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DNA Testing for Mixed Breed Dogs

By
Lisa Rodier
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[Updated January 10, 2019]

The sequencing of the canine genome, accomplished as a public research project in 2004, opened the floodgates to endless possibilities for canine genetic testing. The holy grail for many scientists engaged in this work is the understanding of, and ultimately, the elimination of inherited canine diseases. For many dog owners, though, the most exciting outcome of this serious work is the possibility that they can learn exactly what breeds their mutts are made of.

Though there are already several commercial companies offering products that purport to be able to do just that, our assessment of the breed identification tests is that the results may be just as mixed as the dogs they seek to explain. The test results may be nearly as varied, interesting, and enjoyable as our mixed-breed friends, but it seems that, at least right now, they may not be able to absolutely satisfy the question of your mutt’s parentage. The tests are getting better every day, though! And as the understanding of DNA, the size of the sample databases, and the power of computers grow, it’s likely that the tests will, at some point, truly live up to the marketing hype currently being used to sell them.

DNA Testing for Mixed Breed Dogs

Dog Breed Tests: A History

The first mixed-breed DNA test was born in the laboratory of Elaine A. Ostrander, Ph.D., and Leonid Krugylak, Ph.D., when they were with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Drs. Ostrander and Krugylak were looking for genetic commonalities among purebred dogs recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). One goal was to discover the genes responsible for diseases common to both dogs and humans, including several types of cancer. They were also studying the relatedness of about 100 of the AKC-recognized breeds; this led to the discovery that the genetic variation between dog breeds is much greater than the variation within breeds. For comparison, genetic variation between human populations is about 5.4 percent; in dogs, they discovered, between-breed variation is estimated at 27.5 percent.

In 2005, Ostrander and Krugylak signed a commercialization agreement with Mars Veterinary™, a newly created division of the mighty Mars, Incorporated (yes, think candy, gum, pet food, and other foodstuffs), licensing the technology they developed for use in breed identification.

Mars Veterinary wasn’t alone in the race to market a breed identification product. Scientists at MMI Genomics Inc. (MMIG) were also studying canine DNA. In fact, MMIG provided identity and parentage verification services for the AKC, United Kennel Club (UKC), Professional Kennel Club (PKC), and a number of other canine registries and breed clubs. MMIG was originally a division of Celera, and led the private effort to sequence the canine genome. It was also the first to commercially market a breed identification test, in March 2007. MMIG called its product the Canine Heritage™ Breed Test. When it made its commercial debut, the test was potentially able to identify only 38 breeds; the test (“XL”) was upgraded in mid-2008 to identify more than 100 breeds.

DNA Testing for Mixed Breed Dogs

Mars Veterinary brought its test to market just a few months later, in September 2007, as the Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel™ MX test.

How Do Dog DNA Tests Work?

Each company promotes its tests by saying they are a good way for the mixed breed dog owner to learn whether his or her dog might be susceptible to a particular genetically linked disease if the dog has breeds known to inherit certain conditions. They also say that the tests help with training, by giving the owner insight into the dog’s behavior; the reason why the dog acts the way he does might be explained by his background. At the end of the day, however, company representatives admit that the majority of their customers buy the tests simply out of curiosity and because it’s fun to do.

The DNA tests we looked at draw their databases from the more than 160 breeds recognized by the AKC, and address only those breeds found in North America. Worldwide, it is estimated that there are more than 300 breeds of dogs.

The tests use genetic tools referred to as “markers” to define the concept of a dog breed. A genetic marker is a position in the genome where there is variability in the sequence that is inherited, following the rules of classical genetics. Two common kinds of markers are microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Each company independently developed a set of markers that define the breeds in their databases and utilizes sophisticated computer algorithms to match a given mixed-breed dog’s DNA to that in its database to come up with the best breed match(es) for him. The analysis determines how closely, and to what extent, the mixed breed dog’s genetic patterns match those of purebreds.

There are two very significant players in the U.S. market (MMIG and Mars Veterinary) and a few that are trying to carve out a larger role. EDP BioTech Corp. is very new; a fourth company, DNA Diagnostics Center Veterinary, subcontracts its work to EDP BioTech Corp. There is at least one test (Viaguard DNAffirm™) offered by a Canadian company, Accu-Metrics Ltd., which we did not explore.

Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel™

The Wisdom Panel MX was the only mixed-breed DNA test to require a blood sample. Initially available only through veterinarians, the test is now available online directly from Mars Veterinary, as well as from veterinarians and select pet supply retailers. It has a suggested retail of $125, which includes free shipping if ordered direct from Mars Veterinary. Nevertheless, a trip to your dog’s veterinarian is still necessitated for a blood draw, which means an extra cost for the vet office visit and procedure, and possible stress to your dog if he doesn’t love the vet office.

The AKC recognizes 161 breeds; the Mars Veterinary database includes 153 AKC breeds in its database, plus four breeds awaiting recognition from AKC, for a total of 157 breeds. To develop its database, Wisdom Panel typed more than 13,000 dogs during test development, completing more than 19 million genetic marker analyses. Mars Veterinary’s database is the largest of any of the three companies we examined, but its test is also the most expensive.

After extracting DNA from the blood sample, single SNPs – or slight variations in DNA makeup – are identified. The test exams 321 points or markers where variations are found, looking to form breed-specific patterns. A proprietary algorithm is then run on the data.

Angela Hughes, DVM, a veterinary geneticist and consultant for Mars Veterinary, explains it by saying the computer then “says” as it looks at the DNA of a particular dog, “If I have to make her one thing, what would be the best match? If two, what would she match, then three, then so on, up to eight. The result is then a statistical score to each ‘tree’ the program builds as to how that dog best matches.” Eight is the magic number as Mars Veterinary’s confidence level is to go back three generations (eight great-grandparents).

The company claims that the test determines breed composition with 90 percent accuracy, defining that as validation testing that has resulted in an average accuracy of 90 percent in first generation cross-bred dogs of known parentage (our emphasis).

As with the competing Canine Heritage test, the Wisdom Panel results are reported in three categories, only Mars Veterinary calls them Significant, Intermediate, and Minor breeds, roughly translating to parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent. For a breed to be listed as Significant, at least 50 percent of the dog’s DNA must have come from that breed (i.e., one of the parents was a purebred or possibly both grandparents were of the same breed); Intermediate, at least 25 percent; and Minor, at least 12.5 percent.

Mars Veterinary expects that if your dog shows a Significant breed, that he will likely display some physical and behavior traits from that breed, unless some of the genes are recessive. For Intermediate, you “may” see some physical and behavior traits of that breed in your dog, and for Minor, it is unlikely that the breed’s physical traits are visually represented in the dog unless some of the genes are dominant.

The company quotes a two to three-week turnaround on test results; test status can be tracked online – and results, when ready, will be mailed to the client but are available online sooner. The only contact information for the company that is offered on the website is an e-mail address; as unhelpful as that is, the website itself offers tons of information.

When we did find a phone number to reach the company, the representative who answered was moderately helpful, although he was more prepared to deal with someone calling to discuss their dog’s test results than with someone looking for in-depth information about the company and its products.

See Wisdom Panel’s products here.

BioPet Vet Lab / PooPrints

The latest entrant into the market is the DNA Breed ID Test offered by BioPet Vet Lab, a division of EDP Biotech Corp. BioPet Vet Lab itself was created in late 2007; its canine DNA test was launched in early 2008 through online resellers. In addition to the breed ID test, BioPet also offers DNA proof-of-parentage testing, DNA pet ID, and the very interesting PooPrints™ program (“match the mess through DNA”).

The company’s goal is to offer a sound, affordable test. It hopes to accomplish this by limiting the number of breeds in its database to 63 – which the company claims represents “about 93 percent of the dog DNA that is in the U.S. according to historical trends in breed popularity” – and pricing the test at $60. Adding additional breeds requires adding more markers, which increases cost; BioPet suggests that it will most likely top out its database at 65 to 70 breeds. This test, too, uses a cheek swab to collect a dog’s DNA.

The company sells its tests through PetSmart, Pet Supermarket, other retailers, and online retailers. Turnaround for results is roughly two weeks, and it does not appear that the company has online tracking capability for test status. They will re-run a test upon request, acknowledging the possibility of human error, but company spokesperson Meg Retinger reported that even in the ones they’ve rerun, they have never seen a test result that was completely different on the second run. The BioPet website has a moderate amount of information, and the company spokesperson was helpful.

Happy Consumers of Mixed-Breed Dog DNA Tests

Ruby, named for her short red coat, was brought home to Rosalie and Leonard Sanchez of Riverside, California, by their 15-year-old grandson, who got her from a lady giving pups away from the back of a pickup truck. The lady told their grandson that the puppy was a St. Bernard mix. Rosalie quickly dismissed his words, figuring that he made up that piece of the story, because Ruby looked nothing like a St. Bernard.

Early this year, she learned about the Canine Heritage test, and was curious to know more about Ruby’s background. She and her husband guessed Ruby was part Boxer. Their veterinarian concurred, because of Ruby’s large paws; his guess was Boxer/Great Dane or Boxer/Mastiff.

When the results came back, Rosalie was floored; her grandson was correct after all! The test showed Boxer and St. Bernard. Although she still can’t get over how Ruby does not resemble a St. Bernard, Rosalie says, “A mixed breed dog is like a box of chocolates. You never know what’s on the inside.”

Dan McCarthy’s girlfriend found Flora lying next to a bus stop, emaciated and covered in fleas. Their veterinarian thought Flora was a Labrador and Springer Spaniel mix, yet she was on the small size, weighing 30 pounds at age two. Other people guessed Border Collie and Jack Russell Terrier.

Dan, a resident of Hollywood, California, wanted to know as much about Flora as he could. “I want to know who her mother and father were, where they are now, and show them Flora has grown up to be a great dog with a great life,” he says. Last summer he ordered the Canine Heritage test. The results showed that Flora’s parents were probably not purebreds — nothing listed in Primary category, just as Dan had suspected. The Secondary level, though, reported German Shepherd and Cocker Spaniel. Dan was amazed. “The Spaniel explains why she is so small, and the Shepherd explains why she is so smart!”

Kitty Cannon of Crystal Beach, Florida, and her husband had always played a guessing game about their dog’s breed makeup. When they learned about DNA testing in 2008, Kitty thought, “Why not? Since we can’t afford to have Fox cloned, maybe by knowing his breeds we can in the future look for another great dog with his traits.” They guessed Fox was part Collie or Sheltie. When their Canine Heritage results came back, they were surprised to get Bernese Mountain Dog in the Secondary category, and Chow Chow “In the Mix.” Only a higher being would know for sure whether the results are accurate, says Kitty, “but we do notice some similarities as to where he got his fur color, ear shape, and jowl line. We know they broke the mold with him and there will never be another.”

Evelyn Orenbuch, a veterinarian from Philadelphia, ordered the Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel MX for her rescue dog, Pia. “I wanted to know if Pia’s behavior had anything to do with the breeds I thought she had in her. We guessed Border Collie, Whippet, and…?” The results matched at only the lowest levels, revealing German Shepherd and a couple of other breeds. Dr. Orenbuch was somewhat disappointed, as she had hoped to have more information about Pia’s origin. Nonetheless, she says she would recommend the test to clients. “Knowing what breeds are in your dog helps you to understand his emotional and physical aspects. It may not change what you do with your dog or how you treat him, but it may help you to understand him.”

Breed Testing Criticism and Limitations

The Wisdom Panel (Mars Veterinary product) has been criticized because it requires a trip to a veterinarian and a blood draw. This increases the cost of testing, and could stress vet-averse dogs. Critics also suggest that blood samples can be damaged in transit to the lab.

Mars Veterinary defends its decision to use blood by explaining that DNA from a blood sample is the “gold standard” as the quality and quantity of DNA derived is better than from a buccal (cheek) swab. Mars Veterinary’s Dr. Hughes says that the DNA in blood is actually very hardy, and, in fact, the lab has to raise the temperature of the DNA to near boiling repeatedly during the SNP analyses. The company also uses specially designed plastic tubes to protect the blood tube in transit.

Cheek swab tests receive their own criticism. Buccal swabs have a higher failure rate due to variation in owner sampling, such as not collecting enough cells. Also, because of bacteria in dogs’ mouths, there is a potential for bacterial growth if the samples aren’t handled correctly.

Then there are criticisms from consumers. One recurrent theme of unhappy clients is that results of a DNA test failed to find a preponderance of any particular breed in their “very mixed mixed-breed” dogs. (See sections below.)

Another has to do with the fact that some dogs don’t look anything like the breeds that their tests detected. It’s difficult to feel good about a result that doesn’t confirm or explain anything about the dog’s physical appearance or behavior – and the companies’ explanations for this phenomenon may be unsatisfying.

The Wisdom Panel website says, “Many parts of the canine genome are likely to be unobservable or hidden with regard to trait determination. This can happen for any number of trait-determining genes. Simply put, a mixed-breed dog could be a mix of three or four breeds but have few traits evident from one or more of these breeds.”

MMIG’s explains: “Canine Heritage Breed Test only works for the breeds that have been validated. If your pet’s breed composition contains non-validated breed(s) the test may identify breed(s) earlier in your dog’s ancestry. This may cause identification of apparent unlikely breeds for your pet’s composition.” How valid are the results?

To get some perspective from an independent expert on canine DNA, we interviewed Beth Wictum, director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Wictum has been with the university for 30 years. She has participated in and witnessed the evolution of the science that makes it possible to identify an animal through the study of its tissue; during her tenure, “state of the art” has gone from blood typing to sequencing the genome.

Asked to comment on mixed-breed ID tests, Wictum emphasized that the tests are only as good as each company’s database; that is, if a breed is not represented in a company’s database, then the test will identify the next closest match. She explains by saying that purebred dogs, especially registered purebreds, have been intensively managed and have a limited genetic pool.

“Most breeds have been created through intense selection over the last few hundred years, so there has not been enough time for them to diverge through mutations,” she says. The differences between breeds lie in the selective breeding by breeders for morphology (structure) or behavior. Therefore, the ideal breed test would be one that looks at those traits that characterize each breed and makes them unique.

“The field of canine genetics is still young; the dog genome was only sequenced about five years ago,” she says. “We are just starting to identify the genes responsible for various traits.”

Like many scientists in this field, Wictum is excited about the potential for identifying the genetic basis for various diseases. She says the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at UC Davis and the Bannasch Laboratory (also at UC Davis) “are identifying the genetic basis of various diseases, which can then be offered as tests to the public. If you know what diseases may occur, you will be able to have your pet tested to see if he carries the mutation.”

Her advice concerning the mixed-breed DNA tests? “While these tests may indicate breeds that contributed to your pet’s genetic makeup, you must realize that they aren’t 100 percent accurate – and I don’t think they claim to be. If you have the money to spend and want to do it just for fun, then absolutely go ahead and do it.”

