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Mysterious Holistic Medicine

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Every system of medicine has something to offer, even if it’s hard to explain just what it is and how it works. I’ll admit that I’ve been subtly (I hope) resistant to discussing some alternative and complementary diagnosis techniques in WDJ, largely because I have a hard time publishing information that doesn’t make sense to me.

But seeing is believing. Once you’ve personally witnessed (as I have) a practitioner make a dead-on diagnosis and restore the health of a patient with treatments indicated by an unconventional method – well, whether it makes “sense” or not, it’s worth talking about.

I was a very skeptical journalist 13 years ago, when I was assigned to write my first article about holistic veterinary medicine. Today, I strongly believe in about 80 percent of what I then regarded as absurd. I’d characterize myself as dubious – but respectful – of about 18 percent of the rest.

If you’re an alternative medicine skeptic, I suggest you simply file this information away, in case there ever comes a day when no one else can tell you what’s wrong with your dog.

–Nancy Kerns, Editor

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By Shannon Wilkinson

One hundred years ago, medical practitioners had only a few tools they could use to determine the cause of their patients’ problems: visual and physical examinations, thermometers, stethoscopes, and little more.

The assemblage of veterinary diagnostic tools has expanded exponentially in the past century – particularly in the last 20 years, as technologies developed for human medicine (such as ultrasound, MRI, and CT scan) became more affordable and found their way into veterinary clinics. These tools, combined with the ability to share information about patients and treatments with other informed and experienced practitioners in “real time,” have made the field of veterinary diagnostic medicine very exciting.

The field of alternative and complementary veterinary medicine has also gained intriguing new diagnostic tools and methods over the last century. As with conventional medicine, some of these diagnostic accoutrements developed out of centuries-old medical models; some were inspired and aided by new technologies.

Why would dog owners enlist the aid of unconventional veterinary practitioners when so much amazing diagnostic science and technology can be had elsewhere? Sometimes, it’s because Western medical diagnostics failed to fully or even partly explain what is wrong with their dog, and the results of conventional treatment were incomplete, compromised, or nonexistent. Sometimes it’s because they have experienced amazing results with alternative or complementary healthcare methods. Or it may be that the unconventional approach just feels better to them.

The following are descriptions of some diagnostic techniques used by a growing number of veterinary practitioners who use alternative and/or complementary medicine. These brief snapshots are not meant to completely explain how each method works, but to introduce you to the possibility that they can work.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS
A conventional veterinary examination may include looking at the dog; checking his ears, eyes, and nose; taking his temperature and pulse; and listening to his heart and lungs.

Examinations completed by a veterinarian trained in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are much more comprehensive, and include extensive study of the dog’s pulse and tongue. These diagnostic techniques have been an integral part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. “The pulse and tongue provide bottom line information . . . they don’t lie,” says Cheryl Schwartz, DVM, author of Four Paws Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs.

TCM’s pulse diagnosis: Dr. Schwartz was one of the first practitioners to adapt pulse diagnosis for veterinary medicine. She started to develop the method in the 1980s and teaches it to other veterinarians as part of her training courses in acupuncture.

Rather than simply checking the pulse in one location on the patient’s body, recording the pulse’s frequency and strength, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine may check the pulse in as many as nine different positions, looking for up to 28 different “conditions” or “qualities.”

“For practicality in veterinary medicine the maximum is usually six positions; most practitioners only do three,” says Karen Ivin, DVM, owner of Desert Mobile Veterinary Services in Gilbert, Arizona. Dogs are not always comfortable with you palpating the pulse for long, Dr. Ivin explains.

In people, the radial pulse (found at the wrist) is normally used for observing the pulse in a leisurely manner. However, in dogs, this pulse is somewhat difficult to find; instead, the femoral artery (found on the inside of the hind leg) is used for relatively lengthy observations.

The practitioner uses three fingers to feel the dog’s pulse in three different positions along the femoral artery. Then, two levels of depth are felt in each position; the pulse felt at the surface or superficial level corresponds to the yang organs of Chinese medicine, while the deeper layer corresponds to the yin organs. By utilizing three positions and two layers on each side of the body, a trained practitioner can evaluate each of the 12 energy meridians (each relating to a different organ system) of the body.

The pulse qualities being evaluated include rate, rhythm, “shape,” and force. As she feels the pulse, Dr. Schwartz says she asks herself, “Is it large and bounding, too slow, too fast, is there enough juice?”

The qualities observed in the dog’s pulse, along with the findings from the rest of the physical examination, lead the practitioner to further investigation and treatment of specific conditions.

TCM’s tongue diagnosis: Stick out your tongue and say “Ahhh” takes on whole new meaning in traditional Chinese medicine. According to its practitioners, looking at the tongue can help determine the health of the patient’s internal organs. Dr. Schwartz describes the tongue as the “visual gateway to the interior of the body.”

According to this system, different areas on the tongue correlate to the internal organs. For instance, the tip of the tongue relates to the heart and the sides of the tongue represent the liver and gallbladder. The area just behind the tip refers to the lungs, the center of the tongue is spleen/pancreas and stomach, while the back of the tongue relates to the kidneys.

When evaluating the tongue, the practitioner looks at its color, shape, and coating. She makes particular notes of any differences between the different areas of the tongue.

Observing these subtle characteristics played a crucial role in the proper diagnosis of one of Dr. Schwartz’s patients, a dog with back problems. After a few treatments, there wasn’t any improvement. Dr. Schwartz noticed the dog’s tongue had a curl at the tip and a deep groove, indicating a heart problem. She referred the client to a cardiac specialist, where the dog was, in fact, diagnosed with a heart condition.

Evaluating the tongue can also provide insight to how the dog is progressing with treatment. Fewer cracks or a change in color may indicate that treatments are benefiting the animal.

One problems with proper tongue analysis is that sometimes you just can’t see an animal’s tongue. “Wrenching open a dog’s mouth to evaluate his tongue will almost always turn it some degree of purple, so you have to try to evaluate it at rest, and not when he is panting a lot,” says Dr. Ivin. Or, Dr. Schwartz recommends asking a dog to yawn, or using some gentle Tellington TTouch work to help the dog relax, open his mouth, and show his tongue.

While it can take many years to become an expert in pulse or tongue diagnosis, the layperson can start observing these markers and learn what is “normal” for her dog. Look at your dog’s tongue when he is relaxed and well; experiment with feeling his femoral pulse. When you are thoroughly familiar with these attributes, it’s easy to discover changes that can indicate early signs of trouble.

LABORATORY WORK
Most guardians of companion animals understand the value of regular blood work. Running a blood chemistry panel and complete blood count (CBC) when your dog is ill helps determine whether the organ systems are functioning properly or if infection is present. The results of these tests also can alert your vet to the possibility of other conditions, such as endocrine dysfunction or cancer, which might require further testing.

Some holistic veterinarians have taken this laboratory analysis a step further, to evaluate more subtle changes in organs and body systems, sometimes even when they are subclinical (before there are physical signs).

Bio Nutritional Analysis (BNA): Veterinarians Robert and Martin Goldstein are brothers who share a special interest in nutrition and its role in animal health. They developed a method of analyzing an animal’s blood test results with an interesting purpose in mind: to determine supplements that would correct any nutritional imbalances or deficiencies the animal might have. They also developed a computer program that could run the analysis, named the test “Bio Nutritional Analysis” or BNA, and offer it to pet owners nationwide.

How do they do that? Your own veterinarian draws blood and submits the sample to Antech Diagnostics, a lab with facilities nationwide; the results get sent directly to the Drs. Goldstein for evaluation. Their recommendations for nutritional supplements are sent to the client and/or her vet.

The BNA and the Goldsteins’ prescribed supplements have numerous success stories to their credit, and the larger holistic veterinary community is generally respectful of the Goldsteins’ work. However, some practitioners have complained that the inventors of the BNA have not offered any explanation for the methodology that enables their computer program to match blood work values with a patient’s specific nutritional needs – especially since the veterinarians also mix and sell supplements tailored for those patients. (To their credit, they also take pains to tell clients that the supplements are available elsewhere – not custom-mixed, though.)

BioMedical Profile (BMP): Don’t get confused with the initials or other similarities; the BMP was developed and is used by Wm. Konrad Kruesi, DVM, owner of the Cold River Veterinary Center in North Clarendon, Vermont. Dr. Kruesi himself analyzes the results of blood, hair, and urine tests to formulate a nutritional plan tailored for his patients’ “organ functional relationships.” He also orders repeat tests in many cases to help identify trends that may indicate progressive disease, describing the BMP as “a personal medical service, labor- and brain-intensive process.”

Like the Drs. Goldstein, Dr. Kruesi believes that supplements are a critical factor in his treatments, and he sells them, too. (He does not custom-formulate supplements for his patients, and does offer information on other sources for the supplements. “The emphasis of my practice is nutritional medicine because it is the safest, most effective way I have seen to promote health in virtually every case,” he says.

Hair analysis: Another laboratory test ordered and used by some veterinarians is hair analysis, to determine levels of heavy metals and/or nutritional deficiencies. Gloria Dodd, DVM, owner of Everglo Natural Veterinary Services in Gualala, California, says she orders hair analysis for every animal who comes into her practice. “Hair analysis opens up a whole new vista for solving the mystery of illness,” she says.

Dr. Dodd reports that each hair analysis report on sick animals shows abnormal amounts of minerals and toxic levels of aluminum. Many exhibit combinations of other heavy metals. This can cause a variety of conditions, she says, including hypoglycemia, arthritis, skin rashes and allergies, anemia, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, digestive disorders, epilepsy, kidney dysfunction and cancer.

As mentioned earlier, Dr. Kruesi also routinely uses hair analysis in his practice. “Any small animal patient with chronic disease is a good candidate for hair element testing,” he says. Follow-up analysis helps monitor the patient’s response to treatment, too.

ENERGY EVALUATIONS
Conventional practitioners use a variety of means such as EKG, MRI, and even radiographs to measure energy patterns of the body. Holistic veterinarians may reach far beyond these diagnostic devices to evaluate and measure a patient’s life force energy, sometimes also called chi (borrowing the traditional Chinese medical term for the same force).

