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Shaping Your Dog’s “Sit”

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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0

Shaping – taking a desired behavior, breaking it into small steps, and reinforcing the steps until you build the final behavior – has become a standard dog training tool, especially in the force-free world. Those who are familiar with shaping regard it as invaluable for teaching and refining behaviors.

If you don’t yet have experience with shaping, try this exercise with your dog. It will help you realize how subtly and precisely you can influence the movement of virtually any part of your dog’s body.

teaching dog to sit

5 Steps to Shaping Your Dog’s Behavior

1. Pick a body part and a desired movement: a head turn to the left or right, head raised or lowered, or a wave of a front paw. The latter is very easy, since dogs move their front paws a lot and seem to be highly aware of their movement. But you could also pick an ear, tail, hind foot, eye – really any body part.

2. Sit on a chair in front of your dog with a clicker and a generous supply of treats.

3. Wait and watch your dog carefully. The instant she moves the selected body part, even the tiniest bit, click and treat.

4. Be selective. If you chose a turn of the head to the right, click only those movements, even tiny ones, in that direction. If you opted for a lift of the right paw, don’t click any left paw movements.

5. In short order, you will see your dog get the idea, and start offering deliberate movement for you to click. You can build the movement into whatever behavior you would like – a spin, a nod of the head, a high-five, or shake of the paw – by continuing to click and treat your dog for increasingly “correct” approximations of the behavior.

Training Your Dog to Sit Perfectly

You can shape your dog to do pretty much anything she’s physically capable of doing. Trainers often use shaping to teach complex behaviors – tricks, service dog tasks, and more. But it can also be used for simpler, more basic behaviors. For example, a straight, fast sit in perfect heel position is very desirable for obedience and rally competitions, and for some musical freestyle routines. You can achieve that perfect sit, too, through shaping. Here’s how:

canine connection chico

Let’s assume you’ve already taught your dog to do an automatic sit at your left side when you halt, through luring (holding a treat over her head to encourage her to sit) or capturing (clicking and treating when she offers to sit of her own volition). But her sit is crooked and not as fast as you would like it to be. We’ll start with just one of those qualities; if you shape for both at once it will confuse your dog. Let’s start with straightness.

Do 10 practice sits. Take several steps forward and halt. When your dog sits, click and treat, and note her angle of crookedness. Let’s say her first sit angle is 45 degrees off perfect. (“Perfect” is parallel to you.) Repeat 10 times, clicking and treating each time, and noting how crooked she is. Now average the numbers. Let’s say her average is 30 degrees from perfect. Thirty degrees is now your baseline criterion for shaping a straighter sit. That means that now she must sit only 30 degrees crooked or straighter in order to get a click and treat.

Now count out several sets of 10 treats. Each time she meets the “30 degrees or straighter” criterion, click and treat. Each time she misses (her sit is more than 30 degrees crooked) set a treat aside. When she meets the straightness criterion 80 percent of the time or better (she gets to eat at least eight of the 10 treats) you can raise the bar; now she has to sit 25 degrees or straighter to get a click and treat. Continue gradually increasing the criteria (requiring straighter and straighter sits in order to earn the click and treat) with your sets of 10 treats, until she is sitting perfectly straight at least 80 percent of the time.

Then you can work on speed. You will need to lower your “straight” criteria while you work on “fast.” To determine your baseline speed, ask your dog for 10 sits, but this time, count the seconds between your halt and your dog’s completed sit (one thousand-one, one thousand-two, etc.) and then figure the average.

Let’s say the baseline speed of your dog’s sit is four seconds. Now do several sets of 10 sits, clicking and treating only for sits that are four seconds or faster. Set aside a treat for each sit that is slower than four seconds. When she is meeting her four-second criterion at least 80 percent of the time (eating eight out of 10 treats), raise the criterion to three seconds, and continue.

When your dog is consistently giving you nice, fast sits (say, one-second sits), you are ready to combine straight and fast. Relax both criteria slightly at first – perhaps you will click for sits that are two seconds and 10 degrees or better. When you are getting 80 percent performance for both speed and straightness, gradually raise criteria for both, until you reach your final desired criteria for both.

Most Dogs Like Shaping

This may sound tedious, but most dogs respond amazingly well to shaping. This system – measuring some degree of criteria and monitoring an 80 percent success rate – keeps communication to the dog crystal clear and helps her understand and “get” the task much more quickly than if her handler just guesstimates and randomly clicks some sits more than others. It also gives you a much better understanding of the process of setting and raising criteria for shaping, and significantly enhances your skills as a trainer.

Thanks to Sarah Richardson, owner/trainer at the Canine Connection, a full-service training/boarding/daycare facility in Chico, CA, for demonstrating with foster dog Annie.

Author Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. She and her husband Paul live in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. Miller is also the author of many books on positive training. Her newest is Beware of the Dog: Positive Solutions for Aggressive Behavior in Dogs.

Dog Paw Cuts and Scrapes: How to Treat a Paw Injury

By
Kate Eldredge, LVT
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20
A cut dog paw requires medical treatment.
Credit: Dreamstime

Your dog’s paw pads act much like the soles of sneakers, protecting your dog’s foot and cushioning each step. Paw pads are tough, but they can still be cut by sharp objects or worn off if your dog runs hard on rough terrain. What should you do when your dog cuts or tears a paw pad?

1. Clean the wound.

Gently flush the wound with water or an antiseptic, such as diluted chlorhexidine solution. If there is obvious debris, such as rocks or glass, remove it carefully. Don’t force anything that is lodged deep into the foot.

2. Control bleeding.

Apply pressure to the wound to stop any bleeding. Use a clean towel and an ice pack if available to encourage blood-vessel constriction. If only the outer layer of the pad has been worn off, there may not be much bleeding, but deeper wounds and punctures can bleed heavily. The time it takes for bleeding to stop will vary with the severity of the wound.

3. Evaluate the damage.

Minor paw injuries can be managed at home, but more severe ones require veterinary attention. Uncontrolled bleeding is an emergency – if your dog’s foot continues to bleed after several minutes of pressure, call your veterinarian and head for the clinic. Deep or jagged cuts may require sutures for optimal healing. Your dog may need to be sedated for sufficient cleaning of the wound if there is persistent debris, such as little bits of gravel, and something that is firmly lodged in the foot will need to be surgically removed. Your dog may also need antibiotics to protect against infection. If you are at all unsure, err on the side of a vet visit – your veterinarian can give you peace of mind and can give your dog the care he needs.

