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When it Comes to Dog Food – What Does the Term “Natural” Really Mean?
Maybe it’s partially our fault, but the word “natural” is getting a lot of exposure on dog food labels these days. The problem is, it doesn’t mean anything in particular; there is no official definition of the word. It just sounds good, and companies like Pet Products Plus, Inc., makers of Sensible Choice, like to use it a lot. A bright yellow banner on the front of the bag says, “100% All Natural.” And the back of the label explains, “Sensible Choice dog foods are all-natural products. . . In other words, if it’s not found in nature, you won’t find it in Sensible Choice.” But that just doesn’t explain something like “natural flavor,” the sixth ingredient listed on the label of the Sensible Choice Lamb and Rice food. Natural what flavor?
Simply omitting artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors is not enough to make a dry dog food “natural” or healthy.
This food has quite a few hallmarks of our “Not Recommended” list, including the extensive use of food “fragments,” where food makers buy inexpensive and heavily processed leftovers from human food manufacturing and recombine them to approximate a whole, healthy ingredient. Combining brewers rice, rice flour, and rice gluten doesn’t begin to present the benefits of nutritious whole rice.
By presenting fragments separately on the label, the maker obscures the fact that this food is mainly rice, even though lamb meal appears first on the label. By law, makers must list the ingredients on the label in descending order by weight. If you were to add up the second, third, and fourth ingredients – all fragments of rice – they would surely outweigh the lamb, pushing it far down the label.
This tactic makes the food look better than it really is, as does the pretty label, the repetitive use of “natural,” and the inexplicable but cute little splash of French under the name (“Nourriture pour chien” – “Food for dog” just doesn’t sound as good). Other than these things, this food doesn’t have much going for it.
Sensible Choice is made by Pet Products Plus, Inc., St. Peters, MO. (800) 592-6687.
-By Nancy Kerns
Can Meat Cause Kidney Failure?
There are innumerable individuals and organizations that promote their beliefs for various reasons that feeding dogs anything other than commercially manufactured dog food is deleterious to canine health. If this were true, dogs wouldn’t even be here today, since the commercial dog food industry itself is less than a century old, and dogs have been successfully fed by humans considerably longer than that.
Nevertheless, our readers tell us all SORTS of explanations that they have heard from their veterinarians, trainers, breeders, or friends as to why they should not feed their dogs a bones and raw food (a.k.a. biologically appropriate raw foods or BARF) diet. Some of these objections are completely nonsensical and easily dismissed, such as the claim that dogs cannot digest raw meat properly.
Other concerns make sense, such as the possibility that a homemade diet may not provide a proper balance of nutrients. We feel that sensible concerns such as these are easily addressed; as we’ve said before, feeding dogs really isn’t rocket science.
Still other times, however, readers bring us questions about a BARF diets that would be best answered by a veterinarian preferably one who has a lot of experience with these diets. There may be no better candidate fitting this description than Dr. Ian Billinghurst, an Australian veterinarian who is also the author of two wonderfully detailed instructional books, Give Your Dog A Bone and Grow Your Pup With Bones. Though our readers could answer many of their own questions by an in-depth reading of either or both of Dr. Billinghurst’s books (which we heartily recommend), Dr. Billinghurst has agreed to answer questions about BARF diets for WDJ and our readers.
——–
Last month, after changing the diet of my seven-year old male dog, Hobo, from a grocery store dry food diet to a raw meat diet for two weeks, Hobo died of kidney failure. His BUN value was very high. My suspicion is that his kidneys could not process the high protein food. Although dogs descend from wolves, is it possible that some of them have lost the gene for eating either high protein foods or contaminated foods? We have now adopted another dog, Princessa, from the local pound and have our hands full getting her settled in.
-Sylvia Hall
Bell, CA
Dr. Billinghurst responds:
Thank you very much for your letter. We are all very sad to hear of Hobo’s death. However, it is wonderful that his life can be used to help the owners of other animals who are afraid of the BARF diet because of the possibility that it might be a cause of kidney failure.
You see, the truth is, under the circumstances you describe, it cannot. Your letter has highlighted a number of misconceptions regarding kidney failure and high protein diets.
One of the first things I must point out is that an ALL-MEAT diet is not a BARF diet and is certainly not a biologically appropriate or a properly formulated evolutionary diet. Having made that point, let me now take you through the causes of kidney failure so we may set your mind at ease regarding those causes, and the safety of a properly formulated BARF diet with respect to kidney function, kidney health, and kidney failure.
What is kidney failure?
This is a condition where the kidneys fail to remove waste products of metabolism from the blood and they fail to regulate the balance in the body of fluids, electrolytes, and pH. The underlying cause can be a problem of the kidneys themselves, but it can also be due to other body systems malfunctioning or being diseased. In addition, when kidneys fail, the failure can be either acute or chronic.
Acute kidney failure is abrupt in onset and is often able to be reversed if recognized early and treated appropriately. By contrast, chronic kidney failure develops over a number of years and is the end result of long-term damage that cannot be repaired.
When kidneys stop working properly (either as an acute reversible episode or as a chronic irreversible state) they fail to remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood. These nitrogenous wastes include urea, creatinine, and other compounds. The compounds we normally look for in blood tests are urea and creatinine. When these are found in high concentrations in the blood, we know that the kidneys have not been working well enough to be able to remove them from the blood.
Acute kidney failure
The causes of acute kidney failure are divided into three groups. The first group of causes of acute kidney failure are those causes which decrease the flow of blood to and through the kidneys. This is the most common form of acute kidney failure and may be reversible if the cause of the reduced blood flow can be identified and corrected within 24 hours. Common causes of reduced blood flow would include shock, hemorrhage, and heart failure. At this time, urine output is greatly reduced or nil. The causes of shock are numerous and can range from acute trauma to some form of acute disease condition such as pancreatitis.
The second group of causes of acute kidney failure are related to damage to the kidneys themselves, although the primary problem may also be external to the kidneys as it was with the first group. For example, if there has been muscle trauma, the resulting myoglobin in the blood may block the tiny tubes within the kidneys causing kidney failure. Or, if there has been heart failure, there may be poor blood flow to the kidneys, which causes the cells of the kidneys to die. Alternatively, toxins (including drugs) may result in kidney cell death, and of course kidney infection may also result in acute kidney failure.
The third group of causes of acute kidney failure include some form of obstruction to urine flow after the urine leaves the kidneys. A common cause would be a blockage caused by crystals formed in the urinary tract or in the case of males it may relate to an enlarged prostate.
As you will appreciate, the symptoms seen with acute kidney failure reflect the underlying cause, whether it be signs of infection, heart failure, pancreatitis, urinary stones, enlarged prostate or whatever. On top of those signs relating to the underlying cause of the acute kidney failure will be a second set of signs which relate to the kidney failure itself. These acute kidney failure signs are generally recognized as being divisible into two phases.
The first phase of acute kidney failure is a period during which there is marked reduction in urinary output. The second stage of acute kidney failure is characterized by a marked increase in urinary output.
It is the first stage of acute kidney failure which is most critical. Fluid retention will cause edema which may result in fluid in the lungs, there will be a critical rise in blood pressure ,and the retention of wastes will result in severe acidosis/toxicosis. If untreated, this deadly combination may result in convulsions, coma, muscle weakness, heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, and ultimately death. Infection is a major cause of death in dogs with acute kidney failure, although death may also be caused by any of the other underlying causes.
Assuming treatment of the underlying cause and the damage to the kidneys has been successful, the second stage of acute kidney failure will begin within days to weeks after the first stage. It marks the time when the kidneys have recovered sufficiently to allow the production of urine. During this period the BUN and the creatinine may well remain elevated for some time, but will return to normal as and if the kidneys recover.
Please note at this point that excessive protein in the diet is nowhere to be seen as a cause of acute kidney failure.
Chronic kidney failure
Chronic kidney failure represents progressive destruction of kidney structures over many years. The progression of this form of kidney failure usually occurs in three stages, as follows:
The First Stage Of Chronic Kidney Failure
This is called the renal impairment stage. When this stage is reached, it means that the kidneys have been damaged to the point that they have lost up to 50 percent of their function. Sometimes no signs of problems are seen at this stage, but the signs can also include slightly excessive drinking and urinating. At this stage, by limiting protein, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet of these patients, the progression of renal disease may be slowed dramatically, but unfortunately it cannot be completely halted.
The Second Stage Of Chronic Kidney Failure
This is called the stage of kidney insufficiency. This is the stage where the ongoing kidney damage is such that the kidneys have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their function. The symptoms seen include excessive drinking and urinating together with other signs such as anemia and nausea relating to the buildup of toxins. At this stage, by limiting protein, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet of these patients, the progression of renal disease may be slowed but it most certainly cannot be halted.
The Third Stage Of Chronic Kidney Failure
The third stage of chronic kidney failure is where the loss of kidney function is between 90 and 95 percent. By now the kidneys are so damaged they are almost unable to function. At this stage, treatment by dialysis or transplantation is necessary for survival.
The role of excessive protein in kidney failure
It is generally agreed amongst veterinary experts that high protein diets are not in themselves a cause of either acute or chronic kidney failure. It does appear, however, that where there is pre-existing kidney damage, a high protein diet will help to further that damage. That is why diets to treat kidney failure must be low in protein (and phosphorus and calcium and possibly sodium), but diets to prevent kidney disease do not have to be limited in protein.
Looking for clues
Let me now return to your letter. If we look at the lifetime diet of Hobo, we find that for seven years Hobo had consumed grocery store dry dog food. Sadly, according to lectures presented at Sydney University in 1998 by the experts at Hills Science diets, this is a well-known cause of chronic kidney failure.
Hobo’s new diet appeared to be raw meat, and this was fed for two weeks. Unfortunately we know little about this diet except that it was raw meat. We do not know what sort of meat, how clean or how contaminated it was, whether bones or supplements or anything else was fed. All we have been told is that it was a raw meat diet.
What we do know however is that, very sadly, Hobo passed away at the end of this two week period. The question is, what caused Hobo’s death? Was it kidney failure, and if so, what was the cause of the kidney failure? Is it possible that, as the letter said, his kidneys could not process the high protein food? In support of this, it was proposed that Although dogs descend from wolves, some of them may have lost the gene for eating either high protein foods or contaminated foods.
First, the ability to consume either high protein foods or contaminated foods is not controlled by a single gene. Both of these traits are multifactorial in origin. The ability to safely consume high protein foods and contaminated foods can, however, be compromised or even destroyed by feeding an inappropriate diet such as grocery store dry dog food over a long period of time. This is because, again, over time, grocery store dry dog food will via a variety of mechanisms involving malnutrition and periodontal disease cause kidney failure, which will leave the dog susceptible to a high protein diet. That is, under conditions of an already damaged set of kidneys, feeding a high protein diet will cause further kidney damage.
And with respect to contaminated foods the long-term effects of malnutrition are a depleted immune system. A poorly functioning immune system is the only reason a dog cannot safely eat contaminated food. The ability to safely consume contaminated food has been destroyed.
Note that when we do have a dog with kidney failure, a properly formulated BARF diet which is low in protein, calcium, phosphorus, etc., works absolute wonders.
Don’t blame meat
If we accept that Hobo did indeed die from kidney failure, the first question is was it acute or chronic?
If Hobo died from acute kidney failure, then it is clear from the above discussion that the cause was not due to a sudden increase in protein in the diet. That is not to say that we can rule out this particular raw meat diet as a cause of death. However, we would need a lot more information to make any further judgment on that. What we can say with certainty is that if there was acute kidney failure, it was not due to a high protein diet.
If Hobo died from chronic kidney failure, it means that Hobo’s kidneys were already in a perilous state of health when his diet was switched from store bought dry food to raw meat. That is, between 80 and 90 percent of his kidney function must already have been destroyed. That leaves the question open as to what might possibly have caused that kidney destruction.
If there was a dietary cause of that 80-90 percent kidney destruction, there is only one possible culprit here, and that is certainly not the new all-meat diet. It is possible however, although highly unlikely in such a short period of time, that the new all-meat diet could have pushed Hobo over the edge. In other words, on the available evidence, which is scant, there is no way that the new all-meat diet caused a death that was not about to happen anyway.
Conclusion
On the available evidence, it is clear that the underlying cause of Hobo’s untimely death was most likely to be related to a lifetime spent eating inappropriate food. It is possible that some aspect of the new food could have been the final straw in the process however. On that basis it would be very wise not to feed Princessa on the grocery store dry food. On the other hand, if she is to be fed properly, it is imperative that appropriate advice be sought regarding healthy sources and correct formulation of an evolutionary diet to ensure her maximum health into the future.
Dr. Ian Billinghurst is an Australian veterinarian and author of Give Your Dog A Bone and Grow Your Pup With Bones.
Noise-Phobic Dogs
In the April 2000 issue, we discussed a number of therapies that have brought relief to some thunder- and noise-phobic dogs, including homeopathy, flower essences, medicinal herbs, and aromatherapy. This article discusses even more therapies that can be helpful in reducing the symptoms of fear and panic that many dogs experience with loud noises or storms.
The melatonin miracle
As unlikely as it sounds, one of the most effective treatments for thunderstorm phobias may be an over-the-counter hormone used by humans to prevent insomnia. Melatonin, produced by the pineal gland, sets the body’s internal clock in response to exposure to light. The body creates melatonin only in total darkness, for the pineal gland stops production when any part of the body, even the back of the leg, is exposed to light. In people, melatonin has been shown to calm the nerves, reduce anxiety, relieve panic disorders, prevent migraine headaches, facilitate deep sleep, and, according to some researchers, help slow the effects of aging. In birds and other animals in the wild, melatonin levels trigger spring reproduction, fall migration, and winter hibernation.
