Have you, in recent years, tried to learn something that was completely new, in a public setting? Such as taking a dance lesson, a language course, or being asked to solve a problem on the chalkboard, in front of the class? How did it feel to get something wrong, to perform poorly?
I’ve been trying something new lately (teaching a single puppy kindergarten class, under the supervision of a much more experienced trainer) and one night, I felt like I did a poor job. I was tired, and got a little manic, I think. I talked too much and had the class do too little. I was beating myself up about it afterward, when my trainer friend, very mildly agreed with my self-assessment. If I was a dog, in terms of a “correction,” it was maybe equivalent of a squinty expression or a soft word in a disappointed tone from the handler – most dogs wouldn’t even notice it! And yet, I found myself awash with feelings of frustration and remorse. I found myself dreading the next class. I thought about giving up.
Okay, I admit it: If I was a dog, I’d probably be a neurotic, sensitive, longing-to-be-perfect Border Collie. I feel extremely uncomfortable when I find myself in a situation in which I cannot immediately excel.
And then I thought: How much do our dogs feel exactly like this, when we take them to public places (especially those packed with other dogs) and ask them to perform? And even if they are never punished, if they don’t excel – and so aren’t treated with expressions of the utmost of appreciation and delight – how do they feel about going back for more? Suddenly I understood why agility dogs sometimes leave the course, even though they love running agility at home.
Maybe this is too much anthropomorphizing. But the thought keeps coming back to me: I can see why dogs sometimes “opt out” of training. It’s stressful to be put on the spot, expected to learn something new, to perform in front of others, and in the process, to fail to get it right (at least some of the time, because nobody is perfect!). And this thought has made me want to try even harder to learn to teach others to train their dogs in the most fun – and truly “error-free” – way possible.
There are three basic rules to feeding a homemade diet: variety, balance over time, and calcium. The best source of calcium is Raw Meaty Bones.
Raw Meaty Bones should make up 30 to 50 percent (one third to one half) of the total diet, or possibly a little more if the parts you feed have a great deal more meat than bone (e.g., whole chickens or rabbits). The natural diet of the wolf in the wild contains 15 percent bone or less, based on the amount of edible bone in the large prey animals they feed upon. While a reasonable amount of raw bone won’t harm an adult dog, more than 15 percent is not needed and reduces the amount of other valuable foods that can be fed.
Too much bone can also cause constipation, and the excess calcium can block the absorption of certain minerals. The stools of raw fed dogs are naturally smaller and harder than those fed commercial foods, and often turn white and crumble to dust after a few days. If the stools come out white and crumbly, or if your dog has to strain to eliminate feces, you should reduce the amount of bone in his diet.
For more information on Home-Prepared Diets for Dogs, purchase any of Whole Dog Journal’s ebooks on the subject:
Skunks, skunks, skunks! Half a dozen of my friends have reported skunk/dog encounters in the past WEEK! These usually happen late at night, when the dog goes out for his last potty of the night before bedtime . . . and suddenly the whole family is wide, wide awake and facing an odoriferous emergency. What to do?
First, and most important: DO NOT BATHE THE DOG! Or pour tomato juice on him, or any of the other home remedies you’ve heard about. But DO check your cupboards for a quart of hydrogen peroxide (it’s usually found in most medicine cabinets in a pint size. If you have two pints, or one pint and a small dog, you’re in luck.).
You’ll want to do this as quickly as possible – both because it works best on the fresh, unoxidized compounds in the skunk “spray”, and because you’ll be suffering in the meantime. If the dog has been bathed, or even just rinsed with water, it’s not quite as effective as it would have been with fresh skunk spray. If the spray is fresh, it’s like magic, but it’s actually just good science.
Mix your quart of regular 3% hydrogen peroxide in a bowl or bucket with 1/4 cup of baking soda. This will start fizzing and bubbling (which is why one can’t pre-make the formula and store it in a bottle). Add about a teaspoon of liquid soap or dishwashing liquid; it helps distribute the stuff around the dog’s hair. Wet the dog thoroughly with the mixture, sponging carefully around the face. Most dogs’ faces will be badly skunked, so you really want to wet the face, but don’t get it in their eyes or nose, because it stings.
You’ll notice an immediate cessation of the skunk smell. Skunk spray contains a substance known as a “thiol” – an organosulfur compound that contains a sulfur-hydrogen bond. Many thiols have a repulsive and potent odor (at least to humans); thiols are said to be detectable by the human nose at concentrations of only 10 parts per billion. But the compounds can be immediately altered into odor-free neutral substances by making oxygen molecules (provided by the fresh hydrogen peroxide/baking soda mix) bond with and chemically alter the thiols.
After the dog is thoroughly wetted with the mixture, and every trace of the scent is gone, then rinse the dog with water, or bathe him with water and shampoo, to rinse off the mixture (which can irritate and dry his skin if left on).
I’ve used the mixture on my dog Otto twice; both events happened last year at about this time. He’s gotten a lot smarter, and now recognizes skunks as bad mojo; he won’t chase or approach them any more! But his Jack Russell Terrier “cousin” (my sister’s dog), has been skunked at least once annually for each of his 14 years. Owners of this type of dog are well-advised to buy quarts of hydrogen peroxide and keep them on hand at all times!
