From the first issue, one of WDJ’s missions has been to bring you “in-depth information about effective holistic healthcare methods.” However, the word “holistic” is subjective, and it’s frequently used to mean very different things.
Many people use the phrase “holistic healthcare” when they, in fact, mean natural, alternative, or complementary healthcare. However, we use the phrase in its original sense – to mean “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems.” We look for therapies and practitioners that offer the most benefit and do the least harm, whether it’s a conventional prescription medication or an organic essential oil, a veterinarian who specializes in oncology or one with advanced training in chiropractic. We don’t eschew vaccines – but we do advise using the least number needed to protect your dog. We don’t promote the use of unproven alternatives to heartworm preventatives – but we do offer explicit advice on how to minimize their use without leaving dogs vulnerable to heartworm infection.
And, to use a recent example, we don’t tell owners to refrain from ever using toxins on their dogs, but we do give them information about how to use toxins, such as the minimal use of topical pesticides and oral flea-killing medications, when less-toxic flea control has failed and the dog is suffering – and when the substance is not contraindicated.
Judging from the number of critical comments regarding September 2017’s article on prescription flea-killing medications, you might think we told our readers that the medications were terrific and should be given to every dog, every month, for life – no worries! Um, no. We think those medications should be reserved for last-resort use. But we’re also aware of cases where they can literally save lives – for example, with dogs who are severely allergic to fleas and who live in areas where fleas are a year-round pestilence. And if an owner is considering their use, she should know, as just one example, which products are likely to aggravate her dog’s epilepsy, and which products don’t pose that risk.
There are publications that denounce the use of most conventional veterinary medical practices and therapies, vaccines, heartworm preventatives, and pesticides included. There are others that impugn every sort of medicine that’s not conventional; they take an equally dim view of acupuncture, chiropractic, traditional herbal medicine, massage, and more. Please don’t confuse us with any of them. We’re committed to giving you solid information about all of the most beneficial options available to you.
1. To evaluate your crating protocols and make any necessary changes (bedding? location? type of crate?) to ensure you are following best crating practices.
2. To help your dog learn to love his crate in case a time comes when he must be confined, for an extended stay at the vet, for example, or (dog forbid) an evacuation.
I first used a crate as a canine management tool in the early 1980s. I was a little skeptical of the concept (“Put my dog in a box? What?”), but within two days was completely convinced that this newly touted training tool had merit for both housetraining puppies and as a “safe space” for older dogs.
Decades have passed since then, and I continue to believe that crates are a valuable tool for successful dog keeping. However, I have also seen some crate abuses over the years that prompt me to add some important caveats to my usual encouragement of their use.
Excessive Crate Confinement
Overuse is probably the most common abuse of crates. I cringe when I hear of dogs who are routinely left crated 10 or more hours a day while their humans are away at work. And what if you get stuck in a major traffic back-up, or your boss decides to call a last-minute mandatory staff meeting?
I can’t think of a better way to wreck your dog’s housetraining than to crate him for excessive periods with no option but to soil his own den – not to mention the potential for creating severe anxiety by forcing him to eliminate in his bed against all his training and instincts. While your dog may be physically capable of going for 10-plus hours without soiling his crate, he shouldn’t have to. There is some evidence that over-crating may lead to kidney damage for dogs who routinely try to “hold it” longer than they should.
Some of us (me included) sometimes crate one of their dogs to prevent intra-family aggression. Using a baby gate to separate the dogs, instead, can keep peace in the family and reduce unnecessary confinement.
Solutions: Examine your crating practices. Do you have options other than crating? If your dog can’t have house freedom, will a baby gate or closed door serve the same management function while giving your dog more room to move and a choice to use his crate – or not? (He still shouldn’t be shut in his room for 10-plus hours a day! If he has to be regularly left home alone for long periods, find a reliable force-free dog walker to give him a daily break.)
If you’re not sure your dog can be trusted uncrated, start a testing protocol, gradually leaving him uncrated for increasing periods.
Improperly Introducing Your Dog to the Crate
Nothing is guaranteed to make your dog dislike his crate faster than being forced into it. If your dog shows resistance to crating, stop! Rather than shoving, try tossing high-value treats inside. If he still doesn’t go in voluntarily, find an alternative until you can take the time to teach him.
Solutions: Good breeders teach their pups to love crates, and an increasing number of shelters and rescue groups are making the effort to do the same with the dogs in their care. If not, and you’re bringing him home for the first time, try a harness and a seat belt or tether to safely restrain him for the trip. Or bring along a friend or family member who can hold him.
Once home, use counter-conditioning to convince your new canine companion that being near a crate makes wonderful things happen, and use shaping to operantly condition him to happily and willingly enter his new bedroom.
Crating a Dog as Punishment
Yikes! If forcing to crate is the best way to make your dog hate his crate, using the crate as punishment may be the next-best way. A cheerful time-out is okay – just to remove him from a difficult situation, but never an angry “Bad dog! Get in your crate!” Similarly, never punish him in his crate by banging on it or shaking it. And never, ever reach into his crate to drag him out and punish him. I don’t reach into my dogs’ crates for any reason; crates are their safe space and I respect that.
Solutions:The easy solution here is – just don’t. If you must crate your dog to give him (or you!) a cooling-off period, do it cheerfully, and give him something nice in the crate – yummy treats, a chewy, or a stuffed toy.
Unprotected Crating
You can accidentally give your dog a negative experience and association with the crate by crating him in a place where he is not protected from the unwanted attentions or proximity of others. If your dog isn’t fond of children and you crate him where children can harass him, he will feel trapped and stressed, and you are likely to make his association with children (as well as with his crate) infinitely more negative.
There can be a similar outcome if he has a tense relationship with another dog in your household and you crate him while the other dog is allowed to be free: Trapped and stressed, his relationship with that dog will likely worsen. If he’s crated in your vehicle and you have to swerve or stop suddenly, the crate bouncing around the back of your SUV is likely to convince him he’d rather not be crated.
Solutions: Always crate your dog in a location where he is protected from unwanted attentions from humans or other dogs. An exercise pen placed around the crate as an “airlock” may be adequate, or he may be better off crated in a separate room with a baby gate across or the door closed. Crates in a vehicle should always be secured so they can’t roll around if there is a sudden stop or worse, a collision.
Crating Tips
With all that said, you might think my ardor for crates has cooled. Far from it; I still think they are a fantastic dog management tool, when used properly. Here are some additional tips to help your dog get the most benefit from his crating experience:
1. If your dog has had past unpleasant experiences with crating, consider changes. If you were using an airline-style crate, try a wire crate. If he was crated in the living room, try the den. If he gets aroused by outside stimuli, move the crate away from the front door, to an isolated, quiet location in the house.
2. Make sure your dog’s crate is placed in an environmentally comfortable location. You may not realize that the sun hits the crate at some point in the day, causing your dog to overheat, or a draft from a vent that makes him uncomfortably cold. Try putting crates in different locations and see if he shows a preference.
3. Respect your dog’s bedding preferences. He may love a cushy comforter to lie on while crated, or he may prefer the coolness of a bare crate floor. Figure out what he likes and accommodate his wishes. If possible, try offering two crates with different types of flooring or bedding and see if he chooses one over the other.
4. While you work to shape your dog to voluntarily crate, try putting something wonderfully irresistible inside the crate (near the door at first) and closing the door, so he gets a little frustrated about trying to reach it. Then open the door so he can reach in and grab it. As he gets bolder about grabbing the item, gradually move it farther back so he has to go deeper in the crate to get it.
5. Consider giving your dog more spacious accommodations. When housetraining, we want the crate to be just large enough to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably, so he can’t soil one end and rest comfortably in the other. After he is well housetrained, there is no need to keep him a small space – he can have a bigger crate if he likes.
So Why Even Crate?
Why bother to crate at all, especially once your dog is housetrained and past the puppy chewing stage? There are times when it can be very useful to be able to crate your dog. It is certainly safest to transport your dog in a vehicle if he is properly crated. Also, there comes a time in the lives of many dogs when they need to be on “restricted activity,” whether following surgery, or perhaps for a torn ACL, broken limb, or some other medical mishap.
