So, we have a new dog! I’m soooo happy! And while it’s been really time-consuming to properly integrate a new dog into our household, it’s also been incredibly rewarding, interesting . . . and inspiring! Inspiring to have a fresh opportunity to experience many of the things we talk about in Whole Dog Journal – with a sense of urgency and immediacy I haven’t had for quite some time!
Just in our first few days I was thinking hard about things like potty training, how to deal with dogs who are not food-motivated, finding a good vet, vaccination, parasite control (fleas, ticks, heartworm), introducing dogs to cats, barking, leash manners, the best food, itchy skin, digging (as you’ll see on page 18), no-slip collars, dogs who are uncomfortable indoors, quiet clickers, and much more.
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I’m lucky: I have all 11 years of Whole Dog Journal’s archives at my disposal, so I’ve been able to quickly look up and review an article on every single thing I’ve had questions about. Nevertheless, there is a difference between intellectually “knowing” something and really, really knowing it. I’m finding myself “learning” quite a few things that I already “knew,” if that makes any sense at all. This has been a terrific reminder that no matter how much you know, you forget some important things.
At risk of talking about our new dog too much, I thought for a few months that I could share with you some of the problems or challenges I’ve had with Otto (that’s his name), how I have solved them, and what resources I’ve used to make my decisions – including articles from our back issues. It’s my sincere hope that this will be helpful to any of you who are thinking about getting a new dog, or recently got a new dog.
First issue: Selection This time around, I really needed to have my husband Brian “buy into” the concept of getting a dog. I already had a dog, my heart- and soulmate, Rupert, when Brian and I met 12 years ago. Brian embraced Rupie and all his Border Collie eccentricities because he had to; Rupert and I were a package deal. But Brian got kind of duped into going along with the next two dogs that spent a lot of time with us: Mokie, a long-haired Chihuahua I ended up keeping after I dog-sat him one summer; and Cooper, Brian’s dad’s dog, who stayed with us for a month while my in-laws took a cruise, and ended up living with us for months in what turned out to be hospice care. Brian tolerated each dog, but didn’t get very attached to either one. (I, of course, get attached to every one.)
After Cooper died, I promised Brian that our next dog would be a dog picked out with him in mind – a dog with as many of the traits he liked as we could find. And I would let him determine when the time was right.
Last month, right after I shipped the last issue to the printer, Brian said the magic words: “We need another dog.” Yippee! The catch: It had to be a dog he liked. And the dog had to come with a list of attributes that he wanted in a dog.
Some words about my husband: Brian is not what I’d call a dog person. He likes dogs okay (and dogs always seem to like him), but he admits he’s not the kind of guy who is ever going to hug or kiss a dog – so a clingy, needy dog or a lap dog is never going to be fully embraced. He likes dogs when they are attentive but not pushy; quiet but alert; ready to take your leftovers but not begging for them; interested in going for walks but not difficult to walk . . . In other words, he likes grown-up, self-contained, well-trained, outdoor kinds of dogs. Preferably medium-sized and non-shedding!
Oh, and Brian was also hoping we could find a dog who would chase stray cats (and the occasional skunk) off our property – but one who would never chase our older cat.
In April 1999, we published an article by Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor Pat Miller on things to keep in mind when looking for a new dog at your local shelter (hmm; it looks like we’re overdue to publish an updated version!). “Second-Hand Friends” advised prospective adopters to develop a list of traits that they “must have,” “would like to have,” and “won’t have.” “When you go to visit adoption prospects,” Miller wrote, “take your list with you, and make sure you don’t compromise anything that the family has agreed is a ‘must have’ or a ‘won’t have.’”
The night Brian gave me the go-ahead, I jumped right on to the Internet to look at the dogs currently available for adoption at our local shelter, the Northwest SPCA in Oroville, California. I was looking for medium-sized adult dogs who looked like they might be friendly, uncomplicated, mellow, and not clingy. About four or five dogs caught my eye, but my favorite was a big terrier-mix, about seven or eight months old. I can’t say why.
The next day I was down at the shelter. I took a half-dozen dogs out for long walks, but my absolute favorite was still the terrier. He seemed very friendly, but not frantic to jump up or get in my lap. Every time he offered a sit, I doled out a treat – and he turned into a sitting machine within a minute. He’d sit, and if I didn’t deliver a treat fast enough, he’d quickly stand and then sit again, harder. Smart! I liked that. As motivated as he seemed to be for the treats, however, he took them gently and calmly from my hand, and I liked that, too.
There was just one red flag: The dog’s cage card indicated that he had a rap sheet: “Kills chickens,” it said. That could mean he was predatory – or it could mean he was just an ordinary young dog on the loose with time on his paws and a chicken coop in his neighborhood. With the permission of the shelter staffers, I took the dog on leash into a room full of caged cats, to see if he turned into a hunting, chasing machine. He was interested, but his tail wagged furiously, and he readily turned away from the cats, back toward me, when I patted my leg and offered him a treat.
I called Brian from the shelter. “Would you come down and meet the final candidates?” I asked. “Tell me about the dogs you’re considering,” he countered. After he listened to me tell him about the dogs I was considering – but mostly about the terrier – he laughed. “It seems like the terrier has everything on your list that we wanted, as far as we can tell. Why don’t you bring him home and we can give him a shot?” he asked. I’m pretty sure he knew full well that any dog that left the shelter with me was going to live with us for the rest of the dog’s life!
Bringing him home I was filled with excitement as I filled out the adoption forms at the shelter. I practically danced out the front door with the dog’s leash in hand – and the dog was dancing, too. “Yay! Out of the shelter! . . . But wait! You want me to get in that CAR?!” When I opened the car door, the dog suddenly looked aghast and dug his heels into the ground; he also quickly ducked his head in the manner of a dog who is very experienced at slipping his collar. Oops! I slacked the leash, to prevent him from slipping free, and we retreated back into the shelter to tighten his collar. Lesson one: Assume nothing about your new dog! And make sure his collar fits!
On our second attempt, I had a shelter staffer help me with the doors, and this time, I simply picked the dog up, carried him to the car, and put him on the back seat. He immediately slithered onto the floor, looking like a deflated balloon. I’m glad that “must love riding with me in the car” was not on my list of selection criteria!
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Fortunately, he instantly regained his buoyancy the moment I opened the car door and grabbed for his leash. He bounced out of the car and through the gate into our fenced yard as if he had lived there forever; he was practically whistling (and I know I was grinning). We went up on the front porch, I opened the front door, and oops! He hit the brakes again. “I’m not going in there!” Hmm! Okay, let’s go around to the backyard, then!
I brought the dog around the side of the house into the back and Brian came out to look. “He’s sort of cute,” he waffled. “He doesn’t want to go in the house,” I said. “That’s my dog!” Brian exclaimed.
Don’t worry, he goes in the house now. Although, to Brian’s delight, he does seem a lot happier sleeping outside than indoors.
Home to stay A lot has happened since that first night, and I’ll catch you up in upcoming issues. For now, suffice to say that within a day, despite some little hitches and adjustments, both Brian and I were certain that we really liked the dog, and he was going to fit well into our family. On day two, we were already discussing what to name the dog.
I didn’t take my husband’s last name (Maddock) when we married; we both had children from previous relationships who share our own last names and we didn’t want to confuse matters. But Brian had a list of names he had always kidded about wanting to name his children – although his first wife wouldn’t agree (thank goodness). He always wanted a girl named Prag Maddock, he joked, or perhaps Dram Maddock. And he always wanted a boy named Otto Maddock. I knew when Brian said, “How about we name him Otto?” that the dog was home for good.
Somewhere at this very moment, perhaps at a shelter near you, a frightened dog huddles in the back of her kennel, trembling, terrified by a chaotic overload of sensory stimuli: sights, smells, and sounds that are far beyond her ability to cope. Somewhere, today, a warmhearted, caring person is going to feel sorry for this dog – or one similar – believing that love will be enough to rehabilitate the frightened canine. Sometimes, it is. More often, though, the compassionate adopter finds herself with a much larger project than she bargained for.
While shelters can a prime source for frightened and shy dogs, they are certainly not the only source. Pet stores, puppy mills, rescue groups, and irresponsible breeders (even some who breed top quality show dogs) can all be guilty of foisting off temperamentally unsound (due to genetics/nature) or under-socialized (due to environment/nurture) puppies and adult dogs on unprepared adopters.
This is not to say that no one should adopt a dog with fear-related behaviors. Rather, the point is that if an organization or individual is going to re-home dogs who are timid, shy, or fearful, they have a responsibility to ensure that the adopter knows full well how large a project she may be facing. And if you are thinking of adopting a fearful canine – or already have – you need to have access to good information to help you make a wise and informed decision, and to provide the best quality of life possible for your frightened Fido.
Sensitive soul or shy guy?
In the past, I volunteered to assess dogs for adoption at our local shelter, where my husband was executive director, one day a week, . When we got the list of dogs for the day, the first thing I did was walk through the kennels and take a quick glance at the ones we’d be working with, to get a first impression. I made a mental note of those who appeared shy, frightened, or aggressive.
Some of these we wouldn’t even take out of their kennels, if we felt a dog’s level of aggression or fearfulness was such that it was too great a risk to the safety of the assessor. However, I always liked to give the frightened ones an extra chance. I would go in and sit on the kennel floor, and coax them to trust me enough to say hi. If I could safely leash them, we took them out.
A surprising percentage of these frightened dogs made a miraculous turnaround as soon as we got them outside. These were simply very sensitive dogs who were traumatized by the cacophony that can exist in any kennel environment, be it shelter, vet hospital, or boarding kennel. I like sensitive dogs; they tend to develop close relationships with their humans, make excellent companions, and do exceptionally well in training. They just don’t do well in chaos. Assuming they pass the rest of the assessment process, these sensitive souls are good candidates for adoption.
If they have to sit in the shelter adoption kennels waiting for a home, however, they won’t show well – and will probably wait in that difficult environment for an excruciatingly long time. Under the constant stress of the shelter, their health and behavior are likely to deteriorate until they are no longer suitable adoption candidates. If they can be adopted quickly, or go to a foster home or rescue group where they don’t have to be kenneled in chaos, their prospects for finding a lifelong loving home and leading a normal life are bright.
Far more challenging are the dogs who are truly shy due to lack of adequate socialization, poor breeding, or both. Simply taking them outside or to the relative calm of the assessment room does little to assuage their fear. Unless a shelter or rescue group has considerable resources to devote to behavior modification, or turns a blind eye and allows them to be adopted by an unsuspecting soft-hearted public, these frightened dogs are often euthanized. As long as there are far more dogs than there are homes, triage tragically dictates that the most promising adoption prospects get dibs on the available kennel space and foster homes.
Fixing the fear
Not all fearful dogs are euthanized. Judging from my own clientele and discussions with my peers, plenty of shy guys and gals find their way to loving homes, with owners who want to give them happier lives.
Caution and common sense aside, it’s human nature to want to rescue the doggie in distress – the pup who shrinks away from human contact and looks at the world with fear in his eyes. If you are the rescuer type, you have my respect and admiration. Whether you came by your timid dog through a shelter, rescue, breeder, Craig’s list, or rescued a frightened homeless dog off the street yourself – or are still contemplating such an adoption – rest assured that in all but the most extreme cases, you can help your dog have a reasonably normal life. Some will turn around quickly, some require a long-term commitment to management and modification, and a sad, small percentage may never be rehabilitated.
If you have a timid dog who is not very comfortable with you, and won’t take treats easily enough for you to be able to do counter-conditioning and engage him in training, you’re really starting at square one. You’ll need lots of patience and very realistic expectations as you work to repair the damage caused by lack of socialization or by outright abuse. (By the way, abuse is a less-common cause of severe fearful behavior than you might think; lack of early socialization is much more common.)
You may need to spend a lot of time just sitting quietly in your dog’s presence, reading a book, being as nonthreatening as possible. Keep him in a quiet room in your house. This will be a safe haven for him, so he doesn’t have to deal with all the scary activity in the rest of your home.
Spend as much time as you can sitting on the floor in his room, avoiding eye contact, while keeping your body language relaxed and loose. Scatter bits of high-value treats (chicken, roast beef) on the floor around you, far enough away that your dog might be comfortable eating them while keeping a wary eye on you.
Gradually shrink the circle of treats so he comes nearer to you to get them. Sprinkle some on your pant legs when you think he’s ready to come that close. Finally, rest your hand on your knee, palm up, with treats in them. Be sure not to move your hand as he’s reaching for them, you’ll scare him off!
Sometimes while you’re doing the treats-on-the-floor routine, talk to your dog in a calm, low voice, so he becomes accustomed to hearing your voice, and associates it with tasty stuff. Gradually add more normal human behavior to the interactions. Briefly make eye contact. Move your hand a tiny bit as he’s nibbling treats from it. Increase slight body movements in his vicinity. Try sitting in a chair for the scattered treat routine.
Work up to normal human behavior, always trying to avoid causing a big fear reaction in him as you increase the intensity of your presence as fear-causing stimulus. If you can, keep your interactions “sub-threshold” – below the intensity at which your dog reacts negatively. When he will take food from you, start hand-feeding all his meals.
