Dogs may lay on our feet to ensure you we can’t leave the room without them noticing or simply to show affection. Credit: Anita Kot | Getty Images
Dogs show signs of affection in many ways, including laying their head on your feet. Other ways experts believe dogs show affection include:
Making eye contact with “soft” eyes
Happy greetings with loose, relaxed posture
Wagging tail
Slow blink
Seeking physical contact
Licking
Bringing you toys
Leaning against you
Following you around
Why Do Dogs Lay Their Head on Your Feet?
We think that dogs may lay their head on our feet as a way to show they love us by being close. Even dogs who don’t care for full-body cuddles on the couch or bed may enjoy being curled up at your feet, just barely touching. Others may just want to gaze in our eyes.
Some dogs may also use this technique to get our attention. “Hey human, you’ve been on the computer a long time—don’t forget you have a dog!” Of course, canine facial expressions can tell us a lot, too.
I think some of my personal dogs lay their head on my feet to be sure they will know if I get up and leave. My pack follows me from room to room, and napping on my feet ensures that I can’t “escape” without them knowing!
While we won’t know for sure why dogs lay on our feet until they can tell us themselves, a sign of affection feels right. After all, dogs use body language as a way to communicate and, if we feel warm and fuzzy when our dogs are close, why wouldn’t they feel the same?
Purebred dogs, like these Basset puppies, are bred to preserve breed characteristics, like size, color, and personality. Credit: Lisa Van Dyke | Getty Images
While we always encourage people looking for a dog or puppy to check shelters and rescues, a purebred dog may be the way to go if you’re looking for specific looks, personality traits, or athletic abilities.
To better understand what a purebred dog is, we spoke with Dr. Marc Bekoff, an evolutionary biology expert in Colorado who specializes in dogs.
What Is a Purebred Dog?
Simply put, the term “purebred” describes pups born to two dogs of the same breed.
“Biologically, a breed is just a genetic mix with traits we like, such as a behavior and/or a look, with looks being a major force directing breeding,” Dr. Bekoff says.
The difference between a purebred dog and a mutt or mixed breed dog is the number of breeds involved.
“Mixed breeds simply are mixing the gene pool from two different breeds,” Dr. Bekoff says.
Purebred dogs come from parents of the same breed. Mixed breed dogs come from parents of two different breeds.
Some people question if purebred dogs are bred to maintain the desired traits in a dog breed. The answer, Dr. Bekoff says, is yes. This practice helps concentrate the DNA so parents can pass on the favored traits to future dog generations.
How Many Breeds Are There?
Over time, selective breeding of dogs with distinct qualities (phenotypes) created an estimated 360 dog breeds worldwide, says Dr. Bekoff. To find a list of dog breeds, check out national dog registries, such as the American Kennel Club (AKC).
If you get your purebred dog from a reputable breeder, registration papers come with your pooch. These documents indicate your purebred dog’s pedigree and shows that both parents were registered and of the same breed. Papers are needed mostly to register your own dog and to breed or show your purebred dog.
Popular Purebreds
The most recent list of popular purebred breeds, according to the AKC, are:
French Bulldog
Labrador Retriever
Golden Retriever
German Shepherd Dog
Poodle
Cost of Purebreds
While rescue and shelter dogs – and oops litters – can be adopted for free to low-cost amounts, purebred puppies can cost thousands of dollars. Reputable breeders work hard to preserve the breed standard and avoid breeding dogs with genetic problems. The AKC “recognizes Breeders of Merit for their dedication to breeding purebred dogs with the appearance, temperament, and abilities that are true to their breed standard, and for their commitment to health screening and 100 percent puppy registration.”
If you’re shopping for a purebred dog, be wary of “puppy mill” breeders and websites who produce large numbers of purebred dogs, whether quality or not, with the sole purpose of making money.
: Be sure the person you select to do chiropractic work on your dog has proper training. Credit: Hikastock | Getty Images
Just as in a chiropractic session for humans, a dog chiropractor will palpate the dog’s spine, limbs, and even the skull to detect abnormalities in how the bones come together. Even small misalignments (called “subluxations”) can impact how that joint functions, your dog’s comfort level, and nerve function.
The dog chiropractor then uses specific motions to adjust the subluxated joint and move the bones back into place. The spine is a common focus.
Does My Dog Need an Animal Chiropractor?
Most dog lovers seek animal chiropractors when they notice their dog experiencing a chronic limp or soreness. If you compete in high-impact sports such as agility or flyball, you may opt for a dog chiropractic visit as a preventive measure to make sure your dog’s body is functioning its absolute best.
If your dog has a problem such as pain, lameness, or lethargy, it is critical to get a veterinary diagnosis. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian so he or she can determine why your pup is hurting or not feeling himself. Why is this important? Because many different health problems can look similar at first glance but may need drastically different treatments. For example, a dog limping because of a sore back will benefit from dog chiropractic care, but a dog limping because of Lyme disease needs an appropriate antibiotic.
Once you know what is wrong with your dog, you can pursue dog chiropractic if your veterinarian agrees it is appropriate for his condition.
How Much Does a Dog Chiropractor Cost?
As with all medical care, the cost of a dog chiropractor visit can vary widely depending on where you live, the credentials of the practitioner, and the size and behavior of your dog. In general, an initial consultation costs $100 to $200, with follow-up adjustments ranging from $50 to $80.
Choosing an Animal Chiropractor
Look for a chiropractor who has been certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) or International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA). This ensures that the dog chiropractor has had specific training on canine anatomy and joint and spinal manipulation.
Both veterinarians and certified human chiropractors with a doctor of chiropractic (DC) degree can pursue animal chiropractic certification. A human chiropractor must have special training on working with animals, as the joints and bones fit together differently in humans versus dogs. Trying to adjust a dog the same way that a human is adjusted could cause pain and even permanent damage.
We’d never recommend looking for free advice online. Doing research on reputable websites is a better tack.
This morning, as I often do, I picked up my phone and checked for any urgent messages or emails, then idly scrolled through various social media pages: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. Then I read a post – or, rather, a string of comments on the post – that made me sit up in bed. The post itself made me roll my eyes, but the comments got my blood pressure
“Help! My dog has worms! What should I do?”
The post appeared in a local “Rants and Raves” page, where people typically complain about the service they received at a local tire shop or praise the new restaurant that just opened in town. And there were about 60 comments on the post. None, by the way, from any veterinarians or vet techs.
“Put a little tobacco in his food, the worms will be gone by tomorrow,” said one commenter.
“You can buy ivermectin at Tractor Supply,” said another commenter.
“I feed raw carrots and my dogs never get worms,” said a third.
“Tobacco always works for my dogs,” said a second tobacco fan. This was the comment that got me to sit up in aggravation, and within another minute, start reading the comments to my husband, who by now was wondering why I kept muttering and swearing under my breath. By the time the page moderator – or perhaps the original poster – deleted the post, I counted seven more people sharing their appreciation for feeding tobacco to dogs to rid them of worms. Never mind that no one knew what kind of worms the dog supposedly had, or for that matter, what the dog’s symptoms were that made the poster think the dog had worms. Not a single person asked the owner why they thought the dog had worms, or anything else about the dog. Everyone was just eager to share their advice.
It wasn’t all terrible advice; there were also two people who told the owner to not give the dog tobacco. And three or four commenters said the owner should take their dog to the vet.
I don’t want to sound like an out-of-touch elitist. I know that affording veterinary care is beyond lots of dog owners, and that a caring dog owner could easily spend a few hundred dollars in a simple visit to a vet, once the charges for the office visit, a diagnostic test, an overdue vaccine or two, and a dewormer are added up – and that could be devastating to lower-income folks, especially when perhaps an appropriate over-the-counter dewormer could effectively treat the condition.
But if you are going to look for information about your dog’s health online, for crying out loud, look for reputable sources! Not just random people! If you can use a computer (or a smartphone) for social media, surely you can look up articles on reputable sites (like this one!) that could help you determine whether your dog has worms, what kind, and what you can buy to treat them.
The same goes for training. Ask a general population of humans what you should do about a dog’s behavior issue, and you will be treated to the worst mix of garbage advice imaginable. Most of the training advice I see people offer each other online will make most dog behavior issues worse, if not get the dog euthanized because he bit someone in self-defense after being subjected to cruel and outdated, ineffective training “techniques.”
Asking unqualified people for advice is bad, but I’d suggest refraining from offering advice, too. Serious health and training problems should be addressed by people with training and experience, not just regular folks with opinions based on a dog they owned once, or that their mother-in-law owned.
Foster puppies Chex, Cheerio, and Captain demonstrate how puppies sleep every single day for eight weeks, right up until day they meet their new families. A cold, lonely crate can be quite a shock to a newly kidnapped—or rather, adopted—puppy's system. Photo by Kathy Callahan.
We’ve updated this very popular article, originally published in late 2020, because it just turned into a whole book! Welcoming Your Puppy from Planet Dog is now available wherever you buy your books.
A secret thought—unutterable even to family members—keeps more than a few new-puppy owners up at night: “What if this was a mistake?” New owners tell me, sometimes in a whisper, that they must be missing something. Getting a puppy was supposed to be fun, but all they feel is stress. Frustration. Even anger.
They seek me out for the Magic Answers, the training tips that will bring peace. They are at their wit’s end with the biting, the peeing, and the destruction. They get out their notebooks, ready to record expert information, personalized for their situation.
I absolutely do have those tips and tricks, strategies and game plans. Here’s the problem: They’re not going to work without the right mindset. There is actually just one thing I want new owners to write down in that notebook, so they can make it a part of every interaction they have with their puppy:
“Thisisababy that Ikidnappedfromanotherplanet…”
The way to enjoy puppyhood—and emerge from it with a beautifully trained dog—is to get in the right headspace. A real, live puppy won’t fit neatly into your regular life, and trying to make it so is a recipe for constant angst. The happiest puppy people are the ones who dive into this phase and back-burner their other things.