Practitioners use the tools of their choice to try to assess the functioning of organs, detect the presence of viruses or bacteria, and identify any other physical problems or even emotional imbalances. In addition, some of the following evaluation techniques are used to help find the best solutions for their patients’ health problems.

Kinesiology or muscle testing: What if you could do a simple test to determine what foods and remedies make you “stronger” and what things make you “weaker”? According to proponents, this is exactly what muscle testing does. Better known as kinesiology (pronounced kin-knees-ee-ALL-oh-gee), the process involves “testing” a muscle for strength as the test subject answers a “yes” or “no” question.

In a classic method, the tester pushes down on the subject’s outstretched arm, using the response of the subject’s deltoid muscles. The theory is that when the answer to the question is “yes,” or is “good” for the individual, the muscle will remain strong and the subject’s arm will not fall under the tester’s pressure. If the answer to the question is “no,” or it is “bad” for the individual, the muscle will weaken and the arm will sink.

Since you can’t elicit a yes or no response from a dog or other animal, you can’t directly test the muscle in the same way that you can with a person. In this situation, a human “surrogate” is used to stay in physical contact with the animal and answer the tester’s questions. However, like animal communicators, some practitioners of muscle testing believe that they can do the work at a distance, without direct physical contact with the animal.

Some practitioners are advocates of what is called “Applied Kinesiology” – a more formal and strict use of muscle testing, with more stringent methodology; these practitioners tend to feel that less than rigorous study of the techniques constitutes their improper use.

Many holistic practitioners use at least some aspect or degree of muscle testing to aid in their clients’ health evaluations and treatment protocols. Donna Starita, DVM, uses muscle testing extensively in her practice, located in Gresham, Oregon. In addition to using standard diagnostic techniques, such as hands-on examinations and blood tests, Dr. Starita evaluates her patients through muscle testing to check the health of their organs and emotions. She then uses her experience, knowledge, and muscle testing to determine a treatment protocol.

According to Dr. Starita, kinesiology enables the practitioner to “interface with the body electromagnetically.” This statement gets at one theory of how kinesiology works, based on quantum physics and the theory that all matter is really energy. Muscle testing identifies energy weaknesses in an individual that might be related to organ systems, emotions, diet, or other criteria established by the tester. It also can be used to determine which (if any) supplements, medications, dietary changes, or other treatment protocols will strengthen the energy.

Contact reflex analysis (CRA): This diagnostic tool is predominantly used for detecting and addressing nutritional deficiencies. Originally developed by a chiropractor, CRA shares theoretical attributes with muscle testing and traditional Chinese medicine.

According to the basic theory, the body naturally exhibits an electromagnetic field; any deficiency or disease will cause an imbalance in the body’s electrical circuits. These “malfunctions” can be detected by methodically testing the body’s reflexes; how and where the normal reflex fails indicates different problems to the trained tester. Veterinary practitioners generally use a human assistant to hold the animal patient and act as an electrical conduit for the testing.

Bert Brooks, DVM, and his wife, Melissa, use a modified form of CRA in their practice, Cache Creek Veterinary Services, in Woodland, California. Dr. Brooks finds the technique useful for identifying his patients’ nutritional deficiencies and correcting them with supplements, homeopathy, or other therapies.

“We have lost some clients because they cannot accept what we do. While I am sorry to see patients that we could help go because of prejudice [against CRA], hundreds of new clients have taken their places and have been rewarded for their faith in something new,” says Dr. Brooks.

Electrodermal screening: In 1946, a German doctor developed a method and a machine that he said could measure activity at acupuncture points. He claimed that acupuncture points give off a quantifiable rating, indicating whether they are weak, normal, or stressed. He then determined that introducing different remedies or supplements into the circuit could alter the reading. Finding the “right” remedy normalized the reading.

This technique, now known as Electrodermal Screening, Meridian Stress Testing, or an BioEnergetic Evaluation, is used by a handful of holistic practitioners. Dr. Kruesi says he utilizes BioEnergetic Evaluation in his practice because it provides subtle information, not necessarily available through blood tests, xrays, hands-on exams, or conventional diagnostic techniques. Plus, it is noninvasive and provides immediate results.

On a person, the process takes about 20 minutes, and measures activity on 60 different acupuncture points on the hands and feet. Since most dogs don’t care to have their paws handled for that length of time, Dr. Kruesi developed a method of using the animal’s guardian or one of his technicians as a conduit, similar to how assistants are used when CRA is used on animals.

Dr. Kruesi says he can then evaluate the results – along with other diagnostic techniques – to help determine appropriate treatments. “This is a blending of traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and modern physics,” says Dr. Kruesi.

What will you use? As you can see, the evaluation techniques used by holistic veterinarians can vary widely; many alternative and complementary practitioners don’t use any of these alternative diagnostics, while a few may use all of them. In addition, any two veterinarians who call a method by the same name may not use it in the same manner.

We suggest asking any practitioner you consult a lot of questions; if the answers seem nonsensical to you, it may be best to work with another practitioner, one whose methods you can better appreciate.

Since any “holistic” healthcare program is bound to require a considerable commitment of your time, attention, and resources, you should feel as comfortable as you can working with the veterinarian.

Finally, don’t forget to consult your dog. If a course of treatment isn’t working for him after a few months, consider changing healthcare providers.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Holistic Veterinarians Discuss Holistic Healing”

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

Consider Safety

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Pat Miller’s article on safety in this issue got me thinking about a close call my husband and I occasionally joke about, when he almost caused the death of my beloved Border Collie, Rupert – on one of our first dates. “Just think,” I will say to Brian with a rueful smile. “If you had killed my dog that day, we wouldn’t be together now!”

The three of us had gone for a day hike in an area known as Land’s End, in a steep and wooded area near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. We had stopped to eat lunch, perched just feet away from a cliff, hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean. We were talking while Brian ate an apple, when suddenly he cocked his arm to throw the core over the cliff.

I had less than a second to grab for his arm and yell, “DOWN!” to my (unbeknownst to Brian) fetching fool of a dog –who skidded to a halt on his belly, inches from leaping over the cliff. Fortunately for all of us, Rupe’s obedience is every bit as ingrained as his desire to fetch anything that anyone throws anytime, anywhere.

Brian looked kind of white – we both did. He said, shakily, “He . . . he wouldn’t have jumped . . . would he?” I could only nod and pat the earth beside me, as Rupert wiggled back to my side, eyes bright, still ready to fetch.

Why hadn’t he been leashed? Why hadn’t I been holding the leash as we sat there, perched on the cliffs? Well, because Rupert is so smart, and so perfectly well-behaved; he’s often off-leash. But, of course, I never would have imagined that someone might make what I knew to be a “Go get it!” gesture so close to a cliff. It’s only after tragedies, or as in our case, near-disasters, that you think, “What was I thinking?”

In “Better Safe Than Sorry,” Training Editor Pat Miller discusses a lot of things to consider regarding dogs and their safety. She even mentions the possibility of a dog leaping off a cliff for a tennis ball – I didn’t add that – so it appears she’s thought about all this more than the average dog owner. Please pay attention to her suggestions for keeping your dog safe.

Jam-packed with info
This issue is exceptionally stuffed with valuable information. There’s a report on a promising new treatment for cancer; an important training article; instructions on how to select safe rawhide chews; an effective remedy for your dog’s spring allergies; and a description of numerous alternative diagnostic techniques that many dog owners have found useful. Last month, I promised we’d have some letters in this issue, but we ran out of room. Our readers’ suggestions for safe airline travel with dogs, as well as some additions to our list of healthy dogtreats, will appear next month.


-Nancy Kerns

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Little Hassles

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

When I need to remember how easy bigger dogs are to take care of, I call my dad and ask about my Border Collie, Rupert. They are living together for a while, and from what I hear, they really enjoy each other’s company. “Rupe’s fine!” my dad always says.

Oy. Mokie, a Chihuahua I inherited from my sister and brother-in-law, is not easy. He’s a good little dog, but I’ve been through a lot of strange experiences with him in a short period of time – things I’ve never had to deal with in a lifetime with bigger dogs.

There was the first time I gave him some raw frozen dog food, which comes in inch-square cubes. I had thawed the cubes a bit, but not all the way, because I thought he would enjoy chewing them. Instead, he greedily swallowed one whole. He hesitated for a second, then ran into his crate.

“What?” I thought, peering into his crate; he never walks away from food. It was fortunate that I looked. Mokie had fallen on his side, convulsing, choking. I grabbed him and thumped on his shoulders. Miraculously, the food flew out. Then he ran away from me and the food.

He had another close call with choking a month later, after he snatched away and swallowed a much too large piece of rawhide from my neighbors’ dog, who was staying here while they were out of town. I whisked him to the vet, who ascertained that it wasn’t stuck in his throat. Within an hour, he vomited most of the rawhide, along with something purple, which I later determined to be candy hearts he had found on the floor of my son’s room.

And then there was this: Mokie began spending a lot of time licking his butt and whimpering. I described this to his original owner, my veterinarian brother-in-law Bill, who was clear about what needed to be done. “His anal glands need to be expressed,” he said. “Little dogs often have a problem with that. It’s really easy, and I can tell you how to do it. Or you can take him to a vet and pay $50.”

Since I had just paid a vet, I figured I would try to help him myself. Neither my husband nor my son were any help. “No WAY am I squeezing his butt,” my son said. “I’d put the dog to sleep,” said my husband; he says things like that every day. He doesn’t mean it, but he’s not a dog person, either. I was on my own.

Amazingly, Mokie held still for the procedure, which, thanks to Bill’s instructions, I performed successfully. When my sister called to inquire how it went with her former dog, she couldn’t believe I had done it. “Of the hundreds of people that Bill has explained that to over the years,” she said, “I think you’re the first one who has actually done it.”

I’m not sure that I’m all that proud of this particular distinction!