When he’s reasonably comfortable in your presence, try the umbilical cord method of relationship-building. Attach a leash to his collar and keep him with you as much as possible when you are home, as you move around the house. Until he is braver, return him to his sanctuary if you have guests over, or during periods of high family activity, but bring him out as soon as things settle down.
Try to anticipate when something will be too much for him, so you can prevent a negative reaction, instead of waiting for the reaction to tell you that it’s been too much – but at the same time keep looking for ways to expand his horizons and help him become as normal – and brave – as he’s capable of being.
In the end, it’s all about quality of life – your dog’s and yours. Perhaps you can help your shy dog become completely comfortable in the real world and lead a normal life. Perhaps you’ll always be making some accommodations to help him be happy by keeping him safe at home most or all of the time. As long as you can find a way to bring light to his life, so he’s not in a continual state of fear and anxiety and you’re not constantly stressed by his stress, you will have done a very, very good thing.
If you haven’t adopted yet
Here are some tips for those of you who are thinking about that shy youngster you saw at the shelter the other day, or who suspect your heart will someday be captured by the challenge of an unsocialized pup.
•Get your pup as young as you can. The benefits of staying with his litter until eight weeks of age are outweighed by the benefits of getting started as early as possible with socialization.
•Or, give him the best of both worlds: Take the entire litter, or at least several of the pups, and start them all on the road to a happier life. Then be sure to find capable, knowledgeable adopters who will continue with remedial socialization for his siblings.
•Avoid the temptation to keep more than one pup. They are likely to bond to each other more closely than to you, which makes your socialization challenge many times more difficult. Even well-socialized littermates or same-age pals can have separation problems if raised together.
•Know that love is not enough. Many well-meaning rescuers think that giving a psychologically neglected pup a home filled with love will be enough to “fix” the problem. Don’t fool yourself. Love is an important part of the equation, but it will take a lot of work as well.
Training tips to socialize shy dog
Here are some tips for those who have already adopted a shy guy.
•Have a solid understanding of counter-conditioning and desensitization (CC&D), and make a strong commitment to practice this with your dog every single day.
•Read about the Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) procedure and consult with your behavior professional to determine if this procedure might be a useful behavior modification tool in your dog’s program. (See “Building Better Behavior,” Whole Dog Journal May 2008.)
•Teach your dog to target (to touch his nose to a designated target on cue). Dogs get confident about targeting (most love it!), and you can use the behavior to help him be more confident in situations where he’s mildly to moderately fearful. (See “Target: Teach Your Dog to Touch.”)
•Read any or all of these books:
The Cautious Canine
by Patricia McConnell
Dogs are From Neptune
by Jean Donaldson
Help For Your Fearful Dog
by Nicole Wilde
How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong
by Pam Dennison
Scaredy Dog
by Ali Brown
Assertively protect your dog from unwanted advances by well-meaning strangers who want to pet your dog. You must not let people pet or harass him until he is socialized enough to tolerate petting and harassment.
Be prepared for heartache. Some poorly socialized dogs respond well to remedial socialization and grow into reasonably well socialized adult dogs. Others don’t.
If you don’t succeed in enhancing your dog’s social skills, are you prepared to live with a fearful dog who may be at high risk for biting – you, visitors, children, or others? To implement a strict management program to protect him from unwelcome human attention and protect humans from his defensive aggression? Perhaps even make the difficult decision to euthanize, if you decide at some point that his life is too stress-filled to be humane?
Management for shy guys
Remember, training is important, but it’s not the only way to solve dog behavior problems. Consider some of the following dog-management plans:
Manage your dog’s environment to minimize his exposure to stressors until he’s ready and able to handle them.
Consult your veterinarian about medication. Many fearful dogs can benefit greatly from prescription anti-anxiety medication. It is, however, a complex field. If your veterinarian is not behaviorally knowledgeable, ask him or her to do a phone consult with a veterinary behaviorist for help in selecting the right medication(s) and correct dosages. Your vet can find a list of veterinary behaviorists here.
Explore nutraceuticals. A nutraceutical is a product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease.” Two that are FDA approved for use in dogs are Anxitane (L-theanine) and Zylkene (casein). You might read about these and if they interest you, discuss them with your veterinarian to be sure s/he is comfortable with you using them for your dog. If so, you can get them through your vet, or at Amazon.com. I have had good success with over-the-counter L-theanine (from a vitamin/nutrition store) – usually more affordable than Anxitane. I use the capsules – open and sprinkle on your dog’s food. If you get the chewable tablets, do not get any that contain Xylitol, which is deadly toxic to dogs.
Try Adaptil (containing “dog appeasing pheromones”) to see if it helps ease his anxiety. If it seems to, keep an Adaptil dispenser plugged into a wall socket in your dog’s sanctuary room – out of his reach if he’s a chewer – and use the spray on a bandana around his neck when you take him out of his safe zone.
Feed your dog a diet that includes high-quality protein. Low-quality protein may interfere with his ability to utilize serotonin, a substance produced naturally by his body that helps keep him calm. Among other things, serotonin plays an important role as a neurotransmitter in the modulation of anger, aggression, mood, and sleep.
Consider trying an Anxiety Wrap, a snug-fitting garment designed to give your dog that calming “swaddled” feeling. Or try the economic alternative, fitting him with a snug T-shirt. See “It’s a Wrap!” (December 2002) and anxietywrap.com for more information.
Try a Thunder Cap when you must expose your dog to super-threshold visual stimuli. Similar to the hood that falconers use to keep their birds from being overstimulated, the cap is made of a sheer nylon that allows dogs to see shapes but not detail, thus reducing the intensity of visual stimuli. The Thunder Cap is available at: https://thundershirt.com/products/thundercap-for-dogs
Use your hands to help your dog relax through the use of TTouch or other calming massage. For more information on TTouch, visit ttouch.com.
Consider the use of aromatherapy in conjunction with TTouch or massage. If you use a lavender aromatherapy product while you massage your dog, you can then use the scent of lavender in other potentially stressful situations to help your dog maintain his cool. His association between the scent and being calm can transfer to other places.
Dog vaccinations are something that every dog owner should be educated about, and yet few seem to think about them at all, except to wonder about the need for them after they get a new dog. However, many people base this concern on the vet bill, rather than worries about the potential for side effects in their dogs!
Immunology expert Ronald Schultz, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine), has spent much of his career studying animal vaccines. Dr. Schultz is professor and chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, and has more than 40 years’ experience in the field of immunology. His long-time university employment – as opposed to a career in industry – has provided him with a unique position of neutrality from which to observe the dog vaccination industry.
Dr. Schultz is on the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Feline Vaccine Task Force; these two organizations provide guidelines to the veterinary industry for canine and feline vaccination programs. Recently, Dr. Schultz was also asked to help develop the canine and feline vaccination guidelines for the World Small Animal Veterinary Medical Association.
Known for his research on the duration of immunity (DOI) of common canine vaccinations through serological (antibody titers) and challenge studies as far back as the 1970s, Dr. Schultz co-published a paper in 1978 in which triennial vaccination was recommended over then-standard annual vaccination. It took 25 years, but in 2003, the American Animal Hospital Association (and the American Veterinary Medical Association) at last supported his thesis that canine “core” vaccines need not be given more often than every three years.
Dr. Ron Schultz was also one of the few canine vaccine experts to point out that the yearly recommendation included on vaccine labels was not based on any scientific studies nor ever scientifically validated!
Most vaccine makers today perform duration of immunity studies in order to ensure the minimum duration of immunity for their products; they have to be able to guarantee that their products convey immunity in most animals for a minimum period. But they lack any sort of incentive to run DOI studies to determine the maximum period of immunity conveyed by their products; indeed, if the products work longer, people will need less of them.
Long studies are astronomically expensive. According to Dr. Schultz, the cost of running a three- to five-year DOI trial involving 20 animals is roughly a half million dollars.
Since the industry won’t do it, dog owners will. Among many other research projects, Dr. Schultz’ current work includes partnering with W. Jean Dodds, DVM, on the privately funded Rabies Challenge Study. This study is testing the hypothesis that current rabies vaccines offer protection of at least five to seven years, if not longer. The study is overseen by a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust, which accepts donations to cover the costs of this important project. (For more information on this worthy project, see the Rabies Challenge Fund.)
Dog Vaccine Basics
Unlike some busy professors and research scientists, Dr. Schultz also frequently makes himself available to the communities who are most interested in his work – in this case, dog and cat enthusiasts.
Earlier this year, I had the honor of arranging for Dr. Schultz to make a presentation to a club I am involved with, the American Bouvier Rescue League in Alpharetta, Georgia. In his talk, Dr. Schultz discussed the pros and cons of types of vaccines (i.e., modified live vaccines [MLV], killed, etc.), the immune response to vaccines, vaccine protocols (core and non-core), risk/benefit assessments, titers, and adverse reactions.
The following are topics Dr. Schultz covered in his talk. I summarized points in his presentation; Dr. Schultz generously offered to proofread my summation for accuracy.
Duration of immunity
Duration of immunity is the length of time an animal is protected from a disease.
Antibody titers
A titer is a measurement of antibody to a specific virus (or other antigen). The antibody is in the liquid portion of blood. With parvo, distemper, and adenovirus titers, the presence of any measurable antibody shows protection in vaccinated dogs older than 16 weeks of age. The positive antibody test result is fairly straightforward; it shows you don’t have to revaccinate for these viruses. A negative antibody test result shows you need to vaccinate or revaccinate.
Using vaccine antibody testing as a means to assess vaccine-induced protection is likely to result in preventing the animal from receiving needless and unwise booster vaccinations.
Serological study, challenge study
A serological study measures the animal’s antibody levels (titer) against a specific virus or agent. In very simple terms, a challenge study is one in which animals are injected or “challenged” with the infectious agent, post-vaccination, and observed for signs of disease.
“Core” vaccines for dogs
Dr. Schultz considers the following vaccines to be the “core” (or basic) vaccines that every dog should receive: canine distemper (CDV), canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2), canine adenovirus 2 (CAV), and rabies. Core vaccines protect animals from severe, life-threatening diseases that have global distribution.
Puppies should not be vaccinated before five weeks of age because their immune systems are immature, and the presence of maternal antibodies can block the puppy’s immune system from responding appropriately. Ideally, in a nonshelter situation, the first puppy shots (CDV, CPV, CAV) should be given at eight to nine weeks of age. The rest of the series should be administered with a minimum of two weeks between doses, but preferably three to four weeks, to give the immune system time to properly respond. Thus, ideally, the next shots would be at 11 to 12 weeks, followed by the last at 14 to 16 weeks.
A series is necessary because we do not know at what point the maternal antibodies are low enough not to block the puppy’s immune response. Research shows that less than 50 percent of puppies will respond at six weeks; 75 percent at nine weeks; 90 percent at 12 weeks; and by 14 to16 weeks, close to 100 percent will respond. However, a titer can be checked two or more weeks after the last shot in the series to see whether the puppy’s immune system responded in the desired fashion.
After that, recommendations are to “boost” one year later, then vaccinate healthy dogs not more often than every three years thereafter, or better yet, run antibody titers. This, again, is a conservative approach from a veterinary standpoint as Dr. Schultz and other researchers have data showing that after the initial round of vaccines, most dogs will have immunity for life from CDV, CPV, and CAV.
Rabies
The rabies vaccine is the only vaccine mandated by law in most states. The first rabies vaccine should be given no earlier than 12 to 16 weeks of age, or as local law dictates, then again one year later. The three-year vaccine, if accepted by state law, can be administered at that time, and then every three years thereafter. The rabies vaccine should be administered by itself at a later date, in a different area on the dog’s body, from the other three core vaccines. Some states offer exemption policies from the rabies vaccine for dogs who have medical conditions that contraindicate vaccination.
The rabies vaccine is the most reactive virus vaccine, and it is the only core vaccine that requires a minimum DOI study to be approved by the USDA.
Despite a French study that has shown (by challenge) a DOI of five years, and serological studies have shown a DOI of at least seven years, currently, the USDA has approved only studies of just three years’ duration for the rabies vaccine. This is why the Rabies Challenge Fund Study, which will follow the strictly defined federal APHIS/USDA standards for licensing rabies vaccines in concurrent five- and seven-year challenge trials, is so critically important to our dogs’ health.
Annual vaccination
The adage that “if it doesn’t help, it won’t hurt” is not true for vaccines. If a dog were vaccinated (and did not require it), the dog would not respond with a significant increase in antibody titer, but might develop a hypersensitivity to vaccine components (e.g., fetal bovine serum). Furthermore, the dog should not be revaccinated since the vaccine could cause an adverse reaction (hypersensitivity disorder).
In a 1992 paper Dr. Schultz wrote, “Extending the revaccination intervals for canine core vaccines does not place the animal at increased risk to developing vaccine preventable disease, but it does reduce the potential for adverse reactions.” Even the three-year protocol is very conservative, as studies point to the core vaccines having a minimum DOI of seven years or more. This is why running a titer, versus vaccinating even only every three years, is preferable.
