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Teach Your Dog to Help With Chores Around the House

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Jessie can, among other things, wake up family members; dust with a feather duster; close a left-open toilet lid; mop up spills with a towel; get the mail; use a Dustbuster; mop the floor; polish shoes and boots; take out the trash; pick up dropped items; turn on lights; carry a shopping basket; and push a grocery cart. Some of these behaviors are just for fun; you couldn’t genuinely expect a dog to understand the point of putting polish on your shoes, much less doing a good job of it! But some of them are legitimately helpful!

1. Fetch the Newspaper

corgi getting newspaper

Of course there’s the old standby of bringing in the newspaper. Trainer Clarissa Bergeman, CPDT, owner of In Canine Company, in Round Hill, Virginia, enjoyed sharing a walk down the driveway with Anny, her Pembroke Welsh Corgi, to get the newspaper or the mail. Anny was always happy to carry the paper or a magazine on the walk back. Anny is gone now, but Bergeman’s new Corgi, Simon, is learning the task in her stead.

2. Sort Laundry

I thought this one might be particularly up my 8-year-old Scorgidoodle’s (Bonnie) alley, since she loves to hold soft things in her mouth. In fact, I often have to search Bonnie’s crate for socks; if she finds any lying on the floor, she stashes them in her bed.

Since dogs are partially color-blind, it’s probably too much to expect she could sort clothes by color herself, so I started by placing an article of laundry in each of several spots that I named accordingly: Whites, Jeans, Brights (pronounced “Buh-rights,” to help distinguish it from “Whites”), and Towels. The piles were generously far apart at first (six to eight feet between) so I could point to the proper pile without confusing her. I started by handing her a piece of clothing from the basket, gave the cue, pointed to the appropriate pile, and moved with her to the spot. Then I gave her the “Trade” cue, and when she dropped the item on the pile to “trade” for a treat, I clicked my clicker (one could also use a verbal reward marker, such as the word “Yes!”, to indicate that she performed the desired behavior) and gave her a treat.

I quickly faded my movement toward the appropriate pile, finding that the pointing gesture alone sufficed to send her to the proper spot. The “Trade” cue prompted her to drop the item, and a click-treat brought her back to me for the next piece of laundry. We just started this recently, so it’s still a work in progress. Our next step will be to fade the pointing gesture and see if she can identify the proper pile with just a verbal cue.

3. Close Doors

Susan Giordano, CPDT, owner of K9U in Atlanta, Georgia, taught her dog Potter to close the refrigerator, pantry door, and any cabinets that are open. Potter will also fetch a towel so Susan can wipe off the counters. Susan says when they are finished with the chores, they dance!

It’s relatively simple to teach your dog to close doors. Begin by teaching her to target with her nose or paw (hint: using your dog’s nose to close doors rather than a paw reduces the likelihood of scratches to the finish). Offer the palm of your hand to your dog at her nose level. When she sniffs it, click (or say “Yes!”) and treat. Repeat until she eagerly bumps her nose into your hand, and then add the cue “Touch!” as you offer your palm. (If she thinks your offered palm is the cue for “Shake” try the back of your hand, or offer her the knuckles of your closed fist.)

When you are confident she understands the “Touch” cue, hold a plastic lid (such as the top to a tub of cottage cheese or yogurt) in your hand and ask her to touch that. First hold it so it covers your palm, then eventually hold it by the edge.

When she will touch the lid reliably, attach it to a door or drawer with double-stick tape or rubber cement and cue her to touch it there. You may need to start with your hand near the lid and gradually fade the presence of your hand. When she reliably targets her nose to the lid, shape for more powerful touches until she touches hard enough to close the door or drawer. (For tips on using a target stick to teach this behavior, see “Utilize Target Training,” January 2007.)

4. Pick Up Trash

Lots of dogs have been taught to pick up their own toys and put them away in a basket designated for that purpose. Dana Ebbecke, one of the trainers at My Pet’s Teacher in Horsham, Pennsylvania, suggests a variation on that behavior: teaching your dog to pick up trash and put it in a garbage can. This is a perfect behavior to “backchain” – where you teach the last piece of the behavior first, and build the chain backward from there.

Offer your dog a piece of trash (that she won’t want to eat) directly over the center of a garbage can and say “Take it!” When she takes it, praise her, then cue her to “Drop.” If she already knows a “Drop” cue, she will drop the trash and it will fall in the can. Click (or use another reward marker) and treat. If she doesn’t know the “Drop” cue yet, say “Drop” and offer her a treat. When she opens her mouth for the treat the trash will fall in the can. Click and treat.

When the “Drop” is working over the center of the garbage can, move the trash slightly to one side, but still over the can, and cue the “Drop.” If it falls into the can, click and treat. If it misses, say “Oops!” and try it again. Gradually move the “training trash” farther from the center of the can, until it’s no longer even over the can. You are helping the dog understand that she needs to move it back over the middle of the can to make sure it falls inside, not outside the can.

