If we’re fortunate enough to have them live to old age, at some point, most of our canine companions begin to lose their hearing and may eventually be, for all intents and purposes, deaf. It’s painful to watch a beloved dog become less and less responsive to his environment because he’s unaware of what’s going on around him, and even more so when it limits your ability to communicate with him. The thought of a hearing-impaired dog wandering off and not being able to hear your calls is frightening.
Here are some things you can do if your dog’s hearing isn’t what it used to be:
Use hand signals. Every time our dogs reach the old-age-can’t-hear stage I appreciate having taught them basic hand signals as well as verbal cues. Since dogs communicate primarily through body language, hand signals are easy to teach, especially if you do it when your dog can still hear well. As your dog ages, it’s a great opportunity to expand your visual cue vocabulary.
Some owners use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with their hearing- impaired dogs.
Run interference at home. This is all about management. If you have a multi-dog household, one or more of your other dogs make take offense when your geriatric pal doesn’t respond quickly enough to their signals – because he doesn’t hear them, and therefore doesn’t look and notice their body language. Manage your household to prevent encounters that cause tension due to his lack of hearing and subsequent lack of response. This often includes keeping potential problem dogs separated when you are not home.
For more advice on ways to live with a dog who losing his hearing, purchase Canine Hearing Loss from Whole Dog Journal.
Like all yeasts, candida thrives on sugars, including those from grains, starches, and other carbohydrates. Beneficial bacteria (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus) metabolize sugars, which keeps candida in check by disrupting its food supply. A shortage of beneficial bacteria results in a sugar-rich environment and an abundance of Candida albicans.
Once a candida overgrowth occurs, it becomes a vicious cycle. Candida cells overwhelm whatever beneficial bacteria survive in the digestive tract or are introduced as supplements, and a diet high in carbohydrates keeps the candida population strong and in control.
Candida is a formidable enemy because its cells manufacture toxic chemicals that kill beneficial bacteria and harm the body. Candida’s waste products include toxic alcohols, acetone, and the nerve poison hydrogen sulfide, all of which slow the brain, contribute to fatigue, and disrupt the immune system.
Candida symptoms are often misdiagnosed as allergies, says Arndt, manifesting as rashes or skin outbreaks on the feet, face, underarm, underbelly, or genital areas. Recurring hot spots or infections of the ears, eyes, bladder, or urinary tract can be caused by candida overgrowth.
For more information on keeping candida in check as well as the treatment and diagnoses of allergies in your dog, purchase and download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Canine Allergies.
There are a few different types of tests available that purport to identify the allergens to which a dog is hyper sensitive; some of them are helpful and some are a waste of time and money. Since all of them are commonly referred to as “allergy tests,” few people know which ones are credible, and which ones are not. The following is a brief description of the types of tests available for allergy diagnosis.
Blood (serologic) tests for antigen-induced antibodies — Two different methods (RAST and ELISA) are used for the most common commercial test products used by veterinarians. Historically, the tests have been unreliable with lots of false positive and false negative results, though the technology has improved over the years.
Skin (intradermal) tests for environmental allergens — In an intradermal test, tiny amounts of a number of suspected or likely local allergens are injected just under a dog’s skin. Most veterinary dermatologists feel these tests are much more reliable than blood tests for antibodies. It should be noted that testing is more time-consuming and expensive, not to mention stressful for the dog, who must be observed very closely, several times, by a stranger!
Tests for food allergies — Both blood and skin tests for food allergies exist, but it’s difficult to find anyone (besides the companies that produce the tests) who feel the results are worth the paper they are printed on. It would be exciting and useful if it worked, but so far, the tests are a work in progress, with only an estimated 30 percent accuracy rate. Why bother when you can conduct a food elimination trial that will deliver much more accurate information about your dog’s food allergies.
For more information on diagnosing and treating allergies in your dog, purchase and download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Canine Allergies.
