Most people would agree that they would do almost anything to keep their dogs safe at home. We love our dogs; they are important members of our family. The idea of anything happening to them is horrifying. Yet thousands of dogs, even well trained dogs are still running away from home. What’s with that?

Dog owners are certainly better informed and more sophisticated than ever before. They seemingly have all the right tools to raise happy, well-trained, well-socialized pets. Many communities now have dog parks to help socialize and exercise your young dogs. Puppies are starting training at that critical age of eight to ten weeks. Most dog owners take their dogs thru obedience training to make sure they teach their pets to come when they call them. As a matter of fact the key reasons people train their dogs is to ensure that the dog will come when they call them so that they don’t have a dog that will run off.

So why then, when you did the puppy training, you went to obedience training, you even took your dog to doggy day care does this same dog take off when it gets out the front door? How did they learn that? One possible answer is that You may have been sending mixed messages. You may have taught your dog to do that.

When you and your dog go out the front door what do you do with them? If you’re like most dog owners you leave the property with your dog and take them for a walk. You’re the one that taught them when we go out front we just keep on going. That’s what’s fun! That’s how you get exercise! That’s how you see the world. Here in then lies the mixed message. You don’t want a dog that leaves the property but that’s what You always do with them.

It may be time for you to send a new message! Even better if you have a new puppy it’s a great time to teach your puppy what you really want them to know which is when we go out front we turn around and come back in. The good news is that you can retrain and establish new habits. A great exercise to do with your dog would be to go out the front door, go check the mail and come back in. Go out the front door and come back in through the garage door. Go out the garage door and come back in the front door. Go out, come in, go out, and come back in. This is what you want to communicate, and demonstrate. If you have flowers in the front yard, go out with your dog, water the flowers and come back in. Practice your obedience training in the front yard putting your dog in a sit stay and then calling them back in the house. You want your dogs experience to be predominantly that when you take your dog out the front door you end up turning around and coming back inside. It’s all about balance. Be creative and send the right message!

• How to Stop Jumping Up
• How to Stop Chewing
• Dog Behavior Problems (followed by a list of dogs’ innate behaviors such as chewing, barking, licking, digging, etc.)
• Correcting Bad Dog Behavior

The problem with this kind of language is that it has influenced ways of thinking to the point that people actually believe that not only are these behaviors bad, but that the dog is bad for doing them. The words we use create thoughts. Our thoughts about things are reflected in our behavior. It is an illusion and bad instruction to insinuate that anyone can stop all jumping. This just leads dog owners to believe that either they are failures, or there’s something wrong with their dogs. Once again, this kind of language suggests there is a problem within the dog.

Today, I have clients coming in saying things under their breath as if confessing to their dog’s sins. “My dog puts his feet up on me, isn’t that bad?” “My dog digs in the back yard; it doesn’t bother me, but isn’t that bad?” “My dog’s a jumper!” What have we taught these people? What have we done to the dog? This madness needs to STOP!!!!

Behavior Overview
Do you realize that all behavior is either innate or learned? This is true for people as well as animals. Innate behaviors are never going away for good, but they can be managed. Only learned behaviors can be extinguished.

Let’s take a person for example: Is breathing innate or learned? The correct answer is innate, and we will breathe our entire lives. Now let’s take the example of a person smoking cigarettes. Would this behavior be innate or learned? The answer is learned, of course, and yes, a person can quit smoking cigarettes once and for all.

Now back to the dog, and let’s take barking for example. Is it innate or learned? It’s innate! Barking, licking and digging are all innate behaviors that are manageable, but they are never going away for good.

Likewise, to the dogs’ defense, all jumping for joy cannot be bad either. Expecting a little dog to never jump is about as ridiculous to me as a person who expects a dog to never bark. When we argue with Mother Nature we will lose!

The real message here is to live our lives accordingly … according to what is appropriate at the time. If Bobby, your twelve-year-old next-door neighbor, is coming to visit and he loves it and laughs and giggles when your dog greets him jumping and licking, then let it be. It’s not as if killing their fun would erase your dog’s desire or natural tendency to be a dog.

On the other hand, if it’s ninety-five-year-old Aunt Louise coming to visit, and just your dog bumping into her could knock her down, then you want to show good leadership and manage your dog. But you don’t get to holler, “Sorry Aunt Louise, that dog knows better!” He doesn’t know better. He is a dog.

What’s Consistent Is What You Say Goes!

One of my favorite mentors is Dr. Wayne Dyer. He is well known for the saying: “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Believing the dog knows better places the responsibility on the dog and sets you up for disappointment. Assuming you need to manage your dog’s behavior will empower you. Once again, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!”

After all, the dog was created perfectly divine, just the way it is!

