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Welcome to FROM A DOG’S EYE VIEW.

I’m Susan Coleman, owner and head dog trainer of Cleveland Canine Concierge.

After 12 years implementing positive reinforcement techniques, I’ve experienced really easy and fun cases and also some really difficult ones.

At the end of the day, I’ve seen a lot of pet parents unknowingly communicate in a way that their dog doesn’t understand. It all really comes down to effectively communicating with your canine companion.

That’s why I’m on a mission to provide clear and accurate information about all things related to caring for your dog.

* From finding the right furry friend to empowering you to be the leader your dog needs you to be.

This podcast is for all dogs lovers- whether you’re a first timer or you’ve had dogs all your life.

Join me and my guests every other week as we help you identify common misunderstandings between human and dog while debunking some myths you may have found online.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode

(Bottom line) Dogs are simple when their owners have the right information.

P.S. Want more help with your dog? Give me a call at 440-570-9729 so we can address the issues you may be having.

Dogs learn skills from different sources. They learn from their humans and they learn from each other, if they are part of a pack of dogs. For this episode’s purpose, I am going to focus on how dogs learn from their humans and how integral our part in their learning process is. Our energy, our confidence, and our body language, all play a part in their success or failure to learn. What Gary and I are really teaching is the humans, and how to communicate across a species, in a manner that is positive and effective. The dogs are usually the easy part!

One of the first things to keep in the forefront of your mind while working with dogs is that you have to be the most important thing to your dogs for the right reason. If you aren’t fun and positive, why would they want to work for you? If you are always using a stern voice and giving very little praise with low enthusiasm, the dog isn’t as apt to follow your commands. As Gary always says, “You can’t phone it in”, meaning, you can’t fake it. If you pretend to be be fun or happy for your dog, your dog will pick up on this and not be as willing to work for you. From a dog’s eye view, you are not authentic. This leaves some doubt in the dog’s mind that you are not the leader they need. They really want to work for someone who knows what they are doing and has a confident air about them. Otherwise, they will hesitate and possibly lose interest in you.

From what I have learned, the only way to get the confidence needed to communicate with a dog is through practice. With the coaching of a professional dog trainer, you will be taught to carry yourself in a way that displays confident and calm body language. For example, if you are hunched over when communicating to your dog, this is a more submissive position than if you are standing straight up. What comes natural to you as you are working with your dog may be sending a more submissive signal to your dog because of your posture. On top of that, if you are hesitant or not comfortable with communicating, your dog will pick up on this and may not respond. If you are too assertive, you are crossing over the threshold of assertiveness to frustration. Now, your dog really won’t listen to you!

You have to do your homework and work on this calm and assertive energy. It was something that definitely did not come natural to me. However, when a professional pointed out to me to act like I am talking to my children when it is imperative that they do something, I adapted that energy more easily. When you really think about it, communicating with a dog is a skill. The only way to get better at a skill is to practice. It’s like learning how to play the piano. You have to be disciplined enough to practice on a consistent basis, you have to learn to read the notes, and you have to be open to being taught by a professional. You don’t just wake up one day and know how to play Beethoven’s 5th Symphony!

I see transformations in most clients after several sessions working with them. There has to be a willingness to learn and change the way they may have been communicating with their dog, in order for this transformation to happen. I love to see this because I also see how the dog responds to them. The dog starts looking to them for direction and helping them to solve what’s next for them. It’s so rewarding as a trainer to see that and I never get tired of witnessing it.

Along side of being important to your dog is you must have a way to mark their behavior as the one you are looking for. There has to be a reward base. Gary actually prefers the word “stimulate” over “reward”. Rewards can lock people into one thing - treats. It’s the first thing that comes to most people’s minds. If you are using treats, I always recommend having a few different types while always making sure they are healthy treats. The treats that are 100% of that ingredient, like freeze dried chicken or salmon, are great. The treat only has to be the size of a pea for the dog to work for it. Dogs can get tired of the same taste, so change it up if needed.

Rewards or stimuli can take on different forms. There can be a verbal stimulus. We all say “Good boy!” or “ Good girl!” When we say this, our energy is very positive. When I am doing repetitions of a particular skill, such as the “Down” command, I will say “Yes!” as soon as the dog is in the down position. Then, I will repeat “Good down” to reiterate the command, especially if they are in the process of learning the down behavior. The “Yes!” is also confirmation to the dog that this is what you are asking them to do.

Another reward can be a toy or playing tug with a toy. It is equally important to remember that not every dog is motivated by the same stimulus. My dog, Ebi, is more motivated by treats than by toys. Treats work very well with her in shaping behaviors. She may be motivated by a toy for a little bit, but not for as long as I need her to be when doing repetitions of a new behavior.

Gary’s dog is more motivated by playing tug and working until she gets to play that tug with him. She still enjoys treats, but they have a different effect on her than a game of tug does and she is motivated to work towards that reward. When Gary finishes a dog, that means the dog no longer needs a leash or collar. Gary and the dog are a team because they have practiced and completed so many repetitions of the same behavior under so many different distractions, that the dog knows exactly what he wants. He discovered how that dog understands and learns that skill and what keeps the dog motivated to learn. It is important to add that Gary makes sure he gears his training according to each dog’s drives and motivations.

Knowing what motivates your dog is key to the learning process.

Recognizing breed traits is very important in finding the right reward to match the energy of the dog. If you are working with a terrier with a high prey drive, you will not be able to sustain successful repetitions if your reward is to play tug with your dog. Better yet, a squeaky toy will not be the best reward for this type of dog either. It can ignite that prey drive and you will not have any luck in your training session. Now, all your dog will care about is that squeaky toy. They have passed the threshold of being able to give you a calm sit to vibrating with instinctual energy that will make them possibly lunge for that reward.

If you create so much excitement in the dog while completing your repetitions, it will take quite some time to calm him down. Remember, even if the dog is siting or in a down position, his brain is on the verge of exploding and working so hard to hold that sit or down position, that he forgets what you even wanted to teach him. There is a time and place to apply this type of highly excited energy to good use when training a dog to be a protection dog, for example. This cannot be achieved without also teaching the dog an “Off” switch. Gary will explain this more in detail in a different episode when we discuss training security, protection, police, and search and rescue dogs.

I will admit that after Ebi learned all her behaviors, I got pretty lax at being excited when she did what I asked her to do. I took it for granted that she would do these commands. At the same time, I had pretty much abandoned the treats, I didn’t feel they were necessary anymore. It took me working with Gary to point that out to me. Gary always says, “You like getting a paycheck from your employer, right? Well, so does your dog!” You may not need a paycheck immediately after completing a task. Once a week or bi weekly is suitable to keep you motivated to do your job. Getting a bonus every now and then or a pat on the back, definitely keeps us humans motivated. It’s the same for dogs. After learning a particular skill, they don’t need a treat every time they do it, but every now and then, will keep them motivated.

When working with your dog, you are also building an association that learning equates to fun. Dogs learn best when they know there is something in it for them and it’s fun. If you aren’t having a good day and you’re pretending to be in a good mood, your dog will pick up on this and not want to work for you. This is when we tend to get frustrated and think it’s the dog’s inadequacies, not our own. My advice when this occurs is to pick up the training session again when you can give your dog 100% of yourself. Your dog deserves it!

Dogs learn in pictures, not movies. As you stimulate the behaviors over and over again, it’s the association and repetition that takes the picture in the dog's head. Dogs learn through association repetition.

“The behaviors we stimulate are the behaviors we accelerate”.

If you stimulate a behavior, right, wrong, or different, you get more of it. Everything in a dog’s eyes is seen as the singular. So, there's one and more ones and some ones and no ones. They'll never understand that five and two are seven. They'll just know that more ones plus more ones is more ones. It’s as if they take a picture of what your body language was at the time that the stimulus was given. You can even see the wheels turning in your dog’s head when they are learning a new behavior. They are trying to figure out what you and the environment looked like when they got that reward. Then, it’s like magic. Suddenly, they make the connection of what they had to do in order to get that reward. Again, I get so excited when I see this magic happen that I want to shout for joy. I have to refrain from doing so, because I can interrupt the learning process!

“Find the picture you want, stimulate that behavior, and do it in a manner that doesn't interrupt.”

When talking about shaping the “Sit” behavior, Gary will get a sit, and he wants to reward the sit. He’s not going to start off by stimulating the sit in a manner that disturbs the sit. He is going to try to shape it and be very precise at how he wants it to look. If the dog decides to sit but lifts his paw up, and is wagging his tail really hard, the dog does not get rewarded. You repeat this action after withholding the treat, wait for the dog to be calm and all 4 paws are on the floor. Then, reward the dog within 2 seconds. Rinse and repeat. Dogs need hundreds of repetitions until it becomes part of their vocabulary.

Gary will use a lure first in the form of a treat. Then, he will change to a tug as a reward as he is escalating the dog through his drives. Now, he is adding more distractions, maybe even more excitement to teach the dog to stay calm through this excitement. He is matching the reward to the level of escalation that he is handling the dog in.

The “Three D’s” in dog training to always keep in mind when working with your dog are Distance, Duration, and Distraction. When a dog is first learning a new behavior, the distance between you and the dog should be very close, the duration of holding that behavior should be very short (2 seconds) and the distractions should be very few. A mistake but very common thing that people do, is they will work their dog when things around them are always calm. As soon as there's any escalation or distraction, the dog loses his mind. They haven't shaped those behaviors yet in that type of environment. They haven't given the dog a place to operate in that escalated state of mind.

There have to be different stages of teaching a dog how to complete behaviors amongst distractions in the environment. You won’t have much success if you try to teach a dog a new behavior when they are in the middle of a dog park full of dogs. You must start out in a place that is quiet, like a room in your house, and complete hundreds of repetitions there before you move to a different room. After the dog is able to do that behavior consistently in every room of the house, now it’s time to try it outside. Always keeping in mind what is in the environment that could be too distracting for your pup to learn. After so many repetitions, now you are actually looking for different distractions and teaching your pup to do this behavior and hold that behavior no matter what is going on in their environment. Group work like obedience classes is an excellent way to practice this level of training. You have the opportunity to build on each dog’s drives and escalate those drives under the supervision of a professional trainer.

Another way dogs will have success in learning is by being well rested and ready to work. A common mistake people make is they don't spend enough time allowing their dog to self settle and soothe. This is where a kennel, or crate, is very important. If you are how your dog calms down, if you being around is how your dog relaxes, then that's what you have shaped. Your dog can’t soothe himself on his own. Of course your dog will have separation anxiety. You're not there. It’s all they know. So many people fall into the trap of trying to do the right thing by the dog and putting him in his kennel, but then they get the dog out because he is crying. The puppy learns that if they make a big enough fuss, they will get let out.

What I have found with countless clients, is that some puppies or dogs will cry at night for 3 nights in a row, and then, will finally surrender to the process. It’s those 3 nights that can be very rough, but essential, if you want to keep your sanity and not create a dog that is dependent on you for falling asleep. This can develop into anxiety when you leave the house. Now you really don’t have a life! I know so many people who have felt like they are prisoners in their own home because their dog never was properly introduced to the kennel in the right way.

There can be some dogs that are predisposed to a higher level of anxiety, but typically it is because of how the kennel was introduced. I must add that you don’t want the puppy working themselves into a tizzy that they try to claw and bite their way out. You can create a very negative association with the crate. Most puppies and dogs will bark or whine for a few minutes and then settle. That’s ok. They are learning to self soothe. I equate this with weaning a baby off the bottle, or not running right away to the baby every time he cries in the middle of the night.

One huge tip when introducing the kennel to your dog is to get him tired after a nice play session. Lure him in to the kennel with a yummy treat (try to refrain from picking up and placing him in there), and leave something yummy he can lick, until he eventually falls asleep. Frozen Kong’s filled with almond butter and pumpkin are great for this. You are also shaping that this is the place where you want your dog to take a nap and not play with a bunch of toys you put in there for him. It will also avoid him waking up and wanting to follow you around the house. Again, this is healthy separation.

Two other benefits of using a crate as a teaching tool is for potty training and reducing and preventing separation anxiety. The crate cannot be underrated for aiding in the process of housebreaking your dog. If you use a kennel to housebreak your dog, it happens faster. It happens more reliably. You should use your kennel like an extra person in the house to watch the dog. Designate a small enough area where there is enough space to interact and play with your dog, while you are also watching for signs that they may have to go out to go potty. If instead you give the dog free rein of the house, it is only sending a message that they can go potty anywhere in the house and that you are less important in their daily schedule. Now they are making dog decisions and getting off into things that don’t include you, mainly because you won’t typically engage with your dog.

Another benefit of using the crate is to prevent separation anxiety. This is very important to Gary and I. We don’t want to see your dog re-homed because he is destroying the walls, the floor, the carpeting, the furniture, and the doors, just because you left the house. Gary and I have seen dogs eat through walls just to get out of the house so they can look for you. They will also damage their teeth and paws to claw out of their crate. They are in “flight” mode of the “fight or flight” response. In one incident, Gary had a client whose dog put holes in 3 different walls to get to the garage. He couldn’t get back in the house through one of those holes. So, he clawed through a new hole, and proceeded to remodel the rest of the house. This is a worst case scenario of not properly taking the time to habituate the dog to the crate. Ultimately, you are keeping your dog safe by crating him.

Used correctly, the crate can also be a powerful motivator in training professional dogs. When Gary has crated a dog for a period of time, the dog is so motivated to work for him, because he hasn’t done anything else for awhile. This way, he will have 100 percent of that dog’s attention and effort. When the training session is finished, he puts a tired dog back in the crate. The dog can’t fathom 5 seconds from that point, but he can definitely remember the last hour of working!

Gary may get some pushback about using the crate as a motivator used in the example above. People will say that you have to keep training purely positive. However, we aren’t training Orcas or dolphins where the only chance of training them is to build a routine, like in the shows at Sea World. We can work with dogs in a manner unlike a lot of other species and make sure that we “pay” them for the time they spent in the crate by playing a good game of tug or fetch.

One of the first things Gary asks every client is what breed their dog is. When Gary discovers the client has a mixed breed, like many of the varied doodles out there, it will explain why the dog acts the way they do. Standard poodles are impressive hunting dogs. So, when a doodle is showing predatory behavior, this is the standard poodle coming out. Poodles also over think their situations, are very quick on their feet, and have the athletics of a ninja! This is contrary to the impression most people have of them - beautifully coiffed prancers that are seen in the show arena. In Gary’s opinion, breed traits are real. He wants to know what behaviors he can reliably expect from that dog. Then, when he meets that dog, where do those behaviors fall. What is he really observing?

Meeting genetic fulfillment for the dog is also very important to keep your dog motivated to learn. You need to have things for your dog to positively engage in that meet that genetic fulfillment. For example, Huskies are known to have boundless energy and can run for miles upon miles. If they are confined to the house and their yard, sooner or later they will climb over any wall to get out and just run. If there are more than one Husky, they will all escape. Gary has known Huskies to be gone for weeks, but they all have come back, thank goodness. If you are able to rig them up to pull a sled, what a wonderful thing you are doing for your Husky. You are fulfilling their instinct to pull and run.

Dogs pick up on the subtlest of clues. If you make a conscious effort to work with them and not be too overwhelming, you will get a dog that you can live harmoniously with. You are communicating across the species. Take your time, be patient. Try not to hyper explain things, repeat, or stutter what you want. We aren’t dealing with an animal that has a learning disability. Be very clear.

“Don’t forget that clarity doesn’t depend on how you see it. Clarity depends on how the dog sees it.”

Most dogs want to bond with their human and want to please them too. This makes them stand out from other species. There is a built in drive that makes them want to cooperate with us. It is up to us humans to discover that and make them thrive. If all you are doing is using adversives and correctives, then you are not teaching your dog to do anything. You are just putting him in a position to keep picking a different dog behavior until he stops getting in trouble.

Dogs are smart and cooperative. There are plenty of dog owners out there that do just fine without needing to contact a professional. That being said, there are also plenty who really should contact us! It’s amazing what people will tolerate! For the most part, dogs will figure out how to operate their human and their family. If there are any issues, they don’t get in the way of daily living, and everything is fine. Gary and I may not handle things in the same manner, but that’s ok. Dogs are very smart. If we gain a better understanding of how they learn, we are more apt to be more patient and more available to them through this whole process.

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One of the features of “From A Dog’s Eye View” podcast is to bring in experts from my community of Cleveland, Ohio, whose profession it is to work with dogs in different capacities. I will be hosting other professional dog trainers, groomers, vets, breeders, and many more. There is so much involved in caring for a dog and my mission is to bring you the best advice.

One of my guests, who will be on several episodes, will be Gary Flynn. Many of you have probably heard me say, “Let me see what my dog trainer friend, Gary, thinks about this issue you are having”. In a separate episode, Gary and I will talk about how we met. I feel that Gary’s extensive experience with dogs merits an episode dedicated to how he got started, so that you can understand why I refer to Gary when I get stuck and can’t quite figure out the proper approach for a certain dog.

Gary was exposed to dogs while he was in the military and he always just somehow fell into a position where it wasn't exactly the job that he signed up to do. For example, when he first went to Germany, he was a heavy wheeled vehicle mechanic. Within just a couple weeks of being there, he ended up being the base liaison between his unit and all the subunits, to the local MAN service center in Neckarsulm. Upon returning to the states, he was infantry and a good soldier at Fort Benning. He was on the commanding general staff and worked protocol, which involved taking care of foreign VIPs and heads of state. Since he was such a good soldier, he would be grabbed for certain duties, one of which included working with the Georgia Canine Search and Rescue Team. Search and Rescue was a natural fit for Gary because navigating and staying in the woods was Gary’s comfort zone. That was his job as a light infantry scout.

The main person he worked with at Georgia Canine Search and Rescue was Curtis Flatt of River Bend, Georgia. His son, Steve did search and rescue too. Gary and his wife stayed with the Flatts occasionally as he was getting out of the army. His family welcomed them into their home. Everybody in River Bend knows their family because his great uncle was the Flatt of Flatt and Scruggs, who wrote the theme song for the Beverly Hillbillies. That song was frequently played at the many Sunday dinners Gary and his wife had there.

With the influence and great teaching from the Flatts, Gary started working with dogs and saw what they could do. For example, he saw a drown victim recovery where the dogs marked the location of the bodies that were partially submerged in the water. He also saw an Alzheimer's patient who had walked away from the residence. They found her just a little scratched up and returned her to her home. Those experiences really made Gary understand the amazing capabilities of dogs and want to explore search and rescue even more.

(The picture above is Gary with his Belgian Malinois, Tasha, at Ground Zero on 9/11)

The more search and rescue work Gary was involved with, the more it made him realize that initially he was giving all the credit to the dog. One could argue that it probably still belongs there, but the truth is, it's the handler's ability to read their dog, and it's the ability to install a clear reward base that is in forward motivation that the dog will work for. Training a dog to find something is what they do all the time. We ask our dog to go find his ball or go find Mom or Dad. What we are actually doing is shaping a dog to do a particular task. In reference to shaping a dog for search and rescue, you are teaching the dog to actually work for an odor, ignore everything else, ignore the other dogs, the people, the horses, the ATVs, the generators, the 800 other searchers on your area of ground zero. This was the type of shaping Gary loved to do.

Gary also discovered while working with these dogs that not every dog was capable of handling that level of stress of working through those distractions. What happens when you start to escalate them and move their drives, they don't remain clear headed. For example, everyone has seen this in your pets at home. Some dogs, as soon as they start to get really excited, they get frantic. They have no behaviors other than the instinct to escape. It’s that fight or flight response. They're bouncing all over the place and they're just very frantic. So, not every dog can do what is asked of them to the same level.

Selecting dogs and training dogs specifically for search and rescue, became a passion of Gary’s. When he was honorably discharged from the army, he moved to Vermillion, Ohio. He graduated from Amherst and started working with a gentleman by the name of Benji McPeak. Benji was a retired sheriff's deputy and a Vietnam War veteran and was definitely Gary’s mentor. Benji was the master trainer of the North American Search Dog Network. He was responsible for training the bomb sniffing dogs to work at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988. Two of the seasoned trainers who Gary worked with were Cliff Lindsey and Joe Clement. Cliff operated out of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and worked with Bloodhounds. Joe was the president of North American Search Dog Network. This type of environment laid a strong foundation for effectively conducting search and rescue missions.

Gary was fortunate to land a job working with such a prestigious group of experienced trainers, but being the rookie of the group, he realized he had to do the grunt work. Cleaning kennels. Being optimistic and a hard worker, he learned that cleaning kennels was a very important part of the job. He got his hands on every dog. He learned each dog’s personality and traits. It wasn’t just the motion of cleaning the kennel, letting a dog out for a morning break, and throwing food down. He had to manage each dog. A job that would be unpleasant to a lot of people was actually very beneficial to Gary and helped him gain more knowledge about dog behavior.

The dogs that Gary was managing were coming from countries like the Czech Republic. A lot of these dogs had shutzhund titles. Shutzhund is a German word meaning “protection dog'“. It focuses on three different levels of developing dogs for tracking, obedience and protection work. They are also carefully bred to ensure the highest quality of dog. Today, a dog that is imported from Europe with Shutzhund level 3 (the highest level) can cost upwards of $70,000. Some of the dogs in these kennels were BH's, or Begleithund, which means “Basic Handling”. This is a title given to dogs who have been evaluated for their temperament and obedience in many different situations.

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Working with this caliber of trained dogs propelled Gary into forming OSDA, which stands for Ohio Search Dog Association. They are still in existence today. His main goal was to provide professional search assets to any public service agency that had the sole responsibility for a specific search and rescue mission. Sometimes that would fall under the fire department, sometimes the sheriff’s department. It all depended upon what was going on and who was to grab custody of the mission at hand.

Very quickly after forming OSDA, Gary started working dogs doing homicide evidence recoveries for the FBI. He also did work for the SBI unit (Special Bureau of Investigation) under Dennis Gunsch and Micheline Taliano. Within just one month of being in business, Gary was called to the same county three times to go find searchers. Two of those calls were search dog teams. Gary knew he had to formalize OSDA to increase the efficiency of these search teams. His goal was to categorize it as a 501 C3 business, a not for profit charity that functioned as a public service agency. It based its standards primarily off of the NAPWADA and NASDN (North American Search Dog Network) standards. These were already recognized standards. NAPWADA stands for North American Police Work Dog Association. Its main purpose is to assist all law enforcement agencies in the training and certifying of police dogs to adhere to their established standards through continuing education at the local, state and national levels. Determining what was certifiable and strictly following these high standards required a certain level of training. There can be no gray areas. The dog might be able to do a specific task, but not in the manner that is in accordance to these standards.

Now it's not a matter of IF the dog did it, it's HOW the dog did it.

One of Gary’s proudest and rewarding search and rescue tasks was his first federal deployment at ground zero on 9/11. Three of the four dogs were certified by OSDA! This included Gary’s Belgian Malinois, Tasha, Mike Palumbo’s black lab, Lucas, and Kelly Clark’s German Shepherd, Evil. The fourth handler, Terry Trepanier and his amazing Golden Retriever, Woody, was Gary’s dayshift partner. Just to emphasize again, a lot of dogs would not be able to handle the level of stress and be able to confidently maneuver their environment under control and command with no leash and no collar. A leash and collar can be a death sentence to a disaster dog working under the rubble. Gary’s experience at 9/11 will be a future episode you won’t want to miss!

(Gary and Tasha - 3rd from the left with his team at Ground Zero)

As Gary was becoming more in demand and experienced at search and rescue work, he noticed a transition in training the dogs. The dogs he started off working professionally, were hard dogs, kennel dogs, that were worked as inventory. A lot of them had never been underfoot in someone’s home. They had Schutzhund titles, did bite work, searched for articles, but not much odor training and definitely not a family pet. The transition occurred when Gary started training dogs to follow an odor with a clear reward base system to get and keep them motivated. Being the leader that the dog requires which involves trust and respect, is of the upmost importance. How to gain that trust and respect started to change. The transition from how dogs were viewed as inventory to managing a cooperative relationship with the dog, became a new way of working with dogs.

“Managing your dog, having a relationship with your dog - a cooperative relationship, not a conflicted one, is far more about direction than correction.”

So, if you find yourself in a position where you're correcting more behaviors than you're directing, you're doing it backwards. You have to lead the dog by luring them with a clear reward like yummy treats or a high value toy, into the exact behavior you are looking for, instead of correcting them into that behavior by popping quickly on a corrective collar.

Some of the issues us dog trainers deal with is clearly explaining this type of cooperative relationship to the clientele. What often happens is the humans anthropomorphize the dogs. Humans tend to think of dogs as their babies and their behavior is based on what is familiar to them in the human world. This doesn’t work very well for the dog. This is the foundation of the conflicted relationship with their dog. Most people don’t know true dog behavior, which leads to issues that don’t mesh well in our human world. Dogs thrive on structure, rules and schedules. This gives them security. They also want to be led, not left to their own volition to make dog decisions based on their fight or flight responses.

“Leadership by aversives is a dictatorship. Luring and directing a dog forms a cooperative relationship”

Gary had to strike a balance between allowing search and rescue dogs in his house, while not ignoring all the training that goes along with that. This doesn’t mean that he loves his dogs any less than most dog parents. It means he is respecting the dog’s needs by establishing rules and boundaries. For example, Gary will let his dogs sleep on his bed, but only if he thinks they deserve it and he invites them to do so. The dogs should also accept that they have to sometimes sleep in their crate. They have to be controlled and quiet in another room if they are going to be successful search and rescue dogs. ‌ The dogs trust and respect their human and therefore want to work for that. This is what a cooperative relationship looks like.

Dogs are wired to work for everything and us humans should honor that.

For example, they should work for their food by sitting and waiting to be released to eat. They should work for their toys by sitting and waiting for their owner to play with them, not whining and begging their human to play. In this type of relationship, dogs are still able to have fun and be dogs, it’s just now there are rules and a time for that. ‌

The majority of people who seek professional dog trainers are simply lacking structure, rules and boundaries with their dogs. Dogs thrive in environments where they know where they fit into their pack and what is expected of them. They would rather be led than be the leader. As soon as their humans communicate clearly and consistently what they want their dog to do, the dogs respond in a compliant way. This is how we earn the trust and respect from our dogs.

I am grateful for Gary sharing with me and our audience, his personal story, and how he acquired his knowledge from his different jobs and experiences. I also want to thank Gary for his military experience. Especially how it prepared him to serve at the highest level during the national crisis of September 11th. Dogs never cease to amaze me. Gary has shown all of us that with the proper direction, the sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless with these incredible beings, we call dogs.

Stay tuned for the next episode where Gary and I talk about how our paths as dog trainers crossed almost 10 years ago. Make sure you “like” this episode by pressing the heart emoji underneath the video above.

Until next time!

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Welcome to From a Dog's Eye View! I am so excited to begin this new adventure of podcasting with all of you! I have been thinking about doing this for over two years, and finally it has come to fruition. I will strive to bring you the most accurate and clear information about dogs in a way that will be relatable to you. I was drawn to this type of platform as a way to get solid facts about dogs to an audience that I feel is craving information that makes sense to them.

Over the years, clients have told me that they read or saw ways to handle certain issues on the internet. I agreed with some of the info, and others I did not at all. My guests and I will have frank discussions about some of the easy and fun issues we deal with, but also some of the very difficult issues we come across, which will help you sort through some of the confusion.

But first, I would like to give you some background information about myself and how I ended up becoming a dog trainer. It all started back in 2005 with my family dog, Hank, who was a Corgi. So, it has been a while! It took eight years of not really knowing how to effectively communicate with Hank, before he bit my daughter. He had sent up plenty of warning signs like air biting, lifting his lip when growling, his body becoming stiff, the whites of his eyes showing, his pupils getting enlarged to the point where they looked black, and charging at us. We didn’t know how bad these signs were and how uncomfortable Hank was in certain situations. After all, it took him eight years before he actually lunged and bit my daughter. A decision had to be made. Finding a home for Hank or getting some professional help.

Finding a home for Hank was not an option for me.

Instead, I found an excellent dog trainer. When he came to the house and helped me, that's when I decided I wanted to do what he did and become a dog trainer. He gave me so many tips. One of which included walking Hank in a structured way, twice a day: first thing in the morning, and then another one later in the afternoon, for at least a half hour each walk. He suggested my morning walk take place as soon as we woke up, even before I had my cup of coffee! I made that sacrifice.

I was so determined to make it work.

You can click on this link “My story” on my website, where I go into more detail about my experience with Hank. After he bit my daughter, that's when I decided to do whatever it took to rehab him. After all, I had already invested 8 years of trying to do what I thought was best for Hank. I wanted to do as much research as possible. I was even taking notes while watching episodes of “The Dog Whisperer” with Cesar Millan. I remember asking a friend if she did that too and she gave me a funny look. That’s when I knew I was more interested in dog behavior than the average person.

The myth that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is just that. A myth! The dog trainer also noticed that I needed to change some other things, including a new way to feed Hank. We had to address his food aggression issue. That is a story in and of itself that I will share in a later episode. The dog trainer believed that everything had to be done from a position of leadership. I hadn’t realized that up to that point, Hank was making all the decisions in the house, not me.

In 2012, I started looking for a job as a dog trainer so that someone could train me. After 6 months of searching and then pursuing Petco, they finally agreed to hire me! Petco had a great program online, which was based on using positive reinforcement techniques. It was written by a well known dog behaviorist, named Patricia McConnell. The training program also included 6 weeks of observing a Petco mentor and another 6 weeks of me teaching a class while my mentor observed me.

My last year at Petco, I was designated the mentor for all of the Cleveland surrounding stores and worked with many wanna be dog trainers. I soon discovered that this job that came so natural to me, was not for everyone! Only a small percentage of the apprentices actually remained dog trainers for so many different reasons. The two top reasons had to do with customer service type situations. The first reason that swayed wanna be trainers away was feeling comfortable with being a “people person” and knowing how to handle the pet parents, even in sticky situations, in order to provide them with the best customer service possible. If you are the person who prefers dealing with dogs rather than people (I would hear that frequently), dog training is not for you! The other main reason was not every puppy or dog was so cute and compliant that it was all fun and games! I took it upon myself to find an outside source to send the most difficult dogs I encountered. Petco did not want us dealing with any aggression. I will go more in to detail about this with one of my upcoming guest, Chuck Stella, from Elite K911. However, I had excellent managers that were so supportive and helped me grow the dog training department by offering obedience classes and puppy playtimes. I really did look forward to each day I worked there. I am forever indebted to the management there because of the experience it gave me.

I stayed at Petco for four years and was exposed to so many different dogs. Rescue dogs, purebred dogs, even dogs with disabilities. I really enjoyed working with their pet parents and helping them. I soon realized that dog training wasn’t just about training the dogs. It was more about empowering their pet parents to communicate with their dogs. It was most effective when the pet parent was consistently clear, to the point where it left no doubt in the dog’s mind what they were being asked to do. I loved to hear from the humans “Oh! It’s really me you are training!’ Then, the gratification I felt and still feel after all these years, when you actually get the dog to sit, stay, or come to you. It still amazes me that an animal can be taught to do these specific skills,

(Pictured above: Nico, the Belgian Tervuren, Josie, the Golden Retriever, and Teddy, the Golden Doodle, in a class at Petco)

After about four years, one of my clients approached me and told me he wanted to make a brochure for me. It took me a little while to figure out what this generous offer really meant. I always had the intention of going out on my own, but I still wasn’t quite ready. However, I took him up on the offer and left Petco later that year to start my own company, Cleveland Canine Concierge. He even designed my logo, which I am so proud to share with my clients. I will be eternally grateful to this person I refer to as Dan the Man!

On 1/6/17, Cleveland Canine Concierge was formed. Now, I was able to help people with their dogs in their homes. I was no longer just limited to the classroom environment at Petco. All throughout this process, I had a mentor, and it was somebody I actually mentored while I was at Petco. His name is Gary Flynn. Gary will be a frequent guest on my podcast, talking about all things about dogs. Whenever I had a question, or something was over my head, I would call Gary, and he would help me out. He came on several appointments with me. One of those appointments was a client who was having issues with his Invisible Fence. I had no knowledge of how the system worked and Gary showed me and the client how to train the dog on the electronic collar used for this system. From that day forward, I have been able to help many clients with their Invisible Fence as well as do-it-yourself home boundary systems.

(Gary Flynn and his German Shorthaired Pointer, Bella)

After nine years of being on my own, I realized all the different issues that come up when talking to people about dogs. I started thinking about a different way to reach people other than the people who have reached out to me for help. I tossed around the idea of a podcast, but didn’t think it would be possible. Yet, here we are! I thought podcasting would be a great way to get the message out, and it's fun! I will be bringing in guests in my community to talk about things like veterinary care, nutrition, grooming, therapy dogs, how to get your dog to swim, and where to take them swimming.

If you like this post, please click on the heart emoji underneath the video. I hope you will tune in to my future episodes. We have a lot of exciting things to talk about!

Thanks for reading Canine Concierge! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

When you bring your puppy home for the first time, it is one of the most exciting events in your lifetime. You have made a decision to add to your existing pack, and I congratulate you for doing so. One of the first items you will need to purchase is a leash and a collar or harness. How to decide on which one can be overwhelming. Just as overwhelming as what cereal to choose in the cereal aisle at the grocery store. There are so many choices! Sometimes, you just go by what friends and family have recommended. Other times, you may be influenced by an ad on social media. This episode is to clarify how certain walking tools work, and to help you choose the right one for you and your dog.

When we pick up our puppy from a breeder, most likely, the breeder has put some kind of colored ribbon around the puppy’s neck to differentiate which puppy is which. The puppy is somewhat used to wearing something around its neck, but that doesn’t mean that the puppy will be totally willing to have you put a snap or buckle collar on them. How you introduce this collar is very important to the puppy positively associating this “thing” with something good.

There will be some of you reading this post saying to yourselves that your puppy was absolutely fine with you putting the collar on. As a dog trainer, anything you introduce to your puppy should be well thought out in advance how you will be presenting it before you just go barreling in and forcing a new item on them.

You ALWAYS want to create positive association with introducing anything new to your dog.

Introducing a collar or harness

The process of introducing a collar or harness to a rescue dog is the same as introducing them to a puppy. Rescue dogs may already be used to wearing a collar, but most likely you will be choosing an additional collar or harness for walking purposes. Whichever tool you decide, the introduction will be the same as if it was a puppy.

First, take your time with the whole process of showing the dog their new collar. If you are relaxed and mildly excited, your dog will be too. You want to create some excitement over the collar or harness, but not too much. Get them interested in what is about to happen by feeding them small treats. Then, let them sniff it to their heart’s content. Pet the dog with the collar or harness while giving them treats, being mindful of not letting straps from a harness dangle in front of them. This can trigger a fear response. If the dog is still engaged and not shying away, use some treats while showing them how it snaps together. Sometimes the sound of the snap can trigger some fear in them.

If all is progressing positively, ideally you want them to come to you to put the collar or harness on. Again, lure them with treats. You may need to ask a family member to feed the treats while you put the collar or harness on and snap it. When it is on, you will have to adjust it so that it is “two fingers snug”. If introducing a harness, every strap should be two fingers snug. What this means is that you can fit two fingers between their neck or body and the collar or strap of the harness. This is to ensure that the dog cannot back up and escape out of it. Also, fit the collar high up on the neck, right behind the ears. This prevents the collar from damaging the trachea when they do pull (how to prevent dogs from pulling on a walk will be a separate episode).

I want the dog to be excited about their new collar or harness, but not so excited that I am chasing the dog around the house just to get it on. Remember, you are setting an example of how this walking tool is going to be associated with something. That something is going to be your way of eventually controlling the dog on a leash.

Now that the collar or harness is on, take the dog outside to play or play with the dog inside the house. Pretend that this is a huge accomplishment and make sure the dog knows that you are happy that they are wearing their first walking tool. Depending on the reaction of the dog, just leave the collar or harness on them for a very short period of time.

Dogs usually don’t react adversely to collars, but they can with harnesses. There are only two harnesses that I recommend, which I explain below. Harnesses are made to have dogs haul things. The majority of harnesses clip on the back of the dog. It is impossible to walk a medium to large sized dog in the heel position with this type of harness. It is set up to have the handler behind the dog and to be pulled. If there is tension on the leash, the dog will resist that tension by pulling forward. Now, who is taking whom for a walk??

Harnesses can be big and bulky and it’s a very foreign feeling for the dog to have something on their back. Some dogs will freeze and not want to move forward. I have seen way too many harnesses that are improperly fit - usually too loose. This is a perfect setup for the dog to wiggle out of it and run away. I have heard of too many stories like this. One dog actually got hit by a car when he ran away. The handler was pulling back on the leash, creating the resistance for the dog to move forward. He wiggled out of it, panicked, and ran in the street and got hit by a car. He was okay, but it involved an expensive vet bill and some recovery time for the dog. Luckily, nothing was broken.

Collars are great for hanging identification tags. They are also a way to quickly grab the dog if needed. I don’t recommend leaving a collar with tags on in the crate, especially if you are leaving the house for a period of time. Always check the integrity of the collar. A cloth buckle collar can begin to fray at the eyelets or the buckle can start to break down. If you have any doubts, buy a new one. There are other collars with the 3 prong plastic snap that are very sturdy too. This is just a preference issue. The most important thing to remember about the collar is that it is fit correctly - two fingers snug!

It is worth noting that collars are great to leave on the dog during the day while you are potty training. You can attach the leash to a collar a lot quicker than trying to put a harness on a very wiggly puppy.

Leashes

I always tell my clients to purchase a cheap leash while training a puppy. As much as you want to discourage your puppy from biting the leash, they inevitably will. I will explain more in detail how to stop your puppy from biting the leash in a future episode where I will talk about “The Walk”. When the puppy has been trained how to walk, that’s when you can invest in a leash that will last a long time. Leather leashes are my favorite. They are comfortable and don’t slip in my hand, and they last many years. Gary Flynn, who has been on my podcast before, likes the BioThane leash. It is generally more durable than leather, and is waterproof. However, it is vulnerable to bite marks. Make sure you have worked with your dog to stop biting the leash before investing in a BioThane leash. In my next episode, we will show you this type of leash. It is very durable and comfortable in your hands. These leashes are not sold in most pet stores, but are sold online.

The important thing to keep in mind when deciding on a leash is how comfortable it is when your hand is wrapped around it. Remember, I do not promote walking dogs in front of you where you are just holding on to the handle. Walks in the woods and “sniffaris”are different than walking in a heel position. I will discuss this further in my episode about “The Walk”.

In the video below, you will see how I recommend holding on to a leash. Note that my left hand is grabbing the leash over the leash as if I am holding on to handlebars on a bike. My hand is right by the clip so that the dog does not have much leeway to go where they want to go. It is up to the handler to take the dog over to an area to sniff or eliminate, not the dog leading you over there.

YOU are taking the dog for a walk, not the dog taking you for a walk.

In the picture below, from top to bottom, the first leash is a small 6’ leather leash with a small clip. This is suitable for small dogs. The clip is small and can attach to the ring on a very small collar. You want to make sure that you don’t weigh down your small dog with a heavy, bulky clip. The leash underneath is the leash I use for my 100+ pound Leonberger. The clip is bigger and sturdy enough if she were to lunge. I have rather small hands so the width of this leash is perfect for me. Below this leash is a two handled leash that is very comfortable to grab with your bare hands.

Some people really like double handled leashes. You have the option of walking the dog on a shorter lead with the second handle. Both handles are very comfortable to hold on to.

The very bottom multi-colored leash is a slip lead. I like this leash for some dogs because I can position it high on the neck, right behind the ears, and keep it in place with the grey tab. It is important that it is adjusted on the dog like a slip collar or chain collar. There is a right and wrong way to put this on depending on which side you walk your dog. I explain this more below under the slip and chain collar categories.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention retractable leashes. The only application I can even possibly approve of this type of leash is if you have to take your dog out to eliminate on a leash and you don’t want to go outside, and you have a small dog. Otherwise, there are several reasons why I don’t like them. First of all, I have seen and heard of too many accidents where the dog ran around their handler so quickly and tightly that they caused lacerations around their handler’s legs. Other times, the dog gets hurt by chasing after something and goes to the very end of the leash and abruptly gets choked. Our friend was biking with his dog running beside him. He was holding onto the casing of the retractable leash. The dog saw something, sprinted to the end of the leash and jolted him off the bike making him fall head over heels.

The other reason why I don’t like retractable leashes is that there is constant tension on the line. I always advocate to walk your dog with no tension and no stress, but this is impossible with a retractable leash. In the locked position, there is always tension upwards and wherever the handler is positioned. The last reason is that I believe that your energy flows through the leash to the dog. The plastic housing of the retractable leash prevents that energy flow.

Harnesses

Harnesses can be useful for very small puppies and dogs. I encourage clients to get a Pet Pals or step in harness. Most people don’t know how to teach a dog to heel on a leash. Therefore, there is a lot of prolonged and constant tugging on a collar which can be damaging to the puppy’s or small dog’s trachea. I prefer teaching a client to correct their puppy or dog pulling on a harness, rather than on a collar, in order to prevent any damage to the dog’s trachea. It is easier to transition to another walking tool if needed after the client has some experience walking their dog in a heel position.

There are only two harnesses that I recommend. One is a step in harness pictured below for small dogs, and the other one is the Easy Walk harness made by Pet Safe for small and medium/large dogs. Most other harnesses promote pulling on the walk because the clip is on the dog’s back. Since I am an advocate of walking dogs in the heel position (right by your side), it is impossible to achieve this with a medium to large sized dog. Because of where the clip is located, the dog’s chest and front legs are already in front of you. Attempting to keep a dog this size in a heel position involves straining your arm backwards. Maintaining that position for any length of time is almost impossible. Small dogs are much easier to manage on a harness even though the clip is on their back. There’s just less weight and size to manipulate. I have had a lot of success in teaching small dogs on harnesses in the heel position.

When you bring home a small dog puppy, that is only a couple of pounds, it can be very challenging to find even a collar that will fit. Pet Pals is a brand that caters to very small dogs this size. They sell collars and harnesses that will properly fit this size. However, my friend adopted a 1- 1/2 pound chihuahua and could only find a ferret harness to fit him. That’s what she still uses today for him at a whopping weight of 2 pounds!

Once the dog grows out of the Pet Pals sizes, usually around 10 pounds, I recommend either a step in harness or even the Easy Walk harness. The step in harness is very easy to put on the dog, but still needs to be introduced in the same way I mentioned above when you introduce a new collar. Sometimes dogs will freeze when you put a harness on them. Just try luring them forward with treats. You may need an extra yummy treat for this. If you need some assistance from another family member, have them feed the treats while you put on the harness. If your dog is really uncomfortable, take the harness off and try again a little later. Just be mindful of not leaving it on for very long at all. Work your way up to leaving the harness on for increments of seconds for every few successful attempts. Never rush this process.

The other harness that is my “go to walking tool” is the Easy Walk harness. Even if I know that the puppy is going to be a large dog, I like to begin training the human how the martingale style clip in the front serves as a “correction” to get the dog’s attention. A “correction” is a quick tug on the leash which tightens the straps around the chest and causes the dog to pause while you get their attention through your voice or a treat. Then, you can repeat the skill you are correcting, using treats. This way the dog understands that one way, they feel a tug and no treats are involved. The other way, they are rewarded with your verbal praise and a treat. This quick tug takes some practice to master. Most people prolong the tension by lifting back on the leash. I coach the handler on how to do this quick tug correctly. Therefore, I would rather a client learn this technique on the Easy Walk harness than on a slip or prong collar.

Dogs will get used to constant tension rendering the “correction” useless. Dogs need to learn pressure on and pressure off. No tugs (no corrections/no pressure) means they are doing things right. Quick tugs (correction/pressure) means they are doing things wrong and need to be corrected and shown the right way. This principle of pressure on vs pressure off is how future collars like slip, prong collars, and even electronic collars will work. I will elaborate on this issue in the next episode.

The only breeds that aren’t suitable for the Easy Walk harness are the dogs with long bodies and short legs. The strap that goes across the chest needs to be held up by the dog’s shoulders. For example, Corgis and dachshunds won’t be able to keep the straps up on a consistent basis. Step in harnesses or even a buckle collar work well for them.

Please remember that any walking tool that you decide to use for your dog, even if it is a regular buckle collar, must be fit correctly. Any dog, and any breed can learn to walk in a heel position on a buckle collar with the proper training. I prefer to walk dogs with some type of collar that is fit high up on their neck. Right behind their ears. I feel that I can manage them better and their weight distribution with them by my side. This makes it easier to manage when they do lunge. The strength from a lunge comes from the chest. If the dog’s chest is in front of you, it is way more difficult to hold on and have any kind of control with you behind the dog versus by their side.

Gentle Leader/Halti

Some tools take more conditioning for the dog to get used to, but can be very good walking tools, like the Gentle Leader and the Halti. This is not a tool that I have on hand for clients only because it requires some conditioning. I have found that most clients do not want to take the time necessary for conditioning their dog to get used to having a strap around their nose and mouth. Some people have told me that they don’t want people to mistake it for a muzzle and not want to approach their dog. Most clients prefer to have a harness that they can put on the dog and take them for a walk right away.

The difference between the Gentle Leader and the Halti is the Halti straps that surround the nose have more cushioning, making it more comfortable. It also has the ability to close a dog’s mouth when you pull the leash taut. I have used the Halti for this purpose. A client’s dog had the propensity to bite. He had already had a very negative experience with a pinch collar, which made his reactions even more intense. He was reactive to other dogs on walks, and the pet parent didn’t want to risk the dog redirecting his aggression on her or on anyone else. Again, knowing the dog’s temperament and issues is imperative to choosing the appropriate walking tool.

Looking at the picture below, this Halti is set up for walking the dog on the right hand side. There is a back up strap with the clip attached to the ring on the buckle collar. You can visualize if I were to pull up on the leash, the straps would fit tightly around the mouth to close it. If you want to walk the dog on the left hand side, just slide the buckle collar around so that its’ ring is on the other side. Attach the backup strap’s clip to the ring on the collar.

The one downside to Gentle Leaders and Haltis is if you have a reactive dog, meaning the dog lunges and barks at other dogs or people, the dog’s neck can get damaged because of the way the handler is just trying to hang on to the dog while their head is thrashing back and forth. However, I know many clients who are so comfortable with them and take the time to condition their dog to them, and it works great. Confidence comes from feeling comfortable. This is key with building a mutual feeling of trust between the handler and the dog. Remember, I believe the handler’s energy flows through the leash and into the dog. Dogs can feel confidence or hesitation in their handler.

Before deciding on a Gentle Leader or Halti, if you have any plans of training your dog to be a therapy or service dog, make sure that organization approves of them. Some do and some don’t, whether you agree with that or not.

Slip Collars/Slip Leads/Chain Collars

In the video below, I demonstrate how to put on a particular type of slip collar called the Snap-Around Training Collar, sold only online by Handcraft Collars. This is my slip collar of choice. There are imitation collars similar to them sold in stores and online, but the snap-around training collars are all handmade and excellent quality. I have many different sizes on hand for the client/dog that I feel would do well with it. It is imperative to have the collar measured correctly in order to yield the optimal results when handling your dog. The ‘correction’ I mentioned earlier applies to any type of slip collar, which is demonstrated in the video below. Remember, there is a right and wrong way to put these collars/leads on. You want to make sure you have the collar or lead set up so that the line from the collar or lead goes straight through the loop. if the leash is on the wrong side, it will choke the dog.

I prefer the snap-around collar over the chain collar for two reasons. The first reason is because some dogs are sensitive to certain noises. When you pull the leash taut on the chain collar, it makes a metal clanging sound which can cause the dog to negatively associate that noise with that collar. The snap-around collar is made out of cloth and is silent when pulling the leash taut.

The other reason I prefer the snap-around collar over the chain collar is that some dogs back up and don’t like to be approached when something is put over their head. This can cause negative association with the chain collar. The snap-around collar is put on around the neck and then clipped.

Slip leads can be great for a lot of dogs. This is the bottom leash in the picture of leashes above. The collar and leash are all one piece. They are usually made out of a type of cloth, but can also be made out of polyurethane (Biothane). The one thing that most people don’t know about is the tab that slides on the leash. This is to keep the slip part of the lead in place. Remember, it should be high on the neck, right behind the ears.

