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Physical and Mental Stimulation

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Editorial Staff
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Decoding Your Dog Book from Whole Dog Journal
Edited by Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB and John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB with Steve Dale

For dogs and humans alike, physical exercise is fundamental to good health. We all know the couch-potato lifestyle comes with a host of health problems. But in dogs, a lack of activity can also prompt nuisance behaviors. The majority of dogs were bred with a working purpose in mind—and that’s not just the herding and hunting breeds. For example, the seemingly dainty Yorkshire Terrier was originally meant for rat hunting. Providing dogs with vigorous, daily exercise has profound effects on their behavior. Tired dogs chew less, bark less, sleep more, and are more likely to relax when home alone.

A good daily workout and, if the dog is social, regular play sessions with other dogs are great ways to exercise a dog. So is time spent interacting with his owners, whether that’s playing hide-and-seek in the yard or coming along to the office.

If, like Anna’s rowdy, a dog gets hours of exercise every day and still tears through the trash or disembowels the bedroom pillows, it’s safe to assume he lacks mental stimulation. Much as people turn to crossword puzzles, books, chess games, and other brain-vitalizing activities for the fun of mental gymnastics, dogs need to solve doggie problems.

For one thing, dogs are meant to work for their food. When they were in the wild, nobody just handed them a bowl of kibble. Dogs are natural hunters and problem solvers so the more closely we can mimic this process, in many cases the less troublesome the dog will be to live with. Serving all the dog’s meals in a stuffed Kong or treat ball, in food dispensing devices, or through a game such as hide-and-seek or in food puzzle toys can relieve many nuisance behaviors.

Interesting edog toys are another great way to engage a dog’s brain. Dogs have distinct preferences when it comes to toys, so it’s worth doing a bit of sleuthing to figure out what hooks a particular dog. Some are never happier than when they get to dissect a stuffed toy; others can spend hours entertaining themselves with a rope toy. Get an assortment and switch them out each day so the dog doesn’t have time to get bored. Of course, you want to make sure you use safe toys so your dog does not ingest parts and pieces of his toys. There are especially tough toys available, including a variety of Kong toys, Jolly Balls, Buster Food-Cubes, and the Tug-a-Jug.

For additional advice on understanding your dog’s behavior, purchase Decoding Your Dog from Whole Dog Journal.

Training Solutions

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Editorial Staff
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Decoding Your Dog Book from Whole Dog Journal
Edited by Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB and John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB with Steve Dale

The trick with all nuisance behaviors is to train and reward an aopposite or competing behavior. For example, Rowdy can’t jump on Anna if he’s sitting to greet her. He can’t bark at visitors if he has a toy in his mouth, or beg at the dinner table if he is in a down-stay on his bed, or pull on his leash if he’s by Anna’s side making eye contact every five seconds. Whatever bothersome behavior the dog is engaging in, think of something that would preclude it, and train that behavior consistently.

When training any new behavior, especially to replace a well-established nuisance behavior, patience and consistency are key. It can take a while for the dog to give up strategies that have worked for him consistently, but if he is no longer rewarded for them and is instead consistently reinforced for an alternative behavior, he will soon choose that new response every time. Stick with it. Because the unwanted behavior worked in the past, your dog will most likely try it again, but harder, before he will give it up. This is called an “Extinction burst.” It’s a sudden display of a behavior that was diminishing after you stopped rewarding it. It’s sort of like your dog saying, “Was she really serious about that?” Don’t give up; stick with your plan and you will be rewarded.

Training Alternate Behaviors:

  • To replace door dashing, train to sit or down before opening the door.
  • To replace eating trash off the ground, train to carry a toy or keep eye contact with you.
  • To replace barking at the doorbell, train to get a toy.
  • To replace digging up the roses, train to fetch or hide-and-seek with dog toys.
  • To replace pawing at you, train to put pawing on a cue—so he uses his paw for a “high five” or “wave” when asked.

For additional advice on understanding your dog’s behavior, purchase Decoding Your Dog from Whole Dog Journal.

