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These two darling little dogs are most likely brothers. In the shelter, they appeared to be super energetic and barky - which is probably why, six weeks later, one of them is still looking for a home.
My young adult son lives in the San Francisco Bay area with
his girlfriend, a couple of roommates, and his all-black Black and Tan
Coonhound, Cole. Cole is sweet, friendly, calm, and well-behaved, so anyone in
the household who walks Cole is constantly fielding compliments on the handsome
dog, and asked “Where did you get your dog?”
My son always tells people, “My mom volunteers at a shelter
north of Sacramento, and she finds great dogs there.” He’s repeated this so
many times that several of his friends have asked if I could help them find a
dog, too!
It’s actually one of my favorite things to do – to help
people and families find appropriate pets – and I’m pleased to say I’ve had a
few terrific successes at this job. At one point, my son was working in a
dog-friendly office where two of his co-workers had dogs they had gotten from
my shelter with my help, giving the office a total of three dogs from my little local rural shelter.
Looking for two perfect dogs
At this moment, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for four more of
my son’s friends in the form of two different young couples.
One couple is actually looking for a second dog to join their family; the young man adopted a dog – his
first! – from my shelter in 2015. Because he had never before owned a dog, I
was looking for an “easy” dog for him: a calm, adult dog with as few behavior
issues as possible. I found a beautiful brindle female who looked like she was
possibly a Greyhound-mix, who got along well with other dogs and didn’t seem to
have any issues that a novice dog owner wouldn’t be able to handle. Though she
didn’t seem to know any cues
whatsoever (not even the basics of “sit,” “down,” “come,” etc.), she was very
affectionate and loved being petted – perhaps to a fault. Demanding affection
and attention by pawing at people may have been her biggest behavior “problem.”
I fostered her for a week, gave her some basic training, and then the young man
drove three hours to adopt her, as it turned out, on February 14. Inspired by
the date, he named her Valentine.
I fostered this beautiful dog for a week before my son’s friend drove three hours to adopt her and name her Valentine.
At some point, he and Val were joined by a human female – and
the three of them pursued training so that Val could do work as a therapy dog!
I recently got an email from them with this report: “Val is living her
best life. She still comes with me to work. She also now volunteers as an
Animal Assisted Therapy dog with the SF-SPCA. She visits an emergency
shelter for domestic violence survivors where she gets petted by a bunch
of kids and their moms. I think Val gets more enjoyment out of her visits than
the kids!” I cried when I received that note! A job where she can be
petted and petted is absolutely what that dog wanted and deserved.
But the real reason that Val’s family wrote to me: Today,
they are looking for another, smaller female dog to join their family, one who
must absolutely get along with the older, very submissive, sweet Val, but who
might also be a jogging companion for the active couple.
The other
couple/friends of my son are looking for a very
small breed puppy; they’d prefer a female who will mature to about 10 pounds,
so they can take her on their travels in a small bag, but who will be athletic
enough to join them on hikes. (My son is an athlete, and so are most of his
friends!) There is a darling litter of Chihuahua/Dachshund-type pups at my
shelter that will be ready for adoption soon, and I’m hoping that one of them
will fit the bill.
Consider Likes AND Dislikes
When I agree to look for a dog for someone I know, I always
ask them for information about what they really
want and need in a dog as well as what they absolutely do not want, and I try to stick to that criteria, and encourage them
to do so, too. I beg people not to get into a rush and bend too far from what
they know they need, but to take
their time and get the dog who will fit most seamlessly into their lives and
homes and hearts. After all, there are more than enough dogs who need homes!
The right dog is out there, as long as people take their time and don’t take
home a dog they have misgivings about because they are in a rush to adopt on a
certain timetable. It can be devastating for some dogs to get adopted and
returned a number of times (note that other dogs may be happier to take breaks
from their shelter stays and don’t show signs of increased stress or “shutting
down” after failed adoptions).
Some people don’t care much about sex or breed or coat, but
the dog’s size is an issue – especially in urban areas where people may live in
housing with maximum-size rules for pets. I have known several people who are
allergic to dogs, but who are able to deal with the symptoms presented by
smaller dogs with very short, thin coats. Some people are willing and able to
deal with any sort of behavior issue that might arise; for others, a
dog-aggressive dog or one with serious separation anxiety might be beyond their
ability to address. And, of course, I always keep in mind that young couples,
in particular, should be looking for dogs who love kids.
Here’s the hardest part of going to the shelter to look for dogs that meet a potential adopter’s checklist of “wants” and “don’t wants”: Finding dogs that I adore but that don’t meet my potential adopters’ selection criteria. Take, for example, the little guy who caught my eye more than six weeks ago, when I started my on-and-off-again search for these two couples. There were actually two dogs I liked – obvious littermates, an estimated two or three years old – and I spent about an hour with the energetic little guys, teaching them to sit for treats (instead of jumping all over me) – but they didn’t appeal to either one of my adopting couples. Val’s family really would prefer a female, and the other needs a smaller dog; these boys were 15 and 20 pounds and too tall to travel in an under-the-seat bag on an airplane. I wasn’t worried, though; the boys were so cute, and I thought they would get snapped up in a hot minute.
Taking a break from the search
I have had this guy at my house for less than 24 hours and I’m already convinced what a great little dog he is. If he has flaws, I haven’t seen them yet.
I had to take a few weeks off from my search. I was on
deadline, we sold a property and there was lots of last-minute moving and
cleaning to do, and then we took a week off to travel to the East Coast for Thanksgiving
and family visits. So when I went to the shelter yesterday, I was really surprised to see the larger of
the two brother dogs still there! No takers after six weeks! It’s true that he
barks and jumps in his kennel – but when I gave him a treat through the cage bars,
he quickly remembered me and sat in order to get me to give him some more
treats, just like that. Super smart! And
so cute!
Dang it! I had no choice but to bring him home for
fostering; perhaps with some training and decompressing out of the shelter, I
can find him a home while continuing my search for a different dog for my son’s
friends. Or, breaking all my own rules about selection criteria, perhaps I can
see if Val’s family would consider a male dog after all. To me, gender seems
like the least important criteria of all – what about you? Maybe it’s more
important to other people than it is to me.
These dogs balked because they wanted to roll on the grass a bit longer. The owner could make it worth their while to continue with treats.
I was just driving down the street and my eye, as always, was drawn to a dog – a Golden Retriever puppy, I saw as I got closer – being walked by an older woman (sheesh, probably my age!) But just as I passed, I saw something that I always hate to see: for whatever reason, the puppy suddenly put on the brakes, refusing to go forward, and the woman, exasperated, just started dragging the pup by the collar along the sidewalk. Noooooo!
