Pet Food - Conclusion

Last post I discussed sources of protein and carbohydrates in your dog’s food; ingredients you typically find in the top five on the list. Stipulated by law, food manufacturers have to list ingredients in order of quantity: the first one is what is most in your food, the second one second most, and so on. Keep in mind, though, that protein is measured by weight, and that can fudge your perception. Let’s say chicken is the first ingredient, but because it is fresh, it is inclusive of water, which of course has weight, and the food might not be as protein-rich as one that has dehydrated meat meal listed as the, for example, third ingredient. I personally don’t put too much value on that, but what I don’t want to see are byproducts or grain fragments in the top ingredients - ideally not at all.
Often not in first five, because lower in quantity, are oils, fruits and veggies. Lower in quantity doesn’t mean that the quality is less important.

I am not going to bore you with saturated/unsaturated and omega fatty acids technicalities, but let me say that dogs, like us, need all of it - and in the correct ratio. Saturated fats are of animal origin, and although they have a bad reputation, they are good suppliers of energy, needed for every steroid hormone formation, including stress hormones, and have some anti-viral and anti-fungal properties – and yes, they are good for humans, too. Don’t shy away from good animal fats in moderation; don’t replace them with hydrogenated, artificial oils. There is one drawback: fatty tissue is a preferred storage area for toxins, so if you have access to organic meats, you’re a step ahead. Frankly, if I couldn’t access free-range, grass-fed and ethically raised meat, I would be a vegetarian.
Fish oils, high in beneficial omega 3 and in almost every brand of food, can also be heavy metal contaminated. Supplements for humans are tested for that, but I am not so sure regarding our pets’ food.
Unsaturated fats are the plant-sourced ones, and in kibble typically sunflower and/or canola oil. I don’t like either, but am more concerned about the latter.
Canola it is cheap and plentiful, and thus a preferred raw material for manufacturers of all processed foods – for humans and dogs. Naturally, the food industry and their clever PR and Ad people don’t promote it as convenient for them, but healthful for you. Hailed as omega-balanced and nutrient-rich, and a Canadian success story to boot, it is anything but good for you, at least according to fat expert and author of “Fats that Heal – Fats that Kill”, Udo Erasmus, Ph.D.
Canola, he points out, is rapeseed and toxic, and hence was traditionally used as an industrial lubricant. Genetic modification made it consumable, but Erasmus argues that it still has adverse effects, all outlined in his book. As far as I know, the FDA prohibits canola oil in infant formula, and yet puppies and dogs, especially when fed kibble exclusively, ingest it daily and for life. Even if toxicity is minimal, there is a cumulative effect – and not just for dogs, but for people as well because it is found in so many different products.
The other trouble with canola is that it turns rancid easily. In fact, China only recently partially lifted an import ban because of fungal disease issues. To prevent that, the oil is often highly processed, and everything highly processed is nutritionally useless or harmful. But even when cold pressed and unrefined there is a problem: canola is high in goitrogens, which can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis.
At least, canola is listed on your ingredients label. Grease waste sprayed on kibble to increase palatability usually isn’t. Wrap a handful in paper towel and leave it on the counter over night. Is the paper covered with large fatty splotches? When you hang your schnoz in it, how does it smell?
When I cook my dogs’ food, the flavor comes from the ingredients and I don’t have to fancy it up so they will eat it. The yummy stuff is in the food, not on top, including oils. My favorite ones, you rarely find in commercial food cause they are costly, are extra virgin olive and extra virgin coconut oil. It is time well spent to research both; you will be amazed by the health benefits.
So, lots to think about regarding fats. Thankfully veggies and fruits are straightforward. I haven’t found a food yet that contains the known toxic ones, onions and grapes, and anything else is generally good. The only thing I like to point out is that beet pulp isn’t from valuable red beets, but another useless waste product from the human food industry: the residue of sugar production. In kibble, it increases drastically in volume when mixed with water or digestive juices. You can test that too by putting a handful of kibble in water, and watching it transform into a super-expanded foamy glop. I can’t imagine how that would be a good thing in your dog’s stomach.

I hope I gave you some guidelines what to check for in your dog’s dry food, and the same rules apply for wet food. Higher in moisture, you are paying a lot for water, so choose nutrient-rich broth instead. A high quality canned food’s ingredients list looks like that: meat broth, meat, some organ meat, a few veggies, and grains or potatoes. On the low end you have the same stink-stuff that are in cheap kibble: meat byproducts, water, soy flour, poultry by-products, color, salt and a premixed mineral supplement likely made in China. On that note, most supplements that are added to commercial food, even the high-end brands, are the premixed kind likely made in China.
How important it is to add micronutrients to make a food balanced is not an easy question to answer. The more processed the food, the more important. The more nutrient depleted the raw material, the more important. Staying with the theme of wholeness, I add culinary herbs rather than isolated vitamins and minerals, some parsley, some kelp, and squish my green tea bag into the doggy dish every day. Because so many things in our environment kill and deplete beneficial intestinal bacteria, the pooches also get a probiotic supplement, or at least a tablespoon of natural yoghurt each day. Is it enough? For mine it seems to be.  They are, and have been, vibrant and healthy till old age, especially considering hereditary issues some came with.

Dogs are omnivorous food opportunists, and there is quite a bit of liberty feeding right. My magic words for the wash’n’wear pooch are: whole and fresh - and variety. Even some kibble manufacturers now offer rotation diets. If you are dealing with health problems, my advice is to talk to a holistic veterinarian who can help you explore all options, including home-cooked or raw. Many veterinary clinics and good pet stores also carry supplement mixes you can add to the food you make, and nutrition experts like Cat Lane and Monica Segal, their links were provided in the first post in this series, can customize your dog’s diet to his/her specific needs, including supplements and/or medicinal herbs.

If the ingredients in your dog’s food, or the stink going in and coming out, make you gag, buy a different and better one with your hard-earned dollars. It is never too late to reap the benefits: improved coat quality, increased energy, and yes, also behavioral changes.
Food is a biological right, and the moment we acquire a furry dependent, it is our duty to supply something the dog likes, and keeps his body and mind well nourished. Eating should be stress free – not only for mental health, but also because stress affects digestion, and that can contribute to an array of physical problems, including allergies.
You are not what you put in your mouth, but what you absorb.

