Who hasn’t heard of CoQ10? A powerful antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 is one of America’s most popular supplements. Literally every cell of the body contains CoQ10. In fact, its other name is ubiquinone, reflecting its widespread distribution in the body.
CoQ10 is most concentrated in the mitochondria, the portion of cells that produce energy. The heart and liver contain more mitochondria per cell than other body parts and thus contain the most CoQ10. Human and animal deficiencies are not yet well understood, but low CoQ10 blood levels have been reported in patients with heart disease, gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), morbid obesity, muscular dystrophy, and AIDS.
As a nutritional supplement for humans, CoQ10 is used to treat angina, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, mitral valve prolapse, diabetes, gum disease, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), AIDS, and infertility, and to improve athletic performance. In dogs, it is most widely prescribed for congestive heart failure and gum disease.
CoQ10’s Effect on Dogs
Not everyone agrees that CoQ10 works. Bruce West, DC, dismisses CoQ10’s popularity as unsubstantiated hype. In the November 2000 edition of his popular Health Alert newsletter, Dr. West cites a double-blind study showing CoQ10 to be useless in the treatment of congestive heart failure in humans. He expects CoQ10 supplements to simply die a slow death. “It will be around for years, create plenty of millionaires, and then disappear,” he predicts.
Yet other studies have shown completely different results, and many holistic veterinarians and physicians credit CoQ10 for improving their patients’ health dramatically. One explanation may be the type of CoQ10 that is used, as oil-based preparations are usually considered more effective or more easily assimilated than powders. Oil-based CoQ10 is sold in soft gel caps, while crystalline CoQ10 is sold in capsules, tablets, or powders.
Like many veterinarians, Stephen Blake, DVM, of San Diego prescribes daily doses of one milligram (mg) oil-based CoQ10 per pound of body weight for dogs with congestive heart failure and twice that amount (two mg per pound of body weight) if powdered CoQ10 is used. Similar recommendations are common for dogs with gum disease and other health problems.
The October 2001 issue of the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients offers additional insight. In a short article, retired chemist Wayne Martin describes his conversations with two leading CoQ10 researchers, Karl Folkers and William Judy. Martin’s friend Karl Folkers, Ph.D., who died in 1999, discovered vitamin B12 in 1948 and later worked with CoQ10 at the University of Texas at Austin and at an institute he founded. According to Martin, Professor Folkers hoped for a better way to get CoQ10 into blood circulation, as the crystalline form of CoQ10 does not pass easily through intestinal mucosa. Because CoQ10 is fat-soluble, Professor Folkers recommended taking it with a teaspoon of coconut oil.
William Judy, Ph.D., a colleague of Professor Folkers, investigated the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer with CoQ10. He discovered that one way to improve the absorption of CoQ10 into the blood circulation is by melting it. Coenzyme Q10 melts at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, which is only slightly above normal body temperature. In Dr. Judy’s highly successful trial, patients taking CoQ10 consumed it in a cup of hot coffee or tea to which fat was added.
How to Give CoQ10 to Dogs
A dog’s normal body temperature (100.5 to 101.5 degrees F) is higher than the normal human temperature but still lower than the melting point of CoQ10. “If one can get a dog to drink warm water,” says Martin, “this should be a good way to give coenzyme Q10 to a dog.” Consider stirring the appropriate amount of CoQ10 into a small amount of hot water to which you have added a teaspoon of coconut oil or butter. Most dogs enjoy the taste of fats and oils, which simplifies its delivery. If necessary, the water/CoQ10/oil mixture can be poured over a favorite food.
In our follow-up interview, Martin explained that all of the world’s CoQ10 comes from a single Japanese supplier. Supplement makers may mix it with oil or put it in different types of capsules or tablets, but the main ingredient of all these products is identical.
Considering the price of CoQ10 supplements, it is reassuring to know that with the help of hot water and a small amount of saturated fat, inexpensive CoQ10 can be more easily absorbed and more thoroughly assimilated than the most expensive oil-based CoQ10 gel cap.
CJ Puotinen is the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats, and several books about human health including, Natural Relief from Aches and Pains, published last summer. She and her husband live in New York with Samantha, a nine-year-old black Labrador Retriever, and two cats.
When parvo strikes, it moves fast. Infected dogs may appear to be in perfect health one day and violently ill the next. Emergency veterinary care is expensive, and unless dogs are diagnosed and treated early, many die from this serious disease.
However, reactions to parvovirus vary widely – both among dogs and their human caretakers. In a world in which parvovirus is ubiquitous – it is literally everywhere except environments that have been sterilized – parvo kills some dogs and leaves others unscathed. And in the debate about vaccination against this disease, some people vaccinate their dogs early and often, while others refuse to vaccinate against parvo at all.
In this article, we’ll discuss a number of parvovirus prevention and treatment approaches taken by veterinarians and dog guardians today. We’ll also share personal stories from two people whose dogs had parvovirus, and describe how these guardians’ experiences affected their healthcare strategies.
But we won’t tell you which approach you should take with your dog. That, like all health-related issues, is a personal decision that must be made after you learn as much as possible about the risks and benefits of the various approaches.
Understanding Parvo
The smallest and simplest of the microscopic infectious agents called viruses, which cause disease by replicating within living cells, parvovirus consists of a single strand of DNA enclosed in a microscopic capsid, or protein coat. This protein coat, which differs from the envelope of fat that encases other viruses, helps the parvovirus survive and adapt.
Parvoviruses infect birds and mammals (including humans), but until the 1960s, parvovirus did not infect domestic dogs or their wild cousins. The original canine parvovirus, later labeled CPV-1, was discovered in 1967. Eleven years later, CPV-2 emerged in the United States. It apparently mutated from feline distemper, which is the feline parvovirus. CPV-2 quickly infected dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, and other canines around the world. A second mutation, CPV-2a, was identified in 1979, and a third, CPV-2b, is in circulation today.
Infection takes place when a susceptible host inhales or ingests the virus, which attacks the first rapidly dividing group of cells it encounters. Typically, these cells are in the lymph nodes of the throat. Soon the virus spills into the bloodstream, through which it travels to bone marrow and intestinal cells. The incubation period between exposure and the manifestation of symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea is usually three to seven days.
When it attacks bone marrow, parvo damages the immune system and destroys white blood cells. More commonly, it attacks the intestines, causing copious diarrhea and debilitating nausea, which further weakens the dog’s system. Dogs who die of parvo typically do so because fluid loss and dehydration lead to shock, and/or because intestinal bacteria invade the rest of the body and release septic toxins.
Any dog that survives a parvovirus infection is believed to have lifelong immunity; serum antibody titers tend to stay high for prolonged periods after recovery from the virus.
Young puppies and adolescent dogs whose maternal antibodies no longer protect them but whose immune systems have not yet matured are at greatest risk of contracting parvo. Most parvo victims are less than one year old, but the disease can and does occasionally strike adults, too.
Some breeds are particularly susceptible to contracting parvovirus, including Alaskan Sled Dogs, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, and American Staffordshire Terriers.
How Parvo Spreads
Veterinary experts agree that virtually all of the world’s dogs have been exposed to canine parvovirus. The virus begins to “shed,” or be excreted by a dog, three to four days following his exposure to the virus, often before clinical signs of the infection have appeared. The virus is also shed in huge amounts from infected dogs in their feces for 7-10 days; a single ounce of fecal matter from a parvo-infected dog contains 35,000,000 units of the virus, and only 1,000 are needed to cause infection.
In addition, the virus can be carried on shoes, tires, people, animals (including insects and rodents), and many mobile surfaces, including wind and water. Because it is difficult to remove from the environment and because infected dogs shed the virus in such profusion, parvo has spread not only to every dog show, veterinary clinic, grooming salon, and obedience school, but every street, park, house, school, shopping mall, airplane, bus, and office in the world.
While a dog that is diagnosed with parvo will be quickly isolated by his veterinarian and his recent environment will be cleaned and disinfected, some infected dogs have such minor symptoms that no one realizes they are ill. Infected dogs, with or without symptoms, shed the virus for about two weeks. If conditions are right, the virus can survive for up to six months. Although parvo is destroyed by sunlight, steam, diluted chlorine bleach, and other disinfectants, sterile environments can be quickly reinfected.
Medical Treatment
Most veterinarians treat parvovirus with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. In addition, treatment may include balancing the blood sugar, intravenous electrolytes, intravenous nourishment, and an antiemetic injection to reduce nausea and vomiting. None of these treatments “cure” the disease or kill the virus; they are supportive therapies that help stabilize the dog long enough for his immune system to begin counteracting the virus.
According to Los Angeles veterinarian Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, “Every day that goes by allows the dog to produce more antibodies, which bind with and inactivate the virus. Survival becomes a race between the damaged immune system, which is trying to recover and respond, and potentially fatal fluid loss and bacterial invasion.” Puppies and very small dogs are at greatest risk because they have the smallest body mass and can least afford to lose vital fluids.
Bill Eskew, DVM, sees more parvo patients than many veterinarians because he specializes in emergency care. A veterinarian for 25 years, Dr. Eskew currently works in busy clinics in California and Florida. He says fluids and electrolyte balance are the most important aspects of parvo treatment.
“My typical parvo patient is a four-month-old unvaccinated or partially vaccinated puppy,” says Dr. Eskew, “and I see as many as 20 a week. I’m convinced that of all the treatments we use, intravenous fluids make the most difference. In one case I treated a litter of puppies for a man who couldn’t afford antibiotics or other drugs, so I used fluids alone, and the pups all recovered. In fact, as far as I know, all my parvo patients have survived.”
While antibiotics have no effect on viruses, they are considered an important aspect of treatment, especially for puppies. The parvovirus causes the gastrointestinal mucosa, which usually serves as a protective barrier to infection, to slough away, leaving the puppy vulnerable to bacterial infections. Antibiotics protect the puppy from infection until his body’s own system of protection recovers.
CPV Recovery Rates
According to Dr. Brooks, an estimated 80 percent of parvo-infected dogs treated at veterinary clinics recover.
Dr. Eskew credits his success rate to early diagnosis. “The minute we see a puppy that’s been vomiting or has diarrhea,” he says, “we give it a parvo test. The one we use is a rectal swab that shows results within 10 minutes.”
Of course, such early detection tools can be used only if the dog’s guardian is alert to the early signs of illness and hustles him to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible. The sooner the dog receives supportive care, the better his odds of recovery.
Vaccines: Imperfect Protection
Properly administered, vaccines protect most puppies and dogs from parvovirus. But there are cases of vaccinated canines contracting the disease.
In late 1998, WDJ received a letter from a reader whose nine-month-old puppy had contracted (and, happily, recovered from) parvovirus. She was perplexed as to how her properly vaccinated puppy could have become infected, especially since she also owned a brother from the same litter who did not become sick, even though both pups had received the same vaccinations and had been exposed to the same things and places!
The experience of the letter writer’s next-door neighbor added to the mystery. After hearing about the puppy with parvo, the neighbor took her six-month-old, vaccinated puppy to the veterinarian for titer tests, to make sure this puppy was protected. The test indicated that the puppy had no immunity to parvovirus, so she had the pup revaccinated immediately.
For explanations for all these puzzling events, we turned to Jean Dodds, DVM, an expert in veterinary hematology and immunology. Dr. Dodds is also founder and president of Hemopet/Pet Life-Line, of Garden Grove, California. Hemopet is a national nonprofit animal blood bank and adoption program for retired Greyhounds.
Dr. Dodds offered numerous explanations as to why, sometimes, the parvovirus vaccine fails to work as intended.
First, she made clear, no vaccine produces 100 percent protection 100 percent of the time. “Vaccination is not a sure thing,” she explained. “It certainly improves the odds that an animal will be protected from disease, but it does not guarantee this. There is no way, even with the best vaccines, to be sure that any given individual’s immune system will respond in the desired way to protect that animal.”
Not all dogs have perfectly functioning immune responses, and, similarly, not all vaccines function perfectly, either. “There will always be an occasional case of a ‘vaccine break,’ which is what we call it when a vaccine fails to protect an individual against an infectious disease challenge,” said Dodds. “However, when a break occurs, if the animal has been appropriately vaccinated, it will usually experience only a mild form of the disease.” Dr. Dodds speculated that this is the most probable explanation for what happened with the infected puppy mentioned above.
“While there are some rare exceptions, where an appropriately vaccinated animal nonetheless experiences a lethal form of the disease, it is far more typical that such an animal will experience only a mild form of the disease and will recover quickly,” she said.
However, the most common reason for vaccine failures in puppies is maternal antibody interference. Dr. Dodds explained that if a puppy receives a particularly high level of antibodies (passive immunity) from his mother’s colostrum (and to a lesser extent, in utero), these maternal antibodies may cause any vaccine antigens that are administered to be neutralized. Then, when these antibodies wane (usually between 6 and 16 weeks of age), the puppy is left without adequate protection, and has not become actively immunized.
“Maternal antibodies wane at an unpredictable rate, which is why puppies are vaccinated several times at intervals of two to four weeks apart,” said Dr. Dodds. “This is designed in an effort to cover any potential gap in protection or ‘window of susceptibility’ that arises from the waning of maternal passive immunity and the onset of active immunization and protection by vaccination.”
