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The best in health, wellness, and positive training from America’s leading dog experts
Each issue, Whole Dog Journal brings you reviews of dog products we have tested on real dogs and dog lovers. As 1998 rapidly draws to a close, we’re looking back at the year’s best bets and a couple of great new ones, to help you decide which products you might want to add to your holiday shopping list for your dogs and your dog-loving friends.
-By Pat Miller
Warmth relaxes humans and dogs alike, for physical and emotional reasons. Heat on the skin causes an increase in circulation. Blood flows to the area and tense muscles under the skin begin to relax. A warm touch might also recall the lazy enjoyment of a nap in the sun, or the comfort of a companion on a cold winter night.
Reusable heating pads are a wonderful way to bring the benefits of gentle heat to a dog. The pads I use are portable, liquid-filled plastic envelopes that, with just a push of my thumb, radiate soothing warmth for a few minutes or a few hours.
The pads can be used to soothe the dog during grooming, a hands-on evaluation, and other physical therapies such as chiropractic, stretching, or massage. I often use heat pads at the beginning of a massage, especially in cold weather. I also find them helpful with a dog who anticipates discomfort rather than enjoyment from new body sensations. The pads also seem to enhance the effects of acupressure relating to muscle, joint, and nerve function.
When the pads are first activated they can be quite hot. At this stage, move them over the dog’s body in slow, flowing strokes. When the pads cool, place them on the dog’s lower or middle back and let them continue to work while you massage other areas.
I always let the dog see and sniff the pad after it’s activated. Once the wonderful heat pad slides smoothly over her skin, however, even the most cautious or distracted dog is likely to dissolve into a cooperative partner.
A Warm TTOUCH
Some dog massage practitioners and trainers use the pads frequently, in a variety of applications. Robyn Hood, a Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM) instructor from Vernon, British Columbia, who has years of experience with the reusable heat pads. In fact, Hood’s family owns the patent rights for Canada, having brought the concept to this continent from Australia.
TTEAM practitioners use a system developed by Linda Tellington Jones, touching and working with companion animals and horses to enhance their mental and physical well-being. Hood has found that incorporating the use of the heat pads into her regular TTEAM exercises is very valuable.
“I use the heat pads to maximize the effects of massage strokes,” says Hood. She finds them particularly useful during grooming to warm and relax the taut, often painful back muscles of a competitive show dog or canine athlete such as a hunting dog. She also uses them to soothe and bring focus to a nervous dog, by stroking him with a heat pad in her hand.
The pads are also helpful in emergencies. Hood uses them along with massage to raise a dog’s body temperature when it has dropped too low due to shock or stress.
Hood also finds them useful for keeping puppies and older, arthritic dogs warm. “The advantage of the pads is that when they cool, they will remain at the body temperature of the dog, rather than getting cold and wicking the dog’s warmth away,” she says.
WDJ’s Favorite
By far the best and most unique heat pad is made up of non-toxic sodium acetate, stored in a liquid state and activated by pressing a metal disc floating inside the pad. When the disc is pressed, the cool, clear liquid immediately transforms into warm white crystals. The pads remain malleable for about 20 minutes, the length of time it is warm enough to be useful for massage. The pads remain warm for about 40 minutes total, but they stiffen and grow hard in the last 20 minutes, and that final stage of heat is not quite warm enough to feel good.
Once the pads cool, you can easily recharge them by placing them in boiling water (or microwaving them, though this method takes more vigilance, so as not to overheat them and cause them to burst) for about 10 minutes. The manufacture suggests letting them cool all the way before re-activating them. To recharge, just bend the metal tab that floats inside.
With reasonable care, these pads can be used over and over. WDJ has activated and recharged our samples at least 30 times since they arrived, and the effectiveness has not diminished one iota. Hood claims to regularly use a pad that she first purchased and used in 1988.
In the U.S. this pad is manufactured by Prism Technologies and sold under several names, most commonly, “The Heat Solution.” We’ve seen the exact same product in one sporting goods chain with a Coleman brand label. In Canada, they are marketed by TTEAM as “Thermopads.”
Insulation can make the heat last longer. Some manufacturers sell insulated covers for the pads to make the temperature more comfortable and longer-lasting. The covers are unnecessary to protect long-haired dogs from excessive heat, but could help keep the pad from being too hot for an extremely short-haired dog. We found that a sock works almost as well a cover.
Other options
Other reusable heat pads are available, but they do not have the portable, consistent-heat features which come with our first choice. Gel- and water-filled pads are less inconvenient; they must be boiled or microwaved immediately before use. Moreover, depending on the temperature used to warm them, the heat from the pads varies. I’ve found that it’s easy to get them too hot.
The sizes that each type of pad come in also limit their usefulness somewhat. Both the “Heat Comfort” pad (AKA the “Nexcare” pad), manufactured by 3M, and the “Aqua-Relief” pad, manufactured by the Aqua-Cel Corporation, are too big to stroke a dog with easily. Both would be better used in a situation where you were trying to warm a large area of the dog’s anatomy or to treat arthritis, sprains, pulled muscles, and other injuries. These pads also work well if cold therapy is beneficial; simply chill in the refrigerator for an hour or more prior to use.
The powder-filled, disposable heat pads that are activated by shaking, such as the “Sports Heat,” manufactured by Two A Degree, come in the right size, but their temperatures tend to be inconsistent, and never become quite as warm as you’d like. Plus, the single-use, throw-away feature isn’t economical nor in keeping with ecological “whole dog” practices.
Nothing is more wonderful for your dog in the winter time than a nice petting session with a hand-sized heat pad tucked into your palm. I recommend you get together with several other people and purchase a case of the sodium acetate portable heat packs. This way, you’ll be able to delight your favorite canine – or human! – friends all winter long.
-By Barbara Chasteen
Barbara Chasteen usually works with horses, offering equine massage, acupressure, and therapeutic in-hand techniques through her practice, the Balanced Horse, in Sonoma County, California.
For Star, an eight-year-old Springer Spaniel cross, life hasn’t always been easy. But thanks to treatments by Pedro Rivera, DVM, of The Healing Oasis Veterinary Hospital in Stutevant, Wisconsin, Star’s life glimmers again. In addition to traditional veterinary medicine, Dr. Rivera often treats his animal clients with chiropractic, homeopathic and Chinese remedies, and glandular therapy.
Star’s life wasn’t always plagued with illness. As a puppy and young dog, he seemed to be a picture of health: high energy, a good appetite, and a great disposition. Star’s owner, Janet Stone, had adopted him when he was just three months old, and he enjoyed good health until he was five and a half years old.
One fateful Saturday afternoon, after Star declined his regular meal, Stone began watching him. He felt hot and grew more and more listless. The next day, he grew increasingly lethargic, and that evening, had a seizure. Stone rushed him to the emergency animal clinic nearest their home.
The veterinarians on call saw that Star was jaundiced; his kidneys and liver were failing for unknown reasons. They administered antibiotics and fluids intravenously, hoping to stabilize his condition. Stone and her husband were disappointed to hear that unfortunately, the fluids and antibiotics represented all that traditional veterinary had to offer for Star’s condition, and the doctors there proffered little hope.
Star’s regular veterinarian, however, was Dr. Rivera, who had a much bigger toolbox.
“I first heard about Dr. Rivera and his wife from my sister-in-law, who had taken a dog to him,” says Stone. “She told me that he was a good doctor, but that he used really different methods and medicines than traditional doctors – he didn’t believe in pumping a dog full of pills and shots. My husband and I liked the approach, and the first time we ever took Star there, we were so impressed. We used his clinic for all of Star’s routine health care, and we were always happy with him.”
Since it didn’t seem as though there was anything else traditional veterinary medicine could do for him, the Stones felt Star would be better off in Rivera’s care, since Dr. Rivera had both conventional and alternative tools at his disposal.
Upon assessing the troubled dog, Rivera found Star’s liver to be enlarged and his liver enzyme levels drastically high, about 300 percent of their normal levels. The basic function of the liver is to detoxify the body, and if this system fails, the toxins “back up” in the body (not unlike a backed-up sewer system), causing the animal to take on a yellow tint in its eyes, gums, and skin. this condition, in both animals and humans, is known as jaundice, and it can be life-threatening if not resolved. Dr. Rivera also determined that due to Star’s kidney and liver failure, his body was attempting to utilize nutrients stored in his muscle tissue, resulting in a condition known as “muscle wasting.”
His examination went beyond the Western medical tests, however. Rivera’s initial inquiry also includes mental and emotional evaluations of the animal. He queries owners about their dogs’ behavior patterns, questions like, “Does the animal like to be alone?” and “Does the animal have any specific cravings?” The answers to such questions can be telling, Rivera says. If an animal is displaying signs of extreme lethargy, for example, he then asks the owner about their own feelings.
“Many times, the fears of the owner affect the animal,” Rivera explains. In Star’s case, Rivera felt the owner’s fear that Star was going to die was contributing to his rapid decline.
Rivera suggested a multi-pronged treatment approach which combined a homeopathic remedy, a Chinese herbal tea, and glandular therapy. Ideally, just one approach is used to attain a successful outcome, but given Star’s poor condition, Rivera felt a combination of treatments was necessary.
The strongest weapon in the fight to save Star’s life was a Chinese herbal tea which was custom-formulated for Star by Rivera. One of the main ingredients in the teas was AiYe (English name: Capillaris), often used to treat cancer patients. Stone admits that this treatment made her a bit apprehensive at first.
“I’d never considered this type of treatment before,” she said, “I thought, ‘A tea is going to save my dog?’ But I was willing to try anything, and I had total faith in Dr. Rivera.” Stone made the tea, and administered it three times daily to a weary Star. Within a day and a half, Star began showing slight improvements.
“It was remarkable. His appetite slowly improved, and by day three, he wagged his little tail,” Stone said.
Rivera also initiated a treatment of Arsenicum Album (Arsen. Alb; Arsenious Oxide), a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathy involves finding a “constitutional remedy” that treats the entire body. Unlike Western medicine where a patient’s symptoms are treated, homeopathy treats the body as a whole. By giving a particular homeopathic remedy – in this case, the Arsenicum Album – Star’s physical problems were addressed, along with his mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Rivera also gave Star special supplements to help rebalance out-of-whack glandular system. He put Star on Beta-TCP, which helps bile-producing cells to stabilize, and administered Cytozyme LV, which is a neonatal extract used to help strengthen the liver.
Finally, as Star improved, Rivera also overhauled Star’s diet. He recommended that the dog eat an all-natural, low-protein, high-carbohydrate regime, with plenty of foods like chicken and rice.
Within two and a half weeks, Star’s liver enzymes elevated by about 15 percent, and there was a significant increase in the dog’s appetite. Within six weeks, Star’s jaundice had completely disappeared, and his liver enzymes had returned to normal. At that point, they stopped AiYe treatments, began weaning Star off of the Beta-TCP and went to a half-dose of the Cytozyme LV.
After approximately two months, Rivera prescribed dandelion extract, which works as a diuretic and helps to detoxify and further strengthen the liver. The extract was given a few times as a tonic, and has since been discontinued. Rivera’s final diagnosis was autoimmune hemolytic anemia, an affliction in which the body destroys its own blood.
