Questions:

My adopted Chihuahua, Chico, has come a long way. However, if anyone comes to the house or if he is outdoors and meets a stranger and he is on the ground, he immediately wants to attack, following several displays of barking and aggressive lunging. One time he did clip a woman's knee and drew blood. What do you advise for training Chico to be receptive to friendly people when he is outside and walking on the ground?

Gloria Aceti
Washington Crossing, PA

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We just adopted a loving terrier that is loving and sweet.  Unfortunately, she exhibits extreme aggression at times. She does not do well with visitors coming into the house, and refused to stop barking and nipping at them.  We encourage our guests to give her treats upon arrival, at the suggestion of our vet. We tell her NO firmly and attempt to grab her snout when she behaves this way, but nothing seems to work! She’s also aggressive when we try to wipe her feet. What do you suggest?

Reluctant to Return our Rescue Dog
Rocklin, CA

Answer:

Some people may read these descriptions and assume that these and other dogs who bite are just mean, but it turns out the most common cause of aggression in dogs is fear. It’s not fear brought on by abuse, but, rather, fear that developedbecause these dogs failed to receive the amount of socialization they needed starting before three months of age and continuing into early adulthood. Even fromthe short descriptions above, the telltale history is there. These dogs quickly got used to their adoptive families within a few days or weeksbecause it’s easy to get used to people who are constantly around them; but new people who pop into their lives fleetingly are another story.

Once Fear or Reactivity is Recognized, Take Action Before the Behavior Progresses to a Bite

Generally fearful dogs start off by trying to stay away from the things that scare them. But as they are confronted with scary situations repeatedly, they can learn that offense (barking, snapping, biting) is their best defense because it makes the scary people go away.

To see the body language of fear/anxiety, see Dog Bite Prevention Week: Poster on Body Language of Fear and Aggression and Dogs Bite When Humans Greet Inappropriately.

Treatment of Fear, Reactivity, or Aggression Focuses on Two General Approaches.

One approach to dealing with fear and aggression towards people is to train the dog to associate unfamiliar people with good things in a systematic/graded manner. This process is desensitization and classical counterconditioning (DS/CC),and it involves exposing the dog to the fear-inducing “stimulus” at a level where she barely responds and keeping her in a happy state, instead of a fearful or reactive state, by pairing the experience with things the dog likes (such as food, play, toys). The goal is that, as we systematically increase the level of the stimulus (how close the people are, how quickly they move, or how scary they look) while keeping Fido in a happy emotional state, the dog will systematically come to associate the scary people with this positive emotional state permanently.

Now, a lot of people try this method and have only partial success because they omit a few vital points.

• The first is that you must stay below the level of scariness where Fido barks, lunges or has any major reaction. This is referred to as staying below threshold. That usually means that the visitor must pretend Fido doesn’t exist. That is, stand sideways to the pet and look away as if the visitor is actually ignoring Fido even though he’s tossing treats. Ideally Fido just looks like he’s happy to get food.
• The second key point is that the food or fun thing must be occurring the entire time the scary person is near. For instance, if the scary person is tossing small treats, the treats must come at a rapid enough rate that Fido doesn’t have a ton of time in between treats to decide that he’s still scared. Usually that means starting with treats coming rapidly at first and then slowing the treat rate down.
• Treats also have to continue long enough so that Fido decides that the person is safe. That may take just a minute or it may take several visits, depending on Fido. In the latter case, when the visitor is running out of treats, the dog should be removed from the room or the visitor should leave.
• The visitor also must make sure she doesn’t move too close too quickly or move in a quick or threatening manner since these can make the dog react defensively (e.g. going above threshold). (For tips on how to approach correctly so you aren’t accidentally threatening: refer to the How to Greet a Dog book and poster)

The second method for modifying behavior is to train dogs to perform appropriate replacement behaviors that are incompatible with the fearful behavior. This is called operant counterconditioning. The replacement behaviors we train must be ones the dog enjoys so that Fido is at the same time learning a positive association with the situation. For instance, when a dog is fearful, we can train the dog to focus on us and engage in fun behaviors such as heeling and other focus games that we have taught through reward-based training. Why do we have to be careful to avoid methods that use force or punishment to train or maintain the replacement behaviors? Say we train the dog to focus on us so he doesn’t bark or lunge and we do so using choke chain or pinch collar corrections. The dog may learn to focus but will do so out of fear of getting a correction. As a result, the dog is not likely to develop a positive association with the scary person/object/environment. The dog may outwardly look more controlled, at first, but side effects such as greater reactivity and fear are likely to occur in the near future. The dog may hide that he’s scared or that he wants to react, prompting us to put him in a situation where scary people are even closer to him. Then, at some point, he might not be able to contain himself and may break out in a reaction more severe than before.

As with the DS/CC we described in method 1, always start at a level where you can keep the dog happy and focused on you, keep the dog focused the entire time, end the session and remove the dog from the situation before he’s tired or you run out of treats. The better your technique and ability to train in a systematic fashion the faster the training will go. Technique is the difference between taking 10 minutes and 10 months to see a huge change. (For more information on technique, read Dog Training Classes Can and Should Be More Than Sit, Stay, Stand)

To learn more about:

Understanding How They Learn and The Principles that Guide Learning (Timing, Motivation, etc):

• How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, Chapters 5-10, 13
• Low Stress Handling, Restraint, and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats, Chapters 3-4 (includes video)

Why We Tend to Avoid Punishment and Aversives and Dominance Theory

• How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, Chapter 12
• Low Stress Handling, Restraint, and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats, Chapter 2 (includes video)

Treatment Must Also Address Impulsivity

These general approaches are pretty straightforward and, with good technique, you can get dogs through situations relatively easily. However, it turns out there’s more to these situations than just using the DS/CC techniques in the reactive situations. In fact, the first thing that we often have to do is address the dog’s impulsivity (lack of impulse control) and his lack of ability to look to the owners for guidance, especially when he’s scared or highly excited. How are these things important? Impulsivity is the tendency for animals to perform behaviors without first thinking and evaluating the situation. Dogs with high impulsivity or low impulse control tend to rush towards items they want (food, people, dogs) and react in an extreme manner when excited (jump, whine, pace, bark, lunge). The more they practice acting impulsively, the more likely they will react impulsively when scared. These dogs also have an inability to look to their owners for direction, especially when they’re scared or distracted.