The primary function of the dog’s hair is as a protective and insulating coating.
But if the eyes are the gateway or the window to the soul, the skin and hair are both gateway and window to the embodiment of an animal’s inner health and well-being. Shiny hair, that is, a hair coat that exudes a healthy and lustrous sheen, is an indicator of overall health of the animal. In contrast, a dull coat that lacks luster is an indicator that the animal isn’t as healthy as she could be.
Breeds and individuals within every breed shed and regrow hair at varying rates. Dogs who live indoors, with little exposure to natural light or cold temperatures, tend to shed in a more or less continuous fashion.
In contrast, dogs who live outside, exposed to natural light and cold temperatures, are more likely to shed for several weeks in the spring and fall. In the fall, their short, light coats shed as they grow a thick, warm undercoat and long, weather-resistant guard hairs to prepare them for winter. In the spring, the winter coat is shed to make way for new, shorter, and lighter coats. The hair coat changes in appearance and texture but the absolute numbers of hair follicles and hair do not.
For more information on what your dog’s skin and coat are telling you, purchase Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Healthy Skin & Coat.
People whose dogs suffered from seizures, IBD and other digestive disorders, allergies (both food and environmental), skin problems, chronic ear infections, arthritis, and more have seen their dogs’ symptoms reduced or eliminated after they began feeding a homemade diet.
At first, it seems counterintuitive that a diet change would affect disorders like environmental allergies, seizures, or arthritis, but there are several factors involved. Poor-quality and overprocessed ingredients, artificial colors and preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals can contribute to overall ill-health and create or increase allergic sensitivity.
Carbohydrates that are often 50 percent or more of dry dog foods are harder to digest than animal proteins and can lead to inflammation in the body.
In contrast, homemade canine diets, particularly those that have few or no grains or starchy carbs, are higher in protein (which supports both the skin and the immune system) and are easier to digest (which can improve the health of the digestive tract and keep the body’s immune system from becoming overreactive).
I wanted to comment on “Guaranteed Stone-Free Dalmatians? Yes!” (WDJ June 2010). I was there in the early 1980s with Dr. Bob Schaible, and the renowned veterinary geneticist, Dr. Donald Patterson, when we were asked by the AKC to come to a round table informal meeting about the latest in genetic diseases of dogs and associated diagnostics etc. The meeting resulted in a series of articles (“Pure Bred Dogs,” AKC Gazette, 1982, volume 99).
288
I wrote about the inherited bleeding diseases (Dodds, W J., “Detection of genetic defects by screening programs,” AKC Gazette 99:56-60, 1982). In the same issue, Don Patterson wrote about heritable cardiac disease, and Bob Schaible told his remarkable story about the Dalmatian x Pointer cross and the back crosses that were uric acid stone-free but still looked identical to Dalmatians phenotypically.
I was horrified to learn that subsequently the Dalmatian Club of America refused to acknowledge the registration of Bob’s fourth generation back cross, thereby setting back the health of this breed for decades to come. This was pure ignorance on behalf of the Dalmatian Club’s membership – to even think that pure bred dogs were indeed “pure” and had not evolved over time by selective breeding by humans, rather than randomly in nature! I remember that Bob was bitter over this folly at the time, and I don’t blame him one bit.
It is with great triumph at last that his will to save the breed from this condition has finally been accepted. Bravo!
W. Jean Dodds, DVM, Hemopet / Hemolife Garden Grove, CA
A GIFT
Thank you so much for such a wonderful and informative publication! We have subscribed for many years and I have never before taken the time to say thanks. We share our home with three dogs; two adopted through Petfinder.com and one stray. Although all of your issues cover pertinent topics, your recent issues have been especially helpful.
After reading your article about canine rehabilitation (“Saying ‘No’ to Surgery,” WDJ February 2010), we took our oldest dog to University of Tennessee’s rehab department and this has been really beneficial. Of course, my favorite column is Pat Miller’s; she has shared so much great training advice over the years. Your articles on canine diets have also been very helpful. We follow Mary Straus’ recommendations and add supplements that you have suggested.
Also, I thought you might be interested to know that one of our dogs (a GSD mix, not a Dalmatian) had a urate stone and has been on the low-purine Billinghurst diet for the past three years. This diet has worked really well for her and she has had no recurrence of crystals/stones.
I always give WDJ as a gift whenever a friend adopts a dog. Many thanks for helping us keep our dogs healthy and happy!
Michelle Wolf, Via email
SHAVING SHAME
I must say I was shocked to see Whole Dog Journal sporting a shaved dog chained up on the cover of the July 2010 issue. Then the same picture on page two. This picture is by no means a pretty picture; a dog chained with a tie out stake, no shelter, food, or water plus the dog is shaved down to the bare skin, with no protection from the sun or heat. I realize this is just a picture displaying a shaved dog, but please a little more humane example. This dog has been shaved down to the skin, no protection from the sun/rain/brush/stickers etc.
So despite the good will in the article, please advocate getting hair somewhere else besides dogs. Many dog grooming salons advocate clipping dogs in summer just for their own profit margin.
Patricia Bloom, Miami, Florida
We received a couple dozen letters like Patricia’s regarding that photo. Allow me to apologize for failing to caption the photo with a warning that dogs should never be shaved to the skin, as that Golden was, even for a good cause! Dogs need their coats! The article suggested only that groomers should be encouraged to donate the hair from their regular work to oil cleanup nonprofit groups.