4. Bandage.

Place nonstick gauze or a Telfa pad directly over the cut. If available, a dab of triple antibiotic ointment is a good idea to prevent infection. This can be secured with paper tape. Then wrap your dog’s foot using roll gauze, Vetrap, or an elastic bandage. The bandage should be snug enough to stay on, but also needs to be loose enough to allow for proper circulation to your dog’s foot. You should be able to slide two fingers under the bandage. To prevent the bandage from slipping off, wrap all the way up to and including the next joint on your dog’s leg: carpus or wrist in front, hock in back. You can also place more tape around the top of the bandage.

Keep the bandage dry. Moisture provides an entrance for bacteria to get through the bandage and into the wound. You can use a commercial bootie to protect the bandage when your dog goes outside or just tape a plastic bag over it. Most paw bandages need to be changed daily, especially if there is still bleeding or a discharge present.

For minor scrapes that look like a rug burn, a liquid bandage can be used to cover the exposed nerve endings without needing a full traditional bandage. Keep the foot elevated while the liquid bandage dries, and don’t let your dog lick it.

5. Allow time for a dogs cut paw pad to heal

Your dog’s cut paw pad will heal faster if it’s protected until fully healed. Keep him quiet, and prevent him from running or chewing at the bandage (this may require the use of an Elizabethan collar). Even after your dog’s pad has healed enough that it isn’t painful to touch, it will still be tender and vulnerable to reinjury. Avoid activities that could damage the healing pad, or use a bootie to protect the foot. Healing time will vary depending on the size of the cut.

To soothe cracked or sore paws, refer to the Soothing Dog Paw Butter recipe in our homemade gift guide.

Read our article on the 12 Items to Include in Your DIY Dog First-Aid Kit.

Kate Eldredge is a licensed veterinary technician from Plattsburgh, New York. She also trains, shows, and breeds Belgian Tervuren and is working on her canine-rehabilitation certification.

The MudBuster: A Dog Paw Cleaner That Makes Cleaning Dog Feet Easy

By
Nancy Kerns
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5
The MudBuster, assembled

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When I first saw a MudBuster, I thought it seemed ridiculous. Who needs a special device just to clean a dog’s paws? Well, it turns out that in the middle of the muddiest winter ever in Northern California, * I * do! I have been using the device daily to help manage the amount of mud my three dogs track into the house.

The manager of my favorite local pet supply store told me, “You know what the MudBuster is great for? Dogs who have yeast infections in their feet. It’s a perfect way to soak their feet in a solution of half apple cider vinegar and half water, and lightly debride the funky tissue. I’ve recommended it as a solution to a number of clients and everyone who has tried it has had very good results!” she said.

None of my dogs have yeasty feet, but I’ve heard of many dogs that do and this seemed like the perfect tool and an effective treatment for the chronic condition. I told the manager that I would recommend the product for this purpose in WDJ.

How to Easily Clean Your Dog’s Feet With a Dog Paw Cleaner

To clean the Mudbuster, unscrew the ring-like cap and pull out the flexible interior piece. It lies flat for scrubbing. You can also put all the pieces in your dishwasher (top rack).

My house has white tile floors in the entry and kitchen (not a choice I would have made, but not worth tearing them out, either). And my two-acre property is absolutely infested with gophers; new gopher hills appear on the front lawn and in the back field daily. Woody, my pit/Lab-mix, and Boone, my adolescent foster-fail mutt, are obsessed with digging up the gopher holes. Neither dog has succeeded in actually catching or dispatching any gophers; they just constantly engage in what appears to be trench warfare. Unless I want to live in a mud-pit myself, this means that I need to clean their feet nearly every time they go outdoors and then come back inside.

I have a healthy supply of what I call “dog towels” to wipe the dogs’ feet clean every time they come inside – but it’s far more efficient to use them just dry the dogs’ clean, wet feet than to wipe the mud off. Then I can hang the wet towels near the back door to dry, and reuse them for days, instead of having to wash unsightly muddy ones more frequently (I know my washing machine is going to last longer this way, too).

All you do is half-fill the MudBuster with water and dunk each paw into the device, up and down, twisting the device a bit. The soft, flexible “fingers” inside help loosen any mud clots out from between the dog’s pads. Then you can use a towel all day to quickly and simply dry the dog’s freshly cleaned feet. To finish, just pour out the muddy water and rinse the MudBuster in the sink. For a more thorough cleaning, unscrew the ring-like cap at the top, which holds the flexible cleaning brush inside, and pull out the brush. All of the parts can be washed in the dishwasher (top-rack recommended.)

mudbuster test review
Most dogs are a little suspicious when you first try to dunk their paw in the device. I like to use nice warm water, so it doesn’t feel unpleasant or shocking.

I think this would also be a great tool for people who live in areas where salt and other chemicals are used to melt ice and snow on sidewalks. The MudBuster would rinse the harsh chemicals off dogs’ feet much more thoroughly and easier than trying to hose or wipe them off.

The MudBuster comes in three sizes; the “Medium” is shown here. It’s available for $15 to $23 from many pet supply stores, online retailers, Target, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond stores.

Buy the MudBuster on Amazon. 

Get Your Dog to Rest After Surgery

By
Nancy Tucker, CDBC, CPDT-KA
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We dog owners spend a lot of time coming up with ideas to keep our dogs exercised, entertained, and socialized. “Do more with your dog!” is a mantra that keeps us on our toes and looking for ways to ensure our pooches lead an active, fulfilled life.

Then one day, should our dog be injured or undergo surgery, we’re instructed by our vet to keep Fido quiet – maybe even immobile! – during a recovery period that can range anywhere from a few days to weeks or (gasp) months.

When our own doctor gives us strict orders to take it easy for two weeks while we recover from surgery or an injury, we understand that doing so is for our own good. We know that going against instructions can land us back in the doctor’s office with a secondary problem and can make our recovery time even longer. That’s often incentive enough to do what we’re told to stay out of trouble!

donut shaped recovery collar for dogs

Our dogs, though, don’t follow the same rationale. When they start to feel better, they want to resume their daily activities immediately. They’re ready to jump and run and chase and play. It’s our responsibility to keep them quiet, and this can become an exercise in frustration for everyone involved.

How Do You Keep a Dog Calm?