In fact, hibernation is what brought melatonin to dogs with thunderstorm phobias. In the winter of 1995, a hyperactive black bear living at a wildlife rehabilitation center made life miserable for her keepers. Dr. Dodman, who runs the behavioral section at Tufts New England Veterinary Medical Center in Massachusetts, suggested giving the bear melatonin. “That decreased the bear’s activity,” says Dr. Aronson, “and she rested quite nicely.”
Aronson and Dodman found research papers describing the use of melatonin in other environments, such as large chicken farms, where it reduced the stress of overcrowding. “Someone had done research on flank licking in dogs,” says Aronson, “and melatonin reduced that as well. In human psychiatric medicine, melatonin has been used to treat seasonal affective disorder and jet lag in adults as well as depression and self-injurious behaviors in children. We had been looking for something that would help reduce canine thunderstorm phobias, and we wondered if melatonin might work.”
The first patient to receive the experimental therapy was Aronson’s own dog, a Bearded Collie then seven years old. “Lightning had hit very close to my house two years previously,” says Aronson, “and thunderstorms had frightened her ever since. We had tried other therapies, including some homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic Aconite seemed to help, but it didn’t solve the problem. So I tried melatonin, and the result was dramatic. Instead of tearing through the house, urinating, and digging at carpets with a wild look in her eye, she simply stopped being afraid. Melatonin isn’t a sedative. It didn’t put her to sleep; she stayed awake and alert. Thunder just didn’t bother her any more.”
Researchers reproduce positive results
Aronson and Dodman gave melatonin to other dogs and produced the same results. “It worked well for noises other than thunder,” Aronson says. “One dog was afraid of thunder but her major fear was of song birds, and it worked for both phobias. In another case, a woman took two dogs, one of which was extremely noise-phobic, and a bottle of melatonin on a Fourth of July agility match camping trip. Hers were the only dogs in the camp that weren’t severely stressed by the fireworks.”
Melatonin’s benefits may be cumulative. “The camping dogs were most relaxed on the third night,” Aronson says, “as though learning had taken place over the first two nights. After five years of treatment, my dog is less perturbed by thunder if she doesn’t get melatonin, but she is still far more comfortable when she does get it.”
Melatonin is sold in capsules and tablets in health food stores, pharmacies, and some supermarkets. At first marketed in doses of two to three milligrams (mg.), melatonin is now sold in doses as low as 200 micrograms (mcg.). For most dogs, Aronson prescribes 3 mg., which was the amount recommended for humans when she and Dodman began their research five years ago. “This dosage works very well for large dogs,” she says, “and we have seen no adverse side effects. In a few cases, very large dogs weighing well over a hundred pounds needed 6 mg., but that’s unusual. For dogs that weigh less than 30 pounds, we usually give 1.5 mg. We haven’t had any experience with tiny dogs, but if one did develop a noise phobia, we would reduce the dosage even further.”
To improve assimilation, pills can be crushed or capsules opened and their contents added to food. “It’s important to compare labels,” she adds, “because now that low-dose melatonin is widely sold, many owners seriously under-dose their dogs. They forget that there are 1,000 micrograms in a milligram. A 200-mcg. pill contains only 1/15 of the amount recommended for a large dog.”
Preparation is key
Whenever a thunderstorm is predicted, Aronson recommends giving the dog melatonin before the owner leaves for the day. The supplement remains effective for several hours. Otherwise, give it whenever thunder seems imminent. “If you notice the dog becoming agitated,” she says, “give melatonin immediately. I’ve had one report that it didn’t work on a dog that was already highly agitated before taking melatonin, so it may not be effective in a fully developed panic attack. Even then I think it is worth trying, as it may prevent the situation from getting worse.”
Do other stress reactions respond to melatonin? “We hoped it might cure separation anxiety,” says Aronson, “and when Nick Dodman and I tried it on a Great Dane with this condition, it worked for a while but then stopped working. I’ve also had good response from two dogs with lick granulomas. We have not found it to be effective in other stressful situations. It seems to be most effective when noise is a major factor.”
How melatonin works remains a mystery, but it has a profound effect on the central nervous system’s neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that transmit nerve impulses. “We know that melatonin increases serotonin production and that it is a major inhibitor of dopamine release,” says Aronson. “Dopamine and serotonin are the most important neurotransmitters involved in behavior. We tried other substances that enhance the production of serotonin, but they need three to four weeks to become effective, while melatonin works immediately. Maybe it has something to do with cortisol levels. We spend a lot of time speculating as to why and how melatonin works. In the meantime, people are happy because their dogs are calm.”
Safety issues
Are there any dogs that shouldn’t take melatonin? “They do say that you shouldn’t give it to humans with autoimmune disorders,” says Aronson, “but I have given it to dogs with autoimmune disease, and we haven’t seen any deleterious side effects. I’ve used it on very elderly dogs that had a number of diseases, dogs with heart problems, and dogs with other illnesses. Melatonin is not recommended for people taking corticosteroids or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Some dogs with autoimmune disease are on steroids, and although melatonin therapy has worked well for them, they should be monitored carefully. I would probably lower the dose for a dog with a severe kidney or liver disease, but other than that I would give the standard dosage.” Physicians debate the long-term safety of melatonin supplementation, and many holistic health experts caution against taking melatonin for more than occasional, short-term use. Reports of its actions in dogs remain anecdotal, for no clinical trials have been conducted.
Over-the-counter melatonin is not recommended for children because any hormone supplement may disrupt the developing endocrine system. “Some people say it shouldn’t be given to puppies for the same reason,” says Aronson, “but if I were treating a very young dog or puppy for nose phobia, I would use it. You have to compare the risks, and when you measure the risk of a recurring thunderstorm phobia, you have to include the possibility that your dog will run away, be seriously injured, wreck your house, or suffer the cumulative effects of repeated psychological trauma. In that context, I think the risk posed by melatonin is relatively insignificant.”
Spreading the word
In addition to recommending melatonin in her behavioral practice, Aronson shared the news with fellow Bearded Collie owners. “We have received detailed reports on about a hundred dogs,” she says, “and so far everyone says that it’s working.”
It didn’t take long for stories about melatonin to spread across the country. One dog breeder who wasted no time to test the therapy was Judy Johnstone, who came into possession of an extremely thunder-phobic nine-year-old dog. During a thunderstorm the dog had escaped from her former owner’s apartment, jumped over a fence, and was found wandering near I-70 in downtown Denver.
“When the dog then came to live with me here in Michigan,” says Johnstone, “she was extremely fearful of loud noises, so as soon as I read the recommendation, which was from a trainer I respected, I was eager to try melatonin. Twenty minutes before the next thunderstorm arrived, I gave her one 3-mg. capsule, and she slept through the storm. Then I tried it on my two older dogs, the ones who became thunder-phobic when our house was hit by lightning.”
Johnstone personally knows 10 dogs, including her own three, whose thunderstorm phobia responded well to melatonin. One belongs to a friend who occasionally boards her dogs with Johnstone. “This dog,” she says, “had trashed just about every crate that I own while trying to escape from thunder. She was finally put on a veterinary tranquilizer that immobilized her so that even though she was still frightened, she couldn’t do anything about it. Like all the other dogs I know, she responded immediately to melatonin, and she’s been calm during storms ever since.”
Dr. Aronson continues to collect case studies for a report to the veterinary community. If you’d like participate in her melatonin research project, see “More Resources” below. Send a brief description of the dog (breed, sex, spayed/neutered, age, and weight), type of phobia (thunderstorms, fireworks, gunshot noise, airplanes, etc.), behavior triggered by the phobia, age at which the phobia began, event that triggered the phobia (if known), treatments that were tried prior to melatonin, melatonin dosage used, its effectiveness or ineffectiveness under different conditions (please describe), and your name, address, phone number, or e-mail address. “I would like to hear about dogs for whom melatonin doesn’t work,” says Aronson, “as well as success stories.”
TTouch for any stressor
One therapy that has helped dogs permanently overcome their fear of thunder and many other things is Tellington TTouch, the system of gentle circular massage motions developed by Linda Tellington-Jones. In the May 1999 issue of WDJ, certified TTouch practitioner Sabra Learned described a Great Dane who was so terrified of thunder that she pulled the sofa away from the wall in order to hide behind it whenever a storm hit, damaging both sofa and wall in the process. The dog had one session of TTouch, conducted when there was no thunder, and during the next storm she was found lying on (not behind) the sofa, fast asleep.
Because they move muscles in ways that are not already familiar to the body, the gentle manipulations of TTouch are said to disrupt habitual neural pathways, awaken previously unused brain cells, and create profound changes at the cellular level which generate new responses to familiar stimuli.
As exotic as this theory sounds, it is utilized by therapists who help people recover from terrifying traumas. In rapid eye movement desensitization, the patient thinks about an upsetting event while the therapist moves a hand or object back and forth, causing the patient’s eyes to move rapidly. In a popular phobia treatment, the patient taps different parts of the body, such as the top of one hand or under the eyes, while thinking about or looking at whatever normally triggers panic. In another, the patient mentally reconstructs traumatic events from a different perspective, such as from a distance or while looking down from the sky. What these unusual treatments have in common is that they often eliminate a phobia within minutes, so that someone who was terrified of elevators or airplanes now rides in them without a second thought.
Tellington TTouch is thought to do the same thing in dogs, so that the stimulus (thunder, loud noises) no longer produces the same effect (anxiety, panic). Sabra Learned’s WDJ article (May 1999) demonstrated ear slides and body wraps, both of which decrease anxiety and help prevent thunder phobias. In her book The Tellington TTouch, Linda Tellington-Jones recommends tail work as well, for using a gentle pull/hold/release movement while drawing circles around the base, underside, and top of the tail seems to release fear, especially in dogs that tuck the tail when frightened.
“We have found that altering the way the animal holds the tail changes his or her response to fearful situations,” Tellington-Jones explains. “For example, we have had impressive positive results in innumerable cases when we have used the tail work to alleviate such problems as fear of loud noises (backfire or thunder), fear-biting, aggression, or timidity.”
Another technique that improves these same conditions is a TTouch exercise called Journey of the Homing Pigeon, in which two handlers stand on opposite sides of the dog, each with a leash attached to the collar and holding a long wand. The handlers take turns stroking the dog’s chest with the wand, moving forward while holding the wand as a target stick in front of the dog’s nose, then stopping and stroking the chest again. No sharp commands are used, only soft intonations.
Helpful obstacles
In addition, the focus and concentration required in exercises that use long sticks or six-foot lengths of three-inch plastic plumbing pipe help calm thunder-phobic dogs. To create a simple obstacle course for your dog, lay several sticks or pipes across each other in a random arrangement, like pickup sticks, and slowly walk your dog through them. “He has to stop and think rather than rush,” says Tellington-Jones. “He is not able to sit down between them but rather must use his mind quietly to figure out how to get through.”
Another exercise, the labyrinth, involves slow walking in a simple maze pattern. Both require the animal to think and move in unfamiliar ways. “Working within the boundaries of the labyrinth seems to calm and focus dogs as well as horses,” she observes, “and animals that have a tendency to be hyperactive quiet almost immediately.”
The tiny circles that are the foundation of TTouch may reduce the effects of “tingle voltage” in dogs on days when thunder is predicted. As Tellington-Jones reports in her book, a Toronto farmer wrote that he successfully adapted TTouch to relieve the symptoms of electrical buildup in his dairy cattle by making small circles over their teats and udders at milking time. Instead of remaining paralyzed and unable to let down their milk, the cattle were ready for milking within five minutes. Making large and small circles from head to tail and from the spine down the legs to the floor may interrupt the charge-and-recharge cycle of stray electrical currents in dogs as well. For information about Tellington TTouch books and videos or referral to a TTouch instructor, see the “More Resources” box.
Canine acupressure
Another physical therapy that produces long-lasting changes in health and behavior is acupressure, the application of gentle to firm finger pressure to the acupuncture points of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In dogs, humans, and other animals, acupressure points map the flow of Chi or life force energy. Blocked Chi interferes with health, but both acupuncture and acupressure correct imbalances in its flow, releasing energy blocks and restoring the body’s ability to heal.
Few people know more about the meridians (energy pathways) of dogs, cats, and horses than Nancy Zidonis. A founding board member of the International Alliance of Animal Therapy and Healing, Zidonis has co-authored three acupressure textbooks and developed canine, equine, and feline meridian charts. Her latest book, The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure, co-written with Amy Snow, features detailed illustrations, photographs, and instructions for performing acupressure on dogs of every description.
Because the terminology, theory, classifications, and procedures of TCM are new to most Americans, long lists of acupressure points (called acupoints) and maps of a dog’s body dotted with abbreviations like Lu 1 (traditionally known as Central Resistance, an alarm point for the lung) and Ht 9 (Lesser Yin Rushing, a tonification point for the heart meridian) can seem overwhelming.
“That’s because they are unfamiliar,” says Snow. “Acupressure is really easy to learn; it just takes practice. Most dogs learn to love the treatment, and in addition to helping them feel better, it strengthens the bonds of affection and communication between dogs and their people.”
Help for a scared service dog
A Golden Retriever named Stella had recently graduated from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) when lightning struck a rock outside her Colorado home. Her partner called the dog as she rolled her wheelchair into the house, but Stella frozen with fear and was unable to move for several minutes. For the next year, she cowered and shook whenever she heard thunder, fire engines, or Fourth of July fireworks. “As a CCI graduate, Stella must be highly reliable and able to perform whatever tasks her human requires,” says Snow. “Her inability to function when any loud noise occurred was a very serious problem.”