Behavior Management Techniques

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Editorial Staff
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Decoding Your Dog Book from Whole Dog Journal
Edited by Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB and John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB with Steve Dale

Nuisance behaviors can be changed to polite manners or managed to a point where they don’t bother us, depending on our preference.

Here are four strategies:

  • Management techniques
  • Training consistent interactions
  • Training solutions
  • Physical and mental stimulation

Management Techniques

Many annoying behaviors can be prevented or managed to a point where they no longer present a problem. Keep in mind that management isn’t training. The dog isn’t learning how we would prefer him to behave; he is simply prevented from behaving in an unwanted way in a situation because we control the options and outcomes. But management is a great short-term measure for getting relief, especially for young animals with nuisance behaviors, and it often works well enough to satisfy many people in the long term too. Management also keeps the dog from practicing the problem behavior and thus learning bad habits by repeating the same behaviors over and over again. For example, keeping your dog out of the kitchen prevents him from jumping on the counter and being rewarded by finding leftover food. If he isn’t allowed in the kitchen, he never learns that jumping on the counter yields rewards. Remember, for a behavior to be ongoing, it must be reinforcing for the dog; that is why he repeats it.

Management techniques might include setting up barriers such as baby gates and exercise pens, using humane anti-pull devices such as head halters or harnesses, and simply dog-proofing the house, stowing away food, and placing desirable things out of reach.

Substitute sitting for jumping on you by rewarding your puppy only when he is sitting. No punishment is needed, because he learns very quickly that when he sits, he gets what he wants. This allows him to explore different behaviors and make the correct decision.

The puppy will very likely offer this sitting behavior again. If you are consistent in your reactions, soon he will default into a sit position for greetings.

Behavior Management Techniques

To Prevent This, Do This

  • Jumping on visitors to the home: Put the dog in another room when the doorbell rings
  • Jumping on you when you come home: Throw treats on the ground or a ball to retrieve
  • Barking at passerby outside: Draw the curtains or restrict the dog’s access to the windows
  • Pulling on the leash: Use an anti-pull head halter or harness
  • Attacking the water hose: Put the dog inside while you are watering
  • Chewing on the furniture: Don’t allow access; use a baby gate or crate

For additional advice on understanding your dog’s behavior, purchase Decoding Your Dog from Whole Dog Journal.

Training Consistent Interactions

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Editorial Staff
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Decoding Your Dog Book from Whole Dog Journal
Edited by Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB and John Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB with Steve Dale

This means using everyday situations to train and continually strengthen good manners—without spending a lot of time on dedicated dog training sessions. It boils down to this: Whatever the dog wants, don’t give it away for free. Don’t open the door just because the dog paws at it; don’t throw the ball just because he barks at you. For those and countless other privileges, ask the dog to say “please” first by doing something like sitting quietly.

The benefits of this approach are many. For one thing, good manners become part of everyday routines rather than something the dog is asked to do only in special training situations. Your dog also learns a degree of impulse control. He realizes that not immediately acting on impulse, but rather stopping to consider alternative options, can be rewarding. Training also becomes linked in the dog’s mind to all his favorite activities: he will sit for having his leash put on for a walk, he will comply with a request before being invited onto the couch, he will have to look a t you before getting his breakfast or a chew toy, and he will release the ball before tossing it again, and playing fetch with you. When all good things must be preceded by responding to a cue that you give, your dog quickly learns to behave politely.

The goal isn’t to seek the perfect obedient response to “sit” or “stay”; it simply teaches your dog to say “please.” If the dog puts his bottom to the floor, the item or attention will be provided. Soon it becomes second nature, and your dog might default into a “sit” behavior instead of jumping or pawing at you. You can then decide whether to ask for an additional behavior, such as a “down” or “look.” This is also a safety precaution: if your dog defaults into a sit position everytime you get ready to open the car door, he will not bolt out and possibly get hurt. IF he sits to have his leash put on, he will not run around and you will not have to chase him. This makes taking the dog out a pleasure instead of a struggle. Use a “please” action before:

  • Throwing a ball, Frisbee, etc.;
  • Handing over a toy;
  • Putting the food bowl down;
  • Giving a treat or chew toy;
  • Opening a door;
  • Clipping on a leash to go for a walk;
  • Taking off a leash at the park or beach;
  • Delivering a belly rub or a good ear scratch;
  • Allowing the dog into or out of the car.

