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No Need For Force When Puppy Training

By
Nancy Kerns
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Following a rash of reports of puppy deaths at the hands of their trainers, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) released a statement denouncing any training methods which cause physical harm to dogs.

The last straw for APDT members was the news report of a trainer in Raleigh, North Carolina, who allegedly killed an eight-week-old Shar-Pei puppy by repeatedly using a choke collar and pinning the puppy to the ground to correct it for “puppy biting.” The pup died at its vet’s office, reportedly from damage to the trachea.

The APDT was already aware of at least three similar cases: Some weeks prior, two puppies (one in Virginia and one in Hawaii) died when their trainers stuck their fingers down the dogs’ throats attempting to stop them from nipping. And a trainer in Florida slung a Basenji puppy wearing a prong collar across a cement floor because he wouldn’t lie down. Suffering ruptured internal organs, the pup died at its veterinarian’s office three days later.

For these and many other similar cases, there will be no prosecution against the trainers because the owners of the puppies have declined to press charges.

“Tragic stories like this often don’t receive a lot of media or legal attention,” says APDT President Allan Bauman. “Many dog owners don’t realize that there are other ways to train dogs. They assume that the trainer is the expert and that harsh training methods are the norm. But there are effective and humane ways to communicate with our four-legged friends. There is absolutely no reason for any dog to die in the course of learning to be a well-behaved family companion.”

Founded in 1993 by Dr. Ian Dunbar, the APDT is a national, non-profit organization that promotes dog-friendly dog training methods. The group boasts more than 3,000 members around the globe, the majority of whom eschew the use of forceful training methods and tools such as physical punishment, choke chains, and shock collars.

The APDT Code of Ethics includes a statement that: “The practices of hanging, beating, kicking and all similar procedures causing the dog great pain, distress and imminent potential for physical harm are inconsistent with humane dog training. These procedures represent a serious violation of professional ethical conduct and will not be tolerated.”

“Our condolences go out to these puppy owners, as well as others who have lost their dogs to harsh training methods,” Bauman says. “Losing your dog can be like losing a member of your family. We hope humane training methods, other dog owners won’t have to experience this tragedy.”

Several APDT members have participated in the development of humane guidelines for dog training, a project of the American Humane Association that is funded by Delta Society. The APDT offers a searchable list of APDT member-trainers and tips for choosing a dog training professional on their Web site at www.apdt.com.

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Researchers find diet can affect effectiveness, toxicity
of phenobarbital used to control epilepsy

Results of a study on the effect of diet on the dosage of Phenobarbital for controlling epileptic seizures were published in the September 15, 2000 issue of Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, discovered significant differences in the effects of the same dosage of Phenobarbital between dogs fed a “maintenance” diet, a low-protein diet, and a low-fat, low-protein diet.

According to the study’s authors, epilepsy constitutes three to five percent of all diseases seen in dogs. Phenobarbital is the most commonly used drug to control seizures; the drug is routinely administered to affected dogs daily, often for the life of the dog.

Unfortunately, the ideal dosage of the drug – one resulting in maximum seizure control with minimal liver toxicosis – can be difficult to determine, and can change over time. Body composition and metabolic rate have been known factors affecting the drug’s distribution and metabolism, and thus, its clinical effectiveness or toxicity. However, until this study, no one was aware of how much the dog’s diet could influence the drug’s metabolism.

More research is needed to address the therapeutic implications of this study, for example, to determine what would constitute an optimum diet for minimizing medication dosages while maintaining control of seizures in an epileptic dog. However, this study suggests the need for owners of epileptic dogs to apprise their veterinarians before changing their dogs’ diet, and to consider monitoring the dogs’ serum Phenobarbital concentrations when altering the type or amount of the dog’s food.

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Antimicrobial resistance is causing concern
about the safety of the food supply

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies are investigating methods of curbing antimicrobial resistance in food animals, saying that it’s only a matter of time before antimicrobial-resistant bacteria could threaten the lives of the humans – and pets – who consume or otherwise come into contact with contaminated meat and poultry.

“Scientists generally agree that the development of resistant bacteria that are foodborne pathogens is most likely due to the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals,” says Linda Tollefson, DVM, Director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance at the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Antimicrobials are routinely fed to food animals in order to promote growth and feed efficiency. The drugs work by inhibiting bacterial growth, or by killing the organisms outright. Unfortunately, due to genetic mutations, a tiny number of the bacteria often survive the onslaught of drugs, going on to develop new, drug-resistant bacterial strains. Humans and/or animals infected with drug-resistant bacteria may languish without drugs to control the new strains.

To track emerging resistance, animal-origin Salmonella isolates were chosen as a “sentinel organism” at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Russell Research Center in Athens, Georgia. In 1998, there were 3,318 Salmonella isolates of animal origin tested, representing a broad range of species and point of origin. While all isolates were susceptible to antimicrobials Amikacin and Ciprofloxacin, 38 percent were resistant to Tetracycline, nearly 35 percent to Streptomycin, and just less than 33 percent to Sulfamethoxazole. Scarily, a whopping 40 percent of the Salmonella isolates tested in 1998 were resistant to two or more antimicrobials.

One of these multiresistant isolates, Salmonella typhimurium DT104, has caused some concern worldwide. The organism has a pattern of resistance that includes Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol, Streptomycin, Sulfonamides, and Tetracycline. Five percent of the Salmonella isolates showed this resistance pattern.

 

Source: American Veterinary Medical Association.

Teaching Your Puppy Critical Social Skills

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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If you are ever in California, you might want to make it a point to visit Carmel Beach, at the end of Ocean Avenue in Carmel Village, Monterey County. Carmel Beach is a canine utopia. Dogs are allowed, even encouraged, to run off-leash along a breathtaking Pacific Ocean backdrop. On any given day, at any given time, you’ll see Golden Retrievers racing along the sand after tennis balls, Labradors fetching sticks from the surf, Border Collies herding shorebirds, and any and all varieties of mixed-breeds and purebreds romping together in happy groups. Rarely, if ever, does a fight happen. Oh, an occasional brief scuffle maybe, as two ball-obsessed Aussies squabble over possession rights. But it’s hardly ever serious.

Thus the community of Carmel was shocked two years ago when a Pitbull terrier attacked and killed a small Poodle. What happened? Why was there bloodshed on the normally peaceful Carmel Beach?

Dogs are pack animals. Their wild ancestors necessarily had to get along for the very important purpose of survival. Even after thousands of generations of domestication, most dogs still play well with others of their species. When they don’t, it’s usually for one or a combination of three reasons: genetics, learned behavior, or poor socialization.

It’s in the genes
Sadly, humans have bred some dogs for dog aggression, most notably the Pitbull. Dogfighters deliberately selected for dogs who were willing and eager to fight with their own kind until, over time and generations, the quality that they call “gameness” was deeply instilled in the gene pool. A litter of puppies from fighting lines must often be separated by the age of seven weeks or they will fight with each other and cause serious harm. Chances are the tragedy on Carmel Beach was a result, at least in large part, of those genetics.

Other types of dogs were bred for the exact opposite quality. Because they hunt in packs, scent hounds such as the Beagle, Bloodhound, and Foxhound were bred to be exceptionally amenable to pack life. (This is one of the reasons Beagles are often the breed of choice for research colonies.) Other breeds fall on a continuum, from the relatively gregarious sporting breeds like Labrador and Golden Retrievers who are generally good with other dogs, to the guard-type dogs like Rottweilers and Chows, who have a greater tendency to be dog aggressive.

Learned behavior
To some extent, the natural tendencies bestowed by a dog’s genetic package can be influenced by learning. Beagles can be made to be dog aggressive under the right (wrong!) circumstances. Some Pitbulls can be raised peacefully with other dogs, providing care is taken to avoid exposing the individuals to incidents that might turn on their fighting “lightbulb.” This is why it is critical to raise your dog in an environment that doesn’t allow him to be teased, tormented, or attacked by other dogs. Tying a dog up or fencing him in a location where other dogs can agitate the confined one, is a classic recipe for dog aggression.

Poor socialization
But by far the most common cause of inadvertently induced dog aggression is lack of proper socialization. While some veterinarians still urge their clients to keep their young puppies cloistered until they have completed their vaccination series at age four to six months, more and more animal care professionals are recognizing the importance of early socialization with other puppies and dogs in a controlled environment.

