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The Clever Hans Phenomenon

By
Nancy Kerns
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[Updated February 5, 2019]

Clever Hans was a German horse in the early 1900s who was supposedly able to solve math problems and perform other amazing tasks. His owner, math teacher, amateur horse trainer, and mystic Wilhelm von Osten, said Hans could add, subtract, multiply, divide, work with fractions, tell time, keep track of the calendar, differentiate musical tones, and read, spell, and understand German. When given a math problem either orally or in writing, Hans would answer by tapping his hoof.

As a result of the large amount of public interest in Clever Hans, the German board of education appointed a commission to investigate von Osten’s scientific claims. The panel, known as the Hans Commission, consisted of 13 people, including a veterinarian, a circus manager, a Cavalry officer, a number of school teachers, and the director of the Berlin zoological gardens. This commission concluded in September 1904 that no tricks were involved in Hans’s performance.

The commission’s findings were handed off to Oskar Pfungst, a German comparative biologist and psychologist. Using multiple trials, Pfungst found that Hans could get the correct answer even if von Osten himself did not ask the questions, ruling out the possibility of fraud. However, the horse got the right answer only when the questioner knew what the answer was, and the horse could see the questioner. Pfungst determined that when von Osten knew the answers to the questions, Hans got 89 percent of the answers correct, but when von Osten did not know the answers to the questions, Hans only answered six percent of the questions correctly.

Pfungst then examined the behavior of the questioner. His examination determined that as Hans’s taps approached the right answer, the questioner’s posture and facial expression showed an increase in tension, then relaxed when the horse made the final, correct tap. This body language provided a cue that Hans used to know when to stop tapping. Pfungst believed that van Osten really thought Hans was answering the questions, and was not deliberately perpetrating a fraud.

Thanks to Clever Hans, today when an animal touted to be brilliant is suspected of responding to the handler’s unintentional cues, it’s referred to as the Clever Hans phenomenon. Also thanks to Clever Hans, researchers created processes such as “double-blind study” for preventing non-human and human animals from responding from unintended cues given by the researchers to their subjects.

Clever Hans may not really have been able to do math, but it was certainly very clever of him to figure out how to read human body language well enough to answer the questions correctly and, no doubt, be reinforced for it.

Alternative Treatment & Supplement Recommendations

By
CJ Puotinen
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Whole Dog Journal readers often try techniques and products described in the magazine, but sometimes years go by before we need something we read about, or it disappears from the market, or we have trouble finding it, or we simply forget all about it. Last month we revisited green tripe, Seacure, and Willard Water. Here are two more go-to products featured in previous issues that might now be perfect for you and your dog.

As we reported seven years ago (in “Accelerated Wound Healing,” WDJ August 2006), many products are marketed as a first-aid kit in a tube, jar, or bottle, but EMT Gel truly lives up to that description.

EMT Gel’s key ingredient, bovine collagen (also described as “a natural medical hydrolysate Type I collagen”), acts as a tissue adhesive, providing a matrix for new cell growth while sealing and protecting wounds and significantly reducing pain, bleeding, scarring, wound weeping, and the risk of infection.

Once applied, EMT Gel can be left undisturbed, which simplifies dressing changes. The collagen forms a plug that stops bleeding by encouraging clotting, and its occlusion of nerve endings reduces pain. Veterinarians in research universities and clinical practice recommend EMT Gel for abrasions, lacerations, skin ulcers, gunshot wounds, bites, first- and second-degree burns, electrical injuries, frostbite, post-surgical incisions, suture and IV sites, skin graft sites, bleeding ear injuries, skinned elbows, and other wounds.

According to its manufacturer, EMT Gel reduces bleeding, promotes rapid healing, reduces pain and itching, deodorizes wounds, protects wounds and newly formed tissue, provides an optimal environment for wound healing, is easy to use and cost-effective, conforms to wounds of all shapes and sizes, is naturally absorbent, has excellent adhesion qualities, is safe, non-toxic, and non-sensitizing, and can be used on all animals. Some users routinely apply it to their own injuries.

EMT Gel is sold in 1-ounce tubes and has a two-year shelf life.

A spray-on version (EMT Gel Spray) is available for the treatment of scrapes, first- and second-degree burns, scratches, lick granulomas, hot spots, and other skin injuries. In addition to wound-healing collagen, the nontoxic spray contains a bitter taste (Bitrex®, or denatonium benzoate) which deters many dogs from licking it off.

Websites featuring EMT Gel and Spray publish testimonials from users who credit the products with saving their dogs’ lives or at least making them more comfortable.

One of the happy users in our 2006 article was Shannon Rogers-Peisert of Liberty, Missouri, whose black Labrador Retriever, Cody, severed an artery while jumping a fence. “There was blood everywhere,” she says. “I had a sample tube of EMT Gel and thought to use it before taking Cody to the emergency clinic. The vet said it kept Cody from bleeding to death.”

In New Mexico in 2002, Troy Sparks spent quail season’s opening day hunting with Lucy, his Llewellyn Setter. When they returned to the truck, he noticed a blood clot on Lucy’s neck, and as he began to clean the wound, blood poured down her neck. Sparks applied EMT Gel, gauze, and vet wrap to hold it in place, then drove to Lucy’s veterinarian two hours away. When the vet removed the dressing, a six-inch stream of blood shot out. After getting stitches, Lucy recovered quickly.

