Enzymes given with food are used for digestion, but certain enzymes (proteases, which break down proteins) can also help with inflammation, pain, recovery from injury, and more when given apart from food. Systemic enzyme therapy, also called metabolic or proteolytic enzyme therapy, allows enzymes to enter the body where they can be used for healing rather than digestion. Examples of proteolytic enzymes include pancreatin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin (from the pancreas); bromelain (from pineapple); and papain (from papaya). Proteolytic enzymes work best for inflammation when given away from meals and combined with bioflavonoids such as quercetin or rutin (rutosid).
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BENEFITS: Systemic enzyme therapy is theorized to work by breaking down proteins in the blood that cause inflammation, and by removing fibrin, which prolongs inflammation. Proponents say that systemic enzyme therapy promotes health in every part of the body by reducing pain and inflammation, speeding healing, supporting a healthy immune system, shrinking tumors, and preventing metastasis from cancer.
Enzyme therapy may also help to prevent soreness and injury during and after exercise when taken routinely. Holistic veterinarians may prescribe systemic enzyme therapy for arthritis and other conditions involving inflammation; injuries; skin and coat problems; cancer; autoimmune disorders; and before and after surgery to reduce swelling, bruising, and pain.
Studies in the U.S. are limited, but systemic enzyme therapy has been studied and used in Germany for decades.
For example, a 2008 German review of “rigorous clinical studies” published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies found that “systemic enzyme therapy significantly decreased tumor-induced and therapy-induced side effects and complaints such as nausea, gastrointestinal complaints, fatigue, weight loss, and restlessness and obviously stabilized the quality of life. For plasmacytoma patients, complementary systemic enzyme therapy was shown to increase the response rates, the duration of remissions, and the overall survival times.”
CAUTIONS: Proteolytic enzymes can thin the blood and increase the risk of bleeding, especially at higher doses. Do not give to dogs with clotting disorders, gastric ulcers, or those receiving blood-thinning medications. If anemia or signs of bleeding develop, discontinue right away. High doses may cause diarrhea.
DOSAGE: Give enzyme products between meals (at least one hour before or two hours after) for systemic effects. Follow product dosage instructions, adjusting human dosage for the size of your dog. Companies that make products for both people and dogs suggest giving 3 tablets twice a day for adult humans, 3 tablets once a day for dogs weighing 51-100 pounds, 2 tablets daily for dogs weighing 21 to 50 pounds, and 1 tablet daily for dogs weighing 13 to 20 pounds. Higher doses are recommended for a variety of conditions.
RECOMMENDED SOURCES: The most popular enzyme formulas contain pancreatin, bromelain, papain, rutin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin, and are enteric coated to protect the enzymes from breaking down in the stomach. Some companies make canine versions that have the same ingredients as their human products. Products made for humans are generally more economical. Recommended sources include:
-Garden of Life’s Wobenzym N (gardenoflife.com, 866-465-0051) (Fido-Wobenzyme, the version labeled specifically for canine use, appears to have been discontinued)
-Bromelain supplements, alone and in combination with bioflavonoids and other ingredients, are available from many companies, such as Now Foods’ Quercetin with Bromelain (nowfoods.com, 888-669-3663)
Gertrude Stein might have thought that a rose is a rose is a rose, but with over a hundred species and more than a thousand named cultivars, the genus Rosa has been among the world’s most appreciated plants for millennia. And they can be appreciated by dogs, too, with numerous applications for medical, emotional, and behavioral afflictions.
Roses grow, with and without thorns, as compact or miniature varieties, trailing vines, climbing plants over 20 feet tall, and impenetrable shrubs. Their flowers range from large to small in white, pink, yellow, orange, and every shade of red. Most roses are native to Asia, while some originated in Europe, Africa, or North America. Heirloom or traditional, hybrid tea, modern, and continuously blooming roses are just a few of the choices available to gardeners today. For medicinal purposes, traditional plants are the roses of choice, for many modern hybrids lack fragrance.
Since 1985, the International Herb Association has announced its Herb of the Year during National Herb Week in May. The Herb of the Year is chosen for its aesthetic, medicinal, and/or culinary attributes. Although best known for its beauty, the rose – Herb of the Year for 2012 – has culinary and medicinal properties from which dogs as well as people benefit. There is even a dog rose! This large shrub, which grows to eight feet, is valued as rootstock for grafting hybrids and is frequently naturalized (grows wild) in North America. According to the famous herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy, Rosa canina received its common name because its root was a traditional treatment for rabies.
Rose Tea
The simplest herbal preparations are teas brewed from fresh or dried plant parts. Rose tea can be brewed as an infusion (steeped tea) from rose buds or petals. Simply pour 1 cup of almost-boiling water over 1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh organically grown rose buds or petals. Cover the container and let the tea steep for several minutes. Be sure your blossoms have a strong, pleasant rose fragrance. Skip lovely hybrids that have no scent along with pesticide-treated roses from florists.
To brew a quart of rose tea, place 11/2 teaspoons dried or 4 tablespoons fresh rose petals or buds in a 1-quart (4-cup) jar, fill with almost-boiling water, cover, and let stand. The longer it brews, the stronger the tea. To make a medicinal-strength tea, slightly increase the roses and let the tea steep until it has cooled to room temperature.
In their book All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets, Gregory Tilford and Mary Wulff explain that each part of the rose has a different level of astringency. “The flower petals are mildly to moderately astringent and can be made into a sweet-smelling rinse for animals with dry, itchy skin,” they say. “Petal tea is also useful for mild to moderate cases of colic and diarrhea or for minor irritations of the mouth and stomach.” The recommended dose is 1 tablespoon tea per 20 pounds of body weight as needed. Cool tea strained through a coffee filter can also be used as an anti-inflammatory eyewash, especially when dust or other environmental irritants cause redness or itching. To make the eyewash more comfortable, add a pinch of salt to give the tea a slightly saline taste, similar to human tears.
Cool or room-temperature rose tea is an effective treatment for minor wounds, such as cuts and abrasions. It can be poured directly onto skin to clean the affected area or applied as a spray.
Tilford and Wulff recommend brewing a decoction (simmered tea) from rose leaves, which are more astringent than flower petals, for use on inflamed flea or fly bites, contact dermatitis, or irritated skin. To brew a decoction, bring 2 tablespoons chopped leaves to a boil in a pint (2 cups) of water in a covered pan, simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, still covered, until cool.
The leaf decoction can be used internally for acute digestive tract inflammations that may be secondary to bacterial or parasitic infections. “Internal use should be limited to acute disorders and short-term therapies (two days or less),” they caution. “Call your veterinarian immediately if internal bleeding is evident, diarrhea is persistent, or urination is labored.”
Either of these rose teas will keep for up to a week if refrigerated in a closed glass container.
Rose Vinegar
As described in the article “Sour Greats” (WDJ January 2012), herb-infused vinegar can be applied topically as an after-shampoo rinse, skin and coat treatment, ear cleaner, insect repellent, or pet deodorizer. To make a rose-infused vinegar, you will need:
-A clean glass jar or bottle with non-metallic lid.
-Enough fresh, organically grown rose petals to fill the container. (Freshly picked petals should be dry, not damp; let rose petals wilt in a dry, shady location for a day or two, which reduces moisture and increases their fragrance.)
-A sprig of flowering thyme and/or rosemary (optional).
-Apple cider vinegar.
Pack in as many rose petals as will fit into the jar or bottle, pressing them down with a wooden spoon or chopstick. Fill the container with vinegar, close the lid tightly, and turn the container upside down, which will release trapped air from the submerged rose petals. Top the container with more vinegar so that all of the plant material is completely covered. Leaving air in the jar invites mold growth, so check it every few days and add more vinegar as needed for four to six weeks.
Alternatively, purchase dried organic rose petals and add vinegar. Because dried herbs expand when rehydrated, fill the container only half full with loosely packed petals and let it stand overnight. The next day, top the container with vinegar and proceed as above.
After the vinegar has absorbed the fragrance and medicinal properties of the rose petals, it is ready to use and will keep for more than a year without refrigeration if stored away from heat and light.
If desired, strain the vinegar for storage in small bottles. Attach a label showing date and contents.
Rose vinegar can be applied full-strength or diluted with water for topical application. Rose vinegar has disinfecting properties and is an effective treatment for small wounds and itchy skin. To use as a coat conditioner, fill a plastic container with 1 cup warm or cool water, add 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) rose vinegar, shake to mix, and work well into freshly rinsed hair. A plastic squeeze bottle or recycled shampoo bottle works well for this. Let the coat air-dry, blot with a towel, or rinse with plain water as desired. Because cider vinegar and red roses can stain or darken light hair, distilled white vinegar and white rose petals can be substituted for dogs with white or light coats.
Rose Aromatherapy for Dogs
Essential oils are distilled from plant parts, usually leaves or blossoms. Despite the “aroma” in “aromatherapy,” not every essential oil has an attractive fragrance, but in this category, rose is in a class by itself. Nearly all of the world’s rose oil is used in perfumes, but a small amount is sold to aromatherapists for medicinal use.
Rose essential oil is also expensive, for it takes 30 to 60 roses to produce a single drop of essential oil, or 500 pounds of rose petals to distill 1 pound (about 2 cups) of rose oil. “The terms rose otto, rose oil, and rose essential oil mean exactly the same thing,” says Marge Clark at Nature’s Gift, an aromatherapy supply company. “All are a true essential oil hydro-distilled from the petals of Rosa damascena. The best quality rose otto is grown and distilled in Bulgaria and Turkey. The Rosa damascena oils produced in other countries simply do not measure up.”
Rose absolute, which is known for its true rose fragrance, is extracted with solvents such as hexane, and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction produces rose oil under pressure at low temperatures. Some aromatherapy supply companies sell rose absolute and CO2-extracted rose oil to consumers, but they are less common than distilled rose oil.
Rose has long been associated with spirituality, and some claim that rose exhibits the highest vibration of any essential oil, giving it a special affinity with the heart and the emotional spheres of mind, body, and spirit.
According to Clark, rose is the ultimate woman’s oil. “It is calming and supportive,” she says. “In my experience nothing strengthens a woman’s spirit as well as true rose oil. Rose has no parallel in treating grief, hysteria, or depression. It is believed by many to help balance female hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, and ease the discomforts of PMS and menopause. In Europe it is used to treat genito-urinary infections.”
