Consider the plight of canine Brandy, a seven-year-old mixed breed, adopted by a suburban family with three kids. In the five years they have shared their home with Brandy, his status in the family has gone from that of a rock star to a pet rock to a neglected pet. Today, he’s got some problems – health-related issues and dog behavioral trouble – and the head of the family is seriously considering “getting rid” of him.
Although this concept induces wails of protest from the kids, honestly, who would will miss the silent onslaught of Brandy’s deadly farts, or cleaning up the sloppy, gloppy piles of poop he leaves in the backyard three or four times a day? Who wouldn’t appreciate being able to leave shoes and socks and cell phones on the floor, without a dog who would chew and swallow them the moment your back was turned? And wouldn’t it be nice to be able to bring friends over to the house without having to lock Brandy in the garage, to keep him from barking and nipping at the visitors? He pulls hard on leash and is sometimes aggressive to other dogs, so he rarely gets taken for the walks that might calm him down.
288
But wait; Mom loves the dog, farts and all, and doesn’t think it’s fair to send him back to the shelter just because no one is enjoying him much anymore. She thinks Brandy needs some time and attention, and can be made to resemble the better-behaved, better-loved young dog they adopted years ago. She’s ready to call the vet for an appointment for a consultation – or should she hire a professional dog trainer?
Multi-pronged approach
The answer is yes! She should probably make an appointment with both experts, and here is why:
Training approaches that fail to address Brandy’s health problems – his poor digestion, hyperactivity, and pica eating (consumption of nonfood items) – may improve some of his behavior for a short time. But his poor health will make it difficult for him to absorb and retain the lessons.
Improvements in Brandy’s health will make him more pleasant to live with; with an improved diet and some targeted supplements, he will surely stop producing so much gas, and his feces will become smaller, harder, and less frequent. His pica eating should also decrease. If he feels better, he may become less aggressive to other dogs while being walked. However, remedial training will probably be necessary to improve his behavior enough to enable the kids to walk him again, or to have their friends safely interact with him.
Every aspect of a dog’s life affects every other aspect, which can make it difficult to decide where you should start with a dog like Brandy. No single effort you make, no matter how huge, will miraculously turn everything around. A homemade diet might vastly improve his health, but he may still be a pain to live with. Twice-weekly private lessons with a positive trainer might solve almost all of the complaints about Brandy’s behavior, but won’t make him (or the backyard) smell any better!
The good news, though, is that a multi-pronged, holistic approach, comprised of incremental, intelligent improvements in his life, just may save the dog.
Where do you start?
Most holistic veterinarians say the most important part of a health-promotion plan is improved diet; most trainers will say it’s increased exercise. We propose that these two keystones of health are equally important; both need to be implemented ASAP.
Unless your dog is in peak health, and eating a home-prepared diet of fresh foods, you can improve his diet. If you already feed a high-quality product, but your dog still has persistent digestive problems or any signs of food allergy, you should try a change of food.
288
Look for a different variety of food from the same maker, or a product from a different line, or, best yet, an entirely different product from a different maker. If you feed kibble, consider a dehydrated food, like the products from The Honest Kitchen, or a frozen raw diet. Make notes on your calendar or in a notebook indicating when you switch foods, and what type and variety of food you use.
If you are feeding a low-quality food, you should buy a higher-quality product. Foods that contain greater amounts of high-quality proteins and fats provide more of the nutrients beneficial to dogs, including a more complete panel of amino acids and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
An improved diet can make a world of difference to the attitude and responsiveness of a dog who suffers from a chronically upset stomach.
Very few dogs receive adequate opportunities to exercise as much as their wild ancestors did – or even as much as their more recent ancestors did just a few decades ago. Exercise releases endorphins, making the dog feel better. It strengthens bones and soft tissues, and burns calories. It improves the circulation of the lymph system, helping the body move waste products out of the tissues. Exercise also helps dogs feel tired! This is a tremendous boon to dogs who are chronically anxious, hyperactive, or aggressive.
It can be a real challenge to provide adequate exercise opportunities to a dog with aggression issues, or to one who is so overstimulated by the outside world that he’s difficult to walk. But exercise is absolutely critical for improving these dogs’ mental health and behavior!
Wrack your brain and use your imagination to think of activities and safe locations to use to thoroughly work these dogs. Search for remote ponds or lakes where you can swim your dog. Ask your friends and relatives if they know of any safely fenced, open areas where you can take your dog for intense off-leash exercise. (I used to take a friend’s dog-aggressive Lab to a lighted tennis court at night, when it was rarely in use, to run after tennis balls and play “chase me!” Look for experienced dog walkers or doggie daycare facilities that will take on difficult dogs.
Of course, exercise must be tailored to your dog’s age, level of fitness, interests, and physical limitations. But even senior dogs with arthritis and dogs with severe physical limitations can benefit from activities adapted to their abilities. For example, many dogs with paralyzed rear ends have shown tremendous improvement after just a few sessions of therapeutic swimming and guided stretching in a warm water therapy pool.
Reduce toxic burden
If you made a list of every toxic chemical your dog was directly exposed to on a weekly or monthly basis, you’d probably be shocked. The list would probably include hundreds of pesticides, herbicides, cleaning agents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials and furnishings . . . and that’s not counting the pesticides we apply directly to their skin!
“All of these substances are strangers to the body and need to be processed by the liver and other organs,” says Jenny Taylor, DVM, a holistic veterinarian in Oakland, California. “Even products that are supposed to stay on the surface of the body can be absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream. Avoid these medications when possible, or ask your vet or holistic practitioner for alternatives.”
Yes, we’re exposed to many toxins, too, but we don’t generally lick our skin and feet – and we surely don’t spend as much time as our dogs breathing the highly polluted air near the floors of our homes. (Many common solvents have a higher molecular weight than air, so they settle toward the floor.) And due to their body mass and their rate of respiration, dogs, like infants, are also more susceptible than we are to toxic chemicals in the air.
Try to reduce the number of toxins your dog is exposed to. Use natural agents to clean your home, furnishings, and bedding. Keep windows open as much as possible to reduce indoor air pollution. Keep your yards organic, and rinse your dog’s paws after strolls on public lawns, which are often liberally coated with garden chemicals.
Stress reduction Many of us make jokes about how hard we have to work to support our dogs, while they laze around on our couches. But most of us fail to consider how stressful our dogs’ lives are from their perspectives.
For example, having an opportunity to sleep for many hours a day, enjoying peace and quiet alone in the house sounds like heaven to most people, but it can be near-torturous for many dogs. Canines are pack animals, hard-wired to live in complex social groups. They are also wired for mentally stimulating environments, where they would have to solve problems, exercise, and use their wits to locate, hunt, and gather food on a daily basis. While some dogs are perfectly happy sleeping for 18 hours a day in a house five or six days a week, it’s like solitary confinement in a hostile prison to highly active and/or social dogs. It’s no wonder so many dogs soil their homes, destroy the furnishings, or bark all day.
Far fewer dogs suffer from over-stimulation and overactivity than boredom, but it can happen. A dog who has to be compelled to get into the car may be burned out from your social schedule.
Do some thinking about what sort of dog your companion is, and whether the lifestyle you have imposed on him really suits his temperament. You’ll have to look for clues (and be open to their obvious interpretation, even if it’s an inconvenience). For example, if he’s moderately pleased to see you when you get home, and your house is intact, he’s probably doing fine. But if goes berserk while you’re not home, or goes into a hyperactive overdrive when you get home, and this doesn’t resolve within 10 or 15 minutes, he would benefit from more opportunities to get out and de-stress.
288
Appropriate medical attention
Medical surveillance, treatment, prevention, and oversight are important parts of a holistic healthcare program – but only if the medical professional heading the dog’s healthcare “team” orders only those procedures and medications that do the most good with the least side effects.
In our opinion, it does more harm than good to employ the services of a veterinarian who enthusiastically promotes every available vaccine, strongly recommends year-round flea and heartworm preventatives (no matter what the climate), and practically requires that their patients be fed commercial “prescription” diets.
Instead, we look for veterinarians who promote wellness exams and preventive healthcare practices (like fresh, species-appropriate diets and regular exercise). We seek out vets who are knowledgeable about and use gentle, natural remedies that stimulate the dog’s body to heal itself as first-line treatments, before reaching for strong-arm antibiotics and steroids. And we appreciate practitioners who approach the task of healing with spiritual awareness, reverence for all life, and a deep compassion for animals.
Generally, practitioners who fall under this latter category describe themselves as “holistic” or “integrative” veterinarians. Frequently, they have acquired extensive training in alternative or complementary medical modalities such as acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, or herbal medicine, and offer these treatments in addition to (or as a replacement for) Western medicines and procedures. Less commonly, they embrace holistic healthcare, but refer their clients to nonveterinary colleagues who specialize in alternative or complementary therapies.
We’re huge fans of holistic practitioners, particularly because they tend to be the only vets who are knowledgeable about, promote, and support natural diets. But we’re equally wild about veterinarians with strong Western medical skills and access to the latest diagnostic tools and tests. In a dire emergency, we’re taking our dogs to the closest clinic equipped with x-ray and EKG machines, a CAT scanner, and in-house laboratory – not our holistic vet’s office. Ideally, every dog owner would establish a relationship with both types of practitioners – and these professionals would respect and work well with each other to best serve their canine patients.
The big picture
If you don’t regard your dog as perfectly healthy, mentally and physically, consider addressing each of these areas to an extent within your abilities. If your dog is regularly examined by a competent holistic vet, receives a reasonably high-quality diet and daily exercise, has frequent opportunities to socialize and enjoy the outdoors, and has the benefit of interaction with and attention from you, he’ll be sure to remain a “rock star” in your life, rather than a neglected pet. You may not be able to provide the ideal solution in each aspect of your dog’s life. But if you at least make small improvements in every area, we guarantee his health and behavior will improve, too.
We asked several veterinarians who use complementary and/or alternative medicine: “What are the most basic precepts of ‘holistic care’ that dog owners should understand and employ? The points that you want them to absorb if they are to become your regular clients? What dog care practices do you consider to be the bedrock of a vibrant wellness program, and why?”
288
As one might expect from individuals who have explored highly divergent paths in holistic medicine, their answers were idiosyncratic.
Diet and exercise Ihor Basko, DVM, has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1971. He was an “early adopter” of holistic treatments, using nutritional therapy, Western and traditional Chinese herbs and medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, laser therapy, and hydrotherapy in his practice. Dr. Basko is also one of the founders and current President of the Veterinary Botanical Medical Association. His practice is located in Hawaii.
There are two dog care practices that Dr. Basko considers the bedrock of a wellness program – a wholesome diet and regular exercise. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that 80 percent of all human life-threatening diseases are due to poor diet and inappropriate exercise,” says Dr. Basko. Dogs, he suggests, are similar.
Dr. Basko’s comments reflect a phenomenon we have observed in many dog owners (not necessarily those who are our readers!): Guardians who are really knowledgeable about their dogs’ diet are the exception, not the rule. When asked whether there is one message he’d like all of his clients to absorb, he says owners should not succumb to laziness or apathy about their dogs’ diets. Owners need to do their homework, he says. “Don’t believe what commercial dog food companies tell you about their products. They have no idea about where the food has originated, nor are they employing any quality control methods to screen for pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants in their foods. Begin studying nutrition and how it relates to your particular dog’s breed and condition.” Finally, Dr. Basko echoes another of our strong recommendations: That owners find a good veterinarian. “Find a veterinarian who speaks your ‘language,’” he says. It’s critical that you and your dog’s primary doctor share good, clear communication and shared beliefs to ensure your dog will receive the best care.
Don’t suppress symptoms Bert H. Brooks, DVM, opened a mixed animal practice in 1980, in Woodland, California. About 10 years ago, Dr. Brooks added the word “holistic” to the name of his practice, currently called Cache Creek Holistic Veterinary Service. Dr. Brooks is also author of the new book More Than A Theory: A New Medical Paradigm. He uses energy from nutritional supplements, herbs, homeopathic medicines, flowers, and frequency generators, and delivers the healing energy remotely by way of the Harmonic Translation System. He also uses muscle response testing.
Dr. Brooks would like dog owners to understand that “holistic care should always address causes of bothersome symptoms and not just suppress symptoms the way conventional allopathic medical practitioners are trained to do.” Even many practitioners who consider themselves to be “holistic” in philosophy still offer only alternative methods of handling symptoms, he says. “I believe the biggest mistake made in medicine today is the use of substances – including natural substances – to eliminate symptoms but which do nothing to address causes. The second biggest mistake is to think the problem is cured because the symptom was suppressed.”
Like many holistic practitioners, Dr. Brooks also considers diet to be an important part of a canine wellness program. However, he’s aware of the difficulties of finding just the right diet for each dog.
“While proper nutrition is undoubtedly the foundation for a healthy life, there exists much debate on the precise definition of ‘proper nutrition.’ Different holistic practitioners have different philosophies concerning this subject, and each opinion is probably valid for a certain portion of the canine population. The reason for this apparent contradiction is that not all dogs need the same nutrition. It is the same problem that commercial dog food companies run into when they try to design ‘the perfect dog food,’ one that contains everything that all dogs need in order to be healthy and lead long lives.
“Each individual dog is unique, and the nutrition for that animal can not be contained in any bag or can which is fit for the consumption of all dogs. Over time, nutritional deficiencies tend to compound before they begin to show up as symptoms. Raw whole foods are philosophically the closest to nature, but some dogs are not tempted by them, and some do not do well on them. The hard part of nutrition is determining what each individual needs.”
Health is dynamic W. Jean Dodds, DVM, is the founder of Hemopet, the nation’s first nonprofit dog blood bank that also rescues Greyhounds from the racing industry and finds them new homes. Dr. Dodds is renowned for her research on canine vaccines, and on behalf of Hemopet, she consults in clinical pathology nationally and internationally, and regularly travels to teach animal health care professionals, companion animal fanciers, and pet owners on hematology and blood banking, immunology, endocrinology, nutrition, and holistic medicine.
