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to subscribe: www.wldgjnl.m cpyg 2006, bl Md Gp,LLc THEWHOLEDOGJOURNAL

Nm 2006

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3 Howtoteachyourdogtoretrieve,evenif hesnotanatural.

6 s d Veterinarymedicalassociationsare callingforfewervaccinationsfordogs. Arelocalveterinarianshearingthering? 12 hw Ld Y P Managingamulti-doghouseholdtakes time,commitment,andstructure.

16 h hm Adog-reactiveBulldogacceptsanew

puppyinthehouse...thankstotheir ownersintensiveintervention.

18 P andn Wholefoodsourcesofthesepowerful chemicalscanhelpkeepdogsvital.

$5.9

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2|NoveMber 2006 cpyg 2006, bl Md Gp, LLc to subscribe, caLL (800) 829-9165

eDitors NoteeDitors Note

tell the truth: Who among you would

get elated at the possibility of takinga trip to Utah, say, to visit a dog food

factory? Oh, never mind; you guys are

probably just as weird as me! I guess

this is a backhand way of braggingthat IgottogotoUtahandseeapetfood

canningplant!Yippee!

And,to make the holiday season complete

for me, I get to go to Chicago and see another

cannery (andattend the famous H.H. Backerpet products industry show), and then go to

New York and see some more dry dog foodget made. Im so excited.

Part of the thrill for me is getting to seeprocesses that Ive only read and interviewedpeople about. Its denitely a different expe-rience to go and see something for yourself.

No matter how assiduously I have questioneda pet food executive, asking him or her to

slowly but metaphorically walk me through

a plant, describing each manufacturing step

and challenge along the way, and no matterhow enthusiastic that person is about proper

pet food production, its not as educational as

actually walking through a plant.For one thing, in this and the handful ofother plants Ive gotten to tour, Ive gotten

toseethe raw ingredients of dog food: huge

tubs of chilled chicken, giant blocks of frozen

meats, bins of granular poultry meal. Silosof grain our. Sacks that are bigger than mycar, full of potatoes. In the case of a company

whose foods contain carrots, apples, and cot-

tage cheese, I got to see the boxes of carrots,bushels of apples, and immense tubs of cot-

tage cheese. Not that I doubted it, but, hey!

It was all great to see.Seeing the areas and the machines and the

bY NaNcY kerNs

strng excitmntW nlly gng nd p d pln.

people that do the processing is helpful, too.How clean are the oors, and the machinesthemselves? Where are all the places that a

foreign object could possibly contaminate the

food, and what can and does the manufacturer

do to stop that? Its one thing to have that con-versation on the phone, and another to haveit while standing on the production oor nextto a clacking assembly line of shiny cans, full

of dog food, whizzing along to the part of themachine that seals them closed.

There are so many details that Im ndingfascinating. What sort of laboratory testing do

they do, where is the equipment, who operatesit, how often and what happens if they get

a poor test result? Can the pet food companyexecutive nd her way from one area of thecontract manufacturing plant to the next? Canhe explain the advantages of the shiny new

mechanism the plant manager is showing us?

And the people working on the line do they

have a busy, absorbed, competent demeanor,or are they wandering around with that temp

worker look of being lost?

Ill be discussing what Ive learned onthese tours in upcoming articles. Sufce to sayfor now, as you could guess, Ive been nothing

but impressed by the facilities Ive seen so

far. But the places Ive

seen are the places thatinvited me, not the ones

who steadfastly refuse

to allow any observers

in their plants.

the WhoLe DoG JourNaL issN#10975322 pld mnlyy bl Md Gp, LLc, 800cnn an, Nwl, ct068541631. r englnd, c

mn nd ceo; tmy h. cl, e v Pdn, edl D;Plp L. Pnny, c opng o

; Gg kng, e v Pdn, Mng D; Mn cwl, sn v Pdn, Mngopn; rn Gldg, c nnl o; tmcnld, v Pdn, cln; Ml N. Pll,sn v Pdn, Gnl cnl. Pdlpg pd Nwl, ct nd ddnl mlng. cpyg 2006, bl Md Gp, LLc. allg d. rpdn n wl n p ly pd. Pnd n u.s.a. rn cndGst an #128044658. cnd Plng agmn Nm #40016479.

the Whole Dog Journal

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Mission stateMent:WDJs mission is to provide dog guardians with in-depth information on

effective holistic healthcare methods and successful nonviolent training. The methods we discuss

will endeavor to do no harm to dogs; we do not advocate perpetrating even minor transgressions

in the name of greater good. We intend our articles to enable readers to immediately apply

training and healthcare techniques to their own dogs with visible and enjoyable success. All topics

should contribute to improving the dogs health and vitality, and deepening the canine/human

bond. Above all, we wish to contribute information that will enable consumers to make kind,

healthy, and informed decisions about caring for their own dogs.

8/6/2019 WDJ_0611

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bY Pat MiLLer

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traiNiNG

ast week a trainer friend stopped by

to visit with her three dogs: Star,

Kaiya, and Lhotse. As we were chat-ting, Laura confessed to me that she

thought shed ruined Stars fetch

in their mouths, as any puppy owner canattest to. When you dont have hands with

opposable thumbs, the next best way to

transport objects is with your teeth. So whyall the angst about teaching dogs a behaviorthat comes so naturally to them?

For starters, mouth behaviors are oneof the rst that owners tend to suppress.The majority of the time when a puppy

picks something up, he gets yelled at. He

learns to restrict his teeth to a small list of

legal chew objects, knowing he could be

in deep doo-doo for picking up anythingnot on the list.

Sometimes mouth behavior isnt sup-

pressed by punishment. Instead, a pup

may learn that picking something up inhis mouth is a nearly foolproof way to

get humans to play chase-me games, ashis owners ail wildly after him trying torescue valuable or harmful items. Hell still

pick things up, but any inclination to bring

them back is long gone. Its no wonder so

many owners tear their hair out and give up

when they try to teach their dogs to fetch.Theyve unintentionally taught their dogs

to not-fetch.

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with the clicker.

She had a great retrieve, Laura said,until I started clicking her for it. Now she

just drops it as soon as I click. I stopped

working on it because I knew I was mess-

ing it up.

I chuckled to myself. I knew this wouldbe a fun and easy training x. We set towork, and in three short sessions, Star and

Laura were well on their way to rehabilitat-ing their great retrieve.

Theres a small ceramic plaque sitting

on my bookshelf that depicts a spotted dog

running with a stick in his mouth, and theinscription, Born to Fetch. Its a constant

reminder to me that dogs are very oral crea-

tures. They are, indeed, born to put things The retrieve is such a useful behavio

its a darn shame we make it so hard for o

canine pals. A dog who retrieves can:

n Be kept easily exercised and amus

with long sessions of Fetch the Bal

in the backyard, or even in the house

inclement weather. Exercise is a grebehavior modier: a tired dog is a webehaved dog.

n Be taught to nd and bring back loobjects.

n Compete in obedience trials and oth

canine competitions.

n Learn to do other things with his mout

including open doors, pick up dropped o

jects, pull wagons, carry groceries, removitems of clothing, and more.

Having a dog excited about retrie

ing also gives you a tool for keeping hattention around distractions, and for ge

ting really sharp recalls and other opera

behaviors. A highly valued tennis ball ca

n

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be a great reinforcer for spiffy recalls anddowns, among other behaviors.

inml . ml There are different types of retrieves. Themajority of dog owners are delighted with

a dog who dances in anticipation of the

ball, chases after it the instant its thrown,

maybe runs around with it for a bit, theneventually brings it back, and drops it at

the owners feet.Compare that to the formal show re-

trieve, where the dog sits motionless inheel position while the owner throws the

dumbbell, dashes forward when the owner

gives the cue, grabs the

dumbbell by the centerbar, returns quickly to the

owner, and sits in front,

perfectly straight, wait-

ing for the cue to releasethe object carefully into

the humans hands.

Even if youre notinterested in a formalretrieve, consider tak-

ing advantage of a good

game of fetch as an op-

portunity to reinforcegood manners behaviors.

Consistently ask your

dog to Sit before you

throw the ball, until he starts offering tosit without being asked. Sit makes good

things happen! Its also a deference behav-

ior and a good self-control lesson. When

hes good at Sit for the ball! try doing thesame thing with Down for the ball!

You can also use a valued fetch toy to

install an off-switch for your dog. When

its time to stop the game, use a cue likeAll done! or Thats all! and immedi-

ately put the ball where he cant see it in

a pocket, drawer, or cupboard. Turn and

walk away totally ignoring any attemptson the dogs part to reengage you in the

game. In time, your All done! cue will

not only serve notice to the dog that the

fetch game is over, youll also be able touse it to end other behaviors.

