When I compared a nutritional analysis of Preference plus turkey to the 2006 National Research Council (NRC) nutrient recommendations, the minerals zinc, copper, and selenium, vitamins D and E, and possibly some B vitamins were all low. This is because commercial dog foods are designed to meet nutrient profiles established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAF CO), which are based on older research published by the NRC in 1985.
Instead of supplementing with vitamin E alone, Allen could give a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement made for either humans or dogs to help make up for the differences between the AAF CO and NRC guidelines. Most one-a-day multivitamins that are designed to provide 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA ) for people, such as Centrum for Adults under 50, would supply appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals for dogs when giving 1 tablet per 40 to 50 pounds of body weight daily. Supplements made for dogs could also be used. Allen should use salmon oil rather than cod liver oil if the supplement contains significant amounts of vitamin D.
Deborah Allen, of Boise, Idaho, feeds a dog food diet that combines a commercial pre-mix with raw ground turkey to her two Labrador Retrievers: Hartford, a highly active, 6-year-old working guide dog who weighs 76 pounds; and Lily, a moderately active, 14-year-old retired guide dog who weighs 53 pounds. Their veterinarian says both dogs are healthy, but they have begun losing weight and developing skin problems in the last few months. Hartford is about 4 pounds and Lily about two pounds under their ideal weights.
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Allen is limited in what she can feed her dogs due to their food allergies or intolerances. Hartford has digestive problems (vomiting, loose stools) and gets itchy when fed lamb or chicken. He tolerates beef and bison, but has been only fed small amounts. Lily won’t touch beef or bison, and has the same reaction to lamb that Hartford does. She tolerates small amounts of chicken. Hartford can eat ground elk, but Lily reacts to it similarly to lamb. In addition, Allen suspects that both dogs may have problems with grains and possibly flax. She is concerned that her dogs’ skin problems are due to the lack of variety in their diet.
Here is the diet Allen currently feeds her dogs, which she started last March. These amounts are daily totals, split between two meals:
– 1 dry cup The Honest Kitchen Preference (hydrated with 2 cups of water)
– 2 tablespoons cooked pumpkin
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 2 grams salmon oil
– 1 cup of Pure Vita Grain Free Turkey Formula (1/2 cup for Lily)
– Lily gets an occasional raw chicken wing, and Hartford gets dry homemade beef heart bits, but not regularly
Mixed Company Pre-mixes, such as The Honest Kitchen’s Preference, are designed to provide a complete diet when combined with fresh foods that you add yourself. There are many such products available, but only a few are guaranteed to meet Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient guidelines for “complete and balanced” products when fed according to instructions. Few companies provide a complete nutritional analysis of their products; some, in fact, have never done such an analysis.
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Also, instructions for adding foods vary considerably from one company to the next. For example, one tells you to add ¾ cup of oil per 2 pounds of meat, creating a recipe that derives 67 percent of its calories from fat (41 percent of calories are from the oil alone). This is more fat than even working sled dogs need, and is likely to cause digestive upset and even pancreatitis in susceptible dogs. It could also lead to nutritional deficiencies because the non-fat portion is such a small percentage of the diet.
I trust The Honest Kitchen more than most companies when it comes to pre-mixes. The Honest Kitchen provides a complete nutritional analysis of all of its foods. Only Preference is a true pre-mix, incomplete without the addition of fresh foods, though the product literature encourages you to add up to half a cup of “extras” to each dry cup of The Honest Kitchen’s other products. It advises adding 1 to 2 cups of meat (raw or cooked) per 1 dry cup of its Preference mix, as Allen does, but the number of calories provided would vary tremendously depending on the fat content of the meat.
Diet Details In August, Allen switched from Foster Farms regular ground turkey (with 15 percent fat) to its lean variety (with just 7 percent fat). In October, she noticed that her dogs were losing weight. The difference in calories between the two types of turkey is significant, about 300 calories a day for Hartford and half that much for Lily, which would explain the weight loss. Allen increased the amount of Pure Vita kibble she was feeding, but the dogs are still losing weight.
