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; youll 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 youve 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 dont 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.
Youll 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 dogs potential. Often, however, people end up practicing with like-minded dog owners and, finally, competing. Thats natural: The relationship between dog and person blossoms from training and playing together. You look into your dogs 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. Well explain how owners can learn each sport with their dogs whether its 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, well explain how positive, non-punitive training methods can be used to train your dog to love and succeed at the sport.
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.
– 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.
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.
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.
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:
• 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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Hey! Notice anything different? Color! Ive been whining and begging our publisher for color for quite some time, and Im 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.
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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 couples home and yard was suitable for safely raising one of her puppies! Only then did she complete the sale. She has called the pups new owners to check in and answer questions, and reminds them frequently that shell take the pup back, no questions asked, if they ever decide not to keep her. Thats 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. Im still wading through the responses, and though Im not yet sure which plan will best suit Ottos needs, I do know Ill 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 Pats 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
“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 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.
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., 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.
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.
Petplan is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and offers a discount to its members.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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!
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.
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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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.
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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.
Two months ago, I read a news story about a dog owner in Minnesota who had shared her home and her life with her 10-year-old Great Pyrenees for eight years. On December 30, 2008, the dog attacked his owner as she was trying to trim his nails, sending her to the hospital for multiple bite wounds to her arms. The news report on the incident stated, “[The dog owner] was able to reach another room and closed the door, keeping the dog out.”
The owner in this sad story was treated and released from the hospital the same day. The dog is now dead – euthanized at the veterinary hospital for safety reasons, at the owner’s request. Nail-trimming should not be a matter of life and death. Nor should any other routine grooming procedure. If a dog objects strongly to any sort of physical contact or restraint that may occur in the process of ordinary care, a smart, responsible owner needs to take immediate steps to overcome his objections in a positive, nonaversive manner. Fortunately, this process (described in detail below) is not difficult (or dangerous!) to do – but it does take a serious commitment of time.
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Why not use force? Most of us are pressed for time, and many dog owners may squirm at the thought of yet another dog-care duty that requires the investment of a lot of time (in addition to other training and exercise chores). So why not simply restrain the dog and firmly tell him “No!” if he growls or otherwise objects to the pedicure or other grooming?
The news story of the Minnesota woman and her Great Pyrenees is sadly instructive in this regard. The article I read quoted the dog’s owner as saying that the dog had always been “very, very touchy” about his paws. She even said he had attacked “mildly” before, but she had been able to get him to stop. “He would growl, and generally I could say, ‘Stop it,’ and get him to stop,” she was quoted as saying. “This morning, it didn’t stop.” She then went on to say that for reasons that remained “unclear,” the dog attacked her.
Wait a second. This dog has been telling her for eight years that he didn’t want her to touch his paws. The owner lays out all the reasons the attack occurred, and then says the reasons for it are unclear? How much clearer could it be? This is a classic example of a human totally ignoring her dog’s attempts to communicate with her, this time with a very tragic ending.
Stress is the underlying factor behind almost all aggression – idiopathic aggression being the rare exception (see “Rage Without Reason,” Whole Dog Journal June 2004). We know that suppressing aggressive behavior doesn’t change aggressive behavior; it just drives it underground where it simmers, likely to smash its way out when the stress becomes too great and pushes the dog over his bite threshold – like it did with this Great Pyrenees. In this dog’s case, at age 10 (advanced age for the giant breeds), there may also have been additional stressors such as arthritis, or other age-related conditions. If grasping his paws to clip nails caused him pain, that would have been an additional stressor that further exacerbated his reaction.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not condemning the owner’s decision to euthanize a dog who caused her serious injury. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to repair a dog-owner relationship that has been damaged this badly. Rehoming a 10-year-old dog with a history of aggressive behavior isn’t generally realistic, either. The real tragedy was the eight years that led up to the final act in this drama – eight years in which the dog tried as best he knew without hurting his owner, to tell her that nail trimming made him very uncomfortable. Eight years during which the owner could have modified his behavior, rather than suppressing it.