Need a convincing reason to do that, because it feels wrong to prioritize a little ball of fluff? Try this:
Just a baby!
Kidnapped!
Fromanotherplanet!
Far away from its own tribe, its own customs.
Lead with the empathy that idea demands, and you’ll find your groove. When you adjust your expectations for this little puppy to where they should be, suddenly training is simple. Not easy, but simple.
A FRUSTRATED MINDSET BLOCKS PROBLEM-SOLVING
The “poor baby” bit may sound ridiculous to you if you have a new puppy now napping, rather indulgently, in your lap. After all, this pup is lucky to have landed with you. Not only is there plenty of food, but there is an expensive dog bed and an overflowing toy basket. More importantly, you have turned your whole dang life upside-down for this dog. It seems like all you do is deal with the puppy!
All true.
But the more relevant truth is this: Before you took him home, that 8-week-old puppy spent every single moment of his little life in a cozy, warm scrum with his own kind. He was cheerily hanging out with his family doing everything that comes naturally to dogs: wrestling, biting, sniffing, chewing, and jumping. He was never alone. He had no idea you were going to swoop in, kidnap him, take him to a new planet and, here’s the kicker, suddenly be mad at him for everything that is prized in his culture.
Let that sink in.
Take your time.
Aw, shucks. Now you feel sad. And you want to know what good it does to ponder this depressing thought. After all, this is how it has to go—it’s not like the puppies can live on Planet Dog together forever.
But forcing yourself to sit with this concept increases your empathy for the puppy in front of you. If your mind is focused on your own disappointments (pee on the carpet again! more chewed shoes!), it leads to negative interactions with your puppy that can only hinder progress.
If, instead, your mind is filled to the brim with what your poor puppy must be feeling (confused, lonely), your own anger should evaporate. And that makes room for effective problem-solving.
In my experience, the Magic Answer to all of puppyhood is empathy. Not some fancy dog-trainer technique. Plain old empathy. I promise it’ll make you happier throughout puppyhood, and help you become a dramatically better teacher for your puppy as you learn to work with your puppy’s native ways.
Here’s a glimpse of what it looks like to approach a handful of the most communities puppyhood challenges using Planet Dog empathy:
EVERYONE BITES ON PLANET DOG
It’s natural for puppies to use their mouths to explore, play and engage. It’s up to us to teach them different ways to do those things here on Planet Human. Photo by Kathy Callahan.
On Planet Dog, everyone in polite society explores new things by mouth. Given the absence of hands, it’s the most effective, most satisfying way to engage. Puppies, in particular, use their mouths to play with their friends and to learn about the world.
People who don’t give any weight to their puppy’s background culture are alarmed by this mouthiness. They feel they may have picked “the wrong one.” The kids cry, saying, “I don’t like her! She’s biting me!” The parents put the put the pup in the crate for another hour, thinking “That’ll teach her.”
It doesn’t need to be this way. Owners who operate out of Planet Dog empathy will wake up in the morning to a bitey pup and their first thought will be, “Oh! You are missing playing with your friends the way you used to! You’re trying to play with us that way!” The thinking cap goes on and the mind is open. As your pup’s only guide to Planet Human, how can you help this dear toddler who’s trying her best in a challenging transition? Suddenly the answers are obvious:
* Bite-wrestle playdates with other puppies or gentle adult dogs. This is not a luxury, but instead an everyday need for all from Planet Dog. Once puppies have a happy outlet for that mouthy socialization, they are beautifully able to begin to learn our human ways.
* Long, flat, fluffy toys that allow pup to safely play a familiar-feeling bitey game (tug of war) with her human friends.
* The gentle teaching of new games that do not involve mouthiness: fetch, sit-spin-touch for treats, “find it,” etc.
People often tell me their puppy “just doesn’t understand the word no,” particularly regarding mouthiness. My answer is that when you set up your puppy’s day to match her needs, you’ll barely need to say no. Saying “no” a lot means you may have forgotten that you—say it with me—“Kidnapped! A baby! From another planet!” Having taken that dramatic action, it’s only right to do everything you can to help her adjust.
THERE IS NO ALONE-NESS ON PLANET DOG
It’s tough to leave your always-fun littermates and go into a home where using your mouth to play gets a big “NO!” Photo by Kathy Callahan.
On Planet Dog, puppies are virtually never alone. From the moment they’re born, they’re surrounded by littermates and within a leap or two of their mom. That makes for constant companionship, exercise, and warmth.
Once brought to Planet Human, a puppy might spend the vast majority of his time alone in a cold crate in an empty kitchen. When this toddler naturally cries out for companionship, he may be yelled at by the human who is his sole connection in this new life. “He needs to learn. He already had a walk around the block, plus I just played with him for a while. Now I’m busy.”
Leading with empathy makes it obvious that, while of course eventually this baby needs to learn to hang out alone, shock treatment is not the most effective learning experience. Furthermore, it can easily have the unintended consequence of making it even scarier to be alone. Once inside your puppy’s head, you’ll gravitate toward a stair-step approach to help your pup learn to be confidently alone. You’ll think about combining:
* A wonderfully tiring morning doggy playdate.
* A little brain-stimulating training.
* Moving your laptop into the kitchen for a while; then to the spot right outside the kitchen gate but in puppy’s sight.
As our little alien gets used to life with humans over the first weeks—aided by Planet Dog-oriented approaches like these—pretty soon puppy is happily enjoying his own company for reasonable stretches of the day that can get longer every week.
THERE ARE NO LEASHES ON PLANET DOG
Imagine how strange it would be to be dragged around in a new world! Relax, and take your time introducing collars, harnesses and leashes. Photo by Kathy Callahan
Imagine a recently kidnapped puppy’s terror when a strange thing is placed on her body and suddenly she is pulled around by it. Even worse, she is dragged outside into a world she’s never seen before, with loud noises and other creatures that are utterly foreign. Her struggles to escape only make matters worse—the noose tightens!
So many new owners are mystified when this pup is reluctant to accompany them. They just pull her along thinking, “She’s so weird! All dogs like walks. I’m sure she’ll get used to it.” And generally, she does—but only after experiencing a lot of fear and losing trust in her human.
In contrast, owners who remember the key information— “Just a baby!”—will consider how terrifying this could be, which opens up the mind to all sorts of ideas. “Hmm … How could I make this leash walk less frightening to a baby?”
* Maybe spending the first afternoon with just a light little collar and progressing to an attached light kitty leash the pup can drag around.
* Perhaps by the end of the day you’re picking up the end of the leash from time to time, throwing treats ahead of the pup so her focus is forward, on that.
* Later, you’re happily doing all of that out in the backyard, with the pup getting used to tension on the neck every now and then while you’re feeding a tiny bite of hot dog.
* Maybe you’re also sitting together out front and watching the world go by, sharing a bit of cheese when loud trucks or new folks pass, just to form some happy associations.
Within days, this pup raised in empathy is happily walking on leash up and down the street with her trusted owner, who feels all the closer to her pup for the mini-journey they’ve just taken. (It’s likely that the other owner, who was in a rush to get these walks going, still will be wrestling with a skittish walker weeks later.)
ON PLANET DOG, YOU CAN PEE ANYWHERE
The #1 issue creating the tossing and turning of the new-pup owners I counsel is the challenge of housetraining. Even the most committed seem to buckle at the three-week mark and confess to yelling.
Alas, our little kidnapped baby just learned, from that angry shout, that her person is scary. Unpredictable. Not to be trusted. Training will now go more slowly. Maybe she will always hold back just a bit because of the intimidating yelling from “her person” at this sensitive age. Who knows what lesson she learned from that punishment? Options include:
* I’d better hide from humans if I need to pee! Maybe behind the couch.
* I don’t want to pee in front of a human, so I won’t pee on leash anymore.
* Right before my person yelled I was looking at the small child, so that must be a bad thing on this planet. I will run from small children now!
Our human housebreaking rules make very little sense to the folks from Planet Dog. While it is obvious to you that the dining room carpet is no place to relieve yourself, to your puppy it seems ideal: it’s away from the prime living space, and it’s got nice absorption, plus traction! Start with empathy, understand that your pup has drastically different instincts than you, and set him up for success:
* Do not give him the freedom that will lead to “accidents.” (They’re hardly accidents when the individual doing them has no idea they’re doing something wrong!)
* Keep eyes on that puppy 100% of the time he’s not in his crate. “Eyes on” does not mean “in room with laptop open.” Learn his signals (abruptly walking to a corner? sniffing the ground?) and respond immediately.
* A human needs to get that pup outside, and walking around, once every half hour to start! Only with success can that stretch to 45 minutes, then an hour ….
No shortcuts. I’d sugar-coat it for you but that doesn’t do you any good in the long run, so here it is: After a week or two, every “accident” is your fault. I’m so sorry.
“Hey!” You may be saying. “Where’s the empathy for the human?!?” I know. It’s just that you’ll get that elsewhere, when you talk to other humans who can’t believe you actually got a puppy. I’m here to speak for the puppy, who did not choose to be kidnapped by aliens who thought they could carry on their regular day-to-day afterward.
THE DREAM IS IN REACH
The secret to enjoying puppyhood—and emerging from it with a great dog—is using Planet Dog empathy to guide your approach. Photo by Kathy Callahan.
Frustrated new puppy owners think they’re not asking much. “Sheesh, I just want to hang out with him and cuddle.” But that’s not actually true. We also ask them not to bark, jump, bite, pee, sniff, or chew. Sometimes, it’s as if we’re asking them not to be dogs.
It is frankly amazing to me how well puppies do during this overwhelming period of transition, from one planet to another. They are beautifully adaptable – so adaptable that even when shoe-horned immediately into a human’s world of doggy “no’s” they often do okay.
