Following a heart-rending (and fatal) cancer experience visited upon my beloved Great Dane, Hal (our whole story is recounted at http://members.tripod.com/~RHallenbeck), I was apprehensive about reading your cancer article (October 1998). I was a little afraid you might take a position that I had tortured my pet with traditional treatments when I could’ve cured him with a handful of caraway seeds and a half-a-dozen bee’s knees. But I was reassured by your comment that if there were anything that worked all the time, we would all be using it.
I read most of the article to my husband this morning when he got home from work and we agreed that the WDJ article took a balanced, fair approach to the problem. I liked your choice of the word “conundrum;” it is that, indeed.
In the next issue, will you address the grief aspect of losing a pet to cancer? Unlike a sudden accident, cancer can keep an owner tied up in knots for long periods of time. We know when we acquire pets that we will most likely outlive them – it’s just the reality of that situation that becomes difficult! There are many places on the net that offer information and support, for instance, http://petloss.com has a lot of useful information and links. I especially like the article and resources about grief and pet loss at http://petloss.com/muns.htm. And I always advise the people who contact me, who are struggling with grief, guilt and anger, to be sure to take care of themselves physically – to eat nourishing foods and be sure to get plenty of rest.
And also, I recommend http://www.creatures.com/which includes excerpts from the book, “Will I See Fido in Heaven?” It sounds simplistic, but as a Christian, I was comforted by this. I believe that the God who created our animal companions will wrap His mighty arms around us when it is time to bid them goodbye.
-Vicky Hallenbeck Winston-Salem, NC
Thanks so much for your recommendations. I’m certain they will help a number of people who, sadly, have found themselves in a painful situation similar to the one you were in with Hal.
-Editor
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Great Dental Treatment
Congratulations to the Whole Dog Journal and author Susan Eskew for an excellently written and accurately portrayed, very informative article on the topic of canine oral health (“The Truth About Teeth,” August 1998). Your ethics and accuracy in discussing an area of veterinary medicine was handled with a thoroughness that is refreshing to see in a journal written for the dog owning public. It has been a pleasure working with you on this project.
-Edward R. Eisner, DVM, Diplomate and President American Veterinary Dental College
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Human-Grade Ingredients
I wanted to tell you how grateful I am for WDJ. As a member of a non-profit rescue in my area, I became interested in canine nutrition and holistic therapy after seeing all the health problems you mentioned in your September 1998 issue on canned dog food, plus an alarming rate of cancer, skin, kidney, liver problems and other diseases in many of our dogs.
Of particular interest in your article was the statement, “It also means meats that are human grade when referring to the best quality ingredients available in commercial dog food.” I am all too aware of the inclusion of grain and vegetable discards and “4-D” meats in dog food (not to mention rancid oils and other fats). You tell it like it is regarding the pet food industry’s practices and I agree that an ingredient unfit for human consumption is not fit for my dog.
With that in mind, I was disappointed to see that out of the top 10 canned dog foods featured, only two, California Natural and Spot’s Stew, were listed as using human-grade ingredients. The other foods were given high marks for being “forthcoming about the sources of ingredients” and “devoted to quality ingredients” but I cannot understand why some of these companies use human-grade ingredients and others don’t. After all, they are targeting consumers who want the very best for their dogs and are willing to pay a super premium price.
If these companies are devoted to the health of our dogs as they claim, they should use the highest quality ingredients, which to me means human-grade. In addition, why would I pay $1.79 a can (in my area) for food with organic beef in it if the other ingredients are not human-grade? By the way, that particular company used to advertise human-grade ingredients and when I called the company to ask why they stopped I got “no comment” as my answer. Most dog food manufacturers are tight-lipped about their ingredients – a red flag if I ever saw one and not exactly a sign of product pride.
I agree that these top 10 companies are the best of the best but if they want my business, they’d better pull their socks up and guarantee only human-grade ingredients.
By the way, I made that appointment with my friendly neighborhood butcher three years ago and feed only fresh human-grade meat, grain and vegetables to my five dogs. If you learn to shop wisely it doesn’t cost much more than dog food and saves lots of money on vet bills.
-Billie Cecero Palm Beach Gardens, FL
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New Bowls Helped A Lot
Thank you for the article on dog bowls (August 1998). Because of that article, we switched to stainless steel. We used to use plastic for water and food. We rinsed them out occasionally, but never even thought they might be causing our Lab’s stomach upset! We feed him raw hamburger with his dry food, and occasionally rice as well. Now, we wash his bowls every day, and this, as well as switching bowls, has helped his stomach a LOT!
Thanks for a wonderful journal! It’s a big influence in our lives.
Boredom kills. That’s putting it dramatically, but consider all the dogs who are abandoned or brought to animal shelters because of incessant barking or because they tear up sofas when bored.
Dogs, like people, do better when they have something to do. It might be play or it might be work – I’m not sure dogs differentiate between those things. An Australian Shepherd catches a flying Frisbee, and a German Shepherd police dog catches a crook. Both exude a sense of satisfaction for doing their “jobs” well, and both are pleased with the loving pat and hearty, “Good dog!” they receive.
This brings me to trainer/author Pat Miller’s report, “Beyond Basic Obedience,” which describes a wealth of activities, all of which require advanced training, that you can do with your dog. Some of them are intended to give your dog an occupation, such as herding sheep or tracking lost children. Some of them are strictly for fun, like musical freestyle, a sport also known as “dancing with dogs.” If you are looking for activities to improve your communication, strengthen your bond, and provide you with unlimited recreation with your dog, check out Miller’s list.
As you peruse the possibilities, consider the specific strengths and interests of your dog. Not all dogs are cut out for certain occupations; a buoyant, friendly Golden Retriever may not be the best candidate for the solitary trials of tracking, and a stately and independent Husky may be mortified at the prospect of performing tricks of agility in an arena.
This is not to say that the dog’s breed should determine its ideal career path. In the course of rounding up photos to accompany Miller’s story, I heard about a Chihuahua who tracks and a Poodle who herds. The subject of this month’s Case History, in fact, is a Great Dane therapy dog. The delight this gentle giant brings to the elderly clients she regularly visits is wonderful to see.
It’s also wonderful when you hear about a good dog landing just the right job. A recent wire story about Jackie, a three-year-old Border Collie is a perfect example.
Jackie was “hired” a year ago by the United States Navy to keep Canada geese and other birds off the runways of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base in Pennsylvania. Airplanes that hit a Canada goose can be seriously damaged, and even crash. In 1995, geese were sucked into two engines of a four-engine plane taking off from an Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska. The resulting plane crash killed 24 crew members.
Airports attract all kinds of birds with their broad expanses of grass and their generally common waterfront locations, which provide food and nesting materials. In recent years, Canada geese have refused to migrate in ever-increasing numbers, making the danger of collisions a year-round problem. At Willow Grove, authorities tried scaring the geese away with sirens, fireworks, and water cannons. The birds returned as soon as the diversions stopped. But now Jackie’s on the job.
Whenever birds are spotted by control tower personnel, the eager little dog is dispatched to find and chase the geese away. Sometimes she has to threaten them a dozen times before they leave, but Border Collies are relentless.
So far, there have been no bird strikes since Jackie came aboard. Richard Kimmel, the base’s natural resources manager, bought Jackie and had her specially trained for her job, for a total cost of $5,000 – a small investment compared to the price of aircraft repairs and the potential loss of human life.
Best of all, Jackie is happy. She lives on the base, with four airbase personnel trained to handle and look after her. Can you say your dog likes his “job” as much as Jackie likes hers? The athletic dog even “volunteers” for extra duties whenever she gets the chance.
“She’ll herd anything. I’ve seen her herd bugs,” laughs Kimmel.
Diet became hip in the 1990s. People began studying health food and supplements like never before. One nutrient after another was held up as the latest “miracle” herb or vitamin. This one was supposed to give you energy like never before; that one gave you a photographic memory; and then there was the one that practically melted fat off of your bones. Companies sprang up overnight to meet the demand for these “vital” substances.
In almost every case, the initial wave of interest in the products quietly slipped out to sea within a short time. People tried the powders and pills, and, when they failed to effect a dramatic change within a couple or weeks or months, threw away the half-empty bottles.
It was inevitable that a similar movement would come to the canine kingdom. Look in the dog magazines – the ones with ads. You’ll see page after page of advertisements for dietary supplements of all kinds. Without fail, all of the ads promise to improve your dog’s health. Nine out of ten guarantee to eliminate the single most common complaint of dog owners the world over – itchy, irritated skin. At least half assure the buyer that they will improve the dog’s digestion.
Sometimes, the supplements do actually accomplish these things. When a specific dietary supplement is given to an individual (canine or human) who previously lacked the nutrients or chemicals offered by the supplement, or whose body required a higher dose than was previously available, miraculous improvements in health, appearance, and attitude can indeed take place. But most people have no idea whether they are lacking something before they add it to their own or their dog’s diet!
You’ve gotta have a reason
There are only two legitimate reasons for supplementing your dog’s diet. The first and most common need for supplements is to correct a deficiency which has resulted in poor or compromised health, or low vitality or energy.
That said, it should be added that most holistic veterinary nutrition experts agree that many commercially prepared dog foods offer only low-quality sources of nutrients, and that sometimes, the bio-availability of the nutrients is questionable. This in itself is enough to make many holistic veterinarians recommend the daily administration of a basic multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to any dog who receives nothing but commercial dog food.
Some holistic veterinarians (and human doctors) believe that much of the world’s human food supply is also deficient in vital nutrients, due to intensive modern farming practices. Those people will also recommend the addition of multi-vitamin/mineral combinations to the diet of dogs that are fed an otherwise holistic diet of raw meat and vegetables. This is a philosophic issue debated by scientists and nutritionists the world over; you’ll have to decide for yourself (and your dog) whether the nutrients in most traditionally farmed and manufactured foods are adequate. The best test of the issue is adding a basic multi vitamin and mineral supplement to your (and your dog’s) diet, and taking note of any improvements.
The second good reason to add certain supplements to your dog’s diet is to strengthen his defenses against an anticipated challenge, such as a stressful long-distance move, competition, lactation, or exposure to infectious disease. For instance, vitamin C is widely recognized for its ability to bolster the immune response, and act as an anti-viral agent.
When a dog with a certain deficiency is given the appropriate nutritional supplement, it can quite literally save his life. The correct supplement can also give a sickly or weak dog increased vigor and a new outlook on life. The difficulty lies in determining what the dog needs.
No one can make an intelligent decision about what supplement his or her dog needs based on the products’ label, advertisements, or web site. If you believe each product’s claims, your dog will benefit from each and every supplement on the market. But only a thorough health history intake and examination by a veterinarian, potentially aided by lab tests, can identify nutrient deficiencies. And only the recommendations of an experienced nutrition expert, tailored for your dog, can be considered completely safe and useful.
Obviously, the final decision regarding whether and how you will supplement your dog’s diet rests in your hands. Consider the following common-sense rules of supplementation and choose the simplest, good quality supplements you can find (we recommend a few on the next page). Most importantly, pay attention to your dog! Note all improvements or declines in his appearance and vitality and immediately adjust your ministrations accordingly.
Vitamin/Mineral Supplements
Vitamins are complex substances, essential for normal functioning of the body. There are two types: Fat soluble (A, D, E, and K), are stored in fatty tissue and the liver, and water soluble (B and C), which are eliminated daily through the urine. The body can manufacture its own supply of certain vitamins; others need to be supplied by food and other sources. Veterinary nutritionists more or less agree on the amounts of vitamins needed by dogs to stay healthy.