The amount of protein in this diet is more than adequate. The turkey alone supplies all of the protein that Hartford needs, and most of what Lily should get. Like all meats, turkey is a complete protein source, supplying all essential amino acids as well as taurine (which may be conditionally essential for some dogs).
The fat in this diet would be on the low side without the added oils, especially for Lily, who gets less meat, although not excessively restricted. With the added oils, the diet has an appropriate fat content, about 46 grams per 1,000 calories for Hartford, and a little less for Lily.
While the total amount of fat is fine, the distribution may not be. One-fifth of the total fat in Hartford’s diet and almost one-third in Lily’s diet comes from olive oil, which supplies primarily oleic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid that competes with essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for uptake in the body. Most of the useful omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in this diet are supplied by the fish oil supplement (they can also be found in algae). Poultry fat is a good source of omega-6 fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid (LA), while beef, lamb, and other red meats are low in LA.
The amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is adequate, but the ratio of LA to EPA and DHA is over 16:1 (not counting the added kibble). Linoleic acid is pro-inflammatory, while EPA and DHA are anti-inflammatory. Since omega-6 fatty acids also compete with omega-3 fatty acids for uptake, it is likely that the dogs are not absorbing enough EPA or DHA. This could explain the skin problems that Allen sees in her dogs. Increasing the amount of EPA and DHA and decreasing the amount of olive oil will help to correct this imbalance and may help to resolve the skin issues.
I advised Allen to reduce the amount of olive oil to 1 teaspoon (down from 1 tablespoon) daily, and either increase salmon oil to 5 grams (about a teaspoon) or add 1 teaspoon cod liver oil. This lowers the ratio of LA to EPA and DHA, and removes much of the competing oleic acid, while only slightly reducing the total amounts of fat and calories. The advantage to using cod liver oil is that most supplements provide about 400 IU vitamin D per teaspoon. Recommended amounts of vitamin D for humans have increased in recent years; more may be beneficial for dogs, too.
I recommended that Allen supplement with vitamin E due to the added oils in her diet, which increase the need for vitamin E. Both dogs should get an additional 25 IU vitamin E daily. Since vitamin E is fat-soluble, it’s okay to give larger amounts less often. For example, she could give 200 IU vitamin E once a week rather than 25 IU daily.
The revised diet is slightly lower in calories due to the decrease in the amount of oil. Allen is adding a duck egg a day for Hartford (which he is more likely to tolerate than chicken eggs) and a chicken wing a day for Lily (a chicken egg would be a better choice) to increase calories and variety. She will also include canned salmon in the diet soon, if her dogs can handle it. Both dogs now get 1 teaspoon olive oil and 5 grams salmon oil plus a human multivitamin daily (salmon oil will not be given on days she feeds fish).
Allen could have returned to the higher-fat turkey in place of the new foods, but the increase in omega-6 fatty acids might have contributed to inflammation, and the diet would have been higher in fat than either dog needs. In addition, variety is always preferred to feeding just a single protein source, even though it does not appear that the lack of variety caused the dogs’ problems.
One month after making the above changes, Allen reports, “The dogs are both doing great! Their coats are noticeably more silky, their food-seeking behavior has reduced, they are more energetic, and they are putting on weight. I will probably have to cut back on the kibble soon.”
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 you use these products, you may need to find alternatives.
It seems like every time I turn around these days, I hear about another drug shortage (more on that topic in an upcoming WDJ article). This time, it’s Novartis Animal Health announcing in late December that it has suspended production of Interceptor, Sentinel, and other drugs while its manufacturing facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, undergoes “voluntary” improvements. Numerous human and animal over-the-counter drugs are manufactured at this plant. According to reports, the company hopes to know in January when production will be resumed.
