muzzles, because they have a lot of ventilation so the dog can pant and even accept treats. Another advantage of using a muzzle is that it will enable the handler to relax, which will also help the dog! For more information, see Karen Pryor’s site.

Breed Prohibitions

It has become all too common to see lists of breed bans in multi-unit residences as well as municipalities. Books could be written about the drawbacks of breed-specific legislation (BSL), but suffice to say that all dogs have the potential to bite and no breed has 100 percent benign membership. The “bully breed” lovers among us (count me in) would point out that many of these dogs are model citizens and great companions.

Further, breed bans provide a false sense of security. See the position statement of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) on this subject.

Rather, encourage or require new owners to provide proof of having properly trained their dogs through programs such as the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification and encourage your building’s management to develop and enforce common sense rules, such as, “All dogs must be leashed when outside their apartments,” and “All dogs must be licensed.”

Puppy Training Pros and Cons

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Whole Dog Journal editor Nancy Kerns

Last month, I mentioned how concerned my son was when he heard I had made the decision to adopt one of the bully-breed-mix puppies I had been fostering. He’s accustomed to me pretending that I don’t like puppies (“Ew, a puppy! Gross! Who likes puppies? Ick!”) – a stupid joke meant to soften the hard fact that unprepared people always seem to be magnetically drawn to the puppies in the shelter where I volunteer, passing right over many more suitable, calm, house-trained, non-chewing adult dogs in the process.

I never worry that the puppies in my shelter won’t get adopted; despite the fact that people often share pictures of the puppies on Facebook (usually with a plea, “Share this album, save the puppies!”), the puppies are in no danger whatsoever. Puppies of all descriptions fly out of the shelter like iPads on sale. So while I do foster puppies that are surrendered to the shelter (or are brought in by animal control officers) at a too-tender age, or in poor health and in need of a few weeks of TLC, I don’t worry about them finding homes. They are often adopted the same day I bring them back to the shelter. What I do worry about is them coming back to the shelter a few days, weeks, or months later, when people realize how much work it is to raise and train a puppy. And I worry about them coming back with baggage – such as newly implanted fears of people, noises, and/or other dogs.

So many people adopt puppies without a clue as to their needs – it never fails to amaze me. People will literally walk out the door with their newly adopted puppy, stop, turn around, and ask, “Say, what should I feed him? How much?” I’ve seen more than one person clip a leash onto the collar they brought to the shelter for their new baby dog, and then look puzzled as the puppy (who has never before worn a collar or been pulled by a leash) bucks wildly in a panic. And they will start calling the front counter staff the next day to ask, “How do we stop him from biting our kids?” and “What should we do to keep him from chewing all of our shoes?”

Only rarely do the staff members get asked, “Can you recommend a good puppy trainer in this area?” It breaks my heart.

Because puppies fly off the shelter shelves, so to speak, whether through thoughtful adoptions or ill-advised ones, usually I focus my fostering efforts on adolescent and adult dogs. It’s much harder to find homes for dogs who have a little behavioral baggage, despite the fact that they may also be way past the problems that perplex and plague puppy owners – most notably chewing and housetraining. I deal with those issues and more: teaching the dogs not to eat (or even think about chasing) my cats or chickens; to wait at doors before trying to dart through them; how to get in and out of cars, and how to ride calmly and quietly, even if we are on the way to our favorite trailhead; to stay out of both the garden beds and my family’s beds (unless they have been specifically invited); and so on. Sometimes this process takes months, because these dogs have had an equal number or even more months to practice behaviors that make them less attractive to potential adopters.

But here’s the thing – and I’m sorry for taking so long to get to it: Oh my word, you guys! It’s so incredibly easy to train a puppy from the get-go, especially when you are equipped (baby gates, crates, puppy toys, superior food and treats, lightweight leashes and well-fitting harnesses, etc.) and you know what you are doing! I haven’t raised a puppy from such a tender age (I started fostering my new puppy’s litter when they were just about four weeks old) since I was 12 years old (and plumb ignorant) myself. Which is why, maybe, it’s such a revelation: Starting with a puppy this young can be – it is – an absolute dream.