Snow and Zidonis met Stella at a CCI training session held at an amusement park. “She arrived in fine form,” says Snow, “wagging happily and greeting people when released to do so. Suddenly a train went by and Stella’s whole demeanor changed.”
Zidonis and Snow often combine acupuncture with other therapies, such as homeopathy, calming herbs, or essential oils. “We suggested that Stella take a homeopathic calming remedy and receive one acupressure treatment daily,” says Snow. “After two weeks, she was less distracted by loud noises, but a working Service Dog must be totally reliable, and Stella’s behavior still could not be trusted. We continued the acupressure treatments every three days for two more weeks, including point work for calming, fear reduction, and mental focus.”
The therapy worked. Now three years old and no longer frightened by loud noises, Stella performs her Service Dog duties with pride.
Good for fearful dogs
Seven-month-old Sheba, a gangly dark red Irish Setter, was so afraid of noise that even a loud voice would send her racing for the bath tub, where she would lie as flat as her angular body allowed. “Setters are known to be excitable,” says Zidonis, “but this was an unusually stressed and fearful puppy. We started her acupressure by focusing on calming points, and her caregivers performed maintenance sessions between the weekly treatments we administered.”
Within two weeks, Sheba’s behavior changed. During a thunderstorm she walked into the bathroom but did not hide in the tub. “She continued to relax,” says Zidonis, “even when people raised their voices or a truck went by. After two months of treatment, Sheba could tolerate thunder and other loud noises without running for cover, and she gained a lot of self-confidence.”
Zidonis and Snow offer the following five-minute first-aid treatment for thunder-phobic dogs – or any dog in a stressful situation. Their book, The Well-Connected Dog, contains detailed treatment plans for all types of canine conditions.
“The most important thing to do before beginning an acupressure treatment,” says Zidonis, “is relax. You want to convey a sense of calm and reassurance to your dog. You also want the dog’s cooperation and permission, so take a moment to stroke your dog and communicate. Breathe slowly and deeply. Take your time.”
Easy to experiment
Anyone can experiment with acupressure; it is relaxing for any dog. Start with the Yin-Tang point, located on the Governing Vessel meridian. Yin Tang is located in the center of the head at the base of the nose between the eyes.
“This is a powerful calming point,” explains Snow. “Work it by applying gentle but consistent pressure with your thumb. Slowly exhale as you press into the point, and inhale as you release out of it. Apply light pressure at first, then gently increase the amount of pressure as your dog permits. Keep both hands on your dog while giving the treatment. One hand does the point work, while the other feels reactions, such as twitches or muscle spasms and their release. Your free hand also soothes your dog and acts as an energy connection.”
Snow recommends working this point for 15-30 seconds, or until you feel your dog begin to calm and relax. Then move on to the next point. “Feel free to stroke your dog at any time during the acupressure session. This will help reinforce a feeling of calm and aid your dog’s comfort,” says Snow.
There are two Bladder Meridians, one on each side of and very close to the spine. Each begins at the inside corner of the eye and flows over the top of the head, then down the neck to the shoulders, where it splits into two branches. Bladder Point 10 (Bl 10) is just behind the ear at the top of the neck; there is one just to the right of the spine and one just to the left. Bladder Point 15 (Bl 15) is in the muscle depression just behind the shoulder blade and about two finger widths from the top of the spine; again, there is one on either side of the spine. These four points have a calming effect and stimulate mental focus.
“To protect your thumbs and wrists and ensure smooth motion, use your body weight and lean gently into your dog,” suggests Zidonis. “Of course, you will use very gentle pressure on a Yorkie or Toy Poodle, but large breeds typically require one-half to three pounds of pressure. You can apply direct pressure without moving your thumb, or slowly pulsate your thumb, or alternate direct pressure with small counterclockwise circles on each acupoint.” Slow pulsation and counterclockwise motion have a calming effect. The Heart Meridian runs from the chest down the middle of the inner front leg to the elbow and the inside of the foreleg, crossing behind the wrist and continuing down the outside of the foreleg. Heart point 7 (He 7) is at the wrist joint on the back or outside of the wrist just beneath the depression formed between wrist bone and tendon. This calming point is so powerful that it helps relieve epileptic conditions.
Next to the Heart Meridian is the Pericardium Meridian. Pericardium point 6 (Pe 6), just above the wrist on the inside of the front leg, and Pericardium 7 (Pe7), directly on the wrist joint on the inside of the leg, are powerful anxiety reducers and calming points. If you activate the entire wrist “bracelet,” just above and directly on the wrist joint on the inner forearm and just below it on the outer forearm, you will activate both Pericardium points and He 7, described above.
Last, Governing Vessel 11 is on the top of the spine between the shoulder blades. “There are several Governing Vessel points close together in this area,” says Zidonis. “Apply gentle pressure on the vertebrae between the shoulder blades and you will find GV 11.” GV 11 is at about the fifth thoracic vertebra or fifth rib, counting from the base of the neck toward the tail.
There is far more to canine acupressure than this brief description provides, but for those who need help now, this five-minute treatment can help a dog say good-bye to panic and hysteria.
In human health circles, some researchers are finding that combining acupuncture with the topical application of therapeutic-quality essential oils produces more dramatic results than either therapy by itself. In the treatment of thunderstorm phobia and other anxieties, you may obtain faster and more lasting results by administering flower essences, essential oil blends, hydrosols, or herbal tinctures before and during the acupressure treatment.
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Clicker Training and Trick Training Your Dog
Did you ever watch someone showing off his dog’s tricks? Sit up. Roll over. Jump through a hoop. Catch the ball. Balance a treat on Buddy’s nose. Shake paw. High five. Wave. And take a bow!
Did you happen to notice that it looked like human and canine were both having tremendous fun? No choke chains, no prong collars, no electric shock boxes. But lots of treats, toys, and lots of praise, smiles, and high-wagging tails.
Yet if you were to see that same dog and owner combination in a traditional compulsion-based training class you might well see frowns, a stern, commanding tone of voice, intimidating human body language, heavy metal around the dog’s neck, and a lot of appeasing body language signals from the dog – ears back, tail down, head lowered, averted glances, yawning, and nose licking. Why the difference?
We tend to think of basic behaviors such as sit, lie down, come and stay, as serious obedience. They are important, and Buddy has to do them in order to be a well-behaved dog. Tricks, on the other hand, are frivolous. It doesn’t really matter if Buddy rolls over when we ask him to. After all, it’s just for fun . . .
It’s all tricks!
Positive trainers have a saying that I love. We like to remind our clients that “It’s all tricks!” Teaching Buddy to sit when we ask him to is just as much a “trick” as teaching him to crawl on his belly across the living room rug. They are both simply behaviors that Buddy is physically capable of doing, that we teach him to offer us in response to a verbal cue or hand signal. If we can change our attitude and remember to have fun teaching the basics as well as the tricks, we can have a dog who performs the serious behaviors with just as much enthusiasm as he does when he rolls over or catches a treat off the end of his nose.
Chances are good that if you enroll in a positive training class, your instructor will incorporate tricks into each week’s lessons in order to keep the training process fun for everybody. You don’t have to wait for a training class to have more fun with Buddy – you can start anytime. All you need is your dog, a hefty supply of treats, a clicker, a few props, a quiet place to train without distractions, and a commitment to having fun. (Although you can use other reward markers besides the clicker – such as the verbal marker, “Yes!” – the clicker makes a constant, sharp, attention-catching sound that in most cases works better in the early learning stages than a verbal marker does. For best results, we suggest you try the clicker.) While you are teaching your dog tricks, take note of how much fun it is. Then remember to have just as much fun when you are teaching him those other, “serious” tricks like sit, down, stay, and come.
“Charging” the clicker
Although it helps if your dog already knows basic good manners, it’s not necessary for him to be fully obedience-trained in order to teach him tricks. If Buddy has not already been introduced to the clicker, we need to begin there. Start with the clicker in your pocket. The sharp Click! of the clicker startles some dogs. If you put it in your pocket at first it will muffle the sound until Buddy has a chance to associate it with the positive reinforcement of the treat. Once you are sure he is comfortable with the sound, you can hold it behind your back for a few clicks, then hold it in front of you to Click! and treat as you continue training. (If your dog seems unduly frightened of the clicker you can use the softer Click! of a ball-point pen, or just use a verbal “Yes!” as your reward marker.)
“Charging” the clicker, also known “conditioning the dog to the reward marker,” simply means teaching him that the Click! sound always means that a treat is coming. In order to charge the clicker, all you need to do is Click! the clicker, pause for a half-second, then feed Buddy a treat. He doesn’t have to do anything at all to get the Click! at this point, as long as he isn’t doing something you don’t want to encourage (such as jumping up on you). After six to 12 repetitions, most dogs begin to make the connection between the Click! sound and the treat. Now if you consistently Click! and treat every time he does a particular behavior, he will learn that he can make the Click! happen, just by sitting, which is exactly what we want. This part of the process generally takes less than 15 minutes. Once Buddy learns that he controls the Click!, he will offer behaviors in order to make the Click! happen, and you are ready to have fun with it.
Shake paw
There are several different ways to teach your dog to “Shake paw.” Some dogs are naturally “pawsy.” With these you can simply “capture” the behavior. Click! and treat when Buddy lifts his paw. Keep repeating the Click! and rewarding for a paw lift. When you see him deliberately offering a paw in order to win the reward, add the verbal cue “Shake!”, then Click! and treat. Hold out your own hand, palm up, as the hand signal for “Shake.” When you have repeated the verbal cue often enough that you think he has made the association, try asking for the behavior with just the word, without moving your hand. Give him a couple of seconds, and if he doesn’t offer his paw, offer your own hand to elicit the shake. If you keep repeating this sequence, Buddy will quickly learn to offer his paw for just the verbal cue.
If your dog is not a natural shaker you can “shape” the behavior by repeatedly clicking and rewarding any tiny lift of a paw off the ground. When Buddy is regularly lifting the paw slightly, start clicking only the more noticeable lifts. Gradually raise the criteria until he lifts the paw high enough for it to be considered a “Shake.” Then add the verbal cue as described above.
You may want to “lure” the paw lift. Some dogs will paw at your hand if you hold a treat in front of them in your closed fist; then you can Click! and treat. Others need still more help. Try holding a treat just over your dog’s head, then move it off to one side. Many dogs will lift a paw as they lean to follow the movement of the treat. Click! and reward. And repeat. If “capturing,” “shaping,” and “luring” don’t work, try “molding.” Touch the back of Buddy’s leg. If he lifts, Click! and treat. If a touch doesn’t work, you can actually lift the paw, Click! and reward. Just be aware that molding may teach Buddy to wait for you to touch him before he will shake. The other methods encourage him to think for himself and offer the behavior voluntarily, which is what we really want.
Once Buddy knows “Shake!” you can progress to “High Five” or “Wave” by clicking and rewarding simple variations on the theme. For example, for a “High Five,” offer your hand for a “Shake” but move it at the last minute into a High Five sign – palm toward Buddy, fingers pointed skyward.
Spin and twirl
This is a fun and easy trick than can be incorporated into your heeling for a flashy dance step. You can try shaping Buddy’s spin if you want (Click! and reward for a head turn, then gradually for greater and greater head and body turns, until he turns all the way around), but it’s usually easier and faster to lure it. I use the cue “Spin” for a counter-clockwise circle, and “Twirl” to mean clockwise. You can make them mean whatever direction you want or you can use entirely different words; just be consistent. One of my students does Musical Freestyle with her Great Dane. She uses “Donut” and “Cheerio” because you can say those words without moving your lips, and ideally, in Freestyle, you don’t want the judges to see your mouth move.
Have Buddy stand in front of you. If he wants to sit, back up while you ask him to spin. Let him see the treat in your right hand. Lure him in a circle to your right (his left) by moving the treat, at his nose level, in an arc toward his tail, then continue the circle with the treat until he is facing you again. When he has completed the circle, Click! and give him the treat. Repeat. When he is doing the circle easily, start saying “Spin,” first while he is turning, then just before. Gradually minimize the hand motion and eventually eliminate the lure, until he will spin on just the verbal cue, or with a tiny motion of your hand or finger. For “Twirl,” do the same thing, only start with the treat in your left hand and go the opposite direction. If Buddy is reluctant to do a complete circle at first, shape it. Click! and reward for partial turns, gradually increasing the arc until he will do a full circle.
Roll over
This one is a little more complicated. If your dog is already trained to “down” on cue, ask him to lie down. (Remember to Click! and reward him for that!) If he doesn’t already know how to “Down!”, wait until he lies down on his own, or lure him into a down by holding a treat in front of his nose when he is sitting, and then moving it slowly toward the floor. Keep clicking and rewarding him as he follows the treat toward the floor until he is all the way down.
Once your dog can lie down easily, encourage him to roll onto one side by moving the treat in an arc from his nose to a point just above his shoulder. Some dogs will do this easily the first trial, others need a little more encouragement through shaping – clicking and rewarding when the dog makes small moves in the right direction until he finally rolls onto one side. When he will roll onto one side for you smoothly, just keep going! Continue the arc of the treat lure so that he follows it with his nose and rolls his body all the way over. Where Buddy’s nose goes the rest of him must follow! Once your dog is doing one roll easily, try two in a row. Then more, until you can get him to do a whole series of roll overs.