In Athens, Georgia, Kevin Johnston competes in field trials with German Shorthaired Pointers. As Johnston’s mother, Linda Lowe, explained, “Lefty, who runs and quarters faster and harder than any dog we have ever owned, was running in a trial on grounds that were very hard and rocky. Lefty ran on Saturday. On his first point on Sunday, he held up a bleeding foot. All four of his feet had very raw pads, with some injuries as large as quarters.”

Johnston had recently competed in a Dog of the Year trial at which he was given a sample of EMT Gel. He cleaned Lefty’s paw pads with saline solution and applied EMT Gel, a procedure he repeated the next day. “We were sure Lefty would not be able to compete for several weeks,” said Lowe, “but within two days he was much better and after four days, his paw pads seemed to be completely healed. We were very impressed with how quickly this product worked.”

Warren Befort of Burlington, Kansas, reported that his 4-year-old pointer, Angie, is a prolific bird dog but prone to injury. “On several occasions,” he said, “she has cut herself in the field, requiring a visit to the vet to get sewn up. In the past, the trip to town could mean significant blood loss and lots of anguish.”

After reading about EMT Gel, Befort decided to keep a tube on hand. “The last time Angie sliced her tail,” he said, “the cut was over an inch long and fairly deep. I immediately broke out the EMT Gel, applied a liberal amount to the wound, covered it with gauze, and wrapped it with elastic tape. By the next morning the wound was noticeably better. I am now convinced not to go anywhere with Angie without taking the EMT Gel, too.”

BEST USE
To use EMT Gel, clean the wound by rinsing it with plain water or a saline solution; then apply the gel to the wound and the surrounding area. Allow superficial wounds to air-dry and, for deeper wounds, cover with a non-stick dressing. If using the spray, keep it away from the dog’s eyes and nose because of its bitter-tasting ingredient.

EMT Gel and Spray should be stored at room temperature and protected from freezing. Extreme heat may affect the gel’s viscosity but not its performance.

EMT Gel can be messy and may not stop heavy bleeding unless pressure is applied to the wound, and the spray can be slow to dry. In some cases, possibly because the product was old and because plain gauze rather than a non-stick dressing was used, the gel stuck like glue to paw pads or other injuries as well as to the gauze. Not all dogs are deterred by the spray’s bitter taste, in which case lick granulomas and similar wounds can be protected with bandaging or the use of an Elizabethan collar until the wound heals. Most users report good results for both the gel and spray on superficial wounds and wounds that are easily accessed.

Digestive Enzymes

Most WDJ readers are familiar with digestive enzymes, protein-like compounds that, in small amounts, speed biological reactions in the digestive process.

But enzymes do much more than react with food in the digestive tract. Many enzymes are cultivated for use in industrial processes, medical testing, food production, and as ingredients in household products such as pet stain removers, laundry detergents, toothpaste, and facial cleansers. Enzymes cause seeds to sprout, flowers to blossom, plants to grow, autumn leaves to change color, and fruits to ripen. Living animals manufacture thousands of enzymes for various functions throughout their bodies.

Some enzymes – called systemic oral enzymes – are swallowed and then absorbed into the bloodstream, where they affect the entire body, removing inflammation at its source and improving a variety of conditions. These include pancreatin, a pancreatic enzyme; papain, derived from papayas; and bromelain, derived from pineapples. Taken between meals, they move past the stomach to the small intestine, from which they travel throughout the body.

When we explored systemic oral enzyme therapy in January 2001 (“Enzyme Therapy for Quicker Canine Injury Recovery”) and October 2005 (“A Digestive Enzyme Supplement Helps Dogs Recover from Illness and Injury”), the leading brand for human and pet use was Wobenzym N, then manufactured by Naturally Vitamins, Inc.

Wobenzym N (which is usually referred to simply as Wobenzym) was developed in the 1950s in the United States by Drs. Max Wolf and Helen Benitez of Columbia University, who named the product “wo” for Wolf, “ben” for Benitez, and “zym” for enzymes. Their research showed that proteolytic (protein-digesting) enzymes have four significant properties when circulating through the body: they reduce inflammation, break down harmful fibrous tissue, reduce blood viscosity to prevent harmful clotting without the adverse side effects of aspirin and other blood-thinning medications, and support immune function.

Despite its benefits, Wobenzym did not become a successful over-the-counter remedy until it moved to Germany, where only aspirin outsells it. Wobenzym is also the most thoroughly researched enzyme supplement available worldwide, having been tested in over 100 medical studies and clinical trials, most of them conducted in Europe.

Wobenzym is recommended for bruises, sprains, and all types of sports injuries as well as arthritis and any illness that involves inflammation. The bioflavonoid rutin, one of Wobenzym’s ingredients, prevents the discoloration and pain associated with bruises. German surgeons routinely prescribe Wobenzym to prevent bruising, swelling, edema, and pain. It significantly reduces post-surgical recovery time, and German hospitals give large amounts to those with serious injuries to prevent brain swelling and speed recovery.

FORMS AND TYPES
For many years Wobenzym was available as beige tablets with a clear coating (a sugar-free product developed for the American market) and as red tablets containing a small amount of sugar in their coating (the European version). The red tablets were also sold under the brand name Fido-Wobenzym for use with dogs.

After our articles appeared, Naturally Vitamins replaced Wobenzym with Medizyme, which contains the same formula. Fido Wobenzym disappeared and was replaced by Medizyme Fido. Wobenzym N is now sold by the supplement maker Garden of Life and by Douglas Laboratories, which calls it Mucos Pharma Wobenzym N.

In addition to Wobenzym N, both Garden of Life and Douglas Laboratories sell the original German formula, Wobenzym PS, which stands for Professional Strength.

