This dog has pink eye, or conjunctivitis, which is inflammation of the conjunctiva, the white lining around the eye. Credit: Basal Girbiz Deram | Getty Images
Can dogs get pink eye from a human, or vice versa? Pink eye is the common term for conjunctivitis, or inflammation of the tissues that surround the eye. Signs of pink eye include redness in the eye, swelling, discharge, and a painful eye. While dogs can get pinkeye it’s unlikely have the same cause as conjunctivitis in humans.
Causes of conjunctivitis, or pink eye, in dogs include:
Allergies
Dry eye
Irritation from smoke, aerosols, or foreign objects in the eye
Bacterial infection
Viral infection
Cancer in or around the eye
Abnormal eyelids
Eyelashes rubbing against the eyeball
Ulcer on the eye
Scratch to the eye
Glaucoma
Uveitis (inflammation inside the eye)
Blocked tear ducts
All these conditions and problems can cause swelling and redness around your dog’s eye. You may notice that your dog’s third eyelid is frequently elevated, covering the lower portion of her eye, and that it also appears red and swollen. The white part of the eye can be red as well.
Along with redness, a dog with pink eye may have discharge from the eye and may squint or rub at her eyes frequently. If you suspect your dog has pink eye, you should take him to the veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment.
Technically yes, dogs can get pinkeye from humans, but it’s rare. Most of the causes of conjunctivitis are not contagious even within the same species. For example, dry eye is an autoimmune disorder, and corneal ulcers are usually the result of a scratch on the eyeball. Most viruses that may cause pinkeye only infect humans or dogs, and do not infect both species.
Again, technically yes, but it’s unlikely. Remember that most causes of pinkeye in dogs, such as allergies or glaucoma, are not contagious. Viruses that might cause conjunctivitis are typically species-specific and won’t infect both dogs and humans.
Bacterial infections of the eye are more likely to jump from dogs to humans, but you would need to touch your dog’s infected eye and then touch yours. You shouldn’t be directly touching your dog’s eyeball anyway, so this risk is minimal.
If your dog does have a bacterial infection in her eye, wash your hands after applying eye drops or other medications and before touching your own eyes or face.
Dogs naturally want whatever we are eating. Sharing an apple is a lot safer for your dog than something fried, like french fries. Credit: StefaNikolic | Getty Images
Potatoes are safe for dogs, but a fried potato, like French fries, isn’t a great choice for your dog. The oil that french fries are fried in is high in fat, which could be problematic for dogs with sensitive stomachs or who are prone to pancreatitis.
Fries are also usually doused in salt, another potentially problematic ingredient. While a little salt is OK for dogs, a lot of salt can lead to severe dehydration and sodium poisoning.
As with all things, moderation is key! Sharing a fry or two with your dog once in a while should not be a problem, but don’t make fries a large part of your dog’s diet. We also recommend brushing off the salt before serving to your dog, especially for smaller dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Sweet Potato Fries?
Sweet potato fries come with the same rules as “regular” fries. Sweet potatoes are a safe food for dogs to eat but frying them increases the fat content.
Sweet potato fries are also often salted or may be coated in brown sugar. Neither of these are great for your dog in large amounts. Just like with french fries, brush off the salt or sugar when sharing sweet potato fries with your dog.
Dehydrated sweet potato chews are a popular treat with many dogs. You can find these products at your local pet supply stores or online. They are not a long-lasting chew option, but a nice healthy snack that provides some extra entertainment.
For training treats, choose a low-calorie soft treat. Baked chicken – not fried and without seasonings – is a good choice for those special “jackpot!” treat situations.
Having the right toys on hand is a big help when it comes to keeping a teething puppy away from all the things he shouldn’t be chewing on. Credit: InnaVlasova | Getty Images
Teething can be a trying time for puppies and their owners. As puppy teeth fall out to make way for adult teeth, which typically begins around the age of 4 months and lasts until 7 months or so, the urge to chew is strong. Puppy teething toys can help by providing appropriate, appealing, and safe ways for a young dog to meet that need—not to mention saving the furniture.
These days, there are an overwhelming number of puppy teething toys to choose from. When selecting toys, safety considerations like size and durability should always come first. It’s also important to get a good variety of toys and pay attention to what types and textures your individual puppy likes best.
Picking Puppy Toys for Teething
There are four main things to keep in mind when finding the right puppy teething toy:
Finding a properly sized teething toy for your young dog boils down to how big your puppy is currently and how much he is likely to grow. As with older dogs, chew toys for puppies should never be small enough to swallow. This is especially important as puppies grow rapidly during the same time period they are teething. A toy that was the right size for a 25-pound four-month-old could easily become a choking/swallowing hazard for a 40-pound seven-month-old. Pay attention to how much your puppy has grown and make sure to immediately remove any toys that are getting too small. When in doubt, a larger toy is better than a smaller one.
There are a lot of materials to choose from when it comes to puppy teething toys. The biggest consideration here is to find toys pliable enough that a good chew doesn’t risk breaking puppy teeth, which are smaller and more fragile than their adult counterparts. Selecting toys labeled specifically for puppies is generally a good way to go. In addition, it’s worth avoiding raw bones or hard chew toys at least until your puppy’s adult canines have come in. Overall, puppy teething toys should have some give when you squeeze them.
With a developing puppy, you may not yet know what kind of chewer you have on your hands. Do you have a delicate nibbler who will be carrying the same stuffy with him until old age or a dedicated chewing machine who will tear the strongest rubber toy to bits in an hour and a half? Buying well-made, sturdy puppy teething toys is a good place to start, but no toy is destruction-proof. Chewing sessions should be monitored and a toy should be swapped out for something more durable if the puppy starts to pull pieces off of it. If you have a heavier chewer, don’t be surprised if anything designed for less enthusiastic chewing isn’t suitable for him.
Pay attention to what kind of texture your puppy prefers. Some like soft plush toys for teething while others would rather have something more substantial to sink their teeth into. Finding a texture that appeals to a puppy can keep them from going in search of something he likes better such as your shoes or his human sibling’s favorite stuffed bunny.
Good Options for Puppy Teething Toys
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What kinds of toys meet these criteria? As it turns out, there are quite a few. Here are three of our favorites:
Kong Puppy Chew Dog Toy: Kong makes puppy-specific versions that stand up well to some serious chewing but are still squishy enough that breaking puppy teeth is unlikely. There are a variety of sizes and they can be stuffed with different foods and treats for long-lasting play. It can also be frozen to provide additional relief for sore gums.
Nylabone Teething Ring Puppy Chew Toy: This toy comes flavored and can be frozen. The texture can help stimulate the gums and relieve some of the pain and pressure of new teeth breaking through. The unique shape can help your puppy reach their back teeth.
Booda Multi Color 2-Knot Rope Bone Dog Toy: A well-made rope toy is also good to try with teething puppies. The texture gives them something to sink their teeth into and the material will stand up to some heavy chewing—not to mention it makes for some good games of tug and chase. This product has five different sizes and a variety of colors. It’s also machine washable.
In addition, plush toys are a favorite of many young dogs. The soft material can be comforting and is often easier to chew when puppy teeth are loose and too much pressure on them can hurt. The caveat is that plush toys are the least likely to stand up to chewing. If the fabric gets too worn or stuffing starts to fly, it’s time for a different toy.
While not a puppy teething toy in the traditional sense, fresh carrots can serve the same purpose. Pick a carrot that is big enough that the puppy won’t be able to swallow it whole then wash, peel and cut the ends off of it. From there, the carrot can be given to the puppy raw, lightly steamed, or frozen depending on the dog’s preference. Keep an eye out. You should take it away before it gets small enough to be a choking hazard. However, the remains can be cut into bite-sized bits that can be used as training treats or added to a meal.
