Why Dogs Bark and How to Stop Them

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February 15, 2017

A Shetland Sheepdog (sheltie) looks at the camera and barks. — Dogs with an inherited propensity for barking come in many shapes and sizes. In some, the trait was bred in on purpose, as it helped their ancestors’ owners perform some task, such as herding, hunting, or guarding.

As I write this I can hear my Kelpie, Kai, in the backyard barking at . . . something. Kai barks a lot – at squirrels, cats, birds, horses – anything that moves! I can empathize with dog owners who live in closer quarters, where a barking dog can be the catalyst for neighbor feuds, animal control citations, and civil lawsuits. And I thank my lucky stars that our nearest neighbors are a half-mile away and not likely to complain about occasional bouts of canine cacophony.

Barking is a natural, normal canine behavior. If you have a dog, you need to understand and accept that sometimes dogs bark!

That said, some dogs bark a whole lot more than others. Dogs also bark for a variety of reasons. How you work to manage and modify your dog’s barking will depend, at least in part, on what motivates him to bark.

Step one of any good barking-modification program is minimizing your dog’s need and opportunity to bark. Exercise, an important element of many good behavior modification programs, is useful here as well. A tired dog has less energy, hence less need to bark, and a well-exercised dog tends to be emotionally healthier as well.

Meanwhile, good management minimizes barking opportunity. Close drapes or put up baby gates to deter out-the-window barkers. Use white noise or calming music to muffle sounds that set off your dog. The more your dog practices his unwanted barking behavior, the more often is it reinforced (barking makes the mail carrier go away!), and the harder it is to modify.

Finally, in order to successfully modify barking behavior, you have to understand why your dog is barking.

Reasons Dogs Bark and How to Modify It

Again, how you manage and modify your dog’s barking will depend on what’s motivating him to bark. You might successfully ignore a demand barker’s utterances and reinforce him for quiet, but ignoring a dog who is barking from anxiety can exacerbate the behavior.

Here are the most common reasons that dogs bark, and how to resolve them:

Alarm Barking

A dog who alarm-barks may save his family from a fire, inform you that Timmy’s in the well, scare off a rapist – or just go bonkers every time someone walks past your house on the sidewalk. This dog is doing his job: letting you know there’s something to be seriously concerned about. Alarm barkers can save lives, but sometimes their judgment about what constitutes an alarm-appropriate situation can be a little faulty.

To manage alarm-barking, reduce your dog’s exposure to stimuli that cause his arousal. Perhaps you can baby-gate him out of the front room, move the sofa away from the windows so he can’t jump up and see out, close drapes, or tape poster board over the windows. Outside, install a privacy fence, attach a solid barrier of some kind to your see-through chain-link fencing, or put up an interior fence to block his access to the more stimulating parts of the yard.

You can also use counter-conditioning and desensitization to modify barking at things he really doesn’t need to be alarmed about. Sit with him at the window. As soon as someone comes into view, let him look, feed him a high-value tidbit, let him look again, feed again, until the passerby is out of sight. When you’re not there to feed, prevent access to windows that look out on passersby.

Given that alarm barking will inevitably occur, it’s also useful to teach your dog a positive interrupt – a cue, friendlier than “Shut up!” that you can use to stop him in mid-bark. (See “The Positive Interrupt,” below.) However, your dog might be barking because something really is wrong. Before you use that positive interrupt, take a moment to see what your dog is barking at. Perhaps your house really is on fire.

Alert Barking

This is your dog’s less-aroused approach to letting you know that there’s something of interest afoot; a squirrel on the back fence, or Dad’s car pulling in the driveway at the end of the work day. It can be managed and modified in the same manner as alarm-barking, including use of the positive interrupt, but is usually easier to work with because the emotional level is much lower.

Anxiety Barking

Barking due to anxiety can be manifested as a number of behaviors, including hysterical barking and sometimes howling. This is a complex and challenging behavior to both modify and manage, because true anxiety is a real panic attack – the dog truly cannot control his behavior.

One of the most common presentations of this condition is separation anxiety – a very difficult behavior to live and work with. (See “Relieving a Dog’s Separation Anxiety,” WDJ July 2008.) Real anxiety usually requires the intervention of a good positive behavior consultant, and often, behavior modification drugs. If your dog’s barking is due to anxiety, consult with a professional behavior counselor, and manage his environment to minimize his exposure to anxiety-producing conditions while you help him learn how to cope. (Note: The use of shock collars, not something I would recommend in any case, is a horrifically poor choice here, almost guaranteed to increase your dog’s stress and anxiety.)

Boredom Barking

Dogs are social creatures, and the backyard dog is lonely and bored. Boredom barking is often continuous, with a monotonous quality: “Ho hum, nothing else to do, I may as well just bark.” This kind of barking is most annoying to neighbors, and likely to elicit a visit from a local animal control officer.

barking chihuahua — This very senior Chihuahua is an expert at demand-barking. This behavior is best managed by ignoring her as long as she keeps it up. But if the tone and frequency of her barking indicates that she is barking in alarm, the cause of her barking should be investigated.

The answer here is obvious and relatively easy. Bring the dog inside. Many outdoor barkers are perfectly content to lie quietly around the house all day, waiting for you to come home, and sleep peacefully beside your bed at night. If your dog isn’t house-safe, use crates, exercise pens, dog walkers, lots of exercise, and even doggie daycare to keep him out of trouble until he earns house privileges. You can also enrich his environment by giving him interactive toys such as food-stuffed Kong toys to keep his brain engaged and his mouth busy. See “Must-Have Chew Toys,” (WDJ 2016) for some of Whole Dog Journal‘s favorites.

Demand Barking

This behavior is more likely to annoy you than your neighbors, but it’s annoying nonetheless. A demand barker learns that he can get what he wants (usually attention or treats) by making noise. It often starts as a gentle, adorable little grumble, and can quickly turn into insistent, loud barks – your dog’s way of saying, “I want it, now!” You can preempt the development of demand barking by remembering to randomly give your dog attention and treats for being quiet, before he starts barking.

Demand barking, once it starts to occur, is easiest to extinguish early. The longer a dog has been reinforced for demanding stuff, the more persistent he’ll be when you try to ignore him. However, ignoring him is the best answer to this behavior. No treats, no attention – not even eye contact. The instant the demand behavior starts, utter a cheerful “Oops!” and turn your back on your dog. When he’s quiet, say, “Quiet, yes!” and return your attention – and treat – to him.

Beware “extinction bursts” and “behavior chains.” When you’re trying to extinguish a behavior by ignoring it, your dog may actually increase the intensity of his “I WANT IT NOW!” behavior. This is an extinction burst, akin to you kicking the soda machine that doesn’t deliver after accepting your coins. If you succumb to your dog’s increasing intense barking, thinking extinction isn’t working, you have now reinforced the more intense barking, and your dog is likely to get more intense sooner next time. If you stick it out and wait for the barking to stop, you’re well on your way to making it go away. You have to be more persistent than your dog.

A behavior chain is a series of behaviors strung together. You dog may learn that if he barks once or twice, you will turn your back, say “Quiet,” and then feed him a treat. His short behavior chain is “bark . . . and then be quiet.” To avoid this, be sure to acknowledge and reward him frequently before he barks even once.

Frustration Barking

Often confused with anxiety barkers, dogs who have a low tolerance for frustration bark persistently when they can’t get what they want. Unlike anxiety barking, this is an “I WANT IT!” communication similar to demand barking, but with more emotion. It’s usually directed at the thing he wants, such as the dog he wants to go play with.

You can use the positive interrupt to redirect frustration barking. If you consistently offer high-value treats in the presence of frustration-causing stimuli, you can condition your dog to look to you for treats when the other dog is present (dog = yummy treats) rather than erupt into a barking fit.

Greeting/Excitement Barking

“Yay, Mom’s home! Mom’s home!” If your dog hails you with hellos when you return after a long (or short) absence, it’s time to shift into ignore mode. Stand outside your door and wait for the cacophony to subside, then enter calmly; no rousing hug-fests or “I missed you so much!” sessions. When your dog is calm and quiet, then greet him. If he starts to bark again, mark the barking with an “Oops!” and ignore some more.

If his loud greetings are directed toward arriving guests, you’ll still need to go into calm mode. If you use loud verbal reprimands you add to the chaos and arousal. Rather, use your positive interrupt to invite your dog to you, and calmly put him in another room or on a tether – then greet your visitors. Alternatively, you can use counter-conditioning to get your dog to look to you for treats rather than erupting with barks when visitors arrive. You may want to tape a note to your door advising guests that you are training your dog and it may take you a moment or two to answer the door, so they don’t give up and go away.

Play Barking

This is common behavior for herding dogs, the cheerleaders of the canine world. As other dogs – or humans – romp and play, the play-barker runs around barking (and sometimes nipping heels). If you’re in a location where neighbors won’t complain and the other dogs tolerate the behavior, you might just leave this one alone. With children, however, the behavior is not appropriate, and the dog should be managed by removing him from the play area, rather than risking bites to children.

If you do want to modify play-barking behavior, you can use negative punishment: The dog’s behavior makes the good stuff go away. When the barking starts, use a time-out marker such as “Oops!” and gently remove your dog from the playground for one to three minutes; a tab (a short, six- to 12-inch leash left attached to his collar) makes this maneuver easier. Then release him to play again.

Over time, as he realizes that barking ends his fun, he may get the idea. Or he may not – this is a pretty strong genetic behavior, especially with the herding breeds.

The Positive Interrupt

The positive interrupt is a well-programmed, highly reinforced behavior that allows you to redirect your dog’s attention back to you when he’s doing something inappropriate, like barking. Ideally, you want your dog’s response to the “Over here!” cue to be so automatic that he doesn’t stop to think, he just does it, the way your foot automatically hits the brake of your car when you see taillights flash in front of you on the highway.

Here’s how to teach a positive interrupt:

1. Install the cue in a low-distraction environment. Use a phrase such as “Over here!” or “Quiet please!” as your interrupt cue. Say the phrase in a cheerful tone of voice, then immediately feed your dog a morsel of a very high-value treat, such as a small shred of canned chicken. Repeat until you see his eyes light up and his ears perk when you say the phrase.

2. Practice with the cue in a low-distraction environment. Wait until your dog is engaged in a low-value activity – wandering around the room, sniffing something mildly interesting – then say your interrupt phrase in the same cheerful tone of voice. You should see an immediate interrupt in his low-value activity, and he should dash to you for his chicken. If he doesn’t, return to Step 1.

3. Add distractions to your practice. Still in the low-distraction environment so you can control the distraction level, add moderate distractions – one at a time – and practice the interrupt. Gradually move up to major distractions in the low-distraction environment. If you lose his automatic response at any step, return to the previous step.

4. Move your lessons to an environment with real-life distractions. Go for a walk around the block with your dog on leash. Use the interrupt when he’s sniffing a bush, or eyeing a fast-food bag on the sidewalk. Start with mild to moderate real-life distractions if possible, but if a major distraction presents itself, including a stimulus that causes him to bark, give it a try!

5. Use the positive cue to interrupt barking. When your dog automatically turns his attention to you in response to your cue when confronted with major real-life distractions, you have a valuable tool for interrupting his barking. Be sure you practice occasionally with mild distractions to keep the cue “tuned up.” And remember to thank him and tell him what a wonderful dog he is when he stops barking on your request.

Barky Breeds

Some breeds of dogs are notorious for being vocal, and even within breeds there are some lines that are known to bark more than others. There is a genetic component to a dog’s vocal behavior (as behavior is always a combination of genetics and environment – nature and nurture.) Note that when we say a behavior is “genetic,” what we really mean is that the dog has a strong inherited propensity to be reinforced by the opportunity to engage in that behavior. By definition, behaviors that are reinforced increase; a dog who finds barking reinforcing and has opportunities to bark will bark more.

Most of the herding breeds have strong opinions about things and aren’t afraid to express them. Think Shetland Sheepdog, Collie, Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Australian Kelpie . . . . Barking is part of the constellation of behaviors that were selected for over the years as these dogs were expected to be “large and in charge” when directing the movement of sheep and cows – animals many times their weight and size.