The Importance of Trimming Dog Nails

By
Denise Flaim
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12

Nobody, it seems, likes trimming dog nails. Not you, not the dog, nor anyone else who may be called upon to take on nail-clipping for you (such as a technician at your local veterinary hospital or even a professional groomer). But for the health of your dog, it must be done, and should be done frequently enough to keep your dog’s nails short.

This isn’t an article about how to make nail cutting a more pleasant experience for you and your dog; this magazine has run plenty of those. Don’t be tempted to skip that step: You should read up on positive reinforcement and desensitization techniques before you even think about snipping; of course your dog should be comfortable with having his feet touched and manipulated before you attempt any type of nail trimming. If he is not – and especially if he shows signs of serious distress or aggression – consult a qualified dog behavior specialist to help you modify this behavior. Better safe than sorry.

No, this article is what you’ll need to know before you have appropriately and positively introduced your dog to the nail-cutting experience. I hope to convince you to commit to a regular nail-maintenance program for your dog.

A closeup photo of a dog's paw with a missing nail.
Long hair on a dog’s feet can hide a really painful situation with too-long nails. Keep your dog’s hairy feet clipped, or check the length of her nails weekly.

Why Dogs Need Their Nails Trimmed

When dogs spend a good deal of time outdoors, running on various hard surfaces, including concrete and blacktop, their nails are gradually worn down, and they have less of a need for formal nail-grooming sessions. But today, with many suburban and urban dogs increasingly confined indoors when their owners are at work, and running mostly on soft surfaces such as lawns when they are outdoors, this welcome friction is often absent in their daily lives.

Long, unkempt nails not only look unattractive, but over time they can do serious damage to your dog (not to mention your floors). When nails are so long that they constantly touch the ground, they exert force back into the nail bed, creating pain for the dog (imagine wearing a too-tight shoe) and pressure on the toe joint. Long term, this can actually realign the joints of the foreleg and make the foot looked flattened and splayed.

Again, this isn’t just an aesthetic problem, it’s a functional one: Compromising your dog’s weight distribution and natural alignment can leave her more susceptible to injuries, and make walking and running difficult and painful. This is especially important in older dogs, whose posture can be dramatically improved by cutting back neglected nails.

In extreme cases, overgrown nails can curve and grow into the pad of the foot. But even if they are not that out of control, long nails can get torn or split, which is very painful and, depending on severity, may need to be treated by a veterinarian.

And in the end, unattended nails create a vicious cycle: Because the extra-long nails make any contact with his paws painful for the dog, he avoids having them touched, which leads to unpleasant nail-cutting sessions, which makes both human and dog avoid them, which leads to longer intervals between trims, which leads to more pain …

The Basics of Trimming Dog Nails

So what’s the goal? What’s the “right” length? While some breeds (most notably the Doberman Pinscher) are often shown with nails so short they can barely be seen, the most commonly accepted rule of thumb is that when a dog is standing, the nails should not make contact with the ground. If you can hear your dog coming, her nails are too long.

The nails of mammals are made of a tough protein called keratin. Technically, dogs have claws, not nails, though we’ll use the latter term in its colloquial sense for this article. (The distinction is that nails are flat and do not come to a point. And if your nail is thick enough and can bear weight, it’s called a hoof.)

Dog’s nails differ from ours in that they consist of two layers. Like us, they have the unguis, a hard, outer covering in which the keratin fibers run perpendicular to the direction in which the nail grows. But unlike us, under their unguis, dogs have the subunguis, which is softer and flaky, with a grain that is parallel to the direction of growth. The faster growth of the unguis is what gives the dog’s nail its characteristic curl.