The latter statement cannot be made for minerals. There is widespread disagreement in the veterinary community regarding what minerals, and in what dosages, are needed for canine health. Scientists only agree that further study is needed, especially regarding dosages for dogs of various breeds and in varying life stages.
Minerals cannot be manufactured by the body. Most people are surprised to learn that mineral deficiencies are more common than vitamin deficiencies. They assist the body in its most critical work, such as energy production, maintenance of electrolytes and fluid balances, and nerve transmission. Trace minerals, including zinc, iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, and iodine, are required by the body only in minute amounts.
WDJ’s pick:
Maximum Protection Vitamins & Minerals
(Dr. Goodpet Laboratories, 8 oz. for about $2.50; 800-222-9932.)
Multi-vitamin and mineral supplementation is generally accepted more readily than supplementation with other nutrients, so it makes sense that there are more brands of multi-vitamin/mineral products on the market than all the other types of supplements put together. Numerous products in this category fit our criteria, but Dr. Goodpet’s product stood out from the crowd for a few reasons.
First, it comes in a powdered form, enabling you to give your dog an amount tailored to his size; the dosage is one teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight. The powder also makes it easy to sprinkle on and stir into your dog’s food. It includes vitamin C, which is uncommon in the multi-vitamin mixes for dogs. Many veterinarians dispute the idea that dogs need added vitamin C, since their bodies manufacture a certain amount. Most holistic practitioners, however, acknowledge vitamin C’s ability to help the body fight infection and speed healing.
Another good thing about Dr. Goodpet’s formula is what is NOT in it: no preservatives, fillers, anti-caking agents, colors, artificial flavors, or sweeteners.
Not recommended:
Vita Tabs
(Pet Gold Products)
Let’s start with the first ingredient: Dextrose – another word for corn syrup, a sweetener. Considering that the fourth ingredient is molasses, this product is fairly high in sugar, not a supplement that’s high on our wish list, but one that certainly contributes to the product’s palatability. The need for four different artificial colors in a dog vitamin is a mystery.
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Probiotics
AKA “friendly bacteria,” these substances help the body digest food, and prohibit growth of harmful fungi and microbes in the gut. The most common probiotic supplement is lactobacillus acidophilus, which can actually help the body overcome the yeast and fungal infections that often occur following a treatment of antibiotics.
WDJ’s pick:
Canine Digestive Enzymes
(Dr. Goodpet Laboratories, 7 oz. bottle, about $15; 800-222-9932)
We had a hard time meeting the simplicity requirement on this one. This product is actually a mix of the four major digestive enzymes and lactobacillus. However, we rejected other brands with more expansive “kitchen sink” approaches. PetGuard, for instance, added alfalfa juice powder to their acidophilus product; Pet Authority added yucca, vitamin C, and papaya to theirs. There’s no harm in any of those, just complexity.
Not recommended:
Bene-Bac Pet Gel
(Pet-Ag, Inc.)
While this product does contain lactobacillus acidophilus and other probiotics, it also contains polysorbate 80, an emulsifier that has been associated with a contaminant that is known to cause cancer in animals; TBHQ, a dangerous antioxidant; and is preserved with ethoxyquin, an antioxidant that has been associated with numerous health problems in dogs.
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Fatty Acids
This term refers collectively to the three substances in fat – linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid – that contribute the most to the quality of a dog’s skin and hair coat. Fatty acids also help prevent cholesterol buildup and heart disease.
WDJ’s pick:
Lipiderm
(Bioglan Animal Products; 60 capsules, about $8; 800-454-0040)
This is a simple formula, comprised largely of fish oil, and focused on a single purpose. ‘Nuf said.
Not recommended:
Linatone
(Lambert Kay)
This product has been around a long time, and it has its fans, but WDJ would like to see it eliminate the polysorbate 80, a questionable emulsifier (see Bene-Bac Pet Gel, above).
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Digestive Enzymes
An enzyme, in its general definition, is any one of several different proteins that catalyze a biochemical reaction. Each type of enzyme catalyzes only one substance. For instance, protease is an enzyme used by the body to break down protein; amylase works on carbohydrates, lipase on fats, and cellulase on fiber.
These enzymes are present in raw, fresh foods, but are destroyed by the high temperatures needed to manufacture most commercial dog foods. The body produces its own supply of the chemicals, but many nutritionists believe that giving the body additional enzymes (whether in fresh food or in a supplement form) reduces the need for the body to produce the chemicals, lightening the body’s workload and speeding the digestive process.
WDJ’s pick:
Prozyme
(Prozyme Products, Inc.; 200 gm bottle, about $17; 800-522-5537)
Sometimes, what you want is what you get. Pro-zyme contains only the four most important enzymes: lipase, amylase, protease, and cellulase.
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Unique-Source Products
Now we come to a mixed bag of supplements. The products offer vital nutrients, but their makers place more stock in the peculiarity of the nutrient sources than in the nutrients themselves.
Barley Dog, made by Green Foods Corporation, is a good example. The product is not a complete multi-vitamin/mineral supplement; it supplies vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, and B6, and a few minerals. More significant, say the makers, are the unique qualities of the main ingredient (barley grass), which provide an advantage – a providential synergy – that can’t be explained in terms of recommended daily values.
Super Blue Green Algae (SBGA) takes the cake in the “unique substance” category. We like the product, which is made by Cell Tech, of Klamath Falls, Oregon. SBGA is completely composed of a certain aquatic plant that grows in an Oregon Lake; the algae is collected, freeze dried, and crushed into a fine powder. It contains an array of trace minerals, vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, and D, beta carotene, a number of amino acids, chlorophyll, and nucleic acids, and it’s affordable. We’ve heard great things about the product (see “a Blue-Green Miracle.”), but the way the product is marketed is annoying, to put it mildly.
Cell Tech functions as a “multi-level marketing” system (see “Multi-Level Marketing Mysteries), meaning you can buy it – and get information about it – only from the company’s independent salespeople. The system not only motivates its salespeople to pursue potential clients with fervor, but pits the salespeople against each other in order to win clients. This seems to be why you hear different versions of why and to what extent the product is successful. Critics call the product “glorified pond scum,” but to hear it from the converted, SBGA contains almost mystical powers to heal.
You won’t know until you try
Dog owners also get exposed to a number of supplements that contain substances that do not appear on any list of required nutrients. Most are intended as treatments for specific medical disorders. For example, shark cartilage is said (by the makers of a shark cartilage product) to strengthen weak bone and improve joint mobility.
It’s easy to dismiss these unusual substances as fads – unless you know a dog that has been helped by one. Who knows? Experimentation with these or other supplements, with the knowledge and support of your holistic veterinarian, just might put a sparkle in your dog’s eye and a strut into his step.
Not so very long ago, trainers assumed that anyone who signed up for a basic obedience class was seeking that perfectly straight, sit-in-perfect-heel position. Classes were conducted with military precision, trainers barking commands as owners marched their dogs in a circle, jerking and popping on leashes and choke chains in order to achieve lightning-fast responses. Success was measured by speed and perfection of position, and advanced work was conducted with one goal – to show in American Kennel Club obedience competitions, earn obedience degrees, and achieve scores as close to that magic “perfect 200” as possible.
A New Training Paradigm
My, how the times have changed! A relatively few years ago, many trainers began to realize that the largest percentage of dog owners in their classes really only wanted a well-behaved companion – a trustworthy family dog. Who cared if the dog was sitting three degrees off perfect? Most owners were just happy the dog sat at all!! They couldn’t have cared less about scores in the obedience ring. Thus began a paradigm shift in the dog training world, from obedience competition training to family dog training. With that shift has come an exciting vista of advanced training opportunities and breathtakingly fun dog-related activities.
Today, the possibilities for canine recreational activities are almost endless. Mixed breed dogs, once second-class citizens in training classes, can now compete in obedience through the American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR) or the Mixed Breed Dog Club, and at national obedience competitions. They can also join their blue-blooded brothers and sisters in agility, herding, flyball, Frisbee, tracking, drill team, square dancing, musical freestyle, My Dog Can Do That, Canine Good Citizen Tests, animal assisted therapy programs, K9 games, tricks classes, lure coursing, (take a breath) television, advertising and movie work, water dog sports . . . There is something out there for every dog’s talents.
The Beagle who failed obedience competition because she couldn’t keep her nose off the ground can do tracking or Search and Rescue work. The Pomeranian whose owner gave up on his Companion Dog obedience degree because the dog kept running out of the ring and jumping into spectator’s laps now goes to hospitals and retirement homes and sits on laps to his heart’s content. The teen-age owner of the mellow German Shepherd/Lab mix can proudly display her Canine Good Citizen certificate on her bedroom wall. The Border Collie who . . . well, the Border Collie who used to score perfect 200s in the obedience ring can also delight in herding and penning a flock of sheep, or dancing a waltz with her owner.
Dogs who are encouraged to engage in activities that stimulate them mentally and highlight their inborn talents are less frustrated and better behaved than their less fortunate littermates who languish, bored and lonely, in neighbors’ backyards. Owners whose dogs are less frustrated and better behaved can appreciate their dogs more, enjoy engaging in activities with them, and are more likely to fulfill their social contract to provide a lifelong loving home for their canine companions. Even if taking the dog hiking or camping is the activity that best satisfies the behavioral needs of dog and owner, the new, non-competition-based classes that rely primarily on the use of positive training methods are the best approach to developing a dog with acceptable social skills while building an unbreakable bond between canine and human.
The following is a guide to the wealth of possibilities available in the world of dog training, to help you decide which activities to pursue with your furry friend. We’ve also included information to help you identify an appropriate training environment, once you’ve made your discipline decision.
Basic Training – The Foundation
Basic training is the foundation for any of the more advanced canine activities. If you are interested in pursuing the less formal doggie activities, you can start by finding a basic class whose trainer is more interested in making sure her students (both two-legged and four) have a good time while they learn than maintaining strict discipline in the canine classroom. Chances are if you are “just” looking for “good manners,” you won’t enjoy getting yelled at to jerk your dog for sitting crooked.
Once you have graduated from a basic training class you are ready to explore the big wide world of more advanced canine activities. Here are several of the many activities now available in most parts of the country.
My Dog Can Do That
A board game you play with your dog – whoever heard of such a thing? These days, more and more dog owners have, as word spreads about My Dog Can Do That. This delightful game requires the use of positive reinforcement training methods. Owners pick cards from any one of three decks, at three differing levels of difficulty. Each card describes a “trick” or behavior that the dog has to do. Examples of each level of difficulty are:
Beginner – Dog must sit still while player skips ten feet away and stops.
Intermediate – Dog must lie down, roll over completely, then stand up.
Advanced – Dog must retrieve a toy and drop it in a basket five feet from player.
Owners can use treats, praise, hand signals and other verbal or body language cues as needed, but no anger or force; no pushing, pulling, jerking, or yelling. You can play it as a family game, with each member of the family taking turns drawing a card and working with the dog. You and your dog can play against your friends and their dogs. Or you can take part in the increasing number of MDCDT matches and tournaments that are being held around the country.
Be forewarned – dog owners who are serious about this game have already purchased it and are practicing all of the behaviors on the cards with their dogs in preparation for competition. You’d better hurry if you want to catch up! Animal shelters and training clubs are starting to offer MDCDT competitions as fund raisers, and rumor has it that there are going to be 25 official competitions held in various locations around the country this summer.
The game can be purchased at some pet stores, and through J and J Dog Supplies, (800) 642-2050.
Agility
It’s an obstacle course for dogs, complete with tunnels, jumps, a teeter-totter, and several other items to challenge your dog’s agility ability. Dogs of all shapes and sizes love it – experienced dogs run an entire course by themselves while the owner stands in the middle of the ring. Three of the four organizations that sponsor competitions welcome mixed breed participation, so there’s no excuse – anyone can play!
