My Border Collie Daisy trained for the world record in the “hack put” event. This soon-to-be Olympic sport involves hacking pills from the back of the throat as far as possible across the room. Her record is 1.2 meters, even after a time delay of about two minutes following pill administration. Most of us are familiar with the tried and true ways of administering pills to our dogs – hiding them in food such as cream cheese or braunschweiger or vanilla ice cream, or using commercial products such as Pill Pockets. When my dog progressed to the end stage of her cancer disease, I found I had to approach giving medications a little differently; the usual methods ceased working.
1. Novelties and Diversity: Change the Foods You Put Your Dog’s Pills In
When Daisy’s appetite waned, I began scouring the grocery store for novel food items that she might find enticing: canned cat food, Velveeta cheese, meatballs, banana bread, muffins, tortellini.
A good friend recently went through end stage osteosarcoma with her dog; his pain medication was quite bitter, but much needed. After biting into the awful-tasting pill once, he became wary of treats. My friend discovered a great solution: she twisted off the top of a sandwich cookie (Oreo-type), placed the pill inside, replaced the top, and handed the cookie to her dog. Because it was novel, and the pill well disguised, cookie and pill were gone in a gulp.
At one point Daisy began to associate receiving one of her medications with making her feel sick; it was an antibiotic and antibiotics can often have this effect. (They have this effect on me, too!) Studies have shown that foods eaten in association with developing nausea can turn patients off of that food and sometimes food in general. This is a good reason not to place pills into meals at feeding time as well as to frequently change the food item you hide the pill in.
2. Try Flavored Medications or Non-Oral Options
More and more medications are being offered in flavored liquid suspensions ranging in flavors from chicken pot pie to cheddar cheese to strawberry shortcake. Drugs are suspended in palatable flavors (dogs prefer the meat, cheese, and sweet flavors) and are administered with an oral syringe. Flavored chewables are also great alternatives; the active drug is measured precisely to the veterinarian’s orders and then mixed with flavor base and gelatin.
With some medications, transdermal gels, custom creams, suppositories, flavored powders, and oral gels may also be options. Consult with your veterinarian and a compounding pharmacy that specializes in veterinary drugs to discuss those that might work for your pet. Be aware, though, that compounding costs more than standard prescriptions.
3. Gamify Your Dog’s Medication Time
Play can help boost not only your dog’s spirit but also your own. I found two play techniques to work quite well. The first was toss & catch. Tossing a treat to catch from a short distance away was a game I had often played with my dogs. Now it was repurposed: not only would I toss regular treats, but also the hidden pill. Watch carefully, though, to ensure the pill is caught and ingested! If your dog is not adept at catching, or doesn’t have the energy, you can roll the treats to her.
The other fun thing to do is use dog puzzles, especially if your dog is used to playing with them. The pill can be hidden with other treats and will be gobbled up along with the others. Again, monitor carefully to make sure your dog actually receives the medication.
4. Click and Treat and Pill
On a whim one day, I gathered a handful of really tasty treats (baked sirloin) and picked up the clicker. I had taught my dogs many things through clicker training; they thought it was a blast and eagerly offered behaviors in attempts to get the human slot machine to pay off. Every time they would hear a clicker, they would come running because it obviously indicated that a fun training session was about to begin.
To my amazement, this technique, instilled during puppyhood, became not only a great way to get Daisy to eat (even when she wasn’t feeling like it – as if the act of receiving the reward was greater than her lack of appetite), but also proved to be a great way to have her unknowingly swallow a hidden pill as I rewarded her for a behavior.
We also drew on our experience with the reward marker “jackpot” (where a bunch of treats rains down on the dog); I wouldn’t necessarily ask for a behavior to reward, but would just say the word excitedly and it would trigger an automatic seeking of the downpour of treats (which, of course, just happened to have pills hidden among them).
5. Wonder Bread, When All Else Fails
There came a time when all the tricks failed. To ensure her proper care and comfort, I had to resort to the standard technique of opening Daisy’s mouth and popping multiple pills down her throat four times a day.
Most pills by themselves can taste yucky and can get stuck in the mouth or throat; to avoid this, I used small pieces of Wonder bread (for some reason none of the other soft white bread brands work like Wonder bread – trust me on this) as a wrap around the pills and then quickly dunked these in water immediately before administering. The bread would turn slimy but add just enough protectant so that the pills would not start dissolving right away and allow them to slide easily into the digestive tract.
6. Appoint A Designated Pill Administrator
If you’re in a hospice or long-term care situation, giving pills frequently can become a chore. And if your dog is not feeling well or dreads the act of receiving the pills, it can begin to have an effect on your relationship; that’s the last thing anyone wants.
Consider finding someone who can administer the medications for you, such as a friend, family member or veterinary technician. It may not always be convenient and it may not be for every dose, but it can avoid you always having to be the bad guy and allow you to focus on having enjoyable moments with your dearest friend.
Barbara Dobbins is a San Francisco Bay Area dog trainer on hiatus. She isn’t sure what her life looks like without her girl Daisy, who lost her battle with cancer in July, but she knows it was made so much better because Daisy shared the journey with her.
A cue becomes “poisoned” when the dog’s association with the cue is ambiguous – it’s sometimes associated with positive reinforcement, and sometimes associated with punishment. When the association is ambiguous, the dog becomes confused and doesn’t know what to expect. Poisoning your “Come!” cue is the best way to ensure that she’ll stop and weigh her choices, then take off after the bounding deer, rather than come galloping to you when you call.
A positively trained “Come” cue always “opens the door” to positive reinforcement. If the behavior does not occur, the only result is that no reinforcement occurs. When the behavior occurs, reinforcement is guaranteed. As soon as the dog understands what “Come” means, the cue itself becomes a positive reinforcer because of its consistent association with a high-value reward.
A recall trained by correction/punishment also creates an association in the dog’s mind – but the association is not positive. If the dog doesn’t come when called, or doesn’t do it quickly enough, the command leads to punishment such as a “leash pop” or verbal reprimand (often called a “correction”). The command is now a conditioned positive punisher (the dog’s behavior makes a bad thing happen) and/or negative reinforcer (the dog’s behavior makes a bad thing go away; the punishment stops when the dog finally comes). The dog works to avoid bad stuff rather than to get good stuff. The dog’s emotional response to the “Come” command is negative/avoidance, not positive.