Many dogs are one-sided, meaning they’ll roll easily in one direction but not the other. If your dog is having trouble with this trick, try rolling the opposite way. Then, once he has the easy direction figured out, make him ambi-pawstrous and shape the roll the other way as well.
Say your prayers
This is a fun trick that rates high on the cuteness scale. Have Buddy sit in front of a chair or stool that comes to about his mid-chest level. Lure him into lifting one or two front feet off the ground by raising the treat over his head, and then encourage him to rest his feet on the chair seat. You may need to Click! and reward for very short paw-rests at first, until he leaves his paws on the chair for longer and longer periods of time.
When he is sitting confidently with his paws resting on the chair for extended periods, lure his nose with a treat so he is looking down between his paws at the floor. Click! and treat. Once you know he will look between his legs without taking his paws off the chair, start using your verbal cue, “Say your prayers,” or “Meditate!” or whatever word or phrase you want to use. Gradually fade your use of obvious cues until he will run over to a chair, prop up his feet and “say his prayers” with just a verbal cue or hand signal.
Crawl
Buddy already knows “Down” from your Roll Over trick, so the crawl is easy to teach. It works best if you do it on carpet or grass – lots of dogs won’t crawl on a hard or rough surface. Ask Buddy to lie down facing you, and hold a treat in front of his nose. Keeping the treat just an inch or two above the ground, back up a step and very slowly move the treat toward you. As Buddy strains to follow the treat he should drag himself forward a tiny bit. Click! and reward. Keep repeating the sequence until he creeps farther and farther forward.
If the dog jumps up to follow the treat you may have moved it too far, or too fast. Slow down, and remember to Click! and reward tiny bits of the Crawl so Buddy can figure out how to do the right thing. The most common mistake most people make when training their dogs is trying to go too fast – asking for too much too soon. Ask for small behaviors so Buddy can win. As long as he keeps winning he will be more willing to keep trying.
Once Buddy is confidently crawling longer distances you can fade the lure and minimize the hand motion, and put the behavior on a verbal cue or a barely noticeable hand signal, as you did with the previous tricks.
Take a bow
You can end your routine with a flourish when you and Buddy take a bow together. Have Buddy standing in front of you or at your side. Put a treat in front of his nose, and move it toward his chest and down toward the floor. Here’s the tricky part. If you have taught him to lie down by moving a treat toward the ground, he may try to lie down here. Watch him closely. When he has a slight bend in his elbows, Click! and raise the treat so he stands up again, then reward. If you are slow, he will probably lie down; don’t Click! the Down. The quicker he lies down for you, the quicker you will need to be at clicking for his elbow bend and raising the treat up before he goes down. Gradually encourage Buddy to dip lower and lower until he can bow with his elbows touching the ground and his rear end high in the air.
When you are sure you can get a half-bow or better without having Buddy go all the way into a Down, you can start using the verbal cue. I suggest using something other than the word “Bow,” since “Bow” sounds a lot like “Down” and we are already risking confusion because of the similarity of the luring motion. One of my students uses the word “Bravo!”, which I like a lot. Others use “Take a bow,” with the emphasis on the word “Take” rather than “bow.”
Taking the show on the road
Now you have a repertoire of six tricks with which to dazzle your friends and neighbors. You can add an almost infinite number of new tricks simply by picturing the behavior in your mind that you want Buddy to perform, and then figuring out how to use your treats to lure, shape, capture or mold the behavior so you can Click! and reward it. Remember to break the behavior down into small pieces so Buddy can win at each step along the way to the final desired behavior.
Try it; you might like it! And once you are convinced that “It’s all tricks” you can toss those choke chains in the garbage and you and Buddy can get on with the serious business of having fun training together.
Pat Miller is a freelance author and a professional dog trainer in Fairplay, Maryland. She is author of many books on dog training.
Mastering Canine Massage Skills
Several readers have contacted me with reports of their growing massage skills. Learning and practicing each new massage technique is a thrill, and now that you have accomplished several techniques it is time to put them all together into a massage routine for your dog. The following routine is just a guideline to help get you started. Once you have tried it a time or two, you will naturally sequence the massage moves into a routine to suit you and your dog. Soon each massage will be different and will meet your changing needs and moods.
Getting in “massage mode”
To begin, clear your mind of all miscellaneous thoughts that tend to stray into your consciousness. Focus on your dog, and set your intent for the massage. Do you intend the massage to relax, reduce stress, improve flexibility and range of motion, or relieve discomfort from a chronic condition like arthritis? Whatever your reason, greet your dog verbally or mentally, express your intent, and ask permission to begin. Some folks speak in soothing tones while others use mental pictures to communicate with their pal. Remember, it is important that the massage be a pleasant experience for the dog.
The goal is to massage the whole dog, but we generally massage the face and head then one side of the body at a time. The effleurage move is used to “open” and “close” each region of the body as the massage routine progresses. As you use effleurage to open an area it stimulates blood flow which brings oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and prepares the region for other, sometimes deeper massage work. When massage in one area is completed, the area is closed with effleurage, which encourages the removal of toxins and metabolic wastes that can be released during massage.
Start at the beginning
I suggest initiating massage with effleurage to the face and head, since I think most dogs interpret the petting motion as a friendly gesture. Both sides of the face and head can be massaged at one time. Follow a few effleurage strokes with digital circles (finger pads only) to the face. You might concentrate on the large masseter or jaw muscle and the areas that surround the base of the ears. As you close the face and head with effleurage, make the strokes long and continue them on to the neck and shoulder to open these areas.
You may wish to use more digital circles on the neck muscles next to the vertebral column. It is beneficial to make a series of small digital circles near the vertebrae and a second series of slightly larger circles about one-half inch farther from the vertebrae. Of course, the area that you cover and the number of passes that you make is somewhat dependent on the size of the dog. Continue work by moving to the shoulder. A cross-fiber friction technique like the angel wing technique separates muscle fibers and can relieve muscle spasms. Remember that the stroke mimics the thumb motion of a hitchhiker. You may wish to start with a light pressure and increase it slightly as you proceed. Use two or three effleurage strokes to close the area.
It is time to open the front leg with effleurage. Remember to start at the toes and work up so you are going with the flow of venous blood toward the heart. You can follow this with digital circles around the joints, and on the larger upper arm muscles. Around the joints, digital circles will alert you to any swelling or discomfort that is present.
Now take the paw gently in your hand and use passive touch or a few sets of two or three compressions to increase circulation. Now work on maintaining and improving flexibility with passive stretching of the limb. Only stretch until the dog shows resistance. Do not stretch past this point. Close the limb with two or three effleurage strokes up the leg.
Open the chest and trunk with several effleurage strokes. Two or three passes of slow digital circles and/or two or three passes of thumb gliding along the spine are great to look for muscle spasms or other types of discomfort while relaxing the muscles. In the thumb glide, the thumb leads the way and the fingers just tag along. Start the strokes near the vertebral column and make each successive pass a little farther from the spine. You may also wish to thumb glide between the ribs. Close the chest and trunk with long effleurage strokes that cover the large hip muscles to open this area.
Mixing techniques
As for the shoulder, angel wing is a great technique for the large hip muscles. The routine for the hind limb is similar to the one for the front leg. You may also wish to do compressions or digital circles on the large muscles of the upper limb, digital circles around the joints, and passive touch or compression on the paw. Do some gentle passive stretching of the limb, and you are ready to close with effleurage up the leg.
If the dog is standing, go to the other side and repeat the same massage routine starting at the neck and continuing toward the tail. If the dog is lying down, you must gently roll him over or ask him to stand and reposition himself so you can massage the other side. When you have completed the massage, you may wish to make a few sweeping effleurage strokes from head to tail. End the session with doggy bone stretches to both sides to improve flexibility. It is very good for the dog and ends the massage on a very positive note. Be sure to thank the dog!
Congratulations – you have just completed a massage for your dog. The benefits to him were many. How do you feel? The positive mood that you have surely reached is an additional but sometimes ignored benefit of canine massage.
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-By C. Sue Furman
Author Sue Furman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO. In addition to her academic career, she is active as a free-lance writer and teaches equine and canine massage classes.
A Letter From Brother Christopher, of the Monks of New Skete
Pat Miller’s article on our breeding and dog training programs is a biased, one-sided view that does not represent our approach fairly and leaves the reader with the distinct impression that we mistreat our dogs. It also contains serious inaccuracies. The presumption underlying her article is that any training method that does not rely on treats as the prime motivator will invariably be outdated and unnecessarily harsh. She seems to believe that all training can be done entirely with positive reinforcement, and that, hence, negative reinforcement of any kind falls into the category of being harsh and abusive. We wonder how honest and realistic this is.
One of the reasons our books, videos, and training services have been and continue to be popular is the fact that they work. They provide clear guidelines that have helped countless owners deepen their understanding of, and relationship with their dogs, and they have aided them in teaching their dogs to be obedient, happy companions.
While it is true that we typically do not use treats in our method, there is a very concrete reason for this that stems not only from our own experience, but from that of other experienced, recognized trainers as well. Dogs are extremely intelligent creatures that can size things up quickly. The way treats are used in many training approaches all too often result in focusing the dog’s attention on the treat, rather than the owner as the source of the treat, and this can have negative consequences for the overall relationship. We cannot count the number of owners we have worked with who initially started training with treats and were dissatisfied with the inconsistent results and the subsequent “me-centered” attitude of the dog. Instead, we prefer to emphasize the importance of positive reinforcement in the form of warm and sincere praise that is integrated with dedicated training, which we find over time builds a more solid relationship of trust and companionship. While we respect the fact that Ms. Miller might disagree with our preference, we see no basis for her making the gratuitous assumption that treat training is a more humane way of training. There are a lot of very successful trainers who have committed their lives to helping dogs and their owners, who prefer not to use treats.
On a deeper level, Ms. Miller’s problem with us seems to be philosophical in nature. Ours is a holistic approach, which deals with all facets of the dog-owner relationship, including the area of discipline. We try to provide owners with responsible guidelines on this topic that are honest and consistent with a realistic understanding of canine behavior.
One of the difficulties with many training books is their failure to provide realistic help about correcting destructive and dangerous behavior, and as such are incomplete. Owners are often at a loss for dealing with ordinary problems and need a sound, effective yet compassionate, basis on which to deal with these. In critiquing our puppy book, Ms. Miller disputes any distinction between intelligent correction and gratuitous punishment, maintaining that any correction is punishment, regardless of the way it is administered. Can she really mean that? Do words mean only what an individual wants them to mean? Is there really no difference between a leash pop and hanging a dog, for example?
Presumably, if we read her correctly, she would argue that any negative reinforcement whatsoever is punishment, and therefore inappropriate in dealing with a dog. Would she say the same thing about raising a child? For example, is it realistic to raise a child exclusively with positive reinforcement? There seem to be lots of spoiled children running around today that put such an assumption in serious question. While abuse of any kind is always to be decried, we need to make a clear distinction between a timely correction and physical abuse. As it relates to dogs, it is not at all unreasonable to learn from the way a mother bitch disciplines her pup, or how dogs determine hierarchy in a pack, and translate that into the context of the human/dog relationship.
Given this, a scruff shake is an appropriately mild correction for a young pup from which the pup learns limits. And for the record, in the puppy book we don’t advocate “alpha rolls” at all. The concept is not even mentioned; the cuff correction is mentioned only once (p.204), and on that occasion the context in which such a correction should be used is explicitly (and narrowly) described. As it pertains to the first book, certainly the alpha-wolf roll-over must be used very carefully, if at all, and a new edition of the book would clarify this. Nevertheless, in all of our methods we have tried to show the relationship between the techniques we recommend and the natural relationships of dogs in a pack, whether maternal or not, and we have emphasized a preventative approach that is grounded in solid psychological principles and love and concern for the dog.
A more serious misconception is the way in which Ms. Miller mistakenly assumes that job Michael Evans wrote the New Skete dog books. Job Michael Evans (formerly Brother Job) left New Skete and the monastic life in 1983. As a member of the community in the years preceding the publication of How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend, he did contribute to that book, but the truth is that the book was a communal effort, reflecting the collaborative work of all of the monks and nuns, not just that of Brother Job. Obviously he had no role to play in The Art of Raising a Puppy (1991) or Raising Your Dog With the Monks of New Skete (1995). And for those who think ink that Mr. Evans had some serious ax to grind with the community, they should know that when he was seriously ill, he specifically asked us if he could be buried at the monastery, and that his remains now lie in our cemetery.
Finally, Ms. Miller implies that our relationship with our breeding dogs is essentially exploitative, that we overbreed, and that when we have no more use for them, we get rid of them. It is hard not to be angered by such a crass, unfounded judgment. We have dedicated our professional lives to trying to breed the soundest, healthiest dogs possible, and we are in regular contact with some of the finest breeders and veterinarians in the country about our breeding program. We never breed a bitch that is not in top condition, and visitors to our community constantly remark how healthy, well-mannered, and friendly our dogs are. It is true that when a bitch’s breeding career ends here we place her in a new home, but this is for a very specific reason that has nothing to do with our lack of love and dedication for them. Our communities are small – and each dog is individually cared for by one of the monks or nuns. Since we are not a puppy mill and abhor practices that in any way resemble them, we can only care for a limited number of dogs; if a dog is not an active member of the breeding program our circumstances, both economic and in terms of manpower, prevent us from keeping it. For example, were we to keep each dog till their death, each of us would have to care for 4-5 dogs each, which would be grossly unfair to the dogs. Thus, we take great pains to find wonderful homes where we can retire our bitches, and to our knowledge none of them has ever had any problem adjusting to their new families, or to the busy world outside the monastery. This is because the dogs have been supremely well socialized and cared for while they were here.
