Joan Morse, CPDT-KA, CA-P1, CNWI, of Tailwaggers Canine Campus in Newark, Delaware, recommends Leslie McDevitt’s “Pattern Games” when teaching loose-leash walking. She describes one of those games:
“The Two Step: drop a treat on the ground. Take two steps forward while the dog eats the treat. The moment he looks up at you, click, drop another treat right by you and take two more steps. This game develops a pattern or rhythm for the dog that will keep his attention on the handler and keep him moving as she moves. You usually get a nice loose leash walk quickly.”
Jackie Moyano, of Wholistic Hound in Alexandria, Virginia, suggests targeting. “If the dog can target the end of a stick, the walker can hold the stick at knee level and have the dog target during the walk.”
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Viviane Arzoumanian, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, PMCT-2, of PumpkinPups Dog Training in Brooklyn, New York, likes the tried-and-true “treat-spitting” method: “Teach your dog to catch tossed treats, and teach yourself to spit treats for the dog to catch (I use string cheese). Practice walking with the dog first without distractions, spitting treats to the dog for eye contact and being at your side.
Trainer Barbara Tran and her mixed-breed dog Tashi are the picture of perfect on leash walking skills. They both look relaxed and happy, attentive and alert. Tran developed this ability by playing “variable and unpredictable” walking games with Tashi off-leash. The leash got clipped on only when Tashi thoroughly “got” the game.
I’m sure I’m not the only dog trainer who sometimes shakes her head in frustration and dismay at her students’ apparent lack of success with teaching their dogs to walk politely on leash. Oh, they can do it just perfectly in the training center as I coach them to click and treat at random intervals. But when I stand at the window and watch them walk to their cars after class, the majority of dogs are leaning on the ends of their leashes as they strain to sniff enticing odors on their way back to their cars.
“Where have we failed?” I may think to myself – and then stop to remind myself that perhaps we haven’t. At this moment our students aren’t asking their dogs to walk politely, therefore no one is failing anything. I’m reminded of a cartoon I saw a while ago, of a dog marching by his owner’s side in perfect heel position, looking perfectly miserable while a stream of fascinating stimuli pass by that the dog would obviously love to investigate and can’t. The thought balloon over the dog’s head says, “Whose walk is this, anyway?”
Different Kinds of Dog Walking
There are, in fact, a variety of ways to walk on leash. The perfect-heel-position pas-de-deux dance required for obedience competition, while head-spinningly beautiful when performed well, requires focused concentration at both ends of the leash, with a high rate of some kind of reinforcement – treats, praise, or eye contact from the owner. It’s good for dogs and their people to know how to do this when requested, but unreasonable to expect them to walk this way all the time. Humans don’t want do that on a casual walk around the block, nor do their dogs. My own dogs, like those of my students, are quite capable of doing this when they know the perfect-heel game is on, but they’re not about to walk glued to my side when we’re strolling – or hiking – around the farm. In addition to the “Heel!” walk that we do in the training center (gaze with concentration into my eyes in perfect heel position, a.k.a. my walk), my dogs know two other ways to walk on when we’re on their walks. “Let’s walk!” is the cue I use to mean “You need to stay close to me but you can wander, sniff, and pee,” while “Be a dog!” means “You can range to the end of the leash in any direction, just don’t drag me.”
Each type of walking is taught according to the same basic formula: the dog is reinforced for being where I’ve asked her to be. The less freedom the dog has – the closer I want her to be by my side – the higher the rate and value of the reinforcer I use to train the behavior. When I want her to be in heel position, all the reinforcement comes from me, in the form of high-value treats and silly chatter. When the dog is fluent at walking by my side, I begin decreasing the rate of reinforcement, so she can walk politely for longer and longer stretches between reinforcers. When I offer more freedom on our walks, I can make use of the environment to reinforce my dog by doing “penalty yards” when the leash tightens. “Want to sniff that tree? Oops, the leash is tight, the tree goes farther away!” (We back up). “Now there is slack in the leash – look, the tree is getting closer!” (We move forward).
Make Walks Fun for Your Dog
Still, unless you’re a training junkie, practicing polite leash walking can be, well, let’s face it, pretty boring. If, however, you can make it a game, it suddenly becomes more fun for you and your dog. Play enough games, and your days spent on the other end of a tight leash may be over. Positive reinforcement training encourages creativity and fun. My own favorite approach is simply to be variable and unpredictable. If my dog never knows when I might toss a high-value treat on the ground, pull out a favorite toy, or head off on a tangent, she has to keep half an eye on me at all times. My goal is to happily surprise my dog; often enough that she decides it’s well worth her while to stay close to me.
