Playing like a Pup

My whole life, I have done the bunny hop. This means that when I run, I pick my back legs up at the same time and hop them rather than running with them like my front legs. This can be a sign of hip dysplasia -- and Rotties are prone to that -- so my mom has had me checked several times. Every time, she was told that I seemed fine. Until the last time. She took me to a new vet because I was acting lethargic and she wanted to make sure that this could be attributed to normal aging rather than a problem. Good thing she checked! The vet found that I was barely able to move my back legs due to arthritis, which was causing a considerable amount of pain. The vet recommended an aggressive treatment: a supplement, pain killer and Adequan injections.

Mom was very hesitant to move forward so aggressively because pain killers can cause liver and kidney problems. However, the vet reminded her that living a longer life in a lot of pain really isn't much of a life. She  didn't want to think of me suffering quietly. A month ago, we began the treatment. Just a few days ago, for the first time in my whole life, I ran without the bunny hop. I chased another dog around the dog park like I was a puppy!!

Just remember, if your dog is acting abnormally, please take them to the vet. There might be an easy fix that makes your pup much more comfortable! Love, Chubbs

Normal Aging or Medical Problems?

Hi, I'm Fenway, and I'm a senior dog recently diagnosed with cancer. I have multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the blood plasma. It sounds bad, but I have a really good prognosis because my parents caught it right away.

How did they do that? They noticed my behavioral changes and responded by immediately taking me to the vet. Owners of senior dogs often make the mistake of attributing behavior changes to old age. Your dog may eat less, be less active or show behavior changes. This could be old age, but it might be a health problem. Dogs are living longer and may continue to live for a couple more years if you catch a health problem early. If you notice something suddenly, you should consult your vet, even if it seems like something that may be attributed to old age.

For example, I missed a couple of meals and start suddenly showing some fear behavior and inactivity. I have missed meals throughout my life. I have also been fearful. And during the last few months, I have slowly become less active. However, all these changes were dramatic and sudden. My parents could have easily assumed that I was just getting older. But they didn't.

If you are hesitant to run to the vet at every small behavior change, make a list of all the things your dog really loves to do. Car rides? Walks? Chicken and rice? Definitely head to the vet if your dog is showing less interest in those things. Maybe your dog misses a kibble meal or two. Try adding some chicken. No dice? Maybe you should think about the vet.

As Muggsy was dying, he had very clear signals. He had never skipped a meal his entire life. When he missed the first one, Mom took him to the vet. She began feeding him human food. When he lost interest in that, he would still go on short walks. On his final two days, he even lost interest in those. This was obviously a very aggressive progression of a disease, but it's good to think about these things with your senior dogs. If your dog loses interest in something he/she loves, that may not be a typical progression of old age. And it never hurts to check it out. You may be adding months or, in my case, years to your dogs life.

Love, Fenway

Senior Dog Stretches

Today, my brother Chubbs turned 10. I'm 12. These ages are definitely considered senior dogs. In fact, when your dog is 7 or 8, depending on the breed, it is probably considered a senior. This comes with problems that you are familiar with: disorientation, deafness, blindness, arthritis. Chubbs and I both suffer from some arthritis in our hips/lower back.

This week, my mom read an article about stretches for senior dogs, and boy am I glad she did! I don't really like to be touched. I can take some pets and all that, but I'm not super cuddley, and I hate being handled. But I loved these stretches.

The very best one was the backrub. She read to rub your dog in between the hip bones in a circular motion. She did it with a flat palm, but you can also rub down the spine with fingers on either side of the spine. Not only does this increase mobility, but it also increases spinal fluid flow, reduces anxiety and helps balance. Both Chubbs and I loved this one. We'll stand there and let this happen for several minutes.

The other stretches are rear and front leg stretches. For the rear legs, you stretch slowly straight back. For front legs, you stretch slowly straight forward, cradling the leg in your hands. These assist with freedom of movement as well as decreased arthritis pain, improved breathing capacity and increased blood flow. If your dog lies on his back, you can also stretch the front legs out slightly to open up the chest and rub the stomach i the circular motion.