Each monk experiences the great personal sacrifice of seeing a bitch he has taken care of for many years go to a new home, but he also understands that this is a practical necessity warranted by our somewhat unique circumstances. He also realizes that our loss is another’s gain, and that this is just another small way in which his care and concern for the bitch can enrich someone else’s life in a very tangible way.We appreciate the insights and observations of behaviorists and trainers whose views we share as well as those whose views differ from ours. Indeed, we have learned much from many such people and are always open to learning better ways to train and care for dogs. At the same time, it is difficult to see our community’s work so irresponsibly and unfairly judged by a writer whose unspoken agenda literally leaps off the page, as was the case in Miller’s article.
-Brother Christopher (for the Monks of New Skete)
Cambridge, NY
Pat Miller’s Response
While I was not surprised that the Monks of New Skete were not thrilled by my article about their books and practices, it seems to me that Brother Christopher overlooked that I also had a lot of good things to say about what the Monks have done. I gave full credit to the Monks for leading a dog training revolution with their 1978 book, How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend. Unlike the force-based, “military” style training that predominated in the 1950s and 1960s, the Monks emphasized the importance of the handler’s relationship with their dogs, and advocated for a “gentle touch, mentally, vocally, and physically.” Great stuff!
But I did go on to say that while the Monks were in an ideal position to continue evolving their own and their students’ education toward nonviolent training methods, they have not done so. From reading their books, including the new edition of The Art of Raising a Puppy, it seems to me that they are pleased enough with their current training methods, which include verbal and physical punishments, that they have closed their minds to the possibility that their own program can be even more effective, enjoyable, and completely nonviolent.
I do feel that modern literature on dog training supports the effectiveness of food as a primary motivator, but I agree there are plenty of other ways to reward a dog for good behavior, including toys, play, praise and petting. For many dogs, though, these are not as effective as a food motivator, at least in the initial stages of training. It seems a shame and a disservice to clients to flatly rule out food in training, thereby ignoring one of the most powerful non-violent training tools available. Even many of the fence-sitters who call themselves “balanced trainers” – meaning they use both punishment and reward in their training methods – now use food to reward dogs for good performance and to re-motivate them after corrections.
Brother Christopher says that I seem to believe that all training can be done entirely with positive reinforcement. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every positive trainer that I know makes primary use of two of the four quadrants of operant conditioning: positive reinforcement (dog’s behavior makes something good happen – dog sits, she gets a Click! and a treat), and negative punishment (dog’s behavior makes something good go away – dog jumps up, owner turns away from dog).
Bro. Christopher refers to the physical corrections the monks use as negative reinforcement. Actually, in behavioral science, negative reinforcement means the animal’s behavior makes something bad go away (dog is pulling on leash, collar is choking dog; dog stops pulling, the choking stops). The Monks’ methods that I most object to fall in the realm of what behaviorists call positive punishment (dog’s behavior makes a bad thing happen). Scruff shakes, alpha rolls, and cuffs under the chin that occur in response to a dog’s already performed behavior are positive punishment. And yes, they are unnecessarily harsh.
Can I really mean that any correction is punishment? You bet. Punishment is anything that diminishes the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Certainly there is a difference in the degree of punishment between a leash pop and hanging a dog. Certainly there is a difference in intensity between a timely correction and prosecutable abuse. I believe they are both unnecessarily harsh and I don’t care for either one, but certainly one is far worse than the other.
Lastly, on to the justification for getting rid of breeders who are no longer useful producers. Brother Christopher feels that the Monks have somewhat unique circumstances – that the number of dogs they can breed is dictated by the number they can keep. Does he not realize that every breeder faces the same space, economic and manpower constraints? Responsible breeders reward dogs who have worked to produce puppies all of their lives by respecting the contract and commitment in the dog/owner partnership and keeping the dog until it is time to give her a gentle death. The fact that the Monks find good homes for their dogs makes it no less a breach of that contract.
Regular WDJ readers know that my agenda is spoken loudly and clearly in every issue. I stand firmly behind my preference for positive, non-violent training methods and will continue to promote them at every opportunity.
-Pat Miller
Peaceable Paws Dog and Puppy Training
Chattanooga, TN
Nonprofit Animal Welfare Groups – Competition for Donation Dollars is Fierce
Fundraising for nonprofit animal welfare groups is a dog-eat-dog business. Competition for donation dollars is fierce, and animal groups often have to fight tooth and claw to stay solvent while they pursue their various missions to improve the quality of life for animals.
While most animal protection groups rely primarily on individual donations, contributions from local businesses, and grants from various philanthropic sources, one of the latest means of fundraising involves corporate affiliations and endorsements. This explains why, increasingly, one finds pet products with labels that boast an “ASPCA Seal of Approval,” for instance, or why a car commercial might mention the blessing of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Our concern about this practice is simple: We think it is just too easy for consumers to misunderstand the relationship between allied animal welfare groups and product manufacturers, and to regard any affiliation as a credible recommendation for either involved party.
We can’t imagine that it hurts anyone if a dog owner decides to buy a Saab because of that company’s corporate affiliation with HSUS, but frankly, there are a few endorsements that do trouble us.
The most offensive, from our perspective, are the humane groups’ approval of training and containment systems that utilize shock collars. WDJ is opposed to the use of any kind of training or containment device that utilizes electric shock on the dog – not just because of the shock element itself, but also in the case of electronic containment systems, because of the potential for product failure and the system’s inability to protect the dog from outside threats. (See “Visible Problems,” May 1999, for more information about our opinions of shock collars.)
Consider that both the ASPCA and HSUS are widely known, high-profile animal protection organizations whose missions encompass at least a national, and sometimes global, perspective on animal protection. One would like to imagine that any product stamped with the ASPCA or HSUS logo would have nothing short of the best and purest interests of animals at heart.
But we would guess that few people understand that the appearance of these logos on a product has more to do with money changing hands than it does with the literal “endorsement” of the products.
Let’s take a closer look at the biggest players in dog products endorsement, and how the practice has the potential to affect their missions.
The “A”
The ASPCA, founded in 1866, was the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Its mission is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”
To this end, the “A”, as it is known in animal welfare circles, has programs that include direct animal care (with an animal hospital and adoption facility in New York City); enforcement of humane laws in NYC, influencing legislation in the state and federal arenas; distribution of humane education materials nationwide; administration of a toll-free service for animal behavior and veterinary information; and management of the National Animal Poison Control Center telephone hotline. In recent years, the ASPCA relinquished its long-standing animal control contract with New York City in order to focus on other programs, and it opened an office in Los Angeles, California, to facilitate its reach across the country to the West Coast.
The ASPCA has one of the most ambitious corporate affiliate programs of any of the high-profile animal organizations. They offer a variety of corporate and product licensing opportunities that include:
Spokescharacter licensing – A partnership with the Creative Resources Division of The Disney Company that creates animated characters that help finance the Society’s mission. Companies such as Ames Department Stores, Crown Crafts, Stevens Linen, Color Fantasy and Ashleigh Manor pay the ASPCA to have characters like Purrsilla the cat, Fremont the dog, and Harry the horse promote and sell their products in advertising campaigns. The products need not have anything to do with animals.
Name and logo licensing – Banking on the concept that the ASPCA name is a widely recognized icon with broad-based appeal, manufacturers who produce merchandise for animals and/or animal lovers can pay for the privilege of placing the ASPCA logo on their products. Participants in this program include Golden Turtle Press, Anita Lang, and FAO Schwartz.
ASPCA “Seal of Approval” – Manufacturers who wish to use the ASPCA Seal of Approval submit their products to the ASPCA’s Animal Science Review Committee to determine whether the product is one that the organization wishes to recommend. The Review Committee is made up of veterinarians, veterinary toxicologists, behaviorists, and ASPCA administrators. Current “Seal of Approval” companies include Johnson Pet-Dor, T.F.H./Nylabone, Prestone Products, and the Invisible Fence Pet Protection Company.
We were happy to hear that “Seal of Approval” decisions were made by a review committee made up of animal health and training professionals. However, according to a staff member of the ASPCA (who asked to remain anonymous), in at least one critical instance – the decision to confer the ASPCA Seal of Approval on the Invisible Fence products – the committee’s approval process was circumvented, to the dismay of staffers who are opposed to shock products.
According to Amy Lieberman, Licensing and Merchandising Coordinator for the ASPCA, details of the financial arrangements with affiliated companies vary. Commonly, it is based on a royalty/percentage agreement that ranges from 1-15 percent of sales. About 60 companies participate in the Seal of Approval and Name and Logo programs.
HSUS
The Humane Society of the United States describes itself as “America’s leading animal protection organization.” With 250 staff members and annual expenses in the neighborhood of $37 million (1998 fiscal year), that’s probably an accurate description. HSUS does not operate any hands-on shelters or animal care facilities, but instead directs its resources primarily toward public education and legislative efforts, with occasional assistance to local independent shelters in the areas of humane investigations and disaster relief.
While HSUS Board policy prohibits actual product “endorsements,” they do allow product licensing, sponsoring and corporate partnerships – a fine distinction that is probably lost on the general public and most HSUS supporters. Steve Putnam, HSUS’s Director of Business Development, admits that when they license a company for the use of HSUS’s “name and marks” it does imply some level of tacit approval. According to Putnam, there are 18-20 HSUS licensed products.
Unlike the ASPCA, which has established a committee to review products for potential “Seal of Approval” status, in the HSUS, licensing and partnership decisions can be made by anyone “from the President on down.” While that may be a bit simplified, according to Putnam, contact with an interested company often comes through line staff working in HSUS’s various program groups.
The decision to license is generally based on the economic viability of the agreement and consistency with HSUS’s mission, says Putnam. For example, HSUS turned down a potentially lucrative relationship with a company that sold vitamins and supplements because the parent company was one of the country’s largest factory farms and a leader in multinational agribusiness.
Does money corrupt?
Unfortunately, despite the best intentions of the animal welfare groups, both have formed “corporate partnerships” with companies whose corporate missions are arguably inconsistent with animal welfare organizations. Perhaps the most glaring example involves the manufacturers of electric shock collars, a dog training tool whose mention sparks heated debate among dog trainers.
Trainers who practice compulsion-style training are more likely to accept or even embrace the use of electric shock as a training tool. Trainers who believe in primarily positive reinforcement training and behavior modification (as does WDJ) generally abhor the use of shock collars and consider them to be unnecessary and inhumane.
To the dismay and bewilderment of positive trainers and portions of the humane community, both HSUS and ASPCA are involved in financial relationships with companies who produce electric shock collars for dogs. Positive trainers cringe at the message this sends to the dog owning public that they are trying to reach with their gentler, kinder dog training methods.
The ASPCA partners with and loudly praises Invisible Fence Brand Pet Containment, the original non-visible electric shock containment system, first marketed in 1973.
Several years ago, HSUS entered into a relationship with Radio Systems, another company that produces electric shock training equipment, and the HSUS logo has been prominently displayed on Radio Fence products.
While some in-house HSUS animal experts vehemently defend the electric shock affiliation for dog training purposes, the organization’s own email newsletter, HUMANE-Lines, recently sent a mixed message about HSUS’s position on the humaneness of electric shock. In the July 2000 issue, an article in HUMANE-Lines decried the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent use of shock collars on a Montana wolf pack, calling it a “cruel control tactic.”
Putnam defends HSUS’s Radio Systems affiliation decision. Input on the issue from their Companion Animal Division, he says, was that there is a tremendous problem in communities across the country with dogs running loose, and electronic containment can represent a viable means of dog confinement. The systems are, he added, very popular with consumers, pointing out that Radio Systems actually offers three aversive confinement methods: electric shock, citronella spray, and ultrasonic tone.
However, Putnam also acknowledges that the affiliation with Radio Systems was not popular with some HSUS supporters, and that it hadn’t been as successful a marketing tool as Radio Systems had hoped. According to Putnam, while Radio Systems is still an important sponsor for some HSUS activities, as of January 2000, the HSUS name has been removed from the company’s products. While some old inventory in stores may still bear the HSUS name, Putnam says new inventory does not.
In search of good will
The shock-collar industry has apparently bought the good will of some smaller non-profit animal groups as well. In 1998, the Invisible Fence Pet Containment Company established a $60,000 endowment fund for spay/neuter projects and to encourage the adoption of animals across the country.
The Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) worked with the ASPCA to distribute the money to shelters in 12 cities. In return, an ASPCA source tells us, the Invisible Fence Company requested that recipient shelters mention the Invisible Fence Containment System favorably in their newsletters. DDAL Executive Director Holly Hazard responded to comments from a concerned dog owner by defending the Invisible Fence and describing her successful personal experience keeping her own Beagle confined by use of electric shock. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a high-profile “no-kill” animal facility in Kanab, Utah, partnered with Tri-Tronics, another electric shock company. Tri-Tronics sent a trainer to their facility in Utah to shock dogs with behavior problems in an effort to “fix” them. Best Friends touted the success of that program in their May/June 2000 newsletter, representing electric shock as a painless way to eliminate behavior problems.
Full disclosure
There is no doubt that partnerships and affiliations are a valuable source of revenue for important animal protection organizations and programs. In our opinion, however, these well-respected nonprofit organizations would better represent themselves if they fully disclosed the nature of their relationship when they “lent” their good names to commercial products or services. People should clearly understand that the appearance of the humane organization’s logo should not be construed as any sort of guarantee as to the product’s lack of “cruelty to animals.” Dog lovers should be prepared to judge that for themselves.