There is no limit to the training tactics that can be used to teach leash walking in an enjoyable manner. Just leave it to a bunch of positive reinforcement trainers to come up with games designed to make leash walking fun. Here are a few examples:
Barbara Tran, CPDT-KSA, PMCT, in Toronto, Canada, takes “variable and unpredictable” to a new level with her leash-walking game, “Catch Me If You Can!” With this method, you “capture” the desired behavior (dog staying close to you) and the leash goes on only after the dog has been reinforced for staying near your side so much that she chooses to stay there. Tran describes how she played this game off-leash with her dog, Tashi. “Heeling doesn’t need to be dreadfully boring. I tried to dodge Tashi; if she got within a few feet of me, I marked her success with a clicker and fed her a treat. There was no force. It was completely her choice. Tashi chose to try and catch me because it was fun. “At first, we did this always at a fast pace and with lots of changes in direction, so it was truly a job for her to keep an eye on me. I released the treats beside my left leg, so she was always receiving her food rewards in proper heel position. Gradually, I began to introduce brief (initially, just a step or two) snippets of heeling at a normal pace. I clicked and rewarded her for paying attention to me while walking and then, we resumed our fast-paced game. Very gradually, and in an unpredictable pattern, I extended the periods of normal walking, so that sometimes there was little to no running. “Sometimes, I used running rather than food as a reward for attentive heeling. Sometimes, I threw a toy and released Tashi to go get it. Fun, fun, fun! Walking side by side became a predictor that we might play the ‘Catch me if you can’ game, or I might throw a toy, or I might supply a tasty treat.”
Lisa Waggoner, PMCT2, CPDT-KA, of Cold Nose College, in Murphy, North Carolina, says, “I like to get the dog accustomed to the ‘leash clasp hanging down’ (which means the leash has to be loose). I click/treat while the dog is standing still, clasp down/leash loose. The dog has to think, ‘It can be this easy?’ After a few rounds of this, we do what we call ‘the Box Step.’ We have fun with our clients talking about all those dancing lessons (we have mostly 60-80 year old clients).
Trainer Lisa Waggoner uses a modified dance step to teach her dogs to follow her lead! She frequently reinforces the dog for staying in position at her side, with the treats delivered right at her side, too.
“The Box Step involves taking a tiny step to the right. The dog may or may not move with us, but as long as the clasp is hanging down and the leash is loose, we click/treat. Then take a tiny step to the left; click/treat. Then a tiny step back; click/treat. Step forward; click/treat.
“Before long, the dog decides that staying very near is quite fabulous. Once the dog follows me in the small steps right/left/back/forward, then I transition, with the dog at my left, to taking two or three steps forward, clicking as the dog moves with me, taking treats at my left knee.”
Dawn Kalinowski of Poised Pups, LLC, in Norfolk, Virginia, takes the “penalty yards” technique mentioned previously and goes one step further, turning it into an training exercise. This exercise teaches the dog that a loose leash allows him to get closer to the prize but a tight leash causes him to lose ground. She suggests, “Start in a quiet room in your house. For this exercise, have a handful of tasty treats, or a toy if your dog is motivated by toys. Using a six-foot leash, tether your dog to something in a place where he can watch what you’re doing. Show him the yummy treat or toy. Walk about 8 to 10 feet away and place the treats or toy on the floor. “Walk back to your dog and pick up his leash.
Trainer Dawn Kalinowski teaches her dogs that pulling on the leash just delays or prevents them from being able to reach what they want, via a “penalty yards” walking game.
Holding your leash hand close to your body, walk very slowly toward the ‘goodies.’ When your dog pulls toward the goodies (thus tightening the leash), give a ‘no reward marker’ (NRM) such as ‘Oops!’ and take him back to the starting place. When he is calm, again start your slow walk toward the goodies. When he pulls again say “Oops!” and once again go back to the starting position. “Continue this exercise until your dog can reach the goodies without any tightening of the leash. Ask him to wait, pick up the treats or toy and give him the goodies. Once your dog catches on, bring in exciting new goodies for him and change locations to different rooms in the house.”
Susan Kaminsky, CPDT-KA, PMCT, of The Country Dog, LLC, in Norwalk, Connecticut, utilizes “luring” to help the dog find opportunities for reinforcement in the desired walking position. She explains, “I work first with ‘follow me’ – in the house, a fenced-in yard, or on a long line – and I point a finger down in front of the dog’s nose, initially with a strong-smelling treat in that hand. Eventually I just use my finger. It is a fun game and the dog learns to pay attention to me without the restraint of a leash. I start walking at a fast trot, which also helps gain the dog’s attention, and I change direction frequently. This idea developed from a Patricia McConnell technique, but I added the pointing finger as I like having a visual cue.”
Tricia Lude, of Manassass, Virginia, is a dedicated dog hobbyist who competes in agility. Having her dogs work at her side while running is vital to her competitive success – and she takes her competition seriously. Lude says, “I do a lot of foundation work/games to get my dogs to love being at my side because in agility (which is my main focus), I need them driving along my side and not turning into me. I never actually train them to heel. After doing all these games, all they want to do is be at my side. Whenever I give them a treat or reinforcement, I turn so that they are at my side. When I cue them to sit, I have them at my side instead of in front of me. Since they get so much reinforcement at my side they tend to stick there. I also do the same thing when playing fetch or other such games. I have them sit at my side and wait before I throw the ball, and then I release them. Sometimes I just drop the ball, as if I was tossing a treat into their mouth, while they are at my side.
Tricia Lude teaches her dogs to stay at her side even if she rotates 180 or 360 degrees.