But in the homes where Planet Dog empathy rules from Day One? Those are the homes where the whole puppyhood thing looks just like it does in the storybooks. Sure, some real-life things had to be put on the back burner for six months. But there was no tossing and turning, and there were no secret thoughts of regret. These are the folks who wonder what they did before they got this new friend. They are also, by the way, the people whose dog is walking at a relaxed pace with a loose lead, gazing up at them, wondering what happy thing might be next.
Many behaviors that are considered “tricks”—like offering a paw to shake—have practical uses as well. “Shake” can make nail trims and paw checks much easier. Credit: Westend61 | Getty Images
When it comes to tricks to teach your dog, the list of possibilities is endless. The tricks included in this article assume you’ve done some basic training already, but are as long as your dog has a sit and a down, you’ll be good to go. The fun part is that these are just the beginning. Once you learn how to teach your dog, the sky’s the limit.
Before diving in, it is important to note that you should never force your dog into performing a behavior. In the long run, it prevents the dog from learning and can create an aversion to the behavior you’re trying to teach. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break and try something different.
While there are many training methods available—each with their advantages and disadvantages—I use a combination of luring and shaping (see sidebar) to teach tricks. In my experience, training is most effective when everyone involved is engaged and having a good time!
Training Terms and Techniques
Shaping:Shaping is a training technique that reinforces incremental steps toward a desired behavior. Each behavior is broken down into much smaller parts that eventually chain together to reach the end goal. When the dog is successful at the first step, you add the next. For example, if you want your dog to touch a target with his nose, you begin by rewarding any movement toward the target. Once the dog is moving toward the target regularly, you go to the next step and reward the dog only when he gets within a foot of it, then only when he touches it, then only when he touches it with his nose. While it takes patience and precision on the part of the handler, shaping is a great way to teach complex behaviors. It also requires the dog to make decisions and find solutions to challenges (figuring out what you’re asking him to do) on his own, engaging his brain in ways that often lead to a strong understanding of what he’s being asked to do.
Luring: The luring technique uses a reward—usually a toy or treat—to guide a dog to perform the desired behavior. For example, if you want to teach a dog to sit, you can hold a treat in your hand, put it in front of his nose, and raise your hand above his head. Most dogs will sit back to follow the treat with their noses. By following the “lure,” the dog has moved into a sitting position—just like you wanted. Luring is often the fastest way to get a dog to perform a behavior and can be useful for training “trick” behaviors a dog might not naturally do on his own. However, it is more likely to produce reliance on rewards if not used properly and can lead a dog to act without thinking or understanding what’s being asked.
Fade: Fading is the process of removing the need for a lure, reward, or physical cue used to get a dog to perform a behavior. While several articles worth of topic all on its own, the basics of fading are as follows: once a dog is responding reliably to the lure plus the cue you plan to use for a behavior, gradually begin diminishing the use of lure. To go back to the example of the dog learning to sit, when the dog is regularly following the motion of your hand with the treat (the lure), you will begin saying “sit” (the cue) immediately before you make that motion. As the dog gets used to those two things always coming at the same time, start waiting for a second or two between saying “sit” and making the hand motion. If your dog begins to sit upon hearing the word without waiting for the hand gesture, you can continue to gradually increase the time between the word and the gesture (and make the gesture smaller) until eventually the dog only needs to hear the word before sitting. From there, you can fade the reward itself by offering treats less often and at varying intervals.
Mark: A marker is meant to provide immediate feedback for the dog by way of positive association. It says, “That was the behavior I wanted!” It lets the dog know that a reward is coming (and why) without you needing to shove a treat in his mouth the exact moment he did what you asked. I use the word “Yes!” or a clicker. You set up these markers by “charging” them. To charge a marker, do several short practice sessions where you only use the marker and offer the reward: click the clicker (or say the word), give a treat, and repeat—nothing else.
Reward: Rewards don’t just mean food! Anything your dog likes and is willing to work for can be effective—yummy treats, favorite toys, praise and cuddles.
Cue: The word or signal used to ask the dog to perform a behavior.
Reset: Go back to the starting position for the exercise.
How to Teach Your Dog to Spin
For this trick, the end goal is to have your dog stand in front of you and spin in a circle. It is one of the easiest tricks to train and, as a bonus, it looks pretty cute. Here’s how to teach it:
Grab a treat (or toy) and stand in front of your dog.
Show him the treat.
When he moves toward it, move your hand away in a slow circle in front of you.
As he completes the circle, mark it and reward him (more about that in the sidebar, “Training Terms and Techniques”). If your dog is having trouble making a full circle, you can start by marking and rewarding at the halfway point and move on to full circles once he has that down.
Repeat until he is reliably circling then add the verbal cue you want. I use “spin” to ask for a circle to the left and “twist” for a circle to the right.
How to Teach Your Dog to Shake Paw
“Shake” is a classic for a reason. In addition to being a fun trick, it’s also useful for getting your dog accustomed to having his feet touched—a huge help for drama-free nail trims and vet visits. Like humans, most dogs have a side they prefer. When teaching this trick, I start with the side the dog offers first. To begin:
Cue your dog to sit in front of you.
Put a treat in your palm and close your hand into a fist around it.
Hold your fist out in front of the dog within easy paw reach—I find somewhere between floor level and about six inches off the ground works well for most dogs, though you may have to try different heights to see what your dog is most likely to go for.
Wait for your dog to move his paw. As soon as he does—even a little bit—mark it and reward him. It’s a good idea to reward him with your opposite hand (not the one you’re hiding the treat in). This will make it easier for him to understand that the reward comes when he touches your hand with his paw, not his nose.
Reset your dog and repeat the process. Once he starts to lift his paw more regularly, you can begin waiting for him to move it closer to your hand before rewarding him. As a note, many dogs jump straight to pawing at the hand with the treat. That’s great for teaching this trick. Mark and reward the behavior.
Once he is reliably touching your hand with his paw, you can begin raising your hand higher. When he’s got that down, begin offering him your palm instead of your closed hand. If he has trouble, don’t worry! Just back up a step and let him get some more practice before trying to up the difficulty once more.
When he is once again putting a paw in your hand regularly, add the verbal cue “paw” or “shake.” I use “paw” for the left paw and “shake” for the right.
Fade out the reward once the cue is established.
How to Teach a Dog to Backup
Backing up on cue is another “trick” behavior that has many practical uses—such as asking your dog to move away from a door or getting him to give you some space when he is underfoot. To teach it:
Stand in front of your dog with a treat in hand.
Hold the treat over his nose and take a small step toward him—this will put the treat over his head instead.
When he steps back to follow the treat, mark and reward the behavior. It doesn’t have to be a big step on his part. Any backward movement is good to start. You may have to stand still and wait a bit for him to figure it out.
Grab another treat and repeat the process.
Once he is able to take one step back reliably, you can add a second step before marking and rewarding.
Gradually increase the number of steps before the reward.
When your dog can reliably do three or four steps back, add a verbal cue. I use “back.”
Once he is responding consistently to the verbal cue, fade out stepping toward him.
If your dog has a good recall, you can add some complexity to the trick by sending him away from you with “back” and then calling him to you.
Teach Figure Eights to Your Dog
Figure eights don’t have to be done around your legs. Objects such as cones, trees, or chairs can also be used. Credit: alexei_tm | Getty Images
Figure eights won’t work for a Great Dane without some adjustments, but for any dog short enough to walk through your legs, this is a great trick to learn. In addition to looking impressive, it is useful for developing flexibility (in dog and handler!). I work on figure eights inside or in a fenced yard since adding a leash to the mix can create a trip hazard. To begin:
Ask your dog to sit in front of you.
Take a step to the side so your feet are a little farther than shoulder-width apart. There should be enough space between your legs for the dog to fit through easily. Make sure you are comfortable and well-balanced.
Hold a treat in your right hand.
Hold the hand with the treat behind you low enough that your dog can see the food—mid-thigh level usually works for medium and large dogs. For smaller dogs, it’s helpful to have a target stick.
When your dog moves toward the treat, pull it slowly back and to the right. The goal is to lure him through your legs toward your right side. As soon as he walks through, mark it and reward him. If he’s uncertain about it, you can try throwing the treat or a toy behind you to add some momentum. A note here: If your dog is reluctant to walk through your legs, absolutely do NOT straddle him or grab his collar and “help” him—while it may not seem like a big deal from the human perspective, asking a dog to walk underneath you is asking for a lot of trust on his part. If your dog isn’t having fun, find another trick to teach first before returning to this one.
Reset and repeat the steps above until your dog is comfortably walking through your legs.
Once he’s walking through your legs easily, have him sit in front of you again. This time, take a treat in each hand.
When he walks through your legs, continue to move your right hand in a circle around your leg until it is in front of your knee. When your dog follows, mark and reward.
Now, hold your left hand behind you and let him see the treat. Lure him through your legs and to your left side. Mark and reward.
Practice those steps until you get a smooth flow.
Once your dog clearly understands the process, you can add a verbal cue, “weave” in my case, and begin to fade out the lure.
For very large dogs or handlers facing mobility challenges, two cones—or any similar objects—can be used in place of your legs. Just position yourself where you can lure the dog around both obstacles and follow the steps listed above.
How to Teach a Dog to Crawl
I usually sit on the floor in front of my dog to teach crawl. Standing and using a target stick also works well. To start:
Cue your dog to lay down.
Hold a treat a few inches in front of his nose and drag it slowly away along the floor. Slow is key here since you don’t want him to hop up and walk toward it.
If he makes any movement toward the treat without standing up, mark and reward.
Once he’s reliably crawling forward a few inches, you can start gradually extending the distance and adding the verbal cue “crawl.”
Fade the lure once he is consistently responding to the cue.