Pet Food Ingredients: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

When you walk down the pet food aisle at the supermarket you see bags of kibble that show a smiling dog, with a beautiful coat and sparkling teeth, surrounded by images of whole grains, colorful vegetables and meat that looks like what you'd find in the butcher section, and you believe that what is in the bag is made from exactly those ingredients, and that your pooch will be as vigorous as the one depicted. Think again.
Most dog food manufacturers are subsidiaries of the human food industry; companies that have a lot of unfit for consumption waste they sell anyway, to pet owners, and they spend a lot of money to do so.
Your dollars pay for: laboratory research, manufacturing, warehousing, transport to wholesaler and retailer and their overhead and mark-up, advertisements including paying veterinarians for endorsements, and veterinary mark-up for prescription food. How much money you think is spent on ingredients - the only thing that matters to your dog and therefore should matter to you.
Fancy packaging cleverly deflects from what is inside, and manipulates people to believe their eyes and ignore what it says on the ingredients list. Well, I hate to Pan it to you: you have to read it, because whatever we put in our mouths either nourishes or harms us, and it is the same with our animal dependents. More importantly than reading, you must comprehend it, and that is not always easy, but there are two key words: whole and fresh.
When I cook for my dogs I can’t pop a whole cow or lamb in the pot, so I combine muscle meat, a little fat and some organs to match whole as best as possible. On your kibble label, that is meat. Meat is clean flesh from slaughtered animals minus bone. Meat is a good ingredient.
Meat meal is meat with the moisture removed. Not necessarily bad, but it could be imported from who knows where, and preserved with who knows what. Check for that. Every bag of food has a 1-800 number. Call and ask.
Meat by-products are parts other than meat, exclusive of hair, horns, and hooves. That is not so good, and if you find it on the label, it should at least be at the bottom.
A whole chicken, turkey or duck does fit in my pot, and that is what I use. Although it includes frame, back and neck, it also includes lean breast meat. It is whole and good. Whenever it says poultry on your label instead of chicken, turkey or duck, it can, and often does, predominantly consist of backs and frames, and that is bad.
Egg is an excellent protein source, but good only when it is whole. It will say so on the label. Egg product can be any or all parts of the egg.
Downright ugly are MBM - meat and bone meal, and poultry by-products. That can be anything, including road kill and euthanized pets, downers, cut off cancerous tissue, heads and feet, out of date supermarket and restaurant waste. I checked many food bags last year when Will decided that she'd like some kibble with her home-prepared food, and never saw MBM – perhaps crap is coming out of style, or perhaps it is found only in the really cheap stuff I had zero interest to investigate.
Meat is important for your dog’s wellbeing and should be the first ingredient. Meat meal, because the moisture is removed and therefore it is lighter by weight, can be one of the first three, or even five, typically mingled in with grains, potatoes, and/or legumes.
As I touched on in the last blog, I believe that grains are a natural part of a dog’s diet. Dogs have enzymes to digest grains, and they need glucose to produce body-own vitamin C in the liver. Carbs are the primary suppliers of energy for moderately active and sprint dogs, compared to endurance dogs who draw energy from fat. So, unless you are a follower of one certain TV personality and tie your pooch to the treadmill for several hours a day, he probably falls in the former category.
When I cook for my dogs, I alternate between rice, oats, barley and quinoa, and I mostly use whole grains or flakes. In your kibble, the same ingredients are the good ones.
Fragments, such as rice bran or brewers rice can be mill sweepings and are cheap fillers, and bad.
Rice flour, like all flours, is over-processed, and if you see anything that ends with “ose” you are dealing with refined sugars, which are, together with flours, considered to be major contributors to many human ailments.
What about corn? Even people who are okay with grains are often against corn, and some manufacturers take advantage of that trend and advertise “corn free” to infer superior quality food they, of course, charge more for. In my opinion, human-grade ground corn isn’t particularly bad, but it ranks high on the allergen list, and inhibits serotonin uptake. Serotonin is another neurochemical, like dopamine, that can affect behavior: it relaxes and promotes friendly socialness. In studies, low levels increased aggression in all species tested. Because nutritionally corn doesn’t supply anything other grains don’t have, I see no purpose for it in pet food and I don’t use it, but I also don’t think it is the evil ingredient some purport it to be.
Corn gluten meal, on the other hand, is ugly. It is mill residue from cornstarch and syrup production, has no biological value and, like other glutens, is a protein filler. Let me explain: The crude protein value you see on the label is a measurement of nitrogen, not a measurement of quality. If the manufacturer uses little, or inferior animal sourced protein - the poultry or meat by-products, cheap gluten is added to bolster the value on the label. Soy does the same thing, and is an ingredient I wouldn't want to have in my pooch's kibble.
Since the grain free trend, potato has become a popular dog food ingredient. It is marketed as being better than grains, but I fail to see the reasons why. Yes, they are nutrient rich, but also starchy and, if you come from the raw, ancestral diet angle, as unnatural. In addition, some dogs are allergic to members of the nightshade family, which potatoes belong to. That said, I don’t consider whole potatoes a bad ingredient, isolated potato starch is, but do wonder what condition the ones used for dog food are in. I love taters and buy a lot, and hubby Mike was born and raised in Prince Edward Island – for my US readers, it is like Idaho except in Canada, and I am aware how heavily chemically treated they can be for human consumption, and how carefully they have to be stored to prevent greening and spoilage. Processed into kibble, is there quality control?
There is more in kibble than meat and potatoes. Fat, for example, and I will talk about that the next post. Stay tuned - you might be surprised that I question a commonly used, and hailed as healthy, oil.

Pet Food Musings - Part One

After many years of easily accessible information, it sometimes surprises me that pet food is still such a hot topic on social media sites and online groups. Then again, perhaps it is exactly the abundance of material that confuses and keeps discussions going.
Feeding the dog used to be a mindless task: the pooch either got table scraps or one of only a few choices of kibble. Bygone are those good old days; now we have raw, cooked, freeze-dried and a vast variety of dried and canned food, and feeding right has become complicated. Is it really that difficult? It can be, when dogs have specific needs, but I won’t be talking about that. There are fabulous experts better equipped than me who address nutrition on a deep level: Monica Segal and Cat Lane come to mind, but also your holistically inclined veterinarian might be able to help if you have a special needs dog.
I’ll keep things shallow, not insubstantial but generalized, meaning that I will discuss in this blog, and the next two, dog food particulars that affect many, most, or all dogs in the same way.