Dogs with unknown vaccination histories (rescue or shelter dogs)
For a rescue dog with an unknown vaccine history, the first choice would be to run antibody titers, particularly if it is an older dog. Otherwise, with a healthy dog, Dr. Schultz would recommend vaccinating for parvo, distemper, adenovirus, and rabies. A conservative approach is to give two doses of CPV, CDV, and CAV, three to four weeks apart. However, one dose is considered protective and acceptable in a dog over sixteen weeks of age, according to Schultz’ research.
The rabies vaccine would be administered per state law (typically an initial dose, followed by another one year later, then on a three-year schedule). A dog coming in with a known vaccine history should not immediately be re-vaccinated; use the three-year time frame from the date of the last vaccine, or better yet, run a titer, especially if there is doubt about the validity of the shot records.
Don’t “do it all at once”
In the short-term interest of time and money, dogs are often vaccinated while at the vet clinic for spay/neuter surgery. However, it is best not to do this; the dog may develop a hypersensitivity reaction and vomit, leading to an increased risk of aspiration. Also, anesthetic agents may be immunomodulatory. Whenever possible, vaccinate prior to a surgical visit.
“Non-core” vaccinations
Non-core vaccinations include para-influenza, Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough), Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme), and leptospirosis. These vaccines should be administered only to dogs whose geographical location, local environment, or lifestyle places them at risk of contracting each of the specific infections.
Interestingly, as opposed to the viral vaccines, immunity from bordetella and lepto vaccines often lasts less than one year because they are bacterial diseases. And neither actually prevents the disease, but rather manages the disease and its severity. Lepto vaccines are the most reactogenic of all the vaccines, even more so than the rabies vaccines.
Coronavirus (CCV) and giardia vaccines are not recommended, as the 2006 AAHA Guidelines note, “Prevalence of clinical cases of confirmed CCV disease does not justify vaccination.”
If vaccinating a puppy with non-core vaccines, in general, with the exception of intranasal bordetella, which can be given with the core vaccines, the viral vaccinations should be given first, and the bacterials should not be mixed.
Need for vaccination
A study of shelter dogs revealed that only 50 percent were vaccinated. To achieve “herd (population) immunity” and prevent epidemic outbreaks, at least 75 percent of the population should be vaccinated. Clearly these diseases still exist in our society, but our desires to protect our dogs both from disease and the dangers of overvaccination do not have to be mutually exclusive. A well thought-out vaccination protocol for our dogs can help us to protect them from disease, yet at the same time, reduce the risk of adverse reactions.
Dr. Schultz notes that if the public could be educated to have pets older than 16 weeks of age vaccinated even once with the core vaccines, this would help immensely with herd immunity. With rabies, one vaccine is better than none in offering protection, but a minimum of two is considered better yet. The CDC notes that “no documented vaccine failures occurred among dogs or cats that had received two [rabies] vaccinations.”
Individual Immunization Decisions
The most important message from Dr. Schultz’ talk is that there is no one vaccine program; vaccine programs must be tailored to the specific needs of each animal. Although there is a tendency to want to treat all dogs the same, the program should be designed for the individual, not the masses. Often, the burden falls on the shoulders of the dog’s guardian to ensure that the pet receives the optimal program that takes into account his age, health, environment, and lifestyle.
– If your dog likes to dig and you have a yard with a bit of room, build a sandbox for him!
– Keep the sand damp; it makes it more inviting to dig in.
– Bury some of his toys in the box, and encourage his digging there.
– Cover the box at night if there are cats around; you don’t want it used as a litterbox.
The perfect storm, canine edition: Combine one dog who is accustomed to and prefers spending time outdoors; a spate of hot, dry weather; a lush, productive garden full of herbs and tomato plants growing in raised boxes full of expensive, loamy soil and moistened three times daily by an automatic drip system. What do you get? Holes dug in the garden and an irate husband!
Our new dog, Otto, nearly made himself quite unwelcome on his second day in our home. Every time I turned around, I’d find him digging in any place we’d recently watered, including the lawn, a flowerbed in front of the house, underneath a gorgeous hydrangea bush that’s already hard-pressed to survive our hot summers, and, most seriously, the vegetable beds in back. “Can’t you train this dog not to dig?” my husband implored.
But this wasn’t a training issue; I’ve been trained enough by Pat Miller and our other contributing trainer/writers to recognize a management situation when I see it!
Dog Training vs. Dog Management
Training is the right thing to do when you want to get a dog to do something specific: fetch a ball, sit when greeting people, walk calmly on leash. But when you would like a dog to not do something – especially when you’d like him to not do it in your absence – you need to manage the situation.
For example, if a dog gets into and eats stuff out of the kitchen garbage pail, you could try to “catch him in the act” and punish him for it, or set up booby traps that would accomplish the same thing. Unfortunately, dogs generally have more idle time on their hands than we do; these approaches take more time and surveillance skills than most of us possess. Traps and stakeouts are unlikely to be successful, anyway; with a random reinforcement of some tasty old food, most dogs are motivated to persist through whatever traps or punishment they occasionally are subjected to. It makes far more sense to manage the situation by putting the pail in a location where he can’t possibly get into it (under the sink, say, with a baby-proof latch on the cupboard door).
Make a Compromise with Your Dog
Management solutions are most successful if they both A) absolutely prevent the dog from being rewarded for doing the thing you don’t want him to do, and B) reward him for doing something else. Unless we keep Otto inside (which he really doesn’t enjoy, and seems to encourage him to chew on household items), build a kennel on a concrete slab, or cover our entire lot in concrete, we can’t prevent Otto from digging. Fortunately, we have room in our yard to try Plan B: to give him a rewarding experience doing what he wants to do, but in a location of our choice.
It was clear to me that Otto wasn’t just digging for the fun of digging; he wasn’t burying toys or looking for gophers. Rather, he was trying to find a cool, damp place to beat the hot, dry weather we have all summer long in this part of California. Once he got a hole dug, he’d circle and hunker down in the hole for a nap. I proposed that we provide Otto with an especially cool, damp, shady spot where he could dig and snooze to his heart’s delight.
Doggie Sandbox Methods and Materials
Otto is a good-sized dog, about 50 pounds and fairly long. We wanted the box to be big enough for his digging and relaxing pleasure. After measuring his stretched-out length, we decided the ideal size would be 4 feet by 6 feet, and so we bought two 10-foot boards from which to make the frame. We also decided that 10 inches would be deep enough (he really didn’t dig very deep, just wide, when he dug), so we used boards that were 2 inches by 10 inches, in a low-cost ($8.50 each) variety of fir. We could have spent more for prettier (and rot-resistant) redwood, or used long-lasting pressure-treated wood, but since we didn’t know for sure if this solution would work, I felt the low-cost way was the best way.
My stepson Clark cut the lumber into 4-foot and 6-foot pieces, and screwed the ends together (as shown below) and I took our truck to buy some sand. I had phoned ahead to make sure that the landscape supply center had clean “sandbox” quality sand; not construction-grade stuff for mixing into concrete. One-half of a cubic yard filled our box perfectly, cost $20, and was well within the safe carrying capabilities of our little Ford Ranger pickup.
Doggie Sandbox Success!
The box was a smash hit with Otto before it was even completed. I had barely begun filling the box with sand when Otto got in, and he didn’t get out until hours later. Best of all, a month later, it’s still his favorite place to spend a hot day – and he’s dug another hole in the garden only once. He stays relatively clean (compared to when he was sleeping in damp soil), and though he has thrown a lot of sand out of the box, its out-of-the-way location means it’s fine by us.
If he hadn’t taken to his sandbox so quickly, I was prepared to spend time with Otto in the box, give him treats and praise for hanging out there, and perhaps show him how to bury and dig for some of his favorite toys. None of these were necessary – but building sand castles, just for the fun of watching Otto happily dig them apart, has proven to be a blast.
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Few people pay attention to their dogs when walking with them, I’ve noticed. I’ve observed this on many occasions, but the point was brought home rather forcefully for me recently.
Just the other day, I spent the better part of a warm, late afternoon in an upscale Bay Area neighborhood, in an effort to take some pictures of the many dog owners I knew would be out walking with their dogs. I was hoping to take a good picture of a relaxed person and a well-behaved dog, walking calmly on a loose leash and a plain collar. I wanted the picture to illustrate the article that appears on page 8 of this issue.
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I saw dozens of dogs and dog walkers – but not a single pair who met the criteria for the photo I wanted (I used an older photo for the article). Mostly, I passed dogs who were pulling their owners this way and that. And many of them were wearing choke chains or pinch collars. Have you ever noticed that most dogs who wear these collars pull anyway? (If you want to know why, read Training Editor Pat Miller’s article inside this issue)
I also saw several dogs wearing harsh collars (and one wearing a head collar) with a retractable leash! Folks, a retractable leash literally trains dogs to pull against the mild pressure of the spring-loaded cord, so they can reach whatever they are pulling toward – which is highly reinforcing.
But here is the thing I find most puzzling: with a single exception, none of the dog walkers appeared to be paying a bit of attention to their dogs. I saw only one woman who noticed when her dog happened to be walking at her side, and took the opportunity to praise him and give him a treat. With this sole exception, no walkers seemed to notice when their dogs were being good – and none appeared to notice when their dogs were pulling them toward a bush or piece of garbage on the sidewalk. Never mind that their arms were being pulled practically out of their sockets, or that they had to brace themselves against being pulled off their feet (or pulled to a halt when their dogs stopped to sniff or pee); these owners just sort of passively, ineffectually resisted their dogs’ movements.
What were they paying attention to? Their walking partners, stroller-bound babies, cell phones, iPods, and goodness knows what else. But with the sole exception of one attentive owner, they were neither paying attention to nor taking the opportunity to train their dogs to walk on a loose leash.
Many people today are multitasking: combining the dog-walking chores with exercising for personal fitness, returning phone calls, and spending some much-needed time with a friend or child. But if they want a well-behaved dog as much as I would like them to have one, they need to focus on their dogs! When your dog pulls toward something, don’t let him reach it (and thereby be reinforced); stop in your tracks and resist until he slacks the leash. Carry treats, watch for even fleeting moments of good behavior – and reinforce it the moment it occurs. Before you know it, walking your dog will be much more fun – and photogenic!
1. Arrange for a comprehensive oral health assessment for your dog performed by a canine dental specialist.
2. Provide toys that will not break or abrade your dog’s teeth when chewed or mouthed.
3. Practice good dental care at home by brushing your dog’s teeth daily with a toothpaste made for dogs.
4. Leave tooth scaling to the professionals.
Between runs at a recent agility competition, I was chatting with Katie and Nora, a couple of handlers I often see at trials. Coincidentally, all three of our dogs had received an annual health examination from our respective general practice veterinarians recently, with all dogs earning good reports. And all three of us had been told by our veterinarians that our dogs had broken or chipped teeth. My veterinarian had noted a “slab fracture of the upper fourth premolar” on the health summary report for my 10-year-old Border Terrier, Dash. The recommendation we were all given: “Keep an eye on the teeth.”
Katie said she had observed a red “pimple” or swollen spot on her dog’s gum right over her dog’s broken tooth just that morning. She had decided that the waiting and watching were over and she was going to bring her dog to a canine dentist.
Within a couple of weeks we found ourselves together again and Katie told us the outcome of her dog’s visit to the canine dental specialist. The dentist discovered an old fracture in one tooth that had broken through the enamel, dentin, and pulp layers of the tooth. The pulp area of the tooth was exposed and dead. The root had abscessed and the infection had broken through into the gum, creating the red “fistula” or pimple Katie had noticed.
The dentist discovered a second broken tooth that had gone unnoticed, but which also had abscessed and sustained significant damage to its crown. The dentist performed a root canal on the first tooth, and surgically extracted the tooth with the crown too damaged to save, thereby eliminating sources of infection and chronic pain in her dog’s mouth.
“The dentist told me I had waited much too long to repair the teeth and that these conditions caused a lot of pain for my dog, not only when the initial damage occurred, but on an ongoing basis. They also created a chronic infection in my dog’s mouth that could impact her overall health,” Katie told Nora and me.
Within 24 hours, Nora and I both made appointments with canine dental specialists to have our own dogs’ oral health fully evaluated. All three of us have learned that our dogs’ teeth should receive frequent and professional attention, and that earlier interventions could prevent a lot of pain for our dogs – and our pocketbooks!
A Thorough Canine Dental Exam
I scheduled a comprehensive dental assessment for Dash with Timothy Banker, DVM, FAVD (Fellow, Academy of Veterinary Dentistry) in Greensboro, North Carolina. A practitioner of advanced canine dentistry for more than 26 years, Dr. Banker started by giving me a “tour” of the anatomy of a dog’s tooth and the structures that support it in the jaw.
The tooth consists of the enamel, or the hard but thin outer layer. Beneath the enamel is the dentin, a porous material that looks like a sponge under a microscope. Soft pulp fills the inner cavity of each tooth, sometimes called the pulpal chamber or root canal. Each pore in the dentin contains nerve fibers that connect with the pulp, making the interior of the tooth very sensitive.