Your dog is too thin if you can clearly see his ribs. Credit: Azovsky | Getty Images
You should be concerned if your dog starts dropping weight without any effort by you. No increase in exercise and no change in diet. Before you jump to cancer concerns, let’s look at simple solutions for why your dog is losing weight first:
Parasites. Take a fresh fecal sample to your veterinarian. While internal parasites are more likely to cause weight loss in puppies, even adult dogs can be dragged down by a heavy parasite load. If your dog is losing weight, it makes the most sense to get that fecal sample, so you know what you’re dealing with and can deworm for that parasite. Whipworms can be the worst and might require multiple samples to be identified. Your veterinarian may decide to deworm your dog just in case, which is not a bad plan.
Dental disease. If your dog’s teeth, gums, or mouth hurt, he may not be eating normally. That, obviously, will contribute to weight loss. A dog who approaches his food but won’t eat may have a painful tooth or could be nauseous.
Environmental changes. Next, look at behavior and environment. Ask yourself these questions:
If he is not eating, has anything changed about where or when he is fed?
Have you changed foods or even flavors within the same brand?
Have you changed bowls or noticed a chip in his old one? For whatever reason, your dog may be unhappy with his bowl.
Is your dog in heat or is another dog in the house in heat? Hormonal turmoil can upset an entire household. Both males and females may decide to skip meals.
Serious Causes of Dog Weight Loss
If your dog appears to be eating his normal meals, he may later vomit the food back up once he is outside in your yard – and possibly (yuck, I know) another dog is cleaning it up or he’s vomiting in a spot you don’t normally notice. Watch him when he goes out to see and look at the vomit. Check his stool, too. He could be pooping blood. A soft stool or diarrhea could indicate an illness. Getting to the cause for weight loss in your dog due to vomiting and/or diarrhea requires a gastrointestinal workup by your veterinarian. This will likely include a blood chemistry panel, ultrasound, and/or radiographs.
Dogs with diabetes often eat voraciously but lose weight. The same is true of some dogs with cancer, although other dogs will stop eating well and become very finicky.
Dogs with serious heart problems may stop eating due to cardiac cachexia, which is unintentional weight loss due to heart failure.
Many metabolic disorders such as adrenal problems, hyperthyroidism, pancreatitis, and intestinal, liver, and kidney conditions can all cause unwanted weight loss.
Act Quickly to Help Your Dog
If you can’t quickly resolve the problem through the environmental reasons above for your dog’s weight loss, you need veterinary help. Unintentional weight loss in a dog is a call for heads up. Waiting will only make things worse.
With any luck, a fecal sample check or quick behavior and environment check will show a reason for the weight loss. Otherwise, the best course of action is a full veterinary exam and diagnostic workup.
Adolescent dogs, like adolescent humans, go through a risk-taking stage
that can be trying for us risk-adverse adults. Their judgment is still developing.
From the perspective of pet-food formulators, there are just two important canine life stages: “growth,” which takes in pregnant and nursing females and growing puppies, and “adult maintenance,” which encompasses everything else. But they miss a life stage of dogs that I, as a shelter volunteer, have gobs of experience with and genuinely enjoy: adolescence, which dogs enter between 6 and 12 months and which can last until the dog is 18 to 24 months old.
I’m sure that’s appropriate from a nutritional standpoint, but adolescence is a critical developmental life stage for mammals of all kinds. It’s when youngsters lose their dependence upon others and are increasingly drawn to new experiences. In all species, adolescents exhibit what’s been described as an “instinct to learn” – a charming characteristic. Less heart-warming is their immature impulse control and ability to tolerate frustration.
But if you can overlook the sometimes disastrous consequences of their still-developing judgment and independence, and provide them with warm, patient, tolerant guidance during this time, adolescents can be some of the most fun and adventuresome companions ever. It’s a blast to observe their curiosity, their cognitive leaps and bounds, and the physical expression of their biological imperative to test the limits of their growing bodies.
However, in order to best guide their development into friendly, confident, well-socialized members of our families and society at large, it’s crucial that we cultivate a warm, trusting relationship with them. If we want our adolescents to look to us for direction, observe our various rules and edicts, and take what we say to heart, we have to make sure we are holding up our end of the relationship. We have to meet their burgeoning needs for fresh air, nutritious food, appropriate things to chew, and (especially) age-appropriate exercise. If we don’t want them to tune us out when they are off leash and have tempting options in front of them, we have to make sure we are not tuning them out with our electronic devices and busyness. During this phase, we may have to work a little to make sure that we remain relevant, interesting, and enjoyable to them. And most of all, we have to be encouraging and forgiving.
If you really dig in and work to keep a close connection with your adolescent, the payoff is almost always a well behaved, affectionate, enjoyable adult. Make it a priority!
A great trainer will help you better understand and communicate with your dog – which will powerfully enhance your daily life together.
Often, during the first dog-training lesson with me, an owner will joke: “Hahaha, it looks like I’m the one who needs the training!” They might be kidding, but they’re absorbing the most fundamental lesson I want to teach them: It’s their skill at communicating with their dog that will help them live happily with the dog for the rest of the dog’s life, not mine!
Of course, having a professional trainer work with a dog will provide a giant jump-start to the dog’s learning. But if the human end of that team does not learn alongside the dog, any progress will fade away.
Learning the Technique
After their dog returns from training with an instructor, clients often come to the conclusion that their dog is “stubborn,” saying that he just won’t listen to them at home. The truth is that the owner is not speaking that new language – the one the dog just learned in his lesson – well enough to be understood.
Technique matters! That’s why a great dog trainer will spend a lot of time working with the human on body language, hand signals, treat delivery, and timing. If you are a little annoyed that your trainer is focusing on you during that hour rather than teaching the dog something, remember this: That kind of session empowers an owner forever.
Contrast this with sessions in which the trainer simply shows off the amazing behavior he can get from the dog. This is terrific job security for him, since he will have to be asked back again and again!
Looking Beyond Cues
Folks tend to think about “getting a dog trained” as if it’s a finite process with a beginning and an end. It may sound appealing to outsource that entirely to a professional, but you’ll likely be disappointed if you do that. The classic cues your dog can learn from a trainer are only the beginning of shaping a dog who’s great to live with.
This is another reason that the best trainers will spend a lot of time in a session simply talking to an owner. The behavior issues that send many folks to trainers can’t be solved by insisting on a stronger response to “commands.” A great trainer will lead you to a better understanding of what’s prompting that behavior in the first place. That, in turn, leads to true solutions that work both for you and your dog. Brainstorming about observation, management, and enrichment isn’t what people have been taught to look for in a dog training session, but it’s the gold-star approach that actually works.
Understanding Cultivates Bonding
Dogs tend to adore the humans who speak their language – the ones who patiently and clearly show them the ropes here on Planet Human and don’t seem angry at them for being dogs. The reason I want to get you up and running as the lifelong trainer of your dog is that I want to see that incredible bond developing between you and your dog – not me and your dog!
From left to right: AbbyRoo, Sue, and the cast on Sue’s left (and dominant) hand. The cast has made it difficult for Sue to get her arm through many of her long-sleeved shirts and jackets – and to hold Abby’s leash when she pulls or lunges! Sue agreed to test all of the waist belts we’ve reviewed and is keeping her favorite and ours: the Walk-A-Belt from White Pine Outfitters, which she is wearing here. Note: These belts provide more stability to the dog handler if they are worn lower on the hips than seen in this photo. Photo by Nancy Kerns
Hands-free dog walking belts are worn around the waist to provide a place to attach a dog’s leash so it doesn’t have to be hand-held – or when the can’t be easily held, as in the case of one of our product testers. Sue recently had surgery on her hand and has to wear a cast for weeks and weeks, making it difficult to walk her 5-year-old, 28-pound, mixed-breed dog, AbbyRoo. Sue and Abby were the perfect pair to help us evaluate these dog-walking waist belts.
