Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog By Carol Lea Benjamin Published by Howell Book House Hardcover, 256 pages, $22.95
Mother Knows Best takes a pack leader approach to dog management and training, comparing a trainer’s body language and physical corrections with observations on how mother dogs similarly train their puppies. Benjamin, a dog trainer, emphasizes the importance of social structure in a dog’s environment, and suggests that because mother is so successful a teacher in Nature, a training regimen that imitates this natural learning will also succeed in owner/dog relationships.
While there is some good information in the book, Benjamin considers only force-based methods to be useful. She scoffs at the use of food in training, which progressive trainers today are finding highly effective. But she ignores the danger of some force-based methods, such as a “collar shake” and face-to-face “assertive stare,” that can result in serious bites to the face when applied to a dominant or aggressive dog.
Don’t be fooled by the words “Mother” and “Nature” in the book’s title. There are far better books available, based on a true understanding of canine behavior, that can help owners train their dogs using humane, positive methods that will encourage a close emotional bond and relationship based on mutual respect, rather than threatening to destroy the trust that we treasure in our dogs.
A holistic pet behavior counselor often has to be like a detective. You have to find all of the missing pieces of the puzzle and put them together to form a complete picture. Sometimes this is not easy because people are not accustomed to thinking about the whole picture in order to determine the cause of their problems. Most of the time, people focus on one detail and cannot see the forest through the trees.
This was certainly the case with Brutus, who was a 12-week-old Rottweiler puppy when his family called to inquire about my puppy class. Brutus belonged to a large family with five children ranging in age from sixteen to eight years. However, their veterinarian advised against taking a kindergarten class, so they decided not to attend. Instead, they waited until Brutus was six months old and enrolled him in a traditional obedience class.
The 16-year-old daughter was Brutus’ primary trainer and she did everything her instructor told her to do. At first, Brutus, too, seemed to tolerate the training and did as he was told. The family was pleased and happy with his progress. But as the class advanced, “obedience” became less agreeable to Brutus. He became defiant and angry, and finally began acting aggressively, threatening each of the family members in separate instances.
After an incident wherein he bit one of the younger children, the family took Brutus to a veterinarian to see if maybe something was wrong with him. At the veterinarian’s office, he was completely out of control and had to be tranquilized so they could work on him. Wisely, the veterinarian suggested they talk to another trainer, one who specialized in violence-free training methods; he gave them my number.
By the time they called me, Brutus was 18 months old and still unneutered. I have two requirements for taking aggression cases: The dog must be spayed or neutered, and they must take the dog in for a complete blood work-up and urinalysis. The second requirement had already been met; the lab work showed that Brutus had no obvious health problems. However, the family was hesitant about neutering and I told them to think it over and let me know what they decided. Shortly afterward, the family had Brutus neutered, and made an appointment with me to bring him to my teaching center. I asked the whole family to attend.
Brutus was the largest Rottweiler I have ever seen. When he was standing and I was sitting we were eyeball to eyeball. He seemed sweet, but his family was having some serious problems with him and now we had to try to figure out what was happening.
Diet and Aggression
The first thing we discussed was diet. They had been feeding him some grocery store dog food and that was all. Their veterinarian and breeder had told them never to feed him “people food.” However, these experts were not living with this dog and dealing with his behavior!
They were astounded to hear me tell them to feed him whatever they were eating. The rule of thumb was: If what you’re eating is good for you, then it’s good for Brutus!
I explained the importance of a fresh food diet and its effect on health and behavior. When a dog is not receiving proper nutrition, he cannot function well mentally or physically. What is sold as food for dogs in bags and cans is barely recognized by their bodies as food. All living creatures need fresh food in order to be healthy.
In Brutus’ case, I suggested that extra carbohydrates and fats in the diet have proven to be quite helpful in aggression cases. Although initially reluctant to go along with this, after much discussion, they finally agreed to give it a try. They felt they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The next topic of discussion was the environment. When Brutus was a puppy, they had intended to make him a member of the family and have him live in the house. Since he had become aggressive, he was banished to the back yard and never allowed in the house.
This led to a discussion of the importance of incorporating Brutus back into the family. The more time he spent alone in the yard, the more his behavior deteriorated. While he was out there, he received no education about living with humans. He was merely a dog living in the yard. He made up his own rules and was apparently quite adamant about enforcing them.
By bringing him back into the family, with rules and guidelines, he could be more easily taught and learn how to be the omega member of the family, rather than the alpha! Of course, I was not suggesting they just open the door and let him in the house. They would have to decide in what rooms he would be allowed, where he would sleep, what barriers they could use and what rules they wanted to enforce.
From now on, the rule was simply that anything Brutus wanted was to be regarded as a reward. He was to say PLEASE and THANK YOU by doing what he was told in order to obtain the reward! If he did it, he got what he wanted. If he didn’t do it, he was denied what he wanted.
To accomplish this, a “no free lunch” program was to be instituted. This meant that from now on, Brutus would have to do something to earn what he wanted. If he wanted to be petted, he must first be told to SIT or DOWN or whatever. If he complied, then he would be petted. If he did not comply, there was to be no petting. The same was to be done at feeding times, when giving cookies, when letting him outside or inside, when playing with him, etc. Brutus would soon learn that if he did as he was told, then he could have whatever he wanted! This would give him a reason to listen and go along with what he was told.
The Heart of the Aggression Problem
The next subject was what kind of training Brutus had received. It was in this phase of the consultation that I finally uncovered the cause of his aggression.
The family told me they had taken him to an obedience class where he was taught the basic commands SIT, DOWN, COME, HEEL, STAY. They had used choke chains and been instructed to give him very harsh corrections when he made any mistakes. The instructor showed the daughter how to hang the dog by the collar until he almost passed out when he did not obey.
Because he was such a big dog, this did not work well. So he taught her how to use a rubber hose with a wooden dowel in it and smack him on the snout when he disobeyed. This sounded cruel to the family but the trainer assured them it was not and that they must do it or they would never have control of their dog. With much trepidation, they went along with the program and Brutus became worse and worse.
When they called their trainer about the aggression, he said they would have to get more physical with their dog. He told them, “Never let him get away with anything and harshly punish every incident of defiance. Brutus must be forced to obey every command.” These people trusted their trainer and did as they were told.
When I asked the girl to demonstrate how Brutus responded to her commands, she put a choke chain on him, then began shouting commands and jerking on his leash. Brutus reluctantly did what he was told, but grew visibly tense and angry.
At last, this was the puzzle piece that had been missing. Brutus’ “aggression” was really a defensive response to anticipated punishment that was poorly timed and totally misunderstood. He had been brutalized into obedience because that is what the “expert” had told his family they must do. This made him frightened, then defensive, and, finally, aggressive.
An Understandable Response
Imagine the situation from Brutus’ perspective. He had a family who loved and cherished him. Then one day they all began yelling at him and hurting him. Suddenly he did not feel safe with them and their “weird” behavior toward him. He did what his doggy brain told him to do and defended himself. I quickly ended the demonstration of Brutus’ training and removed the choke chain from his neck. I then introduced him to a clicker and a treat. Using the click/treat technique, Brutus was willingly performing all the things he knew how to do in a matter of minutes. He was doing it happily, willingly, off-leash and having fun for the first time. The entire family sat there in utter amazement. They could not believe I was able to tell Brutus to SIT and he would do it, without a leash or a collar. He was a completely different dog!
We had a few more sessions together and completed the reeducation of Brutus and his family. Everyone was delighted with the results. Brutus and his family had finally found the path to mutual trust and respect. It’s sad that people get such bad advice and feel they have no where else to turn. It’s really sad that dogs have to endure the bad advice of these “experts.” If someone tells you to do something that seems unkind or downright cruel, trust your instincts and don’t do it. Keep searching for someone who can help you and your dog learn to live happily ever after together!
Linda Goodman is a holistic pet behavior consultant with a training center and a Holistic Pet Supply Center in Riverside, California.
Not long ago, acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic, massage therapy, and homeopathy were regarded with scorn and suspicion by some dog owners and much of the veterinary establishment. Today, these healing modalities are becoming widely accepted and respected as viable companions to traditional Western veterinary medicine. As East and West form a working relationship, they are often referred to as “complementary therapies,” as more veterinarians use them in conjunction with the medical skills and protocols they learned in veterinary college.
When their dogs present them with conditions that fail to improve with traditional veterinary treatment – things like persistent lameness, digestive ailments, training and behavior challenges, and many other mysterious canine puzzles – dog owners will try anything that they think will help. Frustration with a lack of results from the standard medical approach has led thousands of dog owners to try one or more of the complementary therapies. And everywhere you turn you hear success stories, cases where one or more of the complementary therapies improved a formerly hopeless condition.
But until recently, little controlled research was conducted on alternative therapies. Not until the last 20 years have the methods been scrutinized with Western scientific methodology and shown to be effective. Though the studies may mean little to people who have already seen the methods heal their dogs, the positive results have helped motivate the scientists and the veterinary establishment climb onto the complementary bandwagon.
And, suddenly, the bandwagon’s starting to get crowded. Look in the classified ad section of any dog magazine and you’ll be faced with a bewildering array of complementary therapy choices: canine massage, trigger point myotherapy, laser and pulse magnetic therapy, all-natural herbal remedies, homeopathic remedy kits…the variations seem endless.
The problem today is not finding an alternative suitable for your dog and his health situation, it’s figuring out which of the many alternatives will be most beneficial, and locating a qualified practitioner. How do you avoid the well-intentioned but misguided or under-trained practitioners in the field, or worse yet, the scam artists who are riding the wave with glossy but insubstantial treatments? Dog owners are not alone with these questions – they are also on the minds of the responsible practitioners of the complementary disciplines.
Take heart! Education and guidance from well-schooled practitioners – whether they are veterinarians, practitioners who usually treat people, or skilled lay people – is available. Many of the alternative practices have formed national organizations that train and/or certify members, set training standards, and maintain a minimum level of quality control for practitioners of the therapy. You can contact these organizations for more information about the modalities or even referrals to certified practitioners. Below, you’ll find a brief description of the most popular modalities and contact information for their national associations.
As you will discover, however, the demand for qualified professionals still outstrips the supply. Unless you’re lucky enough to have one conducting business close to your home, you might need to rely on your local veterinarian for providing emergency and day-to-day health care for your dog, and complement that treatment with the services of a traveling “alternative” practitioner when available or with the advice from one of the many holistic veterinarians who offer telephone consultations.