“I also do ‘perch work’ with them to get them to want to love to be at my side. I shape them to put their paws on a phone book wrapped up in duct tape or some other type of small perch type object. I click and reward them a lot for having their front paws on the perch, standing next to me. Next, I have them sit-stay a few feet to a few yards behind me and then release them to run to the perch by my side. I’ll start to add distractions by putting a food bowl about 10 feet in front of me. They have to run to the perch at my side, then I release them to get the treat or get a lick of peanut butter in the bowl. “I also shape them to spin in a circle around the perch. I add myself into the picture when they have learned to rotate around the perch. They then rotate into me. My dogs get so much reinforcement for being at my side that they that they want to be at my side no matter where I am. I can walk into the ring at an agility trial and they are glued to my side. I can walk backward, forward, or spin in circles, and they stay right there even without a leash. I fade the perch fairly quickly by using flatter books and then a piece of paper. In no time, they are running to my side and walking with me off leash with no problem.”
More Dog Walking Ideas
So there you have it. Boring leash-walking is out; fun leash walking is in. One of the marvelous things about positive reinforcement training is that there is no “one right way” to do things. There are as many ways as there are creative trainers to think them up. We’re betting there are a lot more leash-walking games out there that we haven’t heard of. We’re challenging you, again – this time to come up with more fun ideas for keeping your dog walking happily with you on a loose leash. Submit your ideas to WDJEditor@gmail.com and we’ll post our favorites on our WDJ Facebook page. In the meantime, keep on having fun walking with your dog! The exercise and fresh air is good for both of you.
Some are reluctant to perform surgery on old dogs because of anesthesia risks or complications, but these risks are minimal in the case of most lipomas. Modern anesthesia protocols are far safer than they used to be, and complications are generally minor, usually limited to superficial infection or delayed healing. There is no reason not to remove lipomas from older dogs when they interfere with their quality of life.
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Tia Nelson examined a 12-year-old Lab whose owners had made the painful decision to put her down because she just couldn’t get around any more. But her problem wasn’t old age, it was a five-pound lipoma on her side just behind and partly under her shoulder blade. “I removed it,” says Dr. Nelson, “and the dog enjoyed another two years.”
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In a report published on his blog “Your Pet’s Best Friend,” Everett Mobley, DVM, of Kennett, Missouri, describes the case of Ling Ling, a 15-year-old Collie-mix who developed a large tumor in front of her left shoulder. “It was about 6 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick, which is pretty big, even for a 57-pound dog,” he says. “We did a fine-needle aspiration and it turned out to be a lipoma. Because Ling Ling was so elderly and the tumor was large enough to require lengthy surgery, plus it didn’t seem to bother her, we decided it was something she would probably die with, instead of something she would die from.”
But in May 2012, Ling Ling lost weight while her tumor grew.
“It grew so much,” says Dr. Mobley, “that it appeared to have disrupted its own blood supply. There was a nasty-looking bulge that looked like it would soon die and rot and burst open. Not so good. She made it through 90 minutes of surgery like a champ. The tumor was so big it was like delivering a baby. It weighed three pounds and was as big as her head.”
Because the mass had disrupted the attachment of Ling Ling’s shoulder muscles, Dr. Mobley re-attached them. She made a full recovery.
I’ve liked individual dogs of pretty much every breed at some point or another. But there are times when I’ve also NOT liked dogs of some breed when it wasn’t even warranted. I guess you’d call it profiling or discrimination.
For the October issue of WDJ, I needed a dog to model a number of no-pull harnesses, so I could photograph them before sending them to WDJ Training Editor Pat Miller to review them. I purchased a size “medium” in all the harnesses so that Pat would stand the best chance of finding dogs to wear and try out the products. But for the photographs, I had additional requirements of the models: they also had to be a light color and short-haired, so the harnesses could be seen easily.
Unfortunately, none of my friends’ dogs were the right size, color, and had the right coat. So I went to my local shelter and looked for a candidate. The only dog in the adoption ward who immediately fit the bill was a muscle-bound bully breed, light grey, with a short coat. However, he also had a rather impassive expression that I couldn’t read. He neither growled, nor did he wag – and given his breed type, I was nervous about giving him a shot. Instead, I tried several other candidates, and each failed miserably. Either they were not the best color for what I needed or they wouldn’t stand still for photos. I wasted at least an hour passing that bully guy by, until out of desperation, I opened his kennel door.
Long story short, he was PERFECT. He was a strong puller on leash, and yet, he stood patiently while I adjusted harness after harness on him, and then stepped back to take photo after photo of him. I was immediately remorseful for having not tried him in the first place, all because I made assumptions about him because of his type. I just didn’t want to tangle with a dog who might be too strong, too wiggly, preoccupied with other dogs in nearby runs, or impatient with me and all the gear and possibly aggressive.
I’d be willing to bet I’m not the only one who is guilty of stereotyping, even though I know better. I know a lot of owners of large dogs who are biased against small dogs, saying that small dogs are “always” the ones who start trouble when they pass on the street – and in my experience, Chihuahuas and terriers ARE often out of control and apt to behave aggressively on-leash.
On the other hand, I know owners of small dogs who pick their small dogs up when they pass dogs of certain larger breeds, worrying that the big dogs will make a predatory grab for their tiny brethren – and I’ve seen that happen, too. Veterinarians will note “BDLD” in a small dog’s medical chart when a “Big Dog” attacks a “Little Dog,” perhaps mistaking it for a prey animal.