-By Pat Miller
Limited Slip Collars: Best for Dog Training and Restraint
[Updated November 15, 2017]
We put collars on our dogs for several reasons. Collars give us a convenient place to hang ID tags and licenses – very important for a dog’s health and safety should he ever get lost. They make a convenient handle when we need to restrain our dog for some reason – for safety, training, or to comply with leash laws or social convention. Finally, in some cases, collars are used as training tools, to reinforce cues to a dog; this is a compulsion-based application, not generally used in positive training.
In this article, we’e looking at dog collars primarily as a restraint tool, especially as a means to keep our dogs from slip-sliding away.
The best collars, in our opinion, are the simplest: standard flat buckle (or snap) collar in leather, nylon, or cotton. The standard fitting instruction is to allow space for two fingers between the dog’s neck and collar. This works fine for many dogs, and is the type of all-purpose collar we recommend for most occasions.
However, if a dog’s head is not much wider than his neck (a standard occurrence with slender-skulled sighthounds like Greyhounds and thick-necked breeds such as Pugs), a two-finger gap allows him to back easily out of his collar and be unrestrained. Even wider-headed dogs sometimes learn a swift duck-and-pull-back maneuver that wins them their freedom – and exposes them to the many hazards of stray dogdom, collarless and tagless.
If you have a Slippery Sam in your family pack, you might want to consider a limited-slip collar, sometimes called a martingale collar or a Greyhound collar (because they are often used on Greyhounds, whose owners are well aware of the collaring-challenge presented by their dogs’ anatomy). Unlike the choke chain (which is sometimes called a slip collar by those who are trying to improve the punishment-collar’s image) the properly fitted limited-slip cannot tighten enough around the dog’s neck to cause serious discomfort or damage to the trachea.
A Martingale’s Tightness is Limited
Limited-slip collars generally have one piece that goes around the dog’s neck and is adjustable for fitting. A second, smaller loop piece fits through the hardware on the ends of the neck piece and has a metal ring to which the leash is attached. When the neck piece is properly fitted, if the dog pulls, the loop piece tightens enough to prevent the collar from slipping over the head, but not enough to choke the dog.
A nice feature seen on some models is a “dead ring,” where a person can snap a leash for a normal, non-tightening grip, if they so desire. While some people fasten license and identification tags to this ring (better this than the ring that would tighten), we don’t recommend making a limited slip collar your dog’s full time collar.
While the limited-slip collar increases the level of security for escape-prone dogs, we should mention that, improperly used, the collar also increases certain hazards. Because these collars do tighten when pulled taut, don’t leave them on dogs who are left unattended or are turned loose to play with other dogs. With some models, dogs are at an increased risk of catching a front paw in the extra loop. Also, dogs should never be tied with a limited slip collar on. (Whole Dog Journal does not recommend tying dogs at all.)
A good limited-slip collar is sturdy and durable, safe, comfortable, easy to adjust, aesthetically appealing, and affordable. It will slip and release easily, and not tighten when it shouldn’t.
The adjustability of these collars is critical because the purpose is to have the collar loose enough to be comfortable, tight enough under tension to prevent the dog from slipping out of it, and, at maximum tightness, not tight enough to choke the dog.
We’ve rated several limited-slip collars on our 0-4 Paws scale based on our observations and preferences. The descriptions should help you determine which product would be the best choice for your dog.
Tail-Wagging Training
Training, says Massachusetts dog trainer Donna Duford, should be fun, not work. Her seminars are such upbeat, tail-wagging events that the dogs seem to be having a party. Look closer and you’ll see a serious class, with participants taking notes as Duford reviews the laws of learning and defines classical conditioning, operant conditioning, positive and negative reinforcement, positive and negative punishment, continuous and variable reinforcement schedules, and other fundamentals of behavioral training. An internationally recognized lecturer, consultant to rescue groups, and former co-director of the exclusive dog training program for Tufts Veterinary School, Duford brings the theories of behavior modification to life with lively demonstrations.
“The secret to getting your dog to do what you want,” she says, “whether it’s learning a new trick, stopping an unwanted behavior, or improving performance for competition, is to understand why dogs act the way they do. Dogs are honest, and they do their best to communicate with us.
“Dogs do what works,” she continues. “They are obedient to the laws of learning. If you want your dog to do something, find a way for it to make sense to her, and she will respond. Dogs are easily distracted by the world around them. You have to be more exciting than the floor, other dogs, someone else’s treats, and all the other sights, smells, and sounds that compete for attention. Once you understand the laws of learning, you can break any behavior into its component parts and understand it from your dog’s point of view. As soon as you present what you want in a way that makes sense to your dog, it’s easy to change her behavior.”
Duford, best known for her work in musical canine freestyle, the new sport of dancing with dogs, is the author of Agility Tricks for Improved Attention, Flexibility and Confidence. Don’t let the title mislead you. Her book’s tricks and the lessons they teach are just as valuable to obedience competitors, show dogs, therapy or service dogs, canine athletes, and family pets. At a recent two-day seminar sponsored by Skyline Agility Club in Haverstraw, New York, Duford showed how correctly timed positive reinforcements can be used not only to improve the performance of dogs competing in agility but also, to solve problems of every description.
Find the key to YOUR dog
“There is no single training strategy that works for every dog,” Duford told the group. “If your dog isn’t motivated by food, you won’t accomplish much with treats. The same is true for toys, praise, petting, and other rewards. Some dogs are excited by movement and like to chase things, or they love to run and play. Some are chow hounds. Some love to carry a toy. You have to find what works for your dog – or more accurately, what reward your dog will work for. The more your dog wants something, and the more clearly he understands that the right behavior will bring that reward, the faster he’ll learn.”
Dogs respond in different ways to physical manipulation, says Duford. Some are helped by gentle physical prompts, but others are stressed by tugging, pushing, pulling, and physical positioning. If your dog dislikes or is distracted by physical handling, use other methods. Some dogs enjoy learning new things and are willing to try just about anything, while others find the learning process stressful and work best with short training sessions, frequent positive feedback, and frequent repetition.
Emotional sensitivity is another consideration. Sensitive dogs are like sensitive people; they take everything personally! “It takes patience and understanding to train sensitive dogs,” says Duford, “because they are affected by voice, mood, facial expression, and body language. Their training works best when you give lots of positive reinforcement and keep your mind on what you’re doing because insufficient encouragement, outside distractions, or your own impatience can cause a sensitive dog to shut down and stop working. Less sensitive dogs are often easier to train because they bounce back no matter what mistakes you make.”
Another way in which dogs are different is in their response to cues and signals. Some dogs are more attentive to sound and focus their attention on voices and other auditory cues, while others are more visual and do better with physical signals.
“By far the easiest way to train a dog,” says Duford, “is to observe its natural behaviors. Most dogs already do some version of what you want. It’s just a matter of capturing and expanding on that behavior.” Once owners take the time to understand what motivates their dogs, says Duford, they can plan a sensible training schedule that incorporates all of this information. “In general,” she says, “dogs do best with short training sessions. An hour-long class is convenient for people, but dogs learn faster in five-minute sessions scattered through the day. In fact, too much training can be counterproductive.”
Shaping behavior
Donna Duford’s seminars have a party atmosphere because dogs and handlers use treats, praise, and other rewards to explore positive reinforcement. “To capture or shape a behavior,” she says, “you need a way to communicate quickly.” Duford uses a hand-held clicker because it pinpoints timing exactly, but she uses other cues as well.
“I like the word ‘yes’ because it’s easy to remember, appropriate, and easy to pronounce,” she says, “but you can use another word or a visual cue. Whatever you use, start by showing your dog that it means something positive.” This exercise involves food treats, toys, and other motivating rewards. Give a click or say “Yes!” while handing your dog a treat or toy, then repeat it until he associates the sound with a reward. No wonder tails were wagging around the room.
“A conditioned reinforcer is anything you pair with a primary reinforcer,” Duford explains. “The conditioned reinforcer is the cue. The primary reinforcer is whatever your dog enjoys enough to work for.
“To create a conditioned reinforcer, present it first. This means click or say yes, then immediately give the primary reinforcer, which is the treat, toy, or whatever your dog wants. Repeat this several times, then wait for your dog to look away and focus on something else. Click or say yes, and if your dog comes back and gives you an attentive look, she is making the connection. As soon as she associates the two stimuli or events, you have started training.”
In the seminar, Duford worked with dogs of every age and description. To teach an exuberant Portuguese Water Dog to nod, Duford waited for his head to dip even a small amount, then she clicked and gave him a treat. Soon the dog was bobbing his head so enthusiastically that everyone laughed and applauded. Then he began prancing forward and back while bobbing his head. “I have mixed feelings about this,” Duford told the crowd. “Freestyle is my first love, and this dog is a natural dancer. If this were a freestyle seminar, we’d almost be ready to choose the music. But today all I want is a nod of the head, so I won’t reinforce the dance steps. I’ll just ignore them. Because prancing doesn’t generate any clicks or treats, he’ll soon stop.” As though he understood what she was saying, the dog stood still, nodded his head, and wagged his tail as soon as this simpler behavior produced a click and treat.
Timing, as Duford demonstrated, is everything. “For a reinforcement to be effective,” she says, “it must be immediate. A reward given too late or too early won’t just fail to reinforce the desired behavior, it can reinforce something else entirely. Your dog will focus on whatever she was doing when you gave the reinforcement, and that may not be what you intended at all.” Duford recommends alternating reinforcers (a clicker, the word yes, verbal praise, visual signals, and other reward indicators), so you always have a way to communicate quickly and efficiently.
At the beginning, follow the cue with a reward every time, but when a behavior is well established, reward every other time, then on a random schedule.
“If you and I get the same reward every time we do something, like when we turn on a light switch or put money in a Coke machine, it becomes a mindless routine,” says Duford. “If we don’t get the reward we expect, we know the machine is broken or the power is off and we stop trying. But if we get a positive reward only some of the time on an unpredictable schedule, like from a slot machine, we’re more likely to repeat a behavior in hopes of getting a prize. Dogs respond the same way.”
This is why random reinforcement works so well to improve performance. When dogs are motivated to get something that might come on the next try, they try harder.
“If you want speed, wait until your dog moves faster or sooner,” says Duford, “and reward that. If you want a different improvement, like a deeper stretch, higher head position, or straighter body alignment, reward that. Reward familiar behaviors on a random schedule, but reward improvements as soon as they take place. And if the improvement is significant, increase the reward by giving a jackpot, which is a bigger or better prize than usual.”
Teaching fun tricks
Tricks are amusing, but according to Duford, the lessons they teach build a sound foundation for serious training and problem solving. Teaching your dog a new trick requires careful observation and quick responses. The more accomplished you become in timing rewards, finding the right rewards to motivate your dog, and matching your training methods to your dog’s personality, the easier it will be to tackle anything from her entry to an agility course’s weave poles to improving her retrieve or come-when-called command.
Using your hand or an object as a target is an easy way to get started. Most dogs will sniff a hand held out to them. As soon as your dog’s nose touches your hand, give a reward. Repeat this until your dog turns to touch your hand wherever it is. If your dog loses interest, make your hand more interesting by holding it behind your back, inspecting it, talking to it, kissing it, or pretending to eat something from it. Using one hand as a target helped seminar participants teach their dogs how to turn in circles, spin, shake their heads from side to side, bow, and walk while weaving in and out of their owners’ legs.
For tricks in which the dog was further away, they used a small piece of transparent plastic as a target. Other popular targets are sticks or wands. “I like transparent plastic,” says Duford, “because it’s hard to see, which makes it easier to eliminate once it’s no longer needed.” Throughout the seminar, she emphasized the importance of removing targets, rewards, and other aids as soon as possible. “Some trainers are systematic,” she says, “and they follow a scientific schedule. I’m fond of shortcuts and use them whenever possible. If your dog doesn’t need something any more, why use it? Try doing without it once or twice, and if she doesn’t understand what you want, go back to using the target, lure, or reward until she does.” Duford is quick to raise her standards. As soon as a dog seems to catch on, she withholds the conditional reinforcer, which motivates the dog to repeat the behavior faster, more decisively, or more often.
“When you and your dog understand this approach to training,” she says, “it’s incredibly exciting. It’s tempting to keep adding one more thing or try the behavior one more time, but the best you can do is keep the session short and stop while you’re ahead. As soon as your dog seems confused, tired, slow, or stressed, do something simple and end on a high note.”
A step backward can help
Duford emphasizes the importance of temporarily lowering your standards whenever you introduce something new. “Your puppy may have learned to sit on the living room rug,” she says, “but take him outside and he’s clueless. That’s because the environment is completely different, and he’s distracted. Whenever you make a trick more complicated or introduce a new distraction, your dog may seem to forget the behavior. Be patient, give him lots of praise and rewards, and lower your criteria until he catches on again.
“Focus on one thing at a time,” Duford advises. “If you’re working on speed, ignore everything else, even if the dog is out of position. When she’s moving faster, go back to body alignment, understanding that as soon as you do so, her speed may suffer. Ignore speed until her alignment improves, then return to speed. With each change of focus, lower your standards. Click for small improvements. The same is true for distractions, which is why it’s important to be patient when your dog is working in a new location and contending with new sights, smells, and sounds.”
To those who felt frustrated when their dogs’ attention wandered, Duford asked whether any had ever walked into a room and forgotten why. This produced nods and chuckles. “Or have you ever driven your car from one place to another with no recollection at all of how you got there?” More laughter. “Maybe you even drove to the wrong place,” she said. “Were you being willfully disobedient?”