Whether youre interested in an in-formal fetch or a formal retrieve, your

task will be easier if you encourage ratherthan discourage retrieve-related behaviors

early in your relationship with your dog.

When he has something in his mouth,

praise him tell him hes a good dog. Ifits something he shouldnt have, cheer-

fully trade it for a high-value treat, divert

his interest to a legal toy, and make a

mental note to increase your managementefforts to minimize his access to things

he shouldnt fetch. If its something hes

allowed to have, sometimes praise and let

him be, and sometimes say Give, tradefor a treat, and give him the toy or chewie

back again.

Dogs who are eager to pick things up

are the easy ones; its just a matter of shap-ing the retrieve you want, and if youre

going for that formal retrieve, chainingor backchaining the fetch behavior into

the whole show ring retrieve routine (seeThe Shape of Things to Come, March

2006, and Higher Education,April

2004). Its the ones

who dontwant touse their mouths

who present the big-

gest challenge.

If your dog is nota natural retriever,

dont despair. Des-

ignate his mostfavorite toy as hisfetch object. He only

gets to play with it

when you do the

fetch game. Nowset it on the ground;

dont throw it! If he

picks it up, click! a

clicker (or use another signal or marker,such as the word Yes!) and give your

dog a delicious treat reward. But if he only

sniffs the toy, or even just glances in the

objects direction, click! and reward. In thebeginning, the goal is to reinforce him just

for paying attention to the object.

In any series of attention trials with

the fetch toy, he may sniff or touch it, justlook at it, put his mouth on it, or maybe

even pick it up. Once he understands

the game you can up the ante (raise the

criteria); you click! and treat only if hetouches the toy. Then, later, you click! and

treat only if he actually puts his mouth onit, and nally only if he picks it up. Oncehe is picking up the toy routinely, add yourverbal cue of Fetch! (or Take it! or

Get it! or whatever you plan to use).If at any time he quits that is, he

stops playing the game you may haveraised the criteria too quickly, or you may

have trained for too long. Training sessionsshould generally be ve to 15 minutes inlength, several times a day. If you get twoor three really good responses in a row,

stop the session with lots of praise and a

jackpot a whole handful of treats, one

at a time. Its always better to stop whenyou and your dog are having fun and win-

ning, rather than when one or both of you

are bored or frustrated.

While certain breeds are geneticallyprogrammed to be more oral than others

(Golden Retrievers and Labradors, for

starters), virtually any dog can learn to

fetch. Although Scottish Terriers are notknown for their natural retrieving ability,

my little black Dubhy surprised the heckout of me one day. I had been reinforcing

the young Terrier for bringing things to merather than chewing them up, but we hadnt

really worked on retrieving. I was tossing

a ball for Tucker, our Cattle Dog-mix, in

the backyard, and overestimated the olderdogs endurance. Tucker quit mid-fetch,

leaving the tennis ball halfway across the

yard. Dubhy, who had been watching from

the sidelines, perked up, trotted across theyard, grabbed the ball, trotted back to me,

and dropped it neatly at my feet.

So there! was the only commentI could interpret from his slightly smugexpression. And yes, weve since put his

retrieve on cue, and used his hold be-

havior to teach him Pups in a blanket,

where he lies down on a blanket, grabsthe corner, and rolls over to wrap himself

up. Just one more creative application for

a good fetch behavior.

spng Laura Dorfman, owner of Konas Touch,

Inc., in Chicago, is a dedicated and talented

crossover trainer; early in her career, sheused force-based techniques. Laura began

her crossover journey several years ago,

attending conferences and seminars, and

reading a long list of books to enhance herpositive training knowledge and skills. Shecurrently has three dogs beneting fromher positive-only pursuits: Collie/Lab-

mix Star, Terrier-mix Kaiya, and BeagleLhotse.

Like many trainers, while Laura skill-

fully assists other dog owners with their

furry family members training and behav-ior, she sometimes has doubts about her

own dogs training programs. She broughther pack to me to address several behavior

concerns, including Stars retrieve.Nothing to be ashamed of, I as-

sured her. Even world-class professional

athletes, equestrians, and yes, dog train-

ers, work with coaches to improve theirperformances. None of us are so good wecant benet from another pair of eyes andanother perspective.

8/6/2019 WDJ_0611

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PatMiller,CPDT,isWDJsTrainingEd

tor.MillerlivesinHagerstown,Marylan

siteofherPeaceablePawstrainingcenteForbookpurchasingorcontactinform

tion,seeResources,page24.

Heres how we rehabilitated Stars lostretrieve:

n Fr ; 15 mu

We decided our criterion to start would

be any attention to a stuffed toy. We placedthe toy on the oor. When Star sniffed it,Laura clicked a clicker and gave Star a

high-value treat.

We kept clicking any time Star lookedat or sniffed the toy. After a dozen clicks,

Star lifted the toy a few inches off the oor.Laura happily clicked and treated and

then made a common mistake. BecauseStar lifted the toy once, Laura wanted toimmediately increase the difculty of thedesired task to lift the toy.

Instead, I suggested we put sniff thetoy on an intermittent schedule of rein-

forcement, meaning that sometimes Laurawould click and treat for snifng, some-times not but she would always clickand treat for mouthing or lifting the toy.

An intermittent schedule makes a behavior

durable, and often elicits a more intensebehavior.That is, Star would understandthat if she kept trying she would eventu-

ally still get clicked, and her frustration

at notgetting clicked might induce her to

mouth or lift the toy more frequently.This is an important step before raising

the criteria. If a dog suddenly stops getting

clicked for a behavior, she may just quit

working, thinking the behaviors no longerpaying off.

On the intermittent schedule, Star

began putting her mouth on the toy much

more frequently. Toward the end of thissession we upped the ante again: Laura

would click and treat for any mouthing or

lifting of the toy, but stopped clicking for

just a sniff. We ended the session after sev-

eral consecutive mouthings, a number of

which also included lifts, with some of thelifts to Stars full height. Good progress!

n nx mrg; 15 mu

Laura did not practice with Star be-tween yesterdays session and this morning.

When we started working, Star consistentlymouthed the toy, and lifted it off the oor

a few inches or more at least 75 percent ofthe time working above the level that we

ended on the prior day. This illustrates the

phenomenon known as latent learning

where the dogs (or other subjects) brainactually processes information while at

rest, and learning can advance as a result.

This is why its helpful to end on a good

note as the brain appears to process mostwhat it absorbed last.

We set our initial criterion at any

mouthing, then put that on an intermit-

tent schedule, and soon after expanded

the requirement to opening mouth wideenough to grasp the whole toy. By this

time Laura had really grasped the concept

of shaping, and stopped trying to raisethe criteria too quickly. Her clicks were

well-timed, and she was making good

judgmentsabout which behaviors to click

without my nudging. She and Star wereboth learning!

Star proceeded quickly to consistent

wide open mouth behavior, which we

then put on an intermittent schedule beforesetting the bar at lifting toy a few inches

off the oor. Of course, as we began toclick! and treat Star for lifting toy a fewinches, more and more frequently Star

lifted the toy to full height. Although w

had planned for several intermediate i

creases in the criteria, we realized that St

was going to skip several steps for us.We started putting lifting the toy a fe

inches on an intermittent schedule, an

halted the session after several consec

tive full-height lifts. By this time Star hacome to love her fetch toy, and active

sought it when we put it out of her reac

but still in sight. We used her All done

cue and put it out of sight.

n sm fr; 10 mu

Once again, Star and Laura dove rig

into the fetch exercise. Star became quenthusiastic about this game, and consi

tently lifted the toy to full height. We rais

the criterion to full height, consistent

clicking her repeated successful full lift

Next we introduced timeas a criteriointermittently reinforcing full lifts, b

making sure to click all lifts and holds th

lasted one second or longer as opposeto lift/drops or lift/ings.

As our last step for this third sessio

we increased our requirement to one-se

ond holds, no longer clicking for lift/droor lift/ings, ending with several consective successes.

Our plan beyond session three was

continue raising the time criterion for thold behavior, and then add movemen

as the next criterion. Laura tells me th

Star is continuing to make good progrein her fetch rehabilitation program. Boof them are having fun with fetch now, anLaura, more condent with her shapin

If your dog was once a fanatical fetcher, but has begun to opt-out of games ei-

ther declining to go after a thrown toy or failing to bring it back to you thereis a good chance that hes got a bad back, or some other physical ailment. Never

forget that not all behavioral issues are due to training problems.

