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Ways to Combat Your Dog’s Indoor Urine-Marking

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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[Updated August 6, 2018]

I can still remember the day, more than a decade ago, when I first realized with horror that our Scottish Terrier, Dubhy (pronounced “Duffy”), was marking in the house. We were trying to sell our Tennessee home at the time, which made the indoor leg-lifting behavior doubly disturbing. Homes with urine stains and odors don’t show particularly well. Dubhy was young, just over a year old. I wrote off the amber-colored stains I found on the heater vent to not-quite-finished housetraining, redoubled my management efforts, and stepped up the “potty outside” routine. It didn’t help. I began to question my professional dog-trainer credentials. Personally faced with persistent indoor marking, one of the more frustrating challenges dog owners encounter, I was not succeeding at resolving it.

urine marking

Leg-lifting is a natural, normal behavior for dogs, especially (although not exclusively) for males. Of course, like lots of other natural, normal dog behaviors, it’s unacceptable to most owners. Fortunately, most male dogs learn pretty quickly that humans, for some unfathomable reason, don’t appreciate their efforts to tell the world that the house, and all items within in it, are the property of the dog and his family. “Keep your paws off!” he is saying to the world.

Indoor marking is also often a function of stress. Dogs who are anxious about their environment are more likely to mark indoors than those who are relaxed and calm. Stress-related marking is harder to modify than the simple “This is my stuff” leg-lifting. Dubhy was a calm, easygoing, laid-back dude. The idea of stress-induced marking didn’t even enter my mind.

Only after several years had passed did I realize that Dubhy’s indoor marking coincided precisely with the start of his dog-reactive behavior. The dog reactivity emerged as the result of a pair of roaming Labradors Retrievers (who lived a mile away) who repeatedly breached their underground shock fence, visited our yard, and fought through our fence with our indomitable Scottie. I eventually realized well after the fact that the two behaviors were connected. Duh. The stress of the two intruding Labradors set off Dubhy’s marking.

Neutering Usually Stops Urine Marking

In Dubhy’s case, my initial analysis of incomplete housetraining, although incorrect, was not entirely off base. Indoor marking often begins in adolescent males because it is a natural behavior. Those “easy” cases often respond well to standard housetraining protocols: increasing the dog’s management to reduce his opportunity to mark, taking him outdoors to potty far more frequently, reinforcing appropriate elimination outside, and interrupting any leg lifts you happen to see with a reminder: “Oops! Outside!”
Of course, housetraining and/or behavior-modification efforts need to be accompanied by a good clean-up program using an enzymatic cleaner, to eliminate any lingering odor of urine (which invites the dog to mark again). It’s also important to rule out or treat any urinary-tract infections as possible contributors to inappropriate elimination. And don’t forget neutering!

According to Dr. Nicholas Dodman, veterinary behaviorist at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, about 60 percent of intact male dogs will stop urine-marking within weeks or months if they are neutered. Other sources claim as high as a 90 percent success rate post-neutering.

Suffice it to say that neutering is a good first step if your dog reverts back to peeing in the house. This is at least in part because intact male dogs will mark everything in response to the scent of a female in season somewhere in the area, and in part because testosterone in general contributes to the motivation to make a “this is mine” statement. Marking by female dogs will also usually resolve with spaying. Of course, the older the dog and the longer your dog has been practicing the marking behavior, the less likely it is that sterilization alone will fix the problem.

Dubhy, however, was neutered some five months before he started marking. That clearly wasn’t the answer to our dilemma. Nor did our return to a basic housetraining protocol stop his behavior.

Stress Generally Causes Dogs to Mark the House

The 10 to 40 percent of dogs who don’t stop their marking after neutering and remedial housetraining efforts are probably, like Dubhy, marking because of stress. In some cases, identifying stressors and removing them can eliminate marking. There are a variety of different strategies for removing stressors. The more stress you can remove, the more likely it is the marking will cease. Other than his reactive aggression toward other dogs, however, Dubhy was a pretty laid-back, mellow guy. We had talked to the neighbors on several occasions about keeping their wandering Labrador Retrievers at home, but Dubhy really didn’t seem to have a whole lot of additional stress in his life.

Exercise is an excellent stress reducer that can help your indoor-marker feel less compelled to lift his leg in your living room. Vigorous off-leash aerobic outings can work wonders with a variety of behavioral issues, as can force-free training routines that require a dog to think, and that tire him mentally. Products such as Adaptil (plug-in pheromone diffuser) can also be effective in decreasing stress levels for some dogs, as can calming massage, aromatherapy, and musical products from Through a Dog’s Ear (see “5 Things to Do if Your Dog Needs Cage Rest,” (August 2014).

How to Manage Urine Marking Indoors

Dr. Dodman suggests that dogs who persistently mark indoors and don’t respond to neutering and housetraining protocols almost always need anti-anxiety medication to resolve the problem. Indeed, pharmaceutical intervention can be quite successful, especially when combined with an ongoing behavior modification program.
Many dog owners prefer to avoid medication if possible, and choose, instead, to use a belly band for their indoor male markers (diapers are necessary for females). This is a reasonable solution to a vexing problem, if the dog accepts the device easily. If the dog can routinely Houdini his way out of the band, or is clearly distressed by wearing it, then it’s not a viable option and medication is a better choice.

We opted for management with Dubhy. He happily accepted his belly band, lined with a sanitary pad, and stood quietly when I told him it was time to put his pants on. Delivering a treat after applying the belly band helped keep him happy about the procedure. He would still mark into the band, so I had to change it as needed to prevent urine burns on his sensitive, bare abdomen.

Our earlier housetraining effort had at least succeeded in convincing Dubhy not to mark in our presence, so he could go pants-free when the family relaxed together evenings in the living room, and for sleep-time overnight in our bedroom. We used baby gates and closed doors to keep him in view. It was only for his unsupervised house-time that the band was required. Sure, I occasionally grumbled internally about the inconvenience of replacing pads and laundering belly bands, and groused out loud when he occasionally managed to pee out from under the band and I had to do clean-up duty, but it allowed us to have a peaceful life with our boy who might otherwise have been the source of much angst over the years.

We lost our beloved Dubhy a few months ago to lymphoma – a nasty and aggressive cancer. We miss him a lot. I’d give anything to have the privilege of putting belly bands on him again.

Ways to Approach Your Dog’s Pee-Inducing Stressors

I utilize five strategies for dealing with stressors. When I’m working with a client whose dog has stress-related behavior issues such as marking, aggression, or generalized anxiety, we list as many stressors as we can think of, assign one or more strategies to each stressor, and agree on which ones we will actively work on. Removing stressors doesn’t necessarily make the unwanted behavior go away, but it does make your behavior-modification efforts much more likely to be successful.

Here are the strategies:

1. Get rid of it

Get rid of anything aversive that causes unnecessary pain or stress, including shock collars, choke chains, and prong collars, and penny cans or throw chains. Even head halters, considered by some trainers to be positive training tools, are aversive to many dogs.

2. Manage your dog’s exposure to the stressors

If your dog isn’t fond of small children and there are none in your life (and he doesn’t encounter them regularly in your neighborhood), you can manage him (as I did) the one time each year your sister comes to visit with your young niece and nephew, by keeping him in another part of the house when the kids are awake and about.

3. Change his association to the stressors

Convince him that something that stresses him is actually very wonderful by pairing it consistently with something else wonderful. If your dog is stressed by men with beards, you can convince him that men with beards always make chicken happen by having a bearded man appear, and feeding your dog bits of chicken, over and over and over again, until he wants furry-faced men to appear so he can have more chicken. The key to successful counter-conditioning, as this process is called, is to always keep the dog below threshold; you want him a little aware of and worried about the aversive stimulus, but not quaking in fear or barking and lunging. (See “Counter-Conditioning,” below.)