Scenthounds (such as Beagles, Bassets, Bloodhounds, etc.) have also been bred for their “voice.” As they chase game, their excited baying tells their humans where they are, and enables hunters to find them when their quarry is treed or goes to ground.

A Pomeranian looks directly into the camera. — Some small breeds have a reputation for being more vocal than others.

Many small breeds of dogs (Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Miniature Pinscher) are known to be quite vocal. They have earned a reputation as “yappers” – making up for their diminutive size by making a lot of noise.

Then there are the dog breeds known to be at the quiet end of the canine vocalization continuum. Many of the Giant breeds – Danes and Newfoundlands, for example – are generally less vocal.

There are also many smaller breed dogs, including the French Bulldog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Shiba Inu, that have reputations for being non-talkative. And then there is the Basenji, which doesn’t bark, but is capable of making a number of other alarming and annoying vocalizations. Rather than bark, these dogs can scream, growl, even yodel in a canine sort of way.

Whether you are looking for a quiet dog for townhouse living, or a vocal one to ward off trespassers from your rural home, knowing which breeds bark less is a good place to start. That said, it’s also important to remember that, despite breed tendencies, every dog is an individual. You can find a Great Dane who will rattle your apartment walls, and a Sheltie who wouldn’t speak if the safety of your farm depended on it. If voice, or lack thereof, is important to you, make sure you look beyond simple breed stereotypes to actual behavior when selecting your next canine family member.

Be Proactive with Dog Barking Modification

Uncontrolled barking can be frustrating to the human. I know this all too well, with two vocal herding dogs currently in my own family. However, our dogs sometimes have important and interesting things to say. There was the time I was engrossed in writing an article and our dogs were alarm barking ferociously in the backyard. Resisting the urge just to tell them to stop, I reluctantly got up to investigate. No, the house wasn’t on fire, but I did find a sick groundhog in the yard.

You do want to be able to have some control over your dog’s voice, but don’t lose sight of the value of his vocal communications – he may be trying to tell you something important. If you ignore him, your dog might do combat with a rabid skunk in the yard, a burglar might make off with all the bikes and tools in the garage, or Timmy might drown in the well!

Letters from Readers: March 2017

By

Nancy Kerns

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March 30, 2021

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I have been a subscriber for years to Whole Dog Journal. I am always particularly interested in the approved dry (and canned) food lists. This year’s “approved dry foods” list is a little weird. It says it’s the 2015 approved dog foods instead of 2017. My other concern is that Fromm, the dog food I’ve been feeding my babies, is not on the list this year. Please be kind enough to let me know why Fromm is not on your list this year. I am very concerned!

Sharon DiDomenico
via email

The “2015” was the sort of typo that will recur in our nightmares for a decade. What appeared in the February 2017 issue really is the 2017 list.

Also, we’re very sorry about the accidental omission of Fromm Family Foods. The company did provide us with the information we asked for; their response got lost in (considerable) shuffle of information. They were added to the online version of the magazine. Had it appeared in the print version, their entry would have looked like the following. We regret the errors.

I read with interest Cynthia Foley’s article on honey (“Raw Honey for Dogs,” WDJ January 2017). Manuka honey is expensive, depending on the strength you purchase. But the healing power is worth the cost.

I used Manuka honey on my 14- year-old Lab/Shar Pei-mix. She had ripped open one of her pads and was having a very difficult time getting it to heal. I used a veterinary-prescribed ointment with fresh bandages as required, while using a boot to provide protection. Two weeks later, with the wound getting worse, I did some research and read reviews of Manuka honey and its healing power. I spoke with my vet and decided to give it a try.

I purchased some that day (strength: MGO 400+) and used it in place of the ointment. I kept the injury wrapped, changing the bandage and refreshing the honey daily, with a boot to protect it. In a week, any skepticism I had disappeared. The results were impressive.

Internally or externally there are huge benefits with its use in both dogs and humans.

Rich Dolphin
via email

I especially appreciate the yearly issue regarding your dog food recommendations. I have noticed that Avoderm is one of the approved products. I once read that avocados shouldn’t be fed to dogs due to the presence of “persin,” causing diarrhea and vomiting. Is this information incorrect?

Marilee Ager
via email

Avocado pits and skin can cause digestive upset in dogs. But the flesh of the avocado can be quite beneficial.

I’ve always enjoyed and have referred to the wonderful WDJ for some years. I must commend you on your fine articles and good information. But my dog has passed away, and I don’t know when or if I’ll get another. I thought you may be able to use these older journals. You may know of more people that could truly benefit from reading them. God bless you for the exceptional help you’ve given others.

Loretta Mazzei
Pittsburgh, PA

That’s so sweet! We’ll ask whether one of the prison-based dog training programs we profiled in “Prison Dog Training Programs” (May 2016) can use them. But we hope you have an opportunity to share your home and heart with another dog.

Raising a Well-Adjusted Puppy

By

Nancy Kerns

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February 14, 2017

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I used to pride myself on the fact that I had never been a so-called “foster failure.” As most of you probably know, that’s what they call you if you take on a foster dog or puppy and, though you had no intention of doing so when you accepted the fostering commitment, you decided to keep the dog for your very own. I took pride in not keeping any of my foster dogs, because the more you keep, inevitably, the fewer you will be likely to foster in the future. After all, not very many of us have unlimited resources of time and money to spend on our dogs.

But a little bit more than year ago, I failed; I fell hard for a pudgy pit-mix puppy I had been fostering, along with eight of his brothers and sisters. Why? Why did I fall for that puppy? For that matter, why would I fall for any puppy? After all, as cute as they are, no one knows as well as someone who fosters a lot how much work puppies and adolescent dogs can be! And prior to taking on that litter, I had absolutely no desire for another dog. At the time, I was already fostering an adolescent American Black and Tan Coonhound named Maebe, and she was annoying Otto, my “heart dog,” to no end. What on earth, I’ve been asking myself for the past year, made me decide to keep this puppy? And what have been the costs to our formerly copacetic canine/human family?

A Puppy Who Is Focused and Connected

In the interest of full disclosure, I usually do develop a preference for one puppy in each litter I foster – but I have never, ever, considered keeping one until this particular favorite pup came along. I noticed early on that the big brindle male pup had extraordinary powers of concentration at the precocious age of four weeks, and boy, do I like that in a puppy or adult dog. I teach all of my foster pups that I will pop treats into their mouths if they sit and pay attention to me, and this pup was the first to retain and actively use this information. When I would work with the group, the big brindle male was always the first to sit down and fix his eyes on my face. The pups with shorter attention spans (and/or less interest in food) would continue to play, sometimes even jumping on the big pup in an effort to get him to return to their games, but the big guy would literally shrug them off, never taking his eyes off of mine. It was as if he were saying, “Get lost, kids; I’m working here!”

He was also the first pup to learn how to follow me down the seven stairs off the back porch into the backyard, and the first to follow me back up the stairs, too. I found that almost every time I tripped over a puppy, it was because that one big guy was on or right next to my foot.

Surgery day arrived, when I took the pups back to the shelter to get altered and then go up for adoption. I kissed their puppy heads, as I always do on the day they “graduate” from foster care, and I said a special goodbye to the brindle boy. Unlike always, I started crying when I said goodbye to that pup, and the shelter workers laughed – kindly – as I walked out of the shelter with tears running down my face, unable to talk. It’s hard, sending those sweet little faces off to uncertain futures! But in most cases, I cheer up over the course of the day, and by day’s end, I’m super happy to be done with puppy pee and poop for a while, and eager to see the puppies’ adoption photos, taken with their new owners, popping up on the shelter’s Facebook page.

In this particular case, however, I stayed weepy all day – so much so that I developed a really bad headache. That’s why I was prone on the sofa, a pillow over my head, when the shelter’s vet tech called me to say that they hadn’t been able to finish all the surgeries for the day, and would I want to take the two males home for another week of fostering? My pillow flew through the air as I flew out the door to go pick up the brindle boy and his only brother, a gorgeous gray pup with pretty pale blue eyes.

When Other Puppies Pale in Comparison

Every time I laid eyes on that handsome gray pup I’d think, “He’s going to go fast! Someone is going to LOVE that puppy.” But that someone was not me; I still was just oddly crazy about the chunky brindle boy. He had the most fantastic eye contact, and even when I wasn’t looking at him, I would often discover that he was looking at me.

One day I watched a video online about “platform training,” wherein a trainer used a little box to help a dog “station” – to help him understand exactly where he should sit, down, or stand (as cued). Just for fun, I got some treats, and started teaching Maebe, my foster hound, to step up onto a little plastic step stool; I thought I might try the platform training with her. The two male puppies were in my office, playing on a dog bed, but when the brindle pup smelled treats, as usual, he came over and joined in the training session; as usual the gray pup did not volunteer. I worked with the hound and the pudgy pup for about five minutes, rewarding them for putting their front paws on the stool, and then I went back to work on my computer.

About an hour later, I rolled my chair back, stretching, and glanced around to see where all my canine charges were. Otto was asleep on a couch in the living room. Maebe was asleep on the couch in my office. The gray pup was asleep on the dog bed next to my desk. And the brindle pup? He was sitting on that little plastic step stool in the next room, looking at me through the doorway. Had he been sitting there for the past hour? I have no way of knowing, but he was just so dogged, he very well might have been.

I didn’t make the decision to keep the puppy that day, but, looking back, that was the moment that clinched it. When I took both male puppies back to the shelter the following week for their surgeries, I filled out an adoption form.

New Puppy Duties

My husband is in charge of naming our pets, and usually I leave the task completely in his hands. This time, though, I asked him to consider one criterion: I wanted him to pick an especially friendly name. Given that the pup was clearly going to have a “bully breed” look, I wanted a name that would counter any tough-guy baggage that can come with those looks; despite the promise of his size, I didn’t want a Thor or Bruiser.

My husband proposed the name Woody, after the beautiful wood-grain look of the puppy’s coat, and I loved it. It evoked the sweet cowboy in the “Toy Story” movies – “I’d like to join your posse, boys, but first I’m gonna sing a little song!”

Of course, it’s just a coincidence, but it’s a funny/sometimes not funny coincidence that Woody has developed a strong predilection for chewing things made of wood, such as chair legs, parts of our deck, rosebushes, apple trees, dog houses, and more. If it’s wooden, it’s been given a speculative chew. I’ve gone through quarts of Bitter Apple (a chewing-deterrent spray for dogs that tastes terrible), which actually does deter the teething adolescent, but usually just makes him go search for something that hasn’t been sprayed yet.

Even with the usual amount of puppy-wrought destruction, though, Woody somehow hasn’t managed to aggravate my husband, who usually likes dogs only provisionally – when they are quiet and well behaved. Oddly enough, Brian likes Woody even though he is not always well-behaved; he’s so full of athletic energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity, he’s always bounding around, into, and through us. But it’s hard to hold a grudge against him, even when you get a fat lip from getting hit by his head when he does a random hop up (a kissing bandit sort of move), because he’s turned into such a genial, goofy guy.

Woody’s “happy dog” demeanor didn’t just happen, however; I’ve been cultivating it like a prize rosebush.

Raising a Pit-Mix Puppy

Again, given the fact that it was clear that Woody was going to grow up into a big, powerful dog with one of those blocky, bully-breed heads, I felt like it was incumbent on me – as it should be on the owners of all similarly big, strong dogs – to take extraordinary measures to make sure that he is well socialized, well trained, and well managed. In July 2016, WDJ published “The 10 Most Important Things to Teach Your Puppy,” by Pat Miller – check those out for a complete puppy checklist. The following are all the measures I’ve personally and deliberately taken over the past year to meet my goal of building a solid canine citizen:

1. Immersed Woody in every puppy fostering opportunity I’ve had over the past year. He’s played “big brother” to four other large litters of puppies that I’ve fostered since he was adopted. This has given him extraordinary social skill, especially with smaller, more fragile dogs. He also finessed his way into the heart of the protective Great Dane mother who stayed with us for months with her litter of 11 puppies. She didn’t like him near the puppies at first, but by the time she got adopted, not only had he earned her approval for puppy-playmate privileges, she liked to wrestle and play with him, too.