Some Owners Say Breed Testing is Not Worth It

Laura Pescador of Denver, Colorado, ordered the Canine Heritage test for Misha, her “60-pound, black and tan, square-nosed, short-haired, big-eared, deep-chested, bi-eyed mystery mix” in May 2008. Laura felt the breed combination she was told when she adopted Misha was unlikely (Australian Shepherd/Labrador Retriever); she was also hoping to receive a piece of paper that said that Misha was not a pit bull-mix, “Not because I don’t like them but because of my city’s breed-specific legislation.” Laura was disappointed to receive an “apology letter” with results stating that the test was inconclusive! On her certificate, next to “Primary” was written “Untested Breed,” while the other two categories were blank.

Scamper, Monty, and Rainey are three mixed breed dogs belonging to veterinarian J.C. Burcham, of Olathe, Kansas. In early 2008, she submitted blood samples for each dog to the Wisdom Panel test. Dr. Burcham was pretty sure that Monty was “several generations of mutts breeding to mutts” and had few expectations for his results. She calls Scamper a Jack Russell/Basenji/Beagle mix, so was expecting to see something like that, or even some terrier breed. Rainey was found as a puppy in rural Virginia, starving to death with two littermates, all three of whom looked like Border Collies.

When the results came in, Dr. Burcham was disappointed. “I felt like it was a complete waste of money! Rainey is clearly part Border Collie, and that was about the only reliable result I saw. Two of my three dogs were found to be “too complex” to identify. I could have told you that! That’s why I paid for the test.” Rainey’s results showed “some” Border Collie; however, she showed distant traces of Briard, Cairn Terrier, Great Dane, and Keeshond. Monty’s test revealed distant traces of Alaskan Malamute, Beagle, Bearded Collie, Chow Chow, and Smooth Fox Terrier, while Scamper’s showed trace amounts of Briard, Curly-Coated Retriever, and Shetland Sheepdog.

Dr. Burcham’s primary disappointment was seeing Briard in two of her dogs, which was unlikely, in her opinion. She was also annoyed that Scamper and Monty were dubbed “extremely complex mixed breed dogs.” With just 10-15 percent of mixed breed dogs falling into that category (according to Mars Veterinary), how could she have two of them?

I shared Dr. Burcham’s disappointment with Dr. Hughes, the Mars Veterinary consultant, and she offered to not just look at, but also to rerun the three tests. In the year since Dr.
Burcham submitted the samples, 23 additional breeds have been added to the Mars Veterinary database, and its algorithms have been modified. The company had found that the program was breaking down dogs into a lot of small pieces, “losing the forest through the trees,” resulting in some false positives. Results now are typically a smaller number of breeds and potentially in larger “amounts.”

When Rainey’s test was run again, Briard and Cairn Terrier did not appear; they had most likely been false positives. Border Collie bumped up to the Significant (parent) level, and Great Dane and Keeshound showed up at the Intermediate (grandparent) level. Monty’s results showed Beagle and Chow moving to the Intermediate (grandparent) level; the other breeds still were evident but could not be called with confidence, so they were likely false positives in the first test.

Scamper’s new results still revealed a “very mixed dog.” Curly-Coated Retriever moved to the Intermediate (grandparent) level, and Golden Retriever showed up at the Minor level. Briard and Sheltie were potentially part of her distant history or false positives. Also detected were Anatolian Shepherd and Australian Cattle Dog, which Dr. Hughes felt were more likely than Briard and Sheltie.

Nancy Kerns Weighs In

Of course when author Lisa Rodier proposed the idea of writing an article about the mixed-breed identification tests, [ wanted to have my mixed-breed dog, Otto, tested – you know, just for journalism’s sake! But which test should we order, from which company? We quickly decided to order the most extensive product from each of the two industry leading companies and compare the results.

Otto had a vet appointment coming up, which I used as an opportunity to have his blood drawn for the Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel. We followed the normal protocol: I paid the vet for the blood draw and the test; his staff sent the sample to the lab, and gave me a test ID number so I could check on the progress of the test using the Wisdom Panel website.

The following day, I brought Otto with me to PETCO to buy a test kit for MMIG’s Canine Heritage “XL” test (this company has since been bought by Wisdom Panel). PETCO’s grooming department staffhave been trained by MMIG to collect cheek swabs. Following the trip to the vet the previous day, Otto was nervous, so I collected the cheek swab myself (but asked a PETCO staff member to pose with the sample and its mailing envelope, you know, for science).

DNA Test Suspense

Waiting for results was excruciating 7 especially since Canine Heritage sent me an e-mail the day after I mailed the cheek swab, confirming its receipt in its Davis, California laboratory (I live about 70 miles from Davis). This gave me the idea that I might receive results soon – but it took a full seven weeks to receive them in the mail! (MMIG says results should arrive in six to eight weeks; it was just the anticipation that made this wait seem interminable. Plus the fact that you can’t get the results online.) I checked the website for the Wisdom Panel results every day. Just three weeks after Otto had his blood drawn, I saw that the results were complete, and I could download the Adobe Acrobat file that contained them.

So? What is Breed is Otto?

The Wisdom Panel results said, “The analysis revealed that Otto is a fairly mixed dog and we have not found evidence of a purebred parent or grandparent.” (I think I knew that!) There were no results at the “Significant” or “Intermediate” level. However, at the “Minor” level, these four breeds appeared: German Shepherd Dog, *Basenji, *Chow Chow, and *Border Collie. The asterisks indicated “Minor amount detected at low confidence. These results are not included in accuracy calculations.” (Me: “Basenji?!”)

The Canine Heritage results showed nothing in the “Primary” category, Chow Chow in the “Secondary” category, and Poodle and Border Collie “In the Mix.” (Me: “POODLE?!”)

My Expectations

I would have guessed that Otto had some German Shepherd Dog in him, and I was even expecting some Chow Chow. He definitely has a GSD-sort of tail and his ears are very Chow. When he’s soaking wet and his hair is slicked down, his body shape looks a little like a Golden Retriever. And I was certain there had to be some terrier breed in him. How else do you explain that fuzz-face?

The shelter that I adopted him from guessed he was Airedale and Border Terrier. (I give them a break; he was only about five months and little when they got him.) Though this breed does not appear in either the Canine Heritage or Wisdom Panel database, author Lisa Rodier was rooting for a Picardy Shepherd (Berger Picard) result; she thinks he’s a ringer for the Winn-Dixie dog. Nobody guessed Border Collie, Poodle, or Basenji.

Why Didn’t the DNA Tests Work?

How can the two companies have such different results for Otto?

We asked Theresa Brady, spokeswoman for MMIG, to address this question. She replied, “Each company developed its test independently, so there are a number of factors that can result in different breeds recognized in a particular dog. During the research phase, each company must identify a set of DNA markers that characterize differences from breed to breed. Then these markers must be characterized in a set of dogs representing the pure breeds.

“Not only are these markers different across companies, but the number and source of the purebred dogs are different. No company can test every purebred dog representing a breed, and every company will have developed software that is used to compare these genetic markers across breeds.

“Some breeds, however, are closely related because they were developed from the crossing of older, more established breeds. For example, Boston Terriers were developed from the crossing of the English Bulldog and English White Terrier. So, depending on the software program, the markers established for the purebreds and the population of breeds in each company’s database, the same dog may test ‘Boston Terrier’ with one company and ‘English Bulldog’ with another.

“Some breeds are related because they arose from a common lineage, such as many of those breeds developed from Asia. Early on, we (MMIG) recognized that the Chow Chow, the Akita, the Siberian Husky, the Chinese Shar-Pei, and even the Shih-Tzu can cluster together as one general breed type so we developed an enhanced program and analysis procedure to split these apart. Thus it is not surprising that the companies may report slightly different results, especially for the breeds that have just a small representation in the mixed breed pet.”

Addressing any results that appear in the “Secondary” section of a report (where they detected Chow Chow in Otto), the MMIG (Canine Heritage) results packet says, “This category reports breeds that might be easily recognizable within your dog. While these breeds may or may not have a strong influence on your pet, each breed listed makes up less than the majority of your dog’s DNA.”

Addressing results that appear in the “In the Mix” section of a report (where they detected Poodle and Border Collie in Otto), the Canine Heritage packet says, “This final category identifies breeds that have the least amount of influence on your pet’s composition. They still appear, at low and measurable amounts, in your pet’s DNA. If your pet’s results only identify breeds in this category, it is possible your pet is composed of so many breeds only small influences from each breed can be detected.”

The Mars Veterinary (Wisdom Panel) results packet explains, “Because of the complexity of genetics and the passing on of dominant and recessive genes from generation to generation, every trait from the breeds we found may not always be visually apparent. It is important to spend time closely observing Otto’s appearance and personality. Think about which of Otto’s traits may reflect a combination of the breeds detected, and which seem to reflect just one of the individual breeds.”

Our Opinion on Breed Testing

I have to say that I found the whole exercise very interesting, but not necessarily worth the cost. Given that the results for my very mixed-breed dog were so weak, the idea that they might help me anticipate certain health or behavior problems linked to the breeds found is not very compelling. But I doubt that’s why most people order the tests; I think most of us are just curious.

Having spent so much time examining and admiring the technological achievements that went into the development of these DNA tests, Lisa Rodier was afraid I would pooh-pooh the science behind these tests because I was so skeptical of the breeds detected in Otto’s lineage. It’s not that; I trust the science. I believe there are traces of these breeds (and many others) in Otto. It’s just that I already knew he was a very mixed dog, just from a (free!) look at him. And if he wasn’t such a mixed bag – if he looked a lot like one particular breed, I’d probably be satisfied with the idea that he was mostly that breed; I wouldn’t spend $100-plus to confirm it.

That said, I must admit I will be interested to see how the results might change in a few years, after these companies put thousands and thousands more dogs into their databases. Which breeds will “fall off” of Otto’s results as meaningless “background noise”? Will the Picardy Shepherd be added? It could still develop that Otto is a limp-eared Picardy who fell out of a French tourist’s car somewhere in the Northern California wine country…We’ll check back with these companies in a few years, and let you know.

– Nancy Kerns

Dog DNA Testing FAQs

Canine mixed breed tests seem to be a very emotional topic. Those who have used the tests and have gotten the results they expected tend to be proponents, while those who received weak results or results that didn’t seem to square with the dog’s appearance tend to regret the purchase. But does that mean the tests don’t work? Here’s a stab at trying to explain some of what might be going on.

Breed results are reported in levels; Why is my dog only getting “minor” or “trace” breeds and no strong hits?

Dr. Hughes explained that most likely the dog’s parents and grandparents were themselves mixed breed, and a portion of the dog’s ancestry can be mixed beyond three generations which, for Mars Veterinary, is the extent of the company’s confidence. There is also the possibility that a breed is not covered in the database (for example, none of the tests’ databases include Rat Terrier) so the test will look for the most closely related breed.

My dog looks like X, but the test says she’s Y…

Dr. Hughes explains that we want to associate a particular trait with one breed, but in actuality, it could be coming from a number of breeds. And when we move across breeds, combinations of genes can create very unusual outcomes.

One way she looks at the issue is first looking at a dog’s traits, defining what genes are necessary to get those traits, and then asking whether we can get those genes in a particular breed? For example, the merle color pattern, very common in Australian Shepherds, comes from a single gene, and a dog need only have one copy of that gene to exhibit that color pattern, And guess what? Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, and Great Danes can all provide that gene.

Black and tan coats are commonly associated with Rottweilers and Dobermans. But Chihuahuas, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, and Poodles all carry this gene mutation. But in this case, it is recessive, so two copies must come together for

us to actually see that color pattern.

Meg Retinger of BioPet also points out that in some very mixed dogs, you might only see very subtle traits, such as the shape of the ear or the eyes. Her son’s dog tested as showing Beagle, yet she looks very much like a Labrador. When she howls, however, she sounds like pure Beagle!

My dog is a Labradoodle (Labrador Retriever-Poodle cross), so why doesn’t the test say she’s a 50/50 mix?

We let Theresa Brady of MMIG address this, as she herself owns a Labradoodle. When she tested her dog using the Canine Heritage test, the results showed that Poodle was a Secondary breed, with Labrador Retriever “In the Mix.”

She explains, “You should know that my dog came from a breeder who claimed that the dog was seventh generation Labradoodle, which means that neither of her parents was a purebred (purebred Poodle or Retriever) and neither of their parents were purebred and so on. It makes sense, then, that she had nothing show up in Primary.” When I asked why the Poodle was Secondary, but not the Retriever, her guess was that the breeder probably crossed back more Poodle, looking for a more hypoallergenic coat. Dr. Hughes adds, “When breeding Labradoodle to Labradoodle, the “amount’ of Lab or Poodle genes passed down is random chance (think of a Pachinko machine). Testing the dog’s littermates may show very different proportions of each of these breeds. That being said, some ‘Labradoodle’ breeders are back-crossing Labradoodles to Poodles to change the size or coat of the dogs. I have seen some really strange looking Labradoodles!”

How can dog DNA tests get better?

Increasing the size of the database, increasing the number of markers, and overall innovations in technology will see the tests become better tools. Also, as research continues on canine genetics, a better understanding of genes and how they relate to various breed traits will play a role in making a better test.

Lisa Rodier lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, with her husband and two Bouviers.

Enjoying Your New Dog as The Seasons Turn to Spring

By
Nancy Kerns
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Spring is here and so is shedding season! Suddenly, every carpet in the house is woven with dog hair. Otto has what can be best described as a “combination coat” (I just made that up). Much of his outer coat is made up of long, stiff, straight hair – resembling that from a German Shepherd, or maybe a Labrador – that seems to wriggle into the carpet pattern itself. My vacuum is helpless in the face of this hair. Admittedly, it’s not a great vacuum, so cleaning the few carpets we have has turned into aerobic exercise.

Enjoying Your New Dog

Otto was not delighted with being brushed and having his hair pulled out, but he did like the attention, affection, and treats; overall the experience was a wash!

Quite some time ago, Black & Decker sent me a new DustBuster (handheld power vacuum) to try. This one is the “Retriever Pet Series Cyclonic Action,” and it plugs in; it’s powerful, unlike wimpy cordless models I’ve owned in my past. Used with its “turbo brush” (spinning rubber bristles) attachment, it’s fantastic at getting pet hair off our couch. But with an approximately three-inch intake, it’s not useful for cleaning entire carpets.

My sister Pam has been telling me I absolutely have to get the same vacuum she recently bought: A Dyson “Animal.” She has three small white dogs and swears that she had enough hair to make another, larger dog out of the stuff that the new vacuum cleaned up on its inaugural tour through her house. “I had forgotten what a dark color my couches actually were!” she reported, incredulous. “And my rugs are beautiful!”