Now, two years later, Star is his old self again. His owner is grateful for Rivera’s tireless efforts on behalf of her dog. “We really owe our thanks to Dr. Rivera,” Stone says. “He really worked hard,” she says. Significantly, she notes that one of the best parts of the whole experience was the fact that Rivera offered hope for Star’s drastic condition.
“It just goes to show that there is a place for the complementary therapies – they blend well with Western medicine,” comments Rivera. He stresses, however, that this approach is much more individualized than the Western approach. “We don’t give every patient with similar symptoms the same treatments,” he says. “You have to work with a very experienced practitioner, who knows how to detect the unique needs on each individual. But just because an animals is chronically or even critically ill, doesn’t mean there is no hope.”
Alice Greany is a freelance writer from Chico, CA.
Like many of the people who use non-traditional treatment modalities for their dogs, Richard Beaton and Sue Kelly never planned on calling anyone but their regular veterinarian when their dog Titan first hurt his back. And if Titan, a purebred American Cocker (also known as Bryant’s Triumphant Escapade CDX,JH,SH,WDX,CGC,TT), wasn’t in the midst of an obedience career when he began having gait problems associated with his injury, his owners may have been content with heeding their regular veterinarian’s advice for treating Titan.
But “rest and muscle relaxants” didn’t seem to be getting Titan any better, and the couple couldn’t stand to see their darling in so much discomfort. So, like so many dog owners before them, they asked their friends for advice, and when an acquaintance suggested that they contact a veterinarian who uses chiropractic and acupuncture, they were desperate enough to help Titan that they overcame their initial hesitation and made an appointment with the recommended practitioner, Dr. Michelle Tilghman of the Loving Touch Animal Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
What they saw in Dr. Tilghman’s treatment room made them instant converts to chiropractic and acupuncture, and opened their minds to alternative healing modalities.
“Dr. Tilghman spotted the same problem the other vet had seen, but instead of saying, ‘Go home and rest him,’ she adjusted his back, and it was like night and day,” describes Sue Kelly. “We couldn’t believe the difference. Titan limped into the office, and screamed out in pain if he turned his neck a certain way, but after just one adjustment and an acupuncture treatment, he was better. He could turn and bend and jump again.”
A special bond
But let’s begin at the beginning. Graced with an exceptionally pretty face and symmetrical markings, a lush tri-colored coat, and an energetic constitution, Titan also had a certain something that made him stand out from his litter mates. A breeder friend of the couple were aware they were looking for a puppy to raise and show in conformation, and she called the couple on the day Titan was born; they drove over to see the puppies that very day. Says Sue, “We just fell in love with him immediately. He was a really cute puppy.”
Unfortunately, by the time Sue started Titan in conformation classes, she discovered that Titan was missing a tooth, a small but important fact that would limit his success in that particular type of competition. By that time, however, the couple was so in love with the loving little dog that they never allowed themselves to be disappointed. Instead, by the time he was nine months old, Sue started him in obedience. He earned a Companion Dog title a little over a year later.
Sue continued to train Titan for American Kennel Club-sanctioned obedience classes. It was when he training and showing for his Companion Dog Excellent title, when he was around four years of age, that Titan hurt his back. “There is a lot of jumping involved in getting the CDX title,” explains Sue. “And somewhere in that time, he hurt himself.”
Sue says that if she knew then what she knows now about gait problems, she would have instantly recognized Titan’s symptoms as a back problem. But at the time, the first sign she had that all was not well was that game little Titan suddenly began refusing to jump his jumps. “Titan had always so enjoyed running, jumping, retrieving, that when he refused to jump, I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what,” Sue recalls. Titan would run up to the jump and then stand there shaking, looking from the obstacle to Sue as if to say, “Sorry, I just can’t do it.”
Shortly after Titan’s reluctance to jump surfaced, his gaits began deteriorating. His stride was shorter. A couple of times, Titan would suddenly yelp with pain when he looked over his shoulder in a certain direction. After a bad episode at the Cocker Nationals show, the couple brought him to their veterinarian, who identified a pinched nerve in his neck and a pulled muscle in his right hind leg.
However, the veterinarian had nothing but rest and muscle relaxants to relieve Titan’s distress. Instead, just a couple of chiropractic adjustments got Titan back into the show ring.
The person responsible for Titan’s return to soundness gives a lot of the credit back to Titan’s owners. “They are really great owners; they realized that when their dog quit jumping, he was telling them something was wrong,” says Dr. Tilghman. “They didn’t immediately jump to the wrong conclusion, and blame it on ‘disobedience.’ You have to think of this every time you’re looking at your dogs and they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.”
While Titan was returned to soundness with just a couple of chiropractic adjustments and some acupuncture treatments, he was still reluctant to try jumping. “He seemed terrified to try it again,” says Sue. When she reported this to Dr. Tilghman, the veterinarian recommended that Sue give Titan some “Rescue Remedy,” a Bach Flower Essence remedy available in most health food stores. Flower Essence therapy can often be a big help with emotional problems in dogs, people, and other animals.
“That did it,” laughs Sue. “That was the last time I ever doubted these alternative treatments. I gave Titan one dose of Rescue Remedy one time, and he jumped his first jump again that day. He was never afraid to jump again. That made a believer out of me!” (Sue now brings Rescue Remedy with her to all her dogs’ competitions, to help them with the stress of showing and travel.)
Periodic adjustments
Because the couple went on to pursue several other athletic endeavors with Titan, and because the plucky dog throws himself so thoroughly into his work, it shouldn’t be surprising that, from time to time, his back trouble recurred. While a chiropractic adjustment and acupuncture put him right again every time it happened, Dr. Tilghman realized she needed to do something to help prevent the stresses and strains that contributed to Titan’s back problems.
As a self-described “weekend athlete” and former athletic competitor, Tilghman knew that warming up, stretching, and cooling down are critical to an athlete’s health and longevity.
“If we don’t treat our dogs like athletes, they aren’t athletes very long,” says Tilghman. “I work out all the time, and I know terrible it feels to exercise without warming up or stretching or cooling down. So, using Titan as a guinea pig, I developed a pre- and post-exercise program – really, a sportsmedicine program not unlike those developed for athletes – to help keep him healthy.”
First, Dr. Tilghman instructed Titan’s owners to take him on a walk before any training or show ring efforts, in order to warm up his muscles, joints, and ligaments. Next, she showed Richard and Sue how to slowly and carefully stretch his legs, moving each limb through the range of motion. The hind-limb stretches, especially, help to pull out the hip flexor muscles and stretch his back. Then he is ready to perform.
That’s not the end of the program, however. “Can you imagine running a race and not cooling down?” asks Dr. Tilghman. Anyone who has ever run a few miles and then sat down for a while without stretching or cooling down knows the dire effects this can have on your body. “Just like plunking down on the couch after a run will make you hurt, putting a hot dog in a cool crate will yield one sore pup,” says the veterinarian. “The lactic-acid build-up can not only damage muscles, it can make you feel sick and exhausted. You literally poison yourself when you do this, and poison your dog when you make him do it.”
So, after each of Titan’s workouts, the couple makes sure they take him on another slow-paced walk, giving him an opportunity to cool down before putting him away.
Graciously, Dr. Tilghman credits Titan as the inspiration for a preventive care program that she suggests to all of her clients that own athletic or competitive dogs. She has found that these simple considerations help poorly built dogs perform beyond their natural ability. “It’s true; I’ve seen many dogs with so-so conformation perform competitively against dogs that are conformationally superior, just because the poorly built dog felt better, and had better back health,” she says.
This kind of sportsmedicine program also helps keep dogs healthier longer. “It’s preventive care, and it helps extend their careers,” the veterinarian says.
Active to the last
The program certainly has helped Titan stay competitive and strong, ready to give any pastime a try. When the couple developed an interest in hunting, they took Titan (then aged five years) out with some friends to see what he would do around birds and guns. The first time a bird was shot in his presence, he was the first dog to get to it, retrieving the chukar and proudly returning it to his amazed owners. Not long after, Richard showed Titan to a Junior Hunting field title, and a year later, a Senior Hunting title.
Titan has, more or less, been in continuous training for something or other his whole life. As time went by, Titan also earned titles as a Working Dog Excellent, Canine Good Citizen, and, of course, passed the AKC Temperament Test.
When Titan was 10, Sue even took him to some Utility competitions, where the dog has to seek scented articles handled by the trainer, and perform directed jumping, among other complicated tasks. She reports that while Titan loved the showing part, he didn’t seem to enjoy the practicing and training at home. So, at the age of 11, she let Titan “retire” from the show ring, though she still uses Titan for a demonstration dog in her obedience classes, a task she says he loves more than anything he’s ever done. “He’s a natural ham,” she laughs. “He always has been, and I think he will be until the day he dies. He loves it when I take him to class and people watch him.”
Even though she hasn’t had an opportunity to see Titan in the show ring or in the field, Dr. Tilghman has also enjoyed “watching” Titan’s career. She can’t say that about many of the dogs she has observed in the ring. “If I was ever a dog show judge, half of the dogs would be thrown out; so many of them are lame, but no one seems to notice,” she says. Being part of Titan’s team has been an altogether different experience. “It’s a real joy sending a dog into the ring that you know is sound, healthy, and fit,” she says, and clearly his owners agree.
-By Susan Eskew
Susan Eskew, a freelance writer from Crested Butte, Colorado, is a frequent contributor to WDJ.
For many years, I have bred and raised cocker spaniels, and have found that they, like most dogs, do much better on a diet mainly consisting of raw meat. However, when I sell my dogs and puppies, I often have a hard time convincing other people to continue this diet. Could you get a veterinarian who believes in this type of diet for dogs to support my position?
We turned this question over to veterinarian Pat Bradley, of Conway, Arkansas. A graduate of Louisiana State University, Bradley practiced conventional veterinary medicine for 10 years before opening an all-holistic practice five years ago.
In the early days of my holistic practice, I tried, like you, to tell people that they had to feed their dogs raw meat. I found, like you, that the idea scared some people so much they would leave my practice. I agree that a raw meat diet is the healthiest for many dogs, though there are always exceptions; dogs are individuals, after all, just like humans. But now, I’m more gentle and flexible about my diet recommendations, and I try to take a gradual approach with people.
What advice I give people concerning their dog’s diet really depends on where they are. Some people still have the mindset that they have to feed dry dog food and no table scraps. I can tell when I start talking to them about home-prepared foods, that barriers go up. I have other clients who eat only organic foods, and often they are a little further along in their understanding that their dogs have to eat foods that are natural for them to eat in order to thrive.
My first recommendation to all of my clients is that they start looking at the labels of all the dog foods they come across. I tell them, “At our next appointment, let’s talk about changing your dog’s food. But right now, I want you to start reading dog food labels, and start looking for some of these things.”
The first thing I want them to become aware of is how many commercial dog foods contain artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors. While a direct link between some of these additives and health problems in dogs has not been demonstrated, there has been much anecdotal evidence of such from breeders and owners. Some dogs are not sensitive to these things; others have mild reactions that escape their owners’ notice, or are attributed to something else. Some dogs, however, have very clear reactions, manifesting physical problems and behavior changes.
Given the number and variety of toxins our dogs are exposed to over their lifetimes – artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives as well as vaccines, wormers, flea-killing pesticides, and so on – eventually the body’s detoxification system gets overwhelmed. Seeking out foods that lack these things is an easy way to start to prevent some of the toxins from entering your dog’s system.