For additional advice on understanding your dog’s behavior, purchase Decoding Your Dog from Whole Dog Journal.

Complimentary Care for Dogs with Cushing’s

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Editorial Staff
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Cushing’s Disease eBook from Whole Dog Journal

Because the diagnosis and treatment of Cushing’s disease can be confusing, expensive, and fraught with adverse side effects, many caregivers turn to alternative or complementary therapies.

For those who prefer treatments that have been proven in double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, unconventional therapies are themselves fraught with peril. Product testimonials and anecdotal reports don’t prove anything, and by turning first to an herbal preparation or glandular extract, one might deny the patient an opportunity for effective treatment. Online reviews of nutritional supplements or herbal preparations range from reports about dogs that appear to be cured to heartbreaking stories of dogs whose condition deteriorated rapidly. Success stories are often not documented by laboratory test results, leaving readers to wonder whether the dogs that improved so dramatically actually had Cushing’s.

At the same time, the cost of veterinary tests, surgery, or prescription drugs for a dog is sometimes simply prohibitive. Because drugs can only relieve symptoms and cannot cure Cushing’s disease or slow its progression, there is little harm in trying alternatives if your dog’s quality of life is not impacted.

For some, the decision to pursue nutritional and alternative treatments is philosophical. Holistic veterinarians look at Cushing’s disease and every other canine illness from a different perspective than do conventionally trained veterinarians. They are likely to try holistic or natural treatments first and turn to symptom-suppressing conventional therapies later instead of the other way around.

For more detailed information on the diagnosis and treatment of Cushing’s Disease, purchase and download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Cushing’s Disease.

Signs of Cushing’s Disease

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Editorial Staff
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Cushing’s Disease eBook from Whole Dog Journal

Clinical signs of Cushing’s, no matter its primary cause, may include one or most of the following:

  • Polyuria (increased frequency of urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased, ravenous hunger).
  • Weakening and atrophy of the muscles of the extremities and abdomen, resulting in gradual abdominal enlargement, lordosis (sway back), muscle trembling, and weakness.
  • Weight loss. While most dogs appear fat, they may actually lose weight due to the loss of muscle mass.
  • Fat deposits in the liver, resulting in diminished liver function.
  • Skin lesions are common and are often the most recognizable symptoms of the disease. The skin may thin, or mineral deposits may occur within the skin, especially along the dorsal midline. The dog may also exhibit hair loss in a non-itchy “hormonal pattern” (bilateral and symmetrical hair loss, not patchy as typically seen with allergies, and often associated with thinning of hair and poor regrowth, rather than a complete loss of hair). This hair loss may be concentrated over the body, groin, and flanks, and spare the head and extremities. In chronic hormonal conditions the hair thinning may be associated with a thickening and a black discoloration of the abdominal skin called acanthosis.
  • Behavior changes: lethargy, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, panting, and decreased interaction with owners.

A tentative diagnosis may be inferred from the clinical signs, but positive diagnosis requires laboratory confirmation. Differentiating pituitary-dependent from primary-adrenal Cushing’s is impossible without lab tests.

For more detailed information on the diagnosis and treatment of Cushing’s Disease, purchase and download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Cushing’s Disease.