Holistic Medicine
Holistic practitioners differ significantly from those who practice conventional Western (called allopathic) medicine, in which symptoms are treated in isolation. Diseases are believed to have one specific cause – a germ, virus, or bacteria. Instead, using a matrix of treatments, they address the entire, complex blend of body, mind, and spirit that makes up each individual.
The goal of holistic medicine is to use whatever gentle treatments may be effective to bring all aspects of a being into balance, encouraging the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Treatments may include conventional medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, and homeopathy. They contend that the strictly allopathic approach may be effective in the shorten, but can also disrupt the body’s intricate system, inviting long-term harm to the whole.
Organization: AHVMA
The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, established in 1981, does not offer any certification protocols or training sessions, but acts as a clearinghouse for anyone – veterinarians and non-veterinarians who want information about any of the therapies currently available. The association publishes a quarterly journal (a one-year subscription is $65). Its largest endeavor is an annual conference featuring presentations on a wide range of health topics. For an introduction to the wide world of healing modalities, this convention can’t be matched.
Acupuncture
Smile when you see acupuncture referred to as a “new” therapy. It has been practiced for at least five thousand years by millions of people all over the world.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles into the skin at specific points around the body. Acupressure uses fingertip massage instead, and in recent years, lasers and other electronic devices have been used on these same points too.
The theory passed down from its ancient Chinese originators is that acupuncture can influence the chi (pronounced chee), or life energy, that constantly circulates throughout the body. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine believe that chi comes in two complementary forms, yin and yang. When yin and yang are balanced, health results. When unbalanced, illness will follow.
Chi is believed to circulate through the body along invisible pathways called meridians. Each meridian passes close to the skin’s surface at places called points. At these points, the insertion of needles or other stimulation affects the flow of chi.
Modem Western medical practitioners have a few problems with this explanation. How can you make sense of a system, after all, that you can’t see? One devoted researcher, George A. Ulett, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Department of Psychiatry at Deaconness in St. Louis and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Missouri School of medicine, suggests that acupuncture works neuroelectrically. He postulates that the meridians may be motor nerves, the nerves connected to major muscles. Stimulating the acupuncture points with needles or finger pressure may change the flow of bio-electrical energy along the nerves and trigger the release of neurotransmitters – pain relieving and mood elevating chemicals such as endorphins – that allow nerve cells to communicate.
Obviously, the Western and Eastern theories that explain how acupuncture works are centuries and cultures apart. Both camps know it does work and the dogs respond positively as well. Does it sound too trite to say, “If you need one, use whichever explanation works best for you”?
Organization: IVAS
It is interesting to note that the key organizing body for this group, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS), was founded by three veterinarians in December of 1974 – 10 years prior to the creation of the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists, which certifies human acupuncture practitioners!
IVAS offers extensive training programs that rotate through various locations throughout the U.S. and the world. Attendance at these programs is limited to veterinarians only. Many members also conduct local seminars and workshops and speak at meetings for other groups.
The group has about 1200 members. About half are veterinarians who have been certified in acupuncture through IVAS; the rest are non-certified veterinarians, associate members (lay people), and organizational members. Most of the 600-plus certified members are located in the U.S. To become certified, veterinarians must take a 100-hour course, pass a four-hour written exam and a practical exam, and complete a 40-hour internship with a certified veterinarian.
Homeopathy
This is the most difficult complementary modality to explain scientifically, and the one most likely to require a leap of faith from the user.
The word comes from the Greek homios, “like,” and pathos, “suffering,” to imply healing like with like. The founder of homeopathy was a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann, born in 1755. While translating a medical text, Dr. Hahnemann came across a description of a treatment for malaria, one which was made from the bark of a China tree (Cinchona succirubra). Out of curiosity, he ingested a bit of the bark; to his surprise, he soon felt a mild version of symptoms similar to those of malaria. More experiments led him to discover that extremely minute doses of the medicine sometimes reduced signs of the disease and cured the patient. From this work, he established the concepts of homeopathy.
Allopathic pharmaceuticals work by overwhelming and destroying the agents of disease. In contrast, homeopathic remedies mimic symptoms similar to those produced by the disease, engaging and strengthening the body’s own disease-fighting defenses.
Homeopathic remedies consist of doses of the active ingredient substance which are super-diluted, and then shaken vigorously or “potentized,” following dilution. The shaking process, or potentization, causes friction between the water molecules and the substance, transferring the medicine’s healing properties to the water. Most frequently, the active ingredients are plants used in traditional herbal therapies, although a few come from animal sources and others come from naturally occurring compounds.
Critics charge that homeopathic remedies are nothing but water, and that a placebo effect is responsible for any apparent improvement in a patient’s condition – though the placebo effect is notoriously absent in non-humans! It’s a seeming paradox that the greater the dilution, the more effective the remedy is believed to be, and some doses are so diluted that the solution may not contain a single molecule of the substance. This violates a principle of modern pharmacology, the “dose-response relationship,” which predicts that the bigger the dose, the greater the effect.
However, it’s a less-flashy principle of pharmacology thought to be at work in homeopathy. Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM, Ph.D., of Eugene, Oregon, was one of the first veterinarians in the U.S. to offer homeopathy for animals. He explains something called “Arndtz law” describes the phenomenon: Weak stimuli excites physiological activity; moderately strong ones favor it; strong ones retard it; and very strong ones arrest it.
“In homeopathy, this principle has far more importance than it would in conventional pharmacology, where they are looking for what they call ‘the therapeutic dose,’ which is the largest dose the body can tolerate,” Pitcairn explains. “The dose-response relationship doesn’t explain all drug interactions. There are substances which have very different and sometimes opposite effects when given to patients in various dosages; when you remember that, homeopathy becomes easier to understand.”
Homeopaths and their clients relate remarkable anecdotal successes, sometimes with almost immediate relief of symptoms in both human and non-human clients. And a growing number of studies indicate that the treatments are indeed effective.
Organization: AVH
In 1992, Dr. Pitcairn began offering a five-session, 128-hour homeopathy training through his practice, the Animal Natural Health Center. The course is open only to licensed veterinarians. Audio and videotapes of Dr. Pitcairn’s seminars, written materials and a remedy kit are available to lay people.
Very recently, Dr. Pitcairn and a small group of veterinarians he helped train have begun to organize an association to meet the needs of veterinarians who would like to use homeopathy. They have established a name for the association, the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy (AVH), but are still in the process of defining their goals and curriculum. They do offer a short referral list of 32 veterinarians they have certified as qualified to practice veterinary homeopathy. Despite its newness, it looks as if the AVH is best positioned to become the definitive national association for veterinary homeopathy.
AVH
751 NE 168th Street
North Miami, FL 33162
Ph (305) 652-5372
Fax (305) 653-7244
E-mail: AVH@naturalholistic.com
Chiropractic
The word “chiropractic” is derived from the Greek words cheir and pratikos meaning “done by hand.” Since the nervous system controls or coordinates all the other systems and tissues in the body, any problem with the nerve function, whether caused by mechanical, chemical, or psychiatric interference, may cause pain and disease. Less noticeable, but perhaps more important, chiropractors believe that nerve dysfunctions can deteriorate – or at least alter – normal and optimal health and performance.
Chiropractors seek to improve the function of the nervous system by addressing it directly and indirectly through a variety of manipulations to the body, most often to the spine. Only after careful analysis are the precise and delicate maneuvers performed, chiropractors explain, and always to achieve a predetermined goal.
One of the earliest descriptions of soft-tissue manipulation was found in a Chinese document written around 2700 BC. Soft-tissue manipulation was also practiced by the ancient Japanese, Indians of Asia, Egyptians, Babylonians, Syrians, Hindus, and Tibetans. Hippocrates, the celebrated Greek physician born around 460 BC, wrote at least 70 books on healing, including several on chiropractic. One was titled, “On Setting Joints by Leverage.”
Modem chiropractic was developed in the U.S. in the latter part of the 19th century. Daniel David Palmer, a one-time grocer and teacher, studied the effect of physical manipulations on people and trained many of his friends and associates in the practice. By 1913 the first state law licensing chiropractors was passed, and by 193 1, 39 states had given chiropractors legal recognition. Today, it is the most sought-after alternative health care for humans in the United States, and the practice of animal chiropractic is growing exponentially.
Organization: AVCA
The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) was founded in 1989 by Sharon L. Willoughby, DVM, DC. The initials tell you that Willoughby is one of only a handful of professionals who have both a veterinary doctorate and a doctorate in chiropractic. The AVCA’s mission statement includes a commitment to the continuing advancement of chiropractic as a health care choice for animals in the world community, and to bringing the veterinary and chiropractic professions together for a common and higher goal in the health care of animals.
While more than 600 veterinarians and doctors of chiropractic have taken the AVCA course, just over 200 have completed their certification requirements. The basic certification course consists of five separate modules, each with 30 hours of instruction (150 hours total). Written and practical exams are also required. Acknowledging the educational gaps in both groups’ backgrounds, the course includes veterinary basics for chiropractors and chiropractic basics for veterinarians. The modules can be completed in one year, and should be completed within two.
As with other alternative therapies, public demand for animal chiropractic has mushroomed recently, and practitioners can be hard to find. AVCA routinely makes referrals to only 230 certified animal chiropractors around the country.
AVCA
623 Main Street
Hillsdale, IL 61257
Ph (309) 523-3995
At Whole Dog Journal we value our readers and want to help them do their very best for their dogs. We’ve taken your question to the experts in order to provide the best advice for solving your problems with dog behavior and training. In this issue our experts provide advice about separation anxiety in multi-dog households, and how to stop a determined poop eater.
Dealing With Separation Anxiety
My German Shepherd, Mercy, was just a puppy when I got her; now she is three years old. I use a wheelchair, and she is my service dog, so she is almost always with me. But occasionally I do have to leave her. When I go places I leave her in my van by herself, and she is fine with this for any amount of time. If I leave her at home by herself, though, she panics. She’ll even knock over furniture in order to see out the window and to try to get out.
This behavior worsened recently following my move to a new house, which I share with several other people. When I left the other day, she climbed onto the kitchen counter to see out the window (and helped herself to the loaf of bread that was on the counter, something she had never done before), and got up on the dining room table to see out another window, knocking paperwork, candles, flowers, etc. to the floor.
The only thing that has worked in the past is not to leave her alone, but obviously, this is not always practical! A friend of mine suggested putting her in a crate when I’m gone, but she has never been crated before and I’m afraid she might freak out.
Incidentally, there are five other dogs where I am living now, so it’s not like she is all alone when I leave her here!