So what can you do when your dog needs to chill against his will? These tips should help you get through your dog’s recovery time:

1. Your vet may prescribe a tranquilizer for your dog.

Seriously consider it. As someone who’s just recently gone through a week with a highly energetic post-surgical dog (we’re on Week Two as I type), I can vouch for the benefits of accepting that prescription with glee. I’m not talking about something that will knock your dog out cold, but something that can help take the edge off.

We were prescribed Trazodone, a tricyclic antidepressant that has the added effect of a mild sedative. Without it, Bennigan, my Border Terrier, would have felt ready to resume his twice-daily “zoomies” routine far too soon – up and down the stairs, on and off the couch, usually while barely touching the floor.

While medicated, Bennigan is able to walk around as normal. He’s not staggering or “out of it.” He’s just much more serene and will happily curl up and snooze for most of the day – which is exactly what the doctor ordered. When he’s awake, he is perfectly alert and enjoys playing brain games. His appetite for treats is alive and well, making training sessions more than possible.

As a bonus, his tranquil state makes it far easier for him to accept wearing his Kong Cloud “donut” (an alternative to the classic plastic Elizabethan collar or “cone of shame”). He’s also taken more easily to wearing his post-surgical onesie pajama, designed to prevent him from licking his wound or pulling at his stitches – activities he’s proven he can’t resist.

Bennigan is particularly sensitive to two things he finds very aversive: Confinement (like a crate) and having something on his body like a harness (which we’ve been working very hard to address, successfully!). The prescribed medication completely eliminated the need to physically confine him in a crate in order to control his movements (which would cause him undue stress), and it also erased any sensitivity to the onesie on his body. He wore it happily, which proved to be an immense help (in addition to being absurdly cute).

dog in a onesie

2. Use mentally tiring, low-key activities to wear him out.

We know that engaging your dog’s nose is an activity that doesn’t require much (if any) physical exertion. We also know that scent work can be immensely satisfying and tiring for your dog.

If your dog has permission from your vet to move around quietly, you can hide his food or some treats around an area in your home that’s safe for him to maneuver and encourage him to sniff out the goods. You can also hide some treats or kibble in a snuffle mat – an ideal solution for a dog who should move around as little as possible. With the snuffle mat, he can stay in one place while engaging his nose.

Weather permitting, you could sprinkle kibble in the grass in an enclosed area small enough to prevent your dog from running or jumping around. A temporary enclosure can be created with an exercise pen.

3. Low-activity training lessons.

There are still plenty of training activities you can engage in while keeping your dog relatively quiet. Naturally, all the high-energy sports are out of the question, but what about those that are low-key?

Jessica Hekman DVM, PhD, recently needed to adjust her dog’s training activities. Dash, an 18-month-old English Shepherd, is an active dog whose recurring issues with one of his shoulders has led Jessica to explore the possibility of orthopedic surgery. While they wait several weeks for their meeting with the orthopedic surgeon to discuss the next steps, Dash needs to stay quiet and can’t participate in his usual activities like agility practice.

But how do you minimize the physical activity of an athletic dog like Dash without driving him stir-crazy?

“Dash now does Rally with my husband at the same venue where we used to train in agility. We are also doing an online nose-work class through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy,” says Jessica.

dog training

Even though Dash can’t participate in high-impact sports, he and Jessica have managed to stay plenty busy by learning lots of tricks. They’ve even earned Dash his AKC Novice Trick Title while on “rest”!

“We practice our toy play, food play, and personal play. Coincidentally, we have some guest cats staying with us for a few months. Dash is overly excited by them, so they live in their own room. A couple of times a day, I let him interact with them and reward for calm behavior. This is great enrichment for him and hopefully will lead to more freedom for the cats. We’re making great progress!

“I’ve also taken him to pet supply stores or Home Depot/Lowe’s on leash and let him meet interested people. He gets a stuffed frozen Kong daily, but this was always the case. It’s just more important now.”

Check out how to teach your dog the names of objects here – it’s the perfect training game for when your dog has a lot of down time.

4. Play advanced brain games.

Some of the low-energy training exercises mentioned above are terrific ideas for the dog who’s at least able to move around, but what about the dog who should be as immobile as possible?

That’s when you and your dog both really need to use your brains. Object discrimination games – while lots of fun – can be very intellectually demanding for the dog. It’s a great way to challenge and tire out a stir-crazy dog who needs to be on complete rest.

With discrimination games, the idea is to teach your dog to differentiate between various objects. You can teach him the “name” of a few objects and ask him to target them with his paw or his snout, or to pick them up on cue. It’s a great way to teach your dog what his toys are called! This game can be played without your dog needing to move at all, so it’s perfect for the canine patient who’s supposed to be on strict rest.

Get more brain games to play with your dog here.

5. Practice impulse control exercises.

Take advantage of your dog’s needing to stay calm by practicing behaviors that require him to be immobile, like Stay, Wait, and Off (aka Leave It). It’s a perfect time to practice handy behaviors, all while continuing to rest!

6. Give your dog relaxing massages.

stuffed kong distraction

Learn canine massage techniques. I don’t know about you, but a good massage will put me in a zen state of mind that will last for several hours. Your dog can experience the same relaxing sensation with proper massage techniques.

Keep in mind the location of his injury – depending on the nature of it – you may want to either avoid it or target it! Choose a quiet spot in your home, play some relaxing music, and spend some one-on-one time massaging your dog. You’ll find it’s relaxing for both of you!

7. Keep the dog’s mouth busy.

If your dog can’t move his body, let him work on something with his mouth. A frozen Kong is an easy choice, since you can stuff it with low-calorie ingredients. You’ll want to watch your dog’s food intake while he’s less active. Putting on extra pounds can make recovery harder.

Prepare Your Dog Ahead of Time

Recovering from an injury or surgery isn’t an easy process, and it’s made more difficult by the fact that we can’t simply explain to our dogs why they need to lay low for a while. But with a little creativity and some planning, you’ll both get through it!

Even if your dog is currently in excellent health, take the time now to practice a few things that will come in handy later. Play games to help him make a positive association with a crate, an Elizabethan collar (the plastic cone or equivalent), a body wrap (like a onesie), or a sock on a limb.

Nancy Tucker, CPDT-KA, is a full-time trainer, behavior consultant, and seminar presenter in Quebec, Canada.