In addition to one nail at the end of each of the four toes usually found on each foot, many dogs also have a fifth nail, called a dewclaw, on the inside of the leg, below the wrist. Some dogs are born with dewclaws in the front only; others are born with dewclaws on every leg. There’s a great deal of debate about whether these should be surgically removed; some breeders do this a few days after birth because they believe that the dewclaws are vestigial, and are likely to rip or tear if they are not removed. (Many shelters also do this surgery on dogs at the same time they do spay/neuter surgery.)

Proponents of dewclaws argue that dewclaws are not vestigial, but indeed used to grip objects such as bones, and to provide important traction when a galloping dog needs to change direction. (Poke around Youtube and you can find videos of Sighthound lure coursing; they actually lay their entire forearms perpendicular to the ground when redirecting their momentum.) Even the floppy double-dewclaws of breeds like the Great Pyrenees are said to have some purpose (traction or a “snowshoe” effect in the snow).

One thing is certain: If a dog has dewclaws, they need to be trimmed – perhaps even more often than nails that routinely touch the ground. Because the dewclaws rarely touch the ground and so aren’t worn down, they tend to be pointier than the other nails. But perhaps because dewclaws are so loosely attached to the forelimb, many dogs object to trimming them much less.

The Canine Toenail Quick

There’s a reason why the phrase “cut to the quick” means to deeply wound or distress: Running through the nail is a nerve and vein called the “quick.” Nicking or cutting this sensitive band of tissue is very painful for the dog – and messy for the owner, as blood often continues oozing from the cut nail for what seems like an eternity. (Keeping a stypic-powder product, such as Kwik-Stop, on hand can help promote clotting and shorten the misery. Or, in a pinch, try flour.)

Shortening the nail without “quicking” the dog is easier said than done – unless your dog has white or light-colored nails, in which case, you’re in luck: The quick will be visible from the side, as a sort of pink-colored shadow within the nail. Avoid going near it. If you trim the nail with a clipper or scissors, trim a bit off the end of the nail, and notice the color at the end of the nail (in cross section). As soon as the center of the nail starts to appear pink, stop.

A white dog's paw with short nails
It’s much easier to trim white nails nice and short, since you can see the pink, sensitive tissue inside the nail, and stop short of cutting into this and causing it to bleed.

You can’t see the quick in a black or dark-colored nail. With these nails, you have to be even more conservative about how much nail you trim off. After making each cut, look at the cross-section of the nail. If you see a black spot in the center – sort of like the center of a marrow bone – stop cutting. It’s likely your next slice will hit the quick.

The longer a dog’s nails are allowed to grow, the longer the quick will become, to the point that taking even a very small bit of nail off the end “quicks” the dog. Then the goal becomes a matter of snipping or grinding the nails to get as close as possible to the quick, without actually cutting it. This is perhaps easiest to accomplish with a grinding tool (such as a Dremel), though it can be done with clippers, too, with practice. By grinding away the nail all around the quick – above it, below it, and on both sides – the quick has no support or protection, and within days it will begin to visibly recede, drawing back toward the toe.

If a dog’s feet have been neglected for months (or, horrors, years) at a time, it might take months to shorten those nails to a healthy, pain-free length. But if you keep at this regularly, it should get easier for the dog to exercise. And the more he moves, the more his nails will come into contact with the ground in a way that will help wear the nails down and help the quicks to recede.

Helpful Tools for Trimming Dog Nails

Nail clippers use blades to remove the tip of the nail. There are a couple of different styles to choose from, but no matter what type is used, their effectiveness is dependent on the blades being sharp and clean.

Guillotine trimmers have a hole at the end, through which the dog’s nail is inserted; then, as the handles of the tool are squeezed together, an internal blade lops off the end of the nail in a fashion reminiscent of the execution device for which the trimmer is named.

Two types of dog nail clippers
Plier-type clippers (left) need to be sharpened occasionally to be effective. Replacing the cutting blade on guillotine-style clippers (right) is easy, but operating this tool is daunting for some people.