4. Teach him a new behavior around the stressors

Perhaps your dog becomes highly aroused by visitors coming to the door. He’s not fearful or aggressive, but the high arousal is a stressor. You can teach him that the doorbell is his cue to run and get in his crate, where he’ll receive a stuffed Kong or other doggie delectable (see “Unwanted Barking at the Front Door,” February 2010). Or you can teach him that visitors will toss toys for him to chase if he sits politely when the door opens.

5. Live with the stressors

You don’t have to actively do something about every stressor in your dog’s world; every dog can tolerate some level of stress and a few stressors. Just try to do something about the ones that are easy to manage or remove from his environment, and be conscious that when he’s being exposed to the ones that you can’t do much about (say, sounds of construction coming from the building project next door), he may be more likely to exhibit urine-marking or other stress-related behaviors at that time.

Counter-Conditioning Urine Marking

Counter-conditioning involves changing your dog’s association with a scary or arousing stimulus from negative to positive. The easiest way to give most dogs a positive association is with very high-value, really yummy treats. I like to use white meat from chicken – canned, baked, or boiled, since most dogs love chicken and it’s a low-fat food.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Determine the distance at which your dog can be in the presence of the stimulus and be alert or wary but not extremely fearful or aroused. This is called the threshold distance.

2. With you holding your dog on leash, have a helper present the stimulus at threshold distance X. The instant your dog sees the stimulus, start feeding him bits of chicken, non-stop.

3. After several seconds, have the helper remove the stimulus, and stop feeding chicken.

4. Keep repeating steps 1-3 until the presentation of the stimulus at that distance consistently causes your dog to look at you with a happy smile and a “Yay! Where’s my chicken?” expression. This is a conditioned emotional response (CER) – your dog’s association with the stimulus at threshold distance X is now positive instead of negative.

5. Now you need to increase the intensity of the stimulus. You can do that by decreasing distance to X minus Y; by increasing movement of the stimulus at distance X (a child walking, skipping, or swinging her arms); by increasing number of stimuli (two or three children, instead of one); increasing the visual “threat” (a tall man instead of a short one, or a man with a beard instead of a clean-shaven one); or by increasing volume (if it’s a stimulus that makes noise, such as a vacuum cleaner). I’d suggest decreasing distance first in small increments by moving the dog closer to the location where the stimulus will appear, achieving his new CER at each new distance, until he is happy to be very near to the non-moving stimulus, perhaps even sniffing or targeting to it.

6. Return to distance X and increase the intensity of your stimulus (move the vacuum a little; have two children instead of one; have the man put on a hat, or a backpack), gradually decreasing distance and attaining CERs along the way, until your dog is delighted to have the moderately intense stimulus in close proximity.

7. Now, back to distance X, increase intensity again, by having your helper turn the vacuum on briefly, feed treats the instant it’s on, then turn it off, and stop the treats. (Or turn up the volume, or add more children, etc.)

8. Repeat until you have the CER, then gradually increase the length of time you have your dog in the presence of the increased-intensity stimulus, until he’s happy (but not aroused) to have it present continuously.

9. Begin decreasing distance in small increments, moving the dog closer to the stimulus, obtaining his new CER consistently at each new distance.

10. When your dog is happy to have the higher-intensity stimulus close to him, you’re ready for the final phase. Return to distance X and obtain his new CER there, with a full-intensity stimulus – a running, moving vacuum; multiple children laughing and playing; a tall man with a beard wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a backpack. Then gradually decrease distance until your dog is happy to be in the presence of your full-intensity stimulus. He now thinks the stimulus is a very good thing, as a reliable predictor of very yummy treats. In the case of a human stimulus, you can gradually work up to actual interaction with the human(s) at this stage, by having the person(s) drop treats as they walk by, then letting him take treats from their fingers – without direct eye contact, and eventually working up to normal interaction.

Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. She lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, where she offers dog-training classes and courses for trainers.

Consider Dehydrated Dog Foods for Your Dog!

By
Nancy Kerns
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Occasionally we are asked to rate the various options that owners have for feeding their dogs, based on the relative “healthiness” of each major type of food: home-prepared (raw or cooked); commercial raw, frozen diets and freeze-dried or dehydrated raw diets; canned food, and kibble. Actually, in our opinion, that list of food types is ranked accurately right there, from best to worst, in terms of their potential for improving or supporting a dog’s peak health.

honest kitchen dehydrated dog food

On what do we base that ranking? While it’s difficult to get nutritionists to agree on just about anything, it’s likely that most would agree on the following general idea: that a diet that was formulated to be “complete and balanced” and comprised of fresh, lightly processed or unprocessed species-appropriate ingredients is healthier than a “complete and balanced” diet containing highly processed ingredients that are uncommonly consumed by a given species in nature. That general theory explains our high esteem for the dehydrated and freeze-dried diets that we’ve listed and described in our WDJ 2014 Dehydrated Dog Food Review 

We’ve lumped a lot of disparate diets into this category. Even though they vary widely in terms of ingredients, “rawness,” manufacturing process, finished form, and protein and fat levels, what all of these diets share is their high inclusion of high-quality animal protein and fats, and a method of preservation that only lightly alters or damages the nutrients in the food: drying. The idea is to remove moisture from the food; the less moisture that is contained in a food, the longer its nutrients will remain unspoiled and available to the consumer (your dog).

Drying can be accomplished at low temperatures, but it takes longer and leaves meats and fats vulnerable to oxidation (spoilage); most dried foods are prepared with temperatures of 140ºF to 180ºF. (Food can rot when kept in temperatures between 140ºF to 32ºF; If it’s held in temperatures colder than 30ºF, it freezes; if it’s exposed to temperatures higher than 180ºF, it will start to cook.) Dehydrators actually lightly cook the food as it dries, altering the cellular structure of meats, fruits, and vegetables. In contrast, proper freeze-drying doesn’t affect the appearance or taste of foods as much.

Freeze-dryers expose foods to low temperatures, freezing them relatively quickly, and then to high air pressure (freeze-drying machines resemble large pressurized gas tanks). When the pressure inside the chamber is high enough, small heating units are turned on, heating the trays that the food sits on, and causing the frozen water (a solid at that point) in the foods to transform into a gas (water vapor). Pumps pull the vapor out of the chamber while keeping the internal air pressure high. The term for freeze-drying is sublimation: the act of a solid shifting directly into a gas.

It sounds radical, but the process actually leaves most foods less damaged than dehydration. Freeze-drying doesn’t shrink or toughen most food ingredients, and it leaves most aromas and flavors in the food intact. There are some food compounds that don’t freeze-dry well; those that contain vinegar or alcohol don’t sublimate nicely, but these are not common ingredients in canine diets!

Some owners seek out these diets specifically for their rawness; they believe feeding raw meat is natural and beneficial to their dogs. If a raw diet is your chief motivation for considering these diets, avoid the products that contain dehydrated ingredients in favor of the ones that contain freeze-dried ingredients.

Check out our complete review of the top Dehydrated & Freezer-Dried Dog Foods by clicking here or following the link at the top of the page.

Download the Full September 2014 Issue PDF

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What Your Dog Remembers

By
Nancy Kerns
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It never fails to surprise and amaze me: we were hiking recently along on a trail where we haven’t been for months and months and Otto stopped suddenly and started scanning a certain tree. The other dogs paused for a second, too, taking their cues from Otto, as if to say, “What’s up, guy?” And then, just as quickly, they moved on, even as Otto stood transfixed, sniffing the air and scrutinizing that tree – the one where he came closer than he did before or has since to catching a squirrel. Obviously, that close call with the squirrel was not as significant for me as it was for Otto, but when he stops and clearly remembers that place and looks for signs of other potentially catchable squirrels, of course, then I remember, too.

