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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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0

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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Color Us Happy

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Hey! Notice anything different? Color! I’ve been whining and begging our publisher for color for quite some time, and I’m thrilled that the powers that be recently agreed that pictures of dogs (and even dog-care products and foods!) are just way more interesting when they can be seen in color. And stay tuned for another exciting development – one that will powerfully reward subscribers who register for access to the digital edition of Whole Dog Journal.

Nancy Kerns

288

My enthusiasm over its color notwithstanding, this is a great issue. Starting on the facing page, Pat Miller describes where and how to best conduct a search for a new dog. She promotes shelter dogs, of course, but also offers tips on buying a pup from that rare creature, the “responsible breeder.” They do exist, and can be distinguished from frauds, if you know what to look for.

I recently met a young couple who had an amazing experience with a highly responsible breeder. The couple resides in the Bay Area, but learned about a litter of Shiba Inu puppies in Oregon. They drove 10 hours to meet the breeder, the dam, and the puppies, and answered countless questions from the breeder about their home and intentions for the pup they fell in love with. Most breeders would have been satisfied with this couple (and their money). This breeder insisted on driving the 10 hours back to the Bay Area to make sure the couple’s home and yard was suitable for safely raising one of her puppies! Only then did she complete the sale. She has called the pup’s new owners to check in and answer questions, and reminds them frequently that she’ll take the pup back, no questions asked, if they ever decide not to keep her. That’s a responsible breeder.

Starting on page 8, agility enthusiast and occasional contributor Lorie Long explains everything you need to know about pet health insurance. After editing the article, I asked for and received price quotes for various insurance plans for my dog, Otto. I’m still wading through the responses, and though I’m not yet sure which plan will best suit Otto’s needs, I do know I’ll be signing up for one of them.

Did you know that not all dogs know how to doggie paddle, and many need to be taught to swim? Our resident triathlete/dog trainer/writer, Susan Sarubin, describes the best way to introduce your dog to the sport of swimming, starting on page 18.

Pat Miller pulls double duty in this issue, explaining (on page 19) how to train your dog to “wait” and “stay” – and teaching us the difference between these behaviors. Otto and I frequently use Pat’s techniques when we practice “wait” and “stay” at my local post office. (We pick up the mail at night, when no one else is around.) Otto has advanced to staying even when the motion-activated front doors open or close as he holds a sit outside, craning his head to try to see me without moving from his spot. These techniques really work, folks! Give them a try with your dog!

Selecting Your Next Dog or Puppy

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Thinking of getting a new dog? Chances are you’re inundated with well-intentioned advice from every friend, family member, and canine professional you know about where to go and who to avoid in your quest to find your next canine pal. You may also feel the added burden of finding the right dog – one who will be as close to perfect as caninely possible. It’s an awesome challenge.

Many years ago, I was living on my own for the first time, and missed having a dog in my life. I went on a Collie search, and soon answered an ad in the paper for Marty’s Pride, a tri-color Rough Collie whose owner had gone off to college. Marty was near canine-perfect: the first dog I showed in AKC obedience competition (he earned his Companion Dog title in three trials with scores of 194.5, 196, and 197), and the first dog I ever owned who died of old age. He was also the last dog I deliberately went looking to adopt. Since then my selections have been much more serendipitous. My husband and I tend to adopt the dogs who find us, or we trip over them at the shelter and bring them home.

Puppies look through the bars of an animal shelter kennel
Many people have a serious misconception about shelters, regarding them as containing only “reject” dogs. Of course, you can find dogs with health and/or behavior problems there. But shelters also contain many healthy, well-behaved, loving dogs – purebred and mixed – victims of difficult human circumstances.

I realize that we’re the exception, not the rule. Most people make more deliberate decisions than we do about the kind of dog they want, and where to find him – or her. Those decisions, although deliberate, are not always wise. I’m constantly amazed by the number of clients in my behavior consultation practice who thought they were making well-educated, well-researched decisions about the acquisition of their new four-legged family member, and ended up with something vastly different from what they expected. So how do you make an educated, responsible decision about selecting your next dog?

Adoption options The advice you receive from friends and professionals can be conflicting and confusing. “Only buy from a responsible breeder.” “There’s no such thing as a responsible breeder; you should only adopt from a shelter.” “Omigosh you’re adopting from the shelter? Their dogs all have major behavior problems and kennel cough! You should adopt from a rescue group.” “Shelter or rescue? You don’t know what you’re getting. The only way to be sure of what you’re getting is to purchase a puppy from a breeder.” So who’s right and who’s wrong? They all are.

There are lots of different places you can go to get a dog. Some are better than others, and there are some you should never patronize. Here’s a guide to help you maximize your chance of getting the dog you want:

– Animal shelters. This is my personal first choice. I am painfully aware that there are good shelters and not-so-good ones (see “What You Should Know About Animal Shelters,” WDJ Jan 2009). If you live near a good one, your adoption process will be facilitated by knowledgeable and friendly adoption counselors who can help you make a good decision about your new family member.

In the good shelters, staff will have conducted behavioral assessments of the adoption dogs, which will provide you with useful information and help you determine if the dog might be a good match. If you live near a not-so-good shelter you have a choice – to adopt from that shelter, conducting your own impromptu assessment and risking diseases such as kennel cough and parvo that lurk in the corners of substandard facilities, or to travel a greater distance to adopt from a better quality shelter.

A really good shelter will give you a thorough and human-friendly vetting before they’ll agree to adopt one of their dogs to you. If they fall a little short on the customer-relations end of things, have patience and remember, it’s only because they really are concerned that their dogs go to lifelong loving homes. This caveat holds for any of the best placement programs – they will check you out carefully, and may sometimes be a little overzealous in those efforts.

Don’t rule out shelters if you’re looking for a particular breed or mix – many breeds show up in shelters with disturbing frequency. Ask your shelter if they have a waiting list or “wish list” for approved adopters who want to adopt a specified breed or type of dog. Then get your name on the list.

If you know what you’re looking for and what to watch out for, you can find great dogs in almost any bona fide shelter. If you lack experience or confidence in your dog selection talents, take along a knowledgeable friend or positive canine professional to help you make a good choice.

– Rescue groups. Another place to find the specific breed you want is a “breed rescue.” Like shelters, rescue groups can be good, bad, or ugly. Many breed-rescue groups are affiliated with breed clubs and tend to be responsible about healthcare, spaying and neutering, behavior assessment, and placement. Some even commit significant resources to medical treatment and behavior modification before placing their canine wards. But not all.

Non-affiliated rescue groups, especially those who rescue all breeds and mixes, or a wide variety of breeds and mixes, sometimes take on far more dogs than they can care for. Some end up more closely resembling hoarders than rescuers, neglecting the very dogs they claim to have saved. We absolutely encourage you to adopt from legitimate rescue groups, breed-affiliated or not. If you come across the non-legitimate variety in your travels, report them to the authorities.

A Boston Terrier mother dog and her puppies
It’s hard not to take it personally, but don’t be offended if a breeder won’t sell you a puppy. Instead, try to understand her reasons. She may give you vital information about what it takes to truly succeed with that breed.

You may be tempted to adopt one of the sad faces in a substandard rescue facility. If you do, know that you have a significantly greater likelihood of taking home a dog with physical, medical, and/or behavioral challenges.

– Responsible breeders. Yes, they do exist, although I know there are some who fancy themselves as “responsible” who wouldn’t fit my definition of the word. The list of qualities to look for in a breeder is long, but some of the most important are:

• Breeds mentally and physically healthy, genetically sound puppies.