If you are just beginning your training journey, start with teaching a sit and a down. Along with a good recall, those behaviors serve as a foundation for many others. Credit: Zbynek Pospisil | Getty Images
Once I’ve gotten “crawl” established as a cue, I expand the game by setting up obstacles for my dogs to crawl under—most often I sit on the couch, prop my feet on a stool and ask the dog to crawl under my raised legs. I use the same steps for training a dog to go under an obstacle as I do for a no-obstacle crawl. Again, it is important not to force a dog who is reluctant or hasn’t figured it out yet—while it might be tempting to give a gentle push to the shoulder if they won’t stay down, it’s far better to let him figure it out himself. Not only will he learn the behavior better, you’ll also avoid creating an unpleasant experience that could sour him on it.
Don't Forget to Have Fun!
Some of the best tricks my dogs have learned over the years started as pure silliness. Among other things, my two-year-old Airedale, Carmen, has learned a few dance moves. While there are plenty of behaviors we worked on with a plan and specific goals in mind, these evolved organically when she showed an interest in what I was doing and, since it made me laugh, I decided to reinforce it.
The dance moves began when Carmen was about five months old. My sister was dancing around the apartment and the puppy was fascinated. She started tracking my sister’s arm movements which resulted in a floppy-eared head bob. Not only was it absolutely adorable, I loved how closely the puppy was watching and responding. I grabbed treats and we had an impromptu dance party where we rewarded her for following along. With time and repetition, it evolved into several specific hand signals and behaviors—including the head bob, stepping in time, and a forward step-back-step combo.
The moral of this silly story is “don’t be afraid to play with your dog!” Try new things and reward behaviors you want to keep. Fun and excitement are powerful training tools for humans and dogs alike.
Symptoms of external parasites such as fleas and mites often include intense itchiness. Credit: kobkik | Getty Images
Parasites that affect dogs can be broadly classified as one of two types—internal and external parasites. Internal parasites reside inside your dog’s body and are rarely seen. External parasites are found on or in your dog’s skin, ears, or nose. Fleas and ticks can be seen with the naked eye. Lice and some mites can be seen with the naked eye but visualizing them with a low-powered microscope helps aid diagnosis.
Dog Internal Parasites
Internal parasites in dogs include intestinal parasites like worms and other microorganisms (such as roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm, threadworm, giardia, coccidia, and intestinal flukes) and parasites that reside in other organs, such as heartworm and lungworm.
Roundworm
Roundworms are thin, light tan-colored worms that are about one to two millimeters wide (about 1/16 of an inch) and anywhere from four to fifteen centimeters long (about 1 ½ to 6 inches). One end of the worm is shaped like a spear and the other end is lightly coiled. When alive, the entire roundworm will become tightly coiled like a snake.
Most adult dogs will not exhibit any symptoms when they are infected with roundworm. Some adult dogs may vomit live roundworms or may have roundworms in their poop.
Puppies infected with roundworm will often have a pot-bellied appearance and a dull haircoat. They may have diarrhea that contains mucus. Unlike adult dogs, puppies will often vomit live roundworms and have roundworms in their poop.
Dewormers containing fenbendazole, milbemycin oxime, moxidectin, or pyrantel pamoate are all approved for treating roundworm infections. Roundworms are common parasites in dogs and especially puppies.
Whipworm
Whipworms are extremely thin, white worms that are about 4.5 to 7.5 centimeters long (about 2 to 3 inches). The worm resembles a leather whip (like the one used in the Indiana Jones movies). One end of the worm is thick like a whip’s handle and the other end is thin like a whip’s lash.
Dogs that have only a small number of whipworms in their small and large intestines do not typically show any symptoms of whipworm infection. Dogs that are infected with a large amount of whipworms will often exhibit weight loss and diarrhea.
Dewormers containing fenbendazole, milbemycin oxime, or moxidectin are effective for treating roundworm infections. Whipworms are common parasites in dogs and puppies.
Hookworms
Hookworms are off-white colored worms that are four to five millimeters wide (about ⅛ of an inch) and one to two centimeters long (about ½ to ¾ of an inch). These worms have a hook on one end that resembles a fish hook.
Dogs that have only a small number of hookworms in their small intestine do not typically show any symptoms of hookworm infection. Dogs that are infected with a large amount of hookworms may have dark, tarry stool. Left untreated, these dogs may become anemic, lethargic, and lose weight.
Puppies infected with hookworm will often have anemia that can become life-threatening. These puppies may also be thin and lethargic.
Hookworm can also cause pruritic pododermatitis (itching and inflammation of the skin of the paws). When we think of hookworm, we often think of it as being an intestinal parasite. But hookworm can also enter a dog’s body through penetration of the skin, typically the underside of the webbing between their toes. Hookworm causes an intense itching when it penetrates the skin.
Dewormers containing fenbendazole, milbemycin oxime, moxidectin, or pyrantel pamoate can be effective at eliminating adult hookworms. Only dewormers containing moxidectin are effective at eliminating fourth-stage larvae that are residing in the small intestine. See the article “How to Deworm a Dog” (WDJ Sept. 2023) for more information about treating hookworm infections.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are off-white colored worms that are 15 to 70 centimeters long (about 6 inches to over two feet). The part of the tapeworm that most people see in a dog’s poop or on the skin around the anus is the proglottid. The proglottid is the egg packet that a tapeworm releases into a dog’s poop. Proglottids look like small grains of rice.
Dogs rarely show any symptoms of tapeworm infection. The presence of tapeworm proglottids may cause irritation of the skin around the anus, resulting in a dog scooting his butt on the ground.
Dewormers containing praziquantel or epsiprantel are approved for treating tapeworm infections. Tapeworms, especially the species transmitted by fleas, are common in dogs and puppies.
Giardia
Giardia is a microscopic protozoan parasite. Protozoans are single-celled organisms. Giardia is often described as looking like a tennis racket with eyes when viewed under a microscope.
Healthy adult dogs rarely show any symptoms of giardiasis. Puppies with giardiasis often have chronic diarrhea, weight loss, or a failure to thrive. Their poop will be soft and sometimes greasy. It is often pale in color and has a foul odor.
Fenbendazole is an effective first-line treatment for giardiasis. For cases of giardiasis that do not respond to this treatment, combination therapy with fenbendazole and metronidazole may be effective. Giardiasis is more common in puppies and in dogs that drink from outdoor, unfiltered water sources.
Coccidia
Coccidia is also a microscopic protozoan parasite. Coccidia is diagnosed by finding microscopic oocysts in feces.
Healthy adult dogs rarely show any symptoms of coccidiosis. Puppies with coccidiosis often have diarrhea, weight loss, or a failure to thrive. Some puppies may also exhibit vomiting, decreased appetite, and dehydration. Their poop may become bloody.
Sulfadimethoxine (Albon) is the only approved medication for treating coccidiosis. Other medications, such as ponazuril and toltrazuril, have demonstrated anecdotal success at treating coccidiosis but are not approved for this purpose. Coccidiosis is more common in puppies than adult dogs.
Heartworm
Heartworms are thin, white worms that are 15 to 30 centimeters long (about 6 to 12 inches). Heartworms enter a dog’s body in a larval form known as microfilaria through the bite of a mosquito. Microfilaria can only be seen with the aid of a microscope.
Symptoms of heartworm disease include cough, difficulty breathing, weight loss, ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen), and tiring easily or becoming winded during exercise or play. Your veterinarian may hear a heart murmur or arrhythmia or feel distension of the jugular vein in your dog’s neck on a physical exam.
Symptoms of heartworm disease may not appear until after the microfilaria have matured into adult heartworms. This can occur as early as two months after infection but most often occurs at least six months after infection. Some dogs may not show any symptoms of heartworm disease but test positive on a routine annual screening test.
Treatment for heartworm disease is a lengthy and serious process. Dogs are first started on a heartworm preventative to kill the microfilaria. Doxycycline and sometimes a steroid are prescribed during the first thirty days of treatment. This is followed by three injections of melarsomine to kill the adult heartworms. You can read more about heartworm disease and the recommended course of treatment from the American Heartworm Society.
Lungworm
Lungworms are small worms that range in size from 3 millimeters long to 4 centimeters long (1/10 of an inch to 1 ½ inches), depending on the lungworm species. Lungworms reside in the airways of the lungs, such as the bronchi, bronchioles, and trachea.
Dogs that have only a small number of lungworms in their airways do not typically show any symptoms of lungworm infection. Dogs that are infected with a large amount of lungworms may have a chronic cough, an increased respiratory rate and effort, or difficulty breathing.
Treatment for lungworm will vary depending on the species causing the infection but may include fenbendazole, ivermectin, selamectin, or moxidectin. Lungworms are not common in dogs or puppies.
Intestinal Flukes
Intestinal flukes—sometimes also known as liver flukes—cause a condition in dogs called schistosomiasis. Adult flukes are off-white colored flat worms that are 9 to 17 millimeters long (about ⅓ of an inch to ⅔ of an inch).
Symptoms of intestinal flukes include diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, weight loss, decreased energy, increased thirst, and increased urination. Death may ensue if left untreated.
Treatment for intestinal flukes is not always effective, especially later in the course of the disease. Combination therapy with praziquantel and fenbendazole may be effective at clearing the infection in some dogs. Intestinal flukes are not common in dogs or puppies but may be more prevalent in certain geographic regions, such as Texas, the Southeastern United States, and some areas of southern California.
External Parasites in Dogs
External parasites include fleas, ticks, mites, and lice. These parasites reside either on top of or just within the skin. Some can also be found on the linings of the ears or nose.
Fleas
Fleas are wingless blood-sucking insects that are dark brown in color and about 1 to 2 millimeters long. Although they cannot fly, they are capable of jumping on and off their host.
Fleas excrete a powdery form of the blood they ingest called frass, also known as flea dirt. Frass is used to feed flea larvae as they develop into adult fleas.