Since it is one of the more senior “nouveau” dog activities, almost every town has at least one trainer or dog club that offers an agility class. Some animal shelters and dog parks have permanent agility courses set up so dogs (accompanied by their owners, of course) can practice at will. If your dog walks fallen logs across swollen creeks and leaps tall buildings in a single bound, this just might be the activity for you.
Some organizations offering information on agility and agility competition include:
American Kennel Club (AKC)
5580 Centerview Dr. Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27606
(919) 233-9780
United Kennel Club
100 E. Kilgore Rd.
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
(616) 343-9020
North American Dog Agility Council
HCR 2 Box 277
St. Maries, ID 83861
U. S. Dog Agility Association
P.O. Box 850955
Richardson, TX 75085-0955
(972) 231-9700
Flyball
You have to see this one to believe it. Flyball is a hurdle relay race for a team of four dogs of any heritage. Each dog in turn jumps four jumps, spaced ten feet apart. At the end of the jumps is a flyball box. When the dog touches the pedal on the front of the box a tennis ball shoots out. The dog catches the ball and goes back over the four jumps to the owner waiting at the starting line. Then the next dog goes. The team that finishes first wins.
Flyball is a very competitive sport, and great fun to watch. Dogs with an affinity for retrieving tennis balls adore this game. Owners who are serious about it can help their dogs earn a range of titles, from Flyball Dog (FD) – for earning 20 points in competition, to Flyball Grand Champion (FGD Ch.) – for earning 30,000 points.
In North America, flyball is governed by the North American Flyball Association. A copy of official rules is $10; other information is free of charge.
NAFA, Inc.
1002 E. Sanuel Ave.
Peoria Heights, IL 61614
Herding
When you think of sheep or cattle dogs, you tend to visualize Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. But the list of dogs that can be taught to herd includes multi-purpose breeds with herding ancestors way back in their bloodlines, and mixed-breed dogs with some herding blood. And the list of breeds that are officially designated as herding dogs is much longer than most people think – some 30 breeds, including the Rottweiler, Tibetan Terrier and the Samoyed. Multi-purpose dogs that can herd includes another dozen or so, including such unlikely breeds as the Kerry Blue Terrier, Poodle, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, and Schipperke.
But, of course, herding is the perfect outlet for the high-energy Border Collie and the other intense herding breeds, as it makes full use of their extreme intelligence and obsessive herding behaviors. Watching the miracle of a trained herding dog working a flock of sheep helps us understand and appreciate those obsessive behaviors – such as rounding up the kids or staring for hours at the cat – that can drive us crazy.
Several organizations promote herding events. They include:
Australian Shepherd Club of America
6091 Hwy 21
Bryan, TX 77803-9652
(409) 778-1082
American Herding Breed Association
AHBA Secretary
1548 Victoria Way
Pacifica, CA 94044
U. S. Border Collie Handler’s Assoc.
Francis Raley, Secretary
2915 Anderson Ln.
Crawford, TX 76638
(254) 486-2500
AKC Test/Trial Program
51 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10010
Frisbee
We’ve all watched them in awe – on beaches, in parks, and during half-time at football games – those incredibly athletic dogs that leap eight feet off the ground and catch a Frisbee in mid-air. Frisbee is an activity you don’t even have to go to a class for – all you need is a dog who loves to jump and retrieve, and, of course, a Frisbee. Even dogs who aren’t naturals at it can learn to play Frisbee, and there are loads of resources – books, information available from Frisbee Clubs, and Internet web sites. For those who like to get serious, there are Frisbee competitions almost everywhere, up to and including national canine Frisbee championships.
Alpo, a major sponsor of these contests, will send you a booklet on how to train your dog to perform Frisbee dog basics like the chest vault, front flip, and back roll, in order to prepare for Frisbee competition!
Alpo Canine Frisbee Disc Champ.
Peter Bloeme, Director
4060 – D Peachtree Rd., Suite 326M
Atlanta, GA 03019
Animal Assisted Therapy
When all is said and done, we value our dogs most highly for the unconditional love and loyal companionship they give us. A large and very generous group of dog and owner teams share their time and love with others who cannot be with their own pets because circumstance require them to be in a hospital, nursing home, or other facility that normally doesn’t allow animals.
Therapy dogs can be any breed, mix, size shape or color, as long as they are well-behaved, can tolerate disturbing events like rolling wheelchairs, falling crutches, and patients who don’t always behave like other people, and who enjoy being the center of attention. There are national organizations that provide certification for therapy dogs, and many local humane societies offer therapy programs. These programs always welcome new volunteers because the demand for animal-assisted therapy is so high.
Imagine how it would feel to be deprived, long-term – maybe forever – of the touch of your dog’s soft fur, or the caress of her warm tongue. Those on the human side of the animal-assisted therapy equation talk of miracles – of non-responsive patients who move, even speak for the first time in months when a therapy dog greets them; of faces that light up when a furry friend arrives. With all that our dogs give to us, it is only right that we give some of that back to others.
The two primary organizations that certifiy therapy dogs in the U.S. are:
Delta Society, Pet Partners
P.O. Box 1080
Renton, WA 98057
(800) 869-6898
Musical Freestyle
Affectionately known as “Dancing With Dogs,” Musical Freestyle (AKA Canine Freestyle) the newest doggie sport is most akin to a combination of ballroom dancing and pairs figure skating. People and dogs dance together to music of the person’s choosing, in a routine choreographed to complement the dog’s personality and abilities – it can be short and simple, or longer and more complex.
While many owners do musical freestyle with their dogs for the sheer joy of it, there are also freestyle competitions and exhibitions, which are increasing in number as the sport catches on. These are always great crowd pleasers, and the emotional bond between dog and owner that is so obvious in the routines often brings tears to the eyes of the observers. If you see it you will be hard-pressed not to be inspired to start dancing with your own dog.
Musical Canine Sports International oversees the freestyle sport in the U.S. and Canada. For information or to join, contact:
Sharon Tutt
Treasurer/Membership
1665 Parkview Place
Surrey, B. C.
Canada, V4N 1Y8
(604) 581-3641
Freestyle videotapes can be purchased from:
Pat Ventre
Ventre Advertising, Inc.
P.O. Box 350122
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 332-8336
For information on upcoming freestyle competitions and demonstrations:
Joan Stevenson
22 Roanoke Rd.
Matawan, NJ 07747
(908) 566-3812
Tracking
A tracking dog follows the scent trail left by a human being (or other animal) that has passed along a particular route. Tracking can be done as a hobby (for fun), as a sport (to earn titles), as part of a serious effort to save human and animal lives through Search and Rescue work, and in law enforcement as police K9 units track criminal suspects. The ability of a dog to follow scent trails that are invisible to the human nose seems almost magical to us, but we know that any canine nose is thousands of times more sensitive than ours. Tracking is really pretty ho-hum stuff to a dog. The challenge is in getting the dog to follow the scent we want them to.
Sometimes it can be pretty easy. We know of one terrier mix who taught herself to find her owner’s lost turtles. Josie has saved several turtle lives with her special, self-taught skill. It can be a humbling experience to watch a dog work a scent trail and succeed in finding the target. Tracking, like agility, has been around for quite some time, so if your dog shows nose talent, finding a trainer near you should be relatively easy.
A number of organizations offer tracking tests and trails for sport in the U.S. and Canada, including:
American Kennel Club
5580 Centerview Dr., Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27606
(919) 233-9780
United Schutzhund Clubs of America
3810 Paule Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63125-1718
Australian Shepherd Club of America
6091 E. State Hwy. 21
Bryan, TX 78808
(409) 778-1082
American Mixed Breed Obedience
Registry (AMBOR)
P.O. Box 7841
Rockford, IL 61126-7841
Canadian Kennel Club
100-89 Skyway Ave., Unit 100
Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 6R4
Something For Everyone
This is by no means a complete list of all the dog activities available. If none of these appeal to you and your canine companion, check with local trainers, animal shelters, dog clubs, and the Internet to find out what others might be available. With an almost infinite variety of options, there is bound to be something for everyone. There is no excuse for being a couch potato when your dog is ready, willing, and eager to do something, anything fun, as long as you’ll do it with her.
Thanks to Andrea Sirott of Berkeley, CA; and Guy and Charlotte Covner, tracking dog trainers from Windsor, CA for their help with this article.
We’ve all seen similarly sensational headlines. In the article that follows such an alarming title, there’s usually a quote somewhere about the tragic attack being unprovoked and totally unexpected. Yet dogs rarely attack without provocation, and in most cases the offending dog has been sending signals for quite some time that he was not comfortable with the presence of the child. If the parents had been better educated about dog behavior, and had been paying better attention, the tragedy quite likely could have been averted through proper management of child/dog interactions. Better still, it could have been prevented through proper training and socialization of the dog from puppyhood on.
How Dog-Baby Tragedies Happen
Many young couples acquire a puppy early in their relationship, long before the advent of the first baby. The puppy is a surrogate child, and the couple dotes on him – taking him everywhere, allowing him to sleep on the furniture, even share the marriage bed. For several years the dog enjoys his status as an only child. The couple tends to socialize with other childless adults, and the dog rarely sees children. Then the couple decides to have a baby. Now we have a problem.
Dogs are genetically “hardwired” to absorb much of the information about their environment in a critical learning period in the first few months of their lives. During this time, usually somewhere between the ages of five weeks and five months, a puppy’s brain files away information about which things in the world are safe and rewarding, which ones are painful and dangerous and should be avoided, and which have no consequence. Anything not experienced during this critical period tends to automatically get filed in the “dangerous” category. This early imprinting helps wild animals survive; if they don’t know for sure that something is harmless, the safest assumption is that it is not.
Herein lies the problem. If a puppy doesn’t learn that children are “safe and rewarding” during those critical months, he is likely to assume, when he meets them later in life, that they are a threat. This assumption is often supported by the behavior of many of the children that a dog meets. Small children are likely to poke fingers into canine ears, prod them with pencils, hit them over the head with wooden blocks and pull tails or fur. They stare directly into a dog’s eyes (a direct stare is a threat in the canine world). They compete for toys and food. They move erratically – run, trip, fall, swing their arms around – and make weird noises.
In a perfect world, every new puppy would be thoroughly socialized to babies, toddlers, and children while he was in his critical learning period. Despite many veterinarians’ recommendations that their clients wrap their puppies in cotton wool and keep them strictly at home until they have been fully vaccinated, it is vitally important that your puppy have positive experiences with all sorts of human stimuli during his first five months. Fortunately, this can be accomplished without exposing Buddy to life-threatening diseases.
Invite lots of people, including babies and children, vaccinated healthy puppies and friendly dogs, over to your house for puppy parties. Give everyone handfuls of really yummy treats to feed to Buddy. (Tell everyone Buddy has to sit to get his treats and you will also be teaching him not to jump up on people at the same time.) Monitor your pup’s interactions with children to be sure they are all positive. If Buddy acts fearful, don’t force him to greet people. Ask your friends to toss treats from a distance until Buddy gains confidence and approaches them. Have children of all ages feed Buddy lots of treats and he will quickly decide that kids are a good thing, not dangerous.
You can also take Buddy out into the community to safe canine-friendly locations. Don’t go to the local dog hangout and turn him loose to play, but do take him with you to places such as a well-run puppy kindergarten class, where you can monitor his interactions with kids and other puppies. Teach him that the world, especially the small humans of the world, are a source of pleasure and reward, and you greatly reduce the risk of “Dog Mauls Toddler” headlines in your family’s future.