A dog who is calm, relaxed, and even happy about being crated will endure these trying times far more easily than one who is stressed about his enforced confinement. Be a responsible crate practitioner, and your dog will be much happier for it.
Author Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. 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.
Crate training offers a variety of benefits. The crate is a useful training tool to help teach housetraining skills, manage over-arousal, and protect against unwanted destruction when owners are unable to supervise an untrained dog of any age. A crate-trained dog always has a familiar retreat to call his own, whether at home, when travelling, or while waiting his turn at a weekly training class or performance event.
Not that long ago, crates were typically limited to bulky plastic or wire enclosures that were cumbersome to move from place to place. Today, dog owners have many choices when it comes to portable containment options, including a growing market of lightweight, foldable “soft crates” that are easy to transport from place to place.
Soft-sided, portable creates are terrific temporary confinement tools for dogs who are reliably create-trained. The vast majority of people who travel to canine sports competitions use these lightweight, air crates to house their dogs between classes.
Is a Soft Crate Right for Your Dog?
As a trainer, I feel strongly that soft crates are meant to be used only by dogs who are already reliably crated trained. Confining a puppy or non-crate-trained adult dog using a soft crate is, in my opinion, just asking for trouble. No matter how the soft crate is constructed, canvas and mesh just aren’t designed to withstand the expected clawing and biting that often accompanies a puppy or young dog’s attempts to exit a crate without direct invitation. Until I have solid knowledge of my dog’s ability to crate calmly, I use a sturdy plastic kennel at home, or an exercise pen or collapsible wire crate for travel.
Some well-crate-trained dogs have even been known to free themselves from a soft crate in a moment of circumstantial excitement or frustration. My very first soft crate has a memorable Whippet-head-shaped hole in the mesh door from when its then inhabitant, Zoie, decided she’d had enough of sitting in the crate while I ran her housemate in a dock jumping competition. My current Golden, Saber, once left his mark of disapproval on the zipper seam of another soft crate when he decided it wasn’t right to be left behind when I had to go lead a group training adventure. He likely heard the group outside – comprised of many of his favorite people – and the damaging scratching ensued. I considered both dogs to be reliably crate trained, and both dogs had crated successfully, in soft crates, in similar situations, prior to their escape attempts. But sometimes mistakes happen.
One of our two top-rated creates: Elite Field’s Three-Door Folding Soft Crate sets up and breaks down easily and is loaded with features.
In some cases, mesh damage can be repaired using a screen-mending kit or with some creative sewing. Several manufacturers also sell replacement covers – however, replacement covers often cost almost as much as a new crate.
Like most any dog product, it’s important to know your dog. In the wrong hands (er, paws!), a soft crate can be an expensive experiment. But if your dog is truly ready for the experience, soft crates are perfect when you want something easily portable.
Advantages of a Portable Dog Kennel
Virtually any soft crate is going to come out on top in terms of portability when compared to a traditional plastic crate, collapsible wire crate, or exercise pen. Visit any competitive dog event or training class and you’ll find a sea of soft crates in all shapes, sizes, and styles. By design, soft crates weigh considerably less than plastic or wire crates of a similar size. Generally speaking, they also tend to fold flatter than collapsible wire crates. Each of these factors combine to make them a great choice for dog owners who need to frequently set up and break down their crate.
A soft crate also works well for home-based situational crating. The small footprint when folded makes it easy to tuck the crate away in a closet or under the bed if you only use it occasionally, such as when certain visitors stop by, when restricting a dog’s activity as she recovers from an injury, or when traveling.
While a soft crate is highly portable, we recommend against their use as travel crates in the car. Most any crate or pet seatbelt system helps protect against a dog interfering with, and dangerously distracting, the driver, making it a better choice than riding loose. However, the amount of force generated during even a minor collision could potentially catapult a dog through the mesh panels of most (if not all) soft crates.
Soft Crates: Most Important Features
When I’m shopping for a soft crate, I look for supreme ease of use, both in terms of how quickly I can set up and break down the crate, and how easy it is to carry to my designated crating area at weekly dog classes and events. I also want my dog to fit comfortably in a crate recommended for his size.
I almost always use the soft crate at outdoor events, so good ventilation is important. I want a product that is sturdy enough to support a few assorted training items on top, so I can use it as a temporary table while I train. And, because I know “dogs can be dogs,” and even the best crate-trained dog will occasionally manage to damage the crate beyond repair, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a soft crate.
How We Reviewed the Dog Crates
We chose a total of eight crates for review. Some were selected based on recommendations by fellow dog enthusiasts; some because they are made by manufacturers of well-known wire crates and exercise pens, and some based simply on Google search results and/or an inexpensive price tag.
After carefully analyzing the pros and cons of each crate, we saw a lot of really wonderful features, but, sadly, not one single crate managed to offer all of our favorite features in one product. (Hey, manufacturers, call me!) Still, it was pretty easy to come up with a couple of overall favorites, a least favorite, and some honest feedback about the pros and cons of the remaining crates, which we hope aids in readers’ decision making.
2017 Soft-Sided Crate Reviews
Our 4-PAW Favorite Soft Crates
We found just two crates that met our criteria for a four-paw rating (the highest rating we confer on any products).
Elite Field’s Three-Door Folding Soft Crate
Elite Field’s Three-Door Folding Soft Crate (pictured above) was the standout leader in terms of available features and overall value. We reviewed the 36-inch version, which measures 36 inches long by 24 inches wide by 28 inches tall. Most notable was the additional headroom, making it more likely the crate’s inhabitant can sit comfortably while maintaining a natural head position.
This crate packs a punch with its features. The crate quickly takes shape after unfolding by easily connecting both ends of the lightweight internal steel-tube frame, accessible via a zippered, mesh “sunroof” panel on the top of the crate. Set-up and break down can be done in seconds. After releasing the frame, the crate quickly folds into itself and is held in the folded position with two quick-release buckles.
The crate cover, made of thick canvas and sturdy mesh, can be removed and washed, if needed. The Elite Field soft crate features rounded, reinforced corners and feels sturdy when set up. The 36-inch crate weighs 14 pounds.
We appreciate how this crate has front and side entry doors, along with one full-length mesh window on the opposite long side, and a partial mesh window on the short side. The zippered side entry is helpful when you need to position the crate sideways, which then restricts access to the front door. (I sometimes run into this issue in hotels.)
The sheer amount of mesh means this crate is well ventilated, making it a wise choice for use in warmer climates. While not shown on the manufacturer’s website, the crate is also available, in specific colors, with “curtains” that can be rolled down to cover the mesh door and windows. This is a nice feature for times when obstructing a dog’s view helps reduce over-arousal and related vocalization.
Elite Field has thrown in several value-added features, such as storage pockets on both the top and short end of the crate, and the crate comes with a free mat and carrying case. I’m personally not a fan of encasing my crate in its own bag when not in use, so I was pleased to see the crate itself has multiple built-in handles, making it easy to transport even when out of its case. If anything, Elite Field almost went overboard with carrying options. Not only is there a handle for carrying the crate when folded, every size crate also comes with a cross-tied handle on the top of the crate. I could see using this option if carrying the small-size crate while occupied by a small dog, but definitely not while housing a dog in one of the larger size crates.
Our one notable disappointment with this crate is the inability to secure the zippers in the closed position. As someone who has spent countless weekends at dog events, I know how quickly clever dogs can figure out how to open a zippered door by positioning a toenail “just right” on the frame of the zipper pull. Many soft crates come with a small clip just above the zippered door. The clip can be used to “lock” the zipper, thus thwarting a clever dog’s attempt to open the zipper with his claw.
The cover of Firstrax’s Noz2Noz Soft-Krate can be removed for washing, replacement covers are also available.
Firsttrax Noz2Noz Sof-Krate
A close second to the Elite Field crate is the Firstrax Noz2Noz Sof-Krate. We tested the 42-inch crate, which measures 42 inches long by 28 inches wide by 32 inches tall. This crate is similar to the Elite Field crate, but without the bells and whistles of storage pockets, a crate mat, or a carrying case.