Martingale

I rarely run into people who use martingale collars. I don’t think I have ever recommended one. Instead, I will suggest any of the other walking tools previously mentioned. I believe that the appeal of these collars is the design such that it prevents choking the dog. When you pull the leash taut, it stops when the two sides hit together. However, most of the time, when I do see these collars, they are not fit correctly. They are usually too loose. The Greyhound rescue organizations love the martingales because of the size of their head and neck and also their very short fur. If fit correctly, they cannot escape out of them.

The biggest takeaway from this episode is that I am willing to work with any of the walking tools I listed above. I take into consideration my assessment of the dog and the physical ability of the pet parent. This determines which tool I feel will be the most suitable for both parties involved. I believe that the reason we see way less dogs being walked in any given neighborhood than there are households with dogs, is because the pet parent gave up walking their dog because it was too difficult and unpleasant. My goal is that the walk becomes a pleasant event for everyone involved. Dogs thrive when they are well exercised and well socialized.

My next episode will be with Gary Flynn, whom I have recorded with before. We will talk about prong collars and electronic collars. Some dogs require a tool that gives the handler even more control than any of the tools mentioned above. The prong collar can aide in that and can be used as a temporary training tool to work on issues you may be having. Gary will inform us about how electronic collars are supposed to be used. Not how they are commonly used by most people. Stay tuned!

Training Tip of the Day

When calling your dog’s name, ALWAYS say it in a positive tone that will result in something positive for the dog.

What is your walking tool of choice?

  At some point in your dog’s lifetime, most likely you have had to take them to your vet for an emergency type situation. Whether it be due to swallowing a foreign object or requiring surgery for an acute injury, Dr. Randy Hutchison and his professional staff at Animal Clinic Northview in North Ridgeville, Ohio, will be able to get your dog back on the road to recovery.

In this episode, Dr. Randy and I discuss common injuries and treatments that are available for various conditions. As much as we try to prevent injuries from happening, they are almost inevitable. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who hasn’t had to take their dog to the vet only for well check ups. One of the great things about Animal Clinic Northview is that they have round the clock service. So, no matter what time of day or night your dog suffers an injury or illness, there will be a vet on duty to help you.

Dog Bites

As a dog trainer, unfortunately, I have seen plenty of people get bit by dogs or their dogs have gotten into dog fights. The wounds can be serious, sometimes fatal. Especially if they have gone untreated for a period of time. Bite wounds for people should never, ever be taken lightly because of the bacterial content of dogs’ mouths. When we witness or experience dog bites, we think of the dog lunging toward their target and biting quickly and powerfully. Some dogs will bite and hold on. Others will bite once and let go. Either way, the damage can be extensive.

To a trained eye, dogs ALWAYS give you a warning before biting. Please consult a professional dog trainer if you feel that your dog has aggressive tendencies. They will not go away on their own. My contact info is below. If I feel that I cannot help you because the aggression is too serious, I can refer you to other dog trainers.

Dr. Randy sees an influx of bite wounds in the winter time. Dogs don’t always get the exercise they are used to during the warmer months. This can create a lot of frustration for dogs due to pent up energy. Sometimes, fights happen between dogs living in the same household. Common causes of fights are over claiming possession of valuable resources such as toys and food. In the dog training arena, we call this resource guarding. One dog will pose in a way that their body is over the food or toy and their body is stiff. You may even see “whale eyes” or the whites of their eyes, accompanied by growling and baring their teeth.

Assessing the damage done by a dog bite to another dog has to be done very carefully. If the decision is made to stitch up the wound, the possibility of locking in the bacteria can lead to locking in an infection. Antibiotics may be prescribed to address the infection. Sometimes, depending on where the wound is located, there is not enough skin to stitch together. However, there is a new treatment on the market called Phovia. Phovia delivers fluorescent light to the affected wound, which stimulates the body’s natural healing process. It is non-invasive and painless. Any kind of wound care treatment involves multiple visits until everything has healed up nicely. Your vet will guide you through the healing process and may even recommend physical therapy depending on the injury.

The bacteria in dogs’ mouths can cause serious infections in humans too. It may require antibiotics to get rid of the infection. The bacteria doesn’t necessarily have to be transmitted through a bite. My neighbor almost died after she came home from an operation and her dog licked the wound, like dogs do. There can be certain bacteria in the dog’s mouth that can cause sepsis through an open wound. Please consult your veterinarian or medical doctor if you or your dog experience a bite or licking an open wound from another dog.

Another totally innocent way a dog can get a serious infection from a bite wound is through play. My dog, Ebi, was playing with her best friend across the street. I was watching the dogs play. It is very common for dogs to use their mouths while playing and bite gently. I heard one of the dogs shriek. Ebi was laying down, but then got back up to play again. I figured one of the dogs came down too hard on the other and they let the other dog know about it. Well, 2 to 3 days later, my husband discovered a big growth on her side that we had never noticed before. My friend, who is a former vet tech, came over, and shaved the area where the growth was. It revealed a puncture wound from a tooth. That’s when I realized what that shriek was all about. Our neighbor dog came down too hard on Ebi. The bacteria from that bite caused an abscess to form. I took Ebi to the vet for further treatment and she healed up beautifully.

Cranial Cruciate Ligament Tears

Another common yet painful injury to dogs is tearing the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), which is the equivalent of tearing the anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) in humans. The CCL is located inside the knee joint, connecting the thigh bone to the shin bone. I have never personally experienced this with my dogs, but plenty of my client’s dogs have, unfortunately. The surgery and rehab is quite pricey and stressful because the dogs have to be contained for an extended period of time.

A lot of times, dogs will tear their CCL because they sprinted towards something or jumped off a high place. You will know right away if your dog injured themselves because they will start limping immediately. Every time your dog steps on that leg with a torn CCL, it buckles because the ligament is not there to provide stabilization. When the injury occurs, there is acute pain. However, that pain subsides as time goes on, but the limp persists. If this does happen to your dog, contact your vet immediately so that they can assess the injury.

One of the biggest misconceptions about CCL injuries is that the vet is surgically repairing the ligament. If that was actually attempted by a vet, it would almost certainly end in failure. The ligament is so minute and damaged that it is impossible to stitch it back together.

Almost all CCL repair techniques are done to provide stabilization to the joint. There are a couple of ways to repair these injuries. One option is called a lateral suture. This procedure uses sutures to reinforce the outside of the knee joint which creates a type of artificial ligament. A more up-to-date method is referred to as TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy). This procedure is done more commonly now. The joint forms scar tissue around itself to let the body heal it in a way that creates stability.

Rehab Facility On Premise

Animal Clinic Northview offers many different types of therapies for patients coming off of surgeries and injuries. They now have a swimming pool to help rehab a joint that needs to move but not involve hard impact. Also on the premises are underwater and dry treadmills, acupuncture, and laser therapy to help with the healing process. This is such an improvement to what used to be offered when the dog would undergo surgery and be sent home to heal. All of the therapies mentioned above can expedite and improve the quality of the dog’s life a lot quicker so that they can get back to running around again.

The rehab facility at Animal Clinic Northview is in the same building as the main veterinary clinic and is staffed by therapists dedicated to rehabbing dogs. There is a separate extra wide entrance to accommodate patients coming in on gurneys and for those who may be more stressed entering through the main lobby. There is even a special rubber coated floor for those patients recovering from leg surgeries to prevent any slipping.

Obstructions

Two of the commands I teach during my basic obedience class are the “Leave It/Drop It'“ commands. Dogs love to explore their world through their nose and their mouth. I don’t think I have ever met a puppy that hasn’t wanted to put everything in their mouth. It’s their way of exploring their world. It’s up to us humans to keep them safe and teach them to stop pursuing an object with the “Leave It” command. If it’s too late to prevent them from putting it in their mouth, we use the “Drop It” command to make them release the object and surrender it.

It is also common for puppies and dogs to play “keep away” from their humans and make a game out of running around the yard or house with a prized possession in their mouth. We don’t realize that we are playing the exact game the dog wanted to play when we chase the dog around and yell at them to drop it. The more the humans yell, the more excited and energized the dog gets to continue this fun game!

It’s when the dog decides to swallow the object and a blockage occurs that Dr. Randy comes in. He has dealt with plenty of clients whose dogs ingested something they shouldn’t have. Whole ears of corn, fish hooks, socks and underwear to name a few. He says that a lot of the time, family members just want to know who is to blame - who left the underwear on the floor in the first place???

There are instances where we actually witness our dog swallowing an object that was too big or knowingly indigestible. It is extremely advisable to immediately go to the vet to get it expelled. Socks and underwear are two very common foreign bodies that are ingested. If addressed soon enough, there are medications to induce vomiting, and the object comes back up the esophagus, out the mouth, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief and goes home.

Another way to prevent having to surgically remove a foreign body is through an instrument called an endoscope. There are different kinds and sizes of grabbers and loops that are attached to the endoscope which are fed down the esophagus and into the stomach. The grabber will pick up the foreign body and be pulled back out of the mouth.

Foreign bodies get tricky when no one in the family notices that the dog ingested anything. All they notice is that the dog does not have the typical appetite they usually have or even the dog refuses to eat. Maybe the dog starts vomiting several times for a couple of days in a row, is showing signs of constipation and/or seems to have abdominal discomfort. These symptoms can be a sign of other conditions, but they all warrant a phone call and possible visit to the vet. If there is an obstruction, not only is it blocking the flow of things through the intestine, but also the pressure it creates is damaging the blood supply to that intestine. This can lead to perforations in the intestinal area. Now, you are talking about extensive surgery to remove the object and repair the perforations.

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to be tempted to pull on an object that you see is peeking out of the dog’s anus. For example, if you know your dog swallowed a plastic grocery bag and a few days later a little bit is showing out of their anus, that plastic bag may be wrapped around and stuck on something as it was working its way out. You could potentially be doing more harm than good by pulling it out. Dr. Randy has the same advice for cats. He has seen where the cat has swallowed a string. One end of the string was sticking out of the cat’s anus, but the other end was wrapped around the cat’s tongue!

Dental Issues

All dogs love to chew on things. There are so many options at the pet store that it can be overwhelming. Some of these options can lead to broken teeth, some are made of unhealthy ingredients, and some are just down right dangerous. So many times, when Dr. Randy is performing a well check up and pulls away the gums to get a good look at the dog’s teeth, he discovers chipped teeth or slab fractures. Slab fractures are when the enamel has sheared off the tooth, exposing the nerves. This is usually caused by the dog chewing on objects that are too hard for their teeth. Not only is this very painful to the dog, but it also requires dental attention.

When you have an aggressive chewer, meaning, the dog chews vigorously on bones, be very mindful of antler bones, elk horns, cow hooves, and nylabones. All of these chews can do some serious damage to a dog’s teeth. One of the vets who regularly performs dental work has a rule of thumb:

If you can't indent the chew toy with your thumbnail, don’t give it to your dog.

Some dogs are absolutely fine and will never have a dental issue with an antler bone. Then, there are other dogs who chew the antler and actually cause splinters to break off. If the dog swallows those splinters, now you’re talking about perforations along the way through the intestinal tract.

Dr. Randy’s advice on deciding on which chew toy to give your dog, “Go Fred Flinstone” and buy the biggest toy the dog can manage to get their teeth on. We are all looking for something to preoccupy our dogs with and satisfy their instinct to chew, but we have to be wise about it. Chew toys should always be under supervision, not used as a babysitter, and never left in the crate with the dog while they are alone for hours. When the toy is whittled down by about 80-90%, then it’s time to put it in the trash. My rule of thumb has always been if the length of the chew toy is 1” wider on both sides of the dog’s mouth, then it is time to dispose of it. Otherwise, you risk the dog swallowing the remainder and ending up with a blockage! The safest toy that I have found is a Kong. Again, you need to know your dog’s chewing style before you think you can give him a Kong full of almond butter (I’m not a peanut butter fan).

According to Dr. Randy, one of the most common misconceptions of dental injuries is that if the dog is in pain, they won’t eat. This is false. Dogs are very stoic. They will mask their pain. There's almost never a dental condition that will keep a dog from eating. If you watch a dog that is experiencing dental pain, they will toss their food to the other side of their mouth. They learn how to compensate for it. Another sign that your dog is experiencing dental issues is when the dog goes to pick up a toy, their pet parents will see them kind of jolt and drop the toy.

Root canals can be performed on dogs’ teeth, but typically just pulling the tooth, alleviates the source of pain and possibility for infection to develop. Pet parents notice how much more energy the dog has after the pain has been removed, This is particularly noticeable in cats. If you think dogs are stoic, cats have them beat in that department!

Seizures

Another condition in dogs that I hear too frequently from pet parents is seizures. Dr. Randy says that many times there is no identifiable cause for seizures. Just like in humans, seizures aren’t necessarily caused by a structural issue. Even after doing CTs or MRIs on the dog’s brain, there will be no glaring abnormalities on the scans.

The most common type of seizures which typically occur in dogs between the ages of 1-5 years are epileptic seizures. Whenever a dog has a seizure, Dr. Randy has to make sure that there's not something obvious causing it. Blood work is drawn to determine if low blood sugar, or calcium or liver abnormalities may be causing the seizures. Younger dogs who are experiencing seizures are more concerning. Metabolic defects or even distemper can cause seizures, so they will be screened for that. As the dog gets older, then you start worrying about a possible brain tumor. So, when diagnosing a dog for seizures, there is a process of elimination of all of these possible causes.

Seizures are still an enigma, even in human medicine. Dr. Randy will have a 10 year old dog come in for a checkup after they had their first seizure in their life and he can’t find a reason for it. On the other end of the spectrum, one of Dr. Randy’s client’s dog has a seizure once it starts walking in the clinic. Stress can also be a contributing factor to the onset of a seizure. The staff at the clinic will have this dog come through a different entrance to avoid the hustle and bustle of the main entrance. It is important to point out that this is more of a rarity than a commonplace scenario.

There are a number of medications for seizure patients. If a dog has one single seizure and has never had another one, medications will not be prescribed right away. This type of situation will be more for building a database on that dog if any future events occur. The medications for seizures have become much safer than they used to be. If your dog has been prescribed seizure medications, this won’t prevent episodes from happening. Instead, it can limit the severity and frequency of these events when they do occur.

Pancreatitis

Even though I am a dog trainer dealing with behavioral and obedience issues, inevitably, I end up talking to my clients about their dog’s health. If the dog doesn’t feel well, it can be way more challenging to assess behavioral issues accurately. The reason why the dog may be having behavioral issues is because they are in pain and not feeling well.

One health issue that can affect a dog’s behavior is pancreatitis. According to Dr. Randy, pancreatitis is somewhat of a generic term for an acute tummy ache that has a wide range of presentations in dogs. From a one time vomiting event to a life threatening rush to the ER, pancreatitis is another condition where different tests need to be run to correctly assess what it really is that is manifesting symptoms in the dog. It is worth mentioning that pancreatitis in cats is an entirely different disease and cannot be compared to that in dogs.

A common cause of pancreatitis that is thrown around by the public which is misleading is that the dog ate something fatty, like a Big Mac or the Easter ham. This can definitely contribute to the onset of pancreatitis, but it is not the sole factor. There have been plenty of dogs examined by Dr. Randy who have not eaten something they shouldn’t have, but they still get pancreatitis. All living beings require fat in their diet. However, just like in the human diet, the fat should be a healthy fat. The more fat we consume, the more weight we gain. It is advisable to be aware of the type of fat we all consume for our well being.

Symptoms of pancreatitis can be vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and lack of appetite. If pancreatitis is suspected, there is a test called a PLI, or pancreatic lipase test. This measures the level of lipase, a digestive enzyme produced by the pancreas. If this test yields a positive result, this raises the suspicion that pancreatitis may be present. To get an accurate diagnosis of pancreatitis, the adjoining organs surrounding the pancreas should be examined. The stomach, small intestine, and bile ducts could actually be the primary cause of the symptoms and the pancreas is secondary. Bloodwork most likely will be ordered to monitor any changes in certain levels. Sonograms can confirm if there are any abscesses or edema in the area. The dog’s medical history will be reviewed so that the appropriate treatment is recommended.

Treatment is very much dependent on how sick the dog is and what kind of changes appear in the blood work. A new drug which helps treat pancreatitis, Paniquel, can lower and even halt the inflammatory response in the pancreas. This can bring relief to the dog suffering from acute pancreatitis. Dr. Randy’s two big takeaways from pancreatitis are first of all, make sure the vet checks for inflammation or abnormalities in the surrounding organs of the pancreas to confirm the diagnosis. Secondly, if your dog is increasingly showing signs of discomfort from the symptoms listed above, this warrants an immediate visit to the vet because it can be life threatening.

Bloat and Volvulus

Bloat is a condition when the stomach dilates or distends up, sometimes but not always, due to an accumulation of food, liquid or air. This can cause the stomach to flip over on itself, called volvulus. When this happens, this is a life threatening event because it will cut off the outflows to the stomach and trap everything in the stomach. As the stomach stretches, blood vessels get compressed so much that it cuts off its own blood supply. The stomach continues to distend beyond the rib cage and sounds and feels like a drum. If this is noticeable, then the condition has progressed to the point where immediate attention is required to save the dog.

A common symptom of bloat is the dog will be retching, not vomiting. It looks like the dog is trying to vomit, but nothing but a little phlegm comes out. This should be a red flag to get the dog to the vet. Your dog also may be walking around nervously and can’t really settle down. I remember one client telling me that her dog kept on whining and walking around one night before going to bed. She thought her dog was just anxious about the thunderstorm. Horrifically, she woke up the next morning only to find her dog dead at the bottom of the stairs.

When a dog comes in as an emergency bloat case, the first thing that has to be done is to release the gas that has built up in the stomach. Once the gas is released, and the stomach is deflated, then the dog undergoes a gastropexy to return the stomach back to its original position. The stomach will be tacked to the right side of the body wall because when the stomach flips, it is always a right to left event. After the gastroplexy, the dog can still experience bloat, but the stomach won’t flip.

There are now studies that have been done that have debunked a lot of the previous theories on the common causes of bloat. For example, eating too much food in one sitting, exercising too quickly after eating, or elevating the bowls when eating. These all could be contributing factors but studies now show that none of these things really matter. The vast majority of dogs that have bloat that come to the clinic did the same thing that day and ate the same food that they have eaten every day of their life.

Another misconception about bloat is that it only affects giant breed dogs and those with deep chests. However, one of the most common breeds the clinic sees affected by bloat is the 40-60 lb. sized Standard Poodle. On a personal note, when we got my Leonberger, a giant breed, we had already decided that we were going to have her undergo a gastropexy as a preventative measure so that her stomach would not flip. At the clinic, the gastropexy is done laparoscopically. We had this done at the same time she was spayed so as to avoid two surgeries. This surgery lasts the lifetime of the dog. Her spay was done laparoscopically as well, so she only had a couple of small incisions for both surgeries instead of being cut open. I am thankful to this day that Dr. Randy did the gastropexy so that I wouldn’t have to worry about her stomach flipping.

Spay and Neuter Procedures

An ongoing debate in the history of veterinary medicine has been when to spay or neuter your dog. When Dr. Randy was working at the clinic when he was younger, it was recommended to spay or neuter your dog at six months of age. By the time he went to vet school, there was a big push to spay or neuter between 12 and 16 weeks. Now, the pendulum has swung all the way to the other end of the spectrum to waiting until the dog is a much later age. Dr. Randy always tells clients that it’s like bell bottoms. Whatever your opinion is on the best time to spay or neuter, eventually it will come back in style at some point.

There are now studies that state that unspayed females and unneutered intact males of giant breeds may live longer. The difficult thing about that is there are also complications that arise by not spaying or neutering. In unspayed female dogs, they are more at risk for pyometra and mammary chain cancer. In unneutered males, prostate disease, testicular cancer, and hernias can develop.

What Dr. Randy is recommending now is waiting at least 6 months to a year for small breeds, and a year for medium to large male breed dogs. For giant male breeds, waiting anywhere between a year and a half to two years is advisable. If you choose to wait, you have to be careful not to let your dog loose around any unspayed females. They will walk miles to find that female in heat when they get on the scent!

The recommended time to spay a female is different than for males. It is recommended that the female go through at least one heat cycle before getting spayed. One misconception is that you should wait a year to spay your female dog. The amount of time does not play into the equation. It is all dependent on the timing of the heat cycle. My dog, Ebi, didn’t have her first cycle until she was 15 months. So, she wasn’t spayed until she was about 18 months old. An interesting and unique fact about female canines is that their hormones are the same during their heat cycle whether they are pregnant or not. Progesterone, a hormone necessary to maintain a pregnancy, increases during the heat cycle even if the dog does not become pregnant. The reason why vets wait for two months after the heat cycle has finished is because that’s how long a pregnancy typically lasts. So, the progesterone level that is present during the heat cycle to prepare and maintain a pregnancy has waned and the spay can be performed safely.

The great thing about the spaying procedure today is that it can be done laparoscopically. It makes a huge difference in the recovery time. With the traditional way of cutting open the dog to perform the spay, a ligament has to be cut in order to get to the ovaries to remove them. This contributes to a recovery lasting up to two weeks. A follow up visit is required to remove stitches. Whereas with the laparoscopic spay, normal activity can resume between 24-48 hours and there aren’t any stitches to be removed. There are only two tiny incisions and no tearing or cutting of ligaments.

Dr. Randy has been performing laparoscopic spays and neuters for over 20 years. Animal Clinic Northview was one of the first veterinary clinics in the eastern United States to be able to offer them. Not every vet clinic is able to invest in the equipment and training necessary for the laparoscopic surgeries. The last time Dr. Randy checked on these statistics, clients came from 15 states and 3 countries just to get this type of surgery for their dogs.

According to Dr. Randy, he has the greatest job in the world. He loves going to work every day and loves what he does. Whenever I take my pets there, it is so evident that there is a feeling of dedication to serve and help client’s beloved pets in sickness and in health. This type of culture amongst the 34 doctors and 180 people who report to him is very important. They love their jobs too and they are extremely passionate about what they do. There is a lot of joy working in a vet clinic, but there is also the heartbreak that goes along with that joy. But at the end of the day, they can feel proud that they helped so many pets and their pet parents with whatever comes through those doors on a daily basis.

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 If you have a dog, chances are you have visited the veterinarian’s office a few times. Scheduling regular vet appointments can ensure the healthiest life possible for your dog by staying up to date on vaccines and preventative care. From parasite prevention and treatments to birthing and breeding dogs, the professional staff at Animal Clinic Northview in North Ridgeville, Ohio, can help your pet get the best treatment possible for whatever issue you may be experiencing with your pet.

Dr. Randy Hutchison (Dr. Randy) has been a practicing vet for over 25 years at Animal Clinic Northview. When he was just 5 years old, he decided he wanted to be a vet, attend The Ohio State University, and work with his father. It helped that his Dad, Dr. Robert Hutchison, was and currently still is, a vet too. However, when Dr. Randy was 16 years old, his father sat him down at the kitchen table and told him that he didn’t have to follow in his footsteps if he didn’t want to. Dr. Randy told his Dad right then and there that his goal in life was to become a vet. Imagine how proud his Dad was that his son was going to follow in his footsteps and become the esteemed veterinarian that he is today, all because of his wisdom and knowledge that he passed on to his son.

How Animal Clinic Northview was established

As with anything great, the back story on how Animal Clinic Northview got started is a very captivating one to tell. Dr. Robert met his original partner, Dr. Gary Krone, graduated from vet school and worked for a vet in Elyria. They had a vision back then to build a full service animal clinic where they could offer services other than just vaccines and well check ups. You could say the dream was to create a one stop shopping venue where whatever your pet needed, they could provide the service.

When Dr. Randy was 3 years old, his father and soon to be business partner, started looking for a plot of land to build the office of their dreams on. This was top secret, or at least it was supposed to be top secret until one of Dr. Robert’s elderly clients told him that the ladies at the beauty parlor were talking about him building a new vet office. The word got out and Dr. Robert and Dr. Krone felt they had to do the right thing and tell their boss about it before he found out by word of mouth. Unfortunately, but actually fortunately, they both were fired the next day. This propelled them to pack up their supplies and operate their business out of their trunks while their new office was being built. They rented surgical rooms from other vet clinics and made it work. By the time the building was ready to be operational, they had approximately 3,000 clients!

Fast forward to today, Animal Clinic Northview offers so many services, including 24 hour emergency service, laparoscopic surgeries, an intensive care unit, CT scans, three types of ultrasounds, and even more. The vision of the clinic today is to provide the most comprehensive care possible with compassion.

On a personal note, I discovered Animal Clinic Northview from a mutual client and their German Shepherd, Heidi. I used to help them handle Heidi on appointments due to her reactivity to other dogs that she might encounter in the waiting room. Now, she is so well behaved that they can manage on their own, but helping my clients’ dog exposed me to the clinic. So, when I got my Leonberger, Ebi, she had her first puppy appointment with Dr. Randy and has been a client ever since.

Since then, when one of my cats was in his last stage of life, I went to the vet down the street from me that I had been going to for over 20 years. I took the cat in to find out what was going on. The vet told me that I needed to confirm her diagnosis of possible lymphoma by getting an ultrasound. They did not have the equipment there. They told me to go to Animal Clinic Northview. It was confirmed that he was in his last stage of life and his organs were shutting down. He died two weeks later at home. So, it was a no brainer for me. I switched my other cat over to Animal Clinic Northview and I have been very happy ever since.

Animal Clinic Northview offers many different services

Reproductive Services

One of the first unique services the clinic started providing other than basic veterinary medicine was a reproductive department. Animal Clinic Northview has one of the largest canine frozen semen banks in the world. Breeders choose to store their stud’s (male dogs) sperm there. A stud’s sperm can be preserved for as long as the client wants and can be used for breeding dogs. The sperm is owned by the stud dog’s owner. There is a separate agreement outside of the clinic. When the breeder finds a female to breed with their stud’s sperm, they contact Animal Clinic Northview to release the sperm. It has happened where the stud has been dead for 25 years and still producing litters!

Another reproductive service the clinic offers is a birthing unit. There are certain breeds, like the bully breeds, in particular French Bulldogs, who require C-sections when giving birth. They just aren’t big enough to handle the birthing process. However, just like there are different reasons that humans require C-sections, dogs share the same reasons. For example, the labor has failed, the mother’s life is at stake, or the puppies lives are in jeopardy. There is an observation room for the owners to watch the birthing process if they desire. It can be very exciting to watch, especially when they are all healthy and the mom is doing well. Some owners are involved and some stay in the corner, but it's very exciting to witness a live birth.

Intensive Care Unit

Animal Clinic Northview also has an ICU for very similar reasons that require a human patient to be admitted to the ICU. It is staffed by 3 to 6 nurses around the clock. It can house potentially 40 to 50 patients. Attached to the ICU is an isolation ward with a see through window. It is separate from the normal wards where patients go so as to not cross contaminate with healthy pets. For example, if a pet has a respiratory illness such as Parvo, these patients will be in the isolation ward separated from the other ICU patients.

Animal Clinic Northview promotes their techs to specialize in certain departments. If a vet tech shows interest in wanting to be trained in working with specific cases, they are encouraged to do so. So, the vet techs who tend to patients in the ICU are dedicated to this department. You won’t see an ICU nurse in your well check up visit. These techs are experts at handling serious cases like infectious diseases, pneumonia, diabetes, and heart and kidney diseases which require constant supervision. An ICU technician may have the exact same licensing as a surgical technician or a floor technician, but they have chosen to follow a certain path that they are very passionate about. Very few clinics have this type of set up in the United States.

Exotic Pets

Not only can the vet technicians and assistants choose a certain department to specialize in, but so can the veterinarians themselves. At Animal Clinic Northview, it’s not just about cats and dogs. There are 3 doctors who cater to clients with exotic pets such as birds, small mammals, snakes, tortoises, and rabbits, just to name a few. There are also vet techs who assist these vets with surgeries on these animals and even turkey, chickens, and reptiles. They are just as loved as a pet as a dog or cat can be. The staff at the clinic recognize this and want to be able to provide services to as many different pets as possible.

Common Reasons Why Dogs Require a Vet

For the purpose of this interview with Dr. Randy, I will be discussing common dog issues that require a vet visit. It just so happens that Dr. Randy’s field of expertise is dogs. When most people think about vet visits, they think about vaccinations - preventative medicine.

Vaccinations

Whether you are bringing home a puppy or a rescue dog, it is strongly advised to keep up to date on vaccinations in order to prevent diseases. The most common series of shots is the DHPP : Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo and Parainfluenza. When puppies come in for their first visit, frequently they have had at least one round of this all in one shot. This vaccine protects dogs from getting these potentially serious infections and helps keep them healthy for their lifetime with follow up boosters.

One common misconception about the puppy series is that they need to be vaccinated often to get the proper dosage in them in order to prevent illness. Dr. Randy clarifies this by stating that it doesn’t matter how many shots a puppy has had. What matters is that by week 16 of a puppy’s life, this is when the mother’s immunization passed on through the colostrum and milk has waned and the puppy’s own immune system kicks in. However, if the health of the mother’s immune system is not optimal, this can affect the strength of the antibodies passed on to the puppies in the colostrum within the first 48 hours. Hence, the reason why the first series is commonly given within the first 8 weeks of life. The second round typically follows around a month later, and the very last series is administered around week 16. Even if breeders insist that they have already given the puppy 3 rounds of shots prior to 16 weeks, the truth is that the maternal antibodies negate the vaccines. So, all of those vaccines that breeder gave the puppy are useless. One hopes that this doesn’t happen because a puppy’s immune system can be bombarded with vaccines to the point where even that can cause issues.

It is sometimes impossible to determine whether a dog from a shelter has had prior vaccinations. There are such things as titers, but they are not reliable. For example, a titer may show the presence of Parainfluenza, but it does not differentiate between exposure to the disease or immunization of the disease. Therefore, if there are no shot records on a rescue dog, a mini puppy series will be highly advised for adequate protection.

In addition to the core vaccine DHPP, are the rabies, bordetella, Leptospirosis, and Lyme vaccines. The rabies vaccine is typically administered between 4 and 6 months of age so as not to bombard the puppy’s immune system that has already had the DHPP vaccine. Rabies can be a very serious illness in humans and animals which can cause eventual paralysis and changes in behavior. Dr. Randy points out that each state has different guidelines for rabies and other shots. If you plan to move out of state, contact a vet immediately to make sure your pet adheres to their vaccination schedule. In Ohio, the first rabies shot is valid for one year. After the first year, boosters are required every 3 years.

Bordetella is commonly referred to as kennel cough. However, kennel cough is a generic term for what vets call infectious tracheobronchitis, which means inflammation of the upper airway. Parainfluenza is one of the main components of upper respiratory illnesses like Bordetella. So, a dog may be vaccinated for parainfluenza in the DHPP series, but it does not prevent Bordetella. There is a separate shot for that which is commonly required at doggie daycares or boarding facilities. Bordetella is highly contagious and takes sometimes up to 10 days for them to fully recover to the point where they are no longer infectious.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection in dogs and is spread through the urine of infected animals. It can cause symptoms ranging from fever and lethargy to kidney and liver damage. Dogs love to lap up puddles of water or even lick dewey grass. However, if your lawn is frequented by raccoons, possums or other rodents, the potential for them to ingest the bacteria that causes leptospirosis increases. The vaccine for leptospirosis is a must for all dogs, especially if you hike with your dog.

Lyme disease is spread by ticks which hang out most commonly in tall grassy areas. Ticks are so much more prevalent in Ohio now than they were even 10 years ago. Pennsylvania used to be notorious for Lyme disease but with deer and other animal migration, Ohio and parts of Michigan have seen an increase in Lyme disease as well. The heartworm tests that the clinic now does include the three most common tick diseases, which are Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasmosis. If these tests come up positive, it can just mean that your dog was exposed, but may not yet have the symptoms of the disease. However, they should be treated so that they don’t get sick from it.

In reference to all of the vaccines that are available to pets, it is important that your vet inquires about what activities you plan to do with your dog. If you plan to send your dog to a daycare or a boarding facility, they will suggest certain vaccines. If you are planning to take your dog hiking, you will want to consider the Lyme vaccine and Leptospirosis. Your vet will decide which protocol best suits your dog based on your level of activity and exposure to certain locations.

Common Parasites in Dogs

There are many flea and tick preventatives on the market today. Fleas can be a nuisance to get rid of, especially if they inhabit your house. We humans can bring in fleas and ticks on our shoelaces and socks. The best way to prevent an infestation is to give your dog either a topical or oral dosage of a flea and tick preventative. Some names of these products are Advantix, Simparica, Nex Guard Plus, Revolution and Bravecto. Talk to your vet to help you decide what is best for your dog.

One thing to remember when dealing with fleas and ticks is that fleas typically die off with the first frost of the winter season, unless they are warm and cozy in your house. Outside, they will start their whole life cycle all over again in the springtime. Ticks go dormant in the winter, but do not die. They come “back to life” on the first 70 degree days looking for a host to latch on to. Flea and tick preventatives do not prevent these parasites from hopping on to your dog. They kill them within 48 hours of when they land on the animal. It can take several weeks for the flea preventative to kill all stages of life of the flea. Therefore, monthly applications are highly advised in order to totally eradicate the infestation. It takes approximately 36 to 48 hours for a tick to transmit disease to your dog. Even if you give your dog a flea and tick preventative, it is best to remove the tick with a tick remover tool once you notice it to ensure you removed the entire body of the tick.

Giardia

Giardia is an intestinal parasite that has become more prevalent in the past 5 to 10 years. There are big influxes of cases in the spring and fall. Dogs can get it from contaminated water or soil. It can be very difficult to treat and to rid the dog of this parasite. It causes very runny diarrhea and lethargy. Whenever a human or animal has diarrhea, it is essential to stay hydrated. Giardia is a zoonotic parasite which means it can be transmitted from animals to humans through fecal contact. Whenever I find out that a client’s dog has Giardia, I take off my shoes before entering the house and disinfect them. I don’t want to possibly spread this to my pets.

Antibiotics will be prescribed to rid Giardia from their host. Sometimes the antibiotic will have to be changed because the initial one was not effective. The good news is that Dr. Randy does not hear about his clients getting Giardia from their dog, but he does recommend that they tell their doctor. Out of all the parasites, Giardia presents the most severe gastrointestinal symptoms of them all. Dogs will have bloody diarrhea, they will have bouts of vomiting and will lose their appetite.

Roundworms and hookworms are zoonotic as well. A lot of the heart worm preventatives also kill roundworms and hookworms so they aren’t as prevalent. This is why it is important to bring in a fecal sample for your annual checkup. Bottom line is if you have a dog, you should be very aware of maintaining exemplary hygiene so that you don’t contract any of these nasty parasites too.

Coccidia

Another parasite that is common is Coccidia. Your dog can get coccidia from eating bunny poop. Dogs love bunny poop! Actually, dogs love any kind of poop. Even their own! Coccidia is easier to treat and doesn’t tend to get dogs that sick, but they still need to be treated by your vet to get rid of the parasite. It tends to affect puppies worse than adult dogs. Sometimes adult dogs can get rid of it themselves if they have a robust immune system,

Coprophagia

Coprophagia is the technical term for dogs eating their own poop or the poop of their pack mates. Dr. Randy believes that this is just a nasty habit and not an indication that the dog is lacking some kind of nutrition. There can be health issues such as anemia or iron deficiency that can lead the dog to search for “food” to satisfy this condition. However, it is typically just a gross habit. As a dog trainer, I advise clients who are having this particular issue with their dog to take the dog out on a leash to eliminate. That way you can jerk them away from their poop if they go for it. It is also necessary to pick up the poop right away to take away that temptation.

All of this talk about parasites and poop has led to Dr. Randy earning the nickname of Dr. Butts and Guts. Out of all of the 34 doctors he manages on staff, Dr. Randy is always summoned when they need his expertise on an issue having to deal with a dog’s butt or guts. In my next episode with Dr. Randy, we will discuss some of the surgeries he performs and you will discover how he lives up to that nickname!

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A popular topic in the dog training field for trainers and pet parents is Positive Reinforcement. To be honest, before I became a dog trainer in 2012, I didn’t even know that there were different methodologies that were taught in training dogs. I am only knowledgeable and comfortable teaching positive reinforcement techniques. However, I have experienced the other method of training dogs, which is “correction” based, when I signed up for training my Corgi, Hank, in 2005.

You have to remember that even as recently as 20 years ago, the big box pet stores like Petco and PetSmart were not as well known and widespread as they are now. In-store dog training classes were not offered until sometime in the 1990s. People didn’t even think about getting their dog trained from a private dog trainer, let alone a pet store. Now, it is common to attend training classes with your dog, and the benefits of it are more well known. It has become more common to seek out a trainer for problem issues at home and/or just basic obedience skills. In fact, a lot of breeders either highly suggest or require that the puppy they have raised, attend basic obedience classes. Dogs went from being thought of as an animal that lived in a dog house outside, to a family member that sleeps in our beds, in a relatively short period of time!

When I was growing up, there was no leash law. Very few families on our street had dogs that roamed the neighborhood. The only bad thing I remember about that was the dog poop. No one liked it then when a dog pooped on your lawn, and no one likes it now! I’m sure kids got bit by these dogs, but they were far and few between. Not that many households had dogs like they have today. There are still cities and communities with no leash laws. However, with the threat of rabies from dogs attacking other dogs and humans, leash laws have become the standard.

In my early teenage years, my parents took care of my brother’s dog, Rama, for several years while my brother was in college. Rama was not allowed in the house. Rama was not my sole responsibility, but if my Mom told me to walk or feed him, I was happy to do that. I even used to walk him into town, off leash, bring him into the small grocery store and he would stay at the entrance until I was finished with my shopping. That is unheard of in my neighborhood today. If you do walk your dog off leash, you risk paying a fine if the police happen to see you in action.

Today, most of the neighbors on my street have dogs. The way we think about dogs has changed. They clearly are family members and because of that, people want the best care for them. Not to say that people didn’t want what was best for their dog back 20-30 years ago, but in general, people are more aware of caring for their dogs. What seems to resonate with pet parents today is positive reinforcement techniques versus correction based methods.

People have become more aware of how we care for our pets. How we train them, discipline them, feed them, and provide veterinary care for them, has changed. This all has an impact on the dog’s behavior and well being. There still are people who espouse the correction based methods of training and disciplining a dog, but they are becoming the minority. I remember asking my manager at Petco when I started to become aware of this difference in training, if there was an “old school” and “new school'“ way of training dogs, and he immediately said “Yes!”

So back in 2012, when I got the job at Petco, the curriculum there was all based on positive reinforcement. It was written by a well known animal behaviorist named Patricia McConnell. Positive reinforcement is a behavior modification technique. In order to get the dog to do the desired behavior you're looking for, you use something very positive. Most often it is treats, pea sized treats. You can also use a toy as long as the dog doesn't get too excited about the toy. When you're doing repetition after repetition to instill that behavior in the dog, a toy can take up too much time and cause too much excitement. You have to wait until the dog can refocus again on training. However, toys are great after a training session and the dog has some “free time'“ to decompress.

The other tool you always have on your person is your voice. You can praise your dog with your voice. The only thing you have to be aware of when using your voice is the excitement level in your voice. If you are too excited with your voice, the dog can get too excited and distracted by that. I happen to use both my voice and treats when shaping a particular behavior. Sometimes if I have been working on a particularly challenging behavior and the dog finally “gets it”, I want to shout for joy. However, I refrain because I want to do even more repetitions without having to spend time calming the dog back down from my excitement. Instead, I recommend giving a jackpot of very small treats and my energy is very happy.

The 3 D’s in dog training: distance, duration and distraction

Keep the distance from the dog very close, have them hold that behavior for a short duration ( 2-3 seconds), and keep the distractions at a minimum. Always work with your dog keeping these 3 factors in mind. You want to set your dog up for success. This is a great formula to achieve that. As you get in hundreds of repetitions, you can increase the distance by another foot, increase the duration by seconds, and then provide a little more distraction by either the movement of your arm or head, for example.

When teaching a dog a new behavior, I always lure the dog right up to his nose to best utilize his sense of smell. I keep it there until I get the behavior I am looking for. I don’t say a word. The command comes later after the dog has done the behavior at least 5-10 times in a row. It is only vocalized while the dog is in the process of doing the behavior you are asking for, and you are 99% sure the dog is in the act of doing the behavior. Within two seconds, I give them a “Yes!” marker word and the treat. After you give them the treat, that is their release, which means they can get up. Then, it’s lots of repetitions, until you are ready to go to the next stage of that behavior.

Dogs stay motivated because they love the treat that you're giving them. If they start to get uninterested in the treat, switch to another one that has a different scent.

The next stage of shaping a behavior after luring, marking and adding the command is adding a hand signal and making the dog hold that behavior until you release them. I recommend having a treat hand and a signal hand. This eases the weaning off the treats process. They still get the treat within 2 seconds, but it comes from the hand with the treat which is behind your back. When I release a dog from any behavior, a sit, down, or stay, I personally slap my leg and say, “Okay!”, and take a step backwards. That step backwards makes the dog want to follow you. Most likely, they will get up to get the treat (again within two seconds).

Back in 2012, when I was doing the online courses at Petco, the curriculum said to reward the dog within 2 to 3 seconds. By the time I left in 2016, they changed that to reward the dog within 2 seconds. One second can be the difference between keeping the dog's attention and them moving on and deciding what's next. The human should be in control of what’s next for the dog, not the dog.

When dogs are left to make decisions, they make dog decisions.

These dog decisions usually don’t mesh with the human’s decisions. Even if you give your dog a command that they have some free time and no longer have to be in communication with you, you are the one telling them that. This is what effective and clear communication is all about.

We can't talk about positive reinforcement without also talking about what if the dog doesn't sit? What do we do then? Sometimes the dog won't naturally sit. So, we might have to apply a little pressure right at the base of their back where the tail is, and just gently push their butt down. Sometimes that will work, depending on the dog. Other times, maybe your treat isn't motivating enough. I always advise having two to three different types of treats. Dogs will get used to and kind of bored with that one taste and smell. You bring in a brand new smell, they're motivated to work again.

If your dog is just unruly and does not want to pay attention, then I say change the venue. Instead of training in your kitchen, go into the living room and try there. You may have to go outside and throw the ball a few times to release any pent up energy. Better yet, go for a nice long walk. If the weather is not conducive to walking that day, put the dog on a treadmill!

A tired dog is a good dog. A dog that has had their energy drained is more submissive and receptive to learning.

Remember, you have to keep the distractions very few so that you can hold their attention. So many of my clients say with puppies that their puppies have attention deficit disorder. Well, they don't. They just can't stay focused on you for very long. That is very common. Keep the training sessions short, maybe 10-15 minutes or until you notice that your dog is starting to get too distracted too easily. Also, check your energy. Maybe you are losing your patience and starting to get frustrated. Take a break or pick the training session up later. Always end the session with an easy “Sit”, and release them. You are the one ending that conversation, not the dog.

We can’t talk about positive reinforcement without talking about discipline. When you are searching for a dog trainer, it is advisable to find out how the trainer disciplines dogs. Dogs are going to misbehave just like children will. How does the trainer handle this? In my opinion, there is no tolerance for hitting a dog. Not even two fingers on the nose. This is a topic I will discuss further in another episode.

We were taught a method of discipline at Petco called a snug hug. This only works for puppies and very small dogs. It involves holding the puppy facing away from you with your hands underneath their front legs and around their chest. Their back legs should be firmly on the floor and their front legs are suspended. You wait until your puppy calms down to release them. Their body will actually go limp or they will let out a big sigh. This is key. Once you start this, you have to finish it. It can be challenging when the puppy is trying to reach around to bite you to get away from you. It does work. I had to do it countless times on puppies and small dogs I encountered while working at Petco. The clients who implemented this technique always said it worked.

Even Petco did not address how to discipline a dog when he gets too big for the snug hug. So, I came up with my own method. I put the dog in a submissive position, like a down stay, within two seconds of doing the act that merits discipline. Even their head should be on the ground as shown in the picture below. I stand right in front of them. I don’t say anything to the dog. My energy says enough. The dog has misbehaved enough that it needs to be disciplined. For example, chasing the cat aggressively, running out the front door or snapping at you in an aggressive manner, all warrant this type of discipline. This down position is a hands off approach to avoid getting bit. Typically the dog is all wound up and unruly and possibly wanting to be aggressive because your energy is frustrated and angry. From a dog’s eye view, this is translated as excitement.

After putting them in this down position, wait several minutes, or however long it takes for both of you to calm down. Then, release the dog and walk away. There are no treats in this process. The only time you may have to give them treats is when you are teaching this down stay as a form of discipline. Then, you must wean them off the treats for this purpose. So, working on the down stay as an obedience skill is essential for this to be effective.

Discipline is also all about setting limits, boundaries and providing structure. The dog needs to know where they can and cannot go in your house, what they can or cannot chew, and the rules of the house you have established. Dogs also thrive off of structure and schedules. If the dog is unsure of who is establishing the rules, they will make up their own rules. When a dog can’t depend on a time of day when they can go for a walk with you, they can get unruly. If the dog has to lead you on the walk, they can get uncertain about stimuli they come across and make poor decisions. Dogs actually prefer that we make the decisions for them. It gives them security knowing that you “got this”.

Before positive reinforcement really took off, there was another type of method of training dogs. The other method is a more correction based method. I have never trained on that method because I don’t know enough about it. In fact, I really am not in a position to even describe it from a teaching point of view, because I was trained only on positive reinforcement methods. However, from what I do know, the correction based method is about handling the dog when he or she doesn't do what they are supposed to do or what you're trying to shape. This usually involves a special collar and a small leash attached to it. You tug on the leash to get their attention and stop the behavior. My issue with this method is we all can get frustrated and angry at our dogs. When we are in that moment, we could tug too hard on the collar unnecessarily. As a trainer, I have to remember how the information I give the client is then implemented. Anything that involves force or strength can get interpreted and implemented incorrectly in a harsh manner.

The exposure I had with the correction based method was when I was going through training with my Corgi, Hank, back in 2005. What I interpreted what the trainer told the class to do was anytime Hank didn't do what I was asking him to do, I was supposed to give him a tug, or “pop” on the short leash attached to a slip collar. That technique totally backfired on me because I'm sure I had the wrong timing. I'm sure I did not discipline him within two seconds. So, my timing was off, and I am certain my energy was negative and frustrated.

I had an experience in one of my classes with Hank when he went over to the water dish. Another dog came over to get a sip of water. Hank growled at the dog. The dog took off. The trainer asked me if I was going to do anything about that. I responded with a question, “Well, isn’t that what dogs do?” She agreed with me that dogs do that, but that it is not acceptable. From what I know now, that behavior is unacceptable and needs to be corrected. It’s just the way she believed in correcting that behavior is, in my opinion, an unacceptable and unnecessary way to teach the dog not to do that.

So, we set Hank up again to see if he would exhibit the same behavior that we call in the dog training world, resource guarding. We put the water dish in the same place, called Hank over to drink, invited another dog to the dish, and Hank did the same thing. He actually growled a little louder and chased the dog away. The trainer went over to Hank, grabbed his leash and lifted up on the leash so that his back legs were barely on the ground, swung him back and forth and then laid him down on his side. I was supposed to do this at home if Hank showed any of us this type of resource guarding. I showed my husband. My daughters were too young to do this. I tried it, maybe twice, and it backfired on me. Hank showed aggression towards me. I stopped it immediately, but never told the trainer. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell her, but that’s my fault. I am sure not everyone’s dog will have the same outcome with this type of discipline, but you are increasing the odds of the same thing happening to you and your dog as happened with Hank.

After experiencing this adverse reaction to this type of discipline, I came up with my own method that was a hands off approach and just as effective. I put Hank in a down stay. This worked beautifully with Hank. I still had other issues with Hank, but at least I could diffuse a very tense situation.

I remember my vet at the time told me to discipline Hank by laying him on his side, grabbing his front paws with one hand and the back paws with my other hand, and lean my forearm on his belly to hold him down. This didn’t work either. I tried this method more times than the other method, but Hank wiggled out of it and that restraint made him aggressive. Most dogs are not receptive to being restrained.

