Who wins? Who Looses?

Life is really an ongoing set of evaluations and negotiations affecting those that are part of our lives, be it a child, friend, parent, and even our pets.

If reaching a consensus where all parties get something they want or need is difficult, imagine when there is one silent partner “sitting at the negotiation table.”

That silent individual is often our pet! Many times we make decisions that are convenient for us, sometimes, they might be necessary, but either way they affect our pets negatively. Okay, sure, life is anything but perfect, but still don’t we owe the same consideration to our "silent” partner the way that we would for a family member? Or a beloved friend? When making changes to routines, lifestyles, and the like?

In my professional work, I interact with lots and lots of different clients in a myriad of different situations. I see at times how the client’s needs clashes with the needs of their dog. I think that sometimes this happens just because clients are not professional dog people who might not know how to solve a given situation. They might not be able to come up with a solution that satisfies the situation in a way that both parties win. The good news is that many times, I see my client’s face light up when an idea that I produce seems to fit the bill. So it is not that people are selfish (some of the time at least) :) but finding solutions where everyone wins is not always easy.

So the pressing questions is: How can we  make sure that when we need to solve a problem or make changes in our lives, those changes support also the day to day needs of our dog(s)?

I strongly believe that education about who dogs truly are is really at the core of answering the above question. In my view, the only way that we can even have a chance in taking their doggy needs into consideration.

Here are some examples of situation where I see people’s needs not always matching the well-being of the dog:

Long hours at work… dog is taken to daycare everyday for the whole day! Can you even imagine how taxing this is for many dogs? While some dog & dog interaction is really good for most dogs, the daycare solution as a way of life, is for most dogs, really not that good. This excess of over-stimulation can really wreak-havoc on the nervous system of the dog.

Finding the “happy-spot” of mental and physical stimulation for our dog is really an exercise in close observation. Dogs, just like people, are individuals and so are their needs for social interaction. Some like a lot of it and some don’t. Same goes for dog parks. I have known of dog owners that continue to take their dog to the dog park even when their dog is clearly afraid of interacting with dogs because they enjoy the social interaction they get with other dog owners.

One solution would be to mix-and-match the day to day activities of our dog when long hours at work demand that they stay alone - basically in boredom or long hours of social isolation. The idea would be that the dog is taken to a reputable daycare (if he enjoys the company of dogs) once or twice a week on short days at work for us. The rest of the week, again a reputable dog walker can come by and give the dog some at home play or go for a walk.  Also, leaving behind an interactive food-toy will help almost any dog pass the longs hours with at least something interesting to do.

What about on-leash walks?

For the most part, these barely scratch the surface of the daily physical as well as mental stimulation our dogs need!  There is nothing wrong with this activity either but there must be some thought as to the real benefit our dog is getting:

Does your dog enjoy the activity? If so, how do you know? What can you observe that tell you your pal really looks forward to it?

Once on the walk, does your dog get ample opportunity to engage in the environment in the form of sniffing, peeing, etc?

Is your dog constantly being jerked around on the collar because he never learned not to pull on the leash?  Can you imagine being taken out on a “date” and receiving this kind of treatment? Yes, your dog is the one that is doing the pulling one can argue, but in all fairness, can we take the time and effort to teach him how not to do so, this way both parties can really enjoy the walk?

Perhaps you LOVE dressing your dog in “cute” outfits enhanced with a matching hair-bow and nail polish. Again, perhaps there is some benefit for this outlet. It means that the dog is being handled when the outfits are being put off and on - same for the hair-bow and this could be enjoyable for both parties. Nonetheless, we need to make sure the dog is comfortable with the handling which means that the pup was taught that handling feels good.

When you leave town on vacation is your dog also having a good time because you have made sure that whoever is in his care really is doing a good job and nothing less than you do for your dog on a regular basis instead of just looking at the expense of the sitter? Yes, pets are expensive and that should be considered before acquiring one.

Sometimes, of course, we need to do “things” to our pets that don’t feel good and yet they are still necessary. Say a visit to the veterinarian for some blood work, or remaining immobile because of an injury, however, the issue is hardly avoiding all “bad things” for our dogs as this is impossible. Yet we can still slow the decision process enough that we take into consideration how our decisions will affect our dog. True, this requires honesty and even generosity because at times, the best solution for our dog might not be the first thing that comes to our minds or the cheapest, easiest, etc.