Buying Treats for Your Dog – What to Look For

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

By Nancy Kerns

Allow me to sum up this article in one sentence: When buying treats for your dog, read the ingredients panel first.

I know that sounds sooo basic. Longtime WDJ readers are already experienced readers of food labels; they know from reading our February dry dog food reviews and our October canned food reviews and our occasional frozen food reviews that they have to understand what is in the food their dog may potentially eat before they buy it.

But dog treats make fools of us all. Nowhere in all of the gigantic field of pet supply marketing are the packages so cute and the names of the products so amusing as in the dog treat category. Many of the biggest companies use every color in the rainbow to illustrate happy dogs on the packaging – in addition to their use of artificial food colors to make the treats resemble people food such as crispy bacon, tiny hamburgers, and adorable marrow-filled cross sections of bone.

The small, boutique-made treats lavish money and effort at marketing, too. Many of the smallest companies lovingly hand-make precious packages out of recycled paper, use winning photos of their own endearing dogs in their product literature, and sometimes even cut out their heart- or star-shaped cookies by hand.

All of these efforts are to get you to buy something you really don’t need; that’s why they go so far over the top. Treats are the one product that we feed our dogs that we may buy for all the wrong reasons.

A top-quality, species-appropriate diet is without a doubt the most important factor in a successful holistic healthcare program. It doesn’t make any sense at all to invest in a chemical-free, nutritious food for your dog, and then slip him a bunch of unhealthy additives and fillers for dessert. So, even though treats represent only a small portion of your dog’s daily diet, they should at best support his health, and at worst, not undermine it. As ever, we are here to remind you to read the label.

What’s on the label
We’ll briefly review for those of you who are new to WDJ. We read labels for several reasons. The first is to make sure the products don’t contain stuff that’s not good for dogs – such as artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Those of us who are aware of our dogs’ food allergies or intolerances are also on the lookout for ingredients that may make our dogs break out, itch, or suffer painful gas or diarrhea.

We also check the list of ingredients for foods that are good for dogs – things like whole meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables. The more organic ingredients we see, the better.

We may or may not be concerned with the “guaranteed analysis” section on a product label. Those of us whose dogs are intolerant of high-fat or high-protein foods may find the fat or protein content of interest. But treats are not intended to be a sole source of a dog’s nutrition, so these nutrients don’t have to fall into a certain range. Nor do the treats have to be “complete and balanced,” although some manufacturers do formulate their products to conform to the AAFCO dog food standards.

However, a treat that is formulated just like dog food may be no more tempting and delicious than his dog food; he might be happy enough to get it, but it’s not going to make him turn cartwheels.

And turning cartwheels is really what feeding treats is all about. Experienced positive trainers suggest that you use “high-value” treats when training your dog – especially when teaching new behaviors. These are treats that are particularly odoriferous and delectable, treats that absolutely inspire a dog to think – think! – about what his handler wants him to do. While a few chowhounds out there will turn cartwheels for ordinary kibble, most dogs need a little more to really motivate them to work hard . . . and that might mean a little more fat, a little more smelly stuff, or a little more sweetener.

Don’t get too excited about the presence of sweeteners or even natural flavor enhancers in treats. While we feel strongly that a dog’s treats should not undermine the positive effects of a superior diet, it’s over-rigid to insist that a treat should display every characteristic of a great dog food. While a sweetener may be an undesirable trait in the 12 ounces of food that your dog eats every day, in the quarter-ounce of treats he gets, it’s not a huge deal – unless, of course, he’s diabetic, in which case you should be seeking a carbohydrate-free treat.

Treats for every dog
Speaking of which, when you think about it, it’s kind of amazing that we can refer you to carb-free treats, vegan cookies, or totally organic biscuits. The variety of products on the market today is truly staggering; there really is something out there for every dog, no matter what allergy or food intolerance he may have. We’ve highlighted a range of products (see chart at end of story) that should include at least one treat for any dog, no matter what his health status.

We must remind you that we don’t claim to examine every treat on the market; that’s impossible. Instead, we sought out examples of extraordinary products made by small, boutique-style companies, as well as a few of the better products made by large dog food companies. For comparison’s sake, we also listed a few of the most abominable commercial products we could find. That part was not difficult; they reside on the shelves of every major chain grocery store.

It used to be that you could find gourmet products only in regional markets; the Internet has changed that forever. All of the boutique products we reviewed can be ordered directly from the manufacturers via phone or their Web sites.

Other things we didn’t do
Besides failing to review every one of the thousands of dog treats on the market, we also did not conduct any sort of laboratory testing of products. We have heard all sorts of allegations that some food and treat manufacturers lie about the ingredients in their products, but lab testing to determine the true identity of the ingredients is beyond our scope. Besides, we think that this happens pretty rarely.

In the past, we’ve given out metaphorical bonus points for treats that are sold in especially cute or useful packages. We didn’t do that this time. Today, many treats come in plastic bags with Zip-Lock-like closures; that’s cool. Zip-Lock bags are the best containers for all treats.

We did not consider price in our selections. As ever, we implore you to remember that you get what you pay for. Inexpensive treats cannot contain good quality ingredients, because quality ingredients cost more. If the treats are cheap, they go on the heap!

Also, we did not rate or rank-order our selections. We grouped our selections into three categories: top-quality cookie-type treats containing at least some grains; top-quality meat-based treats that may contain grain; and NOT-recommended, chemical-filled bad-example treats. Our selections are grouped alphabetically by category.

Fresh food is always best
Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that you don’t have to buy commercial treats at all. Store-bought treats make the best gifts for your dog-loving friends, and they are novel, cute, convenient, and fun – but they are neither necessary for your dog’s health, nor the best training aid in the world.

Real, fresh food always has been and always will be the healthiest and most compelling treat for your dog. Bits of meat (or poultry or fish), crumbled cheese, pieces of fruit . . . did we mention bits of meat? These are the best treats around, and loaded with vital vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “The Difference Between Quality Dog Treats and Unhealthy Dog Treats”
Click here to view “How to Pick Top Quality Dog Treats”
Click here to view “Buying Dog Treats: What To Look For”
Click here to view “Shopping for Top Quality Dog Treats–It’s All In The Ingredients”

-Nancy Kerns is Editor of WDJ.

New Dog Do’s and Don’ts

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

By Nancy Kerns

When I hear that someone I know is getting a dog, I experience mixed feelings. I’m hopeful it will work out, and fearful that it won’t. In the six years that I’ve edited WDJ and paid close attention to such things, I’ve seen a score of my friends, neighbors, and acquaintances bring home a new dog or puppy. And, sadly, about half of those new dog/people relationships didn’t work out – a euphemism which means here, they had to find another home for the dog. When this happens, it’s not ethical, it’s not cool, it’s a tragedy for all concerned – and in my view, it all can be prevented.

Often, new-dog ventures fail most frequently when people don’t take enough time – time to research what sort of dog is really best for them, time to prepare for the dog’s arrival, and time to spend with the dog. In fact, the first thing I ask when I hear someone is thinking about getting a dog is, “How much time do you have?”

The following is a brief distillation of everything I’ve learned about what makes new dog/human relationships successfully sail off into the sunset, and what causes the ship to sink within days, weeks, or months.

Pre-planning for the dog
I never fail to be amazed at the number of people I hear about who decide to get a dog, go to the shelter, and come home with one – all in the same weekend. At least half a dozen of the sad dog/family relationship failures I’ve seen in recent years have been due to a hasty adoption; the people just didn’t take enough time to evaluate the dog or their own abilities to deal with it.

Give yourself at least a month to do some long, hard thinking about what sort of dog you want. Visualize the whole package: your ideal dog’s age, size, coat, energy level, attention span, ability to give and receive affection, sociability, portability, and health status. Plan to visit shelters a few times a week for a month or so without bringing a dog home. Keep the vision of your ideal dog in mind as you visit, even if you begin to discover that there are a few aspects of your “perfect dog” vision that you are willing to be flexible about.

But don’t depart from your vision too much! Little things can grow into big issues over time, compounding with each new problem. For example, say you have gorgeous hardwood floors in your home, and your vision of your ideal canine companion is a clean, short-haired dog. But then you fall in love with a shaggy Australian Shepherd cross. Over time, you learn that in order to keep your floors as pristine as you like them, you have to vacuum or sweep every day – or keep the dog out. And as the dog spends less time with you in the living room, he becomes more anxious and more unruly. The ship starts sinking . . . and, for the dog, the impending disaster will be titanic.

I know how hard it will be to walk away from close candidates. But I also know with a certainty that there is a perfect candidate for your “best dog ever” in a shelter near you. Don’t settle for a dog who doesn’t gladden your heart in every way, and you won’t find yourself returning an older, sadder, and less-adoptable dog to the shelter down the road.

For more in-depth information on choosing the best dog, see “How to Pick a Winner,” July 2001, on evaluating shelter dogs for a safe, friendly, adaptable temperament; “Second-Hand Friends,” April 1999, on the importance of selection and early training for shelter dogs; and “When Only a Purebred Will Do,” May 2002, on how to find your ideal breed, and how to find a responsible breeder.

Infrastructure items
As you look for your new best friend, start getting your house in order. Purchase all the stuff you are going to need: a leash, toys, chews, treats, a bed, shampoo. (See “The Dog Owner’s Hope Chest,” WDJ February 2002, for more “must-have” dog care items.) Think about containment. Do you need baby gates, a crate, tethers, a pen for the backyard, or major fencing improvements? If your home is completely prepared and able to safely and easily contain your dog, it will seem a lot easier having him live with you.

As you prepare on the physical plane, consider how your new dog’s needs are going to change your spiritual life. I’m only sort of joking; can you feel blessed and happy if you’ve been sleepless due to a whimpering puppy? Are you committed to taking walks every day, no matter how much snow has fallen, or how stifling the heat becomes? These are the kind of things you have to be ready to meet with your chin up.

And while we’re talking about full emotional preparation, how is everyone else in your household feeling about your new dog project? Does anyone in your home have reservations about the new dog’s impact on their life-styles? If so, work out solutions before the dog shows up. A tense emotional environment can definitely delay or prevent a dog’s emotional settling-in.

