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Signs That Your Dog is Suffering From Spinal Problems

By
Katie Margason-Moore
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[Updated July 17, 2017]

Bogey, my 15-year-old Australian Shepherd-mix walks funny. He paces, moving his left legs and his right legs together in the same direction when he walks. Instead of moving in the standard gait pattern of the canine walk, where the dog’s diagonal legs move nearly in unison, Bogey shuffles along like a little old man cross-country skiing down to the mailbox.

He hasn’t always paced. I can’t remember exactly when he first began adopting the pace, but it’s been a few years. When I finally noticed it, I attributed the eccentric gait to his mellow, ambling temperament, and his ripe old age of nearly 15. Then I learned better.

In a normal walk pattern, each of the dog’s legs move individually in a four-beat gait, with the diagonal pairs of legs moving nearly together. For example, the left hind and the right front legs move forward almost together, with the left hind paw landing a fraction of a second before the right front paw; then the right hind leg goes forward closely followed by the left front. If each footfall of the paws on the ground made a noise, you’d hear a nearly constant, even rhythm: 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4.

pacing dalmatian

However, many dogs adopt a “pacing” walk, where the lateral pairs of legs move together, with the lateral pair of right hind and right front moving forward and backward at the same time, and the left hind and left front the moving together opposite them. As in a normal walk, the hind foot may strike the ground a fraction of a second before the front foot on the same side to produce a four-beat rhythm with a little hiccup in the middle (this is sometimes referred to as an “amble”), but many others swing their left and right legs together in a synchronous 1-2, 1-2 beat.

Who cares? Well, for one, conformation judges care. Pacing in the walk gait is considered undesirable in the conformation show ring in many breeds, including the Weimaraner, Collie, and Labrador Retriever. Others, such as the Old English Sheepdog, English Springer Spaniel, and Neapolitan Mastiff, have an inherited proclivity for the gait, and are not penalized for its appearance in the show ring.

But canine chiropractors and other physical therapists who work on dogs look upon any sudden onset of the pacing gait as a warning sign – an indication of something anatomically amiss.

Why Do Dogs Pace?

Dogs can pace for a variety of reasons, some innocent, some ominous. Conformation, age, weight, fatigue, and injury all can play a part in causing dogs to move unilaterally at some point in their lives. Dogs of a certain breed and size may pace naturally throughout their lives (see Natural Pacers, below.)

“Each dog is very different,” says Suzanne Guyton, DC. In 25 years as a human chiropractor and an American Veterinary Chiropractic Association-trained practitioner for dogs, cats, horses, and other companion animals, the California-based Guyton has seen many variations of the pacing gait. Dr. Guyton stresses how important it is that dog owners take into account many factors when assessing their dog’s pacing gait and trying to determine if it’s a result of genetics or degeneration – or both. “Herding dogs of all kinds tend to pace,” she says, “but it can be further complicated by spinal injury and degeneration.”

“It could be health-related,” agrees Linda More, a professional handler, judge, and breeder who works at the American Kennel Club’s headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. More administers special programs, such as judges’ education, for the AKC. Injury may be one reason that some dogs suddenly show an inclination to pace. “It could be some sort of injury or discomfort that no one has identified yet,” says More. “Sometimes it’s a clue that something isn’t quite right.”

However, More also hastens to mention that there are other physical explanations for the sudden onset of pacing in a dog. “It could be condition, where the dog simply isn’t in very good physical shape,” she explains. “It could be that the dog has exercised to the point where it drops into this gait as a resting gait, as some of the wild canids do. It could be structure, where the dog simply is not in good balance structurally. One of the things that we might look at in the show ring, if it’s a breed where we really do not want them to pace, is whether the angulation of the forequarters is not quite in balance with that of the rear quarters. The dog may compensate by preferring to pace.”

In the case of young dogs – especially large breeds – the pacing may be a way of coping with uneven growth. Puppies tend to grow in stages. The front end grows tall, then the hind end catches up, and pacing may be the animal’s way of compensating during a gangly and awkward, but otherwise healthy, time of physical growth.

Still other dogs adopt a pacing gait as a way of matching their handler’s slower gait. At a recent Rally Obedience competition, we observed numerous dogs who paced alongside their handlers, who were not walking fast enough for them to trot or even for a four-beat walk. These dogs seemed to prefer to pace in order to best match the speed of their handlers’ gait, especially when gazing intently at their handlers as obedience dogs are encouraged to do.

Natural Pacers: No Cause for Concern

It’s important to keep in mind that there are some breeds where pacing is actually the preferred gait of the dog when moving slowly.

The Old English Sheepdog is one breed where pacing is considered a desirable trait – not a show-ring faux pas nor sign of trouble. Bred to drive large flocks of sheep over long distances, Sheepdogs developed a type of pace – also called an amble and variously described as a ‘shuffle’ – that would allow them to conserve energy as they made slow treks across long distances. “The (walk) pace can have several speeds,” the AKC’s Linda More points out. “Some dogs will do it slowly as a walk; some dogs do an amble, which is like a four-beat version of a pace.”

The Sheepdog’s size – large-breed dogs are more prone to pacing – and shortbodied conformation lends itself to comfortable, natural pacing.

Check the breed standard for your dog. Most breed descriptions will include information regarding the dog’s desired gaits, including whether pacing or ambling is common or undesirable.

Pacing and Physical Pain

While it’s comforting for some owners to know that there are dogs who will pace naturally throughout their lives, the owners of mature dogs who suddenly begin pacing when walking at liberty (as opposed to on-leash, while matching their handler’s pace) would be wise to investigate further. A dog who begins to adopt the gait after years of a “normal” walking gait may be suffering from a physical problem.

At one end of the scale, the trouble could be as simple as fatigue. “In a perfectly normal, healthy dog, the pace can be used as a resting gait, sometimes called a fatigue gait,” says Linda More. “If you have a team of sled dogs that has just done 50 miles, by the time they finish they are not as fresh as when they were when they started. They might drop into a pace because apparently it requires less exertion.”

Physical problems can come in the form of illness, too. “Pain from some source should be considered as a possible trigger for pacing behavior, especially when there is no apparent imbalance in structure,” says Mary Lou Sandvik, who shares her La Puente, California, home with the Papillons she breeds and exhibits. Sandvik was once asked to evaluate a young dog that had recently started pacing. After watching the dog in the ring and later at liberty, she noticed that he seemed generally uncomfortable. While the Papillon’s owner was unaware of any injury, she, too, agreed that the dog appeared to be in pain. The next day, a veterinarian discovered the dog had Valley Fever, a serious infectious disease endemic to parts of California and Arizona. The young Papillon was considerably uncomfortable and required aggressive treatment, but a few weeks later was back to normal – and no longer paced.

Even more seriously, pacing can definitely be a sign of injury, points out Diana Thompson, who specializes in helping dogs and horses with movement and behavior problems using massage, acupressure, and other physical therapies. “It’s a gait pattern that, to me, can mean spine and muscle trouble.”

Thompson, who is based in Fulton, California, goes on to explain that gait patterns such as pacing may often be a sign of pain, injury, and physical degeneration. Pacing is a deep survival mechanism, as evidenced by dogs who pace in order to expend less energy. It’s also a way to avoid discomfort, maintains Thompson. “They’re taking the path of least resistance. If your knee is stiff, you just swing from the hip. You don’t even think about it – you just start altering your gait pattern to protect the knee.”

In order to illustrate this point in the animal massage classes she teaches, Thompson has participants try walking same-sided, their right arm swinging in the same direction as their right leg. “In order to propel your right arm and right leg forward at the same time, you’ll see that you freeze up the whole spine,” Thompson explains. “There’s no pelvic tilt, or open and shut; there’s no undulation of the spine.” Without the normal tuck and open of the pelvis, the spine becomes essentially one big stick, with the legs shuffling independently below – nature’s magnificent way of minimizing pain and discomfort by immobilizing the back.

Because dogs twist so much when they work and play (as opposed to larger animals such as horses), they are predisposed to lower thoracic problems. Many dogs develop a pacing gait pattern in order to avoid putting stress on an already injured part of the body. “Then the injury heals, and they’re still stuck in that pattern,” says Thompson. This pattern can then go on to debilitate other parts of the body such as hips, hocks, or stifles, and the cascade of physical problems has begun.

Such was the case for one young Golden Retriever who survived a fall out of a second-story window, suffering an injury that healed but left the dog with a legacy of physical problems. By the time his owners came to Thompson for help, he was dragging a foot and shuffling badly. Thompson saw that the initial injury had healed, but the Golden continued to compensate for it with a pacing movement; his neurological system had become thoroughly patterned to this motion.

Thompson used one of her most trusted tools – ground poles or a similar substitute – to help the dog. In the Golden’s case, a garden hose substituted for poles because that’s what was available to the owner. “I had the owner lay out the hose in a snaky pattern, and then walk the dog slowly over the hose, so that his pattern (of shuffling and pacing) was interrupted. He had to differentiate that he had legs and just couldn’t shuffle them along the ground without picking them up,” Thompson explains.

Signs of Spinal Problems in Dogs

Pacing can also be an outward manifestation of some sort of structural and/or neurological dysfunction. Spinal troubles are often the culprit – the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There’s a variety of things an owner can use to help a dog with spinal degeneration, including massage and bodywork; chiropractic care; acupuncture, acupressure, and moxabustion (using heat on acupuncture points); herbs; and flower essence remedies.

Because spinal abnormalities can have such a profound effect on an animal, Dr. Guyton stresses the importance of identifying the cause of an abnormal gait. “Have a veterinarian check the dog, and then have a chiropractor check the spine,” she suggests.

Thompson agrees. “The muscles and the joints of the spine that are frozen up don’t just control movement, they affect the inner organs. The nerves that run through those areas – whether it’s the joints of the spine or the adjacent muscles – they get pinched and limit the nerves that go down and communicate with the stomach, the large intestine, the bladder. Then the dog starts to have internal organs that are weaker and weaker because they don’t get nerve information and communication from the brain.”

Dr. Tim Grund, a chiropractor from Santa Rosa, California, concurs that gait pattern changes can be a window into the neurological workings of an animal. “Literally, the spine is the house of your life blood,” he states emphatically. “It’s part of your central nervous system, an extension of the brain. The spinal cord comes down from the brain stem, and the brain stem is an extension of the brain, and the nerve roots come out of the spinal cord and run out to innervate the organs and the muscles.”

Hands-on Care for Pacing Dogs with Spinal Trouble

Bogey, our sweet, reserved Australian Shepherd cross, has worn a neat little path around our house. Every morning and every afternoon, the gentle old guy shuffles along the bare dirt ring we’ve started calling “Bogey’s loop.” At almost 15, Bogey’s nearly blind and deaf; his hind end is weak and wobbly, and even his sense of smell seems dull, so this path is important to him. It’s security in a world that’s slowly going dim.

Bogey’s pacing gait seemed attributable to age, spinal degeneration, and related neurological deficits. But it wasn’t until I started researching pacing that I decided to learn more about why our beloved old guy had developed such an odd way of walking, and what I might do to help him.

I made an appointment with massage therapist Diana Thompson, who spent a morning with Bogey and me. What I expected to learn and what I came away with were two different things. Our session with Thompson taught me some lessons about healing – and love.

My expectations: Thompson would tell me that Bogey was really far-gone. Totally messed up. A physical nightmare. And I would have to feel even more guilt that I hadn’t done better by him. But with a busy life – two other dogs, two cats, three horses, a husband and young children to be concerned with, I just didn’t have the time to give Bogey hours of massage or to ferry him around to chiropractor appointments.