-Robert Alonzo
Santa Rosa, CA
We gave this question to Jill Breitner, a certified veterinary technician and an animal behaviorist from Sonoma County, CA. Breitner has operated her animal behavior practice, Totally Devoted To You, for 21 years.
Separation anxiety can cause enormous problems for people whose dogs are experiencing it. There are a number of ways this can manifest itself in the dog, and not all solutions are right for each dog. Every case has to be dealt with in an individual manner. The approach I’ll describe below could work in your dog’s case, but other dogs may need a slightly different approach Separation anxiety comes from the dog feeling insecure. It can arise from a number of conditions, many of which might be unknown if you have not had the dog since its birth. There is not a single answer to solving the problem; you really need to put an entire behavior modification program into place.
Often, the first thing inexperienced people will tell you to do is crate a dog who is destructive. Proper early crate training is a great thing to do with young dogs. But crating an adult dog with a history of separation anxiety, one who had never been crated before, would make the dog freak out. I’ve seen panicked dogs who have ripped their pads or nails off trying to get out of a crate, who have suffered heat prostration in their desperation to escape, and who have broken their teeth biting the bars on the door. You were correct to avoid crating Mercy.
Clearly, one step toward the survival of your own house is to confine the dog to a smaller space where she can’t do as much damage or to get into trouble. Select a room that is not too small or confined (a small bathroom, for instance, or a room with no windows); this will only add to her panic. You need to work on building Mercy’s confidence. One easy way to do this is to teach or, in the case of an already trained service dog, review some basic obedience exercises. Set aside at least 10 to 20 minutes a day to work with your dog, going over some basic obedience drills (sit, down, stay, heel, etc.). This will refresh her memory as to some of the keystones of the dog/human relationship. It will remind her who is in charge, what is right and wrong, what her limits are, and that she is a good dog.
Whenever a dog displays signs of stress, as is common when people change locations, it can be helpful to go back to square one in terms of their training, and review some of their familiar territory. Even highly trained working dogs benefit psychologically from the repetition of their most basic skills. Successfully fulfilling your basic requests and receiving praise for a job well done, will help boost her confidence and self-esteem.
Incidentally, even dogs who have had no formal training can benefit from gentle, non-violent training when they are under stress. Daily training sessions guarantee the dog some contact with you, at least 20 minutes a day, one on one. And when they learn things that please you, it makes them feel good about themselves and their situation.
Next, I’d start to wean her from your constant presence, by slowly introducing her to short separations. Some dogs start to panic the moment you walk out the front door, attacking the door as it closes behind you. If that’s the case, these first practice sessions will be short.
Purchase one of those Kong toys (or something similar) to use to distract her when you start your trial separations. I like to use a Kong that has been filled with peanut butter and frozen. This makes the peanut butter even harder to get out quickly. I’d give one to her once in your presence, to make sure she can figure it out and is interested in it, and then refrain from giving her another until your first practice separation.
Since there are other dogs in your household, you might have to give her this toy in a fenced-off room or section of the house. If she seems to benefit from the company of the other dogs, you might want to include them in the anxiety section of the house, and give them their own Kong toys to ensure she’ll have one after you close the door.
By the way, as soon as you come home, pick up the Kong toy, and only give it to her when you leave. You don’t want this to be a treat she learns to under appreciate.
I like to tell my dogs when I leave, I love you; take care of the house. This is just a calm acknowledgment that I’m leaving, and it’s giving them a job to do while I’m away. It’s NOT intended to put them on notice of a big event, like, I’m going away now and I’ll be back in a few hours so don’t worry! Dogs are extremely sensitive to your tone and your underlying nervousness; if you are anxious about leaving her, it helps cue her to be anxious, too.
Sometimes, dogs know you’re not really leaving unless you go through all the motions of really leaving: taking your keys, locking the door, getting in your car, and driving away. Other dogs assume the worst every time you step out the front door, even if you are just in your bathrobe. Use whatever routine it takes to convince your dog you really are leaving; the practice is of no use if she doesn’t believe it’s the real thing.
Depending on her reaction, the first separation can be as little as one minute, or as long as five to 10 minutes. If you come home to a house that is in the same shape as you left it in, you can make your next trial a little longer. Keep extending the length of your sessions, until you are doing what you really need to do when you leave!
What you do when you come back home is important. If you find a scene of devastation, don’t make the mistake of sympathizing with the dog: Oh, poor sweetie, you were so afraid! I’m so sorry! She needs to know that her behavior is not OK. If I came home and saw wreckage, including, as you mentioned, an empty bread bag, I’d go to her and put her on a leash, taking her around the house and showing her all the things she’d done wrong, while talking to her in a very stern, mean tone of voice. I’d do this for at least a minute, but not much longer.
Following the correction, I’d ignore her for at least 15 to 20 minutes. This period is very important in the case of insecure dogs, who, like children, will sometimes do bad things in order to get your attention a negative form of attention, but attention nevertheless. By fussing about her bad behavior for an extended period, you inadvertently give her the attention she craves. Ignoring her helps to punish the behavior instead.
But if you come home and see that she’s been good, don’t make a big fuss over her. Greet her as you would another grown-up person at home: Hi, it’s nice to see you, how was your day? It shouldn’t be a big deal that you left and came back, saying with great excitement, Oh goodness, how I missed you and what a great job you did while I was away! Leaving and coming back is an ordinary event. Hopefully, shell learn this simple truth for herself.
Stopping a Feces Eater
My 2 1/2-year-old Beagle, Brittany, is the most wonderful dog I’ve ever had. She has, however, one disgusting habit. Given the opportunity, she eats her own feces. I have to immediately clean up every poop, or she’ll eat it as soon as she has a chance. She doesn’t do this when we’re out on walks, just at home in our yard. I’ve tried putting aversive agents on it Tabasco, hot sauce, and Bitter Apple but she’ll eat it anyway.
We bought Brittany from a pet store when she was about six months old. She is generally very healthy and active, and I feed her a great dog food, California Natural.
-Jennifer Jimolka
Stamford, CT
We turned over this question to Dr. Nancy Scanlan, a veterinarian for 27 years, the last 10 in an all-holistic practice. Dr. Scanlan, who practices in Riverside, CA, is the author of Stop That Itch!
Some dogs eat feces because they are missing trace minerals in their diet. While California Natural is a good food, your dog may need a trace mineral supplement. I’d try kelp or AniMinerals or any mineral supplement that’s from old sea beds.
Sometimes dogs don’t produce enough digestive enzymes. It seems curious, but these dogs are compelled to eat their feces because it contains the digestive enzymes they need a kind of a disgusting recycling system. I’d also try giving Brittany some digestive enzymes with her food. My favorite brand is ProZyme.
Sometimes, for unknown reasons, dogs get in the habit of eating their feces, and even seem to develop a taste for it; for some reason, this is more common in dogs that come from pet shops. If neither of the two suggestions above seem to stop her, there are a number of things you can add to her food that will change the chemistry and taste of her feces, making it less attractive to her. These additives work better than something you spray or pour on the feces, because the bad taste will permeate the feces, as opposed to simply covering it. Purportedly, these substances are chemically transformed into a much more aversive substance in the digestive tract.
Adding meat tenderizer or raw, grated zucchini to her food is supposed to accomplish this. There are two commercial food additives, Forbid and Deter (the latter is essentially meat tenderizer) available from veterinarians that supposedly alter the chemistry of the feces and make it as repugnant to the dog as it is to us!
Tova was raised just like a little princess. A copper and cream colored Siberian Husky, she belonged to a very old man who spoiled and overfed her with any kind of food that seemed to make her happy: Spam, canned people food and canned dog food, Burger King and McDonald’s hamburgers, etc. Her owner had a part-time job picking up and delivering blood samples, and he brought Tova with him on his driving route, where she enjoyed getting cookie treats from her many admirers along the old man’s route. But beyond walking to and from the car at each stop, Tova and her owner got very little exercise. By the time she was seven years old, she weighed 83 pounds – at least 20 pounds more than she should have.
At that point, her story took a sad turn. Her owner died, and while the old man’s relatives tried to figure out what to do with Tova, they left her in his garage. He had left instructions with his family for Tova to be euthanized when he died, but they could not find it in their hearts to put her down. However, no one in the family wanted her, either. Poor Tova spent at least six weeks in the garage, mourning, and waiting for her next ride in the car.
A friend of a friend
Fortunately, someone heard about Tova’s plight from a friend. Paula J. Sperry, a chiropractor from Eastham, Massachusetts, had recently lost a beloved dog to old age, and was looking for another dog. She called the old man’s relatives and asked permission to come and see Tova; when she met the husky dog, she immediately fell in love with Tova’s sweet personality.
Confused and upset, however, the man’s relatives could not bring themselves to turn Tova over to any individual. They told Sperry they weren’t going to give the dog to anyone.
Sperry just couldn’t get Tova out of her mind, however, and called the family later to ask about the dog again. That’s when she discovered that the family had brought Tova to an animal shelter! If she wanted the dog, Sperry was told, she would have to “go through the proper channels.”
It’s a good thing that Tova had met Sperry prior to arriving at the animal shelter; she didn’t appear all that attractive to potential adopters. She was way overweight, and appeared to have numerous health and behavior problems. She was stiff, dirty, and had skin problems. She lay down most of the time, completely lethargic and depressed, almost unable to lift her head. When she did walk, her head stayed down and she could not move her tail. She was prone to bouts of colitis, with small amounts of blood and mucous in her stool. Furthermore, she was urinary incontinent, leaving puddles of urine wherever she lay down.
But Sperry knew that Tova hadn’t always been like that; she felt the dog’s condition was understandable considering the recent sad events in her life. She didn’t know whether or not Tova could be restored to her past happiness, but she wanted to try. She filled out the adoption papers and put Tova in her car to take her home.
Inauspicious beginning
That car ride didn’t seem like an auspicious start to their relationship. Sperry drove along with Tova woo-wooing the whole way, distant and sad. Sperry imagined the dog was mourning the old man, and she herself was still mourning the loss of her old dog; they cried together the whole way to Sperry’s home.
Sperry took Tova to a veterinarian right away, seeking help for her many symptoms. The fat Husky was exhibiting a “laundry list” of problems, but the veterinarian felt only one was medically treatable: the urinary incontinence. That could be cleared up with a prescription for diethylstilbestrol (DES), the veterinarian said.