In her book Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals, Kristen Leigh Bell writes, “Rose is also stabilizing to the central nervous system, making it a suitable addition to blends for fearful animals. The oil has a gentle tonifying effect on the skin, and I like to add a small amount to blends for itchy, irritated, or dry skin.”
Another benefit that rose oil shares with other rose-fragranced plants, such as rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) is that ticks dislike its scent, making rose a natural tick repellent.
But because of its expense (Bulgarian rose otto costs up to $100 or more for 2 milliliters, slightly less than 1/2 teaspoon), you’re not likely to find pure, therapeutic-quality rose oil in your pet supply store.
This doesn’t mean that rose oil does not belong in your pet’s life. In fact, most aromatherapists rate it as “essential,” and Bell considers it one of her “top 20 must-have essential oils” for pets.
Fortunately, the oil is so concentrated that even a tiny amount, such as a single drop of rose oil in a fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) of carrier oil, will still have an effect. Most carrier oils used in aromatherapy are cold-pressed organic vegetable oils such as almond, peach kernel, or jojoba.
The general rule for canine use is to mix 1 teaspoon carrier oil with 3 to 5 drops essential oil; or 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) carrier oil with 10 to 15 drops essential oil. Use measuring spoons, not tableware, to measure carrier oils; use an eyedropper or an essential oil bottle’s built-in dispenser to measure drops.
Experiment to see what concentrations agree with your dog. Years ago while living in New York, I interviewed herbalist Barbara Hall about her experiments with ticks (which she removed from her cat!) and various herbs that were considered tick repellents. Of the herbs she tested, only rose geranium repelled the ticks, which turned somersaults to escape from it. At the time, Samantha, my Labrador Retriever, and her friend Hobbes, a Golden Retriever, were picking up deer and dog ticks almost every day on our walks in the woods.
Inspired, I tried rose geranium, palmarosa, and rose essential oils in separate experiments, placing a single drop on each dog’s scarf or collar and later diluting essential oils for spraying. All rose-scented applications reduced the tick attacks, but each required an adjustment period during which the dogs seemed to lose their sense of smell! For a day or two they would chase a tennis ball in tall grass and not be able to find it even when standing on top of it.
There was also no denying that Hobbes did not enjoy smelling like a rose, as he searched out green manure and deer droppings to roll in. (I switched to other methods for him.) It’s a good idea to start slowly with extremely diluted rose oil – or any rose-scented product – long before attending nose work, utility, or tracking sessions or trials.
Because essential oils are not water-soluble, diluting them in water requires an extra step. If you mix an essential oil with vodka or any other grain alcohol (do not use rubbing alcohol, which is distilled from wood), sulfated castor oil (available from some aromatherapy supply companies), or vegetable glycerin, you can add water and the oil will disperse.
Bell combines these ingredients in several formulas, including her aromatic cleansing spray, which begins with a base of 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin, 1 tablespoon vodka, 1 teaspoon sulfated castor oil, and 2 tablespoons aloe vera. Up to 16 drops essential oil can be mixed with this base before adding 6 ounces (3/4 cup) distilled or spring water. Her floral blend contains 4 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), 2 drops ylang ylang (Cananga odorata), 4 drops rose (Rosa damascena), and 6 drops petitgrain (Citrus auranthum) essential oils. Or use rose oil by itself, starting with 4 to 8 drops and adding more as needed. Shake well before using.
Another way to dilute rose oil is in shampoo or liquid soap. Try adding 5 to 10 drops of rose oil to 8 ounces (1 cup) unscented natural shampoo, or add a drop to shampoo as you bathe your dog. Rinse well and follow, if desired, with a rose tea or rose vinegar final rinse.
One of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to use rose essential oil is in a diffuser. As Bell explains, “A nebulizing diffuser is one tool that no aromatherapy-prone home should be without. Especially one that houses pets!”
It’s true that the fragrance of an essential oil can be released by heat, such as from a light bulb or candle, but the chemical components of essential oils have differing volatility, so that some evaporate faster than others. The best way to disperse essential oils for therapeutic use, says Bell, is without heat, and diffusing is the safest way to use any full-strength oil.
A nebulizing diffuser consists of a glass bulb attached to a small air pump like those used in aquariums. A small air current and the pump’s vibration ionize complete particles of essential oil, releasing this suspension in the air. Rose essential oil or blends containing rose create a calming, uplifting environment, and they deodorize at the same time. Rose is highly recommended for dogs recovering from emotional trauma, illness, or injury. Setting the nebulizer on a timer releases essential oil throughout the day, which is especially helpful to dogs with separation anxiety.
To treat the air without the aid of a diffuser, fill a spray bottle with 4 to 6 ounces (1/2 to 3/4 cup) water and add 4 drops rose oil. Shake the bottle vigorously before spraying the air. Aim the spray away from furniture, pets, and people. Add a few more drops for a stronger fragrance if desired.
Hydrosols
Hydrosols or hydrolats, the flower waters produced during steam distillation, are far less expensive than essential oils. Organic rose hydrosol from Bulgaria costs less than $20 for 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces).
Hydrosols are 20 to 30 times stronger than herbal teas brewed from the same plants, and they provide most of the benefits found in essential oils with fewer risks. Safety is crucial with regard to pets, which is why hydrosols are highly recommended for pet use.
The downside of using hydrosols is that they have a limited shelf life (typically one year), are not widely sold (the freshest, highest-quality hydrosols are usually from online or mail-order suppliers), and require refrigeration.
Rose hydrosol, better known as rosewater, may be unfamiliar to Americans today, but a hundred years ago, rosewater was widely sold for culinary and cosmetic uses. The first popular hand lotion was rosewater and glycerin (it’s still available), and rosewater adds a lovely flavor to desserts, confections, and traditional Middle Eastern foods.
In her book Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy, Suzanne Catty describes rose hydrosol as a powerful substance. “It smells exactly like a fresh rose,” she says. “Undiluted, the flavor is dramatic and overwhelming – far too strong – but in dilution, its intense floral nature becomes delicate, ethereal, and quite delicious. Once you have smelled and tasted real rose hydrosol, you will instantly recognize artificial rosewater.”
Rosewater is more stable than most hydrosols, she reports, with a shelf life of two years or more, though this depends on its quality. “Rose hydrosol made from dried petals starts to lose its fragrance at around 10 to 12 months,” she says, “and the flavor is less intense from the outset.”
Rose hydrosol can be sprayed full-strength on a dog’s wet coat and then brushed or massaged in; diluted with an equal part of water, or more, before being sprayed or applied to the coat; or simply sprayed or applied as a tick repellent. “Its moisture-retaining nature makes it a good choice for the traveler,” says Catty, “and its mild antiseptic and cooling properties make it useful for many first-aid applications.”
For more about hydrosols, see “Canines in a Mist,” WDJ April 2005.
Rose Hips
Rose hips, the reddish, round berries that develop after rose petals fall from their stems in late summer, are a significant source of vitamin C. They also contain vitamins A and B, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants such as lycopene. Many dogs love the taste of fresh rose hips and harvest them from rose bushes themselves.
Dried rose hips can be ground in a coffee grinder and added at the rate of 1/2 to 1 teaspoon powdered rose hips per cup of food. Too much can cause stomach upset or diarrhea, so start with a small amount and increase gradually, or simply cut back if your dog develops symptoms.
If you have access to rose hips from a safe (not pesticide-treated) source, you can cut them in half and spread them on a rack or paper-lined cookie sheet to dry, or thread a needle with white cotton thread and string the rose hips with spaces between them to hasten drying. When the hips are completely dry, unstring them, cut them in half, and toss any that have mold inside or out.
Thanks to Danish farmer Erik Hansen, who discovered 20 years ago that rose hips alleviated his joint pain, rose hip powder has become a popular supplement in Europe for the treatment of arthritis. So far seven scientific studies of over 300 participants have been published in the medical literature, four of which are randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Participants receiving rose hips reported improved joint comfort and flexibility, higher energy levels, and an improved sense of well being.
Hansen’s products (LitoZin® and i-flex®) are made from the hips of organically raised Rosa canina. Rose hip powder has not been clinically tested in dogs, but many users report giving it to their arthritic canine companions with excellent results. Rose hip seed powder is available from a growing number of supplement manufacturers.
Rose Hip Seed Oil
Pressed from the seeds of rose hips, usually Rosa moschata or Rosa rubiginosa from the Andes Mountains, rose hip seed oil contains vitamins and essential fatty acids whose skin-healing properties make it a popular cosmetic ingredient. Rose hip seed oil, which is sold in most natural food stores, speeds the healing of dermatitis, burns, and scars, and it is an effective treatment for dry, brittle, damaged hair and nails. Rose hip seed oil is light yellow to orange in color, and it can stain clothing or light-colored hair, though it is so quickly absorbed by the skin that precise application to scars or wounds is unlikely to damage white or light-colored coats. The oil is so delicate that it should be kept refrigerated in a closed container, protected from exposure to heat, light, and air.
Although used by Chile’s native people for centuries, rose hip seed oil has been available in the U.S. for just a few decades. In 1983, researchers at the University of Santiago in Chile tested rose hip seed oil on 180 people with extensive facial scarring, acne scarring, deep wrinkles, sun damage, radiation damage, burn scars, surgical scars, premature aging, dermatitis, and other skin-related problems.
In these tests, rose hip seed oil regenerated the skin, reduced scars and wrinkles, prevented the advancement of wrinkles and aging, and helped skin regain its natural color and tone. Subsequent research at other universities verified these results, and rose hip seed oil is now a popular ingredient in products that treat premature aging and sun damage.
How can it help your dog? Because rose hip seed oil speeds the healing of damaged tissue, it can be applied directly to new or old scars, wounds, abrasions, and nails that break or split. But its most widespread canine application is as a coat conditioner, for rose hip seed oil helps strengthen and repair damaged hair. To use it full-strength, simply apply rose hip seed oil to your hands, rub your palms together to create a light layer of oil, and stroke your dog’s coat in all directions. Try this while the coat is still damp after bathing or swimming to distribute the oil more evenly.
Another way to take advantage of rose hip seed oil’s coat-improving attributes is to add it to your favorite oil or conditioner. For example, argan oil, pressed from the seeds of the Middle Eastern plant Argania spinosa and better known as Moroccan oil, has become a popular human hair treatment. Rose hip seed oil can be blended with argan oil and applied to towel-dried hair for soft, shiny results. Rose hip seed oil can be added to most leave-on conditioners with excellent results. Start with a 5- to 10-percent addition and experiment. Diluted rose hip seed oil should be safe for use on even white or light-colored dogs.