If you currently use either of these products, you may need to find a substitute, at least temporarily. Interceptor is a monthly heartworm preventive medication; it should be easy to switch to Heartgard (or generic equivalent), Revolution, or the newer Advantage Multi. Be sure to purchase these from a reliable source to avoid potentially ineffective counterfeit products. See “When Buying Veterinary Drugs Online, Look for Accredited Sites,” (WDJ June 2011)
Sentinel is a combination of Interceptor (milbemycin oxime) and Program (lufenuron), an insect growth regulator that prevents fleas that bite your dog from producing viable offspring, and therefore can be useful in combating a flea infestation. Program is manufactured by Novartis and is therefore almost certainly one of the other products whose production has been suspended. If you don’t have fleas, you don’t need to use lufenuron.
If you do have a flea problem, you can switch to flea and tick products that contain their own insect growth regulators. Advantage II and Advantix II use pyriproxyfen (Nylar), while Frontline Plus and Certifect use S-methoprene (Precor). For more information on these products, see “New Flea and Tick Products Hit the Market” (WDJ December 2011).
And it’s peak tick season where I live right now. The ticks are so bad in some of the areas where I typically walk Otto and Tito (formerly Peanut) that I just have to avoid those trails for a few months. Otherwise, even with the dogs wearing a fresh application of Advantix and me spending a feverish hour when we get home going over them with a fine-toothed comb (literally – I use a flea comb), I end up finding one or two latched onto Otto, engorged with blood. It’s always Otto, too; Tito is small and his coat is short; I can find even the tiny deer ticks on him easily. But Otto is large and his coat is thick and wiry; the ticks can hide from even my flea comb rather easily.
Once upon a time, I used to think ticks were just gross — and of course painful for the dog. But I’ve become increasingly aware of the number of people who have been infected with Lyme disease from tick bites – and in just the past year, newly aware of the tick-borne diseases that dogs can get from tick bites.
Lots of veterinarians today are using SNAP 4Dx tests – an in-house blood test that can detect heartworm infection as well as infection with canine anaplasmosis and canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Both diseases are caused by organisms carried by ticks. All of the tick-borne diseases have the ability to lie dormant for months and even years in a dog’s body, in what’s called a sub-clinical stage, until something (age or another illness) reduces the effectiveness of the dog’s immune system, and allows the infection to suddenly bloom into a chronic stage of active infection and illness. Allowing ticks to bite your dog means opening the window to possible infection with one of these difficult-to-treat diseases.
Because of this, and because our locals trails are so infested with ticks, I do use pesticides on Otto and Tito, in addition to assiduous post-walk grooming and inspections, and avoiding the most-infested trails. I’ve heard about numerous less-toxic preparations that can help ward off ticks – but I’ve never heard of any remedy that works as well as the commercial spot-on products against ticks. But surely I haven’t heard of EVERY remedy – and anything that’s effective that I could add to my tick-protection protocol would be welcome.
You can ask the powers-that-be at our publishing headquarters: I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to posting on Facebook and writing blog posts. But one thing keeps me coming back to check the blog and the WDJ Facebook page: I really enjoy seeing posts that show or describe the progress that our readers have made with their dogs. It doesn’t matter if they report on a health or training issue; it’s just really rewarding to communicate with like-minded owners who are as concerned (some would say obsessed) or in love with their dogs as we are. It’s even better if we’ve met the dog, or shared his or her story at some point in the magazine.
So share your stories! These winter nights are long and just MADE for telling good dog stories. Post a picture, too. Tell us what you’re working on or what you’ve already accomplished.
Swedish dog owner Nina Ottosson first marketed some of her puzzles and games for dogs in Sweden in 1993; we first heard about them (and reviewed the original wood versions) in 2008. Since then, probably in a defensive response to a number of cheap plastic knockoffs of her designs, Ottosson has developed a line of high-quality plastic toys, though the original, beautiful wood models that are made in Sweden are still available. The wood ones are sturdy and gorgeous – and more expensive. The plastic ones are also quite rugged, holding up to all sorts of clawing and even being picked up and dropped and continuing to work perfectly.