Otto also has a softer, shorter coat underneath, which is coming out by the literal handful – although, curiously, this is not the hair we find so much of in the house. This hair mostly comes out through petting. You can’t pet him right now without inadvertently collecting a pile of loose hair at the end of your handstroke.

The other day, I used a “grooming rake” – a tool with short metal teeth – to loosen and pull out some of this thick undercoat, and quickly amassed a big pile of hair on the lawn. But the tool didn’t remove any of that long, wiry hair on the top of his coat, and it’s shedding, too. I started pulling this long hair – gently! – and found it came out pretty easily. I know that this is an actual grooming technique; I have a good friend who has a German Wire-Haired Pointer, and she’s paid good money to have him professionally “hand-stripped” (as opposed to clipped with clippers). Between the raking and pulling, Otto looks much more sleek.

Trip to the vet
One of the reasons I wanted to clean Otto up was for a trip to the vet’s office. I took him in for a few reasons.

The first is exciting. Lisa Rodier, a regular contributor to WDJ (and who interviewed trainer Victoria Stilwell for the article on page 4 of this issue), is working on an article for us about the new DNA tests that are supposed to be able to determine the genetic contributors to any mixed breed dog. There are two leading companies offering this service; the Canine Heritage Breed Test analyzes some of the dog’s cheek cells (which you collect with a special swab that the company provides in its test kit). The Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed Analysis requires a sample of blood, drawn by a participating veterinarian. For purposes of the article, Lisa and I decided to have both tests done on the same dog, so we could compare the results. And Otto got to be our test subject! (We don’t have the results yet, but will share them with you in an article in the June or July issue.)

Enjoying Your New Dog

The goats didn’t like the looks or behavior of the new dog. They reared and stomped their feet at Otto.

I haven’t taken Otto to any veterinarian since I adopted him last June. In another month, he’d be due for two bits of routine veterinary business, so I combined a trip for the blood draw for the DNA test with a heartworm test and a rabies vaccine.

Heartworm
Where I live, heartworm infections in dogs are common. I’ve lived in parts of California where I made a calculated decision to forego heartworm preventative medication for my dogs, based on the incredibly low prevalence of the disease in those areas.

Oroville, in contrast, seems to offer an ideal climate to mosquitoes – the vital carriers of several life stages of the heartworm. There also seems to be an ample reservoir of the infection in our local wildlife – and perhaps the unprotected dogs of the area, too. Employees of the animal shelter in our town can attest that most dogs who are kept outdoors and who aren’t routinely given heartworm preventatives will contract a lethal infection of the parasites.

As we reported in articles such as “Parasites Within Parasites” (August 2006); “Heartworm: Don’t Take It Lightly” (March 2006); and “Reflections on Heartworm” (August 2002); there are holistic vets and some dog owners who feel that the potential dangers of heartworm preventive medications outweigh the health risks to the dog. Instead, these individuals focus on a two-pronged approach to preventing heartworm disease.

Enjoying Your New Dog

Otto is inextricably drawn to the more defensive goat. Her assertive behavior intrigued him. At this point, he’s more curious than scared.

The first goal is to boost the dog’s immune system – often through biologically appropriate raw diets, and herbal and other supplements. The idea is to increase the ability of the dog’s immune system to detect and kill any larval forms of the heartworm that they are infected with (through the bite of a carrier mosquito).

It’s not as farfetched as it might sound. Researchers are aware that some dogs are somehow able to live long, symptom-free lives despite light infections with adult heartworms. And other dogs seem to be able to resist the infections so well that larval heartworms never survive to maturity; they test heartworm-free in spite of regular exposure to infected mosquitoes.

Other owners take a different (or a complementary) tack: they focus on protecting their dogs from mosquitoes, often with nontoxic mosquito repellents made of strong essential oils.

While I respect dog owners who are able to succeed at these efforts, I’m not brave enough to seek out alternatives to conventional heartworm preventatives; nor am I particularly worried about medication’s side effects. In contrast, I’m scared to death of heartworm infections. I’ve seen dogs with severe heartworms infections, and it’s not pretty. I’ve also seen dogs go through treatment for an infection, and that’s nerve-wracking as well. Immediately following treatment, the dog requires total cage-rest while the dead worms are shed from his circulatory tract into his lungs; complications are common. Treated dogs sometimes need steroids, antibiotics, fluids, and aggressive nursing care to pull through.

Enjoying Your New Dog

The feeling was mutual. Otto repeatedly rushed the fence barking. He seems more scared than predatory, though.

I do administer heartworm preventative to Otto on a slightly longer schedule than is recommended by the manufacturer (as described in detail in the March 2006 article mentioned earlier). I give the medication to Otto every 40 to 45 days.

Most veterinarians require a negative heartworm test each year, before they will renew a dog’s prescription for preventative; that’s one of the reasons I took Otto to the vet. Happily, his test was negative, as I hope it always will be.

Rabies vaccines
Otto received a one-year rabies vaccine in the shelter from which I adopted him, not quite a year ago. Given that he was brought into the shelter as a stray of approximately six months of age, he may or may not have received other rabies vaccines before that.

Administration of the rabies vaccine is a matter of state law. To protect the health of the (human) population from this fatal disease, public health officials in each state enforce laws that decide whether dogs must receive a vaccination against rabies annually, or every three years. California is a three-year state.

Enjoying Your New Dog

He turned away from the goats and toward me each time I said “Off!” Our daily “off” practice is paying, um, off.

The rabies vaccine causes the greatest number of adverse reactions of the most common vaccines that dogs are given. As a result, owners of chronically ill dogs, or those who have had previous vaccine reactions, might want to consider applying for a rabies waiver. However, Otto is a young, healthy dog, and we live in an area where skunks, bats, raccoons, and other wildlife carriers of rabies are common. Unvaccinated feral cats, too, are quite common in this area. Skunks and feral cats were both living under our house before we moved in, and Otto patrols our property nightly to prevent intrusions by these potential carriers of disease. I felt fine about arranging for a three-year rabies vaccine.

Big surprise
Since this was only Otto’s second trip to a veterinarian (and I brought him to a different clinic than the one I brought him to after I adopted him), I came equipped with a bait bag and a lot of Otto’s favorite treats: cut-up hot dogs. I gave him lots of treats for sits, downs, and stands, keeping him distracted from the mewing cat in a carrier across the waiting room.

Enjoying Your New Dog

My friend doled out crackers for all the dogs and goats. Otto was polite, but after hot dogs, the crackers were not yummy enough to hold his interest.

When the cat and her family were called into the exam room, I took Otto over to the scale in the waiting room, and although it took a lot of treats to get him to step on it, I was finally able to see Otto’s current weight. It was a big surprise! When I adopted him last June, Otto weighed 44 pounds, and it has not seemed to me that he’s grown very much. He lost a little puppy flab, and he’s put on more muscle, but he doesn’t seem significantly bigger than when I got him. In fact, he’s 20 pounds heavier!

This wouldn’t be a big deal, except for the fact that I’ve been giving him heartworm preventative for dogs that weigh from 25 to 50 pounds; he should have been receiving a higher dose. I bought a new supply of the larger dose.

I adjust the amount of dry dog food that I feed Otto based on the amount of exercise he is getting and on how his weight looks. I give him a little less on the days when we don’t manage to go out for a long walk or hard run, and give him a bit more on the days when he burns more calories. And when he looks a little heavy, I reduce his portions a bit more. This is pretty unscientific, but the vet who examined him agreed that his weight looks good; he is healthy.

Getting his goat
Otto’s weight gain was my surprise of the month. Meeting a pair of goats was his!

We’ve passed horses on walks before, and his response to them was decidedly ho-hum. So I really didn’t expect Otto’s agitated reaction to the goats.

I recently started going for mountain bike rides with a new friend, Leonora. We’ve met on the trails near my house before, and one recent Saturday, Leonora proposed a ride from her house, which is located about a dozen miles out of town, and higher up in the foothills than the town of Oroville. She also invited me to bring Otto, so he could play with her dogs; they could all hang out together in her quarter-acre, fenced dog run while we went riding. Otto gets along especially well with three-year-old Matilda. He’s slightly less crazy about Leonora’s newest dog, a five-month-old mixed-breed pup named Lena, and he pretty much ignores tiny S’mores, a Chihuahua.

Enjoying Your New Dog

The behavior of the goats, as much as Otto’s continued interest in them, tells me that he should be watched carefully around them for some time to come.

When we got to Leonora’s house, Otto was so glad to see the dogs that he failed to notice the goats for probably the first hour that we were there. Suddenly I heard a loud, “Wooo, woo woo woo!” Recognizing Otto’s “watchdog” bark, I ran around the corner of Leonora’s house to see two very agitated goats and one very aroused Otto facing each other across a wire mesh fence. All three animals had all the hair on their backs standing straight up; I didn’t know goats did that, too!

The goats are familiar with Leonora’s dogs; they even play and are affectionate with gentle Matilda. But they took an immediate exception to Otto; there was something about him that just looked like trouble to them.

One thing that I have learned is that you never know when an opportunity to teach your dog something new will arise, so it’s best to always carry treats. I had the benefit of a bait bag full of cut-up hot dogs, so in a clear voice, I said “Otto! Off!” And because we practice this exercise practically every day, he immediately looked away from the goats and started trotting toward me for the reward he knew was forthcoming. Jackpot! What a good dog. I gave him a steady stream of hot dog bits and praise, and then we headed back to the goat pen to work a little more.

The goats were still on red alert, so Leonora headed into the pen with Matilda, to pet and calm them. If it seemed that Otto might try to attack the goats, I would have put him on-leash, but given that he responded so well to my “off” cue, I felt I would be able to control him well enough to avoid real trouble.

I was so proud of him. I allowed him to approach the fence to get a closer look, and I said “Off!” if he barked or rushed at the goats. Each time I said “Off!” he turned to me for a treat, and even seemed to put his fur down and forget about the strange hoofed animals for a few seconds.

After a few minutes, Leonora came out of the pen and started handing out crackers to all the animals, canine and caprine (the latter means goats; I just learned that). The goats calmed down, and all the dogs sat politely for their crackers. After a few treats, Otto apparently decided that crackers weren’t that great, and he broke ranks to approach the fence again. However, as before, he turned away the moment I said “Off!” and looked to me for some more hot dogs. I decided to end the day’s lesson on that note, and took him back up to the house. The goats still didn’t trust him, and I wouldn’t at this point, either. But I think we made good progress for his first “getting along with livestock” lesson.

Download the Full May 2009 Issue PDF

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Nancy Kerns
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Don’t Go There

By
Nancy Kerns
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I wish they would stick to reviewing cars and vacuum cleaners and stay away from dogs. That was my first response to the short articles about pet food that appeared in the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports. People keep asking me about the articles – maybe because WDJ has been described as the Consumer Reports of the dog world? That used to make me happy, but now, I don’t know.

Nancy Kerns

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In case you missed it, here are the highlights of that magazine’s coverage:

•Expensive dog food is not necessarily better than cheap dog food.

•Homemade diets are more likely to make your dog sick than inexpensive dog food.

•Buying foods that contain certain ingredients is less important than “overall nutrient profile.”

Who came up with these pearls of wisdom? They weren’t named; they were only described as eight experts in animal nutrition from seven top veterinary schools. Well, that’s part of the problem right there. The giants of the pet food industry make huge investments in the education of veterinary nutritionists; Consumer Reports, to its credit, did note that seven of the eight experts have received some funding from the pet food industry. It’s no wonder that the best advice these experts can offer sounds as if it was written by industry itself. What I want to know is, who was that eighth expert? Would he or she like to write for WDJ?

For what it’s worth, this is how I interpreted the article’s main points:

•For the past decade, sales of dog foods that are considered “premium” (expensive ingredients, high-priced) have been growing faster than the sales of cheap foods. The makers of cheap foods spend a lot of money on feeding trials that prove that dogs can survive just fine on cheap food; they see no reason for people to be buying more and more expensive food.

•Homemade diets take far too long to explain. People are not smart enough to feed themselves properly, much less dogs. Owners should leave thinking to the experts.

•Don’t look at the ingredients list! It could burn your eyes! Instead, look at the column of numbers under “Guaranteed Analysis.” See? It all adds up to 100 percent. So stop worrying!

Note: I mention two different brands of vacuum in the article on page 20. Don’t be influenced by this! Consumer Reports is still absolutely the best place to find reliable, independent information about vacuums. And cars, too, I hear.

How to Stop Your Dog From Chewing All of Your Shoes

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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For almost any challenging dog event there are at least five relatively easy things you can do to defuse the crisis and reduce the likelihood of a return engagement of the unwanted behavior. “Action Plan” is a new column that will offer five simple solutions for one common undesirable dog behavior. Feel free to suggest your favorites!

Here are five things to do about the dog who chews up your shoes:

1. Breathe

Even if your dog still has your $600 pair of leather Gladiator sandals in his mouth, take three deep breaths to calm yourself. Then grab a high-value treat out of the plastic container of treats that you keep handy in every room of the house – you do, right? – and quietly trade him for the shoe. Tell him he’s a good boy when he gives up the sandal for the treat, and absolutely resist the urge to punish him! You’ll get your shoe back faster, with less damage, if you cheerfully trade for it rather than chasing him around. If you punish him, it’ll be that much harder to get the next shoe back. (See “Thanks for Sharing,” Whole Dog Journal September 2001.)

Stop Dog From Chewing Shoes

2. “Dog-Proof”

…the house for items you really don’t want him to chew. Put your shoes in a closet and close the door. It really can be that simple. Often, management is the answer, rather than training.

3. Restrict

Limit your dog to smaller, more dog-proofable areas if you can’t dog-proof the whole house: Prevent your dog’s access to any areas where tempting, chewable footwear might be left lying about. Use baby gates, tethers, doors, and leashes to restrict his activities to dog-proofed areas or, if necessary, to the “right under your nose” zone. (See “Upper Level Management,” October 2001.)

4. Get Him Some Appropriate Chew Things

“Appropriate” means things that are safe, reasonably healthful, and that he likes. If he doesn’t chew what you’ve already bought him, keep searching until you find things he does chew. Not every dog loves hard plastic ersatz bones. Remember that leather shoes are just treated animal hide – not so very different from a cow ear or any of the other animal-parts chewies now on the market. A Pizzle makes a fine alternative to shoe leather. Stuffed Kongs are high on the “appropriate chew things” list. You can create stuffing recipes to tempt all but the most finicky of chewers.

If you have a dedicated chewer get him a black Kong – they are the toughest. Thick raw carrots can also make great chew toys.