We were all settled on the floor of a carpeted room where Bogey could rest comfortably and move about without having to negotiate our dreaded, slippery hardwood floors.

As Thompson began touching Bogey, he grew extremely worried, guarded, and fearful. “He has some thoracic issues,” she said. “His back is really frozen. His lower back is roached (rounded).” The pacing gait allowed Bogey to immobilize his own back in order to reduce discomfort. We speculated that the pain and inflammation in his thoracic region might have been the result of an old injury; Bogey had exhibited sensitivity in this part of his body since he had joined our family at the age of eight.

“Massage might be too invasive,” said Thompson to my surprise. “I think chiropractic would be the best start for Bogey,” she continued. Because Bogey had built up such a barrier to touch, he grew anxious and fearful when Thompson first attempted to work on him. Then it dawned on me that I had touched Bogey less and less as he had aged. As he became older, I felt sadly disconnected from him.

Thompson gave Bogey a flower essense remedy called Rescue Remedy, to help him settle down; she also prepared a second combination remedy of Mimulus, Red Chestnut, and Walnut in order to help alleviate his fears and worrying. We agreed that it would be best to proceed with me doing the massage work and Thompson instructing.

“Remember how astonishing it is that he’s 15 and is doing so well,” Thompson said, impressed by how vibrant Bogey’s life force seemed to be. The warmth in Bogey’s hindquarters signaled to her that he still had heat or life in his hind limbs – a sign that his hindquarters were not quite as disconnected as I had pictured.

For a dog of very advanced age like Bogey, our goal was simple: To make him feel more comfortable. In this sense, she encouraged me to do “any type of touching” that Bogey would accept. “Start with places they like. It’s wonderful if you have training in massage and acupressure, but people who love their animals can work on them intuitively.”

I started out by holding my cupped hand just a few inches above his back – over the second and third lumbar joints. Here, I was to work on an acupressure point called Guardian Vessel Four, also known as “The Gate of Life.” Without even touching Bogey, Thompson said the energy of my hand would help wake up Bogey’s neurological system. “Start slowly,” she encouraged. “The electrical field doesn’t stop at the skin. Just touching with warmth, heat, and energy opens the neuropathways.”

Somewhat overloaded by the Reiki-style work we were doing, Bogey left us frequently, suddenly getting up to walk into the kitchen and look suspiciously back in our direction. “Always allow him to walk away and take breaks,” said Thompson. “It’s disconcerting to the owner, but important to the dog.”

But Bogey did return, a sign he was beginning to enjoy the work. Next I focused my fingers on his sternum. Slowly, I moved down the sternum, gently placing my fingertips between the ribs. This was a non-threatening way of working with the troublesome thoracic joints at the top of the ribcage.

Bogey started to relax. At this point, I had done a total of about three minutes of touch work on him. Then he got up again and walked into the kitchen, this time without pacing. His hindquarters were squarely underneath him – his movement reminiscent of a younger Bogey. “Just two or three minutes,” said Thompson. “That’s as simple as it has to be. You’re just trying to wake up their neurological system.”

We quit on that note, Thompson explaining that Bogey’s body would continue to integrate the changes we had helped bring about. She further encouraged me to also massage Bogey’s ears, the base of his tail, and to use my hands to gently suggest a bend and lift to Bogey’s ribcage. This, she says, is part of the overall goal: To wake up the body and remind Bogey’s brain that there is a whole dog there.

The most important – and least expected – result of the session was that it gave me permission to touch Bogey again. I saw that he was not aloof; he was guarded – and he needed my help. By working with him gently, with respect, intuitively, and with love, it would be possible to help a very old dog feel just a little bit better. “If we can give them just five percent of their bodies back,” said Thompson, “that’s a lot.”

Time for Assessment?

Given that there are several innocent reasons for a dog to pace, as well as a number of ominous ones, it’s important to determine whether your dog’s tendency to pace at the walk is related to the former, the latter, or a combination. Again, there is a big difference between a dog whose breed has a predilection for pacing and who has paced regularly throughout his life, and a dog who has recently begun pacing. If your dog has begun pacing in the aftermath of an automobile accident or sports- or play-related injury, or has begun to display other signs of back pain (a reluctance to jump into the car or up onto furniture, trouble negotiating stairs, etc.), a visit to your veterinarian is in order. In addition, a reference to a veterinary chiropractor, or a veterinarian who specializes in sports medicine, would be well worth the investment.

Most health practitioners agree that anything a dog’s owner can do to assess a problem and offer some physical support can go a long way in helping dogs who display injury-related pacing. Whether they use simple home massage or a more comprehensive approach including chiropractic care, “I’ll bet you’d be surprised at how much they could get back,” says Thompson. “A little bit does an unbelievable amount toward making these dogs more comfortable.”

Katie Margason-Moore is a freelance writer based in Sonoma County, California. Her family includes dogs, cats, horses, children, and an understanding husband.

Whole Herbs: A Holistic Look at Dog Care

By
Randy Kidd
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“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” –Yogi Berra Yogi’s take on giving directions is about as enlightening as the directions most herbalists try to give clients. The problem with herbalists is that, when they initially came to Yogi’s fork in the road, a good many of them chose the wrong way. Can’t say I really blame them, though. Because most herbalists are trying so desperately to pass through the gates guarded by the false gods of our newest pseudo-religion, Science, they’ve been listening only to the whispers of the deities who claim to know the “One and Only Right Way.”

Let me explain. Every practicing herbalist, early in her career, comes to Yogi’s fork in the road, and, based on her background and training, or on her desire to be among the “Enlightened and Accepted,” or on her intuitive feel for the road, she begins her path by following Yogi’s admonition and she takes one or the other of the forks. Hypothetical fork “A” Let’s trail along as our herbalist chooses fork “A.” Next to this pathway we see a brilliantly colored sign that looks suspiciously like a full-page drug company ad seen in any peer-reviewed veterinary journal. The sign says simply, “Our Way, The Only Way.” Looking down, she sees that if she chooses this path, she will walk on the flagstones marked, “Scientific Principle, The Way of Enlightenment.” Down this path she will be able to see herbs only in terms of their biochemistry. She will be led to believe that by pulverizing an herb and isolating the biochemicals it contains, she will be able to determine how it works to help her patients. If she is a devout follower – but one who thinks for herself – she may question how anyone, even a Great Deity of Science with the most powerful computer in the world, could possibly categorize the countless biochemicals contained in one herbal plant; how she could then take this array of biochemicals and analyze the many ways each of them interacts with the patient’s body (and mind! and spirit!); how she could then decide which one or two of the biochemicals were the most important to the treatment of the patient’s condition; and then, finally, how she could possibly put all this together and come up with a way to extract precisely what the patient needs and be able to give it in the correct milligrams-per-pound dosage. Where her questioning may lead her, we can only guess. We do know, though, she will encounter at least one major obstacle along her path: The Boulder of Scientific Methodology, which recognizes only double-blind studies performed in the United States as valid indicators of an herb’s efficacy. She will not be able to budge this boulder, a rock so firmly entrenched that it is actually worshipped by the Great Deities of Science. It’s much like an iceberg – there is more rock hidden than there is above ground. Being a persistent herbalist, she may dig into the dirt that surrounds the boulder. Digging there, she’ll discover that, although the Great Deities of Science would have us believe that double-blind studies (supposedly the “gold standard” of scientific methodology) were passed to us as firmament from above, they’ve really only been around since the late 1950s. If she continues to dig, she’ll discover that a double-blind study is nothing more than a form of evaluation whose purpose was supposed to remove examiner bias, though it does nothing of the sort. In fact, when put under true (unbiased) scientific scrutiny, double-blind studies actually enhance or increase examiner bias. In other words, while double-blind studies may be helpful in some instances, they give us no better evaluation of a drug’s (or herb’s) efficacy than many of the other methods of evaluations that have been used throughout history. What’s more, if our herbalist has the courage to dig further into the true underpinnings of the boulder’s foundations, she will come to the realization that the most consistent benefit of double-blind studies is that they make it easy for drug companies to make their products appear more beneficial than they really are. We can only wonder how the thinking herbalist on the “Our Way, The Only Way” path will react as she unearths this information. Hypothetical fork “B” Back at Yogi’s fork in the road, let’s follow a second herbalist as she takes the other fork. This herbalist has only a small sign to point her way. The sign, painted in green, says, “nature’s way.” On this pathway our herbalist will find that further signposts are her patient’s results, good or bad. As she becomes more experienced, she will learn which of the signposts are reliable and which are not – just by listening to her patients as they describe how they feel during and after the herbal treatments . . . and by critically reading the accounts of millions of herbal users over many millennia. On this pathway our herbalist will constantly receive hints from the surrounding woods – hints of how the totality of the herbs are more potent than the sum of their biochemistries. The trees and plants themselves will speak to her: “Look,” they’ll say, “There is a synergistic effect among our biochemistries.” She will come to realize that herbs are safest when used whole; most herbs contain many chemicals that act bi-directionally – one chemical causing one reaction in the body; another causing the exact opposite reaction, and the two being utilized by the body as need be, to meet its present needs. Traveling a pathway through the woods and over the grassy hillsides, our second herbalist will observe firsthand this and many more of nature’s unexplainable miracles. And, as she develops her ability to observe, she will come to accept the magic of the herbal essences she uses. If she can learn to open her heart to her inner intuition, she may be able to sense and understand the teachings of the spirit of the Green Beings, the spirit that Native Americans and other indigenous peoples initially relied upon to teach them how to use the herbs correctly. While our herbalist may be extremely curious about the “scientific” workings of the herbs, she will also be aware that, using scientific logic, she may never be able to fathom all the interactions between the biochemistries of the plants and the various biochemistries and physiology of her patients. And, if she ever does come to one of the boulders of the Great Deities of Science (the double-blind study, for example), she will likely view it with curiosity . . . and simply walk around it. After all, it’s patient response that’s important, not her ability to prove how the herbs work in a manner accepted by the Great Science Deities. Where is this storyteller coming from? Now that you’ve taken both of Yogi’s “forks in the road,” you might ask, which one have I taken? Actually, when I came to the fork in the road, I respected Yogi’s advice . . . and I took both paths. Remember that I am, first of all, a twice-over scientist (DVM and Ph.D), so I am fully aware of the benefits of science and scientific methodology. However, I never accepted science as my theology, and being an observant scientist (and I hope an unbiased one to boot), I’ve come to recognize some of the shortcomings of science. First of all, there is simply too much substance to each herb to be able to measure all of it with any methodology. Accurate measurements of any herb would entail evaluating hundreds of biochemicals, each interacting with each other – then each of these interactions having myriad effects on the physical body of the patient, some of them additive or synergistic, others balancing or bi-directional in effect. To try to diminish all these chemical interactions down to one or two biochemicals that are supposedly the “active ingredients” of the herb is impossible. When we try to use a reductionistic scientific paradigm to evaluate herbs, the only folks who benefit are the drug companies who want to trademark the extracted biochemical so they can sell it at a profit. In my experience, using whole herbs rather than a concentrated amount of one or two of their extracted biochemicals results in a less pronounced (and therefore less severe) reaction in the patient (that’s a good thing!). Because the individual herb is a mix of many biochemicals (often in minute amounts), I don’t have to worry too much about such scientific things as the correct dosage of the herb in milligrams per pound. In fact, I’ve found (following the lead of many other traditional herbalists I know) that very small doses often work as well as (or even better than) a dose that would represent the “recommended dosage” according to those still following scientific dictum. Furthermore, the herbs I’ve found the most helpful are almost always the herbs that have been used by millions of people, across cultures, throughout the centuries of recorded history. These are not necessarily the herbs that have been “validated” through extensive, scientifically oriented studies, nor are they the most “media-popular” herbs of the day. On the other hand, as a scientist, I have studied the herbs with a critical eye. I know which ones have been scientifically validated and which ones have not. I know which ones have been reported to cause adverse reactions, and I know which of these adverse reactions were caused by a concentrated biochemical of the herb rather than by the whole herb. And, in my practice, I tend to be conservative in my approach: I try to recommend herbs I am comfortable with after I have observed many patients’ results, and after I have read the published literature reviews. Furthermore, I am now teaching graduate courses at a university whose focus is energetic medicine, and our students are in the process of scientifically validating much of what we have long suspected about the energetics (or the Spirit) of a variety of the “alternative” medicines, including herbs. Finally, the more I am involved with herbs and other alternative medicines, the more I realize there is definitely something more to any format of medicine than we’ll ever be able to measure. With herbs it may be the “spirit” of the herb, or it may be the intention of the practitioner, or it may be the focus of the universe through the herb, accessed by the clarity of the healer. Whatever it is, it has the capacity to create deeper and more profound healing than anything else I’ve ever been associated with. In summary: I think science is wonderful, and I know it has given us much to be thankful for. However, I don’t worship it. Nor do I worship herbs, although my association with them is much closer to a spiritual level than is my belief in science. As a practitioner with a foot in each of Yogi’s forks in the road, I try to access all the scientific know-how I can. The herbal portion of my practice has always been pretty much a “seat of the pants” herbology, following scientific principles when they apply and following the spirit of ancient and traditional herbology when that applies. And finally, I am now realizing that the more open-hearted access to Spirit and the spirit of the herbs I am able to generate, the better I am becoming as a holistic practitioner overall and a herbalist in particular. -by Randy Kidd, DVM, PH.D Dr. Randy Kidd has a DVM degree from Ohio State University and a Ph.D in Pathology/Clinical Pathology from Kansas State University. He is a past president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, and author of Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Dog Care and Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Cat Care.