How to Teach Your Dog Object Names

By
Nancy Tucker, CDBC, CPDT-KA
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2

Teaching your dog to differentiate between objects is a fun brain game that can be stretched out over days or weeks. He doesn’t need to learn it all on the first try! Keep sessions short and fun, making sure your dog gets plenty of reinforcement to keep him interested.

1. Prepare a few objects in advance.

If you think using toys will get your dog too excited, pick some items that mean nothing to him, like maybe a strainer, a paperweight, and a flashlight (I’ve randomly chosen these items simply by looking around my kitchen and picking things my dog has never interacted with). Choose items that would be difficult for him to put in his mouth if you want to avoid inadvertently triggering a game of chase. Larger items can easily be targeted with his nose.

2. Sit down with your dog.

Get into position. Have your dog sit or lie down and then sit on the floor facing him.

How to Teach Your Dog Object Names

3. Start by having your dog target one item.

Place one of the items on the floor in front of him, close enough that he can reach it with his snout. The instant he leans towards it to sniff it, click or say “Yes!” and give him a treat. Deliver the treat away from the object, but close enough to your dog so he doesn’t need to stand up. When he’s done eating the treat he will probably turn his head back toward the object to check it out again. Click or say “Yes!” and reward him again.

If your dog has done target training with his nose before, he should pick up on the game quickly and touch the object with his nose easily. If he’s new to target training, be patient and mark and reward even the slightest movement of his nose towards the object. You want to encourage curiosity and interaction with the object.

4. Give the first item a name.

When your dog reliably targets the item with his nose, give that item a name. Say the name just as he’s leaning toward it. For example, say “Strainer” just before he touches the strainer with his nose. Mark and reward. Repeat this several times so that he gets to hear the word “Strainer” often. We want him to begin to associate the word with the object.

How to Teach Your Dog Object Names

5. Have your dog target a second object (but don’t name it yet).

After many repetitions of saying the name of the object and marking/rewarding your dog for touching the object with his nose, it’s time to bring in a second object. You will now have both the strainer and the new object on the floor in front of your dog. He will likely explore the new object with his nose. Ignore that; don’t mark and treat. Say “Strainer” (or the name of the original object), give your dog a moment to think about it, and mark/treat for touching the first object.

If your dog is able to comfortably and safely take a few steps, move the two objects to a new location, even if it’s just a few feet away from where you were a moment ago. Place the objects about two or three feet apart and cue your dog to “Go touch the strainer.” Mark and reward if he gets it right!

6. Add another item to target.

Increase the level of difficulty by adding a third item, but continue to ask your dog to identify and target the first object.

How to Teach Your Dog Object Names

7. Name additional items as you include them in your targeting exercise.

To name another item, start the process over again with only the new item to be named in front of your dog. Refer back to #4; say the name of this new object just before he touches it, mark and reward when he does. Repeat several times so he associates this object with its name (for example, “flashlight”). With practice, you’ll be able to place more than one named item on the floor and ask your dog to touch each object by name (“touch the strainer”). Mark and reward when he gets it right! Learning to discriminate between items by name can take time and lots of repetition. Enjoy the process – there’s no hurry!

How to Teach Your Dog Object Names

The Marvelous Mutts

By
Helene G. Goldberger, Esq., CPDT-KA, PMCT
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On any given weekend, you can go to many places in the country to observe a variety of canine competitions, such as agility or dock diving. These are often organized by groups such as the American Kennel Club, Canine Performance Events, or United States Dog Agility Association.

At a performance by The Marvelous Mutts, as the name suggests, you won’t see any pedigreed dogs, but you will definitely witness focused owners and competitive dogs! Looking at a photographic gallery of The Marvelous Mutts, one could easily be confused with having found the listing for a rescue promoting their mixed-breed adoption candidates. Instead, it’s an inspiring model, both for what rescue dogs can do and what highly motivated dog owners can do for shelter and rescue dogs.

marvelous mutts performance troupe

Maggie Fan Photography

 

The Marvelous Mutts was founded in 2011 by Nadja Palenzuela and Kara Gilmore, two dog-obsessed women who competed in various dog sports with their own mixed-breed rescue dogs while pursuing their law and architecture careers. This started with Nadja’s participation on the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Team, Kara’s advocacy work with National Canine Research Council on behalf of pit bulls, and Nadja’s participation in the Animal Farm Foundation’s Shelter Dogs Can Fly program.

Prior to that, they operated a small dog supply store, Hooked on Dogs, in Red Hook, New York. They also used the store as a base for some local rescues to hold adoption clinics. After they decided to close Hooked on Dogs in 2010, partially in response to the economic downturn, they created The Marvelous Mutts, which binds together their shared love of dog sports and rescue.

I spent an afternoon with Nadja, Kara, and all The Marvelous Mutts on a late fall day at their Columbia County, New York, “base lodge.” As we spoke under a gnarled oak tree that sits in a field on the property, two of the stars of the MM show, Shazam and Boo-Ya, came barreling out of the home to see what’s happening – happy, lean, and ready for action.

The Marvelous Mutts Traveling Show

The Marvelous Mutts split up into two or three teams, each comprised of eight to 12 dogs, and travel in recreational vehicles to county and state fairs, trade shows, and schools. They put on more than 700 shows in 2017! The dogs show off their energetic skills in agility, disc dog, and dock diving in what they describe as a “high-energy action-packed family friendly show.”

As part of the show, Nadja, Kara, and other handlers answer questions, invite children to assist, and have after-show meet-and-greets with the dogs. Their message is to promote rescue: encouraging people to get their next dog from a shelter.

The Dogs Selected for Marvelous Mutts

All of the MM dogs were rescued and trained by the two women or by one of the trainers they work with, such as Christina Curtis, who has been performing with MM since 2011. The women stress in speaking to audiences that The Marvelous Mutts athletes are not necessarily the type of dogs one wants as a pet. These high-energy dogs are chosen for their strong interest in playing with toys and interacting with people; they thrive on training and performing.

No force is used to train the dogs; they are motivated to work for toys and, to a lesser extent, food treats. Because they get so much training, conditioning, and attention, they do not bounce off the walls for lack of mental stimulation or physical exercise (as many of our pet dogs do), and are happy to chill out until their next meal or workout.

Nadja and Kara beam as they speak of The Marvelous Mutts’ original performers, Bandit and Clementine, who were the best man and maid of honor at their wedding in December 2013. Clementine passed away in May 2014, and Bandit is retired at age 15-plus.