Wobenzym N, Medizym, and Medizym Fido contain the same six enzyme ingredients in identical proportions while Wobenzym PS contains only three enzymes. All are protected by enteric coatings that survive stomach acid and break down in the small intestine. (To compare products, scroll down and click on the “Comparing Ingredients” link.)

FlavenZym by VitaCost contains the same six enzymes as Wobenzym N and Medizym, though in slightly different proportions. Of the products described here, FlavenZym is the least expensive. Search online for proteolytic enzymes, systemic oral enzyme therapy, or enteric-coated enzymes and you’ll find additional products as well.

WHAT THEY DO
Systemic oral enzymes taken between meals on an empty stomach once or twice per day:

– Support the body’s natural inflammation response, resulting in reduced pain and swelling.

– Increase flexibility, mobility, strength, and range of motion.

– Support joint and tendon health.

– Temporarily relieve aches, pains, and muscle soreness resulting from everyday activities.

– Reduce recovery time after sports injuries, accidents, or surgery.

– Normalize blood flow at injury sites, resulting in rapid healing and the reduction of pain.

– Improve oxygenation and the reduction of edema (fluid retention and swelling).

– Reduce scarring.

– Improve respiratory problems, seasonal allergies, and sinus infections.

In addition, some human and veterinary studies have found that systemic oral enzyme therapy helps slow or prevent the spread of cancer.

DOSING YOUR DOG
For maximum effectiveness, systemic oral enzymes should be taken on an empty stomach at least 45 minutes to one hour before meals or at least one to two hours after.

When adapting over-the-counter human enzyme products for canine use, consider your dog’s weight. Label directions are appropriate for a 100-pound human. Considering the well-documented safety of enzyme products (note the cautions below before using), proportions can be approximate. For dogs over 80 pounds, the human dose is likely to be effective and well tolerated. For dogs weighing 50 pounds, cut the dosage in half; for those weighing 25 pounds, use one-fourth of the recommended amount. See all of the recommendations and cautions presented here before deciding on a specific product and dose.

Labels on single-ingredient products like bromelain and pancreatin sold as digestive enzymes give dosages for use with food. In addition to using these enzymes with food, the same dosage twice or three times per day between meals is appropriate for systemic therapy.

Experts disagree as to whether enteric-coated tablets taken between meals work better than capsules, as uncoated pancreatin and bromelain capsules have been shown to be effective by themselves. Some dog owners use both strategies – enzyme powders with food and enzymes in uncoated or enteric-coated capsules between meals – to be sure their dogs receive the support they need, especially while recovering from an illness or injury. For convenience, digestive enzyme powders can be placed into empty two-part capsules, which are sold in natural food markets.

CAUTIONS & SIDE EFFECTS
Oral enzyme products can be problematic for any dog who is allergic to beef (Bos taurus), pork (Sus scrofa), papaya (Carica papaya), pineapple (Ananas comosus), or any other food-source ingredient. If your dog has specific allergies, check product labels or contact manufacturers to verify ingredients and their sources. Many dogs with seasonal allergies and food sensitivities have improved as a result of taking enzymes both with food and between meals, but it’s a good idea to try a small first dose and check for adverse reactions before increasing to therapeutic levels.

Dogs with bleeding disorders should not take systemic oral enzymes because they reduce clotting and thin the blood. For the same reason, large doses are not recommended immediately before surgery. Those whose dogs have a serious illness, such as liver disease, or are pregnant or nursing should consult a veterinarian before giving enzymes between meals. Digestive enzymes given with food at recommended maintenance doses are usually safe for dogs with clotting disorders and other illnesses because they interact with the body the same way that enzymes in raw food do. Follow label directions and, if in doubt, consult a holistic veterinarian.

In some cases, human patients taking very high doses of systemic oral enzymes have developed a buildup of uric acid, a waste product from protein breakdown, in the urine or blood. Allergic reactions, bleeding disorders, and uric acid buildup are rare side effects. More common are temporary reactions that disappear when the therapy is discontinued or the dosage is reduced, including minor changes in the patient’s stool and/or gastrointestinal disturbances such as flatulence, nausea, diarrhea, or a feeling of fullness.

Our 2005 article quoted Beverly Cappel, DVM, of Chestnut Ridge, New York, who had recently conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of Wobenzym N (Fido-Wobenzym) in the care and management of canine arthritis. Sixty dogs diagnosed with various types of arthritis were divided into two groups and given Fido-Wobenzym or identical placebo tablets for six to nine weeks. The study tested doses of one tablet twice per day or two tablets twice per day.

“This was a placebo-controlled trial,” said Dr. Cappel, “but it was obvious which dogs were taking the Wobenzym. They were the ones who stopped limping soon after the study started and were able to go for longer walks. Their owners noted that these dogs appeared to have much less pain. They started acting like young dogs again. A key benefit was the reduction of inflammation. Several patients who responded well were older dogs who were having trouble getting up or couldn’t do stairs or would only go for very short walks. Being able to get up the stairs again or go for longer walks – those are priceless benefits. After the study concluded, many owners came in for refills.”

However, Dr. Cappel reported that some dogs in her study developed platelet problems. She first noticed symptoms in patients whose owners were already giving them Wobenzym for arthritis or cancer at doses higher than Fido-Wobenzym’s label recommendation. She said that Wobenzym is not likely to produce adverse effects at doses of up to two tablets twice per day (four tablets daily), but as a precaution, she recommended no more than three tablets per day, which she considered very safe. Owners of dogs taking higher amounts, such as six or more tablets daily, should watch for any of the following symptoms, which might indicate platelet problems, internal bleeding, or anemia: small blood spots on the gums, pale gums, any abnormal bleeding, or bloodshot eyes.