Like the Elite Field crate, set-up involves pulling both ends of the internal frame into position, where they fit together and are secured by a closure sleeve. Set up can be done in seconds. The crate cover, made of thick canvas and sturdy mesh, can be removed and washed. Replacement covers are available from the manufacturer. The Noz2Noz Sof-Krate soft crate has reinforced, rounded corners and feels sturdy when set up. The 42-inch crate weighs 19 pounds.
This crate also features front and side-entry, mostly mesh doors and a canvas “sunroof.” We were pleased to find “zipper lock” clips on both the front and side access doors. The remaining long- and short-sides of the crate have mesh windows, allowing for maximum air-flow. The Noz 2 Noz crate folds down similar to the Elite Field crate. The folded crate can by carried by a single handle.
3-PAW Crates
Only one product was close enough to our higher-rated crates to earn our three-paw rating.
A solid, no-frills, functional choice:
Firstrax Petnation Port-a-Crate E-Series
We down-rated the Petnation Port-a-Crate, made by Firstrax, because of the reduced ventilation provided by the bone-shaped windows.
Firstrax also manufactures the Petnation Port-a-Crate E-Series. The lightweight, internal frame works similar to that of the Elite Field and Noz2Noz crate, and the Petnation Port-a-Crate can be set up or taken down in seconds. Of the three similarly designed crates, the Port-a-Crate appeared to fold down the flattest. Its overall shape is slightly different; the top of the crate tapers inward, but not so much as to significantly limit the dog’s usable headroom.
We tested the 36-inch crate, which measures 36 inches long by 25 inches wide by 25 inches tall, making it one of the shorter crates (at that length) in our review. Unlike the 36-inch Elite Field crate, my Golden Retriever, who measures about 21 inches at the shoulders, cannot sit with a natural head position in this crate. This doesn’t bother me, as I prefer my dogs to lie down and rest when in their away-from-home crates, but it’s worth noting, especially if your dog is on the taller side. The 36-inch Port-a-Crate weighs 14.5 pounds.
Aside from the shorter height, the only other potential issue we saw with the Port-a-Crate is the window design. Unlike the Elite Field and Noz2Noz crates, which feature large mesh windows, allowing for significant ventilation, the Port-a-Crate is limited to a mesh front-entry door (with an available zipper lock) and small, bone-shaped windows on the remaining sides. This potentially limits airflow within the crate, an important consideration if used outdoors in hot or humid climates.
On the other hand, less mesh overall might also mean fewer areas for the dog to damage with his claws. Of the three similarly designed crates, we found the Port-a-Crate, available in six sizes, ranging in price from $32-$57, to be least expensive. At this price point, we recommend the Port-a-Crate as a nice “starter” soft crate if you aren’t sure your dog is ready to be contained by mere mesh and canvas.
2-PAW Products
The next three crates on our list failed to impress us overall, yet still have some notable features making them worth mentioning, as your priorities might differ from ours.
Go Pet Club Soft Pet Crate
If your your dog needs a little more room to relax, you appreciate a super-lightweight product, and know you can trust your dog in a soft crate, the Go Pet Club Soft Pet Crate might be worth a look.
Unlike our three favorite crates, which feature interior metal frames and a canvas/mesh cover, the Go Pet Club Soft Crate is made from heavy-duty, PVC-backed polyester. The entire crate literally zips together and holds its shape thanks to zippers and flexible spine strips encased in the crates rounded top. It’s not difficult to set up or break down, but it does take longer than any of our top picks.
The Go Pet Club Soft Pet Crate comes in a surprising assortment of sizes, ranging from 17.5 inches to a considerable 48 inches in length. In looking for a mid-size crate of this model, we had a choice of 32 inches or 38 inches. The 38-inch crate is exceptionally roomy, with a width of 28 inches and measuring a full 34 inches at the highest point of the rounded top.
The lack of an internal metal frame means this crate weighs just 12 pounds and folds down to about two inches thick and stores in an included case. However, the lack of a solid internal frame makes the crate less sturdy overall, and the three mesh windows and mesh front entry door (which work together to provide nice ventilation) appear to be made of lighter-weight mesh than the other brands we reviewed.
This crate’s biggest “pro” is its generous dimensions. If your goal is to secure the most internal real estate for the price, the Go Pet Club Soft Pet Crate could be a good option.
If you miss your old Cabana Crate:
Go Pet Club’s Soft Pet Crate locks a metal frame, making it a lighter, but also less sturdy, than some of the other crates we examined.
Precision Pet’s Soft Side Pet Crate
A decade ago, WDJ’s top pick in soft-sided crates was a product called the Cabana Crate. For reasons that escape us, the product was discontinued long ago. The Precision Pet (recently purchased by PetMate) Soft Side Pet Crate resembles the Cabana Crate of yore, with some differences. It’s an attractive crate with a nice assortment of features, such as front and side-entry doors, storage pockets, non-skid feet, a water bottle opening and holder (for a ball-tip style water bottle), and a crate mat and carrying case. The canvas and mesh are of a nice quality, and the design appears to allow for desirable airflow.
Like many of the other crates we tested, this crate takes shape via a lightweight metal frame. However, of all the similarly designed crates we explored, the Soft Side Pet Crate took the longest to set up. Assembly reminded me of the discontinued Cabana Crate: first remove the crate’s cross bars from their self-fastening ties and swing them into position along the front and back (short sides) of the crate. Next, align the twist handles with the corner holes and turn the handles until fully engaged and secure.
This process is not at all difficult, but it does take longer, and it’s easy to become spoiled by the even-faster set up of the other crates we tested. Who wants a bulky old CRT TV version of a soft crate when the sleek flatscreen TV variety of crates are out there?
We also found it odd that the side entry door, when unzipped, flips out, not up, creating what looks a bit like an attached doormat rather than being kept out of the way by resting atop the crate.
In short, there’s nothing wrong with this crate, but the additional steps required for set-up and break down kept this option off of our “favorites” list.
A neat idea, but use it wisely:
Sport Pet’s Pop Crate
Slightly reduced ventilation, and this down-zipped side opening, resulted in a two-paw rating for Precision Pet’s Soft Side Pet Crate.
Pop goes the soft crate! If small and lightweight are your top priorities, and you have a medium-size, exceptionally well crate-trained dog who needs crating for just short periods of time, consider the Pop Crate by SportPet Designs.
Unlike every other crate we tested, the Pop Crate has no internal frame of any kind. The crate consists of two plastic ends – one with a spring-loaded metal door similar to a traditional plastic crate, and one with a full panel of air vents – connected by a rectangle of thin polyester fabric and mesh. To be sure, it wouldn’t take much effort at all for a dog to claw or chew his way through the fabric if he were so inclined. I’m not even positive the crate wouldn’t tip over if a large dog were to rest his weight against the side.
This crate’s claim to fame is its unique twisting design. Unclip the quick-release buckles and the crate springs into shape. To close the crate, stand it on end and twist the front frame 180 degrees, which compacts the crate back onto itself much like a pop-open car window shade.
There’s nothing else on the market like the Pop Crate: a soft-sided crate with a solid door.
The Pop Crate comes in two sizes, neither of which is very big, making this, in our opinion, a poor choice for dogs much larger than a Shetland Sheepdog. Also, while we like the use of the plastic frame and metal door (adding durability to a commonly chewed and clawed area), the location of the door hinge makes the already tiny opening even smaller. My dog startled himself more than once by hitting the door or doorframe on his way in and out of the crate. It’s also so lightweight (the large only weighs 6.35 pounds), it easily slid around on my hard floor with each entry and exit, again, startling my dog.
The large Pop Crate measures 36 inches long by 20.75 inches wide by 22 inches tall. The small Pop Crate is significantly smaller, measuring 22.5 inches long by 14.25 inches wide by 14.5 inches tall. Both collapse to 4 inches high, making it reasonable to pack in a suitcase for travel.
Elite Field’s Two-Door Soft X-Pen
In selecting products to review, we expanded our definition of “soft crate” to include what is best described as a fully enclosed, soft exercise pen. Like a traditional exercise pen, Elite Field‘s Two-Door Soft X-Pen consists of eight connected panels, only in this case, the panels are constructed of canvas and mesh. These create an octagonal enclosure with a diameter of 36-62 inches and a height of 24-36 inches.