For more ideas on how to get the house ready, see “A Gated Community,” July 2002 and “In the Dog House,” September 1998.

A welcome home
Many people imagine that the day they bring home their dream dog will be the best day they’ll ever spend together, full of joyous discoveries and loving moments. That’s how it works in the movies!

The reality should be more like a movie shoot – scripted, structured, with all the scenery in place, and all cast members aware of their parts and on their marks.

Your new dog – the star of the show – should feel he has perfect freedom and leisure to explore his new home. In actuality, you should have constructed the set so that he is unable to go anywhere he’s not supposed to be (such as your allergic daughter’s room, or the unfenced front yard).

Also, while feeling that he is not being forced to interact with anyone just yet, he should nevertheless be under the constant supervision of an attentive family member. Don’t assume any level of housetraining, but treat him as you would a young puppy. Take him outside every hour or so, reward him richly when he relieves himself in an appropriate place, and don’t give him any opportunity to make a mistake in the meantime. When he’s in the house, keep him in your direct view, tied “umbilical cord” fashion to your waist by a leash, or in a crate until you see that he fully understands housetraining.

For descriptions of housetraining strategies, see “Getting Off to the Best Start,” January 1999 and “Minding Your Pees and Cues,” December 2001.

Finally, while your impulse will probably be to cancel everything else in your appointment book to spend every possible minute getting to know the new dog or puppy, you should follow your household’s usual routines. So many people pick up their new dog on Friday afternoon, spend the entire first weekend in a more or less constant, loving embrace with the dog, abandon him in favor of work and school on Monday –and then freak out Monday night when they come home and see all the damage caused over the last 10 frightening hours by the confused and anxious dog.

Instead, start habituating the dog to spending time alone in the house on the very first day he lives there. You accomplish this in tiny increments. Leave him alone in the kitchen with a food-stuffed Kong toy for 10 minutes while you watch TV in the next room. If he handles that okay, take him outside for an opportunity to relieve himself, and then leave him in his crate for an hour while you soak in the bathtub upstairs. Your goal is to build his confidence, in just a couple of days, that no matter how long you’re gone, you’ll return and he’ll be okay.

See “Learning to Be Alone,” July 2001, for critical information on how (and why) to prevent your dog from developing separation anxiety.

Train, train, train
My final recommendation would be to enroll in a positive dog or puppy training class as soon as possible. The more training and socialization your dog has, the better for everyone who meets him. Classes give you both an opportunity to learn to observe and communicate with each other. Practicing between classes, during walks and at home, is good mental and physical exercise for both of you. And the more time you spend together in a mutually enjoyable, interesting activity, the better it is for building permanent bonds between you.

Owning Super-Sized Dogs

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Newfoundlands. St. Bernards. Irish Wolfhounds. Great Danes. They are the giants of the canine world, and it takes a special kind of person to appreciate their extra large appeal.

I think of a “big” dog as one whose normal weight exceeds the 100-pound mark. In addition to the above-mentioned breeds, this includes many of the Mastiff-type dogs, the Great Pyrenees, Scottish Deerhound, some (but not all) Rottweilers, and more. The only requirement for membership in this club is size. Everything about them is big, from their appetites (and by-products thereof) to the crates, collars, and other training equipment that they use, as well as the toys that they play with. Pet supply companies offer giant-sized Kongs, tennis balls, tug toys, and just about every other canine accessory you can think of. They know there’s a “big” market out there.

Vet bills can be bigger too, since most surgeries are charged at least in part by the dog’s weight. Larger dogs generally need more anesthesia. Even finding a home can be more of a challenge for big-dog humans. Many landlords and hotels, if they allow animals at all, accept pets who are 25 pounds or less. The next socially acceptable size-increment seems to be around 70 to 75 pounds. Much bigger than that, and non-dog people tend to think you really are some kind of serious dog-nut, to want to share your life and home with a dog who outweighs many of the family members. Much to the consternation of big-dog humans, many of the giant breeds are listed on insurance company “do not insure” lists, making it almost impossible for some big-dog owners to find homeowners or renters insurance.

Finally, sadly, many of the giant breeds tend to have short life spans; a 10-year-old Great Dane is pretty ancient, while lots of 10-year-old small dogs are still in excellent condition and can look forward to 5 to 10 more years of life.

The big challenge
The awe-inspiring size of these dogs presents their human companions with a long list of training and management challenges not encountered by keepers of smaller dogs. Some are simple logistical challenges. Exactly how big a vehicle do you have to have to accommodate a couple of Great Dane crates? We could be talking motor home here, just to run to the local training class! Not to mention the extra space you need in your master bedroom if you plan to crate a few Newfies in your personal den. And imagine the ease with which a Wolfhound’s tail can clear a coffee table, or swipe expensive porcelain statuettes from their display shelves.

Everything we have said in the past about prevention through management and training goes triple for big dogs. Teaching good manners when your wee one is a mere 15 to 20 pounds at age 10 weeks gives you a huge advantage over those who wait until 12 months, by which time the untrained, out-of-control, 150-pound Presa Canario may already be gearing up to maul an innocent neighbor. These dogs’ forbidding size demands an early course in juvenile good manners. While your visiting aunt may be willing to tolerate the petite pawprints of a Pomeranian on her pantsuit, she is likely to frown on plate-sized mud-covered Wolfhound feet on the front of her cashmere sweater.

Socialization is another critically vital part of a large dog’s educational experience. Many giant breeds have strongly developed guarding instincts. A poorly socialized, poorly trained large dog is a significant risk to the safety of the community. A well-socialized and trained dog will be able to turn on his protection behaviors if needed, but no matter his size, will be safe to have around your friends and family. A poorly socialized small dog is just as sad a statement about pet-owner irresponsibility as an unsocialized large dog, but is less of a risk to the community; a kamikaze Chihuahua can do far less damage on his worst day than a scud missile Neapolitan Mastiff on a minor bender.

Tall training tips
There are a number of good manners behaviors that are particularly important to teach your large dog while she is still small. Pay special attention to these if you have a big dog:

Polite Greeting: As mentioned above, jumping up to greet humans is rude behavior for any canine, and especially intolerable for a large dog. Start when your baby giant is small by avoiding the temptation to pick her up and cuddle her. (Cuddling teaches her that “up” is a very wonderful place to be.) Instead, designate a spot on the floor as “Cuddle Space,” and get down on her level to do snuggle time. Teach “Sit” as a greeting/default behavior by consistently and generously rewarding your puppy for sitting, and turning away and stepping away anytime she jumps up. Insist that family members, visitors, and people on the street greet her only when she is sitting politely.

Loose Leash Walking: If you begin teaching polite leash walking to your young pup, you will never find yourself being skijored down the street behind your Rottie as she takes off after an unexpected skateboarder. The keys to teaching good leash walking are a high rate of reinforcement (lots of Clicks! and treats) and very high-value treats, so that it is more rewarding for your dog to pay attention to you than her surroundings (see “Loose Leash Walking,” WDJ November 2000). If you’ve already missed out on teaching this while your pup is small, consider using a head halter to maintain gentle control of your big dog while you retrain her leash behavior (see “Head Halters, Right and Wrong,” WDJ June 2000).

Say Please: Also known as “No Free Lunch” or “Nothing in Life is Free,” a “Say Please” program teaches your dog to ask for all good things in life by offering a sit in order to get what she wants. This prevents her from learning that she can push people around by virtue of her sheer weight and size. You can initially train and ask for the sit behavior, but your ultimate goal is for your dog to offer sits without being asked (see “Sit Happens,” WDJ February 2001). If she is allowed on the furniture, she sits and waits to be invited, rather than just helping herself to the empty space on the sofa next to your visitor. Want to go outside? “Sit” makes the door open. Ready for dinner? “Sit” makes the dinner bowl descend to the floor.

Down: A big-dog lover myself, I don’t understand why some people don’t fully appreciate the joy of having a Newfoundland drool in their laps, but it’s a fact – some just don’t. A big dog is still plenty accessible for an occasional pat on the head if she is lying at your visitor’s feet instead of panting in his face.

Teach your dog that “lying at feet” is a highly rewardable behavior. Give her attention and treats on a variable schedule (sometimes close together, sometimes with longer pauses in between) when she lies down quietly. Give your guests a container full of treats and instruct them to reward the dog on a random schedule, too. Be sure to ignore any demand behavior, such as whining or barking, so the dog learns that the only behavior that gets rewarded is calm “lying at feet.”

Off/Leave It: It stands to reason that giant breeds have easier access to food-bearing surfaces such as tables and kitchen counters. One chance encounter with a roast beef sandwich can turn a dog into a dedicated counter-surfer. In addition to managing your big dog so she never has the opportunity to learn to counter surf, a well-installed “Off” or “Leave It” cue, which tells the dog to back away from whatever she is looking at, can avert disaster when she has that “Mine!” gleam in her eye and is closer to the holiday turkey than you are (see “Off-Limits,” WDJ January 2002).

Sharing With Others: Like so many other things, resource guarding by a large dog can be infinitely more disastrous than the same behavior presented by her smaller counterparts. When your pup is small, teach her that having humans approach when she is eating or otherwise occupied with a high-value possession makes more great stuff happen. When she is eating from her food bowl, occasionally approach and drop a few exquisite goodies into it. Before long she will want people to be around when she is eating (see “Thanks for Sharing,” WDJ September 2001). Caution: If you already have a serious resource guarding challenge with your dog, big or small, you will want to find a positive trainer/behavior specialist to help you modify this dangerous behavior problem.)

Go To Your Spot: A useful behavior for all dogs, this one is especially helpful when you have guests who don’t appreciate super-sized canines. By repeatedly luring your dog to her “spot” or using targeting to send her to it, you can program a gentle “Go to your spot” cue that tells her to go lie down in her corner. If you use a portable throw rug to mark her “spot” you can take it with you – to the dining room during meals, the den for videos, even to your friends’ houses when you and your big dog go visiting.