And it’s obvious to me that he does remember that moment, because clearly he’s seensquirrels in countless places, and chased them in dozens of places. But only in that one place did he catch a squirrel so unaware, running up so swiftly behind it, that it caught a glimpse of Otto and sprang for the tree with only inches to spare. Otto could practically feel the squirrel’s tail hair on his nose. And then, of course, it clung to the tree above him, chattering and chirping with alarm and, perhaps, squirrel verbal abuse, and knocking bits of bark down around him. A dog remembers that sort of stuff; I don’t, until Otto stops and stares at the tree where it all happened one day, at least three years ago.

There is one other place that Otto always remembers, where we once startled a veritable herd of deer, at least 20 of them, early one morning. The herd took off bouncing and leaping through the brush and across a ravine; we were on one side of it, and they crossed the creek and bounded up the other side. He had started to chase them and I called him back; then, when they were all out of sight, I let him run down into the ravine and fill his nose with their scent. It must have been very powerful – perhaps the whole herd had been sleeping there – and he spent a long time running back and forth in the ravine, sniffing. Every time we walk down the dirt road that leads to that ravine, he will at some point stop trotting and slow to a walk, and the closer we get to the spot where we saw all the deer, the slower he will walk until he is stalking, one paw at a time, while scanning the ravine and lifting his nose for any deer scent.

Of course, our dogs remember our friends’ and relatives’ houses, and going to the vet, groomer, boarding kennel, daycare, or dog park. In some of these places, they exhibit behavior that looks fearful or apprehension, and in some of these places they exhibit what looks like joyful anticipation. I suppose that behavior experts would say that it’s simply that they have formed positive or negative associations with things that happened to them, and have expectations that the similar positive or negative things might happen to them again in those places. I think those things are true – but I’m also certain that Otto remembers that squirrel, and the sensation of its tail hair on his nose, and the way it rained down tree bark and abuse on him.

Do your dogs remember certain places or events? 

Do Dogs Dream?

By
Nancy Kerns
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My old Border Collie Rupert used to herd in his sleep. Which was funny, because he was a failed sheepdog who never showed a sign of wanting to herd any animal when he was awake. But when he dreamed, his ankles flexed in a galloping rhythm and his lips curled and his eyes rolled around as he herded sheep. I’m sure of it.

Do dogs dream? And if so, do they dream about what it looks like they dream about? I am not aware if there has ever been a brain-wave researcher with enough time and funding on his hands as to try to determine if dogs really do dream, but I hope so. And why do all dogs seem to have different dreaming recurrent themes, much as we do?

Rupe always seemed to be dreaming about running and dodging about. Otto has much more stressful guarding/fighting dreams. He growls and woofs and makes very fearsome snarling faces, and sometimes, immediately after a bout of sleep-growling, he’ll whimper and yelp as if hurt or scared, and wake up with a start. He will then immediately look somewhat embarrassed. It’s exactly that, “Oh man, did I just have the scariest dream!” look.

Do Dogs Have Nightmares?

But this is the cutest thing, and why I was finally inspired to write this blog: Cole, my son’s almost one-year-old coonhound-mix puppy, wags his tail in his sleep. And he had a big, long, thumpy coonhound tail, which is what has alerted me to this phenomenon. At least five times in the past couple of weeks as I’ve been dog-sitting my son’s dog, I’ve been working at my computer when I heard a loud “Thump thump thump thump” behind me, and when I turned to see what was making the noise, there is Cole, sound asleep, with his tail wagging up a storm. His eyes are twitching in REM sleep, and he has twitchy muscles elsewhere, but mostly, that tail is going. I have tried and cannot ever seem to get the video camera on my phone going in time to capture this – my chair squeaks as I turn to reach for it or something, and he wakes up – so you are going to have to trust me when I say it’s about the cutest thing ever. He’s a sweet, sweet, easygoing guy, very mellow and fun-loving, and it totally fits that if he’s having dreams, he’s wagging his tail in them. I just wish I could capture it on video.

Do your dogs dream, do you think? Do they seem to have recurring dreams?

Perfect Playmates

By
Nancy Kerns
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Is there anything as good as the perfect playmate for your young, playful dog? One who is about the same size and weight and has the same style of play as your dog?

I’m dog-sitting my son’s dog, Cole, for three whole weeks while he travels out of the country for his sport. Cole is a coonhound/Lab-mix, just about at the one-year mark – grown-up enough to not offend my now-seven-year-old Otto with his very presence on the planet, but young enough to still crave daily sessions of play. In preparation for his stay, I bought extra Tricky Treat balls (by Omega Paw, love these) for him to bat around, as well as extra raw bones. Plus I’ve been taking all the dogs (my big mixed-breed dog Otto, Chihuahua-mix Tito, and Cole) out for off-leash runs and swimming sessions in the river – anything to try to tire him out and keep him well-behaved and out of trouble (that is, out of the chicken pen, out of my raised beds in the garden, out of the neighbors’ hearing range, etc.).

But absolutely nothing trumps the entertainment value of playing with another young dog – and Cole hit the jackpot today. My husband and I rent rooms in the house where I have my office (two blocks away from our home) to students who attend a local trade school. There is a new term every four months, and today some new students arrived. One young man was accompanied by his older brother, who had attended the same school a few years ago and who brought his 11-month-old female Boxer along for the car ride. I asked whether the dog could play with Cole, and the Boxer’s owner said that would be great – and for the next two hours, the young dogs played, and played, and played.

Both young dogs enjoyed racing around the backyard, chasing each other up and down the stairs to the back porch, and wrestling on the porch sofa with toys. They grabbed each other’s legs, chewed each other’s necks, and threw themselves on top of and underneath each other in total joy, and with total comfort with each other. Neither dog was overwhelming to the other one, neither one was afraid of the other; it was as if they were raised together since they were puppies. It was a warm day, and their tongues were soon dragging, so I took the opportunity to hose off the dusty porch, and both dogs enjoyed running through the spray, which helped keep them cooler. It was a beautiful thing to see. And more beautiful yet: since they left, Cole has been sound asleep for about four hours. I’m not sure he’s going to move until tomorrow. If only that dog lived close by!

Adoption Counseling

By
Nancy Kerns
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In early June I wrote a blog post about helping a friend find an appropriate dog for his family, which includes a two-year-old girl. He hadn’t owned a dog for many years, and had lots of questions before and after taking custody of a prospect I found for him in my local shelter. In the blog post, I marveled at the number of things we discussed over a few-week period regarding the dog’s behavior, training, health, and diet. I offer all of my friends and relatives free “tech support” for any dog they adopt through my local shelter, both to help them select the best candidate for their home, family, and circumstances, and to make sure that they all get off on the right foot together.

If only my local shelter, and ALL shelters, had funding to support an adoption counselor who could provide this service to all of their adopters. There are an unbelievable number of things that can go wrong, or cause an adopter to have reservations about their new dog, that can quickly doom the dog’s placement.

For example, the dog I placed with my friend and his family: It didn’t work out, but not for lack of trying. The family really liked the dog, but over time, it became evident that the dog was not comfortable with the child. Because I strongly feel that dogs who live with kids ought to be especially forgiving of human behavior and sincerely like kids, I had spent a few weeks with the dog before placing her in my friend’s home. I observed that the dog was uncomfortable with small kids at first ­ she would actually emit small growls when they first approached her, though her body language stayed loose. I also saw that within a day or two, she grew quite comfortable with both of the kids I introduced her to, my four-year-old niece and my two-year-old grandson. I made sure both kids fed her (or tossed to her) lots of treats, threw a ball for her, kicked a soccer ball with her, and rubbed her tummy (her favorite thing), and as a result, within a few hours, with careful management of both kids and dog, she quickly began greeting both children with eager tail-wagging. She also would grab a toy and attempt to initiate games of fetch with them. So I thought she might do the same with my friend’s daughter.