When she can bring the trash that you hand her to the can from some distance, start offering it to her closer to the ground, so she understands she has to lift it up and move it to the can. Finally, place the trash on the ground, and add your “Pick up the trash!” cue before you say “Take it!” In fairly short order you should be able to fade the “Take it!” cue and your “Pick up the trash!” should prompt her to pick up that item and drop it in the can.

Now you’ll need to generalize the cue to a variety of different trash items. Make sure you don’t leave valuable objects on the floor when you ask her to pick up the trash! You can’t expect her to make good judgment calls about what is trash and what is treasure; your smart phone could end up in the garbage.

Ebbecke suggests adding to the “Wow! factor” of this behavior by using a garbage can with a push-pedal lid, and teaching your dog to step on the lid to open the can before she drops the trash in. (Just don’t teach this one to a dog who is likely to help herself to items in the can rather than putting more trash there.)

5. Pick Up/Find/Bring

The “seek back” used to be a behavior performed in advanced obedience competition. You walked around the ring and, when cued by the judge, dropped an item, such as a glove. Your dog was supposed to continuing heeling with you until you stopped and gave him the cue to, go back, get it, and bring it back to you. Very useful!

dog digging in couch

It’s relatively simple to get your dog to pick up something you just dropped. Your “Pick it up!” cue (from “pick up the trash”) can generalize to anything you indicate you want your dog to pick up – and it sure beats stooping over to get it yourself.

Just think how even more useful it would be if your dog could search for and find, by name, items you’ve misplaced such as your car keys, the TV remote, your cell phone, or your glasses. I realized many years ago how capable dogs are at finding lost stuff when our wonderful Terrier-mix, Josie, found our missing tortoise without even being trained to do so.

I didn’t realize I had taught Josie to associate the word “Turtle” with Fred and Wilma, the two yellow-footed tortoises we had adopted from the shelter where I worked at the time. But apparently I had. One day I couldn’t find Fred. I frantically searched the yard, repeating aloud to myself, “Where’s the turtle?” I eventually realized that Josie was coming to me, and then running to the spot where Fred had fallen behind a retaining wall. Because of that amazing little dog, Fred was found, safe and sound.

Chaser, the brilliant Border Collie and subject of multiple cognition studies, now knows the names of more than 1,000 objects, and can retrieve them by name.  Surely your dog can learn the names of a handful of objects, then learn to find them for you when they go missing.

You’ve probably already taught her some, simply by using object names in your conversations with her. “Fetch the ball!” “Go to your bed.” “Get in the car.” So it’s not a stretch to think you can teach her more.

Use your targeting cue, followed by the name of the object. Hold the TV remote in your hand and say “Touch, Remote.” Click (or say “Yes!”) and treat when she does it. Hold your car keys and say “Touch, Keys.” Click and treat. Then place them on a table or floor (one at a time) and do the same. When you’ve done it several times with each item individually, place both on the floor six to eight feet apart, stand six to eight feet away, and ask her to touch one. If she gets the right one, click, treat and party! If she goes to the wrong one, cheerfully say “Oops!” and try again.

If she gets more misses than hits, go back to working with just one object at a time for a while, then try again. Eventually teach her the names of other objects you’d like her to be able to find for you.

When she’s identifying the correct object at least 80 percent of the time, start adding the “Find it!” element. If you’ve already done nose games with your dog, this will be easy as pie. Just as you have been doing already, place one of the objects on the floor in plain view and say “Find Remote!” When she goes over and sniffs it, click and treat. She found it! Repeat several times.

Now start hiding it. First have her sit and wait, and let her watch you hide it in a very easy place. Return to her side and cue, “Find Remote!” When she goes to where it is, click and treat. If you want to teach her a “tell” – a behavior she performs to tell you she found it – start asking her for that behavior when she locates the object. You could have her sit or lie down at the spot where the item was, or she could come back to you and touch you with her paw to let you know she found it, then lead you to it.

Gradually hide objects in harder and harder places, and eventually hide them when she isn’t watching and then ask her to find them. The final step is to have her find things when you’ve really lost them.

You can even take this one step further by teaching her the names of family members and having her find them. Just as you did with objects, have your human hide first in easy places, then harder and harder. If, heaven forbid, a family member is ever truly lost, your dog can join in the search!

6. Reveille

Now that you’ve taught your dog the names of family members, you might as well make every day use of it. Send her to wake up family members who are sleeping in too long. Teach her to pull the covers off the sleepyheads! Have her deliver messages to the kids – carried in her mouth or attached to her collar. Ask her to bring everyone to the table at dinnertime. The sky’s the limit!

dog with lunchbox

Unexpected Help

A dog trainer friend, Deborah Lee Miller-Riley, from Monroe, Connecticut, posted this on her Facebook wall, just as I was writing this article. It’s a great testimonial for the value of teaching your dog a few general purpose helping behaviors. Miller-Riley wrote:

“This morning I attempted to change a small latch on a screen door. I was standing on a 4-foot high front porch, which is bordered by 6-foot high bushes. In my clumsy attempt to screw in the small metal bracket, it flipped out of my hands and landed under the bushes next to the house – a place I would have great difficulty reaching.