Artificial preservatives like ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA have all been implicated in health problems. On the other hand, no such claims are ever heard about natural preservatives such as vitamin C or E.
I also tell people to check their dogs’ food labels for “junk” ingredients like white sugar, corn syrup, and white flour. Preferable are high-quality ingredients like beef, turkey, chicken, or lamb. The term “by-products” indicates a lower quality protein, not as bioavailable, that is, not as usable to the body as meat protein.
Ideally, I tell my clients to look for products that say they are human quality. If organic vegetables and meat are used, you know the hormones, antibiotics, and pesticide residues are minimal.
If the client is comfortable with the idea of a natural diet for dogs, then I try to get them to start supplementing the dog’s diet with as much raw meat, vegetables, and grains as possible. If they eat good quality food themselves, foods like brown rice, millet, oats, yogurt, then I tell them, “Well, just start fixing more!” It doesn’t take any longer to fix four cups of rice than it is to fix two cups.
I encourage all my clients to experiment with their dogs to see what the dogs like and thrive on. Before I prescribe a specific, formal diet for any given dog, I think the owner should have done some experimenting, to discover the general principles we’ll follow. For instance, if a dog won’t eat beef at all, or if he gets diarrhea every time he eats lamb, we don’t go there. We try to find out what they do like and tolerate well.
The longer I have had a holistic practice, the more comfortable with feeding dogs a high percentage of meat I have become. But some dogs do not tolerate meat at all. No matter what your feelings on the matter are, you have to be open to each individual dog’s needs. I have used high quality dog food on some dogs and gotten an excellent response, then used the same food on another dog and had them start looking and feeling awful. There is no single best dog food – it has to be individualized.
The key is to be closely observant of your own dog. What is happening with his or her coat, eyes, energy, attitude, and stool quality? When you ask dog owners to try different things, while carefully observing (and maybe even recording) their dog’s reactions and state of health, the raw meat diet may just sell itself.
I am the proud (though not everyday) owner of a deaf male Dalmatian named Angus, who requires quite a bit of special care. I got him at a local animal shelter and wish I had been more prepared before I took him home.
In addition to his deafness, he has had kidney stones and corresponding surgery to remove them. He also suffers from food allergies. I currently have him on Hill’s Prescription Diet U/D, but I think something in the food may be bothering him. I had an allergy series run on him and he is allergic to a lot of foods and my four cats! Currently, he is on antihistamines to control the itching. I could use some real beginner’s information to help familiarize myself with alternative treatments.
We turned over this question to Dr. Nancy Scanlan, a veterinarian for 27 years, integrating holistic medicine into her practice for the last 10 years. Dr. Scanlan is also a prolific writer, authoring a column for Natural Pet for two years as well as a book, “Stop That Itch!”.) Dr. Scanlan’s practice is located in Sherman Oaks, Ca.
As you are discovering, there are a number of things you can do to help Angus, including identifying his food allergies, a restricted diet, pollen and dander control, and other environmental alterations. I’ll start with diet.
You’ve already started the first and hardest task: trying to identify the specific things Angus is allergic to, and formulating a custom diet for him. The allergy tests can help, but a big part of the task can only be undertaken by you: identifying all the foods Angus has been fed over the last six months to a year, then feeding him whatever he has not been exposed to.
Often, as far as the grains are concerned, you can find some things that aren’t often in commercial dog foods, such as oatmeal, quinoa, or millet (cooked until it’s mushy). Meat is usually harder. Sometimes you have to use something weird like ostrich or venison if you are going to formulate his new diet yourself. Veterinarians can sometimes supply you with the ingredients for weird diets like venison and potato, or duck and potato. Organ meats are actually worse than regular meat for kidney stones because of the type of protein they contain – they are higher in the amino acids that form urates.
You will also have to adjust the diet to keep it low in protein, so it is less likely to cause kidney stones. Because of the unique way Dalmatians process protein, you really have to limit the types and the amount of protein they get, to keep them from getting kidney stones. Instead of making urea, Dalmatians’ bodies make uric acid, which is less soluble in water, so it tends to turn into crystals instead of being eliminated in the urine.
Incidentally, one thing you can do to help prevent the kidney stones is to add water to all of his meals to make them soupy. He needs enough liquid in his diet to keep his urine reasonably dilute and of the proper acidity. If his urine is diluted, it helps the crystals stay in suspension better. If the urine gets too alkaline, the crystals will precipitate out and form stones. Supplements that help decrease inflammation are another good thing to include in the diets of allergic dogs. All the anti-oxidant vitamins would help, including C, E, beta carotene, and A – though you have to be careful with A; too much can cause poisoning. Other anti-oxidants such as superoxide dismutase are good, too. These should be added as supplements, not foods, because of the high amounts needed.
Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, can help the skin. Omega 6, found in borage oil and canola oil, can help some, too, but not as much as Omega 3. A “balanced” diet for a Dalmatian with kidney stones is WAY different from a balanced diet for a normal dog. You can’t go by the usual authorities such as Dr. Richard H. Pitcairn, Diane Stein, or Pat McKay, because their recommended diets are far too high in protein for a stone-producing Dal. It would be best to find and consult a veterinarian who knows about home-made diets for weird diseases, not just for regular animals. The only book I know that addresses this is “Small Animal Clinical Nutrition,” in an extremely small section in the back. The book is produced by the people at Hill’s and it’s actually very good.
After you have come up with a balanced diet, comprised of foods that have not yet been implicated in his allergies, you need to keep him on it for a while, perhaps as much as 10 weeks, before you make your final determination that it either did or did not work. Some dogs respond right away, but not all. The most common mistake people make with restricted diets is quitting too fast.
Have you done allergy testing for pollen, mold, and fungal spores? Either blood tests or skin test can give you a clue. Getting Angus’ diet under control is only a small part of helping him if his biggest problem turns out to be a pollen or fungal spore allergy, though dietary control can provide the extra spark that can help the other things work. Constant vacuuming will help with his allergies to cats. If he spends most of his time indoors, a HEPA-type air filter or two (they are expensive) that removes pollen and cat dander from the air can be helpful. Inexpensive filters, unfortunately, don’t work. Bathing once or twice a week with an oatmeal-based shampoo can help itchiness.
At this time of year, with the rain most of the country has had this year, if mold and fungal spores are a big factor, you may be kind of stuck. Every little bit helps, though, so do what you can to make sure all the areas where Angus hangs out are dry. Moisture in dog houses can often contribute to allergy problems, as can moldy rugs or bedding.
In dogs who are allergic to pollen, the closer they are to the source of the pollen, the more problems they will have. If he has an allergy to Kentucky Bluegrass, say, and your lawn is pure Kentucky Bluegrass, you might consider getting a new lawn with a different grass or landscaping the yard in some other way.
There are a LOT of other things that help itchiness, including homeopathic remedies (requiring a complete workup by a good homeopath), Chinese herbs (requiring a complete workup by a veterinarian familiar with Chinese herbs), some Western herbs, some Ayurvedic herbs, acupuncture, and other energy work. The reason I say he needs a complete workup is because there are so many variables to consider – the way the skin looks, the way the dog acts, the time of year he is itchiest, and many more – before the most effective herb or remedy can be determined.
Anti-histamines work well for some dogs and not at all for others. Don’t give up after using just one; there are several families of anti-histamines and if one doesn’t work, sometimes another will. Sometimes if you use a smaller dose three times a day, it works better than just twice a day.
Alternatives for Epileptics
I have read that epilepsy can be caused by (or at least aggravated by) certain nutrient deficiencies. Are there any supplements you can recommend for dogs for prevention of epileptic seizures? I’m looking for alternatives to Phenobarbital.
-Name withheld by request
San Mateo, California
My five-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Casey, has been getting convulsions/ seizures since she was three years and four months old. She has been on Phenobarbital (30 milligrams twice a day) for almost two years. I understand that after a certain time Phenobarbital can damage organs in the body. Is there an alternative to Phenobarbital that is safer and has fewer or no side effects that will control her seizures?
-Sandra L. Neuheimer
Fleetwood, PA
A Veterinarian’s Opinion
We posed these questions to two experts: a holistic veterinarian and an herbalist. The first view on the subject of epilepsy comes from Dr. Charles Loops, a well-known holistic veterinarian in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Dr. Loops practices homeopathy exclusively, and consults with many of his clients over the telephone. He has a special interest in cancer treatment.
Epilepsy is a common problem for every veterinary practitioner. There are so many variations in symptoms, frequency of occurrence, intensity of seizures and age of onset, that any combination can be found between the numerous animals afflicted with this condition.
This is an old disease that seems to have always affected a small percentage of animals, however, vaccinations are a stress factor that can bring out this problem. Many animals begin seizure syndromes following a vaccination. Some can be cured of this imbalance with homeopathic treatment and others can only be controlled.
Occasionally a diet change or addition of supplements will correct a seizure problem but not often. B-vitamins are very important in neurological functional maintenance and should be supplemented when a seizure problem exists. I feel it is best to use a B-complex supplement, one containing all the known Bs, rather than choose certain ones. This avoids imbalances which might occur if individual ones such as choline are given in high doses.
Most epileptic dogs can be treated homeopathically without using Phenobarbital or other seizure medications. The more resistant cases will benefit from homeopathic and diet improvement as an adjunct to chemical therapy and generally require lower medicinal doses. As with most conditions, utilizing holistic treatments before starting on chemical medications enhances the odds that a cure will be possible. The use of suppressive treatments can take the curable case to the incurable level.
An Herbalist’s View
The next answer is from Gregory L. Tilford, co-owner and formulating herbalist of Animal’s Apawthecary. He is also the founding president of the Natural Pet Products Association, and the author of two books on wild medicinal plants: The EcoHerbalist’s Fieldbook (Mountain Weed Publishing, 1993) and Edible & Medicinal Plants of the West (Mountain Weed Publishing, 1997). Greg and his wife, Mary Wulff-Tilford, a professional member of the American Herbalist’s Guild, are completing a comprehensive guide book on herbs for animals.
There are several herbs that can be used to reduce the severity and frequency of epileptic fits. However, like Phenobarbital, herbs will only treat the symptoms of epilepsy (seizures); they won’t stop the disease.
Whichever approach you take, I’d also suggest taking a critical look at the dogs diet; nutrition is so important. I recommend that people improve the dogs diet before they use herbs or medications. Make sure the animal is getting the essential fatty acids, especially if he has any kind of nervous system disorder, because the Omega 3s and 6s are critical to proper nerve function. Also, you’ve got to have the amino acids taurine for cats and carnitine for dogs in order for the nervous system to work appropriately. Without those in place, herbs wont have any foundation from which to work. It’s like send fire engine to a fire without water; they have nothing to work with.
There are several herbal remedies commonly recommended by herbalists for epilepsy, and some holistic veterinarians are using them as alternatives to Phenobarbital.
One of the ones I recommend contains some amount of choline, the nutrient that the first writer alluded to. However, the herbs are not generally used for their nutritive content, but rather, for their abilities as nervines. This is a term used for herbs which moderates or adjusts nervous function. They are not necessarily sedatives, but they can have a sedative effect.
The first herb I’d suggest using is skullcap, or Scutellaria. Skullcap is a nervine that is especially helpful for any kind of nervous jitteryness. It’s indicated for dogs with the kind of nervous anxiety associated with having the shakes or muscle tremors, or for dogs that have hyperactive excitability.