I rang the doorbell, which triggered a huge fiasco.  This family actually owned a number of dogs.  There were several English Pointers barking and running to the door, and a Border Collie.  The youngest daughter, who I’m guessing was probably nine or ten years of age, was screaming, “Don’t let the dogs out!”  This, of course, gave me some insight as to the state of things, as I squeezed my way in, heeding the daughter’s advice.

What I noticed immediately was that Malcolm, an older Border Collie, had a ton of staple stitches which went all across the back of the base of his head and continued underneath to the front of his throat.  This was a fearsome injury!  This was life- threatening damage, and in a moment, I knew that if the dogs were fighting to that degree, one dog needed to be placed in another home.  This ranked as some of the worst damage I had ever seen!  Nevertheless, I hid my initial shock, didn’t say a word about the injuries, and knew not to have my mind made up until I knew more.

Whenever I first enter a client’s home, I’m always looking to set up my workstation.  In other words, I like to sit at a table with chairs so that I can begin asking questions and make my notes.  We worked our way toward the kitchen table, and the whole family joined in, including the husband, wife, and two daughters.  As I was trying to get everybody corralled to the table I couldn’t help but notice the youngest daughter, almost hysterical about the dogs getting together, and worried about a fight.  She was yelling, “No!!! Don’t let the dogs get together!  They are going to get in a fight!”  And the mother’s reaction to this was even more peculiar.  She was very, very calm and said, “You know what? Don’t worry about it, honey.  They only fight when we are gone.”

What was very weird was looking at the youngest daughter, who was legitimately terrified about these dogs getting together and fighting, while both parents and the older sister were very calm and not even concerned.  Really?  Once again, the mother repeated in her calming voice, “Honey, don’t worry.  They only fight when we are gone.” Looking at the life-threatening injuries I wondered if the youngest daughter was the only one with good sense, or what the heck was going on here?

My interest was certainly peaked!  Getting to the truth of the matter, I learned that the owners believed that one of their dogs, Winchester, a one-and-a-half-year-old unneutered male English Pointer, had injured Malcolm, the eight-year-old Border Collie, while they were out of town.  They had a house sitter staying at the house, and she came home to find Malcolm torn up in the yard. Winchester was the only dog with him, and he also had a considerable amount of blood and stool on him.  This also meant that Malcolm was so terrified during the fight that he had let go of his bowels.

The husband shared that he had purchased Winchester as an eight-week-old pup. Winchester came from excellent breeding, and his sire and dame were award winning hunting dogs.  Winchester was purchased to be a hunting dog.  Malcolm and Winchester had lived together since Winchester came into the house at eight weeks. Truly, Winchester did seem happy, well bred, soft mannered and very stable.

My next question was, “What do you mean they only fight when you’re gone?”  They explained that the only time there had been a fight with injuries was this one time while they were out of town.  The owners acknowledged that there had been some growling going on over food and toys.  So my next question was, “Were there ever any injuries?” The answer was, “Oh no, no, just a little minor growling, and we would separate them, and that would be the end of it.”

So now, this is getting even more peculiar.  The types of injuries that Malcolm sustained are not first-fight level injuries. What I mean by that is that the level of force and injuries sustained during fighting tends to escalate with fights.  In other words, the very first fight between two dogs usually begins with noise and no injuries.  Then, as the fights continue, both fighters get more and more proficient and the degree of injuries escalate.  It might go from minor scratches to puncture wounds to lacerations requiring stitches.   I know that the level of injuries like the ones Malcolm had are not with a first-time fight.  Not that anything is impossible, but let’s just say it was highly improbable.

The next thing that made no sense is that dog fights are much more likely to occur when people are present, as opposed to when the owners are gone.  As a matter of fact, it’s suggested statistically that approximately 90% of the time, fights only occur when people are there. The reason is, people tend to enroll themselves in fights in a way that dogs actually find rewarding.  A more common progression would be that there would have been a number of fights when the owners were there, and that the fights would have escalated to the degree that there are injuries.  First, it starts with minor injuries, and then the injuries get more and more severe until the dogs and owners are going to the vet for medical attention.  Even at this level, the owner’s negative reinforcement is a huge reward, but there is still hope for help.  Once I hear that the dogs are now fighting even when the owners are nowhere around … now you have two dogs that have grown to truly dislike each other, as opposed to doing it for negative attention.  This really adds to the severity of the situation.