• Socializes the puppies well to a variety of places and things as well as to people.

• Breeds no more puppies than she can find homes for.

• Requires spay/neuter for all puppies not destined for the show ring.

• Screens prospective puppy homes carefully and only sells to appropriate private-home buyers who can provide lifelong loving care.

• Allows the buyer to meet the mother of the puppies, and the father too, if he’s on the premises.

• Educates buyers about needs of dogs in general and the specific breed in particular. Will not sell a puppy to a person with unrealistic expectations of the breed.

• Provides follow-up to be sure pups are doing well and keeps in touch with owner for the life of the dog.

• Provides resources and support for owners who are having problems with their dogs.

• Takes back dogs who were sold any time, for any reason, for the life of the dog.

That’s a start; a much more comprehensive list can be found at wonderpuppy.net/1breeding.php. By the way, responsible breeders never:

• Sell puppies to pet stores.

• Sell sight unseen over the Internet. (They may have a website, but actual sales are personal, and the breeder should want to meet the buyer and have the buyer meet the puppy.)

• Meet you halfway and sell you the puppy out of the back of a truck.

• Prevent you from seeing the conditions under which the puppies were raised.

When I was still at the Marin Humane Society, in the early 1990s, we conducted a project to offer responsible breeders the opportunity to reclaim dogs of their breeding that had ended up at our shelter for any reason. Over a two-year period we received about 30 purebred dogs whose breeders we were able to identify and contact. Of those 30, only two came to reclaim their dogs, and at least one of those two was what many would probably have called a “backyard” breeder because she wasn’t involved in showing or competing with her dogs. That project was an eye-opener for us about the percentage of truly responsible breeders in the real world.

A hound dog is being scanned for a microchip at an animal shelter
All found strays should be scanned for a microchip and examined for a tattoo, to make sure they aren’t owned and deeply missed by an unlucky owner. Also, a report of the found dog should be filed with your local shelter.

– Private adoptions. This covers a broad range of possibilities – including answering an ad in the paper like I did for my wonderful Collie; helping out a friend whose circumstances require her to give up her dog; taking in the canine companion of a friend or relative who has passed away; or falling for a “free to a good home” opportunity in front of a supermarket. You may even find you’ve been named as legal custodian for a friend’s dog in her will!

These can be great adoptions, or caveat emptor situations. If you can find the dog you’re looking for in the newspaper, you can skip the middleman (shelter or rescue group) and save the dog (and his human) a lot of stress. We’re talking adolescent to adult dogs here; responsible breeders never sell their pups through newspaper ads.

Look for key words in the ads that give you a clue as to why the dog is being given up. Phrases like “Needs ‘only dog’ home,” or “Not good with kids” tell you the dog has a behavior history that might be cause for concern. Ask the owner why he’s giving up the dog, and then weigh the trustworthiness of the answer in light of your own observations. In these days of foreclosures there are lots of good dogs going homeless for very legitimate reasons.

If you’re taking on the dog of a friend or family member, you probably already knew the dog before you agreed to take him. Be sure all parties are clear – in writing – about legal custody. Who will make decisions about the dog’s health and future, and who pays all the bills? What sort of visitation rights will the original owner have? If circumstances change, will the dog go back to the original owner or stay with you?

As always, use sound judgment when considering the adoption of a dog that someone else is giving up. Conduct your own behavior assessment to confirm the dog is someone you can love and live with for life, before making the commitment to bring her home.

– Found strays. One of my clients recently adopted a dog she found – or who found her. Maryann wasn’t really looking for a dog; she was perfectly happy with her Lhasapoo, Xena. But when an adolescent American Eskimo showed up on her doorstep she invited him in. She notified the shelter that he was with them and spent the next 30 days in fear that someone would claim him. Dexter is now a permanent part of the family.

In some locations, you have lots of opportunities to find and keep stray dogs. In other, more responsible communities, not so much. Bear in mind that most strays are not “professional” strays (as in “street dogs,” or feral), but rather dogs who got separated from an owner who cares about them, or perhaps dogs who were recently abandoned due to current economic conditions. In any case, if you find a stray you’re thinking of keeping, you must make an effort to find the owner, by leaving a “found dog” report with your local shelter, placing an ad in the paper, putting up posters, having him scanned for a microchip, and of course, calling any number provided on an ID tag and/or license on his collar.

Remember, you’re not morally obligated to keep a stray dog just because you found him. If you’re over your limit – legally, financially, or personally – or if he’s not a good fit for your family, you won’t be doing him any favors by trying to keep him.

– Petfinder. In a class by itself, Petfinder is an online clearinghouse of information (petfinder.com) about dogs (and other animals) of all breeds and mixes available for adoption from groups across the entire country. If you’re looking for a specific breed or mix, it’s almost guaranteed you can find it on Petfinder. Then you’re only faced with the challenge of a “sight unseen” adoption – not something I recommend. I suggest you use Petfinder to locate suitable dogs near you to consider for adoption, unless you’re willing to travel to meet them and bring them home if they meet your requirements.

– Pet stores? NEVER! The only positive about purchasing a puppy from a pet store is that you are essentially paying to rescue that doggie in the window – so it’s a good thing for that individual pup. I do have some clients who are completely happy with their pet store puppy purchase. But I have many more who love their dogs but are faced with problems common to pet store dogs, and regret not having made a wiser adoption choice. The risks related to buying pet store puppies so greatly outweigh the single good that we vehemently urge you to never even let the thought cross your mind.

For starters, when you purchase a pet store puppy, you are supporting the horrendous puppy mill industry. Every dollar you spend to rescue that beguiling face in the window goes to produce, market, and sell more puppies who are raised in substandard conditions by mothers who are nothing more than breeding machines, callously discarded when they can no longer produce. Don’t believe the store manager who reassures you that their puppies come from “responsible breeders.” No responsible breeder on earth sells puppies to pet stores. Not one.

Parents of pet store puppies are unlikely to have had any screening for hip dysplasia, eye problems, or any of the other myriad of genetic defects common to various dog breeds, so the chances are far greater that your pup will suffer from one or more of these debilitating defects in his lifetime. The puppies and their parents may have missed out on some important healthcare practices, such as routine worming and vaccinations. Worse, they are almost guaranteed to have missed out on the socialization experiences that are critical to normal social development. The sooner people stop buying pet store puppies, the sooner pet stores will stop selling them, and the sooner puppy mills and other irresponsible breeders will start going out of business.

A French Bulldog puppy looks through the window of a pet store; people looking at the puppy are reflected in the window
Pet supply stores should never supply their customers with pets! All puppies in pet stores (like this one in New York City) come from puppy mills and irresponsible breeders. All of them, no matter what the employees allege.

The how of selection
You’ve determined the source from which you want to acquire your next dog, or at least identified which sources are the most likely candidates for you. The next question is how. How do you decide which dog is the right one? Let’s assume the family has come to agreement about breed, or at least variables like size and type. If you’re purchasing a pup from a responsible breeder, she will guide you in selecting the best pup for your circumstances and dog-owning goals. If you want to show or compete, she’ll have a good idea which of her pups are best suited for that. If you want a family companion, she’ll identify which pups in the litter are best suited for that role.

On the other hand, if she thinks your situation is totally unsuited for her breed – an active Border Collie or vocal Sheltie in a small apartment – she’ll tell you that too, and then decline to sell you a puppy. Take her advice to heart, rethink your adoption choice, and don’t just go get a puppy of the same breed from a less responsible source.