5. Increase His Exercise

That’s mental exercise, by the way, as well as physical exercise. Unless you’re walking a marathon, remember that an on-leash walk is a mere exercise hors d’oeurve for a dog. A walk is a nice social outing, but exercise means when you get done he plops to the floor, stretches out on his side, happily panting, for a long nap.

So, it’s a rousing game of fetch, with you standing on top of the hill and tossing the ball down to the bottom. It’s an invigorating round of tug, or an off-leash hike in the hills with your dog running circles around you. Mental exercise is positive training that encourages your dog to think. My personal favorite for mental exercise is shaping. (See “The Shape of Things to Come,” March 2006; and “A Puzzling Activity,” June 2008.)

Victoria Stilwell Promotes Positive Dog Training on Television

By
Lisa Rodier
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Entering its sixth season, the Animal Planet TV channel’s “It’s Me or the Dog” takes dog trainer Victoria Stilwell into the homes of frustrated couples and families to help them troubleshoot issues with their problem pooches. Broadcast in 21 countries, the show was based for its first four seasons in Stilwell’s native United Kingdom, while the past two seasons have seen the show move to U.S. soil, taping in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Victoria Stilwell

photo courtesy Victoria stilwell

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Stilwell is also author of It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet (Hyperion Books, 2007) and Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet (Collins, 2007). Stilwell’s mission is to bring her positive training message to the masses. We had time to sit down with her in Atlanta, in between West Coast swings, to talk about her work.

Whole Dog Journal: How did you come to positive training?

I remember when I was first starting to learn and I was walking dogs and teaching them to heel. The way that we used to teach them to heel was to give them a leash jerk, and then the dog would stay by your side for a little bit. But then I thought, Wait a second. What does this word “heel” mean to a dog? It means, I say the word “heel,” and then it means leash jerk! The dog’s not learning to walk close to me because he wants to, he’s learning to walk close to me because he fears what’s going to happen to him if he doesn’t. I have to say this was a long, long, time ago. I thought, “This is bizarre, this is stupid; surely there’s a smarter way.”

I learned from a behaviorist who was very mixed – using traditional and positive training – and then I met some more positive reinforcement trainers in the U.K. and I said That’s it! That’s it! That feels much more comfortable, that makes sense, to build a relationship that’s based on cooperation, not dominance. Much better!

Describe your training philosophy.

I believe the best kind of leaders lead without force. In the beginning when I first started learning, I learned sort of a mixture. I never felt comfortable using that kind of approach (traditional methods); this was about 15 years ago when I first got into training. I realized the dogs actually responded much, much better when you used positive reinforcement. You reward a behavior you like, and there’s a chance of that behavior being repeated. It’s as simple as that!

I didn’t like jerking a dog on a leash, and I didn’t like yelling. I used to use quite loud sounds – sound aversion – that I don’t use now. I learned different methods from different people, and took the stuff I liked. The discipline now that I like to use is guidance. It’s constructive discipline, not destructive. I would say I’m not violently positive [laughs] because I do believe that there has to be discipline; I do believe at certain times you have to say no to your dog. The discipline that I use now is a vocal sound as an interrupter of behavior, a time-out (removal), or ignoring the behavior.

Who are your mentors or from whom do you take inspiration?

Dr. Ian Dunbar. Patricia McConnell – big time; I just love her books, she’s God’s gift to training. Suzanne Clothier – I think she’s a real pioneer, she’s intense, she has a mind that puts all of our minds to shame. She’s an incredible person. If anybody should pick out the Obama family puppy, she should. Jean Donaldson. I’ve learned a lot from her. I’ve also got some fabulous trainer friends here [in Atlanta], wonderful people. And that’s what I love as well. I would say for any trainers, try and get with other trainers because it’s so wonderful to be able to talk through ideas.

For example, one dog on my program, a Boxer, who was on the first program we filmed here in the U.S., I had three days with this dog, which was not long enough. He was very dog-aggressive, very insecure, very unconfident. By the end of the program, we could only get him to a certain point, so we’re still working with him. Unfortunately, after filming, he blew out two knees, so he was in a crate for six months, basically. So we’re back working with him again now, and my trainer friends, we all do it together. We go and it’s two hours of absolutely inspiring, stimulating, exciting work; I love it. I love when we train together.

And the trainers I hang out with, we are open to seeing other things. We might not agree with them, but we are open to seeing. There are a couple of incredibly good trainers I know who work with very difficult dogs, and they use remote [collars]. I was open to going and seeing this method. Now, whether you agree with it or disagree with it – I don’t really like it – but I’m open to seeing it. And I think that’s the mark of a good trainer; you must know what else is out there in order to be able to form your own opinion.

Do you see a general trend toward positive or more traditional (compulsion-based) methods?

In England, there’s much more positive reinforcement. There are still some traditional and compulsion trainers there, but I think they’re much further ahead in England when it comes to training dogs. Whereas here in the United States, I’m absolutely shocked at the amount of traditional/compulsion trainers still training this way, who truly believe and “validate” what they’re doing. “My dog’s well behaved [due to compulsion-based methods].” “I’m going to get my dog to do what I want it to; I’m going to make my dog well behaved.”

I see it in trainers who have been training for many, many years who do not want to change their ways, but also I have to say . . . some TV programs that are now very popular have set dog training back 40 years. No TV program is perfect. Surely there’s stuff with mine that maybe I would change. For example, we didn’t show more process, so it seems like a quick fix.

But, on the whole, the positive reinforcement message is getting out. There are two camps; there is a battle going on and I will fight it. Any person who trains in the dominance style of traditional training does not have my vote. It’s the idea that if your animal misbehaves you discipline it, you dominate it, you make it submissive toward you so that it doesn’t misbehave anymore. But there’s no emphasis on relationship.

Why not use aversives, especially when they work?

They work to a point. “Quick fixes very quickly come unstuck,” that’s my motto. I would rather my dog follows me and does stuff for me because she wants to, rather than because she’s made to. And unfortunately, there are people who don’t care. As long as their dog behaves, they don’t care [what method they use]. But I care and I think that we, who domesticated these animals, we’d better do our utmost to make their lives as rewarding as we can because we brought them into our homes. They’re living, breathing, essential beings, and they need our support to live in our domestic world.

How do you feel about taking on the challenge of re-training the world’s dog owners not to use force and violence?

I feel very honored by the challenge. I’m by no means the best trainer in the world, I’ve never claimed to be. I just had an idea for a TV program; I wanted to take my positive reinforcement message out to the masses and it worked. I feel very honored, but I’m a bit of a fighter. And people who know me know that I’m a fighter, and I’m going to win this battle.

How do you educate people about positive training? What do they want to hold on to about traditional training?

I tell them, first of all, if you are learning, when you went to school, what kind of schooling would you have preferred to receive? Would you prefer to learn by getting gold stars for working really well, or would you prefer to learn by being punished if you weren’t? In nursery school, I remember getting a ruler on my hand! I was three years old, and I remember that. And I hated it, and I hated the teachers, and I couldn’t wait to leave and I would cry and pretend I was sick to my Mom so I didn’t have to go. Then I went to a new school, and it was reward-based, with wonderful teachers, and I wanted to go to school, I wanted to learn, and I learned much more! That’s the kind of education that I wanted to receive. And it’s your responsibility to give your dog a good canine education.

But let’s get down to the very crux of the problem: people don’t have time. So if the shock works on their dog, that’s bloody well going to do it. They don’t have time.

Many people say, “Give me something that works quickly.” Which is why the CM (Cesar Millan) program . . . it’s edited beautifully to make it look so wonderful, but it’s interesting because some of the cases on there that are labeled “successes,” are so not successful to a trainer’s eye; we’re howling at the television. This dog is freaked out, yet it’s labeled a success, and that’s what people are watching, that’s what people are thinking. And unfortunately, people do not have time to read, they don’t want to be educated, it’s a fast society; get my dog to behave and that’s enough. And that’s what we’re battling.

That begs the question of why, in our time-crunched society, are people getting dogs?

Companionship. [But sometimes] it’s a pleasure for when they want it, and obviously, a lot of it is a fashion statement. I always say to people when they want to get a dog: What do you think you can offer the dog? If a dog was going to choose to come into your home, what experiences do you think it would have? How do you think it’s going to feel, living with you? Tell me about you? Do you shout a lot? Do you sleep a lot? Tell me about you. And then see what kind of dog might be able to live with you. And if you think you don’t have time, and you’ve got five kids – well, don’t do it.

How do you feel about trying to educate people about the science of behavior modification versus what people think of as training – making the dog just do something, as quickly as possible?

I ask them, what kind of leader do you want to be? Do you want your dog to look up to you and do things because he wants to, or do things because he fears you? You choose. If you want the former, I’ll work with you. If you want the latter, I’m not your person and I’ll caution you against it. Do you want to have a relationship built on cooperation, or one built on domination? You can go down the other route, it’s your prerogative, but I feel sorry for your dog. And I feel sorry ultimately for you because I think you’re going to encounter a lot of problems with your dog in the future.

Are people able to get their brains around what you are saying?

They really are. I can be pretty blunt, but I’m also compassionate.

Those of us who use positive training can get frustrated when we see someone using aversives. How do we convince someone that there is another way?

Victoria Stilwell

Inc.

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If you fight fire with fire, you’ll get burned. The person will get irritated.

I try to explain, “Hey, there’s a different way, and it’s exciting!” I was on a beach in Florida, and a guy was walking his Golden Retriever and it was lunging at other dogs, and he would slam it down, put it in an alpha roll and stand over it, then he’d get up, walk, and then another dog would go past, and the dog would lunge, and he would slam it on the ground. My husband said to me, “Oh no, please, don’t go over there.”

But it’s like stopping a raging bull. I said, “I’m not going to go over there and slam him. I’m going to go over, introduce myself, say who I am, and tell him there’s a better way.” And I worked with him for a half an hour, and we had the dog not lunging at other dogs that were walking past. And the owner said, “Oh my gosh! That’s amazing!” It’s not amazing, but for people who haven’t seen it before, it is.

What about when people object to training with food?

“Oh, I’m bribing my dog.” No you’re not, you’re giving incentives! I say, look, you don’t have to use food! Find out what your dog’s most powerful motivators are: food, toys, play, praise, or something else? Let’s find out. Many people think positive reinforcement trainers only use food, but we don’t. I reinforce everything all the time, but I’ll do it with praise, and the next time with food, then the next time with praise, then I’ll pet the dog; I vary it. But I believe that we need to give feedback.Your expectation is there will always continue to be rewards of some sort?

Yes! Mark it, as you like to be marked, “Oh, you look nice today,” or “That was a really good job!” Mark it, it makes them feel good. Let’s make our dogs feel good about what they are doing!

I’ve heard you say that people who train dogs need to love not only dogs, but people.

Absolutely, and I do love people, and I think that is the most important thing. Because if you do not have the ability to change the person’s mind, to encourage the person to change, to encourage the person to train her dog, and to carry on training, you’ve failed. Show them that they can get results the other way and then people have an “Oh my gosh” moment: “I couldn’t believe that my dog would do this!” and the dog’s looking much happier. And the relationship begins to grow.

So do you come at it with the approach of dealing with the people, first?You bet. Always. It surprises me how many trainers out there are not “people people.” I don’t think you can be a good trainer without being a people person. What I’ve found that’s so important when I go into a home, I get the person to talk to me. I don’t just go in – even though it seems that way in the program. We have a day, and I’m looking, I’m observing all day and then I get the person to talk. I’m listening, listening, listening, and get the real story. You find so many clues from what people have to say. Finally, they’ve got someone who’s listening to them.

Sometimes people cry, sometimes they get very angry. And then I always tell people, “You know what? You can trust me. I’ve got your back. I’ve got your dog’s back. Even though this is a TV program, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you’re in a better place when I leave.” And that immediately puts people at ease. They’re pretty shocked that, after the program, “You’re going to keep in contact with me?” Yeah, you’re a client! We don’t just go away.

What are the most common mistakes you see people making when they do use positive training techniques?

You can teach “obedience training” very quickly with positive training. But when you’re trying to change a behavior, that’s what people don’t understand; they want quick results. Traditional training methods suppress the behavior; that’s what they’re “designed” to do. They don’t change the way the dog feels. Whereas positive training changes the way a dog feels inside. For anybody, human or dog, making that emotional change can sometimes take time.

I put it in human terms. I say, look, if somebody is suffering from anxiety, and they’re going to a psychiatrist, do they go for one session? No they don’t, they go for many. And even at the end of that, they might not be 100 percent. But they’ll have coping mechanisms, and they begin to feel different. And some will do a complete turnaround, others might just do three-quarters. I’m not equating dogs to humans, obviously, but you sometimes have to use a human example, otherwise sometimes people don’t get it!

But when I explain that a dog’s brain is similarly wired to a human’s in terms of emotion, they go, “Oh, yeah, it does take a long time to change emotion in humans, so I guess it can take a long time to change emotion in dogs if the dog’s brain is like a human’s. That’s fascinating, I didn’t know that!” Understanding that positive training takes time, but ultimately, you’re going to have a dog who feels better! Your dog is happier, and your life is made easier. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

What do you think about the behavior problems we see today? Do you think we have so many more canine behavior problems than in the “old days”?

I think there have always been a lot of behavior problems, but dogs had been working. That was what a dog was for. And now, dogs are living with the pressures of our weird domestic society. They can’t pee and poop in the house; they have to do it outside. And they can’t bark, and they can’t tell another dog to go away, ’cause they’ll get told not to, even though they’re scared. And they’re having to meet other dogs every day, even though they might not be sociable, and then you’ve got kids and other people . . . it’s a lot of pressure! No wonder!

Plus, the ridiculous industry of puppy mills, which is just breeding dogs with no attention to temperament. It’s a money machine, so we’re getting messed-up dogs out there with anxieties and medical issues.

That’s where America is so backward. I’m sorry! Get with the program! Regulate these puppy mills, shut them down! If you want a puppy industry, regulate it. I don’t believe there should be an industry at all, but if there’s going to be one, get with the program, get smart. Same in Britain. Even though they’re not allowed to sell pets in pet stores anymore, you can still get puppies online.

What is the most common behavior problem you encounter today?

A lot more anxieties, a lot more separation anxiety. A sense of abandonment. There are a lot of reactive dogs out there. Temperament-wise, we are seeing a lot more dogs with aggression issues because of the way they’re bred. That’s very worrying. Also, we’re seeing a lot of aggressive dogs from people who have trained in the traditional style. I don’t care what you label aggression – protection, whatever – I believe aggression comes from an underlying insecurity. A confident dog doesn’t feel the need to aggress. It comes from an underlying insecurity.

What are some of the most rewarding or difficult cases you’ve worked on?