All the MM dogs have permanent homes with the two women. “Once we adopt a dog, we are committed to him or her for life, whether or not the dog ends up in the show,” Nadja tells me. “We have one dog who has been with us for more than six years, and who still hasn’t made it into a show,” she says, laughing. “Some people who have traveling-dog acts treat their dogs like equipment. Our dogs are family members for life.”

marvelous mutts performance troupe

Maggie Fan Photography

 

Once a dog ages out of performing, they are welcomed into the slowly growing pack of semi- and full retirees who stay at the MM home base. Kara now spends more time at home with these dogs than on the road with a performance team, and the women are planning to start a home-based training and boarding facility to help support the retired dogs.

Nadja and Kara no longer have to seek out new performers; some of the shelters and rescues they have worked with know what kind of temperament would be a match with MM and provide certain dogs’ bios and video to the women (in case you have such a rescue, the MM has a full house at this time!).

Nadja and Kara sometimes agree to take on a foster dog at the request of one of their friends in rescue. Through all their contacts and the use of social media, they have a good success rate of helping to place these dogs.

Most recently, the women adopted a three-legged dog from Arizona Cattle Dog Rescue. Cha-Cha-Cha is the third dog they adopted from that rescue and has turned out to be a great disc and agility dog. Audiences love to see her – and often don’t realize until the end of a show that she has only three legs.

The women spend lots of time with new dogs; those with less than three years in the program have daily training sessions. Those with more experience are exercised daily with fetch and other games, but are not drilled in the sports they perform. This daily conditioning keeps the dogs happy and fit, to prevent injury. On the road, their performance time is limited in order to avoid overwork and soft-tissue injuries. This program enables the dogs to continue to perform well into their senior years.

Kara and Nadja showed me their dog kitchen, where a white board tracks the supplements, individually tailored for each dog, that are added to the high-quality raw and kibble diet. Their veterinarian, Dr. Tina Aiken, is an integrative practitioner who supports the team at home and on the road with both conventional and complementary modalities.

Nadja and Kara are helped by a number of dog-trainer friends who have their own rescue dogs that compete in agility, disc dog, and dock-diving. These guest performers are added to the show in different parts of the country.

The women also continue to build their own training skills by continuing to take classes (mainly online) with trainers such as Denise Fenzi (of Fenzi Dog Sports Academy), and manage to enroll in some local classes to keep themselves and the dogs tuned-up during the slow periods.

If you are attending a county fair or other event and hear about a performance by The Marvelous Mutts, be sure to check it out! You can’t help but be inspired by seeing what can be done by and for rescue dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Helene G. Goldberger, Esq., PMCT, CPDT-KA is a certified professional dog trainer in the Capital District of New York. Helene is also an attorney with the law firm of Tooher & Barone in Albany, NY, an environmental and land-use law firm.

How to Cope With Losing a Dog

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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©Getty Images

Those of us who have long shared our lives with non-human animal companions know all too well that, in the end, the joy they bring to our world is tempered by the impossible, unbearable pain of loss when they leave this earth. Our canine and feline companions tend to live between 10 and 20 years – never long enough.

We know, of course, when we adopt a new animal companion into our family, that there will a day when we have to say good-bye, but the oxytocin rush of our new love causes the awareness of that knowledge to dim. Until one day, there it is. The inevitable. Time to say good-bye. Time to cry.

During my 20 years at the Marin Humane Society, it was a frequent occurrence for me and other staff members to comfort and commiserate with owners who brought their beloved companions to us for euthanasia. We often cried with them – and we always assured them that it was okay for them to cry, too. We also cried for the ones who were ownerless, who had no options, and for whom we provided caring, gentle deaths in the euthanasia room.

In addition to my animal-shelter work, I have had the joy and privilege of sharing my heart with more than 80 of my own animal companions across my lifetime, including dogs, cats, horses, goats, a sheep, a pig, and a host of small companions – mice, rabbits, and birds. Many tears have been shed over those years. Most recently, we said good-bye to our Lucy.

My Most Recent Loss

Lucy was 14. Many of you have followed her exploits over the years in my WDJ articles, from her feisty, vocal, Cardigan Corgi adolescence when we adopted her at the age of six months, through her resource-guarding conflicts with our other canine family members, her sound sensitivity, her separation distress, and more.

We knew Lucy was slowing down in recent years. She stopped jumping up on the bed a couple of years ago, and in the past year declined to jump up on the sofa except for rare occasions. She no longer chased the water droplets when we emptied horse buckets in the arena, and she declined to chase sticks on our hikes around the farm. We did her annual well-pet checkups every year. She still seemed alert, ruled the canine members of the household, and willingly assisted as a neutral dog for client consults and for our Reactive Rover workshops.

In mid January, though, she started vomiting and developed diarrhea over a weekend, and she had no interest in eating. The vet’s exam on Monday found a tumor in her vulva – probably metastasized from elsewhere in her body. Lucy had well-advanced cancer. The vet gave her injections of pain medication, antibiotics, and an anti-inflammatory, and said, “We’ll see.” But the next morning, Lucy couldn’t even stand. We called the hospital to let them know we were coming in and prepared ourselves to say good-bye. It was Tuesday, January 16, her 14th birthday. With hugs and tears, as Lucy lay on the exam room floor, we held her and watched as our vet delivered the euthanasia solution and give her the gentle death that she deserved. And we all cried.

The Five Stages of Grieving for Pets

I am now, still, grieving our sudden loss of Lucy, as well the unexpected death of our pot-bellied pig, Sturgis, just one week before that. It’s hard – very hard – even though I’m familiar with and understand the stages of grief.

The “five stages of grief” were first identified by Swiss-born Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her book, On Death and Dying, published in 1969. Initially relating to awareness of one’s own pending death, over the years, the concepts have been applied by health care professionals to anyone suffering the loss of something of vital importance. Of course, we know that includes the loss of beloved animal companions.

Not everyone experiences all five stages of grief, and the stages may be experienced in a variable order. Grieving is a very individual process. Often, however, the first reaction to grief is denial.

1. Denial

This reaction frequently occurs when you first receive the diagnosis of a terminal illness or injury, while your animal companion is still alive. The more sudden the impending death, the harder it may be to accept, because you have had little or no time to prepare. You refuse to believe your veterinarian is correct. There must be some medical advance or alternative treatment that will fix this. Indeed, there are legions of anecdotes about terminally ill pets who have been miraculously cured by natural therapies when their lives had been written off by Western medicine.