There are lots of massage techniques for your dogs, but we can tell you that these are very popular around here! So spend some time rubbing your senior dog. He/she'll be very grateful! Love, Fenway

Lessons from Scott and Fuller

Now that I'm pretty much trained, my mom's training time with me just includes me helping to train other dogs, so she teaches me a lot about her training methods. So I thought I'd take time from tricking Bammie into giving me his bones and write a little note about some lessons she's learned from reading the classic dog study down by Scott and Fuller. They studied five different breeds of purebred dogs from birth and looked at lots of different traits and reactions to stimuli. Here are some interesting things we learned staying up late reading last night:

• When people seek playmates for their dogs, they often look for dogs who are similar: same age, size or breed. Scott and Fuller found that dogs are actually more likely to fight with dogs that are similar to them. They were less likely to fight with a different breed or different sex that those that were similar. We recently witnessed this in our own house with Bammie's biological sister came to stay with us for a few days. They played well together at times but often got snippy with one another. Because they had similar personalities, this could heat up quickly if Mom and Dad weren't paying attention. However, with our new dog, Winnie, she and Bammie play very well today. They are different breeds so have different play styles that actually complement each other well. So when looking for playmates, try to mix it up a little, not just for socialization but because it actually might be better for your dog!
• As we are always thinking about resource guarding in this house, teaching Bammie to be nice to the rest of us, we found some of Scott and Fuller's observations interesting. For example, they used a bone to assess hierarchies, which was very effective for some breeds, including Basenjis. However, this was not a reliable indicator in Shelties, which are bred to have a lower food drive. That doesn't mean they didn't have a hierarchy, but the hierarchy didn't become obvious until space was involved. The Shelties all guarded space instead of food! This is just a reminder to us that things that we think should be important to the dog aren't always important. And, in fact, you might not be able to tell what your dog is guarding. That doesn't mean it's "out of the blue." 
• The funniest resource guarding story was a lower-ranking dog that would wait until the higher ranking dog was distracted. He would then run over and tip over the bowl. When the food was all over the ground, the dominant dog wouldn't guard, so he could eat. This is a friendly reminder that teaching your dog not to eat off your plate does NOT teach him not to eat food that you have spilled. Dogs don't generalize. Now, you have another thing to train. :)
• The final interesting observation was that in litters of puppies, you often notice that there are dogs that approach and dogs that hang back. Those dogs that hang back are often considered to be shy or less affectionate toward people. However, when the fast approachers were removed, these "shy" dogs actually approached people quickly and LOVED them. They just weren't as dominant, which may actually make them better pets. So when you are picking out dogs, be sure to isolate the dog you want and see what happens. The dog may be great, just not brave enough to challenge the dominant dog.

We hope this observations were as interesting to you as they were to us. Happy training! Love, Chubbs

Impulse Control

I don't see what the problem is, but apparently, I'm not as good with other dogs as I should be. On leash skills were a piece of cake for my mom. She just taught me to look at her instead of barking. It's the most common type of client she gets apparently, so this was really easy for both of us. However, I'm a puppy, and I have tons of energy, so my mom wants to do play dates. I can be too rough, she says. I'm just excited! Come on! But my mom thinks I need training so she attended an online seminar about off leash "aggression." What an ugly word.

This seminar listed a few types of different personality types that exhibit off leash aggression around other dogs:

• Play-stunted: With these dogs, play often turns to aggression because dogs lack the ability to pick up cues from other dogs, don't have give/take in their play and repeat behaviors over and over that may upset other dogs.
• Bully: This type is similar to the previous type, but only targets certain types of dogs, usually more timid dogs, where play-stunted dogs play the same with everyone.
• Tarzan: Again, this dog is similar but may really struggle with poor greetings because they are dog-deprived or under-socialized. This type may also be a bully or play-stunted.
• Fearful
• Predatory

The last two are more serious. I don't fall into that category. I am more play-stunted or tarzan. I tend to be attracted to dog fights and repeat behaviors, even if I am being rejected. I'm sure you're thinking, how can I be deprived of dog play when I live with two dogs. I live with two old dogs who never play with me. Just because your dog lives with other dogs doesn't mean they have been properly socialized. Plus, no one knows about my first six months living on the street!