A Few Enlightening Books on Positive Dog Training

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Whether or not they think about it, most people who care for dogs have at least a vague notion of what they consider cruel or humane treatment of a canine companion. Definitions vary wildly, however. Some people have no compunction about smacking or yanking their dogs in an attempt to make them behave as they would like them to. Others may completely eschew the use of physical force on their dogs. The definitions of “cruel” or “humane” treatment tend to reflect an individual’s own experiences and conscience — which may be completely divergent from the societal norm.

In 2001, two separate books were published with the express purpose of enlightening dog trainers and dogs owners about the range of training methods available, and understanding the differences between them. The two books were conceived from the same origins, but developed into very different – and differently useful – documents.

In August, the Delta Society, founded in 1977 and based in Renton, Washington, published its Professional Standards for Dog Trainers: Effective, Humane Principles. As the title indicates, the Delta Society intends for the book to provide guidelines for professional dog trainers. And in early September, the American Humane Association, founded in 1877 and based in Englewood, Colorado, published its Guide to Humane Dog Training, which, in their words, “introduces dog owners to the use of positive reinforcement in training, a highly effective method that rejects the use of force and strong punishment.”

With great interest, we followed the evolution of the projects, from their origins in a single committee, through an editorial split, and into two separate book projects produced by two different organizations. We also reviewed the finished products. Was there really a need, we wondered, for two different publications purporting to guide trainers and dog owners in the art and science of humane training?

We concluded that each book, in fact, does provide meaningful assistance to dog trainers and owners, and that each will play an important (and slightly different) role in helping people and dogs to live peacefully together.

Why training guidelines are needed
While it can certainly be argued that dog owners – like parents or guardians of children – ought to be guided by carefully thought-out definitions of cruelty and humaneness, dog trainers have a professional responsibility to examine their own definitions and behaviors very closely. When they accept payment to either train a dog or to teach a person to train a dog, their ideas, attitudes, and methods represent a model of “correct” training. Many people who attend their classes will automatically accept whatever they do (or advocate doing) to a dog as acceptable training practice.

However, there is no universally accepted “code of conduct” that guides the actions of dog trainers. There is as much variation in trainers’ opinions about cruelty as there is in the general population. And unfortunately, sometimes this results in a legal matter. There have been cases – including a number that were publicized last year – in which trainers have injured or even killed clients’ dogs in the process of trying to train them. In several of these cases, courts were called upon to determine whether the trainer’s treatment of the dogs was criminally cruel or inhumane; in others, distraught owners brought suit against their former trainers, seeking compensation for damages done to their dogs. In still others, owners did nothing, convinced by the trainer that the tragedy was a rare and unfortunate by-product of the application of necessary training methods.

Courts generally rely on their state-defined cruelty statutes – and the interpretations of those statutes made by the prosecution and defense attorneys – in order to decide whether the trainers prosecuted in cases such as these are criminally cruel or negligent. The courts may also hear evidence concerning what is “standard practice” in the field.

And there lies the rub. There are so many diverse training methods and philosophies employed in the field of dog training, that it’s sometimes difficult to build a case against a trainer for clearly cruel and inhumane acts, even ones that result in dead dogs. In at least one such case, in which a dog suffered permanent brain damage from his trainer’s methods, the trainer was acquitted because the methods used were described in a popular and best-selling book about dog training. In the absence of a published and credible resource to the contrary, the court accepted that the methods were standard practice in the dog training industry and found the defendant not guilty of the cruelty charges.

Paradigm shift
In the 1960s and early 1970s, most, if not all, professional dog trainers believed that it was acceptable (and perhaps necessary) to administer pain and punishment – at least to some degree – in order to teach dogs to behave.

This philosophy was perhaps most famously espoused in books written in the 1960s by trainer William Koehler, who outlined his methods of using leash corrections, scruff shakes, and alpha rolls among other punishment-oriented training techniques. Koehler also described force-based methods such as hanging (lifting a dog off the ground with the leash and choke chain) and helicoptering (swinging the dog around in the air with the leash and choke chain) for dogs who weren’t getting the picture with less-physical techniques. Acceptance of these methods was nearly universal in that era; one of Koehler’s books was even selected as “Best Dog Book of the Year” by the Dog Writers Association of America. And some trainers still regard force-based training as useful and acceptable.

But over the past 15 years or so, the dog training profession as a whole has experienced a significant paradigm shift, with most trainers moving noticeably toward the more positive, dog-friendly end of the training continuum. A growing cadre of trainers believes that the use of physical force or harsh verbal punishment is rarely, if ever, necessary or appropriate (and WDJ promotes that view). The majority of trainers are somewhere in between, moving away from the use of force and toward more positive training programs, but still willing to resort to physical or verbal punishment and other aversives in varying degrees when a training challenge arises that is beyond their knowledge or abilities to resolve with positive methods.

Proposing guidelines
In recent years, a number of trainers have expressed interest in creating an industry standard that describes which training methods are acceptably humane and which are not. The impetus for this discussion was, in part, disappointment and anger stemming from the inability of the courts to hold trainers responsible for injuring or killing clients’ dogs. Also, as dog trainers have become increasingly educated about their business, and as dogs themselves have become more valued and integrated into human society, some trainers felt it was high time for the development of a document that would help professionalize the industry.

In 1998, the American Humane Association, with funding from the Delta Society, launched an ambitious project to create a credible resource that would challenge the “standard practice in the industry” defense and help hold abusive trainers accountable for their actions. The AHA wanted to provide industry guidelines for trainers as well as for the judicial system, and support the position that violence to animals in the name of training is unacceptable.

The AHA convened national working committees of more than 40 animal training professionals from around the globe. Those groups attended a facilitated meeting at the 1998 annual conference of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where they were divided into five subject areas: Mission and Ethics; How Dogs Learn; Equipment and Its Use; Business Practices; and Instructor Skills. Each group began by defining their topic area in a concise statement of core principles, and then created a set of standards – testable guidelines – against which trainers could compare their conduct. The intent was to provide a framework for effective, humane training based on the principles of animal learning, and specifically on the behavior of dogs.

However, as the project came close to completion, a number of the trainers who had helped develop the content reviewed an early draft – and felt it had strayed from their original vision. Ultimately, the AHA and Delta each took the unfinished project to different individuals for completion, and in the fall of 2001, not one, but two very different documents were released – one from each organization. While both are based closely on the work of the committees, the two are markedly different.

“Professional Standards for Dog Trainers”
Delta Society’s 42-page softcover book is titled Professional Standards for Dog Trainers: Effective, Humane Principles. This book comes closest to fulfilling the original goals of the project. It faithfully reproduces the work of the committees in a narrative enhanced with clear graphics and charts. It is a no-nonsense, well-organized, “just the facts” document that dispassionately defines and describes various tools, methods, and practices for the professional dog trainer.

The content adheres to scientific principles of learning, and “endorses the use of non-aversive training techniques and presents alternatives to primary use of aversives.”

While it rigorously avoids taking a position on recommendations for or against specific pieces of dog training equipment, the appendix offers a list of acts that are “not part of any humane dog training program, due to their potential to cause lasting harm or severe distress.” The list includes acts such as biting a dog, throwing a dog against a solid object, sharpening the prongs on a prong collar, repeatedly or forcefully hitting a dog with any object to a point of inflicting pain or injury, repeatedly pinching or squeezing sensitive parts of the dog’s body, use of shock on sensitive parts of a dog’s body, hanging, helicoptering, drowning or near-drowning, choking, intentionally jerking a dog off his or her feet, and more.

Delta’s Professional Standards is well-written, scientifically accurate, and laudable for its clear rejection of some of the abusive techniques made popular in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it is likely to disappoint some of the most dedicated positive dog trainers by its failure to take an emphatic stand against the use of some tools, such as electric shock collars, that have a high potential for being applied abusively. Trainers who regularly use such tools, and dog owners who resort to them, often without thoroughly exploring positive alternatives first, may well use this document to defend their punishment-based training choices.

“Humane Training Guidelines for Dog Owners”
Rather than educating dog trainers, the AHA’s Guide to Humane Dog Training is written for dog owners. It only very loosely follows the material developed by the original project’s working committees, and has been supplemented with a lot of additional information about canine behavior and training advice. The booklet is longer (57 pages), and contains less white space, includes numerous photographs (many of them borrowed from WDJ) and certainly addresses an important niche in the training book market. It could have benefited greatly, however, by the gentle hand of a skilled editor, both technically and grammatically. Readers who are disturbed by poor grammar may be irritated by the multitude of awkward sentences and violations of grammatical rules found in this book.

Even more serious are the abundant factual errors that are scattered throughout the text. For example, the book claims there are three methods used to teach dogs to repeat or stop performing behaviors – positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment. In fact there are four principles of operant conditioning used to increase or decrease a behavior: positive and negative reinforcement, and positive and negative punishment. The distinction between positive and negative punishment is an important one, and one that AHA’s book has completely overlooked.

To the dismay of many trainers, this book also perpetuates the “Lassie myth” with statements such as, “Dogs have a seemingly innate desire to be close to humans . . .” Animal behaviorists have long observed that dogs have no innate desire to be close to humans at all – we must carefully cultivate that desire by energetically teaching young puppies and dogs that humans are the source of all things wonderful. If we don’t, we end up with dogs who are unsocialized or undersocialized, or even worse, feral.