Because of this, a test for serum antibody titer or an additional vaccination is sometimes recommended at 15-16 weeks, especially in high-risk breeds.
Trouble with Titers
Regarding the neighbor’s vaccinated puppy, whose antibody titers showed no antibody protection for parvo: Dr. Dodds thinks that the chances are very good that the puppy actually did have adequate protection from parvovirus, despite the misleading titer test results.
“There are two types of titer tests commonly offered by most veterinary medical laboratories,” Dr. Dodds explained. “One type is intended to detect whether or not a dog has the disease (a viral infection); the other type of titer test checks the level of immunity the dog received from vaccination. In the latter case (a vaccine titer test), antibody levels are expected to be several titer dilutions lower than those conveyed by active viral infection.
“When a veterinarian requests an immunity or antibody level measurement for parvovirus or other disease, the laboratory typically assumes that disease diagnosis, rather than vaccine immunity, is to be performed. When the lab technicians do a test to see whether the dog has parvovirus, they start with a much greater dilution in the test system than is normally used for the detection of vaccine titers. They do this to conserve reagent and reduce cost of testing. But because vaccine titers are lower than disease titers, they won’t be detected until the test reagent dilution is set lower.
“I’ll put it a different way: If they utilize disease exposure methodology, when what is really wanted is a test to assess the adequacy of vaccination, the results will be negative nearly every time,” said Dodds.
While this scenario sounds like an obvious oversight, Dr. Dodds said she has seen it numerous times. Given her expertise and research on vaccine-related issues, many veterinarians consult with Dr. Dodds regarding supposed vaccination failures.
“I’ve seen it again and again: The owner calls me and says, ‘But I keep vaccinating this animal, and my veterinarian keeps testing him and there is no immunity; what do I do?!’
“Very often,” said Dr. Dodds, “it’s a case where the veterinarian looked at the lab catalog and selected the test called ‘Parvovirus Antibody’ rather than the intended one, which would be ‘Parvovirus Vaccine Antibody’ or ‘Parvovirus Vaccine Titer.’ Meanwhile, the poor animal has been vaccinated repeatedly and unnecessarily, and when we finally get the correct measurement, we find that the animal actually had good immunity all along.”
Not Necessarily Parvo
Back to the puppy who was vaccinated but was stricken with parvo anyway: A final explanation is that his illness might have been incorrectly diagnosed. Dr. Dodds explained that veterinarians diagnose parvo by its symptoms – fever, depression, diarrhea, vomiting – and by checking the dog’s stool for presence of parvovirus or serum antibody level. But other gastrointestinal diseases can produce symptoms that closely resemble those of parvo. And even the presence of low levels of parvovirus in the stool doesn’t necessarily mean that the dog’s symptoms are caused by it.
“Dogs who are vaccinated and fully protected against parvovirus may still shed the virus in their stool if they are exposed to the disease agent,” said Dr. Dodds. “Unless the stool sample revealed a moderate to heavy parvovirus infection, I would suspect that the dog’s symptoms could be caused by something else, or a combination of parvovirus exposure and another infectious agent. For example, the puppy could have been exposed to both parvovirus and corona virus, and then suffered diarrhea and other symptoms as a result of the corona virus alone, because he was adequately protected by vaccination against parvovirus.”
Preventive Measures for Unvaccinated Dogs
Can a superior diet protect unvaccinated dogs against parvo? When parvovirus first infected the world’s dogs, thousands credited Juliette de Bairacli Levy’s Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat and its Natural Rearing philosophy for saving their dogs’ lives. Levy was the first to advocate a well-balanced raw, natural diet for pets.
Marina Zacharias raised four Basset Hound pups on the Natural Rearing diet. When they were six months old, they played with a puppy the day before it was diagnosed with parvo. “For 10 days after exposure, I gave them one of Juliette’s disinfecting herbal formulas plus homeopathic remedies to help boost their immune function,” she says. “On the tenth day, one of my pups started to show symptoms so I treated it with castor oil to help sweep away the virus as Juliette describes in her book, and I continued with homeopathics. Within two hours this pup was completely back to normal. The other three never showed symptoms and remained healthy.”
Zacharias has received similar reports from numerous clients whose raw-fed, unvaccinated puppies were exposed to parvo. Homeopathic nosodes, which are highly diluted remedies made from the disease material of infected animals, have become popular alternatives to conventional vaccines. But many veterinary homeopaths believe their use as surrogate vaccines is inappropriate.
One is Maryland veterinarian Christina Chambreau, who explains, “The best time to use a homeopathic nosode is after exposure. If you know your dog has been exposed to parvo, you would give a single dose of a 200C-strength homeopathic parvo nosode. This treatment can be given any time after exposure and before the animal gets really sick, such as when it shows minor symptoms like throwing up once or having soft stools.”
Dr. Chambreau says she is aware of about 50 cases in which unvaccinated or minimally vaccinated litters of puppies, kennels of dogs, or individual dogs were exposed to parvo, and after a single treatment with the parvovirus nosode, either did not get the disease at all or had only minor symptoms.
Dr. Chambreau also recommends feeding the best possible diet and boosting the dog’s immune system with supplements such as vitamin C and infection-fighting herbs like echinacea. It is not uncommon, she says, for holistically raised, unvaccinated puppies to have parvo without being diagnosed.
“Many of my clients choose not to vaccinate at all,” Chambreau says, “and it’s not uncommon for their puppies to get sick with a mild case of diarrhea or vomiting that we treat homeopathically or with other holistic therapies. These puppies recover quickly, and what’s interesting is that later, when they’re directly exposed to parvo, they don’t catch it. That minor bout of diarrhea was probably parvo. It’s possible to raise puppies so that they get a natural exposure rather than a vaccine exposure to parvo, and that builds a better immunity than the vaccine in most animals.”
California veterinarian Gloria Dodd first dealt with parvovirus when it appeared 20 years ago. “When parvo first mutated from the Feline Distemper virus, it hit the canine world hard,” she says. “Here was an entire population with no immunity to this new viral infection. In a single week, I was overwhelmed with 55 dogs that had severe clinical infection with bloody diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and shock.” The virus affected dogs of all ages, from puppies to 15-year-old dogs with congestive heart failure and others with liver and kidney disease.
“To treat this new illness,” she says, “I made an autoisode. An autoisode is a homeopathic remedy made from the secretions, excretions (saliva, urine, or feces), blood, and hair of the infected animal, for these substances contain the infective agent. I used them to make a sterile intravenous injection and gave this to all of the animals. I didn’t lose a single patient.”
The 30C potency parvovirus autoisode that she made during the epidemic has become the basis of her homeopathic parvo prevention, and she is not aware of any animals, either her own or her clients’, breaking with parvo. “On the contrary,” she says, “it has proven to be protective for unrelated infections by building and strengthening the dog’s own immune system to ward off other infective agents. When I gave it to a Connecticut kennel of Boston Terrier show dogs, they were the only dogs that did not contract kennel cough during an outbreak at a dog show in Massachusetts.”
Weighing the Risks
We want our dogs be healthy and to live forever. Conventional veterinarians see parvo-virus as an easily prevented, unnecessary illness, and vaccination as a simple, inexpensive component of basic care. Many holistic vets take a different view. Both sides make compelling arguments.
“These are difficult decisions,” says Dr. Chambreau. “Which is more devastating: To have an animal die at any age from an acute disease? Or to protect it from the acute disease and watch it develop chronic skin problems, allergies, or autoimmune disorders before it dies of cancer? There are no easy answers.”
The phone call came into the front office of the Marin Humane Society from a woman who had glanced over her fence and noticed her neighbor’s adolescent Dalmatian, apparently tangled up in her tie-out rope so badly that she couldn’t move.
Rushing to the address, the Society’s humane officer did, indeed, find the tangled dog, but there was something suspicious about the scene. The rope was coiled and knotted so neatly around the dog’s legs that it was obvious to the officer that it had been applied to the dog on purpose. On a warm, sunny California day, the dog had been deliberately hog-tied and left for hours with no access to water or shade. The dog was given veterinary care and taken into protective custody, but an investigation was clearly called for.
When questioned, the 19-year-old owner of the dog explained that he had put her on the “punishment rope” because she had peed in the house, and he had forgotten to release her before he left for work. You must, he asserted with confidence, punish your dog for peeing in the house or she would never be housebroken. His method of punishment-based training clearly wasn’t working, since at the age of 10 months, the young dog still peed in the house.
The Dalmatian’s owner was unclear on at least two major concepts: First, punishment is a highly ineffective means of house training a puppy, and second, his dog didn’t even have a house training problem. The dog was actually a submissive urinator, and all of the punishment her owner had meted out only made the problem worse.
Inherited behavior
In the canine world, when one dog wants to show deference to another, more dominant dog, he may urinate as a sign of submission. The more threatened he feels, the more likely he is to urinate. This is an involuntary reaction, an instinctive behavior that all dogs are born “knowing” how and when to exhibit.
In a pack of dogs, this programmed behavior is a valuable survival mechanism. Puppies are extremely vulnerable to the wrath of adult dogs in the pack, and built-in submissive responses signal normal adult dogs to automatically shut off the aggression, thus keeping puppies from being hurt. These programmed responses (submission from puppies, turning off adults’ aggression) support survival of the pack. As puppies mature, they eventually become more skilled at detecting and avoiding aggression sooner, and no longer need the submissive urination to protect them (except in dire situations, where under a fierce attack, this involuntary response may again get triggered).
Speaking different languages
Unfortunately for humans, as we raise young puppies and dogs, actions that seem perfectly natural and innocuous to us, such as bending over a puppy or patting him on the head, can be very threatening gestures in the DogSpeak dictionary, and inadvertently trigger the involuntary bladder-release response. It is a relatively common behavior in puppies, and more prevalent in some breeds than others. Cocker Spaniels, for example, are notorious submissive wetters, giving rise to the trainers’ joke:
Q: How do you get a Cocker Spaniel to urinate on cue?
A: Pat him on the head!
If properly handled, puppies usually grow out of the behavior as they mature. However, if an owner misperceives the behavior as a house training challenge and punishes the puppy, the problem worsens.
That’s because, unlike normal elimination, which the dog has some control over, submissive urination can quickly become a classically conditioned behavior; the presence of a particular stimulus automatically triggers the response.
Think of Pavlov’s dogs, who drooled at the sound of a bell that had been associated with the arrival of food. Pavlov’s dogs didn’t decide to salivate when they heard the bell – it just happened. A submissive dog doesn’t decide to pee when approached – it just happens.
It might take only one episode of punishment for peeing to condition the dog to automatically pee when she sees or hears stimuli that she associates with the punishment. Sadly, the harder the owner punishes, the more the puppy pees in order to acknowledge the owner’s superiority and deflect his wrath. The more the puppy pees, the harder the owner punishes.
And “punishment” in this case doesn’t only refer to cruel and unusual treatments such as hog-tying the dog outside. One loud squawk of alarm from a surprised person may frighten an extremely sensitive individual enough to classically condition her to pee every time she hears a shout, whether it’s a happy shout of “Good dog!” or even just, “Honey, I’m home!”
This is clearly an interspecies communication problem that begs the intervention of a translator before it does permanent damage to the relationship between dog and human. Humans don’t like dogs who pee in the house, and dogs become fearful and mistrusting of humans who are always yelling at – or worse, hitting them despite their best efforts to appease.
Get out the cork
The most effective way to modify a dog’s submissive urination is to stop doing the things that make him pee. This means avoiding all of the behaviors that are considered threatening to dogs and are likely to trigger the involuntary response.
This may be more difficult than it sounds, as many of the behaviors that are threatening to dogs are instinctive greeting behaviors for humans, such as making direct eye contact, approaching in a straight line (head-on), bending over the dog, patting him on top of the head, and speaking in a loud or deep voice.
Visitors, as well as all family members, must be counseled and frequently reminded to approach and interact with Spot in a non-threatening way until the dog matures and gains enough confidence that he no longer releases his bladder so easily.
It is critically important to avoid getting angry with your dog when an accident or some other misbehavior occurs. Dogs are masters at reading body language, and even a slight stiffening of your body or change in the tone of your voice can release a stream from a very sensitive dog. It is easier to stay calm if you can remember that Spot has no control over his submissive urination – when the stimulus is presented, the response occurs involuntarily. He can’t help it.
If you take full advantage of all available behavior management tools it will prevent most incidents from occurring, and will greatly reduce the environmental damage done when an incident does occur, making it easier for you to stay calm in the face of Spot’s occasional flood.
How exciting!
Excitement urination is a little different, but a very close cousin to submissive urination. It occurs when a puppy gets so excited that he “wets his pants.” Again, this is an involuntary response that the dog cannot control, and nothing is gained by punishing him.
Calm human behavior – body language and voice – are also important with the excitement urinator. Greetings are best accomplished by ignoring the dog until he settles of his own accord, then acknowledging him very calmly and quietly. Give him opportunities to empty his bladder outside on a regular basis, and implement a “Practiced Calm” program so he learns to control his own behavior, eliminating the trigger for the inappropriate urination. (See “Practiced Calm,” WDJ February 2002.)