I have heard this complaint from puppy owners before:
“He only will go about a half a block from our home, and
then he will just sit down and go no farther!”
“Whenever she feels like it, she will just lay down and
refuse to go!”
“I know he still has energy, because as soon as we get home
he runs all over the house! He’s just stubborn!”
Pulling Your Dog Is Not the Solution
First, please, I beg of you: Don’t pull your puppies!
Pulling and dragging a pup can not only injure their necks and dislocate knees
and elbows that are still rubbery (and with growth plates still not closed),
but also give them a highly negative, unhappy association with you, the leash,
and going on walks. Dragging and using force can only make matters worse!
So what should you
do instead?
I would both respect the puppy’s strong aversion – and look
for ways to change his mind about going along with you. In fact, I’d try to
make going with you irresistible.
Examine what might be bothering him
But first, as a matter of respect for his wishes, I would
examine the possibility that there was something that was aversive to the pup
that he is trying to avoid. In this case, I was in the frigid northwest, and
the sidewalks are both icy and freezing and there has been a liberal use of
salt and other chemical icemelts, which can burn a puppy’s tender feet. (Drag
him just a few steps, and now he has raw, scraped feet, which will burn even more!)
In other places, the concrete might be too hot or rough. Pay attention to his
preferences: Does he walk off of the sidewalk and onto the grass at every
opportunity? Is he avoiding certain types of surfaces?
It may be that he’s experiencing another painful stimuli, or
once was subjected to painful stimuli on the route that he thinks you are
taking. The traffic may be extra loud – or even, perhaps it was once very loud on that street, as when a
fire truck once went by with its siren blaring, and the pup associates that
painful noise with that street. Does the pup not want to go at all, or just not
that way? If you turn around and go home, will he happily set off with you in
another direction, or does he just want to get home? If you can be flexible enough
to let him pick the direction, does he choose another route? Pay attention to
these subtleties and see if you can determine what, specifically, he is having
a hard time with.
Could your dog’s gear be the problem?
Next, I’d consider your walking gear. If his collar sometimes delivers a painful tightening sensation, or his harness has gotten too tight because he’s gone through a growth spurt (or was poorly fit to begin with and is rubbing him or jamming him in the elbow with every stride), he’s not going to be having a purely fun experience walking with you. Get a well-fitting flat collar or a harness that’s more comfortable and fits better. If he goes more willingly with different gear on, you have at least one answer.
Next, I’d work on trying to increase his enjoyment of
walking places with you. You can start this at home! See if you can “take him
for a walk” around your house and/or yard without
a leash. That’s right – just by using your cheerful voice, treats, a toy,
and/or a playful demeanor. If you can’t be interesting or exciting or reinforcing
enough to keep him with you on your own property, what is going to make him
want to accompany you out in a much more distracting world – one that might be
full of scary or aversive distractions or one that is rife with distractions
that are more interesting or fun than a distracted, morose, punitive, or
demanding human?
Make outings with you irresistible
If he puts on the brakes at home, or veers away from you in favor of something else, see if you can up the ante – make being with you far more attractive by grabbing a toy and tossing it around in an inviting way, or dashing off to hide and calling him in a super excited voice (perhaps even leaving a trail of treats behind you as you look for a place to hide that is not too hard but not too easy). Be unpredictable! As you trot together down a hall, suddenly turn into a bedroom and fling yourself onto a bed; when he comes back to see where you went, let out a squeal of happiness and praise him! Once he’s gained interest in being with you at home, take the games out onto walks, too. Make yourself more interesting, fun, and reinforcing than anything else out there and he will want to be with you, even through various physical discomforts like freezing sidewalks.
Yes, there are times when you might have to pick up your puppy and carry him home – just as every parent has at some point had to pick up a tired, scared, or hungry toddler, calling it a day. This is a far better alternative than imposing physical force on his tender psyche and joints. I can’t help but think, every time I see one of these recalcitrant pups putting on the brakes out in the world that I will be seeing that puppy again shortly, either in my local training center (ideally) or in one of my local shelter pens, given up as “stubborn” or “stupid” – when in fact, it was strictly due to the owner’s use of force on the canine equivalent of a toddler.
This photo is the author's dog, Duncan, fully anesthetized, intubated, and prepped for a dosage of palliative radiation therapy intended to reduce the size of his nasal carcinoma. It looks brutal, and yet, hours later, he'd be fully recovered and asking to play a game of catch with his favorite ball.
For each of the past six months, I’ve written an article for WDJ about the cancers that most commonly afflict dogs. It’s my sincere hope the articles will help any dog owners who find themselves in a fight for their own dogs’ lives understand what they are up against, learn about treatment protocols and median survival times, and where to find clinical trials for and cutting-edge research on the various cancers.
Gathering the information for the series took a huge amount of time and work, but it’s been a labor of love – a way of paying back the many dedicated, knowledgeable veterinary professionals who helped me get through the illnesses of my two previous dogs.
Unfortunately, both of my beloved dogs ultimately succumbed to their diseases. But we enjoyed many wonderful days together while we lived with cancer.
IT’S A PERSONAL FIGHT
My Border Collie, Daisy, was diagnosed in 2010 with transitional cell carcinoma, a rare form of cancer, accounting for about 2% of cancers that occur in dogs. I threw myself into researching the disease and treatments and was fortunate to have a group of amazing veterinary specialists on her team.
I was petrified prior to Daisy’s first treatment, but her primary veterinarian, Dr. Jeffrey Bryan, assured me that severe reactions were rare and this treatment would provide the best opportunity for an extended life span with good quality. My trust in her good doctors was not misplaced; Daisy lived with great quality of life for 2½ years after diagnosis, undergoing chemotherapy during most of that time (see “Chemotherapy Can Be Kind,” WDJ October 2011), even playing with a flying disc after every treatment.
Then, in 2015, my other Border Collie, Duncan, was diagnosed with nasal carcinoma – another rare form of cancer in dogs, accounting for about 1% of all canine neoplasia. It was inoperable, but radiation therapy provided the best chance at reducing the tumor size and providing an extending survival time.
Even after the experience with Daisy, radiation therapy frightened me: my 14-year-old dog had to be fully anesthetized every day for five days in a row to receive a therapeutic dose of radiation to his head. Duncan was a very sensitive soul; I worried about how these all-day experiences would affect him, not to mention the risks of all that anesthesia.
To my surprise and delight, Duncan enthusiastically embraced the daily road trips of two hours each way and adored his veterinary technician. He happily left me in the waiting room to go with her for treatment. I’d wait for hours in a bookstore, buying way too many books and drinking way too much tea.