But Sperry was reluctant to use such a controversial drug as the first line of attack. DES was used in humans from 1940 to 1971 as a treatment to prevent spontaneous abortion; later, it was discovered the drug caused a multitude of health problems in the women who used it, and even more in the sons and daughters of these women. While DES is used successfully today in other applications and much lower dosages, Sperry felt there were better alternatives to explore first.
Alternative tack
Following the veterinary examination, Sperry felt it was time to put her medical training into practice.
As a chiropractor, Sperry has successfully treated a number of human patients for the same symptoms that Tova was suffering. She also had worked with veterinarians to expand her knowledge of animal anatomy, and, with the veterinarians’ approbation, had used chiropractic adjustments on a number of animals with great results.
There were a number of things about Tova that led her to think that the dog would be a very good candidate for the therapy. Sperry asked Tova’s veterinarian about the location of the nerve supply that controls the bladder and associated muscles in the canine spine. To her credit, the veterinarian found the question interesting and she researched the information for Sperry.
Back at home, Sperry examined and palpated Tova’s spine. She looked for places where the spinal joints failed to move freely, and where the muscles or skin twitched or jumped in response to her probing. Armed with this information, and with the information from her veterinarian, she made several adjustments to Tova’s spine.
No change in Tova’s condition was immediately discernible, a fact that didn’t worry Sperry. “Chiropractic might work right away, or it might take weeks and dozens of adjustments to work,” she says. “Like all natural healing methods – massage, acupuncture, herbs – chiropractic is not a magic bullet. You have to give it time.”
A couple of days later, Sperry gave Tova another adjustment. This time, Tova went several days without losing urine, and Sperry knew she on the right track. She made a final adjustment to Tova’s lower back area, which completely resolved the problem. Six years later, Tova still has total control of her urinary system.
Given the total success of the first round of chiropractic on her dog, Sperry decided to try making an adjustment to another problem area she had identified in Tova’s spine. When Sperry palpated Tova’s lower neck, she found arthritic nodules in the vertebrae in that area. She speculated that this condition, as well as Tova’s habitual and unusual posture – head held low and an unmoving tail – would benefit from adjustments of those spinal vertebrae.
After carefully making an adjustment to Tova’s neck, Sperry noticed almost immediate improvement in Tova’s mood, posture, and especially her movement. “It took about a day. The morning after the adjustment, Tova had her head up, and she started wagging her tail, and her personality changed; she just improved so much.” It could be, Sperry theorizes, that the miserable dog had suffered chronic pain from a misaligned spine for so long that she had become emotionally “shut down” and stoic. “I think she had probably been in fairly serious pain,” says Sperry. The change in her was huge.”
Over the next weeks, Sperry made more adjustments to her dog’s back and neck. The therapy produced drastic positive results. Soon Tova was able to wag her whole body!
Other support
Sperry knew from her human patients that chiropractic, like all systems of therapy, works best in conjunction with a complete health-improving plan. She weaned Tova from her high fat, low quality diet, and put her on a rotation diet, introducing different foods for fairly long periods of time. She monitored Tova’s reactions to each food, noting those foods that seemed to trigger mild allergic reactions. Tova responded to lamb, pork, and corn with itchy skin and colitis, but did well on chicken, salmon, and beef. On these foods, she grew a healthier coat and displayed no bowel problems.
Sperry feeds Tova a high-quality dog food, Abady Dog Food, mixed with human food and nutritional supplements. Tova receives one “Okra Pepsin” capsule (made by Standard Process ) per day, which Sperry credits with keeping Tova’s digestive system on track. She also eats one-half to one egg yolks each day, which seems to help her coat. She also gets a teaspoon or so of Ester C (powdered vitamin C supplement, intended for healthy bones and gums), and two to three droppers of Coyote Springs’ “Tasha’s Herbs for Dogs, Skin and Hair Formula.” When her psoriasis flares up, Sperry gives her 500 milligrams of goldenseal powder daily until the condition resolves.
Sperry also started Tova on a regimen of gentle daily exercise, starting slowly and working up to a regular daily walk. Slowly, her weight decreased and her energy level and stamina rose.
Wearing a collar seems to exacerbate Tova’s spinal problems, so when it is necessary for her to be on a leash, Sperry usually uses a harness.
Today, Tova is 13 years old, and, according to Sperry, when people guess her age, they estimate her to be eight or nine years old. She weighs a healthy and fit 58 pounds, and though she still requires occasional spinal adjustments to maintain flexibility, she is mobile and active. “I’m so glad to have her in my life; she’s just a joy,” says Sperry; if Tova could talk, she’d probably say the same for her human companion.
Editors Note: A reader reported difficulty ordering The Culture Clash, a book we recommended in the May issue. Our local bookstores had no trouble finding the book, but in case you did, we can recommend one source that has the book in stock: Dog and Cat Catalog, (800) 776-2665.
Our recommendation of AniMinerals, a trace mineral supplement made by Pets Friend, Tamarac, FL, was inadvertently omitted from Super Supplements (May 1998). This fine product can be ordered from Pets Friend, (800) 868-1009.
Caution about liver treats Your article about treats (May 1998) proved to have practical value to me. One of the top three rated treats, Old Mother Hubbard brand LivRCrunch biscuits, came with an appropriate caution about a potential risk of vitamin A toxicity, as should be the case with any beef liver-based food.
I was unaware of this risk, and since I use LivRCrunch as a primary training reward, I followed up with my veterinarian and Old Mother Hubbard with the specifics of how much I use, and determined that I should probably cut back. What I learned from that one article more than paid for my subscription.
Summer is in full swing, and dog owners all over the country are hiking and camping with their canine companions. WDJ decided to take a look at several of the products on the market that are designed to make hiking with our dogs more fun and easier for dog and/or human: a canine backpack, two pairs of doggie hiking boots, and two portable food and water bowls.
Planning each issue of WDJ is a collaborative process. All month long I talk to my publisher, writers, and most importantly, dog lovers. I ask everyone I talk to, “What would you like to read about?” I get all kinds of answers, and I take all kinds of notes. There is so much to cover!
Some articles are about things we HAVE to deal with – the big issues in holistic dog care. These topics are often controversial, and always difficult to discuss in just a few pages, because there is so much to these issues, and so many opinions about the material. These are topics that we will revisit again and again.
A good example is this month’s article about vaccination, written by San Francisco writer Roger Govier. Just about every holistic veterinarian will tell you that over-vaccination is responsible for any number of canine ills: the prevalence of autoimmune system failures, cancer, allergies, and even behavior problems. And nearly every conventional veterinarian will tell you that if he doesn’t vaccinate your dog every year, you can just about kiss your dog goodbye, because he’s sure to catch some awful disease without the shot. And there you are, with a dog you love, stuck in the middle.
Our aim is NOT to tell you what to do with your dog; only you can decide what is best. But we will give you as much information as we can from the entire spectrum of canine care: from the most conservative veterinary protocol to the most radical healing alternative. Then you can make an informed choice, based on what fits you and your dog’s needs.
There are other subjects, however, that we feel we have to make a stand on. We’ll try to alert you when we have definite leanings on a subject, and if you disagree, give you the opportunity to try to win us over to your view; fair’s fair. In every case where we do take a stand, you can count on one thing: Our position is pro-dog.
Foremost among the subjects upon which we will always take a particular stand is the issue of cruelty. We don’t and won’t condone cruelty against dogs or other animals in these pages. There is and will always be disagreement in the dog training community about what constitutes cruelty and what amount of cruelty is an acceptable means to the noble end of dog training. And everyone, of course, has the right to their opinions. But we are, flat out, biased toward nonviolent dog training.
Our bias was showing in an article called, “Choosing the Right Trainer,” published in our May 1998 issue. It was written by Pat Miller, who worked for the Marin (CA) Humane Society for 20 years before moving to Salinas, California, where she now works as a writer, a dog trainer, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz SPCA. She has been on the front lines of the dog training and care war for many years, and developed strong opinions about what’s right and best for most dogs. It happens that we agree with most of them, and so you’ll see her name quite a bit in our pages.
Not everyone will agree with our opinions, and when this is the case, we’ll be happy to hear your side of the story. If you disagree with us, let us know – we’d be happy to air positive and fair discussions on any subject. In fact, there’s a good letter from a reader in this issue, responding to the article mentioned above.
Sometimes, we joust amongst ourselves. I wrangled with publisher Timothy Cole over the article about dog shampoos that ran in the June issue; even though it was a good article, I wasn’t sure that the subject was of enough interest to make it worth our (and your) while. But the first three calls I got from you after it came out were about the shampoo article! Clearly, I’d misjudged the need for news about suds . . .
Here’s the point: We’re here for you. Let us know what you’d like to know more about, and we’ll get a well-researched and easy to understand article on the subject to you as soon as we can – whether it’s about subjects as soft as soap or as tough as training.
Here’s an indisputable fact: Vaccines have saved millions of lives. The vaccine discoveries of medical pioneers such as Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur introduced a new era of health care for humans. Smallpox, once the most feared disease in the world, is thought to be eradicated. Ask any senior citizen to name the great medical advances of this century, and he or she will invariably list the polio vaccine.
Veterinary exploration has kept up with the rapid pace of human vaccine research. Today, non-feral rabies is a rarity. Distemper has become an almost completely avoidable tragedy. Research is underway to invent vaccines that can mediate an immune response against even fleas and ticks!
But here’s a highly disputed fact: Vaccines have also compromised the health and well-being of an untold number of dogs.
No one disputes the fact that for a tiny minority of dogs, vaccines can be dangerous. For reasons that cannot be accurately predicted, some individuals – puppies in particular – react badly to the same substances that save the lives of many others. Some dogs get sick immediately following vaccination, sometimes contracting the disease they were inoculated against. However, it’s hard to prove a link between illness and vaccines when dogs get sick weeks, months, or even years after receiving them.
Even so, more and more holistic veterinarians believe that vaccination is behind many of the diseases seen in our dogs today, including autoimmune system failure, cancer, allergies, and even behavior problems. These practitioners believe that it is unwise to vaccinate dogs in less than perfect health; that if you fail to take illness into account, even minor infections or chronic skin irritations, and vaccinate anyway, you might well create more problems than you’ve solved.
To understand how these practitioners have come to this conclusion, it is important to know how vaccines work.
The immune system
Like our own, a dog’s body is continuously invaded by infectious agents. Arrayed against these agents (called pathogens), the body has an astonishingly sophisticated defense. What follows is a highly simplified account of how a healthy immune system responds to a serious attack.