2. Enrolled him in puppy kindergarten classes with a positive-reinforcement based trainer, and took him to additional “puppy socials” at the same well-managed facility.

3. Exposed Woody to many other types of animals in controlled settings, taking special care to prevent him from having any opportunity to practice an unwanted behavior even once. For example, I made sure that the first times he saw poultry and livestock, he was on leash, so he never had a chance to see an animal run away from him “by accident.”

4. I sought out opportunities for Woody to meet and hang out with humans of all kinds, and especially babies and children. This is no small feat when you have a dog who looks scary to some people! But I made sure that every interaction he’s had with kids has been enormously rewarding, full of extra-special treats and toys. And it’s worked so far! When he sees a kid, he wriggles with joy and anticipation.

5. I’ve taken Woody into every store in my area that welcomes dogs, and every sort of vehicle I have access to. And I always – always – have treats on hand, so I can reinforce his good behavior, and do a little counter-conditioning if I see signs that he’s getting at all nervous.

The Puppy Adolescent Fear Period

All of this super-socializing might seen excessive to some, but something happened to Woody at about seven months of age that prompted me to put my socializing efforts into overdrive, rather than cruise control. One day, out of the blue, with no precipitating event that I could recall, Woody started raising his hackles and emitting a soft growl when he saw certain people or other dogs. It wasn’t every time, just sometimes, but there was no pattern to it that I could discern. Overnight, he went from happy to meet everyone, to happy to meet most people, and scared to meet some.

I’ve edited enough articles about canine fear-based aggression to know that what Woody was expressing was anxiety, and that the best way to ease a dog’s anxiety was to:

– Increase the distance between the dog and whatever is scaring him, until he can observe the scary thing or person calmly; and

– Counter-condition generously, by feeding him tons of super-delicious treats, in an effort to make him feel better about the situation, without pressuring him for any particular behavior.

I also asked every dog trainer I know personally (and every dog training contributor to WDJ!) about this behavior, and they all said the same thing: “It’s the adolescent fear period. Not all dogs go through it, but any dog can. Keep doing what you are doing.”

We’ve been doing that, and it’s working. Woody has mostly come out the other side of this tunnel of fear, and rarely growls or raises his hackles upon seeing people he doesn’t recognize. I’ll tell you more about our continuing efforts to work through this unexpected challenge in a future issue. If you are seeking more info on puppy socialization now, read Denise Flaim’s article, “Properly Socializing Your Puppy“.

Nancy Kerns is editor of WDJ.

Whole Dog Journal’s New Look

Editorial

By

Nancy Kerns

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April 23, 2019

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I couldn’t be more excited about the changes you will see in this month’s issue of WDJ, not least of which is the new illustration of a dog on the cover, which was based on a photograph of my nine-year-old mixed-breed dog, Otto! Nepotism may have gotten Otto the spot, but I honestly think he serves as a perfect representative of what WDJ is about: a vibrantly fit, happy, intelligent, confident “everydog.”

I shouldn’t sound critical of a dog who has been such a hard-working member of the WDJ family for so long, but I never really gave my heart to the Golden Retriever who used to appear in the Journal’s logo. I always wanted him to lose some weight, and show a little more enthusiasm for the job.

We’ve also added a little more color and a little more air to the pages, modernizing the entire look a bit. It’s time! With this exact issue, WDJis 20 years old, after all!

It’s hard for me to believe this is our 20th year. For me, time has just flown by; this has been such an exciting time to be involved with dogs. In the two decades since the first issue of WDJ was published, training dogs with positive reinforcement has gone from being a novelty to the mainstream training method of the most committed, educated dog owners and trainers. Today, there are entire generations of trainers and dog owners who have grown up training with only flat collars and classical conditioning, variable schedules of reinforcement, and other humane, effective training tools.

Canine nutrition and holistic healthcare, too, have been revolutionized during WDJ‘s time in print. There are hundreds of good dog foods to choose from today; when we started the Journal, there were fewer than 10 that met our existing selection criteria. I could go on and on – and I hope to! – for years to come. I hope you’ll come along; there is still much more to learn!

Recall Notice for Evanger’s Canned Beef Dog Food Variety

On February 3, 2017, the FDA announced that Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food had recalled five lots of its canned Hunk of Beef dog food, for a “potential contaminant,” pentobarbital. One dog has died as a result of eating the contaminated food. Evanger’s canned food appeared on WDJ‘s “approved canned dog foods” in our October 2016 issue. Evanger’s makes its own canned foods, and is blaming its meat supplier for the problem.

Evanger’s dry foods, which appear on our “approved dry dog foods” list in the February 2017 issue, are produced by a contract manufacturer and are not involved in the current recall. For breaking news on pet food recalls, see the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website.

For active coverage from Whole Dog Journal, see my blog post about the recall, and check back for weekly updates.

Make Vet Visits Less Scary

By

Stephanie Colman

-

February 13, 2017

0

[Updated August 24, 2018]

Vet visits can be stressful for the beings on both ends of the leash! As my dog sits in the waiting room, awash in trepidation, I, too, am often worried about what decisions I’ll need to make regarding diagnostic testing, what it’s all going to cost, and the pros and cons of every possible scenario – all while battling an overall concern for my dog’s physical and emotional health.

Veterinary care is a necessary part of responsible dog ownership, and, fortunately, a little pro-active planning and thoughtful training can help reduce vet-related anxiety for both dogs and their owners. The following tips will help prepare you and your dog for your next trip to the vet’s office.

1. Research your ideal veterinary care for your dog.

Do you have strong opinions about certain facets of animal care? Do you believe in feeding a raw diet or waiting until a certain age to spay or neuter? Do you prefer exploring holistic heathcare modalities in place of more conventional Western medicine approaches? Where do you stand on vaccinations? How do you feel about chemical flea and tick preventatives?

While the ability to use Google does not make you an expert, it’s perfectly fine to have strong preferences for how you want to address your dog’s healthcare needs. There’s space in this world for many opinions! That said, it’s wise to work with a vet who shares (or at the very least respects) yours.

When looking for a veterinarian, ask local dog-owning friends which veterinarian they use and how well they like both the vet and the practice in general. If you’re new to the area and can’t rely on personal referrals, consider using the American Animal Hospital Association’s accredited hospital locator search tool to begin your search.

When considering a certain veterinary hospital, calling the office or viewing the practice’s website can answer questions such as where the staff refers its critical care or after-hours cases, whether or not the office is staffed overnight, or if the doctors are available on call. These are all good things to know early on when developing a relationship with your vet.

Office staff likely won’t be able to speak in detail about an individual doctor’s philosophies and approaches to care, nor will the doctor have time to field a lengthy interview call, but you can schedule a basic exam visit to serve as your chance to get your general questions answered, while allowing you the opportunity to experience the vet’s bedside manner.

AAHA Veterinary Accreditation

The American Animal Hospital Association is the only accrediting body for companion animal hospitals in the United States and Canada.

“Accreditation is voluntary. The hospitals are inviting AAHA in to evaluate how they practice,” says Heather Loenser, DVM, veterinary advisor of professional and public affairs for the American Animal Hospital Association. “Vets don’t have to do this. That’s why accreditation is a big deal, because you know you’re going to a practice where the staff wants to be excellent and wants external feedback from leaders in the field.”

When a veterinary practice applies for accreditation, the practice is evaluated on approximately 900 standards of veterinary care, ranging from pain management, infectious disease protocols and anesthesia safety to customer service procedures and how medical records are maintained. Facilities are re-evaluated every three years and must pass each time in order to maintain accreditation. The AAHA estimates that about 12 to 15 percent of veterinary practices throughout the United States and Canada are accredited.

“You can still practice excellent medicine and not be accredited, but I think pet owners will notice a difference in team work, pride and high morale of the staff in an accredited hospital,” Dr. Loenser says. “The veterinary teams who want to go through accreditation tend to hold themselves to a higher standard – they’re often the Type A of the Type A kind of people.”

For more information, visit www.aaha.org.

2. Plan for the cost of your dog’s veterinary care.

Nobody likes to be hit with an unexpected vet bill, but accidents and illnesses happen, and it’s important to be prepared. Pet insurance can be a great way to ease the financial sting of costly vet bills. Today’s pet insurance market is broad enough to offer a variety of coverage levels, ranging from plans designed to cover major emergencies with relatively high deductibles and lower monthly premiums, to more comprehensive plans including wellness coverage and lower deductibles, but with higher monthly premiums. Like any insurance, pet insurance can feel like a gamble. We hope we never need to use it, and when we don’t, we might grumble a little when paying the premium. At the same time, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to secure the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are better prepared, financially, to provide for your pet’s medical needs.

If insurance doesn’t feel like the right choice for your family, consider establishing and funding a separate savings account specifically for your pet’s unexpected medical issues. There’s also CareCredit, a credit card designed specifically for heath care financing, which offers 0 percent interest for 6-24 months on an initial medical charge of at least $200. (Even with pet insurance, I’ve personally used CareCredit several times.) Be warned: If you exceed the promotional period, CareCredit carries a whopping 26.99 percent interest rate.

3. Don’t wait until your dog’s minor illness or injury becomes a major one.

To go or not to go to the vet can be a stressful decision. The stress rate skyrockets after normal business hours when your regular vet is closed and you’re considering the nearest emergency facility.

It can be tempting to take a wait-and-see approach to seemingly minor medical issues. This isn’t always a bad choice, especially when you’re familiar with what’s normal for your dog, and in a position to closely monitor him for changes. Generally speaking, I don’t rush my dog to the vet the first time he vomits, has an episode of diarrhea, or seems somewhat lethargic; I’ll keep an eye on him and watch for other potential problems.

However, not all vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy are created equal; it’s important to pay attention to the big picture. Vomiting and lack of appetite in an otherwise alert, bright-spirited dog could indicate nothing more than his body attempting to rid itself of a dietary indiscretion. Vomiting along with drooling, panting, and general restlessness is a classic sign of bloat, which is an immediate veterinary emergency.

It’s one thing to feel confident in your ability to manage minor issues that crop up after hours in an effort to avoid the higher cost of emergency care. Good old-fashioned pragmatism definitely has its merits. But the truth is, waiting often makes things worse; for example, taking a “wait and see” approach with a dog’s limp, thinking it is due to a soft-tissue injury, when the limp actually resulted from a slipped disc, can result in a drastically worsened injury. By the time you realize it’s not getting better, a dog in this situation could be facing paralysis and you’d be facing a much higher vet bill.

4. Familiarize your dog with the veterinarian’s office before your next appointment.

If your dog visits the vet’s office only when he has an appointment, there’s a much stronger chance he’ll log the experience in the “Bad Stuff!” category, even if you’re lucky enough to mostly only need routine wellness visits. (I mean, have you seen where they often put the thermometer?)

The floor is slippery, everything smells different, and you sometimes hear distressed animals vocalizing in exam rooms or crating areas. Plus, the “strangers” in the vet’s office don’t want to just to pet your dog – they often need to physically restrain or hold her in position during an exam or procedure. This can be frighteningly invasive for even the most easygoing dog during the best-case scenario. Factor in not feeling well or being in pain, and it’s no wonder why many dogs hit the brakes in reluctance as you attempt to walk into the office. Unfortunately, this fear often builds on itself over time, causing some dogs to progress from being mildly concerned to extremely anxious, or even completely panicked during a visit.

A simple way to help prevent or reduce vet-related anxiety is to visit the office when your dog doesn’t have a medical reason to be there.

Pay attention to where the visit first starts to seem scary for your dog and start there. If his nerves flare up during the walk from the car to the front door, hang out in the parking lot, offer delicious treats, play a game of tug if your dog likes toys and then hop back in the car without ever going into the office.

If he’s fine until you reach the doorway, plan your party for the area just outside of the office, being careful to stay out of the way of clients coming in and out. After a short fun-fest, return to the car, where you can either wait a few minutes and go play again, or simply drive home, depending on your schedule.