But let me also say that it’s easy to take details in a photo out of context. I took that photo of the Golden on the sidelines of an evening sports practice. He was a sweet, older house dog, troubled by thyroid problems, who had a hard time regulating his temperature. During that hot summer, his owners decided to try to clip his excessively thick coat to help him cool down (he was hot even in their air-conditioned home). They tried to do it themselves, and botched the job badly enough that they felt their only recourse was to shave him all the way down. Of course they should have taken him to a groomer for a trace clip and coat thinning instead.
But his owners never took him out in the sun (we were in full shade), and only walked him outdoors in the evening after sunset. He was staked on the sidelines of our game so he could be close to his owners, he had water, and there was always at least one player on the sidelines petting him!
THE GOOD, AND BAD
I just read your editor’s note about vets and vaccines (“Something Is Not Right,” August 2010). Apparently the clinic you go to is still in the dark ages. I’ve been going to my clinic since the early 1980s and (what you described) certainly was the attitude during the 80s and 90s. But I’ve been getting titers on my Gordon Setters for several years, and now that I work at the front desk of the very same clinic, I find that more people are savvy about over-vaccinating and asking questions about issues with their pets.
Our vets are not “vaccine happy” either, recommending “routine” vaccinations every three years. We haven’t jumped on the canine influenza bandwagon although now most kennels in our area require it (maybe you should do an editorial on kennels who demand bordetella and influenza vaccines for all boarding there).
Because of the economy, more people are opting not to visit, even after the infamous post card is received. But we are also aware that more clients are noticing issues like lumps, hot spots, or their pets “not acting themselves.” As a receptionist, I don’t make the decision for the client, I only tell them what their pet is due to have, which includes heartworm testing and fecal exams. More and more clients are aware of what is needed and what is not necessary. We have very few clients who wander in clueless and we certainly don’t automatically vaccinate a pet who is obviously ill or compromised in any way. Our vets and vet techs are much more observant and caring than that.
I thoroughly enjoy WDJ and follow it on Facebook too.
Jani Wolstenholme, Rhode Island
It was easy to live in the modern age of veterinary medicine when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a wealth of enlightened veterinarians all around me. But just 150 miles north, it’s still the “Dark Ages” (though I did find a good practice with modern vets about 25 miles away). I’m not alone; I received many notes about similar situations, such as this one:
I work at a veterinary clinic, and have for the past 18 years. The short answer to your question about why vaccines are pushed aggressively but needed care is not? It is the profit margin. For example, a dose of rabies vaccine for a dog costs about $2. Clients are charged $24, and it takes about two minutes of the vet’s time (if that). Compare that to a blood test; in most cases, the profit to the vet is not even twice its cost, and the tests are very time consuming to run. Which is easier and more profitable?
Honestly, it makes me sick because I’ve seen the same exact thing that you mentioned in your editor’s note about the old dog that clearly had health issues. Many of these older pets come back a few short weeks after being vaccinated with a dire health concern (in my opinion probably triggered by the vaccine).
Name withheld by request
A BETTER CONE
You just about always get it right – but not this time. Regarding “A Better Cone” (WDJ August 2010), I have to take great issue with one of your main points about the ProCollar. I have absolutely no affiliation whatsoever with ProCollar; I am just a doggy mom to a huge harlequin Great Dane named Harley. I have done my homework, having gone through virtually every single product on the market to find the best cone-alternative for Harley’s post-surgical use.
288
Unfortunately, you made a totally incorrect assumption based on Rickey’s experience when you made the comment, “Truly large dogs would not be able to use this product.” Absolutely untrue! Harley is a huge boy – 150 pounds. The XL size of ProCollar fit him perfectly, no problem. And, because I was so happy with this collar compared to cones (and all the other alternatives) I suggested it to my Dane friends, who also have been using it with great success with their Great Danes. I never took a pic of Harley when he was wearing his ProCollar, but here is a photo of him so that you can at least get an idea of his size.
Ricky, while only 25 pounds, appears to have a heavy, long-haired coat. Danes, of course, do not. Neither do many other giant breed dogs, on whom the XL ProCollar would, and does, fit just great. Thanks for your terrific WDJ!
Cary Glassner Rauscher, Medway, MA
NEW CONSIDERATIONS
hanks for the good info in this article! The one thing missing is noting that some dogs may need a rigid collar, like my dog, who just had both eyes removed.
Linda Wroth, Richmond, California
I never considered a condition that required a cone to provide eye protection, even though it’s apparently common (see next letter). Thanks for your feedback!
There are some instances in which one of the alternative collars (other than the Kong E-Collar) mentioned in your article would not be appropriate. I have a dog that recently had delicate (and expensive) eye surgery to remove a luxated lens. It was absolutely critical that she not rub her eye afterwards, on anything. Not only was her vision at stake, but the eye itself.
While they do generally prevent a dog from licking or chewing anywhere on their body, any of the soft collars do not prevent a dog from rubbing their eyes or face on other objects, or scratching at their face with a hind foot. Unfortunately, a stiff cone is the only type I am aware of that protects a dog’s eyes or face.