Luckily, one program can address both of these issues. In my version of the Learn to Earn Program where dogs are required to automatically say “Please” by sitting for everything they want – every bit of kibble, petting, praise, attention, getting their leash on, going out the door—dogs learn that they can have what they want if they ask politely by sitting and looking at their owners for permission. In this intensive program, dogs can exhibit huge changes within a week. The trick is that the humans need to learn to reward the dog’s good behavior consistently and must be aware of their every interaction so that they don’t accidently reward unwanted behaviors, such as jumping, whining, and pushing for attention. So, at the same time, this program teaches owners how to give the right body signals and cues that their dog naturally understands and how to actually provide leadership and guidance through skill rather than force. As an added benefit, once owners have these skills they are better bonded to their pet and their pet feels more comfortable looking to their owners for guidance in the scary or highly exciting situations.

The Step-by-Step Approach:

Now that you know some of the general approaches. Here’s the basic order of approach.

1. First, keep safe: avoid all situations where the dog is fearful or aggressive until you have gained the skill to work productively in these situations. And when you do work with your dog with visitors and unfamiliar people present, you may choose to avoid having the visitors or unfamiliar people give your dog treats. It can be unsafe to rely on other people to give treats because the visitor may do something inappropriate such as moving too close, staring at, or suddenly trying to pet the dog. Or because they toss the treat too closely to themselves and the dog comes closer and then realizes he’s too close for comfort and snaps. Instead, you, the owner, can give the dog the treats or have the dog perform exercises where he focused on you.  Also, it’s best to have the dog on leash, even on a gentle leader head collar so that you have good control of your dog’s head. For added safety, some dogs will need to learn to enjoy wearing a muzzle. You can cut a hole in the front of the muzzle to give treats. (See Training Dogs to Love Wearing a Muzzle)
2. Second, identify all other situations where your dog is fearful or highly aroused (e.g. uncontrollable barking, whining, lunging) and address these issues too.  This is important because fear of objects and other things can heighten fear of people. For instance, if your human-fearful dog gets scared of a loud noise or object in the morning and then goes for a walk, he’s more likely to react fearfully to people on his walk. Similarly if your dog practices rough, overly rowdy behavior, then, when he’s fearful, he’s more likely to display that fear with the same rough, overly rowdy behavior.
3. Avoid the other fear and high arousal situations until you have the skills to modify the behavior in these situations. Generally you can gain some skills quickly and just start working in the situations at the distance or intensity that you can handle. For instance, if your dog gets scared around inanimate objects on walks, when you see the type of object he might bark or lunge at or run away from, you can work at the distance where you know you can keep him happy and focused on you.
4. Take your dog through Dr. Yin’s version of the Learn to Earn Program so that you can systematically and quickly develop the ability to provide direction for your dog and so your dog can quickly develop the ability to control his impulsivity. Some dogs only take a few days to a week while others may take a month or two—the biggest variability is the human’s awareness of what they are doing. If owners could be 100% consistent in rewarding desired behaviors and removing rewards for unwanted behaviors, they’d have a nearly perfect dog in just a week or two but for many owners it takes weeks to become aware enough to be 80% consistent. The benefit of the Learn to Earn program is that even if you never reach professional level skill, you’ll still be way better at communicating with your dog and moving in ways that make your signals and intentions clear.
5. DS/CC to the specific fear, reactive, and/or aggressive situations. Generally, this means going about your day in a normal manner, but, whenever you pass an unfamiliar person, you have your dog perform the fun heeling games so that he can focus on you while learning good things about the people that pass by. The better your technique, timing, and ability to use your body movement to help keep the dog focused on you, the more successful and efficient you’ll be. Similarly when guests visit, set the situation up so that you can keep Fido focused on performing replacement behaviors and then you separate him from the guests if he’s not completely comfortable and under good control.
6. Also, DS/CC to any handling type procedures that are an issue: In many fear or reactivity cases, the dog is also difficult for being handled in certain ways (such as for toenail trims or grooming). Generally I recommend starting with classical DS/CC where the owner pairs the procedures with food and then increases interval between food until food is no longer needed (See Training a Dog to Enjoy Toenail Trims). Once less food is needed, I often switch to rewarding a specific behavior such as holding still for 10 seconds while being groomed and increasing the amount of time the dog must perform the good behavior to earn the reward.

This is the overall approach to the fearful or reactive dog in a nutshell. It’s all about addressing the dog’s overall ability to look to you for guidance, and your ability to be aware of his emotional state and to reward desired behaviors and remove rewards for unwanted behaviors. Because the techniques do actually involve skill and technique, unless your dog is extremely easy, you will most likely need coaching. But now you’ll know what to look for and you’ll be aware of the common mistakes to avoid.

You like to run, your dog likes to run. It seems like a no-brainer. How about both of you run together? While you might be concerned about your dog’s ability to run a reasonable distance, the most common hindrance to running together is actually your dog’s ability to stay at your side. 

Intro to Training Your Dog

The first mission at hand is to teach Rover to walk nicely on leash.  You’ll want him to run either on your left or right side with his front feet even with yours or behind. Choose a side and stick with it so he doesn’t get confused. For the purposes of this article I’m choosing the left.