My friend and his wife really tried to make the placement work, but it was not to be. They experienced some housetraining issues, which I suspected had to do with the dog’s mild separation anxiety. We talked through solutions (baby gates to keep the dog from having access to carpeted areas, supervised pottying rather than putting the dog outside unaccompanied) and got a handle on that. We discussed how one might keep a couch-loving dog off the couch, and whether the household changes they would need to put in place (more gates and closed doors) were worth it to them. But the biggest bugaboo was the fact that the dog and the child did not mesh well. After a two-week trial, though my friend had reportedly carried out all the things I had recommended to improve the dog’s comfort with his daughter, the dog was still frequently greeting his daughter with growls, and had, on several occasions, added an air-snap when the two-year-old approached the dog too exuberantly. I recommended we pull the plug on that placement, for everyone’s safety. I brought the dog back to my home; I’ll keep my eyes peeled for another dog for them – one with no reservations about kids whatsoever.

If my friends hadn’t had a resource to consult, and they had selected the dog right out of a shelter, the dog may have been returned on the first day, after her first potty-in-the-house offense. Or surely, after the second or third day, when they reported that she barked a lot when they left her outside the house alone. They needed some advice for solutions to get through these crises – advice that few shelters can offer. It would have been a real shame for them to give up on a dog over issues that are easy to solve (with the right advice).

It also would have been a real shame if they hadn’t given up the dog over the potentially far more serious problem: her discomfort with the child in the house. They really liked the dog – so much so that they might have hesitated longer to return her, had I not insisted that a two-week trial was more than enough to determine that she was, in fact, getting less tolerant of their daughter, not more comfortable. If this had been a typical shelter adoption, they may have weathered the initial problems they experienced with the dog on their own – only to fall victim to a worse situation.

After near-daily reports from my friend that the dog was still growling at the child, despite their efforts to manage the dog/kid interactions and use counter-conditioning and desensitization, I felt certain that this particular dog/kid situation was untenable – at least without major commitment to scrupulous management and extensive coaching (preferably in-home, private training with a good trainer). In the space of those two weeks, the dog’s growling had not vanished or diminished; she had actually increased the “volume” of her message of discomfort to include air-snaps. The next step was likely to be a bite as the dog tried to get more space between herself and the child.

I shudder to think about how many dogs go home and are put in situations like this where they just can’t win, and when they make an inevitable mistake, are returned to a shelter and forced to pay for it with their lives (because many shelters will consider a dog who bit someone in one home to be too much of a risk to place in any other home). I was proud of my friend for making the difficult decision to return the dog to me, before anything happened that couldn’t be taken back.

I’m now in the process of counseling another friend through early days with the same dog. This friend is single and childless, and loves all the dog’s stock-dog quirks and playfulness. However, my friend works longs night shifts, which pose a challenge for this dog’s separation anxiety. We’ve had to employ melatonin, food-stuffed Kongs and raw bones, a tall baby gate, an extra comfy dog bed, and even an overnight visit with one of my dogs (Tito), to convince the dog that sleeping in the house all night without humans isn’t a sign that her world is crumbling or that she may have been abandoned. Once again, without some guidance, my friend probably would have given up on this dog in the first few days – only this time, it seems like the counseling and advice might result in long-lasting solutions and a solid, happy adoption.

Goodness knows, I’m not perfect. I may have made a mistake in the dog’s initial placement, and a professional trainer would probably have given both of my friends better advice about handling this nice little dog (no dog is perfect, either). But what do most people do when they adopt a dog and then find themselves struggling with behavior or health problems they’ve never before experienced with a dog? In an ideal world, they would have a trainer and a veterinarian all lined up and available to help them, but I’m not sure a single person I have ever known has put these precautions into place ahead of time. And adoption counselors? I’ve heard of them at large shelters in good-sized cities, but my local (small, underfunded, rural) shelter doesn’t have any money to spare for someone of that job description – even though I think they’d have far better adoption rates if they did. A well-trained behavior counselor might even be able to help address the problems that people have with dogs who were not adopted at the shelter — to reduce the owner-surrender rates, too.

Does your local shelter have a behavior and/or adoption counselor? Tell us how they do it.

(The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook Tip #1) Speed Eaters Anonymous

By
Betsy Brevitz
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“I feed my two dogs together, and the smaller one seems to gobble her food without chewing it and then throws it back up a few minutes later. Why does she do this?”

She may be worried that if she doesn’t wolf down her food, your other dog will get some of it. This is rational fear, but her coping strategy isn’t ideal. How about feeding your dogs in separate rooms so the little one feels less pressured by the presence of the bigger dog? If she still eats so fast that she vomits even when she eats in private, then spread out her food over a large surface (such as a cookie sheet) or in several small bowls in different parts of the room so she can’t hoover up her entire meal in one breath. And if you now feed your dogs only once a day, divide the food into two or three smaller meals per day instead. Knowing that her next meal is just around the corner may help your gobbler to relax and enjoy her food less anxiously.

If these measures don’t work and the vomiting continues, make an appointment with your vet to check into the possibility that she’s regurgitation rather than vomiting.

For answers to all your canine health questions – big and small – buy The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M from The Whole Dog Journal.

Fact V. Opinion

By
Nancy Kerns
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You may not be aware that WDJ is more than just a printed publication: it’s also available to subscribers in a digital form. (To read it online, subscribers simply register for access. Then they can read current issues before they are available in print, and follow links given in articles to back issues and articles.) The WDJ website also contains a blog, where I (and sometimes, guest bloggers) post more personal stories and topics for discussion. It’s a place where we can discuss more intimate, emotional, moral, spiritual, and even judgemental ideas and opinions relating to our relationships with dogs.

whole dog journal editor nancy kerns

Please don’t confuse my editorials on this page, or the blog posts on the WDJ site, with fact-based “articles” in the magazine. Our foremost mission with WDJ is to provide paid subscribers with solid, well-researched information that they can put into immediate practice to improve their dog’s health and training. The subscription price you pay gives us the ability to deliver this information independently, without having to consider the feelings or bottom line of advertisers (who support most mainstream publications). We don’t want to waste the limited amount of space we have in the print edition on personal stuff that may have no relevance for you. With the exception of this small space on this one page, the magazine is about fact-based service to you, our subscribers. (And sometimes, I offer facts here, too.)

On the other hand, lots of you enjoy reading, thinking, and talking about life with dogs. Some of you want to share personal stories, whether they are negative – like recitations of frustrating encounters with loose dogs, irresponsible owners, bad veterinarians, or incompetent trainers – or heart-warming and positive – like people who do an amazing job at rescue, vets who save the lives of difficult-to-diagnose dogs, and trainers who rehabilitate formerly frightened, unhappy dogs into well-adjusted members of the family. The place for these things is our blog, as well as the WDJ Facebook page.
The Facebook page begs for an additional explanation. We frequently run links to past articles on the WDJ Facebook page (facebook.com/wholedogjournal), so that people who don’t currently subscribe (or have never heard of WDJ) can see what sort of unique and valuable, independent information we deliver monthly to our readers.