So while your statement that “Alternatives to classic ‘Elizabethan’ collars are more comfortable and just as effective for your dog” is technically true with the inclusion of the Kong E-Collar, your readers should be very aware that not all the alternatives are always as effective or appropriate, and there are definitely situations where a stiff cone (whether a traditional one or the more comfortable Kong version) are the only kind that will do the job.
I would also like to suggest that any dogs who do wear a stiff E-Collar of any variety see a veterinary chiropractor, physical therapist, or massage therapist afterwards. There is no question that bumping into things and twisting their necks repeatedly while wearing the stiff collars can take a toll on their cervical spine and musculature.
Thank you so much for all you do to improve the lives of so many dogs!
To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in
If you are logged in but cannot access this content, a) your subscription may have expired; b) you may have duplicate accounts (emails) in our system. Please check your account status hereorcontact customer service.
Immediate access to this article and 20+ years of archives.
Recommendations for the best dog food for your dog.
Dry food, homemade diets and recipes, dehydrated and raw options, canned food and more.
Brands, formulations and ingredients all searchable in an easy-to-use, searchable database.
Plus, you’ll receive training and care guidance to keep your dog healthy and happy. You’ll feed with less stress…train with greater success…and know you are giving your dog the care he deserves.
Subscribenow and save 72%! Its like getting 8 issues free!
Knowing that I’m in and out of my local shelter, a friend of my husband asked me to keep my eyes peeled for a “cute little dog for a cute little girl” – his five-year-old daughter. I spotted a great candidate, and brought her home to foster her until I could evaluate whether she would be appropriate for a family with young children.
I know that any dog I bring home from the shelter is going to live with me until I find him or her a perfect home. I knew it wouldn’t take long to find this darling girl a home, even if she didn’t work out for the family who asked me to look. In addition to being smart and confident, she is affectionate and snuggly. I gave the family my evaluation – that she would make a great little family dog – and they agreed to take her. But the custody change would take place in a couple of weeks, so she could be spayed and recover from the surgery, and so they could take a week-long vacation.
But oh my! How difficult it was to actually hand her over to her new family! I’ve fostered about five times now, and I’ve always been happy to see a dog go to a terrific home. But somehow, this little pup pulled my heartstrings like no other pup has so far. We really bonded, and I adored her. I spent almost two hours at the family’s home, going over all the things the puppy knew – the things I had taught her! – and making sure they had everything she needed to be safe and comfortable. Then I had to practically run out the door and drive quickly away so they wouldn’t see me burst into tears! I cried for an hour after leaving her, stopped long enough to have a nice phone conversation with the dad about how things went after I left, and then cried on and off again for the next two days. I miss that pup!
Happily, her new family seems to love her as much as I did. The little girl named her Belle, after her favorite Disney heroine, and Belle sleeps on the little girl’s bed. But I still don’t think I can foster again for a long time.
Puppies are notorious for their ability to chew on anything and everything. If you’re at all dog-savvy you know when you get a new puppy that despite your best efforts to manage and supervise, you’re likely to lose at least one valuable personal possession to the razor-sharp implements known fondly as puppy teeth.
Puppies chew to explore their world as well as to relieve the pain and irritation of teething. What many dog owners don’t seem to realize is that while puppies sooner or later get beyond the stage where they feel compelled to put their teeth on everything they see, mature dogs also need to chew to exercise their jaws, massage their gums, clean their teeth, and to relieve stress and boredom. It comes as an unpleasant surprise to many owners that chewing doesn’t end at the age of six months when all of the dog’s adult teeth are grown in.
Puppies develop substrate preferences for elimination in the early months of their lives, and they similarly develop chew-object preferences. Hence the inadvisability of giving your old shoes or socks as chew toys.
If you give your baby dog the run of the house and he learns to chew on Oriental carpets, sofa cushions, and coffee table legs, you will likely end up with a dog who chooses to exercise his jaws and teeth on inappropriate objects for years to come. You’ll find yourself crating him frequently even as an adult dog, or worse, exiling him to a lonely life in the backyard, where he can chew only on lawn furniture, loose fence boards, and the edges of your deck and hot tub.
Instead, focus your dog’s fangs on approved chew toys at an early age and manage him well to prevent access to your stuff. In this way, he’ll earn house privileges much sooner in life. By the end of his first year, you’ll probably be able to leave him alone safely while you go out to dinner or shopping – or even while you’re away at work.
Retrievers, yes. Pointers, yes. Setters, yes. Spaniels, yes. Curs . . . wait. Curs? Wait a minute. Feists? Plott Hounds? Not so fast! What’s going on here? I thought we were talking “hunting dogs.”
Depending on who you talk to, “hunting dog” means very different things. The only thing in common may very well be that the human end of the leash historically toted a gun in pursuit of some type of “game.” The game in question was not after-dinner parlor entertainment, but the entree on your dinner table. That might be pheasant, duck, or squirrel. Through hundreds of years, the real-life pursuit of food for one’s family has morphed into a competitive sport for people who rely upon Safeway to meet their nutritional needs.
288
The diversity of breeds and types of competition is simply mind-boggling, with separate sanctioning organizations, each with its own standards of competition for retrievers, pointers, setters, etc., as well as for coon hounds, curs, and feists. There are many different kinds of hunting (bird dogs, treeing dogs, scent hounds, etc.) and each type of hunting competition has its own unique rules and regulations – and owners who are hunting for ribbons for their walls and bragging rights among friends and competitors.