Another dog trainer I tried out was connected to my vet’s office. Her method of discipline was to spray bitter apple spray directly into the dog’s mouth. She demonstrated this on a puppy in the class and the puppy foamed at the mouth and was in distress until the bitterness of the spray subsided. I tried this too, but I couldn’t get Hank’s mouth open. A friend of mine who worked with dogs told me to stop that type of discipline. It just didn’t sound right to her. I actually believe that the way I was told to discipline Hank had a very negative effect on his whole behavior. He must have always been wondering if I was going to yank on his leash at anytime, or restrain him in the manner I was shown, which only made him want to escape and defend himself by biting me. This, combined with my lack of leadership and his temperament, created one of the most difficult dogs I have experienced to this day. The good news is that when I started implementing positive reinforcement techniques and changing my energy, Hank started to change.

I would like to add that once you get the dog in a down stay, if you can roll him on his side, that is the ultimate submissive position. My only problem with that is if I told clients to do this, they may get bit in the heat of the moment. I will add that if I do this with my current dog, Ebi, she would not disrespect me and bite me. I have the right energy to pull this off. I also have earned her respect for me. It took me awhile to achieve this calm and assertive energy and most clients don’t have it. It doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people.

I still advise a down stay as a form of discipline to my clients. It’s the equivalent of putting your young child in a time out versus spanking them. The old school method of disciplining children was spankings. The new school method is a time out. Once your dog has cooled down (there is no time limit to this), and you have to also, release them from that down position and walk away. I don’t want my dogs or children to fear me, I want them to respect me for being their leader and establishing rules with a hands off approach.

The one negative thing that can happen with positive reinforcement and all the treats is that people tend to give too many treats for too long. For example, when starting out shaping a new behavior, I recommend that the dog get a treat every time they are successful in doing the behavior. After hundreds of repetitions of the same behavior have consistently occurred and you are shaping exactly how you want it to look, then you can start the weaning off process.

We don’t want our dogs looking at us like a treat machine!

The weaning process looks like rewarding with a treat every other time they do a particular behavior for you. Then, they get a treat for every two times they do the behavior, etc., until they can do the behavior without expecting a treat. However, as Gary Flynn says, “Never abandon your reward system!”The dog still needs to be rewarded every now and then just to become or stay motivated. Instead of rewarding the dog as you are shaping the behavior, you are rewarding the dog more as a motivator to keep doing the behavior in the future.

Whether you are training your dog using positive reinforcement techniques or correction based methods, the end result we all should be looking for is a cooperative relationship built on trust, not fear and forced submission.

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  E-collars (electronic collars) or shock collars are used in dog training for different reasons. Some dog trainers use them almost exclusively, and others use them for specific purposes. My knowledge and experience is limited with e-collars due to my background. As I have mentioned before, I was trained at Petco. E-collar training was not part of their program. However, I met a lot of clients during my time as a trainer there and even more clients when I started my own business who would tell me that they tried an e-collar and it didn’t work. I could not offer any assistance or feedback, even though e-collars were sold in the store. My lack of knowledge and inability to help, motivated me to learn about them.

Luckily, I know Gary Flynn, from The Dog Advocate, from our days at Petco. The more I got to know Gary, the more I knew that he was the one I wanted to learn from. I knew that he had used e-collars before in his professional career before working at Petco. I had a lot to learn when I started my own dog training business, so learning about e-collars was not a priority. There were so many other issues to focus on first. It wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I felt it was time to learn about e-collars so that I could help my clients more.

I had a sneaky suspicion that the whole reason people weren’t having success with them was because they weren’t being used correctly. My suspicion was right. As I was in the process of being trained by Gary, I realized right away that an e-collar was a serious training tool. I could understand how it could be used incorrectly. As with so many things that I learn about, I need to know everything I can about a certain subject until I feel comfortable advising people about it.

In order to learn about e-collars, I knew that I needed hands-on experience. So, I brought my dog, Ebi, to Gary for many sessions until I felt I had a good foundation to start practicing using the collar on my own. I also was at a point with Ebi where learning something new would be a challenge for her. After I realized that using an e-collar was not harmful to the dog if used correctly, I enjoyed learning about it and working with my dog in a new way. I was getting a little bored with challenging her with the basic obedience skills at long distances in different locations.

The timing of this new tool was perfect for me. Ebi was 4 years old. I remember telling Gary that I felt that Ebi was getting bored with the same old skills that I tried challenging her with. Ebi would do what I asked her and was very reliable in her skills, but she just looked bored. Gary actually told me that I was the boring one! I didn’t give her enough incentive to keep her engaged with me. At that point, I had pretty much abandoned rewarding her with treats. Gary reminded me that everyone, including dogs, needs a “paycheck” every now and then when they are working. So, I brought the treats back in to my routine, giving them to her every now and then, while working with her.

I brought an e-collar that was recommended by a different dog trainer to my first session with Gary. We quickly discovered that the lowest stimulus and even the vibration setting on that collar was too much for Ebi. She looked around anxiously wondering where it came from. That is not the type of reaction you want to start off with from your dog. Instead, you should be looking for a flick of the ear or a turn of the head. When I returned for my next lesson, I brought the e-collar with me that Gary recommended - The mini Educator. (www.educatorcollars.com)

As Gary describes in our interview, the reaction that he is looking for when testing out a dog’s sensitivity to stimulus, the dog should be a little annoyed that maybe a little bug flew by. Then, they should quickly recover back to being calm. When Gary tried out the new e-collar on Ebi, he adjusted it to a very low setting. She was just laying down in his backyard. She responded in a more acceptable way this time. She actually flicked her ear. I saw this but didn’t realize that this is a classic sign that the dog felt the stimulus. When Gary experiences a dog’s sensitive reaction to the stimulus, he carefully notes what the dog was doing when he interrupted him with it. Maybe the dog was in the process of passively eating a treat or chewing on a branch. The stimulus could make the dog a little hyper sensitive at that moment if interrupting an active behavior. It is very important when you are testing out the sensitivity (or lack of it) to be mindful of what you are interrupting the dog from doing.

I really had no intentions of using the e-collar as a permanent training tool on Ebi. However, in order for me to advise clients on my opinion about this type of training,

I had to master:

* manipulating the various functions of the remote control

* the timing of the stimulus

* choosing the right degree of stimulus depending on the situation

* recognizing the subtle body language from Ebi with the varying degrees of stimulus

It took me almost a year of working with Ebi every day until I felt comfortable using the e-collar. I worked on getting her excited about putting the e-collar on. Fun things were going to happen when she got the collar on. The collar had to fit tight enough, and the prongs had to be long enough to get through all of her fur. If the collar is too loose, then the stimulus won’t be as effective. I found myself turning up the power higher and higher so that she would feel something. I solved that issue by making a mark by the correct hole in the collar to guarantee the right fit. Proper fitting is imperative to the e-collar functioning correctly.

I worked with Ebi in my backyard to learn her body language when I had the setting too low or too high for a particular application. I started out with turning the power on low, but just high enough to where I would get that flick of the ear while commanding her to do a basic “Sit”. I had to get used to the timing of turning it on and off. Pressing the power on means the dog is in the process of executing the command. Releasing the power means the command has just been executed. Then, we progressed to doing “Sit” out on our walk. I had to turn up the power a little bit more now because there were more distractions on the walk. Figuring out how much to increase the stimulus given the situation was the most difficult part for me, but I figured it out.

I have found that the most common reason people purchase e-collars is to try to stop an issue they are having with their dog. For example, dogs may jump on people when guests come to the house. The pet parent purchases an e-collar, puts it on the dog, and zaps the dog when he jumps on a guest at the front door. One reaction the dog may have to this shock is he may stop jumping and the pet parent thinks the e-collar worked. The pet parent never showed the dog an alternate behavior in that scenario - only that he feels a shock when he jumps on people at that particular door. If this is done enough times, the dog may begin to be afraid of people entering their house through that door again.

If the pet parent does the same thing while out and about in the community, the dog will begin associating that people approaching them is a negative thing. All the pet parent was trying to accomplish was to stop the dog from jumping. What ended up happening is now the dog is afraid of people at the front door and out in public. A new problem was created by trying to solve the original problem.

Another reaction a dog can have to being shocked while jumping on guests is the dog may run away. The dog hasn’t been conditioned to know what to do when he feels the shock. The dog stopped jumping, but again, now the dog won’t go near that door. He didn’t like the feeling of being shocked, he had no idea what he was supposed to do when he felt it, he didn’t know where it came from and consequently ran away to get away from that feeling. Once again, in the pet parent’s mind, the e-collar worked. From the dog’s mind, this feeling left him very unsure and confused. The feeling was negative, his reaction was negative, but his pet parent was happy.

If the pet parent is also using the e-collar like this for a different issue, even more uncertainty will develop and fear will set in. The dog won’t know at any given time if he is going to feel that shock again. This can make the dog neurotic where he becomes afraid of everything. I have met dogs like this who don’t trust anything or anyone. I can’t say conclusively that it is because of the misuse of the e-collar, but I feel that it can be a contributing factor.

In all of these reactions from the dog, the stimulus setting could have been too high and no alternate behavior was offered. Also, there was no interaction between the pet parent and the dog. They were expecting the shock to solve the problem and they didn’t have to do anything else. This is the exact scenario that Gary and I refer to as using the e-collar as a “Magic NO button”. You never want to leave the dog hanging in blind punishment. You always want to correct and then redirect with a more appropriate and already known behavior for that situation. To top that all off, most people start yelling at the dog to stop jumping. Any kind of verbal reaction from the pet parent can only add to the excited state the dog is already in, which exacerbates the problem.

Sometimes, pet parents will threaten the dog by showing them the remote and that they are going to receive a shock if they don’t behave. Now the dog is really uncertain about their pet parent’s energy with that threat and whether or not they may feel a shock. This can develop into neurosis. Deconditioning this behavior out of the dog takes so much longer than creating the neurotic behavior. So, be very mindful of how the dog sees this scenario being played out - hence, the name of my podcast “From A Dog’s Eye View”

Threatening a dog with a negative consequence impedes a relationship of trust and respect.

Instead of using the e-collar as a “Magic NO button”, it should be used as a conditioning tool. The dog should already know their basic commands and even at an advanced level where they can reliably perform basic skills at longer distances, longer duration, and with many different types of distractions. Adding an e-collar at this point becomes more of a conditioning tool that will correct or remind the dog to stay at even greater distances, for longer periods of time with any type of distraction.

Distractions are key. This means you are exposing your dog to many different places, people, animals, sounds and inanimate objects. Just because your dog did not have a reaction to a horse, doesn’t mean that he won’t have a reaction to a Macaw. For example, I was handling Ebi during Pirates Week at Put-In-Bay. I saw a man approaching me with two Macaws on a perch. I had no idea if this man was experienced or not. Turns out by talking to him that he was very experienced. He was associated with some kind of wildlife reserve. He knew his birds and he told me they weren’t showing him any signs of distress. He kneeled down so that he and the birds were at Ebi’s eye level. I was nervous because I didn’t want Ebi having her prey drive activated towards them and view them as a delicious meal!

The picture below was taken at the very beginning of the encounter. I was holding Ebi back but then she retreated a little and showed that she was no threat to the birds. I immediately let up on the tension. Her eyes and body posture were more submissive and not stiff and laser focused on them. It never was, but I wanted to make sure. I was relieved and happy that Ebi was such a good girl and that my judgment call was the right one! However, you never know how your dog is going to react to something in their environment for the first time. It is best to proceed with caution and just be smart about the situation at hand and to know your dog’s body language before getting that close to someone else’s prized possessions.

It is imperative that the dog learn in the beginning of his training that when he is commanded to perform the behavior from his handler, the power turns on (very low stimulus level). As soon as he completes the behavior, the power turns off. The handler must be extremely consistent in this process and can’t let up on the stimulus too soon. The dog quickly learns how to turn off the power. This type of conditioning is true biomechanical feedback.

The handler needs to be trained to recognize signs of stress or compliance from the dog to know what level of stimulus to set the remote control to. This sliding scale is very complex.

The handler must always keep 3 factors in mind:

* distractions

* duration

* distance

For example, if the distractions are high, as is the case when the handler puts the dog in a down stay 25’ away in the middle of a crowd of people, the stimulus may have to be set higher than normal and implemented if the dog breaks his stay. The handler may also not keep the dog in a very long stay or go as far away from the dog, given the situation, unless he has done this many times before. If the dog breaks his stay and the stimulus is set too high for the correction, he may start running away. Now, you have to rely on the recall at such a distance while the dog is in fear mode. Dogs lose their peripheral vision and capability to hear things clearly when under high stress. Plus, most likely, this dog is not leashed, so now you have a loose, fearful dog amongst a lot of people. This is just one example of how e-collars are not for amateur handlers. They must be coached by a professional dog trainer.

The example above also emphasizes how essential it is for you to be important to your dog for the right reason. If you are the leader that your dog needs you to be, your dog will respect the boundaries you set and will want to please you. If you are effectively communicating to your dog in a consistent, positive, and clear way, you will get reliable behaviors in return. An e-collar is a communication tool. If your relationship with your dog is not based on structure, with effective communication as its foundation, the e-collar will only confuse and frustrate your dog.

I do not train pet parents how to use e-collars. After my training with Gary, I discovered how serious of a tool it is. I would require a contract with the client that would state that after the initial e-collar training of the dog and the handler, I would have to be in touch with this client for the lifetime of the dog. There is so much possibility for things to develop in a negative way that I would hate for the dog to be affected by handler errors. Gary only trains clients with e-collars who are professional clients. I have seen Gary’s dogs and met his clients. They all are well balanced dogs and great handlers.

Gary uses and has used e-collars to train protection dogs, hunting dogs, and search and rescue dogs. These are application-specific cases. Again, all of these dogs are trained with an advanced obedience skill set first, and the e-collar fine tunes the specific requirements for that application.

To witness a well trained protection dog knowing what to do when the power is on and when it is off, is an amazing thing. I was very fortunate to experience one of Gary’s professional dogs, a Belgian Malinois named Abby, first hand, doing bite work. I put the sleeve on my arm, commanded the dog to charge me and bite the sleeve. I thrashed her around a bit, and then commanded her to release - all in German. Right after that, Gary told me to caress her with both hands around her face. Now that’s what I call a well trained dog!!! I was not fearful because I had seen Gary work with this dog before and saw what she was capable of.

Just look at Abby’s teeth in the picture above! That’s what I had charging at me when I was wearing the sleeve. It should be enough to keep anyone away from attacking her handler. While she is in this protection mode, anyone who approaches Ken will get attacked. The only one who will enjoy it is Abby! Notice that Ken has total control over Abby. It may not look that way because the leash is loose. Pictures that are circulated around the internet usually show the handler holding the dog back on a taut line. Gary does not train dogs that way. That’s not a real life situation. If Ken was in his home, chances are he is not holding on to Abby with a leash. If someone were to attack him, Abby would put her life on the line for Ken because she was trained that way and with no tension on the leash. That’s a real life application. Abby is not a vicious dog. She is a professional dog that is always under demonstrable control of her handler.

Gary is an avid outdoorsman. He loves to hunt. He had two German short hair pointers. One passed away a couple of years ago, but both dogs were trained on their basic obedience skills and then on an e-collar to be hunting dogs. It is important to know the breed and their instincts - what motivates them. There are also behaviors that the dogs will demonstrate naturally and you gear your training around that.

Gary can train the dog to retrieve the kill, refrain from chasing the potential kill, and even go ahead and kill the animal. The recall is extremely important when working in this environment. If you have commanded the dog to go find and retrieve the kill and you know that there is a road up ahead, the instincts of a German Shorthair is to continue to pursue until they find it. Even in this intense pursuit, the dog must return back to their handler for their safety. The dog is far enough away that they can’t hear their handler or they are in such a state of mind where they don’t hear commands (auditory exclusion). Gary uses a special combination of vibrations to make them return back to him.

Using an e-collar as a conditioning tool as opposed to a “Magic NO button”, can open up opportunities for you and your dog. If you enjoy adventuring outdoors, e-collar training can help fulfill your dog’s instincts by teaching them things like hunting or searching for things. If you want to challenge your dog for a new type of training so that they can stay at distances of say a football field, e-collar training can be fun. I can’t stress enough that it is so important to qualify the trainer you choose. Find out how they use the collar and what their experience is. If I wanted to add e-collar training to my repertoire, I would have to train many different breeds, in many different scenarios, before I could say that I am proficient in e-collar training. However, I do believe that I can advise my clients much better now that I have some hands-on experience.

The majority of dog owners do not give their dog the job that they were bred to do. However, if you have a hunting dog and you would like to train your dog to fulfill those instincts, contact a professional dog trainer who has a lot of experience in this field. You may not be a fan of hunting, but your Foxhound or Vizsla surely is! It is so rewarding to watch your dog be the dog he was born to be…. one more way that shows us how dogs are so amazing!

My guest, Dr. Jennifer Smith, has been in the education field for 46 years and is a business owner specializing in trauma-informed behavior. Her love of animals (dogs in particular) has been constant in her life. So much so, that she was on her way to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine at The Ohio State, until she changed her mind. When Jennifer discovered how dogs can change human behavior and humans can change dog behavior, the desire to study human behavior prevailed over the desire to study dog behavior. She noticed that interactions between dogs and humans could be silent but very powerful. She wanted to get to the root of this soulful connection between the two.

Jennifer has a masters in psychology and special education teaching. She pursued her doctorate in psychology, specializing in self-injurious behaviors and functional assessments. Delving into this field at the Institute for Applied Behavior Analysis in California opened Jennifer’s world to figuring out the reasons why certain individuals with a limited skillset in certain environments exhibit particular behaviors. This newly acquired knowledge helped Jennifer bridge the two passions in her life - human and dog behavior.

Jennifer managed a way to use her degrees in education while following her passion for dogs. Working with dogs with challenging behaviors and working with people with disabilities is very much aligned, according to Jennifer. The procedures and interventions are the same. The functional assessment process is the same. This helps with understanding the reasons behind the behaviors manifesting in both humans and dogs so that the interventions can be therapeutic.

I find in working with my clients that trying to identify the root of the behavior helps assist in developing a rehabilitation plan. If you only try to treat the symptoms, you will only end up putting a bandaid on the problem. It will only rear its ugly head again and again down the road.

Whenever I help a client and their dog in the Cleveland area, and the client’s profession is in the special education field, they invariably know Dr. Jennifer Smith. She was the head of the behavior and curriculum department at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities until she retired almost 12 years ago. These clients were either trained by her or participated in a seminar where Jennifer lectured. All of these clients understand my approach and how I assess their dogs. They get it. There is a certain way to communicate across the species which is similar to communicating with individuals with limited language skills.

I will often compare dog behavior to human behavior for the sole purpose of trying to make my assessment of a client’s dog more relatable. I do not have a degree in Animal Behavior. However, there are patterns and common reactions to stimuli in dogs that are very similar to those in humans. I was a little unsure about making these comparisons so as not to imply that humans are like dogs or vice versa, because I didn’t want to offend people. Also, I had no scientific research to back up my comparisons. I find myself often telling my clients “Think about what the dog is feeling and interpreting right now”. Hence, my choice for the title of this podcast, “From A Dog’s Eye View.” After talking to Jennifer, I feel validated in the explanation of my approach to assessing any given dog.

Jennifer combined her expertise in functional assessments of individuals for Cuyahoga County with training and rehabilitating dogs through her connection with It’s A Dog’s Life. Since I have known Jennifer, she was always rehabbing dogs and blending them into her own pack of dogs. As she was performing in-home assessments with families of children with disabilities, she was also doing in-home family visits with dogs that had various issues. Wherever the behavior presented itself was where Jennifer would be. If it meant going to a grocery store, that’s where she would set up her meeting.

Not only is it necessary to observe the person or dog closely, but you also have to know what you are looking at. Observing something as simple as prolonged eye contact that causes a reaction, or as complex as the frantic or intentional movement of an individual or dog, can help identify the root of a particular behavior.

‘“We don't know what it's like to hear, see or especially smell at the levels that dogs can.” - Dr. Jennifer Smith

To elaborate on this subject of observing and working with dogs who are triggered by something in a particular environment, I will work with a dog wherever the behavior is happening. Dogs do not generalize. What that means is that if your dog barks at strangers at their own front door, it doesn’t mean that they will bark at strangers at your friend’s front door. I need to see the dog in their own environment and how he reacts to certain triggers. It is equally important to observe how the pet parent reacts and what their body language is like while the dog is in the middle of the reactivity. It takes teamwork to rehab a dog, and guiding the pet parent to handle the dog appropriately is crucial to the entire rehab process.

The difficulty with the rehabilitation process is always when you return a dog to his pet parents. It is up to the pet parents to understand and change their own behavior because we, as the adults, are the agent of change. It's the same in schools. If you want your kindergartner's behavior of throwing books at other kids to change, they aren’t going to magically wake up one morning and make today the day that they won’t throw books anymore. Adults have to guide the child to an alternate behavior that is more appropriate in order for the child to change. I always love to hear from my clients, “You’re training us humans, not the dogs.” That’s exactly right!

You must change things up because whatever you were doing wasn’t working. This is a lot easier said than done. According to Jennifer, on any given day, our frustration level is higher than on other days. Our reactivity to issues can be more intense. We’re rarely on the same emotional level. This inconsistency can be very confusing and create an unstable environment for the dog. The dog can’t figure out all of these changes. We become unpredictable, and in their eyes, unsafe. I advise clients that life happens, and you just have to try your best to push your life issues aside while you are in communication with your dog.

“A lot of individuals who have reactive dogs that are fear-based, have trouble because they themselves aren't being perceived as safe.” - Dr. Jennifer Smith

Jennifer has had a wide variety of breeds as family dogs. From German Shepherds and French Briards to Shih Tzus and Chihuahuas. However, Jennifer’s dream as a little girl was to have a poodle. She came to know that poodles were a complex breed that would require more time and effort to do the breed justice. She knew the common traits of the various breeds she rehabbed in her home, but she needed to learn more about the poodle. She felt that she needed a higher skillset and needed to mature in her approaches to working with this sensitive and very intelligent breed.

The wait was worth it and it happened at the right time in her life. That time came several years ago when she had the opportunity to meet her longtime idol, and now mentor, Joseph Vergnetti of Dassin Farms, who is a highly respected breeder in the poodle world. Joseph had heard that Jennifer did temperament training and testing. He said he had a poodle for her. This particular poodle was not ready yet for the show ring because she had some quirks to be ironed out. When Joseph showed Jennifer this beautiful, quirky black poodle, Jennifer was weak in the knees. She named this poodle Scarlet. At last, her dreams came true!

Jennifer exposed Scarlet to many different places and people to build Scarlet’s self confidence. Jennifer believes that upon conception, the temperament of the dog is set. Then, you add personality on top of that. This is where the pet parent plays a big part. It’s how we, humans react to what dogs are reacting to that can shape a dog into becoming a fearful, cautious dog or a confident, polite dog. Scarlet has a very reactive bark and Jennifer just has to be very aware of the environment they are in at the moment and be Scarlet’s best advocate. When Scarlet’s frustration is high, her skillset is low. Always being aware of this helps maintain a balanced approach to any given situation so as not to overwhelm her.

Instead of continuing to show Scarlet, Jennifer decided to breed her with a sire from Joseph’s line of poodles. In fact, Scarlet was pregnant when Jennifer showed her for the last time. Joseph picked the perfect sire for a dog with Scarlet’s temperament. She had a litter of nine puppies, but two of them died. Scarlet was amazing and knew what to do, but Jennifer and her husband were a nervous wreck. They had experts on stand-by to help out if anything went wrong. In the long run, Jennifer and Tom just watched this beautiful miracle take place as Scarlet did what came naturally. There is a definite sense of pride when whelping a litter and contributing positively to their impressionable first couple of months. On top of that, what an honor and privilege knowing that you had a part in this process, especially when one of the puppies becomes a winner in dog shows. There is such a sense of pride after studying the poodle line, taking care of them, and socializing them properly.

It is a lot of work raising puppies and socializing them and then ultimately finding good homes for them. Jennifer and Tom couldn’t just let them all go, They had to keep one and named her Chapel. She is now two years old and is currently living and working with a professional handler. The hard work is so worth it when they hear back from the families who adopted Scarlet’s puppies, that everyone loves them so much. That’s why they do it!

Everyone thinks that poodles have a French connection. They do in that they are France’s national dog. However, history states that they originated in Germany and were used as waterfowl retrievers. They were used as hunting dogs who had to endure retrieving birds in very cold water. Therefore, poodles can have a very high prey drive. This hunting skill is actually making a comeback. Poodles are being used more often today as gun dogs by hunters.

Poodles are excellent retrievers and swimmers, and are very athletic. Their body awareness is phenomenal. They are very quick and agile. They can leap up and twist their body in the air and still stick the landing. The prey drive in Scarlet for live animals is more prominent than in Jennifer’s other poodles. However, unlike her dachshunds who are so hard wired to hunt, Jennifer is able to recall her poodles with a higher success rate while they are in the process of retrieving. If her long haired dachshunds pick up a scent, there is no chance of recalling them. They are that focused.

The breeders of poodles that Jennifer is familiar with have bred out any health issues, so there really aren’t many health concerns. There is some risk of bloat, which is when the stomach flips and cuts off circulation to the rest of the organs. There really is no rhyme or reason for this condition, but there is an operation to prevent the stomach from flipping. Please refer to my previous interview with Dr. Randy Hutchison from Animal Clinic Northview about this very important subject.

The poodle is unique and has certain traits that are hardwired in them. When conducting intelligence tests on poodles, they always score high in the following pillars of intelligence:

* memory

* cunning

* reasoning

* communication

* empathetic

Their memory is off the charts and it has been Jennifer’s experience that their memory is phenomenal, not because they're worried and need to know, but because they want to know. They want to use that to either work with you or work for their benefit. They are a softer breed and because they do have a memory, they will carry a grudge. Most dogs can remember things but pretty much every moment is a blank slate for them. With a poodle, depending on where that memory is going to sit with them, they can hold a grudge.

Jennifer is constantly amazed at how they can reason things out, sit back, and make a choice about certain things. When dealing with Scarlet, she is going to do what is best for her. However, Jennifer’s male poodle, Blue, will reason out what is going to keep the relationship with Jennifer going in a positive fashion. Her third poodle, Chapel, is very energetic, and exhibits her cunning skills by going into another room, turning the lights on and off and waiting for Jennifer and her husband to move in there with her. All while doing this with a smile!

Another pillar of intelligence that the poodle scores high on is their ability to communicate by facial recognition and the patterns of a human’s face. This trait is unique to the species. They are one of the only species that can watch the changes in people's faces, pay attention to that, and then interpret it. Jennifer has observed what makes the poodle stand out from the other breeds is that they want to listen to you as they study changes in your facial features, but they also want to be listened to. They care that you are listening to them not because they are demanding your attention, but they do so in a manner that they have important things to say. They want to engage you in playing a reasoning or cunning game and make a definite contribution to it. Jennifer finds this to be very unique with this breed. Even if the communication between Jennifer and her poodles is silent, they are still communicating with each other as they observe any change in your body language or positioning.

The last pillar of intelligence in assessing a dog is empathy. In order to be empathetic, it is necessary to understand yourself and your own journeys. You can then understand someone else’s and how they came to be a certain way. Poodles always score perfectly in empathy tests. They are not off the charts high as if they are overly concerned and they can't function unless they know you're in a good place. They score high because they care about you. They also have a great sense of themselves.

“Poodles want to listen and be listened to. They want to be cared for but they also care about you. They are interesting, but they also want to be interested.” - Jennifer Smith

You can do a test with blinking to see how empathetic your dog is. Have someone mark down how many times you blink. Sit in a silent room for five minutes with your dog. Just sit, don't make eye contact with the dog and blink when you blink naturally. Poodles will mimic your blinking.

One of the most popular breeds today is the doodle. The most common are Labradoodles and Golden Doodles. The wonderfully social family dog that Labradors and Golden Retrievers are was the reason why breeders wanted to combine that happy go lucky temperament with an intelligent poodle. Hardly anyone really knows about the poodle breed. What everyone says is that their coat doesn’t shed and that they are very intelligent. As you now know, there is so much more to this incredible breed called the poodle!

I sometimes think that I am learning about a new doodle every week. There are so many breeds that are mixed with the poodle. Doodles are very attractive to prospective pet parents because they have the intelligence of the poodle and they supposedly don’t shed. These are the two traits that the majority of my clients find appealing. Inevitably, there will be multiple doodles in an obedience class of 6 dogs. I love the trainability of these dogs because they are usually very intelligent, but then I have to learn what else the poodle was bred with when I see traits that aren’t so common.

Some pet parents may meet the mother and father that were mated to produce a litter of doodles, and some may not. However, as Jennifer comments about the doodles, the sourcing of the two different breeds can be suspect. There may be a reactive gene that goes back several generations in either the poodle line or whatever the dog is mixed with, and it appears in one of the offspring. This can happen to any breed, but when you are mixing two different breeds, the chances that certain traits are not bred out are greater than if it is a singular breed.

People expect that they may see traits of various dogs in the rescue dog they adopt from a shelter. Doodles are almost viewed nowadays like a purebred instead of the mixed breed that they are. Breeders of doodles are demanding the same dollar amount as a purebred. Jennifer advises to be aware of reputable breeders and those who are out to make a quick buck. She knows what is involved in maintaining a prestigious line of dogs. Negative traits should be disclosed and then bred out.

I will never forget a woman who thought she was getting a purebred Bernese Mountain dog. The breeder told her as much. There happened to be another Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in the same class. They had the same tri-coloring but the one clearly was not a purebred. Also, the temperament of that puppy was not calm and happy go lucky. In my opinion, that puppy was mixed with something and sold as a purebred. The problem is with this scenario, which I have sadly seen played out many times, is that the pet parent has already bonded with the puppy and they don’t want to re-home him, but the puppy is a terror and has obvious issues. This makes it very difficult to live with this puppy as he matures. Now the family is faced with a real dilemma: to keep or re-home the puppy.

There was also a very nice family who knew that they were getting a bernedoodle. They had intentions of training him to be an emotional support dog for their son. The puppy was absolutely adorable looking, However, he chewed through and destroyed their family couch and chairs. It was very difficult to get and keep the dog’s attention. They did everything that I asked them to do as far as establishing structure in his daily life by setting boundaries, giving him plenty of exercise from a leadership role, and disciplining appropriately. As the puppy grew, he started to bite everyone in the family. I had to refer this case out to another trainer who was experienced in aggression. That trainer tried everything and the puppy was getting better. Then, after he matured, he attacked the son who was hoping to have him as an emotional support dog. It was so bad that they had to get rid of the dog. I think he went to live on a farm…….

After having written about two cases where the doodle mix did not go well, I have to counter those stories by stating that I have met an extraordinary amount of wonderful doodles who have made great family pets. Some have done amazing jobs at therapy work and others have been the dog that everyone always wanted.

My goal in doing this particular episode about poodles is twofold. One is to make pet parents aware of the poodle breed and how their impeccable breeding preserves unique traits that make it so special. Secondly, to help people understand better why their doodle might be doing certain behaviors. Is the behavior due to the poodle breed or the other breed it was mixed with? After talking to Jennifer, I think about some of my client’s doodles whose traits are definitely more poodle than whatever they are mixed with. Purebred poodles are not for first-time owners. They demand a lot of care, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Jennifer has described the poodle with enthusiasm for the breed. They truly are a magnificent dog!

As Jennifer contemplates retirement this year, she has plenty to keep busy with her own pack of dogs. Just taking care of her 3 standard poodles and one miniature poodle is enough for one person. Jennifer trains and grooms them to show standards, but overall, they are her family pets that are loved dearly. On top of that, she and her husband Tom have 3 long haired dachshunds and Tom is involved in the show and breeding arena. At any given time, they will also have no more than 2 dogs that Jennifer will train or rehab, who will be integrated in to their daily home lives. I don’t think she will lack for things to do!

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So many people who have dogs have told me that their dog can tell when they aren’t feeling well or when they are sad. It is evident when dogs respond to our happy and excited state of mind. They get excited too; sometimes too excited. However, we are sometimes taken back when our dogs come over and just want to be with us when we are sad and not feeling well. Not every dog has that ability. Some get very anxious when their pet parent isn’t feeling well. As Dr. Jennifer Smith pointed out in the previous episode about the 5 pillars of intelligence in dogs, empathy is one of the pillars. The dogs who do sense that they can make people feel better are the ones who make great therapy dogs. Even if your dog isn’t certified to be a therapy dog, they can still provide much needed comfort during times of stress.

I am a believer in our own personal energy and how it affects other people and animals. I believe that we all project a certain type of energy without even being aware of it. How many times have you walked into a room full of people and you pick up on a certain energy? The energy I am speaking of can reflect the type of person that we are. If we are an anxious person who worries a lot, the energy this person projects is unsettling. On the contrary, if we are relaxed and easy going, our energy can be calm and confident. Dogs are the same way. Dogs who aren’t anxious or overly excited will project that calming energy that makes us feel good. These are the dogs who can make great therapy dogs.

Therapy dog training was not a class that was offered when I worked at Petco. I was not trained in training dogs to be therapy or service dogs. I really didn’t know much about it, except that it existed. However, when I met one of my guests in 2012, Coleen Monroe, early on in my Petco career, while conducting obedience classes, I had a feeling that her young dog, Teddy, had the energy it takes to be a great therapy dog. I loved his energy and he wanted to be with me. He would let me pet him until I had to tend to my other responsibilities in the store. He wasn’t demanding of my attention. He was becoming a well trained dog and Coleen was developing such a strong bond with him. I also met Coleen’s family and Teddy was happy and well behaved with all of them.

I knew things could change because Teddy was a young dog when I started working with them. When dogs mature and when the pet parents are not providing the rules, boundaries, and leadership a dog needs, it can change a dog. As Coleen says in our discussion, she was very determined to have a well trained dog. She had two daughters who brought a lot of friends over to the house, and she wanted her dog to behave appropriately.

I put the bug in her ear that I thought Teddy would make a good therapy dog. This motivated Coleen to have more than just a well trained dog. She started doing some research to find a pet therapy program which was right for her and Teddy. What sealed the deal for her was when she was visiting her Mom in the same hospital where she ended up volunteering, someone brought in a therapy dog. When Coleen saw the whole room light up when the dog came in, she decided that’s what she wanted to do.

My other guest, Lisa Bolognia and her Golden Retriever, Josie, also found me at Petco and signed up for classes in 2015. I got the same feeling again with Josie as I did with Teddy. At that point, I had trained hundreds of dogs, and felt that I knew what it took for a dog to become a good therapy dog. Josie had it! She just exuded love and wanted to share it. And who doesn’t love a well trained Golden Retriever?

Lisa was very motivated, just as Coleen was, to have a well trained dog . Lisa’s Mom was wheelchair bound due to a surgery gone wrong. She did not want her puppy to become a dog that was obnoxiously jumping around her Mom. Josie needed to understand the boundaries and space required by a person in a wheelchair, as well as being trained in all her basic obedience skills. When I suggested to Lisa that Josie would make a great therapy dog, Lisa wasn’t even sure what that was. I arranged for Lisa to meet Coleen. By that time, Coleen and Teddy had passed the therapy test with Pet Partners and were already sharing their love at the hospital. She put Lisa in touch with the coordinator at the time to see what was involved. That was the beginning of Lisa and Josie’s 10 year stint as a therapy dog team at Fairview Hospital.

As far as I was involved in this process, I wanted to train more dogs to become therapy dogs. Dogs thrive on having jobs to do. Therapy dogs help people in countless ways, and likewise, the therapy work is wonderful for the dog. I was able to tell clients more about the process and help them prepare for the test. I went to the testing site to observe the test as it was taking place. I felt that I could prepare my clients better by knowing all of the steps required to pass.

In the picture below is another client, Peg Mondozzi and her Belgian Tervuren, Dralion, who passed the therapy test with flying colors. Peg stayed in the program for two years until she got involved in the show arena with Dralion.

If you are thinking about your dog becoming a therapy dog, you need to be aware that it’s a lot of work besides attending obedience classes. The three teams above all completed basic obedience, advanced obedience, AKC Canine Good Citizen, and therapy dog training classes. I recommend these classes to my clients who wish to pursue this path. Sometimes the puppies start so young that they breeze through the 6 week classes. I recommend repeating a class or two, just for the sake of keeping those skills fresh. Practice makes perfect!

It is also imperative to socialize your dog a lot. This involves bringing your dog with you to as many dog friendly places as possible. The best time to start socializing is after the puppy has been immunized and approved by your vet to be exposed to people, places, and dogs. Socializing involves conditioning your dog to get used to all different types of people, sounds, smells, and other dogs.

Imagine the hustle and bustle of a hospital environment with all the noises, people shouting, and gurneys passing by. For the dogs who pass the test, there will always be a first time for the dog to experience these stimuli. There really is no way of knowing how your dog will respond to this because only therapy dogs are allowed to go in to hospitals. However, if you socialize your dog in stores where there is a lot of activity and noises on the intercom, they shouldn’t have a major issue.

If your dog passes the therapy test and does react negatively to the stimuli in the hospital, there are other places connected with Fairview Hospital to frequent as a therapy dog. One of my clients and her dog who recently passed the test found out that her dog did not react well with the stretchers passing by, especially with an entourage of people surrounding it. She was also nervous around the large food and laundry carts. The solution for this team was to frequent the Moll Cancer Center of Fairview Hospital. They provide much needed emotional support to all of the people in the waiting room.

Socializing also involves establishing rules while out in public. No one likes to greet a dog who jumps, nips or licks them. This is covered in my obedience classes. It is very important. All of these manners require training by qualified professional dog trainers in order to ensure that the dog behaves well while they are out and about in public.

It is not imperative to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test in order to qualify for the Pet Partners test, but it is highly recommended. The Canine Good Citizen test is a 10 step test. Nine of these steps are also on the Pet Partners test. The one step that is on the Canine Good Citizen test but not on the therapy test is the dog being separated and out of site from his handler for 3 minutes. If your dog whines, paces, or barks while being tested for this step, the dog and handler will fail. This can be a deal breaker. This indicates that the dog has separation anxiety. Don’t worry if you don’t pass the first time. It is possible to retest at any time with a qualified evaluator.

The other two steps that occasionally cause the dog and handler to fail are greeting other people without jumping, and doing a pass with a neutral dog without reacting. These are also typically the two steps that teams fail on the Pet Partners test. To find out more about the Canine Good Citizen test, please contact either me at the number below or access the American Kennel Club at www.akc.org.

In my opinion, one of the most important things that isn’t on either test is the relationship between the dog and the handler. As a dog trainer, I am always teaching my clients to solicit a look up to them from the dog. You want the dog to “check in” with their handler. You have to know when your dog is getting stressed or has reached their limit while being out in public. Lisa describes in our discussion how Josie looks up to her for guidance as if to ask what’s next. Dogs live in the moment but they also want to know what’s next. It is up to the handler to communicate that effectively. The handler should be able to interrupt the dog at anytime by this signal or command to look at them. As Coleen mentions in our discussion, the testing isn’t just an evaluation of the dog. It’s a team test and a team evaluation.

Both Lisa and Coleen notice that their dogs are excited about being at the hospital. They know they have a job to do. Dogs love to have a job and making people happy. However, jobs can be exhausting. Lisa says that after making the rounds, which is typically after a half hour, Josie may lay down, start panting, or Lisa just sees that Josie’s eyes look tired. Coleen noticed the same signs in Teddy and was always aware to not push him to the point of exhaustion. You want to keep the dog motivated to want to come again for future visits.

Be your dog’s best advocate. Be proactive, not reactive.

Pet Partners sets up testing dates at least twice a year. It is common not to pass the first time. Coleen found that out when the evaluator went to hug Teddy and he backed up. That disqualified him from passing the test. After practicing the hug with friends and family members and having Teddy sit while being hugged, Teddy and Coleen passed on their second attempt. They stayed in the program for 7 years until Teddy passed away from cancer. They loved making people happy at the hospital by either visiting patients in their rooms, hanging out in the lobby, or mingling with doctors and nurses. Coleen also took Teddy to a high school during exam week as a stress reliever for the students. There are so many places to do therapy work. Simply contact the administration of the business or school you would like to visit.

Lisa and Josie passed the test their first time. Josie was one of the youngest dogs to pass. They have enjoyed their time as a therapy team for the past 10 years visiting patients in the pediatric wing, the pediatric ER, and the high risk pregnancy wing. They typically go in the evenings when there aren’t as many people around and Lisa is done for the day from the demands of her full time job. Lisa finds that Josie’s presence makes the the patients talk about the dogs that they have or had, and it takes the focus off of what they are experiencing while being in the hospital. Sometimes, they just hang out in the lobby and people come up and want to pet Josie. So many people are surprised that dogs are even allowed in a hospital, and love to greet Josie. There are times when patients aren’t feeling well and don’t care for a visit, but the staff is always ready and willing to get a few pets in with Josie.

There are several therapy dog organizations available. I am most familiar with the Pet Partners program. Here in Cleveland, Pet Partners is associated with Fairview Park Hospital. They ask their teams to frequent the hospital twice a month. However, once you pass their program, you are able to qualify for therapy work in hospice care, schools, libraries and nursing homes to name a few. There are also dog trainers who have their own therapy program and testing. Chuck Stella, owner of Elite K911, and Gary Flynn who has been a guest on my show, have their own therapy programs.

Coleen is now the Caring Canines Program Coordinator for Fairview Hospital. She took over this responsibility two years ago. Coleen will help those interested in the program by advising them on training, required paperwork and online registration, and then mentoring the team after they pass the therapy test. Coleen then accompanies the team as they walk through the hospital and visit with patients to make sure they know the proper protocol. When the last stage is complete, then the team is on their own and can visit whenever it is permitted. Caring Canines recognizes other therapy dog organizations so that if you pass another organization’s therapy test, you may be eligible to do therapy work at Fairview Hospital under the care of Coleen and Caring Canines. Coleen’s contact info is below.

Coleen is developing some new opportunities for her 24 volunteers. One of the programs is Caring Canines on Call. Patients can now request a visit by a therapy dog. Coleen will send out an email to all of the volunteers and whoever can grant the patient’s request will pay a visit with their dog. There are also events at the hospital like Nurses Week and Pharmacy Week where the therapy dogs mingle with the staff and patients.

Therapy work can be so fulfilling and gratifying to know that all of your hard work in training your dog has paid off. Not every dog is a therapy dog candidate. However, when you do have that special dog who inherently knows that their presence creates so much happiness, there’s nothing like it when you witness it. Love isn’t just a one way street. Dogs feel it too, and when you experience this, it touches you emotionally and deeply in such a unique way that words fail to describe it.

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One of the premier dog training companies in the greater Cleveland area is Elite K911. The owner is Chuck Stella. I became acquainted with Chuck while I was working at Petco beginning in 2012. When I wasn’t conducting classes, I was trying to sell my obedience classes to customers. So many of them would tell me they were all set with their training needs because Chuck at Elite K911 took good care of them and he was an excellent trainer. He helped rehab their dogs and they were forever grateful to him. I had to meet this man!

As I have mentioned before, Petco’s policy was to not manage any aggressive dogs. Before meeting Chuck, I had to tell clients whose dogs had aggression issues that I could not continue to help them. I didn’t want to just leave them hanging with not knowing where to turn. This didn’t happen very often, but I wanted to be able to help more by referring them to someone reputable. Chuck was that guy. After meeting Chuck, I knew if he couldn’t help the client and dog, no one else could.

Over the years, I have referred about a dozen cases to Chuck and his trainers. They all had serious issues outside of my realm of experience. When I went out on my own, I decided that I did not want to handle “red zone” cases. In order to help these dogs, I consulted with Chuck, and either he or his trainers would work with the dog as a board and train situation. This is when the dog stays at Elite K911 for a period of time while the issues are being evaluated and worked out. Some cases did not have a good outcome, but others surely did. I cover this in more detail in my next episode with Chuck about reactivity and aggression.

Before Chuck built Elite K911 into a business of 15 employees, including trainers and groomers, he started rescuing dogs while working on construction sites. He would bring them home with him, but then he didn’t know how to train them. He met a young woman who showed him ways to work with the dogs to help correct their behavior. When Chuck implemented these strategies, they worked. That was the beginning of his interest in training dogs.

Over time, Chuck brought more dogs home and integrated them into his existing pack. Dog catchers weren’t as plentiful and efficient as they are today. So, Chuck felt that every time he would go to a new construction site, he would end up bringing a dog home! Along the way, Chuck was meeting more people who knew about dog behavior. The more he learned, the more he was interested in really helping these dogs. Ultimately, he contacted Mel McGrath from Paramount Dog Training Company, who took Chuck under his wing and even helped him form his own company.

After almost 35 years working construction and then forming his own construction business, Chuck was ready to focus all of his attention into starting a dog training business. He bought a dilapidated house where the owner bred chinchillas. Chuck had to completely strip down the interior due to the damage done by the chinchillas, and start from scratch. As he rebuilt the inside while living there, Chuck started doing in-home visits to help people with their problem dogs. Then, he built a training room where he could conduct group obedience classes. Elite K911 was under way!

One of my first interactions with Chuck was when I called him for advice to give to the son of a friend of mine whose dog spent all day and night in a crate that was too small for him. It was located in a rough section of Cleveland. Chuck went there, rescued the dog, and brought him back home to re-home him.

Fast forward to today, Chuck is still helping dogs in need. Chuck and his staff have been working with a dog belonging to another rescue organization that is mostly blind and very reactive. It is imperative to treat this case not only with caution, but also with respect for the dog. Chuck has found from his experience that when a dog is completely blind, it is easier to rehab the dog. They no longer try to use that sense of eyesight and therefore rely on their other senses. This is a work in progress and everyone on staff is trying all they can to save this dog.

Board and trains

When dogs come from different rescues to be rehabbed, they are considered part of Elite K911’s board and train service. A plan is devised that will best suit each individual dog, whether it is a rescue or a client’s dog who needs help. Chuck prefers to screen the pet parent who brings their dog to him because he wants to make sure that they will commit to continuing the work and progress made during the board and train once the dog is back at home. There is always a transition period after the dog has completed his stay at Elite K911 and ready to go home. Two transitional training home visits are included in the board and train contract, with unlimited follow-up visits if necessary.

Board and trains are not meant to be a shortcut to having someone else train your dog and relieve you of the hard work of training your dog and fostering a healthy relationship. Dogs don’t get fully trained in a 3 to 4 week board and train or in a 6 week group class. It can lay a nice foundation for the pet parent to expand upon. If there are serious issues like aggression or overcoming crippling fear, it can take your laser focused attention to these types of issues for the lifetime of the dog.

Dog training is not just training dogs. It is about making the humans aware of their dog’s behavior and knowing what signs to look for that could trigger those behaviors when interacting with other dogs and people.

A trained and well-balanced dog takes effort from the pet parent. Dog training is for the lifetime of your dog. It is about the relationship you have with your dog. Progress can be accelerated by getting professional help, but the bulk of the work has to come from you.

Boarding

As every smart and successful business owner knows, you have to keep developing a solid business plan to satisfy the demand for your services. Chuck has definitely been following a plan to grow his business by including other services besides dog training. A service that has been recently resurrected since COVID is boarding dogs when pet parents are out of town. The indoor kennels can handle 20 dogs. There is an additional 15 outdoor kennels so dogs can spend some time outside. Standard boarding includes taking the dog out multiple times each day and feeding them according to the pet parent’s instructions. Everything closes down at 8:00 p.m., but if a dog requires attention after hours, Chuck is there on site to tend to that dog. There are package deals that include socialization, swimming in the outdoor pool and supervised running through the agility course. Dogs have the option to get some exercise while being boarded there which can help limit the stress of being away from the familiar surroundings of their home.