Suppressing behavior Behavior suppression is a regrettably popular approach to behavior modification in some circles today. This is partly a carryover from old-fashioned training methods. It has also experienced a large resurgence in popularity due to its regular use on a high-profile television show. But its popularity is also bolstered by the fact that, sometimes, it works.
There is something inherently satisfying to us humans when we tell someone to stop doing something and they stop. At least for the moment. What it doesn’t do is change the underlying motivation for the behavior.
Dogs do things that are reinforced – the behavior either makes a good thing happen (positive reinforcement), or makes a bad thing go away (negative reinforcement). A dog is motivated to do a behavior because it works to do one of those two things. They are also motivated to stop doing behaviors that are punished – the behavior makes good things go away (negative punishment), or makes bad things happen (positive punishment).
Aggression, which is initially an emotional response to stress, can be influenced by reinforcement and punishment. Over the years, that Great Pyrenees’s growling in response to having his paws touched was probably negatively reinforced at least some of the time, since wise humans back off when a dog growls. The dog learned that sometimes people stopped touching his paws if he growled. Intermittent reinforcement makes a behavior very durable. When a behavior is reinforced sometimes, it’s hard to make that behavior go away.
However, sometimes the dog’s growling didn’t work. Not only did his owner continued to mess with his paws, when he got more forceful about trying to make the bad thing go away, his owner got violent in response. So the positive punishment stopped the aggressive behavior for the moment, but it didn’t make it go away, and it didn’t alter the dog’s underlying emotional response to the procedure that stressed him. The violence suppressed the behavior, but it didn’t change it.
Modifying behavior If instead of suppressing his aggression in response to paw handling, his owner had taught the Great Pyrenees to love nail trimming, the pair wouldn’t be mentioned in this article. But another dog and owner well might be. I dare say there are thousands upon thousands of dogs who don’t like having their nails trimmed, and whose discomfort signals in response to the procedure have been suppressed. Their lives – and their humans’ lives – would be much happier if someone took the time to do a little behavior modification.
My own personal canine behavior science lab gives me plenty of nail-trimming material to work with. Three of our four dogs weren’t too happy about pedicures when we first acquired them. Two of the three were unhappy about having their paws touched, much less having their nails trimmed. Dubhy, our Scottie, suffered from severe allergies when we found him. His paws were raw and bleeding. No wonder he was sensitive about them! Lucy the Corgi, on the other hand, is just generally touchy about being touched. Bonnie the Scorgidoodle is fine about touching, even her paws, but doesn’t like the restraint and pressure on her nails that goes along with the clipping. Here’s how we “fixed” each one:
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–Lucy (sensitive to all touch): Since Lucy was touch sensitive in general, I used counter-conditioning and desensitization to help her overcome her dislike of being touched on her legs and body. (See “Counter-Conditioning and Desensitization to Touch,” previous pages). This also included other grooming procedures – brushing, looking at her teeth, and cleaning her ears – as well as giving her a positive association with restraint and hugging. Our ultimate solution to nail trimming involved the use of her “Wait” behavior. After we had completed her paw/nail clipper-touch desensitization protocol, I did the following:
1.Told Lucy to “Down” and “Wait.”
2.Placed a yummy treat 12 inches in front of her nose.
3.Clipped one nail.
4.Told her “Take it!” so she could jump up and eat the treat.
5.Repeated steps 1 through 4 for each subsequent next nail.
She now absolutely adores the nail clipping procedure, and I clip multiple nails in between “Take it!” cues, always keeping it random so she never knows which nail clip will result in the treat cue.
–Dubhy and Bonnie (unhappy about having paws touched): I also did a paw/clipper touch desensitization protocol with Dubhy, until he was comfortable having his paws touched and his nails trimmed. However, he and Bonnie both have those awful, dense, black toenails that require heavy pressure on the clippers, which they both found aversive despite counter-conditioning. Plus, it’s devilishly hard to know where the quick is on a solid black nail, and despite my most careful attention, from time to I managed to “quick” them both. You can imagine how painful (and aversive) that must be – and how much of a setback that is even to the most careful modification program (see “A Quick Recovery,” next page).