Give: The last thing you want to do is get into an argument with a big dog over something she has in her mouth. Take the time to teach your dog “Give” by trading for treats.

Most people make the mistake of only taking “forbidden objects” away from their dogs, which can teach the dog to object, since she learns that she’ll never get it back. If you practice “Give” as a regular training exercise with a “legal” toy or chew object, you can repeatedly return the object in question after the dog gives it up for a treat. This way, she learns that she gets two rewards – the first for giving up the valuable object, the second when she gets the valuable object back again. Then, if she occasionally has to give up an “illegal” object that you can’t return to her, it won’t outweigh the positive impact of all the two-reward trades you have done with her.

Bite Inhibition: Dogs bite. It’s a natural canine behavior. Chances are that at some time in your dog’s life, she may feel compelled to bite. If and when that happens, good bite inhibition could make the difference between a dent in the skin and plastic surgery. It could also determine whether your dog lives or dies, since dogs who bite and cause serious injury tend not to live long – especially big dogs who bite.

You can instill good bite inhibition in a pup by gradually diminishing the force of her bite rather than punishing all bites. A puppy naturally learns to control the force of her teeth through playing with her siblings. If she bites softly, without causing undue pain, the other puppies will keep playing with her. If she bites too hard, the pup she is biting may yelp and run away, refusing to re-engaging in play for a time.

You can do the same thing. If your giant puppy bites softly, continue playing with her. If she bites hard enough to cause pain, give a high-pitched “Ouch!” or “Oops!” and walk away from her. After a short time, begin playing with her again. She will learn to control her bite so that the fun can continue without interruption.

Think Positive: If you think it’s a good idea to force confrontations with your large dog, think again. First, it’s not necessary, and second, the bigger the dog gets, the more likely you are to lose. In old-fashioned force-based training, owners were advised to dominate their dogs, and if the dogs offered to fight back, increase the level of human aggression until the dogs submitted. Dogs who refused to submit were labeled “vicious” and “incorrigible,” and euthanized.

It takes two to fight. If you train with positive methods, you never set the dog up for conflict, and you teach her to willingly and happily respond to your behavior requests because good things happen when she does.

Big bother?
If big dogs are such a challenge, why even bother with them? Some people like the look and feel of a big, solid dog by their sides. Many of these folks don’t consider a canine to be a real dog unless they are at least 75 pounds. There is something very comforting about the bulk of an impressively large canine, especially if you alone in a remote location, traveling through an unsavory part of town, or taking your dog for a late night walk in Central Park.

There is also much to be said for big-dog personalities. As a general rule, they are calmer than many of their smaller brethren – it’s a lot of work to haul around that much bulk. Besides – a St. Bernard-sized dog with a Jack Russell Terrier’s energy level probably wouldn’t be around long – who could live with that?

If you want to think big, by all means go for it. Big rewards go along with those big challenges. Just be sure you are ready for the extra large responsibilities that go along with sharing your home and your heart with a supersized canine.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Going Big”

The Right Herbal Remedy For Your Dog

By
Gregory L. Tilford
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By Gregory L. Tilford With new herbal products popping up like weeds on store shelves everywhere, it can be difficult to decide which ones are right for you and your dog. There are herbal remedies for immune system support, cardiovascular health, worms, fleas, nursing bitches, and dogs with urinary problems. Herbal products with cute and clever labels (most of which tell us nothing) have appeared on the shelves of health food stores, pet supply stores, even in mainstream supermarkets. Some of these products are very effective while others are nothing more than gimmicks that serve only to take your money. And as if things aren’t confusing enough, federal regulators currently prohibit even the best manufacturers from making reasonable and valid label claims about the intended uses of their products. I hope this will change soon. An organization of natural pet products manufacturers, called the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), is drafting legislation intended to correct this problem. If it is passed, manufacturers of natural pet products will be able to better educate their customers by permitting limited structure and function claims on product labels. In other words, it will allow natural pet product manufacturers to tell you more about the intended purpose and uses for their products. Until then, the job of learning which products are right for you and your animal companions is entirely up to you. Fortunately, a wealth of herbal information waits in every bookstore, and whether you know it or not, many of the most effective herbal remedies are already at your fingertips. In fact, they may be as close as the kitchen cabinet. Even the most experienced herbalists (myself included) sometimes fail to look in the kitchen when the need for an herbal remedy arises. “Kitchen herbs” seem lackluster – they are not as trendy or sexy as plant medicines with long, exotic-sounding names. Perhaps they just don’t appeal to the mental image of a wise old medicine woman carefully harvesting odd-looking berries from a dark, primeval forest. Nevertheless, some of the most useful and safest herbs for animals are stored in our kitchens. Here are a few of my favorites. Dill Dill is very good for relieving nausea and flatulence, especially when such maladies are secondary to a sudden change in diet, such as when your puppy swipes a tamale from your foolishly unattended dinner plate. The effectiveness of dill in this capacity is largely attributable to the plant’s numerous volatile oil constituents, which exhibit an anti-foaming action in the stomach, much like over-the-counter anti-gas remedies. The highest concentrations of these oils are held within the seeds of the plant, but the dried leaves and stems (the stuff you are likely to have in your kitchen) can be used, too. If your dog is belching something suspiciously reminiscent of what was supposed to be your dinner, and the problem appears to be getting worse, make a tea by steeping one tablespoon of dill seed in eight ounces of very hot water. After the tea has cooled, strain it and try direct-feeding two ounces of the liquid to your companion. If your dog doesn’t like the flavor, try adding the tea to his drinking water. Or if need be, disguise it as “yummy people food” by mixing it with some clear, low sodium broth instead of water. A sprinkling of ground dill seed on his food may also bring about symptomatic relief, but the liquid option tends to be more effective. Fennel Fennel seed represents another option for relief of gastric discomfort. A cooled tea works very well for this purpose; one teaspoon of the dried seeds in eight ounces of boiling water, steeped until cool. The tea can be fed at a rate of two to four tablespoons for each 20 pounds of your dog’s body weight, or it can be added to his drinking water, as generously as he will tolerate. A glycerin tincture also works very well, and allows the convenience of a smaller dosage for finicky animals; 10-20 drops (or more precisely, up to 0.75 ml) per 20 pounds of the animal’s weight, as needed. Fennel is high in vitamins C and A, calcium, iron, potassium, and varying amounts of linoleic acid. It is an especially good nutritional adjunct for dogs whose chronic indigestion cannot be attributed to a specific disease entity. Fennel also helps increase appetite, and freshens the breath – thanks to its antibacterial activity in the mouth – and by minimizing belching. Fennel also has estrogen-like properties, which may explain why the herb has been used for centuries to increase milk production in nursing mothers. Some herbalists find that fennel helps alleviate urinary incontinence in spayed dogs by acting on hormone imbalances that contribute to the problem. Rosemary Rosemary is an extremely useful herb. At the top of its medicinal attributes are nervine, antidepressant, antispasmodic, and carminative properties. These combine to make rosemary an excellent remedy for flatulent dyspepsia and other digestive problems that are secondary to general nervousness, excitability, or irritability. The rosmarinic acid contained in the plant is also believed to have painkilling properties, especially in situations where pinched nerves are suspected. In such instances 0.5 ml (about 1/8 tsp.) of the tincture can be given orally, as a starting dose, for each 20 pounds of a dog’s body weight, up to three times daily. Rosemary is also useful as general cardiovascular tonic, moderating and improving heart function and strengthening capillary structure. A cooled rosemary tea (two tablespoons to a quart of water) serves as a very good, pleasant smelling rinse for itchy skin, and because of the ursolic acid, rosemarinic acid, carnisol, and other antibacterial constituents it contains, the rinse can be very effective for relieving the symptoms of various bacterial infections of the skin. For itchy skin and fleas, cooled rosemary tea can be poured into the coat as a soothing, healing, flea-repellent rinse. Rosemary also has excellent anti-microbial properties inside or on your companion’s body. Scientific studies have shown that it is active against various types of fungi, as well as numerous Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This makes it useful in antibacterial skin and eye rinses, minor cuts and burns, and for fighting infections of the mouth, throat, and the urinary and digestive tracts. Rosemary essential oil is thought to stimulate the nervous system, and may have a worsening effect upon epileptic seizures. Although rosemary in its natural form contains only a small amount of essential oil, it is probably best to avoid this herb altogether if your companion is epileptic. If applied in concentrated form, the volatile oils in rosemary may cross placental barriers and can effect uterine contractions. Therefore, rosemary is not appropriate for use during pregnancy. Sage Sage is an excellent remedy for infection or ulceration of the mouth, skin, or digestive tract. Most of its antimicrobial activity is attributable to its content of thujone, a volatile oil that is effective against a wide variety of harmful bacteria. In the mouth, a strong sage tea or tincture is useful for treating or preventing gingivitis, as well as infection that may be secondary to injury or dental surgery. For mild bacterial or fungal infections, sage tea can be added to drinking water. Make it by steeping one tablespoon of the dried leaves in a cup of near-boiling water. Stir the mixture frequently until it has cooled to lukewarm. Strain out the plant material, but don’t discard it if you are treating a localized gum infection; it can be used as a poultice by applying the wet herb directly to the affected area. If your companion doesn’t like the taste of sage tea, try sweetening it with a little honey (which has healing properties as well). The sweetened tea can be fed at a rate of one fluid ounce per 20 pounds of your dog’s body weight, twice or three times daily. Used in the form of a rinse, sage tea is useful for bacterial or fungal infections of the skin, and is especially wonderful when mixed in equal parts with rosemary and thyme teas. Thyme Most of the medicinal activity in thyme is attributable to the volatile oils thymol and carvacrol. Thymol is a very good antiseptic for the mouth and throat, and useful for fighting gingivitis. In fact, thymol is used as an active ingredient in many commercial toothpaste and mouthwash formulas. Combined with thyme’s infection-fighting qualities are its antitussive and expectorant properties, making the herb useful for raspy, unproductive coughs that are secondary to fungal or bacterial infection. As an antispasmodic, thyme helps ease bronchial spasms that are related to asthma. A glycerin tincture, or an alcohol tincture that has been sweetened with honey, serves well for most internal applications; use one-quarter of a teaspoon (1ml) for each 30 pounds of your dog’s body weight, fed as needed up to twice daily. A cooled tea will work too, provided it has been brewed with near-boiling water to draw out the volatile oil constituents. One teaspoon for dogs, ¼ teaspoon for cats, fed directly into the mouth two to three times daily. For infections of the mouth or as a preventative against gingivitis, the tincture or a very strong tea can be directly applied to the gum lines or infected sites with a swab. A thyme tea skin rinse, made by steeping one tablespoon of the herb in one quart of near-boiling water) is useful for various fungal or bacterial infections of the skin, especially if combined with equal parts of chamomile tea. Chamomile is another kitchen herb that is so incredibly safe and useful, that I’ll devote an entire article to it in a future issue. -Greg Tilford is a well-known veterinary herbalist, lecturer, and author. He serves as a consultant and formulator to hundreds of holistic veterinarians throughout the world, and is CEO of Animal’s Apawthecary, a company that develops herbal products specifically for use in animals. He is author of four books on herbs, including All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets (Bowtie, 1999), which he co-authored with his wife, Mary.