At the end of the day I would pick him up and we would journey home. By the time we arrived home, he had completely recovered and was ready to play ball for hours (in his heaven, balls rain from the sky). He felt better after those radiation treatments than he had in the weeks prior. There is something to be said for the pain-relieving properties of radiation therapy.
We had hoped for a good year. We got a great month. Yes, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
I have to admit that the research for this series left me discouraged; 50 years of scientific investigation into cancer has resulted in only moderately improved treatments – options that, sometimes, extend patients’ lives for just a few months at sometimes incredible cost (physical, emotional, financial).
For perspective, I turned to someone who has been studying, researching, and treating canine cancer for more than 15 years, Jeffrey Bryan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM Oncology – yes, the same person I was lucky to have as my dogs’ first vet. Dr. Bryan is no longer in private practice, having long since decamped for research and academia. He is now a professor of oncology at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and director for the school’s Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Laboratory. When I first met Dr. Bryan, he was working in a veterinary practice in San Francisco. He impressed me with his warmth and knowledge way back when, and he’s only gotten warmer and more knowledgeable with time in this challenging field.
I asked Dr. Bryan whether he still feels hopeful about treating canine cancer, and he said he absolutely does. “What gives me hope is the fact that we make progress every year,” he told me. “I watch brilliant young clinicians and researchers become attracted to oncology every year, making me optimistic for creative new solutions. Companies come along with new approaches to treating cancer all the time. Some of these work very well.”
Dr. Jeffrey Bryan in 2000, when he was still in a general practice veterinarian in San Francisco. Coincidently, he’s examining a patient he had been treating for mammary cancer
Dr. Bryan reminded me, however, that it’s fruitless to hope for the “end” of cancer. “Cancer will always be with us, I’m afraid,” he says. “It’s an evolutionary disease. We need to continue to get better at recognizing it early, addressing it comfortably, and fitting the most effective treatment to each patient.”
Dr. Bryan’s observations reflect some of the newest approaches to cancer treatment, whether it be for humans or canines. Some researchers are moving toward reframing cancer as a chronic illness, one where patients can coexist with cancer cells (as long as the cancer is prevented from growing unchecked). It is hoped that new diagnostics can be developed to provide the earliest identification possible and then eradicate cancerous cells at inception, thereby preventing them from developing into an untreatable malignancy.
As depressed as I am about the prevalence of canine cancer, I do find hope in the work of Dr. Bryan and all of his colleagues working in the specialty of veterinary oncology. Remarkable advances have been made in treating our canine companions, supported by the developments in affiliated fields such as imaging, rehabilitation, pain management, and pharmacology. Advances in the fields of palliative care and immunotherapy have grown exponentially; the latter is especially promising.
A FEW MORE CANINE RESOURCES
In my five previous articles, I described the latest diagnostic tools and treatments for the most common canine cancers: mast cell tumors (July 2019), osteosarcoma (August), lymphoma (September), melanoma (October), and hemangiosarcoma (November).
There are myriad resources available to learn more about canine cancer – the above-mentioned types and others that we have not written about – and this information, like the disease itself, is constantly changing.
If your dog (like my two Border Collies) is diagnosed with an uncommon type, an internet search will bring up a multitude of results; do research but be discerning in your approach. Look for reputable sources and scientific support for any claims. Many veterinary colleges and specialty clinics have websites with sections for pet owners to learn more about various diseases and treatments; these are credible sources for information. Below, you’ll find some more starting points for reliable information.
Veterinary oncology specialists. While an experienced general veterinary practitioner who has a special interest in canine cancer will be a huge asset to you, I can’t recommend it strongly enough that you seek out help from a board-certified veterinary oncologist.
These specialists have received extensive oncology training after veterinary school, passed examinations, and completed publication requirements to receive certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). When they become certified in oncology by the ACVIM, they will add the letters DACVIM after their names (the “D” is for Diplomate).
You can use a feature on the ACVIM website to search for board-certified veterinary specialists (find.vetspecialists.com). If there are no oncology specialists in your area, your veterinarian should be able to consult with specialists located farther afield to develop an appropriate treatment plan for your dog.
Clinical Trials. In order to improve detection and treatment of disease, the most promising experimental or investigational therapies need to be tested in clinical trials. The safety and efficacy of these therapies and procedures have often been evaluated first in laboratory animals and the therapy is considered to be of potential benefit to the patient. Your dog may or may not benefit from participation in a clinical trial, but these studies advance veterinary science and have the potential to improve the outcomes of future generations of dogs.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) maintains the AVMA Animal Health Studies Database, which provides information on veterinary clinical trials reported by researchers. Searches for relevant studies can be done using the parameters of diagnosis, location, species, and field of veterinary medicine (such as oncology). See ebusiness.avma.org/aahsd/study_search.aspx.
In addition, the Veterinary Cancer Society website maintains a page with links to many of the organizations that offer veterinary clinical trials. See vetcancersociety.org/pet-owners/clinical-trials/.
Books. There are a number of books that are very helpful for advancing your understanding of canine cancer. My favorites are:
The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, by Demian Dressler, DVM, with Susan Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM Oncology (Maui Media, 2011). A comprehensive guide for practical, evidence-based approaches to canine cancers, including conventional, integrative, and alternative treatment options, supportive care, financial considerations, and resources to help owners optimize lifespan and quality of life.
Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life, by Nancy Kay, DVM (Trafalgar Square Books, 2008). An invaluable resource for pet owners to help navigate veterinary care and decisions.
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner, 2010). The quintessential book about cancer – its history, discoveries, setbacks, treatments, and hopes for the future.
The First Cell and the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, by Azra Raza (Hatchette Book Group, 2019). An exploration of the cancer “industry” and a call for change in research and treatment.
Websites. There is no shortage of sites with information about canine cancer. The list of sites with up-to-date, credible, understandable information is shorter. These are a few of my recommended sources of information for pet owners.
drsuecancervet.com and facebook.com/DrSueCancerVet. Dr. Sue Ettinger is a practicing veterinarian and board-certified cancer specialist, international speaker, book author, and vlogger (video blogger). Her information is up-to-date and extremely accessible.
dogcancerblog.com. A great resource covering everything from the latest in cancer news to resources to comprehensive articles, featuring Dr. Demian Dressler and Dr. Susan Ettinger, authors of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
morrisanimalfoundation.org. The Morris Animal Foundation bridges science and resources to advance the health of animals. The foundation is at the forefront of funding cancer studies in dogs, including the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, one of the largest, most comprehensive prospective canine health studies in the United States. The study’s purpose is to identify the nutritional, environmental, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs.
ccr.cancer.gov/Comparative-Oncology-Program. The Center for Cancer Research is a division of the National Cancer Institute under the National Institutes of Health. In 2003, the Comparative Oncology Program was launched to aid research in furthering the understanding of cancer and improving the assessment of treatments for humans by treating companion animals. Comparative oncology is the study of naturally developing cancers in animals as models for human disease. Through these trials, pets gain access to cutting edge research and therapeutics; the results then support the further development of human clinical trials. The site also provides disease information, links to clinical trials, news, and publications.
wearethecure.org/tag/pet-cancer/. This site has a “Canine Cancer Library” that provides detailed information on an ever-expanding list of types of cancers. The Foundation’s blog presents latest canine cancer news and related stories.
scholar.google.com. An easy-to-use free search engine that accesses the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines; a great resource to look for published research on canine cancers.