Most holistic veterinary practitioners recommend switching any itchy dog to a complete and balanced home-prepared diet containing “real foods.” This will decrease the dog’s exposure to unnecessary or complex chemicals and give his body the opportunity to utilize the higher-quality nutrients present in fresh foods. Whether the diet is cooked or raw, the increased nutrient quality and availability of fresh whole foods will improve the health of any dog who currently receives even the best dry or canned foods.
“Feeding fresh, unprocessed, organic foods provides more of the building blocks for a healthy immune system,” says Dr. Lisa Pesch, a holistic veterinarian in Sebastopol CA. “Dogs who have allergies are more likely to be deficient in trace proteins and sugars (proteoglycans) that are used by the immune systems. Deficiencies in these nutrients will increase allergic response.”
For more information on diagnosing and treating allergies in your dog, purchase and download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Canine Allergies.
Over a lifetime, chronic allergies can leave dogs depleted and irritable, with low-level infections constantly breaking out on their skin, feet, and in their ears; worn front teeth (from chewing themselves); and smelly, sparse coats that neither protect them well from the elements nor invite much petting and affection from their owners. Chronic allergies can also deplete an owner’s time and financial resources – especially if the owner fails to take the most effective path to helping her dog.
Unfortunately, most dog owners rely solely on their veterinarians to take care of the problem with a shot or a prescription or a special food; they are unaware that they are in the best position to help their dog in a significant way. While veterinary diagnostic and treatment skills will be important in the battle, it’s the owner’s dedication to his dog, acute observation skills, and meticulous home care that will ultimately win the war against allergies.
For more information on diagnosing and treating allergies in your dog, purchase and download Whole Dog Journal’s ebook, Canine Allergies.
Left to their own devices, some dogs take a shortcut approach. Otto learned to pick up and drop puzzle toys, making many of the treats fall out without any further effort required. His puzzle-time had to be supervised in order for it to provide much enrichment.
There are several types of interactive dog toys that are designed to dispense food in order to engage dogs for extended periods of time. Some are filled with wet food (such as Kongs and Toppls) or covered with wet food (like lick mats) – and are sometimes frozen; the dog has to lick and chew the toy for a long time to extract all the food. Some have a hollow center that can be filled with a mix of kibble or dry treats; the food falls out of the toys through a hole or holes when the dog tosses or rolls the toys around (see the “Kibble-Dribbling” section in “The Best Food-Dispensing Dog Toys”).
The most complex enrichment toys for dogs are what we would call puzzle toys. These are the toys that require dogs to open compartments that are filled with food by manipulating the compartment covers in precise ways, rather than just licking or tossing the toy. The food-compartment covers might slide open – or slide open only after another piece is moved out of the way first. Some open only when the dog pulls on a string or handle, or dispense food when a lever or button is pressed. Some have multiple layers of food-holding compartments, requiring the dog to spin the layers in order to reveal more and more treats.
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What to look for in a dog puzzle toy
Be prepared to show your dog how the puzzle toy works. Woody kept sniffing and licking the compartment covers, but would not have figured out how to dispense more treats from the top of this toy (the Kubatis Puzzle Toy) had he not been urged him to “touch” the top with his paw (a behavior he knows on cue). Once prompted with that hint, he needed no further help.
The best dog puzzle toys are those with just the right amount of complexity for the average dog. If they are too easy to empty, your dog will be done eating all the treats before you can walk into the next room, defeating the purpose of proving some enrichment to a bored dog. But if the manipulations required by your dog are too difficult, he may just give up before getting all the treats – or, if he’s anything like my dog Otto, he may resort to destructive techniques rather than nuanced problem-solving. Otto was a great one for just picking up an entire puzzle and throwing it into the air so it would crash onto the floor, spilling treats everywhere.
Ideally, a dog has to use some creativity and persistence to reach all the food in the puzzle toy. And the toy has to be able to survive a creative and persistent dog! We’ve seen some cute, clever puzzle toys that can’t hold up to “real dog” conditions, with parts that can too easily be broken or chewed off. The best toys are sturdy, washable (preferably in a dishwasher!), and don’t require you to help the dog even after he’s learned how to manipulate the puzzle.