Unfortunately, there are many more examples of factual errors in the AHA document. It is disappointing that an organization with the long-standing presence and reputation of AHA would not take a little more time and effort to confirm the veracity of the book contents.

On the other hand, AHA comes out with clear statements in the section on “Equipment and Its Use,” making bold pronouncements about which tools it recommends and which it does not. Many positive trainers will be pleased to see that AHA gives an unequivocal “not recommended” to choke collars (unlimited slip collars) and electric shock collars.

So, we like some aspects of each book. The Delta book is far more accurate and more completely accomplishes the original mission of the project by providing a credible resource for trainers and prosecutors in their attempts to protect dogs from abusive training methods, but is not likely to appeal to Jane Q. Dog Owner. There is a crying need to reach the public market as well, which the AHA book could do.With some minor corrections and revisions, AHA’s book could be extremely valuable, with broad appeal to a huge market of the dog owners who are, in the end, the consumers who drive the market demand for more positive training methods and trainers.

We applaud the publishers of both books for their efforts.

 

-by Pat Miller

Pat Miller is a freelance writer, author of The Power of Positive Dog Training (2001, Howell Book House), and a professional dog trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Focusing in On The Main Ingredients in Commercial Dog Foods

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Commercial dog foods today contain anywhere from two to dozens of main ingredients, as well as vitamins, minerals, preservatives, and other additives. People have become sensitized to the presence of certain ingredients that have a bad reputation – some deservedly, some not.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the “controversial” ingredients in dog foods. We have included several ingredients that we’ve seen pet food manufacturers either hype (in the case of ingredients they use) or denigrate (in the case of their rivals’ ingredients). We’re not going to address the hype, pro or con, but just tell you the facts.

Alfalfa

This leguminous plant is a source of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, and several important minerals. It contains some protein, but not enough to be a major source at the levels used in dog food. Its use in dog food is probably mostly for market appeal. Alfalfa is considered a tonic herb, and has mild laxative and diuretic properties. In dogs with kidney disease, it may be best to avoid alfalfa, since it may contribute to dehydration.

Antioxidants
This seems to be the “additive of the month,” and many dog foods are now specifically listing their content of various antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and so on. While the benefits of antioxidants to humans has not been conclusively demonstrated by studies, what all experts do agree on is that people should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables – the dietary source of many natural antioxidants. Since most of us are feeding primarily heat-processed commercial dog food to our canine friends, and little if any spinach salad, it may indeed be a good idea to supplement those doggy diets with healthy, helpful antioxidants.

Are the amounts now being added to those bags and cans enough to do any good? Well, they won’t hurt anything, but if you’re really serious about a healthy diet, a vitamin C supplement and a nice alpha-tocopherol supplement is probably the way to go. (Alpha-tocopherol is the only one of the eight tocopherols that the body can use as an antioxidant; the others are used by some manufacturers to preserve the food in the bag, that is, outside the body.) Some dogs also love carrots, and if your dog is one of them, that’s a bonus – carrots provide a nice crunchy tooth-cleaning action along with a bunch of beta-carotene.

Canola oil
Poor canola oil has gotten a very bad rap, mainly from a single article that has been widely propagated on the Internet, featuring extensive fear-mongering allegations. The plant from which it comes, rape (Brassica napus), is a member of the mustard family, along with other Brassica siblings such as the eminently edible cabbage, broccoli, turnip, horseradish, and watercress. The correct name for the product is thus rapeseed oil; the word canola derives from “Canadian Oil,” and was substituted many years ago to avoid the unpleasant connotations of “rape.”

Ordinary rapeseed oil contains a high percentage (30-60 percent) of toxic erucic acid, but in the 1970s, rapeseed varieties with a low erucic content were introduced. Canola oil now contains only trace amounts of this compound, if any at all. Canola oil is lower in saturated fat than other plant oils, and higher in monounsaturated fat than any except olive oil. It contains more Omega-3 fatty acids (10-15 percent) than any other plant oil except flaxseed. The major downside is that most canola being grown today is a genetically modified (GM) product.

Corn/ground yellow corn/corn meal
The main corn product used in dog food may be listed as any of these terms. There is nothing wrong with corn per se as an ingredient, as long as it’s free from mold contamination (major manufacturers routinely test incoming batches for the most common fungal toxins). Corn tastes good, and provides bulk, calories, nutrients, and texture to dry dog food. However, there are at least three potential problems with corn and corn products in dog food.

1. Because corn does contain protein (mainly in the gluten), dogs can develop allergies to it; however, this is relatively rare.

2. The presence of corn products (particularly if they’re high on the list of ingredients) may indicate that corn has been used instead of a more expensive alternative. For example, corn gluten meal is a concentrated source of protein that can be substituted for costlier animal protein. It is low in some essential amino acids such as cystine and methionine, but these are then added in a purified form to make up the difference.

3. About one-quarter of the corn produced in the United States today is GM.

Corn gluten meal
This is an extract of the high-protein gluten fraction of the corn kernel. It is usually listed separately from “corn.” In many bargain dry dog foods, corn gluten meal provides a large proportion of the total protein in the food. It can cause allergies in some dogs. Our main objection is when its use displaces higher quality, more digestible forms of protein such as meat.

Chicory, inulin, FOS
These little items are included in dog food to promote “colon health” and its population of “friendly bacteria.” The colon, or large intestine, is the site of water absorption, protein breakdown and absorption, and other important functions. It is definitely important to keep the cells lining the colon happy. These ingredients do provide certain beneficial nutrients as they’re broken down by colonic bacteria. They won’t hurt anything and may actually do at least a little bit of good.

Glucosamine and chondroitin
These anti-arthritis ingredients enjoyed a brief popularity spurt in late 2000, but on the shelves today, few foods include them on their labels. Glucosamine sulfate (or hydrochloride) and chondroitin sulfate are both components of cartilage. The point of taking them orally is to increase their concentrations in the joint (synovial) fluid, thus nourishing the cartilage, which has no direct blood supply and must get its groceries from that fluid.

There has been considerable debate about whether or not these compounds are absorbed into the bloodstream from the gut, and even if they are, if they ever make it into the joint fluid. The upshot seems to be that glucosamine is very well absorbed, chondroitin less so.

While human studies have shown that taking high amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin can be beneficial in arthritic patients – reducing pain and enhancing mobility – here are no studies showing a preventive effect. That is, feeding glucosamine and chondroitin to a normal dog has not been shown to prevent the development of arthritis. Given that the stated purpose for using them in dog food is to “support” or “promote” healthy joints, this claim seems specious. In fact, when I asked a major premium food maker for citations of research supporting their use of these compounds, all the studies they sent were done in people who already had arthritis. Moreover, at the minute levels of these compounds in dog food, it is unlikely that they have much of an effect at all, except to enhance the market appeal of the food.

There is one other sticky fact about glucosamine and chondroitin – they are not approved ingredients, and so far, no manufacturer has petitioned AAFCO to obtain approval. For this reason, when these ingredients first made their appearance in dog food, at least three states promptly slapped “stop sale” orders on the food. This is rather a big deal to the manufacturer, who is temporarily prohibited from selling that food in those states. However, promises and politicking by the manufacturer got the orders lifted. The state officials are waiting for FDA to take a position on the use of these ingredients; meanwhile, most manufacturers appear to have stopped using them.

Soy
The soybean is a very nutritious, high-protein legume that is grown primarily for livestock feed, but is also used in some dog foods. Dogs reportedly lack an enzyme needed to break down part of the carbohydrate content of the bean, and therefore large amounts of soy in the diet may cause gas and flatulence. However, there is not, and never has been, any scientific evidence linking soy to bloat in dogs. Vegetarian dog foods are commonly soy-based, and many dogs do very well on them. Soybeans are relatively high in fat, but “soybean meal” has had the oil and most of the moisture removed. Soy is another agricultural product that has spent a lot of time in a lab – more than half of all soy grown in the United States in 2000 was GM.

Wheat
Like corn, wheat contains gluten, a protein-rich fraction that can cause allergies. Bear in mind, however, that very few dogs ever develop a true food allergy. The vast majority of allergic reactions in dogs is to airborne allergens that the dog inhales, like pollen or dust mites. Most food reactions are due to a food “intolerance,” rather than a real allergy. In that case, wheat is no more likely than any other food ingredient to be at fault.

Yeast
A single-celled fungus, yeast is a tiny powerhouse of protein and B vitamins. If added to the food after the cooking process, it also provides live enzymes that can aid in digestion. Most dogs love the taste of yeast, making it a desirable dog food ingredient. As usual, however, the protein can serve as an allergen in sensitive dogs.

Yucca schidigera
The natural saponins (soap-like compounds) in the yucca, a desert plant with long spiky leaves and waxy white flowers, are thought to have steroid-like anti-inflammatory properties. Yucca has been used for generations by Native Americans and folk healers for both rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis. Again, whether or not a food maker can (or should) include therapeutic doses of yucca in their products is highly debatable. However, yucca is also used in pet food to reduce fecal odor which – much to my pleasant surprise – it does quite well (although it is technically not “approved” for that use).

 

-by Jean Hofve, DVM

Dr. Jean Hofve is a holistic veterinarian with a private practice in Colorado. Dr. Hofve is also a contributor to Whole Cat Journal.

Can Dogs Eat Garlic? Yes, in Small Quantities

By
Nancy Kerns
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142
Dogs can eat garlic provided it's in small controlled amounts.
Dogs can eat garlic and it can have benefits provided the amounts are carefully controlled.

Can dogs eat garlic? Well, one dictum for dealing with an ailing dog is to make sure he doesn’t get sick in the first place. And one way to achieve that noble end is to feed him a maintenance dose of garlic, a “wonder herb” that has a long list of beneficial effects for the dog in your life.

Garlic has antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. It can be used as an anthelmintic (deworming agent). It acts as a potent expectorant (helps bring phlegm or mucous up and out of the airway). It can lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots. And it can support the formation of good bacteria in the digestive tract.

For the latter reason, it is “absolutely brilliant” when given to dogs following treatment with conventional antibiotics, according to Hilary Self of Somerset, England, founder of Hilton Herbs, an international supplier of herbal supplements for horses and dogs. Self calls garlic the best-known and most widely used herb in the world.

In the U.S., garlic is commonly fed to dogs due to its reputation for repelling fleas and ticks. The sulfur in the garlic is excreted through the dog’s skin, keeping fleas at bay. This is clearly a benefit, according to Self. But it’s not garlic’s most valuable attribute. Given garlic’s many powerful applications, it might be difficult to say which one is.

Garlic’s gifts

Garlic, that is, Allium sativum, is a humble little plant and a member of the lily family. It grows all around the world, and it looks unimpressive, at least from on top of the soil. Underneath the ground, it develops a bulbous root, which breaks up into teardrop-shaped sections called cloves. The many benefits inherent in the roots become apparent after the plant is dug up and harvested.

People have eaten garlic to improve their health for centuries. Ancient Egyptians are said to have worshipped garlic (its virtues were described in inscriptions on the Cheops pyramid), and regularly fed it to their slaves to keep them strong and free of illness. Hippocrates (460 B.C.) is believed to have used garlic to treat uterine cancer. There are records of Chinese doctors using garlic as early as the sixth century (500 A.D.) More recently, Native Americans used garlic as a remedy for earaches, flatulence, and scurvy. The forefather of antibiotics, Louis Pasteur, studied garlic extensively and found it highly effective at killing bacteria.