Even if the behavior was initially trained with positive reinforcement, if a cue is followed by an aversive correction (leash pop, verbal reprimand) for incorrect behavior, the cue immediately loses its positive association and its value as a positive reinforcer. It is, at best, ambiguous. It no longer automatically triggers the positive emotions associated with conditioned positive reinforcers. This often occurs with trainers who use positive reinforcement to train a behavior, but then use “corrections” to “proof” the behavior – that is, once they believe the dog “knows” the behavior, they feel they are justified in using punishment if the dog doesn’t do it when asked. This, too, will quickly poison a cue.
Even if primary reinforcers, such as approval, toys, and treats are used during or after training, the “Come” cue is a threat as well as a promise. Compliance diminishes because behavior that might be punished tends to be avoided. The dog’s attitude often switches from attentive eagerness to reluctance and avoidance, frequently with manifestations of stress. Even though an appropriate behavioral response to the “Come” cue is still followed by reward, if failure is followed by punishment, the cue has become ambiguous in terms of predictable outcome. It is no longer “safe.” You have poisoned your recall cue.
“Come” is one of the cues that are most frequently poisoned by dog owners – if not THE most commonly poisoned cue. Owners often inadvertently poison the recall cue by following it with a consequence the dog perceives as undesirable, even though the owner isn’t intentionally punishing the dog. It can happen to anyone. Before I realized that coming into the house was aversive to our Corgi, I often called her to “Come!” and then took her inside. By the time I realized she was avoiding me when I said “Come,” it was too late – the damage to the cue had been done.
At least one study suggests that it’s easier to use a new cue than to rehabilitate a cue that’s been poisoned, as the poisoned cue will likely always carry a negative association. With that in mind, when I realized I had given her a negative association with the word “Come,” I changed her cue.
Now I use “Let’s go!” and make sure it’s frequently associated with fun stuff – even when we’re going into the house. On the way to the house we often play targeting games or “Chase the Cuz,” her all-time favorite toy. Sometimes I don’t call her, but go into the house without her. Because she hates being outside alone, she soon appears at the back door, waiting to be let in. I can get away with temporarily leaving her outside unattended because we live smack dab in the middle of our 80-acre farm, almost a half-mile from the road, and I know she won’t leave. Problem solved.
Teaching your dog to come when called is no longer the way it was 20 years ago – when every obedience class taught it by leaving her on a sit-stay, walking across the room, and firmly commanding her to speed to a perfectly straight sit at the tips of your toes. Today’s educated trainers and knowledgeable dog owners recognize the value of making “Come” the happiest word in their dogs’ dictionary, and understand that truly reliable recalls can happen in the face of bouncing bunnies, dashing deer, cavorting cats, and flying squirrels.
Don’t do this! A straight-on, leaning-forward posture and angry expression are daunting to most dogs. Would you come to someone who looked like this?
There was a time when trainers warned clients that they had to be more interesting than squirrels, cats, deer, and bunnies, if they wanted their dogs to come reliably when called. Good luck making yourself more interesting than a bounding Bambi!
In reality, the foundation for a solid recall starts long before Bambi makes an appearance, and doesn’t rely on you being a one man (or woman) canine entertainment center to successfully compete with significant distractions. It starts when you first introduce your dog to the “Come” cue. Successful recalls rely on a strong, classically conditioned association with high-value reinforcers. In other words, your dog learns that coming when called is so much fun that when you call her she doesn’t stop to weigh her options – she just automatically and gleefully comes flying to you.
Laying the Foundation
An enthusiastic automatic response to the recall cue requires that you lay a strong foundation from the very beginning, associating “Come!” (or whatever your recall cue) with really fun stuff. (See “Beware the Poisoned Cue,” top right). We do this in our basic good manners classes by teaching a “Run-Away Recall!” which looks like this:
Author/Trainer Pat Miller demonstrates a speedy recall with her Cardigan Corgi, Lucy.
1. In a safely fenced or enclosed environment, stash a supply of high-value treats in a bowl on a counter or table next to you. With your dog in front of you, say “Come!” (or your chosen recall cue) in a cheerful “We’re having a party!” voice and feed her a pea-size treat from the bowl.
Repeat several times, until your “Come!” cue elicits a happy “Where’s the treat?” response from her. You’ve now “charged” the “Come” cue, and are ready to try it out.
2. If you stand and face your dog when you call her (as done in old-fashioned training), you risk looking like an intimidating authority figure, which takes the fun out of “Come.” Instead, have your dog at your side (on- or off-leash), say “Come!” in a loud, cheerful, “We’re having a party” voice, and run away as fast as you can. The combination of your charged “Come” cue and your dog’s natural inclination to run after things that move should result in her following you as you run, hopefully at least at a trot, but preferably at a full gallop.
3. As she’s running after you, click your clicker (or use a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!”). After you’ve run at least 10 to 15 feet or more, stop running and feed her the treat. Repeat several times until it’s clear she understands the game.
If her first response was a lukewarm trot, it may take several repetitions until she gets happy and excited enough about the game to gallop after you. You may need to increase the distance you run to give her time to get in gear. You may also need to increase your excitement to get her more excited, or decrease your enthusiasm if you think you may be scaring her with your energy level, which can sometimes happen with “soft” dogs.
4. Toss a few treats on the ground. While your dog is busy eating them, walk 10 feet away. As she finishes the last treat, call her and run away as fast as you can. Give her treats again when she reaches you. Repeat this exercise, gradually increasing the distance you walk away before calling her.
5. Start looking for opportunities where your dog is mildly engaged in something of relatively low interest to do your Run-Away Recall. When you can easily call her away from low-level distractions, try it with distractions of gradually increasing value.
Add toys to the mix if you think it will help. Some dogs will romp to you more enthusiastically for a squeaky toy or a game of tug than a bit of chicken; try both and use what works best for your dog. You can mix it up for dogs who like all three – the unpredictability of the reward can make it more fun and exciting for your dog. If you use the squeak of a toy to elicit a gallop, be sure to toss the toy for your dog when she gets there!
