We’ve reviewed dog foods annually for 17 years now, and we try, every year, to tell you something new about the food you feed (or should be feeding!) your dog, something you may not have known before. We also tell you how we define and identify good-quality foods, and how to tell them apart from the products of lesser quality. And finally, we give you a list of foods that meet all of our selection criteria and meet our approval. We’re doing all that again this year, but in a slightly different format.
There are a lot of different factors that should be considered when selecting the right food for your dog. The most important ones, in our opinion, are the ingredients in the food themselves, which is why we spend so much time through the course of the year and space in the magazine talking about dog food ingredients. On the facing page, we have again listed the “things to look for” (desirable traits) on a dog food ingredients list, as well as “things to look out for” (undesirable traits). This really is the most important information to know about choosing good (healthy) dog foods.
If a food doesn’t have good ingredients, there is no point in talking about where it’s made, where you have to go to buy it, whether it is grain-free or not, how much fat is in it, whether the company that makes it has ever had a recall, or how much it costs. Learning to look at the ingredients panel before you buy is half the battle; the other half is identifying good ingredients (so you can buy that food) and bad ingredients (so you can avoid buying that food).
For some of you, this will be brand-new information. If you’ve never before looked past the pretty pictures on the label of your dog’s food – the juicy steaks, glistening cubes of pink chicken breast, dewy carrots, steaming bowls of rice, and so on – to look at the extremely fine print of the actual ingredients list, you may be shocked to see that what’s actually in the bag is mostly corn, with steak flavor, chicken by-product meal, carrot powder, and brewers rice.
Those of you veteran label readers, we salute you! Your reward is a lot of new information about the foods you should (if you don’t already) love, buy, and feed your dog (shouldn’t all of those always be the same thing?).
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The Arctic weather plaguing much of the country wreaks havoc with our dogs, too. Paws get frozen quickly in temperatures like these. Snow between your dog’s foot pads can cause frostbite and lameness, and crusted snow and ice can easily cut his feet. Trim the excess hair from the footpads and toes of longhaired dogs; this will make it easier to remove ice and snow.
Better yet, use booties for the best foot protection. Don’t be disappointed if your dog high-steps around in protest when you put them on; most dogs resist booties at first, but they typically quickly desensitize to the footwear when a fun outing is on the horizon. A variety of windproof and waterproof coats for your dog are available on the market and worth looking into if your dog has a very short coat, doesn’t do well in cold temperatures, or you plan on making frequent stops during your outing.
Your local pet supply store may have cold-weather gear for dogs – and if they have good stuff, bless their hearts. It’s far more common to see “dress up” booties that are supposed to be cute but are useless in real world conditions. Active canine winter gear found on skijoring or mushing websites or outlets that specialize in equipment for human-canine athletic teams who participate in winter sports is the best bet. Their equipment is usually field-tested in severe conditions – a good testimony to the durability and function of the products.
Due to the fringe nature of most of these sports, most companies that sell such specialized equipment are small businesses owned and operated by enthusiasts of these sports; these folks tend to welcome interest in the products they offer and will be incredibly helpful in guiding you to what you need. A few good sites to explore include:
Various companies gauge their boot sizes differently. Some measure from the heel of the pad to the tip of the toe, others include the toenail length in the size (probably a more appropriate measure, since not accounting for the nail could put excess pressure on the toes). A few brands measure size by the dog’s weight – in our opinion, an inaccurate system of measurement, since a dog’s weight can vary although his foot size does not.
Anyone who has ever struggled to put shoes on a baby (it’s pointless, but fashionable!) will immediately understand the challenge inherent in putting boots on dogs: They don’t have a clue that a little pushing down movement with their feet would make your job a million times easier. Fortunately, with a little practice, you get better at getting the boots on quickly. Just watch out for those dewclaws, if your dog has them.
Dogs are unaccustomed to having something attached to their feet, so don’t be alarmed if your canine pal acts like his legs are broken when you first try his boots on him. It can be amusing to watch your dog try to walk without putting his feet down. One of our dogs tried to take several steps while holding both hind legs off the ground. (It didn’t work.)
Your dog should quickly adapt to the strangeness of shoes on his feet and begin to walk normally again. Be sure to administer plenty of treats when you put boots on paws so your dog learns to happily anticipate their application. If he always wears his boots when he goes for a hike, they will become a reliable predictor of great times, and he will get as excited about seeing them in your hand as he does his leash.
When you first go out with boots on your dog, keep him with you on leash. You may have to readjust the boot straps a couple of times until you get them snug enough to stay on. If Ranger loses a boot when he is deep in the woods you’re not likely to find it again!
Note: Dogs cool themselves by perspiring through their pads. If you are using boots in warm weather, be sure to take breaks and remove the boots from time to time to prevent overheating.
Every dog owner knows that getting rid of fleas can be one of the biggest challenges of dog-keeping. Few people know, however, that the process can also be the most damaging to their dog’s health. Specifically, the use of insecticides on the dog and all around the dog’s environment can cause nerve and liver damage, impair the immune system, and even cause cancer. And you have to wonder – if these effects have been noted in dogs, what effects do all these toxins have on the people who live with the dogs?
It’s a real problem, because if you have fleas in your home, you have to do something. They can make your dog (and you and your family) miserable through their tiny but painful bites, as well as the allergic reactions that many people and dogs develop to flea saliva. They are prolific, producing thousands of eggs during their three- to four-month life span. In ideal conditions the cycle takes just two weeks, from egg-laying to larvae to pupae to hatched fleas capable of laying eggs of their own.