I grew up in a time and place where food was prepared daily from fresh ingredients purchased at the local market. Rarely could you find food cans in our cupboards, we didn’t have a freezer, and if you ever been to Europe you know how small their refrigerators are. Eating right was normal for my parents, and generations before them, and is a lifestyle choice for me still today. We do have a freezer, but it is mostly filled with veggies and fruits and ethically raised organic meats, not with processed garbage. I concede that making those choices is easy for me because I never acquired a taste for junk food, but also because I always, from a very young age, was keenly interested in nutrition and have an understanding what crap-consumption does to people.
My interest in pet food came a little later in life, and was triggered by a holistic therapy course I attended in Frankfurt/Germany. Although it dealt with nutrition for humans, it had a thought-provoking aspect that prompted me to research pet food thoroughly for quite some time afterwards.
The instructors, a middle-aged couple, were raw foodists and vegans, which means they neither cooked nor consumed anything of animal origin. Instead, their diet consisted of tree-ripened fruits they had flown in directly from a wholesaler somewhere in the tropics twice a week, organic veggies, a variety of nuts and seeds, and sprouted grains. And did it ever work for them. I rarely met someone, before or after, who radiated such vibrancy. In their tow was an 8-year-old Hovawart – Hovawart is a German, retriever-size guard dog breed – who, and this is the astounding part, ate the same foods. Once a day he was offered a platter of assorted fruits from which he picked what he wanted, and to that his people added a handful of pre-chewed nuts and an egg. The raw egg was the only difference between what humans and pooch thrived on. Yes, thrived. The dog was as glowingly healthy as his people.
That humans do well on plenty of fresh produce is common knowledge. But dogs? A diet such as this can hardly be described as species correct. Or can it? Dogs’ species-correct diet, specifically raw vs. cooked and grain vs. grain free, is subject of many heated debates. Let’s have a closer look.

Many scientists agree that dog domestication began because of food. Increasingly more waste, the byproduct of early human settlements, attracted and kept them voluntarily in human proximity. I wrote about feral dogs being garbage dump scavengers before.
Human waste was what “dog” evolved on. Initially they foraged and many still do, but at one point some were deliberately fed scraps; meals that humans prepared for themselves but didn't entirely consume, or purposely shared when a canine was useful in one way or another and they wanted to secure his loyalty and wellbeing. Let’s keep in mind that until about 60 or 70 years ago almost every part of a slaughtered animal was used for human consumption. When I grew up we had lung, tripe and heart stew, fried brain, smoked tongue, and liver. There is still steak and kidney pie, ox-tail soup, and a Slavic dish made of pickled pig feet, snout and tail. Bones made stock, and cleaned intestines sausage casings, including blood sausage. Historically there was not much raw leftovers for dogs to have. Humans cooked since there are dogs, and humans that cook have cooked waste. Logically, the biological correct diet for dogs is cooked. Raw is wolves’ ancestral diet.
Before you raw food aficionados jump me, let me clarify that have nothing against raw, but I have a lot against trickery. Regrettably, the commercial raw food industry, like the kibble one, follow the same profit driven principle: take unsellable to humans, inferior and isolated, foodstuffs and market it for pets. In a society – ours – in which people desire lean and de-boned choice cuts of meat, and where soups and stocks are concocted in a laboratory, there are ample surplus animal parts: carcasses, fatty poultry backs and necks, offal and bones with bits of meat on it. And wouldn’t you know, conveniently exactly that becomes the dog’s ancestral, thus appropriate, diet? I don’t think so. I opine that both kibble, promoted as scientifically researched and balanced, and raw, promoted as evolutionary correct, have no merit and can be harmful.
A natural diet for dogs is to eat what we eat. It is diverse, and changes with seasons and regions, and there great latitude in feeding a dog right. A natural diet consists of a variety of protein, fat and carbohydrates and yes, can include grains. The delicate undertaking is figuring out what works best in what ratio for the individual dog.
I know, I said I wouldn’t talk about biochemical individuality, and I won’t other than that one man’s food is another man’s poison – Roman healer Lucretius figured that out 2000 years ago, and I like to add “dog” to that. Poison not only on a physical, but also behavioral level. Take protein for example.
Many of my clients’ dogs are on a popular high in protein kibble or raw food. Obviously, most of my clients’ have trouble with their pooches, otherwise they wouldn’t have hired me. The connection? Some studies suggest that lowering protein can take the edge off behavioral problems. It might have something to do with the neurotransmitter dopamine, correlated with protein, that is involved in recognizing detail changes, fires up at the sight of familiar things that are important - both positive and negative, and is responsible for seeking and anticipatory behavior. Dogs as a species are already detail specific, but some are especially reactive to any change and overreact when startled; some are hypersensitive to sensory stimuli and trigger with every sound and motion, and some are intensely zoned in on the environment at the expense of staying connected to the handler. Whenever I meet a dog  where any or all of the above is an issue, I recommend a food that is not higher than 30% protein.
Remember the Hovawart? He consumed very little protein, and against common sense thrived. I am convinced that the only reason why he did was because the ingredients were top-notch. I am not saying that you have to import organic fruits to keep your pooch in shape – although the thought to move somewhere where they grow is pleasant enough to explore more sometime in the future, but you should pay attention to ingredients. Ingredients are key. How to sort the good from the bad will be the focus of the next two posts. Look for it in mid, and the end of May.