Some dog walking belts are as simple as a nylon strap with a single buckle fastener, one piece of adjustment hardware, and a lone D-ring where the wearer can use a carabiner or clip to attach the dog’s leash. Others offer padding, pockets, multiple places to adjust their fit, multiple attachment points for dog leashes, and/or places to attach other accessories, such as treat pouches, folding water bowls, and poop-bag holders.
Because their features and design vary widely, so does the cost of these belts. We’ve seen simple products for as low as $6 (from shein.com) and fancy products for as much as $60 (from neewadogs.com). We didn’t select either one of those for review, as the cheap one seemed ridiculously flimsy, and the most expensive one seemed needlessly weighed-down with features that few of us need. Instead, we evaluated four products that are more comfortable than the minimal, cut-into-your-waist straps, and less burdensome than the products that are perhaps meant to carry lots of gear with you and your dog on day-long hikes.
How are hands-free dog-walking belts used?
Dog walking belts tend to be used in two different ways: to either discourage dogs from pulling or enable dogs to pull.
People with dogs like Abby, who take advantage of any lapse in their leash-holder’s attention to lunge toward stuff they are interested in, might use a waist belt for its ability to provide more consistent and secure resistance to lunges or pulling. Many people automatically or unintentionally allow their arms to be yanked toward their pulling dogs, unwittingly providing a variable, bungee-like, shock-absorbing experience for the dog.
Also, many dogs quickly learn that if they lunge or pull hard enough, they can often catch us off guard or out-muscle us, allowing them to reach the things they want to get close to, which essentially reinforces that behavior.
But a fixed-length leash that is securely attached to a human’s waist won’t respond in quite the same way as one that’s attached to the end of our long, bendable, and perhaps relatively weak arms! When dogs lunge or pull against a leash that’s fastened to a waist belt, they are much less likely to succeed in reaching what they are pulling toward – and without that reinforcement, many dogs stop pulling and lunging.
Then there are people who use waist belts for sports where the dog is encouraged to pull: canicross (cross-country running with dogs) and skijoring (where a person on skis is pulled across snow or ice by a dog or dogs). The human-worn belts and dog harnesses for these sports are designed differently than dog-walking belts. Sport-pulling belts are built to provide more coverage around the human’s hips and rump, and the dog harnesses are designed to help the dogs pull, with the force distributed across their chests without impeding their shoulders. We did not include products for these sports in this review.
Traits we want in a dog-walking belt
The foremost feature that any hands-free dog walking belt must have is strength. If you’re not going to be holding the leash, the belt needs to be up to the job. We looked for products that are well made with strong materials – and were disappointed with the fasteners on two of the belts we tested, particularly because they both came from companies with a reputation for well-made, quality products. Neither product failed during the time that we tested them, but we lack confidence in their ability to secure large (or even medium-sized) dogs who pull like AbbyRoo!
The second most important feature we were looking for is comfort for the wearer. The wider the dog walking belt, the greater the force distribution, and the more comfortable it is. Wide belts distribute the force of any pulling or lunging across a wider area of your body where a narrow strap would cut into you.
Some of the manufacturers of these products seem bent on enabling the attachment of as many accessories as possible. While it can be helpful to carry drinking bowls, treat pouches, poop bag-holders, extra leashes, and slobber towels with us on walks, we really don’t want all of that attached to the same dog walking belt that’s leashing our dog!
It should be noted that none of these products are sized for larger-sized humans. The White Pine Walk-a-Belt is the largest product we found, with a waist that extends to a maximum of 54 inches. Lest that sound gigantic to you smaller-sized humans, remember that these belts go on over one’s clothing, which can entail quite a few layers for dog-walking in the winter.
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Whole Dog Journal’s Top pick:
The Walk-A-Belt Heavy Duty with Carabineer is meant for walking large dogs. White Pine Outfitters sells the same belt with a plastic buckle fastener (Walk-A-Belt Original with Carabineer), but we prefer this fastening system, even for smaller dogs.
Our favorite dog-walking belt is the Walk-A-Belt from White Pine Outfitters. It’s the widest belt with the most padding, a simple design, and super strong.
The Walk-A-Belt is made with a continuous length of 2-inch-wide web, which is sewn to 3-inch wide, Polarfleece padding. It fastens in the front with hardware that seems exceptionally strong (and which can be completely removed so the belt can be machine washed). With your dog’s leash attached to a big stainless-steel O-ring with a carabineer in the front of the belt, your dog can walk in front of you or on either side equally comfortably. There are D-rings sewn to either side of the belt to clipping on accessories.
Runners up
We like the waist belt part of the Tuff Pupper Hands Free Bungee Dog Leash, but aren’t fans of the actual “bungee leash.” We use this belt with a regular fixed-length leash.
Like our top pick, it has a relatively simple design, with a 1-inch-wide, web belt that runs through a 3-inch-wide neoprene padded lumbar section. The belt fastens in front of the wearer with a plastic buckle (similar to a dog collar buckle but the dog’s leash is attached to the belt via two metal D-rings, which are sewn to either end of the belt for maximum security. This attachment makes the plastic buckle, which might be considered the belt’s weakest link, redundant.
There is also an extra D-ring that you can use to clip accessories onto. It’s built into the belt in a clever way; you can slide it into whatever position on the belt you prefer.
As you might guess from its name, the Tuff Pupper Hands Free Bungee Dog Leash comes with a heavy leash that has strong elastic sections. We don’t like “bungee” leashes; they encourage dogs to pull to reach what they want, and you can’t pull the dog back to a predictable length if you need to. We used the dog walking belt with one of our regular leashes.
Kurgo’s RSG Active Utility Belt has leash-attachment sites on either side of the belt and none in the front. That’s fine if your dog walks only on one side of you, but awkward if he crosses to the other side. We prefer products with the attachment point in the front of the belt, so the dog can switch sides or be in front without his leash tripping you.
We’d rank the RSG Active Utility Belt from Kurgo as our third choice. It’s as wide as our top pick, but not as comfortable nor as secure, with a large but thin plastic buckle in the front. It offers two connection points for dog leashes, one on either side of the belt, and while the hardware for these attachments is easy to use, it doesn’t feel all that strong.
That said, this product might make the top pick of someone with a smaller dog (or a dog who is not prone to pulling) who brings a bunch of accessories with them on the trail. The belt has a number of MOLLE-compatible attachment sites (MOLLE, pronounced “Molly,” stands for “modular, lightweight load-carrying equipment”).
We usually love Ruffwear products but are not fans of this hands-free waist belt.
We usually love products from Ruffwear, but we were disappointed with its Trail Runner Running Belt. The webbing that gives these belts their strength is used on only the front half of this belt’s circumference, with the slightly padded fanny pack making up the rear section. Also, the plastic buckles used to fasten the belt and the leash-attachment strap that secures the dog seem wimpy.
Your product rankings may differ
Sue, our cast-wearing product tester, had greater appreciation for some features than we did. She liked the front-attachment site and zippered pockets of Ruffwear’s Trail Runner. However, she was concerned about how the leash-attachment strap would lengthen as Abby pulled on walks; it just wouldn’t stay adjusted.
Also, Sue liked all the attachment options on Kurgo’s RSG Active Utility Belt, which we feel are unnecessary. But as the owner of a smaller (though strong!) dog, she understood our concern about how secure these belts would be if one were walking a larger, stronger dog.