Veterinarian waiting room jitters

If your dog’s behavior tells you it’s the waiting room and beyond that trigger his nervous tendencies, happily engage your dog as you walk from the parking lot to the reception area. Offer “freebie treats” in support of your dog’s positive attitude (to further strengthen your dog’s association with the parking lot as a safe place) and ask for simple behaviors along the way.

I typically ask for (and reward) several “sits,” a hand-touch or two, and a few “spins” just on the short walk from the car to the front door as I head into the office with my dog, Saber. The more I can keep him using his thinking brain, the less likely he is to succumb to the overwhelming feelings of his emotional brain.

Once inside the waiting room, allow your dog to investigate, so long as his activity doesn’t interfere with other clients. I like to alternate between allowing my dog to look around and asking for simple behaviors, as his ability to focus on my requests tells me a lot about his emotional state. If he’s unable to focus on my requested task, he’s telling me he needs more time to acclimate. The same applies to dogs who generally enjoy treats, but who might refuse them in the waiting room.

Note: If your dog refuses food for more than a few minutes, he’s likely too far over threshold, and you should start at an easier level – just outside of the office or in the parking lot.

Invite your dog to hop on the scale to be weighed. It’s important that your dog cooperate with being weighed, since medication dosages are calculated by weight. When getting weighed requires physical restraint, the greater the risk of an inaccurate reading.

Have a seat and simulate waiting to be called for your appointment. Offer treats, calm petting and praise throughout the experience. If your dog is at all hesitant, it’s wise to end the visit here, and repeat the experience on another day. If he’s handling the waiting room in stride, and the staff isn’t super busy, ask a vet tech or member of the office staff to offer your dog treats (only if your dog is comfortable with strangers). They might even be willing to escort you to an exam room where you can continue your “just for fun” visit against the backdrop of a more formal appointment. Feed a few more treats, ask for a simple behavior or two, present a favorite toy, then cheerfully exit, remembering to thank the staff for their help.

When planning your social visits, it’s helpful to call ahead so the staff knows what to expect when you arrive, and to make sure you don’t walk into an exceptionally crowded office.

Social visits are a wonderful way to help a puppy or young dog create a positive association with the vet’s office as well as help counter any negative emotional baggage following an especially unpleasant vet visit. Taking the time to plan emotional training sessions away from necessary visits can help reduce stress levels in adult dogs, too.

Admittedly, this isn’t always the most convenient training session, since it requires travelling to the vet’s office, but as responsible, compassionate dog owners, we owe it to our canine friends to look after not just their physical health, but their emotional health and well being, too.

5. Teach your dog calm acceptance of being handled and restrained.

So much of what goes into a vet examination or medical procedure can be made easier for your dog when he’s familiar and comfortable being handled in myriad ways. Make it a habit to touch your dog all over his body as part of your everyday affection and relaxation routine. Rub his belly. Massage his leg muscles. Gently play with the inner and outer part of his ears. Massage his feet. Run your hand from atop his head toward his muzzle.

Handling your dog in this way helps normalize the experience of being touched, which can help make handling in other circumstances, like at the vet or groomer, less concerning. It’s also a great way to familiarize yourself with your dog’s topography so you’re more likely to notice a change, such as the development of or change in a lump or the sudden appearance of a rash or other skin irritation.

Pair certain types of handling with treats to help your dog build a positive association with those experiences. This is helpful for dogs who have an demonstrable aversion to being touched certain ways, as well as dogs who appear fine with the handling when at home with their owners. Taking the time to pair handling with treats, even with cooperative dogs, helps ensure against the normally “fine” behavior degrading and becoming an issue when the dog is distressed. It’s one thing to be “fine” with having your feet handled by your owners, in the safety and security of your own home. It’s a whole different story when you’re being held by strangers, in an unfamiliar place, and are in pain from an injury.

When using food to create a positive association with different types of handling, ideally you present the handling in a way that prevents the dog from feeling uncomfortable and then present the treat, rather than feeding treats simultaneous with the handling. For example, if a dog is uncomfortable with having his feet held, you might start by touching the top of one foot with two fingers, for one second, and then feed the treat. This helps make sure the dog is associating the act of being touched with earning the cookie. When feeding simultaneously, it’s easy for the presence of the food to override the handling you’re teaching the dog to enjoy. (That said, choosing to feed treats throughout an event your dog might find unpleasant is a perfectly valid way to manage the situation, in hopes of minimizing the potential for negative emotional baggage.) Slowly build toward the finished behavior, increasing your effort only when the dog can calmly tolerate the easier step.

When it comes to paw handling, it’s well worth taking the time to teach your dog to comfortably cooperate, as many vet experiences include needing to hold a dog’s feet – from the obvious such as nail trimming and foot injuries, to the less obvious, but common need to hold a dog’s paw during blood draws and when inserting IV catheters.

It’s also important to teach your dog to enjoy handling by other people. If he’s already comfortable being handled, or once you’ve desensitized him to being touched in any tricky spots, instruct your friends on where and how to handle him as you supply treats at the correct time. This will help generalize the behavior to other people.

In-office handling also often requires restraint. Teach your dog to be comfortable when you lean slightly over and into him, holding him tight to your body. Practice securing your dog’s head. When training, always start with super-short trials of just a few seconds, at a level that doesn’t appear to cause concern, followed by the delivery of a treat.

Even if your dog lets you do all of these things, there’s still value in taking time to build strong, positive associations through further training to ensure against behavior degradation during difficult times. Think of the training time as a way to help inoculate your dog against future stress!

If your dog has handling issues, or if you want to be extra prepared, teach your dog to wear a comfortable muzzle. Even the most accepting dog is apt to struggle if a foreign object is suddenly thrust upon him.

Strengthen your dog’s basic cues.

Finally, don’t underestimate the value of basic skills such as a solid “sit,” “down,” and “stand,” and the ability to relax on his side (whether you call it “chill” or “play dead”) as ways to control your dog’s body. A nose-bump hand target or duration target behavior is another great way to cooperatively guide your dog into position during an exam. The better your dog is at responding to basic cues in the vet’s office, the less he will need to be physically manipulated throughout the visit.

When working on vet-related issues, it’s important to remember behavior is fluid. It’s not uncommon to take three steps forward, then two steps backward, especially following a challenging vet visit. The good news is, once initial progress has been made, that foundation work often makes it easier to recoup benefits via additional training, even following a setback.

SUCCESSFUL VET VISITS: OVERVIEW

1. Find a veterinarian with whom you agree on issues that are important to you regarding your dog’s care.

2. Have a financial plan for unexpected veterinary expenses.

3. Protect your dog from unnecessary added stress by teaching him to comfortably accept handling common to vet visits.

Stephanie Colman is a writer and dog trainer in Southern California.

Train Your Dog to “Check In”

By

Nancy Tucker, CDBC, CPDT-KA

-

February 13, 2017

3

“CHECK-IN” TRAINING OVERVIEW

– Help your dog develop a habit of checking in with you. Start where he won’t easily be distracted.

– Reward your dog each time he spontaneously glances at you throughout the day.

– Prepare some small yummy treats in advance and put your dog on leash. Stand quietly and mark and treat every glance toward you until your dog is focused on you.

– Take the game outside in a low-distraction area. Mark and treat any effort your dog makes to pay even the slightest attention to you. Be patient.

– Practice stepping outside with your dog so he learns to look at you and wait while you lock the door.

– Make it easy for your dog to choose to pay attention to you, so he gets as many opportunities for reinforcement as possible!

Recently, while out walking with a friend and my dog, Chili, my friend noted that Chili often turned to glance toward me and she asked, “Why is she doing that? Is she afraid to lose us?” I chuckled and answered “Not at all. She’s just learned to check in with me now and then.”

Chili is walked on a leash, but she is free to follow her nose, and interesting odors often lead her to a position that is several steps in front of me or farther off to my side. I don’t mind at all, and in fact, I encourage lots of sniffing during our walks. My only requirement is that she keeps the leash nice and slack, and that she checks in with me frequently.

Checking in is one of those behaviors I like to place in the “habit” category; I want my dog to offer it easily and without really thinking about it.

The purpose of the “check in” behavior (why or when a dog may do it) varies, but it always looks like this: The dog momentarily connects with her human through eye contact. Chili and I have gotten so good at it that we often find ourselves turning toward each other simultaneously! I absolutely cherish those moments of instant, genuine connection with my dog.

4 Good Reasons to Encourage Your Dog to Look at You

The utility of having a dog who regularly checks in with you is undeniable. Communication is a two-way street, and checking in facilitates communication between your dog and you. Take, for example, the following circumstances in which Chili has learned to check in with me:

1 If she is unsure what to do in a given situation, Chili will check in with me by glancing my way and seeking eye contact for guidance. For example, faced with the unexpected rapid approach of a stranger, she might look to me for instructions on how she should respond. “Friend or foe? Should I worry? What’s your take on this situation?” I might ask her to come closer to me, or I might let her know it’s okay to go and say, “Hi.”

2. If she needs my help with something, she’ll check in by looking at me. If I’m not near her, she’ll seek me out. For example, if a toy has rolled under the couch and she can’t reach it, or if she wants the door to the backyard opened, Chili will capture my attention with eye contact in order to seek my assistance, rather than sitting and staring intently at the toy or the door, or whining or barking at the toy or the door.

3. If she wants to eat something. For example, if an item that looks like it might be edible unexpectedly falls to the ground – she’ll check in with me before diving in to gobble it up. That has proved especially useful on many occasions!

4. Before crossing a road or turning in a new direction. If I haven’t already let her know what I intend to do (by asking her to “Stop here,” “Keep going,” or turn “This way”), she’ll look toward me for clarification.

Reinforce Your Dog’s Check-In Early

In the early days when I first adopted Chili, I reinforced any eye contact she offered me as a way to start building a bond between us. I would simply say, “Yes!” whenever she looked at me and I’d follow up immediately with a small treat. It didn’t matter what else she might have been doing at the time – whether she was sitting, lying down, standing, walking, or even barking! My only goal at that time was to make it very clear to her that if she paid attention to me, good stuff would happen for her.

More importantly, I wasn’t soliciting this attention by calling her name or attracting her with sounds or movement. Instead, I made a point of reinforcing as many spontaneous gifts of attention that I could capture – and I do consider attention from my dog a gift!

It wasn’t long before Chili developed a beautiful habit of seeking eye contact with me for a reward. Once we’d established that simple rapport, it was easier to start training the behaviors I wanted Chili to learn. Checking in was especially useful when teaching her to walk nicely on leash. It also played an important role in teaching a solid recall.

But before tackling advanced behaviors like loose-leash walking, it’s much more useful to start with the basics.

How to Teach Your Dog to “Check In” With You

Whereas at first I would reward Chili for just glancing my way without any solicitation on my part, I soon started adding some distractions and accessories in order to start teaching her some more complex behaviors.

Whenever you decide to teach a behavior that you’ll need your dog to know while in high-distraction areas (like outside on the street or at a park), the first step is always to start training in a low-distraction area in order to build the foundation skills. As your dog becomes accomplished in the low-distraction areas, you’ll be able to gradually make the learning sessions a bit more challenging by adding distractions. This is how your dog will acquire the skills needed to succeed: Start easy, and gradually make your way toward the more advanced levels.

I wouldn’t expect a dog with little or no loose-leash walking skills – and with only beginner check-in habits – to be able to remember to connect with his human while out walking. Who could blame him? There are just too many things vying for his attention out there!

Here’s how you can use the check-in behavior to improve your dog’s leash-walking skills:

1. While inside your home, prepare some small yummy treats in advance and put your dog on leash. Simply attaching the leash is often enough to excite some dogs, and he might start pulling toward the door, anticipating a walk. Stand still, remain calm and wait him out.

2. Watch your dog carefully and mark the slightest glance in your direction with a clicker or with a verbal signal, such as the word “Yes!” and give your dog a treat.

Try to deliver the treat close to your own body rather than reaching forward toward your dog. I personally prefer to drop the treat on the floor right next to me, but later on, when we take the exercise outside, that might not be possible because of the surface of the ground (there might be snow, mud, rocks, etc., making it more difficult for my dog to find the treat or to successfully pick it up). In that case, I’ll deliver the treat directly to my dog’s mouth, but close enough to my body to encourage her to stay near me.