That’s your foundation – but your fun with recalls has only just begun. Add more fun games, like the ones on the next few pages, to generalize her understanding of the “Come” behavior to higher and higher levels of distraction. In this way, you can eventually train your dog to a level that enables you to trust her off-leash in safe, open areas.
More Recall Fun
My personal favorite recall “add-on” is teaching an emergency “stop” cue. I use “Wait!” to pause my dogs in mid-step (see “Wait a Bit, Stay a While,” WDJ May 2001). Once their forward movement is stopped, it is much easier for them to hear and respond to their recall cue. I have also used a well-trained “Down!” as a stop cue. Again, when the dog’s forward motion is stopped, the recall happens more easily.
Leslie Nelson of Tails-U-Win in Manchester, Connecticut, is world-renowned for her “Really Reliable Recall” methods, available on DVD and in her book of the same title. Among other things, she advocates teaching an emergency recall cue that you charge with high-value treats and practice often in low-distraction environments.
Because this is a different word from your everyday recall cue, you don’t risk poisoning it accidentally. Then when you need it in a true emergency (dog running toward busy highway), it’s very likely to work. Pick a word that is easy for you to keep the positive association (some people use “Cookies!”) and remember to use it if and when you need it.
Every positive trainer has her own version of recall games. Here are some you can use with your dog:
Clarissa Bergeman, CPDT-KA, of Canine Company, LLC, in Round Hill, Virginia, suggests this version of an old obedience competition technique to get faster recalls: “As your dog is running in, whip a tennis ball or other favorite toy out of your back pocket and toss the object between your legs as your dog runs through to get it. It’s not just for small dogs. Coordinated handlers can lift one leg to let the dog run through and play this game with larger dogs, too!”
Laura Dorfman, CPDT-KA, PMCT1, of Kona’s Touch in Chicago’s North Shore, Illinois, invented a new game to play with her recently adopted Terrier-mix, Captain Jack Cricket:
“I sit with him right in front of me and cup both my hands together, playing a kind of peek-a-boo game in which he always finds a treat or toy in my hands. When he is a little farther from me, I get down on one knee and cup my hands together; when he sees this, he comes running for whatever yummy thing I have in my cupped hands.
“Twice, I’ve seen him him pick up something I didn’t want him to have, and I’ve cupped my hands together. each time, he dropped the item and came running. I started this game with him because I wanted to make sure he wasn’t becoming hand shy, but now I’ve taught him a few different behaviors that end with this great recall. It helps him love hands. It helps with targeting. And it’s given him an awesome recall.”
Cindy Mauro, CPDT-KA, of Cindy Mauro Dog Training in Bergen County, New Jersey, reminds dog owners that “Come” shouldn’t always mean an end to the fun stuff.
“When my dog is outside having a good time, playing with another dog or a person, I start with calling his name and letting him know I have something fabulous – steak, chicken, etc. – not an ordinary treat. In the beginning, I let him see the treats, or hear the crinkling bag. He runs to me, and I mark with “Yes”! and feed 1-2-3 treats, then immediately release him with ‘Go play.’
“Doing this randomly throughout the day teaches him that it’s great to come when I call his name, and I’m not always ending the ‘fun’ (play, chasing a squirrel etc.). The key is to do this often and randomly, with lots of repetitions of ‘treat / go play.’ I can get my dogs running to me even when they’re in the far end of the yard playing a rousing game of chase with each other!”
Susie Daily, CPDT-KA, from Pets In Motion in Wayne, Pennsylvania, offers a different perspective on recalls.
Photo by Jennie Clutterbuck
She says, “I like to do ‘Opportunity Comes,’ where you identify things your dog runs to you for anyway, and then just add the cue.
“For instance, before dinner time you know your dogs will run to you when they hear the sound of the food bin/bag/cupboard opening, so right before you open it, say ‘Fido, come!’ in an excited happy tone, then open the food and feed dinner! Reward is inherent and they start to perk up when they hear that cue.
“Other examples might be the sound of the ice cube dispenser on the fridge door (my dogs come running for that), the sound of the car keys, the sound of a squeaky toy, etc. Just be sure not to trick them! If it’s the car keys for instance, better take them for a ride. Anything you know your dog will run to you for anyway, just put it on cue!”
Sean Howard, PMCT1, of Up With Pup in Toronto, used the Premack Principle to teach a solid recall to his dog, Mikka. The Premack Principle says you can use a higher value/more likely behavior to reinforce a lower value/less likely behavior.
Howard says, “Mikka and I play the squirrel Premack game every day of every week. It was how we got recall in the first place; he is a Karelian Bear Dog and like many of his breed, predisposed to chasing things to the end of the earth.
“The game is simple. He targets a squirrel (now, even when he is off-leash), his body itching to launch. I wait a few seconds, and then call him. If he turns and comes at me in a full out run, I drop the leash and scream (mainly to give the squirrel a safe head start) for him to go ‘Get it!’ He tears off in a mad dash and comes prancing back proudly after he trees the squirrel. If he doesn’t choose to come to me when called, I say ‘Too bad!’ and we turn and walk the other way.
Estie Dallett, PMCT2, of Civil Dogobedience, based in Washington, D.C., recommends Round Robin Recalls, or what she calls “Multi-Person Random Order Recall Circle.”
She plays it this way: “At least three people spread out at a distance suitable to the level of the dog’s response-ability, then take turns cuing “come” in a randomly changing order. Often it makes an impression on the dog if you start off by doing two or three ‘circuits’ of cues in order, going left or right around the circle, then switch into random order. The dog will initially anticipate the next person to go to, but then will learn to pay attention to the person who actually said ‘Come.’
“Distraction levels can be increased by having the non-cuing people do increasingly active or silly dances or talking, applauding, or whatever. It’s important that all the people have equally fabulous treats. If not, a beginner dog may just hang around the person with the yummiest food. Of course, if the dog goes to a person who did not call her, then that person must ignore/turn their back on the dog.”