This would be a good time to make an appointment for a thorough examination.Tell your veterinarian about your dogs newly attened enthusiasm for fetch. Shellwant to check your dogs teeth extra carefully; as

you can imagine, a cracked or broken tooth candestroy a dogs interest in carrying something in

his mouth! A CBC, blood chemistry panel, andurinalysis might detect budding health problems;

a full physical exam and evaluation of the dogs

gaits and posture may reveal joint problems, sore

muscles, or other soft-tissue damage causing a lossof range of motion. A veterinary chiropractor may

also provide a useful consultation.

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bY DeNise LaiM

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eve come a long way, baby on paper, at least.

In the past decade, the

veterinary professions overall

attitude toward vaccination hasevolved to a point that can be

PreveNtioN

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tentatively termed progressive.

In 2002, the American Veterinary Med-

ical Association issued a policy statement

that urged veterinarians to customizevaccine protocols for individual patients,

since there is inadequate data to scienti-cally determine a single best protocol for

initial or repeat vaccinations.A year later, the prestigious American

Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)

released its landmark canine vaccination

guidelines, which were updated in 2006.The AAHA guidelines separate vaccines

into different categories core, noncore,

and not recommended at all and suggest

that veterinarians revaccinate for core diseases such as parvovirus and distemperno more than every three years.

Most veterinary universities have fol-

lowed suit, teaching their graduates that,depending on the disease in question,yearly vaccines are now the exception,

not the rule.

But while the idea of annual shots

should be as antiquated as wringer washingmachines, it is alive and well among some

veterinarians who either have not taken the

time to understand the new paradigm or

have chosen to ignore it.We havent gone anywhere in some

cases, and I think there are several rea-

sons, says veterinary immunologist W.

Jean Dodds of Santa Monica, California.

One of them is simply inertia.The veterinary profession has been

convinced for so long that vaccines were

essential, and that sort of thinking is hardto change, particularly when vaccine labels

can be misleading, says Dr. Dodds. I think

veterinarians assume the label [identifying

a given vaccine as a one-year product] is arequirement, and interpret it more strongly

than the vaccine companies intended,

Dodds says. And the companies dont try

to dissuade them because thats what the

USDA has told them to say.

Bureaucracy aside, many veterinariansand veterinary practice managers may be

concerned that abandoning annual vaccina-tions will hurt their practices bottom line.

Bob Rogers, a veterinarian and vaccination

critic from Spring, Texas, refutes that fear.

When he switched to a reduced vaccinationschedule, my vaccine income dropped 7

percent, but my overall income went up 20percent. When people nd out they donthave to spend a whole lot on vaccines, theyspend that money on something the dog

really needs, like teeth cleaning.

One impetus for reevaluating vaccine

protocols has been concern over adversevaccine reactions, both acute and chronic.

All veterinarians recognize signs such

as anaphylactic shock (a severe allergicreaction), or u-like symptoms such aslow-grade fever, malaise, diarrhea, and

loss of appetite. But they may not make

the connection between vaccinations and

temperament changes (particularly afterthe rabies vaccine), seizures, autoimmune

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8/6/2019 WDJ_0611

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diseases such as hemolytic anemia andthrombocytopenia (reduced platelet count),

or hypertrophic osteodystrophy (severe

lameness in young growing dogs), which

may surface weeks or months after vac-cination.

And many owners are equally oblivi-

ous. If an owner sees her dog hiding under

the table after a vaccination, or the dogdoesnt want to be touched, they dont call

their vet with that information, Dr. Doddssays, but instead might dismiss it as the dog

having an off day.Dr. Dodds notes that some advocates

for minimal vaccination have done more

harm than good by overstating the issue,

implying that virtually everything is causedby whats in that syringe.

Many environmental challenges can

cause problems, and vaccines are just one

of them, says Dodds, ticking off otherpossible suspects, such as topical ea andtick products, and environmental pesti-

cides and insecticides.Personal experience is a powerful

motivator, and some vets insist on vacci-

nating annually for diseases such as parvo

because they remember the widespread

fatalities when the disease was prevalentdecades ago.

Dr. Ron Schultz, chair and professor

of pathobiological science at the Univer-

sity of Wisconsins School of VeterinaryMedicine in Madison, notes that the ipside is true, too: Veterinarians whose own

animals experience vaccine reactions arereluctant to reexively vaccinate.

Boy, are they ever believers, says Dr.

Schultz, who was a member of the AAHAtask force that revised the 2006 guidelines.

As I often remind them, When it was

your animal, you didnt care whether thisoccurs in one out of 10,000 animals, didyou? It was yourone.

c nThe 2006 AAHA canine vaccinatio

guidelines single out four vaccines that a

musts for every puppy: canine hepatit(the adenovirus-2 vaccine), distempe

parvovirus, and rabies.The guidelines recommend that the r

three vaccines in that list be administer

in a three-part puppy series, boostered

one year, then readministered no more tha

every three years.Schultz notes that no more than cou

also be interpreted to mean never again

He points to studies that show that do

properly immunized in puppyhood maitain lifetime immunity to canine hepatit

distemper, and parvovirus.Every three years is probably a com

pletely arbitrary number, Dr. Rogers addIve told my clients that after one ye

of age they dont need

vaccinate anymore

Rogers estimates thatnine years, he has us

this protocol on som

30,000 dogs and

havent had ovaccine brea

[failure].

B u t hh a s s e e

a w e l c o m

decrease in a

verse reaction

Dr. Rogers sahe used to see

least one animal a week suffering fro

an adverse reaction to a vaccination. No

hes down to three a year almost alwaDachshunds, a breed that he nds partic

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Rabies has been known as a threat to the animal kingdom and human society

for thousands of years. The disease is almost always fatal if its not diagnosedand treated with a post-exposure vaccine within 14 days; only six cases are knownin which a human survived infection without treatment with the vaccine.

The highest recorded number of annual human deaths in the U.S. from rabies

was 143, in 1890. Louis Pasteur developed the rst rabies vaccination in 1885.The number of human deaths has dropped ever since.

For several decades, rabies prevention efforts were exclusively focused onvaccinating humans who were suspected of having been exposed to the disease.In the 1920s, the effort shifted to pre-exposure vaccination of domestic dogs,then the most frequent vector of the virus from wildlife to humans. In the 1920s,local dog rabies control programs were initiated, and includedpre-exposure vac-cination of dogs, stray animal removal, and leash and muzzle ordinances. In the1940s and 50s, most states passed rabies control acts to enforce the vaccination ofcompanion animals, and hundreds of thousands were vaccinated. By 1960, rabieswas diagnosed more frequently among wildlife than among domestic animals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost all human cases of

rabies today occur after an animal exposure that is unrecognized by the patient

as carrying a risk for rabies infection. The apparent source of human rabies hasalso changed: 14 of the 18 cases acquired in the U.S. since 1980 involved rabiesvariants associated with insectivorous bats.

The price of preventing human rabies deaths is not low. A 1995 report publishedinEmergingInfectiousDiseasesestimated that the national prevention programcosts anywhere from $230 million to $1 billion per year. This cost is shared bythe private sector (primarily the vaccination of companion animals) and by the

public (through animal control programs, maintenance of rabies laboratories, and

subsidizing of rabies post-exposure treatments), says the report. This history

and investment helps explain why veterinarians and lawmakers alike are a tadunsympathetic to allegations of rabies vaccine side effects in some dogs.

It is hoped that studies like the one planned by the Rabies Challenge Fund

overseen by Dr. Dodds will prove that canine rabies vaccines confer immunity

for much longer periods than previously thought, resulting in a reduced require-ment for repeated rabies vaccine administration. Dr. Schultz has offered the use

of the facilities and staff at the University of Wisconsin for the study. All that is

needed is more funding! To help,

see dogsadversereactions.com/ra-bieschallenge.html.

larly vulnerable to vaccine reactions.Other at-risks breeds include Akitas,

Weimaraners, Standard Poodles, American

Eskimo Dogs, Old English Sheepdogs,

Irish Setters, Kerry Blue Terriers, andCavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Even if a veterinarian is reluctant to

stop vaccinating for these core diseases

after the one-year booster, Schultz says thatevery one of the major vaccine manufac-

turers has demonstrated that their currentproduct, or one theyve had for quite some

time, has a minimum duration of immunityfor three years, regardless of what the

label says.

Only one company actually did it in a

way that allows them to put three year onthe label according to USDA requirements,

but its meaningless, he says. In other

words, parvo, distemper and canine hepa-

titis vaccines labeled one year have beenproven to be effective for at least three.

Schultz also reminds that other than

rabies, there is no requirementto vaccinatewith anything. And theres no legal impli-cation to any vaccine label with regard to

duration of immunity, except for rabies.