As I confessed my “sin” of prejudice to one of the employees at the shelter, however, she said I wasn’t altogether incorrect to worry about the big dog’s stereotypic traits. “It’s a good thing you didn’t take him by the cat room!” she told me. “He goes berserk when he sees a cat; it takes everything you’ve got to hold him back.”
Have you been guilty of breed prejudice? Ever made a highly incorrect assumption about a dog based on his breed or type – or have you mostly had your stereotyping confirmed?
Today my dog Boo and I visited with my ex-husband. We are good friends, with too little time to visit frequently, and Jim misses and loves Boo tremendously. Boo is a dog who doesn’t vocalize much in general. When he sees Jim, he whines and howls in excitement. He jumps on him, howls and dances and groans with a great display of animation. He doesn’t do this with anyone else. We haven’t lived together for at least 5-6 years. Yet every time Boo sees Jim, he can hardly contain himself. When we part company after our visit, Boo doesn’t want to get in the car, and he stares out the back window at Jim, howling as we leave. It breaks my heart. On the other hand, after our visit, Boo has a smile on his face, and appears to be very grateful for this visit. When Jim used to visit us at the Marin Humane Society where I worked, for the following three weeks, Boo would try to seek out any man that he saw from afar to see if it might be him, pulling hard on the leash, something not usually in his repertoire.
DeeDee was another of our dogs involved in this change of family make-up. There was never any doubt that she would stay with me. This was my heart dog, and certainly too much dog for Jim to take on. She loved Jim, and when we visited with each other, she said hi with great enthusiasm, then came back to find me, knowing this was her spot.
Ella was another of our dogs; she came to us after we fostered her and her pups (who were born in the shelter). The pups got adopted, Ella stayed. She never needed a leash, as she never had any inclination to venture far from our sides. Of course, as I was the primary dog person, she was with me most of the time, never taking her eyes off of me, usually tripping me due to her desire to stay right next to my side. When Jim and I separated, Ella stayed with me for a bit, but then she went to live with Jim. This was a perfect match since Ella was so low maintenance and a great fit for Jim, who is a “regular” pet owner, not inclined to want a project. When we visited after our split, Ella would say hello to me, but in short order, found her spot next to Jim. She never made much fuss over me once she knew who her real person was.
At the shelter, adopters ask if the dogs would learn to love them. I used to tell them that dogs are very adaptable and that they learn to love their next phase in life, and will attach to someone who provides them with all the right stuff. In truth, most do so with great skill and enthusiasm. It is the only option, of course. What else can they do? But some don’t adjust. Some shut down, some reveal a lack of trust in their new lives, showing behaviors that aren’t acceptable when cohabiting with us. Some become so dependent on anything resembling security, they can’t find it in their ability to be left alone for any period of time.
I found myself becoming more and more sensitized over time to seeing them in kennels in a shelter. What are we doing to them, taking them away from their lives they know, housing them in noisy kennels, with random people coming to take them out for short periods, then putting them back to spend their nights alone, curled up on their beds? We are doing the best we can, but for some it isn’t enough. And for some, it is a temporary hiccup that they endure and overcome when the next wonderful family finds room in their hearts for a new family member. They find that they can get through this period just like so many of us do when our lives get turned upside down.
Whenever Boo and I visit with Jim, I am reminded of how much we underestimate dogs; their memory, their affection for special people in their lives, their desire for consistency, their amazing adaptability to the lives we impose on them. We had a great visit today. We walked, we caught up with each other. Boo was in heaven and is now happily back home, at my side, playing with Aspen, initiating a game of fetch, not something he generally does. I think he is happy for the day he had.
They are amazing beings, and I am very grateful for their presence in our lives. And I always strive not underestimate them, or to take them for granted.
Tricia Breen has been involved with horses and dogs for most of her life. She studied biology and animal behavior in college, and spent years training her dogs and helping others to teach their dogs while moving around the country. Once settled back in her native California, she participated in and taught classes at her local dog training club, then taught classes and conducted behavior consults at the Marin Humane Society. For the past five years, Tricia was the Director of Animal Care and Adoptions at Marin Humane Society, always keeping an eye toward helping dogs and volunteers with shelter life. She recently left this role and went back to helping people build relationships with their dogs, and consulting with behavior and training issues. She can be reached via www.trishking.net as a new partner in this endeavor, or at triciabreen1@gmail.com.
Not two weeks ago, I posted a piece about the possibility that competition among the dogs in my “pack” had encouraged my dog Otto to develop previously unseen swimming and fetching skills. Here is the flip side: An un-socialized, formerly feral dog who I am fostering seems to have inspired both Otto AND Tito the Chihuahua to start chasing my cats off my property!
Otto has never chased my cats. Tito has, occasionally, but he’s the same size as my cats, and if they stand their ground, he halts in mid-charge and seems to pretend that he was in the middle of something else, like trying to remember his cell phone number. But suddenly, with the arrival of a mid-sized foster dog who has no qualms about chasing the cats, both Otto and Tito have decided that the activity *is* great fun. And I’m having trouble convincing one of my kitties to come home (from the far side of my fences) at all.