Two dogs fighting with no one around indicates I am dealing with two dogs that really do hate each other.  This wasn’t the case.  These dogs didn’t hate each other.  They were running around together.  The whole story was very, very peculiar.  So, what really did happen?  The owners don’t know.  They were out of town on a vacation.  They had a house sitter at the house.  The house sitter came home and found Malcolm injured …  in the backyard … lots of blood everywhere … defecation on him … and the only other dog that had both blood and stool on him was Winchester.  The house sitter surmised that Winchester must have attacked Malcolm.  The backyard was very secure and a coyote could not possibly have jumped into this yard.

They took Malcolm to the veterinarian.  The veterinarian’s report was that it looked like two crushing blows with four different puncture wounds in different areas and two bites. The crushing blow description was due to the fact that the tissue in that area was dead, and that the ear was injured so badly that they had to do reconstructive surgery to get it back in place.

Assuming that Winchester had done this to Malcolm, the house sitter didn’t dare bring Malcolm back to the house.   As a matter of fact, Malcolm went to stay with the owner’s family while he was recovering, and once he had recovered enough he recently returned home. The owners called me in because, of course, they wanted to avoid another dogfight.

Things are just not adding up!  I look at Winchester, and Winchester is a bird dog.  He is a well-bred bird dog.  Winchester has a very gentle mouth.  As a matter of fact, the owners say of all the dogs, Winchester has the gentlest mouth. This dog was bred to retrieve a bird without crushing it!  Nothing was adding up, and as I looked at Winchester I was even more convinced that he is not even physically capable of doing that kind of damage.

Nothing about this story was making sense.  It didn’t make sense that their first fight with those kinds of injuries occurred when the owners were gone.  That would occur with two dogs that hate each other.  I didn’t see that at all.  Winchester did not look physically capable of inflicting the kind of damage or crushing blows that were described in this assault.  Then next question was (because behavior never lies), “When Malcolm came home, was he afraid of Winchester?”  The answer was, “Absolutely not.  No. They are not afraid of each other at all.”  Now, considering two dogs that have been in that kind of fight, and Malcolm with those kinds of injuries:  Malcolm would have come home and been terrified of Winchester.  And he was not.

My conclusion … Winchester did not do it.

What I visualized, I said, was that Malcolm was in the backyard, basking in the sun.  They said, “Of course, he always does.”  The other dogs were probably indoors.  I looked around the yard.  There was no way a coyote got in the yard.  The conclusion had to be that a bobcat, or perhaps a mountain lion, jumped in the yard and attacked Malcolm with crushing blows, whereby Malcolm had bled and defecated.  He knew that he might die.  Winchester was probably the first dog out the dog door followed by all the rest of the dogs, which sent the bobcat, or whatever the assailant, running.  The likelihood is that Winchester was the only one that had blood and stool on him because he enrolled himself in the fight to save Malcolm.

The family was totally relieved, and this made a lot more sense.  The youngest daughter rejoiced.  There was no way in the world Winchester was guilty of the crime he had been accused of.

The evidence did not add up.

The dog she has now is a huge, powerful, unneutered, young male Doberman that she may or may not breed.  He really is a stunning specimen of a dog.  Her challenge with him is walking him on-leash in the morning.  He gets all supped up, and I do mean supped up, when it’s time to go for a walk.  I need to add here that he’s very manageable on-leash under all other circumstances. It’s only the morning walk, and specifically, in their neighborhood, where he loses it.

Now, I haven’t seen it, but she says he stands on his hind legs and just screams when he sees another person with a dog.  Apparently, he also wants to chase cars and joggers – and heaven forbid if a rabbit runs by. He creates a big scene, and she is afraid to walk him for fear of being hurt.  When I say fear of being hurt, that goes for both of them; she is afraid of being injured, and she is also afraid of him injuring himself with the equipment she had tried so far.

When he was a puppy, she had clicked, and treated him for keeping the leash loose, but it wasn’t long before that lost his interest on the morning walks.  There were too many other things that were much more interesting.  So she tried the head collar, the slip chain and the prong collar as well, all to no avail.  It was very clear to me that the electronic training collar was going to be the equipment of choice; plus, it would give her the off-leash control she needed around her own property.

I might add that she, like most people, struggled with the idea of using an electronic consequence.  So I prepared her and her dog well over a week in advance by having her put the collar on and off with no rhyme or reason.  The purpose of doing this is that we want the dog to have a positive association with the collar.  This particular collar also has a pleasant tone feature that we use the same way as you would use a clicker.  The collar would go on. At some point she would do some training, using food as a reward and pushing the tone button in association with feeding.  Doing this in advance ensures that the dog will only associate the new consequence of unpleasant electronic stimulation with his behavior in the moment, not with the collar itself.  It all went smooth as silk.  He received a consequence timed perfectly with inappropriate behavior, he understood, and it was no big deal. It was both safe and effective.  The owner was thrilled, and they can now go for safe walks in the morning.  All of her neighbors that showed up with their dogs as a planned distraction were equally impressed.