“So I called for Rivets, my service-dog-in-training. I showed her a short pathway to the spot where the item fell and told her to ‘Bring,’ her cue to seek and bring something back to my hand. The object would have my fresh scent on it and would most likely stand out to her like a bright color to us. She went right into the bushes, nosed around and pawed at the object. I said, ‘Yes, bring!’ She picked it up, crawled out and delivered it to my hand. She is such a cool dog, her mind and willingness astonishes me. I completed my door repair after a treat fest with my little paw-hero.”

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 dog trainers. Pat is also author of many books on positive training.

Download the Full November 2013 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
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“General practice” veterinarians: What are your likes and dislikes?

By
Nancy Kerns
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I was thinking about the traits I like in a vet after a friend told me about a bad visit to a new (to her) veterinarian. She was moving to the new vet because of some bad experiences at another practice, and she heard good things about this new practitioner in town. She had called the old practice and asked them to send her dogs’ records to the new practice, and had asked the new practice if they received them; it took several calls over the course of a week or so to confirm that the records had been sent and received.

All three of her dogs’ heartworm preventative prescriptions needed to be renewed; in this area, all the local veterinarians require that dogs receive an annual physical examination in order to receive a prescription for heartworm preventative. So she decided this was a good time to make the leap.

When she made the appointment, she made a point of asking for an appointment for enough time so that the veterinarian could examine all three dogs thoroughly, and perhaps answer a question or two about each. The littlest dog has crummy teeth, which she brushes regularly, but she hoped he could take a peek and say how the dog’s teeth and gums looked to him. The youngest dog has bad hips, and she wanted his opinion of their present condition (she had the dog’s X-rays sent from the other clinic). And the biggest dog suffers from seasonal allergies; she wanted to see what he thought of her management regime and the condition of the dog’s skin.

She waited for an hour past the appointment time in the waiting room. No one explained why.

When she was finally shown into an exam room with her dogs, the veterinary technician apologized for keeping her waiting (finally), although my friend had to ask, “Did you guys have an emergency case come in or something?” (because no explanation for the lateness was offered). Yes, she was told, we had an emergency, and the doctor is the only one here. Having a bad feeling about how this visit might go, especially since she was hoping for (and had called to request) a long introductory visit, to establish these dogs and their various conditions to the person who would become their primary physician, she asked, “Would it be best if I made this appointment for another day?” But the tech said, “No, really, it will be okay. The doctor will be right in.” The tech took all three dogs’ temperatures, and excused herself.

And then she sat in the room for another 25 minutes.

Then the door opened. The vet came in with the dogs’ charts in his hand. According to my friend, he neither introduced himself nor apologized for his lateness. He didn’t say anything (or ask any questions) as he briefly examined each dog, so my friend tried to narrate and ask questions. “How do her teeth look? I brush them daily, trying to prevent the need for more extractions . . . How do her hips seem to you? How does her skin look to you? She has allergies . . .” But she said each time she mentioned something that was going on with the dog, he said something like, “Oh?” He clearly hadn’t had a chance to look at any of the dogs’ charts.

After the very perfunctory exams, my friend says the doctor mentioned a special antifungal shampoo and a supplement for the dog with allergies, and a new pain medication for the dog with the bad hips . . . and then left the room, looking down at the charts. A few minutes later, the tech came in and said, “You can go, I’ll bring the shampoo and stuff to you up front.” “Oh!” my friend thought. “I guess I’m done with the vet, then!” No goodbye nor nice to meet you, and thanks for answering hardly any of my questions!

Lateness happens, especially when there are emergencies, but the situation really ought to be explained to the clients waiting, and after an hour or more, an offer really should be made to reschedule, especially this sort of visit, which wasn’t pressing. And in my book, there is just no excuse for a medical practitioner of any kind failing to introduce himself when he enters the exam room! And I would not be inclined to return to any practice where the doctor, for whatever reasons, failed to communicate well or engage with me about the animal that brought us together. These things really irritated my friend, and they would really bug me, too.

What things are most important to you in a primary care vet? What things would make you look elsewhere?

Not how I was planning to start the day (Dog ownership 201)

By
Nancy Kerns
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I rolled out of bed this morning and was greeted by an “erp, erp, erp” sound – that dog-vomit-is-imminent noise. Tito the Chihuahua was standing in the hall outside my bedroom door. I picked him up (one hand on chest, one under hind legs, so as not to hurt his tummy more than it was already hurting) and whisked him out onto the deck in the nick of time. That’s one thing you can’t do with a big dog.