Playtime with other puppies and non-aggressive adult dogs gives a puppy the opportunity to learn how to talk and read “dog-ese” through appropriate interactions with and responses to other dogs’ body language. If this doesn’t happen during the pup’s critical learning period, well before the age of six months, you may end up with a canine social nerd whose inept use of the dog’s physical and postural language consistently gets him trouble. This happens either because he sends inappropriate messages or fails to respond appropriately to another dog’s message.

As with virtually all dog behavior problems, prevention is a far better approach than rehabilitation. If you have the luxury of working within your puppy’s critical learning window, you are light years ahead of the game. The more your pup’s breed characteristics and individual personality predispose him to dog aggression, the more critical it is that he be socialized during the learning period. The following steps can maximize his opportunities for socialization while minimizing his exposure to disease:

• DO keep him current on his vaccination schedule. (Some people vaccinate their dogs far more aggressively than others. See “Current Thoughts on Shots,” August 1999 and “Reduced Vaccination Schedule,” September 1999. Also, see sidebar below.)

• DO invite friends over with their healthy puppies and gentle adult dogs to play with your puppy.

• DO enroll your puppy as soon as possible in a well-run puppy class where classmates are allowed to play together. Again, people vary in their willingness to vaccinate their dogs. Most trainers require proof of vaccinations for all participants. People who use fewer than the usual number of puppy vaccinations may have difficulty finding a trainer who understands and accepts this approach.

• DO talk to the trainer and watch the class first. Puppy play should be closely monitored to avoid bullying of small or timid puppies by bigger, older ones. The facility should be clean indoors and out, and training techniques involving the use of choke chains, prong collars or physical force should not be permitted.

• DO intervene if another puppy starts to bully yours. A pup can learn to be defensively aggressive if he is frightened by the intensity of another pup’s play.

• DO intervene if your puppy starts to bully another. A gentle interruption of the behavior every time it occurs combined with brief time-outs if necessary, offset by praise and treat rewards when he is playing well with others, can keep him on the right track. A time out is what behaviorists call “negative punishment.” The puppy’s behavior (being too rough or aggressive) makes a good thing (playing with other puppies) go away. If you are consistent he will learn that he has to be nice if he wants to keep playing.

• DON’T intervene if two pups are engaged in mutually agreeable rough play. Rough play is perfectly acceptable if both pups are enjoying it. Do keep an eye on the participants to make sure they are both having fun, and gently intervene if the tone of play starts to change.

• DON’T take your puppy to dog parks or public areas where lots of dogs congregate. He faces a much greater risk of exposure to disease in those environments.

• DON’T allow your puppy to sniff piles of feces from unknown dogs when you take him for walks around the block.

• DON’T allow your pup to interact with any dogs or puppies who don’t appear healthy, and don’t allow the owners of sick dogs or puppies to play with yours.

If you follow these simple guidelines, your chances of having a well socialized dog are high, and your disease risk is very low. Remember: Far more dogs face tragic ends to their lives due to poor socialization than to illnesses encountered in well-monitored puppy play groups.

Predictors of success
What if you’re not so lucky? Maybe you already missed your puppy’s learning period, either because you weren’t aware of the importance of socialization, or because you adopted a pre-owned older dog. If this just meant that the other dogs wouldn’t play with yours on the playground, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But the most common behavior problems manifested by a dog who is poorly socialized with other dogs are fear and aggression.

Is she doomed to a life of isolation from other dogs because she responds intensely and negatively when she sees other dogs, or because there have been incidents of aggression when you have allowed her to play off-leash with others? Not necessarily. The following factors will be key to the success of a rehabilitation program for your dog:

1. How old is she? The younger she is, the better the prospects for rehabilitation. The older she is the more likely that the behavior has been happening for a long time and is a deeply ingrained habit.

2. How intense are the fights? The more serious the intent to do harm, the more difficult the behavior will be to change, and the more at risk you are (and other dogs are) when a fight does occur.

3. How capable are you of preventing fights? If you cannot control the environment to prevent her from getting into fights while you work to correct the behavior, chances of successful rehabilitation are low. If the kids leave the gate open and she gets out, or if you aren’t willing to curtail your off-leash walks and she continues to get into fights, she is reinforcing the undesirable behavior far more effectively than you are working to change it.

4. What are her breed and temperament predispositions? A submissive young Beagle whose occasional bouts with other dogs are triggered by fear and defensiveness is easier to rehabilitate than a poorly-socialized but dominant Pitbull, Rottweiler, or Akita with a history of violent encounters.

5. How much time are you willing to dedicate to changing your dog’s behavior? This is not an easy fix. Successful aggression behavior modification through counter conditioning and desensitization takes time and patience. Beware of any trainers who offer to fix an aggression problem overnight. Chances are they are likely to use coercive techniques that may drive the aggression underground temporarily but not truly change the dog’s mind-set about other dogs. You must be willing to invest a significant amount of time and effort, maybe even money, if you want to succeed.

Remedial socializing
The more positive answers you had to the above five questions, the better your chances are of ending up with a dog who “plays well with others.” If the problem is still in its embryonic stages you might be able to accomplish the desensitization and counter conditioning on your own. If the problem is more serious, you might want to make use of the services of a competent professional who uses positive methods to work with aggression problems. You will need to be realistic about your goal. Most dogs can be taught to walk calmly on leash around other dogs. Some will eventually be safe off-leash around other dogs, but not all.

Caveat: If at any time you don’t feel confident in implementing the next step of the following training program, you should seek professional help. Similarly, if you feel you are not making progress, or if your dog’s aggression or fear reaction is triggered frequently, look for a trainer to help you. Some trainers offer group classes specifically for dogs with aggression and socialization problems. (See “A Class of Their Own, February 1999.)

Step 1: Counterconditioning
You want your dog to think that being around other dogs is a wonderful thing, not something to be feared. Start by finding a location where you can control the distance between you and your on-leash dog and other dogs in the vicinity. A training class in a park is perfect – you know the dogs will stay in their class location and you can position yourself as far away as necessary. Another potential location is a large parking lot outside a pet supply store.

Find the distance that is far enough from the other dogs that yours doesn’t feel threatened. Setup a lightweight lawn chair (or sit on a park bench) and hang out there for at least 20 minutes. If there is likely to be canine foot traffic passing by, set up signs politely asking people to keep at a distance with their dogs because you are training yours. DO NOT do this in a location where loose dogs are likely to run up to you.

While you are sitting in your chair, toss your dog a steady stream of the most irresistible treats you can find. Take a huge supply with you so you don’t risk running out. Right now, she is conditioned to think that dogs are dangerous, something to be feared. By pairing the presence of other dogs with extra-yummy food, we can counter-condition her to think that the presence of other dogs is a good thing.

At this point, don’t wait for “good” behavior or pair the food with a reward marker such as a Click! or a “Yes!” We are not trying to train a behavior, we are just trying to change the way her brain involuntarily reacts to the presence of other dogs.

Note: Many dog-aggressive dogs will get so tense and wound up over the sight of other dogs that they will ignore your usual treats. This generally means two things: First, you also might have to work a little harder, or be a little more creative in your search for irresitable treats. Then, if especially yummy treats such as pieces of hot dog, meatballs, ham, or smelly cheese aren’t working, it’s a sign that the situation you have built is still too stressful. Increase the distance between your dog and the other dogs until he will take the treats, or consider finding an entirely different, even less stressful environment in which to work.

Also, some dogs will become so stressed by the mere sight of distant dogs, that they will forget their usual treat-eating manners and snap at the treats, endangering the treat-feeder’s fingers! Rather than put yourself in a position where you might feel compelled to verbally “snap” back, toss the treats on the ground in front of the dog. Or, if he’s too preoccupied with the other dogs and doesn’t notice the treats on the ground, wear gloves when you hold the treats near his muzzle! Remember: you want this to be a pleasant experience for the dog. Don’t “correct” his lapses in behavior at this point; it will only confirm his negative feelings about other dogs.

Step 2: Densitization
Desensitization is the process of gradually increasing the intensity of the stimulus that causes a reaction. It often goes hand in hand with counter conditioning. When your dog is eagerly looking forward to her trips to the park, very gradually start moving your chair closer to the training class – or other controlled source of dog presence – until you can sit next to the class and watch without a negative reaction from your dog.