Training Regressions

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Editorial Staff
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Culture Clash Book from Whole Dog Journal
Excerpt from Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

People are terribly mystified by any change in their dog’s behavior and go on a lot with the “why? WHY” as though there should never be any variability whatsoever in this living organism’s behavior. Training regressions are a frequent occurrence and no big deal. It is so important to remember that behavior is always in flux, constantly subjected to whatever contingencies there are in the environment as well as being influenced by unknown internal events. In the case of behavior problems, there are three main reasons for behavior that had seemed to be “fixed” to break down again:

  1. Undertraining: the behavior was never that strong in the first place
  2. Contingency change: the behavior extinguished or another one was trained by the owner or environment
  3. Failure to generalize: the behavior falls apart in the a new location or context

A “contingency change” example: Inadvertent New Rules

A contingency change might look like the following. The dog has learned that it’s safe and often reinforcing to urinate in the yard and dangerous in most places he has tried in the house and so a fairly solid yard habit is in place. The owner has become upset about the yellowing of grass from dog urine and has decided to limit the dog to eliminating in one corner of the yard. The owner takes the dog on leash at elimination times for a couple of weeks, always going to one corner and praising the dog for urinating. The first couple of times the dog goes out off leash, she urinates in the wrong area. The owner punishes the dog. On the third day, the dog will not urinate in the yard. The owner sees this and takes the dog for a walk. The dog has a very full bladder and finally urinates and is praised by the owner. The owner likes the idea of the dog urinating on the walk rather than in the yard and starts taking the dog around the block to eliminate, which is successful and keeps the yard urine-free.

A few months later, the owner is in a rush to prepare for guests arriving so lets the dog into the yard to pee while finishing the cooking. The dog does not urinate in the yard and comes back in full. When the guests arrive, the owner puts the dog on leash to calm one of the visitors who is afraid of dogs. The dog urinates on the Persian rug. The owner thinks the dog sensed that one of the guests didn’t like her and urinated to demonstrate her resentment. In fact, the dog has learned to urinate when on leash only, based on the new contingencies inadvertently set up by the owner. Dogs aren’t into big agendas. They just need to know where and when it’s safe to pee.

From Jean Donaldson’s thought-provoking book, Culture Clash, dog owners will learn and get a better understanding of the relationship between dogs and humans. Purchase Culture Clash from Whole Dog Journal today.

Jumping Up

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Editorial Staff
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Culture Clash Book from Whole Dog Journal
Excerpt from Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

A classic culture clash example is greeting rituals: in most human cultures, we shake hands or bow. In dog culture, they buzz around excitedly, lick and sniff each other. The origin of jumping up is in infancy. Wolf pups will jump up to lick the corners of adults’ mouths, triggering the latter to regurgitate food that the puppies can eat. This jumping up and licking is retained into adulthood as a greeting ritual. It’s extremely common in dogs though its root has faded: only a minority of adults regurgitate. Greeting may become exaggerated when dogs live with humans because the social group is continually being fractured, then reunited: we leave and come back a lot, necessitating constant broad rituals. We’re also vertical: the dog wants to get at our face. We also tend to let tiny puppies get away with it and then change the rules when they grow larger.

The main reason dogs jump is that no one has taught them to do otherwise. I’m not talking about punishments like kneeing dogs, pinching their feet or cutting off their air with a strangle collar. This sort of abuse has been the prevailing “treatment” but is inhumane and laden with side-effects. Imagine yourself being kneed in the diaphragm or pushed over backwards for smiling or extending your hand in friendship. It’s not the fault of dogs that their cultural norm is at odds with our greeting preferences.

The key to training dogs not to jump up is to strongly train an alternative behavior that is mutually exclusive to jumping. The dog cannot jump up and sit at the same time. Nor can he dig through walls while working on a chew toy, lie on a mat and annoy dinner guests, or hold eye contact while chasing cars. The applications of this technique – DRI (differential reinforcement of an in compatible behavior, or “operant counterconditioning”) – are limitless.

From Jean Donaldson’s thought-provoking book, Culture Clash, dog owners will learn and get a better understanding of the relationship between dogs and humans, including ways to control jumping up. Purchase Culture Clash from Whole Dog Journal today.

Barking

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Editorial Staff
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Culture Clash Book from Whole Dog Journal
Excerpt from Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

Dogs bark for a variety of reasons.