Dr. Dodds considers the concept of “holistic dog care” as wholism, “the original, traditional form of health care that encompasses the whole body and the ambient environment.” In wholism, the sum of the body is more than the sum of its constituent parts, so any treatment that addresses a sole aspect of the dog’s body would be considered incomplete and inadequate. Dr. Dodds cites a number of practices as the foundations of a holistic canine wellness examination. In order for a “holistic veterinarian” to effectively treat a dog, the vet should take a complete family and patient history (medical and environmental), conduct a physical examination, and ask about the dog’s current diet; vaccination and medication history; use of heartworm, flea, and tick preventives; and recent illnesses. The vet should also gain access to any recent laboratory or other diagnostic reports, ordering any needed tests (or repeating tests that weren’t done properly.) Only when all this is taken into account can appropriate treatments be prescribed. Finally, Dr. Dodds says that owners should keep in mind that, “Medicine is an art and a science, and pet health is a dynamic process that changes.” Diet and vaccines Mark Newkirk, VMD, has been in veterinary practice in New Jersey since 1981, offering “complementary medicine,” which he describes as “whatever works best!”
Dr. Newkirk uses herbal therapy, homeopathy, chiropractic, Metabolic Nutritional Balancing, and NAET (an alternative allergy elimination therapy). Dr. Newkirk recently opened a new practice, the Animal Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Center in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, offering animal chiropractic, physical therapy, an underwater treadmill, therapeutic ultrasound, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation.
When introducing a new client to holistic healthcare, Dr. Newkirk says, he starts by discussing the concept that a dog is a dog. “It’s a carnivore, not a little human! So right away, I talk to them about what the dog’s diet should be – high-protein, with no grains, and no artificial preservatives. I talk about the options available to them: higher-quality dry products, as well as prepared, raw diets. If they are willing to prepare their dogs’ food, we’ll discuss that, but I also let them know about the difficulties involved with balancing the diet, and the importance of feeding the meats raw. I prefer to steer them toward either a holistic dry food or one of the fresh, frozen foods. “The second thing I discuss with them is appropriate vaccination. The vaccination needs of a hunting dog are going to be quite different from those of a toy Poodle living in a highrise. I want to tailor the vaccine program to the individual based on his or her needs. If the dog is older, I talk about vaccine titers, and how it would be best if we could test the dog’s titers so we don’t vaccinate him – overvaccinate him – if he already has sufficient protection. “I’ll go into more detail about nutrition or behavior if this is indicated. I use Metabolic Nutrition Analysis to prescribe specific supplements to correct the imbalances or deficiencies we find in that dog. If the dog is having behavior issues, I’ll talk about behavior concepts – especially if the dog is living in circumstances that don’t suit who he is, like putting that hunting dog into that highrise apartment – and discuss holistic remedies that can help.”
Reconnecting to life Richard Palmquist, DVM, is head of integrative medicine at Centinela Animal Hospital in Inglewood, California. He is the Research Chair of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and uses nutrition, acupuncture, homotoxicology, conventional medicine, and surgery in his practice.
A holistic viewpoint, says Dr. Palmquist, is larger than merely a symptom set seen in a patient. “Holistic care involves the treatment of patients while respecting the connections they have to all components of Life. Holistic approaches seek to connect the patients back with Life and to improve their abilities to use their biological nature in the pursuit of the actions of living.” Different healing tools and modalities are used in holistic veterinary practices as specialized tools. “Acupuncture reconnects and balances Life energy,” explains Dr. Palmquist. “Herbal medicine helps to reduce disease signs, decrease oxidative damage, relieve pain, and promote organ healing. Chiropractic realigns damaged physical parts. Energy medicines such as homeopathy, homotoxicology, Reiki, craniosacral therapy, and others align the physical, mental, and spiritual portions of the organism. Yes, I did say spiritual and that is a big part of holistic medicine – recognizing the spiritual nature of Life.” Western medicine, too, has its place in a holistic practice, says Dr. Palmquist. “It is interesting to note that all medicines capable of assisting a patient in recovery are holistic and that includes drugs, but typically there is a barrier between drug use and holistic medicine out of a belief that these fields are different.”
To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in
If you are logged in but cannot access this content, a) your subscription may have expired; b) you may have duplicate accounts (emails) in our system. Please check your account status hereorcontact customer service.
Immediate access to this article and 20+ years of archives.
Recommendations for the best dog food for your dog.
Dry food, homemade diets and recipes, dehydrated and raw options, canned food and more.
Brands, formulations and ingredients all searchable in an easy-to-use, searchable database.
Plus, you’ll receive training and care guidance to keep your dog healthy and happy. You’ll feed with less stress…train with greater success…and know you are giving your dog the care he deserves.
Subscribenow and save 72%! Its like getting 8 issues free!
Seventeen years ago, when I was editing a California horse magazine, I received a proposal for a column from a writer with an interest in holistic care for horses. Judging from the samples of her past published work that she included with her proposal, Diana Thompson was a very good writer with in-depth knowledge of horses and a wide variety of holistic treatments. As excited as I was about the prospect of working with this writer, I had to laugh at some of her proposed topics. I mean, come on! Massage and acupuncture is one thing, but Reiki? Homeopathy? Flower essences? Animal communicators? Sheesh!
288
It didn’t happen overnight, but in the five years that she wrote the column for me, Diana sold me on those topics and many more, including some that seemed even more far out. In the beginning, it was Diana’s competence at using some of these techniques on horses in our photo shoots that opened my eyes. Frequently we would find ourselves in a stable somewhere with a horse, with Diana demonstrating the techniques she had written about, and me trying to take pictures of an impatient or unruly equine model. Diana would calmly assess the situation, apply acupressure to a few points on the horse, mist him with flower essences, and before I knew it, the formerly fidgety or feisty horse would be calmly standing before us with big, soft eyes and a pliant, sleepy new attitude.
Later, I was influenced by letters we received from readers, thanking us for helping them foster stronger and better working relationships with their horses – and even, occasionally, thanking us for saving their horses lives with a supplement, an herbal remedy, a homeopathic treatment, or some other alternative or complementary treatment they had read about in Diana’s column.
Eventually, that column developed into its own magazine, Whole Horse Journal, which Diana founded and sold to Belvoir Media Group. I left my original job and went to work for Diana, then for Belvoir, and later took the helm of Belvoir’s brainchild, Whole Dog Journal. The horse magazine was discontinued after five years of publication, but after 11 years Whole Dog Journal is still going strong. (So is Diana, incidentally. She’s been working for years on a magnificent book about acupressure for horses, which will be published this year. See handsonhorsecare.com for more information.)
I’ve learned about some pretty far out holistic healthcare practices while editing Whole Dog Journal, and I must say that the modalities that employ some form of “energy medicine” are the most difficult to describe or to believe in. Starting in this issue, longtime contributor CJ Puotinen will be trying her hand at describing a number of these healing tools; she already firmly believes in them, having used a good many of them on her dogs, herself, and her husband over the years. I’ve used a few of them, too, and all I can say is that sometimes, when used as part of a holistic healthcare program, they really work. But you might have to see it to believe it.
Ever had a dog who won’t give you his bone or chew toy if you try to take it from him? Or one who gets uncomfortable or growls if you get close to him when he’s eating his dog food? Or snaps at you if he’s on the sofa and you want him off? Or lifts his lip in a snarl if your friend tries to get close to you?
Answer yes to any of the above, and you’ve successfully diagnosed your dog as having a guarding issue. The catch-all, technical term is “resource-guarding,” and can include guarding of dog food bowls (or food), places (dog crate, dog bed, sofa, etc.), items (rawhide, bones, balls, tissues, etc.) and less commonly, people.
Resource-guarding simply means that a dog gets uncomfortable when we (or other humans) are around him when he has “his stuff.” He’s nervous that we’re going to take it away, so he tries to warn us off in a variety of ways, ranging from simply consuming his food faster, to an all-out bite.
Although canine resource-guarding appears to be more prevalent in certain breeds or classes of dogs, it can appear in literally any dog, including that sweet Papillion that lives down the street, or the goofy Golden Retriever who greets you happily on your morning walks.
288
It’s important to recognize, identify, modify, or at least manage this behavior because a dog who is repeatedly pushed or punished in these situations is highly likely to eventually bite. Sure, it might be you that he bites, but it could also be your child, your neighbor’s child, your boss, or your grandmother. Children are most apt to be at risk for a number of reasons. They tend to disregard warnings to “leave the dog alone” when he’s eating or has a toy; they frequently fail to notice the dog’s warning signs (stiffening, growling); and they are closer to the ground, so if the dog decides to bite, most likely the child’s face will bear the brunt of the attack.
Nature or nurture?
Resource-guarding “is a perfectly normal survival skill that allows smaller, weaker, and lower-status dogs to keep possession of a highly valued object even when that object is the target of a larger and stronger dog’s desire,” says Pat Miller, a trainer, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, and Whole Dog Journal Training Editor. In her book, The Power of Positive Dog Training, Miller notes that, “Natural behavior or not, resource-guarding is a serious problem when it results in open aggression, especially toward humans.”
In the wild, “a group-hunting carnivore would have reproductive advantage over one who gladly relinquishes. It’s a good trait, like a well-developed immune system or legs that can run fast,” says canine behavior expert Jean Donaldson, in her highly educational book, Mine! (devoted solely to the topic of resource-guarding). Of course, she adds, “In a domestic environment, it is undesired.”
Sarah Kalnajs, trainer and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, describes resource-guarding as having both nature (genetic) and nurture (upbringing) components. A dog might be genetically inclined to guard, but depending how much he is allowed to practice the behavior throughout his life also contributes to the severity of the problem.
Resource-guarding from other dogs is a much more “acceptable” or natural behavior in terms of a dog’s ability to cohabitate with humans. It can certainly lead to big problems, and should not be dismissed, but for the time being, our discussion will focus on guarding from humans. Note: A dog who guards from other dogs will not necessarily resource-guard from humans.
What’s your type?
“Food-guarding” seems to be the most common kind of canine guarding behavior, and is present if the dog “threatens” or bites when:
-Approached while eating from his bowl
-The owner tries to take back a food item the dog has grabbed
-Approached after he finds some kind of food item in the gutter or on the street
“Some dogs may be compulsive, guarding all food items and even an empty dish,” says Donaldson, but she also notes, “The majority will guard only when actually in possession of sufficiently motivating food.” The fact that a dog does not guard a particular food (say, a Milk Bone) does not rule him out as a guarder. It just might not be worthy enough to him as, say, a chicken wing. The only way to determine whether a dog will guard a particular highly motivating food item is to test whether you can readily take that item when the dog has it.
With “object-guarding,” the extent of guarding is dependent upon the value of the object to the dog. Items can include, but are certainly not limited to, bones, rawhides, pig ears, favorite toys/balls, laundry items, tissues, wrappers and other garbage, sticks, and/or any “forbidden” objects the dog happens to pick up – which are made more valuable by extreme owner reaction, such as chasing the dog around the room to get the item back, or screeching at the dog to give the item up. While some trainers classify bones, rawhides, pig ears, and edible garbage as “objects,” Pat Miller classifies them as food as the dog’s intent is to eat them; therefore, she classifies the dog’s behavior as food-guarding.
As with food-guarding, the dog may show signs of guarding simply when a person is in the vicinity, as the person approaches, and/or if the person tries to take the object from him. It is very common that a dog won’t want something unless you want it. “Location-guarding” is also common in modern, dog-loving households. This would describe the following:
-A dog who does not allow owner or spouse into the bedroom or on the bed once the dog is on the bed
-A dog who is grumpy if jostled while on furniture, or when someone tries to move him
-A dog who threatens passersby while he’s in his crate, car, or favorite rest spot
The severity of resource-guarding depends upon the value of the item, and who is approaching. In the case of location-guarding, the dog might allow “the wife” on the bed, but not her husband.
288
“Owner-guarding” seems to occur fairly frequently when other dogs are present. Occasionally, however, the dog will guard his person if the dog is on leash with the person, or near her. Some people interpret this as “protectiveness.”
Pat Miller differentiates these behaviors. “A good ‘protection’ dog recognizes a legitimate threat to his person and acts to deter the threat, or waits for instructions from the human to act. A dog who is ‘guarding’ his person – in the sense of resource-guarding – covets his owner as a possession that he’s not willing to share with other dogs, or sometimes other humans. He sees the approaching dog/person as a threat to his enjoyment of his resource, rather than a physical threat to the person.”
Owner-guarding can also become somewhat muddied if the owner has in his possession some resource – food or a bone, for example – that is valuable to the dog. He may react if his human carries treats or a bait bag. In this case, what, really, is the dog guarding: item or owner?
Trainer Virginia Broitman notes that many dogs who guard their owners are actually very insecure, and might feel empowered to act out because their humans are there. Or, the dog is on leash and cannot escape, so he resorts to an impressive display to keep the stranger away. Were he without his handler, or not on leash, we might see a different reaction.
Stay positive
You’ve shouted “No!” You’ve stomped your foot. You’ve used a physical correction. But your dog still freezes and growls when you get near him when he’s eating or when he has his “stuff.” What can you do?
First, you need to understand that shouting, stomping, and using physical corrections on the dog will only make matters worse.
I recently saw video footage of a trainer working with a large, young dog who had a history of guarding his food bowl. Over time, the owners had tried a variety of approaches: yelling at the dog, leaning over him while he ate and yelling, hand feeding, and petting the dog while he ate. Unfortunately, the owner reported that the dog had become reactive to the owner when the owner was at a greater and greater distance from the guarded food. And when the owner tried “dominance” — in which he stood over the dog while the dog ate and “made” him do things for his food, then physically reprimanded the dog for being aggressive – the owner got bitten.
While the footage was stellar – the camera caught all of the dog’s warnings superbly – the method that the trainer recommended for dealing with the problem was not. Instead of using behavior modification, which has the potential to make the dog safe around anyone, the trainer elected to use force and physical corrections using a choke chain to “show the dog that the people were in charge.”
The trainer advised the couple to approach the bowl with the dog on leash and physically correct the dog for lunging toward the bowl or showing any signs of aggression (guarding), then “make” the dog sit about a foot away from the food. Once the dog was “calm,” he was allowed to eat, remaining on leash with the owner. If the dog showed any aggression, the handler was to physically correct the dog and yank him away from the food bowl, wait for the dog to “calm down,” then start again.
288
There are several problems with this approach. First, the couple hoped to one day have children, and this “method” taught the dog nothing about interacting with someone who didn’t have a leash and the strength to make a physical correction. In addition, the trainer repeatedly triggered a reaction from the dog. Behavior experts agree that, in contrast to the approach used in the video, successful behavior modification works at a sub-threshold level, at a low-enough level of intensity to prevent the dog from reacting. Also, the trainer also did nothing to address the dog’s emotional state (nervous, insecure, and stressed) and instead intensified it; what was defined as “calm” was anything but.