Research has shown that skullcap can affect the higher brain center; thats the area of the brain where epileptic fits are triggered. We have had many positive reports from pet owners and veterinarians who have given it to pets who experience frequent seizures. Commonly, dogs that receive a regular dose of skullcap exhibit a reduction of the frequency and the severity of the seizures.
The second herb I’d try is valerian, or Valeriana officinalis. It has also been shown to work in the higher brain centers. It is indicated more for general anxiety like the animal that paces all night, or the animal that just cant relax when you are traveling not necessarily the nervous jitteriness or insomnia. Valerian can work more quickly and be more effective than skullcap, but in some animals it can cause a groggy irritability. If the dog is predisposed to being cranky in the first place, or has mood swings, I wouldn’t give him valerian; it might cause him to even more grumpy.
The third herb I’d suggest, oatstraw or Avena sativa, is a really good general nervine tonic. Oatstraw can have a profound effect toward nourishing the myelin sheath of nerves; it’s nourishing to the entire nervous system. It does contain choline, which is a large part of the nerve signal carrier. Oatstraw can help regulate and qualify nerve impulses, helping the nervous system work more efficiently. It can also be fed every day and is very safe; it’s a neutraceutical, as much a food as a medicine.
A dog owner could try any one of these herbs, or any combination of them. I like using all three in equal parts. Some companies, mine included, offer blends of these herbs. These herbs can be fed directly, in fresh or dried form, but few dogs like the taste of skullcap or valerian. They might be more readily accepted in tea form. My personal favorite method of administering herbs, however, is in tincture form.
Tinctures are the strongest, most versatile, and readily usable forms of herb preparation. Either alcohol or glycerin is used as solvents to break the plant material down and release the active constituents into a concentrated liquid base. This allows pet owners to give a small but powerful dose that allows for quick and complete absorption into the body. In my experience, pets tend to object to the taste of alcohol-based tinctures, which is why my company makes only glycerin tinctures, which are sweet and palatable. Both forms are equally effective.
Tinctures are best fed on an empty stomach, without interference from digestive action. It’s also best to split the daily dose into at least two or three feedings, to maintain a small but constant amount in the dog’s system. I’d recommend giving a medium-sized dog one-half to one milliliter of the tincture (or 12-20 drops for every 20 pounds of the dogs body weight) three times a day. You can dilute alcohol tinctures if the dog wont accept them, or put it in the dogs food or water as a last resort.
A caution: I would strongly recommend that if your dog is already receiving Phenobarbital, you see a holistic veterinarian before administering any herbal remedy. The herbs are capable of amplifying the effects of Phenobarbital.
Commonly, holistic veterinarians suggest slowly reducing the dog’s dose of Phenobarbital, and progressively replacing it with an herbal formula. But if the animal has been on a relatively high dose of Phenobarbital for a long time, he is likely to be highly dependent on it at that point, so a veterinarian’s supervision is critical.
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Crazy Around Cars
After reading the article What a Drag (WDJ July 1998), I decided that the Halti head collar was just what my 15-month-old Beagle needed. However, even though the device made sense to me, unfortunately it didn’t work for my dog, who freaks out every time a car passes by.
Ive been walking my dog since he was four months old, but over time he has become increasingly worse in his behavior with cars that go by. My biggest problem is controlling him as hes barking and trying to get to the cars in the street. I normally use a nylon cord choke collar on him, but I figured Id give his neck a break (no pun intended) and use a head collar. However, the Halti didn’t stop the behavior; he even managed to shake his head out of it!
I’ve tried making him do a sit/stay, or a turn around, to distract him while the car passes, but nothing seems to work. Eventually I stopped walking him as it was becoming less enjoyable for both of us.Would a harness help? It seems to me that a change in the collar device is not going to help with this particular problem.
-Pearl White
Melrose Park, IL
We sent this question to Bill Stavers, a dog trainer and animal behavior specialist from Beverly Hills, CA. Stavers assists veterinarians as the staff trainer/behaviorist at the Wilshire Animal Hospital, is the behavior consultant for the Huntington Hospital pet assisted therapy program, and is a certified animal evaluator for the Delta Society. He teaches training in classes and private lessons (using only positive reinforcement) and solves problems via telephone consultations.
I agree that a change in collar device won’t help. A harness, like a head collar, is just another restraint; it won’t stop the behavior. By using nothing but a restraint device, as you have noticed, over time, the barking becomes more intense and begins earlier, when the car is farther away. When introduced and used properly, a head collar can be an effective and relatively pain-free tool, but in this instance, the solution does not lie in the type of restraint used.
You were on the right track when you tried a sit/stay, but the training process to completely and reliably distract him with other tasks will require several steps. The first steps should be taught before you go out even before you put his collar on.
First, teach your dog look at me and sit on command, so that he will respond, even when he’s not looking at you, when you say the command inside and outside. Use highly desirable treats as reinforcers.
Next, go to the edge of the area where the problem occurs. You must be far enough away from any cars that your dog is not nervous or aroused. Do a couple of look at me commands and some sit commands and reinforce. Then, jog away from the area happily calling your dog. Slow to a stop, kneel down, and playfully reinforce him with lots of treats, petting, and praise.
Go home. Return and repeat this sequence until your dog is anticipating your actions. Reinforce his expectation that you will ask him to look at you, ask for sit and jog away to play with him each time you approach the area. You are now changing from classical to operant conditioning. (For a thorough discussion of learning theories, see Excel-Erated Learning: Explaining how dogs learn and how best to teach them, by Pam Reid. Its published by James & Kenneth and available from Direct Books, 800-776-2665).
The next step is to do the look at me and sit commands the instant your dog detects the presence of a car in the distance. At the moment you see that he perceives a car, you give him the look at me cue, run happily away while calling him, give the sit cue, kneel down, and playfully reinforce. At this juncture, you could even throw a couple of treats on the ground and allow him to do what he does best: sniff, sniff, sniff. After he finds the goodies, go home.
The process from here is to gradually, and you have to use some judgment here, alternate look at me, sit, and jogging away cues with the car closer and closer, until you are able to keep his attention on you even as the car gets to you. Be ready to fall back to a previously successful session if he begins to bark or lunge for a car, which will most likely happen at the moment the car crosses an imaginary line that signifies it is no longer approaching but departing.
The head collar will be helpful in about six weeks when all seems to be going well, but there is still a residual, small amount of arousal when the car gets to you. You may then be able to use the head collar to interrupt your dog and turn him toward you, then give the cues without jogging away. The advantages of this approach are that you solidify trust in your dog and continually strengthen his positive behavior through reinforcement. You also teach him that you are a good owner, that it pays to follow your lead, and, last but not least, that you will get him out of a stressful situation (if it all becomes too much) by leaving instead of yelling at him and pulling on him.This might take six weeks or more, but you have the rest of his life to enjoy his progress.
Following a heart-rending (and fatal) cancer experience visited upon my beloved Great Dane, Hal (our whole story is recounted at http://members.tripod.com/~RHallenbeck), I was apprehensive about reading your cancer article (October 1998). I was a little afraid you might take a position that I had tortured my pet with traditional treatments when I could’ve cured him with a handful of caraway seeds and a half-a-dozen bee’s knees. But I was reassured by your comment that if there were anything that worked all the time, we would all be using it.
I read most of the article to my husband this morning when he got home from work and we agreed that the WDJ article took a balanced, fair approach to the problem. I liked your choice of the word “conundrum;” it is that, indeed.
In the next issue, will you address the grief aspect of losing a pet to cancer? Unlike a sudden accident, cancer can keep an owner tied up in knots for long periods of time. We know when we acquire pets that we will most likely outlive them – it’s just the reality of that situation that becomes difficult! There are many places on the net that offer information and support, for instance, http://petloss.com has a lot of useful information and links. I especially like the article and resources about grief and pet loss at http://petloss.com/muns.htm. And I always advise the people who contact me, who are struggling with grief, guilt and anger, to be sure to take care of themselves physically – to eat nourishing foods and be sure to get plenty of rest.
And also, I recommend http://www.creatures.com/which includes excerpts from the book, “Will I See Fido in Heaven?” It sounds simplistic, but as a Christian, I was comforted by this. I believe that the God who created our animal companions will wrap His mighty arms around us when it is time to bid them goodbye.
-Vicky Hallenbeck
Winston-Salem, NC
Thanks so much for your recommendations. I’m certain they will help a number of people who, sadly, have found themselves in a painful situation similar to the one you were in with Hal.
-Editor
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Congratulations to the Whole Dog Journal and author Susan Eskew for an excellently written and accurately portrayed, very informative article on the topic of canine oral health (“The Truth About Teeth,” August 1998). Your ethics and accuracy in discussing an area of veterinary medicine was handled with a thoroughness that is refreshing to see in a journal written for the dog owning public. It has been a pleasure working with you on this project.
-Edward R. Eisner, DVM,
Diplomate and President
American Veterinary Dental College
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I wanted to tell you how grateful I am for WDJ. As a member of a non-profit rescue in my area, I became interested in canine nutrition and holistic therapy after seeing all the health problems you mentioned in your September 1998 issue on canned dog food, plus an alarming rate of cancer, skin, kidney, liver problems and other diseases in many of our dogs.
Of particular interest in your article was the statement, “It also means meats that are human grade when referring to the best quality ingredients available in commercial dog food.” I am all too aware of the inclusion of grain and vegetable discards and “4-D” meats in dog food (not to mention rancid oils and other fats). You tell it like it is regarding the pet food industry’s practices and I agree that an ingredient unfit for human consumption is not fit for my dog.
With that in mind, I was disappointed to see that out of the top 10 canned dog foods featured, only two, California Natural and Spot’s Stew, were listed as using human-grade ingredients. The other foods were given high marks for being “forthcoming about the sources of ingredients” and “devoted to quality ingredients” but I cannot understand why some of these companies use human-grade ingredients and others don’t. After all, they are targeting consumers who want the very best for their dogs and are willing to pay a super premium price.
If these companies are devoted to the health of our dogs as they claim, they should use the highest quality ingredients, which to me means human-grade. In addition, why would I pay $1.79 a can (in my area) for food with organic beef in it if the other ingredients are not human-grade? By the way, that particular company used to advertise human-grade ingredients and when I called the company to ask why they stopped I got “no comment” as my answer. Most dog food manufacturers are tight-lipped about their ingredients – a red flag if I ever saw one and not exactly a sign of product pride.
I agree that these top 10 companies are the best of the best but if they want my business, they’d better pull their socks up and guarantee only human-grade ingredients.
By the way, I made that appointment with my friendly neighborhood butcher three years ago and feed only fresh human-grade meat, grain and vegetables to my five dogs. If you learn to shop wisely it doesn’t cost much more than dog food and saves lots of money on vet bills.
-Billie Cecero
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
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Thank you for the article on dog bowls (August 1998). Because of that article, we switched to stainless steel. We used to use plastic for water and food. We rinsed them out occasionally, but never even thought they might be causing our Lab’s stomach upset! We feed him raw hamburger with his dry food, and occasionally rice as well. Now, we wash his bowls every day, and this, as well as switching bowls, has helped his stomach a LOT!