Some people find it easier to chop through thick nails with these clippers, but others find it difficult to thread each nail through the hole at precisely the right distance from the end of the nail, especially when the dog is wiggling or uncooperative. On the plus side, though, it’s fast and easy to replace the blade in guillotine-style clippers – in fact, most guillotine clippers are sold with replacement blades, which encourages an owner to swap out the blade as soon as the tool loses any effectiveness.

Scissor- and plier-style trimmers are arguably easier to use, but need to be sharpened from time to time – and who knows how to do this, or where this service can be obtained these days? Many people find themselves discarding and replacing these tools as needed, instead.

trimming dog nails

Grinders are relatively new to the world of canine manicures. So many owners discovered how easy it was to use that old hardware standby, the Dremel tool, that you’ll sometimes hear that brand name used as a verb, as in “I Dremel my dog’s nails.” Soon enough, pet-specific rotary grinders found their way to market – and now Dremel makes a pet-specific grinder, too.

Regardless of the type of grinder you buy, make sure it is appropriate for your dog. Some cordless models might be perfectly adequate for a Papillon, but simply may not have enough oomph for trimming the thick, hard nails of a larger breed like a German Shepherd.

Though Dremels and other grinders come with several different attachments, most owners opt for the sandpaper barrel. Change the sandpaper sleeve whenever you see it’s becoming worn.

Be sure to acclimate your dog to the sound of the grinder, and then slowly introduce the tool, so that your dog is accustomed to the grinding sensation on his nails. Don’t keep the rotary tool stationery on one area of the nail, as the heat it generates can be painful for the dog.

Be aware of dangling hair – both yours and your dog’s – and take care not to have it get entwined in the tool’s spinning drum. To protect your eyes, wear safety glasses. And because nail grinders can generate a good deal of nail dust, a disposable surgical face mask is a sensible idea as well.

Nail Maintenance Routines are Crucial

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is – at least initially, until you and your dog develop a nail-maintenance routine. And “maintenance” really is the name of the game; it’s far easier for you (and less painful for your dog) to maintain his short nails than to shorten nails that have gotten long, with the inevitable corresponding long quicks.

If your dog’s nails have gotten too long, or you adopted a dog whose nails were too long, you need to really commit to frequent trimming to restore his foot health and comfort. Three to four days is probably the minimum amount of time that’s advisable between salon treatments that are intended to encourage the quicks to recede. Once a week is ideal if you want to gradually shorten your dog’s nails and eliminate all that clickety-clacking on your wood floors. And, depending on the rate at which your dog’s nails grow (and what sort of surface he exercises on) once or twice a month is a reasonable goal to maintain the nails at a healthy length.

No matter what frequency you choose, make a commitment. Earmark a specific day of the week or month for your grooming sessions, and stick with it. You’ll have a better chance of remembering to do your dog’s nails on a regular basis if you get into a routine.

It may also be helpful to dedicate a location in your home for doing your dog’s nails – somewhere comfortable for you and your dog and with a good light source. Make sure you have everything you need at hand before you begin: clippers, styptic powder and some tissue or a small clean towel or washcloth (in case you accidentally quick the dog), eyeglasses for you (if you need them to see well up close), and lots of small, high-value treats to keep the experience rewarding for your dog.

It’s also smart to have a leash on your dog, even if he’s usually fine with having his nails clipped; many dogs will attempt to leave abruptly if they are “quicked.” And who could blame them? If you do  make a mistake, don’t make a huge fuss. Feed your dog some treats, and proceed with more conservative clips.

Download the Full April 2016 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
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Dogs Who Readily Pee in the Rain

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

This is what I’m grateful for this chilly, rainy morning: Three dogs who willingly and quickly go right outdoors and get to work. Not all at once, of course: there is a peeing order that is aligned with the pecking order. The puppy goes first. Tito, the older small dog, goes next. Otto, the benevolent leader of my little pack of three, checks to make sure it’s really happening; Tito is so small it’s hard to tell. Only after everyone else is done does Otto go back over both spots and mark them himself.