It’s possible to suppress guarding behavior using force, says Pat Miller. “However, you haven’t changed the dog’s emotional response to a threat to his resource, just his physical response. It’s quite possible that the guarding behavior will return if and when he feels too threatened, or is approached by someone that he doesn’t perceive as capable of overpowering his desire for his resource.
“Any time you use force, you risk escalating the level of violence rather than modifying the behavior. You may not know until you’ve done significant behavioral damage that your dog is one who escalates, rather than shuts down, in the presence of violence.”
Here’s another dire scenario: If your dog growls at you over his food bowl and you punish or challenge him in some way, it might very well occur to him that his growl wasn’t sufficient to warn you off. He may resort to the next warning level – a snarl, snap, or worse – in an effort to more effectively protect his food.
Behavior modification:
Get to the problem’s root
Experts agree that the best route to take in dealing with resource-guarding is to use a combination of management and behavior modification.
Essentially, “management” entails intervening in (or anticipating and preventing) a situation so that the dog cannot repeat inappropriate behavior. For example, we keep food and toys picked up around a resource-guarder so that he cannot engage in guarding. Management does not necessarily or teach the dog anything; he simply has less opportunity to practice an undesirable behavior.
The most important tools in the behavior-modification toolbox, though, are systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning.
Desensitization involves exposing the dog to whatever it is that previously evoked his fear or anxiety, but at a distance and intensity that does not produce a response.
Counter-conditioning is a process in which we replace a dog’s involuntary, undesirable reaction (such as fear) with a more desirable response – one that is incompatible with the undesirable old response (such as the eager anticipation of a tasty treat). We create a positive emotional response by associating an event (your approach) with something good (a reward). This methodology has been proven to work, and is relatively easy and pleasant for both human and dog.
With counter-conditioning, you don’t exert your “control” over the dog in any way, but instead, transform your presence around the dog’s possessions into a signal that even better things are coming. One event becomes a reliable predictor of another event, and the subject develops an anticipatory response to the first event. By pairing good things (extra scrumptious treats) with the formerly bad thing (your approach or presence near whatever he is guarding), your proximity starts to become a better thing – a predictor of what is to come (treats!).
288
The goal is to transform a food-guarder who becomes tense or upset when a person approaches him while he’s eating into a dog who is happy to be approached while eating, as this reliably predicts the delivery of even more food or treats.
Donaldson stresses the need to work at a low threshold; if at any point the dog shows the original reaction, you have gone super-threshold, and it is necessary to back up and start at a point where the dog does not react. “No good comes of rehearsing the dog’s old, growly behavior by replicating super-threshold versions of the trigger. In fact, it can make the dog worse.”
Donaldson also makes it clear that when working with a guarder, we need to be sure that the first event (the “threat” to the resource) must come before the delivery of the counter-conditioning treat. For example, in a food bowl exercise, “the approach, bowl touch, or bowl removal must precede the addition of bonuses to the dish.” This means that we do not, for example, show a dog the bait in hopes of preventing a guarding reaction. Doing so will not condition the appropriate emotional response.
Doing the work
Ideally, you start with a young pup who doesn’t guard and teach him early on that your presence predicts good stuff, says Miller. “You do this by offering to trade something wonderful for whatever he already has – such as a toy of moderate value, to start with – working your way up to really high-value items. I teach a ‘Give’ cue by saying ‘Give,’ then offering a high value treat in exchange for his object. Repeat until he will happily give up any object when you ask him to ‘Give.’ ”
Trainers use different protocols; there is always more than one way to approach an exercise. The protocol you use should be tailored to your dog, depending on the seriousness of his guarding behavior. “Progress gradually to the next step, only when your dog is totally relaxed at the current step,” says trainer Virginia Broitman. “Some dogs will move quickly through the steps, while others may need weeks of work. Don’t rush! If at any point you are concerned for your safety or unclear on any step, discontinue the exercises and consult an experienced trainer/behavior counselor for personalized assistance.”
One example of a protocol for a dog who already guards objects begins with a good look at all the items in the dog’s environment and ranking them according to their value to the dog. For instance, a ball may be a low-value item, while a rawhide may be extremely high-value. A list might look like this:
Once the items have been ranked, training begins with the items that the dog doesn’t especially care about and does not want. Initially, higher value items must not be available to the dog, because we want to prevent him from “practicing” his guarding behavior.
A session begins with the trainer presenting a low-value item to the dog and telling him to “Take it!” Almost immediately, the trainer gives a cue for “Drop it!” and gives the dog an extremely delicious treat.” The idea is that the dog is more than happy to “drop” the low-value item in favor of the treat. This exercise would be repeated dozens of times over a number of sessions.
Note: If the trainer is concerned that the dog may act aggressively in order to take the higher-value treat, she should have the dog on a tether, position herself just out of reach, and toss the treats in such a way to most safely reach for the low-value item. Again, in the case of a dog whose guarding behavior rates higher than a four on the scale found on page 5, the services of a qualified, positive canine behavior professional are recommended.
Only when the dog is comfortable with the first step would the protocol change, first by giving the dog the item and walking away, giving him a minute to enjoy the low-value item, and then returning to trade. As long as the dog continues to respond well to these exercises, you would work up to the more valuable items higher on your dog’s list. Training would occur in a variety of locations, and from then on, throughout the dog’s life, “spot checks” would be instituted to be sure that the dog retained what he learned.
Note: This example is a summary provided only to give the reader an idea as to what is involved in rehabilitating a guarder. If you have a guarder, you will need to follow a more detailed, structured protocol, and may require the assistance of a qualified behavior professional. See “Finding the Right Trainer,” below.
If your household includes children, you will need to take special precautions. Initially, only the adults should work with a dog who guards; kids should be a part of the guarding-rehabilitation program only after the adults have worked extensively with the dog, and only under direct supervision of an adult. Never assume that once your dog stops guarding with you, that he’ll stop guarding his items from the kids.
Similarly, you should never assume that once your dog no longer guards his cherished items from you or your family, he will no longer guard them from other people. Plan, manage, and supervise your dog’s interactions carefully, to prevent any possible harm to other people.
For location-guarding, follow a similar protocol. Start by using a place the dog does not guard and reward him for coming away from/off the place willingly. Donaldson likes to use target training as part of this protocol.
Manage in the mean time
Guarding behavior can be a daunting challenge to overcome, especially if it has progressed significantly. In this case, you must find an experienced trainer/behaviorist with whom to work. Until you are able to get help, management is a valid alternative. This involves avoiding the problem or trigger through environmental control. For example, if your dog guards pig ears, remove them from your home and do not allow him access to them. Keep the bedroom door closed to a bed-guarder.
If there is a “management failure,” and the dog gets on the bed, you can either ignore the dog and wait for him to come off the bed on his own, or, more proactively, redirect him to an alternative activity, such as calling the dog to the kitchen for a cookie or inviting him out for a brief walk.
If your food-guarder ever manages to pick up something that’s dangerous (such as a bar of dark chocolate) or valuable to you (like your prescription glasses), Donaldson advises trying a quick, calm, “bait and switch.” Bribe or distract the dog with anything you can think of. “Although bribery is totally ineffective for fostering actual behavior change, when you’re in a jam, anything goes,” she says. But remember, repeated management failures teach the dog nothing.
Rehabilitation of a resource-guarder takes time and requires patience. But the payoff in the end – for you, your dog, and your friends and family – is well worth the effort.
Lisa Rodier became interested in guarding behaviors through her volunteer work in shelters and Bouvier rescue. She lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, with her husband and two Bouviers, and serves on the Board of Advisors for Service Dogs of Virginia, Inc.
We call it the spark of life for good reason. From birth to death, all living creatures generate and transmit energy.
Entire healing therapies, some of them thousands of years old, have been built around energy. Once dismissed by Western science as impossible or ridiculous – and still viewed with suspicion by conventional physicians and canine veterinarians – energy medicine is slowly gaining acceptance in the United States. Several energy therapies are taught in American universities or are used by a growing number of healthcare practitioners. Can canine energy therapies help your dog? The descriptions and resources provided here may help you decide.
288
We’re electric
All living beings generate and transmit electricity. Medical doctors measure it with electroencephalograms (EEGs) and electrocardiograms (ECGs or EKGs). Scientists routinely describe the nervous system in electrical terms, referring to its transducers, transmitters, electrochemical potential circuitry, current, resistance, voltage, capacity, and charge. The brain contains billions of neurons, which are cells that communicate using electrical signals and chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The connections between neurons (called synapses) measure electrical impulses and transmit the neuron-to-neuron messages that are the foundation of brain function. Everything about the physiology, chemistry, and electrical circuitry of the nervous system has become fodder for medical research!
But Western medicine only maps and measures the body’s electrochemical output. When it attempts to change, balance, or improve the system, it almost always does so with invasive procedures, prescription drugs, or devices like surgically implanted pacemakers. In contrast, energy healing techniques can detect and correct energy imbalances in a noninvasive manner. Practitioners perceive these energy imbalances as the root cause of disease and discomfort.
Some types of energy medicine require the use of special equipment, such as acupuncture needles or grounding technology; in other systems, energetically charged substances, such as canine homeopathic remedies and flower essences, are used to correct energy imbalances. In some systems, practitioners employ physical touch, such as acupressure, meridian tapping techniques, applied kinesiology, and the laying on of hands; in others, the practitioners work close to the patient but do not use physical touch; in still others, the techniques are performed at a distance from the patient.
Skeptics dismiss any benefits observed from energy healing as a result of the placebo effect – where any observable health improvements cannot result from treatment but are attributed to the patient’s beliefs, hopes, and suggestibility. Psychology is a powerful force, but when canine patients improve overnight, their belief in the benefits of a specific therapy is an unlikely explanation for their improvment!
Some critics warn that the use of energy techniques can delay diagnosis, interfere with proper medical treatment, or create complications. However, most energy practitioners consider themselves part of the patient’s therapeutic team, not the sole healthcare provider, and they recommend appropriate veterinary care. In fact, some energy practitioners accept new patients only if they have been referred by a veterinarian. And a growing number of veterinarians administer energy healing techniques themselves, or work with energy practitioners.
Energy techniques are often used as support therapies. Learning how to use one or more of these methods may help both you and your dog in emergencies, and they may improve the outcome of veterinary treatment. Best of all, if an energy technique doesn’t work – and nothing works for everyone – it’s extremely unlikely to cause harm.
Occasionally a study involving an aspect of energy healing, such as the power of prayer, will be published in a major medical journal, but for the most part, research into what science calls the paranormal receives little public attention. Yet in quantum physics and in the field of consciousness research, rigorous scientific experiments have led to fascinating discoveries about the nature of energy and its effect on everything and everyone.
Medical journalist Lynne McTaggart has spent years translating technical scientific literature for lay readers, and her books The Field: The Quest for the Secret Forces of the Universe and The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World review and explain the findings of hundreds of scientists. “Hidden within the cautious, neutral language of experimental data and mathematical equations,” she writes, “is nothing less than the makings of a new world, which slowly takes shape for all the rest of us, one painstaking experiment at a time.”
Recent discoveries about the brain and nervous system, chemical changes in molecules, communication between neurons, remote healing experiments, the power of intention (thought focused for a specific purpose), and other scientific findings explain why so many physicists and medical researchers consider energy healing not only theoretically possible but a fact of life.
Acupuncture
The most famous of all energy healing techniques is acupuncture, developed more than 5,000 years ago and still a primary healing modality for millions, including dogs, cats, horses, and other animals.
The foundation of acupuncture is a system of invisible channels or meridians through which the body’s energy, or chi, flows. Each meridian is linked to a different organ or body part. Blocks or obstructions in meridian energy reflect imbalances or illness in corresponding organs. To repair both problem and patient, key points along affected meridians are stimulated, releasing energy blocks and restoring balance to the body’s energy flow.
288
Acupuncture points, or acupoints, can be stimulated by the insertion of needles, the application of heat (called moxibustion, in which burning herbs are held just above specific points), acupressure (finger or thumb pressure, massage, or tapping on acupoints), or techniques that utilize electrical or ultrasound stimulation, the implantation of substances such as small gold beads, the application of laser light, or the application of small adhesive magnets.
The acupuncture needles used for dogs are so thin that their insertion is usually painless, although when first experiencing acupuncture, many dogs soon shake their needles out. In some cases insertion causes a brief, sharp pain or discomfort. People receiving acupuncture have the same reactions. Dogs who receive acupuncture weekly or monthly become accustomed to the procedure and often enjoy it, especially when it relieves their chronic pain.
Stacey Hershman, DVM, who makes house calls in Rockland County, New York, and is certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS), uses acupuncture to treat many disorders, especially immune system problems, arthritis, and pain from pre- and post-operative hip and knee surgery. “It also helps with torn ligaments, muscle sprains, panosteitis, hip dysplasia, and partial paralysis due to slipped discs,” says Dr. Hershman.
Acupuncture can also be used to help treat behavioral disorders; skin problems such as allergic dermatitis, hot spots, or lick granulomas; respiratory problems; digestive disorders; reproductive problems; hormonal imbalances; burns and other injuries; and any chronic or acute condition.
The technique does not address symptoms the way conventional medicine does. Instead, it stimulates healing from within, allowing the body to repair itself.
Treatment time varies from 10 seconds to half an hour or more. For a simple acute problem, such as a sprain or infection, a single treatment may be all that’s needed. For established conditions, such as arthritis, one to three treatments per week may be necessary at first.
According to IVAS, “A positive response is usually seen after the first to third treatment. Once a maximum positive response is achieved (usually after four to eight treatments), treatments are tapered off so that the greatest amount of symptom-free time elapses between them.” Most dogs with chronic conditions receive two to four maintenance treatments per year. Canine athletes may benefit from one or two treatments weekly or monthly, depending on their activity level and condition.
Acupuncture’s results are often subtle but they can be dramatic. In his book Love, Miracles and Animal Healing, Alan Schoen, DVM, describes how, shortly after he gave an acupuncture demonstration at a veterinary clinic, technicians rushed into the emergency room with a 12-year-old German Shepherd whose heart had stopped after surgery. The veterinarians on duty inserted a tube down the dog’s throat, administered manual cardiac massage, injected the dog with epinephrine and bicarbonate, then wired him to electrodes and gave him electric shocks.