Rose hip seed oil can be added to rose vinegar or rose hydrosol in a spray container, shaken immediately before use, and sprayed onto the dog’s coat. The oil and water will separate, but spraying delivers both ingredients, which can be worked or brushed into the coat.
Rose hip seed oil is well tolerated and safe for sensitive skin. It is considered a “dry” oil, meaning that it soaks into the skin easily, and does not leave a greasy residue. It penetrates dry or damaged skin immediately. Rose hip seed oil is sold in ball-point vials (for human skin application) in natural food markets.
Rose Flower Essence
Flower essences, also called flower remedies, are very different from herbal teas and extracts. Like homeopathic remedies, they contain little or none of the material used to produce them. Instead, they store a plant’s “vibration” or “imprint,” which in turn affects the user’s energy. These vibrations or imprints are said to act directly on the emotions. Flower essences have no floral fragrance.
Flower essences made from roses are said to support and protect the heart from emotional pain and trauma, to foster resilience and endurance, and to help ground the individual, calm the mind, and deepen one’s spiritual vision. Rose flower essences have helped dogs adapt to changes in residence, environment, or family structure; overcome separation anxiety; regain enthusiasm for life’s adventures; and relax in stressful situations, such as when being groomed, visiting the veterinarian, meeting new dogs, attending obedience class, or living in a shelter or foster home.
Like all flower remedies, rose flower essence can be applied directly from the stock bottle, a drop or two at a time, directly into the dog’s mouth, massaged into the gums, applied to the nose or paw pads, or applied to bare skin on the abdomen or ears. Alternatively, place 12 drops rose flower essence in a 4-ounce spray bottle filled with distilled or filtered water. Spray the solution into the air, on the dog’s bedding, and all over the dog, including on her gums, paw pads, nose, and abdomen, and inside the ears as well as on the coat before brushing or rubbing it in. Flower essences can also be placed on dog treats and added to food and water.
The key to success with flower essences is frequency of application, as often as once an hour if possible, or at least four or five times per day. For more about flower essences, see “More Good Energy,” WDJ November 2007.
Grow Your Own!
If you’d like to have your own source of pesticide-free roses and rose hips, try growing your own. Roses need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, minimal root competition from nearby trees, a soil pH of approximately 6.5, good air circulation, and deeply dug soil containing ample organic matter.
Garden centers, organizations devoted to roses, and books like the IHA’s Rose (Rosa): Herb of the Year 2012 offer tips on growing, fertilizing, pruning, and care.
CJ Puotinen lives in Montana. She is the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and other books and a frequent contributor to WDJ.
1. Feed your dog a wide variety of foods from different food groups.
2. Make sure you supplement your dog’s homemade diet with calcium unless you feed raw meaty bones.
3. Stick to lean meats and remove skin from the poultry you feed unless your dog is highly active.
4. Keep in mind that the less variety of foods you feed, the more important supplements become.
5. Review your homemade dog food diet plan with a veterinarian for approval.
In the past few issues of Whole Dog Journal, I have offered critiques on homemade dog food diets in order to address the dog’s health concerns – or simply to optimize the dog’s diet plan. To do this, I analyzed the cooked and raw homemade dog food diets and compared them to the National Research Council’s guidelines for canine nutrition. I want to be clear, though: I don’t believe this is a requirement for feeding home-cooked dog food. Just as with the diet you feed yourself and your family, feeding a wide variety of healthy foods in appropriate proportions should meet the needs of most healthy dogs. The best diet for dogs, in effect, is a diverse diet.
Problems arise with how healthy dog food is interpreted. Too often, people think that they’re feeding healthy homemade dog food, when key ingredients may be missing or are fed in excess. Here’s how to make dog food at home, and specific guidelines to help ensure that the dog food diet you feed meets your individual dog’s requirements. You do not want just one dog food recipe to follow – you need several, and need to be comfortable mixing and matching ingredients, for reasons explained below.
Complete and Balanced Dog Food Diets
It’s important homemade dog food is “complete and balanced,” meaning it meets all of the dog’s nutritional needs. It is not important, however, that every meal be complete and balanced, unless you feed the same meal every day with little or no variation.
Home-prepared dog diets that include a wide variety of foods fed at different meals rely on balance over time, not at every meal. Similar to the way humans eat, as long as your dog gets everything he needs spread out over each week or two, his diet will be complete and balanced.
A human nutritionist would never expect someone to follow a single recipe with no variation, as veterinary nutritionists routinely do. Instead, a human would be given guidelines in terms of food groups and portion sizes. As long as your dog doesn’t have a health problem that requires a very specific diet, homemade dog food should be the same way.
Keep in mind that puppies are more susceptible to problems caused by nutritional deficiencies or excesses than adult dogs are. Large-breed puppies are particularly at risk from too much calcium prior to puberty. See “Puppy Food: Nutritional Guidelines to Maximize Health,” for more on puppy nutrition.
GUIDELINES TO CREATING BALANCED HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPES
Following are guidelines for feeding a raw or cooked home-prepared diet to healthy dogs. No single type of food, such as chicken, should ever make up more than half the diet.
Except where specified, homemade food for dogs can be fed either raw or cooked. Leftovers from your table can be included as long as they’re foods you would eat yourself, not fatty scraps.
Meat and Other Animal Products: Should always make up at least half of the diet. A raw diet for dogs can be excessively high in fat, which can lead to obesity. Another potential hazard of diets containing too much fat: If an owner restricts the amount fed (in order to control the dog’s weight) too much, the dog may suffer deficiencies of other required nutrients.
Unless your dog gets regular, intense exercise, use lean meats (no more than 10 percent fat), remove skin from poultry, and cut off separable fat. It’s better to feed dark meat poultry than breast, however, unless your dog requires a very low-fat diet.
Raw Meaty Bones (optional): If you choose to feed them, RMBs should make up one third to one half of the total diet. Use the lower end of the range if you feed bony parts such as chicken necks and backs, but you can feed more if you’re using primarily meatier parts such as chicken thighs. Never feed cooked bones. Read a full report on raw meaty bones here.
Boneless Meat: Include both poultry and red meat. Heart is a good choice, as it is lean and often less expensive than other muscle meats.
Fish: Provides vitamin D, which otherwise should be supplemented. Canned fish with bones, such as sardines (packed in water, not oil), jack mackerel, and pink salmon, are good choices. Remove bones from fish you cook yourself, and never feed raw Pacific salmon, trout, or related species. You can feed small amounts of fish daily, or larger amounts once or twice a week. The total amount should be about one ounce of fish per pound of other meats (including RMBs).
Organs: Liver should make up roughly 5 percent of this category, or about one ounce of liver per pound of other animal products. Beef liver is especially nutritious, but include chicken or other types of liver at least occasionally as well. Feeding small amounts of liver daily or every other day is preferable to feeding larger amounts less often.
Eggs: Highly nutritious addition to any diet. Dogs weighing about 20 pounds can have a whole egg every day, but give less to smaller dogs.
Dairy: Plain yogurt and kefir are well tolerated by most dogs (try goat’s milk products if you see problems). Cottage and ricotta cheese are also good options. Limit other forms of cheese, as most are high in fat.
Fruits and Vegetables: While not a significant part of the evolutionary diet of the dog and wolf, fruits and vegetables provide fiber that supports digestive health, as well as antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients that contribute to health and longevity. Deeply colored vegetables and fruits are the most nutritious.
Starchy Vegetables: Veggies such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes (including pumpkin), as well as legumes (beans), provide carbohydrate calories that can be helpful in reducing food costs and keeping weight on skinny and very active dogs. Quantities should be limited for overweight dogs. Starchy foods must be cooked in order to be digestible.
Leafy Green and Other Non-Starchy Vegetables: These are low in calories and can be fed in any quantity desired. Too much can cause gas, and raw, cruciferous veggies such as broccoli and cauliflower can suppress thyroid function (cook them if you feed large amounts). Raw vegetables must be pureed in a food processor, blender, or juicer in order to be digested properly by dogs, though whole raw veggies are not harmful and can be used as treats.
And while you’re preparing these nutritious foods for your dog, consider boosting your own health by adding more veggies to your diet too!
Fruits: Bananas, apples, berries, melon, and papaya are good choices. Avoid grapes and raisins, which can cause kidney failure in dogs.
Grains: Controversial, as they may contribute to inflammation caused by allergies, arthritis, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); as well as seizures and other problems (it’s not clear whether starchy vegetables do the same). Some grains contain gluten that may cause digestive problems for certain dogs. Many dogs do fine with grains, however, and they can be used to reduce the overall cost of feeding a homemade diet.
Grains and starchy veggies should make up no more than half the diet. Good choices include oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, barley, and pasta. White rice can be used to settle an upset stomach, particularly if overcooked with extra water, but it’s low in nutrition and should not make up a large part of the diet. All grains must be well cooked.
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR HOME-FED DOGS
Some supplements are required in addition to natural food for dogs. Others may be needed if you are not able to feed a variety of foods, or if you leave out one or more of the food groups above. In addition, the longer food is cooked or frozen, the more nutrients are lost. Here are some dog supplements to consider:
Calcium
Unless you feed RMBs, all homemade diets must be supplemented with calcium. The amount found in multivitamin and mineral supplements is not enough. Give 800 to 1,000 mg calcium per pound of food (excluding non-starchy vegetables). You can use any form of plain calcium, including eggshells ground to powder in a clean coffee grinder (1/2 teaspoon eggshell powder provides about 1,000 mg calcium). Animal Essentials‘ Seaweed Calcium provides additional minerals, as well. And here is a good list of calcium-rich foods your dog may like. Just please note this list is for humans and includes orange juice, which is not a good thing to give your dog as the acidity can cause stomach upset.
Oils
Most homemade diets require added oils for fat, calories, and to supply particular nutrients. It’s important to use the right types of oils, as each supplies different nutrients.
Fish Oil: Fish oil for dogs provides EPA and DHA, omega-3 fatty acids that help to regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation. Give an amount that provides about 300 mg EPA and DHA combined per 20 to 30 pounds of body weight on days you don’t feed fish. Note that liquid fish oil supplements often tell you to give much more than this, which can result in too many calories from fat.