If I hear the sound of thundering paws across my back deck, I can step outside quickly and Otto, at least, will immediately change course and run for the house. Whoops! Sorry! If I catch Tito in the act, however, he persists in chasing the cat in question, in full hysterical Chihuahua cry, even if I’m running right behind him threatening his life. Only after the cat is over the fence will he turn around and face the charges, albeit defensively and without a shred of remorse. And the foster dog – well, as a former feral, he’s already got it all figured out. Sit pretty as long as the humans are around, but if they are busy inside the house, it’s on, kitties!
For now, it’s all about management. I have had to more closely monitor the location of all the dogs than ever before, and make sure that the three dogs are never all together in the backyard unsupervised at the same time. And at night, when the cats are most active (especially now, at the tail end of a hot summer), I’m crating the foster dog, Tito is sleeping inside, and only Otto – the most reliably cat-friendly dog – is free to wander the backyard with the cats.
So far, this is the only naughty thing my dogs have picked up from the foster dog, but it’s enough! I’m curious, though: Am I alone in this? Have one of your guest dogs ever taught, encouraged, or inspired your dog to behave badly?
I feel as if I have written this story a hundred times, but it’s worth writing again:
Please go check your dog’s collar RIGHT NOW and make sure that the numbers on its ID tags are current. And then, think about his microchip – he HAS an implanted identification microchip, doesn’t he? Is it currently registered with a microchip registration company? And if so, does the registry have your current contact information?
A good friend lost her dog last week, and only after he went missing did she realize that his ID tag on his collar has only the number for her landline phone – long since disconnected in favor of a mobile phone. As I walked her through some additional steps she could take to improve the chances that she gets him back, she realized that she needed to update the contact information for his microchip ID AND city dog license. At least now, if he gets picked up or turned into a shelter, she’ll get him back.
It was a tiny bit of comfort that, as her lost dog drama was playing out, our local newspaper was publishing updates about a dog who was turned into the same shelter where she updated her contact information. The dog had gone missing from his “grandpa’s” house in Kansas (grandpa was reportedly dog-sitting the dog while the dog’s family was on vacation). Apparently a transient found the dog, and brought her from there to California, where the transient then (inexplicably) turned the dog into a shelter. Fortunately, the dog had a microchip with CURRENT contact information for the dog’s owner, who lives in Colorado. One of the newspaper articles reported that the owners didn’t have enough money to fly the dog home, and local people chipped in so that the dog, Sara Bella, could be reunited with her family soon.
I hope my friend’s dog finds his way home more easily than this. I know it would help if his tags were current.
My dog, Otto, has never been all that excited about fetch. Certainly not like my previous dog, a Border Collie fetchaholic named Rupert. You could make Rupert leap to his feet and run around to look for a ball if you just mimed the very first part of a throwing gesture, drawing your hand back over your shoulder. Otto will chase something if you throw it – but then he may or may not pick it up, and if he does, he is unlikely to bring it back to you.
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Only when the planets are aligned just so — the fetch item is one of his favorite toys (only certain squishy balls and squeaky stuffed animals, once in a blue moon a flying disc); it’s not too hot; he hasn’t been for a run for a couple of days – will he reliably retrieve more than once or twice in a row.
This all changed since Tito revealed his previously hidden talent: he LOVES fetching sticks thrown in the water. Chihuahuas are not renowned for their fetching, and for the past year, we knew Tito to chase, but never return with the tennis balls he’s always carrying around.
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But then he discovered stick-fetching-in-the-water, and now he’s like a miniature Labrador, diving in again and again, and always bringing the stick back to you, dropping it on your feet and standing there dripping and shivering and whining until you throw it again.
Otto has NEVER chased a stick thrown in the water — until he saw Tito getting a lot of attention for it. And now he too fetches sticks in the water – although he’s still likely to come out of the water with the stick and run off with it, trying to elicit a game of “Catch me if you can!” from the other dogs (and dropping the stick somewhere you can’t find it when you’re not looking).
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Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor Pat Miller wrote a fascinating piece about “social learning” in the July 2004 issue of WDJ. Something called “local enhancement” is probably responsible for Otto’s renewed interest in fetch.
However, as a long-time and repeat anthropomorphizer, I think it’s the competition for attention that has turned my distracted wader into a hard-swimming retriever.
To start your dog back on the road to slimness, start by aiming for a 10 percent weight loss – or a rate of about 1 percent of his body weight per week. A slow approach is recommended both because it allows for a more gradual change in feeding, and because studies show that rapid weight loss can increase a loss of lean body mass, which in turn can contribute to weight regain. (Lean body mass, which includes organs, are the primary drivers of basal metabolism and burn energy at far higher levels than fat mass does. Reducing the amount of lean tissue can create diminished energy requirements, so a dog can regain weight even if he’s eating less.) In other words, forget the idea of crash diets for your dog; slow and steady wins this race.
The first step: weigh your dog. Next, calculate how much your dog actually eats. Begin by listing all the food your dog gets every day, including treats and table scraps, and add up the total calorie count. Some commercial foods carry calorie information on the label; for others, you may need to take the initiative and contact the manufacturer for more details.