This is what I’m sorry for: The fact that I rehomed the foster dog who takes the longest to pee of any dog I’ve ever known with my sister, who lives across the street from me. From my front window, where I sit at my computer and work, I can see the top of her umbrella over her backyard fence. This morning it was there for a very long time; it made me shiver from inside my warm office. Sorry, Pam!

How are you guys holding up this winter? Do your dogs easily do what they need to do when the weather is cold, snowy, or wet? Or do you have to join them in an extended cold-weather experience? Do they have more accidents indoors when they don’t want to get their feet wet or icy?

 

Up with Pups at Puppy Socials

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

I’m a big fan of “puppy socials” – a classroom-type setting to which people bring their puppies for socializing with pups of a similar age. It’s a powerful opportunity for the puppies, especially the ones who are being raised with no other dog at home to learn basic canine social skills from – or the ones who DO share their homes another dog, but the dog is super grumpy about puppies.

I first learned about puppy socials from my good friend Sandi Thompson, owner of the famed Bravo!Pup (dog and puppy training) in Berkeley, California (bravopup.com). Sandi was lead trainer for Dr. Ian Dunbar’s pioneering business, Sirius Dog and Puppy Training, for many years, before striking out on her own. Due to the value to the puppies and the popularity among the puppy owners of the “Go play!” breaks within her puppy training classes, Sandi decided to offer the participants in her classes a separate weekly session of “just” playing and socializing. During the sessions, she helps the owners identify and reinforce healthy puppy play, and teaches them how to gently interrupt potentially problematic puppy play. She also prompts the owners to occasionally interject moments of practicing training exercises that they learned in the puppy classes, and then powerfully rewarding the puppies for their compliance in such an off-the-charts distracting environment with the best possible reward: “Go play!”

Ten years ago, I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I was surrounded by wonderful and highly educated dog trainers (including Sandi), to the relative dog-training desert three hours north. But thank dog, there was ONE wonderful and highly educated dog trainer close to me: Sarah Richardson, of The Canine Connection in Chico, California (TheCanineConnection.com). That’s who I sought out for modeling for WDJ articles when I moved here in 2006, and whose training classes I attended with Otto when I adopted him as an adolescent shelter dog in June 2008. And whose puppy training class and puppy socials I am attending with my new pup Woody!

Like Sandi, Sarah offers the owners in her puppy training classes a separate session each week that is devoted to puppy socializing and play only, separated from the training classes – although she guides the puppy owners in reinforcing their puppies’ healthy social interactions and gently but proactively stopping them from practicing any sort of bullying or defensively aggressive ones. The super shy or anxious puppies are given opportunities to come out from under their owners’ chairs and explore while the more assertive and/or brave pups are reinforced for restrained on-leash behavior on the sidelines. And then the strongly social pups are given a chance to run, play, and practice introducing themselves to other puppies in manners both weird and wonderful. They learn what physical body language prompts potential playmates to engage in play and which body language triggers another puppy to take defensive action upon their own person – in other words, it’s a safe place for the little pups to learn kindergarten social skills in a group that is safe from “big kids” or grumpy grownups.

That’s not to say it doesn’t take a certain amount of management to make sure it’s safe for everyone. My friend Leonora, who fostered a litter of six TINY puppies for my local shelter recently, ended up adopting the tiniest one in the litter, Samson – all two pounds of him. I adopted the largest puppy in the litter that I fostered over the same time period, Woody, and we are commuting together to bring both pups to Sarah’s puppy training classes and puppy socials. The puppies get along famously, but they can’t yet be permitted to play together unfettered; one playful gesture of Woody’s can mean a concussion or broken leg for Samson. In Sarah’s puppy social sessions, there may be 20 or more pups of various sizes and play styles, and Samson’s stature and social needs are considered alongside of the big, exuberant puppies. Unfortunately, because all of the puppies present in our first session were so large, Samson did some of his socializing from behind a protective exercise pen, and some on leash, so that Leonora could swoop him to safety, if need be. As he grows a bit, and the pups get more accustomed to the play sessions, we hope he can “Go play!” in a more unfettered fashion.