Wy dnAs those caveats suggest, the fourth core

vaccine, rabies, offers far less wiggle room,

because its administration is dictated by

state laws laws that were put into placeto prevent this zoonotic disease from be-

ing transmitted to humans (see sidebar,

left). An annual rabies shot was once

the norm; in recent years, most states havechanged their laws to allow a three-year

vaccine, though there are a few stragglers

that stick to annual rabies vaccination

requirements.The one-year and three-year vac-

cines on the market are actually the same

product, capable of conveying the same

duration of immune response. But vaccinesthat are labeled one year satisfy the legal

requirement for rabies vaccination for only

that long. Legally, a dog who receives a

one-year vaccine must get vaccinated againa year later, even if he lives in a state with

a three-year law, and even if titer tests indi-cate that hes protected against rabies.

To defend your dog against needless(and in the opinion of holistic veterinar-

ians, potentially harmful) overvaccination

against rabies, its imperative that you

know the rabies requirement in your state.If you live in a state with a three-year law,

make sure your veterinarian administers a

three-year vaccine.

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Also be sure to check your records; in

an effort to increase client compliance,

some veterinarians mail out rabies revac-

cination reminders after only two years toavoid a lapse in the three-year coverage

that a given state law mandates.

Dr. Dodds notes that the rabies vaccinecauses the greatest number of adverse re-

actions. As a result, owners of chronically

ill dogs, or those who have had previous

vaccine reactions, might want to considerapplying for a rabies waiver.

To obtain a rabies waiver, the dogs

primary-care veterinarian must write a

letter indicating why vaccinating the dogin question would be an unsound medical

decision based on his health status. Though

a rabies titer is not required and can beexpensive, from $75 to $150, depending onyour location Dodds nonetheless recom-

mends doing one.

Lets say down the road there is an

allegation that your dog bit someone,she says. Even if the owner has obtained

a rabies waiver, it does not exempt the dog

from the possibility of being euthanized so

that his brain can be examined the only

denitive diagnostic test for rabies. Ifyouve got the titer as proof that the animal

has immunity, then the animal wont be

automatically impounded or destroyed.Dodds notes that some municipalities,

such as Los Angeles County, have decided

not to accept rabies waivers. Others will

tell callers that they do not, but on receiptof the vets letter and titer the responsiblepublic health ofcial will review the caseand may issue one anyway.

Because relatively few people requestthem, rabies waivers are a murky area that

municipalities handle on a case-by-case

basis. But Dr. Dodds worries about those

owners who apply for them even thoughthey do not have a sick dog; instead, they

simply believe that the rabies vaccine has

a longer duration of immunity than threeyears, and that the law is requiring them

to overvaccinate.

While Dodds might agree in theory (the

proposed rabies challenge study she andothers are actively pursuing hopes to prove

just that), she cant condone the practice.

As their numbers grow, such noncompli-

ant owners increase the risk of triggering

legislation that might bar the practice

waivers altogether and in the proce

force their ill and immunocompromis

counterparts to submit to vaccinations thcould make them sicker, or worse.

Nn nWhile the AAHAguidelines do not considcore vaccinations negotiable, noncore va

cine are, with their use determined by

dogs risk factors.

One looming consideration is gography: In many parts of the countr

leptospirosis and Lyme disease are simp

not prevalent. But in areas where the

noncore diseases are endemic, owneare faced with tough decisions about les

than-perfect vaccines.

For example, leptospirosis, which most often spread through contact wi

the urine of an infected animal, has 20

different serovars, or strains. Only fo

strains (icterohaemorrhagiae, canicol

grippo-typhosa, andpomona) are cover

by vaccines, which themselves are notor

ously shortlived.

The antibodies only last a short tim

Dr. W. Jean Dodds and Dr. Ron Schultz both advocate strongly

and publicly that revaccination for core diseases such as par-

vovirus and distemper is unnecessary after a puppys boostershot at 1 year of age. And both are working together to organizevaccine-challenge studies that would prove that the duration

of immunity for rabies is as long as seven and perhaps more years. (The independent endeavor requires $177,000 for its

rst year; to date, the nonprot Rabies Challenge Fund hasraised $65,000. See dogsadversereactions.com/rabies chal-lenge.html for details.)

But there is at least onearea where the two part

ways: the need to vaccinate

for canine hepatitis. To

prevent canine hepatitis,conventional veterinarians

typically use the vaccine

for adenovirus-2, a fairly

ubiquitous virus that is part of the kennel-cough

syndrome.Dr. Dodds popular

minimal vaccine-use proto-col includes parvovirus and

distemper as core puppy

vaccines, but does not in-

clude canine hepatitis. Herreasoning is simple: She

Dp vw n cnn hpdoes not consider it a big enough threat to warrant its use. Wedont have any signs of clinical canine hepatitis we never

see it anymore today, says Dr. Dodds, adding that a handful

of cases that surfaced in San Diego several years ago were in

dogs that originated from Mexico.Dodds notes that she does not take the disease lightly;

indeed, she lost a Vizsla puppy to canine hepatitis several

decades ago. But she reminds us adenovirus-1 (the causeof infectious canine hepatitis) has been absent from the dog

population for so long that epidemiologists no longer know if

the feral form is the same version as what the vaccine protects

against. And, unlike a neurologically devastating disease such

as distemper, canine hepatitis is relatively treatable with earlyintervention.

Dr. Schultz agrees that weve seen almost no canine hepa-

titis in years, but he stresses it is alive and well in wildlifepopulations. If owners stop vaccinating and herd immunity is

weakened, itll come back into our pet population, no ques-

tion about it, he warns.

He adds that the adenovirus-2 vaccine offers bonus

protection against contagious cough as well, which if leftuntreated can progress to pneumonia and incur signicantlung damage.

For those who are nervous about omitting canine hepatitisfrom a puppy vaccination protocol, Dodds suggests including

it with the core vaccine booster given at one year, or doing

two puppy vaccines separately after the puppy is more than

6 months old.

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10|NoveM ber 2006 cpyg 2006, bl Md Gp, LLc to subscribe, caLL (800) 829-9165

in the body; they can be measured only bytiters for one to two months, and [the titerlevels] are low in the rst place, Doddssays. The vaccine manufacturers, in turn,

maintain that a vaccinated dog is protectedby its cell-mediated immunity, which can-

not be measured by titers.

For dogs at high risk for leptospirosis,

which has diffuse symptoms and can causeliver and kidney failure if caught too late,

Schultz recommends using the four-strainvaccine instead of the two-strain product

(which addresses the icterohaemorrhagiaeand canicola serovars), rst at 14 to 15weeks (but not before 12 weeks), repeatedtwo to four weeks later. Subsequent doses

are administered at 6 months and one year,and thereafter every six to nine months.

Even so, Schultz notes, I nd theresstill a fairly high percentage of dogs that do

not respond to the vaccine. Plus, of all thebacterin vaccines, leptospirosis causes the

most adverse reactions. (For this reason,

many holistic veterinarianss administerit separately and weeks apart from othervaccines, a practice they recommend with

the rabies vaccine as well.)

The pros and cons of the Lyme vaccine

are not any easier to navigate. In some ar-eas where the disease is endemic, Schultz

says practitioners are no longer vaccinating

because they believe they are seeing as

many vaccinated dogs with clinical disease

as unvaccinated ones.Instead of administering the vaccine,

some owners are choosing to treat their

dogs prophylactically with antibiotics if

they suspect a tick bite. Regardless, goodtick preventive is key, whether its in the

form of an insect-repelling herbal spray ora systemic ea and tick product, though themore holistically oriented tend to avoid thelatter because it exposes a dogs body to

still more chemicals.If owners choose to vaccinate for Lyme,

both Dodds and Schultz recommend us-ing the recombinant vaccine instead of

the older bacterin one, which can cause

symptoms similar to the disease itself, such

as lameness and joint pain.The recombinant vaccine does not

contain the additional antigens that are in

the bacterin vaccine, but instead contains

only outer surface protein A, the antigenthat inactivates the tick when it takes its

blood meal, which is the point at which

the disease is transmitted.As a rule of thumb, Schultz does not

recommend the vaccine for dogs living in

an area where the rate of infection is lessthan 10 percent. Greater than 50 or 60 per-cent, then give it some serious thought.

In the case of both Lyme and lepto-

spirosis, which can be treated with early

invention and antibiotic therapy, Dodds

says that involved, observant owners who

note any early and sometimes vague symp-toms can literally save their dogs lives.

The condition commonly known as

kennel cough is addressed by other

noncore vaccines, including canine para-inuenza virus (notated as CPiV or simplycalled parainuenza) and Bordetella.