Junie B, a very aggressive little Poodle [U.S. season one]. Junie B hated boys, hated men, loved the girls. Now Junie B hangs out with the little boy in the family and his friends, she’s letting the husband take her for walks, she’ll voluntarily jump up into his lap and go to sleep. It’s so beautiful.

Also, two pit bulls I worked with, belonging to a guy named Victor [U.S. season two]. One was dog-aggressive. Victor was so overwhelmed, very emotional, and now the change has been incredible. Both of these were people who really worked. They were passionate about their dogs and worked at it. And that feels so good.

Both families, they didn’t relish being on TV. It’s funny, because a lot of people say, “Oh it’s because they want to be on TV,” but a lot of the families don’t. They see it as an opportunity. “We’re going to air our dirty linen and we’re going to do it because our dogs are worth it.”

We had a neglected pit bull-mix, out of control. On the day of observation, I went in there, and I said I don’t believe you should have this dog, you should not keep this dog. This dog is not going to be successful in your home. Let’s work to get it to a point where he’s adoptable and re-home him. For those people, I knew that I had to get the dog out of there. Whether it’s a TV program or not, I will not allow a dog to continue in an abusive or a neglectful situation. I think sometimes that there are people who get dogs, and it’s the wrong thing. As long as they can work hard to re-home, think what’s better for the dog.

You speak a lot about rescue; why is this important to you?

I started in rescue; I was a volunteer, I’ve volunteered all my life in rescue. I remember when I was a volunteer dog walker at a shelter – however many years ago that was, I’m getting so old! There was this little black dog, terrified of people, and then this child came along and she started petting this dog. And I was saying “Stop!” and this dog just loved her. And I went, Oh my gosh, you’re terrified of adults, but not children! That was when I realized that I loved this. So I’ve done rescue now for 15-16 years. I liked to see how dogs developed and how from a horrendous abandonment situation they would then go to a new home.

I wish we didn’t have to have rescue shelters but we always will. Helping is something valuable you can do for your community. You can do so many things – you can donate things, you can donate money, or you can bring in blankets, toys. You can take dogs for a walk, or you can just go and hang out with a dog. We get our volunteers at PAWS Atlanta (a private shelter in Atlanta) to take the dogs out and just hang out. The dogs learn to be calm when they need to. I do rescue work when I can, which is not that much these days, at PAWS Atlanta, and I work with three other volunteer trainers there.

In addition to rescue, I’m passionate about getting puppy mills closed down or regulated. I’m going to be marching in Pennsylvania demonstrating against the puppy mills up there for Puppy Mill Awareness Day in September.

I’m also setting up a foundation, which I’m very excited about. It’s “Victoria Stilwell’s Think Dog Foundation.” We’re going to support smaller shelters, and also help children with disabilities with assistance dogs. The foundation is going to help give out money to those various groups, and we expect to launch it in early summer 2009.

Lisa Rodier lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, with her husband and two Bouviers.

Finding the Right Rawhide Chew For Your Dog

By
Nancy Kerns
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8
The product on the left is an example of low-quality chews: Thin (too easy to chew), and filled with small pieces that can be easily chewed off and consumed. We are aware of a SINGLE manufacturer who makes rawhide we would recommend: Wholesome Hide, who makes the chew seen on the right out of a THICK, single hide. It takes most dogs days and days to reduce this roll to a size that can be swallowed and should be taken away.

RAWHIDE CHEW SAFETY OVERVIEW

  • Actively supervise your dog when he’s chewing a chew. To reduce the risk of choking or bowel obstructions, take it away from him if it starts shredding pieces that you wouldn’t want him to swallow whole, or when he gets close to the end.
  • Look for chews that are made from a single, thick sheet of rawhide.
  • Don’t buy chews that smell putrid, or that have no odor at all.
  • Avoid rawhide products that are unnaturally white; extreme whiteness indicates extensive chemical treatment.

There are an infinite number of things in pet supply stores that are intended for our dogs’ chewing pleasure. I wouldn’t buy a great many of them for any dog of mine. Why? Because many are too hard, inviting broken teeth. Some are splintery, risking perforated intestines and other internal injuries.

I wouldn’t eat plastic for any number of reasons, and I don’t allow my dog to chew up and swallow bits of plastic-based chew toys, either. Animal-based chews seem more natural, but some (especially things like pigs’ ears) are dried to a level of brittleness that seems to invite internal injuries when the shards are crunched into small pieces and swallowed. It hurts my throat just thinking about it!

Natural Dog Chews and Toys
Be aware that the vast majority of rawhide products on the market are very low quality and present an array of dangers to your dog. There isn’t a single product in most stores we would buy for our dogs.

Chews made from dried tendons offer what I consider to be the ideal chewy consistency, but can’t be found in a large enough size to ensure that my large dog will be forced to chew them slowly, rather than swallow chunks that he could choke on. Dried “pizzles” (made from beef and other animal penises) also offer an ideal consistency, but I admit that I find them (and certain other chewy but identifiable anatomical parts, like pig snouts) too gross to handle.

That leaves me looking at the rawhide chews. Rawhide is made from dried animal skin, so it is stiff, but quickly softens under the influence of a dog’s saliva and the mechanical action of the dog’s jaws: no sharp shards! Purchased in the right form, it takes a lot of work for the dog to chew off little bits, so it presents a lower risk of choking or digestive problems than many other chews. It’s generally not smelly, messy, or overtly disgusting to touch or look upon, even though it’s an animal product. And because it’s an animal product, most dogs are immediately drawn to it and enjoy chewing it.

As attractive as rawhide is as a canine chew item, it’s not uniformly safe or wholesome. Rawhide comes in many forms, and not all of them are appropriate for your dog. Here’s how to identify the best rawhide chews. Please note that top-quality chews may not be available in every pet supply store you happen to visit; you may have to shop around or order online from reputable businesses to find reliably safe, good products.

What is Rawhide?

Most people are surprised to learn that rawhide is a by-product of the leather industry -not the beef industry. It might seem logical that, in a beef-producing and beef-eating country like the United States, we’d be practically rolling in rawhide for dogs; in fact, there is currently a glut of beef hides produced here. But U.S.-produced rawhide is in very short supply. How can this be?

As I said before rawhide is a by-product of the leather industry; its production starts in a tannery -and tanneries are rare in the United States today. One rawhide company representative I interviewed estimated that there are about 30 in the whole country; Mexico, in comparison, may have in excess of 3,000.

Tanneries use an enormous amount of water -and thereby create an enormous amount of waste water -to process beef hides. The cost of all that water, in addition to environmental laws, neighbor complaints, and the relatively higher cost of a relatively unpleasant business have all contributed to today’s shortage of tanneries in this country. According to Cattle Network, an information resource for the cattle industry, the U.S. exports more than $1 billion worth of hides annually to China alone; we are China’s largest source of hides from cattle, sheep, and pigs. Hides from American cattle fetch top dollar; the breeds of cattle here and our seasonally cool climate combine to produce a thick, consistent hide that, in turn, produces top-quality leather.

Natural Dog Chews and Toys
You can easily see that these chews are made of tiny chunks of rawhide that have been glued together and dyed. It should be obvious that these will be easily chewed and consumed – that’s NOT what we want when we give our dogs a chew. Don’t buy products like this.

Cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. Like any perishable meat product, the hides should be handled in a manner that prevents or minimizes decay. Hides that will be processed quickly, in this country, are generally iced and delivered to the tannery within no more than a few days. The vast majority of hides, however, go directly from the kill floor into a brine-filled trough; the highly concentrated salt solution arrests any protein-destroying organisms. The hides “cure” in the brine bath for about 12 to 18 hours before they are packed and shipped for export.

Of course, exportation takes time -and though the brining process helps slow decay, it can’t prevent it forever. Hides sent to China are typically trucked to ports on the West Coast, where they are packed into containers and loaded onto ships. It may take weeks or months for the hides to reach the tanneries in China and continue the process that turns them into chews for our dogs.

Once at the tannery, the hides are soaked, treated with lime (which helps strip the fat from the hide), de-haired (through physical and a chemical process), and then de-limed (accomplished by numerous water rinses). They are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers. (“Full-grain” leather is made from unsplit hides.)

The outer layer of the hide is further processed into leather goods -car seats, clothing, and so on. The inner layer is the source of rawhide (and collagen, which is made into gelatin, cosmetics, and glue, among other things). Very thick hides may be split into three or more layers (hence the global popularity of thick American cattle hides).

Rawhide: The Inner Layer

Finally, we’ll talk about what happens at the rawhide dog chew manufacturing facility. In simple terms, the rawhide is washed; sanitized; formed, cut, rolled, and/or shredded and pressed into its final shapes; dried; packaged; and shipped for sale. But the actual simplicity of the process depends on freshness and quality of the rawhide.

Truly fresh hides -those that have been iced and refrigerated and delivered to the rawhide manufacturer within a few days of the source animal’s slaughter -require far less processing with chemicals than aged (and preserved) hides. “Sanitizing” in this case generally means some time in a bath of hydrogen peroxide. Exported hides require more extensive interventions.

Even though the brining process inhibits decay, it doesn’t arrest it altogether, and most exported rawhides are literally black with rot by the time they arrive at the rawhide processor. That means, at a minimum, they have to be bleached to improve their appearance and aroma; if the decay is advanced, they may also be treated with other chemicals and even painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.

The global recession has slowed the demand for leather luxury goods; even the formerly strong market for leather for car seats has diminished as car sales have dropped to record lows worldwide. As a result, tanneries are buying fewer hides and producing less leather -which means they have less rawhide to sell to the makers of rawhide dog chews. It’s a bit ironic that these manufacturers are now scrambling to secure rawhide, even as containers of cattle hides have begun to accumulate all over the globe.

Natural Dog Chews and Toys
More examples of low-quality, thin rolls filled with small chunks of dyed rawhide. Avoid these products!

“Made in the USA”

The freshness factor alone is a good reason to try to buy American-made rawhide chews for your dog. But it’s also true that it’s less likely that illegal or toxic chemicals are used in the products’ manufacturing if the products are made in the United States. Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in low-quality hides.

Read that label carefully, by the way. The pet product manufacturers are aware that many pet owners see “Made in China” or other indications of foreign manufacture as a red flag, and they are ingenious at finding ways to make their products look as if they were domestically produced. I’ve seen products with American flags on the label that were made overseas. Even the phrases like “made in America” or “made from American beef” are abused; sometimes, the fine print will reveal that what’s meant is Mexico, or South or Central America. There is a difference!

Some companies have made a case for the use of South American (especially Brazilian) beef hides. They say that cattle there are raised on grass, with fewer hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics, resulting in a healthier, more natural rawhide. Their competitors in the U.S. counter that cattle raised in warm, equatorial climates are thinner-skinned -resulting in thinner, less chewy chews -and that foreign manufacturing can be dicey. Both arguments have some merit, which is why I don’t use country of origin as my sole (or even the most important) selection criterion when shopping for dog chews.

We know of only one source for rawhide than we can recommend: Wholesome Hide in Illinois. When Otto was young and an unrelenting chewer (this photo was taken in 2008), these were the only chews that would keep him engaged for long. (Post-adolescence, he hasn’t needed these chews.)

Instead, I look at the thickness of the hide itself (thicker is better, because it will take longer for a dog to chew) and its color. Extremely white hides are unnatural; they have to be bleached and/or painted to appear so white. Natural or lightly bleached rawhides are a light tan, like a manila folder. These less-processed hides retain more of the natural flavor and aroma of the hide. “Basted,” smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors, and so I avoid them.

Speaking of odor: It stands to reason that the dried skin of an animal would naturally present some aroma. However, a rawhide chew really shouldn’t smell rotten or putrid; such an odor could indicate a high bacterial load. On the other hand, neither should a rawhide chew be completely odor-free! This would indicate that the product had been subject to extreme bleaching and chemical treatment.

More Selection Criteria: Form and Function

I admit that I have a strong bias about the form of the rawhide chews I buy for my dog, Otto. I want a chew that will take as much time as possible to chew up, provide a lot of exercise for his jaws, help clean his teeth, make it difficult to ingest a lot of rawhide in any one chewing session, and present the lowest possible risk of choking. These criteria eliminate very many of the rawhide products on the market, which seems silly to me; every rawhide chew should meet these requirements.

So, to start, I won’t buy any rawhide products that have small or intricate pieces. I examine “knotted” products carefully; the best ones are made from a single sheet of rolled and knotted rawhide, whereas inferior products are made with separate, smaller pieces of rawhide forming the knots on the end of a rawhide “roll.” After just a few minutes of chewing, the knots loosen and separate from the roll; these small pieces can be swallowed whole, presenting a serious choking hazard.

Neither do I buy products that are made of shredded and pressed-together tiny bits of rawhide. The makers of good-quality rawhide chews say they use natural (and beneficial) collagen as a binder for these products. But since ingredients panels are not required for these products -which, despite the fact that dogs ingest them, are not considered a food item by the Food & Drug Administration -there is no sure way to know what binding agent has been used as the product’s “glue.”

The rawhide products that seem to best fit my selection criteria are the “rolled” products, made from a square of rawhide that’s been rolled up like a newspaper and dried. As the owner of a big dog, I look for the longest rolls I can find, so they last as long as possible before they are chewed to a length that my dog could possibly swallow. Then I take them away. Owners of smaller dogs could probably start with shorter rolls, but what’s the point? The longer the roll, the longer it will last.

The first thing I look at when buying a rawhide roll is the end of the roll. That’s the only way to see whether it has been made from a single, long sheet of rawhide -or whether a smaller sheet has been wrapped around a lot of bits and fragments of rawhide. As with the knots that are separate from the roll on some knotted products, these bits will be quickly released from their rawhide sheath as the dog starts to chew. And what do dogs do with small chunks of edible matter? Most dogs swallow any chunk of rawhide they can chew free, whether it is soft and safe or sharp and dangerous.

Until recently, I would dig through every bin, and examine every package of rawhide rolls until I found some that appeared to be made from just a couple of large sheets of rawhide each. Then I discovered a company that makes each of its rolls from a single long, thick piece of rawhide. I’ve never seen rawhide rolls as nice as those made by Wholesome Hide.

Quality Rawhides are Worth the Expense

I’ve also never seen any other rawhide chews that are as expensive as these chews! Good quality rawhide rolls usually sell in stores for about $6-7 for a three-pack; a single roll of the largest size that Wholesome Hide sells for that much in some stores! (Prices are generally lower online and in bulk.)

However, the Wholesome Hide rolls last much longer than most rawhide chews; it takes Otto up to a week (chewing for an hour a day or so) to chew one down to the point that I take it away for safety reasons. As expensive as these rolls are, however, I’ve found that they are less expensive than leather work boots, redwood decking, and garden hoses! It behooves me to make sure that my dog has a variety of safe chew items available to him at all times, and rawhide has provided one of the most reliably time-consuming, trouble-free chews he enjoys. Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t want rawhide, no matter the quality, to be a staple of any dog’s daily diet. But using top-quality rawhide as one of his regular jaw-exercisers keeps him happily occupied.

