Calendula is highly effective when used in a cool water rinse for any sort of skin irritation. Dogs with pink, sensitive skin will especially appreciate calendula's ability to quickly soothe flea bites, sunburn, or vexing "hot spots."
[Updated September 28, 2017]
CALENDULA FOR DOGS: OVERVIEW
Grow your own, or buy dried calendula flowers from a health food store that carries herbs. Or use a reputable mail-order herb store, such as Frontier Co-Op or Jean’s Greens.
Make an infusion of calendula flowers and use it liberally to rinse your dog’s skin and coat to soothe and help heal any type of skin irritation or infection.
Use a calendula tincture as part of a multifaceted program to treat your dog’s chronic yeast (candida) infection.
The world of herbal medicine offers hundreds of choices to consider when treating your dog. Some are rather obscure; almost inaccessible to anyone but those who are connected to an exclusive, exotic source. Yet others are within such easy reach that they are often overlooked, considered mundane and useless simply by their abundance. After all, who would think first of the dandelions growing along the back fence when looking for an herbal approach to a rare and inoperable cancer?
Any self-respecting herbalist will admit that herbal panaceas do not exist. No single herb can cure all of your dog’s ills. None serve as silver bullets against canine disease. But there are some that are so generally useful that it is no wonder why they were once touted as “cure all” medicines.
Take Calendula officinalis, the common pot marigold that adorns herb and flower gardens in virtually every corner of the globe. Although many of its fans know of the skin healing attributes of calendula salves, lotions, and shampoos, its range reaches far deeper than the skin.
For many centuries calendula has been used to treat everything from skin lesions to tuberculosis and even syphilis. But its real claim to fame and effectiveness comes from its well documented ability to speed the healing of skin and most other body tissues, inside and out.
External Uses of Calendula for Dogs
Calendula is among the first herbs to consider in minor first aid situations. A broad array of medicinal compounds in the flowers of the plant, including various essential oils, flavonoids, saponins, triterpene alcohols, and carotenes, combine to help speed cell reproduction and inhibit bacteria and fungi at the site of injury. For minor cuts, insect bites, abrasions, or postsurgical incisions, a calendula salve (an oil-based product) will bring quick, soothing relief to pain and swelling, while lending antimicrobial properties to the body’s healing effort.
Infusions of calendula flowers are effective as a soothing and healing skin wash for various forms of inflammatory dermatitis, such as flea bites, poison ivy, eczema, or sunburn. The antimicrobial and astringent nature of this plant make it useful for treating burns as well.
In these circumstances, a cooled water infusion (skin rinse) is recommended over oils, salves, or poultices, as the latter may seal in heat, causing further aggravation of the injury.
A cooled water infusion may also be used as an eyewash for conjunctivitis, where the mild but predictable astringency of the plant combines with its bacteria-fighting properties to reduce irritation and infection.
Make a Calendula Rinse
Making a soothing, healing, antimicrobial calendula skin rinse is easy. Simply bring one quart of fresh water to a boil in a glass or stainless steel cooking vessel. Add 1/2 cup of the fresh dried flowers (available in bulk at many health food stores) to the vessel, remove from heat and cover. Allow to steep until cool. Strain through a sieve and you have a nice, yellow infusion that can be applied liberally to skin irritations.
The tea can also be applied to inflamed gums or added (1 cup of tea, as prepared above, to each quart drinking water) to your dog’s drinking water for symptomatic relief of sore throat or bacterial infections in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Internal Uses of Calendula
Internally, an infusion or tincture of the flower may be used to treat inflammation or ulceration of the digestive or urinary tracts, where it assists with the drainage of lymph-engorged tissues and reduces inflammation. For these reasons, calendula preparations have been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic colitis.
Calendula tincture may prove beneficial in the treatment of candidiasis. The antifungal qualities of this herb also make it a possible option for topical treatment of chromomycosis, an infection of the skin that occurs from various fungi origins.
While virtually no scientific data exist to validate the effectiveness of calendula against these forms of disease, its safety and reputed effectiveness as a broad-spectrum antifungal agent still make it an option worth considering.
The only contraindication for internal calendula use would be with pregnant females. While I have never heard of a case in dogs, rodent studies have revealed calendula’s ability to cause abortion, so it should not be used on pregnant dogs.
A Calendula Case Study
Mitsy, a four-year-old standard Poodle, has had big problems with fleas, but thanks to her owner’s meticulous efforts, Mitsy’s living environment is now less conducive to flea infestation. Improvements in food quality and a daily regiment of omega-3 fatty acids and herbal detox supplements have helped a lot, too. Within a few weeks only a few surviving fleas remained in the house or on Mitsy’s body.
But Mitsy still had a nasty sore on her back, near the base of her tail, and it just wouldn’t heal. Mitsy chewed at it practically every hour she was awake, and while the sore never looked infected, it didn’t have time to dry up and heal.
Fortunately, Mitsy’s owner, Janice, learned about the wound-healing powers of calendula extract. Every evening as Mitsy settled into her bed, Janice applied several drops of calendula tincture directly to the site of wound. To keep Mitsy from licking the calendula off, Janice would sit and pet her companion for a short while, until Mitsy’s mind was once again on the subject of resting, not licking.
The calendula inhibited bacterial growth and accelerated cell reproduction at the site of the wound each night while Mitsy was sleeping. Within a few days the sore was almost completely healed, and the itching had subsided enough to where Mitsy’s attention was back on chasing toys and playing with Janice.
An Easy and Inexpensive Herb
Calendula is easy to grow yourself, and thrives in just about any soil. If you continually remove the flowers (to dry and use), the plants will continue to produce blooms for months and months. You can readily find calendula in a variety of products in your local health food store. There are also many good products on the market that are designed specifically for use in dogs and other animals.
If your natural pet first aid kit doesn’t contain calendula salve, calendula tincture, and a small baggie of the dried flowers, then get some!
The primary function of the dog’s hair is as a protective and insulating coating.
But if the eyes are the gateway or the window to the soul, the skin and hair are both gateway and window to the embodiment of an animal’s inner health and well-being. Shiny hair, that is, a hair coat that exudes a healthy and lustrous sheen, is an indicator of overall health of the animal. In contrast, a dull coat that lacks luster is an indicator that the animal isn’t as healthy as she could be.
One of the reasons people like to have pets around is that they are “furry,” and furry is fun to touch. Having a healthy coat promotes increased contact between a dog and its owner, with frequent contact ultimately strengthening the human-animal bond. Some caretakers are very sensitive to the feel and beauty of their dogs and to the “social status” that comes from owning a dog with a beautiful and/or unusual haircoat.
Changes in the texture or appearance of a dog’s coat are an indicator of something going amiss within, but haircoat changes are not specific for any one disease or condition. Dull or brittle hair can be caused by a dietary imbalance, or it may be due to diseases of digestive, hepatic, renal, thyroidal, immune, or parasitic origin. Alterations of hair typically appear rather late in the course of the disease, as hair growth is rather slow; it usually takes at least four weeks of disease progress before changes are noticeable in the hair. And it typically takes four or more weeks before a dietary supplement will have any positive effects on the quality of the hair.
The shine attributed to a healthy dog’s coat is largely due to a complex group of fats secreted through glands in the skin known as sebaceous glands, which function as a natural dispenser of hair conditioners.
Skin and hair basics
A dog’s skin and haircoat form a barrier to protect the body of the dog from infections, parasites, and the elements.
Animal hairs are classified into three basic types: a) “primary” or “guard” hairs that form the outer coat of an animal and provide protection from sunlight, moisture; b) “secondary” hairs (also known as fur or wool hairs, or the undercoat) that form the inner coat of an animal and provide insulation; and c) tactile hairs (whiskers) that provide sensory functions. Other types of hairs found on animals include tail and mane hair (in the horse, for example) and sensory hairs located in the inner ear (hairs that detect motion).
All adult dogs have longer primary hairs and shorter secondary hairs, but the ratio of each type of hair differs by age and especially breed. Some breeds have almost no undercoat and relatively short and thin primary hair. These “single coated” dogs include Boxers, Dalmatians, and Greyhounds. Yorkshire Terriers, too, don’t have much of an undercoat, but their primary coat is long and silky.
So-called “double-coated” breeds have significant undercoats and dense primary coats. The Labrador has a short but very dense coat of coarse primary hairs, and a thick undercoat of softer, insulating secondary hairs. The Bearded Collie has a soft, close undercoat and a shaggy outer coat.
Puppies are born with short, soft secondary hairs only. Sometimes the puppy’s coat color is similar to the adult’s; in other instances, the coat darkens or spots as the puppy matures. Dalmatian puppies are born with a pure white coat that develops black spots as the puppy grows.
Dogs of different breeds (and individuals within those breeds) display different rates of coat development. Most dogs have full, adult coats by six to eight months of age. The dog’s environment (length of day, average temperature), diet, and hormone levels can influence his coat development.
Dog hair is made of a hard substance called keratin, an insoluble protein that contains high amounts of sulfur (as the amino acid cystine) and lesser amounts of the amino acids tyrosine and leucine. Hair emerges from follicles, just below the outermost layer of skin. In humans, each hair grows from a single follicle. Dogs have single and compound hair follicles; a central follicle that produces the primary hair or guard hair may have two or more lateral follicles that produce 5 to 25 secondary hairs each.
Dog hair varies considerably in its coarseness or thickness actually a function of the hair’s diameter. Fine dog hairs measure about 75 microns; coarser hair may exceed 200 microns. Healthy hair relies on the balance of the diet: proteins (and especially the sulfur-rich amino acids such as cystine, as well as tyrosine and methionine), essential fatty acids, copper, and B vitamins. Up to 30 percent of the daily protein requirement of an adult dog can be used for the renewal of the skin and the hair.
Hormonal factors can also interfere with proper hair growth: thyroid and growth hormone stimulate the activity of the hair follicles, whereas corticoids and sexual hormones slow it down. When prolactin (a hormone produced by lactating females) levels stay high in the blood, the coat looks like the summer one, rather thin and sparse.
Everybody sheds
Breeds and individuals within every breed shed and regrow hair at varying rates. Dogs who live indoors, with little exposure to natural light or cold temperatures, tend to shed in a more or less continuous fashion.