Grooming

Within the last year, Elite K911 expanded their services to include grooming. There are 3 groomers and 3 bathers, with room to grow. On Saturdays from 8am-1pm, open grooming is available. No appointment is necessary for a nail trim or an ear cleaning. Otherwise, the salon is open Monday through Saturday for full grooming services by appointment only. Anna, the head groomer, is a behavioral groomer. She will take on difficult cases. Not all dogs love the sounds of a grooming salon. It is very common for dogs to avoid being touched on their paws and near their eyes. Some don’t even like to be on the grooming table. Dogs have to be conditioned to withstand all of the stimuli of the grooming salon. So, early exposure is key for your puppy. However, if you are rescuing an adolescent or adult dog, doing some exposure work at home to scissors. clippers, and being elevated on a table, can expedite this conditioning process.

Obedience classes

Elite K911 offers a variety of obedience classes starting with the 5-week Puppy Start class. This class addresses basic puppy behaviors like jumping, nipping, barking, and potty training issues. There is time for socializing off leash with the other puppies in the class. It also includes a time for the pet parents to get tips from their trainers about dog behavior. The goal is to provide information about optimal ways to deal with puppy issues and provide them with hands-on experience so they will have a well-balanced dog.

After completing the puppy start class, a 6 week basic obedience class teaches the Sit, Down, and Come commands. This is then followed by Advanced Obedience, which takes the basic skills and starts adding further distances, more distractions, and longer durations of holding the commanded behavior. It also sets the foundation for off leash reliability. If pet parents wish to continue their training even further, Canine Good Citizen is offered. The protocol for this class is dictated by the American Kennel Club(AKC) and is concluded with a 10 step test. For more information about this 10 step test, please access the AKC website: www.akc.org.

Scent and Mantrailing classes

The scent class at Elite K911 is taught by head trainer, Elise, who has trained both of her Belgian Malinois’ for live human and cadaver recovery. She is very skilled and knowledgeable in search and rescue work. This class introduces dogs to certain smells to track. The different scents for this type of work is derived from essential oils. Birch, Anise and Clove are the most commonly recognized scents that are found in scent kits and also used by the AKC in their classes.

Scent work is both physically and mentally draining for a dog. Their noses are exponentially more sensitive than a human’s nose to the point where we don’t even really know exactly what they can discern and process from a particular scent. I know when I hide treats for my dog either indoors or outdoors, she gets exhausted much quicker than a 2 mile walk. That’s because of all of the processing that goes on in their brain as they analyze the scent they are tracking.

To demonstrate how finite and precise a dog’s nose is capable of, I once hired a dog handler and his lab to sniff out my house when I suspected I had bed bugs. I was fascinated as I watched the handler and dog comb through every inch of my house, upending pillows, sheets, and clothing. The good news is that there were no bed bugs in the house. However, when we moved the scent operation outdoors, the dog sat by our shed where some items from the known bed bug infested house were being stored. The dog was trained to sit if it smelled live bed bugs and to lay down if it smelled larvae. The dog did both in different places in the shed. Needless to say, we wrapped all of those belongings up in plastic and disposed of everything! What a good dog!

Mantrailing is a relatively new dog sport and training method. It is about adventuring outdoors with your dog and having their powerful nose find certain scents. More specifically, it is when dogs use their sense of smell to follow a specific human scent outdoors. This is a seasonal class so as not to expose the humans who hide, and the dogs who track them, to extreme weather conditions. This is not handler led like other classes. It is led by the dog who makes the decisions to find his human. This is strictly for fun, but is used as a foundation for search and rescue work. Elite K911 has 5 acres of land which provides plenty of hiding places.

Chuck put his own dog, Biggie, through two mantrailing classes. Chuck tested Biggie’s skills by hiding inside one of his cars on his property. It only took Biggie about 3 minutes to sit by the car, which is the sign to alert the handler that Chuck was inside!

Swimming

Summer is in full swing and the outdoor pool is now open at Elite K911. Swimming is great exercise for dogs and can even be used as physical therapy when healing from an injury. My dog, Ebi, loves the water. Leonbergers have webbed paws to help them swim and drag heavy loads. Just like the Newfoundlands who are renowned for their water rescue skills, the Leonbergers are just as proficient. It is so much fun to watch a dog that loves to swim.

Not all dogs know what to do when they get in deeper water that is over their heads. The pool at Elite K911 has a ramp that slopes gently down into the water. It’s that last step from the end of the ramp into the water that can freeze up a lot of dogs. All beginner swimmers must wear a life jacket. There is always a lifeguard in the water with beginners. Sometimes dogs need to be coerced by treats or a toy to take the final plunge. Depending on the size of the dog, they may decide to lift the dog up and gently put the dog in the water. However, this can scratch up the lifeguard pretty good, so treats or a toy are the preferred method.

Dogs will never be thrown in the water at Elite K911 and never should be. I have heard too many stories about this. Dogs do not instinctually know how to swim even if they are labradors or water dogs. They have to learn to manipulate their back legs and level their body to stay afloat. A life jacket helps with that, and then some dogs take to the water quicker than others. Once a dog is deemed a good swimmer, they can swim independently without a lifejacket.

The pool at Elite K911 also has a 20’ run that is 17’ high for dock diving. They have a Corgi who frequents the pool that jumps from that high into the water! Private lessons are available to teach dogs to get accustomed to the height and ultimately run and jump in.

Adult social

Once a month, Elite K911 has an adult social from 8am to noon. Dogs must be evaluated to be qualified to be a part of this socialization event. On their one acre property, dogs are able to go into the pond, use the agility course, run around, and play together. They also have access to swim in the pool. The area is supervised by trainers who will address any possible squirmishes so that they don’t develop into fights. To date, no fights have broken out amongst the dogs. Trainers keep a close watch on the dogs and also teach them how to properly approach and greet other dogs.

The Adult Social is more of a working daycare than a typical daycare where trainers will work with the dogs by doing some basic commands like recalling the dogs while being distracted. Chuck discovered when he had a daycare several years ago that negative behaviors developed in some dogs due to the overstimulation of a full day spent with the other dogs there. It is healthier to drain a dog physically and emotionally from playtime, with time off to recuperate, instead of exposing the dog daily to constant stimulation that occurs at typical doggie daycares.

Therapy Program - June’s Crew

Chuck developed his own self-funded therapy dog program called June’s Crew, which now includes 27 certified dogs. Dogs must qualify to meet the standards imposed by Elite K911 such as completing all of the obedience classes and Canine Good Citizen class. The certified dogs will go to nursing homes and schools to help brighten up people’s day.

There is an increasing demand in many different venues for therapy dogs. The studies that have been released reveal that dogs improve the emotional and mental well-being of the humans they touch. They can reduce stress and anxiety and provide unconditional love that can boost a person’s mood.

Chuck’s pack of dogs

Chuck’s oldest member of the pack is a chihuahua named Chupacabra, or Chupa for short. He is 14 years old and was given to Chuck by a client who needed help training him. When Chuck showed up to start the training, the client appeared at the door offering Chuck to keep the dog with a check for $800 to cover the training! Chuck couldn’t refuse, but he had to change the dog’s name. It just so happened to be Chucky. So, Chuck renamed him to Chupacabra. Chupa has been part of his pack ever since.

Chuck also has a pit bull named Biggie and a Belgian Malinois named Anya. He and his wife were also fostering a 2 year old Pomeranian Chihuahua mix who was in jeopardy of being euthanized for health reasons. This dog was born with kneecaps on the side of his legs. He was ready to be put up for adoption, but Chuck and his wife decided to keep him. They have named him Fozzy.

The surgery will cost thousands of dollars to fix this condition. He still does great and can walk and doesn’t seem to be in pain. It will be a wait and see approach to determine if the surgery is warranted. Fozzy goes to his “place” when he directed to do so and learned this from the other dogs in his pack. He’s potty trained and has been a great dog so far. What more can you ask for?

Elite K911 offers so many services and fun activities for dogs. From grooming and boarding, to obedience classes and dock diving, there is bound to be something you and your dog can benefit from and enjoy together. For more information, access the Elite K911 website at www.elitek911.com or call 440-666-0749.

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Aggression in dogs is a serious issue which always needs to be addressed. Some dogs are reactive, but not aggressive, towards other dogs. Some are aggressive towards dogs and some are aggressive towards people. I hope to clarify the difference between these behaviors and explain some of the reasons why dogs act out in an aggressive manner.   Getting to the root of the behavior and why it is occuring is key to a rehabilitation plan for the dog.

Some dogs show aggression when protecting their human, their territory, or things of value. Other dogs show aggression when in a state of uncertainty and fear. Very few dogs that I have encountered are aggressive due to their dominant temperament. Dogs are not born aggressive. The environment, which includes the humans around them, can contribute to developing aggressive behavior.

Reactivity is when a dog barks, lunges, shows their teeth, or the hackles are raised on their back. They are reacting to things in their environment. Sometimes reactivity can be mistaken for aggression because the dog’s reaction can appear to be intense. Aggression is taking it to the next level of intensity and the dog bites either another dog or a human. However, just because your German Shepherd may have bit a stranger while he was protecting you, it doesn’t mean that your dog will bite all humans after that incident. It is important to know the traits of your dog and seek the guidance of a professional dog trainer to help manage these types of breed traits and identify potential triggers that cause the reactivity and/or aggression in your dog.

The training I received at Petco was based on the positive reinforcement philosophy. The company policy prohibited dog trainers to work with any kind of reactivity or aggression. I probably dealt with more reactive cases than what Petco wanted me to. However, I knew my limits and I was not qualified to handle a certain level of intense reactivity that could turn into aggression. I had no formal training on how to deal with it. Therefore, I referred these cases out to Chuck Stella, owner of Elite K911.

I met Chuck almost 15 years ago. It was very rare when I had to refer aggressive cases to him, but it was a necessity nonetheless. The dogs I referred to Chuck would take part in the board and train service that was and still is offered at Elite K911. The dogs stay on premise and trainers work with the dog to discover the root of the aggression and devise a rehab plan to help the dog and the humans live harmoniously together. Whenever I come across a dog that is beyond my expertise, I still refer them to Chuck, as well as Gary Flynn, an excellent dog trainer who has been a guest on my podcast.

Presently, I still base my assessment of a potentially aggressive dog as I did many years ago while working at Petco. I observe the dog’s body language, how it interacts with me first, then with their pet parent, and finally with other people. If a dog has bit their pet parent, I will find out what happened which caused the dog to act that way. If a dog has bit strangers, I will find out what environment and position the dog was in, in relation to their pet parent. For example, if a dog was out in front of their handler, the dog may be in protection mode. In this case, a dog should be walked in the heel position to confirm that they are being led by their handler. Their handler does not need to be constantly protected.

Conversely, if a dog is a cautious dog and is also allowed in front of their handler, they feel more insecure and may lash out because of that. This type of dog prefers to be led than to lead. They don’t want to make the decisions on how to react to stimuli in their environment. They prefer their handler to make those decisions.

I also assess the dog’s temperament and body language. Finally, I feel I have a sixth sense which picks up the dog’s energy. I always tell people I am way better at sensing a dog’s energy than people’s energy. Dogs can’t fake how they act or feel. People can be experts at it!

I will work with the dog that is having aggressive tendencies, as long as the dog lets me handle them. The best way for me to really get to know a dog is by walking them on leash. I may try different tactics, and specific walking tools to come up with how to manage this dog in different scenarios. A lot of times, I am successful. However, when I have exhausted my options and I am not seeing any improvement, I will refer this dog to either Chuck or Gary. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen a lot. The good news is the majority of dogs that come my way can be rehabbed and very few have unfortunate outcomes.

Cesar Millan, a famous dog trainer/behaviorist whom I admire, says the true nature of a dog is to be calm and confident, to exude love, and to be joyful. Everyone wants to be around this type of energy. We all know it when we experience it. My previous dog, Hank the Corgi, did not have it. My current dog, Ebi the Leonberger, does. Part of that is due to the amount of training and knowledge, or lack of knowledge, the pet parent has about dog behavior. The other part is their temperament and true nature that Cesar Millan speaks of. Dogs do not want to be in an aggressive state. They prefer to be in a calm and submissive state of mind. They strive for balance in any pack they are in. It is when they cannot achieve a balanced state that they act out, sometimes in an aggressive manner.

Chuck recounts on our podcast how it pains him to see dogs who want to be dogs, but their pet parents get in the way. Some people have their own version of how dogs should be trained, which goes against what professional dog trainers believe. It is necessary to make the pet parents understand dogs are animals with certain instincts which are different than ours. We have to call out the pet parents when they try to anthropomorphize their dogs. This is when humans project human emotions and logic on to their dog. They explain their dog’s behavior using human logic and reactions, and not basing it on dog psychology. This is one way that pet parents get in the way of fixing their dog’s behavior.

Chuck believes dogs are survivalists. Their brain is always in survival mode. They assess their world by determining if they need to fight or flee any given situation. It is up to us humans to assure them through our confident and consistent leadership that “we got this.” It is through repeated events that are handled in this way, when the dog begins to trust us. The majority of dogs do not want to handle unknown situations. They much prefer to surrender that job to their leader.

It is when this leadership and trust are not present that the dogs become unstable. We cannot love our dogs into changing their behavior. There is a time and place when it is appropriate to show affection towards our dogs. However, what typically happens is the pet parents will pet the dog who is barking or is scared. This reinforces the exact behavior in the dog they are exhibiting in the moment.

From a dog’s point of view, petting is a reward. Ultimately, you are rewarding the dog for barking or you are rewarding the dog for its current fearful state of mind. That coupled with saying “It’s okay, it’s okay” in a soft voice, is not only rewarding the dog, but also demonstrating that their leader is no longer calm and confident. In the dog’s eyes, their leader has weak energy and therefore there must be something to be fearful about. This is another way pet parents get in the way of rehabbing their dog.

Always remember the behavior you are reinforcing in the dog when you pet them or give them a treat.

It is very rare to come across truly aggressive dogs. According to Chuck, people tend to quickly label a dog as aggressive, even if the dog is not biting, but is growling and showing their teeth. These are all warning signs a bite may be imminent, but doesn’t mean the dog is aggressive. There are many reasons why dogs may act out in an aggressive way, but it doesn’t mean that this dog should be labeled aggressive. So many of these aggressive tendencies can be managed by teaching the pet parent how to handle the dog when triggered.

In order to highlight the issue of reactivity, I will cite examples starting with my own dog. When Ebi was about 15 months old, she went into heat. During those months prior to the heat cycle and post heat cycle, she didn’t want any stranger dogs near her. She started barking at any dog passing by, sometimes rather intensely. I was able to manage her 110 lb. body, but it was challenging. I did not know at the time this could happen during a heat cycle. I had to work through this reactivity in order to rehab it. This took a long time. As of today, she may bark and jump a little at certain dogs who stare her down, but she has never gone after a dog aggressively.

It was around this time that she started barking a particular bark when she was outside in the backyard. A key instinct of a Leonberger is to protect their territory from predators. She started barking at pedestrians walking by on a nearby busy street. I had to go outside each time to put her in a sit by my side, which communicated to her I was now in charge, and her job to alert me of the stranger was done. She still does this occasionally today. It’s difficult to fight Mother Nature and that actually is a useful trait to have. I want my dog to alert me, but then I also want her to stop once I get involved to manage the situation. If I never addressed this issue, some other negative behaviors could have formed and she could have become aggressive.

Both of these examples are reactivity examples. The second example is one of two reasons that Chuck says can trigger a dog to be aggressive. If Ebi thought the stranger on the street was encroaching on her territory and a potential threat, she could bite that person. She would be in the territorial mindset and could act upon it and become more intense. I would never say that she won’t ever bite anyone. She is still an animal with animal instincts. Again, it is up to me to manage it so we never get in that situation.

Another trigger can be for predatory reasons. Some dogs may only want to chase a small animal, but others want to chase, catch, and kill. All dogs have a prey drive. Some breeds have it much stronger than others. Recognizing the intensity level of the prey drive in your dog can help you manage them most effectively. Terriers are known to have the tenacity to hunt, catch and kill prey that comes across their path. It is possible to manage this prey drive through extensive training. Gary Flynn and I will be discussing this topic in a future episode when we talk specifically about training hunting dogs.

Other reasons that can cause aggression in dogs, but don’t necessarily mean that your dog is aggressive:

* boredom and frustration - not draining enough physical and mental energy

* being groomed - touching ears, paws, and tail are sensitive spots

* lack of fulfilling breed traits - for example, a hunting dog confined to the home

* lack of leadership by pet parents - not enough structure and too much affection

* resource guarding - when dogs won’t surrender their toys/food

* reacting defensively to being bullied or dominated by another dog in the pack

* spatial pressure - when dogs feel cornered or when two dogs are going thru the same threshold at the same time

* redirected aggression - particularly when on leash, the dog is restricted to pursue something and turns around and bites whatever is nearest to them

* already excited state of mind over one thing can intensify another reaction to something else

* defending themselves from being hit by humans

Communication between dogs can appear harsh, but it is not necessarily aggression. My dog Ebi has never been aggressive towards any dogs, even dogs she has met for the first time, which can be stressful. If she is playing with a dog and the dog is trying to hump her, she will air bite at that dog to let them know that she doesn’t like that behavior. This is not aggression. This is how dogs communicate. However, if the other dog does not get the hint, Ebi would send a more powerful message. Dogs need to learn what the boundaries are of the other dog they are playing with. If the dog still doesn’t get the message, I would step in with no words spoken and make the dog surrender to me as if to say with my body language only “Stop humping her”. When dogs are playing, they should always be supervised for this reason. No one wants to break up a dog fight!

Another similar example is when there are several dogs running around and playing together and one dog decides to be the peacemaker between two dogs who are playing too intensely. That peacemaker dog will go after the dog who is causing the intensity by barking, nipping or even putting a paw on that dog’s back to settle him down. This is not aggression. This is dog communication.

Dogs do not like unsettled energy in a pack. They operate best when there is calm energy in their environment. This is also why a happy but hyper dog can get “corrected” by another dog when they approach each other. It can actually cause a fight. Dogs must be in a calm state and all four paws on the ground when being introduced to another dog. If the dog rears back on its hind legs, that can be seen as an aggressive sign and cause the other dog to react negatively. I have seen dog fights break out because of this. This doesn’t mean that your dog is now going to be aggressive with all other dogs.

Dog communication cannot be confused with aggression.

Some dogs can be aggressive with other dogs, but not people. Pit bulls that I have known have been very sweet, but they can be a different dog out in the community. This is common for the bully breeds. According to Chuck who has had pit bulls as pets and rehabbed many pit bulls, they can be challenging to socialize. Pit bulls were bred for bull baiting until it was banned in the 19th century. However, instead of bull fighting, that type of entertainment moved underground. They were then bred to kill rats in a pit. Some pit bulls are used as bait and others are used to fight and kill each other.

Since the AKC does not recognize pit bulls as a purebred, there are no reputable breeders to disclose temperament and breed traits. So many times their history is not known. Therefore, a lot of pit bulls end up in shelters due to overpopulation and behavior reasons. It is important to be aware of their history as a breed and their specific instincts, in order to manage the dog in the optimal way.

Chuck has always had a dog in his pack that he had to keep an eye on. He talks about a dog he adopted named Radar who bit 3 people, including Chuck. Radar was used as a fighting dog. Sometimes, when you bring a dog home for the first time, the dog needs time to acclimate himself to his new surroundings. The dog’s fight or flight response may be on active alert because of so much fear of the unknown. During this time of uncertainty, or as Chuck calls it “detox phase”, the dog may strike out at anything and anyone in their path.

Some dogs have experienced trauma wherever they were living before and their trust of humans can be almost non-existent. Chuck had to work with Radar and be vigilant for many years. Over time, he learned what Radar’s triggers were. He had to make sure to manage those situations properly in order to avoid mishaps. Radar never bit anyone else after those initial 3 bites and became a well balanced dog.

Another dog Chuck was very fond of was named Venus. She was a young 100 pound Cane Corso that went from street dog to therapy dog in just a couple of years. Rescuers were chasing her around Cleveland State campus trying to catch her for some time, but to no avail. They wanted this large dog off the streets. Chuck offered his help with a big enough crate to handle her. He put food inside the crate, Venus took the bait, and she was caught.

However, they all had to come up with a plan for this huge dog that was nasty and thrashing about in the crate. Chuck volunteered to take her home. He recounts how it was as if a lightbulb went off in her head and she all of a sudden became Chuck’s best buddy. Chuck ultimately was able to take Venus into hospitals and nursing homes. She made a lot of people happy with her unconditional love. She will always be remembered fondly by whomever was lucky enough to know her.

The majority of cases can be rehabbed in a few weeks or months. For a more difficult dog, it can take longer. The problem is not everyone has the patience, skill, and knowledge to manage a dog with aggressive tendencies. If a dog has bitten more than once and the pet parent wants to surrender the dog, the shelter will not take the dog back. It is very difficult to find a home for a dog with a bite history. It is important to note that not everyone reports dog bites. They may not even know they are supposed to. However, if you seek medical attention for the dog bite and admit that you were bit by a dog, that medical establishment must report it to the local health department.

Dogs may be surrendered back to the shelter without disclosing that the dog bit people. What a terrible predicament the new pet parents find themselves in. They have already bonded with the dog, but later find out that it wants to bite people, including themselves. They realize it isn’t fair to the dog to keep them in their current living situation. They know that the dog would be better off in a different family or living quarters, but no one wants to take on the responsibility of a dog with aggression issues. This scenario usually does not have a good outcome. So, please report any bites to future owners for your dog or seek a professional dog trainer to assess if the dog can be rehabbed.

I was referred to a couple who had recently rescued a young dog from a shelter. They lived in a high rise apartment with plenty of green area for dogs to be on and off leash. I could tell that the dog was definitely unsure and probably never socialized before. He made tremendous progress with training. He learned to sleep in a crate, to properly greet people, and to walk by the pet parent’s side in a heel position.

However, when he would see another dog on the apartment grounds, he went crazy barking and lunging. He also had a very stiff body, his hackles were raised, his pupils were dilated to the point that they were black, and his tail was straight up. These are all signs of what Cesar Millan refers to as a “Red Zone” case. If he ever broke away from his handler, it would not have been a pretty sight. This was a dog I referred to earlier as having very intense energy. A dog trainer with aggression experience needed to intervene.

This client contacted the dog trainer she had worked with many years ago when she had a different dog. He kept the dog for a period of time, and the dog did amazing being around other dogs. However, as soon as he returned to this apartment building, he went ballistic again and bit several people. The issue was where he lived. He had to be exposed to other dogs in tight quarters, on leash, while waiting for the elevator upstairs. There were always people walking around. This atmosphere put too much spatial and social pressure on the dog, and he finally lashed out.

The problem was that with a bite history, the shelter did not want him back and the client could not move to a new place. This client did everything she could to keep the dog alive. There was no guarantee that the dog would never bite again in a new environment. Ultimately, she had to make the agonizing decision to put the dog to sleep. The dog had become a liability. The only suitable person to manage this dog would have been a dog trainer with a lot of aggression experience, and there just wasn’t any to be found.

I recently referred to Chuck and his staff a pit bull mix named Daisy. She was rescued by a couple with a young child. They knew they needed to reach out to a trainer for help because Daisy was so fearful and reactive to everything in her environment. When I went to their home, I observed a fearful dog that was warning me not to get close to her. She was backing up and barking very intensely. I had them put a leash on her and walk her around the house until she calmed down. I could tell that she wanted to check me out, so I told the client to drop the leash and let her sniff me. When a dog does this and I know they are sensitive, I don’t make a move and stay calm. No petting, no eye contact. By the end of the visit, I was able to give her treats out of my hand. I knew there was a lot of hope for Daisy.

However, as time went on, Daisy became more reactive when family visited, and their child became afraid of Daisy’s unpredictable behavior. I did not want this to escalate any further, and therefore referred the family to Chuck. He showed the family how to claim the front door and Daisy did not have the privilege of greeting people at the door. She was to be in her safe place in her crate and had to be quiet too.

The great news is that Daisy is doing amazingly well and the family is putting in the hard work required to rehab her. She responded very quickly to her new rules, boundaries and limitations. Her work is not over and will require a vigilant eye for quite some time. She can walk in a heel position, she can go to public events, and even be pet by the kids in the neighborhood. She has transformed remarkably and quickly.

There are many different scenarios that can send an excited dog into an aggressive state of mind where they lash out at the closest thing to them. Some dogs can be triggered by various things even from far away. Very few dogs are truly aggressive. Rehabilitation can be very challenging and time consuming. The most challenging part of the rehab process can be returning the dog back to the pet parent. These types of dogs must be closely monitored. The pet parent must have an advanced level of knowledge about dog behavior and dog psychology. Even if this pet parent exists, not everyone wants to take on this responsibility. The dog becomes a liability and no one wants to have a dog that could harm another dog or person, let alone a young child. Sadly, these types of cases do not always have a good outcome.

However, in the majority of aggression cases, rehabilitation can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. Dog trainers need to stress how the rehab process does not end when the dog trainers leave. It is up to the pet parent to follow through with a new approach to communicating with their dog. They must closely monitor the potential triggers of their dog to reduce and avoid the aggression.

The big question of the day is “Can aggression ever go away?” I personally believe that dogs have a memory. They learn and retain information through association. If a dog was aggressive and bit another dog or person several times, something in those instances could be remembered and become a trigger for future aggression potentially for the rest of their life.

Please consult a professional dog trainer if you are experiencing any type of aggression mentioned above. Most of the time, it can be fixed with the proper instructions. Never try to manage it yourself.

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 In order to have a well-balanced dog, 60% of a dog's day should be filled with exercise, 20% discipline, and the other 20% affection, and in that order. This is according to Cesar Millan, a well known dog behaviorist. I agree with that, but I break that down a little bit more by saying that within that 60% exercise, 40% of it should be structured exercise. This refers to walking your dog in a structured way - more specifically, in a heel position. The dog should not be in front of you, behind you, or allowed to go wherever they want.

Another form of structured exercise is playing fetch or tug of war with your dog, but there has to be rules. When playing fetch, the dog must sit before you throw the ball. When the dog brings back the toy, you tell them to drop it, and then step in front of the toy to show that it belongs to you. This demonstrates you are the leader, making the rules of the game you are both engaged in. This also avoids the dog lunging at the toy at the same time as you, possibly avoiding an unintentional bite. After the dog retrieves the toy, you either engage in playing more fetch or you end the game.

If playing tug of war, the dog should be trained to release the toy on command. It is important to note that when you are playing tug of war with your dog, you are both competing for the same toy. They will see you as an equal until you set some rules from a position of leadership. Some dogs get over-the-top excited when playing this game, especially the terrier breeds, who are known to hold on at all costs!

In order to teach the dog to drop the toy, start with a light game of tug and trade the toy with a treat. At the same time the dog releases the toy from their mouth, say either “Release” or “Drop It”. They need to know what “Release” or “Drop It” means before escalating further with stronger tugging. This takes hundreds of repetitions. If you feel that your dog starts to get into a more aggressive state of mind, please contact me or a certified dog trainer for guidance.

The other 20% of a dog’s daily exercise can be unstructured exercise. This includes having free time in a fenced-in yard to wander around or to play with other dogs. Playing with another dog can totally exhaust a dog because there is the physical part of playing, but also the mental part of navigating how to communicate with the other dog. As dogs play with each other, they are communicating through their body language and movements. I always recommend that playtime be supervised in case any disagreements arise between the dogs.

Throughout the day, 20% of it should include discipline. This does not mean we are telling the dog “No!” every time they misbehave. It means that we are telling the dog where they can and cannot go. We are enforcing the rules of the house: what to do when guests arrive, if they are allowed on the furniture, or where they are allowed to sleep at night. This is where your basic obedience skills come in to play. For example, you may want the dog to sit and stay while you prepare his breakfast or dinner, or the dog must be in a down stay while your child or grandchild eats at the table.

The last 20% of a balanced dog’s day should be affection. The problem most of us have is that we give too much affection to our dogs at the wrong time. We unknowingly pet our dogs lovingly when the dog is in an excited or fearful state of mind. Remember, petting our dogs is a reward in the dog’s mind. You are rewarding the state of mind the dog is in at that moment. The best time to pet our dogs is when they are calm and submissive. We can be fooled by our dogs too. We may think they are calm because they are laying down. However, their brain may be in a tizzy still because they just finished playing and they haven’t calmed down yet. So, if you go to pet your dog and they get up and start getting excited all over again, then they aren’t totally calm and submissive. Just wait a few minutes for the brain to adjust to a calmer state and try again.

I believe that our dogs want us to be the leader and make decisions for them. Even in our human family, the parents should be enforcing the rules of the house. Otherwise, the children will feel they have to make their own decisions and they simply do not have the skillset to do so until they have matured into adolescence. Dogs are no different. Remember, they have the intelligence and insight of a 2 to 3 year old toddler. Dogs thrive when they know where to go and what to do in every situation, especially new scenarios. They need their leader to tell them.

I have found over the years working with clients, this 60% exercise, 20% discipline and 20% affection is lopsided. People are giving too much affection to their dogs, not enough discipline, and not enough exercise. Some people actually do exercise their dogs quite a bit, but it is mostly unstructured exercise. All of this can lead to unbalanced dogs who end up with various issues that get in the way of living harmoniously with their human family.

It is very challenging to keep up with our dogs. They have way more energy than we do. However, by keeping this 60-20-20 lifestyle with our dogs in the forefront of our minds, we are on our way to having a more balanced dog.

There are two different types of walks. One is a structured walk in the heel position and the other is a nature walk on a long leash, sometimes referred to as a “Sniffari”-a sniffing safari. The structured walk is what I recommend and teach all of my clients. This involves teaching the dog not to pull on the leash. It involves a mentality that the human is the leader and the dog is the follower. I am not opposed to a sniffari type of walk. Just make sure you are giving the dog permission to be at the end of the long leash instead of the dog making that decision. In fact, a sniffari type of walk can exhaust a dog due to the brain power expended from processing all of the scents on the walk. However, your everyday walks should include a structured walk to maintain a healthy leader-follower relationship.

Structured walks in the heel position require a lot of training and patience to accomplish. It doesn’t happen overnight. I haven’t met one person yet who enjoys being pulled on the leash by their dog. However, since it takes months and hundreds of repetitions to achieve a walk with no pulling, people tend to rush the process. So many people abandon walking their dog because of the danger of being pulled. Even those clients who do contact me for this reason, still won’t take the time necessary to teach the dog how to heel, and therefore still deal with being pulled on the leash.

The way I have had success in teaching a dog to heel is first finding the best walking tool for that dog. I go in to this in detail in my episode “Harnesses, Leashes and Collars, Oh My!”. After deciding on the right tool for the dog, choose which side you will predominantly walk your dog. It really doesn’t matter if the dog walks on the right or left hand side, unless you have plans to make your dog a show dog, a therapy dog, an AKC Canine Good Citizen, or enter competitive handling competitions. In these cases, it is highly recommended and even mandatory that the dog be walked on the left hand side.

As a trainer working with a pack of dogs, it is easier when everybody walks their dog on the left hand side. Some people may have physical limitations which may require the dog to be walked on the right hand side. However, as long as the dog is in the heel position, I can still manage the pack for certain obedience exercises.

After determining the right walking tool and the side the dog will walk on, next is teaching the dog to stay next to you by using treats. As far as where the heel position is, I tell clients to think of the dog’s ears lining up with your thigh. When dealing with medium to large dogs, this position is even more important. It helps arrange the dog’s shoulders and chest to be a little behind you. Should the dog lunge, you will have much more control from this posture as opposed to the dog already being in front of you and possibly making you fall down as you try to hold on.

Fun fact: The “heel” position originated in the military. Guns were drawn from the right and dogs were handled on the left.

When training your dog to walk in the heel position on the left hand side, it is best to hold the leash in your right hand and treat the dog with your left hand. If your left arm hangs straight down with your hand open and palm facing the dog’s mouth, that is the heel position. Treat the dog only when the leash is loose. Later, add the “Heel” command and always use your voice to confirm this by saying, “Good Heel”. I taught my dog Ebi this way. She doesn’t know how to walk way in front of me. A Leonberger in front of their handler would be sending a message to the dog to protect the handler. That is not a scenario I want to intentionally create.

I wish more people asked me how often they should walk their dog. Before I knew how beneficial it was to the dog, I would walk my Corgi, Hank, whenever it fit into my schedule. When I had to get a professional dog trainer to manage Hank’s aggression, it was brought to my attention how beneficial exercise was to his well being. I was advised to walk Hank twice a day for at least one to two miles. This is what I advise my clients. Hopefully, one time in the morning and another time in the afternoon to early evening. If you can get another walk in, that is great. We all have busy days, but we have to remember the exercise requirement of our dogs. One walk is better than no walks. No exceptions for holidays. Obviously, as the dogs age, adjust the schedule according to what they can manage. If you can’t physically walk your dog, think of hiring a dog walker. I can recommend a few!

When you are walking your dog, it is very important that you don’t stop every 10-15 feet to let the dog sniff. This interrupts the instinctual feeling you and your dog get when walking in a pack, even if the pack is just you and your dog. You should be the one deciding when and where to stop to let your dog eliminate or just take a break, not the dog. For a one mile walk, it’s okay to stop 2-3 times for a break. Any more than that, the dog is marking his or her territory and changing the dynamic of the leader-follower relationship. It is worth mentioning that female dogs mark too.

Your responsibility while walking your dog is to look out for any potential triggers. Each dog has their own set of triggers. It may be squirrels, deer, birds, dogs, or people. You may have a dog that is just so excited to be out that they want see and experience everything. Then, your responsibility is to teach the dog they can't go after everything they want to unless you have given them the permission to do so. If you keep giving into the dog, all of a sudden the dog is directing how the walk is going, and you're no longer the leader. They are. You become the follower.

The Top 10 Reasons to Walk Your Dog

* It fosters the relationship of leader - follower between you and your dog.

Positioning in a dog’s world is very important. The heel position reminds the dog every time who is in charge. A well behaved dog is one who has no doubt who their leader is and that leader is you. This promotes the development of a secure dog.

* It releases pent up energy.

The best time to walk your dog is in the morning after your dog has slept for eight to 10 hours. They need to get out there and walk to release pent up energy. That's what they would do in the wild. They get up and start walking with the pack, searching for food. You may find that changing the time of your walk to first thing in the morning sets a better mood for the rest of the day. This is even more important if you will be gone all day. Sleeping all night, then doing nothing all day can lead to destructive and over excited energy when you do arrive home.

* It keeps your dog safe.

When your dog is by your side, you have more control of your dog in case they lunge at something in their environment. If your dog is out in front of you and an unfriendly dog approaches you, it may be too late to reel them in to avoid conflict. Also, a fearful dog out in front of their handler does not want to be making the decision whether or not stimuli is a threat. This should be there responsibility of the handler.

* It is a time to practice obedience skills.

Turn the walk in to a '“working walk” by getting your dog to sit and stay as you scoop up their poop. Have the dog sit by your side and stay as you wait to cross the street. Randomly, stop and put them in a down until you release them.

* It gives you the opportunity to have your dog check in with you.

Train your dog to look at you on your command. This helps when the dog gets distracted for whatever reason, It avoids the dog locking in and intensely focusing on something in their environment, You can diffuse explosive reactions this way. We want the dog to believe that you are more important than that other thing they are looking at.

* It familiarizes the dog with your neighborhood.

In the event your dog gets away from you and you don’t have a reliable recall, hopefully they will find their way back to you. This is a frightening experience that I hear about too often. Besides working diligently on the recall in all types of situations, I recommend walking a two mile radius from your house. There will be repeated smells and sounds that can help them find their way back home. If this should happen to you, one little tip is to put an article of your clothing at the point where you lost them, and then that scent will hopefully guide them home.

* It exposes the dog to the environment.

Socializing your dog to new places, people, and things will make them more adaptable and comfortable exploring. It also exhausts them mentally because they have to process what they are experiencing. If they have you as their leader to prevent conflicts or danger, or safely and respectfully introduce them to new things, they will learn to respect you. Remember, dogs have 4 different ways to process things in their environment: fight, flight, ignore, or avoid. It is our responsibility as their handler and leader to confront issues in a safe and respectful way.

* It keeps you and your dog in good physical shape.

Exercise we all know is good for us too, so we benefit from walking our dog. It's good for our emotional and mental state of mind. We release endorphins when we walk and so do the dogs. It is good. That's why dogs are usually happy when they're out there walking.

* It helps maintain a healthy digestive system.

Beneficial bacteria outside leads to a healthier digestive tract. This applies to humans and animals. So many dogs have digestive issues. Getting outside can help regulate the digestive tract. Also, exercise can help ease constipation.

* It fulfills the instinct in all dogs to walk.

You will notice your dog’s instinct to walk with you when their stride is regimented, their head is held lower, their tongue is hanging out, and their rhythm is in sync with yours. This touches the core of their being. It is rewarding to the humans when you experience this. You won’t feel this if you are constantly stopping at your dog’s whim. I will never forget the first time I experienced this with my Corgi, Hank. It is an awesome experience and one that still is repeated with my current dog, Ebi. Look into attending a pack walk. I hold mine on Sunday mornings from 10-11am in different parks in the Cleveland area, predominantly on the west side. Please contact me at the number below if you are interested.

The best result from walking …. a tired dog is a good dog! You want your dog coming home from their walk panting and laying down. This is the dog that is going to be more compliant. This is the dog that isn’t going to bark as much. They will be a happy and fulfilled dog!

If you need any guidance on walking your dog so that it is more enjoyable, please contact me at the phone number below my logo. Also, please leave a comment and tell us how walking your dog benefits both of you!

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**This episode is dedicated to Gary Flynn, all of the Task Forces deployed with their search and rescue canines, including Ohio Task Force 1, and those who perished on September 11, 2001. This is also dedicated to the dog handlers and emergency crews who continue to suffer from the trauma experienced during that time, and to their family members supporting the mental and health issues of their loved ones who continue to suffer.

September 11 was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. People were stunned and frightened as they watched the events unfold on their television screens. After the plot to destroy human lives and weaken American leadership had concluded on that horrific day, the largest call-up of emergency services occurred and FEMA task forces were deployed. One of the 26 FEMA task forces summoned was Gary Flynn and Ohio Task Force 1.

I highly recommend listening to this podcast where Gary describes, in detail at times, how the events impacted him and his 5 year old Belgian Malinois, Tascha. To say that this was an emotional podcast is an understatement. In fact, words cannot describe adequately the plethora of information that Gary was willing to share. Therefore, I am only going to write about details in the best way possible to help break down the magnitude of that day, and the months and years to follow. This is also the platform where I can share photos that Gary took during his time there. Never did I think that I would meet and get to know someone who I could call my mentor and my friend, and someone who tirelessly worked at finding survivors with his personally trained professional dog.

This was a war zone, no doubt about that. The way that Gary describes how he got the call while working his day job at BIOPLASTICS CO. in North Ridgeville, Ohio, is already uniquely different than the majority of us who watched the news that day in our homes. He was called up and ready to go like any soldier summoned to war.

We all remember exactly where we were when we found out about the first plane slamming into the World Trade Center. None of us dreamt this was part of a much bigger plot to wreak devastation on a such a grand scale. We were able to watch the events on tv in the security of our homes. However, the first responders and those called up to search for survivors had to risk their lives and the lives of their beloved and highly trained canines.

Out of the 72 people in Ohio deployed by FEMA, only 4 dog handlers and their canines were chosen to go. Three of the four handlers were from OSDA (Gary’s search and rescue dog agency). The fourth handler, Terry Trepanier was a veteran firefighter and paramedic from Washington Township, shown in the picture below with his dog Woody. There were many more qualified people ready and willing to go serve, but were not chosen by the federal government to assist. FEMA plans for disasters similar to this and whatever they decide is not to be debated or contested. Gary talks about how much the love and support from those not selected to go was an immeasurable support system while being there.

FEMA requested that the canines to be deployed be live human finds only. Gary had a cadaver dog, Felix, fully trained and ready to go, but that was not what was needed from Ohio Task Force 1. There were Task Forces from other states who received the order for trained cadaver dogs. However, Gary’s dog Tascha, exhibited an aversive behavior whenever she would come across cadaver parts. She would shrug her body in such a way that it was almost an actual alert signal. Gary had specifically trained her to go past any cadavers and only focus on the live human scent.

Gary and Tascha worked 12 hour shifts, but it never ended at the 12th hour. If they were commanded to search a specific area of “the pile” (which was approximately 40 stories high) and they kept finding more openings within that pile to investigate, they did not quit just because their shift was up. They continued until there was no more area left to search . If it required to rappel blindly into a dark hole, then that’s what they did. Sending his dog in first with no leash and no collar to find survivors caused fear and anxiety that cannot be verbally described.

“I can tell you what it was like, but I have no way to tell you how it feels”

Gary Flynn

Gary and Tasha weren’t always working the pile. Sometimes they were commanded to search the surrounding buildings. A badly damaged structure assigned to Gary and Tascha was the Merrill Lynch Financial Center, pictured below. They had to climb 51 flights of stairs with no lights to guide them and search every inch for survivors. What they found was mostly plane pieces, cadavers, luggage and clothes. Gary says that the job always starts from the top on down, instead of the other way around. That way, when you are all done with the search, you can just exit the building.

One of my questions to Gary was about using protective gear for himself and his dog. Gary had all the protective gear needed for a toxic environment like the one at Ground Zero. He knew what he could be exposed to because he was a certified environmental hazard specialist. However, the protective gear got in the way when navigating through narrow passages with sharp objects all around. He wished he could have worn the gear all the time, but it wasn’t feasible.

Tasha did not wear any boots for her paws. She managed okay without them. She did endure a large burned area on her chest, not from direct fire, but from abrasions caused by squeezing in between and crawling through so much rubble. The wound healed up, but the fur never grew back. She lived until the ripe old age of 17. She was a cancer survivor on top of all that. It was too difficult to say that the cancer was due to her exposure to chemicals at Ground Zero, but living 13 years after the event is pretty astonishing!

Gary is beyond grateful to the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams dispatched by FEMA to Ground Zero to provide medical care to the hundreds of search and rescue dogs on site. Tascha became dehydrated to the point where she needed to have intravenous fluids pumped into her. The VMAT teams provided the prompt assistance required to get Tascha back on her paws again.

Another question I asked Gary was if dogs experience PTSD. He believes they do but it is because those dogs were not properly trained or they were not the type of dog that could handle the stress from search and rescue work. Just like not all dogs make good service dogs, not all dogs are cut out to make effective search and rescue dogs. The stamina and prolonged self motivation required for this kind of work is not present in all dogs. The dogs who have been correctly trained succeed and love what they do. Their handlers reward them with play time whenever they can sneak in a few minutes of downtime. Sometimes, due to the tasks at hand, the only reward was their handler’s voice praising them. Other times, down time meant rest time. Catching a few Z’s had to be squeezed in there too!

Another amazing feature of the search and rescue dog is their ability to provide loving and caring support to their handlers and emergency staff members. Gary said there were plenty of them crying into their beloved dog’s fur. Dogs provide comfort that humans cannot. It’s just different.

Gary is eternally grateful to so many people, but most importantly, his wife and young daughter. Returning from any search and rescue mission is difficult to resume a normal routine, but coming back home from Ground Zero was especially challenging. The trauma of seeing so much death and destruction can make it hard to carry on. Gary encourages anyone experiencing trauma to seek help. PTSD manifests itself in so many disguising ways. Seeking professional help is crucial to learning how to resume mundane chores and a “normal” lifestyle. You want things to be the way they were, but it’s impossible when you have changed because of this traumatic event in your life.

I want to extend my humble and sincere gratitude to Gary for giving me the opportunity to talk about such an emotional subject. I feel deeply that our paths crossed at Petco because as fate would have it, one day I would have the platform for him to share his experience with all of you. So many people suffered, and sadly still suffer, from that sunny fall day 24 years ago that suddenly turned dark. Please be kind to all people. You don’t know what their story is.

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Search and Rescue dogs are highly trained canines used to locate missing people and their personal items at disaster sites either natural or man-made, crime scenes, and terrorist attacks. Dogs possess the ability to pick up different scents that humans and technology cannot. They travel faster than humans when navigating through rough terrain, which speeds up the process of finding missing individuals. Time is of the essence when working a search and rescue mission. Every minute counts when dealing with life and death. Human emotions can be highly charged during these missions. Therefore, professional search and rescue organizations must maintain a sense of calm and control while adhering to local, state and federal standards.  

Gary Flynn, owner and head handler for The Dog Advocate in Vermilion, Ohio, has been passionate about working with dogs since his time in the military. His training as an infantryman taught him how to navigate in the wilderness. This highly refined skill became very useful when he started working with Georgia Canine Search and Rescue while stationed at Fort Benning. Land navigation skills are extremely useful while working on a mission that may last days, even weeks.

Sometimes these search and rescue missions will take crews into the woods or disaster sites where there are no well defined exits. The crews have to figure out how to navigate through it without getting lost. Before cell phone and GPS technology, search and rescue missions were even more challenging. Gary used his land navigation skills and applied them to become an extremely qualified and well sought after search and rescue handler.

Upon Gary’s discharge from the military, he moved back to familiar territory in Vermilion, Ohio. He knew he wanted to become a professional search and rescue canine handler. He contacted Benji McPeak who owned and operated Firelands Kennels. Benji was a police dog trainer who also trained wannabe professional handlers like Gary. Benji had contracts to train dogs for the Ohio State Police, numerous sheriff departments, and even police departments that had their own canine programs. Gary started training dogs in junkyards searching for various items and conducting car searches for drugs. However, what really sparked his interest was training cadaver dogs - placing cadaver parts in different areas for training purposes for the dog to find.

One of the most important lessons that Gary learned was how to shape dogs into performing desired behaviors. It takes a skillful eye to piece together the deliberate behavior conditioning by the handler with what the dog does naturally. Reading the dog accurately was key to developing the most effective and reliable professional dog. Taking this skillset and applying it to searching for humans, dead or alive, became one of Gary’s specialties. He trained his dog to be a cadaver dog. He used this skill many times when doing area searches of collapsed buildings, floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters.

Gary discovered that how he trained dogs to alert him to dead or live finds was different than a fellow canine handler for the Ohio State Patrol. Gary trained his imported German Shepherd, Iren, to alert him to a deceased body by running back to him, bark 4-5 times, and then run back and forth between him and the deceased. If the body was alive, she was trained to run to Gary, run back to the person, and stay there and bark.

This was vital later on when Gary had his own search and rescue agency and he got a call from a homicide detective for the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) who was trying to solve a missing persons case. Sometimes Gary was called to help solve cold cases. There was a possibility that by using one of his dog’s keen sense of smell and method of alerting, some of the SBI’s cold cases would result in closure.

One of those cases was a deathbed confession. The murderer told his wife where the body was. Then, the wife was dying and told their daughter. So many years had passed, so the credibility of this confession was suspect. However, the daughter did the right thing and contacted the police. The police made contact with the new owners of her parent’s house. Then, Gary and his cadaver dog, two forensic anthropologists and a coroner showed up. Bingo! The remains were there and the identity of the deceased was verified.

Another pertinent lesson that Gary learned while working for Benji was how to keep a dog engaged with their handler and remain focused with the task at hand for a prolonged period of time. This is the foundation for building the motivation and drive which is required in professional dogs. A tremendous amount of time is spent teaching the dog not to give up. Providing the appropriate rewards and the timing of it is also extremely important to achieve this.

As a professional handler, Gary believes everything he does is intentional. The dogs must be worked in every type of situation imaginable so they ignore the bunny that runs in front of them and continue to search for people or articles of clothing. They have to ignore the juicy cheeseburger on the ground and be motivated enough to stay on course. Many times the dogs are out of the handler’s sight, so it is crucial to work with them in all scenarios in order to ensure they stay on task.

I believe this lesson can be applied on a much smaller scale to every dog owner who wants to train their dogs to do a certain behavior. You have to make it exciting and fun for the dog with plenty of rewards to keep your dog engaged. Otherwise, the dog will wander off mentally and physically because you are not providing enough excitement to keep them interested.

I had the privilege to work with one of Gary’s professional dogs named Abby. First, Gary demonstrated how he worked Abby through the different stages of escalating her drives. Once he got her to where she needed to be, he had me copy him. I put the bite sleeve on my arm and shouted out the German commands for her to run towards me, no leash, no collar, and bite my sleeve. I was not scared because I trusted Gary and knew previously how well controlled Abby was.