I had to overcome a negative association of my own to implement the ultimate solution to Dubhy and Bonnie’s nail-trimming challenge. A decade ago while conducting a nail-trimmer product review for Whole Dog Journal (“You Nailed It!” February 1999), I tested a nail-grinder. One of my dogs, the wonderful Josie, was a terrier-mix with hairy feet, and I neglected to keep her fur pulled back from the grinder. It got tangled in the mechanism and yanked painfully on her paw. I’ve been reluctant to use a grinder ever since. Yet I knew it was the right answer to my current two dogs’ nail trimming difficulties, so I bucked up and tried it, using a nylon stocking over their paws to hold back their fur. (The nails poked through a hole in the stocking toe for grinding.)
After some desensitization to the sound of the grinder, both Bonnie and Dubhy are much more comfortable with nail trimming (and still get lots of treats). Their nails look better than they ever have in their lives – and we’re all much happier!
Note: The “as seen on TV” battery-powered nail grinders are inexpensive, and have a built-in guard that prevents hair from tangling in the grinder. However, they’re not very powerful, so it takes a while to get the job done and you go through a lot of batteries. The more expensive models that you can find in pet supply stores, catalogs, and Web-based pet supply businesses are worth the extra cost.
Operant conditioning I often hear dog owners say, “I don’t need to trim my dog’s nails; she runs on pavement (or rocks, or sand) and keeps them worn down herself. “Great,” I think to myself – and sometimes say out loud. “When your dog becomes a less-active senior citizen and no longer wears her nails down, then you’ll face the battle, when it will be even more challenging after all those years to convince her to let you hold her paws and trim her nails.”
If you prefer to let your dog file her own nails, there’s an operant conditioning approach that will still work when your dog is in her golden years. Positive trainer Shirley Chong in Grinnell, Iowa, suggests taking a board 8 to 12 inches wide and 24 to 26 inches long, covering it with slip-proof tape or coarse sandpaper, and teaching your dog to paw at the board to file his own nails. She describes the procedure in detail at shirleychong.com/keepers/nailfile.html. I haven’t tried this procedure yet myself, but I bet all my dogs would enjoy some shaping sessions learning how to do this; it sounds like great fun! The bottom line is, there are a lot of things the owner of the Great Pyrenees could have done over the years to help her dog tolerate, accept, even love having his nails done. If she had, he’d be alive today. If your dog doesn’t like having his nails done, don’t wait; help him learn to love the procedure now. Don’t let nail trimming kill your best friend.
Thanks to Sandi Thompson, of Bravo!Pup Puppy and Dog Training, in Berkeley, California, for demonstrating counter-conditioning and desensitization techniques. For contact information, see “Resources,” page 24.
Pat Miller, CPDT, 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.
Start out slow. Get your dog comfortable with a parked bike before walking him alongside a bike you are pushing. Only when he’s comfortable with these things should you actually mount up and ride – slowly!
Always wear a helmet when cycling. If you need one more reason to convince you, consider this: If you fell and were knocked out, what would happen to your dog?
Ride at a conservative pace, for short distances, until your dog builds fitness.
If your dog’s enthusiasm or speed lags, stop and investigate. Offer him some water, and slow your pace on the way home.
You walk your dog several times daily, but it never seems to be enough exercise for your energetic pup. It probably isn’t. Healthy dogs need to run, and walking just isn’t an aerobic enough exercise for them. Running with your dog is a great aerobic exercise, but many people can’t run or simply don’t like running.
So how about biking with your dog? If you love to ride your bike and have a dog who loves to run, you may have considered sharing your rides with your best friend. Fresh air, exercise, time spent together having fun and creating your own adventures – it doesn’t get much better than that. And it seems so simple, right? Just you, your dog, a bike, a leash, and the open road, and you’re on your way.
There are several different products that fasten to your bike to allow you to safely lead your dog on a ride. This one is known as the K9 Bike Jogger (formerly known as WalkyDog).