We also frequently post links on the Facebook page to those personal blog posts, as well as articles or videos produced by other people that we admire. Neither should be confused with our own fact-checked, expert-written articles in the magazine.
Am I wasting too much space on this? I just wanted to let you know that if you don’t like or don’t want to be exposed to my opinions or stories, or stories and opinions from other thoughtful dog owners, skip this page and skip the blog; our mission of delivering solid, fact-based training and health-building advice will always appear in the rest of the magazine.

5 Things To Do If Your Dog Needs Cage Rest

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Few things are worse than hearing the vet say those dreaded words: “Cage Rest.” Most often the consequence of an injury or major surgery, it means your dog must be kept under tight restrictions – in a crate, out to relieve herself on leash only, and then back in her crate. Running, jumping, and playing are strictly prohibited; even excessive walking is frowned upon. To make matters worse, this period of restricted activity is sometimes prescribed for as long as four to six weeks. Most of our dogs barely get enough exercise as it is . . . How do you keep a young, active dog under wraps for a whole month or more? Boredom is your biggest enemy. Here are some suggestions to help you through the dark days:

1. Give Your Dog Mental Exercise

What a fantastic opportunity to do a whole ton of training! When our young Corgi, Lucy, was laid up for six months (yes, you read that right), we had plenty of time to practice non-active behaviors such as Stay, Nose Touch, Paw Touch, Relax, Find It (low-activity version), Hold It, Rest Your Head, Polite Leash Walking, and many more.

You can also keep your dog’s body and brain well exercised with some of the more sedentary puzzle toys for dogs. Challenging mental exercises can be as tiring as physical exertion! Shaping  and imitation training  can be particularly good for that brain-drain effect. Careful behavior choices for these options (small, precise behaviors rather than big, active ones) can keep you and your dog playing by the restricted activity rules.

This is also an ideal time to work on the Karen Overall Protocol for Relaxation with your dog. This protocol is laid out as a 15-day program (although you can take longer if you wish or need to), with your dog learning to calmly sit or lie down in one place for increasing periods of time while you do other things.

2. Cuddle Up with Your Dog

Put on your favorite soothing CD, turn the lights down low, and snuggle up with your shut-in. You might also light an aromatherapy lavender candle or employ a diffuser with a calming aromatherapy lavender essential oil. (It’s important to use only therapeutic-quality essential-oil products. To identify them, see “Aromatherapy for Dogs,” and “Therapeutic Essential Oils for Your Dog.”) Your dog will likely appreciate the one-on-one time with you – unless she finds snuggling aversive, in which case, skip this step.

3. Massage Your Dog

Even if your dog’s not a fan of cuddling, she can benefit from some skilled calming massage or TTouch. Get yourself a good book on canine massage, or round up some T-Touch resources, put on your calming music CD, light the lavender candle, and start massaging. Remember that calming massage should be comprised of slow, steady pressure, not fast rubbing and patting. Any talking should also be a low, calm voice, not the high-pitched tones we use to increase canine enthusiasm in training routines.

4. Provide Toys and Bones

Stock up on Kong toys, other similar sturdy stuffables, and raw meaty bones, so you can keep your dog happily engaged when you cannot personally attend to her. Chewing is a great stress-reliever, and can help take some of the angst out of her confinement.

5. Supply Your Dog with Environmental Aids

In addition to the “Through a Dog’s Ear” music, consider using Adaptil spray, which is said to mimic the calming pheromones a mother dog emits when she is nursing her puppies. Nutraceuticals such as Anxitane and Zylkene may also have a calming effect. Calming herbs for dogs such as chamomile can be useful. Commercial herbal calming products include Composure, PetCalm, Quiet Moments, and Dr. Harvey’s Relax. Your vet may also prescribe a short course of sedatives to get your dog through the first couple of weeks, when strict cage rest is likely the most crucial.

Making use of all five of the above suggestions, we survived six months of Lucy on restricted activity with only one bout of OCD tail-chasing. In fact, her healing exceeded the orthopedic veterinarian’s expectations and we were able to cancel her planned second surgery. Here’s wishing you the same success if you and your dog find yourselves in a “cage rest” scenario.

Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. Pat is also the author of many books on positive training.

Neutering Dogs Without a Scalpel

By
Jessica Hekman DVM, MS
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Sounds odd to say, but I’m accustomed to standing over a fully anesthetized dog holding his testicles in one hand. Until recently, if I did, in fact, have his testicles in one hand, I’d usually have a scalpel in the other, preparing to neuter him. But on a day not long ago, I found myself armed with only a needle and syringe in my other hand, preparing to neuter a dog who was merely sedated.

zeuterin dog sterilization

We’d all love to see a procedure that can easily and permanently sterilize a male dog without side effects or complications. Historically, surgery has been the most commonly used option in the U.S. Contained in the syringe I held was an exciting new product, Zeuterin, which permanently sterilizes male dogs (between the ages of three and 10 months) without surgery. Will “zeutering” prove to be a better option? I was attending a training session to learn more.

Zeuterin is comprised of zinc gluconate and arginine, and is injected with a needle into the center of each of a young dog’s testicles. The compound diffuses in all directions in the testes, causing permanent and irreversible fibrosis in the testicle, rendering the dog incapable of producing any new sperm. Once the sperm currently in the testicles have been cleared (over the course of several weeks), the dog is sterile.

The needle used for the procedure is a very small one, and the procedure is remarkably painless. The dog does not have to be anesthetized. In theory, a calm dog being “zeutered” by an experienced veterinarian could even receive the injection without sedation. In practice, though, sedation is a very good idea: if the dog moves during the procedure there could be side effects, and dogs who have been subjected to the treatment should receive a small “Z” tattoo on the groin area to identify them as zeutered – and tattoos definitely require sedation.

After the injection, the dog’s testicles may briefly swell. Usually, they then atrophy, so that eventually they will be smaller that before, or sometimes, not even easily visible.
For dogs whose testicles do remain visible, though, there can be some confusion about whether they’re intact or not. This is the point of the “Z” tattoo, of course – and the company that manufactures the compound also sells “I’m Zeutered!” T-shirts for owners who want to prevent glares from the canine-testicle-averse passers-by at the dog park.

“Zeuter” vs. Neuter

The zeutering procedure has some obvious benefits. General anesthesia always carries a small risk, so avoiding it is unquestionably a good thing. And if you can avoid removing a dog’s organs, why wouldn’t you?

But, as with every medical procedure, there can be side effects to Zeuterin. Some dogs can be in pain afterward, for several days up to a week, and some dogs may vomit.
Occasionally, if the compound isn’t injected just so – if some of it erroneously comes into contact with the scrotal skin (rather than being injected properly into the center of the testes), the skin of the testicles can become irritated and ulcerate. In bad cases, a dog may have to go under the knife after all, to have his entire scrotum removed in a more invasive procedure than a simple castration would have been.

Of course, surgery poses the risk of complications as well, such as infections of the surgical site, or swelling of the empty scrotum with fluid (known as a seroma).
There is another significant difference between surgical neutering and zeutering, though, and it has to do with testosterone. The procedure you choose for your next male puppy may well be determined by how you feel about that hormone!

dog park humping

The Pros and Cons of Testosterone in Dogs

One of the most interesting things about this product is that it reduces testosterone levels in dogs who have had the procedure by only about 50 percent. Traditional surgical castration reduces the dog’s testosterone level to almost zero. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Testosterone is associated with some really obnoxious canine behaviors: mounting, marking, roaming, and some types of aggression. Veterinarians have traditionally recommended castration for dogs whose owners who want to reduce these behaviors.
The jury is still out on whether a 50 percent testosterone reduction will reduce those behaviors as well as castration does – but then, the jury still hasn’t ruled on how effective surgical castration (and its attendant near-total testosterone reduction) is for helping to eliminate the “problem” behaviors in male dogs, either. That said, if you’re thinking about sterilizing an animal specifically because of problem behaviors, I’d take the safest route and go with 100 percent testosterone reduction (surgery).