Since it was my first time wearing a bite sleeve, I was hesitant and not confident enough. I couldn’t get Abby to respond in the same way that Gary could. Gary told me that I wasn’t all in. I needed to be 100% committed in order for Abby not to be confused with what I was trying to achieve and then stop working for me. I tried again and did better, but I definitely needed practice! This is exactly what Benji taught Gary and Gary taught other handlers.

The easy part is shaping the dog’s behavior. The hard part is teaching the handler to trust their dog and maintain prolonged engagement with them.

Benji introduced Gary to North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWADA) and North American Search Dog Network (NASDN). These organizations established a working standard for all police work dog handlers and trainers through an accreditation program. There are standards for tracking article search, area search and human remains detection. Any evidence that could be presented in court had to adhere to strict standards so as not to corrupt a crime scene. Gary even brought his dog into court to prove the reliability of their results.

As far as search and rescue missions were concerned, Gary started noticing the lack of standards in place that was prohibiting the expediency and efficiency of conducting and completing a mission. The issue of liability was emerging and the last thing Gary wanted was for him or his co-workers to be sued by individuals because the integrity of the mission was compromised. This was the motivation for Gary to form his own search and rescue agency, Ohio Search Dog Agency, which still exists today.

The impetus to follow through with Gary’s desire to form his own search and rescue agency was when he received 3 calls to find missing searchers in the same county. Gary realized that not all search and rescue handlers had the same land navigation skillset he did. There was no requirement to be trained in that and no guidelines to be certified in wilderness first aid. Being a paramedic is a great foundation for what may be expected of a handler while being deployed on a mission, but it is not the same as wilderness first aid. Injuries from a tornado are different than injuries from a flood or a terrorist attack such as Ground Zero on 9/11.

Search and rescue is not just about the dog sniffing out and finding missing humans. It’s also about getting the proper education required, knowing the standards and most importantly, knowing your dog. Lack of resources, lack of egress, and the undefined time spent searching, are all factors that weed out the professionally trained handlers from the volunteer handlers. Gary understands that people want to volunteer their dog during times of disasters. Their hearts are in the right place, but due to their lack of professional training, they get in the way and can become a liability.

Gary suggests to people who want to become handlers of search and rescue dogs to contact their local Emergency Management Agency and inquire about trainers with credentials and experience in search and rescue in their area. Start your way down the chain of command instead of the other way around. There are too many organizations who claim they are search and rescue experts but they are not. Make sure you weed them out from the real professionals.

Some of the individuals Gary was introduced to when he worked for Benji would become invaluable assets to him when he formed his own search and rescue agency in the 90s called Ohio Search Dog Association, He decided to contact three people he thought would work well together in this new venture. One of them was John Macioce, who had a lot of experience working with professional dogs with Benji like Gary did. Another person was Mike Palumbo, who was the deputy for Union County sheriff’s department. Mike showed and trained labs but did not really have working dog experience. Lastly, Gary contacted Kelly Clark who had been to dog training school in Columbus and went on to work for the city of Oregon, Ohio police department. All four of them signed on the dotted line and Gary filed the paperwork to become the statutory agent for the Ohio Search Dog Association. Gary insured all his dogs which is very important when working treacherous search areas. This was another aspect of setting up a professional and vetted agency.

Gary continued to make connections in Ohio with various police departments, the FBI and SBI. He even had equine teams, dive teams and ground teams to help with search and rescue missions. He was also evaluating dogs and handlers because there can never be enough qualified search and rescue dog handlers. As his reputation grew, police departments sought out Gary’s knowledge and expertise.

“Success is growing it past you” - Gary Flynn

When Gary heard Ohio may be getting a Task Force that was regulated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a federal governmental agency, he wanted his team of handlers to be a part of it. He started working dogs in rubble and all sorts of common situations where Task Forces are deployed. They were called on natural disasters and then the ultimate disaster of September 11, 2001.

My next episode with Gary will be released on that memorable date, 9/11/25, which will be an episode you won’t want to miss. He will recount his experience with his Belgian Malinois, Tascha at Ground Zero. Three of the four federally deployed dogs at Ground Zero were from Gary’s Task Force 1. I will include pictures that Gary has allowed me to share with you.

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Canine Companions is one of the premier service dog organizations in the United States. They provide dogs to people with disabilities free of charge. One of the clients who applied for a Canine Companions service dog is Jim Turner. Jim has a hearing dog named Koogle, who helps him navigate his daily life with confidence and independence. I had the privilege of talking to Jim with Koogle by his side, and saw first hand how Koogle assists Jim as his link to the world of sound.

Jim was diagnosed with bilateral neurosensory hearing loss during a company physical exam when he was in his forties. His wife, Kathleen, thought he had selective hearing and was sometimes ignoring her. It is a hereditary condition which worsens over time. Since then, he has been wearing hearing aids. Jim’s hearing challenges are defined by the limitations of not being able to hear the upper half of the frequency range that humans normally hear. Smoke detectors, doorbells, microwave alarms are all very challenging for Jim because even his hearing aids do not pick up that frequency. Also, when Jim is in a crowd of people, it is difficult to hear, especially when his name is being called amongst all that background noise.

Jim and Kathleen were familiar with Canine Companions because they were already puppy raisers for the organization. Volunteers like Jim and his wife, agree to raise the puppies provided to them by selected breeders from 8 weeks to 16-18 months old until they go on to professional training. (Please refer to my previous post with Staicey Sholtz dated 8/5/25 for more details about puppy raisers).

Jim was being encouraged by his close friends in the Canine Companions community to get a service dog. He didn’t feel that his hearing loss was that bad to warrant one. He wanted the service dogs to be reserved for people who were deaf. An event in his life changed his mind. One day, his wife was working in the kitchen and hurt herself. She was bleeding and calling Jim for help. Jim was only 10 feet away in another room and had no clue he was being called. He didn’t hear her pleas for help. That day he applied for a service dog.

Jim filled out an application online at Canine Companions’ website: canine.org. Applicants are prompted to describe their disability and how they could benefit from a service dog. The organization then reaches out to them for an initial interview. There is a space to write about your lifestyle - what your interests are, if you are an active or sedentary person. In Jim’s case, he had to provide a medical recommendation from his audiologist about hearing limitations. Canine Companions wants to ensure that the request is not only warranted, but also to match up the right dog with each applicant. This entire process can take up to two years.

Jim is a retired geologist. He had an illustrious career in the oil and gas industry and was part of a team who located oil and gas under ground. The first day of Jim’s retirement, at age 63, was the day he started his team training with Koogle. It was meant to be!

Part of the process of getting a service dog from Canine Companions is to go to one of their training facilities to be matched up with your personal service dog. At the time, Jim and Kathleen were living in Houston, Texas. The closest training facility was located in Oceanside, California. This is where he completed his two week team training, referred to as “rotations”. There were 7 applicants and 8 dogs. All of the applicants practiced handling each one of the dogs. The professional trainers who spend 6 months with these dogs make their observations and match up the best dog for each applicant. The “extra” dog remains at the training facility and is the first one in the next rotation to be matched up with the next group of applicants. After several days, Jim was matched with Koogle. Jim said it was like magic how accurately the teams were put together so perfectly.

Koogle is a six year old Labrador Retriever Cross. His mother is 50% Lab/50% Golden Retriever and his father is 100% Lab. Canine Companions select breeders who must meet certain standards. Koogle’s breeder was the caretaker of Koogle’s mother and had the privilege of naming one of the puppies in the litter. Canine Companions have restrictions for naming the puppies so that the names are appropriate and not repetitive. Koogle’s breeder/caretaker’s maiden name was Koogle. What a great way to honor her late father.

During Jim’s two week stay at the training facility, he learned many cues that were taught to Koogle. The trainers tailored certain cues according to Jim’s hearing loss needs. He learned protocols for socializing Koogle such as making sure Koogle wears his Canine Companions vest and what he should do when approached by people who want to greet Koogle. The first six months, Jim was to be the only person to give Koogle food. He was instructed to notify close friends and relatives about how important the first six months were and to abide by Jim’s rules so as to not disrupt any training Koogle had received up to this point. Canine Companions wants to assure that the bonding between their client and the dog remains intact.

The Americans With Disabilities Act does not require any labeling or vests for service dogs. Canine Companions require their dogs to wear a vest which you will see in some of the pictures below. Wearing a vest helps Jim notify the public that Koogle is a service dog. He found it useful to have “Please Ask To Pet” sewn on to it. Like most dogs, Koogle loves people and would love to greet everybody he meets. However, every time he says hello to people, he is no longer working for Jim during that interaction. It is out of respect for the handler of any dog, let alone a service dog, that they be asked first to greet their dog.

Koogle was trained to perform many different tasks to assist Jim in his everyday life. When he hears an alarm, a doorbell, or Jim’s name being called, he is to find Jim, nudge him with his nose, Jim tells him, “Good, Koogle what?”and Koogle takes him to where the sound is. However, if it is a smoke alarm, Koogle will still nudge Jim, but instead of taking him to the noise, he lays down. So, whenever Jim sees Koogle lay down after being nudged, he knows to get out of the building they are in.

Koogle was also trained to do standard service dog tasks such as turning on and off lights and opening and closing drawers. He can even jump up and push the accessibility button to open doors in public places.

One intangible benefit that Jim did not expect to experience with a hearing dog was the acceptance of having a hearing disability. For example, Koogle gives Jim the confidence he needs when trying to have a conversation with someone in a crowded environment. Background noise impedes the ability to hear well. He is more apt to tell a stranger to repeat themselves because he has a hearing disability when Koogle is by his side.

Jim’s wife was very excited to have a hearing dog in the house so she didn’t feel she always had to be Jim’s ears. Koogle relieves her of knowing that when she is not with Jim, the dog can alert him, if needed. Even something as simple as dropping his keys and not hearing that sound, Koogle can stop Jim by nudging him and taking him to where he heard the keys drop. This gives his wife a lot of reassurance that he will manage well when going out of the house.

Jim believes there are two aspects to being a service dog. One is the ability to perform the tasks they were trained to do as demonstrated in the video above. That’s the easy part! The other part is that the dogs need to be calm and manageable in public. This is attributed to the puppy raisers who properly socialize them while they are in their care. The other part of being calm is the temperament of the dog. This speaks to the breeding of these dogs. For example, if a dog is too hyper or has a high prey drive, Canine Companions breeders will not breed that dog.

In both podcast videos of Staicey Sholtz and Jim Turner, their dogs remained laying down until they were called to do a task. Although the dogs look like they are sleeping, they always have an ear out for noises that change in their environment or that could possibly harm them. This auditory instinct allows them to differentiate between familiar voices and changes in the intensity of those voices which will wake them up in case they need to act on them. Their dogs are trained to be ready for action as soon as they hear their name being called.

Jim meets people out in public who either have service dogs they paid a lot of money for, or who tried to train their own dog only to find out that it didn’t work out for numerous reasons. Sadly, there is plenty of fraud in the service dog field. Organizations will claim they can train your dog to become a service dog, but are not qualified to do so. They also do not have the standards required to be an effective service dog. Canine Companions is a well known and trusted service dog organization yielding qualified dogs and plenty of satisfied clients.

There is so much that goes into training service dogs above and beyond just training the standard tasks. If a dog is fearful or even mildly aggressive with certain triggers, this can present problems. Professional trainers can work on these issues with the dogs, but it can slow down the timeline required to place these dogs with applicants. My dog, Ebi, could make a great service dog, but she is too big and too hairy! Also, I have come across some people who are afraid to meet her because of her size, or they are cautious because they don’t know what breed she is.

Labs are a great size and can fit under tables at restaurants or places of business. They don’t drool, and have a very inviting look. They are famous for being friendly dogs. They do shed but their fur is not long and fluffy like a Golden Retriever’s. Since service dogs are allowed anywhere that humans are except in sterile environments, this is very important.

Koogle is 6 years old and will work for Jim until he retires around 10 years old. Canine Companions requests their clients to make out a retirement plan for their dogs when they reach 8 years old. If the dog is showing signs of slowing down or having difficulty with performing their tasks, it may be time for retiring the dog. However, there are some clients who have their dog work almost right up to the day they pass. As long as the quality of life remains intact and the dog is happy performing their tasks, this can be an option.

Since it can take up to two years to apply for and get a dog from Canine Companions, it is recommended to submit the application for a “successor dog” two years prior to retirement. Jim plans to apply for his next dog when Koogle turns 8 years old. This way, by the time he gets him/her, Koogle will be 10 and can enjoy his senior years just being a dog. It will be strange for Jim having a new hearing dog while knowing that Koogle is still with him.

Currently, Jim and his wife are raising a puppy for Canine Companions named 50. This name was chosen to commemorate 50 years of providing dogs to those in need. They also have another dog that was a professional dog training school dropout with the organization named Alex Seven. All three dogs live harmoniously in the same house and provide lots of playtime and companionship during Koogle’s free time.

September is National Service Dog month, Jim and Koogle are big Cleveland Guardians fans. On September 8, 2025, the Guardians will host “Bark in the Park”. Canine Companions has made arrangements with other MLB teams to participate in events to raise awareness and funds.

I know you will want more information about Canine Companions, so please visit their website: canine.org.

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Canine Companions, formerly Canine Companions for Independence, is the oldest and largest service dog organization in the United States. It was formed in 1975 and is credited with starting the concept of the modern service dog that we are familiar with today. They attend to over 65 different types of physical and cognitive disabilities including autism, hearing loss, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease, POTS, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, and debilitating arthritis. They do not train dogs for the blind or for people who need to be alerted for medical conditions such as seizures and low blood sugar levels. Canine Companions provides their own breeders, puppy raisers and professional trainers with the end goal of placing the right dog with the right person in need.

Since Canine Companions’ inception, 8,000 dogs have been placed nationwide. Currently, approximately 400 dogs are placed annually, of which 50 are in Ohio. The need for these highly trained dogs far exceeds the supply. Canine Companions’ longterm goal is to decrease the current two year waiting list by increasing the amount of puppies born as well as volunteer puppy raisers.

There are many ways that distinguish Canine Companions from other service dog organizations, but the main feature is that these highly trained dogs are provided at no cost to the person in need. Canine Companions exists solely on donations. Please access their website: canine.org to read the stories of the celebrities who have generously donated their time and money to the organization. You can also read many heartwarming personal stories about how these dogs have helped people live their daily lives more independently.

One very generous donor was Charles Schultz, the late cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Peanuts, featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Shultz was instrumental in getting Canine Companions off the ground. He donated money to help fund the national campus and current headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA, where he resided the last 30 years of his life. Since he passed away in 2000, his wife and family continue to support the organization.

Canine Companions was founded by Bonnie Bergen. She is credited with inventing the concept of the service dog. Up until then, there were only guide dogs for the visually impaired. While Bonnie was traveling overseas, she saw donkeys assisting people with mobility issues. Her special education background motivated her to help her own students by experimenting with training dogs to assist them. She started with shelter dogs and began training them to pick up things. It was highly successful and rewarding to discover that this could actually be a way to help people with disabilities. Because of her innovative idea and determination, Canine Companions has grown into the thriving service dog organization it is today.

Service dogs are different from therapy dogs in that service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for physically and cognitively challenged individuals. They are paired with an individual in need and live with them in order to assist them to manage their day to day lives with more independence. Service dogs have access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This permits public access anywhere that humans are allowed to go, except where they may compromise a sterile environment. Most importantly, they serve one person only.

Therapy dogs are not trained to perform specific tasks. They are considered a family pet just as service dogs are, but they do not have public access rights. They are able to go to venues that are dog friendly. They are trained and tested to have good manners and are there to provide emotional comfort wherever they go with their handler. Please refer to my June 17 podcast regarding therapy dog training for further details.

My guest on this podcast is Staicey Scholtz. Staicey is a Northern Ohio Leadership Team member and a 15-time volunteer puppy raiser. After the female dogs (referred to as dams) give birth at a Canine Companions approved breeder’s home, the puppies are transferred to volunteer puppy raiser’s homes for 16 to 18 months. Currently, Staicey has a 16 month old Lab/Golden mix, named Rocco the 5th, who hopefully will be ready to go to his professional trainer on August 8, 2025. If he qualifies, he will be trained on specific tasks and hopefully placed with a person in need. Staicey also has a 5 month Lab/Golden named Hammond the 3rd.

Staicey’s motivation for volunteering as a puppy raiser grew out of the desire to help raise future service dogs. She wanted to help those in need live more independently. According to Staicey, service dogs are life changing. Raising the puppies has had a tremendous impact on her. The experience has made her look at her own life and feel blessed that she does not have a disability that would require a service dog. She views what she does as a puppy raiser as a gift to someone in need.

When Staicey is out in public, she sometimes gets comments from people who don’t understand how she can give a dog up after living and caring for them for a year and a half. They think of it as comparable to a death of a pet. Staicey doesn’t view what she does in the same way. The clients who get these dogs love them just as much as she and the professional trainers do. The dogs want to work and are happy doing the jobs they were trained to do. However, she does admit that getting another puppy to fill the gap definitely helps in getting over missing the dog who has finished their stay with her. Hammond will be filling that gap very soon!

The journey of a Canine Companions dog begins and ends as follows:

* Breeder - from birth to 8 weeks old

* Puppy raiser - from 8 weeks old to up to 18 months old

* Professional trainer - from 18 to 24 months

* Forever handler - from 24 months to end of life

Breeding Program

Canine Companions has a state of the art Research and Science Team who discovered that the ideal breed for service dogs involves a combination of Labrador and Golden Retriever. All of the males in the breeding program are 100% Lab. The females can be Lab/Golden crosses and have varied percentages of each in them. They decide which dogs will be best suited for breeding by the time they are old enough to move onto their professional trainers.

If a dog is not marked for breeding, it is either spayed or neutered. They are very careful to breed out any physical and medical defects, so that the failure rate of service dogs due to medical reasons is very low. For example, if a dog’s bite doesn’t align quite right, that dog may not be suitable to carry things in their mouth to their handler. A dog like this will most likely be deemed to be a therapy dog, which will be discussed later.

Volunteer breeders sign up to take care of either the sire (male) or the dam (female). Litters are born in the homes of these volunteers located in California. If a volunteer has a sire, they will get called to meet up with the dam in heat and travel to that location. They drop them off and give them several days to do their magic and then get picked back up again once the dam is no longer in the receptive period of her heat. Caretakers of dams have the option to whelp (assist in the birthing process) the litter in their own home, but are not obliged to do so. If they choose to experience this, there is a Canine Health and Wellness Center near by to assist them with the birthing process or to just support the breeder during this stressful yet exciting event.

When puppies are born in the caretaker’s home, they will be named by a letter of the alphabet which is assigned by headquarters. The breeders will submit 50 names which will be reviewed to make sure there are no other working dogs with the same name. There is a possibility for a donor of $15-$20K to submit a name for a future service dog. In fact, Staicey’s dog Rocco the 5th was named after the owner of Fahrenheit Restaurant in Cleveland - Rocco Whelan.

Puppy Raisers

Once the puppies are named, they will be designated to volunteer puppy raisers in one of the six regions of the United States. Ohio is in the North Central region and includes states from western Pennsylvania to North Dakota. The puppy raiser will go to the nearest training center to pick up their puppy. The closest one in Ohio is located in the Columbus suburb of New Albany. This is also the same location where the puppy will return for professional training once they have reached 15 to 18 months.

Puppy raisers sign a contract stating that they will be responsible to care for the puppy for the next 15 to 18 months, including veterinary care, food, and spaying or neutering if they aren’t marked for breeding. They are obligated to attend at least two obedience training classes each month which follow the LIMA training philosophy, or as most people are familiar with, the positive reinforcement technique. The LIMA training philosophy stands for Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive, and prioritizes the dog’s well being. They are to avoid any methods causing fear, pain or distress.

As soon as the puppy comes home, they are introduced to the preferred walking tool by Canine Companions known as the Gentle Leader. In the picture above, Hammond is wearing a Gentle Leader. In order to establish positive association with the Gentle Leader, the puppy will wear it while they eat as soon as they arrive at the puppy raiser’s home. Since puppies eat three times a day, this is a frequent opportunity for them to get used to it.

The Gentle Leader is a tool that requires some conditioning since it encompasses their nose and mouth. Typically dogs do not like it at first and need to gradually get used to it. However, it can be a great tool to guide the dog in different directions and teach a nice heel position. The designated client is under no obligation to use the Gentle Leader, but it is highly recommended.

The Gentle Leader is not a muzzle. When puppy raisers socialize their puppies in public, many people stop to ask why the dog is wearing a muzzle. It works very similar to a horse’s bridle. It redirects the dog when it pulls on the walk. For some dogs, it can have a calming effect due to the pressure points being activated around the nose and ears.

Puppy raisers are representing Canine Companions and how service dogs should behave while in public. Part of that responsibility is making sure they are in control of their dog at all times. It is vital for a service dog to follow their handler’s pace. The handler may be in a wheel chair and cannot be pulled at all. The Gentle Leader is a great tool to accomplish that. Your average dog owner typically does not have the time and patience required for the necessary conditioning that must take place in order for it to be an effective walking tool.

Staicey socializes her puppies frequently with other Canine Companions puppy raisers in the local chapter. They enjoy going to venues such as stores, restaurants, West Side Market, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Cleveland Aquarium. Each place exposes the dogs to different sights, sounds, and smells which teaches them to be comfortable in all types of locations. Remember, when they are paired up with their forever handler, the handler can take them everywhere humans can go except where their fur is not welcome in a sterile environment! Therefore, service dogs in training cannot be so fearful or excited that they cannot focus on their job of doing tasks for their handler.

When a service dog is in public with their handler, they should not greet other people because they are working and need to be focused on taking commands from their handler at all times. While the puppy raisers and their dogs are out and about, they primarily work on ignoring people. However, they do want to train the dogs to be friendly with strangers so that they aren’t afraid or excited around them. It is also a great opportunity to share with the public why they are training their dogs and what Canine Companions is all about. If someone asks to pet their dog, the puppy raiser may elect to release the puppy to greet them. All they ask is that you please ask them first!

Puppy Raising Prison Program

In addition to puppy raisers like Staicey, Canine Companions is using inmates from various prisons around the United States to raise puppies. There are currently 25 facilities participating in this program. These puppies are in prison for a few months with their handler until they are ready to socialize. At that time, the puppy will go for an outing with a volunteer puppy raiser to expose them to the outside world since inmates cannot leave prison until their release. This program is so impactful for the inmates that the recidivism rate for these volunteers is almost non-existent.

At a recent conference to celebrate Canine Companions’ 50th anniversary, there were two inmates who spoke about their time raising puppies and how it impacted their lives. One inmate said that this experience was the first time she felt she was not just a number. It gave her purpose, someone to love and someone who accepted her for who she was, not for what she did to land her in prison.

The volunteer inmates train the puppies the same skills that volunteer puppy raisers do. like the basic “Sit”, “Down”, “Stay”, “Come”. and to walk nicely on leash. Besides the basic obedience commands, Staicey says they learn about 30 cues, including grooming skills such as getting their teeth brushed and fur combed. Some of these cues are the foundation for the professional training that follows. For example, there is an “Up” command. The dog is to put his two front legs resting on an object, but is not allowed to jump onto it. This is useful for when the handler needs the dog to give a store clerk a credit card and needs to get “Up” on the counter. Rocco is in the “Up” position on Staicey in the picture above.

Professional Training

Once the puppy raiser has completed their job and the puppy is between 16 and 18 months old, it is time to take them to the closest training facility. There are 6 nationwide. The closest one in Ohio is located in New Albany. This is where puppies are dropped off to start their professional training if they meet the qualifications of being a service dog.

The client applicants will spend two weeks in New Albany with the dog chosen for them by the staff at Canine Companions. The professional trainers have a lot of weight in this decision since they spend every day for 6 months training the dogs. They know the temperament of each dog so they can ideally match them up with the client’s needs and lifestyle. The client applicants learn all of the commands the dog has been taught and also has time to bond with their new dog. They also have an opportunity to express to the trainers particular tasks they would like the dog to learn.

The professional trainers will teach the dogs approximately 45 tasks including, but not limited to, picking up dropped items, turning on and off lights, closing doors and drawers, tugging laundry baskets and opening and closing refrigerator doors. There is also a “Do Nothing” command which is almost identical to the “Place” command a lot of dog trainers teach. The “Do Nothing” is very useful for service or facility dogs who have to be content with laying down until they are released. This could be hours depending on the scenario. During this podcast, Rocco was demonstrating the “Do Nothing” command until Staicey released him. He actually fell asleep and started snoring but he woke up when Staicey commanded him to work!

There is a high demand for service dogs for veterans who have PTSD. Dogs can be trained to wake them up and disrupt a nightmare, they can turn on lights and pull back the covers on the bed. A lot of veterans have social anxiety in public. Their service dog knows commands “Front” and “Back” which means the dog positions itself in front or behind the person to block them from other people in a crowd. The dog can take the vet back to the their comfort place when experiencing mounting anxiety due to certain triggers in their environment. The dog gives a veteran a reason to get out and the security to be in public when they wouldn’t have done so on their own.

Staicey finds raising puppies for Canine Companions very rewarding because she is able to meet the client her dog will serve. Four times a year, there is a graduation ceremony for the dogs that have completed their 6 month professional training. Staicey is able to have lunch with her dog’s client and shows them pictures of when the dog she spent 16-18 months with was a puppy. They typically share contact information, but it is up to the client if they want to reach out to her in the future. Staicey has been fortunate that almost all of her 15 puppies she has raised have gone on to graduate and become service dogs.

Facility Dogs

Facility dogs are as well trained as service dogs, but do not work for someone with a disability. They are assigned to a professional in the medical, judicial, educational, or physical/occupational therapy fields. The biggest difference between a facility dog and a service dog is that facility dogs do not have public access because their handler does not have a disability. They are allowed to go to work with their handler and help so many people in various ways.

Examples of facility dogs are:

* Judicial - a children’s lawyer can bring their dog to the courthouse to provide comfort to children in forensic interviews and support them in court.

* Rehabilitation - a physical therapist may bring their dog to help clients with their physical therapy goals and offer comfort while enduring painful exercises. They can also grab equipment for the patient.

* Educational - a speech therapist can bring their dog to help children undergoing speech therapy. Children will talk and feel more at ease with a dog versus a human.

If you are interested in having a facility dog at your place of employment, please access the Canine Companions website at canine.org and fill out the application stating your desire.

Therapy Dog Program

For dogs that do not meet the standards of a service or facility dog due to temperament or medical issues, these highly trained dogs are released to enter the therapy dog program. Canine Companions started their own therapy program because they wanted them to continue to represent the organization.

Therapy dogs typically do not have any task training. However, sometimes dogs have to be released from professional training due to a medical issue that has arisen, such as an allergy to something environmental. These dogs are already trained and can continue to do the tasks they have learned for the handler at home, but are not expected to do tasks for the people they comfort.

Since 2008, September has been recognized as National Service Dog Month. The life and job of a service dog with their handler is beyond amazing that an entire month is dedicated to them. The Northern Ohio chapter of Canine Companions is celebrating their 50th anniversary by hosting an event open to the public called “Stride for Service Dogs” this September 13, in Medina, Ohio. They are hoping to get at least 50 people to each walk one mile collectively with others at the event to total to 50 miles and 1,000 people to donate $50 each to hit the $50,000 amount to help celebrate 50 years of being in existence.

For more information or to donate to the Stride for Service Dogs event, please click on the link below:

https://secure.qgiv.com/event/dogfestnorthcentral2025/account/2036487/

As I write this post, I am happy to announce that Staicey and Rocco matriculated on August 8 and Rocco will be moving on to his professional training program! I look forward to hearing who Rocco will be matched up with and what tasks he will be taught to help his new handler live more independently.

If you have a disability and would like to apply for a service dog, facility dog or if you would like to apply for any of the volunteer positions available within Canine Companions, please access their website at canine.org. You can also follow them on Facebook by searching for the Canine Companions name and logo above.

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There are so many fun activities to do with your dog that speak to the instincts of specific breeds, such as agility for Jack Russell Terriers, hunting for Beagles, and herding for Border Collies. However, there is a whole other venue that is all about the preservation of over 200 purebreds recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). That is the world of the show dogs. Breeders dedicate their lives to ensure their dogs are born healthy and structurally sound according to the standards set by the AKC. Judges at dog shows are an integral part of preserving the legacy of purebreds by choosing which dogs (males) and b*****s(females) meet these standards.

My guest, Dr. Jennifer Smith, has been involved with competitive dog performance sports for decades. That was her comfort zone. However, she was always interested in the show arena, but never gave it a try until about 5 years ago. Watching the handlers and dogs on the Westminster Dog Show every year looked easy. Little did Jennifer know that there was a lot more than just prancing around the ring with your best buddy. As with everything that Jennifer decides to take on, she went all in! At this point in her life, poodles are her favorite breed. Please refer to our previous episode entitled “Oodles and Oodles of Poodles” where Jennifer elaborates on the temperament, intelligence, and instincts of this magnificent breed.

Jennifer studied for years how to groom poodles to standard. Her goal was to learn how to groom her own poodle, Scarlet, so she would become show quality. She would go to shows and just observe what the pros did. Poodles have a continuous coat which keeps on growing. Jennifer used this to her advantage while learning because the coat happens to be very forgiving. If you make a mistake, you can cut it out, and it will grow back fairly quickly.

If hunters never trimmed poodles’ fur, it would weigh them down in the water so much that they could drown! Styling the poodle has changed a bit over the years, but the shape of the cuts around the body serve the same function. The “rosettes” (the two round mounds of fur on their back) were trimmed to keep the poodle’s hips warm. The poof balls on the ankles are intended to keep them from getting too cold. The “jacket” around the body keeps their internal organs warm. The function of the poof ball on the tip of the tail is to make the dog visible while swimming to retrieve fowl from the water.

Jennifer also had to go through a series of conformation classes. Conformation classes teach handlers how to present their dogs in the show ring. They teach handlers how to position their dogs in a standing position called stacking. They also teach them how to move around the ring to highlight the dog’s gait. Lastly, they learn proper etiquette when communicating with the judges and how to prepare for the judge’s exam.

Jennifer also spent countless hours watching and practicing handling dogs. Part of Jennifer’s dream was to not only have a show worthy poodle, but also to handle her poodles in the ring. Jennifer succeeded because Scarlet now has her Championship and is a finished dog. She performed beautifully, but she really wasn’t thrilled about being in the show ring. Therefore, Jennifer didn’t pursue getting Scarlet her “specials”, which is the highest level of competition in a dog show.

The anatomical structure of the poodle is unique. Poodles are squarely built, which means their length is equal to their height. They also have a specific angulation to their structure which allows for a very elegant and effortless prancing gait. It looks like they are floating. There really is no other breed that compares to it. Every feature about them evolved that way to facilitate retrieving fowl in the water swiftly and powerfully. This becomes integral to assessing the poodle in the show ring.

**“Not all family dogs are show dog quality, but all show dogs are family dogs”. - Jennifer Smith

When interested in getting involved in the dog show arena, one of the first places to start is searching for reputable breeders who have experience showing that breed. Jennifer recommends for people to go to dog shows and actually talk to any of the breeders of the type of dog you are interested in. They have a lot of pride in what they do. They will give you unique insight into the breed that online research cannot. The most responsible breeders will divulge information about how they breed out certain health issues. Good breeders are all about sharing information about the breed they love and live with. They want others to love their dogs as much as they do. These are the owners who will make sure their dogs will live on for generations to come. Just as with any profession, there is plenty of fraud, so make sure you do your homework.

After selecting a favorite breed, do extensive research on the breed. Make sure this is a breed that is suitable for your lifestyle. Border Collies are a lot of fun and they are highly intelligent, but that comes at a cost. You better be prepared to provide an active lifestyle for them and challenge them intellectually or else behavioral issues can arise.

Jennifer talks about the pages and pages of standards set by the AKC for every recognized breed in the United States. When you show your dog, the judges are looking for the one that best conforms to those standards.

“Dogs aren’t competing with each other. They are competing against the standards.” - Jennifer Smith

Jennifer reads and then rereads the pages of standards for the poodle breed. Each time she reads them, something jumps out at her that she didn’t notice the last time she read them. The more experience you have, the more you understand on a deeper level what the standard means. Jennifer has 4 poodles as pets. She has studied their behavior, learned how to properly groom them, and how to handle them in the arena for several years now. Showing a poodle is different than showing a dachshund, like her husband Tom does. They are a different breed with a different temperament and require a skillset unique to each one. It is imperative to know the breed you are handling in the show arena inside and out.

One important aspect of owning and showing dogs is they have to remain intact. This means that dogs cannot be neutered and b*****s cannot be spayed. This presents a challenge for Jennifer and her husband Tom twice a year when the b*****s go in to heat. She says that the intact males will claw through anything to get to the female! The instinct to reproduce is that strong. They get triggered by the smell of the urine. The entire heat cycle can last for a couple of months. However, when the b*****s are ready to mate, the males can no longer just be separated by fences in the backyard. They have to go live with other show dog friends until the b***h’s hormones subside.

Jennifer’s latest addition to her poodle pack is Chapel, shown below. Chapel finished her championship on September 13 and won again to earn points towards her grand championship. Jennifer decided to have Chapel live with and be handled by a professional handler. She likes to play with her dogs and let them be dogs in her vast backyard, which isn’t conducive to maintaining the type of coat required for the show ring. When dogs play, they like to take bites at each other’s tails. It’s cute and fun to watch but it is too challenging to keep them from doing this. It prolongs the growing out process needed to properly groom them for show quality. Therefore, Chapel’s handler makes sure her coat pristine.

As Jennifer explains in our podcast together, showing your dog starts as early as 6 months old. There are many categories to pass through, all while earning points. The more shows you compete in, the more chances you have of earning enough points and winning to progress to the next category. This is why you will find show dog people who have motor homes. They can transport their dogs and set up camp at nearby camp grounds for the weekend events. Days in the show arena are long days, sometimes 12 hours. It can be grueling, but very rewarding when all of your efforts pay off with a win.

For those of you who are interested in finding out more about the show dog life, please contact the AKC at akc.org. There is also the UKC (United Kennel Club) which has different standards and events that may be more appealing. They can be reached at ukcdogs.com.

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Dog groomers are an integral part in maintaining optimal health for your dog. They are not just limited to bathing and trimming a dog’s coat. They are also checking for ear infections, trimming nails, and noticing lumps and any other superficial health issues. It is important to find a groomer who will point out possible concerns they may have about the appearance and behavior of your dog. They may suggest a follow up visit with your veterinarian.

Finding a groomer you can trust and keeping the recommended frequency of grooming appointments are two key ways to help your dog get acclimated to the salon and the entire experience, which can be somewhat stressful. The more often your dog goes to the groomer, the more they will become familiar with them and the surroundings. Communication between the groomer and pet parent must be open and honest. All pet parents want to know how their dog behaved at the salon and if there are any concerns they need to know about.

Sharyn Ugan is a retired dog and cat groomer from Petco. She still grooms dogs for friends and family on her own. In this episode,Sharyn shares with me all of the tools she uses. When she worked at the Petco grooming salon, the company provided a lot of the equipment. However, if she needed or preferred certain tools, she would purchase them herself. Typically, a lot of the equipment is purchased by the groomer.

Sharyn likes to have backups for every tool. In the pictures below, you will discover which scissors, clippers, and products she prefers. Over the years, she has built up an extensive array of grooming tools for her “toolbox”.

Brushes

Sharyn predominantly uses three different types of brushes. Depending on the job, there are metal slicker brushes, a rake, a fine toothed flea comb, and a FURminator. Brushes are integral in maintaining a healthy coat by preventing and detangling mats. They also help distribute natural oils throughout the body to prevent hair follicles from clogging. Daily brushing keeps matting in check. It also removes loose fur and dirt which helps reduce shedding.

* Slicker brushes

Sharyn likes to use metal slicker brushes with a blue plastic handle. The teeth are made of metal and come in different lengths and textures. The wider brush with shorter teeth are used on shih tzus and smaller dogs. The brush with longer bristles are used more on longer coats like poodles, doodles and German Shepherds. The slicker brush pictured below has an ‘S’ on the back which means that the bristles are soft. They come in soft, medium and hard. Sharyn uses this type of brush on 95% of the dogs she grooms because they are very durable and get the job done.

* The Rake

The Rake is a type of brush to manage matting. They are recommended particularly on dogs with an undercoat. I use a rake on my dog, Ebi, every day. She has feathers, long, wispy fur, by her rear end and behind her legs. I use a slicker brush for her body. One month, I tried using a slicker brush on her whole body and thought I was doing a good job. However, when it was time for Ebi’s grooming appointment with Sharyn, she found the most mats ever. The slicker brush didn’t cut through the feathers. Sharyn calls feathers, pantaloons. Rakes can be found in the detangling brush section on the internet. Many companies make them. Just make sure you get a sturdy handle and appropriate size for your dog.

* Flea comb

Sharyn uses a flea comb that also has a small comb on the other side. She likes to use this on small dog’s faces, ears, and paws. Sometimes little knots form on the fur on and around the ears. Breeds like Westies and terriers have beards that need to be brushed out. The small comb is perfect for that purpose. I have seen her use it on my dog’s fur that grows in between her toes. She may even find fleas since these are the areas where fleas tend to reside.

FURminator

FURminators were invented in the early 2000s as a deshedding tool. The purpose was to develop a safe and efficient way to remove loose undercoat fur without damaging the top coat. However, Sharyn says that you have to be careful because of this. They can take a bulk of the fur out, but you can possibly strip away too much of the topcoat. She liked to use them when they first came out, but now she doesn’t care for them.

Shampoo

Shampooing a dog is the first step in the grooming process. There are many different shampoos to choose from. Sharyn likes Johnson&Johnson Baby Shampoo. It is tearless and mild. There are other shampoos available for different skin issues. For example, there is a shampoo with oatmeal in it that soothes irritated skin. No matter what shampoo she uses, she always dilutes it. She finds that rinsing the shampoo out is a lot easier. A little bit of shampoo produces a lot of suds to really scrub into the fur. An added benefit is if the dog should have allergies to the shampoo, it will be less concentrated, producing a milder reaction to it.

I personally prefer all natural products for my dog. I showcase a shampoo made by a company called Doggy Style. It is a shampoo and conditioner in one and only requires a little bit. I love the way it smells and how my dog’s fur feels when it’s all dried. For more information, check out: Doggy Style Dog Care. This is a local Cleveland company that sells varied products for grooming your dog. I love the bath scrubber for short haired dogs too!

Nail trims

Even if you don’t take your dog to a groomer, you still need to trim the nails or get someone to do it for you. The anatomy of a dog’s foot is similar from breed to breed, but the shape and length of the nails can be different. For example, I used to walk my Corgi so much that the concrete would naturally file down his nails. In fact, sometimes the nails would be worn down so low to the quick, they would start bleeding (Please see below the definition of the quick) I walk my Leonberger just as much, but her nails stick straight out and don’t touch the sidewalk unless they start getting too long. When I can hear clicking on the pavement, that’s when I know it’s time for a nail trim.

If dog’s nails get too long, the dog will compensate by walking differently. This will put undue strain on the joints. The nails can also get caught on rugs and become injured, causing even more pain and a visit to the vet. Overgrown nails can be painful if walking on pavement. It alters their natural gait and will cause the dog to shift their weight to avoid the pain. When nails are left long on a consistent basis, the quick will grow out with the nail, which makes it difficult to trim them without bleeding. If neglected for a long period of time, the nails can curl under and grow into the paw pad. Ouch!

The quick

The quick is located on the inner part of a dog’s nail. It will appear as a small pink dot on the inside of a dog’s nail or as a small dark circle on the nail’s tip on the inside of a black nail. It contains blood vessels, so if it is nicked with clippers, it will start to bleed. Before beginning to trim your own dog’s nails, make sure you have some styptic powder to dunk the nail in. The bleeding should stop immediately.

* Small Nail Clippers

These clippers are shown on the far right of the picture below. Small nail clippers are great for cat nails and small animals like ferrets and guinea pigs. They are used for very small dogs like Bugsy, who is laying on his bed in the video of this podcast. Although, Bugsy likes his nails done with a Dremel.

5. The Dremel

Some animals prefer the Dremel over clipping, as mentioned above. Some dogs are afraid of the sound of it as it grinds away the nail. There are some models that are quieter than others. In general, the Dremel is safer since it reduces the chance of nicking the quick. It leaves a smoother finish and is great for thick nails. I have seen Sharyn cut Ebi’s nails with a clipper and then Dremel them to smooth out rough edges. Big Nail Clippers

* Large Nail Clippers

For larger dogs like Ebi, Sharyn uses a larger, sturdier clipper. Ebi’s nails are thick and more suitable for a Dremel. However, Ebi never has liked the sound of it. The sound and the feel of the Dremel can be off-putting for a dog. On breeds whose nails are long and curved under, clipping away bit by bit is the only way to get the job done. If using a Dremel on these types of nails, the Dremel will come too close to the toe pad, causing possible injuries.

The guillotine

Sharyn knows how to use the guillotine for nails but does not like them. She finds that they crush and splinter the nail too much. The nail can get stuck upon releasing the grip.

Dew claws

Some dog breeds have dew claws which need to be trimmed by a clipper. These are long curved nails located on the side of each front paw, by the ankle. Since they are located so close to the leg, it is awkward to Dremel on the side of the nail closest to the leg. Therefore, it is easier to clip them.

Sometimes dew claws are removed at birth so that they don’t present problems down the road. They can get caught on things and ripped off. Some breeds have front and back dew claws. Leonbergers, Great Pyrenees and some Sheepdogs have both. Typically, the dogs that were bred to climb mountains to protect their livestock, will have both front and back dew claws. They help grip the rough terrain as they climb. I have seen Ebi’s back dew claws do this.

Scissors

Sharyn uses three types of scissors for trimming fur. It is difficult to distinguish the size of the scissors and if the blades are straight or curved in the picture below. Just as a hair stylist has their favorite sheers, so do groomers.

* Thinning shears

Sharyn uses thinning shears to thin out bulky sections of a dog’s coat. These shears are pictured below on the far left. She will also use them on poofy ears first and then finish the cut with the curved shears.

* Blunt end scissors

When trimming around the eyes, Sharyn will use the scissors with the blunt ends. These scissors are also curved. They are used to trim the bottom of the pads. If there is a lot of thick, fur there, Sharyn will use her 8” curved shears.

* 8” curved shears

Most dogs do not like electric clippers around the face. Depending on the size and area that need to be trimmed, Sharyn will use these curved shears. It makes shaping a poodle’s head easier and more uniform. She also uses them to trim around their heads, legs, and feet. The pair on the far right are the same, only smaller.

* Clippers

Sharyn’s favorite clippers are made by Andis. They are professional grade and well known for their powerful motors, durability, and reliability. They also are quieter than most brands, making it the preferred choice amongst groomers. Many dogs get anxious when they hear the sound of the clippers. The quieter, the better for the dog. They definitely are an investment since the average cost is $500. They can be pricey, but they are built to last a long time. There are also cordless models which aids in navigating around the dog easier.

Sharyn has many different lengths of combs that attach to the end of the clipper. The length of the fur determines the length of the comb. She has many backup blades and combs she swaps out while in the process of shaving a dog. This prevents razor burn.

Razor burn

According to Sharyn, razor burn happens when you are not paying attention to the heat of the blade. The common size of blade when shaving down a dog is a #10 blade. Sharyn keeps about 25 extra size 10 blades. As soon as the blade gets warm, she will swap it out with a spare, cool one. She may have to do this many times while shaving one dog.

Razor burn can also occur when the angle of the clipper is incorrectly placed. Instead of being flush with the body of the dog, the blade digs into the skin. A lot of razor burns happen around the rear end, genital area, armpits and the inside part of legs.

Razor burn can be very uncomfortable for dogs. I have experienced dogs in my obedience classes over the years who don’t want to sit because their rear end is almost raw. I have even seen confident dogs act very fearful due to their razor burn. The good news is that as soon as the fur grows back in, the dog’s behavior returns to normal.

Sharyn believes that it is possible to prevent razor burn by being attentive and choosing the right sized blade. However, injuries do occur. Dogs do not stay absolutely still during the grooming process, which increases the potential of injuries. Sometimes the skin under the neck gets nicked or the excess skin under armpits gets caught in the blade. Sharyn emphasizes to be open and honest with the client should anything happen. The worst thing a client can experience with a groomer is that they are not told anything out of the ordinary happened during the grooming session when they pick up their dog. Then, when they get home, they notice razor burn or a cut in the dog’s skin. Always report any kind of injury back to the management of the salon.

Sharyn has several products she likes to have on hand whenever she grooms a dog or cat. A lot of these items are sold in pet stores and are easy to find.

* Stop Quick

Stop Quick is a yellow styptic powder which will immediately stop the bleeding in the event the quick or skin tag is nicked. Placing or spreading the affected area with some styptic powder is all that needs to be done. Depending on where the cut is, it is always useful to have cotton rounds and self sticking vet wrap. The cotton can be placed over the wound and wrapped with the bandage.

* Ear powder

Some dogs have a lot of fur on the inside of their ear. This fur can cause ear wax to accumulate and possibly lead to an ear infection. Frequent ear cleaning is essential to avoid infections. Some groomers pluck this fur on the inside of the ear. However, doing so, can cause an infection. There are advantages and disadvantages to this process. Sharyn does this process a lot less frequently now than she used to because of the negative side effects.

Sometimes, plucking the ear fur is necessary because of the presence of an ear infection. The fur needs to be removed in order to thoroughly clean the ear. I have seen dogs get this done, and they are not bothered by it. The ear powder prevents the fur slipping through your fingers and aides in gripping the fur so it can be pulled.

Ear Hematomas

When dogs have an ear infection, one obvious sign is they shake their head to relieve the pressure they feel from the infection. When dogs with long, droopy ears shake their heads, blood vessels break in the ears. Hematomas can form at the bottom of the ear. The blood gets hard and the ear will feel crusty at the tips. It is best to get veterinary advice as to how to manage the hematoma. Options are surgery or just waiting until the blood gets reabsorbed back into the body.

* Spritzer

Sharyn likes to use Espree High Sheen spritzer on short hair dogs, like beagles and pugs. It makes their coat nice and shiny and soft.

* The Stuff

This product is a conditioner for the coat. It is a concentrated formula so it requires adding water before usage. Sharyn loves this product because it wicks the water off quicker, dries the fur quicker, and really makes the fur feel softer. Plus, it smells great!

15. The Hood

The hood is a circular thick band that fits around the head of a dog and covers their ears. It comes in small or large sizes. Some dogs do not like the sound of the dryer. The hood muffles not only the sound of the dryer but also all the other sounds in the salon.

The Hood also wicks away the water. This helps with the ear not becoming saturated and left damp for a long period of time. It is never advisable to blow the dryer directly in the ear, even if it is just warm or cool air. You can cup your hand around the ear so that water and the air from the dryer do not get into the ear.

Headlamp

When working on black dogs, regular salon lighting is usually bright enough to pick up certain hidden areas on dogs. When Sharyn grooms her friends and family’s dogs, a headlamp helps see the definition of the body. Another advantage to using a headlamp is it helps aging eyes see better!

Mobile groomer

An option to taking your dog to a salon is to find a reputable mobile groomer. Some advantages to using a mobile groomer:

* the dog is groomed inside their van parked in your driveway

* avoid potentially stressful car ride

* less stress on older dogs with mobility issues

* individual attention with the groomer

* no ambient noises from barking dogs and dryers

* overall more pleasant experience for fearful/excited dogs

I will have a podcast with a mobile groomer in the near future so that I can share more information about them. I do believe there is a size restriction. I will do more research so that I can recommend some to you.

Once you find the groomer you like, I highly recommend staying with them. It may not be your dog’s favorite way to spend a couple of hours, but you want to make it as pleasant as possible for them. It is important to find that groomer who will be honest and up front with you. Injuries can happen. Whether big or small, they should always be reported to you. Please leave a comment below about your grooming experiences - good or bad.

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Depending on your dog’s breed, you may be well acquainted with your favorite grooming salon. You might even have a preferred groomer who knows your dog and have established a trusting, reliable relationship with them. My guest, Sharyn Ugan, retired from Petco after 14 years of grooming cats and dogs. I met Sharyn over 10 years ago while working at Petco and also got to know some of the other groomers in the store. My dog training arena was right next to the salon. I would watch in awe how they would work tirelessly on various breeds. I was frequently amazed at the transformation from how the dog looked upon entering the salon and then leaving as a work of art with their pet parents.