HOLISTIC (INTEGRATIVE) VETERINARY CARE
In all the articles about canine cancer published here, I never had an opportunity to discuss holistic care for dogs undergoing treatment for cancer. It’s a huge topic, and one I hope to write about in a future issue.
The author’s Border Collie, Daisy, asking to play Frisbee immediately after one of her chemotherapy treatment.
Holistic veterinarians embrace a broad approach to care, not only examining the patient, but also the patient’s environment, behavior, relationships, and disease patterns. Veterinarians who self-identify as holistic, integrative, or complementary may have a variety of educational experiences and training; they may augment their conventional veterinary medicine with chiropractic, acupuncture, herbs, and/or other modalities. Their treatment protocols, then, will depend on their education, training, and experience.
Note: Veterinarians who identify as offering “alternative” medicine might not use conventional veterinary medicine or collaborate with conventional veterinary practitioners. Make sure you are clear about what they do and don’t offer.
My primary veterinarian is a holistic practitioner and was a valuable member of Daisy’s team. Throughout Daisy’s illness, he supported her with acupuncture, low level light therapy, nutrition, and medicinal herbs. He worked closely with her oncologist to ensure safe and beneficial integrative care. Complementary therapies can be of great benefit to pets with cancer, and holistic veterinarians can help create these personalized support plans.
To locate a holistic veterinarian near you, visit the website of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, a group of member veterinarians and allies who are elevating the veterinary profession through innovation, education, and advocacy of integrative medicine. Go to ahvma.org/find-a-holistic-veterinarian.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
One last resource – an important one. Most cancer treatments for dogs are expensive, as are the diagnostics and supportive care. I was fortunate; at the time when my dogs were stricken, I had the funds to treat both of my dogs. I don’t have those financial resources now, but I do have pet insurance for my current dogs.
If you have neither the funds nor pet insurance, there are a number of financial resources available for dogs with cancer; the Humane Society of the United States keeps a current list of national and state-specific pet financial aid organizations at the following page: humanesociety.org/resources/are-you-having-trouble-affording-your-pet.
AGAIN: IT’S PERSONAL
The decision to treat (or not treat) a pet for cancer is a personal decision; there is no right or wrong approach. Cancers are a group of very complicated and diverse diseases with each oncology case being medically unique. I opted to treat both of my dogs and I was fortunate to have gained more time with them. More time to eat ice cream together. To play ball and Frisbee. To cuddle on the sofa. To share synchronized breathing while falling asleep together. To dream together. Every moment is a gift.
It’s fairly common for dogs to decide that it’s just not worth the trouble of dealing with rain, snow, or freezing temperatures in order to relieve themselves in the winter; they’d prefer to relieve themselves indoors, thanks very much! Of course, that’s just not acceptable to most of us! Here are some suggestions to help your reluctant canine pal maintain proper toilet etiquette in bad weather:
Create an outdoor sheltered bathroom area – a shed with a dirt floor, a lean-to, a tent – some space that you keep cleared of snow and that is sheltered from blowing snow and rain.
Keep a path shoveled to the above-mentioned sheltered bathroom area so your dog can access it easily.
Initially go out with your dog to the sheltered area on a regular bathroom routine until he learns to go there on his own, just as you initially would with a pup when first housetraining.
If your dog has a short coat or gets cold easily, consider a jacket and boots. Remember to spend some time conditioning him to them so he loves them.
Alternatively, you can create an indoor bathroom for your dog. We tend to think of litter boxes as a cat-thing, but it really might be the right answer for some dogs as well. There are some well-constructed commercial canine litter boxes – I personally prefer the ones with artificial turf to the ones with real grass (it’s easier to keep the artificial grass clean than it is to keep replacing the turf) and I’m not a fan of the basic pee pad. It may be difficult to convince your well-house-trained adult dog to use an indoor litter box; you might start by getting him to use the litter box outdoors and then bring it inside.
One might think that growing up in Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin would have inured me to the effects of bitter cold, hip-deep snow drifts, and blinding blizzards, but I think it did the opposite and sensitized me to those frigid conditions, instead. I freely admit I am not fond of winter. My aversion to winter is not without just cause. Here is a partial list of cold-weather dangers:
Hypothermia and frostbite. These are very real concerns in frigid climes. Signs of frostbite include discoloration of the affected area of skin (this discoloration is often pale, gray, or bluish); coldness and/or brittleness of the area when touched; pain when you touch the body part(s); swelling of the affected area(s); blisters or skin ulcers; areas of blackened or dead skin. Severe cases of frostbite can result in permanent disfiguration or alteration of the affected tissues, or worse, amputation or surgical removal of the necrotic (dead) tissues.
Signs of hypothermia can include strong shivering and trembling followed by no shivering; acting sleepy, lethargic, or weak; fur and skin are cold to the touch; body temperature is below 95° F; decreased heart rate; dilated pupils (the black inner circle of the eye appears larger); gums and inner eyelids are pale or blue; trouble walking; difficulty breathing; stupor, unconsciousness, or coma.
Antifreeze poisoning. Spilled antifreeze presents a serious danger to your dog. Dogs are attracted to antifreeze because of its sweet taste, but just a lick or two can be deadly. There are antifreeze formulations that contain a bitter substance intended to deter ingestion, but they are still toxic if consumed.
Antifreeze poisoning happens in two stages. In the first, which happens three to six hours after ingestion, your dog appears drunk – staggering, vomiting, falling down, and peeing a lot. Then your dog may appear normal, until the second stage begins, when the body starts to break down the ethylene glycol into other chemicals such as aldehyde, glycolic acid, and oxalate. This stage is dangerous because it can cause severe to fatal damage to the kidneys. If you suspect your dog has ingested antifreeze, get her to a veterinarian immediately.