The structure that supports each tooth is called the periodontium. It consists of the cementum, which lines the root of the tooth below the gum line; the periodontal ligament, which attaches the tooth to the alveolar bone; and the gingival tissue, or gum, which surrounds the tooth roots.
“It’s important to evaluate both the teeth and the periodontium in a comprehensive oral examination,” says Dr. Banker. Dr. Banker described the steps he and a technician specifically trained in canine oral procedures would take during Dash’s dental assessment:
With a dog under anesthesia, Dr. Banker first looks at the inside of the dog’s mouth, at the outside and inside surface of each tooth, and compares one side of the dog’s mouth with the other for inconsistencies or asymmetry. He checks for retained puppy teeth, crowded teeth (teeth too big for the size of the dog’s mouth), signs of oral cancer, and any indications of trauma to the mouth. He checks for malocclusions, or bad bite patterns, since poor tooth alignment can cause trauma when teeth don’t meet properly or injure the soft tissue in the mouth.
Next, he palpates, or feels, inside the dog’s mouth for problems not visually appreciated. Using a probe, he examines the periodontium surrounding each tooth, detecting and measuring any pockets that can host bacteria. Pockets result from the loss of tissue and bone when a dog’s body reacts to the bacteria contained in the plaque in a dog’s mouth. After identifying any broken teeth, he uses a probe to measure the depth of the break or fracture, determining how far into the tooth the injury extends. He takes color photos to document his findings.
Next, Dr. Banker takes digital radiographs to evaluate the status of the dog’s mouth below the gum line, including damage that has occurred without exterior evidence, the presence of suspected abscesses at the root of injured teeth, loss of bone or ligament strength due to injury or infection, and to confirm the depth of any periodontal pockets. Finally, he thoroughly scales, cleans, and polishes the dog’s teeth.
“Cleaning is only a small part of a comprehensive oral assessment,” says Dr. Banker. “In an ‘awake’ oral exam, the doctor can screen only visually. Under anesthesia and using dental tools and radiography, the doctor can thoroughly examine each of the dog’s 42 teeth, including the fine details. Doing a full diagnostic evaluation – that’s where it all starts.”
My Dog Fractured Her Tooth
After Dash’s diagnostic procedure, Dr. Banker and I met to discuss his findings. Dash had a slab fracture (a section of the crown of her tooth had sheared off) of her upper left fourth premolar with direct pulpal exposure, deep periodontal pockets around the tooth, and indications of an abscess at the root. She had a fracture in her upper right fourth premolar that extended into the dentin and pulp, also with indications of root abscess.
Dash also had a deep periodontal pocket around another tooth, and bone loss at the root of her lower central incisors (two little front teeth on her bottom jaw). One of these little incisors was loose due to the loss of bone, although I had never noticed it. All of these conditions were possible sources of pain and infection. Only the slab fracture was visible by looking in her mouth.
“If a person got any of these injuries,” Dr. Banker commented, “he would be complaining and going to the dentist immediately.”
Considerations for When Deciding on A Dental Procedure for Your Dog
Dr. Banker and I discussed a treatment plan for Dash. He talked about some factors he considers when counseling clients about treatment options:
– Is the tooth strategic (needed for holding or chewing, like a canine tooth or a molar) or is it more cosmetic (an incisor that’s visible in the dog’s “smile”).
– How deep is the fracture?
– What is the condition of the root?
– What is the condition of the remaining crown of the tooth?
– What is the age of the tooth? Immature teeth with significant root damage are more difficult to save than mature teeth.
– What is the age of the dog? An extraction, which requires less time under anesthesia, may work better for an elderly dog with other health problems; saving a strategic tooth using a root canal procedure may work better for a young dog or a healthy older dog.
– What is the condition of the periodontium surrounding the tooth?
– What is the whole medical history of the dog?
– What is the anticipated subsequent behavior of the dog?
Dr. Banker talks with each owner about the behavior that likely caused the tooth damage and assesses what changes can be made after treatment.
For instance, if a client gave her dog hard toys and rawhide chews, and her dog broke his tooth on one of them, Dr. Banker asks if the dog will continue to have access to hard toys and rawhide chews after the procedure. If the answer is yes, Dr. Banker may advise the client to extract the broken tooth rather than save it with a root canal. After all, continuing to chew hard objects is likely to reinjure the tooth and require extraction in the future.
After a canine dentist has performed a root canal on a tooth, the structure of the tooth has been compromised although it has been returned to good health. The tooth will not be as strong as a healthy, normal tooth and therefore becomes more susceptible to breaks in the future.
“I make every attempt to save strategic teeth,” explains Dr. Banker. “Extractions come with risks. Dog’s teeth are designed to stay firmly in the dog’s mouth. Many are large and firmly embedded in the bone and it takes effort to remove them.
“In a person, the crown-to-root ratio of a tooth is about 1 to 1 – that is, about half the tooth area is above the gum line and half resides below it. In a dog, the ratio is about 1 to 2 (twice as much tooth area resides below the gum line as above it). Serious complications can occur from extractions, like fracturing the mandible (lower jaw bone) or injuring the nasal cavity. If the extraction site is not closed properly, oral or nasal fistulas may result.”
In addition to extractions and root canals, a canine dentist may recommend root planing to clean out periodontal pockets, the removal of infected material from the gum tissue, grafting with implant material to fill and close pockets, and the application of time-release antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications or tooth surface sealants.
In Dash’s case (she is almost 10 years old), we opted for a root canal of her right upper fourth premolar to save this strategic tooth. Due to the severe damage to the crown of her left upper fourth premolar with periodontal bone loss, Dr. Banker declared it a poor candidate for a root canal and advised surgical extraction of this tooth as well as her loose lower incisor. Due to the complex construction of the premolar, Dr. Banker relied on digital dental radiography during the procedure to insure that he had removed all of the pieces of the extracted left premolar and that the material he injected into the root canal of the right premolar had completely filled and sealed it. He applied implant material to her deep periodontal pocket to encourage healing and bone regrowth.
After about two weeks, during which Dash’s abscesses and surgical sites healed completely, she began to act like someone had subtracted five years from her life. She has more energy and stamina now, and flies around the agility course like a youngster again. That result is common, according to Dr. Banker.
“Dogs instinctively mask evidence of pain,” he says. “Isn’t it better to find early indications of potential abscesses by radiographs than to wait for painful infections to grow and break through the gum?” Long-term, painful and infectious conditions can drain a dog of vigor and strength.
Reputable Canine Dental Professionals
I asked Dr. Banker how owners can decide who should perform dental procedures on their dog. He suggested asking the veterinary candidates the following questions before making a decision:
– How much training do you have in this particular procedure? How long have you been performing it? More experience and training is better.
– How many of these procedures have you done on this particular tooth (canine vs. molar vs. incisor)? Molars and canine teeth are more complex in structure than incisors.
– Can you discuss how you would handle any complications that might result from this procedure?
– What kind of equipment do you use for root canals? Mechanized drills that shape the root canal predictably, Dr. Banker says, are superior to hand drills and files.
I asked Dr. Banker how much training in canine dentistry was typically offered in veterinary school. He answered, “It varies greatly from school to school. A few schools have canine dental departments and include dentistry in the core curriculum. Others offer dentistry as an elective and students can graduate without having received any training in dentistry at all.”
Dr. Alexander Reiter, D-AVDC (Diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College), D-EVDC (Diplomate of the European Veterinary Dental College), is an assistant professor of dentistry and director of the Dental Residency Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia. UPenn provides an extensive core curriculum in veterinary dentistry.
“Canine endodontics can’t be taught in a weekend of continuing education,” states Dr. Reiter. “It requires years of experience to consistently show good outcomes. Accessing, filing, shaping, cleaning, sterilizing, drying, filling and restoring a root canal takes skill and practice.
“A dog should have an annual oral examination performed by a canine dental specialist,” he continues. “A dog may present with jaw swelling, foul breath, inflammation of the soft tissue in the mouth, altered eating habits, lack of energy, and other dramatic indications before a veterinarian or owner may become aware of a problem.
“I consider [conditions like tooth fractures, abscesses, and periodontal pockets] to be open wounds in a dog’s mouth and the daily source of inflammatory material deposited directly into a dog’s bloodstream. These conditions need immediate attention.”
How to Prevent Tooth Damage
The doctors described how dogs usually injure their teeth and gums, and how owners can prevent it.
“My son was playing hard tug with his Golden Retriever-mix when the dog yelped and dropped the tug toy. I checked his mouth and one of his teeth had turned pink. The dog had injured the pulp in his tooth and it was hemorrhaging internally, even though the tooth had not suffered a break or fracture. Internal tooth damage can result from a concussion as well as from a break,” Dr. Banker said.
Dogs have 10 to 20 times the bite strength of a person. When they bring that to bear on a hard object, like a cow hoof, something’s gotta give, and it’s usually the dog’s tooth. “It’s a myth that dogs need to chew on hard things,” comments Dr. Banker.
According to Dr. Reiter, plaque mineralizes on teeth in two to three days and then cannot be removed by simple brushing. Teeth that are not brushed build up a layer of bacteria-laden plaque that can cause periodontal disease and, upon entering the bloodstream, can cause diseases of the kidney, liver, lungs, and heart valve. “I estimate that 80 percent of dogs have constantly inflamed gums,” he says.
Tennis balls, especially wet and dirty ones, are abrasive and can wear the protective enamel off dogs’ teeth. Some dogs like to chew on large sticks, stones, rocks, and even large ice cubes.
“Regarding prevention,” Dr. Banker quips, “as a colleague of mine says, ‘If you wouldn’t hit yourself in the kneecap with it, don’t give it to your dog to chew!’ Provide toys with smooth surfaces for your dog and avoid tennis balls.”
Oral Hygiene for Your Dog at Home
Both Dr. Banker and Dr. Reiter agree that regular tooth brushing with a toothpaste made for dogs is the single most important step an owner can take to prevent canine oral health problems. They recommend brushing twice a day if possible, or at least once a day. “Daily brushing encourages owners to look in their dog’s mouth regularly and notice changes and problems,” adds Dr. Banker.
Dr. Reiter emphasizes the importance of a high quality diet. He suggested that owners discuss the usefulness of products such as dental rinses, gels, and sealants with their canine dentist. Of course, a regular oral health evaluation by a knowledgeable canine dental specialist ranks high on his list of preventative measures.
Both doctors discourage owners from hand-scaling plaque from their dog’s teeth at home. Dr. Reiter explains that scaling at home can place tiny scratches on the surface of the tooth, thereby making it more prone to retain plaque build-up in the future. Canine dental specialists polish a dog’s teeth after scaling to restore a smooth tooth surface.
Also, during scaling at home, a dog may jerk away or turn his head unexpectedly, causing the scaling instrument to lacerate the dog’s gum. An owner could dislodge a chunk of plaque that the dog could aspirate into his lungs. An owner who is unskilled in scaling a dog’s teeth could cause the dog to become nervous about people looking and working in his mouth.
“Home scaling does not reach sub-gingival (below the gum line) material or into any pockets around the dog’s teeth,” says Dr. Reiter. “And don’t be tempted to bring your dog to a groomer or other person who advertises anesthesia-free dental cleanings. There’s a lot of water spraying around during a dental cleaning. Canine dental professionals use a cuffed endotracheal tube to administer anesthesia during the procedure. The tube has an inflatable collar that protects against the accidental aspiration of water and debris into the dog’s lungs. Only an ‘asleep’ procedure insures sufficient cleaning of the teeth above and below the gum line in an environment that’s safe for the dog.”
“Supra-gingival (above the gum line) scaling is mostly cosmetic, not therapeutic,” agrees Dr. Banker. It creates an inappropriate, false sense of security that ‘the problem has now been handled.’ The removal of sub-gingival plaque and calculus is the most important part of the treatment of periodontal disease.”
Of Teeth and Bones
by Nancy Kerns
Many of WDJ’s readers feed their dogs a home-prepared diet that includes a certain amount of raw bone (such as chicken necks or wings); many others offer their dogs large, raw meaty bones for recreational chewing. Most veterinary dentists frown on these practices, due to the potential for injury to the dogs’ teeth. Damage from chewing bones can and does occur to some dogs who chew or eat bones; however, many raw feeders are aware of the potential for these injuries and feel that the benefit of the diet far outweigh the dental risks. Other owners prefer not to take these risks, including raw bone in their dogs’ diets only in a freshly ground form.
If you are one of the owners who do feed bones to your dog, you can make the practice safer for your dogs’ teeth by taking the following precautions:
A) It’s crucial to be familiar with your dog’s chewing style before you give him any sort of bones. Does he try to get chew objects between his back teeth and bear down with all his might? Does he tend to wolf down whatever he’s chewing? Has he ever broken a tooth while chewing? If so, in our opinion, you should give him only Kongs or other safe, indestructible chew toys for recreational chewing. Letting him loose on any type of recreational bone could invite serious trouble.
Only moderate and light chewers should be given recreational chew bones. And in either case, supervision is essential.
B) Start giving your puppy fresh recreationial chew bones when he is very small. Dogs who grow up chewing on bones tend to handle them more casually and adeptly than dogs who get them only as a rare treat. lnfrequent, overenthusiastic chewing is bound to cause a problem.