The dog’s EKG traced a flat line and he was pronounced dead. A technician was about to disconnect the oxygen when Schoen asked if he could try. He inserted an acupuncture needle at the center of the dog’s upper lip, halfway between nose and mouth, and gave it several short jabs. Within seconds, the dog began breathing and his heartbeat resumed.
Dr. Schoen wants everyone to know about this acupuncture point, called GV 26, a point on the Governing Vessel meridian. This emergency point can be stimulated with an acupuncture needle or fingernail to revive an unconscious animal.
Like all energy therapies, acupuncture can be used to alleviate, improve, or cure acute or chronic conditions and to help keep problems from developing when used as a preventive therapy.
Acupressure
Acupressure utilizes the same meridians as acupuncture, but instead of needles, pressure from the ball of the thumb, the tip of the index or middle finger, or the bent index finger’s knuckle (if nails are long) stimulates the meridians’ key points.
Acupressure is a versatile healing tool, one that can address obvious problems like sports injuries as well as more complex conditions, like auto-immune disorders or behavioral issues.
288
Frequent Whole Dog Journal contributors and acupressure experts Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis, authors of The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure and other books, offer introductory, intermediate, and advanced training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupressure for horses, dogs, and other animals at their Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute in Larkspur, Colorado. Graduate practitioners from Tallgrass span the globe.
In their Canine Acupressure workbook, Snow and Zidonis give step-by-step instructions for locating and stimulating about 150 major acupressure points, with treatment programs for commonly seen problems, such as lower back soreness, neck stiffness, and hip problems.
While acupuncture needles must be positioned precisely, acupressure is forgiving because fingertips cover a wider area. This noninvasive treatment can safely be learned and used by pet owners as well as by trainers and healthcare practitioners.
Acupressure performed mechanically can clear energy blocks and improve health, but Snow and Zidonis train their students as much in breathing and focusing their thoughts as in the location of meridians and pressure points. “Acupressure has the added benefit of contributing human intention and energy to the dog during the process of balancing physical and emotional issues,” says Snow. “In several ways, this makes the acupressure more powerful and effective.”
Acupressure sessions typically last 20 minutes to one hour, beginning with opening work (centering yourself, positioning the dog, and gliding the palms over the animal’s body), followed by point work (stimulating individual acupressure points), closing (all-over massage with a smooth, light touch), and 5 to 10 minutes of gentle stretching.
“The best part of acupressure,” says Snow, “is that it is always available. We have seen many who, even as novices, provided healing help for their animals after learning some basic energy balancing techniques. Not everyone wants to be a practitioner, but everyone can use acupressure to support their dog’s physical and emotional well-being.”
Tellington TTouch
When Israeli physicist and athlete Moishe Feldenkrais was hit by a bus and lost the use of his legs, he refused surgery and ignored his doctors’ pessimistic predictions. Instead, he re-educated his legs by bypassing the habitual ways in which he moved, utilizing every alternative motion he could discover, from gross muscle movement to the smallest and most subtle flexing. Within two years, he was walking again – and his discoveries improved the lives of those with obvious disabilities as well as dancers, athletes, and people who wanted to enhance their performance. He taught them how to walk, run, speak, think, and move in entirely new ways.
The practitioners he trained in Awareness through Movement or the Feldenkrais Method of Functional Integration spent hundreds of hours lying on the floor, studying and experiencing minute muscle movements.
One of Feldenkrais’ students was Linda Tellington-Jones, who realized that horses and other animals could, like people, learn new responses very quickly if their old habit patterns were disrupted in a non-threatening manner. Her method, Tellington TTouch (pronounced tee-touch), has transformed dogs, cats, horses, cows, goats, birds, reptiles, and zoo animals, as well as their owners, companions, and caregivers. Tellington-Jones describes TTouch as affecting living beings at the cellular level, thus activating the body’s potential.
TTouch borrows some of its procedures from auricular medicine, an acupuncture technique that stimulates acupoints on the ear to treat the entire body. Additional body touches, small circular movements, lifts, and slides are performed with the hands and fingertips, and dogs are wrapped in elastic bandages, stroked with wands, and walked through labyrinths, all in an effort to interrupt and permanently change their habitual thoughts, reactions, and motions.
TTouch practitioners and instructors use the technique to help dogs overcome fear, improve their coordination, prevent injuries, improve their focus and concentration, and reduce the stress in their lives. The technique has helped dogs overcome separation anxiety, improve obedience, reduce excessive barking and chewing, and diminish aggressive behavior.
Thanks to the many books, videos, DVDs, and training aids created by Linda Tellington-Jones, anyone with a love of animals can learn TTouch at home. More than 1,000 certified practitioners in the U.S. and 25 other countries provide in-person instruction and treatment sessions.
Now that TTouch has been helping dogs and other animals for almost 25 years, Linda Tellington-Jones has introduced something new – her latest TTouch method, called TTouch-for-You, is for people.
Therapeutic Touch
In the early 1970s, Dolores Krieger, PhD, a registered nurse and professor at the New York University Graduate School of Nursing, and her mentor, Dora Kunz, developed a secular, nonreligious form of healing that combined the laying on of hands – the world’s oldest healing method – with other traditional energetic techniques.
The result, which they called Therapeutic Touch, was first taught to nurses at NYU. Today Therapeutic Touch is taught in over 200 hospitals and more than 100 accredited colleges and universities in the United States, as well as in 75 countries around the world.
Best known for its ability to relieve stress and anxiety, Therapeutic Touch has been credited with reducing pain, improving immune function, speeding wound healing, and improving overall health. It has been tested in numerous research studies that document physiological changes within the body, including changes in brain wave patterns.
Despite its name, Therapeutic Touch is a hands-off healing method, for it doesn’t involve physical contact. The technique is performed in three main steps. First, the practitioner centers himself or herself by quieting the mind.
Next, with hands placed two to six inches from the patient, the practitioner scans the patient’s body using slow, rhythmic motions to locate energy blocks.
Last, the energy blocks are released as the practitioner visualizes and smoothes the patient’s energy field from head to toe. Sessions typically last from 20 to 30 minutes.
Carol Robin, DC, a chiropractor in West Shokan, New York, learned Therapeutic Touch as an adjunct to her professional practice. When she tried it on her dog and three cats, they responded as well as her human patients. She then began teaching Therapeutic Touch and Energy Balancing to pet owners.
“This method is a powerful tool for centering, relaxing, and grounding,” she says, “and it helps with behavior problems as well as physical ailments. If dogs are hyper or nervous, it calms them down. If they’re afraid of thunderstorms or strange noises, it can help them be less fearful. In cases of injury or illness, it helps them relax and gets their energy flowing more freely to speed up the healing process. I can’t think of any condition where Therapeutic Touch would not be helpful.”
Dr. Robin’s instructions are simple. After relaxing, grounding yourself, and focusing your attention on your dog, place one hand on the head and the other just above the tail at the base of the spine, over the sacrum. Touching lightly with the palms of the hands, or on a small or toy breed, with your fingertips, imagine energy flowing like water from the dog’s head, down the spine, and out the end of the tail. Hold the position for a minute or two, until you feel a sense of balance under your hands and the dog begins to relax.
Light strokes from head to tail and from spine to paws distribute the energy throughout the dog’s body, clear energy imbalances, and facilitate healing.
“The most important thing to do before you begin,” says Dr. Robin, “is to take a few deep breaths and center yourself. If you’re upset or distracted, you’ll only agitate the dog. If your intention is loving and healing, your efforts will assist your animal companion.”
To help those who are unfamiliar with the preliminary steps of Therapeutic Touch, Dr. Robin has recorded guided meditation and imagery CDs. “They’re for anyone who would like to relax and explore the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of body, heart, mind, and spirit,” she says, “all of which enhance your application of Therapeutic Touch.”
Reiki
Reiki (pronounced RAY-kee) was developed in Japan in the late 19th century and is taught in an oral tradition of master-to-student instruction. The Reiki practitioner becomes the conduit for transmitting universal energy to the client’s energy field by means of an “attunement” from a Reiki Master. Practitioners usually describe their work as bringing the body into harmony and balance. Reiki is used for all types of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. In addition to relieving physical symptoms, it enhances personal growth, speeds the healing of injuries, and reduces stress.
288
In Reiki, intention is everything. Practitioners agree that having the right mental focus is more important than holding your hand in an exact position. So long as your intention is to channel universal energy for the highest good of the person or animal you’re working with, the same positive impact will result.
Level 1 Reiki students practice being a conduit of healing energy for themselves and others at close proximity. In Level 2, students learn three ancient symbols that can be used to focus healing, intensify the energy flow, and transmit Reiki across greater distances. Level 2 Reiki is especially useful when working with dogs and other creatures, including wild, aggressive, abused, traumatized, and seriously ill animals. Level 3 produces Reiki Masters, who are the most advanced practitioners.
Only a few formal studies have examined Reiki’s effectiveness, and of these, most dealt with pain. Reiki has been shown to be highly effective in managing pain from various causes, including cancer, arthritis, and sinus infections. However, Reiki practitioners report the healing of a wide variety of illnesses. It is one of the world’s most widely used energy therapies. In Orange Park, Florida, dog trainer and behavioral consultant Elizabeth Teal was completing her Level 3 Masters training when she used Reiki to break up a dog fight.
“The two dogs were part of a recently combined family, so they knew each other, but not well,” says Teal. “One was a highly spoiled, resource-guarding terrier belonging to the client’s mother-in-law. The other was a territorial, defensively aggressive, recently rescued spaniel belonging to the client’s child. These dogs did not speak the same language. The kitchen was already crowded when the doorbell rang because both owners were trying to feed their dogs at the same time. Tensions were high. A third person, a visitor, entered the kitchen, and I came in last. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. Everyone was screaming, including the dogs, and blood was flying.”
Reiki treatments begin with the practitioner asking permission to proceed, which animals indicate with their posture, breathing, and body language, but this was an emergency. Reiki instructors explain that in emergencies, the higher self of all concerned directs the energy.
“The first thing I did was clear the room,” says Teal. “It took a minute to accomplish this, but as soon as the people left, I drew a power symbol and a relationship symbol over the area. The terrier still had a serious hold on the spaniel. I knew that if I put my hands near the dogs, I would be attacked.
“I held my hands to either side of both dogs and focused my mind. What happened next wasn’t like a jolt of lightning or an explosion, but I felt a whoosh, and a wave of quiet filled the room. At that instant, both dogs stopped, stood still, and stared straight at me. That gave me just enough room to grab their collars, toss them in their crates, and kick the doors closed.”
Teal and her client took both dogs to the nearest veterinary clinic, where the spaniel was treated for multiple bite wounds, requiring stitches. The terrier has since been re-homed.
“I’d like to add a note of caution,” she says. “Dog fights are very, very serious, and I’m not by any stretch of the imagination suggesting that you learn Reiki because it will break up dog fights. Also, dogs should never be put in situations where they have to use their weapons. This fight could and should have been prevented, but that’s a separate story.”
After she completed her Masters training, Teal began working with animals and their human and animal families. “I’m more interested in emotional healing than physical healing,” she explains, “and I may specialize in re-homed animals, who often have complex issues. Reiki is the best tool I can imagine for helping these special pets.”
For an excellent introduction to Reiki for pets, see Animal Reiki: Using Energy to Heal the Animals in Your Life, by Elizabeth Fulton and Kathleen Prasad.
Coming next month: Animal communication, applied kinesiology, flower essences, homeopathy, and more.
CJ Puotinen, a frequent contributor to WDJ, is the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, which describes several energy healing techniques.
Students in my Level 2 class are learning the “stay” dog behavior. Some of the pupils are doing great with the concept of “stay in the position I left you in until I tell you to change positions,” but one Border Collie isn’t having much success.
Charlie willingly sits on cue, but when clicks and treats don’t come fast enough, he starts trying other canine behaviors in his repertoire – with rapid-fire offerings of shake, speak, down, and even a roll-over finding its way into the mix. He gets so excited about the training game that sometimes he doesn’t even bother to sit first when asked, but drops right into the down – his favorite position. Charlie, an eager worker who loves positive dog trainging reinforcement, has learned a lot of different behaviors and is anticipating his human’s cues for all his favorite tricks. He clearly doesn’t have his behaviors under stimulus control.
288
Stimulus control means your dog offers a specific canine behavior when you ask for it and doesn’t offer it if you haven’t asked for it. In reality, the only dogs on earth under total stimulus control all the time are robotic dogs, not living, breathing beings. At best, very well-trained dogs (through positive dog training methods) achieve that level of behavior when they are actively working. Otherwise, your very well-trained dog could never sit or lie down of his own volition, even when he was “off-duty.”
Before I explain how to get your dog to do what you want him to do, when you want him to do it, allow me to define some terms, and discuss the difference between a positive training approach – like I teach and Whole Dog Journal advocates — and a training program that uses aversive techniques.
Positive approach
A stimulus is something that causes a behavioral response. Some stimuli result in a response without training. Things like lights, sounds, scents, and things that cause physical discomfort (heat, cold, pain) are called primary or unconditioned stimuli. You don’t have to teach your dog to contract the pupils of his eyes if you shine a bright light in them – it just happens. He’s likely to jump when he’s startled by the clang of a stainless steel dog bowl dropping on the kitchen floor, and drift closer to the kitchen when you bake Italian meatballs, even if he’s never experienced those stimuli before.
A “secondary stimulus” is a signal that is meaningless to the dog until it is associated with a behavior that is then reinforced. The signal word “sit” means nothing to your dog until you help him connect it to the act of putting his bottom firmly on the floor, and until the sequence of “sit = bottom on floor” is repeatedly reinforced. With training, the initially meaningless “sit” sound becomes the cue for the desired behavior of putting bottom on floor.
In positive training, we first get the dog to do the behavior, then add the cue (secondary stimulus). We have a variety of techniques at our disposal to get the dog to do the behavior. We can “capture” the behavior – observing the dog, waiting until he does a certain behavior, and then “marking” it (with the click of a clicker or word such as “Yes!”) and rewarding him for it. Or we can “lure” the behavior, by using a food or toy that your dog moves toward, to get him to move into a certain position or perform a certain movement (which can then be marked and rewarded). Or we can “shape” the behavior, by marking and rewarding your dog for successively more “correct” approximations of the movement or behavior you want.
288
When we can reliably get your dog to do the behavior, we start adding the cue just before he does the behavior. This creates the sequence of “Sit!” = bottom on floor = treat happens (positive reinforcement).