Ice-melting chemicals. The calcium and sodium chloride in rock salt that is used to treat roads and sidewalks is toxic to your dog. Dogs get the salt on their paws and fur, and lick it off to clean themselves. Signs of salt toxicity include extremes in water consumption (your dog may either drink excessively or stop drinking altogether); vomiting; diarrhea; lethargic or “drunk” behavior; seizures.
While “pet-safe” salt is safer than regular rock salt, like “pet-safe” antifreeze, it is still not completely safe. Take precautions to avoid ingestion, and contact your veterinarian if you think your dog might have salt toxicity.
Falling through ice. Every winter brings tragic stories of dogs falling through pond or river ice, and drowning or freezing to death. Sometimes the tragedy is compounded by the death of the human who tried to save the beloved dog. If your dog doesn’t have a rock-solid recall, keep her safely on leash when you are around frozen water. If she does fall through, call 9-1-1 rather than trying to rescue her yourself. If you must rescue her, study up on ice-rescue safety precautions well in advance, and be very careful!
Heaters. A chilly dog can become a heat-seeking missile and may try to cozy up to the heaters in your home. Caution: She can burn herself on a wall heater or wood-burning stove, or knock over a space heater and start a fire. If your dog is prone to trying to get as close as possible to the source of your home’s heat, use management tools to prevent her access to any heat source that might be dangerous. Provide her with a pet-safe heating pad; these products have chew-resistant cords, and heat up only to a pet’s internal body temperature. Alternatively, give her a cozy den with plenty of warm blankets she can burrow under.
Active beagle dog running in deep snow. Winter walks with pets concept image.
It can be very challenging to keep your canine family members happy during the ravages of winter. Even those who live in the warmer southern states may face long stretches of forced idleness from winter rains. Without ample enrichment activities, weeks and months of short, dark days can turn even a calm canine into a hyper hound.
Fortunately, the ever-creative modern dog training world has come up with countless ways to keep our dogs happy in inclement weather, so that dogs and humans can spend more time snuggled together in front of the warm fireplace and less time worrying about frostbite or drowning (see “Winter Warnings,” next page).
KEEPING ACTIVE IN THE WINTER
One of the best ways to stave off your dog’s winter crazies is to provide her with a wide variety of enrichment activities. Some are easy and can be implemented immediately, while some take a little more investment in time and resources. Let’s start with easy:
Indoor Fetch. If there’s only one of you and your dog will fetch, you can stand at the top of the stairs and toss her ball or toy to the bottom, have her run down to get it, run back up to you. If she will chase it but not bring it back, have a laundry basket full of toys or balls, call her back, and just keep throwing new ones. When you have thrown them all, go down the stairs, collect them, and bring them back up. If you don’t have stairs (or she can’t do stairs) use a long hallway. Get added benefit by putting barriers across the hall for her to jump over as she runs back and forth.
Jump the Jumps. When I was a wee child, I used to take broomsticks and mop handles and lay them across chairs all around the house, and then run with my Rough Collie, Squire, as he sailed over my makeshift jumps. You can do the same! If you prefer, you can get sections of PVC pipe at a hardware store. Start with the poles on the ground and use a treat to get your dog to walk over them, then trot over them.
When she is ready for more, use poles to make low X-shaped jumps before you use straight poles to make higher jumps. (Note: Young puppies shouldn’t jump until they are old enough not to be harmed by the repeated impacts. Check with your vet to make sure jumping is a safe activity for your pup.)
Round Robin Recall. You need at least two humans and a dog who loves to come when she’s called for this game. The larger your house and the more humans (within reason!), the better.
Put Billy (B) on the third floor, Janey (J) on the second, Mom (M) on the ground floor, and Dad (D) in the basement. (If stairs are not safely carpeted or dog has trouble with stairs, put all humans in different rooms on the same floor.) Each human has yummy treats and a toy that the dog likes for reinforcement when the dog arrives. Write up a random calling order and give each person a copy to ensure two humans aren’t calling her at the same time, and let the fun begin.
Be sure each person has a fun party with the dog when she gets there! This not only burns off dog energy, it gives the kids something to do, and it helps improve your dog’s recall.
Ball Pit. For this one you need a kiddie wading pool and a generous supply of non-toxic, sturdy ball-pit balls. Put a towel down to cover the bottom of the pool (so the sound doesn’t startle your dog), fill the pool with balls (no water!), and let the fun begin! If your dog doesn’t take to it immediately, toss treats and favorite toys into the pool and let her – or help her – dig for them.
Snuffle Mat (and other food toys). Interactive food-dispensing toys are a simple solution to many dogs’ winter blues. We particularly like “snuffle mats,” where you bury treats in the cloth fingers of a textured mat and let your dog go to it. If you have a dog who wants to eat the mat or, in contrast, just isn’t interested, there are many other options, including treat-dispensing toys your dog pushes around, and puzzle toys she has to solve to get the treats. (See “Play with Your Food,” WDJ April 2019).
Flirt Pole. This is simply a sturdy pole with a rope fastened to one end and a toy fastened to the rope. You can make one or buy one. To play, stand in one place and swing the toy around for your dog to chase. (You can also practice “Trade” to get the toy back once your dog has grabbed it; see “Trade Agreements,” WDJ February 2017).
Woody chases the Tail Teaser with typical intensity. Be careful about baiting your dog into too many tight turns with these toys if she has knee or other joint issues.
If your dog tends to bodyslam you (or your kids) while playing this game, stand inside an exercise pen for protection while your dog chases the toy around the outside of the pen.
These toys are available in better pet supply stores and from online sources such as Chewy.com and Amazon.com. Outward Hound makes one called the “Tail Teaser” and sells it with an extra replacement toy for about $13; Chewy.com also sells one called the Pet Fit for Life Plush Wand Teaser Dog Toy for $11.
Nose Games. Scent work is surprisingly tiring, and because most dogs love to sniff, it’s also very satisfying for them. It’s also usually an easy game to teach. Have your dog sit and wait (or have someone hold her collar). Hold up a treat, walk six feet away, and place it on the floor. Return to your dog, pause, and then say “Search!” Encourage her to run out and eat the treat.
After a few repetitions, let her watch you “hide” the treat in an easy spot (on the floor behind a chair leg, etc.). Return and tell her “Search!” Gradually hide the treat in harder places, then multiple treats, and eventually have her in another room while you hide treats. This should keep her quite busy and tire her out nicely. (For much more information, see “How to Teach Your Dog to Play Nose Games,” WDJ September 2019.)
Treadmill. Now we’re getting into activities that require more investments in time and resources. First, of course, you need a treadmill. Be sure to get one that is safe to use with dogs. Dog-specific treadmills generally are smaller than human products (some are made just for small dogs!) and have appropriately sized siderails (for safety, to keep the dog from falling off on the sides).