The Wonderful World of Dog Sports

It might surprise you that I never seriously pursued dog sports. Many of my trainer colleagues and friends do, but I, as an introvert, am not always comfortable in groups, and I am also not competitive, at least not recreationally. Professionally I am – nicely competitive, not ruthlessly competitive. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Medals mean nothing to me, and I don’t feel collective pride when a national athlete runs a tenth of a second faster than the fella from another country. I really don’t give a rat’s tail about who scores what goals in whatever sport, with the exception of soccer. Every four years I’m rooting for Germany to win the world championship. But all in all, I don’t get what the point is regarding the world of human sports, and I don’t get it regarding dogs either, especially because success doesn’t necessarily mean that pooch or person function well in other social settings.
That said, professionally working with dogs makes me naturally curious about all aspects of behavior and the human/dog relationship. In the past, I hung my nose in Rally O’, Freestyle, Herding, Tracking and a little Agility and Flyball.
Of the above, I liked herding and tracking the best, perhaps because I participated with dogs that had a natural aptitude for it. Watching them shine was incredibly rewarding for me, and I like to believe equally pleasurable for my poochies.
Will was a fantastic people finder in the Canadian Rockies, and still gets to track regularly because it can be done indoors and outside, on walks and in the yard, with objects and people, and for life. A search can be orchestrated in a way that not strenuous for an older, and perhaps physically compromised dog.
Regular herding is more of a challenge. Sheep or turkeys in need to being controlled and collected are harder to come by for the average dog-owning city slicker, and that’s why many dogs belonging to the herding group – dogs that are becoming increasingly more popular with the general public, never get to do what they were born to, and that is a shame. But thanks to brainy Germans there is an alternative now: a new dog sport called Treibball. “Treib” means to drive, to propel, to impel forward, and “ball” is ball. Treibball, which is spreading in North America like wildfire, is also called urban herding, and perhaps the next best thing to the real thing, even though the dogs aren’t taught space balance, an aspect I quite like about the real thing.
For Treibball, all one needs are inflatable balls, a field or hall, and a net, or even just a couple of pylons will do to visually mark the space the dog is meant to push the balls in.
The easy set-up makes this sport very attractive, and I see a bright future.
But presently it is the agility ring where you find many border collies, and increasingly more papillons; the beautiful looking and brilliant little dogs with big ears I like to call the collies of the toys. Agility is possibly the most popular sport, at least where I live, but requires a ton of equipment: jumps, tunnels, A-frames... you are probably familiar with it. It also requires quite a bit of handler coordination, which is something that is also not in my nature, and part of the reason why Davie and I quit after one course. The other part was that Davie was losing her mind in that highly charged up environment. We did Rally O’ instead.
Rally O’ is obedience, but in a much more positive way. Dogs learn all the common commands and then navigate a set course similar to agility, but instead of obstacles each station requires to perform the command it says on the sign. It is a lot of fun, slower paced than agility, but what I love most is its real-world application. Who doesn’t need a solid down drop and come around distractions, or a good heel.
Despite the title “Fun and Games”, advanced obedience was also the objective of the course by that name one of my friends offered regularly. We did distance work, down drop on a dime – literally - we still have the paper dime we won because Davie landed on it perfectly, position stays while other dogs played, and much more.
Next to herding and tracking, I’d say that was our favorite class, and I wondered for a while why we loved it so much, and the answer is because there was zero pressure. I should point out that Davie was our first dog entirely trained and treated without force and corrections, but still, depending on fellow class participants and/or instructors; depending who was watching, the performance pressure I felt was very real. It was not that anybody ever laid that on me, but I felt it anyway, and subsequently my sensitive and perceptive dog did, and responded with losing focus, barking, and fooling around. The anxiety I exuded, she absorbed.

Pressure in the sport circuit is quite common. For people and dogs. One might expect that such activities are automatically pleasurable for the dog, but that is not always the case. Some folks, after accolades and ribbons at all cost, train with force and pain, choke and prong collar. Others deprive their dog of all other social interactions to build drive. But even caring, positive and relationship-oriented owners can fall prey to pressure and, even if just temporarily, lose sight of the “dog” part in dog sports. Impressing others is human nature, and that can be especially true when competitors are also trainers, and even more so when they deliberately selected a “dog sport puppy” and cognitively “done-everything-right-from-the-start”. Folks who own rescues at least have the excuse that  insecurities stemming from the pooch’s past are to blame for less than stellar performances, but even then their colleagues and clients are watching - and judging, cause that is also human nature. Being under critical surveillance, even if it’s just imagined, creates the kind of stress that lead to actions that are not necessarily in the dog’s best interest.
That is the reason why some people choose to not compete at all. Me in the past, and a man in Lithuania whose video clip of his amazingly schutzhund trained Malinois I saw last year. I wish I could find it again to share with you, but no luck locating it, not even via superb and positive dog trainer Jonas Valancius’ site - the person the Mal owner trained with. If any of you have it, forward the link please, will you?
Schutzhund is protection work: precision obedience, agility, tracking, retrieving and attacking, all wrapped in one. It is incredible to watch, but sadly often harshly trained. Especially in North America it’s the rare Mal spared the shock collar. Anyway, that fellow opted for clicker-free positive reinforcement, with permission to bite being the reward, and his dog looked as sharp as Malinois on video clips typically do. Yet, he refuses to compete. He says that having fun and working daily in partnership with his dog is his priority, and feels that it would be in danger of getting lost. I admire this guy for having such a clear vision what he wants, and sticks to it. I also admire my friends who are owners and trainers, and do compete while never losing sight of that teamwork.

Lately, thanks to a few deeply in dog sport involved clients, and thanks to friends who opened up opportunities for me to get a closer look into agility, I am beginning to understand what the attraction is. Recently I spent a weekend at a trial helping a friend with her gorgeous border collie, and it was a weekend being engulfed in a community that has a collective purpose that includes dogs; a weekend filled watching skilled performances, and I felt the excitement, and it left me pumped. The energy was palpable and contagious. I felt I needed my own new dog and participate – be a part of the wonderful world of dog sports.
Perhaps I’ll slip out of my comfort zone and compete with our, still obscure, next pooch. But foremost I want what I always wanted, and what the majority of my clients envision: The companionship of a well-mannered canine I can take anywhere dogs are allowed to go. My absolute favorite pastimes that trump anything else are off-leash walks and hikes in multi-use parks, trails and beaches, and road tripping and sightseeing with a dog in tow. Exploring my Umwelt makes no sense to me without one.
Hence, it’ll be acclimatizing to all things part of our pup’s world first, obedience commands useful for successfully functioning together second, and dog sports third. What we will pursue depends on what she likes and has talent for. Treibball looks appealing to me, disc does as well. Especially hubby Mike seemed keen when we watched a trial not too long ago. Perhaps agility as well at one point, for the simple fact that I have friends I like and would love to train with and learn from. Although I trust their knowledge and experience explicitly, I might add some of my own variations. For example, I am a reluctant tugger and believe it arouses many dogs too much – not all, but some are so charged up that the brain shuts down.
Based on hearing about, and watching dogs leave the ring and equipment to either snarl at a nemesis or greet a friend, I would also teach and enforce, from the very beginning, a solid “ignore anybody whenever we are working”, behavior. Socializing, greeting and playing I’d allow everywhere but the facility or around equipment, so that NOT paying attention to any dog in particular circumstances becomes a habit.
I will also make sure, despite all the fun we will have, to supply sufficient rest periods. That is also based on experience, seeing some dogs doing so many structured activities that they can’t truly chill out anymore, but are either on or crash, and when on are restless and fidgety like micromanaged children.
Whatever tickles your fancy, whatever your pooch enjoys, dog sport can be a fabulous way to stay in shape, mentally and physically, especially during winter in colder climates. Just make sure that your dog, the other half of the team, has a say in it.

The 7-Day Cat Project

Last month, our friends asked us if we would house and cat sit while they were on a weeklong vacation. They are friends who are also neighbors, and who own an absolutely beautiful, enchanting woodlot a stone-throw away from our house, and we have permission to explore whenever we like. Our house sits on a measly and boring 1-acre lot, theirs on about a 100 and is surrounded by crown land. The property is, so to say, our own private off-leash hiking trail, and it was easy for us to say yes because it is so close and we’re often there anyway. In fact, I was happy that we’d have the chance to be useful and reciprocate their generosity. But being there anyway also meant that Will would be in tow – and prior to that week I had little information how she'd behave in close proximity to a kitty.