Hunting is also another sport in which, historically, dogs are usually trained with at least a certain amount of traditional, force-based training methods. It is common practice in all the hunting disciplines to use shock collars and other compulsive training techniques, even on very young puppies.
However, there are more and more people in the hunt and field sports who are breaking from tradition and using positive reinforcement in their hunting dog training. I found two Yahoo discussion lists dedicated to positive gun dog training, and met some wonderful proponents of this new approach. You are in for a treat. Meet three pioneers from a small but growing band of people whose quest for ribbons has not trumped their love of their dogs nor their belief in the power of positive reinforcement training.
Inga From: Bringing clickers and gun dogs together Inga From, CPDT-KA, is a professional trainer and the behavior and training coordinator for the Minnesota Valley Humane Society. In her day job she manages shelter volunteers, runs the shelter’s dog training program, and offers pet education to the public and to shelter staff and volunteers. In 2008 she was the recipient of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers’ Premier Shelter Staff Award.
288
In addition to her day job, she runs a private training business that offers a variety of services and classes, including gun dog training. She is an ex-game warden, and she and her husband hunt waterfowl and upland birds with their yellow Lab (Loki) and Springer Spaniel (Ammo).
From grew up with dogs. Her mother was a groomer and the family had Springers. From started 4-H in grade school and dog training became her favorite hobby. She showed in county, state, and regional fairs in obedience and conformation all through high school. Her father taught her hunting ethics: “I hunt only what I will eat and I will not be wasteful with game or disrespectful to habitat, land owners, or animals.”
From learned how to work with gun dogs from friends during high school. Later, she joined a program called Women in the Outdoors, a division of the National Wild Turkey Federation. All the training was traditional. Then she met her husband Mike, who also had a hunting dog (Loki), but was not comfortable with some conventional, force-based training.
“He listened to the dog and if Loki seemed unhappy, he would change things to fit the situation. He worked Loki in a non-traditional way and was not even aware of it. Loki has been working years in the field and is a very successful retriever without being taught a force fetch. Loki has hunted season after season without the use of an electronic collar. I figured if my husband can do this as a dog owner, why can’t I, a professional dog trainer?”
From’s crusade was about to begin.
She started by clicker training her dog, Ammo, for pet manners. “I knew that he was going to be trained with a clicker for manners so why would I switch training methods on him just because he was going to hunt? I stayed the course with him and his clicker, and he has never known any other way. Ammo has also enjoyed many seasons in the field hunting with Loki, my husband, and me, and he does just fine; we rarely lose any birds.”
From attended a seminar on the East Coast by Jim Barry, and she looked into the United Kingdom Gundog Club, which she heard might fit her philosophy about training and hunting. “I teach positive training and I use clickers. I use the LIMA (least invasive, minimally aversive) principle in all my teaching. Because of the training methods I choose to use, the U.K. gun dog award fits the best for this type of training. All of the current U.S. organizations that test gun dogs are dominated by traditional force-based training.”
From’s clients are supportive. They have not felt welcome at many trials because they don’t use traditional methods. Some have even been told they can’t use clickers. But the U.K. Gundog Club puts a heavy emphasis on obedience training before training for a sport. Also, electronic shock collars are not embraced by British trainers generally, and it is believed that the use of shock collars will be outlawed in the U.K. With such an emphasis on basic training first, From feels that clicker training will have a much better chance in the U.K. program.
From sees a trend from the people who attend her seminars. Instead of being hunters themselves, they have a family dog that they are interested in training for what he or she was bred to do.
“I hope to pioneer this new field of family dog field training; it’s increasing in demand, especially in my state of Minnesota. I had people come to my last seminar from not only Minnesota, but also Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. I am a hunter myself, but train my dogs in a non-traditional method for the gun dog world. People like me are out there, and they want something more than what is now available in the gun dog world.
“It’s not that traditional training does not work with gun dogs; it does. It’s that there are other alternatives that will work just as well in the long run. Why not blaze a new trail and see if anyone will follow? I cannot wait for the day when this type of training is mainstream and there is an organization in the U.S. that supports and expands it. Maybe I’ll have to start my own club for positive-trained gun dogs! I am working on that now, slowly, step by step with Positive Gun Dogs of Minnesota.”
Jim Barry: Writing guides for others Jim Barry, CPDT-KA, CDBC, is the author of The Ethical Dog Trainer and co-author of Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds. In addition to running a private dog training business (Reston Dog Training, in Reston, Virginia), Barry is a senior fellow at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management of the University of Maryland, where he conducts research on international issues and teaches programs in negotiation and crisis leadership.
288
Barry is one of only two people in the U.S. to have been authorized to give awards for field tests sponsored by the U.K. Gundog Club. His entry into the gun dog world came about after he got his black Labrador, Toby. Barry and his wife Vicki planned on doing therapy dog work with their new pup, purchased from a breeder of show/obedience lines. That quickly changed as Toby demonstrated his love of water and a strong retrieving instinct. “I started working on a formal retrieve and one thing led to another,” said Barry.