The speed with which you do this will vary, depending on your dog’s response. If she starts acting uneasy when you move five feet closer, you may need to move in one-foot increments. If she is totally sold on the concept of “treats + other dogs = great stuff,” then you can move more quickly. You will still shower her with treats to continue the counter conditioning. You can also, at this point, Click! and reward specific good behaviors, such as a tail wag or happy glance at you when she sees another dog. The reaction we are looking for is, “Cool!! There’s another dog!!! Where’s my treat?”

Step 3: Interacting with others
If and when you get to this point, find a friend with a very calm, easygoing dog, and introduce the two off-leash, in an enclosed, controlled, neutral environment. Many dogs will fight on-leash and be perfectly fine off-leash. This is due in part to something we call restraint frustration (when the frustration of being restrained by the leash raises the dog’s level of arousal, making a fight more likely) and in part to the fact that the owner’s control of the leash inhibits a dog from displaying normal body language signals.

Your dog should now be relaxed and happy when other dogs are around. Let her see the other dog with both dogs on leash, and if her reaction is positive, release both dogs and let them greet each other.

Note: We suggest that you put soft nylon muzzles on both dogs before releasing them for the first time, as an added precaution. Both dogs should be conditioned to wearing the muzzles prior to meeting, so the extra equipment doesn’t add stress. If there is a scuffle with muzzles on no one will be hurt, and you can give them a bit of time to work through the disagreement. If it doesn’t resolve itself after 10-20 seconds then break it up and remove the dogs.

This first meeting should be relatively short. You want to end on a high note so your dog goes away with a positive experience. It is important that you remain calm during this interaction and that any verbal communications with your dog are done in a relaxed tone of voice. This is not easy to do when you are wound tight in anticipation of a possible fight, but any tension in your body or voice will be transmitted to your dog, and increase her level of tension.

Assuming positive results from the first interaction, schedule several more of gradually increasing length. Meanwhile, seek out people with dog-friendly dogs, people who are willing to participate in your training program. When you find yourself relaxing while your dog plays with her first canine friend, it is time to introduce her, one-at-a-time, to other play partners. Once she has several congenial friends you can try a threesome, then gradually increase the size of the playgroup.

Your dog’s reaction to the increased levels of arousal in larger groups will help you decide if she will ever be ready for off-leash play at Carmel Beach, or if discretion dictates that she restrict her recreational activities to pre-screened pals. Whichever you decide, she will have come a long way from where she started, and be able to reap the physical and mental benefits of interactions with others of her own kind.

-By Pat Miller

Pat Miller is a freelance author and a professional dog trainer in Fairplay, Maryland.

Born Bad?

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Recently, we had to make a very difficult decision concerning our two-year-old German Shepherd, Shadow. He was diagnosed by an animal behaviorist as territorial aggressive, and we were advised that he would become more aggressive as time passed. We were also told that there is no method or medication that can be given to control this behavior it is in the genetics.

Also, since our decision, several people have advised us that all German Shepherds are unpredictable and may turn at some point in their lives. Is this true?

-Name withheld by request

Pat Miller, WDJ’s Dog Training Editor, answers this question for us. Miller, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, offers private and group dog training classes from her base in Fairplay, Maryland. For contact information, click here.

Miller responds:

I’m sorry that, in my opinion, you have received some bad information. There are lots of things that can be done to modify aggressive behavior, territorial or otherwise. Positive training protocols that use counter-conditioning and desensitization are frequently successful in reprogramming a dog’s brain to respond positively rather than negatively to the stimulus that causes the aggression in Shadow’s case, someone intruding in his territory.

It is not always an easy thing to accomplish, however. A successful aggression modification program requires exquisite management on the part of the dog owner to prevent the dog from putting human life and safety at risk while the owner works with a competent positive trainer or behaviorist; a long term and serious commitment to the training program; and a willingness and ability to make environmental changes to prevent the dog’s ongoing exposure to the offensive stimulus. In other words, you can’t leave a territorially aggressive dog loose, in a fenced yard where he is subjected to teasing and tormenting, running at large on your property or in the neighborhood, or tied on a chain, and expect the behavior to improve.

I take it that you decided to have Shadow euthanized. In an aggression case, whatever the classification or classifications of aggression, the prognosis depends in large part on the owner’s willingness and ability to comply with the training protocol, how intense the aggressive response is, how successful the behavior strategy (aggression) has been for the dog in the past, and how much practice he has had how many incidents have occurred, and for how long.

Prevention, not treatment
Medications can be useful in some cases, but should be used as part of an ongoing behavior modification program; they don’t change behavior all by themselves. Working with a trainer for the long period of time required for success can be costly. If there are young children in the home it is not appropriate to put them at risk. It may well be that your set of circumstances were such that it would not have been possible to implement a successful behavior modification program. If that’s the case, then, in my opinion, euthanasia may well have been the most responsible and appropriate decision.

The tendency toward aggression is not necessarily genetic, although genetics can impart a predisposition toward aggressiveness. However, environment also plays a very important role. A dog that is from a 10-generation family tree of friendly dogs can be made aggressive through poor handling and/or a lack of socialization, and a pup born with genetics for more aggressive behavior can, if properly raised, be quite friendly and safe.

The best way to cure aggression is prevention lots of early socialization and good management of the environment so the dog is not put in a position where he feels compelled to have to defend his territory. (See Canine Social Misfits, February 2000.)

As for your question about whether all German Shepherds are unpredictable and will turn on you at some point, I can only say…absurd! There are probably hundreds of thousands of trustworthy, non-aggressive German Shepherds in the world. I have had the privilege of knowing and loving several myself. Anyone who would believe or say otherwise is badly misinformed.

Giving It Our All

By
Nancy Kerns
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Dear readers:

In an effort to keep me from feeling so alone with Rupert, my 10-year-old Border Collie who is suffering from terrible allergies, many of you have shared stories about your hard-luck dogs. I’ve been struck by the dedication and commitment that WDJ readers devote to trying to make their beloved companions well. It helps put Rupie’s itching in perspective – and teaches us never to take a healthy dog’s vibrancy for granted. Here is an extraordinary letter:


Regarding Nancy Kerns’ editorial about the problems she has gone through with her dog, Rupert, there’s not much I can say except “I understand.” I’m doing just as you are for my dog, Finn, who is only 4 1/2 years old. He’s got all of the same health issues you’ve described with Rupert, plus, starting at age three, he became (urine) incontinent.

After thousands of dollars in tests and more tests over the past 18 months, we have yet to find a cause for his problem. According to all manner of veterinary tests, he is as healthy as can be. So, while I continue in my quest to solve the itching-diarrhea-incontinence problems with “regular” vets, board-certified specialists, holistic vets, acupuncture, chiropractic, Chinese herbs, raw foods, TTouch etc., I also try to balance my efforts with lots of love and good old fun with Finn. He’s a flyball fanatic, an agility whiz and an obedience flop!

We tried chiropractic with good results; for two whole months he was completely “cured.” I was in heaven, and bragged to anyone who would listen! Then it began to happen again. Back we went to the chiropractor. The treatments still worked, but for less time each treatment. It was a mystery and very disappointing. Still, we do go for adjustments every three to four weeks because Finn feels so much better afterwards.

We also tried acupuncture, but with awful results. After those treatments, he peed all over the place all the time, in spite of being on PPA at night. I know sometimes things have to get worse before they could get better, but that was just too much for me. And to pay $50-70 per visit and then have to clean up pee all over the place! We have scrubbed rugs and washed dog bedding until we are about ready to rip out all the carpets and start over with easier-to-clean floors. Thank God my husband is willing to go to any kind of expense to make things better. He even wondered if we could get Finn a kidney transplant back when we thought it was kidney disease!

The final diagnosis from the internist is this: Psychogenic Polydipsia Polyuria. I’ll bet you can figure that out, even if you haven’t heard of it: he likes to drink a lot of water and so he pees a lot. And so here we are. Sometimes itching less, sometimes more, battling diarrhea with every new change to his diet to try top help the itching, and the one dependable, always present symptom is the incontinence. I have to admit I dread the thought of another 8-10 years of this, since my educated guess is it will not be getting better as he gets older.