Start with a hands free leash, such as The Buddy System, or with a regular 4-6 foot leash that you hold by keeping your bent arms at your side in a normal running stance rather than extending your arms out. Bring a portion of your dog’s regular meal or small treats which you can carry in easily accessible pockets or a treat pouch. The leash should be long enough to hang in a “U” when you’re standing next to your dog. With the dog sitting by your side, give him several treats in a row until he’s sitting stably and not likely to get up on his own. Then start walking forward at a power walking pace so it’s clear to him that you want him to walk with you.

If he’s walking next to you and looking at you, reward with treats periodically. If his feet get ahead of you, then stop immediately and well before he gets to the end of the leash. If you’re holding the leash in your hand, be sure to keep your arm glued to your side rather than extending your arm forward which just teaches him to pull. When he reaches the end, he’ll pull and pull because it’s worked before. But if you wait him out he’ll eventually figure out that he’s not going anywhere. When he turns to look at you, lure him into a sit in front of you. Give several treats in a row until he he’s focused just on sitting and looking at you, and then move forward when you’re ready and at a brisk pace.  Repeat this procedures every time he gets ahead until he understands that getting ahead causes you to stop, and sitting and looking at you causes the walk to resume.

Next, work on about-turns and “U-turns” to help train him to stay by your side and help decrease the amount of treats you’ll need. With an about-turn, you walk forward on a straight line, turn 180ª towards your right so that the dog is on the outside, and the head back on the same line. Use this randomly as well as when the dog starts to get even one foot ahead of yours. When you turn, you can make it more fun for Fido by jogging a few steps and then rewarding him with a treat when he catches up and looks at you while continuing to walk.

The U turn is like the about-turn but in the opposite direction. You turn to your left in order to head back the direction you started. That means your dog will be on the inside of the turn which means you’ll have to be slightly ahead of him and then cut him off as you make your “U turn.” This teaches him that he should stay by your side so that you don’t keep cutting him off. If you have problems getting around your dog, you can place your hand with a treat right in front of his nose so that he stops to eat the treat, then you’ll complete your U turn while you have him stationary and then head in the new direction.

Alternate between these 3 methods for keeping him at your side and rewarding him for sticking near you. Make sure you do this for his entire walk until it becomes a habit. Then apply the same techniques to your run.  If you have any problems at all, using a head halter such as a Gentle Leader or, for short-faced dogs, a Snoot Loop can really help. You’ll do things the same way so they don’t just learn to pull on the head halter.

First Run

Now apply these techniques to your run. You first runs should actually just be your dog’s regular walk with periods of jogging thrown in. If you try this on an actual planned run, you’ll probably be more interested in getting your run in and consequently won’t stick to the proper training. On this run, you’ll start by jogging ½ a block at a time. Be prepared to stop or do about turns. When he gets better at staying right next to you you can run for longer periods of time.

Rules of the Road

When running make sure that your dog is near you so that you and his leash are not hogging the entire road. If you’re running with a group, make sure he doesn’t run up the back of other runners because dogs can easily clip their heels and make them fall. In fact, it’s often best to run between the dog and other people since dogs sometime veer off.
 

Keeping Your Dog Hydrated

As with humans, if you’re only running a few miles, have a dog with no breathing issues, and the weather is cool you probably don’t need to carry water.  But if you’re doing a run where you would need water, you definitely want the same amount of water breaks for your dog.

Signs to Stop

It’s also important to realize that dogs are less tolerant of heat than humans. Their main mode of cooling off is by panting. As a result, panting is one of the best ways to determine whether you should stop. If your dog looks alert and is panting quietly with tongue completely inside his mouth, then he’s ok in terms of heat. If his tongue is hanging outside of his mouth, mouth open wide, and the commissures of his mouth are pulled back, then it’s time to slow down and even rest. If his breathing doesn’t go back to normal within several minutes, then it’s time to end the run.

If you’re running at a decent clip, you’ll have other signs he’s tired too. He’ll slow down and start hanging out behind you instead of trying to be slightly ahead or right next to you. He should not get to the point where he has to lie down or you’ve done too much. Avoid coaxing him to go faster than he wants.

I’m watching the city tree crew take down the neighbor's gigantic pine tree. Yikes. That's really high!

You’re probably wondering why a dog would have a feud with a tree. But if a tree had it out for you, I’m sure you’d feel like me.  Yeah, it looks pretty innocent, but it’s a pine tree.

So it has these, which can be unhealthy to dogs who want to live.	One minute you’re standing in the driveway, while you enjoy the scenery.
But at any second, Blam! A young, but not innocent, pinecone could fall from 20-80 feet or more and land on your head. In fact, one landed just a foot from me the other day. Here I am re-enacting the near consequences. I could have been knocked unconscious!	Ok. I am getting instructions that I need to act more stunned. So here’s my unconscious look.  Does this pose make me look fat? The immature pinecones weigh more than a baseball, especially in winter when they are nutrient dense. They get lighter as the season progresses and then they open up to their more familiar seed dispersing shape. Note: I always thought it was odd that the humans sprinted across that area of the driveway. They knew about the tree and the windshield-breaking pinecones, but they failed to tell me!

You are probably wondering how I can watch the tree safely come down without getting smooshed by a branch? A highly trained crew is taking it down bit by bit.

They have a pulley system for lowering the branches.

Here’s the cutting and tying up close.
The crew started at 8:00 am and it's now 5 hours later.	Here are the branches turning into wood chips.
Yahoo. I’ve conquered the tree! Only a mere totem pole is left. The crew took this pole down in just a couple of hours and now there’s just a tree base!

Q: I recently saw you speak at the IAABC and enjoyed your talk. I had a question regarding the tips from your newsletter about administering eye drops. I thought your advice seemed great and passed it on to the ophthalmology group I work with as a vet tech. Both the doctors and the techs had major concerns about contamination to the bottle by putting treats directly on the bottle and they also had a problem with potentially teaching your dog that it is okay to lick/chew on eye (or other med) bottles. What are your thoughts on these objections?
Thanks! I appreciate your time.