Success stories
If you have a submissive or excitement urinator, you can be very optimistic. Most dogs can overcome these problems relatively easily with appropriate management and modification techniques.
Pebbles, our hog-tied Dalmatian, is a great example. Her owner pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation and, to the dog’s everlasting good fortune, forfeited ownership of his dog. She was adopted to a more understanding owner who successfully implemented a proper training program, and in just a few short months Pebbles’ submissive urination was no longer a problem.
If you spend your time in the company of dogs, you’re probably used to walking – long walks, short walks, walks for potty stops, walks for exercise, walks to relieve boredom, and walks for walking’s sake. So, what’s the difference between walking and hiking? In practical application, not much. But in attitude, everything!
Think of hiking as an adventure, getting wild, and leaving the mainstay of human existence – even if only for a few hours. And sharing the hiking experience with a dog offers rewards beyond explanation.
I’ve heard people warn that hiking with a dog scares off the wildlife, that you’ll see or hear less. In my experience, hiking with dogs brings me deeper into the adventure.
Recently, I was walking with my dog friend, Jesse, through a wilderness area on the edge of our city. As we were passing through a large meadow, I was distracted by the views of the ocean. But I noticed Jesse’s stance change. She air-scented for a moment, then the set of her ears shifted. I looked in the direction of her ear set. Her eyes followed mine. At that moment, I saw him, about 100 feet away – a beautiful young coyote. He’d been watching us, but I hadn’t noticed.
Jesse and I both stood still, eyes fixed on the coyote. When the coyote realized he had a captive audience, he began dancing through the tall wildflowers. He did not approach or retreat, but instead he rolled on his back, spun circles, made playful leaps into the air. It appeared as though he was inviting Jesse to come and play.
Jesse watched with interest, but stayed calm next to me (thanks to the leash!). After a few minutes, the young coyote must have decided we weren’t going to play and gave up his antics. He headed past us through the meadow and disappeared into the tall grass. We also continued on our way, but that experience – one that I would have surely missed if not for my dog friend – is forever etched in my mind.
Prepare Your Dog for the Woods
If you’ve never hiked with your dog, but are thinking of trying it, you are in for a lot of fun. You may want to start out with a casual adventure – close to home and not too long. I’ve witnessed a few city dogs who became nervous when walking in the woods for the first time. But by making the experience fun (bring along lots of great treats or your dog’s favorite toy), you can assure that he’ll soon overcome his nervousness and be as excited about hiking as you are.
Even for those dogs who obviously love the great outdoors, be sure to choose an adventure that suits both of your abilities. Think about the kind of physical condition you are in, and how adapted you are to the altitude, the outside temperature, and the terrain. For example, a dog (or person, for that matter) who lives and hikes regularly along the coast may have a tough time when hiking in higher altitudes. Likewise, a dog from a cool region may have some trouble in the heat of a summer desert. Muscles that are well suited for level or gently climbing trails may tire much faster on a steep climb. Don’t try to go too far or climb too high if you or your dog is not up to the challenge.
Finding the Right Dog Trail
Finding a great place to hike with dogs can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you live in an urban or other populated area. Many places that offer great hiking are off limits to our dogs. Some areas will allow dogs, but only on certain trails or at specific times of the year. But places to hike with dogs are out there – you just have to look!
Probably the best way to find fun hiking spots is to talk with other people who like to hike. Ask your friends, or the folks who work at the local outdoor equipment store or feed store. You can also search through hiking guidebooks – there are dozens in most libraries and bookstores. Some say if dogs are allowed in the area, and sometimes they even include leash restrictions.
You can also check online resources. A quick search for “Hiking in Santa Cruz,” for example, came up with a few great sites, complete with directions to the trailheads and maps of the area. Once you’ve got a place in mind, double-check the dog rules. It’s disappointing to get to a trailhead only to discover that an area that was once open to dogs is not anymore.
Here are a few additional tips for your search. National Forests can be a gold mine for hikers with dogs – dogs are allowed on most trails, and are often permitted off leash. National Parks, on the other hand, are usually less dog-friendly and rarely allow dogs on trails. Other places to check are local wilderness areas, county parks, and state parks. Rules and regulations vary dramatically from place to place and park to park, so call ahead to find out the specifics about dog regulations.
Leave Only Paw Prints
Hiking with dogs has become an endangered activity in some areas. More and more places are restricting access for dogs. The reasons may be obvious. Wilderness areas are shrinking, the population of people and dogs is ever-growing, and the places where the two meet have become more congested. Those of us who love the great outdoors are rightly concerned about the well-being of our wilderness areas, and about the future of hiking with dogs. So what can you do?
Respect wildlife and help your dog do the same.
If your dog enjoys a good chase, keep him on leash! While a wild animal is likely to outrun a domestic dog (though not always), your dog’s chase could leave the animal tired, and much more likely to become another’s dinner. Also, the animal or bird may be an overworked parent, foraging for its young. Using its energy resources to escape your dog may cause it to fail to provide food for its vulnerable babies.
Try to have as little impact on the area as possible.
Pack your trash. Scoop your dog’s poop and carry it out. Try not to disrupt plants and other natural features. Use special care not to pollute water sources, too.
Act as an ambassador for all dog people.
Always follow posted guidelines and rules for dogs. It’s hard to remember, but not everyone likes dogs! It could be terrifying for some people to have your dog bark and run up to them on the trail – or just plain rude to allow your wet, dirty dog to crash some other hiker’s picnic lunch. Help others see that those of us who hike with our dogs really care about others and the wilderness. We want to see it remain available and untouched for all to enjoy — dogs included!
Respect the wilderness as a precious and fragile treasure. “Take only memories, leave only paw prints.”
The Hiking Dog Basics
When you’re heading out for a hike – whether it be a quick romp through your local woods or an all-day adventure – remember this rule of thumb about what to bring: If you need it, your dog will likely need it too. For even the shortest of hikes, you will probably need to bring a few basic items:
A Leash
Of course. Even if the area is open to off-leash dogs and your dog is reliably responsive to your voice control, you may need a leash under certain circumstances (like if you run into a skunk on the trail and don’t want your friendly dog to investigate).
Identification
Your dog should always wear identification, with your contact numbers and, if you have traveled far from home, the best number to reach you locally. (See “Proper Identification Tags,” WDJ October 2001 for sources of permanent and temporary identification tags.)
Plastic Bags for Scooping Poop
If you’ll be a distance from a trash can, take an extra, heavy duty Ziploc bag for double-bagging so you can stash the goods in a pack.
Water for You and Your Dog
A hiking dog may need to drink two to three times as much as he does when hanging out at home. Give your dog drinks of water frequently when hiking. Use caution not to wait until your dog is so thirsty that he’ll want to drink too much, too fast.
Note: It’s not a good idea to let your dog drink straight from streams, rivers, or lakes as many harbor waterborne diseases such as giardia. If it’s not safe for you to drink, it’s probably not safe for your dog.
Snacks and Training Treats
I get hungry when I hike so I bring raisins, cheese, apples, and other yummy snacks. My dogs are always hungry, but they get a bit more so when hiking too. I like to give my dogs’ their hiking snacks as rewards for sticking close and coming when called.
First Aid Kit
You may not need to bring a first aid kit for a short walk in a local park or close to home, but for longer hikes and wilderness adventures, a first aid kit for you and your dog is a must.
In addition, you may want to have a few items stashed in your car, for those “just in case” moments. If your dog enjoys romping through puddles and creeks, or is likely to roll in that delightfully smelly something, grooming supplies can make the ride home a little more pleasant for the human half of the team. I like to bring a couple of dog towels, a jug of water, and a comb and brush. That way I’m prepared for Blue’s mud baths and Jesse’s odoriferous rolls. Plus, I’d rather leave the ticks and burrs at the trailhead than carry them home in the car!
Other Gear and Gizmos
While the “basics” above will be enough for many adventures, you may want to consider a few additional items:
Dog Booties
When I think about hiking, especially long hikes, I think about how to avoid blisters on my feet. My dog’s feet may need protecting, too – especially if I’m hiking over rough surfaces, hot sand, or through the snow.
Dog booties come in a variety of sizes, styles, and materials and it’s important to pick a type that will be both easy to put on and appropriate for the elements. Nylon or neoprene booties that fasten with Velcro are easy to get on and off your dog. Look for booties with heavy duty soles, such as those made with Cordura. Leather booties lace up and are a bit of a task to get onto a dog’s paws, but may hold up well in seriously rough conditions (like traveling over shale or volcanic rock). Polarfleece may be a good choice in cold and snow. (For a review of dog booties, see “The Best Boots for Your Dog,” WDJ January 2001.)
Dog Packs
Many dogs love carrying packs. Most dogs who weigh more than 30 pounds can safely carry a pack. Hip dysplasia, back problems, and other health issues can make packing unsafe for some dogs, so if your dog has any health problems, it’s a good idea to check in with your veterinarian before fitting your dog with a pack.
Dog packs come in different sizes and styles, from daypacks to heavy-duty mountaineering packs. If you’d like your dog to pack his own stuff, you’ll want to train him to wear the pack before you head out on the trail.
Get your dog used to wearing a pack:
Most dogs love wearing packs once they get used to them. Strutting down the trail on hikes or backpacking trips, your dog can help lighten your load. Dog packs come in a variety of styles, from daypacks to heavy-duty mountaineering packs.
Just how much weight can a dog carry in a pack? Most experts suggest that the average dog not carry more than about 10 percent of his body weight. Packs vary in size from small to extra large, and should be carefully fitted to your dog. And, as with people packs, the more padding they have the more comfortable they will be for long treks. Many packs have padding along the saddle and the straps. Here are a few additional tips to ensure comfort and safety.
The pack needs to fit properly. It should ride high on the dog’s shoulders and the straps should be snug but loose enough so that you can stick your finger between the strap and the dog’s body. Your dog should be able to move his legs freely, and he should be able to lie down in the “Sphinx” position without the pack touching the ground.
Balance the pack. If your dog is carrying his food, for example, divide it into two bags and put one on each side of the pack. Also, pack heavy items near the bottom and lighter items near the top.
Use plastic bags to protect items that could be damaged by moisture. Dogs always get wet when you don’t expect them to.
Spending a little time getting your dog used to wearing a pack before you hit the trail will pay off with a happy hiker:
Make the experience fun. The first time you show your dog the pack, have a handful of treats in your pocket. Place the empty pack across your dog’s back and focus his attention on you. When he stands for a moment with the pack on, give him a treat. Then take the pack off and repeat the process. When he stands easily with the pack on his back (for some dogs this happens after a few times, for others it can take 10 times or more), you can go on to the next step.
Fasten the empty pack securely around your dog and take him for a short walk in a safe, comfortable place. This could be around your neighborhood or even in your backyard. If your dog is at all hesitant about the pack, continue to feed him treats and keep his attention on you. Repeat this a few times until you are sure your dog is comfortable with the pack on his back.
When your dog can walk comfortably with the empty pack, start adding light items. At first, put in soft items that won’t shift around with the dog is walking. Gradually increase the weight in the pack until your dog can easily and happily carry 10 percent of his body weight.
Watch out. Once your dog is a happy hiker and packer, he may start subtly suggesting that you take longer, more adventurous hikes – or even head out on a backpacking trip.
Collapsing Water Bowls and Handy Bottles
I love those collapsing water bowls, the kind that fold or twist and can be stashed in a pack. And the water bottles with built-in bowls for dogs to drink from? Very cool. In a pinch, however, you can use an extra plastic bag; simply roll down the sides for an “instant” bowl.
Protection from the Elements
Being too hot or too cold can be dangerous for people and dogs. Be sure that you are both prepared for the expected conditions – and if you’re going more than a few miles, make sure you are prepared for the unexpected, too. For example, if your dog needs a sweater or coat for cold days at home, take one along on your hike if the conditions warrant it. If you’re taking a long hike or backpacking in extreme conditions, check into a lined parka with a waterproof shell for your dog; she’ll appreciate it.
In addition, be sure your pooch doesn’t overheat on your adventure. Keep her cool by wetting her down.
Wildlife Encounters on Hikes
I’d like to say that every wild animal encounter will be as pleasant as the day Jesse and I spent a few moments in the company of the coyote. Most are, but there are exceptions, and “better safe than sorry” is a code all hikers should follow. Certain wild creatures can pose a real danger to you and your dog. It’s not just the big animals (like mountain lions and bears) that can be trouble, either. Some of the biggest risks come from the smallest beings.
Ticks, spiders, and other things that crawl can certainly be trouble for dogs. In many states, for example, ticks carry Lyme’s disease. In other areas, they may carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever. If you’re hiking where ticks live, check your dog frequently and remove any that you find. Some places are home to black widow or brown recluse spiders, both of which can be dangerous to dogs. Most snakes, scorpions, and toads are not harmful to dogs (your dog will generally pose more of a risk to them!), but there are a few exceptions. Rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and coral snakes, for example, can all be dangerous to dogs.
Perhaps I don’t need to mention the problems with a dog running into a skunk? But in case you haven’t considered it, just imagine the car ride home if your dog does decide to investigate a skunk.