Eventually, however, unless you are one of the rare, fortunate few, the diagnosis becomes a reality, and you can no longer deny that your companion is gone – or soon will be.

2. Anger/Blame/Guilt

Rational or not, you may be angry that your companion is dying; angry that your veterinarian can’t save her; angry at the driver of the car that hit her; angry at yourself for letting her slip out… This, too is normal.

Guilt is self-blame. Sometimes your guilt has a rational basis. Perhaps you are the one who let your dog slip out the front door and then she got hit by a car. Sometimes, despite knowing you have provided the best care you could for your companion, you still feel guilty that she had developed cancer. If only you had fed her a better quality diet for her entire life, instead of just the past five years. If only you had taken her to the vet hospital sooner when you noticed she wasn’t quite right, instead of waiting a few days…

If you must make the difficult decision to have your dog euthanized, your guilt may be compounded by the fact that you are choosing to end her life. Even though you know that she is suffering, and that euthanasia is the final act of kindness after a lifetime of kindnesses, it can be hard to get beyond the moral sense that taking her life is wrong. You are killing your dog. It does no good for people to tell you not to feel guilty – you will feel what you feel, and it is a perfectly appropriate and normal part of the grieving process.

3. Bargaining

At some point during your grief you may try bargaining. If you promise to go to church every Sunday for the rest of your life, maybe God will let her live. If you commit to volunteering at your local animal shelter, maybe your dog who has been missing for two months will miraculously appear in a kennel at the shelter. In any case, when you finally begin to accept the reality of your loss, you may become depressed.

4. Depression

This is a time when you intensely experience the sadness of your loss, and feel hopeless and helpless to recover. You may cry, withdraw, stop eating, or not want to get out of bed. Daily tasks may seem impossible. Some people may feel there is no reason to go on with their lives, and may even become suicidal. Professional assistance can be invaluable for someone who is having difficulty with this stage.

5. Acceptance

This is the final stage of the grieving process. When you can accept the loss of your companion, you are ready to begin your return to normal functioning. You will still feel pain and sadness, and there may be times when feelings of anger, guilt, blame, and depression reappear, but they will likely return with less intensity.

In time, they will increasingly be replaced with happy memories of the times you and your dog spent together. The sadness may never go away completely, but it will become more bearable.

A Visualization Exercise for Grieving

When I was in sheltering work, we paid a lot of attention to grief counseling, and to compassion fatigue for our shelter staff. At some point I came across this lovely visualization exercise, which I find very comforting in times of loss. I regret I don’t remember the source, and hope I do it justice:

In a quiet darkened room with gentle music and soft lighting, perhaps candles, make yourself comfortable on soft cushions, breathe, and relax. Close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a peaceful place – perhaps a sunny meadow, or a quiet wood next to a trickling stream. Breathe.

Now imagine your dog appearing at the edge of the meadow and running happily to you. You greet her joyfully, and the two of you spend many minutes together, remembering
happy times together.

When it’s time to go, you reach down and put your hands against her sides. As you watch, she becomes smaller and smaller, until she is small enough that you can pick her up, cupped in your hands. Now pick her up, hold her in your hands, and place her in your heart, where she will stay with you, forever.

It’s Okay to Cry

It’s important to remember that grieving is normal, natural and healthy. It’s okay to cry, scream, yell, get angry, and be depressed and sad, as long as you aren’t harming yourself or anyone else. If at any time you feel overwhelmed and unable to cope, or feel that you are “stuck” in one of the stages, you can seek help from pet-loss hotlines, grief counselors, and other health professionals who specialize in helping people through the grief process.

Rituals can help you move along the difficult path of grieving. Memorial services including burials or scattering of ashes, donations in your dog’s name, an announcement in the newspaper, and other similar activities can help diffuse the pain of your loss. Lucy is buried on our farm, next to one of the Christmas trees that she loved to help us plant every year after the holidays. Bonnie and Kai, our remaining two dogs, were in attendance for the ceremony.

I still cry for Lucy. I also wonder whether we should have noticed, sooner, that her appetite wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. That the sparkle in her eyes was gone.

The tears slide down my cheeks as I dump water buckets in the arena and envision her happily dashing after the droplets … as I take hikes around the farm with Bonnie and Kai, and desperately miss Lucy’s stick-chasing enthusiasm … as I remove clothes from the dryer and she’s not there on sentry duty to snatch up any overlooked treats that fall out of the pockets … As I fix the dogs’ dinner and only fill two bowls instead of three, I remind myself that it’s okay to cry.

Grief Resources for Losing a Pet

There are many resources available to those who are struggling with the loss of a beloved animal companion. Here are a few of our favorites:

Books

Pet Loss: A Thoughtful Guide for Adults and Children, by Herbert A Nieburg and Arlene Fischer

I Heard Your Dog Died: Imaginings for Those Who Have Lost a Pet, by Bonnie Kreitler

The Loss of a Pet: A Guide to Coping with the Grieving Process When a Pet Dies, by Wallace Sife

Coping With Sorrow on the Loss of Your Pet, by Moira Anderson Allen

Support Groups

The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement

Pet Loss Support Hotline; Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

Pet Loss Support Hotline, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University

Grief Recovery Method

Facebook Groups

Pet Loss Support Group

Pet Loss Grief and Terminal Illness Support Group

Rainbow Bridge Pet Loss Grief and Support

Author Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. She and her husband Paul live in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. Miller is also the author of many books on positive training. Her newest is Beware of the Dog: Positive Solutions for Aggressive Behavior in Dogs.

Hemangioma in Dogs

By
Cindy Foley
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It usually happens when you’re grooming or bathing your dog: You notice a strange little lump you haven’t seen before. The first thing to pop in your mind is the C-word. It can’t be cancer, can it? Chances are it’s just a hemangioma, but don’t ignore it.

A cutaneous hemangioma is a benign neoplasm (growth) on the skin that looks a lot like a blood blister (angiokeratoma). That makes sense, because hemangiomas are vascular lesions, formed by endothelial cells, which are the cells that form blood vessels. The color can vary from red to black, and the lesion can ulcerate. A hemangioma can grow, making it prone to bruising, laceration, and infection.

