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Download the Full January 2004 Issue

By
Nancy Kerns
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Be a Good Sport

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

I guess I’ll be “outing” myself as a soccer mom with this story, but there is really not much you guys don’t already know about me, so here goes!

My son’s youth soccer league recently began requiring each coach, and a minimum of two parents per team, to attend a three-hour workshop given by the Stanford University-based Positive Coaching Alliance (check out www.positivecoach.org). I was one of the parents who volunteered to go.

The session I attended was held in a local community college lecture hall. I brought a gigantic sized coffee, not sure what to expect but prepared for a boring evening.

However, I was engaged the entire time. The information presented was useful to me not only as a parent/spectator at my son’s soccer games, but also as a dog owner. It was particularly rewarding to learn about concepts that were insightful and relevant to my home and work life!

For example, one of the workshop’s topics had to do with “filling the emotional tank” of child athletes. The leader pointed out that kids with a full emotional tank are far more coachable, able to learn, and likely to perform well than kids whose tanks have been emptied through excessive criticism, corrections, and (just as important) a lack of reinforcement for good efforts. He suggested that parents keep an eye on the “gauge” (“You know when your kid is really quiet and withdrawn after a bad practice? Full or empty?”) and strive to fill their children’s tanks as much as possible when they practice or compete.

The latter task is accomplished (in part) by frequently reinforcing the positive aspects of the child’s effort and performance, and avoiding trying to teach the kid anything in “non-teachable moments” – when you know he’s too upset, distracted, or busy to hear you.

Parents followed the instructor through the talk by filling out a workbook that contained valuable reminders, such as, “Anxiety goes down when self-confidence goes up.” And, “When confident, kids will work harder and stick to it longer.”

Everything presented at the workshop directly correlates to dog training!

Dogs, like kids, also learn best when they are having fun, receive praise for good efforts, and aren’t made to feel like total failures whenever they make a mistake. And who hasn’t seen a dog (maybe your own dog?) stuck in a training session while clearly suffering from an “empty emotional tank” – tail down, ears flat, eyes dull. Not much actual learning gets done in sessions like that.

Unlike me, freelance writer and avid agility competitor Lorie Long has a longtime acquaintance with concepts like these. Check out her article, “Intro to (Sports) Psychology,” in this month’s issue.

 

-Nancy Kerns

What’s Your Dog’s Complete Blood Count (CBC) Diagnosis?

By
Randy Kidd
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5

CANINE COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT OVERVIEW

1. Don’t hesitate to authorize repeated CBC tests. This will help track your dog’s response to disease and treatment. The cellular composition of a dog’s blood changes rapidly, so sequential tests will reveal more and more about his condition.

2. If your veterinarian has already gone beyond early screening for disease, and still needs definitive answers, insist that CBC tests are read at a commercial veterinary laboratory or vet college.

The complete blood count (CBC) is perhaps the most basic of all the diagnostic tools available. To do CBCs in-house, it takes only a few drops of blood from the patient, some specialized instruments that most veterinary clinics have on hand, and a modicum of practitioner skill.

I look at the CBC as the “great divider,” providing veterinarians with answers that help split our first impressions into either/or diagnostic scenarios. Sequential CBCs can often give us a handle on the progression of the disease and a reasonable assessment of prognosis. The CBC is also one of the easiest of the specialized diagnostic tools to interpret – but, as is true of every diagnostic or treatment tool, it is not without pitfalls if we don’t understand its limitations (see “What the CBC Can’t Do,” end of article).

Complete Blood Count Details

The CBC uses the various cellular components of the blood to help define the animal’s current state of health or disease. Leukocytes (white blood cells or WBCs) and erythrocytes (red blood cells or RBCs) are counted, and their total numbers, compared to normal values, are assessed. Thrombocytes (platelets) may also be counted, or they may be evaluated on the blood film and an estimate made for whether there are adequate numbers or not.

To start, a drop of blood is placed on a microscope slide and spread into a thin film. The film (or blood smear) is stained with a variety of substances that help accentuate cell structures for easy identification. Using the microscope, one hundred white cells are identified, and the percentage of each cell type is recorded. This percentage is multiplied by the total number of WBCs, and this absolute value of the cell type is compared to normal values.

It is a simple task to separate the major cell types of the blood into fractions because their relative mass differs substantially. In a tube that has been centrifuged (or left to settle for a few minutes), the red cells are found at the bottom of the tube, and the combination of white cells and platelets form a thin cap atop the red cells. The fluid portion (plasma or serum) makes up the remaining 50 – 60 percent of the volume of the blood. The plasma contains the enzymes and proteins that are evaluated in blood chemistry analyses, along with clotting and immune system factors and other components.

A quick look at the blood-filled centrifugation tube used for determining the hematocrit (also known as the packed cell volume or PCV) will also reveal dramatic increases in white blood cells, when the white “cap” atop the RBCs is more than a few millimeters deep. A look at the tube can also tell us if the serum is lipemic (contains excess fat, usually due to a non-fasting sample), or if there is serious liver damage (indicated by the yellowish tint that bilirubin imparts) or RBC breakdown in the blood (indicated by reddish serum).

Other red cell indices include MCV (mean corpuscular volume), MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), and MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration). When using manual methods for CBC analyses, these indices are calculated from directly determined measurements (PCV, red cell count, and hemoglobin). Automated counters determine cell numbers, cell size (MCV), and hemoglobin concentration, and mathematically calculate the PCV, MCHC, and MCH. These red cell indices are used as an aid in categorizing or classifying anemias, and they can be helpful for monitoring the progress of the condition.

Bone marrow is the starting ground for all blood cells, so when we can’t find a reason for the lack of any one cell line, we may refer to a bone marrow analysis. For example, when a patient has a nonregenerative anemia with no apparent cause, we will need to take a bone marrow sample, stain and identify the cells, and see if there is an identifiable problem somewhere along the normal progression of cell production.

Red Blood Cell Abnormalities

The normal PCV in the adult dog is 37 – 55 percent, and the normal RBC count is 5.5 – 8.5 million cells per microliter of blood. Values that are significantly higher or lower than these send practitioners looking for further clues in certain directions, to wit:

• Fewer than normal RBCs
Low numbers of RBCs or a decreased (or low) PCV indicate anemia. Arbitrarily the severity of the anemia is indicated by the following PCV ranges:

Mild: 30 – 37 percent
Moderate: 20 – 29 percent
Severe: 13 – 20 percent, and
Very severe: less than 13 percent.

Transfusions are usually necessary when the PCV is less than 13 percent, but the severity of clinical signs is often directly correlated to the rapidity of onset of the anemia. That is, if the anemia has developed gradually, the animal may be better able to adapt to the loss of red cells than if there was sudden and massive blood loss.

With anemia, the first step is to determine whether it is regenerative or nonregenerative. Under normal conditions it takes about seven days for the bone marrow to produce a new supply of red cells. But when the marrow is forced to work faster than normal, it tends to send new, not-quite-mature red cells into the blood stream. These immature red cells are called “reticulocytes” or “polychromatic cells,” and they can be seen and counted on blood films by using special stains.

After we give the bone marrow some lag-time to respond (three to four days), a regenerative anemia will have adequate reticulocyte response; nonregenerative anemias will not. Healthy dogs have the capacity to produce a hefty reticulocyte response; in severe anemia, 20-50 percent of their red cells may be reticulocytes.

When an anemia is nonregenerative after three to five days, we may want to look into the cause by evaluating the bone marrow. But often we can get diagnostic clues just by looking at the morphology of the RBCs on a smear and linking their appearance to the most likely causes (see table below).

For example, when there is considerable variability with the RBCs’ size (aniso-cytosis), we can assume the bone marrow is producing young cells, as it should in regenerative anemia. (Younger RBCs are larger than more mature ones.) The presence of high numbers of spherocytes (RBCs that are smaller and rounder than normal) indicates the probability of an immune-system disorder that is attacking the RBCs. “Heinz bodies” indicate an oxidative, toxin-produced change within the RBC.

And of course, a definitive diagnosis is possible when we observe parasites on the blood film, including Haemobartonella canis, Babesia canis, Ehrlichia canis, Histoplasma capsulatum, Dipetalonema reconditum, and Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm).

• More than normal RBCs
An elevated PCV value (polycythemia) is most often the result of dehydration, although sometimes splenic contraction (from fear or excitement) may also cause an increased value. Increased plasma proteins also indicate dehydration, and the protein levels will return to normal upon rehydration.

Polycythemia may also occur when the body is asking for more oxygenation capacity – living at high altitudes, for example, or as a secondary condition related to lung disease. And, there are some rare neoplastic conditions that cause persistently elevated PCVs.

What White Blood Cells Do

Leukocytes (WBCs) are the body’s cellular line of defense, providing a formidable, first-line armamentarium for tracking, isolating, killing, and removing all sorts of invaders, so the WBC portion of the CBC is commonly used to detect and monitor inflammatory processes. WBCs also hold the key for creating and maintaining the body’s immune system function.

The WBCs include the following cell types: neutrophils, band cells (immature neutrophils), lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils.

We first look at total response (total numbers of WBCs per microliter of blood), and then evaluate the current number values of each of the individual cell lines compared to normal values. Finally, we use these values to help give us the diagnostic category we will be working with to develop our therapeutic protocol.

Normal WBC values (including all white cell types) are 5,500 – 16,900 per microliter.

Neutrophils are usually the most prevalent WBC; in a healthy animal they comprise about 60 to 70 percent of the white cells. Typically, then, when we have increased WBCs, most of the increase will be due to neutrophils.

Neutrophils are thought of as the primary infection fighters of the body. They are attracted to pathogenic invaders – they actually have the capability to move toward the intruders – and they are able to engulf, kill, and remove all sorts of invaders. Normal neutrophil values are 3,000 – 12,000 per microliter. Neutrophils have a short life span (a few hours), so an evaluation of them is indeed a quick snapshot. However, since their turnover rate is so rapid, they offer a good monitoring tool for prognosis.

Bands are immature neutrophils, and they are released from the bone marrow whenever there is an increased need somewhere in the body. Normal band values are 0.0 – 299 per microliter.

Within hours, neutrophils respond to a wide variety of stimuli (including infections, tissue necrosis, and immune-mediated diseases) with the inflammatory response. The neutrophil response we observe in the blood represents a dynamic balance between the demand for WBCs at the site of the inflammation and the rate of bone marrow release.

As an example, a severe infection may initially deplete all the available WBCs, resulting in a decreased circulating number (neutropenia). Within hours, however, the bone marrow releases extra neutrophils, and within days is able to produce huge numbers of cells. As the bone marrow responds, it also releases increasing numbers of immature neutrophils (band cells). This process is referred to as leukocytosis with a left shift. So long as the production of cells stays ahead of the demand, there will be an orderly progression from a few immature forms to increasing percentages of more mature cells.

The magnitude of the neutrophilic response is an approximate reflection of the magnitude of the inflammatory response. Further, a localized inflammation, pyometra for example, elicits a greater neutrophil response than generalized inflammation. Some bacteria (pyogenic or fever-inducing bacteria, for example) stimulate a more intense neutrophil response than other types. Dogs have a tremendous capacity for neutrophilic response, and values of 50,000 per microliter or higher are not uncommon with these conditions.

The severity of the inflammatory process is reflected by the degree of the left shift – that is, when the number of band cells and even more immature cells increases greatly, we can assume there is a severe ongoing inflammatory response.

Lymphocytes are associated with immune function. They can become stimulated (reactive) with exposure to antigens (including those found in vaccines), and they carry a long-term memory that gives the immune system its capacity to respond to the antigens the body has been exposed to over a lifetime. Lymphocytes are also the cells most often involved in canine cancers. The normal values for lymphocytes are 1,000 – 4,900 per microliter.

Monocytes are thought of as the scavengers of the bloodstream, mopping up and eliminating the cells and debris of inflammation and infection. The normal values for monocytes are 100 – 1,400 per microliter.

Eosinophils respond to antigen stimulation as seen in many hypersensitive reactions. The normal values for eosinophils are 100 – 1,490 per microliter.

Basophils are a rare cellular component of blood. The “normal” value would be 0.

White Blood Cell Abnormalities

Values of any WBCs that are significantly higher or lower than normal values send practitioners looking for further clues in the following directions:

• More than normal WBCs
An elevation of total white cell numbers (leukocytosis) is usually from an increase in neutrophils, and it can be caused by several things:

Physiologic leukocytosis: Defined by an increase in mature neutrophils and sometimes lymphocyte numbers. It is epinephrine-induced and often due to the fear and struggling that occurs during restraint necessary for blood collection.