Conditioning Dogs for Children: It’s Never Too Late
Maybe it’s too late to socialize your Buddy to children during his critical learning period, because that stage of his life has long passed. Is it too late to teach him to live with children? Not necessarily. It is more difficult, but not impossible. This was the challenge presented early last summer when Kristin and Fred Wolf called Peaceable Paws, my dog training business, and asked for help in preparing their two dogs, Helen and Charlie, to accept the imminent arrival of their baby, due to be born in late August.
Helen and Charlie, eight and five years old respectively, are both retired racing Greyhounds. As is often the case with rescued Greyhounds, they adapted beautifully to a life of luxury in a real home. The Wolfs hadn’t demanded much of them, but the dogs were housetrained, slept on their own beds, didn’t get up on the furniture, stayed in their fenced yard, and didn’t steal food from countertops.
The dogs had met babies on a few occasions. Helen was noncommittal, reported the Wolfs, but Charlie had exhibited what Kristin feared was an unhealthy interest, given the inherited prey drive that is encouraged in racing Greyhounds.
The expectant parents wanted to improve their dogs’ manners in general, but understandably, their primary concern was for the safety of the baby on the way.
Preparing a Dog for Baby’s Arrival
I arrived at the Wolf home in Carmel, California, and was greeted at the front door by two lithe, leggy, brindle Greyhounds and a very pregnant Kristin. As soon as Kristin let me in, Charlie jumped up on me. I turned my back and stepped away, repeating the maneuver when he circled me and tried to jump up again. After three repetitions of this circle dance, Charlie stood still with all four feet on the floor. I said “Yes!” in a happy voice and popped a treat in his mouth. For now, a stand was acceptable – we would work later on getting a sit in place of jumping up.
Kristin was impressed. So was Charlie. His teeth chattered with excitement as he thrust his chiseled head toward me in search of another treat. I pointedly ignored his pushy behavior, but gave him another “Yes!” and treat as soon as he backed off a step. Helen hovered in the background, and got a “Yes!” and treat just for being there. In this manner, we introduced the Wolf household to one of the basic tenets of positive reinforcement training: To the extent possible, ignore the behaviors we don’t want, and reward the ones we do. All living things tend to repeat behaviors that they find rewarding. The ones that don’t get rewarded eventually go away.
Fred Wolf joined us, and the five of us sat down in the living room to consider a training program. We started by listing the Wolfs’ concerns, questions and goals:
• Greyhound prey drive – threat to baby?
• Pulling on leashes: Helen, with lots of sniffing, but especially Charlie, who would lunge at cats and other dogs
• Getting overly excited about going out for a walk (Charlie)
• Jumping on people (Charlie)
• Shut the dogs away from the baby, or integrate them into baby routines?
• Goal: to keep the baby safe and maintain Charlie and Helen’s quality of life
I commended the Wolfs for thinking proactively and for wanting to continue keeping Helen and Charlie as full-fledged members of the family. Too many dogs are banned to the back yard, given away or surrendered to animal shelters when baby arrives. Others aren’t given a second thought until it’s too late – when a confused and defensive Buddy bites the baby. All too often the trainer gets called after the bite happens, when Buddy is one short step away from euthanasia. I was pleased that the Kristin and Fred were planning ahead, committed to doing the right thing for the dogs and the baby.
Managing Behavior is Often the Best Tool
We addressed the last question first. Given Charlie’s intense stare at other babies he had been with, the Wolfs were naturally concerned about his prey drive. They had read in a dog-and-baby book that an intense stare was a serious red alert, a sign that the dog had dastardly designs on the baby. Would the baby ever be safe around a predatory animal who had been taught to chase down small animals?
I downplayed the threat of Charlie’s intense gaze while emphasizing the need for constant supervision of interactions between dogs and young children. There is a huge difference between a fleeing rabbit and a relatively stationary baby in a crib. Most dogs have no difficulty distinguishing humans from prey animals.
Perhaps Charlie was just intrigued by the sounds and smells of a human puppy. Still, no small child should ever be left alone with a dog even for a few seconds, no matter how trusted the canine companion. A dog who hasn’t had many experiences with babies is certainly an unknown, but as long as Charlie and Helen were not given an opportunity to do something wrong, the baby would be safe. This is another basic tenet of positive training: Manage the environment to prevent inappropriate behaviors from happening. If you don’t want your dog to counter-surf, never leave the roast on the counter when you leave the room. If you don’t want your dog to bite your small child, never leave the two of them alone together. Ever.
I advised the Wolfs that it was important to implement any anticipated changes in the dogs’ routine and privileges now, so the changes would not be associated negatively with the baby’s arrival.
We scheduled training sessions twice a week for several weeks to work on improving the communication between the four current members of the Wolf pack, so the humans would be prepared to manage the behavior of the canines once baby made five.
The goal of all the work was to ensure that when the baby arrived, the dogs would associate her presence with good things (lots of treats and attention), not bad things (when baby is here, dogs get shut away).
Dog Training for Baby’s Arrival
Charlie and Helen took well to reward-based training. Helen, older and a little arthritic, was slower to respond, but also less energetic than Charlie, so we focused much of our efforts on gently controlling the younger dog. We used “Yes” as our reward marker rather than a clicker, for two reasons. Charlie is very sound-sensitive and would not have responded well to a clicker. Even if he had, we anticipated that Kristin, with her hands full of baby, would find it easier to use a verbal marker. We identified a number of behaviors that would be useful for the dogs to know:
• Sit • Down • Stay • Wait • Go To Your Rug • Off • Go First • Over Here
Sit, down, stay and wait are behaviors commonly taught in training classes. Although some trainers use choke chains, prong collars and physical corrections to teach these basic behaviors, it is certainly not necessary to do so. We used a treat as a lure to get Charlie and Helen to offer the behaviors, followed by a verbal “Yes!” and a reward.
For example, to teach the sit, we held the treat just above the dog’s head. Most dogs will sit to watch the treat, since that’s easier than standing with a bent neck. When the dog sits, say “Yes!” or Click! the clicker, then feed the treat.
After a couple of dozen repetitions, say “Sit” first, wait a second or two to see if the dog responds, then move the treat over his head, Click! or “Yes!” when he sits, and reward. In short order, the dog will sit when you say the word, without any luring. Continue to Click!/”Yes!” and reward until the behavior is deeply programmed in the dog’s brain.
“Go to your rug” would enable the Wolfs to send Charlie and Helen to a predetermined spot, such as a rug in the nursery. This would allow the dogs to keep Kristin and the baby company in the nursery instead of having to be shut out for always being underfoot – a common dog/baby management problem. We used the treat to lure the dogs to the rug and lie down, while giving the verbal cue “Go to your rug.” Both dogs became proficient at this in a couple of weeks, and quickly learned to stay on their rugs until released with a sprightly, “OK!”
“Off” (meaning “whatever you are paying attention to at this moment, I want you to leave it alone”) has unlimited applications. The object of the dog’s attention could be the baby, a teething ring, a dropped Arrowroot biscuit, a visitor at the door, the neighbor’s cat, a rotting, discarded hamburger in the gutter, or a dead seal on the beach. “Off” can be taught using punishment – a jerk on the collar when the dog goes for the forbidden object, but of course, we chose a more positive training approach!
With Charlie sitting in front of me, I offered him a treat in my closed fist, and said the word “Off” just one time. Naturally he was curious and inspected the fist, trying to get at the treat inside. I waited patiently until he got bored and glanced away, then said “Yes!” and gave him a treat from my other hand. In just a few repetitions he began glancing away from the fist with a treat hidden in it as soon as it was offered with the word “Off.” He was learning that he got a reward at least as good as the forbidden one, if he left it alone when he heard the cue “Off.” We then repeated the exercise with the forbidden treat in an open hand (closing the hand into a fist if he tried to get the treat, but always saying the word “Off” only one time). Finally I placed the treat on the floor, using my hand or foot to cover the treat if he tried to get it. Like most dogs, Charlie and Helen learned the “Off” concept in one session.
Because Charlie had a dangerous habit of bounding down the stairs while Kristin was descending, we decided to teach him “Go First” as well as “Wait.” “Wait” means “pause,” and is sort of an informal stay that doesn’t require the dog to remain fixed in one position. We could use “Wait” to ask Charlie and Helen to not go up or down the stairs until Kristin had completed the trip. We also taught Charlie “Go First,” so she could send him down the stairs ahead of her. This one was simple. We stood at the top of the stairs and told Charlie “Go First,” then tossed a treat down the stairs. When Charlie charged down the stairs after the treat he got a “Yes!” His reward was the treat that was already waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase. The hardest part of this exercise was “fading” the treat toss – Charlie tended to wait until the treat was tossed before he would go down the stairs. Eventually, he learned he’d also get a treat after he went down the stairs after just the verbal cue.
Training a Dog for Babies Starts with Good Manners
We anticipated that the hardest part of the training would be teaching Charlie to stop lunging at cats and other dogs on his daily walks. We were pleasantly surprised. Charlie was so enamored of the positive training method that it was easy to get him to focus on us (and a treat) instead of prey. We started with a Snoot Loop head halter for control, but quickly returned to a plain buckle collar when it became apparent that he didn’t need the halter.
Since Charlie tended to get overexcited when Kristin picked up his leash to attach it to his collar, we tried a little negative punishment. (Negative punishment means the dog’s behavior makes a good thing go away. It is not a physical correction.) Kristin picked up the leash and Charlie started leaping and cavorting about. Kristin put the leash down. (Leaping and cavorting makes the good thing – the leash and the imminent walk – go away.) When Charlie calmed down, Kristin picked up the leash again. Every time Charlie got excited, Kristin put down the leash. In just a few repetitions, Charlie ran to the door and sat perfectly still – a behavior he had previously performed for Fred, but had never done for Kristin.
Once outside, we taught Charlie an “Over here!” cue, which meant “turn your attention back to me.” We started by using it when Charlie was distracted and sniffing a bush, rewarding him with a “Yes!” and treat when he looked back at us. We had practiced a mere half-dozen times before we encountered a barking dog dashing back and forth on a deck. Charlie never gave the dog a second glance – he was much too interested in the treat in Kristin’s hand. Mission accomplished!
Finally, we encouraged both dogs to walk on a loose leash by rewarding them with a “Yes!” and treat whenever they were walking without pulling. We did this with each dog individually at first, and at our last session Kristin tried walking the dogs together. That part of the program still needs some work, but it was a definite improvement!
When the Baby Comes
Molly Wolf was born on Monday, August 23 – a tiny 5 pounds, 11 ounces. A week after her arrival, the Wolfs were delighted with the dogs’ behavior around the new member of the pack.
“They’re doing great,” reported Kristin. “They were frenzied with curiosity the first couple of days, but we just kept rewarding them whenever they turned their attention away from Molly. At first Charlie was locked onto her like radar. Now, already, they are both so respectful of her space. If am sitting on the sofa feeding her, Charlie will come in and lie down at my feet. Not too long ago he would have insisted on having his head in my lap.”
Following their training sessions, Kristen and Fred Wolf now know to continue to reward and reinforce the dogs’ positive behavior (such as lying down at Kristen’s feet when she’s feeding the baby), rather than ignoring them. They’ve seen for themselves what a powerful tool positive reinforcement can be.
“I am so pleased that we got help,” Kristin continues. “We would have done all the wrong things – corrected them, told them ‘No!’ for looking at the baby, shut them out of the room – it would have been a disaster. We are very pleased.”
I am very pleased too. It is a pleasure to work with people who respect their dogs and truly have their best interests at heart. I expect that Kristin, Fred, Charlie, Helen and Molly Wolf will have long, happy lives together.
Pat Miller, a dog trainer from Salinas, California, has been a regular contributor to WDJ for its 20 years of publication.