You will need to do a very gradual introduction, associating the machine with treats and toys until your dog is very comfortable being near it, and then on it, before you even think of turning it on. Be sure not to overdo the exercise; check with your veterinarian about how much exercise is appropriate for your dog to start with and how you should increase the time (gradually!).
Cognition Training. Those winter shut-in months are a perfect time to experiment with cognition training for your dog. You don’t need a lot of room, and this brain exercise is surprisingly tiring. You can teach your dog to imitate your specific behaviors (see “Copy That,” October 2013); explore choice (see “Pro-Choice,” November 2016); learn to demonstrate object, shape, and color discrimination and even read! (see “Are Canines Cognitive?” October 2017), and much more.
Indoor Parkour. If you really want to get creative, you can set up an indoor parkour course for your dog, made out of household items. After you’ve taught your dog each of the various obstacles, put them all together into a complete course. Here are some suggestions for obstacles that you can train your dog to navigate:
Laundry Leap: Get a laundry basket that’s an appropriate size for your dog, and teach him to jump into and out of it.
Hoop-De-Do: Best use of a hula hoop ever! Hold it up for your dog to jump through, or wedge it between a chair and a wall for a fixed jump.
Sweet Roll: Roll up a carpet runner and let your dog unroll it with her nose. (Teach this one by placing treats inside the rug as you roll it so she finds them as she unrolls it.) This would be especially fun if you had a red carpet that your dog could unroll for special guests!
That Was Easy: A smack of the paw lets your dog share her editorial opinion. These buttons are available from Staples stores and its website – or you can find a variety of wonderful talking buttons at this online site: speaktomecatalog.com (select “buttons”).
Go ’Round: A simple orange traffic cone makes a perfect loop-stacle to send your dog around the bend in a different direction.
Walk the Plank: Place an eight-foot long 2×8 board across two low stools and let your dog walk the plank! Increase the level of difficulty with narrower planks.
Tunnel o’ Chairs: If you have a smaller dog, start by teaching her to crawl under one folding chair, then add a second chair, then a third, eventually making your crawl tunnel as long as you want it to be!
Whatever your fancy, there should be some activities here that you and your dog can enjoy together when the weather outside is frightful. Stay warm, stay safe, and have fun!
I’m writing this, as usual, in the frenzied build-up to
Thanksgiving. Only this year, I’m not hosting a pack of friends and relatives
and their dogs as usual; instead, I’m preparing to be one of those millions of
people taking their chances on traffic-snarled freeways and crowded airports.
Yikes! Taking a midnight flight to the East Coast, to spend the holiday with my
husband’s adult children and their children.
The dogs are staying home, of course. Otto takes his
vacations at my sister’s house, where he is the much-loved, much respected lord
of the manor, Gulliver to my sister’s pack of noisy little dogs. He’s always
very dignified when I drop him off, but I hear stories about how he loses that
dignity once I’m gone and starts to romp and race about with Lucky, a stray I
picked up off the side of a country road about three Thanksgivings ago.
Lucky
Lucky was thin and covered
with ticks when I found him, and it took me over an hour in the rain to
convince the very hungry little dog to either let me catch him or to jump into
my car. I took him to my local shelter, where he spent a month waiting in vain
for an owner to claim him and flunked all of his temperament evaluations. He
snarled viciously at every passerby and bit one kennel attendant in the behind
when she was in his run trying to catch another dog, her rear end facing him;
but every time I stopped by the shelter to see how he was doing, he would light
up like a candle and leap into my arms, covering my face with kisses.
I made the mistake of mentioning this to my sister. When she
heard that the shelter evaluators didn’t think the little dog was going to make
the cut and go up for adoption, she insisted on coming with me to the shelter
one day to see him for herself. Oddly enough, he took to her just as readily as
he took to me, and the shelter staffers were puzzled but happy to adopt him to
my sister on the spot. That’s when he got named Lucky; it ought to be Super Lucky.
Anyway, at just about 10 pounds, Lucky looks like Otto’s
Mini Me, and though he ordinarily rules the roost at my sister’s house, he
shares the command with Otto when Otto comes to stay. Then, supposedly, the two
scruffy dogs have a warm bromance going, and they race up and down the hall
together and wrestle. I am waiting for
video evidence of this, Pam. At my
house, Otto doesn’t ever deign to romp and play with other dogs. He’ll play
chase and hide-and-seek with me, but
not other dogs.
Otto at my sister Pam’s
Woody gets to stay home, and one of our friends is coming to
stay at our house with her two dogs. One is another one of my former foster
dogs, Chaco. She’s an old lady now, with bad knees and arthritis; she will
likely enjoy sleeping on Otto’s super-thick bed by the woodstove. The other is
a big young Husky-mix, Ricky, one of Woody’s favorite playmates. They will have
a blast romping around our fenced two acres. I’m not sure my dogs will miss me
at all!
I’m sure going to miss them, though; Thanksgiving Day hikes with my dogs and friends and family and their dogs are usually my jam! But I’m looking forward to seeing the (adult) kids and grandkids playing tourist. In the meantime, my guys are in good hands – and for that, I am incredibly grateful.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Kiss those dogs!
Remember when you were a kid and your mom would catch you doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing, even though she wasn’t even looking at you? How did she do that? It was magic!
When we were little, we thought our parents must have eyes on the back of their heads, and this may well have influenced our behavior. We could never be certain that an authority figure like a parent or teacher couldn’t see what we were doing, so in order to avoid punishment we might try to be on our best behavior, just in case.
If you’ve done any training with your dog at all, you have probably managed to train your dog to pay attention to you when you are paying attention to him, as seen in the first photo. Its even more advantageous to teach him to be attentive to you when you have to take your eyes off him, in order to manage some other task. Read on! We’ll show you how!
The same principle can be applied to positive reinforcement techniques. A child – or, in our case, a dog, can learn that he can be rewarded for good behavior even if the behavior takes place while a parent isn’t looking directly at him. Let’s consider how we can use this “magic” to obtain and hold our dog’s attention, even in the midst of some pretty exciting distractions.
WATCH ME WATCH YOU
You may have learned to reward your dog for looking at you or for tossing unprompted glances your way. This important behavior is often referred to as “checking in,” and I encourage everyone to reward it generously and frequently so that your dog learns to look to you for guidance in any number of situations. (See “Train Your Dog to ‘Check In,’” WDJ March 2017.)
When you’re teaching this basic skill, one element in particular easily stands out: Every time you reward your dog for checking in with you, you are also checking in with him. In other words, you are looking back at him.