Modern uses for garlic

Garlic’s magical properties have not escaped modern researchers. Recent studies have proven that garlic can lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure and raise the levels of anti-clotting factors in the blood. Other studies suggest that garlic can prevent and eliminate heavy-metal poisoning. Scientists have demonstrated that garlic can slow the growth of certain types of tumors. Garlic has even been shown effective in treating opportunistic infections in AIDS patients.

Humans, of course, have shared their good fortune in exploiting this powerful and beneficial herb with their animal companions. Garlic is good for dogs, as well! Dogs seem to be able to benefit from garlic in many ways.

Perhaps garlic’s chief use lies in its ability to promote general wellness. While herbalists discourage feeding daily doses of garlic (or any other herb) year-round, in most applications, experts recommend feeding garlic three to five times a week for a period of a month or two, followed by a reduction or elimination of the dose. Careful observation needs to be maintained. If the sparkle goes out of the dog’s eye, just begin the garlic again.

How to feed garlic to dogs

The most important ingredient in garlic is a substance known as “allicin,” which is formed from a combination of two enzymes found separately inside garlic cloves. The first, “alliin,” is a nonvolatile, odorless sulfur amino acid. When a clove is cut (or chewed), alliin comes into contact with another enzyme called “alliinase.” Combined, the enzymes become allicin, a pungent, volatile sulfur compound that gives garlic its distinctive taste and smell.

Allicin is unstable; it converts into other compounds if it is not stabilized during manufacturing. Heat, in particular, drastically reduces allicin yield. Due to intense competition in the market, most companies that make garlic supplements for the medicinal benefits for humans monitor the amount of allicin in their products. Many state their stabilized and standardized allicin yield on their packaging. If you feed dried garlic, whether in a powdered or granulated form, the important thing is to get garlic that has not been heat-treated.

Fresh garlic is the least expensive option and is the most potent form of the herb. But not everyone is willing to spend time chopping it up for their dogs to eat, and not all dogs will eat it, even if it is mixed into their food. You may have to experiment a little to determine which form is most palatable for your dog. The fussiest eaters may benefit from pure, cold-processed garlic oil, which several manufacturers produce in gelatinous capsules.

Begin with a low dose, introducing garlic in increasing amounts over a week or two until you are feeding the entire dose. According to Self, an average dose of garlic for large dogs should be about one fresh, crushed garlic clove per day. If you feed pure, cold-processed garlic powder or granules, the equivalent is about a half-teaspoon. The suggestion for medium-sized dogs is half a clove (or 1/4 teaspoon of powder); for small dogs, give just a quarter clove (or a pinch or two of the powder).

As with any drug or herb, it’s important to watch for any sensitivities particular in your dog’s body. While garlic is safe for dogs to eat, every dog’s dietary restrictions are different. Some herbalists say that a high daily dose of fresh garlic, given for long periods of time, can deplete the intestinal flora. If the condition you are treating is seasonal, or if the treatment is successful, slowly decrease the dose after the dog improves and maintains the improvement.

-by Nancy Kerns

A Few Dog Products We Missed

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Often, after we have reviewed a certain type of product, we get calls, letters, and e-mail from Whole Dog Journal readers telling us about similar products that we did not review. While we do not – and cannot – test every example of a product concept, when we learn about an exceptional or unusual one that we missed, we like to bring it to your attention. The following are a few notable additions to our product reviews from the past year.

Likeable leashes
Way back in February, we reviewed long lines – extra-long leashes that can be used to help teach a dog to come (“Know Your Lines”). White Pine Outfitters has quickly leaped to the top of our list of favorite suppliers of long lines. After we tested their wonderful product, we tossed out all our others. The White Pines long lines are costly but well worth the price; the soft, supple, and strong tubular webbing used makes them exquisitely gentle on the hands. In addition, they don’t tangle easily or pick up undue amounts of debris, and they dry quickly even after soaking. If you use a long line for any purpose, you will want one (or more) of these.

The innovation in Aspen Pet Product’s “Comfort Leash” does not lie in the six-foot nylon leash but in the handle: A padded fabric handle made to be worn comfortably around the wrist, with another padded section that is grasped in the palm of your hand. The handle also features a small pocket for a key, poop bag (unused), or a tiny supply of dog cookies.

We like the concept, and found the padded leash handle very comfortable, if a bit warm in hot weather. However, the leash part of the product is made of the lowest-quality nylon we’ve ever seen in a leash: thin and rough. We can’t recommend this product as-is, but if Aspen Pet were to improve the quality of the leash, they’d have a real winner.

Here’s an interesting concept – a Flexi-lead that your dog carries for you! The Click-3 Collar Leash is a retractable 20-inch leash that can be clipped onto your dog’s collar for him to carry when you want to let him off-leash. When you want to put him back on-leash, you simply press a button that releases the plastic casing from a clip that stays fastened to his collar. The Flexi-leash retracts into and out of the casing, which doubles as the handle of the leash. It sounds bulky, but it’s small enough for you to grasp in your hand. To let your dog off-leash, you allow the leash to retract all the way, and then snap the handle/casing back onto the clip on his collar.

This product does have some shortcomings. The maker claims it can be used on well-trained dogs up to 110 pounds, but we’re not confident we’d want this to be our only restraint on a strong puller of any size. And while the handle is comfortable in the hand, it is easy to drop if the dog pulls.

Another drawback is that the leash clip fits only on flat collars that are one inch wide or narrower. Small as it is, it might be too bulky for a very small dog to wear clipped to his collar. Also, the product may also attract the attentions of a habitual chewer; we found our Scottie happily chewing on the handle when our back was turned. Because of the potential for getting chewed, the Leash Collar should not be left on dogs unattended, nor is it suitable for group play environments such as dog parks.

With these caveats in mind, we like it as a handy emergency leash for well-behaved dogs – perfect for temporary restraint during a beach jog, for example.

Car safety restraints
In May 2001, we reviewed car safety belts for dogs (“Safest Canine Seat Belts”). Following that review, two products we had never seen before were sent to our offices for review. We examined and tested the products on our dogs, using the criteria of safety, comfort, ease of use, quality, and cost.

We absolutely love the Safety Seat Vest Harness made by Four Paws Products Ltd. This moderately-priced harness is well designed and constructed, with medium weight soft nylon straps and reasonably sturdy plastic buckles and metal fittings. The fleece-lined yoke that rests against the dog’s chest oozes comfort, and the large size fit our 75-pound test dog like a glove. The Vest Harness can also be used as a comfortable walking harness by attaching the leash to the D-ring at the top of the harness.

Our favorite feature is the simplicity of the design and the ease with which it can be put on the dog. Without even looking at the package instructions, we got it buckled properly onto our test dog on the second try.

The Safety Seat Vest Harness does have a couple of flaws, however. Because the seat belt passes through the harness loop, if he pulls gradually on the harness the dog can move about in the car more than we would like. With the exception of old-fashioned, fixed seat belts, or the fixed belts sometimes found in the middle of the back seat, most modern seat belts will yield and lengthen in response to a gradual pull, just as they do when you move around with your seat belt on. Our top pick of previously reviewed seat restraints (the Doggie Catcher) solved this challenge by buckling directly into the seat belt clip receptacle.

There is also the question of product strength and car safety. As the manfacturer of another seat restraint (the Roadie, mentioned in just a moment) pointed out, we did not conduct laboratory tests to determine the tensile strength of the various seat restraint products. The maker of The Roadie claims that its tests determined that very few canine seat belts come anywhere near meeting the requirement of 5,000 pounds for human seat belts; The Roadie, the maker claims, offers 6,675 pounds of test strength.

Again, we don’t do laboratory testing, nor do we slam on the brakes to test the product in automobile accident conditions. But the Vest Harness appears to us to be up to the job of securing our dogs in the car.

Ruff Rider Products, LLC, is the maker of The Roadie, which is another harness-type car-safety restraint device. According to Rough Rider, The Roadie beats all the other canine car seat restraints on the market in the strength department, and we’ll go ahead and take their word. There is more to a car restraint device than strength, however, and The Roadie falls quite short in several of the other criteria that we examined.

For starters, it is extremely challenging to put on the dog! We are reasonably intelligent, but this harness had us tearing our hair out. Putting it on without instruction was out of the question, and even with help of the printed instructions we failed miserably. Finally, with the help of the instructional video also provided in the packaging (!) and one very patient dog, we succeeded in putting it on. Total elapsed time, 40 minutes. With an uncooperative dog or an owner who is less than agile and dexterous, it would have been impossible.

Also, once on the dog, the harness didn’t fit well. It gapped under the legs, and there were strap ends flapping. Of course, we could not find a size indicated anywhere on the packaging or the harness itself, which the manufacturer sent to us, so perhaps the one we had was just too large for our tester – except that we couldn’t get it on our next-size-up dog at all. The unlined straps also have the potential to chafe the dog’s armpits. Ruff Rider does sell another model that is lined with sheepskin to prevent chafing, but it sells for a prohibitive $75!

We don’t discount the importance of a product that is strong enough to do the job, but if a device is too complicated for the average dog owner to decipher, it won’t get used. If Ruff Rider put more effort into making this product user-friendly, it would rate more WDJ paws. A car restraint harness won’t do you or your dog any good if it’s at home in the dog supply drawer.

Basic rubber ball
At least one more ball bounced its way into our mailbox, and it’s one that we couldn’t pass up.

We have to admit, we have yet to meet a Kong product we didn’t like, and the new Kong Ball is no exception. This is your basic red rubber ball, but made of Kong’s trademark solid, puncture resistant, natural rubber. It is 2.5 inches in diameter, so is suitable only for small to medium-sized dogs. Our most reliable toy tester, a diehard ball enthusiast/Scottie, was so excited about it that he couldn’t wait for us to get it out of the package – he grabbed it up, cardboard and all, and we had to retrieve it from him to release the ball from its packaging.

Our only caveats about recommending this ball are ones we repeat for any toy: Remember that its safety depends in large part on appropriate size for your dog, as well as your own dog’s propensity and determination to chew objects into tiny bits. Although the rubber is tough, it’s not indestructible. Take the ball away from your dog if his oral attentions are causing wear and tear. And make sure that any ball you give your dog is size-appropriate so he cannot get it stuck in his throat.

Finally, the Kong Ball is a hard, solid object, so if you throw it for your dog, and your arm is strong but your aim is off, you could deliver a pretty hard “thunk” to your dog’s head or body. Now, go play ball!

-by Pat Miller

Letters: 11/01

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Solid Gold Ingredients
Solid Gold is not only the best commercial food I can find to feed my dog, but also the only commercial food I will feed my dog. So I was somewhat dismayed to see (in “Top Canned Foods,” October 2001) you list ingredients in the “Lamb, Brown Rice, Barley & Carrots” formula that I was certain it did not contain, chiefly, turkey – which my dog is allergic to. I ran to check the label of the can I had fed that evening to my dog, and discovered that you had apparently made a mistake. Or did Solid Gold change the formula?

-Robin Gilroy
New Jersey


JUST when we thought we had created the first-ever error-free chart of canned foods, this. We’re sorry; the two-page chart we ran last month contained a LOT of minutiae, and we tried so hard to get every little thing right. But we blew it on the ingredients of the Solid Gold food, by listing the ingredients of their “Turkey, Ocean Fish, Potatoes & Carrots” food instead. Solid Gold’s canned “Lamb” food does not contain turkey. Both, however, are great foods. Did we mention that?

We are particularly sweaty over this error, since last year we reported an incorrect phone number and Web address for the company. And it’s the food we feed our dogs! We couldn’t be sorrier for the error.