Fleas can be readily seen on most dogs by parting their fur down to the skin. You may be able to find flea dirt by running a flea comb through your dog’s fur. Flea dirt looks like fine, powdered dirt. Gently rub any dirt picked up with a flea comb on a moistened, white paper towel. Flea dirt will dissolve in water and create red streaks on the paper towel.
Symptoms of flea infestations include excessive scratching and chewing at the skin. There may be scabs on the skin where your dog has scratched or chewed, particularly on the neck, behind the ears, and at the base of the tail.
Treatment for flea infestations includes treating all of the animals in the home and treating the environment. Bathe your dog with a gentle shampoo made for dogs to reduce the flea burden. Use an oral flea treatment—such as Capstar—to help reduce the flea burden even further.
Start all of the pets in the home on a flea preventative. Some topical flea preventatives are toxic to cats and rabbits. Use only a flea preventative labeled for cats on the feline members of your family. Never use a flea preventative containing fipronil on rabbits.
It is important to treat the interior of the home for fleas. Fleas lay their eggs in the environment in which they reside and not directly on animals. This means that your carpets, the cracks between the boards of your wood floors, baseboards, and the areas under your furniture are all infested with flea eggs and larvae. Use an effective environmental treatment that kills adult fleas and contains an insect growth regulator to prevent larvae from reproducing once they become adults. You may also want to consider hiring a professional exterminator.
Ticks
Ticks are actually arachnids and are in the same family as scorpions, spiders, and mites. Ticks have three life stages—larva, nymph, and adult. Larval ticks are the size of a grain of sand, nymphs are the size of a poppy seed, and adult ticks are the size of an apple seed. Ticks may be brown or black and some may have a white spot on the backside.
Ticks themselves do not cause any symptoms in dogs, but the diseases they carry and transmit can cause your dog to feel ill. It often takes several weeks or months from the time of the tick bite to develop symptoms of disease. These symptoms can include fever, profound lethargy, loss of appetite, weakness, lameness in one or more limbs, increased thirst, and increased urination.
Use one or more effective tick preventatives to prevent ticks from attaching to your dog. Minimize exposure of your dog to areas known for high tick loads, especially tall grasses in shady areas. Check your dog every day for ticks and carefully remove any that you find.
Lice
Lice are small, flat insects that are yellow in color and about 1 to 2 millimeters long. In most cases, it is not the lice that are noticed first but the nits in a dog’s coat. Nits are the eggs that lice lay and firmly attach to strands of fur. Nits are white or whitish-yellow in color and are about the size of a pinhead.
Nits look and react differently than dander. Nits are smooth and oval-shaped whereas dander is flat and flaky. You can easily comb dander from your dog’s fur. Nits remain firmly attached and cannot be removed, even with a fine-toothed comb.
Dogs with lice may rub, scratch, and chew at their skin. They may experience patchy fur loss. Puppies may develop anemia from a severe infestation.
Several flea preventatives are effective at treating lice infestations on dogs, including selamectin, fipronil, and imidacloprid. Flea/tick preventatives in the isoxazoline class of drugs—such as Nexgard and Bravecto—have also been shown to be effective against certain species of lice in dogs.
Lice are not common in dogs or puppies. Typically, lice are found on dogs and puppies that have been residing in unsanitary conditions, such as hoarding situations.
Ear Mites
Ear mites are microscopic arachnids that are barely visible to the naked eye. Sometimes they may appear as a white speck moving across a dark background. But a definitive diagnosis of ear mites requires examination of ear exudate under a microscope.
Dogs with ear mites will have a dark brown or black discharge from one or both ears that often resembles coffee grounds. They will scratch at the infected ear, shake their head, hold one ear flap close to the head, and be sensitive about having the infected ear touched. Some dogs may have scabs along the outer base of the ear, the cheeks, or the neck.
Ear mites can be treated with flea preventatives containing selamectin and topical ear medications containing pyrethrin. Ear mites are more common in kittens and outdoor cats than they are in dogs and puppies.
Sarcoptes
Sarcoptes mites are microscopic arachnids that burrow into a dog’s skin. The condition they cause is called scabies or sarcoptic mange.
Dogs with scabies are intensely itchy and will scratch and chew at infected skin. Patchy hair loss and thickening of affected skin may develop.
Flea preventatives that contain selamectin or a combination of moxidectin and imidacloprid are approved for the use of treating sarcoptic mange in dogs. Flea/tick preventatives in the isoxazoline class of drugs—such as Nexgard and Bravecto—have also been shown to be effective against the sarcoptes mite. High-dose ivermectin was used for the treatment of scabies prior to the approval of selamectin and moxidectin/imidacloprid products and is no longer recommended due to the potential for serious side effects.
Demodex
Demodex mites are microscopic arachnids that reside in the hair follicles of a dog’s skin. This is a commensal mite that is present in most dogs and puppies.
Healthy adult dogs are typically able to keep the commensal population of Demodex mites in check. Dogs that are immunocompromised and puppies whose immune systems are still developing may not be able to control the population growth of Demodex mites. The hair follicles and glands within the skin become crowded with mites, creating patchy areas of hair loss. Demodicosis can be either localized (on only a few areas of the body) or generalized (affecting large swatches of the body).
Most cases of localized demodicosis will resolve without treatment. Dogs with generalized demodicosis require treatment to resolve their condition. Treatment for generalized demodicosis is aimed at controlling the overgrowth of Demodex mites and identifying the underlying condition that allowed the overgrowth in the first place.
The only FDA-approved medication for demodicosis is a dip treatment called amitraz (brand name Mitaban). There are side effects to using amitraz and the odor of the dip is quite noxious. Other treatments for demodicosis are not FDA-approved for this purpose but have shown good efficacy in treating the condition. These treatments include ivermectin (an oral medication), milbemycin (found in several heartworm preventatives), moxidectin (found in some topical flea preventatives), and the fluralaner class of drugs (found in several oral flea/tick preventatives).
Harvest Mites
Harvest mites are microscopic orange arachnids that are also known as chiggers, red bugs, or berry bugs. Although individual mites on the skin cannot be seen with the naked eye, concentrated groups of mites on the skin may appear as small orange patches. The condition harvest mites causes is called trombiculosis.
Only the larval stage of the mite feeds on animals and people. The adult stage feeds on vegetation. Dogs with harvest mites will be intensely itchy. They may experience patchy hair loss and develop a secondary bacterial skin infection.
Flea and tick preventatives that contain fipronil or permethrin can be effective at preventing and treating trombiculosis. Harvest mites are more prevalent in the South, Southeast, and Midwestern regions of the United States.
Cheyletiella
Cheyletiella are microscopic mites that live on the surface of a dog’s skin. These mites feed on the outer layer of skin and are highly mobile. As the mites move about, they cause active and visible disruptions of skin dander. This has given Cheyletiella the common name “walking dandruff.”
Dogs with cheyletiellosis are moderately to intensely itchy. They may experience patchy hair loss. Their fur may feel rough and grainy.
The use of flea/tick or heartworm preventatives containing milbemycin oxime, moxidectin, selamectin, or fipronil have been shown to be effective at treating cheyletiellosis. Bathing with a shampoo containing pyrethrin may also be effective. Cheyletiellosis is not common but may be seen more often in dogs and puppies from high-density breeding facilities.
Nasal Mites
Nasal mites are arachnids that are light yellow in color and about 1 to 1.5 millimeters long. They infect the mucosal lining of the nasal sinuses.
Symptoms of nasal mites in dogs include sneezing, reverse sneezing, nasal discharge, bleeding from the nostrils (epistaxis), shaking of the head, and itchiness of the nose and face. Sometimes the mites may congregate around the nostril openings.
The use of flea/tick or heartworm preventatives containing milbemycin oxime, imidacloprid/moxidectin, or selamectin have been shown to be effective at treating cheyletiellosis. Ivermectin has also been shown to be an effective treatment. This is not a common parasite of dogs but may be more prevalent in large breed dogs older than three years of age.
Cuterba
Cuterebra is the larva of the rabbit bot fly. This larva burrows into the skin and initially creates a small swelling about one centimeter wide. As the larva grows and matures, the swelling can become large and painful and look like an abscess. The swelling will have a small hole in the middle through which the larva breathes. If you look carefully at the hole, you may see the larva moving inside!
Cuterebra is found throughout the United States. Immature larvae are grey or cream-colored, shaped like a cylinder with little ridges, and 0.5 to 1 centimeter long (about ¼ to ½ inch). The mature larvae are dark grey, can be up to three centimeters long (about 1 ¼ inches) and are cylindrically shaped with many ridges and spines.
The only treatment for cuterebra is manually extracting the larva from your dog’s skin. This procedure should only be attempted by a veterinarian. The larva must be removed whole—tearing the larva during extraction can cause anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction). Your veterinarian may recommend giving a mild sedative to your dog and applying a numbing agent to the skin around the hole where the larva is residing.
While veterinary telemedicine can be helpful in many situations, it has its limits. Since the vet won’t be able to directly observe your dog, getting a diagnosis may be more difficult. Credit: Oscar Wong | Getty Images
It’s the middle of the night and something is not quite right with your dog. You’re concerned but don’t know if your dog needs to see a veterinarian right away. You call the local veterinary emergency hospital but learn that the wait time to be seen by a veterinarian is at least five hours if your dog is not experiencing a life-threatening emergency. Do you take your dog to the emergency hospital? Or do you risk it and wait until the morning when your primary care veterinary hospital opens?
Now there’s a third option—consulting with a veterinarian online about your dog’s situation. Telemedicine and teletriage are services that are available by phone or online and can be accessed with your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
There is a difference between telemedicine and teletriage. Let’s delve into what each service can provide and the pros and cons of each.
Veterinary Telemedicine
Telemedicine is an extension of the existing relationship you have with your dog’s veterinarian. This type of service requires a previously established veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR)—see the sidebar about VCPR for more details.