None of Dr. Cappel’s patients who developed platelet problems became sufficiently anemic to develop white or pale gums. The problem, which occurred in male and female dogs of different ages, breeds, sizes, and conditions, several of whom ate a raw home-prepared diet, developed within the first six weeks of daily supplementation with Wobenzym. Immediately reducing the dose or stopping the product resolved these symptoms.

Enteric-coated capsules should be swallowed whole, not chewed. Powders, such as digestive enzymes or bromelain, can be mixed with a small amount of water and given between meals, but it’s usually easier to dose a dog with tablets or capsules. If your dog is hard to pill, give tablets or capsules with the smallest amount of food your dog will swallow. For best results, try to get your dog to drink a few ounces of water with each dose. Refrain from giving snacks or training treats within an hour of using systemic oral enzymes.

Enzymes are easily damaged by heat. For example, bromelain powder retains its enzyme activity for 10 years or more if refrigerated but is inactivated in just a few hours if stored near a hot oven or sunny window. Always store enzyme products in a cool, dry location.

TREATING SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
Systemic oral enzyme therapy has a general or tonic effect that improves conditions throughout the body, so instead of treating a single problem or illness, it addresses several. A dog with heart disease, arthritis, infected gums, and an ear hematoma is likely to improve in all of these areas, not just one. In fact, our hypothetical patient will probably experience improved digestion, faster wound healing, brighter eyes, and a calmer, more focused personality, especially if the therapy is continued for several months.

To treat acute injuries, sprains, bruises, contusions, hematomas, pulled muscles, abrasions, broken bones, and burns, give twice the maintenance dose for several days, or consider the protocol described in the next section, checking to be sure your dog is not developing any of the bleeding symptoms mentioned earlier. In general, frequent, small doses are more effective than single large ones, so consider dividing the dose throughout the day. Healing will occur as the injury is cleared of damaged tissue, congestion, and debris. When there is noticeable improvement, reduce the dosage to maintenance levels.

For chronic joint conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis, and hip or elbow dysplasia, give the maintenance dose twice per day. Conditions that develop slowly over time take longer to clear than sudden injuries. When the animal shows significant improvement, gradually switch to the recommended maintenance dose and continue indefinitely. If the maintenance dose is used, give it twice as often as recommended, or increase the dosage as well as frequency until symptoms improve. For acute infections, such as bronchitis, use larger doses; for chronic allergies, continue the maintenance dose for several months.

Dogs recover quickly from spaying, neutering, oral surgery, elective surgery, and emergency surgery with the help of enzyme supplements. Taken for a month or more before the operation, maintenance doses help prepare the body for healing.

Because enzymes thin the blood and help prevent clotting, some experts warn against using these supplements for 7 to 10 days before and after surgery. Others suggest using the maintenance dose until a day or two before surgery, then resuming it a day or two after. And some vets (see below) prescribe enzymes before and after surgery without interruption. Discontinuing oral enzymes reduces the risk of hemorrhage, but it increases the likelihood of swelling, pain, and other conditions. For best results, consult a holistic veterinarian and consider the patient’s physical condition, medical history, and type of surgery. (As noted above, dogs with clotting disorders should not take enzymes between meals.)

ONE VET’S PROTOCOL
Our 2005 article interviewed Mary Foster Rodriguez, DVM, of Gainesville, Florida. Since 2000, she has prescribed systemic oral enzymes for dogs with arthritis, hip dysplasia, injuries, skin and coat problems, autoimmune disorders, and any condition that involves inflammation. Although she prescribes much higher doses those on the label, she reports that her patients have yet to experience any platelet problems or signs of anemia. “I’ve given Wobenzym and now Medizym to hundreds of dogs, most of whom I see regularly,” she says. “Some have been taking it every day for many years. Other than dogs with bleeding disorders, the only situation where I wouldn’t use systemic oral enzymes would be if the dog has a stomach ulcer, which is rare but can result from taking certain medications.”

Several years ago Elliott, a large 13-year-old terrier-mix with hip dysplasia and severe arthritis in both knees, slipped on a hardwood floor and couldn’t get up. His owner, Leanne Lawrence, took him to three veterinarians, all of whom recommended that Elliott be euthanized to put him out of his misery. Then she found Dr. Foster Rodriguez, who makes house calls.

“I always carried Wobenzym with me in those days,” says Dr. Foster Rodriguez, “just as I always carry Medizym today, and as soon as I saw Elliot, I started him on five tablets per hour. I also had Leanne encourage him to stand and walk on a safe, carpeted surface, because motion often helps dogs with his condition feel better. Just after his third dose, he and Leanne were walking down the street.”

Elliot resumed his active life, even though he was diagnosed with bone cancer at 15. “I treated him homeopathically and holistically,” says Dr. Foster Rodriguez, “and the bone tumor went away. It really amazed the veterinarian who did his biopsy, along with everyone else. Elliot finally died in his sleep at age 17.”

For most conditions Dr. Foster Rodriguez starts canine patients with one tablet per 10 pounds of body weight up to a maximum of five tablets at a time given twice or three times per day.

“In a serious condition where the dog is badly injured or can’t move because of pain,” she says, “I’ll give that amount more often, every one or two hours. As soon as the dog responds, I study his symptoms and look for physical comfort, improved range of motion, increased playfulness, and similar improvements. Once I see those changes, I wait a longer period before giving more. I also start reducing the dose as the dog improves, which might be within a few days or weeks, depending on the patient. Once the dog is on a daily dose that produces good results, we continue it for several weeks before cutting back. I teach clients to monitor their dogs by paying close attention to all of the possible variables.”