C) If at all possible, buy a fresh, raw bone from your butcher. Some supermarkets can provide frozen raw bones. Ideally, buy fresh bones that have lots of tissue still clinging to them. Tearing the tissue off the bones provides great exercise and entertainment for your dog.
D) Buy bones that are too large for your dog to fit between his back teeth.
E) Discard any bone after a day or so of chewing. As bones dry out, they become harder and more brittle, increasing the danger of splintering. The bacterial count on an old bone will also increase as time passes.
F) Choose joints, like knuckle bones, instead of straight, tubular marrow bones, which are harder and stronger (because they are weight-bearing bones) and can damage your dog’s teeth with less chewing pressure.
G) Avoid narrow bones like ribs, which even small dogs can get between their back teeth, or any bone that has small pieces that could break off and cause a choking or blockage hazard (such as a shank fillet).
H) Don’t buy “sterilized” or dry bones, which can be extremely brittle.
Dental Health is More Important for Dogs Than You Think
“Years ago,” Dr. Banker recalls, “I had a friend and client who brought his six-year-old Golden Retriever to me for the dog’s first oral health exam. The dog’s two lower canine teeth were fractured, exposing the pulp, which was now dead. I suggested doing a root canal on the teeth. My friend just laughed. However, after some thought, he did take my advice and I performed the work. Two weeks later he called and asked me ‘Banker, what have you done to my dog? He’s acting like a puppy again!’ ” Today, root canals for dogs are becoming well-accepted by owners and are no longer a laughing matter.
Dr. Banker will check Dash’s root canal in six months. Following her experience, I brought my six-year-old Border Terrier, Chase, to Dr. Banker to have his own dental assessment and cleaning. Fortunately, Chase had no fractures and only one small periodontal pocket to treat. As with most terriers, his teeth are crowded; we will watch for any periodontal disease that may develop due to the twisting of his large teeth in his small mouth.
Now, like me, my dogs have a dental specialist to help optimize their health.
Lorie Long, an agility enthusiast, lives in Virginia with her husband and two Border Terriers. She is the author of The Siberian Husky (TFH, 2007) and A Dog Who’s Always Welcome: Assistance and Therapy Dog Trainers Teach You How to Socialize and Train Your Companion Dog (Howell, 2008).
1. Consider your own training philosophy. Be clear with yourself about how you want to train your dog. Writing it out can help you formulate and make a commitment to a cohesive training mission and program.
2. Analyze the tools and methods you currently use. Are they congruent with your philosophy? If so, give yourself a big click and treat! If not, determine where you need to make changes.
3. Be a critical thinker. Filter all tools and techniques through your own training philosophy and mission before adopting them for use with your dog.
We’ve presented many articles in Whole Dog Journal that explain why we promote positive training. The risks of using aversive techniques are many, and these can include the types of tools you use to train. All dog guardians will need to own a leash, and some kind of body restraint tool – a collar, or harness. The types of tools you use in training your dog will shape the nature of that training. You have to decide what techniques and tools are right for training and handling your dog, based on your unique training philosophy.
To help you analyze which tools are most likely to help you without hurting your dog, I’ll share my professional opinions about the tools most commonly recommended by positive trainers, always with an eye to whether their intended function is neutral, reinforcing, or aversive, and how they may be, in fact, perceived by the dog.
[Editor’s Note: The July 2018 issue of Whole Dog Journal includes a new review of a hands-free leash system that works quite well. It includes a leash that we think is adequate, but also allows you to clip any leash.]
Leads and Leashes for Dogs
Basic Leashes
Cotton, leather, and nylon leashes are designed to be neutral, and most dogs appear to perceive them that way, at least initially. If your dog makes a positive association with the leash (leash means walk – YAY!) then it can be used as a reinforcer. Your dog can learn to work (sit) for the leash if he learns that “sit” means the leash appears, which makes a walk happen. If the leash is used as a tug toy (as widely practiced by some agility trainers), then the positive association is “leash means play!” and leash-play is a reinforcer for good or excellent behavior on the agility course.
A leash can also be an aversive, if a dog makes an association between wearing the leash and being punished during training or while walking.
For some dogs, the positive associations of going for a walk or training can outweigh the negative associations of aversive tools sometimes used in walking or training. The dog may still enjoy the activity, although perhaps not as fully as if the aversives weren’t in use.
Stretch Leashes
Some dog leashes have built-in elastic pieces; others are comprised of a length of stretchy rubber tubing. The elasticity is meant to absorb the impact that occurs when your dog hits the end of the leash with his body weight. Used carefully, this feature might minimize or prevent damage to your dog’s trachea.
However, these leashes are usually marketed as a way to decrease your dog’s pulling behavior. If it does succeed in doing that (which may be doubtful) it does so by working as a mild aversive. This is confirmed by makers of the products; we found the following statements in ads or packages for products of this type:
“Made from latex that will stretch to more than six feet in length; this stretching continuously, gently corrects your pet.”
“As your dog pulls, the leash stretches, and the resistance your pet experiences teaches them [sic] not to tug anymore.”
“While softening the shock against the dog’s neck, reducing the risk of throat and spinal injuries, the leash delivers an effective correction and release.”
Note the use of terms such as “correction” and “teaches them not to” (our emphasis). These are your clues that the intent of the product is to teach the dog what not to do (not pull) rather than to reinforce the desired behavior and thereby teach him what to do (walk politely). Remember that this is the basic philosophical difference between positive training and training with aversives.
Long Lines for Dogs
Many long-line products are available, from light lines (thin nylon cords) to long lines (flat cotton or nylon) that range in length from 10 to 60 feet or more. Long lines are neutral tools that can be given a reinforcing or aversive association for your dog, depending on how they’re used.
In general, the purpose of a long line is to give your dog more freedom while still maintaining control – very useful when you’re working to generalize a reliable recall, or just to give your dog more exercise. When used with proper safety precautions, I find they fit nicely into my training philosophy. My cautions include:
Long lines should not be used where the line might pose a tripping or tangling danger to other dogs or humans.
Be careful not to let your dog run full-speed into the end of a long line for fear of injury to his spine.
Don’t let go! If your dog runs off into the woods dragging a long line, he can get tangled and trapped.
Retractable Dog Leashes
The retractable leash is commonly seen on trails, in dog parks, and on city streets. Invented in Germany, the leash consists of a plastic handle in which a spring-loaded cord is stored. When the dog moves away from the owner, the cords unreels anywhere from 15 to 30 feet, depending on the model; when the dog moves toward the owner the cord retracts into the handle. The owner can lock the leash at any time by pushing a button on the handle.
While it is neutral by design, as a tool, the retractable leash can be detrimental to training a dog to display polite leash manners. It teaches a dog that pulling against the tension of the spring-loaded cord frequently gets reinforced with greater freedom. A handler can eliminate this inadvertent reward by locking the button, preventing the leash from paying out more cord – then he may as well use a regular leash!
Retractable leashes also send the dog confusingly mixed messages: sometimes you have to stay close; sometimes you can go 30 feet away. This plainly encourages dogs to pull frequently to test the distance allowed at any given time. I don’t recommend their use.
The concerns mentioned above about long lines also apply to retractable leads. Here are some additional caveats:
If the line does get wrapped around dog or human, the narrow cord can cause serious injury – burns, cuts, even amputation of digits.
Unlike a long line, which must constantly be managed, it’s easy for an owner to be inattentive to the retractable leash, since it manages itself. Inattentive users may inadvertently allow their dogs to do inappropriate things, like rudely approaching other dogs and people.
The handle can be cumbersome to hold and is easily dropped. When dropped, the clatter can frighten the dog, and if he bolts, he is chased by the loud, clattering handle. This can pose a disaster for a frightened dog!
Dog Collars
Flat Collars
Buckle or snap; nylon, cloth, or leather; this is a neutral, inoffensive tool. Its primary purpose is for hanging ID tags; providing an attachment for a leash is its secondary use. Of course, “the fool” can misuse a flat collar, but it’s not intended to be used aversively.
The potential for misuse of a flat collar includes forgetting to adjust it as your dog grows (shelters around the country come upon dogs with ingrown collars from time to ti
me – grounds for cruelty charges); yanking on the leash to “correct” your dog; and adjusting it too loosely around your dog’s neck so that he can back out of it and escape.
Flat collars may cause real physical damage to chronic leash-pullers if used for being led. See, “Can a Collar Damage a Dog’s Thyroid?” for more information.
Also called a martingale or Greyhound collar, the limited-slip collar is a flat collar with a loop incorporated into the product so the collar tightens around the dog’s neck if he tries to back out of it – a maneuver that some dogs are quite skilled at performing. Properly adjusted, the collar tightens just to the size of the dog’s neck, and doesn’t cause choking.
Limited-slip collars are especially useful for dogs with narrow heads, who can easily slip out of even a moderately tight collar. I recommend them to some of my clients, and we use one on our Australian Shepherd, who came to us with a well-practiced collar-slipping maneuver in her behavior repertoire.
Head Collars/Halters
Hailed as a positive training tool when it first arrived on the scene in the mid 1990s, the head halter has stirred much discussion among trainers. This tool works like a halter on a horse; it controls the dog’s head, and where the head goes, the body must follow. Some halter proponents suggest that it also mimics the sensation of a mother dog carrying her puppy by the scruff, and that this function calms the dog wearing the halter. I’m not convinced, and I haven’t seen any studies to support this hypothesis.
To the human perception, the head halter appears much more positive than a chain, prong, or shock collar around a dog’s neck. To a significant number of dogs, however, the halter seems to be at least mildly (and in many cases greatly) aversive. Most dogs need to be desensitized to a head halter prior to actual use. If you put it on without a gradual introduction and lots of association with a reinforcer (treats!) you’re likely to get lots of resistance from the dog – pawing and clawing at the halter, bucking against the leash, and attempts to rub it off. Many dogs, even when they’ve accepted it, will still try to rub it off if given the opportunity.
In addition, the head halter tends to suppress behavior and subdue the wearer. People often mistake “subdued” for “calm.” If your dog’s whole personality changes – his tail droops, his eyes lose their sparkle – then you’re looking at a subdued dog, not a calm one. There may be times when that’s useful, but a positive training program generally avoids behavior suppression and encourages the dog to offer behaviors that can be reinforced. There are a number of different models of head halter. Each new design that comes on the scene purports to be more easily accepted by the dog. That tells you something!
This is one of the tools that positive trainers disagree about. I still have head halters in my supply cabinet and may find a rare occasion to use one, but I generally encourage clients to consider other options. Other trainers rely heavily on head halters, and report very little problem with acclimating their clients’ dogs to them. As always, your dog is the one who should decide. If he tells you he finds it aversive, listen.
One of the concerns about head halter use is the potential for injury to the dog’s spine if he lunges at the end of the leash and the halter pulls his head sideways. Until recently, the inventor of the original design stoutly asserted that there were no proven cases of injury related to head halter use. In 2007, one clearly verifiable incident was reported of a dog suffering injury to the nervous system as a direct result of the head halter. The dog recovered.
Dog Harnesses
Walking Harness
A well-fitted walking harness presents little in the way of aversive application. It’s an excellent option to prevent pressure on and damage to the trachea – useful for dogs who have suffered tracheal injury, as well as dogs in general.
Because it is so comfortable, a walking harness can actually contribute to the reinforcement of pulling behavior, especially if the human on the other end of the leash allows the dog to move forward while pulling. Because th
e harness straps distribute pressure across the dog’s chest, discomfort is mild, if it exists at all, and it’s easy for the dog to pull. That’s why they use harnesses for sled dogs!
Another consideration is that the leash usually attaches to a ring on the harness at the middle of the dog’s back, which gives the human very little control of the dog’s front end. Properly used in training, with reinforcement for appropriate leash behavior, a walking harness can complement a positive training program.
Some walking harnesses offer a ring in front, at the dog’s chest, similar to front-clip control harnesses (below). That may be a good choice for the dog who does well in a walking harness but tends to pull.
This type of harness has straps that tighten around the dog’s front legs when he pulls. There are several different brands, but they all function similarly. This tool may be mildly aversive, or simply provide a novel sensation that causes the dog to slow down. Either way, in order to be effective, the trainer must reinforce the improved leash behavior provided by the dog’s response to pressure, or the dog tends to fairly quickly learn to pull despite the pressure.
In the models I’ve seen, the leash attaches to a ring on the dog’s back, again giving little control of the front end. Dogs don’t seem to find them particularly aversive, but I’m not sure they’re particularly effective.
Front-Clip Control Harnesses
This training tool offers one significant advantage over most walking harnesses: the leash attaches to a ring at the front of the dog’s chest, providing better control of the dog’s front end. The majority of dogs accept this tool without protest, and for many, there is an instantaneous and significant decrease in pulling and increase in owner control. Combined with reinforcement for polite walking this is my positive tool of choice for dogs who pull.
That said, it’s not the right tool for all dogs. A small percentage of dogs do object to the harness. Also, some dogs are difficult to fit, and others experience chafing under the front legs where the straps can rub. Attaching your leash to the front ring of a regular walking harness (some have it, some don’t – shop carefully!) may be a better choice for dogs who have trouble with the front-clip control version.