Corticosteroid-induced leukocytosis: Typically characterized by increased neutrophils (neutrophilia), decreased lymphocytes (lymphopenia), increased monocytes (monocytosis), and fewer eosinophils (eosinopenia). This reaction can be induced by exogenous (drug-induced) or endogenous (stress-related) factors. Note: These are specific and predictable alterations to the animal’s blood-borne line of defense, changes that occur whenever we choose to use corticosteroid therapy (or whenever the animal undergoes chronic or severe stress). These alterations are only a portion of the dramatic effects corticosteroid therapy has on the body, and to my mind represent one more reason to be very cautious when using this class of drugs.

• Fewer than normal neutrophils
Reduced numbers of neutrophils (neutropenia) can occur whenever there is an overwhelming bacterial infection and the increased tissue demand results in a depletion of the available neutrophils in the marrow. There are also several rather uncommon conditions in which the bone marrow is not capable of producing neutrophils in a normal manner, resulting in reduced numbers in the blood.

• More than normal lymphocytes
Lymphocytosis (increased numbers) may occur temporarily after vaccination or with increased exercise or anxiety. Lymphocytes may also increase with autoimmune disease and lymphosarcoma (cancer).

• Fewer than normal lymphocytes
Lymphopenia (decreased numbers) commonly occurs with excess glucocorticoids, whether they be from endogenous sources (stress, debilitating disease, surgery, shock, trauma, or exposure to heat or cold), or from exogenous sources (such as glucocorticoid therapy). Viral infections such as canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, parvovirus, and coronaviral enteritis also cause lymphopenia.

In addition, lymphopenia is expected in acute severe disease, and the return of the lymphocytes into the normal range is a good prognostic sign of decreasing stress. Finally, lymphocytes may be depleted with repeated drainage into a body cavity (chylothorax or protein losing enteropathies as examples).

• More than normal monocytes
Monocytosis (increased numbers) occurs along with inflammation and tissue necrosis, or glucocorticoid therapy.

• More than normal eosinophils
Conditions that typically cause eosinophilia (increased numbers) include parasitism and hypersensitivity reactions. Eosinophilia is also associated with carcinoma, lymphosarcoma, and other specific diseases such as eosinophilic enterocolitis or pneumonitis.

• Fewer than normal eosinophils
Eosinopenia (decreased numbers) occurs with an excess of either endogenous or exogenous corticosteroids, but since eosinophil numbers are so low in normal blood, this phenomena is rarely noticed.

• More than normal basophils
The number of basophils may increase (basophilia) with heartworm or hookworm infestation and with hypersensitivity reactions. With all these there is usually a concurrent eosinophilia. Hypothyroidism occasionally produces basophilia.

All About Thrombocytes

Thrombocytes (also known as platelets) are responsible for adequate clotting of the blood, and platelet problems are the most common cause of bleeding. Estimates of normal values can be done by an experienced technician by simply observing adequate numbers scattered throughout the blood film. Normal platelet values range from 200,000 – 500,000 per microliter.

• Fewer than normal thrombocytes
Severe thrombocytopenia is defined as fewer than 20,000 platelets per microliter, and it is at this value where we begin to see nose bleeding and hemorrhages into the skin and gut. Causes of thrombocytopenia include immune mediated diseases, improper production by the bone marrow, and consumption of platelets during intravascular coagulation (disseminated intravascular coagulation or DIC).

• Larger than normal thrombocytes
Large platelets indicate the possibility of immature cells being released by the bone marrow – perhaps due to increased need in the body.

Detecting Leukemia with the CBC

Leukemia is a progressive, malignant disease of the WBC or RBC bloodforming organs, with neoplastic cells evident in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. Leukemia is generally recognized by diagnosing high numbers of immature (blast) cells in the peripheral blood. Any of the cell lines may be involved, but the most common cell type is the lymphocyte (lymphocytic leukemia). Most cases of leukemia demonstrate elevated numbers of the involved cell type; rarely, the absolute numbers seen are actually decreased from normal.

Since dogs have such a dramatic capacity to elevate leukocyte numbers, it is often difficult to differentiate between leukemia and what is termed a leukemoid reaction – a strong and persistent leukocytosis without the presence of blast cells.

The most common neoplasia of the blood system of dogs is canine malignant lymphoma (lymphosarcoma, lymphocytic leukemia), with a reported incidence of 24:100,000. This is a progressive disease characterized by neoplastic transformation of lymphoid cells. The neoplasia may originate in either solid lymph organs (lymphosarcoma) or in the bone marrow (lymphocytic leukemia). Diagnosis is made, depending on the origin of the disease, by observing many swollen lymph nodes that can be huge, or by finding large numbers of abnormal lymphocytes on a blood film.

What the CBC Can’t Do

The first and foremost limitation that dog owners should recognize is that the CBC is only a snapshot of what is going on in the inner animal; it does not provide us a story with a beginning, middle, and end. To really know how a disease is progressing, we will need perhaps several progressive “snapshots,” each one giving us a better insight into the whole story of the dog’s ongoing health status.

We don’t often come up with a definitive diagnosis using only a CBC. Usually, it tells us how the body is responding or has responded to a generalized condition. For example, increased neutrophils (one of the white blood cells) indicate an inflammatory response. But the CBC does not tell us where in the body the inflammation is located or what has caused the inflammation, and it almost never helps us differentiate between specific diseases.

Another example: A decreased PCV (low numbers of red blood cells or RBCs) tells us only that we are dealing with anemia; it does not tell us whether the anemia is from poor production of RBCs or from blood loss. And, if the anemia is from blood loss, we still need to determine whether this is the result of a bleeding wound, blood loss into the intestine or other body cavity, parasitic infestation, immunologic conditions that directly attack red blood cells, or any other causes. Thus a CBC tells us only how the blood cells are responding to generalized diseases or conditions. It will not tell us anything about which specific organ system is affected; blood chemistries or other alternative diagnostic methods are needed for this step – to my way of thinking, a vital step for developing a holistic protocol for healing.

And, as with any diagnostic tool, the CBC needs to be interpreted in the context of the whole patient – relying on whole-body signs and symptoms – to put together the whole of the diagnosis. Again, as a holistic practitioner, I think veterinarians have the best chance for success when we combine several diagnostic methods, both Western and alternative.

There are a few variables that have a slight effect on the “normal ranges” of CBC parameters – for example, the dog’s age, sex, breed, and pregnancy status – and we need to keep these in mind when we interpret CBCs. But, for the most part, the normal ranges are well established, and these will remain basically the same between labs. Quality control is not as much a problem as it is for blood chemistries, but there are still some considerations to keep in mind (see below ).

Choose the Best Lab for the Job

Canine and human blood cells don’t all look the same on a stained blood smear, and technicians trained with human blood may not identify some cell lines as accurately as a veterinary technician would. Differentiating between monocytes and reactive lymphocytes seems to be a persistent problem, as does identifying immature neutrophils. Technicians trained in human medicine may not have the experience to identify specific canine diseases.

Further, the in-house stains commonly used by most vets are not as good as the stains used in commercial labs for identification of some cells or structures. Reticulocytes are RNA-rich cells that indicate the degree of response the animal is mounting to anemia. Special stains are needed to properly count the number of reticulocytes; poor staining technique (and/or poor technician training) may miss the presence of reticulocytes or miscount them.

Ultimately, quality control depends on the skills of the examiner, and some veterinarians (and/or the technicians in their hospitals) enjoy the art-forms of working with a microscope and using the methods required for counting, staining, and identifying blood cells, and they thus have developed the necessary skills to accurately assess CBCs. Other practitioners don’t have the requisite interest, and they either send their CBCs out, or the CBC becomes a neglected area in their diagnostic arsenal.

For the most part, these quality control issues are not critical – until we have gone beyond early screening and have reached a state in our diagnostic efforts where we need specific, definitive answers. At this stage, it is probably worthwhile to insist that the samples be read at a commercial veterinary laboratory or at the nearest veterinary college.

CBC Summary

The CBC is a quick and easy way to obtain information that helps separate diseases into categories, and provides some information as to the severity of the disease. Sequential CBCs can give us a reasonable idea for the progression and prognosis of the disease. As with all other tools in the practitioner’s tool kit, the CBC is only as good as the “practitioner-operator,” and good practitioners understand the tool’s limitations as well as its value.

Dr. Randy Kidd earned his DVM degree from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in Pathology/Clinical Pathology from Kansas State University. A past president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, he’s author of Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Dog Care and Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Cat Care.

Canine Class for Aggressive and Problematic Dogs

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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[Updated November 16, 2017]

We used to call them growl classes – a term that, in hindsight, was perhaps a poor choice – likely to intensify feelings of apprehension in the human member of the training team before dog and owner even walked through the door into the classroom for the first session. These were classes designed for dogs whose aggressive on-leash reactions to dogs or other environmental stimuli made them inappropriate candidates for regular companion dog classes; they were simply too disruptive, even dangerous, to be in mixed company. See “Training Classes for Aggressive Dogs,” for a detailed description of a typical “growl” class.

Aggresive Dog Classes

While the term “growl class” may have mostly gone by the wayside, fortunately the concept of a class for difficult dogs has not. It is a tribute to dog owners of today that many of them are unwilling to give up on their canine companions, even when faced with behavior challenges that can shake the foundations of the dog-human bond. It’s as much a tribute to the modern dog training profession that trainers continue to seek out and develop innovative, positive, and effective solutions for owners who are committed to helping their dogs “be nice.” From east coast to west, trainers are increasingly offering classes that now go by friendlier names, such as “Feisty Fido,” the goal of which is to help owners help their difficult dogs be more manageable in the real world.

Is Your Dog Truly Aggressive?

Candidates for difficult dog classes are generally those who tend to react more intensely than the situation calls for. They may bark aggressively at other dogs on leash, lunge uncontrollably after joggers, or claw at car windows when someone passes by. While some of this is normal dog behavior – chasing things that move is a hardwired canine response – difficult dogs are distinguished by their owners’ sense of frustration and helplessness – they have tried all the remedies that worked just fine for their friends’ and neighbors’ dogs to no avail. Fido is still intimidatingly feisty. If you are reluctant to take your dog to a training class because of his embarrassing or frightening behavior, or the two of you have been excused from a regular class for the same reason, then you are good candidates for a canine “special education” class.

Most trainers who offer classes for Rowdy Rovers agree that, while dog-dog aggression is an allowable behavior problem for class participants, dog-human aggression is not. Ali Brown, CPDT, of Great Companions in Allentown, Pennsylvania, says, “If the owner tells me the dog is aggressive, fearful, etc., we explore further. If the dog hasn’t made bite contact, I will accept them – but we do a minimum of three private sessions first, focusing on calming and control exercises. If the dog has actually bitten, mauled, or attacked a person, then no, they don’t come to our Reactive Dog classes.”

Trish King, Director of Behavior and Training for the Marin Humane Society in Novato, California, suggests that her difficult dog classes are as much support groups for owners as they are vehicles to achieve the goal of helping the dog be civilized in the presence of other dogs. “The owners really encourage each other,” she says. “After a dog who used to be outrageous succeeds at a previously ‘impossible’ exercise, the other participants often break out in applause. No one can appreciate the progress of these dogs as much as owners of similar dogs!”

Caren Salisbury of Warner Robins, Georgia, agrees. “I offer classes for difficult dogs because I have found that owners are embarrassed to have an ‘out of control’ dog. They think they’re alone with the behavior, but quickly learn that they are not!” she says.

Methods and Tools Used in Aggressive Dog Classes

Brown and King both emphasize the importance of using positive tools and techniques, and they are not alone. Overwhelmingly, trainers use positive training and behavior modification tools and methods to work with Feisty Fidos. Owners bring their dogs’ soft beds to class, and the dogs relax in them in between more active parts of class, giving the dog a chance to “practice” calming down from an aroused state, even in the presence of other dogs. Treats, toys, and touch are used to reward dogs for their progress; these also work to classically condition the dogs to form more positive associations with being around other dogs.

“All our courses depend on positive, non-aversive, reward-based methodology,” says Jackie McGowan, of Click Starts Dog Training in Alberta, Canada. “Clicker training is used, unless the dog has a strong aversion to the sound of the clicker. We use canine and human positive relationship building, dog on owner focus, relaxation techniques, coping skills, alternate behavior skills and management skills.”