The old-fashioned way of giving meaning to the word “Sit!” was to give the “command” first and then pull up and/or push down on the dog to get the desired behavior. The reinforcement in that case was negative; the sit behavior made the pushing and/or pulling go away. This also created the necessary sequence of “Sit!” = bottom on floor = bad stuff goes away (negative reinforcement). This old-fashioned way works, but positive trainers don’t use it; our preference is to help our dogs learn how to solve training problems and offer behaviors, rather than physically manipulating or forcing them into position.
Charlie the Border Collie understands that “Sit!” means to put his bottom on the floor – some of the time. He’s made the association, but doesn’t yet understand that it means “always and only.” Lack of stimulus control is a common occurrence in positive training. When we are good at reinforcing dogs for offering behaviors, dogs get really good at offering them. Plus, teaching new behaviors is often more fun and exciting – and more reinforcing for the dog, since we tend to use more treats and praise when a dog is learning a new behavior. In the beginning, we often reward successive approximations of a new behavior at a high rate of reinforcement . . . and the rewards may slow as we become more selective about what we choose to reinforce, in an attempt to “shape” the behavior and indicate to our dog which approximation of the behavior is the one we want.
288
We also deliberately slow our treat frequency to a variable pattern of random reinforcement when we put a behavior on an intermittent schedule of reinforcement to help the dog learn to keep working even if he doesn’t get a click and treat every time. This is done when a dog has become reliable at performing a given behavior – that is, he’ll do it at least 8 out of 10 times when you ask him to. A lack of stimulus control may be a common “side effect” among dogs and owners who use positive methods, but it’s (in our opinion) preferable to the most common side effects of coercive training methods.
Dogs trained by old-fashioned coercion usually learn that the safest thing to do, unless expressly asked, is nothing. Force-based trainers attain stimulus control with a choke chain, immediately squelching any unasked-for behavior with a sharp collar “correction” – a jerk on the leash. Of course, dogs trained with this method often become very reluctant to offer unasked-for behaviors, so valuable training techniques such as shaping, and a certain degree of trust, go out the window. (See “Fun Training Techniques for You and Your Canine!,” March 2006.)
Steps to stimulus control
The first step, getting your dog to offer the behavior on cue, is really the easiest part. Using capturing, luring, and/or shaping, you can elicit and reinforce pretty much any canine behavior you can conceive of, and then add the cue.
Now comes the more difficult part: not reinforcing behaviors that our dogs offer spontaneously. But if you want stimulus control, you’ll have to be consistent in this.
Of course, you can choose your venues. You can (and should!) still reinforce spontaneously offered default sits outside of your formal training session, especially if you’ve encouraged your dog to offer them – such as in a “Say please” program, where you teach your dog that the very polite and spontaneously offered deference behavior of “sit” makes good things (treats, praise, and other rewards) happen. But when you are specifically focused on training – if you want stimulus control – you’ll need to be very clear with your signals, reward markers (clicks), and reinforcement. So here’s the plan:
-Figure out how to elicit the behavior so you can reinforce it.
-When you can elicit/predict a behavior consistently at least 8 out of 10 times, you can add the cue just prior to the behavior, and begin fading (diminishing) prompts and lures – treats and body language that help the dog understand what the cue means. During this phase you may need to cue, pause, then prompt or lure, to help your dog transfer his association with the behavior from the lure to the cue. These first steps are the acquisition stage of learning; the dog is just figuring out how to do the behavior you’re asking for.
-When the cue will elicit the behavior at least 8 out of 10 times without a prompt or lure, you’re ready to tighten up your stimulus control; you will no longer click and reward the behavior (sit) if you haven’t asked for it, nor will you click and reward your dog if he offers a different behavior (down) when you ask for sit, even if you’ve been working really hard to get him to offer downs. Work on downs in a different section of your training session to avoid confusion, or in an entirely different session. This is “fluency”; the dog performs the behavior easily, on cue.
-If your dog offers an unsolicited behavior that is different from the one you are working on, or anticipates your cue for the one you are working on, remove all reinforcement. You want to extinguish unsolicited behaviors (cause them to go away). You may choose to use a neutral-voiced “no reward marker” (NRM) such as “Oops!” or “Time out!” or “Sorry!” as you turn away to remove your attention, or just turn away without a marker. Wait several seconds, and then resume training. Give your cue for the sit again.
-If several short time-outs in succession don’t seem to have an impact – if your dog keeps offering the wrong behavior – try a few longer time-outs, like a minute or two, where you actually go away and sit down before you resume training. If you are consistent about removing reinforcement, you should eventually extinguish spontaneous offerings.
Performance anticipation
Some dogs seem to share the same joy we do in practicing a wide variety of behaviors, as if the cue to perform one is an invitation to show off the entire repertoire. This can be frustrating when you’re doing an “onstage” performance for your friends and family, your son’s class at school, or the residents of the local assisted living facility where you do pet-assisted therapy. You ask your dog to “sit” and, lacking some of the critical elements of stimulus control, he’s halfway through his entire trick routine before you’ve even given him the cue to roll over.
A quick fix for this problem – while you work on stimulus control – is to teach him a solid “wait” behavior (easier than stimulus control), and then use your wait cue following each trick (see “Training Your Dog to Stay Using Cues, May 2001). Your performance might go something like this:
“Skippy, sit!” Click/treat. “Wait!”
“Skippy, shake!” Click/treat. “Wait!”
“Skippy, roll over!” Click/treat. “Wait!”
And so on.
Critical skill?
So, how important is stimulus control, really? Perhaps not very important, if you enjoy your dog as a companion mostly at home and don’t care if he offers random behaviors in the privacy of your own living room. It is probably more important to you if you like to take your dog out in public and want to be sure he will do as you ask in polite company. And it is very important if you have any plans or dreams of competing in any of the doggie sports that require precision in performance, such as rally, obedience, and freestyle.
It may be challenging to establish stimulus control. It’s worth it, however, if you want to wow your friends (and judges) with your dog’s training, and reap the rewards of the increased level of communication this builds between you and your canine companion.
The good news is that dogs seem to be able to generalize the concept of stimulus control; once you’ve established it with three or four behaviors, it tends to get easier and easier as you put more behaviors under stimulus control. Your dog comes to realize that each signal means a different behavior, and that being reinforced depends on recognizing the signal and giving the correct response. It’s good to know that your training will get easier as you go along!
Next month, I’ll discuss other ways you can make your dog’s performance more consistent and reliable.
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, with her husband Paul. Pat is also the author of The Power of Positive Dog Training and Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.
Thanks to trainer Sarah Richardson, of Chico, California, for demonstrating techniques for the photos in this article.
To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in
If you are logged in but cannot access this content, a) your subscription may have expired; b) you may have duplicate accounts (emails) in our system. Please check your account status hereorcontact customer service.
Immediate access to this article and 20+ years of archives.
Recommendations for the best dog food for your dog.
Dry food, homemade diets and recipes, dehydrated and raw options, canned food and more.
Brands, formulations and ingredients all searchable in an easy-to-use, searchable database.
Plus, you’ll receive training and care guidance to keep your dog healthy and happy. You’ll feed with less stress…train with greater success…and know you are giving your dog the care he deserves.
Subscribenow and save 72%! Its like getting 8 issues free!
How many dogs and cats died as a result of contaminated pet foods early this year? Its become clear that we will probably never know. Last May, Michael Rogers, director of the Division of Field Investigations for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said in a telephone conference that the agency received as many as 18,000 calls about the recalled foods, with as many as 50 percent alleging an animal death. Certainly as part of a longer-term process, the agency is going to be evaluating this data, and well certainly come out with a final characterization of in total the number of confirmed deaths associated with these recalled products, he said.
288
However, our efforts to determine how many people are investigating the reports that FDA received or whether there are actually any people currently working on those reports at all led nowhere. Every FDA spokesperson we encountered told us, Well release the number as soon as we know it.
Information released by other sources suggests that the final number will be much higher than the 17 or 18 cases that FDA accepts as positively confirmed. The Oregon state veterinarian, Dr. Emilio DeBess, states that he has received reports 127 suspect cases of dogs and cats who experienced an adverse response to eating contaminated food; this number includes reports of 49 deaths 20 dogs and 29 cats.
Also, the 20,000 members of Veterinary Information Network (VIN, an online, subscription-based education and communication forum for veterinary professionals) reported almost 1,500 cases of dog and cat injuries and deaths related to contaminated pet food. VIN plans to investigate as many of these reports as they can, in an attempt to independently confirm links between contaminated foods and illness.There is a silver lining to this cloud. Pet food companies are doing more than theyve ever done to secure better ingredients, establish or enforce traceability of those ingredients, monitor their contract manufacturers (if they use one), and communicate with us, the people buying their products.
Of course, in some cases, more than theyve ever done isnt much. Makers of low-cost, low-quality foods will still buy bargain ingredients; theyll just be a tad more certain of the ingredients origin. But the companies who make products aimed at the top end of the market the so-called super-premium foods are pulling out all the stops to accomplish these tasks and earn consumer confidence. On page 14, seven executives from companies that meet the latter description discuss what they are doing (and what they had already been doing) to make top-quality, safe foods.
Many owners who have lost confidence in all commercial pet food makers have found comfort in our series on home-prepared diets, which concludes in this issue. Weve received many letters from owners who have made the switch to home-prepared diets for their dogs and couldnt be happier.
When we first planned a series of articles for Whole Dog Journal on homemade dog food diets, Whole Dog Journal Editor Nancy Kerns and I had no idea that massive pet food recalls would erupt almost simultaneously with the publication of the first article, and continue to expand over the following months.
Throughout the aftermath of the recall, I saw a variety of recipes for home-prepared pet food diets, to be fed as a safer replacement for potentially contaminated commercial foods. Presented in newspapers, magazines, and online, most of these diet recipes provided incomplete nutrition, lacked any source of calcium, offered no variety, and were heavily laden with carbohydrates rather than the protein that dogs require to thrive.
As more and more owners made the decision to switch to homemade diets rather than risk feeding contaminated food to their dogs, I grew increasingly aware of the importance and urgency to supply appropriate guidelines that could help people create homemade diets that would meet the nutritional needs of their dogs.
226
Over the past five months, I’ve presented information on homemade diets, cooked and raw, with whole bones, ground bones, or boneless. During that time, I’ve learned about some new products, read a great new book, tried out some sample pre-mixes and freeze-dried foods, and responded to questions from people about issues raised in my articles and points that would benefit from clarification. I’ll discuss these topics in this final installment of our series.
New cooked diet book
There are an infinite number of cookbooks with recipes for human diets, and lately I’ve seen quite a few of them for dogs, too. But I just finished reading the first cookbook I’ve found with recipes for people to share with their dogs.
Carol Boyle, who discussed the diet she shares with her husband and her two Great Pyrenees in “Home Prepared Dog Food Recipes” (Whole Dog Journal July 2007), has published a book on the topic. Natural Food Recipes for Healthy Dogs: Everything You Need to Know to Make the Greatest Food for Your Friend is delightful, easy to read, and filled with recipes for dishes you can share with your dogs.
Boyle’s simple but thorough guidelines for how to feed a healthy diet to your dogs, as well as to the humans in your household, made me begin to think that maybe even I could learn to cook! While I haven’t yet gone that far, I have found myself making larger portions and sharing them with my dog when I feel the meals I’m eating are appropriate, rather than just offering a few tidbits as I’ve done in the past.
Be sure to get the newly revised version available from naturaldogfood.com (or 908-728-0010), not the older edition found elsewhere.
Supplements for limited diets
Two new supplements designed to balance out limited homemade diets were introduced to the market since I wrote about them, also in July’s article. Steve Brown, the creator of Steve’s Real Food for Dogs, has developed a new product called See Spot Live LongerTM Homemade Dinner Mixes. Designed to balance a meat-based diet, this product can be used by owners who are unable to feed their dogs the variety needed to create a complete diet, or those who simply feel more comfortable using a supplement to ensure that AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) and NRC (National Research Council) nutritional guidelines are met.
A second product, Vitamins & Minerals for Home-Cooked Dog Food made by Furoshnikov’s Formulas, is designed to balance out a diet that is higher in carbohydrates. This product is also guaranteed to make a diet meet the AAFCO guidelines for a canine diet when used according to directions.
Both of these new products, as well as the two mentioned in previous articles, Wysong’s Call of the Wild (designed for meat-based diets) and Balance IT (designed for high-carbohydrate diets), supply calcium as well as other needed vitamins and minerals, so there’s no need to add a separate calcium source when using any of them. Because of this, they are not appropriate to use with diets that include edible bone.
Green beans not toxic
Also in July’s article, I said, “Legumes (including green beans) should always be cooked due to a toxin they contain while raw (though small amounts would not be harmful).” Correction: This warning does not apply to green beans after all. It is only the mature beans, such as kidney, lima, and fava beans, that contain significant amounts of toxin prior to cooking. Green beans (also called string beans, snap beans, and French beans) are immature and are fine to be fed raw.
208
Grinders
I’ve discovered three new sources for electric meat grinders since writing about them in Whole Dog Journal’s May article on raw diets, “A Raw Deal.” Several raw feeders have recommended stainless steel grinders made and sold by Cabela’s, especially the 1 and 1½ horsepower models.
“My 1 HP Cabela’s meat grinder will grind up veggies, whole chicken parts, and turkey wings and backs (I haven’t tried legs as their bones are quite thick),” says Cary Branthwaite of Durham, North Carolina. “We grind and butcher quite a bit of venison, so we needed the 1 HP capacity, but a ½ HP grinder would be adequate also.”
Mary Waugh Swindell of Boyd, Texas, had a mechanical problem with the larger 1¾ HP model that she bought at Cabela’s in Fort Worth, but raved about the store’s customer service and willingness to take it back with no questions asked. She exchanged it for the 1½ HP model, which both her best friend and her dad have been happy with, and says, “It works like a dream. I needed something big and fast, as I’m feeding six large dogs. I would wholeheartedly recommend their grinder.”
These Cabela commercial-grade stainless steel grinders run $400 to $600, plus shipping (which is expensive on these heavy items) if you can’t find them locally. Cabela’s also sells lower-priced models, but I’ve heard no feedback about them.
Heather Smith, of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, recently purchased a ¾ HP LEM stainless steel grinder from Bass Pro Shops (they’re also available directly from the manufacturer), and says, “It was about $350 and has worked great on chicken quarters, chicken wings and necks, turkey wings and necks, and oxtails. If you can fit it down the chute, this grinder will grind it.” LEM also makes smaller grinders, but I’ve not heard feedback about them.