Well, not exactly. But riding a bike with a running dog as a companion can be done safely. You just need to be willing to put in the time for training, invest in the proper equipment, and follow some safety rules to make the activity both fun and safe for you both.
Before You Bike with Your Dog:
If you and your dog are just beginning to exercise regularly or more strenuously, physical exams by your respective doctors are advisable. Safety precautions regarding age, breed, weight, and thickness of coat are the same as those for dogs who are beginning running programs with their running humans.
Check with your vet about when your young puppy’s growth plates are expected to close so you won’t risk injuring your puppy’s development by beginning a structured exercise program too soon. Some medium and large breed dogs are built for running endurance, but others, especially smaller breeds, can only run slowly for shorter distances. And as with all new forms of exercise, beginning slowly and building up duration and distance over time, no matter what condition you and your dog are in, is the safest way to go.
Dog-Leading Equipment for the Cyclist
If you don’t already have a bike, your local bike shop is a good place to start to figure out what type of bike will suit your needs for the terrain you plan to ride on. If you will ride on mainly paved roads, dirt roads, well-mowed fields, and smooth bike trails, then a hybrid bike may be your best choice. If you want the option of riding more rugged bike trails on which you must negotiate rocks, branches, streams, and tree roots, then a mountain bike is in order. You can still ride on more gentle terrain with a mountain bike, however you may want to replace the knobby tires with more slick ones if you plan to spend more time on the road. The bike shop staff can fit you for the proper size bike and make any adjustments necessary for a comfortable fit.
A helmet is the single most important piece of safety equipment for any cyclist at any level, from beginner to elite. Riding without a helmet is an invitation for a head injury, or worse, from a slow-speed tumble to a more serious crash or collision. Feeling the wind in your hair as you ride is not worth the risk of brain injury or death should you hit your head in a fall. And think of your dog’s safety. What exactly will happen to your dog while you lie unconscious after a crash?
Bright colored cycling clothing, a water bottle or two, spare tube, tire pump, tire repair kit, identification, money, and a cell phone are all safety items that you should have with you when you and your partner head out. Further equipment for the human half of the cycling duo has more to do with comfort than safety. Unless your bike comes with a big, cushy saddle, you will appreciate the extra cushioning that padded bicycle shorts will afford. You can also put a more comfortable saddle on your bike, or add a gel-filled seat cover.
Beginners commonly use running shoes or light hiking boots, but cycling shoes designed specifically for the sport are recommended. They are rigid and allow minimal flexion of the foot. If you continue to use a more flexible shoe on your bike, over time you may experience foot problems. Your bike shop staff can recommend the best shoe for your needs.
Biking Equipment for Your Dog
For your dog’s safety, a colorful, reflective collar with ID tags and a reflective vest for high visibility are recommended. But there is one critical piece of equipment you need to invest in to assure that cycling with your dog is as safe as possible.
You may have seen someone riding his bike while holding his dog’s leash in his hand on the handlebars. Or perhaps with the leash tied to the seat post of the bike. Both of these practices are unsafe for you and your dog and may result in tragic consequences.
When you ride while holding a dog’s leash in your hand, the dog can easily pull you off balance causing a crash, or you could collide with your dog if he runs in front of your front tire. If he lags behind, you may be pulled backward, possibly falling and sustaining an injury. Then there’s the possibility of the leash becoming entangled in the wheel spokes, perhaps resulting in serious injury to you both.
Attaching your dog’s leash to the seat post, your center of gravity when you ride, makes pulling a little less of an issue, and is therefore considered safer by some cyclists. While never testing this theory, I know that I wouldn’t have a chance of staying upright if Aero, my 98-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, were to suddenly lunge for a squirrel while attached by leash to my seat post. And other dangers, like your dog getting too close to your bike and become entangled, are still present.
So how then, can you ride safely together? Fortunately, there are some devices on the market designed to facilitate a safer, more comfortable ride with your canine companion. Bike attachments such as the Springer, K9 Bike Jogger, and BikerDog allow you to keep both hands on your handlebars while keeping your dog at a safe distance from your bike.