Thanks for a wonderful journal! It’s a big influence in our lives.
-Kris Collins
Massachusetts
Boredom kills. That’s putting it dramatically, but consider all the dogs who are abandoned or brought to animal shelters because of incessant barking or because they tear up sofas when bored.
Dogs, like people, do better when they have something to do. It might be play or it might be work – I’m not sure dogs differentiate between those things. An Australian Shepherd catches a flying Frisbee, and a German Shepherd police dog catches a crook. Both exude a sense of satisfaction for doing their “jobs” well, and both are pleased with the loving pat and hearty, “Good dog!” they receive.
This brings me to trainer/author Pat Miller’s report, “Beyond Basic Obedience,” which describes a wealth of activities, all of which require advanced training, that you can do with your dog. Some of them are intended to give your dog an occupation, such as herding sheep or tracking lost children. Some of them are strictly for fun, like musical freestyle, a sport also known as “dancing with dogs.” If you are looking for activities to improve your communication, strengthen your bond, and provide you with unlimited recreation with your dog, check out Miller’s list.
As you peruse the possibilities, consider the specific strengths and interests of your dog. Not all dogs are cut out for certain occupations; a buoyant, friendly Golden Retriever may not be the best candidate for the solitary trials of tracking, and a stately and independent Husky may be mortified at the prospect of performing tricks of agility in an arena.
This is not to say that the dog’s breed should determine its ideal career path. In the course of rounding up photos to accompany Miller’s story, I heard about a Chihuahua who tracks and a Poodle who herds. The subject of this month’s Case History, in fact, is a Great Dane therapy dog. The delight this gentle giant brings to the elderly clients she regularly visits is wonderful to see.
It’s also wonderful when you hear about a good dog landing just the right job. A recent wire story about Jackie, a three-year-old Border Collie is a perfect example.
Jackie was “hired” a year ago by the United States Navy to keep Canada geese and other birds off the runways of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base in Pennsylvania. Airplanes that hit a Canada goose can be seriously damaged, and even crash. In 1995, geese were sucked into two engines of a four-engine plane taking off from an Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska. The resulting plane crash killed 24 crew members.
Airports attract all kinds of birds with their broad expanses of grass and their generally common waterfront locations, which provide food and nesting materials. In recent years, Canada geese have refused to migrate in ever-increasing numbers, making the danger of collisions a year-round problem. At Willow Grove, authorities tried scaring the geese away with sirens, fireworks, and water cannons. The birds returned as soon as the diversions stopped. But now Jackie’s on the job.
Whenever birds are spotted by control tower personnel, the eager little dog is dispatched to find and chase the geese away. Sometimes she has to threaten them a dozen times before they leave, but Border Collies are relentless.
So far, there have been no bird strikes since Jackie came aboard. Richard Kimmel, the base’s natural resources manager, bought Jackie and had her specially trained for her job, for a total cost of $5,000 – a small investment compared to the price of aircraft repairs and the potential loss of human life.
Best of all, Jackie is happy. She lives on the base, with four airbase personnel trained to handle and look after her. Can you say your dog likes his “job” as much as Jackie likes hers? The athletic dog even “volunteers” for extra duties whenever she gets the chance.
“She’ll herd anything. I’ve seen her herd bugs,” laughs Kimmel.
-By Nancy Kerns
Diet became hip in the 1990s. People began studying health food and supplements like never before. One nutrient after another was held up as the latest “miracle” herb or vitamin. This one was supposed to give you energy like never before; that one gave you a photographic memory; and then there was the one that practically melted fat off of your bones. Companies sprang up overnight to meet the demand for these “vital” substances.
In almost every case, the initial wave of interest in the products quietly slipped out to sea within a short time. People tried the powders and pills, and, when they failed to effect a dramatic change within a couple or weeks or months, threw away the half-empty bottles.
It was inevitable that a similar movement would come to the canine kingdom. Look in the dog magazines – the ones with ads. You’ll see page after page of advertisements for dietary supplements of all kinds. Without fail, all of the ads promise to improve your dog’s health. Nine out of ten guarantee to eliminate the single most common complaint of dog owners the world over – itchy, irritated skin. At least half assure the buyer that they will improve the dog’s digestion.
Sometimes, the supplements do actually accomplish these things. When a specific dietary supplement is given to an individual (canine or human) who previously lacked the nutrients or chemicals offered by the supplement, or whose body required a higher dose than was previously available, miraculous improvements in health, appearance, and attitude can indeed take place. But most people have no idea whether they are lacking something before they add it to their own or their dog’s diet!
You’ve gotta have a reason
There are only two legitimate reasons for supplementing your dog’s diet. The first and most common need for supplements is to correct a deficiency which has resulted in poor or compromised health, or low vitality or energy.
That said, it should be added that most holistic veterinary nutrition experts agree that many commercially prepared dog foods offer only low-quality sources of nutrients, and that sometimes, the bio-availability of the nutrients is questionable. This in itself is enough to make many holistic veterinarians recommend the daily administration of a basic multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to any dog who receives nothing but commercial dog food.
Some holistic veterinarians (and human doctors) believe that much of the world’s human food supply is also deficient in vital nutrients, due to intensive modern farming practices. Those people will also recommend the addition of multi-vitamin/mineral combinations to the diet of dogs that are fed an otherwise holistic diet of raw meat and vegetables. This is a philosophic issue debated by scientists and nutritionists the world over; you’ll have to decide for yourself (and your dog) whether the nutrients in most traditionally farmed and manufactured foods are adequate. The best test of the issue is adding a basic multi vitamin and mineral supplement to your (and your dog’s) diet, and taking note of any improvements.
The second good reason to add certain supplements to your dog’s diet is to strengthen his defenses against an anticipated challenge, such as a stressful long-distance move, competition, lactation, or exposure to infectious disease. For instance, vitamin C is widely recognized for its ability to bolster the immune response, and act as an anti-viral agent.
When a dog with a certain deficiency is given the appropriate nutritional supplement, it can quite literally save his life. The correct supplement can also give a sickly or weak dog increased vigor and a new outlook on life. The difficulty lies in determining what the dog needs.
No one can make an intelligent decision about what supplement his or her dog needs based on the products’ label, advertisements, or web site. If you believe each product’s claims, your dog will benefit from each and every supplement on the market. But only a thorough health history intake and examination by a veterinarian, potentially aided by lab tests, can identify nutrient deficiencies. And only the recommendations of an experienced nutrition expert, tailored for your dog, can be considered completely safe and useful.
Obviously, the final decision regarding whether and how you will supplement your dog’s diet rests in your hands. Consider the following common-sense rules of supplementation and choose the simplest, good quality supplements you can find (we recommend a few on the next page). Most importantly, pay attention to your dog! Note all improvements or declines in his appearance and vitality and immediately adjust your ministrations accordingly.
Vitamin/Mineral Supplements
Vitamins are complex substances, essential for normal functioning of the body. There are two types: Fat soluble (A, D, E, and K), are stored in fatty tissue and the liver, and water soluble (B and C), which are eliminated daily through the urine. The body can manufacture its own supply of certain vitamins; others need to be supplied by food and other sources. Veterinary nutritionists more or less agree on the amounts of vitamins needed by dogs to stay healthy.
The latter statement cannot be made for minerals. There is widespread disagreement in the veterinary community regarding what minerals, and in what dosages, are needed for canine health. Scientists only agree that further study is needed, especially regarding dosages for dogs of various breeds and in varying life stages.
Minerals cannot be manufactured by the body. Most people are surprised to learn that mineral deficiencies are more common than vitamin deficiencies. They assist the body in its most critical work, such as energy production, maintenance of electrolytes and fluid balances, and nerve transmission. Trace minerals, including zinc, iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, and iodine, are required by the body only in minute amounts.
WDJ’s pick:
Maximum Protection Vitamins & Minerals
(Dr. Goodpet Laboratories, 8 oz. for about $2.50; 800-222-9932.)
Multi-vitamin and mineral supplementation is generally accepted more readily than supplementation with other nutrients, so it makes sense that there are more brands of multi-vitamin/mineral products on the market than all the other types of supplements put together. Numerous products in this category fit our criteria, but Dr. Goodpet’s product stood out from the crowd for a few reasons.
First, it comes in a powdered form, enabling you to give your dog an amount tailored to his size; the dosage is one teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight. The powder also makes it easy to sprinkle on and stir into your dog’s food. It includes vitamin C, which is uncommon in the multi-vitamin mixes for dogs. Many veterinarians dispute the idea that dogs need added vitamin C, since their bodies manufacture a certain amount. Most holistic practitioners, however, acknowledge vitamin C’s ability to help the body fight infection and speed healing.
Another good thing about Dr. Goodpet’s formula is what is NOT in it: no preservatives, fillers, anti-caking agents, colors, artificial flavors, or sweeteners.
Not recommended:
Vita Tabs
(Pet Gold Products)
Let’s start with the first ingredient: Dextrose – another word for corn syrup, a sweetener. Considering that the fourth ingredient is molasses, this product is fairly high in sugar, not a supplement that’s high on our wish list, but one that certainly contributes to the product’s palatability. The need for four different artificial colors in a dog vitamin is a mystery.
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Probiotics
AKA “friendly bacteria,” these substances help the body digest food, and prohibit growth of harmful fungi and microbes in the gut. The most common probiotic supplement is lactobacillus acidophilus, which can actually help the body overcome the yeast and fungal infections that often occur following a treatment of antibiotics.
WDJ’s pick:
Canine Digestive Enzymes
(Dr. Goodpet Laboratories, 7 oz. bottle, about $15; 800-222-9932)
We had a hard time meeting the simplicity requirement on this one. This product is actually a mix of the four major digestive enzymes and lactobacillus. However, we rejected other brands with more expansive “kitchen sink” approaches. PetGuard, for instance, added alfalfa juice powder to their acidophilus product; Pet Authority added yucca, vitamin C, and papaya to theirs. There’s no harm in any of those, just complexity.
Not recommended:
Bene-Bac Pet Gel
(Pet-Ag, Inc.)
While this product does contain lactobacillus acidophilus and other probiotics, it also contains polysorbate 80, an emulsifier that has been associated with a contaminant that is known to cause cancer in animals; TBHQ, a dangerous antioxidant; and is preserved with ethoxyquin, an antioxidant that has been associated with numerous health problems in dogs.
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Fatty Acids
This term refers collectively to the three substances in fat – linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid – that contribute the most to the quality of a dog’s skin and hair coat. Fatty acids also help prevent cholesterol buildup and heart disease.
WDJ’s pick:
Lipiderm
(Bioglan Animal Products; 60 capsules, about $8; 800-454-0040)
This is a simple formula, comprised largely of fish oil, and focused on a single purpose. ‘Nuf said.
Not recommended:
Linatone
(Lambert Kay)
This product has been around a long time, and it has its fans, but WDJ would like to see it eliminate the polysorbate 80, a questionable emulsifier (see Bene-Bac Pet Gel, above).
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Digestive Enzymes
An enzyme, in its general definition, is any one of several different proteins that catalyze a biochemical reaction. Each type of enzyme catalyzes only one substance. For instance, protease is an enzyme used by the body to break down protein; amylase works on carbohydrates, lipase on fats, and cellulase on fiber.