What a great job this is! Although the deadlines provide perennial pressure, and the stack of mail and calls to return can seem endless at times, I have to admit that I really enjoy learning so much about healthy dog care – and passing it along, of course! While some of the articles that our writers research and produce contain information that I already know a lot about, I never put an issue together without learning something new and valuable that I can put to immediate use.
For instance, I know the importance of reading the label of anything that I feed to my dog. But I’ve always wondered at the dearth of information provided by the labels of rawhide chews and other products intended for canine dental exercise. I have long suspected that these products are not created equal, so to speak. But it wasn’t until I read freelance writer Roger Govier’s article, “Chew on This,” that I knew what to look for – and what to avoid – when choosing my dog’s chew toy.
I first heard the phrase “calming signals” from Sabra Learned, a TTouch practitioner who has written a number of articles for us about TTouch methods. Sabra educated me about this communication method when she used my dog as a model for a photo shoot; she showed me how Rupert, a typically nervous Border Collie whose desire to please verges on compulsion, uses these signals almost constantly when in the presence of strangers.
But all the lights went on when I went through my photo files looking for pictures of dogs interacting at the dog park to illustrate the article about these signals contributed by another TTouch practitioner, Jodi Frediani. I must have 200 or more pictures of dogs playing and socializing in my photo files – pictures that I myself have taken. But until I read the article I never saw the calming signals displayed by the dogs in my own photographs. In frame after frame, I saw dogs clearly “telling” their playmates and companions that they were friendly and interested in getting along. I can’t wait to experiment with Frediani’s suggestions for using the signals to set an anxious dog at ease, or help two strange dogs get to know each other peacefully.
After reading Pat Miller’s review of products that can help keep dogs cool in hot weather, I immediately ordered one of her “top picks” for Rupe to use here in the WDJ office. Even without a thermometer, I always know when the temperature hits 80 degrees or so by the blast of hot dog breath that a panting Rupert generates under my desk. In the winter I appreciate his presence there, especially on cold days when I can snuggle my toes under his ample coat to keep warm. I’ll let you know whether the cooling products saved Rupe from his embarrassing summer haircut (he just doesn’t look right without his hair).
And I was highly entertained while editing Miller’s article about identifying and developing your dog’s ‘hidden talents.’ It cracked me up to read about some of the “jobs” that some dogs have volunteered for: turtle wrangling, turning off the reading light after a person has fallen asleep, and even mushroom hunting. I could relate! Just a few years ago, I found myself living next door to a family who had at least 10 or 12 outdoor cats – cats who were in the habit of using my front yard for a kitty litter box. Rupe quickly learned the difference between my attitude about chasing our cat (don’t you dare, ever!) and chasing the neighbor’s cats off of our front lawn (go for it!). In the long, hot summer, the cue “CAT alert, Rupie!” is still very useful for breaking up midnight feline serenades in the backyard.
Dogs that compete in field trials, agility or herding competitions or those that play fly-ball or Frisbee automatically come to mind as canine athletes. Then there are seeing-eye dogs, rescue dogs, police dogs, drug dogs, and a host of others whose work is just as athletically challenging.
It is easy to understand how these top performance animals might benefit from massage. The fact is, however, that even our four-legged friends who aspire to perfect their skills as couch potatoes are athletes in their own right. This is true even if their most energetic pursuits are chasing a squirrel or a brief romp in the yard. All of our canine friends, including those with demanding jobs, those who prefer a more leisurely life style, and those with chronic problems that hinder activity, can benefit from massage.
What is canine massage?
Massage is a hands-on manipulation of the muscles and other soft tissues with the intent of benefiting the animal. In other words, massage is touch with a purpose and it yields many physical and emotional benefits.
Physically, massage stimulates circulation, enhances range of motion, relieves muscle spasms, and encourages a healthier coat. The positive effects on mental attitude and emotions are just as important. For example, massage promotes relaxation, reduces stress, fosters a sense of well-being, and strengthens the bond between human and animal.
Massage, which to the casual observer appears to range from gentle stroking to more vigorous kneading and percussion of tissues, affects the dog physically and emotionally by markedly influencing the nerve, muscle, circulatory and lymph systems of the body. As a matter of fact, none of the body’s systems works in isolation.
It is estimated that the human body has 60,000 miles of capillaries. Dogs have a proportionately similar amount, taking into consideration the size difference between a Chihuahua and Great Dane. Each muscle fiber or cell is surrounded by three or four of these tiny blood vessels, which bring oxygen and nutrients to the cells and carry waste products away. The nervous system communicates with each muscle cell through processes of the several million neurons (or nerve cells) which carry messages to the brain indicating whether the muscle is relaxed, contracted, or injured. Similarly, messages return to the muscles and stimulate them to respond to stimuli by contracting or relaxing.
With this abundance of nerve and muscle cells and their associated capillaries, it is not difficult to understand the impact that touch has on the body.
The number of cells influenced by a single gentle stroke along the length of the body is mind-boggling. Massage enhances circulation by stimulating the movement of blood through the capillaries. This increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to muscle cells and carries away waste products and toxins generated by contraction. Stimulation by massage of muscle and nerve cells enhances muscle tone. Tiny areas of muscle in spasm are encouraged to relax and the overall health of muscle and nerve are improved.
Also, massage relaxes your dog just as a massage or even a good shoulder and back rub relaxes your tight muscles when you are stressed. Massage also affects the capillaries that nourish the skin with oxygen and nutrients and cleanse it of wastes and toxins. This fosters a healthy skin and coat.
The mind/muscle connection
Your dog’s body works just like yours. Daily use or lack of it can cause muscles to become tight, sore, stiff, or flaccid. Emotional stress can also affect your dog’s muscles and general well-being. How does your dog react to potentially stressful situations like a trip to the vet, separation from you, or an encounter with a neighborhood dog? Like humans, part of a dog’s response to stress may manifest as tense, tight muscles. Massage can go a long way to reverse the adverse results of stress-producing events by relaxing your dog, relieving his tension. It can also greatly enhance your bond with your dog.
We must keep in mind that the systems of the body work together as an integrated unit. Events – good or bad – that impact one system lead to a cascade of effects that eventually impact all systems.
A “whole body” dynamic
Consider, for example, what happens if your dog suffers a cut on one of his paws. Certainly there will be some loss of blood and infection-fighting white blood cells will rush to the area. The involvement of the circulatory system is obvious. Then the area surrounding the cut will swell with cellular fluids released due to the damage. Now the lymphatic system will swing into action to decrease the swelling by removing the excess fluid and carrying off other cellular debris resulting from the injury.
Because the dog’s paw is sore, he may compensate for the pain by limping or shifting weight from one part of the body to another. This can stress healthy joints and muscles causing them to become misaligned and strained and to suffer abnormal wear and tear.
Needless to say, the pain will affect the dog, emotionally lowering his spirits and possibly his appetite.
Just as a minor cut can upset the body’s balance and affect some aspect of virtually every system, massage can bring about positive changes to many systems of the body. An open wound should never be directly massaged. However, massage above or below an injury can stimulate blood flow which increases the supply of nutrients needed for repair and healing. Similarly, a stimulated lymph system hastens removal of wastes and excess fluids so swelling recedes.
A complement
Massage is not a substitute for conventional veterinary care but can often be very effectively used in conjunction with it to provide maximum benefit to your dog. There are times when massage is contraindicated. As noted, one should never massage an open wound. Similarly, massage is contraindicated over surgical sites, insect bites, and skin infections. Massage is also inappropriate for an animal that has a temperature or swollen lymph glands, or cancer, is in a state of shock, or has a broken bone or ruptured disk. These conditions require conventional veterinary care.
Massage can benefit the rapidly growing muscles and mind of a puppy, the hard-working body of a canine athlete, and the chronic problems like hip dysplasia and arthritis common in older dogs. In future articles, we will specifically address some of these issues.
-By Sue Furman
Sue Furman teaches canine and equine massage classes and is active as a free-lance writer. She also conducts research on nerve and muscle as a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO.
Modern-day dog owners enjoy the comforting certainty that their puppies can and will be given a series of vaccinations, so-called “puppy shots,” to protect them from life-threatening canine diseases such as distemper, parvovirus, and rabies. Most of us were indoctrinated in early childhood to schlep Shep to the vet once a year for his annual booster shots in order to extend that vital protection year after year. We accepted without question that a failure to do so was the height of dog owner irresponsibility. We wouldn’t dream of leaving our beloved canine companions at the mercy of the multitudes of evil distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, coronavirus, Lyme, and bordetella germs and viruses that lurk in the environment. Faithfully following our veterinarians’ instructions, we vaccinate our dogs year in and year out, confident this is “the best thing” for them.
But according to some veterinary immunologists, sometimes, we actually may do more harm than good by immunizing our furry friends.
Many holistic veterinarians think that by injecting our dogs every year with what we believe to be life-saving substances, we are actually destroying their immune systems, and condemning them to a life of vaccine-induced allergies, behavior problems, encephalitis, epilepsy, cancer, and a laundry list of autoimmune diseases including Addison’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), hemolytic anemia, hepatitis, diabetes, Grave’s disease, hypoparathyroidism, uveitis, and more. They insist that vaccines actually cause more problems than they prevent, and that dogs are dying by the thousands of “vaccinosis” – a morbid reaction to vaccines. Some even go so far as to suggest that we should never vaccinate. Who are we supposed to believe?
What is a vaccine?
As most of us know, vaccines are administered for the purpose of establishing resistance to an infectious disease. A suspension of infectious agents (or some part of them) is injected into the dog in order to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies to the disease. If the dog is later exposed to the disease, the antibodies quickly react to attack and destroy the virus. Vaccines come in two types: killed virus and modified live (or attenuated) virus (MLV). Killed vaccines are mixed with a substance called an adjuvant to make them more effective. They often require more injections to accomplish immunization, and various adjuvants are suspected of causing allergic reactions. The modified live vaccines generally work more quickly, but are more likely to cause suppression of the immune system.
Many people assume that vaccines are 100 percent effective in preventing disease. Unfortunately, this is far from true. There are many reasons why a vaccine might not be effective in a given case.
The first reason has to do with the animal itself rather than the vaccine; it is the response of the vaccinated animal’s immune system that determines the effectiveness of the vaccine. If a dog is sick, weak, or malnourished, his body may be unable to mount the proper defense. If his immune system is depressed due to previous disease, surgery, poor genes, old age or drug therapy, vaccinations are likely to be ineffective. Every vaccine package lists warnings against vaccinating any animal whose immune system may be compromised, and most veterinarians will agree that a sick dog should not be vaccinated.
Puppies present their own challenges to thorough vaccination: If a puppy is young, his mother’s antibodies may still be in his system and interfere with the pup’s ability to respond to the vaccine. This is why we give a series of puppy shots – to span the period of time when he may or may not be protected by his mother’s immunities.
In addition, if a vaccine has been improperly produced, poorly handled (for example, not kept properly refrigerated), incorrectly administered (i.e., given subcutaneously when it is supposed to be given intramuscularly) or given on a faulty schedule, it may be rendered ineffective.
Not always safe
Most veterinarians tend to reassure their clients that vaccinations are perfectly safe. This is not always true. A relatively small percentage of dogs can have an acute anaphylactic (severe allergic) reaction to one or more vaccines. When this happens, prompt administration of adrenaline, epinephrine, antihistamines, or corticosteroids may be necessary to save the dog’s life. Milder reactions, such as soreness and swelling at the injection site, lack of appetite, and general lethargy and depression can also occur within a day or two following administration of the vaccine. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence that vaccines are sometimes associated with immune system problems.