You can also enhance the recall response by having the person who calls the dog turn and run away to increase the enthusiasm of the dog’s response.
Recalls With Class
Trainers are also finding ways to make recalls more fun in the classroom setting. My training center, Peaceable Paws LLC, in Fairplay, Maryland, offers a recall class that makes use of the entire 80-acre farm, giving owners an opportunity to generalize their dogs’ recalls to the outdoors, in the presence of distractions such as horses, deer, squirrels, groundhogs, turkeys, and more.
Jessica Miller, PMCT1, one of our Peaceable Paws trainers, likes to demonstrate the “Run Away Recall,” to show owners how silly they can be. She says, “When we give a big over-the-top performance, it seems that the class does better! It also helps everyone loosen up and give themselves permission to act silly. I like to give a prize for the person who gives the most exciting recall performance.”
Susie Daily, CPDT-KA, holds recall races in her classes. “I like doing recall races at the end of Manners 1, as long as all dogs are friendly and can tolerate it. Instructors/assistants run with the dogs on-leash to prevent any incidents.
“Two dogs are restrained by assistants at one end of the room. A finish line is marked at the other. Owners go across the finish line and wait to be told: ‘Ready, set, call your dog!’ Both call their dogs, and the one to get their dog across the finish line and into a sit first, wins. Then we race two more, until everyone has raced, then winners race each other. We do heats until we find the fastest recaller!”
Diana Foley, CPDT-KA, of Progressive Pet Training in Gaithersburg, Maryland, also holds friendly competitions in her classes, but instead of speed, she’s looking for the most enthusiastic recalls. “I like to have the dogs line up with their owners, and one at a time, the owners go across the room (I hold their dogs at the starting line) and call their dogs. We have a friendly competition for who can get their dog to come with the most enthusiasm. It helps the owners lighten up and be more silly and fun when calling their dogs, and the other owners observe and cheer them on. It makes for a fun environment where owners are having fun with their dogs rather than the stern and commanding “COME” that I’m sure we’ve all seen!”
My personal favorite is the “Hidden Treasure” recall. Leave your dog in the house and set up a “treasure area” by hiding high-value reinforcers in your fenced yard, or along a hiking path. Hide some of your dog’s favorite toys as well as extra-tasty treats. With the treats hidden, bring your dog out to the treasure-laced area, off-leash if she’s ready for that, or on a long line if necessary. Call her. When she gets to you, run with her to the nearest hiding place and reveal the treasure. The combination of the fun run, followed by the appearance and delivery of the treats, will make this an irresistible game for your dog. She’ll be amazed that you can make marvelous reinforcers appear out of thin air!
Get Creative
One of the many things I love about positive reinforcement training is that it encourages trainers and owners to get creative with their training. No longer is there one “right” way to teach behaviors; there are as many ways as there are human brains to think them up.
The panoply of ideas described above for teaching your dog to come to you enthusiastically and fast when called demonstrates this – and these barely scratch the surface. We challenge you to come up with more fun ways to teach your dog to come when you call her. Meanwhile, remember to keep your recalls consistently fun and rewarding for your dog so that she’ll romp to you with enthusiasm, each and every time you call her.
Ages ago, I edited a horse magazine, and for a time, published a column written by the noted animal communicator Penelope Smith. I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Smith each month, and as we discussed the column, we’d sometimes veer off into a talk about a general topic having to do with animals and our relationships with them. Despite my preconceptions of someone who purports to “talk to the animals” as being nutty, I found Smith to be incredibly insightful, wise, and humorous. She was empathetic and yet practical. I bought several of her books on “interspecies communication” and was fascinated by her accounts of experiences with hundreds of animals.
At some point, I asked Smith that if she was able to telepathically communicate with animals at pretty much any distance, was she ever troubled by the plight of, say, animals locked in a shelter somewhere?
As usual, her answer surprised me. I’m paraphrasing a conversation that took place 20 years ago, but my memory was that she took the position that while it’s indeed sad for us to see any animal in pain or distress or at risk of being killed, that the animals themselves had to take some amount of responsibility for their unfortunate situations. Her belief was that all beings choose their lives and bodies – and that, in the case of (as one example) a dog in a shelter, that individual makes choices every day that could lead him out of a shelter or cause him to be euthanized.
I’ve thought about that conversation countless times over the years – and in the majority of cases, I’ve thought about it in relation to the plight of animals in shelters or in the homes of abusers or hoarders. Aren’t they completely at the mercy of humans, for better or worse? Or are they there as a result of their own actions or inactions?
I think about this when, in the kennels of my local shelter, I come across a super smart, friendly, well-mannered dog who practically grabs me by the lapels and seems to say, “I need help to get out of here. I’ll be a good dog and I want a nice family. Help?” Some dogs seem to inspire, if not demand, that the shelter staff and volunteers put their maximum efforts into finding a good home on their behalf.
But I also think about the concept of “personal responsibility” and free will as they relate to animals, when I come across a dog who is doing nothing whatsoever to help himself get adopted – the one who won’t engage with visitors to the kennels, or who acts like a crazed jack-in-the-box in the “get acquainted” room, or attacks an adopter’s dog or cat within minutes of arriving at a potentially good home. Of course, it makes just as much sense to explain these things as a lack of exposure to humans, a lack of training, and a lack of proper socialization. And while as a volunteer at the shelter, I certainly try to give all the dogs some positive exposure to humans, training, and social opportunities, I sometimes find myself saying to a dog, “Hey, do yourself a favor and behave yourself in front of these nice people who are looking for a family pet, will ya?”
If a dog behaves aggressively toward humans and is euthanized – was this partly his own fault, for failing to control his desire or instinct to bite? Or was it entirely a man-made tragedy, because he wasn’t properly socialized, trained, and managed?
What do you think? Do you think dogs are completely at our mercy in this world for their fate, or do you think they are somewhat (or largely) responsible for their own fates?