Wild dogs, mountain lions, and bears are all serious concerns. If you are traveling in an area where these animals live, it is imperative that your dog is with you and on leash at all times.
Small furry creatures, like gophers, squirrels, and mice, will generally be in more danger from dogs than the other way around, as will deer and elk. Don’t allow or enable your dog to chase animals – for his safety and theirs. A simple chase, even if your dog is not likely to catch or hurt them, can tire an animal, making it an easier target for another predator. A dog chasing any animal can easily become lost – many people have permanently lost their dogs in this very way. And a dog who becomes accustomed to chasing every animal he sees is likely to cause a serious accident someday, when he encounters someone on a horse.
Along with taking care around animals, you’ll want to be aware of other natural features that may pose a hazard to you or your dog. For example, fast-moving or very cold water can also be dangerous. And some dogs are oblivious to the risk of cliff edges; keep them close to you.
If the area where you hike features poison oak, ivy, or sumac, take special care to protect yourself. Dogs seldom suffer the itchy, painful rash associated with these three plants. A more realistic fear is that your dog will play in the poisonous plant, and the oils will get on you when you pet him.
The rash that humans get from these infamous plants is caused by a chemical called urushiol, which is present in the plant’s leaves, bare branches, and even its roots. Under hot, humid conditions, the poisonous oil becomes harmless in about a week. However, under dry conditions, the oil can retain its harmful effect for as long as six weeks.
If you are particularly sensitive to the rash, keep your dog away from these plants, even if it means keeping him on leash for the entire hike. If he does romp through the plants, try not to touch him until you’ve bathed him, which you should do as soon as possible. Use a soap (like Fels Naptha laundry bar) or a commercial solution formulated to cut the oil, and wear rubber gloves and protective clothing.
Hiking is Habit-Forming
Don’t be scared off by all of these words of caution and hints at possible dangers. In the 25 years I’ve been hiking with dogs, I’ve only encountered problems a handful of times, and none was terribly serious.
Still, it’s good to know what might be there, so that you can take the simple precautions needed to protect yourself and your dog. If you’re new to hiking or traveling to a new area, how do you find out what animal, plant, and other natural dangers might be found along the trail? Many trailheads have signboards that will update you on animal sightings and any special dangers.
If the area you are visiting has a ranger station, you may be able to call ahead and ask. You can also quiz people who have visited the area and look in the guidebooks. If these options aren’t available, simply be aware of your surroundings and use common sense.
Hiking is, in my opinion, one of the most wonderful experiences you can share with a dog. Traveling down a trail together lets you share the adventure and fun. Plus, when hiking with a dog, you will get to see the wilderness through different eyes – your dog’s. Pay attention when her ears go up, or when she lifts her nose to the wind. Her canine curiosity may lead you places you would never go on your own.
For more information on hiking, backpacking, camping, and other outdoor adventures with your dog, check out Ruffing It: The Complete Guide to Camping with Dogs, by Mardi Richmond and Melanee L. Barash. The book includes what-to-bring checklists, tips for getting your dog into shape for long hikes, a complete first aid section tailored to outdoor adventures, and much more.
Picture this: Two racing lanes, each with a row of four jumps leading up to mechanized boxes that throw tennis balls. Now imagine two teams, each with four ball-crazed dogs. The dogs are wound so tight that they can barely contain themselves. Their excited barking reaches a deafening pitch.
Suddenly, a light flashes green and the dogs are off. The first two dogs on each team race down their row of jumps and, with seemingly effortless motion, each dog banks off the box, hitting a pedal that shoots out the ball. If you blink, you’ll miss the ball catch as the dogs race each other back over the jumps. As the first two dogs cross the finish line, the next dogs on each team take off, passing at full speed. In less than 20 seconds, all four dogs on both teams have run the course, with the winning team crossing the finish only a split second ahead.
Tom Schaefges
Flyball racing is fast and furious. Most of all, it’s a great time for both dogs and people!
“The first time I saw Flyball, I laughed so hard that tears were streaming down my face,” said Jackie Earnshaw, Flyball enthusiast and owner of Sit Spot Dog Training in Boulder Creek, California. Earnshaw knew she liked Flyball from the start. “It was sheer joy, watching the dogs have such a good time.”
Lonnie Olson, author of Flyball Racing: The Dog Sport for Everyone, and founder of Dog Scouts of America, also got involved in Flyball racing because it looked like a fun thing to do with dogs. “Flyball offered fun, friendly, team competition, as an alternative to obedience competition – which was the only dog sport in popularity back in the early 80s.”
What is Flyball Racing?
“Dogs who like to play Flyball don’t just simply like it, they love it!” says Earnshaw, who is teaching Flyball to her Rottweiler, J.B., and recently founded a new Flyball group called the Box Rockers. With group and team names like Ballistics, Mighty Mutts, Box Rockers, Tail Spinners, and Rude Dogs, you know this sport is about honoring a dog’s true nature – to run, play, and have a blast.
Flyball is an obvious choice for ball-crazed dogs, but even if your dog is not into retrieving, he can be taught to hit the pedal, grab the ball, and race back to you.
“Some dogs who are not natural retrievers learn to retrieve, and then become ball crazed,” says Olson, who advocates teaching dogs to retrieve using clicker training and backward chaining. “The whole idea is that even if your dog doesn’t like the ball, he will gleefully retrieve to get the reward you are offering.” Olson teaches Flyball seminars and offers Flyball training at the Dog Scouts of America summer camps. She lives with three Border Collies, a mixed breed that looks like a Karelian Bear Dog, and a cattle dog (her husband’s dog) – all of whom enjoy Flyball.
But what if you have a dog who is too ball crazy? Flyball training is also a good opportunity to work with dogs with ball “issues.” For example, you can teach dogs who like to play keep away with retrieve objects to reliably bring the ball back. And for dogs that are out-of-control retrievers, Flyball is a good avenue to channel their drive, while helping them learn self-control.
Plus there’s the exercise factor. We’ve all heard the saying that, “A tired dog is a good dog.” Flyball works dogs hard, which may be part of why it appeals to both high-energy dogs and their human roommates. “It’s a wonderful energy burner,” says Earnshaw. “It gives the dogs a lot of exercise in a short amount of time, without a huge physical drain on the person.”
Any Dog Can Play Flyball
Flyball racing is open to any breed and any size dog. While speed-demon dogs like Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers are obvious contenders for Flyball, they are not the only dogs that will enjoy and excel at the sport. According to the North American Flyball Association (NAFA, the organization that oversees tournaments in North America), there are more than 170 different breeds (including mixed breeds) registered to race in Flyball tournaments. In fact, NAFA’s top pointed dog for 2001 was a mixed breed.
Tom Schaefges
Long-legged dogs definitely offer a speed advantage, but smaller dogs, such as small mixed breeds or terriers, fulfill very important roles on a team. Since the smallest dog on the team determines the height of the jumps for the entire team, many teams include one small speedster to augment their speedy strategy. Don’t worry; a small dog doesn’t have to force a standard size tennis ball into his tiny mouth – in Flyball, smaller sized balls can be used if those are more comfortable for the dog.
Any dog that is physically able to run, jump, and bank off the box is a good candidate for Flyball. In addition, because dogs run in close proximity to other dogs – while in a highly aroused state – they must not display aggression toward other dogs.
Dog Skills for Flyball: Speed and More Speed
A Flyball course is 51 feet long with four jumps, spaced at 10-foot intervals. The first jump is placed 6 feet after the start/finish line, and the Flyball box is placed 15 feet after the fourth jump. The jump height is set at 4 inches lower than the smallest dog, with the minimum height being 8 inches and the maximum being 16 inches.
Each dog must run in relay fashion down the jumps, trigger the release of the ball, catch the ball, and then run back over the four jumps. The next dog is released to run the course, but can’t cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned and crossed the line. If a dog loses the ball or misses a jump, he must run again after the rest of the team has completed their turn. The first team to have all four dogs finish without errors wins.
Flyball is obviously about speed – and competitions are won and lost with fractions of seconds. But that doesn’t mean your dog (or your team) has to be the fastest of the fast to enjoy competition. In NAFA sanctioned tournaments, teams are divided into divisions so that they compete against other teams of equal abilities. That way every team has a chance at winning an individual race.
Dogs who run Flyball can earn points toward Flyball titles. To earn points, the team must complete the race within a certain amount of time (you don’t have to win to earn points, only complete the race). If a team’s race time is less than 32 seconds, each dog on a team will earn one point. If a team’s race time is less than 28 seconds, each dog earns five points. If a team’s race time is under 24 seconds, each dog earns 25 points. Titles are awarded for 20 points, 100 points, 500 points, 5,000 points, 10,000 points, 15,000 points, 20,000 points, and 30,000 points.
Sometimes, competitions are run for exhibition purposes only, without the team earning points toward a title. In addition, as with Agility and other dog sports, there is a current trend among some Flyball enthusiasts to promote a more casual or “for fun” avenue of the sport. In fact, Earnshaw founded the Box Rockers about a year ago because she was interested in having a group that focused more on getting together and having fun than on competition.
Flyball Fundamentals
Flyball racing seems straightforward – dogs run down the course, get the ball, and run back. But Flyball racing is actually a series of over 25 different behaviors put together. For a dog to run a course with speed and accuracy, each of the elements or behaviors needs to be carefully taught.
“I’ve seen dogs ‘get it’ (the basics) in one night of training,” says Olson when asked how long it takes to train a dog for Flyball. “However, that’s not the best way to train. I use a very systemized method, involving backward chaining, which makes the finished product much more flawless. There’s more to it than just learning to jump and learning to press a pedal and get a ball. Everyone should work at their own dog’s speed, and not be in a hurry to get to the finished product.”
Earnshaw also emphasizes a systematic approach to training dogs in Flyball. “It’s very important not to rush the dog,” says Earnshaw. “Laying a solid foundation from the start is very important.”
Some of the behaviors dogs need to learn include snatching the ball in the air, turning quickly, and returning to you. They need to understand single bounce jumping so they can run with maximum speed. They need to be able to push the pedal on the box, and then to catch the ball as it shoots out. They need to master turning off the box (called a swimmer’s turn) and be able to pass other dogs at full speed. When the dogs have these and other behaviors down, they need to learn to put it all together into a run.
Tom Schaefges
Olson considers passing the most exciting part of Flyball. “It is the thing that possibly the uneducated spectators notice the least, but is the biggest part of the sport,” says Olson. “Much work goes into creating precision passes.” The pass is, simply put, the part of the course where one dog crosses the finish line as the next dog on the team begins his run. The two dogs pass each other, often within inches at full speed and without losing concentration or speed. “The pass (or exchange, as they call it in Canada) will win or lose the race for a team. There’s only one thing more exciting for a Flyball enthusiast watching a race than seeing a tight pass, and that’s seeing a close finish!”
Olson and Earnshaw both stress that the best way to teach Flyball skills is through positive, motivational methods. For example, clicker training can be used to shape a dog to push the pedal on the box. Backward chaining – teaching the dog the last part of exercise first – is very effective in Flyball. With backward chaining, the dog learns that ultimately his reward comes when he finishes the course.
Finding Flyball
Flyball is a fast growing dog sport with teams and groups popping up in many areas. But as fast as it’s growing, Flyball is still relatively new and it’s sometimes difficult to find a group to train with. “You may have to look hard to find Flyball,” warns Earnshaw. She also points out that when you find a group, make sure that you are comfortable and that the group offers what you want for your dog.
Olson agrees. “Remember that this is a game. Find a group that uses a behavioral approach to training. But, most importantly, find a group of warm, friendly people that you can relate to. Your fellow team members are going to become like family. You should choose people who are fun, friendly, and fair.”
If you can’t find a group in your area, you can follow Earnshaw’s example and start your own. Olson’s book may also help you get started. Flyball Racing: The Dog Sport for Everyone, offers great tips on building equipment, training the dogs, putting together a team, and getting involved in competition.
When asked what she would tell someone who was interested in giving Flyball a try, Earnshaw responded enthusiastically, “Do it! It’s great fun for the dogs and hilarious for the people.”
And, if you’re not sure you want to try it with your dog, you may still want to find a Flyball tournament to watch. “Flyball is my favorite spectator sport,” says Olson. “You can keep your baseball and your drag racing. For me, I get excited just thinking about going to a Flyball competition!”
Here are some more resources for finding and playing flyball:
flyballdogs.com. This excellent Web site has everything you might want to know about Flyball, including information on training, equipment, finding a team near you, and more. Also, this is the place to get information about joining the Flyball e-mail list.
flyball.org. This is the Web site of the North American Flyball Association. You can learn more about the organization, get the latest points and tournament results or download a copy of the NAFA Rules.
Flyball Racing: The Dog Sport for Everyone, by Lonnie Olson. This book provides an excellent introduction to the sport of Flyball with information on building equipment and extensive training tips.
A Brief History of Flyball
Flyball was invented in the late 1970s. Rumor has it that a man named Herbert Wagner first showed Flyball on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show and that shortly thereafter, trainers and dog clubs from around the country were building Flyball boxes. The sport quickly grew in popularity and in 1985, the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) was formed by a group of 12 teams from Michigan and Ontario. NAFA standardized the rules, kept records of tournaments, and guided the development of Flyball racing. Flyball is now played throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and other countries. According to Brett Williams, chairman of NAFA, it is still the only governing body for the sport of Flyball in North America.