A side note: I think the people who have big, rowdy puppies are the most likely to avail themselves of these social sessions, because they can clearly see their developing dogs need to play. But this is one of the many reasons that so many small dogs grow up with poor social skills: because their exercise needs can be met readily through less-strenuous outlets, and their owners don’t recognize that ALL dogs need time with other dogs to practice their own “language.” My friend wants Samson to be comfortable with all the dogs he meets, and is taking pains – at the highest level of exposure she can risk – to make sure he gets social time with dogs and puppies of all sizes. Smart!

At our first session, Sarah asked the puppy owner participants to described their puppies in one word, and I used “mellow” to describe Woody. That is ordinarily true, but I’m not sure anyone believed me after his first play session. There was one particularly exuberant, large German Shepherd puppy in the session who seemed to inspire Woody to new heights of both activity and over-arousal, so I had to interrupt my puppy a couple of times and bring him back to the sidelines for a highly rewarding calm-down session. I have witnessed Woody’s genetic predisposition for play-biting with a particularly extended hold on the “bite” part, and I want to nip that behavior in the bud to the extent possible. He’s got a lovely soft mouth when playing with humans, and learned to bite gently when playing with my former foster, Maebe – she would dump him unceremoniously on the ground and quit the game if he tried the bite-and-hold with her – but since Otto won’t brook ANY contact with the puppy, he’s losing practice time at this important skill, and the puppy social is a great time to regain it. I don’t want him to get frustrated, so instead of being put on some sort of punitive time-out when he gets over-the-top with play, or bites another puppy and won’t let go after a second or two, I’ll jump in with a super high-value treat and lure him off to the sidelines to practice some sits and downs for some yummy treats and some low-intensity down/tug with his favorite toy.

 

Canine Parvovirus Myths and Truths

By
Nancy Kerns
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MYTH: Adult dogs don’t get parvo.

TRUTH: It’s true that the likelihood of a serious parvo infection decreases as dogs age, and that most victims are puppies. But adult dogs can become seriously ill or die from parvo.

MYTH: I can protect my dogs from exposure to parvo by maintaining a clean environment and restricting their contact with other dogs.

TRUTH: The virus is everywhere, and it’s impossible to prevent exposure.

MYTH: My dog is strong and healthy. His immune system will prevent him from getting sick.

TRUTH: Under the right conditions, any dog can be vulnerable to illness.

MYTH: Vaccinations will protect my puppy.

TRUTH: Vaccinated puppies can get parvo under certain circumstances.

First, not all puppies have an appropriate immune response to vaccines. It’s rare, but it does happen, that some dogs must be vaccinated numerous times before their immune systems respond by manufacturing protective antibodies.

More common is something called maternal antibody interference. As long as they are active in a puppy’s body, the antibodies received from a protected mother both guard the puppy from infection and prevent vaccines from working properly. These maternal antibodies begin to fade from the puppy’s system anywhere from 6 to 16 weeks following birth.

In order to protect puppies as soon as possible after the maternal antibodies wane, they are generally vaccinated for the first time around 6-8 weeks of age, and then given additional vaccinations every 2 – 4 weeks, until they are around 16 weeks old. But if they’re exposed to parvovirus at any point between the fading of the maternal antibodies and the advent of an immune response to vaccination, they can become infected.

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A couple of days ago, I received a text from a dog-training client, wondering about a video she had just watched—and which she linked in the text. “Is meat meal bad for dogs?” she asked. She followed that message with, “I get that she’s selling her own pet food, but is it (meat meal) that bad?”
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