Permanent Markers?

By
Nancy Kerns
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We receive numerous letters from readers who need help with their dogs’ behavior problems. In most cases, we suggest that they consult a trainer; the Association of Pet Dog Trainers is a good resource for locating local trainers who use primarily positive methods, and we list the organization’s contact numbers on page 24 of every issue. Occasionally, however, we ask our training editor, professional trainer Pat Miller, to respond to the reader’s situation, especially if the answer may be of use to many other WDJ readers. The following is one such problem and response

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Help! I have a problem with my Brittany Spaniel urine-marking in my house. He’s 4½ years old, and we have another older male dog, a six-year-old Labrador. We adopted the Lab when he was 1½ and already neutered. We adopted the Spaniel when he was three, and had him neutered six months ago when he was four.

The marking happened once or twice before he was neutered, but has become much more of a problem lately, long after the procedure. He’s not new to our household anymore, so I can’t attribute the marking to a competition between the two dogs.

He always marks at the front door of our house, often when someone walks by, which makes me think it’s a territoriality issue. It’s very hard to catch him in the act and therefore difficult to discipline him.

I’ve tried No-Go (a chemical repellent), and I’ve tried putting our clothing on the spot where he marks to try to communicate that it does not belong to him. I also tried putting a doggie diaper on him when we think he is likely to mark, but that chafes him if we leave it on too long. I took him to the veterinarian to see if he has a physical problem and he does not. This is clearly behavioral.

I want him to be part of our family, so I won’t confine him to his crate or to one room of the house when we’re home and everyone else is together. I know that would control the problem but that’s not the environment I want to create for him or for us.

However, this problem is not only harming our furniture, but also harming the bond between the dog and us; it’s making our home unpleasant!

-Jill Haas
Wilmington, Delaware

Training editor Pat Miller responds:

If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone. A surprising number of dog owners across the country find themselves faced with this challenge at one time or another. In fact, one of my apprentices has been struggling with it, with Newman, a Shih-Tzu/Terrier mix rescue dog she recently adopted. I understand the stress that your Brittany’s behavior puts on your relationship, and applaud you for the commitment you are making to maintain his position as a full-fledged family member.

You have touched on many of the common suggestions for dealing with marking behavior, but I would like to explore some of them further.

You mentioned a veterinary exam, and kudos to you for this. Many behavior challenges have medical roots. It is always important to find these (or rule them out) prior to investing in behavior modification techniques that can’t succeed if the dog has a physical problem that interferes with his ability to perform. You don’t go into detail about what tests your veterinarian conducted on your dog, but some of the things that may contribute to a marking problem are urinary tract infections, medications such as Prednisone that can cause a dog to drink more water, or other medical conditions, such as hyperthyroidism or kidney malfunction, that can cause a dog to drink excessive water and/or urinate more than normal. I will assume that your vet checked for all of these, and more, in your dog’s exam.

You hypothesize that your dog may be responding to the presence of someone walking by the house, which would indicate a possible territorial component – often a cause of inappropriate marking. It may also be that he is trying to get outside to urinate – dogs who soil at the door are often trying to tell us that they have to go out. It is impossible to really look into our canine companions’ brains to know for sure what they are thinking. We can do interesting mental exercises and come up with some pretty good guesses, but to a large degree, the cause, if not medical, is far less important than the cure. I’m going to expand on the often-successful solutions you have already mentioned, and suggest a few new ones for you to try.

Managing the environment
If your dog only marks at the front door, one easy answer is to find a way to routinely block his physical access to that spot, perhaps with one or more baby gates or exercise pens in strategic places. Of course, you may wish to actually modify the behavior, and blocking his favorite marking spot may simply induce him to mark elsewhere, so read on for some more in-depth solutions.

First, if you do manage to catch him in the act, try to interrupt, rather than discipline him. I use a cheerful “Oops! Outside!” interrupter instead of an angry “No! Bad Dog!” Trust me, I know how hard it is to be cheerful when you see your dog lifting his leg in the house, but too much discipline can teach him to do it only when you aren’t looking. That’s not the training goal here!

You are on the right track when you put your clothing on the spot, but you may need to use something more meaningful to him. He may think you and your clothing do belong to him, or are at least community property open for marking.

For starters, be sure you have thoroughly cleaned the area with one of the several products now on the market, such as Nature’s Miracle, that contain enzymes that destroy odor causing bacteria in the dog’s urine. Then try one or more of several different environmental changes to his marking zone. For example, dogs rarely soil their own dens and eating areas, so you might put his bed or food and water bowls by the door.

You can also change his association with the spot by doing training, massage, and play sessions there. Drop treats around the previously soiled area on a random but high-frequency basis. Finding treats gives him something different to think about in that spot.

You can also tether him near the area for short periods, 10 to 20 minutes at a time, to help him think of it more as a living space than a marking zone, and even anchor chew toys near the spot with a length of sturdy twine to further the positive association.

You mention that the doggie diaper you used caused chafing. Did your dog soil the diaper, or stay dry when it was on? If he stayed dry, then this can be an effective management tool for short periods when you don’t feel like supervising him closely. You might also look for a different brand of diaper. There are several on the market and one might fit him better than others. You could also try lining the parts that chafe with a softer material.

I understand why you don’t want to crate him away from the family and agree that this isn’t a productive solution, but you do need to be able to supervise him more closely so he doesn’t have the opportunity to make mistakes. Tethers and leashes are great for this. (See “Tethered to Success,” WDJ April 2001). The leash works fine when you have free hands; the tether is perfect when you are too busy to hold the leash. You can set up tether stations all over the house, so your dog can always be a part of family activities. Of course, he mustn’t be allowed house freedom when no one is home. It is appropriate to crate him for a reasonable period of time during the day when no one is around to supervise, and at night when you are all sleeping. If he would be crated routinely for much more than eight hours a day, you will need to arrange for someone – family member, neighbor, or pet sitter – to come by and let him out for a potty break during the middle of the day.

Housetraining redux
Then, in conjunction with your program of closer supervision, go back to the housetraining schedule you would use for a young puppy (see “Minding Your Pees and Cues,” WDJ December 2001). Take him out on leash, every hour on the hour at first, and reward him for going outside.

After a week with no accidents, increase the time to two hours. After another successful week, go to three hours between outside trips. Any backsliding is a reminder to increase supervision, and a red flag to return to the previous week’s potty schedule. When you get another pee-free week, you can increase the time again.

On the off-chance that his marking at the door is really related to needing to go outside, be sure to install a noticeable signal during this training period, if he doesn’t already have one, so he can let you know he has to pee. If you get excited whenever you take him out for a potty break, he will learn to get excited as his cue to you that he has to go. If you encourage him to bark each time you take him out, he will learn to bark to tell you his bladder needs relief. If you teach him to ring a bell with his nose or his paw (by putting a bell on a string, or positioning a portable wireless electric doorbell where he can reach it) before you allow him to go outside, then that will become his cue.

I know many people who have been successful in stopping their dogs’ urine marking with a combination of behavior modification, closer supervision, and retraining techniques. For example, my apprentice’s dog was determined to be hyperthyroid, and medication for that condition, plus judicious use of a belly-band (doggie diaper) succeeded in overcoming his marking behavior. You sound like you, too, have the commitment to make the necessary effort to be successful. I bet you can do this!

-Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is also a freelance author and Certified Pet Dog Trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is the president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and published her first book, The Power of Positive Dog Training, in 2002.

Securing Seacure

By
CJ Puotinen
-
5
Seacure for dogs is a whitefish derived supplements.
Credit: Boy_Anupong | Getty Images

Can you imagine a food so easy to assimilate that even the most impaired digestive tract absorbs it on contact?

Now imagine that this food speeds the healing of wounds throughout the body, repairs digestive organs, alleviates nausea and vomiting, stops diarrhea, supports the liver during detoxification, reduces the side effects of chemotherapy and possibly helps prevent or reverse cancer, prevents toxemia in pregnancy, rescues newborns from Fading Puppy Syndrome, helps elderly dogs maintain their strength and stamina, helps all dogs recover from chronic and acute illness, stimulates hair growth, reduces urinary tract infections, reduces or eliminates allergic reactions, prevents hot spots, improves mobility, reduces pain, and even enhances the effectiveness of homeopathy and herbal therapies.

That miracle food exists, and dogs love its taste. They should. It’s an odoriferous powder made from fermented fish.

Seacure was Invented to Combat Hunger

Forty years ago, scientists at the University of Uruguay, who were searching under the direction of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for a way to feed starving children, perfected a fermentation technology that predigested fish, creating a highly absorbable protein supplement. Fresh, deep-sea whitefish fillets were broken down by marine microorganisms, then dried to create a fine powder.

During the 1970s and 1980s, physicians in Uruguay and adjacent countries used the formula to save the lives of thousands of premature, underweight, or malnourished infants. In clinical studies, these infants showed significant improvement in weight and immunity factors (globulin and gamma globulin levels) within 30 to 60 days. No premature infants receiving the fish formula developed edema. When other infants developed edema, use of the formula caused its disappearance within 48 to 72 hours.