Volunteering at my local shelter this past weekend, I was photographing a cute senior Chihuahua (in an effort to better represent him on the shelter website) when I noticed something on his tummy. At first I thought it was discolored for a health reason. But when another volunteer and I rolled him over for a closer look, I could see that he was tattooed. As we stretched him in such a way to reveal the whole tattoo, I was in the process of telling my fellow volunteer that this was once a common practice – that before identification microchips became common, dogs were sometimes tattooed with the owner’s driver’s license number or phone number.
288
But then we decoded the message. It looked like this:
S O
THE R
U L
D CA
N
D
Or, in other words,
THE STUD
ORLAND, CA
Just in case you were wondering, the dog was neutered – NOT a stud. I’m guessing it’s the name of a bar or something, although I was not able to find a listing for a business by that name in Orland, California, which is about 50 miles from this shelter. The dog was surrendered by someone who said she inherited the dog from a friend who passed away. She had the dog for about a year before deciding she couldn’t keep him. She did not mention anything about the dog having a tattoo.
What the heck? Is our society so tattoo-crazy that our dogs are now fair game for skin art? I can see putting a dog through the discomfort of a tattoo for identification purposes, but no other reason.
(For what it’s worth, in this case, though, I can honestly say the tattoo may well have played a role in getting the dog adopted. The first couple I showed him to adopted him. They did ask to meet him before they knew there was a tattoo, but they clearly thought the tattoo was an interesting novelty, too.)
What do you think? Have you seen other tattooed dogs? We dock tails and drastically change the appearance of many breeds’ ears — is it okay to practice other body modification “art” on our dogs?
I used to live with a Frisbee-addicted dog (a Border Collie named Rupert), and a disc-addicted son, who is now off at college (and still addicted). So how is it that Whole Dog Journal has never before reviewed flying disc toys for dogs?
There is a wide variety of flying toys made for dogs, with different key features for different applications. The overarching concept is to create a disc that flies well enough to inspire a dog to chase it, catch it, and return with it uninjured. Most of us owners want a toy that won’t be ruined within three catches between a dog’s teeth, but you don’t want it to be so tough that it can hurt a dog’s teeth or mouth if he doesn’t catch it perfectly.
We enlisted three types of product testing “dogs” to help with the review. The first are disc-throwing experts, including my son; he’s co-captain of a college Ultimate team called (get this) the (University of California) Davis Dogs. He enlisted some of his teammates to test-throw a number of dog discs and report on the products’ flying abilities. The second set of reviewers are professional disc dog competitors (canine/human teams). Our third set of reviewers are backyard dogs who love fetching flying things.
Frisbee Throwability vs. Safety
Engaging the services of an Ultimate team to test flying discs for dogs is not as bizarre as it sounds. This spring, the Davis Dogs were one of 20 teams nationally that qualified for and competed in the USA Ultimate (USAU) College National Championships (for the first time in the Dogs’ 31-year history!).
A special disc is used in the game of Ultimate – and even though the sport is often informally called “Ultimate Frisbee,” discs made by Frisbee haven’t been used in the game for more than 20 years. Discraft is maker of the official disc of USAU, the sport’s governing body in this country, and its 175-gram “Ultrastar” is the only disc used in official tournaments of all levels. It’s far heavier than grocery-store Frisbees, with a thick, weighty rim that helps it fly farther than a lighter disc – and that can bruise your knuckles and crush your fingernails if you don’t catch it just so.
Discs made for playing with dogs are usually much lighter than the discs made for Ultimate. It’s one thing when an Ultimate player hurts his or her hand (or accidentally takes a disc in the face when trying to block a competitor’s throw) in their favorite game, but it’s unconscionable to ask your dog to play a game that can hurt him (even if it’s his favorite, too). If a disc gets blown by the wind or a dog slips as he is leaping for the disc, or he simply miss-times his jump, a heavy or too-rigid disc can break a tooth, or knock him in the gums, jaw, or head hard enough to really hurt. So, most discs for dogs are either very light or made out of a soft material.
That’s great for safety, but discs made of light weight or soft materials don’t fly nearly as far as harder, heavier discs – and gummy discs are really difficult to throw accurately. This isn’t a problem if you’re playing in the middle of a great big field, but if you are trying to throw the disc in competition so that your dog catches it in a certain spot, accuracy is important. And if you use fetch games as a primary method for tiring (or conditioning) your dog, you want a disc that can be thrown as far as possible. Also, if you’re like me, with a compromised shoulder that limits how far I can throw anything, you appreciate a disc that can be flung a long distance with a minimum of effort.
In the Davis Dogs’ throwing tests, they found that the ability to fly far was almost always paired with an increased potential to hurt dogs. And, in general, the discs that flew poorly are the soft or floppy ones made with safety for dogs foremost in mind. Fortunately, we found a happy medium.
What Are the Best Frisbee Disc for Dogs?
I was lucky in having the Davis Dogs nearby to test-throw discs; I was even luckier in having disc dog expert Steve Teer nearby, to offer his feedback on various discs. Steve and his wife, Jill, live in Vacaville, California. Steve has been a disc dog fanatic ever since he first saw a disc dog competition on TV in 1998. “I was hooked,” says Steve. “I had an Australian Shepherd, Guinness, who was about 18 months at the time. I decided to see if I could teach him some of the tricks I saw on TV.” Steve found a disc dog club in his area and entered his first competition with Guinness the following month.
Since then, Steve has won numerous championships in every type of disc dog competition with his dogs, starting with Guinness (who passed away in 2011), continuing through Irish (born in 2004 and recently retired from competition), and including Steve’s newest Aussie superstar, Whiskey. His youngest dog, Whiskey recently qualified for the 2012 Ashley Whippet Invitational World Championships at the tender age of 22 months old (the competition will be held in September in St. Louis). Whisky also won the Freestyle Flying Disc competition at the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge in Del Mar, California, in June.
Further, Steve is just a hell of a nice guy, welcoming to newcomers and longtime disc dog enthusiasts alike, and generous with his time and expertise. He seems to get a special enjoyment from introducing newbies to the sport; it’s a good way to share some of his dog-friendly training tips and philosophy, and his passion for keeping his dogs safe and happy. “These dogs sleep with me and my wife every night; they are our family members,” he told me. “I would never do anything to hurt or scare my dogs, and if they ever show me that they are not having fun, we stop what we’re doing.”