The Springer attaches to the frame of your bike and the K9Bike Jogger attaches to the seat post. Both use coil spring shock absorbing mechanisms to reduce the effect of a dog pulling. The BikerDog attaches to the frame of your bike near your rear wheel and uses a flexible, hard plastic post to control pulling.
Each device attaches by a cord or leash to the dog’s collar or harness. For greater safety, use a harness to put less stress on the dog’s neck. The BikerDog comes with a harness, but the WalkyDog and Springer do not (the Springer used to come with a harness, but no longer does). It’s best to use your dog’s own well-fitting harness with all of these. And you can attach two of these devices to your bike if you are interested in biking with two dogs at once (one on each side of the bike).
Many users of these bike attachments are not only happy with the increased safety they provide, but also claim that their dogs stay focused on running beside the bike and attempt to pull less than when walking on leash.
Bike attachments for cycling with your dog install on either side of your bike. Which side your dog runs on is a matter of preference. If your dog is accustomed to walking or running on your left side, this may be the most natural position for training for bicycling. However, there are other considerations, especially if you ride on roads. As a pedestrian, you should walk or run against (facing) traffic. Having your dog on your left side when on foot keeps your dog safely away from passing cars. But moving vehicles, including bikes, are required by law to travel with traffic, on the right side of the road. Your dog is in a more vulnerable position running on the left side of your bike next to traffic.
Initial Bike Training for Dogs
Try to remember your first experiences riding a bike. You may have graduated from a tricycle to a two-wheeler, and just the sight of the two-wheeler may have caused a little anxiety. Getting on it was even scarier. Mom or Dad probably held the bike while you tentatively pedaled for the first time, and it took most of us a couple of sessions before we were ready for Mom or Dad to let go of us. Even when finally pedaling on our own, we had to learn to negotiate turns, slow down, stop, and many more skills and safety rules. At first we could only go for short distances on our bikes, but soon felt we could fly around the world!
To become a good cycling companion, a dog needs to go through a learning curve similar to the one you experienced as a child learning to ride your bike. Your dog should be comfortable around your bike, when you are both stationary and moving. He needs to be familiar with any equipment you use, and learn how to slow down, turn, and stop. And just as you started slowly on your first bike, the time and distance your dog accompanies you on bike rides should increase gradually.
Even if your dog is accustomed to seeing your bike leaning against the wall in your home or garage, it’s probably viewed as just another piece of furniture (that you curiously remove from the house on occasion!). Some dogs are fearful of moving bicycles, so you may need to help your dog become comfortable around your bike.
In your house or garage, start by holding your bike, calling your dog to you, and allowing him to sniff it. Praise him, pet him, and give him a yummy treat to reward his bravery. Lay your bike down, sit on the floor next to your bike, and repeat the exercise. You can even place treats on the tires, the frame, and the pedals, playing a game with your dog while he begins to associate this strange machine with having fun. Next, walk a few steps with your bike and encourage your dog to follow, using praise and treats. Continue to practice indoors, eventually adding your dog’s harness and leash, and moving outdoors only when your dog is comfortable walking alongside you and your bike.
Outdoors, repeat the same walking exercise on-leash. Gradually add in some distractions: walk over a curb, over the lawn, on top of a utility hole cover, over a speed bump, through a puddle. Move the bike so it wobbles, make some turns, walk faster then slower, even jog a little. If your dog shows any signs of apprehension, you have progressed too quickly. You may need to practice over several days before your dog will happily walk alongside you and your bike with distractions. When your dog handles these challenges with ease, teach him some cues for behaviors that you will use to guide him when you ride, such as “Slow,” “Stop,” “Easy,” “Turn,” and “Leave It.”
Beware the “Bike Monster”
If you use a bike attachment to connect your dog to your bicycle, never walk away from your parked bike with your dog still attached to it. If your dog decides to follow you, or lunges after a passing squirrel, the bike will come crashing down. If you’re lucky, it won’t fall on your dog, but at the very least the crash will frighten him. Still attached, your dog will try to run away from the scary machine that crashed next to him. The bike then becomes a mechanical monster, chasing him as he tries to escape.