Lonnie Olson, one of the early board members of NAFA, says the sport of Flyball has changed dramatically over the years. According to Olson, Flyball got its name because it involves a mechanical box that throws out a ball for a dog to catch. In the original Flyball, the ball flew up high in the air. The dog would wait for the ball to come down, like an outfielder in baseball waits to catch a fly ball. As the dogs became more intense about the game, they began trying to catch the ball on its way up, instead of waiting for the ball to come back down. This, as you can imagine, became dangerous for the dogs. Olson said that some dogs began bashing their teeth on the “cup” that threw the ball. Flyball boxes started changing dramatically at that point, to create greater safety for the dogs. Today, most of the boxes do not have an exposed throwing arm. The ball is propelled out of a hole in the front of the box, and most dogs “catch” it before it sees daylight!
The technology for timing the races has also changed, says Olson. Historically, judges would time, officiate, and determine the outcomes of races. While judges still officiate, electronic timing systems are usually used in tournaments today. The timing systems not only time the races, but also detect infractions and signal (with red lights) infractions made by false starts or premature passes during racing. Because of changes in the box and other technology, the winning times for Flyball dogs have decreased. Back in 1985, Olson’s team was declared the “Flyball Champions” with a best time of 32 seconds. Today, many teams run the course in less than 20 seconds.
Flyball grows in popularity with every competition and public exhibition. Today, NAFA has more than 300 member clubs with more than 7,000 registered dogs.
Mardi Richmond is a freelance writer who lives in Santa Cruz, California. Richmond and her dog, Blue, are just learning the sport of Flyball, but they’ve already realized that it may offer the most fun a ball-driven dog can have. Mardi also teaches Just for Fun Agility classes and is the co-author of Ruffing It: The Complete Guide to Camping with Dogs.
Slippery elm for dogs is used to help treat digestive issues and skin irritation. The supplement (scientific name: Ulmus fulva) is one of the safest herbs commonly given to dogs, and one of the most beneficial.
Herbalists attribute many wonderful healing properties to slippery elm: demulcent (soothing, mucilage-forming), emollient (soothing and protective for skin), nutritive (providing specific nutrients), tonic (promoting healthy function of one or more body systems), and astringent (constricting, binding, or drying effect). It can be used both internally and externally. Slippery elm is one of the herbs used in the original formulation of “Essiac,” an herbal brew that has been widely promoted as a cancer-fighter.
The part of the tree used is the inner bark, which is soft and stringy. Simplest to use is the powdered form, which can be purchased loose or pre-packed in capsules at most health food stores. It is also readily available over the Internet from herb suppliers.
In the gastrointestinal tract, slippery elm acts directly. Think of it as a natural Pepto-Bismol (Pepto-Bismol itself should be used with caution because it contains salicylate, a.k.a. aspirin). Slippery elm’s mucilage content coats, soothes, and lubricates the mucus membranes lining the digestive tract. Slippery elm is an excellent treatment for ulcers, gastritis, colitis, and other inflammatory bowel problems. It is high in fiber, and so helps normalize intestinal action; it can be used to relieve both diarrhea and constipation. It may also help alleviate nausea and vomiting in dogs suffering from non-GI illnesses, such as kidney disease. A syrup made from slippery elm bark (see recipe below) can be used to help heal mouth ulcers.
Slippery elm is said to relieve inflammation of virtually any mucus membrane, and has been used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the lungs (bronchitis, asthma), kidneys, bladder (cystitis), throat (tonsillitis), and joints (arthritis).
This wonder herb also contains many nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, and several trace minerals) that can be beneficial for dogs recuperating from any illness, and it may stay down when other foods are not tolerated.
Externally, a soothing paste of slippery elm powder (mix the powder with a little cold water) can be used as a poultice for hot spots, insect burns, rashes, scratches, ulcerated areas, or other shallow wounds. Native Americans used slippery elm bark to stop bleeding. It forms a natural bandage that can be left in place for several hours, if you can convince your dog to leave it alone! Moisten with water to remove it.
Internal Uses of Slippery Elm for Dogs
Slippery elm is thought to soothe the bladder lining, making it helpful for dogs suffering from cystitis. Slippery elm bark contains natural pentosans, a class of complex sugars that contains the same compound found in the drug Elmiron, the major pain-relieving treatment for interstitial cystitis in women. However, slippery elm is somewhat high in magnesium and ash, so may be contraindicated in dogs who have an active infection with an elevated urinary pH, where struvite crystal formation may be a risk.
To administer internally, mix about a quarter-teaspoon of slippery elm bark powder with cold water for every 10 pounds of the dog’s body weight. (The quarter-teaspoon dose works fine for dogs who are less than 10 pounds, too.) The bulk powder may be very fluffy, so pack it down as much as possible to measure it.
Alternatively, use a half-capsule (per 10 pounds), opened and the contents mixed with water. Slippery elm powder will absorb many times its own weight in water, so be sure to add enough to make a moderately thick gruel. This gruel can be given before meals by syringe or eyedropper, or added to baby food, canned food, or a homemade diet. It has a slightly sweet taste and is usually well-tolerated by dogs when mixed with food. Administer the dose before or with meals for digestive tract problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease, until symptoms resolve.
Because slippery elm may interfere with the absorption of certain minerals and pharmaceuticals, I would recommend that it be given several hours before or after any concurrent drug therapy.
Slippery elm bark is inexpensive and easy to use; it would be a great addition to your holistic medicine chest!
Recipe for Slippery Elm Syrup
Author Anitra Frazier gives the following recipe for slippery elm bark syrup in her book, The New Natural Cat, which applies equally well to our canine companions when adjusted for weight:
Into a small saucepan, place a half-cup of cold water and one teaspoon powdered slippery elm bark. Whip with a fork. Bring to simmer over low flame, stirring constantly. Simmer one or two minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Keeps seven or eight days. Give a teaspoon of syrup (5 cc) per 10 pounds of body weight five minutes before a meal to minimize diarrhea, or to soothe and heal mouth ulcers.
Jean Hofve, DVM, is a regular contributor to WDJ. Her veterinary practice is in Englewood, Colorado.
Eddie Pepper’s muscles flex as his compact body flies over the jumps and scrambles up the A-frame. Eddie’s guardian, Bonnie Vogt, rewards him for hitting the contact zone and then signals him through the tunnel and over the teeter. When Eddie takes the last obstacle in the sequence, he races back to Vogt for a quick game of tug and a whole lot of praise.
By now, if you’re into dogs, you’ve probably heard about agility. Maybe you’ve even seen it in action or tried it with your dog. Agility is one of the fastest growing dog sports in the world, and with good reason – it’s fun! “Of all of the dog things I’ve done, agility is the most fun,” says Vogt, a resident of Scotts Valley, California, who has participated in a multitude of dog activities, including search and rescue, obedience, hunting tests and flyball, as well as agility.
The Ultimate Team Sport
Agility is fun for a whole bunch of reasons. It’s fast. It’s always different. The dogs love it. The handler is constantly challenged. But perhaps the most wonderful part about agility is the way the dog and handler work together as a team. It is the ultimate team sport – and like any team sport, the relationship of the team members is key.
“It’s a really active and involved thing,” says Bud Houston, a long-time agility teacher and seminar leader who resides in Ostrander, Ohio. Houston has written numerous books on agility and is founder of the Just For Fun (JFF) agility organization. He points to his dogs’ joy and enthusiasm for the sport when he describes why he loves agility. “They really light up when we go out to the training building.”
Vogt echoes Houston’s sentiment. “Playing agility has brought us closer, sealed that bond a little tighter. Eddie seems to thoroughly enjoy the running and playing, and it’s helped us have more of a partnership.”
From the beginning, agility seemed to be a hit with dogs and people. Agility began as a demonstration event at the Crufts Dog Show in England in 1978. The obvious enjoyment of the dogs and the enthusiasm of the crowd at the first agility demonstration could have predicted the future popularity and growth of the sport. Today, agility is practiced throughout the world. In North America alone, you can find more than 10 organizations that sanction agility trials.
The goal in agility is for the handler and dog to run an obstacle course, with the handler directing the dog through and the dog navigating the obstacles. The course generally consists of between 14 and 20 obstacles that are designed to test a dog’s balance, speed, jumping, and climbing ability as well as the communication between the dog and handler. The obstacles commonly include:
• Jumps: A variety of jumps are used in agility including single jumps, double jumps, triple jumps, winged and non-winged jumps, panel jumps, broad jump, and tire or hoop jumps. The height of the jumps varies depending on the size of the dog.
• Tunnels: Flexible tunnels, 15 to 20 feet long, are used, as well as a collapsed tunnel made with a barrel opening and a fabric sleeve that the dog pushes through.
• A-frame: One of the “contact” obstacles (an obstacle that the dog must touch in a yellow-painted zone to insure a safe performance on the obstacle), the A-frame is a large climbing structure that the dog runs over.
• Teeter-totter: Also called the seesaw, the dog tips the board as he runs across. The teeter-totter is another contact obstacle and the dog needs to touch the yellow zones for safety.
• Dog walk: This contact obstacle is a type of balance beam that is three to four feet in the air. The dog runs up a ramp, across the beam, and down the descending ramp.
• Weave poles: Up to 12 weave poles are found on a standard agility course. Weave poles are often considered the most difficult obstacles to teach a dog.
• Table or pause box: The dog gets on the table and stays in either a down or sit position for five seconds. This is a control exercise and requires a dog to stop in the midst of running through the course.
In a competition, the course must be run within a certain amount of time and the team can be judged “faults” for mistake, such as taking the wrong obstacle or knocking down a jump bar. The courses are always different, making communication between the handler and dog as critical as the dog’s ability to navigate the obstacles.
Agility Not Just for Superdogs
Big dogs, little dogs, fast dogs, slow dogs, mixed breeds and pure breeds – all types of dogs can do agility. In fact, agility is one of the few dog sports providing as many opportunities for mixed breed dogs as for pure breeds. With the exception of AKC Agility, every dog agility organization in the United States welcomes mixed breeds in competition. Dogs as small as a Papillon and as large as a Great Dane can and do enjoy agility. Of course, not every dog (or person) is cut out for competition and only a select few will win national championships. But almost all dogs can enjoy some version of the sport.
Agility is an obvious choice for high energy and athletic dogs. It gives dogs that are often seen as “hyper” a place to put their drive and energy. It is also a good way to help timid or shy dogs build confidence. It’s a great way for both people and dogs to get some exercise.
“Agility keeps Eddie and me both in better shape,” says Vogt. “We both need the exercise and he needs a job to do.”
In general, dogs who play agility should be physically able to do the sport safely – they should have sound hips, elbows, good vision, and be in good physical shape. But even dogs and handlers with some physical limitations can enjoy the just for fun experience of agility. For example, jump heights can be lowered for a dog that is not physically able to jump full height. A dog shouldn’t do agility if it will make a condition worse, cause pain, or be unsafe in any way. It’s a good idea to have your veterinarian conduct a basic health examination before beginning agility.
Agility for Competition or Fun?
As with all sports, agility encompasses elements of competition. The competition can be as intense as professional basketball or as casual as a pick up game of softball on a sunny afternoon. In other words, agility can be played at the Olympic level, the city league level, or strictly for fun in the backyard or park.
In agility trials, teams compete in two ways. First, the dog and handler run against the time on the clock, with the goal of completing the course under the time limit and with no faults (called a clean run). In addition, the team is also competing against the other dog and handler teams within their class and height for placement – generally first, second, and third place dogs are recognized and awarded ribbons. The competition for a clean run and title are not the same as competing against other dogs. You can have a clean run and not win. You can also win and not have a clean run. As in other dog sports, you can compete at different levels and earn titles on your dog.
In addition to the standard agility course, dozens of games can be played in agility. Games range from those commonly found at trials, like Jumpers (which tests the dog’s speed and the person’s handling skills), Gamblers (which offers challenges in distance handling), and Snooker (which incorporates elements of both strategy and control), to those designed for fun or to help build specific skills.
But do you have to compete to do agility? Absolutely not. Some people do agility with the goal of winning at the highest level. Some people run their dogs with the goal of a clean run and earning a title, but aren’t really concerned about winning. Others play agility strictly for fun, without ever needing or wanting to compete. Agility can be enjoyed in a totally non-competitive fashion. That means that you can teach your dog the obstacles, learn to direct him through course, and run courses either with or without a time limit. Playing agility non-competitively eliminates the pressure to perform – so you and your dog really can just get out there and have fun.
Agility practice, even without competition as a goal, is a wonderful way to build everyday skills. Agility strengthens basic training such as the down, stay and recall. It is a fun way to work on off-leash behaviors and develop off-leash reliability. It can help dogs become more confident in the world, and it can help people learn to better train and communicate with their dogs. (If you can teach a dog to run through a set of weave poles – which is anything but a natural behavior for a dog – you can probably teach him just about anything!) Quite simply, agility practice can improve relationships between dogs and people.
“I’d like to get to the point where we can compete,” says Vogt, when she talks about training with Eddie. “But if we don’t, that’s OK too.”