Be advised that if a puzzle has a dispensing feature – where, for example, a dog manipulates something to make food pour through a hole – the treats you use will have to fit through those holes easily. Puzzles with compartments that the dog easily accesses can hold food of any kind, but you may have to buy small-sized and/or round kibble for complex toys with dispensing holes or tubes.
Getting the difficulty level right
The dispensing action of some toys, including this one (the Kubatis Puzzle Toy), requires a fairly small, round treat or kibble; larger treats or kibble will get stuck, frustrating the dog.
Some dog-puzzle-toy makers rate the difficulty level of their toys, to help owners make buying decisions. For example, Outward Hound, the company that currently makes and sells products designed by Nina Ottosson (the original inventor of dog puzzle toys) identifies its toys and Level 1, 2, 3, or 4:
Level 1: A great way to introduce your pup to problem solving and puzzle games with one-step actions.
Level 2: Has added obstacles that require your dog to combine actions to reach their reward.” One example of Outward Hound’s Level 2 puzzle is the Hide N Slide: The “pegs” covering the treat compartments are easily manipulated to slide open, revealing the treats, but some of the “flippers” must be swiveled aside in order to allow the pegs to move.
Level 3: Challenges your dog to learn sequential steps to find their treat using more complex mechanisms.
Level 4: Requires your dog to complete a series of steps in the correct order for them to earn their treat.
Some toys look simple, but turn out to be too difficult for some dogs. For example, one of our two dogs gave up after emptying a single row of treats by pushing the sliders back and forth from the Challenge Slider Puzzle Toy from Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound, a Level 3 toy. Our other dog persisted with moving all the sliders – back and forth and sideways! – long after all the treats were consumed.
Other dog-puzzle makers use different descriptions of their products’ difficulty – but the point is, you get a sense of your dog’s ability and willingness to solve problems. One dog’s game of tic-tac-toe is another dog’s chess! It’s a good idea to start with an easy puzzle, and watch how your dog deals with it. If he’s easily frustrated and has a difficult time learning how to solve the puzzle, you’ll probably want to stick with the simplest, single-step puzzles. You’re just trying to add enrichment and stimulation to his life, not send him to college! If, in contrast, he is a highly food-motivated puzzle-master whiz-kid, he may be able to skip right to the most difficult puzzles.
It may take some trial and error to find puzzles that will occupy your dog without discouraging him. Fortunately, none of them are that expensive – and you can always gift the too-simple ones to a friend’s or relative’s young puppy, or the too-difficult ones to your closest Border Collie rescue.
How to introduce puzzle toys to your dog
If your dog has never played with puzzle toys before, start with some fairly high-value treats – unless your dog is one of those who will do backflips for kibble. You want him to be motivated enough to work to find the food, but not desperate to reach it at all costs.
Let your dog watch you fill the puzzle’s food-compartments. This will help him get a little excited about the project ahead.
Put the food-filled toy on the floor – preferably a surface that’s not too slick, so your dog doesn’t have to worry about slipping while occupying himself with the puzzle. Allow him to sniff (or paw) at the puzzle; his response will immediately tell you whether you need to show him how to manipulate the puzzle pieces to expose the food, or whether he can reach the food without assistance.
Most dogs start puzzle-solving with their nose and tongue; they can smell the treats inside the toys and will start licking and pushing at the movable parts on the puzzles. Dogs who are naturally more “pawsy” may rely on their paws and claws to try to manipulate the puzzles; again, the best dog puzzle toys will be able to take this sort of treatment without breaking.
Products that require a mixed approach might stymie some dogs. The Kubatis Puzzle Toy, for example, requires dogs to use their noses (to flip up the food-compartment covers) as well as their paws (to press on the top of the toy, which dispenses more treats into the compartments). Once encouraged to press on the top of the toy to dispense more treats, one of our test dogs kept pawing at the somewhat fragile compartment covers, and had to be redirected to using his nose to lift those up, instead.