The Background:

Will never lived with a cat since we own her, almost for 10 years now. She might have had cat experience in her third foster home she left when she was 5 months old, and she occasionally sees one roaming outside.

Will knows the property and associates it with pleasure.

Will also knows our friends, and in all likelihood smelled the cats’ scent on them, and also on us whenever we come home from having dinner at their place. Although she was never inside their house or encountered the cats, I hoped that there was enough familiarity to prevent that the novel components would overwhelm her.

Will is a drama queen, but her default is shutting down, not aggressing.

She is soft-mouthed and has great bite inhibition. Although she does chase squirrels, the occasional hare and yes, also a roaming cat every so often, she does so half-heartedly, playfully, without the determination of a predator. Therefore, I didn’t expect her to zone in on the cats with the intent to kill. In addition, Will differentiates between in- and outside. Born feral and imprinted by the great outdoors, she has always been much more confident there, and cautious whenever surrounded by walls.

Will seeks information from me when she is in doubt or in conflict, and follows my prompts.

I am in tune with her and can read her like a book.

She has been exposed to many new situations throughout her life: traveling with us, moving across country, meeting new people and dogs. Although she was never inside that particular house, she’s been in the homes of other friends. So, a new experience in itself is familiar, and following me into an unknown to her building is as well.

Will trusts me explicitly, I believe because I proved to her time and again that I am trustworthy; that no matter what, I have her back and our relationship with each other won’t change. Socializing is important, but equally important, if not more so, is the relationship between dog and owner. Ideally a dog should have both: exposure to novel situations and trusting a person’s decision. It is critical, because it is impossible to socialize to all eventualities a dog could be faced with in a lifetime.

Our friends’ 2 cats are exclusively kept inside the house. One, Mandrake is very social and knows me – I always play little training games for cat treats when we visit. I anticipated that he’d appear pretty much right away. The other, Hunter, is feral-like and would probably stay out of sight the whole week.

The cats are used to a dog. They lived with a female German shepherd until she died at the ripe old age of 13 a couple of years ago. There was no animosity between the cats and their dog; they got along marvelously.

I know a lot about dogs and behavior, but nothing about cats’ idiosyncrasies.

Based on all of that, and with our friends’ consent, I decided to bring Will into the house.

This is how the 7 days unfolded.

Day 1 – A Saturday, which means that hubby Mike was able to join us. Because it was the first day we expected Will and Mandrake to encounter each other, the extra set of hands relaxed me. If need be, I could get Will out the door while Mike would scoop up Mandrake and out of harms way. Will waiting outside was a viable alternative for the whole week.

As predicted, shortly after we entered Mandrake gracefully mosied down the stairs, but instantly stopped in his stride the moment he saw us, perhaps not expecting US when he heard the door opened, and probably stunned to see Will, who he focused on; and she on him, but neither animal made a move toward the other. Will’s mouth clamped up, but her body wasn’t tense and she was continuously switching between looking at me and Mandrake, instead of visually locking on the cat only. Not a bad initial moment.

The first thing I did was clean the litter box in the upstairs bathroom, and I took the leashed Will with me. A cat’s litter box is scent-sensory overload; information in large print, and I thought it might help Will to make sense of it all. Using her nose is something she loves, and I also let her sniff the cat toys, and water and food dishes, but didn’t allow her to help herself to anything, including “food” from the litter box.

Mandrake followed in a 4-5 feet distance. I closed the bathroom door to lock him out while I cleaned to prevent that he and Will would be cramped into a small space. After we were done, Will followed me back downstairs and because she ignored the cat, I dropped the leash. So, that was about 5 minutes in. Mandrake followed the leash, sniffing the far end, so 6 feet away from the dog. I don’t know anything about cats and was surprised that he, too, was collecting intelligence through his nose, and obviously also understood that even though Will looks-wise somewhat resembled the dog he lived with, that she was a different one.

Back downstairs, Mandrake lost interest in the leash and zoned in on his food dish, meowing for more and looking at me to supply it. What a clever communicator. I complied, and also handed Will a few pieces, while repeating Mandrake’s name. My aim was that by explaining that it was “Mandrake” litter box, “Mandrake” food, and “Mandrake” treats she could have a few of, that she would learn to associate the word with the cat and feel good about both.

We ended the morning with me tossing Mandrake’s favorite treats across the kitchen and living room floors for him to pounce after, while giving Will a few for an impeccable down stay. Chasing cat treats is his favorite game, and I hoped it would alleviate anxiety he might feel because his people were gone. It was also one more opportunity to reward Will, with the goal that she’d begin to feel that not just the outside woodlot was great news, but inside the house, including the cat, was too. And it had one more benefit: With Will safely leashed, I was able to get an idea how she’d react to a cat that is animated. She didn’t try to chase, and I felt it wasn’t because she was leash-wise. I thanked her with verbal praise – and one last cat treat.

(To get a clear indication how a dog reacts to cats, the dog must see the cat in motion: running, pouncing and jumping. So, for example during a shelter assessment it is not enough to have a cat in a crate or the arms of a person. A dog who is unperturbed by that could react differently in a home where cats do cat things.)

What an awesome first day. No fletching teeth, no growls, no snaps and a brilliant kitty who was curious about Will, but at the same time cautious and keeping his distance.

But Will did have a poop as soon as we got back outside - a sign that she was stressed.

Day 2 – Sunday, and again Mike accompanied us. We told Will that we’d visit Mandrake as soon as we entered the property, and several times during the walk up to the house. Will knows the cue “find” to locate something or someone, and loves that game, and we said “Find Mandrake” to create some anticipatory happiness.

The cat showed up within seconds of us entering. Will was on leash, and we followed the routine of the previous day, except Mandrake insisted on supervising the litter box cleaning, which put dog and cat in a very close space. I let him hang with us for a little while, but then gently encouraged him out the door and closed it behind him, and thus rewarded Will for a relaxed down-stay beside me with creating space for her. As soon as I opened the door Mandrake scooted back in, seemingly not at all worried about being close to Will. He followed us down the stairs, tail high, purring and rubbing himself against me, but also strutting much closer to Will than the day before.

Back downstairs, and like the previous day, Mandrake vocally bugged me to renew his food. Will already had a clue what I was about to do, and having had a taste of yummy cat kibble the day before she followed me excitedly, with a wagging tail and open mouth smile, to the pantry. What I wanted to foster, that cat sitting was great, was taking shape.