In contrast, dogs who live outside, exposed to natural light and cold temperatures, are more likely to shed for several weeks in the spring and fall. In the fall, their short, light coats shed as they grow a thick, warm undercoat and long, weather-resistant guard hairs to prepare them for winter. In the spring, the winter coat is shed to make way for new, shorter, and lighter coats. The hair coat changes in appearance and texture but the absolute numbers of hair follicles and hair do not.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a dog who does not shed; there are only dogs who shed a lot less. Each hair shaft produced by a hair follicle will eventually die and become dislodged from the skin (shed) and be replaced by a new hair shaft produced by that hair follicle. However, there are some breeds whose hair grows for a much longer period before it dies and is shed. There are several phases in the activity of a hair follicle. In the first, called the “anagen” or growing phase, the hair is produced by the follicle.
The “catagen” phase is a short interlude between the growth and the resting (“telogen”) phase. In the telogen phase, the hair follicle is basically dormant. The growth of the new hair pushes the old hair out of the skin. Even though spring and fall bring on prolific hair growth, the dog’s hair follicles are not all in the same phase at the same time, so thankfully he never becomes totally bald!
In humans, the hair follicles on our heads spend most of the time growing (anagen phase). This phase can last years, depending on the ultimate length of your hair (as determined by your genes). In contrast, the resting phase for each follicle is generally only weeks. Poodles have a predominantly anagen cycle like ours; their hair grows for so long, that it needs cutting (perhaps several times) before it falls out.
Most dogs, though, have a telogen (resting) predominant cycle. In these dogs the anagen phase is short, only long enough to achieve the genetically desired length of coat ¨C anywhere from one month to a year or more. The hair then cycles into the telogen phase and remains there for a prolonged period of time. This hair is tightly bound within the follicle and will not readily fall out or be pulled out. In the Nordic breeds, it is thought that the telogen phase may last for years.
Finally, any stress such as anesthesia, disease, pregnancy, or administration of certain drugs is likely to put most of the follicles into a resting phase. About two to three months after the stressful event, when the follicles start to be active again, abnormal shedding will often be observed.
Natural color
A dog’s coat color is determined by his genes. That said, a variety of environmental factors can somewhat alter the color of his hair. Specific nutrients may be involved in hair color. Cystine, methionine, arginine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine deficiencies are reported to induce hair discoloration. Protein malnutrition induces disturbances in hair growth and quality.
A 2004 study by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences reported that trace-element deficiencies or imbalances also affect hair quality. Suboptimal zinc levels, it said, induce graying of hair, and copper deficiency causes fading of brown- or black-pigmented hair. Other trace elements such as iron and iodine can also affect hair color, as well as vitamins A, B-2, and B-6, pantothenic, folic, and nicotinic acids, and biotin.
Too much exposure to sunlight can make the hair brittle and cause a black coat to redden or turn brown. After a dog has been clipped, the color of its hair is noticeably lighter, and scars often leave a mark of hair that remains white throughout the rest of the dog’s life.
In aged dogs, hair color tends to fade. As a dog ages, his hair turns gray, especially on the head, beginning with the muzzle.
Hair loss in dogs
The common causes of hair loss in dogs, along with the basics of the appropriate natural remedies, are summarized below. Most are primarily problems of the skin and were more thoroughly covered in “Skin Secrets,” Whole Dog Journal November 2005.
• Flea-associated dermatitis
A dog with flea infestation typically has a brittle, broken hair coat, especially in the area just in front of the tail head where fleas prefer to reside.
Natural flea control always involves a multi-pronged approach. It’s been estimated that less than 10 percent of a given population of fleas are found on the resident dog at any given time. Killing the fleas on the dog, then, is actually a small part of the job!
The bigger task involves removing larvae and pupae from your dog’s home and eliminating places where the flea eggs can develop. Accomplishing this requires what’s called an “integrated pest management” program. In my experience, herbal anti-flea remedies are not tremendously effective as a first line of defense. For more on fleas, see “Eliminate Fleas Without Poisons,” March 2002.
• Canine atopy
This is an allergic itching syndrome along with subsequent loss of hair that is thought to be genetic in origin. Natural care will involve enhancing the immune system with herbs, supplements, and perhaps acupuncture. Natural anti-itch and antianxiety herbal remedies, acupuncture, or homeopathic therapy may also be helpful.
• Pyotraumatic dermatitis (hot spots)
Hot spots involve intense itching in one or two isolated area of the trunk or limbs of the body. The involved areas may become inflamed and raw within a matter of hours. Stress may be a factor in its onset.
Natural remedies for hot spots, in my experience, have worked far better than the conventional medical treatments. I like to brew up a tea of calendula and use it topically on the affected areas. Herbal immune system enhancers such as echinacea are an important part of my recommended protocol, and in severe cases acupuncture or homeopathic remedies may be helpful.
I’ve also found that many of the hot spots are brought on by a segmental nerve-caused itch, the result of a misaligned spine or limb joint; chiropractic adjustments seem to be most helpful for these.
• Mange
Demodectic mange is caused when a parasite, Demodex canis, which lives a natural life in the hair and oil glands of the skin of most healthy dogs, starts multiplying rapidly. This tends to occur in young animals with an unhealthy immune system. It may have a genetic basis, as it tends to run in certain lines of dogs and seems to be more common in certain breeds. It doesn’t cause itching, but the involved areas are subject to secondary bacterial infection.
My thrust with natural remedies is to rebalance the immune system with herbs such as echinacea, antioxidants, and sometimes acupuncture.
Sarcoptic mange is due to a transmissible parasite that burrows through the layers of the skin causing intense itching. It passes from pet to pet through contact, and can pass to humans, too.
Sarcoptic mange, in my eyes, is primarily a disease of the immune system. I treat it with herbs such as echinacea, antioxidants, and possibly acupuncture to help balance the immune system. Topical herbal remedies can help decrease infections and minimize parasite numbers. Topical and internal anti-itch remedies may also help.
• Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungal disease that creates a round or oval non-itchy area of hair loss. Hair is lost because the fungus weakens the hair shaft and causes it to break off.
Some cases of ringworm respond to herbal topical remedies such as goldenseal, calendula, myrrh, or thuja along with internal herbs such as echinacea, cleavers, and yellow dock. Iodine preparations, used topically, may also be helpful, and once again, energizing the immune system may be beneficial.
• Stress-induced dermatitis
This “disease” typically affects “Nervous Nellies” who cannot sit still. Affected dogs simply chew on themselves if they can’t find anything else interesting to do.
The primary cure for this condition is to provide plenty of exercise and plenty of challenging tasks for the dog to do. Training games, food-dispensing toys, and frequent changes of activity can help distract and engage the dog in more healthful patterns. Flower essences may also be helpful when they are matched to the personality of the dog.
Many of these dogs have an itch caused by a misaligned vertebrae and they chew or dig at it. Chiropractic adjustments have helped a lot of these animals.
• Food allergies
While food allergies may be the cause of some itchy dogs, research would indicate that skin cases are not often related to food allergies. In dogs, the primary signs of food allergies are most often related to gastrointestinal upset. When we get the gut back into balance, the animal no longer has a problem with food allergies of any kind. (For more on this, see “Gut Feelings,” March 2005.)
• Miscellaneous conditions
Pyoderma, excessive numbers of bacteria in the hair follicle, may cause circular areas of alopecia or generalized excessive shedding. Natural treatment for pyoderma includes the use of topical and oral herbal remedies with antibiotic activity. Some breeds, like the Chow-Chow, may have an arrest in the hair growth after clipping. This resolves spontaneously after several months of a lack of hair regrowth.
Many diseases are associated with hair cycle abnormalities, including endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism and Cushing’s syndrome; hereditary alopecia and hypotrichosis (the presence of less than normal amounts of hair); and familial zinc-responsive dermatopathy.
Holistic approach
From the veritable plethora of potential causes for poor hair growth listed in this article, it should be obvious that there will be many different approaches to finding a solution and each individual dog will require its own specific remedies.
My approach includes an individual-specific protocol that usually includes:
• Reenergizing the immune system. I commonly recommend herbal remedies, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids.
• Attention to diet, including making sure that all nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals, are balanced. Supplements include omega-3 and essential fatty acids.
Many holistic practitioners have found that simply adding raw meat to the diet (beginning with about 1 teaspoonful per 20 pounds of the dog’s body weight and gradually building up to about a quarter to a third of the total diet) will be the best skin and hair coat “medicine” money can buy.
• Chiropractic adjustments often worked when I’ve been treating skin conditions, so I think they should always be used.
• Specific natural remedies when indicated for instance, flower essences and/or calming herbs to calm the nervous beast, topical herbals for itch control and faster healing, and acupuncture or homeopathy when indicated.
Your article Diets and the Older Dog (Whole Dog Journal December 2006), asserting that kidney diseased dogs do need protein, is right on!Before my Whole Dog Journal days, I owned a Sheltie who was diagnosed with kidney disease. In the first stages he started refusing to eat. He had dropped from a lean 28 pounds to 24 pounds. I didnt know what to do so I blended his dog food in with some mixed vegetables. This appeared to work and at his next visit to the vets office he had gained back two pounds.
However my vet recommended the Hills k/d canned diet to me saying that low protein is better for my dog with kidney disease. Instead of listening to my gut instinct, I started feeding the food. When I finally had to euthanize my dog due to his severe kidney failure (while religiously feeding him this diet that was supposed to help him), he died at 18 pounds with no muscle mass on his body at all. He literally looked like a skeleton with skin and fur hanging off of it.
After my Sheltie died I learned two things: listen to your gut instinct and dont listen to your vets diet recommendations unless they go with your gut instinct. Knowledge is key and Im just glad Whole Dog Journal is around for me for the next go around when my Corgi girl grows old!
Tiffany Birkinbine
via e-mail
The excellent article on agility training (Leaping to Attention, December 2006) could have been written about my dog, Hannah. I acquired my two Wire Fox Terriers about 18 months ago, when Hannah was 9 months old and Willie was 12 weeks old. When I got Hannah home, I discovered she was absolutely terrified of everything cars, noises, people, and especially dogs. She would cringe and try to escape, but if a dog got close to her she would snap and lunge at them. I was horrified! I didnt know what to do to socialize her, since its difficult to get other dogs and people to tolerate this.