Dog grooming isn’t only about brushing and cutting a dog’s coat. Most professional groomers check the ears, eyes, the mouth, and even the rear end! Grooming is also about the dog’s health and well being. Sometimes groomers find lumps and bumps that go unnoticed by their owners. They may be located in areas that the owner doesn’t pet on a daily basis. If the fur is overgrown, skin infections cannot be seen. The owner may think their dog is just itching a lot, and doesn’t realize there is a skin infection developing. Regular appointments with professional groomers and veterinarians keep the dog’s health in check.

Over the years, Sharyn has found numerous health issues while grooming. Before Sharyn became a full time groomer, she was a vet tech. She saw and treated a variety of health conditions that came into the vet office. This helped her recognize the signs of common ailments when she became a groomer, like ear infections, broken nails, and growths in hidden places. She even identified a swollen scrotum on a non-neutered male dog who ended up having testicular cancer! The owners had the dog neutered right away which extended his senior life by another 3 years.

Sharyn became interested in grooming when her best friend bought a kennel that came with a grooming salon. Sharyn learned from the woman who was the groomer in that salon and came to really enjoy it. Sharyn learned a lot from her but she really taught herself. Back then, groomers didn’t need to be certified. She used a workbook for groomers as a guide which showed pictures and described details of the standard cuts for all the different breeds.

“It’s just a matter of the more you do it, the easier it gets. You learn by trial and error”. Sharyn Ugan

For 24 years. Sharyn worked two jobs: a groomer and a vet tech, until she decided to just stick to grooming. She loved it and actually made more money than being a vet tech. Grooming is a lucrative business for the salon and the individual groomers. The popularity of all the doodles out there will keep them in business for a long time!

As Sharyn experienced, an unexpected benefit of the job was that she developed relationships with a lot of her repeat clients. It was these relationships that added a little something special to just being a groomer. I remember Sharyn showing me the gifts she would get at Christmas time. Her human clients loved her and her dog clients loved her even more!

When Sharyn worked at Petco, there were strict protocols in place. For example, it was required that puppies and dogs be up to date on all vaccines. Typically, puppies don’t get their rabies shot until at least 6 months old. It is essential to get them used to the salon as soon as they are fully vaccinated, so they don’t develop fear issues later. Sharyn’s advice to pet parents who rescue adult dogs is to take them to the salon about 3 to 4 weeks after they become accustomed to their new home. It is possible the rescue dog already had a bad experience with a groomer/grooming salon. Therefore, you don’t want to stress the dog out too much right after bringing them home.

Petco also changed their policy on using muzzles on dogs that showed signs of aggression. Groomers used to be able to muzzle these types of dogs who were getting something as basic as a nail trim. However, the company changed their policy on muzzles. They were no longer allowed. Instead, groomers were directed to start referring aggressive cases to their local veterinarian to avoid their employees getting bit. Vet offices will muzzle dogs and even sedate them if necessary.

When seeking out a grooming salon or individual groomer, it is worthwhile to find out what their policies are with dogs who have a hard time being manipulated. Get a tour of the salon so you can see where dogs are placed while they are being bathed, dried, and waiting to be picked up. Go at a busy time so you can hear the noise that your dog will hear. If your dog has fear issues, you may not want to expose your dog to such a hectic environment. Always have your dog’s best interest in mind.

At Petco and other corporate pet stores, there is usually a training program that involves being mentored by another groomer. When groomers first begin their apprenticeship, they get to know the dog by handling them on leash and leading them to the bathing area, shampooing and drying them, and learning how to get the dog up on the table to be worked on. Many dogs are fearful of the entire experience, so it is important to learn how to handle and manage a dog in this state of mind. It requires a lot of patience with calm and assertive energy.

Sharyn mentored plenty of apprentices who weren’t cut out for the job. They discovered they were more fearful of dogs than they thought they were. It can be a very stressful environment when dogs are barking while grooming a fearful dog, and being afraid of getting bit. Groomers should know they will get nipped and sometimes bit. It comes with the job!

Part of being a groomer is building a relationship not just with the dog but also with the client. When the client drops their dog off, Petco had a list of questions to ask them which included if there were any changes in the dog’s health. Groomers were instructed to have the dog walk into the salon instead of being carried. This way they could confirm that the dog didn’t have mobility issues. Sharyn would always do a quick check up before the client left for fleas, sore spots, and anything that might affect her grooming.

Sharyn found the best approach with clients was to be honest and upfront. If she found fleas or ticks, she would put them in a baggie to show the client, in case they were in disbelief. If she found any health issues, she would bring it to the client’s attention. If the dog was having an “off” day, or the dog was so stressed out from the noises in the salon, she would call the client to have the dog picked up as soon as possible.

One time, Sharyn was only able to groom half of the dog because it was so stressed out. She had the client bring the dog back after a week to finish the rest. Sometimes, the dog wouldn’t exhibit any aggression or fear until they were put up on the grooming table. If the dog was wiggling and thrashing about so much that it impeded working on the dog, the client would be contacted to pick up their dog. It was a matter of the dog and the groomer possibly getting hurt. Whatever needed to be done that was best for the well being of the dog, Sharyn would act accordingly. She was always her client’s best advocate.

Sharyn not only groomed dogs, but also cats. It had to be a special cat to tolerate a noisy salon and be surrounded by dogs. Some cat clients would shave their long haired cats because it was easier to maintain a short coat and it would also keep hairballs in check. One thing to keep in mind when shaving a cat or a dog is that it can damage the follicles, making it difficult for the coat to grow back in. The fur will grow back in different places and not in others. Sometimes, it doesn’t grow back at all.

Sharyn had a longhaired Scottish Fold named Marshall who she would use as a teaching tool for apprentices to learn how to shave and work with cats. Marshall lived a nice long life and died at the age of 22! Almost unheard of for a cat!!

One common issue that groomers deal with is when the fur gets tangled and forms knots, called matting. This is a painful condition especially when the mats are close to the skin. It actually starts pulling on the skin. Sometimes mats can be brushed out, but more often than not, they have to be cut or shaved out with clippers. Breeds like Poodles, Doodles with tight curls, and Shih Tzus, are more apt to get mats. Daily brushing can keep long coats in check to avoid matting.

In reality, any breed of dog can get mats. They can be formed by:

* lack of regular brushing

* not using the correct type of brush

* loose fur that hasn’t been blown out periodically (like Samoyeds and Huskies)

* moisture and dirt

* friction due to harnesses, sweaters and even petting behind the ears

* areas that are frequently overlooked when brushing (under carriage, private parts)

* excessive itching due to skin infections or parasites

Sharyn says a misconception about matting with most people is that if they give the dog a bath first, then it will be easier to brush out the mats. The moisture actually makes it worse. What should happen instead is that the dog gets blown out with a high powered dryer and then brushed. Then, mats that can be cut or teased out with scissors are worked on first. The mats that are located in hard to reach spots or close to the skin get shaved off with clippers. If the dog is covered with mats, the whole body will be shaved. In rare cases, mats are so severe that amputation is the only option, I have seen this happen when people have rescued a dog that has been neglected for a long time.

Clippers are a gentler way of tackling mats than trying to tease them out with a comb. Dogs may have an aversion to the noise of the clippers but they do not hurt the dog. There is such a thing as razor burn that comes from not changing out the metal detachable clipper often enough. Sharyn and I talk more in depth about razor burn and clippers in our next episode.

Bugsy, who is pictured below and laying on the bed on the table in the studio with us, loves to burrow in a covered bed and blanket. His fur is so fine that little knots form at the end of the strands of fur. Bugsy also does not like being groomed at home by Sharyn. He was so used to being groomed in the salon that Sharyn still takes him in to be groomed at Petco by the same groomer who knows him.

Lastly, the most frequent question I get from my clients about grooming is how often to bathe your dog. According to Sharyn, dogs should be bathed no more than once a month. Otherwise, the natural oils in the dog’s skin get stripped away and skin issues can form. Spot cleaning is better when it’s not time yet to bathe your dog. Daily brushing also brings out the oil from the skin and onto the fur, making it shiny.

I highly recommend the self wash at Pet Supplies Plus. The one pictured below is located on Lorain Rd. in Fairview Park. It is a state-of-the-art facility where the shampoo, conditioner and dryer are regulated by a touch dial system. They provide towels and aprons so you don’t get soaked in the process. They even provide treats too! For more information, visit Pet SuppliesPlus.

Whether you groom your dog yourself or you take them to a professional, dogs require baths, nail trims, ear and teeth cleanings. Between your vet and groomer, regular visits will avoid the possibility of the pet parent overlooking any one of these issues and potentially harming the health of your dog. Besides, seeing the finished product makes the dog feel good, and you too!

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Over the past 13 years, I have helped thousands of dogs and their pet parents learn how to communicate effectively so they can live in harmony together. Most clients just need to establish more structure, consistent boundaries and an exercise regimen for their dogs in order to lead a happy and fulfilled life. Others are presented with challenges by their canine companions, especially when fear or aggression are present.

Dog training is not only about teaching obedience skills. It is also about making pet parents realize that what they are currently doing is not working. I help them solve the problem behaviors they are experiencing. Most clients are very receptive to this and some are not.

I have only been told once to leave a client’s home. A young man’s girlfriend called me to help her golden doodle get along with her boyfriend’s Staffordshire Terrier. She said their first encounter did not go well. The man greeted me outside with his dog. At least he had the dog on a leash, but the dog was lunging and barking to get at me. The girlfriend stayed about 25’ away with her quiet and probably terrified doodle.

The man was offended that I didn’t want to greet his dog. I told him repeatedly over the barking that I never say hello to dogs that are vocalizing, especially in an aggressive tone. I tried to coach him to put the dog in a sit by his side, but he refused for his own reasons. He was struggling to control his dog. I suggested we move to the back yard to see if a change of scenery would help. We did, but the dog never calmed down. The man even told me that his dog is very friendly and this was the worst he had acted out with a stranger. That’s when he said I could go home. I quietly slipped away and was glad when I got inside my car!

You can only learn if you are open to it.

It can be very difficult for people to admit they are part of their dog’s behavior problem. A lot of times, they don’t even know they are reinforcing bad behavior by giving the dog affection at the wrong time. Most clients end up telling me that they have to change even before I come right out and tell them. That’s when I know that I have gotten through to them.

I had to learn how to communicate this to my clients so as not to come across too offensively. My training emphasized to keep everything positive with the dog and the client, but did not outline what to say to the clients when they disagreed with my philosophy and solutions. Customer service is crucial in dog training. You are being hired to fix issues and you better tend to their wishes in a professional manner. If you are the type of person who prefers dealing with dogs and not people, then this job is not for you.

Dogs are the easy part, humans can be the difficult part.

That being said, I have met some incredible people over the years whose friendships I treasure. They started out as clients, and turned into wonderful friendships. I am still a part of these friends’ lives, even after the dog we trained together has passed on. As a dog trainer, you bond with people in a unique way. When a pet parent brings a puppy home, they treasure this puppy because it IS a part of the family. I don’t think I have ever come across anyone who feels any differently. I am requested to help transition this precious puppy from where it came to their new home. That’s a pretty tall order!

During this transition and multiple visits or classes, life happens. I have had several clients whose partner was the primary caretaker of the dog. Then, they either passed away or divorce split up the pack. One client’s son had adopted a dog from a shelter during the COVID shutdown. We conducted our trainings outdoors to stay safe. Then, he was struck with COVID and passed away due to complications with diabetes. His mother wanted desperately to keep the dog, but she knew she could not be there for it due to her demanding work schedule. Happily, she found a great home for the dog and the new pet parent has been very happy with the adoption.

Sometimes, I become like a family therapist. The new addition can wreak havoc on relationships, especially when not everyone agreed to get the puppy in the first place. Let’s face it. Puppies are a lot of work.

Rescue dogs can present challenges that could not be foreseen in the shelter. There can be disagreements between family members as to how to solve problem behaviors. This is when it is crucial for me to find the right words to explain why certain solutions work and others do not.

I absolutely love what I do. I got into dog training all because of my former dog, Hank, the Corgi. Even with my experience and the standards I have today, Hank was a difficult dog. I had to figure him out and I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I had answers to why he acted the way he did. Little did I know that in learning how to figure him out, I would become a dog trainer. I thought at the time I was just really interested in dog behavior. I never intended to make a career out of it.

After I made the decision to pursue a job as a dog trainer, I applied to Pet Smart and Petco. Pet Smart wasn’t looking for a trainer, but Petco was. It took me almost 7 months to get hired at Petco. I pursued management on a weekly basis to see if they had made a decision. Sometimes I would drive to the store to talk to the managers. Every time I would drive there, I would get emotional. I couldn’t explain it. The tears were happy tears even in spite of the obstacles I came up against. I felt so driven this was the job I should be doing and the tears confirmed that feeling. I still feel today that the universe was shouting to me not to give up on Petco because I needed to be a dog trainer. After 7 months of persevering, I was finally in the right place at the right time.

I started studying the Petco curriculum on dog behavior and how to train dogs. The curriculum was written by a well known dog behaviorist named Patricia McConnell. I read all the books I could get my hands on. However, in my opinion, there was something monumental that was missing from what I was learning from a book. It’s what Cesar Millan, the star of “The Dog Whisperer” is all about - energy. While I was learning the Petco way of training, I was also watching Cesar Millan’s, “The Dog Whisperer” episodes on tv in my spare time. Studying dog behavior became a passion of mine.

In every “Dog Whisperer” episode, Cesar repeated the fact that the dog is a mirror of their human’s energy, philosophy, and actions. He proved this concept with every client while handling their dog versus when the client handled the dog. It was not magic or trick photography. It really was all about the handler’s energy that influenced the dog’s behavior. The magic is mastering that type of energy. This resonated with me in some way. I understood the concept, but could not see how it applied to me. I was on a mission to figure this all out.

This ‘magical’ type of energy involves mastering remaining calm but at the same time, being assertive. I typically am a calm person, but I wasn’t when I was communicating with Hank. It seemed like I was always frustrated and mad at him because he wouldn’t obey me. I thought that was somehow being assertive. I thought refraining from exploding and yelling at him was somehow remaining calm. Honestly, I didn’t know how to be any different.

Hank was unpredictable and sometimes aggressive. Anyone who knows me would probably say that I am the exact opposite of that. However, when I dealt with Hank, I was usually agitated and frustrated because he would often ignore me. Cesar was right. I was the one who had to change and then Hank would follow suit. Dogs do not want to follow unstable energy. It’s so true! As soon as I started to change, Hank changed too.

Cesar believes, and so do I, that every human in the household should be a calm and assertive leader. This is the kind of energy most dogs want to follow. I knew I had the calm part down but was fuzzy about what assertive energy looked like. Reading and watching Cesar on tv dealing with dogs using calm and assertive energy was not easy to imitate. It had to come from within and it had to be genuine.

Dogs know when you are faking it and they will not respect you.

I knew the exact moment that I had achieved calm and assertive energy. When I worked at Petco, I used to have a puppy play time. I had to teach puppies how to play nicely and to respect cautious puppies who needed some extra space. One puppy was picking on another and a third puppy was trying to intervene. The third puppy that was intervening was a sign to me that the energy in the pack of puppies was elevating. Dogs have an inherent desire to keep the pack in a calm state. So, as soon as I noticed this, I stood in front of the puppy that was bullying the other and said with my body language and energy only, no words, “Hey, leave that puppy alone!” The guilty puppy slowly laid down and surrendered to me.

I felt like jumping for joy because I knew at that moment what calm and assertive energy felt like. I remembered exactly how I felt in that moment. I tell people that you say in your head “I must get this accomplished and I’m not giving up”. I use and teach this technique and energy on every appointment.

See the end result in your head and get it done.

I can relate to my clients when they are honest with me in describing how they are with their dogs. I was just like them. I explain to them that the calm part means barely talking to your dog. Instead, communicate using your body language and your energy. If you keep repeating “No!”, you are usually saying this in a frustrated and agitated manner. This typically makes the dog excited because your energy is excited in a negative way. On the contrary, if you keep telling your dog, “Sit!, Sit! Sit!”, your dog will start wagging his tail and jumping. You are coming at them in an excited tone that starts out happy and friendly, but ends up frustrated and angry because they aren’t sitting for you.

In order to be an effective dog trainer yielding results, it is imperative to counsel people how their body language affects their dog. Dogs notice when you are hunched over and telling the dog to lay down versus standing up straight and commanding the dog down. Being hunched over is seen as a more submissive stature. People tend to have softer energy when they are bent over. Standing up straight commands respect. Walking your dog and constantly looking down at them is seen as uncertain energy. Walking with your shoulders back, head up, projects the kind of confident energy dogs want to follow. I challenge all of you to do this and notice the difference you feel, and then notice your dog’s reaction.

Personally, I am coaching the humans on improving their energy as well as teaching them what their dog is telling them with their body language. Every movement they make, every time they get up and move to another spot on their own, means something. I feel the more people understand dog behavior and dog psychology, the more they are more apt to be patient with their dog.

Too many people explain their dog’s behavior by using human logic and reasoning. This is called anthropomorphic projection. A classic case of this involved a client I had many years ago who had two huskies. Yes, Huskies. She thought it was too cold for them to go potty outside, so she wanted her husband to build a type of irrigation system in their basement for the dogs to go to the bathroom. In a later conversation with her, she admitted that she hated the winter and putting on heavy coats, gloves and boots. I realized too that her husband was hoping I would “shake her and tell her she was nuts!” I did tell her that she was the first to ever come up with this design and that Huskies love cold weather. I kept it positive!

As I mentioned in an earlier episode, Petco policy would not allow me to go to people’s homes. It wasn’t until I went out on my own that I got a lot of on-the- job training as far as what I would be confronted with. Most of the time, my house visits went smoothly. Other times, it wasn’t so easy. The problem described to me over the phone was not what I observed when I got there.

One client called me to help tame their unruly puppy. I thought this was a typical situation where the client forgot or didn’t know how active puppies were and they needed help setting up boundaries. I find out a lot about a dog when I take them for a structured walk. The majority of cases, it takes me a little while to establish a rhythm walking in a heel position. Then I hand the dog over for the client to practice.

In one case, I had to give up trying to walk the dog. This had only happened to me once before. That dog had a traumatic experience with a collar that the client forgot to tell me about. It was an easy fix when I used the Easy Walk Harness. The dog walked perfectly for me. However, nothing worked with this other puppy. She was a bucking bronco. When I went to tell the clients that I had to give up trying to walk her, the one client admitted to hitting the dog with a stick to get her to behave. I was so shocked. I was speechless. I did tell them I never condone that type of discipline. I should have ended the session right then and there, but I was still stunned.

I waited until the next appointment when the dog peed all over the kitchen floor after the client grabbed the dog’s collar to gently put her in her crate. She had just gone out to eliminate, so I knew this was not a good sign. Most likely, the puppy had been grabbed by the collar with very negative energy too many times. When dogs are scared, they may empty their bladder and/or bowels. It made me realize that I may have dealt with other clients who hit their dogs as a way of discipline. I didn’t know the signs to look for in a dog when they are hit until fairly recently.

Everything that I have outlined above about my personal journey is what I teach my clients. Some get it, some don’t. The ones who do, go on to deepen their relationship with their dogs. It can actually become a spiritual experience. When you realize that your dog needs you to be a calm and assertive leader, you change and own that energy. Then your dog becomes happier. This in turn makes you happier and fulfilled knowing that you have helped your dog become more balanced. You start gaining the respect you always wanted from them just by changing your energy and adding structure to your dog’s every day life. When I see this happen with my clients, it is so rewarding. It is what keeps me going.

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Nearly half of all households in the United States have at least one dog. Many have multiple dogs. All of those dogs were bred somehow and somewhere. This episode is to increase awareness of where your puppies and dogs may have come from. In particular, I will be focusing on commercial dog breeders known as puppy mills. Specifically, those located in the state of Ohio, even though they exist worldwide.

Puppy mills are not the reputable breeders your friends or family may have recommended you get your puppy from. Commonly, they are unsanitary and have inadequate veterinary care. Their dogs are overbred and ill-bred, live in crowded undersized crates, and are provided insufficient socialization time, if any at all. There is no limit to how many dogs can be in one building. It can be hundreds. It is doubtful that there are enough people to properly care for the dogs housed in one location.

Puppy mill owners typically use brokers who act as “middlemen” between the puppy mills and pet stores, breeders and online sales. However, they can also sell directly from their kennels to prospective customers like us. Many customers may not realize that they are dealing with a large-scale commercial breeder. The facilities, which can house hundreds of puppies, are often located at a distance from the point of sale and may not be visible to buyers. These breeders frequently transport animals across state lines. Puppies raised in such conditions may experience significant stress, potentially leading to behavioral challenges such as fearfulness or aggression.

There are puppy mills who relinquish breeder dogs, and sometimes puppies, to rescue groups and shelters. They also call rescue groups to let them know that they have a certain amount of puppies or dogs they need to move out of their facility within hours. Some of the reasons could be:

* an upcoming inspection

* not adhering to size requirements of crates per dog

* dogs can no longer produce puppies for health reasons

* shoddy veterinary procedures

* cost of euthanasia

For this episode, I introduce two women from Columbus who are passionate in their advocacy for dogs and decided to do something about it. Stefanie Mowrey, seated next to me in the studio, and Zaron Van Meter, have tirelessly volunteered their spare time for many years by fostering, rescuing, and adopting dogs.

Stefanie is a registered nurse whose passion for animals has endured since childhood. She was heavily influenced by a “60 Minutes” episode decades ago which depicted the unsavory conditions of puppy mills. It captivated her attention to take action when she became an adult. She started fostering, adopting and then volunteering at the local Humane Society, and for the Ohio state chapter of Bailing Out Benji., where she met Zaron. Bailing Out Benji is a national non-profit organization which advocates for dogs in puppy mills and also provides research and education about them.

While volunteering, Stefanie became more aware of the increasing number of dogs and puppies from mills and backyard breeders ending up in shelters and rescues. All too often, the shelters were already at capacity. Therefore, they have to rely heavily on fosters to take in dogs, especially puppies.

Stefanie uses the example in our podcast of the shelter she volunteers for. This shelter will only adopt “puppy mill breeder dogs” out to a home that already has a resident dog in order to help the mill dog become less anxious and learn how to actually be a dog. Some puppy mill dogs do not know how to play. They don’t know how to socialize with people or other dogs.

As a dog trainer, I know that the best teacher for dogs like this are other patient, gentle dogs. Dogs learn quickest and most effectively from other dogs, but it has to be the right type of dog. Dogs also want to know where they fit in their pack. A dominant and/or guard dog in this situation with a fearful newcomer can cause havoc. It is also up to the humans in the pack to ensure the safety of those involved.

Zaron Van Meter is a business owner and has been an advocate for dogs for over 25 years. Through her involvement as the founder of SK9 Scottish Terrier Rescue, she organized presentations by well-known devoted companion animal advocates, such as Cesar Millan, Dr. Jean Dodds, Temple Grandin, and Dave Hunt(an expert on dog fighting).

In 2012, Zaron was instrumental as an activist in getting an anti-puppy mill law passed included in Senate Bill 130 (Ohio Revised Code 956.20)1️⃣ which mandates better living spaces, regular vet exams, and health certificates for every dog that is sold to a vendor, like a retail pet store. Violations to this code is a misdemeanor.

Zaron and Stefanie wanted to do even more to help out by reducing the amount of dogs coming from puppy mills, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them. They became involved in educating the public and informing Ohio legislators of the need to close loopholes in the current laws to protect dogs who come from all commercial breeders.

In my opinion, there is not enough attention and priority given to puppy mills by the public and the government agencies that oversee them. More regulations need to be passed and current regulations need to be enforced more effectively. A light needs to be shined on these factories of sadness for the benefit of the dogs and the customers who unknowingly purchase them.

There are laws and agencies to oversee and enforce existing regulations against the breeders. On a state level, there is the Ohio Department of Agriculture. On a federal level, it is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Existing laws preventing abuse are rarely enforced. If they are, often the penalty is simply a fine. Breeders who have received many violations have been known to change their name and operate under a different licensed name.

Even the mission statement of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which oversees the high volume commercial dog breeder kennels, gives no mention to dogs. It reads:

“To protect Ohio citizens by ensuring food supply safety, maintaining the health of plants and animals, and creating economic opportunities for the state’s farmers, food processors, and agribusinesses, all while preserving resources and supporting the state’s largest industry.”2️⃣

In Ohio, dogs are similarly classified as livestock. We all know and love our dogs as loving companions that share our homes and are members of our families. To think that dogs are also viewed as property and can be discarded at the whim of these commercial breeders is beyond sad. Their well-being is not at the forefront of their business plan. It all comes down to money. If a breeder dog can no longer have puppies for health reasons or overbreeding, they cease to be a moneymaker. They are discarded or euthanized. Their best chance for survival is to be transported to rescue groups or shelters and eventually adopted by a loving family.

Laws in Ohio need to be passed to change the classification of our beloved dogs to be recognized as companion animals, not livestock. Examples of states that consider dogs’ welfare and best interest are New York, California, and New Hampshire. More states are updating their regulations and classification concerning dogs. Within the past two years, Pennsylvania joined suit. Ohio can too with your support!

The Ohio Department of Agriculture(ODA) inspects high volume commercial dog breeders. However, there are only 5 inspectors in the entire state to cover the approximately 475 that exist.3️⃣ In 2025, Ohio was designated once again, the second worst state in the nation, with 16 commercial breeders committing major egregious violations. 4️⃣ This is according to the Humane Society of the United States’ (now known as The Humane World for Animals) list called “The Horrible Hundred”. These mills are sometimes documented repeat offenders that should be shut down.

Currently, ODA inspections are announced. This is why puppy mills will dump numerous puppies/dogs at a time at a shelter or elsewhere before the inspection date. Mill breeders know they will be fined because of the health conditions of certain puppies or because they lack required paperwork.

Legislation in Ohio needs to return to the original code stating inspections be unannounced. This way the proprietors would not be able to hide the true conditions of the living quarters for the puppies and dogs. More inspectors need to be hired, trained and protected from zoonotic diseases that can pass from puppies to humans.

One disease that is becoming more prevalent in puppy mills is brucellosis. According to Dr. Felicia Nonnenmacher at Animal Clinic Northview, there is a simple blood test to screen for brucellosis. Most reputable breeders have their breeder dogs tested annually to make sure they do not expose positively tested dogs to people and other dogs. If a dog tests positive, antibiotics can be attempted, but unfortunately do not always lead to a cure. Euthanasia is recommended. Fortunately, Dr. Nonnenmacher has not seen a case of brucellosis in her practice. Zaron describes in our recording an experience a woman had in Canada with a dog she added to her existing pack that had brucellosis. It did not end well for her and her own dogs.

Under the current Ohio law (code 956.20), when puppy mills sell to pet stores, the pet stores must provide paperwork to prospective buyers which include:

* puppy’s date of birth

* puppy’s breed including color, gender, and identifying marks

* name and address of the breeder or kennel

* health info, including vaccinations signed by a licensed vet

* when the pet store took possession of the puppy

* breeder’s USDA license number and inspection report (if applicable)

Shady breeders hope that people won’t do their homework and research. Their website may look professional and inviting. They may say all the right things on the phone, but they are sourcing their puppies from puppy mills.

Questionable breeders depend on impulse buyers. They advertise online and post pictures of adorable puppies. They count on prospective customers falling in love at the sight of these posing puppies. It is not difficult to hook them into a deal to buy them. The puppies in the picture below had Parvo - a potentially fatal and highly contagious virus that causes diarrhea and severe vomiting. One did not survive. They look cute, but their disease can easily be hidden.

These puppies are not cheap. They are the same puppies that are sold for thousands of dollars at pet stores. On top of that, if puppies are not bred for their genes and temperament, they can cost thousands more dollars to correct health and behavioral issues. They could have been traumatized in their living quarters at the puppy mill, which can trigger fear or aggression issues. In some cases, these issues cannot be “trained out”. More often than not, some dog trainers do not want to take on or rehab severe fear or aggression cases. Shelters will not take them in if they have a bite history. Their future is grim.

Guilt falls on the humans running these operations, all in the name of greed. It is up to the customer, and prospective pet parent, to be aware and do the hard work of researching and verifying their breeder of choice. The tricky thing about getting a puppy or dog from a breeder is you may think they are reputable. They may say all the right things to make you purchase a puppy or dog from them, but they really are part of a bigger network that gets their dogs from puppy mill breeders.

Classic signs that the breeder your puppy or dog may have been sourced from a puppy mill include:

* lack of transparency about the mother and father of the puppy

* health certificates and papers not accompanied with puppy

* puppy is delivered to your doorstep or at a neutral location away from the kennel

* reluctance and resistance to answering your questions

* urgency to sell puppies - puppies must be sold right away

* injuries and diseases not disclosed

* poorly docked tails or clipped ears

* malnourished appearance

* many different breeds bred on premises

As Stefanie explains, shelters are overwhelmed. They already have enough dogs to take care of that come from the general population who either don’t want or can no longer take care of their dog. On top of that, they get litters coming from puppy mills. Space and funding for some of these shelters depend on donations. Volunteers help feed and walk these dogs. Vets give their valuable time to provide as much veterinary care as possible. Resources and volunteers are limited. Shelters are overcrowded. Puppies and dogs suffer from the overtaxed system.

Stefanie and Zaron experienced puppy mill dogs through their rescue and volunteer work. As a practice, Zaron did not adopt or foster puppy mill dogs. However, while volunteering for the Scottish Terrier Rescue, they received notification that Scottish Terriers needed to find homes ASAP. This is referred to as a puppy mill bust. Zaron took in three Scottish Terriers that day. She happened to be having a fundraising garage sale for her rescue group. She decided to display the pups in a pen at her garage sale to see if they could be adopted.

More importantly, Zaron wanted to educate the passersby on what puppy mill puppies looked like fresh out of the mill. She found homes for two of them. Zaron ended up keeping the third puppy because this puppy was so terrified of the world. Zaron named her McKenzie. Zaron knew she could end up with an owner lacking knowledge on how to properly deal with a fearful dog. McKenzie was an added incentive for Zaron to fight even harder for better conditions, more inspections, and more regulations on breeder dogs.

Recounting Stefanie’s story about a foster “win” illustrates an all too common occurrence with puppy mill puppies. Late one night, three years ago, while laying in bed and scrolling through her messages from the Humane Society she volunteers for, Stefanie received notification of an emergency foster plea. There were female breeder dogs and Rottweiler puppies from a different mother, that were 9 weeks old. The puppy mill kept the Rottweiler puppies’ mother to breed again. Either she or the stud had structural issues that were passed down to at least one of the puppies, as you will discover in detail below. Reputable breeders would never rebreed a female or male with health, behavioral or structural issues.

The Rottweiler puppies and breeder dogs had already been purchased to be sold to a particular pet store. However, when the broker arrived at the puppy mill, he/she did not want them because the puppies were too small to be successfully sold at a pet store. Therefore, time was of the essence, and the Humane Society needed to find fosters for these pups, or else their fate would be doomed.

Stefanie and her husband fostered one of the Rottweiler puppies and unintentionally fell in love. They named him Mac. Right away, Stefanie noticed that Mac would whine whenever she would pick him up and support his rear end with her hand. She thought it was because his tail had been freshly docked. Little did she ever imagine that it was because he had a broken hip! Stefanie and her husband didn’t find this out until he started limping about a year later. Mac had already been diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia. Surgery would have cost $11,000 to fix it with no guarantee of success.

Additional x-rays revealed that Mac had a severely broken hip that had healed incorrectly. After consulting with one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the nation at The Ohio State University, it was determined that Mac did not appear to be in any pain from this horrific injury he sustained as a puppy. The total hip replacement surgery would have cost $8,000. Instead, the vet determined that Mac’s condition could be maintained with medication and lead a normal life, and that’s exactly what has happened. He currently lives happily with his 3 pack mates in Stefanie’s home.

It’s one thing to know that the puppy or dog you are getting is from a puppy mill and you are willing to take on possible health and behavioral issues stemming from those conditions. It’s another thing when you are led to believe that your puppy came from a reputable breeder, but you were deceived. This is only discovered if you start researching why your dog has health or behavioral issues and the breeder is not forthcoming with the truth. These dogs still need loving homes even though they come from a business that you believe is not an ethical one. The more we support the puppy mill breeders, the longer they will stay in business.

Abuse should never be tolerated. It should always be reported. What makes animal abuse unique is they don’t have a voice to report their abuse. We have to be their voice.

More action is needed by the general public to put pressure on our legislators. No longer can we sit back and remain silent while our loving companions are being mistreated in so many ways. If you believe that your puppy came from a puppy mill and you were deceived, please write a letter to your legislator.

You can also send Zaron and Stefanie an email at PPOHIOV2023@gmail.com which will be hand delivered and read to representatives in Columbus. Time is of the essence. Zaron and Stefanie will find out days before the committee hearings are scheduled for oral or written testimony on a current and pending legislation SB232. This piece of legislation, supported by Senator Casey Weinstein will involve stricter regulations ensuring the welfare of dogs in puppy mills. This will be explained in more detail in my next episode to be aired on January 20.

Dogs deserve better and we are the only ones who can speak up for them.

1️⃣. “Ohio Laws Legislative Service Commission”, http://codes.ohio.gov

2️⃣. “Ohio Department of Agriculture”, http://agri.ohio.gov, “last updated January 2018.

3️⃣. “Ohio Department of Agriculture”, http://agri.ohio.gov, “last updated January 2018.

4️⃣. “Humane World for Animals”, http://humaneworld.org, “last modified 2025”

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Before I had the honor of meeting my two guests, Zaron Van Meter and Stefanie Mowrey, the information I had about puppy mills was based on second hand knowledge. I also learned a lot from a book that a client/friend gave to me entitled, “The Doggie in the Window” by Rory Kress, pictured below. My very first exposure to the existence of puppy mills happened about 25 years ago. I remember exactly where I was. I had just finished playing tennis with a weekly women’s league. We were all talking in the lobby of the North Olmsted Rec Center. One of the ladies was asking for signatures on a petition that had to do with puppy mills and the welfare of the puppies born and raised in them. Someone had to explain to me what puppy mills were. I was horrified to say the least.

My Exposure to Puppy Mills

I am originally from upstate New York. I thought at the time that the existence of puppy mills was an Ohio issue. I was in disbelief anyone could treat dogs with anything but love. Jump ahead 25 years, I never dreamed I would have a venue such as this podcast to spread awareness of this sensitive subject. Additionally, to be able to host two dedicated dog advocates who are fighting for more effective and efficient enforcement of legislation protecting the welfare of dogs in high volume dog breeder facilities, known as puppy mills.

Zaron and Stefanie have taught me so much about the regulations puppy mills are supposed to adhere to and the current oversight that exists. In both episodes of our podcast, they talk about this and the effects puppies and dogs have after growing up in a puppy mill. It is not just the physical, but also the mental toll it takes on them.

Before I became a dog trainer in 2012, I volunteered at the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter for almost a year. I knew that I wanted to work with dogs and thought this would be a good way to get hands-on experience with all types of dogs. I don’t ever remember anyone telling me that certain dogs were from a puppy mill. When I look back on that experience knowing what I know now, I think about particular dogs behaving in a way that could have indicated they were distrustful of humans for one reason or another, or they were from a puppy mill. We were told to just put the bowl of food in their crate and not to take them out for a walk. They were terrified and shaking. Their pupils were dilated and they were practically glued to the back of the crate.

As I mentioned to Zaron and Stefanie, there was a computer station at Petco when I started working there in 2012 that allowed customers access to websites selling dogs. The general consensus was that this was a great idea - better than buying a dog from the newspaper, like my family and I did with our Corgi, Hank. By the time I left, the computer was gone. We weren’t told why. We all assumed that it was because it didn’t work anymore. However, Zaron and Stefanie revealed to me that puppy mill breeders can also be licensed brokers. They could be the ones selling these cute puppies online or part of a network of high volume dog breeders.

When I think about certain dogs I trained in obedience classes, they too could have come from puppy mills. No one ever told me they knew they adopted a dog from a puppy mill. I recall soon after I was hired at Petco, I asked the dog trainer I replaced if he thought dogs could have “a screw loose”. I don’t really remember his answer. At that time, I was experiencing a young dog that was so out of control and unpredictable that nothing worked. One minute he was happy go lucky and the next minute he was attacking whoever had the leash, even his owner. The owner purchased the dog to be a therapy dog. Well, the dog ended up getting rehomed and the owner’s dream dashed of making him a therapy dog. At the time, I chalked that one up to my inexperience as a dog trainer.

Current notoriety of puppy mills

When I think about the dog I tried to train at Petco with the knowledge I have now, there was something wrong with the dog. Perhaps the dog’s behavior was due to poor breeding and was possibly from a puppy mill. Today, it is more and more common to hear that people knowingly adopt a puppy or dog from a puppy mill. Individuals at shelter and rescue agencies, including Stefanie, are familiar with the urgency that arises when breeders surrender unwanted dogs or puppies to a shelter. This situation occurs after breeders receive a two day notice of an inspection. Please refer to her story in Part 1 about the Rottweiler puppy she adopted within the past two years.

It has reached a point where rescue agencies are tapped out. Volunteers and fosters are in short supply. There are just too many dogs being born that are suffering due to the lack of care inside these puppy mills. Additionally, the people who rescue or purchase them can be riddled with vet bills due to diseases, physical, or behavioral issues. There are just not enough people to care properly for them.

This issue is not improving. It is only getting worse, to the point that puppy mills are no longer a hush-hush word. Puppies and dogs need to be rescued when puppy mills are violating regulations after being inspected, and they need to get rid of dogs. Too many dogs are disposed of either by dumping them on the side of the road, or ethically or unethically euthanized. It is difficult to state accurately what they do and how widespread it is since reporters and the public have difficulty gaining access to this information.

How Ohio rates in regulating puppy mills

Ohio is second in the nation for having the most egregious violations found by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)inspectors. This is backed up annually by “The Horrible Hundred” published by The Humane World for Animals.

Some issues that are commonly found by inspectors in “The Horrible Hundred” list itemized by state are:

* too many dogs per crate

* unsanitary conditions

* sick or injured dogs

* inadequate and substandard veterinary care for surgical procedures

* problematic veterinary check ups of female dogs suitable for breeding

According to inspection reports that are available to the public, docking of tails have been performed using carpet knives. I remember a client of mine with a Corgi whose tail was cut off right at the base of the tail. It made an impression on me because my Corgi’s butt did not look like that. I also have seen Corgi tails cut off about 4 inches from the base of the tail, like a boxer’s tail. I have seen a Boxer’s stub infected when the puppy was picked up. At the time, I knew what I saw wasn’t quite right, but I didn’t know what I was really looking at.

Cropping ears used to be legal only if done by a licensed vet. However, in 2022, the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) ruled in favor of the breeders. Now, ears can be cropped by the breeder. We can only hope that both the docking of tails and cropping of ears are done under anesthesia by a licensed vet in the puppy mills. PPOV is trying to reverse this procedure back to where only a licensed vet can perform the cropping of ears.

Stefanie tells us the Humane Society she volunteers for accepted 1,000 puppies and dogs in 2023. Almost half of them came from puppy mills. According to the intake person at the rescue agency, the biggest problem she sees is how many emergency medical issues exist with the puppy mill dogs such as C-section complications on female breeder dogs, dental issues, and the effects of the amount of stress endured at the facility. Whether the breeding process is done naturally or by artificial insemination, it has to be very stressful on both the male and female dogs. When ethical breeders get the male and female together to mate naturally, that process is stressful for both. I can only imagine how puppy mill breeders conduct the mating process.

Oversight for high volume dog breeders

High volume dog breeders in Ohio are regulated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. These breeders must obtain proper insurance or surety bonds, breeders licenses, and adhere to existing laws ensuring the welfare of the puppies and dogs housed on their premises. Ohio regulations classify high volume dog breeders as an establishment that keeps, houses, and maintains 6 or more breeding dogs and does at least one of the following:

* sells 5 or more adult dogs or puppies to brokers or pet stores in one year for a fee or consideration

* sells 40 or more puppies or dogs to the public in a year for a fee or other consideration

* houses and maintains more than 40 puppies under 4 months old, bred on premises and have been primarily kept, housed, and maintained from birth on the premises of the establishment.

Currently, there are over 900 licensed breeders in Ohio. According to Ohio Department of Agriculture, there are 468 licensed high volume dog breeders. There are 453 licensed brokers. It is possible for a breeder to also be a broker. This means that a breeder can sell their dogs on the side of the road to paying customers like us. However, due to their high volume of dogs, they will also use brokers to pick up puppies and dogs to be sold to pet stores and online sites. Brokers pay the breeders for the cost of the dogs. They in turn will charge the pet store or online brokers a fee to recover their costs.

Legislation intended to protect the welfare of puppy mill

The last time legislation was passed concerning high volume dog breeders was in 2012. Senate Bill 130 (or SB130), section 956.04 took 7 years to pass. This bill established criteria for high volume dog breeders to follow. These are outlined in Part 1 of this podcast. Two of the stipulations have to be reintroduced due to lack of adherence by the breeders and lack of enforcing. One provision is the “no-knock” inspection. Inspections are to be unannounced so that inspectors see the real conditions of the facility. The other provision that needs to be reintroduced is the proper, ethical docking of the tails and trimming of the ears by licensed veterinarians.

Senate Bill 232

Zaron and Stefanie founded Passion & Purpose for Ohio’s Voiceless (PPOV) two years ago. Their mission is to educate the public and advocate for the welfare of dogs in puppy mills. Although the state has some of the strongest laws in the country, loopholes allow ongoing violations that jeopardize animal welfare. PPOV is collaborating directly with Senator Casey Weinstein, who has re-introduced and sponsored Senate Bill 232. There are four parts to this bill:

* increase the number of establishments that are considered high volume dog breeders to be subject to regulation under the law governing breeders

* require that all euthanasia and surgical procedures be performed by a licensed veterinarian

* add tail docking, dew claw removal, and ear cropping as surgical procedures to be performed by a licensed veterinarian

* require the Director of Agriculture, or an authorized representative to conduct inspections of high volume dog breeders during regular business hours without prior notice

How everyone can help

Senator Weinstein has asked PPOV to rally support for this bill. Legislative action depends on clear evidence that the community stands behind this cause. Your voice is critical in demonstrating to the legislature the urgent need for reform of the management of puppy mills. If you are willing to help, please strongly consider providing written testimony when the General Assembly reconvenes in February. A few days before the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee meets to hear testimony from us citizens, PPOV will be provided with a link to submit your written testimony.

I will be sending out a separate post including a template with suggestions to follow for the testimony. Even if you have never had a personal experience with a suspected or known puppy mill dog, you can still voice your displeasure with how puppy mills are run. You can prepare your testimony now so that it is ready in a moments notice. I will be sending out a text only podcast notification of the date to submit your written testimony, as soon as I hear from Zaron and Stefanie. There is power in numbers - if we all work together, we can achieve our goal of adding legislation to help give a voice to the voiceless. We appreciate your support!

Who to contact if you experienced fraud

What you can do to speak up for the voiceless is to report any discrepancies in the required criteria for ethical breeding when purchasing a puppy or dog. If you feel that you have experienced fraud in any way, please contact the Attorney General of the State of Ohio, David Yost at tel. 614-466-4320.

Stefanie recounts a story that a Facebook subscriber on the Passion & Purpose for Ohio’s Voiceless page, shared about how she received a dog that was different than the puppy she thought she purchased. She thought she was getting a puppy, but a vet determined it was at least two and a half years old! The “puppy” was sold online by an entity based out of Pennsylvania, the “puppy” was actually located in Ohio, and then was transported to Michigan and delivered to the customer’s doorstep. No paperwork was accompanied with the “puppy”. The woman did not want to try to return the dog for fear of what would happen back in the hands of this unethical breeder. The picture of the puppy was still listed as available on the website months later. This would be a classic case of fraud to be reported to the State Attorney General.

Spread awareness of puppy mills by word of mouth

Another way for people to help is to spread awareness of the signs that puppies or dogs may be part of the puppy mill network. When you hear about a friend or family member thinking about getting a dog, tell them to do their homework. You can even refer them to part 1 and part 2 of this podcast.

We can fight for more and new legislation for our beloved canines, but it is up to the general public to report any offenses of existing laws to the proper authorities. By increasing awareness to your friends and family about puppy mills, we can all push back against the agencies regulating them. For example, if you know of anyone who volunteers as a transporter from the mills to the rescue agency, encourage them to learn about what is within the law or when the law is being broken. Violations must be reported.

Who to contact if questioning the legitimacy of your breeder

Please refer to the signs that your puppy may have come from a high-volume dog breeder in Part 1 of this podcast. One of these signs include paperwork that must accompany every dog which includes the breed, age, and name and address of the breeder. If you do not go home with the proper paperwork, or you have repeatedly asked for it with no success, find out the name and address of the breeder and report it to The Department of Agriculture. For enforcement issues, contact Jason Davis at tel. 614-549-0158. For all other issues, contact Donna Potter at tel. 614-728-6350.

Also, please call the contacts above if you discover that the breeder you are dealing with does not have a breeder’s license. Refrain from buying the dog or puppy. Instead, do more research to find ethical breeders. A place to start is online for breeder specific clubs. These clubs are made up of people who care deeply about the dogs they find homes for. They can tell you where breeders of your desired breed are located near you. I suggest attending dog shows where ethical breeders have booths set up to answer any questions you may have about their specific breed. Dr. Jennifer Smith talks about this in our podcast entitled “Best in Show”.

In my opinion, the existing problems with puppy mills can only be remedied through stricter regulations that are enforced. Not to diminish any onus on The Department of Agriculture, but I respectfully ask how 5 inspectors in the entire state of Ohio can properly manage over 450 high volume dog breeders. How many breeders exist under the radar, referring to unlicensed breeders? There are over 300 licensed breeders who don’t get inspected because they don’t meet the criteria for being a high volume dog breeder. I believe all breeders should be licensed and inspected. This will never happen with only 5 inspectors. Everyone involved is overworked and frustrated at the constant barrage of puppies and dogs that need homes right away.

This podcast isn’t just for people who may have purchased or rescued a puppy mill dog. It is for anyone considering purchasing a puppy from a reputable breeder or rescuing a dog from a shelter or rescue agency. I hope to have provided some insight into this eye-opening issue of where puppies and dogs were bred and the conditions under which this occurred.

^1 “Ohio department of Agriculture”, https://www.agri.ohio.gov, last updated 1/18/26.

^2 “Ohio department of Agriculture”, https://www.agri.ohio.gov, last updated 1/18/26.

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 My guest, Brendan McCarthy, is the operations manager and one of four founders of Doggy Style. Brendan’s company sells their own line of pet care products. What separates retail dog grooming products from Doggy Style products is the quality and uniqueness of the natural ingredients. Most of the ingredients are plant based.

Work experience

Before Brendan formed his own company, he worked for Park Ohio Industries in Cleveland. He ran their operations for 12 years by revitalizing local companies that were run down and needed improvements. This experience led to his next job working in operations, quality control and sales for Blue Buffalo, the #1 - selling pet food brand. They were one of the first national companies with an all-natural ingredients dog food.

Blue Buffalo is a family run business that started in 2003. When the family’s Airedale, named Blue, was diagnosed with cancer, they started looking into giving him the best quality food possible. What a motivator to create their own all natural food with quality ingredients!

The founding members of Doggy Style are Brendan, his brother, his cousin, and a good friend from the Blue Buffalo family. They were talking one day about creating shampoo for dogs. They noticed that it was hard to find a good dog shampoo, especially one with natural ingredients. Brendan was intrigued by this concept since one of his dogs was plagued with itchy, irritated skin. The shampoo he was using could have contributed to that.

One of the team members was in the ingredients business. He had knowledge and exposure to plant-based products for humans. The four compadres all loved dogs and thought it would be innovative to invent a recipe for a shampoo. They wanted their product to be good not just for the dog, but for the pet parents and their home/environment. They didn’t know it at the time, but they were to become a team and create a whole line of pet products.