If you’re adopting from a good shelter or rescue, they will already have performed behavior assessments on your pool of prospective adoption choices, and will help you make an educated selection. If you’re doing a private adoption or looking to a group that doesn’t assess, you’ll want to do your own assessment to explore a few behaviors before you adopt.

If you are a novice dog owner, I recommend taking along a more knowledgeable a friend, or a behavior/training professional who offers pet selection services, to help you with your decision. If you are reasonably knowledgeable about dogs and dog behavior, you should be able to determine at least some basic important qualities about your prospective adoptee on your own. Things to look for include:

¡ö Does the dog happily approach to greet you? A fearful dog is probably not well-socialized, and it will take a lot of work (behavior modification) to help him become “normal.” Love is not enough! Unless you are very skilled in training and behavior and ready to commit to a significant behavior modification program, I suggest you resist the temptation to rescue a shy dog, and instead adopt a friendly one. Friendly dogs need homes, too!

– Is he more interested in you or the environment? Social dogs want to hang out with people. If he totally ignores you, it will be harder to create the kind of relationship most people are looking for with their dogs.

– Does the dog play well? He may or may not play with toys (some dogs need to be taught how to play with toys), but will he follow you and romp a little with you? Does he get too aroused while playing, mouthing you, jumping on you, and unwilling to calm down when you’re ready to stop? Does he have a playful world view, or does he seem very serious? Again, a playful dog will be easier to train and bond with; a serious one may be more challenging to motivate and interact with.

– Is he easily aroused? Most pups bite some, as they explore their world with their mouths. But adolescent dogs and adults should have learned that putting teeth on humans isn’t acceptable behavior. If the dog in question gets overaroused easily, to the point of hard biting, non-stop biting, biting clothes, or growling, snapping, and snarling, he’s a good one to avoid.

– Will he eat treats? Most positive training relies at least part of the time on reinforcement with food. If the dog won’t take treats he could be too stressed (anorexia is a sign of stress) or he could be a dog who is not highly motivated by food – which will make training more challenging, especially if he’s also not interested in playing (another very useful reinforcer).

– If the dog will take treats, can you get him to sit? Put the treat right at the end of his nose, and slowly move it back over his head. If he jumps up to get it, whisk it out of sight for a second, then try again. When he sits, say “Yes!” and feed him a bit of the treat, then try again. If he starts offering sits for your treat after a few repetitions, you have a solid-gold winner. If it’s difficult to get him to sit, and/or he doesn’t seem to get the idea after several repetitions, he’ll be a more challenging dog to train.

– Try holding him close and looking at his teeth a few times in a row, then (carefully!) hugging him. If he resists restraint and becomes aroused, pulling away from you, perhaps even using his teeth, he probably won’t be a warm, cuddly dog – which is fine if that’s not what you want. Probably not a good choice for kids, though, who tend to want a lot of physical contact with their canine pals.

– Speaking of kids, the dog will need to meet any human youngsters in your immediate family, and should absolutely adore them. Any reluctance on the dog’s part to engage with the kids should rule him out as an adoption prospect. Dogs who live with kids need to love them, not just tolerate them. You should also introduce your adoption prospect to any dogs you currently own before making a final commitment to adopt. Again, ideally you’ll see joyful acceptance on both sides of the canine equation. Anything less is a sign that behavior work might be necessary to keep peace in the pack.

– Take a wooden spoon along with you in your assessment kit. While someone else holds the leash, set a bowl of food on the floor (dry food with some canned mixed in for palatability) and let the dog start eating. When he’s happily engaged, walk toward him. Watch for signs of tension: he eats faster, moving his nose into the bowl, or stops moving altogether, looking at you out of the corner of his eye. If you see tension, stop. If not, touch him with the wooden spoon, then put the spoon in the bowl and press it against his muzzle. Again, if you see tension, stop. If not, have the other person move him away from the bowl with the leash and pick the bowl up. Be careful! Dogs who are stressed about you being near their food can become ferocious very quickly.

Tension, growling, or snapping around food or other high-value objects is called “resource-guarding.” This is often a modifiable behavior, and it can also be a dangerous one. Dogs who show signs of resource-guarding should not go to homes with children, and are best adopted by an experienced dog owner who is willing to use positive, non-violent methods to modify the behavior.

I would not recommend adopting any dog who shows signs of shyness or aggression, including resource-guarding, or a dog who easily becomes highly aroused, unless you are a skilled and experienced owner looking for a long-term project.

Pet Insurance

By
Lorie Long
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Pet health insurance can help you manage critical and emergency care for your dog.

[Updated February 27, 2018]

Last year my Border Terrier, Dash, received advanced canine dental treatments to the tune of more than $2,500 (described in “Improve Your Dental Acuity“). Her root canal, surgical extraction, and periodontal treatments were necessary to improve her health, but they certainly stretched my checkbook until I could hear the twang!

Fortunately, I was able to afford these procedures. But, who knows what could happen next to either of my two dogs, and how much it might cost? And how can I be prepared to provide a lifetime of high quality healthcare when my next puppy comes along? For the first time I am seriously considering the benefits of pet health insurance for my dogs (both seniors), and, especially, for any young dog who joins my family in the future.

Advances in veterinary science have led to the availability of high-tech wellness care, diagnostic testing, treatments, and surgical procedures. Cancer care, MRIs, pacemakers, joint replacements, and, yes, advanced dental care are increasingly common. Many private veterinary practices now offer high-tech procedures previously offered only at regional, specialty referral clinics.

Pet Insurance

The American Pet Products Association (APPA) estimates that, in 2008, dog owners spent more than $10 billion on veterinary care. The APPA’s 2007/2008 national pet survey reported that the average “routine veterinary visit” for a dog cost more than $200, and the average “surgical vet visit” cost more than $450. Advanced, high-tech treatments cost much more.

If you want to provide your dog with high quality healthcare throughout his life, pet health insurance deserves a serious look. And since you can’t buy health insurance for your dog when you really need it most, like in an emergency, or when a pre-existing condition erupts into a critical situation, now is the best time to look into health insurance that could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Available Pet Insurance

Currently, a number of companies offer some type of pet health insurance in the U.S. Just like with human health insurance, there are several vastly different types of coverage a pet owner can buy. Classic pet health insurance is intended to cover expensive, unplanned events. Like health insurance policies for humans, most canine policies come with monthly premiums, a variety of deductible choices, various coverage levels, co-pays, and caps that limit total annual or lifetime payouts.

Canine health insurance policies may exclude older dogs or particular breeds from coverage, as well as certain genetically based conditions common to particular breeds. The policies normally exclude pre-existing conditions and may offer discounts for covering more than one pet member of a family.

Wellness coverage is one of the many choices available in classic insurance policies, along with prescription drug coverage, cancer treatment coverage, alternative therapies, accidental death, etc. Wellness packages generally offer preventative services such as vaccines, annual check-ups, and blood tests at a set rate.

Then there are variations – policies that cover only catastrophic illnesses, or, at the other end of the spectrum, plans that cover catastrophic care as well as regular wellness care and even alternative therapies like acupuncture. Some have options for dental care and prescription drug coverage. Some policies include a lost pet recovery service option or other “value-added” incentives. Of course, the costs for these plans vary significantly.

Insurance is the most effective method of mitigating high-tech veterinary expenses, but it’s underutilized. I asked Dr. Tim Banker, a member of a Greensboro, North Carolina, primary care veterinary practice (and my dogs’ dentist), about the practice’s experiences with pet health insurance. “Only five clients have involved us in the claims process,” he said.