Unfortunately, few dog owners un-

derstand that kennel cough is a complexsyndrome rather than an individual disease

attributable to one specic pathogen. Inaddition to a buffet line of various viruses

and bacteria (including the two mentionedabove), factors that make a dog susceptible

to kennel cough include stress, humidity,

gasses such as ammonia from unhygienic

environments, and nitrous oxide fromexhaust fumes. Thats why a dog who

received a parainfluenza or Bordetella

vaccine may well still contract kennel

cough.Dogs who get out a lot, such as those

who visit dog parks or dog shows, will be

regularly exposed to many factors that cancause kennel cough. These exposures, inessence, will vaccinate the dog naturally,

as his immune system learns to recognize

and mount a defense against the ubiquitous

pathogens.In contrast, dogs who lead highly shel-

tered, nonsocial lives may become quite ill

in the rare event that they are exposed to

the kennel-cough pathogens. If any dogneeded a kennel-cough vaccine, it would

be one thats never around another animal,

says Dr. Schultz. If such a dog had to be

kenneled unexpectedly, a dose of the intra-nasal Bordetella vaccine might not prevent

the disease entirely, but it could mitigate its

severity, which is better than nothing.

According to Dr. Schultz, when prop-erly immunized dogs are exposed to

infectious material of those core dis-eases, he is condent they will not contract

the disease. He cant say thesame for leptospirosis, Lyme

disease, or kennel cough;

the existing vaccines are

Veterinarians often give combination vaccines that Dr. Dodds crisply refers to

as wombo combos. She doesnt recommend the use of these combination (or

multivalent) vaccinations, largely because they typically include vaccines thatshe considers unnecessary and potentially harmful.

One very common multivalent vaccination, the DHLPP, contains three core

vaccines (distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus), and two more controversial non-core vaccines (leptospirosis and parainuenza).

Sometimes these combination vaccinations are simply called5 in 1 or 6 in 1 vaccines. Owners who bother to try to deter-mine the identity of the ve or six vaccines in the shot are often

puzzled when they discover that the numbers may not add up.Thats because the canine-hepatitis component protects againstboth adenovirus-1 and -2, and so counts as two diseases insteadof one.

Dog owners can insist that their vets administer only thevaccines they approve; vaccines for all the core diseases are

available in an individual (monovalent) form. However, not

all veterinarians stock monovalent vaccines. Ask your veteri-

narians receptionist if these can be ordered in advance of yourappointment. A good vet wont mind this request (although you

might have to pay more than you would for vaccines she already

carries);

M i N b

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just not that effective or long-lived.Dr. Schultz concludes about noncore

vaccines, No matter what you do, theres

going to be a risk. And thats what we re-

ally have to measure.

N mmndd nAAHA has various reasons for putting a

vaccine in its not recommended cat-egory. One is simply a lack of experience

and paucity of eld validation of efcacy,which is the case with the vaccines for

rattlesnake bites and periodontal disease.The giardia vaccine is on the no list

because it does not prevent a dog from

getting infected only from sheddingthe disease. Similarly, the adenovirus-1vaccine earns the red light because it can

cause blue eye, a clouding of the cornea,

and because the core adenovirus-2 vaccine

already protects against it.In the case of coronavirus, the AAHA

task force made the point that the disease

is simply not prevalent enough to warrantvaccinating for it.

People dont have a clue that corona-

virus doesnt make dogs sick, says Dr.

Rogers, noting that puppies less than six

weeks old develop a loose orangey stoolthat resolves on its own within 24 hours.

Puppies over six weeks of age are immune

to it whether vaccinated or not.

Indeed, he says, vaccine companieshave had difculty testing the vaccine onsick dogs because none can manage to con-

tract it. But the vaccine can be licensed by

the USDAbecause it does prompt a dogsbody to produce coronavirus antibodies.

Mngng y nnEven if your veterinarian continues torecommend annual vaccines, as a client

and consumer you have the right to request

a different protocol. Depending on your

approach, the veterinarian might be morewilling to modify his or her suggested

vaccine schedule. But some can prove to

be stubbornly entrenched in their position

on vaccination.Schultzs own secretary was fortunate

when she was unable to get past her vet-erinarians insistence on revaccinating her

dogs. In frustration, she handed the phoneto Dr. Schultz, who has the same sort of

name recognition in veterinary circles as

Tom Cruise does in most American house-

holds. After a brief exchange, Schultzreturned the receiver to his secretary, who

now found the vet more than willing to

accede to her request for a minimal vac-

Some veterinarians pooh-pooh the practice of conducting titer tests blood teststhat measure antibody levels instead of reexively revaccinating. Titer tests,they argue, cannot effectively measure a dogs level of protection because they

only gauge humoral immunity, and not other types, such as cell-mediated or

secretory immunity.

Dr. Ron Schultz is inclined to agree. Titer numbers really often are meaning-less; the numbers dont mean much to anyone other than the lab, he says, adding

that dogs with low titers could very well have immunity anyway.But Schultz says there is one instance in which titering is medically indicated,

even necessary: after a puppy completes its puppy series of core vaccines.Two or more weeks later, perform titer tests for distemper and parvovirus

thats where you want to make sure that your vaccine worked, says Dr. Schultz,

who is trying to developa rapid in-ofce titer forthis very purpose. If the

puppy hasnt responded,

revaccinate and retest.

This is particularlyimportant in those breeds

with relatively high num-

bers of dogs that fail tomount an immune re-sponse to vaccines, such

as Rottweilers.

After a puppys titer

test shows that her bodyhas developed antibodies

to the vaccine, I dont

recommend further titering (later in the dogs life), Dr. Schultz says, because I

know these vaccinations are good for a lifetime.But Schultz acknowledges that veterinarians who are backing away from vac-

cines might need titers as a sort of security blanket.

There are still a lot of owners who are uncomfortable with the idea of not

vaccinating every year, or will not come back if they dont get something, hesays. So, to fulll an owner or veterinarians very human need to dosomething,by all means titer rather than vaccinate, says Schultz. He adds that while a small

percentage of immunoprotected dogs that show low titers might be vaccinated

Wn t t M M sn

cine schedule.

For those who cannot put one of the

worlds foremost veterinary immunolo-gists on the horn with their vet, Schultz

recommends the next best thing: print-

ing out the AAHA canine vaccination

guidelines, highlighting the pertinentinformation, and bringing them along to

the appointment.It really works; it helps, he says.

AAHA is an esteemed organization thatsets the highest standards for small-animal

practice. Heres what its expert panel rec-

ommends. How do you argue with that?

The fact that you might have to argue or at least debate with your veterinarian

to arrive at an appropriate vaccine schedule

might be regrettable, but its hardly unex-

pected, given the very human resistance to

change. Its an evolutionary process, n

a revolutionary one, Schultz concludeNothing is revolutionary in medicine.

DonationstotheRabiesChallengeFun

canbesentcareofHemopet,11330Ma

konDrive,GardenGrove,CA92841;f

info,seedogsadversereactions.com/rab

eschallenge.html.

DeniseFlaimhastworaw-fedRhodesi

Ridgebacks.TheNewYorkeristheauthofThe Holistic Dog Book: Canine Care fthe 21st Century(Howell,$17).Seepa24forpurchasinginformation.

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bY Pat MiLLer

how to Ld Your Pck

M

Mngng mldg ld m, mmmn, .

ore than 30 years ago, I had an

only dog. Marty was a tricolorCollie the rst dog I owned asan adult. We were inseparable.I had the good fortune to work

at a stable where Marty couldaccompany me every day. I took him to

obedience classes and started showing in

AKC competitions, where my furry boy

was a star earning his Companion Dogdegree in three shows with scores of 194,195.5, and 196 out of a possible perfect

score of 200 points.Then I entered into my rst serious

adult relationship, with a man who had a St.

Bernard/Collie mix. The two dogs quickly

became fast friends, and we soon added an

Irish Setter pup to our pack.Since that time Ive had as many as

ve, never fewer than two, and usually atleast three or four dogs sharing my home

and life. Its hard for me to even imaginehaving only one canine companion in ourhome. Im a conrmed multi-dog person.