Physical barriers are commonly used in these classes, to block visual stimulation until dogs are ready for more interaction. King starts each dog in class in its own alcove to provide a safe, quiet environment. As dogs learn to relax, the “walls” of the alcove can be gradually opened.

Other trainers use physical distance to keep the dogs’ reaction to stimuli at a comfortable level. Brown uses the dogs’ own cars as barriers – the equivalent of large portable crates. Her clients park as far away from each other in the parking lot as possible and work with their dogs one at a time in and near their cars, very gradually working toward bringing the dogs closer together, still calm and controlled.

Another frequent tool of choice in these classes is the use of calming massage and touch. A number of trainers will, like Brown, require one or more private sessions to give them an opportunity to meet and work with dog and owner outside the stress and confusion of a group class. In these private sessions, trainers teach owners new techniques to respond to, redirect, and control inappropriate behaviors that will help lower the dogs’ arousal and reactivity rather than exacerbating it. Often, teaching the owner to remain calm is a huge step toward helping the dog maintain his mental equilibrium.

While some still use head halters, many trainers have ceased using them for difficult dogs in recognition of the increased stress level this tool may cause in some dogs. King suggests that if you need a head halter to control the dogs in class or a muzzle to ensure safety, perhaps the dogs are too close and too aroused anyway. She does enthusiastically promote the use of the SENSE-ation harness for these dogs, instead.

Training Class Goals

In the “olden days” – just a few years ago! – the goal of a growl class was often expressly to get all the dogs in the class playing together by the end of the six or eight weeks. Trainers have come to realize that for the most part this is an unrealistic goal, and one that places entirely too much stress on dogs and humans alike – trainers as well as owners! Today’s goals are inclined to be much more modest and humane.

“My biggest goal is to educate the owner on proper dog handling techniques: Preventing the dog from practicing the undesired behavior; being proactive and alert instead of reactive; teaching desensitization and counter-conditioning skills,” says Carole Lawson, CPDT, of the Classic Academy of Canine Learning in Cleveland, Ohio. “My goal for the dog is to help create a relationship between owner and dog where the dog is confident in the human and willing to be attentive to the owner regardless of the fear stimulus or other distraction.”

Valerie Pollard, of Valerie Pollard Dog Training, Orange, California, wants her difficult dog clients to learn to trust and enjoy focusing on their handlers, and be able to function calmly in social situations involving other dogs and people.

Different Kinds of Classes for Rowdy Dogs

Like most trainers who provide this type of service, Trish King agrees that owner education is a vital part of the program. She offers three different types of classes for dogs with challenging social behaviors, to create positive learning environments for the humans that are most conducive to addressing their dogs’ specific behaviors:

• Difficult Dogs: For dogs who are seriously aggressive toward other dogs

• Feisty Little Fidos: For difficult dogs who weigh 25 pounds or less, and

• ADD Dogs: For young adult dogs who are displaying “Adolescent Dog Disorder” – frustration or aggression on leash as a direct result of their strong desire to go play with other dogs.

The goals are similar but different for each type of class. For the Difficult Dogs, the aim is to increase the owner’s level of confidence and control, as well as modify canine behavior so their dogs are safe and civilized around other dogs. There is no expectation that these dogs will come to love and frolic with each other by the end of the eight-week program.

Feisty Little Fidos are also expected to learn to be civilized around others, although because of their smaller size, actual physical control is less of an issue.

ADD dogs are the group most likely to learn how to “play well with others” by the end of their classes. Their inappropriate behavior is driven by the thwarting of their strong desire to socialize, as opposed to truly agonistic motives. When owners are taught how to appropriately redirect and reward their dogs’ focus and attention, the frustrated arousal recedes. Owners in this class are often gratified by the ultimate miracle of seeing their dogs romping happily together with no signs of aggression.

Aggresive Dog Classes

Janet Smith, Behavior Program Manager for the Capital Area Humane Society offers two different types of classes for difficult dogs. Smith’s “Shy Dog” class is for dogs who have issues with humans, and the “Growls and Howls” program is for dogs who are reactive to other dogs. Her goal for her owners is education – helping them understand their dog while improving their management, training, and relationship. Her goal for the dogs is simply improvement.

Like most trainers, and especially those who work in or closely with shelters, Smith’s perennial goal is to keep the dogs in their homes. Owners who can see even small improvement in their dogs’ behaviors are more motivated to keep working with their dogs rather than giving up on them.

Finding a Dog Training Class Near You

Once a rarity, difficult dog classes can now be found in many communities. Even better, good difficult dog classes can be found in many communities.

If you aren’t conveniently located to one of the trainers listed here, try calling the one nearest you and asking if she knows anyone who may offer the classes closer to your town. You can even pick up your phone book, call the trainers listed there, and ask if they offer such classes.

You can also go to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and click on its “Trainer Search” button. The site allows you to search by city and state for trainers near you, and while not all APDT members may fit our definition of a positive trainer, and not all of them offer classes for Rowdy Rovers, it’s a good place to start.

Research Classes Thoroughly!

Once you have located a class near you, you will need to investigate further. Brown makes the following suggestions for evaluating your potential difficult dog instructor:

• Observe a class in progress. If a trainer won’t let you observe a class, don’t bother to pursue it any further.

• Listen to the trainer speaking. She should discuss the science of behavior and learning, and explain concepts such as counter-conditioning, desensitization, and stress levels. She should not just tell people what to do with their dogs, but how, and especially why.

• Be absolutely sure the training is all positive. Handlers should be using buckle collars, leashes, harnesses, treats, clickers, etc. Anything that applies force is counterproductive. No choke chains, no prong collars, no shock collars.

King offers other suggestions:

• Be sure the instructor is experienced at teaching difficult dog classes. Everyone has to learn somewhere – usually as an assistant or apprentice – you don’t want you and your dog to be guinea pigs.

• Look for safety controls throughout the class. Dogs and owners should be set up to succeed safely. Equipment, methods, exercises and environments should all be designed to ensure safety; anything in the environment that puts dogs or humans at risk is not acceptable.

• Be absolutely sure the training is all positive reinforcement.

Patricia McConnell’s booklet, “Feisty Fido,” is included as a textbook by many trainers who teach difficult dog classes, and is an excellent adjunct to the information in this article. While hands-on assistance from a skilled trainer in the nurturing environment of a group class of owners facing the same challenges you are with your Rowdy Rover is ideal, McConnell’s book is a great backup tool that can start you in the right direction while you track down a suitable class.

Finally, don’t despair. You are not alone, and your dog’s behavior is probably not beyond all hope and help. Find yourself a good Feisty Fido class, and you just might be pleasantly surprised to find that it’s easier and far less painful than you thought to turn your difficult dog into a reliably good canine citizen.

TRAINING CLASSES FOR REACTIVE DOGS: OVERVIEW

1. Locate trainers in your area who offer difficult dog classes, taught with only positive methods and tools – no punishments, no choke or shock collars. Be ready to drive an hour or more for the right class.

2. Teach your dog (and practice, practice, practice) “look at me” and “off” or “leave it!” He must learn that it’s far more rewarding to pay attention to you than anything else.

Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, and past president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She is also the author of, The Power of Positive Dog Training, and the just-released book, Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.

Dog Appeasing Pheromone to Calm Anxious Canine

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Early this winter, I decided to test the new behavior modification product on the market. It’s essentially an atomizer, similar to room deodorizers that are plugged into electrical outlets, but this product emits a substance dubbed “dog appeasing pheromone” (“DAP” for short) that is supposed to reduce any dog’s stress. The product is sold as the “Comfort ZoneTM Canine Behavior Modification Plug-In,” under the Farnam Pet Products banner.

According to its maker, DAP is supposed to mimic a natural stress-reducing hormone produced by mother dogs while nursing their puppies. It purportedly stops or reduces stress-related barking, urination and defecation, whimpering and whining, anxiety, fear, chewing, and other stress-related behaviors.

One plug-in unit is supposed to dispense enough of the DAP substance to “cover” 500-650 square feet for about four weeks. It has been used in Europe for some time, reportedly with positive results. Recently approved for use in this country, it is reputedly safe for dogs and puppies, and is not supposed to affect humans. Another variety, for stressed-out cats, is sold as “Feliway.” Both are available from pet supply catalogs, ranging in price from $20 – $25 per unit, with refills costing $10 – $15.

Putting DAP to the test
I wondered if the Comfort Zone would help my Scottish Terrier, Dubhy, who gets over-aroused in the presence of some dogs, and who had gotten into a couple of scuffles over his food bowl with my Kelpie, Katie. I also wondered if it would have any effect on the other three dogs in my home.

I plugged in the diffuser unit in my office, where the dogs and I spend our daytime hours. Within three weeks I noticed a marked reduction in Dubhy’s resource-guarding. Katie could watch him eat, and then lick his bowl clean when he was done, with no apparent tension on the Scottie’s part. In the past, he had guarded even his empty bowl.

I also noticed a reduction in his arousal around other dogs at my training center. In addition, he does less arousal barking in the backyard, and comes to me more readily when I call him away from stimuli that cause the arousal barking.

It also seemed to help my Cattle Dog-mix’s thunder phobia. We already give Tucker melatonin for storms, which improves his behavior from panicked to merely tense. At first, I thought the DAP wasn’t affecting Tucker’s storm-related anxiety. For weeks, there appeared to be no change in his behavior when storms occurred.

But about six weeks after I introduced the Comfort Zone, while working in my office during an unusually violent storm, I looked down to see Tucker, curled up, sound asleep on the dog bed under my desk. That behavior has continued since; he seeks out the spot under my desk during storms, but no longer trembles or shows the other signs of serious storm phobia that he used to display.

The product has not, however, reduced Katie’s typical herding dog’s control-freak behavior that compels her to stop our other dogs from playing in the house. Two out of three’s not bad!

Positive reports
A recent survey of trainers and dog owners on several e-mail lists found similarly positive results among a large percentage of Comfort Zone users. Here are some of their comments:

“I have been using a DAP diffuser for the last two months. My Dalmatian was beginning to show mild signs of anxiety/stress when we left him alone. The very first time I used it I found a remarkable change in his demeanor when we came home. We also continue to use management, and have had no further problems with him getting stressed when we leave.”

-Patricia Ellis
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“In a nutshell: I think it’s a great aid to a program of management. Some recent successes [I’ve witnessed] include a pair of Wheaton Terriers who were extremely reactive about the door; a Jack Russell Terrier adjusting to a baby; and a dog who had been on medication for years. Coupled with about six months of effort on his owners’ part and a DAP diffuser, the latter dog is now on medication only for ‘hard times’ like the Fourth of July, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve.”

-Elaine Allison, CPDT
Canine’s Best Behavior
Los Angeles, California

“I have had very good results with DAP for a variety of anxiety-related problems in dogs (noise phobia, separation anxiety, aggression, fearful behaviors.”

-Lore I. Haug, DVM, MS, DACVB
College Station, Texas

“We started using the Comfort Zone a few months ago for two of our dogs: Trixie, a Giant Schnauzer with mild thunderstorm phobia; and Lucas, a Lab/Pit Bull mix, with severe thunderstorm phobia and mild separation anxiety. In less than a week, Trixie and Lucas were much calmer.

In addition, all of the other things we were using to try to modify Lucas’ behavior began to work! We were already giving him herbs for anxiety, vitamin supplements, acupuncture, massage, and more. Even with all that, his storm-related and separation anxiety was causing grand mal seizures.

Today, Lucas is doing great. He hasn’t had a seizure in two months. He has learned how to play ball and play with our other dogs, is relaxed when we leave home, and even tolerated a recent thunderstorm with very little anxiety. We are very pleased with Comfort Zone.”

-Megan Rollins
The Pawsative Connection
Chattanooga, Tennessee

“I have two clients who have used the Comfort Zone with great results. One has a bitch in false pregnancy, who started having aggression issues. The owner put the DAP unit at the gate she uses to divide the dogs, and reports that they no longer display any barrier aggression.

The other client has a dog who would drool in excess while crated. About two weeks after she started using the Comfort Zone, the dog stopped drooling when crated.”

-Cheri Spaulding, Rock Nest Kennels
St. Johnsbury Center, Vermont

Negative marks
Lest you get your hopes up that the Holy Grail of dog behavior modification has been discovered, please note that it doesn’t appear to work for all dogs and behaviors.

Like my own personal experience with Katie’s incessant herding dog behavior, a number of owners and trainers also reported a disappointing lack of behavior change after introducing the Comfort Zone. Here are some of their comments:

“I tried using DAP in the house to see if it might help the foster dogs coming in, and perhaps ease the resident dogs’ stress and adjustment that always accompanies a new dog in the house. I did not observe any effect on behavior, and did not purchase any more after the second refill.”