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We tested one of the knockoffs, as well as Ottosson’s plastic “Dog Twister” model; there was no comparison. Our dogs were finished with the knockoff in minutes; but many designs of the Ottosson toys, like the Dog Twister, are designed with several levels of difficulty and continue to provide a challenge for dogs after months of play. In addition, Ottosson makes more complex toys and simpler toys; as her website says, “Whether you have a ‘Forrest Gump’ or an ‘Albert Einstein’, there is a Nina Ottosson game design to suit every dog!” (Even our young cats got into the action, using their claws to manipulate the pieces; Ottosson indicates which of the toys are appropriate for cats!)
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These toys are great for occupying puppies, giving non-ambulatory or post-surgical dogs something to do, or just amusing yourself while amusing your dog!
We purchased from Amazon.com, but the toys are available from a number of online retailers, listed on the website below.
Dog Twister, Plastic – $42
Nina Ottosson Dog Activity Toys Karlskoga, Sweden 46-586-30034 nina-ottosson.com
There is a short list of attributes that we look for in a treat: It should be mostly or all-meat (that’s the definition of high-value, in the opinion of most dogs); it should be dehydrated or freeze-dried (to make it convenient and not greasy in a pocket); it should be small (so we can feed a lot of them without filling up or boring the dog). That’s it!
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Bravo!, maker of top-quality frozen raw diets, recently introduced a line of freeze-dried meat treats that meet all of our selection criteria. They come in four varieties: all-beef “hot dogs,” turkey, buffalo, and “Trail Mix,” which contains those three plus tiny cubes of freeze-dried cheese. We like the latter best, because the variety seems to hold our dogs’ attention longer. Bravo! uses only domestic sources of responsibly raised meats. We purchased from a local pet supply store; retailers are listed on Bravo’s website. Bravo! treats are also sold by online retailers such as cleanrun.com.
Dog poop presents the environmentalist with a real problem. We would hazard a guess that most of us do the worst possible thing: use a plastic bag to pick up poo, and then throw it in a garbage can, bound for a landfill somewhere.
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Here is an environmentally responsible alternative: bags made of polyvinyl alcohol, which you use to pick up poop and dispose in a toilet. Flush Puppies feel and perform like plastic, but when immersed in water (as they would be if flushed down a toilet), they completely degrade into water and carbon dioxide in about four days. They are safe and approved in waste water treatment systems and septic tanks. Flush Puppies contain no petroleum products (like plastics), so if you are closer to a trash can than a toilet, you can feel better about disposing them instead of a plastic bag, which takes much longer to biodegrade.
We really like these large, sturdy bags – and so did all the dog-owning friends we gave them to as stocking stuffers! The only complaint we heard was that it was difficult to tie a knot in the bags. The maker actually advises against knotting the bags if you intend to flush them; the knot takes much longer to break down in water. We found that the bags contained poo odor sufficiently to finish our walks if we just twisted the neck of the bag and held it by the twisted section. We purchased from Amazon.com; retailers are listed on the Flush Puppies website.
Flush Puppies – 60 bags for $9
Pawesome Pet Products, LLC Boca Raton, Florida (855) 766-7224 flushpuppies.com
Headline news over the weekend: South Caroline woman contracts rabies; first human case in that state in 50 years. This comes on the heels of hearing news from East Coast animal shelters that they’ve been seeing cases of rabies in cats. All in all, pretty alarming news. Today and in the U.S., most people take it for granted that rabies is a distant, old-timey threat, sort of like smallpox. But rabies has not been eradicated – far from it. It’s still common in wildlife, and a threat to any unvaccinated mammal who comes into contact with an infected species.
There is plenty of evidence that vaccination against rabies can cause health problems in a certain small percentage of sensitive individual dogs, and that, by law, the vaccination is over-administered to dogs. That’s one of the reasons we so avidly support the work of the Rabies Challenge Fund, which seeks to provide legitimate studies that could be used to help lobby for a change in state laws allowing for less-frequent vaccination. But none of this should be any justification for not vaccinating dogs.