That brings up our next tip: Be prepared to provide enough supervision to discourage your dog from getting too rough with the toy. Your dog may need to be redirected from taking an inadvertent shortcut to the treats – such as Otto’s throwing the toy across the kitchen to scatter the treats. Some of the toys we tested, such as the Challenge Slider Puzzle Toy from Outward Hound’s Nina Ottosson collection, wouldn’t have survived this treatment without coming apart. (The food-containing tray slides out for easy refilling, but if a dog lifted the entire toy from the ground, it would likely serve him all the treats at once.)
The harder your dog is willing to work for the treats, the lower-value food you can use inside. If he needs more motivation, use a mix of higher-value treats (such as freeze-dried meat cubes or semi-soft treats such as Zukes), kibble, and frozen peas and carrot cubes!
Resist your first impulse to snap back at your dog.
Instead, do this:
Stop. Whatever you did that caused your dog to growl, stop doing it. Immediately. If you were walking toward him, stand still. If you were reaching toward him, stop reaching. If you were trying to take the toy or bone away from him, stop trying.
Analyze. Your next action depends on your lightning-fast analysis of the situation. If your dog is about to bite you, retreat. Quickly. If you’re confident he won’t escalate, stay still. If you aren’t sure, retreat. Err on the side of caution. Complete your analysis by identifying what resource he had that was valuable enough to guard, and what you were doing that caused him to guard.
Retreat. If you already retreated because you feared a bite, go on to #4. If you stayed still, wait for some lessening of his tension and then retreat. Here’s the dilemma: dogs give off guarding signals – a freeze, a hard stare, stiffening of the body, a growl, snarl, snap, or bite – to make you go away and leave them alone with their valuable objects. Your safety is the number one priority, so if a bite is imminent, it’s appropriate to skedaddle. However, by doing so you reinforce the guarding behavior. “Yes!” says Dog. “That freeze worked; it made my human go away.” Reinforced behaviors are likely to repeat or increase, so you can expect more guarding next time. If, instead, you are safe to stay still and wait for some relaxation of tension and then leave, you reinforce calmer behavior. “Hmmmmm,” says Dog. “Relaxing made my human go away.” If you can do this safely, you increase his relaxation when you are near him and decrease his guarding behavior.
Manage. Give your dog guardable things only when you won’t have to take them away. Crates are good places for a resource guarder to enjoy his valuable objects. When he’s crated with good stuff, don’t mess with him, and don’t let anyone else mess with him. When small children are around, put him away – for his sake and theirs – since you may not always know what he’ll decide to guard, especially when kids bring their own toys to play with.
Train. Work with a good, positive behavior professional to modify your dog’s guarding behavior so he no longer feels stressed when humans are around his good stuff. Teach him to “trade” on verbal cue for a high value treat such as chicken, starting with low value objects and working up to high value, so he’ll happily give you his things on cue when you need him to. Out-think your dog. Resource guarding behavior is not a good place for a battle of wills.
To learn more about this aggressive behavior and others as well as ways to modify it, purchase and download the ebook Canine Aggression, from Whole Dog Journal.
If you hang around with other dog owners, you’ve no doubt heard the same comment I have, over and over again: “My dog is fine with other dogs when he’s off-leash; he’s only dog-aggressive when his leash is on.” You may have even said it yourself.
The reason it’s an often-heard comment is that it’s a common behavior: A lot of dogs who are fine with other dogs when left to their own devices become aggressive if they are leashed when they meet other dogs.
We know that aggression is caused by stress. Clearly, there is something about being on a leash that a lot of dogs find stressful enough that it prompts aggressive behavior. There are several reasons for this. Let’s take a look at one of them.
Leash Interference with Normal Social Interaction
Picture in your mind two dogs meeting and greeting, off-leash. They engage in a social dance – advancing, retreating, moving around each other, sniffing various body parts, giving body language signals intended to keep the interaction civil. Sometimes the movements are slow; sometimes they are quick. If one dog is cautious or fearful of the other, he can retreat as he wishes, using social distance to keep himself safe.