Off to the left side of the issue are vaccine alarmists, who claim that, far from being safe, vaccines damage immune systems in a large percentage of dogs, causing more diseases than they prevent. For example, in her book, What Vets Don’t Tell You About Vaccines, Catherine O’Driscoll says that vaccines are deadly poisons that disarm and unbalance the immune system, and suggests that they should rarely, if ever, be used.
Then there are the vaccine moderates, including W. Jean Dodds, DVM, a 1964 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College. From 1965 to 1985, Dodds conducted comparative studies of animals with inherited and acquired blood diseases while working for the New York State Health Department. In 1986 she opened Hemopet, the first nonprofit national blood bank for animals, which she continues to operate to this day in Southern California. On behalf of Hemopet she consults in clinical pathology nationally and internationally, and is known as one of the country’s leading experts on hematology and blood banking, immunology, endocrinology, and nutrition.
Dodds has identified a long list of breeds and families within breeds who are genetically predisposed to immune system sensitivities. The breed list includes Dobermans, Rottweilers, Yorkshire terriers, Akitas, standard poodles, great Danes, Weimaraners, and American Eskimos.
“The vaccine,” says Dodds, “is just a precipitating event. It does not create the weak immune system. For dogs predisposed to immune system problems, toxic exposure, overheating, poor diet, or some other condition that stresses the system can also be precipitating events.
“For the last 20 years,” she continues, “we have been increasingly aware that vaccines are associated with autoimmune disease. But vaccines have played a vitally important role in reducing severe infectious diseases in our companion animals. Because of this, we are seeing more adverse reactions than infections, and some people are tempted to cease vaccinating altogether. This is not wise. The diseases still exist, and it makes sense to vaccinate, when safe, in order to protect our pets and the pet population in general. A well-nourished, healthy animal should not have problems with the standard vaccines. We do need to identify high-risk animals and modify our vaccination protocols to meet their individual needs when appropriate in order to minimize their risk.”
Dr. Susan G. Wynn, a private practitioner in Marietta, Georgia, has done teaching in alternative medicine, co-edited a text for veterinary schools entitled Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine, and completed a four-year post-doctoral fellowship in viral immunology. She agrees with Dr. Dodds.
“There is no question that vaccines are more beneficial than harmful,” she says. “Distemper used to kill some 50 percent of all dogs born. I have seen a total of three cases of distemper since my 1987 graduation. Vaccines have played a really important role in reducing the incidence of severe, infectious diseases. They have been so effective that today we do see more adverse vaccine reactions than the infections themselves, which may give the appearance that the vaccine is worse than the disease. This is simply not the case. Ceasing all vaccinations would be foolhardy. Our challenge is to reduce vaccines to the least needed to prevent harm, while maintaining our current high level of protection against infectious diseases.”
Still, veterinarians have a legal and ethical obligation to inform their clients of the relative benefits and risks of vaccines so that pet owners can make informed choices regarding their animals’ medical care. There are times when not vaccinating may well be the wise, educated decision.
No ideal frequency
Vaccine manufacturers have long counseled against vaccinating dogs who are pregnant or those who are not healthy. But they do promote annual vaccination protocols, and they clearly reap monetary benefits from the widely accepted United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendation issued 25-30 years ago supporting annual vaccinations. It is disturbing to discover that the USDA recommendation is not based on any scientific evidence. In fact, no scientific studies have ever been done to determine the optimum frequency of vaccinations. The annual booster policy was instituted in large part so pet owners would be prompted to bring their dogs in for an annual well-pet check-up, allowing veterinarians to find and treat other conditions promptly.
In Dr. Dodds’ opinion, vaccinating dogs annually against all the diseases that exist is too much. “While there will probably never be a study to definitively identify the effective length of vaccines because of the immense cost involved, a recent study we completed of 1200 dogs demonstrated that one to two years after the initial immunization, 94.4 percent of the dogs still had adequate immunities to parvovirus, and 97.3 percent were still protected against distemper. Some dogs were tested as long as six years after the vaccination, with similar results.”
This study and resulting discussions about its data seems to have initiated change within the veterinary community. In perhaps the most significant move seen in the industry, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has published several papers supporting a move to three-year protocols. Many veterinarians and an increasing number of veterinary schools are rewriting their vaccination protocols to recommend three-year intervals between shots rather than annual boosters.
Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is one of these. Their revised protocol statement says, “Our adoption of this routine vaccination program is based on the lack of scientific evidence to support the current practice of annual vaccination and increasing documentation showing that overvaccinating has been associated with harmful side effects.” CSU now recommends the standard puppy series, a booster one year later, then vaccinations every three years after that. Since overvaccinating can be a trigger for immune system problems, why vaccinate any more than necessary? (See the link for “Dr. W. Jean Dodds’ Revised Vaccination Protocol,” below.)
Vaccination contraindications
Drug companies and veterinarians agree that sick and pregnant dogs should not be vaccinated. The definition of “sick,” however, is left open to wide interpretation. Dr. Dodds and Dr. Wynn both advise not vaccinating in the following circumstances:
• If the dog is elderly
• If the dog is pregnant
• If the dog has symptoms of any ill-ness, mild or severe, including every-thing from low-grade chronic disease such as skin conditions to cancer
• If the dog has any other medical condition, including lameness
• If the dog is undergoing surgery
• If the dog is on any immune-suppressant drugs
Clearly, this list encompasses a much broader range of animals than does “sick or pregnant.” In general, if there is any question about the dog’s health status, it is better to postpone vaccination until the dog is clearly healthy.
In addition to not vaccinating some dogs, there are a number of other ways to reduce the risk of vaccine-related problems:
• Measure antibodies through titer tests and only revaccinate when indicated by low titers, OR . . .
• Reduce the incidence of booster shots to every three years after the first annual booster.
• Give individual vaccines instead of combined (such as DHLPPC), and don’t give several shots at one time.
• Watch your dog closely for several weeks following vaccination to look for any reactions that might influence your future vaccination decisions. ANY health problems following vaccination should be noted, whether the reaction is a hot spot outbreak, an ear infection, or something more dramatic, such as an epileptic seizure. It may be wise not to administer the same vaccine at any time in the future to a dog who reacts to the shot one or more times.
• Don’t vaccinate for Bordetella, corona virus or Lyme disease unless these diseases are endemic locally or in a specific kennel.
• Do not deworm or initiate new medicines at time of vaccination, and avoid the use of toxic flea and tick control products.
• Only vaccinate against diseases for which your dog is at risk (usually rabies, parvo and distemper). There have not been any reported cases of canine hepatitis in a very long time, and the leptospirosis vaccine is not effective against current prevalent strains that produce this disease. It is the leptospirosis vaccine that is most commonly associated with acute anaphylactic reactions in dogs.
Little support for nosodes
Nosodes are a homeopathic alternative to vaccinations, in which a small amount of the infectious agent is potentized in water (by vigorous shaking) and then diluted to such a degree that there is no longer any measurable amount of the agent in the liquid. Some holistic veterinarians believe nosodes to be effective in preventing disease. Others, including Dr. Wynn, are reluctant to place much faith in them.
“While they are certainly not harmful and perhaps they are beneficial, there is no scientific evidence to support their effectiveness,” says Dr. Wynn. “In fact, there is at least one study that clearly showed nosodes to be ineffective against parvovirus.”
No easy answer
As much as we all want easy answers to the vaccination question, there aren’t any. Even the revised vaccine protocols are general guidelines, not bibles for every dog. Here, at least as much as in any other aspect of our relationships with our four-footed companions, the holistic approach is critical. We must know our dog well and weigh all of the benefits and risks of vaccination in light of his unique self in order to be able to make the best decisions about what vaccination program is best for her.
Above all, whether in training, management or veterinary care, don’t ever let anyone convince you to do something to your dog that you know is wrong. You are his guardian and bear the ultimate responsibility for making the best choices for his well-being. As you wander through the forest of information and half-truths about vaccines and diseases, be sure to make your choices carefully and well.
-By Pat Miller
Pat Miller, a trainer and writer from Salinas, California, is a regular contributor to WDJ.
So, you’re leaving town for a few days. What ARE you going to do with Fido? Experts agree that the best situation for your dog’s health and happiness would be to have someone stay in your home, maintaining the dog’s regular diet and exercise, and preserving his comfort and sense of security, but this is not always possible. And while we know people who haven’t taken a dog-less vacation for the life of their dogs, we think this is a little extreme.
Only parents who have had to find safe, stimulating daycare for their small children will fully understand what is so difficult about finding a safe, enjoyable boarding kennel for your dog. You worry about abuse, poor hygiene and threat of transmittable disease, and the general stress of the whole situation. If your dog is something like ours – without “current” vaccinations, on a partly or wholly fresh foods diet, and accustomed to a lot of personal attention and exercise – your requirements for a suitable boarding facility may eliminate most kennels from your list of candidates!
Good news: Boarding kennels that feature enlightened dog care are on the rise. They may be expensive, and fully booked weeks in advance, but they exist. The trick is in weeding out the inferior facilities.
We asked several operators of top-quality facilities to tell us how they would choose a boarding kennel. Each emphasized the importance of taking a complete tour, visiting the facility more than once before your dog’s proposed stay, and asking a LOT of questions. We’ll discuss each of their suggested questions individually.
Questions to Ask Prospective Boarding Kennels
1. How do you keep the place clean?
Good basic hygiene is the first and foremost requirement of any kind of kennel. The operators simply must have a good system and adequate personnel to guarantee that feces is picked up promptly and urine is absorbed or washed away. Also, while it is critical that the facilities look and smell fresh, it’s also important that the chemicals used to clean the kennels, crates, or runs are nontoxic. Ask the operators how the facility is kept so clean, and specifically ask about their disinfectants. Look for the use of safe, natural disinfectants, like citrus-based products.
Also, the facility should have a method of disposing the dogs’ feces on a daily basis, whether it is a well-built and maintained composting system, a septic system, or access to a sewer system. Storage of feces on the property invites flies and other pests.
2. How safe and secure is the facility?
Every kennel should have a fencing and cross-fencing system, so that a dog who slips out of one enclosure can’t escape directly to a busy street or a wide-open prairie. The fences should be in good repair.
3. What accommodations are available?
Kennels vary widely, and you have to choose a place that has the sort of accommodations that your dog will be comfortable in. Some dogs can spend a weekend in a cage, with occasional potty breaks, without much stress or discomfort, while the same environment could practically kill other dogs. Some dogs can cheerfully handle life in a run, while others would have a nervous breakdown in any situation that didn’t resemble a home. You have to know your dog, and allow him to sample some different environments, before you commit him to a weekend stay.
Some facilities offer boarding in their own homes. Bart Emken, owner of DogBoy’s Positive Power Kennels, located in Pflugerville, Texas, has kennels with indoor beds for 30 or so “outside” dogs, but also offers “in-house” boarding for a small, select type of dog: “Elderly, small in stature, calm, and completely house-trained.”
4. How many people are on staff? Are the dogs checked after hours?
Some facilities are open only from 9 am until 5 p.m., after which the employees turn out the lights and go home for the night. As every pet “parent” knows, dogs can get sick at night, and the promptness of medical attention can make the difference between life and death. Choosing a facility that has caretakers within hearing range of the dogs at night is recommended, and a place that provides all night supervision (a caretaker who is awake and who occasionally checks on the dogs) is ideal.
5. How are your staffers qualified? What sort of training do they have in canine behavior or veterinary care?
It’s critical that all the people who have the opportunity to handle your dog be experienced and trained in proper dog handling. Jill Breitner, co-owner of Kindred Tails Bed & Biscuit, a boarding facility located in Valley Ford, California, and her partner are both licensed veterinary technicians, and both have studied with canine behaviorists; Breitner suggests that all kennel operators have these credentials as a minimum.