By chance, I was walking through the fairgrounds nearby and saw a woman putting up an agility course. We chatted, and she suggested bringing Hannah to classes just to watch. I went for two months, twice a week, sitting in the bleachers holding Hannah, who was trembling like a bowl of Jello. After about a month she stopped shaking. After a little while longer she became interested in what was going on, then tried to sniff at the dogs, etc.
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I then enrolled her in beginning agility, thinking it would give her confidence. Well, it worked! She became the star of her class, and she loves it. Her energy and playfulness have made her a natural. The agility classes were made to order: a fun game, dogs who couldnt care less about her, and therefore posed no threat, an outlet for her energy, and all that positive feedback and encouragement. My other dog, Willie, is good too, but Hannah has been transformed from a fearful dog into a dog bursting with confidence and enthusiasm. And its so much fun for all of us.
Diana Chapman
Ferndale, CA
After reading Shots Fired (November 2006) about vaccines, I want to share my experience using titer testing to satisfy licensing requirements in a state that requires rabies vaccinations.Our dog Molly came to us as a two- or three-year-old stray in 1988. Shes a pit bull mix (maybe with German shepherd?) and a sweetheart. We had her vaccinated for the first time after she recovered from a condition she had when we first found her, salmon poisoning no, not salmonella; salmon poisoning. Its the result of a fluke that dogs get by eating raw salmon in the Pacific Northwest, deadly to most.
My recollection is that she handled that first vaccination okay, but went on to have ever-more-severe reactions over the years. The last time we had her vaccinated, August 21, 2002, she was ill and depressed and our fairly conventional vet prescribed Benadryl. Because of her reactions, the vet and we agreed to skip her next regular rabies shot and then switched to titering in March of 2005, based on your article (Take the Titer Test) in December 2002. Our vet had never done this before for licensing purposes, but read the Whole Dog Journal article at our request and willingly forged ahead.
With the results showing strong immunity, our vet contacted the state veterinarian about using the titer results for licensing. The state vet said the titer results should be sufficient and added that if the county (the actual licensing agency) gave us any trouble to let him know. The county granted us a one-year license (because thats all we asked for) based on the titer and a letter from our vet without question.
We ran another titer in June 2006 and requested a three-year license based on those still very strong results. No problem; license issued.
So, those who live in states requiring rabies vaccinations may find that the vaccine may not be required if you can show strong titer test results and a history of reactions to vaccines. I hope this will be of help to others trying to avoid the overvaccination of their dogs. Who knows? We may end up educating the licensing community and changing state laws.
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Who were your favorite teachers in school? Picture those individuals for a minute, and I’ll bet I can describe them: Interesting, exciting people who made learning fun. People who were kind to you, and made you feel respected and appreciated. The teachers you remember most fondly were probably “tough” in that they had high expectations for you, and required you to learn and perform a lot. They encouraged participation, didn’t make a big deal over your mistakes, but cheered on your successes. You probably did well in their classes and felt “smart” in that setting. Am I right?
In fact, people who meet that description are using the same sort of teaching techniques that Whole Dog Journal promotes for training dogs. We advocate for these applications of positive reinforcement because they work so well, do not present a danger or threat to dogs or their handlers, and are so enjoyable for owner/teachers and their dog/students alike.
This issue of contains an unusual and, I hope, inspiring concentration of articles about positive training and behavior. Consider making these articles your new year, newly positive training guide!
I put Whole Dog Journal’s training advice to work every time I need to take photos to illustrate our articles. For the article on target training, I went over to my friend Donna’s ranch. Donna has five of her own dogs, and frequently finds several of the neighbors’ dogs hanging around, so I knew we’d have lots of fun training any number of canine models to target. I arrived at the ranch armed with my camera, loads of treats, several clickers, and a target stick. When I pulled out the target stick, which I had fashioned from a wooden back scratcher with a small ball on the end, Donna started laughing. “Remember Howard?” she asked me.
Years ago, Donna had a laid-back, 100-pound, yellow dog named Howard. When visitors would ask Donna about the stately Lab-mix, she would say mischievously, “That’s Howard; he’s a stick dog.” Of course, to most people, that would imply the dog is a compulsive stick chaser, one that is likely to drive you nuts by repeatedly dropping a stick at your feet in an effort to get you to throw it. Looking at the laid-back old fellow, most guests would look a little dubious. “Here, I’ll show you,” Donna would helpfully insisted. “Howard, go get your stick!”
Howard would gravely get to his feet, go into the kitchen, and dutifully return with a long, thin stick that had something on one end. He’d bring the stick back to Donna, and then, as the bewildered guest looked on, turn his slowly wagging tail toward her . . . and settle in for a satisfying session of back-scratching! Not quite the type of “stick dog” people expect!
I hope you have fun finding new tricks for a stick with your dog.
There are millions of dog products being marketed to dog owners for direct use on, in, or around their dogs and puppies: foods, treats, supplements, toys, training tools, garments, medical supplies, grooming tools and unguents, beds, fences, and crates. Then there are the limitless number of dog-related items meant to glorify, commemorate, and stoke the human’s love and understanding of dogs: canine-related decorations and knickknacks, art, clothing, stationary, books, videos, DVDs, and computer programs.
We’re always looking for new and particularly useful products to recommend to our readers (and to use for our own dogs!). We limit our attention to products that provide an actual service, that help owners keep their dogs healthy, happy, safe, and well-trained. You can find “cute” on your own!
We can’t pretend to have seen much less inspected them all. The task would be endless. But we’ve seen enough products to quickly recognize particularly unique items, ones that stand out in terms of quality and usefulness, or that have solved an everyday problem in an extraordinary way.
Here are some additional challenges: letting go of past favorites (especially those that have no real peers), and sitting on our hands while waiting for products in development to reach market. We’re going to address both types, briefly.
We know, we know: There are thousands of dog treats on the market. But we keep buying Lick’n Crunch cookies, for ourselves and for gifts, because these are:
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Made out of 100 percent human edible ingredients in a plant that makes cookies for people
Completely safe and legal for people to eat
Perfectly safe for dogs to eat, since they contain carob (never chocolate)
Way tastier than Oreos . . . and dogs love them, too!
Available with either peanut butter or vanilla filling
There are many occasions and circumstances in which it’s helpful for a dog to wear a muzzle. In many cities, for example, only muzzled dogs are allowed on public buses and trains Muzzles are also helpful for dogs who have difficulty staying in control in the face of particularly stressful settings such as a vet’s office or on the sidelines of an agility event. Sadly, many people assume that a muzzled dog is a mean dog or that you, the owner, are mean! and the sinister look of many muzzles only reinforces those stereotypes.
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In contrast, the bright, cheerful print fabrics of Happy Muzzles convey an overtly friendly message: This is a nice dog who just has to wear this right now!
Happy Muzzles are constructed out of strong but light and washable, Cordura fabric, with a little padding in the nose for your dog’s comfort. They come in three prints daisies, cherries, and a blue geometric design and seven sizes, including two sizes appropriate for wide-faced dogs.
We’re always on the lookout for a better dog bed. Usually this implies a foam-filled bed; in our experience, only very thick, dense, top-quality foam can provide adequate cushioning for older, arthritic dogs . . . or to provide a comfortable enough pet bed to keep the young dogs and the cat off our sofa! But foam has its flaws. As it ages, it gets smellier and smellier. Thick foam is difficult to wash, rinse, and dry. Sometimes washing it makes it even more odoriferous. And when it gets even older, it starts to disintegrate!
CrossGel LLC has made luxury consumer and medical beds for humans for a number of years but not with foam. Its unique mattresses are made of a soft, heavy polymer gel that is molded into a sort of honeycomb structure (with square-shaped cells rather than hexagons). The columnar structure of the cells helps to distribute weight over a wider area, increasing the comfort of the bed (and in humans who are confined to bed, reducing or eliminating pressure sores). The material feels flimsy when a section of it is manipulated in the hand, but it does provide cushion and comfort. The material is machine washable, and air-dries quickly.
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CrossGel only recently branched out into pet beds. It tried to anticipate the special needs of dogs and the requirements of dog owners, and developed a antimicrobial, antibacterial, zip-on, fabric cover; this is the cover that we have tested. The base of the cover is a heavy, rubberized, no-slip material that holds up well to the bed’s heavy use; the top has not proved as sturdy.
The fabric used in the top of the cover, made of a special material that is supposed to resist odor buildup, has frayed and worn at a rate that indicates it won’t last nearly as long as the gel interior. Though we haven’t had the opportunity to test it, we’d probably be happier with the regular synthetic fleece cover that CrossGel offers for $50 less.
Like virtually all top-quality beds appropriate for use with old or arthritic dogs, the FlexGel bed is very expensive. Even so, its comfort seems worth the price. Eleven-year-old Cooper, seen above, has a choice of three beds in the Whole Dog Journal office. Since the arrival of the FlexGel bed, he chooses the FlexGel exclusively, even shunning his cozy (and well-padded) crate in cold weather. We think any older dog would instantly appreciate the FlexGel difference.
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Patricia McConnell is the real deal: An educated, experienced dog trainer with a lovely and evocative writing style, who offers dog owners insight as to their beloved companions’ behavior and good training and handling advice based on sound behavioral science. We’ve been ardent fans for years, especially of her 2002 book, The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs. That title helped people appreciate how the human’s and the dog’s experience of the world are different, why this frequently leads to misunderstandings and gaps in interspecies communication, and how we can more effectively understand, live with, and manage our dogs.
This book delves deeper into the shared emotional life of dogs and humans. In the hands of the wrong author, that would likely be fuzzy or irrelevant or both. In fact, in recent years there have been numerous best-sellers written by amateur dog owners that cover lots of the same territory.
What elevates Dr. McConnell’s work above others is her gift for noticing and clarifying the subtlest interactions between dogs and their people, and illuminating the biological, chemical, and evolutionary drives that influence those interactions.