I gave her a few pieces while we stood next to Mandrake, watching him eat. No longer than a couple of minutes later he switched his interest from food to Will and sniffed her butt - and I was again surprised to discover a cat exhibiting a behavior typical for dogs – and then proceeded to rub alongside Will’s legs and her chest, purring loudly.

I watched Will like a hawk for any changes in her body language, not at all sure if she was ready to take the relationship to the next level. Although her body stayed fluid, her mouth clamped up, which was my cue to change the situation.

Out came the cat treats. Tossing one would drive Mandrake away from her playfully and release pressure, but because the brief body-touch moments didn’t provoke an intense reaction, I mixed in a few tricks both animals knew so that Will would become increasingly more comfortable with an affection-seeking Mandrake. We shot a little video clip you can see here. I admit it is not stellar quality, but hope you'll enjoy it anyway.

Day 2 finished on a high note, but Will had another poop once outside, and excitedly danced around. Despite the treats, she was happy to leave.

Day 3 – Monday, and our first day without Mike, but I felt confident that we could swing it no problem without his extra set of eyes and hands.

Mandrake, too, was more confident and greeted us at the door the moment we walked in, seemingly knowing when we’d be arriving. Cats like routine, our friends explained before they left, and they were right. I would pay special attention to predictably being on time for the rest of the week.

Unlike the previous 2 days, the kitty ignored me and bee-lined straight for Will, rubbing against her, then sniffing her butt, then purringly weaving in and out of her legs with every step she took. I know that space infractions are an issue for Will, like they are for many herding dogs, and I kept a close eye on her body language, but she stayed fluid, mouth open and relaxed, and alternating between sniffing Mandrake’s butt and moving away from him. I dropped the leash to give her more leeway.

Again, we did the litter box first, and again I closed the door, locking Mandrake out for a couple of minutes and thereby giving Will space.

Food, treats and training games happened the same way as the day before, in the same sequence, but because Mike wasn’t there it was up to me to feed the birds outside, which required opening the garage and patio doors. I asked Will to follow me, not feeling quite comfortable enough yet to leave dog and cat unsupervised. Will complied without question, and Mandrake cooperated as well and didn’t even try to dart out the open door. That was one of my worries: that he’d read me correctly as a cat-dense human and escape. But he didn’t.

More purring, weaving and rubbing against Will for the remainder of our time there, and I was beginning to think that perhaps Mandrake needs a dog.

More excited yipping and bouncing from Will once we were back outside, but no stress poop this time. The encounters with the cat-kind were becoming less difficult for her.

Day 4 – Mandrake appears to be resource guarding. He – they (I hope that Hunter eats as well when we are not there), is a messy eater and there are kibble crumbs all around the food dish Will was eager to hoover up right after we entered - I unclip her leash now, but every attempt she made Mandrake blocked. He literally pounced on the fragment Will sought out, hovered over it but didn’t eat it. He just didn’t want her to have it, the little brat-cat. I know dominance is a word to be avoided in some circles, but situational dominance is the only explanation I can come up with for Mandrake’s behavior in that context. He was relentless, and Will let out a little growl. For the first time she told the cat to knock it off, and gave me valuable information that she couldn’t deal with the situation. I solved the problem with giving Mandrake new food, collecting the pieces myself and hand-feeding them to Will. Two content animals – and the only growl for the rest of the week.

So, feeding was what we did first on day 4, and then we cleaned the litter box. On the way down the stairs, Mandrake again weaved in and out of Will’s legs, crisscrossing in front of her, and I wondered if he was socially affectionate, or controlling; making a “my house my rules” point. If the latter is true, it indicates social dominance as well, but he was purring doing it, so I don’t know. In any case, behavior floats my boat and I was intrigued and fascinated observing Mandrake – and Will who tried to step around him. She seemed relaxed again, tolerating a bit of an obnoxious Mandrake, but I still took her outside with me when I fed the birds. She was happy to come along, sniffed where the deer had been, and tolled around to get some squirrels moving.

We ended our visit with more tricks for treats, and I taught Mandrake a new word: Pass auf, which is German for “watch it”, and was meant to alert him that another treat was about to come flying. So, he had to lose his focus on one treat, sharpen his senses, and locate another I threw out. He learned quickly.

Day 5 – Nothing new happened. Perhaps I should have titled this post “The 4-Day Cat Project”. Nothing, except Will pointed out barf hidden the folds of a blanket on the sofa I would never have found. Thanks Will – it allowed me to clean it up before it started to stink up the house.

Day 6 – Mandrake and Will are very fluid with one another now. He is given her space, and Will is super relaxed without needing to be reminded. Mandrake is still resource guarding the food fragments, but Will doesn't try anymore to snatch them up and instead waits until I collected them to give to her. They are meshing so nicely that I felt I could leave them unsupervised for a couple of minutes while feeding the birds. I was correct: peeking in the window confirmed that Will was not at all stressed, and Mandrake completely safe.

Day 7 – And our last one. I’ll miss our time with cool-dude Mannie. Will Will? I am not sure how she feels about cats now? She might envy them, though. The jumping power, the treats he gets that obviously taste better than anything she ever had before, and the fact that he has unlimited and unsupervised access to the litter box.

Maclean's Article: When did crating your dog become a crime

When Maclean's asked me to contribute to an article about tethering dogs, I was beyond thrilled. I mean, it’s Maclean's calling. I was elated and appreciated the opportunity to have my voice heard in our national mag. The article is on the shelves now, and you can find it here.

It, the comments, and a radio interview with Charles Adler at CJOB 68 in Winnipeg that followed on March 19, you can find it on itunes under “the-new charlesadler.com/id319988668”, provoked me to open my mouth some more, or rather put my fingertips to the laptop.

Let me start by saying that I am not unhappy with the article, even though I doubt it’ll advance dogs’ welfare. I am not unhappy because at least it might get a broader discussion started. I reckon a national mag has to point out opposing views, be balanced so to say, and I speculate because I don’t know for sure. I am not a journalist, but when I talked with Alex Ballingall, the author of the article, my impression was that his interest was genuine, and yet the article, I feel, fell a bit short in exposing the reality of permanently confined dogs.

The title: “When did crating your dog become a crime”, was the first thing that annoyed me. I understand that a headline is supposed to draw readers in, but did it really have to be one that implies that a bunch of animal rights activists are out to criminalize dog owners for safekeeping the pup in a crate for a couple hours? And just to clarify, I am neither involved with PETA, nor an animal rights activist. You could say I am someone who respects all life, but has a very strong affinity for dogs. I am a dog advocate because I live with them and know their potential, and at the same time witness their suffering when humans mistreat them.