Make sure you take portion size into account. If the recommended ration of your kibble is two standard cups a day, but if you’re using a 16-ounce Big Gulp container to measure out the food, you’re actually feeding your dog twice the allowance – and twice the calories.
For more details and advice on ways to manage your dog’s weight, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s downloadable ebook, Managing Your Dog’s Weight.
Several raw feeders contacted me after reading my homemade diet guidelines (“You Can Make It”) in July’s Whole Dog Journal issue. While their diets varied considerably, each had problems that are common with raw diets – but most are easily fixed.
For example, many raw diets are high in bone, which provides calcium and phosphorus. Excess calcium can lead to serious orthopedic conditions in large-breed puppies, especially before puberty. High-calcium diets are not dangerous for adult dogs, but calcium binds other minerals, including zinc and iron, so a diet high in bone may lead to other nutritional deficiencies. Too much bone can also cause constipation.
Most raw diets are high in fat, particularly those that use high-fat meats or include skin from poultry. High-fat diets can be appropriate for very active or working dogs, but too much fat can cause digestive upset and even pancreatitis in susceptible dogs. High-fat diets can also lead to obesity, or be nutritionally deficient when portion sizes are limited in order to avoid feeding too many calories.
Raw diets that are not supplemented will be low in vitamin E. Other nutrients may also be inadequate, particularly in diets that are missing or low in red meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables, and those that are high in fat.
Raw feeders wonder why this is true, since wolves don’t eat vegetables or take supplements, but we can’t really duplicate the evolutionary diet of the wolf, nor is it necessarily the best diet for our dogs. Wolves travel many miles every day, so a higher fat diet is more appropriate for them than for our more sedentary pets. Wolves eat whole large prey, including things like blood, brains, eyeballs, and a variety of glands that we don’t feed, so we have to replace those nutrients with other foods. Nature is concerned only with procreation, not with longevity. The antioxidants and phytonutrients found in fruits and vegetables may help our dogs to live longer and healthier lives.
How Much Bone? I recommend feeding 30 to 50 percent raw meaty bones, using the higher amount only if the parts fed are very meaty. The rest of the diet should consist of boneless meat, organs, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and grains (optional).
Lori Lockyear, who lives in Michigan, has two dogs: Wilson, a 5 ½-year-old, 34-pound Labradoodle, and Woody, a 4-year-old, 40-pound Goldendoodle. She feeds them a combination of half kibble (Orijen 6 Fish) and half raw. The raw portion of the diet consists primarily of raw meaty bones, including ground chicken and turkey mixes that contain meat, skin, bones, and organs. She also feeds whole chicken thighs and backs (with skin and separable fat removed), beef ribs, and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diet (lamb variety), and adds vegetables, either leafy green or starchy (sweet potatoes or pumpkin), plus low-fat yogurt and egg yolks. She supplements with fish oil.
Because most of the raw half of the diet that Lockyear feeds is comprised of raw meaty bones, her diet is high in calcium. Chicken thighs are a better choice than backs, since they have more meat. She should replace some of the ground mixtures with lean, boneless meat, preferably red meat, since the diet is high in poultry. Beef heart would be an inexpensive choice, and she could also include a small amount of beef liver. Low-fat dairy can also be used; it has some calcium, but not nearly as much as bone.
Wendy Mayer, who lives in Alberta, Canada, feeds her three Golden Retrievers a diet based on Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs & Cats, by Beth Taylor and Karen Becker, DVM. Instead of boneless meat, however, two-thirds of the meat she uses is a ground product that includes bone. This product claims to be made from whole animal carcasses, but the varieties she uses (elk and bison) are high in calcium, over 1 percent as fed, which converts to over 3.7 percent on a dry matter basis (DM). The maximum amount of calcium allowed by the canine nutrient guidelines compiled by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is 2.5 percent DM.
Because Mayer feeds boneless meat one-third of the time, one way to reduce the total amount of calcium in the diet is to not add calcium when she feeds boneless meat. This will lower the overall percentage of calcium in the diet to within AAFCO guidelines.
How Much Fat? It’s best to use meats that are 10 percent fat or less, which is comparable to about 30 to 40 percent fat in kibble, since fresh foods are high in moisture. Most commercial raw blends are higher in fat than this, particularly if you consider that they often include organs and vegetables that should reduce the overall amount of fat.
Lockyear’s diet is high in fat, since the mixes she uses contain skin, and Nature’s Variety Instinct, like most commercial raw foods, is high in fat. Replacing some of these with lean, boneless meat and low-fat dairy will reduce the amount of fat as well as calcium in the diet. The two egg yolks fed to each dog should be replaced with one whole egg. Although Lockyear relies on the commercial part of the diet to provide fish, she could consider feeding one meal a week of canned fish with bones (sardines packed in water, jack mackerel, or pink salmon), which are lower in fat than the mixes she uses.
Karen Murad, a Washington resident, is an AKC Breeder of Merit of Papillons. She feeds a raw diet to some of her dogs, making large batches that include 4 pounds of boneless meat, 1 pound chicken necks, 1 pound organ mix, 2 eggs, ½ cup mashed vegetables, and a variety of whole food supplements, including NOW Bone Meal Powder, since her diet is low in bone.