The vomit was stinky, green, and had some grass in it. Since Tito has access to (and uses) the cat door, he must have already been out early this morning eating grass to try to ease his tummyache.  Just in case it matters later on, I ran back into the house, grabbed a clean Ziploc bag, and scooped up some of the vomit. If we end up having to go to a veterinary clinic later today, the appearance and the odor of the vomit might help the vet diagnose or rule out this or that.

Post-vomiting, he stood in place, shaking and looking miserable. Of course, Chihuahuas have a special gift for this. I got a big towel from the hall closet, wrapped it around him, and carried him to the couch. We sat there quietly for a few minutes, until he was able to relax and stop shaking. 

Otto came in and sat next to the couch, looking concerned. They have been fed the same things lately, so I studied Otto as I sat. No signs that he’s feeling crummy.

Next, I followed the tips I wrote about in the January 2012 issue of WDJ, “Five Things to Do Before Calling the Vet.” These included taking Tito’s temperature (and writing it down), checking his gums, and gathering information about everything he’s eaten in the past day or two, including writing down the name brand, variety, and “date code” of any commercial food he’s been given. (https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/how-to-give-your-dog-a-home-health-examination/
)

The first one was harder than anything else I’m likely to do today. I’m pretty certain my neighbors thought I was skinning the dog alive, or running over him slowly with my car, given the racket he made when I attempted to insert a lubricated thermometer ever so slightly into his rectum. Why are these small dogs so dramatic??

Result: 101.8.  Normal is about 101 and 102.5, depending on the dog.

He didn’t eat anything unusual at home, but we did go on a hike that took us to a pond yesterday, and he swam and waded and ate grass by the edge of the pond. The pond water in the middle was clear, but the black mud at the edge of the pond was very stinky, and after we were home, he did spend a lot of time licking his feet and legs; maybe something in all that upset his stomach. Fortunately, I work at home, and can watch him today and see if he starts to feel better or worse, and respond accordingly.

Virtual Dogsitting

By
Nancy Kerns
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A friend has fielded complaints from a neighbor about her dogs’ barking. The thing is, she leaves her three dogs in the house when she’s at work, and the neighbor who complained to her is, I’m not exaggerating, at least 1,000 feet from her house.

We brainstormed and came up with this: virtual dogsitting. She aimed her laptop’s camera at a place in her living room so that it can take in a view of the one dog who has to be crated (or she very creatively chews things in the house, like books off the shelves and even a picture off the wall!), two of the other dogs’ beds, and a slice of the couch. The two dogs who are loose in the house can leave the living room and go “off-camera,” but if they bark anywhere in the house, the laptop’s microphone can hear them.

I have a big old laptop that is too slow to run more than one task at a time; I use it only as an emergency backup. But it can run Skype! So we set up our computers for Skype sessions. Before she leaves for work, and on days when I’m going to be working at my computer for much of the day (my friend gets home at 2:30 pm), we initiate a Skype video session, so that I can see, and more importantly, HEAR what her dogs are doing all day while she is gone. I turn off the microphone on my end, so my friend’s dogs don’t hear and bark at the sounds coming from my house (or my dogs barking at my mailman!). We didn’t worry about their view of my home office; none of her dogs have ever so much as glanced at the screen.

We also imagined that if her dogs did start barking out of boredom at something, I could possibly call their names or admonish them in some way, and tell them “Good dogs!” when they shushed. However, I haven’t turned on my mic once.

I’ve watched them for a total of five days. And only one of the three dogs (the crated one) has barked that whole time, and on exactly three occasions (twice in one day, once on another) for less than 30 seconds each time. The rest of the time, my view into my friend’s living room looks like an oil painting. The dogs sleep all day long. They stand up, stretch, and change positions every so often. But they don’t even chew the bones my friend has left for them, or get up to get a drink of water!

I do hear my friend’s parakeet squawking from time to time (off camera) – it always makes me jump! — and even the chirping of birds outside the window closest to the desk that her laptop is sitting on. But “barking all day long,” Mr. Grumpy Neighbor? Sorry, it’s not these dogs. I can testify to that.

(Dog-dog aggression tip#2) Breaking Up Dog Fights

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

 

There is no golden standard for breaking up a dogfight, but there are as many opinions as there are dog owners. My recommendation is to try a sudden aversive, such as a loud noise near the combatants as a first line of defense. Bang pots and pans or steel water dishes together while yelling. Cease the instant the dogs disengage.

If this doesn’t work (try for two or three seconds, then move on), the two most experienced people, wearing the animal control gloves, will each pull one dog off as follows:

1. Grip the base of the tail where it joins the body
2. Pull both dogs simultaneously quickly out and up, raising the rear quarters off the ground
3. Secure both dogs with leashes and assess for damage.

If this doesn’t work, use citronella and, if that doesn’t work, pepper spray. Other people present should be securing all dogs not involved in the fight.