Teer starts his disc dogs as puppies on floppy fabric flying discs, which can be thrown for short distances and safely used as tug toys. Short sessions of tug-of-war increase a dog’s interest in and enthusiasm for discs, so he keeps some of the floppy discs around for tug and for novelty, but graduates a pup to very lightweight plastic flying discs. Like the Davis Dogs, Teer is not a big fan of the floppy rubberized discs often sold in chain pet supply stores; while they have a low potential for hurting a dog, they don’t fly far or accurately. Once a pup or young dog shows enthusiasm for flying discs, Teer introduces them to very lightweight but rigid discs, which are easy to throw accurately and have a low potential for hitting a dog hard enough to hurt him or make him lose interest in the game.
These lightweight, rigid discs are particularly susceptible to being punctured by enthusiastic dog teeth, however – and once a disc has been punctured, it has great potential for cutting a dog’s mouth and a thrower’s hand. You definitely don’t want your dog to catch rigid plastic discs that have been badly chewed – and they are not much fun to throw, either. When a dog bites a rigid disc – especially one of the lightweight discs – it punches raised, sharp cones of plastic on one side of the disc. Catching a spinning disc covered with these sharp projections is like trying to clasp a thorn-covered rose stem; it’s almost impossible to make a secure catch without getting hurt.
When a disc gets too chewed or pierced to work with safely, Teer discards it. That’s why, like many disc dog devotees, Teer buys the lightweight (105 or 110 grams) discs in bulk; he goes through about 500 a year! (Plus, the companies that make discs for disc-dogs events offer custom imprinting, so when Teer places those orders, the discs arrive with his “team” logo, “Flyin’ Irish.”)
There are alternatives in the form of slightly softer (though still rigid), bite-resistant discs. Companies that specialize in products especially for dog sports have developed some discs that are, in our opinion, juuuust right for the average dog owner with a moderately disc-obsessed dog. The rubberized discs resist punctures, but are rigid enough to fly well and light enough to reduce hard knocks.
Of course, dog owners can be fussy and opinionated about gear for their preferred sports, and disc dog people are no different. Some competitors prefer the rigid discs, even if they have to go through a lot of them. Some want to use only the discs used in competition, so both they (the thrower) and their dogs have a consistent experience with the discs. For his part, Teer worries that it’s harder on the dogs’ jaws to repeatedly bite a resistant material. “This is my own theory, and it’s not at all scientific: I just worry where all that biting and chewing energy goes. I’m concerned that the dog’s jaws end up absorbing a lot of the energy of the bite, potentially harming the dog’s teeth and the muscles in the jaw,” he explains. He also hastens to explain that he has no data to support his concerns; it’s pure speculation on his part.
Then again, his dogs chomp on discs every single day. For the average backyard disc chaser, the more durable discs are a blessing, since they last a long time without sprouting the sharp plastic “thorns” caused by canine punctures.
Whole Dog Journal‘s Favorite Frisbee
So, while we recognize that some of these discs excel in certain applications (noted in the individual disc reviews, below), our top pick in flying discs for a puncture-resistant, excellent-flying disc that will best serve to thoroughly exercise a dog without knocking out his teeth or consciousness, is the 145-gram, bite-resistant Jawz disc made by Hyperflite, a company that specializes in equipment for disc dog sports. You won’t find them in grocery stores or even pet supply discount chains, but they can be found in select independent pet supply stores and online retailers of disc dog equipment, such as skyhoundz.com.
The Jawz disc is heavier than the most popular disc dog discs, but lighter by far and more rigid than most of the discs meant for casual dog play and designed to prevent injuries to the dog. Of course – surprise! – it costs a lot more than the lightweight (practically disposable) discs made by the same company. We paid $16.95 for a Jawz disc, whereas the Hyperflite “Competition Standard” model was just $3.58 from skyhoundz.com. But then, we expect to be able to use it for a long, long time.
Prices for the “amateur” flying toys varied quite a bit, too. We paid from $9 to $25 for the various toys and discs we found in retail pet supply stores, but didn’t find any that really suited either our dogs or the Davis Dogs.
One final note: None of these flying fetch toys are meant to resist a serious chewing session; do not leave your dog unsupervised with any of them.
According to trainer M. Shirley Chong, the easiest way to trim a dog’s nails is to have dogs trim their own nails. Chong says, “It’s easy! Find a board about 8-12 inches wide (the wider the dog, the wider the nail file needs to be) and about 24-36 inches long. At a hardware store, get some of the stick-on tape that is used on wooden steps to make them slip-proof. It’s rough, like extremely coarse sandpaper, and the adhesive lasts through anything. Cover the board with the slip-proof tape. You could also use sandpaper. The most important thing is to make sure the edges of the sandpaper are firmly glued down because otherwise the dog will peel it up. The adhesive used on the slip-proof tape won’t budge for anything. You now have a giant nail file for dogs!
Gina Burger is attempting to teach Bonnie to scrape her hind feet on the canine emery boards through “shaping.”
“Teach the dog to paw the board with his front feet. If you can get a paw touch and then deliberately delay the click, you’re almost certain to get a raking motion. Once the dog starts pawing, he usually gets enthusiastic about it! Some dogs alternate feet as if they were digging, but it’s not difficult to get a dog who uses only one foot to alternate.
“Some dogs prefer the board propped at an angle, other dogs prefer it flat on the floor. You can put a foot on one end of the board to keep it from slipping around.
“So far, it’s been a cinch for everyone who has tried it to get a dog to paw the board with his front feet. Capturing the hind leg kick that many dogs perform after pooping and then transferring it to the board is reportedly not difficult either. The only caution I have is to put the board away where the dog can’t reach it when not in use; some dogs who are left alone with the board quick their own nails and then get blood everywhere. And oddly enough, dogs do not seem to mind quicking their own nails on the board! My theory is that the sensation builds up slowly and so is not surprising the way it is when we do it. Keep a sharp eye out and stop proceedings when the dog is getting close to quicking his nails.
“If the dog started out with really long nails, the first few times he uses the board he is likely to file the nails unevenly and at funny angles. When the nails are shorter they will even out.