At the time, Barry was an intern with Carole Peeler, CDBC, CPDT-KA in Falls Church, Virginia. Barry completed all of Peeler’s clicker training classes, and then started looking for a trainer who used clicker training for field work. “I was disappointed to discover that no one in my area taught field work with positive methods,” he says. He joined the Positive Gun Dogs discussion list on Yahoo.com, started reading everything he could get his hands on, talked to experienced gun dog trainers, and then tried applying clicker training to it all. As a result, Toby now has a Working Certificate from the Labrador Retriever Club of the United States. “In a sense, Toby and I were the ‘lab rats’ for this new method of gun dog training.”
Barry met his co-authors on the Yahoo list, and together, they decided the world needed a book about clicker training for gun dogs. Their resulting book was published in 2007. “It seemed like every time a new person joined the Yahoo list, he or she asked, ‘Where’s the book on positive field training?’ There were none at the time, although Helen Phillips in the U.K. later wrote Clicker Gundogs, so we decided to write one. Sue Smith took the lead on the learning theory and basic training chapters, I wrote the retrieving sections, and Mary Emmen did the upland hunting portions.”
The mere thought that dogs could be trained without shock collars, much less with a clicker, was to say the least, novel. And unproven. To have a book published on the subject gave a small, but growing, community of positive trainers the boost they needed. However, Barry is circumspect about the growth of positive training in the sport.
“All dog sports are challenging, but in gun dog training there are three specific issues that stand out. The first is that the tasks are inherently very demanding, both physically and mentally. They may involve working in difficult terrain and nasty weather for long periods of time, searching for game that is hidden in deep cover. Dogs may have to swim long distances, climb banks, and jump fences. And all of this must be done while being attentive to the handler and the goals.
“The second challenge is that much of the work is done at great distance. In higher-level retriever tests, for examples, multiple retrieves at distances of hundreds of yards are not uncommon. Finally, in field work, there are many opportunities for dogs to engage in inherently rewarding behaviors, such as chasing game or following scents that do not coincide with the handler’s desires.
“Because of these complexities, we had to think creatively not only about basic training methods, but also how to organize training and the sequence in which various skills are introduced. We know that you can train a reliable hunting companion without using an electric collar. I’ve done it and so have many others. We also know that you can train pointing dogs to Master Hunter level and, with patience and dedication, retrievers to at least Senior Hunter level.
“Finally, thousands of high-performing gun dogs have been trained in the U.K. and other European countries where e-collars are either banned or rarely used. What we don’t know, and may not know for some time, is whether dogs can be trained to the highest levels in U.S. retriever trials using positive reinforcement exclusively. As noted above, these trials are exceedingly difficult and require training dogs to do things that are in some ways counter-intuitive, such as holding straight lines rather than taking routes that require less energy. Several dedicated people are working on this goal, and time will tell.”
Barry agrees with Inga From that the U.K. Gundog Club is a good fit for training the family dog to be a gun dog. He, too, believes that the emphasis on steadiness and reliability before training hunting skills is a good fit for positive training. This is because training at a skill level that is too advanced for the dog (e.g., long-distance retrieves) often prompts trainers to use aversive methods such as the shock collar.
Barry is both hopeful and realistic about the trend in positive gun dog training. “I think it’s largely a reflection of the general interest in more humane training. However, the growth is slow because there is little overlap between people who hunt and people who are interested in operant conditioning! But the Positive Gun Dogs (Yahoo) list now has some 800 members, up from 300 when I joined, so that’s progress!”
That said, Barry is not overly optimistic about positive training becoming mainstream any time soon. “I believe this is beginning to occur for pointing and versatile breeds. In the U.S. retriever trial world, I believe it will take a very long time. This is both because of the demands of the sport and because there is currently a strongly held belief, fostered by professional field trainers and e-collar manufacturers, that existing training systems are highly effective. Having said that, I also believe that positive training has begun to catch on for recreational hunters and people who want enrichment activities for their family dogs. This is where I see the greatest opportunity for acceptance and growth.”
288
Lindsay Ridgeway: Proving it can be done Lindsay Ridgeway, of Laytonsville, Maryland, is a software designer by day, but some of his proudest moments have come from designing dog training plans and seeing his dogs blossom as a result. Ridgeway is an active proponent of positive gun dog training and is considered by some to be the poster child of the movement toward positive training in the sport. He and his Golden Retrievers, Lumi and Laddie, achieved AKC’s Junior Hunter (JH) and Senior Hunter (SH) titles, with some first-place finishes along the way. They also have been awarded the highest field title (Working Certificate Excellent) from the Golden Retriever Club of America – all without using aversives in training.
It could be argued that Ridgeway’s influence in the sport is a result of two of his hobbies. In the past, he participated in endurance sports, running 14 marathons, and thus has a keen understanding of the mental and physical stamina required to go the distance. His other hobby, which he applies skillfully, is writing about dog training! More than likely, it will be the combination of stamina and writing that will help him pursue personal training goals as well as getting the word out about positive gun dog training.
In 2003, Ridgeway got his first Golden Retriever, Lumi. He discovered clicker training after trying puppy training techniques that he found scary for his pup and detrimental to his relationship with her. He started the DogTrek (Yahoo) list in 2005 to share his experiences.