Cod Liver Oil: Provides vitamins A and D as well as EPA and DHA. If you don’t feed much fish, give cod liver oil in an amount that provides about 400 IUs vitamin D daily for a 100-pound dog (proportionately less for smaller dogs). Can be combined with other fish oil to increase the amount of EPA and DHA if desired.
Plant Oils: If you don’t feed much poultry fat, found in dark meat and skin, linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid, may be insufficient. You can use walnut, hempseed, corn, vegetable (soybean), or high-linoleic safflower oil to supply linoleic acid if needed. Add about one teaspoon of oil per pound of meat and other animal products, or twice that amount if using canola or sunflower oil. Olive oil and high-oleic safflower oil are low in omega-6 and cannot be used as a substitute, although small amounts can be added to supply fat if needed. Coconut oil provides mostly saturated fats, and can be used in addition to but not as a replacement for other oils.
Other Vitamins and Minerals
In addition to vitamin D discussed above, certain vitamins and minerals may be short in some homemade diets, particularly those that don’t include organ meats or vegetables. The more limited the diet that you feed, the more important supplements become, but even highly varied diets are likely to be light in a few areas.
Vitamin E: All homemade diets I’ve analyzed have been short on vitamin E, and the need for vitamin E increases when you supplement with oils. Too much vitamin E, however, may be counterproductive. Give 1 to 2 IUs per pound of body weight daily.
Iodine: Too much or too little iodine can suppress thyroid function, and it’s hard to know how much is in the diet. A 50-pound dog needs about 300 mcg (micrograms) of iodine daily. Kelp is high in iodine, though the amount varies considerably among supplements.
Multivitamin and mineral supplements: A multivitamin and mineral supplement will help to meet most requirements, including iodine and vitamins D and E, but it’s important not to over supplement minerals. If using the one-a-day type of human supplements, such as Centrum for Adults under 50, give one per 40 to 50 pounds of body weight daily. Note that most supplements made for dogs provide a reasonable amount of vitamins but are low in minerals, and so won’t make up for deficiencies in the diet. Be cautious with small dogs; I’ve seen some supplements that recommend the same dosage for 10-pound dogs as for those weighing 50 or even 100 pounds. In those cases, the dosage is usually too high for the small dogs and should be reduced. Products made for humans are also inappropriate for small dogs.
Green Blends: Often containing alfalfa and various herbs, green blends may be especially helpful if you don’t include many green vegetables in your dog’s diet. You can also use a pre-mix that includes alfalfa and vegetables, such as The Honest Kitchen‘s Preference. Note most pre-mixes also supply calcium, so you should reduce or eliminate calcium supplements, depending on how much of the pre-mix you use.
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. Contact her via her website if you would like to submit a diet to be critiqued.
If I had to pick which training accomplishment I am most proud of with my dog Otto, I’d have to consider a few. He’s got a rock-solid, enthusiastic recall that I love. When we’re out on the trail and he sees a duck and ducklings on the shore of the river, say, or hears a deer crashing through the brush away from us, this recall — combined with a strong “Off!” (a.k.a. “Leave it!”) – never fails to bring admiration from my walking partners. (And because I reward him so richly for this, with a veritable avalanche of tasty treats, it stays nice and strong.)
But perhaps the most useful for walking in my semi-rural town is his ability to “look at me” when we are walking down the sidewalk and there is a dog (or several dogs) going berserk on the other side of a fence as we walk by. This is an extremely stressful thing for a dog to do – to completely ignore some very dramatic behavior from fellow dogs – and it does make him nervous. His pace speeds up, he’ll whine a bit, and he’ll lick his lips and flick his tongue in distress.
However, he knows what to do to make it less nerve-wracking: look at me. If he turns toward me, I allow him to walk or trot faster – heck, I want to get out of there, too! – and I speed-feed him treats as we hustle on out of there. I also praise him in a calm and happy voice, “Goood boy, Otto. What a good boy!” I make sure not to make it squeaky, scared-sounding, or fast and frantic.
When I first got Otto, four-plus years ago, I wouldn’t even attempt such a thing. If there was a dog going nuts in a yard as we approached (or I was previously aware of a lurker who would burst out as we passed), we’d veer out into the street or even turn and avoid that block as we practiced. It was an overly high-stress exercise for him when he was younger. But as he has gained confidence in both the behavior and in me, he’s gotten even a little cocky about it. Not long ago he surprised me: As we walked along, with Otto looking at me and eating the treats I was steadily feeding into his mouth as a dog on the other side of the fence going crazy with barking, snarling, and throwing himself against the fence, Otto suddenly stopped, and – still looking at me – lifted his leg and peed against the fence, pretty much right in the berserk dog’s face. Oh snap! That dog was dissed! And as rude as it was, I was still proud.
We can’t possibly answer every question we receive about dog training or behavior. But we’ll try to answer some of the questions sent to us by subscribers, some of the time. The following are a few letters regarding issues that are common to many dogs and dog owners. If you’d like to submit a question about dog training or behavior, send it to WDJEditor@gmail.com.
I love Whole Dog Journal and have implemented many of your techniques and suggestions with our dog, Izzy. I hope that you may be able to further help us with her issue.
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Izzy is a wonderful 31/2-year-old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie-mix. She’s super smart and well-trained, with lots of energy and a constant need for learning and exercise. In the last couple years, however, her aggressive moments have gotten to be a problem (I’m guessing it’s a protective instinct). She barks (like a yell) and confronts people in the following situations, ranked from most common to least:
1. Knock at the door of our house.
2. Someone gets close to our car (while parked).
3. If someone tries to pet her if she’s tied up (outside a store for instance, but we don’t do this at all anymore).
4. If someone appears after there has been an absence of other humans (at night or on a trail with few people).
I would chalk it up to the breed, protecting her herd (us), but I also need to do something about it.
We have started to ask her to “go to bed” when someone is at the door. It helps, but once she’s released she goes straight for the guest, barking and air-nipping (no contact) if they turn around. It’s embarrassing and uncomfortable; you don’t want to yell at your dog when friends come over and you also want to greet them face-to-face! – Alan Stuart, Los Angeles
Pat Miller responds:
You are right to be concerned about Izzy’s behavior, especially the nipping at people. In these days of heightened sensitivity to canine behavior, it doesn’t take much for a dog to be designated as “potentially dangerous” or “dangerous” by your local animal control agency.
In some jurisdictions, a person must merely feel threatened in order for a dog to receive the unhappy label – which greatly restricts your freedom as a dog owner to take your canine family member places and do things with her. And that’s not to mention the impact it may have on your homeowner’s insurance, and your liability, if she should actually bite someone or otherwise cause injury.
What happens if someone injures himself when attempting to avoid a dog they feel threatened by? That, too, can earn your dog the unwanted title, even if she never even came close to biting anyone. Heaven knows some people feel threatened by even the most harmless of dogs who are doing absolutely nothing that comes close to being threatening, so that leaves the door pretty wide open.
Herding breeds are ultra-conscious of space, and are usually type-A workaholic control-freaks. I’m guessing Izzy’s behavior is less protective and more defensive, especially given that she snaps while tied up outside a store (who is she protecting there?). It’s not a good idea to tie a dog up in public and leave them unattended anyway – as you’ve discovered. They are trapped, very vulnerable in that situation, and quite likely to bite. Also, dogs who are engaging in protection aggression don’t usually wait for the potential victims to turn their backs – that’s more often the behavior of a dog who is defensively aggressive and lacks the confidence to confront a threat face-to-face – or simply one who is engaging in herding behavior.
Photo by Alan Stuart
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The first thing I’d suggest is a complete veterinary workup, including a full thyroid panel, with a blood sample sent to Dr. Jean Dodds’ lab in California. (For more information about Dr. Dodds’ lab, see hemopet.org or call the Hemopet office at 714-891-2022. For more information about the link between thyroid levels and aggression, see “Help for Hypothyroidism,” WDJ June 2005, and in the next issue of WDJ.) You want to rule out – or treat – any medical issues that may contribute to her aggression. With a clean bill of health in Izzy’s file, here are my suggestions:
1. Keep doing the “go to your bed” exercise when people come to the door, but don’t release her from the bed when visitors enter. Rather, walk over to her, clip on a leash, and use the occasion to do some counter-conditioning and desensitization (CC&D). (See “Trials of the Timid,” August 2008, for more about this exercise.) Turn this into a party! Invite a dog-friendly friend or two for wine, appetizers, and CC&D! If they are especially cooperative, you can ask them to leave, take a walk around the block, and then knock on the door and come in again as if they had not been there earlier.
When you want to stop the counter-conditioning, put Izzy away so you and your guests can relax, and so she won’t have the opportunity to practice her inappropriate behavior.
2. Have her crated in the car, and cover the crate when you leave her parked (cool weather only, I presume!). Again, she likely feels trapped in the car, and people peering into car windows are pretty threatening and intrusive, from the dog’s perspective. Or – leave her at home. Protect her, so she doesn’t feel the need to defend herself.
3. Use a leash or long line when hiking on trails frequented by other people, until you perfect her recall. It’s not fair to subject unsuspecting hikers to a canine confrontation, and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of that dangerous dog designation!
4. Utilize a variety of management and training suggestions to help Izzy gain confidence, such as asking her for an incompatible behavior (something she loves to do). When you see her gearing up to bark, for example, engage her in a favored activity, which will also change her emotional state (she can’t be happy about doing her favorite thing and fearful of or angry at a passerby at the same time.) “Find it!” – tossing a high-value treat on the ground and cueing her to look for it – is one of many possible incompatible behaviors.
5. Consider teaching an “emergency down” and try that to stop her forward movement in a crisis rather than calling her back to you. Many dogs (especially herding dogs) find it easier to “down-stay” than turn around and come back to you. Once her motion is stopped, you can go get her, or perhaps then call her to you.
One of the primary reasons that behaviors such as Izzy’s frequently escalate as the dog matures is that they work. Izzy wants to keep people away (or make them go away), and ferocious barking does that. Izzy’s barking behavior is reinforced by the result (people go away/leave her alone) and behaviors that are reinforced increase. If the above suggestions don’t help, then I urge you to find a nearby training and behavior professional who is committed to positive reinforcement methods to help you manage and modify Izzy’s behavior.
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A few years ago I attended one of Pat Miller’s seminars on behavior here in the Twin Cities. I particularly enjoyed the lengthy section on interpreting behavioral cues. I pay a lot more attention now to the finer details, not only in my own dogs, but in things that I see on the Internet. There is a video making the rounds of dog owners that I find intriguing (tinyurl.com/appeasinghusky).