“I’ve been teaching people how to do this for more than 10 years and so far it’s been very easy to train, even with handlers who had terrible timing. Plus, dogs seem to enjoy it a whole lot more than they enjoy nail trimming.” – M. Shirley Chong www.shirleychong.com
1. Determine the location of touch your dog can tolerate without reacting fearfully or aggressively. Perhaps it’s her shoulder, perhaps her elbow, or maybe her knee. She should be a little worried, but not growl or try to move away. This is called the threshold.
2. With your dog on-leash, touch her briefly and gently at threshold. The instant your dog notices the touch, start feeding bits of chicken, non-stop.
3. After a second or two, remove the touch and stop feeding chicken.
4. Keep repeating steps 1-3 until touching at that location for 1-2 seconds consistently causes your dog to look at you with a happy smile and a “Yay! Where’s my chicken?” expression. This is a conditioned emotional response (CER) – your dog’s association with the brief touch at that location is now positive instead of negative.
5. Now increase the intensity of the stimulus by increasing the length of time you touch her at that same location, a few seconds at a time, obtaining a new CER at each new time period before increasing the time again. For example, several repetitions at 2-4 seconds, until you get consistent “Yay!” looks, then several repetitions at 4-8 seconds, then several at 8-12 seconds, etc., working for that consistent CER at each new duration of your touch.
6. When you can touch her at that spot for any length of time with her in “Yay” mode, begin to increase the intensity of stimulus again, this time by moving your hand to a new location, 1-2 inches lower than your initial threshold. I suggest starting at your initial touch location and sliding your hand to the new spot, rather than just touching the new spot. Continue with repetitions until you get consistent CERs at the new location.
7. Continue gradually working your way down to your dog’s paw, an inch or two at a time, getting solid CERs at each spot before you move closer to the paw.
8. When you get below the knee, also add a gentle grasp and a little pressure; each is a separate step in the CC&D procedure. Continue working down the leg, all the way to the paw.
9. When you can touch grasp, and put pressure on the paw, add lifting the paw.
10. If your goal is happy nail trimming, start the process over, this time with the nail clipper or grinder in hand. Show the clipper to your dog and feed a treat, again and again, until the appearance of the clipper or grinder elicits a “Yay!” response. Then counter-condition the clipper action (squeezing the clippers) or the sound of the grinder. Go through the whole touch sequence again, this time with the clipper in your hand, also touching her with the clipper, then again while you squeeze the clipper. Remember that you are still feeding yummy treats and obtaining CERs throughout the whole process. When you can hold her paw and make the clipper action right next to her nail with a happy response, clip one nail, feed lots of treats, and stop. Do a nail a day until she’s happy with that, then advance to two nails at a time, then three, until you can clip all her nails in one session.
The more complex the stimulus, the more successful the dog’s avoidance or aggressive strategies have been, and the more intense the emotional response, the more challenging the behavior is to modify. Take your time. Be patient. A few more weeks – or months – of long nails isn’t going to hurt anyone, and the result – a canine family member who willingly participates in the nail trimming procedure – is well worth the effort.
Nail-trimming used to be so simple. You found a stalwart friend or family member to restrain your dog tightly while you quickly clipped his nails in spite of his struggles, trying not to “quick” him (by cutting a nail too short and making it bleed), which made him struggle harder each time. If you ran out of stalwart friends, you started dropping your dog off at your vet’s office for nail clipping – out of sight, out of mind! He came back seemingly none the worse for wear – until your vet told you that they would need to start sedating him to trim his nails, after he tried to bite one of the techs. Hmm . . . maybe not so simple after all.
Valerie Balwanz uses counter-conditioning to change her dog’s response to the stimuli of nail clippers, having her paw held, and finally, having her nails clipped.
For owners and trainers who have come to value relationships with dogs that are based on cooperation rather than coercion, forcible-restraint nail-trims are a thing of the past. Muscle-power has given way to brain-power as the primary tool for clipping canine nails. Our job, as humans who choose to live our lives in peaceful partnership with our dogs, is to make creative use of our grey matter to figure out how to get our canine companions to enjoy nail trimming – or at least to be relaxed and cooperative about it.
When positive reinforcement was new to the dog training world, we hadn’t yet gotten creative with the nail-trimming challenge; we almost always used counter-conditioning to convince the dog that nail trimming was a good thing. Since then, smart trainers have come up with new ideas; these days there’s even less justification for manhandling your dog into submission for his pedicure. At my spring 2012 Peaceable Paws Behavior Modification Academy, trainers implemented three distinctly different methods to help their dogs overcome an aversion to nail trimming. Check them out!
1. Counter-Conditioning for Conventional Nail-Trimming
There is nothing wrong with using this old standby to help your dog love a pedicure. It’s the method selected by Academy trainer Valerie Balwanz of the Dogg House, Charlottesville, Virginia, for her Beagle-mix, Trixie.
Classical conditioning, also called Pavlovian conditioning, is a long-established principle of behavior science: creating an association between two stimuli in order to affect behavior. Many dogs are classically conditioned to dislike nail trimming, thanks to the scary restraint and accidental nail-quicking.
Counter-conditioning pairs nail trimming with one or more things your dog loves, so he comes to associate the procedure with good things instead of bad. A counter-conditioning protocol might start with simply picking up the clippers (or grinder) in one hand and feeding the dog a very high value treat from the other – and this is repeated until the act of picking up the clipper makes your dog’s tail wag and eyes light up as he searches for the expected goodie. You gradually move the clipper toward the dog, eventually touching him with it, all the while working to maintain the positive association: nail clipper/grinder makes really good stuff happen!
A separate, equally important procedure includes conditioning the dog to love having you touch (and eventually hold) his paw. Finally, you put the two together – the now-beloved clippers touch the now-comfortably-held paw – and eventually, a nail is clipped. See “A Counter-Conditioning Protocol for Trimming Your Dog’s Nails” for more details.
Valerie used counter-conditioning with Trixie, who had long been sensitive to having her paws touched. By Day 5 of the Academy, Trixie was offering her paw to be held, and gaining a positive association with the clippers. Valerie continued with her training, and reports that she is now trimming Trixie’s nails with ease.