We tested the 48-inch pen, which provided plenty of room for two adult Golden Retrievers. The pen has two zippered doors, two storage pockets, a water bottle opening and holder, and a removable (zippered) washable floor mat and mesh top. It’s lightweight and comes with a carrying case. Having recently refinished my hardwood floors, I loved the idea of a soft pen.
Elite Field’s Two Door Soft X-Pen is not shaped like the other “crates” we reviewed, but it functions similarly.
Elite Field’s Two-Door Soft X-Pen seemed like a strong contender as a top pick until it was time to fold it up. It does not come with detailed instructions, nor is it super intuitive. Even after we determined the need to remove the top and bottom of the pen before folding (a disappointment in itself), it took several attempts to discover the correct order in which to fold the panels onto themselves.
When we contacted the manufacturer for input as to the best way to fold the pen, we were told see the set-up instructions (which basically say, “unfold the play pen and expand the play pen”) and then to “please just reverse the set up process.” Gee, why didn’t we think of that? #Sarcasm.
This pen has a lot of potential. If Elite Field would number the panels and add simple instructions for folding it up, this pen could rise to the top of our list. We love the concept, but don’t recommend this product if you plan to set it up and take it down often, or if you have low frustration tolerance!
1-PAW Dog Crates (Lowest Rated)
The following crate might offer some utility for some dog owners, but didn’t, in our opinion, possess enough positive features to outweigh the factors we considered to be drawbacks.
Midwest Pet Product’s Canine Camper
Midwest Pet Products is a key player in the wire crate and exercise pen market. Unfortunately, it brought a wire crate mindset to the soft crate market, with (in our view) a poor result.
Canine Camper is essentially a sparse wire crate encased in canvas.
The Canine Camper is essentially a sparse wire crate encased in canvas. On the outside, it looks similar to any of the soft crates held together by lightweight metal frames. Underneath the attractive canvas cover is a wire frame, which requires a somewhat counterintuitive, two-step process to secure.
To add to the challenge, unlike similar soft crates where assembly is easily accessed via a zippered “sunroof” on top of the crate, no such sunroof exists on the Canine Camper; we had to reach in through the crate’s front door – awkward!
The extensive wire frame also adds to its weight. We tested the 36-inch model, which weighs 17 pounds – a good bit heavier than the 14.5-pound Port-a-Crate and 14-pound Elite Field crate of the same length.
We did find the Canine Camper to have the sturdiest mesh window and door panels. Rather than a fabric-type mesh, it features thicker, rubberized window and door panels that feel like they might better withstand clawing.
Stephanie Colman is a writer and dog trainer in Southern California.
From the first issue, one of WDJ's missions has been to bring you "in-depth information about effective holistic healthcare methods." However, the word "holistic" is subjective, and it's frequently used to mean very different things.
To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in
If you are logged in but cannot access this content, a) your subscription may have expired; b) you may have duplicate accounts (emails) in our system. Please check your account status hereorcontact customer service.
Immediate access to this article and 20+ years of archives.
Recommendations for the best dog food for your dog.
Dry food, homemade diets and recipes, dehydrated and raw options, canned food and more.
Brands, formulations and ingredients all searchable in an easy-to-use, searchable database.
Plus, you’ll receive training and care guidance to keep your dog healthy and happy. You’ll feed with less stress…train with greater success…and know you are giving your dog the care he deserves.
Subscribenow and save 72%! Its like getting 8 issues free!
It started as a joke: I take so many cell-phone pictures of Woody sleeping in ridiculous positions that my cloud back-up folders online are packed full of these photos, so I started telling people I was going to launch an Instagram account consisting of just Woody-sleeping pics.
But a growing affection for the platform led me to start posting a few pictures, and, as it turns out, there are folks out there who would rather follow WDJ and its dogs on Instagram than on WDJ’s website or Facebook. So, consider this an announcement: If you want a lot more photos of dogs, far fewer words about them, and a lot of cute photos of Woody sleeping upside down and Otto looking as noble as usual, please follow us at https://www.instagram.com/dogsofwholedogjournal.
Since making landfall Friday night in Texas, Hurricane Harvey has caused widespread destruction and record flooding in large parts of the state. Over 50 inches of rain have fallen in some areas.
With the severe flooding, and people struggling to keep themselves and their families out of the water, dogs (and cats) are in dire straits. People are being evacuated as fast as possible, and many of them are not permitted or able to take their pets. News reports show animals on roofs and in trees, and few volunteers are available to help rescue, house, and care for them. Abandoned animals and permanently homeless animals alike are fending for themselves in the flooded city.
These animals need help, and they need it now. What’s needed the most are donations of dog and cat food, cages, crates, leashes, veterinary supplies – and money, so that all of these things can be purchased to help care for the animals until they can be reunited with their owners or new homes can be found for them.
So how can you help? If you live near affected areas, volunteer to foster. Shelters will be overflowing with dogs and cats, so you can help free up much needed space by opening your own home to one or more animals. Volunteer to walk, groom, socialize or otherwise care for animals at your local shelter. Donate food, blankets, leashes and other much needed items. Offer to transport animals to shelter locations. If you see an animal in need of rescue, help if you can do so safely (without putting yourself in danger), otherwise contact the appropriate authorities in your area.
If you are not close to the area, consider making a monetary donation to animal rescue groups, shelters and humane societies. Housing, feeding and caring for misplaced animals will require a lot of resources, and every little bit will help these animals while they wait to be reunited with their families or adopted into loving new homes. Look for places you know and trust, so you can be sure that your donation will directly benefit animals in need.
It will take months, even years, for the affected cities to recover fully from this devastating event. Let’s all chip in wherever we can to help get them on the road to recovery as quickly as possible.
To paraphrase Forrest Gump, life with dogs is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get.
In early May, my adolescent Pit/Lab-mix, Woody, started coughing and gagging dramatically. It seemed like he had something stuck in his throat, and though I looked in his mouth and throat I couldn’t see anything. It called for an immediate trip to the veterinarian.
With me holding Woody and a trained eye, the vet was immediately able to see the problem: Woody had some foxtails in his tonsils. This grassy plant is the bane of dogs in California; its long, pointed awns readily stick to flesh and start to travel inward, drawn by the microscopic projections on every surface of the filaments that trail the sharp seed. I’d guess that half the patients in the waiting room at the veterinary hospital were there for foxtails (in their paws, ears, and other places).
The vet put Woody under general anesthesia for a few minutes, and extracted the foxtails that she found in his tonsils, and more she found jammed into his gums around his farthest-back molars. He had evidently eaten a bunch of grass, probably in an effort to settle his tummy after getting into my chicken coop and eating a bunch of cracked grain. (I later found a poop in the back yard that was almost entirely undigested corn and other grains, and the upset-tummy/grass-gorging scenario is my best guess.)
About four days later, a huge lump appeared overnight on Woody’s cheek. Given the fact that the vet had just removed foxtails from Woody’s molars, I thought it entirely likely that he had another foxtail in his cheek, perhaps one that traveled from his upper gums. Back to the clinic. The vet agreed with my guess. She closely examined the outside of Woody’s cheek and the inside of his cheek and gums, and lanced the lump from inside, but couldn’t find the sort of entry hole or track that foxtails usually leave. He didn’t have a fever and there were no other signs of infection, so she said we should just watch the lump for a while.
While I was watching Woody’s lump, I noticed that Otto had developed a slight cough. Oh my goodness.
It wasn’t the gagging cough that Woody had displayed when he had the foxtails in his throat, but it was persistent. Back to the vet we went.
The vet looked in Otto’s mouth and throat and listened to Otto’s lungs carefully, but couldn’t see or hear anything amiss – and of course he didn’t cough while we were there. She suggested a “senior panel” – a very extensive blood test that would give us more information about his general health. Given that we live in heartworm country, even though Otto has been on heartworm preventive medications, I felt good that the blood test included a heartworm test.