What is a Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR?)
Every state has a set of regulations that govern the practice of veterinary medicine. This set of regulations is called the veterinary practice act. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the purpose of a veterinary practice act is “to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and animals by ensuring the delivery of competent veterinary care.”
One of the regulations stipulated in a veterinary practice act is what constitutes a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR). A VCPR is the relationship between you, your veterinarian, and your pet for the purpose of diagnosing and treating your pet. Most states require establishment of a VCPR before a veterinarian can prescribe medications for your pet.
In most states, the establishment of a VCPR requires a hands-on physical examination of your pet. As of this writing, only six states allow the establishment of a VCPR by virtual consultation. Once established, a VCPR can be maintained through follow-up consultations that are done virtually, by telephone, or in-person.
Your veterinarian’s practice may offer an informal telemedicine service, such as the ability to call and speak with a veterinarian after hours. A veterinarian at the practice is assigned to be “on call” and available to consult with you by phone when the hospital is not open. The on-call veterinarian can help you decide if your dog needs immediate veterinary attention or can wait until the practice reopens to seek care.
Some veterinary practices contract with a service that provides telemedicine consultations by phone, text message, or online video chat. These services have access to the practice’s electronic medical records. A veterinarian or veterinary technician from the service can consult with you and update your pet’s medical record remotely with the information provided during the consultation.
A veterinarian may be able to prescribe medications for your dog based on findings from a telemedicine consultation. However, not all states allow this and an in-person physical examination may still be required once the hospital is open.
Telemedicine has the benefit of utilizing information from your dog’s records to facilitate discussion, diagnosis and recommendations for your dog. However, phone or text message options do not allow the veterinarian or veterinary technician to see your dog. Video chat provides the veterinary professional with the ability to see your dog but even that is not a substitute for a complete physical examination and diagnostics.
Teletriage
Teletriage is an assessment tool that can be used to determine the best course of action for your dog in an urgent or emergent situation. You can consult with a veterinarian or veterinary technician by phone, text message, or video chat. The veterinary professional will make one of three recommendations:
Seek veterinary care immediately at the closest emergency hospital. Some teletriage services, like VetTriage, will contact emergency hospitals in your area to see who might be able to see your dog in the most timely fashion and have the services your dog may require.
Call your dog’s veterinarian first thing in the morning to schedule an appointment for your dog to be examined, diagnosed, and treated.
Recommendations on what to do for your dog at home. They may also tell you what signs to look for that indicate your dog is getting worse and needs immediate veterinary care.
A VCPR is not necessary for a teletriage consult. However, this means that the veterinarian cannot diagnose your dog’s problem or prescribe medications for your dog. They can only assess your dog and give you advice on whether or not to seek immediate veterinary care.
As with telemedicine, there are limitations on how much the veterinarian can see or hear what is going on with your dog via phone, text message, or video chat. If you have any lingering doubts or concerns about your dog’s condition, it may be best to take your dog to the closest emergency hospital for assessment. Upon arrival at the emergency hospital, a veterinary technician will assess your dog’s vital signs and obtain a brief history from you. Your dog will then be assessed a triage level (see sidebar about Triage at the Emergency Hospital).
Triage at the Emergency Hospital
The first person your dog will see upon arrival at a veterinary emergency hospital is a veterinary technician. A veterinary technician is the equivalent of a nurse in human medicine.
The veterinary technician will obtain your dog’s vital signs, a brief history of your dog’s illness or injury, and a list of medications your dog is currently taking. Vital signs include heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, gum color, and pulse quality.
The veterinary technician will assign your dog a triage level based on the information collected. Most emergency hospitals use a four- or five-level triage system. These triage levels are:
Level 1: Requires immediate attention by a veterinarian. These pets are either actively dying or experiencing an event that is life-threatening. Pets in this category may have uncontrolled bleeding due to trauma, difficulty breathing, collapse, be actively having a seizure, or are in cardiopulmonary arrest.
Level 2: Requires emergent attention by a veterinarian. These pets are not actively dying but are likely to worsen if they are not seen as soon as possible. Pets in this category may have a high fever, internal bleeding, a large open wound, a proptosed or ruptured eye, or a urinary obstruction.
Level 3: Requires urgent attention by a veterinarian. These pets are not actively dying and are unlikely to worsen if not seen right away. Pets in this category may be vomiting blood or have bloody diarrhea, a laceration that is not currently bleeding, or an issue affecting the eyes.
Level 4: Stable and can wait for the next available veterinarian. These pets have normal vital signs and can wait with their owners in the waiting room. Pets in this category may be vomiting, limping, having diarrhea, or not eating.
Level 5: Non-urgent. These pets can be seen by their primary care veterinarian on the next business day. Pets in this category may have skin or ear infections, superficial cuts that do not require sutures, or a ripped claw that is not actively bleeding.
Dogs in triage level 1 are seen immediately. Those in triage level 2 are seen immediately once triage level 1 cases have been seen. Dogs in triage level 3 may have up to a two hour wait to be seen by a veterinarian. Triage level 4 patients may have a wait of four hours or more. Pet owners whose dogs are in triage level 5 will be encouraged to leave and see their primary care veterinarian on the next business day
Pets are seen by the emergency veterinarians in the order of their triage level. That means that some pets that have arrived after you may be seen before your dog if their triage level is higher. Being first at the emergency hospital is not the position you want to have—it means that your dog is in the worst condition of any pet currently there.
Telemedicine and teletriage can play an important role in your dog’s veterinary care. But understanding their limitations is important, too. You are your dog’s advocate—trust your gut and be their voice. As the old saying goes, “It’s better safe than sorry!”
Once one dog starts howling, others will often join in. Credit: Erdi Kahraman | Getty Images
If you’ve ever heard dogs howling, you know it can be quite an attention-getter. Howling in response to specific noises, particularly high-pitched, prolonged sounds such as sirens or fire alarms, is common. While sirens can be difficult for noise-sensitive dogs, howling along with them is only rarely a sign that something is wrong. As best we can tell, it usually means your dog just has something to say about the noise.
Why Do Dogs Howl?
There’s a lot we don’t fully understand about canine communication including exactly why dogs howl. That said, educated guesses can be made based on observations of domestic dogs and their closest genetic relatives, grey wolves.
At the most basic level, howling and other canine vocalizations are used to communicate. Studies of wolves howling, which are much more common than similar studies of domestic dogs, suggest that uses for the behavior include locating pack members, warning others away from territory, alerting packmates to prey or danger, and building social bonds. While domestic dogs as a species howl less and bark more than their wild cousins—and domestication has significantly altered how our dogs communicate—the primary reasons for howling appear similar.
Howling at Noises
Given that the purpose of vocalization is to communicate, it’s safe to assume that your dog is trying to tell someone something when she howls along with a passing firetruck. Of the most likely scenarios, one is that she is trying to let you know that something unusual is happening—alerting you in case you didn’t notice the weird, loud sound. Another option may be that she is telling whatever is making the sound to back off because this is her territory.
As discussed in “Why Do Dogs Howl?”, dogs also howl to socialize. The behavior itself can be rewarding for them, especially when accompanied by others. Because of this, what may have started as an alert the first time a dog heard a siren could have, over time, become an excuse for a good howl with the rest of the family or neighborhood pack.
Is Howling at Sirens a Problem?
While the behavior itself is normal, dogs howling can be a problem in two ways. First, howling—and similar-sounding vocalizations such as high-pitched whining, screaming, or barking—can be a sign of distress.
To be clear, the act of howling itself does not mean your dog is upset. If you are concerned that sirens may be frightening to your dog or that the noise is hurting her ears, pay attention to the rest of her body language and behavior. If she is tense, cowering, or hiding in addition to howling, it’s time to help her get away from the sound until you can work on getting her more comfortable with it. If she has fearful or pained reactions every time she hears a siren—some dogs are highly sound sensitive—consider consulting a behaviorist or veterinarian for help.
Second, if you are living close enough to other people that they can hear your dog, the noise may be enough to disturb them—especially at night. That’s not great for building friendly relationships with noise-sensitive family members or neighbors. If your dog’s desire to sing with the sirens is creating tension, some training may be in order.
As with teaching a dog to stop barking, counter-conditioning and desensitization can be used to modify howling at sirens much of the time (see “How to Stop a Dog From Barking”, WDJ Dec. 2023/Jan. 2024). However, if sound sensitivity or anxiety is contributing to the behavior, professional help can be invaluable.
An appropriate diet, enriched with prebiotics and probiotics as needed, will help maintain good gut health. Credit: Don Mason | Getty Images
DNA research has documented the importance of gut microbes in human and canine health, immunity, and longevity. A healthy microbiome—an umbrella term used to describe communities of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes in the body—destroys harmful pathogens, including disease-causing viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites. Most reside in the intestines, where they are known as the “gut microbiome.”
In a healthy gut, “friendly” or beneficial microbes secrete chemicals that destroy harmful bacteria and, if they are present in sufficient numbers, colonies of beneficial bacteria starve harmful microbes by depriving them of nutrients and space. In addition, the microbes in a healthy microbiome can bind to toxins, such as allergens and substances that cause cancer, removing them from the body through normal elimination.
Your Dog’s Microbiome
At 6 months of age, the gut microbiomes of healthy puppies contain over 500 different types of microbes. Though the numbers decline as dogs age, older dogs still have over 400 different types of bacteria and other microbes in their digestive tracts, approximately 80% of which are beneficial and 20% potentially harmful.
An estimated 70-80% of your dog’s immune system is in the microbiome. Dysbiosis (an imbalance of healthy or beneficial microbes in a dog’s body) leads to a variety of common symptoms that can be treated by improving a dog’s gut health, including:
Allergies, itching, and food sensitivities
Indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, and flatulence
Skin and coat problems
Dental problems and gum disease
Bad breath and unpleasant body odors
Arthritis or joint pain
Liver disease
Pancreatitis
Respiratory problems
Inflammation
Obesity
Diabetes
Susceptibility to infections
What Causes Gut Imbalances?