One possible barrier to widespread acceptance by many pet owners is the persistence of stories about insurance companies that fail to cover what owners thought they would cover. It sometimes seems that unless the veterinarians fill out the paperwork just so, with the codes and abbreviations aligning properly, like stars in the heavens, many claims go unpaid. “There is an ‘art’ to knowing how to define the dental condition so that the insurance company accepts it,” Dr. Banker says.

I asked Dr. Banker if his specialty practice offered in-house discounts on expensive procedures to clients without insurance coverage. “Special programs are related to wellness services where there is more profit margin to work with. Advanced dental services are much more expensive to provide,” he explained. In other words, insurance is the best way for an owner to manage these expenses.

Understand These Insurance Terms Before You Shop:

The world of health insurance has a language of its own. We’ve defined some of the terms you should be familiar with:

Benefit schedule — Allowable charges for specific treatments defined by the insurance company in its policy. These charges may or may not equal the actual charges billed by your veterinarian for the treatments.

Co-pay — The portion of each veterinary bill the policyholder must pay before the insurance company becomes responsible for its payment. The amount varies according to the individual policy and is not cumulative. For instance, if your policy calls for a $20 co-pay, you must pay $20 toward each and every veterinary bill invoiced in the policy period.

Coverage level — Restrictions outlining the payment responsibilities of the insurance company, including maximum payout amounts, types of treatments included in the plan, and types of conditions included in the plan.

Deductible – The portion of the veterinary bill the policyholder must pay before the insurance company becomes responsible for any payments. The amount varies according to the individual policy and is cumulative. For instance, if your annual policy calls for a $500 deductible, you will have satisfied your deductible after having paid $500 in veterinary bills during the plan period, and the insurance company will pay future bills invoiced in the policy period according to other policy guidelines.

Premium — The cost of the health insurance policy, usually paid to the insurance provider monthly or annually.

Wellness care — Usually an add-on to a health insurance policy to cover preventative
treatments like regular dental cleaning, heartworm testing, and fecal exams.

Ask These Questions First

All of these companies offer price quotes through their websites and/or over the phone. Once you have determined the type and level of coverage you want for your dog, and you have some price quotes in front of you, call the companies whose plans you are considering and ask the following (and get the answers in writing!).

• What are the age limits? Some companies require puppies to be at least eight weeks old before coverage starts. Others will not cover older dogs.
• What is your waiting period? How long after you purchase the policy will you have to wait before all of the benefits kick in?
• What are your exclusions for pre-existing health conditions? How do you determine what is pre-existing?
• Does the company exclude certain breeds, charge more for certain breeds, or exclude breed-related, genetic conditions from coverage?
• What are your coverage caps or ceilings? Do they apply per incident, per body system, per illness, per year, or over the dog’s lifetime?
• How do you cover chronic or recurring illnesses? Does coverage continue for repeated treatment of the same condition?
• What triggers an increase in premiums? The dog’s age, filing a claim, built-in annual increases?
• Does the policy pay benefits based on a pre-determined schedule of charges or on the actual vet bill you pay?
• What are my co-pay choices? What percentage of my cost will the policy pay? Will my co-pay amount increase as my dog ages? Will my co-pay increase if I visit an emergency or specialty veterinarian?
• What are my deductible choices? Are deductibles different for visits to primary care veterinarians than for treatment by emergency or specialty veterinarians?
• Can I change my policy before the renewal date? If I do so, will I be charged a fee for the change?
• Can I get a multi-pet discount?
• How long after filing a claim will I receive reimbursement?
• Exactly what is covered and not covered in the policy? Checkups, spay/neuter, accidents, alternative therapies, preventative care, prescription drugs, illness due to tainted food?
• Can I use my usual primary care and specialty veterinarians, or must I use an in-network provider to receive benefits?

Pet Insurance Company Descriptions

Let’s look at the companies that are currently in operation.

AKC Pet Healthcare Plan

Underwritten by Markel Insurance Company, the American Kennel Club describes its plans as offering “individual claim evaluation, without complicated procedure limit maximums or benefit schedules.” That approach works as long as the evaluator agrees with your assessment of the reimbursements owed to you from the insurance company. There’s a 60-day Trial Plan, if activated within 28 days of AKC registration, for purebred dogs. The AKC also offers a plan that provides only accident coverage, at extremely low rates, so owners can cover “‘unlucky’ situations [listed in the plan] that frequently lead to high vet bills,” such as bite wounds, trauma, lacerations, fractures, and poison ingestion.

AKC Pet Healthcare Plan
Raleigh, North Carolina
(866) 725-2747

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance

The ASPCA has offered pet health insurance since 1997, and currently offers five pet health insurance plans with increasing levels of coverage. Owners must purchase the additional “continuing care option” for each plan if they want plan coverage for an illness or injury that showed symptoms or was treated in one plan period and requires care in another plan period, unless 180 days have passed from cure and last treatment. Some of these illnesses are relatively common, like allergies, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and cancer. The plans exclude acupuncture, chiropractic, and rehabilitative therapies, and vaccine antibody titer testing.

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
Canton, Ohio
(866) 820-7764

Embrace Pet Insurance

Laura Bennett, a co-founder of Embrace Pet Insurance, wanted to offer pet health insurance policies that were not just “small, medium, or large.” She designed Embrace’s plan to give consumers many choices. Embrace offers more than 108 coverage variations so they can customize a plan for any particular dog living in any area. “We customize policies according to risk based on the type of pet and where you live,” she explains.

Embrace considers the hereditary conditions common to a dog’s breed, chronic conditions already present in the dog, and the area of the country in which the pet and owner live, all of which dictate the anticipated cost of healthcare for the dog, when pricing a policy. Then, Embrace offers additional coverage programs for things like wellness care, alternative medicine coverage, dental care and prescription drug coverage, which the owner may select as desired.

In its third year of selling pet health insurance, Embrace now covers about 5,000 pets and is growing about 25 percent a year. The company pays benefits according to actual amounts billed by the veterinarian, not a predetermined schedule of charges. Its goal is to provide reimbursements within 15 working days. You can “back into” the process by starting with the premium you’d like to pay and then putting together a shopping cart of benefits you want for your dog within that specified premium amount.

Bennett suggests that veterinary care costs are rising about 7 percent a year. Still, less than 1 percent of pet parents in the U.S. carry pet health insurance, compared to the 25 percent of pet owners, and 60 percent of purebred dog owners, with health insurance for their pets in England. “Pet health insurance is a great financial management tool,” says Bennett.

Embrace Pet Insurance
Mayfield Village, OH
(800) 511-9172

Pet Assure Corporation

“Simple” is the guiding philosophy at New Jersey-based Pet Assure Corporation, owned by Charles Nebenzahl. He purchased the company two years ago from its founder, who had been refused insurance reimbursement for his Labrador’s hip dysplasia treatments because it was a genetically-based condition and therefore excluded from his policy. The founder channeled his frustration into creating Pet Assure, a type of financial protection from pet healthcare expenses that doesn’t deal in forms and paperwork, deductibles, co-pays, pre-existing conditions, medical care codes, pre-determined schedules of charges, or other complexities.

Pet Insurance

Pet Assure more closely resembles a discount club than an insurance company. It signs veterinarians up when the vets agree to provide a 25 percent discount on medical services to Pet Assure members. Pet owners pay an annual fee and receive a membership card to present at the time of veterinary treatment provided by an in-network provider.

Why would vets mark down their service charges for Pet Assure members? “Most costs are fixed, but the veterinary practice may not be filling all of its appointment slots,” says Nebenzahl. He says Pet Assure brings new clients who want to receive discounted services to participating veterinary practices.

Pet Assure members can plug their zip code into the company’s website and receive a list of participating vets in their area. Urban areas around Washington, DC; New York City; Miami; Los Angeles; and in New Jersey offer the broadest choice of Pet Assure in-network veterinary practices. Some veterinary practices extend the discount to adjunct services like boarding and grooming.

Most of the participating veterinary practices are primary care clinics. “[Veterinary] specialty practices are busy and don’t need help to fill [appointment] slots,” Nebenzahl says. But specialty practices are where pet parents most often spend the big bucks and need the most financial assistance. “Our program is designed to pay for itself with routine veterinary care only,” Nebenzahl explains. Pet Assure also offers a “simple” lost pet recovery option. No microchips, no fancy chip readers. Just a collar tag with an ID number that directs someone who has possession of your lost dog to contact Pet Assure by phone. Pet Assure will identify and locate the dog’s owner.

Pet Assure Corp.
Lakewood, NJ
(888) 789-7387

PetFirst Healthcare

Offering premiums unaffected by a dog’s age, breed, or location, PetFirst Healthcare provides “core” plans (Basic Plan) and “comprehensive” plans (Preferred and Preferred Plus Plans), depending on the breadth of coverage desired by the owner. The plans are renewable for the life of the dog as long as the policy is purchased before the dog’s 10th birthday. The plans have per incident maximum payouts and a $50 deductible per incident for accident and illness claims. PetFirst provides a small discount, with coverage starting immediately upon adoption, for dogs rescued from shelters.

Bill Watson, Executive Director of the Roanoke Valley SPCA in southwest Virginia, began offering a PetFirst Healthcare insurance policy to shelter dog adopters in 2006. Although the shelter’s veterinarian carefully screens dogs available for adoption, and the shelter would never knowingly adopt out a sick animal, Watson says it’s not always possible to know what an animal could be incubating. “The worst calls I get,” says Watson, “are when an adopter gets home and later calls to tell me their animal is sick. They don’t always understand the communal nature of shelter living. I get a small number of these calls but they are highly emotional.”

Now, the shelter offers adopters the option of purchasing a pet health insurance policy, which takes effect on the adoption day, for just $5 for the first month’s premium. The premiums revert to the regular rate after the first month.

Watson credits the shelter’s constantly improving medical practices and the availability of affordable pet health insurance with reducing adoption returns for health reasons from 20 to 25 per year to three to five per year.

PetFirst Healthcare
Jeffersonville, IN
(866) 937-7387

PetHealth, Inc.

PetHealth, Inc., based in Ontario, offers a range of similar products and services for veterinarians, shelters, and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a number of brand names including 24PetWatch, CherryBlue, EVE, PetPoint, and ShelterCare.

Pethealth offers a wide range of plans, from accident coverage only to full plans with accident and “double illness” coverage. It also offers a special “tenant” plan, for dogs who live with their owners in rental homes, and a plan for senior dogs, which covers the maladies that most commonly affect senior dogs.

Available in the U.S. (except in Alaska) this company guarantees acceptance regardless of the age or current health of the dog. It notes that premiums and coverage don’t increase due to a pet aging. Owners can purchase extra coverage for hereditary conditions. Some plans even provide temporary partial reimbursement for the purchase of special diets.

PetHealth, Inc.
Buffalo, NY
(866) 275-7387

Petplan USA

Petplan USA claims to be the only pet health insurance company in the U.S. to cover hereditary diseases with no dollar or time limit per condition. The company covers injuries and illnesses for life; once your dog is insured, Petplan will cover any chronic conditions into your dog’s old age as long as you continue to renew your policy each year without any break in coverage. It also covers some alternative therapies.

Pet Insurance

Petplan is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and offers a discount to its members.

Petplan USA
Philadelphia, PA
(866) 467-3875

Pets Best Insurance

Founded in 2005, Pets Best Insurance steers away from using benefit schedules by stating that everything is covered except the things specifically listed as an exclusion in the owner’s policy. However, the exclusion list is lengthy and includes: congenital conditions, pre-existing conditions, parasites, diseases preventable by vaccines, elective procedures, and dental care in the basic level plan.

Owners may purchase add-on coverage for some of the exclusions like annual teeth cleaning, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. As with most health insurance companies, rates are geography-based; however, Pets Best Insurance is unique in that its exclusion conditions are also based upon geography.

Pets Best Insurance
Boise, ID
(877) 738-7237

Trupanion Pet Insurance

Offered in Canada for six years, Trupanion is newly available in the U.S. Trupanion is designed to cover “major veterinary cost you can’t anticipate,” rather than “expected veterinary costs.” Plans are priced with a $0 deductible, but owners can increase the deductible level in $5 increments in order to lower their monthly premiums. The plan pays 90 percent of the veterinary bills and will not increase as the dog ages. The plans cover hereditary conditions except hip dysplasia.

Trupanion
Lynnwood, WA
(800) 569-7913

Veterinary Pet Insurance

In business since 1982, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) is the oldest and largest pet health insurance company in the U.S. After the policyholder meets her deductible, VPI reimburses her based on VPI’s predetermined benefit schedule of charges for veterinary services, or the actual invoice amount, whichever is less.

Ann Melchoir, a retired law enforcement professional and longtime dog and cat owner, purchased a health insurance policy for her pets from VPI about nine years ago. “I’d give them a solid B+,” says Melchoir.

Melchoir’s monthly premium, which covers two young dogs and two cats (one who is 15 years old), costs $103 with a $50 deductible per animal. She credits VPI with good phone assistance, reimbursements received within one month of her submission of a claim, and premiums that don’t go up just because she filed a claim.

Melchoir added her Norfolk Terrier, Katie, to the policy in 2007 when the pup was nine weeks old. During Katie’s first year, she incurred about $1,690 in veterinary bills, accumulated in four separate incidents, plus Melchoir paid $187 to VPI for Katie’s first year premium. Melchoir received just $466 in insurance reimbursements. But, she adds, “VPI lost a lot of money in the last five to six years of my Standard Poodle’s life.”

Melchoir lives in Potomac, Maryland, an upscale suburb of Washington, DC. She notes that the reimbursements usually cover less than half the charges she pays to vets in her expensive area of the country. Even so, she maintains the policy for her pets. She can afford to pay for the treatments her pets require, but the insurance “takes the sting out of it.”

“I’m willing to spend extra money for peace of mind,” she says. “I insure my pets before they come in the door [to eliminate policy exclusions for pre-existing conditions]. I’m that kind of person. For those years when you have a really sick animal, it’s worth it.”

Veterinary Pet Insurance
Brea, CA
(888) 899-4874

PetInsuranceReview.com Offers Some Help

Fans of retailing websites like Amazon.com (and many others) have become accustomed to receiving a certain amount of purchasing advice from their peers, in the form of a “user review.” There are also other sites that offer only reviews, with no products offered for sale by the site owner – although the sites are generally funded by advertising income and the sites themselves may be cluttered with ads.

Here’s a site that helpfully offers tons of the former (user reviews) and none of the latter (ads from competing insurance companies): Colorado-based Pet Insurance Review. The site states that it is not owned or controlled by any pet insurance company and the user reviews “do not reflect the opinion of the operator of this website.”

Pet Insurance Review says its mission is to help pet owners make the best health insurance decisions based on pricing and benefits, and actual customer reviews. It accomplishes the first part by making it easy for an owner to get a quote and information about the various companies from the companies themselves. If you click on “Get quotes,” and fill in some basic information about yourself and your dog (your zip code, your dog’s age, breed, and sex), the site will submit simultaneous quote requests to several insurance companies, who will then e-mail their quotes to you individually.

Alternatively, if you click on the names of the various insurance companies, you jump to a page that gives contact information for that company, a basic description (provided by the company), and hyperlink to the company’s own site (where you can submit a quote request yourself). But that page also features dozens (sometimes hundreds) of user reviews of the company’s insurance products; in our opinion, this is the most useful part of the website. Here, you can read what went well, or what went badly, about pet owners’ experiences with their dogs’ medical histories and their efforts to manage the associated costs.

Things to Keep in Mind

Choosing health insurance can seen daunting, but if you really focus on your own needs, your dog’s health, and your budget, you’ll be able to determine what sort of plan has the most potential for saving you money in the long run. Consider these tips as you mull over your options:

• Consider combining a discount program (like Pet Assure) to pay help pay for routine healthcare, with a low-premium, high-deductible policy for catastrophic health events only. That way, you will receive a discount on regular veterinary charges and some supplies and services, and still have coverage for high-cost, unplanned procedures.

• Alternatively, if you are very self-disciplined, create an interest-bearing savings account to be used for your dog’s healthcare needs. Take a realistic look at how much you can afford to save; it may make sense to purchase a high-deductible, low cost policy to cover expensive emergencies, even if you are assiduous about saving money to be used for routine veterinary expenses. Once the account contains enough savings to cover the high cost of emergency healthcare, you could safely discontinue the emergency policy.

• The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) offers this suggestion: Ask your veterinarian (or, more likely, her front office manager) about her recommendation for insurance. Vets and their clinic managers are likely to have experience dealing with the company (and maybe even the policy) you are considering. They may be able to warn you away from companies that fail to live up to their promises, and steer you toward companies that their clients have reported being very happy with.

• Owners with multiple pets may benefit most from discount plans health insurance to provide for even regular, planned veterinary expenses.

Remember, when your dog’s veterinary care costs significantly exceed what the insurance company will reimburse – according to its schedule – it can feel as if it wasn’t worth paying for the insurance.

No matter what plan you choose, it’s incumbent on you to understand the policy thoroughly, and know how to follow the proper procedure for filing claims. A company may have very specific requirements that you must meet – turning in paperwork within a determined time period, for example – and refuse to reimburse you if you fail to meet each of its requirements.

You may also find that you have to pay scrupulous attention to the reimbursements and the accompanying explanations that you do receive, to make sure you fully understand what the company did and did not reimburse you for, and why. All insurance companies make mistakes, and if you don’t pay attention, you may find that the mistakes all seem to favor the insurance company!

One owner I interviewed thought he would get more credit on his first claim, since he had paid premiums for many years without a claim; insurance doesn’t work like that! Also, after scrutinizing the reimbursement codes, he found that he failed to get reimbursement for something that should have been covered. He complained to the company, and was told how to submit more paperwork to correct the problem and receive greater reimbursement, but felt it was too much work for too little return. Just as with their own health insurance, dog owners may have to be diligent and persistent to receive the full measure of what they are due.

Ways to Minimize Healthcare Needs

– Spay or neuter your dog.

– Provide regular preventative care to keep your dog healthy. Keep his teeth clean by brushing his teeth, and having them cleaned professionally as soon as this is needed.

– Take him to your primary care veterinarian for a checkup every year.

– Protect his mental and emotional health too. Chronic stress can affect his immune system, and make him prone to physical illness.

– Control your dog’s weight; provide him with plenty of safe exercise.

– Prevent emergencies; don’t let your dog roam unsupervised.

– Keep your dog’s safety in mind. Use a canine seatbelt or put him in a crate that is securely fastened in your car. Don’t put him in conditions where he may become subject to heatstroke or frostbite.

– Feed your dog the best food you can afford. Change his diet if it seems to cause any sort of digestive, skin or other type of problems.

PET INSURANCE: OVERVIEW

1. Think about your dog’s health, age, predisposition to accidents, and risk of inherited disease to help you decide what level of coverage you should investigate.

2. Get price quotes from every company that offers plans that seem to meet your needs.

3. Ask your veterinarian (or her office staff) about the insurance providers they like the best; they should be able t o steer you away from companies that make their paperwork difficult to complete, or who reimburse owners very slowly.

4. If possible, don’t allow your coverage to lapse if your dog is diagnosed with a condition requiring ongoing treatment; it may be excluded as a pre-existing condition later in his life.

Lorie Long runs her two Border Terriers in agility and is the author of A Dog Who’s Always Welcome (Howell Books, 2008).

Canine Swimming Lessons: The Perfect Exercise For Your Dog

By
Susan Sarubin, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, PMCT4
-
1
Canine swimming lessons make for fun exercise that also helps keep your dog safe.

For those of us who regularly swim for fitness, we know why swimming is often referred to as “the perfect exercise.” In addition to the physical benefits shared with other forms of aerobic exercise, swimming offers some unique benefits. It eliminates the effects of weight-bearing on the joints, exercises the entire body – upper and lower – at the same time, and, in most cases, is something we can do for our entire lives, even if age precludes us from taking part in other forms of exercise.

The physical benefits of swimming are the same for your canine companion as they are for you – that is, if you have a dog who will swim. Even though they actually have a stroke named after them, the notion that all dogs are “natural swimmers” is an erroneous one.

Canine Swimming

Some breeds were developed to work in water and are more physically adapted for swimming than others. The problem here is not getting these dogs into the water, but keeping them on terra firma when we want them to stay clean and dry. However, occasionally, even a water breed shows disdain for water – yes, there are some Labrador Retrievers who hate swimming.

Conversely, there are dogs you’d never imagine taking kindly to the water who become devoted and skilled swimmers. Although not blessed with the physical advantages of a water breed, and despite sinking rear ends or heavy, wet coats, these Boston Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and Siberian Huskies have learned to enjoy swimming. They don’t know or care that they have to work a little harder than a Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, or a Newfoundland – they just want to have fun!

Some dogs may simply not like the sensation of being in water. But many dogs fear the water for precisely the same reason that many humans do: they don’t know how to swim! But suppose you could help your dog overcome his dislike, or fear, of water by teaching him how to swim? Think of the years of fun ahead for your dog if he learns to love the water. It’s also a skill that may come in handy someday when you need to rehabilitate an injury your dog has sustained, or when joint disease makes weight-bearing exercise too painful. And if you live near or on the water, or own a pool, teaching your dog to swim becomes a matter of safety.

 

Swimming lessons
We know that introducing a young puppy to all sorts of novel stimuli is important in developing a well adapted, socialized adult dog. Puppies between the ages of roughly 6 to 16 weeks more easily overcome fears of new objects, people, and situations than will older puppies and dogs.

Exposure to water is no exception. If you have a young puppy, take advantage of this period to get your puppy used to the water and to teach him to swim. If you have an older puppy or adult dog, even one who already has shown a dislike for the water, you may still be able to teach your dog to swim and enjoy it. It just may take a little longer. Some dogs take to swimming almost immediately. Others may take weeks before they feel confident.

There is no faster way to make a dog fear water than to drop him into it. Believing all dogs are “natural swimmers,” there are people who try to teach their dogs to swim by doing exactly this. Never drop your dog into water; it is cruel and may quickly end his swimming career before it starts. You will want to accompany your dog into the water to teach him to swim, so dress accordingly – anything from bare feet and rolled-up pants to a bikini will work! Expose your dog gradually to water, whether a pool, stream, pond, lake, or the ocean. The focus of your training is to teach your dog to enjoy being in water. To make the experience as positive as possible, be sure the conditions are optimal – a warm day, warmer water temperature, shallow entry to the water, and little distraction.

Pond or lake shorelines are ideal for getting your dog accustomed to being near the water. Walk slowly along the shoreline with your dog on-leash. If he is clearly uncomfortable with your proximity to the water, move a bit farther away. Praise your dog as he walks with you, feeding him treats that are especially yummy, or coaxing him and rewarding him with a coveted toy (preferably one that is waterproof and floats).

Advance only when ready
When he is clearly comfortable walking along the shoreline at a distance from the water, try walking a little closer to the water. Continue to praise him lavishly and reward him the treats or a toy. When your dog progresses to moving closer to the water with no signs of anxiety, try continuing your stroll at the water’s edge. Walk in an inch or two of water and allow your dog to get his feet wet. Make a fuss over his bravery.

Unless your dog shows an interest in wading into deeper water on his own, this is a good place to stop training for the day. End on a positive note. If you are successful in helping your dog feel comfortable just being close to the water, you’ve had a good first day of training. Your dog is beginning to learn that good, fun things happen around the water!

Canine Swimming

Your next step is to encourage your dog, with treats or a toy, into venturing a little deeper. Continue to walk, play, praise, and treat, gradually increasing the depth of the water to no higher than your dog’s belly. Watch closely for any signs of anxiety, and if present, return to a depth where your dog is having fun and is relaxed and comfortable.

Once your dog is comfortable in water that is up to his belly, it is time to begin the real swimming lesson. Place your hands underneath your dog’s midsection and hindquarters for support, suspend him in the water and move him slowly forward into deeper water for a foot or two. He should soon start paddling as you support him and move him through the water. His stroke technique won’t be pretty at first – he may claw the air above the water with his front paws and barely move his hind legs – but with repetition, his form will improve.

Relax and speak calmly and happily to your dog while moving him through the water. Return him to where he was standing previously – and praise and reward him. You may even move him toward his favorite floating toy and allow him to snatch it up as a reward.

Up a creek with a paddle
When your dog is paddling gracefully with his front paws as well as with his hindquarters, it’s time to have your dog try to swim on his own. Encourage your dog to swim to you for a short distance in water that is a little over his head. Use a treat or a toy to lure him and reward him. See if he will swim back in on his own as well, with you leading the way. If he is not ready to swim on his own, spend more time getting him comfortable paddling with your hands supporting him.

As your dog becomes accustomed to swimming on his own for short distances, you may try tossing his toy out a little farther, or calling him to you from farther away.

Keep your dog on-leash during the training in case he gets distracted or confused and has difficulty reaching shore. A harness on your dog is preferable to a collar for attaching the leash. If you have to help your dog reach the shore by gently pulling on the leash, using a harness will prevent stress on your dog’s neck and will not interfere with his ability to hold his head above water. Use a longer leash or nylon line for safety as your dog swims for increasing distances, adjusting the slack as he swims so he doesn’t become entangled.

For the occasional inexperienced but confident puppy or dog you may be able to shorten the swim training process. Introduce your dog to the water by bringing along a canine friend who already swims. Your dog may very well follow his friend into the water and even attempt to swim on his own. Just be prepared to help if your brave dog exceeds his abilities. Keep him on a leash or line, and be close by in case he needs you to support him while he perfects his doggie paddle.

If you are training your dog to swim in a pool, the process is the same. Train gradually around the pool, at the pool’s edge, on the first step or ramp into the pool, then slowly progress to moving him into the water while supporting him with your hands.

Swimming uses a lot of energy and is especially tiring until swimming-specific endurance builds. Keep your training sessions short at first, gradually increasing duration.

With practice, your dog will soon be swimming longer distances with ease. When your dog is swimming regularly for exercise, remember to have him take breaks often. Dogs who love to swim will swim to exhaustion, risking hyperthermia and drowning. Always supervise your dog’s swim sessions and be prepared to help if he finds himself in trouble.

Where to swim
Rivers are dangerous places to allow your dog to swim because of the underlying currents in moving water. But swimming pools, lakes, ponds, creeks, and the ocean can all be great places for dogs to swim. Each venue comes with its own list of safety hazards and precautions to insure that your dog survives his water adventures healthy and happy.

■Swimming pools

•If you have a backyard swimming pool, have it securely fenced in to keep your dog (as well as children) out of the pool when you are not actively supervising.

•If your pool is covered when not in use, firmly secure the cover to prevent your dog from slipping underneath.

•Alarm systems are available that alert when the surface of the water in your pool is broken. Or you can get an alarm that attaches to your dog’s collar and alerts when submerged. (See “Resources,” page 24, for contact information for these and other products mentioned in this article.)

•Your pool should have a ramp or graduated steps for your dog to be able to exit the water. Dogs cannot use ladders! If your pool has no usable exit for your dog, install an escape tool for pets, such as a Skamper-Ramp. Teach your dog where to exit the pool. If your dog falls in the pool and cannot get out, he will eventually tire of paddling and drown.

•If your pool is chlorinated, hose off or bathe your dog after he swims. Chlorine can dry his coat and skin and make him sick if he licks himself. Don’t allow your dog to drink the chlorinated pool water; keep a bowl of fresh water poolside.

•Don’t have your own pool? If the idea of your dog swimming in a clean, confined, safe area appeals to you, check to see if there are any indoor doggie swimming pools or pet therapy pools in your area. You may be able to pay by the hour for use of the pool for one or multiple dogs.

 

If you live in a colder climate, indoor swimming is an option for continuing your dog’s favorite activity in the cold winter months. These pools are kept fairly warm (75 degrees or more), making the water more comfortable for older dogs and tentative new swimmers.

■Lakes and ponds

•Even the most skilled canine swimmers may become distracted or confused and get lost in a larger body of water. Outfit your dog with a pet flotation device, keep her in your sights at all times, and be prepared to enter the water and help her if needed. Attaching a long leash or line to your dog will always keep you connected.

•Blue-green algae in ponds and lakes is toxic if ingested. An overgrowth of blue-green algae causes the water to appear cloudy with a blue-green hue. Avoid water that is contaminated with blue-green algae; if you suspect that your dog has had contact with or swallowed contaminated water, call your vet immediately.

•Although not all types of algae are toxic to dogs, ponds and lakes in many parks, subdivisions, and golf courses are treated with chemicals to prevent excessive algae growth. Some of these chemicals cause only skin irritation, but others may cause liver damage or neurological damage. Check with the appropriate sources to find out if chemicals are used to treat the water. Call your vet immediately if you suspect chemical poisoning in your dog from swimming in a chemically contaminated lake or pond.

•Lakes and ponds in rural areas may contain herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers from drainage run-off from local farms. Lakes that allow motor boating may have higher concentrations of petroleum products. Always rinse your dog after swimming in lakes and ponds, and watch for any signs of illness or toxicity.

•While nearly impossible to prevent your dog from drinking the water in his favorite freshwater swimming hole, provide clean water and encourage your dog to drink it. Drinking water from ponds, lakes and streams can lead to an infection of giardia, an intestinal parasite that can cause serious illness.

•If you live in, or are traveling to, a state where alligators live, be aware that they do attack and kill dogs. Keep your dog away from all lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, wetlands, and swamps. A pool may be your dog’s only option (and you may even want to make sure the pool is reptile-free!).

•Beware of conditions that may injure your dog or put his life at risk. Look for broken glass on the shoreline. Fallen tree limbs in the water that may catch on your dog’s harness or flotation device. Old fishing line underwater may wrap around your dog’s leg. Keep your dog in your vision. If conditions such as water temperature, depth, or distance to your swimming dog would prevent you from safely entering the water to help your dog if needed, you should not allow your dog to swim.

■The ocean

•While many dogs enjoy a romp in the surf at a dog-friendly beach, large waves can knock your dog over and strong tides and undercurrents can pull him under. Or your dog may be so focused on retrieving his drifting ball that he swims out beyond his limits. A doggie life jacket is essential when swimming in the ocean. Attaching a long lead to your dog may prevent you having to swim out after him if he is pulled out to sea.

•Check the water for sea lice and jellyfish. Sea lice can cause red, itchy bumps on your dog’s skin. Jellyfish sting! •Discourage your dog from drinking seawater; it will make him sick. Offer fresh water to him frequently.

•Salt and other minerals in seawater may damage your dog’s coat and irritate his skin. Rinse him off when you leave the beach.

•Keep your dog away from any dead fish or shellfish that have washed ashore.

•Check your dog’s paws for irritation or burning from hot sand on the beach.

■Anywhere

•Be sure your dog has a shady place to rest and plenty of fresh water to drink.

•Dogs can sunburn, especially shorthaired, pink-skinned dogs. Apply sunscreen made for dogs to ears and nose. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3p.m.

•Heatstroke is also a risk. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms (see “Running with Your Dog,” WDJ February 2009) and take preventive measures; limit your dog’s activity in warmer temperatures and direct exposure to the sun.

•Train your dog to “Come” on cue, even in the water. This may prevent him from swimming too far after a duck or his toy, and you from having to come to his aid.

•Clean and dry your dog’s ears after a swim. While especially important after swimming in dirty lakes and ponds, water retained in the ear creates a hospitable environment for bacteria and yeast to grow, no matter where your dog has been swimming.

•Watch for signs that your dog is tiring. Swimming is a strenuous activity and endurance is achieved slowly. Remember that older dogs, even experienced swimmers, no longer have the strength, agility or endurance that they once had. A tired dog is a good dog on land, but in the water, a tired dog is a dog in big trouble.

•Learn how to take care of your dog if injured when swimming. Organizations that offer courses in Pet CPR and First Aid include the American Red Cross and the American Safety & Health Institute.

Swimming with your dog
Perhaps you’re interested in having your dog swim alongside you so you can work out together. Most people just supervise their dogs when swimming, or wade with them in shallow water. But some folks have their dogs accompany them on swims, and with proper training and conditioning, some dogs progress to swimming long distances with their owners.

Canine Swimming

Photo by Keith Kerns

My first experience of swimming alongside a dog was many years ago with my Lab, Max. He was so focused on retrieving his ball or stick that he barely paid attention to my presence in the water. He could not have cared less about swimming alongside me; if there wasn’t an object thrown for him to retrieve, or a duck or boat to chase, what was the point of swimming? So I swam alongside him on his retrievals.

Not every dog who swims will swim alongside you willingly. If your dog follows you as you move through the water, that’s a good first step. If he swims to you and claws at you, you have a problem. Try training with a cue such as “Leave it” or “Off” that will let him know not to make physical contact with you. Practice in shallow water at first, with your dog wading beside you, and gradually progress to deeper water where he must swim but you can still walk. Eventually, if you can get him to swim alongside you without contact, slowly increase the distance and duration of your swims. If you breathe to one side when you swim, make sure your dog is always on your breathing side so he remains in your sight.

Landlubbers
My next “swimming” dog was my first Ridgeback, Kimba. I respected his dislike for water after many attempts to acclimate him. But if I would dive off the dock into the lake he would howl and hurl his body into the water after me, seemingly panicked that I was in danger. His stroke consisted of clawing the sky in a frenzy while moving toward me. If I didn’t swim away from him fast enough, my 95-pound personal canine lifeguard would claw me, leaving me bruised and bloodied. I quickly learned to leave him inside when I went for a dip.

So despite your attempts to create a positive association with water, what if your dog would rather have you cut into the quick of a toenail than to venture near the pool or get within sight of the ocean? It’s time to throw in the beach towel and respect your dog’s feelings. Some dogs who don’t take to swimming still enjoy wading and splashing in a kiddie pool or running through a sprinkler to cool off. Even if you are able to teach your dog to swim but he is clearly not enjoying himself, abandon your goal of creating a canine Michael Phelps. Take your dog out for walk, run, or a rigorous game of fetch, and just enjoy being active together.

Susan Sarubin lives, swims, bikes, runs, and trains dogs in Baltimore, Maryland. Her training business is Pawsitive Fit, LLC. Susan is also the Maryland State Coordinator for Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue, Inc. See her website at pawsitivefit.com for more information.

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Disaster Prevention

By
Nancy Kerns
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Our resident training expert, Pat Miller, often sends me dog-related news articles; she’s practically a one-woman canine news service! A couple of months ago, she sent me a disturbing article about a dog who was euthanized after attacking his owner, who had been trying to clip his nails. We agreed that we should remind our readers why they should regularly trim their dogs’ nails – and how to use positive training techniques to teach their dogs how to absolutely love the process.

Nancy Kerns

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One important aspect of the sad story of the euthanized dog was that his owner had previously used intimidation to force the dog to go along with the practice. When he growled at her, expressing his discomfort and fear with the process, she told him “No!” Pat reminds us why a dog owners should never scold or punish a dog for growling. (It doesn’t make the dog feel any better about what he’s growling about, and if you succeed in suppressing his growl, you’ve just eliminated the only warning you might get before he bites you in the face of overwhelming stress.)

Last month, experienced triathlete Susan Sarubin described how to safely start a running program with your dog. This month, she discusses cycling with canines; we will present her article on swimming your dog in an upcoming issue. I should note that Sarubin largely disapproves of one practice that I indulge in regularly with my dog, Otto: mountain biking with him off-leash. I learned a lot from her warnings about this activity, and while I plan to continue our bike rides, I am going to put some of her suggestions into practice.

Some readers have asked me about how my dog Otto is doing; I haven’t said much about him in the past two issues. I appreciate your interest, and share an updated report on his continuing progress (and occasional setbacks) in “Social Matters,” Also in this issue is a primer on what is sometimes a devastating disease: EPI, or Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, written by a dog owner with first-hand experience with the disease. See “Starving, Not Starved.”

Corrections
In “Choosing Good Foods,” in the February issue, we listed Taplow Feeds as the company that sells FirstMate Pet Foods. FirstMate is manufactured in the company’s own plant, which is called Taplow Feeds, but the company name should have been listed as FirstMate Pet Foods. We apologize for the error.

We also failed to include one company on our “2009 Approved Dry Foods” list, whose information we had obtained and whose products we admire. Champion Petfoods Ltd., of Morinville, Alberta, makes its Orijen and Acana (high-protein, low-carb) dry dog foods in its own plant. See orijen.ca or call (780) 939-6888 for more information.

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