Near the end of our walk, along came a man with his two dogs, a Jack Russell and a medium-sized mixed breed.  We could hear him start yelling at his dogs as soon as he saw us.  Both dogs were wearing harnesses and both were pulling like crazy, especially the Jack Russell.  That neighbor’s management tool was his temper, and it didn’t work at all.  Evidently the whole neighborhood is used to hearing him scream at his dogs.

Who’s to say what’s right or wrong?  I guess it’s just a choice!

Have you ever wondered, as I have wondered, if the life of a human being is “Greater” than the life of one of God’s creatures?

As a young child living in India, I met a man who held all animals in the highest regard.  He was the gardener for the property building my family lived in.  He was a devout Hindu and a strict vegetarian.  He would not eat meat nor would he so much as kill a bug.  I had shadowed him around the property and noticed that he had these two sticks in the garage where he lived that he used to handle anything he thought of as untouchable.  If there were a dead rodent, for example, he would use those two sticks to remove it.

One day as I watched his family eating, I noticed that even his dog was required to live according to his standards, which meant that his dog was also on a diet of rice and curry.

I felt sorry for the dog, and decided to bring him a bone from our kitchen upstairs.  Standing there, watching his dog enjoying the bone, I was soon met with the gardener’s scorn as he yelled at me for the violation.  He was furious!  Of course, he used those same two sticks to remove the bone as well.

This was a holy man with a holy appreciation for all God’s creatures.

Our property building which we lived in was four stories high, and was separated from our neighbors on both sides by a large concrete wall which horseshoed all the way around the building.  Behind the back wall was a deep ravine, full of deadly wildlife—including King Cobras.  It was not an area we ever played in, but I had often stared out of the second-floor windows and watched the enormous snakes below.

One afternoon during the monsoon season when it had been raining for weeks, I was walking up the driveway toward the entrance of our building.  I noticed the gardener coming from the garage.  A strange look came over his face as he looked at me, and then behind me.  He began yelling, and quickly disappeared back into the garage.  I turned to look behind me to see what his panic was about — and there it was.  An enormous King Cobra snake had come up over the wall to get away from the floods and was now following me up the driveway.  On one side of us was the high wall around our property, on the other was the wall of our building. There was nowhere else to go but forward. Could I run fast enough?

Suddenly the gardener came back out of the garage and began running toward me, with those same two sticks in his hands.  Was he going to try and pick up the snake?  To my surprise and amazement that was not the case.  Instead, he ducked behind me, shooed me out of the way, and began beating the snake with both sticks.  He beat the snake to death. This same gentle man, who would not even touch a dog bone with his bare hands, had without hesitation killed a snake to save my life.

No words were exchanged between us; none were necessary, but the lesson was clear.  When the time came to choose, he knew the value of a human life was “Greater.”  What a lesson that was.  It has been a foundational piece for me to draw upon in my work as a dog trainer.

In this work we occasionally run into dogs that are, indeed, dangerous.  More often than not, most of the dangerous dogs I see can either be reformed or at least made manageable where they no longer pose a threat.  But there are those dogs where the danger is just too great and it becomes my responsibility to support the owner in making the toughest decision, which is to let them go and send them up.  It is in my knowing that there is a life hereafter, and understanding which is “Greater,” that I find my strength.

I have shared an even greater lesson regarding the word “Greater” in my book, “Dogs Do Go to Heaven!”  This lesson was so profound; I had to write a book about it.  You can learn more at DogsDoGotoHeaven.com .

I had the privilege of spending time with her recently as we both attended our 40th high school reunion. She sparkled as always from the inside out. I know her soul is well. She will always be a shining light of inspiration to me. I’m so glad to know that she will be out of pain shortly and radiating her joy in heaven.

It is my faith in a life hereafter that adds to my life’s meaning. I never really think of myself as religious but instead as very spiritual. To me religious would suggest that I study a particular religion which I don’t really. My spirit on the other hand knows God, and Jesus, and understands what will and will not keep my soul well. Right thinking leads to right behavior which leads to a healthy soul. My soul and my spirit are well thanks to my knowing. And that is the most important thing to me in this world as it is the one and only thing I will take with me when I go.

Thanks to Diane, today I remembered the saying …
Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift and that’s why we call it the Present!

It is very important to do everything possible to reduce your dog’s anxiety during thunderstorms.  Dogs’ fears of thunderstorms tend to worsen with age.  By minimizing their anxiety level, you will also minimize the progression of worsening symptoms over the years.

Since no two dogs are exactly alike, calming techniques that work with one dog may not work with another.  Interrupting the progression of worsening symptoms is our goal.