The simplest answer to what most affects dog gut health is modern life. Most American dogs eat processed foods and even the highest-quality kibbles are high in carbohydrates and low in enzymes and nutrients that are damaged by the heat and pressure of manufacturing. Add environmental factors like harmful chemicals, EMF (electromagnetic frequency) exposure, air or water pollution, and other 21st century stressors, and it’s no wonder our dogs are affected.
A Gut-healthy Diet
Holistic veterinarians have long argued that the most important factor in a dog’s health is food. A species-appropriate diet (also known as a biologically appropriate diet) is modeled after what wild canines consume, which is mostly the raw meat, bones, glands, blood, skin, and organs of prey animals. The natural canine diet is high in protein, moderate in fat, and low in carbohydrates.
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Frozen fresh, lightly cooked, and freeze-dried raw diets represent the fastest growing segment of today’s pet food industry. Look for frozen raw SmallBatch, A Pup Above, Stella & Chewy’s, Primal, Northwest Naturals, and similar dog foods in independent pet supply stores. You can feed your dog from scratch with the help of books like Dr. Becker’s, but brands like these are an easy way to provide the complete nutrition and variety that build a better microbiome.
Gut Health Supplements
In addition to feeding an appropriate diet, you can enrich your dog’s microbiome by adding prebiotics and probiotics to her food.
Prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates, such as fiber, that feed and support the beneficial bacteria that live in your dog’s digestive tract.
Probiotics are live microbes that regulate immune response, produce short-chain fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory properties, prevent the overgrowth of harmful microbes, and help prevent leaky gut syndrome by strengthening the gut barrier.
Both are familiar supplements for pets as well as people, and several brands combine active bacteria with the fibrous foods that feed them. A leading theory about the effectiveness of probiotics is that the more different strains of beneficial bacteria they contain, or the more species-specific they are (derived from cat, dog, or wolf sources), the more likely they are to improve your animal’s microbiome. Most probiotic activity occurs in the intestines, which is why recommended brands use strains of beneficial bacteria that survive stomach acid.
Research shows that the popular probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis helped reduce stress in dogs moved to kennels from their homes and that it was as effective as antibiotics in treating severe diarrhea. The beneficial bacterium Bifidobacterium longum reduced overall anxiety in 90% of the dogs tested with it, and B. longum and other probiotics have been shown to reduce digestive problems. Probiotics are often prescribed for dogs recovering from antibiotic therapy, which kills both harmful and beneficial bacteria.
The strength or concentration of probiotic products is measured in CFUs, or Colony Forming Units. Most probiotics sold for human or pet use contain at least 1 million CFUs per serving, but many measure their CFUs in the billions. Check labels to compare brands.
In addition, you can help improve your dog’s microbiome by following these simple tips:
Keep your dog hydrated by encouraging him to drink, making clean water available indoors and out, and by adding fluids like goat milk, bone broth, or warm water to food.
Add fermented foods such as plain (unflavored, unsweetened) yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, or raw fermented milk from cows or goats. For how-to instructions see “Dogs and Dairy Products.”
Examine dog food ingredients to be sure they are the best you can afford, focusing on good protein sources.
Rotate from one protein to another, a strategy that provides more complete nutrition than feeding the same food at every meal.
Limit or avoid carbohydrates, especially corn, wheat, and soy, which are commonly associated with allergies and digestive problems and which canines in the wild never consume.
Add fresh, whole raw, or gently cooked ingredients from your own dinner preparation whenever it’s convenient.
Add small amounts of dandelion greens, brussels sprouts, okra, asparagus, avocado (without the pit or skin), or nori/seaweed as meal toppers or mix them into your dog’s food.
Replacing as little as 20% of your dog’s dry or canned dog food with fresh ingredients can significantly improve gut health.
Woody used the Chewzie to help him get a good grip on the bully stick. But the primary purpose of this and the other bully-stick holders we tested was to prevent dogs from swallowing the last few inches of a bully stick, potentially causing choking or intestinal perforation.
We loved the idea from the moment we first saw a bully-stick holder, the Bow Wow Buddy, which we reviewed in the November 2022 issue of WDJ. In that review, we said that the product wasn’t perfect—but it provided a measure of safety for dogs who were prone to swallowing the too-long end of a bully stick.
It was entirely predictable (and, frankly, welcome) that the Bow Wow Buddy inspired a wave of copycat pet-product makers who have brought their own designs to the bully-stick-holding task. When we searched for bully-stick holders to review, our Google search results contained dozens of products. This was surprising to us, because we’ve found only one stick-securing product in pet supply stores.
This told us that none of the available contenders are clear winners—products that are perfect for their intended use. If there were such a thing, it would be likely to quickly establish a foothold in pet-supply stores. Instead, we had to gather the best-looking products from a wide variety of sources, including the makers’ own websites.
We’re sorry to report that after testing eight of the most promising contenders, our conclusion is that there still isn’t a perfect bully stick-holder available to owners who want to prevent their dogs from swallowing large sections of their chewies.
Nevertheless, we like the advances that have been made in materials and design and we appreciate anything that even marginally improves the safety of such an enjoyable (but slightly risky) recreational activity for dogs. All of the products we tested reduce the risk of swallowing long end-pieces of sticks or chews—they are just not yet safe enough or chew-resistant enough to use without supervising the dog while chewing. We found and will use our favorite—the Bully Grip—but under direct supervision.
There Are Two Types of Bully-Stick Holders
As previously mentioned, the Bow Wow Buddy was the first bully-stick-holder we ever saw. Its design strategy has been copied in theory, if not in exact practice, in about half of the products we tested. The concept involves using some sort of mechanism to secure the dog’s chewie in something that’s not chewable, sort of like clamping a piece of wood in a vise. I’ll refer to these products as “vise types.”
A second class of products take a different tactic; they use rubbery materials in a variety of designs to attempt to secure bully sticks with friction. These products are made with either rubber or “Zogoflex” (a rubbery material made by West Paw). We’ll call these “friction types.”
Pros and Cons of Each Product Type
We bought four products of each design type for a total of eight bully-stick holders to test. Each type has advantages and drawbacks, as do the individual products themselves.
All of the vise-type products we tested are made of hard nylon. This material enables the products to contain a very secure tightening mechanism of some kind, but the downside of the plastic-like material is that it can be scored into sharp ridges if the dog chews on it—something that dogs are prone to doing once they chew the bully stick down to the last piece that they can’t extract from the holder.
In 2022, after our test dog chewed on the original Bow Wow Buddy a few times—we were clearly negligent in the supervision department—we ended up throwing it away so neither our dog nor we would get cut by the sharp edges of the chew marks he left in it.
The Bow Wow Buddy we tested in 2022 after a few minutes of unsupervised chewing; it was badly scored with sharp gouges.
The rubbery friction-type products don’t get scored if a dog chews on them; in fact, they all resist chewing to a great degree and can actually be used as a fetch and chew item themselves! But because they are soft, they can’t contain any type of mechanism for holding the bully sticks in an absolutely secure way. Strong dogs who use their paws to hold the stick-holder and their teeth to pull on the sticks can remove bully sticks from these products. Not all dogs are forward-thinking enough to extract the sticks when they are long enough to get a firm grasp on them (but one of our test dogs is).
What it comes down to—what it almost always comes down to—is that you have to supervise your dog with these items, and take them away as soon as the dog has finished chewing the chewie, or reloading the chewie if your dog managed to remove it too quickly from the holder. These products make bully-stick chewing safer, not 100% safe. Supervision is still required.
However, if this means that a dog can chew a bully stick or other kind of chewie down to a single one-inch piece, we’re thrilled. Bully sticks can cost as much as $1 or more per inch! One of our tests dogs is prone to quickly swallowing a high-value item if someone comes near him (rather than risking having to give it up or even losing it in a trade); to prevent this, we usually have to take those sticks away from him when they are still 5 or 6 inches in length! The bully-stick holders pay for themselves just by preventing the need to throw away those dangerously swallowable 3-, 4-, or 5-inch end pieces.
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Review of Vise-Type Bully-Stick Holders
We tested four vise-type products in various sizes. From left: Bully Bunches’ Bully Stick Safety Holder, Bow Wow Buddy, GoSports’ Chew Champ, Tall Tails’ Bully Stick Holder for Dogs. The first two secure the stick by turning a recessed knob. The second two tighten when you turn one end of the product.
Two of the vise-type bully-stick holders we tested have a piece that can be tightened against the bully stick by turning a knob. The knob in each product is positioned in a recessed space at the end of the product, so the dog can’t access it. But the piece that presses against the bully stick or other chew item is different.
We give huge props to Bow Wow Buddy for innovating what we believe is the first bully-stick holder on the market—but we don’t think its peg goes far enough toward the V-shaped surface on the other side of the opening to secure thin chews.
The Bully Stick Safety Holder from Bully Bunches also has a recessed knob that tightens the piece that secures the chew item, but this piece can be tightened so far that it would hold even very flat, jerky-style chews, as well as thick or blocky chews such as yak-cheese blocks.
However, both of these products are vulnerable to chewing on the end with the knob (and ultimately making it difficult to turn the knob) if the dog is unsupervised.
The other two vise-type products (GoSports Chew Champ and Tall Tails’ Bully Stick Holder for Dogs) take a different tack: The two ends of the product screw together to press a peg against the chewie or screw apart for loading the product. Our test dogs were not able to unscrew or loosen the mechanism, even when we left them fake-unsupervised.