I also wanted to let you know that after almost 18 months of cooking and then trying the raw diet, I am back to feeding kibble. His digestive problems were getting worse and worse on home cooked and then raw foods and I simply could not figure out anything my little guy could eat. He was wasting away before my eyes.

I read that you considered the Innovative Veterinary Diets foods to be superior to the Hill’s Science Diet foods, so I had my vet order a bag of the “Duck and Potato” for Finn. Within two days, Finn’s stools are as normal as my other dogs’ and better than they have been in his whole life. His scratching is less, too! It’s been about two weeks now since he’s been on this food and he seems to be doing great. I know there are some true believers out there in the raw diet, but for us, it simply was not the right choice.

I’ve never been so frustrated, nor have I ever loved a dog as much as I love Finn. Though I’ve had dogs all my life, he is “the one.” So with that extra specialness of spirit comes this terrible puzzle of his health.

Even if I can’t try all of the things I learn about in WDJ, I have found an amazing amount of help and information in the issues each month. Good luck, and give Rupe a hug from Finn and me.

-Laura Forgetta
Ventura, CA

Both Sides Now

By
Nancy Kerns
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We have a dual mission, here at WDJ. First, we promote the use of anything that can make a dog healthier, whether it’s conventional medicine or alternative care; in most cases, we advocate the judicious use of both!

Second, we’re here to spread the word about positive training – building a relationship with your dog that is all pleasure, and no pain. Dog training shouldn’t make you feel like a child abuser or an Army drill Sergeant. Education should be fun for you and your dog!

We are aware that some readers come to us primarily because of our outspoken stand on positive training. At first, they might not really appreciate our articles on natural diets, herbal supplements, massage and chiropractic, etc. In contrast, other readers subscribe specifically because they have learned that they can’t find in-depth information about alternative and complementary therapies anywhere else. Often, these people don’t really pay any attention to the training articles and product reviews.

But then a funny thing happens: Over time, many of our readers realize – just as I have in the three years I have been editing WDJ – that health and happiness go hand in hand. A dog who understands and complies with his owner without a trace of anxiety or conflict will truly become a healthier animal. And dogs who have continual access to superior nutrition and health care learn faster and have fewer behavioral problems. This results in the “whole” dog we refer to in our title.

So, if you’ve come to WDJ for our training articles, for instance, to learn how to resolve behavior problems through intelligent management and to discover new, fun activities to enjoy with your dog, good for you! But keep an open mind about our articles on raw homemade diets, changing views on vaccination protocols, and hands-on methods of healing.

And if you subscribed to WDJ for the “raw” recipes, healthy food reviews, and tips on treating canine disease with conventional, alternative, and complementary medicine, thanks! But consider giving the lure/reward method of teaching your new puppy to sit and lie down, even if you’ve taught puppies to sit by pushing their little bottoms down your whole life. The speed and joy with which a positively trained dog learns will amaze you.

Dog Training Editor
I have to take a moment to thank Pat Miller for her extraordinary contributions to every issue of WDJ. Miller is a kind and devoted professional dog trainer, and how she manages to run a training business and write so prolifically and well, I don’t know. I’m simply grateful for her support and gentle direction, as she keeps WDJ positioned at the cutting edge of positive training techniques and theories.

Effective with this issue, we’ve formalized this relationship, making Pat our Training Editor, and asking her to solicit articles from other top positive trainers in addition to her own contributions. With typical competence, Pat has thrown herself into her new duties, so stay tuned for an exciting series of articles from some of the most charismatic and talented teachers and dog trainers in the country.

And, finally, a brief update on my allergy-stricken Border Collie, Rupert:He’s doing better, incrementally. His scratching is definitely decreasing, though he still is apt to chew himself when he’s alone. The bare patches where he rubbed all his hair out are growing back in, and he’s gained a couple of pounds (back up to his ideal weight). I’ll keep you posted as to whether our current regimen of a new diet, homeopathy, and occasional herbs does the trick. Thanks for your continued support!

-Nancy Kerns

Getting Daymie Off Drugs

By
Nancy Kerns
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August, 1991, was a fateful month for Betty King, a volunteer for Woods Humane Society in San Luis Obispo, California. That was when King first met Daymie, a dark gray miniature Poodle.

“When the gal at the shelter held him up, he started coughing. He just looked awful,” recalls King, who was taking photographs of adoptable dogs for the humane organization. “I knew he would be euthanized if he didn’t get well,” says King. So she decided to take the sickly Poodle to a local veterinary clinic for treatment, get him well, then find him a home. “Who wouldn’t want to adopt a beautiful little Poodle?” says King.

King brought him home and made him a bed in the garage, away from her other dogs, Bonnie, a Springer mix, and Scubby, a Lab mix. “I didn’t allow him in the house with my other dogs since I didn’t know what he had,” she says. The Poodle coughed and coughed, sat with his head hung down, wouldn’t wag his tail or come when called. He didn’t bark or make noise, other than coughing. He had some other unattractive signs of ill health, too. He licked his penis constantly, which caused sores, and when he stood it would not go all the way back into its sheath. He also suffered diarrhea and vomiting. “He was pathetic,” says King.

Right away, King made an appointment with a veterinarian in San Luis Obispo. Daymie was treated for kennel cough and received an injection of antibiotics. “He got a little better within the next few days,” says King. But days later, Daymie’s condition worsened again. Daymie was treated again. At first, the vet suspected a collapsed trachea, but this didn’t prove to be the case.

A few visits later Daymie was still ill, and still coughing violently, so King tried another veterinarian. Daymie was given a cough suppressant, tested for internal parasites and given more antibiotics. “It was frustrating for me because at this point this was just a dog I was going to foster,” says King. “I was just trying to the best for the dog. But I saw no improvement.”

“We’ve come this far”
By this time, Daymie was seen by a vet every week, either for the coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, or for the sore penis. “At that point, I remember coming in the house and sitting down,” says King. “I was real frustrated and upset. I told my husband, ‘I can’t get this dog well. I don’t know what to do. We may have to consider having him put down. My husband said, ‘No, we’ve come this far, lets give him a chance’.”

So King officially adopted the sickly Poodle and gave him a name, Daymie. It proved to be a huge commitment and expense. King describes the next six years with the Poodle as “a constant stream of medications for coughing, internal parasites, infections, fevers, eye problems, and liver problems.” He ate poorly, and often vomited what he did eat. “It got to the point where we would feed him anything he would eat,” says King. “He would always eat a lot of lettuce and cabbage.”

During this time, while he did enjoy brief periods with relatively few symptoms, the Poodle seemed to ride along a virtual roller coaster of poor health. He had periods of horrid coughing that would keep the household awake at night. He often vomited or had diarrhea. He would go for days without eating and running a fever, only to have the condition resolve itself as mysteriously as it appeared.

One valley on the roller coaster occurred in October 1996, when Daymie underwent a liver ultrasound and biopsy and was diagnosed with an enlarged, inflamed liver. The veterinarian prescribed medication made for humans. “I remember we were going to drugstores to get this stuff. It was $75 for a little bottle of pills,” says King.

Another major dip occurred in June 1997, when Daymie was diagnosed with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), which usually leads to blindness. It is found in many breeds of dogs, and is prevalent in toy and miniature Poodles. This genetic condition affects the entire retina and is the canine equivalent of retinitis pigmentosa.

But the deepest valley on the health roller coaster occurred in January 1998, when Daymie’s health declined dramatically. He underwent another liver biopsy, which showed that his liver had atrophied; the functional liver tissue had disappeared and been replaced by scar tissue.

Daymie’s last chance?
About this time, King happened to watch a television show in which the host was interviewing a holistic veterinarian. “At that point,” says King, “I decided I would seek out a holistic vet. I was really impressed. I thought we would give it one more try. Nothing else was working with this dog. I didn’t want to give up on him. He’s been through all this. He deserves to have another try. We had pretty much given up on regular vet care.”

King looked up the directory of members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) on the Internet, and found the name of a nearby holistic veterinarian, Dr. Diana Bochenski, at the Buellton Veterinary Clinic in Buellton, California. Dr. Bochenski is a licensed veterinarian and is certified in classical homeopathy by the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. King had all Daymie’s medical records sent to Bochenski, and she prepared a detailed medical and behavioral history for the doctor’s review prior to Daymie’s appointment.