3. Keep marking and giving a treat for every glance, until your dog is focused solidly on you. For most dogs, this won’t take long! The realization that there is a steady source of treats available is often a very powerful motivator for dogs to focus happily on their human.

4. Take the exercise outside, in an area with few distractions (more distractions than indoors, but not as many as walking on a street or in a park). A backyard, porch, balcony, or deck will do nicely.

Let your dog listen to the sounds around him, let him look around, let him sniff the air. Just as you did indoors, stand still and quiet, keep your eye on him, and mark and treat every glance he throws your way. Let him return to listening, seeing, and sniffing the air around him (while staying in one place).

Keep practicing this exercise until he’s offering you attention on a regular basis – not necessarily staring at you, but checking in with you frequently. Now you’re ready to add some distractions.

5. Go back inside and this time, take your dog out through the door you would normally use to go for a walk. Close the door behind you. (If you live in an apartment or condo, you’ll do this step twice – once outside your unit door, and once outside the main door to the building.)

Stay put next to the door. Chances are, your dog will already have begun pulling toward the street. Hang on, remain calm, and wait him out. Immediately mark and treat the slightest glance your way, and continue marking and treating any attention your dog offers you.

If you find it’s taking rather long for your dog to glance your way, encourage him by making a sound (like a kissy sound) the first couple of times just to get the ball rolling. After that, see if you can wait him out again.

Remember to mark and treat any effort to pay even the slightest attention to you. You want your dog to have as many opportunities for reinforcement as possible.

6. When your dog appears to be calmer and better able to offer you some attention just outside the door, go back inside. Keep your dog on leash and play the attention game just inside the door for a few seconds, then go back outside and repeat exercise #5.

You can play this in-and-out game a few times. Your goal is to be able to step outside and have your dog looking to you in anticipation of a treat, rather than bolting for the street.

Imagine how useful this real-life behavior will be when you need a free hand to lock the door behind you as you leave!

During the learning process, mark and treat every single time. Later, when your dog is offering this behavior reliably, you’ll be able to taper the treats and the reward will be to move forward. But for now, reinforce heavily with food.

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

Dog Parkour: Canine Urban Athletes

By

Stephanie Colman

-

February 13, 2017

0

[Updated February 7, 2019]

BEGINNING DOG PARKOUR OVERVIEW

1. Visit the International Dog Parkour Association’s website to learn more about this fun sport.

2. Explore new areas with your dog. Be creative! Encourage your dog to interact with the environment while practicing basic obedience and parkour skills.

3. Once your dog understands what to do with a certain obstacle – whether that’s jumping over, running under, or jumping up on it – see if you can “send” him to perform the same exercise from a distance.

4. Ask for more challenging behaviors only as your dog tells you he’s ready. Be patient while working on new behaviors – and remember to always keep it fun!

The tiny terrier confidently ascends the park bench at her handler’s request while the sun shines down on a warm Southern California day. There she sits, clearly enjoying the interaction with her human, and happily cooperating with the task at hand. The treat she’ll earn after hearing her release word isn’t bad, either.

For Delilah and Elisa Becker of Simi Valley, California, and countless teams like them, this type of activity transcends being a creative way to add pizzazz to a daily walk – they’re working toward a title in a fun new sport: dog parkour.

Parkour for Dogs: Fairly New, Very Fun

Dog parkour is the Fido-friendly version of parkour, sometimes called “free running,” a type of outdoor gymnastics. In the human version, enthusiasts (called “traceurs”) run, climb, leap, and swing their way through an improvised course of obstacles in the environment. Success in parkour is about discipline, not just daredevil tendencies; safety is of the utmost importance, and participants take great care to develop proper cardiovascular conditioning, strength, and body awareness.

The sport “went to the dogs” in 2014, when established traceurs and dog trainers Karin Coyne and Abigail Curtis, DVM, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, noticed how many unique obstacles in their everyday environment were accessible to dogs. They started experimenting with their own canine companions and quickly added parkour-themed classes to their training offerings. From there, the International Dog Parkour Association, (abbreviated IDPKA, since traditional parkour is often referred to as “PK”), and a new titling sport was born.

Coyne says dog parkour is a great way to get any dog-handler team out of the house, but it’s an especially nice option for owners whose dogs struggle with reactivity in a traditional group setting, or in areas where group classes are few and far between.

“For us, one of the best things about dog parkour is how it helps improve a dog’s confidence and focus as they explore new things,” Coyne says. “For the people, it gets them out, too. A lot of owners wouldn’t investigate a neighborhood park on their own, but once they start parkour, they’re looking for new areas to explore.”

Dog Parkour Rules and Requirements

Dog parkour involves a variety of skills, which must be executed in increasingly difficult ways in order to earn progressive titles.

Conceptually, the most common behaviors require putting four feet on an object, four feet in an object, jumping over an object, passing through a gap in or between objects, balancing on narrow objects, and moving away from the handler to go around an object.

It may sound easy, but Becker says even the seemingly simple concepts helped uncover some “holes” in her training.

“I took for granted that, because Delilah is constantly jumping up on things on her own, she’d know what I meant when I asked her to ‘jump up,'” Becker says. “I also discovered she didn’t like jumping into things. The ‘four feet in’ behavior was initially the hardest for us. I wasn’t expecting that.”

The IDPKA currently offers five titling options ranging from a training-level title (PKD-T) to a championship title (CH-PKD), all awarded based on a thorough review of handler-submitted videos and an accompanying submission fee of $20 to $40.

“I love being able to video our work and submit for a title,” Becker says. “It makes me less nervous, and gives us a chance to practice first and submit the best version of the performance. The only challenge with video is making sure we both stay in frame and I’m not blocking the camera.”

Traditional dog sports such as obedience, rally, and agility specify exactly how required elements must be executed, but dog parkour requires creativity and an eye for the environment, wherever you are – whether in a city or rural landscape. Park benches, utility boxes, playground equipment, tree stumps, decorative railroad ties, and more can easily become part of the parkour experience. How exactly your dog executes a “four feet on” behavior is limited only by your imagination, safety considerations, and your dog’s willingness to perform as requested.

“It’s creative and completely adjustable,” Coyne explains. “A young dog or older dog might put his feet on a six-inch obstacle; other dogs train for more of a challenge. Every dog can participate in some way.” Required elements can even be modified to allow for the safe and confident participation of dogs with disabilities.

To date, IDPKA has awarded nearly 250 titles to teams, mostly at the novice level. While the majority of title-holders hail from the U.S., teams from Canada, Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Australia have also completed title requirements.

Safety Comes First in Canine Parkour

Safety and choice – on the part of the dog – are at the heart of IDPKA’s program.

“If you try to force or lure or do anything to make the dog feel like he has to perform a behavior, it can become dangerous, because the dog isn’t freely choosing to participate,” Coyne says.

“It’s important to emphasize choice, start small, and work your way up. At the novice level, things are small – ground level. The dogs build strength and coordination, and the handler learns to properly ‘spot’ the dog to make sure he remains safe throughout the exercise.”

That’s not to say training lures are completely discouraged in all aspects of dog parkour. Coyne acknowledges how, in a team’s early training, lures can be helpful in establishing a dog’s understanding of conceptual behaviors such as “jump up” or “go under.”

“It’s one thing to lure a new dog up onto a low rock when first training,” she says. “But by the time a handler is ready to ask her dog to jump atop a tall wall, the dog should understand the cue and feel confident in his ability.” To that end, once working on a title submission, food or toys can be used only as rewards following the successful completion of a behavior, not to initiate or guide behavior.

In promoting the safe execution of urban obstacles, dogs must wear well-fitting back-clip harnesses, and handlers must make responsible decisions regarding the choice to work on- or off-leash, depending on the environment.

Dogs are never allowed to jump down onto a hard surface from higher than shoulder height. Instead, they must be carried, lowered, or shown an alternate exit strategy. Submission videos must clearly show the dog ascending and descending each obstacle. Handlers must demonstrate an understanding of proper spotting in order to assist their dogs as necessary. Most importantly, dogs must perform all obstacles independently, of their own free will, and with confidence.

“We like to see dogs who are confident, who understand where their feet are, and who are in a situation where, if something happened, the handler could immediately help,” says Coyne.

When a submission fails to pass, it’s usually for safety reasons – either the handler allowed a dog to jump down from a height exceeding safety guidelines, the handler wasn’t in a position to properly spot the dog, or the dog looks uncomfortable while performing the obstacle.

Expanding Your Dog’s Horizons with Sport

As a trainer, I’ve always been a fan of incorporating elements found in the environment into my daily dog walks. Random objects are great for helping dogs generalize behaviors while adding novelty to otherwise routine outings. For many people, the opportunity to work toward a title provides the motivation they need to brainstorm new things to train. Of course, time spent training strengthens the dog-human relationship, while helping to create and maintain a well-trained dog who is a joy to have around.

With the growing popularity of dog parkour, a little creativity, a video camera, and the Internet can help turn any dog into a titled urban athlete! Best of all, Elisa says, “It’s fun. That’s exactly how I feel all training should be – fun. If the dog isn’t having fun, there’s no reason to do it.”

Our thoughts exactly.

Things Whole Dog Journal Loves About Parkour for Dogs:

If it seems that coercion or force was used to get the dog to perform an exercise, the performance will not be awarded with a title.
Safety is stressed at every level. Strength and coordination are built slowly. The handler has to know how to and be able to support and catch the dog, preventing falls.
Dogs who look confident and in control of their movements do well; wild attempts at exercises will not earn titles.
Handlers don’t have to travel to events to earn titles; video submissions are judged instead.

Stephanie Colman is a writer and dog trainer in Southern California.

Download the Full March 2017 Issue PDF

By

Nancy Kerns

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March 30, 2021

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On February 3, 2017, the FDA announced that Evanger's Dog & Cat Food had recalled five lots of its canned Hunk of Beef dog food, for a "potential contaminant," pentobarbital. One dog has died as a result of eating the contaminated food. Evanger's canned food appeared on WDJ's "approved canned dog foods" in our October 2016 issue. Evanger's makes its own canned foods, and is blaming its meat supplier for the problem. Evanger's dry foods, which appear on our "approved dry dog foods" list in the February 2017 issue, are produced by a contract manufacturer and are not involved in the current recall.

Locked In!

Blog

By

Nancy Kerns

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March 21, 2019

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At risk of making sure that the friend who visited me last week never comes to visit me again, this week’s blog post is ALSO going to be inspired by her dog. (Last week, I wrote about how she never leaves her dog in the car – ever! – a practice that I find admirable but impractical for me, personally.)

My friend’s 10-month-old dog and my 14-month-old dog, Woody, got along beautifully – if you can call it beautiful when two adolescent males are rolling around in a wrestling ball that takes them over, under, around, and through most people and obstacles in their path. They loved, loved, loved playing the same sort of tug/chase/face-biting/wrestling games, and could go for hours! But when we made plans to leave the house and visit some places where the two youngsters couldn’t accompany us, we mutually decided to separate the boys so neither could get hurt or overwhelmed by the other while we were out. It was time for a play break! The question was, where would we leave my friend’s dog?

At home, he spends my friend’s work day in an exercise pen, but she thought that here, in a strange home, he might be more comfortable in the bedroom where she slept with him in my office/house. He was tired enough from playing, that it seemed likely that he would just sleep on the bed the whole time we were gone. He had been too excited that morning to eat, so my friend left him with a couple of food-stuffed Kongs.

We went out for about four hours.

When we pulled up to the house on our return, my friend looked up at the window of the room where she had left her dog, and exclaimed, “Oh no! I’m so sorry!” I looked up, too, and saw that the shade that had been rolled down over that window was all shredded at the bottom. I wasn’t worried AT ALL about the super inexpensive shade – I’ve had human tenants ruin them accidentally by pulling them down too far and making them come off their rollers. But I was a bit worried about what the rest of the room might look like – AND whether we had freaked the puppy out by leaving him in the strange place. Would this be the start of some separation anxiety? Ack!