Houston, who has competed and earned many titles on his dogs, says that one of his dogs, Ringer, will probably not become a dog he takes to trials. “Ringer gets carsick if we go more than about four miles,” says Houston. “So he will probably never do a lot of agility trialing in the world. But, he loves the game and he’s developing very nicely.”
Houston strongly promotes the recreational aspects of agility, and cautions against making agility into something that validates the handler, rather than something that is fun to do with your dog.
“It’s not about winning, you know,” says Houston. Houston emphasizes that agility is a recreational sport we play with the canine members of our family. It is about the relationship, the fun, and enjoyment of playing with your best friend.
Houston also stresses that agility should be accessible to anyone who is interested and can be a “lifetime sport” that we share with our dogs. With this spirit in mind, Houston formed Just For Fun agility. JFF’s slogan, “dog agility for the rest of us,” is helping to make the sport more available to those who may not have the perfect “competition” dog as well as to those who cannot afford the time or money needed to train competitively and enter trials.
JFF agility does promote a degree of competition, but emphasizes that it should always be low cost (or no cost) and fun. With that in mind, JFF agility launched the idea of league play – a version of the sport that can be organized and played on a local level, similar to local softball or basketball leagues offered through park and recreation programs. As with local softball and basketball leagues, anyone can join and play at the level at which they are comfortable. In JFF, each person chooses the jump height that is most appropriate for his dog’s ability.
Positive Training and Agility
The sport of agility has, perhaps inadvertently, become a huge promoter of positive training methods. You can probably imagine that it would be difficult to drag a reluctant dog over an A-frame or force a dog to run at top speed through a set of weave poles. Agility training generally incorporates positive-oriented training techniques, including clicker training, lure and reward, and classical conditioning. Dogs are motivated and rewarded with food, praise, and toys. Although some agility instructors do use punitive methods, most do not.
Nancy Gyes, co-owner of Power Paws Agility and a top level agility competitor in the United States, addressed the very issue of using compulsion methods in training at a recent seminar in Watsonville, California. Gyes admitted to the seminar crowd that she is so competitive that if using a pinch collar on her dog would help her win, she might use it for training in agility. But that the fact is, according to Gyes, positive reinforcement training methods work better in building accuracy, speed, and enthusiasm. Gyes went on to point out that the leading agility competitors in the country all use some elements of clicker training in working with their dogs – even those who do not consider themselves clicker trainers.
Getting Your Dog Started
Because agility is still relatively new, many of the people who are currently involved started out self-taught – building equipment, reading books, watching videos, attending seminars, and learning by trial and error. With the growing popularity of the sport, however, agility-training facilities are popping up everywhere. If you’d like to try agility, you could begin on your own, but your best bet is to find a trainer in your area to help you get started. When you are looking for a trainer, look for someone who:
• Focuses on safety and the well-being of the dogs above all else.
• Uses motivational methods. Forcing a dog onto equipment can ruin the fun for both of you.
• Can help you understand both how to teach your dog to use the equipment and help you learn to direct your dog through the course. Agility is a 50/50 team sport. You both need to learn your part.
If you do not plan to compete, your instructor does not need a competition background. But if you do want to compete, look for a teacher who has competition experience to mentor you through the process. If you or your dog have any special needs or limitations, ask the instructor if she is willing to work with you around those areas.
Because agility training is a long-term training process, it becomes especially important to find an instructor with whom you enjoy working.
Backyard Agility Fun
Interested in giving agility a try, but don’t have a training center near you? Here are a few things you can try at home. Remember to make these exercises as easy as possible until your dog gets the idea, offering lots of rewards along the way. Never force a dog to do any agility exercise. One of the most important aspects of agility is the dog’s enthusiasm and willingness to play the game; forcing a dog to participate may spoil his natural inclination for fun. In addition, make sure your dog is physically able to comfortably do the exercises you are asking of him.
Most adult dogs can safely try out the exercises below, but if you have any doubts, check with your veterinarian first. For serious agility training, your dog should be at least a year old and in excellent condition. Excellent condition for agility means a dog who has good hips and elbows, who is a good weight (for agility, this means scrawny – you will want to be able to easily feel your dog’s ribs when he is in a standing position). In addition, a dog who trains for agility should run off leash for at least 20 minutes four or five times a week. Walks alone are not enough to keep a dog in shape for agility.
Practice Handling
Because agility means working with your dog on both sides of you and making lots of twists and turns while running together, it’s helpful to practice “handling skills” with your dog. You will want to do these “on the flat” without any agility obstacles in the picture. First, try running in a straight line with your dog off leash on your left side. Then try it with him on your right side. If he’s a bit confused, you can put a treat in your hand to help him follow you, giving him the treat when you stop. Use the palm of your hand to guide your dog as you move.
Once your dog can run in a straight line, try turning to the left, then to the right. Help your dog understand where you are turning by using your foot, shoulder, and hand closest to your dog to motion to where you want him to go. Practice turning and moving in the opposite direction, too. Try having your dog turn toward you, and then have your dog move away from you.
Jumping into Action
You can put together a make-shift jump by placing a broomstick on top of two cinder blocks, or you can build or buy practice jumps made out of PVC pipe. When you begin teaching your dog to jump, use a very low jump – below your dog’s elbows. As he begins to get the idea, you can gradually raise the jump to between his elbow and shoulder. Unless your dog is in very good shape and conditioned to jump, do not raise the jump above his shoulder height.
Begin teaching your dog to jump by having him stay on one side of the jump. You move to the opposite side and then invite your dog over. You can use a treat or a toy to encourage him the first couple of times. When your dog is coming over the jump, click and treat. Once your dog is happily coming over the jump to you, start sending your dog away from you, over the jump, to a target. The target can be a touch object like a small plastic lid. Or, have your dog wait, toss a toy over the jump, and then send him over to get the toy. When he goes over the jump to the target or toy, lavish him with praise. Next, try walking, then running with your dog as he goes over the jump.
Fun with a Play Tunnel
You can purchase a small tunnel for kids at a toy store or use a long box (like those that hold hot water heaters) with ends cut off as a play tunnel for a smaller dog. For larger dogs, you can put together a makeshift tunnel with chairs and a bed sheet. As with jumping, begin by encouraging your dog to come to you through the tunnel. You may need to get down on the ground and stick your head in the tunnel, reaching through with a treat to get your dog to go through the first few times. When your dog comes through the tunnel to you, click and treat. As with jumping, after your dog can come to you, practice sending him to a target, and then practice< running next to your dog as he goes through the tunnel.
Walk the Plank
A 12-inch wide board, eight to twelve feet long, balanced on two cinder blocks is a fun way to start the dog walk. Encourage your dog to walk across the board. Walk with your dog if necessary. Be sure to click and treat when your dog is on the board, not when he steps off. Then spend some time helping your dog understand where his back feet are (so he won’t slip off when moving quickly), by having your dog do tricks like sitting, laying down, or changing direction on the board. Encourage your dog by clicking and treating for keeping all four feet on the board. Once he gets the idea of walking across the board and knows where his back feet are, try running in both directions and with you on each side.
Putting it All Together
Once your dog can jump, run through the tunnel and across the board, you can try putting it all together in a mini course. At first, put your obstacles in a straight line, 10 to 15 feet apart. Try running back and forth with your dog. You can encourage your dog by clicking and treating each obstacle at first. Once you have mastered running together with the obstacles in a straight line, try with the obstacles in a circle.
Remember to keep it fun and give your dog lots of rewards. Try treats, ball play, or a great game of tug. Experiment and see what motivates your dog the most.
Dog Agility is Addictive
When asked what he would say to someone who was considering trying agility, Bud Houston responds, “You’ve got to do this. It’s too much fun!” Anyone who has tried agility can tell you that it’s addictive. You just may end up with jumps in your backyard, weave poles in your living room, and a whole new set of vocabulary words. You may end up practicing front crosses and reverse flow pivots as you vacuum. You may start muttering terms like “clean runs” and “yards per second” in your sleep. Like any person exhibiting signs of addiction, your friends and family may wonder if you’ve lost your mind – or just given it to the dog.
Mardi Richmond is a writer and editor living in Santa Cruz, California. When she’s not busy playing with her dogs, Mardi teaches Just for Fun Agility classes. She is also the co-author of Ruffing It: The Complete Guide to Camping with Your Dog.
Dogs don’t experience heart attacks the way humans do, but this doesn’t mean they don’t die of heart disease. Heart failure is increasingly common in America’s dogs, with many showing symptoms by age seven or eight. Even some young dogs develop congestive heart failure, inheriting the propensity for the disease from their parents.
Conventional medical practitioners consider congestive heart failure and other circulatory problems to be progressive and irreversible, but holistic veterinarians know that in many cases, heart disease can be slowed, reversed, and even cured. Understanding heart disease will help you prevent it in healthy dogs and treat it in dogs who are already ill.
UPDATE: For information on another common heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs, see Whole Dog Journal‘s September 2018 story.
What Does Congestive Heart Failure in Dogs Look Like?
The symptoms of congestive heart failure (CHF) are easy to overlook, and the illness is often mistaken for other conditions, such a respiratory infection or the normal aging process. In short, the condition is an inability of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, because of a failure to adequately empty the venous reservoirs.
In congestive heart failure, the heart doesn’t actually fail or stop beating; instead, its valves become thick with scar tissue, which prevents them from closing properly. Leaking valves cause fluid to accumulate on either side of the heart, and the heart grows larger as it works harder. Fluid accumulating on the right side of the heart produces lung congestion and coughing; fluid on the left side leads to edema (fluid retention) in the abdomen. Arrhythmia, or an uneven heartbeat, can occur as well.
In dogs as in humans, there are four functional classifications of CHF. Class 1 has no obvious signs. This early phase, during which the heart begins to malfunction, can last for years.
In Class 2 CHF, fatigue and shortness of breath begin to accompany active exercise or heavy physical activity. There are no symptoms when the dog is sitting still or lying down. A lack of circulation in the extremities in this and later stages may interfere with wound healing, and mental confusion can occasionally result from a lack of oxygen in the brain.
In Class 3 CHF, even slow walking on a level surface can produce shortness of breath and fatigue. Other possible signs include a persistent dry or hacking cough, wheezing, sudden collapse, and a bluish discoloration of the tongue and gums during exercise. Because the accumulation of fluid in the chest interferes with deep breathing, the dog may seek fresh air more than usual.
In Class 4 CHF, the patient is uncomfortable at all times, even while resting. Edema can affect the legs and feet as well as abdomen and chest area. In advanced cases, fluid collecting in the chest cavity can push on the heart and collapse the lungs. In contrast to the long time lag between Class 1 and Class 2, the illness progresses quickly from Class 3 to Class 4, so that a dog that seemed healthy and active may suddenly enter a critical condition.
Conventional vs. Complementary Approaches to Congestive Heart Failure
Conventional medicine treats CHF with diuretics, which remove accumulated fluids; digitalis or other heart drugs, which stimulate and temporarily strengthen the heart muscle; oxygen, which improves the animal’s breathing; and a low-salt diet, which helps prevent further edema. These treatments effectively treat the symptoms of the disease, vastly improving the quality of the animal’s remaining life, but do nothing to prevent the progression of the illness.
Generally, holistic practitioners also employ the effective conventional drugs to suppress the symptoms of CHF and seek to augment conventional treatments with nutritional support and herbs. Their goal is to improve whatever underlying imbalances or deficiencies the dog may be experiencing, which may help to slow or stop the progression of disease.
Since all drugs used to treat symptoms of CHF have some adverse effects, another goal of holistic practitioners is to facilitate the safe reduction or even elimination of the dog’s conventional prescriptions. Of course, success depends on the type, severity, and duration of the dog’s illness, but many veterinarians and dog guardians have seen great improvements in their patients with this approach.
Nutritional Support for Dogs with Congestive Heart Failure
Vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients play a crucial role in maintaining circulatory health.
• Vitamins: In the 1940s, Drs. Wilfrid and Evan Shute, who were brothers, began a 40-year study of the effects of vitamin E on the heart. Wilfrid Shute’s research involved dogs as well as humans, for he was a show judge and Doberman Pinscher breeder. Soon, thanks to his efforts, vitamin E improved the health of dogs around the world.
As Wendell O. Belfield, DVM, reports in his classic book How to Have a Healthier Dog, many of these cases were dramatic. In 1945, Dr. N. H. Lambert in Dublin, Ireland, learned of the Shute brothers’ work and began giving vitamin E to dogs, the first of which, a nine-year-old Griffon, was dying of heart disease complicated by an inflammatory uterine condition. Conventional treatment had been unsuccessful. “Placed on vitamin E, she made a spectacular recovery,” Dr. Belfield reports. “Lambert said she became quite rejuvenated and lived for another six years.
“Among the virtues of vitamin E is the prevention of excessive scar tissue production,” he adds.
Vitamin C is another crucial nutrient for heart health, as it stabilizes blood vessel walls by supporting the production of collagen, elastin, and other connective tissue. Some physicians consider congestive heart failure a form of scurvy, caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. A powerful antioxidant, vitamin C protects the cardiovascular system as well as speeds wound healing throughout the body, including tiny lesions and wounds within blood vessel walls. In addition, vitamin C is a cofactor for enzymes (biological catalysts) that improve the metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides.