He competed with Lumi in agility, but retired her from that sport when arthritis made competing and training too difficult. It was then that he began the search for alternatives to conventional gun dog training techniques. In 2007 he brought home Laddie. Three years later he had JH, SH, and GRCA titles on both dogs. How did he do it?
“Like nearly all clicker trainers who come to the sport, I initially found books on traditional field training useless except for their interesting anecdotes, because the stated goal of every exercise seemed to be to teach the dog to accept force, and that was simply not my goal. I reached the same conclusion that clicker trainers attempting field work almost invariably reach: whole new training methods would be needed.”
Ridgeway spent hours reading books and participating in online discussion groups and met two traditional trainers who were willing to share their methods and love of the sport.
“They took me under their wings. They helped me understand that those traditional drills were exactly what my dogs needed; I just needed to subtract the coercion element. As they helped me to understand the procedures, I saw that in most cases, in addition to training the dog to accept force, the drills also taught the dog vital concepts of field work.
“Generations of trainers had discovered not only what concepts the field dog needs to learn, but equally important, in what order those concepts need to be learned. I simply had to train those concepts in new ways, while allowing my dogs to go through the same crucial sequence of learning. The missteps my mentors helped me and my dogs to avoid became as crucial as finding the correct stepping stones to follow,” says Ridgeway.
Key to his success, Ridgeway believes, was his ability to put aside philosophical differences and to learn from those experienced traditional trainers. “Several times a week, I’d watch expert trainers and their dogs perform the skills that Lumi and Laddie were also learning to perform. Yes, I was ‘different’ because of my strange refusal to use ‘corrections,’ and as in any group some of the relationships were smoother than others. But real friendships were forged and became the key to continued progress. Without them, my dogs’ field careers would have ended before they started.”
When asked how he responds to people who say that dogs in this sport simply can’t be trained without shock collars, Ridgeway’s response reflects both his pragmatism and optimism. “I think that it is far more difficult to train without aversive methods in sports that are closely bound to the dog’s breeding traits – sports such as herding, police-dog work, and field work. For the trainers who first attempt such training, progress may be significantly slower than for traditional trainers following a well-established program, and it may even be that generations from now, such methods will still be slower than traditional methods.
“In addition, my dogs have only attained their Senior Hunter titles so far, and it remains to be seen whether more advanced titles are even possible for [dogs trained with positives]. So my answer is: Yes, training without an e-collar makes participation in the sport more challenging than training with one. But Lumi and Laddie, dogs with very different breeding and personalities, have shown that it is possible to train a retriever to advanced titles using [positive] methods.”
Ridgeway has every intention of continuing to train Laddie for other advanced titles. He has a list of training goals and is in the process of designing training plans to attain them. “Unless and until I, or someone else, shows that positive training can accomplish the same goals as traditional tools and methods without significantly more time and effort, I see little incentive for most serious amateurs or professionals to switch to [positive] methods unless they have personal reasons for doing so. On the other hand, the traditional tools and methods for training a retriever have become dramatically more humane over the years, and I suspect that trend may continue. Whether the efforts and achievements of positive trainers, who comprise an infinitesimal fraction of the sport, will have any effect on that trend, I consider doubtful. I think it’s just that as time goes by, traditional trainers discover new tools and methods that are more effective and also happen to be more humane.”
But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t going to do his best to prove that it can be done.
Terry Long, CPDT-KA, is a writer, agility instructor, and behavior counselor in Long Beach, CA. She lives with four dogs and a cat and is addicted to agility and animal behavior. See page 24 for contact info.
I volunteer for my local animal shelter. I serve on the Board of Directors. I help the shelter staff with their newsletter. I’m in the process of putting together a volunteer’s manual, so we can get all the dog-walkers on the same page in terms of handling the dogs. But they recently tossed me a hot potato: Leading a two-hour tour of the shelter for kids from the local YMCA.
288
I thought to myself, “Kids, dogs? What’s the problem?” Sure, I said. I’ll do it. I had only a slight misgiving when the woman who last ran the tour did a little tap dance of joy upon hearing she didn’t have to do it this time.
As it turned out, it was a joy, for me, anyway. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try to indoctrinate kids with some pointed messages about pet care.
I started out with some positive training. I had equipped myself with about 1,000 little individually wrapped candies (Smarties and Tootsie Rolls). As the kids filed into the reception area, I walked among them and started clicking and treating the ones who were being quiet. Of course, some of them started begging. “Hey! I want one!” When this happened, I did what you’d do to any puppy who did the same: I turned my back and walked away. It took about two minutes for whole group to catch onto the game, and another minute or two for a few kids to “offer a sit.” I poured treats down on those kids, and within another minute, the whole group was seated quietly on the floor, paying rapt attention. Positive training works on any animal species!
That exercise really was all about getting them settled in and paying attention, but I also used it as an example of how we train the dogs at the shelter to sit quietly in front of their doors. I asked them, “How did I get you to sit down and be quiet? Did I yell at you? Did I push you onto the floor? No! All I did was reward the kids who were doing what I wanted them to do. Anyone who was doing the right thing got treats, but the ones who were doing something I didn’t want them to do got ignored. That’s how we train the dogs here to behave well enough that someone will want to adopt them.” How likely is it, I asked them, that mom or dad will want to adopt a dog who barks and leaps all over the door? We have to help the dogs learn to be calm and quiet, I said, so you have to be quiet and calm, too.