When we better understand what is going on inside a dog when he wears a certain expression or assumes a particular posture, and we learn precisely how an emotion like anger predicts our physical responses, we can move past reacting to our dogs’ behavior in nonproductive ways. McConnell helps us advance to the level where we can compassionately and correctly interpret our dogs’ behavior, and respond with appropriate, kind, clear behavior of our own. That’s a literal prescription for a better dog/human relationship.
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Food-dispensing toys are a boon to bored dogs and their busy owners. If it was up to us, few dogs would take their daily kibble from bowls. Instead, you’d enrich your dog’s day by delivering that kibble in a way that requires physical and mental effort over an extended period of time.
We’ve long advocated the use of Kongs and other rubberized toys for this purpose. However, we frequently hear owners complain that their dogs chew up (and sometimes swallow pieces) of their tough, but not indestructible, food-dispensing toys.
The TreatStik is an elegantly simple alternative. It’s made of hard, tough nylon, so it doesn’t invite chewing, but it can withstand the efforts of dogs who attempt to extract the food by brute force. These efforts are so unrewarding, especially in comparison to the strategy that results in the most generous payout nosing the toy again and again that even dogs with a history of chewing rubber toys change their strategy to the more rewarding nudge, nudge, nudge.
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TreatStik comes in just two sizes (small and large) and four colors. A cap on the large end unscrews for easy loading and cleaning, and the toy is dishwasher safe.
Still a Favorite…
Dogs who don’t chew up their Kong toys, and who need even more distraction in their days perhaps to help them deal with separation anxiety can benefit hugely from KongTime.
We wrote about KongTime at length in “Help for the Home-Alone Dog” in the September 2005 issue. KongTime is a machine that dispenses up to four food-filled toys, at random intervals, over a period of either four or eight hours (you select which). The dog’s anticipation of the toy-drops and the time it takes him to extract the food from the toys help him get through otherwise tedious (and perhaps anxiety-producing) days. Often this is enough to keep dogs with separation anxiety from barking all day, compulsively chewing on themselves, or trashing your house!
We like to recommend the device to people who are planning to get a new dog or puppy, in an effort to help them prevent the onset of boredom or anxiety-related destructive behavior. KongTime runs on batteries, and is easy to load and clean. It comes with four medium or large Kongs, and detailed instructions for its use.
KongTime best helps dogs with separation anxiety when used as one part of a life-enrichment program; further changes in the dog’s management may also be required. Note: KongTime is not recommended for multiple-dog households.
We’re not wimps. We’ve given shots, squeezed anal sacs, taken out stitches, and worse. But we still dread clipping dogs’ nails especially thick, black nails. We shudder at the thought of clipping too much off and hitting the “quick” the blood-filled, sensitive core of the nail. The dog jumps and yelps, you jump and yelp, blood goes everywhere . . . And if you don’t cut off enough, you have to do it again sooner.
We Can Hardly Wait…
QuickFinder is supposed to end all the drama. It’s a pair of guillotine-style nail clippers that utilizes biomedical technology to detect the presence of blood vessels. Position the clippers too far back on the nail and a red light indicates, “Do not trim.” When you’re close, a yellow light indicates caution. And when your position is just right, a green light says, “Go for it!”
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MiracleCorp expects to have the clippers on the market this month . . . but we’ve heard that before from the manufacturers of products we were eagerly awaiting. The hazards of international product manufacturing can mean we may have to wait a while to receive and test this promising product. If it works like the prototype we saw in action, we’ll let you know and we’ll buy several!
We’ve come so far since those dark days just over a decade ago when virtually all dog training was accomplished through the use of force and compulsion. I know those days well; I was quite skilled at giving collar corrections with choke chains and attained several high-scoring obedience titles with my dogs using those methods. And as a shelter worker responsible for the euthanasia of unwanted dogs for whom we couldn’t find homes, I was convinced that a little pain in the name of training was acceptable and necessary to create well-behaved dogs who would have lifelong loving homes.
In fact, when I enrolled my Australian Kelpie pup in the now-renowned Dr. Ian Dunbar’s first-ever puppy-training classes at our shelter in Marin County, California, I was so sure that using physical corrections in training was the only way to go, that I dropped out of the class after just two sessions; I was convinced he was ruining my dog with training treats!
It was several more years before I crossed over to the positive side of dog training, thanks in large part to my wonderful dog Josie, who gently showed me the error of my ways one day by hiding under the back deck when I brought out her dog training equipment. Her quiet eloquence made me realize, finally, the damage I was doing to our relationship with tools and techniques that relied on the application of pain and intimidation to force her to comply. I threw away the choke chains and began my journey toward a more positive perspective on training.
What Makes Positive Training Different?
Today, in many areas of the country a dog is at least as likely to be enrolled in a class with a trainer who uses positive methods as one who still employs old-fashioned choke chain or prong-collar coercion. As more dog owners and dog trainers see the light, clickers, treat bags, and positive reinforcement replace metal collars, shocks, and dominance theory. Many trainers who still fall back on compulsion tools will at least start with dog-friendlier methods, resorting to force and intimidation only when positive training seems not to work for them. Dogs and humans alike are delighted to discover a kinder, gentler method that still gets results.
Trainers, behaviorists, and dog owners are realizing that this is more than just a philosophical difference, or a conflict between an ethic that says we should be nice to animals versus a more utilitarian approach to training. While both methods can produce well-trained dogs, the end result is also significantly different. With positive training, the goal is to develop a dog who thinks and works cooperatively with his human as part of a team, rather than a dog who simply obeys commands.
Positive trainers report that dogs trained effectively with coercion are almost universally reluctant to offer behaviors and are less good at problem-solving. Fearing the “corrections” that result when they make mistakes, they seem to learn that the safest course is to do nothing unless and until they’re told to do something.
In sharp contrast, dogs who have been effectively trained with positive methods tend to be masters at offering behaviors. Give them a new training challenge and they almost immediately set about trying to solve the puzzle. In fact, one of the criticisms often voiced by trainers who don’t understand or accept the positive training paradigm is that our dogs are too busy always “throwing” behaviors instead of lying quietly at our feet like “good” dogs. This conflict in perspectives is illustrated graphically by a T-shirt belonging to one of my trainer friends, Katy Malcolm, CPDT, of Canine Character, LLC, in Arlington, Virginia.
“Behave!” proclaims the front of the shirt in bold letters. To the average disciplinarian, “Behave!” means “Sit still; don’t move!” But the back of Katy’s shirt says, “Do lots of stuff!” Positive trainers see the word “Behave!” as an action verb and encourage their dogs to offer lots of behaviors.
Another criticism of positive training is that the dogs are spoiled and out of control because, while the dogs are highly reinforced for doing good stuff, no one ever tells them what not to do. “Dogs,” the critics say, “must know there are consequences for inappropriate behaviors.”
We don’t disagree with this statement. Positive does not mean permissive. We just have different ideas about the necessary nature of the negative consequence. When one is needed, positive trainers are most likely to use “negative punishment” (taking away a good thing), rather than “positive punishment” (the application of a bad thing). As an adjunct to that, we counsel the generous use of management to prevent the dog from practicing (and getting rewarded for) undesirable behaviors.
The result? Since all living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding, and those behaviors that aren’t rewarded extinguish (go away), the combination of negative punishment and management creates a well-trained dog at least as easily as harsh or painful corrections and without the very real potential for relationship damage that is created by the use of physical punishment.
One of the most significant reasons for not using physical punishment or force with dogs is the potential for eliciting or exacerbating aggressive behaviors from them.
This was illustrated by an English Bulldog in a recent episode of the National Geographic Channel’s show, “The Dog Whisperer.” Cesar Millan, the star of the show, spent several hours intimidating the Bulldog on a hot Texas day, in an effort to get the dog to “submit,” until the dog finally inflicted a significant bite to Millan’s hand in a futile attempt at self-defense. Millan brushed the incident aside as insignificant, apparently blissfully unaware that he had provided the dog with the opportunity to successfully practice the undesirable behavior (aggression).
Even if the dog’s reaction falls short of a flesh-shredding defense, the relationship between dog and owner can be significantly damaged as the dog learns to fear or resent the angry, unpredictable responses of his human. Given our odd primate body language and behaviors, we are undoubtedly confusing enough to our canine companions, without adding what to them must seem like completely unprovoked, incomprehensible explosions of violence.
Crossing Over
Increasingly, trainers are entering the profession who learned their craft without an early foundation of coercion training. This is a good thing! However, there are enough old-fashioned trainers around that positive trainers still find themselves working with a fair number of “crossover dogs” those who are convinced that they must not dare offer a behavior for fear of punishment.
It can be frustrating to owners and trainers alike to work through the dog’s conditioned shutdown response to the training environment. Shaping exercises, especially “free-shaping” that reinforces virtually any behavior to start with, are ideal for encouraging a crossover dog to think outside the box. This serves the same purpose for crossover owners and trainers as well! (See “The Shape of Things to Come,” March 2006.)
It takes time to rebuild the trust of a dog who has learned to stay safe by waiting for explicit instructions before proceeding. It’s well worth the effort. The most rewarding and exciting part of training for me is watching the dawning awareness on a dog’s face that he controls the consequences of his behavior, and that he can elicit good stuff from his trainer by offering certain behaviors. We never, ever, experienced that in the “old days.” I used to take “sit” for granted, because if the dog didn’t sit when I asked, I made him do it.
Today, I never get over the thrill of that moment when the dog understands, for the first time, that he can make the clicker “Click!” (and receive a treat) simply by choosing to sit. It keeps training eternally fresh and exciting.
Not Quite Convinced?
So why, given all the available scientific and anecdotal evidence about the success of positive training, do some dog trainers and owners cling stubbornly to the old ways? Because it works for them much of the time? Resistance to change? Fear of the unknown?
It pains me that so many in the U.S. are still so far away from the positive end of the dog-training continuum. The celebrity status of Cesar Millan is evidence that dog owners and trainers are more than willing to buy into the coercion-and-intimidation approach to training, and that the use of force is an ingrained part of our culture.
Old-fashioned methods can work. Decades of well-behaved dogs and the owners who loved them can attest to that. So why should they bother to cross over to the positive side? The short answer is that positive training works, it’s fun, and it does not have the potential to cause stress and physical injury to our dogs through the application of force, pain, and intimidation. It takes the blame away from the dog and puts the responsibility for success where it belongs on human shoulders.