• Constant pressure on the nervous system can produce a calming effect.  This is the theory behind a very popular tool, the Thundershirt.  Well worth investigating by going to Thundershirt.com

• The Gentle Leader Calming Cap may be an ideal solution for the dog that is startled by lightning.  It does have a generalized calming effect on a high percentage of stressed dogs, but, as with most things in life, you won’t know until you try.

• For more extreme cases, deadening the noise may also be part of the solution.  This measure combines both deadening the noise along with the concept of applying a gentle calming pressure:

Use an eyedropper to put a few drops of mineral oil in each of your dog’s ears

Put a couple of cotton balls in each ear

Wrap either a MarkOut® wrap or something similar around your dog’s head to apply gentle  pressureand hold everything in place.

Click to visit  MarkOut.com

• Consult your veterinarian.  Although no one loves the idea of medicating his/her dog, interrupting the progression of worsening symptoms is well worth it.

• A fear of thunderstorms is an inherited trait in most dogs.  Because the behavior is inherent it cannot be eliminated.  Desensitization techniques can help the symptoms, but there is no cure.  If you have a dog with a fear of thunderstorms, you should reconsider any plans to breed your dog, since this is a gene that will be passed down.  Similarly, if you were going to purchase a puppy, this is a good question to ask of the breeder.

• One of the best ways to protect your dog is to secure the environment.  A dog door will allow your dog to escape the storm by retreating indoors.  If your dog is trying to escape the noise from inside the house it is less likely to destroy doors or go through glass when it has a dog door. The Invisible Fence brand solution also offers many alternatives for keeping your dog safe at home, as it will prevent fence jumping.  Visit Invisible Fence.com

Finally, distracting your dog by engaging it in another activity is also an option.  I met someone just the other day who swears that by playing ball with his ball-aholic  dog outside in the storm, he has cured his dog. Worth mentioning!

The age of your dog is a good indicator. Puppies under the age of 7 or 8 months are usually great in these environments, regardless of the breed!  But once they get older, especially with certain breeds, this window of opportunity, this phase of life when they are most naturally good with all other dogs and just have a desire to play, may close.

Note: If you have a puppy that is under 7 or 8 months of age and is either terrified of other dogs or shows no interest in playing with them, that’s not normal! That means it really needs the socialization that has been lacking.  My recommendation is to get the puppy in with a stable group of dogs now to overcome the problem.  A puppy is unlikely to be of any real danger to others when it is that young. This is problem prevention!

Also: The benefit of dog day care over a dog park is that the dogs are pre-screened and their owners are not there with their dogs.  Dog day care staffs are experienced in watching dog behavior.  They know the difference between what is normal and needs to be left alone to work itself out versus when to intervene.

Some people think that their dog should be good with all
other dogs or there is something wrong.  It’s just not true!

Let’s say that you and I (both adults) are driving through a neighborhood, and all of a sudden we see a playground full of children.  I open the car door and say, “Look at all of those children. Why don’t you get out and go play for awhile?”

Most adults would look at me like I’m nuts.  Why would you want to go play with children, when what was fun when you were that age is not fun when you’re grown up? Dogs grow up, too.  The real benchmark in their social maturity can begin as early as 9 months of age, but is more likely to occur between 1 and 2 years of age and older.  What was fun when they were puppies may not be fun as an adult.  This is a natural progression.

An adult dog often takes on more of a supervisory position, becoming a referee of sorts, which can be problematic in social situations.  These adult dogs are tired of the puppy nonsense, and rather than playing, they find delight in correcting.  Some grow up and look for opportunities to fight on a level they only pretended to do when they were young.  For others, fighting is in their DNA and will naturally show up with age, no matter how well socialized they were when they were young.  The reasons dogs change in their thinking and their behavior are as numerous as there are individual dogs.  The point is, it happens.  It’s a normal progression. You didn’t do anything wrong, and there is nothing wrong with your dog.  You are just meeting the adult.

Even the well-socialized adult dog, once matured, has little or no need to be with a variety of other dogs to play.  That need has been fulfilled.  As an adult, its immediate family, which might also include other dogs, is enough. Where big groups of dogs are concerned: Been there! Done that! Time to move on.

There really is a window of opportunity to socialize all dogs safely, and it happens when they are puppies. If you have acquired an adult, and you have no idea of its history with other dogs, I would recommend letting a professional help you determine what liberties are available to you.

It’s like driving.  Driving is a privilege, and there are certain responsibilities that come with it.  We are not entitled to drive; we have to qualify.  It’s the same with dog parks and dog day care!  They are a privilege for certain dogs! And lucky you, if you have one of those gentle dog souls that will always be good with all dogs, all of its life.  Appreciate what you have, because it is not the norm!