Another recommended grinder is the 1.35 HP grinder from Gander Mountain, which costs about $150. Check with local stores specializing in outdoor gear and hunting and fishing equipment to see if any offer electric meat grinders, often used by hunters to process wild game.
In the past, many people recommended the Tasin grinders sold by Northern Tool, but, according to reports I’ve heard from dog owners, the quality of those has declined in recent years, so if you’re thinking about a grinder, you may want to try one of those listed above instead.
Commercial alternatives
My dog, Piglet, volunteered to test samples of the four different varieties of dehydrated diets made by The Honest Kitchen, and gave them high marks. I’ve been integrating them into her diet as part of her breakfast every three days, for variety and because she likes them so much.
Laura Fulton, who told us about the diet she feeds her two Weimaraners in last month’s article, “Reality Cooks,” also offered some samples from The Honest Kitchen to her dogs and reports that they love it. Her dog Violet, who is prone to gassiness and digestive upset, has had no problems with these foods. Fulton has fed all but the Verve variety, which is beef-based, as Violet is allergic to beef.
Another friend, Sheryl Matzen, of Gold River, California, tried Embark, the variety approved for puppies, mixed half and half with fresh foods, to feed her new German Shepherd moose . . . uh, puppy, Apollo, and she, too, reports that he loves the food and is doing extremely well with it. She wanted to feed him a homemade diet, though she was worried about getting it right for a large-breed puppy; happily, she feels comfortable using the pre-mix. Matzen was cooking the added meat, but a recent heat wave convinced her to try feeding raw instead. In fact, she even gives him meat that is still frozen, as he enjoys chewing on it, and it helps to distract him from the rocks that he otherwise wants to eat.
Piglet also tried some samples of Stella & Chewy’s Freeze Dried Steaks. This is a complete diet, which comes in both frozen and freeze-dried form. It is available in beef, chicken, and lamb flavors, using free-range meats and human-grade ingredients.
The company recently opened its own processing plant in order to maintain control and ensure the safety of their products. I rehydrated the patties with warm water before feeding, and Piglet whimpered pathetically while waiting for them to be served. The result was a complete success: she ate with enthusiasm and tried to convince me I had not fed her enough. Complete packaged raw diets are too expensive for most people to serve all the time, unless you have very small dogs, but they can be handy to have on hand for quick and easy meals, and freeze-dried foods can be great for traveling, especially camping and backpacking.
Elemental calcium
A question was raised about the amount of calcium in eggshells due to the difference between calcium carbonate and elemental calcium. “Elemental calcium” is just a way of saying pure calcium, and this is what you will find listed in the nutritional analyses of most supplements.
Eggshells are 95 percent calcium carbonate; calcium carbonate is 40 percent elemental calcium. A large eggshell provides about 5,500 mg (about 1 teaspoon) of ground eggshell. So, 1 teaspoon of ground eggshell provides about 5,225 mg of calcium carbonate, or 2,100 mg of elemental calcium. Thus, the recommendation to add ½ teaspoon ground eggshell per pound of food (when you do not feed edible bones) supplies about 1,000 mg of elemental calcium.
258
If a supplement says it contains 500 mg calcium, that means 500 mg elemental calcium, though the amount of the calcium compound used to make the supplement, such as calcium carbonate or calcium lactate, will be greater. That’s why it doesn’t matter what form of calcium you use, as long as you give the proper amount of elemental calcium as shown on the label.
Vitamin A
One of the sample diets described in July’s article mentioned limiting the amount of liver in the diet due to concerns about vitamin A, and this is a worry I’ve heard voiced by many other people as well. Vitamin A is fat soluble, so an oversupply of this nutrient can be toxic. The reality, though, is that you would have to feed huge amounts of vitamin A for many months in order to cause toxicity. A diet that was all or mostly liver could lead to vitamin A toxicity over time, but a diet that includes small amounts of liver on a daily basis will not.
Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can feed, providing not only vitamin A, but also all the B vitamins, choline and inositol, vitamins D, E, and K, and the minerals iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and potassium, as well as essential fatty acids and high-quality protein. Don’t skimp on this nutritious food due to an unreasonable fear of too much vitamin A. Around five percent of the total diet should be liver, if possible.
Whole food versus synthetic supplements
Whole food supplements use beneficial foods and herbs rather than synthetic vitamins. Examples include nutritional or brewer’s yeast (source of B vitamins, chromium, selenium, and trace minerals), cod liver oil (source of vitamins A and D), organic apple cider vinegar (provides some trace minerals), and garlic (offers numerous health benefits). Green blends are whole food supplements that include primarily green foods, such as kelp, alfalfa, and spirulina, which provide trace minerals and other nutrients.
It is hard to quantify the benefits of whole food supplements, as little in the way of measurable nutrients will show up on a nutritional analysis. Synthetic supplements generally offer much higher amounts of vitamins. If you want to give megadoses of vitamin C, for example, you will have to rely on synthetic supplements to do so. Whole foods may offer superior nutritional value due to the combinations of nutrients, which may act synergistically and which the body may be better able to utilize than isolated nutrients, and their structure, which may be more bioavailable than synthetics.
As with foods, it can be helpful to rotate among different whole food supplements rather than always using the same one. Different brands, even those with similar ingredients, each offer their own unique combinations of nutrients, so once again variety can help to ensure that all nutritional needs are met while nothing is given in excess.
Recipes versus diets
One criticism of my raw diet guidelines provided a spreadsheet analysis of a single recipe, and stated that it was incomplete. I don’t doubt that any single recipe derived from the guidelines I offered may be incomplete, due to the fact that the diets I recommend strive for balance over time, not in every single meal.
I cannot stress enough the need to feed variety, rather than feeding the same foods all the time. A diet that is half chicken wings will not meet all of your dog’s nutritional needs, and will be higher in fat than is desirable. A diet that includes meals of chicken wings rotating with meals of other types of raw meaty bones will have a reduced amount of fat and provide additional nutrients. In addition, of course, the other half of the diet should also include a variety of different foods such as muscle meat and organ meat of various kinds, along with eggs and dairy.
While fat is a good source of energy for dogs, too much can lead to weight gain, reduced nutrition (if the amount of food has to be limited to keep your dog at the optimal weight), and digestive upset in some dogs. Unless your dog is quite active and has trouble keeping weight on, the diet you feed should not contain an abundance of fatty meats and skin.
Menadione
There has been a lot of concern lately about the use of menadione, a synthetic form of vitamin K, in pet foods. Menadione has been banned for use in human over-the-counter supplements because it is toxic at excessive dosages. This problem was seen primarily in human infants when they were injected with vitamin K to prevent deficiency.
288
Since synthetic vitamin K has double the potency of natural vitamin K on a per weight basis, this resulted in toxicity. One nursing encyclopedia says that “prolonged consumption of megadoses of vitamin K (menadione) results in anemia,” and that “a daily injection of 10 mg of menadione into an infant for three days can kill the child.” It was this tragic discovery that led to its use being banned.
In comparison, the amount of menadione in commercial dog foods is extremely tiny. The Balance IT supplement, which is meant to supply nutrients at AAFCO recommended levels, contains 0.0774 mg menadione per scoop. One usage recommendation I’ve seen is to use 3 scoops for 900 calories (for a 35 lb dog), which would be 0.2322 mg daily. This amount is just over 2 percent of the dosage that would be considered toxic to a much smaller infant.
Many substances, even water, are safe in recommended amounts but toxic when excessive amounts are ingested. While I agree that the natural forms of vitamin K, phylloquinone (vitamin K1), and menaquinone (vitamin K2), would be preferable to the synthetic form, my feeling is that the risk presented by feeding foods or supplements that use menadione (vitamin K3) is minimal, and I would not avoid a food just because it contains this ingredient.
Fish and fish oil concerns
Many people worry about the amount of salt in canned fish. It is true that canned fish is salty, but dogs require a certain amount of salt, and a homemade diet is naturally low in salt, so the amount in canned fish that is fed once or twice a week should not be a concern. If your dog suffers from heart disease or needs a low-sodium diet for some other reason, you can rinse the fish to remove most of the salt.
Concerns also arise over possible contaminants in fish and fish oils, such as mercury, PCBs, and dioxin. Mercury contamination is mostly a concern in larger fish, such as tuna, swordfish, and king mackerel. Salmon, jack mackerel (not the same as king mackerel), and sardines are all low in mercury. Farmed salmon is much more likely than wild-caught salmon to be contaminated with PCBs and dioxin. Canned salmon is almost always wild-caught Pacific (Alaskan) salmon. Check the label if you’re unsure.
Both Consumer Reports and ConsumerLab.com have conducted tests on a variety of fish oil supplements and found that none contained a significant amount of mercury, PCBs, or dioxins. They also found that almost all, including the less expensive brands, were fresh and contained the amount of omega-3 fatty acids promised on the label.
If you’re still concerned, look for pharmaceutical-grade oils, as they are guaranteed to be free of all impurities.
Chicken, arsenic, antibiotics
Arsenic and antibiotics are fed to some chickens to encourage rapid growth. While the residual amount of arsenic left in the meat was considered too low to be a concern for human consumption, recent studies have shown that levels are higher than previously acknowledged. Adding arsenic to chicken feed also contributes to environmental contamination, while the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
There are many brands, including supermarket brands, that do not contain arsenic or antibiotics. Organic chicken contains neither arsenic nor antibiotics as well. Check with the supplier to verify that the brands you use are both arsenic- and antibiotic-free.
Food weights There is often confusion between different ways of expressing amounts, such as cups vs pounds. While a cup is a measure of volume and a pound is a measure of weight, the general rule of thumb (and the way to remember it) is, “A pint’s a pound, the world ’round.” A pint is 16 ounces, which is two cups, so a cup of food will weigh around 8 ounces. This will vary depending on density, but it should give a good approximation for fresh food, which has a high moisture content.
Other measurements and conversions that may be helpful:
• A large egg weighs about 2 ounces, of which 2/3 is the white and 1/3 the yolk
• 1 fluid ounce is 6 teaspoons (2 tablespoons)
• There are about 28 grams per ounce, and 454 grams per pound. To convert ounces to grams, multiply by 28. To convert pounds to grams, multiply by 454. To convert grams to ounces, divide by 28. To convert grams to pounds, divide by 454.
Cutting up raw meaty bones
A few people objected to my advice to owners who are concerned about the risk of their dogs choking on raw meaty bones. I said that owners could cut up raw meaty bones into bite-sized pieces. Some argue that the way to prevent choking is to feed large pieces that are too big to be swallowed whole. They feel that cutting up raw meaty bones actually makes it more likely that dogs will choke.
In my experience with two dogs who have had problems chewing raw meaty bones, feeding large pieces doesn’t always help. If your dog’s teeth are too worn to be able to slice off pieces to swallow (as was the case with my dogs), it doesn’t matter how long they chew on the piece, eventually they still try to swallow it whole. Even if your dog is able to chew off pieces, that large piece then becomes smaller, and your dog may still try to swallow it when it is large enough to cause choking, particularly if you have a dog who tends to gulp his food.
288
It is important to cut food up into chunks that are too small to cause choking, even if swallowed whole. For example, turkey necks (or chicken necks for small dogs) need to be cut lengthwise rather than or in addition to crosswise, so that you don’t end up with short pieces that are still too thick to go down comfortably. When I cut up raw meaty bones for my dog, Piglet, she still chews the pieces, but has no problem swallowing them despite the fact that her teeth are too worn to chew a large piece into smaller pieces.
Another objection is that pieces of bone that are swallowed whole without being crushed by chewing are more likely to cause obstruction. In my experience, obstruction from raw bones is quite rare, and dogs have no problem digesting them, even if the bones are not crushed. However, if your dog swallows pieces whole and you see pieces of bone in his stool, you may want to invest in and use a grinder.
For those who do want to cut up their dog’s food, I’ll say once again that my Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors work far better than any of a number of poultry shears that I’ve purchased over the years. They’re also great for cutting up gristly meat that is otherwise almost impossible to saw through.
Q and A: The following are questions that I received from readers about earlier installments in this series.
-Eden Le Bouton of Cleveland, Ohio, writes, “In May’s article on raw diets, you say, ‘RMBs should make up 30 to 50 percent of the total diet.’ Later in the same paragraph you say, ‘While a reasonable amount of raw bone won’t harm an adult dog, more than 15 percent is not needed and reduces the amount of other valuable foods that can be fed.’ My confusion is: should RMBs make up 15, 30, or 50 percent of the diet and is that the daily diet?”
The confusion lies in the difference between “bone” and “raw meaty bones” (RMBs). Raw meaty bones are, by definition, at least half meat, and so therefore no more than half bone. If you feed a diet that is 30 to 50 percent RMBs, the amount of bone in the diet will be 15 to 30 percent or less, depending on the ratio of meat to bone in the parts that you feed.
Dogs need no more than 15 percent bone, so if you feed the higher percentage of RMBs, you should try to use parts that are more than half meat. There is no need to feed an exact percentage of bone on a daily basis, though this is one ingredient that often works best when similar amounts are fed daily, as too much bone at one time can cause hard stools and constipation, while feeding no bone at all one day may lead to looser stools the next.
-David Logue of Allen, Texas, writes, “My wife and I have three rescued Maltese who have no teeth. We feed the dogs a home-prepared diet, but with little variety. What suggestions could you offer us?”
Most foods can be fed to dogs who lack teeth. The only real exception is whole bones. You can purchase products that include ground bone, or buy an inexpensive grinder that will grind softer bones, such as from chicken and rabbit, and do it yourself. Or you can feed a diet that doesn’t include bone, and use a different calcium source instead.
Remember that no more than half the diet should be raw meaty bones, so even if you can’t provide much variety in that area, you can still feed lots of different kinds of meats, organs, and other foods, including eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, canned fish with bone (jack mackerel, pink salmon, sardines), and healthy leftovers in the other half (or more) of the diet.
-Brenda Stoner of Henderson, Arkansas, asks, “What is your opinion on giving vitamin supplements made for humans to dogs? Is it okay to use yogurt or cottage cheese and eggs every day as long as I use a variety of meats?”
Human supplements are okay to use, as long as the amounts are appropriate. Adjust as needed for the size of your dog. For example, a large dog could take an adult human dose, while a medium-sized dog would take half that much, and a small dog one quarter or less.