Be aware that there is a growing number of veterinarians and dog owners who believe that the health benefits of testosterone outweigh its potential for negative effects on the dog’s behavior. It’s a hot debate; some studies have found a correlation between neutering and the development later in life of certain kinds of cancer (specifically osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and prostate cancer), as well as an increased risk of tearing the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). Note that while a CCL tear is not life-threatening, it is certainly expensive to fix.

On the other hand, neutering has also been correlated with a longer life, despite the risk of cancer, and a reduced chance of death by infection.

Warning: the studies regarding the pros and cons of neutering are very difficult to interpret! And many of the effects that are seen may be the result of different levels of healthcare provided by different owners. As just one example, it’s possible that dogs who are not neutered are just as likely to develop cancer, but less likely to be diagnosed with cancer. This could happen if owners who can’t afford to neuter their dogs are also unable to afford veterinary care as their dogs age.

There may be other reasons that neutering correlates with an increased risk of cancer and CCL tears; and, of course, improved management and access to veterinary care is almost certainly why neutering correlates with longer life expectancies. (By the way, I’m not implying that responsible breeders fail to provide their dogs with good veterinary care, only that responsible breeders are a minority among those who don’t neuter their dogs.) Testosterone is a powerful hormone; it’s possible that a lifetime of exposure to it has beneficial and detrimental effects on dogs. Amazingly, we still don’t know enough about it. And because zeutering is so new, we know even less about its long-term health effects than we do about surgical neutering.

Choosing For Your Dog

So in the end, should you neuter your dog, zeuter him, or leave him intact and manage him carefully? There are a lot of factors to consider, and the right decision will vary from situation to situation.

If behavioral changes are your biggest concern, your best bet is always to choose an animal who is well suited to your lifestyle and to invest time into a good training program. However, neutering may help, as may zeutering.

More and more owners say that the health benefits offered by testosterone are their priority, and so they are leaving their male dogs intact. They should be aware that the intended benefits remain the topic of much discussion and study and few conclusions.
If your veterinarian offers zeutering, ask about her experience with the product and the procedure; personally, I would have a dog zeutered only by someone who is familiar with the procedure. When the product has been on the market for a decade or two, experience will tell us a lot – and who knows, there may be other options by then.

The History of Zeuterin

The drug now called Zeuterin(TM) was briefly on the market a decade ago. Then called Neutersol, the drug was sold to veterinarians with little training or support. Many dogs suffered adverse reactions (such as inflamed testicles, which then required a far more invasive surgery than a conventional castration). The resulting poor reputation of the drug led to the 2005 death of the company then making and marketing the product, about two years after the product’s introduction.

Ark Sciences, of Irvington, New York, was founded in 2007 by Joe Tosini, an original investor in Neutersol. Tosini believes strongly in the product’s promise, but says that it was rolled out incorrectly. Under Tosini, Ark Sciences bought the rights to Neutersol, and built a team of advisors to help him resubmit the product for FDA approval (which it achieved in August 2012) and to relaunch the product with a vastly improved strategy. Ark Sciences requires veterinarians who want to provide zeutering services to their clients to complete a five-hour course – encompassing a two-hour online course, and three hours of hands-on training (which includes injecting the drug into several dogs).

Ark Sciences has also limited its recommendations for the procedure to dogs between three and 10 months of age who have two fully descended testicles in the scrotum, healthy scrotal skin, and no testicular abnormalities, such as pre-existing fibrosis, tumors, or transmissible venereal tumors (TVT).

According to the company’s online FAQs: “While adverse reactions requiring medical treatment occurred in only 1.1% of the dogs, there were minor reactions observed in 6.3% of dogs during the FDA study. Local reactions included testicular swelling (normal reaction to the injection), pain (dogs may resist sitting or may sit with both hind legs open), biting and licking at the scrotum, swelling of the prepuce and irritation, dermatitis, ulceration, infection, dryness or bruising of the scrotum. Systemic reactions included an increase in the white blood cell count, vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite), lethargy (tiredness or abnormal attitude), and diarrhea.

“Most reactions were seen within the first seven days after the injection. Over 93% of dogs did not show any signs of post procedure pain. When pain was detected, it was most commonly seen in the first two days. No pain management medications were used in the study. Vomiting was most commonly seen on the day of the injection (within one minute and four hours after the injection). It is recommended to withhold food for 12 hours prior to injection to help prevent vomiting, which occurred in 4% of dogs. Your dog’s testicles may remain slightly enlarged but non-painful for a few months after the injection. Proper injection technique and owner observation post-injection is critical to avoid any potential undesirable side effects.”

Other Nonsurgical Contraception Innovations for Dogs

Zeuterin is a major new product, but there are other products under development that may eventually offer additional options for non-surgical contraception. The two main approaches are chemical contraception, such as Zeuterin or hormonal birth control, and immunocontraception, which actually uses the body’s own immune system against part of the reproductive system.

For example, GonaCon is a vaccine that teaches the immune system to target GnRH, the “master hormone” of reproduction. This product has been tested in cats and deer, and usually lasts for several years. Unfortunately, early versions had unacceptable side effects in dogs. It doesn’t provide 100 percent reliable contraception, so while it’s useful for feral animals, it’s not yet ready for use in companion animals.

Another immunocontraceptive that has been used with some success in wild horses is a vaccine for females that works against the zona pellucida, the coating around the egg. This vaccine has been tested in cats with poor results. It hasn’t yet been used in dogs.

Some types of hormonal birth control, such as deslorelin, can be implanted into male or female dogs to provide long term but reversible contraception. Like GonaCon, deslorelin targets GnRH, at the top of the reproductive system. This product is marketed for ferrets and horses, and is not commonly used in dogs. Additionally, as with any hormonal birth control, it can have side effects.

Because surgical spays and neuters are so well accepted in the U.S., there is not a lot of pressure to find alternatives in dogs. Most research is targeted at populations that cannot easily be reached with surgery, such as feral cats and horses, and wild deer. There is some interest in finding non-surgical solutions for feral dogs in other countries, but very little funding for such research.

For more information, keep an eye on the Alliance for Contraception in Dogs & Cats. This non-profit organization helpfully provides detailed analyses of various products that are available and will keep you up to date about any news in this very interesting and underserved field.

Jessica Hekman, DVM, MS completed her shelter medicine internship at the University of Florida’s Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program in 2013. She is now studying the genetics of dog behavior in Illinois, where she lives with her husband and three dogs. You can learn more about Dr. Hekman at her blog, dogzombie.blogspot.com, a blog about dog brains and behavior (and sometimes shelter medicine), or follow her on Twitter @dogzombieblog.

Stand-Up Paddleboarding With Your Dog

By
Lisa Lyle Waggoner
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[Updated February 6, 2019]

I’m a water-loving girl. I have a water-loving dog. I love the outdoors. What could be better than exploring local lakes and lazy rivers with my dog on a stand-up paddleboard?

paddleboarding with a dog

A stand-up paddleboard (SUP) is similar to a surfboard, though one paddles a SUP while standing. As a former avid whitewater kayaker, when I first saw photos of people on SUPs, I thought, “Why in the world would anyone want to do that?” Where was the excitement? The adrenaline?

Fast forward a few months later, when a girlfriend twisted my arm to give stand-up paddleboarding a try on the Tennessee River, which runs through downtown Chattanooga. I quickly realized this sport was much more fun than it looked in those photos. What’s more, all of us who tried it that day enjoyed the exercise and the view from the standing position on the board, and we didn’t fall in the drink! I had a new puppy, Willow, and I immediately saw this as something that she and I could enjoy together. That did it! Knowing that I could have that kind of fun with my dog was my main motivation to get involved in this sport.