Download the Full October 2001 Issue

By
Nancy Kerns
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Whatever Works

By
Nancy Kerns
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We talk a lot about complementary health care practices here at WDJ: chiropractic, herbal remedies, acupuncture, and so on. But we don’t discriminate against modern veterinary medicine. Not at all.

It’s true that we’re sometimes critical of some modern veterinary medical practices; we often hear about doctors who do little but dispense the holy trinity of modern pharmacology – antibiotics, steroids, and vaccines – and refer anything that fails to respond to these to specialists. When all you have is a hammer, the saying goes, everything looks like a nail.

We also fret about doctors who are insensitive to the side effects of their treatments; there are many times when dogs might be better off with less-effective, but less-harmful treatments.

The underlying mission of this publication, however, is to discuss and promote whatever works to improve the health and happiness of dogs, while doing the least harm. We find that the healing arts that are aimed at gently affecting the body’s own self-healing processes seem to work in a quietly effective manner. But we also celebrate the marvels of technological and pharmacological innovations that allow veterinarians to diagnose and treat conditions that slower, gentler healing methods wouldn’t be able to address in time.

Most of all, we discuss methods that complement each other to provide for the most effective and least harmful treatment. The case history that appears on page 16 of this issue is a perfect example of this. It’s about a dog who required a major surgery in order to get around – and who recovered to perfect soundness with the help of physical and aquatherapy, supplements, stretching, and so on.

Believe me, I practice what we preach. My 11-year-old Border Collie, Rupert, had a major health crisis last month – a sudden attack of cardiac arrythmia. He was walking toward me in our backyard when suddenly he started staggering and then sat down hard, panting. I ran to him, and could immediately feel that his heart was pounding like it was going to pop out of his chest. I rushed Rupert right down to the emergency veterinary clinic, not entirely certain he would survive the 15-minute drive down the freeway.

A veterinary technician took one look at Rupert’s white gums and rushed him into the back of the hospital. They gave Rupert oxygen as they hooked him up to a heart monitor, and quickly administered some drugs to slow his heart. Twenty minutes later, they had his heart rate under control, although the rhythm was still whacky. With printouts from the heart monitor in hand, the veterinarian was able to tell me what Rupert’s condition was called – ventricular tachycardia – but we would have no idea of what caused it without further tests.

Long story short: Rupert is doing fine, and taking a pill twice a day that keeps his heart rate and rhythm steady. After a couple of days and a couple thousand dollars’ worth of diagnostics at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California at Davis, we now know that Rupert’s heart and all his other organs are in fine condition, and he does not have cancer or any strange infections. In other words, we still have no clue as to what caused the arrythmia. But, thanks to modern medicine, we have it under control.

I’m supposed to take Rupie back to Davis in a few weeks, to take him off the medication while being monitored. If his heart goes whacky again, then he goes back on the medicine, probably for life. If his heart stays steady, we’ll cross our fingers and hope for the best. In the meantime, under the guidance of a veterinary herbalist and with Rupert’s cardiologist’s blessings, I’m starting him on a herb that is supposed to help regulate and strengthen the heart. And I’ll keep you posted about how he’s doing.

-Nancy Kerns

Could Your Dog Be Breathing In Toxins in Your Home?

By
Nancy Kerns
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Many of us breathe a deep sigh of relief when we leave the high-stress work, school, or social world behind and walk into our familiar, comfortable homes to be happily greeted by our canine companions. But few people realize how potentially dangerous those breaths can be – those and every other breath you and your companion animals take in your home.

While we often consider our homes as sanctuaries – places of peace and safety – we may actually be living in danger zones filled with toxic airborne chemicals. Many of the building materials and housekeeping substances we use in our homes are air pollutants, capable of causing acute and long-term damage to our health, as well as the health of our dogs. We are only rarely aware of indoor air pollutants in the air we breathe – and many people are completely unaware of the potential damage that diminished air quality has on the health of every animal (including us) breathing that air. In fact, our companion animals are even more vulnerable than we are to the damaging effects of indoor air pollution.

It’s in the air

When chemicals evaporate into the air (the scientific term for this is “volatilize”) at room temperature, they become part of the air we breathe. When volatile organic compounds (VOCs) become airborne, they can influence the health of any animals (including humans) in the home. Elevated temperatures (during warm seasonal periods, or when indoor heating units are engaged) and humidity can release even greater quantities and numbers of the chemicals into the air, thereby increasing the number of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) in our “breathing space.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “indoor air pollution poses high risks to human health, especially sensitive populations, and has ranked among the top four environmental risks in relative risk reports.” Studies show that indoor air in homes is, on average, two to 20 times more polluted than the outdoor environment. Most people are shocked to learn that it’s not unheard-of for indoor chemical concentrations to rise to as much as 100 times the outdoor air concentration! But even at much lower levels we find TVOCs to cause the onset of chronic disease in both humans and animals.

Today, we are seeing new causes and mutations of disease as a result of the rapidly expanding development of the synthetic chemical industry. A study by the EPA found a staggering 900 chemicals commonly present in the home environment – from dry-cleaned fabrics, shampooed carpets, household cleaning products, foam in upholstery, carpet glues and pads, to perfumes and colognes. Between 150-200 chemicals are considered to have the potential to cause cancer and genetic mutations.

Effects of exposure
This “soup” of synthetic chemicals can affect multiple body systems and is cited as causing health-damaging effects to the musculoskeletal system, upper respiratory tract, nose and sinuses, immune system, digestive system, heart and blood vessels, endocrine system, reproductive system, central nervous system, internal organs, and skin. These diseases are directly linked to the presence of these chemicals in the indoor air environment.

Our reference data comes from animal laboratory studies and human exposure incidences in homes, office environments, and industrial settings. Some of the exposures are from acute, high level exposures of toxic substances (particularly in industrial settings and animal laboratories), while others are from chronic, low levels. Exposure to low levels of chemicals can cause allergic sensitization of the airways in animals, indicating the weakening of systems, and further reducing the animal’s ability to cope with the increasingly polluted indoor environment. It is these chronic, low levels of chemicals that we are addressing in the indoor home environment.

The common organic compounds found in our homes have many known health-damaging effects, even in low levels. While many have the potential to cause emotional disturbances (a depressed central nervous system resulting in low energy, depression, and decreased appetite) in our animals, it is the mutagenic (mutation-causing), teratogenic (fetal damage-causing), and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) properties that are the most impairing and life-threatening.

The most prevalent health effects from exposure to chemicals are skin diseases (dermatitis), respiratory impairment (irritation, sensitization), neurotoxic effects (adverse effects on the central nervous system), and cancers from long-term exposure, along with a number of diseases affecting specific organs such as the liver and kidney. The degree of health impairment is very much dependent on the level of exposure, its duration, and the individual exposed.

Of course, all individuals – human or animal – display varying levels of sensitivity to airborne pollutants. By the early 1990s, 15 percent of the human population had already developed heightened sensitivities to chemicals, according to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). It is unknown what percentage of our canines experience chemical sensitivities, but we do know, that like humans, dogs with strong, healthy, immune systems will be less susceptible to the toxic overload than dogs with chronic disease (such as hot spots, ear infections, allergies, asthma, diabetes, thyroid, intestinal, urinary problems).

Some dogs (with strong immune systems) may live in homes with chart-topping levels of air pollutants, and not visibly display signs of poor health. On the other end of the scale, other dogs may immediately suffer acute distress – such as asthma, anxiety, depression, itchy, runny eyes, or severe skin irritation – from the introduction of any new or existing toxic chemicals in the home. But because most people have a generally low level of awareness of indoor air quality and its potential affect on their dogs, even if a dog does show signs of sensitivity, few people can make the connection between the signs and their true causes. And long-term exposure to even very low levels of toxins can cause insidious and deadly effects.

Pesticides pose special risks
Of the approximate 200 such chemicals currently known to cause cancer in humans (with many more known to cause these disease states in animals), pesticides are among the most serious. Pesticides are designed to kill, and do not discriminate. Pesticides are commonly found in pet products for dogs such as flea collars, flea powders, shampoos and dips, carpet treatments, house foggers, and even some pet foods. Chemicals found in these products include organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, synthetic pyrethroids, petroleum distillates, synergists, petroleum hydrocarbons and aromatics, including xylene and xylene range aromatic compounds.

Chlopyrifos (Dursban), an organophosphate insecticide, is one of the most prevalent compounds in pet products. Due to the health-damaging effects of Dursban, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a phase-out in pet products for 2001, and has added Diazinon to follow suit. Chlopyrifos causes peripheral neuropathy (nervous system disorders), involving the nerves of the limbs. The symptoms are unusual sensations (numbness, burning, tingling ) muscle weakness, or difficulty with coordinated movement. Chlopyrifos also causes genetic damage. In a study of over-the-counter pet pesticide products, nearly 50 percent are known or suspected to cause tumors or cancer, upward of 40 percent are known or suspected to cause reproductive damage, and more than 25 percent are known or suspected to cause genetic damage.

Samples of indoor dust have indicated pesticides in significant amounts in household dust tracked into the house and present in carpeted floors. Dr. Marion Moses cites a recent study showing that “dogs were more likely to have lymphoma if their guardians used chemical lawn treatments.”

Dogs more vulnerable
As we mentioned earlier, our companion animals are even more vulnerable than we are to the damaging effects of indoor air pollution. There are several reasons for this.

First, it is not unusual for dogs who live inside to spend almost 100 percent of their lives indoors. Even dogs who are walked for, say, a total of an hour every day, are still indoors for 23 hours a day!

Second, many common solvents have a higher molecular weight than air; thus they settle toward the floor. Any animal that spends most of its time near or on the floor is more susceptible to these chemical exposures.

Due to their body mass and their rate of respiration, dogs, like infants, are also more susceptible than we are to toxic chemicals in the air. For their body size, the amount of air they breathe is substantially more than a child or an adult, thereby exposing them to greater quantities of toxicants than we might breathe in the same air space. Also, the short life span of dogs leads to shorter latent periods during which biological effects from pollution can be detected.

If they are paying attention, humans are able to recognize and investigate the early symptoms of ill health when they themselves experience them – things like headaches, feelings of depression or anxiety, and nausea. Obviously, our dogs are not able to let us know they are experiencing such subtle, early signs of declining health. Not recognizing the disease-causing potential of pollutants in the indoor air can result in our animals’ symptoms, over time, developing into worsening disease states such as reproductive abnormalities, genetic mutations, cancer, and other chronic disease. While the onset of acute disease among animals has fallen over the past 40 to 50 years, Don Hamilton, DVM, says the rise in chronic disease is increasing annually.

Learn about chemicals
With few exceptions, nearly every commercial and consumer product we use in our homes and yards today has a health-damaging component to it. However, with an increased awareness of these risks, you can work toward effectively lessening the toxic burden in our indoor and outdoor environment for your family, human and canine. There are some basic methods that anyone can use to help identify how, why, and when to avoid the use of products that have the ability to contaminate their indoor air. The best method is education – educating yourself about the products you use by researching each of the listed ingredients on the packaging.

The product label is the place to begin your investigation; most products give a list of active ingredients. Unfortunately for the consumer, it is often the “inert” ingredients that are most health-damaging, and these are not disclosed to the consumer and are considered proprietary information by the manufacturer. This is especially troubling when you consider that some products contain upward of 99 percent inert ingredients! Of course, few of us are familiar with the health effects of the chemicals that are listed on the label. However, concerned consumers can gain access to this information.