Barkin Garvin's Dog Day C.A.R.E.

Testimonial

Five years ago, my wife Angie and I “rescued” a wonderful dog—a Great Dane by the name of Jack who had been badly neglected. We lovingly nursed him back to good health. Today, he is eight years old and we can’t go anywhere with him without making new friends.  He’s grown up to become a very majestic and handsome Dane with the sweetest personality and most gentle disposition towards everyone he meets.

Back then, when he was 3, we used to take him to the dog park at Udall where he would run around freely and playfully with the other dogs. Unfortunately, over time, we became dismayed to see his friendliness towards other dogs become aggressive intolerance. We concluded that we must have had a hand in that, because Jack spends most of his time at home; we also have a Mastiff, Tonka, and they keep each other company when we are not home. Our reasoning was that his exposure almost exclusively to Tonka had somehow made him afraid of other dogs. We set up an appointment with Karyn Garvin to see what we could do about getting him to become friendly towards other dogs again. We were afraid that Jack might someday attack another dog and that we might find ourselves in trouble with the law or, worse, without Jack.

Our meeting with Karyn transformed the way we looked at our problem. Karyn explained to us that it is normal for some dogs to become aggressive towards other dogs as they grow older. Karyn helped us understand the reality of our situation which in turn prevented us from spinning our wheels and throwing away our money on efforts that would fail and instead allowed us to focus our energies on what would work. We now understand that we need to manage the problem instead of trying to change Jack.

We have accepted that Jack is who he is. Dog parks are not for Jack—not anymore. Instead, we take him with us on hikes and other trips, and, when we have encounters with other dogs, we now know exactly what to do. I think both Jack and we are on a much happier track now that we know how to deal with him more realistically. We learned a valuable lesson.  Dogs are dogs, and when we treat them with respect for this fact, everyone is happier in the end—including the dog.

Peter Avila

In the 1970s, I was new in the world of dog training and working for a company in Phoenix, Arizona.  The dog company would assign clients to me by giving me their basic information, which they had retrieved over the phone. I would then go to the customer’s home to teach dog training.  On this particular day, I was going to the home of a couple with a Great Dane puppy.

I pulled up to their home, a rundown trailer.  Rundown to the degree that I still remember wanting to just drive away.  This place was in really rough shape.  It was pretty obvious from the onset that these people had some real issues.  Yet, the biggest surprise came when they invited me inside.  Rather than it being a joyous occasion, which is usually the case when I go to someone’s home to meet the new puppy, it felt more like I had shown up for a funeral.  They were sullen, and there was no happy puppy greeting me at the front door.

The husband barely said hello. The wife stayed quiet, and more or less stayed by her husband’s side.  I had the sense that she was afraid to say anything.  He was obviously the spokesperson for the two of them.

Trying to break the silence, I piped in with a jovial,  “So, you have a Great Dane puppy.”  They said, “Yeah.” Again, there was silence.  I asked, “Where is it?”  They said it was in the kitchen, and I looked to my left, and there was the entrance to the kitchen.  The entrance was wide open, yet there was no puppy running out to greet me.  I naturally assumed that the pup must be in a crate in there.  They just stood still, looking at the kitchen entrance, so finally I asked, “Well, can I go see him?”  They said, “Sure.  Go ahead.”

I walked in the kitchen, and there, lying on the floor next to the sink, looking up at me, was the Great Dane puppy. He didn’t move. His face was on the floor, his tail not wagging and his whole body trembling. He was terrified.  I also noticed right away that his ear was bleeding. Someone had cut a diamond-shaped “V” out of it.  I stood there quietly for a moment.  This was bad. In that moment, I knew I had to get that puppy out of that house that day.  My new objective became to have him leave with me.  That’s all I knew, and I knew it in the moment I stood there.  But, how ….. ?

So, I wiped the shock off of my face and went back to the living room, tried to act as if everything was normal, and started talking to them about their dog.

I sort of egged them on, getting them to complain about the dog and everything it did wrong: “So, does it chew?” “Yeah, it’s destructive.” “Is it pottying in the house?” “Yeah, it’s been horrible about pottying in the house.” I got them complaining about the dog, and then I finally said, “You know what?  You’re not happy with this dog, are you?”  And they said, “No.”  I then said, “It hasn’t been a good dog?” And they said, “No, it hasn’t been a good dog.” Then I said, “I know somebody who loves Great Danes, and if it’s all right with you, I would love to take this dog today. I’ll train it, I’ll put it in a new home, and you can start over.”  And they were like, “Fabulous! Great!  Take it.” I couldn’t believe it!  YIPPEE! Mission accomplished.