Basically, there is a Husky riding in the front seat of a car (doubtful wisdom of that to begin with) who keeps putting her paw out for the owner to hold. Aw! What intrigues me more than the probably learned behavior itself is the deeper behavioral clues the dog displays. Her ears are back and frequent yawning is present, suggesting stress (which a lot of the commenters on the video have keyed in on); but her facial muscles are completely relaxed as best I can tell, her body seems loose, and the dog doesn’t seem to be trying to avoid the situation. No doubt, there is some anxiety at work here, but I have a reason for finding the video particularly intriguing.
I have a male Husky who exhibits the same sort of behavioral signals (ears back, lots of yawning, submissive paw out) when in totally non-stressful situations, like sitting comfortably at home.
With the lack of any other symptoms of stress, I’ve always just chalked up the yawning to part of a general submissive posture for him (he yawns a lot in a variety of situations), and the overall package of behaviors as “I am perfectly happy for you to keep right on scratching my chest just like you are doing now; don’t stop please.” (The paw out is usually done almost as a “A little lower, please!” or “Why did you stop?” behavior.) But I admit the ears back and yawning has always kind of puzzled me. (He is an exceptionally soft and biddable boy for the breed. His foster sister is a pushy, spazzy little spitfire, which is more typical.) – J. Eddy, Saint Paul, MN
Pat Miller responds:
Thanks for this interesting video. While the yawning and lip-licking displayed by the Husky in the video are commonly perceived as stress signals, they sometimes are – and they sometimes aren’t. Dogs sometimes yawn because they are tired, and sometimes lick their lips because the last treat tasted good and the flavor still lingers. And while a paw-lift is considered an appeasement gesture, the pawing motion demonstrated in the video is more of an attention-seeking (Hey! Pet me!) or demand behavior – a sort of canine equivalent of a “keep going signal.”
That said, I believe the Husky in the video does look somewhat stressed, and the pawing is attention-seeking, because the dog finds it reassuring and stress-relieving for the owner to touch her (hold her paw). Maybe she is stressed because she knows how unsafe it is to have a dog in the car and not crated or wearing a canine seat belt! That was tongue-in-cheek; of course the dog doesn’t know how dangerous it is be loose in the car, especially in the front seat. But the human should know!
In the case you describe of your dog offering what appear to be stress signals in totally non-stress situations, here’s one possible explanation:
Your dog has simply learned, as you suggest, that these behaviors work to get your attention and the desired human behavior of “Scratch my chest, thank you!” Dogs, like humans, are capable of engaging in superstitious behavior. His pawing is the behavior that most likely gets your attention and cues the desired scratching, but his mind may have linked the yawning and flattened ears into the chain of behaviors he believes may be necessary to make the scratching happen.
Appeasement gestures don’t necessarily indicate stress. They are simply one dog’s way of communicating a message of “I’m not challenging you” to another being. You describe your dog as being generally soft and appeasing, so the “ears back” appeasement signal probably happens a lot for him. Yawning, however, is usually not classified as an appeasement gesture.
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It could be that he yawns a lot because his yawning has been unconsciously reinforced by you when you think he might be stressed: “Hey, fella, what’s wrong?” Behaviors that are reinforced repeat/increase!
I wonder if you all have heard of SimpleLEASH, which is being marketed as a solution for dogs who pull on leash? Someone from my trainer’s group gave us a heads-up about this. I’m writing about it in my newsletter to alert my clients about it. I could see the average dog owner being very enthused about something like this, as leash pulling is a very common problem, but without thinking about the full consequences. – Shannon Finch, AnimalKind Training, Seattle
Pat Miller responds:
I had not heard of the SimpleLEASH until you sent this letter and the link to its website (simpleleash.com). Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
I must say, I am saddened and appalled. Though the company tries to mask the truth with reassuring language, this is, plain and simple, a collar that delivers a shock to the dog when he pulls on the leash. Note that nowhere on the website is it called a shock collar. Instead, the text compares the beep of the leash and the resulting “harmless correction stimulus” to the beep that predicted to Pavlov’s dog that food was arriving. How disingenuous! True, both scenarios employ classical conditioning, but Pavlov’s dogs were getting a positive classical association with the beep – “Yay, food is coming!” – while the shock of the SimpleLEASH creates a very negative classical association – “Yikes, I am about to be hurt.”
The really sad part is that the website also says this: “Here at the SimpleLEASH company we firmly believe in positive reinforcement training.” The simple fact is this: No one who truly believes in positive reinforcement training would ever consider using – much less marketing – a collar-and-leash that shocks a dog simply for pulling.
The company claims that training can be as short as a few minutes. I don’t doubt that. A shock is a highly aversive stimulus, and one that is capable of shutting down a dog’s behavior quite rapidly. It can also deliver a whole lot of negative side effects, not the least of which is aggression.
In the case of this shock-leash, the harder the dog pulls, the greater the intensity of the shock – and the greater the likelihood of significant negative side effects. Imagine the 100-pound dog who spots another dog, takes off full-speed to offer a friendly greeting, and hits the end of the leash with his full weight. The strong shock that he receives has the very real potential for instantly causing this dog to be aggressive toward other dogs through this incredibly unfortunate one-time learning experience. Repeat that experience for him a few more times, and his negative association with other dogs becomes quite strong.
People often fall for the “he only hears the beep” reassurance by shock collar advocates. But if you follow the Pavlov comparison, the whole point of classical conditioning is that the stimulus that was originally neutral (in this case, the beep) takes on the same meaning as the stimulus that follows – the shock. Pavlov’s dogs salivated when they heard the bell because to their brains it was as if food was delivered. A dog stops pulling when he hears the beep because it’s the same as if he just got shocked.
A dog can be traumatized, shut down completely, and/or become aggressive if he associates the shock or the beep that predicts the shock with some other stimulus that happens to be in the environment at the same time – such as the dog or child he was pulling toward. He may also become traumatized and shut down when he hears the beep of other electronics, such as a microwave oven, or a wristwatch alarm, because they sound like the shock collar beep.
We make no bones about our opposition to the use of electric shock when training dogs for any purpose. (See “Simply Shocking,” February 2003 and “Shock or Awe?” February 2006). A walk on leash is the best part of the day for many dogs. How tragic to ruin it for the dog by shocking him.
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I appreciated Pat Miller’s article on leash reactivity (“Mean on Leash?” May 2012). I have taken one of my dogs through a “Reactive Rover” class, which helped me learn techniques for managing the situation (playing “look at that,” for example). Mister Whiskers is now fine when I walk him by himself, but when my female dog, Sooner, is along, they both become reactive (even though the female is not reactive when by herself). It doesn’t matter if each dog has his or her own person or I am walking both dogs. What are some of the reasons for this behavior, and what are some solutions? –Pat Emmerson, Portland, Oregon
Pat Miller responds:
Reactive dogs can be a real challenge. I know (I have one), and I give three Reactive Rover workshops every year. Mister Whiskers is probably more stressed and/or aroused by the presence of Sooner. That’s why he now reacts in situations he has learned to cope with when Sooner is absent. Sooner then reacts in response to MW’s reactive behavior; they feed off each other’s energy and signals. Basically, Sooner’s presence “changes the picture” for MW, and the methods you learned to help him control his tendency to become over aroused don’t generalize to the new picture (with Sooner present).
The best solution is to do practice “set-ups” – the kind of training you already did in your Reactive Rover class – but with both dogs present and a second handler for the second dog.
You’ll need the assistance of a third, “neutral” dog. Keep this dog at a good below-threshold distance at first, so you can succeed in generalizing your “Look at that” behaviors with MW with Sooner present. As MW succeeds, gradually decrease the distance between your dogs and the neutral dog. Then, help MW generalize even more by bringing in other neutral dogs.
If Sooner continues to be reactive even when MW is not, you’ll need to do the same procedures with her that you did with MW. Perhaps you can sign them up to take a Reactive Rover class together!
You might also consider using one or more stress-reducing tools, such as Comfort Zone (available in pet supply stores and on-line), the Thundershirt (from thundershirt.com, or by calling 866-892-2078), or the Calming Cap (now available from the Thundershirt people).
With luck, eventually you will get to the place where you can walk both dogs yourself. For now, you definitely need two handlers when walking both dogs together. Ideally, you’ll want to avoid walking both dogs and encountering reactivity-causing stimuli, until you have had the opportunity to resolve this in controlled set-ups.
I know that can be easier said than done, especially if your time is limited, and reactivity-causing stimuli abound. Good luck with your dogs!
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC, 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, including her newest, Do Over Dogs: Give Your Dog a Second Chance at a First-Class Life.
A bout 12 years ago, my aged Border Collie, Rupert, developed a serious cardiac condition: ventricular tachycardia. The cost of the diagnostics and treatment was expensive, but less than half the price at the vet school at the University of California, Davis, than it was at the office of my local veterinary cardiologist, so Rupe and I made the three-hour (round-trip) drive from our house in the San Francisco Bay Area as often as we needed.
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I lost track of the number of trips we took. The goal was to stabilize Rupie’s heart rate through the use of a medication. The veterinary cardiologist started Rupe off on a high dose, which controlled the tachycardia. But when we tried to reduce the dose in stages, the accelerated heart rate would return. Each time we changed the dosage, we’d wait a few days and then return for an ECG.
Eventually we got Rupie stabilized on a combination of the medication prescribed by the cardiologists – and the hawthorn tea I brewed for Rupert daily on the advice of my holistic vet. The cardiologists probably thought I was crazy, but when I stopped the tea (and the medication amount was stable), the tachycardia returned. I put him back on the tea, and the tachycardia stopped. There were two cardiologists who saw Rupert at UCD; neither one was interested in or opposed to the tea. Their attitude was sort of, “Whatever makes you feel better.”
Well, it did make me feel better (and I think it played an important role in stabilizing his heart rate, too). Every morning, I poured near-boiling water over a few teaspoons of dry hawthorn berries and let the teas steep until cool. Then I strained the berries out and poured the tea over Rupert’s food. It had a mild flavor that he didn’t mind a bit.
The tea-brewing became part of my family’s routine. I started choosing black tea over coffee. Then my son started asking for tea in the morning, too; he liked sweet slippery elm tea, which soothes sore throats. My step-daughter Katherine came to stay with us for the summer, and while she never developed a tea habit herself, she was amused by the ritual brewing of tea for the dog, me, and Eli.