Doggy Style Shampoo

Brendan remembers the day they all got serious in creating an all natural dog shampoo. It was August 23, 2023. Some ingredients they wanted to include were coconut oil, olive oil, and natural soaps. It was important to them that the remaining ingredients were all natural and plant-based.

Doggy Style shampoo is both a hypoallergenic shampoo and conditioner. It only takes a little shampoo to produce a lot of suds. The best way to apply it is putting a little bit on one of their massaging brushes and gently rubbing it into the dog’s fur.

In order to make a shampoo, an elastomer is required. Most elastomers are man-made and silicone based. Doggy Style shampoo uses an all-natural elastomer called Gransense, which has only been on the market for approximately 5 years. It binds the other ingredients in the shampoo with different oils to produce a moisturizer type feel to the shampoo. This benefits the dog by making their fur stay soft for days and weeks.

The other plant based ingredient is Sage Balance. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. It is also anti-odor and anti-dander. The antimicrobial agents destroy microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi that can cause itchy skin. Doggy Style shampoo is the only shampoo on the market with both Gransense and Sage Balance.

Doggy Style shampoo doesn’t claim to be a whitening shampoo. However, it does whiten dog’s fur because it removes the unnecessary oils and returns them back to their natural pure color. I refer you to my previous podcast dated 10/14/25 about grooming with Sharyn Ugan, a dog should not be fully bathed every day or every week. Once a month is adequate. Bathing too often can strip the natural oils in a dog’s coat.

If it is necessary to bathe your dog more often, using Doggy Style shampoo is much safer than other shampoos on the market due to the natural ingredients. It is based off a baby formula, so you could bathe your dog twice a week and it wouldn’t hurt. It would actually help in the case of hot spots or itchy skin. Brendan recommends a couple of baths within the first week of the onset of skin irritation. The itching will most likely disappear unless an internal problem exists, such as allergies or other conditions. Please seek the advice of a veterinarian to identify the root problem.

Deodorizer Spray

If there is a need to freshen up your dog’s fur or just make it smell better, Doggy Style makes a deodorizer spray that also acts as a conditioner. This is a top seller for Doggy Style. Brendan suggests carrying a bottle in the car and having one on hand in the house. Sometimes I feel the need to freshen up my dog in between baths. This spritz smells very fresh and pleasant. Brendan suggests to spritz a little on your wrist to smell it first to see if you like it. After all, it is you who will be smelling it the most!

Doggy Style chose Grant Industries as one of their main suppliers. Grant Industries is a leading global provider to the personal care and beauty industry. They pride themselves in providing materials that are safe for consumers. One of their products is essential oils which are derived from plants and contain aromatic compounds. Brendan’s team tried many different ones until everyone agreed on The Ocean. This is what makes their shampoo and spritzer so pleasant. The scent is for the humans, of course. Dogs can roll in dirty diapers and be happy, but their pet parents won’t be!

Paw Protector

Another great product that Doggy Style sells is a paw protector. This product can protect paws from cracking, bleeding and getting chapped from very cold, dry temperatures. Exposure to snow, salt, ice, and chemical de-icers can irritate the pads and become problematic. The best time to apply the paw protector is right before heading out for your daily walk. It is also advisable to wash and wipe off the pads when returning home from the walk. If there are any injuries or small fissures, apply some more protector to the pads. The same product that protects, also heals.

Many pet parents may not use paw protector because they are concerned it is not safe for their dogs if they lick their paws. However, Doggy Style’s paw protector is lick safe and will not cause any stomach upset if ingested. There is actually some charcoal in the product to deter the dogs from licking it. After all, you don’t want to make it so appealing that the dog enjoys licking it and negates the whole reason you are applying it in the first place!

The variety of oils: coconut, olive, sunflower seed and sweet almond, combined with the sage balance is what produces the healing properties of the paw protector. It can also be used to heal hot spots, dry spots, and even can be used on their nose and crusty elbows. It is soft enough to scoop easily and apply just the right amount.

Scrub Brushes and Regular Brushes

As mentioned above, the best way to apply Doggy Style shampoo is with a scrub brush pictured below. A little bit can go a long way. The scrub brush also helps spread the shampoo more evenly. The shampoo is thicker than most dog shampoos, so squeezing it out directly on the dog makes it more difficult to spread around.

Personally, I love the scrub brush better than scrubbing my dog’s fur with my fingers, especially around the back end! It acts as a massager too. Just as a massage feels good for us, the scrub brush can act as a massager as well. Brendan’s dog Maggie isn’t a fan of baths but she perks right up when she sees the scrub brush.

The scrub brushes come in two different sizes. The smaller one is for short fur and smaller dogs. The bigger one has longer bristles and can cover more territory for larger dogs. Both the scrub brushes and the regular brushes are made out of bamboo and are tightly sealed with high quality silicone. This prevents mold from forming. Bamboo is durable and water resistant but is not waterproof. It is advisable not to expose it to prolonged moisture.

Towel

Doggy Style also makes a 20”X40” towel for drying the dog off. It is 87% cotton and 13% charcoal fused rayon. When you dry your dog, the charcoal pulls any odors and oxidants out of the skin and fur. The charcoal is activated by the heat from the friction of drying the dog off. The charcoal is good for the life of the towel. Putting it through a wash cycle and then in the dryer will not degrade the effectiveness of the charcoal.

Doggy Style is currently working on a larger version of the towel. It will be the size of a bath towel - great for larger dogs. They are also working on developing all natural disposable paw wipes - great for spot cleaning dirty paws.

How Doggy Style Got Its Name

Doggy Style strives to keep as much of their products manufactured first in Ohio (as close as New Albany) and then within the United States. However, they had to source out the cap of the shampoo overseas in order to get the green color they wanted. So much more goes into not just developing the product but also finding a company to manufacture the container it is sold in.

Now that the team had a specialty product available to market, they needed to come up with a name. Brendan’s brother Dan interviewed over 500 people in Washington, D.C. where he lives. He asked people walking with dogs 6 questions about grooming their dogs. He asked questions about where and how often they bathe their dogs. He also asked what shampoo they use or what their groomers use and if they would prefer an all natural dog shampoo. Some people knew the name of the shampoo they used but many did not. That’s when he decided that the name of their shampoo had to be catchy and memorable. Doggy Style achieves that! Every dog has their own style!

Doggy Style Logo

Doggy Style found an exceptional Cleveland based brand company called New Baum. Brendan and his team wanted their own dogs to be part of the logo. Instead, they compromised and chose an Irish Wolfhound because of their heritage. Irish Wolfhounds are huge dogs with huge character. It just fit their Doggy Style image. When Brendan is exhibiting his products at a convention, inevitably people with Wolfhounds will come up and approach him.

Where to buy Doggy Style Products

Doggy Style products are sold first and foremost on their website. They are also sold in over 60 stores in the Cleveland area, the east coast, and in Florida. Some of the stores where they can be found locally are Pets General in Lakewood, Lake Road Market in Rocky River, and Pet-Tique in Cleveland. They are looking to expand in other retail stores that sell all natural products. When ordering products via the Doggy Style website, enter the discount code: 10_OFF_WELCOME to receive 10% off your first order.

I highly recommend and use all of the Doggy Style products. I take Ebi to Pet Supplies Plus to bathe her. In my opinion, they have the best self-serve pet wash in town. Their state of the art bathing station at their Fairview Park store includes an operator friendly dial to control a rinse, shampoo, and conditioner cycle. You can also bring your own shampoo. They provide plenty of towels and an apron so you don’t get soaked when your dog decides to shake off excess water! After the final rinse, there is an attachment for drying your dog.

I started using Doggy Style products last summer and was hooked after the first time. Ebi’s fur stays soft and looks so shiny and healthy for at least a week after her bath. In between baths, I use the spritz to freshen up the typical dog smell. She doesn’t care for it when I spray the deodorizer spray directly on her fur, so I spray a some on the brush and brush her out. She still tries to rub it off on the floor unless I immediately put her leash on and we go for a walk.

The all natural ingredients in Doggy Style products resonates with my holistic approach to nutrition and wellness treatments for pets. In the near future, I will have a podcast dedicated to this subject. After all, we are what we eat and the environment around us has an impact on our health and well being.

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Dr. Jennifer Smith has returned to the Canine Concierge podcast, “From A Dog’s Eye View” to discuss two misunderstood aspects of dog behavior - reactivity and aggression. Dr. Smith is a trauma-informed behavior specialist in Cleveland with extensive experience working with and training dogs. She brings her unique expertise of both humans and dogs to explain the neurological escalation cycle that drives these behaviors. She will also provide practical insights for pet parents struggling with reactive dogs. Together, we hope to help you understand what is happening in your dog’s brain and what you can do to manage and reduce the reactivity and/or aggression.

According to Dr. Smith, reactivity is the dog’s expression of how they are interpreting their environment. They assess everything they smell, see, and hear, in that order. This determines what type of reaction they will have. Reactions are the dog’s way to communicate about what they are experiencing. If they are left to express their own reaction to a particular stimulus, they can get in a rut and repeat that same reaction over and over again. It is up to us as handlers to teach them to have a different reaction.

“All reactions are communicative in nature.” Dr. Jennifer Smith

Reactivity is not always an outwardly visible and audible response, like lunging and barking. It is also a passive reaction, such as Dr. Smith’s poodle named Blue, laying in the studio with us. He was told to lie down and stay. He is communicating that he feels safe and will successfully hold that stay until he is released. If he didn’t feel safe, he would be pacing, whining, panting and possibly drooling - all signs of stress.

Aggression is the dog’s outward expression that is more severe than their initial instinct to investigate a stimulus they are unsure of. In my opinion, the most dangerous type of aggression is the quiet dog that is not showing the typical signs of an imminent attack. When dogs are improperly trained not to react to stimuli, they can suppress the typical initial signs of possible aggression such as barking and lunging. The dog will react in an explosive manner and go from the green zone to the red zone in a second.

Reactivity is not always aggression. There are many factors that play a part in a dog’s reaction to stimuli. To name a few, a dog that is in pain can have an aggressive reaction when touched, but does not mean he is aggressive. A dog that is restrained and can’t reach the desired target can have an aggressive reaction, but should not be labeled aggressive. When dogs are playing, one dog can bark and bite the other dog when there is a disagreement. This may look like an aggressive act, but it is really a form of dog communication. As Dr. Smith mentions how mama dogs scold their puppies when they start getting obnoxious, is not a form of aggression, but a way to communicate to them to settle down.

Certain breeds have traits that are more prevalent in some than in others. Some breeds are protective of their territory or owner, causing certain reactions. It is important to know these traits so you can manage them better. Just because your dog lunges and barks at other dogs, doesn’t mean that your dog is now labeled an aggressive dog. Could that dog’s reaction turn into aggression? Absolutely! Depending on the circumstances, your dog may have to defend himself from being attacked and bite the attacker. If your dog feels threatened and pressured enough by the stimulus, he can strike out. All of these factors come into play when assessing reactivity and aggression.

Terriers are known to have stronger prey drives than other breeds. Their motivation and persistence when chasing their prey escalates as they pursue their prey more intensely than a dog that is known to retrieve prey. Dogs can be trained to chase but not kill. They can also be trained to maim or kill their prey. They can be trained to pursue and alert their owner where the prey is. It is how the dog is trained to move through these escalation cycles that determines the control you have over your dog.

The average dog owner does not pursue this type of advanced training. Therefore, dogs that have not been taught the skillset to move through these drives can become so dangerous to people and animals that they become a liability to their community. This will be discussed in detail with Gary Flynn from The Dog Advocate when we talk about training hunting dogs.

It is important to point out that our reactions can be totally different than our dog’s reaction even though we are experiencing the same stimuli in our environment. Their reaction can be starkly different when the dog is experiencing something they smell, see or hear, especially for the very first time. If it becomes a pattern, make a note of your dog’s reactions as they may be triggers for certain behaviors. As “my dog trainer friend”, Gary Flynn, always comments about this subject:

One instance does not a behavior make”

This means that just because your dog had a particular reaction to something or someone once, it doesn’t mean he will always have a reaction to the same thing again. It is when the dog has this reaction several times to the same trigger that it becomes predictable, is it now an issue that needs to be addressed. For example, just because your dog backed up and was not interested in meeting a random man with a hat on, doesn’t mean that your dog is afraid of all men with hats. However, if your dog only has this type of reaction to several men with hats in different places, then you will want to take precautions when introducing him to men with hats.

For example, we humans may know that the garbage bin on the side of the road poses no threat to us. However, our dog may start growling, barking, and resisting by backing up. These are all signs of feeling uncomfortable and unsafe with the garbage bin. The worst thing we can do is force the dog towards the garbage bin while vocalizing in a frustrated tone and energy that there is nothing to be afraid of. The reaction in the dog is real and should not be discounted by the pet parent. We don’t want to make the dog feel that they cannot trust their own skillset because you are telling them they should be reacting in a different way. Instead, validate how the dog feels and then take action to fix it.

A way to help the dog is to implement what I call the distance formula - find that distance from the garbage bin where your dog can sit by your side without growling or barking. Then, step by step with substantial time in-between each step to recover, slowly approach the bin until you are right next to it. Keep your leash loose with each progression. Then, leave it up to the dog to investigate the garbage can by sniffing it. This may take several days. You can never be in a hurry when conditioning your dog to have a different reaction than their original reaction.

Why Reactivity is Common Today

Reactivity has become a buzzword in the dog community. So many more people have dogs today than when I grew up. There are many stores that are dog friendly. You can travel with your dog and stay in designated dog friendly hotels. There are patios where you can eat and have drinks with our dogs at our side. However, not every dog is as comfortable as we are with these different places. Not every business owner is a dog person. We must respect that.

Every place and every activity is not for every dog. Be aware of your dog’s limits as a social being. Don’t force them into those situations just because you want a dog that can accompany you everywhere you go. It is a balance you must strike. You don’t want to limit and restrict your dog from certain experiences. but you also don’t want to expose them to situations you know they are uncomfortable with.

Aggression is best explained by Dr. Smith’s chart below. The schematic below shows which part of the brain is activated during each cycle of escalation and what visible signs are noticeable during each phase.

The Green Zone

The part of the brain that is colored green in the schematic is the executive functioning part. It is the CEO of the brain. The dog is in a relatively calm state. They use their sense of smell to explore, their body is relaxed, their eyes are soft (the whites of their eyes are not showing), and they accept treats. This is the only zone when they can take in new information. This is the zone that is necessary for learning in my obedience classes. When I notice dogs starting to move into the yellow zone, I tell the pet parent to move their dog to a different place where the distractions aren’t as high.

In the green zone, the dog may be lying on his side. This reflects a different state of mind than when they lie in the sphinx position where they can erupt and get up very quickly. The dog will feel safe enough to engage in play. It must be noted that play can encourage a dog to move to the next levels of escalation. If you have a dog that moves through the escalation cycle rather quickly, you must know when to end the play session so that your dog does not get to the red zone.

The Yellow Zone

The yellow and orange zones are the emotional parts of the brain right above the brainstem. The dog is processing a stimulus in their environment that we refer to as a trigger. This can be another dog, person, squirrel, or anything that moves. Their head raises up, their ears are alert and they may sniff the air. When they start to focus in and stare at the trigger, the first sense that is affected is their sense of smell. They are not able to sniff and hone in on a target. You may have to repeat a command a couple of times because now they are distracted enough to not execute the command you give them on the first try. You may have to use the scent of treats right up to their nose to get their attention first and then tell them the command. They can still execute the command.

If they are getting fearful, they may sidle up to you or stand behind you. They may even jump up on you as if to solicit your help. Realize that this is happening, but remember if you reward this behavior by petting, hugging or picking them up, they will continue this until you show them how to manage their fear. The best thing to do in this instance is to acknowledge they are fearful but to not vocalize it. Just remain calm. Your dog will sense your energy through the leash.

If your dog is out in front of you, bring them in to your side and react from a position of leadership. If the dog stays out in front of you, they think they have to handle the object that is making them nervous all by themselves. This increases their anxiety. Most dogs want a leader to follow. They want someone else to make the decisions and keep them safe. When they feel they have to make the decisions, they become out of balance.

“Our number one job is to keep our dogs safe.” - Dr. Jennifer Smith

Our promise to our dogs is to keep them safe. The more you do that, the more they will trust you. If you don’t help them get out of situations that are stressful for them, if you wait for them to manage them on their own, now you become part of the reason why they started to escalate in the first place. They start seeing you as part of the trigger. If you let your dog continue to escalate, and you are not breaking that cycle, their brain cannot logically function to deescalate. They are beginning to enter the orange and possibly the red zone.

When dogs are in the yellow zone, they can still return to the green zone. The further up the escalation cycle, the harder it is to come back down. They get more protective of themselves because they are not trusting their environment. It is essential to recognize your dog’s signs when they are not at ease and are starting to escalate. You can still sway them to calm down by providing more distance between the trigger and themselves. You can also use treats to get the focus back on you and not the trigger. This is very important. Your dog should think that you are the best thing in the world to them. More valuable than any trigger. I teach this in my obedience classes. The problem is, overtime, most people abandon this skill.

In the picture below, Rosie is focused on something outside. Her tail is up, her mouth is closed, her stare is intense, and her legs are stiff. She either is about to bark or is taking a quick break from barking. She has also climbed up on the bed not only to see out the window better, but also to feel in a more dominant position to the object outside. She is in the yellow zone, but will be able to return to the green zone with some coaxing from her pet parent.

The Orange Zone

When dogs move into the orange zone, the handler must be very attentive to take action quickly so they do not escalate into the red zone. Their body is stiff and the corners of their mouth are tight. However, when your dog is in the orange zone, the last thing you are looking at is their mouth! I have seen too many times how pet parents will stay in place in front of the trigger and have their dog out in front of them while the dog is barking and lunging. They get frustrated at their dog for continuing to bark and lunge. Your objective should be to move your dog to a safer place that will calm your dog down. At this stage, they will no longer take treats. You have to physically remove them. This is when your dog can be more powerful than you and can actually take you down if not handled properly.

“Triggers are not going to remove themselves. You have to remove the dog.” - Dr. Jennifer Smith

The Red Zone

As the dog moves up the escalation cycle, the part of the brain that is activated moves further down. The brainstem is activated in the red zone. This is the fight or flight response. It is the oldest part of the brain and sometimes referred to as the caveman’s brain. Upon birth, it is an expert at what it does. The fight, flight or freeze responses are its only skills. If your dog has escalated to the red zone, there is no longer voluntary learning. Its only job is to keep itself safe. A dog’s skillset becomes very limited and will take it upon himself to attack if necessary or to run away. They may freeze, which will leave them vulnerable, but for some, their only way to cope with this situation is to freeze. No logic can be mustered up. It’s all about survival at this point.

In the picture above, the classic signs that a bite is most likely imminent: ears are drawn back, whites of eyes showing, pupils are dilated, the corners of the mouth are tight and drawn in, teeth are barred, and the paw is stiff and extended to get the person to stop manipulating them. This dog is most likely more fearful than forward moving dominant because of his position of leaning slightly backwards.

I have experienced plenty of red zone cases where the dog will attack or run away. I have seen dogs freeze because they were so scared of their environment. I have also seen dogs shutdown and freeze when their pet parent has corrected them too much with their voice and their collar. Sensitive dogs can be very quick to freeze, especially those who have experienced trauma. It takes an extremely patient handler to work with dogs like this. They have to be calm yet assertive, and not too assertive. This is a difficult lesson to teach my clients, but most have been successful. The dog can remain cautious and fearful but still live a good life.

The same effects of trauma happen in the human world. One client I had froze when his girlfriend was being attacked by their dog. Now I know why the boyfriend had that reaction. Both the boyfriend and the dog activated their caveman brain! I had to intervene to put an end to the attack. Luckily the woman had on a thick enough jacket that the dog didn’t pierce through, but the bite was vicious. He bit and thrashed her arm from side to side almost taking off her loose coat. I’m lucky I didn’t get bit.

In cases where the dog has experienced repeated trauma at a young age, the brainstem can actually grow and bump into the adjacent part squeezing out the ability of that part to develop. If that happens, then that part of the brain and neuropathways get pruned. If the dog stays in the red zone, those pathways will never develop.

Temperament Testing

Temperament testing is the functional assessment of a puppy or dog through observation. A professional will look for patterns the dog manifests when exposed to stimuli. It is not just limited to puppies. Puppies change as they mature according to their experiences. However, Dr. Smith believes that as soon as the sperm hits the egg, the temperament is born. This is why show dog breeders and service dog organizations heavily emphasize the temperaments of many generations of the male and female breeder dogs. Even though the genetic line is exemplary, each dog still requires a temperament test.

When I go to a client’s home for the first time, I start by telling them to let the dog(s) come to greet me. The client is usually worried about the dog jumping on me. I tell them that I can tell a lot about how the dog(s) behave around me. I always enter the house and just stand there without looking at or touching the dog(s). I have to make sure the client understands why I do this. Otherwise, they think I am being rude to their dog(s) by not acknowledging them.

After the greeting process, then I observe how each family member interacts with the dog and what their response is. Sometimes, I will ask the family members to leave temporarily in order to evaluate if their behavior is affected by them. I make mental notes of where the dog positions themselves in relation to myself and other family members. In a multi-dog household, I observe if there is a dominant dog and how that dog affects the behavior of the other dogs. Finally, I ask the client to show me how they feed their dog and how they walk their dog. I will also walk the dog to see how receptive he is to my energy and leadership. After all of those factors, I can begin to develop a plan to improve these behaviors and help train the dog so that everyone can live harmoniously under the same roof.

According to Dr. Smith, changing a human’s or dog’s behavior is extremely challenging. Sometimes with little to no results. It depends on how receptive and committed the human is to change. It takes consistency to stick to a rehabilitation program and knowledge of dog behavior. The motivation to change is key. It is amazing what people will put up with from their dogs. Sometimes, clients don’t even realize they can change their dog’s behavior. My success as a professional dog trainer is by proving to the client that the dog can change. I accomplish this by successfully demonstrating what they thought was impossible.

I would like to conclude this post by recapping the key takeaways in defining reactivity, aggression, and the escalation cycle. First, reactivity is simply how dogs interpret and respond to their environment. It is not always aggression. Every dog reacts to stimuli, but the key is understanding when those reactions indicate stress or fear versus curiosity or excitement.

Second, the escalation cycle shows us that dogs move through four distinct brain zones. The green zone is where voluntary learning happens. Your dog is calm, accepts treats, and responds to cues. The yellow zone is the emotional response where dogs become alert and their ability to learn diminishes. They are still able to return to the green zone.

The orange zone is also an emotional response area but more intense. Dogs are no longer exploring their environment through their sense of smell. If not removed from this zone, they can easily escalate to the final zone, the red zone. This is the fight-or-flight response, where dogs have limited options and can no longer process incoming information. Signs of aggression can be imminent if not restrained.

Third, understanding your dog’s temperament is crucial. Temperament is presented from birth. While you can’t change it, you can work with it. Some dogs are naturally more excitable, others more cautious. Knowing your dog’s baseline helps you recognize when they are escalating.

Fourth, consistency is everything. Dogs learn through patterns and repetition. If your dog reacts the same way to the same trigger every day, they are becoming an expert in that reaction. You must intervene and teach alternative responses with the help of a qualified professional trainer.

Finally, your vital role as the handler is to keep your dog safe. When your dog escalates, remove them from the triggering environment. You are their protector. Building that trust is essential for helping them feel secure.

Please remember, not every dog needs to go everywhere and do everything with you. Respect your dog’s limits while working to expand their world safely and gradually. If you are dealing with serious aggression, seek professional help immediately. Your safety and your dog’s well-being depend on it.

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Dogs come in all shapes and sizes. There are over 400 different breeds, but they all stem from the Canis Lupus Familiaris species - the literal translation from Latin to English meaning Dog Wolf Domestic. Different breeds were created to serve different functions for humans. For example, some were created to help farmers herd livestock back to their housing quarters. Others were developed to protect livestock from intruders. In this episode, Gary Flynn from The Dog Advocate and I will be focusing on hunting breeds.

It is difficult to quantify how many hunting dog breeds exist, however, they can be broken down into categories such as hounds, gun dogs, retrievers and terriers. They all have their specialties. The type of game you will be hunting will determine which breed you will choose. Gary is partial to German Shorthaired Pointers. They are highly intelligent, athletic and commonly known for hunting fowl. However, he has trained his dogs as versatiles: hunting fur and feathers. Gary recounts colorful stories in our podcast about hunting pheasants, turkeys, and small birds with his client’s and his own German Shorthaired Pointers. According to Gary:

“German Shorthaired Pointers stay locked in pursuit of the holy grail!”

When Gary is working with German Shorthaired Pointer puppies, their instinct to point already exists. He recounts how fun it is to observe a bunch of puppies who are all in point looking at a bubblegum wrapper, a bee, or anything that moves. This is not something that is taught. It is pure instinct. The puppies will learn as they mature to focus that instinct on birds or small animals. Pointing is how the dog communicates what is next. It is a pause before the pounce. If well trained, they will point exactly to what they found and wait for their handler to guide them to what comes next. It is a very intense and focused behavior, but Gary’s dogs will still obey commands while pointing.

When older dogs point in a group, one dog may be pointing at another dog that is pointing to even another dog who is pointing at the location of the animal. They form a chain of pointers. This is called “honoring”. The dogs who come onto the scene where a dog is in a point, respects that dog by waiting and not stealing the prey. This prevents premature pursuit of the prey and demonstrates the discipline required to avoid chaos and an inefficient hunt. As the hunters approach the group, they must assess what they have come upon. They are able to handle the situation without interference from the dogs.

Please keep in mind that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife (ODNR) oversees hunting and fishing by issuing licenses, establishing regulations and managing wildlife populations. Game wardens ensure laws are enforced. This is to prevent extinction of certain species and people shooting at game from their cars, etc. Gary mentions there is etiquette to follow when hunting. For example, it is unethical to shoot at birds that are out of range which can only wound and not kill. Suffering of an animal should be avoided. The mission statement of ODNR is:

“To ensure a balance between the wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all.”

Before I elaborate on the different hunting breeds Gary and I discussed, I would like to address the topic of hunting in general. Some people may not want to listen or read this post because it has to do with the demise of living beings. As an experienced hunter, Gary has observed time and time again how matter of fact dogs are about death. There is no remorse. The only emotion you could attach to the experience is gratification. They are satisfying an instinct. Sometimes, the dogs will flip the dead animal up in the air just to see if they can do it all over again. They couldn’t be happier.

We have to remember, before our meat was already wrapped in cellophane to be sold in a grocery store, hunters had to go out and lure, trap, kill and gut animals daily. We all have the instinct to hunt. That means when we are forced to, we will try to live off the vegetables and fruit of the land and/or kill other animals in order to survive. A way we can simulate that instinct to hunt is to shop. The thrill of finding exactly what we are looking for is a form of hunting. We are excited when we find what we were looking for and we are disappointed when we don’t. This can result in pure exhaustion too!

It is us humans who get in the way of our dogs doing what dogs are born to do. So often I have heard clients tell me similar stories about how they punished their dog for digging a hole to catch and kill their favorite chipmunk named Chippie. The dog had no emotional attachment to “Chippie” and couldn’t logically reason with themselves to not kill it just because you loved watching it frolic around your backyard. Pet parents must ask themselves if they are positively or negatively reacting to their dog when they are fulfilling the instinct to hunt. If they do not provide the structure and environment to fulfill these needs, adverse behaviors can arise. Gary drills in his client’s heads:

“Stay out of the way of your dog and don’t interrupt the hunt”.

Gary talks about how dogs feel when it’s an “off day” when the hunters are unable to find what they were looking for. It’s just like going fishing and the fish aren’t biting that day. If the dog doesn’t get rewarded with the hunt, Gary notices their behavior change. They actually seem to sulk and mope around.

You always want to set the dog up for success no matter what skill you are teaching them. When Gary is working with puppies, he always ends a hunting session on a positive note. If nothing was caught, he will tie a long string to a bird wing and fling it around causing them to point. They can chase and catch that as their reward. Sometimes he will sneak away into some tall grass, make a lot of commotion, get the puppies to come check it out. A bunny might be in there. Whether they catch the bunny or not, it was still important to them because a bunny was there.

It is worth mentioning that all dogs have a prey drive. They are predators. The instinct to hunt, chase and kill prey emanates from one of the four responses processed in their brain to ensure survival and continuation of the species: fight, flight, feed (eating) and breed (reproducing). Hunting is not part of the feed response. It is part of the fight response. Gary will return for a future podcast where we will delve into the prey drive and how he manages it so that the dog remains clear-headed as it escalates through this fight response.

The instinct to herd animals also comes from the fight response. A border collie’s locked-in stare and posture when herding sheep looks different than a Bluetick Coonhound holding a racoon in a tree, but it comes from the same fight response. As a trainer working with different breeds, it is critical to understand what to expect from each breed.

“Breed traits are real.”

I don’t own a gun and have never hunted. However, when talking about dogs who were bred to perform specific tasks, there is something special about watching them do what comes natural to them. I love watching dogs work. There is a certain energy they exude while they are performing that instinctual act.

My dog Ebi is a Leonberger. They were bred in Germany to pull carts on farms and to be reliable watchdogs. They also are known to be excellent swimmers and are still used in water rescues due to their size and strength. Their paws are webbed making them effective swimmers. Several years ago, I simulated a water rescue at the old Canine Country Club in North Olmsted. I had a floating device with a handle. I bobbed up and down shouting “Help!” Ebi swam over to me, I showed her the handle to grab with her mouth, and she pulled me to the ramp! I did not train her to do that. I unleashed the instinct which is in her DNA. It was an awesome experience.

I also fulfilled Ebi’s instinct to haul carts by fitting her with a special harness and rigging up leads attached to a sled so she could pull my neighbor’s son on the snow covered sidewalk. As soon as I got her started, the instinct to pull took over and she pulled him right along as shown in the video below.

Gary uses the term genetic fulfillment when talking about this innate, instinctual drive in dogs. I was fulfilling my Leonberger’s genetic makeup by simulating a swim rescue and pulling a sled. The activities I have chosen for her align with the original purpose of the Leonberger breed.

In my opinion, a well balanced dog is one that gets their needs met in addition to the obvious eating, drinking and sleeping. They get plenty of exercise that includes structured and unstructured time. This includes structured walks with their leader and unstructured exercise rooting around in the backyard or playing with other friendly dogs. A well balanced dog is provided with activities that simulate or duplicate their specific needs as a breed. They also know their boundaries and limitations as set by their leader. Finally, they receive affection at the appropriate time - while they are calm and submissive. If these needs are not met, behavioral issues can arise.

Gary recounts a story about clients of mine who were having a slew of behavioral issues with their Redbone Coonhound they purchased from a pet store. The adolescent puppy was eliminating all over the house, would not stay in a crate, and constantly broke away from them. These are all common behaviors of the breed, especially when they are not provided structure and getting their needs met. The clients actually wanted to make him a hunting dog and had aspirations to train him to do so. I reached out to Gary for his expertise since I didn’t know how to train hunting dogs. It required work that the client eventually realized they could not provide and ended up finding a new home for the dog.

Some clients I have come across prefer hunting dog breeds. I understand why. As puppies, they are adorable with their big floppy ears that are almost as big as they are! The bright blue eyes of a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy or the droopy faces of Bloodhound puppies are irresistible. We also can’t forget that Labradors and Golden Retrievers are hunting dogs too. No matter what the breed, puppies melt our hearts. According to Gary, the worst reason to get a dog is how it looks. Instead, match the breed with your lifestyle based on what you currently do now, not what you are going to do.

Puppies grow up to be beautiful dogs from an esthetic point of view, but can wreak havoc on their pet parents when their needs are not met. I hope I have sparked some motivation in you to reflect upon if and how you are genetically fulfilling your dog. You will also benefit from the feeling you will witness when you unleash that skill your dog’s DNA is yearning to express.

Please share in the comments below what you currently do or would like to do for your dog so they can express and enjoy what they were bred to do.

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Regulated hunting in the United States is a safe activity enjoyed by over 14 million adults. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources recorded almost 400,000 paid hunting license holders. This number includes hunting of birds, small animals and deer. Regulations exist to preserve, protect and control wildlife populations. Hunting can bring communities together and help feed those in need. It is a skill that can be learned through hunting clubs and trusted family members.

In Part One of the Hunting Dogs podcast, my guest, Gary Flynn, shares stories about how he learned about the many facets of hunting from family members. Not all hunters use dogs, but Gary’s initiation to the world of hunting at a young age included neighborhood and family dogs to help in the process. He was able to witness how motivated a dog can become while pursuing their prey. He also experienced a “pecking order” amongst dogs gathered under a tree with a raccoon hanging on for dear life. Everyone knew which dog had the tenacity and skills to snatch the coon out of the tree. It helped Gary learn about individual and pack dog behavior.

Living at home versus living in kennels

Hunting dogs can live in the house with their humans. Gary can’t imagine not having his dogs live in his house. He trains them with obedience skills that are a necessity when out in the field. He also makes it a priority to teach them manners so he can socialize them inside hunting clubs and with guests coming to his house.

Many hunters will keep their dogs separate from social gatherings inside the clubs. They do not go to the extent that Gary does in socializing and training his dogs. Some are of the opinion that hunting dogs will not be effective hunters if they become family dogs. Some hunters prefer to board their dogs at kennels. It provides a safe environment for hunting breeds who like to run and roam over great distances. They will climb over fences and dig their way out of a common crate. These kennels are designed with secure slats that are impossible to bend and are cemented to the ground. The boarding staff is often trained on the specific traits of the different hunting breeds. They are also exercised daily so they stay in good shape in between hunts and during the off season.

Over the past 15 years as a dog trainer, there are hunting breeds I frequently see in my obedience classes and private home sessions. I work with a lot of doodles that have either Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever combined with a poodle, as well as many from the terrier group. It is important to remember that all three of these breeds are hunting dogs by nature. There are also breeds I have never seen before. For example, the Black and Tan Coonhound, pictured on top of the video of the podcast above, the Plott Hound or the Mountain Cur. Regardless of the type of hunting dog you may have, it is highly recommended to fulfill their physical and mental needs in order to maintain a balanced dog.

Plott Hounds

As with many hunting breeds, Plott Hounds have a unique bark that can drive a lot of families crazy. They require lots of daily exercise with plenty of space to roam. They are used primarily for hunting larger animals such as bears and boars. They are an intelligent breed which means they need to be challenged not just physically but also mentally.

As Gary mentions, some breeds like the Plott Hound can be a challenging family pet due to their high energy and strong prey drive. They can also be difficult to potty train. They may eliminate whenever and wherever they feel like it. Gary advises families with Plott Hounds to put in durable, waterproof vinyl flooring. It may take awhile to fully potty train them!

Bloodhounds

Another hunting breed that can be challenging to have as a family pet is a Bloodhound. I have only experienced one Bloodhound in my career as a dog trainer. A woman brought one to Petco for my six week obedience class. He lasted two weeks. He was already a huge dog at 10 months old, which made it difficult to control his urge to jump on everyone and everything. Petco discouraged and forbade their dog trainers from using pinch collars, but when my manager saw how out of control this dog was, he handed me one! Gary jokes about how many Bloodhounds should be in an obedience class - one! Their independent nature requires very patient and consistent training. Their intense tracking instinct sets them in a class above all others. Gary has fond memories of working search and rescue sites with a man who handled Bloodhounds.

Tracking vs Trailing

We have all seen our dogs sniffing the ground wherever they walk. If you observe your dog long enough as they are sniffing, sometimes they sniff intensely and seem to follow a path. This is called tracking. When this is done in a hunting environment, it is sometimes done as the dog drags a long leash or the handler is holding a leash. Handlers use the keen sense of smell of scent hounds to detect, follow and locate a specific scent, such as a wounded or dead deer. Most of us have seen shows on television where the scent hound is used in search and rescue missions. Handlers will have their dogs search for a scent left by footprints, blood, or broken vegetation where animals may have passed through.

Trailing dogs follow a specific scent in the air or around obstacles. They can locate a deer that may have fallen when wounded, but then got back up and kept walking. Their heads are usually level or held in the air. They are usually ahead of their handler and operate independently. If they lose the scent, they will start to circle around to find the scent again. Many dogs will be adept at both tracking and trailing to assist the hunter. Gary talks about how dogs are highly skilled at staying on the scent trail. They know that the scent is stronger on the shady side of a hill covered with dew in the morning versus the sunny side where the scent has been baked off.

Another type of hunting dog is a scent dog. Their powerful sense of smell allows them to track prey over long distances. Their alluring long ears is a characteristic that aids them in sweeping the scent of their prey towards their nose. Beagles, Bloodhounds, and Coonhounds are all scent dogs with the Bloodhound being the apex scent dog. Just look at those ears in the picture above!

Beagles make excellent hunting dogs and family pets. They are known for their nose to the ground while running approach to sniff out and direct rabbits and small game towards their hunter. They work well in a pack to flush out bunnies in the brush. Their baying (type of bark) is unique and can alert their hunters from far away. If you have ever heard a beagle baying, I think you would agree with me that it sounds like he’s being tortured. We had one in our neighborhood we called Torture Dog! However, their curious, clown-like nature makes them fun family pets. They do very well in obedience classes and can learn any skill presented to them.

When referring to hunting dog breeds, there are sight hounds like the Greyhounds, Whippets and Salukis. They rely on their sense of sight over their sense of smell to spot and chase prey. They are notorious for their incredible speed and aerodynamic build. They also make wonderful couch potato loving companions but must be socialized and exercised daily.

Training Hunting Dogs

According to Gary, the most important skill you can teach your hunting dog is the recall, or the “Come” command. Most 8 week old puppies have an innate desire to follow you around. Foster that instinct and develop it by increasing the distance between you and your puppy. At that stage, all you have to do is just look and smile at them, and they will come running to you. When they get distracted by something, go hide behind a tree not too far away. Let them look for you and use their nose to find you. When they do find you, make a big deal out of it. You don’t want to create what Gary calls a “bootlicker” - a dog that won’t wander off on their own and prefers to stay by your side.

The Recall or “Come” Command

As the dog matures, get them used to dragging a long leash around. Gary recommends a Biothane leash that won’t get tangled in bushes. This will be your tool to follow through to make sure they come to you. In the early stages of the recall on leash, keep the distance short and the distractions few. Repeat, repeat, and repeat some more. Add the command “Come” as they are in the act of running to you. Dogs associate commands with the action they are performing at that moment. Only say the command once. If they don’t come, follow through with a tug on the leash until they come to you. It is important that they come right to your feet. Finish the recall with a nice sit and the dog looking at you. Reward them with a toy or treat and lots of praise. We have to make it worth it to the dog to come to us. Have an energetic way of calling your dog’s name to you. Keep it positive. Why would a dog want to come to their handler if they are consistently being yelled at to come?

The “Leave It”/”Drop It” Commands

Another very important command to teach your hunting dog is “Leave It” and “Drop It”. Work with a trainer to help move your dog through the stages of escalation as they pursue a moving target. The dog should be able to leave or drop the lure while they are excited. This can come in handy when your dog is pursuing a skunk!

Some ideas your pet hunting dog can do to fulfill the instinct to hunt without actually hunting:

* train your dog to have a reliable, consistent recall

* Contact the American Kennel Club , NSTRA (National Shoot to Retrieve Association) or a local hunting club to attend hunting breed specific training and trials

* take them for a “sniffari” (walking on a long leash in the woods)

* play hide and seek with your dog

* set up a scent trail of hidden treats or a squirt bottle trail of pureed meat and have your dog follow the trail

* invest in a flirt pole designed to have dogs chase, catch and release a toy lure at the end of the pole (advisable to work with a trainer)

* bury a valuable treat or bone for your dog after they have chewed on it and watch them find it and dig it out (great for hunting breeds known to dig out small prey from their burrow)

* enroll in obedience classes for mental and physical stimulation throughout the dog’s lifetime

* attend pack walks in wooded areas that also do obedience skills with the pack

So many different hunting dogs make great family pets. As I mentioned in my previous podcast, it is important to know the characteristics of the breed you wish to have as a family member so that you can genetically fulfill their needs. We all can get in a rut and get lazy with our dogs. You will notice a difference in their behavior when you drain their energy with one of the many ideas mentioned above. They will be more calm and obedient. Make a commitment to your dog to walk them daily to drain their pent up energy. Do some research on the breed, join a breed specific club, and most of all, have fun with your dog!

Have you ever been petting your dog and suddenly felt something — a lump, a bump, something that wasn’t there before? My returning guest, Dr. Randy Hutchison of Animal Clinic Northview, walks us through exactly what to do when that happens. From simple fatty lipomas to cancer diagnosis and cutting-edge immunotherapy treatments — this episode covers it all.

Improvements continue to be made in the rehabilitation department. Not all injuries require surgery. Animal Clinic Northview has a new and expanding rehab facility. Dr. Grace Schmeiser oversees canine patients in need of rehabilitation from arthritis discomfort, sports injuries and surgeries. Many different therapies are offered: acupuncture, shock wave therapy, laser therapy, and massages.

Dr. Randy also shares with us some new capabilities which improve the overall recovery process for canine patients. Animal Clinic Northview has equipped their ICU unit with central lines - an advanced way to administer medications quickly. They also reduce the stress and pain by allowing multiple treatments and drawing blood samples through one port.

Another improvement to the ICU is the addition of high flow oxygen. This provides more direct oxygen flow to canine patients via nasal cannulas who may be in respiratory distress. Oxygen can be delivered via these cannulas before, during, and after surgery. Patients can also receive oxygen via their state- of-the-art environmentally controlled Snyder oxygen cages. Recently, Dr. Randy shares with us how the high oxygen flow process aided in ensuring that a bulldog who came in for airway surgery received the appropriate amount of oxygen. He believes this accelerates the recovery process and promotes a swift recuperation.

Animal Clinic Northview employs a full time doctor, or hospitalist, whose sole responsibility is to oversee the ICU and make sure it runs efficiently. The ICU can accommodate up to 40 patients. This relieves the 34 veterinarians in the practice of checking in whenever they have a spare moment to visit their critically ill patients while also maintaining a heavy client workload. Having a hospitalist on duty is an excellent way to give the patients the attention they need. They also rely on the staff dedicated to working and assisting with cases that are admitted to the ICU. Dr. Randy says “From the technicians to the assistants to the kennel staff - they are really the heroes. They’re the ones that are in it minute by minute, hour by hour, taking care of these patients.”

Vets are expected to be jack of all trades. This can be very challenging. However, Dr. Randy’s staff has the freedom to choose what they would like to specialize in. He always tells his new doctors they are allowed “five No’s”. It is important to know the types of cases they are uncomfortable with and leave them to other vets who want to be treating them. He wants them to choose what they are passionate about so they become very good at what they do. This allows Dr. Randy to direct specific issues to vets who see these types of cases often.

“It’s all about putting patients in the hands that are most likely to give them a chance to help them.” - Dr. Randy

One common reason to bring your dog in for a checkup is when you notice a lump or bump. You may notice a lump while petting your dog. You may see it when they roll over. The lump could be as innocuous as a wart, a skin tag, or the result of an allergic reaction. Others could be a fatty lipoma, a sebaceous cyst or a mass. Some dogs have a predisposition to forming lumps and bumps. Certain breeds are prone to them. However, every dog is susceptible. Dr. Randy always recommends bringing the dog in to get it checked out.

Sometimes, groomers find lumps that the owner never saw or felt. Lumps can be in hard to see areas and places you don’t typically touch. For example, a groomer will feel inside a back leg while they are combing the dog’s fur or they have to shave the rear end and a lump is discovered. In my podcast about grooming, Sharyn Ugan has found lumps on dogs that the pet parents had no idea were there.

When Dr. Randy is assessing a lump or bump, he typically manipulates it with his fingers. He can feel if it is hard or soft. The dog usually does not seem to be in any discomfort. The texture and the look of the lump does not indicate whether it is benign or malignant. In fact, he has learned over the years - never assume anything.

Screening is necessary to determine exactly what the lump is. It is done with a fine needle aspirate of the lump. A needle is injected into it to draw a sample of cellular material. This is transferred onto a slide to be examined and will reveal two things immediately: whether it is benign or malignant.

The cells in the sample may be benign cystic junk aspirated from a sebaceous cyst. These lumps can fill up with cystic debris so much that they can burst. This can be painful for the dog. Once it bursts, the process of forming and filling up can resume as long as the lining inside them keeps secreting the debris. Surgical removal of the entire cyst, including the lining, may be recommended.

Another type of benign lumps are fatty lipomas. They have clear fatty cells inside them with no cellular makeup. They can grow to be huge and located in cumbersome spots on a dog’s body. In both of these types of lumps, the pet parent is advised to keep a watchful eye on them. If they change color or size quickly, it should be checked out as soon as possible.

Depending on the location and the size of the lump, surgery may be recommended. For example, if the fatty lipoma is located on the dog’s side and it bothers them when they lay down, then the pet parent may want to remove it. Dr. Randy has experienced the pet parent initially deciding not to surgically remove a decent sized lipoma, but then later changed their mind. After the removal of the lipoma, they noticed their dog moving around more freely and even acting a lot happier.

Dr. Randy and his staff are accustomed to looking at certain cells from the different types of lumps mentioned above. It’s when abnormal cells make an appearance that require the expertise of a pathologist. Animal Clinic Northview is equipped with one of Dr. Randy’s favorite instruments called a digital cytology unit. This instrument scans the slide of cellular material collected from a lump and sends it to a pathologist somewhere in the world. They will get results within hours! Before the digital cytology unit was available, results were sent to a laboratory somewhere in the U.S. and results were not available for days. The expediency of the digital cytology unit results provide comfort to the pet parents so they can start making decisions that are best for their dog.

When talking about lumps that may be malignant, it is important to understand the difference between what a cytology is and what a biopsy is. A cytology is squirting material from a lump on to a slide and determining what type of cells are present. It may not tell the doctor everything, but it may provide some clues as to what it is. If it is viewed by a pathologist who determines there are some cells that have changed, then a biopsy will be recommended. This is when the lump is surgically removed and the whole mass is sent out for pathology.

Sometimes the lump is from a family of tumors called a sarcoma. One of the characteristics of a sarcoma is they like to adhere to muscles, nerves or bones, making them very difficult to remove. They are not necessarily aggressive, but they are invasive. The decision to remove some of the sarcoma, or to possibly have to remove a limb affected by it, is a difficult one to make. It is essential to have all the facts in place so that the best decision can be made. Sometimes CT scans or ultrasounds reveal that the removal of the tumor is not advisable due to the location and what it is attached to. Dr. Randy has to have an open and honest discussion with the client as to what will be the next course of action.

As in human medicine, cancer has become an increasingly prevalent occurrence. Over the years, Dr. Randy has seen a rise not only with cancer in dogs, but also cancer in younger dogs.

“Cancer is not an old age problem”. - Dr. Randy

Dr. Randy often gets asked by clients looking for puppies if he can recommend a breed that won’t get cancer. There is breed disposition, especially in Golden Retrievers, Boxers and giant breed dogs. In fact, when Dr. Randy was in vet school, he would go to a park and watch the different breeds go by. When he would see certain breeds, he would come up with 3-5 diseases they were prone to get. However, all breeds have the possibility of getting cancer. He advises the clients to get the dog that fits their lifestyle instead of basing their decision on a hypothetical.

If all of the tests come back positive for cancer, then the decision will now be to treat it medically or surgically. Another option is to not treat the cancer and instead provide comfort to the dog through pain medications and other therapies. Treating cancer in dogs medically means to treat the patient with traditional modalities such as chemotherapy or radiation. Animal Clinic Northview does not have radiation equipment. If the client wishes to choose this option, university teaching hospitals or specialized veterinary oncology centers provide this treatment.

One thing Dr. Randy wants his clients to keep in mind when faced with this difficult decision is how to provide the best quality of life. His ultimate desire is to find the best treatment that allows the dog to still run and play and be a happy dog, even with the diagnosis of cancer. In human cancer diagnoses, the goal is to cure the cancer. As much as veterinary medicine would like that goal to be the same, most veterinarians agree they are giving the dog the best quality of life possible. Even though Dr. Randy believes dogs do better with chemo treatments than humans do, there are still side effects. This is due to dosages not being as strong and the frequency of treatments may be more spread out than those for humans.