Murad’s diet is almost 50 percent fat on a dry matter basis, partly because half the boneless meat she uses is high-fat ground beef (the other half is skinless chicken thighs, which are fine). At least half of the ground beef should be replaced with lower-fat meat, such as 90 percent lean ground beef, beef heart, canned fish, or additional chicken.
Murad also adds 3 tablespoons each of olive oil and coconut oil, neither of which are needed. All oils provide 4.5 grams of fat and 40 calories per teaspoon, which add up fast. The added oils should be eliminated or greatly reduced. I’d prefer to see her feed more eggs instead of so much oil, since the eggs have more nutritional value.
Keep in mind that when fat is decreased, the amount fed must be increased to maintain the same number of calories.
Supplements All raw diets need added vitamin E. I recommend giving 1 to 2 IUs per pound of body weight daily (larger amounts can be given less often). Murad could add one 200 IU gelcap of vitamin E to her recipe to provide all the vitamin E that her dogs need. Lockyear’s dogs get most of the vitamin E they need from the commercial portion of their diet, so giving each dog 200 IUs once a week would be ample.
If kelp is used to provide iodine, make sure the amount is appropriate. Murad was adding 1 tablespoon NOW Kelp Powder to her recipe, which turned out to provide almost 10 times the amount of iodine that her dogs needed. Too much iodine can suppress thyroid function, and kelp is also a source of arsenic, so best to keep amounts small.
Murad supplements with cod liver oil, which is preferable to fish oil in her case because her recipe does not include fish. (Another option would be to include one 15-ounce can of fish with bone in her recipe). One tablespoon of cod liver oil added to the recipe will provide appropriate amounts of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids (make sure it includes vitamin D, which is removed from molecularly distilled products). Lockyear gives each of her dogs 1 gram of fish oil daily, which is a good idea, since omega-3 fatty acids likely don’t survive well in kibble.
After cutting the amount of fat in her recipe almost in half (by eliminating the unneeded oils and reducing the amount of high-fat beef), Murad should increase the amount she feeds by about one-third, so as to provide equivalent calories. This also increases all nutrient levels to adequate levels (with added vitamin E and cod liver oil).
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. She lives with her Norwich Terrier, Ella, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Imagine not having to worry about treat recalls or ingredient sources, or, for that matter, whether the actual ingredients match what’s on the product label. It’s not a dream; in fact, it’s well within anyone’s abilities. It’s easy, it costs less than commercial products, and as an added bonus, you get the peace of mind from knowing these treats won’t be recalled.
Heck, you have to go grocery shopping anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem to pick up the necessary ingredients while shopping for the other members of your family. Whether you shop at Safeway or Whole Foods, one thing is certain: the quality of the raw ingredients you’ll buy in human grocery stores is far higher than what is used in most commercial treats.
Making dog treats is amazingly simple. No special equipment is needed. You can use a dehydrator for dehydrating if you have one; but all you really need is an oven, which you can use for dehydrated meat treats or baked, cookie-style treats. My oven uses natural gas, and can be used at very low temperatures (under 200 degrees). That’s very useful for slow, even, and complete dehydration, which is what’s needed to make a good treat.
My oven is old, and has a pilot light, so I can even store my “ready to eat” treats therein. They will stay dry and not mold because of that pilot light, so they don’t require refrigeration. Don’t forget to remove them before preheating that oven for something else, however! If your oven lacks a pilot light, you will need to store your treats in the refrigerator or freezer.
For dog treats, “simple is best.” What do most dogs like best of all? Meat. One of the dehydrated treats I make is London broil (bought on sale for $3 to $3.50 a pound). I use London broil because it’s a lean cut of beef with good, solid texture. Fat is on the outside of the piece of meat, and so is easy to trim off. Visible fat must be trimmed. High-fat treats must be fed in limited amounts, and are at greater risk of rancidity if not fed within a few days.
After visible fat is trimmed, place the meat (which is usually about an inch thick) flat into a pan of boiling water until it firms up. This step is not essential; but it speeds the dehydration process, and makes it less messy as well. Cut the firm meat into cubes, between 3/8- and 1/2-inches square, and then place the cubes on a cookie sheet, not touching each other. Put the cookie sheet into the oven at an ideal temperature of 150° – 200°F. Check the treats every half hour or so, move them around on the cookie sheet, and if there is a lot of liquid on the cookie sheet, drain it off. The treats need to be really, really dry; as dry as kibble; moisture is your enemy.
I store the dehydrated treats in food-grade chewing gum dispensers that snap open easily for access. That way, they do not defile my pockets! And the dogs can’t immediately tell I’m carrying treats.
I can’t estimate what these treats cost someone else to make; I figure my out-of-pocket cost is $3 for the meat, which leaves me with an estimated 6 oz. of treats, after trimming and shrinkage. I have to allow for energy costs, so the true cost is higher than 50 cents an ounce; and if the meat is $3.50 a pound on sale, that increases the price, too. But I still think it’s the best bargain in town, and encourage you to try it.
Here’s a more complex recipe, with two ingredients. Don’t worry; it’s still simple. I came up with this recipe for baked liver-pumpkin cookies when I found that feeding liver-only treats often causes loose stool. Many people wish to avoid feeding grains, but to cut the effect of the liver, something had to be added. Pumpkin functions well as a binder and is palatable to most dogs, to boot. It’s just too good to be true that pumpkin acts to firm canine stools if they are too loose, and to loosen them if they are too firm; it’s the perfect companion ingredient for liver.