The chemical approach to flea control can involve use of a panoply of toxic powders, shampoos, sprays, bombs, dips, and collars. Not incidentally, it’s probably the casual use and mixing of several of these products that can pose the biggest challenge to the dog’s health, as his body strives to deal with his exposure to several different types of toxins.
You have adopted your Do-Over Dog, brought him home, helped him adjust to the new changes in his world, instituted necessary management procedures, and started on an appropriate training program. In the best of all worlds, that would be all you’d need. But most Do-Over Dogs were in shelters for a reason. There are often behavior challenges that go beyond the simple need for basic good manners training.
Pre-owned dogs are more often than not surrendered to or left unclaimed at shelters and rescue facilities because of one or more difficult behaviors that the prior owner wouldn’t, or couldn’t, manage or modify. Even when the reason for surrender is “moving” or “landlord issues,” there is often some underlying behavior challenge that prompted the owner to give his dog up rather than make the effort to find new living arrangements that could include the dog.
Some of the problem behaviors are “minor,” relatively insignificant, easy to manage or modify, and/or not even a problem at all for you. People have different tolerance levels for different dog behaviors and what may seem perfectly normal and acceptable to you may have been a deal-breaker for the prior owner. Some behaviors are major, requiring a long-term strong commitment to management and/or modification. Perhaps you were informed about difficult behaviors before you made the decision to adopt – and perhaps you’ve discovered one or more behavior challenges after the fact. Perhaps you’re still discovering.
I cannot give you a timetable or predict how long it will take for you to resolve your dog’s problem behaviors. There are many variables that enter into the equation, including your dog’s past history (which you may have little or no knowledge of), what his behavior issues are, how strong the genetic influence, how long he’s been practicing inappropriate behaviors, and how successful they’ve been for him, as well as your own skill and commitment to applying management and modification protocols and the resources you have at your disposal. Many canine behavior problems are related at least in part to stress – the more stress, the greater the likelihood of significant problems. Most Do-Over Dogs have had more than their share of stress in their lives, and behaviors that may have been mildly inappropriate at one time may have intensified with several rehomings or in a stressful shelter/kennel environment.
I have fostered a lot of adolescent dogs for my local shelter, dogs who are really sweet individuals who have been in the shelter for months and months without getting adopted. Usually they are the ones who have personality quirks (and sometimes, quirky looks) that make it difficult for them to get adopted. And their behavior, especially after months in the shelter, is almost always rather unacceptable – to people and to other dogs. While shelter volunteers may have been working with them to learn to offer a calm sit, the shelter has few enough experienced volunteers to also work with them on more advanced behaviors, such as leash manners. They often don’t know anything about living with humans in homes; they can’t get that from the time in the shelter kennels, and few seem to have prior experience in homes from their pre-shelter lives. And as far as their dog-dog interpersonal skills — many shelter dogs seem to develop a sort of frantic, “close talker” personality from living in such close, loud quarters at the shelter. They often need some time – months, even — with normal dogs, in a more normal setting, to re-learn normal canine communication protocols.
My dogs, 70-pound mixed-breed Otto and 10-pound Chihuahua-mix Tito, bear the brunt of these fostering efforts. They often function as grumpy uncles, correcting these wayward adolescent dogs at every turn: NO, you don’t run right up into my face; NO, you cannot just bash into me; NO, you are not allowed to take just any bowl or any toy, you have to ask permission. I can count on both of my dogs to make appropriate corrections without hurting the foster dogs; both have excellent bite inhibition, so even a growl and snap that looks dramatic never breaks the skin, and of course dogs have better timing than we do at meting out an appropriate correction at the exact moment of the infraction. All of this is really good training for frantic, blundering dogs who need to learn to slow down, be calm, and mind their manners.
But right now I am fostering a puppy! This pup, Cole, has been selected by my son, and he’s getting a one-month head start in training before my son takes custody and continues his education.
I almost never foster puppies. They find their way out of the shelter with nobody’s help. They are the equivalent of the new iPads – stand back and watch them fly off the shelves. (Of course, we will be seeing quite a few of them again in six or nine months, when all those people who wanted a puppy but didn’t take the time or learn anything about raising puppies correctly end up with an untrained, unsocialized adolescent. Then I see them back at the shelter.)
Cole is darling, sweet, smart – and for a puppy (he’s 4 or 5 months old), extremely well-mannered with humans and dogs alike. But my “grumpy uncles” cannot seem to get out of “here we go, training another jerk” mindset and loosen up and just play with poor Cole. The hapless puppy is trying in every conceivable way to get some games going, but they want him to just lie on his dog bed and chew his chewie. Ha! Not what puppies are all about.
I’ve been taking him out for long walks daily, and sometimes I meet one or another friend and her dogs, so he’s had 5 different canine trail-walking partners. None of them want to play, either! I don’t get it; he’s giving very respectful, very appropriate play signals. And while all of these adult dogs are nice to him, none of the adults want to play; they want to take their hike.
I appreciate my dogs giving poor Cole some manners training, but I realized how much he’s missing out on when I took him to visit some friends over the Christmas break. At one home: a one-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer; at another home, a two-year-old Chihuahua/Fox Terrier/who know-mix (one of my former fosters, actually). Both dogs wanted to play with Cole, and he played with them until he literally dropped: bite-face, wrestling, I’ll-chase-you-then-you-chase-me, tug of war, and more bite-face. He had a blast. And then came home to being a social leper again.
The experience reminded me (I haven’t had a puppy in so long!) that it’s not enough to socialize a pup to adults; it’s also important to socialize them with other pups and friendly young dogs, so they will keep honing their play skills and communication abilities with other playful dogs. If they grow up with no opportunities to play, and they meet a dog who does want to play, they may not know how to act and behave defensively. I need to get him out to play with more playful dogs and puppies. Fortunately, there is an excellent trainer nearby who has a weekly puppy social; I need to get him over there.