But not everyone nds it easy to ad-

just to having more than just one canine

companion in the house and the bed, thecar, the vets ofce, and so on! There aredenitely things to consider before addinga second dog (or more) to your pack,

and ways to make living in a multi-dog

household more manageable.

tng ndWhen asked whether its a good idea to

add a second dog to a family, my answer

is always an unequivocal It depends! Ifyoure adding a second dog for the rightreasons and your rst dog gets along withothers, it may be a ne idea. Here are somethings to consider when youre thinking of

adding a second, third, fourth (or more)

dog to your pack:

n ar yu gg h dg bcu you

rlly w hr? Despite the charm-

ing concept of getting a dog for your dog,you really should get another dog only for

yourself. Getting a second dog isnt likely

MaNaGeMeNt

to x your rst dogs behavior problems,and may compound them. Besides, if

youre just getting a second as a companionfor your rst, you may not be as commit-ted to keeping him if problems arise. And

thats not fair to dog number two!

n ar yu rdy fr chg yur

rlhp wh dg umbr ? Not

that youll love her any less, but every

time you add another dog it decreases the

amount of one-on-one time you have toshare with each. That inevitably changes

the relationship to a greater or lesserdegree, depending on the dogs, and depending on you. With ve dogs in ourhome currently, its impossible for me to

have the same relationship with each of

them that I had with Marty 30-plus years

ago. That doesnt necessarily mean betteror worse just different.

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, h cmpy f hr dg? If not,

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8/6/2019 WDJ_0611

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youre in for a serious challenge if youbring another canine into your life. I have

clients who have resigned themselves to

years of future management because one

of their dogs is willing and able to do seri-ous damage to their other(s). In some cases

they knew this in advance and wanted the

second dog anyway. In others, they found

out after the new dog came home that therst dog had no wish to share his home.

If you dont know how your dog will bewith another, you might borrow one from

a friend for a week or two and see how itgoes, before making a lifetime commit-

ment to another canine.

n D yu hv h rurc prp-

rly cr fr hr dg? Not just money

which is certainly a consideration but

time, energy, willingness, and space? One

more dog doesnt seem like much at thetime, but sometimes the stars align to throw

you several curve balls at once.

This happened to us recently. Ourmost geriatric pack member (Tucker)was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and

shortly afterward, our Corgi, Lucy, took an

unwise leap off a stone wall and seriously

injured two of her legs. This has addedup to thousands of dollars in vet bills, as

well as numerous three-hour (round trip)

visits to cancer and orthopedic specialists.

And this isnt even counting all the annualwell-pet checks that total several hundred

dollars.

n ar yu bg prurd? A friendor family member has to rehome their dog

and is begging you to take him. You feel

bad about leaving your dog home alone

while youre at work all day. Your kids arepestering you for a new puppy. A shelter

or rescue group has contacted you about a

dog who faces euthanasia if you dont take

her.Only let yourself be pressured into

adopting another dog if all the other factors

are right: you really want another dog, and

its the right thing to do for all your familymembers and circumstances.

When you dodecide that another dog

is in the cards, make a wise choice. Itsimportant to evaluate your own dogs tem-

perament and select a new family member

whos a good match for her personality

as well as your own. This will make thetransition much less stressful and ul-

timately much more successful for all

concerned.

Wn dd dnCongratulations! As the proud owner oftwo or more dogs, youre an ofcial mem-

ber of the Multi-Dog Household Club.

You now have a pack to manage.

Pack management is as much an art asa skill. If youve always had multiple dogs,

never had problems, and never thought

twice about it, then good for you! You are

one of the lucky ones a natural. Youveprobably instinctively done all the right

things to help your pack be well-adjusted.

Many dog owners arent so fortunate.

Pack problems run the continuum fromsimple delinquent behaviors and poor

manners to serious intra-pack aggression.

While many owners tolerate the former,

group bad manners can be the precursorto aggression. This is far more easily

addressed before scufes escalate to blood-letting. The basic tenet for a successful

multi-dog household is simple: The moredogs in the home, the more in charge the

human pack member(s) must be.By the way, this does notmean you

need to be demanding, forceful, or domi-nant in any way. You dont need to eatrst, go through doors rst, roll your dogson the ground, or any of the other ridicu-

lous exercises that get carried out in thename of dog training.

A good leader doesnt need to be

violent; she simply needs to create an envi-

ronment where it is easy and rewarding forher followers to comply with her wishes,and difcult for them to make mistakes. A

successful leader/owner also controls valu-able resources, and shares them with herdogs generously and judiciously. Appropri-

ate behaviors earn rewards. Inappropriate

behaviors do not. If resources are consis-

tently awarded on the basis of desirablebehaviors, and withheld in the presence of

undesirable behaviors, desirable behaviors

will increase, and the undesirable ones will

slowly disappear. (See Be a BenevolentLeader, WDJ August 2003, for more in-

formation about leading your pack.)

The basic in charge tenet for pack

management is closely followed by thiscorollary: The more dogs in your house-

hold, the better-trained and better-behaved

the canine members of your pack must

be.If you have more than one dog, youll

want to take each one through a complete,

positive good manners training program,

working with each dog individually. Asthey learn their lessons, train in twos,

threes, and more, until they respond reli-

ably to your cues in the presence of a

pack members.The other key to peaceful pack life

management. If you put good manageme

programs in place early, you can sidest

potential pack problems. If youre alreadfacing pack behavior challenges, start bidentifying the key areas of conict, so yocan gure out how to put a manageme

plan in place to keep peace in the pawhile you work on long-term training anmodication solutions. Modication serious intra-pack behaviors will probabrequire the assistance of a qualied, potive dog behavior professional.

Some of the skills and tools youll nee

for pack-management success include:

n Bby g. Gatesare a super-valuabtool for managing housetraining (keepin

pups and young dogs in areas where the

cant ruin a rug if they have an accidentpuppy teething (ditto), doggie dinnertim

(especially if meals are a guarding tri

ger for your dog), and for keeping do

separate (if necessary) during the sociadjustment period after you bring yo

new dog home. (For more information

choosing and using gates in your hom

see A Gated Community, July 2002.)

n Cr. Bedtime can be a perilous tim

when your dog feels he has to compete fthe comest sleeping spot closest to yoHaving the dogs sleep in your room, but

appropriately sized, well-cushioned crate

complete with a food-stuffed Kong or oth

appropriate chew toys, can help you keethe peace and a piece of the mattrereal estate! (See Crate Difculties, M2005, for more information on introducinyour dog to sleeping in a crate.)n a lbrly mgd fd

kdc swy G, mnd w w, m g w nN Gmn spd w pny ld nng , n ld c lp g .

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m. Properly planned

and executed, meal-times can be an ideal

place to work on your

dogs (or dogs) good

manners and self-con-trol; deference to you,

the pack leader; and

modifying resource-

guarding behavior.

The expectation is thateach dog waits qui-

etly (sitting, ideally) in

his regular supper spotfor you to prepare andserve his food, nishesit without guarding it from others, and is

dismissed from the area without tryingto eat anyone elses meal. Again, routine

and structure are your allies here. (SeeThe Bowl Game, July 2005, for detailedinformation on teaching your dog/s goodmanners at mealtime.)

n Kwldg bu r gl. Con-

trary to what the newspaper headlines oftensay, dogs rarely attack without warning.

Experienced observers of canine body

language can identify dozens of ways that

dogs will telegraph their fear, anxiety, ordiscomfort with other dogs (or people).

When youve added a new dog to your

household, be alert to physical cues such

as diminished appetite, gastrointestinaldistress, decreased responsiveness to train-

ing cues, intolerance to being handled

or groomed, or any displays of aggres-sion, including whale eye, showingteeth, growling, snapping, or increased

resource-guarding behavior. These may

be indicators that your dog is stressed and

feeling backed into a corner.Before your dog loses it and bites

somebody, take appropriate steps now to

defuse the situation, and give your stressed

dog a little more physical space or a breakfrom whatever is bothering him. (See

Stress Signals, June 2006, for more

information about recognizing signs of

stress in your dog.)

n Kwldg bu rurc-gurd-

g. Its common for dogs to defend their

food from other dogs, but edible items arenot the only things that dogs will keep from

all potential rivals. Some dogs will defend

their ownership of toys, a favored placeto sleep, or the water bowl. Behaviorists

and dog trainers call these protective be-

haviors resource-guarding.

A dog who de-

fends his food from

other dogs is ex-

hibiting a perfectlynormal and appropri-

ate canine behavior.

Resource-guarding

is far less acceptable,of course, whenever

its directed toward

us,or when the dogstarts World War IIIover any of his cov-

eted possessions. For

our own safety, we

want dogs to under-stand that everything they have is really

ours, to use ourselves or to parcel out to

whatever dog we choose.Fortunately, mild resource-guarding

behavior can be managed, and dogs can

be desensitized to the presence of other

dogs or people around his food bowl. (A

thorough description of how to accomplishthis can be seen in Thanks for Sharing,September 2001.) If your dog exhibitssevere resource-guarding, you would bewise to consult a qualied, positive dog

behavior professional.