We entered the house, and I went straight to the back door, to let Woody go outside. My friend ran straight up the stairs, to let her dog out. Then I heard her call, “Hey Nancy, the door is locked!”

“What?” I responded, running up the stairs. “Those doors don’t lock!” I knew this because, over a year ago, my step-grandson had stayed in one of those bedrooms, and I had checked to make sure he couldn’t accidentally lock himself in his room; this house was built in 1890-something, and the door hardware looks to be original! His bedroom didn’t have a lock on it.

But, oh, crap, the front bedroom did!!

My friend and I sprang into McGuyver mode. I ran downstairs for tools. We took the doorknob off – the door stayed locked. I ran around and found a skeleton key; there was a skeleton key-shaped hole in the door, but no actual hardware inside the existing hole. I ran around and examined all the other upstairs doors; the other two bedrooms had no locks. But the closet door, nonsensically, had a lock on the outside of the door – a tiny little metal switch that the user would flip from left to right (or vice versa) to lock and unlock. And that was apparently what my friend’s dog did. AND, there appeared to be no way to unlock it, other than flipping that switch. Great!

Well, there was nothing else to be done. “I’m going to have to see if we can just kick the door, and hopefully break the piece of trim that the door locks to,” I told my friend. Fortunately, both she and her dog were staying calm.

It took a dozen or so hard kicks, but the best possible thing happened: the piece of wood trim that the door lock is fastened to didn’t splinter, but (gradually) came off the wall in one solid piece. They don’t make wood trim (or doors) like that anymore! It will be easy to just nail back, and with a little touch-up paint, no one will ever know!

The best part: The shade was the only other thing in the room that the adolescent dog damaged, and who could blame him? We should have left it open so he could see outside! It appeared that after what was probably a brief session of jumping up on the window frame and the door (thus inadvertently flipping the door-locking switch), he had slept the rest of the time we were out. No serious harm done.

So, while as a fairly new step-grandparent I had been concerned and aware of the danger of a toddler locking a lock that had no key, as a much more experienced dog owner, I never dreamed that a dog might do the same. Just one more learning experience, I guess!

Has your dog ever been locked in, or have you ever been locked out, by doggy paws? Tell me I’m not the only one!

Would You Leave Your Dog In the Car?

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By

Nancy Kerns

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July 29, 2019

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Yesterday, I met a friend in a town about halfway between her house and my house, which are about three hours apart. We both had things to do/people to visit in that midway city, and then she – and her darling, 30-pound moppish-mixed breed dog – were going to follow me home and spend a few days visiting. We met outside a Whole Foods store/restaurant, and I proposed we go in and eat lunch before driving the rest of the way to my house. My friend said, “Can we take turns going in and selecting our food? I don’t leave my dog in the car.”

My mind boggled. If it was hot (or even warm) or freezing out, I would immediately understand, but it was about 50 degrees – a pretty much perfect dog-in-the-car temperature, in my view. So I had to ask, what’s up with that? I had a foster dog chew through the front seatbelts in my car once; was it about separation anxiety, or something?

My friend’s answer had more to do with concerns about the behavior of others in the San Francisco Bay area. People have become so incredibly sensitized about seeing a dog in a car, she said, that even if the temperature is no threat whatsoever (like right now in northern California), you just can’t predict the behavior of people who might be concerned about your dog! And, actually, once she mentioned this, I remembered hearing a horror story from another trainer friend about a dog being stolen out of a car, with a note left behind indicating that the person didn’t deserve to have a dog if they were going to leave it in the car!

My friend also said, “People are just so bizarre. You also hear about dogs being teased and worked up into a frenzy. I just don’t want to leave my dog in such a vulnerable place, even just for a few minutes.”

So, I get it – even if I can’t imagine being unable to run into a place to pick up take-out food, or some other quick errand. When the weather does not permit, the dogs stay home - that’s all there is to that. But at this time of year, if I’m running errands, I often take my adolescent dog, Woody, into the types of places where dogs are welcome: Home Depot, Tractor Supply, and so on. It’s a great opportunity to continue his good manners training. If I have to run into Staples, or want to join someone for lunch, he stays in the car, no problem. But in my small, rural town, neither the issue of self-appointed dog police or people who tease dogs in a car have appeared to be a problem.

As it was, my friend and I were together, so we took turns going in and ordering our burritos, and then we ate outdoors, with the little mop-dog cleaning up our last bites.

How do you feel about leaving your dog in the car, weather permitting, of course? Do you actively avoid it? If so, what are your reasons?

Parvovirus in Dogs: What It Is and How to Prevent It

By

Barbara Dobbins

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January 24, 2017

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The year was 1980, and I was working as a veterinary assistant for my local veterinarian. All of a sudden we started seeing a large number of puppies coming into the hospital frighteningly ill, with symptoms of vomiting, severe lethargy, and bloody diarrhea. Canine Parvovirus (CPV-2) had reached our small rural town.

It was incredibly scary. Dozens of our furry friends were dying before our eyes, and there seemed little we could do. Most of the puppies under five months old and about two to three percent of older dogs died from CPV-2 when it first emerged. There is a distinct odor to the feces of dogs who are infected with the disease and that memory is cemented in my olfactory system. I also recall that bleach seemed to have become my personal scent, and I kept a wardrobe in the garage so I could change my clothes before I went into my own home after a day at the veterinary hospital.

What is Parvovirus?

Canine parvovirus – CPV-2, more commonly known as “parvo” – is an extremely virulent pathogen of domestic and wild canids, first emerging in Europe around 1976. It is a tiny (parvo means “small” in Latin), round, non-enveloped single-stranded DNA virus that has been determined by phylogenetic analysis to have descended from a single ancestor sometime in the mid-1970s. It is theorized that it evolved as a mutated variant of the long-known feline panleucopenia virus (FPV) that infects cats, minks, and raccoons (but not canines or cultured dog cells), and it adapted to dogs via non-domestic carnivores such as minks and foxes. CPV-2 and all its known variants (CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c) are highly infectious and cause acute hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (bloody diarrhea). They can also cause myocarditis (inflammation of the myocardium, the middle layer of the heart wall).

Parvo spread worldwide rapidly; the virus is extremely hardy and easily transmitted, and dogs had no immunity to the new disease, causing a pandemic during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Within a few years, though, intense collaborative research resulted in the development of effective vaccines (allowing for prevention) and treatment procedures that resulted in survival, culminating in disease control. Today, parvo is nearly unheard of in areas where most dogs are vaccinated, yet it remains a scourge in areas where vaccination compliance is low.

Dog Breeds Susceptible to Parvovirus

CPV-2 infection occurs worldwide in domestic dogs and other members of the dog family (foxes, wolves, coyotes), but there is no evidence that it is zoonotic (transmissible to humans).

All dogs are susceptible, but it has been described that some breeds, specifically Rottweilers, Labrador Retrievers, English Springer Spaniels, American Staffordshire Terriers, Doberman Pinschers, Alaskan Sled Dogs, and German Shepherd Dogs are at increased risk for contracting the virus. The Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis, suggests that “these breed tendencies likely evolve and change over time as a result of natural selection against susceptible lineages, and no one breed should be assumed to be more or less susceptible than another.”

However, according to one of the world’s leading canine vaccine researchers, Ronald D. Schultz, PhD, professor and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there are breeds (most notably the Rottweiler and Doberman) that respond less reliably to vaccinations and the CPV-2 vaccine in particular. This underscores the importance and value of confirming that your dog has been successfully immunized by performing a vaccine titer test after the last of his puppy vaccines have been administered. (More on that below.)

The virus can affect dogs of any age, but it is most prevalent and severe in puppies from six weeks to six months of age. If a puppy receives CPV-2 antibodies from its mother via colostrum ingestion, he should be protected from infection for the first few weeks of life; susceptibility increases as these maternal antibodies wane. Any unvaccinated dogs and incompletely immunized dogs are also very susceptible. Adult dogs who contract the disease generally respond better to treatment than puppies, but if a dog is on steroids, immune-suppressive medication, or is immunocompromised in any way, he may be at higher risk of death from the disease.

The incidence of CPV-2 infection (as well as other infectious diseases) is higher in areas where large numbers of dogs congregate, such as animal shelters, dog shows, pet stores, breeding kennels, and boarding/training facilities.

How is Parvovirus Spread?

Canine parvovirus is highly infectious. The virus is present in a concentrated form in the dog’s stool. Infected dogs may start shedding the virus in their stool within four to five days of exposure (which can be before clinical signs of the illness emerge); their stool will also be loaded with the virus throughout the period of their illness, and for about 10 to 14 days after clinical recovery. Once exposed, unprotected dogs will generally start showing signs of the infection within three to 14 days, with an average of five to seven days.

The parvovirus infection causes severe diarrhea – and so anything that comes into contact with that stool can spread the virus. An unvaccinated dog who sniffs infected stool, an infected dog’s rear end (the virus will be all over the hair on the dog’s rear end), or even a shoe that stepped in a bit of the infected stool can become infected. The virus can “catch a ride” on anything that might be exposed to feces from an infected dog, including clothing, shoes or boots, dog toys, and kennel equipment (such as bedding, resting platforms, hoses, bowls, buckets, mops, wheelbarrows, etc.), can spread the disease.

Unprotected dogs can contract parvo year-round, but infection appears to naturally increase during spring and summer months. It’s more prevalent in areas where vaccination of animals is not widely practiced.

Parvovirus Symptoms and Pathogenesis

CPV-2 preferentially infects and destroys the rapidly dividing cells of the gastrointestinal system, lymph tissue, and bone marrow. The virus enters a dog’s body through the mouth and begins attacking the tonsils or lymph nodes of the throat. In the lymph nodes, the virus replicates in significant amounts, releasing into the bloodstream after a couple of days. As CPV-2 requires rapidly dividing cells to successfully cause disease, it travels to locations containing these cells, primarily those in the bone marrow and intestinal system. When the virus infects the bone marrow, it destroys the new cells of the immune system (white blood cells) effectively knocking out the body’s best defensive mechanism and making it difficult to combat infection.

It also appears to make it easier for the virus to invade the gastrointestinal system, where the virus does severe damage. In the small intestines, the virus attacks the glands in the epithelial lining where new cells are formed for the intestinal villi that provide for absorption of fluid and nutrients. New cells are prevented from forming and the system becomes unable to absorb nutrients, resulting in diarrhea and nausea. The intestinal lining can become so damaged it breaks down, allowing the digestive bacteria normally confined to the gut to pass through the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream, causing fluid loss and widespread infection.

At this point in an infection, because the virus has already damaged the immune system, it is difficult for the body to fight the infection. Canine parvovirus is not always fatal, but death can occur from either the septic conditions created by the intestinal bacteria in the bloodstream, or dehydration and shock.

Clinical signs of CPV-2 infection generally include a quick onset of inappetance, vomiting, extreme lethargy, depression, diarrhea (often severe and containing blood), and dehydration. Additionally, the abdomen may be tender or painful and appear bloated, the heart may beat rapidly, gums and whites of the eyes may become noticeably red. When CPV-2 first presents, there is a slight rise in temperature, but it gradually falls to below normal with the advancement of the disease, and the affected dog often develops hypothermia.

Dogs become weak and dehydrated quickly due to the damage being done to the intestinal tract and the inability to absorb nutrients and fluids. Severely affected dogs may be in a collapsed state, with prolonged capillary refill time, poor pulse quality, and/or tachycardia. Laboratory analysis may show evidence of leukopenia and neutropenia (low levels of white blood cells). Most deaths from CPV-2 occur within 48 to 72 hours following the onset of clinical signs; early treatment is critical.

Parvo Diagnosis in Dogs

In most cases, diagnosis of CPV-2 is fairly straightforward; a presumptive diagnosis can often be made based on the dog’s history, clinical symptoms, physical examination, and laboratory tests (such as white blood cell count). Sudden onset of vomiting and bloody diarrhea is highly suspicious in susceptible dogs.