Relax, she says. Forgive your dog, forgive yourself, and enjoy each other. If you aren’t accomplishing anything, take a break. It’s better to interrupt a training session and try again later than insist that the dog repeat an exercise that isn’t working.
Wave hello!
Waving one paw in the air is a fun trick that impresses people, gives the dog something useful to do, provides a healthy stretch, and illustrates the versatility of Duford’s approach.
She explains – and better, quickly demonstrates with a student’s dog – how to master the wave with one paw, and then suggests ways that you could build on the simple behavior. When the dog can wave with either paw, she suggests, have her do it while standing rather than sitting. Then have her do it lying down. Teach your dog to give both paws at the same time. Have her wave when you give a visual signal by itself or a voice command by itself. Or work on distance. If she waves reliably at three feet, step back and try six or ten feet, or give the command from across the room.
“My dogs never know what to expect,” says Duford, who lives with a Border Collie and Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. “I’m always trying something new, or trying to get them to do something faster or better. Both of them offer all kinds of behaviors because they know something will earn a reward sooner or later.”
Solving problem behavior
To Donna Duford, problem behavior is simply an unsolved puzzle. “The behavior, whatever it is, makes sense to the dog,” she explains. “It’s the person who hasn’t figured it out yet.” Whether the problem is house training, bad manners, separation anxiety, incessant barking, or a fear of the see-saw on an agility course, Duford approaches it systematically.
“We think of going to the store as a simple operation,” she says, “but stop for a minute and think of all the steps involved. You put appropriate clothes on, get your car keys and whatever else you need, check your list, go out the door, lock the door, walk to your car, unlock the car, get in, adjust the seat, turn the radio on, adjust the rear-view mirror, put the key in the ignition, turn the engine on, and release the brake – and you still haven’t gone anywhere. A lot of behaviors are involved in taking you to the store, and each of them can be examined in detail. When you’re analyzing a dog’s behavior, you have to think in similar terms.”
Once you isolate whatever triggers the behavior you don’t want, you can replace it with something else. A dog that charges the door whenever the doorbell rings can be rewarded for holding a quiet down/stay of increasing length and increasing levels of noise distraction. A dog that whines when his owner goes out of sight can be rewarded for staying quiet for two seconds, then five, then increasingly long periods.
“When training is the problem,” says Duford, “it’s usually because the handler is trying too much too fast or is simply inattentive. Break the trick or command into small components and reward these little things instead of insisting on a complex finished behavior. Many trainers raise their criteria too rapidly, before the dog really understands the command, or they complicate the picture by asking for several things at once. Remember to work on one component at a time, and eventually the pieces will come together. Sometimes trainers raise their criteria without meaning to, such as when they try a trick outdoors for the first time. Go back to the most basic parts of the command and start from scratch.
“When a specific behavior is a problem,” she says, “you have to examine it from the dog’s point of view as well as your own. A dog will repeat a behavior that served a useful purpose in the past, even if the situation that caused it happened only once or no longer exists.”
In the agility seminar, Duford sometimes sounded like a detective, asking owners detailed questions about what, when, how, and where a problem occurred. The same approach that worked for these agility competitors works for household pets and dogs in other circumstances.
“I don’t claim that every owner can solve every behavioral problem with fun training methods,” says Duford, “but for most dogs and most people, learning tricks with positive reinforcement can transform the dog/handler relationship and lead to all kinds of exciting adventures. It’s an excellent place to start.”
-By CJ Puotinen
Author CJ Puotinen is an herbalist, holistic pet care expert, the author of Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, and a frequent contributor to WDJ.
Telepathic Communication With Your Dog
Have you ever looked up suddenly and seen your dog staring at you intensely, longingly – a look that grows no less pleading when you offer treats, a walk, or a scratch behind the ears? Or perhaps you’ve seen your dog leap up at some seemingly nonexistent noise, sniffing and whining for no reason you can imagine. Have you wished that you could know what your animal wants, understand what he’s thinking? Or have you ever wondered, when your dog mysteriously disappears at bath time, if he knows what you’re thinking?
Some people believe it is possible for humans and other animals to bridge the gap of spoken language and understand each other. Ape language studies and the development of animal behaviorism as a science have both contributed to our knowledge of other species’ minds. But another, more controversial group of people, who usually call themselves “animal communicators,” believe that the key to understanding our animal companions lies not in science, but in spirituality. Could they be right?
Dr. Doolittle’s heirs
Doctor Doolittle, hero of the children’s fantasy stories, could “talk with the animals” – and they, in turn, could speak to him and be understood. Hugh Lofting, author of the Doctor Doolittle books, may have been inspired to create his character after serving in World War I, where he was disturbed by the killing of horses injured in battle: “If we made the animals take the same chances as ourselves,” he wrote, “why did we not give them similar attention when wounded?” Sadly, he came to the conclusion that to develop horse surgery as effective as human surgery “would necessitate a knowledge of horse language.” Lofting went on to create a character who could not only understand horse language, but was also fluent in dog, pig, parrot, monkey, and crocodile.
Doctor Doolittle may be the fictional world’s first “animal communicator,” but to his real-life counterparts, the good doctor’s achievement is no fantasy. Animal communicators do not actually bark at dogs or whinny to horses; rather, they believe they can send and receive images, ideas, or even words telepathically.
An inborn ability
Penelope Smith, one of the best known animal communication specialists, is considered a pioneer in the field. She has written two books on what she calls “interspecies telepathic communication,” publishes a newsletter called Species Link, and travels the world, speaking and teaching workshops on communicating with animals. Smith lives in Point Reyes, California, with her menagerie of two llamas, two Afghan hounds, three cats, three chickens, and a rabbit. A lifelong animal lover, Smith began her career as a professional animal communicator in 1977, but she remembers feeling an intuitive connection to animals in early childhood.
Smith believes all children are born with the ability to “hear” animals’ thoughts and feelings, but learn to suppress or hide what adults label an over-active imagination. She worked as a human counselor before concentrating her practice on animals, but Smith feels both are essentially the same work. “We’re all connected,” she says, and in working with animals, she believes she’s also helping people.
Smith says she believes many of the behavior problems we see in dogs are actually the dog’s attempt to communicate something. Domestic animals, Smith notes, have been taken out of a natural environment and expected to cope with human rules and inconsistencies. As house pets, they’re subjected to peoples’ emotions, family conflicts, indoor environmental pollution, and food that bears no resemblance to their hereditary diet. These stresses may cause some behavior problems, while in other cases, what we see as “bad” behavior may be a misunderstood attempt to please us.
For example, in her book Animal Talk, Smith tells the story of Tip, a dog who had begun scattering droppings from the cats’ litter box, as well as soiling the rug. Tip’s owner tried punishing the dog, but he persisted. Smith “talked” to Tip and discovered that he had observed his owner scooping out the cat box, so he thought she’d be pleased when he joined in the game. He also decided, since his owner was so interested in the cats’ droppings, that he would leave her some of his own to play with.
Sonya Fitzpatrick, an animal communicator and author of What the Animals Tell Me, tells the story of a client who came to her in distress because her cat had stopped using her litter box and seemed to spend much of her time hiding in a closet. Moving the litter box to the closet helped at first, but then the cat began having accidents inside the closet. Fitzpatrick “asked” the cat why she was not using the box, and learned that the client’s husband mistreated the cat and had been throwing shoes at her while she was in the closet, frightening her so that she had accidents. When she told the client what she had learned, the client confirmed that her husband disliked the cat. Plausible? Yes. But not necessarily proof of psychic powers. Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Director of the Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, offers another view of the story. As a behaviorist, he says, he might walk into the client’s house, learn that the cat was soiling, and notice that the husband doesn’t seem to like the cat. He might then deduce from the circumstances that the cat was being abused and was soiling out of stress. Perhaps, he suggests, animal communicators are in fact using a combination of intuition, observation, and common sense to get inside animals’ minds.
Finding Sebastian
Probably one of the most terrifying experiences a loving pet owner can face is the loss of an animal. When a pet is missing, worry and uncertainty may turn even skeptics into believers, and people who would normally scoff at the idea of psychic phenomena may find themselves working with an animal communicator. That’s what happened to Richard Caparco of Coventry, Rhode Island, when his family’s beloved collie, Sebastian, disappeared one day after a run on the dunes. Sebastian was lost on April 25, 1998. He was found more than six weeks later. And he was found, says Caparco, thanks to the help of animal communicators Alison Hamilton and Sonja Fisher.
Alison Hamilton owns Pet Sitters, a pet-sitting service in Newport, Rhode Island. Sonja Fisher, a registered nurse, has worked as a facilitator of One Brain and Three in One Concepts, a holistic practice using body energy. Using kinesiology techniques (also known as muscle testing), Hamilton and Fisher have taught workshops in animal communication, and they have worked in private practice with people and animals. On several occasions, Hamilton says, they have helped to find lost animals, including a cat lost in the baggage area of an air terminal, but Sebastian’s story was the most dramatic. Richard Caparco took the two family Collies, Sebastian and Samantha, out to some open sand dunes, as he did every day. On April 25, for some reason, Sebastian took off. Caparco looked for hours and called the dog, but couldn’t find him.
He returned later in the day and spent at least 10 hours combing the dunes and the woods for Sebastian, but found no sign of him. Caparco’s daughter, Michelle, was distraught: Each day, says Michelle, she would tell her father: “Go out and find the dog!” Samantha, the female dog, was also distressed by Sebastian’s absence. Caparco kept looking, he says, putting up posters and asking people if they’d seen “a Lassie dog,” calling police and dog pounds throughout the state, but after weeks had gone by, he had almost given up hope. Then one day, he got “a phone call from the psychics,” Sonja Fisher and Alison Hamilton. “They told me they were going to help me find this dog,” Caparco relates. “They never asked for a penny . . . they were happy just to help.”
Fisher and Hamilton encouraged Caparco to continue the searching he’d been doing. They told him that they had been in contact with the dog, and Sebastian was alive. In fact, they said, Sebastian told them Caparco had driven by him several times. The psychics looked at a map and pinpointed an area in rural Exeter, Rhode Island, where they said the dog was living. Caparco would find Sebastian, they said, because they had received a message that the dog was coming home.
One day, on a sudden impulse, Caparco drove to Exeter, about nine miles from where Sebastian was lost, and an animal ran into the road ahead of his car. Initially, his daughter thought it was a fox, but Caparco jumped out of the car and screamed the dog’s name. It was an incredibly emaciated Sebastian, still wearing his collar, his coat matted and full of ticks and fleas. After more than six weeks in the woods, the collie had lost 33 pounds and was near death, but he survived, and today is a healthy, loving, beautiful dog.
Caparco found Sebastian exactly where the psychics had told him the dog would be. “I never really believed in that stuff,” he says, but after finding Sebastian, “I had to change my mind.”
Communication and health
Dr. Liz Campbell, a veterinarian at the Wolf Rock Animal Clinic in Exeter, Rhode Island, offered a seminar in animal communication at the clinic, featuring communicator Nedda Wittels. The clinic offers holistic care, including acupuncture and herbal remedies, as well as traditional medicine. The staff members try to be sensitive to animals’ emotional needs and comfort, providing a quiet, calm atmosphere when possible.
“We really try to focus our energy on the fact that we are healing them and try to let them know that. We’ve always done this,” says Dr. Campbell, “but after the seminar, it’s been working better, and it’s amazing. Instead of just saying the words to the animal, you have to put the words through your body and into your heart and out your heart . . . if it comes from your heart, I think it goes into the animal.”
Sensing what the animals feel is more challenging. “I’m not so sure that it’s easy to hear them – that’s a little harder. It takes a lot of concentration to hear them, but we did learn to better project what we’re thinking and feeling through the seminars.” She believes that some people can “hear” animals’ thoughts, and says that she has heard some impressive stories from her clients and from other holistic veterinarians.
However, Campbell cautions that dog owners must use their own judgment about what the communicators report. She said that some of the psychics who offer telephone consultations end up giving more general pet care advice than doing actual psychic work, which “is great if you want to pay a dollar a minute to talk to someone about the best way to give your pet a pill or how he wants his bed fluffed.” What they are doing, she suggests, is telling clients what they think an animal might want, rather than actually communicating with the animal. Their advice isn’t necessarily wrong, but it isn’t any more valid than the animal care tips an owner might get from a good dog care book or a holistic veterinarian – and it may be more expensive. Though skeptical of some of the commercial psychics, Dr. Campbell still thinks the concept of animal communication has validity, and said she and Beverly Shear, technician at the clinic, have had success using nonverbal communication to help animals feel less threatened. Shear is particularly good at this, says Dr. Campbell. “I find that when she holds an animal, the animal calms down so quickly, it’s amazing.”
Beverly Shear says she has been using some elements of animal communication working with animals at the clinic. In addition to body language (gentle handling), she tries to send mental messages to animals: for example, asking permission before beginning a treatment, “Is it all right if I help you through this?” She says the animals often look at her and seem to respond with their bodies; occasionally, she adds, a dog will turn his back on her. “I take that to mean, ‘no!’ ” she laughs. Shear believes animals can pick up on our energy and our intentions, and when an animal is getting medical treatment, it’s especially important for the owner to communicate calm, positive feelings.
Veterinarians’ mixed reactions
While holistic veterinarians may be more open to the idea of animal communication, Kate Reilly, an animal communicator in Aiken, South Carolina, says she has been consulted by all kinds of veterinarians. Some veterinarians with traditional medical practices do consult animal psychics, just as police use human psychics, she explains, but “it’s not something they care to publicize” for fear of ridicule.