Mistreatment comes in many forms, but certainly includes solitary confinement on chains, and in crates and dog runs. Day in and day out, and at night, and for life is the reality for many dogs in North America.

There are 5 within a 15-minute walking distance from our home, which is situated on an acre lot, typical for our bedroom community of about 1000. One dog is chained, three are in tiny dog runs, and one in a larger fenced yard. None of them has a dog buddy outside, and none of them has a working job, but they are all fed, have water and a doghouse. There was one more chained dog, a German shepherd, but she was euthanized a couple of years ago because she “suddenly” turned vicious and attacked her owner: “Something wrong with her brain”, he said seemingly perplexed. She was 4 when she died.

The dogs in our ‘hood resemble the majority of dogs that are kept outside, and thereby segregated from the rest of the family. Most are not livestock guardians, herding border collies or driving cattle dogs, or happily running sled dogs you see on tourist brochures. Unlike these working dogs, the ones Joe Frontporch owns and keeps outside lack purpose and mental stimulation. They are usually alone, without the companionship of other animals, and they are denied social acceptance, inclusion and guidance, crucial for any social animal. Dogs like that have very poor welfare, even if they get physical exercise; fence chasing, charging after things whatever distance the chain allows, or running behind the pickup truck or ATV on a Saturday afternoon, can’t take the place of quality actions and interactions with members of the social group who owns him.

Unattended dogs are often taunted: deliberately by youngsters, or inadvertently by passersby, other dogs or wildlife. That instills fear and anxiety, and when it happens a lot the dog is sensory overwhelmed, becomes hypersensitive to any movements or sounds, and is in a constant aroused state expressed in reactive barking and lunging.

And that is not all. Dogs given a choice, and before they are damaged by life’s experiences, want to get closer to someone they see: to play, to greet, or to investigate. They seek to collect intelligence what this or that person or dog is all about, what meaning s/he has. A chain and fence disrupt that natural behavior, and if the dog is fitted with a choke or shock collar he, in addition, feels pain in association to people and dogs. Pain on home turf destroys a dog’s sense of safety, and lack of control causes restraint frustration, and extreme frustration is anger. The result: the initially friendly or curious dog becomes aggressive. When those dogs break free, and that happens more often than you might think, the risk is high that they chase, attack and inflict injury. Chained dogs are rarely trained, so won’t come on recall or heed any commands.

Of course, dogs forced to live outside are subject to the elements. Unless they hide away in their doghouse all day, they are exposed to scorching heat and freezing cold, hail, rain, snow and ice-pellets – and insects. In rural Nova Scotia black flies appear in May, sometimes earlier in the year, are followed by mosquitos and then pestering deer flies. Quinn, the dog mentioned in the article, had many infected sore spots all over his body. Biting and scratching, initially triggered by an itch, often turn into an unceasing, self-soothing habit the dog continues in the absence of insects.

Such neurotic, obsessive behaviors that include spinning and self-mutilation are also common with dogs that are crated for hours on end. The worst I witnessed was an adolescent border collie, surrendered to the humane society I volunteered with, who had chewed part of his tail off. An industrious dog bred to work, he was unfortunate to be born to the kind of breeder who doesn’t give a damn about his puppies and sold him to a family who didn’t have enough time for goldfish. They crated him for 10 hours a day, and all night, and drove him to insanity.

Around the same time two other dogs were surrendered: 18 months old littermate Australian shepherds. A local agility trainer acquired them for the sole purpose of competing in that sport, and kept them in separate crates unless he trained them. The puppies weren’t allowed to play with one another, and deprived of interaction with anyone else. When they failed to meet the owner’s expectations, he got rid of the two, by then completely socially incompetent dogs, and bought another pup.

People, not chains, inflict cruelty, was Shannon DeBruin’s opposing argument in the interview with Charles Adler with CJOB. True, but chains, and no law that prohibits or restricts their use, make it really easy for people to neglect and abuse a dog. Ms. DeBruin is a breeder and sled dog operator, and I think it is evident why she wants to keep the status quo. Chained dogs are her livelihood. I have no financial interest one way or another; just care about dogs I see, and trainers everywhere see, and humane societies see - and she might not see because it is not the crowd she hangs with. I want to state unequivocally that I don’t make a judgment about Ms. DeBruin. I never met her and have no idea how she keeps her dogs, but how some sled dog operations are run we all got to see in 2011, when the slaughter of 100 dogs in Whistler, British Columbia made the news.

What to do with chained dogs when their humans don’t want them any longer opens up another can of worms. Life circumstances sometimes compel people to find a new home for their pooch, but dogs owned by folks who made the deliberate decision to deny training, deny socializing, and generally deny what a dog needs to become a good canine citizen, are much harder to place.

These dogs are mentally and emotionally damaged: aggressive, reactive, anxious and skittish, and often afraid of anything new. Neophobia is the reason why a dog is unwilling to enter a house after he’s been rescued. It is not that he LOVES his solitary life outside more than being part of the family, but rather that it is the only life he knows. Dogs don’t daydream of a better tomorrow. They don’t think conceptually what life could/should be like, so crappy as it is on a chain, it is familiar, and everything unfamiliar scary.

Behaviorally problematic dogs owned by unscrupulous humans are shot behind the barn or let loose in the country. People with somewhat of a conscience attempt to make the mess they created somebody else’s problem and might place an ad on Kjiji: “Free to a good, loving home. Realized we don’t have the time our dog deserves.” Often they find a naïve, kind-hearted soul who takes pity, and if all goes well has the financial and intellectual means to rehabilitate.

Many dogs end up at a SPCA or rescue group, together with seized sled dogs who lost their job, and puppy mill brood bitches that are no longer profitable or sellable because the local pet store stopped selling dogs. The dilemma with an anti-tethering law is that it possibly would create an even bigger strain on these cash-strapped organizations. When a law forces owners to make changes how they treat their dog or else he’ll be seized, I bet that most opt for the latter. These type of humans are also unlikely candidates to contribute some money to the dog’s future care. That is left to others: the generous donating public, and staff and volunteers that tend to the physical and emotional needs these dogs have. Good foster homes do wonders and patiently bring out the trusting and attentive companion, the dog every dog is meant to be and has the potential to become. But it can take time: weeks or months.

Living with a dog in the house and including him as a member of the family has nothing do to with anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to non-humans. That is silly, but I was not surprised to find that word in the article. It is often used by people who recognize suffering, but rather not deal with it. Sure, dogs are a different species. Yes, they have different drives and rituals, sniff butts or might find poop tasty, but the fact is that they share most of our hormones, neurotransmitters, nervous system and brain structures. Thus, it is illogical to believe they wouldn’t feel pain, fear and anxiety, frustration and anger, sadness, defeat and perhaps even depression. They do, and they clearly communicate it with vocalizations and in their body language, visible to anyone who cares to listen and look.