Jocelyn from Massachusetts

A: Good questions and with easy solutions to their concerns.

Thanks for taking the time to share the newsletter with your colleagues and then to express their concerns so that I could address them in my blog. In the newsletter, Behavior Bytes Volume 5, I showed several techniques for training dogs to love getting drops in their eyes and one of those methods involved putting food on the a bottle that is similar to an eye medication bottle so that the dog could learn to associated the bottle with good things. This is especially important if the dog has learned to run for the hills whenever the owner brings the bottle out! If the sight of the bottle freaks Fido out, the owner's chance of getting the medications into an eye, or of even attempting the process, without ruining their relationship with their dog is slim.

The Solution is So Simple We Didn’t Think to Mention It

Fortunately the solution to contamination concerns is super-simple. In fact, it’s so simple that we didn’t think to mention it in the newsletter. But clearly we should have! You just use a different, similarly shaped bottle—such as an empty eye medication bottle or a similar bottle from the store to do the training. Then once you get to the point where you will actually place the drops in the dog’s eyes, you switch to the real bottle.

Ok, before your colleagues slap their foreheads while thinking, “Hey, why didn’t I think of that,” let me provide an equally simple answer to their second concern, and that is, as with children, medication bottles in general should be placed out of a dog’s reach even if the dog has no history of licking food off similar-looking objects. I’ve seen a number or random cases where dogs have chewed bottles and ingested the contents. And these are dogs that NEVER had food placed on the outside of a bottle.

But, you may still ask, does putting food on a bottle to train dogs to think good things about the process instead of fearing the bottle make the dog more likely to chew the bottle in the future? Well, I’d say, perhaps if you gave Fido the food-smeared bottle as a toy to chew on his own and he got reinforcement for actually chewing (such as finding more food IN the bottle or actually getting food while chewing the bottle), then maybe, yes, in some cases. On the other hand, we see a lot of dogs who won’t play with Kong toys or other food-dispensing toys on their own but they learn to play with them while these toys have food in them. Even after getting tons of meals out of their food enrichment toy, most of these dogs still won’t play with or chew the toy without food in it, especially if the toy is new and has no food scent.

So it’s really unlikely that the dog who has had controlled access to treats on an eye medication bottle will learn to hunt out a bottle and, say steal it off the counter and then eat the yucky contents. If you are worried, however, that this will happen, you can always tell the owners to be careful to keep medication out of reach at all times, especially since that’s a good general recommendation anyway.

Or you can inform that owner that the method you’re choosing to teach them or to do yourself (food-on-the-bottle) to help the dog love getting his medications instead of being stressed and scared, may come with a slight risk. You can let the owner make the decision whether they or you should use the food-on-the-bottle method or whether you want to use the other method shown for training a positive association with the bottle.

In either case, the owner will appreciate that you care about their pet’s behavioral well-being and not just about his eyes. They’ll see that you empathize with their situation and that you understand that owners don’t want to struggle with their pet or see their pet avoid them whenever he thinks he might be getting medications. Instead you’ll get clients who happily give their medications on time and where the medication process becomes a bonding experience rather than a deal-breaker with their pet.

Diseases of Aging Dogs and Cats

A few years ago at a family gathering, my aunt, who had just finished telling one of her famous cat stories, proclaimed, “ All of my cats over the last 25 years have gotten kidney disease. There must be something in the water.”

Now, a regular cat enthusiast off the street may have been swayed by her proof; however, as her relative and as a veterinarian, I knew she had left out a vital bit of information—that all of her cats had lived to at least 13 years of age.

Realistically even if your cat or dog is as healthy as an ox throughout his first decade of life, at some point when he reaches the senior state, he’s going to get sick and various organs are going to start to fail. In cats, that organ is often the kidney.

Kidney Disease in Cats

Says Dr. Alan Stewart, an internal medicine specialist at San Francisco Veterinary Specialists in San Francisco, “Kidney problems are probably the most common disease affecting older cats. Anyone with a cat older than 10 years of age should be on alert for this disease.”

Knowing what to look for is essential because signs can be subtle. Says Stewart, “Often the first sign is increased water intake.” When the kidney is damaged it can’t regulate water balance. As a result, the cat excretes excess urine and has to make up for the loss by drinking more.

“Most clients don’t recognize this as a major problem,” says Stewart. “They think the increased drinking is a good thing. But cats evolved as desert animals so, generally, it’s abnormal to see them drinking.”

To keep track of water consumption, Stewart encourages clients to measure the amount of water at the beginning and end of the day and notice whether they see cats drinking at the water bowl. “If clients miss these early signs, the cat instead tends to come in due to reduced appetite and weight loss,” says Stewart. These signs occur because the damaged kidneys are unable to remove waste products from the blood, which leads to waste build-up and a cat feeling sick.  It’s like a mild version of food poisoning or a hang-over.

While it is important to watch for signs of kidney disease, veterinarians generally recommend cats have yearly bloodwork done starting around 10 years of age. When the waste product, creatinine starts creeping up, cats can be placed on a prescription kidney diet to slow the disease progression. Cats on these diets can double their remaining lifespan. These diets are low in protein and phosphorus, with protein levels that are much lower than any over-the-counter diet. Says Stewart, “It is important to almost think of these prescription diets as drugs. That is why they require a prescription!”

So why not put all cats on a prescription kidney diet regularly? Stewart answers, “There’s no evidence that they prevent disease from occurring in cats without renal disease, and they are more expensive than regular store foods.”

Cats with kidney disease should be checked by a veterinarian, have blood work and urine tested, and should have their blood pressure measured every 3-4 months. 