  1. Watchdog Barking serves the dual purpose of alerting other pack members that there is an intruder or change in the environment and warning the intruder that they have been noticed. Dogs bark much more than their ancestors, wolves, who hardly ever bark. In domesticating them, we have selected for more barking. The predisposition to watch-dog bark varies among breeds and individuals. The modifying principles are the same, though, whether you’re trying to coax a little more barking out of a couch potato Newfoundland or tone down barking in a hair-trigger German Shepard or miniature schnauzer.
  2. Request Barking starts off as a behavioral experiment by the dog, kind of a “let’s see what this produces.” Typical requests include opening doors, handouts from your plate, invitations to play attention, and being let out of a crate or confinement area. This behavior is a problem not because the dog tries out the experiment but because the experiment usually succeeds: the owner reinforces the barking by granting the request and a habit is born. Dogs zero in on whatever strategy works.
  3. Spooky Barking occurs when the dog is fearful or uncomfortable about something in the environment. It’s the dog’s way of saying: “Back off – don’t come any closer.” This is much more serious than garden variety watchdog barking because the dog in question is advertising that he is afraid and therefore potentially dangerous if approached.
  4. Boredom Barking can result when the dog’s daily needs for exercise and social and mental stimulation aren’t met. The dog barks compulsively. This is very much like pacing back and forth, tail-chasing or self-mutilation. Chained dogs and dogs left outdoors in yards are at high risk.

From Jean Donaldson’s thought-provoking book, Culture Clash, dog owners will learn and get a better understanding of the relationship between dogs and humans, including ways to control excessive barking. Purchase Culture Clash from Whole Dog Journal today.

Tug of War

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Editorial Staff
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Culture Clash Book from Whole Dog Journal
Excerpt from Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

Dog owners have been admonished for decades by trainers, breeders and veterinarians to never play tug of war with their dogs because it risks increasing aggression and/or dominance in the dog. I think they’ve muddled predatory behavior, which tug actually is, with agnostic (conflict resolution) behavior, which tug is not. Played with rules, tug of war is a tremendous predatory energy burner and good exercise for both dog and owner. Like structured roughhousing, it servers as a good barometer of the kind of control you have over the dog, most importantly over his jaws. The game doesn’t make the dog a predator; he already is one. The game is an outlet.

Tug, or any vigorous activity for that matter, played without rules or functioning human brain cells is potentially dangerous. But the baby has been thrown out with the bath water in this case: why deprive dogs and owners of one of the best energy burners and outlets there is? It’s good because it is intense, increases dog focus and confidence, and plugs into something very deep inside dogs. The owner becomes the source of a potent reinforcing activity, and there is a payoff in terms of lowered incidence of behavior problems due to understimulation. It’s also extremely efficient for the owner in terms of space and time requirements, and it can be used as a convenient reinforcement option in obedience.

The “tug might make him more dominant” argument is extremely lame. The implication is that dogs or wolves ascertain rank by grabbing the ends of an object and tugging to see who “wins”. If anything, the best description of tug is that it is cooperative behavior. It’s not you vs. the dog, it’s you and the dog vs. the tug of war toy. When you’re playing tug of war with a dog and he “wins,” i.e. you let it go, a tug addicted dog will try to get you to re-engage in the game rather than leaving and hoarding. You have control of the supreme, ultimate reinforcer here: the ability to make the toy appear to resist, to feel like living prey. The dog learns this.

From Jean Donaldson’s thought-provoking book, Culture Clash, dog owners will learn and get a better understanding of the relationship between dogs and humans, including rules of tug. Purchase Culture Clash from Whole Dog Journal today.

The Dominance Panacea

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Editorial Staff
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Culture Clash Book from Whole Dog Journal
Excerpt from Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

One model that has been put forth as a quasi-justification for the use of aversives in training is pack theory. Ever since the linear hierarchy was postulated in wolves, dog people have gone cuckoo in their efforts to explain every conceivable dog behavior and human-dog interaction in terms of “dominance.” We really latched onto that one. It is a great example of a successful meme. Dogs misbehave or are disobedient because they haven’t been shown who’s boss. You must be the “alpha” in your “pack.” Aside from amounting to yet another justification for aversives-oriented training methods – the dog is supposedly staying up nights thinking up ways to stage a coup so you’d better keep him in his pace with plenty of coercion – dominance has provided a panacea-like explanation for dog-behaviors.