The cause of hemangiomas is idiopathic (unknown). These growths usually don’t appear until at least middle age. Thin-skinned, light-colored breeds often experience hemangiomas. You’ll most likely find a hemangioma on the dog’s trunk or legs, especially hairless areas like the lower abdomen.

hemangioma on dog skin

Having your veterinarian remove the hemangioma via surgical excision or cryosurgery is often the best option.

“Because these are very vascular, they may ulcerate and drain. In those cases, you need to keep the area clean and consult with your veterinarian on a topical antibiotic or wound cream,” advises Debra M. Eldredge, DVM, a veterinarian in Vernon, New York.

Skin Cancer Signs on Dogs

Any new lump or growth on your dog is a call for an immediate veterinary exam. While chances are greater that it’s benign, there’s still a strong risk that it is not. Because some cancers appear on the skin only after invading internal organs, time is of the essence. While the classic sign of skin cancer is a lesion that just won’t heal, other symptoms to watch for include bleeding, change in color, crusty look or layer, inflammation, itchiness, swelling, or a wart-like appearance.

Diagnosing Hemangiomas

It is debated in veterinary literature whether hemangiomas are more accurately categorized as a neoplasm or simply a vascular malformation. One thing is certain: Hemangiomas are not malignant. The problem, however, is that they closely resemble an aggressive cancer called hemangiosarcoma. By the time a hemangiosarcoma is seen in the skin, the cancer has usually spread to the dog’s organs.

A veterinarian will not be able to tell you if the growth is a hemangioma or a hemangiosarcoma just by examining it; a biopsy, or at least a cytology, is required. “To be completely sure which type of tumor you are dealing with, a biopsy is best. In most cases your veterinarian will do an ‘excisional biopsy,’ totally removing the growth,” says Dr. Eldredge.

In a cytology, cells from the neoplasm are removed with a needle, sent to the laboratory, and examined under a microscope by a pathologist. While a cytology is less invasive than a biopsy, the results aren’t as conclusive and can be misleading, so a biopsy is preferable for diagnosis.

Depending on the size, location, and depth of the lesion, the biopsy may be done with a local anesthetic and a sedative, or it may require the dog to be fully anesthetized. “A local is fine,” says Eileen Fatcheric, DVM, owner of Fairmount Animal Hospital in Syracuse, New York. “They just can’t be on a super sensitive or movable part of the body, like near the eyes. Some areas, like a toe, can be difficult with just a local.”

The lesion will be sent to pathology for an analysis. The biopsy results will confirm or rule out the presence of cancer.

Waiting for a lump to go away on its own can prove to be a costly mistake. The sooner a diagnosis can be made, the better, especially if you have to move forward with treatment.

Learn about other abnormal skin conditions on dogs here.

Cynthia Foley is a freelance writer and dog agility competitor in New York.

Letters and Corrections: April 2018

By
Nancy Kerns
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Training Editor Pat Miller writes:

I would like to make a few comments regarding the article, “Training an Over-Aroused Dog,” in the March issue of WDJ. For starters, kudos to author Jill Breitner for her excellent work with Indy. Highly aroused dogs can be frustrating to live with and challenging to work with. The significant improvement in his behavior is clear evidence that she was doing all the right things.

That said, there are many very energetic dogs who can and do benefit from an increase in appropriate types of exercise, and I would encourage dog owners to not rule out exercise as a possible solution to their highly energetic dog. There are different ways to exercise, and sometimes it’s a matter of finding the right way to exercise your dog. For example:

1. If I use a fetch-game of some sort for an energetic dog, I also build in various impulse-control elements, such as having the dog sit or lie down in order to prompt me to throw the ball, and teaching a “Wait” after the ball is thrown until she gets the release cue. Eventually I may even teach the dog a “release/down/wait/release again” sequence.

2. For dogs who do get too aroused for fetch – or for those who won’t play fetch – an off-leash hike (or a hike on a long line) can be a less-arousing but still highly effective way to provide adequate exercise.

whole dog journal

WDJ March 2018 issue

3. Finally, exercise doesn’t have to be highly physical. Scent work is surprisingly good exercise for dogs. Because they are so good with their noses, we tend to think scent work is easy for them, but it is, in fact, very tiring – which is why wild dogs, despite having excellent noses, will use vision to hunt as much as possible. Shaping and other mind games can also be very effective at tiring out a dog who is bouncing off the walls.

In my experience, many dogs deemed “hyperactive” can and do thrive on an increase in appropriate exercise. I have had numerous clients successfully help their high-energy dogs by doing so and have fostered a variety of shelter dogs labeled “hyperactive” who settled nicely after a few weeks here on the farm.

In fact, I don’t even use the term “hyperactive” with my clients’ dogs unless I am seeing the rare dog who truly appears clinically, pathologically, unable to control their level of activity. My concern is that it gives humans an excuse for having an out-of-control dog, as opposed to one who just needs more of an investment of their humans’ time and energy.

Author/trainer Jill Breitner responds:

Indy was labeled hyperactive by his owners, who increased and increased his exercise in an effort to tire him out and calm him down. In his case, it was the wrong thing to do, because the label was wrong to begin with.

Indy actually isn’t hyperactive or over-energetic. He was in a constant state of hyperarousal, and that’s why more exercise wasn’t what he needed, though it often is what other highly active dogs need. Physiologically, Indy was in a state of chronic stress. He needed less exercise and more rest, so that he could destress and find some peace and calm in body and mind.

I agree with Pat that exercise is crucial for dogs and that highly energetic dogs will usually benefit from increased exercise. However, the thing that many people get wrong is to increase exercise at the expense of mental stimulation and training. As Pat points out, appropriate exercise is key.

I still threw a flying disc for Indy and I still hiked with him, but I didn’t let him get “over threshold” – the point at which a dog goes from showing no anxiety to showing signs of anxiety: panting, agitation, inability to focus, inability to settle.

Pat’s suggestion of using scent work, shaping, and other “brain games” to help tire out highly energetic dogs is great. Scent work is particularly good for mentally and physically tiring out energetic dogs, as well as hyperaroused dogs like Indy. Indy loves scent work and is able to stay under threshold when engaged in this task.

There are many ways to add mental stimulation to a simple game of fetch. For example, we can ask the dog to jump onto a platform and lie down before we throw a disc for him. We can ask him to go through an agility tunnel before catching the ball. The important thing to recognize is when the dog is getting over threshold and stopping the game or reducing its intensity until the dog calms down. If you know the signs of hyperarousal, depicted in the infographic in the original article, then you will be more able to help your dog.