This could end your dog’s career as your riding partner, unless you are able to desensitize him once again to something that he is now terrified of. So to keep the “bike monster” at bay, always detach your dog from the bike when you step away.
Starting to Ride
Now that your dog walks happily next to you and your bike on-leash, it should be no problem to switch to the cord or leash of a bike attachment such as the Springer, K9 Bike Jogger, or BikerDog. Continue to practice walking with your dog attached to your bike, and if he shows no signs of uneasiness, get on your bike and pedal slowly. If you have gradually accustomed your dog to moving with your bike, he will likely be happy to trot alongside you. Take him for a slow, short excursion, using lots of encouragement, praise, and treats.
Future rides should increase slowly in time and distance, working up to a steady trot. After several rides together, you will begin to develop a feeling for your dog’s natural pace. Your dog may try to keep up until he drops, never showing signs of discomfort, no matter what speed you ride. It is important for you to let him set the pace. After your dog is in good running shape, you can add some brief accelerations, bringing your dog to a gallop. But use a comfortable trotting pace for the bulk of your rides.
The frequency, distance, and duration of your rides with your dog depend on many factors. Age, breed, size, fitness level, coat, running surface, and weather should be considered. Keep your dog well-hydrated, familiarize yourself with the symptoms of heatstroke (see “Running With Your Dog,” Whole Dog Journal February 2009), inspect his paw pads often, check for harness chafing, and watch for signs of lameness or waning enthusiasm. Increasing distance and duration slowly will help prevent soreness and injury, allowing your dog’s respiratory and musculoskeletal systems to adapt to increasing workloads.
Where to Ride a Bike with Dogs
Riding with your dog on roads with traffic is dangerous. While the shoulder of a road may safely accommodate you when riding alone, your width triples when you attach a dog to your bike. You are a much larger target around road curves and for careless drivers. Being honked at constantly by impatient motorists may also scare your dog, and it definitely takes some of the fun out of your ride!
If you live in a rural area with lightly traveled paved or dirt roads, you are in luck, as long as you are still cautious of passing vehicles. But even if you live in a densely populated area, there are safe options for biking with your dog, some closer than you may think. You may need to load your dog and bike into your car for a short drive, but for a safe, fun ride with your best buddy, it’s worth it.
If you live close to a linear park (former railroad beds converted for recreation), you have access to perhaps the best place of all to bike with your dog. Trail surfaces may be dirt, wood chips, soft cinder, or paved, but most continue for miles of flat, scenic riding. Quiet neighborhoods with little traffic, especially on certain days or times, are another good choice.
Taking your dog with you when biking on rugged terrain presents more challenges. It’s difficult and dangerous to negotiate obstacles with your dog attached to your mountain bike, especially on single-track trails. And even the most experienced mountain bikers have occasional falls or crashes. Injury to both rider and dog could result from one of these mishaps.
Allowing your dog to run off-leash, if allowed, on remote mountain bike trails presents its own set of problems. Mountain biking is more physically demanding and it is difficult to keep track of your dog with the increased concentration necessary when riding on rugged trails. Your dog may take off after a bird or animal and get lost or injured in the chase. There’s the danger of snakebites. Being free to drink in streams and puddles can lead to an infection of giardia, an intestinal parasite that can cause serious illness. And it is more difficult for you to determine your dog’s comfortable pace, possibly leading him to exceed his running limits.
The idea of allowing your dog to run freely in the woods with you is better than the reality of biking with your dog off-leash. If you love to mountain bike, consider leaving your biking partner at home on those rides and schedule other rides together in safer locations.
Riding Into the Woods Together?
There are serious risks in running your dog off-leash in the woods while you mountain bike on remote trails. If you feel the benefits outweigh the risks for your particular dog, please consider the following additional safety precautions:
1. Train your dog to respond to cues that will help keep him safe when running loose in the woods while you are supervising from your bike. “Come,” “Over Here,” “Easy,” “Leave It,” and “Drop it” are behaviors that you can teach your dog at home and then practice on-leash while walking in the woods until he performs these behaviors reliably. If your dog ventures off on his own on the trails, he may endanger other cyclists as well as himself.