The best way to teach a dog like me is to teach impulse control. There are a lot of times when you can do this:

• Ask your dog to sit and wait for the food bowl to be placed on the floor.
• Ask your dog to wait at the door.
• Make your dog sit as you put on the leash.
• Ask for a stop or wait during play, such as before throwing the ball or during rough play.
• Always wait for calm behavior before letting your dog greet a new person or dog.

These are all simple things every dog should be able to learn to do. I'm ready for more advanced things now. I have to learn to be calm when Chubbs or Fenway may want to play with a toy or eat their dinner. Right now, this involves a leash, really great treats and lots of timeouts. 

I also have to have  timeouts instituted into my play times. All normal dog play involves breaks. Some dogs don't know how to give themselves breaks so the owners need to step in. This seminar suggests during play dates, giving your dog a warning every time you start to see the problem behavior that indicates a fight is about to begin. This takes careful observation, but there is always a warning. It may be a freeze, a look, or a repetitive behavior. I make a little whining noise. My warning is "that's two" while my mom holds up two fingers (she learned this from teaching humans). That way I have a visual cue as well as verbal. Most dogs learn visual cues much more quickly. If the behavior continues after the warning (which it usually will at first), a time out cue (for example "uh oh") follows immediately as does the time out. This has to happen immediately EVERY TIME. If your dog stops the behavior after the warning word, praise and let play continue.

Practice makes perfect, so if your dog doesn't have a serious fear or aggressive behavior, start scheduling play dates! Your dog will love this part of the training, and so will you. Remember to relax. If you are nervous, we get nervous. With time, your dog can learn to play well with others, just like I am. 

Good luck! Love, Bammie

Loose-Leash Walking II

Frustrated with loose-leash walking? Everyone, including my parents, gets frustrated with all the starting and stopping, good days followed by bad days, so I thought I'd offer a few more tips.

Every day, Mom changes our walking route. At first, we would walk an entirely new route every day, but now there are only slight changes. Even walking on the opposite side of the street feels completely different! Why does she do this? First of all, puppies like me need extra mental stimulation. Walking the same route over and over can get a little boring, and since puppies need more exercise and mental stimulation, it's important to provide it. In addition, puppies do not learn like humans. We don't generalize. So if you walk the same route every day, a dog will learn to walk perfectly on that walk, but it will all fall apart in a new area. If you aren't prepared for this, you may get really frustrated.

Take me for example. On our regular route, I can walk almost perfectly (except when there are birds -- I LOVE to chase birds). However, when Mom changes it up, I still pull a little. Then she knows what I still need to work on. As for the birds, she has to use "leave it" or else I will pull her arm out of her socket! That's not just a loose-leash walking issue. With distractions, you may have to use additional commands, such as leave it, watch or sit. Expecting us to ignore those is expecting a lot for a puppy!

And if all else fails, use a different type of collar when you don't feel like training. My dad isn't very patient, but when he ignores my pulling, I don't learn well. Thus, he uses a Premier Easy Walk harness when he doesn't want to train me. This is different enough from my collar that I know when I am being trained and when not. And the harness reduces my pulling anyway, so he doesn't have to worry about getting dragged down the street.

So keep walking! Your pup will get better. And I will, too, Mom, I promise! Love, Bammie

Loose-Leash Walking: Hard for Everyone!