Once a friend asked me who my client was:  The person? Or the dog? The answer is that the client is the one who writes the check- and so far, no dog has done so.  However, even though the person is always the client, my professional ethic requires that I advocate for all the dogs that I work with and frankly I think of this duty as an honor. As I see it, my job is enriched just by the opportunity I've been given to speak on behalf of the dog. What a privilege this is!

Backyard Dogs

Dogs are incredible social beings that thrive as companion animals. Isolation for this reason is very hard on most dogs and as such a welfare issue for the dog.

Isolation is hard on dogs at all stages, but is extremely difficult on young puppies. We can for sure make the lives of “outside dogs” more interesting by training them, exercising them and feeding them in interesting and challenging ways to relieve them of constant boredom. However, in spite of the mental and physical enrichment we supply for them, these cannot make up for the time that they spend alone in social isolation if they spend most of their days & nights on their own.

Beside the isolation issue referred to in above paragraph, when young puppies (or untrained dogs) are kept mainly as outside dogs, it is quite likely that they will not be house trained nor comfortable around household noises and other related activities, and thus create havoc on their confidence and overall comfort when brought inside (for some reason) or traveling with them. In the case of young puppies (3-18 weeks of age) this incredibly rich period of learning is when we must work hard in order for them to feel comfortable and secure in a people’s world. The only way to achieve this is by intense positive association with novel things and people. Once the puppy is over the socialization period, whatever he was not exposed to in a positive manner will be a potential for concern, or worse, fear for the rest of his life. A dog that lives outside will miss out on learning about living in the proximity of people.

In addition, a dog that has not learned to be inside a home when young, in all likelihood would not be a good candidate for traveling. Not only will he be outside his known environment – the home yard, but he will most likely be in distress because of the demands put on him when in an inside environment- one that he does not know at all.

Another big concern for dogs that are left outside – even in the best of set-ups are:

1. Constant exposure to the elements: heat, cold and thunderstorms. Ongoing exposure to outside elements can create distress in all dogs but remarkably so in young dogs or the elderly.

2. Some dogs will develop noise phobias. Phobias can be very debilitating for the rest of the dog’s life and his family. Studies suggest that working breeds (herding dogs, for example) are at a higher risk of developing a noise/thunder phobia.

In some cases, the fact that the dog is alone most of the time may give way to nuisance behaviors such as constant barking or howling, attempts to escape and digging, etc. Once the dog engages in these nuisance and stress or boredom related behaviors, the chances of the dog remaining in the home will decline as complaints from neighbors make the current situation unsustainable.

Some people might find that they want to have a dog as a pet or that they love the one they have, and for some reason the dog cannot live inside; say in the case of someone in the household developing allergies or a landlord that has changed his or her mind, etc. However, while some dogs might fare better than most in such circumstances, backyard dogs rarely get their needs met.

One solution that I find might help both parties is to consider having the dog live with someone else that can give the dog the attention, and can have the dog truly be part of the family. While the current owner can most definitively come around and take on the full responsibilities and the joys of having a dog be a part of his or her life without having to relegate the dog to a life of neglect and loneliness.

If we truly consider our pets to be “family” we must treat them as such. So as a dog pro, and an advocate of dogs, I want folks to go the extra mile and to think creatively and valor so that their pet does not suffer the consequences of the choices we make.

Asking for too much?

As part of my ongoing education, I attend monthly webinars that touch upon different topics surrounding behavior and training. This month’s topic related to the questions of: Are we asking too much of our pets? And, if so, what specific environments or concepts can put a pet’s well-being at stake?

Funny that this particular topic was being presented as I have on my own focused in my private practice and with my own dogs in making sure that our dogs are not paying the price for our endless ideas of what they “should” do or be.

I think most people mean well, but are just uniformed about the true nature of DOGS. For example, why is it that people decide to adopt or purchase a dog?

Is it because they hope that their new pet will fulfill a particular need? What happens when we think of our furry pets as children? Or a replacement for human children?

These are important questions to ask ourselves. To clarify, there is nothing wrong in my view to welcome a pet into our family based on some of our needs - this is true of any relationship. The important thing though is to take stock as to the impact our needs might have on our dogs on a day-to-day basis!