Dr. Bochenski met with King and Daymie. “She spent one and a half hours talking to us and examining Daymie,” says King. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Bochenski recommended a specific remedy. “Almost immediately (after taking his first homeopathic remedy), Daymie’s energy level picked up,” says King. “He began eating a little bit more food.”

According to veterinary homeopaths, when the correct remedy is given to a patient, it stimulates the body to put itself back in order, to restore the body’s own natural homeostasis. Dr. Bochenski explains the process in simple terms: Basically, you administer a tiny, tiny dose of a substance that, in high doses, would cause symptoms similar to the symptoms that you see in the patient. The entire body mounts a response to the remedy, “resetting” the systems that were out of whack.

“This is the thing that led me to study homeopathy in the first place,” says Dr. Bochenski. “In allopathy, there is really nothing that will stimulate the body to actually heal. A lot of these diseases that we deal with are very frustrating because there is no known cure. However, homeopathy will stimulate a curative response the body to repair itself if there’s enough functioning tissue present. With homeopathy, you have a chance to actually make the disease go away. I would encourage everyone to keep an open mind about alternative methods of treatment because there usually is a good, sound basis for them.”

Daymie continues to improve under Dr. Bochenski’s treatment. In the last two years, he’s received two more doses of the same remedy, and, with Dr. Bochenski’s help, she has formulated a special diet for Daymie, which includes organic mixed grains, vegetables, cooked turkey and chicken, and supplements such as wheat germ, yeast and bonemeal. King has discovered Daymie is allergic to rice, oil and milk products – these foods all make him start coughing.

However, for the past two years – in marked contrast to the previous six years, Daymie has not received any traditional medications. In fact, King feels certain that it was the never-ending stream of drugs, given in response to the signs of disease he displayed, that damaged his liver.

King did obtain a special exemption to her state’s requirement for a rabies vaccine for Daymie, due to his liver condition, so that his already vulnerable system need not be further challenged by the vaccine.

Daymie’s allopathic veterinarian is amazed the miniature Poodle is still alive, says King, but she doesn’t let this triumph go to her head. With Daymie, she says, “We take it one day at a time, and we’re always happy when he eats a meal and greets us at the door with a wagging tail.”

-By Virginia Parker Guidry

Virginia Parker Guidry is a freelance writer from San Diego, CA.

Whole Dog Journal on Training Books and Videos

By
Nancy Kerns
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Sixteen years ago, Karen Pryor’s paradigm-shifting paperback book, “Don’t Shoot The Dog,” made an unobtrusive entrance into the dog training world, drilling the first noticeable hole in the massive dike of traditional, force-based training. Over the years, dog owners and trainers with positive training philosophies thirsted for more information. The response was a maddeningly slow trickle of books and videos, most notably from Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor, and Gary Wilkes. By the time Jean Donaldson’s landmark book The Culture Clash hit the presses in 1996, the trickle had grown to a steady stream.

In 1999, the dike burst. Positive trainers are being swept into the year 2000 on a virtual flood of books and videos that promote the modern, scientific and humane principles of positive reinforcement. It was with great pleasure that we reviewed a large selection of new releases and found none for our “Not Recommended” category. So turn on the video and the reading lamp and let yourself be swept away with your selections from the following great list while you wait for the spring thaw.

Whole Dog Journal’s 2000 Canned Dog Food Review

By
Nancy Kerns
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For a long time, pet food manufacturers have been accustomed to making their products without much scrutiny; for many years, they seemed to feel that all consumers need to know is that the food passed somebody’s tests as to complete and balanced nutrition.

The food makers have gone along with labeling requirements to include the ingredients (listed in descending order of weight), as well as the least nutritional information imaginable: minimum amounts of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum amounts of fiber and moisture. But they don’t, with very few exceptions, publish the information of most significance to most people who are concerned about what they eat, things like vitamin, mineral, calorie, and carbohydrate levels.

But as we, the dog-owning public, become progressively more educated about the foods we are feeding our beloved companions, we have demanded to know more and more and the makers frequently don’t want to tell us what we want to learn. They often explain that pet food manufacturing is an extremely competitive business (what isn’t, these days?) and they can’t share the information with you for fear that the knowledge will spread and this will result in some sort of advantage by their competitors.

The truth is, most are afraid of being caught doing what pet food makers have always done: using second-class (or much worse) ingredients, sometimes in shoddy, second-class manufacturing plants. If you think we’re exaggerating, ask a company representative, What exactly is the source of the animal proteins in this food? Where exactly do you buy your chicken, or beef, or lamb? Or even, in which plant in which state is your food manufactured? See if you can get a straight answer.

Quality is expensive
If we were just shopping for the cheapest 50-pound sack, or case of cans, of any old food that met the minimum standards for basic nutrition, to throw out to the nameless mutts tied out behind the barn, this might go over. But we don’t know anybody fitting that description.

Dog owners today are increasingly emotionally and financially invested in their companion animals. And as those investments grow, people are starting to suspect that there might just be a connection between the endemic levels of disease dogs suffer from things like allergies, itching, ear infections, hot spots, vomiting, and diarrhea, not to mention arthritis, lupus, cancer, diabetes, Cushings disease, Addison’s disease, etc., etc. and the commercial food they eat on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, the veterinarians who know enough about nutrition to be able to help us help our dogs to greater health are few and far between. We don’t commonly find vets who have taken advanced studies in nutrition, in order to augment the little they learned about nutrition in veterinary school. Many vets seem to be content to repeat the bromide, Feed a complete and balanced (commercial) dog food and your dog will be fine. There are numerous veterinarians who will tell you because this is what they were told in school, and they really believe it to be true that feeding your dog “people” food like real meat and poultry and vegetables will hurt him.

(Do we sound paranoid? Maybe we are. But are you aware that pet food makers give free or vastly reduced-price foods to veterinary students for their own pets? It’s a gesture of goodwill that is surely meant to get the young vets familar with and hooked on those brands. And did you know that the largest pet food makers in the world are also among the biggest financial contributors to vet schools, and underwrite many college veterinary textbooks? It’s no wonder that the standard veterinary opinions on nutrition closely mirror those of the manufacturers!)

Pet food revolution
But there is some good news: Increasingly, there are people coming into the pet food industry who want to provide more than just another dog food; in today’s market, we are seeing more and more gourmet dog food makers who are out to make and sell the best food they can make. It really doesn’t matter whether they are attracted to this industry by the potential for making money at producing the most expensive food in the world, or because they really love animals and want to make a difference.

We care more about the fact that the innovators in dog food are incrementally improving what dogs eat, by using whole meats and meat meal made from whole meats, rather than cast-off meat by-products. They are using whole grains, vegetables, and fruits in their formulations. They (ever so rarely) might even use organic foods.

While there are still far more low-quality commercial dog foods available to consumers than there are good- or high-quality foods, it’s still rather amazing to us that there are high-quality foods out there. The catch is, they are expensive. You must realize that by utilizing high-quality ingredients, the price of these foods is going to be higher. Cheap foods contain inferior ingredients; there is no getting around that fact. You can’t put high-quality or even good-quality meats into something that will sell for $10 for 40 pounds or 39 cents a can. It can’t be done.

This really does represent a revolution. There is no way that even, say, 10 years ago, a company could ask for a $1.50 or more for a small can of dog food. Few people would have understood why or how a food could be that expensive, and why they should even consider buying it for their dogs.

But, today, we’re making the connections. Now we’re beginning to understand that we can consider the price of high-quality, high-cost foods as preventing high veterinary bills later on. As the bones and raw food people say, You can pay now, or you can pay later!

Canned food facts
Despite the common perception that canned foods are chemical soups, as a general group, they actually contain way fewer chemical additives than dry foods. Artificial colors and flavors are much less common in canned foods than they are in their dried food equivalents. Preservatives are unnecessary and rarely seen, due to the sealed, oxygen-free environment that a can offers. (Because of the lack of preservatives, canned foods must be kept refrigerated after opening, just like any other fresh food. And if a dog doesn’t finish all of his canned food immediately, the food must be discarded. Harmful bacteria can quickly develop in meat-based foods that linger at room temperature.)

The most common chemical additives in canned food are stabilizers, emulsifiers, and thickening agents, which are used to make canned food hold together in a more attractive fashion. These include carrageenan gum, guar gum, vegetable gum, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, and calcium carbonate. We’re not aware of specific health hazards associated with these additives, but our attitude toward all additives that are not nutritive is, “Can’t we do without this?”