Dogs also share our Umwelt; our lives and theirs are intertwined, but they are the ones who are dependent on us. A welfare law is there to ensure that people acknowledge their responsibility toward the dependent they chose.

Lobbying for an anti-tethering law is not about forcing cattle rancher Tom to bring his heeler into the bivouac at night. It is not about criminalizing people who let their pooch play in the yard, tether him while they work in the garden or read a book in the lawn chair, or use a crate to help housetrain the puppy. That is even sillier than accusing compassionate humans of anthropomorphism.

What it is about is putting a stop to continuous chaining and permanent confinement that forces the dog to exist lifelong without aspects critical for his wellbeing: social inclusion, emotional safety and mental stimulation. Presently, where I live, there is nothing I can do to help the 5 dogs in my neighborhood, because there isn’t a welfare law that actually cares about dogs’ welfare. And that needs to change.

Thanks, Scott Saunders for getting the ball rolling, and thanks Alex and Maclean's, for caring enough to run the story and furthering the discussion - hopefully.

Chase, Predation and Aggression

When Davie was 5 months old, 4 weeks after we had rescued her, she chased and nipped a jogger in the multi-use off-leash park we visited often. I was still fairly green then, and her action not only completely took me by surprise, but also concerned me. Was she an aggressive dog? As it turned out, in a different context she was that too, but her chase‘n’connect had nothing to do with aggression.

Aggression, in a broad sense, is a forceful, hostile action to make an object or subject disappear: drive it away or eliminate. Although that is the intent sometimes when dogs go after things, often it is not.

Harming or getting rid of the jogger was not the reason why Davie charged after him, and it is not why most dogs chase. To the contrary, they want to catch up, decrease distance, make it halt. To eat it? Is the chase drive predation? Not exactly either.

In ecology, predation is an interaction between two species in which one hunts and consumes the other. Although some dogs do consume a small animal they manage to catch, as a species they don’t hunt for food, but live on what humans provide – purposely when they fill the bowl with kibble twice a day, or unintentionally by leaving food waste behind. Even feral dogs prefer garbage to hunting prey, and only kill if there isn’t enough waste. During a three-year field study that observed a feral dog group, they were observed to break into a chicken coop twice, and hunted a red fox once - unsuccessfully. They did scavenge on already dead farm animals. (When livestock was killed, it was done by owned dogs, not feral groups.) They were playful with horses.

So, when dogs chase, despite common belief, it is neither aggression because the intent is catching up, perhaps even interacting, not getting rid of, nor predation because the kill’n’eat part is missing. What is it then? Play? Yes, indeed. Running away or towards is perceived as a strong play signal the dog, instinctively, responds to with chasing or darting off. Movement gets most dogs’ attention, and chasing after it is a strong biological impulse.

But now it gets complicated: although chase is play in its nature, it can result in injury and even death. During normal play, there is a behavior cycle of: arousing, running and calming. There is a brief pause after a chase, and play signals that start it up again. Some dogs, though, don’t play right. They lack self-control, become frustrated if they’re too slow, or so worked up that they lose inhibition and are handler unresponsive. Then, play quickly changes into something drastically more serious: all aspects of predation except consumption: catch up – hold on – rip – kill, but not eat. In addition, such out-of-control hyperarousal is contagious, which means that other dogs might join in a pack-like fashion, like humans do in a mob.

That predatory drift can also kick in if a socially inept, or small dog, panics during a social encounter and runs, yelps, squeals or struggles, and sadly also when young children run, screech, flail their arms or mock-fall. There was an incident a few years ago in Alberta in which two otherwise well-mannered German shepherds grabbed a toddler they knew, and were never aggressive with before, by the neck and killed him.

Having that awareness, the question arises if we should allow dogs to chase at all? I mean, we love to watch them having fun, but are they strengthening predatory skills? Are we fostering a heightened sensitivity to everything in motion? A trait some dogs are genetically already prone to.

In my opinion, good welfare includes running and playing; dogs have to be able to feel their legs every so often. Withholding it is denying them part of their nature. The crucial ingredient that prevents that play gets out of “paw” is, once again, training.

Davie’s jogger problem was quickly solved with a ball and Frisbee. We also worked on halt – my “freeze right where you are and wait till I get there” command, and on impulse control when she played with other dogs.

Herding is structured chase, and working dogs are extremely well trained and have a solid not-chase switch: a slow-move, halt or down position they wait in until released again. The dog knows that access to the flock, or herd, is controlled by the handler, and because he really really wants to be on the stock, the motivation to be receptive to and obey the human’s directions is high. Herding dog breeds, working or not, are inherently attentive to their people, and fairly easy to train. Davie was no exception. She was extremely biddable and eager to please us, and agreeable to chasing a ball instead of charging after running humans. Like the human shepherd who makes access to sheep contingent on the dog’s behavior, I controlled access to the ball. Sticks are everywhere, and that allows the dog to control the game. With a toy, the game is always under the person’s control, not the dog’s.

As a side-note, do not play laser games. It is a sure-fire way to make a dog a neurotic light seeker and chaser. In a flash he’ll fixate and react to TV flickers, light shining through blinds, doors that open and close, ceiling fans, and shadows.

Remotivation can be a little harder to attain when a dog has a one-track mind and is zoned in on the environment and reactive to wildlife or pets. The reinforcement for impulse control and obedience can’t be to chase a flighty animal, and yet that might be exactly the dog’s biggest motivator. Even then, with a combination of managing and coming up with something really special to reinforce NOT chasing - hint: a “good boy” and shoving a treat into his mouth likely won’t do, success is possible with most dogs.

I see nothing wrong allowing a well-trained dog to chase squirrels, provided it is safe for both animals. The pooch should not pull or whine, but offer attention and wait for a release command, and follow when his person walks on or at least come when called. A dog who is completely fixated, tuning everything else out and continuing to bark up the tree even when the squirrel is long gone, indicates that there is potential trouble brewing in other chase contexts as well.

Davie’s drive to chase was channeled into appropriate outlets and she never went after a person again for the rest of her life - or cyclists, skateboarders and cars. But she did kill once – a tame rat that unexpectedly appeared in our fenced-in yard. It was the day after we moved into our home. The previous owner did not own the rat, but had fed it regularly and did not inform us of its existence. The kill was not preceded by a chase, there was no arousal before and afterwards, and Davie didn’t try to eat it. She grabbed it by the neck, shook it, and then flung it at hubby Mike’s feet. It was: I belong here and you don’t. It was aggression.