What’s Best for Your Dog?
Again, you have to decide which equipment best suits your dog. Keep the pros and cons of each training tool in mind, be true to your training philosophy, listen to and respect your dog, and let the sun shine.
Liam (Cnoccarne Carrowmoragh), a four-year-old Irish Wolfhound owned by Jeanne Patterson of New York, was weaned on tripe and has not stopped loving it, says Jeanne. Photo by Steve Surfman, courtesy of Jeanne Patterson.
Eeeewww! What’s that awful smell?
If your dog thinks it’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever put in a bowl while you gag and hold your breath, it’s probably green tripe – raw, unprocessed stomach tissue from ruminants such as cows or sheep. Tripe fans claim that this smelly meat has multiple benefits for dogs who are lucky enough to have it regularly fed to them.
Mary Voss knows the fragrance well. Twenty years ago, she and her husband, Peter, lived in the Netherlands, where they bought their first dog, an Afghan Hound.
“All the old-time breeders there fed their dogs green tripe,” she says. “It was sold in stores and was easy to find, so that’s what we fed our dog, too.”
But after moving back to the United States, she found that the only tripe sold in markets was white honeycomb tripe that had been bleached, scalded, and deodorized. Her growing canine family did without until local butchers put her in touch with farm slaughterers who agreed to sell her tripe fresh from the cattle.
A Place For Paws sells many types of raw diets for dogs, including ground tripe (in the container at far left). A Place For Paws grinds the fresh “green” (raw, unprocessed) tripe (the two tissues at right) with fresh cow blood (for consistency). Photo by and courtesy of A Place For Paws.
“The first time I brought a cow’s stomachs straight from a farm,” she says, “it was a hot day, the drive was over 100 miles, and the container in the back of my truck stank to high heaven. When I finally got home, the dogs went berserk. They couldn’t see the truck, but they were so excited by the smell they were screaming.”
From that day on, Voss kept her dogs supplied with fresh tripe, which is called “green” even though it’s really brown, because the tripe of grass-fed cattle has a greenish tint. The terms “green tripe” and “dirty tripe” refer to the raw, unprocessed meat (not the contents) of a ruminant’s stomachs.
In 1997, Voss wrote “No Guts, No Glory,” an article about green tripe, for the Afghan Hound Review. In it she described how her dogs, who were already on a well-balanced raw diet, experienced immediate improvements in coat, skin, energy, teeth, and digestion when they switched to a diet comprised mostly of green tripe. One of her rescues, a 12-year-old whose teeth were so terrible that she had trouble eating and who was so weak that she could barely walk across the backyard, thrived on tripe and lived to be 17. “She could still run with the pack, discipline the ‘young and restless,’ and had the most beautiful set of white teeth without ever having a dental cleaning.”
For a while, Voss collected stomachs from farm-slaughtered cows and cut up the huge (60- to 100-pound) organs herself, wearing rubber boots, rubber gloves, and a heavy duty butcher’s apron while wielding a hose, two buckets, and a large, sharp knife. For convenience, she eventually started a co-op that distributed raw frozen tripe from other sources to dog lovers. However, quality was always a concern, so five years ago, she opened her own small factory in Hollister, California. “We started in a 1,000 square-foot building,” she says. “Now we’re in a 6,000 square-foot building. The word has definitely gotten out.” Every week, Voss ships 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of frozen, raw, green tripe from pasture-fed cattle to dog lovers across the country.
Thanks to industrial equipment, the work of turning cow stomachs into ground, frozen green tripe is now easier, but most of us would still consider it daunting. In June, Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel’s program “Dirty Jobs,” visited Voss’s facility for an episode that will be broadcast this fall.
It’s international
Tripe may be an unfamiliar dog food in the United States, but not in other parts of the world.
Gerry Briffa, who has supplied raw meat for zoos and pets since 1960, has met and spoken with breeders in Europe, South Africa, Australia, and around the globe who swear by green tripe.
“They all say the same thing,” he says, “that it keeps the dogs healthy, is easy to digest, and it helps dogs live longer.”
Katrina McQuilken was raised in Russia, where she says everyone fed raw tripe to their dogs. At the Ridgewood, New Jersey, pet health food store that she runs with her husband, Karl, McQuilken finds that demand for tripe is increasing. “We have always carried raw meat dinners for dogs,” she says, “but now we need extra freezer space for all the green tripe that customers order. Customers who grew up in Poland, Hungary, Germany, and other countries in Europe tell me that this is what their dogs at home ate.”
Knocknarea Irish Wolfhounds, near Sligo, Ireland, is owned by Ika Peiler and her husband, Ulli, who have raised Irish Wolfhounds for more than 25 years. “Once a week,” Ika says, “Ulli goes directly to the source, a medium-sized slaughterhouse. The meat is for the local market, so the animals are all young heifers under 24 months. We also collect the stomachs of lambs.
As the complete digestive system is removed in one piece, Ulli Peiler first separates the tripe section from the intestines, liver, and spleen. He trims off excess fat before opening and emptying the stomachs, turning them inside out and rinsing them, which he does not for hygienic reasons but because sand and soil that animals pick up while grazing cling to their stomach linings.
Once home, the bellies are chilled for a few hours, then sent through an industrial meat grinder. For years the Peilers cut tripe into fist-sized pieces, but that was such hard work that they invested in grinding equipment. Red meat and hearts are ground separately. Liver, which is not suitable for grinding, is cut into pieces. The week’s supply is refrigerated, with any surplus frozen in bags.
Jade is a six-year-old Irish Wolfhound, belonging to Ika and Ulli Peiler, of Sligo, Ireland. The Peilers have raised Wolfhounds on diets comprised mostly of green tripe for almost 30 years. Photo by and courtesy of Ika Peiler.
“We fed nothing but tripe to our own dogs in the early years,” says Ika, “but we encountered fertility problems. Our bitches would not conceive. We read two studies that a veterinary student in Germany conducted for his doctoral thesis and learned that tripe lacks the amino acid tyrosine, which is apparently needed to kick-start the pituitary gland and the process of conceiving.” Red meat contains tyrosine, and when the Peilers began adding it to their dogs’ tripe diets, healthy puppies soon followed.
Dogs who board with the Peilers eat only fresh raw tripe. “It’s convenient,” says Ika, “and the dogs eat it right away. More importantly, the dogs do exceptionally well on their all-tripe diet.
Note that feeding green tripe alone, as a sole ingredient in the diet, does not constitute a complete and balanced diet. Tripe is a terrific supplement, and may even be used as a major component of a home-prepared diet, but it is not nutritionally complete by itself.
The Peilers’ own dogs eat mostly tripe with occasional organ meats, red meat, and bones. Ika Peiler says, “They don’t need or crave anything else, except that pregnant bitches go off their tripe and prefer muscle or organ meat and meaty bones toward the end of gestation, and they dig into carbs after whelping. That is the only time we give carbohydrates, in the form of raw crushed oat flakes in milk. It is a great way to stimulate milk production, and the conversion from carbs to milk is much quicker than from fat to milk. Once their milk production is in full swing and there is a constant supply of food for the dam, she won’t want oats any more and we can cut them back.”
Tripe’s benefits
Reports from tripe enthusiasts make it sound as though green tripe can bring dead dogs back to life, and that’s not much of an exaggeration. Mary Voss began to appreciate tripe’s benefits when a friend involved in all-breed rescue asked her to help save a litter of infant Rottweiler puppies that had been abandoned in a carport in winter.
“There were nine in the litter,” she says, “and they split the pups among three of us. Our job was to bottle-feed and wean the pups, then bring them back at eight weeks for adoption.”
Voss started weaning her charges at four weeks and gradually added green tripe. “When we brought the pups back together again, the three I raised were bigger, stronger, and more robust,” she says. “Their coats glistened and their eyes were bright and alert. Most of all, their personalities were confident, fun-loving, and just good-natured. The other pups were smaller and sickly, their coats were dull, and they were not very alert. Their temperaments were also questionable because they seemed too shy to be Rotties.”
When asked to describe the benefits of feeding green tripe, the breeders and dog lovers we polled all mentioned improvements in health, appearance, and disposition. Puppies thrive while avoiding bone growth problems, older dogs become more lively and active, digestive disorders vanish or improve dramatically, skin problems disappear, coats shine, coat color improves, eyes brighten, muscles become toned, teeth look terrific, stool size diminishes, and endurance and stamina increase. Dogs with behavioral problems become calmer, some chronic illnesses or conditions improve or disappear, dogs with breeding problems successfully reproduce, pups raised on green tripe excel at everything, elderly dogs resume their careers and win competitions, and the list goes on.
Of course, not every dog will respond dramatically to green tripe, but enough have to make it seem like a cure-all.
Several analyses show that tripe’s calcium-phosphorus ratio is 1:1, which is considered ideal for dogs. Its overall pH is slightly acidic, which aids digestion. The protein content of raw tripe is 10 percent and its fat content is about 5 percent. Tripe contains the essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic) in their recommended proportions as well as magnesium, potassium, B-complex vitamins, the amino acid taurine, other amino acids, about 4 percent fiber, and trace amounts of other minerals and vitamins A, C, D, and E. Green tripe is approximately 78 percent water or moisture. The protein level of dehydrated tripe is about 21 percent.
Five-foot-tall Erica Rice, a production manager for A Place For Paws, displays an entire cow stomach before it is cut and ground up for dog food. Photo by and courtesy of A Place For Paws.
“We were surprised to find that tripe contains large amounts of Lactobacillus acidophilus, the lactic acid bacteria that is the main ingredient in probiotics,” says Voss. “Green tripe is also loaded with gastric enzymes, other gastric “juices,” and amino acids. The same gastric juices that help cattle with digestion aid the canine in digesting and efficiently utilizing food, and the amino acids are necessary for muscular development. As a bonus, coarsely ground tripe works like dental floss and is one of the best cleaners for a dog’s teeth.
As with any dog food, the right amount depends on the dog’s age, metabolism, and activity level. Couch potatoes don’t need much, while dogs working in adverse conditions require thousands of calories per day.
In Orange County, New York, Jeanne Patterson lives with three Irish Wolfhounds, two 155-pound males and a 105-pound female. “I learned how to feed tripe from the Peilers when I got a puppy from them,” she says.
About two-thirds of Patterson’s dogs’ diet is raw green tripe, with the remainder an alternating assortment of raw red meat, heart, liver, whole chicken, and an occasional green vegetable. How much they eat depends on how active they are, which means less in summer and more in cool weather, usually three to four pounds per dog each day.
Patterson buys frozen ground tripe, which she thaws in cold water. “It’s almost as easy as feeding kibble,” she says. “I just put it in a bowl, and they love it.”
Patterson credits tripe for her dogs’ long lives. “I’ve had five Irish Wolfhounds,” she says, “and the first two lived to be nine and almost twelve. In the U.S., their average life span is six and a half years.”
Almost everyone we interviewed for this article mentioned that dogs fed green tripe tend to live longer, have fewer injuries and health problems, and have cleaner, whiter teeth than dogs fed other foods.
“Even if they don’t live forever,” says Voss, “they are more likely to have an active old age with fewer aches and pains than they otherwise would. My Afghan Hounds have lived to be as old as 18, and the five living with us now are going on 15 and 17. Green tripe has to be one of the easiest and least expensive health treatments we can offer our canine companions.”
Green tripe is exceptionally easy to feed because even finicky dogs dive right in. Tripe is the one food most dogs respond to even when they refuse everything else. It is also well tolerated by many dogs with allergies and food sensitivities. Some breeders and suppliers report that dogs who cannot eat beef do well on beef tripe, and many dogs with seasonal allergies and skin conditions like hot spots, lick granulomas, and rashes have improved after switching to tripe.
“What we find really amazing,” adds Ika Peiler, “is that our hounds do not lose interest in their food although it is the same day in and day out. They always get very animated come feeding time and cannot wait to get their dishes put in front of them. They usually empty their bowls in five seconds flat – and if they don’t, I know there’s something wrong.”
The fragrance
To call green tripe odoriferous is an understatement. This stuff really stinks.
Some dog lovers just hold their breath. Others say they get used to it or don’t notice it at all.
Katrina McQuilken recommends keeping tripe frozen until the last minute, then thawing it just enough to remove the desired amount, returning the package to the freezer while placing the still-frozen serving in a bowl.
Cold temperatures reduce tripe’s odor, and so does the speed with which dogs consume it. Once it’s in your dog’s stomach, it won’t be scenting the house.
Of course, if you have a fenced backyard or large porch, even better. Your dog can enjoy his favorite food while you breathe comfortably.
Trends in tripe
The newest tripe products include dried or freeze-dried tripe treats as well as fresh frozen tripe from animals other than cattle. Some distributors sell lamb, sheep, goat, venison, or bison tripe. Lamb tripe is far less odoriferous than beef tripe, and when freeze-dried, it makes an almost odorless treat that you can comfortably carry in your pocket. Dried tripe strips are perfect canine toothbrushes.