These enzymes are present in raw, fresh foods, but are destroyed by the high temperatures needed to manufacture most commercial dog foods. The body produces its own supply of the chemicals, but many nutritionists believe that giving the body additional enzymes (whether in fresh food or in a supplement form) reduces the need for the body to produce the chemicals, lightening the body’s workload and speeding the digestive process.
WDJ’s pick:
Prozyme
(Prozyme Products, Inc.; 200 gm bottle, about $17; 800-522-5537)
Sometimes, what you want is what you get. Pro-zyme contains only the four most important enzymes: lipase, amylase, protease, and cellulase.
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Unique-Source Products
Now we come to a mixed bag of supplements. The products offer vital nutrients, but their makers place more stock in the peculiarity of the nutrient sources than in the nutrients themselves.
Barley Dog, made by Green Foods Corporation, is a good example. The product is not a complete multi-vitamin/mineral supplement; it supplies vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, and B6, and a few minerals. More significant, say the makers, are the unique qualities of the main ingredient (barley grass), which provide an advantage – a providential synergy – that can’t be explained in terms of recommended daily values.
Super Blue Green Algae (SBGA) takes the cake in the “unique substance” category. We like the product, which is made by Cell Tech, of Klamath Falls, Oregon. SBGA is completely composed of a certain aquatic plant that grows in an Oregon Lake; the algae is collected, freeze dried, and crushed into a fine powder. It contains an array of trace minerals, vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, and D, beta carotene, a number of amino acids, chlorophyll, and nucleic acids, and it’s affordable. We’ve heard great things about the product (see “a Blue-Green Miracle.”), but the way the product is marketed is annoying, to put it mildly.
Cell Tech functions as a “multi-level marketing” system (see “Multi-Level Marketing Mysteries), meaning you can buy it – and get information about it – only from the company’s independent salespeople. The system not only motivates its salespeople to pursue potential clients with fervor, but pits the salespeople against each other in order to win clients. This seems to be why you hear different versions of why and to what extent the product is successful. Critics call the product “glorified pond scum,” but to hear it from the converted, SBGA contains almost mystical powers to heal.
You won’t know until you try
Dog owners also get exposed to a number of supplements that contain substances that do not appear on any list of required nutrients. Most are intended as treatments for specific medical disorders. For example, shark cartilage is said (by the makers of a shark cartilage product) to strengthen weak bone and improve joint mobility.
It’s easy to dismiss these unusual substances as fads – unless you know a dog that has been helped by one. Who knows? Experimentation with these or other supplements, with the knowledge and support of your holistic veterinarian, just might put a sparkle in your dog’s eye and a strut into his step.
Also With This Article
Click here to view “Choosing Canine Supplements Wisely”
Click here to view “Shopping for Nutritional Supplements For Your Dog”
Click here to view “Supplements and NSAIDs for Dogs”
-By Nancy Kerns
Not so very long ago, trainers assumed that anyone who signed up for a basic obedience class was seeking that perfectly straight, sit-in-perfect-heel position. Classes were conducted with military precision, trainers barking commands as owners marched their dogs in a circle, jerking and popping on leashes and choke chains in order to achieve lightning-fast responses. Success was measured by speed and perfection of position, and advanced work was conducted with one goal – to show in American Kennel Club obedience competitions, earn obedience degrees, and achieve scores as close to that magic “perfect 200” as possible.
A New Training Paradigm
My, how the times have changed! A relatively few years ago, many trainers began to realize that the largest percentage of dog owners in their classes really only wanted a well-behaved companion – a trustworthy family dog. Who cared if the dog was sitting three degrees off perfect? Most owners were just happy the dog sat at all!! They couldn’t have cared less about scores in the obedience ring. Thus began a paradigm shift in the dog training world, from obedience competition training to family dog training. With that shift has come an exciting vista of advanced training opportunities and breathtakingly fun dog-related activities.
Today, the possibilities for canine recreational activities are almost endless. Mixed breed dogs, once second-class citizens in training classes, can now compete in obedience through the American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR) or the Mixed Breed Dog Club, and at national obedience competitions. They can also join their blue-blooded brothers and sisters in agility, herding, flyball, Frisbee, tracking, drill team, square dancing, musical freestyle, My Dog Can Do That, Canine Good Citizen Tests, animal assisted therapy programs, K9 games, tricks classes, lure coursing, (take a breath) television, advertising and movie work, water dog sports . . . There is something out there for every dog’s talents.
The Beagle who failed obedience competition because she couldn’t keep her nose off the ground can do tracking or Search and Rescue work. The Pomeranian whose owner gave up on his Companion Dog obedience degree because the dog kept running out of the ring and jumping into spectator’s laps now goes to hospitals and retirement homes and sits on laps to his heart’s content. The teen-age owner of the mellow German Shepherd/Lab mix can proudly display her Canine Good Citizen certificate on her bedroom wall. The Border Collie who . . . well, the Border Collie who used to score perfect 200s in the obedience ring can also delight in herding and penning a flock of sheep, or dancing a waltz with her owner.
Dogs who are encouraged to engage in activities that stimulate them mentally and highlight their inborn talents are less frustrated and better behaved than their less fortunate littermates who languish, bored and lonely, in neighbors’ backyards. Owners whose dogs are less frustrated and better behaved can appreciate their dogs more, enjoy engaging in activities with them, and are more likely to fulfill their social contract to provide a lifelong loving home for their canine companions. Even if taking the dog hiking or camping is the activity that best satisfies the behavioral needs of dog and owner, the new, non-competition-based classes that rely primarily on the use of positive training methods are the best approach to developing a dog with acceptable social skills while building an unbreakable bond between canine and human.
The following is a guide to the wealth of possibilities available in the world of dog training, to help you decide which activities to pursue with your furry friend. We’ve also included information to help you identify an appropriate training environment, once you’ve made your discipline decision.
Basic Training – The Foundation
Basic training is the foundation for any of the more advanced canine activities. If you are interested in pursuing the less formal doggie activities, you can start by finding a basic class whose trainer is more interested in making sure her students (both two-legged and four) have a good time while they learn than maintaining strict discipline in the canine classroom. Chances are if you are “just” looking for “good manners,” you won’t enjoy getting yelled at to jerk your dog for sitting crooked.
Once you have graduated from a basic training class you are ready to explore the big wide world of more advanced canine activities. Here are several of the many activities now available in most parts of the country.
My Dog Can Do That
A board game you play with your dog – whoever heard of such a thing? These days, more and more dog owners have, as word spreads about My Dog Can Do That. This delightful game requires the use of positive reinforcement training methods. Owners pick cards from any one of three decks, at three differing levels of difficulty. Each card describes a “trick” or behavior that the dog has to do. Examples of each level of difficulty are:
Beginner – Dog must sit still while player skips ten feet away and stops.
Intermediate – Dog must lie down, roll over completely, then stand up.
Advanced – Dog must retrieve a toy and drop it in a basket five feet from player.
Owners can use treats, praise, hand signals and other verbal or body language cues as needed, but no anger or force; no pushing, pulling, jerking, or yelling. You can play it as a family game, with each member of the family taking turns drawing a card and working with the dog. You and your dog can play against your friends and their dogs. Or you can take part in the increasing number of MDCDT matches and tournaments that are being held around the country.
Be forewarned – dog owners who are serious about this game have already purchased it and are practicing all of the behaviors on the cards with their dogs in preparation for competition. You’d better hurry if you want to catch up! Animal shelters and training clubs are starting to offer MDCDT competitions as fund raisers, and rumor has it that there are going to be 25 official competitions held in various locations around the country this summer.
The game can be purchased at some pet stores, and through J and J Dog Supplies, (800) 642-2050.
Agility
It’s an obstacle course for dogs, complete with tunnels, jumps, a teeter-totter, and several other items to challenge your dog’s agility ability. Dogs of all shapes and sizes love it – experienced dogs run an entire course by themselves while the owner stands in the middle of the ring. Three of the four organizations that sponsor competitions welcome mixed breed participation, so there’s no excuse – anyone can play!
Since it is one of the more senior “nouveau” dog activities, almost every town has at least one trainer or dog club that offers an agility class. Some animal shelters and dog parks have permanent agility courses set up so dogs (accompanied by their owners, of course) can practice at will. If your dog walks fallen logs across swollen creeks and leaps tall buildings in a single bound, this just might be the activity for you.
Some organizations offering information on agility and agility competition include:
American Kennel Club (AKC)
5580 Centerview Dr. Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27606
(919) 233-9780
United Kennel Club
100 E. Kilgore Rd.
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
(616) 343-9020
North American Dog Agility Council
HCR 2 Box 277
St. Maries, ID 83861
U. S. Dog Agility Association
P.O. Box 850955
Richardson, TX 75085-0955
(972) 231-9700
Flyball
You have to see this one to believe it. Flyball is a hurdle relay race for a team of four dogs of any heritage. Each dog in turn jumps four jumps, spaced ten feet apart. At the end of the jumps is a flyball box. When the dog touches the pedal on the front of the box a tennis ball shoots out. The dog catches the ball and goes back over the four jumps to the owner waiting at the starting line. Then the next dog goes. The team that finishes first wins.
Flyball is a very competitive sport, and great fun to watch. Dogs with an affinity for retrieving tennis balls adore this game. Owners who are serious about it can help their dogs earn a range of titles, from Flyball Dog (FD) – for earning 20 points in competition, to Flyball Grand Champion (FGD Ch.) – for earning 30,000 points.
In North America, flyball is governed by the North American Flyball Association. A copy of official rules is $10; other information is free of charge.
NAFA, Inc.
1002 E. Sanuel Ave.
Peoria Heights, IL 61614
Herding
When you think of sheep or cattle dogs, you tend to visualize Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. But the list of dogs that can be taught to herd includes multi-purpose breeds with herding ancestors way back in their bloodlines, and mixed-breed dogs with some herding blood. And the list of breeds that are officially designated as herding dogs is much longer than most people think – some 30 breeds, including the Rottweiler, Tibetan Terrier and the Samoyed. Multi-purpose dogs that can herd includes another dozen or so, including such unlikely breeds as the Kerry Blue Terrier, Poodle, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, and Schipperke.
But, of course, herding is the perfect outlet for the high-energy Border Collie and the other intense herding breeds, as it makes full use of their extreme intelligence and obsessive herding behaviors. Watching the miracle of a trained herding dog working a flock of sheep helps us understand and appreciate those obsessive behaviors – such as rounding up the kids or staring for hours at the cat – that can drive us crazy.
Several organizations promote herding events. They include:
Australian Shepherd Club of America
6091 Hwy 21
Bryan, TX 77803-9652
(409) 778-1082
American Herding Breed Association
AHBA Secretary
1548 Victoria Way
Pacifica, CA 94044
U. S. Border Collie Handler’s Assoc.
Francis Raley, Secretary
2915 Anderson Ln.
Crawford, TX 76638
(254) 486-2500
AKC Test/Trial Program
51 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10010
Frisbee
We’ve all watched them in awe – on beaches, in parks, and during half-time at football games – those incredibly athletic dogs that leap eight feet off the ground and catch a Frisbee in mid-air. Frisbee is an activity you don’t even have to go to a class for – all you need is a dog who loves to jump and retrieve, and, of course, a Frisbee. Even dogs who aren’t naturals at it can learn to play Frisbee, and there are loads of resources – books, information available from Frisbee Clubs, and Internet web sites. For those who like to get serious, there are Frisbee competitions almost everywhere, up to and including national canine Frisbee championships.