I only mentioning this last line because I’ve been seeing frequent postings of articles about overvaccination followed by informal discussions or comments from people saying things like, “I don’t vaccinate any of my animals anymore, and they are far healthier for it!” That’s a dangerous position to take – and I’d guess, one with more potential for harm than overvaccination.
Of course we don’t want our dogs to be overvaccinated. But with rabies, no vaccination at all is worse. The disease is 99.9 percent fatal. And it’s staging a current comeback on our shores right now.
Every year we come across a few dog-related items that make an immediate and/or lasting impact on our dogs or our dog-care regimen, and we feature them here. This year, we also asked our readers, via the Whole Dog Journal Facebook page, for their nominations for “Gear of the Year.” Some of the items here are their selections.
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Nina Ottosson Dog Activity Toys
Swedish dog owner Nina Ottosson first marketed some of her puzzles and games for dogs in Sweden in 1993; we first heard about them (and reviewed the original wood versions) in 2008. Since then, probably in a defensive response to a number of cheap plastic knockoffs of her designs, Ottosson has developed a line of high-quality plastic toys, though the original, beautiful wood models that are made in Sweden are still available. The wood ones are sturdy and gorgeous – and more expensive. The plastic ones are also quite rugged, holding up to all sorts of clawing and even being picked up and dropped and continuing to work perfectly.
175
We tested one of the knockoffs, as well as Ottosson’s plastic “Dog Twister” model; there was no comparison. Our dogs were finished with the knockoff in minutes; but many designs of the Ottosson toys, like the Dog Twister, are designed with several levels of difficulty and continue to provide a challenge for dogs after months of play. In addition, Ottosson makes more complex toys and simpler toys; as her website says, “Whether you have a ‘Forrest Gump’ or an ‘Albert Einstein’, there is a Nina Ottosson game design to suit every dog!” (Even our young cats got into the action, using their claws to manipulate the pieces; Ottosson indicates which of the toys are appropriate for cats!)
These toys are great for occupying puppies, giving non-ambulatory or post-surgical dogs something to do, or just amusing yourself while amusing your dog!
175
We purchased from Amazon.com, but the toys are available from a number of online retailers, listed on the website below. dog twister, plastic – $42
Nina Ottosson Dog Activity Toys Karlskoga, Sweden 46-586-30034 nina-ottosson.com
Car Seat Covers
The last time we bought a car seat cover meant especially for protecting the car from the wear and tear (and moisture and dirt and hair) of dogs, IT smelled so bad that we returned it without ever trying its fit in the car. (We did let it air out, fully unfolded, for two days on a clothesline ; it still stunk.) We’ve been reluctant to try another model since then; instead, we’ve habitually covered the back seat with a large bed sheet.
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A few months ago, we tried again. We purchased the Solvit Deluxe Bench Seat Cover, a machine-washable (polyester with a suede-like finish) cover with a water-resistant backing. It installed easily, with adjustable straps that go around the headrests, and lined openings for the seat belts to pass through. (There are some other straps and hooks under the cover that are meant to pass under the cushions and fasten under the seat somewhere, but our car’s seat is fastened right to the floor. We didn’t use those straps, and yet it doesn’t seem to matter; the cover stays put anyway.)
We love it. First, because it didn’t smell bad. Also, no moisture from our wet, muddy dogs passes through to the seats. Hair and stickers stick to the cover, rather than the car – and yet, when we took the dirty cover out of the car and shook it, most of the hair and stickers flew off. The cover looked so presentable after the shaking, that we didn’t wash it that first time; we just put it back into the car!
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We purchased from Amazon.com, but a list of other retailers can be found on the Solvit website.
We’re always looking for items that satisfy our dogs’ need to chew – and that are as safe as possible. The animal hooves that are sold in pet supply stores are often too hard (risking broken teeth); and many rawhide, tendon, and “pizzles” chews present a risk of being swallowed in large enough chunks that bowl obstruction becomes a concern. We’re not fans of any of those green chews, which contain a ton of wheat byproducts. But antlers have become a recent obsession with our dogs. They are hard, but not quite as hard as cow hooves, and they last a lot longer than any rawhide-type chews. Best of all, they have that animal-product appeal for dogs – and the animals that provided them don’t have to die (deer and elk shed their antlers annually, and they are collected for this purpose).
