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Most of us dog owners want to preserve and promote our canine friends' quality of life for as long as possible - and, should it come to that, end our friends' suffering sooner than later. Veterinary hospice and palliative care providers are the experts who can help see us through this difficult phase of life with dogs.
In my 13 years as a veterinarian, I’ve worked in emergency and general practice, as a freelance writer, a volunteer with the homeless population and most recently, as a palliative and hospice-care doctor.
While all of these positions were rewarding, working in palliative/hospice care has been deeply life-altering and fulfilling. It’s a gift to make end-of-life care as painless as possible. This includes supporting the patient – and owners – in a pain- and fear-free manner.
Formation of a New Field
Perhaps you didn’t even know that this service existed for dogs. The idea of hospice for pets has been around and in practice since the late 1990s. Alice Villalobos, DVM, was a pioneer in the field, and coined the term “pawspice” to describe veterinary hospice work in 2004. The first International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice Care was held in 2009.
Also in 2009, the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) was founded with the goal of promoting animal end-of-life care education, research, and discussion amongst veterinarians and their clients. IAAHPC remains the driving force in advancing hospice care for pets. In 2016, the IAAHPC began offering a course in this work for veterinary practitioners, the Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Certification Program. You can search for certified practitioners at iaahpc.org.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE SERVICES?
While closely linked, palliative and hospice care are different. Both are concerned with the complex web of emotions and decisions surrounding the care of a beloved companion. This includes considering the social, economic, psychic, and physical demands of care.
They differ in that palliative care seeks to minimize suffering and maximize comfort at any stage of life and with any disease process. In contrast, hospice focuses on patients that are terminally ill and helping with a transition to a peaceful, assisted death.
It may be difficult to know when your dog is ready for palliative care or hospice. In the case of a terminal illness, hospice is best started when definitive options have been tried and failed, if there are no definitive treatments, or if you are not interested in aggressive treatment such as chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation.
An example of this is when an inoperable tumor is found and the dog is otherwise stable and relatively healthy. Hospice care includes monitoring the tumor and providing pain relief, comfort measures, and other care as the cancer progresses. When quality of life is declining, a peaceful passing can be planned.
Palliative care is different in that it can be started at any time and continue in conjunction with other treatment from your veterinarian. Osteoarthritis is an excellent case for palliative care. While it is a chronic and progressive condition, it does not cause terminal illness. Palliative treatment will focus on supplements, physical therapy, and pain management.
Veterinarians are starting to offer this concurrently with more definite therapies, but you can also find many mobile services that can come to your house for this care. This is helpful for older animals who are stiff and have trouble with car rides or those who suffer anxiety in a veterinary clinic environment. You can ask your veterinarian for a referral (if the service exists in your area) or often directly contact the hospice vet yourself.
Palliative Care for 17-Year-Old Finn
With a palliative-care plan, 17-year-old Finn is feeling more comfortable – and looks less like an old dog!
Finn is extremely handsome and quite old at 17. He is a mix of Border Collie and Australian Shepherd. To look at him, you would never guess his age – that is, unless you watched him walk up some stairs. Finn has advanced arthritis in his hips and pelvis. As a result, climbing stairs and running can be difficult for him. He still loves to walk and hike with his owners, but as he’s aged, Finn has started slowing down and having longer periods of stiffness after exercise. He also started throwing up and having loose stools and a gurgly stomach occasionally. His veterinarian examined him and conducted diagnostics that included bloodwork and x-rays.
Those x-rays confirmed bone changes consistent with arthritis but also a fuzzy, indistinct area that suggested a tumor in Finn’s abdomen. Finn’s owners discussed these findings with their veterinarian. At Finn’s advanced age, they weren’t interested in extensive diagnostics and treatments, which they feared would be invasive. Finn’s owners called our office and asked for an assessment from our palliative care team.
Finn was a perfect candidate for this care. While his arthritis can be limiting due to the discomfort it causes, and he has intermittent GI upset, his overall quality of life remains good. He eats well and wants to interact with his owners, including going on walks. As a result, we decided together that there were several measures that we could implement to improve his quality of life.
For his arthritis, we started Finn on a low dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication to be given daily. While it is tempting to give medication for pain only on a dog’s “bad days,” with chronic conditions such as arthritis, it’s better to keep a patient on this medication daily. We also included gabapentin for further pain control. In addition, Finn was started on Adequan, an injection administered on a tapering schedule that is the only FDA-approved disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug. This means that it modifies the progression of the arthritis. It can be beneficial even in dogs with advanced bone changes.
For his GI disease, since his bloodwork and x-rays did not show a clear cause, we took a symptomatic management approach. I recommended switching Finn to a novel protein diet (meaning one that he had not been exposed to before – in his case, lamb), adding probiotics to his food daily, monitoring his time outdoors to prevent dietary indiscretion, and medicating his nausea symptoms when they arose with Cerenia, a potent anti-emetic.
As of today, Finn is doing very well with his palliative care. He has more energy, less stiffness, and fewer episodes of upset stomach. His owners are very pleased with his progress.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A typical patient in a palliative-care or hospice practice will be seen anywhere from weekly to every few months. We may need to see an arthritis palliative care patient only once every three months or so, whereas a dog with terminal cancer may require weekly check-ins to adjust his medication.
We start by asking for the client to have their pet’s medical records sent to us so we can review detailed information about the dog’s condition, test results, and treatments. Then, in the practice I work for, a client’s initial appointment will be made with one of the veterinarians, who will do a preliminary assessment of the patient. That appointment is about an hour.
During that time, we meet the dog and owners and discuss the client’s goals for treatment. We describe both our palliative-care approach as well as the “nuts and bolts” about how to reach us after hours and what to do in an emergency. We then go over a plan to improve the dog’s quality of life. This plan differs for each patient and for each medical condition.
It is important during that initial visit to be clear about what your goals are in seeking palliative care. As doctors, we strive to provide relief of pain and improved mobility and cognition. But we need to do this within the boundaries of your ability to provide care. Being very clear about goals and limits is extremely helpful for us when caring for your dog.
From there, our clients communicate with us via text, phone, and email. We are available all day, but our clinic does not take emergency calls. This is different with every service, and it is important to know who to contact in case your dog has an after-hours emergency. Here, we refer to our local emergency hospital.
After the initial assessment, if a patient requires ongoing care with subcutaneous fluids, injections, or frequent bloodwork or blood pressure measurements, one of our technicians will take over those appointments, while keeping in contact with the veterinarian on the case.
QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE
As palliative care continues, the team will check in often to ensure that your dog is doing well and your concerns have been addressed. There are several scales that have been developed to help assess quality-of-life concerns, and these can be very useful in forming an objective opinion on your dog’s condition.
The scale that I use the most is the HHHHHMM scale, which was developed in 2004 by a veterinary hospice pioneer, Dr. Alice Villalobos. The acronym stands for hurt, hunger, hydration, hygiene, happiness, mobility, and “more good days than bad.” A score of zero to 10 (10 being ideal) is assigned to each category. A total of more than 35 points represents “acceptable life quality to continue with pet hospice.” The scale is a helpful tool for reducing the blinding emotion of evaluating your dog’s comfort and happiness.
END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS
Once care is no longer providing comfort and quality of life for your dog, your veterinarian will start the difficult discussion of planning your dog’s transition. It is unfortunate, but an unassisted death is rarely smooth and peaceful for animals or humans. As a result, having a plan in place is very important.
Veterinarians can help ease your dog’s passing with pain medications and profound sedation before administering the euthanizing drug. While every practitioner has a preferred protocol, most euthanasia involves an initial medication (injectable or oral) to provide pain relief and relaxation. This is followed by an injection of a solution that slowly “turns off” the central nervous system. This leads to a deep coma followed by death. It’s as if your companion went to sleep. Done properly, it’s as painless and peaceful as possible for such a sad experience. Having a plan in place and discussing the sequence of events with your veterinarian ahead of time will help ensure that it goes smoothly.
Not Just a Job - A Calling
I never imagined I would take on this work; in fact, it seems implausible – ludicrous, even – that I would accept such a position.
You see, in 2017, I found myself facing the decision of whether or not to continue life support on my terminally ill child. He had been in palliative care since birth for a condition that had no cure. As he aged, he became ill and dependent on many medications and a ventilator to sustain his life. When he was 5 months old, he developed serious complications after an illness and was hospitalized. He deteriorated, and my husband and I were faced with a terrible decision – the hardest that I have ever made. It was the guidance of our son’s pediatric palliative care team that helped us let go. Our son died with peace and dignity.
In 2020, a job opportunity – working in a veterinary hospice and palliative-care practice – fell into my lap. Initially, I was repelled by the thought. Why would I want to put myself in a situation where I was reliving the same conversations and decisions that I’d made for my beloved son, with distraught pet owners? It sounded like a particular type of torture.
Despite this, a small voice in my mind insisted that I might excel at this. I listened to that voice and took the chance, diving into the field and learning as much as I could. I quickly fell in love with the work – the animals, of course, but also their deeply caring owners and guardians and the stories that they shared.
Sitting with people in intense grief, guiding them and giving them peace about their decisions has helped heal my heart. It is an honor to be a steward for people and their beloved companions at the end of life.
A dog gets scanned for a microchip at an animal shelter.
I heard a crazy story recently: My son’s neighbors lost their cat. It was an indoor/outdoor cat and just went missing; one imagines the worst. A few weeks later, the owners get a call from a veterinarian in a town about 30 miles away. The vet’s office representative asked, “Are you missing a cat?” They said, “Yes!” The vet staffer asked, “Can you provide proof of ownership?” They said, yes, they can send their adoption agreement from a shelter, their vet records, photos of the cat, and their “lost cat” fliers.
Long story short: The cat was brought into the vet’s office by someone who said they recently got the cat and wanted to have it vaccinated and microchipped. Before implanting a chip, however, the vet did what vets (and shelters, rescues, etc.) are supposed to do and checked the cat to see if it already had a microchip, and lo and behold, it did. Fortunately, the microchip was registered and the phone number was up-to-date. We can probably thank COVID for the fact that the cat was safely in protective custody inside the clinic when these discoveries were made, with the client waiting outside in the parking lot.
As most of us are doing during COVID, the vet called the client on the phone to say, “Hey, this cat already has a microchip, and can you tell us where you got the cat?” When the person couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, the vet told them, “I’m sorry, the cat already has owners who have been looking for their cat.” The way I heard the story, the client stormed out and the rightful owners of the cat were able to recover their friendly kitty later that day.
What are the veterinarian’s legal responsibilities?
This got me wondering, though: What is the veterinarian’s legal responsibility in this case?
It turns out that this is a bit of a grey area.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recognizes that veterinarians routinely recommend that pets be microchipped as a way of proving their identity and ownership – so they are stakeholders, as it were, when it comes to the question of a vet’s responsibility if they check for a microchip and discover that their client is in the possession of a lost or potentially stolen pet. The AVMA has a microchip policy which contains this text:
“A veterinarian is expected to exercise his or her professional judgment on ownership before establishing a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR). In those circumstances that raise suspicion that the presenting person may not actually be the lawful owner of the animal, a veterinarian should ask for documentation of ownership, such as governmental registration, bill of sale, adoption documents, or microchip documentation.”
The veterinarian in the story I heard about my son’s neighbors’ cat did just that, which is great. And the cat’s rightful owners were easily able to prove that not only were they the cat’s owners, they had been actively looking for the cat.
But the AVMA also recognizes that a veterinarian has zero authority to refuse to return an animal brought to them by a client – and a vet who did so may well be sued by the person who brought the pet to them. It’s dicey all around.
As I researched this a bit, I came across multiple accounts of pets who were found to contain two microchips, with different registered owners. What then??
Have you heard a story about unclear ownership of a dog that microchips possibly made more complex, rather than solving?
At 13 1/2 years old, Otto now spends way more time on the couch than he used to. He also has a much heavier coat than he used to grow - and more hair to shed!
My stepdaughter and her son are coming to town for a visit. Hurray for vaccinations! They live in New Jersey, and haven’t been to this coast since her son was a newborn, five years ago. We moved into a “new” house three years ago, and they haven’t seen it yet! So my husband and I have been doing an extra-good job of mowing and our usual spring yard work outside and a deep clean inside – to try to restore a little of that new-house luster. (It was built in the 1950s, but even so, it’s the newest house we’ve ever lived in, and it had been professionally cleaned and painted before we moved in.)
Here’s the thing: In Northern California springtime, the grass grows a few inches a week. We’ve been mowing and weed-whipping and weed-pulling. The mornings are dewy. Add those things together and throw in a dog, and you have grass clippings and muddy feet getting tracked into the house all day. So you think, ok, the floors are the LAST thing we’ll clean.
I’m accustomed to a few red-dirt paw marks on the outside doors, down low. But when foster dog Kiki learned to open this door by jumping up and pawing the handle, the red stains got a lot higher on the door.
I noticed that the doors are still muddy outside from where my little foster dog (still happily ensconced in her new home, hurray!) was in the habit of pawing at them to get let inside. Or let herself inside, once she discovered that the kitchen door has one of those handles that you just have to paw at to open. I wiped all the doors down, noticing with some dismay that our local red dirt has stained the white paint – but the wiping took the mud down a notch, anyway! That is, until Otto got scared by the backfire of a neighbor’s lawn mower and frantically pawed at the same door to get let into the house. No problem – wiping it down again!
In the living room, where the dogs spend most of their time when they are in the house, there is another problem of order. The room needs a really good vacuuming, aaaallll the way into the corners and under the couches, and the book shelves really need to be dusted, too. You should vacuum before you dust – because vacuuming tends to make more dust – but the last thing that needs to be done is vacuuming again, because it’s spring and the hair coming off the dogs is just relentless! The couches, especially, need this. If someone could please invent a self-vacuuming couch, I’ll put in an order now.
This has been going on for days now! I wiped all the windowsills –and turned around to see water drops all over the kitchen windowsill; Woody is in the habit of drinking and then meditatively gazing out the window as the last of the water dribbles from his lips. Washed the floor mats inside the doors – and found a big grassy vomit all over the one inside the kitchen door (the dogs have been eating the spring grass like they were grazing cattle). Back into the wash it has to go. I swear, the dogs have never been so dirty!
Woody has a habit of carrying his last mouthful of water away from the bowl and letting it leak out of his mouth (all over the floor and windowsill) as he gazes out the kitchen window.
Cleaning my car took more time than anything in the house. Usually, I’m the only one driving it; my husband prefers our pickup, even just for errands. And I drive my dogs to our favorite walking spots, at least several times a week – and when I have adolescent foster dogs, daily! So I do tend to let the dog hair and dirt build up in the car; it’s too hard to keep it even kind of clean. After I pulled out all the sheets and blankets that usually cover the seats, it still took me about four hours with a Shop-Vac and towels and hair-rollers to get the car about 90% dog-hair free. And I will NOT allow the dogs back inside the car until our guests leave. We’re doing home-based recreation and exercise for the duration, because that was just way too much work.
Of course, the truth is, I don’t usually notice every single bit of dirt and grass and hair shed by my dogs – and especially after a year of virtually no visitors, I haven’t worried about it too much. Don’t get me wrong, our home is usually quite neat and fairly clean, but there is nothing like having a non-dog-owning guest, especially a non-frequent visitor, for giving you the incentive to do a nice deep clean. I just wish I could put the dogs in little hermetically sealed space suits until the guests arrive.
You may have noticed that the April 2021 cover looked a little more packed with article descriptions than usual. We’ve been tinkering a bit with the editorial mix and bringing some added value to your subscriptions with more authors and more articles in each issue. We’ll keep giving you the sort of in-depth information you count on WDJ to offer, but present you with more tightly focused articles, too.
As a long-time subscriber to the New Yorker, I will be the first to admit I can’t find the time to read all the very long articles they publish, but I can generally give the shorter ones a scan. I save their back issues – particularly the ones that contain articles on topics I really am interested in – but the stack keeps growing, and the clock never seems to offer any extra time to catch up! I don’t want to put the same burden on WDJ readers!
This issue contains articles by new contributors: Eileen Fatcheric, DVM, a veterinary writer, and Jennifer Berg, a certified professional dog trainer.
Dr. Fatcheric, a veterinarian and an avid agility competitor from Syracuse, New York, wrote two articles for us in her debut: one about gabapentin, a pain reliever that’s grown increasingly popular with veterinarians due to its effectiveness, low cost, and lack of side effects; and the second about cleaning your dog’s ears to prevent ear infections. We’re pleased to have Dr. Fatcheric’s clear and concise contributions.
Jennifer Berg’s dog-training business is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, and is called Oberhund. In addition to her group and private dog-training classes, Berg offers consultations on dog-park design. She’s working on an article for our next issue on how owners can reduce conflicts between dogs at dog parks to keep their dogs safe.
I took the photos that accompany Berg’s article in this issue about safely introducing dogs to paddlesports. Since my own two dogs already have a lot of experience in a canoe and on paddleboards, I needed a model. I considered using the 10-month-old mixed-breed dog I am fostering, but she has been with me for less than a week and has been through numerous changes recently (shelter, adoption, return, shelter, and now, my house for fostering). So, instead, I asked my friend Jessie, who owns one of my former foster puppies, 2-year-old Nova; they have modeled for me for other articles. All I can say is, thank goodness we followed all of Berg’s suggestions for introducing Nova to paddleboarding equipment on dry land. As it was, we had some surprises when we got to the water. See Berg’s article if you plan to paddle with your dog this spring or summer.
It’s a funny thing: No matter how badly I want to place a foster dog or foster puppy, no matter how much time and money and trouble they have caused me, the minute they leave to join a new household, the worrying starts.
For the past month, I’ve been fostering a goofy little mixed breed dog with giant ears. I called her Kiki, after the only repeated syllables I could call out loud that she would respond to (no response whatsoever to “Puppy! Baby! Beebee! Bobo! Mama! Taytay! Lala! etc. ). She has been a tiny pain in the butt: Adorable and friendly, housetrained and easy to train, but also a counter-surfer, prone to picking up eyeglasses and gardening gloves and carrying them off to far corners of the property, and of course, our biggest complaint, actually driving my “fun uncle” dog Woody crazy with her desire to play all day long. He’s up for playing some, but her style of play is very bitey/nippy, and his sensitive ears and jowls and lips and, most of all, his good humor, were showing some wear. I was taking a couple hours every day to take Kiki someplace for a super long run alongside my mountain bike, or an off-leash hike, and still, she was pestering the heck out of Woody. For his sake especially, and because it was taking so much of my time to run her every day, I really wanted to get Kiki placed ASAP!
Doesn’t Woody look a little tired?
Through the generous sharing of my “please help me find an adopter for this dog!” posts on Facebook, finally a perfect home appeared last Sunday: A woman who lives on five fully fenced acres in a rural area, is retired, and likes to both jog and ride mountain bikes. Any skepticism I had about a woman older than me riding mountain bikes was shot down when she drove through my gate in a big brand-new pickup truck with a bike rack mounted in the back. Yay! Her sister also lives on the property and has two dogs, so she brought the dogs along and we introduced the dogs, and it totally seemed like they were all going to be able to get along.
After the adopter filled out the adoption agreement from the shelter, I put Kiki in her truck and kissed her nose, fondled those magnificent ears one last time and, of course, burst into tears, waving the truck through the gate too choked up to shout a goodbye.
Kiki and the adopter’s sister’s Border Collie sleeping in the back seat on the way home
The adopter sent me a picture from the road: Kiki sleeping on the back seat of the truck with her sister’s same-age Border Collie. It was all going to be fine!
But then, I sent her a text about a tiny thing I forgot to tell her later that evening, and didn’t get a response. Not the end of the world, but a tiny worry started to grow.
The next morning – still no word. I have to say, I sort of expected another photo – Kiki running around her property, sleeping on her couch or bed, playing with the Border Collie… something! Over coffee, I fretted some more. What is the fencing on the adopter’s property like? Would she call me if Kiki got out and wouldn’t come back to her, or would she be too embarrassed to do so?
I sent the adopter a text: “If I promise not to be a pest, will you send me another pic today?”
No immediate response. Shoot! Come on!
I took her mountain-bike riding several times. She would trot and lope along for five miles, never leaving my back wheel. A terrific biking partner.
I’m only slightly ashamed to admit the next thing I did was pull up a Google Street View of the woman’s address and look at the fencing. It looked good – but oh! Gates! I wonder if Kiki hopped out of the truck when the adopter got out of the truck to open the gates! Shoot! She did that to me more than once (and once locked me out of my car, stepping on the armrest control panel, too). But that was right at my house, and she didn’t try to run away, she just ran into the yard. What would she do at a stranger’s gate, with a stranger calling her?
SHOOT – I should have warned her about how Kiki often tries to jump out of the car when I get out to open my driveway gates. I should have made sure she had a leash on her!
When another 30 minutes ticked by with no text, I escalated. “Alright, I have to admit I am fretting because I forgot to tell you that she would sometimes try to get out of the car behind me when I got out to open my gate. And I imagined her jumping out when you opened your gate. If she is lost, PLEASE don’t be embarrassed but let me know RIGHT AWAY so I can come help look for her! No judgment! I should have told you!”
That bowl, full of kibble and ready to be fed to Woody, was on the table above her. She jumped up and knocked it down with a huge CLANG! She showed absolutely no fear but dug into the chow. Kiki 1, Nancy 0 points for good management.
I know, I was sounding like a crazy person, right? By the time another hour ticked by, though, I was absolutely certain that’s exactly what happened. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get all my work done this week if I had to take all day Monday off, looking for Kiki in a strange town. . . . and then the text with a selfie of Kiki and her adopter arrived. “We’re good!” it said.
Instantly, my worry evaporated. “Okay!” I thought to myself. “She’s just a minimal texter! I won’t worry!”
But you know, I probably will.
I was discussing all this with a friend – someone who has gone on most of those Kiki-tiring hikes and bike rides with me – and she said, “Couldn’t you write up a contract that says the adopter has to send you a photo a day for a few weeks?” Ha! I could – but maybe I will just send them this blog post, instead.
But look: Many, many dogs escape from their new homes in the first week – especially ones like Kiki, who were once picked up as strays and spent time in a shelter. Kiki was also previously adopted twice and returned, and then spent a month with me! If she got loose, where might she try to go? It’s anyone’s guess! Adopters really have to make sure they keep ID on their new dogs at all times, and pay special attention to gates, doors, and even open car windows. Keep them leashed any time you leave the property until you have a great bond and a good recall – and check in with those former foster people!
** Postscript: As I was writing this, Kiki’s adopter sent me about five videos of Kiki playing with the Border Collie, and showing me around her acreage and home. It all looks terrific. I’ll sleep well tonight!
A nice, clean, healthy ear. The ear canal (is where you want to get all the cleaning fluid to go)
As a small-animal veterinarian, I see dogs for “check ears” appointments daily. Ear problems are common in dogs – the basic anatomy of the canine ear and certain breed characteristics are predisposing factors for ear infections – but fortunately, much can be done to overcome these factors and prevent infections.
Ear monitoring and maintenance is important for preventing infections. Ear infections are obviously uncomfortable for your dog. But the problem can get more serious than that. Left untreated, infections cause worsening pain and damage in the ear, including open sores, ulcers, swelling, and bleeding. Over time, this can become so severe that the ear canal becomes completely closed off by scar tissue. The closed-off ear will still be painful and infected – and now virtually impossible to treat. The only recourse in this end-stage situation is surgical ablation (removal) of the entire ear canal.
Untreated ear infections can also result in neurological disorders including head tilt, loss of hearing, balance problems, and facial nerve paralysis. Dogs who shake their heads in pain are prone to aural hematoma, where blood vessels in the pinna (ear flap) rupture from the force of the head-shaking and the pinna fills with blood. This painful complication typically requires surgical intervention or placement of a drainage tube for several weeks.
PROBLEMATIC EAR ANATOMY
The anatomy of the dog’s ear canal makes it the perfect place for bacterial infections to brew. It’s a warm, dark, closed-off space with minimal air flow – like an incubator. Add in a little natural ear wax as a culture medium and you have the perfect environment for microorganisms to grow and multiply.
Breeds with long and/or heavy ears, such as Cocker Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, and Bassett Hounds, have ideal bacterial incubators. Some breeds have a tendency to grow hair from deep in their ear canals, decreasing fresh air flow. Poodles, Schnauzers, and Shih Tzus are great examples of this. It is important in these breeds that the ear hair be gently plucked or extracted to open up the ear canal. Trimming this hair doesn’t help as it leaves the deeper canal still full of hair.
Dogs who are bathed frequently or love to swim can end up with excess moisture in the ear canal. This makes the environment even more inviting to unwelcome microorganisms.
Allergies are a common ailment in dogs. The hallmark of allergies in dogs is normal, healthy looking skin that seems to itch and becomes inflamed. Well, guess what? The ear canals are lined with skin! And allergic inflammation cranks up the heat in the microbial incubator!
There are currently many safe and effective ways to manage allergies in dogs. If your dog suffers from chronic ear infections be sure to ask your veterinarian about the possibility of underlying allergies. You’re probably not going to stop your dog’s recurrent ear infections until his allergies are controlled.
FREQUENT EAR EXAMS
The best way to ensure that your dog enjoys the benefits of clean, comfortable, healthy ears is to be observant and involved. Never ignore the ears.
After you fill your dog’s ear with cleanser, massage the base of his ears as seen here. This helps work the solution into the folds and crevices in the ears, loosening wax and debris.
If you are one of the lucky ones whose dog’s ear canals are always quiet, clean, comfortable, and odor-free, it may not be necessary to flush or cleanse them regularly. For dogs who have recurrent ear infections, I recommend preventative cleansing once a week, for the life of the dog. More often than that, unless directed by your veterinarian, can be irritating to the ear canal.
Cleaning your dog’s ears regularly will help you differentiate between a healthy ear and one tipping toward trouble. When your dog’s ear is normal, the cotton ball or cosmetic pad that you use to clean the ear will display just a hint of beige wax and have no odor. If an infection is brewing, the discharge will likely be heavier, have a different color, and may have a foul odor. These changes are your indication to seek veterinary attention.
If Infection is Suspected....
If you think your dog has an ear infection, make an appointment to see your veterinarian. She will look deep into the ear canals with an otoscope. This helps her assess the situation, rule out ear mites, and ensure the ear drums are intact. She may take a sample to view under the microscope so she knows exactly what types of microorganisms are involved, enabling her to choose the most appropriate treatment for your dog. Last, a nice deep cleaning will be performed before you head home to start treatment.
Treatment is usually topical in the form of drops or ointment. It is important that the medication gets where it needs to be – deep in the ear canal – so make sure you become familiar with exactly where the opening of the canal is.
This opening is where you need to direct the drops or ointment, then massage the base of the ear to facilitate distribution of the topical preparation. Oral medications like antibiotics, anti-fungals, or steroids may be prescribed for severe or difficult-to-resolve cases.
Most veterinarians will suggest a medical progress exam after two weeks of treatment. This is important, as the ears may look better from the outside and your dog may be more comfortable, but the infection may not be fully resolved. In my experience, what seem like chronic, recurring ear infections are quite likely the original infection flaring up again because it never completely resolved. Your veterinarian should confirm full resolution of infection at your followup exam.
CLEANING TIPS
To safely and effectively clean your dog’s ears at home, I recommend using a reputable, commercially prepared solution. My favorite product is Epi-Otic Advanced, by Virbac. I also like Phyto S cleanser by Covetrus.
Whatever you choose, just make sure the solution is solely a cleanser. Some preparations may have steroids or other medicine in them, which are not appropriate for routine cleansing of healthy ears. Ask your veterinarian for a cleanser recommendation.
It’s best to undertake the cleaning process outdoors or in a room with easy-to-clean walls, because the first step I recommend is filling your dog’s ear canals with cleanser – which you will allow them to shake out, splattering the fluid (and, potentially, ear wax) all over. To make the process less alarming to your dog, use a room-temperature solution.
It can be challenging, but the goal is to pour as much liquid into the ear as you can, while preventing your dog from immediately shaking it all out; having a helper that your dog knows and trusts will help with this. If you can restrain your dog from shaking until both ears are filled, he’ll enjoy the next part: Spend about 60 seconds massaging the base of the ears – thumbs on top, fingers squeezing from below.
Sixty seconds is a long time in this busy world, but I assure you it is an important aspect of the process. Most dogs enjoy this part, so it’s all good. Sixty seconds allows the solution time to loosen up any debris that has accumulated deep in the canal, cleanse the skin lining the ear canal, and generally freshen up the environment.
After 60 seconds of massaging, allow your dog to shake his head. This is a natural response to feeling all that liquid in there. The centrifugal force created by the head shaking brings everything from deep in the canal out, where you can safely and easily wipe it away with cotton balls or cotton cosmetic pads.
This protocol allows you to effectively clean all the way down to the ear drum, with no risk of rupturing it. Feel free to use Q-tips to clean the crevices and folds that you can see in the outermost part of the ear canal, but never let the tip of the Q-tip out of your sight.
Excess moisture in the ear canal makes the environment more inviting to unwelcome microorganisms. Keep your dog’s ears as dry as possible. Gently pack the ear canal with cotton before bathing, and flush the ears with a good commercial cleanser after swimming.
If you need a leash to keep your dog in your canoe or kayak or on your paddle board, she's not yet ready for safe paddling. Make sure she is capable of remaining calm and compliant with your cues in the face of the many distractions you may encounter on the water.
Paddlesports have been a popular trend for the past several years, in large part due to the convenience and lowered costs of inflatables, but since the pandemic hit in 2020, the interest has skyrocketed as people seek outdoor recreational activities they can do close to home. Being able to go kayaking with your dog along for a paddle, or on a paddle board makes it even more appealing.
Paddling with a dog on board may look easy, but whether your outing is a success or a debacle depends on how well you understand and prepare for the risks and challenges. Consider these seven tips to help you enjoy the water safely with your dog while kayaking, paddleboarding, and more.
1. Paddle within your abilities
Paddling a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard can seem simple, and your excitement to get out onto the water with your furry friend could make you underestimate how difficult it can be. Weather and water conditions can quickly change, and you need to know what to do when things go wrong.
Make sure you have sufficient training and experience paddling your craft before you attempt it with a dog. Paddling with a dog on board will require more skill, strength, and stamina than paddling alone.
Depending on the size of your dog, you may have to expend a lot more energy to cope with added weight, wind resistance, sudden weight shifts, and helping your dog back onto the craft. Also, a dog can take your attention away from hazards or cause you to make unplanned stops along difficult shorelines.
2. Paddle within your dog’s abilities
What is the biggest challenge you face with your dog’s behaviors on a paddle craft? I posed this question in a social media group for people who paddle with dogs, and every response related to the dog being overstimulated by the environment or stressed by the experience. Their dogs were not able to relax and settle, and many had difficulty preventing their dogs from jumping into the water to swim, chase wildlife, or meet other paddlers nearby (and join them on their craft). Many dogs did not respond well to instructions, especially coming when called.
Don’t let your desire to bring along your dog interfere with your ability to accurately assess whether your dog will be a good passenger. A distracted dog can endanger himself, you, and others. Additionally, if you or your dog require rescue, these attempts may be hindered if your dog is fearful of, or aggressive toward, strangers.
You will need excellent verbal control of your dog in a high-distraction environment. Are you confident that your dog will be able perform a reliable recall in an environment that includes proximity to wildlife, a body of water, and objects that resemble toys (things floating in the water)? If you require a leash or other training/management tool to control your dog, then she’s not ready to come along on a paddle. (To prepare your dog, or test her preparation, try all the “Dry-Land Training” exercises.)
Is your dog physically capable of balancing on a boat or paddleboard? Your dog will require a fair amount of muscle strength and stamina to balance on the craft and get back on from the water. Water and weather conditions can put an additional strain on your dog.
Will your dog truly enjoy the experience and be able to settle? Stress – even “happy stress” – can make a dog more susceptible to dehydration, hypothermia, heat exhaustion/stroke, and shock, so you want to be skilled in reading your dog’s subtle stress signals to monitor your pet for early signs of distress and discomfort.
3. Learn first aid for dogs
The most obvious risk to your dog is drowning, so it is essential you know how to administer CPR and mouth-to-snout artificial respiration.
Perhaps less apparent but just as dangerous are the risks of dehydration, hypothermia, heat exhaustion/stroke, and shock, particularly for puppies, dogs who are elderly or in poor health, very small dogs, or brachycephalic breeds. You need to know what signs to watch for, how to provide emergency aid, and what not to do, such as cooling a dog too quickly.
4. Be aware of potential water hazards
Common water hazards include sharp debris along shorelines (shells, rocks, glass, fish hooks, etc.), contaminants (pollution, blue green algae), and large rocks, branches, or debris close to the surface. In some areas, the wildlife could be a danger to your dog, and some predators may try to snatch your dog out of the craft.A lesser-known but very real danger is water intoxication/salt water toxicity, especially if your dog likes to drink from bodies of water, bite at the water, or fetch in the water. Ingesting too much water is life-threatening, and the symptoms can be easily misdiagnosed or dismissed with deadly consequences to your dog.
5. Use a dog life jacket
Even if your dog is an excellent swimmer, a well-fitted dog life vest, appropriate for his weight, is essential for your dog’s safety as well your own – because a medium- to large-sized dog struggling to stay afloat can drown a person.
A life vest also provides some protection from the sun, rain, and cold, and it gives you something to grab onto if you need to help your dog back onto the craft. Many dog life vests have a handle on the top for this purpose. Be sure you spend time conditioning your dog to enjoy wearing the dog life vest before you try to use it on the water.
What you decide to bring with you on the craft depends on how long you plan to be out on the water and how far you will be from your vehicle. Be sure to pack the items in a good-quality dry bag. You should have with you a bottle of fresh water for your dog (and a container for your dog to drink from). It is unwise to let your dog drink from the body of water, and a bottle of clean water can also be used to flush debris from a wound.
A dry towel for your dog can also be very useful as protection from the sun or cold, and a wet towel can help in cooling your dog gently (e.g., when treating heat exhaustion/heat stroke).
There may be a high risk of paw-pad injuries from debris along the shore line, so it’s a good idea to bring some self-adhesive bandagefor rudimentary first-aid treatment until you can get your dog to the vet clinic. Dog booties might be an option for your dog, but ensure they do not interfere with your dog’s ability to balance or swim. You should also bring along emergency information such as the address and phone number of the nearest vet clinic and an emergency whistle, just in case.
For longer or more remote paddle trips, you will want to include more pet first-aid items such as (but not limited to):
• Small bottle of sterile saline solution to rinse debris from the eyes or a wound
• Extra bottle of clean water
• Disinfecting wipes
• Dog-safe antihistamine product for allergic reactions
• Peroxide to induce vomiting
• Emergency ration of your dog’s food in case you are stranded or delayed.
Here is our list of 12 items that are first aid kit essentials when traveling and doing activities with your dog.
7. Use a leash (but not on the water)
The shoreline may have sharp rocks, shells, broken glass, fishing hooks, etc., and using a leash to keep your dog near you until you board the craft can help reduce the chances of your dog injuring a paw. A leash may also be useful in emergency situations and unplanned stops, so be sure to bring it even if you don’t think your dog will need it.
Remove your dog’s leash once you are on the water, and safely stow it. A leash can become tangled in equipment and limbs (yours and the dog’s), and it can snag on objects if it drags in the water. Never tether your dog to the paddle craft, you, or any object because your dog could get tangled or dragged under the water and be unable to get loose. If your dog requires a leash to be well behaved on the water, then your dog is not ready yet to come along.
Preparation makes all the difference in the world when it comes to water-based activities with your dog. Practicing the skills that your dog will need on board your vessel (whether it’s a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard) on dry land can help ensure that your dog will enjoy the experience and comply with your instructions while on the water.
PHASE ONE: ENSURE A POSITIVE EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE EQUIPMENT
Introduce the paddle craft and related equipment in a low-distraction environment where your dog is very comfortable, such as your living room or backyard.
Merely setting up the paddle craft can make loud noises or knock over objects, so do this when your dog is not nearby to avoid creating a negative emotional response to the paddle craft. Place it on the floor or ground in such a way that it won’t wobble and then let your dog investigate it at his own pace. If your dog is cautious about approaching it, you may want to leave it out for a few days to let your dog habituate to it.
Avoid coaxing or luring a cautious dog near or onto the craft because this might cause the dog to be much closer to the scary thing than he wants to be. It can be helpful to place bits of low-value food around and near the equipment and then let your dog independently choose to approach on his own time.
When your dog consistently approaches the paddle craft in a relaxed, happy manner, you can start to train her to step onto it. Lure the behavior with a piece of food or free-shape it using a clicker or marker word. Remember to be generous with reinforcements at the early stages of teaching a new skill, and split the behavior into small steps that the dog finds very easy to do, for example, moving toward the craft, touching it, two paws on it, then fully onto the craft.
It can be helpful to provide your dog mini breaks every minute or two. A short break allows the nervous system to relax a bit and serves as a test to see if your dog wants to continue to train. Your dog might stop and scratch, disengage briefly to sniff around the room, or exhibit other displacement behaviors. If he does this, it could be an indication that it’s time to modify or end that training session. Resume the session only if your dog wants to continue and is under threshold.
Once your dog happily approaches and steps onto the craft without coaxing or luring, it’s time to try moving the craft slightly. Begin when your dog is off the craft and a distance away, to avoid startling her. Eventually you’ll let her be on the craft while you make it move slightly.
When conditioning a positive emotional response to the craft, it’s important to give your dog the choice to leave the craft at any time. If your dog doesn’t want to stay on or in it, make things easier for her and spend more time on each small step. It might mean that your training sessions have been too long, so be sure to end the practice before your dog begins to lose interest.
PHASE TWO: PRACTICE RELAXATION ON THE CRAFT
If your dog seems more amped up each subsequent training session, adapt the sessions to be less intense. For example, you may want to use lower-value treats, modify your voice and body to convey calm, and incorporate earlier or more frequent breaks.
It can also help if you pair the equipment with something the dog already feels relaxed about, such as massage or resting beside you while you read or watch a movie.
PHASE THREE: TEACH GOOD MANNERS AROUND THE CRAFT
When out on the water, your dog needs to be able to respond well to your verbal instructions, especially Come, Sit/Down (in a preferred place), Stay, Leave It, and On/Off the craft. Training these skills a few feet away from the paddle craft before attempting them while on or in the craft can make the training easier.
It’s imperative to avoid using coercion, corrections, or force while training, because this can create negative associations that could contribute to a fear or dislike of the paddling experience (and the subsequent behavior problems that come along with those negative emotions).
PHASE FOUR: ADD DISTRACTIONS AND BUILD DURATION
Make sure your dog understands and will still respond to the “sit” cue while wearing a life vest – and while sitting on or in a paddle craft while you are holding a paddle.
The remaining steps for dryland training involve gradually adding distractions and duration to simulate what the dog will experience on the water. Each of these elements should be practiced separately before combining them:
• You in or on the craft in various positions
• You holding a paddle and mimicking paddling
• You moving the paddle craft slightly, then with greater intensity
• Toys placed nearby and then rolled past the craft
• Increased duration of skills and distractions
After mastering the dryland training at home, take your craft to a park and later to the shoreline. Keep in mind that when you change the environment, your dog might need to start some of the skills back at a beginning level.
A normal metric would say no to the idea of a baby and four large dogs. But for the author's family, it was perfect. The key is how interested the adults are in making the situation work.
“As soon as Sam is the right age, we’re going to get a dog,” my friend said. According to her research, 5 years old is the magic number. Is five the best age for kids to get a dog? The problem with that enticingly simple rule is that there are plenty of 5-year-olds who are nowhere near ready to share a household safely with a dog – and plenty of 2-year-olds who are. Further, there are teenagers who can either be an incredible asset or a dangerous weak link.
The actual key to successful dog ownership is whether the adults in the household are ready to manage the situation. If they are, then almost any dog/child combination can work. Is the timing right for your family? Here are the five questions to ask yourself:
1. Is at least one adult in the household truly excited about owning a dog? If you’re doing it simply “for the kids,” don’t. For busy parents who didn’t really want a dog in the first place, the relentless nature of canine care quickly becomes overwhelming.
2 Is the dog lover in the family the one who is home and available most? If the canine enthusiast works 70 hours a week but promises to handle the dog care, this is not the time to get a dog. Even very smart dogs cannot be trained to throw up on the rug only when Daddy is home.
3. Who will train the dog? The dog/children combination is deeply rewarding when the dogs are nicely integrated into the household through good management and training – and virtually impossible to cope with when they are not. Will you be able to find the focus and energy necessary to teach a dog the behavior that is crucial to parental sanity and child safety? Will you be ready to problem-solve – “He tore apart Fluffy the bear!” – thinking through solutions incorporating exercise, training, gates for dog-free zones, strategic storage of enticing items, etc.?
4. Who will train the kids?No matter how much you work with a dog, if she is exposed to kids who put pencils in her ears, she will learn to defend herself. You won’t be okay with the result. Training your children – and their friends – how to play kindly and safely with dogs is imperative. Can you commit to that careful oversight?
5. How do you feel about chaos? I know you’re picturing a sleepy puppy snuggling in your child’s lap. Here’s a more helpful visualization exercise: The playdate mommy is on your porch, horrified because she’s just stepped in some poop. You can’t hear her over your sobbing toddler, whose Pop-Tart was stolen by your puppy. As you stand in the doorway apologizing, the puppy slips out, runs through the mud, and jumps up on the playdate mommy’s daughter, who is (was) wearing a lovely dress.
Now I ask you: Are you ready for a dog?
Dogs always bring a certain measure of unpredictable chaos to a home. For our family, that’s been welcome. It’s been a 25-year tapestry of funny, warm chaos. Knowing we can’t have a pristine white couch has been the doorway to a more relaxed lifestyle. The acceptance that a shoe may get chewed has been a reminder not to value possessions too highly. Having animals in our house has taught lessons in rolling with the punches and laughing at mishaps. Not a bad curriculum for your kids, right?
The key is that the adults in the household have to embrace that outlook. So, it comes down to whether the parents are ready for a dog. Are you ready to handle that inevitable muddy-Pop-Tart-disaster of a morning with a little quick action, a lot of laughter, and then some problem-solving? If so – you’re the right age for a dog!
Pictured here is an ideal example: Dog daycare facilities should have large outdoor spaces for dogs to run and play in. The footing should be clean and secure - not slippery in any weather. For dogs who need a break, the space should feature equipment to hide under or behind. Fences should be secure and provide a total visual barrier, to prevent dogs from being triggered into and practicing nuisance barking. Tools and receptacles for waste clean-ups should be plentiful.
*All the photos for this article appear courtesy of The Canine Connection, a dog daycare, boarding, and training facility in Chico, California.
Many modern dog owners turn to dog daycare facilities as a source of socialization and exercise, especially in cases where dogs are otherwise home alone for the owner’s full workday.
We’ve all heard the saying, “A tired dog is a good dog,” but there’s a vast difference between a dog who sleeps because he’s tired and content, and a dog who sleeps because he’s exhausted from a stress-filled day. Dogs who spend much of their day engaged in exciting activity, such as the group play often found in poorly run daycare settings, actually experience a great deal of arousal. Arousal comes with a rush of adrenaline and cortisol, which are stress hormones. Prolonged elevated levels of stress hormones aren’t healthy – for pets or people!
DOG DAYCARE SHOULDN’T BE A FREE-FOR-ALL
It’s important to understand that all dog daycare facilities are not created equal. Generally, knowledgeable trainers agree that daycare facilities where large groups of dogs have access to free play for the majority of their visit (we’ll call those facilities “traditional daycare”) aren’t in the best interest of most dogs.
“Long periods of forced social time in a large group of potentially conflicting personalities can cause a lot of tension,” says Ashlee Osborn, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, of Bonafide Dog Academy in Omaha, Nebraska. “Large group play causes heightened arousal, even in dogs who really enjoy it. This can lead to a variety of undesirable behaviors such as mouthing, jumping, barking, humping, and even fighting.”
Osborn oversees Bonafide Dog Academy’s Bonafide Day Academy, a training and enrichment-focused daycare program with an overall focus on behavioral and mental wellness. Bonafide’s model limits free play in favor of activity-focused play, simulated off-leash walks using a long line, nosework games, calming food puzzles, manners or sport-dog training, and interactive play with staff.
Group dog play typically consists of two compatible dogs paired together, or occasionally, in small groups of not more than three to five dogs. Activities are punctuated with structured downtime, with a goal of making sure each dog enjoys at least an hour of uninterrupted sleep during the day.
Bonafide’s program is dramatically different from some of the traditional dog daycares we’ve seen where, often, groups as large as 30 or more dogs spend the day in a community setting, being separated from the group only as a “time out” for exhibiting undesirable behavior. Often, proprietors of such facilities just don’t know any better.
“Much like dog training, dog daycare is an unregulated industry,” says Mandy Eakins, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, owner and trainer at Manners Matter Dog Training and Daycare in Nicholasville, Kentucky. “Anyone can open a daycare. Just because someone really likes dogs, and has had dogs, does not make them qualified to oversee groups of dogs.”
We Advise Playing Naked
Dogs should not be wearing any collars (other than breakaway safety collars) or harnesses while spending time at a daycare facility. It’s just too easy for fatal collar-related accidents to occur during group play.
Collars can be a hot topic when it comes to dog-to-dog play. While some people appreciate the ability to quickly grab a collar in an emergency, others fear – with good reason – the risk of injury (or worse!) that can occur when a dog accidentally gets his jaw stuck in the collar of a playmate.
In some cases, the use of collars can be helpful to tell similar-looking dogs apart or to remind staff of specific details related to a specific dog; one facility we know uses color-coded breakaway collars to identify intact dogs and dogs with food allergies.
Having heard far too many horror stories about collar-related strangulation, we’d advise looking for a facility that either removes collars completely or trades the dogs’ regular collars for breakaway collars. If facility staff suggests that quickly grabbing collars is necessary for the general management of dogs in a group setting, this might suggest the overall environment is not structured in ways that set dogs up for success.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
When considering dog daycare, it’s important to do your research. While we advise looking for a daycare that emphasizes enrichment over long hours spent “free ranging” with other dogs, no matter the facility, we recommend considering:
* Admissions process. A reputable daycare should ask for background about your dog’s behavior and medical history, as well as conduct an evaluation prior to welcoming your dog into the program. It’s important to be honest when completing intake paperwork and discussing your dog. The more the facility staff knows about your dog, the better prepared they’ll be to help create a positive experience at daycare.
When it comes to accepting intact dogs, policies vary. With more pet owners leaning toward delaying spay/neuter until after 1 year of age, some daycare facilities are more flexible about welcoming intact dogs. Obviously it’s important to closely manage intact dogs in a group setting, so be sure to ask questions. How are intact dogs incorporated into a play group?
* Is daycare right for your dog? Not all dogs enjoy the company of other dogs – especially groups of other dogs, and that’s okay! Eakins says younger dogs with an easy-going play style tend to do best in a group play setting. Adult dogs who haven’t been exposed to group play are less likely to integrate successfully.
If you’re considering daycare because your dog otherwise sleeps all day and you think he’s bored, consider this: Dogs are crepuscular, meaning, they are naturally most active at dawn and dusk. It’s perfectly normal for dogs to spend much of their days asleep!
Participants for playgroups should be matched in size and play style. The Labradoodle in the back is larger than most of the other dogs in this group, but he’s also young and shy, and not remotely ready for rough-and-tumble play. This group suits him perfectly.
* Group size, selection, and amount of free play. When it comes to group play, less is more! Dogs typically play in pairs, even when in a group setting. Watch a group of dogs. It’s pretty easy to spot which two are actively playing together, and which dogs are on the outskirts of the interaction, trying to lobby their way in.
We recommend looking for a facility that limits group size to a maximum of 10 dogs together at a time, matched based on both size and play style, with at least two knowledgeable and skilled humans overseeing the activity. Even a high-volume facility can accomplish this by rotating dogs between group playtime and rest breaks, which are key to preventing over-arousal.
“Dogs need time to decompress,” says Osborn. “Anything longer than an hour of group play at a time is going to be too much for most dogs.” For some dogs, play lasting more than 20 to 30 minutes can begin to send them over the edge.
Areas for downtime should be completely out of view of group play to promote rest and prevent frustration behaviors. Dogs who actively ignore group interaction should have an easy way to opt out in favor of an activity better suited to their general temperament or their mood that day.
At The Canine Connection, most dogs take their rest periods in individual kennels, which are situated in rooms that hold no more than four kennels apiece. But older and particularly mellow dogs may take their naps in the facility lounge, which boasts leather sofas and Dog TV.
* Facility design and safety. Play space should be free from hazards, well ventilated, and have a non-slip surface with good drainage. Messes should be cleaned immediately using an animal-safe disinfectant. Toys, bowls, and kennels should be cleaned daily.
Facilities should insist daycare participants have, at a minimum, any vaccines required by law. Dogs exhibiting signs of illness (diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, runny nose, etc.) should not be allowed to participate. The facility should have a detailed emergency plan – in writing – and be able to explain, at least briefly, how an emergency evacuation would take place.
“At Manners Matter, our city emergency response knows dogs are on the premises, and an animal shelter emergency vehicle will be dispatched for any calls from our facility,” says Eakins. The team also practices emergency drills ranging from severe weather to breaking up fights.
* Staffing and staff education. “A good daycare provider should use proactive management to prevent problems and aim to set up dogs for success,” says Osborn. If spray bottles, shake cans, citronella collars, or worse, electric collars, are the go-to on the play floor, that’s a huge red flag. A good facility will create smaller playgroups, and constantly adjust the mix of individuals in groups to keep play from spinning up into overstimulation.
The ability to set up dogs for success requires a knowledgeable staff led by a management team committed to continuing education. Ask how the staff has been educated about dog body language and behavior; the answer should include some formal learning with professional materials, not simply a number of years of experience with dogs. As you listen to the answer, pay attention: Does anyone casually throw around words like “dominant” or “stubborn?” (Those are red-flag words that would not be used in a facility committed to adog-friendly approach.)
If a facility touts “certified” trainers, ask questions about the certification. Do trainers rely on positive reinforcement or do they call themselves “balanced,” which often implies a willingness to use strong aversives, even outside of emergency situations. Make sure the facility employs enough qualified staff to ensure dogs on the group play floor are always properly supervised and never left alone.
* Too much of a good thing? Even the most enrichment and wellness-focused daycare facility can be too much for most dogs to attend daily. “Very few dogs do well attending daycare five days a week,” says Eakins. Over-stimulation is just as bad as under-stimulation, and dogs need time to rest and recover from the excitement of daycare.
Consider limiting daycare to a couple of consistently scheduled days per week (to help keep compatible play groups intact) with a day or two break between visits.
If you think your dog needs more interaction during the week, try looking for a dog walker who can offer your dog lower-key activities on the “off” days.
The trainer has given a verbal cue to the dog, with no physical cues or hints. The dog is unsure; she thinks maybe the cue is for "down," but she's not sure. She hedges with the start of a "down" but stalls out, waiting for confirmation that she's on the right track.
It is well known in the dog world that our canine companions are primarily body language communicators, i.e., visual learners. This makes sense; they communicate with each other primarily through body language, including posture, facial expressions, and movement. When we start training them, they learn hand-signal cues and body prompts quite easily, but usually, we have to put extra effort into getting our dogs to respond reliably to our verbal cues.
This explains why dogs sometimes don’t respond to a verbal cue even though the cue-giver is confident that their dog “knows” it. All too often the person giving the cue fails to realize that, usually, they accompany their verbal cues with one or more subtle body cues (such as a slight movement of their shoulders, a downward glance, or a tilt of the head), that their dog depends on to understand and respond to the cue.
SO WHY VERBAL?
Our training programs here at Peaceable Paws emphasize the use of verbal cues; we start with verbal cues in our basic training classes and add hand signals in our more advanced classes.
If dogs are such great body language communicators, why do we start with verbal cues? Because we humans are a verbal species and our dogs have to live in our world! Our clients want to be able to talk to their dogs and have their dogs respond.
Also, if we begin with the more challenging piece, neither dog nor human become reliant on the easy hand signals. They learn the verbal cues first – and the hand signals, when we get to them, are a breeze. The humans are happy that they can communicate verbally with their dogs and delighted by how quickly their dogs learn the body language cues when we add them.
Additionally, there are times when we need to cue our dogs when they can’t see us. They may be too far away, it might be dark, they might be in another room, or looking elsewhere. Voice cues may be able to reach them when hand signals cannot.
HOW TO TEACH A VERBAL CUE
Here’s how we get new behaviors on verbal cue, using “Down” for our example:
1. Without yet using any verbal cue, lure your dog into a down position from a sit. Put the treat in front of her nose and move the treatslowly toward the ground.
When her elbows touch the ground – when she’s fully in the down position – mark the moment with the “click!” of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!” and feed her a treat. You may need to mark and treat several times on the way down, until your dog figures out what you are asking of her.
2. When your dog easily follows the lure into a down position, add the verbal cue. With your treat out of sight (put your hands behind your back), say “Down” clearly and happily, just one time. Pause briefly, then lure your dog into the down. When her elbows touch the ground, mark the behavior (click or “yes!”) and give her a treat. Repeat 6 to 7 times.
3. Now, say “Down” as in Step 2, but vary the amount of time you pause before using the lure. This gives her time to process what you are asking of her and time to offer a response.
If you see her look at the ground, or make a slight movement, it’s as if she’s asking, “Is this right?” If she does this tell her, “Good girl!” and quickly lure her the rest of the way – then mark the correct behavior and give her a treat.
4. Some dogs will begin offering the “Down” behavior on your verbal cue during Step 3. This is a nice shortcut – mark and treat and keep practicing. (Just because she does it once doesn’t mean she completely understands and gets it; you still need to practice to make it a solid, reliable response.)
5. Most dogs need some additional steps before they begin offering the “Down” on verbal cue alone. Continue to fade the lure as in Step 3. As you move the treat to the floor, watch her closely. When she appears to be committed to lying down, whisk the treat quickly away and hide it behind your back. If she finishes the “Down,” mark and treat.
If she doesn’t finish, bring the treat back out and lure her the rest of the way, marking (click or “yes!”) when her elbows hit the ground and giving her a treat.
Next time, lure her a little farther toward the floor before whisking the treat away. Continue to vary the amount of time you wait after giving the verbal cue before luring.
6. Gradually whisk the treat away sooner and sooner, until you are barely or not using the lure at all. Notice that I don’t suggest doing any intermediate hand signals or body prompts in this process, like pointing at the ground – or worse, using “air cookies” (holding my empty hand in such as way to appear that I have a treat). If you use any kind of gesture, your dog still hasn’t learned the verbal cue, and you still have to go through the process of fading the hand signal or prompt.
7. At some point, your dog will begin to lie down when she hears the verbal cue, without a lure. Congratulations! Now, start helping her to generalize this cue and behavior to other locations; practice in a variety of environments, starting in low-distraction places and gradually building up to more distracting ones.
The procedure works the same way for any other behaviors you want to “put on verbal cue.” Use your lure to show your dog what you want her to do. As soon as she will lure easily into position, introduce a clear verbal cue, and then start fading the lure, until she will do the behavior on just the verbal cue. Then generalize.
DO’S AND DON’TS OF VERBAL CUES
A few important things to keep in mind about verbal cues:
* Cues are not “dog commands.” Educated trainers no longer use the word “command” – which has a “Do it or else!” implication. Modern trainers use “cues” – and a cue is simply an opportunity for the dog to be reinforced for performing a behavior.
* Give cues in gentle, cheerful tones. Even the word “command” implies a loud, forceful, mean, commanding tone of voice.
Deliver the treat to her lips, so she doesn’t have to get up to reach it!
* Say the cue one time, and if the dog doesn’t do the desired behavior, help him (with a lure or body prompt). He may not know the behavior as well as you thought, he may have been distracted, he may not have heard you. If you repeat the cue, “Sit. Sit! SIT!” (becoming more commanding with each repetition) then “Sit. Sit! SIT!” becomes the cue and your dog may learn to wait until he hears the third cue every time, before he performs the behavior.
* It will help your dog if everyone who interacts with him uses the same cues. While dogs can learn multiple cues for the same behavior, it’s easier for your dog if you keep it simple – one verbal cue for one behavior.
* That said, dogs cannot learn multiple behaviors for the same cue. Again, everyone needs to honor this caveat with your dog. If “Down!” is supposed to mean “lie down flat” then you need a different word that means “Get off the sofa” or “Don’t jump on me.” I use “Down” to mean “Lie down” and “Off” to mean “Get off of something.”
* Short, crisp cues generally work better than long, multi-syllabic words. Although dogs can learn longer words, the English “Sit” tends to work better than the French, “Asseyez-vous.” “Fetch” tends to work better than “Bring it here.” However, it is also true that once they have learned a cue very well, dogs are able to pick cues out of a sentence. When your dog is really reliable with his “Off” cue, you can say, “Please get off the sofa” and he will – and you can feel less stilted in your communications with him.
* Pronounce your cue the same way from one time to the next. If you normally give a short, crisp “Down” cue, but sometimes you use a more emphatic, drawn-out “Doowwnn,” there’s a good chance your dog might not understand you. Or, as in the “Sit. Sit! SIT!” example, it may end up that your dog recognizes only the “Doowwnn!”as the cue. Be consistent!
PUT THE TIME IN
It’s true that it takes a little longer to teach verbal cues than hand signals. But, all in all, it isn’t that difficult to do, and it’s completely worth the effort when you know you can communicate with your dog in your own native language.
Hand Signal Cues
Hand signals can be used to cue a limitless number and variety of behaviors, and they are especially handy (no pun intended) for those occasions when you don’t want to disrupt quiet time (the baby’s sleeping!), interrupt your phone conversation or Zoom meeting, and for communicating with hearing-impaired dogs.
There are two different philosophies regarding hand signals – and they both work. The first is that hand signals should be large and vigorous, so your dog can easily see them from far away. If you do distance work with your dog, these are, indeed, preferred. Large signals are commonly used in various canine competitions, as the handler doesn’t want to risk having her dog miss the signals. The second approach is to use small, subtle, hand signals so you can cue your dog unobtrusively in close quarters, in polite company, or in public.
The good news is that, because dogs can learn multiple cues for the same behavior, you can teach yours both the big signals for distance work, and the small signals for close-up work, if you want.
Still, we humans are a verbal species, and we want – and expect – our dogs to respond to our spoken cues. For that reason, in our Peaceable Paws training programs we emphasize teaching verbal cues, then add the relatively easy hand signals after the dog knows the verbal cue.
I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