Dr. Foster Rodriguez monitors a dog’s odor as well as symptoms such as loose stool or diarrhea to determine whether a saturation dose has been reached. “The odor is distinctive,” she says, “and it affects the skin, breath, and feces. If a dog smells something like cat urine, I know it’s time to reduce the dose because the dog is consuming more than her body can utilize.”

To determine whether a reduced initial or maintenance dose can be effective, she reduces the amount by one or two tablets in each divided dose during the day and continues at that rate unless symptoms recur. If a dog begins limping or shows other symptoms, she increases the dose again.

“I’ve noticed that the longer dogs are on a maintenance dose of Medizym, the fewer crises they have,” she said. “It seems to prevent injuries as well as treat them. And the Medizym dogs recover much faster from surgery. I watch for post-operation swelling but that seldom occurs in dogs taking Medizym. If they aren’t already taking it, I recommend giving one tablet per 10 pounds of body weight, up to a maximum of five tablets at a time for larger dogs, for a week or two before elective surgery.

“I don’t know what I’d do without Medizym,” she concludes. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a miracle.”

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Keep Drugs Somewhere EXTREMELY Safe

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Some blog posts just write themselves — like this one. It’s almost 3 am, and I just got home from the emergency veterinary clinic.  At approximately 11:15 pm, Riley, an 18-month-old Labrador I am fostering for my local shelter, walked into my home office happily chewing something. I couldn’t see what it was, so I got up from my chair and put my fingers in his mouth. I extracted a white plastic lid, the kind that caps a large childproof medicine bottle. My mind spun, and I remembered that there had been a bottle of another dog’s medicine on my kitchen counter earlier in the evening. I trotted into the kitchen, and sure enough, the bottle was gone.

It was a pleasantly cool evening, so I had left the back door (which is off the kitchen) open, and Riley and my dogs had been going in and out as they pleased for an hour or so. I walked outside with Riley and quickly spotted the bottle, lying on one of the dog beds scattered on the deck. I picked it up, hoping it was still full of medicine, but there were just three pills inside it.

A few weeks ago, a friend’s dog passed away, and she gave me all of her dog’s things, to donate to my local shelter. She included her dog’s prescriptions, and I took them, intending to ask the veterinarian at the shelter whether she could use them for any of the shelter dogs. The drugs had been sitting on my kitchen counter – not a safe place when you have an untrained, adolescent Labrador in the house. This was totally my fault; I shouldn’t have had anything that is potentially harmful to a dog on the counter with a dog like Riley in the house. That goes for the bottle of Advil, pack of AA batteries, and even the pack of sugarless gum. I’m putting those in various drawers now.

I trotted back into my office, and entered the name of the drug and “canine overdose” into a search engine. One of the first articles to appear was in a reputable veterinary magazine, and written by a vet who works for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the only 24/7 animal poison control center in the U.S. The article listed symptoms of an overdose as well as treatment. One of the symptoms mentioned was piloerection – when the dog’s hair stands up, as if he’s scared or angry (even though he’s not). I turned and looked at Riley; all his hair was standing up. Yikes. Time to pick up the cell phone and car keys and a leash.

I called the only emergency veterinarian clinic around, which is located about 25 miles from my house. I told them what happened, and the timeline. After a minute’s discussion with the vet on call, the receptionist suggested giving Riley some hydrogen peroxide, to try to get him to vomit up some of the pills, and then to come to the clinic as quickly as possible.

The clinic admitted Riley and took him into the back to check his blood pressure, which is one of the main symptoms of a overdose of this drug – and what can kill a dog if untreated and the dose was high enough. Then the vet tech instructed me to call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, which charges a flat rate of $65 to consult (with a victim’s owner and/or vet) on poisoning cases. I gave the poison control center my credit card number and all the information I knew, including Riley’s weight, how long it had been since he ate the drugs, and the greatest possible dose he could possibly have consumed. (I was able to work that out based on the date of the prescription, the dose the dog had been receiving, and the date of her death.) The poison control staff transferred the call to their on-call veterinary toxicologist, who conferred with the emergency clinic’s vet about the best course of treatment for Riley. He was treated several times during the night/early morning with Acepromazine, to reduce his blood pressure every time it started increasing to a dangerous level, and some fluid, to help move the drugs through his system. I picked up the very dopey dog at about noon the next day.

I’m totally kicking myself. The whole thing was my fault. I’ve given this advice to other people dozens of times, but since I hadn’t actually seen Riley jump up on my counters, I hadn’t made them Labrador-safe. And I should have known better, especially since I HAD seen him jumping up onto the equally high potting table on my back porch where I feed my cats, to eat their food.

Take home point: If you are caring for a dog who is new to you, or if you have a dog who is prone to (or liable to, in the case of a young untrained dog) jumping on counters or seeking out odd things to chew, put anything that might cause harm if consumed WELL out of the dog’s reach. I should have put these drugs (as well as that bottle of Advil, that pack of AA batteries, and a half-pack of sugarless gum) in a cupboard or a drawer – or, I should have barred Riley from the kitchen altogether. Just because my big dog wouldn’t dream of jumping on a counter to explore, and my little dog wouldn’t be able to (though plenty willing), doesn’t mean the counter was a safe spot. And don’t count on the childproof top of a pill bottle to save you (or your dog): the bottle and the lid were barely chomped on, and yet Riley was able to eat almost all of the contents. Thank goodness, the bottle wasn’t full, just half full – not a lethal dose, though a highly dangerous one.