Product manufacturers are required by law to complete a “Material Safety Data Sheet” (MSDS) on every chemical product they produce and make it available to consumers upon request. The MSDS includes a list of the active ingredients: the hazardous chemicals in the formulation, the degree of health effects, safety procedures when handling the product, and even cleanup instructions in case of a spill. (Again, unfortunately, even the MSDS does not contain information about the product’s inert ingredients; the only way to get this information is through your doctor or veterinarian.)

Do make it a point to look up every chemical listed on the label of products you consider using; chemical reference books such as the Merck Index list the health-damaging properties of every compound. This research will help you determine the safety of the product before using it in your home.

Don’t judge a product on the basis of the warnings on the label or even the MSDS alone. While these serious and valid warnings are based on toxicology tests, currently only two to three percent of the 100,000 chemicals in production today have been tested for toxicity. Chemicals not tested and classified as hazardous by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can be used in products and not required by law to be listed on the manufacturers’ MSDSs.

Trust your nose
You can also learn to identify many potentially dangerous aromatic air pollutants by their odor and by your (or your animals’) physical health response to them. Our sense of smell is reptilian – hardwired to our brain This is our most primitive sense, upon which we can instinctively rely when we are exposed to a toxic chemical. It is important to register the odor upon initially entering your home. Within 20 seconds, our olfactory senses desensitize to any odors present. Remember how wonderful the aroma of sautéed garlic and onions smells upon coming into the kitchen from outdoors, and how quickly we become accustomed to the initial pleasure.

Unfortunately, a toxic chemical will register an entirely different physical response. The onset of a dull headache, rapid heart beat, difficulty breathing, tearing eyes, and/or sharp pain in the skull are possible responses to a chemical exposure. If you pay attention initially, you will be closer to identifying the source and removing your dog and yourself from the potential harm. While identification of the air pollutants is important, understanding what to avoid in the first place is even more important.

Change purchasing patterns
Prevention – that is, simply not bringing potentially dangerous products into your home – is the most effective strategy for preserving the safety of the air you and your dogs breathe. If building or remodeling your home, avoid using products that are known to be harmful. Sheet vinyl flooring, for example, contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and plasticizers, which are linked to cancer. Choose ceramic tiles instead.

When maintaining an existing home, try to use natural products. Consider how this simple act can prevent unneeded chemical exposures. Using a vinegar and water solution, for example, can prevent exposures to the ammonia, naphthalene, chlorine, and ethylene glycol commonly found in most brand-name glass or floor cleaners. A naturally maintained lawn sporting bio-diversity (read, containing a few weeds) keeps our dogs safe from health-damaging herbicides (for example, 2,4-D, atrazine, glyphosate, trichlopyr – weed killers that can damage kidneys and other organs). Hand washing delicate clothing versus using a dry cleaning service keeps perchloroethylene (Perc) from entering our homes (Perc has been linked to cancer in humans). Many air fresheners contain paradichlorobenzene, a carcinogen; a simple lemon or vinegar solution for cleaning will lend our homes a pleasing aroma that is far healthier.

Thinking “old-world” rather than “modern-technology” when selecting products will keep you attuned to the plethora of chemicals that infiltrate and cause health-damaging effects.

In general, look for alternatives to any petroleum-based products you want to buy. All petroleum-based products “off-gas,” that is, release health-damaging chemicals into the air. Instead of petroleum-based products, choose inert, self-maintaining, natural materials. There are low- and non-toxic alternative materials for every home and yard activity. When painting, look for a water-based paint with fewer than 50 VOCs (check out the manufacturer’s specification sheet for this information). Use wool area rugs over a hard flooring surface instead of a tufted carpet (backing adhesive has styrene butadiene which is linked to sick building syndrome). And in your yard, remove rotting timbers from the foundation of the house to avoid the introduction of termites and the use of toxic chemical spraying.

Unbeknown to us, our own personal hygiene can introduce harmful chemicals into our homes. Synthesized perfumes contain neurotoxic chemicals. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found 884 neurotoxic chemical compounds used in the cosmetic and perfume industries. When the EPA tested random samples of perfumes and automobile products off the shelves, without exception, each one contained a common solvent: toluene. Along with formaldehyde, this chemical is one of the most prevalent health-damaging solvents to which our animals and we are exposed. It is classified as a carcinogen and neurotoxic chemical. Our use of incense, wood-burning stoves, and cigarette smoking can exacerbate upper respiratory problems in our dogs. Many dishwashing and laundry detergents as well as fabric softeners release scents that contain harmful chemicals. Shop carefully and wisely and avoid these exposures. There are many alternatives available today that can give us some relief from the harmful effects.

Finally, consider the impact of everything you use and do in your indoor and outdoor environment – it all adds up!

For example, the use of formaldehyde is ubiquitous in today’s homes; it is used to preserve paints and stains, is a carrier in fabric dyes, a component in composite woods such as plywood and particle board – and is a known human carcinogen. The prevalence of its use in common household products is reason alone to discontinue buying products that contain it.

As you can see, awareness and conscious action are major keys to preserving our health, as well as the health of our beloved canine companions.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “How to Detoxify Your Canine Naturally”
Click here to view “If Your Dog is Ever Exposed to Chemicals – React Quickly”
Click here to view “Toxins That Can Arise in Dog Food”

-By Kathleen Dudley

Kathleen Dudley lives in New Mexico, where she is a professional indoor air quality consultant, writer, and photographer. She teaches and lectures in college and conference circles on material toxicity and indoor air quality, and has had an interior design practice for 22 years. Ms. Dudley’s photography appears in Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs by Don Hamilton, DVM.

Upper-Level Management

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Every day, dog owners ask me questions in person, on the phone, and online, how to stop their dogs or puppies from doing something. The variations are virtually limitless:

“How do I stop him from going to the bathroom on the carpet?”

“How do I keep her from chewing up my shoes? (or books or furniture)?”

“How do I make him stop stealing food from the counter?”

I normally answer these questions with an explanation of how to resolve the presented behavior problem, but every once in a while I am sorely tempted just to answer the question with a succinct, “Don’t let him do it!”

As absurdly simple as this seems, behavior management is, in fact, the appropriate answer in probably better than 75 percent of the questions I am asked by dog owners. Management is the key to resolving the vast majority of behavior problems people face with their dogs, and even more important, it is key to preventing those behaviors from ever occurring in the first place!

In many cases, management is necessary while the dog learns a new, more appropriate behavior. In others, management simply replaces unrealistic training expectations. I offer my clients a three-step formula for reprogramming or preventing unwanted behaviors:

1. Rephrase. That is, identify what you want the dog to do instead of what you want him not to do. In all the behaviors described above, the owner is asking how to get the dog to stop doing something rather than how to get to dog to do something.

2. Manage. Figure out how to prevent the dog from being rewarded for the unwanted behavior. This is actually the easiest part! Behaviors that are rewarded are reinforced – in other words, the dog is more likely to do them again. Chasing a cat is very rewarding to a dog – he gets a big adrenaline rush, and the cat runs away – what fun! Every chance your dog gets to chase a cat increases the likelihood that he will chase (and maybe eventually catch) the next cat he sees. If you don’t want him to be rewarded by chasing cats, don’t let him do it.

3. Train. Figure out how to consistently reward the dog for the desired behavior identified in Step 1. This is often the hardest part. Each of the training programs for the behavior challenges listed above could be a full-length article of its own (and frequently, they have been; we’ll refer you to relevant articles as we proceed).

Let’s take a look at a number of problem behaviors and see how they can be addressed by our three-step formula, with particular focus on the management aspect:

• How do I make him stop stealing food from the counter or table?

Rephrase: “How do I get him to only eat things that are in his bowl or on the floor?” (By the way, dogs are opportunistic eaters by their very nature. They are morally incapable of “stealing” food. A dog in the wild who eats food when and where he finds it is smart – and much more likely to survive than one who passes food by just because it happens to be above eye level.)

Manage: Prevent him from being rewarded for counter surfing. Clearly, the food that he finds on counters tastes good and is very rewarding.

Management tools: A: Doors – If food must be left out, shut the dog in another room so he can’t have access to it. B: Cupboards and the refrigerator – Put food away. Never leave it out as an invitation to counter surf. C: Crates, pens, baby gates, leashes, and tethers – Use other reasonable means of restraint to prevent his inappropriate access to food.

Train: Teach him a positive “Off!” or “Leave It!“ cue and consistently reward him for ignoring food on the counter and for keeping all four feet on the floor around food-laden counters and tables.

• How do I stop him from peeing on the carpet?

Rephrase the question to: “How do I teach him to go to the bathroom outside?”

Manage: Prevent him from being rewarded for peeing on the carpet. A full bladder causes discomfort. Urinating relieves that discomfort. Urinating on the carpet is more rewarding for an unhousetrained dog than suffering the discomfort of “holding it” until he can go outside.

Management tools: A: Take the dog outside so frequently that his bladder is never full to the point of discomfort (every hour on the hour, at least at first). B: Keep the dog under close supervision so you can notice when he is acting restless (a sign that he has to eliminate) and take him outside quickly, before he has a chance to pee on the carpet. C: Keep the dog crated (see “Crate Training Made Easy,” WDJ August 2000), penned, or tethered (tether only if you are home – see “Tethered to Success,” WDJ April 2001) if you can’t supervise him closely to prevent him from being rewarded by peeing on the carpet when you’re not paying attention. Keeping his crate – his den, as it were – unsoiled is more rewarding to most dogs than relieving even a moderately full bladder.

Train: Implement a full housetraining program that includes going outside with him regularly and rewarding him with praise and a treat immediately after he goes to the bathroom in the appropriate toilet spot.

• How do I keep her from chewing up my shoes?

Rephrase: “How do I get her to chew on her own things and only her own things?”

Manage: Prevent her from being rewarded for chewing on inappropriate objects. (See “Challenged By a Chewer?”, WDJ March 1998.) Things like shoes, baby toys, and furniture have a nice firm-but-giving texture that feels good (is rewarding) to a dog’s teeth and gums, especially to a puppy or young dog who is teething.

Management tools: A: Pick up non-chew objects when the dog is in the room. B: Remove her from the room when non-chew objects must be left within dog-reach (put her in a crate or pen if necessary). C: Supervise the dog closely and distract her attention from inappropriate objects. D: Tether her in the room with you to prevent her access to non-chew objects. E: Exercise her a lot; tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.

Train: Provide her with irresistible chew-objects and interactive toys such as stuffed Kongs (see “King Kongs,” WDJ October 2000), Buster Cubes, Roll-A-Treat Balls (See “Back to School,” WDJ September 1998), and other safe items. If she is given the opportunity to chew only acceptable items she will eventually develop a strong preference for chewing on these things and your personal possessions will be safe.

• How do I stop him from chasing deer (or cats or bicycles or joggers)?

Rephrase: “How do I teach him to ignore fast-moving objects?” or “How do I teach him to respond when I ask him to stop?”

Manage: Don’t let him have the opportunity to be rewarded for chasing, and don‘t have unrealistic training expectations, that is, don’t expect to be able to train a dog who has a strong prey/chase instinct to “not chase” in the absence of direct supervision. This includes many of the herding breeds, terriers, hounds, and sporting breeds.

Management tools: A: Fences – Solid physical fences of sufficient height are great tools for thwarting chasing behaviors. B: Doors – Keeping him safely confined indoors except when directly supervised can go a long way toward preventing rewards for chasing. C: Leashes and long lines (see “Long Distance Information,” WDJ February 2001) are ideal for preventing chase rewards. (Note: WDJ does not ever recommend tying/chaining a dog as a routine method of outdoor confinement. See “Fit to Be Tied,” WDJ June 1999.) D: Exercise – Tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.