-Vicki Magnus
Waldorf, Maryland

“I tried Comfort Zone for both a mildly whiny dog during separation and for a hyperkinetic dog and saw no effect whatsoever. I was disappointed, because the comments I had read on some training lists were so positive. My conclusion was that it had no measurable effects. Possibly my test dogs ages (seven and up) may have been a factor.

-Carole Lawson
Classic Academy of Canine Learning Cleveland, Ohio

(Author’s note: Tucker, our Cattle Dog mix whose thunder phobia has eased significantly, is nine years old.)

“I advised two of my clients to try Comfort Zone. One client has a German Shorthaired Pointer who is very ‘busy,’ always in movement, and doesn’t settle until about 8pm. We tried Comfort Zone on this dog for over a month with no results at all. I was very disappointed. The second dog is a Beagle/Jack Russell mix with severe separation anxiety. We tried Comfort Zone for at least two months and it actually seemed to make the dog worse; greater anxiety and more destruction noticed. Again, disappointed.

-Bernadette Ball
Strickly Dogs
Cincinnati, Ohio

Making matters worse?
The trainer quoted above was not the only one who noted a deterioration of a dog’s behavior when exposed to DAP. One of my good friends has a mature yellow Labrador Retriever with an insatiable desire to eat paper, leather, and other inappropriate objects. We eagerly subjected her to Comfort Zone, only to have her pica behavior worsen.

While clearly not a panacea for all dogs, DAP seems to have a positive effect on enough dogs to make it a worthwhile adjunct to a behavior modification program. Of 42 responses to our survey question, 64.3 percent (27) reported positive results; 30.9 percent (13) reported no observable behavior change; and 4.8 percent (2) reported negative results. Not a scientific study, to be sure, but fairly convincing anecdotal evidence.

One has to wonder about the two dogs whose behavior deteriorated in the presence of DAP. Perhaps a negative association with those early nursing pheromones? Who knows? Maybe they had “Mommy Dearest” type puppyhoods!

 

Canine Immune System Boosters

By
Nancy Kerns
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by Shannon Wilkinson

What does the first milk from a cow have to do with improving the health of dogs? According to anecdotal and scientific evidence, much more than you might imagine.

Colostrum, the protein-rich yellowish-fluid produced in lactation by mammals the first few days after birth, is Mother Nature’s first superfood.

It is not only nutritious, but also contains immune and growth factors, enzymes, proteins, and many other beneficial substances.

Research shows that newborns aren’t the only ones that are helped by colostrum. Bovine colostrum isn’t species specific, so dogs (and other mammals) can benefit from it, too. Claims abound for bovine colostrum’s ability to treat allergies, bacterial, or viral infections; autoimmune diseases; digestive problems; and even cancer. But is it all hype?

“It’s not a cure-all,” says Dr. Stephen Blake, a veterinarian with a holistic practice in San Diego. Rather, he explains, it’s a great tool to have in your medicine chest to help animals when they get into trouble. That being said, he has seen dramatic changes for the better in ill animals once they start taking colostrum.

Benefits of colostrum
Bovine colostrum has a long history as a nutritional supplement, particularly with the Indian Ayurvedic tradition. Interest in colostrum as a nutritional supplement or treatment for medical conditions has increased over the last few decades, particularly as technology has improved the ability to process and preserve it.

In humans, much of the maternal antibody protection is passed through the placenta during gestation, rather than through colostrum. This makes human colostrum an important, but not vital part of the neonate’s first hours. In contrast, there is no transmission of antibodies through the placenta with cows and other hooved animals. Nature has solved this problem by making bovine colostrum even richer in antibodies and other immune system enhancers to protect the newborn calf.

Bovine colostrum contains more than 250 beneficial substances, from simple nutritional elements such as protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals, to more complex material such as lactoferrin, transfer factors, growth factors, and immunoglobulins or antibodies.

“Colostrum’s intrinsic value is that the ingredients are all together in a nice package,” says Dr. Blake. “It is a natural whole food that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Using colostrum
Colostrum is the first product Dr. Blake reaches for when a dog presents with gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea. “In my experience, 95 percent of all diarrheas will resolve using colostrum rather than antibiotics,” says Dr. Blake. In addition to resolving the immediate problem, the colostrum may actually help heal the intestinal tract and keep it healthy.

This was precisely the experience of Chancey Marie, a 10-year-old Great Dane who had suffered from irritable bowel syndrome for years. About two years ago, her guardian, Cathy Cunningham, owner of VIP Pet Food Delivery in Oregon, started giving Chancey Marie colostrum. Within weeks her previously frequent diarrhea had decreased significantly. In addition, Chancey Marie, no youngster (particularly for a giant breed), is now full of energy. She even enjoys going jogging for a few miles with Cunningham’s husband several times a week.

Dr. Blake also finds colostrum useful for treating immune problems, whether they are caused by an underactive immune system leaving a dog open to infection, or a hyperactive immune system causing autoimmune diseases. “The proline-rich polypeptides help balance the thymus gland,” he explains. Since the thymus gland is chiefly responsible for directing the activity of the entire immune system, a balanced thymus gland can translate to a balanced immune system.

Problems with joints and connective tissue, such as hip dysplasia, degenerative arthritis, or cruciate ligament issues, have also improved with colostrum supplementation. “Without growth factors, all the chondroitin in the world won’t help,” explains Dr. Blake. “If the body can’t replicate cells, then it can’t heal. The growth factors in colostrum can facilitate the body’s own regenerative processes and even better utilize supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine.”

Side effects
Generally speaking, Dr. Blake recommends colostrum for every sick animal, regardless of illness, and every geriatric animal under his care. Some animals, particularly those who are very ill with chronic disease, are started on no more than a pinch of colostrum. He will then work very slowly to increase the dose to his normal levels of about one-quarter to one-third of a teaspoon per 25 lbs. of bodyweight.

Most dogs like the flavor of colostrum; it’s reminiscent of powdered milk, making it easy to administer. Many times, a dog will lick the powder right up, says Blake, although mixing it in food or “pilling” with the capsules are effective alternatives.

Side effects are quite rare, assures Dr. Blake, although problems with colostrum can include diarrhea or vomiting. If these symptoms do occur, he suggests stopping the colostrum, then restarting it more slowly and in much smaller amounts. He says that some animals may also experience a “healing crisis,” with symptoms getting worse before getting better. As with side effects, the best treatment in these instances is to simply stop the supplement and then restart it in smaller amounts.

It’s important to give colostrum ample time to work. While some people might see nearly immediate improvement, this isn’t always the case, particularly with chronic illness. Allow at least one month for every year the dog has been unwell, and that often begins at birth, suggests Dr. Blake.

Topical wonders
Colostrum also really performs as a topical. It can be applied as a paste to virtually any skin problem such as abscesses, wounds, or surgical incisions. Following her positive experiences with using colostrum for her old Great Dane, Cathy Cunningham didn’t hesitate to reach for the colostrum when her four-year-old Dane developed a rash on her belly. “It resembled ringworm,” Cunningham says, but a paste of colostrum and Oxy Drops [a commercial liquid antibacterial agent] cleared the rash up in a matter of days, never to return.

My own Great Dane, five-year-old Booker, has had hot spots from time to time that worsen with chewing and biting. Sometimes the sores last for weeks, require shaving, and keep us all up due to Booker’s chewing and licking of the inflamed areas. After hearing about colostrum from a number of my holistically oriented friends, I decided to try it on Booker’s newest hot spot. I applied the paste before bedtime. When we got up in the morning, there was no sign of the red, oozy sore that he had the night before. Plus, it has worked every time it has been applied since then.

Part greater than the sum?
While Dr. Blake believes in and promotes whole colostrum supplements, some other practitioners attribute its effects to one specific component present in colostrum: transfer factor.

Transfer factors were originally discovered more than 50 years ago by Dr. H. Sherwood Lawrence, while he was researching tuberculosis. He discovered a molecule in white blood cells that could transfer immunity from the donor to the recipient.

In the 1980s researchers found this same transfer factor molecule in bovine colostrum. Since that time, transfer factors have been isolated in other substances, including the yolk of chicken eggs.

To harness the potential of this isolate, a network marketing company called 4Life Research, of Sandy, Utah, licensed a patented way to extract the raw transfer factors from bovine colostrum collected from two certified organic dairy herds. The extract is then dehydrated and packaged into a variety of forms. The product, called Transfer Factor™, is available as a supplement specifically for humans, dogs, cats, and horses.

According to company literature, the concentrated extract from colostrum is a more potent way to provide this key molecule. One capsule of Transfer Factor contains as much transfer factor as 90 capsules of some brands of colostrum supplements. (Remember, some veterinarians, such as Dr. Blake, prefer to administer colostrum in its whole form, without a concentration of any component.)

Though the product is taken orally, the transfer factor molecules don’t need to be digested to work, explains Bill Burlingame, DVM, of Marysville, Washington. “They are simply absorbed through the mucous membranes of the oral cavity or small intestine.”

Multiple products
The 4Life company includes transfer factor in a number of supplements, from the original Transfer Factor to combination products developed specifically for different health concerns and species, such as Transfer Factor Cardio™ and Canine Complete™.

The 4Life animal formulas are a combination of a line of nutritionals developed by Joe Ramaekers, DVM, which have been combined with Transfer Factor to create new products.

“The synergism between the complete supplement and the effect of Transfer Factor is what really works,” says Burlingame. In order to patent the blend, he explains, it was first shown how animals responded to the supplement blend without Transfer Factor, then how animals responded to Transfer Factor alone, and finally how animals responded to the combination. The result, he says, was more than just A plus B.

One of his favorite products (especially for use with cancer patients, he says) is Transfer Factor Plus™; the “plus” is a combination of potent immune stimulants, including Maitake and Shiitake mushrooms, Cordyceps sinensis (a Chinese herb), inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), beta-glucans, beta-sistosterol, and mannans (from aloe).

Five years ago, when Dr. Burlingame started using Transfer Factor and Transfer Factor Plus™ in his veterinary practice, he didn’t always get the results he hoped for. Since then, he says, he’s discovered that for maximum benefit, Transfer Factor needs to be started early and at high enough doses.

“It’s a numbers game when you’re dealing with bacteria and viruses,” he says. It is crucial to get high enough numbers of transfer factors into the system to combat the high levels of bacteria or viruses. Since using the Canine Complete Transfer Factor supplement, he sees more positive responses.

How to administer
Colostrum and transfer factor supplements are used for a wide variety of health issues, from gastric distress to cancer, allergies, and autoimmune diseases. Many of their uses overlap, and some people have found success with one product but not the other.

Dr. Burlingame uses Transfer Factor in many of the same situations where Dr. Blake chooses colostrum, such as viral or bacterial infections and immune disease.

Recently, Dr. Burlingame had a four-month-old puppy come into to his clinic. The puppy had bloody diarrhea and all the symptoms of parvovirus. In addition to the typical antibiotics, antiemetics, and IV fluids, he gave the puppy 1,400 mgs per day of Transfer Factor. The puppy was home in three days. “I wish I had this a long time ago,” he says.

According to Dr. Burlingame, Transfer Factor usually takes about 48 to 72 hours to educate the immune system. He looks for a regression in symptoms, particularly in the case of infections, within the first 48 to 72 hours. He says he will often see an improvement or increase in white blood cell counts in that time frame as well. And, overall, the patient will begin to feel and therefore act better.

With longer-term treatment, particularly using the Canine Complete product, Dr. Burlingame has found that many dogs can do well on reduced amounts of other supplements and medications they must take.

He also has had success using Canine Complete with more chronic immune system problems such as allergies. He feels that this product ensures an allergic dog has the nutrients necessary to function properly, as well as helps modulate the immune response.

Burlingame says that, like colostrum, Transfer Factor is a safe product and side effects are rare. In addition, because the Transfer Factor molecule is absorbed in the mucosa rather than digested, even very ill animals, particularly those with impaired digestion, can benefit quickly from being given the product.

Burlingame usually recommends that guardians use Canine Complete, as the best all-around supplement containing Transfer Factor for dogs.

Although he highly recommends Transfer Factor for dogs with autoimmune disease, Burlingame suggests that the Transfer Factor Plus product is contraindicated for these dogs; the “Plus” ingredients, including several potent immune stimulants, could possibly overstimulate an already overactive immune system.