The experience also made me realize that Otto used to play with my foster dogs (after a few days of manners training), and for whatever reason, he doesn’t want to anymore. Is he getting too old? (Six years… that seems too young to me to not want to play.) Is he sore or hurting somewhere? (He still runs and jumps and climbs on off-leash walks; I don’t think it is a physical problem.) Or is he just tired of fostering? It’s possible, and something I’ll need to think about more.
A few weeks ago, the talk of the dog-related section of the Internet was Trifexis, the oral flea-control medication introduced a year or so ago by Elanco Animal Health. News reports alleged that more than 700 dogs have been killed by adverse reactions to this drug.
To verify that number, I looked to the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the agency responsible for collecting and analyzing reports of adverse effects of veterinary drugs on animals. (Trifexis is an oral medication with a systemic activity. As I reported in the January issue of WDJ, systemically active insecticides and other oral medications meant for use in dogs are regulated as “drugs” by FDA CVM; in contrast, most topical pesticides are regulated in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The notable exceptions are Advantage Multi and Revolution; their ability to kill the L3 and L4 [larval] stages of heartworm and intestinal worms is due to a systemic action, so they are regulated by the FDA.)
The CVM maintains an “adverse drug event” (ADE) database in order “to provide an early warning or signaling system to CVM for adverse effects not detected during pre-market testing of FDA-approved animal drugs and for monitoring the performance of drugs not approved for use in animals.” CVM scientists use the ADE database to make decisions about product safety, which may include changes to the label or other regulatory action.
Analysis of the CVM ADE reports involving Trifexis are made more complicated than usual because the CVM is transitioning from compiling data from reports received on paper to an all-electronic reporting system, and the release of Trifexis occurred in the middle of that process. Some of the reports have been captured by the paper process, and some by the electronic process.
Jim Strickland, a reporter for a TV news station in Atlanta, WSB-TV 2, has been following the story closely, after he received reports from local dog owners about dogs who died following the administration of Trifexis. He was able to obtain both sets of CVM ADE reports, containing data as current as November 14, 2013, concerning Trifexis. (Here is a link to Strickland’s story, which contains links to those ADE reports.)
If you look at the reports and do some addition, you will see that indeed, there have been about 660 dog deaths reported to the CVM by owners and veterinarians who were concerned that a previous administration of Trifexis might have been involved or solely responsible. (About 392 of those were listed as “death”; 259 were “death by euthanasia.”)
But the main thing that struck me as I was looking at the reports is — what a mess the reporting system is! Also, that there is no end to the ways that humans can screw up the administration of medications – so, there is also no end to the ways that they can screw up the reporting of adverse events.
Contained within the reports are statistics for side effects that cats (and even one fish) suffered when administered this canine medication; side effects suffered by dogs where the route of administration was “intraocular” or “ophthalmic” (both words would suggest the tablet was somehow put in the dog’s eyes) or cutaneous (on the dog’s skin); many reports in which the route of administration was not included at all; side effects suffered by humans who consumed the medication; and even side effects suffered by humans who suspected that getting the tablet on their skin was the cause.
Then there are the problems related to language. Symptoms don’t get properly tallied because various words are used to describe what is certainly the same thing: “emesis” in some reports, “vomiting” in others; “lack of efficacy” in some, “ineffectiveness” in others; “decreased appetite,” “not eating,” “anorexia”…the list goes on and on.
While the “paper reporting” system is older, it appears to be more accurate in these tallies, probably because CVM vets are reading the reports and translating some of these various terms into more consistent language.
The symptoms and numbers tallied in these reports can be alarming, but some perspective is needed. Along with the reports released to the WSB-TV reporter, the CVM released a statement that contained language (also found elsewhere on its website) that cautioned readers to infer too much from raw data:
“When reviewing the cumulative summaries listing, the reader should be aware that:
• For any given ADE report, there is no certainty that the reported drug caused the adverse event. The adverse event may have been related to an underlying disease, using other drugs at the same time, or other non-drug related causes. The cumulative summaries listing does not include information about underlying diseases, other drugs used at the same time, other non-drug related causes, or the final outcome of the reaction. [Editor’s note: In other words, some of these dogs should not have been given the drug, due to known adverse drug interactions or other contraindications.]
• The accuracy of information regarding the ADE is dependent on the quality of information received from the veterinarian or animal owner.
• Accumulated ADE reports should not be used to calculate incidence rates or estimates of drug risk, because there is no accurate way to determine how many animals were given the drug, which is needed as the denominator in calculations of incidence and relative risk.
• Underreporting occurs with most adverse event reporting systems. The frequency of reporting for a given drug product varies over time, and may be greater when the drug is newly marketed, or when media publicity occurs.”
The ADEs also do not specify whether the correct dosage was administered to the dog (was the Chihuahua given the German Shepherd’s pill by mistake? did the dog eat a whole package of the medication? Did the owner misunderstand the directions and feed the wrong number of pills?), or whether the dog was already old or ill or otherwise a poor candidate for the medication.
I’m definitely concerned about the ADE reports about Trifexis – one can’t help it, when imagining all the dogs suffering all the symptoms reported in the ADEs. I strongly encourage dog owners to report any adverse effects to the CVM – as accurately as possible! – if their dogs suffer an adverse reaction to Trifexis or any other medication. And I strongly advise dog owners to take heed of the warnings we gave in the January issue – pointers on how to safely administer Trifexis and any other topical or oral flea control medication or pesticide (including many tips on what dogs should not receive these medications, and how to use them as minimally as possible). But I also recommend that the numbers be taken with a grain of salt; it’s very, very raw data.