Uruguayan researchers tested a combination of two-thirds mother’s milk and one-third fermented fish powder for premature infants and found that the fish powder improved assimilation and weight gain. The researchers reported a “most remarkable” disappearance of dysergia (lack of motor control due to defective nerve transmission) in cases of dystrophy. When given to pregnant women, the supplement was also found to be very effective in promoting normal birth weights (preventing low birth weights).

When the fish supplement was fed to babies who were allergic to milk or had other food allergies, their allergic reactions disappeared, along with symptoms such as acute and chronic diarrhea or blood-based immune disorders. Soon physicians were documenting health benefits for patients with all kinds of illnesses. However, when the formula’s key developer died, production stopped.

Donald G. Snyder, Ph.D., then director of a Fisheries Research Laboratory at the University of Maryland and a member of a U.S. National Research Council committee on protein supplements, formed a partnership to obtain the technology and produce the powder, which he named Seacure®.

Seacure, which is made from Pacific whiting caught in the Pacific Northwest, contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and other fish nutrients, but its amino acids and peptides (the fundamental constituents of protein) are its primary healing ingredients.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Proper Nutrition, Inc. is the maker of Seacure® and licences its use in other supplements. Still other supplement makers manufacture and sell similar biologically hydrolyzed whitefish products. All of the product studies and research referred to in this article were conducted using Seacure®.)

Seacure is a Different Kind of Protein

Most protein supplements sold in the United States contain ingredients that can be difficult to digest and assimilate, such as meat, animal skins, milk, eggs, or soy. Dr. Snyder (who recently passed away) felt these proteins were inferior sources for supplements.

“Often,” he explained, “these raw ingredients are contaminated or of low quality, such as rejected eggs or excess milk, or they are processed using harsh physical or chemical methods. Severe drying methods are often used, resulting in a deterioration in the final protein quality. And protein from the byproducts of processing may be of questionable value to begin with. The key thing is the quality of a supplement’s protein and the pre-digestion factor that makes it available to the body.”

All proteins are formed from long chains of compounds called amino acids. The body (both human and canine) can synthesize or manufacture some amino acids, but others are called essential because the body cannot manufacture them and they must be provided by protein in the diet. This use of the word “essential” can be confusing, for many amino acids are necessary for optimum health, but only those that must be provided by protein in food are called essential.

The World Health Organization established a model or ideal balance of the essential amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, tryptophane, and valine) in terms of milligrams of amino acid per gram of protein. The value of the protein provided by Seacure exceeds the model in every category. In addition, the quality of its raw materials exceeds that of other protein supplements, and its assimilation requires no digestive effort from the dogs and people who take it.

Seacure for Dogs

At Proper Nutrition, Inc., the company he founded, Dr. Snyder worked closely with marketing director Barry Ritz in research and development. “We receive many reports from veterinarians,” says Ritz, “indicating that Seacure’s benefits are as dramatic for dogs as they are for people.”

For example, he explains, malnourished, premature puppies have no ability to handle intact, complex protein. Seacure’s predigested protein can literally save their lives. In addition, it nourishes growing puppies, adult dogs, and any animals with malabsorption problems, such as sick or elderly dogs.

“It is no exaggeration,” Ritz observes, “to say that any dog of any age can benefit from Seacure’s high-quality predigested protein. The results, which are cumulative, include everything from improved wound healing to a thicker, glossier coat; a calmer disposition; improved digestion; and improvements in coordination, stamina, range of motion, and athletic performance.”

According to Ritz, veterinarians and dog owners report that doses of 6 to 12 capsules a day cause shaved fur to grow back in record time, broken bones and other wounds to heal quickly, and ailments like allergies, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease to improve or completely disappear. Even dogs with autoimmune disorders like lupus have regained their mobility and appetite. Some owners report pigment corrections or a reduction in an older animal’s gray hairs.

“Seacure also helps dogs with diabetic leg ulcers and other slow-healing wounds. It speeds recovery from surgery, bite wounds, cuts, abrasions, burns, pulled muscles, and sports injuries. Dogs in obedience or agility class are more attentive as well as more efficient in their movements. And dogs with arthritis or joint pain just keep improving,” Ritz says.

Most dogs tolerate Seacure well. Dogs with kidney disease, for which low-protein diets are often recommended, should not have a problem because Seacure is already predigested and does not add stress to the kidneys.

The levels of mercury contained in Seacure are below the threshold of detection in mercury toxicity tests, 0.01 parts per million.

Understanding Detoxification

In our polluted world, detoxification has become a health buzz word. Like people, dogs are said to benefit from supplements and dietary changes that stimulate the removal of chemical residues, stored toxins, and stagnant wastes.

But too-rapid detoxification can be painful as well as harmful. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, confusion, overwhelming fatigue, and skin eruptions such as hot spots often accompany rapid weight loss, the switch from commercial pet food to a raw, home-prepared diet, the use of herbs and supplements that cleanse the liver and blood, the acute phase of any illness, treatment with conventional drugs, treatment for parasites, or exposure to environmental toxins.

We often forget that detoxification is an ongoing body process. It never stops. If the body receives the nutrients it needs to break down and remove waste products well, it maintains itself in a state of health. If the process is impaired, health suffers. Unfortunately, many if not most of America’s dogs are overwhelmed with the ongoing burden of detoxification.

During the first stage of detoxification, the body identifies and separates waste products and toxins from the blood and lymph. Water-soluble material that can be excreted goes to the kidneys. Dehydration complicates the detoxification process, which is why access to clean drinking water is so important for dogs.

In Phase I of detoxification, during which waste products are made water-soluble and sent to the kidneys, the liver uses antioxidants and key minerals such as vitamins A, C, and E, bioflavonoids, selenium, copper, superoxide dismutase (SOD), zinc, and manganese. In phase II, the liver needs glucuronic acid, sulfates from glutathione, acetyl-cysteine, and the amino acids taurine, arginine, ornithine, glutamine, glycine, and cysteine.

When a dog is deficient in either Phase I or Phase II nutrients, backups and spillovers occur. Partially processed toxins traveling through the bloodstream may find a home in fatty tissue, or they may stay in the blood, infect healthy tissue, and cause new illnesses.

Many herbs and supplements are recommended for canine detoxification support, but few address the body’s need for amino acids. Seacure not only fills that gap and reduces the symptoms of detoxification, but also literally heals damaged organs and improves the dog’s digestion. Like people, dogs can suffer from leaky gut syndrome. Tiny injuries to the intestinal wall cause it to become too porous, allowing large molecules of undigested protein, bacteria, and microorganisms to migrate from the digestive tract to the rest of the body, which stresses and impairs the liver, pancreas, and immune system. Leaky gut syndrome is associated with food sensitivities, allergies, hyperactivity, and autoimmune disorders.

Giving meat and other high-protein foods to dogs with leaky gut syndrome or other digestive disorders doesn’t help because the damage prevents the food from being completely digested and assimilated. Seacure doesn’t require digestion, so it allows digestive organs to rest while supplying the amino acids and peptides needed for tissue repair and recovery.

Even dogs who suffer from vomiting, chronic diarrhea, and wasting diseases can usually accept Seacure, which can be mixed with water and administered with a dropper or feeding syringe. Seacure is not yet available as a powder for the convenience of feeding dogs and cats, but most dogs are happy to swallow the capsules whole. Or, the capsules can be opened and the powder sprinkled over food or mixed with water.

Whether you make Seacure part of your dog’s everyday diet or use it for a short time to speed recovery from an illness or accident, Uruguay’s solution to Third World famine problems can help your dog lead a longer, healthier life.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Favorite Remedies Revisited”
Click here to view “Supplements and NSAIDs for Dogs”

A regular contributor to WDJ, CJ Puotinen is also the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats, and several books about human health, including Natural Relief From Aches and Pains.

So Much to Talk About

By
Nancy Kerns
-
1

Months have passed since we’ve run any letters from our readers; our last installment of reader responses was in our October 2002 issue. We really didn’t mean to let it go so long, especially since we’ve received so many informative and thought-provoking letters.

We’ll catch up here, with a longer-than-usual batch of letters that we think you will find most interesting. The letters include responses from several pet food makers on the topic of “secret” manufacturing facilities; additional practical tips on finding good grinders from people who make food for their dogs; and predictably strong opinions (pro and con) from readers and manufacturers about our article about electronic containment systems.

Thanks for all your input. We learned a long time ago that WDJ counts some of the most knowledgeable and passionate canine enthusiasts in its readership, and we appreciate your contributions. Next month, we’ll run letters from some of our frequent flyer readers, who have contributed even more helpful information about air travel with dogs.

———-

As discussed in “Made in a Secret Location” (WDJ January 2003), many pet food companies do not disclose the locations of their manufacturing plants. We discussed (and rebutted) the various reasons that company representatives have offered as justification for this. The most common explanation concerns fears that consumers will shun products that are made by independent, third-party manufacturers.

In our opinion, consumers are best served when they have as much information about a product as possible. At least a few pet food makers agreed with us, and felt compelled to share information about their operations with our readers.


DOG FOOD MAKERS RESPOND
Recently, WDJ published an article that questioned the motives and ethics of all pet food companies that do not readily disclose their outside manufacturing partners. As industry people know, even the largest companies with huge brand names use contract manufacturers for certain products.

What was especially disturbing about the article was that it implied that some pet food manufacturers who use contract producers are not making the foods that they claim to be making, whether due to inadequate equipment or insufficient oversight. The article states that these vague claims are made on the basis of “rumors” from “sources that [the editors] . . . really trust.”

The purpose of this letter is to make it absolutely clear, without doubt or question, that the claims in the article do not and could not apply to Natura Pet Products or any of our outstanding pet foods. Everything that we make is exactly as specified, and our stringent quality management program extends both to wholly Natura-owned manufacturing facilities and contract manufacturers.