I told them about the “four on the floor rule,” and explained that they could give treats to any dog who had all four feet on the floor, but if a dog jumped up, the kid should step away from the kennel. And then step back quickly with a treat when the dog had four on the floor again.
But before we went out into the kennels, I asked them what they knew about the animal shelter. How did animals end up there? Even the smallest kids knew that some animals were there because they were lost or ran away from home, and that other ones were there because their owners didn’t want them anymore. Heartbreaking.
So I talked to them about the fact that the shelter takes care of the animals that are lost or unwanted. I let them know that although the animals had been through a lot, they were lucky to have ended up at this shelter, because now they got food, medicine, love, and training, and with luck, they’d find a home, too. I talked to them about spay and neuter surgery, and how all the dogs and cats had this surgery before they left the shelter, so they could never have babies that no one wanted and weren’t cared for. I also wanted them to make sure their pets had identification on their collars, and we talked about ways they could accomplish this even if their parents didn’t buy an ID tag.
Finally I gave each kid a handful of hot dog slivers and we went out into the kennels. And it was quiet – vibrantly, electrically quiet.
Many of us have dogs who bite down too hard when taking treats – the behavior sometimes known as “hard mouth.” Some dogs take treats forcefully all the time; others get hard mouths only when stressed or excited. One theory is that a hard mouth is a function of bite inhibition – or lack thereof. If a dog doesn’t learn to use his mouth softly during puppyhood, he’s likely to resort to using too much pressure with his mouth throughout his life. But some dogs with acceptably soft mouths take treats hard when stressed or excited. Here are five things you can do when facing a “hard mouth” challenge:
288
1.Teach remedial bite inhibition (see “Light Bite,” WDJ June 2010). Even though this may not get you through the higher arousal situations with your fingers intact, it will help a lot with everyday treat-feeding.
2.Use lower-value treats. Wait, what? I often exhort you to use high-value treats for effective training. But the chances are good that an “alligator dog” is very motivated to work for food; he may work just as hard for pieces of kibble as he does for chunks of chicken – and it may tone down his enthusiasm enough to save your digits. Try training after meals instead of before. This goes against our standard advice to train when you know your dog is hungry – which logically means before he eats his dinner. The exception is the dog who strains your hand through his teeth as he forcibly removes the treat from your grasp. Taking the edge off his appetite may help him remember to be gentle.
3.Feed him like a horse. Equestrians feed treats on the flat of the hand; horses can have trouble distinguishing fingers from carrots. You can do the same with your dog. It’s a little trickier because we’re often luring with treats, which can make fingers a prime target, but you can lure to get your dog to do the behavior, then click and quickly feed a treat from the flat palm of your other hand.
4. Toss or spit treats to your dog. Treats don’t always have to be delivered to your dog’s mouth from your hand; you can often toss them on the ground for your dog to eat. This isn’t a good choice when you want to reinforce a non-moving behavior (such as wait, stay, or down) by giving your dog a treat while he’s in the correct position, because a tossed treat may pull your dog out of position. But tossing works just fine for many others behaviors such as targeting and “leave it.” An old obedience competition trick is to teach your dog to catch treats that you spit to him from your mouth. That reinforces him for the behavior you asked for as well as for looking adoringly at you – when actually he’s staring intently at your mouth waiting for the next treat to fly out. (Of course, you have to use treats you’re willing to put in your own mouth, such as slices of hot dog.)
5. Use a treat-feeding tool. My favorite is a camping tube, designed for holding moist foods on camping trips in secure, easy-to-carry containers (available at camping supply stores). These require that you use treats that are in a gel or paste form, such as peanut butter, cream cheese or other soft cheese, or canned dog food. The back end of the tube opens wide so that you can load the food in and then close it up, and a cap screws off the other end so you can squeeze out a little when desired. (You may need to experiment to get your treats to be the proper consistency to ooze out the end of the tube at the desired rate.) Other treat-feeding tools that you can use to protect your hands include:
Gloves: My least favorite, as gloves can be awkward and interfere with dexterity, and are hot in the summer!
Finger splints: These are small foam-padded metal finger covers that Velcro onto your fingers. Many dogs don’t like to bite on metal, and if it doesn’t slow your dog down, the metal splint still protects your finger. Using a finger splint, you can still deliver treats in the normal fashion, rather from the flat of your hand.
Spoons: A metal spoon, like the finger splint, can convince many dogs to bite softly because it doesn’t feel good to bite on metal. You will need to use a soft treat that will stick to the spoon.
Easy Cheese (made by Kraft Foods) or similar “squeeze cheese” spread: These are not the healthiest snacks, but used in moderation as training treats, they can be very helpful. You bend the nozzle at its base with your finger to release a few drops or globs and your dog licks the cheese-like substance off the end of the nozzle. No teeth needed at all!
Pat Miller, CPDT-KA, cdbc, of Fairplay, Maryland, is WDJ’s Training Editor. See page 24 for contact info for Pat or her Peaceable Paws training center.
I’ve had a number of older owners book lessons with me lately—more than half a dozen individuals and couples in their 70s and even 80s, all wanting some training help with their new dogs or puppies.