In the old days, if a dog didn’t respond well to coercion we claimed there was something wrong with the dog, and continued to increase the level of force until he finally submitted. If he didn’t submit he was often labeled defective and discarded for a more compliant model. With the positive paradigm, it’s our role as the supposedly more intelligent species to understand our dogs and find a way that works for them rather than forcing them into a one-size-fits-all mold.
The longer answer is that it encourages an entire cultural mindset to move away from aggression and force as a way to achieve goals. The majority of dog owners and trainers who have fun (and success) using positive methods with their dogs come to realize that it works with all creatures, including the human species. They feel better about training and find themselves less likely to get angry with their dogs, understanding that behavior is simply behavior, not some maliciously deliberate attempt on the dog’s part to challenge their authority.
People who use positive methods to affect relationships get nicer. It feels nice to be nice. Children learn to respect and understand other living beings instead of learning to be violent with them.
When training programs founder, positive trainers are more apt to seek new solutions rather than falling back on force and pain, or worse, blaming and possibly discarding the dog for not adapting to our rigid concept of training. Indeed, in the last two decades, during which time positive training has gained a huge following, we’ve made even more advances in our training creativity and our understanding of behavior, canine and otherwise, and have even more positive options, tools, and techniques.
So, why positive? It’s simply the best way to train.
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor.Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, siteof her Peaceable Paws training center. Sheis also the author of The Power of PositiveDog Training and Positive Perspectives:Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.
Does a worried dog sing a worried song? A dog’s worried “song” is often expressed in quirky, repetitive behaviors and anxiety disorders known as Canine Compulsive Disorder (CCD).
A dog with CCD does more than exhibit anxiety in the face of an immediate threat; he often compulsively repeats a behavior that has nothing to do with escaping a danger or trigger. This is an excessive response; this level of worry is beyond immediate survival and, ironically, often results in the dogcausing himself harm.
Dogs with CCD commonly exhibit behaviors such as licking their forelegs incessantly, chasing their tails or spinning in circles, monotonous barking, air-snapping, nail or foot chewing, sucking on the flank, ingesting nonfood objects, over-drinking water, and other repetitive behaviors. These behaviors may appear to have no immediate causation, though they may serve to relieve the dogs’ anxieties.
The first order of business for a dog exhibiting signs of CCD is to have a complete examination by a holistic veterinarian. If the vet determines that there is no medical condition underlying the repetitive behavior, review the dog’s environment and lifestyle. Consider the breed. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to particular manifestations of CCD. For example, herding breeds often find odd things to chase or nip at (including shadows, rays of light, flies, or dust motes), while retrieving breeds may compulsively mouth or suck toys or blankets.
Dogs who are kenneled or kept indoors many hours a day can become frustrated from lack of exercise and stimulation, and have a higher possibility of developing CCD. Confinement is probably one of the greatest contributors to CCD. Dogs are not loners; being left alone for long periods of time can cause the type of stress that leads to anxiety disorders. Animals exposed to consistent conflict or stress within a household often exhibit repetitive behaviors.
Knowing the genesis of the behavior helps to determine how to approach resolving CCD. Sometimes it is as simple as realizing that the dog is inadvertently being rewarded for an unwanted repetitive behavior, such as hyper-jumping, when all the dog really needs is attention. Providing the dog with direction and positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior can go a long way in resolving a number of problem behaviors. Punishment rarely extinguishes canine behaviorsassociated with CCD; in fact, punishing the animal usually causes further stress.
Combine OCD Treatments
There are many alternatives to pharmaceutical approaches to help a dog overcome CCD. Acupressure is known to reduce the dog’s stress level while simultaneously establishing new energetic patterns that can support behavior change. Consulting a professional trainer to help design a behavior modification program can be helpful. There are also homeopathic, herbal, essential oil, and flower essence remedies available to support a dog who is contending with long-term stressors resulting in compulsive behaviors.
The most effective approach to working with CCD is usually a combined approach. Acupressure offers the benefit of enhancing the effectiveness of behavior modification, herbal, and other remedies. Acupressure is based on the principals of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). From the TCM perspective, the extremely deep level of worry that underlies CCD indicates a disturbance of the animal’s spirit and sense that his basic needs are not being met.
When a dog is highly frustrated or conflicted for an extended period, his anxiety builds and his concern for his very survival increases. To relieve this anxiety, he may repetitively lick his foreleg until it is raw or chew his own paw two very common expressions of anxiety. If an animal hurts himself, we know that his spirit has been seriously injured and his sense of security on earth is deeply threatened.
Acupressure Point Selection
There are specific acupressure points pools of energy on the dog’s body that can be stimulated to relieve a dog’s anxiety and support his self-confidence and sense of security.
The following acupressure points (also called “acupoints”) can be used to calm the spirit by relieving anxiety, stress, and worry while also addressing behavior problems and hyperactivity: Conception Vessel 14 (CV14), Governing Vessel 20 (GV 20), and Heart 7 (HT 7).
In addition, Stomach 45 (ST 45) and Spleen 1 (SP 1) can be used to promote the dog’s “grounding” and sense of belonging while also calming his spirit, clearing his mind, and resolving depression.
Acupressure Point Work Techniques
Each of the acupoints mentioned and identified in the chart below are bilateral; they are located on and should be addressed on both sides of the dog’s body.
Place the soft, fleshy portion of the tip of your thumb on the point and press down gently yet with intention. Count slowly to 30 while applying pressure or until the dog shows that he has experienced an energy release, by yawning, licking, stretching, rolling over, passing gas, or moving away. Then move to the next acupoint.
Another point work technique, which can be used especially if you want to increase the dog’s energy (if he seems depressed or lethargic), is to use your index and middle finger to scratch the acupoint. Again, count to 30 slowly or move to the next point when the dog indicates he has released the energy from the point.
While you hold each acupoint, think about how much you love the dog and want to meet his needs so that he will feel secure and he can let go of all his earthly worries.
Repeating this acupressure session every three or four days for four to six weeks will help the dog feel more comfortable and relaxed, especially if the other environmental, lifestyle, and social issues have been resolved.
Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis are the authors of The Well-ConnectedDog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure, Acu-Cat: A Guide to FelineAcupressure, and Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual. Theyfounded Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute, which offers apractitioner certificate program and training programs worldwide,plus books, meridian charts, and videos. Contact them or purchasethese products at (888) 841-7211 or animalacupressure.com.
Not long ago, I was talking with Jay Weinstein, professional chef and editor of Kitchen & Cook, another one of Belvoir Publications of magazines, at a meeting with our publisher in Florida. Weinstein asked me where I had flown in from. I told him I had attended a pet products show in Chicago, and was touring some dog food factories on the trip, as well. Ugh! Jay protested, his fine dining sensibilities temporarily offended. Why do they have to be called dog food factories? Why can’t they be called dog food kitchens, at least? Or pet nutrition facilities?
Jay has a point but it was my fault that he was aggrieved by my off hand expression. I’m sure none of the pet food company executives who were proud enough of their facilities to invite me to tour them actually call their workplaces dog food factories. While the very phrase dog food historically has been a sort of insult, the industry itself has become increasingly respectable.
Once primarily the repository for waste products from the human food manufacturing industry, pet food production is a fast-growing industry. And, significantly, the tippy-top end of the market, represented by foods that are made with all (or mostly) human-grade ingredients, is the fastest-growing segment of the market. A headline in the November 2006 Petfood Industry magazine announced, The primary market driver in the US continues to be conversion to higher-priced petfoods. We’ve always focused Whole Dog Journal’s attention on the top end of the pet food market the products made with the best-quality ingredients that money could buy. That’s because we strongly believe that products made with the freshest, best-quality, least-processed, most wholesome ingredients are the healthiest foods for dogs, and the ones that are most likely to support glowing health in the dogs who consume them.
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While our focus pleased the makers of products that we admired manufacturers whose philosophies are in alignment with ours some pet food industry insiders have complained to us that food is more than its ingredients. What did they mean?
Manufacturing Matters
What concerns these particular critics are pet food companies that purchase high-quality ingredients, but use lower-cost, inferior production facilities to manufacture their products.
Conceivably, two different manufacturers could use the exact same ingredients and formula and end up with widely divergent products in terms of cost and quality. Comparison of the foods based solely on the ingredients (such as we do in our annual food reviews) would understandably aggravate the executives who spent a lot more money and time to produce their company’s foods in the cleanest, best-managed, most-inspected facilities available.
A partial list of the potential hazards of poor manufacturing practices include:
Inattention to quality control standards results in acceptance and use of inferior or unsafe ingredients (i.e., mycotoxin-infected grains, rancid fats or oils, etc.).
Product quality is inconsistent (i.e., dry foods are not always dried to a standard level of moisture, nutrient levels vary widely in the finished product).
Product has a higher probability of being contaminated with chemical hazards (pesticides, cleaning agents); pests (insects, rodents, birds, or their feces); foreign objects (such as ingredient packaging, bits of metal or plastic); and biological hazards (bacteria, toxin-producing mold).
Inadequate testing results in excessive variation of nutrient levels or undetected contamination.
Product does not contain what its label says it contains (wrong ingredients are used, substitutes are made, measurements are incorrect, ingredients are omitted, or product is mislabelled).
Problems exist with packaging (faults with seals or seams, packages damaged in storage or transit).
Poor inventory control means food spends too much of its shelf life in a warehouse before being shipped to retail outlets; may arrive at consumers’ homes at the end of its “best used” by stage.
Unfortunately, while it’s clear that good manufacturing practices matter, it’s impossible for a consumer to determine which pet foods were made well when it’s still difficult just to find out where pet foods are made! And even if you do learn the origin of your dog’s favorite food, there are very few ways to determine a manufacturer’s reliability and competence.
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What I’ve seen
I’ve now toured nine pet food and pet treat production facilities in seven states. (Note: Since it was expressly not my intention to review or inspect any manufacturing facility to which I was invited, I’m not going to name or locate each facility I toured, or be specific in my descriptions of each site. My interest in each plant was educational, not investigative.)