Wholesome Hide makes its rawhide chews in Chicago, from beef cows raised here in the United States. They are sold in select pet supply stores around the country, and available from the below Internet retailer:

• Mickey’s Pet Supply
mickeyspetsupply.com; (877) 863-5431

There may be – there must be! – other companies…in the United States that make natural rawhide chews that meet all of our selection criteria. If you find products that meet this description, and that are not mentioned here, will you let us know?

Always Supervise Chew Time

Rawhide chews — of even the finest quality — may not be safe for every dog. Rawhide
(and most other chews) are not appropriate or safe for dogs who have an overly
aggressive chewing style, who tend to swallow large chunks instead of gnawing them smaller and smaller, and those who tend to “guard and gulp” their toys or chews to prevent anyone from taking them. Many vets have seen at least one dog with a big piece of rawhide stuck in its mouth or esophagus, or causing an upper airway obstruction or gastrointestinal distress.

We recommend buying oversized rawhide chews for every dog. The chew should be too big to fit entirely in the dog’s mouth. As soon as it’s been chewed to a size that the dog could swallow, it should be taken away.

Even dogs with a safe chewing style can experience stomach upset from ingesting rawhide. Some only have problems when they eat too much; others seem to react to chews of certain origin (indicating a response to the chemicals used in the manufacturing process, perhaps).

If your dog has experienced more than one problem from chewing or eating a QUALITY rawhide product, and you’ve already increased your supervision and the quality of the chews you buy, you should choose a non-rawhide chewing alternative. Rather than giving super-aggressive chewers harder things to destroy, we’d switch to non-destructible toys stuffed with food and things like the Lickimat, that engage the dog over time (but without chewing)

Nancy Kerns is editor of Whole Dog Journal.

Installing Safe and Affordable Fencing for Dogs

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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12

DOG FENCING OPTIONS: OVERVIEW

1. Provide the best and safest fence you can afford for your canine family member.

2. Do not leave your dog in his fenced yard when you aren’t home. If you are home and inside while he is out, make it a point to be attentive to what he is doing, and bring him in at the first hint of trouble.

3. Make a vow to never use an underground shock fence for your dog.

There was a time when no one thought twice about letting their dogs roam the neighborhood. A fenced yard was almost unheard of. If you grew up in the 1950s and ’60s as I did, you may remember those times. Dogs were well socialized, loved kids, and it was no big deal when the neighbor’s dog came over and visited your female dog in season. Of course, they also chased cars, got pregnant a lot, and occasionally – although rarely – bit someone. You may also remember, as I do, a long list of childhood pets who got shot, hit by cars, or simply vanished, having fallen victim to who knows what fate.

Today, our canine companions are more likely to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and responsibly contained. As a result, they tend to live safer, longer lives. But having a fence isn’t always the be-all, end-all solution that it seems to be. Fences can bring on a host of challenges that our parents never faced with the family dog a generation ago.

The Best Dog Fence

One significant challenge is the cost of fencing. Unless you’ve purchased a house that already has a dog-proof fence around it, you’re looking at a significant investment of resources to install one. Whether you pay someone to do it or are a skilled do-it-yourselfer, you’re probably looking at least a few thousand dollars for a modest-sized suburban yard. The cost for materials for a six-foot chain link fence (not our favorite choice) for a 50-foot-square yard runs around two thousand dollars. Wood fencing, especially privacy fencing (the best choice, in our opinion), is considerably more.

If all you needed the fence for was to keep your dog from roaming, chain link would be fine. But you also need the fence to protect your dog from the unwanted attentions of passersby (human and otherwise) and to prevent him from becoming overly aroused by visual stimuli such as passing cars, bikes, joggers, skateboards, dogs, and mail-carriers.

When my husband and I bought our house in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it came with a lovely, large yard, fenced securely with chain link. Since our driveway was a quarter-mile long and passersby were rare, I thought we’d be fine.

However, a neighbor who lived a half-mile away had two Labrador Retrievers that he attempted to keep his on his property with an underground shock fence; we were treated to regular visits from the pair. I’m convinced that our Scottish Terrier’s dog-reactivity was initiated by (or at least significantly exacerbated by) his interactions through our chain-link fence with these two visitors. To this day, he is still most reactive to Labrador Retrievers and dogs who resemble that breed in body size, shape, and haircoat, although he has made a lot of progress with other types of dogs.

keeping your dogs contained

The Right Fence Height for Dogs

Regardless of the type of fencing you have or will have, it’s important that your fence fulfills its primary responsibility of keeping your dog contained. To that end, I recommend a six-foot high fence. Of course, not all dogs require a six-foot fence. Our fence at our current home in Maryland is only four feet high. It came with the house and none of our dogs are jumpers or climbers, so we can slide by with four feet for now. But if we were to adopt a dog who had high-jump proclivities, we’d be in deep trouble. If I were installing a new fence, it would be six feet, for sure.

Dogs escape from fenced yards because they can, and often because they’re left alone in them for long periods of time while owners are sleeping or away at work. They get bored and lonely and decide to go looking for something to do, or someone to be with. They employ a variety of escape techniques, including jumping or climbing over the fence, digging under, chewing through, or, in the case of the “non-fence” – running through. I try to avoid saying “never,” but I will say that I never leave my dogs in our fenced yard when I’m not home to keep at least half an eye on them.

If you have a dog who jumps your fence, raising the height in small increments is a great way to teach him to jump higher and higher – hence the benefit of installing a six-foot fence to start with, rather than starting at three or four feet and raising it gradually. If you have a super-athlete who can jump a six-foot fence, you can slow him down by planting bushes or placing something solid and heavy at his take-off point so he can’t gather himself properly to jump.

If your dog can climb a six-foot fence, you can install a “roof” that comes inward off the top of the fence at a 45- or 90-degree angle, so when he gets to the top he’s stymied. (This roof can also confound a jumper, who will have a harder time determining the fence height with the addition.) Or you can attach “coyote rollers” along the top of the fence – pieces of PVC pipe suspended on wires that will spin when he tries to grab the top of the fence to pull himself over. You can build these rollers yourself, or purchase them commercially.

Our dogs don’t jump our fence, but Dubhy, the Scottie, has managed to escape a few times, once by pushing out a loose board, and twice by squeezing through a gate that didn’t close tightly at the bottom. Our fence is old and one of these days we’ll have to replace it, but until then, we are diligent about checking for loose boards and faulty gates. In the meantime, we’re fortunate that we live smack in the middle of our 80-acre farm with a half-mile driveway, and that when Dubhy has escaped he hasn’t headed for parts unknown, but rather just explored the woods on our own property, and returned when we called for him. I suspect the first groundhog hole he finds keeps him happily and thoroughly occupied until he’s summoned home.

When we lived in Monterey, we had a Pomeranian who could squeeze under our privacy fence. A row of concrete blocks lining the inside of the fence stopped his efforts, but it wasn’t very attractive. If your dog is a digger, make a note to bury your fence at least six inches.

One last tip on keeping your dog contained: make sure there’s nothing next to the fence your dog can use as an escape aid. The top of a doghouse or a solidly stacked woodpile can make an excellent springboard; move them away from the fence. I have some incredible video footage of a small terrier who uses a tree trunk to support his rear legs as he climbs up a chain-link fence with his front paws, working his way up until he can jump over the top of the fence. Be sure to install your fence far enough away from any trees or other permanently fixed objects that could aid and abet your potential escapee.

Types of Fencing for Dogs: Avoid Potential Barrier Frustration

Dogs don’t limit themselves to escaping as their only fence-related means of complicating their humans’ lives. Dogs in fenced yards are capable of developing a host of undesirable behaviors such as barking, running the fence line, aggression toward dogs and humans on the other side of the fence, and redirecting aggression toward human and non-human family members on the inside of the fence.

Barking is usually boredom, alert/alarm, or arousal barking. Boredom barking tends to be a repetitive, continuous, monotonous, “bark-bark-bark” for hours on end, with little or no change of tone. These dogs are usually out the whole day while their humans are at work. Some are out 24 hours a day, seven days a week, bored and lonely. Boredom barkers are at the highest risk for being poisoned, shot, released, or stolen by a neighbor who is fed up with the noise. At best, the irritated neighbor might report the barking to a local animal control officer. The simple answer for these dogs is to bring them in and engage them in activities that stimulate them physically and mentally, so they are no longer bored and lonely.

Alert or alarm barking is the dog’s attempt to tell his humans that there’s something going on that he thinks they should know about. A dog who is frequently left alone in a fenced yard decides it’s his responsibility to be on sentry duty, and to let you know when something’s afoot. If he restricted his definition of “something’s afoot” to the bona fide burglar or approaching wildfire that would be fine. But he’s just as likely to include squirrels, cats, and the mail truck in his “afoot” category, and pester both you and your neighbors with his frequent pronouncements of neighborhood news.

A solid fence, as opposed to chain link, can reduce alarm barking, since the dog won’t see as much to bark at, but it won’t stop him from seeing tree-climbing squirrels or fence-walking cats, or his attention and response to auditory stimuli.

Arousal barking occurs when the dog has a strong emotional response to something in his sensory field. Again, it’s often a visual stimulus, but can also be auditory or even olfactory. Anything that involves a strong emotional response has the potential to become a serious behavior problem and often leads to aggression. The tone of this bark is serious – an intense, “Danger! Danger! Code Red!” kind of bark. The dog may also dash back and forth along the fence line, reaching a high state of arousal that continues long after the stimulus is out of sight. Arousal barking can generalize to anything on the other side of the fence – and woe to the unsuspecting child who reaches over the (four-foot) fence to pet the dog or feed him a cookie.

This dangerous level of arousal can be caused by passersby who tease the dog, but it can just as easily be caused by the constant frustration of wanting to greet the dog or person on the other side of the fence, but being unable to do so. In fact, the behavior, which quickly leads to aggression, is often called “barrier” or “restraint” frustration. The barrier doesn’t have to be physical to create this behavior; it can just as easily occur when the barrier is the threat of an invisible shock. The accumulated stress behavior, and the classical association that develops with the stimuli, can cause long-term behavior problems that require significant behavior modification (and a change of environment) to repair.

Redirected aggression is often related to barrier frustration. It happens when the target of a dog’s aggression is unattainable, while someone or something else is within reach. You may see it when two dogs who live together and know each other well are fence-running and becoming aroused at a dog or some other stimulus on the far side of the fence. Suddenly, one dog turns on his companion and a full-scale fight erupts. Yikes!

Outdoor Threats to Your Dog

We’ve already touched on some of the safety issues that can arise for your fenced-in dog, even when you’re confident he can’t escape the fence. Poisoning, shooting, accidental or deliberate release, and theft are just a few. Others include danger from wildlife. Coyote rollers can keep those rascally guys out as well as keep your dogs in, but the rollers don’t prevent contact with all wildlife. I’ve rescued five-foot black snakes from Dubhy. It makes me sad that he’s killed a couple before I could save them, but if they were rattlesnakes or copperheads the situation would be much more serious.

Rabid skunks, foxes, raccoons, and even bats can have contact with your furry friend when he’s out in that backyard on his own. I even met a young puppy once who had been lifted off his paws by a golden eagle who ultimately decided the potential meal was either too heavy, too squirmy, or both, and dropped him from a height of 20 feet. The puppy was lucky to be alive, and will bear a scar on his back from the eagle’s talons for the rest of his life.

Other potential backyard hazards include overheating, hypothermia, lightning strikes, alligators, brown recluse spiders, ingestion of poisonous mushrooms…Gee, I’m scaring myself. I think I’ll go call Dubhy in from my yard.

The answer to all these fence-related problems is to not leave dogs unattended in fenced yards. That includes not allowing free access to doggie doors when owners aren’t at home. A dog-walker is a better alternative if you must leave your dog home for periods much longer than eight hours at a stretch and no family members can dash home on lunch to let him out for a bathroom break.

When Is a Fence Not a Fence?

It sounds like a childhood riddle, but the answer to the serious question “When is a fence not a fence?” is “When it’s invisible.”

Even if the sole purpose of a fence was to keep your dog contained to a designated area, underground shock fences — commonly called “electronic containment systems” — do a
shoddy job at best. The two Labrador Retrievers that taunted Dubhy through our fence in Tennessee are not uncommon. Ask any animal control officer how many stray dogs end up in the shelter still wearing their shock-fence collars.

But containment of your dog is not the only reason for having a fence. If you’re still willing to shock your dog for a containment system that has a high failure rate, here are some more reasons not to use one:

1. It doesn’t protect your dog from intruders. Black snakes may slither through our wooden fence, but the rare stray dog who wanders by can’t get to my dogs. Strays can walk right across an invisible shock boundary with impunity. So can other animals, or human intruders who may have less-than-honorable intentions toward your dog.

2. It doesn’t protect others from your dog. Even if you have one of those dogs who never tests or runs through his fence boundary (and they certainly exist), it doesn’t stop well-
meaning people, including children who can’t read your fence warning signs, from crossing the boundary into his space.

3. The initial training, during which the dog must get shocked at least once, is supremely traumatic to some dogs. Stories abound of dogs who have refused to go into their yards after being shock-fence trained, and of those who developed housetraining issues because they were afraid to go outside at all. You don’t know until it’s too late if your dog will be one who is so strongly affected by the shock.

4. The dog can associate the shock with passersby and become increasingly aggressive when he perceives them as responsible for the shock. I have had clients, and almost every trainer I know has had clients, whose dogs had no problem with aggression toward humans until they put their dogs in an underground shock fence. Insidiously, many of these owners think it’s worth one “tiny” shock to be able to let their dogs run free in their unfenced yards — because after that one shock all they get is the warning beep. What they don’t understand is the dog associates the beep with the shock, so emotionally, hearing the beep is the same as being shocked.

5. And then…the shock fence beep is similar to many other electronic beeps. Digital watch beeps, microwave beeps, camera beeps, computer beeps, alarm beeps — and the dog can have the same emotional response to those beeps. I had a client last year whose rescue dog appeared to have separation anxiety — becoming destructive when left home alone. We ultimately determined that the anxiety-related destruction occurred when the dog heard a watch beeping in the kitchen drawer — the result of being conditioned to a fence/beep/shock in a prior home.

I know there are communities that don’t allow physical fences, and that underground shock fences are all the rage in those places. I wouldn’t live in one. If I did have to live somewhere with no fence, I’d use a leash, a long line, a super recall — but I wouldn’t use an underground shock fence. Not me. Not ever. Never.

Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. She is the author of The Power of Positive Dog Training; Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog; Positive Perspectives II: Know Your Dog, Train Your Dog; and Play with Your Dog.