My son, a senior in college, has been counting the days until he can have a dog of his own. For like, the past seven years.
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You see, he’s one of those children of divorce, so he split his time between mom’s house and dad’s house – and when he was in high school, he said he didn’t want to make a dog move back and forth, or stay with one parent without him every other week. (There’s a little shot of guilt for ya, mom and dad!) And then in college, he lived in the dorms for a year, and then in apartments that didn’t allow dogs for the next two years. This year, he rented a house that does allow dogs, but he went abroad for school for the first quarter (someone else is living in his room in the house until he gets back).
All fall, from Barcelona, he’s been looking at dogs and puppies on the website for my local shelter, and occasionally asking if I would go meet one dog or another and report back to him on its potential as the perfect dog for him. Well, a month before it was really perfectly convenient, he spotted quite the candidate: a four-month-old pup from an American Black and Tan coonhound mom, and with what must be a Labrador dad. He looks like a slightly lankier black Lab, with longer, silkier ears. And the most devastatingly gorgeous eyes.
Yes, I went down to meet the puppy, and I brought the puppy home. And the puppy is not going back to the shelter – even if Otto and Tito would strongly prefer this to occur. He is nearly perfect: interested and curious, friendly and brave, but not hyper or witless. He’s very quickly learning dog manners from my dogs and my friends dogs, the ones I walk with weekly; all the dogs are friendly but firm. They let him know, gently but firmly, when he’s being rude or even just a bit less than perfectly respectful. And he’s learning to sleep in a crate, to potty on cue, to walk politely on a leash, to stick with me off-leash, to come when called, to “drop it” in trade for something nice (about 20 times a day), and so on.
I have to say, after fostering so many adolescent and untrained adult dogs, working with the clean slate of a smart, sensitive, confident puppy is an absolute joy. And it’s going to be a even bigger joy, just after the start of the new year, to hand over a well-started puppy to my smart, dog-savvy, responsible boy, who has waited so long in order to do everything just right for his perfect dog.
I cringe internally when a client tells me she free-feeds her dog—that is, keeps the bowl on the floor filled with kibble all the time. I’m a strong believer in feeding meals for a number of reasons, in addition to the medical fact that a dog’s digestive system is designed more to gorge than to graze. There are numerous advantages to feeding your dog specific amounts of food at specific times:
You can monitor intake. If you feed meals, you’ll know the instant Buster goes off his feed – sometimes the first sign that he’s not feeling well.
You minimize your dog’s opportunities to guard his food.
You can utilize feeding time as training time.
You can take advantage of feeding time to reinforce your role as the higher-ranking member of your social group. You can’t be the “alpha dog” – your dog knows you’re not a dog – but you are a member of his social group.
You know when he’s full, and when he’s empty. Your training sessions are more likely to be successful if you train when Buster’s stomach is empty rather than full.
You can use his meals as training treats.
You can control your dog’s weight.
You may spark his appetite. People with fussy eaters often make the mistake of leaving food out constantly. The dog grazes all day, never gets hungry, thus never gets eager for food.
Every so often, I remember to make space at the bottom of this page to print WDJ’s mission statement – mostly to help new readers understand where we’re coming from. Long-time readers don’t need to see it in every issue; it hasn’t changed since it was written, some 17 years ago. Our overall goal is to offer owners well-researched information about training methods, diets, and healthcare practices that give maximally benefit dogs with a minimum of harm. To that end, we embrace and recommend both home-prepared (the ideal) and the best of commercial diets, conventional veterinary medicine and complementary and alternative treatments. (We don’t advocate training that hurts or scares dogs; so much for our “balance” on that point.)
Because we so frequently explain and advocate for “alt/comp” remedies such as acupuncture, massage, herbs, and so on, some people mistakenly assume we are opposed to conventional medical treatments including vaccines, heartworm preventative medications, and pesticides.
In truth, we are opposed only to over-vaccination, the use of heartworm preventatives in parts of the country and at times in the year when heartworm is not a threat, and the use of pesticides when pests are not present. We are totally for minimal, least-harm use of the most effective tools that are available for your dogs’ long-term benefit.
It’s a middle way – a fine line – but we think that smart dog owners are capable of walking it with us. It does require some thought and effort, however, and owners who are willing and able to take responsibility for protecting and defending their dogs’ health – which can be challenging at times. It’s far easier to comply with every recommendation that your veterinarian might make (such as low-quality prescription diets instead of home-prepared, or year-round spot-on treatments for fleas, heartworm, and intestinal worms, even for elderly apartment-dwelling city dogs) and let him deal with any potential problems that arise. It’s also easy to state that you are “against” vaccines and pesticides – until your dog is dying of distemper, or is wearing a cone because flea bites have tormented him the point of chewing huge, weeping wounds all over his body.
There are other publications for ideologues and purists – both the conventional veterinary crowd, who wouldn’t consider a chiropractor for their dog no matter how crippled with back pain he might be, as well as the “completely natural” dog nuts who think that truly healthy dogs can fight off any disease or parasite. (If he gets infected with disease or parasites, well, he must not have been truly healthy – it was probably those vaccines he got at the shelter six years ago, ya know.) If this is how you think, WDJ is probably not for you.
But if you are willing to read (and heed) the warnings on a pesticide label; question, discuss, and sometimes, challenge your veterinarian’s recommendations; seek out effective complementary or alternative treatments when they are gentler or less harmful than the conventional remedies – well, you’re our kind of dog owner. Welcome!