Hi, I'm Bammie, and I hate loose-leash walking. (Hi, Bammie! I'm Chubbs, and I also hate loose-leash walking!) Apparently loose-leash walking is hard for everyone, even my super cool older brother Chubbs who seems to know everything! But today, I had to learn how to do it because my mommy walked me, and she's a lot more strict than Dad.

My mom saw this seminar once where Ian Dunbar said that if you want to teach your dog how to do something, take him on a long walk and make them perform the behavior every 100 feet or so. For example, if you want to teach your dog how to sit, put some treats in your pocket and make him do it every 100 feet on a two mile walk. By the end of the walk, he claims, your dog will be able to perform the behavior quite well because he has done it in several different locations with different distractions each time.

So my mom set out to teach me to loose-leash walk by taking me on a long walk and simply not giving up. For the first half mile or so, she had to stop every three or four steps. For the next half mile, it started to go even more smoothly. Finally, by the last half, it was going really well. I was only pulling when I got distracted by something, like pigeons or chihuahuas.

The one thing that my mom did that really helped was that my mom praised me when I started making good decisions. For example, she would praise me every time I would walk back and make the leash loose, but that's not it. When I would get to the end of the leash and slow down rather than pull, she would praise and reward me, even though she didn't tell me what to do. She recognized that I made a decision not to pull and made sure to let me know how happy she was about it. I love it when she's happy. Praise makes me wiggley.

So remember two important things when teaching your puppy not to pull: be patient (!!!) because if you give in, it just takes longer to teach and praise a lot and talk only when your dog is doing well. "No no, walk polite," sounds the same as "good boy" to us! Puppies need lots of exercise, and it's much more fun if you teach us how to do it the way you like it. So dedicate a couple of hours to really teach your pup how to walk, and you'll be happy with the results.

Happy training! Love, Bammie

We Are Family!

Hi, everyone, I'm Bammie, the newest addition to the Weaver-Nisenfeld clan. I just wanted to introduce myself because Chubbs and Fenway are pretty well trained, and my new mom says there is lots of training ahead for me.

I was pretty lucky to get into this family because Mom and Dad seem to know a lot about how to make a puppy happy. The first couple of days I chewed up some stuff off Mom's shelves. She called it her row of death. But she knew what to do. Now I get interactive toys when she leaves. I have kongs stuffed with liver paste and frozen and balls and tug toys filled with treats that spill out when you play with them. She has to leave down lots so the other dogs won't fight with me. The rule is there should be at least as many valued items as you have dogs plus one. And that's just the minimum!

She also knows that a tired pup is a good pup. She bought me squeaky tennis balls and stuffed toys that squeaked when she figured out how much I loved them (Chubbs likes to disassemble the toys so they don't squeak! Lame!). She throws the ball for me for hours when she gets home, knowing that walking with Chubbs and Fenway won't be nearly enough exercise for me. Plus, I love to play almost as much as I love to cuddle. And, boy, do I love cuddling! She also bought me rubber bones to chew on when my teeth hurt. I also like to chew on the food bowls, so those have to be picked up.

She also got me a tag with my name and her number on it. That's really important in case I get lost.

Apparently, the first thing I have to learn is this command called "leave it." She says that my weaknesses are chewing up things I'm not supposed to, stealing from Chubbs, nipping faces and running into Fenway. Can you believe these can all be solved with just one command? I'll have to explain that all to you as she teaches it to me. I guess the first step is just me learning what the word means. That makes sense. I see Chubbs listening to that word, but I have NO idea what it means!

But I can't wait to learn! I love my new family, and I'm really happy I got saved from the street where I was found almost starving with my sister. Whatever this family has in store for me, I'm sure it will be awesome!

Pleased to meet you all. Love, Bambino (aka Bammie)

The Woes of Potty Training

Hi, everyone. I'm Calvin, the latest foster. Since I hung around a little longer than Chester -- and need a lot more training than he did -- I get a chance to guest star on the blog. That's me above. I'm pretty cute, so if you're looking to adopt a potty trained puppy, let us know. I'll make a great companion.