Shannon Wilkinson is a TTouch practitioner who lives with two dogs, two cats, and a husband in Portland, Oregon.

Canine Athletic Competition and Sports Psychology

By
Lorie Long
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[Updated February 5, 2019]

Whether you and your dog are road-seasoned competitors in canine sports, just “playing around” in novice dog shows, or simply striving to train your dog to stop embarrassing you in public, you can improve your mutual performance and your relationship by learning and practicing basic sports psychology techniques.

When we work with our dogs, we communicate our wishes to them largely through our body language, posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

Agility dogs

Stress can vastly alter how our “messages” come across to our dogs. When we are nervous about going into the show ring or anxious about passing another leashed dog on the sidewalk, we are likely to inadvertently “tell” our dogs all sorts of things that we really don’t mean to or want to, such as, “Oh my God this is scary!” or “I feel like I’m going to be sick!”

Sports psychology techniques teach us how to get our brains and bodies under control, so our physical language exudes a relaxed confidence – which is enormously relaxing and confidence-boosting to our dogs, who operate best when they know they can trust a competent leader.

If I do say so myself, I’m sort of a “poster child” for the benefits of sports psychology, since I was absolutely stuck at a certain level of competence at agility with my two Border Terriers.

Sport Psychology for Dogs: What Brought Me Here

For me, it’s hard to imagine anything more fun than a weekend of dog agility competition with my agility partner, Dash. And, from watching the enthusiastic competitors at herding trials, obedience trials, flyball events, tracking exercises, freestyle performances, and other types of dog sports, I think most participants would agree with me about their chosen sports.

It’s also difficult to imagine an undertaking more holistic than dog sports such as agility. The effective combination of mind, body, and emotion, in the dog and handler individually and as a member of the team, holds the key to success. All elements are connected and interrelated to achieve peak performance.

Dash, my five-year-old Border Terrier and three-year agility competitor, and I earned the novice and intermediate qualifications necessary to propel us into competition at the highest levels of difficulty. Remember that line about being careful what you wish for?

Joking aside, as an aware and responsible handler, I created a regimen of training and healthcare to support the demands of high-level competition. I feed Dash a homemade, fresh food diet and augment her food with nutritional and herbal supplements that promote joint health, heart health, and strengthen her immune system.

Dash also receives regular chiropractic adjustments to prevent injury, and enjoys a superficial massage from me after competitions. These modalities increase the flow of blood and energy throughout her system after taxing it by jumping, turning, and racing through the agility courses. I combine training, resting, and fun in a mix that keeps her motivated but not tired.

Personally, I focus on eating and resting well, and shed a few pounds to make running the courses easier. In essence, I put together a well-thought-out plan to support our athletic endeavors.

When Progress Stops, Seek Outside Assistance

As new entrants into advanced levels of competition, we struggled with the issues of courses more difficult to navigate and faster time requirements, and our progress stalled. I made embarrassing mistakes at trials and Dash became frustrated with our clumsy runs. We qualified occasionally, but disappointment and frustration were settling in.

I wasn’t sure what piece of the holistic puzzle we were suddenly missing, so I began to carefully watch the top competitors at each trial and try to figure it out. Advanced agility competition presents only the slightest chance of redeeming a run after making even a small mistake of any kind. So I knew that competitors who qualified consistently were not just good at making up for errors made during a run. They were just plain good.

One of the first things I noticed about these top competitors was that their dogs were not faster than Dash at her best and the handlers themselves were not quicker than me when I ran in good form.

As I got to know some of my fellow competitors, I discovered that many had limited access to agility practice equipment and did not receive regular lessons from national level instructors. They had to juggle work, family, and travel, and some wore knee braces, had bad backs, or suffered from weak ankles or sore hips. Several were significantly older than me, and I have to look backward to see 50. Some of their dogs were rescued from abusive homes, so their intense agility preparation program as puppies was nonexistent.

My hopes of identifying any sort of “disadvantaged circumstances” as the root cause of our slow progress quickly vanished!

The Key to Dog Sport Success

The next thing I noticed was that these highly successful competitors were more poised, more focused, and more relaxed than most competitors. They rarely complained about the course, the weather, the footing, the judge, or whether Mercury was retrograde. And they spent more time interacting with their dogs than socializing with the other competitors at the trials.

I began to suspect that they had mastered the art of sports psychology, or tapping into the power of programming their minds to reach their highest potential of performance and to capture that level of performance from their dogs. By observing and talking with these competitors, and reading about the new concepts of sports psychology, a missing piece of the holistic puzzle for Dash and me has gradually taken shape.

Programming Dogs for Success

Agility enthusiasts are embracing the sport psychology techniques presented in books like the one written by Jane Savoie, an award-winning equestrian competitor. In That Winning Feeling, Savoie explains how the subconscious mind cannot distinguish between the real and the imagined. The subconscious mind reacts to information provided by the conscious mind and attempts to accommodate what the conscious mind sets forth as a goal or as reality, whether positive or negative.

For instance, my unconsciously controlled fear responses, like tight muscles and dilated pupils, kick in when I watch a horror movie, even though my conscious mind knows it’s not real. But the biochemical responses my body produces, as a reaction to my feelings of fear, are very real, and they cascade into a corresponding physical response that can impact my behavior and performance.

After viewing the movie, I probably will be much more hesitant to enter a dark room alone for a couple of days. And, if entering dark rooms alone is required in my life, I have just degraded my performance by induging in the negative imaging in the movie.

Savoie suggests that when we carry negative images of a particular activity (like a poor agility run) in our conscious mind, our unconscious mind believes those images to be reality, or a real goal of the conscious mind. The belief of the unconscious mind can provide desired or undesired cascades into conscious behavior.

Savoie also states that achieving peak performance results from mastering acquired skills, not from relying on genetic gifts. She believes that persistence, not talent, lies at the root of competitive athletic success.

Top competitors have learned to use the power of positive imaging and other precepts of sports psychology to their advantage in the agility ring and in many other competitive dog sports. Let’s take a look at some of their proven techniques:

• Banish negative visual images. One fellow agility competitor refuses to wear any of the popular, humorous agility T-shirts that read “Double Q Challenged” (Double Q refers to qualifying in both a regular and a jumpers-with-weaves run on the same day in an American Kennel Club agility trial) or “My Dog Needs a Faster Handler.” Her T-shirts read “Agility: an Army of Two” or “Agility: Fun on the Run” or, my favorite, “Agility Forever, Housework Whenever.” Don’t you get different feelings about agility just by reading each of these phrases?

• Banish negative verbal input. A national level agility competitor often walks the course carrying a CD player and wearing headphones. I asked him if he was listening to motivational messages. He replied that the CD player was empty. He uses the headphones to block out all of the negative conversation that takes place among competitors while they are walking the course. He doesn’t want to overhear folks talking about it being a course that favors big dogs, or requires unfair maneuvers, or has a particular “crash and burn” zone. He wants to focus on the challenges of the course and prepare his handling strategy.

This competitor also eliminates all negative words and phrases from his agility vocabulary. He replaces works like “try” and “hope” and “if” with “when” and “will.” He no longer “hopes to win if he’s lucky” but instead “he and his dog will do their best and put winning well within reach.” His agility “challenges” are defined by others as agility “problems.”

I have come to think of my course handling challenges as agility “obstacles” that I need to negotiate just like the A-frame and the weave poles are agility obstacles that Dash has to negotiate. And I remind myself to do so with the enthusiasm and confidence that Dash demonstrates when faced with her course (I discovered that my dog is a great role model, too).

• Learn relaxation and positive imaging skills. Practice deep-breathing exercises and muscle relaxation techniques to clear your head. Then paint mental images of successful agility runs, tracking tests, or obedience work on that blank canvas. Never paint mistakes or apprehensions. Mentally rehearse a successful performance several times, and then rehearse the especially critical parts again and again. Even visualize stepping up to receive your ribbon. Show your unconscious mind your conscious goals.

• Be prepared. There’s no substitute for training and practice, which provides the foundation for your positive images and confidence. Meet the basic needs of both you and your dog: rest, eat right, and find moments of mental and emotional serenity.

• Set training and competition goals. Make them realistic, but a stretch. Currently, my competition goal is consistency, not winning. But we’re almost ready to set our sights on regularly qualifying, the next step up for us from consistent performances with minimal mistakes.

I have also experimented with using a mantra, or a word or phrase repeated over and over to program my thoughts. When I notice that I’m over-managing Dash on the course I repeat the word “effortless” or “dancing” again and again before I enter the ring. I want the run to appear “effortless” to an observer, like Dash and I are dancing, and not like I have to work so hard. Somehow, the mantra settles me down and our runs become much smoother.

Dash and I submit to the natural cycle of agility to reduce stress and provide temporary relief from goal-driven thinking. The trials occur predominantly in the spring and fall. I keep Dash tuned up during our competitive seasons, train and practice skills during the winter, and work very little agility in the summer. Late in the spring I look forward to our coming rest, and, by the end of the summer, we’re both ready to go again.

• Learn to fake it. Even if you feel out-of-sorts, apprehensive, or worried, behave as though you feel rested, prepared, relaxed, and confident. The behavior alone triggers the unconsciously supportive responses that the actual feelings trigger. When you’re upset, direct your facial muscles to smile and see how long it takes your mood to change.

At our last trial the weave pole entries were very difficult to accomplish, but it was too late to go home and practice more tough entries. In our first run I panicked and “micro-managed” Dash’s weave pole entry, which she promptly fumbled. Before our second run I told myself repeatedly that her weave poles entries were always impeccable. During the run I directed her to the weave poles, let her find her own way in, and she aced it.

• Stay flexible and use rituals sparingly. Some competitors rely on a series of rituals, or repetitive behaviors, to calm their nerves and focus their thoughts before a competition. They might play with a specific toy with their dog, offer a particularly tasty treat, approach and enter the ring, ask for a down, then turn to run the course.

However, I have witnessed their panic when they discover they have left the tasty treat back in the tent. Keep your options open. A top competitor I know “doodles” before she enters the ring. She asks her dog for a series of random “tricks” to focus their attention, but never relies on an established sequence of behaviors or rewards.

• Get the most out of every competition. Besides running your event, observe and study the best competitors. It’s a real education. Pick a couple of role models and talk with them about training and handling techniques. Solicit feedback on your performances from trusted competitors.

Don’t forget to look for ways to enhance the bond with your dog while you’re spending the day together, fully focused on each other. The measure of the day’s success does not hinge on the ribbons. If you enjoyed yourself, and your dog is happy, it was a good day.

• Don’t totally disconnect from negative feelings. Suppressing negative feelings does not resolve them. Just deal with them after the competition, not during the performance. Need some worry time? Schedule it into your day, worry for about 20 minutes well before the competition, and then forget it until the next scheduled worry session.

Negative thoughts disrupt the smoothness of physical actions you have practiced and that have become familiar to you and your dog. Practiced actions are the most efficient actions and are your finely tuned route to success in competition. Don’t undermine your long hours of practice with negative thoughts right before the event.

• Bounce back. Developing the ability to rebound from setbacks is much more useful than working to eradicate failure, an impossible mission.

My friend’s Corgi unexpectedly runs off course in a trial and refuses to be caught. He loves agility but occasionally gets “the zoomies,” which my friend finds very discouraging (and expensive). Once close to leaving the sport, she sought out training options and worked them hard. The zoomies have dramatically decreased and she has become a testament to the power of persistence and creative training. And she has many more alternatives in her training tool bag than most, because she had to work through a lot of them to succeed.

Don’t turn against yourself or your dog. You are the only two beings who can secure your success!

• Find the humor. At a recent trial a competitor, who works with a breed that does not traditionally excel in agility, had a terrible run. Not only did he and the dog make several serious mistakes, but the competitor tripped over a large panel jump, sent it sprawling in all directions, and landed on top of the pieces. He got up and completed the run. We all had a chuckle from the sidelines. When he exited the ring I heard him say to another competitor, “Even THAT was better than sitting at home!”

Evaluating Your Dog Sport Performance

If improved performance does not follow your mastery of the skills taught by sports psychologists, examine your motivations. If you don’t love the game more than the win, you may have established a pattern that undermines your enjoyment of the sport and your overall performance.

A competitor I know recently left agility. The sport did not appear to energize either her or her dog, but she was determined to own the first dog of that breed to achieve an advanced agility title. Her motivation impeded her success, rather than contributed to it, and she finally agreed that she should find another method of bonding with and enjoying her dog.