In some parts of the world, I hear, fleas are not much of a problem. I’ve never been to those parts of the world. If you and your dogs live there, I suggest that you never relocate. Fleas cause dozens of canine health problems, from severe allergies (more dogs are allergic to flea bites than to anything else), damaged skin, infections and “hot spots,” worn teeth (from chewing the itchy flea bites), anemia (from a heavy infestation), and tapeworms (tapeworm larvae are often present inside fleas; when dogs consume infected fleas in the process of chewing their flea bites, they unwittingly become tapeworm hosts, as the worms develop in their digestive tract). And of course, fleas can also torment other household members, especially felines and humans.
Depending on where you live, fleas might be a minor seasonal irritation or a serious year-round problem. Some dog owners are able to control occasional infestations with nothing more than a flea comb and intensive house-cleaning. (For the uninitiated, flea combs have very fine teeth that are so close together that fleas get lodged between the teeth when you comb the dog, enabling you to trap and kill the offending insects. And one can stop a flea population from expanding if you vacuum, mop, and wash the dog’s bedding frequently – like, daily for a few weeks. Water kills flea larvae and eggs.)
But if your infestation is more serious, or your dog is super-allergic to flea bites, you may consider buying and using one of the many chemical treatments that kill or control fleas.
Of course, every product on the market has the potential for harm. Some can make certain dogs sick; some are toxic to cats; some may even pose risks to children or chemically sensitive humans in your home. But all of the products listed here are safe for most dogs (and other household members) most of the time – when used strictly as directed, and never when contraindicated.
It’s incumbent on you, however, as your dog’s guardian, to do everything in your power to educate yourself thoroughly about the products available for treating a flea infestation. Because it’s completely possible to poison your dog with a product that your best friend – or even your veterinarian! – recommended and used on their own dogs.
Oral and Spot-On Flea Medications
We’re going to discuss just two kinds of flea-control products here: oral medications and spot-on products made by the most reputable and responsible manufacturers.
There are two reasons we are excluding all the flea-killing shampoos, sprays, powders, dips, and most collars – as well as ALL the low-budget spot-ons – that are available to dog owners:
1) Almost all of these products are less effective than the products we will discuss.
2) Almost all of these products are more dangerous (more toxic) than the products we will discuss.
In fact, many products on the market are excluded by virtue of both of the two reasons listed above. We don’t recommend using any flea-control products other than the ones that appear on the next few pages – and we implore you to use them exactly as directed.
Our Flea Treatment Recommendations and Warnings
The following are our suggestions for using the most effective flea-control products on the market in the safest ways possible.
Use the Least Toxic, Simplest Product Needed
If fleas are the only insect threat to your dog, use a product that addresses fleas only. If ticks are also a problem for your dog, using a product that is made to protect him from both pests is more prudent than risking a toxic drug interaction from using two incompatible pesticides.
The same goes for a product that also offers protection from heartworm and/or intestinal worms; use one of these multi-target products if it’s needed, but don’t subject a dog who has little risk of exposure to these additional parasites to a combination product if you don’t have to.
Also, be aware that some products are highly problematic when used in combination with other pesticides. Combining spinosad (the flea control ingredient in Comfortis and Trifexis) with the high doses of ivermectin and milbemycin oxime used to treat demodectic and sarcoptic mange increases the potential for neurological side effects. Use with caution in dogs with the MDR1 mutation for the same reason.
Use These Products Infrequently, Only as Needed
The product manufacturers would love to have you administer their wares once a month, every month; their bias is profit-motivated. We recommend using them as infrequently as you can get away with. However, if you use a multi-target product for say, fleas and heartworm prevention, and you don’t need it for fleas anymore, don’t leave your dog unprotected against heartworm; use another preventative aimed at just heartworm.
Read the Entire Label, Note All Cautions, Follow All Directions
“Why should I bother? I bought this from my veterinarian!” you say. Vets and their staff members are busy, and they may not have ever read the entire label – or be familiar with your dog’s medical history – to know that a certain product is contraindicated for your dog. Pay special attention to the sections of the label and package insert that discuss “Warnings” and “Safety.” If, based on your reading, you think the product could pose a problem for your dog, don’t administer it. Instead, call your vet and discuss it with her before proceeding (or returning the product).
Be Especially Cautious If Your Dog Has Any Medical Concerns
Certain types of dogs are far more prone to experiencing adverse reactions, including death, to flea-killing products than others. Frequently mentioned on label cautions are dogs who are old, sick, debilitated, underweight, medicated, very young, or very small. Additionally, the safety of many products has not been established for dogs who are used for breeding (actually, it’s their offspring that are likely to suffer).
Use the Smallest Effective Dose of Pesticide Indicated
If your dog weighs 47 lbs, and the product you want to use is available only in doses for dogs who weigh 20-50 lbs and 50-80 pounds, choose the product for the smaller dog. If your dog is extremely small, less than 8 lbs, say, and the smallest dose of the product you are considering can treat dogs up to 25 lbs. look for a different product, one with a smaller range of doses. Extremely small dogs have more adverse reactions than larger dogs, and these inadvertent doses of 2-3 times what they really need definitely contribute to the problems. (Products containing permethrin, in particular, seem to be especially problematic for small dogs, even when dosed according to label instructions. Err on the side of caution.)
Don’t Mix Flea Control Medications
If a product is meant to be administered once a month, don’t use it more frequently than that, and don’t use any other product in that time span, either. A product can be both ineffective for its intended use and potentially harmful to your dog.