But of all the vitamins associated with heart health, the most important may be those of the vitamin B complex, including one that has never been recognized as important to human health (vitamin B4, or adenine), even though animal research has shown that withholding it produces congestive heart failure. Vitamin B4 is found in yeast, liver, and wheat germ.
In the last 20 years, Bruce West, DC, has treated thousands of congestive heart failure patients with nutrition rather than drugs. Although he works with humans rather than dogs, his explanation of how congestive heart failure develops applies to both. The cause in most cases, he says, is what he calls American beriberi, or beriberi of the heart. Beriberi is a B-vitamin deficiency that causes nerve conductivity problems, weakness, and muscle paralysis. “Congestive heart failure,” he says, “is a problem of poor nerve conductivity to the heart, an almost paralyzing weakness of the heart muscle, and the resultant failure of the heart muscle to be able to pump out blood.”
Dr. West recommends nutrient-rich foods that contain the entire B-vitamin complex as well as all of the nutrients important to circulatory system health. Unlike prescription drugs, these supplements help the body repair itself by providing the nutrients whose deficiency caused the damage in the first place.
According to Dr. West, most human patients who follow his protocol reduce their prescription drugs and diuretics within a few months and stop them altogether within a year, and this is quite possible for canine patients, too. “Heart drugs are powerful and can prolong life,” he notes, “but when they are no longer needed, they can do serious damage to the heart and kidneys and should be discontinued.”
Recommended dosages vary widely, depending on the prescriber’s philosophy. Practitioners of orthomolecular medicine use very high doses of synthetic vitamins to treat heart disease and other conditions. In Keep Your Pet Healthy the Natural Way, Pat Lazarus lists the supplements used by Richard J. Kearns, DVM, to treat canine heart disease, which include 400,000 International Units (IU) of water-soluble vitamin A, 20 to 25 grams of vitamin C, and up to 4,000 to 6,000 IU of water-soluble vitamin E. Megadoses of synthetic vitamins have a drug-like effect and require professional supervision.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are those who use whole-food supplements rather than synthetic vitamins or isolated nutrients. Even though they supply individual nutrients in minute quantities, whole-food supplements such as those made by Standard Process and Wysong contain all of the C-complex, B-complex, and other families of vitamins, plus hundreds of other nutrients. Food-source supplements are readily absorbed and utilized, have no adverse side effects, and work synergistically to repair damaged tissue.
• Coenzymes:Coenzyme Q10 is used by holistic practitioners for many heart ailments, including CHF. Coenzyme Q10 (generally written as CoQ10 and pronounced “Coe-cue-ten”) is a vitamin-like substance that resembles vitamin E in its action, and strengthens the heart muscle and enhances immunity.
For his canine CHF patients, San Diego-based veterinarian Stephen Blake (see “Holistic Veterinarians Propose Other CHF Causes and Treatments” sidebar at end of story) prescribes one milligram of oil-based CoQ10 per pound of body weight per day, or two milligrams of powdered CoQ10 per pound of body weight.
• Amino acids: The amino acids taurine and L-carnitine are popular supplements because they have been shown to help strengthen the heart muscle, increase its output, and help relieve edema. These amino acids work best when given with high-quality protein and are usually recommended for CHF in doses up to 10 mg per pound of body weight.
• Minerals: Of the many minerals that help maintain heart health, the most important are found in raw bones. Dogs on a raw bone-based diet ingest these minerals daily. Calcium supports the contraction of muscle cells in the heart as well as the conduction of nerve impulses that trigger heartbeats. Magnesium helps normalize an irregular heartbeat, and works synergistically with calcium to strengthen the heart. Trace elements such as zinc, manganese, copper, selenium, chromium, molybdenum, and boron are also important, but are needed in only small quantities.
Supplements such as Calcifood, Min-Tran, and Organic Minerals from Standard Process or Wysong’s Orgamin and Chelamin contain all of these important nutrients. Powdered kelp (½ teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight) and liquid colloidal minerals (½ teaspoon per 30 pounds of body weight) can be added to food for additional support.
• Essential fatty acids: Essential fatty acids (EFAs) can be important supplements, especially for dogs fed a grain-based commercial diet. EFA supplements that contain fish oils (marine lipids) provide omega-3 fatty acids that improve heart function by correcting EFA deficiencies and balances.
• Enzymes: Systemic oral enzyme products such as Wobenzym and Nutrizyme help repair damage to the heart and other organs, especially where inflammation is involved. Systemic oral enzymes are enteric-coated digestive enzymes taken between meals on an empty stomach.
“Instead of staying in the stomach and digesting food,” explains enzyme researcher Charles Green, “these enzymes circulate through the body, removing inflammation, breaking down scar tissue, and restoring healthy tissue.” According to Green, this therapy reduces inflammation quickly, within a matter of days or even hours, while the removal of scar tissue takes place more slowly. These products have been proven safe even in large doses for long-term use.
Herbs for Your Dog’s Heart
Of the many herbs that support heart health, several are suitable for use with dogs.
The hawthorn berry (Crataegus oxyacantha), is gentle, effective, and nontoxic. Hawthorn’s flavonoids increase coronary blood flow while slightly enhancing the force of the heartbeat; it stabilizes the pulse, increases the heart’s tolerance of oxygen deficiency, and increases cerebral blood flow. Because it has a gradual effect, hawthorn should be taken over a long period, such as several months or years, for maximum effectiveness. Prolonged use is safe, as hawthorn has shown extremely low toxicity in every animal species tested. Any hawthorn preparation sold for human use can be given to dogs, adapting label directions to the patient’s weight.
Another herb with impressive cardiovascular benefits is garlic. Garlic improves cholesterol balance, inhibits harmful platelet congregation, and acts as an antioxidant. There is much debate about which type of garlic is best, and every preparation (fresh, dried, cooked, raw, aged, or extract) has its proponents. Although side effects are rare, garlic does thin the blood and should not be used by dogs with bleeding disorders. Otherwise, it is usually safe to take in “courses” of five days on and two days off for four weeks, then discontinued for one week before resuming, with occasional breaks of a month or more.
Cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum), another culinary herb with cardiotonic properties, helps stop internal bleeding, relieves pain, strengthens tissue, and improves circulation. Cayenne capsules are widely sold and easy to administer in food.
Other tonic herbs with circulatory system benefits include ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus).
Liver support, which is important in most cases of congestive heart failure, is well provided by dandelion leaf or root (Taraxacum officinale) and milk thistle seed (Silybum marianum).
For best results, work with a veterinary herbalist to determine which herbs would benefit your dog, adjust the dosages, and monitor their effects. As mentioned earlier, success with nutritional support or herbal medicines may enable you to reduce your dog’s conventional medications. However, this must be done under a veterinarian’s supervision. Contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association to find a holistic veterinarian in your area.
Holistic Veterinarians Propose Other CHF Causes and Treatments
It’s in the Food
To Australian veterinarian Tom Lonsdale, author of the book Raw Meaty Bones and a longtime advocate of raw diets for dogs, the cause of almost every case of canine congestive heart failure is commercial pet food. “Domestic dogs that are fed the way a wolf or dingo feeds itself bloom with health,” he says. “I’m talking about whole carcasses or large lumps of raw meat and bones as the staple of the diet. Congestive heart failure is rare in dogs that eat the diet nature intended.
“Heart disease usually starts in the mouth,” he continues. “A diet based on raw meaty bones provides the nutrients and exercise that keep teeth and gums clean and healthy, while commercial pet food promotes periodontal infections like gingivitis and pyorrhea. These infections have consequences for other body systems. Harmful bacteria drain from the mouth and spread throughout the body, leading to multiple problems, including heart disease.”
According to Dr. Lonsdale, congestive heart failure involves collagen, the connective tissue that holds the body together. Dietary deficiencies and mouth infections affect all of the body’s collagen adversely, he says. As circulatory system collagen loses its flexibility, inflammation results, producing scar tissue, leaky valves, and circulatory insufficiency.
“As with so many things,” says Dr. Lonsdale, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially so with dogs that have an audible congenitally acquired heart murmur. If one can improve the patient’s dental hygiene and diet before signs of congestive heart failure arise, then, despite the heart murmur, general health often remains surprisingly good. That’s a relief because drug treatments are at best unreliable.”
Detoxification
San Diego veterinarian Stephen Blake agrees that congestive heart failure is a syndrome rather than an isolated illness. “It’s a mistake to focus exclusively on the heart,” he says, “because the heart is only part of the problem. Ninety percent of the congestive heart failure patients I see also have some kind of liver problem, which isn’t surprising considering our toxic environment. Dogs are exposed to toxins in their food and water, not to mention vaccines and prescription drugs, all of which overwhelm the liver. So in most cases, in addition to supporting the heart, I’m going to be treating the liver.”
Dr. Blake begins this process by removing as many toxins as possible from the dog’s environment and diet. “Anything that’s not natural should be eliminated,” he says. “I recommend that the dog not receive vaccinations, heartworm preventatives, flea or tick treatments, food that contains chemical preservatives, or anything that might contain pesticide residues or other chemicals. If the patient is on prescription medication, I consider whether going off the drug would be beneficial or dangerous. For example, if the dog has diabetes as well as congestive heart failure, I’m not going to pull him off insulin. But in most cases, you can discontinue prescription drugs by providing herbs or supplements that have similar effects.”
One patient who recovered on Dr. Blake’s protocol of improved nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, and acupuncture is Mia, a Chow who, two years ago, had a chronic lung infection and congestive heart failure. Despite conventional treatment with antibiotics, heart drugs, and diuretics, her condition was rapidly deteriorating.
“She was on a low-protein food for senior dogs,” he says, “and that has to be the worst kind of diet for the heart. We increased the amount of protein in her diet and improved its quality by switching her to raw meat and bones. I had her take colostrum, which is rich in growth factors and helps promote tissue repair, as well as Cardio-Plus and glandular products from Standard Process for support of the heart. Then I chose a homeopathic remedy to fit her constitutionally.
“At her first appointment, this dog could barely breathe, coughed all the time, was extremely uncomfortable, and was close to death. Now she no longer takes Lasix (her prescription diuretic) or other medications except for one heart drug, which she takes at a reduced dose. She just turned 16 and is in great shape, full of spit and vinegar.”
Homeopathy and Energy Medicine
Gloria Dodd, DVM, uses homeopathy, nutrition, and energy medicine to treat dogs with CHF. Her Web site features beforeand-after photos of some of her patients, including Snookie, a 12-year-old spayed female Poodle who had severe congestive heart failure, emphysema, plus liver and digestive problems. She was also deaf.
After treatment with an improved diet and Dr. Dodd’s homeopathic combination for CHF, Snookie looks years younger. Her lungs are clear, she plays like a puppy, and her hearing has returned.
Dr. Dodd’s interest in energy medicine prompted her to design a halter that combines color therapy, quartz crystals, pyramid configuration energy, heart chakra energy, and an antiradiation bead. The first dog to wear the harness, which now comes in different sizes, was her own Poodle, who had CHF and a severe mitral heart valve murmur. After wearing the halter, her CHF and heart murmur disappeared. Now 18 years old, the Poodle has remained active and free from disease for the past four years, with all clinical exams and blood tests remaining normal.
“The basis of all my treatment for any illness is one of detoxification and support, which I describe on my Web site,” says Dr. Dodd. “I find that in order to effect a cure (and that is what I aim for; I don’t espouse repressive therapy even with natural methods), one has to ferret out the true cause of disease. It is multilayered, and I consider energy medicine my most important tool.”
Unorthodox Approaches
As one might guess, the ideas forwarded by these holistic practitioners are not supported by most conventional practitioners, who generally treat CHF with modern pharmacology alone. If your conventionally oriented veterinarian scoffs at your queries regarding complementary therapies, look for a holistic veterinarian who can augment your healthcare options. The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) can help you find a practitioner in your area.
In Conclusion
Congestive heart failure has many possible causes and many possible treatments. By focusing on diet and nutrition, by avoiding conditions and products that add stress to the body, and by providing appropriate support therapies, many patients with CHF can experience a total restoration of health.
Freelance writer CJ Puotinen is the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and many other books.
Your dog might seem to love being around your children – and still be at risk of biting one of them. It depends on what her specific stressors are. You need to know what her stressors are, and manage her environment carefully.
There are few things quite as disconcerting as having your own dog bite you. I can recall with crystal clarity the time our Scottie nailed me in a classic case of redirected aggression. He had taken an intense dislike to a Labrador Retriever who had entered the room, and when I touched him on his back to try to distract him, he whirled around and redirected his aroused state, and his substantial Scottish Terrier teeth, at my hand.
Despite the horror stories of free-roaming Pitbulls mauling children as they walk to school, the majority of dog bites occur in the owner’s home. The majority of dog bite victims are friends or members of the owner’s family. Sixty-one percent of dog bites occur in the home or a familiar place, and 77 percent of bite victims are family members or friends, according to attorney Kenneth Phillips, who specializes in dog bite cases. A relatively small percentage of bites are inflicted by errant stray dogs. This means that most bites leave a shocked owner feeling betrayed by his loyal canine, and wondering whether he can ever trust his four-footed friend again.