One day, the four of us took a trip to UCD for one of Rupert’s checkups; I bribed Eli and Katherine with the promise of something fun on the way home. But when we were in the waiting room, I started to regret bringing the kids. Vets were running around attending to several emergency cases, and there were a number of emotional owners weeping. Rupert was fine; he was scanning the hallway for his favorite cardiologist, who always had cookies for him. But there was a little Poodle sitting next to us who was shaking and panting and looking like she might expire on the spot. The kids’ eyes were wide and they were uncharacteristically quiet.
Then Katherine said something to Eli, and he giggled a little. “What?” I asked. “I said, somebody should get that dog some tea!” said Katherine. “Yeah,” piped up Eli. “Get that dog some tea, STAT!” (I seem to recall we were all watching the TV show “E.R.” a lot in those days.) Katherine went a little further. “Nurse!” she commanded in an imperious way, “Stop what you are doing and GET THAT DOG SOME TEA!”
This little bit of comedy was enough to get us out of the waiting room and eventually, out of the hospital, without further trauma. And “Get that dog some tea!” became both a family punch line and frequent advice – only these days, I brew rose petal tea to calm the anxious dogs I frequently foster from my local shelter. It works; see CJ Puotinen’s article on page 12 for more details. Give it a try! STAT!
On most days, I use my cell phone as a camera more than a phone. It’s small, lightweight, always with me, and mobile app technology can turn a so-so shot into frame-worthy art.
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Most smart phones now feature cameras that shoot in 6-megapixels or higher, providing photos with good resolution and detail. The large screens make it easy to compose a shot without holding the camera directly up to your face, which makes some dogs shy away. (My Whippet seems to hate when I point a traditional camera at her; it’s something we’re working on. I joke that she thinks it will steal her soul.)
There are countless photo editing phone apps to play with. The most popular offer a variety of filters that give photos a fun, nostalgic feel. I’ve recently become somewhat obsessed with Retro Camera (Android), Streamzoo (Android) and Instagram (iPhone and Android). Some of my favorite pictures are shots I might have otherwise deleted if not for the ability to add filtering.
“There’s no reason in the world why you can’t use your phone,” says professional photographer Julie Poole, of Julie Poole Photography in Knoxville, Tennessee. “iPhones, for example, take really good pictures. I think phones are going to replace point-and-shoot cameras. If you have an iPhone or something similar, the pictures you can get and then filter through Instagram or various other apps are wonderful. Today, there’s no reason to feel ashamed that it’s just a phone photo. Some of my favorite pictures are phone photos because I always have my phone with me.”
Printing Camera App Photos As photo-related camera apps increase in popularity, new businesses are springing up to help users display the captured moments. Many of the apps produce square images, which are difficult to print via the local drugstore’s photo center. A quick Google search reveals a surplus of sites offering unique products to free your favorite images from the confines of your phone. For example:
-StickyGram.com – A custom printing service that offers a collection of nine images on a pre-scored magnetic sheet for $15, with free shipping.
-Blurb.com – Create a book of Instagram photos. Prices start at $10.95 for 20 photos.
-Zazzle.com – Print your favorite app-created square images as 4-inch by 4-inch photos, on professional-quality photo paper, for .10 each. Or try PostalPix.com for .30 each.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to our beloved canine companions, we can never have too many memories preserved in perpetuity. Like people, dogs have unique personalities. Learning to capture your dog’s attitude, spirit and charm can make the difference between a so-so photo and a memory you just have to blow up and frame. The following tips will help you take your best shot.
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When you want jaw-dropping photos, it never hurts to let the true professionals work their magic by scheduling a professional photo shoot for your pet. Not only do professionals have the know-how and the equipment to achieve stunning images, working with a professional gives you the opportunity to be photographed with your pet.
While we strongly believe and have seen ample evidence that it’s worth the cost to arrange for some once-in-a-lifetime professional photographs of your dog, we’ve also learned that, with just a little knowledge and a lot of practice any dog owner can learn to take terrific, memorable pictures of their dogs. One of the advantages you have, after all, is your familiarity with your dog; no one else will have as many opportunities to capture his unique personality.
And that is the key to a great portrait. Ask professional photographers and dog lovers Rachele Valadez and Amy VandenBerg of Artis Photography in Snohomish, Washington, the difference between a good photo and a great one, and their answer is emphatic: Personality.
“I think a lot of times people don’t take the time; they get a beautiful dog portrait, but it’s not their dog. It’s a dog. It’s a beautiful portrait of a Dalmatian, but it’s not ‘Echo,’” says VandenBerg.
Whether shooting pets or people, capturing a subject’s unique personality is the team’s main goal. To help achieve this with pets, they often ask owners to engage their dogs in a favorite game in order to capture the joy of being a dog: running full tilt after a ball, jumping for a Frisbee, rolling in the grass, or chewing sticks.
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Similarly, Seth Casteel of Little Friends Photo in Los Angeles and Chicago (and who frequently tours the country taking portraits), specializes in lifestyle pet photography “embracing the at-ease mentality of pets on-location in their natural settings.”
“Each photo shoot I do is a unique challenge,” he says. “My goal is to showcase the dog’s personality through an image or series of images. Once I meet the little friend I am photographing, I find inspiration and ideas start to generate. I let the little friends tell me what kind of pictures best represent them.”
While posed pictures are nice, Casteel says a little creativity goes a long way to help unleash your pet’s inner rock star. Sometimes simply observing your dog in action (or in a state of inaction!) can help identify photographable moments. “Try something different,” says Casteel. “Play hide-and-seek with your dog. Ask him to sit and go hide in the house. Bring your camera and wait to be discovered.”
The last time Casteel tried something different, he was underwater photographing a diving dog. His underwater diving photos have since become a media sensation, going viral on the Internet and becoming the subject of his forthcoming book and 2013 calendar, both titled, Underwater Dogs.
Casteel dove into underwater photography quite by accident while shooting an on-land photo shoot with “Buster,” a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who wanted to spend his time chasing his ball into the backyard pool.
“I thought, ‘I wonder what he looks like in there,’” recalls Casteel, who was so curious, he ran out and bought a waterproof point-and-shoot camera to capture Buster’s antics. Liking what he saw, and sensing he was on to something creatively, he decided to save up for a waterproof housing to protect his professional gear.
“It was a happy accident,” he says.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors Shooting outdoors offers the benefit of myriad backdrops and the advantage of natural lighting, which pros favor at certain times of day. When planning an outdoor photo adventure, consider shooting during what photographers call “the golden hour,” the hour or so just as the sun is rising or setting. The light during this period is softer and offers warm, flattering hues. Also, because the sun is lower in the sky, it reduces the degree of overhead shadow.
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Avoid shooting midday when the sun is directly overhead, as it creates harsh shadows that distort the image. If your dog decides to be a perfect poser in the park at high noon, look for a well-shaded area to help filter overhead sun.
Even cloudy days offer certain advantages, according to Los Angeles photographers Kim Rodgers and Sarah Sypniewski, authors of Dog Photography for Dummies. “Don’t write off a cloudy day,” they write. “Thinking that you can’t get good photos on a cloudy or overcast day is a misconception. In fact, this is sometimes the best light you can hope for, especially if you’re photographing a black dog. Clouds can act as a giant softbox that filters the sun to an even and dispersed state, so take advantage of those clouds and forget about the ‘high noon rule’ on a cloudy day.”
Dog photographer Ida Kucera of Lerum, Sweden, takes the “cloudy day effect” one step further and frequently photographs pets in inclement weather for a naturally dramatic effect. Her dynamic photos have also been seen making the rounds on Facebook.
“Don’t be scared of doubtful weather,” says Kucera. “Even a good blizzard or sand storm creates great effects in lighting and casts dramatic shadows. I enjoy a good, extreme weather situation – it brings natural drama and takes the pet ‘back to nature’ a bit.”
Photography Basics Whether using a simple point-and-shoot camera, or a more complex DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera, understanding a few basic concepts can help improve your at-home photo shoots.
Rule of thirds – This is a basic composition principle that splits the frame into a tic-tac-toe board with two vertical and two horizontal lines. Rather than position your subject directly in the center, place his face at one set of intersecting lines. Whether you use the top or bottom set depends on what you want to highlight. To highlight something in the background, place your subject on one of the lower intersecting points; to highlight the subject in the foreground, use the upper intersecting points. The rule of thirds is a subtle, but powerful way to make images more interesting.
Choosing a background – To help make your pet the star of the shot, watch out for distractions in the background. Pick up unnecessary items that don’t contribute to the story you’re trying to tell, and watch out for unsightly objects (for example, a dirty dumpster). Pay attention to items that appear to be “growing” from the subject, such as a light pole directly behind his head.
When photographing dogs outdoors, Casteel recommends looking for the “wall of magic,” a bank of attractive green bushes that can be especially flattering when the sun is shining through, yet the bushes create a shady spot for the dog. You can also look for colors that complement your dog, or patterns that are interesting, but not overly distracting (such as the repeating pattern of a brick wall or wood fence).
A new angle – For most pet portraits, shooting at eye-level produces the most flattering image. Get down on the ground and experience the world from your dog’s point of view. Extreme angles, such as shooting down on your dog from up high, or shooting up from ground-level offer fun, creative results, so don’t be afraid to experiment; it’s one of the biggest benefits of digital photography (you don’t have to pay for film and processing!). Also, don’t be afraid to rotate the camera from the traditional horizontal position to a vertical orientation to add additional variety to your pictures.
Flash – Most pros agree that using a camera’s built-in flash leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to pet photography. The burst of light reflects off the subject’s retinas, and creates an alien-like image of dogs with red and green laser beams as eyes. If your camera has a fixed flash, it’s best to avoid using it. If using a DSLR, consider investing in an external flash unit or a lightscoop. Both attach to the camera’s “hot shoe” (the square port on the top of the camera) and allow you to bounce light off the ceiling so it falls back on your subject from a softer angle.
Fill the frame – Don’t be afraid to get close to your subject. Filling the frame with your subject, either by physically getting closer or using the lens to zoom in, creates stronger composition by highlighting the subject and helping to eliminate the possibility of clutter. For an artistic effect, you can even try filling the frame with one part of your dog – like the pads on his foot or his snout.
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Black and white dogs – Predominately black or white dogs pose a special challenge for your camera’s automatic mode because the light meter attempts to adjust the exposure to a setting that represents the middle tone of a particular scene. As a result, details are often lost on dark dogs, and white dogs appear washed out.