It is fine to feed yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, or any other food on a daily basis, as long as the rest of the diet provides adequate variety. No one food should ever be more than half the diet, but there’s no problem adding the same healthy foods daily, particularly in small amounts. A medium- or large-breed dog could eat an egg every day with no problem, but a whole egg every day would be too much for a toy breed, as it wouldn’t leave enough room for a variety of other foods.
-Gerda Alexander of Newville, Pennsylvania, asks, “Can I use eggshells from boiled and uncooked eggs?”
Yes, eggshells from either cooked or uncooked eggs can be used. Just rinse them out and let them dry overnight before grinding in a clean coffee grinder. Ground eggshell will keep a long time if you remove the inner membrane before grinding. There’s no need to refrigerate it, as ground eggshell is just minerals.
-Winnie Laning of Toronto, Ontario, writes, “If I feed a home-cooked diet and add canned salmon, will this take care of the calcium requirement so that I don’t need to add a supplement? Also, is it beneficial to add sunflower oil to the diet?”
No, you can’t use a single form of meat with bones to provide all the calcium your dog needs. You would end up feeding too much canned salmon (not enough variety), and too little calcium. Canned fish with bones has far more calcium than plain meat, but it actually has more phosphorus than calcium, so it can’t be used to balance the phosphorus in the rest of the diet.
It’s easy to add ground eggshells or any other calcium supplement when you don’t feed edible bone, at a level that provides around 1,000 mg calcium per pound of food. It’s fine to feed canned salmon some of the time, maybe once or twice a week, but don’t feed it daily, unless you feed very small amounts.
I don’t recommend adding vegetable oils to dog diets, especially in large amounts. Vegetable oils such as safflower, corn, and sunflower oil are high in linoleic acid (LA), a form of omega-6 fatty acids that is usually plentiful in the diet, and that can lead to inflammation when too much is given. Fish body oil is high in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are anti-inflammatory and hard to find in food (other than fatty fish). Note that flaxseed oil and carmelina oil are not good choices to replace fish oil, as the form of omega-3 fatty acids found in plant oils (alpha linolenic acid, or ALA) must be converted in the body to the forms that dogs can utilize (EPA and DHA), and dogs are not able to make this conversion very well, if at all.
If you do add plant oils, the best kinds to use are borage oil and evening primrose oil, as the gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) they contain is preferred over the LA found in vegetable oils. Olive oil, which provides omega-9 fatty acids, is also okay in small amounts. Remember that you need to add some vitamin E when you supplement with either plant or fish oils (the tiny amount of vitamin E included in most supplements is not enough).
Note that some of the oil supplements sold for dogs are mostly vegetable oil. For example, Derm Caps are mostly safflower oil (up to 72 percent linoleic acid). Check the label before making a selection.
Final note
I hope that the guidelines in this article series help you start feeding healthy foods to your dog, whether you feed a raw diet with bones, a raw or cooked boneless diet, a diet based on pre-mixes, or just a commercial diet with fresh foods such as eggs, meat, and dairy added.
It’s important to realize that it is no more difficult to feed your dog a healthy diet than it is to do the same for your family, though there are differences in their nutritional needs. It’s not necessary or desirable to feed only “complete and balanced” commercial foods, nor that every meal be complete and balanced, as long as balance is achieved over time.
Just as with our own diets, fresh, wholesome, species-appropriate foods offer superior nutrition to processed, packaged foods. Remember the three basic rules – variety, balance over time, and calcium in appropriate amounts – and open the door to improving your dog’s health in the most natural way possible.
Mary Straus does research on canine health and nutrition as an avocation. She is the owner of the DogAware.com website, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What’s the best age to start training? For most puppy owners, the answer is “Yesterday!” In fact, the optimum time to start a puppy’s education is as early as possible: about eight weeks of age. It’s hard to fathom that at one time many trainers insisted that puppies be at least six months old in order to enroll in a training class. Today’s positive trainer – and educated, progressive veterinarian – knows that the first four months of your dog’s life are the most important time for socialization, to lay the foundation for learning that will serve him (and you) for the rest of his life.
Of course, in “those” days we all trained with choke chains, using solid yanks on the leash (“corrections”) to get our training message across. And because choke chains can damage (or even collapse) a dog’s trachea, trainers were wise not to inflict that harsh punishment on the tender throats of eight-week-old puppies.
Today, with food treats and clickers as the primary tools in our training arsenal, puppy tracheas are safe, and we can help owners start educating their youngsters at a much more optimum training age, before pups have had several months of reinforcement for unwelcome and inappropriate behaviors.
Paradoxically, some veterinarians still counsel owners to wait until their new puppies are six months old and “fully vaccinated” to take them to training class. Unfortunately, this advice is just as outdated as the use of choke chains in puppy classes!
It’s true that you shouldn’t want only to expose your pup to high-risk dog populations; you should never take him to a dog park, or let him play with stray dogs on the street. But the risk of contracting an infectious disease in a controlled setting, with other healthy puppies, is quite low. In fact, there is probably a much greater risk of a dog meeting a tragic end due to behavior problems from lack of early training and socialization than from exposure in a well-run puppy class to some deadly disease.
The well-run puppy class
The caveat is that you find a “well-run” puppy class. You want an experienced trainer who uses gentle, effective training methods on her human clients as well as the dogs, and who conducts her classes in a safe and clean environment. She should have a good understanding of dog body language and social behavior, and know when to intervene if a puppy is being inappropriate with his playmates. She should also have knowledge of puppy diseases and parasites and require presentation of health records upon registration for class.
Ideally, you’ll find an instructor who teaches good manners behaviors in her puppy classes as well as providing puppy socialization (play!) time, and who will also address questions you may have about other topics, such as housetraining, crating, and puppy biting.
Sadly, there are still plenty of old-fashioned trainers who are apt to administer a physical correction to your puppy for perceived transgressions. Avoid those trainers at all costs. These trainers may call themselves positive, and in fact may be more positive than they used to be, but if they still use leash corrections, loud verbal reprimands, any kind of physical punishment, or restraints such as pinning a puppy on his side, they’re not positive enough!
You can find trainers from a variety of sources: the phone book, referrals from dog-owner friends or your veterinarian, dog clubs, business cards on pet supply store bulletin boards, the Internet . . . and any of these might be great – or not. (See “Internet Resources for Finding a Trainer,” below.) To be on the safe side, arrange to sit in on a class or two and watch the trainer in action. If the trainer doesn’t allow this, find another trainer.
When you are watching a prospective training class, look for these things:
• The trainer appears friendly, confident, and competent.
• She allows time for questions, and answers them willingly and thoroughly.
• Canine and human students appear to be learning, enjoying themselves, and succeeding at assigned exercises.
• Students receive individual attention and coaching.
• There is adequate concern for dog and human health and safety. The facility is clean, with no strong odors, and the floors have non-slip footing.
• The environment is well controlled to promote calm – no running children, loose dogs (except during playtime), loud noises, excessive barking, etc.
• Dogs are handled gently – without physical force, punishment, strong verbal reprimands, or forcible restraint of a struggling or vocalizing puppy.
• Trainer doesn’t do or require owners to do anything that conflicts with the owner’s training and dog handling philosophies.
• During playtime, puppies are separated into appropriate playgroups where they are closely monitored and inappropriate play is interrupted.
• The trainer is respectful of dog and owner individual needs and training goals.
What to expect
You’ve researched and selected the right class for your pup. If you’ve watched a class or two in session, you already have some idea of what to expect from the trainer you’ve chosen. What you encounter in the actual classes you’ve signed up for will vary, depending on the trainer’s or training school’s puppy class curriculum.
Some puppy classes focus primarily on socialization. A good part of the class may be dedicated to puppy play, with other activities included. A trainer might have owners encourage their pups to encounter new surfaces – walking across a board on the ground, stepping through scattered hula hoops, crossing a blanket, a box filled with sand or gravel, or a crinkly substance like aluminum foil.
There might be some time spent with gentle restraint, helping puppies learn that being held makes good things happen, and playing “pass-the-puppy” so baby dogs have good experiences meeting a variety of people. Pups might come nose-to-nose with nail clippers, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, crutches, and other real-life potentially scary stimuli for the first time. Puppies aren’t forced, of course, but rather given a positive association with all these things, and are reinforced for any willingness to be brave.
Other classes may have a stronger emphasis on actual training. Since 8-week-old puppies are perfectly capable of learning all the behaviors that older dogs do, there is huge value in teaching them what to do at an early age, well before they have a long history of practicing and being reinforced for behaviors you want them not to do.
Some training schools offer both. Legacy Canine Behavior and Training in Sequim, Washington, is operated by longtime positive trainer Terry Ryan. Legacy’s Puppy HeadStart class includes socialization, confidence building, leadership exercises, and information on housetraining and other family living skills. The class is free with paid registration for Ryan’s “Pet Dog Manners” class, where pups 16 weeks and older (and their owners) learn important life skills such as walking on leash, polite greetings, coming when called, and more.
Many classes, including the ones at Legacy, require owners to come to an initial orientation class without pups, so course goals and expectations, training philosophies, equipment, training center rules, etc. can be discussed and questions answered without concern for restless puppies. This helps ease owner concerns about what to expect, and gives them and their pups a training head start. This way, they’ve already practiced and had success with some of the training exercises before they arrive in a new, sometimes overwhelming, environment the following week.
The traditional format then follows with six to eight weeks of classes. Often the last night of class is a “graduation” celebration of some sort, with certificates handed out to those who successfully complete the class.
A new format gaining in popularity is the “Levels” class. Each level covers only a few exercises, and when pup and human are competent at those, they move on to the next level. Level 1, for example, might include name recognition, sit, and down. One training team might master those in one short week and immediately move on to Level 2, while another may find the down to be challenging and take three weeks to reach Level 2. Level 2 might consist of stand, polite leash walking, and targeting.
The value of this format is that each team can move ahead at its own pace. Dogs and owners don’t become overwhelmed when new exercises are introduced each week (especially if they haven’t yet mastered the prior week’s assignments). Plus, if at any time the team needs a refresher on a previous level behavior, they can drop back and work there until they’re ready to move forward again. This format also allows owners who have missed classes to pick up right where they left off, rather than feeling that they’re way behind.
Attending class
Nervous, you arrive at class with your puppy in tow. You’ve purchased the equipment and books recommended by your trainer, and diligently practiced the first week’s exercises. Now what?
Expect chaos. If your trainer hasn’t already suggested it, you should have treats in hand as you walk into class, and use them to keep your pup focused on you instead of trying to greet other pups. This is a good time to teach your pup that just because he sees other dogs doesn’t necessarily mean he gets to go say hi. By the same token, if another owner allows her pup to rush up to yours, politely ask her to keep her pup away until a more appropriate greeting time.
Some pups are so overstimulated by all the other dogs and people that they bark, or act afraid. Your trainer should understand this arousal behavior, and prepared to help you manage it with high-value treats, and some kind of barrier (if necessary) to block visual stimuli and allow your pup to relax. It may take 5 to 15 minutes (or more) to get all the excited dogs and humans settled enough to begin class. Mammals who are highly aroused don’t think well, so there’s no point in asking your pup to respond to cues until you’re both ready to learn.
From there, class should progress more smoothly. Your pup will learn to focus on you and perform the behaviors he does so well at home, even in the presence of distractions. A good trainer will be patient with her students, willing to answer your questions, and able to help you and your dog progress in your training. Remember this exceedingly important point – training should be fun! As the weeks go quickly by and you’re astounded by your pup’s ability to learn – and your own ability to teach her – you should look eagerly forward to going to class each week because you both enjoy learning new behaviors and showing off your accomplishments.
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, with her husband Paul. Pat is also the author of The Power of Positive Dog Training and Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.
There have been pet food recalls before, and there will be recalls in the future, but the event of early 2007 will probably be recorded as the costliest pet food recall in history. However, it’s my hope, and the opinion of many, that the lessons learned from this infamous event should prevent any similar large-scale pet food disaster from happening ever again.
Note that none of the companies whose executives are quoted below had products involved in the recalls. But every pet food company in the country was affected by the firestorm of inquiries from terrified pet owners who sought information about their pet foods.
I appreciate the seriousness, honesty, and commitment to providing quality foods that these executives exhibit here.
Phil Abreo, Breeder’s Choice
The recalls put the pet food industry on alert; we must be more diligent in assuring that all companies involved in the ingredient-sourcing chain are the most reliable and follow the highest food safety procedures.
Peter Atkins, Natura
Consumers are interested in more than just a pretty bag and are now reading – more accurately, scrutinizing – labels like never before. There is obviously a heightened state of consumer awareness about pet foods, pet food companies, and the ingredients that go into pet foods. Customers have a new expectation for transparency – where their food is manufactured, where ingredients come from, and the types of testing employed by the manufacturer to assure safety. Based on the dramatic spike in our sales, customers are obviously seeking products from smaller suppliers of holistic, organic, and natural products.
288
Brian Connolly, Castor & Pollux
There have been several outcomes. One is the need for pet food companies to be more forthcoming with information as to where their products are made and where ingredients are sourced. From the first day of the first recall, we provided pet parents with information on who made our custom formulation canned products for us. This was done via our website, in the thousands of e-mails that Shelley (my wife and co-founder) personally answered and on the phone with our customer service team. Even though we are a small company (just 17 people), we are committed to being as transparent as possible – unlike some other companies that chose to hide behind automated answering services and answers like “I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to release that information.”
The other outcome has to do with overall pet food safety. All manufacturers are paying much more attention to where ingredients come from and the quality/safety associated with those ingredients.
You can’t test your way to safety; you need to know that the ingredients are safe from the time the seeds are planted in the field, through the growing, handling, processing, storage, transportation, and manufacturing process.
With our Organix food, pet owners have the benefit of knowing that an independent third-party organic certifying agency under the mandate of the USDA’s National Organic Program has the responsibility of doing this. Each and every ingredient in Organix must be reviewed and approved for inclusion in our formula by the organic certifying agency. This third-party review and approval process does not apply to “natural,” “holistic,” or “human grade” pet foods. Certified organic pet foods and treats take safety to another level.
Deborah Ellinger, Wellness
The recall taught consumers how important it is to focus on the ingredient choices and quality standards of the brands behind the products. A positive outcome of the recall is that consumers are more aware of what is in their pet’s food, and are reading labels and asking more questions. The industry as a whole is responding, and this will ultimately improve all products.