An agility instructor recently told participants in a seminar I attended that just stepping up to the agility start line with our dogs puts us in the top one percent of dog owners, win or lose, for we had cultivated a relationship few people experience with their dogs. And we were willing and happy to play our game together and in public!

I treasure that thought and use it to help me focus my thoughts and keep a smile on my face at a trial. His words always run quickly through my mind in that split second, right on the start line, just before I turn to Dash, catch her eye, and say “Ready? Let’s GO!”

Sports Psychology Techniques for Training “Ordinary” Dogs

One of the most ubiquitous sports psychology techniques used by human athletes is visualizing – mentally practicing – an ideal performance of some kind. While you don’t need to have competitive goals of any kind, you must have a behavioral goal for your dog to reap the benefits of this powerful tool.

Say your dog is a strong puller on leash, and it’s often a real struggle to walk him without getting dragged down the sidewalk. You should, of course, consult a professional positive trainer to help you develop a step-by-step program to help your dog learn more appropriate on-leash skills. But it will also help if you frequently mentally rehearse taking a calm, quiet, controlled walk with your dog. Imagine the picture down to the smallest details: Your erect but relaxed posture, your hands closed gently yet securely on the leash, your comfortable and purposeful stride, a smile on your face as you greet passersby and they murmur words of admiration for your dog. And the dog! Trotting on a loose leash by your side; glancing up to you every few feet for direction and affirmation; and his eyes, ears, and tail all expressing a contented trust in you and your leadership.

Once you have thoroughly visualized a picture of you and your dog at your mutual best, walk yourself through this vision for at least a full minute at least a couple times a day. Then, silly as it might seem, practice acting out your part of the picture – in the privacy of your own bedroom, at least at first! It helps if you have a full-length mirror you can use to assess your current posture and expression, and make adjustments so you start to resemble the person in your idealized picture!

Once you feel that you can inhabit the picture fairly accurately, practice this posture and movement around your dog. Try to adopt the same at-ease and self-assured stance and manner with your dog at all times.

If you go through with this, you’ll notice two important things. First, your dog’s behavior will start to improve. Whether or not we notice it, dogs look to us for clues about how they should act, and the cooler you look and sound, the cooler they’ll become. Really. Second, you’ll start to become more conscious of the moments when you aren’t acting “right” – when your responses to your dog become frantic or your voice becomes shrill. And noticing this is the first step toward stopping it.

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY FOR DOGS: OVERVIEW

1. Set and then visualize specific goals for your dog’s behavior. Wanting him to “be good” is too vague. For example: “I want my dog to be calm and friendly when greeting people, without jumping on them.” Or, “I want my dog to be able to walk by other dogs on leash as if he doesn’t even see them.”

2. Practice brushing off your dog’s (and your own) mistakes cheerfully. Don’t fixate on them.

Lorie Long is a freelance writer living in Oriental, North Carolina, with two Border Terriers, Dash and Chase. All three are addicted to agility.

Domestic Pets and Natural Disasters

By
Nancy Kerns
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New disasters quickly replace older ones on the news. Only rarely does the press check in with people who struggle to put their lives back together months after a catastrophe.

Here in California, the tragedy of last year was the storm of wildfires that scorched the southern half of the state in late October. Twenty-two people lost their lives and 3,500 homes burned in 12 separate fires that blackened more than 750,000 acres.

Untold numbers of wild and domestic animals lost their lives and many others were displaced. Domestic pets flooded area animal shelters as they were plucked out of evacuated homes and yards by rescue workers. Some had to be placed in shelters by desperate families, as many human shelters would not accept pets.

Holistic veterinarian Stephen Blake, a good friend of WDJ (who was interviewed in September for the article on colostrum that appears in this issue) was one of the thousands who lost everything in the fire: his home of many years and his home-based holistic veterinary practice, including an extensive library of books on conventional and alternative veterinary medicine. Early risers, Steve and his wife Charene alerted their neighbors to a precipitous shift in the fire, so that their whole neighborhood was able evacuate quickly, but with little more than the clothes on their backs (Steve grabbed his computer). Only two of 22 homes on their block were not destroyed.

I don’t mean to make the Blakes’ losses seem any greater than anyone else’s. In fact, as wise and philosophical people, with extremely supportive children and grand-children nearby to help them, they are in better shape than some. They are staying in a home that belongs to one of their sons and daughters-in-law, and friends (Greg Tilford of Animals’ Apawthecary and Joan Holden of Animals Essentials) have set up a relief fund for them. (Greg leaped into action, having lost his home and herb farm in a Montana wildfire three years ago.)

Give anyway
When I was in college, a wonderful professor once asked his class for permission to “stand on a soapbox for two minutes.” A devastating earthquake in Mexico was the disaster on that day. My prof said, “You have all heard pleas for help, from the Red Cross and other emergency relief organizations; here is one more. I understand that many of you are on tight budgets; you may even be poorer now than you will ever be. My suggestion is to give something now anyway, even if it’s just a dollar.

“People always think that they will give later, when they have more money. Somehow, no matter how much money you have at any given time, it never seems like you have enough to give away. But if you have enough for a cup of coffee, you have enough to help people who have nothing. Get into the habit of generosity now, while you are young and poor, and you will likely grow into a person who gives later, too.”

That two-minute speech was perhaps the most memorable of my college career. Time and again I’ve seen how right he was; it always is difficult to give when disasters come up, but rarely, after you’ve done it anyway, does the cost turn out to be more than you could afford.

As you read this, the holidays will be over, and many of you will have already given to charitable organizations. Just in case you didn’t, or you could give more, here are some worthy people and animal-friendly organizations that could use some post-disaster (or pre-disaster!) help.

Dr. Steve and Charene Blake Relief Fund
c/o Animal Essentials Inc.
2205 Faraday, Suite M, Carlsbad, CA 92008

PETCO Foundation Disaster Relief Fund
7262 N. Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91775
(For more information, see www.petco.com, click on link at bottom for PETCO Foundation)

The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, NW, Washington DC 20037
(202) 452-1100 or www.hsus.org

The American National Red Cross
www.redcross.org or (800) HELP-NOW

Also With This Article
Click here to learn more about the “National Disaster Search Dog Foundation”

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Whole Dog Journal’s 2003 Canned Dog Food Review

By
Nancy Kerns
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by Nancy Kerns

For some reason, many dog owners are biased against buying canned food and feeding it to their dogs. Is it the odor of “potted meat”? The gelatinous, gloppy texture of some canned foods? The generic brown color and unidentifiable ingredients? The cost?

Whatever it is, get over it. Canned foods (even the low-quality ones) tend to contain fresher, higher-quality ingredients than dry dog food. They almost always contain a higher percentage of meat than kibble (which is limited to a maximum of less than 50 percent meat by the limitations of the extruding equipment).

Also, canned foods usually contain way fewer chemical additives than dry foods, if any at all. It would be wasteful to use artificial flavors in canned products; because of the moist, fragrant nature of the meat-based contents, artificial flavoring and other palatants are not needed to entice dogs.

Unlike dry foods, canned foods generally contain a negligible amount of preservatives; they are unnecessary in the sterile, sealed, oxygen-free environment that a can offers.

This does not mean the foods are free of preservatives altogether; some ingredients arrive at food manufacturing plants with preservatives already added to them to prevent spoiling en route to the plant. As long as the maker does not augment the food with additional preservatives, this “hidden” ingredient does not have to be declared on the food label.

Note that because they lack added preservatives, canned foods must be kept refrigerated after opening.

Canned food also tends to have a higher energy content, ounce for ounce. Its high moisture content is helpful for dogs with cystitis or kidney disease. The high moisture content can also help a dog who is on a diet feel full faster.

Finally, ask dogs what they’d rather eat and the answer will be unanimous: Open the can, man!

WDJ’s selection criteria
Of course, not all canned dog foods are full of fabulous, healthy ingredients. There are dozens of low-quality and hundreds of mediocre products on the market, and a small group of top-quality products.

Here’s how we determine which foods are which. We required the following for a product to make it into the running for our Top Canned Dog Foods:

• We eliminated all foods containing artificial colors, flavors, or added preservatives.

• We rejected any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products. (Please note: Some of our past selections of years past do contain meat and/or poultry by-products. We don’t think fresh or frozen by-products are bad; they just aren’t as good as muscle meat. In order to winnow down our list to the very best foods possible, we no longer include foods that contain meat or poultry by-products.)

• By-product meal is another story. That’s the meal that remains following rendering (essentially, the tissues are boiled down and then dehydrated) fresh or frozen by-products. Regarding meat proteins used in commercial dog food, our order of affections goes something like this:

Best: Fresh or frozen “whole” meat (muscle tissue)
Good: Beef meal, chicken meal, or lamb meal
Scary: “Meat meal” or “poultry meal”
Run, don’t walk: “Meat and bone meal”

• We rejected foods containing fat or protein not identified by species. “Animal fat” is a euphemism for a low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin. These ingredients cost little, and may not be handled as carefully as more expensive commodities.

• We eliminated any food containing sugar or other sweetener. A food containing quality meats shouldn’t need additional palatants to entice dogs.

• We looked for foods with whole meat, fish, or poultry as the first ingredient on the food labels. Ingredients are listed on the label by the total weight they contribute to the product. Fresh or frozen whole meats contain lots of water, but in lower-quality products, water may be the first ingredient. (We know of one exception to this rule: Spot’s Stew, whose ingredient list starts with water and contains a whopping 88 percent moisture, but actually contains top quality ingredients. As the name suggests, the food is formulated this way so as to emulate a healthy stew, rather than a canned meat loaf.)

• We like it when a nutritious meat, poultry, or fish broth is used in place of water.

• We looked for the use of whole grains and vegetables, rather than a series of reconstituted parts, i.e., “rice,” rather than “rice flour, rice bran, brewer’s rice,” etc.

• Speaking of grain . . . We’ve discussed this many times, but there is nothing that says a canned food has to contain any grain. Grains are less expensive, and have lower-quality amino acid profiles than meat and poultry. And, unlike humans, dogs do not need carbohydrates to live; they can do fine with just protein and fat. We prefer foods with small (or nonexistent) amounts of grain.

• Bonus points for foods that offer the date of manufacture (in addition to the usual “best if used by” date), nutrition information beyond the minimum required by law.

• Organic ingredients bring a product to the front of the class. Dogs are exposed to far more chemicals than is healthy, so cutting out any unnecessary ones is brilliant.

Prove it!
This year, in addition to sharing our food selection criteria, and offering a short list of some superior products, we tried something new. We asked most (not all; we accidently omitted a few) of the companies on our past “Top Food” lists for some very sensitive information.

First, we asked them to tell us where their foods are made. We promised not to tell anyone; we just wanted to confirm that the manufacturing plants that they say make their foods are, in fact, physically equipped to handle the types of ingredients the foods are supposed to contain.

We also asked them whether they reveal this information to ordinary consumers. As we mentioned in “Made in a Secret Location” (January 2003) we like full disclosure. We worry when someone doesn’t want the public to know the origin of their products.

Finally, we asked them to provide us with documentation to substantiate any special claims they make about their ingredients. If they say they use organic ingredients, we wanted to see organic certification documents. If they hint that they use “human grade” ingredients (we’ll discuss that in a second), we asked to see USDA inspection certificates, or at least some receipts from growers. And if they said their products were made in a human-food facility, we really wanted proof of that; the only pet foods that can be made in a human-food plant must contain all “human-grade” ingredients.

Not all of the companies we sent the survey to returned it. Again, we missed some companies when we sent out the survey, and those are identified on the chart. We apologize – but the dry food reviews are coming up fast, and we’ll make sure we include them then.

“Human grade”
We’re afraid the above phrase is always going to have to wear quotation marks. You see, there is no accepted and codified definition of this phrase, when it comes to pet food, despite the fact that we all know what it’s supposed to mean: Real, top-quality people food.

But according to the law, if a truck headed for Safeway, full of frozen chicken intended for you and me, happens to get hijacked and taken to a licensed pet food manufacturing plant, the moment the truck’s doors are opened, that chicken is no longer “human grade.”

That’s just crazy, right? Even if an ingredient is the exact same stuff we’re eating, a pet food maker is not permitted, ever, to refer to it as “human grade” – not on the label, not on the company Web site, and not in the product literature. If he does, his product may be subject to a “stop sale” order by any state feed control official he has aggravated with his verbiage.

Wouldn’t it be useful to us, the consumers (well, buyers), to know whether a company uses the same sort of healthy, nutrition-packed ingredients we eat, rather than some sort of second-rate, castoff foods? Yes, of course. But there is currently no phrase or term accepted by the USDA and state feed control officials that can legally do the job.