Hyperthyroidism

One can’t over stress the importance of a yearly exam and bloodwork in the older cat. You might be surprised with what you find. A coworker named Sara recently asked me for behavior advice regarding her 11-year-old cat that had suddenly started urinating outside the box. Generally this type of behavior is related to stress, change in routine, poor box cleaning, or other behavioral and environmental issues. But when it occurs suddenly in an older cat with no obvious environmental change, a thorough exam and bloodwork are the first steps.  Within a day, we had the answer. Sara’s cat had hyperthryroidism, the most common endocrine disease in the older cat.

Hyperthyroidism is basically an enlarged, overactive thyroid gland.  Like kidney disease, it can cause increased water intake and weight loss, but, unlike kidney disease, these cats tend to be ravenous. Some cats can also present as being highly agitated, grumpy, or mean. These signs were more common a decade ago when veterinarians weren’t catching the disease so soon. Says Stewart, “Now we catch them when their thyroid hormone levels are 5-7 units rather than in the 15 range like we saw 15 years ago.” On physical examination, the veterinarian may be able to feel enlarged glands running along the trachea, or windpipe.

Untreated hyperthyroidism can be lethal since it’s associated with elevated heart rate and abnormal rhythms. Additionally the ensuing hypertension can cause other important physiologic changes. Fortunately, the disorder is straightforward to treat. One can choose either a daily pill to keep the thyroid gland in check for the rest of the cat’s life or irradiation of the enlarged glands. Sara chose daily pills for her cat—a much simpler solution than the behavioral modification and detective work that might have been required, instead, had the problem been purely behavioral. For cats that don’t easily take their pills, clients can use various methods to trick them into taking it or they can train the cat to enjoy receiving medications.

For dogs, growing old comes with its issues too.

For dogs, cancer is one of the most common afflictions seen in the senior years. Unfortunately, there’s no one specific cancer for which to be on the lookout; rather, there are many types. This is why an annual exam and geriatric screen as well as attention to changes in your dog are important. One common presentation for a common cancer is sudden appearance of masses under the skin due to lymphosarcoma. These masses are enlarged lymph nodes and they can suddenly grow to golf ball size within a day. Treatment can cause the signs to subside equally as fast and with minimal side effects to the dog.

Other times, indicators of cancer are more subtle or generalized. My parent’s Scottie showed gradual aloof behavior. Meggie would hide when they called her instead of coming when called like she used to do consistently. Ultrasound of her abdomen revealed an enlarged spleen and a sample of the spleen revealed lymphosarcoma again. Tests of her blood and other organs showed no evidence of spread so a splenectomy was performed. Her recovery from surgery was swift and for several months Meggie was back to her normal self. Although the effect of surgery was short-lived in this case, the quality of time she enjoyed for 3 months was priceless.

Older dogs and cats may develop other non-fatal but debilitating issues.

For instance, as with older people, at some point the hearing and vision go. With dogs, the hearing loss is most noticeable in trained, well-behaved pets. First, they start acting confused when you call them and often heading in the wrong direction. Later, as hearing loss progresses, the once well-behaved dogs fail to come when called. So, if your older dog appears to be less attentive or responsive to your cues, rather than getting angry, consider that he may actually be going deaf. The “searching behavior” that accompanies hearing loss often leads to the incorrect conclusion that poor vision is the problem. While it is difficult to objectively evaluate hearing, vision can be assessed by an ophthalmologist.

Two other issues have to do with sight. According to Dr. Cynthia Cook, a veterinary ophthalmologist at Veterinary Vision in San Francisco, “To the casual observer, the eyes of most dogs over 9 years of age have a bluish or cloudy appearance. This cloudiness may be caused by cataracts or a normal, aging change, nuclear sclerosis. Distinguishing between the two may require specialized equipment and an exam by a veterinary ophthalmologist.” With nuclear sclerosis, the lens fibers, which are produced throughout the life of the dog, become more dense, much like rings in a tree. Because the lens capsule can’t expand, the lens becomes more rigid and less flexible which impairs the ability of the eye to focus. The condition is analogous to presbyopia or loss of near vision in humans, which occurs to all of us as we reach middle age. Luckily, blurred close-up vision doesn’t affect dogs as much since they don’t read newspapers, sew, or send text messages. However, it does affect their depth perception; vision-impaired dogs may easily run up stairs or jump into the car but hesitate going down stairs or jumping out of a car. Additionally, says Dr. Cook, “because dogs developed as predators, they naturally target movement and don’t recognize stationary objects - even you! This inability to target stationary objects becomes more apparent as dogs age. Try calling your dog and moving so he can recognize you. And lastly, as in older people, night vision in older dogs deteriorates due to a slowly progressive loss of the rod photoreceptors. Rarely does this result in any significant impairment.

While nuclear sclerosis is a normal aging change, cataracts are a disorder that often progresses to blindness. Dogs with large cataracts have significantly impaired vision. For instance, if you have a dog that could once catch 10 out of 10 treats and now only catches 3, vision may be the problem.  A visit with an ophthalmologist, who has specialized equipment, can diagnose a cataract. Early diagnosis is important as cataracts can cause other changes within the eye that, if untreated, may prevent successful cataract surgery.

High blood pressure in older cats, mentioned above associated with renal disease, can also cause blindness due to retinal detachment. Often the hypertension is first diagnosed by the ophthalmologist when a cat suddenly becomes blind. Early diagnosis and treatment is often successful in controlling blood pressure and restoring vision.