If, like Sue, you have a smaller dog, or you have a dog who doesn’t pull hard and you just want your hands free, the apparent strength of the belts may not be a selection priority for you.
Quality hardware, most comfortable to wear. D-rings on the sides enable wearer to snap on accessories; they are not for attaching leashes. The metal hardware used for the leash attachment at the belt’s front is easily removed so the belt can be machine-washed. White Pine also sells an “Original” version that has a plastic buckle fastener, for use with toy and smaller dogs ($40). Company promises that if the product doesn’t fit or you’re not happy with it, you can return it within 30 days of purchase and they’ll replace it or give you a refund.
3 PAWS
Tuff Pupper Hands Free Bungee Dog Leash Tuff Pupper
$25 to 28
one size of belt
(25 to 42 inches)
two sizes of leash: small/medium
(dogs 20 to 45 lbs)
large
(dogs 45 to 125 lbs)
The web used for this belt is only 1 inch wide, but is a thicker material than that used for Kurgo’s or Ruffwear’s product; it’s also continuous, extending through the 3-inch-wide neoprene-padded lumbar section in the back. A plastic buckle fastens the front – but the dog’s leash is clipped onto metal D-rings on either end of the belt in front (making the plastic buckle redundant) for maximum strength and security. The product comes with a leash that has a bungee section, which we didn’t use.
Belt is 3 inches wide, with two hooks for attaching a leash on either side of the belt; no front attachments points. Leash-attachment hardware is easy to use but seems insubstantial; we wouldn’t be confident using this belt with a hard-pulling larger dog. Only thinly padded. MOLLE-compatible design allows you to add accessories to the belt. Kurgo says that, if during your product’s lifetime, it does not function as it should due to a manufacturing defect, they will replace the product free of charge.
small
(20 to 35 inches)
large/XL
(35 to 50 inches)
The user attaches a leash to by running a strap on the front through the handle of the leash. Enabling the dog to walk in front of or on either side. The nylon web that makes up the front of this product is only 1 1/2 inches wide – and it doesn’t extend through the back of the belt. The web that is used to attach the leash is narrower still: just 3/4 inches wide, fastening with an even smaller, lighter plastic buckle. We would not recommend using this belt with a hard-pulling larger dog.
For your dog to learn nice leash manners, you have to communicate with him clearly, with consistent body-language signals he can understand. It takes practice! But the conversational payoff is so worth the time invested! Photo by fotografixx, Getty Images.
I occasionally teach a “leash manners” class at my friend’s dog-training center. The clients who sign up for this class do so because they are having trouble with their dogs on leash. Most of the dogs pull, some are somewhat reactive to other dogs when they are on leash, and some weave back and forth and run circles around their handlers and stop whenever they want to sniff or urine-mark. All the owners are frustrated with their dogs; that’s why they sign up for this class!
I start Week One with getting the owners to pay attention to how they hold their dogs’ leashes, what cues they give their dogs, and how they reinforce the behaviors they like – those moments where the dogs are walking nicely at their sides on a loose leash. In this first class, their hands are all over the place, they give absolutely no cues (unless you consider “NO! NO! STOP it!” a cue), and the reinforcements are grudging at best – mostly because they are so irritated with their dogs that they don’t want to reinforce them for anything!
I almost always see a tiny amount of improvement in the Week Two class. The students are handling their leashes better, they sometimes use cues for “Let’s walk!” – and the dogs now realize that there is something in it for them; if they pay a modicum of attention to their handlers and they “check in” with their handlers occasionally, they can grab a treat. But these improvements are fleeting.
So this is when I give my speech about practicing. Training your dog to walk nicely on leash is a physical skill – and no physical skill gets better unless you practice it properly. No golf swing, no tennis serve, no skateboard trick, no piano playing – improves unless you practice the proper movements. And since dogs are essentially body-language experts, if we are giving them no signals or mixed signals, a mishmash of physical punishments and random reinforcements, our dogs decide we are not making sense and they tune us out as irrelevant. We have to be consistent, I tell them; we have to consistently ask them for the behaviors we want, consistently reinforce those behaviors, and consistently prevent the behaviors we don’t want. It takes practice, but if they practice with these goals foremost in mind, they will get it.
In this class, I also show them some new things, such as “emergency U-turns.” We can use these when we see something up ahead that’s sure to make our dogs go “over threshold,” tossing them into the deep end of the behavioral pool with only little floaties on. We turn this into a fun, engaging game that re-connects the dog and handler nicely. But mostly we practice: giving cues, offering reinforcement for the behavior we like, and managing the leash to prevent behavior we don’t want, without punishing jerks and yanks!
I can tell when they aren’t practicing. They often come back in Week Three and are doing about the same as (or perhaps worse than) they looked in Week Two. What happened?
My theory is that, after two classes, they discovered that there are no miracles. They aren’t going to learn some revolutionary thing they didn’t already know, some new trick that will transform their dog into an obedience champion overnight. Their dog is still pulling and they are still frustrated – so much so, that they haven’t hardly taken the dog out at all.
This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where I offer to show them, with their dog, how their dog can walk nicely on leash if their hands are quiet and consistent – firmly resisting the dog’s pulling without changing the leash length, neither allowing the dog to bungee-cord forward nor strong-arming them backward. Their dog will “buy in” to learning a new style of walking together if they use a high rate of reinforcement and give almost constant feedback to the dog, so the dog understands that there is a nice conversation to be had when out walking together, not just shouting brief dispatches to each other across the expanse of the length of the leash.
Every so often, an owner seems happy to see that their dog can walk so nicely, but I’d say that the majority of time, they look a little mad. “Why will he do it for you, and not me?!” they want to know.
Because I have practiced, I tell them. I’ve done my 10,000 hours of walking with dogs on leash. I am not babbling in body language, nor refusing to speak: I am communicating consistently in super simple terms they can grasp within moments. You have to practice your language skills – your body language – and have someone watch and tell you when your hands are crazy, or you are checking out of the conversation and absentmindedly letting your dog drag you to that bush to smell. Video yourselves! I tell them. Dedicate even just a few minutes a couple times a day, every day, and you guys are going to get this!
And you know what? Almost always, in the Week Four class, they are looking pretty darn good together – or at least, way better. Their dogs now have a semblance of understanding what their owners want; they are starting to speak the same language. There are longer and longer minutes of “conversation” and sparks of happiness start to fly between them.
It’s always alarming when our dogs – our normally loving companions – behave aggressively with each other. It doesn’t make them bad dogs! But we must take steps to keep them and their canine friends, acquaintances, and even passing stranger-dogs safe. Photo by OK-Photography, Getty Images
Of all the canine behaviors that humans find upsetting – or even traumatic – aggression is usually the one that elicits the most concern. Canine aggression can be shocking in its speed, unpredictability, and violence, and it’s not much less disturbing when your dog is aggressive with other dogs rather than at humans.
A Note on Talking About Aggressive Behavior
I do not label any dog an “aggressive dog.” Rather, I refer to them as “dogs with an aggressive behavior.” This recognizes that the dog has many good qualities and provides support for the humans who are often called upon to defend their “bad” dog. These dogs are often fun and loving companions most of the time, which is why it’s so daunting when an otherwise wonderful dog exhibits this challenging behavior.
Dogs who get aggressive with other dogs can be discriminating in their choice of targets. A dog who aggresses toward other dogs doesn’t necessarily try to fight with all other dogs. Five of the most common “flavors” of aggression toward other dogs are:
Of these five, the first four generally have a somewhat predictable pattern, which can help us manage and even prevent troubling outbursts of aggressive behavior. Sporadic, inconsistent episodes of aggression are more difficult to solve, and help from an experienced force-free behavior professional will likely be required.