Photo caption: Waiting for the vet to come into the exam room at the emergency clinic. Check the hairdo! Piloerection is a classic sign of an overdose of the drug Riley ate.

(Aggression #2) Modifying Aggressive Behavior

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Modifying aggressive dog behavior is step-by-step process that requires dedication.

We do know that aggression is caused by stress. With the very rare exception of idiopathic aggression – at one time called “rage syndrome,” “Cocker rage,” or “Springer rage” and grossly overdiagnosed in the 1960s and ’70s – aggression is the result of a stress load that pushes a dog over his bite threshold.

It’s often relatively easy to identify the immediate trigger for your dogs’ mutual aggression. It’s usually whatever happened just before the appearance of the hard stare, posturing, growls, and sometimes the actual fight.

When you have identified your dogs’ triggers, you can manage their environment to reduce trigger incidents and minimize outright conflict. This is critically important to a successful modification program. The more often the dogs fight, the more tension there is between them; the more practiced they become at the undesirable behaviors, the better they get at fighting and the harder it will be to make it go away. And this is to say nothing of the increased likelihood that sooner or later someone – dog or human – will be badly injured.

For more details and advice on aggressive dog behavior, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook Modifying Dog Aggression.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

By
Nancy Kerns
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I love being asked to find “the right dog” for friends or family. Especially when it’s for a person or family who is committed to taking their time to find the exact right dog –- people who don’t fall for the first cute but oh-so-inappropriate dog who comes along.

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I often foster and place dogs who have lingered in the shelter for months and months with no takers, and while it’s immensely gratifying to find a good home for those dogs, it’s far, far easier to search for a specific type of dog for someone who is ready and wants one. I often brag that, given enough time (and I’m talking months, not years) I can find any type of dog for a person who has a list of traits that they want in a dog, with reasonable flexibility.

For example, one of my most recent successes: My son’s girlfriend’s aunt let it be known that she was looking for a Corgi, an adult, who could easily co-exist with her, her husband, and her husband’s small and physically fragile 94-year-old mother. The elderly mother-in-law, who still “has the run of the house” but also has some dementia, ruled out puppies and dogs who might jump and hurt her, and dogs with complicated or unforgiving attitudes about humans. In other words, the dog needed to be very friendly and trained or easily trained.

I received the request through the chain of command (auntie, girlfriend, son) and pulled up my local shelter’s website. Lo and behold, they were currently holding (in the “lost” dogs section) a Corgi-mix, adult female. She looked like she might have some Australian Cattle Dog in her – a common breed in these parts. I looked at her intake date; she had come in as a stray, picked up by county animal control, three weeks earlier. That indicated that either no one was looking for her or knew to look for her at the shelter, and that she was long past the state’s minimum hold time of four business days (the amount of time that California deems adequate for making a stray dog available for claiming by an owner, after which the shelter can either euthanize or adopt the dog out). My local shelter usually holds dogs for far longer than four days before deciding what to do with them, both to give owners more time to look for the dogs at the shelter, and to give the dogs more time to reveal what they are really like.

I went to the shelter the next day and asked the kennel manager why the dog was still listed as “lost” and not yet available for adoption. The answer was that they were certain someone would come looking for her, she was such a nice, friendly dog. I took her outside, spent an hour or so with her, took some pictures of her for Auntie, and generally liked her more every minute. When I was done, the kennel manager said to go ahead and put her in an open kennel on the “adoption” side of the shelter; she had passed all of the shelter’s evaluations (health and heartworm tests, behavior evaluation) and was ready to be made available to the public.

I emailed my thoughts about the dog and some photos to Auntie, and received an immediate response: “If you like her, we’ll take her!” They had wanted a more purebred-looking Corgi, but this was close enough. Given that Auntie and her family live more than 100 miles from me, this required them to fill out the required forms and send payment to the shelter via phone and fax, and I picked up the dog so she could stay with me for the few days that it would take us to coordinate our schedules for a change of custody. That also gave me a few days to teach Ruby, as she is now known, a few basic behaviors (sit, down, come), introduce her to hanging out in a crate, and further evaluate her in order to be able to provide advice about her behavior, if needed, once Auntie and Uncle (and elderly Mom) had her. It also gave them time to buy some gear (baby gate, bowls, leash, crate, bed, etc.) and get the house ready for a dog.

We certainly have had some long phone calls and email exchanges about Ruby, but thankfully, none of them about her health or really problematic behavior. She’s doing great with all human members of the family, though she’s shown some aggressive behavior with visiting dogs belonging to more extended members of the family. That’s quite solvable. They also asked for a referral to a positive trainer, which I was all too happy to track down (from a trainer/writer friend not far from them). We’ve spent the most time talking about diet and portion control; the family wants Ruby to stay fit and trim (their last dog died of probably obesity-related issues, and they are determined not to repeat their failure to control this dog’s weight). Mostly, they LOVE the dog and want everything to continue to go well. All in all, a GREAT adoption.

Still riding high on that success, I was thrilled to be asked by my new next-door neighbor, an active, educated 80-year-old woman, whether I could help her find a smallish, short-haired, female, house-trained adult or senior dog. I’m going to the shelter this afternoon to start the search!

(Positive Training Basics #1) – We’re Positive

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Positive does not mean permissive. We just have different ideas about the necessary nature of the negative consequence. When one is needed, positive trainers are most likely to use “negative punishment” (taking away a good thing), rather than “positive punishment” (the application of a bad thing). As an adjunct to that, we counsel the generous use of management to prevent the dog from practicing (and getting rewarded for) undesirable behaviors.