The very last resort to consider is pulling dogs out by their collars or necks. This is because of the significant risk of an accidental or re-directed bite. This risk is even greater if you are without gloves, which offer some protection. Many of the worst bites are sustained putting hands into fights.

For more information on ways to separate aggressive dogs as well as ways to use behavior modification to retrain an aggressive dog, purchase Jean Donaldson’s FIGHT, A Practical Guide to Dog-Dog-Aggression.

What’s the most appropriate home?

By
Nancy Kerns
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Here is a topic for discussion that was inspired by real-life events.

Two couples are both interested in a big, active dog at the shelter.

One couple is older. They own their home. Property is at least several acres, but unfenced. Husband is retired and home most days, puttering in garden and with hobbies. Wife works 30 or so hours a week. They formerly owned another big, active dog, who recently died of old age. They have a 2-year-old small dog who misses having canine company. They have a trainer who they have worked with previously and plan to do so again.

Second candidate couple is young, early 20s. They are renters. They also live on several acres, but their home property is fenced. They have another big, young, active dog, a female. They both work.

My bias in placing the dog was toward the older couple. While it’s true that they lacked a fenced yard for the dog, the fact that they own their home reassures me that they won’t be at the mercy of future landlords if they have to move for whatever reason. They also have the financial wherewithal to provide the dog with whatever medical or behavioral interventions he is likely to need. A week in training? Knee or hip surgery? Wouldn’t be a problem for these people.

Staff at the shelter was biased in favor of the young couple. The fact that their property was fenced, their youth, and that they were already dealing with a big, active dog made them seem more equipped to deal with the dog’s perceived need for activity.

I’m just curious: Where would most people, or most shelter staffers, end up placing a dog like this?

(Socializing Your Puppy or Dog Making a Difference #4) Socializing Your Puppy or Dog: Making a Lifelong Difference

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

You’d better get out there and get started! There’s no such thing as overkill when it comes to properly done socialization. You can’t do too much. Pups who are super-socialized tend to assume that new things they meet later in life are safe and good until proven otherwise.

Dogs who are very well-socialized as pups are least likely to develop aggressive behaviors in their lifetimes. Pups who aren’t well-socialized tend to be suspicious and fearful of new things they meet throughout their lives, and are most likely to eventually bite someone.

If your pup comes to you from a socially impoverished environment, you’ll already see the signs of neophobia. You have no time to lose, and you may never be able to make up all the ground he’s lost, but you can make him better than he’d be otherwise.

•Don’t despair if you adopted your pup from a shelter or rescue group. It’s true that if you never see Mom or Dad, you won’t get any hints about their behavior. So how do you know how much socialization your pup needs to overcome any genetic weakness in temperament? You don’t. But you don’t need to. The answer to the genetic mystery is to super-socialize every single puppy, regardless of what you think you know, or don’t know, about his genetics. If you do that, you’re guaranteed to help your pup be everything he can be, socially speaking.

For more details and advice on ways to socialize puppy or dog, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook Socializing Your Puppy or Dog: Making a Lifelong Difference.

Snakeanoia

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Last week, when I was at the emergency clinic with my yellow Labrador foster dog, Riley, I saw another yellow Labrador who was spending the night in the ER. This dog had been bitten by a rattlesnake, and was undergoing treatment.

It’s weird, because another time I was at the emergency clinic with a foster dog — about four years ago, with a puppy whose kennel cough had taken a turn for the worse (pneumonia set in) — there was a snake-bitten yellow Labrador that day, too. I had to pull out the photo to share with you here, and when I looked at the date that I took the photo, it was in September, too. It’s high time for rattlers here in the West.

So, after Riley recovered from his misadventure (and spent a day rather stoned from all the Acepromazine they gave him to lower his blood pressure), we hit the trails again. Only now, I’m completely neurotic about this yellow Labrador getting bitten by a rattlesnake.

We actually saw a small on the trail one day. I saw Tito (the Chihuahua) spot something on the dirt road ahead of us, and start to move toward it, sniffing. I could see that it was a snake, albeit a small one. I immediately called all three dogs (Otto, Tito, and Riley) back to me, put their leashes on, and hooked the leashes on a nearby fence so I could get a better look at the snake, and perhaps persuade it to move off the road. It was a baby rattlesnake, but I didn’t have to persuade it: it was dead. I don’t know what killed it; it had some injuries around its neck, and ants were already eating it. One by one, I took the dogs close to it, and I let them get a good sniff, and then told them, “Off. That’s bad. That’s an OFF. Bad off.” Who knows if it will do any good.

Riley’s new family wanted some time to get their house ready, and we set a date for me to turn him over to them. In the meantime, I was taking him out for major runs and swims daily. A tired dog is a good dog! But as the day that he was going to his new family drew closer, I grew increasingly worried that something would happen to him before I was no longer responsible for him. We practiced “Off!” several times a day. I watched him like a hawk on the trail, and took him to places where I had never seen a snake before.

On the evening before he went to his new home, I took him to a place I hadn’t been for a while. And even though I didn’t see an actual snake, my “snakeaphobia” was at an all-time high; I don’t think I’ll go back to that particular area again during snake season. I don’t know why, but there were more snake-looking things in this area than anywhere I’ve ever been. Discarded ropes that looked like snakes. A discarded chain. Sticks! I was just as jumpy as could be. But we made it through the walk unscathed, thank goodness. And now he’s in his new home, and I’m going to sleep in for a week.

Riley, Not Rowdy

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Last month, in this space, I mentioned a big Labrador I was working with at my local shelter. (That’s him on the back cover, only it doesn’t look like him, because he’s squinting in happiness with his giant rawhide bone, and he has nice big eyes, not piggy squinty eyes. But anyway.) The handsome boy, estimated at about 18 months old, came into the shelter as a stray, picked up by animal control. He lingered in the isolation ward for a couple of weeks; despite his good looks and sweet disposition, no one came looking for him.

288

He’s amiable, and takes no offense from other dogs at all, even if they pummel him out of irritation with his physical clumsiness – which happens all the time, both the clumsiness and the pummelling. So he was moved to the adoption ward, where he lingered some more. Why?

For several reasons. Mostly, because this beautiful, friendly dog behaved like a canine tornado. If he walked through a room, it left a trace: things knocked over, drops of the water he just drank left on the floor in a drunken trail, people rubbing their shins (tail whacks) or flip-flopped feet (he didn’t seem to understand that human feet are not there to give him traction). Oh, and the barking! Have you ever met a dog with the kind of bark that is not just loud, it’s painful? That’s this guy.

So, quickly, he got a reputation at the shelter, for being a nut, a spazz, hyperactive. He was given the name “Rowdy.” While everyone recognized that he was sweet, they felt he was stupid. All of his panting and thrashing reinforced this perception.

As I worked with him, however, I realized a few things. He was actually really smart. He learned what I wanted him to do very quickly, but lacked the self-control to do it for very long. And he wasn’t truly hyperactive, although it seemed that way because he is big and uncoordinated. When I came to the shelter early, before the back gates were open to the animal control trucks, I’d let him loose in the several-acre fenced area around the shelter, to see if he wanted to run; he didn’t! He’d run a bit, but then walk around with me.

I came to realize that his writhing and flopping were symptoms of anxiety. Every time I took him into a new setting (like, each different section or room inside the shelter), he reacted with panting and physical exuberance. But as soon as he was comfortable in the new place, and knew what I wanted him to do (mainly, sit!), he would grow calm.

Long story short: I brought him home for a few weeks of training, but more importantly, socialization. I constantly asked him to control himself – Sit! – and reinforced any success richly, with attention, eye contact, calm petting, and food treats. Fetch? Sure! But he had to sit each time before I threw the ball. Go in or out of the house or car? Absolutely, but say “Please” first with a sit. If he grew frantic about anything, I’d ignore him, walk or look away, and pay attention to him only when he was calm again.

And, importantly, I changed his story;

I didn’t allow him to be “Rowdy.” When I took him places,

I didn’t space out. I scrupulously managed his interactions with people so that he always succeeded at behaving well; if any situation developed that looked like it might become too challenging for him (say, an out-of-control dog on a leash coming toward us), I calmly but quickly whisked him to a safe distance, asked him to sit, and reinforced him for observing the situation calmly. People remarked again and again (in Tractor Supply and Home Depot and on the street), at how smart and calm he was. Ha! He is!

He’s adopted now, and I’m working with his new family, to make sure that he continues to progress in his new life – a life of Riley, not Rowdy.

Use Caution When Filling Veterinary Prescriptions at Human Pharmacies

By
Mary Straus
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A few years ago, I was at my vet’s office when an older couple brought in a Chihuahua puppy who was very ill. Despite the staff’s best efforts, less than an hour later the pup was dead. The cause? A drug overdose, due to a prescription error made by a human pharmacy.

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The prescribed amount for this tiny pup was 0.4 mg, but the pharmacist, who had probably never come across such a small dosage, had misread the prescription as 4 mg, so the pup had received 10 times as much of the drug as he was supposed to get. My vet accepted partial responsibility, as he had failed to write a zero in front of “.4” on the prescription. (Veterinarians are now being encouraged to use leading, but not trailing, zeroes when they write prescriptions to help avoid such mistakes.

It had never occurred to me before that day to review a prescription for accuracy, but you’d better believe I’m careful to check them now. Errors are less likely to occur with prescriptions filled at your vet’s office, since the people filling the prescription know their patients and are familiar with common dosages for dogs. The growing use of human pharmacies filling prescriptions for our dogs, however, means we must also deal with pharmacists who may know little or nothing about a canine patient’s needs, or have any idea of the size of the patient when filling the prescription. This ignorance can lead to serious, even fatal, errors.