Png ll n pHeres a description of how my husbandand I live with our current ve-pack, us-ing all the tools and principles of positive

training and management described above.The cast of characters includes:

K, a 14-year-old, 45-pound, Aus-tralian Kelpie with arthritis and hearingloss. A typical herding dog control-freak,

Katie cheer-leads when Lucy and Bonnie

play, lifts lip, snarls, sometimes snaps

when others invade her space. She hashigh-ranking aspirations, but is not an

alpha.

tuckr,a 13-year-old, 70-pound, CattleDog-mix with arthritis and prostate cancer.

Tucker is our gentle, benevolent alpha. He

sometimes plays fun-police role when the

youngsters roughhouse indoors.

Dubhy, a 6-year-old, 25-pound, Scot-tish Terrier. Hes quite a tough little guy,

and tends to keep to himself. Dubhy isdog-reactive with dogs outside our pack.

He will resource-guard things from his

packmates; he took a pea-sized notch out

of Katies ear several years ago, but therehas been no blood spilled since.

Lucy, a 2-year-old Cardigan WelshCorgi. Denitely an alpha-wannabe, Lucytries to control everything and everyone

in the pack. She acknowledges Tuckers

higher status, but frequently challenges

Katie. She also tries to control everyonesmovement, and does serious resource-

guarding from the other pack members for

food, toys, and space. Shes strong-willed,

yet very sensitive to sounds and body lan-

guage, exhibits distress when separatedfrom us, and has lots of fear issues. Shes

still recovering from her wall-jumping

episode last winter, and limps slightly.

B, a 1-year-old Scottie/Corgimix. Bonnie has a super soft personality,

and is perfectly content to let others be incharge. Shes the lowest-ranking member

in the group, and a submissive urinator

with other dogs and humans. She will

resource-guard valuable objects from theother dogs with body blocking, not with

aggression.

All the Miller dogs are moderately tovery well trained. All can be off leash out-

doors except Dubhy, whose outdoor recallis only about 50 percent reliable.

A day in the Miller pack looks likethis:

5:30 m: Alarm goes off. All dogs sleep

in our bedroom, upstairs, with us. Lucy,who is prone to chasing cats and snarking

with Katie over desirable space, is crated,

as is Dubhy, who sometimes urine-marksin the house. Katie and Tucker sleep onmagnetic beds (for their arthritis) on theoor; Bonnie sleeps on the bed or on theoor, whichever she prefers. Baby gates atthe bottom of the stairs restrict Bonnie (andthe rest) from total house freedom, as she

still occasionally chews an inappropriate

object, and once in a very great while has

a housetraining accident. Paul dresses andheads to the barn to feed the horses.

6:00 m: I follow to the barn with the

dogs. Going downstairs can be exciting,as Lucy and Katie want to battle over whogets to be rst. Its hard to converse withKatie due to her hearing loss, so I focus

on Lucy, reinforcing her attention to me,and having her wait while Katie makes her

way downstairs. Lucy, Bonnie, and I fol-

low (Bonnie also very focused on Lucysreinforcers). Tucker and Dubhy, neither

of whom feels any urgent need to be rst,bring up the rear to the back door.

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At the back door I put leashes on Lucyand Dubhy the latter because his recall

outdoors isnt great and hes easily lured

away by resident groundhogs; Lucy to

avoid Katie-snarking at the back door, andbecause her body-language and fear issues

sometimes trigger her to avoid the barn.

The three younger dogs Sit and

Wait at the back door in order to get thedoor to open. The older dogs, out of respect

for their arthritic joints, arent asked to sit,but areexpected to wait. Sometimes I give

a general release and we all exit together;sometimes I use the door as an opportunity

to practice individual releases.

Tucker, who was well-schooled in

Wait as a youngster, and took his les-sons to heart, is last again, as he waits for

a personal invitation to pass through any

doorway beyond our normal living area.

So much for the high-ranking memberalways going rst!

6:00 7:00 m: This is a signicant pieceof the exercise portion of our pack manage-ment program. While we feed horses and

clean stalls, the dogs race up and down

the barn aisle and chase each other madly

around the indoor arena. Lucy and Bonnie,the youngest and wildest, run the hardest,

with geriatric Katie cheerleading along

behind. Dubhy rarely engages, preferring

to observe. Tucker, with his delicious senseof humor, occasionally grabs Lucys toy

to remind her that he can, then soon gives

it back to her, laughing at her tempertantrum.

7:00 8:00 m: Breakfast time for the

pack, and an important management/train-

ing opportunity in a multi-dog household.I gather up bowls and set them on the oor

by the feed bin, then broadcast a handfulof kibble across the kitchen oor for theyoung dogs so they can scavenge while Iscoop food into bowls. Interestingly, all

three of the young dogs resource-guard tosome degree, yet share this task without

any squabbling over kibble. They wouldsit and watch quietly while I scoop; this is

just a fun activity.

Bowls then go on the counter for add-

ins: chicken, canned food, glucosamine forjoint health, Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids for

coat and skin, a daily vitamin, and various

medicines for all their various aliments

and conditions. Dogs sit quietly at my feetduring preparation. When the food is ready,theyre fed in their specic locations:

Katie rst, on the far side of the diningroom. She gets hers rst to prevent herfrom herding Tucker as he walks toward

his bowl.

Tucker next, on the near side of the din-

ing room. He gets the most food, and since

being diagnosed with cancer his appetite

has diminished. He needs the most timeto eat, and sometimes needs encourage-

ment.

Lucy, by the kitchen counter. Shes

eager eater, and must sit-and-wait un

released when I put her bowl down, pa

of a good say please program, to reminher that Icontrol the good stuff.

Bonnie, about six feet from Lucy, und

the kitchen clock. Bonnie also is requirto sit-and-wait for her meal.

Finally Dubhy, across from Bonnie ne

to the refrigerator. Dubhy enjoys meatimes, and does an endearing little Scott

dance on the way to his meal spot. He, to

gets to sit-and-wait until released.

I watch as the dogs nish their meaTucker, who once protected his bowl wit

out assistance, is less concerned about hfood now. As the others nish, I call theto me and reinforce them for good manne

behaviors so they dont pester him.

Despite having several dogs willinto resource-guard from each other, omealtimes are happily nonviolent. Lu

even allows Bonnie to help lick her bow

probably because Bonnie isso low-ran

ing that Lucy perceives no threat from heIf we hadissues over meals, we mig

put one or more dogs in separate room

with doors closed, or in their crates,

manage mealtime aggression.

8:00 m n: Everyones tired fro

the mornings activities, and they all sett

in for naps. Bonnie and Lucy crash in thecrates in my ofce, Dubhy on a chair anKatie on a magnetic bed in the living room

Tucker sometimes in his favorite den: tnonworking replace in the dining roomsometimes on a bed in my ofce. Luused to ercely resource-guard my ofcLots of counter-conditioning (other do

in office make good stuff happen) hmodied this behavior. I take time durinthis period (and/or the afternoon rest sto

to spend some one-on-one time with eac

dog brushing, nail-trimming, a traininsession, or just cuddling.

n 1:00 pm: Time for a potty bre

and some Frisbee action in the backyarSometimes Dubhy, Bonnie, and Katie pl

together in the yard for a while. Tucker an

Lucy prefer being indoors.

1:00 5:00 pm: More quiet time in th

house. Several times a week Ill take t

youngsters for a hike on the farm. Exerci

does wonders for a peaceful pack. Th

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hr houmt

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f your dog is reactive to other dogs, butyou are thinking about getting another

dog anyway, read the following for

both a sober warning as well as cau-

tious encouragement. Its a wonderfulcase of a seriously dog-reactive dog

improving enough to be able to live with

another dog but it tooktons of the kindsof work described by Pat Miller in the

previous article to get there, and the dogs

training and mangement is ongoing.In the July 2005 issue of WDJ, we

published an article (Helping Hera Help

Herself) about a committed dog owners

long journey to improve the behavior of

her reactive Bulldog, Hera. Caryl-RosePofcher and her husband, Billy, adopted

Hera as a puppy, and had immediately en-

rolled in a puppy training class, where Hera

was quickly labeled as skittish, timid, andstubborn. As she matured, and continued

in training classes, Hera developed thefrightening habit of lunging at other dogs

when she was on-leash. Her owners were

strongly encouraged to use strong correc-

tions with a choke chain, and later, a pinchcollar, although they seemed to have little

effect on the muscular Bulldog.