The result? Since all living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding, and those behaviors that aren’t rewarded extinguish (go away), the combination of negative punishment and management creates a well-trained dog at least as easily as harsh or painful corrections and without the very real potential for relationship damage that is created by the use of physical punishment.

For more details and advice on positive training, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook Positive Training Basics.

(Train Your Dog Positively #1) – The Recall Cue

By
Victoria Stilwell
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Most puppies will “come” to you whenever you decide to walk away because they instinctively like to follow you. Instilling a reliable response, however, usually takes months of consistency and positive reinforcement. The easiest way to teach your new puppy or dog the “come” cue is to begin using it as soon as you bring them home:

• Whenever your puppy or dog is coming to you on his own, wait until he is a couple of feet from you and then say his name and the word “come”.

• When he gets to you, make a big fuss over him.

• With this exercise, your dog will learn that coming to you is a really good thing. After a while, you can lengthen the distance between you before you say the cue word, but be careful that you don’t go too far too soon.

• If you want a reliable recall, do not chase your dog unless it is an emergency. Dogs love to be chased.

• If you call your dog a number of times and he doesn’t come back to you, don’t tell him off when he eventually returns. It is understandably annoying when your dog ignores you, but if he comes back only to find that you’re angry with him, he’ll actually learn to avoid you more. He won’t understand that you’re angry because he ignored you and will think you’re annoyed because he came back. Coming to you should always be rewarded, whatever the circumstance and no matter how long it took him to respond.

• Motivate your dog to come by being excited, running away from him, waving a toy, or having delicious food for him when he gets to you. This will instill the idea that coming back to you is the best thing he can do.

I’m so sorry, Uncle Otto

By
Nancy Kerns
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One potential hazard of fostering dogs, when you already own dogs, is that your dogs become stressed or unhappy about the foster dogs, who often need remedial training and lessons in basic good dog manners. Other dogs enjoy having canine company, even if the visitors are ill-mannered. While my dog Otto is currently the latter, I think that when he’s a senior dog, I will have to forego fostering for a time. I suspect that he’s going to be one of those senior dogs who loses his tolerance for young dog antics. 

Today, though, I really appreciate his participation in our fostering efforts. If I bring in a well-behaved dog, he gives that dog proper space and respect, allowing him or her to participate in all of our daily activities. However, I’m more likely to bring home a juvenile delinquent who needs some remedial work on self-control; these are the dogs who need the most help to become appealing enough to find an adopter willing to take them home. And when I do bring home one of these impulsive, anxious, over-the-top dogs, Otto helps teach the dog when and where it’s inappropriate to be wild. In the kitchen? Mind your manners and keep all four feet (and your butt) on the floor and you may get a treat; if you act like a chimpanzee, we are all going to get kicked outdoors and NO FOOD.

Otto has never, ever, left a mark on another dog; his bite inhibition is exquisite. But he has a fearsome growl/roar – more like a bear than a dog – and he will unleash it on any teenaged dog who attempts to jump up on him or get right up in his face. I rarely have to say anything when one of my foster dogs is behaving too exuberantly in the house (or as we are on our way to get in the car or even just going out to feed the chickens); if the dog jumps up on me, Otto will take it upon himself to pounce on the rowdy youngster with a fearsome RRRROOOWWFF! (translated as “Knock it OFF! Or else!) and when the young dog hits the dirt, I can step in with a kindly word, petting, or treat as a reinforcement, both for the dog’s deference to Otto and for calming himself.

Recently, due to a number of family events, I’ve been staying in the Bay Area, at the homes of various friends and family members. Otto and Tito (the Chihuahua) have been going with me everywhere. They’ve been to most of these places before, and have been relaxed and polite visitors to my friends’ homes. But Otto had to work hard during our frequent visits to one house: my son’s dad’s house. My ex and his wife have a gorgeous 8-month-old German Short-Haired Pointer, who (surprise, surprise) is also a bit of a nut: relentlessly active, curious, and confident. She flings herself on every visitor and explores every damn thing you might have in your hands.

It took Otto about two seconds to identify her as a Special Problem and take responsibility for teaching her better manners. When her owner came in the back gate and Trixie jumped up in a exuberant (but rude) greeting, Otto pounced (“RRRUUUUUFFF!”). Trixie hit the dirt, displaying appropriate deference to the older dog, but then would bounce back up after a few seconds and jump again. RRUFF! Down. Jump! RRUFF! After five of these corrections, Trixie gave up and just walked into the house ahead of Amy, who laughingly said, “Can Otto stay here for a few months?”

A couple of days later, my son and I took my two dogs, Trixie, and his girlfriend’s elderly Labrador to the beach for an outing. It was Otto’s first experience with an ocean, and he had a wonderful time. He loved the sand, was fascinated with the seagulls, and seemed super curious about the incoming and outgoing waves (and the salty, not-nice taste of the water). He also rode Trixie hard for all of her infractions: not coming when called, not giving us humans (or Tito!) enough space as she ran by, jumping up on us, and sometimes, just existing in the same space/time continuum as him.

A young adult Labrador also got his attention when it ran toward us, blithely ignoring his owner’s calls. Given that the Lab was intact and at least 20 pounds heavier than Otto, I was worried when the Lab got in Otto’s face and Otto immediately gave him the Trixie treatment (RRRUUUFFF!). Fortunately, the Lab also got the message and displayed some deferent behavior (“Okay, boss, whatever, I’m outta here.”) rather than escalating and taking umbrage for what could very easily be taken as Otto’s bad manners – the presumption that all the other dogs should behave as he thinks dogs should.