John Marsman, Eagle Pack
The events made both pet food and human food companies more aware of food safety vulnerability. Companies have become more aware that the recalls have heightened pet owner awareness about ingredient quality, ingredient country of origin, where the brand is made, whether they make their own food in their own plant, best manufacturing practices, quality control, and company integrity.
It is no longer good enough (and it was never right), for a company to say ingredients are purchased from US companies when that company is a broker that may be importing, or is an importer. The brand should know the origin of ingredients. (Eagle Pack is EU certified, which requires disclosure of the country of origin of the ingredients.)
Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen
The industry has been forced to take a very close look at its ingredient-sourcing and manufacturing practices. Above all, pet food manufacturers (as well as the companies who are actually named on the labels) have been forced to become more accountable for their products and the ingredients that go into them. Ignorance and naiveté will no longer be tolerated.
Ultimately, the company whose name is on the bag is responsible to the customer. Contract manufacturers are accountable to their clients but it should be the responsibility of the company that takes the public’s money, to ensure their products are safe and that their labels are truthful.
Ron Rompala, Blue Seal
Pet owners [now] have a lower degree of confidence in commercial pet food. Owners are more likely to blame the food for problems that their pets may encounter and are less likely to hesitate to find alternative foods.
Have you changed anything about the way you operate your business since the recall?
-For example, have you changed the way you source or test ingredients?
-Made changes to the manner in which you utilize or oversee contract manufacturers?
-Developed a consumer-response plan in case of any future problems?
Phil Abreo, Breeder’s Choice
We continue to test all ingredients and have minimized the few ingredients we source from outside of North America.
We continue to require that every vendor certify all ingredients and provide us with a guaranteed analysis. We also test ingredients in our quality control lab and confirm results prior to being utilized during production. We now require the contract manufacturers that make our wet foods to provide us with manufacturing records for all production runs of our wet products.
Also, we have reviewed and updated our recall procedures and established a crisis management team to ensure 100 percent implementation of the plan.
Peter Atkins, Natura
We’ve always had quality management programs, validated by third-party certifications, that have enabled us to supply our customers with the highest quality and safest products in the industry.
Because of the recall we have made a huge investment in new testing protocols for melamine and cyanuric acid. We have also directed our buyers to source ingredients from domestic sources and, in the few cases where an ingredient is only available offshore, we have instituted an elevated level of control and testing.
We did make changes to the manner in which we utilize or oversee contract manufacturers [currently, Natura’s wet products are made by a contract manufacturer]. We have a heightened presence at their manufacturing facility and have instituted a rigorous quality management program which requires the contractor to prove their quality controls with detailed reports on each production run.
We have always had a consumer-response plan as part of our quality management program.
Brian Connolly, Castor & Pollux
The recalls caused us to really step back and evaluate all aspects of our business from ingredients to providing more information to pet parents.
The battery of tests that we run on all of our Organix and Natural Ultramix production has increased to include tests for melamine and cyanuric acid. We have established even tighter quality control standards and are working to augment our staffing in this area, too. We are posting even more information on our website to allow pet parents to make informed purchasing decisions. And we have changed a number of ingredient suppliers and have more detailed protocols related to our expectations of them.
Even though this was our first experience with a recall, we already had a consumer-response plan in place but were able to improve upon it as a result of this experience. Most important to us was staying accessible to pet parents and retailers that carried our products.
Deborah Ellinger, Wellness
We performed a full review of all of our practices, even though we were not impacted by the recall. We already had human-grade auditing processes and controls in place for our manufacturing, along with a robust ingredient sourcing approach, so we did not need to make significant changes to our processes or our manufacturing relationships.
However, like most others, we added testing for melamine and other contaminants that were identified in the recall, and we continue to look for improvement opportunities. We also expanded our phone center and added more product information on our website to help consumers get answers to their questions.
Since our products were not affected by the recall, we have attracted a lot of new consumers. We have had to step up our production dramatically, and are now spending a lot more time forecasting demand and trying to meet our customers’ increased needs.
John Marsman, Eagle Pack
Naturally we started testing ingredients and both dry and canned food for melamine (everything was negative) and reviewed our “best manufacturing practices” plan. Fortunately, due to our program and our EU certification, all safety procedures were in place. While it reaffirmed the way we do business, we also enhanced testing and reviewed sourcing procedures with quality-certified long-term suppliers.
We looked to eliminate any China-sourced ingredients, but this is not possible for taurine, glucosamine, and at least one vitamin. Virtually all brands must buy these ingredients from China; I strongly question any brand that states otherwise. Vitamin premixes are comprised of at least 13 vitamins. Of the two biggest vitamin makers in the world, neither one makes all of its own ingredients. They, too, outsource. A responsible pet food maker must know this if it is to be in control.
We make all our dry food here in Mishawaka, Indiana. For our contract can manufacturing, we specify high quality ingredients. We did review all procedures and ingredient sourcing with the maker. They will not add or substitute ingredients without asking, and we rejected substitution the times they asked.
Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen
Since our products are made in a human food plant – not in a pet food plant – many of the measures that conventional pet food manufacturers are now adopting were already part of our procedures and protocol. Our production is all under human food standards so ingredient substitutions and formula changes are simply not allowed. That is precisely why we chose a human food plant to make our products.
So, we have not really had to change much ourselves in the way of operations. Our company already takes responsibility for directly sourcing, ordering, and paying for 100 percent of its own ingredients; we do not allow the facility that makes our diets to buy ingredients on our behalf. We know our vendors directly and take direct responsibility for what goes into our foods.
Although we don’t buy or use any of the ingredients that were found to be contaminated (we use meats, not plants, as sources of protein), and we had no reason whatsoever to suspect that there was any risk to our products, we did realize that amid the state of panic that ensued, no company’s word alone was good enough. Therefore we decided to implement melamine testing immediately on all finished products.
We paid for overnight testing so that we could offer the peace of mind of melamine-free certificates to customers right away (and found it curious that FDA repeatedly stated they would not have results for two weeks). We also put new measures in place to have each of our raw ingredients screened for melamine prior to production. Going forward, melamine screening has been added to the list of routine screens we run on all finished products.
Ron Rompala, Blue Seal
We have increased our efforts to better know our suppliers. More stringent requirements are in place for new suppliers. We have accelerated establishing HAACP (hazard analysis and critical control points) plans and having plants in condition to be approved by AIB (the American Institute of Baking). We also have performed spot checks for melamine and increased the number of assays for other contaminants such as heavy metals and PCBs. We have increased the size of our customer service department.
We did not have any products affected by the recall but we were inundated by phone calls from current customers with concerns and from pet owners that had used products that were recalled and looking for alternatives.
We increased the number of people attending the phones and e-mail responses. We established an auto-reply to provide information via e-mail or telephone immediately to concerned customers. I met daily with the people in customer service to keep them updated on the situation and provide information to better answer questions. I also spoke directly with several customers to alleviate technical issues. As I mentioned earlier, pet owners were not hesitating to voice concern and wanted reassurances if their animals exhibited any perceived problems.
In your opinion, did consumers overreact? What do you think consumers should do differently in case of future recalls?
Phil Abreo, Breeder’s Choice
The consumer’s first concern or priority has to be the safety of their pet. Consumers diligently sought out information through the media, Internet, and in many cases, contacted the manufacturer for information. Consumers acted in a very responsible manner to seek out as much information as possible in order to protect their pets.
Peter Atkins, Natura
Absolutely not. Perhaps the media can be blamed for creating a panicked frenzy by running constant fear stories without a lot of specific substance in many cases. But one can’t really fault pet loving families for responding aggressively and seeking the truth for the health and safety of their companions. And if the end result is that hundreds of thousands of consumers have abandoned formerly trusted products that were perceived as “premium” for healthier and safer alternatives, can one really say that is an overreaction? In my opinion, it is an appropriate adjustment to the new realities of the market.
God forbid that there is another recall. But should it occur, consumers should gather good, accurate, and truthful information from trusted sources. They should measure very carefully all the information made available and apply this information rationally, without painting every pet food company with the same soiled brush. And consumers should not throw away food packaging until the food has been consumed so that if there is an issue, the proper date code numbers are accessible.
Brian Connolly, Castor & Pollux
I don’t think consumers overreacted at all given what they knew about pet food manufacturing, and given this entire experience was truly terrifying for them. Rolling recalls like these had never occurred before, and there was so much uncertainty as to what the problem was, what brands were affected, and what might be coming next. Certainly some of the misinformation on the Internet blogs didn’t help consumers at all. Most assumed that all pet food manufacturers had their own plants; even though this isn’t even true of human food producers, it was a shock to many to learn this.
I also don’t think that most people understood that you can’t run “one test” to prove something is safe. You need to know what you’re testing for and then run the test that is specific to that. And, I think the extent of our global economy was not fully understood. The fact that some ingredients in pet foods just aren’t available in this country came as a real surprise to many, too.
Our advice to consumers in the case of future recalls: Get to know – now – what the brand stands for that you are feeding your pet. Send the company an e-mail or give them a call to ask questions. Get a sense for how open and honest they are and how quickly they respond to you. See if they have a list that you can be added to for future notification.
Deborah Ellinger, Wellness
No, consumers did not overreact. They did everything they should have done, like watch the news, check the Internet, and call the 800 numbers. Our animal companions are an important part of our lives and they can’t advocate for themselves. Consumers did the right thing by looking out for the pets that depend on them.
John Marsman, Eagle Pack
No way. They had every reason to react quickly and strongly. They were fed misinformation. Correct information was delayed. And the recalls kept snowballing. Pet owners kept wondering if their food was next. This is a “perfect storm” scenario to generate concern and fear among pet owners.
Consumers should not wait for another recall. Just as manufacturers must establish ongoing trust with their suppliers, pet owners must establish trust with a pet food brand. Why ever do pet owners keep coming back to a brand that won’t tell you where it is made, or another that lies about it three consecutive times? If another recall were to occur, pet owners should get a vet report stating that whatever caused the recall issue was directly related to the problem with their pet, and send it to FDA.
Here are questions pet owners should ask in an effort to establish confidence and trust in a brand now, not when the next recall happens:
Who makes your food?
Will you disclose the country of origin of any ingredient or component? And include every vitamin and nutrient, including taurine and glucosamine?
Will you disclose the level of any nutrient in your food if that nutrient is listed in the AAFCO nutrient profiles?
Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen
I don’t think it was an overreaction at all. Particularly as things escalated, people just didn’t know where to turn next. I don’t think any industry has ever seen a recall of that magnitude and scope, with brand after brand being added to the list. People were shocked and disillusioned that the products they were buying were made with the same low-grade ingredients as many generic grocery brands – and then shocked all over again when other companies announced they didn’t even know what ingredients were being put in their diets. People found that absolutely absurd, and rightly so. If I didn’t have my own brand of pet food to feed my dogs and complete confidence in my finished products, I think I’d have been in tears, too.
In the face of a future recall, the most important thing is to know your dog. That way, it’s so much easier to spot when something’s up. Tune in to how he behaves at meal times. Does he have a voracious appetite or is it usual to eat more gingerly? What do his eyes look like when he’s healthy and happy? How do his eyes change when he’s under the weather? What are her normal urination and defecation patterns? Pick up poop frequently so you can identify any abnormalities right away; a weekly pickup routine might not reveal blood in the stool quickly enough.
The most important thing where the food itself is concerned, is to hold on to lot codes and manufacture dates. We’ll be launching some exciting packaging options that address this, in the fall.
We have never been proponents of feeding one diet exclusively; feeding a variety of brands and incorporating home-made food into your dog’s daily ration may possibly lessen the effects of consuming a contaminated product in the worst-case scenario.
The sheer volume of recalled products made this disaster almost impossible to keep up with. Make use of the Internet. Sites like Itchmo and Pet Connection may have saved thousands of lives with their up-to-the-minute recall info. Sign up for alerts right away if a recall strikes and please take responsibility for helping elderly relatives or neighbors, or others without Internet access, keep up to date on which brands are affected.
Ron Rompala, Blue Seal
Given the situation, owners did not overreact. The media did overreact and hyped the story. You couldn’t blame the customers for their concerns considering that they heard that pets were dying and a large number of companies recalled their foods for unknown reasons. To make things worse, the number of products and companies involved with the recall grew daily.
I don’t believe owners will act or are expected to act any differently if the situation presents itself again. However, you’ll see a difference in the response of pet food companies; they will be sensitive to complaints and not make any assumptions. Investigations concerning multiple complaints will be taken very seriously and handled more thoroughly and swiftly. I’m sure that pet food companies that did not have a team to handle situations of this nature before, do now.
Phil Abreo, Breeder’s Choice
While no Breeder’s Choice products were involved in any of the recalls, it is troubling that any pet would be exposed to harmful food. Our team of pet nutrition professionals continues to work hard and give maximum effort to provide our customers with the best nutritional and safe products that will provide their pets with a long and healthy lifestyle.
Peter Atkins, Natura
To buy or build a canning plant so that we can have control over all of our manufacturing. And to keep doing what has made us successful and kept us out of the recall mess – maintain the highest standards for ingredients, processing and quality control. Test, test some more, and then test again.
Brian Connolly, Castor & Pollux
Continue the work we started as listed above. We’ve further developed a program related to ensuring our products are safe. Although we’re a small, family-owned company, we’re committed to producing safe, healthy, natural, and organic products for dogs and cats. We’re all pet parents ourselves and take this commitment very, very seriously.
Deborah Ellinger, Wellness
To continue to raise the bar on all aspects of formulation, ingredient choices, ingredient sourcing, quality control, and doing whatever it takes to help pets lead longer, healthier lives. We want to continue to be a company that consumers trust because they know we will always do whatever it takes to provide excellent natural nutrition for their pets.
John Marsman, Eagle Pack
We have made a quality food and have been totally forthright with consumers. We have dedicated ourselves to continue on that path to earn the pet owner’s trust.
Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen
We have strengthened our resolve to be 100 percent accountable for everything we produce. We always try to put ourselves in the shoes of the customer, and going forward, every decision we make will be influenced by the question, “How would I feel if I were buying this food, and The Honest Kitchen did this . . . ?” We want to do only things we can be proud of. <
Never take anything for granted. Test, test, test. Partner even more with our vendors to ensure they continue to be committed to our values. Make lots of spot checks and have regular meetings at the manufacturing plant.
Ron Rompala, Blue Seal
Never feel that a company can do too much quality assurance. Although we did not have any products recalled, you can’t feel safe and think that it can never happen to you.
I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