A Few Sports You Can Enjoy Playing With Your Dog

By
Terry Long
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Disc dog. Flyball. Agility. Earthdog. Musical freestyle. Lure coursing. Splash dogs and Dock dogs. Weight pulling. Obedience. Rally. Schutzhund. Lucky dogs . . . the list of sports for canines goes on and on.

Just watch a flyball tournament; you’ll see human and canine faces alight with the exhilaration of the race for the ball against another team barely six feet away.

Witness the connection between dance partners in a musical freestyle routine and try not to get misty-eyed.

Marvel at the dog whose natural sense of smell has been channeled into a game of “find it!” – and share in the joy of both handler and dog as he correctly locates the hidden source of the odor. Gawk at the agility team that has just mastered a challenging obstacle course, recognizing how much training – and love – made that run possible.

Looking at these competitors’ faces, would you guess there is any other place they would rather be? Unlikely! They are in “the zone.” They are like the top-seeded tennis phenom, or the enraptured concert pianist, completely absorbed in their art. The most amazing thing about dog sports is that our partner is not a little white ball, or a grand piano, but a living, breathing friend who also warms our feet at night. How amazing is that?

There is an almost endless list of sports to enjoy with your dog. Just when you think you’ve explored them all, someone comes up with an activity to which can be applied rules and titles for those wanting the camaraderie and structure of competition. A good example of this is pool diving, the most recent dog sport to draw big crowds. There are now two major organizations that provide competitive outlets for people whose dogs love to dive off the side of a pool after a toy.

You don’t need a purebred dog to enjoy these activities. Although you will see the American Kennel Club (AKC) listed as a resource for more information about some sports, there are many organizations that welcome all dogs to participate. Be sure to check them out and give them your support. The more we support organizations that welcome and encourage all kinds of dogs to play these games, the more avenues there will be available to those of us who do not have only purebred dogs.

You’ll find that there are classes and clubs available for any sport even if you just want to have a good time with your dogs or explore your dog’s potential. Often, however, people end up practicing with like-minded dog owners and, finally, competing. That’s natural: The relationship between dog and person blossoms from training and playing together. You look into your dog’s eyes and he looks at you, and the connection, the understanding, the thrill of it all is there, and you want more of it.

Starting this month, we will explore this wonderful world of dog sports. We’ll explain how owners can learn each sport with their dogs – whether it’s for a ribbon and title or for the fun alone – and how each sport offers yet another way to celebrate the human-canine connection. And, as always in Whole Dog Journal, we’ll explain how positive, non-punitive training methods can be used to train your dog to love and succeed at the sport.

Earthdog, An Underground Dog Training Activity

By
Terry Long
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Get the rat! Get the rat! Get the rat!”

“Yap, yap, yap, yap!”

These are the sounds of a successful earthdog team. As the human team member encourages her dog to sniff out and pursue the scent of an underground rat, her canine partner indicates his find by barking, barking, barking. The adrenalin level is high in both human and canine as they revel in this unique canine sport called earthdog. One of several dog sports that tap into our dogs’ hard-wired instincts, earthdog is a great outlet for dogs with tenacity, a high predatory drive, and the flexible physical structure to squeeze into – and out of – tight, narrow spaces.

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History
As long as there have been farmers and hunters, there have been “earth dogs.” Hardy, scrappy little dogs helped hunters tree squirrels, run rabbits to ground, corner foxes in their dens, and clear vermin from dwellings. As often happens, humans found a way to create competitive games from dogs’ natural abilities. For terriers and Dachshunds, a sport is born. Earthdog! Get that rat!

As early as 211 B.C., mention was made of tiny rough-coated dogs used to follow animals into their burrows. Later, in the 1576 book De Canibus Anglicis, by Johannes Caius, the use of terriers was described in detail.

In 1935, after many years of friends gathering together to test their dogs’ capabilities against those of their friends’ dogs, the Dachshund Club started offering trials modeled after German training for fox and badger hunting. This included building underground tunnels up to 50 feet long, with twists and turns along the way that required dogs to make decisions about which way to go to find their quarry. And it’s dark down there!

In 1941 the Sealyham Terrier Club issued the first “working certificate,” which outlined requirements for dogs to search out woodchucks. In 1971 the American Working Terrier Association (AWTA) started artificial den trials in the U.S. By 1994, the American Kennel Club had launched its Earthdog program.

Diane Amendola of Huntington Beach, California, has been participating in the sport for 27 years, primarily with Welsh Terriers. Also a competitor in conformation, obedience, tracking, and agility, Amendola has judged earthdog tests for AWTA since 1986 and for AKC since the start of that program. Each organization plays a vital role in promoting the sport.

“The AWTA, from which the AKC drew its sport, focuses on hunting and getting people into the field. Their members provide actual hunts for other members,” she says. “The AKC does not encourage people and their dogs into actual hunting. Each one has its place in our world. Not everyone has the time or inclination for hunting, but AKC is a place where they can get an idea of what kind of instincts or not that their dog has.”

As with all of its approved sports, the AKC’s Earthdog competitions are for AKC-registered terrier breeds only. The AWTA also recognizes certain breeds (listed on its website, dirt-dog.com), but also permits mixed-breeds “of the correct size and character to enter a nine-inch artificial earth (burrow)” in its competitions.

Earthdog attributes
Farmers and hunters bred dogs for both structure and temperament, using individuals best suited for the job they would do. Too broad a chest could interfere with a dog’s ability to squeeze in and out of small spaces. The best “go to ground” dogs were compact and strong, and had rough coats that would protect them from injury when they followed their quarry underground.

Courage and tenacity were just as important as the aforementioned physical traits, ensuring these dogs would pursue their quarry despite obstructions to passage and solve the problems they face in underground tunnels with false tunnels (no rat down that one!). These attributes, combined with a keen sense of smell, made for the perfect earthdog since the earliest days.

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Amendola, who has attained a variety of titles from both AWTA and AKC, has developed preferences for a working earthdog. Real-life hunts can be dangerous. Gophers, rats, woodchucks, and raccoons, can all inflict serious wounds. Amendola says, “I like a calm, sensible dog that takes care of itself and usually doesn’t get too chewed up in the hunt field. I think the trait of caution is inherent and comes with a smart dog, and a small amount does come with experience. However, there are those dogs that never quite learn to take care of themselves and in my opinion should not be taken into the field.”

Self-preservation is only part of it. The intense predatory behavior of a successful earthdog results in a very high arousal level in the working earthdog.

Some people are reluctant to encourage behavior that looks for all intents and purposes like a dog gone mad. Yet, like many sports, the best earthdogs are always under the control of their owner/handler. Amendola has clear prefences on this subject as well. “Having prey drive, to me, means a dog that has the determination to go after and stay with the job at hand, is not sound-sensitive, and responds to cues (not as in an obedience ring, but as at home). He hunts when there is quarry and is alert and ready to work and will respond to his owner. Prey is what turns the dog on and not everyday situations like seeing another dog. An intelligent, calm, self-confident dog makes the best field dog.”

Breeds commonly seen in today’s earthdog trials include Dachshunds and a variety of terriers: Australian, Bedlington, Border, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, Fox, Jack Russell or Parsons, Lakeland, Manchester, Norfolk, Norwich, Scottish, Sealyham, Silky, Skye, Welsh, West Highland, Miniature Schnauzers, and even Miniature Bull Terriers. Some of the less common earthdog terriers include the Cesky, Patterdale, Glen of Imall, and Rat.

Equipment & supplies
Many people are encouraged to try the sport due to the very inexpensive, small amount of gear needed to get started.

•Rat cage. This is a small wooden or wire box that closes securely, and has a wire front panel. A real or fake rat is placed in the box.

•Rat. Many of the rats used in earthdog training have been bred and raised to tolerate barking dogs. Alternatively, a fake rat that has been scented with real rat odor can be used in training. (Go to your local pet store and ask for used rat bedding from their cages.) In competition, live rats are used.

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•Tunnels. Short tunnels (10 feet long) are used during initial training. Later, longer tunnels (up to 50 feet) are used.

•Harness, leash, and longline. A standard, back-clip harness helps take the pressure off the neck and trachea of dogs pulling toward the box. A leather, cloth, or nylon six-foot leash is used in between training sessions, while a light-weight longline is used while working the dogs in practice sessions.

Training
Training your first earthdog will be easiest if you hook up with an experienced earthdog trainer and handler through a variety of clubs that focus on this sport. An experienced handler can quickly get you started and point out things to avoid during initial training, especially if you think you will want to compete with your dog.

Amendola recommends starting with basic obedience, socialization, and confidence-building. “Besides taking the dog everywhere to acquaint it with different situations, I often suggest that a dog owner bring home a paper shopping bag, put a treat inside, and encourage the dog to get it. Sticking his head into, and then venturing inside, a dark bag that is moving, flapping, and making noise is a great confidence-builder for a dog.”

Here is a brief overview of the major components in training.

•Introduction to the quarry (the rat). Put your rat in the cage. Your initial goal is to spark interest in the cage and to encourage your dog to bark at the rat in the cage.

With your dog on-leash, encourage your dog to investigate the cage by tapping on the cage and saying, “Get the rat!” Praise any interest in the cage, letting your excitement level build as your dog’s interest increases. As he becomes more interested, you can “tease” him a bit by moving the cage slightly out of his reach and then repeating “Get the rat” and letting him run to it.

Once you are sure he is very excited about the cage, don’t praise unless he paws or barks at the cage. If your dog seems uninterested, don’t push it. Start over at another time. Training sessions should be kept very short (2-3 minutes).

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When your dog consistently barks at the cage with the rat in it, you will switch to a fake rat (you are going to be moving the cage around and don’t want to jostle the rat). Put your fake rat, scented with rat scent, in the cage. Restrain your dog on-leash and drag the rat cage along the ground while encouraging your dog to “Get the rat!”

When he barks at it, let go and let him race to the rat cage. Do not allow him to bite at the cage. Again, train in short sessions and quit before he wants to quit. Train your dog to settle down between training sessions so that he learns to maintain control when not actively working.

•Introduction to the tunnel. Once your dog is very interested in the rat cage, place the cage at one end of a 10-foot tunnel. Take your dog off the harness (you don’t want the harness to get caught in the tunnel) and hold your dog near the other end of the tunnel and encourage him to “Get the rat.”

Don’t try to force him into the tunnel. Just let his desire to get to the rat motivate him to enter the tunnel. This is why it is important to build a strong desire, as described above, to get to the rat cage. (Alternatively, you could train your dog separately to crawl through the tunnel so he already has this skill before this stage.)

If necessary, you can place the cage inside the tunnel and encourage your dog to poke his head in to find the rat. Praise him for any effort at entering the tunnel.

•Increasing the difficulty. As your dog succeeds with a short tunnel above ground, you can increase the distance between your dog and the entrance of the tunnel, bury the tunnel, and later introduce longer tunnels and tunnels with right and left turns.

 

Levels of competition
There are four levels of competition under AKC standards of competition. More specific details are available from a variety of books and from the AKC and AWTA websites, but here is a brief description of the AKC standards.

•Introduction to quarry. This is AKC’s initial “test” or trial level and a great place to start your dog. The judge is allowed to give tips to the handler, and the handler is allowed to cue and encourage her dog. The tunnel is 10 feet long with only one turn, with the rat behind bars at the end of a scented trail.

•Junior Earthdog. The handler must stand quietly where she releases her dog; no verbal or physical cues are allowed. The release point is 10 feet from the entry of a clearly visible den entrance. The dog has 30 seconds to enter the tunnel and follow the scent of the rat through at least three right-angle turns along a 30-foot length of tunnel and “work” (i.e., bark at) the rat for 60 seconds. The dog must then allow the handler to remove him without injury to the dog or handler. To earn the Junior Earthdog title, your dog must perform these requirements in two separate trials, each with a different judge.

•Senior Earthdog. The handler releases the dog 15 to 20 feet from the den entrance, which is steeper and less visible to the dog than it was in the Junior level.

Again, the dog must navigate a 30-foot length of tunnel with three right-angle turns, but now he must also overcome a false, unscented exit and an unscented bedding area and choose, instead, the route with the scented rat bedding.

This time, due to the increased distractions, the dog has 90 seconds to get to the scented bedding, and 15 seconds to start barking. He must “work” the rat for 90 seconds at the Senior level. At the end of the 90 seconds, the rat is removed and the dog must come back to the handler when called. The dog has 90 seconds to come when called. The dog must perform these requirements in three trials with at least two different judges.

•Master Earthdog. This gets really interesting. At the Master level, two dogs (a “brace”) are randomly selected to work together, each with his own handler. The den entrance is 100 to 300 yards away, with the entrance obscured. Along the way, the dog must investigate a visible, empty, unscented entrance when the handler asks him to. Barking at the false entrance disqualifies the dog.

The dog that gets to the real den entrance gets to work it first, while the second dog must “honor” the first dog and wait. A tethering spot is provided, and the dog and handler must wait their turn. Once the first dog is called out of the den, the second dog is released to work it.

Each dog must navigate through 30 feet of tunnel with three right turns, which is the same as the Senior level; however, there are two additional obstacles at the Master Level. One is a 6-inch-diameter PVC pipe placed crossways in the den (simulating a root), and the second is a narrowing of the width of the tunnel to 6 inches for a distance of 18 inches. The dog has 90 seconds to get to the rat, must start barking at the rat within 15 seconds of finding it, and must work it for 90 seconds. The dog must allow his handler to remove him from the den within 15 seconds.

To earn his Master Earthdog title, your dog must fulfill these requirements four different times under three different judges.

Is this sport for you?
Clearly, earthdog is a blast for the dog whose predatory nature and tenacity make this sport a great outlet for these innate characteristics. People who choose to live with these terrier-like personalities love these smart little problemsolvers, and channeling their dog’s abilities into a sport so well suited to them brings them great joy. Yet, the sport is dirty, it can be noisy, and it’s definitely not for you if you don’t want to see rats barked at by dogs. And, depending on where you live, you may have to travel quite a distance to find people of like mind.

Yet, as with many of the sports we will profile in the coming months, there’s a spark – a bond, a connection – that happens when people and dogs play together that make these minor challenges. Perhaps Amendola says it best. “I love all the dog sports and the wonderful people I have met through the years and learned so much from and continue to learn from. I cherish the many memories my friends have made possible for me to have by participating in these sports.”

Terry Long, CPDT, 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.

Training the Dog to Stay

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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“STAY” CUE OVERVIEW

– Teach your dog to “Wait” and use the behavior consistently as part of your “say please” program (sit and wait for your food bowl), and to keep your dog safe (wait at doorways and getting out of cars).

– Teach your dog to “Stay” and use the behavior when you need to park your dog more solidly (for photo portraits, training class, obedience competition), when you need her to stay in position for a discrete period.