Following are descriptions of our current and new dry food and treat manufacturing facilities, including our own organic certified bakery in San Leandro, California, where all of our Innova HealthBar, California Natural HealthBar, and Everyone’s Best Friend treat products are made; our manufacturing partner of nine years in New York, Chenango Valley Pet Foods, where our dry foods are currently made; and our own extrusion plant, currently under construction in Fremont, Nebraska. In the summer of 2003 we will commission this new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, which we feel will establish Natura Pet Products as the premier manufacturer of healthful dog and cat foods.

Natura is moving aggressively forward to support and serve our valued distributors, retailers, consumers, and, most importantly, the dogs and cats that we care for and love.

-Peter Atkins, Vice President
Natura Pet Products
San Jose, CA


We’ve had several inquiries from WDJ readers regarding where our foods are manufactured. Natural Balance Dry Dog Foods are made at Diamond Pet Foods in Lathrop, California, a state-of-the-art, $30 million manufacturing facility that has the capability to include fresh meats.

Our duck and chicken meat is processed locally, and sent to the plant in refrigerated trucks at a temperature of below 38°F. Upon arrival at the plant, the temperature is checked to make sure that it is below 38°F. If it is, it is then taken off the truck and put into a 38°F refrigerated meat inclusion room while it is mixed into dog food, which is within approximately four hours of arrival at the plant.

The plant is completely computerized and has excellent quality control in place. Control samples for protein, fat, fiber, and moisture are taken every 30 minutes.

-Frank L. Cook, Executive V.P. of Sales/Marketing,
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc.
Pacoima, CA


You did a wonderful job with the article on manufacturing facilities. You made many excellent points and, based on your article, we have adopted the policy of full disclosure.

For some time, we had been a little uneasy about disclosing our manufacturer and, as a result, opted not to tell our customers (even when asked). Our main concern in the past was product differentiation between Back to Basics and Eagle Pet Products (our manufacturer).

However, after a long meeting, we decided that the points you made were too sensible to discount. We are proud of our manufacturer and always have been. Thank you very much for making a difficult decision a little easier.

-Nicholas Everett, Director of Sales
Beowulf Natural Feeds, Inc.
Syracuse, NY

———-

We quizzed experienced “raw feeders” about their selection and use of meat grinding machines for the home manufacture of dog food (“Good Grinders,” January 2002). They offered tips on machine purchasing and maintenance, and described what sorts of foods they processed. Below, the retailer of the machines that were most frequently recommended by our reader/experts suggests its tools are being used beyond their capability, and more significantly, beyond the scope of their warranty.


SUCH A GRIND
Please be advised that the meat grinders from Northern Tool & Equipment should NOT be used to grind chicken backs, as stated in one of your recent issues. We have confirmed with the manufacturer that the grinder blade cannot handle this type of application.

-David Chen
Customer Services Manager
Northern Tool & Equipment
Burnsville, MN


I was surprised that the grinder I have was not mentioned in your article. It’s the American Eagle, also from Pierce Equipment (pierceequipment.com or 877-354-1265). I’m so glad I went with it instead of a cheaper one. It has performed very well and two of my friends have bought one for themselves.

-Ellen Pauly
via e-mail


Months ago, I purchased an electric meat grinder from Harbor Freight Tools (harborfreight.com or 800-423-2567) for $20 on sale. It has been an excellent investment, and would be even at the regular price of $40. It’s a 300-watt machine and comes with a sausage maker and two grinding plates as well as a tray and plunger.

While I don’t grind bones (my German Shepherds get their chicken backs and other bones intact) and would be leery of doing so in any machine such as this one that is primarily PVC, it has done a great job with all kinds of meat, garlic, pills, etc. The only problem occurs after cleaning; if you put the cutting blade in backward (easy to do and not obvious), it doesn’t work well.

-Rolf U. Engelfried
Wilton Manors, FL


You guys are mind readers! Often, I think about something and then it shows up in the next issue. I decided to start making my dog’s food – and there was an article on grinders!

Thanks for a great newsletter. I tell people about it all the time. I received a blind advertisement for it and liked it so much that I have subscribed for a couple of years.

-Sandy Berry
via e-mail

———-

The use of electronic collars for training and/or containment continues to be a hot-button issue for WDJ readers. We received an approximately equal number of letters expressing strong support for and strong condemnation of our view that the risks of using electronic containment systems outweigh the potential benefits (“Simply Shocking,” February 2003). No other topic spurs as many reader letters, pro and con, as this one.


SHOCKED!
Your article was not about the use, but only about the misuse of electronic containment products. The Instant Fence has been a blessing to me and my dogs. I own a Siberian Husky. Dogs of this breed are extremely difficult to keep in a yard; they are expert escape artists. Now that we have the Instant Fence, my Siberian can go out by himself instead of being on a leash all the time.

With proper precautions and training, this type of fence can be safe. It’s unfortunate that articles like yours and the lack of proper instructions and warnings from the fence company will probably prevent owners who could safely use this product from being able to view it as an option.

However, these fences are not good for every owner. I would have to agree that the fence companies are not very forthcoming about the realistic use of the products nor do they have very good instructions. Also, this type of fence should never be used when you are not at home. Like any electronic devices they could malfunction.

-Brenda, Atlanta, GA
via e-mail


It might have been more helpful to your readers to have a more balanced article (about electronic containment systems) rather than a string of horror stories about dogs who didn’t respond well or weren’t trained properly to the fence.

My experience with an electronic containment system has been nothing but positive. Our Boxer is less aggressive and rarely barks at passers-by with this fence compared to the traditional physical fence in which he spent his first seven years. It’s not for every dog or family. However, it is a great option for some families, a fact that your article fails to address.

-Angel Vannoy
via e-mail


I can understand why, based on author Pat Miller’s experiences with electronic containment systems, she is biased against using shock collars. She made some cogent arguments that prospective fence buyers need to either counter or deal with. But our experience with the Invisible Fence brand fence is far different from what Miller describes. Our German Shorthaired Pointer learned the system with little difficulty. The product contains her beautifully and she remains the same friendly, gentle, happy dog who now has the run of our suburban yard.

However, we feel that all dogs should have a watchful owner’s eye on them when they are outside, no matter what style of fencing contains the dog.

-Mary Kay Dessaffy and Dan Anthony
Middleburg, OH


I was very pleased to read “Simply Shocking.” I run a Wheaten Terrier rescue and have taken many Wheatens into rescue whose owners said they were aggressive or biting. My first question always is, “Do you have an electric fence?” Without fail, every single dog has stopped the behavior after being removed from the electric fencing. Our rescue now has a “no electric fencing” policy and it is now in our adoption contract that the rescue dogs can never be kept in such an enclosure.

-Wendy Wheaton, Director
S’Wheat Rescues, Inc., Kansas City, MO
wheatenterrierrescue.org


On the surface, electronic containment systems appear to be the homeowner’s answer to containing the dog, a beautiful landscape, and deed restriction compliance. An in-depth evaluation of these devices show them to be far less effective than claimed.

While there are some notable differences in function and hardware, all electronic pet containment systems are based on punishment training – that is, the use of an aversive stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior. In simpler terms, “punishment” is used to create fear in order to prevent a behavior from recurring.

While this approach can possibly be justified in certain applications, its effectiveness is severely limited by its specificity and list of potential problems. Many dogs will learn to run through or otherwise negate the systems. My years in a behavior consultation practice has shown a much more serious issue to exist with a large number of dogs who exhibit both short- and long- term behavior prob-lems, either caused or exacerbated by the intim-idation and strong shock produced by these systems.

Some of these changes are subtle, involving avoidance behavior, fear, and anxiety, while others involve potentially dangerous aggressive behaviors. The most serious of these problems involves a greatly magnified increase in territorial aggression. Some dogs may be temperamentally suited to handle the punishment training, but many are not.

Electronic containment systems are big business. However, I have yet to see one sentence written in their product literature that addresses the unsuitability of these systems for many dogs. I believe it is the responsibility of the marketers of these systems to be more communicative about the products’ potential problems and limitations. A means to evaluate each dog’s suitability – while not an easy task – should also be provided to each owner.

I distribute a handout to my clients that outlines potential problems associated with electronic containment systems, including:

1) They may not work as promised. Equipment failure or improper use (e.g., collar too loose) can render them ineffective. The dog may burst through the barrier in pursuit of something without any forethought, or the dog may simply learn to tolerate the shock and run through the barrier. One mistake could be disastrous.

2) Most of the systems correct the dog for coming back through if he gets out. The result is a dog who doesn’t come back.

3) The systems don’t keep anything out. Dogs should be supervised by an adult whenever outside in an unfenced area.

4) They frighten some dogs to the degree that it affects their overall demeanor. Some dogs will even refuse to go out in the yard or will change their elimination habits.

5) They may create a generalized fear of anything that looks like a training flag.

6) They may create a generalized fear of any new place or location that reminds them of their yard, resulting in a reluctance to “move,” i.e., crossing the electronic barrier.

7) They make some dogs extremely aggressive at the territorial boundary. The dog can’t “get out” but feels vulnerable to a person or animal that can “get in.” Dogs who are already territorial may exhibit an exaggerated response. This aggressiveness can generalize to other situations.

8) The dog may perceive a person or animal on the other side of the barrier as the source of his discomfort, and direct aggression toward this individual if access becomes available.

9) Because aggressive territoriality is generally self-rewarding, the dog may learn to use an aggressive response to other stressful stimuli.

10) The collar can be activated by other equipment on the same frequency, shocking the dog without warning or reason.

11) The collar probes can cause physical injury to the dog’s neck if the collar is left on for long periods of time.

12) The dog may start exhibiting compulsive displacement behaviors such as rubbing its face on the ground.

13) Those who use remote trainers may find that an electronic fence may negate their effectiveness by creating a negative “place” response.

There are always alternatives for those who choose to reject an electronic barrier. I strongly suggest that each owner objectively evaluate the facts, their dog, and their specific situation before making a decision.

-Steve Robinson, owner
Common Scents Canine Center
Ortonville, MI

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