I’ve witnessed the manufacture of extruded and baked dry dog (and cat) foods, baked “cookie” and “biscuit” type treats, dried treats and chews made from a variety of animal tissues, and canned food. I’ve yet to visit a facility that makes raw frozen diets or dehydrated diets, though I have received invitations and plan to see these foods made as soon as possible.
Interestingly, each facility I’ve toured seemed to be managed with an emphasis on different criteria.
The pride of one dry food plant seemed to be its on-site laboratory complete with a well-educated, full-time dedicated lab staff and its workers, who were retained long-term with larger than average salaries and generous benefits. The manager of that plant explained that his company leadership strongly felt that the longer each employee was retained, the more valuable they became.
At another facility, one that manufactured oven-baked foods and treats, certification and high scores in a variety of quality-control programs seemed to be the management’s primary focus.
At one canned food plant, top-quality ingredients were foremost on the manager’s mind; other aspects of the operation seemed to be hardly considered. I had a similar experience at the smallest extruded food plant I’ve seen so far. The ingredients were top-shelf; the manufacturing process itself seemed comically informal. At another cannery tour, special emphasis was put on the mixing and cooking processes; it appeared that extraordinary resources had been invested in advanced technology to achieve the most consistent results in those areas. The newest dry food plant I toured was similarly equipped with new and advanced computer-based technology for controlling ingredient inventory, mixing, cooking, cooling, coating, and packaging. It was far more impressive than some of the human food manufacturing operations I’ve toured.
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Size Matters
I haven’t been in any plants operated by the industry giants Nestle Purina, Mars (which, in 2006, purchased Doane Pet Care, the largest maker of private label pet foods), Iams (Proctor & Gamble), Hill’s Pet Nutrition (Colgate Palmolive), and Del Monte. At one point I made a huge effort to gain access to one of these behemoths and got nowhere.
I have interviewed a number of pet food industry executives who spent decades at one or another of the giant companies, who confirmed my guesses of what’s inside the huge plants: Lots of gleaming machinery and floors, and the most inexpensive ingredients available.
This gets to what seems to me to be the most significant trade-off: The bigger a manufacturing plant is (the greater its production capacity), the more likely it is to be impeccably clean and modern. Its products are more likely to be consistent . . . and the less likely it is to use fresh, whole ingredients in its products.
In contrast, in the plants I saw with the smallest operational capacity, lavish attention was paid to the ingredients of the food . . . but the sanitation was not impressive, and equipment for lab testing of the product was not in evidence. Small facilities, especially those with limited production runs (making food just a few days a week, or in extremely small batches), may lack the full-time, well-trained staff needed to produce foods with a consistent level of quality. While I’m unaware of any specific problems arising from the shortcomings I perceived, it’s generally true that smaller production facilities tend to struggle more with product consistency than the “big guys”.
That said, it’s only fair to mention that the most devastating incidents in pet food history, where many dogs died as a result of a problem with food manufacturing, involved moderately large- or very large-volume plants.
Overall Impressions
All in all, I have been impressed with the facilities I’ve seen. As my editorial compatriot noted, “dog food factory” conjures up images of a disgustingly smelly, unclean facility. Only one of the nine plants I’ve toured could possibly meet that description (and probably not for long, as the plant is slated for relocation to a new facility). The plants I’ve toured do smell like dog food but fresh, aromatic dog food, not rancid or putrid. Keeping in mind that the plants I toured invited me to their facilities, and each manufactures high-end foods, using high-quality ingredients, it shouldn’t be a surprise that all of the raw materials I saw (meat, fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and herbs) were uniformly fresh-looking and absolutely of supermarket quality. (One plant owner complained that she has to order twice as many avocados as needed for her product formulations, since her employees eat as many avocados as they use in the pet food!)
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Most of the “fresh” meats I saw were frozen in big blocks, and are fed into the processing machinery still frozen. The only exception to this was one large facility where the fresh chicken was deeply chilled in huge, hot-tub-sized tubs. Temperature control was maintained in all cases.
It’s not quite fair to directly compare the two gourmet treat manufacturing facilities I toured with the much higher-volume food and biscuit plants. Suffice to say that Kitchen & Cook would be perfectly comfortable with the mixing, baking, and presentation of the cookies, pretzels, and even cakes produced for dogs in the gourmet treat bakeries.
My next goal is to tour facilities that make human-edible products that can also be fed to dogs. These foods, made in factories (or “kitchens”!) that produce human foods, are increasingly popular. I’m curious to see how (and if) these facilities differ from the pet food plants I’ve seen.
I’ll describe the step-by-step production process for dry and moist foods in our upcoming annual food reviews. The dry food review will appear next month.
Lately, it seems like there’s an epidemic of people around me who can’t see their own and their dog’s training progress. In a similar vein, I’ve been surprised by the number of clients who seem to take their dog’s improvement for granted, yet continually expect more and more.
Apparently, my new job is to remind dog owners to keep perspective, the long view, when training their companions. It takes time to train difficult dogs and manage serious canine behavior problems. But if you apply yourself with self-discipline and good will, you will see overall progress if you remember to look for it and take the time to appreciate it! There will be setbacks and dips, because learning and change are like that. But when viewed with a bit of perspective, the progress becomes obvious.
Mission Creep One of my clients has a dog with a serious prey drive. If the dog spotted a squirrel in the park, she would go berserk, to the extent that her owner could barely drag her away from the park.
We used a combination of positive reinforcement, managing the environment, counter-conditioning, and desensitization, and the dog improved, to the point that I hadn’t heard from the owner for some time. Until he called to complain that the techniques were evidently no longer working, because “My dog still chases deer on the trails.”
Talk about mission creep! The dog’s progress has been so steady that her owner had nearly forgotten that his original goal had been to walk his dog on leash through a city park without incident. And now his goal was many achievements past that.
With persistent probing, I learned that the dog does now come off a running squirrel using positive techniques. Hello?! Hurray for you and your dog! Now let’s figure out how we can deal with the deer situation previously unimaginable! by applying and adjusting the tools that worked with the squirrels.
Human Hangups Another client told me recently that he was very concerned that his dog was doing it “just for the treats” that she wasn’t doing x, y, or z for him, the owner. Sigh.
This man was describing how they could now walk past the fenced yard on their street that contains a lunging, barking, snarling, frothing dog. He said his dog would now turn to him with what he described as a “happy face” instead of pulling and lunging back at that dog. He had originally come to me as a client because his dog was becoming more reactive, earlier in the walk as they approached that yard. They lived on a dead end street and had to pass that house in order to walk anywhere. They had made amazing, wonderful progress using treats, among other tools and techniques.
First, I helped my client look back to the early days of our work, when the only way he could get his dog past her fenced nemesis was to stay on the far sidewalk and proffer a fistful of high-value treats for his dog to nuzzle and slurp. “Remember how grabby the dog was for those treats, how aroused she was?” I asked him.
I reminded him of how they had progressed to click and treating his dog for glancing at the other dog, sometimes tossing the treats on the ground so she was looking down in order to pick up her “paycheck.” How he had learned the importance of deciding where to deliver the treat itself: the ground, his hand, in heel position, slightly ahead of his knee, slightly behind his knee, even slightly across his body so his dog was turning away from the lunging dog to get the treat. How he learned to look for opportunities to reinforce her good behavior with treats.
I walked him through more of the steps we had taken together. “Remember how we had celebrated the first time your dog turned to you on her own accord when the other dog lunged?” I asked him. He had learned to taper the treats, moving from an “open bar” (a fistful of treats no matter what his dog’s behavior), to a rapid-fire click!/treat delivery, to the occasional tiny pause in click!/treats.
Then, gradually, at the rate his dog was successful, he began giving her treats intermittently, substituting jolly talk, pats, and praise as they walked on. And then . . . then we’d started walking in the street, a foot closer to the fence. And closer and closer, increasing the rate of reinforcement each time we reduced the distance. And then we had tapered down the treats, increased the other types of reinforcement, and when his dog seemed ready, closed the distance another foot or so and went through the same routine all over again.
Gotta Believe It to Sell It
“Okay, okay, I get it!” he laughed. “We’ve come a long way. But . . .” We talked some more. As we discussed the situation, I began to understand that although he was happy with the results of the training, he still did not like how he felt when feeding his dog treats. He wanted his dog to behave calmly “for his sake.” He didn’t like the feeling that he had to “pay” his dog for good behavior.
I asked him if he liked his job; he said yes. I asked him if he liked his boss; he replied in the affirmative. I asked him if he would go to work and do his job day after day if he never, ever got paid. His eyes got wide. For a moment I thought I’d reached him but maybe I’d only surprised him, because after thinking for a moment, he said, “But my boss doesn’t feed me, let me sleep in his bed, brush me, and take me for walks. Isn’t that paycheck enough?”
This dog owner’s honesty and ability to identify the source of his reluctance to use certain training methods is admirable. Many dog owners may unconsciously (or consciously!) expect or wish for a certain amount of gratefulness from their dogs, as “repayment” or in consideration of all the time, money, and trouble they can cause. But those are all very human concepts – not anything a dog could ever understand.
I tried to get my client to see that, in order to change his dog’s natural behavior, he would have to use incentives that are meaningful to the dog. “It’s true, your dog takes it for granted that she lives with you and gets fed and so forth; there is no way for her to understand the home with you is hers to lose! How could she?”
I explained that if he wanted his dog to do something that is really, really difficult for her, the rewards for her hard work would have to be very immediate, palpable, and compelling as compelling as it might be if a friend offered him $500 in cash for helping him move an enormous filing cabinet a short distance. If the task seemed impossibly hard if the cabinet was obviously immovable or the distance was too far he’d probably decline to even try. And if there were problems with the compensation if the payment was only $1, or would be given to him in a year’s time, or he’d be paid in something he didn’t care much about, like $500 worth of coupons to a beauty salon again, he’d probably take a pass.
Fortunately, food is a very compelling motivational tool for dogs. They don’t need to know it doesn’t cost us that much!
Gradually, by nibbling away at the concerns and imagery, he and I continued to make progress in his comfort and in his dog’s behavior and improvements in the relationship he and his dog have.