Alpo, a major sponsor of these contests, will send you a booklet on how to train your dog to perform Frisbee dog basics like the chest vault, front flip, and back roll, in order to prepare for Frisbee competition!
Alpo Canine Frisbee Disc Champ.
Peter Bloeme, Director
4060 – D Peachtree Rd., Suite 326M
Atlanta, GA 03019
Animal Assisted Therapy
When all is said and done, we value our dogs most highly for the unconditional love and loyal companionship they give us. A large and very generous group of dog and owner teams share their time and love with others who cannot be with their own pets because circumstance require them to be in a hospital, nursing home, or other facility that normally doesn’t allow animals.
Therapy dogs can be any breed, mix, size shape or color, as long as they are well-behaved, can tolerate disturbing events like rolling wheelchairs, falling crutches, and patients who don’t always behave like other people, and who enjoy being the center of attention. There are national organizations that provide certification for therapy dogs, and many local humane societies offer therapy programs. These programs always welcome new volunteers because the demand for animal-assisted therapy is so high.
Imagine how it would feel to be deprived, long-term – maybe forever – of the touch of your dog’s soft fur, or the caress of her warm tongue. Those on the human side of the animal-assisted therapy equation talk of miracles – of non-responsive patients who move, even speak for the first time in months when a therapy dog greets them; of faces that light up when a furry friend arrives. With all that our dogs give to us, it is only right that we give some of that back to others.
The two primary organizations that certifiy therapy dogs in the U.S. are:
Delta Society, Pet Partners
P.O. Box 1080
Renton, WA 98057
(800) 869-6898
Therapy Dogs International
6 Hilltop Rd.
Mendham, NJ 07945a
(201) 543-0888
Musical Freestyle
Affectionately known as “Dancing With Dogs,” Musical Freestyle (AKA Canine Freestyle) the newest doggie sport is most akin to a combination of ballroom dancing and pairs figure skating. People and dogs dance together to music of the person’s choosing, in a routine choreographed to complement the dog’s personality and abilities – it can be short and simple, or longer and more complex.
While many owners do musical freestyle with their dogs for the sheer joy of it, there are also freestyle competitions and exhibitions, which are increasing in number as the sport catches on. These are always great crowd pleasers, and the emotional bond between dog and owner that is so obvious in the routines often brings tears to the eyes of the observers. If you see it you will be hard-pressed not to be inspired to start dancing with your own dog.
Musical Canine Sports International oversees the freestyle sport in the U.S. and Canada. For information or to join, contact:
Sharon Tutt
Treasurer/Membership
1665 Parkview Place
Surrey, B. C.
Canada, V4N 1Y8
(604) 581-3641
Freestyle videotapes can be purchased from:
Pat Ventre
Ventre Advertising, Inc.
P.O. Box 350122
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 332-8336
For information on upcoming freestyle competitions and demonstrations:
Joan Stevenson
22 Roanoke Rd.
Matawan, NJ 07747
(908) 566-3812
Tracking
A tracking dog follows the scent trail left by a human being (or other animal) that has passed along a particular route. Tracking can be done as a hobby (for fun), as a sport (to earn titles), as part of a serious effort to save human and animal lives through Search and Rescue work, and in law enforcement as police K9 units track criminal suspects. The ability of a dog to follow scent trails that are invisible to the human nose seems almost magical to us, but we know that any canine nose is thousands of times more sensitive than ours. Tracking is really pretty ho-hum stuff to a dog. The challenge is in getting the dog to follow the scent we want them to.
Sometimes it can be pretty easy. We know of one terrier mix who taught herself to find her owner’s lost turtles. Josie has saved several turtle lives with her special, self-taught skill. It can be a humbling experience to watch a dog work a scent trail and succeed in finding the target. Tracking, like agility, has been around for quite some time, so if your dog shows nose talent, finding a trainer near you should be relatively easy.
A number of organizations offer tracking tests and trails for sport in the U.S. and Canada, including:
American Kennel Club
5580 Centerview Dr., Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27606
(919) 233-9780
United Schutzhund Clubs of America
3810 Paule Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63125-1718
Australian Shepherd Club of America
6091 E. State Hwy. 21
Bryan, TX 78808
(409) 778-1082
American Mixed Breed Obedience
Registry (AMBOR)
P.O. Box 7841
Rockford, IL 61126-7841
Canadian Kennel Club
100-89 Skyway Ave., Unit 100
Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 6R4
Something For Everyone
This is by no means a complete list of all the dog activities available. If none of these appeal to you and your canine companion, check with local trainers, animal shelters, dog clubs, and the Internet to find out what others might be available. With an almost infinite variety of options, there is bound to be something for everyone. There is no excuse for being a couch potato when your dog is ready, willing, and eager to do something, anything fun, as long as you’ll do it with her.
Thanks to Andrea Sirott of Berkeley, CA; and Guy and Charlotte Covner, tracking dog trainers from Windsor, CA for their help with this article.
[Updated February 27, 2018]
“Family Dog Mauls Toddler!”
We’ve all seen similarly sensational headlines. In the article that follows such an alarming title, there’s usually a quote somewhere about the tragic attack being unprovoked and totally unexpected. Yet dogs rarely attack without provocation, and in most cases the offending dog has been sending signals for quite some time that he was not comfortable with the presence of the child. If the parents had been better educated about dog behavior, and had been paying better attention, the tragedy quite likely could have been averted through proper management of child/dog interactions. Better still, it could have been prevented through proper training and socialization of the dog from puppyhood on.
Many young couples acquire a puppy early in their relationship, long before the advent of the first baby. The puppy is a surrogate child, and the couple dotes on him – taking him everywhere, allowing him to sleep on the furniture, even share the marriage bed. For several years the dog enjoys his status as an only child. The couple tends to socialize with other childless adults, and the dog rarely sees children. Then the couple decides to have a baby. Now we have a problem.
Dogs are genetically “hardwired” to absorb much of the information about their environment in a critical learning period in the first few months of their lives. During this time, usually somewhere between the ages of five weeks and five months, a puppy’s brain files away information about which things in the world are safe and rewarding, which ones are painful and dangerous and should be avoided, and which have no consequence. Anything not experienced during this critical period tends to automatically get filed in the “dangerous” category. This early imprinting helps wild animals survive; if they don’t know for sure that something is harmless, the safest assumption is that it is not.
Herein lies the problem. If a puppy doesn’t learn that children are “safe and rewarding” during those critical months, he is likely to assume, when he meets them later in life, that they are a threat. This assumption is often supported by the behavior of many of the children that a dog meets. Small children are likely to poke fingers into canine ears, prod them with pencils, hit them over the head with wooden blocks and pull tails or fur. They stare directly into a dog’s eyes (a direct stare is a threat in the canine world). They compete for toys and food. They move erratically – run, trip, fall, swing their arms around – and make weird noises.
In a perfect world, every new puppy would be thoroughly socialized to babies, toddlers, and children while he was in his critical learning period. Despite many veterinarians’ recommendations that their clients wrap their puppies in cotton wool and keep them strictly at home until they have been fully vaccinated, it is vitally important that your puppy have positive experiences with all sorts of human stimuli during his first five months. Fortunately, this can be accomplished without exposing Buddy to life-threatening diseases.
Invite lots of people, including babies and children, vaccinated healthy puppies and friendly dogs, over to your house for puppy parties. Give everyone handfuls of really yummy treats to feed to Buddy. (Tell everyone Buddy has to sit to get his treats and you will also be teaching him not to jump up on people at the same time.) Monitor your pup’s interactions with children to be sure they are all positive. If Buddy acts fearful, don’t force him to greet people. Ask your friends to toss treats from a distance until Buddy gains confidence and approaches them. Have children of all ages feed Buddy lots of treats and he will quickly decide that kids are a good thing, not dangerous.
You can also take Buddy out into the community to safe canine-friendly locations. Don’t go to the local dog hangout and turn him loose to play, but do take him with you to places such as a well-run puppy kindergarten class, where you can monitor his interactions with kids and other puppies. Teach him that the world, especially the small humans of the world, are a source of pleasure and reward, and you greatly reduce the risk of “Dog Mauls Toddler” headlines in your family’s future.
Maybe it’s too late to socialize your Buddy to children during his critical learning period, because that stage of his life has long passed. Is it too late to teach him to live with children? Not necessarily. It is more difficult, but not impossible. This was the challenge presented early last summer when Kristin and Fred Wolf called Peaceable Paws, my dog training business, and asked for help in preparing their two dogs, Helen and Charlie, to accept the imminent arrival of their baby, due to be born in late August.
Helen and Charlie, eight and five years old respectively, are both retired racing Greyhounds. As is often the case with rescued Greyhounds, they adapted beautifully to a life of luxury in a real home. The Wolfs hadn’t demanded much of them, but the dogs were housetrained, slept on their own beds, didn’t get up on the furniture, stayed in their fenced yard, and didn’t steal food from countertops.
The dogs had met babies on a few occasions. Helen was noncommittal, reported the Wolfs, but Charlie had exhibited what Kristin feared was an unhealthy interest, given the inherited prey drive that is encouraged in racing Greyhounds.
The expectant parents wanted to improve their dogs’ manners in general, but understandably, their primary concern was for the safety of the baby on the way.
I arrived at the Wolf home in Carmel, California, and was greeted at the front door by two lithe, leggy, brindle Greyhounds and a very pregnant Kristin. As soon as Kristin let me in, Charlie jumped up on me. I turned my back and stepped away, repeating the maneuver when he circled me and tried to jump up again. After three repetitions of this circle dance, Charlie stood still with all four feet on the floor. I said “Yes!” in a happy voice and popped a treat in his mouth. For now, a stand was acceptable – we would work later on getting a sit in place of jumping up.
Kristin was impressed. So was Charlie. His teeth chattered with excitement as he thrust his chiseled head toward me in search of another treat. I pointedly ignored his pushy behavior, but gave him another “Yes!” and treat as soon as he backed off a step. Helen hovered in the background, and got a “Yes!” and treat just for being there. In this manner, we introduced the Wolf household to one of the basic tenets of positive reinforcement training: To the extent possible, ignore the behaviors we don’t want, and reward the ones we do. All living things tend to repeat behaviors that they find rewarding. The ones that don’t get rewarded eventually go away.
Fred Wolf joined us, and the five of us sat down in the living room to consider a training program. We started by listing the Wolfs’ concerns, questions and goals:
• Greyhound prey drive – threat to baby?
• Pulling on leashes: Helen, with lots of sniffing, but especially Charlie, who would lunge at cats and other dogs
• Getting overly excited about going out for a walk (Charlie)
• Jumping on people (Charlie)
• Shut the dogs away from the baby, or integrate them into baby routines?
• Goal: to keep the baby safe and maintain Charlie and Helen’s quality of life
I commended the Wolfs for thinking proactively and for wanting to continue keeping Helen and Charlie as full-fledged members of the family. Too many dogs are banned to the back yard, given away or surrendered to animal shelters when baby arrives. Others aren’t given a second thought until it’s too late – when a confused and defensive Buddy bites the baby. All too often the trainer gets called after the bite happens, when Buddy is one short step away from euthanasia. I was pleased that the Kristin and Fred were planning ahead, committed to doing the right thing for the dogs and the baby.