When pathogens enter the body, most often via mucous membranes, open wounds, or airborne particles, they soon encounter circulating white blood cells (called neutrophils and macrophages) which identify and destroy foreign cells, whether viral, bacterial, or fungal. At the same time as this initial “skirmish,” complex lines of communication are opened.
It is one function of the macrophage, for example, to alert the type of lymphocytes called helper T cells (so called because they derive from the thymus), which arrive at the site of infection, identify the invader, and immediately begin to multiply. Aptly named, these helper cells then chemically summon additional cells.
At this point, several other types of T-lymphocytes arrive like the specialists of an army division, and undertake a number of assigned duties. Cytotoxins, to name one, literally break apart invasive cells, whose infectious contents are then destroyed.
Meanwhile, B (bursa-derived) lymphocytes begin to circulate, in the form of highly specialized proteins called antibodies. These antibodies – crucial to immunization – are specific to the antigen which caused their creation. Imagine the antigen (short for antibody generating) as a combination lock for which the antibody alone knows the code.
As infection subsides, then, two other lymphocyte types take their place. The first of these, suppressor T cells, perceive, in essence, that the battle is won, and signal the “front-line” lymphocytes to withdraw. The second, somewhat like regimental historians, are the “memory” lymphocytes, which imprint the chemical identity of the invader, and continue to recognize it even after an absence of many years.
In the story of vaccination, this is where the trouble seems to begin. Under certain circumstances – preexisting illness, concurrent drug therapy, stress, hormonal imbalance or genetic impairment – vaccines can trigger unforeseen reactions in the host, ranging from minor to chronic to life-threatening. These reactions occur in one of two ways, either hyperactive (auto-immune) or hypoactive (immune-suppressant).
Vaccine theory
To recapitulate, the body builds immunity at the time it is invaded by disease, responding by producing antibodies to that specific agent. In each of us, this process happens countless times in the course of our lives. In perfectly healthy individuals, canine or otherwise, immune systems work very well – they kill the invading virus or bacteria, and leave the dog in a state of readiness to fight the invader again. There exist, however, strains of virus and bacteria so dangerous that more dogs succumb to them than live to fight another day; these are the diseases for which we have developed vaccines: rabies, distemper, and the like.
Vaccines are a short-cut to the dog’s immune response. We give him a tiny, highly modified form of the infectious agent designed to trigger an immune response just as though he had encountered and defeated the disease, and is ready to battle it again.
Newborn puppies receive a varying amount of immunity from their mother’s first milk, called colostrum. The amount varies based on how much of the colostrum they were able to drink (some puppies lose out if they are too weak to nurse or if they are rejected by their mothers), and on how much immunity their mother had to confer, based on her past immunizations or brushes with disease. Immunization programs are initiated when puppies are between six and 16 weeks of age, as the maternal immunity they received from their mothers diminishes, so they are protected.
It is hardly in dispute, even among the most skeptical critics of mainstream vaccination protocols, that puppies need to be protected. But vaccinating puppies has its risks, too – statistically fewer risks than not vaccinating, but risks nonetheless.
The problem is simple, yet so complex it defies solution. Vaccines are designed for an average immune system; they bring immunity to a model. For square pegs, genetic or otherwise, models can be cruelly exclusive. Because all immune systems are different, vaccinations are a highly uncertain proposition, neither 100 percent effective in preventing disease, nor comfortably close to 100 percent safe.
To illustrate this, it is helpful to begin not with dogs but dog owners, because far better records exist quantifying the health risks for humans. Some infants and children get sick – and a few die – after receiving standard childhood vaccines. This number is enough, in fact, that in 1986, the United States Congress established the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, a no-fault compensation program which pays up to $250,000 for vaccine-related deaths, and helps defray the expenses of long-term care associated with catastrophic reactions.
As of 1996, some 5000 petitions had been filed; pay-outs totaled more than $650 million. (The system, by the way, is funded by a surcharge on each dose of vaccine sold.)
Again, when it comes to vaccines, the canine dynamic is much like our own. While there is no such compensation program for dogs, there is no reason to doubt that vaccine-related deaths and injuries are a significant problem for them, too. Vaccine injury statistics are inaccurate even for humans; many doctors are unaware of their responsibility to report problems, or simply don’t bother, even for seriously reactive children, unless the symptoms are life-threatening. While similar reporting mechanisms are in place for dogs and other animals, they are even more underutilized.
Aspects of misuse
Two major aspects of traditional vaccination usage have been implicated in these problems: Vaccinating vulnerable individuals, and vaccine over-marketing and consequent overuse.
We’ve already mentioned one important sub-group of the “vulnerable individuals”: the puppies and dogs who appear perfectly normal, but whose immune system responds to vaccines in a statistically abnormal fashion, causing illness or even death. Unfortunately, there’s no way to be certain in advance of actually administering the vaccines whether your new puppy is one of those individuals. You pay your money, as they say, and you take your chances.
But there is another very large group of vulnerable dogs who would benefit from a change in standard vaccination protocol, if only someone would notice their vulnerability. These are the dogs who are sick at the time of vaccination. The problem is, most people don’t understand that common symptoms – such as chronic skin problems, intestinal inflammation, eye or ear infections, hypersensitivity to common environmental agents such as flea repellents, dust, and pollen – are signs that the dog is sick and may be immune-impaired. And dogs with major disease processes such as lupus, hyper-thyroidism, epilepsy, diabetes, kidney or renal failure definitely aren’t well enough to be safely vaccinated.
The inserts that come with all vaccines clearly state that dogs who are ill should not be vaccinated. A conventionally trained veterinarian would probably only recognize a dog with overt symptoms of illness, such as fever or infection, as too sick to vaccinate. Holistic veterinarians do not hesitate to include dogs who are stressed, malnourished, or whose immune system has been compromised by previous disease or recent drug therapies into this group.
Some of these conditions are temporary, and in these cases, you can wait a while, and vaccinate when the dog is well again. But holistic veterinarians suggest that chronically ill dogs should never be exposed to the challenge of a vaccine, especially if the dog had ever responded adversely to vaccinations in the past.
Over-vaccination
Vaccinating vulnerable individuals is one way we know we can cause disease. The second way is simply by vaccinating too much. Traditional vaccination schedules call for dogs to receive a “booster” shot annually. Boosters are supposed to remind the immune system (“Remember me? Keep your defenses up!”) to stay ready to attack agents of specific diseases. Without a periodic reminder, the body may begin to cease production of those particular antibodies, leaving the dog undefended.
The best way to determine whether or not the dog’s immune system is keeping its defenders on standby is a blood serum titer test. Current research suggests that for most dogs, protection continues beyond the current one-year standard. However, individual responses to vaccines are more important than the time frame for administering them. One of the most vocal and prolific veterinary vaccine researchers in this country, W. Jean Dodds, DVM, is a proponent of titering to determine the need for boosters.
Devoted researcher
Dodds, of Santa Monica, California, is also calling for increased scrutiny of standard vaccine protocols. She began sounding the alarm in the early 1980s that heedless vaccination protocols were triggering immune dysfunction in dogs. She was also one of the first veterinarians to begin publicly questioning the recommendations for vaccination set forth by the American Veterinary Medical Association. “I’ve been asking questions from the start,” Dodds says. “A lot of things didn’t make sense to me.”
For example, Dodds asked why vaccines are administered in the same volume regardless of breed, age, and size of dog, from whippet to wolfhound. She wondered by what logic the frequency of vaccination for at-risk puppies was being increased, rather than decreased by some veterinarians. Knowing that vaccines can cause problems, why, Dodds has asked, are we not pursuing a more sophisticated methodology?
As much as she has criticized the vaccine protocol most commonly accepted in this country, Dodds is not against vaccination per se. “There isn’t any question,” she says, “that vaccines are better now than 20 years ago, that the vaccine manufacturers remain committed to improving them. The fact is, we have the luxury of even holding this conversation today because diseases which were rampant 30 or 40 years ago are now under control.
“But vaccines have been too much of a good thing. The philosophy has been, if one is good, then more is better. So now are we causing disease by weakening the immune system. And vaccines are meant to protect against disease.”
The annual combination booster vaccines that most dogs receive, she believes, are storing up trouble for many dogs. These boosters challenge the immune system even of healthy dogs, and confuse and distract the immune systems of sick dogs.
Vaccination alternatives
Rather than suggesting that people simply not vaccinate their dogs, Dodds has developed an alternative vaccination protocol that she uses successfully in her practice. Instead of being avoided, in Dodds’ protocol vaccines are treated respectfully as a calculated risk; the administration of only certain types of vaccines, administered in a much more sparing fashion than convention allows, helps the owner reduce the risks to his or her dog’s health.
Some of Dodds’ recommendations include discontinuing the “kitchen sink” boosters altogether; giving simpler boosters (for distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and possibly leptospirosis) every three years instead of annually; ceasing (in most cases) all boosters after the dog is 10 years of age; and avoiding use of bordetella, coronavirus, and Lyme vaccines unless the dog lives in an area where these diseases are endemic. Dodds uses only killed vaccine for rabies.
Dodds and other holistic veterinarians generally encourage dog owners to be inquisitive about any vaccinations that their veterinary professionals recommend. Suggestions for wise vaccine use include:
• Take the time to think about your dog’s medical history, and his current state of health the next time you receive a “Vaccinations due!” postcard from your veterinarian. Legally, you don’t have to vaccinate your dog for anything except rabies. How and when vaccines are administered to your dog should be an informed responsibility. If your dog is ill at the time of a scheduled booster, wait until he or she recovers.
• If your dog suffers from an immune disorder, or is one of the breeds of dogs susceptible to immune dysfunction, see to it that your veterinarian gives only those vaccines necessary for your dog’s life-style. Consider the possibility that, other than for rabies, your dog’s vaccinations might be postponed indefinitely.
• While modified-live vaccines now dominate the market, have your veterinarian administer killed vaccines wherever possible. While providing less sustained protection than modified-live vaccines, they also bring a margin of safety to susceptible dogs.
• If your dog has suffered a serious vaccine reaction, consider nossode vaccines as an alternative. While this technique remains controversial, and scientifically unproven, clinical nossode studies are currently underway. Nossode vaccines are unsurpassed in safety; their efficacy remains in doubt. Discuss the issue with your veterinarian.
• Ask your veterinarian about serum titer tests, which measure antibodies present in the blood, most commonly for parvovirus and distemper, the two viruses targeted in combination DHLPPC boosters which are most often fatal, particularly in puppies.