If Your Dog Takes Other Medications, Don’t Give Him Flea Control Drugs
The makers of these products have been criticized for not being as explicit or thorough as they could be in their lists of contraindications. Consider every medication your dog takes, and choose a product accordingly. For example, products containing amitraz (such as Certifect) should not be used on “medicated” dogs, such as those with diabetes or heart problems; amitraz, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), can be dangerous when combined with antidepressants (such as those used to treat separation anxiety), Anipryl (used for canine cognitive dysfunction and Cushing’s disease), and DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA), used to treat chronic pain.
Flea Control for Dogs Poses Special Risk to Cats
Some of these products are especially toxic to cats. If your cat shares bedding, sleeps in close proximity to, or licks and grooms your dog, don’t even consider any of the products that are potentially fatal to cats.
You Don’t Need to Experiment with Every New Flea Drug
Your veterinary staff may be promoting the latest, greatest product, and may have even, in their enthusiasm, stopped carrying a product that really worked well for your dog. Don’t feel pressured to switch! You can ask them to order the product that worked well for your dog in the past, or look for it at another clinic.
Clinical Tests for Flea Meds Aren’t That Thorough
The test dogs are likely laboratory animals, often of a single breed, and not necessarily exposed to the complex melange of environmental chemicals, foods, vaccines, illnesses, and medicines that dogs in a “real world” environment routinely experience.
Allow plenty of time for enough doses to be administered that the product’s safety is better established before you give it to your dog, especially if he’s a sensitive individual – very tiny or old, a cancer survivor or a breed that is prone to cancer, an epileptic or a breed that is prone to epilepsy, and so on.
Do Not “Apply and Forget” – Watch Your Dog Carefully
Monitor your dog closely for side effects or signs of sensitivity after administering the product, particularly when using the product for the first time. This means you shouldn’t administer a product right before you leave your dog with a sitter or boarding kennel and go on vacation; no one knows your dog as well as you do, and no one will notice subtle signs of an adverse reaction as quickly as you will. You might even consider using any new product early on the first day of a weekend when you will have ample opportunity to watch your dog for any signs of a bad reaction.
Take Action if Your Dog Has An Adverse Reaction to Any of These Products
If it’s a topical product, wash your dog as thoroughly as possible, paying special attention to the area where the spot-on was applied.
Then take your dog to the veterinarian for treatment, and make sure the vet enters thorough notes about the reaction in your dog’s file. Take photos and/or video of your dog that illustrate the problem he’s having. Document the purchase (save your receipts!) and application of the product; how and when did you administer it, and how and when did the adverse events begin?
Then, report the adverse event to the manufacturer and to the government agency responsible for regulating the type of product you used (see “How to Report an Adverse Reaction, below).
Don’t Repeat A Failure
If your dog had an adverse reaction to a product, don’t use that product again! And don’t use any other product that contains the same active ingredients!
You are stuck when it comes to the unspecified “other” ingredients in these products. Manufacturers are not required to disclose what these other ingredients are, even though it’s clear that they are sometimes responsible for dogs’ adverse reactions. If your dog has a bad reaction to a product, all you can do is to avoid using that product and others that contain the same “active” ingredients. (And, in case of adverse reactions to the “other,” undisclosed ingredients, you can only hope that the next product you try does not contain the same undisclosed ingredient.)
Note in your dog’s health diary about the product that you used, the amount, the date, and details about the dog’s reaction, and then refer to this before buying or using another product.
How to Report an Adverse Flea Medication Reaction
Any adverse reaction following the administration of a topical or oral medication should be reported to the product manufacturer. You can do this by calling the toll-free number on the product label. A technical services veterinarian from the company will ask a series of questions about the event, file the report internally and (must, by law) forward the report to the proper regulatory agency.
For the most part, pesticides are regulated in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, systemically active insecticides are regulated as ‘drugs’ by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). All of the orally administered products in the list attached to this page are regulated by the FDA. And most of the spot-on products also listed are regulated by the EPA. The notable exceptions are Advantage Multi and Revolution; their ability to kill the L3 and L4 (larval) stages of heartworm and intestinal worms is due to a systemic action, so they are regulated by the FDA.
Your veterinarian can also file the report, and you should ask the clinic staff to do so — veterinarians’ reports are given more credence than reports from owners by the regulatory agencies — but it’s important that you follow up to make sure it gets done. After your dog has been seen and/or treated by your vet, call and ask whether an adverse event report was filed. If you have an inkling that it hasn’t been done and isn’t going to get done, it’s important that you file one yourself.
You can also submit a report directly to the regulatory agency. Be prepared to provide solid information about when and what product was administered (it’s ideal if you have the package), as well as details about your dog’s medical history, including his age, weight, breed, all concomitant drugs he has been given and any other recent illnesses he may have had.
As an apprentice to a professional trainer in 2007, I learned to teach group good manners classes for puppies and adult dogs. Eventually I graduated to teaching group classes as a head trainer at my mentor’s facility, and started my own training business in Baltimore (Pawsitive Fit Puppy & Dog Training), offering private instruction in clients’ homes. As much as I liked the energy and excitement in group classes, and while group training classes work well for many dogs and owners, I found teaching “privates” was a better fit for me and many of my clients. Some of my private clients who previously attended group classes with other trainers realized that they (or their dogs) were not well suited for learning in a group environment. Several found classes so stressful that they dropped out before completing the course!
In-home training can be expensive, often costing several hundred dollars more than an average group training class. Some people can easily afford it, but the “sticker shock” of an initial quote for a package of private lessons may scare others away, limiting the options of many owners and dogs who could benefit from using this service. Fortunately, private trainers are often flexible in how they structure payment to make their services more financially accessible. They may discount the price of a course or package of several classes, and some offer pay-as-you-go options. While paying by the class may cost you a few dollars more than an up-front purchase of a course, it allows you to schedule sessions as your budget allows.