In case you're wondering what such a young pup would have to say, let me get to the point. I just made it through my first day without having an accident in the house! This is a big deal because I was a pain to potty train, especially compared to this Muggsy my foster mommy keeps blubbering about, apparently.

First of all, Foster Mom tried to follow all the rules. She put me in a small area while she was gone with only a potty pad, a bowl of water, some toys and a place to sleep. She took me out every half hour and left me in this area when she was gone. However, there were a couple of problems with her paint-by-numbers strategy. 1. I hated being in a crate and would cry, cry, cry. 2. I run through my mess rather than avoiding it as this Muggsy did.

But that's the exciting part about dog training. Not every method works for every dog. So sometimes, you have to do some modifying. After her third day of scrubbing poopy footprints off every inch of her bathroom floor, Foster Mom did just that. Her first order of action was to leash me and lead me out the doggie door every time I started to sniff. This is pretty standard, but Dad liked to carry me, and that had to end. Of course, I got rewarded each time I went. When I didn't go, I would get leashed to the couch rather than put in the crate. This reduced the crying. She had to spend some time teaching me independence before really cracking down. This consisted of a few minutes spent in other rooms with doors closed and putting me on a bed near her rather than the couch. Just a few minor changes can really make a difference. Now I can even lie in my crate for a few minutes without panicking. I've even fallen asleep in there!

The other change she made was to break her cardinal rule and give me more freedom. She put me in the living room with all the doors closed, way too much area for most puppies. However, I don't chew things up and I seek comfort in the other dogs. This immediately stopped the panic elimination and allowed me to focus on getting outside in the right time. She still put down potty pads in the spots I commonly relieved myself, but I only needed those for a few days.

Finally, when she was home, I started getting a little more independence. I would get more rewards when I would go out the doggie door without prompting than when she had to take me out herself. It wasn't much independence because she would still follow me everywhere, but if I ran to the doggie door, she would just wait to see what happened. A couple of times, I tried to go right in front of the door, but she would rush over and push me out, just to reiterate her point. Humans get so panicked when you go in the wrong area. I just wasn't sure how far out the door I needed to go. Geez.

Anyway, I finally made it! Potty trained! Of course, my new owner will have to teach me the rules in their place, too. I'm not a mind reader. But I'm off to a great start. And Foster Mom got a good lesson, too, because she remembered that sometimes to be an effective trainer, you have to break the rules a little.

Love, Calvin

What to Do About the Dog Who Wants to Do Nothing

As much as I picked on Muggsy, I loved him very much. He was there, hating me, from the moment I crawled under Chris' car, and he was with me almost every moment of every day for the next nine years. I'm just not sure what to do without him. So mostly, I just sleep. I have lost my energy, though I have certainly not lost the ability to eat, which would greatly worry my momma.

A change in energy level is one of the signs of canine depression. Many experts now recognize this as a legitimate illness, though there is still some debate since humans can't talk to dogs and tend to project their emotions onto us. Other signs include change in appetite and changes in behavior, such as unusual aggression or destructive behavior. Many of these symptoms can also be caused by health problems, so you should first get your dog checked out at the vet. Problems like arthritis can make your dog less active, which can appear to be depression. In my case, it appeared the day Muggsy didn't come home and has stuck around. According to some experts, canine mourning should clear up in six weeks; however, it can last up to six months. It's been 11 weeks since we lost Muggsy, but he was a pretty awesome dog (not as awesome as me, but still).

So what do you do when your dog is depressed? Find whatever it is that still make your dog happy and do that more often. If it's car rides, take him for a car ride each day. Keep your dog active. Dogs generally like walks and play dates, so find time to do things with your dog. Many sites warn not to lavish your dog with love and treats while they are depressed because this will cause your dog to believe you are rewarding them for the depression and continue to feel this way. My mom thinks this is ridiculous. Your dog can't control its emotional state anymore than you can. If your dog is cheered by lavish love, love him up! Your dog may learn that lying around causes you to reward him and show that behavior when he is cheered up, but it won't affect depression in one way or another. However, you definitely do want to reward your dog more for happy behavior, so he understands which behaviors make you most happy.