Why Do Dogs Bite?
Why did your sweet dog bite you? All dogs can bite, and given differing circumstances, all dogs will. Although we humans regard any bite as aggression, for dogs, biting is a natural and normal means of canine communication and defense. It’s actually surprising that our dogs don’t bite us more often than they do!
Aggression and bites are generally caused by stress, which can come from a variety of sources. Some dogs have high bite thresholds – it takes a lot of stressors to make them bite. Some have low thresholds – it doesn’t take much to convince them to bite. A dog with a high bite threshold may seem like the best choice around kids. This is often true, but if noisy, active children are very stressful to the dog, even a high-threshold dog might bite them. Conversely, a dog who has a low bite threshold may be a fine child’s companion if children are not one of his stressors, and if he is kept in an environment that is free of the things that are stressors for him.
Pain, fear, anxiety, arousal – any kind of threat to the dog’s well-being can be considered a stressor. A timid dog whose space is trespassed upon will retreat, but if prevented from retreating, will bite out of fear. A mother with pups whose space is trespassed upon may feel threatened by the intrusion, and bite. A resource-guarder bites because he is offended (stressed) by his perception that the human might take a possession. The bite often resolves the situation for the dog and relieves his stress, which is why a dog may bite in one instant and seem fine the next. When the resource-guarder bites, the human (generally) withdraws; with the threat to his food bowl gone, the dog is perfectly calm and happy again. Wounds to the human victim’s skin often heal far more quickly than the breach in the relationship between dog and human. This is unfortunate, because the majority of bites are perfectly justified – from the dog’s point of view – although often misunderstood by the human.
If humans better understood dogs, we would realize it’s about behavior, not trust. Many biting dogs could easily remain in their homes and lead long and happy lives, with a low risk for a second bite, if their owners only understood how to identify and minimize their dogs’ stressors.
What to Do If Your Dog Bites Someone
If your dog bites, you have at least four options:
Manage his behavior to prevent him from ever biting again
Implement a comprehensive behavior modification program
Rehome the dog
Have the dog euthanized
1. Manage his behavior to prevent him from ever having the opportunity to bite again.
While difficult, this is possible. It means greatly restricting his movements so he has no access to humans, other than adult family members. If company comes over, the dog is crated in a closed room. If the grandkids visit, he is crated or sent to a kennel that is equipped to safely handle a biting dog. Even if he adores the grandkids, the fact that he has bitten puts them at unacceptable risk. Unless you are 100 percent confident that you know what his stressors are and can prevent them from occurring during the kids’ visit, you cannot take the chance.
Of course, selecting this option means a reduced quality of life – no more walks in the park, on or off leash; no more rides in the car; and no more spending hours on his own in the fresh air and sunshine in the fenced backyard.
2. Manage his behavior to prevent him from biting while you implement a comprehensive behavior modification program. This requires a serious commitment.
Most owners, however, need the (sometimes costly) help of an experienced, positive behavior counselor or behaviorist to help them succeed. The behavior professional will help identify your dog’s stressors, and set up a program to use desensitization and counter-conditioning to convince him that the things he now perceives as “bad” (stressors) are really “good.” If he changes his perception, they will no longer cause him stress, and they won’t push him over his bite threshold.
This doesn’t happen overnight. The longer your dog has practiced his aggression responses, the longer it takes to modify them. The more committed you are to working with him, the more opportunities he will have to reprogram his responses and the faster it will happen. Meanwhile, he must be crated or kenneled while visitors or grandkids are at the house, and not taken for walks, car rides, nor left to his own devices in the backyard.
3. Rehome him with a new owner who is willing and able to do one of the first two.
Rehoming a dog that bites is a long shot. Depending on the circumstances of the bite and the dog’s general nature, some dogs who have bitten may be accepted into training programs for government drug or bomb-sniffing dogs, or as police K9 units. Your average adoption home, however, is no better equipped than you to make the commitment necessary to safely keep a biting dog. Most rescue groups will not accept dogs who have a history of biting, and shelters that do accept them will often euthanize, rather than take the risk (and the liability) of placing them in a new home.
If you rehome him yourself, you risk having the dog fall into the hands of someone who will punish him severely for biting, or otherwise not treat him well. You may even continue to bear some liability, moral if not also legal, should the dog do serious damage to someone at his new home.
There are millions of dogs looking for homes who haven’t bitten anyone. You love your dog and are trying to rehome him. What are your chances of finding someone to adopt him who is willing to take the risk of bringing home a biting dog?
4. Have the dog euthanized.
This is never a happy outcome. Still, you need to think long and hard about this dog’s quality of life. If you can only manage his behavior, will he be happy, or miserable, being shut out of the activities he loves? Can you guarantee that the home you find for him will treat him well? Once a dog bites, will he bite again?
If you can manage and modify, and still maintain your own quality of life as well as his, by all means, that is the best choice. But if not, remember that aggression is caused by stress, and stress is not an enjoyable state of being. If the dog is so stressed that you can’t succeed in managing and modifying his behavior and he is a high risk for biting someone else, he can’t be living a very enjoyable life. Nor can you! As difficult as the decision may be, it is sometimes the right and responsible one for the protection of all of your loved ones, including the dog.
What you should never do is close your eyes and hope and pray that he doesn’t bite again. You are responsible for protecting your family as well as other members of your community. Denial will only result in more bites.
The most dangerous course of action – for the dog and the human – is also the one taken by most uninformed owners of dogs who bite. Many people react to their dog’s bite by physically and sometimes severely punishing the dog into submission. Some dog trainers even recommend this method, to be employed at the dog’s first sign of aggression. A warning growl or snarl is met with a harsh verbal correction and a leash jerk, followed by more serious measures such as hanging or helicoptering if the dog continued to resist. While this method does manage to “whip” some dogs “into shape,” others will escalate their resistance, fighting back until dog, human, or both, are seriously injured or even dead. You should NOT punish a dog for biting.
This method may also teach the dog not to give a warning prior to the bite. It certainly doesn’t do anything to minimize the dog’s stressors. If anything, it increases the stress, since the dog now associates a severe beating along with whatever other negative feelings he has about the stressor.
Let’s say, for example, a dog is not fond of children. A child approaches and the dog growls – his attempt to let us (and the child) know that her presence is stressful to him. We jerk on his leash and tell him to knock it off. He snaps at us in response to the jerk, so we punish him harder, until he stops fighting and submits. The end result is a dog who isn’t any happier about being around small children, who has now learned that it isn’t safe to growl. This dog is now more likely to bite a child next time he sees one, rather than growling to warn her away, since he has learned that his growling makes us unreasonably aggressive. We may have suppressed the growl, but we haven’t helped him feel any better about being around kids!
A growl is a good thing. It tells us that our dog is nearing his bite threshold, and gives us the opportunity to identify and remove the stressor. Snarls and air-snaps are two steps closer to the threshold – our dog’s last-ditch attempts to warn off the stressor before he is forced to commit the ultimate offense: The actual bite.
If your dog growls or snaps frequently, you need to take notice. He is telling you that there are lots of stressors pushing him toward his bite threshold. If you don’t take action, chances are good that he will eventually bite. And if your dog bites a child – then what? Let’s just say dogs who bite tend to have short lifespans.
Dog Bite Classifications
Well-known veterinarian, dog trainer, and behaviorist Ian Dunbar has developed a six-level system of classifying bites, in order to make discussions of dog biting behavior more consistent and understandable. Those levels are:
Level 1 Bite
Harassment, but no skin contact. This is the so-called snap. Don’t kid yourself. A snap is an intended “air bite” from a dog who did not intend to connect. He didn’t just “miss.” It is a lovely warning signal, telling us that we need to identify his stressors and either desensitize him or manage his behavior to avoid exposing him to the things that cause him undue stress.
Level 2 Bite
Tooth contact on skin but no puncture.This is from a dog who wanted to bite but didn’t break skin, and a warning that this dog is serious. It’s a very good idea to remove the dog’s stressors at this point, before he graduates to the next level.
Level 3 Bite
Skin punctures, one to four holes from a single bite (all punctures shallower than the length of the canine tooth).
Level 4 Bite
One to four holes, deep black bruising with punctures deeper than the length of the canine (which means the dog bit and clamped down) or slashes in both directions from the puncture (the dog bit and shook his head).
Level 5 Bite
Multiple-bite attack with deep punctures, or multiple attack incident.
Level 6 Bite
Killed victim and/or consumed flesh.
Can a Dog Who Bites Be Rehabilitated? Dog Biting Can Usually Be Improved
The good news is that relatively few dogs are beyond help. If you make a commitment to helping your dog feel more comfortable with the world, there’s a good chance you will succeed. You will understand why he has bitten in the past, and be able to avoid his stressors while you work to convince him that what are now stressors for him are actually good things.
Like my own encounter with my Scottie’s capable canines, you will realize that the bite wasn’t personal, but simply the end result of a chain of events that were beyond your dog’s control. What a proud day for you both, when you can take him out in public with confidence, knowing that he is as safe as any dog can be in the face of the unknown elements of the real world.
Four Steps to Modify Aggressive Dog Behavior
Aggression is a classically conditioned response. Your dog does not generally take a seat and ponder whether he is going to bite the next time you try to clip his nails or remove him from the bed. When a stressor occurs, it triggers an involuntary reaction – the dog’s brain screams, “Nail clipping – BAD!” and the dog bites. If you want the dog to stop from biting when you clip his nails, you have to change his brain’s reaction to “Nail clipping – GOOD!” See how disciplining a dog for biting is counterproductive yet?
You will use food, a very powerful positive reinforcer, to change the way your dog’s brain responds to a stressor, using “desensitization and counter-conditioning” (D&CC). Here is one possible program for a dog who bites during nail trimming, as an example. You can change the steps to fit any situation that typically causes your dog to bite.
NOTE: Because the risks associated with a failed program for aggression are high, I strongly recommend that you work with a competent positive behavior professional to implement a D&CC program. The following program is not intended to take the place of professional guidance.
1. Write down every step of the process.
Record every single step you normally take for nail trimming, (or whatever situation your dog has problems with). Your list may look something like this:
a.) Set the nail clippers on the coffee table
b.) Grab dog
c.) Drag dog to coffee table; keep stranglehold of dog’s collar
d.) Grip dog in unbreakable headlock
e.) Pick up clippers
f.) Pick up dog’s right front paw with the left hand while maintaining headlock
g.) Move clippers toward paw
h.) Touch paw with clippers
i.) Clip first nail
j.) Clip second nail, etc., all the way through all the dog’s nails.
2. Determine how to separate different elements of this procedure into separate goals for Desensitization and Counter-conditioning.
Separate goals might look like this:
a.) Develop positive association with clippers
b.) Teach dog to sit quietly and accept paws being held
c.) Convince dog to allow nail clipping
3. Create a mini-D&CC program for each separate element.
Work on each program separately but concurrently so you can put them all together later.
a.) Positive association with clippers. Purchase several nail clippers. Leave them around the house next to his dinner bowl, on the coffee table, etc. Carry them in your hand as you go about your daily routine. Feed the dog treats while you are holding the clippers. Teach him to touch the clippers with his nose for a high-value reward. (This training technique is called targeting.) Pet him with the clippers in your hand and feed him treats.
b.) Teach your dog to accept paw-holding. Have dog sit quietly with you. Touch him at a point that does not elicit tension – perhaps the top of his head. Feed him a high-value treat. Repeat several times, giving him a treat each time, then move your hand slightly down his neck and feed him a treat.
Repeat this process, giving him treats all the while, very gradually moving down to his elbow, his knee, his paw. It may take several sessions just to get to his elbow. If at any time you elicit signs of aggression – a growl, snarl, or snap – you have moved too quickly. An ideal D&CC program never elicits the behavior you are trying to eliminate. Continue this gradual process until you can lift each paw and hold it longer and longer without resistance.
c.) Convince the dog to allow nail clipping. Your dog now thinks that nail clippers are GOOD and paw holding is GOOD. You must now convince him that the actual clipping is GOOD as well.
Do this gradually. Hold the clippers in one hand while you repeat the paw desensitization step (step 3b) with the other, to show him that paw touching in the presence of clippers is also good. Be generous with your high-value treats. Then use the hand with the clipper to repeat step 3b until he is happy about having you touch his paws with the clipper. Continue by closing the clippers near his toenail, then against his toenail, then by actually clipping the very tip off one nail.
4. NOW STOP!
If he handled this well, it is tempting to go on to the next nail, but it is important that you stop here. One nail clipped without resistance is a huge success. Don’t spoil it by pushing him into feeling stressed, and undoing your work.
Repeat the process the next day, and if all goes well, clip the next nail. The third day, if he still does well, try clipping the next two nails. Eventually, when he is comfortable with the whole process, you can sit down and clip all his nails in one session, without risk of being bitten.
To minimize your dog’s other stressors, make a complete list of all you can identify, then create and apply a program such as the one above to desensitize and counter condition him to each. There may be some stressors for which this is impossible, but remember that the more stressors you desensitize him to, the more likely it is that he will spend the rest of his life bite-free.
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