The Real World
A friend, a very knowledgeable pet owner with a shy/reactive dog, e-mailed me about a setback she and her dog experienced recently. She wrote, “I keep getting caught up in the fact that I can’t control the environment.” Well, none of us can, though we can do what we can to prepare.
My friend’s dog is about eight years old. It is only in the past year he has been able to stay calm enough to accept food treats when he is outside, even with no dogs or other animals in sight. She’s done tremendous work with him, and her patience and dedication are impressive. She had recently begun walking the dog on leash in a state park. When she saw other people with dogs approaching, she would move off the trail with her dog thus increasing the distance between her dog and a potential trigger and click and treat (using peanut butter in a squeeze tube). The tactic worked well.
At least until recently, on a walk in the state park, an off-leash dog ran up as she and her dog waited off the trail, dashing right into her dog’s face in an attempt to take his treat! It only took a moment for the off-leash dog to close the space between them, and not surprisingly, a fight broke out. Skin was broken. It was a nasty setback for her work with her dog. For a time, she despaired of the idea of ever taking her dog out on the trails again. She lost sight of their huge progress, and fixated on all that might be lost.
Fortunately, because she is so knowledgeable and has many dog support networks in place, it only took her a short time to come out of the spiral of despair and into planning and repair mode. After all, her dog’s improvement had been huge. For a dog to improve from nutso reactivity to being able to take food when outside and with another dog passing nearby!
She’s setting up dates to walk her dog with other dogs on leash, in a carefully controlled setting. She’s talking with a positive trainer who runs group classes to see if they can work around the edges of her classes so she can do counter-conditioning and desensitization work in an orchestrated environment. So, yes, this was a nasty setback but this owner got back on track with renewed vigor pretty quickly!
When Old Issues Resurface
I’m not immune to the nearsighted syndrome myself. Today I walked my old girl, my Hera-the-WonderDog! in town. This is her perfect time of year. Cool, dry weather. Good for an aging English Bulldog.
It had been a few days since Hera’s last walk in town, and I took us to a street she hadn’t walked in many months. She was excited. She pulled on leash. I was delighted she had that much interest, energy, and vigor. I said “Okay!” and we trotted along at the pace she dictated. Then my breath got short, and I was ready to walk at my pace. So I cued “With me!” She never even flicked an ear in my direction. Instantly I felt a wave of, “But I went at your pace, you should go at mine now!”
What nonsense! I got my clicker out of my pocket and when she was walking beside me, I clicked. She looked at me, and I gave her a treat. I delivered the treat with her in the “heel” position. We walked along with clicks and treats at irregular but frequent intervals. When she saw a chipmunk, I clicked the sighting and she turned away from the chipmunk for her treat, which gave me the chance to cue an “about face.” Periodically I cued “Go play!” her cue for walking at her pace, zigzagging at will, and sniffing as she wishes. Then it was back to my pace and my rules.
Was she just doing it for the treats? And not for me, as my client had worried with his dog? On the one hand, the treats were the paycheck she cared about. On the other hand, we progressed through the spontaneous, remedial training session quickly, positively, and pleasantly, and we both had smiles on our faces and a lilt in our steps. It was a treat-intensive walk, although by the end, I was back to my usual routine with Hera of using praise and play as reinforcers.
How long has it been since she pulled on leash and ignored me when I asked her to do something on our walk? A long time. In fact, I had started to mourn her declining energy, her signs of aging. Suddenly, I was confronted with her ignoring me and, briefly, I, too, lost perspective. I felt disappointed. How silly of me!
Keep Track Perspective can be so elusive. We gain it, we lose it, and we shift our view and our values with the frequency and ease of a school of startled fish!
But we know how to compare what is now to what was last week, last month, last year, or simply last time. We know how to identify trends in behavior and change. It is our job as pet owners as well as the job of dog trainers to do those things, consciously and consistently. Record keeping helps tremendously, even if it’s just a few notes jotted daily in a diary or journal. But failing that, simply look back honestly and compare not just one event, but the series of events.
We owe it to ourselves and to our dogs to see and appreciate any and all improvements and to keep working. To see where our progress is stunted, and try to make changes. To keep our perspective, and keep ourselves honest. Those of us who are trainers owe it to our clients to point out these things and to help them start seeing them on their own.
It’s so easy to lose heart when there is one setback in your dog’s behavior. It’s easy to become tired and discouraged. But it is so important to stop and compare and identify progress and trends. We can do it. We have these big, complex brains. I challenge you to go forth and appreciate what you and your dog have done, while making plans to continue onward and make more and more progress!
Does your dog know how to target? If not, the two of you may be missing out on one of the most versatile behaviors to come along since the rise in popularity of the positive dog training philosophy.
Targeting simply means teaching your dog to touch a designated body part to a designated spot the end of a commercially produced target stick, your hand, an object, a location, or anything at all. While much targeting is done with the dog’s nose as the designated body part, you can actually teach your dog to touch with a front or hind foot, his hip, shoulder, ear, or any other moveable piece of his anatomy.
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We teach nose targeting in my Basic Adult and Puppy classes. Whenever I introduce the exercise to a new group I get puzzled stares from most of the humans in the class. I can just see them thinking, “Why on earth would I want to teach my dog to do that?!” proof that the concept of targeting still has miles to go before gaining familiarity and acceptance in the mainstream pet dog community.
The list of reasons why you want to teach your dog to touch is as long as your arm, and then some. From the serious to the sublime, targeting is useful and fun for canines and humans alike. You can use targeting to teach good manners and dog behaviors such as “Go to your place” and to help your dog learn polite leash walking. “Touch the target” can be used as an emergency recall, or your dog’s cue to ask to go outside.
It also has widespread application for a number of service dog behaviors, can be used to teach agility dogs to hit the contact zones, and give search dogs a tool to communicate that they’ve located sign of the missing person (or pet). Finally, targeting can come into play with an endless variety of entertaining tricks and games. There’s something for everyone.
Getting Ready
It’s almost imperative that you use a reward marker the click! of a clicker or some other quick, sharp sound or word for fast and effective target training. The “touch” behavior happens so quickly that it’s difficult for the dog to understand what he’s being reinforced for absent a conditioned sound that marks the instant of rewardable behavior. If you have not already done so, start by “charging” your clicker teaching your dog that “click!” (or whatever sound you choose to use) means he just earned a reward. Note: If you want to use a verbal marker instead of a clicker, I suggest not using the word “Good.” We frequently tell our dogs they’re good dogs just because we love them. Your reward marker needs to have a very specific meaning: “That behavior just earned a treat!” You don’t want to have to feed your dog a treat every time you tell him he’s a good dog! I suggest using the word “Yes!” or even the word “Click!” as verbal markers.
Charging the clicker is one of the easiest things you’ll ever teach your dog. It’s classic Pavlov (classical conditioning) simply giving the dog a strong positive association between the click or other marker and yummy food. So, assuming you use a clicker, just “click!” it a half-dozen to a dozen times, following each click with a tasty treat, and you will soon be good to go. To test if the clicker is “charged,” wait for your dog to look away and click the clicker once. His head should swivel back to you in anticipation of the treat. If it doesn’t, supply yourself with treats that are more irresistible, and click and treat a few more times.
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A small percentage of dogs are afraid of the sound of the clicker. When you first introduce it, click it inside a pocket to muffle the sound a bit. If at any time you notice an adverse reaction to the clicker from your dog, charge and use a verbal marker instead.
Basic nose targeting
The easiest body part to start with is the nose or a front paw, since dogs use those two body parts almost exclusively to explore their world. My preference is nose targeting the one we teach in our beginner classes because it’s easy to elicit the behavior, and doesn’t reinforce dogs who might already be a little too free with the use of their paws. Foot is my second choice for an easy and useful targeting behavior.
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You can capture targeting to your hand, which means getting the complete “touch” behavior, clicking and treating when he does or you can shape it which means clicking and treating for “successive approximations” of moving his nose closer and closer to your hand. (See “The Shape of Things to Come,” Whole Dog Journal March 2006, for more information about shaping.)
Dogs tend to naturally sniff an offered hand, so to “capture” a touch, offer your open palm to your dog at nose level with your fingers pointing toward the ground. If your dog thinks this is an invitation to “Shake,” offer your closed fist instead.
When he sniffs your offered hand, mark the desired behavior with the click! of a clicker (or verbal marker, such as “Yes!”) and give the dog a treat. Repeat until you see him deliberately bump his nose into your hand because he’s figured out he can make you click and treat by touching you. Then add your verbal cue (for example, “Touch!”) just before his nose touches. In short order you’ll be able to prompt him to target to your hand.
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Of course, it’s not always quite that easy. Your dog may sniff the hand a few times and then stop, either because your hand is no longer interesting to him, or because he’s just focusing on the source of the treats. If he needs a jump start, rub something tasty on your hand and offer it for a sniff or a lick. You’re on your way!
Once you’ve established the targeting behavior to your hand, you can transfer it to another object. Hold the target object in your hand, cue the behavior, and give him a click and treat when he touches the target. Fade the presence of your hand by moving it away from the target object until he’ll touch it by itself.
Practice targeting to enough different objects, and your dog will happily touch any object you indicate, the first time you ask. You can even name several objects and teach him to touch different ones on cue, a behavior called target discrimination.
Any time you want to add a new cue for a behavior, use the new cue, followed by the old one. When you name an object, you’re really just giving that specific object a new cue.
For example, if you set a gallon water jug on the floor and say “Touch!” your dog touches it. Now say “Jug, touch!” After enough repetitions (“enough” will vary, depending on the dog and how touch-savvy he is), you can drop the “Touch” cue and just say “Jug!” to get your dog to touch the water bottle.
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Applied Targeting
Ready to start making use of your dog’s new behavior? Try these: ¡ Polite leash walking. This is one of the most useful applications of targeting. When your dog starts to lag or move too far ahead of you, position your target hand or the end of the target stick where you’d like the dog to be (traditionally at your left side) and ask him to “Touch!” Click and treat when he’s in position.
To keep him there, give your “Touch” cue more frequently, and reinforce randomly very frequently at first, then less so as he gets better at polite walking. If you have a small dog and don’t want to bend over for him to touch your hand, teach him to touch a target stick and offer that as you walk, instead.