What has my mom done? More walks. Longer walks. Special bouts of running wildly through the park. She bought me a special toy to carry around. I love stuffed birds! It's the only toy I like. More play dates. With Muggsy, we never went to play dates. Now we frequently do, even though Fenway and I usually just sniff the yard and lay down next to Mom. She also bought me interactive toys, which come out every evening to get me excited about playing. She also lavishes me with extra love and surprises me with treats for no reason, but don't tell those other dog trainers!

As time goes on, I'm sure my mom and I will both learn how to live our lives without Muggsy. But right now, we both have to try extra hard to do things to cheer up. If your dog or cat is suffering from grief, be sure to do all you can to help them cheer up as well.

Love, Chubbs

K9 Cancer Walk

Our entire family will be walking in the K9 Cancer Walk, sponsored by the Morris Animal Foundation, in San Diego Feb. 18. As our fundraising page is lacking, it doesn't allow us to provide more than one photo. But that doesn't do justice to our cause.

As we began this fundraising effort, we found that many of our friends have also been touched by dogs who have been lost to cancer. The beagle with the beautiful smile below is Blaze. I dare you not to smile when looking at him! He was owned by my friends, Chris and Ashley Borniger, and was so loved that they were the first to donate to our cause. I can still remember his adorable old man bark and all the stories Chris told of the beagle who could eat anything! We miss you, Blaze!

My friend, Lindsay Jones, lost her first dog as an adult to cancer last year as well. Her name is Lucy, and according to Lindsay, in her couple of months in her new home, chewed up two cell phones and three digital cable remotes! But she went on to become Lindsay's best friend, and

she is missed every day. We miss you, Lucy!

A few days after Muggsy passed, I received a wonderful email from one of my very favorite cousins, telling me that he had recently lost his beloved pet, our second Lucy, to bone cancer. The doctors thought she had a torn muscle and postponed treatment too long. Just like Muggsy, Lucy was my cousin's first pet as an adult, and as you can see from the picture below, she was a sweet, loving friend.

While this is officially a K9 Cancer Walk, we hope that strides made in curing canine cancer will help with feline cancer as well. We are friendly to all in the animal kingdom, and just this week my dear friend Karin lost her beloved cat, Kayla, to a mass in her lungs that was likely cancer. As with Muggsy, Kayla didn't live to hear her diagnosis, but she was a sweet, loving cat who survived crazy cat roommates and stood by Karin through a couple of major life changes. We will miss you, Kayla!

Toby was a favorite around our house as he and Chubbs often sympathized over what it was like to have a sibling who wasn't that fond of them. He was one of the nicest dogs you'll ever meet, eager to greet and please everyone. He was taken from us quite recently and suddenly as a result of liver cancer. We miss you, Toby, and will be proud to walk in your honor. (Toby is the golden closest to the camera!)

Like Muggsy, Charlie Brown died five months after his 10th birthday. For reasons that are currently unknown to us but are being researched thanks to funding from our K9 Cancer Walk, goldens are very susceptible to cancer. Charlie Brown died suddenly, leaving his owners devastated at the loss of such a sweet, loving friend. He is still missed, two years after his death.

Now, we are walking for Muggsy, Blaze, Lucy, Lucy, Kayla, Toby, Charlie Brown and Scotty, who isn't pictured but was so loved that his owner still talks about him and yearns for a Scottie a decade later. I hope we can make enough money to improve diagnostic tools and treatment so fewer owners lose their beloved dogs before their time. To donate, visit http://support.morrisanimalfoundation.org/site/TR/Events/CCC?px=1085188&pg=personal&fr_id=1190. Thank you!

Love, Robby, Melinda, Chubbs and Fenway