Also, with instruction tailored to your needs, you may need fewer sessions than the six to eight weeks required of most group classes, reducing your costs. Even if it requires some creative budgeting, in-home instruction can be a wise investment in your relationship with your dog if it is the best option for training.
Let’s look at the benefits of in-home training, for humans and dogs.
Advantages of In-Home Training for Dog Owners
I’ve learned that there are times when in-home training is simply the best alternative for dog owners. The following are just a few of those times:
When time is at a premium – It is difficult, if not impossible, for some people to commit to a seven- or eight-week training class on the same day each week. Evening work hours or weekend commitments to other family activities may coincide with the only times that group classes are offered. Many private trainers offer flexibility in appointment times from week to week, to accommodate you if you are available Tuesday morning this week, but only Wednesday evening next week.
Some families are so tightly scheduled, that simply finding time to travel to and from a training center for classes is problematic. A trainer who can come to their home, or even schedule sessions from the park where the kids’ soccer practice is being held concurrently, can make sure that the dog’s lessons don’t get lost in the shuffle.
Are you short on time for training, or looking for quicker results? “Day training,” a service offered by some in-home trainers, may be your answer. With day training, the trainer comes to your home while you are at work or otherwise occupied. The trainer works with your dog to build the foundations of the behaviors you select, usually for two to three sessions each week for several weeks. While they “install” the new behaviors, most private trainers require an additional weekly session with the owner present to teach the required skills to maintain the training.
Day training services are significantly more expensive than standard in-home classes where the owner takes an active role in all training sessions. If you hire someone else to do most of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to training your dog, prepare to pay!
Health issues – An owner may have health problems or restricted mobility, making it difficult, or even impossible, to work with her dog in a group class. Mental health issues can also make in-home training the best, or only, choice. Private trainers can work with owners who are disabled, ill, or elderly and lack the mobility or stamina needed for a group class. They are also in a better position to suggest modifications to the home environment to make it easier for an owner to navigate with their dog and manage their dog’s behavior.
Different learning styles – If you learn more easily through observation, you may respond best to watching a trainer demonstrate the skills used to teach your dog new behaviors. Perhaps you need more emphasis on detailed oral or written instructions, or prefer diving right in with some coaching from the trainer. In the client’s home, a trainer is able to adapt their teaching method, lesson plans, and expectations of progress according to your preferred style to maximize your learning potential.
The personal touch – In a private training session, the trainer focuses on only you and your dog. You have that trainer’s undivided attention to help you hone your training skills, answer any questions, and address any challenges you may have experienced while working with your dog.
Training tailored to your needs – Your dog may already know how to wait politely for the food bowl and drop items on cue, but is a disaster walking on leash and greets guests to the home with a chest bump. With personalized instruction, a trainer can create a custom curriculum that focuses on the behaviors that you consider most important.
It’s possible that your home environment poses challenges to your dog’s success that are best addressed on-site. For example, a dog might be able to learn and demonstrate perfect recalls and sit-stays in a training center or neutral setting, but be far too distracted by the barking dogs or children jumping on a trampoline next door to perform these behaviors at home. When a trainer can observe the unique training challenges present in your home, she can offer techniques for conquering them in a much more efficient way, reducing your frustration with your dog’s lack of compliance.
Force-free training classes not offered in your area – You may live in an area where the only group classes offered are old-fashioned obedience classes that use collar “corrections” or other techniques based on force and punishment. If so, look for a force-free trainer in the vicinity offering private instruction. (See “Resources,” page 13, for sources for lists of force-free trainers).
If you can’t afford the cost of a class package with a private trainer, pay for one or two sessions to start. After some initial instruction, you can train on your own, using a good basic, force-free training book for guidance (see page 13 for my recommendations). When your budget allows, you can always have the trainer back for a single session to fine-tune skills if you need to. When you have a simple training challenge, most trainers are happy to help former clients by phone or by e-mail for free or a reduced charge.
Advantages of In-Home Training for Your Dog
Sometimes it’s the dog who would benefit the most from private lessons! For example:
Dogs who are unsuited for a group class – Is your dog anxious or fearful? Easily aroused? Reactive to other dogs or strangers? Attending a group manners training class may do more harm than good. While you want to help your dog overcome his fears, exposing him to what he fears in close proximity or at a high intensity can make him even more fearful.
A dog-reactive dog in a class of dog-friendly dogs is disruptive, and possibly dangerous, to the other dogs, their owners, and the trainer. There are some wonderful group classes specifically designed for dog-reactive dogs – individuals with aggressive on-leash reactions toward other dogs. These classes are a great option if offered in your area. If not, a private trainer experienced in working with leash-aggressive dogs can help you work with your dog in real life environments. Aggressive behavior toward humans needs to be addressed in private sessions with a qualified behavior professional before considering a group class.
Dogs who are anxious or high-energy and easily aroused may feel overwhelmed in an environment as stimulating as a group class. This leads to difficulty in maintaining focus and attention; when there is no attention, there can be no training. “Cautious canines” and “hyper hounds” may be more relaxed starting training in a familiar home environment.
If you have a dog who is not suited for group classes, but still needs manners training, look for a private trainer experienced in working with difficult dogs. With your trainer’s help, you can teach your dog manners as well as addressing any behavior issue that requires special behavior modification training. Working on basic behaviors that teach your dog attention and focus (name recognition, putting attention on cue) and impulse control (stay, wait at the door, wait for food), better prepares your dog to cooperate with behavior modification training.