Every dog is different, so each case of inter-dog aggression requires its own analysis and an individualized management and modification program, but there are commonalities in the above scenarios that are worth examining.
With that in mind, here’s how to deal with the five most common presentations of dog-dog aggression:
Dog Aggression With Other Dogs in the Family
This is perhaps the most difficult of the scenarios, since the dogs need to live together in the home, which can be very stressful for canines and humans alike.
In some cases, this aggression presents only indoors. Many of these dogs appear to be perfectly compatible playing together in the yard or at away-from-home venues. This suggests possible resource guarding of space, valued objects (such as the sofa), and/or humans – a common cause of intra-family aggression that is often easily managed. For more information about behaviors related to resource guarding, see Food Aggression in Dogs.
In-home aggression can also result when a dog is stressed about being trapped in a confined space and behaves defensively aggressive indoors but gets along with his canine roommates when outdoors. On the other hand, some dogs are just as likely to attack their canine siblings outdoors as indoors, which suggests a deeper-seated conflict.
Sometimes the wrong dog gets blamed for intra-family conflicts. Dog A is an exuberant player who overwhelms Dog B and ignores her “Please tone it down!” signals. Dog B, uncomfortable with the interaction, may be pushed into aggressing to get her message across to Dog A. Dog B gets blamed for the fight, when it’s really Dog A’s fault for not responding appropriately to Dog B’s “Please stop” signals. In this case, human intervention is necessary to interrupt the play before Dog B makes her own defensive statement.
Here are some tips for dealing with intra-family aggression:
Observe the dogs to determine if there is persistent ongoing tension or if the dogs are calm and relaxed with each other when not in the trigger situation. Identify when and where you see tension between the dogs.
Manage the potential combatants to avoid opportunities to practice the behavior and increase the intensity of emotions. If they are mostly calm and you can predict the trigger, the dogs can spend some time together. If there is constant tension, the conflict is unpredictable, and/or the triggers not identifiable, then you need total separation while you work to modify the behavior.
Implement standard behavior management and modification protocols to change the dogs’ associations and behaviors with each other. My go-to protocol is usually counter conditioning and desensitization.
Contact a qualified force-free behavior professional if you are not confident about handling this on your own, or if you are attempting to but not seeing good results. See “Find the Best Trainer for You and Your Dog,” WDJ June 2023.
Ultimately, if the dogs cannot learn to live peacefully together, it might be appropriate to rehome one of them, especially if there is a friend or family member who knows and loves the dog and will take her.
Many dogs see other dogs coming into their territory as intruders and threats. If your dog normally gets along well with others outside her home, you may be able to convince her that having canine visitors is a good thing. If not, your easiest solution is to not have other dogs come to your home.
Introduce your dog to his prospective visitor in a neutral territory – perhaps a neighbor’s fenced yard, or a secure space rented through SniffSpot.com (the “Airbnb” of private dog parks). Start with the dogs on leash at some distance from each other, and if they both look happy, drop the leashes and let them play. After a few minutes of appropriate play, remove their leashes and let them continue to play. For more information, see How to Safely Introduce Your Dog to Other Dogs.
When all is going well and the dogs are clearly being social with each other (not just tolerating or avoiding), do parallel walking (on leash) in the home-dog’s neighborhood. If you see signs of tension there, go slowly. Sit and chat somewhere comfortable, some distance from the dog’s home.
PAIN CAN CAUSE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR
The quest to understand and improve the behavior of any dog who exhibits aggressive behaviors needs to start with a full medical workup, ideally with a veterinarian who specializes in pain evaluation in addition to a general practitioner.
Many medical conditions can cause anxiety and pain, which are both significant contributors to aggression. Trying to manage and modify aggression without identifying and treating medical contributors is akin to pushing a boulder uphill. A full medical evaluation often rules out or identifies any physical ailments that need to be treated.
When the dogs are comfortable walking the neighborhood, do the same thing in the home-dog’s backyard (assuming a fenced yard). Walk and/or sit with the dogs until all is calm, and then remove leashes and let them play.
If a yard isn’t an option, take the dogs indoors on leash and manage their proximity to each other until the home-dog is clearly relaxed and comfortable with the visitor. Then let them interact off their leashes with close supervision until you are confident that they are OK together.
When a dog is perfectly social and appropriate with others when off-leash, but aggressive when on-leash, there are couple of possible explanations. Being on leash interferes with your dog’s ability to interact normally and communicate with appropriate social signals.
If she’s aggressive toward other leashed dogs, she may have been allowed to greet other dogs on leash, or anytime she’s off leash, and now she gets aroused and frustrated if she isn’t immediately allowed to greet them as soon as she sees them. Or, she may be somewhat fearful of other dogs, though when she is off-leash she knows she can escape if necessary. When leashed, she realizes she’s trapped and can’t get away, so she puts on an aggressive display in an effort to keep the other dog(s) away from her.
To work with this behavior:
Do not allow your dog to greet other dogs on leash. Ever. This can often prevent on-leash aggression from developing in the first place.
Use counter conditioning and desensitization to change her association with other dogs so she doesn’t feel the need to protect herself, but rather sees the presence of other dogs as a predictor of yummy treats from you (chicken!)
Use a variety of operant behaviors that she loves in the presence of other dogs as management tools and to move her brain from “worried” to “happy,” such as:
Find It! (Drop a treat at your feet and tell her to “Find it!”)
The 1-2-3 Pattern Game. This is where you count your steps “One! Two! Three!” as you walk with your dog and drop a treat on the ground by your foot every time you say “Three!”
You can also just feed treats to manage your dog’s behavior as another dog passes by, until the other dog is far enough away that your dog will no longer react.
It’s a bigger challenge if your dog behaves with aggression when she is approached by a loose dog, because the approaching dog is unknown and unpredictable and because, again, your dog feels trapped on the leash and can’t communicate with appropriate social signals. There are several things you can do:
Avoid walking your dog where there are likely to be loose dogs (based on past history of loose dogs!).
Continually scan for potential “safe havens” when you are walking – places where you and your dog can escape to if necessary.
Carry a dog-safe canine deterrent spray.
Toss a generous handful of treats at the approaching dog and then do your “Walk Away.”
Yell at the approaching dog and stomp your feet.
Teach your dog a “Get behind me” cue so you are between her and the loose dog.
Protect yourself and your dog with an umbrella or walking stick.
Aggressive When Off Leash and Approached by Other Dogs
This one is all your responsibility. If you know your dog is aggressive toward other dogs when she’s off leash, you simply cannot let her off leash anywhere that you might encounter other dogs. If you do want to modify this behavior, work with a qualified force-free behavior professional.
Random, Inconsistent Aggression in Various Situations
This may be the most obvious case for the aforementioned behavior professional. To manage your dog properly, you must be able to recognize the underlying triggers of her aggression. Even if it seems random and unpredictable to you, an experienced professional may be able to identify contributors to your dog’s aggressive behavior.
RULES TO LIVE BY WHEN YOUR DOG IS DOG-AGGRESSIVE
Three things are vitally important to keep in mind when you are working with a dog with aggressive behaviors:
If you can predict it, you can prevent it. Watch your dog in every situation where other dogs are present and take immediate action to intervene if you see the slightest sign of tension or annoyance.
Employ management tools (gates, doors, tethers) and practices at all times. We can’t say this often enough: It is incumbent upon you, as the dog’s human, to manage her environment so she never has the opportunity to attack another dog. For some dogs, this means management for her lifetime. For others, it may mean until you have successfully addressed the behavior and she no longer offers to aggress toward other dogs.