Most other ominous-sounding chemicals in canned foods are vitamin and mineral sources. Some of the most commonly seen include: choline chloride, a dietary supplement in the B complex; ferrous sulfate, a nutritional iron source; manganese oxide, a nutritional manganese source; and calcium pantothenate, a B-complex vitamin.

Our selection criteria
We required the following for a product to make it into the running for our Top 20 Canned Dog Foods:

We will accept no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

We rejected any food containing meat or poultry by-products. This eliminates most grocery-store food, as well as the foods long regarded by pet store managers as premium (read, Expensive, due to extensive advertising, not due to superior ingredients). We’re talking about Iams, Science Diet, Nature’s Recipe, etc.

We want to see quality, whole meat, fish, or poultry in the top two ingredients; in canned foods, water is usually the first or second ingredient. We prefer to see meat first. We also like it when a nutritious meat, poultry, or fish broth is used in place of water.

We would like to see whole grains and vegetables, rather than a series of reconstituted parts, i.e. rice, rather than rice flour, rice bran, brewers rice, etc.

We award theoretical bonus points for foods that offer the date of manufacture (in addition to the usual “best if used by” date), nutrition information beyond the minimum required, and any organic ingredients. Sadly, these innovations are rare.

Finally, be aware that there are no perfect foods. Not a single one meets every aspect of our selection criteria. We would suggest using price, local availability, and your own dog’s response to the food as your final guide.

Crude Protein: Minimum percentage
Crude Fat: Minimum percentage
Crude Fiber: Maximum percentage
Moisture: Maximum percentage

-By Nancy Kerns

Labeling Dog Food Just Like People Food!

By
Nancy Kerns
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We’ve been whining lately about the dog food industry’s reluctance to embrace and use a “date of manufacture” on their product labels. There is no argument that fresher foods are better foods; with time, vitamins degrade, oils go stale and become rancid, and molds may develop, no matter what sort of preservatives are used. But the big pet food makers would rather concentrate on making their foods last as long as possible – extending shelf life with preservatives, keeping oxygen out of the food with cutting-edge technology bags, etc. – than working out a distribution system that gets their products into the bowls of consumers faster.

So we were thrilled to see a date of manufacture printed on a bag of “MMillennia,” a new formula made by Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, of El Cajon, California. When we called to ask the company about the date, a spokesperson even offered that the food ought to be opened within six months of the date of manufacture, and consumed within 90 days of opening the bag. Finally, a company that treats dog food like real food!

Another of our pet peeves has to do with the calorie content in foods; we don’t know why most food makers hide this information from dog food buyers. While MMillennia’s label does not list this information, the spokesperson had a ready answer for our question: The food contains 450 kilocalories per cup. We’re so happy!

So, there’s nothing but good news to report about this food – except perhaps that the named is spelled goofy and the foil-type bags are extremely difficult to photograph. How’s that for nitpicking? Seriously, the list of ingredients is sterling; there is nothing in here that shouldn’t be. All the grains are present in their entirety. The protein and fat sources are top-quality. This is a great food.

Is there any icing on this cake? There is. Solid Gold has recently joined the ranks of the small, select group of food makers who will take orders and ship fresh food directly to the consumer – but without the multi-level marketing hassles. So if you can’t find a distributor near you, don’t despair, just pick up the phone.

MMillennia is made by solid gold Health Products for pets, Inc., El Cajon, ca. Ph (800) 364-4863

Who’s in Charge of Pet Food Manufacturing Regulations?

By
Nancy Kerns
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While most dog owners are certain that “someone” is in charge of regulating the manufacture of commercial dog food in this country, very few people know who that mysterious official or agency might be. But somebody’s gotta be making sure that dog food doesn’t contain any harmful ingredients and does contain what dogs need to survive, right? The FDA? Department of Agriculture? Someone?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as a simple, “Yes, it’s all taken care of.” There are numerous government and industry agencies that oversee and purportedly regulate various aspects of pet food production, but there really is no single office that provides seamless overall supervision of the industry. So is there anyone making sure that a “lamb and rice” food really contains lamb and rice? Or testing the food to see whether it really contains a minimum of the 20 percent protein it claims in its “Guaranteed Analysis”? Maybe, but probably not. There are many opportunities for dog foods to fall between the cracks of testing and enforcement. A walk through the many halls of pet food regulation reveals why a reliance on some branch of the government to ensure a food is “nutritionally complete and balanced” is pure folly.

Top dressing

Many people assume the Federal government has some sort of control over the production of pet food. Not really. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. A division of the FDA called the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is responsible for regulating animal drugs, medicated feeds, food additives and ingredients, and pet food, making sure that they conform with the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

This Act requires that pet foods contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. However, only in extreme cases does the FDA or the CVM get involved in an investigation of a food maker, and generally, only as a last line of enforcement. Meaningful regulation of pet foods occurs at the state level.

Each individual state has its own regulations and its own Department of Agriculture, which oversees the production and sale of pet food within its borders. Before a new brand or a new type of dog food can be sold in a given state, the maker is required by law to register the new food in each state in which it will be sold.

The state’s feed control officials are responsible for examining the food’s label claims and the food itself. Some states have very proactive feed control officials, who aggressively examine and test new foods being sold or made within their states’ borders. Kentucky, for instance, has a reputation for thoroughness when it comes to testing pet foods. California, in contrast, has a reputation for absolute laxity. We’ve been told that unscrupulous food makers often ship products that have failed tests (or that they know will fail tests) to California for sale, with full knowledge that the California feed control officials do not test foods.

What might the states test for? Not as much as you’d think. The main area of focus is the Guaranteed Analysis (GA), which the FDA requires to be printed on every container of pet food. The states can (and most do) test for everything that is included in the GA. The only things that are required to be in the GA include the minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture in the food; that’s all. Some companies include more information in their GA, adding minimum levels of certain vitamins, fatty acids, or other nutrients they believe the consumer will appreciate. This is going out on a limb for the maker, because it just about guarantees that the states – the proactive ones, anyway – will test for these items, too.

Advisory committee
Before we discuss other tests or standards a pet food might be held to, we have to introduce another organization, one that influences the states’ policies on pet food.

Many people have heard of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), and assume that this is the agency that polices the pet food industry. But AAFCO has no regulatory role whatsoever; it doesn’t have the power to approve or ban foods. Rather, AAFCO is a non-government, voluntary organization of feed control officials (FCOs) from each state, and its role is advisory. AAFCO exists to address issues of quality and standardization for animal and pet food, to suggest nutritional standards for pet foods, provide guidelines for food manufacture and labeling, and outline a course of action for regulators.

AAFCO influences the production of pet foods only in that many states (25) have adopted its “model” regulations, in whole or in part. AAFCO is the place where the state feed control officials can go to discuss issues of feed safety, animal health, and inter-state commerce with other people who have expertise with these issues. Then they go home and set policy for their states.

In order to obtain the best information about every imaginable aspect of pet food formulation, AAFCO invites certain experts from many different fields to join the conversation, as it were, to educate the Association in the finer details of associated specialties. Some of the liaisons come from the USDA and the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, but many come from the commercial pet food industry, as well as the grain and feed industries, the rendering industry, laboratories, farm co-ops, and other groups with an interest in AAFCO’s decisions. My organization, the Animal Protection Institute, has had a liaison position on the Pet Food Committee and Ingredients Definitions Committee for several years. Many of these invited experts participate in AAFCO subcommittees as members and liaisons; there are committees on botanicals and herbs, environmental issues, feed safety, ingredient definitions, state/industry regulations, and many more.

A watchdog, not a pawn
The presence of so many vested experts, all of whom would like to influence the feed control officials to benefit their own aspect of the industry, worries many animal welfare activists, and some even regard AAFCO as a sort of pawn of industry that does not have our animals’ health at heart. However, only the state feed control officials (and on some committees, the FDA and USDA representatives) are voting members of AAFCO; the liaisons are there in an advisory role only. At AAFCO meetings, which are held twice a year, the liaisons often speak on issues where they have an interest or stake in the outcome. Comments are taken under advisement by the FCOs and then the issue is voted on by the FCOs. In my experience, the FCOs are definitely not pro-industry; they take their role as industry watchdog very seriously.