The most common cancer Dr. Randy treats with chemotherapy is lymphoma. He will see dogs with big lymph nodes under their jaw, shoulder, or knee. The most common protocol for this type of cancer is the Wisconsin Protocol, often called CHOP. This determines the type of drugs, a schedule of frequency, and the amount of medicines the dog will receive. All of this is adjusted based on the side effects the dog may experience.

Another option to treating lymphoma besides the Wisconsin Protocol is two recent drugs available on the market. Scientists have conducted so much research in ways to combat canine lymphoma by identifying specific cells to target that are essential for fighting infection. They can also suppress the immune system’s response to cancer which can ultimately kill cancer cells and slow down the spread of them.

Tanovea is a drug to treat canine lymphoma. It is commonly recommended when the lymphoma has relapsed using standard protocols. It is an injection that is scheduled according to the veterinarian’s advice. Another drug is called Laverdia. It is administered in a convenient pill form which can be given at home. It is not chemotherapy, but works with the immune system to inhibit a specific protein, and ultimately prevents the spread of the cancer cells.

Dr. Randy believes that immunotherapies are the new age cancer therapy and will continue to improve. There already are immunotherapy drugs to successfully treat melanoma. One can hope that more solutions will be invented and approved to help our canine companions fight the increasing threat of this deadly disease.

In conclusion, don’t assume — get it checked. A simple fine needle aspirate can give you answers fast, and catching something early can make all the difference. If this episode helped you, share it with a fellow dog parent.

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It’s springtime and that means allergy season is in full swing! The emergence of budding leaves and flowers can cause great distress to humans and dogs alike. Whereas humans tend to have runny eyes and noses with a tickle in their throat, allergies tend to manifest differently in dogs. It is common for dogs to start itching, sometimes constantly, leaving them with abrasions, and feeling downright miserable. We’ll cover how to recognize the signs, what’s changed in treatment options, and the latest immunotherapy breakthroughs that are giving dogs real relief without the side effects of old-school steroids. My guest, Dr. Randy Hutchison has some solutions for allergy sufferers that can provide relief almost immediately.

The most common allergic reaction in dogs

Allergic reactions can be caused by the environment, fleas, or food allergies. The most common reaction to all of these culprits is itching. Dr. Randy states that the location of the itching is a good indicator as to what the cause is. For example, itching from flea bites caused by the saliva in fleas, is mostly found at the base of the tail. Dogs will tie themselves into pretzels to try to reach that area. You will notice they will try to bite back there with their little incisor teeth.

When dogs lick their feet a lot or itch their nose, face, and lower legs, this usually indicates something in their environment. In springtime, pollen from budding trees falls on the grass they walk and lay in. In the fall, there are certain weeds and molds on leaves. All of these outdoor elements can cause allergic reactions. Dr. Randy can almost predict to the day when clients will bring their dogs in because they started itching a lot. Once a dog has allergies, they almost always will for the rest of their life.

Allergic reactions don’t form after the initial exposure to an irritant. In fact, Dr. Randy says if a puppy comes in for an appointment due to itching, he can start a history of the dates of the itching, but can rule out allergies as a probable cause. It takes over a year or two of exposure to an irritant for the body to react. As time goes on, the length of the allergic reaction will be longer and more pronounced.

Reverse Sneezing

Another reaction that can be caused by allergies is reverse sneezing. This is when your dog rapidly inhales air through their nose creating a honking sound. It can be triggered by excitement, prolonged tension on their collar, or allergies. It quickly subsides and the dog returns to normal breathing. The first time I experienced this with my dog Hank, I thought he was choking and couldn’t breathe and was having some kind of seizure. It was frightening to say the least.

Symptoms of food allergies

Food allergies are similar to seasonal allergies. Dogs can be allergic to certain foods, most commonly, certain proteins. They can cause dogs to itch all over their body and lick their paws. I have seen dogs’ paws that have turned raw and become a rust color because they have been licked so much. There are a lot of additives in dog food that their bodies have difficulty digesting and ultimately causing an allergic reaction. I have seen the itching subside after changing the protein source from chicken to turkey or other proteins. Prescription dog foods that hydrolyze the protein for easier digestion and relief from allergic reactions can be recommended by your vet. I will be discussing this further in a future episode concerning nutrition.

Allergy Testing and Shots

Allergy shots are available which involve injecting small amounts of specific allergens to build up tolerance. Dr. Randy states that if a client chooses this option, they have to commit to a long term plan. This is not a quick fix.

Allergy testing through blood samples and intradermal skin testing are also available. This can be costly and intradermal testing can be invasive, requiring mild sedation. This is usually done when immunotherapy drugs and protein elimination have failed. Specific blood panels can be ordered to pinpoint the irritant causing the reactions. It will test for approximately 60 different environmental factors and will identify food allergens as well. However, testing for food allergies does not yield as reliable results as environmental influences do. This type of testing and allergy shots used to be very popular before immunotherapy drugs were available.

Immunotherapy Drugs to Alleviate Allergic Reactions

The biggest advancement in veterinary medicine over the past five to ten years is immunotherapy treatments. Before then, when dogs and cats had allergic reactions, the only option was to prescribe steroids or antihistamines. Most of the time, they would stop the itching, but the side effects prevented them from being used long term. Antihistamines do not get absorbed to the level they need to be to become effective. Nowadays, two immunotherapy drugs are commonly prescribed for allergies: Apoquel and Cytopoint. They have revolutionized allergy treatment. However, certain cases still require administering steroids. Prescribing them has dramatically dropped with the introduction of immunotherapy drugs.

Apoquel is not an allergy pill. It is not a steroid or an antihistamine. It is an immunotherapy drug. It inhibits the attachment of specific molecules to receptors that trigger an itching and inflammatory response. According to Dr. Randy, it is very effective and can be prescribed to dogs 12 months and older. It can work almost immediately with little to no side effects. In fact, if it doesn’t work within approximately 48 hours, a different option will have to be explored. A higher dosage is not an option. Apoquel has also worked to relieve allergic reactions to food and proteins.

There is a misconception about Apoquel that it can cause cancer. Dr. Randy debunks this myth. Since Apoquel is an immunotherapy drug and suppresses the immune system in a particular way, it is not recommended for dogs who have been diagnosed with cancer. Their bodies need all the help they can get to fight cancer cells.

Cytopoint is an injection that is effective in eliminating the itching response and can last up to two months. Both Apoquel and Cytopoint can be stopped and started at any time that is recommended by your veterinarian. Cytopoint is different than Apoquel in that it targets a specific protein that is responsible for sending signals to the brain to stop the itching. Due to the difference in how these two immunotherapy drugs work, Cytopoint can be given to dogs diagnosed with cancer and to those with compromised immune systems.

A key takeaway when calculating the possibility to prescribe either Apoquel or Cytopoint is to ascertain the reasons for using them. It is essential to determine the root cause of the itching. Both of these drugs are very effective but costly to pet parents. Dr. Randy likes to be sure that he prescribes them for the right reasons. He believes that immunotherapy is the wave of the future for treating not just allergies, but also for treating other common conditions he sees in dogs and cats.

My dog’s history of allergic reactions

It took me a few years to realize that my Leonberger, Ebi, was allergic to something in the environment in the fall. One August, I was visiting my parents in Rochester, New York. I had been warned that pesticides had been applied to the grass in their townhouse community to kill crab grass. By the time I got back home to Cleveland, Ebi was itching almost constantly. In a few days, she stopped. I never went to the vet because it started to subside quickly. I thought maybe she had a reaction to the pesticide used to kill the crab grass.

The following year, around the same time of year, Ebi started itching again. This time it lasted longer. I noticed abrasions and scabs on her sides and belly when she would lay on her back. It went away in about a week to 10 days. I did not go to the vet this time either. Then, around the same time of year as before, I went to Rochester again and Ebi started itching so much that she could barely sleep (neither could I). I finally started to believe that she was allergic to something in Rochester. By the time I got back home, the itching subsided, but it lasted longer.

I didn’t want to put Ebi through that ever again! So, as soon as she started itching the following August or September, I took her to Dr. Randy and told him my story. He gave her a Cytopoint injection which stopped the itching almost immediately.

Just last year, I tried a supplement for seasonal allergies around mid-August until the end of September. That worked! However, I am noticing for the first time, Ebi is itching a little more than usual this spring. She is now 8 years old with an 8 year old immune system that doesn’t work as efficiently as it used to. Dr. Randy says that dogs can have allergies year round. Once they manifest symptoms, they can last longer each time. It is very rare to see dogs or cats become less allergic to things over time.

Arthritis in Dogs

Just as humans suffer from arthritis typically in their senior years, so do dogs. Arthritis in general is referred to as osteoarthritis or OA. A type of arthritis that is familiar to most of us dog lovers is hip dysplasia. This is when the ball and socket of the hip joint does not form a tight fit with enough cushion around it. Instead of rotating smoothly with movement, it is more of a pounding bone on bone action causing discomfort and inflammation.

Osteoarthritis can be caused by the following:

* Hereditary factors - large and giant breeds are more susceptible

* Strenuous exercise - repetitive jumping

* Excess weight

* Previous injury

* compensatory damage due to lessening the load on the affected joint

According to Dr. Randy, when dogs walk, they carry about 60% of their weight in the front and 40% in the back. Therefore, if a back leg or hip is hurting, more weight will be put on the front legs. Over time, this will contribute to the wear and tear on the front limbs, compounding the existing problem. As osteoarthritis progresses, the cartilage in the affected joint deteriorates causing inflammation and irritation. Pain management is critical to keeping the pain in check.

A way to confirm that a dog has arthritis is to take an x-ray. This can be a very challenging procedure that sometimes requires mild sedation. Not all dogs will lay on their side or back and be perfectly still for several seconds! Vet techs will try to keep the dog as calm and comfortable as possible. Dr. Randy believes this method of diagnosis is crucial in order to avoid prescribing medication for a condition that possibly does not exist. Certain conditions can get worse by adding incorrect treatments.

“Know what you are treating”. - Dr. Randy

Common myths that Dr. Randy hears about arthritis:

* glucosamine and chondroitin prevent arthritis

* walking your dog short distances will prevent arthritis

* arthritis can be cured

* it only affects older dogs

* a few extra pounds won’t affect the arthritis

* treating arthritis will prevent further degradation of the joints

* dogs should not exercise when diagnosed with arthritis

Osteoarthritis is a progressive, incurable disease that can affect young and old dogs alike. Treating arthritis with various medications and alternative medicine will help manage the pain associated with it. If the synovial fluid around the joint is lacking, and the cartilage is compromised, inflammation and pain will result. Therefore, managing the pain is crucial. This can be difficult to initially diagnose without x-rays since cats and dogs are good at masking their pain. However, if you notice your dog being reluctant to climb stairs, struggling to get up from lying down or being more lethargic than usual, this may indicate they are suffering from stiff, arthritic joints.

If pet parents suspect or just want to find out if their dog has arthritis, they can first seek the counsel of a veterinarian who can properly diagnose it through x-rays. One of the worst things pet parents can do is to stop taking the dog for walks and cease all activity. Regular activity like walking can strengthen the muscle around the affected joints, improve circulation around the arthritic area and nourish cartilage that exists.

It also helps maintain a healthy weight. Your veterinarian can tell you the ideal weight for your dog. You may have to start counting calories and measuring their daily food instead of just eyeballing it. A few extra pounds is more to carry around and puts more stress on the joints.

The good news is there are several options to keep your pooch comfortable:

* non-steroidal anti inflammatories such as Galliprant and Rimadyl

* immunotherapy drugs such as Librela for dogs and Solensia for cats

* alternative medicines such as acupuncture, laser therapy, water therapy, shockwave therapy, swimming, and massages

* platelet rich plasma (PRP)

* Arthramid - hydrogel injected directly into the joint

* All natural supplements including Omega-3, glucosamine and chondroitin, and MSM

When pet parents get a diagnosis before the arthritis has progressed too far, they can start managing the pain as needed with an anti inflammatory medicine. However, this is not for long term daily usage as they affect internal organs. As the arthritis progresses and noticeable symptoms appear, such as limping and favoring a particular side when lying down, an immunotherapy drug such as Librela will be recommended. This is administered by a veterinarian as a monthly shot. As with any drug, there can be possible side effects. Dr. Randy stresses the importance of confirming the diagnosis of arthritis before starting this type of treatment. The story below illustrates accurately how Dr. Randy handles arthritic dogs.

I can attest first hand to the effectiveness of Librela. Dr. Randy diagnosed my friends’ German Shepherd, Heidi, with arthritis - more specifically hip dysplasia. It was confirmed by an x-ray when she was young. It was nothing to be alarmed about, but something to keep an eye on.

Dr. Randy took another x-ray a couple years later to see if it progressed. There wasn’t a lot of difference in the hip dysplasia, which was good but later x-rays showed arthritis in various parts of her body. Heidi was able to continue her daily walks and had arranged play dates often with no noticeable discomfort.

Not until she was about 9 years old were her symptoms more obvious. She started hesitating walking up stairs, and then later injured her CCL (the equivalent of the ACL in humans). The injury was not bad enough to warrant surgery. In fact, she recovered after not being as active for a period of time. She did re-injure the same CCL and it took longer to recover. Her pet parents gave her anti-inflammatories to manage the pain.

Occasionally, I walk Heidi for my friends. I noticed the progression and how it seemed Heidi was struggling while walking. She was limping and panting from the stress and pain. That’s when Heidi’s pet parents took her back to see Dr. Randy. He suggested the Librela shot. From that point on, I notice when Heidi gets the shot, she walks more comfortably. When it is time for another monthly shot, she is more uncomfortable, so I won’t go as far as we usually do. Heidi started receiving laser treatments under the supervision of Dr. Grace Schmeiser. She was mentioned in an earlier podcast about the therapy programs offered at Animal Clinic Northview. I walked Heidi a few days ago and she lasted the entire walk like we usually do. She still limps a bit but seems to be in less pain.

Other types of therapy mentioned earlier that is offered at Animal Clinic Northview are swimming in a pool, underwater treadmill, laser therapy, shock wave therapy, and acupuncture. In addition to these modalities are supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin, Omega-3, and MSM. Please seek the guidance of your vet or a holistic vet. I am a certified herbalist and can advise on correct dosages.

A more up-to-date way to treat arthritis is Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP. This is when blood is drawn from the dog, is centrifuged, and then injected back into the affected joint. The purpose is to reduce inflammation which helps manage the pain, improve joint mobility, and accelerate healing for injured ligaments. It is a safe alternative to medications and steroids. Your veterinarian can discuss with you if this is a good option for your dog.

Arthramid is another option for treating arthritis. It is a hydrogel that can restore the elasticity of the synovial fluid and can provide relief for up to 2 years. Again, your veterinarian will determine if your dog is a good candidate to Arthramid.

The very last option for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia is hip replacement surgery. It is difficult to find doctors who specialize in this operation. Dr. Randy will refer these patients to The Ohio State School of Veterinary Medicine. As with any surgery, there are risks involved such as infection. The rehabilitation can be challenging for the dog and the pet parents. Some pet parents who find themselves in this predicament will choose alternative methods, immunotherapy drugs, and/or supplements instead.

I would like to personally thank Dr. Randy Hutchison for once again sharing his expertise and giving us a clearer picture of what our dogs are going through every allergy season. The big takeaways: know the signs — itchy feet, rubbing faces, reverse sneezing — and know that there are real, effective options beyond steroids, including Apoquel and Cytopoint.

Dr. Randy also shares his highly proficient knowledge on how to diagnose and treat arthritis in dogs. X-rays provide the concrete evidence of the prevalence of arthritis and where it is located. There are many options to treat arthritis depending on the location and severity of the symptoms. If your dog is struggling, don't wait — talk to your vet.

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The Italian Greyhound, or Piccolo Levriere, is one of the oldest dog breeds in the world. Drawings of sighthounds resembling the modern day Italian Greyhound are found on Pompeiian frescoes dating back 2000 years. They are also painted on ancient Egyptian artwork from roughly 6000 years ago. They were bred to hunt hare and rabbits, but were kept mostly as a companion dog. They were popular amongst European royalty, including Queen Victoria and King Louis XIV.

Today, Italian Greyhounds are enjoyed by thousands in the United States and around the world. They have been recognized by the American Kennel Club since 1886 and their popularity as a family pet has grown in the last five years. They are true sighthounds, but are very content with being lap dogs, provided they get enough daily exercise. Sighthounds use their keen sense of sight, speed, and strong prey drive to hunt down small animals. Please refer to my podcast with Gary Flynn where we talk about different hunting dog breeds.

Italian Greyhounds are the smallest member of the sighthound family weighing between 7 and 14 lbs. Sighthounds include well known breeds such as Greyhounds, Whippets, Afghan Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds and Salukis. All of these breeds have bodies that are built for speed with long slender legs and deep chests. The Greyhound is the fastest dog breed in the world reaching speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. The Italian Greyhound can reach up to 35 mph. They look like cheetahs running through the savanna. Whereas the Greyhound is faster than the Italian Greyhound, its endurance is not as great.

My guest, Cheryl Bendik, is a proud pet parent of two Italian Greyhounds, Mia and Luna. Cheryl was intrigued by the breed when she met two of them who belonged to her son’s girlfriend at the time. She kept wanting to borrow them until her son convinced her to get her own. Cheryl contacted a breeder but had to wait quite some time for one. In the meantime, Cheryl decided to adopt one. As fate would have it, as soon as she adopted Luna, Mia was born two weeks later! Luna is a Beagle/Italian Greyhound mix. Her most noticeable feature is her floppy Beagle ears, but she has the body of an Italian Greyhound. Mia and Luna are eight months apart and have a very close bond. When they were little, they both loved to run around and zip in and out of each other looking like a chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream cone.

Luna was placed in a kill shelter in Columbus by a family with small children. She was then transported up to Vermilion, Ohio where Cheryl adopted her. She had a scar on her head from a previous injury and was very fearful of children and small women with blond hair. She also did not like noisy toys. She still is leary of noisy toys and young children with erratic movements. She lost her fear of small blonde women later in life. Thank goodness Luna ended up in her forever home with Cheryl!

Luna has the temperament of an Italian Greyhound and the prey drive of a Beagle. Cheryl says Luna’s nose is always to the ground like a Beagle’s and has brought home several “presents” after a romp in the backyard. Chipmunks, baby rabbits and squirrels are her preference. One day, Luna emerged from the bushes with a 5 point deer antler in her mouth. Cheryl’s daughter thought Luna had killed a deer (an impossible feat!), but it was only an antler from a deer in rut (breeding season). Cheryl kept that antler as a fond memory.

Mia enjoys chasing after small animals like her pal Luna does. She likes to catch small critters and deposit them inside the house. She also likes to birdwatch as they fly around above her. When they were younger, Mia would go tell Cheryl in her own way that Luna had escaped. Luna was notorious for running away in pursuit of a squirrel, chipmunk or rabbit, expressing her true Beagle nature. Mia would guide Cheryl to Luna. The two of them would lay down and start howling the way Italian Greyhounds do and Luna would come running back.

Common nicknames for Italian Greyhounds are “Iggy” and “IG”. Cheryl advises prospective pet parents if you don’t want a dog next to you or behind you all the time, then an Italian Greyhound is not the breed for you. They are even referred to as “Velcro Dogs”. Their sweet, gentle and loving temperament makes it very easy to cuddle up with while enjoying a favorite book.

Italian Greyhounds require a lot of exercise. Cheryl has walked Mia and Luna daily in all kinds of weather since she brought them home. Even when Cheryl was recovering from meniscus surgery, she had family members walk “the girls”. All dogs require daily walks. For some breeds, if they don’t get their walk in, and an outlet is not provided to release pent up energy, they can go a little crazy. Italian Greyhounds would fit that description.

Caring for Italian Greyhounds is fairly easy. The biggest challenge pet parents need to watch for is leg injuries, as their dogs’ legs are very thin and prone to fractures. Pet parents must ensure their dogs don’t jump from excessive heights or run on slippery surfaces.

Mia and Luna are bigger than the average size for Italian Greyhounds but still have very low body fat. This combined with their short fur makes them sensitive to cold weather. In the video of the podcast, Cheryl shows the audience the flannel coats that include coverage on their legs and boots for their paws.

Grooming and hygiene are simple. Bathing is recommended only when absolutely necessary so as not to dry out the skin with frequent shampooing. Their nails grow quickly and need to be trimmed often to prevent joint strain on their thin legs. Also, Iggy’s are susceptible to dental disease. Daily brushing and professional cleanings are highly recommended.

About 10 years ago, Cheryl started volunteering for the Italian Greyhound Club of America (IGCA). She fostered a total of at least 5 dogs, but when COVID hit, the restrictions forbade people to visit one another. During this time, Cheryl could not have inquisitive dog lovers come to her home to check out the Italian Greyhounds she was fostering. So, she continued to volunteer by making phone calls to prospective adopters, screening them to ascertain if they were good future pet parents of an Italian Greyhound.

People frequently ask me if I know anyone who is looking for a dog. I never had any luck finding a forever home for anyone, until recently. One of my friends, Dan, called me saying that his friend’s daughter had a 3 month old Italian Greyhound who was just too much for her to handle at this point in her life. She couldn’t provide the exercise and care that was needed and thought it was best to find a better home for him.

I immediately thought of Cheryl in hopes that she could connect me to someone who could help. Instead, Cheryl contacted one of her friends whom she had found an Italian Greyhound for before, just to see if he was in the market for another one. Lo and behold, he was! Within hours, the deal was sealed and Vito was on his way to his forever home soon after.

Vito is co-shared by his pet parents and currently resides in two different households with two other Italian Greyhounds named Colby and Roo. They all get along very well. They play and cuddle with each other and their owners. On weekdays, Vito accompanies Keith to work where he has his own little bed. As difficult as it must have been for the original owner to surrender Vito, she can rest assured that he is getting the best care ever. As Cesar Millan always says, “Happy Dog, Happy Human, Happy World”. Who could ask for a better outcome?

Over the years, Cheryl occasionally has met other people with Italian Greyhounds while out in public. She would exchange phone numbers with them if they were interested in getting their dogs together with other Italian Greyhound owners. Through word of mouth and referrals, this group of 20 meets every other week for play dates. However, due to some health issues “the girls” have had lately, Cheryl hasn’t been able to attend the get togethers. Dog support groups like this one are a fun way to exchange information about the breed and have the dogs interact with one another. Most purebred breeds have clubs nearby where you can meet new people. I highly recommend joining one.

Mia and Luna are considered senior dogs at 13 and 14 years old, respectively. The average lifespan of an Italian Greyhound is between 13 and 15 years old. Just within the past few years, they both started experiencing health issues. Mia was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease(IBS) and Luna was diagnosed with cancer in her leg. As with humans, it’s no fun getting old!

Three years ago, Cheryl was noticing that Mia was frequently having diarrhea. Her vet put Mia on prednisone. She remained on that for 3-4 months, but they weren’t seeing the results they were hoping for. Mia was also losing weight. She was already thin to begin with, so losing weight was worrisome. The vet recommended Dr. Crandell, a board-certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist at MedVet in Akron, Ohio. He recommended that Mia start taking a chemotherapy drug called Chlorambucil to treat her IBS symptoms. The dosages have diminished as the years have passed but she will most likely have to remain on it for the rest of her life.

Cheryl has to be very careful what she feeds Mia. Due to her IBS condition, she can only eat a prescription diet where the protein in the food is hydrolyzed. This means that the protein is already broken down so that the dog’s immune system cannot recognize it. This prevents gastrointestinal issues. Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, and Purina all have prescription formulas that your vet can recommend. Cheryl has to alert pet parents not to give Mia any treats. She can only have her diet food as treats. She can also have some fruits and vegetables as treats or mixed in with her food.

Mia gets her bloodwork done every few months to make sure certain levels have not changed. So far, the results have been relatively the same but not enough to go off the chemo drug. Cheryl adds Vitamin B12 and a supplement for liver support called Denamarin to Mia’s food. She keeps a watchful eye on Mia for any changes in her eating habits, behavior, and overall health. She keeps in close touch with her vet to make sure she is enjoying a good quality of life while managing her IBS.

Luna has had her share of health issues in her senior years, the most notable one being her cancer diagnosis. As I mentioned before, Cheryl had meniscus surgery a year ago in April and had family members and friends walk Luna and Mia while she recovered. They would come back from the walk reporting that Luna didn’t want to walk and only wanted to go back home. They thought maybe the reason she didn’t want to walk was because she was separated from Cheryl. However, they also noticed that Luna’s leg was stiffening up. By the end of April, Cheryl noticed that Luna would hold her one leg up periodically and walk on the other three legs. Now Cheryl knew there was something not quite right and had to take action.

Cheryl took Luna to the vet. After the initial visit, Luna was prescribed muscle relaxers to see if that would help, but advised to return in a week. On the second visit, x-rays were taken, but did not reveal anything. The vet recommended to get an appointment with an internist. Cheryl already knew an internist because of Mia’s IBS issues. She returned to the same internist who ordered blood work to be done. Nothing was revealed in the bloodwork. So, he recommended physical therapy.

Cheryl made an appointment with Dr. Letosky at Avon Lake Animal Clinic. She is a veterinarian who specializes in Canine Rehabilitation. Dr. Letosky observed Luna and upon that initial assessment, deduced that Luna had cancer. This was confirmed through an ultrasound which showed her muscles in her left leg were crooked and had pockets of blood that were cancerous. Cheryl noticed that the stiffest area of Luna’s leg was between the knee and elbow joints, which is where the cancer had settled. Treatment options were discussed, but amputation was recommended.

In my May 5, 2026 podcast with Dr. Randy from Animal Clinic Northview, he shares with us the predicament pet parents face when their dog or cat is diagnosed with cancer. Depending on the cancer and where it is located determines the treatment. Chemotherapy, alternative therapies, and amputation are all available options presented to pet parents. Cheryl made the decision to have the leg amputated and Luna has been cancer free ever since.

Cheryl was advised to maintain a physical therapy routine for Luna for the remainder of her life. This is an easy task to fulfill since Cheryl religiously walks Mia and Luna daily. She just has to add hills to the walk to build up Luna’s muscles. In fact, the vet told Cheryl that Luna recovered so well from the amputation because she had walked her so much before the surgery. Her muscles were already strong which helped the recovery period.

Life as a ‘tripod’ has been manageable. Since Luna expends almost three times as much energy as a quadruped, she gets warmer and tired faster than most dogs. Cheryl now has a stroller for Luna for those situations. The stroller also came in handy while Luna recovered from recent eye surgery performed by Dr. Vogel at MedVet. She had a growth removed from her eyelid due to calcium deposits on her cornea. I recently overheard someone talking to Cheryl about Luna and the person was expressing concern and sadness for Luna’s condition. Cheryl had the perfect response, “ Don’t feel sorry for her, say ‘You go girl!’ instead”

Dogs are amazing for so many reasons. Cheryl, Mia and Luna are a loving, bonded trio who take what life throws at them with amazing and admirable coping skills. I believe that owning a dog isn’t always easy and fun. Along the way, obstacles and unexpected challenges can force us to make difficult decisions. How we respond to those moments ultimately reveals our character and the depth of our commitment to our dogs. Unfortunately, some of these decisions ultimately come down to finances. However, being unable to afford an operation is not necessarily a reflection of how deeply someone loves their dog.

Thanks for reading From A Dog’s Eye View! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Welcome to “From A Dog’s Eye View”. I’m your host Susan Coleman. Today I will be talking about a subject that overwhelms most pet parents - what to feed your dog or cat. As I am talking to you, I am sharing a power point presentation I prepared for my clients, created by Shih Ying-Fa.

This presentation will be divided into two separate podcasts. In part one, I will be sharing with you some history on how and when pet food started to be sold in stores, how it is processed, and what ingredients are mandated by the regulatory agency that oversees pet food manufacturers. In part two, which will be released in two weeks, I will help you make the best and most affordable decision on food for your dog or cat, which ingredients are healthy and which ones to avoid. I will also give you some suggestions and personal favorites, including what I feed my cat and dog.

I have to preface this presentation by disclosing that I am not a veterinarian or a certified pet nutrition specialist. However, I am a certified herbalist and can suggest herbs/supplements for various health conditions or for just maintaining optimal health.

While I was conducting my research (which is an ongoing process) about pet nutrition, it propelled me to research human food. I started looking at ingredients of the everyday food I was consuming and was shocked. I thought I was eating healthy, but I wasn’t. I took a class from a naturopath about how what we expose ourselves to, can directly affect our health. I learned about ways to use food and supplements as medicine and as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. I will share the supplements I currently give my cat and dog in part two of this presentation.

I recommend consulting a holistic or integrative veterinarian for professional advice when considering making any changes to your pet’s diet. It is wise to make sure your pet is in good health before making any drastic changes such as introducing new and/or raw food. I will briefly discuss the benefits of raw food and when and how to make that switch over. I will also provide names and contact info of two holistic vets in the Cleveland area. I have contacted both of them expressing my interest in having them as a guest, so hopefully in the near future I will be able to share their expertise.

So, let’s get started.

How To Select the Best Food For Your Pet and Why It is So Important

With so many dog and cat food brands available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. When talking about pet food, I feel it is important to make people aware of the following:

* the evolution of the dry food many of us feed our pets

* the regulatory commission that overseas the pet food manufacturers

* how a dog and cat’s anatomy determines what they should consume

* ingredients to avoid

* ingredients that are beneficial

My Mission

My goal is to increase your awareness of the importance of making healthy food choices for your pet so that they can not only live, but also thrive on the food you give them.

My Motivation

My presentation also addresses some cat nutrition since it was due to my cats and dog at the time that propelled me to research this broad and confusing subject. I had four cats (one is not pictured) and a dog who were all having symptoms. My cats were throwing up frequently and one of them was actually pulling out his fur because he itched so much. My dog, Hank the Corgi, would have intermittent bouts of throwing up bile and sometimes undigested kibble. Hank also would have diarrhea that didn’t even resemble diarrhea. I was getting very tired of picking up puke!

When and Why I Changed What I Feed My Pets

Every one of my pets were tested by a veterinarian for parasites and several health conditions that could cause some of these symptoms. They were all under 5 years old and every single test came back clear and free of disease. I was beginning to think that these symptoms were normal. I asked if it was food related, but I never got a definitive answer.

It was around this time, in 2016, that I started working at Petco as a dog trainer. The first question I asked the manager was “With all of the food in this store, what is the best food for my dog and cats?” The manager directed me to the aisle where the highest quality (supposedly) of food was. I tried one on Hank and within days, he had the absolute worst gas you could imagine. I know some of you listening can relate to this! There was something in that food that did not agree with Hank. This doesn’t mean that every dog who consumes that brand of food will have gas. It just means that it didn’t agree with my dog.

My life was about to change as far as what I would ultimately feed my cats and dog. There was a mandatory meeting for all of us Petco employees.with a rep from Bil-Jac dog food. The rep started describing symptoms that dogs can have that may be related to the food they eat. He asked if anyone was experiencing these symptoms with their dog. I immediately raised my hand and told the rep he was describing my dog Hank’s symptoms to the “T”.

The rep gave us some samples of food and told us that Bil-Jac is one of the rare baked dog foods on the market that you don’t have to take 10 days to transition your dog to. It is due to the lower temperature the food is baked as compared to the standard kibble most pet parents feed their dogs. You can start feeding your dog Bil-Jac dog food for their next meal and they won’t have any stomach upsets. I was too nervous to transition immediately. Instead, Hank was switched over to Big-Jac within 3 days. All of his symptoms disappeared! I must emphasize that I am referring to Bil-Jac dog food sold in a bag, not the frozen kind.

After seeing how Hank improved, it confirmed to me that there was something in the food that did not agree with him. I just couldn’t believe that dog and cat food manufacturers would put ingredients in their food that pets can’t even digest! Why don’t they have the pets well-being in mind when formulating the recipe? Hence, my extensive research and discoveries that I am sharing with you.

It got me thinking that maybe there are things in human food that make us not feel well too. I decided to get an appointment with a naturopath right down the street from me named Dr. Jane Semple. I thought I was eating healthy, but Dr. Semple recommended I start keeping track of the food I typically ate and to look up the sugar content of every item. I was shocked! It was about 3 times the daily amount one should have.

I was convinced that food really does matter. If I noticed my dog’s symptoms clearing up and even my own symptoms, there is something to say about “We are what we eat”. My mistake was trusting that food manufacturers prioritize our health and well-being over profit.

Since then, I believe pet parents can always feed their dog or cat something better than what they are conveniently giving them. It can never hurt. Real food is better than processed food. However, homemade diets need professional supervision. A lack in vitamins and minerals can cause serious health issues if you don’t know exactly what you are doing.

In part two, I will provide resources to help guide you if you decide to transition your pet to a healthier diet. I will also share with you what I currently give my dog and cat. They are both in very good health in their senior years. We all want our pets around a lot longer than their life expectancy. If feeding them healthier food makes that possible, then why not make some changes now?

The symptoms listed on this next slide and below can be attributed to underlying health conditions that are not necessarily due to dietary reasons. This is why it is highly recommended to be under the care of a veterinarian. Please refer to the podcast with Dr. Randy from Animal Clinic Northview dated May 19, 2026, “Allergies and Arthritis”. Not all allergies are food related. There can be a hereditary and/or environmental factor. Your vet can help identify the root and possible remedies. Regardless of the root of the symptoms your pet is having, it is always a good thing to give them the best food possible.

Symptoms of Food Sensitivities/Inflammation

* Itchy, flaky skin - you can see dandruff in their fur/indicates dry skin due to difficulty digesting certain ingredients in food and/or lack of healthy fats

* Hot spots - areas that have been itched so much they form sores

* Loose stools - formed but not firm or just downright mushy

* Gurgling stomach sounds - sometimes accompanied by vomiting or loose stools

* Vomiting - sometimes blown up kibble, digested food, or bile

* Gas - silent but deadly!

* Ear infections - can be caused by floppy ears that don’t get aired out/too many carbs in diet

* Eye discharge - difficulty digesting certain ingredients in food or quality of water

* Sneezing fits - same as eye discharge

* Lackluster fur (matted fur, pulling fur out) - does not shine/coarse

* “Frito” paws - pads of paws smell like fritos/yeast overgrowth

* Halitosis/gingivitis and other dental issues - can indicate dysbiosis of gut bacteria

* Stiff, arthritic joints - certain foods can cause inflammation of the joints like unhealthy fats

* Lack of energy - lack of healthy nutrition affects energy level

History of the Pet Food Industry

To fully understand the importance of selecting the appropriate food for your pet, it is helpful to explore the history of how pet food came into being, and how we transitioned from feeding table scraps to relying on commercially produced pet food sold in stores. We have to remember that pet ownership prior to World War II was utilitarian, meaning dogs had jobs to do on the farm and cats were used to keep mice out of the barns. Pets primarily lived outdoors and were given leftover table scraps and some canned foods. During WWII, tin and metal were rationed which severely impacted the canned food industry. This became an impetus for developing dry dog and cat food that I will be referring to as kibble.

Manufacturers partnered with cereal makers who had already invented shelf stable food. This was the optimal collaboration for pet food manufacturers to eventually mass produce kibble and meet the demand of the growing population of pet owners.

Soon after the war, during the late 40s and early 50s, people and their pets started to migrate to the suburbs and pet ownership started to increase. The demand for more convenient ways to feed their pets was also increasing. It is very easy to open a bag of dog or cat food and pour it into a dish for our pets. As I will be demonstrating in this presentation, convenience isn’t always the answer to a long and healthy life.

The Pet Food Industry

Today, the pet food industry is a booming business. Since 1994, sales have increased $2 to $3 billion dollars each year. As of 2025, $69.3 billion were spent on pets, of which 1/3 of it was spent on food. Of course, pet food manufacturers want to get on the band wagon to profit from this ever growing business. This means cutting corners on the cost of certain ingredients to increase profit. These shortcuts do not necessarily keep your pet’s health in mind. Certain ingredients, additives, and the process of making kibble drastically reduce the nutritional benefits. I will be detailing ingredients to avoid in part two of this podcast so that you can make the best decisions when choosing pet food.

After the war, the rendering process was developed. This is when by-products from the human food industry is recycled and used for other things. Pet food manufacturers take advantage of these products. They are cheap and readily available. Remember: these are not human grade ingredients. They are rejects from the human food supply. If the food is so contaminated, we have to trust that the USDA will regulate the manufacturers to destroy it. Otherwise, it can be used for pet food. This may include meat that doesn’t meet aesthetic standards, or internal organs or other parts that normally are not used for human food. You don’t quite know what your pet is eating. I highly recommend human grade food for this reason.

If you don’t recognize an ingredient on the label, there’s a good chance it’s not something your pet should be eating.

Understanding the Kibble Manufacturing Process

The process of creating a kibble by mixing ingredients together and forcing it through an extruder to form the kibble shape is called extrusion. A picture of an extruder is on this slide in the powerpoint presentation. The kibble is then baked at least at 400 degrees. There are several problems with extruded kibble, such as:

* mixing all the ingredients into a dough like substance makes it easier to disguise its quality.

* starch must be added so the kibble retains its shape. Starch makes the kibble harder to digest.

* fatty acids are added after the baking process in order to preserve the integrity of the fats. Kibble becomes rancid because of the added sprayed on fat within 3 weeks, if not properly stored.

* baking the kibble at such a high temperature decreases the nutritional benefits of essential vitamins and minerals.

* moisture levels required for healthy pets are very low. This is especially important in regards to cats.

Who Regulates the Pet Food Industry?

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is the pet food regulator for the sale and distribution of pet food and drugs. It is separate from the FDA and USDA. It is a non-profit organization that establishes the nutritional standards, ingredient definitions, and labeling guidelines for pet and animal feed in the United States. Its members consist of local, state and federal regulatory officials, and even some veterinarians. It does not test, approve, certify, or regulate the food itself.

On every package of dog and cat food, you will find listed:

* Ingredients

* Guaranteed Analysis - the breakdown in percentages of protein, fat, fiber, moisture, and sometimes taurine (a non-essential amino acid).

* Calorie content

* A statement that it is AAFCO approved

* Recommended serving size according to weight

The AAFCO does not require a standard for the types of ingredients that the manufacturers can and cannot put in their food. In fact, if an ingredient’s quantity is less than 2% of the total ingredients, it is not obligated to list that as an ingredient. In other words, your cat or dog may have a reaction to a particular brand of dog food, but not another one with the same ingredients. It is possible that an ingredient which is 2% or less is causing the symptoms. The vet may even recommend changing foods. Veterinarians can conduct an extensive allergy test concentrating on different proteins. This is what commonly causes allergic reactions.

Dietary Requirement Differences Between Humans, Dogs, and Cats

Humans are omnivores. This means we consume a variety of food from both animals and plants. We get our nutrients from protein, carbohydrates, fiber, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water. Most of us get our food from the grocery store where everything is packaged and sold to us. We have to make decisions on how much and what we consume. Dogs and cats depend on us to make those decisions. There are some very picky cats and dogs, but in my experience, most dogs eat anything! Cats are the ones that are more picky.

Dogs are scavenging carnivores. If left to fend for themselves in the outside world, they would hunt and eat mostly fish and animals. However, they also can manage to digest and derive nutrition from plant material. They can consume a vet recommended vegetarian diet in order to resolve some kind of health issue, but this should only be temporary. In addition to deriving their protein primarily from meat for their protein requirement, they also require fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins and water. They will also feed on dead carcasses.

Cats are obligate carnivores. This means that their main source of protein must be from meat or fish. They lack the necessary enzymes to digest carbohydrates. I tried giving my cats a teaspoon of a ground up homemade cooked veggie mix and they threw it up. Remember, the last thing I wanted to do was feed them something that would make them vomit! Cats require fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and water. They will not eat dead animals unless they are freshly killed.

Species Appropriate Diet for Dogs and Cats

Now that you know some of the dietary requirements of dogs and cats, I’m going to break down and demonstrate the differences in kibble and fresh food appropriate for their species. Ideally, their diet should be high in moisture and protein, moderate in healthy fats, and low in carbohydrates. The ancestral diet is composed of:

* 49% protein

* 44% fat

* 6% carbohydrates

* roughly 2-5% crude fiber (to be determined by a veterinarian/holistic vet)

* water - measured in ounces to equal approximately one ounce for every two pounds of your cat/dog’s body weight; for example: a 20lb. dog requires at least 10 ounces of water depending on the activity level.

Processed dry kibble consists roughly of:

* 25% protein

* 32% fat

* 43% carbohydrates

* barely 10% moisture ( this is very important when referring to cats)

As you can see, the vast differences between the ancestral diet and kibble is staggering. By eating processed kibble, dogs and cats are lacking in both protein and fat and consuming excessive amounts of carbohydrates. In my opinion, this substantial gap in what is biologically required for dogs and cats and what is found in the majority of kibble, is the cause for a variety of health issues. The same thing can be said for the disparity in human consumption of protein, fat, fiber, carbs, and water and what is recommended. We will experience health issues if we consume too many carbs. Even lack of water consumption will cause us to have symptoms. Our bodies are designed to consume certain amounts of each essential food source just like cats’ and dogs’ bodies. When we consume too much or not enough of one of these sources, we experience some kind of symptom.

Proteins

To break down the ancestral diet of cats and dogs, it is beneficial for you to know why protein, fat and carbohydrates contribute to the optimal health of your pet. Starting with proteins, they are the foundation of a carnivore’s diet. They are an integral part of every cell in the body. Proteins are necessary for the formation of cells, enzymes, hormones, ligaments, tendons, organs and protective tissue. They manufacture amino acids which are necessary for proper cell functioning. However, some essential amino acids still need to be added to a carnivore’s diet. For example, cats do not make taurine, but need it to live. Food manufacturers must add it to the food and must be supplemented if it is homemade.

Healthy Proteins for Dogs

According to your budget, the best proteins are grass-fed beef, meats with no antibiotics applied to the animal, wild caught instead of farm raised seafood, organic and cage free eggs. I go as far as to try giving my pets the highest quality meats that I can afford because whatever the animal feeds on is being consumed indirectly by us. Livestock consuming corn, wheat and soy, which are crops that are heavily doused with pesticides, can be harmful to living beings. For more information on this subject, please refer to The Center for Food Safety and research Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). Good sources of protein are as follows:

* grass-fed beef

* Chicken*

* Lamb*

* Turkey*

* Sardines

* Wild caught Alaskan salmon

* Eggs*

* Nuts and seeds - almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. NO macadamia nuts or peanuts.

*should be organic, cage free and antibiotic free meats and eggs

Proteins to Avoid

Just as with humans, certain ingredients can trigger negative immune responses in dogs and cats too. I recommend avoiding them all together. This way, it helps eliminate the root of particular symptoms your dog or cat may be having. These questionable ingredients are as follows:

* Dairy - many dogs are lactose intolerant due to not producing enough lactase to break down the lactose.

* Soy - a common food causing symptoms listed above due to its phytoestrogens which can disrupt hormone balance.

* Beans - legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, navy beans, peas, peanuts. Dogs and cats lack the proper enzyme to break them down

* Wheat - a common ingredient causing symptoms listed above due to an allergy or intolerance.

Two proteins that are debatable are yogurt and peanut butter. I prefer alternatives such as dairy free yogurt (made by Silk) and almond butter. I also give my pets a daily probiotic supplement which has a variety of bacteria in it instead of just the main one that is found in most yogurt brands - lactobacillus acidophilus. This way it is easier to avoid any possible symptoms from developing.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are organic compounds found in both foods and tissues. When we speak of carbohydrates or carbs, we think of sugars. Starches are also considered carbs which turn into sugar. This is important when looking for pet food with few carbs. As I mentioned before, only 6% of a dog’s diet should be carbs. Not that many people realize that in the Guaranteed Analysis in your box or bag of dog or cat food, there is no category of carbohydrates. If you add up the protein, fat, fiber and moisture, the total is just over 50%. What is the rest of the percentage? Carbohydrates! Some of these are healthy carbs and some are starches that are processed by the body into sugars.

Examples of healthy carbs are:

* sweet potatoes

* pumpkin

* spinach

* carrots

* celery

* broccoli

* cooked green beans

* sprouted grains

* apples

* berries

* pineapple

* bananas

Just remember that fresh fruits and veggies can be given as a treat or in addition to your dogs’ daily meals. They are low in calories and high in nutritional value. Even if all you can afford is kibble, adding fresh fruit and veggies will always be beneficial. I try very hard not to waste any meats, fish, fruits or veggies. When I know that fruits or veggies won’t be eaten before they go bad, I will give them to my dog. She eats everything except spinach leaves!

Fatty Acids (Fats)

Fatty acids are necessary for reproduction, cell membrane synthesis, healing, healthy skin and coat, and the regulation of inflammation. There are different types of fats:

* Saturated fats - meats, tropical oils, baked goods, fast foods

* Monounsaturated fats - nuts and seeds, avocados, plant oils

* Polyunsaturated fats - salmon, walnuts, soybean and sunflower oil

* Trans Fats - fried foods, baked goods, hydrogenated oils

We all know the fats we should stay clear of, but we also must consume healthy fats for the reasons listed above. Processed dog and cat food use the cheapest products which aren’t always the healthiest products.

Healthy sources of fatty acids include:

* egg yolks, preferably raw or lightly cooked

* sardines with skin and bones

* salmon oil or canned salmon with skin

* coconut oil

There are also essential fatty acids which our body needs but cannot produce on its own. We must get them from food sources or supplements. The AAFCO requires only Linoleic acid for dogs and arachidonic acid for cats. There are dog and cat foods that add Omega-3 fatty acids to the kibble. That all sounds good, but when the kibble is baked at high temperatures, not only do the fatty acids become less beneficial, but so do the vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. They are more biologically available when added to the food before serving. Therefore, I recommend adding high quality supplements before serving them to your cat or dog. We will dig deeper into this subject in part two of this podcast.

Concerns about fatty acids in pet food

* fatty acids are very fragile and are susceptible to changes in temperature

* fatty acids become rancid when exposed to oxygen and high temperatures

* rancid fats can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, liver and heart issues, and cancer

* According to Steve Brown, an expert on pet nutrition, “No fat is better than rancid fat”.

Proper storage of your pet food is highly recommended. This will be covered in more detail in part two of this podcast. Good quality coconut and olive oil can be added to their food. I recommend staying clear of canola oil in pet food since this is inflammatory and can cause health issues. My cat and dog will eat solid coconut oil whenever I give it to them. If you are interested in doing this, please consult either me or a veterinarian.

I’m sure many cat owners have caught their cats licking the butter dish. Cats instinctively know they need fat, but they don’t know whether the butter is a high-quality or healthy source of fat. This is where it is up to the humans to provide an affordable source of fat like fish oil or sardines. Remember to always introduce anything new to cats and dogs (especially cats) a little bit at a time so as to prevent stomach upsets.

I believe that a clearer understanding of what exactly is in our food supply empowers us to make healthier choices not only for ourselves but also for our pets. A better understanding of the organization that regulates the pet food industry, what a cat’s and dog’s anatomy dictates they consume, which ingredients to avoid and which nutrient-rich ingredients to look for, can help us make the best decisions for our pets.

We all want our pets to live long, healthy lives. We also have financial limits that can restrict us from providing the highest quality of food. However, fresh food is always better than processed food. We know if we only eat fast food for every meal, we will eventually have some kind of health issue. There are still many dogs and cats that eat only processed kibble and still live beyond their expected lifespan. From my experience with my clients, they are the exception rather than the rule, especially within the past 10 years. Your veterinarian would have better statistics about this because they see many more pets than I have during this time. I also believe that kibble produced 25-30 years ago was of higher quality than much of what is available today. Modern pet foods often contain more additives, and in many cases, the quality of the ingredients has declined.

Too many pets die too soon. Whether you’re adding some fresh, real food to your pet’s kibble, feeding a high-quality diet at every meal, or simply offering healthier food occasionally throughout their life, I’m all for that!

Dogs and cats can be picky eaters. Please leave me a comment on what challenges you have experienced trying to find the right food for your cat or dog. Also, let me know what solutions you discovered by changing their food or routine.

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