Maintain realistic expectations. Lots of dogs don’t get along with all other dogs. It could be that the most realistic outcome is that your dog can develop a small circle of intimate canine friends but may never be allowed to encounter unfamiliar dogs. You might always have to keep toys picked up so your toy-guarding dog doesn’t launch at your other home-dog for glancing at her favorite stuffy. Maybe your dog can never be around another dog, period. All of those things are OK. You and your dog can still have a great life together without your dog having to interact with other dogs, as long as you are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep everyone safe.
It bears repeating that often with “random” aggression cases there can be an underlying medical condition that triggers the dog to aggress.
Chicken is the most common animal protein source in dog food, which makes sense, because more chicken than any other animal protein is consumed by humans in this country, and much of the chicken that goes into dog food is a by-product from the human food industry. But this also means that chicken-free dog foods are harder to find than foods with chicken! Photo collage by Nancy Kerns
Dogs who are allergic to chicken in their food face a particular challenge: In order to be comfortable, they need a diet that contains no chicken, but chicken is the most common animal protein used in dog food. This means that the number of chicken-free dog foods is small relative to the number of dog foods overall.
Even so, it should be easy to find a diet that does not contain chicken, since all pet foods are required to list their ingredients, and today, every pet food maker has a website where all of their products are described.
However, chicken is so common in pet food that it’s sometimes detectible in foods that do not list chicken on their ingredients list, but is present as a result of cross-contamination in pet production facilities. A 2022 study, “Detection of Chicken DNA in Commercial Dog Foods,” found that chicken is one of the most common undeclared animal species on pet food labels.
So what’s a dog owner to do?
First, you need to determine that your dog is truly allergic to chicken, by using an elimination diet.
If the allergy is confirmed, find a chicken-free dog food, chicken-free treats, chicken-free toothpaste, and chicken-free supplements (if you use them).
If you are confident that you have eliminated every source of chicken in your dog’s diet, and yet the dog continues to display allergy symptoms, take these steps:
Quiz (interrogate?) everyone in the family to find out if it’s possible that your dog is being fed something he isn’t supposed to have: treats from that drive-through coffee kiosk? McNuggets stolen from the kids?
Contact the manufacturer of the food you are feeding to ask if it’s possible that formula changes have been made that are not reflected on the label of the product you bought. Be prepared with the date/code from the label of the product you are feeding.
Try another manufacturer’s chicken-free dog food, because chicken-free dog foods that are made in a manufacturing facility that makes other products that do contain chicken can get cross-contaminated – and if this has happened once at that manufacturing facility, it will likely happen again.
Try a diet with a hydrolyzed protein.
Home-prepare your dog’s food.
A PERSONAL STORY OF A CHICKEN-ALLERGIC DOG
Once chicken was eliminated from Rupert’s diet, he finally grew a thick, healthy coat. Photo by Nancy Kerns
More than 20 years ago, I had a very itchy Border Collie named Rupert. I was aware that he was highly allergic to fleas and suspected that he also suffered from environmental allergies, because his itching was worse in the spring pollen season than at any other time.
At one point, I took Rupert to a holistic veterinarian who suggested that feeding kibble was the worst thing I could do to a dog with allergies. A fresh, raw diet, she said, would give Rupert access to the nutrients required for his body to heal and balance itself. She gave me a recipe for a diet based on raw chicken – the least expensive fresh meat – and I started feeding that to Rupert.
Within three days of being on the new diet, Rupert broke out in a firestorm of itching and scratching and biting himself. Overnight he developed an ear infection, which made him shake his head so hard that he developed an aural hematoma (a broken blood vessel in the ear flap). His usually floppy ear was standing up and so obviously painful that he was walking around with his head turned sideways, whimpering.
Cue the giant emergency vet bill! Surgery to drain the ear and tightly pack and bandage the ear to prevent further damage to the blood vessels. Steroids to stop his itching. Antibiotics for the ear and the hotspots he chewed into himself. And of course a cone to stop him from further damaging himself.
In the aftermath of that event, another veterinarian suggested that I should try feeding Rupert an elimination diet, comprised completely of ingredients he had never been fed before. In an elimination diet, you feed a novel protein source and a novel carbohydrate, and nothing else. This vet suggested buffalo meat and quinoa, both of which were available at our local Whole Foods.
Rupert’s baseline of constant, mild itching stopped within a week. And he didn’t scratch or lick the entire time I had him on this diet. His coat, which was always a tad thin and raggedy, started looking thicker. He was resting well and his eyes and ears were clear. It was obvious that something in his diet had been contributing to his allergy symptoms.
I started reviewing the ingredients lists of all the foods I had ever fed him, looking for ingredients in common – and this was before every pet food company had websites where you could find the ingredients; I had to visit pet food supply stores in person to flip over bags and write down the ingredients. To my surprise, I found that there was one ingredient common to every food that Rupert had ever been fed: chicken. I thought back to our ill-fated raw food diet trial of raw chicken. Poor Rupie! The evidence was strong that he was allergic to chicken, and I had tried him on a diet with a TON of it.
When you use an elimination diet, once your dog stops itching and is stable, you add one ingredient at a time back to his diet, waiting two to three weeks to see if he has an adverse response before adding another ingredient. I was so convinced that chicken was the problem, that instead of adding one ingredient at a time, I just looked for a dog food that contained no chicken. I found one that was comprised mainly of beef and barley. I started him on that food and held my breath, in case there was an ingredient in the new food that was also problematic. But Rupert stayed itch-free. It felt like a miracle!
For the rest of his life, Rupert would respond to any ingestion of chicken with a burst of itchiness for a day or two. But as long as I made sure he was chicken-free (and flea-free, of course), his skin remained clear and his coat thick and shiny. Even the springtime pollen didn’t bother him like it had when he was exposed to daily servings of chicken and pollen.
An allergic or hypersensitive reaction is when the dog’s immune system overreacts to a normally harmless substance and produces antibodies to it. Among those few dogs who have a true food allergy, the most common source of hypersensitive reactions is some sort of protein, with beef being the most common, followed by dairy products, chicken, and wheat gluten.
The most common sign of a food allergy in dogs is pruritus (intense itching). Dogs may display behavior that indicates that their skin is particularly itchy on their face, ears, feet, abdomen, and/or around their anus, though they may just be itchy all over. This itchiness can appear at any time of year – which helps distinguish a food allergy from a seasonal environmental trigger such as pollen or mold spores.
In addition, a dog with a food allergy may suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) signs such as vomiting and diarrhea, increased frequency of defecation (more than three times per day), soft-formed stool, tenesmus (the feeling that they need to poop even when they don’t, as evidenced by posturing without producing any feces, brought on by irritation of the nerves involved in pooping), flatulence, and loud or rumbling noises coming from his gut.
The gold standard for diagnosing food allergies is a diet elimination trial, wherein a dog is fed a novel animal protein – ideally, one he’s never been fed before – and a novel carbohydrate source. Every other source of food is withheld; only those two ingredients should cross his lips for the period of the trial.
Distinguishing Hypersensitivity (Allergy) from Other Adverse Reactions to Food
A true food allergy in a dog causes an exaggerated or inappropriate immunologic response to what should be a innocuous substance. But a dog can have other adverse responses to food that can cause symptoms that look similar to those of allergy.
A food intolerance can result from the absence of specific enzymes needed to digest a food substance, as with lactose intolerance, which can cause diarrhea, soft-formed stool, flatulence, and a loud gut. It may also result from an abnormality in the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Only a properly conducted food elimination trial, followed by a controlled dietary re-challenge with previously fed foods, can accurately diagnose a food allergy. Blood, saliva, and skin tests for food allergies often fail to produce results that are consistent with clinical reactivity.