As an example, a few years ago the rendering industry pushed to have the official feed term “by-products” re-named “animal proteins.” This was debated in the Ingredient Definitions Committee (IDC). The proposal was turned down, because the IDC felt it was anti-consumer, and that the new term was being requested not because of a change in the ingredient itself, but to obscure and confuse the issue for consumers.

In spite of that defeat, the renderers approached the IDC last January with another request, this time to change the name “poultry by-products” to “poultry and bone meal.” As a new liaison to that committee, I argued strongly against this change, as did representatives from two major pet food companies and others. The IDC voted unanimously against the change.

Inadequate standards?
Perhaps AAFCO’s biggest legacy to the state feed control officials has been the development of two tools for the standardization of pet food formulation. Most states have adopted these development tools.

The first standard is the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles, an effort to identify the minimum (and a few maximum) levels of “macronutrients” (protein, fat, and fiber) and the “micronutrients” (vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids) that research has shown to be necessary for maintaining the health of dogs and cats. Years ago, pet food makers manufactured foods to the nutritional standards set by the National Research Council, but feed control officials found numerous faults with the studies that produced that set of suggested nutrient levels, and, over time, AAFCO developed and adopted new, better standards.

Although the Nutrient Profile system has done a lot to standardize the business of pet food production, the system is not without criticism. There are studies that suggest some nutrient levels may be too high, and others too low. The Nutrient Profile system of formulation does not address the issue of ingredient quality whatsoever. One critic of this method of feed formulation designed a “food” that met all the AAFCO nutrient profile requirements – even though the food was primarily formulated from old shoe leather, sawdust, and motor oil, with a multi-vitamin-mineral supplement. Obviously, there would be no guarantee that any animal would eat such a food, or could digest it, even though it contained all the vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, etc., that the Nutrient Profiles required.

The second method for pet food formulation addresses those concerns – but contains some loopholes, as well. AAFCO has developed a protocol for feeding trials that can be used to determine whether a food can sustain life in a target test population. One is a six-month test for “maintenance” of adult dogs (or cats); the other is a shorter (10-week) test for young dogs (or cats) in a “growth” or “lactation” phase. The growth/lactation protocol is much shorter than the maintenance test, but requires more extensive blood tests for analysis. A food must pass the growth/lactation test in order to receive an “all life stages” clearance.

Whichever feeding trial is undertaken, the test population is fed nothing but the food in question for the requisite period. If the subjects test normal on a few minimal health parameters, the food passes.

The feeding trials method at least would help a maker demonstrate that the food is palatable and digestible enough to maintain life in the test population – something the Nutrient Profile system doesn’t do. This method is good if a feed maker has some brilliant research that indicates the levels of certain nutrients in the AAFCO nutrient profiles are inadequate for promoting maximum health, and they can formulate a food that they think is better; they can conduct feeding trials to prove their food works.

However, the feeding trials involve only eight test subjects, and require that only six finish the trial. Many nutritional deficiencies or overdoses would not appear in this short period; the feed’s true ability to maintain longevity, or reproductive or multi-generational health would not be demonstrated.

These two systems necessarily miss a lot of potential problems. A food meeting the Nutrient Profile may or may not pass a feeding trial; not all foods that have passed a feeding trial meet all specifications of the Nutrient Profiles. Clearly, it would be possible for a marginal food to pass these tests, yet fail to provide adequate nutrition in the long run, and in fact such problems are well documented. In generational studies, where animals were kept on the same food for three to five generations, researchers at the University of California at Davis found that some foods that pass feeding trials still won’t support animals over the long term. They estimated that, of 100 foods that pass AAFCO analysis criteria, 10 to 20 would not pass the feeding trials, and of those, 10 percent would not be adequate for long-term feeding. A former FDA nutritionist emphasizes, “The formulation method does not account for palatability or availability of nutrients. Yet a feeding trial can miss some chronic deficiencies or excesses.”

In the case of minimum requirements without a corresponding maximum, some foods contain significant nutrient excesses that may actually be dangerous in the long run. The Kentucky feed control official analyzed test data from all pet foods tested during 1994 and 1995, and found that certain nutrients, such as magnesium, iron, and manganese, were present in most dry dog and puppy foods at 200-400 percent or more of their AAFCO Nutrient Profile values. Their conclusion: the AAFCO profile for certain nutrients is not a reasonable indicator of the actual level present in many products. An excess of many minerals, including copper, magnesium, and iron, may produce signs of toxicity over time.

And here is a big wrench in the works: according to both of AAFCO’s methods of certification, manufacturers are allowed to test one food of a similar “family” of foods, and apply that certification to all foods in that family. There is no way for the consumer to know which foods were actually tested for the Nutrient Profiles or Feeding Trials certification.

Up to the states
If a food has met either AAFCO requirement, it may state on the label that the food is “complete and balanced.” These label statements are why many people are under the mistaken impression that AAFCO actually regulates the food industry.

But, remember, it’s the states that are in control – and they are in control of only the pet food manufacturers who try to sell food within their borders. Only the state’s feed control officials have the ability to approve or deny the right of a manufacturer to sell a particular food in their state, or to punish manufacturers for labeling infractions. And the only way they can make these decisions is to test the various foods that the makers register for sale there.

As we said above, some states test only the Guaranteed Analysis information (protein, fat, fiber, moisture). Others test individual nutrients (amino acids, vitamins, minerals) as well. California has a reputation for testing nothing. Kentucky tests nearly the entire AAFCO Nutrient Profile. Nearly every manufacturer has had one or more foods fail various tests at one time or another. Many foods fall short, usually on the stated protein levels. Even more ominous is the failure of tests for major minerals such as phosphorus or calcium. The manufacturers assert that tests on any particular batch or lot of food may not be representative of all their foods, but because such failures are so widespread, from the cheapest generic to the most specialized and expensive foods, it is a very disturbing trend.

Oddly enough, there is no way to test a food to see if it actually contains the ingredients listed. Only DNA testing of the raw ingredients – before a food is made – could determine whether the protein source was really chicken meat, for instance, and not a mixed poultry by-product. Once the food is cooked, the DNA is destroyed and testing is futile.

Failing tests
State feed control officials can and do enforce violations of their states’ regulations, but this process is not sweeping and surely not swift. Depending on the nature of a problem they discover with a food, there are numerous levels of notification and correction; in the mean time, tons of non-compliant food can be sold and consumed by our dogs. Each state compiles an annual report which lists the violations; these documents are public record. Many states publish this data; a few, like Missouri, and Indiana, post it on the Internet.

Regulation and enforcement of the pet food industry varies widely from state to state. Some states have adopted very tough legislation, and others have minimal pet food laws. Some states scrutinize foods carefully, and others hardly at all. And you can’t assume any coordination between the state’s regulatory aims and its follow-through on enforcement. California, for example, has one of the nation’s most restrictive pet food production Acts in the country, the “Pure Pet Food Act of 1969.” It prohibits 4D meat and other bad stuff in pet food. However, the Act isn’t enforced at all. Texas has adopted the AAFCO nutrient profiles, tests the Guaranteed Analysis, and enforces everything. The annual feed report from Texas averages around 100 pages (in very fine print) of violations and actions taken. There are almost 30 pages just listing Stop Sale orders of animal feed and pet food!

In reviewing the states’ reports, it’s obvious that every food fails something somewhere, some time. But the most striking trend is that the foods with the most problems tend to be locally produced and regionally marketed; there are numerous small pet food companies that make foods that are sold in one state only or across one state border only. The national manufacturers stick closer to the rules; if they ship nationally, they pretty much have to make their products to whichever state standards are the strictest.

Worrisome
If you’re like us, the more you learn about the pet food industry, the more you feel you should worry about your pets’ food! The kind of regulation and oversight that many of us assume is present over the industry as a whole really doesn’t exist. Instead, existent regulation and the vicissitudes of the market itself tends to promote the better products, and weed out the “bad actors” over time. It really is amazing that the industry is as “clean” as it is – but this isn’t, perhaps, saying much. In an ideal world, every food in the country would have to pass feeding trials and lab tests that prove sufficient (and not harmful) nutrient levels on an ongoing basis. But in this world, our dogs represent the “test dogs” and we are providing the feeding trials.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Pet Food Labeling Regulations –Know the Facts”
Click here to view “Problems with Artificial Preservatives in Dog Food”

-By Jean Hofve

Dr. Jean Hofve is the Companion Animal Program Coordinator for the Animal Protection Institute, located in Sacramento, California.

A Closer Look At Poop Bags

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Non-dog folks turn pale at the thought. But responsible dog owners, knowing how important it is to clean up after our dogs, think nothing of reaching down and picking up a fresh, fragrant pile of Fido’s feces with our hands. Oh, not our bare hands, of course, but often with nothing more than a couple of millimeters of flimsy plastic between epidermis and excrement. No big deal. Until, that is, one of those handy plastic bags breaks. Intrepid as committed poop-pickers may be, even we will blanche at the thought of . . . well, you can imagine.

WDJ applauds dog owners who pick up after their pooches. Tired of those “No Dogs Allowed” signs at all the parks in your area? Dog owners’ failure to scoop, and the resulting accumulation of feces, is one of the primary reasons that our best friends are banned from an increasing number of public places. This is not just an aesthetic problem. Roundworms and hookworms can infect humans, with children being most susceptible, since they are most likely to experience close encounters of the turd kind. The larva of these canine parasites can migrate and infest human liver, lungs and other organs (larval migrans syndrome). Infection may leave children with permanent vision or neurologic damage. Parvo-contaminated feces can also be a source of disease transmission to other dogs, particularly young puppies and elderly dogs whose immunities are weak, or dogs with compromised immune systems.

Both to encourage responsible scooping and to protect our stalwart readers from bag-breaking nightmares, we decided to determine which poop bags are the best on the market. Ready to delve with us into the depths of defecation disposal?

There are several factors to consider when selecting a dog poop bag:

1. Sturdiness is high on the list – no explanation needed.

2. Holding Capacity. Again, self-explanatory. A Pomeranian pile is a different story from a Great Pyrenees production.

3. Cost. Pennies for poop? Or dollars for defecation?

4. Disposability. Ecology is always a consideration with our WDJ approved products. Will our landfills overflow with little bags full of doggie bowel movements? Or do the bags break down and decompose; ashes to ashes, feces to fertilizer?

5. Sealability. This is important. Once you have done the deed, can you close the container to prevent errant odors from contaminating your conversations?

6. Aesthetics. This may be more important to some dog-folk than others, but there are bags you can see through and bags you can’t. All else being equal, you might generally prefer not to be able to view the contents of the container once you have carefully captured them.

Training Your Dog Not to Jump Up On You

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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I have a 1 1/2 year old Labrador Retriever. She is very smart – and very stubborn! My husband and I have been to puppy school, obedience school and we have also worked with a personal trainer. She does the “normal” puppy things – jumping up when I come home from work and when people come to visit, etc. But one of the reasons we went to the trainer was because she seemed to be exhibiting some aggressive tendencies.

When I come home from work I always play with her. We also fenced our yard so that she could run and play freely. However, when I sit down she barks and nips at me. A few times she got really into it and jumped up as she was nipping. She is very strong and I was getting bruised where she would catch me with her mouth. She never broke the skin and I was confident that she would never hurt me, but I was afraid that if she did this to someone else they might get hurt or scared.

The training school we went to told us to walk away when she did this. The problem was that she would follow and keep nipping or just start up again when I returned. Saying “ouch!” in a high-pitched voice was also suggested and did not work. I didn’t know what to do and as she got bigger and stronger – the bruises got worse. So we contacted a personal trainer. I told him it really just happened when I sat down on the couch. If I got up to do dishes or something she would often just rest on the floor near me, but once I sat down, she started in. He suggested a Tri-Tronics collar. Now of course I was not thrilled with this idea, but since nothing else worked I tried it.

The collar worked. I did test it on myself to make sure I wasn’t putting her through a lot of pain – which I wasn’t – but I still don’t like it. She still occasionally gets into these moods and the only way I can stop her is to put the collar on. I rarely need to shock her anymore because she is “collar-wise” and knows when it is on.

Do you have any idea how I can get her to stop these nipping fits once she gets going so that I don’t have to use the collar?

-Debbie Poetsch
via email

 

We asked our Training Editor, Pat Miller, to handle this question. Miller, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, offers private and group dog training classes from her base in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Miller answers:

I appreciate your resistance to using the shock collar for basic training. Yes, shocking your dog can work, to a point. As you say in your letter, Guiness has become collar-wise and knows when it is on. So you really haven’t trained her not to nip; you’ve only taught her that if she nips when the collar is on, she will get hurt. Don’t kid yourself, by the way, if the collar didn’t hurt her, it wouldn’t stop the behavior.

The question is, do you want a relationship with your dog that requires the threat of pain and shock to keep her well-behaved? Obviously not, since you wrote this letter.

The school you went to gave you good advice, as far as it went. The way to make a behavior go away is to prevent the dog from being rewarded by it. Walking away from a dog who does this often works – except when the dog just follows you and continues the inappropriate behavior. When that happens, a tether can be a good solution.

Too bad, time out!
You will need a six-foot nylon-coated cable with snaps at both ends. Snap one end to an eye-bolt screwed into a wall, or loop it around the leg of a heavy piece of furniture. Put a soft dog bed at the tether location, with lots of enticing chew toys, and have a stuffed Kong handy on a nearby shelf . Hook up the tether in the same room as you, but far enough away from your chair that Guiness won’t be able to reach you. Sit in your chair. If she starts to bark at you, say “Oops, time out!” in a cheerful voice, walk her over to her tether, hook her up, and give her the Kong. Go back to your reading. Now if she barks, just ignore her.

Sooner or later she will pause in her barking, if just to catch her breath. When she does, Click! a clicker or say “Yes!” and toss her a treat. Keep rewarding her for pauses in the barking, and gradually wait for increasingly longer periods of quiet before clicking and treating. As the periods of quiet get longer, start rewarding random periods of quiet – sometimes shorter, sometimes longer – so she can’t anticipate when the next reward is due.

When you can see that her arousal level has diminished – when she is lying calmly on her bed on the tether – walk over to her and quietly release her from the cable. This part is important. She needs to know not only that barking and nipping earns her a time out, but also, that calm behavior wins your attention and her freedom. If she cranks up and starts barking and nipping again, do another “Oops, time out!” and tether her again. If she stays calm while off the tether, remember to occasionally give her attention and praise for being calm and quiet.

Remember that dogs learn through repetition. You want Guiness to learn that “not barking” gets your attention. Once she figures that out, she will “not bark” as hard as she can to get you to look at, talk to, touch, or play with her.

The tether does several things. It controls her inappropriate behavior so you don’t have to keep interacting with – and inadvertently rewarding – her for it. It allows you to repeatedly ignore her for the unwanted behavior and reward her for the acceptable behavior. It teaches her to control her own behavior, rather than relying on physical punishment or the threat of punishment that can damage your relationship with her. And it allows you to do it all without pain or anger on your part, which helps maintain a relationship of mutual trust and respect between you and your dog.

Stubbornness is not a dog trait
I do want to take issue with the description of Guiness or any other dog as “stubborn.” The term “stubborn” is pejorative, and implies a malicious intent that I don’t believe dogs are capable of. I prefer to describe them as persistent – a quality that we are likely to admire. Dogs simply do what works. Guiness has figured out that when you are up and doing dishes you are too busy to pay attention to her, but when you are sitting down your time is hers. When you try to read, she barks and nips at you to remind you that now you are supposed to be paying attention to her, not reading. Because you do respond to her when she barks, or at least did respond at some time in the past, she learned that barking and nipping works.

When we ignore a behavior that has worked in the past, dogs commonly display an “extinction burst” – that is, a very strong exhibition of the behavior that has worked in the past. They try really hard to get the previously successful behavior to work again. By putting her on a tether, you put yourself out of harm’s way, which allows you to ignore the extinction burst without getting irritated by it, and reward the first glimmerings of the desired behavior – in this case, calm and quiet.

 

Pat Miller, Peaceable Paws Dog Training, Chattanooga, TN. Small classes and private training using primarily positive reinforcement training methods. Ph (423) 326-0444. NOTE: You can now cyber-talk to Pat Miller, Peaceable Paws clients, and other positive dog owners and trainers on the Peaceable Paws e-mail list. Subscribe by sending a message to: peaceablepaws-subscribe@egroups.com.

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