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There are a number of companies selling deer antler chews. We suggest looking for those that are sourced in the U.S., from animals that have been organically raised. Always take away any chew item from your dog when it is chewed down to a size that could be swallowed. We purchased from Amazon.com, but antler chews can also be purchased directly from the Chasing Our Tails website.
Deer Rack Snack – $9
Chasing Our Tails, Inc. Hudson, New Hampshire (866) 967-0152 chasingourtails.com
Leedz
We’re obsessed with leashes. Our favorites are simple, strong, and well-made of quality materials. And they have to feel good in the hand. Leedz leashes meet all those criteria – especially the feel in the hand. They are made of a particularly silky synthetic rope that stays smooth even after lots of daily use. Each has a generously sized loop handle.
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Leedz are made by Purple Pebble (a pet products company that also offers some very nice fleecy “Cuddle Mats” for use alone or in a crate). They are offered in two diameters: the 5/8” is recommended for big dogs and comes in 2’, 4’, and 6’ lengths; the 6’ length is available with either a snap on the end or a slip noose. The 3/8” comes in a 6’ length with a snap end or a 4’ length with a slip end.
Leedz – $23
Purple Pebble West Milford, New Jersey (201) 444-7439 purplepebble.com
Freeze Dried Meat Treats
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There is a short list of attributes that we look for in a treat: It should be mostly or all-meat (that’s the definition of high-value, in the opinion of most dogs); it should be dehydrated or freeze-dried (to make it convenient and not greasy in a pocket); it should be small (so we can feed a lot of them without filling up or boring the dog). That’s it!
Bravo!, maker of top-quality frozen raw diets, recently introduced a line of freeze-dried meat treats that meet all of our selection criteria. They come in four varieties: all-beef “hot dogs,” turkey, buffalo, and “Trail Mix,” which contains those three plus tiny cubes of freeze-dried cheese. We like the latter best, because the variety seems to hold our dogs’ attention longer. Bravo! uses only domestic sources of responsibly raised meats. We purchased from a local pet supply store; retailers are listed on Bravo’s website. Bravo! treats are also sold by online retailers such as cleanrun.com.
Dog poop presents the environmentalist with a real problem. We would hazard a guess that most of us do the worst possible thing: use a plastic bag to pick up poo, and then throw it in a garbage can, bound for a landfill somewhere.
Here is an environmentally responsible alternative: bags made of polyvinyl alcohol, which you use to pick up poop and dispose in a toilet. Flush Puppies feel and perform like plastic, but when immersed in water (as they would be if flushed down a toilet), they completely degrade into water and carbon dioxide in about four days. They are safe and approved in waste water treatment systems and septic tanks. Flush Puppies contain no petroleum products (like plastics), so if you are closer to a trash can than a toilet, you can feel better about disposing them instead of a plastic bag, which takes much longer to biodegrade.
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We really like these large, sturdy bags – and so did all the dog-owning friends we gave them to as stocking stuffers! The only complaint we heard was that it was difficult to tie a knot in the bags. The maker actually advises against knotting the bags if you intend to flush them; the knot takes much longer to break down in water. We found that the bags contained poo odor sufficiently to finish our walks if we just twisted the neck of the bag and held it by the twisted section. We purchased from Amazon.com; retailers are listed on the Flush Puppies website.
Flush Puppies – 60 bags for $9
Pawesome Pet Products, LLC Boca Raton, Florida (855) 766-7224 flushpuppies.com
The first adult dogs I adopted after beginning my animal protection career at the Marin Humane Society was Mandy, a tri-color Rough Collie who was surrendered to the shelter by her owner at eight years of age because she was leaking urine – she had spay incontinence. I am a sucker for Collies (my childhood companion and confidante was a Collie), and I offered to foster her, brush out her matted fur, and medicate the urine burns on her legs. She came home with me and laid down on the living room floor as if she’d lived there forever. Medication for her incontinence quickly resolved her leaking problem, and she stayed with me for the rest of her life, until she died of a stroke at age 13.