We addressed the last question first. Given Charlie’s intense stare at other babies he had been with, the Wolfs were naturally concerned about his prey drive. They had read in a dog-and-baby book that an intense stare was a serious red alert, a sign that the dog had dastardly designs on the baby. Would the baby ever be safe around a predatory animal who had been taught to chase down small animals?
I downplayed the threat of Charlie’s intense gaze while emphasizing the need for constant supervision of interactions between dogs and young children. There is a huge difference between a fleeing rabbit and a relatively stationary baby in a crib. Most dogs have no difficulty distinguishing humans from prey animals.
Perhaps Charlie was just intrigued by the sounds and smells of a human puppy. Still, no small child should ever be left alone with a dog even for a few seconds, no matter how trusted the canine companion. A dog who hasn’t had many experiences with babies is certainly an unknown, but as long as Charlie and Helen were not given an opportunity to do something wrong, the baby would be safe. This is another basic tenet of positive training: Manage the environment to prevent inappropriate behaviors from happening. If you don’t want your dog to counter-surf, never leave the roast on the counter when you leave the room. If you don’t want your dog to bite your small child, never leave the two of them alone together. Ever.
I advised the Wolfs that it was important to implement any anticipated changes in the dogs’ routine and privileges now, so the changes would not be associated negatively with the baby’s arrival.
We scheduled training sessions twice a week for several weeks to work on improving the communication between the four current members of the Wolf pack, so the humans would be prepared to manage the behavior of the canines once baby made five.
The goal of all the work was to ensure that when the baby arrived, the dogs would associate her presence with good things (lots of treats and attention), not bad things (when baby is here, dogs get shut away).
Charlie and Helen took well to reward-based training. Helen, older and a little arthritic, was slower to respond, but also less energetic than Charlie, so we focused much of our efforts on gently controlling the younger dog. We used “Yes” as our reward marker rather than a clicker, for two reasons. Charlie is very sound-sensitive and would not have responded well to a clicker. Even if he had, we anticipated that Kristin, with her hands full of baby, would find it easier to use a verbal marker. We identified a number of behaviors that would be useful for the dogs to know:
• Sit
• Down
• Stay
• Wait
• Go To Your Rug
• Off
• Go First
• Over Here
Sit, down, stay and wait are behaviors commonly taught in training classes. Although some trainers use choke chains, prong collars and physical corrections to teach these basic behaviors, it is certainly not necessary to do so. We used a treat as a lure to get Charlie and Helen to offer the behaviors, followed by a verbal “Yes!” and a reward.
For example, to teach the sit, we held the treat just above the dog’s head. Most dogs will sit to watch the treat, since that’s easier than standing with a bent neck. When the dog sits, say “Yes!” or Click! the clicker, then feed the treat.
After a couple of dozen repetitions, say “Sit” first, wait a second or two to see if the dog responds, then move the treat over his head, Click! or “Yes!” when he sits, and reward. In short order, the dog will sit when you say the word, without any luring. Continue to Click!/”Yes!” and reward until the behavior is deeply programmed in the dog’s brain.
“Go to your rug” would enable the Wolfs to send Charlie and Helen to a predetermined spot, such as a rug in the nursery. This would allow the dogs to keep Kristin and the baby company in the nursery instead of having to be shut out for always being underfoot – a common dog/baby management problem. We used the treat to lure the dogs to the rug and lie down, while giving the verbal cue “Go to your rug.” Both dogs became proficient at this in a couple of weeks, and quickly learned to stay on their rugs until released with a sprightly, “OK!”
“Off” (meaning “whatever you are paying attention to at this moment, I want you to leave it alone”) has unlimited applications. The object of the dog’s attention could be the baby, a teething ring, a dropped Arrowroot biscuit, a visitor at the door, the neighbor’s cat, a rotting, discarded hamburger in the gutter, or a dead seal on the beach. “Off” can be taught using punishment – a jerk on the collar when the dog goes for the forbidden object, but of course, we chose a more positive training approach!
With Charlie sitting in front of me, I offered him a treat in my closed fist, and said the word “Off” just one time. Naturally he was curious and inspected the fist, trying to get at the treat inside. I waited patiently until he got bored and glanced away, then said “Yes!” and gave him a treat from my other hand. In just a few repetitions he began glancing away from the fist with a treat hidden in it as soon as it was offered with the word “Off.” He was learning that he got a reward at least as good as the forbidden one, if he left it alone when he heard the cue “Off.” We then repeated the exercise with the forbidden treat in an open hand (closing the hand into a fist if he tried to get the treat, but always saying the word “Off” only one time). Finally I placed the treat on the floor, using my hand or foot to cover the treat if he tried to get it. Like most dogs, Charlie and Helen learned the “Off” concept in one session.
Because Charlie had a dangerous habit of bounding down the stairs while Kristin was descending, we decided to teach him “Go First” as well as “Wait.” “Wait” means “pause,” and is sort of an informal stay that doesn’t require the dog to remain fixed in one position. We could use “Wait” to ask Charlie and Helen to not go up or down the stairs until Kristin had completed the trip. We also taught Charlie “Go First,” so she could send him down the stairs ahead of her. This one was simple. We stood at the top of the stairs and told Charlie “Go First,” then tossed a treat down the stairs. When Charlie charged down the stairs after the treat he got a “Yes!” His reward was the treat that was already waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase. The hardest part of this exercise was “fading” the treat toss – Charlie tended to wait until the treat was tossed before he would go down the stairs. Eventually, he learned he’d also get a treat after he went down the stairs after just the verbal cue.
We anticipated that the hardest part of the training would be teaching Charlie to stop lunging at cats and other dogs on his daily walks. We were pleasantly surprised. Charlie was so enamored of the positive training method that it was easy to get him to focus on us (and a treat) instead of prey. We started with a Snoot Loop head halter for control, but quickly returned to a plain buckle collar when it became apparent that he didn’t need the halter.
Since Charlie tended to get overexcited when Kristin picked up his leash to attach it to his collar, we tried a little negative punishment. (Negative punishment means the dog’s behavior makes a good thing go away. It is not a physical correction.) Kristin picked up the leash and Charlie started leaping and cavorting about. Kristin put the leash down. (Leaping and cavorting makes the good thing – the leash and the imminent walk – go away.) When Charlie calmed down, Kristin picked up the leash again. Every time Charlie got excited, Kristin put down the leash. In just a few repetitions, Charlie ran to the door and sat perfectly still – a behavior he had previously performed for Fred, but had never done for Kristin.
Once outside, we taught Charlie an “Over here!” cue, which meant “turn your attention back to me.” We started by using it when Charlie was distracted and sniffing a bush, rewarding him with a “Yes!” and treat when he looked back at us. We had practiced a mere half-dozen times before we encountered a barking dog dashing back and forth on a deck. Charlie never gave the dog a second glance – he was much too interested in the treat in Kristin’s hand. Mission accomplished!
Finally, we encouraged both dogs to walk on a loose leash by rewarding them with a “Yes!” and treat whenever they were walking without pulling. We did this with each dog individually at first, and at our last session Kristin tried walking the dogs together. That part of the program still needs some work, but it was a definite improvement!
Molly Wolf was born on Monday, August 23 – a tiny 5 pounds, 11 ounces. A week after her arrival, the Wolfs were delighted with the dogs’ behavior around the new member of the pack.
“They’re doing great,” reported Kristin. “They were frenzied with curiosity the first couple of days, but we just kept rewarding them whenever they turned their attention away from Molly. At first Charlie was locked onto her like radar. Now, already, they are both so respectful of her space. If am sitting on the sofa feeding her, Charlie will come in and lie down at my feet. Not too long ago he would have insisted on having his head in my lap.”
Following their training sessions, Kristen and Fred Wolf now know to continue to reward and reinforce the dogs’ positive behavior (such as lying down at Kristen’s feet when she’s feeding the baby), rather than ignoring them. They’ve seen for themselves what a powerful tool positive reinforcement can be.
“I am so pleased that we got help,” Kristin continues. “We would have done all the wrong things – corrected them, told them ‘No!’ for looking at the baby, shut them out of the room – it would have been a disaster. We are very pleased.”
I am very pleased too. It is a pleasure to work with people who respect their dogs and truly have their best interests at heart. I expect that Kristin, Fred, Charlie, Helen and Molly Wolf will have long, happy lives together.
Pat Miller, a dog trainer from Salinas, California, has been a regular contributor to WDJ for its 20 years of publication.
What a great job this is! Although the deadlines provide perennial pressure, and the stack of mail and calls to return can seem endless at times, I have to admit that I really enjoy learning so much about healthy dog care – and passing it along, of course! While some of the articles that our writers research and produce contain information that I already know a lot about, I never put an issue together without learning something new and valuable that I can put to immediate use.
For instance, I know the importance of reading the label of anything that I feed to my dog. But I’ve always wondered at the dearth of information provided by the labels of rawhide chews and other products intended for canine dental exercise. I have long suspected that these products are not created equal, so to speak. But it wasn’t until I read freelance writer Roger Govier’s article, “Chew on This,” that I knew what to look for – and what to avoid – when choosing my dog’s chew toy.
I first heard the phrase “calming signals” from Sabra Learned, a TTouch practitioner who has written a number of articles for us about TTouch methods. Sabra educated me about this communication method when she used my dog as a model for a photo shoot; she showed me how Rupert, a typically nervous Border Collie whose desire to please verges on compulsion, uses these signals almost constantly when in the presence of strangers.
But all the lights went on when I went through my photo files looking for pictures of dogs interacting at the dog park to illustrate the article about these signals contributed by another TTouch practitioner, Jodi Frediani. I must have 200 or more pictures of dogs playing and socializing in my photo files – pictures that I myself have taken. But until I read the article I never saw the calming signals displayed by the dogs in my own photographs. In frame after frame, I saw dogs clearly “telling” their playmates and companions that they were friendly and interested in getting along. I can’t wait to experiment with Frediani’s suggestions for using the signals to set an anxious dog at ease, or help two strange dogs get to know each other peacefully.
After reading Pat Miller’s review of products that can help keep dogs cool in hot weather, I immediately ordered one of her “top picks” for Rupe to use here in the WDJ office. Even without a thermometer, I always know when the temperature hits 80 degrees or so by the blast of hot dog breath that a panting Rupert generates under my desk. In the winter I appreciate his presence there, especially on cold days when I can snuggle my toes under his ample coat to keep warm. I’ll let you know whether the cooling products saved Rupe from his embarrassing summer haircut (he just doesn’t look right without his hair).
And I was highly entertained while editing Miller’s article about identifying and developing your dog’s ‘hidden talents.’ It cracked me up to read about some of the “jobs” that some dogs have volunteered for: turtle wrangling, turning off the reading light after a person has fallen asleep, and even mushroom hunting. I could relate! Just a few years ago, I found myself living next door to a family who had at least 10 or 12 outdoor cats – cats who were in the habit of using my front yard for a kitty litter box. Rupe quickly learned the difference between my attitude about chasing our cat (don’t you dare, ever!) and chasing the neighbor’s cats off of our front lawn (go for it!). In the long, hot summer, the cue “CAT alert, Rupie!” is still very useful for breaking up midnight feline serenades in the backyard.
-By Nancy Kerns