Train: Teach your dog a very reliable recall. Train him to drop to a “Down” at a distance. Teach him a solid “Wait” cue that will pause him in mid-stride, even when he is in chase mode (see “Wait a Bit, Stay a While,” WDJ May 2001).

• How do I stop him from roaming the neighborhood?

Rephrase: “How do I keep him safe at home?”

Manage: Use appropriate physical means to keep him safely confined at home and make sure he never experiences and reaps the rewards of the “joy” of running loose in the neighborhood. I occasionally have potential clients call and ask me how to boundary-train their dogs to stay on their property without a fence.

This is an unrealistic training expectation, and I never accept such a training assignment; I don’t believe it can be done reliably and humanely. For most, if not all dogs, there are stimuli that are strong enough to induce them to break through the shock of an electric fence collar (see “Visible Problems,” WDJ May 1999), to say nothing of a simple boundary-training program.

Management tools: A: Fences – Solid physical fences of sufficient height are great tools for thwarting roaming. B: Doors – Keeping him safely confined indoors except when directly supervised can go a long way towards preventing rewards for roaming. C: Leashes and long lines – Physical restraint tools are ideal for preventing roaming rewards. (Note: WDJ does not ever recommend tying/chaining a dog as a routine method of outdoor confinement.) D: Neutering – Lowering your dog’s testosterone level can be a very effective way of eliminating one very strong reward for roaming (see “A Stitch in Time,” WDJ June 2000). E: Exercise – Tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.

Train: Teach your dog a very reliable recall. Train him to drop to a “Down” at a distance. Teach him a solid “Wait” cue that will pause him in mid-stride, even when he is in chase mode. And then never leave him outdoors alone, unfenced and unsupervised.

• How do I stop her from barking when she’s outside?

Rephrase: “How do I keep her quiet when she’s outside?”

Manage: Dogs usually become nuisance barkers because they are bored, lonely, overstimulated, or convinced that their job responsibilities include 24-hour sentry duty.

Management tools: A: House confinement – Most dogs who are nuisance barkers spend entirely too much time outdoors, which contributes to boredom, loneliness, overstimulation, and the perception that their job duties include constant sentry duty. B: Crates and pens indoors, if necessary, can help manage the dog’s behavior while indoors. C: Exercise – Tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.

Train: Teach her a positive interrupt – a gentle “Thank you, quiet!” (followed by a reward) – to acknowledge her for notifying you of something you should be aware of, and to let her know that you have everything under control so she can stop barking. Use this judiciously – do not expect it to work for a bored, lonely, overstimulated dog who is kept outside in the backyard all day and/or all night.

• How do I stop him from jumping up to look out the windows?

Rephrase: “How do I teach him to be calm about outside stimuli at the windows?”

Manage: The easiest way to manage this behavior is either to block the dog’s view from the outside stimuli, or to provide him with the means to see out the window without having to jump up on the windowsill.

Management tools: A: Shades or drapes to block the dog’s view of the outside. B: Closed doors that keep him out of the room in question. C: Move the sofa up against the windows so he can look out to his heart’s content without having to jump up on the woodwork. (Of course, this isn’t an option if you are trying to keep him off the furniture, unless you put his own sofa next to the window . . .)

Train: Teach him a positive interrupt and consistently reward him for turning his attention to you when there is something happening outside his window.

• How do I keep him off the furniture?

Rephrase: “How do I teach him to sleep on his own bed?”

Manage: Control the environment to prevent him from being rewarded for getting on the furniture. The sofa is comfortable, so lying on it is its own reward.

Management tools: A: Place boxes or upside-down chairs on the furniture to prevent his access. B: Lift up sofa and chair cushions so there’s no flat surface for him to lie on. C: Close doors to prevent his access to rooms with forbidden furniture in your absence. D: Use crates and pens to prevent his access to forbidden furniture in your absence. E: Provide him with his own very comfortable furniture to lie on.

Train: Consistently reward him for lying on his own very comfortable furniture.

• How do I stop her from getting in the garbage?

Rephrase: “How do I convince her to keep her nose in appropriate places?”

Manage: This is one of those behaviors where management is critically important. You would be wise to never put extremely tempting garbage such as meat scraps, pork chop bones, or turkey carcasses in any garbage can that is easily accessible to your dog, no matter how well-mannered she is.

Management tools: A: Garbage cans with tightly closing lids that seal tempting odors in and curious noses out. B: Cupboards or cabinets (complete with baby-proof latches) that close securely and protect garbage cans from marauding moochers. C: Closed doors to prevent the dog’s access to rooms with raidable garbage cans. D: Exercise – Tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.

Train: You can teach your dog a positive “Off!” or “Leave It!” with garbage cans, and for a dog who is very motivated by garbage, you will still want to use management to prevent him from being rewarded for garbage play in your absence.

Training yourself to manage
We could keep going – this list truly is endless – but you should be getting the idea by now. Any time you’re faced with a behavior challenge, just apply these three simple steps – rephrase, manage, and train – to design your action plan for managing and/or modifying the inappropriate behavior.

My all time favorite was the Peaceable Paws client in Carmel, California, who asked me to teach his Australian Shepherd-mix to stop drinking out of the toilet.

“It would be far easier,” I said, “to teach you (the supposedly more intelligent species) to close the toilet lid or shut the bathroom door, than it would be to train him not to take advantage of a constantly fresh water source. In fact, he’s probably trying to figure out how to train you to stop peeing in his water bowl!” This is one of those cases where it makes much more sense to implement a simple management technique than to expend the energy required to train the desired behavior.

He got the message. When I visited the house for our next appointment, the bathroom door was securely closed.

 

Whole Dog Journal’s 2001 Canned Dog Food Review

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

What do you think of when you think of canned dog food? Many people unconsciously wrinkle their noses as they ponder this question, immediately associating the image with the distinctive aroma of canned meat. In addition, people frequently describe the contents of dog food cans as glop, an indistinguishable mash of uncertain meats and who-knows-what.

In general, people tend to have a better image of dry dog foods. Kibble is less aromatic and more visually appealing to us.

Despite our preference for neat and discrete pieces of kibble, the canned versions of most dog foods are frequently made with higher-quality ingredients, including fresh, whole meats, grains, and vegetables. Canned foods generally contain a higher percentage of meat than their dry counterparts; there is a limit to the amount of moist ingredients that dry food extruders can handle. (Let’s try to remember that dogs don’t eat grains in the wild; meat and vegetables are what they have been eating throughout their evolution.)

Also, canned foods generally contain way fewer chemical additives than dry foods. Artificial colors and flavors are much less common in canned foods than they are in their dried food equivalents. Because of the moist, fragrant nature of the meat-based contents, artificial flavoring and other palatants are rarely needed to attract dogs to otherwise unappealing food.

In addition, preservatives which are ubiquitous in dry foods are unnecessary and rarely seen in canned foods, due to the sealed, oxygen-free environment that a can offers. (Because they lack preservatives, canned foods must be kept refrigerated after opening, just like any other fresh food.)

WDJ’s selection criteria
We enjoy the task of reviewing canned foods annually, in no small part because of the changes we have witnessed in the industry in the past few years.

Increasingly, consumers are scrutinizing food labels (we hope we’ve had something to do with this!) and rejecting products with inferior ingredients. Sensitive to this trend, makers are slowly replacing artificial preservatives with natural ones, and eliminating artificial colors and flavors. They are also adding beneficial supplements such as vitamin C and Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids to their formulas. All to the good.

We required the following for a product to make it into the running for our Top Canned Dog Foods:

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

• We rejected any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products.

We rejected any food containing fat or protein not identified by species. Animal fat is a euphemism for a low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin. Meat by-products” can be from any mammal, or mix of mammals. These ingredients come to the food makers at bargain-bucket prices, and accordingly, may not have been handled as carefully as more valuable commodities.

We looked for foods with whole meat, fish, or poultry as the first ingredient on the food labels (by law, ingredients are listed on the label by the total weight they contribute to the product). Water is necessary for the manufacturing process used to make canned foods, but in lower-quality products, water is usually the first ingredient. We prefer to see meat first. We also like it when a nutritious meat, poultry, or fish broth is used in place of water.

We looked for the use of whole grains and vegetables, rather than a series of reconstituted parts, i.e. rice, rather than rice flour, rice bran, brewers rice, etc.

We awarded theoretical bonus points for foods that offer the date of manufacture (in addition to the usual best if used by date), nutrition information beyond the minimum required, and any organic ingredients. Sadly, these innovations are rare.

Obscure foods
Our Top Canned Food selections are listed alphabetically on the next pages. Before you look, allow us to counter your first two protests! Every time we publish our food reviews, a certain number of neophyte readers contact us with one of the following two complaints. They’ll say either, “We’ve never heard of the foods you selected!” or “But which one of your selections is the best?”

We are sympathetic but firm.

To answer the first concern: Understand that, just as with human foods, the dog foods that are advertised, produced, and sold in the largest quantities in this country are just not the healthiest foods you can find; you know what we Mcmean? Of course you are more familiar with Alpo and Mighty Dog or even Iams, Science Diet, and Eukanuba than with our selections. Those are the foods you see on most grocery store shelves and in veterinary office waiting rooms. Health foods are harder to find.

And, just as with human health foods, there are far more low-quality commercial dog foods available to consumers than there are good- or high-quality foods. We’re just happy that there are high-quality foods being made for dogs; it wasn’t always so.

The catch is, good foods are expensive; high-quality ingredients cost the manufacturer more, and the price of the finished product will reflect this. Cheap foods may gladden the heart of consumers, but they have to realize that the contents of inexpensive cans will contain inferior ingredients.

We find it interesting that some companies make different lines of food, usually with radical differences in quality and price between them. We understand this practice from a business standpoint; the companies are simply offering products at every conceivable market position: cheap foods for people who don’t and won’t ever buy expensive foods, medium-priced and middling-quality foods for the market center, and expensive premium foods for those who are willing and able to afford them.

It’s hard for us to understand how these companies stand behind each product line as though they were equally proud of and confident about them all. But that’s beside the point, which is this: Don’t assume that all foods from a given company are created equal. Pay attention to the names we’ve used for our featured foods, and don’t stray!

Not rank-ordered
To answer the second concern that we don’t rank-order our selections, but present them alphabetically we say this: We hope you will find our selections useful when choosing foods for your dogs. But be aware that there are no perfect foods; this is why we cannot will not put our selections in order of preference.

All of our selections are high quality foods. We suggest using price, local availability, and, most importantly of all, your own dog’s response to the food as your final guide. If his health improves after changing foods, you’re on the right track. If his health declines, you need to change foods again, no matter how good we’ve proclaimed the food to be. All dogs are individuals, and what makes your Irish Setter shine may give your Spitz literal and figurative fits.

Final words
Along with our selections, we have listed only the first 10 ingredients of the foods; most contain quite a long list of vitamin and mineral supplements, and we don’t want to bore you with those. The most significant contents are within the first 10. When possible, we included information about the food’s caloric content, as reported by the food makers. Some of this information was readily available (although only one maker listed this on its product label); in other cases, the makers did not report this number to us.

For comparisons sake, we also listed the ingredients of five very popular canned foods that we consider to be low quality. Compare the ingredients of foods on both lists; the differences between them should be quite obvious.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Problems With Artificial Preservatives in Dog Food”
Click here to view “WDJ’s Canned Dog Food Review”

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