When using a point-and-shoot camera or the automatic setting on a DSLR, the best bet is to avoid direct, midday sunlight in favor of an evenly lit shady spot or a cloudy day. Direct sunlight will cast shadows that destroy detail. If shooting indoors, daytime shots often work better because you can fill the room with natural light. For both black and white dogs, an external flash or lightscoop can be used to bounce light off the ceiling to help light the subject. Many photographers also use an external flash when shooting outside, especially in brighter sunlight, because the additional light can help “fill” areas lost visually to shadow.
Even with the help of an external flash, it often takes some tinkering with the exposure compensation feature to produce a properly exposed photo of a black or white dog.
Exposure compensation is a sliding scale, usually represented by -2.0 on the left and +2.0 on the right. When set at “0,” the camera is exposing the photo without any input from the photographer. Adjusting to the left (negative) makes the next photo you take darker; adjusting to the right (positive) makes the next image lighter. Exposure is a great tool to experiment with; a solid understanding of how exposure affects images can help you create far better photos – especially of dark or light dogs.
Understanding Your Equipment The better you understand your equipment, the more creative muscle you can flex in your photographs. Manuals can be daunting, but it can help if you investigate just one issue at a time.
For example, if your photos are always a little bit blurry, look in your camera’s manual for more information about shutter speed – the length of time that your camera exposes its digital sensors (or film!) to the subject that you are photographing. The faster your dog is moving, the faster your shutter speed will need to be to capture him in a nice, sharp image. If you are using a point-and-shoot, look for a “sports” or “kids and pets” mode, often depicted by a running stick figure or a child and an animal. These modes automatically selects a faster shutter speed, which will help freeze the action of your subject.
Or perhaps you’d like an artistically (and purposely) blurred photo of your dog running or jumping? Then you need to know how to slow the exposure. Check your manual to learn how to override your camera’s automatic features.
As another example, if you want an image where your dog is in focus, but the background is no more than an attractive blur, you will need to learn a bit about “depth of field,” which is the range of components in a scene that remain sharp, and how to adjust it using different apertures (the size of the hole in the lens, which, when combined with shutter speed, controls how much light gets into the camera) on the camera’s lens. In general, the larger the opening on the lens, the shallower the depth of field in the photo. On a point-and-shoot, this effect can be accomplished by switching from the fully automatic mode to “portrait” mode (usually marked with the image of a face or head). A shallow depth of field is great for photographing stationary subjects you want to stand out against the background.
Recruit a Friend Having a second person to help you handle your dog goes along way toward creating a successful photo shoot. Dogs move quickly and their facial expressions can change in the blink of an eye. You’re much more likely to catch the moment you’re looking for if you keep your eye behind the camera and your shutter-finger at-the-ready. Ideally the helper is someone your dog already knows and is comfortable with, but if not, let them get to know each other (treats and toys can work well to shorten introductions) first. During the photo shoot, the helper’s job can range from guiding a dog into position to displaying an array of antics to help elicit a bright expression.
Humans are drawn to photos where the subject is looking directly into the camera – and to those where the subject is looking completely sideways to the camera. The problem with taking photos in which the dog is making eye contact with the camera is that many dogs, like my Whippet, are uncomfortable looking into the camera – or looking at you when you have a camera obscuring your face! Have your helper perform her squeaky noises or toy-waving right behind your head, so it looks as much like your dog is looking into the camera as possible. Alternatively, position your dog, yourself, and your helper so that you get a beautiful profile, with your dog looking toward the sun, so that her eyes fill with light and sparkle.
Have Fun With It When it comes to getting the right “look” from your canine companion, don’t be afraid to look or behave ridiculously – and be creative! Come to the shoot prepared with lots of props. Some dogs light up at the sound of a squeaky toy. Some dogs prefer toys that rattle or grunt. Some dogs are easily captivated by the crinkle of a plastic wrapper – the sure sound that a treat is nearby. With many dogs, tossing the treat or toy in the air and catching it piques their interest. Others light up if you playfully pretend to stalk them or ask the ever-popular questions, “Where’s the kitty?” or “Wanna go for a walk?”
Photo by Artis Photography.
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Whatever techniques you use, remember to reward your dog for his participation, don’t forget to take frequent breaks, and watch for signs that your dog is becoming stressed. Frequent lip-licking, yawning, panting, or averting his gaze and refusing to look at the camera are all signs that your dog is becoming stressed by the situation. Rather than try harder to get his attention, it’s time to take a break.
Train, Don’t Complain Photo shoots, whether at home or in a professional studio, go a lot more smoothly when everyone is relaxed. In your quest to preserve precious memories, don’t forget your responsibility to keep your dog physically and emotionally safe. If he’s generally nervous in new places, consider building his confidence before expecting him to sit calmly in a photo studio full of strange people pointing strange equipment in his direction.
Similarly, consider brushing up on his basic skills before a photo session.
“If people want good pictures of their dogs sitting still and looking at the camera, a good ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ goes a million miles,” says VandenBerg. “It starts with training, for sure.”
Whether you plan to shoot at home or in a studio, make sure you practice any skill or behavior you know you want from your dog in the weeks and days before the shoot.
“Do not stress, do not yell, do not get frustrated,” says professional photographer Julie Poole, of Julie Poole Photography in Knoxville, Tennessee. “That will only torque up the dog.”
Poole, who breeds and shows Whippets, has been photographing pets since 2006. “I started in animal photography because I was showing horses and enjoyed photographing them even when I wasn’t showing,” she says. “Being a competitor, I knew more of what people wanted to see in their shots, and what not to shoot.”
A love of and familiarity with the subject is a huge advantage of working with a professional photographer who specializes in animal photography. Not only are they more likely to be patient with and attuned to the special needs of non-human subjects, they understand how to bring out the best in the animal.
“There’s something good about every subject that’s put in front of you. It’s up to you to bring it out in them,” says Poole.
Just Do It “People take photos for many reasons,” Poole says. “The most important one is to preserve memories. At some point, the dog will be gone and memories are all that is left. It doesn’t have to be a Picasso or a Pulitzer to mean the world to you.”
VandenBerg agrees. “Document your dog throughout his life. Don’t wait,” she says. “I can’t count how many clients who have called and said, ‘I’m so glad you photographed my dog because we lost him the next day, or next week.’ Whether you choose to use a professional photographer or not, you just can’t have enough pictures.”
Stephanie Colman is a writer and dog trainer in Los Angeles. She shares her life with two dogs (whom she enjoys photographing), and actively competes in obedience and agility.
A friend called one day to complain about his dog’s latest vet bill: $300 to remove a foxtail that the dog sniffed up his nose on that morning’s walk.
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If you live on the west coast, you are likely cringing with recognition of the problem. If you live on the east coast, chances are you have no idea of what I’m talking about.
Hordeum jubatum (informally called “foxtail barley” but infamous as “foxtail grass”) is a perennial plant species in the grass family Poaceae. It grows like, well, a pestilent, abundant weed all over California. When the grass is green in the spring, it’s pretty; it produces these lush heads that resemble a finer version or wheat or barley. But the moment the plants start to dry in the later part of the spring, the heads start to fall apart – and each tiny segment of the luxuriant heads becomes a danger to any dog who goes near it.
If you dissect just one of those heads, it falls apart into hundreds of individual arrows, each tipped with a hard seed and trailed by several long tails. Each thread of those tails are constructed like a file; they are covered with tiny fibers are aligned in one direction. If you run your fingers along the fiber one way, it’s smooth, but you can’t run your finger (or anything else) along the fiber in the other direction; it snags. These microscopic, one-way fibers make the awns practically walk on their own, always in one direction. A breeze and the slightest contact with anything makes them move in the direction of the seed head.
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So when your dog snuffles in the dirt or grass that is loaded with foxtails (or mown foxtail grass), and one foxtail seed (known simply as a foxtail) makes contact with his nose, it’s like to get sniffed into his nasal cavity, where its irritating barbs cause him to sneeze and rub his face on the grown and paw at his nose. He may cough, vomit, gag, and sneeze some more. All of those actions simply make the foxtail move farther and farther into the dog’s body – into his sinuses, throat, brain, or stomach (if you’ve lucky). Dogs also get them lodged between their toes, in their ears, in their genitalia, or, if they are unlucky enough to have a thick or curly coat, anywhere on their body. It can cause an infection anywhere it lodges. I’d bet that a full quarter of veterinary visits in Northern California in the summer are related to foxtails. Practically every stray and neglected dog and cat who comes to the shelter in the summer has foxtails embedded in some parts of their bodies. Owners like me, who have foxtails in their yards and trails, check their dogs daily for the horrid stickers. And we dread the sound of our dogs sneezing.
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If you have foxtails on your property, you doubtlessly try to eradicate them. Good luck. If you mow your yard or use a weed-whipper, you are doing foxtails a huge favor, busting up the seed heads and helping them break up and disperse themselves. Pretty much the only thing that works to eradicate foxtails is pulling up the entire plant before they produce the seed heads, or, if you’re too late, pulling them up while carefully holding the seed heads in your hands (to keep them from falling apart) and transporting them straight into your green recycling bin or compost pile. I lived in the same house in the Bay Area for 12 years, and by the 7th year of doing this to the entire overgrown backyard annually, I finally eradicated the pest. Now I have a new backyard, one where the foxtails have a several-decade head start on me. I feel like taking a flamethrower to the whole lot.
And of course, they are all over the wild outdoors. There are several trails I just don’t take with my dogs for several months in the summer, until the rains come and the foxtails aren’t a threat.
One company has come up with a partial solution – which is better than anyone else has done. It’s a California-based company, of course. The Outfox Field Guard is sort of like a beekeeper’s bonnet for dogs who are going to work or walk outside in a foxtail-rich environment. It protects the dog’s nose and ears (and mouth – often dogs swallow the stickers). Of course, it does nothing for the dog’s paws, which still have to be checked after each walk around the infamous stickers. I bought one for my friend to try on his dog, after his $300 vet visit (removing a foxtail from a dog’s nose or ears almost always requires full anesthesia). He reported that Bucky didn’t seem to mind the bonnet much, although he thought it made Bucky pant more on their morning walks on warmer days; whether because the mesh is black or restricts the flow of air every so slightly, he imagined it might be hotter inside the bonnet than out of it. The Field Guard should not be left on an unattended dog; it’s just for walking or working with the dog outdoors with supervision. Bucky hasn’t gotten another foxtail yet, and he walks frequently on the trails I’ve given up for the summer. Check it out: www.outfoxfieldguard.com.