If titering shows sufficient antibodies remain, you might choose to revaccinate your dog less frequently. Remember that while titer tests provide a more accurate picture of immune memory than the mere fact of vaccination, they do not guarantee the dog’s immune system will respond appropriately and vigorously when it is needed – but then, neither does a vaccination.
In a dog’s life, the variables are too complex for guarantees. The rest is up to you and your veterinarian.
Roger Govier is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. After researching this story, he says he’s not sure he’s going to vaccinate his two mixed-breed dogs ever again.
I have a young Great Dane named “Bugsy.” I acquired him from a Dane breeder with a good reputation when he was four and a half months old. My only misgiving about the handsome pup was the discovery he had been raised on a terrible food, a brand made with poor quality ingredients and way too much protein and fat for a growing Dane puppy. Though many people think that big dogs must require lots of protein and fat to “grow so big,” giant breed dogs should be fed lower percentages of these nutrients.
Overly rapid growth of the long bones, brought on by too much protein, can bring on all sorts of growth-related problems. Research has shown that a lower protein/fat food slows the growth of the long bones, significantly reducing the possibility of common bone problems such as osteochondritis dessicans (OCD), panosteitis, and hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD) in giant breed dogs. I have always tried to feed my giant breed puppies a diet with between 20 and 23 percent protein and 13 to 15 percent fat.
Also, puppies who eat foods with poor sources of protein and fat within the first six months of life tend to have more growth-related bone problems. Higher quality ingredients assure faster absorption and better utilization of the food.
But Bugs was so gorgeous! Pushing aside my misgivings about his early diet, I bought him toward the end of last November. I immediately but slowly began replacing his old food with a new and better food. The effects of poor food are cumulative, and I hoped that the change would be early enough in his life to protect him from any bone problems.
The breeder had told me that Bugs had an elbow injury sometime in the middle of October, about a month before I purchased him. In December, when he began limping on the right front foot, I felt that the limp might be a recurrence of his old injury. But in January my worst fears were realized: radiographs revealed OCD in both shoulders.
A Crippling Disease OCD is characterized by degeneration of the bone that lies under the articular cartilage of joint surfaces anywhere in the body. The most commonly affected joints are: the stifle, hock, elbow, or shoulder, with the latter being most prevalent. The cartilage covering the joint ends of the bones thickens, and begins to die and crack. As it dries up, little pieces of cartilage can chip off and float freely in the joint, causing pain and inflammation. In medical reference books, the causes are listed as genetics, rapid growth and/or feeding poor quality food.
In the short term, Bugsy’s treatment was limited to completely restricted exercise. My veterinarian suggested that he walk – only on a leash – and for outdoor necessity. As I had intended Bugs to be my next obedience prospect, this put a serious crimp in my plans. I also had Bugs neutered right away, a tragedy as far I was concerned, since Bugs is a lovely specimen of the Dane breed. But because OCD can be passed along to future generations, both my veterinarian and I agreed the surgery should be done.
The next task was to decide how we were going to treat Bugs’ condition. My veterinarian was strongly in favor of surgery for this condition, and felt there as little in the way of alternative treatment. I called two orthopedic surgeons to learn a bit more about the surgery and its outcome.
OCD surgery is very traumatic. The muscles must be separated, the shoulder joint “popped” apart, and any areas that have been chipped or pitted must be smoothed out. In severe cases of OCD, the head of the long bone must be scraped to stimulate growth of good tissue. Finally, the whole joint is washed out with saline solution to remove any debris.
Frankly, the financial prospect of this surgery was enough to scare me (a minimum of $1,500 PER shoulder), not to mention the trauma and risk of such radical surgery and anesthesia, twice! Danes are extremely sensitive to anesthesia, and I’ve heard that many die on the table due to heart or breathing problems while they are anesthetized. Plus, there are no guarantees that, once the surgery is performed, the dog will recover completely; he may always limp, though the gait may not worsen.
The recovery period, too, looked difficult. Following joint surgery, the dog has to be judiciously and carefully exercised for about three months – judiciously, because the dog has to exercise enough to keep the joint moving, which stimulates the production of the lubricating joint fluids, and carefully, because you don’t want the dog to strain or damage the newly healing tissues. The dog is supposed to be walked – no trotting! – in straight lines, to keep the gait as even as possible.
Needless to say, I was not thrilled about this surgery. But the pressure was on; many veterinarians, including my own, warned that if the surgery didn’t take place by the time Bugs was a year old, he could be crippled for life.
As I watched over an increasingly sore Dane pup, I voraciously researched everything I could get my hands on. I read books, magazine articles, and spent hours on the Internet, asking everyone about non-surgical options for OCD treatment. The University of Pennsylvania and University of Ohio, where extensive canine research is conducted, were particularly helpful.
Finally, a friend referred me to Dr. Cindi Bossart at the Animal Hospital of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I was told Dr. Bossart was having “some” success with drug therapy for OCD, but when I spoke with Dr. Bossart directly, she told me her treatment had been almost 90 percent effective! Of course, she could offer me no guarantees, but I felt a bit more hopeful after speaking with her.
A Minority View Contrary to what other veterinarians had told me, Dr. Bossart thought I had until Bugs was two years old to work on the problem without risk of crippling him. Her reasoning was that in Danes and other giant breeds, the long bone growth plates take almost twice as long to close as in average-sized dogs. The growth plate closure time is the window in which they feel the OCD surgery must occur to have the best chance of succeeding.
Dr. Bossart agreed to discuss Bugsy’s case with my veterinarian, and offer her opinion and treatment protocol for OCD. My veterinarian was willing to “try” the alternative plan, with much trepidation; I think his actual words were, “I have a great deal of doubt about this treatment plan.”
The plan called for ½ doses of injectable Adequan twice weekly, supplemented by the addition of Cosequin (and/or glucosamine and chondroitin taken orally). A full dose of Adequan is normally given at a rate of 2mg/pound animal weight, intramuscularly (IM), once a week for six to eight weeks. The protocol we followed was 1mg/pound body weight, IM, twice a week for six to eight weeks. We then gave a full dose once a week for two weeks.
The active ingredient in Adequan and glucosamine is polysulfated glycosaminoglycans (PSGAG), which is derived from bovine tracheal cartilage. Chondroitin has a similar active agent. The mechanism, or how these substances work is mostly unknown. PSGAG is characterized as a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug. Studies have shown that PSGAG inhibits certain catabolic enzymes which have increased activity in inflamed joints.
My veterinarian started giving Bugs the Adequan shots and Cosequin (glucosamine hcl and chondroitin sulfate) in late January. I also added vitamins C and E supplements to the medical treatment. I feed all of my dogs Super Blue Green Algae (SBGA), so after three weeks, without seeing much improvement in Bugs’ movement, I began to increase his SBGA intake, too.
Around this period of time, I was also led to a certified homotoxicologist, Marina Zacharias, of Jacksonville, Oregon. Zacharias carries a variety of holistic, herbal, and homeopathic remedies, and she suggested that I add a couple more things to Bugs’ diet. She sent me some Traumeel (a homeopathic preparation thought to provide anti-inflammatory action), and two natural supplements. Bone Stim Liquescence is specifically for bone-related problems. Zacharias uses it to speeds healing of fractures, and for OCD, as it seems to help the body regulate calcium metabolism and heal bone.
Arth 9 is supposed to be in similar in action to Cosequin, but more comprehensive. Arth-9 has additional nutrients to stimulate healthy cartilage and aid in tissue repair. The added bromelain decreases inflammation, and boswellin and circumin promote joint healing, increase synovial fluids, and speed the healing of cartilage. Vitamin C, zinc, and copper provide nutritional support for the other ingredients. Overall, the product is supposed to help promote complete joint-ligament support. Poor Bugs got it all!
A Fading Limp In early March, I began to see some improvement, a slight increase in his use of his right front leg. At Dr. Bossart’s suggestion, my veterinarian raised the dosage of glucosamine and chondroitin and continued the shots of Adequan until the first week of April. Then we discontinued the Adequan.
Our story is still in progress, but Bugs continues to show improvement. As of late May, he has not limped in about six weeks. I continue to feed Bugs his algae (I always will), and we will probably continue the chondroitin, glucosamine, Bone Stim Liquescence and Traumeel for another month or so.
I know that this isn’t how real research is done. Because I’ve given Bugsy so many different things, there is no way of knowing which one or ones might be contributing the most to his recovery. My veterinary friends think that the Adequan is probably the most active agent in Bugs’ rehabilitation, since it has been used with such positive results by Dr. Cindi Bossart in the past. I’m just happy that something is working!
State of the art surgery is a wonderful, valuable tool in our arsenal against pain and illness in our dogs, and there’s no telling whether Bugs might need it someday. But like good craftsmen, we all need more than a couple of tools in our tool boxes. Go out and research, study and discover all that alternative medicine has to offer!
-By Lyn Richards
Lyn Richards is a dog trainer and Dane lover living in Manchester, NH.
Who doesn’t love petting a dog? The soft fur, the warm body and the animal’s reciprocal affection makes stroking a dog a great pleasure for people.
Petting is also good for dogs! Just as human infants can fail to thrive when deprived of affectionate contact, puppies who receive little or no contact from their handlers fail to develop as well physically or mentally as puppies who are petted and handled often. And even if their physical needs for warmth or food are provided, mature dogs can have a difficult time bonding with or responding to their human caretakers unless they receive consistent, affectionate physical contact.
But in the last 20 years, dog handlers have learned that intentional, directed touch can offer dogs even greater physical and psychological benefits than simple petting and affection. For the most part, the variety of “dog massage” methods that are taught to dog owners and practiced by professionals follow the patterns of human therapeutic touch and movement therapy: massage, acupressure, and Feldenkrais. (The latter has been adapted and expanded for use in dogs and other animals principally by Linda Tellington-Jones, creator of TTouch.)
Knowledgeable and skilled application of one or more specific healing touches have been proven to help relieve pain and diminish stress in the dog, increasing his athletic potential, overall comfort, and even, later in life, preserving his mobility and vitality.
These healing touches also give dog owners new ways to communicate with their beloved companions, improving their relationship and understanding.
While each type of touch has been demonstrated to be helpful in certain situations, each is intended to affect a different system in the dog, so, depending on your dog’s health challenge, one may be more helpful than the others. Confusing matters is a certain amount of crossover between the schools, as practitioners mix up the techniques they find helpful to their clients.
The following is a guide to therapeutic touch methods, as well as a description of the dogs who can benefit from each.
Doggy Massages: Rubbing it in
Massage is the oldest and perhaps the most instinctive touch therapy available to dog caretakers. It’s also the easiest to explain, since the effects of massage are easy to see and document.