If you like the outdoors and your dog enjoys water, stand-up paddleboarding (SUPing) is a fantastic way to spend time together. The added bonus is that it’s great exercise for both of you. Standing and balancing on the board while paddling seems to work every muscle in my body, and it seems to give my dog a good physical (and mental!) workout, too. If you tire of paddling, just plop yourself down on the board and take a break. Or hop off and take a swim with your dog. It doesn’t get much better.

Stand-up paddleboarding began in the 1960s when surfers used the technique in order to take photographs of other surfers. Around 2008, SUPing became popular with the creation of new, modern boards. Since then, the sport has spread rapidly around the world. Today, you can find people and their dogs paddleboarding in oceans, streams, rivers, and lakes. Boards are designed for specific types of water – even whitewater, but always keep your dog’s safety uppermost in mind. (I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my dog in whitewater, even with her life jacket on.)

Stand-up paddleboarding is a relatively easy sport with few equipment needs. At a minimum, you need a board (with a nice-sized deck pad that extends to the bow so both you and your dog have good footing), a paddle, a personal flotation device for you, and one for your dog. I recommend that you develop your own basic stand-up paddleboarding skills and gain some confidence on the water before teaching your dog to enjoy the sport with you.

Paddleboarding Prerequisites for Your Dog

Your dog should possess a few traits and skills before you consider her seriously as a paddleboarding partner:

1. Love of the Water.

Many dogs naturally take to water and swimming, so if your dog already loves the water, fantastic. If not, you may be able to develop her enthusiasm for water. Find a lake or pool with a shallow area and bring out the fun! Pair the new experience of two or four paws in shallow water with an enjoyable game of tug, or feed your dog high-value treats while her paws are in the water.

One caveat: Don’t ever push or throw your dog in the water. Dogs are always making decisions about what’s safe and what’s not, so make sure your dog has a pleasant experience near and in the water. And some dogs might not ever take to swimming. Our 6-year-old male Australian Shepherd is one such dog; Cody is comfortable only in very shallow water. This sport would not be for him and that’s okay. There are plenty of other activities we can enjoy together that don’t involve water.

2. Ability to Swim.

Swimming didn’t come naturally to our other Aussie, Willow, either, but she developed this skill over time, and to watch her now, you would never know that she wasn’t always comfortable in water. As a pup, she liked wading in the shallows, but wouldn’t go more than belly-deep on her own. To help her gain confidence, I cradled her under her belly, let her dog-paddle for a few seconds, then quickly set her back down where her paws could touch bottom. I also used friends’ water-loving dogs to encourage Willow into the water.

A canine flotation device can help a dog feel more comfortable. There are a variety of well-made dog lifejackets available. I use the Hurtta jacket because of its secure fit, multiple buckles for adjustment, and wide, stretchable belly band. As with many dog lifejackets, the back is made with a sturdy handle that allows the handler to easily guide the dog in the water or lift the dog out of the water. If your dog jumps or falls off the board, you can use the handle to get her easily back up on the board.

3. Basic Foundation Skills.

Before paddleboarding with your dog, she should have mastered basic foundation skills such as sit, down, targeting, wait, and recall. Recall is extremely important, since your dog will be off leash before, during, and immediately after your SUPing adventures. If you’ve already done some shaping with your dog, these skills will come in handy.

Teaching Your Dog to LOVE Your Board & Paddle

Once you are confident that your dog possesses all the prerequisites for paddleboarding, use classical conditioning techniques to help your dog develop a positive association with your SUP and paddle and to think the board is the best toy in the universe. To your dog, the board and paddle are new, unusual pieces of equipment. Many dogs, including our older Aussie, Cody, shy away from a long paddle when it’s held in a vertical position. Go slowly during the introduction period and move at a pace that’s comfortable for your dog.

Because Willow is such a confident dog and was only eight months old when I began teaching her, it took just a few short sessions for her to become comfortable with the equipment. However, if your dog adjusts slowly to new, unusual things or environments, spend as much time as necessary for your dog to show you through her exuberance that she loves the board. You know that “Whoopee!” look you get when you pick up your dog’s leash? That’s the look you should get when you pull out your board.

If you have room, place your SUP and paddle inside your home in an area where your dog already enjoys spending time with you. This is a great way to pair fun experiences with your new SUP. You can play games with your dog near the board, have fun training sessions near the board, let your dog enjoy a food-stuffed Kong toy beside or on the board, and even feed your dog meals from a bowl on the board.

Do the same exercises with the paddle. When it’s time to pick up the paddle and hold it vertically, enlist the help of a friend to hold and move the paddle while you’re feeding your dog treats or playing games with her around the moving paddle. Our home is so small that bringing the board inside wasn’t an option, so I did all these things outdoors.

Once your dog is comfortable with the board inside, it’s time to do some outside training on dry land. Willow has such a positive classically conditioned response to the board that I can barely begin to pick it up before she’s trying to hop on it.

I’m a clicker trainer; I build behaviors by using the sound of a clicker as a signal to let the dog know when she does a behavior I like, and then reinforce her with a yummy piece of food. I also do a lot of shaping, which helps a dog learn to interact with new objects. Because I’ve done so much shaping with Willow, when I first placed the board on the grass, she immediately began interacting with it. I merely clicked the clicker and gave her a treat for any interaction with the board (a sniff, a nose touch, a paw up, etc.) and before long she was readily hopping onto the middle of the board.

You can use food or a toy to lure your dog on and off the board (see Photo 1, facing page), but you’ll want to remove or “fade” the use of any lures as quickly as possible, so your dog understands that it’s getting on and off the board that is being rewarded, not just following the lure.

You can use any of these techniques to encourage your dog to hop on and off the board. Once your dog is happily moving on and off the board, add some cues for getting on and off. My hop-on cue is, “Surf’s up!” and my get-off cue is “Off!”

Handy Targeting Lessons

Stand-up paddleboarding demands that you and your dog learn to balance. You are most stable when you’re standing near the middle of the board and your dog is positioned in front of you. “Targeting” is a great tool to use to get your dog to go to the best spot on the board for stability. To target, you teach your dog to touch a part of her body (usually, her nose, paw, or shoulders – whatever you choose) to your hand or an object (such as a “target stick,” a short stick with a ball on one end).

I used both nose targeting and body targeting to teach Willow where to be on the board. She already knew how to follow my hand into various positions in order to touch it with her nose. Using this technique, I taught her to walk through my legs from behind me and sit right in front of me. With her behind me, I stood with my legs wide apart, placed my target hand in front of and in between my knees, and cued her to target my hand, and then sit. Voila! She was right where she needed to be (see Photo 2). Once she was reliably moving through my legs and into a sit, I added the cue, “Peek!”

This exercise came in handy when SUP training on land to help me position her body where I wanted her to be on the board. It was also incredibly useful when we made our maiden voyage on flat water. Excited, she wanted to wander around the board, which made it challenging for me to balance. Having her target my hand was an easy way to position her so that we could successfully paddle around without falling.

Another targeting technique is to use a mat to teach your dog to put her body in a certain place. To start, you teach your dog to sit and wait with her entire body on a mat. Practice with the mat in a variety of locations in your home, outside on your porch, in your yard, on a dock, and on grass by a lake. When she understands her “go to the mat” cue, put the mat on your paddleboard – at first, on land! Because your dog has learned to sit and wait on the mat in a variety of places, the exercise should transfer well to your SUP. Begin with a mat large enough to fit your dog’s entire body, then decrease the size of the mat by cutting it into smaller and smaller pieces, until you fade it out entirely.