For the owner, this simple explanation makes unnecessary the work of boning up on a myriad of other topics, like how animals learn. Notions like dogs rushing through doors ahead of their owners or pulling on a leash to exert dominance over their owners are too stupid for words. Some poor people have it so backwards that they view appeasement behaviors such as jumping up to lick or pawing as dominance displays and thus fair game for aversive training. The dominance panacea is, once again, a case of leaping to a conclusion before ruling out more obvious explanations. Dogs chew furniture because what else could furniture possibly be for? They are disobedient because they have no idea what is being asked of them, are undermotivated to comply, or something else has won the behavioral gambit at that moment in time, like a fleeing squirrel. Rank is not likely on their minds.

From Jean Donaldson’s thought-provoking book, Culture Clash, dog owners will learn and get a better understanding of the relationship between dogs and humans. Purchase Culture Clash from Whole Dog Journal today.

Signs of Bloat in Dogs

By
Kate Basedow, LVT
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0
Bloat in dogs can be caused due to eating too swiftly.
Eating too quickly is a suspected cause of bloat, so feeding dogs in separate areas to avoid racing to finish their chow is a wise management practice. Credit: Su Arslanoglu | Getty Images

Bloat, officially known as gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), is an extremely dangerous condition where the dog’s stomach fills with gas and can twist upon itself. Bloat without a twisted stomach can be treated medically, but if the stomach twists the dog will need emergency surgery. If your dog shows a distended abdomen or other signs of bloat, get treatment immediately.

Bloat is most likely to occur a few hours after eating a large meal, but it can occur at any time. If you notice any signs of bloat in dogs, act immediately and call your veterinarian or a veterinary emergency hospital.

Symptoms of bloat in dogs include:

  • Distended abdomen
  • Dry heaving and attempting to vomit without much coming up
  • Panting and difficulty breathing
  • Swollen abdomen sounds hollow when tapped on
  • Pacing, unable to get comfortable
  • Looking at the stomach
  • Drooling
  • Collapse
  • Death

Dogs at Risk for Bloat

You may see signs of bloat in any dog, but bloat most commonly occurs in large dogs with a deep chest, such as Dobermans and Great Danes. Male dogs are more likely to bloat than females, and anxious dogs also seem to have an increased risk.

A genetic element to bloat is possible. If your dog has close relatives who have bloated, he is more likely to bloat during his own lifetime.

Causes of Bloat in Dogs

While it’s unclear exactly what causes bloat in dogs, the suspected causes of bloat are:

  • History of bloat in a particular breed line (hints to a possible genetic predisposition)
  • Dogs who eat too fast (ingest excess air with the meal)
  • Using elevated feeding bowls (promotes ingestion of excess air with the meal)
  • Feeding dry food with heavy fat/oil content
  • Feeding a large meal vs. multiple smaller meals
  • Exercising on a full stomach
  • Drinking excessive amounts of water at one time

Signs of Bloat in Dogs

The first stage of bloat is pain. If the stomach is twisted, things get really bad. As the stomach twists, blood vessels are cut off and circulation is lost to the stomach and possibly the spleen. Eventually these tissues will die.

The stomach also becomes completely sealed at both ends, meaning that the gas has no outlet to escape. In extreme cases the stomach can rupture.

Treating Bloat in Dogs

The vet will likely take at least one X-ray. This will show if the stomach is filled with gas, and whether it has twisted and become a full GDV.

If the stomach has not twisted, your vet may be able to release the gas by passing a tube into your dog’s stomach. This may require sedation.

If your dog’s stomach twisted, he will need emergency surgery. The veterinary team will first take measures to stabilize his condition, then open the abdomen to untwist the stomach and make sure that all the tissues appear healthy. Your dog’s stomach will also be tacked to the abdominal wall to prevent it from twisting again in the future.

Dogs at high risk for bloat sometimes have their stomachs tacked as a preventive measure. This is usually done at the same time as a spay or neuter procedure.

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