This is why so many makers of top-quality foods hint about ingredients that “could have been put in product sold to humans,” or are “table-quality.” We’ll discuss this phrase and its permutations in a future issue. For now, we asked the food companies on our lists to send us documentation for any ingredients for which they made “special claims.”

Also With This Article
Click here to view “What’s the Best Dry Food For Your Dog?”
Click here to view “WDJ’s 2011 Dry Dog Food Review”
Click here to view “WDJ’s Approved Dry Dog Food List”
Click here to view “How to Shop Dog Food Labels”

-Nancy Kerns is Editor of WDJ.

Playing With Your Dog Increases Socialization and Relationships

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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[Updated February 5, 2019]

When Dusty, our elderly Pomeranian, comes in for his dinner, his tiny feet (slower now than they once were) do a little tap-dance in anticipation of his forthcoming food bowl. I get down on my hands and knees and play patty-paws with the 14-year-old – a game we have shared since he was a youngster. His eyes light up, he tucks his tail and he races gleefully around the room in a mad rush. I smile to see my aging pal’s inner puppy emerge, and reassure myself that there’s a lot of life still left in the furry old guy.

Playing does that. It reminds you – and your dog – of the joys in life; it makes your eyes light up and your tail tuck with glee; it keeps both of you active and young; and it strengthens that all-important bond that is so critical to your lifelong relationship.

Finally, play, and the resulting “feel good” mental response that comes with it, can add an important element of fun to your training program. If training isn’t fun for you and your dog, one or both of you will lose interest, and the end result will be that the program – and the relationship – are both at risk for failure.

Playtime for Dogs 101

Different dogs have different play styles. If I tried to play patty-paws with our Australian Kelpie, she would slink away in horror. Her idea of a rousing good time is to help me bring the horses in for their evening grain. Our Cattle Dog mix, Tucker, would rather fetch a stick or a tennis ball, or go jump in the neighbor’s pond. Our Scottish Terrier’s response to the paws activity would be a bored “Whatever . . . ” but he’d be delighted to engage in a game of “Let’s roust critters out of the drainage pipe!”

If you want to play with your dog, it’s important to understand his personal play style. Some dogs are happy to engage in a variety of games, others are pretty well fixed on just one or two. Let’s look at several different play styles, the dos and don’ts for each and some tips to help you determine the best way to play with your dog.

People-Oriented Play

These are games for dogs like Dusty, who want to engage with you. The toy, working, herding, and sporting dogs, bred to have close relationships with humans, are high on the list of people-oriented players. Chase, hide-and-seek, and tug of war are great games for people-oriented dogs.

Be sure and establish clear cues and rules for these games; they have the potential to be problematic if you don’t communicate well. You can be a little physical, as long as the dog doesn’t get “mouthy” or use the game as an excuse for body-slamming. Keep your physical contact at a low enough level that it doesn’t elicit aggressive responses. If your dog puts his mouth on your skin or clothing, you should immediately but cheerfully exclaim, “Oops!” or “Too Bad!,” and end the game.

One of Tucker’s favorite people-games is what my husband and I affectionately call “Growly butt scratch.” As the name implies, Tucker gets quite vocal when his rump is scratched, and will even swing his head around and bump his nose on your hand. He never bites, and his growl is a play growl. Nonetheless, this can startle unsuspecting visitors when they innocently reach down to scratch his offered hindquarters! If your dog has any similar games, it’s a good idea to pre-warn visitors.

Note: Some dog owners make the mistake of getting physical with a dog’s head – grabbing the cheeks, pushing and slapping at the face, and encouraging the dog to growl and bite back. This is a very bad idea, because it may encourage the dog to react aggressively when someone reaches for them – a response that could get them in serious trouble if someone misreads their intent even though they are “just” being playfully aggressive. The line between play aggression and real aggression can be fairly blurry, and if the dog crosses over the line to serious aggression, he’s in even deeper trouble.

Object-Oriented Play

These are activities for dogs whose idea of a really good time is to fetch a tennis ball, plush toy, or stick until they keel over from exhaustion. Lots of these dogs will also play with objects with other dogs, teasing a canine pal into a blood-pumping game of “Neener-Neener, I’ve Got the Toy,” which can morph into a canine version of tug of war when the teasee catches up to the teaser.

Some object-oriented dogs will even play by themselves, tossing a toy into the air and chasing or catching it, over and over. I know of at least one industrious Border Collie (and I’m sure there are more) who entertains herself by carrying a tennis ball to the head of a flight of stairs and pushing it off so she can chase it down the stairs and carry it back up, again and again.

Many of the herding, working, and sporting breeds are fond of object-oriented play. Games you can play with these dogs include fetch, find it, tug of war, and put it away. Be careful with this group; they sometimes don’t know when to quit. I had to carry my first Australian Kelpie back to the car on two different occasions – both long hikes – before I realized I had to stop throwing her ball for her when I thought she’d had enough; she would never stop on her own.

Speaking of stop, it’s a good idea to teach your object player an “All done!” cue, or they may bug you mercilessly to keep playing. I do that by saying “All done!,” and putting the ball immediately and firmly away in a closet or drawer.

Task-Oriented Play

These games are for dogs who need to do something meaningful. Terriers are great at this kind of play, as are the herding breeds, many of the working breeds, and some of the hounds. These dogs tend to take their play seriously; once engaged, it can be hard to turn them off.

Terriers can get quite excited about games like “dig it” and “let’s look for a small rodent.” They also excel at complex behavior tricks. The scent hounds, of course, are virtuosos at “find it”; they are limited only by your creativity. Herding dogs top the class at puzzle-solving and anything that resembles herding.

It’s easy to get caught up in the task-oriented dog’s intensity about their “jobs.” When you are using tasks as play, be sure to remember to keep it fun!

You’ve probably noticed that there’s a fair amount of overlap among these groups. Since our goal is to play with our dogs, we want all our games to be “people play,” at least to some degree. “Object play” often spills over into “task play.” In fact, while your dog may have a preferred play style, lots of dogs are perfectly willing to play whatever game you offer. You may have to help your dog develop his play skills in his non-native style, but he may surprise you with his heretofore hidden play talents.

Teaching Playfulness to a Dog

One of the saddest things about a dog who has never had a real relationship with humans is he may not know how to play. Backyard dogs and dogs who are institutionalized from early in life (puppy mill and poorly socialized kennel breeders, dogs who grow up in shelters without adequate stimulation) may not have had the opportunity to learn how to engage playfully with people. Many of them don’t even know how to play with other dogs! In fact, if you try to play with a dog like this you are more likely to scare him. You think you are acting playful and silly, but he just sees you as a human acting weird, and weird equals dangerous.

How do you teach a dog to play? If you’re starting with a new pup, you’re lucky; with puppies, it’s pretty easy. Puppies are born to play! When they do silly, puppy things (non-destructive, non-dangerous behaviors that don’t undermine your good manners training), reward and reinforce them. Instead of always quashing your baby dog’s puppyness, direct it into acceptable outlets and encourage it.

For example, rather than reprimanding your pup for picking up stuff in his mouth, puppy-proof your house, and encourage him to include you when he plays with his toys. If he manages to pick up a forbidden object, invite him to bring it to you, praise him, and trade it for a treat. Bingo! You’ll have a pup who brings things to you. Don’t worry about making him give you the toy; if you get grabby he’ll learn to play keep-away – not a good game! Instead, trade him for a treat, or a toy of equal or greater value.

Starting from early on, show him a toy, hide it in plain view and tell him to “find it!” As he gets the idea, hide the toy in less obvious places. Teach him to find your hiding kids and you’ll have a game the whole family can play, as well as a useful skill in case your kids, heaven forbid, should ever go missing.

When his behavior suggests an undesirable game he’d like to play, figure out how to direct it into a more acceptable activity. Is he digging holes in the backyard? Build him a digging box, bury his toys and bones, and help him dig them up. Eventually you can add a “dig it!” cue and teach him to dig at whatever spot you indicate.

Games for Adolescent Dogs

If you’re starting with an adolescent canine companion, you still have plenty of puppy energy to play with, although you may have to work a little harder to get him to play with you, now that he’s discovered the rest of the world. Start with games that appeal to him.

If he won’t chase things that you throw for him (balls, sticks, etc.), start by tossing yummy, high-value treats, one at a time. Toss one to your right, then one to your left, so he has to come back toward you each time.

When he realizes that delectable yummies are flying from your fingers and is enthusiastically pursuing the tossed goodies, add a cue before you launch, like “Get it!” Remember, you are playing, so any cues you use should be uttered in cheerful, we’re-having-a-wonderful-time play voice. The length of time you play each session will depend on your dog. Always stop while he is eagerly participating, before his interest and enthusiasm flags.

The next step is to stuff a yummy treat in a treat-holding toy, such as a Kong or Goodie Gripper toy, available from most pet supply stores and catalogs. Show your dog the toy with the treat in it, and toss it a very short distance. Let him get the treats out of the holes, then show him another food-stuffed toy, and toss it a short distance, so he leaves the one he has for the fresh one. Remember to keep it fun, with lots of happy praise.

While he is emptying the new toy, retrieve the first one, and stuff it again. When he’s ready, toss it a short distance. Keep swapping, restuffing, and tossing toys. When it’s clear that your dog enjoys this game, add your cue. As he gets good at running after the stuffed toy for short tosses, gradually increase the distance of your tosses. Chances are he will start bringing the first toy at least part of the way back to you, for which, of course, you will tell him he is absolutely brilliant and wonderful.

From there, your dog should be well sold on the fetch game, and can graduate to non-treat toys.

Stodgy Adult Dog Doesn’t Like to Play?

With seemingly non-playful adult dogs, follow the same, gradual steps for teaching play. Look for behaviors that lend themselves to games, and reward and reinforce your dog any time he does them. Encourage puppy-like behavior. Start small, and don’t overwhelm him. If your dog is intimidated by large displays of enthusiasm, keep your reinforcements small but sincere.

For the greatest success, remember to reward your dog with something that he loves. If you do it well, eventually the game will become its own reward. Then you’ll have a wonderful training tool that will allow you to reduce your dependence on food rewards.

For example, if your dog has learned to love playing tug, whip out your tug toy after a great stretch of heeling, and play the game as his reward. If he’s a tennis ball nut, throw his ball as his reward for a super recall, or for a dynamite distance down. Suddenly your entire training program becomes a game!

If you aren’t letting your inner child out to play on a regular basis with your dog’s inner puppy, you’re missing out on one of the greatest joys of sharing your life with a canine companion.

Games You Should NOT Play With Your Dog

A few canine games have high potential for reinforcing undesirable behaviors. While some dogs manage to play these games without apparent ill effect, the risks are great enough that we strongly suggest you avoid them, and thus avoid the risks altogether. After-the-fact behavior modification may be time-intensive and ineffective. Here are a few games we suggest you and your dog pass on:

■ Rough physical games. In addition to the notrecommended face-grab game (described in the text above), some owners like their dogs to get very physical in play, encouraging behavior such as mutual body-slamming and jumping up on humans. The problem is, it’s very difficult for a dog to distinguish between ready-andable play partners and frail and frightened ones.

It’s best to redirect high-contact physical activities to acceptable games such as tug of war (with rules). If you must teach your dog to jump up on you, or into your arms (we’ll admit this trick is cute), be sure to teach her that she can do it only when you give her some obscure verbal cue or hand signal that your grandmother is never likely to accidentally exhibit.

■ Chasing laser lights.It is entertaining to watch a dog chase a laser light beam with frenetic intensity, but BEWARE! The dog who most delights in chasing a laser light is the very dog who is most likely to turn the game into an obsessive/compulsive behavior known as shadow chasing. Shadow-chasers become fixated on any movement of light, and compulsively chase any light, reflections, or shadows that happen to cross their vision.

Obsessive/compulsive behaviors are frightening in their intensity, and difficult to resolve once they occur. Be smart and avoid this game – and any others that elicit intense, compulsive responses.

■ High-energy indoor games. In general, indoor games should consist of activities that require the dog to use his brain, not his brawn. Games that involve mad dashes around furniture, bouncing soccer balls off noses, and burrowing for hidden treasures, are best suited for the great outdoors – not just because they can cause damage to family heirlooms, but also because, in general, encouraging your dog to be calm and self-controlled inside the house is a better idea.