If, after eight to 12 weeks, his allergy symptoms have ceased, a single ingredient can be added back into his diet, and that diet is fed for about two weeks while he is closely observed for allergy symptoms. If signs of allergy reappear, that ingredient is added to a list of ingredients to which he is allergic and should not receive. If, though, he continued to enjoy a lack of symptoms, one more ingredient is reintroduced to his diet under observation. This single-ingredient addition and observation continues indefinitely until you know what ingredients he’s allergic to.
Once at the database of your choice, click on “add filters” (on the top left-hand side of the table of products). Then use the drop-down menus to change the text in the first box (“Where”) to “ingredients”, the second box to “does not contain”, and type “chicken” into the third box. You can then click “submit,” or add more filters if you are seeking to exclude other ingredients or products with a specific maximum amount of fat, or wish to find products below a certain price point.
Currently, there are 424 dry foods on our Approved Foods list, 406 chicken-free canned foods, and 169 chicken-free freeze-dried diets. Since our lists take in products at a wide price range, to accommodate dog owners of varying means, the products themselves will range in cost and quality, from moderate/good to quite expensive/great. Remember: The most expensive food is not always the best food, nor the best product for your dog.
Of course, you can also visit your favorite local pet supply store and ask for help finding a suitable chicken-free food for your dog.
Feed a Hydrolyzed Diet
The proteins in hydrolyzed diets have been tremendously altered through a water-based process called hydrolysis. Hydrolysis breaks down the protein into its constituent amino acids, which are less recognizable to the body’s immune-system sentries and thus far less likely for the dog’s body to react to them, but allows dogs to take in important nutrients. Hydrolyzed diets were first brought to the market by Purina in 1998, with Hill’s and Royal Canin following with hydrolyzed products within a few years.
The hydrolyzed diets on the market today include (note that these are all available by veterinary prescription only).
Each of these companies offer a canned and a dry version of their products.
Note that the companies who are large enough to have innovated these diets are not necessarily the ones that use fresh, whole ingredients in their foods. All of the ingredients in these diets (not just the proteins) tend to be highly processed and selected for high digestibility, so their ingredients lists don’t read as super appealing.
For example, the first five ingredients in Hills z/d dry dog food are corn starch, hydrolyzed chicken liver, hydrolyzed chicken, powdered cellulose, and soybean oil – not the most delicious, healthy-sounding food.
However, if one of these diets transforms your itchy, uncomfortable, raggedy-looking dog into a calm non-itchy dog with a nice coat, don’t fret about the ingredients or formula. The proof is in the pudding – or rather, the food’s performance; your dog’s comfort should be paramount.
Home-Prepare Your Dog’s Diet
Making your dog’s food (and treats!) at home is the best way to ensure he doesn’t eat chicken or any other ingredients to which he’s allergic.
Making your dog’s food is not rocket science, but you do need a reliable guide to ensure that the food you make contains an appropriate amount of calories and essential nutrients, in the proper amounts and proportions for a complete and balanced diet. Each meal does not need to be complete and balanced, but balance over time must be achieved to prevent deficiencies or excesses.
We suggest working with your veterinary nutritionist to determine your dog’s approximate energy requirements, and the proportions of protein, fat, and carbohydrates (if any) you should strive to provide in your dog’s food. You can develop recipes for complete and balanced home-prepared diets for your dog at the website Balance.It.
A chicken-free home-prepared diet – in addition to assiduous control of your dog’s snacks and treats – will offer your chicken-allergic dog the best chance of a comfortable, itch-free life.
Lethargy and decreased appetite are common to depressed dogs but can also be symptoms of other ailments. This makes it important to get a veterinarian involved as soon as possible. Credit: Chalabala | Getty Images
Signs your dog is depressed can be subtle, often starting with a gradual loss of interest in once-loved games, a few extra naps, and a declining appetite. Depression in dogs also can start with a bang, such as finding a previously outgoing and well-mannered dog hiding in the closet, ripping up shoes, or growling at old friends.
How to Tell If Your Dog Is Depressed
When it comes to depressed dogs, the signs vary, but depression in dogs typically involves a significant behavioral change. Some of the more common signs include:
Lethargy/sleeping more
Lack of interest in preferred activities/toys
Unwilling to socialize
Short tempered
Lack of appetite
Increase in destructive behavior
Hiding
Increased anxiety/clinging to owner
Causes of Canine Depression
Much of the time, depression in dogs can be linked to an event or experience. Perhaps one of the most common triggers is big changes in routine such as moving to a new home or an owner switching from day shift to night shift. Bringing new members into the family—like the arrival of a puppy, a significant other moving in, or a baby being born—can be a problem spot as well. The potential for depression isn’t a reason to avoid these kinds of life events, but it should certainly be motivation to consider how best to help your dog adapt when they are occurring.
Dogs also can become depressed following the loss of a family member, whether human or canine, or any regular companion. They can and do experience grief and grief-related depression. It takes time for them to work through the loss and develop a new routine. In addition, they are often faced with how to handle the grief their owners are likely going through at the same time.
The most serious instances of depression in dogs often come from cases where the animal has experienced trauma, abuse, or extended isolation. Shutting out the world can be a survival strategy in these extremes and can carry over even when the dog has been removed from the environment that caused the trauma. Building trust with the dog and seeking expert advice are extremely important when working with an animal whose depression likely stemmed from a deeply traumatic experience.
Caring for a Depressed Dog
Chronic pain and illness can go hand-in-hand with depression in dogs, so your veterinarian is an essential part of diagnosis and treatment plans for dogs suffering from depression. Your vet will explore potential physiological causes which can lead to your dog becoming depressed or exhibiting symptoms similar to depression. Of course, if something is discovered during the exam, the primary treatment will be to first resolve the underlying issue.
If physiological reasons for the dog’s depression are ruled out, look at your dog’s daily life and be sure the basics are in place:
Do you have an established routine for your dog? Consistency can play a big role in a dog’s sense of security, especially if there has recently been a big change in their lives.
Is your dog’s diet suitable for his activity level and health needs? Things like food allergies can affect mood and behavior. If you switched foods or added something new to your dog’s diet around the time they began showing signs of depression, consider returning to the previous diet.
Is your dog getting enough exercise and attention from you? Getting up and moving can help the dog to reengage with his environment as well as stimulating his appetite. If your dog likes being groomed, take some extra time to brush him out. If there is a game or toy your dog has previously enjoyed, offer opportunities to play.
Does your dog have friends? If your dog is in a good place to socialize, it may be helpful to meet for a playdate with friends. A few words of caution here: If your dog actively avoids interacting or is showing signs of aggression (including just being unusually grumpy) and/or anxiety, this is not the right time for socialization. As an example, a dog who is depressed following the loss of a companion may be lonely and desperate for the company of familiar dogs. Meeting more often with friends may be just what they need to start feeling better. On the flip side, a dog who is depressed following a traumatic experience may feel uncomfortable and unsafe even around animals they know. This could put them in a situation where they lash out to protect themselves or cause them to retreat further. Pay attention to what your dog is telling you about what they need. If you’re feeling stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out to a vet or behaviorist for advice.
Training also can be a good way to promote engagement. If your dog is willing, take some time each day to go over simple commands you know they’ve mastered. Celebrate even small successes, whether their performance is up to their usual standard or not. Go ahead and add in some new tricks, games, or activities. Engage your dog’s mind.
The trick with all the options above is to not force your dog to engage. If he doesn’t want to play or shies away from the brush, put it away and try again tomorrow. While it can be difficult to have patience when you can clearly see your dog is struggling, it is important not to overwhelm them. The caveat to this is that depression is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Continue to correct inappropriate behavior as you normally would. Calm consistency is key.