We think these two products would continue to operate well even if they were chewed, but they would still be prone to getting scored by dog teeth, creating sharp ridges in the material. Also, neither of these two can be used with particularly thin bully sticks; the space between the peg and the wall it presses the chewie against is too big.
Of all the products we tested, the product that holds chew items the most securely, is the Bully Stick Safety Holder. It also can accommodate a wider range of chew items than any other the other products we tested.
Review of Friction-Type Bully-Stick Holders
Friction-type holders, back row: West Paws’ Quizl and Earth Rated’s Chew Toy. The products in the front row (orange Bully Grip and blue Chewzie) hold bully sticks the most securely but can’t be used for other types of chews.
The only one of the friction-type products that secures a bully stick as well as the vise-type holders is the Bully Grip. Plus, it’s made of a highly chew-resistant rubber, so a temporarily unsupervised dog who chews on the Bully Grip itself is unlikely to damage it. Please note that it’s really difficult to insert bully sticks into the Bully Grip’s tight opening, and the larger the bully stick, the more difficult it is to insert.
The Chewzie (made by Best Bully Sticks) has a similar design and is also made of chew-resistant rubber. While it can accommodate a wider variety of sizes and types of chews and is easier to load, it’s less secure than the Bully Grip. It wouldn’t hold very skinny bully sticks.
The last two products we tested are not exclusively marketed as bully-stick holders; rather, that task is listed as one of the potential uses for these products. The Quizl (made by West Paw) and the Chew Toy (made by Earth Rated) are both marketed primarily as (ahem) chew toys. They both have various openings that would admit and hold a bully stick or other slender chew item (such as a smallish “No-Hide” or rawhide roll). The larger the chew item, the more securely they would hold it; they can’t hold very thin chews.
All of these vise-type products are tightened as far as they can go. The one that closes the most—the most secure of these vise-type products—is the Bully Stick Safety Holder from Bully Bunches (lower right).
The Chew Toy is made of rubber; the Quizl is made of West Paw’s proprietary “Zogoflex” material, which West Paw says is non-toxic, FDA-compliant, and BPA-, latex-, and phthalate-free. Our test dogs enjoyed playing with and chewing on both of these toys even when they weren’t holding chews—and that’s good, because they are the least secure of the products we tested.
Overall Winner: Best Bully-Stick Holder
Picking a sole winner from between these two types of bully-stick holders is difficult, because the strengths and weaknesses of each category are diametrically opposite. But if we could buy only one product, we’d choose the Bully Grip. It’s the most secure and chew-resistant product we tested—and makes a fairly fun fetch toy when it’s not holding a bully stick.
In fact, after our test dogs chewed one bully stick down to a tiny nub that was still held tightly in the product’s rubber “teeth,” that bit of stinky stick increased the attractiveness of the Bully Grip as a toy; our test dogs played with and carried that toy around on and off for days without managing to extract that nub. Hey! A product that made a costly treat last longer! That’s our winner.
Angel is a sweet but funny-looking girl with a naturally bobbed tail. She came into the shelter with puppies and is still a bit thin.
Perhaps the best alternative I’ve ever seen to rehoming dogs through shelters is called a home-to-home model – which is a new and ideal name for what rescue groups have been doing forever, but which more fully describes the ideal experience for the dogs.
When someone can’t keep their dog – for whatever reason – instead of surrendering the dog to a shelter, a rescue group takes on the responsibility for caring for the dog until its members can find a new home for the dog. While in the rescue group’s custody, the dog is fostered in a group member’s home – and during the dog’s stay in a home, the group can both learn more about the dog (in order to make the most suitable placement) and teach the dog any family-dog skills the dog may not currently possess.
I am currently fostering a dog from my local shelter in an effort to thoroughly assess her suitability for a home with a 90-year-old woman, who is a friend of one of my elderly neighbors. Why, you might ask?
My neighbor walks by my house almost daily, sometimes with her also elderly sister and sometimes with an elderly friend. All of these people are dog lovers who no longer have dogs; all of them are in their 80s, and all of them have expressed to me that they feel too vulnerable to tripping on or being knocked over by a dog. Nevertheless, they love to visit with my dogs over the fence, and they are all alert to the appearance of any foster puppies or dogs on my property; they will stop by the fence, wait for my dogs to bark and me to emerge from my office, so they can wave me to the fence and ask to meet the newcomers. They especially love it when I have puppies that they can hold and kiss and fuss over.
My neighbor called me recently to ask for a favor. One of her friends, Ursula, lost her husband of 50-plus years a few months ago. Ursula and her husband had always had a large dog, but their last dog died a month or two after her husband died. Her friend, she said, was desperately lonely and wanting another dog, and had gone to my local shelter with a 50-something-year-old niece to look at prospects – and they came home with a 9-month-old Labrador-mix puppy. (I’d love to know which shelter employee made that adoption; I’d like to have some words with them!)
Needless to say, Ursula decided within a day that she needed to bring the puppy back to the shelter, as the puppy had WAY higher exercise needs than she was going to be able to provide – but she cried for days, my neighbor told me, she felt so bad about having to bring the puppy back. My neighbor said, “Could you please help Ursula find a nice older dog to keep her company?”
Of course!
When I called Ursula to discuss her quest for another dog, she begged me to come to her house so I could see what amount of home yard space she had and look at the fences, so I could see how and where the dog would live. I was happy to see that there were baby gates permanently installed at various doorways around the house. “Oh yes,” she said, “We’ve always put the dogs behind this gate when we ate meals, and behind that gate when guests arrived. Otherwise, they have the run of the house,” Ursula told me. The house had a nice fenced yard and sunny deck, both accessible from a back door that could be kept open on nice days for a dog to go inside and out, and which could be easily opened for a house-trained dog to “go” outside whenever needed.
Ursula also showed me the big, thick dog bed her last dog (a Boxer/Shar Pei-mix) used in the living room and the nice raised bowl set he had used when his arthritis prevented him from eating and drinking from bowls on the floor. She also showed me some statuettes of dogs that resembled the four dogs (the Boxer-mix, two Boxers, and a Cocker Spaniel) whose lives had spanned her long marriage to her husband and several framed pictures of all of them. It seemed like a great setup for a dog and she seemed like a very caring, knowledgeable dog owner, 90 years old or not! My only concern: Ursula really wants a medium-to larger sized dog. She says she’s never particularly liked small dogs; she’d love to have another Boxer.
Why a home-to-home foster is critical
Here’s the thing: Sending almost ANY dog straight from a shelter into this woman’s home is setting up her and the dog for failure! Dogs who have grown up in the shelter are unlikely to have any housetraining, and while this isn’t rocket science to accomplish, it might be difficult for someone at that age to clean up any accidents on carpets. If the dog isn’t trained to wait politely at doors or for meals, he may knock excitedly into his new owner and cause a devastating fall. If he’s fearful of strange humans, he may prevent her friends from visiting, or emergency responders (if ever needed) to help her in time! There are so many potential hazards presented by a dog to someone who lives alone at that age! But also, so many potential gifts…. So, yes, I’m helping her find a dog. And what she needs is a dog who is already habituated to live in a home, housetrained, friendly, and calm. And it’s very difficult to find a dog who meets that description in a shelter!
I contacted a friend, Lynee, who works at the shelter; I’ve written about her before, she’s a former volunteer who got hired to provide enrichment and get dogs outside. I asked her if she had any suggestions for a medium-to-large dog for a 90-year-old, and she suggested Angel.
Of the potential resting places in my office, Angel chose the thick bed in the open crate. She’s accepted being left in my office overnight and for random hours during the day without making any muss or fuss.
I went to the shelter to meet Angel, and I have to admit, I wasn’t wild about the idea at first, even though her size is perfect (she weighs maybe 45 pounds, though she could use a little more meat on her prominent bones) and her age is good (she’s estimated to be about 3 years old). She’s some sort of bully-breed-mix, with a naturally bobbed tail and queer-looking blue eyes with asymmetrical irises. She didn’t seem immediately as focused on receiving attention and petting from humans as I would like a companion for a lonely senior citizen, but she was calm and good on the leash, so I took her home for a more thorough evaluation.
Before I send this dog – or any dog! – into this nice woman’s home, I need to know that she’s going to fit in almost seamlessly. I want to know that she’s unambiguously friendly and affectionate to humans (familiar people and strangers alike, in case Ursula needs help from anyone at any time), not spooked by household events or sounds (like the TV, vacuum, microwave, loud phone answering machine, and so on), patient and not grabby about food, and housetrained! I want to make sure she’s comfortable and patient with being leashed, handled, petted, and brushed, and that she can (and will) get into and out of a car easily, in case she needs any vet or groomer appointments. I also think it’s important that she is capable of being alone in her new home without causing any damage or getting overexcited when Ursula arrives home from any doctor’s appointments or trips she takes to the market. That’s a tall order! And a lot to expect from any dog right out of the shelter.
And yet, so far, Angel is passing all my tests with flying colors, and what she doesn’t know, she is learning quickly. At least once an hour, I think to myself, “Whew! I’m so glad I know that Angel can handle that situation!” (These experiences have included our lawn tractor backfiring loudly, my accidentally dropping a pan on the kitchen floor, and my grandson accidently landing partially onto her when he jumped over the back of the couch, not knowing she was there).
She’s been calm and friendly with my dogs and quickly learned that if you want a treat in the kitchen, you have to sit, be polite, and wait your turn.
Not all families need a dog to be this perfect; fortunately, many people who want to open their homes and hearts to a rescued dog are able to accept and cope with the dog’s lack of knowledge, and take the time to help the dog learn how to live with humans. But I can’t think of a better way to ensure a successful adoption than for an experienced dog owner to foster the dog first – if only to be able to provide the adopters with information and reassurances about the dog’s character and behavior, and suggestions for dealing with any problems that might arise. If you can possibly foster dogs for a shelter or rescue group, I implore you to give it a try.
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?”