Close a door/drawer. Teach your dog to target to a plastic disk (like a cottage cheese container lid) in your hand. Then stick the lid to a cupboard door or drawer with rubber glue or double-sided tape at your dog’s nose level, and ask him to touch it there.
You may need to have your hand near the lid at first, and fade the presence of your hand or not, if your dog is really adept at targeting. When he’ll consistently touch the lid on cue, shape for harder touches by only clicking the ones that move the door, at least a little. Eventually he’ll close the door all the way.
If you don’t want a plastic lid on your cupboard forever, fade its presence by cutting it into increasingly smaller circles, until there’s no lid left and your dog has transferred the “touch” to the door itself.
Turn on/off a lamp. Gotta love those touch on/touch off lamps; they’re perfect for target training! Show your dog the lamp and ask him to “Touch!” If your dog still needs some assistance, put your hand behind the lamp to help him touch it and gradually fade the presence of your hand.
Be careful with this one! I had a friend whose husband accused her of not leaving the light on when she went to bed before he did until they realized their Sheltie was turning off the light after her mistress fell asleep.
Go to your place. Get out another cottage cheese lid (since you cut up the last one) and stick it where you want your dog’s “place” to be. Ask him to target to the lid from increasing distances, until you can send him to his spot from across the room, and eventually even from another room.
When he’s targeting to his spot easily, start asking him to lie down when he gets there. Then change his cue for the behavior to “Place!” –or whatever cue you prefer by using the new cue first, followed by the old cue, or “Place Touch!” Eventually you can drop the “touch” and he’ll go to his spot and lie down when you say “Place!”
You can teach him that one particular place is his spot, or you can generalize the behavior and teach him that anywhere you stick a cottage cheese lid is his spot.
Play ball. Teach your dog to push a large ball with his nose one he can’t pick up in his mouth. The hard plastic Jolly Ball is perfect for this, and comes in a variety of sizes from small to very large. When he’s learned this one you can sit on the floor across from him and the two of you can roll the ball back and forth a great game to play when your dog needs exercise and it’s too cold or stormy to go outside. This behavior can also turn your dog into a great babysitter as long as you remember that dogs and small children must always be under direct adult supervision.
Be brave. This is another application of classical conditioning helping your dog develop an association between two different things. Most dogs love targeting once they’ve learned it. What’s not to love? You’re like a treat vending machine your dog pushes the button (your hand), he gets a treat. He pushes the button, he gets a treat. As a result, he has a very positive association a “Yay!!” feeling when you ask him to touch.
Now, say you’re walking down the street with your dog on leash and you have to a garbage collection truck. As you approach, the worker drops a metal garbage can, sending it clattering across the sidewalk 25 feet in front of you. Your dog happens to be a little fearful of loud noises and is now afraid to walk past the can, even though the garbage truck is long gone.
You offer your hand and ask your dog to touch. His brain goes “Yay! Targeting!” and he takes a step forward to touch your hand. You target him past the garbage can, and since he can’t be happy about targeting and afraid of the can at the same time, and because his association with targeting is so positive, not only do you get him past the can, but the positive association has rubbed off and now he thinks garbage cans are pretty cool, too.
Paw Targeting
Some behaviors work better as paw targets than nose targets, especially things that require a little more “oomph” behind the touch turning appliances on and off, for example. Others work equally well either way, and if you teach you dog both, you can choose which one to ask for.
For dogs who are naturally “pawsy,” paw targeting is a breeze. Put something on the floor, and when your dog paws at it, click and treat. When he’s pawing at it reliably, add a verbal cue. Be sure to use a different cue from the one you use for his nose! I use “Foot!” to ask my dogs to target with a paw, “Touch!” for the nose.
If your dog’s not a paw-natural, you can “shape” a foot touch. Start by clicking any movement of one paw while your dog stands or sits in front of you. Pick just one paw or you could end up shaping a tap dance! At first you might just get tiny paw movements, but when your dog figures out what you’re clicking for, his paw movements will become more deliberate and more expansive.
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When he’s doing significant paw movement, add your “Foot” cue, then place an object on the floor. At first click if his paw lands anywhere near the object, then eventually only if it actually touches the object. Finally, add a new cue for the specific object you’re asking him to touch with his paw. Some paw-touch applications include:
Playing soccer. You already taught him to push a ball with his nose. Now use a different cue for paw-soccer, and you’ve got another good energy-eating game.
Playing a keyboard. This is a great crowd-pleaser for my Scottie, Dubhy; he sits up on a chair and plays an electronic keyboard with his paws. He actually started with a nose-touch on a plastic kiddie piano and graduated to the keyboard.
Five more minutes. Pushing the snooze button on the alarm an obvious application, but don’t let him make you late for work!
Go to your place. Instead of a lid on the wall, teach him to target with his paws to a rug or mat on the floor.
Turning off the TV remote. For an additional challenge, teach him to do this only after you fall asleep watching TV!
Some of my favorite targeting applications are just for fun. At shaping camp we teach our dogs to turn on a smiley-face push light because it’s cute. One of my clients went one better, however. Matt Conaty discovered a great target object at a chain office supply store a push-button gadget. Now when his Jack Russell Terrier, Bally, pushes the button, a recorded voice says “That was easy!” Indeed it was. And fun, too!
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor.Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, siteof her Peaceable Paws training center. Sheis also the author of The Power of Positive Dog Training and Positive Perspectives:Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.
You presented (“Don’t Whisper,” December 2006) some of the same observations I have made in viewing “The Dog Whisperer,” but I believe that you failed to give him credit for two key points.
The first is his consistent emphasis on the importance of exercise. In almost every instance on his show, owners don’t exercise their dogs and the dogs have behavioral problems. Second, he teaches people that dogs don’t think like humans; acting as if they do can cause problems. As for the lack of depth and oversimplification of dog behaviors, blame it on the lack of time or space for depth that is evident in most television and magazines.
There is much to be learned from your methods and those of Cesar Millan. My dog has needed several approaches and what I’ve learned from Whole Dog Journal and Cesar have been very beneficial.
Kay, via e-mail Mankato, MN
I’ve been trying to articulate why Cesar Millan’s methods bother me so much, and you expressed it perfectly. I don’t want submissive obedience from my dog, I want a companion! While I’m pretty bad at the timing for clicker training, my Silky Terrier is smart enough to learn quickly, and he’s equally good at showing me how he feels about whatever we’re doing. I enjoy the two-way communication we share.
Suzi, via e-mail
The only thing I agree with you on is that some of Cesar Millan’s work should not be tried unless you know exactly what you are doing, especially with aggressive dogs. You should not try what he does without really knowing what you are doing and he states that on his program. He also says that what you do has to be a lifetime effort on your part if you want success.
I do not agree that Cesar wants a subservient dog. He wants to be in control. A lot of dogs are put down because people can’t control them. I have seen too many people that can’t coexist with their dogs because the dog is in control. I have never seen Cesar gain control by harsh methods.
I don’t think that any one person has all of the answers.
Sharon Gibson via e-mail
I love the Dog Whisperer for two main reasons. First, he has convinced me that it is very easy to inadvertently nurture neurotic behavior in your dogs. Second, his methods have saved dogs who would have been euthanized because no other dog trainer was able to modify their aggressive behavior. The program encourages people who are ready to put their “bad” dogs down to give it one more try with him.
I am also a big fan of your publication and Dr. Ian Dunbar and the like. Just today I was practicing the eye contact exercise you described a few issues ago to try to get my Weimaraner to stop pulling after squirrels on her daily walk.
Barbara Via e-mail
You expressed the thoughts I’ve had about Cesar Millan. I first saw him on “Oprah.” I was excited to see what he would offer her to correct/help her dog, Sophie, who had on-leash dog-dog aggression, because our pooch suffers from the same. I ran out and purchased all his books and DVDs, but soon came to realize that I disagreed with so much of his training theories and techniques. I became very disappointed with how everyone jumped on the bandwagon due to his celebrity.
I agree with him only in that dogs need more consistent daily exercise and a calm and assertive (within reason) leader, but his form of discipline and rough handling is very disheartening! I will never be a fan of his.
Rebecca Richardson Vancouver, WA
Just a note to thank you for the nice article on vaccinations and risks (“Shots Fired,” November 2006). When I was in veterinary school, we were taught that vaccinations did no harm. We now know that is not the case. I never give a vaccine without questioning, “Is this a valid and necessary step to protect this pet from disease?” I am currently comfortable with expecting three-years plus of immunity. At my clinic, we have been following that protocol for more than nine years. We, too, have seen a decrease in immune-related diseases.
Thanks for a fine resource for my clients, and often enlightening for myself.
Mona L. Gitter, DVM Noblesville Square Animal Clinic Noblesville, IN
Your article on vaccines could not have come at a better time. I recently found a puppy in the middle of the road, with a collar but no tags or microchip. We put up signs and called the Humane Society but nobody has claimed him.
I had no idea whether he had any vaccinations, so I had a vet give him one shot. Of course it was a five-way vaccination the sort that I specifically did not want. Since then, I have been trying to locate single vaccines for Parvo, Distemper, and Adenovirus 1, with little success. Do you have any suggestions in this respect?
Ute Miethe via e-mail
We strongly recommend finding another veterinarian to work with in the future, one who is willing to do (or has already done) the homework needed to locate individual vaccines. While owners can legally purchase and administer some vaccines, in our opinion, the accompanying veterinary examination and opportunity to discuss other health issues with a like-minded vet is too valuable to pass up. Consider yourself warned
I hope you might publish something regarding paper shredders and dogs. I work from home and have a large paper shredder that I kept on “AutoFeed” in my den. I also have a Bearded Collie who has long hair on her tail. She was standing next to the paper shredder, wagging her tail, when the paper shredder just sucked her hair in.
Obviously, I now keep it off when I am not using it, but I would like to alert other readers to this potential hazard.
A couple of days ago, I received a text from a dog-training client, wondering about a video she had just watched—and which she linked in the text. “Is meat meal bad for dogs?” she asked. She followed that message with, “I get that she’s selling her own pet food, but is it (meat meal) that bad?”