2. Bike with another cyclist. If your dog is lost or injured, you will have someone to help find him, to go get help, or to help transport your injured dog out of the woods. And if you get injured, there will be someone to help you and your dog.
3. When entering a trail, walk your bike with your dog on leash for a safe distance from the road before releasing him and beginning to ride. Always have your dog‘s leash available. You never know when you‘ll need it.
4. Outfit your dog with a bright neon reflective vest, or flashing light that attaches to your dog’s collar. Not only is it easier for you to spot your dog while riding, it distinguishes your dog as a pet to other cyclists, trail runners, or hikers, as opposed to a wild animal they may fear. And if your dog is lost and the sun sets, a flashing light may save his life.
5. Use a breakaway collar. which could prevent serious injury (or even death) if your dog’s collar snags on something when running. If this is a collar that you only use for your mountain biking excursions, make sure it has your dog’s ID attached. All dogs should carry an implanted microchip ID or tattooed ID as a backup.
6. Attach a bell to your dog’s collar – that is, one that’s loud enough to be heard at a reasonable distance. This will give you an auditory indicator of his whereabouts as you ride – as well as warn wild animals that your dog is in the area. Or try one of the CPS pet tracking devices available, so you can track your dog for a far greater distance.
7. Hydrate your dog regularly on your ride, and train him not to drink from puddles and streams to avoid an infection of giardia, an intestinal parasite that may cause serious illness.
8. Take a pet first aid/CPR course. It’s a great idea for all dog owners, but even more so for owners of dogs engaging in higher risk activities.
9. Carry a small first aid kit, with your other safety items, in your saddle pack (which attaches to your seat post under the rear of your saddle), in case your dog is injured and you are far from the trailhead. Stock your kit with antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, cotton pads, vet wrap (to bandage a laceration, for a tourniquet, or to splint a broken bone), and some Rescue Remedy for calming your stressed dog. Your dog’s leash can be used to muzzle your injured dog if needed.
10. Inspect your dog for cuts, scrapes, and ticks after any outing in the woods. Cuts and scrapes may become infected if not treated. Even if you use a tick preventative and your dog is vaccinated for Lyme’s disease, there are no guarantees when it comes to these nasty critters feasting on your dog and possibly causing disease.
Bicycling for Non-Athletes
You don’t have to deprive yourself of your buddy’s company on your rides if your dog is a toy breed, has special needs, or is an older dog and no longer able to run.
There are all sorts of products available to help your dog enjoy accompanying you on your bike trips, including pet bike baskets, trailers, and sidecars; look on the Internet or ask the folks at your local independent pet supply store or bike shop. Accessories available include seat belts, dog helmets, and even goggles.
Assess the safety of any of these products before using them with your beloved companion – and be realistic about your dog’s temperament, too. I’ve seen dogs who are electric with delight in joining their owners for a ride in a pet trailer, and I’ve seen others who have the same look of terror on their faces that I must have when riding on a roller coaster!
That said, most dogs can learn to enjoy your rides with training. Gradual exposure to your bike and trailer, creating a positive association with being in the trailer using lots of treats and praise, and slowly exposing your dog to movement in the trailer increase your chances of a successful outcome.
Sometimes, the safety precautions that we take to protect both humans and our companion animals may seem so cumbersome that they take all the fun out of some of our activities. But when it comes to the health and welfare of your dog when accompanying you on bike rides, taking the appropriate safety measures can potentially save your dog’s life, as well as your own. Training, using proper equipment, and adhering to sensible exercise practices actually increase your enjoyment of the sport. “Fun” is knowing that you are keeping your dog as safe as possible while sharing your rides together. Enjoy!
Years ago, I had high hopes for participating in dock diving sport with my now-9-year-old dog, Woody. But it turned out that my high-jumping, strong-swimming dog absolutely hates getting water in his ears!