Arthritis: Perhaps the most common debilitating disorder is aging dogs is arthritis. Says Dr. Carla Salido, a board-certified surgeon who also practices holistic medicine, “I worry about any patient brought in for slowing down."   People often notice issues like difficulty getting up or lying down, but they may not notice the other signs. For instance, when my toy-obsessed Australian Cattle Dog Rudy reached 16 years of age, instead of carrying his frisbee for his entire three-mile walk, he decided to drop the toy 2 blocks into the walk. After that, he was also only mildly interested in playing fetch on walks. Most people would see this as a drop in energy level, but the real issue was pain.   Salido brings up a case with her own dog too. “My own older dog was groaning when laying down and getting up. She was still playful, went for walks, ate well and otherwise seemed fine for some time. But then she started showing lameness.” That’s when Salido took her in for diagnostics, which revealed that she had elbow arthritis. When she was treated for the arthritis, the groaning stopped.  Salido points out that if dogs are playful when they are young, they often stay playful into older age. But if they don’t want to go for a walk anymore or their energy decreases, and they sleep a lot more or can only go a fraction of what they wanted to do before, then consider arthritis or another problem causing them discomfort and pain. 

A lot of people don’t know that there are things that can be done to help their older dog and cat. They just assume it’s aging. The treatments include weight loss if the pet’s overweight and NSAID drugs. There are also many other treatments available, such as a number of nutraceuticals, which are dietary supplements. These include omega 3 fatty acids and glucosamine and chondroitin, which have been proven to have anti-inflammatory effects. You may want to ask your veterinarian about a reliable source, because nutraceuticals are not regulated by the FDA. Various products may have only a fraction of the active ingredient that they claim to have.   Both Stewart and Salido recommend a holistic approach too. Acupuncture can be helpful as well as osteopathy, a manual therapy that treats altered function of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, joints and bones) to enhance health and relieve pain.

Overall, we no longer should just assume that our ailing aging pets are "just getting old." By recognizing the early signs of disease we can take action to make our pets more comfortable and hopefully slow the progression of their disorders.

Question: Today I went to get my pup's last set of shots, this was the third visit to the vets. Axel did some growling and tail between the legs bit, over time he became a little comfortable with the vet and the vet tech. He was still uneasy though-- ears back tail curled and doing a little growl, he felt more comfortable with me holding him (when I let the vet tech take over he just wanted to jump off the table). Well anyways, I was a little surprised when the vet put his face up to my 15 week old pup's face! He was "asking" for a kiss-- more like a bite! I know Axel was going to snap at him but I gave him the "don't you dare" look. The vet would do this several times and Axel would assume the position and turn his face towards me as if saying "help me mom-- he's bothering me". I didn't know how to tell the vet to stop so I would just look at Axel and pet his head to calm him down.

Well I guess my question is what can I say to my vet next time I do go? I'm a little worried about stepping on his toes and also what if next time Axel does bite him?

-Sara Renee Spiel

Answer:

The good news is that your veterinarian loves animals, which is why he tried to kiss Axel. So it should be easy to get him to modify his interaction next time if you approach the subject in the right way. That means providing information from a credible source to back up your assertions and also to take steps on your side to help alleviate Axel’s fears. Here’s what I would do.

Write a Letter to Your Veterinarian

Write a letter to your veterinarian thanking him for his veterinary care and expressing that you appreciate his love for pets. Then bring up your concerns about your puppy’s fear and describe the signs your puppy was showing. You can even download and print out the Body Language of Fear and Anxiety in Dogs flyer and circle the signs your dog was showing.

You can state that you think the veterinarian may have noticed which is why he tried to comfort Axel by kissing, but that you’ve read that kissing, hugging and approaching scared dogs head on actually causes them to become more fearful to the point where they may bite. At this point you can download the How to Great a Dog and What to Avoid poster/flyer for him to see. You can provide links to these articles:

• Preventing Dog Bites by Learn to Greet Dogs Properly
• How to Greet a Dog
• When a Kiss Can Get You Bitten: Lessons from Denver
• Compassionate Vet Care: Handling Pets in a Pet-Friendly Manner

Since you’re planning to stay with this veterinarian, I’d express that you’d love to stay with him but are concerned that he and his staff may get bitten when they unconsciously interact in ways that cause more fear. And that you’re concerned such events can make Axel worse. Also express that you know you have some work on your end.  You can send them these links to give them an example of what you will be working on.

• Puppy Socialization: Stop Fear Before It Starts
• Preventing Dog Bites: Stop Dog Aggression Before It Starts

Ask if you can bring Axel in outside of his regular exam just to receive treats and learn that good things happen in the hospital setting. You might even ask if you can purchase some exam time where the veterinarians or technicians give treats and approach him correctly so that he looks happy and is showing no signs of fear. You might suggest that they brush up on the greeting technique prior to such an examination and even refer to chapters 2 and 14 in Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats, which specifically address approaching and examining difficult pets in a way that keeps the pets happy and the humans safe.

What If Their Other Handling Skills Seem to Need Improvement?

If you feel your hospitals technicians and veterinarians also need improvement on how to handle and restrain your pet beyond just the initial greeting, you may also want to refer them to the textbook Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats. While this textbook has been adopted into some veterinary and technician programs, it’s not used by all of them yet. Veterinarians who see a demand by their clients for more skilled handling and handling that shows that they care about your pet become more and more willing to take the time to learn and have their staff update their skills. They may even consider going to a Low Stress Handling Workshop. There are workshops at various conferences including workshops that I give.

Will My Veterinarian Care?

Most veterinarians, when provided with credible information—such as from a textbook or veterinary source—are willing to improve their skills when clients approach the situation in the right way. By taking that step to express your concerns and provide access to credible and widely accepted information, you, your pet and your veterinarian will benefit!

Originally published in San Francisco Chronicle Sep 2001

Imagine you're walking down the street in a foreign country-like, maybe Texas or Louisiana- and suddenly people start shouting wildly at you. Like a scene out of Hitchcock, you see a crowd of distorting mouths but can't understand the words coming out. Only the increasingly frantic arm flailing tells you a climax is about to spring.

While you may have never been in such a situation, chances are your horse or dog has experienced something similar. Believe it or not, horses and dogs aren't born knowing English, and while they are experts at learning to read human body language, they're no more adept at reading human minds than men are at reading their spouse's thoughts. That means that half the time when you think your horse or dog knows what you want, he's just feeling his way around.