The heartworm test was negative, and his other blood test results were unremarkable. More watching and waiting.
About a week later, with Woody’s lump still quite large and Otto’s cough getting worse, we went back to the vet.
A different vet saw Woody. He aspirated some fluid from the lump and said it was full of pus. He thought it was likely there was a piece of foxtail in the lump, after all, and recommended cutting into the lump and exploring it. As it turned out, he never found a piece of foxtail, but removed the tissue inside the lump and sent some of the material to a pathologist. The final diagnosis was panniculitis: inflamed tissue likely caused by trauma. Given that Woody plays hard with his dog friends, the idea that he knocked his face on the corner of a coffee table or something made perfect sense.
As for Otto, this time I was prepared: Because he hadn’t coughed for the vet in our last visit, I had spent the week grabbing my cell phone and attempting to record every instance of Otto’s cough. I had a few examples ready to show the vet. Of course, this time, he coughed for the vet as if I had trained him to do so. His lungs still sounded clear, however.
Diagnostics this time: An x-ray of his chest and an abdominal ultrasound, looking for any masses and checking to make sure his organs all looked like they were the right size and in the right place. Everything looked normal except there was one surprise: the x-rays revealed a pattern that suggested Otto had pneumonia in one lobe of his right lung. It was surprising in that he had no fever and no other symptoms (such as crackly-sounding lungs), just the cough. One theory we are considering: perhaps Otto has a small amount of laryngeal paralysis, common enough in older dogs, and he aspirated some water while drinking or swimming, and this set the stage for the pneumonia to develop. The vet recommended a two-week course of an antibiotic (Clavamox) and a follow-up x-ray.
The Clavamox made absolutely no difference in his cough, and the follow-up x-rays looked even worse. The veterinarian recommended a bronchoscopy – under full anesthesia, putting a flexible instrument with a camera down his throat and into the lung, looking for anything unusual. (This would also help determine whether some laryngeal paralysis was present.) Most helpfully, the instrument can also send tiny bits of saline solution into the parts of his lungs that look inflamed and then suck the fluid back up, thus gathering some cells that can be cultured (a bronchial lavage). This could help us identify exactly what is causing the pneumonia and tailor an antibiotic regiment to the culprit. The only problem was, the next day the procedure could be scheduled was the day before I was leaving for an out-of-state vacation. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Otto after such a serious procedure; I wanted to be able to watch him for any potential, subtle signs of adverse effects from the procedure (the lung can get punctured and greater infections and problems can result).
Instead, we opted for Plan B: another course of antibiotics, but this time, using one of the “big guns” – a strong, broad-spectrum antibiotic called Baytril. Otto could take the antibiotic while I was gone (he stayed with my sister and her husband), and we’d follow up with another x-ray at the end of two weeks.
The follow-up x-ray, thank goodness, looked better, though not completely clear of the inflammation caused by pneumonia. The vet extended Otto’s prescription for another week, and we’ll take another x-ray when this course of antibiotics is complete. If there is still inflammation, we may well do the bronchoscopy and bronchial lavage, after all.
Three vet visits for Woody, five so far for Otto, with more to come . . . getting a good pet insurance policy was the best thing I did last year. It has given me so much peace of mind to know that whatever tests we need to run, or what medicines are prescribed (that Baytril is expensive!), I can easily afford it. The plan I signed both dogs up for is called Whole Pet with Wellness, offered by Nationwide (formerly VPI). I pay $58 a month for Woody, and $122 for Otto. After a $250 a year deductible for each dog, the policy pays for 90 percent of each allowed veterinary bill my dogs have incurred. We blew through the deductible in the first visit for each dog – but that means that I pay only 10 percent of each bill for the rest of the year. That means I’m breathing much more easily, and, I hope, so will Otto. I’ve heard him cough just once in the past week, and we will return to the vet for another follow-up x-ray later this week.
I am sometimes shocked at the state of the dog bowls I’ve seen at some of my friends’ homes. Some of the same folks who would turn pale at the sight of a dish in the cupboard that has dried food stuck to it think nothing of dumping their dogs’ food in a nasty, greasy bowl day after day, month after month, or seeing green slime build up in the dogs’ water dish. While the canine digestive system is capable of neutralizing virulent bacteria when a dog is healthy, when a dog’s immune system is compromised, that bacteria can overwhelm his defenses and make him one sick pup, indeed.
If your dog has periodic or persistent digestive problems such as diarrhea or vomiting, try washing his dishes, daily, with hot water and soap, allowing them to air-dry, and see if that helps. Wait a minute! What am I saying? Everyone should keep their dogs’ bowls clean!
This advice goes triple for anyone who feeds their dog any sort or amount of raw meat, eggs, or dairy products, which can come from the supermarket infested with potentially lethal Campylobacter, Clostridium Perfringens, Salmonella, Listeria, and other bacteria. Fortunately, most people who have learned enough about canine health to feed their dog a raw diet also have learned about the importance of proper food preparation and sanitation techniques.
Food Bowl Materials Matter
The easiest type of bowl to keep clean – and, not incidently, also the safest bowl for your dog to eat and drink from – is stainless steel. This material will not leach potentially dangerous chemicals into your dog’s food and water, like some plastics, aluminum, poorly glazed pottery, or old ceramic dishes. Stainless steel and glass bowls are similarly inert, but stainless steel wins in my house, due to its durability on the floor and in the sink.
For the dog’s water dish I like to see a shining clean stainless bowl that is scrubbed and air-dried at least a couple times a week – which means you should have more than one of them, to rotate in and out of use. I especially hate to see plastic bowls regularly used to contain a dog’s water. Recent studies have indicated that polycarbonate plastics, often used in the manufacture of food and drink packaging and containers, can emit at least one chemical, bisphenol A, that can disrupt the hormone systems of lab animals, affecting their brains. Phthalates, substances used to soften plastic, are another class of worrisome chemicals that have been shown to cause hormone and nerve damage in children. It’s incredibly easy to avoid these things by buying inexpensive, durable, easy-to-wash, stainless steel bowls for your dogs, so why don’t you?
Dogs sometimes don’t do what we ask them to do. Annoyed, we might repeat a cue several times – louder and a little more sternly each time – usually with very little effect. “Fido, come here. Fido. Come. FIDO. I said here! COME! I mean it!”
We all do it. I once heard someone threaten to count to three – or else! (It didn’t work.) Often, the dog is then labeled as “stubborn.” It’s easy to think that’s the reason he “won’t listen.” I get it. It does kind of look like your dog is blowing you off. You ask him to come to you, and he just lies there, looking at you without budging. Or he might engage in a game of “Chase me!” Another time, you ask him to sit, and instead he stands and looks away. Or worse, he walks off. You may think, “But he knows this. He’s doing it on purpose!”
Well, there are better explanations why this happens, and your dog being stubborn or willful isn’t one of them. Possible causes can include simple things: Your dog may be suffering back pain and is trying to avoid activities that trigger his back pain, like jumping onto a high car seat. It may be that whatever you’re using as a reinforcer is not valuable enough to your dog; a few pieces of dry kibble can’t compare with the thrill of barking at a taunting squirrel on the back fence.
Of all the possible reasons for a dog’s failure to “listen,” three of them seem to come up consistently in my practice.
Reasons Dogs Don’t Listen:
– The dog isn’t even aware he’s been asked to do something.
– The dog doesn’t understand what he’s being asked to do.
– The cue you’re using has been “poisoned.”
Thankfully, there is something you can do about it. With a little investigation into understanding what’s happening and some easy training, you can polish your cues and improve the communication between you and your dog.
1. The Dog isn’t aware he’s been asked to do something.
I once visited a friend at her house, where I was greeted at the door by her dog, Bella. Bella was looking up at me excitedly, her tail was wagging, and it was evident she was getting ready to jump up on me. My friend noticed this and pre-emptively asked Bella to sit. “Sit. Sit. Sit!” Her cues were ignored and sure enough, Bella jumped up. My friend’s efforts became more hurried: “SIT! SIT!” She apologized to me and gently helped her dog down by using her hands.