Potential for Mistakes
Incorrect dosage amounts are not the only mistakes that human pharmacists may make when filling prescriptions written for pets. Pharmacists currently receive no training in the use of drugs for non-human patients. The VIN (Veterinary Information Network) News Service has written about several problems that veterinarians have seen in recent years.

One example was a pharmacist who told a client that the dosage of diazepam (Valium) that her vet had prescribed for her dog could kill him. The pharmacist was unaware that dosages of many medications, including those used to treat hypothyroidism, seizures, and anxiety, are much higher for dogs than they are for humans, due to differences in metabolism and other factors.

The prescribed dosage was correct, but the client was now afraid to give the medication to her dog, who suffered as a result. The dog was recovering from knee surgery and the medication had been prescribed to help keep him off his leg and reduce his anxiety. Without it, he overused and injured the leg, requiring additional surgery.

One of the first cases to result in a formal complaint followed by regulatory action, the state’s Pharmacy Board issued a “notice of correction” to the pharmacist. In response, he asked that the drug store chain for which he worked provide its pharmacies with references in veterinary dosing and indications, which has since been done.

In other cases, pharmacists have altered doses, believing they are correcting a veterinarian’s mistake, or substituted medications inappropriately, without notifying either the veterinarian or the client of the changes. This has led to serious problems for some dogs. For example, when a pharmacist substitutes a different type of insulin for what a diabetic dog is accustomed to, this can cause changes in glucose control and even life-threatening hypoglycemia. In other examples, medication doses have been lowered to the point that they are no longer effective, leading to suffering and even death in some dogs. In one case, a client reduced her dog’s seizure medication on the advice of a pharmacist, and the dog developed intractable seizures that led to euthanasia.

Most of the time, veterinarians are unaware of the changes, or learn about them long after the fact, making it difficult for them to treat their patients effectively, or to report what happened to the appropriate authorities.

These problems are not new, but they are increasing as more people turn to human pharmacies in order to save money on their pets’ prescriptions. Mistakes may also occur more frequently with large national chains that fill high volumes of prescriptions, where a pharmacist is unlikely to develop a personal relationship with either veterinarians or clients. Pending congressional legislation that would require veterinarians to provide all prescriptions in writing to pet owners with a notice that they can fill the prescription elsewhere could contribute to even more frequent problems in the future.

Take-home Message
Whenever your vet gives you a prescription, make sure you understand the prescribed amount and dosing schedule. Then check the label to make sure that the name of the medication is the same as what your vet prescribed, and that the printed instructions match what your vet told you to give. If you have any questions about the medication, check with your vet, rather than relying on information from the pharmacist. If a pharmacy offers you a substitute medication, do not accept it until and unless you confirm with your vet that the substitution is acceptable. And never change your dog’s medication based on a pharmacist’s advice.

New Challenges for Commercial Raw & Frozen Food Producers

By
Nancy Kerns
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People who believe in the value of feeding their dogs a biologically appropriate diet, comprised largely of raw meat and bones – with other foods added only to ensure that all their nutritional needs have been met, not as lower-cost “fillers” – love frozen raw diets. Food that has been formulated to meet the nutrient standards for a “complete and balanced” diet, and made with (mostly) meat and bones from (often) sustainably raised and humanely slaughtered meats, with the balance comprised of (frequently) organic, local produce . . . What’s not to like? The answer depends on who you are.

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If you are an environmentalist, you may not be crazy about the energy required to keep all that food frozen as it makes its way from the manufacturing plant to distributor and retail outlet and ultimately, to your freezer. While many companies ship their products directly from their manufacturing site to your door, the transportation costs of relatively weighty packages (these diets contain, on average, 75 percent water, plus ice to keep the shipment cold), and the stack of waste Styrofoam (that the food is typically packed in) may be daunting.

However, most manufacturers make some efforts to ameliorate these issues. Some offer free shipping for the empty coolers to be returned, so they can be reused. Some minimize the packaging needed. Some sell only within a few hundred miles of their manufacturing plants.

If you own a dog who is prone to pancreatitis, or needs constant dietary scrutiny to keep from gaining weight, you may avoid these diets, which tend to contain more fat than would be healthy for such dogs. Fortunately, there are companies that offer products that are lower in fat than what might be typical.

People who own a very large dog, or several big dogs, might be discouraged by the typically (and relatively) high price of these diets – at least, if they were interested in feeding raw food every day. Buying in bulk from a local company, however, can seriously offset some of the cost.

The Fear Factor
Until the past decade or so, though, the thing that kept most people from buying a frozen raw diet, even if they expressed a strong interest in feeding their dogs “the very best” diet possible (and didn’t want to formulate and make it themselves) was the fear of pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli.