Now picture those same two dogs meeting onleash. The dance is stilted, inhibited by the restraint of the leash. One dog tries to circle the other, and the leash tangles around his legs. The cautious dog would like to retreat to safety, but knows the leash restricts his movement, and elects to act out his second option to increase distance – a growl and a snap to signal to the other dog to move away – who cannot, because he is leashed. The fight is on.
In the future, the cautious dog will offer a growl and snap before he’s close enough for the other dog to make contact. The best defense is a good offense. Alarmed, owners move away from each other, and the fearful dog’s aggression is reinforced by the increased distance. Behaviors that are reinforced repeat and increase, and the cautious dog’s aggression escalates as he realizes that it’s a successful behavior strategy for him – it keeps other scary dogs away. You now have a leash-aggressive dog. Absent the leash, he still chooses to move away from the other dog – his first behavior choice.
To learn more about aggressive behavior and ways to modify it, purchase and download the ebook Canine Aggression, from Whole Dog Journal.
An important skill for impulse control is the ability to settle down in the face of excitement. There is a lot of value in “installing an off switch” in your dog! It translates into the ability to get your dog to settle on cue even when she is very excited. This is especially useful when you want to let your dog know that an activity or a game has ended. Some high-energy dogs simply don’t know when to stop, and they can keep going long after you’ve already tired of the activity.
An effective way to turn off activity in an action-loving dog is to teach an “all done” cue. This one doesn’t specifically tell the dog what to do – it just signals to her that the activity is over. Use any cue that makes sense to you, such as “All done!” or “That’s all!”.
The sooner you “install” an off-switch in your high-energy, activity-persistent dog, the better. Remember, the longer the reinforcement history for persistence, the more persistent she’ll be.
Start teaching this behavior by engaging in your dog’s favorite activity – say, fetching a ball.
After a reasonable period of fetch time, say “All done!” and put the ball away, out of sight, per-haps in a nearby cupboard.
Give your dog a reasonable alternative that she can do by herself, such as emptying a stuffed Kong.
Go sit down and occupy yourself with some-thing, such as reading a book, watching TV, or web-surfing.
Ignore any attempts on your dog’s behalf to re-engage you, such as going to the cupboard and barking, or bringing you a different toy. Don’t even repeat your off-switch cue, just ignore her.
Warn all other nearby humans to similarly ignore her attempts to engage them in activity when she’s been given the “All done” cue.
Be prepared to quietly (so as not to get her aroused again) praise her when she finally lies down and starts to chew on the stuffed Kong.
Use your off-switch cue every time you end a play session with her favorite activity, and don’t give in if she persists. The more consistent you are, the sooner you will see her resign herself to the fact that the fun really is over when you say it is.
If your dog does not like to fetch a ball, try another similar “get excited and settle” game such as running around together with a stop and settle. Or, play tug-and-drop, or try playing with a flirt pole (a toy on the end of a rope, which is fastened to a pole) to get your dog running, and then in-corporate the stop and settle.
Looking for more ways to teach your high-energy dog to chill out and relax? With Calm Down Rover, you’ll have instant access to vital training techniques. We all owe it to our dogs to understand why they act the way they do. Learn more.
Impulse control requires patience, and Leave It (sometimes called “Off”) is a very powerful impulse control exercise. It involves having the dog turn away from something that he is interested in and make eye contact with you instead. An excellent way to jump-start this behavior is through a “Doggy Zen” exercise. (Doggy Zen: In order to have the treat, you must leave the treat.)
Have a handful of super-exciting treats and one rather boring treat available. Put the boring treat in one hand and the good treats in a pouch or container behind your back. Present the boring treat to your dog in a closed fist (so she can smell it, but can’t get to it). Allow your dog lick and sniff your hand, and try to get to the treat.
The moment your dog backs away from your treat/hand a tiny bit, mark the moment with a click or a “Yes!” and give your dog one of the super-good treats from your other hand. Be very patient; the first try or two can take several minutes before a dog gives up and backs away.