After a lifetime of washing my dogs myself, always, I’ve become addicted to taking my dogs to a groomer for even simple baths. Oh, I might still wash Otto on the back lawn in the middle of our 100-degree summers, but at any other time, I’ve decided it’s oh-so-worth it to have the groomer handle the whole mess. Even little 10-pound Tito, with his short coat – off to the groomer with you.
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It started last fall sometime. Someone had been forced to surrender a litter of backyard-bred (in the worst way) Labradoodles to my local shelter, and the chocolate brown puppies were thin, wormy, flea-infested, and, at the tender age of about 10 weeks, shaggy and matted to the skin in spots. (Some of them also had foxtails in their ears.) They looked like a bunch of dirty mops, and they were lingering in the adoption kennels day after day. I asked the shelter director if we could possibly afford to take them to a groomer to be bathed and clipped and made to look like dogs. “Well,” she considered, “There is a groomer in town who sometimes will take one of our tough cases and groom them for free . . . .” Long story short, the groomer agreed to volunteer her shop’s services without charge, and I transported two of the matted pups across town in the morning, and picked up one of the gorgeous, fluffy pups in the afternoon to bring back to the shelter; one of the groomer’s employees adopted the other pup! The groomed puppy got adopted the next day, and we transported two more pups to the groomer the day after that. They were adopted quickly as well.
Out of gratitude, I decided to bring Otto and Tito to the groomer’s shop for baths, just to let her know that she gained at least one new client for life, and to let her know that I’d be telling everyone I know about how great the folks are at Bark Avenue Grooming at 2045 Park Avenue in Oroville, California. And when I picked up my dogs, who weren’t even that dirty, and saw how great they looked and smelled, I thought, that is the best money I’ve spent all week. Their nails were clipped, Otto’s beard was shaped a little bit, and their coats were so fluffy and clean, I kept finding myself running my hands through their hair.
Though I’m very capable of clipping my dogs’ nails, and I generally do a good job, I hate doing it. Otto is actually quite relaxed about the whole thing (which is amazing, because he’s got so many other odd neuroses). But I’m the one who agonizes over every snip; the “quick” in a thick, black nail (the only kind Otto has!) is impossible to see. I’ve only nipped the quick once, making Otto startle and the toenail to bleed, and that was enough for me. My groomer throws the nail-trimming into the mix – and squeezes the dogs’ anal glands, too. Enough said.
And when, in frigid December, Otto found and rolled (and rolled and rolled) in a weeks-old dead salmon on the banks of the Feather River, where we walk pretty much daily, I did not freak out. We walked home, and I left him outside while I went indoors and called the groomer. “Charge me any amount, but can you take him now?” Then, I loaded him into the back of the truck; if we hadn’t had a truck, I would have walked him to the groomer. No way was he getting in my car with greasy dead salmon all over him. That bath was worth a fortune to me, and it cost me $40.
I’ve heard horror stories about dogs being treated badly by groomers, and I’m sure there are bad apples in the barrel. But I love my groomers – my back loves the groomers — and thanks in part to the bags full of yummy treats that I bring along and the groomers feed to Otto and Tito throughout the process, the dogs love the groomers, too. I can’t imagine living without them anymore.
My husband and I recently went on vacation for a week. I hired an acquaintance to house-sit and take care of all the animals while we were gone. She had performed this task for us many times before, although not for about two years. But she and our dog Otto were familiar with each other, and she knew all the plants in our yard and garden that needed watering (the last time we went on vacation, we had hired someone else, and half of our azaleas died for lack of water while we were gone), so it seemed like a good idea. She is actually between jobs and staying with a friend right now, and told us that she’d appreciate having a place of her own to live in for the week. The one possible hitch in the plan was that she was bringing her young Pit-mix dog.
I wasn’t actually that worried about the dog. I had met him about a year and a half before, when he was a little puppy, and it seemed like she was socializing him well. Otto generally does well with young, playful dogs, and the dog lives with a cat, so I figured my cats would cope. However, I was surprised to see, when she showed up at our house – only about 10 minutes before we had to leave for the airport, instead of the hour I had asked for – that the dog was still intact. Ah, she had been meaning to get around to neutering him, just hadn’t found the time or money at the right time.
As I said, we had only about 10 minutes to gauge how well the dogs would get along – and go over all of our instructions – before we HAD to be on the road to the airport. The first indications were good. The young dog seemed friendly and playful, and bounced around with Otto, offering a few play bows. Tito the Chihuahua bristled and growled at the much-bigger dog – and the dog backed off. “Okay, fine, you’re no fun.” Otto himself seemed interested and playful, too – no bad vibes. The cats were up on a table on the back porch, and the dog gave them a few glances, but didn’t have a “cat killer” kind of intense response at all. I had to cross my fingers and get in the car.
Several times while we were gone, I texted the house sitter and asked about everyone. She posted a few pictures of a happy Otto to her Facebook page and said everyone was “fine.”
When we got home after midnight a week later, Otto and Tito were overjoyed to see us. They looked fine, and the whole garden, azaleas included, looked great. The chickens were fine. But there was no sign of my cats. And no sign that the cats had eaten ANY of the food I left. Oh crud.
I woke up super early the next morning (still on east coast time) and went outside and called for my kitties. One appeared rapidly, meowing up a storm and startling at every little noise. She was much thinner than when we left (admittedly, she was a little overweight previously). The other cat took a few more hours to venture back into my yard. He, too, was noticeably spooky and thinner. So, the guest dog obviously spent the week chasing the cats out of their own yard. I was hoping that was all the bad news.
Then I got a report from one of my next-door neighbors. “Otto was so sad while you were gone!” she told me over our fence. “He barked and barked and barked all night! I kept going outside to tell him everything was ok, but he just kept barking!” Otto doesn’t really like her, so this wasn’t a tactic that was bound to work; he barks at her once or twice every night in the wee hours, when she goes out in to smoke cigarettes on her patio, adjacent to the deck where Otto sleeps. Then she added that another neighbor (who also smokes outside late at night!) had asked her if she knew why Otto was barking; Otto was keeping him up all night. I asked, “Didn’t our house-sitter come out to talk to him or bring him inside?” and she said, “Well, I don’t want to tattle, but she wasn’t there every night.” Grrr.
I received the final bad news from my next door neighbor on the other side of our house a few days later. Apologizing in advance, I asked her if she had heard much barking. She said she hadn’t noticed it much (she’s on the far side of the house where Otto sleeps). But she mentioned that she saw that the guest dog was chasing my cats out of my yard into her yard, so she fed them whenever she saw them. (THANK you!) And then she added that one day, with the house-sitter absent, she heard a commotion and went into her back yard to see what was going on; she saw the guest dog and Otto in a fight that lasted over a minute – and that Otto was definitely the loser. “I felt so bad; he ran off yelping. I couldn’t do anything with the gates locked,” she said. Well, she could have CALLED ME; she has my cell phone number! Poor Otto! I thanked her for looking out for the cats, and apologized for the barking again.
I can’t tell you how bad I felt for Otto (and my cats, and the neighbors). Unwittingly, I made a number of errors in trying to do the right thing for my animals while I was on vacation. Using a house-sitter has always seemed like the best thing to do for a whole house full of pets. However, next time, I would definitely say that no other dogs were welcome. Period. (Even though another time I used another house-sitter – a couple, actually — and they brought their dog, and it worked out fine… But no more. And I guess if I ever hire a house-sitter again, I would make it crystal clear that I expected the sitter to actually stay there all night, each night. And I would explicitly ask all of my neighbors to call me if they observed anything awry while I was gone!
Have you ever had similar issues with a house sitter, whether as a paid service or a friend or relative? What lessons did you learn that could prevent future problems?
My son was visiting recently and we took the dogs for a walk: Our mixed-breed, Otto; Tito the Chihuahua, a relative’s dog who came to live with us “temporarily” a year ago; and Tule, an obese Labrador I was fostering for a few weeks on behalf of my local shelter. It was the evening of a hot day, and we walked to a nice spot along the river that flows through my town.
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Otto likes to wade, just up to his elbows. He’ll also swim a bit when he gets particularly exuberant, but it’s uncommon. Tule also likes to wade deeply, and to plunge her muzzle under the water and blow bubbles. I hadn’t seen her swim, though, in a half a dozen trips to the river. Tito, who has been to the river scores and scores of times, has never gone into the water more deeply than his tiny Chihuahua ankles, although he’ll sometimes wade into a land-locked puddle a tad deeper than that.
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My son is 20 years old, but still a boy in that the first thing he did when we reached the water’s edge – at least 15 seconds after the two big dogs had begun wading – was pick up a rock and throw it into the river. To our utter shock, Tito the Chihuahua unhesitatingly leaped into the river and began strongly swimming out into the current, clearly looking for the rock!! We gaped at him, and then at each other, and then back at the circling Chihuahua, who was losing a bit of ground to the current.
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I said to my son, “If he goes downstream, you’re going in after him!” But my son was already putting a different plan into action. He quickly cast about for a stick, broke it in half, and then, calling “Tito! Tito!” he threw the stick into the river, about halfway between Tito and the shore. The tiny dog immediately swam for the stick, grabbed it, and swam strongly ashore. Then, like a miniature Labrador Retriever, he dropped the stick at Eli’s feet, and stepped back with an eager expression that clearly said, “Throw it again!”
I was still agape. But my son laughed out loud, picked up the stick, and threw it into the water again. Without a moment’s hesitation, Tito leaped into the river again, and again. By this time, I recovered from my surprise enough to take some pictures. Neither Otto nor Tule looked the slightest bit interested in fetching.
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At home, Tito likes playing with a ball, and he chases any ball you throw. But he rarely brings it back; he’ll pick it up and then go play with the ball on his own. I’ve never seen him pick up a stick before. And yet, there he was, shivering with cold, and begging my son to “Throw it again! Throw it again!” Of course, we stopped the fetching game after 8 or 9 short fetches and left the river’s edge to allow the little guy to warm up again on the walk back. I have to say, he looked a little taller – and our admiration for the tough little guy grew even larger.
Did your dog ever shock you with a previously hidden talent?
Years ago, I had high hopes for participating in dock diving sport with my now-9-year-old dog, Woody. But it turned out that my high-jumping, strong-swimming dog absolutely hates getting water in his ears!