If you live in an apartment with no yard and the only way to exercise your high-energy dog is with indoor play, keep the games very structured. For example, roll a ball down stairs or a hallway, don’t throw it; require your dog to “Wait!” before you release her to pursue the prey; and have her sit and politely drop the ball into your hand when she brings it back. Ask for another “Wait!” before you roll it again. Practice some “moving downs” while she is on her way to the ball, and on her way back.

PLAYING WITH YOUR DOG: OVERVIEW

1. If you don’t already know how your dog likes to play, observe him to figure out how you can best arouse his interest. Select games that are likely to appeal to his natural play style.

2. If your dog has any tendency toward an obsessive/compulsive disorder (OCD), cancel any game that triggers his obsession. For example, chasing a laser light has set many a predisposed dog on the path to OCD.

Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, and president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She is also the author of The Power of Positive Dog Training and Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.

Safe Canine Weight Loss Tips

By
Nancy Kerns
-
1

by C.C. Holland

Does your dog waddle when he walks? When he lies around the house, does he cover more floor space than your area rug? Does he have four legs – and two chins?

If so, you may have an obese dog. But despite the inclination to view fat dogs as happy or jolly, it’s no laughing matter.

Recent studies indicate that up to 40 percent of dogs in the United States may be obese. The risks associated with canine obesity include musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, compromised immune function, problems during surgical procedures, delayed wound healing, skin infections, and diabetes.

For these reasons, it’s a good idea to get Fido back into shape. Improved health, quality of life, and longevity are some of the benefits of keeping your canine companion trim. Last year, the Purina Pet Institute completed a 14-year study that found that dogs who consumed 25 percent fewer calories than their litter-mates during their lifetimes maintained a lean or “ideal” body condition and lived longer – nearly two years longer, on average.

First: Is your dog fat?
Charts and tables might give you a general idea of your dog’s recommended weight range, but due to the variations found between male and female dogs and even within breeds, it’s not an exact science. If you have a mixed-breed dog, weight charts may be of no help.

Instead, most veterinarians and nutritionists advocate using a hands-on approach to assessing body condition (see sidebar). A healthy dog will have a waist when viewed from above, have a tucked stomach when viewed from the side, and will have ribs that are easily felt through a very thin layer of flesh. If any of these hallmarks are absent, your dog may be slightly overweight. If all are missing, and if you notice fleshy deposits over the chest, spine, and base of the tail, your dog is obese.

Causes of obesity
As with humans, there are many factors that cause or contribute to weight gain. A variety of medical conditions can predispose your pet to excess weight. For example, hip dysplasia, osteoarthritis, or ligament injuries can limit your dog’s activity and contribute to weight gain. Metabolic diseases such as diabetes or hypothyroidism can also cause obesity. The first step in treating any overweight dog should be a trip to the veterinarian, to rule out these possible disease-related causes.

Some breeds are predisposed to pack on the pounds. Among these are Labrador Retrievers, Beagles, Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, Cocker Spaniels, Cairn Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Shetland Sheepdogs. If you own one of these dogs, you will probably need to be more vigilant than the average owner to make sure your dog doesn’t put on extra weight.

In addition, when an animal is spayed or neutered, its energy needs decrease by about 25 percent, according to information provided by Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Many people believe that altered pets “automatically” become overweight. The truth is, the dog’s food ration should be decreased following neuter or spay surgery, as his or her body adjusts to lower hormone levels.

Age can also add weight. As body metabolism slows and older dogs are less active, lean body mass can decline and extra fat can creep in.

But by far the biggest reason dogs get fat is the same that humans do: they simply take in more calories than they burn. And for that, you can blame yourself.

“We are facing an epidemic of canine obesity,” said Dr. Nancy Peters, a veterinarian in private practice in Apex, North Carolina, who participated in a recent weight-management study by Purina Pet Products and North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “And it is largely due to consistent owner behaviors, not the dog’s. We mean well, but we may not be doing what’s best for our pets.”

Feeding over-large portions and not providing enough exercise are the biggest culprits. But dogs who “scrounge” for extra food – the cat’s food, cat poop, dead things in the yard, stuff from the garbage, or compost heaps – can maintain bulk even when their “official” rations keep decreasing.

Also, dogs are quick to learn behaviors that reward them with tasty treats – and we’re not talking about the types of behaviors that the person tries to teach the dog; we’re talking about the behaviors the dog learns to “trick” the person into feeding him. Many people seem unable to resist large, pleading eyes watching them eat, and slip the dog morsels from their plates. Some dogs learn to pose and beg in front of the dog-cookie jar, causing their owners to say, “Aw! So cute!” and hand over a biscuit.

But while the equation of too many calories + too little exercise = overweight dogs seems simple, it can be anything but. Tony Buffington, DVM, dipl. ACVN, is a professor of clinical sciences at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he and his colleagues have developed an obesity therapy program for cats and dogs. He says weight management sounds like an easy issue, but plenty of other factors complicate things. For one: stress.

“There’s some evidence to support the link between stress and eating,” he says, drawing a parallel to how some humans respond to stress by chowing down. Also, a sense of power plays a part: “I think that animals’ perceptions of control of their environment also modulate their energy balance. We don’t have any idea to what extent we manipulate those perceptions and how that affects weight loss.”

In some cases, owners get some psychological benefits from poor feeding habits. For example, the owner who constantly spoils her dog with treats may enjoy a sense of bonding and closeness with her pet that she fears would be lost with a stricter feeding regimen.

On the other side of the coin, owner inattention can also result in a portly pooch. The owner who doesn’t have the time or the inclination to measure food might simply dump it into a bowl and refill it whenever it’s empty. If the same owner doesn’t pay much attention to exercise or interacting with the dog, the pet may simply eat too much out of boredom.

Trimming the fat
The good news: The dangers posed by obesity can be removed simply by shedding a few of your pup’s pounds.

“In most cases, a 20 percent weight loss will take even grossly obese animals out of the high-risk category for obesity-related diseases,” says Dr. Buffington.

To start your dog back on the road to slimness, start by aiming for a 10 percent weight loss – or a rate of about 1 percent of his body weight per week. A slow approach is recommended both because it allows for a more gradual change in feeding, and because studies show that rapid weight loss can increase a loss of lean body mass, which in turn can contribute to weight regain. (Lean body mass, which includes organs, are the primary drivers of basal metabolism and burn energy at far higher levels than fat mass does. Reducing the amount of lean tissue can create diminished energy requirements, so a dog can regain weight even if he’s eating less.) In other words, forget the idea of crash diets for your dog; slow and steady wins this race.

The first step: weigh your dog. Next, calculate how much your dog actually eats. Begin by listing all the food your dog gets every day, including treats and table scraps, and add up the total calorie count. Some commercial foods carry calorie information on the label; for others, you may need to take the initiative and contact the manufacturer for more details.

Make sure you take portion size into account. If the recommended ration of your kibble is two standard cups a day, but if you’re using a 16-ounce Big Gulp container to measure out the food, you’re actually feeding your dog twice the allowance – and twice the calories.

To calculate calories in non-packaged foods, such as peanut butter, table scraps, and so forth, Dr. Buffington recommends visiting the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (see www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR16/sr16.html), or using one of the various food-value books on the market today. An excellent reference is Bowes and Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, by Jean Pennington, et al. (At $50, this is a costly book, but useful for researching dietary concerns for your whole family. A paperback version is due out in early 2004.)

Once you have arrived at the total calories ingested by your dog, it’s time to calculate how much weight your dog should be losing – and how many calories to subtract from his diet. Again, if your dog is overweight, you should aim for a 10 percent weight loss overall, at a rate of about 1 percent per week.

If you’re inclined to pull out your calculators, here’s how the math works: If you have a 100-pound dog, a 1-percent weight loss would be 1 pound per week. One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. Thus, you’ll need to reduce his food intake by 3,500 calories per week, or about 500 calories per day.

For a 50-pound dog, the goal is to lose ½ pound per week, which means trimming weekly 1,750 calories (or 250 calories per day).

Or, there’s an easier method. Dr. Buffington uses a general rule of thumb: “Multiply your dog’s current weight by 5, and subtract that number from its current (daily) calorie intake.” In the example above, then, the 100-pound dog should have 5 x 100 calories, or 500, subtracted from his daily diet – the same figure you arrive at by doing the complicated math.

Make dietary changes
You can begin feeding at the new levels either by reducing the total amount of food you give your dog or by changing his diet. For example, you can replace high-calorie snacks with lighter fare (such as carrots, apple slices, or broccoli); reduce or eliminate table scraps; feed mini-meals throughout the day rather than two main meals (this can help reduce begging); or switch to a lower-calorie food formulated for weight loss.

Switching your dog to diet food is not a requirement, says Dr. Buffington: “Most people could feed less of the same food and they’d be fine,” he says. But he warns that cutting back too far can lead to problems. “In some animals, you’ll get to the point with the amount you’re feeding so little that they actually become at risk for nutrient depletion, especially in older or sedentary animals. So cutting back too much can be risky,” he says.

If you’re concerned about this, talk to your veterinarian. In cases like these, Dr. Buffington says, owners might be told to feed a puppy formulation, which is more nutrient-dense. And if you prepare your dog’s meals yourself, Dr. Buffington strongly encourages consulting a nutritionist and including a vitamin/mineral supplement.

If you do decide to try a commercial, low-calorie canine diet, you’ll notice that some tout their low-fat formulations; others trumpet high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate combinations. Dr. Buffington says the last thing you need to worry about is whether your pet should be on the South Beach diet or the Atkins plan.

“It’s completely irrelevant to the health aspects of obesity therapy,” he says. “The relative percentages of carbohydrates to fats to proteins in diet are pretty meaningless.”

Pay attention to how much weight your dog is losing. If the weight loss is greater than two percent in a week, you may be cutting back too drastically; if it’s less than one percent, you may need to trim back further. Slow is the name of the game – remember, your pet didn’t add all the weight overnight, so don’t look for a quick fix.

Add in exercise
Exercise can be an important adjunct to nutrition in promoting weight loss. Which one plays a more important role in the slim-down program depends in part on the owner, says Dr. Buffington.

“The most important thing is what the client wants to do the most, because that’s what they’re most likely to do,” he says. “If you want your dog to lose weight, the animal needs to have a negative calorie balance of 5 calories per pound of body weight per day. You can either take 5 calories out of his bowl, exercise 5 calories out of him, or any combination of the two.”

If your dog was only slightly overweight to begin with, you can increase your dog’s exercise from the get-go. Add in a short walk each day. If he’s young and not prone to joint problems, increase the intensity of his exercise as he loses weight, by playing fetch in a hilly area. Feed your dog part of his rations in Kongs or other stuffable toys, so he has to expend energy while eating.

If your dog is quite obese, exercise should be introduced gradually. Too much activity can be dangerous to a very fat dog. Ohio State’s obesity-therapy guidelines suggest setting a goal to increase the pet’s activity by 1 minute a day until a goal of 10 minutes a day is reached. Once that level is attained, the duration can again be slowly increased.

Work for the long-term
The goal in an obesity therapy program is not primarily to lose weight; it’s to keep weight off. That means you’ll need to keep an eye on your dog’s waistline for the rest of his life. (Ideally, weigh your dog at least once a month, rather than waiting to notice physical signs that the dog has gotten fat.)

As your dog ages and his metabolism slows, he may require fewer calories to maintain his weight. If you notice weight gain, adjust his food accordingly, and if you’re concerned about him not getting adequate nutritional support, see your veterinarian. On the flip side, if he’s losing weight, that could signal an underlying illness. Consult your veterinarian before you increase his rations.

And don’t forget daily walks and games of fetch as part of his weight-management routine. Your aging dog may not appear as interested in exercise – but don’t let that keep you from giving it to him.

“Older animals are less spontaneously active, but they’ll participate if they’re invited to be active,” says Dr. Buffington. “Young dogs will often come to you with their leashes in their mouths. Older dog won’t necessarily do that. But if you bring the leash to an older dog, he’ll undoubtedly get up and head out the door.”

Reality check
Finally, suggests Dr. Buffington, if you think your dog is carrying a bit of an extra load, don’t panic and put him on a starvation diet.

“I’m not promoting overweight, but the truth is, the health risks of obesity in dogs and cats are lower than those in people,” says Dr. Buffington. He worries about people who get “overscientific and underemotional” about slimming their dogs. After all, food and bonding often go hand-in-hand, he says. “I would rather see an owner with a really happy dog who’s slightly overweight than one who destroys her relationship with the dog to give it six more months of life.”

-C.C. Holland, a frequent contributor to WDJ, is a freelance writer from Oakland, California.

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