While your dog’s attention is an excellent thing to reinforce, you can increase the power of the check-in behavior by adding just one more element of difficulty, which I will describe right after I explain why it’s worth your while to try.
Through training, most dogs learn to pay attention to us when we’re paying attention to them. They learn that when we’re focused on them, they have a very good chance of receiving some reinforcement. So they pay attention! They watch for cues, or they offer behaviors they know have been rewarding in the past. Clever pooches!
This is why when you practice the check-in behavior, you soon find you’ve got a dog staring at you or trying to get in front of you to make sure you can see them being a Very Good Dog.
But what happens after your attention is turned elsewhere? Well, most often, your dog goes back to whatever he was doing before, because “Oh, it seems we’re done here.” From your dog’s point of view, your lack of attention or eye contact usually means the opportunity for food or play has stopped.
If you’re working on a behavior that requires your dog’s attention, such as loose-leash walking (staying close to you rather than straining at the end of his leash to greet a person or another dog), you might find that as soon as you’re done delivering a treat and you turn your gaze away from your dog, he goes right back to doing the behavior you’re trying to eliminate. If you’re not looking at him, he’s off the hook and he disconnects. Take these scenarios, for example:
You’re teaching your dog to stand politely next to you while you stop in the street to chat with someone. During training, as you stand with the other person, your eyes are on your dog as you reward him for good behavior. The session goes well and you end it. Later, when you think your dog has the behavior down pat, you stop and talk to someone. As your eyes and attention are focused on the person, not your dog, your dog jumps up on the person.
You’re standing in line at a newsstand with your leashed dog by your side. You’re glancing at him often and he’s being a Very Good Dog as you reward him for good behavior. When it’s time to pay for your purchases and, just for a few moments, you turn your attention away from your dog and to the cashier, your dog starts to pull away, wanting to go check out something on the street a few feet away.
You’re in a group training class and your dog is doing wonderfully while you’re working with him. As soon as you turn your attention toward the instructor who is speaking to the class, your dog turns his attention to Fifi, the cute little number who’s lying down quietly a short distance to the side.
These are just examples; you can probably think up more scenarios from your own experiences. What’s happening here is quite normal. If we only deliver rewards to our dogs when it’s clear we’re paying attention to them, then it stands to reason that they will figure out pretty quickly that if we’re not paying direct attention, there’s no possibility for reinforcement from us and they’re free to find it elsewhere, whether through social contact, getting to sniff around, or other important dog stuff.
Here’s a simple technique that can help you ensure that your dog becomes a pro at checking in with you – and maintaining that attentiveness – even when you’re not looking at him.
TREAT-DELIVERY WITH EYES FORWARD
The first exercise sounds easy enough, but it can actually be a bit of a challenge. It involves being with your dog on-leash and feeding him treats without ever looking at him – like, at all. Your attention will be focused on something else, anything else, as long as it’s not your dog. You can use your peripheral vision to steal glances if needed. You will:
It might feel odd at first, trying to give your dog a treat when he’s not paying attention and you aren’t looking at him. Shorten the leash a little if you need to, and use your peripheral vision.
1. Stand quietly with your dog in a low-distraction area. It can be in the heel position if this is important to you, but it’s not necessary for the purposes of this exercise.
2. Look forward or to the side, but don’t look at your dog.
3. Have some treats ready either in a pouch, a pocket, or in your hand. You can count on using about 15 treats for this exercise.
At some point, he’ll get clued in and realize that you have reinforcement possibilities available, even though you aren’t looking at him. Make sure your treats are more valuable than whatever distractions are present.
4. Feed one treat after another to your dog – blindly, without looking at him. Some dogs will remain close enough to you to make this easy. Some won’t and will already be wandering off somewhere (because he knows you’re not looking at him!). That’s why we want him on-leash, so he can’t get any farther than the length of the leash.
5. Don’t call him, don’t make kissy sounds, and don’t look at him, even if you feel him moving around. He’s not going anywhere, he’s on-leash. Use your peripheral vision to find him and feed him.
In a nutshell, you will be delivering free treats straight into your dog’s mouth without looking at him. Don’t peek! If you reach down and his muzzle isn’t there, use your peripheral vision and your hand to find it.
Once your dog is on board, and you have practiced the physical skill of finding his muzzle without looking for it, you should be able to pay attention to other things while simultaneously feeding him treats.
If your dog isn’t engaging at all, try either increasing the value of the treat, shortening the leash a little to keep him closer, or moving to a quieter space to decrease the level of stimuli in the environment. If you still have no luck, consider starting this exercise in a seated position (you, not your dog).
TREAT DELIVERY WITH EYES FORWARDandCOUNTING FINGERS: MULTI TASKINGSKILLS
This step is an adaptation of a brilliant educational nugget I picked up from the fabulous Emma Parsons at Clicker Expo in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2019. I call it an adaptation because the original exercise incorporates the use of a clicker, where a clicker is clicked immediately before a treat is delivered. I don’t require the use of one, and in fact I prefer that nothing whatsoever gives the dog a hint as to when a treat will be made available to eat.
This exercise involves the blind treat-delivery skill (described above), and it throws in an extra-special feature: Counting fingers while you continue to feed your dog.
The blind feeding and the counting tasks are not connected at all. There is no order or sequence between the two activities. The counting is just an extra activity for you to practice in order to develop and refine your ability to multi-task.
Before you take on this added level of difficulty, however, make sure your blind feeding skills are super solid, because the last thing you want to do is lose your dog’s attention. Here’s what the exercise will look like:
1 Set yourself up as you did in the previous exercise:You have your dog, on-leash, and a handful of treats in a low-distraction area.
2. Start blind feeding your dog, like you were doing above.Deliver the treats in a steady, calm manner.
3. Have someone stand several feet in front of you where you can clearly see them, and ask them to flash random fingers from one hand in a steady, rhythmic fashion. You will announce how many fingers they are holding up at the same time that you are busy feeding your dog the treats.
Multi-tasking: Practice “no-look” feeding your dog while simultaneously calling out the number of fingers a helper holds up. Can you feed and count at the same time?
In other words, it’s not a matter of calling out a number then feeding a treat, calling out the next number and feeding a treat, etc. They are completely separate events occurring randomly. What you’re aiming for is being able to feed your dog continuously and also once in a while calling out a number you see before you. There is no loop, no predictable sequence. You’re training yourself to multi-task.
Part of your brain should be busy feeding your dog without looking at him. The other part should be engaged with counting fingers and saying the numbers out loud. One activity could be proceeding at a faster speed than the other; they are two distinctly different things for you to focus on.