How can you fix this communication gap? For decades, dolphin and killer whale trainers have been using a variation on positive reinforcement called clicker training. In the 1980s, the method started picking up steam with dog trainers and now it's finally catching on with horses too.

It's all about teaching the animal what's right by rewarding it for the correct behavior. The added trick in this case though is the click. If you first train the horse that a click from a toy clicker or any other novel sound means food's coming, you can use the sound to bridge the gap between the behavior you want and the food reinforcement. So when he performs the behavior correctly, you sound the click to mark what's right and then give him his food reward. This simple method can change a horse's attitude completely.

Says Shawna Karrasch, a former marine mammal trainer at Sea World and co-creator of the horse traning DVD—On Target Training, “In traditional training, you communicate that the horse has done something correct by leaving him alone-by stopping your leg pressure or pressure on the reins. The horse is learning to avoid something. But by putting something into it that the horse really wants, you change the horse's motivation. The communication and motivation go hand in hand."

Like all techniques, timing is crucial. Says Vinton Karrasch, Shawna's ex-husband and a veteran of the grand prix show jumping circuit. "Before I knew what clicker training was, I'd go to Sea World and was interested in why or how they were getting the results they were getting. I thought that when the animal did something the trainers liked, they fed it."

He tried to take this information back to his horses, but didn't have any success. "What I would do was jump a course and then feed the horse as it was going out the gate or something like that, not realizing that what I was actually rewarding the horse for was going out the gate. I still felt like there was something to it though. It just happened that I met Shawna and we got organized enough to train horses together." Now the two travel the U.S. teaching workshops as well as helping riders ranging from recreational to Olympic level.

As you might expect, a new found communication based on positive reinforcement has many benefits."For one," says Shawna, "you're helping to reduce the fear response, which is really important because when the fear response it gone, it helps the horse to trust you and to concentrate and focus on its job. Right off the bat, that's a big change. Especially when you're dealing with performance issues. "When you're trying to train a horse to do something, the more you can get it to relax, the more it can focus and do its job correctly.

"A fearful horse may not be thinking about the jump," explains Shawna. "He may be thinking more about you and your response and your reactions rather than relaxing and focusing and doing the best he can."

Another important elements is that, in clicker training, you divide each exercise into smaller pieces. For instance, when teaching a horse to load into a trailer, the Karraschs first reward a front leg bending as if to step up the ramp. When this behavior is consistent, they reward a step onto the ramp. Then they go on to the second leg and then the whole body.

"You break it into small steps," emphasized Shawna, which makes it easier." Easier in the end for both you and the horse. The final result-a happy trusting horse that likes to work.

Watch How to Train a Stallion to see an example of clicker training a horse.

For more information, try the Karrasch's book or video titled: You Can Train Your Horse to Do Anything! at (800) 638-2090 or www.on-target-training.com.

Also, check out Alexandra Kurland's books and products, such as The Click That Teaches: A Step-by-Step Guide in Pictures, at www.theclickercenter.com.

To some people, the death of a pet or even the decision to euthanize seems just another complication of day-to-day life. To others, the loss of an animal companion can lead to overwhelming grief.

Says Betty Carmack, author of Grieving the Death of a Pet, "People often say they grieved more for their animal's death than they did for a spouse, parent, child, or sibling, and they seem a bit surprised by that. But when they say it in a support-group situation, other people are nodding their heads in understanding."

"Our relationship with animals is sometimes very different from our relationships with people. People talk about how their relationship with their animal companion is more pure. They don't have the conditions that relationships with people do. There's a lot of baggage that's connected with relationships with people that we don't have in our relationships with animals. "

That means that even when we've just lost a game-winning point or put the office copier out of commission for the day, or made an epic fashion faux pas, kitty still wants to curl up in our lap and Sneakers the rat still wants to sit on our shoulder. And even when we forget the morning walk and then come home late from work, Rover still greets us with a wag.

Our pets offer a kind of stability that's hard to find among our human friends. Consequently, a loss can send someone into a deep depression characterized by loss of sleep, loss of appetite, and trouble focusing on daily tasks. Other factors can make the loss worse.

"In society, grief for an animal, especially at work, is minimized," Carmack says. "You don't get bereavement leave and people don't know how to behave, so often they don't do anything, which makes the person feel even more isolated."

Those who do care frequently ask insensitive questions such as, "It was only a dog or cat. When are you going to get another," as if the animal could be replaced. Instead, friends should acknowledge the significance of the loss, even for small or short-lived species, Carmack says, because it's not how long you've had an animal or how much you paid for it. It's what that animal meant in the person's life.

A sympathy card, a visit, or flowers will show you care. Friends also can help in other simple ways. "When people are going through grief they don't feel like doing things such as preparing meals or cleaning the house," Carmack says. She suggests friends offer to bring dinner over or run to the grocery store or baby-sit the kids. They can even offer to help the griever memorialize the pet. Planting a tree or flower, making a collage, making a monetary donation to animal organizations in the pet's memory, sending out notices of the pet's death and what it meant. Such tributes help make the loss real and give an opportunity to honor the animal and the relationship with the owner.

Perhaps the most important help a friend can offer is to invite the pet owner to talk about the pet. In support groups, such as the one that Carmack leads at the San Francisco SPCA, people have a chance to talk about the loss of their loved animal companions and they find that their feelings and their experiences are validated. Such groups can also benefit those trying to make a euthanasia decision.

How do you know when a grieving friend needs more than you can offer? "After the death of a pet, some part will irrevocably change, while others will get back to normal," Carmack says. So if the person isn't able to work or continues to be hopeless or talks about wanting to join the animal, help the person seek resources such as a doctor, priest, or counselor. Most importantly, remember, people grieve at their own rate and in their own way. Be patient and respect the loss.