Heras off-leash behavior around other

dogs grew increasingly reactive as sheentered adolescence, as well. She became

infamous for spontaneously focusing on

some hapless play partner at the dog park,tackling it to the ground, and looking and

sounding like she was tearing its throat out

although she had good bite inhibition,

and never punctured another dog. Caryl-Rose stopped taking the young Bulldog to

the dog park the day she heard someone

say Heras here! as she entered the dog

park gate, and someone else responded,

a GooD exaMPLe

Oh well, I was just about ready to leave

anyway.

Unlike many owners, Caryl-Roseand Billy were cognizant that they had a

problem dog, and they were absolutely

committed to working through the prob-lems. For the rst four years of her life,they enrolled in class after class, hired a

professional behaviorist for a consultation

and private lessons, and dutifully practiced

all the exercises that were recommendedto them. But Heras behavior outside their

home got worse and worse.

When Hera was four, her owners werefortunate to nd an experienced positivetrainer, who gave them the rst truly ef-fective tools for dealing with Heras scary

behavior around other dogs on leash.

Each daily walk was viewed as a trainingopportunity, and planned and executed

thoughtfully. Caryl-Rose and Billy learned

two old-timers cant handle the rigors of afarm hike; we do occasional gentle strollsaround the elds.

evg: Dinner is much the same asbreakfast. I feed dogs before we eat our

dinner because A) the high-ranking mem-

bers (hubby and me) donthave to eat rst;B) I dont like to eat with hungry dogsstaring at me; and C) once I eat dinner, Im

done for the night.After dinner we all hang out in the liv-

ing room, watching TV, working on thelaptop, reading the newspaper, chewing

on bones. This is the most likely time forpack conict in our household.

If Bonnie and Lucy didnt get enoughexercise theyll roughhouse, offending

both Katie and Tucker. Katie, Lucy, Bon-

nie, and sometimes Dubhy may vie for

prime space on the sofa, at my feet, orwaiting for Paul to toss them some pretzel

bits. Bonnie plays nicely with our two cats,

but Lucy likes to chase them, and Katiewants to claim them as hers and guard themfrom the others.

I manage evening activities in variousways. Guarding behavior on or around

the sofa earns timeouts for all players.

Ill take the two youngsters outside for

extra play in the backyard if they needto burn off energy. Counter-conditioning

has taught Lucy to look at me when a cat

enters the room rather than give chase, and,

with time, Katie has learned to share herkitties and now tolerates Bonnies gentle

cat-play.

11:00 pm: Bedtime. I manage the trip up-stairs, again reinforcing Lucys attention to

me, to avoid stairway squabbles, and tuck

everyone in until morning, when we get

up and do it again. Amen.

Vr: Of course, I sometimes have

other things to do besides play dog-referee.

When I go to town to run errands, or walkout to the training center to teach, the

pack usually stays home. This is raw-bone

or chicken-wing time, and because ourguarders willsometimes get uppity abouthigh-value stuff, Bonnie gets hers in her

crate (this is also a management step forher, as shes not yet reliably housetrained),Lucy gets shut in my ofce with the cratedBonnie, and the other three compatibly

share the rest of the house.

There are times when I reminisce about

the simple days of just one or two dogs in

my life. I may be tired in the evening anddont feel like playing doorman for a pack

of dogs. Im sometimes tempted to yell atLucy for her shrill barking. I have to re-

mind myself that yelling doesnt work, andthat reinforcing desired behaviors is much

more effective than losing my temper, and

keeps me peaceful as well. Then I lookat those ve, wonderful furry faces, andknow that I wouldnt give any of them up

for anything. It would be much too quiet

PatMiller,CPDT,isWDJsTrainingEdi-

tor.MillerlivesinHagerstown,Maryland,

siteofherPeaceablePawstrainingcenter.

Forbookpurchasingorcontactinforma-tion,seeResources,page24.

a GooD exaMPLe

bY NaNcY kerNs

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to identify and maintain Heras launchpoint, the distance she needed to be from

other dogs to keep calm. Armed with a

clicker and mountains of high-value treats,

they slooowwlly decreased that distanceuntil Hera could pass within a few feet of

other dogs on leash without going off.

They also learned how to approach oth-

er dogs at an oblique angle, which seemedto help Hera refrain from feeling chal-

lenged by the other dog, and how to cue

Hera to look away from break her gaze

and engagement with another dog.Another positive trainer took the family

even further down the road of improved

behavior, and as Hera improved, slowly,Caryl-Rose grew more and more inter-

ested in dog behavior and training. She

volunteered as an assistant to a positive

trainer, got a part-time job at a doggiedaycare, read the classic books of the

positive training genre (including titles by

Jean Donaldson, Pat Miller, Dr. Patricia

McConnell, and Karen Pryor), joined anumber of e-mail discussion lists for bothpositive training and specically, positive

training for aggressive dogs, and attendedthe annual conference of the Associationof Pet Dog Trainers. And when Hera was

seven years old, Caryl-Rose hung out her

own shingle as a positive dog trainer.

Recently, we received exciting newsfrom Caryl-Rose. Hera, former dog bullyand aggressor, now 10 years old, recently

became a big sister. Three months ago,

Caryl-Rose adopted a French Bulldog

puppy, Pelli. As she has done with ev-erything else she accomplished with Hera,

Caryl-Rose diligently researched what she

would need to do to make having a second

dog work for everyone in the household,and she prepared her home and, most im-

portantly, Hera for what was to come.

upd m cylrThe following is a recent letter we received

from Caryl-Rose, updating Heras story:

Right now, the girls are lying on the rug behind me as I type. Their Bully buttsare touching (one a miniature reectionof the other). Their bodies are curved so

their heads are facing in opposite directions their Ive got your back position.

Weve gone from them being on

opposite sides of the room under closesupervision, or on separate oors of thehouse, or Pelli crated if not supervised

or even sometimes when supervised, to

now, they sleep on the bed with me atnight and cuddle with each other as wellas with me.

The rst time Pelli touched Hera,Hera gave her an intense snarl,

small lunge, and hard stare. I inter-vened immediately. Weve come a

long way. But it still takes constant

vigilance and management.

I was away recently fromFriday through Sunday. Pelli was

with me and Hera stayed home

with a live-in-dog-sitter. When

Pelli and I returned, there wasgreat excitement and good spirits

and Hera didnt get overexcited and

reactive. She stayed in control.

Two hours later when we allstarted to go upstairs to bed, Hera,for the rst time ever, guarded thestairs and blocked Pellis way.

Hera bounded upstairs, glancingwarnings back at Pelli who remained at

the bottom. I intervened by asking Hera for

a sit at the top of the stairs and giving a

steady stream of low level treats for this.As I did this, I called Pelli upstairs to us.

Hera glanced at her and then back at meand got a high level treat and a mix of high

and lower level treats while Pelli made herway up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, I cued Pelli to

sit near us. Both got great (but tiny) treats

at a fairly high rate. I stepped back, calledthem to me and repeated. And did this in

the bedroom, at the water bowl, and on the

bed. I picked up all of Pellis puppy chew

toys and put them out of reach.Later, when they were drowsily settle

for sleep, I brought out only one pupp

teething chew toy, reverting to our earli

routine of offering it to Hera, allowing hto refuse it as she always has, giving it Pelli briey, trading a low level treat fthe chew from Pelli, offering it again

Hera, she refuses, gets a low level treWe go back and forth half a dozen tim

and then it stays with the puppy. Gee, whavent had to dothatin a long time! I

reminded so forcefully how essential itto always watch the dogs and respond

what they need, when they need it.

Yes, I have containers of mixed qua

ity treats scattered all over the house.am rarely more than two steps away fro

one. And often I have them in my pockas well. They are mostly dried meat or or good quality kibble. I factor this intheir daily food ration and whether it

for training (sit/come/down) or behavi

(counter-conditioning, desensitizing), thearn this part of their daily ration.

I hope this gives others realistic hop

It wasnt immediate and adolescence w

bring its own challenges. I was prepar

for the possibility that I might end u

with two dogs, each living on differeoors of my house. I had lots of plans an

physical set-ups in place before bringin

Pelli home.Still, Hera has exceeded what

thought she could achieve. Shes relax

with the puppy and sometimes they pla

appropriately. Heck, for a normal 10year old English Bulldog playingat all

an achievement in itself!!I love these girls! And what wonderf

teachers they are, especially Hera-th

Wonder-Dog.

cylr P ll h WndDg ly nnlly ln ndmp .

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bY raNDY kiDD, DvM, PhD

Pro antioxidnt

a

Wl d pwl ml n p dg l.

tour of the DoG

ntioxidants are all the rage nowa-

days, seemingly good for anything

that ails you or your dog. Antioxi-dants, natural and otherwise, are

also widely used as preservatives

in

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