At that moment I decided to do a little experiment. I explained that I would walk outside and come back in. Instead of just saying the “sit” cue, I asked my friend to say her dog’s name, make sure she had Bella’s attention, and then ask her to sit. I walked in as planned, my friend called out her dog’s name to get her attention, and when Bella glanced in her direction (it was barely a nano-glance, but it was there), she asked her to sit, which Bella did.
We often assume that when we utter a cue, our dogs know it’s meant for their ears. How are they to know? It’s our job to make it clear we’re addressing them before asking them to do something. Imagine waiting in a restaurant lobby for a table along with several other groups of people who are also waiting for a table. The hostess comes out, grabs a few menus, and announces to no one in particular, “Follow me, please.” Who is she talking to? Unsure, the people in the lobby would probably just stay put and wait for clarification. Half the group may not even be aware that the hostess has said anything at all!
You can let your dog (or anyone) know you’re addressing him by offering direct eye contact before speaking. Better yet, say his name first. Best, say his name, wait for confirmation he’s heard you, then say what you want to say. In the case of giving your dog a cue, say your dog’s name and wait until your dog either turns toward you or, if he’s very focused on something else, at least watch for a quick ear flick in your direction that indicates he’s aware that you’re speaking to him.
This is an especially handy habit to get into if there are multiple dogs sharing your home. Saying the dog’s name first lets that dog know that what follows is intended for him.
So, if your dog appears to be particularly distracted by something and you want to call him over to you, say his name first. You may need to add some kissy sounds or whistle, too. Wait for confirmation that he heard you, however fleeting, and then give him your recall cue.
2. The dog doesn’t understand want you want from him.
This means exactly what it sounds like. Your dog simply doesn’t know the cue as well as you think he does.
If you ask your dog to do something and he gets it right some of the time, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s deliberately choosing not to do it the rest of time. It’s entirely possible that when he got it right, he was just guessing. By doing exactly what you had asked him to do, it appeared as though he was responding to your cue because he “understood” it. Seen this way, it’s easy to assume that his occasional lack of response is some sort of defiance!
This is easy enough to fix with some fun training sessions. Even though you may think your dog “knows” a certain behavior, start as though you are teaching your dog the behavior for the very first time.
Let’s take “Down” as an example. A training plan for teaching “Down” might look like this:
a) With your dog sitting facing you, take one treat and hold it to your dog’s nose with your palm facing down.
b) Without saying anything, slowly lower your hand toward the floor in a straight vertical line, luring your dog’s snout to follow it. Your dog’s butt should remain on the floor. If he stands up, you may be moving your hand too quickly. Have him sit and begin again, more slowly.
c) When your hand reaches the floor, slowly move it along the floor, horizontally and toward you. You will have shaped a letter “L” from snout to floor, and from your dog’s body toward you. The idea is to get your dog to keep following the treat with his nose, bend down toward the floor, and then, while following your hand on the floor, stretch his front legs out to lie down.
d) The second his elbows touch the floor and he is in a down position, “mark” the correct behavior with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker (such as the word “Yes!”) and deliver a treat to him on the floor between his front legs. I prefer to deliver the treat on the floor instead of directly into the dog’s mouth, because it encourages him to hold the down position. If, after a few repetitions, he expects the treat to be delivered on the floor between his front legs, he’ll resist the temptation to stand up and reach for it in my hand.
e) Repeat this sequence two or three more times, and then quickly follow up with the exact same exercise, but with an empty hand (no treat/lure). When he reaches the down position, say “Yes!” before you reach for a treat and deliver it to him between his front paws.
f) Repeat this sequence with an empty hand several more times. You are teaching him the body language/hand signal for the down behavior.
Note that you have not yet given a verbal cue of “Down,” you’re just using a hand gesture at this point. Even if this seems like too simple an exercise for you and your dog, remember that you are going back to square one with this training exercise in an effort to start fresh. Only when this exercise is going well and your dog is consistently following your hand gesture is it time to add a verbal cue.
g) Say your dog’s name, followed by the word “Down” (or whatever other word you want to use as a cue). After you’ve said his name and given your verbal cue – and not until you’ve finished saying it – do your hand gesture, from snout level to the floor. At this point, you might not need to slowly move your hand horizontally to illustrate the bottom part of the letter “L.” Once you’ve moved your hand to the floor, pause and wait to see if your dog will lie down. Give him a moment to think about it, if necessary. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of him (don’t stare him in the eye).
It’s important not to say the cue and do the gesture simultaneously. You want your dog to build an association between the verbal cue and the hand gesture that he already knows. We want him to put 2 and 2 together, “Oh, I see. That sound she’s making is always followed by that gesture. I know what that means.”
When he lies down, say “Yes!” and deliver the treat on the floor between his front legs.
Repeat this sequence several more times.
h) Now, say his name followed by your cue – “Fido, down” – but don’t use your hand gesture. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of him, and give him a few moments to think about it. If he hasn’t made a move after 10 to 15 seconds, silently offer him the hand gesture. Reward him if he lies down. Don’t repeat the verbal cue. Keep trying this sequence until he lies down with just the verbal cue. Reward him each time he succeeds.
i) Once he’s got the verbal cue down pat, it’s time to start changing the context a little bit. Change rooms. Try it outside. Try asking him to lie down (don’t forget to say his name before the cue!) when you’re sitting on a chair or couch instead of standing in front him. Or try asking him while you’re standing, holding grocery bags or a laundry basket. Continue to reward him with a treat each time he gets it right, because you’re still in the training phase.
Soon, when you’re sure he understands the cue in many different contexts, you can start offering him “real life rewards” instead of treats. Ask him to lie down for a belly rub (if he likes that), or lie down before serving his food bowl.
We’ve used the “down” behavior as an example here, but the message remains the same for any behavior you think your dog “knows” but doesn’t do consistently. Simply start from the beginning and gradually increase the level of difficulty as your dog gets each step right almost every time you ask him (four out of five times is a good rate to aim for).
3. The cue has been “poisoned”.
Now there’s an illustrative term for you. A poisoned cue is one that has come to mean something unpleasant to your dog. It can be a baffling issue to deal with. Your dog used to respond happily to a cue, and now when you say it, he pins his ears back and slinks away. What happened?
Sometimes, we inadvertently cause a dog to form a negative association between a cue and an event he finds aversive or scary. It may be because of something we’ve done, like asking a dog to “Sit” and then “rewarding” him by scruffing the fur on each side of his face – something we aren’t aware he doesn’t like.
Another possibility is that there are cues in the environment that predict an unpleasant thing is about to take place. Say, for example, that you pick up the dog’s leash and he runs and hides before you get a chance to attach it to his collar. It could be that he’s anticipating that you are taking him someplace in the car, an event he’s found to be scary in the past.
There is an easy way and a not-so-easy way to fix this.
The more complicated way is to counter-condition your dog’s response to the cue he finds aversive. Since he’s already formed a negative association with the cue, your job is to help him form a newer, more pleasant association. It can be a time-consuming task, but it works beautifully when done correctly.
The general rules that apply to successful counter-conditioning are:
– The cue must no longer predict that a bad thing will happen (ever).
– The cue must predict the good thing will happen (every single time).
– The good thing must happen only when that particular cue precedes it.
If we apply these rules to the formerly aversive “Sit” cue in our earlier example, the counter-conditioning process might look like this:
– “Sit” no longer predicts that the dog’s fur will get scruffed. Ever.
– When the dog sits after hearing the “Sit” cue, he’ll get some cheese. Every single time.
– Cheese will only appear when the dog sits after being asked to sit. Cheese will not appear at any other time.
The easy way involves simply using a new cue. It’s not like we have to use the word “sit” for that particular behavior. Seriously, you can use any word you like! You can use “spaghetti” to mean “Please fold your hind legs and place your butt on the floor.” Your dog doesn’t care.
You can teach the new cue by following the instructions above (in the #2 section) for teaching a behavior from scratch.
Is Your Dog’s Name Poisoned?