Why? Because in real life with your dog, you are focused on many different things at once. If your attention is super-focused on something other than your dog, like using the ATM machine or keeping an eye on those off-leash dogs heading your way, you need to be able to teach your dog to stay connected with you nonetheless (and maintain that behavior over time).
As a bonus, you’ll note that through these exercises, you are indirectly teaching a type of “stationing behavior” whereby your dog learns to stay close if you’re standing still. He also learns to be aware of your movements while on-leash. This type of attention is especially handy in a crowded area or under very exciting conditions like an activity where there are lots of other dogs.
As an additional and unexpected bonus, I can almost guarantee you will laugh and giggle through many of these practice sessions. It’s the dog-training equivalent of rubbing your tummy and tapping the top of your head at the same time. Enjoy the process, and reap the rewards when you finally have a dog who checks in with you even when your attention is elsewhere!
Not long ago, I got to take a weekend off in San Diego. On the first day, quite by accident, I ended up at a gorgeous little beach at sunset – and it turned out to be a legal off-leash dog beach. Dozens of social, friendly dogs romping in the waves, chasing each other through the super-soft sand, and making new human and canine friends – heaven! I made plans to go back early in the morning, before the day’s agenda had begun, just to take pictures. It was so lovely!
The next morning, I was smiling my head off as I made my way to the water and started taking pictures. I loved everything about the day (I’m on vacation with loved ones!), the place (gorgeous!), and all the dogs (big ones, little ones, fast dogs, fat dogs, purebreds, and who-knows-whats), all having fun on the beach, against a backdrop of incomparable blue skies and white waves. Wow, wow, wow.
And then it happened. With my lens, I had been following a few particularly charismatic dogs as they ran and dodged and wrestled, and one of my favorites was a young white Standard Poodle. She was one of the most playful and rambunctious dogs on the beach, involved in the fastest chase games and a little rough play. As my camera followed her group as they ran past, she made a little grab for the neck of one of her playmates, and the other dog whirled and snapped at her. “Grrroff!” he seemed to say, and she complied, still bouncing along the beach. And that was that; they all kept running along. But her owner, who also was watching her closely, didn’t like that interaction. He called her over – she went to him willingly, out of play! – and he loudly told her to SIT!, grabbed her by her chin hair, leaned into her face, and proceeded to sternly tell her BAD! and NO! and dog knows what else. I wanted to cry! Mood spoiled, I left not long afterward.
No, I didn’t intervene. I have never had much luck at talking to angry people. Also, it wasn’t abuse, it wasn’t cruel – it was just ignorant! What had she done wrong? It was a very normal dog-dog interaction, but he was mad about it. What I did do was continue taking pictures of him, and the woman who was with him noticed this and quickly clipped the dog’s leash on, and they left the beach.
The only things the dog could have learned from the man’s behavior: Maybe don’t go to Dad the next time he calls; he’s scary and unpredictable! There is no way she could possibly make a connection between her brief encounter with the other dog and this minute-long, intense interaction with her owner.
Now, it’s possible that the lovely Poodle has a tendency to get aggressive as she gets tired and overstimulated, and time-outs help her. But a show of physical strength and angry words don’t teach dogs anything but to avoid you next time they see signs that you are upset. That’s not training!
I can give you a recommendation for a treat or a toy via text or phone, but we're going to have to sit down and talk for a good long while if you really want to know what I think you should be feeding your dog. More importantly, you are going to have to be willing to start educating yourself about what you are already feeding him, and understand why.
Imagine this: You are a writer and editor for Parenting
Magazine, and you write about infant toys, vaccination schedules, and nutrition
for infants and toddlers. A friend texts you from the grocery store and asks,
“What should I be feeding my 8-month-old baby?” And she genuinely expects that
you can give her the name of a product that will supply all her baby’s
nutrition for years to come.
This scenario is ridiculous – of course! – and for several
reasons, most notably:
No parent in their right mind would consider
feeding their infant or toddler the same food every day for months or years.
No parent in their right mind would save
important infant-nutrition decisions for the moment she or he was standing in
the store, about to buy food, with no clue as to where to start.
No knowledgeable writer/editor would think they
could advise someone by text about something as important as nutrition!
There’s No One-Size-Fits-All When It Comes to Nutrition
While parents may read informative articles about infant and
toddler nutrition in Parenting Magazine and others, one would hope they make
notes about any questions and discuss them with their pediatrician. Because, while
the writer/editor is knowledgeable about infant nutrition, she doesn’t know
anything about the specific baby’s health. She doesn’t know if her friend, the
baby’s mom, is knowledgeable enough to know how much food she should be feeding
her baby, or to recognize signs of a food allergy or intolerance. And sure, she
might be familiar with some great brands of infant formula and baby cereal, but
does she want an offhand text to be the basis of her friend’s child’s health?
She does not!
Obviously, I’m asking you to consider this scenario because
I get asked for dog food recommendations all
the time, and I really don’t see a difference between this request for
advice and the one described above. If anything, a food fed to a dog for a year
will impact a greater percentage of the dog’s life than an infant formula given
to a baby for the same length of time will impact hers; dogs’ lives are short!
Consider Your Dog’s Needs
Is your dog overweight or obese? If so, the BRAND of food you are feeding is not nearly as important as how much you are feeding him and what the food’s fat content is.
A suggestion for a dog’s toy or treat can be responsibly
conveyed in a short text or phone message. But a recommendation for a dog’s
sole diet should not be conveyed via
text – perhaps not even via a long email! There are many factors to consider,
not least of which is the dog owner’s ability to observe the dog’s response to
a diet and take appropriate steps if the dog has adverse reactions to the diet.
When I’m asked in a casual way for dog food recommendations,
I usually push back a little by asking the dog owner some questions. How old is
your dog? How active? How is his weight? How is his health? What are you
feeding now? Why did you arrive at this food? How long have you been feeding
him this food? Are there ingredients that you know you need to avoid feeding to
that specific dog?
And here are the clinchers: How much fat is in the food and
how much protein? What are the six top ingredients in the food?
Choose What’s Best for YOUR Dog
If they can’t answer those questions – all of them – then I can’t give them a recommendation for another
food or two to add to what I hope is their rotation of three or four products
from at least three or four different companies. Actually, the fact is, I’m not
going to give them a recommendation of a specific food anyway. What I will do
is try to educate them about the factors they need to understand about the
foods they have already chosen for their dog, and what they can do to improve
matters. As just one example, if the dog is overweight, they should know what
the fat content is in the food they give their dog, and look for foods with
less fat. That single factor is far
more important than what brand they buy, so don’t ask me about brands unless
you know all the other, more important factors behind your food-purchasing
dilemma!
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