Medication as an Option for Canine Depression
In some cases, no amount of exercise, routine, and attention is enough to alleviate the condition.
The primary goal when working with a dog suffering from depression is to stay patient, calm, and consistent. There is no immediate fix for emotions. Rather, it is a day-by-day process of ensuring your dog has what he needs to move through it. A good, established routine and some extra TLC can go a long way. Also, keeping your vet appraised of how your dog is doing is important for determining if further care is needed.
Advances in vaccinology have helped to improve canine Lyme disease vaccines and meliorate its controversial reputation. Photo by FatCamera, Getty Images.
Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in dogs. Fortunately, we can help protect our dogs from Lyme disease with preventive measures and using a vaccine sometimes called a “tick shot for dogs.” Of course, this is a vaccine that is only effective against Lyme disease in dogs, not all tick-borne diseases.
Tick-borne diseases are on the rise, including Lyme disease. You can help protect your dog from ticks and Lyme disease if you:
Promptly check for and manually remove attached ticks from our dogs; it takes 24 to 48 hours for attached ticks to transfer the disease.
Give the Lyme disease vaccine for dogs.
As a veterinarian and dog owner, I feel strongly that the canine Lyme vaccine is safe and effective enough for dogs who live in areas that are endemic for Lyme disease.
Even a Vigorous Tick-Borne Disease Protocol Can Fail
Prince on a hike in Colorado. Despite being treated with multiple tick preventives, he once tested positive for a tick-borne bacteria. Photo courtesy Dr. Jennifer Bailey
I religiously give my dog Prince a dose of Nexgard every 30 days. I check him for ticks after we have been hiking in the woods. He wears a Seresto collar and an Insect Shield T-shirt or neck gaiter if we are visiting an area with a really high tick population. And I vaccinate him annually for Lyme disease.
Despite everything I do to protect him from tick-borne diseases, I was shocked last spring to find that he tested positive for exposure to Anaplasma, another tick-borne bacteria that can cause a disease called anaplasmosis. Thankfully, his Anaplasma antigen test was negative, meaning that his body had cleared the infection on its own. But I was still flabbergasted to find that I could not 100% protect him.
Most dogs who contract Lyme disease remain normal through the course of the disease, according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council. However, dogs who do show signs of an acute infection may experience fever, shifting leg lameness, swollen joints, enlarged lymph nodes, lethargy, depression, and loss of appetite. They usually improve quickly once treatment with antibiotics has begun. Dogs with chronic infections may exhibit shifting leg lameness caused by polyarthritis (inflammation affecting joints in more than one limb), which may persist even in the face of aggressive antibiotic therapy. Only about 1% to 5% of dogs who are infected with Lyme disease suffer from the most serious effect of s Lyme nephritis – damage to the kidneys. This condition is often fatal despite treatment.
Efficacy rates for canine Lyme vaccines have been reported within a range of 50% to 90%. Effectiveness of the vaccines appears to increase with each booster. No vaccine is 100% effective.
Lyme Vaccine Side Effects
The Lyme vaccine for dogs is targeted at proteins that are part of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium that is carried by some ticks.
Lyme vaccines confer protection to our dogs against the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi (see “How Does the Lyme Vaccine for Dogs Work?,” below). The initial series is two vaccines given two to three weeks apart. After the initial series, the Lyme vaccine is administered once a year.
Decades ago, the Lyme vaccine earned a reputation for causing side effects in dogs. A 2005 study reported that the incidence of acute adverse events in dogs within 3 days of vaccinations for any disease was highest for those receiving a B. burgdorferi bacterin vaccine (43.7 incidents per 10,000 doses) compared with all other vaccines examined. No newer studies have been reported, but considerable advances have been made in vaccinology in recent years.
How Does the Lyme Vaccine for Dogs Work?
Lyme vaccines confer protection to our dogs against the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. The initial series is two vaccines given two to three weeks apart. After the initial series, the Lyme vaccine is administered once a year.
All of the currently available Lyme vaccines target a protein that is expressed on the surface of Borrelia burgdorferi called outer surface protein A (OspA). Some of the currently available Lyme vaccines also target a surface protein called outer surface protein C (OspC).
A dog who has been vaccinated for Lyme disease has antibodies for OspA. The antibodies enter the tick when it begins to take a blood meal. The antibodies attach to OspA expressed on the surface of Borrelia burgdorferi. This starts a biochemical chain of events that leads to destruction of the bacteria.
Dogs who have received a Lyme vaccine that targets both OspA and OspC will have antibodies for both proteins. Think of having OspC antibodies as an extra layer of protection. If Lyme bacteria that have not been targeted by OspA antibodies enter a dog’s body, then OspC antibodies will target the bacteria, leading to its demise.
As with any vaccine, your dog may experience side effects to the Lyme vaccine, including lethargy, reduced appetite, and soreness. In rare circumstances, dogs who receive the Lyme vaccine may experience an adverse reaction, which is basically an allergic reaction. Symptoms of a vaccine reaction include vomiting, diarrhea, facial swelling, hives, and severe coughing or difficulty breathing. A serious vaccine reaction can occur in the first few minutes to a few hours after receiving a vaccine. Always seek immediate veterinary care if you think that your dog is experiencing a vaccine reaction.
The panelists that recommended routinely vaccinating at-risk dogs for Lyme disease cited these reasons for their recommendation:
Inconsistent use of flea/tick preventatives can leave dogs susceptible to tick bites and exposure to Lyme disease. Receiving the Lyme vaccine adds another level of protection against Lyme disease.
Previous exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi does not grant a dog immunity to Lyme disease in the future.
The panelists who did not recommend giving the Lyme vaccine to dogs cited these reasons for their recommendation:
Most dogs who are exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi do not develop symptoms of Lyme disease.
For those dogs who develop Lyme nephritis, the panelists expressed concern that having received the Lyme vaccine in the past could further aggravate this condition.
The efficacy and duration of immunity of the Lyme vaccine is not proven.
A paper titled “Why the Rationale for Canine Borrelia burgdorferi Vaccination Is Unpersuasive,” written by Nadine A. Vogt, DVM, PhD, a veterinarian and epidemiologist at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada, and Christian P. G. Stevens, of the Department of Philosophy at King’s College in London, is available online for those who wish to read more about the controversy.
To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) says all the canine Lyme vaccines have been proved safe and efficacious. The AAHA Canine Vaccination Task Force, which produces the most widely accepted vaccination guidelines for veterinarians, considers the Lyme vaccine to be a non-core vaccine, which means it is recommended for some dogs based on “lifestyle, geographic location, and risk of exposure.” (Core vaccines include adenovirus, distemper, parvovirus, and rabies, which are “recommended for all dogs irrespective of lifestyle, unless there is a specific medical reason not to vaccinate.”)
The decision about whether to vaccinate your dog for Lyme disease is one that should be made by you and your veterinarian. Your veterinarian should ask you questions to determine your dog’s risk of being exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi and developing Lyme disease.
Factors such as your dog’s outdoor activities, general health, and previous exposure to tick-borne diseases should be considered. Your geographic location and places you plan on visiting with your dog are additional factors.
One thing is certain: Consistent use of flea/tick preventatives and checking dogs daily for ticks are keys to preventing transmission of the bacteria that cause tick-borne diseases. Vaccinating at-risk dogs for Lyme disease may be the third key to prevention.
A couple of days ago, I received a text from a dog-training client, wondering about a video she had just watched—and which she linked in the text. “Is meat meal bad for dogs?” she asked. She followed that message with, “I get that she’s selling her own pet food, but is it (meat meal) that bad?”