If you’re planning to adopt a dog from a shelter or from any other scenario where you’re not sure about the dog’s history (or you know the dog’s prior experience was not a positive one), consider changing his name when he comes to live with you. If he often heard his name prior to receiving a punishment (“Fido, NO! Bad dog!”), he may have formed negative associations with his name. In other words, his own name may have become a poisoned cue, predicting something aversive is about to happen. Give him a nice new name that doesn’t sound anything like his old name! (For more on the importance of a dog’s name, see “The Importance of a Dog’s Name with Regards to Training,” in the January 2011 issue of WDJ.)
Thanks to TTouch practitioner Victoria Hieb-Swiger of Tranquil Paws Training in Oroville, CA, for demonstrating this method.
Nancy Tucker, CPDT-KA, is a full-time trainer, behavior consultant, and seminar presenter in Quebec, Canada.
It seems easy enough. You just want to answer the door to receive your pizza or welcome a visitor. And yet, in many homes, this seemingly simple task requires ninja-like reflexes as owners struggle to keep their dogs from squeezing past them, eager to embark upon a neighborhood joy ride.
Trainers call this behavior “door darting.” Not only is it inconvenient, it’s dangerous – especially if your dog fails to come reliably when called. Door darting can be an issue in any home, but it’s often challenging in homes with heavy foot traffic, especially when young children are present.
Door darting is an impulse-control problem. It’s also incredibly self-rewarding. Remedying the issue requires teaching the dog to exhibit self-control around an open door, while employing diligent management to prevent the rehearsal of unwanted behavior. The following tips can help.
Train a “Wait” and a “Get Back” Behavior
Teach your dog to patiently wait at a safe distance from the door. This is easiest to teach your dog in an environment that has an obvious threshold or change in flooring – the line where a carpeted living room intersects with a tile entryway. If an obvious line of demarcation isn’t present, a marker can be created with a throw rug or even a strip of painter’s tape.
As your dog follows you to the door, calmly say, “Wait!” and toss a treat behind him just before he reaches the “no-fly zone.” Be ready to toss another treat as soon as he finishes and turns around. Repeat several times before reaching for or opening the door. The goal is to use a high rate of reinforcement to make the area away from the door a wonderful place to wait.
Unlike a formal stay, when I teach “wait,” I don’t require a specific position, nor do I care if the dog changes position during the exercise. He can sit, stand, lie down, or move laterally, so long as he doesn’t drift past my line of demarcation. If he does, step into his path to block his forward movement, and then invite him back into his “safe zone” and reinforce him there. As soon as he’s in the desired area, praise calmly, remind him to “wait,” take a step or two backward to relieve the social pressure, and toss a cookie at the first sign of hesitation, which is the beginning of self-control.
The goal is to help your dog do the desired behavior (back up) so you can reinforce him for it, not to coerce, pressure, or frighten him. Use calm, controlled movements and adjust your technique as necessary, based on your dog’s overall temperament.
As your dog demonstrates a willingness to hover in the “safe zone,” thanks to your generous reinforcement history, slowly start working toward opening the door. Split the behavior into several small pieces, repeating each step three to five times – or more, depending on what your dog needs – and rewarding his patience every time. Steps might include reaching for (but not touching) the door knob; touching and turning the knob without opening the door; opening the door an inch or two and then closing it, etc.
If, at any point, your dog steps into the “no fly zone,” immediately block his path and invite him to “get back.” If your dog makes the same mistake twice, revisit the easier step.
As you progress to opening the door, put your dog on leash or use an exercise pen as a second line of containment to ensure his safety, should he unexpectedly make a break for the open door.
Train a Strong “Sit-Stay” Behavior
Another option is to teach a reliable sit- or down-stay away from the front door. This requires a very high level of impulse control since the main entryway to a home is a high-excitement area for most dogs. It’s important to increase the difficulty of this exercise slowly, and “pay” your dog well throughout the training process, in order for your dog to begin to believe it’s worth it to stay on his spot instead of rushing toward the open door.
Ideally, the finished behavior consists of three main parts: “go to your spot” (so you can “send” your dog to his spot as you move toward the door), a solid stay, and the ability to hold a sit-stay or down-stay around a high level of distractions.
My preference is a down-stay. I like to teach the basic down-stay first, practicing increasingly longer stays and stays in the face of small, and increasingly larger distractions, until the dog can confidently remain in position for about one minute, even as the handler walks around him or squeaks a toy.
Separately, I’ll teach the “go to your spot” behavior. Depending on the dog, I might use targeting, shaping, luring, or any combination of these to teach the dog to go to and lie down on a dog bed or mat.
Finally, the two behaviors come together and the dog is reminded to “stay” after he goes to his bed. From there, it’s all about slowly building the behavior such that it resists the myriad distractions associated with opening the front door.
Be sure to reward often. A Treat & Train or similar remote-operated treat dispenser is often helpful, as it allows you to reward the dog from a distance without needing to toss the treats. At the advanced level, you can even teach your dog to go to his “spot” on the cue of the doorbell!
Training is Critical for Dog Safety
Realistically, it’s difficult to actively train this behavior as actual guests are entering your home. Training is what happens when your focus is on your dog. Testing is what happens when you’re focused on visitors. As you work up to the distraction of receiving actual guests, recruit helpers to come knock on your door and play the role of visitors – guests who understand they aren’t there to socialize, but are playing an active role in your training program. Practice often!
Management is Just as Important
If you aren’t in the position to actively train the desired behavior, it’s important to use good management to keep the dog from practicing unwanted behavior. Some examples include:
“Feeding the chickens.”Teach your dog that good things happen away from the front door. Any time you approach the door, toss a small handful of kibble eight to 10 feet from the door, and encourage your dog to “Find it!” Finding kibble on the floor is incompatible with rushing the front door, and it gives humans a chance to enter or exit. Play this game often, not just when you or your guests actually need to pass through the open door.
This approach often also works well for dogs who suffer from what I call “Excessive Greeting Disorder” – over-the-top excited jumping on people. A scattering of kibble, followed by some additional rapid-fire tossing of single pieces, helps change the dog’s focal point, and the sniffing required to source the food bits even has a mild calming effect on some dogs. In homes with multiple dogs, be mindful of potential food-guarding issues.
Gate in the doorway. An inexpensive, pressure-mounted baby gate can be installed in the doorway to serve as an emergency barrier to prevent door darting. In many doorways, a gate will fit even with a screen door and will still allow the main door to close. A 24-inch gate is short enough for most adults to step over, making it realistic to keep this management strategy in place at all times in homes with accomplished door darters.
Exercise pen air lock.Use an exercise pen on your front porch to form an emergency corral just outside of the door. If your dog manages to slip past you, he’s safely contained on the porch and can’t embark on a neighborhood joy ride. This doesn’t solve the root problem – the door darting – but it’s especially helpful in high-traffic homes where many people might be opening the door and not everyone is as committed to active training.
Tether station. Another valuable management tool is a simple tether. You can use a spare leash or make a simple chew-proof tether with a length of vinyl-coated cable, cable clamps, and a couple of snaps.
Attach the leash or tether to a heavy piece of furniture (or an eyebolt screwed securely into something solid) near the main entryway to your home. As your dog follows you to the door, make it a habit to quickly tether him before opening the door. A sticky note on the door is a great reminder for everyone in the family. This works well when receiving visitors, or bringing the groceries into the house from the car, but it’s not safe to leave him there, unsupervised, when you leave the house.
Last, but not least…
Train a reliable recall. While the end goal is to give your dog rewarding alternatives to door darting, mistakes sometimes happen. Should your dog unexpectedly get loose, it’s important you be able to quickly call him back to you. Investing the time to train your dog to reliably come when called – even when distracted – is vitally important. A solid recall is a potentially life-saving behavior. It takes committed practice (training versus testing!) and ongoing maintenance. Fortunately, there are many fun training games designed to improve a dog’s recall. For a review, see past WDJ articles:
1. Because foods that are formulated for “adult maintenance” generally contain fewer calories than foods that are formulated for puppies or dogs of “all life stages,” owners often have to feed more of it and, inadvertently, give the puppy too much calcium.
2. When feeding puppies, choose a food that is formulated for puppies OR for “dogs of all life stages” (which includes puppies).