Understand that experienced raw feeders, as they are known, are not afraid of these bacteria. Dogs have much sturdier digestive tracts than humans, and only very rarely have a problem eating food that is contaminated with these bacteria. (Dogs with compromised immune systems, like humans with similar conditions, would be most at risk.) And as long as you practice good basic kitchen hygiene and food safety practices, you really don’t have to worry about your family getting sick, either.

However, a recent push from the FDA to test pet foods for Salmonella, in particular, has led to dozens of recalls, shaking the confidence of many pet owners about raw foods in particular – unaware that the rash of positive tests have resulted from a FDA policy change, not a sudden crisis of competence in the entire pet food industry. (See “Why Are There So Many Recalls?”, next page.)

The principals behind some raw diet companies would rather go out of business than subject their products to any treatment that kills bacteria. Others have shrugged off any misgivings about antibacterial treatments as the price of a career in food production.

Currently, there are products available to owners who are on every different place on the continuum of comfort with the potential danger of bacteria-laden food. Some companies use high pressure processing (HPP, also known as high pressure pasteurization or Pascalization) to kill any pathogenic bacteria that might be present in the food; others use HPP only on products that contain poultry (the most likely meat to be contaminated with bacteria); and still others rely entirely on buying the best possible meats, handling them with care, and using superior sanitation throughout the manufacturing process.

Conversely, there are people who strongly believe in the value of whole raw foods – bacteria and all – and who credit their dogs’ regular exposure to small amounts of bacteria for the dogs’ vibrant good health. Some of these people are more afraid of “Frankenfoods” – sterilized, irradiated, and/or genetically altered foods – than they are of pathogens. These people will find untreated foods more attractive.

You have to decide whether you feel most comfortable with a pasteurized product or an untreated one. We’ve not seen studies that would lead us to avoid foods treated with a high pressure pasteurization process. But we also feel comfortable with feeding our dogs raw products from companies that use top-quality, naturally raised meats. You have to go with your own gut on this one.

Selection Criteria
On our list of frozen, raw diets on the following pages, we’ve included only companies that offer complete and balanced diets made with top-quality ingredients. To give you an idea of how the formulation of these diets varies from company to company, we’ve highlighted one product from each company’s offerings, and listed all the ingredients in that food, along with the minimum amounts of protein and fat, and maximum amounts of fiber and moisture in the food. Every company on our list makes at least one chicken-based product, so we highlighted the chicken variety of each company’s offerings for easier comparison.

In general, we look for diets with the following criteria:

– A named, whole animal protein (such as chicken, beef, pork, duck, etc.) at the top of the ingredients list. No “generic” proteins (such as “meat” or “poultry”). No by-products.

– A good source of calcium. If raw, meaty bones are not used as the calcium source, another source will be needed to make the diet “complete and balanced.”

– Every other food ingredient (such as fruits or vegetables) should be whole and fresh; any grains present may be cooked but should be whole.

– No added preservatives (these aren’t needed in a frozen food) or artificial colors or flavors.

– Those criteria will get you into the right ballpark. With so many good frozen raw diets on the market, how should you select the right one for your dog?

– Price and local availability will limit your options. Some of these products are costly. It’s no wonder; they are made out of very expensive ingredients! Products that can be purchased in local retail stores are generally (but not always) less expensive than direct-shipped products. Direct-shipped foods might be the only option for those of us who live far from stores that carry these diets. Only you know how much you can afford.

Check to see make sure that it’s fresh! All frozen foods are more nutritious and appealing if they are thawed and consumed sooner rather than later. Look for a “best by” date; if the date/code lacks a date of manufacture, contact the company to learn the actual date of manufacture. Some companies suggest their products have a frozen shelf life of up to a year. Others aim to have their products consumed within three or four months of manufacture. If your preferred retailer doesn’t sell enough product to keep their stock fresh, ask if they can better manage their inventory. Otherwise, you may have to find another source – perhaps a company that ships food directly to you.

Look for ingredients that suit your dog. Of course you’ve checked the ingredient list for quality; now examine it for any foods that don’t agree with your dog. If he’s allergic to or intolerant of certain proteins or grains, you need to make sure they are not in the food.

Check the fat content. These foods can be extremely high in fat. That might be fine if your dog is an active athlete, but potentially dangerous for a dog prone to pancreatitis, as one example.

For more about the history of this canine diet niche, proper sanitation and safe food handling techniques, see “Cold Raw Facts,” in the November 2010 issue of WDJ.

Nancy Kerns is Editor of WDJ. She washes her hands a lot, and is not afraid of Salmonella.

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I have never owned a dog with separation anxiety, thank goodness. The condition is hard on the dog who suffers from the condition and hard on the dog’s caretakers, too, including owners, vets, groomers, pet sitters, and dog walkers. Care must be taken to prevent triggering the dog’s panic at being left alone—in severe cases, even just long enough for the person caring for the dog to use the restroom!
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