“Your dog can be traumatized by a single incident with an inexperienced person,” she warns. “Say a cleaner goes into a cage with a pooper-scooper, and the dog has never seen that sort of implement before. He gets scared and nips at the cleaner, who gets scared and shouts and hits the dog. I guarantee you that your dog will now be afraid of anyone with a long stick. The simplest things can cause major problems with dogs that have never been kenneled before.”
It’s also important that all the staff members be trained in gentle dog handling techniques, which is one of the primary attractions at DogBoy’s Positive Power Kennels. “We don’t believe in using choke chains, pinch collars, or even the word ‘NO’ in our training,” says owner Bart Emken. For this reason, “boarding and training” is a popular option among his clients.
When you set an appointment to inspect the facility, ask how many people they have on staff, and ask if you can meet several of them. If you don’t like the staff members, go somewhere else!
It’s also helpful if the facility has a veterinary health technician on staff, or at least, someone who is experienced enough to recognize early signs of illness in your dog.
Some veterinarians offer boarding, and there is one giant advantage and several disadvantages to this. Obviously, a vet’s staff is best suited to providing extensive medical care and supervision, if your dog needs that. But few veterinarians have overnight supervision; if your dog has a health crisis in the middle of the night, they might not know until it’s too late. Few vets’ offices have runs; often, the dogs stay in cages. And, finally, vets’ kennels also house sick dogs, potentially exposing your dog to disease.
6. How much exercise do the dogs get? How are they exercised?
Ask how long each dog gets out for, and whether anyone plays with the dog to ensure that it runs around and gets some exercise. At some facilities, the dogs are walked on leash, rather than turned out. This makes the handlers’ training even more important. You don’t want your dog being yanked around while you’re gone.
At The Common Dog, a daycare and vacation boarding facility located in Everett, Massachusetts, about 10 minutes from Boston Commons, the “daycare supervisors” are always present and interacting with the dogs out on the 5,000 square-foot dog play yard, giving tummy rubs, throwing a ball, and playing tug-of-war.
7. Do you offer any socializing? How is this accomplished?
Few boarding kennels offer or allow much socializing; many operators are afraid the dogs will hurt themselves or each other. However, if your dog regularly enjoys playtime with other dogs, socializing at the kennel can transform your dog’s stay from a sad endurance event into a fun-filled dog party. But the staff overseeing the socializing needs experience.
Breitner says all staffers at a socialized boarding facility should have some training in canine behavior. “The employees must be educated about canine behavior – individual dog behavior and pack behavior. Look for supervisors who have worked with a behavioral specialist,” she suggests.
Also, all dogs should be “interviewed” before they are permitted to board at a socialized kennel. Most managers of socialized boarding facilities first “pre-qualify” a candidate in a phone interview with the owner, asking whether the dog jumps fences, digs, or exhibits any other kind of escape behavior. They also ask whether the owner takes the dog to dog parks or other social situations, and whether the dog is used to playing with lots of other strange dogs. “Just because their dog regularly plays with one or two other dogs doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a friendly dog,” Breitner comments.
If all answers on the phone check out, the managers then invite the owner to bring the dog to the facility for an in-person interview. During the interview, Breitner uses her own well-socialized, “assertive, but not aggressive” dogs to test the candidates “getting along skills.” If the dog shows aggression, tries to escape the facility, or runs in terror from the other dogs, Breitner lets the owner know the animal is not a good candidate for socialized boarding facility.
8. What vaccinations do you require?
The only vaccination that is legally required of all dogs is rabies. However, many facilities require that a dog be current on every possible disease (and some even offer to vaccinate your dogs for a fee – a “favor” most of us would rather avoid). If you are trying to reduce the vaccinations your dog receives, or using titer tests to monitor your dog’s level of protection from disease, look for like-minded facilities.
9. Will you feed my dog the way I do?
Keeping any dog on the same diet as he is accustomed to is very important, especially while he is under stress. However, some kennel operators may be unwilling to prepare raw and/or fresh food diets. Discuss your dog’s diet in detail with the managers, and make sure they understand all the ramifications of feeding such a diet; don’t assume they know they must wash the dog’s bowls out with soap and hot water after each feeding of raw meat, for instance.
10. What sort of flea-control do you use?
Most kennels require dogs to be flea-free when they arrive, and many insist on giving a dog (and charging its owner) a flea bath if it arrives with so much as a single flea on it. Other facilities require the use of Advantage or some other topical toxins. If your dog is sensitive to these chemicals, or if you are simply trying to keep his exposure to them to a minimum (as WDJ recommends) discuss this with the kennel manager. Ask what sort of insecticides they use at the kennel.
11. What are your rates? What do you charge extra for?
These questions are important if your dog requires daily supplements, medication, acupressure, or other treatment. Prices for care may vary from as little as $12 per day to $40 a day or more, especially if your dog requires extra care for his coat or diet. But most facilities will be very specific about these charges, if you know to ask. For instance, at Best Friends Bed & Biscuit, a boarding facility located in Greensboro, North Carolina, each dog receives one daily playtime or a relaxing massage at no additional charge, with additional sessions available at a very reasonable $3.50 per session.
12. Can I see your boarding agreement?
Again, it’s best to see what sorts of requirements and expectations the operators have before you are due at the airport. While your line of questioning should be fairly exhaustive, you don’t want to be surprised by some odd requirement at the last moment.
As you have seen, it is difficult to make sure that you have satisfied yourself about every detail of your dog’s care. But remember, the goal is for you and your dog to go and have separate, but equally enjoyable vacations.
In September 1998, our female Bernese Mountain Dog, Annie, became lame with painfully swollen and inflamed joints that were noticeably warm to the touch. She was just over four years old at the time. The sudden initial onset of symptoms occurred about three weeks after her annual vaccinations and a three-year rabies vaccine.
We took her to the vet, of course, who conducted tests and more tests. A thorough blood work-up showed unusual and elevated antibody levels. All tests for Lyme disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis were negative. A complete set of radiographs revealed an amount of arthritis in both elbows that was alarming for a dog Annie’s age, and her right knee was inflamed and full of fluid. Her right carpal joint was also visibly swollen and extremely painful when touched. She licked it incessantly.
After consultations with specialists, we received a diagnosis of nonspecific genetically-based or autoimmune polyarthritis (inflammation occuring simultaneously in multiple joints) as well as confirmed autoimmune thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland).
Within a month, Annie was limping terribly from the right shoulder and was unable to use her hind legs to jump at all. One night in early October, we realized that Annie could no longer hop onto our bed, but rather just laid beside it and pawed at the dust ruffle. We had to lift her onto beds, sofas, and the car; only a few weeks earlier, these situations were effortlessly negotiated. Now, Annie was unable to hop down to the floor, either; she would try to drag herself off of the furniture with her front legs if we didn’t assist.
Hitting rock bottom
Per our veterinarian’s recommendation, we administered two 75 mg. tablets of Rimadyl each day to ease the pain and control the swelling, but after some initial relief its effectiveness decreased and Annie’s limping and inflammation steadily grew worse. She became depressed and dispirited, and her body was soft and “squishy” from apparent fluid accumulation and lack of muscle tone.
In December, our veterinarian began administering weekly acupuncture treatments, and this did seem to provide temporary pain relief for Annie. However, it didn’t afford a long-term improvement in Annie’s health. After five months of conventional therapy, Annie’s vitality continued to slowly decline. We feared that if she continued on this course we may eventually have to make the difficult decision to end her suffering. Our veterinarian wisely considered it too risky at that time to prescribe steroidal treatments given Annie’s weakened immune system.
Taking a holistic tack
In late January, we located H. Jonathan Wright, a veterinarian in Spokane, Washington, who uses a specialized version of homeopathic medicine called sequential homeopathic treatment (see sidebar, next page). He also specializes in autoimmune disorders.
Dr. Wright took a very proactive, multi-pronged approach to Annie’s care. He immediately made some adjustments to Annie’s diet. We were already feeding Flint River Ranch, which he highly recommended, but he modified it by adding one of Dr. Richard Pitcairn’s all-natural raw diets for half of her daily rations (Pitcairn is the author of Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, one of the earliest books on the subject). Dr. Wright also recommended several supplements to give her body the strength to begin the healing process: antioxidants (grape seed extract) plus omega-3 fish oil capsules, Ester C, Glycoflex, and MSM in initially high dosages.
In order to keep her pain at a minimum, we also temporarily continued Annie’s doses of Rimadyl in conjunction with the new plan, just until we could get the inflammation under control. Annie had also been receiving two 0.4 mg tablets of Soloxine per day since October to elevate her T4 level to within normal range. Dr. Wright added two thytrophin tablets to her daily thyroid replacement therapy. Thytrophin is a natural bovine thyroid PMG extract with no thyroxine It acts as an antibody “decoy,” thus sparing the thyroid gland the autoantibody assault that was compromising her thyroid hormone production.
Homeopathic analysis
At Dr. Wright’s request, I prepared a detailed history of Annie’s medical treatments and conditions for his review and analysis.
The detailed timeline revealed a life-long reaction to her annual vaccines. While Annie had been, by all appearances, a healthy, normally robust and active dog with a beautiful shiny coat, she also suffered from several mysterious maladies throughout her lifetime that were inconsistent with her otherwise vital nature. She suffered from chronic conjunctivitis which had been attributed to undetermined allergies, miscellaneous annual infections, a ravenous eating disorder and subsequent weight problem, and a small lump close to a vaccine site which had to be surgically excised due to the suspicious nature of the tissue cells.
Eventually, Dr. Wright concluded that Annie had perhaps been suffering from lesser but more chronic manifestations of the very diseases that she had been vaccinated against, such as distemper.
After Dr. Wright analyzed Annie’s medical and personality profile, he administered a dose of the homeopathic remedy Thuja to help detoxify the negative effects of the vaccinations. Thuja is not administered in all cases of vaccinosis, but it was the appropriate remedy for Annie’s profile.
Within three days of treatment she became feverish to the touch, especially on the top of her head. After a week she experienced intensely acute arthritic symptoms with increased lameness and distressed panting that lasted about 3-4 days. Although this was a painful time for her, it was the reaction we were told to expect. These symptoms signaled that the healing process was beginning to take place; we had opened a pathway for the body’s natural healing response to begin. After two such episodes the inflammation subsided almost entirely and she started to improve dramatically within two weeks. We began replacing the Rimadyl with homeopathic remedies such as Aconitum for relief of her acute symptoms.
Better than ever?
One of the tell-tale symptoms of Annie’s illness was a chronic inflammation of the eyes, and they became even more inflamed when her joints seemed to be causing her pain. But following the first homeopathic treatment, for the first time in her life, Annie’s eyes were clear. As the swelling in her joints eased, her spirits elevated, and she soon began exhibiting a normal energy level. Within one month, her overall body tone tightened up. While it appeared at the time that she had lost a good deal of weight, in truth her weight remained stable. The inflammation that had invaded her body tissues appeared to have been arrested and she was no longer “squishy.”
Although Annie had vastly improved within a month, Dr. Wright and I agreed it would be beneficial to continue an aggressive sequential homeopathic therapy for Annie to rid her body of any residual toxins and neutralize the lingering effects of previous traumas, such as earlier vaccines, harmful effects of radiographs and surgical procedures. He began administering the homeopathic remedy Sulphur, which was a remedy appropriate to her specific constitutional profile. She has, to date, received specifically timed and formulated single- and multiple-dose homeopathic remedies as needed.