Case in point: I get an email from a potential client explaining to me that his dog… “needs to learn to sit and stay”, “needs to come when I call him.” I had to smile when I read this because even though I knew exactly what he meant: the owner has the need of having his dog sit/stay and come when called and these are really not his dog’s needs or wants we have grown used to thinking of our pets as an extension of our wishes.

Another example is the expectation that our dogs MUST like everyone! And even be polite and with good manners with every single person we choose to engage with.

Dogs must be comfortable with having anyone reaching out to pet them… as if dogs don't have a need for personal space!

Dogs should play nicely with all dogs we choose to introduce them to. And they should never (start) a fight. Good dogs don’t fight.

They should have a strong and consistent work ethic, day in and day out, regardless of the environment, how they feel, how tired they might be, etc.

We have grown accustom to having dogs be there for us no matter what! But the question still remains: Are we asking too much of our dogs?

Is The Crab Afraid....

This past week was vacation time! Following one of my niece’s weddings in Mexico City, we spent five days at a sleepy-beach destination just south of Puerto Vallarta. The home we rented had a smallish yet very pretty private beach. A long and semi-treacherous ten minute hike was in order to get to the ocean. As we made our way to the beach we were careful not to step on the red crabs as they dashed away from us after threatening us with their little arms. (I just learned they are called claws, not arms). At one point, John asked me: Do you think that the crab is “attacking” us because he is afraid or is he just being plain aggressive? Mmmm…I thought, it is always dangerous territory when we try and get into "someone” else's head – even if it is just a crustacean! The truth is that regardless of what some TV personalities want us to believe, we really do NOT know what another animal is thinking. Our best guess as to an animal’s motive for a behavior is by inference: We can observe what the animal is doing. In the case of the crab, opening and closing its claws as we come near. And from that observable fact we can assume what its emotional state or motivation might be.

My response to John was that I believe the crab’s attempts at pinching us shall we come any closer was an autonomic response: It is instinctual and in accordance with the crab’s genetic make-up for dealing with a potential threat. What I find most relevant for our discussion is the fact that fear - in all its manifestations - is an emotional response.

In the journal, Social Science Information (Vol 44 – no 4, 2001) article “Trends and developments: research on emotions” (Klaus R. Scherer defines emotions as…“an episode of interrelated, synchronized changes in the states of all or most of the five organismic subsystems in response to the evaluation of an external or internal stimulus event as relevant to major concerns of the organism…” Fiu! Now breaking the definition into small “installments” I will focus on: "to the evaluation of an external or internal stimulus event as relevant to major concerns of the organism…" so, fear has its roots in evolution (yet it is also subjective). Fear is evolutionarily advantageous in that it will keep the animal out of harm's way. This is also important because as an autonomic response; it is NOT under the animal’s control.

Now, back from vacation and on to the topic of our dogs. When a dog feels concern or very frighten it is CRUCIAL and compassionate that we do NOT push the dog to “deal” with the situation by forcing the animal to interact with the scary stimulus. Our own agenda as to how and when our dog must face its fears only accomplishes a lack of trust in our dog towards us (you could not keep me safe - kind of scenario) and a possible increase in fear or at least discomfort when in the presence of the given (scary) stimulus. Instead, in order to help our dogs become more confident so that they can better deal with what life sends their way we must go at their own pace when exposing them to what frightens them. Slow is always better when teaching any animal to learn to deal with an unknown - and from their perspective - dangerous situation.

If at all possible, break down the interaction with the stimulus into very small steps. For example: give your dog distance from the scary object, person etc. Pair the unpleasant experience with something fantastic for your pet (this is called classical conditioning – a topic that deserves its own entry). Learn about dog body language and how this expresses the dog’s internal state of discomfort and fear. Above all, rest assured that your dog is NOT being stubborn, dominant or silly when he decides not to get in the car, backs away from a reaching hand or … growls as someone he does not know who approaches in a threatening way. A fearful response, is in the best interest of the animal and it is not something that our pets can decide turn “off and on” on a whim.

Now, here is a question for you: can we make our pets even more afraid by consoling them when they are feeling unsure and afraid? The answer might surprise you… stay tuned!