Massage is the use of hands (usually) to rub and knead muscle tissue with several beneficial effects. To understand how massage benefits an animal (humans included), it’s important to know that muscles only “work” in one direction; they act by “contracting,” a movement that shortens the muscle, pulling the attached parts of the body in the direction of the pull. An opposing set of muscles and/or the force of gravity returns the body part in question back to its original position. Vigorous or prolonged exercise causes many repeated contractions of the muscle fibers, “pumping” them full of blood and fluids and making it difficult for the fibers to slacken and lengthen into a resting state. Massage literally loosens and unknots the contracted, tense fibers, causing considerable relief from chronically tight or spasmed muscles. It also helps restore circulation to and in the muscles tissues, helping “unclog” the circulatory system, flushing out the waste products (lactic acid) of muscle activity and bringing in healing nutrients.
Depending on the purpose of the massage and the results the therapist wants to achieve, massage therapists employ a wide range of techniques, manipulating the muscles in a variety of ways – among them, stroking, lifting, pulling, and rolling the tissue beneath their fingers.
The benefits of massage can extend beyond the realm of the physical body. Dogs who become accustomed to massage are often easier to groom or examine. And an owner or masseuse who massages a dog regularly will be more alert to immediate problems, such as the presence of fleas, ticks or cuts. She’ll also be more likely to detect more serious developments, such as chronically sore, knotted muscles or lumps beneath the skin that could indicate the presence of cancer. By palpating the muscle tissue, experienced practitioners can easily detect areas on the dog’s body that are in need of special attention, areas which may be lumpy, stringy, or chronically tense, instead of relaxed and pliable.
Find the Right Massage Therapist for Your Dog
Of the three hands-on therapies discussed here, massage is the most easily learned, by those who want to offer their services professionally as well as those who just want to learn to massage their own dogs. One could argue that this means it is the most accessible as a career to people who lack the education or experience to offer proficient and maximally therapeutic massage. Indeed, there are no certification programs or licensing organizations for canine massage therapists, even though, curiously enough, several exist for equine massage therapists and dozens exist to train people for human massage. To massage humans, or to teach others how to massage humans, a person must be credentialed and licensed; the training involves hundreds of hours of practice and study into human anatomy and physiology. But there is nothing equivalent required to massage dogs or teach dog massage professionally.
If you are considering having a canine massage therapist work on your dog or teach you how to do so, there are things you can look for:
• Formal training and education. The best therapists know anatomy and physiology and have knowledge of as many massage techniques as possible, even if they use one type of massage predominantly. Ask the candidate about the courses they have taken, and how many hours of training were involved in those courses. The number should be well in the hundreds of hours. The therapist should also be able to answer questions regarding ideal treatments for a dog with specific health problems.
• References. The therapist should be able to give you the names and numbers of several satisfied customers. Long-term clients are better; references from veterinarians who have observed improvements in dogs whose cases they have collaborated on would be ideal.
• Ask to observe the therapist working on another client’s dog, and see how he gets along with the animal. Is the dog relaxed and happy about the experience, or anxious, tense, and trying to escape? The pressure that the therapist uses should not appear to make the dog uncomfortable.
Some of the best canine candidates for massage include dogs that put on a lot of miles every day, such as guide dogs, hunting dogs, and stock dogs, as well as “weekend warriors,” dog who lie around at home during the week while you’re at the office, and then go hiking, running or swimming with you on weekends. Older dogs with circulatory problems or degenerative arthritis (not rheumatoid arthritis) can also benefit from the soothing effects of massage.
Some therapists swear that regular massage on dogs that are prone to certain arthritic conditions, such as hip dysplasia, can help prevent those diseases. However, there are times when an owner shouldn’t massage her dog; determining these should be a matter of common sense. A dog that is so touch-shy that a massage provokes an aggressive reaction shouldn’t undergo such treatment until he’s been examined by a veterinarian for an underlying health problem. Dogs with injuries involving broken bones or broken skin, and dogs that are ill should not be massaged. Massage is not generally recommended for dogs with cancer, since the growth of some cancers can be aided by the increase in circulation that massage can bring.
Acupressure: A Timeless Art
Many massage therapists integrate varying amounts of acupressure into their massages, and, properly executed, acupressure can help relax muscles and increase blood flow. However, acupressure is not directed at the dog’s muscle tissue as it is with massage. Rather, the practitioner’s finger pressure is aimed at a theoretical body system that can’t be seen. Acupressure is a tactile variant on the ancient Chinese medical practice of acupuncture, which seeks to influence the body’s energy flow. A brief discussion of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is necessary to understand this modality:
The central principle of TCM is that each human being and animal is filled with a life-sustaining energy called chi (pronounced chee). The chi flows through the body via pathways, called meridians, not unlike water flows through a stream. Each meridian in the body, it is believed, influences the health of a different system in the body. When the chi is flowing smoothly and harmoniously, the body is healthy. Illness, practitioners of TCM believe, stems from disruption in the flow of the chi, whether due to a deficiency or excess in a certain area. The regular, healthy flow of energy can be restored by stimulating certain points on the involved meridians.
Traditionally, the points are stimulated by needles (acupuncture), finger pressure (acupressure), or heat (moxibustion), though modern practitioners sometimes use lasers or needles that are electrified with a tiny current. To determine where and how to stimulate the flow of chi, an experienced acu-therapy practitioner would question the dog’s caretaker about any unusual symptoms the dog may be displaying. She would want to know about the dog’s usual demeanor and health routines, in an effort to ascertain what body systems and meridians may be in need of stimulation. Finally, she would conduct a physical examination, checking the entire body for signs of diminished or excessive energy or blood flow (as indicated by cold or too-warm areas on the body).
To the dismay of those who think the TCM theory behind this therapy is hogwash, acu-therapies have been shown to increase circulation, and to release endorphins (internally produced pain killers) as well as natural cortisone and other anti-inflammatory substances. Some researchers, unable to refute these substantiated results, have speculated that there is another mechanism that is responsible for the release of these natural and beneficial chemicals. The most prevalent of these explanations is that the acu-therapies alter the bioelectricity flowing along the nerves, triggering the release of neurotransmitters that, in turn, release the endorphins and cortisone chemicals. But some proponents say the theory doesn’t matter – it works!
Acupressure can be especially useful for dogs with chronic, painful conditions including arthritis, spinal problems, and hip dysplasia. It has also been used to improve neurological conditions, lameness, balance problems, allergies (including those resulting in skin dermatitis), epilepsy, and digestive disturbances.
Proponents believe that acu-therapies, including acupressure, can be used to improve or assist in the recovery from almost any medical condition. However, some practitioners caution against using acupressure if the dog is pregnant or has recently been bred, has been fed within the past three to four hours, is fatigued from exercise, or seriously ill with cancer, an infectious disease, or a high fever.
Who Can Apply Acupressure?
According to most states’ veterinary medical practice acts, anyone who uses a needle on an animal must be a licensed veterinarian. Legally, any veterinarian could perform acupuncture, whether or not they had any formal training in the art. Straddling the two worlds is the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS), which offers training and certification in acupuncture to veterinarians and veterinarians only. In order to become certified, veterinarians must take a 100-hour course, pass a four-hour written exam and a practical exam, and complete a 40-hour internship. This sounds good, but experienced TCM practitioners might argue that it takes hundreds of hours of study to become accomplished in “moving the chi.”
While acupressure can be legally performed by anyone, only someone with advanced training in TCM and the acupuncture meridians will be able to offer valuable work or instruction in this art.
The stimulation of acupressure is thought to be somewhat less direct and therefore less powerful than acupuncture, but it does has the benefit of being much more accessible to lay people than acupuncture. Any interested dog owner or therapist can be taught how to stimulate the appropriate acupressure meridians and points to improve certain health problems. Furthermore, no possible harm can arise from the gentle touch of acupressure, even if it is incorrectly applied.
However, a massage practitioner who says he also uses acupressure should be able to impart some information about which of your dog’s meridians or points he would choose to work on and why. If he is not intimately familiar with TCM theory or knowledge of the meridians, his “acupressure” is probably just a glorified massage – not bad, by any means, but not true acupressure.
T-Touch Magic
Massage and acupressure have been used on humans for centuries and have become popularized as therapies for animals in the last 20 years or so. But another important touch-based therapy, called TTouch, has emerged and been developed in just the last 20 years.
TTouch has its roots in another modern therapy developed by Israeli physicist and judo expert Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984). Following a serious injury, Feldenkrais took his rehabilitation into his own hands, studying physiology and movement therapies, and eventually formalizing his discoveries into a therapy he called Awareness through Movement, but which has more commonly become known as the Feldenkrais method.
Feldenkrais thought about the fact that the neural impulses that govern movement tend to follow the most-worn neural pathways, making most movement habitual and similar. This is the reason why people habitually walk with a certain rhythm and movement pattern, for instance, or sit with a distinctive posture. Through study and experimentation, Feldenkrais discovered that the body could be taught to use and develop alternatives to the most commonly used pathways, resulting in new movements that offered broader range of motion, for instance, or greater strength or efficiency. He distilled his observations into exercises he taught to others. Some of the exercises are undertaken by the subject alone, but in others, the subject remains relaxed while a Feldenkrais practitioner moves her body or limbs in a defined series of movements.
One of Feldenkrais’ students, Linda Tellington-Jones, absorbed Feldenkrais’ theories like a sponge, and brought them to bear on another world where she had extensive experience. An experienced horsewoman, Tellington-Jones began adapting Feldenkrais’ exercises for horses and other animals with great success, ultimately founding an internationally-recognized school of therapy based on her work.
Tellington-Jones’ initial area of focus was with horses, and accordingly, her program was dubbed Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Method, or TTEAM. As Tellington-Jones developed her theories and exercises, she drew from other schools of healing therapies, eventually incorporating some aspects of acupressure, massage, and training into her healing modality, which became known as TTouch (pronounced Tee-touch). She also expanded her research to include work on all types of animals.
Like Feldenkrais, Tellington-Jones’ first work focused on movement. She found that horses with chronic gait irregularities, for instance, could be guided through a series of exercises that would somehow “reset” their brains and nervous systems, enabling them to move with a new and improved gait.
But soon, Tellington-Jones discovered that these exercises could have a profound impact on the way animals behaved toward their handlers. Often, an animal who entered a session resistant, angry, or defiant became compliant, relaxed, and friendly by the session’s end. Tellington-Jones theorized that because of the exercises “the body’s stored bad habits and responses to tension, pain, and fear are broken,” in other words, that the bad behaviors were a result of the animal’s pain and anxiety. When the animal was enabled to move in a new way, it was able to think in a new way, too.