3. Keep in mind that over-feeding puppies can set them up for lifelong health problems. Keep them lean!
For centuries, European farmers and livestock owners lived by the saying, “The eye of the master fattens his cattle.” It meant, in short, that no matter what you fed your animals, in the end it’s your vigilance – your attention to how that food agrees with them – that determines whether or not they will grow and thrive as you hope.
When it comes to feeding puppies, that adage still holds very true (well, except for the “fattened” part, but we’ll get to that in a bit). There are many different ways of feeding dogs – commercially prepared dry, wet, semi-moist, freeze-dried, and frozen options, as well as home-prepared diets that are cooked or raw, including both BARF (bones and raw food) and prey-model methods. Because feeding can evoke a strong emotional response in the human who fills the food bowl – in our world, food is love, after all – our reflexive response is often to assume that the way we currently feed is the best way.
Feeding Your Puppy for Slow and Steady Growth
But “the eye of the master” has to be objective. And when it comes to puppies, the first step is taking careful note of how he is growing: Is he too fat? Too thin? Is he growing too fast – or not at all?
Pet-nutrition consultant Susan Lauten, PhD, of Knoxville, Tennessee, says the ideal growing puppy is “a lean, mean puppy machine.”
You might notice that your little one eats almost as much as your adult dogs, even though he’s just a fraction of their size. That’s because, according to the National Research Council, a growing puppy has huge caloric demands, requiring about twice as many calories per pound of body weight as an adult dog of the same breed.
That doesn’t mean you should just shovel the groceries to your puppy, however. Studies show that slow, steady growth – with no dramatic growth spurts – is ideal for your puppy’s health, in particular his developing skeletal system.
The best way to determine how much to feed, Dr. Lauten says, is by “putting your hands on your puppy every week; you should be able to feel the last three ribs easily, with minimal pressure.” The spinal column shouldn’t be showing on a puppy in good weight, and unless you’re bringing up a baby Afghan Hound, the hip bones shouldn’t be poking up – but you should be able to feel them under the skin.
If your puppy looks and feels too thin, then you might need to consider increasing and/or changing his food. Conversely, if he’s doing a convincing impression of a furry beach ball, you must reduce his rations – not for aesthetic reasons, but rather out of concern for his health.
“With adequate nutrition, all puppies will grow to their genetic potential,” Dr. Lauten says. “But the rate at which they achieve that depends upon the amount of food the puppy gets. In research, puppies that were free-fed with other-puppy competition grew faster at early ages, but ran the risk of developmental orthopedic disease (DOD).” DOD refers to a constellation of problems, including hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD).
While the puppies in those studies eventually evened out and grew to be the same size in adulthood, “The threat of DOD was present in the heavier dogs,” she explains. With increased caloric consumption, they got more calcium and uneven muscle, ligament, and cartilage growth – plus extra stress from excessive weight on developing joints.
In other words, overfeeding wreaks havoc with the growing canine body, disrupting normal skeletal growth, and potentially creating orthopedic disease that cannot be reversed.
Want to Feed Your Puppy Homemade Food? Do It Later
As home-prepared diets, whether cooked or raw, have become increasingly popular, many puppy owners naturally want to feed them to new canine arrivals in the household. But feeding puppies is more complex than feeding adult dogs. Many non-veterinarian “animal nutrition consultants” who create customized or therapeutic diets for their clients’ dogs decline to tailor home-prepared diets for puppies; the potential for disastrous repercussions from any mistakes made in formulating a puppy diet are just too great.
“I would prefer that owners not raw-feed until five or six months of age,” Dr. Lauten says, citing concern over getting the puppy’s calcium levels just right. Instead, Dr. Lauten recommends that owners who intend to feed a home-prepared diet start their pups on a good-quality commercial puppy diet, at least for the handful of crucial months when a puppy is most vulnerable to problems caused by inadequate or excessive calcium. Once the puppies have reached six or seven months of age, she suggests, they can be transitioned to a home-prepared diet, ideally one formulated by a qualified canine nutritionist.
Dr. Lauten even cautions about just supplementing a commercial diet for puppies, particularly large-breed ones, during the crucial developmental period before six months of age. “People do cottage cheese, they do eggs, they do kefir and yogurt,” she says. “I know that’s hard for people to just open the bag and put it down, but adding any supplemental food that’s more than 10 percent of their regular food consumption can set things out of balance – and this is not the time when you want an out-of-balance food.”
After four or five months, Dr. Lauten says, owners can start to supplement without fear of creating permanent damage. “The probiotics in yogurt and kefir are good, and cottage cheese and egg aren’t going to hurt,” she says. But if you are feeding a good-quality, well-formulated diet, “the supplementing is mainly for the people, not the dog.”
Note: This is one area where we differ with Dr. Lauten. In our opinion, adding limited amounts of fresh foods to a processed diet is not just about making yourself feel good. It provides real nutrition that may well be missing from processed foods that rely on synthetic supplements to provide most needed nutrients. See, “5 Steps to Enhancing Your Dog’s Store-Bought Food,” for a list of healthy foods that dogs like to eat.
How Often Should Puppies Eat?
While eating once or twice a day works well for many adult dogs, puppies need to be fed more frequently: four meals a day. When a puppy leaves for her new home at eight weeks old or later, she will likely be getting four meals a day, which can be reduced to three by the age of three or four months. As the puppy grows older and reaches the six-month mark, meals can be reduced to twice a day. Get a clear breakdown of the approximate puppy feeding timeline at Dogster.com.
Remember, of course, that no matter how many meals a puppy eats in a day, the quantity of food she needs to receive for her age and size does not change: That amount needs to be divided among the number of meals the puppy receives daily.
Observe Your Puppy’s Growth
Now that you know a bit about the science behind feeding puppies, don’t forget that there is an art to it, too: The best “master’s eye” catches those tiny details – a lackluster coat, a lower-energy pup, digestive abnormalities like chronic diarrhea or constipation- that might signal you need to look a bit closer at the puppy’s diet. You might need to periodically adjust your feeding approach to give him what he needs to thrive. Even within a litter of puppies, there might be genetic differences and predispositions that would require you to tweak your approach.
So just be sure to cover the basics – satisfy your puppy’s energy requirements with enough (but not too many!) calories, and provide a nutritionally balanced diet, especially in those first crucial months. And then, just keep that master’s eye on things.
Denise Flaim raises 13-year-old triplets and Rhodesian Ridgebacks on Long Island, New York.
1. Teach your dog a “Find it” cue by dropping a tasty treat on the ground and telling your dog to “Find it!” (I tell my clients this is the easiest thing they will ever teach their dogs.) Repeat several times until your dog’s eyes light up when she hears the cue.
2. Have her sit or lie down, and tell her to “Wait” or “Stay” or have someone hold her collar if she won’t wait when you ask her to. Walk a few paces away and show her a treat. Place it on the ground as you remind her to wait. Return to her side, face the treat, and release her with your “Find it!” cue. Encourage her, if necessary, to run out and eat the treat.
3. Repeat Step 2 several times, and then let her watch you hide a treat in “easy” hiding places – behind the leg of a chair, under the coffee table, etc.
4. After several successful finds, let her watch you hide two treats, then three treats, in easy places. During this step, start rubbing the treat on a paper towel and ask her to “sniff” before you tell her to “Find it.”
5. Next, let her watch you hide treats in harder places – on elevated surfaces, under things, and behind things. Continue to ask her to sniff the scented paper towel before sending her to “Find it.”
6. Now it gets really fun. Put your dog in another room while you hide several treats. Then bring her back in the room, let her sniff the paper towel, and tell her to “Find it.” Don’t help her! The whole idea is that she has to work hard with her nose to find the treats. If she can’t find one or more after searching for some time, remove her from the room, pick up the hidden treats, and try again with the treats in easier places.
When your dog has learned how to search, this makes a great rainy day indoor exercise activity. You can also routinely scatter her meals around the yard so she has to search through the grass to find them; put her on a long line if you don’t have a fence. You can also name her favorite toys and have her find them. You can even have family members and friends hide and have her find them. (Use their name and a scented clothing article with your “Sniff,” “Find Joey” cues.)
I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