Additionally, we have been able to steadily reduce her thyroid replacement therapy as her overall condition improved. Her latest T4 level, which had ultimately elevated to an above normal rate, has now stabilized to almost within normal range on 0.2 mg of Soloxine daily compared to 0.8 mg, before the homeopathic treatment. It is our hope that as time goes on, we will have successfully corrected the imbalances that precipitated the hypothyroidism and she will no longer be dependent on synthetic hormone replacement.
Both of Annie’s veterinarians agree that her immune system cannot withstand the stress caused by annual vaccinations, and therefore we do not plan to vaccinate her again. To comply with state regulations requiring rabies vaccination, we will run a titer test when necessary. Hopefully, her level of immunity will be sufficient, and our local veterinary college will issue a certificate of adequate immunity.
After six months of sequential therapy with homeopathic remedies, Annie has had no recurrence of joint pain or inflammation, and has been normally active for the past five months. Each night she enjoys a free run in the fields around our home, pain-free. The same dog who could not tolerate mild joint manipulation last winter shows no pain response at all when examined these days. We still have work to do on her treatment schedule, and we fully anticipate the possibility of a brief reappearance of some earlier symptoms as we make the journey backward through her timeline. Still, her progress to this date, almost the one-year anniversary of her initial crisis, has been nothing short of amazing.
Videos are becoming an increasingly useful tool for dog owners who want to learn more about dog training. Of course, moving pictures will never replace a talented, real, live, positive dog trainer who can give you immediate feedback about your own training efforts with your dog. But videos can be a helpful component of your training program and an excellent way to expand your knowledge, especially if there are no good trainers within a reasonable driving distance of your home. The list of great, positive-based training videos is growing by leaps and bounds. Here are several new ones to add to your list, and a few to avoid.
During the early morning hours, the lions brought down a large giraffe. Enjoying their good fortune, the several lionesses, their cubs and the two handsome males ate their fill. As the day advanced and the heat became oppressive, they stretched out in the shade keeping a watchful eye on the remains of their meal.
Nearby, a jackal, cousin to the wolf and the domestic dog, sat patiently eyeing the pride and the carcass, hoping for a snack. The jackal looked at the lions, then turned his head and looked away. Again he looked back and this time he yawned.
Was the jackal merely tired from waiting? No, he was using calming signals, the universal canine language of peace, to avoid raising the ire of the lions. The wild canids of Africa and our companion dogs here at home share the same complex language of gesture designed to keep things mellow. In the turn of a head, the blink of an eye, a lick of the nose or a yawn, a whole story unfolds in the canine lexicon.
Turid Rugaas, an inquisitive Norwegian dog trainer and patient observer of canine behavior, has identified 27 different gestures dogs use to communicate with each other, signs she has labeled calming signals. Dogs and other canines use such signals to send messages of non-aggression to other dogs and animals of all species including us. The calming signals are thought to help relax the communicators themselves, at the same time.
Dogs Communicate in Order to Cooperate
The earliest wolf researchers focused largely on the aggressive tendencies in their subjects. Terms like “alpha female” and “dominance and submission” quickly entered our vocabulary when speaking about the behavior of dogs. Those researchers also spoke of cut-off signals in wolves, body language designed to cut off signs of aggression. But Rugaas says calming signals do more than stop aggression; they are proactive communications to help foster cooperation.
Rugaas acknowledges that wolves are a communal species. They live in packs and therefore must have a complex language and social structure designed to foster group dynamics. Think of the skills we must develop to get along with just a single partner, never mind a complex extended family.
For wolves, the pack is necessary for survival. Food is essential and so is the hunt. To bring down a large prey animal takes tremendous cooperation among pack members. Developing and maintaining a language to keep the peace is as essential for wolf survival as is getting the next meal. Wolves and dogs have a strong instinct for conflict solving, communication and cooperation, all a necessary part of pack behavior. They must get along to survive.
Our domestic dogs share much of the same DNA as wolves. According to Rugaas, the most frightening thing for a dog is to be alone. While we can teach them to accept aloneness, we must remember that by nature they, too, need a pack to feel safe. Without other dogs in the home, we become their pack. Learning their language can foster maximum respect and cooperation; when in Rome, speak Italian!
How Dogs Learn Their Language
Pups who are raised in a litter for the first eight weeks of their lives (and in the presence of older dogs) have the advantage of learning skills from their siblings and elders. They learn to accept the leadership of a just leader. They learn simple, but crucially important lessons such as bite inhibition. They come to understand when play is too rough or inappropriate. And they have the opportunity to learn the language skills that will enable them to be peaceful pack members.
According to Rugaas, dogs inherited the calming signals from their wolf forbears. All the different breeds all over the world – no matter what size, color, or shape they are – display these signals. “It is a truly universal language and a wonderful one because it means we can communicate with dogs wherever we meet them,” says Rugaas.
“Canine language in general consists of a large variety of signals using body, face, ears, tail, sounds, movement, and expression. The dogs’ innate ability to signal is easily lost or reinforced through life’s experience,” she says. “When we remove pups from their litters too early, or when we keep them from other dogs, even to prevent early puppyhood diseases, we may be doing them a great disservice by depriving them of the chance to practice their own language.”
Dogs Use Calming Signals on YOU!
The most obvious signals used by dogs are the threat signals: Barking, hardening the eyes, and showing teeth are fairly easy to notice. Charging and snapping gets anyone’s attention. Biting is pretty tough to miss. But we usually overlook the equally important calming signals. Our dogs are always trying to communicate with us, but are we listening, or should I say looking? Say you have come home late from work, frustrated that you have to go out again to a meeting. Or maybe you just want to catch a movie to relax, but you only have 20 minutes to change clothes and leave again! You greet Sparky at the door. He, of course, showers you with affection and enthusiasm by jumping in your face, while telling you vocally how happy he is to see you. You let him out in the yard to do his business. He runs this way and that, checking up on the news of the day by sniffing the lawn and bushes. When he is done relieving himself, you call him to come in. You’ve checked your watch and you are now running late. There is a bit of urgency in your voice. “Sparky, come!”
But Sparky starts sniffing again, and annoyed, you call him once more. This time Sparky looks up at you, then turns his head to the side, licks his nose and starts coming toward the back door in what appears to be a roundabout way, a curved route if you ever saw one. And he slows down.
You may be sure he’s just trying to make you late, but you are mistaken. Sparky has just made five attempts to calm you down: sniffing, turning his head, licking his nose, advancing in a curved line, and moving slowly. He has heard your irritation and knows something is amiss. He’s offering his best attempt to help you stay cool.
Let’s look at a few of the calming signals and expand our vocabulary.
• Sniffing
Of course, dogs sniff to sniff smells. But your dog may do it when another dog is approaching her, when someone is walking straight at her, or when a sudden situation occurs – for instance two dogs are suddenly too close. Or if you call your dog to you in a harsh voice or from a full front position. Face-to-face, eye-to-eye posture to a dog can be construed as somewhat aggressive or dangerous, so some calming down may be in order.
A very dog-aggressive Rottweiler I once worked with would root like a pig, sniffing furiously, when she first saw a dog approaching from a distance. Without understanding her need to send a calming message to the intruder, her owner, tugging on the leash, would deprive the dog of her “peace-maker’s voice.” Fearful of other dogs, the Rottie would then lunge like a barking fury to tell the perceived adversary to stay away.
• Turning the head
All signals may be quick movements or, as here, the head can be held to the side for some time. It may be as small as a looking away of the eyes or may involve turning the whole body away.
Your dog may turn her head to the side when a stranger approaches or a child offers an inappropriate hug. When two dogs meet, they may both look away for a second, and then greet each other happily. A self-assured dog may approach your dog very directly, but averting his eyes from side to side, sending the message that he is a friendly fellow. Your dog may lick her nose, turn her head to the side and be ready for a big hello.
This is a signal we can use to help greet scared, shy, or aggressive-behaving dogs. By approaching a new dog at an oblique angle and looking away, we can send the message that we are friend, not foe.
• Licking the nose
This can be a very quick movement of the tongue that is difficult to see, or it may be a clean swipe of the nose. Your dog may use it when being approached by another dog, or when you bend over your dog or make him uncomfortable in some way. Black dogs, whose facial features are not as easy to see from a distance, may use the licking signal more often.
Rugaas says it is a difficult one for people to use, but I use it having assumed that by licking my lips, though not actually getting to my nose, I’m “speaking” an understandable dialect.
• Yawning
This is a signal easily used by humans. It was the one chosen by our jackal to speak to lions. Your dog may yawn when at the veterinarian’s office or when being approached by a stranger. You may use it when your dog is a bit stressed, worried, scared, or when you want him to calm down. I have watched dogs look up at me in apparent amazement when they see me yawn and realize I am speaking their language.
Other signals include walking slowly or using slow movements, sitting down, lying down or using a stretch-in-place or the play bow. Walking in a curved line, lifting the paw, twirling around each other and blinking the eyes are also calming signals.
Teaching Your Dog Calming Signals
Rugaas employs her knowledge of these signals when introducing two dog-aggressive or shy dogs. With each dog on leash, she has their handlers approach from a distance allowing each animal to sniff, look away, lick or yawn as it chooses. By monitoring their reactions, she orchestrates the meeting, keeping the anxiety level low.
She does the same when introducing a shy dog to a new person. She may have the person approach in a curve, walking slowly, looking away and even sitting on the ground. By gauging the dog’s reaction she knows when it’s safe to let the dog come over to greet the person. Sometimes it may take more than one session.
By sharpening our powers of observation, we can begin our own adventure of exploration with our canine companions and assist them at the same time.
Boosting Interspecies Communication
I recently helped introduce a cat and dog who had to share a new house with each other. The cat was very self-assured and knew how to hold her own. The dog had lived and even slept with a cat before. The dog had great communication skills. My role became that of mediator. We handled the introductions slowly, observing the dialogue that took place between our two charges.
The cat was placed on the people bed in the dog’s room, while the dog was out of sight on the porch. As Elise, the cat, became comfortable, we brought Tucker, the dog, to the glass door. He cautiously looked away and licked his nose. The cat took the opportunity to study the dog, then she looked away, blinking her eyes. The dog now looked at the cat and looked away again.
Next, we brought Tucker into the room at a distance, and the dialogue continued. As they seemed to get more comfortable with each other, the dog yawned, then looked away once more. If Tucker looked a little too long at Elise, I called his name getting him to look at me and away from her. I had him sit, lie down and come to me, offering him food treats as incentive and reward, giving Elise the chance to see him in action.
By the end of the hour session, Tucker and Elise had both had a chance to observe each other in close proximity while feeling safe. The cat’s person had petted the dog, and the dog’s person had held the cat on his lap. The animals could see that each wanted to cooperate. We ended by allowing Elise to leave in her own good time. She hopped off the bed looking away from Tucker and slowly walked out the open door. Outside she licked herself, apparently pleased by the outcome. Tucker was equally happy and relaxed.
The next time you go to the dog park bring along your understanding of calming signals and check out the action. As you sharpen your observation skills, a whole new world will open before your eyes, and soon you, too, can get on talking terms with dogs. And while you’re at it, pay attention to your response when people make eye contact with you. Do you avert your eyes, walk across the street or flicker a brief smile? Maybe you already know more about calming signals than you think.
Author Jodi Frediani has spent a lifetime working with animals of all kinds. She is a Certified TTOUCH Companion Animal Instructor and TTEAM Horse Practitioner. She attended her first dog obedience classes at age 12, has been involved with TTEAM/TTOUCH since 1985 and currently teaches clinics in the United States and Africa.
I took my two dogs—Woody, age 9, and Boone, age 3—to see their vet a week ago. I wasn’t looking forward to being chided for allowing him—nay, facilitating him—to gain a few extra pounds this winter. But I wasn’t at all expecting the health problems that my vet found.