Some frozen food manufacturers mix green tripe with meat, organ meats, vegetables, or other ingredients for nutritional balance or variety. At GreenTripe.com, Inc., Mary Voss sells three basic products: coarsely ground green tripe, green tripe ground with collagen-rich trachea and gullet (the natural source of condroitin sulfate and recommended for dogs with hip and joint problems), and Xkaliber, a blend of green tripe, muscle meat, heart, tongue, trachea/gullet, and ground bone, which is recommended for young dogs and serious working dogs because it helps build muscle and stamina.
Another trend is for seriously motivated dog lovers to contact local butchers or pasture-fed farms and ranches in order to purchase whole cow stomachs straight from the farm. Check with local farmer’s markets, meat markets, and food co-ops.
One advantage of working with local suppliers is that they can sometimes prepare special orders. For example, dogs with kidney failure, kidney disease, or blocked kidneys should avoid the amino acids methionine and cysteine. The omasum, or third stomach, is extremely high in collagen and low in protein and its amino acids. Some suppliers set this tripe aside for dogs with special needs.
CJ Puotinen is a frequent WDJ contributor and freelance writer living in New York. She is also the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and many books on holistic health care and herbal remedies for humans.
Have you ever had the misfortune of walking into your house to find overturned furniture, inches-deep claw gouges on door frames, blood-stained tooth marks on window sills, and countless messages on your answering machine from neighbors complaining about your dog barking and howling for hours on end in your absence? If so, you’re probably familiar with separation anxiety in dogs – a mild label for a devastating and destructive behavior.
Thirty years ago the phrase was uncommon in dog training circles. Today it’s a rare dog owner who hasn’t heard of separation anxiety in dogs, experienced it with a one of her own dogs, or at least had a friend whose canine companion reportedly suffered from this difficult disorder. Separation-related behaviors seem more common these days, and sadly, can also result in human frustration and anger – and sometimes even the euthanasia of an offending dog when a despairing owner reaches her wits’ end.
In her excellent book, Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals, Dr. Karen Overall defines separation anxiety as, “A condition in which animals exhibit symptoms of anxiety or excessive distress when they are left alone.” The most common separation anxiety symptoms in dogs include destructive behavior, house soiling, and excessive vocalization. Many dogs with this challenging behavior also refuse to eat or drink when left alone, don’t tolerate crating, pant and salivate excessively when distressed, and go to great lengths to try to escape from confinement, with apparent total disregard for injury to themselves or damage to their surroundings.
It’s natural for young mammals to experience anxiety when separated from their mothers and siblings; it’s an adaptive survival mechanism. A pup who gets separated from his family cries in distress, enabling Mom to easily find him and rescue him. In the wild, even an adult canine who is left alone is more likely to die – either from starvation, since he has no pack to hunt with, or from attack, since he has no pack mates for mutual protection. For this reason, signs of separation anxiety in puppies is somewhat expected.
Given the importance of a dog’s canine companions, it speaks volumes about the dog’s adaptability as a species that we can condition them to accept being left alone at all! We’re lucky we don’t have far more problems than we do, especially in today’s world, where few households have someone at home regularly during the day to keep the dog company.
There was a time in our society when fewer dogs were left home alone – Mom stayed home while Dad went off to work every day – so dogs had less exposure to the kind of daily isolation that contributes to separation anxiety behavior. Some behavior scientists theorize that experiencing a fear-causing event when a young dog is already mildly stressed about being alone can trigger more intense “home alone” anxiety behaviors.
In today’s world there are a significant number of dogs who are afflicted with some degree of separation distress. The best solution for how to break a dog’s separation anxiety depends largely upon the dog’s situation and anxiety triggers. Fortunately, many dog owners these days are willing to seek solutions to behavior problems rather than just “getting rid of” the dog. As a result, behavior professionals are likely to see canine clients with separation distress disorders.
Symptoms of Separation Anxiety in Dogs
Another reason separation anxiety seems more prevalent today than a few decades ago is that it is misdiagnosed with some frequency by laypersons. With an increased awareness of the condition has come an increase in misidentification of behaviors that resemble separation distress behaviors, but really aren’t.
For example, house soiling can be related to anxiety, but there are many other potential causes. These include incomplete housetraining, lack of access to appropriate elimination areas, unreasonable owner expectations (expecting the dog to “hold it” for 10 hours or more), fear, excitement, marking, submissive elimination, or physical incontinence.
Destructive behavior may be a result of separation anxiety, or it could be normal puppy behavior, play, reaction to outside stimuli, and/or an outlet for excess energy. Separation distress could be the cause of excessive barking and howling, or the dog could be stimulated to bark by street sounds (traffic, people talking), trespassers (i.e., a mail carrier, intruder, Girls Scouts selling cookies), social facilitation (other dogs barking), play, aggression, or fear.
It’s critically important that a problem behavior be correctly identified prior to the implementation of a behavior modification program. It does no good to try to modify separation anxiety if that’s not really the problem.
If a dog pees in the house when left alone as well as when the owner is home, it’s more likely a housetraining problem than a separation issue. However, a dog urinating in his crate when the owner leaves the house, but who is fine holding it through the night, is an example of possible separation anxiety. Separation-related destruction is usually directed toward escape efforts – chewing or clawing at or through doorframes, windowsills, and walls. If the destruction is more generalized throughout the house, it points toward one or more of the other possible causes, rather than an isolation issue. A strategically located video camera or sound-activated tape recorder can help identify possible outside stimuli, such as visitors to the home or unusual noises, that might trigger what otherwise may appear to be separation-related behaviors.
Isolation Distress and Separation Anxiety: What’s the Difference?
Distress over being left alone is not always a full-blown separation anxiety problem. First, a dog may suffer from a mild distress to a severe anxiety disorder. “Distress” indicates a lower intensity of stress behaviors when the dog is alone, while “anxiety” is an extreme panic attack.
The distinction between “isolation” and “separation” is equally important. Isolation distress means the dog doesn’t want to be left alone – any ol’ human will do for company, and sometimes even another dog will fill the bill. True separation distress or anxiety means the dog is hyper-bonded to one specific person, and continues to show stress behaviors if that person is absent, even if other humans or dogs are present.
Our Cardigan Corgi, Lucy, suffers from moderate isolation distress – she doesn’t like to be left alone outdoors. Before we realized the significance of her behavior, she managed to injure herself badly, falling off a stone wall onto cement steps eight feet below in her persistent attempts to reach us through a window. Indoors, her isolation distress is milder. She may bark briefly if we leave her alone downstairs, but quickly calms and settles.
Missy, on the other hand, demonstrates true separation distress. The eight-year-old Australian Shepherd had been in at least four different homes prior to joining our family last fall. As is sometimes the case with dogs who have been rehomed numerous times, she attached herself to one of her new humans (me) completely and almost instantly.
If our whole family is in the barn, and I go back to the house for some reason, Missy could care less that my husband is still with her in the barn; she becomes hyper-vigilant, watching anxiously for me to return, ignoring Paul’s attempts to reassure her or engage in other activities. Fortunately for us, her stress level is mild; other than some scratches inflicted to our kitchen door on the second day of her arrival to our home, she’s done nothing destructive; her level of stress over my absence is low, and tolerable, and consists primarily of pacing, whining, and barking. But it may explain why we’re at least her fifth (and final!) home.
Case Study: Misdiagnosis of Separation Anxiety
Lexi was a five-year-old spayed female Husky/Greyhound mix in rescue, presented by the foster mom as having separation anxiety that manifested as destructive behavior. Lexi had been in several prior foster homes, none of which reported destructive behavior.
As we discussed Lexi’s behavior during her behavior consultation, the dog paced almost constantly, and displayed numerous other signs of general stress, including whining, attention-seeking, and exploring doorways, even though her current human was sitting quietly in a chair in the center of the room. Her behavior did not change significantly when her human left the room.
The foster parent mentioned that she had noted a heightened anxiety when Lexi heard “mystery electronic beeping” in the house – probably fi’om a watch hidden in a drawer that the owners were unable to locate. She also reportedly reacted badly to the beeps of other watches, cameras, and other electronic devices.
I concluded that while Lexi did, indeed, have anxiety problems, they were not separation-related, but rather a more generalized anxiety. While we have no way of knowing for sure, I surmised that at some point she may have been contained in an underground shock fence, and the beeping sounds that caused her heightened anxiety were similar to the warning beep of the fence. For a dog who has been trained to such a fence, the sound of the beep, through association with the shock, can be every bit as aversive and stress-causing at the shock itself.
We implemented a behavior modification program for generalized anxiety that included partnering with a veterinarian for the administration of anxiety-relieving medication, and the foster parent made sure not to leave Lexi alone with access to the room where the mystery beeping occurred (the kitchen). Lexi was eventually adopted and is doing well in her new home, where her owners are continuing her behavior modification program.
How to Treat Separation Anxiety in Dogs
There are a number of steps you can take to resolve your dog’s isolation- or separation-anxiety behavior. The program spelled out under “Preventing Separation Anxiety” below can also be used to modify an existing isolation/separation condition. However, you will progress much more slowly through the steps of the program with a dog who suffers from separation-related behaviors; your dog’s strong emotional response to being left alone will make this a much more challenging proposition.
Here are some other avenues to explore, to complement your modification work:
Exercise your dog well before you leave. A tired dog has less energy with which to be anxious and destructive. End exercise sessions 20 to 30 minutes before you go, so he has time to settle down.
Make your departures and returns completely calm and emotionless. No huggy/kissy “Mummy loves you” scenes. If he gets excited and jumps all over you when you return, ignore him. Turn your back and walk away. When he finally settles down, say hello and greet him very calmly.
Defuse the pieces of your departure routine by also doing them when you are not leaving. Pick up your car keys and sit down on the sofa to watch TV. Dress in your business suit and then cook dinner. Set your alarm for 5 a.m. on a Saturday, then roll over and go back to sleep.
Mix up the pieces of your departure routine when you are leaving, so his anxiety doesn’t build to a fever pitch as he recognizes your departure cues. We are creatures of habit too, so this is hard to do, but can pay off in big dividends. Eat breakfast before you shower instead of after. Pick up your keys and put them in your pocket before you take your dog out for his final potty break. Put your briefcase in the car while you’re still in pajamas. Make the morning as unpredictable as possible.
Use a “safe” cue such as “I’ll be back,” only when you know you’ll return within the time period your dog can tolerate. As suggested in Patricia McConnell’s wonderful booklet on separation anxiety titled “I’ll Be Home Soon,” this helps your dog relax, knowing he can trust you to return.
Explore alternative dog-keeping situations to minimize the occasions when you do have to leave him alone – doggie daycare may be suitable for some dogs, but not for others. You may be able to find a neighbor or relative who is house-bound and might appreciate some canine companionship.
If you are considering adoption of a second dog, try borrowing a calm, stable, compatible dog from a friend, to see if that helps to relieve your dog’s distress.
Remove as many other stressors from your dog’s world as possible to help him maintain his equilibrium in your absence. No choke chains, shock collars, physical or harsh verbal punishment (especially in connection to his anxiety behaviors).
Consider working with a behavior professional to be sure you’re on the right path – and to help you explore the possibilities of using anti-anxiety medications to maximize the effectiveness of your modification efforts.
Fixing separation anxiety is hard work. It’s all too easy to get frustrated with your dog’s destructive behavior. Remember that he’s not choosing to do it out of spite or malice – he is panicked about his own survival without you, his pack, there to protect him. It’s not fun for him, either; he lives in the moment, and the moments that you are gone are long and terrifying. If you make the commitment to modify his behavior and succeed in helping him be brave about being alone, you’ll not only save your home from destruction, you will enhance the quality of your dog’s life immensely – as well as your own – and perhaps save him from destruction, too.
Preventing Separation Anxiety in 10 Steps
The most important ingredient in a successful separation anxiety prevention program is to set your dog up for success. When you bring a new dog or puppy home, implement a program to help him be comfortable with being alone for gradually increasing periods. This will help to assure him that it’s not necessary to panic: you haven’t abandoned him; you always come back. Be sure to exercise him well before you practice; a tired dog is a much better candidate for relaxation than one who’s “full of it.”
Here are the 10 steps of a two-day program to create a dog who is comfortable being left alone. Note that if you are modifying an already existing distress or anxiety condition
you will need to work through the steps of the program much more slowly.
1. Bring your dog home at a time when someone can spend a few days with him to ease the stress of the transition.
2. Prepare a quiet, safe space in advance such as a playpen or puppy pen, or a dog-proofed room such as a laundry room.
3. When you bring your dog home, give him a chance to relieve himself outdoors, and spend 10 to 15 minutes with him in the house under close supervision. Then put him in his pen and stay in the room with him.
4. Stay close at first. Read a book. If he fusses, ignore him. When he’s quiet, greet him calmly, take one step away, and then return before he has a chance to get upset. Speak to him calmly, then go back to reading. You’re teaching him that if you leave, you will return. Other family members should make themselves scarce during this time: your dog needs to learn to be alone.
5. Continue to occasionally step away, gradually increasing the distance and varying the length of time that you stay away, so that eventually you can wander around the room without upsetting your dog. Each time you return, greet him calmly. Every once in a while say “Yes!” in a calm but cheerful voice before you return to him, then walk back to the pen and feed him a treat.