Achieving Balance

I’ve had Willow on all manner of wobbly, rolling surfaces since she first entered our home at nine weeks of age, so she already had good balance and was comfortable on a variety of moving surfaces before I started SUPing. When traveling and staying in hotels, I’ve had Willow hop up on a rolling luggage cart and fed her yummy treats as I slowly rolled the cart around.

If you haven’t already, help your dog become comfortable with balancing on a moving surface prior to beginning board work on the water. A couple of fun training tools are a wobble board and a FitPAWS Balance Disc. Be creative!

Time to Hit the Water!

Once you’re certain your dog is comfortable and has a positive association (that “Whoopee!” look) with the board, the paddle, and moving surfaces, it’s time for the water work.

paddleboarding with a dog

Choose a nice, warm, sunny, calm day on a flat water surface. I’m fortunate to live near many beautiful lakes, but even a small pond can work. Begin with the board partially in the water and partially on land (see Photo 3). Cue your dog to get on the board, praise her for doing so, and feed her bits of yummy food the entire time she’s on it. When she steps off, stop the “food bar,” thus classically conditioning her to better enjoy being on the board than off!

Make her time on the board only seconds at first, then slowly increase the length of time you ask her to stay on the board. You want your dog to have a positive experience, so go slowly. If at any time, she seems uncomfortable, move back to dry land beside the water and continue there until she has that “Whoopee!” look.

paddleboarding with a dog

Once your dog is comfortable with being on the board partially in the water, place the board fully in shallow water (avoiding any rocks or hard surfaces; see Photo 4. While steadying the board with your hand, cue your dog to get on the board. Be fun and upbeat, and praise and reward her as you slowly move the board around. If she hops off before you cue her to do so, no worries. Just begin again and eventually she’ll get the hang of it. If your dog seems at all uncomfortable, go back to where she was last happy and successful and spend more time on that step before proceeding.

Next, sit on the board with your dog and paddle around. Then kneel on the board and paddle around. Once your dog is comfortable riding the board with you kneeling and paddling on flat water, it’s time to stand up!

Standing and balancing with your dog on the board is a new challenge for both of you. Either one of you could lose your balance and fall off, so practice doing some fake falls (or just jumping in)and make it a fun experience for both of you. That way, when the unexpected fall happens, you’ll both be better prepared.

When you’re ready to stand, come up onto all fours (both knees and both hands), positioning your knees on either side of the handle in the middle of the board. Your paddle should be perpendicular to the board and your palms should be on the paddle. Come up on one foot, then the other, by bringing your feet toward your hands. If you’re feeling a bit wobbly, your dog may be, too, so continue to be upbeat and praise your dog for being the “best dog in the whole world!”

paddleboarding with a dog

Be prepared to shift your position on the board in response to your dog’s movements. Ideally, both you and your dog will stay in one spot on the board. Make your maiden voyage very short, praising your dog the entire time, then return to your knees before getting off the board (providing more stability for both you and your dog).
It’s natural for dogs to move about the board when they’re first learning (yes, even if you’ve cued them to wait). It’s a new, unusual experience for them, so until they learn to be still, you’ll need to make minor or even major adjustments when they move unexpectedly. Remember to smile through it all!

Some dogs prefer to ride toward the bow (front) of the board. If this is the case with your dog, move backward a step or two to balance the board so that it tracks through the water with ease. Too much forward weight will cause the bow to dip under the surface. Too much weight on the stern (back of the board) will cause the stern to dip under water and the bow will be too far above the water.

Safety First Always!

As I mentioned earlier, before you ever invite your dog to join you on a SUP, it’s imperative that you are comfortable on your board and that you have practiced falling off and getting back on. The more experience you have with practice falls, the better you’ll be when the unexpected happens. Always have yo¬¬¬ur dog wear a lifejacket, no matter how well she swims, since you may find yourself having so much fun that you paddle far from shore. Make it a habit to check the weather forecast before you head out. Take the right clothing for the weather, and always remember to bring drinking water for you and your dog.

Ready to Give It A Try?

If you think you might enjoy this sport, try renting a SUP first; most surf shops now rent paddleboards and there are many niche SUP shops popping up all over the country, especially in areas with lakes and rivers. Take advantage of a day’s rental and find out how fun SUPing can be. If you really like it, then you can look for a paddleboard to buy (new or used; don’t forget craigslist.org!), and start honing your skills on the water while doing dry-land training with your dog. Before you know it, you’ll be SUPing into the sunset with your favorite furry friend on board.

Video Links & Recommended Equipment

Video of Stand-up paddleboarding for beginners
Stand-up Paddlingboarding Basics
How to Choose a Paddleboard

Using social facilitation to help a dog learn to love water
youtube.com/watch?v=qeOzv1-T7Fs
youtube.com/watch?v=amUuNFaBgSU

Safety and comfort with doggie life jacket
tinyurl.com/swimmingpractice

Hand Targeting on Maiden Voyage
youtube.com/watch?v=zfYDuhf6bwQ

Recommended Equipment

The following prices are for new equipment. Buying used equipment can help reduce your investment.

Stand-up paddleboard $600 – $1,500
Boards with extended deck pads are preferable so that your dog has a safe, non-slippery area.

If the deck pad doesn’t extend to the bow, a textured surface on the bow is preferred, though you can add deck padding to either a textured or slick bow.
Length/weight of the board depends on combined weight of you and your dog.

Paddle $80 – $225

Personal Flotation Device (pfd) for your dog $25 – $75

PFD for you $50 – $200
A paddleboard is considered a vessel by the U.S. Coast Guard, whose regulations require that adults have a Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, or III personal flotation device (PFD) on board when paddling beyond the limits of swimming or surfing areas.

Proper clothing
You’ll need different clothing depending on the weather (wetsuit or drysuit for colder weather, T-shirt and shorts or bathing suit for warmer weather).

Whistle and light $5 each
These are safety measures should you need to summon help and/or are unexpectedly caught out after dark. There are many waterproof LED lights available for various sports (such as bicycling).

Safety Leash/tether $14 – $30
A safety leash or tether is recommended in any type of moving water or in ocean surf. If you fall off your board, the ankle leash keeps your board near you. Coiled and uncoiled leashes are available. These are not necessary for lake paddling, though they’re nice to have if you’re on a slow-moving river or in the ocean.

Drinking Water for you and your dog $30 and up
If you paddleboard in salt water, brackish water, or potentially polluted water, bring clean drinking water for your dog, as well as a collapsible bowl. You can carry the water in a collapsible water bottle or wearable hydration pack (such as Camelbak, etc.).

First-aid kit $15 and up 
Should include sunscreen, emergency contact info, your dog’s info (including vaccination records) and your vet’s contact info.

Dry bag $3 – $25
These are the perfect thing for holding snacks for you and your dog, as well as dry clothing. I’ve used water resistant “dry bags” from Walmart that cost only $3 and worked fine, although they were never submerged (the real test of a quality dry bag). More expensive models designed for kayaking and other water sports can be submerged and still keep their contents dry.

Stay tuned for Lisa Lyle Waggoner’s Stand-Up Paddleboarding DVD from Tawzer Dog, which will be available before the end of 2014.

A passionate advocate for humane, science-based dog training, Lisa Lyle Waggoner is a CPDT-KA, a Pat Miller Certified Trainer Level 2, a Pat Miller Level 1 Canine Behavior & Training Academy instructor, and a dog*tec Dog Walking Academy Instructor. The founder of Cold Nose College in Murphy, North Carolina, Lisa provides behavior consulting and training solutions to clients in the tri-state area of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. 

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