We left the beach shortly after that encounter but it made me wonder: How much tolerance does Otto have left in him for ill-mannered dogs? Is this behavior getting more pronounced because of all the fostering we do? Should I dial it back to help Otto mellow out and not feel compelled to “train” every rude dog we encounter?

Those of you who foster: What do you think? What do you do to make sure your own dogs are not too put-upon by the dogs you foster? 

Critters all around us

By
Nancy Kerns
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I have a friend whose dogs are currently being terrorized by a band of aggressive turkeys in her neighborhood. Plus, her yard is not fenced, so the turkeys who wander down the block often take detours through her yard. They are not only large and noisy and numerous, they advance rather than retreat when her dogs approach them — to the point that her dogs no longer want to go outside in their own yard. And quiver when they look out the windows and see the large birds foraging in the shrubbery.

I’m dying to go over there and visit, because chasing turkeys is one of Otto’s E-ticket activities. He likes chasing any small animal when he has permission, but turkeys top the list. He seems to recognize the fruitlessness of chasing things like squirrels, so he doesn’t get too excited about it. But turkeys take to the air with a great loud flapping of wings and slowly, ponderously, as if those big bodies won’t be able to get aloft in time. It’s stimulating and hope-inspiring.

He gets excited about chasing strange cats out of our yard, too — that’s high up on the “top 10 Otto favorites” list – but he will also stop chasing and return to me on cue, at least 90 percent of the time. It took a LOT of work to install that “stop chasing and return” skill. I used the “Premack Principle” to help build that very useful behavior. (The Premack Principle is when you use a high-probability behavior to reinforce a lower probability one. In this case, it meant allowing him to chase a squirrel — or the neighbor’s cat — out of our yard after he’s seen it and come to me anyway. Of course, I use it only when the animal used for the reward has zero chance of getting caught. For more about Premack, see “Beyond Basic Dog Training,” WDJ April 2004 and “On-Leash Training Blossoms into Off-Leash Reliability,” March 2011.

Marauding turkeys would never be a problem for Otto, but there is another small animal that could ruin his day: skunks. He’s one of the few dogs I know who actually learned a lesson about skunks after being sprayed twice. When he sees or smells a skunk now, he whines and licks his lips and watches the skunk restlessly, but he won’t approach it. I’m thrilled with that. My sister’s Jack Russell Terriers could never be taught to resist, no matter how many times they were sprayed in the face. (Once, famously, when my sister had a sitter watching her dogs and her house, and the dogs had use of a dog door, and they probably had 10 or so hours to try to rub the skunk spray off of themselves, using her bed and sofa and rugs.)

Raccoons are another big threat to dogs (especially small dogs), in every sort of environment – rural, urban, and suburban. Mary Straus’s articles in the July and September issues of WDJ, chronicle some of the problems they can spell for dog owners. My sister’s JRTs saved her Chihuahua from being eaten by a raccoon once (and it was that clueless Chi’s second raccoon attack!).

WDJ’s Training Editor Pat Miller has long complained about one of her dogs, who can’t messing with (and keeps getting torn up during altercations with) groundhogs. I just couldn’t imagine such a thing, until I saw my first groundhog, while in Toronto recently (we don’t have them in California). Dang! Those things get big! And they just sort of SIT there, daring a dog to come at them. They must have some pretty powerful arsenal of teeth or claws or something hidden under all that seeming blubber, to sit and stare back at passersby, like the ones I saw seemed wont to do.

What animals ruin your dog’s day? 

Essential Oil Tick Repellents: What Works and What Doesn’t

By
CJ Puotinen
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[Updated December 14, 2018]

Far be it from us to tell you to put pesticides on your dog. But we’ve never heard of a single nontoxic preparation that was effective at keeping ticks off all dogs.  For some dogs, only the potent pesticides seem to keep ticks away. There are, however, some nontoxic products – both commercially produced and homemade formulas – that work to repel ticks well enough to consider using them as part of a comprehensive Lyme disease prevention program.

In 1994, botanist Arthur O. Tucker reviewed the scientific literature on herbs that repel mosquitoes, flies, fleas, ticks, and similar pests. He found that opopanax myrrh (Commiphora erythaea), the myrrh of ancient Egypt, has been shown to repel adults of the African brown ear tick, deer tick, black-footed tick, lone star tick, and American dog tick. Because opopanax myrrh is not widely sold, Tucker speculated that the more readily available common myrrh (C. myrrha) might have similar properties, but herbalists who experiment with live ticks report that of the herbs said to repel them, including myrrh, rosemary, and California laurel, only rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), palmarosa (Cymbagopogon martini motia), which has a similar fragrance, and opopanax myrrh truly repel deer ticks and dog ticks.

CJ Puotinen, author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats, describes an all-purpose repellent that will make pets (and people!) less attractive to ticks and other biting insects. She suggests blending 20 drops of rose geranium, palmarosa, or opopanax myrrh essential oil (or any combination) with three drops citronella essential oil (which repels mosquitoes) and enough vodka, neem tincture, or bay rum aftershave to dissolve the essential oils. Start with two tablespoons alcohol or tincture and add more as needed to make the oils dissolve completely. Do not use isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. When there is no longer a thin film of oil on the surface, add one cup water, herbal tea, or aloe vera juice or gel. Apply frequently, avoiding the eyes.

To examine more options on ways to keep ticks off of your dog, purchase and download the ebook Ticks and Canine Lyme Disease from The Whole Dog Journal.

Download the Full September 2013 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
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I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
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