The dog began to cheer up the moment we got home.  In no time at all, he began interacting with the other dogs. Within a few days, maybe a week or so, you wouldn’t have noticed anything out of the ordinary about him, except for the gaping “V” that was cut out of his ear.  Even though he was doing very well, I could not forget that horrible moment when I first saw him, or stop wondering what had happened to him.

At this time, in the 1970s, the concept of animal communicators was relatively new.  I had read a book on the subject and seen a celebrity animal communicator on TV.  I found the concept fascinating, and then it occurred to me that if this can truly happen, it might be the only way that I would ever find out what had happened to this Great Dane puppy.  I got the name of someone who was practicing in California, and decided to give it a try. Never having done this before, I was certainly skeptical, but once again, I really wanted to know what had happened to this pup.

Over the phone, I told her I had a puppy I had taken from a bad situation, and that I wanted to learn more about him.  The only additional information she wanted to know right away was the dog’s name and breed. That was it.  Then I had to be quiet.  Next, she began describing my living room to me, just so she knew she was seeing the right pictures and talking to the right dog.  Now, that was really impressive.  But once again, I had to shut up and let her do her thing.

It wasn’t long before I heard her gasp. I said, “What is it?”  She said, “Its ear.” Now, you have to remember I haven’t told her anything about the ear, so now I’m a believer. “Its ear!!!  It looks like there is a diamond shape cut out of it.”  I said, “Yeah!!  You’re right, that’s it exactly!   What happened to its ear?”  And she was quiet again.  I heard her take a few more deep breaths, and the suspense was killing me, so once again I asked, “What happened to his ear?”  After a long pause she said, “I’m sorry but I’m not going to tell you.”  Of course I said, “What?”  She said, “Here’s why I won’t tell you.  You know, you’re right.  Was he abused?  Absolutely. But if I tell you what happened to him, then you will go and tell the next person and everybody who meets the dog will hear the story.  Every time you tell the story, the dog has to relive it.  You’re better off not knowing.  He’s a stable animal.  He’ll be well.  He’s happy where he’s at now.  God bless.  Good luck to you.”

That was the end of the conversation.  I got off the phone that day feeling a little gypped.  I couldn’t believe that she held out on me. But over the years, I realized what a great gift that was.  In the big picture of things, it really doesn’t matter.  Knowing and reminiscing would have done more harm than good.  She did me a huge favor that day, and I have never forgotten this lesson.

I hope this has been a gift to you!

Love,

Karyn

Yesterday I learned of another story whereby one of our client’s puppies was on its way to the veterinarian for consuming non-eatable things.

PLEASE Read the following article and share it with your friends. Then read Paula’s testimony about her experience with her dog.

Thank You

Love,

Karyn

Who Said You Shouldn’t Feed A Dog Human Food?

Copyright ã 2006 by Karyn Garvin

Variety is the spice of life.  When it comes to good nutrition, no one describes a need for variety better than Gwen Shamblin, who has her master’s degree in nutrition and is also a registered dietitian.  In a tape series entitled Rising Above The Magnetic Pull of the Refrigerator, she takes the listener through a mind exercise.  The exercise begins by having you first imagine your favorite food.  Let’s just say your response is Pizza, great.  Guess what you get for dinner tonight?  The answer is Pizza.  Guess what you get for breakfast tomorrow? The answer is Pizza.  Guess what you get for lunch tomorrow? The answer is pizza. Guess what you get for dinner tomorrow night? The point of this exercise is to help you experience and realize that in no time at all you would dread eating pizza.  She points out that people have a biological built in repulsion for a lack of variety.  This biological feedback ensures that you get a variety of foods, which in turn prevents any malnourish syndrome.

Ethology, is the science of animal behavior from a biological perspective.  Domesticated dogs arose from wolves that somehow became accustomed to living amongst people.  It makes sense to examine what a wolf’s diet would consist of when given free choice.  The answer is variety.  They do not select one source of food and eat that same source day in and day out day after day after day.  They naturally put variety into their diet.  Many dogs also have a built in repulsion for a lack of variety.  While a particular dog food may in and of itself be a well-balanced meal, it does not offer the dog the variety it seeks when the same meal is given day after day after day.  Not giving a dog variety in diet may lead to eating disorders which can be life threatening.

As a behavior specialist, I can tell you that 99% of the time when a client complains about their dog eating rocks which is a life threatening condition, that dog is on a strictly dry dog food diet and there is little if any variety given.  Oftentimes modifying the diet and giving the dog variety will clear up the rock- eating syndrome immediately.  In cases where the dog has been eating rocks for a long period of time, it becomes more complicated.  Adding variety to the diet at this point in time may be only part of the cure.