Every dog benefits from exercise, but it must be looked at as part of a program of meeting the dog’s mental, physical, and emotional needs.

Dog Parks Are Dangerous!

By
Nancy Kerns
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I’ve never owned a dog who HAD to exercise at a fenced dog park, but I’ve fostered a number of them. I’ve been able to train all of my dogs to perform a solid recall, even when faced with tempting distractions (deer, rabbits, other hikers with dogs, etc.), and have always lived in places where I had access to off-leash trails. But when I’ve fostered wayward adolescent dogs, there have been times when I thought the dog would benefit greatly from a long period of exercising hard, but I needed the security of a fenced area, because we hadn’t yet had enough time together to build a solid recall. At those times, I’ve turned to a dog park – but only with extreme caution, because I think the hazards and risks of dog parks, in very many cases, outweigh the benefits.

dog park fighting

The most extreme risk is also the most common at dog parks: that of other dogs hurting (either physically or by intimidation) or even killing your dog.

I’m writing this today because I just read this chilling, very abbreviated account of a completely avoidable dog park fatality. A woman was at the park with her small, middle-aged dog. This particular park doesn’t have a separate area for small dogs, so in my mind, that’s strike one. I would never take a small dog to a big park where there are big dogs running around! Even if they don’t get attacked or harassed by bigger dogs, small dogs can be seriously injured or killed if they accidentally collide with a big dog who is running fast.

Plus, a few-seconds-long video clip of the dog playfully rolling around on the grass was enough to show me that this was not a dog who *needed* to be exercised at an off-leash park! She looked like her exercise needs could easily have been met on a long line in any small open space. This little dog was attacked by two large dogs who were at the park with a dog walker who had been hired through a popular app – in other words, someone who didn’t necessarily know the dogs, and (probably) did not have the experience or education to know that the dogs were dangerous to other dogs.

small dog area at dog park

I don’t ever go to a dog park blindly. I won’t take a dog with me the first time I go to ANY dog park; I want to see it first, walk its fence line, locate any potential hazards or things that might be dangerous or challenging for my dog. I’ll never forget the time I was at Point Isabel, a famous open-space off-leash area in Richmond, California (near Berkeley, on the east side of the San Francisco Bay), and there were a number of people trying to help a woman capture her dog, who was swimming in the bay, and kept swimming farther and farther from shore in pursuit of seagulls and other birds he saw. She was sobbing and kept crying out, “I didn’t know they could just get in the water! I thought there was a fence! I didn’t KNOW!” She apparently had never been to the shoreline park, but had taken her water-loving dog there and unclipped his leash anyway. Oops.

It also helps to know the best time to visit any given park. Perhaps it doesn’t matter so much if you have a big, super gregarious, playful dog, who loves all other dogs and doesn’t mind being bossed around by more assertive individuals, but if you have a dog whose social grace depends on NOT having other dogs in his face, you might want to figure out when very few other people and dogs are at that particular park. If there is literally no time when the park is empty, I would find a non-dog-park fenced space where no other dogs are present to exercise that dog off-leash. I just wouldn’t risk worsening that dog’s social skills by setting him up to fail!

dog park bullies

In my opinion, very few of the dogs who are taken to dog parks need that sort of space; most of the dogs who are there really shouldn’t be there. Even if they are in no way aggressive, dogs who don’t enjoy other dogs shouldn’t be there, because they WILL be approached by other dogs; that’s a given. For example, my 10-year-old dog Otto can get along with any other dog – as long as they pretty much leave him alone. He doesn’t want to play with other dogs, he doesn’t want to go sniff them, and he certainly isn’t going to put up with any other dogs sniffing HIS butt. So there is no earthly reason to take him to a dog park, where he will undoubtedly be forced to suffer all sorts of fools approaching him and trying to smell him. In no time at all, he’d snap at some dog, and some younger, bigger dog may just take offense and – ugh, I can’t even think about it.

Puppies and young adolescent dogs certainly benefit from the opportunity to run, socialize, and play with other playful dogs. But taking an inexperienced adolescent to a dog park is something else I would never recommend. There are too many playground bullies at dog parks – dogs who get a little charge out of creaming “new kids” at the park. Think about it: You do your pup no favors to take him to a place where, in the middle of the most fun he can have, he’s going to get violently assaulted and/or pee-his-pants scared. It might work if there is a separate area where he can play with the small dogs – and poses no risk to the small dogs himself. Otherwise, I’d suggest sticking with organized puppy socials offered by your trainer or private play dates set up with other local puppy owners.

Same goes for timid dogs. I would never bring a socially fearful dog to any dog park. Period.

Private dog parks are a concept with a lot of promise. You’d pay for the safety and cleanliness of the park, and because all the park-goers would be pre-screened for friendliness. Park attendants would enforce the rules and educate users about appropriate and inappropriate dog behavior.

But public dog parks? I’d avoid them unless you HAD to use them, and then, only with extreme caution.

Download the Full April 2018 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
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  • Freeze-Dried Diets
  • Shaping The Perfect Sit
  • Paw Cuts and Scrapes
  • The Mudbuster
  • The Doctor Order Calm
  • Marvelous Mutts
  • Pet Loss and Grief
  • Seeing a Spot?
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Do Dogs Recognize Us With Smell More Than Sight?

By
Nancy Kerns
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Have you seen this video – the one where the guy was in a hospital for five weeks and is now home, and his dog doesn’t recognize him at first? The dog is released from somewhere off camera, and there are enough voices that you can tell that there are a number of people gathered, so it’s understandable when the dog comes running toward the group and is barking and a little alarmed. The man remains sitting, and talks to the dog a little, and the dog, spooked, approaches slowly and suspiciously, and carefully reaches his nose toward the man for a sniff – and the SECOND he smells the man, his face LIGHTS up and his body explodes with joy. “IT’S MY OWNER!” Everyone laughs as the dog goes crazy with happiness, rolling around in the man’s arms.

I can’t tell you how many times I have watched this video, because my two-year-old dog Woody has done the same thing to me and some of my friends – in fact, a number of times. I’ve even seen him put up his hackles and growl, approaching someone he knows well, looking spooked, and the MOMENT he sniffs them, he transforms instantaneously, seemingly overwhelmed with delight. “My FRIEND! OMG IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!”

Do dogs have really poor vision? Is there such a thing as an eye chart or a vision test for dogs? What is up with this?

Has this ever happened to you?

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