– Practice frequently, in short sessions. Set up the exercise so it’s easy for her to succeed. “Wait” and “stay” should indicate that your dog has an opportunity to earn something rewarding.

Recently, I was struck by the realization that while “Wait!” is one of the most valuable cues I use with my dogs, it’s a behavior we didn’t usually teach in old-fashioned choke-chain obedience classes. Oh, we taught rock-solid obedience ring “Stays.” Some trainers substituted the word “wait” for “stay” to differentiate between recalls (“wait” means you’re going to get up and come to me when I call you) and the one-minute and three-minute sit-and-down-stays (stay means you are never to move no matter what happens until I come back to release you). Generally, though, we didn’t use “Wait” to mean “pause” as many of us dog owners do today. “Wait” is a valuable cue; I’d be lost without it.

Of course, a cue takes on whatever meaning you give to it when you teach your dog a new word or hand signal. We tend to use words that are meaningful to us (they are much easier to remember!) but if you wanted, you could teach your dog that “Banana!” means sit, “Orange” means down, “Pumpkin” means stay, and “Kiwi” means wait. As long as you teach your dog what behavior you want him to associate with your words and use them consistently, your dog will learn the meaning you’ve assigned to them and the cues will work for you.

Train Your Dog to Stay

Given that most trainers are well aware of this, it might surprise you to discover the intensity with which trainers sometimes debate the meaning of the cues “wait” and “stay.” The whole debate is silly; our cues mean whatever we teach our dogs they mean. I’ll explain how I use (and train) the wait and stay cues. Regardless of the words you choose to use and how you choose to use them, I hope you’ll discover the immense value of distinguishing between the wait and stay behaviors.

Cueing “Wait” and “Stay”

I teach that “Wait!” means pause. If I’m leaving the house, I have my dogs sit and wait at the door as I leave. No door darters here! They know that as soon as the door closes they are free to run around the house doing acceptable doggie things. Mostly they go lie down, after a few barks from Lucy the Corgi and Missy the Aussie, who are both routinely a little stressed about being left behind. I teach that “Stay!” means “stay in the exact position I left you in until I return to your side and release you” – the standard obedience competition-style stay.

I use “wait” everywhere. I hardly ever use “stay.” If some, but not all, of our dogs are coming with me, I might ask two to wait while I invite the other two to move through the door. (Body blocking is useful for this maneuver.) All my dogs sit and wait for their food bowls – an excellent good manners behavior and an important part of a “say please” program. This reminds them that it’s my food – the leader controls all the good stuff – and I’m sharing it with them out of the goodness of my benevolent-leader heart.

My dogs “wait” if they’re getting in or out of the car. They “wait” if we’re walking off-leash and they’re getting too far ahead of me on the path. They “wait” if they’re asking to hop up on the sofa or the bed and I don’t want them up yet. They “wait” on the stair landing so I can safely walk down the stairs without tripping over a jumble of dogs.

I teach my dogs the “wait” behavior using both food bowls and doors. In my basic adult and puppy good manners classes, I teach “wait” using food bowls only (we just don’t have enough doors to go around), and save “stay” for my upper level classes. While the stay behavior certainly has value, most dog owners mean “pause” when they say “stay,” rather than “stay in the exact position I left you in until I return and release you.” I want them to learn the difference between the two behaviors early on, and teach their dogs the easier, more useful one first.

Food Bowl Waits

The easiest way to teach “wait” is to help your dog succeed by shaping the behavior in small steps. Any time your dog stops succeeding, you’ve made the steps too big, or tried to take too many steps too quickly. Always seek to find the place where your dog wins and move forward from that place in tiny steps. (See “Fun Dog Training Techniques Using Shaping,” March 2006.)

Note: If your dog guards her food bowl aggressively, don’t teach this exercise until you have successfully modified the resource-guarding behavior. (See “Eliminate Aggressive Dog Guarding Behaviors,” September 2001.) With your dog sitting perpendicular to you, hold a bowl of your dog’s food at your chest level and tell her to “wait.” Move the food bowl (with food it in, topped with tasty treats) about 4 to 6 inches toward the floor. If your dog stays sitting, click your clicker (or use a verbal marker such as “Yes!” or a tongue click) and feed her a treat from the bowl.

Train Your Dog to Stay

If your dog gets up, cheerfully say “Oops!” and raise the bowl back up, and ask her to sit again. Your “Oops!” is what’s known as a “no-reward marker.” It lets your dog know that getting up from the sit makes the food bowl go away.

If she remains sitting, lower the bowl 4 to 6 inches again. Click and give her a treat if she’s still sitting.

If she gets up a second time, say “Oops!” and raise the bowl, and then have her sit. On your next try, only lower the bowl an inch or two. Click and treat for each success.

Repeat this step several times until your dog consistently remains sitting as you lower the bowl. Gradually move the bowl closer to the floor with succeeding repetitions until you can place it on the floor two feet away from your dog without her trying to get up or eat it. After each repetition, stand up straight and raise the bowl all the way back up.

Finally, place the bowl on the floor and give your dog permission to eat. After she has had a few bites, lift the bowl up and try again.

Repeat these steps, alternating between picking up the bowl before she eats and giving her permission to eat, until you can consistently place the bowl on the floor and she doesn’t move until you tell her she can. One of the great things about “food bowl waits” is that if you feed your dog twice a day, you already have two natural training sessions built into your schedule!

Wait at the Door

With your dog sitting at your side in front of a door, tell her to “wait.” (It works best if you use a door that opens away from you; if the door opens in, it’s much harder to use it to block the dog if she starts to go out, especially once you’re past the “open it a crack” stage.) Move your hand a few inches toward the doorknob. If your dog doesn’t move, click your clicker or use your verbal marker, and feed her a tasty treat. Repeat this step several times, moving your hand closer toward the doorknob in small increments, clicking and giving her a treat each time she stays sitting.

Remember that you’re shaping the behavior in tiny steps. If she gets up, say “Oops!” and have her sit, then try again. If she gets up two or three times in a row, you’re advancing too quickly; go back to moving your hand only a few inches toward the knob, and make your increments even smaller.

When she’ll stay sitting as you move your hand toward the door, try actually touching the knob. Click and give her a treat if she stays in place. Then jiggle the door knob. Click and reward her for not moving. Repeat several times, clicking and giving her a treat each time, before slowly opening the door a crack.

If your dog doesn’t move, click and treat. If she does get up, say “Oops!” and close the door. You’re teaching her that getting up makes the door close – if she wants the possible opportunity to go out, she needs to keep sitting.

Gradually open the door a bit more, an inch or two at a time. Any time she gets up, say “Oops!” and close the door, and try again. If you get two or three “oopses” in a row you’re doing too much; back up a few steps and progress more slowly. Click and reward her for not moving, several times at each step. When you can open the door all the way, take one step through it, stop, turn around and face your dog. Wait a few seconds, click, then return to your dog and give her a food reward.

When she’s really solid with you walking out the door, you can sometimes invite her to go out the door ahead of you, with you or after you – her “real life reward” – and sometimes walk through and close the door, leaving her inside as you would if you were leaving for work. Once the door has closed, she’s free to get up and move around.

Train Your Dog to Stay

One of the wonderful things about the “wait” cue is that dogs do seem to generalize it pretty easily. If you teach it at a door in your home, they’ll understand pretty quickly when you ask them to “Wait!” when you open the car door – a great safety behavior so your dog doesn’t jump out on the highway if you have to get out of the car on the side of the road to change a flat tire.

Once you’ve taught “wait” with the food bowl and door, try it on an on-leash walk. If your dog starts to move too far out in front of you, say “Wait!” If she doesn’t pause of her own accord, stop moving and the leash will stop her (don’t jerk her to a stop!). A few repetitions of this and she’ll figure it out in no time.

Teaching “Stay”

I really don’t use the formal stay very much. In fact, the only times I’ve asked any of my dogs to stay in the past two months were for a family dog-group photo and in a training class.

I teach “stay” as a much more precisely defined behavior than “wait.” It means, “Stay in the exact position I left you in, until I return to you and release you from the stay.”

There are three components to this behavior: duration, distraction, and distance. You will need to teach those three elements – the “three Ds” – separately.

1. Duration: Your dog will stay for however long you ask. Naturally, this is a shaped behavior – you’ll start with duration of a few seconds and gradually work your way up to longer and longer stays.

2. Distraction: Your dog will stay even if there are lots of fun and exciting things going on around her. Again, you shape this by starting with small distractions and moving up to bigger and better ones.

3. Distance: Your dog will stay even if you are very far away from her. It should be no surprise that you shape this one, too. Move away a very small distance and work up to longer distances.

Before you begin, decide what your “release” cue will be. This will be the word you use to tell your dog the stay is over and she must get up. A lot of trainers use the word “okay,” and like so many other things in dog training, there is disagreement over its use. Some argue that “okay” is used so much in conversation that your dog is likely to be released from a stay by accident. Other commonly used release words include “release,” “break,” “all done,” and “free” or “free dog.” I’ve used “okay” for more than 30 years and have yet to accidentally release my dog from a stay.

Duration of Time

Of necessity, you must start with the duration piece of the ” three Ds.” You can’t work on distance and distraction until your dog will stay for a reasonably extended period of time (30 to 60 seconds, minimum). Ask your dog to sit facing you. Wait a second or two, click, treat, and release. Be sure to deliver the treat directly to her mouth, at nose level, so she doesn’t jump up to get it before you release her!

If she gets up before you can click, say “Oops!” and whisk the treat behind your back and ask her to sit again. Repeat this step until she realizes that getting up makes the treat disappear. Ask her to sit again. If necessary, hold a treat at your chest, or even let her nibble on it right in front of her nose, to keep her sitting until you can click. When you know she’ll stay for at least two seconds, you can begin to say “Stay!” after you’ve asked her to sit, and before you click, treat, and release.

You can also use a hand prompt for the stay, if you wish, by holding out your hand with your palm toward your dog’s nose. If you do this, resist the temptation to hold your hand out for the entire stay – your dog will become dependent on your hand to maintain the stay behavior and it will be hard to “fade” it later.

Gradually shape for longer stays by extending the length of time you have her sit before you release her. As soon as you can, fade the use of the treat to keep her sitting. When she’ll stay for more than a few seconds, you can click and treat several times during the stay, so she understands that the click of the clicker doesn’t mean “release.” At first I repeat the stay cue after I click and treat, to help my dog succeed. Over time, I fade the use of the additional stay cues and the hand prompt.

I mentioned that the release cue means your dog must get up. This is the only way you know for sure she understands that she was released from the stay. If you use it to mean “You can get up if you want but you don’t have to,” you won’t know for sure if she heard or understood the release. If you make sure she gets up after the release, you’ll know she’s getting it.

Purposeful Training Distractions

I like to add distractions before I add distance, just in case distractions happen incidentally when I’ve moved away from my dog. To shape the distraction component, start small:

Train Your Dog to Stay

• Move one arm slightly. Click and treat.

• Move that arm a little more. Click and treat.

• Move both arms a little. Click and treat.

• Move both arms a little more. Click and treat.

• Hop once. Click and treat.

• Hop twice. Click and treat.

• Hop several times. Click and treat.

• Hop while moving your arms. Click and treat.

• Jog in place. Click and treat.

• Jog in place while moving your arms. Click and treat.

• Have a person walk by. Click and treat.

• Have a person walk by tossing a ball in the air. Click and treat.

• Have a person walk by bouncing a ball. Click and treat.

• Have a person jog by. Click and treat.

• Have a person walk by with another dog on leash. Click and treat.

The possibilities are endless!

Adding Distance to “Stay!”

Adding distance is the ultimate goal of training the stay behavior: to be able to walk away from your dog and leave her in a solid stay. We add distance last because the stay needs to be solid before you leave your dog, to maximize your likelihood of success. Again, add distance in small steps, to help your dog succeed.

I start with a half-step back, click, return to my starting position, and treat. Each time you leave your dog you’ll click when you’re away – sending your dog the message that she’s getting rewarded for staying when you’re a distance from her, but return all the way to her to deliver the treat, so you don’t inadvertently lure her out of position. One step at a time, move farther and farther away, move to the side, move behind her, until she’ll stay wherever you are. Then begin adding duration and distractions as well as distance, and you’re done! Almost.

The final step to a really solid stay is “stay with human out of sight.” The most common use of this behavior is for upper-level obedience competition – the Open Class in AKC obedience includes a three-minute out-of-sight sit-stay and a five-minute out-of-sight down-stay. Few owners expect their dogs to stay frozen in place in the real world while they go shopping, if for no other reason than the safety risk. Leaving a dog tied in public outside a store is risky, to say nothing of the huge risk of leaving them untethered and out of your sight.

To teach an out-of-sight stay, go back to shaping. Your dog is already solid on distance, distraction, and duration. As you practice your stays, occasionally step through the doorway and out of sight for a second, and return before your dog has time to realize you’re gone. Click, return, and treat. As you gradually increase the time you’re out of the room, you can set up a mirror at an angle that will let you observe the dog in your absence, so you don’t click while she’s making a mistake. Be careful – if your dog learns that she can watch you in the mirror, it will defeat the purpose of being out of sight.

Sit Means Stay?

Some trainers insist that a “Stay” cue is redundant. They teach their dogs that the sit cue means “Sit and stay sitting until I tell you to do something else.” If they tell a dog to “Down” it means “Lie down and stay down until I tell you to do something else.” Same with “Stand” or any other position cue.

One of the many things I love about positive training is that we now accept that there are many different (positive) ways to train. So yes, it is certainly possible to eliminate the “Stay” cue by teaching the dog that a position cue means to hold that position until I tell you to get up. I fully understand and respect the trainers who do it that way. More power to them – and I choose not to.

I like the wait and stay cues, and I also know that there are many time I ask my dogs to do something like “Go lie down” because I want them to go away from me and settle somewhere — and I know I won’t remember to tell them when it’s okay for them to move around again When I’ve asked for a stay I know I have to pay attention until I release them again, so I set us both up to succeed by teaching “stay” as a separate cue.

“Wait” is Most Useful

If I could only teach my dogs one of these behaviors, I’d choose “wait.” My assistant, Shirley, recently adopted a young Siberian Husky that she was fostering for the shelter in order to modify the pup’s resource-guarding behavior. Shirley brings Myah to work with her, and because people come and go all day, she has lots of opportunities to use the Wait cue, to remind Myah not to exit the office as people enter and leave. Shirley mentioned to me the other day that “Wait” was the most useful cue she’d taught her dog. I have to agree.

Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. Pat is also author of The Power of Positive Dog Training; Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog; Positive Perspectives II: Know Your Dog, Train Your Dog; and Play with Your Dog.

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