To make liver-pumpkin cookies, combine a can of canned plain pumpkin (not the kind that comes pre-seasoned for pies) and an equal amount of pureed lightly boiled liver in a food processor. Spoon drops of the mixture onto parchment paper-covered or lightly greased cookie sheets. Flatten out the drops so they are an equal height and will bake evenly. Bake in a slow oven (325° – 350°F) for 20 minutes or until firm enough to handle. Remove from the over, cut the spoon-dropped pieces into the size you want, and then continue to bake them until they are dry. Store in the refrigerator or freezer; they can be layered with waxed paper separators, or they can crumble a bit – the dogs won’t care.
Try one or both of these two recipes. You have nothing to lose but your worries about potentially harmful treats.
Shari A. Mann lives in San Francisco with her dogs Meg and Zebra. She currently mans the “help desk” at bullterrierrescue.org, enthusiastically supports dog rescue, and pursues a lifelong interest in all things canine.
Meaty treats may be 100 percent meat, or contain just one or two other ingredients. Animal muscle and organ meat ingredients are much more expensive than grain- or vegetable-based products, so meaty treats will generally cost more, ounce per ounce, than other types of treats.
Products may be quite dry (with a moisture content around 5 percent); or chewy, with as much moisture as 25 percent. The moist products necessarily contain ingredients known as humectants substances that promote the retention of moisture in the product. The low-moisture treats may be dried, freeze-dried, or dehydrated.
In general, the fewer ingredients used in these products, the better.
TREAT TRAITS OF A GOOD MEATY DOG TREAT
Meaty products should contain as much animal protein as possible! The animal product should be first on the list of ingredients and there should be few (or even no) other ingredients. The source of any animal protein or fat must be named, whether its a muscle tissue (in which case it will appear as chicken, beef, buffalo, etc.) or an organ (in which case it should specify which species it came from, i.e., chicken heart, beef liver, lamb lung, etc.).
Products that are certified by reliable third parties as containing organic, grass-fed, humanely raised / humanely slaughtered, domestic meat animals or sustainably sourced fish trump other animal protein sources. Nice example: The Honest Kitchens Beams (dried fish skins).
Preservatives, if used, should be natural, such as mixed tocopherols. The package should contain either a best by date and/or a date of manufacture.
TREAT TRAITS OF MEATY DOG TREATS TO AVOID
No animal by-products or unnamed animal sources (i.e., meat and bone meal, chicken by-products, animal fat).
Treats should contain no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
Artificial humectants (i.e., propylene glycol) should be avoided.
Imported meats should be avoided. No ingredients from China; treats manufactured in China are also to be avoided (see pages 4-5 for rationale). Example: Canyon Creek Chicken Tenders.
COOKIE OR BISCUIT-STYLE DOG TREATS
In general, cookie- or biscuit-style treats are made with grain or another carbohydrate and baked. That said, this is a wide category of treats, and there are many grain-free products on the market.
Some biscuits use animal products (such as muscle meat, organ meat, fat, dairy products) as the principle palatant (ingredient used to appeal to dogs), but others use sweeteners or salt.
This style of product generally has the same range of moisture content found in dry dog foods about 10 to 12 percent. Chewy treats may contain as much as 30 percent moisture.
In general, the fewer number of least-processed ingredients used in these products, the better.
TREAT TRAITS OF A GOOD COOKIE-STYLE DOG TREAT
The source of any animal protein or fat must be named.
All grain, fruit, or vegetable ingredients should be whole or lightly processed.
Certified organic ingredients and local, sustainably farmed ingredients trump ingredients for which no claims are made.
Chewy, high-moisture cookies should contain natural humectants, such as maple syrup, honey, or vegetable glycerin. Nice example: Cloud Stars Soft & Chewy Buddy Biscuits.
Only natural preservatives should be used.
A best by date and/or date of manufacture should be on the package.
TREAT TRAITS OF A COOKIE-STYLE DOG TREAT TO AVOID
No animal by-products or unnamed animal sources (i.e., meat and bone meal, chicken by-products, animal fat).
Low-quality grain by-products should also be avoided; if the label does not simply say the name of a grain or grain flour, its a by-product.
Avoid treats containing propylene glycol, an artificial humectant.
Treats should contain no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Example: Beggin Strips (which contain all three).
Imported ingredients should be avoided. No ingredients from China; treats manufactured in China are also to be avoided (see pages 4-5 for rationale).
MISCELLANEOUS DOG TREATS
Dried fruit or vegetable chews? Frozen ice cream style treats?
TREAT TRAITS OF A GOOD DOG TREAT
These should contain only one or two ingredients, which are whole or lightly processed. These should contain only a few, readily identifiable ingredients. Nice example: Natures Varietys Sweet Spots.
TREAT TRAITS TO AVOID
Imported ingredients should be avoided. No ingredients from China; treats manufactured in China are also to be avoided (see our article on treats recall for rationale). A long ingredient list including many artificial ingredients. Example: Purinas Frosty Paws
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