Fecal testing confirms the diagnosis. In-hospital viral antigen detection tests, such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), are most commonly used. These tests use the same type of technology as home pregnancy tests and are reported to be fairly accurate and sensitive for recently emerged strains of the virus and can be completed with results in less than 15 minutes. There are, however, some limitations to the test. Results can be skewed by recent vaccination with a live vaccine, showing a positive reading from detecting the live virus from the vaccine, not from a CPV-2 infection.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is another fecal-based test that can be used to detect the virus; it is highly accurate, but it requires a sample be sent to a laboratory, which can take valuable time. Sometimes more than one type of test may be necessary to achieve optimal diagnosis.

Parvovirus Treatment

Treatment options will vary depending on how sick the patient is, and also on the owner’s ability to pay. Optimal care can be expensive and is most effectively administered in a veterinary hospital that provides 24-hour care. Aggressive treatment protocols involve supportive care and management of symptoms until the dog’s immune system recovers, usually for two to seven days. There are no drugs available that can kill the CPV-2 virus, but immediate supportive treatment is crucial to saving the life of the dog.

The basic treatment protocol employs broad-spectrum prophylactic antibiotics, steroids, and antiemetic medication (to stop vomiting), and restoration of fluid, electrolyte, and metabolic abnormalities primarily via intravenous therapy. The patients must also be kept warm, clean, and comfortable.

The patients should also be monitored for development of hypokalemia (dangerously low potassium levels) and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In severe cases, blood transfusions may be warranted to boost low blood-cell counts resulting from bone marrow infection. Recent evidence suggests that providing enteral nutrition (tube feeding) earlier in the patient’s illness is associated with faster clinical improvement, weight gain, and improved gut barrier function. When vomiting has ceased for 12 to 24 hours, it is recommended that water and a bland, easily digestible low-fat diet be gradually reintroduced.

CPV-2 can be fatal even with aggressive treatment. The disease is most severe in younger puppies, especially those younger than 12 weeks, and most puppies without veterinary intervention usually die. Successful outcomes require early diagnosis and treatment. If a dog survives the first three to four days, he will usually recover rapidly (usually within one week), and he will become immune to the virus for life.

Read “Canine Parvovirus Vaccine, Symptoms, and Treatment,” for a closer look at how parvo is treated.

Home Treatment for Parvo

The gold standard of treatment for dogs or puppies who are infected with parvovirus can be expensive, and too often, owners who are given the worst-case estimate of the cost of this treatment will opt to have their canine companion euthanized, since they lack funds to pay for those estimated costs. In theory, though, the treatment that parvo patients need to recover is not in and of itself expensive; the greatest contributor to the cost is the amount of time and attention required to nurse the animal through the illness.

In order to try to save lives by preventing “economic euthanasia,” researchers at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Veterinary Teaching Hospital developed a protocol that could be made available to highly motivated owners who wanted a second option: a chance to care for the patient at home.

Their protocol is meant to be administered under a veterinarian’s supervision, and requires constant communication with and oversight from a willing veterinarian. The owner will have to administer subcutaneous fluids and other injections, monitor the patient’s body temperature and keep him especially warm, provide nutrition as needed by syringe-feeding a high-calorie canned food, and be alert to changes in the patient’s condition that may require a return to the veterinarian for lab tests and additional medications.

In a study comparing the efficacy of the protocol to conventional gold-standard treatment, CSU researchers determined that 80 percent of the patients treated with the home-care protocol recovered, compared to 90 percent of the conventionally treated patients.

See “New Home Treatment for Parvo May Prevent ‘Economic Euthanasia’,” WDJ November 2013, for more information. Here’s a link to the Colorado State home treatment protocol.

Controlling a Parvo-Free Environment

The CPV-2 virus is extraordinarily hardy; it can remain viable for months, perhaps even years, outside its canine host. The virus survives through winter, through freezing temperatures, and is resistant to most household cleaning products. An infected dog can shed 35 million viral particles in an ounce of feces; a typical infectious dose to an unvaccinated dog is only 1,000 viral particles. That makes it very difficult to disinfect an area once it has been exposed.

Dogs with confirmed or suspected canine parvovirus should be isolated to prevent spreading the disease to other susceptible dogs and to limit environmental exposure. Only fully vaccinated older puppies and adult dogs should be exposed to the home environment of a dog recently diagnosed with CPV-2. Puppies especially should not be allowed to come into contact with the fecal waste of other dogs as this a prime vector for transmission of CPV-2.

Contaminated environments need to be sanitized through repeated cleaning to remove all organic debris and dirt, along with the virus, followed by use of disinfectants with proven efficacy. Effective choices include household bleach (5 percent sodium hypochlorite) at ½ cup per gallon of water (1:32 dilution). Like all disinfectants, bleach must be stored and used correctly in order to be effective. Bleach is an acceptable method for cleaning any indoor areas, surfaces, and equipment (including bowls and beds). Avoid using mops to clean.

Launder clothing, bedding, towels, etc., in hot water with detergent and bleach. Do not overload the washing machine, and use a clothes dryer rather than hanging items up to dry. Make sure that all objects that have come into contact with an infected dog have been discarded or disinfected.

Parvovirus Prevention

Because CPV-2 can be found anywhere infected dogs have visited, the cornerstone to protecting your dog from the disease is vaccination. Since the development of the vaccine, the incidence of infection has been greatly reduced. A single modified live vaccine can confer protection within three to five days. Although parvoviruses continue to evolve, vaccination appears to confer reliable protection against all known strains.

As with other infectious diseases of dogs, puppies from mothers with immunity are protected by maternal antibodies, acquired via colostrum. This natural protection can, however, create a problem in prevention, as pups can become susceptible between the waning of the maternal antibodies and the administration of the vaccine. There is a high rate of infection reported in pups older than six weeks of age, about the time when maternal protection wanes in most puppies.

Most cases of CPV-2 infection tend to be in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated puppies. For this reason, until they are fully immunized, puppies should be provided with very limited exposure to public places, and should not be taken to areas where lots of dogs congregate or are walked. Until their immunization is complete, puppies should never be taken to dog parks or pet supply stores.

The age at which puppies receive their first vaccination (and subsequent vaccinations) varies widely, depending on their environment. Shelters usually vaccinate all puppies over four weeks of age upon admission to the shelter, and at least every three weeks after that until the puppies are older than 16 to 18 weeks. An experienced breeder with superior control over her dogs’ environment and visitors might wait until a puppy is eight weeks or older, and vaccinate as few as two times, with the last vaccination being administered after the puppy is 18 weeks old. The goal is to administer vaccine as quickly as possible after the pup’s maternal antibodies have faded, and since it’s impossible to predict exactly when this might happen, the vaccinations are repeated until the last possible time that the maternal antibodies could possibly interfere with immunization.

Adult dogs, over the age of one year, generally need only one vaccination. A vaccine titer test, administered at least three weeks after the dog or puppy’s final vaccination, can confirm whether the dog has developed protective antibodies.

Dogs who have been infected by CPV-2 and survived tend to be antigenically stable (immune to further infection).

See “Puppy Vaccines: Why Your Puppy Needs So Many Shots,” in the October 2016 issue for more about the number and timing of the vaccines needed to protect puppies from parvo and other diseases.

Parvo Prognosis

Today, survival rates in quickly diagnosed and appropriately treated dogs from CPV-2 infection are reported as being in the 75 to 90 percent range. In untreated dogs, the mortality rate often exceeds 90 percent. Note that these are averages and individual morbidity and mortality rates vary according to the age of the dog, the severity of infection, the presence of concurrent health problems, and the speed with which the illness was diagnosed and treated.

Local shelters and veterinarians can give you information about parvovirus outbreaks and the prevalence of the disease in your community. Often, shelter workers are aware of specific neighborhoods where parvo is particularly endemic.

Pixel: A Tiny Parvo Success Story

Two years ago I helped my sister foster and nurse a young pup recovering from parvo that came from the shelter where she worked as a registered veterinary technician. This pup arrived at the shelter with a female dog and two other puppies. All of the puppies appeared to be littermates, about five weeks old. Based on clinical signs, they were suspected of being infected with parvovirus; a SNAP test confirmed that two of the pups were positive.

The pups with parvo were isolated, treated, and survived, but the tiniest female, all 2.2 pounds of her (down from 3.5 pounds at intake) suffered from complications of maldigestion, malabsorption, anemia, and hypoglycemia. The disease had ravaged her tiny digestive tract and it was touch and go for days. The tiny pup could barely stand and when she did, it was in a hunched posture. Also, her body couldn’t maintain a normal temperature, so when she wasn’t curled up with my Border Collie, she had a special heating disc to keep her warm.

When she finally developed an interest in eating, it was a challenge to find something she would eat more than once – and when she did eat, the food often came out looking like it did when it went in. My sister provided her with constant care and love, and, happily she bounced back.

It was at this point this speck of a pup was given her name – Pixel – and her permanent home (with my sister of course). Today she eats ravenously as if to make up for lost time and she has no side effects from her severe illness.

Barbara Dobbins, a former dog trainer, writes about dogs and studies canine ethology. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her new puppy, Tico.

How to Teach Your Dog to Trade

By

Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

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June 10, 2019

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Training a dog to “drop it!” is extremely useful, but what about when you’re dealing with a resource-guarding dog, or a dog who insists on turning your distress over the forbidden item into a game of keep-away? Teaching a dog to trade items with you, rather than confiscating things from him all the time, is an invaluable way to keep your valuables and your dog safe.

It’s a rare dog owner who hasn’t, on one or more occasions, had to retrieve something from her dog that the dog wasn’t supposed to have. In the best of circumstances it’s something of little or no value that the human would merely prefer the dog not ingest – a used tissue, say, or a dropped vitamin tablet. In the worst of times, it’s something invaluable – a family heirloom, for example – or something toxic to the dog, that the human must get away from the dog.

In years past, I instructed dog owners and my student dog trainers in the fine points of teaching dogs a “Leave It” behavior. To teach this behavior, I would place a high-value item (such as a cube of freeze-dried liver) under my foot, and generally, a dog would try to get it by pawing at or pushing my shoe with his nose. I would wait patiently, then mark and reinforce the dog for any behavior other than trying to get it out from under my foot – even just a brief glance away.

There is more to the technique (most recently discussed in “Teaching Your Dog to ‘Leave It’ on Cue,” in the August 2008 issue), but I won’t go into it in more detail, because I have abandoned this method for much simpler and more effective methods!

Today, my preference is to teach dogs a “Trade” behavior for those instances when the dog already has something in his mouth that I don’t want him to have, and “Walk Away,” which can be used whether the dog has a forbidden item in his mouth or has just spotted a forbidden item. Since I have incorporated these behaviors into my dogs’ and my students’ behavior repertoire, I have noticed that the behavior I want happens much more quickly and with less frustration for dogs and humans.

One possible reason for the greater success of these behaviors (compared to “Leave It”) is the fact that in these protocols, you teach the dog something to do, which is far easier for a dog to understand than something to not do. In teaching “Trade” or “Walk Away,” we show the dog how to earn treats by doing something (either trading or walking away), rather than just refraining from doing something else (grabbing or eating a certain item). These behaviors offer the dog a clear path to success!

Our 13-year-old Corgi, Lucy, has long known the “Leave It” behavior. I recently taught her the “Walk Away” behavior, and then did an experiment, setting up parallel high-value challenges and cueing “Leave It” one time, and “Walk Away” another. I randomized the cues, so that sometimes “Walk Away” came first, and sometimes “Leave It” was cued first. One hundred percent of the time she responded more quickly to the simpler “Walk Away” cue, and with softer body language, than she did to the more difficult “Leave It” cue. This small trial made a believer out of me!

Whether your dog has snatched up something he shouldn’t have, or is about to, the likelihood of your success in getting it away from him is considerably greater if you stay calm, rather than freak out and start to yell and grab or chase the dog. The potential for success skyrockets if you have previously taken the time to teach your dog one of the protocols that follows, so your dog actively, happily, and willingly relinquishes that or any other object on cue.