6. After an hour or so, give him a break. Take him outside to potty and play. Hang out for a while. Then go back inside and resume his pen exercises.
7. Begin again, staying near the pen until he settles. More quickly this time, move along steps 4 and 5 until you can wander around the room without generating alarm. Now step
into another room very briefly, and return before your dog has time to get upset. Gradually increase the length of time you stay out of the room, interspersing it with wandering around the room, sitting near him reading a book, and sitting across
the room reading a book. lf he starts to fuss, wait until he stops fussing to move back toward him. Teach him that calm behavior makes you return, fussing keeps you away.
8. Occasionally, step outside of the house. Your goal for the first day is to get your dog comfortable with you being away from him for 15 to 20 minutes; it’s usually the first 20 minutes of separation that are most difficult. Vary the times so he doesn’t start anticipating your return. Remember to give him plenty of potty and play breaks: every hour for a young pup, every one to two hours for an older dog.
9. On the second day, quickly repeat the warm-up steps, until you can step outside for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, interspersed with shorter separations. On one of your outdoor excursions, hop into your car and drive around the block. Return in 5 to 10
minutes, and calmly re-enter the house just as you have been during the rest of the exercises. Hang out for a while, then go outside and drive away again, for a half-hour this time.
10. Now it’s time for Sunday brunch. Be sure your dog gets a thorough potty break and playtime, then give him 15 minutes to relax after the stimulation of play. Put a Kong stuffed with delightful treats into his pen, round up the family, and calmly exit the house for an outing of a couple of hours’ duration. When you arrive home to a calm and happy dog, drink an orange juice toast to your graduation from separation anxiety prevention school.
Time Alone for Dogs: There is a Limit
It’s unfair to ask a young dog to stay home alone for 5 to 10 hours; he needs to get out to relieve himself midway through the day. If you force him to soil in the home, at worst you can cause stress-related behaviors, at best you may create house-training problems. Options may include taking him to work with you, having family members come home on their lunch hour, arranging for stay-at-home neighbors to take him out, hiring a pet walker to walk him and play with him, or sending him to a well-run doggie daycare environment. (Note: The daycare option is not appropriate for a very young pup.)
If you set up a routine to help your dog succeed, he’ll someday earn his Master’s Degree in Home Alone, and be trusted with full house freedom. lt may be too late for some dog owners to say they’ve never had a dog with separation anxiety, but it’s never too late to say “never again”!
DOGS WITH SEPARATION ANXIETY: OVERVIEW
1. Take steps to prevent separation anxiety in your new dog by conditioning him to accept being left alone.
2. Assess your dog’s anxious behaviors (destructive behavior, vocalization, and inappropriate elimination) to determine if the behaviors might have a cause other than separation anxiety.
3. Understand that your dog’s difficult behavior is not deliberate, and that punishment is ineffective, inappropriate, and will only exacerbate the behavior.
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’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 the brand-new Dog Play: How and Why to Play With Your Dog.
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2. Buy some new toys and invite your dog to play new games with them; don’t just hand them to the dog and go back to work.
3. Make sure that you take breaks from training and enjoy relaxed but engaged time with your dog.
4. Look for dog-safe community activities you can enjoy with your dog, such as quiet street fairs, rather than loud parades or firework displays.
Sometimes we can get so focused on behavior and training that we forget to have fun with our dogs. I realized some time ago that I had become a behavior addict. I took the premise to heart that “any time you are with your dog one of you is training the other,” and became so caught up in reinforcing desired behaviors and preventing reinforcement for undesirable ones that I forgot how to just be with my dogs. While positive trainers have become quite adept at incorporating fun into their training programs, there is value in letting go of the behavior stuff occasionally and just having fun for its own sake.
Fun comes naturally to dogs and humans. Just watch a litter of puppies at play – or class of children romping in a kindergarten schoolyard – and you’ll be quickly convinced that fun is a primary (innate) reinforcer for dogs (and kids). The wise dog owner/trainer takes advantage of this, using play (not just food!) to reward desirable behaviors in training sessions and in real life, and giving canine-human interactions a positive classical association to help create a strong relationship between dog and owner.
The dog-human social contract is all about our relationship with our dogs. Play builds relationships – hence the importance of play. As children, the friends with whom we form lifelong relationships are likely to be the ones with whom we have the most fun sharing mutually rewarding and enjoyable activities. Play. Play for its own sake, just because it’s fun, and helps us remember what we love about our dogs.
As we mature, we tend to get serious about life – perhaps too serious. Hence the new-age sometimes-appropriate advice to find your “inner child.” Your dog is the perfect companion to accompany you on your journey to find more fun. Here are some ideas to help you remember how to play with your dog.
Out on the Town
If your dog has sufficient social skills so that you can safely take him out into the world, make it a point to do so! If most of your time with your dog is spent at home, you may discover an entirely new and enjoyable side of him off his home turf. After all, there will be completely new sights, interesting sounds, and best of all from a dog’s point of view, novel smells for him to experience.
Take a Hike
If you’re fortunate enough to live near a place where dogs are allowed off-leash, and your dog has a reliable recall, go for a long hike. I mean a long hike. When we lived in California I used to take Keli, my Kelpie, for an occasional all-day adventure in the Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve near the Marin Humane Society where I worked. With a daypack full of provisions, a tatami (lightweight woven mat that rolled up for easy carrying), and a couple of books, we’d hike a while, climb on or jump over fallen trees, relax a while, play in the pond, watch redtail hawks soar, stop for lunch, fetch tennis balls a while, pretend to herd a few cows, hike a while, and finally head back to the car, tired, relaxed, and happy.
For a variation on the theme, sometimes several friends and co-workers would join us for a dog-pack hike. Occasionally we loaded up the cars and headed out to Pt. Reyes National Seashore for a change of scenery. The dogs didn’t care where we went, as long as we had fun. If off-leash isn’t allowed in your local parks, or you’re still working on that recall, you can do the same thing with a long-line to keep Rover in sight. Maybe not quite as much fun, but almost.
Have a Dog Pal Party
It’s a special occasion – your dog’s birthday, or the anniversary of her adoption, or the recent arrival of a new canine family member. Throw a dog pal party! Invite all your dogs friends from training class, offer the canine guests some FrostBite, Chilly Dawg, or Frosty Paws (ice cream treats created for dogs), and pupcakes (healthy homemade goodies in muffin papers), and organize games like Bobbing for Hotdogs. (Use sliced “pennies” of hotdog in just a few inches of water for small dogs, a bit more for larger dogs. And make sure dogs play just one at a time.)
Holidays offer theme-based party opportunities. Talk to your friends about a party rotation plan, where one person hosts a spring-themed party (how about an Easter egg hunt, substituting dog treats for the eggs?), another does Independence Day (no fireworks please!), and someone else takes Halloween. Costumes. Oh, costumes! If you’re ethically opposed to making dogs wear costumes, have the humans wear costumes that complement their dogs. The Border Collie owner could dress as a shepherdess; the Lab owner could come as a duck . . .
While the dogs play dog games with each other, you can play human games, like Dog Trivia. Google “dog trivia” to find challenging canine questions, or make up your own. Unleash your creative side, and see how many great party ideas you and your friends can come up with.
Go to the Dog Park
If you’re fortunate enough to have a good dog park in your community, take advantage of it. Check it out first, to be sure it’s clean, well-run, and securely fenced, that canine bullies aren’t allowed, and small dogs have a separate area where they can’t get run over by bigger play pals. Make sure you’re comfortable with the rules, which may include a requirement that dogs be spayed or neutered and currently vaccinated for rabies; a prohibition against food, to reduce the potential for resource-guarding fights; and a request to keep small children outside the fenced area.
Playtime at the dog park doesn’t have to be limited to dog-play. At Remington Park in Sausalito, California, regular users used to hold an informal Friday evening wine-and-cheese party at the park for the humans while their dogs romped.
Attend a Pool Party
Every year at the end of August, when the community pool closes here in Hagerstown, Maryland, the city and the Washington County Humane Society jointly host the Potterfield Pool Pooch Plunge.
For one afternoon, dog owners can bring their dogs to the pool and play with them in – or out of – the water. Hugely popular, this event is in its fifth year here, with nary a serious unpleasant incident despite more than 100 dogs in attendance. Event planners have a veterinarian present to monitor dogs so no one gets too tired or waterlogged. They also arrange a few lighthearted contests for the party-goers, awarding prizes for the best trick, the best tennis-ball catcher, the longest tail, the best bark, and more.
If your community doesn’t already offer this delightful doggie diversion, put a flea in someone’s ear at your humane society or parks and recreation department and see if you can get the ball rolling. Your dog-friends will lick your hand in gratitude if you’re successful.
Support a Good Cause
Animal shelters across the country sponsor a variety of events as fundraisers for their animal care and protection causes. You might find – or organize! – any of these events or others in your community:
• Dog Walk-A-Thon • Bark in the Park • Polar Bear Plunge • Flea Market • Pooch Parade • Canine Games
Many of the events welcome dogs, and often include games, vendors, and food for dogs and humans. You can meet other dog folks, play, eat, and buy dog stuff. What better way to have fun and support a good cause all at the same time?
Explore Your Town
Once a week (or more!) hop in your car with your dog, and drive to a different part of your community for each outing. Park and walk around. Look for dog-friendly shops, outdoor cafes where you can dine with your dog, little-known parks, and serene hiking paths.
Stay-at-Home Fun
You don’t have to go somewhere to play; there are plenty of activities you and your dog can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, indoors or out.
Find It!
You can play this game inside, outside, or both, and create your own variations. Start with your dog in front of you. Say “Find it!” in an excited tone of voice and toss a treat to one side. As soon as he gobbles down that one, toss one the other direction and say “Find it!” again. After a half-dozen tosses, have him sit-and-wait while you place a treat 10 to 15 feet away in plain view. Return to his side and tell him to “Find it!” After a few of those, start “hiding” the treat while he watches you – behind a chair leg, under a pillow, around a corner. Then return and send him to find it. Make the hiding places harder and harder, so he actually has to start looking (with his nose) to find the treats. Most dogs (and their humans) adore this game; those canine noses are so talented, it doesn’t take a Bloodhound to sniff out yummy treats.
You can also play “find it!” using a favorite toy. Variations of the game include:
• Find and destroy: Treats are hidden in an empty cardboard container taped closed; your dog must shred container to get treats (don’t let him eat the cardboard!).
• Find the human: Your dog waits while you hide, or you can just duck behind a tree when he’s not looking. Give him a “Find me!” cue to let him know the game is on. Or, your dog stays with you while someone else hides. You tell him, “Find (insert name here).” The person hiding can make noises if necessary to encourage your dog to find them. Give your dog treats and praise when he finds the missing person.
Fun with Toys
Of course, there’s the ever-popular “fetch the ball” and “catch the Frisbee” kind of fun with toys. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with those, today’s generation of dog toy play possibilities goes way beyond a simple game of fetch. There’s a wide range of various interactive toys now available, just waiting for you to get silly with your dog.
These are not toys you just hand to your dog and go back to work while your dog plays – these are toys that you and your dog do things with together. There are a host of different tug toys: Wubbas, Udder Tugs, bumpers, and fleece tugs – and tug toys with a zing, like the “Chase-N-Pull,” that has a square of fleece attached to the end of a rope on a pole, that you swing around for the dog to chase, grab, and pull. There are interactive stuffed toys, such as the “Hide-A-Toys” and “Egg Babies,” where smaller stuffed toys are hidden inside larger ones for your dog to pull out, so you can stuff them back in again, so he can pull them out again.
And there’s the new genre of wooden puzzles – the Nina Ottosson toys, guaranteed to make you and your dog think. These puzzles are a great activity to include in your dog parties!
Finding My Inner Child
When I realized that the fun part of my relationship with my dogs was suffering as a result of my addiction to the principles of behavior and learning, I started making a concerted effort to turn off that part of my mind at least some of the time when I’m with my dogs.
Now, when we hike around the farm, I sometimes take a book along, and we hang out a while at the picnic table by the creek, in the shade of the trees. I worry less when one of them takes an excursion out of my sight into the woods. They never go far, and they always come back quickly, without getting into trouble; our 80-acre buffer is good insurance that they won’t wander over to the neighbor’s house. It’s second nature to me by now to have treats in my pockets, so they still get some reinforcement for desirable behaviors, even when I try to have my training brain turned off. But I no longer let it take center stage all the time when we’re just in “relax and hang out” mode. Sometimes it’s good to just be with your dogs.
Note: Dog Play
Parts of this article are adapted from my book, Dog Play: How and Why to Play With Your Dog, due for release from Dogwise Publishing in June. The book is packed with information about dog play, including more games and activities you and your dog can have fun with and tons of tips on how to play with your dog. There’s also a chapter on the “play-deprived” dog – so if you have a dog who’s forgotten how to have fun, you can re-introduce her to the joy of play.
You’ll be able to order the book at dogwise.com starting in June, or get signed copies from me at peaceablepaws.com.
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dod 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; and Positive Perspectives II: Know Your Dog, Train Your Dog.