Dogs who are deaf, blind, or have other special needs will also do best with private, in-home training. Look for a trainer experienced in working with dogs that have your dog’s particular special need; specific skills are required that the average trainer may not possess.
Distractible dogs – When teaching new behaviors, the fewer distractions, the easier it is for your dog to learn. You can never eliminate all distractions, even at your home – an unexpected UPS delivery, the neighbor mowing the lawn, kids playing loudly next door, and construction noise are beyond your control.
But in the privacy of your home, you are able to control the number and intensity of many distractions while training. Turn your cell phone off, unplug the landline, send the kids upstairs to do homework, pick the toys up off the floor, and close the blinds.
If possible, schedule your appointments at more quiet times of the day, when there are no other dogs, strange humans, or unfamiliar sights and smells to compete for your dog’s attention. If you are the most interesting thing in the room when you train, it’s easier for your dog to stay focused. When ready for more advanced training, you can easily control your dog’s exposure to distractions in and around your home.
Training in the environment where most behavior happens – While some owners take their dogs everywhere with them, many dogs spend their days in and around their homes – in the house, yard, on a neighborhood walk, at a nearby park, with only occasional visits to a vet or pet supply store.
It makes sense to train in the environment where most dogs spend most of their time – and where it is most important for a dog to be well behaved. You can teach your dog in the areas of your home where problem behaviors may occur (at the doors, around counters or furniture, interacting with your kids, etc.). And your trainer can help you with modifications to your particular home environment to better manage your dog’s behavior and make training easier.
Access to the real world – Private training does not have to take place in your home. When you and your dog are ready to increase distractions, you can work with your trainer practicing behaviors outdoors. You can even meet at a park or outdoor shopping mall to work on loose leash walking, polite greetings, or attention skills.
Sometimes a Group Training Class is Better . . .
Professional in-home training is not all things to all dogs or all owners. In addition to being less expensive than private training, group classes offer some benefits to both dogs and their humans that personal instruction does not. For example, puppies who are well socialized at an early age are less likely to develop fear-based behavior issues as adult dogs. A well-run group puppy class typically offers lots of exposure to other puppies as well as interactions with unfamiliar humans in a novel environment. Many classes also provide after-class puppy playtime, pairing pups of similar size, personalities, and play styles for some games and friendly tussling.
While group class alone is not sufficient socialization for your pup, it is a good weekly opportunity for safe, supervised socialization. If you choose to work with a trainer in your home, make it a priority to find appropriate socialization opportunities with people and other friendly dogs.
There is a camaraderie among dog owners that often develops in a group training class. You meet other people, swap stories about your dogs, share your successes, and commiserate over behavior challenges. Realizing that other people make training mistakes, get frustrated, and have dogs that are as imperfect as yours, may make you feel less alone in your efforts. Sometimes friendships develop that go beyond the walls of the training center. You may find the perfect playmate for your dog and arrange play dates!
All that said, as a trainer, I really enjoy having the opportunity to get to know my clients and their dogs more intimately in private lessons. I have achieved a good deal more success teaching owners and dogs one-on-one than in my short career as a group trainer.
Since moving to the eastern shore of Maryland a few years ago, my business mainly consists of consultations with owners whose dogs have more serious behavior issues, though some need only basic manners training. But when, every once in a while, someone calls and says, “I have a 8-week-old puppy and we need training!” I’m thrilled. It means a close encounter with a little life that I can help mold, and spend time teaching someone how to create an extraordinary life with their new family member.
Bailey, a 3-year-old Lab-mix, needed manners training, but due to some more serious behavior problems, she was not a good candidate for a group class.
As a puppy, Bailey was transferred from a shelter in Georgia to one on the eastern shore of Maryland. It was a year before she was adopted by a loving family; a married couple with two boys, ages 9 and 12. In the next 14 months Bailey had surgeries on both knees for luxating patellas. Her recovery and rehabilitation required months of kennel confinement and restricted leash walking only. Bailey was trained at home, but training was limited and not very effective.
In time, Bailey made a full recovery from her surgeries and is now a healthy, active dog with normal mobility. When her owners called me, Bailey not only needed basic manners training, but had developed several serious behavior issues that needed to be addressed as well. The common behavior problems were jumping on family, attention-seeking barking, and “not listening” or coming when called. Of more concern was her reactive behavior toward other dogs, some strangers, and bicycles passing. Her leash aggression toward other dogs made it impossible to bring her to a group training class for basic manners training. And walks with Bailey had become a nightmare, trying to avoid other dogs and bicyclists.
After our initial behavior consultation, Bailey’s family now manages her environment more carefully, has increased her physical and mental exercise, and is committed to using only positive methods of training. Our two follow-up appointments have focused on a combination of manners training, working on attention and impulse control, reinforcing calm behavior, managing behavior, and behavior modification training (counter-conditioning and desensitization), beginning with her intense reactive response toward bicyclists.
Her owners are happy to report that since they started working with Bailey, she is calmer, barking for attention has decreased, and she “seems happier.” At our appointment just yesterday, she still greeted me at the door by jumping initially, but there was no physical contact or barking, and after two or three leaps she sat down. Our training with moving bicycles has also paid off; Bailey’s mom reports that she can now walk Bailey and feed yummy treats as bicyclists pass, and Bailey barely notices them go by. Bailey still has a way to go. We will continue good manners and behavior modification training in her home and neighborhood. With a family committed to her training and well being, and based on the progress we’ve already seen, Bailey and her family are well on their way to a better life together.
Susan Sarubin, CPDT-KA, PMCT2, is owner of Pawsitive Fit, LLC, Puppy and Dog Training, serving the mid-shore region of Maryland. Susan lives in Easton, MD, with her husband and three Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