Once your dog understands the game and quickly backs away from the treat in your fist, change it up a little by switching which hand is holding the boring treat. Again, reward with the yummy treat from your other hand.
Once your dog easily backs away from a boring treat in either hand, pause a moment after your dog backs away from the treat (without immediately marking or rewarding the behavior). Watch your dog carefully; almost always, after a few moments of not getting the expected reward, dogs will look at your face for information, trying to figure out why they haven’t been rewarded yet. The moment he offers that eye contact, click (or “Yes!”) and reward him.
When your dog easily backs off a treat and subsequently makes eye contact with you each time, add a verbal cue such as “Leave it.” Present the treat first, and when your dog takes notice, say “Leave it,” and click/“Yes!” and reward when your dog makes eye contact.
Practice “Leave it” while placing the treat on the floor. Make sure you can cover it quickly with your foot if your dog makes a move for it!
Take the cue on the road, and practice with different items such as a favorite toy, or a distraction like an interesting smell or the sight of another dog.
Another useful exercise involves teaching your dog to go to a specific place, like a mat, to lie down and relax. This can be a fixed location in your home (in front of the fireplace, by the toy box, etc.), but I find it more valuable to use a portable carpet square, mat, or dog bed of some sort. This gives you the flexibility to send your dog to her spot wherever you are; you just have to take her mat along with you. This behavior is very useful for a dog who tends to “bug” you (or your guests) for attention.
Take your dog to a bed, mat, carpet square, or throw rug you have obtained for this purpose, say “place,” “go to bed” (or whatever word or phrase you plan to use). You can lure her to the bed with a treat, or place a treat on the bed and encourage her to go to it and eat it. Click or say “Yes!” when she does it, then ask her to “Down,” and click and treat for that.
Do this a number of times until you think your dog is beginning to associate the word or phrase with lying down on the mat.
Then you can start cueing the behavior without the lure. Click (or say “Yes!”) and give her a reward when she complies. You can also request a “Wait” so she doesn’t pop right back off the mat.
When the dog is doing this part well, begin moving farther away from the mat before giving your “Place” cue.
Ultimately, if you wish, you can ask your dog to go to her place from anywhere in the house. You can name several different places and teach her to go to each on your request. You can also take the mat with you when you go out and use it in public or at friend’s houses (this is why a small, portable throw rug or mat is ideal).
One alternative to the approach described above is to “shape” the behavior. This is done by marking (click or “Yes!”) and rewarding any behavior remotely related to the mat, gradually raising the criteria (what she needs to do to get a click and treat) until she reliably goes to the mat and lies down on it. Add the cue when she reliably moves to the mat, and then go to Step 4 above.
Challenge: Your dog lies near or only partially on the mat in an effort to be nearer to you or your guests (or whatever he’d rather be doing).
Solution: Be clear about how much of your dog has to be on the mat for it to “count” (your choice!) and reinforce your dog only if he meets that standard.
Intense physical exercise alone won’t tire out a high-energy dog, but it does take the edge off so that when you’re ready to work with him to teach calm behaviors, he is able to focus and participate in the training. The physical exercise sets him up for training success.
First, let’s agree that leaving your dog out in his own fenced-in backyard does not qualify as “exercise”. He needs to be actively engaged.
Outings to your local well-run dog park can be a good exercise option. If you don’t have one in your area, invite compatible canines over to play in your dog’s fenced yard. If you don’t have one, invite yourself and your dog over to your dogfriend’s fenced yard for play dates.
Absent any access to a dog-friendly fenced yard, play with your dog on a long line. A 50-foot line gives him a 100-foot stretch to run back and forth
and work his jollies off.
Caution: Work up to 50 feet gradually, so he learns where the end of the line is. You don’t want him to blast full-speed to the end of his long line and hurt himself. Also, wear long pants. A highspeed long-line wrapped around bare legs can give you a nasty rope burn.
If none of those work for you, having him wear a pack when you walk him, or even better, pull a cart (which takes significant training), or exercising him (safely) from a bicycle may be options for using up excess energy.