Note: These behaviors will be easiest to teach if you haven’t already created an adversarial relationship with your dog over his ill-gotten gains. If you’ve attempted to forcefully remove things from your dog’s mouth and he is now a serious resource-guarder, enlist the help of a qualified force-free trainer before attempting to teach “Trade.” (See “Resource Guarding and What to Do About It,” WDJ August 2015, for more information about resource-guarding.) If you’ve chased him when he had things he ought not, he may think “keep away” is fun, in which case, you’ll need to convince him that “Trade” is a better game.

Teaching Your Dog the ‘Trade’ Cue

In teaching your dog “Trade,” you are promising to give him something of value in exchange for the valuable item he has in his mouth. (Cat poop may be abhorrent to humans, but it is of very high value to many dogs!)

Here’s how to teach “Trade.”

1. Say “Take it!” and give your dog a low-value object.

Offer your dog something he will easily and willingly give up in exchange for the high-value treat you will offer him next. (If his first instinct is to take the item and run, you may need to put a leash on him and step on the leash or tether him to something solid, so he can’t run off with the item before he realizes there are more potential benefits to this negotiation!)

2. Offer your dog some high-value treats.

You may need to hold the treats close enough to his nose that he can smell them, but don’t try to push them into his mouth; anything that resembles coercion will likely increase his resistance. Make sure you have a large enough supply of the high-value treats that it will take him a few moments to eat them.

If he doesn’t drop the object he has in his mouth in favor of your treats, you need a higher-value treat (think meat, not dry biscuits) and/or a lower-value item to trade for.

Notice you didn’t use a cue yet. We don’t add the cue until we know the dog will drop the item.

3. When your dog drops the item:

Click your clicker (or use a mouth click or verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!”), and while you keep him occupied nibbling at the high-value treats in one hand, with your other hand, pick up the object and hide it behind your back. This part is really important. You must use two hands! If you let him eat the high-value treat and them try to race him back to the object, you’re likely to lose the race – and you may elicit resource-guarding.

If you feel at all uncomfortable reaching for the item as your dog munches on the treats, you can sprinkle the treats in a short “Hansel and Gretel” trail, starting under his nose and leading to a spot a foot or two away from the dropped item. Engage his mouth with the treats in your hand after he follows the trail, while you pick up the item with your other hand.

4. As soon as your dog finishes eating the treats in your hand:

Bring out the object from behind your back, say, “Take it!” and give it back to him. This teaches him that he doesn’t always lose the item; he can trade with you and then get the item right back. This will make him more willing to trade again in the future. He gives you his good stuff, he gets more good stuff, and then he gets good stuff back again. It’s a win/win for him!

5. When you can reliably predict that your dog will drop the item when you offer your treats, add the cue.

Give your cue first (“Trade!”), and pause for a second or two. Then offer the treats, click (or say “Yes!”) when he drops the item, and pick up the item with your free hand while you keep his mouth busy nibbling treats from your hand.

6. After several repetitions, sometimes pause a few seconds longer before offering your dog treats.

Your goal is to get him to drop the object when you say, “Trade!” before you offer the treats. When he will do this reliably, it means you have the behavior “on cue” – that is, he is dropping the object because he heard and understood the cue, not just because you stuck high-value treats under his nose.

While ideally you will always have something in hand (or in pocket) to offer your dog in trade, if you train this behavior well enough and practice it often, in an emergency your dog will still give up that poisonous mushroom (or whatever) when he hears the “Trade!” cue. This is most likely to work if you use your cheerful “training game” voice and not an “Omigosh, it’s an emergency” panicked voice. Your training diligence might even save your dog’s life!

Teach Your Dog to ‘Walk Away’

In addition to the invaluable “Trade” cue, you can also teach your dog a very useful “Walk Away” behavior. This is particularly useful before your dog has a forbidden object in his mouth, but it can also be effective after he has picked up something you don’t want him to have.

I was introduced to this protocol by friend and fellow behavior professional Kelly Fahey, PMCT2. Fahey created this approach, based on Patel’s “Drop it” protocol (described below), as a simpler and less-frustrating alternative to “Leave It.” It can also be used to help modify resource-guarding.

Note: If at any point during the protocol you see resistance, tension, or signs of aggression in your dog, back up a few steps and proceed again more slowly, with more repetitions at each step. If your dog is prone to guarding and you are concerned about your safety or the safety of family members, seek the assistance of a qualified force-free professional to help you modify his guarding behavior.

Here’s how to teach “Walk Away.”

1. Say to your dog, “Walk away!” in a cheerful voice and toss several treats on the ground.

Point at the treats as the dog finds them (at a safe distance if your dog is likely to guard the food). Repeat 10-12 times (or more) until dog eagerly responds to the “Walk away!” cue.

While in most cases, you add a cue only after you are reliably eliciting a certain behavior, in this case, you are giving your dog a positive association with the cue before you introduce the potential for conflict with having something in his mouth. And by pointing at the food, you give your dog a positive association with your hand in the vicinity of treats on the ground, to avert or reduce the potential for resource-guarding.

2. Place a neutral object (one that’s not valuable to your dog) on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the object. Point at the treats as the dog finds them; again, and in every single step that follows, point from a safe distance if your dog is prone to guarding food. Repeat at least 10-12 times (or more), until your dog immediately moves away from the object in response to the cue. Use a variety of objects as the neutral object if necessary to keep your dog interested in approaching and then “walking away” from them.

3. Place an object that is of relatively low value to your dog on the ground.

Perhaps a toy that he sometimes plays with (not one of his favorites) or a type of biscuit he will only sometimes eat. When your dog approaches or sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the object. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times (or more) until your dog immediately moves away from the object in response to the cue. Use a variety of objects if necessary to reignite his interest.

4. Place an object that is of slightly greater value to your dog on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the object. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times (or more) until your dog immediately moves away from the object in response to the cue. Use a variety of objects if necessary.

5. Place an object that is of high value to your dog on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground two to four feet from the object. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times (or more) until your dog immediately moves away from the object in response to the cue. Use a variety of objects if necessary.

6. Place an empty dog food bowl on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the object. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times (or more) until your dog immediately moves away from the bowl in response to the cue.

7. Put a handful of relatively low-value dog food (such as dry kibble) in a food bowl and place it on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the object. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times (or more) until your dog immediately moves away from the bowl in response to the cue.

8. Put a handful of higher-value dog food (such as kibble mixed with a little canned food) in a bowl and place it on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the bowl. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times until your dog immediately moves away from the bowl in response to the cue.

9. Put a handful of high-value dog food (such as canned food or meat) in a food bowl and place it on the ground.

When your dog sniffs it, say, “Walk away!” and toss several treats on the ground, about two to four feet from the bowl. Point at the treats as the dog finds them. Repeat at least 10-12 times until your dog immediately moves away from the bowl in response to the cue.

10. When your dog is relaxed and happily moving away from objects and/or food bowls:

Add a “pick up the object or bowl” step into the protocol. Say, “Walk away!” and toss treats, then pick up the object or bowl, hand-feed him a few treats, and put object or bowl back on ground as you toss a few additional treats near the object/bowl.

Teaching Your Dog to ‘Drop It’

British trainer Chirag Patel, CPDT-KA, DipCABT, owner of Domesticated Manners in London, has developed another alternative, an innovative protocol for asking your dog to give up something in her mouth. It’s demonstrated beautifully in a video you can watch on YouTube.

Patel starts with a dog who actually has nothing in her mouth. He gives a signal – a bright, cheery, “Drop!” – that is immediately followed by high-value food treats being immediately tossed on the ground near the dog. He points to and even flicks the treats on the ground with his fingers, to bring the dog’s attention to each little tidbit; this helps the dog become accustomed to and comfortable with a human hand reaching down and toward the dog’s treats.

Patel recommends practicing many repetitions of this exercise, and incorporating it into every sort of activity around the house and yard: while sweeping the kitchen, carrying a bag of trash out to the garage, sitting on the couch, and so on. The goal is to get the dog to understand that you might give the cue at any time, in the midst of any activity, and it always means treats are about to be flung her way!

Once the dog understands the cue “Drop!” as a signal that treats are on the way, and she starts scanning the nearby ground for the treats immediately after hearing the cue, Patel introduces an item to the training environment that the dog shouldn’t have much interest in. If the dog so much as looks toward the item, he gives the “Drop!” cue, and tosses the treats, pointing each one out to the dog each time.

After many repetitions, the next step is the introduction of a low-value toy; Patel waits for the dog to sniff or pick up the toy, and then gives the “Drop!” cue and tosses the treats. If the exercise has been sufficiently practiced, the dog should immediately drop the toy and enthusiastically pursue the treats as she has so many times before.

The exercise is repeated many times with increasingly valuable toys, and even food items, as the dog becomes completely comfortable with the concept that “Drop!” means treats are on the way, and her human will even help her find each one.

In the video, Patel demonstrates that with enough repetitions of the Drop exercise, the dog becomes completely unconcerned about immediately dropping whatever she might have in her mouth and allowing the person to take the item; she learns that the cue signals that she will certainly gain lots of terrific treats, and will almost always also be given the item back.

Use the Trading Tool Most Useful to You

These protocols can get you and your dog out of a lot of difficult situations. I daresay “Trade” saved my relationship with Bonnie, another one of our dogs, which could have gone very badly if I was still an old-fashioned coercion-based dog trainer when we adopted her (see below).

In addition, numerous clients have shared stories with me where “Trade” has literally saved their dogs’ lives, by enabling them to retrieve a toxic object from their dogs’ mouths, hassle-free. If you have an inspiring “Trade,” “Walk Away” or “Leave It” experience, we’d love to hear it!

Dogs Who Understand Currency

Our dog Bonnie, now 12 years old, has always been very oral, so “Trade” has been a life and relationship-saver for us. Even now as a maturing senior, she will pick up random objects she finds on the floor. In fact, she has learned that if she brings me small pebbles from our driveway that get tracked into our house on our shoes, I will reliably trade her for a treat.

In the old days (more than two decades ago), prior to my crossover to force-free training, I would have found this annoying at best, and probably punished her for her naughtiness. Today, instead, I take pride in her cognitive abilities – she recognizes the value of currency!

Think about it. Those wrinkled pieces of green paper in your wallet have no intrinsic value. You can’t eat them, they don’t keep you warm, and they aren’t entertaining. They are only valuable because you can trade them for food, shelter, clothing, tuition, books, tickets to movies, and other goods that do have intrinsic value. Pebbles have no intrinsic value to Bonnie. She can’t eat them (well, she could, but they have no nutritional value or taste), she can’t buy her way into a movie theater, and they don’t keep her warm. But she has learned that she can trade them for treats – she can buy food with them. She has learned the value of pebble money. If you ask me, that’s pretty smart – and pretty darned cognitive!

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 (Dogwise Publishing, 2016).

Whole Dog Journal reviews dog food, dog toys, and dog health and care products, and also teaches positive dog training methods.

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Teaching Your Dog the ‘Trade’ Cue

1. Say “Take it!” and give your dog a low-value object.

2. Offer your dog some high-value treats.

3. When your dog drops the item:

4. As soon as your dog finishes eating the treats in your hand:

5. When you can reliably predict that your dog will drop the item when you offer your treats, add the cue.

6. After several repetitions, sometimes pause a few seconds longer before offering your dog treats.

Teach Your Dog to ‘Walk Away’

1. Say to your dog, “Walk away!” in a cheerful voice and toss several treats on the ground.

2. Place a neutral object (one that’s not valuable to your dog) on the ground.

3. Place an object that is of relatively low value to your dog on the ground.

4. Place an object that is of slightly greater value to your dog on the ground.

5. Place an object that is of high value to your dog on the ground.

6. Place an empty dog food bowl on the ground.

7. Put a handful of relatively low-value dog food (such as dry kibble) in a food bowl and place it on the ground.

8. Put a handful of higher-value dog food (such as kibble mixed with a little canned food) in a bowl and place it on the ground.

9. Put a handful of high-value dog food (such as canned food or meat) in a food bowl and place it on the ground.

10. When your dog is relaxed and happily moving away from objects and/or food bowls:

Teaching Your Dog to ‘Drop It’

Sharon DiDomenico
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Rich Dolphin
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Loretta Mazzei
Pittsburgh, PA