2. Counter-Conditioning for Non-Traditional Trimming
Somewhere along the line, dog people decided it was necessary to hold a dog’s paw securely (tightly) in order to trim the nails. But it really isn’t so. You can teach your dog to voluntarily offer a paw and hold it still for trimming – and avoid having to counter-condition the restraint part of the procedure. (Of course, you still have to condition your dog to love the nail trimmer or grinder).
Steve Buckman used “shaping” to teach his dog, Apple, to lie down with her paws on his leg, and then to accept the touch of clippers on her nails, and then to accept restraint-free nail clipping in this position.
This was the method selected by Academy trainer Steve Buckmann of Bloomington, Indiana, with his foster dog Apple, a lovely young hound. Steve sat on the floor next to Apple, and used “shaping” (reinforcing small pieces of the behavior to build the complete behavior) to teach her to place her paws on his leg. In that position her nails were easy to clip. By Day 5 of the Academy, Steve was happily and carefully clipping his cooperative dog’s nails.
This is also the method I use with my Corgi, Lucy, who used to hate the sight of the clippers. I used counter-conditioning to help Lucy overcome her strong dislike of being touched on her legs and body. After we had completed her paw/nail clipper-touch protocol, I did the following:
– Told Lucy to “Down” and “Wait.” (When she lies down her nails are more accessible than when she sits.)
–Placed a yummy treat 12 inches in front of her nose.
–Clipped one nail.
–Told her “Take it!” so she could jump up and eat the treat.
–Repeated the previous steps for the next nail.
She now adores the nail clipping procedure, and I clip multiple nails in between “Take it!” cues, always keeping it random so she never knows which nail clip will result in the “Take it!” cue.
3. Operant Conditioning for Nail Trimming
Perhaps your dog truly hates the nail clippers, a grinder sends him trembling under the bed, and he’d prefer you leave his paws alone, thank you. You may want to select a nail-trimming procedure that requires neither restraint nor clippers by teaching him to file his own nails.
Positive trainer M. Shirley Chong of Grinnell, Iowa, suggests this method: Teach your dog to paw at a sandpaper-covered board to file his own nails. Shaping a dog to file his own front paws is pretty simple. I had already done this procedure with my Scorgidoodle, Bonnie, who loves shaping games and hated nail trimming, despite lots of counter-conditioning work.
Bonnie quickly became quite adept at filing her own front nails, but I had never pursued shaping a scraping behavior with her hind paws. Academy student Gina Burger, of Carthage, Missouri, elected to try this with Bonnie.
It proved to be a challenge. If your dog scrapes his hind paws on the ground after eliminating, you can capture the behavior with a click and treat as he scrapes. Bonnie doesn’t scrape.
She was, however, happily willing to move her hind feet in all sorts of ways. Gina tried putting emery boards flat on the floor, and then at various angles to try to elicit even a tiny scraping motion. The scrape proved to be elusive. Gina tried getting Bonnie to back up and then move forward. She tried clicking Bonnie for moving sideways, and reinforcing her for moving straight. The week ended without success for the hind-foot nail-filing project. (Gina did, however, pass the course!)
I have since reconsidered the exercise. In my own shaping sessions with Bonnie, I’ve determined that an actual “scrape” isn’t necessary – just movement that occurs while the nail is in contact with the abrasive paper. Bonnie moves side-to-side, wagging her tail and filing her nails in the process. Success!
Cooperation rather than coercion. Partnership rather than conflict. Voluntary participation rather than submission to force. Wagging, happy dogs rather than fearful, shut-down ones. What more could a dog – or a human – want?
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. She lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, where she offers dog training classes and courses for trainers. Pat is also author of many books on positive training.
No matter how strong your dog’s recall may be (and we recommend it be quite strong if you’re considering letting your dog off-leash at the beach, lake, or river), it’s important to remember that the excitement of being in the water, coupled with the potential desire to swim out for a toy or chase a flock of ducks, could result in his recall falling on deaf ears. Prior to fun water play, consider brushing up on your dog’s recall with the following:
–Remember that coming when called is a skill that requires maintenance for the life of your dog. It’s easy to find yourself feeling “too busy” to train, but designating just 10 minutes a day to recall training can go a long way toward bolstering the skill.
–Make sure your training includes teaching your dog to purposefully turn away from distractions in favor of coming to you. Avoid static recalls where the dog sits and waits as you leave, then call him to you. A “real life” recall rarely looks like that.
–Reward generously every time your dog comes to you. Really invest quality time in the process of rewarding your dog. Combine genuine praise with the types of petting, play, and treats your dog loves best. Imagine that the process of rewarding your dog is the like making a deposit in the bank. You want to make hefty deposits because challenging recalls (especially away from distractions) are expensive. Make sure you can afford it!
–Consider working your dog on a long line when you first get to the water and aren’t sure how your land training will carry over. Long lines are also a good alternative when local laws prohibit off-leash dogs.
–If you’re struggling with teaching a reliable recall, consult a qualified trainer who can help you use positive reinforcement methods to strengthen your dog’s ability to come when called.
Did Your Dog Have a Scary, Sinking Moment in the Water?
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“If the dog comes out and he’s fine, he’ll shake it off,” says Jules Benson, DVM. “You need to watch him for the next 24 to 48 hours, because that’s when aspiration pneumonia (caused by water going down into the main-stem bronchi) can occur. Especially if it’s water other than a pool, where there could be bacteria or protozoa in the water. If they aspirate any of that and it goes into the lungs, the bacteria spreads and multiplies. This begins an infectious process and the dog becomes notably depressed, lethargic, might be feverish and exhibits a loss of appetite. The history of, ‘He fell into the pool,’ or ‘He fell into the river’ can be really useful to a veterinarian.”
“If the dog ingests enough water where he’s nauseated or doesn’t want to eat afterwards, he needs to go to the vet,” adds Cynthia Jones, DVM. “Most of the chlorinated pool water isn’t an issue, but the exertion of trying to stay afloat, plus the stress and the shock of a near-drowning experience, can be a problem.”
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