For a list of pet loss support groups and pet loss support hot lines, visit the Delta Society or the San Francisco SPCA.
Suggested reading: "Grieving the Death of a Pet" by Betty Carmack, Augsburg Books

San Francisco Chronicle December 2000

My Australian Cattledog, Zoe, was pretty cute, but when it came to brain power, she was no match for her little blue neighbor —a common scrub jay. This three inch tall feathered sneak has her number. Every day, he would lie in wait and then steal bits of her coveted meal right from under her nose. Here's how it would happen. 

It's breakfast or dinner and Mr. Scrub Jay knows. He hears the call of dog food rattling in Zoe's food-dispensing toy. She's carefully sucking the kibbles up as they dribble out onto the ground, but he's sure she'll soon make a mistake. Then he sees it. She's missed one. And then another. Clever eyes watch as her distance from the loot increases. Wait....wait....wait.... Go!

He glides down, and wisks the kibble away over the fence into the next yard. Minutes later he's back for another go.

Poor Zoe. Outsmarted by a creature with a macadamia nut-sized brain. But dumb Zoe? Not quite. It turns out these backyard birds can put even humans to shame with some of their mental feats.

AMAZING MEMORY

While we humans are frantically wondering where we misplaced our one set of keys, scrub jays are artfully cataloguing thousands of stashed items. According to Nicola Clayton, who studies animal cognition at Cambridge University in England, "Some species of jays are known to cache up to 11,000 items per year. They hide items in crevices in trees or bury the items in the ground and then cover them with a leaf."

Q: Our 5-year-old Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier presents as a furry, lovable and inviting dog while he sits waiting outside the cafe for me to finish my morning latte. Trouble is, he's taken to growling and barking at some well-meaning types, especially those who come on too enthusiastically. It's like they invade his space. This behavior is slowly starting to accelerate. What would be the best approach short of hanging a sign on him saying "Beware, looks can be deceiving"? -- San Francisco

A: You nailed the problem on the head. While Fido might be carefree and confident with you alongside, when he's alone outdoors, life may look a bit more dangerous. All would be well if humans heeded the two golden rules: Never pet a dog without owner permission, and always let the dog make first contact.
Unfortunately, naive well-wishers abound. These human space invaders approach too quickly, loom too largely or crowd too closely. To Fido, their friendly smiles and soft reassuring coos seem more like maniacal grins and suspiciously sweet overtones.

Under pressure, some dogs will freeze or shrink, pretending it's all a bad dream. Others take action, usually with a reflex bark or low-level growl. A few successes with that method and the message is loud and clear: When strangers approach, growl and bark.

Pretty soon, your sweet, slightly insecure dog has turned into a mass of defensive rumbling.

This isn't the only dangerous scenario though. Whether your dog's as amicable as a purple dinosaur or as fearful as an agoraphobic, tying outside is a touchy subject. Even the friendliest Fido can pack a surprise.

Take the case of Hershey, the ho-hum Labrador retriever. Screaming kids, overly exuberant strangers, rude off-lead dogs, he took them all in stride. Certainly no bite in his benign body. But then he met just the right kid: a 2 1/2-foot twerp imitating a giant squeaky toy. While Hershey was parked to a tree during his owner's weekly errands, one rambunctious roughneck found a new source of fun. The post-toddler darted back and forth, in and out, like a pro training a protection dog to bite.

On the outside, it looked like good fun. His mother wasn't concerned. A kid just bouncing and squealing like an injured rodent and a dopey brown dog wagging his tail dumbly and bowing up and down in play. No idea that the games were triggering that deep-seeded prey instinct that all dogs possess. Everything was fine and dandy until, with a joyful bark and a big puppy bounce, it was tooth against skin.

It was probably an accidental connection, a product of perfect timing, but it left one screaming child, one hysterical mom and a lot of blood. Hershey's owner was outside in a snap and the bleeding stopped in another five. And while mom roared on about the vicious, unprovoked attack, Hershey sat patiently, a slow wag accompanying his puzzled face.

Outwardly, the consequences were small. For the boy, a small facial wound that healed seamlessly with stitches and for Hershey, a mandatory 10-day house arrest served by all biting dogs to rule out rabies. But the scars ran deeper. A little boy might now have a lifelong fear of dogs caused by a single improper greeting. A happy-go-lucky Hershey would have the brand of a bite in his history and no more errands to the store.

Does this one incident mean that all dogs should be banished from temporary tying? If so, Fido's going to miss out on lots of great walks which means not only less exercise but also less practice in social situations. It's all a calculated risk.

If your dog barks even happily at passers-by— human or canine —or darts forward to greet either class, a nix on the privileges is in order. However, if your dog is calm and confident enough to reliably endure a surprise hug from a stranger or an impromptu visit from a stray, maybe it's OK. Or maybe not. In any case, the safest bet is to be close enough to monitor Fido and supervise all contact. (See Body Language of Fear poster)

What if you want your slightly scared dog to feel more at home around people in general and don’t plan to leave him tied up alone because you know already know the risks are too great? But you still want him to feel comfortable as you sit with him in an outdoor café?

The solution is simple but the execution an art. Teach Fido to associate good things with unfamiliar people. Set Fido out in a spot safe from strangers. Then have your friends walk past just out of range. If enough unfamiliar humans pass him as if he didn't exist and simultaneously toss his favorite treats at his feet, Fido will eventually cherish the sight of strangers. But it’s also important to make sure that he lies down calmly and that they have good aim because you wouldn’t want him getting up and running over to jump on anyone who passes by. Your ultimate goal is that he remains relaxed, happy, calm and lying down so people will be able to safely pass as you enjoy your latte. Remember that no matter where you are you’ll need to keep your eyes open for potential poor greeters who might rush up and invade his space.