Reilly, who has been offering her animal communication services for 11 years, studied with Penelope Smith and Jeri Ryan, another California animal communicator. She now offers small workshops in her home. She does consultations over the phone, and says she finds this works best for her, because she’s not distracted by physical cues. It’s easy for her to get in contact with the animal, she notes, but she works hard to maintain the connection long enough to get the information the owner needs. She likes to “check in” with the animal at different times of day, to get inside them and feel what their bodies are feeling. Reilly says she can tell what kind of animal she is “speaking” to just by the animal’s way of thinking. Horses, for which Reilly has a special affinity, are “the most sensitive and desirous of a relationship with humans;” cats are philosophers; and dogs are easygoing and blasé. Reilly says she was drawn to her work because of her love for animals: “I have the best job in the world,” she says.
While some animal communicators, like Reilly, may be asked to consult with vets, sharing their perception of an animal’s feelings, their advice should not be seen as a substitute for a trained veterinarian’s care. A “Code of Ethics for Interspecies Telepathic Communicators,” designed by Penelope Smith, expressly states, “It is not our job to name and treat diseases, and we refer people to veterinarians for diagnosis of physical illness.”
Beyond human perception
Historically, dogs have been seen as having a “knowingness” beyond human understanding. Folk wisdom even holds that they can sense when someone is evil or dangerous. In her book, How to Talk to Your Animals, author Jean Craighead George, tells the story of Orion, a Malamute, who was walking with his owner on a dark Alaskan road one night.
A young man in a sports car stopped, seemingly to offer a ride, then sped away just as Steve Wood, the dog’s owner, went to open the door. Wood shrugged and kept walking, but a few minutes later, Orion jumped on his chest repeatedly, finally knocking him into a snowbank on the side of the road. He lay there, puzzled by his dog’s bizarre behavior, when suddenly, the same car came racing down the road again, headed straight at the spot where Wood had been standing. “Apparently Orion had sensed something crazy about that kid,” Wood told the author, and when he heard the car returning – long before a human could – he forced his owner off the road. “He saved my life,” Steve Wood stated. “I’m convinced of that.”
Rupert Sheldrake, a British researcher who taught biochemistry at Cambridge University, also believes dogs possess extrasensory abilities. His new book, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, outlines his theory that dogs and other animals can communicate with humans or with each other through telepathy. Drawing upon surveys and interviews with more than 1,000 people who own or work with animals, Sheldrake describes lost dogs and cats finding their way home through unfamiliar territory; pets who seem to know, even at a great distance, when their owners die; animals who predict earthquakes, bombing attacks, and other disasters; and, as the title suggests, dogs who know when their owners are coming home.
Sheldrake conducted a study using a terrier named Jaytee, simultaneously videotaping dog and owner as they spent a typical day apart, the owner at work and Jaytee at home. The tapes often showed Jaytee getting up and going to the door or window at the same time when his owner, miles away, decided to come home.
Sheldrake and his videotape appeared on the television show 20/20 in September, 1999, as did Dr. Nicholas Dodman, who took a skeptical view of Sheldrake’s methods and conclusion. The experiment was not completely randomized, Dr. Dodman pointed out, and it did not take into account the many times Jaytee got up and went to the window or door when his owner was not coming home. And when Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire tried to replicate the Jaytee experiment under controlled conditions, Wiseman said he found no evidence of telepathy.
Still, Sheldrake claims his results are significant, even when visits to the door or window for other reasons (barking at passing dogs, sitting in the sun) are included. In an interview with the British journal New Scientist, Sheldrake says, “More than half the dog owners we surveyed think their dogs can read their minds or pick up their thoughts . . . I think so many people claim their animals can read their minds because sometimes their pets do read their minds, they are picking up their intentions.”
Explaining the inexplicable
Whether or not dogs have a sixth sense, they certainly are better than humans at using the five senses they do have. Dogs have been known to “predict” thunderstorms, earthquakes, and fires.
Now dogs are even helping people with epilepsy and other seizure disorders to predict when seizures will occur. By sensing the coming seizure minutes ahead of time, the dogs allow patients to get into a safe position and call for medical help.
A research study at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine confirmed that dogs do alert their owners to seizures; researchers there are now seeking funding for a larger study to find out why and how the process works. The dogs may perceive unconscious behavioral changes that precede a seizure; they may, with their powerful sense of smell, detect changes in a person’s odor brought on by neurological and chemical changes (as in the popular expression that dogs can “smell fear”); or they may, in some way not yet understood, be able to sense a disturbance in the electromagnetic pulses of the person’s brain.
All of this is remarkable, but does it mean dogs have ESP? “It’s not extrasensory perception,” Michael Goehring of the Great Plains Assistance Foundation in North Dakota told the MSPCA publication Animals. “It’s extraordinary sensory perception.” Dr. Nicholas Dodman of Tufts agrees: “Before a seizure, a person’s affect changes. Dogs are very sensitive to physical changes.”
“Dogs are past masters in the sensory world,” says Dr. Dodman. With hearing, smell, some aspects of sight, and a directional sense that far surpass those of humans, dogs are exquisitely attuned to every aspect of their physical environment. While humans have evolved into a cerebral, speculative world of abstract thinking and symbolic language, often shutting out our environment, dogs remain grounded in physical reality.
“We live in a world of language and we think animals are a little silly because they can’t sit down and write a letter or speak,” Dr. Dodman says, yet dogs have their own form of intelligence, and the ability to use senses we’ve lost. Dogs often have an inborn sense of dead reckoning and are able to construct “mental maps” of territory. This accounts for some dogs’ legendary homing instinct and the many instances of dogs who find their way home from great distances. This ability, however, is not telepathy; it is a natural instinct which is “innate and biologically appropriate.”
Dogs have other natural advantages in the world of the senses. They can detect changes in barometric pressure, they can hear frequencies of sounds undetectable to human ears, and they have eyes perfectly adapted for night vision and detecting motion. Their sense of smell, Dr. Dodman says, is amazingly acute: “If you spread out the smell organs in the human nose, the total area of sensitive tissue is about the size of a thumbnail.” In a dog, he says, “It’s more like a pocket handkerchief.”
Dr. Dodman, while emphasizing dogs’ great natural abilities, discounts any claims that they have supernatural abilities. He is similarly skeptical of humans who claim to be able to communicate telepathically with animals. “They believe they can” talk to animals, he says, “but I don’t believe they can.” Dr. Dodman feels that the current interest in animal communication is just another example of the tendency of humans to attribute supernatural powers to things they don’t understand.
“Once we thought (animals) were gods, then demons. Now some people think they can talk. What’s next?”
-By Kathryn Kulpa
Kathryn Kulpa is a freelance writer from Middletown, Rhode Island. This is her first article for WDJ.
The Many Uses of the Kong!
I still have the very first Kong I bought 20 years ago for my Australian Kelpie, Keli. The indestructible black toy looks like it could have been purchased yesterday, despite 14 years of intensely hard use by typically obsessive herding dogs. Pre-dating the popular sport of Kong-stuffing by more than a decade, Keli was dedicated to chasing the four-inch, hollow, beehive-shaped rubber object as it bounced and boomeranged erratically across the asphalt at the shelter where we worked. Dang, it was almost as much fun as herding sheep!
Twenty years ago the Kong – originally available in just one size and color – was a novelty. Today it is made in numerous sizes, shapes, colors, and chewing densities, and is a “must-have” staple in the tool kit of most dog trainers and many wise dog owners. Dog care professionals have invented an almost endless list of uses for the innocuous-looking rubber object.
This amazing dog toy can distract a dog suffering from separation anxiety, entertain a bored dog who otherwise gets into trouble, train an under-motivated dog, etc. etc. You wouldn’t think that a mere toy could go so far as to help us cope with canines who might otherwise be labeled difficult dogs, or worse, end up on the discard pile at the local animal shelter, but Kong can do.
Top 10 uses for a Kong:
The Thrill of the Chase
This was the original application of the Kong. Because of its unique shape, the Kong bounces every which way but straight, providing intriguing quarry for the prey-oriented pooch. I doubt I would have survived the Kelpie-owning experience without engaging Keli in several intensive Kong-chasing sessions every day. Watching your dog bound and rebound after the elusive rubber prey is guaranteed to entertain you for hours on end as well as your dog.
Caveat: Herding breeds, especially, are known for literally running themselves into exhaustion. If you have a Kong-crazed dog, be careful not to induce heat-stroke or physical collapse (as I inadvertently did with Keli on two occasions) with too much Kong fun!
Puppy Distracters
Many of the more recent Kong applications involve Kong-stuffing (see “Stuff It!”, next page). Puppy distracting is one. Play-biting and inappropriate chewing are common complaints of new puppy owners. An ideal solution to perfectly normal but undesirable puppy mouth explorations is to provide an irresistible alternative to human flesh or wooden table legs – a Kong stuffed full of tantalizing treats.
Crate Training
The crate, or kennel, is a vital dog behavior management tool, and one often slighted by dog owners because of an initial poor crate training experience. (See “Crate Training Made Easy,” August 2000). When Pal is trained to the crate properly and positively, the kennel becomes his den, a haven of security and comfort. A well-stuffed Kong combined with an appropriate training program can help your dog decide that his crate is a wonderful place to be.
Cure for Cabin Fever
A few years ago, during a rain-soaked, endless El Niño California winter, our four dogs were getting seriously edgy with signs of a full-blown case of cabin fever. Stuffed Kongs to the rescue! Silence soon settled over the troubled household as our snarling canine siblings settled into their separate corners, gnawing contentedly on their respective rubber pacifiers.
Stress Reduction
Stress is the underlying cause of most canine aggression. For a dog who is uneasy with houseguests, a Kong stuffed with doggie delicacies can help change the response to visitors from negative to positive. Stress is an involuntary response – the dog can’t help it. The dog’s body reacts without conscious thought in the presence of the negative stimulus, with an immediate “Visitor – BAD!!” response. We can use the stuffed Kong as part of a well-planned counter-conditioning/desensitization program to change his involuntary response from “Visitor – STRESS” to “Visitor – OH GOODIE!”
Someone’s At The Door!
Another great visitor-related Kong application, this basis for this one is suggested by positive trainer Donna Duford. Dogs who want to greet guests too enthusiastically at the front door can be taught to fetch a toy instead. The knock at the door or the ringing of the doorbell becomes the cue to fetch the Kong, stuffed (if you know company is coming) or empty. Pal may then either retire to his rug to chew his treasure as your visitors enter, unmolested, or greet your guests politely at the door with his mouth filled with Kong instead of company. Caveat: If your dog is a food or object guarder, this may not be a good Kong application for him.
Destructo-Dog
Destructive behavior can range from simple high-spirited puppy fun to full-blown separation anxiety. By providing ample exercise for your dog, you can deplete the excess energy sometimes that leads to ruinous house-romps. An intelligently Pal-proofed environment (crate, puppy pen, safe room) can minimize the destruction that occurs during your absences. And one or more stuffed Kongs often keeps dogs happily occupied and their home damage-free while their owners are away.
Note: Crating is generally not recommended for dogs with true separation anxiety (SA) behavior disorders. While Kongs can be a useful element of a complete SA behavior modification program, this complex and troubling behavior should be addressed with an in-depth, punishment-free behavior modification program, usually under the guidance of a competent dog trainer or behavior specialist.
Hide-and-Seek
This game is an extension of the destructive behavior application of the Kong. You can occupy Pal’s mind as well as his mouth by teaching him to look for and find his stuffed Kongs before he can chew on them. Start by hiding the Kong in plain sight and asking him to “Find it!” Praise him when he does, and let him chew on it for a while. Then play the game again, hiding the toy partially behind a chair or table leg. Gradually make the hiding places harder and harder, until Pal learns to really search for his prize. Now you can hide two or three Kongs before you leave, tell him “Find It” as you walk out the door, and your dog can keep himself occupied for hours, finding and emptying his Kongs.
NOTE: Hide your Kongs wisely. If you bury them in the sofa cushions or under the bedcovers you can expect to come home to an unmade bed, and strewn cushions…or worse.
In The Swim Of Things
Here’s another good exercise application that combines Kong fun with a favorite canine activity – swimming! While most Kongs sink, the company makes one model that has a polypropylene rope tied to it, and contains a chunk of bouyant spongey material inside, so it floats like a dream. The floating rope makes the “Cool Kong,” as it is called, easy for owners to throw (swing it around and fling!) and easy for dogs who have trouble getting a whole Kong in their mouths to retrieve. It’s a durable, ideal fetch toy for the dog who already loves to swim, and the perfect training tool for the Kong-loving dog who is a bit hesitant about getting his feet wet. (See “In The Swim,” August 2000, for non-force methods of teaching your dog to enjoy the water.)
Boredom Barking
In my backyard, at this very moment, is Princess, a little stray Beagle-mix that my husband I found on the highway. She is clearly an accomplished escape artist, as evidenced by her constant running of the fenceline and her determined efforts to squeeze through our fence. Thwarted in her efforts to escape, she has taken to non-stop barking to express her displeasure at being effectively confined while we try to contact her owner. Time to bring out the stuffed Kong! Princess is now happily licking cream cheese out of the Kong, and peace has returned to the neighborhood.
There’s no doubt in our minds that this versatile toy deserves to be called “King” Kong. You can find them in almost every pet supply store and catalog – not to mention anywhere dogs are happy! In fact, we’re betting that some of you have come up with some other very creative uses for Kongs yourselves. We’d love to hear them!
Pat Miller is a freelance author and a professional dog trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee.