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Today, many of us dog lovers take classes and take part in training-oriented activities with our dogs just for fun! Only "dog show people" did that when I was a kid.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how different the experience of dog ownership is today than it was in my youth.
In the April issue, I wrote an article about the various flea preventatives (oral and topical, prescription and over-the-counter) that are available to dog owners. I mentioned in that article that many young pet owners have never even seen a severely flea-infested dog, whereas when I was a teenaged and then a young adult dog owner (in the late 1970s / early 1980s), pretty much all the dogs I was familiar with had at least some fleas. The preventatives that we have available to us today are so much safer and more available today than they were back then.
That article also mentioned how these parasite control treatments have made it so much more appealing to live with dogs in our homes, on our sofas, and on (or in!) our beds. My parents loved dogs and we had a lot of them when I was growing up in the 1960s and’70s, but only a couple of our dogs (an intact purebred Cocker Spaniel and an intact purebred Miniature Poodle) were largely kept in the house – and this was probably more about keeping them from getting bred by random intact male dogs (though that happened more than once). But, as a child who wanted all the dogs to sleep in my room, I recall my mom citing everything from the possibility of fleas and worms to ringworm and mange as reasons the dogs could NOT sleep with me. Today, many (if not most) family dogs sleep in the rooms or on the beds of the dog-loving kids in the family, if not the parents’ room or bed!
WDJ Editor Nancy Kerns and some of the family dogs, perhaps 1972?
Obviously, spaying/neutering was highly uncommon before the 1970s. Euthanasia rates at what are now called shelters (then commonly referred to as “dog pounds”) were very high – as much as 10 times higher than they are today. We can thank nearly ubiquitous spay/neuter – and of course, much more responsible and enlightened social attitudes about managing our dogs’ reproduction – for the reduction in the euthanasia of unwanted dogs.
I love the fact that dog-friendly, positive-reinforcement-based training is so common now. It was absolutely not the norm when I was growing up. If a dog was formally trained at all, it was with yanks on a choke chain, with no exceptions.
But I’m sad about the fact that canine separation anxiety is so common today. I never heard of a dog who panicked when left alone before I was 30! I don’t know why so many dogs seem to suffer from some amount of this anxious behavior now.
Dog-dog aggression also seems more common. Though it seems insane now, 50 years ago, most suburban dogs, some urban dogs, and nearly all rural dogs were uncontained most of the time. They wandered at will and worked out their own relationships with other dogs. I remember a few dog fights between neighborhood dogs, but I don’t recall any of the participants being labeled as incorrigible or repeat offenders.
Nancy and a puppy in 1970. Nancy’s mom bred the family’s Cocker Spaniels and Poodle for purebred puppies at least once or twice. But the females also had a number of accidental mixed-breed litters. That was normal for the time.
About that “wandering at will” – getting hit by cars was so common when I was a kid, that veterinarians used an acronym (HBC) for the cause of a dog’s injury or death. My family alone lost at least a half-dozen dogs to traffic on the rural road we lived on from when I was about 6 years old until I was about 12. Today I think, how stupid and avoidable was that? But at the time, every family we knew had lost a dog by HBC. That’s so nuts!
Healthcare for our dogs when I was growing up was strictly limited to vaccinations and treatment for injuries or illness – and the diagnostic tools and treatments that were available seem rudimentary compared to today. If a dog survived being HBC, the vet was likely to x-ray him or her. Ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs – these are all commonly employed with great frequency today, but those tools only started to be made available to dog owners in non-university based veterinary hospitals in the past 20 years or so. Today, dogs are undergoing cataract surgery and liver transplants and treatment for every type of cancer imaginable!
This is both amazing and wonderful – and a guilt-inducing phenomenon for dog owners who can’t afford extensive treatments or high veterinary bills. “Economic euthanasia” is an evergreen problem that causes trauma and stress to owners and veterinary staff alike.
What are the most remarkable changes you’ve seen in your dog-owning lifetime?
From left: Sophie the Maltipp, my dog Woody, Delilah the Great Pyrenees, and tiny Samson, my friend Leonora's dog.
I’ve been doing a lot of fostering and co-fostering and rescuing lately, and I’ve written about it here and on the WDJ Instagram page, and a bunch of the dogs have been placed now, so I’m going to update all their stories here:
In mid-January, my friend Leonora and I went to our local shelter to look at a few older puppies that were there – and we ended up bringing home a super shut-down Great Pyrenees who had come into the shelter as a stray and had been adopted and returned twice. We felt so sorry for her; she was just terrified at being back at the shelter. Leonora has a large section of her property fenced with a six-foot chain link fence, so we brought the dog to her house to hang out for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., three-day weekend – and this dog has turned into a larger project than either of us imagined she might.
Delilah is about two or three years old. It looks like she’s had puppies in the past. She was brought into the shelter as a stray and has been adopted three times now, but keeps flunking for some reason. Her most recent adopter found her anxiety to be too much.
Leonora has a tiny dog named Samson, so we started calling the Pyrenees Delilah, just for fun. Delilah started out afraid of everything – we had to push and pull her through doorways to get her into and then out of the house, and she slept in Leonora’s bathroom at first. Sometimes she would run right to us for affection and petting – and other times, especially if she sensed you wanted to put her on a leash (whether to take a walk or get in the car), she would run away and refuse to come even for the nicest treats, pacing just out of our reach. Once she learned Leonora’s schedule, and anticipating being locked up either in the house or the very large outdoor yard (with shelter) so Leonora could go to work, she started running away (within the fenced acre) as soon as she would be taken outside to go potty. Leonora had to leash her on work mornings so she couldn’t delay Leonora’s departure. This annoying habit aside, she very slowly started to reveal more and more of her anxious but sweet disposition, and so Leonora kept her on for some weeks, allowing her to decompress from her past and apparently traumatic experiences.
At the same time, I was fostering a Maltese/Poodle-mix that a friend had adopted and then had second thoughts about. Sophie had been adopted from a home where she was neglected and insufficiently trained or supervised; she had lots of unpleasant behaviors when I first brought her home. She would get distracted and tense outdoors and not go potty, waiting until I brought her back in the house; then she would sneak off into a back bedroom and go. (Obviously, once I realized that was her pattern, I made sure to wait outside with her until she “went,” and only then would bring her back in.) She was prone to screaming when put in a crate, and had some separation anxiety. She would also bark and scream in the car, and let out a piercing BARK when anything startled her (which would startle a statue, I swear). I committed to keeping her for a month of training and then started looking for a good home for her.
I started her behavior-modification plan with TONS of exercise. We went for off-leash walks daily and played fetch several times daily, for a total of at least an hour a day. With her exercise needs finally met, her behavior improved by the day.
In early February, Leonora and I were taking our dogs (my old Otto and middle-aged Woody, and her middle-aged tiny Samson, plus our fosters Delilah and Sophie) for an off-leash (except for Delilah) walk in our local wildlife area near the Feather River, when we found a young dog who had been apparently dumped (or perhaps just lost) out there. He was adorable, and desperate to come with us, so we loaded him (somehow) into Leonora’s car and took him to our local shelter. I returned the next day and put up fliers in that area, and I checked the shelter website weekly, hoping someone would come to claim him, but no luck. The shelter named him River and he spent weeks and weeks on the adoption row.
Sophie was less cute all shaved down, but given her love of fetching and rough-and-tumble play style, she was constantly full of burs and mats. After it took an hour to get all stickers out of her coat one night, I brought her to a groomer for a total shave. She liked it!
The challenge of re-homing Sophie was that she looked like a gorgeous little lap dog for an older person – but behaved like a field-bred Labrador who wanted nothing more than to run for hours every day, preferably chasing a ball. I knew that if she were rehomed with someone who didn’t give her enough exercise, all of her not-very-enjoyable traits would come back.
I started promoting her through my personal Facebook page, with no takers. Another friend who has a nonprofit rescue offered to promote her through her group’s Petfinder account – and almost immediately we were inundated with emails and calls from older people. We had stated in the post that this was an active, barky dog who needed miles and miles of exercise daily, so almost every inquiry started, “I’m an active older person…” The problem was, all of these people went on to say they walk a mile a day, or they could walk her three miles a day and throw a ball in their backyard – and since I was walking her about 4 miles off leash every day (where she probably walked 6 miles) and throwing the ball all the way across my two acres with a Chuckit for about an hour day, none of those options sounded like enough. I didn’t want to set up Sophie for failure again, so I stuck to my guns (even though it was really hard, people were so nice!). But I felt strongly we needed someone younger and more active.
In mid-February, I was at the shelter, training a new volunteer, when some people came in with a big plastic Rubbermaid storage tub. We dread seeing tubs like this; they are always full of puppies and this was no exception. ELEVEN puppies, to be exact. Of course, the people said they “found” the puppies, who looked to be about five weeks old. The shelter staffers and I were dubious about this – I pick up strays all the time but have never found a litter of puppies! – but the shelter would rather have people bring unwanted puppies into the shelter than abandon them or sell them, unfixed. But given that we already had three litters of puppies at the shelter, and since I already had a foster dog keeping me mostly at home, I said I could foster the litter until they were old enough to get adopted. The staff took the pups into the treatment room to deworm them and get “weights, temps, and pics” of each pup. I kept working with the volunteer.
Scruffy and some of the 11 foster pups pups. They 11 were about five weeks old when brought into the shelter. Scruffy was maybe 8 or 9 weeks old.
About an hour later, someone else brought another, older puppy into the shelter, saying they found him sitting in the middle of a street. A staffer came to find me, where I was still working with the volunteer. “Look,” she said, “It’s a baby Otto!” And indeed, the scruffy-faced youngster, perhaps about 8 weeks old, did look like Otto. “Could you take him home, too? What’s the difference between 11 and 12 puppies?” she asked. I said, “Sure, ok, but I better get out of here before any more puppies get brought in!”
Thank goodness for a mild spring. I was able to set up all the puppies in a large covered pen outdoors, with a special heating pad for dogs at the bottom of the dog house for cooler nighttime temperatures. I put down a thick layer of wood shavings on the bottom of the pen, and let them out to eat morning to eat from the puppy “donut” pans while I pick up all the poop in the pen. Every few days I remove all the shavings and hose the pen and let it dry completely before bedding it again.
Early meal of food soaked with formula, eating from the “donut pan,” which has a round trough and a raised center. This is supposed to keep the pups from walking in the food, ha ha.
My son was born in early March, and he turned 30 this year – astonishing because he was just five when I was hired to edit the inaugural issue of Whole Dog Journal. His fiancée threw him a surprise party, and I hired a young person I know, who used to rent a room from me at my office/house, to look after the puppies for a night so my husband and I could go to the Bay Area and attend the surprise party and see some friends. The adult dogs got split between my sister’s house and Leonora’s house. My husband had fun telling everyone, “Well, we have to get home. You know Nancy has 15 dogs at home, don’t you?” Shoot, he was right: Otto and Woody, the Maltipoo, and 12 puppies. Oy!
A newly shaved Sophie with her new family, hurray!
In mid-March, I received an application for the Maltipoo from a couple who lived about four hours from me. They appeared to be in their late 40s, no kids. They worked at home. They lived on acreage. They walk a lot – and had owned hunting dogs in the past, as well as little dogs in the very recent past. To make a long story short, I ended up driving to their house and meeting them and their other little dog, and was satisfied that they were home enough, committed enough, active enough, and knowledgeable enough to take on Sophie and all her crazy behaviors. They loved her at first sight and I left her with them that day. They love and appreciate her sweetness and activity level and interest in playing and learning tricks. It was a perfect adoption, and I’m grateful to my friend for sharing her post.
Then another friend who runs a small rescue group contacted me about the litter of 11, offering to take some of them for her group to adopt. I contacted the shelter and asked if they’d like to transfer some of the pups to this other group. This would make things much easier when it came time to adopt them all; we wouldn’t have such a glut of very similar-looking puppies. My friend’s group took four of the pups – and I couldn’t believe how much easier it was to feed and clean up after eight puppies than 12 of them.
Scruffy and Woody, hanging out.
I started keeping the unrelated, older puppy with me and my adult dogs for much of the day. The age difference between him and the smaller, younger pups meant that they were starting to whine and run from him when he bounded toward them. I let him work that out with fun Uncle Woody, who was happy to roll the chunky pup over and let him blow off some steam by chewing more-or-less gently on each other’s limbs.
By this time, my friend Leonora had been fostering Delilah for two months. The beautiful dog was completely out of her shell now, racing in and out of the house with ease. She had finally become comfortable with every room in the house, would enter the living room and sleep on the couch, get in and out of the car with ease, and was getting a little better at meeting new people without running or freezing. We started promoting her on the shelter’s social media, emphasizing that she needed a soft landing due to her past failed placements.
Delilah has been a dream babysitter with Scruffy. They sleep together in my office at night. Note Otto keeping a safe distance in the doorway on his no-slip mats.
The shelter took a call from one person who sounded great, who had a very securely fenced property of more than five acres; if she could live with horses, goats, chickens, barn cats, and other dogs, she could live there! Leonora and I drove her for an interview, to see how she would do, and it appeared as if she would be happy to live peacefully with all of those other species. We warned the adopter that with yet another change of home, she might be anxious again for a while. We begged her to give the big dog some time to adjust, but the adopter struggled with Delilah’s unpredictable, on-and-off habit of being hard to catch and difficult to convince to, alternately, come into the house or go out of the house. After not quite two weeks, she pulled the plug and returned the dog. This time, she came back to my house to stay here for a while.
But by now, the puppies were old enough and big enough for spay/neuter and adoption. The shelter had me send three puppies a week to the shelter, starting with the biggest ones, and they got snapped up as quickly as they got altered, with the last ones (except for the scruffy guy) going to their new families this week.
River and his new family.
And get this! I went by the shelter on Monday evening, the one day they are open late, to bring in the last pup who was going to get neutered – just in time to see a young couple walking out the door with a dog they just adopted: It was River, the stray Leonora and I rescued from where he had been (presumably) dumped out in the wildlife area! A happy ending for that guy, too.
So what about the scruffy guy, who has been big enough and old enough, really, to go back to the shelter for adoption ever since his “stray dog hold” expired, a week into his stay with me? He’s got a predictable hold on my heart – predictable because dang, he looks so much like a baby Otto. I sent out his DNA to Wisdom Panel, and he even has some similarities in his VERY mixed mix.
Otto’s Mix (according to Wisdom Panel)
12.5% American Staffordshire Terrier
12.5% Australian Cattle Dog
12.5% Border Collie
12.5% Chow Chow
12.5 German Shepherd Dog
37.5% Breed Groups: Asian Terrier, Sporting, Guard
Scruffy’s Mix (according to Wisdom Panel)
36% American Staffordshire Terrier
29% American Pit Bull Terrier
6% Boxer
6% German Wirehaired Pointer
5% American Bulldog
4% Great Dane
3% Australian Cattle Dog
2% Chow Chow
I’ve been wrestling all this time with the decision: To adopt, or not to adopt? If Otto had already passed on, there would be no question; I’d love to keep him. He’s an extraordinarily calm, even-tempered pup, smart and confident without being at all cocky. He’s affectionate and playful – everything I’d want in a puppy!
Eye contact is ALWAYS a clincher for me. I am having a hard time resisting this pup.
But as Otto slows down and the puppy grows, there have been more moments where the puppy has annoyed Otto, or made him have to stop or turn suddenly. Otto hasn’t particularly enjoyed puppies since he was a very young dog, and in the past few years, he’s been openly impatient and intolerant of them. When they get within 10 feet of him, he starts growling; within four feet and he starts snarling and grrrrRUFFing at them. It’s been easy to keep the little puppies mostly away from him; they’ve come into close contact only outside, where there are plenty of more fun things for them to do and plenty of places where he can escape them. But obviously, if I keep the scruffy guy, the pup will be integrated into the household, where Otto can’t help but cross paths with him many times a day. I don’t want to see Otto unhappy.
I can’t say I’ve made a decision yet, but I’m starting to promote the scruffy pup to people I know, and asking them to promote him to dog-savvy people they know. In the meantime, he and Delilah have been spending nights together in my office; during the day, my office door is open and all the dogs – just four now! – can roam my two acres or snooze in my office with me while I work. We’ll see what the next few weeks bring.
Should your senior dog be eating a high protein or low protein dog food? A moderate protein diet is likely best.
I just used WDJ’s new searchable dry dog food database to look for potential new foods to feed my 14-year-old dog, Otto. One goal when feeding most senior dogs is to find a food with a moderate amount of high-quality protein. I used the “minimum protein content” column to help me zero in on the foods that contain the amount of protein I want to feed Otto, and then looked at the ingredients of each of the candidate foods. All of that information, organized for you (and me!) in one handy place!
But allow me to explain those italicized terms a bit.
Protein levels in Dog Food: Low, high, moderate
The minimum requirement for crude protein in an adult dog maintenance diet is 18% on a dry matter basis, which (assuming an average moisture content of 10%) is 16.2% “as fed” (as it is in the package). The minimum requirement for crude protein for dogs in a “growth/reproduction” phase (or “all life stages,” which includes puppies and moms) is 22.5% dry matter, which is 20.25% “as fed” (assuming 10% moisture).
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) does not state a maximum level for protein.
We’d define “moderate” as something near the midpoint between the legal minimum and the highest amount of protein you can find in any dry dog food on the market.
Using the WDJ searchable database of approved dry dog foods, you can click on the top of the “minimum % protein content” column to make all the 1,100-plus foods appear in order by protein content. When ordered so that the foods with the lowest amount of protein appear at the top, you’ll see just a few products with just 17% and 18% protein – and these are mostly “weight control” foods. (However, a few of them are labeled as being appropriate for senior dogs, which, in our opinion, is sad. Senior dogs definitely need more protein than the minimum allowed.)
By clicking on the top of that column again, so that the foods with the highest amount of protein appear at the top, we can find products with very high amounts of protein in them, with numbers in the low 40s (43%, 42%, 41%).
The exact midpoint, in this case, is 30%. We think this is a good, moderate amount of protein for most senior dogs.
Note that there are more opinions about protein levels in dog food than there are veterinary nutritionists. This shouldn’t be a surprise; there is little consensus among experts in human nutrition about ideal protein levels, too.
Older veterinarians tend to regard foods with even moderate protein levels as potentially dangerous, or, at a minimum, a waste of money. When you feed a lower-protein diet to a dog, you decrease the amount of nitrogenous waste delivered to the kidneys for excretion in the urine; it was speculated that one could preserve the dwindling kidney function of dogs with chronic kidney disease by giving their kidneys less work to do (by feeding a lower-protein food to the dog).
However, according to veterinary nutritionists Andrea Fascetti and Sean Delaney, “the effect of protein restriction on the progression of renal damage in dogs and cats remains controversial and no definitive study exists on this matter.” (Quoted from “Nutritional Management of Chronic Renal Disease” on the website for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.)
While it’s been demonstrated that some dogs with chronic kidney disease improve when their dietary protein is moderately restricted, this has frequently (and tragically, in our opinion) been extended to all older dogs, whether or not they have any kidney problems at all. Today, it’s well-accepted that most older dogs actually benefit from diets that contain more protein – as long as it’s a high-quality protein – than young adult dogs.
However, there is newer evidence, based on newer criteria, very high protein dog food diets is potentially harmful for dogs to eat. (See this post by Linda Case, MS, Canine/Feline Nutrition, for details.) This give us even more confidence in our advice to look for foods with moderate protein levels.
Broadly speaking, the quality of a protein depends on its digestibility and its amino acid profile – that is, whether it contains adequate amounts of the amino acids that dogs require. In general, animal-sourced proteins contain more of the amino acids that are essential to dogs (and they are supplied in proper ratios for benefitting dogs) than do plant-sourced proteins.
The digestibility of ingredients depends on a number of factors, too numerous to explain here. (If you’re especially curious, read Linda Case’s 2017 piece for WDJ about digestibility here.) The bottom line: Pet food companies typically conduct digestibility studies on their finished products; they should know how digestible their products are, and they should be able to furnish consumers with that information. We should all be asking for this information!
A final thing to keep in mind
The amount of protein listed on a dog food label is the guaranteed minimum present in the food. It may contain much more! To be certain, ask the company for the amount of protein in their products – a number from an actual nutrient analysis.
Last month, I encouraged you to ask the makers of the foods you feed your dogs for complete nutrient analyses of those products. If you found companies refusing to answer or representatives without information, know your attempt was not wasted. You helped make manufacturers aware we want answers.
The purpose of the exercise was not to frustrate you or to annoy the pet food companies. What I hoped to do is to highlight the fact that the industry whose products are fed to 95% of the dogs in this country can’t be bothered to provide consumers with accurate, understandable information about those products. I am outraged at that fact – and I hope that more of you will join me in my fight, in hope of pushing the industry to change. The idea that even companies with billions of dollars of annual sales can’t or won’t make nutritional information about their products available to consumers is appalling.
While researching the article that appears on page 22 of this issue (“Drilling for Dietary Copper”), I checked the websites of every pet food maker on our “Approved Dry Dog Food” list, and found “typical” nutrient analyses on only about a third of their websites. I also searched the websites of the largest pet food companies in the world, whose products generally do not get included on our “Approved Foods” lists. Even fewer of their sites include typical or “expected” nutrient analyses for their products – and nobody provides “actual” nutrient analyses, which are the results of laboratory tests of their finished products.
A pet food company representative, irritated with my questions, once asked me, “Do you get this information from the makers of the canned soups or breakfast cereals in your cupboard?” No, I don’t, I told him – but then, my diet mostly consists of home-prepared fresh foods. By eating a wide variety of foods, I can readily achieve “nutritional balance over time.” In contrast, the dogs who subsist almost entirely on commercial dog foods are solely dependent on the makers of those products for all of their nutrients. If there’s too much of something potentially deadly in the food that dogs eat every day, year in and year out, something that can accumulate in the bodies of some dogs, such as dietary copper – well, I’d like to know, so I can avoid that product – or at the very least, lobby for change. Or start feeding my dogs a home-prepared diet, which I should be doing, anyway!
Doesn’t it seem reasonable to ask that the companies that ostensibly provide “complete and balanced nutrition for dogs” show us, the consumers that provide their ever-increasing annual earnings, what that nutrition actually consists of?
Author, Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, is WDJ's Training Editor and author of many books on dog-friendly dog training. See "Resources," page 24, for book and contact information.
For over a decade, the scientific behavior community has been telling us that trying to be the human “alpha” is a seriously flawed approach to changing your dog’s behavior. Despite this, there is still a plethora of information online and in books that purport to teach you how to be an alpha to your dog.
Reading through some of that advice in preparation for writing this article, I feel physically chilled. I can’t imagine living in a home where I had to “demand respect” and “assert my dominance in everything I do” around my dog, to “make him get out of my way” if he’s lying in my path, or other equally absurd recommendations. And I don’t think I’m alone; I don’t know many dog owners who want to live in some sort of canine detention center, where the dogs must be reminded at every turn that I’m the boss!
I’m not going to go on and on; I just want to give some encouragement to anyone who has fallen prey to this sort of indoctrination. If you have been intimidated by an instructor into yanking on your dog’s leash, or told that your “softness” is the reason your dog is misbehaving, know this: These are outdated methods that are no longer recommended by today’s behavior experts.
WE CAN ALL JUST GET ALONG
Today’s humane, successful, and enjoyable approach utilizes methods that create a relationship with your dog based on mutual trust, love, and respect. Real leadership looks like:
Showing and teaching. Use lure-shaping to teach your dog to lie down on cue, rather than pushing on her shoulders or pulling down on her collar. Or “capture” the down by “marking” it with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!” and giving her a treat whenever she lies down on her own, until she understands this is a great way to win more rewards and starts offering the “down” more frequently. Then just add your cue! (See “The Allure of the Lure,” WDJ July 2018, and “How to Get a Dog to Behave,” August 2014.)
Understanding. Recognize that when your dog doesn’t do something you ask her to do, it’s because something is interfering with her ability to do so – she may be stressed, distracted, in pain, or simply hasn’t learned the behavior as well as you thought.
Empathizing. Comfort your dog when she is stressed, hurting, or confused instead of insisting that she perform.
Forgiving. If your dog did something that upset you, whether she soiled your carpet or snapped at you when you picked up a shoe she had snagged, don’t hold it against her. Our dogs are doing their best to make sense of a human world that often makes no sense to them. They are, however, really good at reading our body language, and if you stay angry about something your dog has done she’ll know you’re upset with her (and be stressed about it), but she won’t know why.
Do your dog a life-enhancing favor and eschew the use of force and intimidation in favor of cooperation and trust. In the end, your role as a benevolent leader rather than an alpha dictator will make life better for both of you.
Author Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT‑KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor and author of many books on dog-friendly dog training. See “Resources,” page 24, for book and contact information.
When our dogs pull, perhaps because they weren’t done smelling something or wanted to watch that squirrel for a minute longer, many of us are guilty of pulling right back –and with our superior strength (or pain-inducing gear), we usually win the battle. But let’s cancel the war, shall we? It’s easy to forget in the heat of the moment, but it’s actually more expedient – and much more enjoyable for everyone concerned – to use our brains, not our brawn, and teach our dogs to come along with us on cue.
One of the most common requests humans bring to dog trainers is this: “Can you just stop my dog from pulling on the leash so much?”
The funny thing is, if dogs could hire human trainers, here’s what they’d say: “Can you just stop him from pulling on the leash so much?” They might even add, “Come to think of it, can you just stop him from constantly manhandling my body, when a simple, polite request would do?”
There are many times when it seems more expedient to use your superior strength (or training tools that increase your ability to physically control your dog) instead of using your intelligence to get your dog to do what you’d like. How often do you tug, pull, push, or lift your dog (perhaps using his leash as a steering wheel or his collar or harness as a handle) to get your dog to do something that they were slow to do by themselves?
Don’t feel too bad; even people who consider themselves to be entirely committed to force-free training techniques resort to picking up a dawdling small dog sometimes. Impatience is a very human condition!
But if your dog frequently uses his body to get what he wants – by knocking into you, pawing at you, jumping on you, or pulling on leash – I beg you to take just one day to notice that this dynamic works both ways. Folks, your dogs are learning this world’s rules from you.
There’s a better way. Instead of relying on physical force, employ that big brain of yours. How many times today can you resist the quick and easy way of getting your dog where you want him and instead begin creating a collaborative dynamic that serves you both beautifully? Challenge yourself to use your voice, your body language, your treats, and your bond with your dog to communicate your desires regarding his behavior – and to let him know how much you appreciate his cooperation.
GIVE A HEADS-UP: HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DOG
Pro tip: Start by using your words!
Let’s say, on your dog walk, you’ve stopped to chat with a friend or to wait for the signal to cross the street. Your dog is waiting patiently, sitting politely or standing quietly, perhaps watching some kids down the street – when suddenly you’re done with the conversation or the crossing indicator turns green, and you yank him out of his reverie to begin walking again. Rude!
Here’s what that tug-out-of-nowhere teaches your dog: First, it drives home the point that weird and sudden leash pressure is a way of life – so now it won’t feel strange to him when he creates that pressure himself by pulling or dashing. Second, it teaches him to be on guard for one of those yanks, to never fully relax on a walk with you. That makes your walks open season for pull-and-yank, plus a bit of anxiety. I’ll argue that’s not a small thing.
It’s so easy to do better. Simply give your dog a heads-up – an invitation. That’s all! Before taking a step, just cue your dog. It’s as easy as saying, “Okay, Spot, let’s go!” You could also pat your thigh or make a clicking or kissing noise – any kind of communication that loops your pup into the plan.
This change may seem miniscule, but when you watch it in action, you suddenly see a team. It’s huge.
(I’m focusing here on just a single moment of the walk, but for a whole article on teaching loose-leash walking, see “Polite Leash Walking,” September 2021.)
USE YOUR BRAIN TO MOVE YOUR DOG
Try this exercise. Put a big loose know in the middle of your leash, and walk around your house with your dog. How far can you get before that know tightens? Now visualize that challenge on your real walks.
Just today one of my favorite clients mentioned that her dog gets testy whenever her collar is grabbed. My question: Why are you grabbing her collar so much?
As simple as it feels to us to snag our dogs by that omnipresent handle, in the long run, it’s interfering with the behavior and the relationship we want. Try using your brain to move your dog, not your muscles:
Want your dog to get off the couch? Don’t grab his collar, just stick out your hand and say “touch.” (If you haven’t taught this most useful of all cues, do it today! See “On Target Training,” September 2021.)
Want your dog to hold still so you can put on the leash? Don’t grab his collar, just ask for a sit.
Want to interrupt your dog’s chase of the cat? Don’t grab his collar, just scoot in the opposite direction with a toy and call him in a crazy-happy tone of voice. Reward him when he comes to you!
The collar grab, like the leash yank, is an instinctive, lowest-common-denominator way we humans get control. It’s easy to be in the habit of using this kind of low-level physical force all day long. If you don’t think about it very much, it seems normal.
But I implore you to think about it. The more you do, the stranger it seems to so casually and frequently use our superior physical strength to force our best friends – these sentient, intelligent souls who are fully capable of learning the most intricate behaviors – to put their bodies exactly where we want them.
Some dogs accept this constant contact with resignation, but many others mentally tune out when they can’t seem to escape these unpleasant physical intrusions, and even come to rely on the barrage of yanks, pushes, and pulls for direction. A few, like my client’s dog, start to growl or show other signs of defensive aggression in an effort to stop the assaults.
Remember, in every interaction we have with our dogs, we are teaching them who we are. Ponder what vibe you want to teach. Personally, I want to have a friendly, fun, trusting, and respectful relationship with my dogs – and I see plenty of evidence that makes me believe that they want that, too.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR DOG!
Years ago, in one of the most fun dog-training classes I’ve been to, the instructor had us all tie a loose knot – maybe four inches in diameter – in the middle of our leashes. Then we spent 10 minutes walking around the facility in a line, passing each other over and over. The winner was the one who had the loosest knot after all of that.
To accomplish this, we used happy voices, kissy noises, and dancing steps. We made the most of cues like “touch” and “look” and “heel” and “side” and “walk with me.” There was cheese and chicken, along with a robust history of positive reinforcement in this scenario. It was a blast. Why? Because it showed us how very far we had come from the days when we, too, thought it was normal to just pull your dog around. It was a reflection of how much more rewarding and cooperative our relationships with our dogs had become.
So, give it a try. Watch what happens when you start communicating with your dog, rather than using your superior physicality to go places and/or do things with him. I think you’ll find that your time with your dog quickly becomes less of a struggle and more enjoyable, as it should be when you experience life in sync with a respected friend.
You may have acquired your dog with the intent of competing in agility, doing therapy-dog work, or having fun with musical freestyle (dancing with dogs). Or perhaps you’ve decided to try a new sport with your current dog. These are admirable goals; it’s good to do stuff with your dog! Sometimes, though, your dog isn’t as excited about the activity as you are. What then?
In recent years, dog owners have gotten far better at recognizing the value of giving their dogs choices about their participation in husbandry procedures (see “Care to Cooperate,” WDJ February 2021). Increasingly, we also appreciate the importance of giving our dogs choices about all the other activities we ask them to engage in. We need to remember that just because an activity is fun for us doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fun for them.
Decoding Your Dog’s Communication
I confess I was blind to my own dog’s lack of enthusiasm for agility. I thought we were having a great time! It wasn’t until our Kelpie, Kai, declined to move off the start line in our training class that I realized he wasn’t enjoying the sport at all. I stopped going to class and looked for other activities for us to enjoy together. Now I watch all my dogs more closely to make sure they are having as much fun as I am when we train and play together.
You can find similar examples all over social media. Someone proudly shares a video of their dog doing therapy work at a children’s hospital. The humans are happily smiling as a child hugs the dog – but the expression on the dog’s face says, “Please get me out of here!” Someone else is showing off their recent competitive obedience run, and while the dog is walking in perfect heel position, the stress signals are obvious: panting, tail down, lowered body posture . . .
Starting immediately (if you don’t already!), make it a practice to watch your dogs closely during their encounters with others and activities with you. If you see reluctance to engage or other signs of stress, it’s time to take a step back and rethink your dog’s participation in the activity.
The Consent Test
How do you know if your dog is loving the things you’re asking her to do? Rather than waiting for her to shout her unhappiness as I did with Kai, you can check in with her using an increasingly popular procedure known as “consent testing.” A classic situation where you might use this procedure is when petting your dog or allowing someone else to pet your dog. We humans love to pet dogs, and indeed, some dogs do love being petted – other dogs, not so much. Here’s how a consent test might look for petting:
Sit down in an enclosed space with your dog off-leash. Be patient.
Rest one open hand on your leg or lap, palm up. Ideally, the dog will approach you, but you can call her if necessary. No luring with treats.
When the dog approaches, initiate contact. The best first contact is usually a scratch on the chest. Do not pet the dog on top of her head.
Use the three-second rule. Scratch/pet for three seconds, then remove your hand. If the dog moves closer or nudges your hand and has a relaxed facial expression, she is inviting more attention.
Repeat several times, continuing to use the three-second rule. Dogs can change their minds, so even if yours invited additional petting at first, be alert for signs that she has had enough and wants the petting to stop. (This is often when people get bitten – when they fail to notice the “all done” signs!)
Repeat this process when allowing other people to pet your dog.
Here are some other situations where you can apply consent testing:
Interacting with another dog. If two dogs are playing exuberantly and you’re not sure one is having a good time, separate the dogs and move them about six feet apart. Restrain the more active dog and release the one you’re not sure is enjoying the interaction. If that dog stays still or moves away, she’s saying she’s had enough. If she moves forward and re-engages with the other dog she’s saying yes, she wants to play more.
Participating in an activity. Invite your dog to walk toward the hospital (if she’s a therapy dog), training grounds, etc. If she moves eagerly forward, you’re good to go. If she shows any reluctance to move, moves with tension, or exhibits stress signals, you may want to rethink that activity, or start a rehabilitation process.
Rehabilitating Consent
If your dog is telling you she doesn’t want to participate in an activity that you had your heart set on, you have a couple of choices.
You may be able to slowly and carefully work to rehabilitate her association with the activity to help her love it as much as you do. First, have a thorough medical checkup to be sure there’s not a physical reason (pain) for your dog’s reluctance to run fast or jump over jumps or whatever you’re asking her to do. If her vet check is clear, start incorporating small bits of the sport into other activities that your dog really loves.
For example, if your dog loves running in the woods, set an agility jump on the hiking trail and let her hop over it on your hike. Incorporate other play activities with an occasional dance move or dash through a tunnel – play tug, toss a ball, do a quick dance move, and toss the ball again. Do her favorite tricks, run through a tunnel, and do more tricks.
But be careful! If you try to do too much too soon you can poison the beloved activity (give it a negative association) and your dog could end up disliking that activity as well. Go slow, and remember to keep it fun and light. Our dogs often become worried because we seem tense and worried. Keep it fun – and keep doing those consent tests. If you can get your dog to love it, you’re good to go.
Your other choice? Get another dog. Seriously. Keep the first one, of course, but if you have your heart set on doing agility and your current dog is telling you she hates it, your best option may be to adopt another dog who has great agility potential. Do some consent testing first to be sure she isn’t going to tell you “No thanks” from the start, and then go for it. And for your first dog – take some time to find out what she wants to do, and then do that with her.
Consent Test: Does Your Dog Like Petting?
Signs That Your Dog Likes Petting
Asks to be petted by moving into your space
Shoves nose or puts whole body under your hand
Pulls your hand toward him or her with a paw
Body is relaxed
Does a happy-butt dance under your hand
Eyes get droopy when being petted
Flops happily onto the floor while being petted
Flops happily onto you while being petted
Signs That Your Dog Doesn’t Like Petting
Stands still but doesn’t actively engage with you
Ducks away when you reach for him or her
Body is tense
Moves body away
Looks away
Yawns, scratches, licks lips, pants, and/or exhibits other stress signals
Dogs with true polydipsia (excessive drinking) don't just drink after exercise and when they constantly crave water and may stand at their water bowls for many long minutes. After "tanking up" like this, they will obviously have an increased need to urinate, too.
Excessive thirst and urination (polyuria/polydipsia or PU/PD in veterinary terms) is a common complaint in dogs. Sometimes the owner doesn’t perceive it as a problem until the dog starts urinating in the house – then it’s a big problem! There are many – at least 25 – possible causes for poluria and polydipsia in dogs. This means your veterinarian needs to systematically rule things out one by one, until finally arriving at a diagnosis. It can be a process, so you’ll need to be patient and work with your veterinarian to get to the answers you need.
CONFIRMING PU/PD IN YOUR DOG
First, your veterinarian will need to confirm that your dog really has PU/PD. How much water dogs need in a day varies a lot, depending on activity level, the moisture level of the dog’s food, exercise, environmental temperature and humidity. However, a good general guideline for normal water consumption is about an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. So, 10 ounces for a 10-pound dog, 60 ounces for a 60-pound dog, etc.
Polydipsia in dogs is officially defined as drinking more than 100 mls of water per kg of the dog’s body weight per day. Veterinarians use milliliters and kilograms (kg) rather than ounces and pounds, but when you convert these values to those more familiar to dog owners, it works out to about 15 ounces for a 10-pound dog and 91 ounces for a 60-pound dog, etc.
Water intake is easy to measure if you have just one dog and you close the toilet lids, but not so easy with multiple pets in the house.
Another way to confirm true PU/PD is to collect a specimen of the very first urine your dog produces in the morning, before he starts drinking for the day, and bring it to your vet in order to run a test (called a urine specific gravity, USG) on this sample.
USG is a measure of the concentration of the urine. If your dog truly has PU/PD, the urine will be dilute. Your veterinarian may want you to drop off samples for this test for three or four days in a row for confirmation.
Next, your vet needs to make sure the PU/PD you’re observing isn’t simply a side effect of a medication your dog may be on. Phenobarbital, oral steroids like prednisone, diuretics like furosemide (Lasix), potassium bromide, and thyroid medication are all drugs that can cause excessive thirst and urination as a side effect. Topical steroids can do it, too, so eye drops, ear drops, and skin creams with cortisone may be the culprit. If you’re using cortisone cream on your own skin, don’t let your dog lick you!
FIRST TESTS FOR PU/PD IN DOGS
Assuming your dog slept all night and wasn’t up several times to drink water, the first urine she passes in the morning should be fairly concentrated and yellow. First morning urine samples that are very dilute will look very pale in comparison.
When you bring your dog in for his exam and PU/PD workup, be sure to bring a fresh “free catch” urine specimen with you. The workup starts with a physical examination, urinalysis, and blood work (chemistry screen and complete blood count or CBC). This combination can eliminate or confirm several of the causes of PU/PD in dogs right out of the gate, including two of the top three causes of PU/PD in dogs:
1. Chronic kidney disease
2. Diabetes mellitus
3. Cushing’s syndrome
Chronic kidney disease can usually be diagnosed based on the blood and urine samples, although the underlying cause may require further testing, such as urine culture and abdominal ultrasound.
Ruling out diabetes mellitus (DM) is easy: If there’s no sugar in the urine and the blood sugar is normal, there’s no DM.
At this point, your veterinarian will have plenty of hints regarding the likelihood of Cushing’s syndrome (more technically known as hyperadrenocorticism or HAC; i.e., overactive adrenal glands), including physical exam findings like classic skin and coat changes and a pot-bellied appearance, certain blood and urine abnormalities suggestive of HAC, and history of excessive hunger and panting at home. Definitive diagnosis requires further testing.
If needed, a low-dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test should be done next to rule out HAC. This test requires a day-long stay in the hospital, with blood samples drawn at 0, 4, and 8 hours after a cortisone injection. If the baseline cortisol at 0 hours is not abnormally low, this effectively rules out the opposite adrenal gland disorder that can also cause PU/PD called Addison’s disease, which is underactive adrenal glands.
Other causes of PU/PD in dogs that can be easily determined with initial veterinary diagnostics include high blood calcium (hypercalcemia), which can occur with lymphoma and anal gland tumors (these are usually apparent on physical exam), uterine infection (pyometra) in unspayed females (this sometimes requires x-ray or ultrasound for confirmation), and liver disease.
FINAL ROUND OF TESTS FOR DIAGNOSING PU/PD IN DOGS
Let’s say you’ve done all this and everything up to this point is normal. The next possible causes of PU/PD in dogs that your veterinarian needs to rule out with specific blood tests are thyroid disease and leptospirosis. The latter is an infectious disease that often makes dogs very sick with kidney and liver disease, but sometimes causes only PU/PD in an otherwise apparently healthy dog.
If you’ve gotten this far without reaching a diagnosis, it’s time to rule out the final and least likely causes of PU/PD in dogs: central diabetes insipidus (CDI) and psychogenic polydipsia.
CDI happens when the dog’s body lacks a natural antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which is produced in the brain and released by the pituitary gland. ADH is necessary in order for the kidneys to concentrate urine. Without it, large volumes of dilute urine are excreted, regardless of hydration status or other physiologic demands for water. The dog then drinks copious amounts of water in a futile effort to replace what’s being lost in the urine. The result is PU/PD. CDI is often idiopathic (meaning we don’t know what causes it) but can occur with trauma, inflammation, or cancer in the brain.
Diagnosing CDI requires a trial with DDAVP (Desmopressin), which is a synthetic analog of ADH. It can be administered orally, by injection under the skin, or as a nasal or ocular drop, but it must always be administered under the direct supervision of a veterinarian, due to the possibility of severe complications. These include dehydration and dangerous electrolyte derangements, particularly during the trial. If the dog’s urine concentration increases and water consumption decreases during the trial, CDI is the diagnosis, and DDAVP is the treatment for life.
If the dog does not respond to DDAVP, psychogenic polydipsia is the presumptive diagnosis. This is a behavioral issue, where the dog starts drinking excessive amounts of water for no apparent reason. It can be quite extreme – all that water passing through can actually wash out the kidney’s ability to concentrate urine (this is called medullary washout). Once this happens, it’s a vicious cycle and requires time and gradual water deprivation (again, only under the direct supervision of a veterinarian) to reestablish normal urine concentrating ability.
IT’S A PROCESS
If your dog suffers from excessive thirst and urination, and you’re lucky, you’ll get answers with the first few steps and there will be a treatment for your dog’s underlying disorder. Remember that with each step in the process you’re ruling out diseases, which is a good thing!
With patience, you and your veterinarian can whittle away at all the things on the list until you reach a diagnosis and specific treatment. Then you can finally take a break from refilling the water bowl and letting the dog in and out. It will be a happy day!
We're fans of this company's products (see holistic hound.com). Holistic Hound has a long history in this market (starting with pet products and moving into CBD products for pets, rather than starting with CBD and then learning about animals). Certificates of analysis from third-party labs for every product are posted on the company website.
Supplements for pets that contain cannabidiol (CBD) – a derivative of the Cannabis plant that contains no psychoactive compounds – have exploded in popularity.
According to the Packaged Facts survey “Pet Supplements in the U.S.,” 21 percent of dog owners purchased CBD supplements in 2020. Packaged Facts estimated the sales of CBD pet products in 2020 at $95 million, a 217% increase from the year prior. And Pet Product News recently reported that the nation’s largest pet supply store chains have all formed retail relationships with CBD supplement manufacturers. Petco sells CBD products from Pet Releaf, PetSmart stores (in some areas only) sell CBD products from Mary’s Tails, and Pet Supplies Plus carry Medterra and Kradle. Even Martha Stewart is hawking a line of CBD products for pets (made by Canopy Animal Health, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth).
So, clearly, you have a lot of CBD pet product to pick from. How do you choose?
First, read the label or product description carefully to make sure the product contains CBD. There are hundreds of products on the market (many of which you can find with an online search for “CBD pet supplements) that do not contain CBD. Sure, the label may hype the “hemp” in the product, but unless it specifically says it contains CBD, it doesn’t. Hint: Neither Chewy.com nor Amazon.com sell pet supplements that contain CBD – lots of hemp-containing products, but no CBD.
There may be health benefits from hemp-sourced products that do not contain CBD, but if you’re looking for the specific benefits of CBD for your dog, you need to buy a CBD-containing product!
Now look for a report from an independent laboratory that tested the product. Don’t buy products if they have not been tested by a third-party lab, or if the results are not dated and code-matched to the batch of product you are considering.
Reputable manufacturers post their products’ lab reports on their websites or have QR codes that take you to online reports – but check the dates! The report should include the date, clearly identify the product that was tested, andstate the name, address, and phone number of the test provider.
Check the lab reports for microbial contaminants, heavy metals, pesticides, and potency. Hemp plants are susceptible to fungal growth, which can lead to the presence of carcinogenic mycotoxins, and readily absorb heavy metals from their environment. Inadvertent adulteration with heavy metals is also possible during manufacturing. And pesticide use is common in the farming of hemp. So the third-party lab reports should indicate that the products contain no microbial contaminants, heavy metals, or pesticides.
Check the independent lab results to confirm the type and amount of CBD in the product. There are an estimated 80 to 100 cannabinoid substances (chemicals that are capable of binding with the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies and our dogs’ bodies) in hemp plants; the presence and amount of these substances vary according with the variety of the hemp plant. CBD product makers strive to use plant strains that produce none of the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabinoids; supplements that contain more than 0.3% THC cannot be legally sold.
The lab report should specify which cannabinoids are present in the product and in what amount, so you can administer consistent dosages for a predictable effect.
Don’t buy products that make claims to prevent, cure, or manage disease. Any substance that makes therapeutic claims must be approved by the FDA. This process does not apply to products that are considered to be supplements, which is how CBD products are currently treated. By virtue of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), supplements may not be labeled or marketed for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, mitigation, or cure of disease.
If a product label or company literature makes the product sound like a cure for anything that ails your dog, avoid that company’s products. Similarly, avoid products labeled as “treats,” which are regulated as food and cannot legally contain CBD. An example would be “CBD dog treats for anxiety.” Violations of labeling laws indicate either an inexperienced or unscrupulous product manufacturer. Either way, avoid that company.
Look for clear indications for use, dosage information, and instructions.
If you can, ask a company representative what makes their products better than their competitors’. Listen for exaggerated claims – and ask for substantiation! The best companies should be at least participating in research studies of their products, if they don’t already have study results to tell you about.
Look for products from companies who have been at this for more than a few years. Many CBD-product manufacturers are here today and gone tomorrow. Longevity alone doesn’t prove the efficacy of a product; some companies were launched with massive investments from venture capital companies, helping some start-ups survive even with ineffective products. But time in the industry lends experience and credence to a company’s mission.
Look for a seal of approval from the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), which identifies products from companies that are committed to quality and continuous improvement. To earn an NASC Quality Seal, the supplement maker must, among other things, have a quality control manual in place, which helps ensure the company is providing a consistent and quality product; have an adverse event reporting/complaint system in place to monitor and evaluate products in real time; and pass an independent third-party audit every two years.
In 2021, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) published the results of a study that analyzed products that contained hemp or cannabidiol substances. Almost 150 products were subjected to tests to determine which cannabinoids were present in the products. Fewer than half of products surveyed contained cannabidiol concentrations within 20% of their label declarations.
Third-party lab testing and certification from the NASC are meant to prevent such results.
We recommend buying CBD pet supplements from independent pet supply stores with have staff members who are familiar with the products – who have used them on their own pets. If this is not possible for you (if you live in an area where no such store exists), contact the makers of the products you are considering for support.
First-time users will benefit from guidance regarding dosage and what type of product will work best for their dogs – and since veterinarians are prohibited in most states from even discussing CBD with their clients, much less recommending a particular product, the next-best guide is an experienced user of the products with a close, long-term retail relationship with conscientious product suppliers.
Potential Benefits of CBD for Dogs
The growing number of CBD’s dog-owner fans believe that CBD relieves pain, anxiety, seizure activity, and allergies, and combats immune-mediated syndromes and cancer. But makers of CBD supplements, which are regulated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), may not legally say that CBD treats or cures any disease or any medical symptom; those are “drug” claims, which fall under the purview of the FDA.
Until recently, CBD’s popularity has been driven largely by anecdotal evidence, because there were significant legal impediments for both academic and commercial research into CBD, as well as barriers for growing and harvesting these plants, then refining and selling products that contain CBD. Passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act (better known as the Farm Bill) in 2018 descheduled Cannabis species with less than 0.3% dry weight of the Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which removed these barriers and opened the floodgates of both research into CBD’s safety and benefits and commercial production of CBD-containing products.
So far, studies have been promising. A 2018 study by Cornell University researchers on dogs with osteoarthritis showed no observable side effects, a significant decrease in the dogs’ pain, and an increase in activity. A small Colorado State University study (16 dogs) investigated the use of CBD to treat idiopathic seizures in dogs and found an 89% reduction in seizure frequency in dogs receiving CBD.
It’s hard to imagine that the CBD for dogs industry could have grown so quickly without ample anecdotal evidence that at least some of the products are helping dogs. Scoundrels abound in any new, fast-growing industry, but few people are repeat buyers of things that don’t work. The spectacular growth of the industry suggests they do work – and the stunning lack of adverse experience reports should encourage you to give CBD a try for your dog.
Thanks to Annabell Bivens of The Dog Store in Alexandria, Virginia, for her help with this article. Nancy Kerns is the editor of WDJ.
The dog you see lying peacefully on the rug is the author's late dog Chili, who was a stressed-out patroller until window film was installed, and then she was finally able to relax. The film is on the narrow glass panes on each side of the door as well as on the bottom half of the window above the couch on the left.
Many dog owners routinely leave their dogs home alone without giving it a second thought. They put on their shoes, grab their coat and keys, tell the dog “See you later!” – and off they go.
Some of us need to put a little more thought into our departures for various reasons. Special arrangements might be necessary to accommodate a puppy, a curious adolescent, or multiple dogs (or dogs and cats) who are safest if they’re separated when the humans are out. The right setup is particularly critical for dogs who experience distress when isolated (often referred to as “separation anxiety”), as they can be destructive to their environment and themselves.
But perhaps you are just planning to get a new dog or puppy and are fretting about how or whether you can leave her home alonewhen you go to work or school. No matter what type of dog you have (or will have), thoughtfully setting up a designated space for your dog will maximize her ability to relax when she’s home alone.
WHAT’S YOUR DOG’S MOST COMFORTABLE SPOT?
For many dogs, leaving them loose in the home is just not an option, as they get into all kinds of shenanigans, especially if they’re young. This is where you can get creative with the use of barriers such as baby gates or even some crafty home-made solutions. You might need to do some experimenting to see what works best for your dog (see “Creative Confinement,” WDJ March 2022).
Most people tend to choose a location in the home that’s convenient for them (the owner), and then they’ll work really hard to try to help their dog learn to like that area, or to feel comfortable in it.
Instead of choosing a location that’s most convenient for me, I prefer to begin by identifying the dog’s favorite spots. Where does she feel most comfortable? Where does she like to hang out and nap? That’s where your dog should be taught to spend time when she’s alone, whether it’s a crate, a room, or a large open space that you block off somehow.
Should You Use a Crate?
You may have heard that a crate is like a dog’s “natural den,” providing a dog with an enclosed environment will stir innate feelings of safety and security.
In reality, dogs don’t live in dens on a regular basis. In feral dog communities, a den is a location away from the usual resting places, where females birth and care for their puppies. Adolescent and adult feral dogs don’t live in dens. And consider this: Even those animals that are den animals are never actually confined to the den. They don’t get locked in; they can exit whenever they choose.
Comfort in crates is an individual matter. Some dogs love their crates and seek them out when they are tired or stressed. In contrast, some dogs who show anxious behaviors when they’re crated do a whole lot better when they’re not confined. In other words, being left home alone isn’t the problem, confinement is. They’re able to relax if left loose in the home.
One thing is absolutely certain: If your dog regularly panics inside a crate, bending metal bars or chewing through plastic, that crate is doing far more harm than good, and I recommend you put it away and consider other confinement solutions.
ACCLIMATING TO THE SPACE
If you’re thinking about using a space in your home where your dog has never before hung out, or maybe a room or a section of your home that she’s not really familiar with, start by building a positive association with that location. Begin feeding your dog her meals there, completely unconfined, with no barriers or closed doors. Spend some quiet time there with your dog. Let her work on a food toy, chew on a bone, or nap while you sit close by and work on your laptop, read a magazine, or engage in whatever quiet activity you want.
In order for a new space to become familiar, a place where your dog will be able to fully relax, spend a lot of time there creating this positive association. This won’t happen overnight, or even in a week. It’s going to take some time; it can’t be rushed.
I went through this process myself with my own dog Bennigan when he was just a puppy. He was too young to be left loose in the house, but he was terribly claustrophobic and couldn’t comfortably be confined in a crate. I chose the entire dining room as his home-alone area, but it needed to be enclosed for his safety. I installed a baby gate separating the kitchen from the dining room (which I still use for management purposes). I have French doors that separate the dining room from the living room. Under normal circumstances, these doors are open. But during training, it was important that these doors were closed now and then so that Bennigan could get used to seeing them closed.
Bennigan has a large bed in the dining room that he loves and uses regularly. This is partly why I had chosen the dining room as his home-alone space, because I was confident that he already enjoyed relaxing in this room. If you currently use a crate with your dog and she really loves to spend time in it, consider placing it in a larger enclosed space and leave the crate door open for her to snooze in it if she chooses to.
During my practice sessions with Bennigan in the enclosed dining room, I’d give him an interactive food toy like some kibble in a snuffle mat or I’d smear something yummy on a Lickimat. While he was busy with that, I’d work on my laptop at the dining room table for a while. We’d spend time quietly in the room together, but not interacting. These practice sessions helped to acclimate him to the enclosed dining room before I ever left him alone in there.
HOME-ALONE AMBIANCE
Making sure that things feel normal, safe, and familiar when your dog is left alone involves more than just a prime location. Pay attention to the overall ambiance, too. But consider this: Creating a comforting ambiance for your dog while he’s home alone has less to do with trying to create what we think is a relaxing setting and more to do with retaining a sense of normalcy within his environment.
When you leave your home, does it create a stark contrast to when you were there just moments before? Does the level of noise and activity generated by your presence suddenly drop to nothing? Think about what a typical morning scene might sound like in your home. There might be clanking dishes and cutlery, running tap water, cupboard doors and drawers opening and closing, footsteps, floor creaks, door latches, TV or radio commercials, and conversations. And then suddenly, when everyone is gone, all that’s left is silence. The contrast may be unnerving to your dog.
Try to notice what types of sounds are “normal” in your dog’s home environment. Can you safely leave some of those sounds behind when you step out? Some appliances shouldn’t be operating when we’re not home, such as the washing machine or the dryer. But how about the radio? Is there usually a ceiling fan spinning and whirring when you’re home?
People often advise leaving the TV on for your dog. But would the TV be on if you were home? If not, and you’re turning it on only when you leave, you’re not really imitating the true sounds of when you’re home. If the TV is usually on when you’re home, then by all means, go ahead and leave it on. Be mindful, however, of sounds that might upset or excite your dog, like doorbells or dogs barking during commercials. Maybe a cable movie channel, or a continuous source of music without commercials, might be best in this case. Be mindful of the volume, though. Dogs’ ears are more sensitive than ours, and a low volume will do just fine.
For dogs who become stressed by outside noises, any sound or white noise that you can leave inside your home will help to mask the outside noises and can prevent your dog from becoming frightened or excited. White noise machines produce sound that contains equal amounts of all frequencies audible to the human ear. Some offer a variety of “colored” noises, including brown noise (which contains more lower-frequency sounds) and pink noise (which sits somewhere between brown and white noise). With their predominant lower frequencies, pink and brown noise are better for masking outdoor noises. These inexpensive machines can be purchased online.
ROOM WITH A VIEW?
The last element to consider depends on whether or not your dog is a window patroller. While some dogs are able to just casually look outside and remain calm, dogs who are prone to feeling stressed or anxious tend to do more than just enjoy the view. These dogs might feel a sense of obligation to “patrol” what happens outside the window. They stay vigilant the entire time you’re gone. That takes a lot of mental energy! And it can create far more stress than you think.
If this is your dog, I recommend obstructing her view to the outside. Consider installing frosted window film that allows daylight to stream in but blurs the view to outside. Get the non-adhesive type that you can easily remove whenever you like without damaging the window or being left with sticky residue on the glass. It’s very easy to install with some soapy water in a spray bottle and an item with a hard edge, like a bank card.
If your dog likes to hang out next to a window and gaze out, do a few tests by blocking her view to see if she really “enjoys” it, or if she’s actually calmer if she can’t see what’s happening out there. You might be surprised to learn that your dog is grateful to finally be retired from window patrol! She might actually sleep if she can’t see outside.
Whether it's hidden among the pebbles in a rocky creekbed or on a sidewalk, broken glass poses a major threat to dog paws. Wherever you are with your dog, it helps immeasurably to know you are equipped to clean and wrap an injury like this, even if you still need to get to a veterinary hospital for stitches.
Photo credit: Lovelyday12/ Dreamstime.com
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Have you ever witnessed a dog fight, a dog getting hit by a car, or falling out of an open truck bed? Has your dog ever sustained a deep cut on his paw pad from stepping on a sharp shard of glass or metal, or gashed himself on some innocuous item in the yard while playing with a dog friend or chasing a ball?
Accidents and unexpected events can happen anytime and anywhere, so having first-aid supplies for dogs readily available is important. A DIY dog first aid kit can be kept in a box, backpack, shoulder bag, fanny pack, or other container, and you may want more than one for convenience: a small first aid kit for hiking, a larger one for the car (handy in an emergency evacuation), and one containing all the bells and whistles for home use.
Start by focusing on items you’re comfortable with and that fit your dog’s lifestyle. For example, an active hunting dog’s field kit will be different from one for an elderly lap dog. Once your kit is assembled and in a convenient location, examine its contents every few months and replace expired items while refreshing your memory about what you have and what to do with it.
Here are a dozen general categories that can be the foundation of your dog’s DIY first-aid kit:
Documentation
Towels or blankets
Bandages
Tools
Hydrogen peroxide
Cleanser
Antibiotic ointment
Styptic powder
Bottled water
Wet wipes
Cold packs
First aid guide
Start with the most important items and build from there.
1. Documentation. Your dog’s license, vaccination records, medical records, and veterinarian contact information along with your own contact information can help in an emergency, especially when the details are up to date and in one place. Your phone may be a convenient storage location, but if it isn’t accessible or if internet service is interrupted, you’ll want those hard-copy backups.
2. A towel or blanket and a thermal blanket. An injured or panicking dog can be soothed and calmed by being gently wrapped in a soft blanket or thick towel, which can also protect a dog lying on a hot or cold, hard, or rocky surface.
Keeping an injured animal warm is important to prevent the life-threatening effects of shock, a state in which the animal becomes hypothermic and his blood flow is severely impaired. Low blood flowcan lead to damage of the vital organs like the brain and the heart.On any but very hot days, use a thermal blanket (also known as emergency, rescue, or space blanket) to keep the injured dog warm. These blankets are waterproof, lightweight, and take up very little room in first-aid kits.
A commercial first-aid kit can be used as the foundation of a more complete kit that you add to and customize for your needs. While there are many to choose from, look for one that contains as many of the specialized tools or items that would cost more if
3. Bandages.Gauze (sterile gauze pads or gauze rolls), elastic bandages, self-adhesive bandage material such as Vetrap, cotton balls, and fabric strips can control or absorb blood, support sprained muscles, and create a makeshift muzzle if one is needed. Wooden splints can be added to support suspected bone fractures. Note that too-tight taping interferes with circulation.
4. Tools. This category includes blunt-tip bandage scissors, tweezers, needle-nose pliers, a tick-removal tool, disposable gloves, syringes, an eyedropper, protective glasses or goggles, a flashlight with fresh batteries, a magnifying glass, an expired credit card (useful for scraping away stingers), collapsible food or water bowls, pickup bags, and a spare leash and collar.
A soft muzzle that fits your dog is a good companion piece because any dog can bite or snap when in pain, so having one on your dog while he’s being moved or examined can help prevent injury to human helpers.
5. Hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide has long been used as a disinfecting rinse for cuts and abrasions, but its topical application has become controversial. Research shows that hydrogen peroxide may not affect all harmful bacteria, leaving some to infect treated wounds, and it damages fibroblasts, which are cells essential to the healing process.
However, hydrogen peroxide still has an important place in your first-aid kit because, when swallowed, it induces vomiting making it useful in cases of poisoning. Vomiting is not appropriate for all toxic exposures, so be sure to follow the advice of your veterinarian, poison control center, or first-aid handbook.
When vomiting is recommended, the usual dose is 1 teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide (widely available in grocery and drug stores) per 5 pounds of body weight with a maximum dose of 3 tablespoons for dogs who weigh more than 45 pounds (there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon).
Lift your dog’s chin and squirt the hydrogen peroxide into the side of your dog’s mouth with a syringe or eyedropper. Some foaming at the mouth may occur. If vomiting doesn’t begin within 15 minutes, the treatment can be repeated once.
To be sure hydrogen peroxide is effective when you need it, purchase small rather than large bottles and keep track of expiration dates. Hydrogen peroxide loses its effectiveness with age and after opening.
6. Wound cleaner, antiseptic rinse, saline solution.The first step in treating most wounds is removing dust, sand, gravel, mud, or other debris. Rinse the wound with plain water or a saline solution, especially if you can apply it with a hose, syringe, turkey baster, or squeeze bottle. Medical-grade saline solution, which is sold in pharmacies, has many first-aid uses, including rinsing the eyes. Scissors or clippers can be used to remove hair around the wound, if necessary.
Once the wound is rinsed, blot it with a clean towel, gauze, or cotton balls. For minor wounds, apply a non-stinging antiseptic rinse or spray. Most first-aid kits include chlorhexidine products, but you may prefer a colloidal silver spray or a treatment you can make yourself.
7. Antibiotic ointment.Conventional first-aid kits generally come with an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin, which can be applied to cuts, abrasions, puncture wounds, and other injuries to prevent infection. For those who prefer alternative wound dressings, products that contain medical-grade Manuka honey, colloidal silver, or other natural disinfectants are widely available.
Ointments are typically applied to a wound that has been rinsed and blotted or air-dried and then, if needed, protected with a nonstick gauze pad that’s taped or wrapped in place. Most wound-salve instructions recommend replacing ointment and bandages twice or three times per day while the injury heals.
8. Styptic powder or collagen hydrolysate. Styptics are antiseptic clotting agents such as alum, ferric subsulfate, or herbs such as powdered goldenseal or yarrow. Styptic pencils, which place styptic powder directly on bleeding wounds, are convenient, but any styptic powder can be applied in small amounts using a cotton swab or spoon as an applicator. Dog groomers use styptic powder to control the bleeding of over-trimmed nails, and other styptics reduce bleeding after medical procedures such as biopsies.
A recent development in the treatment of bleeding wounds is a medical hydrolysate Type I collagen that acts as a tissue adhesive that stops bleeding, protects wounds, reduces scarring, and conforms to any wound site. The Hymed Group (hymed.com) manufactures EMT Gel and EMT Spray for general wound care and Collasate gel and spray for surgical, traumatic, and superficial wounds, first- and second-degree burns, foot-pad injuries, hot spots, and lick granulomas.
9. Bottled water and hydrating fluid. Water is an essential ingredient in any first-aid kit because it has so many practical uses, from rinsing wounds to helping prevent dehydration.
Some veterinarians recommend Pedialyte (an electrolyte replacement fluid for infants and children) because its combination of water and minerals can help dogs recover from diarrhea or shock. However, Pedialyte contains more salt and sugar than is recommended for dogs, so look for liquid or powdered hydration products designed for pet use.
10. Wet wipes or grooming wipes. Keep a supply of pet grooming wipes; they come in handy for many purposes. Don’t use alcohol-based disinfecting wipes, because alcohol stings and can damage injured tissue. Instead, look for products that soothe while they clean. We like the Earth Rated Dog Wipes, which are plant-based, compostable, and unscented.
11. Hot and cold packs. Cold packs can help cool sprains, bruises, and other injuries and reduce inflammation and swelling. Hot packs can increase circulation, help the dog feel warm and comfortable, support a dog recovering from shock or injury, and speed healing.
These treatments are easy to provide at home, where you can keep a cold pack in the freezer and heat a hot pack in the microwave, wrap a hot water bottle in a towel, or use an electric heating pad designed for animals. But if you’re away, a few instant hot packs and instant cold packs will be convenient. They are sold in pharmacies and pet supply stores. To activate either product, squeeze or massage the pack, wrap it in a towel, and apply it to the affected area. Replace as needed (they’re small and don’t last long, so you may need several).
12. A pet first-aid guide or handbook. First-aid references will help you make right decisions when the unexpected happens. These can be short (covering the most common conditions) or comprehensive, and they’re most useful when you’re familiar with their layout and contents. Popular handbooks include:
First Aid for Dogs: An invaluable guide for all dog lovers by Emma Hammett,FirstAidforPets.net, 2016.
Canine Field Medicine: First Aid for Your Active Dog by Sid Gustafson,Mountaineers Books, 2018.
Essential First Aid for Dog Owners by Lorrie Boldrick DVM, All Publishing Company, 2010.
The First-Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats by Amy Shojai, Rodale Books, 2001.
Keep the phone numbers of 24/7 poison control services with your handbook and use them if you know or suspect that your dog has swallowed something toxic and you can’t reach your veterinarian:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, aspca.org, (888) 426-4435. Consulting fee may apply.
And there’s more. Wherever you live, your dog’s first-aid kit can be part of your disaster preparedness plan. Add backup supplies of medications along with packages of food or treats, a familiar toy or favorite object, spare harness and leash, and other items that will help your dog adjust in an emergency.
Your dog’s first-aid kit can be as basic or complicated as you like. Its purpose is simple – to be prepared for any emergency – and it will make a difference.