People who have bought into the old adage “Don’t give a dog human food,” are usually just trying to do what they have been told is best for their dog.  Many dog owners intuitively feel that they want to add variety to their dogs diet but they have been made to feel guilty and wrong about what their heart tells them is right.  If you are one of those people, let this article support you in following your intuition.  Please Give Your Dog Variety in Their Diet!!!

There are behavior problems that some professionals believe are a result of feeding a dog some of the same foods that the owner would eat.  The most common analogy is that the dog will be motivated to beg for food.   There are however just as many dogs who have never been given variety in their diet begging for food as there are dogs that do get variety.  A dog’s desire to eat, along with their sense of sight and smell will bring them to your side when your eating regardless whether or not you have ever shared your food.

ONLY IF … this is a concern of yours, then here are some solutions.

1. Feed your dog it’s meal, prior to feeding yourself.  If the dog is full it will be less motivated to beg.
2. Never reward your dog for begging by feeding it your food when you are eating.
3. Teach your dog an alternative behavior such as to lay and stay during your mealtime
4. Remove the dog from the environment and the temptation.

Professionals also suggest that obesity is another reason to discourage dog owners from giving their dog variety.  The true cause for obesity is overindulgence and lack of exercise.  This can happen with any food.  If your dog is obsessive about eating and has a tendency to overeat you need to control the quantity.  Typically feeding smaller amounts at least twice a day is better than a large amount once a day.

This article is not going to recommend any one particular dog food.  Dog’s have special needs and some need special diets.  The point of this article is to say that variety is the spice of life and that dog’s both need and like variety.  Human beings have been provided with a bountiful variety of foods.  Surely this bounty was meant to be shared by all of Gods creatures.  Enjoy life!

Paula and Koloa’s first day at school.

November 2, 2010-

Picked up our precious new puppy and brought her home.  Appeared  healthy although with a little new puppy diarrhea.

November 4, 2010

First vet exam with first vaccinations.

November 2010

Noticed in one of our early 3am morning outings that Koloa was squatting and urinating a LOT and it appeared to me to be a urinary tract infection. Stayed awake with her until the Veterinarian opened at 9 and rushed her to the office.  I also noticed she was eating a lot of small rocks from our landscaping. It was a substitute Vet as ours was on vacation but he confirmed she had a UTI and prescribed an antibiotic. I asked about the ingesting of rocks and he just laughed and said that was typical and nothing to be done. We had to cancel our Puppy Training that day as she had no concentration ability from the discomfort.

She continued to eat rocks. I did notice them in her stool…a lot. That cannot be healthy… or comfortable. We have over an acre of land and much of it is covered in the small decorative rock that I was envisioning we would be replacing…but with what???

December 6, 2010

Karyn came to my house for Pool Safety Training and we discussed the rock problem and she looked at the property. Karyn asked what Koloa was eating and how often. Karen noticed the amount of small rocks and also noted that our hedge that she was quite interested in was covered in red poisonous berries. She explained that this actually is an eating disorder and that it was a result of a lack of variety in her diet. She explained that dogs need variation in their diet as do we and that Koloa was eating rock and the berries to supplement her diet. I was surprised and a little skeptical, but I took her advice and changed up Koloa’s diet to include anything and everything from carrots, chicken, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, celery, chicken and rice and even bananas. Koloa loved the variety. I was a little shocked and certainly surprised to find Koloa eating everything she was served. Also to my surprise one of the biggest benefits was that Koloa was NOT EATING ROCKSOR THE POISONOUS BERRIES!!

December 13, 2010

Koloa was re-checked at the vet and was diagnosed with either another or the same UTI. The vet changed the antibiotic and I was also instructed to only feed Koloa a no-protein dog food to flush out the infection. I was told that  Koloa should eat only one can of the food per day and nothing else. She lost weight, was hungry all the time. I also noted that she started eating and swallowing small rocks again and the poisonous berries.

She was losing weight and showing her ribs. She started throwing up the small rocks .We went to Karyn for puppy training and she appeared not only concerned but a little irritated at lack of weight gain and her physical appearance. When we discussed the diet plan Koloa was on Karyn was not happy.  I explained what the Vet had said and she replied “Not this dog”. It was touching….she really cared. So we went home and abandoned the bland diet and started back on meat and chicken and vegetables and Koloa was thrilled. She was so hungry. We continued the antibiotic but fed her the foods she needed and wanted.

I am so glad that we discovered the solution as a puppy and that Koloa had not yet established bad eating habits. Karyn told us that had we not discovered this until later that adding variety is harder at an older age. By adding the variety to Koloa’s diet we appear to have cured the eating disorder.