TTouch practitioners explain that TTouch is directed at affecting the nervous system, which influences the mind and the body, helping the two systems to work together more efficiently and effectively. The nervous system sends messages back and forth from the brain to the muscles, so, by using TTouch to bring the brain (and the body’s) attention to little-used or previously damaged portions of the body, you re-establish communication with and use of the entire body and mind.
Because every cell in the body touches other cells in turn, Tellington-Jones says that “awakening” any cell in the body helps awaken the entire body, rather like turning on a series of lights. In fact, many people who have used TTouch on their dogs report that both emotional and physical problems tend to improve with the work.
While TTouch has been shown to improve animals’ mobility and movement, its ability to quickly extinguish behavioral problems has become its hallmark. Dogs who exhibit problem behaviors like excessive barking, fearfulness, resistance to touch, and chewing show rapid improvement with TTouch. But the therapy is at its best when addressing physical and emotional issues, such as recovering from past injuries or traumas which have sparked new, undesirable behavior like fear biting, cowering from strangers, or panicking at thunder.
Certified TTouch Practitioners
Because she invented this school of therapy, Tellington-Jones gets to determine how others can become “certified” TTouch Practitioners. Critics of the therapy object to the exclusivity of the process, citing the fact that only people who pay Tellington-Jones’ organization for the required extensive courses can advertise their services in the therapy without attracting the attention of the TTouch attorneys. To be fair, this exclusive training process does guarantee that all the practitioners who perform and teach this therapy are consistently and reliably trained and grounded in the same theory and techniques – a statement that can’t be made about massage or acupressure therapists.
Also unlike the other hands-on therapists, TTouch practitioners work on animals, and teach interested individuals how to use the therapy. While practitioners are happy to work with individual animals to get them through a health and/or behavior crisis, their goal is to teach the animal’s owner how to support and carry on that work, through private consultation or in group settings.
None of the three healing touches described above is intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary care and/or dog training. However, each of these tactile therapies can be used to supplement other treatments for canine ills. Armed with this understanding, an owner can use any or all of these techniques to enhance her dog’s quality of life and deepen the special bond between them.
Susan McCullough is a freelance writer from Vienna, VA. This is her first article for WDJ.
Do you gaze with envy at dogs who walk politely by their owners’ sides, while yours tows you down the sidewalk? Not only is it annoying to have a dog drag you on leash, it can also seriously damage your dog’s trachea and spine. Plus, dogs who strain at their leashes (and who subsequently get jerked by their frustrated handlers) are more likely to have spinal misalignments, and dogs with spinal problems have a much higher incidence of aggressive and/or hyperactive behavior problems.
WDJ has examined a number of products designed to resolve the challenge of dogs pulling on leashes. We tested several of them at an animal shelter, where there is a plethora of canine subjects inclined to pulling. We evaluated the products based on five criteria:
• Effectiveness
• The dogs’ acceptance of the product • Humaneness of the concept • Quality of manufacture • Cost
One important caveat: All no-pull products are most effective when used as a temporary behavior management tool while the dog is taught to walk on a leash. Several work on an aversive (positive punishment) principal, whereby the dog’s behavior (pulling) makes something “bad” happen, in this case, discomfort (see “There’s More Than One Way.”). Unless the owner rewards and reinforces the desirable behavior, (walking politely) the dog may become acclimatized to increasing levels of discomfort, and the product loses its effectiveness.
Headcollars WDJ Recommends: Headcollars simply do a better job of stopping a pushy puller than all the other types of products on the market. It doesn’t seem to matter which of the three major brands you buy – the Gentle Leader, the Snoot Loop, or the Halti headcollar – all of them work well to keep the dog from pulling.
Headcollars work because they lead the dog from the head, where they lack the strength and leverage to be able to pull. A dog who tries to pull while wearing a headcollar simply has his head turned gently back toward his handler.
Although some high-strung dogs never learn to tolerate wearing something on their head and face, and some need a period of adjustment before they accept them, headcollars are the most effective and humane no-pull aid for most dogs.
All three brands are priced similarly, from $16 to $25, and come in enough sizes and permutations among the three brands to be able to fit just about every dog. Of the three brands, we like the Snoot Loop and the Halti, which offer superior fit.
The Gentle Leader is available from Premier Pet Products for $16-25, (804) 379-4702. The Snoot Loop is available from Dr. Peter Borchelt for $16-20, (800) 339-9505. The Halti is available from Coastal Pet Products for $16-20, (800) 321-0248.
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Leashes WDJ Recommends: WDJ’s consulting trainer tested two no-pull leashes that utilize elastic to act as a check on the dog’s pulling, but with variations in the application.
The Sof-Touch Training Safety Leash Developed by well-known behaviorist William Campbell, the Sof-Touch is a simple six-foot nylon leash with a short piece of elastic stitched and snapped in, to create a shock-absorber “valley” in the leash. There is a 1/2-inch width available for small dogs, and a 3/4-inch width for larger dogs.
The leash administers its own correction, but because the leash itself is solid nylon, there is not nearly as much (i.e., too much) bounce-back effect as the next elasticized leash we’ll discuss. In the Sof-Touch, the elastic piece tightens gradually, muting the impact of the dog hitting the end of the leash. Even if an owner resorts to a jerk on the leash, the elastic adds the same muted effect to the correction.
Again, this product works best in conjunction with a program to train the dog not to pull by rewarding polite walking with an encouraging, “Yes!” and a treat. The Sof-Touch leash is an affordable $12 (less for quantity orders) from William E. Campbell, at (541) 476-5775.
Not Recommended: The Elasta-Leash Extremely sturdy and well-made, the Elasta-Leash is like a thick, four-foot bungee cord attached to your dog’s collar. When he hits the end of the leash, it literally “twangs” him back. There is no question that it checks the dog’s pulling – the harder he hits the end of the leash, the harder he bounces back.
Our test dogs included an Australian Shepherd who only needed three mild twangs to stop pulling, an adolescent Doberman mix who did well only after a reward was added to the process (an enthusiastic “Yes!” and tasty tidbit when the leash bounced him back) and a Jack Russell Terrier, who could have kept bouncing off the end of the leash ad nauseum.
Since the leash administers the twang rather than the handler, the timing of the correction is always perfect. The elastic quality of the leash reduces the force of the correction on the dog’s throat, so it is less likely to do damage to the trachea. The force of a corrective tug or jerk would also be minimized by the elastic, eliminating the possibility of an overly harsh correction from an overzealous handler.
However, the leash still administers a pretty strong correction that cannot in any way be considered a positive reinforcement solution to the leash-pulling problem. In addition, the force of the correction causes a surprisingly strong bounce-back, particularly with small dogs, which could cause whiplash injuries resulting in spinal problems. (Our trainer was so concerned about the Jack Russell Terrier that after two bounces she found herself giving slack to the dog when he hit the end of the leash so he wouldn’t bounce – which defeats the whole purpose of the leash.)
Another drawback was the surprising length to which a large dog could stretch the leash. An unaware owner, thinking she had her dog under control, might pass five feet from an elderly person, small child, or aggressive dog, only to find that the dog could lunge six to seven feet away with the leash-stretch, and knock someone down or get into a fight. Plus, like our Jack Russell Terrier (and our Dobie, until we added the rewards), if they are willing and able to keep their legs churning away, a dog can move to the end of the leash and keep straining, in which case there is no bounce.
Finally, our trainer found the foam-padded leash handle awkward. If a person simply held the end of the leash (by the handle), it was comfortable enough, but because of the smooth, bungee cord material, you can’t get a grip anywhere else on the leach, should you want to “shorten up,” for instance. In the right hands and on the right dog this could be an effective training tool, but it also contains potential for abuse. At $20, WDJ suggests readers try the other recommended products before resorting to the Elasta-Leash.
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Harnesses WDJ Recommends: WDJ’s consulting trainer also evaluated two brands of no-pull harness. Both work on the same principle. When the dog pulls on the leash, the harness tightens around the dog, causing a low level of discomfort. When the dog stops pulling, the discomfort stops, so the dog is rewarded for not pulling.
Holt Control Harness The Holt Harness is made of soft, braided nylon, with sturdy hardware. An elasticized band cushions the chest to minimize rubbing. Though confusing to put on the dog the first time, once you figure it out it is simple to use. Our consulting trainer tested this device on several dogs and found that tolerance and effectiveness was high.
Unlike the headcollar, most dogs did not need an “acclimatization period.” Four out of six shelter dogs tested (of various sizes and temperaments) responded well and immediately reduced their pulling. But a stressed and hyperactive Rottweiler barely seemed to notice the harness, and the last dog, a wiry terrier mix, almost managed to escape the harness. He was effectively stopped from pulling, but minutes later, changed his tactics to include spinning and trying to grab the leash snapped to the harness. This tack was successful for him; the harness affords precious little ability to control the dog unless he pulls straight away from the handler, and his playful, exuberant spinning and jumping quickly got him tangled up. If your dog is a straight-away, enthusiastic puller, this product would probably work great.
The Holt Control Harness comes in small, medium and large, fits neck sizes 8-26 inches, and is available from most pet supply catalogs and stores for about $10. This product is worth trying, especially for dogs who don’t like headcollars.
Not recommended Pro-Stop! Harness This harness works on a similar principle, with a twist. The tightening occurs around the dog’s front legs – from padded legs straps – instead of around the chest. The location of the straps (above the dog’s front elbows, high in his armpits) seems like it would be very uncomfortable for any dog to just walk around in, even if they weren’t pulling.
This product was more effective on our Rottweiler, but a sweet Australian Shepherd and a submissive black Labrador were befuddled by the pressure on their legs. Sensitive dogs might get too distracted to enjoy a walk while wearing this harness.
The Pro-Stop! Harness is well-made, but more complicated to put on the dog than the Holt Harness. It’s also more expensive – $15-20. It doesn’t adjust for tiny dogs, but accommodates larger sizes (up to 42” girth) than the Holt Harness.
I have never owned a dog with separation anxiety, thank goodness. The condition is hard on the dog who suffers from the condition and hard on the dog’s caretakers, too, including owners, vets, groomers, pet sitters, and dog walkers. Care must be taken to prevent triggering the dog’s panic at being left alone—in severe cases, even just long enough for the person caring for the dog to use the restroom!