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Few (if any) dogs will arrive in a new home and immediately understand and follow all the house rules, get along with every member of the family (human, canine, feline, etc.), and display perfect health as they consume and perfectly digest whatever food they are given. Rather, all dogs present their new families with unique health issues and behaviors; you never know what you are going to get along with the darling face you fell in love with at the shelter. Your new family member may need medical care, remedial training, and/or socialization in order to adjust and adapt to their new circumstances.
Here are the short stories of our current adult-adoption canine family:
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We adopted Dubhy (pronounced “Duffy,” means “Dark” in Gaelic) a Scottish Terrier, when he was about 6 months old. He was in a shelter A former stray, he’s now 11 years old. Dubhy actually came with no noticeable behavior challenges, but became reactive to other dogs as he matured.
Lucy (short for “Footloose and Fancy Free”), our Cardigan Corgi, was surrendered by her former owner to my husband’s shelter (Paul is the executive director of the Humane Society of Washington County, Maryland), when she was about 7 months old. I’m sure it was because her high energy level (in a home with small children) was problematic. I had long wanted a Corgi. She arrived with high energy, borderline canine compulsive behavior (spinning), and a shrill voice she didn’t hesitate to use. Living on a farm, doing barn chores, and going for daily hikes quickly resolved the energy/compulsive behavior issues. Lucy is now about 8 years old. We live with – and manage – the voice.
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We call Bonnie (Bonnie Wee Lass) a “Scorgidoodle” – we think she’s a mix of Scottie, Corgi, and Poodle. We adopted her when she was about 6 months old; she’s now 6 years old. Bonnie was surrendered to the shelter by her owners because they couldn’t housetrain her. She was a submissive urinator. Careful management and modification has reduced her urination incidents to a rare occasion.
Missy, our Australian Shepherd, was all of 8 years old when we adopted her; she’s now 13. We were Missy’s fourth home in 12 months. I suspect she had one long-term owner who had to give her up for some reason, and the separation issues she demonstrated within the first 24 hours in our home likely resulted in her being passed from home to home until she landed with us. Fortunately her behavior is at the “distress” end of the scale, not the “anxiety” end; it manifests only as vocalization (barking). Because I work from my home office, and we have no nearby neighbors, we are able to easily manage this behavior.
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Scooter, our Pomeranian, was also about 8 years old when we adopted him; he’s now 10. Scooter was on the euthanasia list at our shelter after failing part of his behavioral assessment by the shelter staff; he very fiercely guarded resources. The staff knew I had taken an interest in the little guy, and contacted me after the behavior assessment.
As it turned out, while he may act fierce from time to time, Scooter has superb bite inhibition – which means that it doesn’t hurt when he bites. Having been on the receiving end of his ferocity on more than one occasion, I can attest to the fact that there is no pressure from his teeth when he puts his mouth on your skin. It’s a simple matter to manage his resource guarding by not pestering him when he has a valuable resource in his possession, or by trading it for a high-value treat if he has something that we need to take away (which rarely happens).
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Scooter had another troubling habit when he first arrived in our house; he frequently peed in the house, lifting his leg on anything and everything. Fortunately, a discussion of the problem with our veterinarian and an examination resulted in a quick resolution of this “training problem.” After having surgery to remove a cherry-sized bladder stone, which was preventing him from fully emptying his bladder outside (and causing him to almost stand on his head to pee), Scooter stopped peeing in the house. Can you imagine how tragic it would have been for him if he had been living with someone who punished him for his “stubbornness”? His story is a good reminder to always give a dog the benefit of the doubt – and look for factors beyond the dog’s control – when problematic behavior persists.
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